Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.
A/N: For the Inu-Spiration 2022.
I had the pleasure to be paired up with BrigidTheFae and be inspired by her amazing work. I had so much fun working with her on this piece and I really have to thank her for her help đź’•.
You can see the art on my Ao3 account or on Tumblr.
We hope you enjoy đź’–.
Summary: When he had reluctantly agreed to go on patrol with Sesshomaru, Inuyasha couldn't have foreseen meeting her or the words his brother would speak to him in warning, the same words that would haunt him later, mingling with the memory of her voice.
Torn between an inexplicable attraction that could mislead him and the security of the life he has known so far, he will question himself and what he believes in.
That morning, the half-demon's mood was not the best and judging by how much the supposedly short patrol was lasting, it was not about to get any better soon.
Inuyasha didn't hate such tasks per se; on the contrary, they allowed him to roam freely in the vast lands his father protected, to free his mind and escape the many rules and etiquette that were a necessity in the castle he lived in. Not to mention that the courtiers and ladies who walked its corridors were exactly the kind of false and pretentious people he always tried to keep away from.
The only reason he did not welcome that assignment this time was the company that had been imposed on him: his brother Sesshomaru.
The two of them had never had a good relationship, and not because Inuyasha had never tried. However, the times he had been ignored or denigrated as a child for trying to interact with the older one had been enough for the duration of his long existence. He had stopped trying, and the condescension Sesshomaru still reserved for him only reinforced his purpose; he had no desire to give him a few more opportunities to be denigrated or lectured about his supposed inferiority.
Unfortunately, mornings like that were a regular occurrence—though not too regular—as their father insisted on them spending quality time together. Inuyasha wanted to roll his eyes every time he heard that speech, which was also too often for his liking.
Some would have thought that because this time Toga had chosen one of Inuyasha's favourite activities, the latter would have been mollified and would face the experience with less resentment. Instead, it was quite the opposite; he would rather do something he hated than contaminate those hours that were normally his alone, free of pests—and Sesshomaru, for him, was the number one.
They had already covered most of the territory and were now approaching the border, the place where it was most likely to encounter trouble. Inuyasha hoped to get it done as quickly as possible because his half-brother's snooty presence was starting to get on his nerves and he had dealt with it enough. He would burst if he had to hear that very annoying nasal sound he used to express his displeasure or be at the mercy of his haughty glances one more time. And in that case, his father couldn't hold him responsible for whatever argument broke out—it wasn't like it was his fault if Sesshomaru was an arrogant shit.
The demon walked in front of him as always, his steps calculated, his gait elegant, his shoulders straight and his gaze straight ahead. He never paid too much attention to what was around him because, as far as he was concerned, it was the others who had to pay attention—and that meant everyone had to clear the way for him. It suited Inuyasha at times, but at others, the so-called positive sides were not enough to make him forget his arrogance and the exaggerated sense of superiority Sesshomaru felt towards anyone who wasn't him or their father.
Inuyasha was just throwing daggers at his back, futilely hoping it would be enough to set him on fire when he heard it.
It was a melodious sound coming from not far away, a distinctly feminine voice that was not struggling to reach high notes and was spreading across the clearing. He froze immediately, and his dog ears, as white as the long hair that fell over his shoulders and hips, moved frantically in an attempt not to miss a single note.
A second later, he spotted where it came from, and without even warning his brother, he disappeared in that direction. In a short time, he crossed the border and hid behind a curtain of green trees, looking at the woman who had enraptured him with her singing.
Usually, he would have felt guilty—he was not in the habit of spying on demonesses like that, nor would he have found it very interesting as none had ever really caught his attention—but as she was not completely naked, he felt somewhat heartened. He really wasn't doing anything wrong, was he?
Besides, the girl seemed so completely lost in her own world that she didn't even realize what was going on around her; Inuyasha wanted to tell her that it was dangerous, that anyone could take advantage of her, but he was too busy listening to her sing, mesmerized, and didn't wish to ruin the moment.
