InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Who Will Love Me As I Am ❯ Who Will Love Me As I Am? ( One-Shot )

Who Will Love me As I Am?

Disclaimer: I do not own the Inu-tachi; R. Takahasi does. I do not own the song, which is from the musical `Side Show.' Please do not sue, I can't afford to pay you. Reviews appreciated. Flames will be used to power my Fire and Brimstone Ray with which I shall rule the world. (Bwa-ha-ha.)

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"Damn it!" Kagome screamed as she ran through the forest. "Can't I go one damn day without getting into a fight with Inuyasha?"

She could hardly remember what it was they had been arguing about; they did it so much that all the quarrels were starting to blend together. All she could remember were their last words.

"Listen, bitch, if I didn't need you to find the Shikon Shards…" he yelled. Her eyes widened.

"Well, if that's how you feel, maybe I won't help you find them!" she replied, and turned and ran into the forest, eyes glistening with tears.

Kagome stumbled over a root, causing the contents of her pack to go spilling across the grounds. Half-blinded by her tears, she set about gathering them up.

"What the hell am I doing here, anyway?" she sniffed, stuffing her books into the pack. "I should be in school, not gallivanting around a twisted past where 101 Demons are looking to skin me alive!"

Like a fish plucked from the ocean,

Tossed into a foreign stream

Always knew that I was different,

Often fled into a dream.

" For a while, I had dared to hope…I thought I might finally getting through to that stubborn hanyou. Then we started arguing again, more than we ever had before. I've gotta face it-to him, I'll never be anything but a shard detector and a pale imitation of Kikyo. And who's to say he isn't right?"

Kagome smiled bitterly as she finished repacking, remembering a song she had once sung in the school choir.

I ignored the raging currents,

Right against the tide I swam,

But I floated with the question

Who will love me as I am?

It's better this way, Inuyasha thought as he observed the young woman from a perch in a tree high above. But was it? He absolutely despised himself when he made her cry. And she was crying. Sobbing in fact. He wanted to jump down, comfort her. But she was still angry with him. The second she saw him, he'd receive so many `sits' that his children would be born with flat faces. That and his stubborn pride held him back. No, there was something more than that.

Like an odd, exotic creature

On display inside a zoo,

Hearing children asking questions

Makes me ask some questions too.

She didn't know-he dared not let her know-why he had been so snippy of late. He was not used to this thing called self-control. He just couldn't use it all that well-self-control in one thing lessened self-control in another. He could no longer hide his feelings from himself. He loved the girl, damn it, and it took every ounce of self-control he had not to take her whenever he saw her bend over. Add that to the fact that he knew she would never reciprocate his affections, and he was one irritable little doggy. He was half-demon for heaven's sake! It was practically bestiality. Not even Kikyo had accepted him; she wanted him to be human. No, she would never love him back, not as long as he was a hanyou. Or could she? What did she mean by `I had dared to hope?'

Could we bend the laws of nature?

Could a lion love a lamb?

Who could see beyond this surface?

Who will love me as I am?

Kagome sat at the base of the tree. The sun was setting in the west, and the light was fading. She had hoped to reach the well before nightfall. Now it looked like she would have to spend the night in the forest. Saying a quick prayer to whatever god might be listening, she curled up, closed her eyes, and went to sleep.

Inuyasha crouched above her. His amber eyes swept the area, his nose twitched, and his ears swiveled as he searched for any sign of danger. Sure, Kagome was angry with him. Sure, she would never love him. That was his fate, to be an outcast, never accepted. But there was no way in Seven Hells he was going to let her die because of unrequited love.

Who will ever call to say `I love you?'

Send me flowers or a telegram?

Who could proudly stand beside me?

Who will love me as I am?

Kagome seemed so peaceful when she was asleep. Inuyasha smiled weakly, recalling a human saying he had learned on a visit to Kagome's time. A penny for your thoughts. He'd give more than that to know what she was dreaming about right now.

