All the little pieces came fluttering down, ashes of an enemy. I lowered the bow, afraid that this time it wasn't the end. I could smell burning flesh in the air, but I couldn't trust anything until Inuyasha confirmed it. My heart thudded against my chest, and I waited patiently as he began to smell the air. He sniffed 3 times, and each time my heart paused in fear. I glanced towards a wounded Miroku who looked with an awe stricken face at the black soot in front of them. Sango knelt beside him, her boomerang serving as a shield in case of a false death. I began to wonder what was going through Inuyasha's head, wondering if he was thinking of Kikyo in this moment. It might sound silly for my thoughts to be turned to her in this moment, but, for Inuyasha at least, this whole journey had been about the long dead priestess.
I watched as he fell to his knees, from exhaustion and shock I guessed. The tattered remains of his kimono fluttered softly around his extremities. His bloody and dirt streaked face a complete contrast against the shock of his glowing amber eyes.
"We did it," He stated softly, but still loud enough to hear. I wanted to burst out in celebration. But instead I stood silent, not knowing how to feel or knowing how to react. We had all imagined this battle at one time or another. But I don't think anyone really thought we would live to see the day. I wanted to walk over to Inuyasha, but it wasn't my place to be with him now. Right now this moment should be about Kikyo, and he should have time to remember her. I suddenly noticed him glance at me, probably to have a clearer image of her face. I glanced away, too shy to let him see me starring at him, too embarrassed that I already had. I saw Shippo and Kirara to my right, Shippo clinging to her coat with tears in his eyes.
I quickly checked to see if he was still looking my way. He wasn't, and I returned to looking ahead.
Naraku was dead…Naraku was dead.
I repeated it in my mind, letting the reality wash over me. I dreaded the moment, to my complete dismay. I selfishly wished Naraku was still alive, because now we have the entire jewel. I felt tears escape, tears I never wanted to cry. I hoped they would see them as tears of joy, not tears of sorrow. I walked over to the middle of the soot, and picked up the black jewel. Within a few seconds, my natural purification had refined the jewel to its original salmon pink. I reached into my blouse, pulling out the tube of glass. The last two shards were in there, and I dreaded having to put them back together, but I knew I would have to. I stole a glance back at Inuyasha, to see his face. It had hope, and a yearning I knew it would have. I popped out the cork from the glass bottle, and poured out the shards.
It was easy to put them back together; all I had to do was cup my hands around them. A bright light beamed through my fingers, and I felt more tears escape. I opened my hands to find a complete jewel again, as beautiful and whole as it had been when I first arrived in this era. I ran a quick marathon of memories through my head; Breaking the shards, finding Shippo and Miroku and Sango, falling in love with Inuyasha, the rebirthing of Kikyo, all the battles, all the enemies. It all happened so fast it seemed. Too fast…
I felt my heart die as I saw the joy in my friends faces. Miroku had opened his palm to find the Wind Tunnel gone. Sango was rejoicing with him at the realization of the life they were going to have together. Shippo and Kirara were dancing around them, Shippo laughing, Kirara meowing. Inuyasha had his head knelt, praying in honor of Kikyo.
I was the only one who had nothing to rejoice about, nothing to look forward to. I would have to leave, taking the jewel with me. They didn't need me anymore, and staying would only put them at risk. With the jewel whole again, it needed a protector, and I was the only one qualified to do it.
I would miss my surrogate family. I would miss our journeys, and our adventures. I would miss long talks around a fire, long sleepless nights tracking an enemy, those rare moments between Inuyasha and I...
I turned around, and walked towards him. I would never get this chance again I imagined, so I best do it now.
"Inuyasha," I said sheepishly. I was afraid to talk to him now, afraid he would only think of Kikyo when he looked at my face. I didn't want him to see her; I wanted him to see me. I wanted him to know everything I felt, and all the things I wanted to tell him.
He looked up from his praying, his golden eyes wide with curiosity, joy, maybe even lust. I knew then I was only an image of Kikyo in his eyes, and I knew then I would never be anything more.
"I just wanted to…say goodbye. I have to go now, I can't stay anymore." I admitted to both him and myself. His face became a mixture of emotions, and I dreaded the look in his beautiful golden eyes,
"Go? Why?" he said, stumbling over his words a bit.
