I wrote this sometime last Summer. I don't know when specifically, 'cause I didn't date one-shots back then, but I know it was during the Summer.
I was watching Dan Vs. Saturday night and I was thinking about how I had to get up at 4:30AM Sunday to watch InuYasha-the episode where at the beginning Myouga comes and tells InuYasha he has to go see Toutousai, 'cause Tetsusaiga got bitten in half by that one demon in the last episode and he's all "Alright. Bye for now." And walks off. Then when he's sitting there with Toutousai, Toutousai tells him to open up and InuYasha's all "Is this wide enough?" Then Toutousai pulls out one of his fangs and InuYasha screams. Yeah, that's funny shit. First of all, knowing Toutousai and what he forged the Tetsusaiga from in the first place, you'd think he'd see this coming. Second of all: If someone tells me to open up, I'm not doing it and saying "Is this wide enough?" I'm questioning them and their motives. "Open up!" "Why?" And I'd clamp my mouth shut until they told me why. And, if someone told me it was 'cause they wanted to yank out one of my teeth to fix my sword, I would probably say "Get the hell away from me." Because A: I don't have a sword, B: That would freaking hurt, and C: It probably wouldn't grow back in only half a freaking day. In fact, it probably wouldn't grow back at all 'cause I've already lost most of my baby teeth, but that's just me.-and during the commercial break I was listening to some Flyleaf song and my thoughts drifted to InuYasha and the Fic I've been working on for the past couple of days. Then I started thinking about some of the other fanfics and how I haven't updated anything recently and I thought maybe I should post another one-shot. So immediately my thoughts went to the notebook I dedicated to nothing but InuYasha last summer and I pulled it out from the shelf on my desk and this was the first one in there, so I just decided why not post this one? Coincidentally, it's also my favorite from that particular notebook.
For the most part, I didn't have to change much; I just had to add a few more details to flesh it out a bit. I'm doing this right now because if I saw the word "inequality" or "logarithm" one more time today I was going to start breaking stuff. Plus, I needed a break from the Pokemon chapter I was working on.
Anywho, this is supposed to be a little moment between Kagome and InuYasha with Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara back at the campsite-I don't know what I had against those four last Summer; they're barely in any of the Fics from that notebook-the night before their final battle with Naraku. How did they know it was the final battle and that it would be happening on that particular day? I dunno, maybe they scheduled it? I couldn't tell you what I was thinking almost a year ago; fifteen-year-old Caitlin was crazy. Sure, sixteen year old Caitlin is still pretty out there, but at least she's a better writer because of it. Makes Caitlin wonder what seventeen year old Caitlin will be saying about sixteen year old Caitlin a year from now. So much can change in a year...! Will she still be the same? Will she still love writing, InuYasha, and Barajou no Kiss? She better. Or else it's off with her head! Will she say that her writing was total crap a year ago and that she has absolutely no idea what she was thinking back then? Will she be embarrassed because she actually posted that rubbish on the internet where God and his uncle could read it? Who knows? Anywho, please enjoy this glimpse into fifteen year old Caitlin's world mixed with the details and writing skills of sixteen year old Caitlin's world. Yes and no, to those of you who are wondering: Yes, I do talk about myself in the third-person often, and no, I will never stop. End of story.
Also, it wouldn't let me put parentheses in the title, but technically it's called "More Than Enough(Our Moment)". Just so you know what I was going for.
Disclaimer: As of today, Tuesday, May 24th, 2011, I, Hisa-Ai, being of sound body and mind, hereby state that I do not now, nor have I ever nor do I ever officially plan on, own/ing InuYasha.
Pinks, oranges, blues, yellows, purples, and reds. All the colors that were identifiable and some that weren't, all swirled together with dark clouds to create a breath-takingly beautiful sunset. The sun itself was no longer visible beyond the clouds, and it hadn't been for some time now, but that was part of what made it so beautiful and breath-taking.
There was a calm breeze that rustled the leaves and carried the crickets' chirps through-out the hills, winding with the caws of the crows and the howls of the wolves-or maybe they were demon calls-to create a quiet melody that was both depressing and insightful. It was as though the animals had gotten together and written the music to go hand-in-hand with the amazing sunset, almost like they knew what the next day held and what would be appropriate, or rather what would set the mood for the stage that was about to be stormed.
