He shouldn't have reached for her. He shouldn't have pulled her close, felt her breath ghost over his skin, her hands twisting in his haori. But he can't find it in himself to regret what he's done.
There beneath the cherry tree
Your skin soft and warm
Where for a moment we can forget
The coming of the storm
He shouldn't have embraced her, or allowed her kiss, but the coming battle with Naraku weighs heavily on his mind, the what- ifs outweighing the possible consequences of his actions.
What if she was injured? What if, in their desperate struggle to regain the jewel, he wasn't there to rescue her should she need him? What if he lost Kagome to Naraku's insidious plot, or to the well and time itself?
What if they were never again able to share this moment, to hold one another close? What if this was the only chance he'd ever have of telling her just how very much he loved her?
Could he live with himself if he never told her how he felt? Could he move through life, trudging through the years, knowing that once upon a time, he could have loved her, and had her love in return...?
Where in your arms I am reminded
Of feelings long denied
And where in your kiss I'm guided
To a love we've redefined
In her kiss he finds reassurance. Beneath the shivering leaves of the cherry tree, he touches her bare skin for the first time, making love to her in a fumbled caress of uncertainty. Together, under blooming pink blossoms, they learn of first kisses and touches, of first tastes and smells. Reality falls away as he lives in the moment, loving the woman beneath him, telling her repeatedly that he loves her, needs her, wants only her.
Uncertainty is blown away, along with a scattering of cherry blossoms on the wind, the breeze stretching far and wide, carrying with it the words he's waited so long to share.
"I love you, Kagome. I'll always love you."
There beneath the cherry tree
Where our bodies are intimately entwined
Your warm breath ghosts past my ear
As "I love you" fills my mind
And as her words brush past his ears, he marks her as his own, wanting everyone, human and demon alike, to know of his choice, that the female beneath him is the woman who will forever hold all the pieces of his hanyou heart.
A/N: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters. Rumiko Takahashi does.
This oneshot was written for. and orginally posted to, lj for their prompt 'Under the Cherry Tree' and tied for second place. Thanks guys!
Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful reviews- I haven't been online much, but the kind words were wonderful
to read when I managed to sneak away from rl for a minute. I haven't responded- I'm sorry about that- but I read them, and I love them all.
Thank you!
My laptop died... again. (It suffered the most during my last fall down the stairs, lol ). I bought a new one though, and am in the process of transfering my files over the next few days, as time and health allow, lol.
Always- *ALWAYS* keep a flash drive or external harddrive as a backup! They are priceless when your computer decides to up and die on ya.
I'll be posting the next chapter for Deserted soon, so if you enjoy that particular story, watch for that update, okay...
*HUGS*
Neisha