Bana-Bana

Aislin Oriel

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Later, I felt bad about it – so bad in fact that I couldn't concentrate on my supposed task and I surmised that if I didn't have some sort of closure regarding the events that had just taken place, I would fail my exam miserably. Then I would be defeating my whole cause for returning, and that would be no good…

But I couldn't kid myself that the real reason I wanted closure was for the sake of having closure.

That and there was a certain hanyou that I was sure I just sidled with doing all of the embarrassing explaining or making of excuses. Another guilty thought hit me, that if Inuyasha hadn't already killed Shippo by now, it was almost certain that Sango and Miroku would find out what had happened in very loose terminology.

I didn't so much mind as much as I knew Inuyasha probably would – and I feared for the safety of all my friends that I had abandoned to an inexplicable yet fateful incident.

Inuyasha could be very angry at me right now, I thought to myself. But hey, it wouldn't have been a first time. Beside that, we both had our reasons to do what we did – him leaping away and me leaping down the Bone Eater's well.

I put down my pencil that had been restlessly tapping against the blank page of my notebook – save for a few rough doodles in the margins.

No, I definitely wasn't going to get any studying done at this rate.

I pushed back from my desk and stood up, brushing my skirt flat out of nervous anxiety. I sat down on my pink-frilled duvet, dangling my feet over the side of the bed where they began tapping against the floor in anticipation.

I had two options, and I had to decide on one.

Option one was to put any notion of studying aside for now, and go face the crowd – and him. The second option was one I was much more likely to take. Which was sit and pretend I was studying – at least try hard to make it seem that way – and let him come to me like he usually did when I came back early or for no seemingly good reason.

However, I was very aware that even when I was studying for real I would often fall asleep sitting at my desk and wake up with my notes plastered to the side of my face. So, taking that into account, I stood decidedly, opened my bedroom door and hollered to the rest of the household that I was home and I was going to be doing some extreme studying (or napping) and wasn't to be disturbed. Luckily, they didn't know that my exam wasn't for two days and I'd have the entirety of tomorrow to…

My rationale for doing this was that I was strongly against Sota or my mother finding me either asleep on a book or there with Inuyasha should he come after me. Sota would laugh and Mother would fret about the first one, and for the second, Sota would try to steal Inuyasha away to play videogames and Mother would prepare a big meal for him – and that would leave no way for me to have any sort of discussion with him, which was what I wanted. Right? Yeah, that would make it so that I could get to work with a clear mind tomorrow…

I tentatively opened my bedroom window a little and grabbed some random textbooks and erroneous papers and strew them around on my bed in a haphazardous display. I wormed my way into the centre of the mess, propped back up against a fluffy pink ruffled pillow and picked up the first book closest to me to show mock-interest to before I would indubitably fall asleep. Hey, c'mon, I had to make it at least look like I was studying so that Inuyasha wouldn't know that I had run away from him for no reason but to get away!

My eyes focused on the page before me and I stared vacantly at the contents for a few minutes before my vision wavered and became livid and blurred. As I began to drift off, I could feel my hands going limp and the textbook flopping down ungracefully on my chest.

Something tickled my nose and my eyes fluttered open. I almost shrieked in surprise at the proximity, seeing a shape looming over me and eyes staring into mine.

"Don't do that!" I sputtered out, pushing my hands against his chest to move him back from my face. He was straddling my legs between my study material, and his hands poised, holding him up beside my arms.

I surmised that it was his nose touching mine that had woken me up. What had he been doing? Was he trying to kiss me or something?

He looked at me smugly, and lifted the textbook from my chest, looking at the place I had left off, critically. His eyes shone with accusation as he turned it around to show that it had been upside-down. I ignored him pointedly.

"Some way to wake me up," I grumbled, knowing it sounded stupid.

"I thought you were supposed to be studying," he said sarcastically, "Stupid girl, you always do this."

"Inuyasha!" I cried out defensively, "You don't have to be a jerk, you were being so nice to me earlier," I sat up suddenly, feeling self-conscious, and crossed my arms.

He almost fell back at my movement, but steadied himself by grabbing my shoulders.

"That was until you went and ran away on me back there," he said peevishly, but his expression gradually changed back to passive and I was almost sure that I saw a tinge of hilarity pass over his features for a moment. He dropped his hands from my shoulders onto his thighs and looked at me.

"I'm sorry. It's just I really needed to study," I explained, trying to sound sincere.

"Yeah, I can see that." Inuyasha said derisively and gestured to my lack of progress that lay conspicuously around us, untouched.

"I know… but you can't blame me…" I said hope-filled and meekly, putting on my best pout.

"Is that so," he mused, trailing off and jumped lightly off the bed with a signature grunt, to stand at its side. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

I looked at him, still annoyed.

"Well what are you doing? You're not having another nap now?"

"No," I mumbled dejectedly and sat up, pushing the papers aside and reached my hand out so that he could help me up.

"Here," Inuyasha took my hand and pulled me to stand against him, where he immediately wrapped me in a silent embrace.

My eyes remained wide-open. What a mood swing. There was that scent again…

My one hand fisted in the front of his robe, while the other I refused to move from his hand. His other was wrapped around my waist.

'What are you protecting me from this time?' I thought, icily to myself. This kind of thing never happened unless one or both of us were in danger. I had come to almost think that it shouldn't otherwise. But, gods, why not? If he can throw away his inhibitions now, then it should be just as easy for me to also. 'Go for it!' I rooted myself on.

"Ah, what time is it?" I asked rhetorically as he released me and I stretched my back out a bit, glancing at the (new) alarm clock. Only 12:43 pm. I didn't sleep that long!

