Inuyasha's ears perked up at the sound of Kagome's arrival. Her hand reached delicately over the lip of the well and her huge yellow back pack was thrust over the edge. He was over to her side in a matter of seconds, his hand reaching out to grasp her small wrist. He gave her a small smile.
"You're late…" he stated. She didn't respond, even as he pulled her out, steadying her as she stumbled slightly. Her head was bowed deeply.
"What took you so long? You said you would be back by mid day…" The sun was just beginning to set in the far distance. He threw her backpack over his shoulder, realizing that it was lighter than usual. He shrugged it off, feeling it unimportant, and began walking toward the village, expecting to hear her footsteps or voice behind him.
He heard nothing.
As he turned around, he noticed her still standing in the same place. She hadn't answered, and now that he thought of it, she hadn't even spoken a single word to him. Was she mad at him or something?
"Kagome?" he called tentatively. He walked over to her and bent down, hoping to catch her eyes, but she turned away from him. Her raven locks practically shrouded her face from view instead of being tucked behind her ears like usual. They no longer framed her face, and it bothered him immensely.
"Kagome? Are you okay?" he asked, a hint of worry lacing his words. Still no answer.
"Kagome? Answer me!" he said, a little more harshly. It was frustrating him! Maybe something was seriously wrong with her? He attempted to gaze at her face once more, but she moved away from him again. He growled lowly.
"Look, if you're mad at me, I'd wish you'd just say so!" he cried, and he saw her visibly flinch, but she shook her head. Was she afraid of him?
"No Inuyasha… I'm not mad." Her voice was tired. Sad. And it made his heart soften slightly.
"Then what's wrong?" he repeated. She shook her head and began walking past him toward the village. He just stood there, watching her as she walked by. He didn't know what to do.
"It's nothing Inuyasha. Just something I'm dealing with…" her voice was deadpan, but exhausted at the same time.
Without even thinking, his hand had found hers as he spun her around to face him, but her eyes still remained downcast. He held her shoulders gently, to face her squarely and observe her. She didn't fight him, and he growled in frustration.
"Damn it Kagome! Why are you acting this way?" No answer. His growl rumbled even louder in his throat. He felt torn. He felt more confused than ever. She wasn't mad at him, but something bothered her. And whatever bothered her, made it bother him even more.
Grabbing her chin with his fingers, he tilted her face up to stare in to her eyes.
And that's when he saw it.
Aside from her chocolate brown eyes were two circular objects connected by a curved line. They framed her eyes perfectly, and Inuyasha had the feeling that they were supposed to do that. The circles were outlined a dark blue color and settled comfortably on her nose. Two more lines were attached to the ends of the circles and extended out to settle on her ears. As the setting sun peaked out from behind the trees, Inuyasha watched the sun's rays catch on to the circles, giving off a shine and indicating a transparency.
"Kagome?" he called, his voice laced with question. She avoided his eyes, but still allowed herself to be held by him. After a few seconds, she gave a low amused chuckle, but Inuyasha could find no humor in the situation.
"It was bound to happen sooner or later…" she said quietly.
"Kago-"
"They're called glasses Inuyasha…" she said, cutting him off gently and answering his silent question. She finally looked in to his golden eyes, and smiled a sad smile.
"They're for people… who have problems seeing…" she continued. Inuyasha was silent. How should he answer? What could he possibly say?
"The doctor said they would help me see…"
"You… have trouble seeing…?" he questioned. He had no idea, and felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner.
"Well, my problem is that I am far sighted. I can see things far away, but up close, it's a little harder…" she explained. Instinctively, Inuyasha leaned forward, bringing their faces even closer than before. His hands tightened slightly on her shoulders, and she smiled.
"I can still see you Inuyasha…" she said amusingly and he sighed, visibly relaxing, but didn't move away. He returned the smile as Kagome's face flushed slightly at the proximity between them.
"How?" he asked, but didn't pressure her. She could answer if she wanted, and he would never force her to do anything she wasn't comfortable with. Well almost anything…
She sighed, her eyes looking downwards. Mindlessly she began twirling a lock of his hair with her fingers, admiring the softness. He didn't dare stop her. At least he knew she wasn't afraid of him.
"I don't know… I guess it's because I've been reading at night a lot…" Hearing this, Inuyasha flinched, feeling the guilt overwhelm him. His thoughts drifted to the worst. Was it really his fault that Kagome had to get these glasses? Was it because he was such a fool for making her stay with him always? Perhaps she was lying when she said she wasn't mad at him. He knew he was the reason for her predicament. His eyes saddened and he whined softly.
"I'm sorry…" he couldn't think of anything else to say. She brought her gaze up to his and smiled once again. With her hand, she brushed some of his bangs out of his eyes.
"It's not your fault…" she replied, meaning every word. Inuyasha mentally sighed in relief. They both stood there, content to be in each others arms.
"The doctor said that I should probably read with better lighting so my eyes don't get worse…" Inuyasha nodded, forming a silent promise within him. He wouldn't let this get worse. He would take better care of her.
"I hope this doesn't change anything…" she whispered, trailing off. Inuyasha eyebrows narrowed slightly. Change anything? What was she talking about? As he tried to stare in to her eyes, he noticed her once again, avoiding his gaze.
Then it clicked.
Did Kagome seriously think that her new glasses would change anything between them? That it would make him think differently of her? Was this really what she was worried about? He frowned at her assumptions. Keh, stupid girl didn't know what she was thinking about…
He grabbed her chin tenderly and forced her to look at him. She gasped at the sudden action and the supposed anger in his eyes.
"Stupid. Don't think like that…" he said, without any anger in his voice. With his free hand, he ran his fingers through her hair, pushing it back behind her ears where it belonged. Her face was completely revealed at last and Inuyasha had never been so glad. He felt her shiver in his arms, but she made no move to stop him. If anything, she closed her eyes contently and leaned in to his touch. He smiled.
"That's better…" he breathed. She opened her eyes to stare at him. They glowed with more happiness and joy than he'd ever seen before. Gently, she lifted her hand to lie on top of his and pressed it to her cheek. He blushed brightly.
"Inuyasha…" she spoke only his name, but he understood.
"You're still Kagome to me…" he finished, his heart in his words. She was stupid if she thought this would change anything between them. He dropped his hand and she dropped hers. Picking up her bag, he made his way toward the village as she trotted alongside him. They walked in a comfortable silence. Inuyasha adjusted the bag on his shoulder, now understanding why it was so light. Another thought came to him.
"If you want…" he began, gulping quietly. "I can read the books to you…"
He glanced at Kagome to see her staring at him in surprise. He could almost hear her fast beating heart. Her eyes were shinning now, glazed over with an incredibly happy look that had him blushing brightly. What she did to him…
"I would love that Inuyasha…" her voice was soft and angelic, perfectly matching for someone like her. He smirked contently as they walked off together toward Keade's village, side by side.
Those glasses didn't matter to him.
She would always be his Kagome.
XxXxXx
I honestly don't know how this idea came to me, but I thought of it while in the shower. Great place for thinking… It fits fine with the story line. Kagome reads and studies all the time and firelight isn't the best source of light for reading.
I know some of you are thinking: "WTF! Kagome would never be so weak! She's strong!" Well… I figure, given her situation with Kikyou and Inuyasha, she can't help but be a little insecure with how Inuyasha thinks of her. Kagome has doubted herself before…
I know Inuyasha is OOC somewhat, but I really wanted to show the bond between them and how strong it was considering everything they've been through. I did the best I could…
I hope you have enjoyed! Please review! Means a lot to me! Check out my other stuff!