Author's Notes – Okay, so I lied! The final draft came to a whopping 24
pages and I decided having such a big hunk as a second part just wouldn't
sit well with me. So now, 'So, All it Took Was a Little Sake' is now three
parts. No lie this time, honest. Now, without further adieu, part three.
Enjoy!
Inu Yasha spent the night in his tree, thinking over the previous events that had just occurred. He replayed the conversation in his head over in over. Yet, no matter how many times he broke down and deciphered the words spoken, there was no denying it. His Kagome was leaving him. At first he couldn't understand it. Why would she go away? They had been together for four years! They fought side by side and sometimes with each other. They traveled together, slept together - well, not together, but you get the point – tended each others injuries, and even jeopardized their lives for each other. How could that have not meant anything to her?
It did, Inu Yasha knew it did. Kagome was a caring girl; her heart was open towards everyone. There was no way the two of them could share so many experiences together and not have that affect her somehow. That only meant one thing; it had not been enough. He had not been enough.
The hours had ticked away as Inu Yasha remained in solitude. Daybreak would soon be coming and then Kagome would come through that well for the last time. She say her goodbyes and then she'd be gone forever.
Naturally, Inu Yasha had felt many emotions on this. He'd been in denial; they'd been together for four years, she'd promised to stay by his side. There was no way she'd turn her back on that. Then he'd gotten desperate; what would he do if she never came back? How could he live without her by his side? Then came anger; why should it matter if she never came back? He'd probably be a lot happier without her. So what if she never came back? It's not like he needed her anyway.
Then finally, as the sun rose over the canopy of trees, reality set in. And for the first time in years, Inu Yasha cried.
~~~
When Kagome reached the lip of the well, a hand was already extended out towards her. She blinked, looking up to see Inu Yasha staring down at her. He had the most resolute expression on his face Kagome had ever seen.
"You and I need to talk."
Kagome, wearing a pair of denim overall shorts and a pink tank top coupled with a pair of sandals, nodded resolutely. She was ready for this; she had planned out her whole conversation the whole night before. "I know, Inu Yasha," she replied softly. "About the jewel..."
"Fuck the jewel, Kagome."
Kagome blinked, looked up at Inu Yasha, and blinked again. "Excuse me?"
His face did not lose its original expression. "You heard me."
"I know I heard you," Kagome replied, placing her hands on her hips. "But do you care to explain? How can you just say something like that after all the work we went through to get it?"
"I don't give a damn about what happens to that blasted thing," Inu Yasha replied. "If it means I'd be losing you."
She blinked. And blinked again. 'Okay, this is not how I expected this conversation to go,' Kagome thought to herself. In her mind, it had been more like, 'Here's the jewel, Inu Yasha. Yeah, thanks, Kagome. Now get out of here so I can realize my dream of being a full demon so I can beat up ogres and stuff twice my size. Okay, by Inu Yasha, maybe I'll see ya around in 500 years or so!'
Wait, had he said something about not wanting to lose her? "What...?"
"You made a promise to me, Kagome," Inu Yasha replied evenly. "You promised that you'd stay by my side. I'm not gonna let you just disregard that – you gave me your word!"
Kagome took a step back, wounded. Did he doubt her integrity? A little bubble of anger rose inside of her. How dare he? After all that she had been through...? "Ex-cuuse me?"
Inu Yasha smirked inwardly. Good, she was getting angry; perverse as it was, he found it somehow easier to deal with her this way. "You made it promise to me, Higurashi Kagome," he replied. "Not only that, you made a promise as a miko – it's your duty to protect the Shikon no Tama."
She bristled angrily. How dare he sit there and preach to her like that! How dare he try to deny her her old life! "Don't you sit there and tell me what my duty is, dog-boy!" she exclaimed. "You made it very clear from the beginning that I was just a shard detector!" She yanked the Shikon no Tama out of her pocket, dangling it in his face. "And see this? No more shards! My job is done, thank you very much! So take!" She grabbed his hand, shoving the jewel into his open palm.
She hadn't expected him to latch onto hers with his free hand. "Let go!" she exclaimed.