It just so happened that she was dreaming about him. If she only had the heart to tell him how she felt every time she was around him. But why bother? She knew what he'd say. He was handsome. He could have any woman he wanted, if he put his mind to it. And it was clear to her that he loved Kikyo, not her. The only reason he had paid attention to her for one fucking second was because she looked like the dead miko. She sobbed inwardly. Life in Feudal Japan was going nowhere. She had to get out, before she suffocated under the weight of her emotions and the burden of finding the Shikon shards.

Like a clown whose tears cause laughter

Trapped inside the center ring

Even seeing smiling faces,

I am lonely pondering.

It really is better this way. Inuyasha thought again. Every demon from here to China knew he was attached to her. She was in mortal peril every day she spent here. If a demon wanted to lure him in, they would kidnap Kagome. And he, knowing full well it was a trap, would charge in anyway. So far they'd been lucky. But one day, he'd slip, and then they'd both die.

"Love," he whispered. "Who needs it?"

Who would want to join this madness?

Who would change my monogram?

Who will be part of my circus?

Who will love me as I am?

Suddenly, Inuyasha's ears pricked up as he heard a twig snap in the underbrush. He cursed silently for allowing himself to be distracted. Whatever that thing was, it would be entering the clearing any second now. He drew the Tetsusaiga and breathed deeply, preparing for battle. He couldn't help but be a little surprised when it charged in and he saw that it was a glabrezu. Glabrezus were incredibly powerful demons, but they were also cunning, subtle, and cautious. They were not usually found wandering forests alone at night. He was even more startled when he saw an inverted pentagonal mark on the demon's chest, indicating that it was under another's service. He had a sneaking suspicion that he knew who that person was.

The glabrezu stood nine feet tall, with brown, scaly skin and crimson pinpoints of light emanating from its eyes. It had three pairs of arms, four of which ended in massive pincers capable of crushing a man's neck in a split second. The other two were short, relatively weak human arms. It advanced upon Kagome's slumbering form, reaching out a single pincer to snap her in half. It blinked in surprise a second later when it realized the arm was no longer attached to its body. Inuyasha stood before it with an expression of pure fury. The Tetsusaiga was fully transformed and dripping blood.

The glabrezu lazily picked up the fallen limb and touched it to the wound. It instantly reattached itself. Inuyasha gulped, hefted his steel-cleaving fang, and charged forward with a roar.

Kagome woke with a start to the sounds of heated battle. Inuyasha was fighting a massive, six-armed demon, and didn't seem to be faring too well. Every cut he made seemed to heal instantly, while the demon snapped its four pincers at him, opening up wounds all over his body. Not knowing what else to do, she took off a shoe and threw it at the Youkai. The glabrezu whipped around to face her. Without a second's pause, it charged at her, pincers outstretched. Inuyasha tackled her out of the way, and opened the Youkai's stomach as it flew over him. It crashed through the tree, and stood, disoriented.

"Inuyasha! The Shikon shard! On his forehead!" Kagome yelled. Reacting instantly, Inuaysha leapt at the glabrezu and brought the Tetsusaiga crashing down on its forehead. It screamed in utter agony as it crumbled into dust. Inuyasha picked up the Shikon shard and handed it to Kagome. He hesitated.

"Look, I'd just like to apologize for what I said earlier. I didn't mean a word of it. You are a lot more than a shard detector to me. You're…" He hesitated. Did he dare say?

Who will ever call to say `I love you?'

Send me flowers or a telegram?

Who could proudly stand beside me?

Who will love me as I am?

"I'm what?" Kagome pressed. Inuyasha inhaled deeply.

You'd think this would be cake compared to fighting Naraku's puppet. But I think this is the hardest thing I've ever done. He thought. Oh well, what have I got to lose?

"Kagome…I love you."

Kagome blinked.

"You what?"

Inuyasha braced himself to hear what he was afraid to hear: that there was no possible way they could be together, that it was foolish to even think about it. Thus, he was caught completely off guard when Kagome blushed, smiled, and whispered shyly into his ear.

"Inu-sama…I love you too."

Seeing him blink, Kagome looked away embarrassed. Oh gods, I've done something wrong.

Inuyasha cupped her chin and turned her to look at him. He smiled lightly.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, leaning in to capture her lips. "Don't ever change."

Who could proudly stand beside me?

Who will love me as I am?

The End!