InuYasha stood watching the sun set atop a hill near the campsite he and his friends had set up for the night. After Kagome had announced she was going to make dinner, InuYasha had taken the minute when there had been slight chaos among the group as they all moved out of the way so Kagome could make dinner, as an opportunity to slip away unnoticed. Sure, by now, they probably had noticed his absence, but he thought it would be easier to explain where he had been instead of where he was going and what he was going to do. Both things were the same, yes, but if he had had to try to explain to everyone where he was going, he probably would have lost his cool and wound up not going at all, and right now... Well, he needed a few minutes by himself.
Glancing out into the colors swirling above him, he somehow let his thoughts drift back to his friends. Miroku. Sango. Shippou. Kirara. And Kagome. They were all his friends now; he understood that, he accepted that, he cherished that. But what he did have a hard time getting through his thick skull was how he had gotten to this point. Before, he had had no one to truly care about, and now he had five people. Each of them was unique, each of them had heartache intertwined in their stories and they somehow had still opened up to him and new people they hadn't known at the time. How had they been able to do that? He had lost his mother, then he dared open his heart up to Kikyou and he got pinned to a tree for fifty years. Hmm, perhaps, when he thought about it, perhaps he hadn't even opened his heart up to Kikyou to begin with. If he had, would he have been so easy to trick and manipulate? Would he so easily have believed Kikyou would betray him like that? If the same thing happened now, only with Kagome or Sango or Shippou or Kirara or Miroku, would he so easily believe it? No, probably not. What did that mean, then? Was he really and truly opening up to them? Or had it already happened? He hadn't noticed if it had. But, even though Kagome swore that having more friends was a good thing, he couldn't help wondering how tomorrow's battle would play out with all of them on the battlefield as friends. Having allies in battle-war-was handy, but having friends, loved ones, there on the battlefield... Was that such a good idea?
He supposed it didn't matter; they would all be out on that battlefield tomorrow for the final showdown and there wasn't anything anyone could say to keep any of them away. He just hoped none of his friends got hurt, or worse, killed. He would do everything in his power to make sure they all walked away alive, but he was only one hanyou-would he be enough? Sure, they could all pretty much handle themselves, but he planned on taking on the blunt of the fight himself, he understood that that meant putting himself at an even bigger risk of getting killed, but he was willing to take that risk if it meant finally being rid of Naraku. They were all bound to get a scratch or two anyway, but it'd be worth it if they won. If they lost, however-No. Losing was not an option. The Shikon no Tama would not grant a selfish wish! Kagome's soul would not be trapped forever!
InuYasha exhaled a sort of sigh and moved his eyes down toward the ground, of all the words he had just thought, none of them resonated with his heart, with his soul, as one had. One word, one name, three syllables, beautiful in every sense he could imagine...
Kagome.
Just her name brought a smile to his face, so you could imagine what it did to him when they were standing right next to each other or when she was riding on his back as he ran... He could not lose her. He'd known that since the day he met her, but now it was different. Going into this battle, he knew that there was more of a chance of her being killed than there usually was and he... He just couldn't lose her. Not now, not after all this time. And damnit, he wouldn't! Kagome wasn't going to die on him! Not if he had anything to do with it! He'd protect her with his life, as he always had, but this time, he'd do more. He didn't want anything to happen to her. Hell, he didn't even want her walking away with the tiniest of scratches. Was that realistic? Probably not, but damnit if he wasn't going to try! The main goal of this battle was to kill Naraku, and that was what he planned on doing, but he also had to go into the battle with a game plan, some way to fight Naraku yet keep Kagome safe at the same time...