Sitting at the edge of a small pool of water, her back was to him, so he was unable to get a good look at her face, but she turned slightly from time to time to brush her long dark hair, allowing him to study the curve of her face, her long eyelashes and red lips. And if the voice had not already convinced him, that much was enough, along with the heavenly smell that tickled his nostrils, for him to state with certainty that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
He had never lusted after anyone and had often made fun of men who made a spectacle of themselves unable to restrain themselves yet, suddenly, he understood in part what they felt. Just looking at her, he felt an impelling need arise in him; he wished to touch her, hold her in his arms, kiss those lips that were now moving slower for the last notes of the song and—if he was lucky—make her his, forever.
He was so enchanted by the sight before him that he wasn't aware of the footsteps reaching him or of his brother's aura. Only when the latter spoke, catching him by surprise, did he snap out of it. And if he was already unhappy at having had Sesshomaru sneak up on him like that, he was even more at the words that were spoken.
"I shouldn't have expected anything different from a half-demon like you," he said in an extremely low voice. "Have you already been bewitched by that nymph? From the smell of you, the lost look in your eyes, and the ease with which I caught you off guard—more than usual—I'd say there's no doubt about it."
The youngest growled in response, but he really had no material to defend himself plus, he realized he had never really met a nymph, nor did he know much about them.
Sesshomaru must have read that realization on his face because, a moment later, he smiled wryly, and in that disapproving tone he only used for his half-brother he continued, "Consider this a gift from me, a symptom of my magnanimity, so listen well to the advice I'm about to give you. Nymphs are devious creatures, they do not think twice before trapping foolish males like you in their net. Behind their perfect faces and melodic voices are hidden harpies, who contrary to what humans like to tell, bring no luck at all." Finally, he looked at him scornfully and retraced his steps, without waiting for him, except to stop a little further on and add, "Keep these words in mind, assuming there is still an escape for you."
Inuyasha was vibrating with rage, his fists clenched along his sides and his teeth chattering, as he cursed his brother who had lost no opportunity to criticize him and ruin what had until recently been for him one of the most important moments of his life. He turned back to the young woman, studying her delicate features and graceful gestures more closely, and wondered if it was possible to justify such cynicism towards such a beautiful being. He could have continued to watch her forever, yet Sesshomaru's malicious words had already ruined everything, and now he could no longer look at her without them reverberating in his mind like a warning he had accepted in spite of himself.
How much truth was there in what he had told him? Could he trust him? Usually, he would have said no; he never trusted what Sesshomaru said. However, he knew that the latter never lied and his lack of knowledge on the subject was fertile ground for the doubts brewing in him.
With eyes full of remorse, he whispered goodbye and then ran off, leaving the nymph who had now stopped singing behind him and joining Sesshomaru to complete the interrupted patrol.
When they returned to the castle later, he had completely forgotten the sufficiency with which the older one had spoken to him because he was too busy thinking about the mysterious figure he had discovered and could not help but long for.
Was he really hopeless? Had it taken so little to be captivated, or was there, for once, something else behind the truths Sesshomaru had spoken?
It would be weeks before Inuyasha could find out, but in the meantime images of the young girl, combined with the voice that would not leave his mind, kept him company.
That very evening Inuyasha told himself he would investigate and ask his father for information without him becoming suspicious but keeping away from the small clearing where he had met her. He didn't want to feel weak nor risk someone else noticing his strange behaviour and following him. However, he only lasted a few days and was soon back. The image of her, carefree and alone, kept coming to him in his dreams, invading his thoughts even when he was awake and busy, distracting him and giving him so much peace that more than once, he thought Sesshomaru was right. But then, he shook his head and told himself that, again, such cynicism was not justifiable and that surely there was something else that was obscure to the two brothers.
She called him for days after that first meeting, and who knows how Inuyasha managed to resist, to tell himself that he should be stronger. But finally, his resolve crumbled, and during one of his wanderings, his feet took him back behind that curtain of trees, where he hoped to see her again, to bask again in the vision that she was.
Thereafter his visits became a regular occurrence.