He stood up, so I now had to look up to look him in the eye. His face, his strength, his height, it all intimidated me. I felt so small and weak, like I couldn't say the things I needed to say. I looked down at his chest, noticing the near complete lack of crimson covering his chest. I studied it for the last time, coming to the obvious conclusion that he had a perfect body
I took a deep, harsh breath. My heart was beating so hard I felt I couldn't breathe. I looked up again, my throat tightening, "You're all in danger if I stay, demons will come after the jewel…"
"So what! If we've fought them off once we can do it again!" He said with a fire in his voice. I felt myself die even more inside, wasting away at the pain in his voice.
"But I don't want you to have to keep saving me. I don't want Sango and Miroku to have to protect their family; I want you all to be safe."
"Screw that! If you go…" He started to say something, but began to trail off. I wanted to believe he would say something about me, but after the long silence, I accepted that he never had anything else to counter my decision. I began to wonder if I would ever see him again. I realized I never would. This was the last time I would ever get to kiss him. I had imagined this moment a thousand times, wondering if it would be as dramatic as it played out in my head.
I stood on my toes, trying to reach his face. My hands pressed gently against his chest, almost bare from lack of kimono. I wavered in my resolution for just a moment, but then pressed my lips softly against his. I didn't want to leave without knowing that feeling, and I wondered why I never had the guts to do it before. I could feel the thick fangs through his lips, fangs I had seen him bare in my defense many a time. I wondered if he had closed his eyes, or left them open. I wished in the back of my mind that he had closed them. Maybe if he did, he would kiss back. It never truly occurred to me that he would though; it was always a silly hope, a wish really.
He never did…
I pulled away, trying not to cry, "I'll get back on my own."
I began to back away. But his hands reached out, and grabbed me by the arms. He reeled me in like a fish on a lure, pulling me closer.
"You don't need to go," he pleaded with me. Begged really…
Why would he beg for me to stay? There was no reason for me to. He would be better off without me around.
It stung so harsh, like acid. I didn't want to go, I wanted to stay. It was so hard to keep my resolve with his face in so much conflict. I began to wonder if he had feelings like I did, if it was as hard for him as it was for me. But I refused to stay for him. I was only a shadow of someone else, and that was the only reason he ever gave a second glance towards me. I remembered a moment right before Kikyo's rebirthing. He tried to kiss me, but yet it wasn't me he was looking at. He was looking through me, as if I were a portal to someone else. Back then we were only friends, and I pushed him away. But if it were now, I admitted sadly, I would let him. As terrible as that sounded, I knew that even if he were thinking of someone else, I would be thinking of him. I would try to pretend he was thinking of me, even if I knew he wasn't.
It was in that moment I knew I had to tell him. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't tell him how I felt. All the emotions swirled through my body, begging to escape through my lips. My throat choked back the words, trying to swallow them whole.
"Inuyasha," I said in a mix of fantasy and reality, "I don't want to leave. But I have to. I can't stay as the shadow of someone else, not even for you," I saw pain in his eyes, "As much as I would give to stay, I can't live with the fact that every time you look at me you don't see me. You see her. And if I stayed I would condemn myself to a life I wouldn't really be apart of. But even knowing that, I don't want to leave, because," I paused, trying to ignore the pain eating away at my heart, "I love you."
There I said it. Happy! You are my everything, my entire world, but that's why I have to leave. I love you damn it, and right now I loathe the fact that I do. Why did I have to fall in love with you; you who is so deeply in love with someone else. Why did she have to walk this earth again, only strengthening the foundation of your love for her? Why can't I be the one you see when you look at this face? Why did the Gods curse me as a reflection of Kikyo? That's all I'll ever be to you, Kikyo. Kikyo, Kikyo, Kikyo, even when you say my name you think of her.
I'll never be able to come between you two…
I began to realize I never wanted to. I never wanted him to love me like he loved her. I wanted him to love me like it was different, and not a repetition of the past. I began to calm down, and the anger went away. I didn't hate Kikyo, nor did I hate him.
