Kagome sat in front of the fire, staring emptily into a pot as she stirred several packets' worth of chicken ramen. The little bits of flavor that swirled in the broth caught her eye aimlessly, moving with a captivating rhythm that had her transfixed.
She was exhausted, but so many days of travel without a good bed to sleep on would do that to someone. Especially someone such as herself – just your average time travelling miko – who was used to all the comforts of the modern era: a microwave, for one.
'Why is this taking so long?' Kagome thought restlessly, 'Inuyasha's just about had it.'
She glanced over at her handsome companion, who looked every bit the dog demon he was as he sat on his haunches, eyes locked in a mortal struggle with the still cooking pot of ramen. He seemed to be fighting his desire to chug the whole thing then and there – not that Inuyasha would notice the noodles were only partially cooked; he engulfed his food without chewing half the time, anyways.
Kagome smirked. 'He wouldn't dare,' she ruminated, 'Not tonight.' Still, Kagome kept him in her peripheral vision. If he made one move for the ramen before she served it to him, she would 'Osuwari' him into oblivion.
A small chuckle escaped her lips as the image of Inuyasha slurping ramen from a dog bowl came to mind. 'He probably wouldn't even know,' Kagome mused. But if he ever found out…
"Oi, what's so funny, wench?" Inuyasha barked, "Quit goofing off and get the ramen done already!" He shifted from his crouched position to nestle himself into a comfortable sitting position, shoving his arms in the humongous sleeves of his haori as he sat there, impatient. His ears twitched, just like Kagome's eyebrow as a blood vessel nearly popped in her temple.
"Stop complaining, jerk! I don't see you helping!" Kagome shouted, practically in tears as pent up hurt and frustration came to the had been getting on her nerves. For the past few days, he'd been acting weird… more than his usual Inu tendencies and trademark gruffness, which often landed him a foot in his mouth or a face full of dirt. No, instead of pestering Kagome constantly over any little thing, he avoided her at all costs. She'd had to walk the entire afternoon for the past several days, and her body had just about had it – and so had she.
Inuyasha straightened up then, smelling her tears brimming on her eyelashes. He wanted her to cry for him, but not like this… he wanted to grab her by the hair and pull her into a tight embrace, hugging her voluptuous body to him and feeling those feminine curves that Kagome's outfit hid well but not well enough. He wanted to take those plush lips of hers that had curses against him on the tip of her sweet little tongue, waiting for all the Osuwaris to fall from them as he fell so completely and irrevocably in love with her that he couldn't stand it anymore… so that he could abandon his honor and abandon Kikyo until all that was left was him and the woman he loved: Kagome.
But he didn't deserve her – at least, not yet. He could abandon his honor, but he wouldn't tarnish Kagome's; if he was going to be with her, he was going to do it right this time. The past haunted him, true, but what he really sought after in Kikyo wasn't the ghost of his former lover, but the part of Kagome's soul that still resided in Kikyo's clay and ashen body. That missing piece of Kagome's soul brought both of his lovers anguish, something he wished to end for both of the Shikon maidens.
The problem was, he didn't know how… well, except for smashing Kikyo into dust, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He had loved her in another life, after all, and despite the misdeeds she'd done in this one, he didn't hate her. He couldn't.
He also couldn't stand Kagome crying like this, so he tried to end the conversation before it escalated. "Shut up and give me some ramen before you burn the whole pot!" Inuyasha growled, lashing out to hide the quiet whimper purring in the back of his throat.
Kagome's heart stopped, her complexion turning an icy white as the pain of Inuyasha's inconsiderateness lashed her like a whip. And then the anger came like a flood, breaking the dam that held all of her irritation towards Inuyasha back in a cesspool of festering animosity.
"Osuwari, osuwari, OSUWARI!" Kagome screeched, throwing the spoon she was stirring the ramen with into the pot. It kerplunked to the bottom with a deafening plink, as scarcely a pin drop could be heard amongst the camp.
Sango and Miroku had been silently listening to the argument, writing it off as their usual banter, but as the monk and demon slayer stared at their miko friend quietly, they knew this one was different. Shippo shook his head in disproval, not daring to sigh out his pity for the stupid hanyou.