He looked back up at the sunset, why bother worrying about it now? He had the basic information, and that was all he needed, the rest would come to him when it was time. He just had to trust his instincts. And besides, he wanted to finish watching the sunset; it was particularly beautiful on this night. It seemed to him, that sunsets always did seem more beautiful on the eve of a fierce battle or an extremely crappy day. Maybe it was the universe trying to compensate him for what he was about to go through. If that was the case, he wanted to tell whatever higher being that controlled the Universe, that a simple sunset was not going to suffice and he was going to need something more. Perhaps a big confessional love scene between him and Kagome that ended with a steamy, passionate make-out session? That might do. For starters, anyway.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Kagome placed a hand on InuYasha's shoulder, making him jump and blush. Kami, he hadn't said any of that out loud, had he? She wasn't going to "sit" him, was she? No, usually when she was going to "sit" him, her voice was angry and when she had just spoken, he could hear no anger. He closed his eyes, relaxing at her touch, and smiled. Nevermind that he had let his guard down and allowed her to approach him like that without him knowing, that didn't matter right now. He was calm; he was at ease, even for just a second. In the back of his mind, he knew it didn't seem fair that she had this affect on him. What seemed less fair was the fact that he'd finally come to grips with how he felt about her and he might never get to tell her.
"Yeah..." He agreed quietly, putting his own hand on top of hers. He couldn't think like that; he couldn't admit defeat before the final battle even began. He couldn't and he wouldn't. Nevertheless, even though he was so determined and stubborn, it was extremely hard to push all doubt aside, especially when the one that he loved was put in such jeopardy.
"What're you doing up here all by yourself? Dinner's almost ready, you know."
"I know, I just..." He opened his eyes, turned to her and gave her a small, reassuring smile. "I wanted to gather my thoughts and enjoy this: The calm before the storm. Tomorrow decides the future-or would it be the past for you since you are from the future?"
Time travel confused him, he was the first to admit that, but what confused him more was Kagome. Tears began to spill from her eyes and suddenly she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, burying her face in his haori.
"Hey, don't cry. We'll defeat Naraku and you'll take care of the Shikon no Tama. Everything will even out, I promise. Just... Don't cry, Kagome." he soothed, wrapping his own arms around her and pulling her close. He liked her close to him, don't get him wrong, just not under these circumstances. Plus, she was drenching his haori and he wasn't sure if it'd be dry in time for the battle; what if he needed it to protect her?
"It's not that," she wiped her eyes and pulled back slightly, much to InuYasha's dismay. Her brown eyes were now gazing up at him and he in turn was looking back and forth from her to the sunset. He didn't want to make Kagome feel like he was avoiding her eye or anything, but he also really wanted to see this sunset. It just seemed like it was important, though he couldn't fathom why. Perhaps it would be the last sunset he ever saw, or maybe the last one he ever looked upon while holding Kagome in his arms...
"Then... What?"
Kagome gripped his haori in her fists now, wrinkling it slightly. She looked down at her fists and bit her bottom lip, letting him know, albeit inadvertently, that she didn't really want to continue for some reason or another. InuYasha, not wanting to stop the conversation here and now when he still had so many unanswered questions, wrapped his hands around her wrists to get her to loosen her grip-he didn't want her stretching it out or anything-and when she did, he redirected her gaze back up to him and she continued, taking a shaky breath before she did so.
"This isn't just the past to me. It's... part of my future. Whenever and wherever you are, InuYasha, is where and when my future lies."
"Kagome... What are you saying?" he asked her, forgetting the sunset completely and gazing upon her with confused eyes. InuYasha wasn't quite sure what Kagome was trying to say or what he wanted her to be saying; he'd taught himself long ago not to get his hopes up. But when it came to Kagome, he had a harder time staying grounded. Was that what love could do-and did do-to a hanyou such as himself? Regardless, he decided not to question it further; he knew there was nothing he could ask that would get her to explain what she meant if that question hadn't.
He said nothing.
She said nothing.
Complete silence aside from the melody of the forest rang between them and they stood, merely looking at each other with confusion, determination, longing, want, love, fear, sadness, anticipation, and a little bit of twisted happiness-How were they to know how to feel when there was so much there swirling around inside of themselves?
Finally, Kagome sighed as the wind picked up and played at their hair, mixing it together in a wild display of silver and black. Kind of like Yin and Yang, InuYasha smiled to himself as he made the observation. He rather liked that comparison, as it told him that they balanced each other out, that they belonged together.
