{ • Damned Deed •}
.•°.Chapter 20: Shown to be Shattered. °•.
{…}
March's blooming flowers gave way to April's showers, that's what woke her from her tear inspired sleep that morning. Reluctantly, she pried her eyes open at the feeling of the light droplets of water but what automatically caught her hazels was the pair of golden globes right in front of her. Her brows lightly bent together as she murmured, "Inuyasha?"
"You're being stupid," he stated only to earn himself a slap across his face. He grunted as he grinned his teeth together before he turned his livid liquid golden gaze back to her. "Why are you so pissed? Did I hurt you or something?"
Since her sudden departure he had been in search of her but he only got to the end of his street before the rain began to wash away her scent which pretty much meant she could be anywhere in town. After cursing the weather to hell and back he checked her home, the closed Howling Times, glanced around Kouga's place—which, if he had found her there he would have had to kill a certain wolf youkai—then Kaede's. When she was at none of those locations he thought she had done something absolutely ridiculous and gone into the forest alone.
It just seemed like a stupid thing to do and exactly what she would do to him out of spite—for what, he hadn't a clue. Really, he had been racking his brain over it throughout his search trying to figure out what he had done that was so horribly wrong. Did he pound into her a little too hard? Did he accidentally harm her with his claws? Did he say something…? Was it honestly his disregard for "doing everything out of order"?
If so, he hardly saw that as fair. She was the one that ran to him to have sex. A man could only handle so much and… he couldn't deny that there was something festering inside him for her. Affection or infatuation? Figuring out which one was exactly what he had been avoiding but absolute frustration was what he knew he held for her after half a night of wondering around to find her.
He should have known to check the well sooner… the idiotic girl had fallen asleep there. She was but a human, didn't she know that? He was certain she'd get sick from linger out in the rain.
"You said you missed it! Having sex with your wife, with Kikyou," she hissed as she began to pat his chest down to find the photo that he always kept with him. Her actions only confused him further as he cocked a brow and looked between her hands to her teary eyes. "I knew that's what you meant! You're confusing us again! W… where's the photo?"
She didn't feel it in his robe, she didn't hear it as he patted him down—he never went out without it. So did he keep it somewhere else? But where…? Her puzzled expression turned up to him.
"Moron," he scoffed only to spark another try of her slapping him but he grabbed her hand before it could make contact, "seriously, Kagome, settle down now—"
"Where's the photo, Inuyasha?" she inquired as she tried to yank her hand away but she couldn't get it back.
"Kikyou's?" he guessed cautiously, "I thought that maybe it was time that I stop carrying it around with me… all the time."
"Oh?" she stuttered, but she wasn't going to let that soften her heart to what he had done. No, instead she shook her head and turned a cheek to him, "leave me alone. I'm still mad at you."
"Look, Kagome, when I said 'it' I meant sex, just sex," he promised, since he had kept loyal to his wife's memory for the past six years that meant… he had a very, very, very long dry spell. "Now stop crying already."
That did get her to blink away the tears that mixed with the raindrops as they slid down her rosy cheek. Her eyes shifted up to him, "not sex with Kikyou…?"
"I don't feel too comfortable talking about that with anyone to alone you… but you and her are completely different in bed. I couldn't confuse the two of you when we're… you know."
"I'm sorry," she murmured as she whipped away the water from her eyes.
I felt silly once I figured that out… obviously, I had overreacted but he had already scorned me multiple times before-and would continue to in the future. He was always confusing us, so my faith in his ability to keep us separate had lowered to nearly nothing.
And probably more importantly I was starting to feel too comfortable in his world that I feared… I might want to stay. I suppose I was just looking for a reason to explode on him or anyone. I needed something to remind me why I had to go home and stay there.
"Don't worry about it," he asserted, "we should go back, moron."
"You are such a jerk," she grumbled as she let him take her hands to help her to her feet. The wince he received when she was up right stopped him as his eyes shifted up and down her.
"Are you okay?" he asked before his eyes dropped to her bare feet that were a bit banged up from the rocks, twigs, and anything else she ran over on her way up to the well, "you shouldn't have come here when you know that the forest isn't safe, Kagome. And you should wear shoes next time."
"I was upset," she muttered, obviously she wasn't thinking straight but she was also a bit sore which he could tell when she made an attempt to step forward.
"Was I too rough with ya'?"
"No," she assured softly, "I'm just not used to… because I've never… and so many times, too."
"So you and Kouga never?" he coaxed out, he couldn't help but grin as she shook her head before he bent down in front of her, "come on."