Each time Inuyasha discovered something new, a detail that amazed and enraptured him, and even if he told himself that nothing could have made her more beautiful and perfect than that in his eyes, the following day, he would prove himself wrong. Even without knowing her, Inuyasha was certain that she was unlike any woman he had ever met, demonesses interested only in his social status or a connection to his father and half-brother, false and pretentious who threw themselves at him although his being half-demon repulsed them.
What fascinated him most about her was the way she connected with the nature and fauna that surrounded her; she could stand motionless for hours amid that greenery—and Inuyasha with her to watch—and summon every form of life that danced around her, equally entranced by such beauty and kindness. In those moments, her aura radiated so much happiness and carefreeness that Inuyasha could not help but be engrossed in turn. Everything else disappeared; it no longer mattered the bitterness due to who he was, the sense of inferiority that, despite everything, he continued to feel in the presence of certain demons, and the anger that followed. He didn't understand it yet, but even for him, those were moments of pure contentment, and that was one of the reasons he kept coming back; he could be truly free and ignore demonic society's rules, other's judgements or his parents' compassion.
Initially, the intensity of those emotions remained obscure to him, but that did not stop him from falling prey to the most effective spell there was, one that had nothing to do with black magic or abilities granted only to nymphs: love. Inuyasha had fallen in love with her without even realizing it, and soon, just as Sesshomaru had predicted, it was too late for him to turn back.
The half-demon had now resigned himself to watching her forever from behind the bushes when it happened. He had never considered himself a coward, yet he could not bring himself to step forward or let the young woman know that he had found her and desired her, that it would take even one hour of his time, enough to hear her voice speak his name and make a new melody. He was so hungry that he would accept any crumb, and what was worse was that he was fully aware of it. But that desire, however powerful, did not overcome the cowardice that glued his feet to the ground and his lips that never opened.
Therefore, the nymph took him by surprise on the day she called him. An entire lunar cycle had passed, and Inuyasha felt he had now memorized every single detail about her. He was just admiring the work of light the sun's rays created with the green highlights of her hair when the words replaced the melody she was singing.
"How much longer will I have to wait before you show yourself?" she asked him, a hint of mirth in her tone.
He immediately froze, surprised, and his eyes shot up, sure that he could finally see her face in its entirety. But although she had spoken, she had not moved, and if he was certain she was smiling at that moment, it was because he had read it in her voice.
However, instead of being delighted, relieved because she had given him the opportunity to come forward without doubting himself, more than one warning resounded powerfully in his mind, preventing him from taking advantage of it. The happiness he had felt over the past month was forgotten and his whole body began to radiate anxiety, so much so that soon whatever serenity inhabited the clearing disappeared, frightening even the fauna and leaving the two of them alone.
His eyes widened and he opened his mouth as the words repeated, giving him no escape and urging him to be careful, to be vigilant and to raise the defensive walls he had unknowingly lowered until that instant.
Only after he had escaped—like the most cowardly of all—did he realize with absolute clarity that the voice that had spoken to him belonged to Sesshomaru. He could not know, however, that the smile he had heard in the nymph's voice had disappeared almost immediately, along with the happiness that had marked her every time Inuyasha had visited her.
After returning the first time, Kagome had always been aware of his presence and had welcomed him with joy, happy to be able to sing for someone who appreciated those moments as much as she did.
In the end, perhaps, she had been too rash and had ruined everything with a few words. She had turned her eyes full of sadness in the direction where the half-demon had always hidden, but there was no one there to watch her face finally being revealed.
Inuyasha had not expected one moment—as important as it was wrong—to affect him so much, but he had to deal with remorse and cowardice all day and night after escaping from the clearing.
Sesshomaru's voice had disappeared as soon as he had returned to the castle, but the disdainful smirk he had reserved for him when they had met in the corridors had almost made him believe his half-brother knew perfectly well what had happened. However, he had not noticed the worried look his father cast in his direction.
And as the hours passed and the sun gradually disappeared, his mind was crowded with memories of the past month, her voice singing only to him and the feelings he had experienced standing next to her—although she did not know it. He was forced to analyze each of them, and only late at night, after tossing and turning on the futon, unable to fall asleep, did the truth hit him like a bolt from the blue.