I backed away from him, looking down at the ground. I turned away. I didn't look back to see my friends faces one last time. I felt bad now, I should have let all of them, not just Inuyasha, be etched into my mind. I began to wonder what my friends were thinking, wondering if they had heard our conversation. I doubted that they had, they were all celebrating, too distracted by happiness to pay notice to our final moment. I walked farther and farther away from the gang. My pack of friends, held together by an unbreakable bond of friendship. I would miss them deeply. But not as much as I would miss Inuyasha, I would always miss him more. As I thought about my friends, I began to remember Inuyasha and his ramen...
Then I also began to realize I had left my backpack back at the battle site.
I felt like I should go retrieve the back pack. It had served me well in all these years, and I felt too light without it weighing me down. But I didn't want to go back, and the embarrassment of going back made my stomach flutter. I watched my dirty shoes as they walked away. I walked away from the life I had grown to love, not willing to face the old one I had grown to bore. I didn't have tears to cry now, but if I did, I think I would have cried. The world around me was gone, and within the day or so it would take to get back to the village, this world would disappear for ever. With nothing to connect me to this world, I wondered if the well would close.
I hoped not, at least then I would have a chance to return if I change my mind.
I followed the path to the village for the rest of the day. Sometimes I stopped, and remembered something. Sometimes it was happy, sometimes it was sad, but it was always disheartening. I would never have memories like this again…
I began to remember his lips, and the slight pucker of fangs beneath them. I liked it. In fact, I loved it. I wished I could be happy that I had finally kissed him, but the truth was that I was sad. There was no one else in the universe who could give me that sensation. There was no chance I would ever find someone who reminded me of him. Inuyasha was unique, in both physique and mentality.
It hurt too much to describe him. So I decided to leave it alone.
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When I arrived at the village, I came to a happy scene. The tiny town was bursting with life, the farmers out in their fields, the children playing in the streets; a tiny shop had a crowd of people trying to buy something at a special discount. I saw a few familiar faces, and waved shyly. As I neared, I began to notice them staring at me strangely. I looked down at my clothes. I blushed bright red at realizing why they stared. My clothes were as tattered and ripped as Inuyasha's, my skirt barely covering my underwear. I hurried down the street, trying to make it to Kaede's before I embarrassed myself further.
I began to run towards her home. The street became so much longer when I needed to get there in a hurry. But, after a seemingly elongated journey, I came to the familiar oak wood of her hut. The door of bamboo was still the same well-aged color it always had been, it hadn't changed in the few weeks since our last visit. But yet I couldn't find the strength to move it, I couldn't find the strength to say good-bye to my surrogate grandmother. I felt my world begin to spin, and I finally figured out that this was the end. I had always had reason to think Inuyasha would come save me 2 seconds from the end. He would confess his love for me, and we would live happily ever after. But it hit me in that instant that I would never see this place again. I would never see him again.
Suddenly the bamboo rustled, and Kaede's wrinkled eyes stared at me. The wisdom in them seemed all knowing as they scanned me up and down.
"Kagome, please come inside," She said without asking any questions about my situation. I walked in obediently, removing my shoes at the entrance. She knelt by the fire, stirring a pot of soup that smelled of onions, chicken, and carrots. I sat across from her, staring down into the flames, watching them dance with specks of red, yellow, and orange.
After a while of silence, she finally asked, "Kagome, why are ye here alone?"
I tried to come up with a more logical answer than, 'I had to leave because I finally got the jewel,' but unfortunately, I had nothing better.
"The jewel is complete. We defeated Naraku…" I trailed off, having nothing more to say really.
"Why do ye feel so sorrowed?" She asked as she poured me a bowl of thick stew. It never ceased to amaze me at how good she was at seeing your emotions.
"I can't stay here anymore. Everyone will be in danger with the jewel whole again."
"More danger than they are in now?" She said as I grasped the bowl.
"Miroku and Sango... they are going to be wed soon. I don't want them to have to protect their children; I want them to have a peaceful life. And, "I admitted sheepishly," I don't want Inuyasha to have to save me all the time because I'm not strong enough to protect myself."
"That is not enough reason for ye to leave. I fear there is more to yer situation than mere protection." She was talking about Inuyasha.
I nervously stirred my soup, "He's still in love with Kikyo. He'll never see me as me; he'll see me as her."
