Thank you once again to all who reviewed(and some answers):
LadyShikon4- Thank you so much for you endless stream of supporting reviews!
Eris of Chaos- So glad you liked last chapter! It was cute to write!
DiscipleofAnime- You know that never occurred to me to have Inuyasha's healing powers through his saliva. I will definitely keep that in mind for a future chapter! Thanks!
S0me18skittles- Don't we all? LOL! There's only one InuYasha in the world, and he belongs only to Kagome(who are owned by Rumiko-san)
Inu'sgirl4ever- I'm happy that you enjoy my story!
BrandyJay- Thank you for the advice(I thought I had gotten all grammar mistakes...LOL! Oops!) And glad to know you have added this as a favorite!
Island Heart- I would just keep on reading because there are more surprises and chapters to come! And don't you just love when Inu & Kag confess their love in stories?(Squeals!)
kinara103- Thank you for "da awesomeness" compliment! Appreciate it way much!
~Many of you I've noticed like quick updates, so as of now, there will be weekly updates. I will more than likely post on the weekends, k? So enjoy another fluffy chapter!~
Disclaimer: I don't own the hanyou. Rumiko Takahashi owns all rights to the sexy half demon we all know and love!-and all characters she created. Only Akio and the story plot I have rights to!
"A man falls in love through his eyes, a woman through her ears." -Woodrow Wyatt
Chapter 14
"Ohayo, little one. How are you feeling today?"
Kagome, who was staring out into the woods outside her window, looked towards her mother, who was bringing in breakfast on a wooden tray, a loving smile on her face.
"Hi Mom. I'm feeling much better today."
Masako placed the tray in front of her daughter and took a good look at her. Then she felt her forehead. "It looks like your fever has broke, you don't look as pale as before." She withdrew her hand. "It looks you're recovering quite nicely. I'm so happy you're okay."
It had been nearly a week since the virus attacked her, but it was also when she and InuYasha both admitted their deep feelings towards one another.
Masako then took a seat beside her daughter. "I made you some miso soup, along with your favorite tea. I put some more pain-killing herbal medicine in there just in case." Then the mother softly swiped some hair from her eldest's face. "You really had me worried. You and both Rin and Souta-nearly gave me and your father heart attacks!"
Kagome looked down at her meal, the smell of the broth making her stomach growl, and the soothing aroma of green tea with a hint of honey, the way she liked it. She hadn't been able to keep anything down for the last week or so but now instead of making her gag, now it made her hungry.
"How are Rin and Souta, Mom?" She carefully stirred her tea, blew on it and took a healing sip.
"Rin's fever broke yesterday, and Souta only just stopped throwing up last night. My poor babies…you had no idea how worried sick me and your father were." The weary parent looked into her daughter's eyes. "It was horrible watching you moan in pain, how you were only able to sleep to not to feel anything." Then her hand cupped her daughter's face. "But we're only ever so grateful that the Kami watched over you, protected you while Kaede's wonderful medicine aided you in recovery."
Kagome loved her mother undoubtedly. Her words were soothing to hear, her touches that reassured her that she was loved just as much. Her eyes that held so much trust and love in her was endless. But if she were to tell her of her secret relationship with a hanyou whom she loved deeply, her mother would never understand and would probably end up telling her father.
Masako smiled and placed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "Well, I'll leave you to your meal, little one. There's extra medicine on your bedside table just in case." Then she stood up, caressed her daughter's cheek and turned to leave.
After the door slid shut, Kagome lied back down on her pillows and continued to stare out the open window where she saw the beginnings of fall colors and smelling the rich oak and feeling the tender and safe aura that InuYasha emanated. She missed him already, the way he held her close, the warmth of his breath on her neck and the reassurance of his words he whispered in her ear.
After the night they revealed their feelings, the two would spend the night in her bed, cuddled close together providing comfort, warmth, and transmitting irrevocable love through their lips and their light touches. Inuyasha would hold her to him, her back to his muscular chest, his arms wrapped around her frail form, as if to shield her from any threat outside or inside her body. Like he could protect her from anything while in his embrace. Kagome didn't feel any pain when he was there, his words were like her medicine, his breathing like a soft lullaby. She relished every moment with him, and it always brought her to sleep with a smile reserved for him, her love unspoken not through words but with her reciprocating kisses to his hands and gentle notions to his face resting above hers. It was times like those that brought her such peace from the outside world.
As she rested now, her meal and tea forgotten for the moment, Kagome longed for Inuyasha to come back. She envisioned his long silver hair, blowing beautifully in the chilly breeze, his cute ears flickering with it, his chiseled face looking intently at her home, his jaw set and determined, his lustrous eyes solely focused on her slightly opened window. But she, as well as he, knew it was too risky to chance in the daylight, especially when both her parents were in the house. They would have to wait until her parents were asleep and that night covered her room in darkness; with the exception of a moon's light.