He jumped up, an expression of astonishment on his face, understanding why he had been so happy every time he visited her, the reason for that intense desire that still gripped him. Without knowing it, he had fallen in love and had indeed fallen into her net. Only, he realized, it was not a trap or a bad spell for him. No, now that he was aware of it, Inuyasha was sure that such a pure feeling could not conceal dangers or deceit.
However, given the discovery, his actions that morning had an even worse twist.
He jumped to his feet and hastily slipped on the red robe he had thrown on the floor only hours before, grabbed the trusty sword gifted by his father and hurried out of the room.
It didn't count what time it was or whether it was opportune or not; it didn't even matter to him that she would most likely not be there and he would have to wait for who knows how long. He had to get back right away. He couldn't withstand waiting for dawn; he had to make up for his mistake.
For if he loved her, then he could not afford to be a coward and blow it all.
Against all expectations, he found her there waiting for him. Inuyasha wondered if she had ever left, but he didn't have time to think about it too much because her voice caught him by surprise again with a question. "Are you like everyone else, then?" Unlike the other times, however, it was different in his ears. It was barely a whisper in which he read uncertainty. He did not appreciate that turn of events and swore that he would soon have her back to her old self; he could not accept that he was responsible for that change.
Immediately after, she turned around and for the first time, Inuyasha looked at her face.
The long ebony hair, amidst which two horns were hidden, framed a slightly oval face, two expressive dark eyes with golden specks in them, a snub nose and red lips that he had already been able to look at—and dreamt of kissing—so many times before. The half-demon stood for a long time admiring the pink of her cheeks in contrast with her fair complexion, the shape of her cheekbones, her long eyelashes and her protruding lower lip, so much so that Kagome wondered if he had really heard her question.
When she called his attention again, his gaze snapped back to her eyes and he remembered the question that, however justified, had still hurt him. Who were the others? And why was she associating him with them without even knowing him? Moreover, he doubted she meant anything remotely positive.
"What about you? Are you like the other nymphs?" Reckless as ever, he had ended up speaking in a sharp, abrupt tone and realized it too late when she had already winced.
Kagome smiled sadly and then shook her head, only to turn around again and walk towards the water pool where she had first seen her. "I got the wrong idea about you then. Why did you keep visiting me if you always believed what demons said about my kind?"
Inuyasha, who had followed her without blinking, was surprised to find out that he had not managed to be as discreet as he had believed and that she had always known of his presence.
"I-"
"The way you ran away yesterday is already an answer for me, don't worry. I'll get over it." As she spoke, Inuyasha easily sensed sadness and disappointment, as if for some reason, she had hoped it wasn't true and she really cared about him.
His own heart broke as he heard those feelings clear in her voice, and he wondered if, as he visited her and fell in love with her, she herself had begun to study him and have feelings for him. Or was this an illusion born of his intense desire?
When she finally made to move further away from him, Inuyasha increased his stride and caught her hand, tightening his fingers around her slender wrist and taking care not to injure her with his claws. "Wait!"
Kagome raised her brown eyes at him questioningly and staring at her, Inuyasha lost his words for a moment, again. Then he recovered and, contrite, resumed, "Don't go off like that. I-I... I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me and I don't have a valid excuse. But I do know that if you left now, I would never forgive myself and always carry with me the memory of your sad look and not your voice singing only to me."
At that point, she smiled. "I never sang only for you," she contradicted him, lying to him but not to herself.
That answer disconcerted Inuyasha for a moment, but he recovered easily, relieved that she was not chasing him away. He scratched the back of his head with his free hand, nervous, and lowered his mortified glance. "I'm not good at this sort of thing, making excuses, dealing with the opposite sex; I've never really cared. But... if there's anything that... that I can do..."
"That depends. How about joining me and nature in a nightly ritual?" Kagome winked, relieved, thinking that maybe there was still a reason to hope that Inuyasha wasn't like everyone else. However, the tension between them was still too much, and she knew of only one way to erase it. The moon and stars were clearly visible in the sky and reflected on the clear water; the timing was perfect.