"So ye fear that Inuyasha can never see Kagome, merely Kikyo?"
I nodded my head, and sipped a bit of soup.
"It must be hard for ye, to always be compared to my sister. Always seen as Kikyo, may she rest in peace," She sipped some of her own soup, "But to be in love with someone who sees ye as a portal to another, what pain it must be."
"I never said I was in lo-"
"Ye never needed to. It was destiny that ye fall in love. But ye is fearful of who Inuyasha loves, ye or my sister."
"No, I've always known he loves her. Kikyo has always been first in his heart, and she always will be. I just always hoped," I began to cry, and began choking as I spoke, "I always hoped…that he could love me as me. I always thought maybe he could see me for who I am, and not as the shadow of Kikyo."
She stood, and went to the back room. I wondered where she was going as I wiped my face. I saw dirt on my sleeve, and suddenly realized what a mess I must have looked like to everyone. I sighed, and stared at my soup. I took a few more bites before I set it down. Another tear flowed down my face, and landed on the shreds of skirt I still had.
I heard footsteps walking on the floor. I looked up to see Kaede with a bucket of water, a wash towel, and a miko garb. I stood up, and helped her carry the bucket towards where I was sitting.
"Clean up child, and get some clean clothing on. I thin ye need a day or so to think ye's decision over. For me, will ye stay a bit longer in our era, at least a few days." She pleaded with me.
"Kaede, I don't know. I'm afraid to…" I tried to think of a reason not to.
"Please, child." She simply stated. Her sad old voice begged for me to be obliged to her pleas. I honestly knew it was a terrible idea, and probably would back fire on me the minute I said yes.
"Ok, but only a few days." I said as I willingly obeyed her. She knew I couldn't say no to her, I had far too big of a soft spot for her. She smiled; her old faces broke out in laugh lines I had rarely seen in use. She handed me the Miko garb, and I felt a rush of anxiety. In miko's garb, Inuyasha always thought I was Kikyo. How long it had been since I had last worn them. At least 2 years, I finally figured in my head. Since then I had grown, and changed. My eyes were a richer brown than before, and my hair had grown longer. It was to my waist now. My face had become more womanly…
I placed my hand on my face, feeling the shape and texture. I wondered if I looked more like Kikyo. I have never stood before a mirror long enough to really analyze our resemblance. When I had first come here, I think I was a few years younger than Kikyo was when she died. But now…it had been two years.
"Kaede…" I began.
"Yes, Kagome?" She asked, curious.
"Do I look more like Kikyo now then I did when I first came here?" I asked hesitantly. I secretly wondered what her reaction would be, and wondered if she would answer my question seriously.
She sighed, "I always wondered if ye would ask that question," She was silent for a moment, I guess wondering what to tell me.
"Ye resemble my sister greatly; there is no doubt about that. Both of ye's features are near identical, and as ye have aged from a young girl into a woman, ye resemble each other in similar ways."
I sighed, realizing the inevitable.
"But, ye are also very different, and as ye have aged, your differences have made you more independent of each other. While ye's face has become longer, Kikyo's face became wider. Ye's eyes are so much more vibrant than my sister's. Ye's smile, also, is much more energetic than my sister's. When she smiled, it was small and reduced. But when ye smiles, ye lights up the room. Ye are similar, not identical."
After she said that, I felt a little better. It was good to know that I was similar, but not identical. I was afraid that someday I would become her exact image, but after Kaede's words of wisdom I felt more confident that I could become my own person inside and out.
"Thanks Kaede."
She nodded her head, and gave another rare smile. It made me feel good, that smile of hers.
"Kaede, I think I'll head to the hot springs, just for a while. After that, I might lounge around. Is that ok with you?"
She nodded, "Enjoy yerself."
I walked to the back, and got the necessary supplies. Towels, washcloths, soap...I found some shampoo I had left from a previous bath. I was overjoyed to find it. I piled them up in a bucket and headed off to the spring. It wasn't really that far from the village, I think it took 10 or 15 minutes, give or take.