'Inuyasha really outdid himself this time,' Shippo thought to himself, 'pushing mama like that.' Shippo loved his adoptive mother with all of his little Kitsune heart, but even he got a little nervous when Kagome started glowing a soft pink. He didn't like Inuyasha all too much for the beatings he gave him and how he treated Kagome, but he didn't really want the hanyou purified either… 'Mama would be upset if she did that without realizing it.'
The small fox child was mustering up his courage to call out to Kagome when Inuyasha made a low grunting noise as he fought the power of the subjugation beads.
"Damn it, Kagome, why'd'ya always have to do that? It fucking hurts!" Inuyasha growled in an almost hiss. He was shoving against the weight of the subjugation beads like he would a push up, except even with his demon strength, he was obviously still struggling against the invisible force.
Kagome snapped, "You know what else hurts? Being treated like I'm less value to you than the stupid jewel fragments! Oh right, I'm just a shard detector to you! I forget sometimes that you managed to find yourself an undead replacement for me!" Her voice escalated with each word, and with it, the slight vibrato of hurt.
Inuyasha snarled. "Shut up, wench! You don't know anything about that!" His claws raked the dirt as he fought his way into a crouched position.
Kagome scoffed. "I know you go running off to see her every chance you get! What'd you do with her out in the woods, huh? Are you so ASHAMED of it that you can't even look me in the eye? Is she the reason you've been avoiding me for the past week?!"
Inuyasha looked up then, locking gazes with her as red started to bleed into his eyes. Sharp fangs protruded ever so slightly below his upper lip, which was pulled back into an angry snarl. His demon blood taking over lessened the burden of the subjugation beads, allowing him to stand from his crouched position. His movements were lithe and feral as he stalked towards Kagome, blood racing as he took in her scent. Oh, her sweet scent that tickled his nose, mashed with the spice of anger, spiked by the intoxicating taste that was Kagome during her moon's cycle… Fuck.
"No, Kagome," Inuyasha purred as he came up to her, eyes tinting a richer scarlet as he took in the scent of the blood of her womb, which clung to her like a musky perfume. "I haven't so much as touched you or…" Inuyasha inhaled deeply, "smelled you, because it's making me crazy. You are making me crazy."
Kagome shrank back from Inuyasha, confused and a little dazed at his actions. "W- what?" she asked meekly. Kagome tried stepping back when she felt his body heat pressed up against hers, but he grabbed her wrist and held her tightly to him. She was nervous at his touch, not because of his demon blood, but because of Inuyasha himself. He'd never interacted with her with so much… sex appeal. She didn't even know he had this side of him! With a bitter afterthought, Kagome realized that this side - until now - was reserved for Kikyo.
Inuyasha chuckled, skimming his nose gently across her cheek and down her neck, where Kagome was most vulnerable. "You see, Kagome," he whispered against her flesh, lips fluttering against her throat, "right now, you bring on my... bloodlust." His voice clung to the last part with suggestive amusement.
Kagome blushed, realizing what he meant. 'Oh.'
Inuyasha continued, "Every month, you bleed. You bleed, and I suffer as your blood brings my yoki forward. Do you know how hard it is to ignore a woman who's about to go into heat? The kind of self restraint I have to pull?"
Kagome, in all of her embarrassment, couldn't ignore the nagging question that popped up at his statement. "But, Sango-"
"Don't," Inuyasha growled angrily, almost sounding offended, "I may be a dog, but I'm also human, too. It's just you, Ka-go-me. Only you do this to me."
"Except I don't!" Kagome wailed, "Of course an old teapot that smells of graveyard soil won't… well, you know! If she could-"
Inuyasha snarled, pushing Kagome roughly against a tree. A small sound of pain escaped her, mostly out of shock. "Don't mention her again," Inuyasha said darkly, "stop driving me crazy before a take you right here against this tree in front of everybody."
Kagome's eyes squinted into angry slits. Like hell he'd talk down to her like this. "Who do you-" Kagome began to shout, but was cut off immediately by the feeling of Inuyasha's mouth clamping down on her throat. His fangs pressed against her flesh, not enough to break the skin, but enough to try and make her submit.
