Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.
Chapter 17
Inuyasha glanced down at his phone, hoping he had received a response to one of his many messages to Kagome. Well...was 3 messages really considered many? It sure as hell felt like a lot...But maybe he was just...well...He was in a mood, that was for sure. Things hadn't exactly gone smoothly tonight, and for some reason, Kagome just felt like the answer.
So, he had sent her one message on Facebook. Just a simple "Hey" to test the waters - see if they could talk. When she hadn't responded, he moved on to a "Are you up?", which hadn't gotten him any results. Finally, he messaged her, "Can I come over? I need to talk."
Again. Nothing.
It didn't even show up that she had read it.
If he were a smart man, he might have taken that as a "go away" or a "I'm sleeping" or something else...but...well...Since when was he a smart man? He had tried to be as quiet as he could as he snuck out his window and saddled Bessie, to ride over to the Higurashis' ranch. It felt good riding her in the middle of the night like this...but his head was still all in a fog, and for some reason, he just…
Look.
They might not be as close as they once were, but there was something screaming at him to go to Kagome, and he was having a hell of a time shaking the feeling. He needed her. And that's why he was staring up at her lit bedroom window, wondering why she was ignoring him.
He reached down and picked up a small handful of pebbles, palming them as he bit the inside of his cheek. He could just...Call her. Maybe that was a smarter move...Shit, did she even still have the same number? Did he even still remember it?
He hesitated a moment before dialing, and he felt his stomach twist into knots as he heard it ring. What if it was the wrong number? What if it wasn't? What if she really was ignoring him? What if she just...fell asleep with the lights on? It wouldn't have been the first time…
"Hi, you've reached the voicemail of Kagome Hi—"
He hung up.
Same number...
He shook his head, not wanting to think about the implications. Maybe...Maybe he should just leave...but, even as he thought that, his feet seemed to be glued to the ground. He needed to see her. Smell her. Hear her voice.
He sighed and plucked one of the rocks from his palm, winding his arm back before flicking it at her window frame. It tapped it before bouncing to the ground. He waited a second before throwing another one, and another one, and another one...Maybe...Maybe she really was sleeping. Maybe he should go home. Maybe he shouldn't be eyeing that tree, or climbing up it...And yet…
Here he was. Sitting in its branches like he was a kid again. He hoped it could still hold his weight. He wasn't exactly the same twig he was when he had done this last. God, if her father were still alive, he'd be a dead man. How he had never been caught before…Then again, he was sure when he did this as a teenager, the man had known. He had just...trusted them. And kept an ear to the wall to make sure he didn't hear anything more than maybe some kissing.
He shook his head, clearing out the memories of those nights, and inched closer to her window.
"Kagome?" he called out, hoping she would wake up and open the window. Or just open the window.
"Kagome," he tried again, edging a bit closer.
Still nothing.
"Kagome?"
Fuck.
He was almost out of tree limb here...Or at least tree limb he trusted.
"Kagome!" he called a bit louder this time, and he saw her curtains move, revealing the woman he had been trying to get in touch with for far too long on the other side. Fucking finally!
"Inuyasha?" she mumbled, her words muffled from the pane of glass. Her face was screwed up in clear confusion, and her eyes were red.
Why the hell were her eyes red?
She opened her window resting her palms on the sill as she leaned forward on her arms. The sudden scent of tears hit him like a knife being driven through his heart. She had been crying? Why? What was wrong?
"What are you doing here?"
"I…" he glanced down, suddenly feeling foolish. He had come because he wanted her comfort, and now that he was here, looking at her, smelling her, he knew that his problems weren't as important as hers.
He glanced back up at her, taking in the arch of her elegant brow, and he sighed.
"Can I come in? Worried I might break the tree."
"Don't want to break your arm again," she teased, her lip quirking up ever so slightly as she backed away from the window sill. He leapt onto the wood ledge. His feet found purchase in the grooves worn into the wood from his youth, before climbing through.
"You can use the door now, you know. You have a key to the house."
"I didn't want to wake anyone up," he shrugged, even though he knew she was right.
"Well, you woke me up…"
So she had been sleeping. Or lying about it. The smell of tears was too fresh - too strong to ignore. It overpowered any other smells...so he couldn't tell.
