Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any of its characters, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I own only the tears I shed for them.
An Assumption
by Kanketsu-Hen
In the main part of the village, the men who were working on the rice planting began moving toward their huts, eager for a meal and a deserved break, with the company of their families. A few miles away, Kagome and a certain hanyou laid side by side on the apple green carpet, protected from the intense midday sun by a large tree standing behind them, like an efficient bodyguard.
InuYasha was resting his head on one palm, while the other hand was on the grass, tapping the rhythm of a song Kagome wasn't familiar with. The dazzling amber eyes were closed, to her displeasure, and the only thing moving besides his hand was his chest, expanding and contracting in a slow and controlled routine. He looked peaceful, almost bored. Frowning for an instant, Kagome decided to discard the last one.
What went unnoticed by her, though, was the boy's heart, engaged in a fierce competition against his mind to decide which one worked faster. That's why he was working so hard on lowering his heart rate. He'd had a lifetime of training on hiding his emotions, making it look like they were something else, safer. But Kagome had an annoying habit of distracting him, so he had to work harder when she was around, and today was no exception. If anything, the task seemed tougher.
The shadow of the tree was embracing the grass around them, and its leaves and branches were being led by the wind in a joyful dance. A kitsune child would have been there, too, enjoying the view until Kaede was done preparing their meal, but as he raised his tiny hands to volunteer as company, InuYasha shot him a scolding look, and the little youkai decided to release his anger on the hanyou later, for Kagome.
The breeze brushed the young woman's hair and carried her fragrance toward the hanyou's nostrils. Not that he needed any help with that, of course, since he was already struggling not to make it obvious the effect she had on him. He could recognize her scent among hundreds of others, just like he did when she travelled through the well this morning, returning from her time.
And, whenever her scent changed, expressing a variety of propensities and emotions such as fear, anger or even excitement, this last one driving him particularly insane, he would sense it too. This skill has become quite useful for the hanyou, and he liked knowing things about Kagome, even if he didn't catch right away the reason as to why she felt this or that. That part often required verbal communication, and it kind of complicated things, so he was still working on it. Reading and sensing her body became a habit, and she would never fail to surprise him with yet another something to learn.
InuYasha's eyes startled as a sound snapped him out of his reverie, and he wondered how long he had spent in it. A small cricket jumped on the young woman's leg, and began chirping to her. Kagome giggled and reached to put it back on the grass, but it took another brave leap, landing on her thigh, partially covered by a navy blue skirt, which looked great on her fair skin.
The hanyou sat up and glared at the insect, as if it were challenging him to come and claim his prey. He shook his head at the thought; he must have been going mad. Maybe it's the heat, or the hunger. He knew it wasn't. And when a stronger gust of wind blew among them, wiping the little arthropod away and making the light fabric wiggle around the girl's legs, InuYasha knew he was doomed.
"Full moon must be near," he assumed, tilting his head a little as he calculated the moon phases, something he was very familiar with, out of necessity.
"Did you say anything, InuYasha?"
"No, did you?"
The young miko looked a bit confused, and decided to let it go as a realization dawned on her. "Lunch must be ready by now. Wanna go grab it?"
"Yeah, let's get out of here," sighing in relief, the hanyou jumped on his feet and helped Kagome up, holding her hand for maybe too long, as if he wanted to make sure she wouldn't fall while standing completely still. They walked toward the old miko's hut in silence, the food flavor teasing their stomachs as they got closer, while the hanyou was also being teased by something else entirely.
A/N: So, here's another oneshot. I hope you have enjoyed it! Please, send reviews so I can improve my writing! Thank you!
A/N² (01/25): Thank you guys so much for taking time to read this fanfic and leave a comment! I'm always open to criticism and I appreciate all the help I can get!
Grace (01/24): I wasn't thinking about going further with it until you said it! haha, I'm glad you like it and I will definitely give it a try! :)
Guest (01/24): I'm really glad you said that! English isn't my native language and I sometimes have a hard time putting my thoughts into words, so thank you! I'll try to fix it the best I can! :)