"A r-ritual?"
She nodded. "That and your name."
At first, Inuyasha made no secret of his reticence, especially when he understood he would have to strip off everything apart from his fundoshi but later he was grateful for her insistence.
He had never believed that someone like him, always restless, unable to sit still and constantly in motion, could experience something like that; watching Kagome, he had also wondered what it was like to fall into such a state of blatant carefreeness, forgetting the world around her. Now he had his answer.
To commune with his own body, to feel the air flowing in and out of his lungs, the blood pumping, the energy passing from the cold, damp grass to him through his feet and legs was a wonderful sensation. For minutes that seemed endless, he forgot even Kagome's presence beside him, the guilt that had chased him for all those hours or the resentment, and when he opened his eyes, he was surprised to notice that he had never felt so relaxed in his life. He understood why she spent all those hours like that.
Seeing him with such a serene expression on his face, Kagome had confirmation that she had made the right choice by giving him a second chance and insisting he join her. Moreover, his smile also answered the question she had asked him when he had arrived that night. Inuyasha could not be like all the other men who had tried to take advantage of her otherwise, he would never have been able to truly appreciate the beauty that surrounded him or feel the energy that flowed through everything.
"Thank you," he then said, and Kagome could only nod before getting up and leading them both back to the small clearing where they had met and letting the moonlight shine on them. The half-demon followed her silently, not rushing her and waiting for her to hold up her end of the bargain.
He watched her slender fingers in her hair, move a lock behind her pointed ears or caress one of the horns that adorned her head before she finally met his eyes and decided to speak. "You called me a nymph before, but I am not." Inuyasha opened his mouth to contradict her, but she motioned for him to let her speak. "My father was human. You know what that means, don't you?" With her gaze, she pointed to his dog ears and smiled. "The likes of me are even rarer than half-demons because a nymph falling in love with a human, luring him with no hidden agenda, is still unheard of—or forbidden. In fact, in my group, I'm the only one."
She turned to stare at the moon, and her gaze seemed lost as she said it; he read the loneliness that until now when he had been too busy admiring her, he had never really noticed. She must have felt even lonelier than he did, he thought regretfully.
"Some indeed use their skills to take advantage of some slightly more naive men, but not all of them... not me."
"Theirs?" asked Inuyasha, who in the meantime had moved closer and closer so that their bodies brushed against each other and they were both affected by the energy they were vibrating with.
Kagome smiled, turning back to look at him. "Theirs," she nodded. "Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to enchant anyone, not in the way demons or you intend," she added, noticing how his eyes lingered on her body, rapt.
Inuyasha blushed, caught red-handed, inwardly relieved at yet another proof, even though he had been certain—from the instant he had understood he was in love—that Sesshomaru was wrong.
"As a child, I was content with my diversity; I liked everything about myself and never really paid attention to the looks thrown in my direction—perhaps thanks to my mother, who always tried to keep me away from certain dynamics. Still, growing up in a small community, it's impossible not to learn certain truths. And when I found out why they didn't accept me completely, I wasn't sad about my lonely path, but rather for them that felt it was so important to be able to deceive others by making use of their beauty." She shook her head. "Perhaps I do indeed sin in naivety as has been pointed out to me more often than not, but I always thought there was nothing wrong with who I am or who you are." She finally found the courage to reach out and caress the ears that had tempted her so far; he leaned over to help her.
They were so close, but neither of them seemed to mind, on the contrary; they longed for the contact and took advantage of it, moving closer until there was not even a little space separating them. Touching her hair and then her cheek, never looking away, Inuyasha asked again, "What about the men?" He feared her answer. Who had hurt her in the past? How far had he dared? He wasn't sure if the more instinctive, feral part of him could remain calm if it turned out to be brutal.
Kagome tried to lower her face, but Inuyasha blocked her, holding her chin between two fingers. She merely shrugged then before replying. "It usually doesn't take long for my difference to become known. Men think I'm easier to deal with just because I'm half human—but that doesn't mean I'm completely clueless." Noting his sudden change, she added, "I was never in any danger, don't worry. You don't mean to tell me, by any chance, that your being half-demon makes you weak and incapable compared to others."