"Kagome, are you ok?" he pressed, sitting down on the edge of her bed.
"Yeah, why?" she pressed, crossing her arms under her breasts.
He rolled his eyes and tapped his nose, making her blush. He swore she forgot about his sense of smell sometimes. He didn't know how. It wasn't like he was the only man with demonic blood she had ever been with.
"I'm fine, Inuyasha," she sighed. "I'd be better though if you told me why the hell you showed up at my house at eleven at night."
"I just…" God...It really sounded so stupid now, didn't it?
"Just…" she pressed, cocking her hip to the side.
Needed her. He just needed her, ok? But he couldn't tell her that.
"Just...wanted to know if you wanted to go for a ride?"
Maybe it would do them both some good. They could go out to their spot and talk. They were doing that a lot lately, and he liked it. Fuck, he hadn't realized how much he had missed it until they started doing it again.
"Inuyasha, it's late...I really shouldn't…" she sighed, but he didn't want to give up.
"Please? Just...a quick one?"
He watched her bite the inside of her lip as her shoulders slumped.
"A quick one."
He felt his face light up like he was a fucking lighthouse, and it must have made her smile too. Why did the thought of taking her for a ride make him giddy? Why did seeing her smile just...wash away the horrible evening he'd just had?
"I need to change first though - I'm not going in this."
Tank top and short shorts. He didn't think she was even wearing a bra, given that he didn't see straps. There was something inside him begging him to ask her to just come as is...Something about the thought of holding her when she looked like this that heated his blood. It made him wish they were kids again. They might not have even gone for the ride. They might have ended up in her bed, his hands sliding under her shirt and up her abdomen to—
No.
These were bad thoughts to be having.
"Sure," he nodded, his voice far more hoarse than he would have liked it to have been. He watched as she moved around her room, taking out a t-shirt and jeans and far more underwear than he had anticipated, laying them out on her bed.
"Well?" she pressed, clearly waiting for him to do or say something...and it took him far longer than he would care to admit to realize what it was.
"Oh! Yeah. Sorry," he mumbled, turning around and looking at the floor. He heard the soft rustling of fabric, and he felt himself swallow hard as she must have removed her shirt.
"So how was dinner?" she asked, and he looked up from the floor...and realized that they had both completely forgotten that she had a small makeup mirror on her desk.
She was beautiful.
He knew he shouldn't be looking. That he should close his eyes, look at the ceiling - something. Anything.
But…
He couldn't.
She was as stunning as he remembered. Her skin as smooth and pale as it had always been. Her breasts may be a little fuller than before...her nipples pert and slightly puckered…He could almost taste them. A part of himself wanted to. Wanted to push her to the bed and kiss her. Run his fingers through the patch of hair at the apex of her thighs.
He swallowed again as she slipped into her panties before finding her bra.
This was wrong.
God, this was so wrong.
He was breaching her trust, and yet he couldn't bring himself to look away. Couldn't keep from fantasizing and remembering...everything.
"It was good," he replied with a cough, trying to refocus himself on the conversation she was attempting to have with him. "Chicken was great. Thanks again for your help."
"Did Kikyo like it?" she asked, clasping her bra, and suddenly he felt like the world's biggest asshole.
Kikyo…
"Yeah," he nodded, his shoulders slumping. "She liked it. Was really impressed with it - said she didn't realize I was such a good cook."
"That's good!" she chirped, slipping a shirt over her head. It was fake - the cheer in her voice - and it hurt.
"It was…'till I told her you helped."
Kagome paused as she lifted her hair out of the neck of her shirt, the hem raising ever so slightly to reveal a sliver of her abdomen above the line of her panties...and he felt his eyes glue to it.
"You...Why?"
He shrugged, shoving his hands into his pants pockets and glancing down at the ground. He heard the heavy sound of the material of her jeans moving as she stepped into them, sliding the zipper up before she slipped into her socks and shoes.
"Is that why you came tonight?"
He felt his ears flatten against his head, and he winced at her tone. It was so...despondent.
"I just...I got home from it, and I needed to see you," he whispered, shifting his weight uncomfortably.
He felt her hands on his shoulders, turning him around to hug him, and he buried his face in her hair. He let her scent wash over him. Let it calm him and soothe him. Let her hands rub his back. Let her whisper soft words to him...words he couldn't understand...didn't care to understand...Not when being in her arms felt so good. So damn right…He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes and nuzzling her hair, and suddenly…
He was home.
