Chapter Fifteen: A Night to Remember

Up on the next chapter, it will feature even more fluff than ever. But for you readers out there just take note that there won't be any lemons inside this story for I may separate the lemon part from the original. (This is not supposed to be for R rating anyway!) Okay, enough of talking, let's go on!


Chapter Fifteen

This feeling…This feeling…

Kikyo stayed in Inuyasha's arms as they both continued to hug each tightly. An unknown feeling had stirred up inside her, but it was a good feeling that her inner self desired. She continued to clutch the hanyou's red haori as she continued to question her conscience.

I feel so safe in his arms…Is this how love is felt…?

The priestess released herself from the half-demon's grasp and looked at him. He had a blushing face, with his dog ears twitching a lot. Her face too was of a shade of red. Inuyasha, desiring that feeling of safety too in his heart, returned to hug her tightly again.

"Kikyo…" His voice trembled as he looked down at the deck of the wooden jetty. His cold hard shell was breaking up, revealing his softer inner character. "…I…I…" He felt the priestess place a finger on his lips. She shook her head a little and smiled back meekly.

"Thank you for catching my fall," she spoke calmly at the half-demon who was looking at her now with soft amber eyes instead. She released herself from his grip. "Now I must return to the village." She began to walk away from the jetty onto the dry land which was coupled with the orange sky through the bordering horizon.

"Kikyo…I…I…" He was stuttering for one of the rare times as he turned to see the priestess who was moving further and further from him. "…I'm not worthy of you…" His voice trailed down as he looked down at the ground again. The set of words made the priestess' eyes widen as she turned back to see the hanyou turning back to return to the woods.

I must be the greatest idiot in the world…

The words churned in his conscience. He began walking back to the forest slowly, with his heavy feet dragging on the floor a little. He knew he had a chance to tell the priestess, but simply thrown it away by stuttering and not telling her in time.

A great idiot…Maybe that's what hanyous really are…

"Inuyasha," he heard Kikyo's voice from behind. She had not returned to her village yet apparently. The half-demon heard the dropping of the bow before feeling two soft arms wrapping around his waist. His eyes widened with his mouth wide open although his teeth were clamped together. "Don't say that." (A/N: Yes, I stole this scene from various Korean dramas, and for those who are fans of such romantic shows.)

Inuyasha took the soft hands of the priestess as he placed them to his heart. Bringing Kikyo closer to his back, he looked at the sky with the forlorn lovesick eyes. The priestess only stood behind his back. "Kikyo…" He spoke softly but loud enough for her to hear. She closed her eyes as she continued to hear his words. "…I'm just not worthy of you..." He released her hands from his larger ones.

"Inuyasha," she spoke softly but continued to maintain her calm state. "I don't believe in the distinction between youkai or ningen. It is in the heart that makes the distinction." Her words made Inuyasha realize what she had meant. He turned behind to look at the priestess who was looking up at him.

"But…but you're a miko," he replied back to her, looking at her with the sad eyes of his. "I don't wish to stain your pure human blood with my heathen tainted blood." Inuyasha turned his back again to her. He was on the stage of self-berating with insulting himself. Kikyo suddenly realized what Inuyasha's mindset was.

So that's what Inuyasha really is…a lost child with low self-esteem…

The truth swirled in her mind. She walked to Inuyasha's front to face him. The half-demon raised his head to look at the priestess. She returned a meek smile again. "Inuyasha," a soft tone emerged from the priestess' mouth. "You love me, don't you?"

The hanyou looked up at her instantly. "I…I admit I like you," he replied taking one of her hands onto his and enclosing it. "But…you're a…"

"Say no more," she replied back putting her fair finger to his lips again. She closed her eyes, tiptoeing up to the half-demon. He closed his eyes too as he lowered down to reach her face as well. Their lips met as a simple smooch completed the kiss. Kikyo re-opened her eyes to look at the half-demon's amber eyes looking at her back too. Soon after, the couple hugged each other tightly again.

"Kikyo…" Inuyasha gathered up his courage in a soft whisper. "Ai…Aishiteru yo." Kikyo simple snuggled up against his body. It was so final. She had now at least received a taste of what humans called love, which broke her cold attitude.

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The night had fallen. Stars now lit the night sky instead. Kikyo sat by the forest, with Inuyasha near her. The half-demon was in his usual sitting position, with Kikyo continuing to look at the blue-black heavens studded with the stars. The crescent moon lit up the rest of the sky.

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" Kikyo tried to lighten the atmosphere by breaking the strong silence. Inuyasha turned his head to look at the priestess who was looking relaxed for one of the rare times.

