Author's Note: This one was written for iyhed's Inunonymous Challenge ("Angst" Theme), so it does involve some adult content. No likey, no readie (--grin--). Still, nothing particularly shocking or graphic (in fact, it's probably tamer than the last iyhed piece I posted here, all things considered), so it's relatively safe. It was originally posted to iyhedonism on August 28, 2008. Word Count: 749

Here in the Dark

It was a cruel irony. Here she was, living her most coveted fantasy—and all she could think about was her.

Even as he kissed her neck and caressed her hip, sliding gently into her, the name echoed in Kagome's head. He had only mentioned it in passing during dinner—and yet, was it just coincidence? Was it happenstance that he had come to her at last tonight, of all nights? She had tried to ignore it—but with each thrust of his hips, the feel of him inside her, the sound of his hitched breath in her ear became something graceless, excruciating, tainted by the feeling that she wasn't really there. Her body had been possessed by another in his eyes—and all she could do was wait for it to end.

A tear spilled over, and she felt him freeze, pulling back suddenly to look her in the face. She only caught a glimpse of his concerned expression before she turned away, squeezing her eyes shut and wishing she were anywhere but here. "Did I hurt you?" he faltered.

She shook her head, but still couldn't bring herself to look at him. It took everything she had to keep herself from sobbing.

"What—what's wrong? Why are you crying?" he panted, panicked.

Her chest tightened, and she struggled to keep control as a few more tears leaked free. "It's…n-nothing," she managed.

"Fuck that—tell me what's wrong."

She breathed what might have been a laugh if she hadn't felt like she was dying inside—but it calmed her somewhat, enough to whisper, "You…were thinking of her, weren't you."

There was a beat of absolute stillness, and she knew she was right.

But then he gripped the sides of her face and forced her to look at him, eyes sparking with restrained fury. "How the fuck can you say that? Goddammit, do you have any idea—I mean, where the hell could you get such a crazy—you really think I would—"

"What, so you're trying to tell me it's not true?"

"Of course it's not!"

"How can I ever know that?"

"Because I'm here with you, Kagome! Only you—no one else. God-fucking-dammit, there's no one else in the world that makes me feel the way you do, and if you don't believe me then I'll just have to prove it to you."

"How—" But she broke off in surprise, her eyes falling closed when he began moving again, in and out with long, slow strokes.

"Look at me, Kagome," he demanded huskily, running his thumbs over her cheekbones, and she opened her eyes to find his fixed steadily on hers. Everything she needed to know was there, things that would have taken years to put into words—and even then the words would have fallen short. Slowly the feeling of suffocation eased, the ghost of her predecessor fading into the darkness. The warmth of his skin against hers was comforting, welcoming, and she only wanted to draw him deeper inside her.

With each ardent thrust she felt the muscles of his back contracting beneath her fingers—and as warmth pooled within her, she tightened her arms around him, wanting to touch every part of him. His breathing grew rougher, but he never took his eyes from hers, even as he brushed his lips against her mouth in a clumsy kiss. "Kagome," he panted against her chin, and she could see naked desire and something like awe flickering in those golden irises. Overwhelmed with their beauty, she felt a tear slip from the corner of her eye again—but she reassured him by dragging him down against her and kissing him deeply, lovingly. The warmth built between them, his pace quickening, and at last he sent her spilling over the edge, following her into oblivion as she gasped his name against his lips.

As they lay there in the dark, her fingers tangled in his hair as he dozed against her chest, a contented calm caressed her damp skin like a cooling breeze. He nuzzled her shoulder in his sleep, and a smile curved her lips. For so long, she had devoted herself to mending his damaged heart, piece by piece. It had taken all the strength she possessed to do it, hoping that at least one day he would be happy, even if it couldn't be with her. But somehow, in all that time, she had never expected that he might return the favor.

A/N: The title is a line from the Bonnie Raitt song "I Can't Make You Love Me." If I was gonna write pure angst, I figured I'd go whole hog…