When I finally arrived to the steamy springs, I felt more relaxed. I removed my shreds of clothing, discarding them to the side. I dipped into the hot steamy water, feeling everything melt off of me. My locks of hair spread out like drops of ink, and I dipped my head back to wet the rest of my hair. The hot water burned at my face for a moment, but soon I became used to the temperature. I sank to the bottom of the pool, feeling the rock at the bottom. It was like a cup of hot water, the rock felt smooth and cut. Suddenly I felt my lungs beginning to tighten and I surfaced up for air.
The cool air made my skin feel incredibly pleasant. I began to reach for some cool water in my bucket, realizing there wasn't any. I had forgotten to go by the stream and get some. I sighed in annoyance, knowing I couldn't properly enjoy my bath without the cool water. I climbed out of the stream, and secured a towel around my body. I grabbed the bucket, and walked over to the stream.
I couldn't believe how careless I was, and I swung the bucket around carelessly. I watched my arms as I swung, watching the steam rise off my arms in the twilight. I glanced up, seeing the cool stream just up ahead. I smiled a bit to myself, finally having the knowledge that I could now officially have a perfect bath. I knelt down on the mossy patch by the bed, and cupped the bucket with my hands. I scooped it in the water, feeling a bit of a splash hit my body. It felt wonderful, and I giggled a bit.
I rose from my knees, and gently carried the bucket back to the spring. I soon placed the bucket next to the spring, and removed the towel. I slipped back into the steamy water, and began to scrub using the soap. I began to remember when Sango and I would bathe with Shippo, and how much fun we would have. It had been a year or so since then, Shippo had grown too old to bathe with us. But I remember how our serious conversations became so light and fluffy with Shippo around. I would miss my adopted baby. He was my little brother from the feudal era.
I began to worry about Sango. Who would she have to turn to when she needed someone…
I glanced down, feeling a sweeping sadness wash over me like freezing rain…
She would have Miroku. He would be there for her, and she would have someone from now on. I curled up into a ball, feeling a dark jealousy creep over me.
I wish…But I dared not think it. It was too blasphemous.
I quickly washed my hair and left the bath area. I dressed in my miko garb, and left as quickly as possible. I didn't want to remember my friends; I didn't want to remember Inuyasha. I felt my heart shake, and I heaved a shattered sigh. I looked up to the moon, which has risen in the time I had been out here. I placed a hand on the orb around my neck, the Shikon No Tama.
I wondered what would happen if I wished for Inuyasha to love me. I knew it was selfish and stupid, but I still wondered. I began to wonder if he would fall in love with me even without the Jewel. Especially if Kikyo hadn't returned from the dead, I wondered if we would have fallen in love. I fingered the pink orb, lifting it up to examine it.
I could see my reflection. I realized I forgot to tie back my hair. A true Miko wouldn't let her hair be loose while in public. I found the white ribbon in a pocket inside my sleeve. I tied my hair back, as the ribbon was meant for. It felt weird to not have to push my hair behind my ears. I began to start to untie the ribbon, but stopped at the last minute.
Was that the trail that led to the well?
I started to walked towards it, realizing that it was. I was hesitant as to whether or not to go to the well, but what harm could it do? I walked down the familiar path, looking at all the trees and shrubbery along the way. I wondered it I could go home, if the well would let me pass. I couldn't see why it wouldn't; there was still a link between this world and that if I was in this era, right?
I could finally see the well, and when I looked closer my heart stopped.
Tears filled my eyes as I looked at the portal. I neared, and looked at the well aged wood from The Sacred Tree. The vines that grew inside and out, vines I have climbed countless times to get out of the well. I knelt at the base, and stared down. It was like looking into a seemingly endless black abyss. I looked over the top, watching as my tears fell into the darkness.
How many times had we traveled together in this well, how many times had I returned with him waiting for me, how many memories did this well hold for me. I could remember back to when I was stuck in my era, and I thought I would never come back. I remember digging to try to get through, begging the well to let me pass. What would it be like if I couldn't get through after I went home this time, with the jewel whole? Would I regret my decision, and try to return?
I wept on the side, crying til my eyes felt like they were dried from the salty tears. I wanted to weep for hours, days, weeks. There was no end to my sorrow, no end to the pain I felt in my soul. Why did I have to fall in love, why couldn't I just be content with his friendship, why did I have to long for more? I felt so stupid and useless, I felt like the world had ended. I could imagine my friend telling me that it hadn't, that it was just a "boyfriend" and I would get over him.