But to just sense and feel her hanyou's longing youki was enough for now. He would remain in his tree until it was safe. He was a stubborn one, but he was also very protective of her. That brought a small, happy grin. When she scooted up to where she could eat, she brought her tea to her mouth. Might as well rest up and regain her strength if she were ever to move from her bed and for InuYasha to carry her far away to someplace special. The night before he promised as soon as she was better, he would take her farther than ever, to see a little more of the world she was dying to see.
She sighed in peaceful content as she ate her miso and calmly sipped her tea, eager to be over the illness that still lingered in her system, although it was almost gone.
About five days later, on a bright sunny morning streaming through her window, Kagome was up and about, but not able to leave the house. Her overall appearance made her look as healthy as ever. The light in her eyes returned-no sign of pain, her face glowed with color, and her hair regained its luster. And after a nice long hot bath, the teen felt as good as ever.
She even sat down, for the first time in nearly two weeks, with her family to have breakfast. Rin and Souta recovered nicely too. She knew that they were sick, and were glad to have them back.
"I'm so happy to be able to see all of us at the table again." Akio rejoiced, his chopsticks in the air.
"Me too!" Souta shorted, flinging rice on the table,
Rin and Kagome only giggled. Masako nodded her head. "Yes, it's truly a blessing to see you all nice and healthy once more."
Rin took a sip of her tea and sighed. "And it feels good to be out of bed. I was going to go crazy if I was there any longer."
"You said it." The siblings agreed enthusiastically.
The table went quite for a while, each enjoying the peace and ambiance of the fall morning.
"Well, since you three are healthy enough, you might as well go outside and have some fun, visit friends or go into town. Me and your mother will be going to the harbor today to catch up on business." Akio announced.
Souta's brown eyes lit up. "Awesome! I promised Kohaku to visit him when I was well!"
"And I know I'm ready for some cooking lessons! Kaede-san promised to show me how to make some of her recipes so I could cook them for my family!" Rin added, her face bright with excitement. "What about you, Kaggie?"
She looked to her younger cousin and continued to stir her miso soup. "I'm just going to relax, maybe go out later."
"Well as long as you three don't overdo it, especially you Kagome." Masako warned. "I want you all to take it easy with any outdoor activities."
"She's right. The months will only become colder so you should be more careful." The father said, setting his finished bowl of rice down. "Oh and Kagome?"
"Yes, Otou-san?" When she looked at her father now, she could see the love in his eyes like a regular father possessed and she couldn't help but love him; despite his tendencies to be so hard on her. But when he became a businessman or a hardcore hunter, that figure vanished beneath hunting armor or a business suit. His eyes would be cold and stern, his voice hard; nothing but certitude.
"Me and your mother will be gone the whole day tomorrow. We will need you to watch over Rin and Souta."
Kagome could only nod and took a bigger sip of her tea.
With a little more conversation, the meal concluded. The dishes were done, the table cleaned and the day was free. Souta dressed. yelled goodbye and that he would be back later as he dashed off to his friend's house, Rin was next a while later, dressed snugly in a fall kimono and made her way to the elder miko's house.
Kagome waved goodbye to everyone as they left, and waited until the carriage for her parents drove away to go upstairs and dress in what she knew was Inuyasha's favorite kimono on her. For nearly two weeks she only had light, knee length nightgowns on and so was dying to dress nicely yet warm enough for the ride to wherever. And since the cold weather was here, her English dresses would be seldom worn, for days strictly in the house she decided.
After some time, she was in a vibrant red kimono- his seemingly favorite color, decorated with flowers in alternating hues of yellow and orange like the sunset. Her simple obi was satin black, bringing out the colors even more. She wore this one a few days after their first kiss, and she knew he would love to see it again, to see the spark in his eyes.
Then she went, on a sudden whim, to fetch her journal from underneath her pillows. Having it there with her and telling all she felt to the one person she's grown to love more than anything. This was where her private thoughts were housed, no one knew the full extent of her inner desires, thoughts, dreams, passions, and feelings. For over a year she's kept a record of everything she was feeling, every day without fail. And now, sharing them with InuYasha, the only person she feels like her herself around, and one who understood her, she knew she was giving him all of her, mentally and emotionally.
Kagome was so absorbed in her thoughts that she barely felt a familiar aura before two strong arms wrapped around her waist and was startled. She yelped in shock, then she heard that chuckle she would recognize anywhere.
She growled and turned around. "You idiot, you had to scare me like that?"