This was home.
She pulled away from him far sooner than he would have liked, but also...he was appreciative of it.
"Let's go," he mumbled, bending down in a clear request to get onto his back.
"You can't be serious…"
He looked at her over his shoulder and scowled.
"Course I am. Don't wanna wake anyone up."
"But I'm not fifteen anymore, Inuyasha! You can't...We're going to get hurt! Let's just take the stairs."
"And wake everyone up?"
"I'd rather the whole damn town know we're going for a ride than die jumping out the window!"
"...That makes one of us."
She rolled her eyes, turning around to open her door. "I'll see you down there then, but there's no way I—Inuyasha!" she yelped as he scooped her up, throwing her over his shoulder.
"Calm down."
"I will not calm down until you put me down!"
"I will when we're downstairs."
"Inuyasha…" she warned and he just smirked, hopping up to her sill. "Inuyasha, I swear to God…"
"I woulda thought ya'd be praying instead," he snickered, leaping down from the sill with her to gracefully land in the Higurashi's front yard. She squealed as they dropped through the air, and when he did finally put her down, she scowled at him, positively livid.
"Inuyasha…"
"You're fine."
"That's not the point," she snapped through gritted teeth, smacking his pectoral.
"Why don't you give me what for on Bessie then?" he grinned cheekily, and she just rolled her eyes, still simmering.
"You think I won't? I'll give you more than what's for. I'll give you a whole fucking dissertation on how big an ass you are."
"Complete with a cover page?"
She went to smack him again, but he just caught her hand and placed a finger over her lips. She tried looking at it, going cross-eyed in the process.
God, she was adorable. And sexy as hell when she was angry.
"Don't wanna wake up the whole town, remember?" he teased, and she glared at him as he removed his index finger.
"I'm not that loud."
He bit his tongue, trying - with great restraint by the way - to not comment.
He failed. Only a little.
"Sure ya ain't," he smirked, offering her a hand as she mounted Bessie.
"I'm not!"
"Ok then."
"Inuyasha!"
He just shook his head and climbed on after her, pulling her flush with his body as he encouraged the mare to start trotting in the direction of the cliffs.
"So...How loud are ya then? I've always wondered."
He could feel her confusion before understanding settled in over her and she began yelling indignantly at him. He didn't really care though. He loved teasing her. Loved seeing her get all huffy and flustered. Ruffling her feathers...He'd missed it.
When she finally stopped, he felt her body slowly relax as she bonelessly melted into his chest. He heard her deeply inhale as if she were getting comfortable with him, and he pulled her a little bit closer, pulling a small noise of contentment from her.
It just felt right.
"Where are we headed," she murmured after a moment, ending their companionable silence.
"Our spot."
She tilted her head to smile up at him, and he wanted to run his fingers through her hair. Press a kiss to her forehead. Hold her even tighter.
"I hoped that was it. I didn't want our last ride to be the last time I went there with you…"
"Ya didn't?"
Her smile weakened a little, and he felt his heart pick up in his chest.
"It was...healing. But it wasn't a completely happy memory…"
Because the last, last time they had been there had been all sunshine and rainbows? He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from commenting on that. He didn't really want to think about that night right now. He was already feeling pretty shitty. Didn't wanna heap more onto his mood.
"Well, maybe this time will be better," he said instead, and she agreed with him.
"Yeah. Maybe."
When they got to their spot, he hopped off Bessie before helping her down. It was a good thing too, because her foot got caught in the stirrup, making her fall clumsily forward into his arms.
"Whoa there...you ok Kagome?"
"Yeah," she mumbled, a blush prettily staining her cheeks bright red. He cupped her cheek, encouraging her to look into his eyes so he could decide if she was telling a small white lie...and he was captivated by those beautiful blue eyes of hers. He could get lost staring into them. Spend hours just looking at them. His thumb absently started to rub her cheek, and her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into his touch. The moonlight spilled over her features in just the right way. Highlighting her cheekbone and the side of her face...She was even more beautiful than usual, and he found himself leaning closer to her before his mind could catch up to what his brain was telling his body to do.