But Inuyasha wasn't a boyfriend, he was my love. He was my one true love. Why else would I have traveled time and space to meet him? But why did I? If we will never be together, why did we have to meet? The gods truly cursed me when they sent me to this place. What is my purpose here?
I felt the jewel being pressed against my chest. If that was my only purpose, then this sucks. Everything sucks…
Everything sucks without Inuyasha. If nothing else, at least when we were traveling together he was there. At least I could look at his face, look into his eyes. Those beautiful golden eyes…
I pushed myself off the railing of the well, trying to will myself into hope. I found hope inside those golden eyes, I always had. I had hope to believe in something when I gazed into his eyes. But now, without them, did I still have reason to believe. Did I have reason to believe in anything? I wanted to believe, I did. I didn't want to lose everything in my life because I had lost hope.
I began to try to reevaluate my decision, whether or not I should stay…
"Kikyo…" A familiar voice said behind me. My heart was cut in half, one from who it was the other from that name. I clenched my hand into a fist.
"My name is Kagome, Ka-go-me…" I said, in reference to a similar moment years ago.
I turned around to meet his face, and stare into his golden eyes. Hope filled me instantly…
"Kagome, you…I thought…" He stuttered.
"What, did you think I would leave and wish Kikyo alive for you? Not a chance."
"No, I didn't…I thought you were gone though. I thought it was a ghost coming back to haunt me." He explained.
"And you would have welcomed that ghost with open arms." I retaliated.
He clenched his fist, "Shut up Kagome. You don't know what you're talking about."
"I don't? Then how come you immediately thought of her? I'm still alive, not her. I should be the one you think about!" It took me a minute to analyze what I just said. After a moment of awkward silence, I blushed, "I didn't mean it that way…"
He neared me, coming closer than I would have liked, "No…you're right. I should have thought of you first."
I turned away, angry that he was being so reasonable….
"Kagome, I'm sorry."
"Forget it. I don't want to forgive you." I tried to yell at him. But it came out as more of a squeak.
"I can smell you lying." He tried to explain. He started to come even closer, and I felt my legs bump against the well. Damn, cornered…
I made a scrunched up face, pouting that he could know everything I practically thought, and I couldn't know what he was thinking.
"Kagome, please, I never meant for you to feel like this. I do see you when I look at you. I swear…"
I began to think back to our conversation before I left. When I said I had to go…
Was he still trying to get me to stay?
"Inuyasha…" I tried to come up with a coherent sentence. All I could think of was I love you.
"Please, don't leave. I'll fight off any demon that comes for the jewel. I swear I won't let anything happen." He continued to come closer; he was only about 3 feet away now.
"Inuyasha, I know you want the jewel to stay-"
"No, you don't get it. It's not about the jewel; it never was about the jewel. Ok, maybe in the beginning it was about the jewel. But not now," Why did my throat feel so tight? Why was he staring at me like that?
"Inuyasha, don't joke with me." I felt my own legs begin to walk towards him, begging me to walk faster.
"I'm not, I like being with you. I really like being with you," Why was he still wearing that ripped up kimono? So much skin…
"You're just saying that so I don't feel bad."
He started to reach out, and gently pulled my arm so I was being pulled towards him. He was reeling me in again. Why wasn't I trying to get away? I could jump down the well right now, and he couldn't stop me. But why couldn't I find the will to run away? Why did his touch feel so comforting? Why were his eyes so soft and warm…
"Kagome, I-"He began. His lips froze, and I panicked. What was he going to say? His eyes stared right into mine. He struggled to say it, what ever it was. His eyes became more iridescent that twilight's golden aura. I began to notice the clash of silver locks framing his face. They were so beautiful against the moon's glow. I felt his arm press against my back, pushing me against his chest. I loved the smell of his haori, so rustic and unique. But today it smelled different, it smelled like Inuyasha did. His clothes smelled like forest, but his skin has a scent completely different. A manly scent that sent tingles down my spine, and warmed my senses.
His hand went to my chin, and I felt my cheeks turn red.