At first she hadn't a clue what he meant by that before he dawned on her with a small smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he grabbed her legs to stand up to carry her back to his home where he placed her down at the table.
"I'll make you breakfast," she offered.
"Uh-huh," he murmured as he went into his room to grab a blanket and returned to drop it on her head, "you're dripping wet. Do you want to get pneumonia?"
"You're wet, too," she pointed out as she began to inspect her feet that would be better in a day or two at most.
"I never get sick," he countered but he still left the room again for a couple of moments. When he came back he was in a sleeping yukata and held out another one for her. It was a good idea, that much she was certain of, since her clothes was equally as drenched as his.
"Why don't you sit—?" she started only to wince when he slammed down on the ground, "ops. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to do that…"
"I hate this damn thing," he growled as he grabbed the prayer beads, "Kaede's gonna pay for this!"
"Settle down," she ordered as she patted the spot beside her, reluctantly he got up to take the spot. For some reason she pushed his chin to the side so he wouldn't be facing her as she slid off her drenched yukata to slip on the other.
"I've seen you nude," he stated as he pushed her hand away but that time he could look over her but she was already tying the night to cover herself fully.
"Mmhm," was all she said to that while she leaned her head upon his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I'll make you breakfast in a bit…" she murmured.
Somehow, he doubted that would actually occur. Certainly, sleep would take her before she got up. But he didn't mind that as he nodded with a small smile as he shut his eyes as well. He murmured, "uh-huh."
...•¤°•.•°¤•...
Doom and gloom encompassed her on her small stroll around the town, her hazels locked upon the ground as she sighed once more. At the end of the month she would need to find a new place to live was the horrible information that had been bestowed upon her that morning by her landlord who would no longer rent to her. Why? She thought she was a good tenant and even when she asked the question he just shook his head. He even seemed scared of the notion to continue to have her around…
Not to mention the utter awkwardness that swarmed between Kouga and her all day at work.
Or the sting she felt when they happened to be behind the bar at the same time, him tending to the early drinkers and her finding a cloth to clean one of her empty tables. She had noticed him glaring at her behind her back all day, his attention suddenly going anymore but her when she looked his way. Surely she didn't reek of Inuyasha, the rain had washed away his scent from her—at least, that's what Inuyasha had said. He even offered to put it back after she woke up but she hadn't the time for that, she had to go to work.
But when she was searching for the cloth she glanced to one of the glasses and could see her reflection… and the red marks that were all over her neck. Her eyes grew huge as she slapped a hand over her skin—that would explain a lot of the stares.
"Kouga," she had murmured as she stood up to look at him weakly, "can we talk?"
"You're fucking the mutt," he stated harshly, "what's there to talk about?"
It was harsh, it hurt, but she deserved that so she just bit her lips together and turned away to finish her work. Ignoring all the while the smile from Ayame or the way the redheaded wolf youkai hung all over Kouga that day. Though, he didn't seem to give a damn about that.
Those were some of the thoughts that haunted her on her aimless walk that she hoped would somehow take away the guilt and gloom.
"Good evening, child," she heard to snap her back to the world; her eyes had to wander a bit before she saw Kaede there. "I have been looking for ye."
"Oh? Why is that?" she asked with mild curiosity.
"Would ye like to become my apprentice? It would give you more time to practice your archery and your herbal skills are now good enough that you could help those around the village with almost any illness. If ye accept there is an extra room in my hut where I have always had my apprentice live," she explained.
"Really?" She chimed with a smile, "that would be perfect! My landlord won't rent to me anymore."
And, maybe more importantly, I thought that helping people was something that would give my life a little more meaning. For the short amount of time I would remain there. That's what I kept telling myself at least.
"Good, tell me when ye wish to make the move, I am sure Inuyasha will help ye with all your things," Kaede nodded before she started off on her path once more.
That returned some of her cheer as she started towards the home she had been aiming for from the start. When she reached the right door she knocked rather harshly until her hanyou opened it. With his usual charm he grunted a, "what?"
"You're a jerk," she declared as she bypassed him to enter his home.
"What'd I do now?" he grumbled as he slid the door shut to turn around and look at a rather unpleasant girl.
"Look at my neck," she asserted as she rubbed it, "I've been getting stares all day! You could have mentioned that before I went to work the other day! I feel horrible… Kouga and I just stopped seeing each other and it's obvious I already went to you… work has been as awkward as possible."
"Whatever," he shrugged as he sat down, "you can stop working at Kouga's bar now that Kaede wants you as her apprentice."