When his lips were inches from hers, that's when logic seemed to settle back in over him, and he tilted his head off to the side, gently brushing them against the side of her face instead.
"Don't scare me like that then," he breathed as her eyes fluttered back open. "I can't lose ya, Higurashi."
"Don't be dramatic," she whispered, her voice thick, and he smelled salt as her eyes became glossy. "At most, I would have just had a twisted ankle."
"This time," he tried to tease...but the longer they stood like this, staring into each other's eyes, the heavier the moment became. It was filled with this...suffocating unspoken tension, it seemed, and it was becoming overwhelming. Nearly unbearable. The need to take her face in both of his hands and kiss her was crushing him.
"I guess it's a good thing I have you here to catch me when I fall then," she swallowed, her eyes scanning his face before landing on his lips. Was she thinking about it too? Did she want to kiss him as he almost had her?
He lowered his hands with far more difficulty than he had expected, pulling away from her before they did something they shouldn't.
"Should I light a fire?"
"How long are we staying out here for?" she countered, seeming to shake herself out of the funk that had overcome them both.
"I...Hadn't really thought about it," he admitted sheepishly.
"Just wanted to show up at my house and kidnap me, huh?"
"Sounded like more fun than formulating an actual plan," he shrugged, and she rolled her eyes, coming over to the fire pit and laying down on the grass in front of it.
"We don't need to light one," she decided as he stood there, looking at her stare up at the sky. "You know...I really did miss being able to see the stars. You can't see them like this in LA. Too much light pollution and...well...pollution.
"I bet," he agreed, coming to lay down beside her, crossing his arms under his head. "I never thought about what it would be like to give up the night sky like that."
"It wasn't a big deal...there were...worse things, I gave up. But I like having it back. At least for a spell…" she trailed off, and he tried to not dwell on it. She had another month and a half with them. Then she was going back.
"Do you miss it?" he found himself asking before he could stop himself, and he was internally cursing himself out the second he had.
"LA? Some things…" she admitted. "I miss the 24/7 take out. And Starbucks. And the interesting people. And the art and the unique culture…Music...Street performers..."
"Sounds like a lot of things," he swallowed thickly, closing his eyes.
"I like it here too though," she continued after a moment, and his ear flicked towards her. "I have my mom...and Souta...There's fresh air here. I feel like I can actually breathe. And I can see the stars...I missed the simple but hard work of living on a farm. I forgot what small-town life was like. And I missed…" she trailed off, and he turned to look at her.
Him.
Please…
Say him…
He needed to hear her say it…
"Yeah?" he prompted after a moment, and she glanced up at him as he stared at her, his eyes pleading with her to say what felt like the impossible.
"Stepping in cow shit," she swallowed, a fake smile spreading across her face. "It's been a while since I did that. Did it the other day. It was great."
He smiled wryly, his heart aching a little as he turned to look at the sky again.
"Yeah. I bet."
"It's been kind of nice, being back this time," she breathed, and he felt himself listening to her every word with rapt attention. "I finally feel like…"
Like?
Like what?
"Like I'm home, you know?"
Yeah. He'd felt a bit of home return to him too, since she had come back.
"And...I'm glad my car broke down in front of your ranch, Inuyasha."
He tilted his head back to the side to look at her, and saw that her eyes were already on him. Watching his every movement. His every thought.
"Yeah?"
She nodded, turning onto her side, and he mirrored the position, resting his arm on his side as he watched her nervously chew her lip.
"Yeah. I...This has been my favorite part of coming home this time."
"This?" he pressed, hoping to get more from her. He needed something more. Needed her to be more specific.
"Us. I've missed us, Inuyasha. I hated how things ended for years. This is...It feels better than closure. It feels like…A second chance."
At what?
Friendship…?
"I have too," he murmured, smiling weakly. "I...I really did miss you too, Kagome. And...I…" he took a deep, shuddering breath before exhaling, "And I'm really sorry for my part in everything too. I am. I shouldn't have forced your hand like I did. I shouldn't have been so damn scared of losing you, and I should have trusted in us more."
"Inuyasha…"
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "We were moving on, and here I am...dragging it all up again…"
"Because I don't think we've said I forgive you yet," she reasoned quietly, weighing her words carefully. "We...we talked about it, but we haven't completely forgiven each other, or ourselves, I think…And...I think we should."