"No."
She growled at him. "Let go of my hand."
He kept his face neutral. "No."
She gave him to most heated glare he had ever seen. Luckily she didn't seem to notice the shiver it elicited down his body. "I'm not going to tell you again, Inu Yasha."
"Neither will I," he countered. "No." And as if to further illustrate his point, he pulled her hand closer, holding it up to his face. "It's mine now."
Kagome froze. 'Just like then...' All of her anger drained away, replaced by overwhelming feelings of emotion. "Inu Yasha..."
He held his gaze even with hers. "You never did tell me what it was you wanted to say that night..."
She shook her head. "I did..."
"You said a lot of stuff yesterday, but I don't think that's what you wanted to tell me." Something flickered in his gaze, but Kagome wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was. "I'm listening now."
"I can't..." Kagome lowered her gaze, tears stinging her eyes. She was too afraid.
A pink flickering glow caught her eye. Kagome opened her eyes to see light reflecting off of the Shikon no Tama dangling from the chain in Inu Yasha's hand as he tilted her head to face him.
"Kagome," he replied. "Are you really that tired of me?"
Her eyes widened. "What?" she exclaimed in disbelief. "No..."
The weight on his heart lessened slightly. Maybe he had a chance. But he couldn't back of now, he had to find out for sure. "Do you really never want to return here again?"
"Of course not," Kagome replied, a hurt expression on her face. "I love it here – it's like a second home to me." She lowered her gaze a bit. "But there's still the future... my family, my friends."
'At least she's not so concerned about those tests of hers anymore,' Inu Yasha thought to himself. With that, he took a deep breath, steeling his resolve. "Kagome, I don't want you to go."
Kagome felt as if the breath had been sucked right out of her. "What?" She looked up at him, surprised at the open and honest expression on his face. "Inu Yasha...?"
"I thought about it... all night," he admitted softly, an embarrassed flush appearing on his cheeks. "I couldn't stand it if you went away forever."
"Why?" Kagome asked. "You don't need me here."
"Who told you that?" Inu Yasha demanded, though his words held none of their usual barb. "I need you more than anything else."
Had his hand not been under her chin holding her up, Kagome would have crumpled to the ground right then and there. "Really?"
Inu Yasha nodded hesitantly. "I don't want to be separated from you," he replied. "But if you don't want to stay, I could go with you... to your time."
Tears started to form in her eyes. "You'd do that... for me?"
At the sight of her tears, some of his earlier gusto started to elude him. Inu Yasha paused, looking down at his feet. "But if you really don't want me..."
"Of course I want you!" Kagome sprang towards him, wrapping her arms around him. He little out a little grunt of surprise, but didn't push her away. "Inu Yasha, I don't want to be separated from you either!"
Although he didn't mind the feeling of her arms wrapped around him, Inu Yasha found himself blinking in confusion. "But... you were going to leave..."
Kagome tightened her hold on him in response. "Dummy..." she murmured into his haori. "I didn't want to be with you knowing you didn't feel the same way I did about you!"
"... the way you feel about me...?" He gulped. "Kagome...?"
Kagome took a deep breath, comforted in the scent of wind and trees and everything that was just Inu Yasha. 'It's now or never...' she told herself, looking up into the swirling depths of amber staring back down at her. "Inu Yasha, I..."
Inu Yasha, at the same time as Kagome, was also steeling himself for the final plunge. If he wanted her to stay, then he had to admit what he had been denying himself for the longest time. "Kagome... I..."
"I love you." They both looked at each other, blinking in disbelief. "Really?"
"I thought that you..."
"I didn't think would ever...."
"Feel the same way that I..."
"Kagome..."
Kagome blushed, looking up at him with a shy smile. "Will you stay with me?" he asked hesitantly.
Kagome felt her heart sing with joy. "So long as you'll stay with me."
Inu Yasha nodded. Staring down at her for a few moments, he swept her up into a tight embrace, doing everything in his power to engrave this moment on his memory. Her feel, her smell – he wanted to remember all of it.
"Kagome..." he breathed. "Gods, I was scared I'd never see you again..."
