DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha or anything to do with it.
One Cold Starry Night
By: Of Memories Past
Chapter 5: Acceptance
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The stars bejeweling the dark, night sky sparkled exquisitely and cast their faint light on the earth below. The violent winds from the day before had calmed, but they left in their stead an icy chill. The cold air rested heavily over the land. Frost began to form on the tall trees dotting the landscape, their residents having turned in long before, and all except for one slept peacefully.
Inuyasha sat high up in the branches of the tallest tree, drowning in the misery of impatience and wonder. He had not planned on doing what he did, but the youkai instincts were far greater and wiser than he had ever imagined. And those instincts took the matters he had buried the deepest in his heart into their own hands. He was thankful for it.
Small puffs of frost emitted from his mouth as he breathed, all the while contemplating the situation at hand. Now he had to wait. Wait agonizingly for an answer. He groaned and leaned back against the tree. It pained him to think of her rejection. It pained in deep within his heart, and his chest physically ached at the thought of it. He had followed his instincts and claimed her for his own, but he now had to wait and see if he was accepted.
Acceptance. Something he had held precious to him all his life. Something he had never had. Demons hated him because he had a human mother. Humans feared him because he had a demon father. No one wanted him. But then he had met Kikyo, and what had started out as something good turned into one of the most horrible disasters existing. And then Kagome came, accepting him fully for who he was. He did not want to lose that rare thing that had finally come into his life after so many years. He did not want to lose her.
"But how could she want me after what I've done?" he asked the night sadly.
"Everyone makes mistakes, Inuyasha!"
His ears flickered. Kagome. Her voiced called out to him through the darkness and before she knew what had happened, Inuyasha had come down from the tree and swept her back up into the strong branches. He gently placed her where the branches formed what seemed to be a small platform, comfortably holding whoever sat within its sanctuary.
Kagome gasped, not being used to such heights. But her eyes softened as she slid her glance over to the hanyou, who still kept his arms around her. She suppressed a smile when he blushed and turned away, and she comfortably pressed her back up against the strong trunk. "Everyone makes mistakes, Inuyasha."
He scowled. "Yeah, you already said that, wench." Looking down, memories from the night before flooded his mind. Yes, everyone made mistakes. But everyone did not break a poor boy's leg—a baby's leg—just because he could not control himself. He growled, anger at himself rising to a high level once again as the thought of Shippo crying out in pain filled his head. "What do you want, wench?" He looked up his eyes flashing angrily.
Kagome chose to ignore the comment and patted the branches beside her. "Sit with me?" She knew that the anger at himself still ran profusely through his veins.
Inuyasha eyed her warily but did indeed join her. He flinched when she leaned against his shoulder and softly entwined her hand into his own. Shyly, he tangled his fingers with the ones that had found their way to him. However, her actions still left him with the same confusion and pain as before. The wary look on her face that morning as she remembered what had happened the night before still haunted him. The trust that he had had with her before seemed to have vanished within seconds. Months of hard work gone.
Inuyasha sighed. He needed to know more. He needed to know her heart.
Kagome looked up at the hanyou, sensing his change in mood. "Inuyasha?" She squealed a bit and blushed as he gently picked her up and put her in his lap so they would be facing each other, surprised at the sudden and fairly intimate action. But looking at the tender gaze in his amber eyes as he brushed the bangs back from her face sent all qualms away.
"What do you want, Kagome?" The tone in his voice was gentle and quiet, unlike before. He swallowed, knowing that this was it. Either she accepted, or he lived the rest of his life alone.
But Kagome simply looked into the scared, unsure golden orbs and smiled. It was not just a small smile, but this smile lit up her entire face as true exhilaration radiated from her being. Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around him and then turned her face to his ear. "I love you."
I love you. The words surged through his body, astonishment clearly evident in his eyes. But if possible, those amber eyes grew even larger as he felt her teeth sink softly down into the flesh of his neck. And then he smiled. "She's mine…mine forever." Tightening his arms around her, he pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair. "I love you."
Kagome released his neck and brought her face around to his. "What was that, Inuyasha?" Her eyes sparkled with delight.
A sorrowful look captured his handsome features as he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to hers. The kiss ended as quickly as it had started, and Inuyasha carefully cupped her face. "I love you, even though I haven't done the best job of showing it."
Kagome smiled and reached up to soothingly stroke his ears, resting her weight against his chest. She was his, and he was hers. "I know that you love me, Inuyasha. I have no doubt about it. Mistakes are mistakes, and that's the end of them." Sitting back to face him directly, Kagome wrapped her arm around his neck. "Now, I have to be back at that cave in twenty minutes, so you can either take me back now or…"
Silence filled the air as he crushed his lips to hers.
A/N: Okay, one more chapter to go and then that's it. I've enjoyed writing this story. Please review and let me know what you think, but have patience for the epilogue! I'm working on several stories at once. And that plus college is a load of work. God Bless!
~Of Memories Past