"It has its positive sides," he had to admit, even if he usually dwelled on the negatives. "So," he began hesitantly again, "Is that what you thought of me when I ran away?" There was something profoundly wrong with being compared to the men she had just spoken of, but she wanted him to explain himself because, unfortunately, if he had given that impression, it was all his fault and he just wanted to right that wrong.
"I couldn't match the image I had made of you from reading your aura—the one full of wonder and love, pure —with the half-demon that had escaped as soon as he was discovered. How had you managed to fake that degree of purity? Impossible, I told myself! Your aura is as pure as your beautiful hair is," she explained, caressing his ears again, "like these." She smiled as Inuyasha was again stunned by her admission. "In it, I read the same loneliness I felt, the misunderstood, and I naively thought I could approach you, that I didn't have to be afraid of being misjudged. Why then? Have I really been wrong so far?" It was his turn to explain.
Inuyasha tightened his grip on her in response. "No!" he cried out in a rush. He brought their faces close together and rested his forehead on hers, letting their breaths mingle. "Don't ever think that. Hearing you speak, sensing what you feel, made me understand that we have more in common than I thought. Seeing you that first time in this clearing... for me, Kagome, I can't explain it, or maybe I can, maybe you really charmed me, but not like the other nymphs. As I heard you singing, watching the way you joined nature, your carefreeness, I felt free and happy and not for a moment did I think of what awaited me back home, of my loneliness—or perceived yours. You became my sanctuary." He took a big breath, wondering if it was wise to confess everything to her. In the end, for fear of frightening her, he decided the time had not yet come. "I couldn't stay away from you and I came back every time. But perhaps, I too have sinned in naivety by worshiping you as a perfect being."
She looked at him questioningly, unable to understand what he wanted to tell her. He laughed, nervous, but then found the words. "Don't you understand? In my eyes you were a vision, I was enchanted and for that, there was nothing wrong with you—even your flaws, if I ever discovered them, would have been perfect. But I was always taught that perfection does not exist. My brother believes he is and makes no secret of it, especially in front of me, so imperfect. That is precisely why my father always made a point of reminding me that even if I were a complete demon, I would never achieve that perfection because it simply does not exist. And so, I was naive because I believed you to be perfect, and after a while, this very idea generated the doubts fuelled by words full of cynicism and hatred. The biggest mistake I ever made was to rely on these same doubts, even for a moment. I was naive and a coward. Oh hell, Kagome, tell me you understand me." His eyes looked at her pleadingly and had she not read the absolute truth in his words she still couldn't have resisted him.
She nodded. "I too doubted, after all. I believed your purity was not real when held against your actions."
There seemed to be nothing and anything to say to each other at that point. They stood looking at each other for a long time before the moon gave way to the sun, and it was enough to express in silences what words could not. Inuyasha read in her eyes, in the way she clung to him, in the warmth her body radiated next to his, the same feeling he had discovered only hours before. He understood that just as he had fallen in love with her by listening to her voice and observing her from behind, she had done the same, studying his aura and that his thoughtless act had hurt them both with the same intensity.
"What will become of us now?" asked Kagome in a whisper, giving voice to the doubts that, despite everything, still hovered around them. Not so much about their sincerity as about their future.
"Are you afraid of me?"
She shook her head. "But are you willing to face the consequences that this between us will bring?"
The smile he gave her in response lit up his face and especially his golden eyes, which had never been so expressive. "For the sake of having you—even just what you are willing to give me—I am ready for anything. I have no fear, and it's enough for me to know that you have none as well. Kagome, for the first time, I'm as happy as I have ever been—I have achieved something I always thought was impossible for me, a mere half-demon. Why should I give it up?"
"I never asked you to," she replied, smiling in turn.
"That's enough for me." It was indeed enough because in those few words Kagome had confessed everything to him as he had also finally dared to do. And neither Sesshomaru nor anyone else could ever convince him otherwise.