He knew she wasn't really upset with him; just really annoyed that she was caught off guard. "Not my fault you space out when you knew I was coming to get you." Her eyes he loved to drown in were back and full of spirit; something he missed for nearly two weeks.
She huffed. "Just give me fair warning next time before you give me a heart attack." She tapped his nose playfully.
"Kagome…"His tone was serious now; which caused her to lose the smile. "You have to be careful. If there was a demon right behind you and I was no where near you, and you were zoned out…"
Her fingers delicately touched his lips. "InuYasha, don't worry so much. I am a miko-although still in training, and I could put up a barrier if need be; even if I wasn't conscious of it, at the last second."
"Still…" He pulled her closer so he could feel her soft body against his. His hands then began to move soothingly up and down her arms. "I don't want you getting hurt. You know how hard it was to sit by and watch you suffer because of that nasty sickness you had?"
"I know…" Her arms went around his neck to pull him down to rest her forehead against his. "But I'm okay now. You being here helped me recover. Every time you came, I felt better almost instantly." Her lips softly kissed his forehead. "It was like your presence had the power to heal me." Then she kissed his sensitive nose before her eyes met his. "And I love you. It was that thought, and your aura that seemed so worried and so desperate every time you came, it reached mine and it knew that you were there." She stopped to giggle. "Does that sound silly to you?"
His answer was his lips devouring hers. Her taste was so exquisite, unlike anything he's ever tasted. His arms held her body tighter to his, wanting her presence more than he craved the air required to survive. Relinquishing her lips so she could breathe, his nose went directly to her neck. He rapidly inhaled her lavender and vanilla, gulping it down like water that was needed to re-hydrate his body. No longer was there any trace of the sickness that plagued her, only her natural scent that drove him crazy while also calming him.
Placing several wet kisses up her neck, while engulfed in her intoxicating scent, his eyes looked into her highly blissful ones. Her breathing was irregular, but her moans of rapture he heard was enough to make him grin. His hands gingerly cupped her face while never looking away from her.
"No." Truth was, because he felt the exact same way with her. He could always feel her aura, not only because of the bond they shared, but of their deeply felt love for each other.
Inuyasha felt wild once again as he leaped through the changing leaves of the trees with his precious cargo held firmly to his chest. Their hair whipped wildly against them as they traveled to a place only known to the hanyou. He didn't want to travel anywhere without Kagome, because it would only remind him that he was alone again. No. Every run, every journey, every destination would be made only if she was there with him. It just wasn't the same without her.
She had longed to be out of the house, to be in the woods to smell the leaves and hear the water and feel the wind around her as she was being carried by her hanyou. Now that she was better, InuYasha was making good on his promise to take her somewhere new, a place that he hoped she would like.
'Any place I go to I would love, as long as InuYasha is by my side.' With a delicate kiss to his neck, she hummed in contentment as her eyes wandered to catch glimpses of the changing seasons.
The swift hanyou ran with grace and stealth as he maneuvered his way through the trees to his destination. He was sure his miko-yes his miko!, would love it. The only thing he claimed that was his was the only cloth that barely covered him. Now he had decent clothing on his back provided by the woman that belonged with him, to him. Anything he had to call his own he would cherish, but not more than the woman resting comfortably in his arms.
After one big leap, they were above the tree line, miles of endless green tops. Kagome awed the magnificent view and breathed in a freedom she didn't have until months ago. But when she closely, she could see a strip of blue in the distance, just lighter than the blue sky.
"Is that the…?" She whispered.
The hanyou only smiled and only sped up so they could get there and spend time between two pieces of nature.
And before she knew it, the wind whipped passed her, waving her hair around to intertwine with his and Inuyasha carefully landed without a sound.
A new sound reached her ears…waves. She gasped, and looked towards the cliff they were standing on, and she felt InuYasha set her down. Her legs carried her to the edge of get cliff to get a good view of where they were at.
The ocean was a sparkling blue, the sunlight reflecting off the water as it came crashing against the cliff that swallowed a narrow strip of beach below. She could smell the brine, the ocean air that made her hair flutter around her. Her eyes took in its breathtaking beauty, as she's never seen the ocean like this before. It was such a peaceful day, so the ocean was calm and sounds that made her so relaxed.
InuYasha walked up beside her, taking in her appearance. If there was ever a time to gaze at her and see just how beautiful and angelic she was, it was today. Her face glowed with such joy, her cheeks red from the run and her smile so serene it was hard not to smile himself. Her black hair gleamed blue in the sunlight as it swirled around her face so gently. Then he took a good look at the kimono she wore and instantly knew that it was his favorite. He loved the color on her, it brought out the darkness of her eyes and the pitch black of her hair. It fit her well. He loved the pattern of the leaves, and the yellow hue that was similar to his own eye color. It was so sharp on her he couldn't get over it! Visions of her has recently began to take hold in his mind at night…and it was without any shred of clothing on her.