"All I'm saying is that my future is with you. I want you in my life for the rest of my life, InuYasha; you are my future."
InuYasha smiled at her and grabbed her hands in his. He had no words for her, nothing to tell her that he felt exactly the same way and more. Therefore, the simple gesture of holding her like this would have to do, at least for the moment. He did like the sound of that, though. Being in her life and with her for as long as she lived. Or as long as he lived, depending on how things played out. Granted, it wasn't the confession of love he was looking for, but for the moment, it was enough.
Then, maybe because he felt that small gesture wasn't enough for her-Not for her, not for someone as amazing as Kagome-he gently lowered his head and moved his hands up, cupping her face as his lips met hers in a chaste exchange of hidden feelings. Maybe she wouldn't understand at first what he was trying to say but couldn't find the words for, maybe she never would, or maybe she understood perfectly, InuYasha might never know. But what he did know, what he was always know, was that this was how things were supposed to be. Just the two of them, watching the sun set, kissing on top of a hill with the wind playing with their hair. Maybe after the battle, this was how things would always be. Okay, he could deal without the sunset part, the wind playing with their hair part, and the on top of a hill part, but the other parts were a must-have.
"C'mon," InuYasha started as he pulled back slowly with a smile, looking at her softly. She looked winded, but happy. "We should go eat and get some rest." He grabbed her hand gently and began toward their campsite, a smile planted freely on his face.
They walked slowly with their backs toward the setting sun, they wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as it could. And even after the moment was over, after they had been brought back down to Earth by their friends and their bubble of bliss was popped, they would still relive it over and over in their minds, thinking about it as they went to sleep, dreaming about it as they slept, and thinking it was all just some crazy dream in the morning, though the shy smiles they would exchange would reassure them that it had happened for real. Maybe they would think back in retrospect and think of everything else they could have done or said, or maybe they wished they could have taken some things back, but in the back of their minds, they would always know that this had been their moment and it was perfect just the way it was. Maybe there hadn't been some big confessional love scene or a steamy, passionate kiss, or anything as extreme, and it was quite unlikely that they'd actually tell the others what had taken place atop that hill, but after Naraku was defeated, InuYasha was sure things would be different. How could they not after that? They couldn't just not talk about it forever, now could they?
He took one last glance behind him as the sky darkened and he spotted the moon high in the sky, and suddenly he just knew: This was the beginning of everything. They would eat, go to sleep, then wake up and face their greatest enemy. Were they ready? He felt that they were, that he was. He had watched an amazing sunset with an amazing girl and he had his friends and the Tetsusaiga to help him take Naraku down. Plus, thoughts of "Life After" were already filling his head, thoughts about him and Kagome and marriage and pups and a house in the forest that he built with his own two hands and... Life after Naraku already sounded great; he just had to make sure the bastard got killed.
These thoughts-these happy, carefree, blissful, almost child-like thoughts-would be enough to get him through his-their-battle with Naraku.
That, and the taste of Kagome on his lips. Okay, that was more than enough.
Originally, this was just going to be called "More Than Enough" but as I was fleshing it out and adding stuff, I thought that "Our Moment" would work, too and I just could not decide which one to use. Actually, the very first title I came up with almost a year ago was "Sunsets" but I don't know, that didn't seem to feel right after I finished writing it out, so I crossed out "Sunsets" and wrote down "More Than Enough" instead and that's what it's been called ever since. "More Than Enough (Our Moment)" seems to fit pretty well, though, actually. Don't ask me why, but I'm really into adding things in parentheses lately. I was rewriting this poem last night that I wrote in January and originally it was called "Liberty and Justice For All? Not In This Life Time" but for some reason that didn't sound right to me, so I changed it and now it's "Liberty And Justice For All? I Think Not (Not In This Life-Time.)" And that just seems better to me for some reason. When I first posted this, I called it "Our Moment (More Than Enough)" But after some thinking I decided it would be better the other way, so I changed it. Again.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that, 'cause I sure did. Let me know what you think.
Peace out,
~Hisa-Ai~