"Yeah?" he whispered, swallowing.
"Yeah...I…I forgive you, Inuyasha. And I'm sorry for my part in everything too. Keeping things from you...pulling away when you were trying to help...All of it. Everything."
He slowly raised his hand and gently ran his thumb across her cheek, just under her eye.
"I forgive you, Kagome," he breathed, watching her eyes flutter shut for a moment. She tilted her head up ever so slightly, welcoming his touch, and he wanted to pull her closer...but he stopped himself. Instead, he slowly retracted his hand and watched her eyes open at the loss of his touch.
She looked slightly disappointed, but he didn't want to read into it. He couldn't.
Or the way he suddenly felt…
Free.
For the first time in seven years, he felt free. Like the dull pain he had been keeping inside for all this time was finally gone.
"So," Kagome smiled weakly. "Tell me more about this date with Kikyo?"
He groaned and rolled onto his back before reliving the whole night with her, welcoming the distraction so he didn't have to explore his feelings. She listened to his every word. To everything that had happened from the moment he had walked through the door, to when he put the chicken into the oven, to when they were sitting on the couch after dinner just watching a movie.
She had wanted to watch When Harry Met Sally. It had gone well enough at first, but she kept talking during the movie. And...Ok. He liked talking during movies sometimes, like when he had seen it before, or when what the other person was saying was relevant to the movie...but it was like the movie was just an excuse to do something while she talked to him. It was all mundane conversation too. And it grated on his nerves a little.
Why watch a movie if you weren't actually going to watch it?
And then. Then she tried to make out with him! Which...he should have been all for. He should have been jumping at the chance, but he just…
The idea of making out with her wasn't really all that appealing at the moment. He was already a little irritated from watching the movie, and he just wasn't in the mood. So he had tried to politely tell her that...Which only led to her awkwardly asking if they should eat the pears now...Which had led to a comment on how good dinner was...And then he had told her that Kagome had helped and…
Needless to say, the evening had gone downhill from there. Kikyo wasn't exactly thrilled that Kagome had been involved. She had been...well...livid would have been putting it nicely. He had gotten out of there as soon as he could.
"Oh Inuyasha…"
"Yeah. I know," he sighed, running his fingers through his bangs. "I...I think there's something wrong with me, Kagome," he confessed quietly, keeping his eyes on the stars above. "I seem to fuck up with women so easily...You...Kikyo...Maybe I'm just...destined to be alone, ya know?"
It was true too. He was always fucking up. Ever since Kagome, he'd never had a real, true, serious long term relationship. It just hadn't felt possible since her, and he was beginning to think that maybe he was cursed. It was a solemn, sobering feeling that had been crushing him since he had left Kikyo's apartment. He didn't want it to be true...God, he didn't...but…
His track record was proving otherwise. It was telling him that yeah.
There had to be something wrong with him. He was destined to grow old alone.
He was building a house for a large family for no reason, because it was never going to happen...and that was one of his deepest fears. People his age were beginning to settle in earnest. They were playing for keeps now...and what did he have to show for it?
A failed engagement, and an inability to date.
He was a real winner, wasn't he?
Kagome was silent as she reached over to him, making him turn his head to look at her, drawing him out of his thoughts, and what he saw in her eyes took his breath away. Fire. Determination. Anger. Passion.
"Kagome—"
"—You're not cursed, Inuyasha. Do you hear me? You had a bad date. Said some stupid things. That doesn't mean you're cursed. You're too good to be alone for the rest of your life. You're still young. Your story is just getting started. If you want to...keep going after Kikyo, that's fine. You can still come back from this. It's possible, and she's wanted to be with you for years. She will get over it. If you want to end it...that's another story. But this isn't some sign. It was just a bad date, ok?"
He swallowed, nodding hard.
"Yeah...it was…"
"Are you going to be ok?"
He nodded, his eyes dancing across her face. Her scrunched-up forehead. Strewn together eyebrows. Serious, fiery eyes. Full lips…
"Yeah," smiled weakly. "You're right. It was just...a really, really bad date."
"Ok then," she replied, rolling back onto her back for a moment, staring up at the stars again. "Hey," she began again after a moment. "Do you wanna do something crazy?"