"Kagome I'm so sorry to make you think that I didn't care about you. I do care about you, more than anything else in the world," My stomach went aflutter, his voice became so…intoxicating, "And I don't want you to ever leave. I need you to stay with me."
His face had a slight pink blush, which made my heart jump into my throat. I could see him leaning towards me, and…dear god his lips were pursed. I couldn't remember a more handsome sight than this. I felt his hand cup the side of my face, his fingers combed through my hair. I tilted my face into his warm palm, feeling his claws rake the side of my head. My heart pounded against my chest like a drummer against drums. I felt his other hand curve along side my waist, raising me up to my tip toes.
His eyes began to close, and he lowered his head so it was level with mine. I could smell his breath, delighted to find I loved the smell. Surprisingly it smelled clean, and I wondered for a moment if he had been using the toothbrush I had gotten him….
All at once my thoughts were erased from my head as his soft lips brushed against my own. My voice was a mix between a squeak and a sigh. I felt my eyes draw to a soft close, and my arms snaked up towards his neck. His lips softly moved against mine, surprising me that it wasn't just a simple peck. But I gratefully opened my lips, feeling his suckle on my bottom one. I move my head to the side, trying repossess my lips so I could kiss him instead. I began to notice the fangs, slightly protruding through his soft lips.
He gentle pulled away, a beautiful smile in place of where my lips had been. My head felt so dizzy, and my body felt like a wet ramen noodle waiting to slip out of his arms and slush to the ground.
"Kagome…" He tried to say it out loud. I felt even more nauseated, too much excitement. But my heart raced in anticipation, thumping with enough force that I could feel my blood racing in my veins.
"Yes, Inuyasha?" I tried to sound a little ignorant, like I still didn't know what he was trying to say. Did I? I hoped it didn't involve something stupid, like ramen…
"I...I love you too." He explained as a soft red blush crawled onto his cheeks.
I don't remember anything after that, because I fainted…
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After our confession to each other, I obviously stayed in this era. I couldn't leave now, not when everything seemed to be coming into place. I still protect the Shikon no Tama, which is still unwished upon. Kaede explained that as priestess, I could make a wish upon it. I wondered if I would have been desperate enough to wish for Inuyasha's love. But that would have been silly, why would I have wished for something that was already there?
We still fight demons, mostly Inuyasha and I. Sango and Miroku are making wedding preparations, so they shouldn't be disturbed with such trifle things as demon rampages. They've already built a hut, a nice three roomed one. Lots of space for the baby they plan to have after the wedding.
As for Shippo, he lives between Inuyasha and I, and Sango and Miroku. He loves living in the village, and is the focus of all the little girls here. They are constantly buzzing around him, rarely giving him a chance to breathe. But he loves the attention, and it's nice to have some time alone without him begging for it from me.
I guess my favorite part about this new life of mine is my relationship with Inuyasha. He tried to propose about a month ago, but I tried to explain about how young I was, and how I still had school. He got a funny look on his face, and told me that I was considered pretty old to still be unwed. I got mad, asking if he thought I was old. He said he didn't, he thought I was beautiful (I still can't get over the fact that he loves me, AND thinks I'm beautiful). My mom thinks after high school, I should devote myself to this era. She thinks I could write books or something to educate people about this era. Maybe I will, but right now I just need to pass physics.
Sometimes I still get the heebie-jeebies when he says he loves me. It might sound stupid after all this time, but I can't help it. I feel so perfect when I'm with him, when I don't have to hide what I'm feeling for him. Sometimes, when he stares at me with molten gold eyes, with his arms around me, whispering something into my ear, I remember back to old times. He's explained to me many times now that while he still loved Kikyo, he had been IN love with me for a long time now. But I still sometimes remember, back to when a simple glance was considered intimate to me, and I compare it to now. Now, I can study his face, and I don't have to feel embarrassed.
But sometimes, I still do.
But it's ok now, because I have Inuyasha to make me feel good again. After all, he is my boyfriend, what's not to be happy about?
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This is an idea I think everyone's had. What would the ending be like? Well this is my idea of what might happen. I'm sure it's completely wrong, but I've had so much fun with this one-shot that it doesn't matter. I hope everyone else enjoys this one-shot as much as I have.
Toodles.