"But you did..." she replied softly. "Even though we thought it'd be for the last time." As they broke away from each other, she smiled up at him. "I'm not gonna leave you, Inu yasha."
He gave her a relieved smile. After a few more moments of silence however, it evolved into a solemn expression. "Well, you gonna say goodbye to the others?"
She blinked. "What?" As realization took her, she shook her head. "No, I'm staying."
Needless to say, Inu Yasha was surprised. "But your family... your friends..." Her honest smile confused him. "Your home..."
"My home is wherever you are now, Inu Yasha."
The hanyou found himself smiling once again. He loved this girl. He'd do anything to keep her happy. He raised the Shikon no Tama, holding it out to her. He chuckled at the confused expression on her face. "Make a wish, stupid."
She blinked, and then realizing she'd been insulted, stuck out her tongue. "I'm not stupid." When he rolled his eyes, she hit his arm playfully. "You make one – I already have everything I need."
He regarded her for a moment, his eyes swirling with what Kagome now realized was love – love for her. Taking a step back, he held the Shikon no Tama in his hands, closing his eyes. A look of concentration passed over his face and for a few moments they stood there in silence.
Then, in an instant, the jewel glowed, flashed brilliantly, and then gently faded into nothingness.
Kagome gasped, staring at where the jewel had once been. What had happened? Had the Shikon no Tama finally ceased to exist once a wish had been made? Her gaze went back to the still hanyou in front of her. "Inu Yasha...?"
At the sound of his name, the hanyou in question opened his eyes. "Hm?"
"You okay?" she asked worriedly. "What happened?"
He smirked at her as if that had been a stupid question to ask. "The jewel's gone." Kagome nodded. "Then my wish came true."
She watched him quietly. He seemed so satisfied – had he a tail, it would have been wagging back and forth non-stop. "So..."
"You wanna know what I wished for?" He was grinning at her now.
She swung out to hit him again only this time he dodged, jumping up and over her to land behind her. "Inu Yasha!"
He grabbed from behind, planting a light kiss on the base of her neck. She nearly melted into a puddle of goo right then. "I wished that you and I could always stay together."
Well, that was vague. "What do you mean?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I'm not sure, really," he replied. "It could be a lot of things – I could be human now—,"
"But I like you just as you are!"
He grinned. "You just like my ears." She blushed, reaching up to play with one of them. "But mostly it means the well will stay open."
She paused in her ministrations earning an unnoticed pout from him. "Really? For how long?"
"As long as we want it to." Inu Yasha shrugged. "I can be in your world, and you can be in mine."
"Inu Yasha!" she turned and hugged him, tears running down her cheeks. Inu Yasha's ear drooped in confusion
"Y-you don't like it?"
"No – sniff- I do! I really do!"
"But you're crying..."
"I'm crying cuz I'm happy..."
That didn't make much sense to Inu Yasha, seeing since the only time he had cried was when he thought she was leaving him forever – though he'd never hear about that from her. But if she was happy, that was all that mattered.
"Inu Yasha..." "Hm?"
"You know what I wanted to tell you?"
His ears perked up. "What?"
Kagome smiled up at him, wiping away her remaining tears. "I love you."
Inu Yasha chuckled, tweaking her nose. It would have made things so much easier if she had just said that from the beginning (yeah right!). But he wouldn't begrudge her it, after all, he loved her too. He even told her so.
Kagome laughed. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"Oh... -giggle- nothing."
"Nah, tell me, Kagome!" More laughter. "Kagome....!"
"You said you loved me."
"Well, I do!" He gave her a mock-offended look.
She only smiled. "I know that now," she replied. "And to think... all it took was a little Sake."
"What?"
~End
Author's Notes – Well, you like? No like? Think it's okay? I gotta say it turned out be a lot longer than I had originally intended, but whatever. I'm a stickler for dragging things out. It's gotta be my procastinistic ( I don't think that's a word...) nature.
But anyways, thanks again for all the awesome reviews you guys sent me! It really made my day! Work had been particularly long and drawn out and then I get home and open my e-mail and I'm like 'wow'! What can I say guys? ::mucho mucho hugz!::
Well, that's all for now, minna! Keep reading, writing and reviewing everyone! Ja ne!