"Crazier than jumping out your bedroom window at eleven at night?" he teased, the despondent tilt of his lips fading slightly - smoothing into a real, genuine smile.
"Much crazier," she smiled, sitting up.
His eyes widened as she stood up, peeling her shirt off. She carelessly tossed it to the side before she began working on the closures of her jeans, and he felt all of the saliva magically disappear from his mouth.
"K-kagome?"
"We're going swimming," she decided, toeing off her shoes and slipping her pants down her legs. "Or at least I am. You don't have to join...but I thought it would be fun. We haven't done it in years, and you brought me all the way out here...There's no one around for miles, so no one would ever know. And I think it will be fun. When was the last time you did something crazy anyways?"
"About forty-five minutes when I jumped out of your window?"
"You gotta stop with this window stuff," she scolded, crossing her arms under her lace-clad breasts. "So, are you coming or not?"
"You don't mind that we're in our underwear?"
"No less revealing than swimwear," she shrugged, but he could pick up the slight smell of nervousness coming off of her. Probably because, if he really tried, he could just make out the shape of her nipples under her bra. And he was ashamed to say that he was really trying…
"Yeah," he swallowed. "Fuck it."
He stood, removing his t-shirt and letting it drop to the ground by his feet before removing his own socks and shoes as he worked his pants down his legs. Kagome wasn't waiting for him though. She was already walking to the edge of the water, sticking a toe in.
"Oh!" She gasped, jerking her foot back. "That's brisk!"
"Well what were ya expecting?" he pressed once he had shed everything but his boxer briefs.
"Something a bit warmer than this?"
"You'll warm up soon enough," he teased, slowly sneaking up behind her.
"What makes you say tha—EEE!" She shrieked as he scooped her up, tossing her into the water. Droplets of water splashed out at him as she broke through the water's surface, sinking within it. She came sputtering back to the surface seconds later, and she looked livid.
"Inuyasha," she growled, and he felt his face break out into perhaps the first genuinely gleeful smile he had had all evening.
"You were saying it was cold!"
"So this is your solution?!" she shot back, sweeping her arm through the water to splash him.
Shit.
It was brisk.
"I thought it would help!"
"Not. Helping!"
"I...Look...I meant well…"
She splashed him again, and he brought his arms up, curling his body down in an attempt to make himself smaller. A smaller target meant that fewer drops of water could hit him.
In theory.
"Get. Your. Ass. Over. Here. Now."
He winced at her tone. Yeah...maybe that hadn't been the best life choice he could have made.
"Ok! I'm coming," he grinned sheepishly, holding his hands up in the air as he slowly waded into the lake. "See?" he grimaced as he approached her. "In the water."
"Thank you. Kind of you do join…"
"I thought so—GAH!"
He had just made it with arms reach when she had grabbed his shoulders and pushed him under, completely submerging him. He came back up moments later, sputtering and coughing, greeted by her smirking face.
"I thought it would help."
He just narrowed his eyes and splashed water at her...to which she reciprocated, and he swore they spent the next twenty minutes just chasing each other around the otherwise quiet lake, seeking vengeance on the other for their latest transgression.
But the thing was…
The whole time he was chasing her, or running from her…
He knew he had a giant grin on his face. Knew that the happiness he was feeling in his chest was genuine. Knew that the laughter coming from her wasn't being faked. Knew that he hadn't felt this good in…
Years.
She splashed him one more time and instead of retaliating, the realization made him freeze, allowing her to get him again.
"What's the matter, Inuyasha? The water so cold you can't function in it anymore?" she teased, inching closer to him.
"Yeah," he nodded, his arms moving to quickly pull her to his chest, and she yelped in surprise. "Guess I better make you colder too, huh?" he mused, pulling them both under the surface of the water at the same time. They both just barely had enough time to fill their lungs with air before he submerged them, and he felt her cling tighter to him.
For heat or...something else, he didn't know. He just knew that...he liked it. But they couldn't stay that way. He pushed them back above the surface, and he heard her gasp for air, refilling her lungs as she sputtered for oxygen.
"You ok?" he panted, moving strands of her hair away from her face, and she closed her eyes, leaning into his hand ever so slightly.
"I'm with a jerk who wants to kill me," she teased, her chest heaving with each breath she took. "I don't think I'll ever be ok."