"How…?" she started almost breathlessly before her eyes narrowed upon him, "you."
"Me?" he questioned, "me what?"
"Here I've been thinking that my landlord doesn't want to rent to me anymore because he's a friend of Kouga but then he would be mean instead of frightened…" the latter part had been what really bothered her. If it was because of Kouga—which seemed like such a petty thing for him to do, something out of his character—then he would take pleasure in kicking her out, not try to do it as kindly as possible while cowering away from her. "You didn't threaten him, did you? Then make Kaede ask me to become her apprentice just so that I wouldn't live close to Kouga any longer or work for him?"
Now that was something Inuyasha would do—it fit his character perfect.
"Keh," he muttered, "you think I'd plan all that?"
"Yes," she snapped as she knelt down in front of him, "you so would. You could have just asked me!"
"You would have never done it if I asked," he countered.
"Ah-ha!" She shrieked as she pointed at him, "you admit it then, you did it!"
"Damn it," he quietly cursed as he glanced away before sighing and turning his attention back to her. "Fine, whatever, I did it."
"Jerk," she grumbled as she stood up to attempt to stomp off only to feel him wrap his arms around her waist to pull her back to him, "no, I'm mad at you!"
"Whatever," he mumbled as he pressed his lips to her neck, "settle down. I only did it for your own good."
"How so?" she muttered as she folded her arms trying to yank herself free of his grasp but failed miserably.
"It's better for you to live with Kaede, she's powerful, and with the weird incident in the forest it's just better that you stay with her." The weird incident that no one had any leads on whatsoever, at that.
"Her hut is on the edge of town, close to the forest," she rejoined.
"Blah, blah, blah," he grumbled as he started to suck upon her skin as his hands rummaged up her stomach to her breasts.
"Inuyasha, stop," she ordered as she grabbed his hands, "I'm mad at you."
"Uh-huh," he nodded as he held her a fraction closer, "come on, Kagome."
"Not the neck," she demanded even though it meant she was giving in, "no more marks, okay?"
"Fine," he grumbled as he parted her yukata to expose her shoulder for his assault. Nibbles and light licks trailed across her soft skin as she leaned closer to him. He undid her obi so that her outfit could fall to the floor. His hands slid back up to message her bouncy mountains—sparking the sweet sounds she made when pleased upon his sensitive ears.
But there was nothing he enjoyed hearing out her lips than the way she moaned, "Inuyasha."
She turned around in his grasp so that their lips could collide instead, his hands slid around her to grab her rear while hers began to undo all the knots so his clothes could mingle upon the floor with hers. Inexperienced was what she happened to be, but that didn't change the confidence she felt with him around. She grabbed his stiffened but not completely hardened shaft to start to jerk it gently up and down to earn his arousal.
"No neck," she reminded the moment he began to suck upon that spot.
"So damn demanding," he grumbled as grabbed her chin to turn her towards him so that their lips could meet. She licked against them and he eagerly parted his to allow her entrance, but it was his tongue that took dominance. His that explored her mouth.
He rolled her onto the floor, his bare body pressed against hers. His erection brushed against her thigh as her hands moved across his chest. She parted her legs for him. When she felt his stiffness at her damp entrance she ceased her assault upon his built chest and grasped a chunk of his long silver locks.
She gasped for air once the plunge came. He was the one that set the pace and rhythm as he beat into her, savoring the sounds she made—the 'nh's 'uh's and 'ah's that came out in stammered moans. He groaned out his own pleasure, not allowing his eyes to shut as they locked with hers. Only one thing gave him as much delight as his bedroom eyes staring up at him and that was her moaning his name.
What set him off balanced, what killed his throbbing thrusts into her, was when the hand that held a chunk of his hair slid to his ear. It just threw him off for a moment but she seemed to take note of that and simply began to rub it, earning a whole new moan from him as he stopped his movements all together and lowered his head towards her.
The damn things were his weakness and her delicate hands made it feel all the better. He was off enough in his own world that she could wrap her legs around his hip—deepening his penetration into her all the while—and flipped him onto his back.
She gasped at the new spot he hit unintentionally in the process as her hand slid from his ear to his shoulder, it was only then he realized the change.
"Kagome," he murmured—every part of him was on fire. From his chest to his loins, he hadn't felt so alive in ages. He grabbed her hips as she started to straddle him, that time she didn't seem to be in need of his guidance so he instead let his hands venture to her rear to grab it, winning a moan from her.