Inu Yasha spent the night in his tree, thinking over the previous events that had just occurred. He replayed the conversation in his head over in over. Yet, no matter how many times he broke down and deciphered the words spoken, there was no denying it. His Kagome was leaving him. At first he couldn't understand it. Why would she go away? They had been together for four years! They fought side by side and sometimes with each other. They traveled together, slept together - well, not together, but you get the point – tended each others injuries, and even jeopardized their lives for each other. How could that have not meant anything to her?
It did, Inu Yasha knew it did. Kagome was a caring girl; her heart was open towards everyone. There was no way the two of them could share so many experiences together and not have that affect her somehow. That only meant one thing; it had not been enough. He had not been enough.
The hours had ticked away as Inu Yasha remained in solitude. Daybreak would soon be coming and then Kagome would come through that well for the last time. She say her goodbyes and then she'd be gone forever.
Naturally, Inu Yasha had felt many emotions on this. He'd been in denial; they'd been together for four years, she'd promised to stay by his side. There was no way she'd turn her back on that. Then he'd gotten desperate; what would he do if she never came back? How could he live without her by his side? Then came anger; why should it matter if she never came back? He'd probably be a lot happier without her. So what if she never came back? It's not like he needed her anyway.
Then finally, as the sun rose over the canopy of trees, reality set in. And for the first time in years, Inu Yasha cried.
~~~
When Kagome reached the lip of the well, a hand was already extended out towards her. She blinked, looking up to see Inu Yasha staring down at her. He had the most resolute expression on his face Kagome had ever seen.
"You and I need to talk."
Kagome, wearing a pair of denim overall shorts and a pink tank top coupled with a pair of sandals, nodded resolutely. She was ready for this; she had planned out her whole conversation the whole night before. "I know, Inu Yasha," she replied softly. "About the jewel..."
"Fuck the jewel, Kagome."
Kagome blinked, looked up at Inu Yasha, and blinked again. "Excuse me?"
His face did not lose its original expression. "You heard me."
"I know I heard you," Kagome replied, placing her hands on her hips. "But do you care to explain? How can you just say something like that after all the work we went through to get it?"
"I don't give a damn about what happens to that blasted thing," Inu Yasha replied. "If it means I'd be losing you."
She blinked. And blinked again. 'Okay, this is not how I expected this conversation to go,' Kagome thought to herself. In her mind, it had been more like, 'Here's the jewel, Inu Yasha. Yeah, thanks, Kagome. Now get out of here so I can realize my dream of being a full demon so I can beat up ogres and stuff twice my size. Okay, by Inu Yasha, maybe I'll see ya around in 500 years or so!'
Wait, had he said something about not wanting to lose her? "What...?"
"You made a promise to me, Kagome," Inu Yasha replied evenly. "You promised that you'd stay by my side. I'm not gonna let you just disregard that – you gave me your word!"
Kagome took a step back, wounded. Did he doubt her integrity? A little bubble of anger rose inside of her. How dare he? After all that she had been through...? "Ex-cuuse me?"
Inu Yasha smirked inwardly. Good, she was getting angry; perverse as it was, he found it somehow easier to deal with her this way. "You made it promise to me, Higurashi Kagome," he replied. "Not only that, you made a promise as a miko – it's your duty to protect the Shikon no Tama."
She bristled angrily. How dare he sit there and preach to her like that! How dare he try to deny her her old life! "Don't you sit there and tell me what my duty is, dog-boy!" she exclaimed. "You made it very clear from the beginning that I was just a shard detector!" She yanked the Shikon no Tama out of her pocket, dangling it in his face. "And see this? No more shards! My job is done, thank you very much! So take!" She grabbed his hand, shoving the jewel into his open palm.
She hadn't expected him to latch onto hers with his free hand. "Let go!" she exclaimed.
"No."
She growled at him. "Let go of my hand."
He kept his face neutral. "No."
