Summary: One shot On a cold chilly night, Inuyasha and Kagome try to come to personal terms about the outcome of the destruction of the Shikon No Tama. Inu's feelings and POV mostly. Inu/Kag
Genre: Romance/Angst
Rating: Pretty much G.
Disclaimer: Let me explain a little something to you people. It's called reality and having a A LIFE! If I were Rumiko Takahashi I would be rich, smart, funny, and fluent in Japanese and know how to draw properly.. Capiche? Also the original idea for the story title comes from the 7th manga in the series from about.. Scroll 7. It's called "When we are two" and it's practically appropriate for the story.
Author Notes: I thought this fic up one night right after coming out of my hiatus. It's a bit cute, not too angsty and pretty enjoyable if you're into fluff I guess. This story actually underwent several transformations but I come up with one. Read and Review! I'm not kidding.
Night is here and it has enslaved even the deepest darkest crevices of the forest. Normally they would be filled with the radiance of the moon but not this night. This night is the night of the new moon. In a clearing of the forest around a fire, crackling, blazing into the night, I lie with my companions who are all in the quest for the sacred jewel, who are sleeping soundly.
Sango the demon slayer lies stiffly, deep in her sleep on a small (mat), snoring away. Miroku the monk, is sitting upright, leaning against a log, eyes closed, staff in hand. Shippo who usually sleeps with Kagome is lying outstretched on her sleeping bag. But wait. Something's wrong. I can sense it. Shippo's alone. Kagome's not there, sleeping across from him like usual. I look around. She's nowhere to be seen.
"Kagome?" I cry out. No answer. Waking up from my reverie, I leap to my feet, cursing profusely. I grab Tetsaiga from my side and begin to look in the directions leading from the camp into the forest. I quickly spot a trail of footprints to the right of the forest left behind and hurry to follow them.
Nothing right now can describe my annoyance mixed with slint hints of fear. Kagome should know better. Walking off alone in the forest with a bunch of potential demons on the prowl at night is immediate danger. Let alone the fact that tonight, there is very little I can do to save her in case of any trouble.
Tonight is the night of the new moon, which is extremely dangerous for me. Tonight is the night where I lose my demon powers. To malevolent demons and humans alike, I am vulnerable.
Continuing alone the path, crunching leaves under my feet, I spot several shadows lurking around the trees. With a bit more urgency and speed, I walk faster. A few minutes walk finally leads me to where I finally spot Kagome. My brain starts to reel with a million lectures, words and insults to scream at her, but they all begin to disappear. The look I see on Kagome's face is enough.
Kagome is sitting against a tree, twiddling the nearly complete Shikon No Tama around her neck, her face so full of despair. She looks so weary and sad; it changes my whole being completely. Strangely in that one moment my whole heart goes out to Kagome yet I don't know what for. I almost want to melt, cry and scoop her up into my arms and hold her oh so tight. This isn't the first or last time this feeling has overcome me... Damn, I love that woman. She reminds me of Kikyo not in only in her physical appearance but in personality as well. Yet she's so different from her. Whenever I'm around her she makes me feel so alive and just...loved. Just a gently touch of her hands or a sweet sniff of her smell just makes me want to do ANYTHING for that woman. A thick breeze makes me feel a chill underneath my robe.
She's not wearing any overgarments. Baka. She'll get sick.
Silently, as not to disturb her current thoughts, I stride over to her side, plopping down against a tree, curious as to find out the reason for her sudden on-brought angst. She seemed so lifeless when she turned to face me. So pale. Smiling faintly, she recognizes my distress.
"I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to wake you" She whispers. "I was also thinking about this" She looks down at her neck as she pulls out the jewel, twiddling it. I turn to frown at her. "What about the jewel?" I ask, my voice and anger rising.
"Insomnia and musing about the sacred jewel is no reason to run off in the middle of night!"
Her facial expression quickly turns from pale to hurt to anger. She stares at me coldly. "You'd know you'd think you'd have enough trust in me now that I could take care of myself! I don't always need to be under your protection all the time!" Kagome rapidly put the jewel back in her shirt in a fit of rage. She snaps her head back in my direction, her face full of anger. "I can go for a walk alone when I want to without your permission, Inuyasha!" My teeth begin to seethe. "Not when a concerned someone has to go out, worried sick looking for your ungrateful behind! Especially when they're endangering themselves in the process!" All those words from when I first found her reel back in my head as her sudden outburst of rebellion hits me.