"Shut up before my yoki makes you," Inuyasha warned against her neck, his breath a balm to soothe her frantic heart. He could hear her heartbeat and feel her escalated pulse pushing through her succulent veins. If only she knew how her blood sang to him and how much her voice called to him like a siren's. She drove his inner yokai insane, so oftentimes he acted dumb because he was too distracted suppressing it to pay attention to what he said or did.
It was in those few moments where his yokai was in sync with him, when he opened up to her and showed her a glimpse of his true self, that made her fall in love with him, and he knew it. If only he could show that side to her always… that way, she'd never look away from him, never leave him, never stop loving him…
Inuyasha knew what he had to do. He pulled back from Kagome then, staring deep into her crystal blue gaze, and then he crushed his lips to hers in a searing kiss before sprinting away into the forest. Kagome stood there, knees buckling, and as she sank to the ground, Kagome touched her swollen lips with her fingertips questioningly.
"What the hell just happened?" Shippo said, knowing Inuyasha was finally out of hearing.
Sango made a censuring noise at the little kitsune. "Language, Shippo! Don't go talking like Inuyasha."
"Well, he's certainly full of surprises," Miroku murmured absently, secretly planning to talk to said hanyou and get a few pointers to try out on his lovely Sango. For a minute there, he was worried he'd have to protect his beloved taijiya from Inuyasha's apparently veracious sexual appetite. 'Thank Kami it didn't come to that,' Miroku thought, subconsciously making a prayer motion.
"I…" Kagome stumbled to find words, "I don't know…" She looked up at her friends with dazed eyes, a look of sorrow drooping her usually perky expression. Her normally bright gaze was foggy, and Kagome's typically smiling mouth sat limp, partially parted as a soft sigh escaped from her.
Sango felt pity for her friend. 'Poor Kagome, caught in this ridiculous love triangle. Inuyasha needs to make his choice.' If he didn't, Sango surely would make the choice for him by smashing that wicked clay doll to pieces with Hiraikotsu. 'Stupid dog.'
"Hey, Kagome?" Shippo asked, hopping up to his surrogate mom with worry. When she didn't respond, Shippo panicked, "Mama?"
Kagome blinked. Looking down at the child, she asked softly, "'Mama'?"
Shippo's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. He didn't want to scare her away by thinking she had responsibility to him; he didn't want to be too needy like Inuyasha and end up losing her because of it. "Oh, no, I didn't mean to, it… it just sort of slipped out!" Shippo squeaked, practically in tears, "I- I'm sorry, I-"
"Shhhhh, Shippo," Kagome cooed, wrapping her arms around her auburn crowned Kitsune, "Thank you… for accepting me as your mother. I love you, too." She stroked his hair gently, playing with the blue bow holding his curly mane back. How familiar it felt, playing with hair that was tied back, except for some reason she remembered it being longer… and darker…
Kagome gasped.
"I think I'm going to go bathe," she announced to the group, setting Shippo on the ground beside her. Kilala hopped over to her Kitsune companion and licked the small boy in congratulations.
"Oh, do you want me to come with you?" Sango asked, preparing to get up from where she was seated across the camp.
"No!" Kagome nearly begged, before saying more calmly, "I need to be alone right now… to process some things."
Sango nodded knowingly. "Okay. Call us if you need us. I'll keep watch on the peeping tom," she said lightly, before correcting herself, "well, this one at least." Sango gestured to the lecherous monk beside her.
Kagome blushed, understanding Sango's meaning. "Thanks, guys," she murmured. Grabbing her bathing supplies, Kagome quickly made her way out of the camp.
Taking her first real breath since Inuyasha left, Kagome glanced up at the moon. It rested high in the heavens, regal and serene as it illuminated Kagome's path to a nearby pond. The water would be cold this time of year, but Kagome welcomed it, as she needed to cool off from some unwelcome heat that pooled in her womb at the thought of cerulean eyes gazing upon her.
Little did she know, they actually were.
Updated: December 31, 2018