She gave him to most heated glare he had ever seen. Luckily she didn't seem to notice the shiver it elicited down his body. "I'm not going to tell you again, Inu Yasha."
"Neither will I," he countered. "No." And as if to further illustrate his point, he pulled her hand closer, holding it up to his face. "It's mine now."
Kagome froze. 'Just like then...' All of her anger drained away, replaced by overwhelming feelings of emotion. "Inu Yasha..."
He held his gaze even with hers. "You never did tell me what it was you wanted to say that night..."
She shook her head. "I did..."
"You said a lot of stuff yesterday, but I don't think that's what you wanted to tell me." Something flickered in his gaze, but Kagome wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was. "I'm listening now."
"I can't..." Kagome lowered her gaze, tears stinging her eyes. She was too afraid.
A pink flickering glow caught her eye. Kagome opened her eyes to see light reflecting off of the Shikon no Tama dangling from the chain in Inu Yasha's hand as he tilted her head to face him.
"Kagome," he replied. "Are you really that tired of me?"
Her eyes widened. "What?" she exclaimed in disbelief. "No..."
The weight on his heart lessened slightly. Maybe he had a chance. But he couldn't back of now, he had to find out for sure. "Do you really never want to return here again?"
"Of course not," Kagome replied, a hurt expression on her face. "I love it here – it's like a second home to me." She lowered her gaze a bit. "But there's still the future... my family, my friends."
'At least she's not so concerned about those tests of hers anymore,' Inu Yasha thought to himself. With that, he took a deep breath, steeling his resolve. "Kagome, I don't want you to go."
Kagome felt as if the breath had been sucked right out of her. "What?" She looked up at him, surprised at the open and honest expression on his face. "Inu Yasha...?"
"I thought about it... all night," he admitted softly, an embarrassed flush appearing on his cheeks. "I couldn't stand it if you went away forever."
"Why?" Kagome asked. "You don't need me here."
"Who told you that?" Inu Yasha demanded, though his words held none of their usual barb. "I need you more than anything else."
Had his hand not been under her chin holding her up, Kagome would have crumpled to the ground right then and there. "Really?"
Inu Yasha nodded hesitantly. "I don't want to be separated from you," he replied. "But if you don't want to stay, I could go with you... to your time."
Tears started to form in her eyes. "You'd do that... for me?"
At the sight of her tears, some of his earlier gusto started to elude him. Inu Yasha paused, looking down at his feet. "But if you really don't want me..."
"Of course I want you!" Kagome sprang towards him, wrapping her arms around him. He little out a little grunt of surprise, but didn't push her away. "Inu Yasha, I don't want to be separated from you either!"
Although he didn't mind the feeling of her arms wrapped around him, Inu Yasha found himself blinking in confusion. "But... you were going to leave..."
Kagome tightened her hold on him in response. "Dummy..." she murmured into his haori. "I didn't want to be with you knowing you didn't feel the same way I did about you!"
"... the way you feel about me...?" He gulped. "Kagome...?"
Kagome took a deep breath, comforted in the scent of wind and trees and everything that was just Inu Yasha. 'It's now or never...' she told herself, looking up into the swirling depths of amber staring back down at her. "Inu Yasha, I..."
Inu Yasha, at the same time as Kagome, was also steeling himself for the final plunge. If he wanted her to stay, then he had to admit what he had been denying himself for the longest time. "Kagome... I..."
"I love you." They both looked at each other, blinking in disbelief. "Really?"
"I thought that you..."
"I didn't think would ever...."
"Feel the same way that I..."
"Kagome..."
Kagome blushed, looking up at him with a shy smile. "Will you stay with me?" he asked hesitantly.
Kagome felt her heart sing with joy. "So long as you'll stay with me."
Inu Yasha nodded. Staring down at her for a few moments, he swept her up into a tight embrace, doing everything in his power to engrave this moment on his memory. Her feel, her smell – he wanted to remember all of it.
"Kagome..." he breathed. "Gods, I was scared I'd never see you again..."
"But you did..." she replied softly. "Even though we thought it'd be for the last time." As they broke away from each other, she smiled up at him. "I'm not gonna leave you, Inu yasha."