He looked at me, as if he were evaluating my actions, and inserted his hands into his sleeves. I smiled enigmatically at him, which I'm sure made him curious but he didn't show it.

"I didn't think you were going to come," I said offhandedly, "I thought that I was going to sleep the day away and wake up to have what happened earlier be a dream,"

"Well, I'm here," he stated, "And what is that?" he asked, pointing to the bedside table.

I laughed, and lifted the object in question up, "This? A banana, it's a fruit. Do you want to try it?" I offered.

"Uh, no thanks, I don't think so," his eyes stayed on it in wonder as he refused, before his attention snapped back up to me.

I chuckled as I put it back down, "Yes, I don't think I would dream of a banana…" I said mostly to myself. Inuyasha stared at me.

I noticed that he was acting a little strangely ever since he'd gotten here. However, I suppose it could be expected. It wasn't as if we did things like we had that morning all the time. We also didn't have deep conversations about emotions every day. It seemed like acting anything but strangely would be strange at this point.

"Kagome, do you want to be my mate?" he said abruptly.

I looked at him and sweatdropped.

Well, that sure was forward…

"Inuyasha…I…" I stammered, slightly taken aback.

He stared at me with expectancy, as if he'd just asked me if I wanted a banana or something.

Some proposal.

However, I always figured that if Inuyasha ever decided what he wanted he would just come out with it. Obviously it was important.

Wait a minute… Proposal? Geh! Inuyasha just proposed to me! I suddenly felt the tardy giddiness hit me. A calm proposal or not, it was still a proposal from Inuyasha. It would be unreasonable for me to expect anything fancy from him. And because it was from him, it was the best in the world…

"I…Of course Inuyasha…I've only been waiting forever," I laughed, still numb with the effect setting in of what had just occurred, I reached out and tackled him in a hug, "Took you long enough!"

"Look who's talking, you just stared at me for five minutes. I thought you had fallen asleep or something," he said, voice still calm.

"Well, I was shocked, that's all… you don't have to be mean about it," I defended, a crazy-looking smile still on my face as I squeezed him to me so hard I'm sure he couldn't breath very well.

I knew that earlier I had been seeking justification for my feelings towards Inuyasha, and when I had asked about them being right or wrong, I was asking if they were misplaced and unreciprocated. I now understood that he hadn't been ready to tell me straight out how he felt about me. He only used generalizations and spoke in oblique implications.

Oh, but when he had set his mind on something… well it looked like he got it.

"This means that you can't sit me anymore," he added, as an ending clause to our verbal contract.

"Hey, I didn't accept that part of your proposal!" I informed, tugging on his prayer beads to emphasize my annoyance.

"Well, there are sacrifices we both have to make for this to work," he said snidely.

"Oh, really?" I asked dryly out the side of my mouth, pulling back from his arms, "And what sacrifices are you making?"

"Well, I'm not becoming a full youkai now," he answered, closing his eyes.

"You weren't going to anyway!" I pointed out. His eyes snapped open.

"So? I'm also going to let you stay in your time," he offered.

"Oh really, you'll let me? How kind of you!" I huffed; his controlling possessiveness was becoming more intolerable now that we were supposed to become mates.

"And I'm going to stay with you," he added finally.

"Huh?" that one threw me for a loop. "But… Inuyasha, you… you belong there, I thought I would be the one to make the sacrifice and live there. It's too much a part of you," I looked at him, my eyes pleading with him to reconsider.

A softness graced his features as he looked down at me, "No, Kagome, I belong with you. And I would never ask you to leave your family. After we defeat Naraku and restore the Shikon no Tama I'm going to use it to-"

"Please don't tell me you're going to become human!" I interrupted him.

"Feh! No, I was going to use it to allow all of us, Miroku, Sango and the others to pass through the well to visit even after the jewel disappears. Human… heh, that's a good one. You said you like me this way, and I just wouldn't feel like myself otherwise," he explained.

"Oh Inuyasha, that's a relief. I don't know if I could live with myself if you did something like became human to live with me," I sighed and kissed him chastely on the lips.

It was technically our second kiss, I was counting, and I supposed that under the circumstances it was long overdue.

I drew back after a few seconds, blushing profusely.

"You call that a kiss?" Inuyasha asked, mockingly.

"You can do better?" I challenged, offended slightly.

"Obviously," he answered, and pushed me backwards towards the bed, clearing it off with a few shoves, before he had me pinned, back against the bed, and chest against him.

His fingers drew along my face and into my hair as his eyes became half-lidded and his lips descended on mine. It felt like a rather claiming kiss, as if he was stamping me with his mouth. At least it felt that way until the pressure eased a bit and his lips parted slightly, urging mine to also. His tongue darted out along my lips experimentally and my eyes clenched closed and my hands gripped his shoulders demandingly.

"Heh," he got out through his teeth, "This is a kiss,"

My body tingled all over when his tongue flitted into my mouth, caressing mine and encouraging me to join the fun.

At this point I was more than happy to oblige, and the situation soon heated up as Inuyasha's hands travelled all over my clothes, trying to touch as many places where there was skin available at the slight tug of fabric.

It didn't take a genius to tell where this was going.

"Inu- we can't here, my family is home…" I murmured regretfully.

"Alright," he agreed and pulled me up with him, "Where do you want?"

"You go out the window, and I'll meet you at the well house," I instructed and kissed him in parting as he nodded.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and raced out through the house, yelling quickly to Mama to tell her that I had left something study-related in the past and I had to go retrieve it.