It was her turn to pick the speed and rhythm; he merely had to learn to meet her thrusts with his own jerks. Even though the tension within both that threatened to send them over the edge was still building, he hated how little he felt he was participating in getting them there. He slid his hands up her from her ass to her back and pulled her chest to his before flipping them over once more, pulling out almost all the way in the process only to thrust back into her the moment her back hit the floor.
"Inuyasha!" she gasped as he grabbed the underside of one of her legs to lift it up to give him access to a new angle to plunge into her. It barely took anytime before she cried out—he was certain loud enough that all his neighbors could hear. A couple more thrashes into her gave him his own groan of pleasure.
When it was over he was upon the ground next to her as he panted for air and she gasped.
"You," he asked as he took in a breath, "taking that position with Kaede?"
"I guess," she murmured back as she turned on her side to rest her head upon his chest and tangled her legs with one of his. "If that's what is going to make you happy, I can."
"Keh," he murmured as he grasped the hand she had lightly drawing designs on his chest, "it'd be best for you."
Which, she supposed was the closest confirmation she'd get.
...•¤°•.•°¤•...
I was blissfully at peace with the thought of being Inuyasha's woman even if I barely had any time left in his world. I was still happier for the few days I was under that illusion then I had been the entire time I was officially Kouga's. I naively assumed that just because we had sex we were together… but we weren't.
He just waited to tell me that after my hopes were high.
Perhaps she should have been a bit more cautious but it was Kaede's decision for her to go to the waterfall in a long white yukata to sit beneath and try to clear her mind—which was far harder than she could ever imagine but it was just barely inside the forest and was Kaede's idea. The whole notion seemed stupid, what good did it do to rest under the water while trying to clear her mind?
But… Kaede asserted its importance so she sat there, ignoring the pressure as it collided upon her head, and trying to keep her mind absent of anything—doing that even without the waterfall was a difficult task for her.
A beacon called out to her to force her eyes open swiftly. She stood up and jumped from the rock she sat on to the shallow river then to the ground while she whipped her damp somber strands out of her face. Her stare scanned around to lock upon the warped purple glow she had seen before. Her breath hitched in her throat when the figure broke through the trees so she could see the wicked smirk upon the familiar face.
"Hello there," he greeted as his maroon greedy gaze washed over her damp figure. It was obvious that the way her wet and almost transparent yukata clang to her form was what he was paying the most attention to, especially when they locked on the translucent area upon her chest.
"You are…" she slowly started, "that monster from before."
"You are the lookalike," he rejoined, "I can see the difference now. We'll be going now."
"We?" she retorted with a crude contort to her face, "what do you mean we?"
"You and I," he clarified as he took a step towards her, "I've been waiting for you to leave the safety of the town."
"Why?" she muttered with narrowed eyes, "why me?"
"I think you know the answer to that," he grinned.
Only grotesque notions came to mind, but one was certainly right… she just hoped it was the ones she feared the most. She asked, "Then why wait for me to leave the town? Are you scared of Kouga?"
"The wolf youkai?" he guessed before shaking his head lightly, "absolutely not, there is a powerful barrier around it that I cannot breach. You must not be a very good priestess if you did not realize that."
"I'll purify you," she asserted as she took another step back when he took one towards her.
"Liar," he chuckled, "you haven't the power to do that."
"No, but I can destroy you," a gruff declaration caught both their attention as Inuyasha leaped out to land in front of Kagome, unsheathing his Tessaiga in the process to point it right for him. "Who the hell are you?"
"Are names really important?" the arrogant man questioned, "I know you, hanyou, Inuyasha, isn't it?"
"You're leaving me at a disadvantage, I don't know what to call you," he growled as he clenched his handle tighter, "how about scumbag?"
"Naraku will do," he countered before his hands formed into roots to shoot out towards them; it took no real effort for Inuyasha to slash them away. He launched forward to try and slash at Naraku only to have him avoid the attack to try to stab the hanyou in the gut instead—failing when he spun around. It was a quick back and forth between the two—neither drawing any blood at all in the process. A swift slash of Naraku's towards Inuyasha was only meant to be a distraction so that he could shoot another aiming directly for Kagome.
She gasped but managed to dodge the attack by falling into the river, hearing her name being shouted out by her hanyou all the while.
When she surfaced for a gasp of air Inuyasha was there to grab her upper arm and yank her out. The sense of the warped presence was gone along with all other traces of the monster.
"You're okay," Inuyasha said as he let go of his held breath before his constant sunlit stare shifting over her stopped at her breasts. The way the fabric outlined them and was practically see-thru. "What fuck is this?"