He gave her a relieved smile. After a few more moments of silence however, it evolved into a solemn expression. "Well, you gonna say goodbye to the others?"
She blinked. "What?" As realization took her, she shook her head. "No, I'm staying."
Needless to say, Inu Yasha was surprised. "But your family... your friends..." Her honest smile confused him. "Your home..."
"My home is wherever you are now, Inu Yasha."
The hanyou found himself smiling once again. He loved this girl. He'd do anything to keep her happy. He raised the Shikon no Tama, holding it out to her. He chuckled at the confused expression on her face. "Make a wish, stupid."
She blinked, and then realizing she'd been insulted, stuck out her tongue. "I'm not stupid." When he rolled his eyes, she hit his arm playfully. "You make one – I already have everything I need."
He regarded her for a moment, his eyes swirling with what Kagome now realized was love – love for her. Taking a step back, he held the Shikon no Tama in his hands, closing his eyes. A look of concentration passed over his face and for a few moments they stood there in silence.
Then, in an instant, the jewel glowed, flashed brilliantly, and then gently faded into nothingness.
Kagome gasped, staring at where the jewel had once been. What had happened? Had the Shikon no Tama finally ceased to exist once a wish had been made? Her gaze went back to the still hanyou in front of her. "Inu Yasha...?"
At the sound of his name, the hanyou in question opened his eyes. "Hm?"
"You okay?" she asked worriedly. "What happened?"
He smirked at her as if that had been a stupid question to ask. "The jewel's gone." Kagome nodded. "Then my wish came true."
She watched him quietly. He seemed so satisfied – had he a tail, it would have been wagging back and forth non-stop. "So..."
"You wanna know what I wished for?" He was grinning at her now.
She swung out to hit him again only this time he dodged, jumping up and over her to land behind her. "Inu Yasha!"
He grabbed from behind, planting a light kiss on the base of her neck. She nearly melted into a puddle of goo right then. "I wished that you and I could always stay together."
Well, that was vague. "What do you mean?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I'm not sure, really," he replied. "It could be a lot of things – I could be human now—,"
"But I like you just as you are!"
He grinned. "You just like my ears." She blushed, reaching up to play with one of them. "But mostly it means the well will stay open."
She paused in her ministrations earning an unnoticed pout from him. "Really? For how long?"
"As long as we want it to." Inu Yasha shrugged. "I can be in your world, and you can be in mine."
"Inu Yasha!" she turned and hugged him, tears running down her cheeks. Inu Yasha's ear drooped in confusion
"Y-you don't like it?"
"No – sniff- I do! I really do!"
"But you're crying..."
"I'm crying cuz I'm happy..."
That didn't make much sense to Inu Yasha, seeing since the only time he had cried was when he thought she was leaving him forever – though he'd never hear about that from her. But if she was happy, that was all that mattered.
"Inu Yasha..." "Hm?"
"You know what I wanted to tell you?"
His ears perked up. "What?"
Kagome smiled up at him, wiping away her remaining tears. "I love you."
Inu Yasha chuckled, tweaking her nose. It would have made things so much easier if she had just said that from the beginning (yeah right!). But he wouldn't begrudge her it, after all, he loved her too. He even told her so.
Kagome laughed. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"Oh... -giggle- nothing."
"Nah, tell me, Kagome!" More laughter. "Kagome....!"
"You said you loved me."
"Well, I do!" He gave her a mock-offended look.
She only smiled. "I know that now," she replied. "And to think... all it took was a little Sake."
"What?"
~End
Author's Notes – Well, you like? No like? Think it's okay? I gotta say it turned out be a lot longer than I had originally intended, but whatever. I'm a stickler for dragging things out. It's gotta be my procastinistic ( I don't think that's a word...) nature.
But anyways, thanks again for all the awesome reviews you guys sent me! It really made my day! Work had been particularly long and drawn out and then I get home and open my e-mail and I'm like 'wow'! What can I say guys? ::mucho mucho hugz!::
Well, that's all for now, minna! Keep reading, writing and reviewing everyone! Ja ne!