He laughed, his eyes dancing in the moonlight as he still held her flush to his body.
"Kill is a little strong," he mused, brushing more hair out of her face. It felt wet and slick...and he couldn't stop himself from doing it again.
"Murder?"
"Still a little strong."
"If you insist," she relented, her eyes darting across his face as she swallowed. Their close proximity was getting to them both...but he couldn't let go of her. Couldn't make himself do it.
"Thank you, Kagome," he murmured, cupping her cheek again.
"Yeah? For what?" she whispered, her arms tightening around his neck, pulling them just a little closer than they already were.
"Coming riding with me at crazy hours of the night. Listening to me. Cheering me up."
Her face softened, and one of her hands left his neck to rest against his cheek - her thumb gently stroking his bone.
"It's what friends do. They give what they can of themselves for each other."
"Friends…That what we are, Kagome?" he pressed, swallowing hard.
"No," she breathed, her eyes darting across his face, and he couldn't breathe. His lungs wouldn't let him. "We're best friends, aren't we?"
He tried to ignore the sting. Tried to acknowledge what she had said as the truth because...well...it had been for so many years.
"Yeah," he breathed, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. It was cold. Wet. "We are."
She tilted her head up, silently asking him for another, and he pressed one in the space between her brows. She did it again, and he moved down to the tip of her nose, watching as her eyes fluttered closed for a moment. Her hand moved up the back of his neck, tangling in his wet hair at the base of his head.
"Kags," he whispered, staring into her eyes. They were filled with so much emotion. Desire. Want. Desperation.
"Yash," she murmured, biting the inside of her lip ever so slightly.
This time neither of them rebuked the name. He didn't want to, and it shook him...and neither did she.
He watched her eyes search his face, looking for something...and he couldn't help but wonder if she would find what it was. He supposed she must have, because her hand gently pulled his head down to hers, and she kissed his forehead. The place between his eyebrows. The tip of his nose.
She pulled away from him, biting her lip in thought.
"I feel like I'm playing a dangerous game," she mused, her words no louder than a whisper. "And I know I should stop, but I can't."
He wanted to ask her what she meant, but the gentle press of her lips against his cleared all of his thoughts from his brain in a matter of milliseconds. It was lighter than the flap of a butterflies wing - so faint a part of him wondered if he had imagined it…
But if he had, how come he could still feel her lips? How come the sensation of her kiss still lingered?
"Kagome?" he murmured, his eyes dancing across her face, trying to figure out what was going on with her? What was happening inside that head of hers?
"Just wanted to do that one last time," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear, echoing his same words from that fateful day.
"One last time?" he breathed, his heart lodging itself in his throat. "We seem to have a lot of those, don't we?"
"It's because we keep saying goodbye…"
...When really they should be saying hello.
A/N: Ok. Color me IMPRESSED. Everyone really pulled through for that for an early update...and...true to my word...Here it is!
And...Because I'm SO impressed...
And because I love the next chapter even MORE than this one...(Hard to imagine...but yes. Yes I do. Because there's some...heat in it...)
I'm going to offer everyone a chance to play that game ONE last time.
My original update date for chapter 18 is 10/27.
If you get this to 210 reviews by 10/20...I'll update a week early. 200 by 20/23 and I'll update then. 190 by 10/25, and I'll update then.
PLEASE NOTE THESE NUMBERS ARE DIFFERENT ON FFN AND THEY MUST BOTH BE MET FOR ME TO UPDATE.
YOU HOLD THE POWER GUYS!
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
And really...Aside from this hopefully being fun for you...seeing all the reviews really does make me smile. They are an excellent little reminder that people LOVE what I do, and even if all you do is keyboard smash...It still makes my day a little, just like this story hopefully makes your day a little.
Also, if you don't follow me on tumblr...
NOW IS THE TIME.
I'm doing a One Last Ride Halloween Smut Reblog game in ONE WEEK.
And it will be FILTHY and DELICIOUS. I'll have details for that on my tumblr in a few days because I need to make that specific announcement still, but the game starts on 10/16!
And...If you want to reach chapter 18 even earlier, you should check out my tumblr anyways because I have details for that plastered all over the place! Just search for lemonlushff!
Until next time...
Whenever that is...
-LL