"What?" she questioned as her eyes shifted down to where his laid, quickly she covered her chests with her arms, "stop staring, Inuyasha!"
"This is ridiculous! Anyone can see you almost nude!"
"It's supposed to help me focus!"
"Fuck that," he grunted, "you aren't allowed to do this anymore."
She rolled her eyes before saying, "don't we have something more important to focus on? Like who was that guy?"
"Naraku, whatever that means," he grunted, "he seems to have a special interest in you but I can't blame him when you are like this. Don't come out in the forest naked!"
"I'm not naked!" She shrieked, "Inuyasha, you are being a jerk!"
He rolled his eyes at that before letting his temper die down enough for him to talk straight. "I'll always protect you, Kagome. This whole training thing must be helping 'cause you were able to avoid that attack well enough."
"That's sweet," she smiled softly before she took his hands into hers so that her hazels could lock with his golden gaze, "Inuyasha… I have feelings for you, strong ones, and I think I may… may lov—"
"Kagome," he stopped her swiftly as he yanked his hands away from her, "I… I like you and all but… this isn't going to be anything more than it is now."
"And what is it now?" she rejoined as she folded her arms with bent brows.
He shrugged, shrugged—and that was as bad as him flatly saying "friends with benefits".
That was it. He scorned me one too many times, I decided I'd never try with him again.
He could just go screw himself for all I cared.
...•¤°•.•°¤•...
I was going to be strong this time; I wasn't going to go cry myself a river because the big bad hanyou broke my heart. I wouldn't wallow in my own misery, I'd just burry the pain. At the time I thought it could even be a good thing that meant my momentary worrying if I could go back to my world without hesitation would die.
That time I wasn't crushed, I didn't cry… I was mad as hell at him instead. The furry felt better than the gloom.
"I understand your annoyance, Kagome-chan," her other-mother assured softly over a cup of tea, "but Inuyasha does care for you."
"Uh-huh," she grumbled as she took a sip, he cared about having sex with her—and that was it. "He's a jerk. I'm done with him. I just can't wait to go home, only two more months and I'm gone."
"After the loss of Kikyou and their son was almost the end of him," the other began to weakly catch her attention, "they were both gone in the course of one week. He's still recovering even if it has been six years."
"I get that," she asserted back, "but what? I'm supposed to be okay with being nothing more than a…" she shook her head and looked away before snorting—she wasn't just going to be his fuck buddy.
"More importantly," she soothed, "he must be petrified of the prospect of letting you in only to lose you, too. You said he didn't start to act that way until after this Naraku character tried to harm you, didn't he? That must have been when he realized it was a possibility. Not to mention the fact that you have been very fervent about your return to your world."
"I… never thought about that," Kagome sighed as her shoulders sagged, "but why can't he just say that? Why does he have to try and push me away?"
"Inuyasha never says what he means to, haven't you learned that yet? If you leave him on your own accord then he won't have to suffer with the guilty conscious of losing you any other way."
"What? I'm supposed to be able to read his mind?" Kagome countered, "why do I have to be the sensible one? Why do I always have to go out of my way? When I don't know how he feels about me?"
"I'm not saying you do," Mrs. Higurashi replied with a small shake of her head, "I'm just telling you what I think. Would you like to hear something I've noticed since your arrival?"
"Only if it doesn't have to do with Inuyasha," she answered.
"It doesn't. All this time I have been wondering why your name isn't the same as Kikyou's, but the more I learn about you the more I see you and less of her. I think I finally understand. It's because you two are so different. And that even though you share the same energy, same glow, same purity, you aren't the same person, you both were utterly unique."
"Thank you," Kagome smiled, "that's sweet."
"You just need to give Inuyasha some more time to see that, too, if he hasn't already."
"I'll consider it," she murmured as she took the final sip of tea before standing up, "thank you for the lovely meal."
"Have a nice evening," her other-mother replied before watching her walk out of the door. The path back to Kaede's home had to pass by Inuyasha's door so she stalled for a moment before letting her weaker side take hold to lead her up to his door. Once she lifted her hand to knock she realized what a mistake it would be and instead shook her head and turned away… without ever knowing that he was waiting on the other side to instantly respond to her action.
A small sigh escaped him as he walked away from his door to lie down on the futon that they had shared only a few nights prior—her aroma still laced the sheets. He inhaled to enjoy the scent that would not last forever, reminding himself all the while that it was for the best.
… wasn't it?
A/N: Thank you very much for the reviews.