Holding down the ferocious blush that wanted to paint his face, he quickly regained his cool and took in the ocean as well. While the ocean air was a bit too salty for his nose, the combination of it and Kagome made it bearable. And making sure that she knew it, he reached for her hand, which she immediately gripped and held between them.
After a while of ocean gazing, InuYasha brought her up to the nearest tree not far from the cliff so that they could still hear waves crashing. He sat Indian style while he put Kagome between his legs, her back against him. He surprised her by bringing the lavender blanket she gave him from his haori and covered her from the waist down so she wouldn't be so cold. Then he wrapped his arms wound her waist to being her ever closer.
Kagome, nestled in her old blanket and a hanyou that provided her more than enough warmth from the fall air. Since his clothing was Fire Rat, it gave off some warmth of its own but since InuYasha had demon blood, and he was a bit hotter than the average human, he warmed her up in no time.
She brought out her journal and sat back and used his shoulder as a pillow, and began to read from her first entry.
The hanyou lovingly embraced her, listened to her as she read every word. Every now and then, he would briefly kiss her temple or her cheek to offer some comfort from her more emotional entries. He rested his head against hers, his eyes with some difficulty following the words. His ears, while paying attention to her, they were still alert for any threat that dare interrupt them. No one would ruin this private time between him and her. This was their time to spend together!
He could pick up her changing emotions, ones more often than others. The most he could pick up was desperateness, the longing to be someone different but being unable to see. Then there was passion, to be able to spread her wings and be who she wanted to be. Finally there was the depression and sadness, her often mentioned proverbial mist that caused her to be lost and alone. She couldn't see beyond her home, what lay ahead of her.
But she was no longer alone, as was he. His hold on her reassured her of that.
"It's been a long time since I've been able to read kanji." He said aloud as she closed her book.
She looked up. "You're able to read kanji?"
"And write it. Don't forget I was born into a wealthy family; with rich bloodlines from my mother and father."
"Your father was an Inu demon, right?"
He nodded as he continued. "According to the stories my mother told me, he was a powerful demon that roamed and controlled the Western lands. She said he was impressive, almighty with unmatchable strength. When she talked about him, I could sense her sadness and her depression." He sighed thoughtfully and looked towards the ocean. "I believed she loved him until the day she died."
She could only move her head affirmatively against his shoulder. She too looked where he looking, gazing into the magnificent blue of the ocean.
"And you know what puzzles me?" He moved his head so he could see her face. Her head shook no. "I see all these villagers: farmers, fisherman, blacksmiths and the like, and they drive me out because of how I look, unaware that I have royal blood in my veins. They think they are superior to me when I am in fact the son of a princess and an Inu demon."
"I think it's horrible that people could do that to you." She turned around in his lap so she could press her lips to his neck. "Here's a man, despite his appearance and all they do is curse him, beat him until he's broken." Kagome then moved quickly so she was eyes to eye with him, cupping his face. "But he's more powerful than he realizes, because he's had enough courage to stand back up and keep living." She envisioned his countless scars that forever marked his body. "Even though he was abused, shamed, taunted and neglected, he's still strong enough to know what's right and what's wrong in his heart." Her forehead met his, as a set of masculine hands went to hold a feminine one in place while the other pulled her by the waist to keep contact. Her eyes closed, inhaled his wild, untamed scent and gave a sweet smile. "And he's overcome so much, he makes me want to strive to be as strong willed and as brave as he is."
"You are strong, Kagome." He murmured into her lips, just a breath away. Her words were like the force to keep all the puzzle pieces of his heart and soul together. He knew, and he was sure she knew, that the other was the finishing piece to their incomplete life. It was a startling yet overwhelming truth that neither could speak for a while.
Kagome was still getting used to being so affectionate with him. Since she said she loved him on that cloudy night nearly two weeks ago, it was like the floodwaters broke loose. Neither could hold back their pent up feelings any longer.
"You know no one evens knows about my journal, and all that I keep in it?"
His eyes opened; unaware that his slid shut in the first place. He pulled her down to his chest where he could kiss her face. "Really?"
She nodded her head. "Yes. Not one person knows about the full extent of my inner battles. Not even Sango knows all of it."
"Then why tell me?"
Kagome listened to his heartbeat while playing with a lock of silver hair. "Because I love you more than anything else in the world, and that I can trust you with anything. And that you understand me well enough that I can't hide anything from you."
How was it? Let me know! "Journey Through the Heart" should be updated soon(read it if you haven't already and tell what you think!) Until the next fluffy chapter...
Ja Ne for now!