Her expression softens as she takes in the meaning of my words. Obviously starting to feel guilty, she leans back against the tree, defeated. She reaches up to my hair and begins to play with one of my locks of black hair. "You did risk a lot coming down here to check on me. Arigato." She smiles at me, apologetic. I accept her apology as I blush and reach out to grasp her hand.
"Anyways...." I begin. "What about the jewel were you think of, lo-?" I stop, leaving out the last word. I can't bear to call her that. Not now, not here.
She sighs. "I wasn't thinking anything special really..."
She begins to fiddle with the jewel once again. Instantly just with the tone of her voice, I could tell she wasn't telling the truth. "Kagome" I began to growl impatiently.
"Listen, I didn't walk all this way JUST so you can play secrets with me. You told me you were thinking something about the jewel, and I want to hear what you really have to say!"
My eager plea reach her. She faces me again, sighing. "Fine. If you really must know.. Inuyasha." She pauses deep in thought. Looks at the jewel and then back at me. "I was thinking mostly about what the completion of the jewel would bring... I was thinking about.....What would happen with us..?" She looked up to regard me in a deep and powerful way.
I gulped and looked away. I knew what she was referring to.
She continued. "It's funny. Isn't it?. How such a small thing could change the fate.. the lives of two people." She continued to watch it obsessively. "How it could completely sunder a perfectly stable relationship?"
I swallow again and nod in reply to her answer. "You do understand what the destruction of the jewel means, Kagome. You know that you don't belong here in this time or space. Without the jewel, you'll be forced to return to your own time. Leaving me and the Feudal Era behind."
Just those words alone seem to silence any hopes we probably ever had of wanting to be together forever. The forest suddenly becomes silent. At the corner of my eye, I see Kagome's face. Tears. Tears brought by the onset of reality. Tears dripping down her face.
No love, don't cry.. Those tears alone seem to burn a hole in my heart like acid. When Kagome cries, the whole world stops. It's just as if there's nothing more important than getting Kagome to stop her tears. With the sleeve of my robe I dry her waterfall and put my arm around her in comfort. She nods in thanks, grateful for my concern. Just then, she does something I didn't expect. She slumps back against my chest, nuzzling her body to get comfortable on me. My heart starts to beat even faster. I pray she doesn't hear it.
"Kagome......" I whisper passionately. I sniff and breathe in the sweet scent from her hair. I know now how deep in trouble I'm in. I'm in love. I love Kagome Higurashi and there's not a damn thing anything can do to stop that.
"I don't want to have to leave you Inuyasha..."
I know Kagome. If I had a choice you'd stay with me forever. We'd get married, have lots of children, and grow old and live out our lives together. I feel her pain. Our pain. The pain that'd we'd both have to face once the time came.
"It can't be helped." I answer. I wrap my arms around her tightly, never wanting to let go of her ever. We embrace in silence.
"Have I ever told you, Inuyasha?" Her voice breaks the still air nicely. I look at her, curiously. Is she going to say what I think she is? My heart turns from beating to a quick and rhythmic flutter. My sensitive ears perk in expectancy. In sheer hope.
"I'm in love with you, Inuyasha." At that statement I have a sharp intake of breath. I close my eyes. I wait for the rest.
"I'm in love with you more fiercely and more passionately each day. I thought you'd like to know.." Kagome becomes still in my arms and wrestles a bit, waiting eagerly for my reaction.
I will never forget those words for as long as I live. I know I won't. I won't forget this moment, my lover in my arms, the rising sun, it's rays smiling down on us, the fact that I love, and am loved in return. I know at this moment that Kagome and I, we're inseparable. No jewel can ever break the love, respect and deep passion we feel for each other. The day may come when our bodies will be separated but our spirits will be one. I bent down to kiss her smooth forehead. Oh, my love, why couldn't I see this before?
Smiling sweetly, Kagome whispers up to me..
"In your arms, I feel as free as a bird soaring in the sky. Never let us be apart."
"I won't, as long as I'm always soaring by your side.
Inuyasha leaned back against the tree, his eyes closed. He finally came to rest right there in that lush green forest, where the dark crevices were now soil-enriched holes, the girl that he loved in his arms, the sun shining sweetly on him and his lover.
Fin.