"Are you sure you don't wish to return to the village?" The half-demon questioned the priestess. She gave a shake as a reply. "What about the Shikon Jewel?"

"It is safe. I can feel no jaki in this area."

A sudden chilly breeze blew by, causing Kikyo to give a slight sneeze. The inu-hanyou took off his red haori and placed it on the priestess' shoulders. She turned to look at a more cheerful face on the dog demon's face.

"This should keep you warm," he spoke back to her as he sat down beside her on the soft grass.

"What about you?"

"I'm still half a demon," he replied back bravely. "I'm almost immune to disease." His false courage was to be exposed when he suddenly gave a sneeze as another cold flow of wind blew by. "It's nothing," he replied.

"You should have it," Kikyo took off the red top and placed it on Inuyasha's shoulders again. After all, I must set an example to my people by keeping healthy." She spoke solemnly as she turned back to look at the sky. Suddenly, the priestess remembered about how Inuyasha had written words on the ground and how he had scratched words on one of the wooden doors of her hut.

"Inuyasha, how did you turn out to be literate?"

The half-demon turned to look at the priestess again. She moved her head to look into the hanyou's eyes. He looked down again at the grass before looking up at the crescent yellow moon sailing across the sky. "In my childhood," he suddenly spoke to the priestess. "My mother taught me to learn literal items."

Kikyo continued to look at the sky, but knowing that she was interested in how a hanyou managed to be that literate. "Literal items? You mean the classics?" She spoke; knowing once that she had saw her father read such literal books. "You're quite a refined person, Inuyasha," she complimented the half-demon.

Kikyo…she complimented me?!?

She had complimented him for the first time. In all his life he had never been complimented by anyone, but only to be criticized or insulted by both youkai and ningen. His face produced a small smile but he concealed it. "Probably," he replied back. "It was such a long time ago. Probably a century back."

"A century back?" She suddenly exclaimed back at his memory at remembering how to write. "You have a good memory, Inuyasha, for being able to remember how to write." Kikyo gave a slight chuckle back at complimenting him. Inuyasha looked down at the grass to conceal his flushing cheeks.

"It's no use for me since I'm a demon too," he replied back softly. "A youkai only needs to be strong. There is no need for me to learn human skills at all."

"I don't think so," she shook her head looking at the half-demon. "You have talented skills that could be made to use, besides attacking other youkai to become stronger." Inuyasha shifted his focus to look at the priestess.

"You sound like my okaa-sama," he suddenly responded to Kikyo's advice.

Okaa-sama? He addresses his mother that politely…?

"You addressed your mother a sama?" Kikyo questioned the hanyou curiously. "Won't that make your mother a…"

"A kizoku." Inuyasha interrupted back, knowing that the priestess near him was probing into his mysterious past too much. He gave a sharp stare at Kikyo through his yellowish-golden eyes. "What else do you want to know about me?!?"

Kikyo retreated a little from the half-demon. He was not too pleased about her asking about his past, and where he grew up. "If your ningen family was kizoku," she questioned out of curiosity. "Then you must have come from Kyoto."

"Don't remind me of that damned place!!!"

The priestess stood a little back at Inuyasha's sudden outburst. He panted a little from the shouting. "Sorry," came his soft reply and remorseful tone. "Sorry I shouted. I just don't want to know anything about that place."

So Inuyasha's not any ordinary person…

Another jigsaw puzzle of Inuyasha's past had unlocked in Kikyo's mind. The half-demon was probably of the kizoku class from the capital. She looked at the hanyou who had cooled down his anger. Inuyasha simply looked at the grass, with a listless expression.

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The night was deep. A dark figure came down from the branches to observe a couple sleeping by one of the trees. Covered with a large red haori, a half-demon with dog ears and silvery hair hugged an innocent-looking priestess with her hair still tied with the cotton ribbons as they lay deep in slumber. The mysterious person had so discreetly moved down from the branches that even the half-demon was unable to detect the movements with his sensitive ears.

A forbidden union is made…heaven will punish such a couple…

The dark figure continued to look at the sleeping couple before discreetly moving off into the darkness of the night.

Inuyasha stirred as he detected the strong sunlight hitting on his eyes. He opened them to see that it was already late morning. Birds chirped as the trees continued to shed their orange and yellow leaves. The red haori had been wrapped around him.

Kikyo must have returned to the village…

"Kikyo-mikosan," he whispered to himself as he looked at the strong sun. "The new reason for my existence in this selfish and cruel world." The hanyou only gave an expression of determination to himself.


Done for now! I'll try to update as soon as possible. Until then, goodbye!

Glossary:

Haori : The upper top for traditional Japanese male garments.

Aishiteru yo : This means 'I love you'.

Sama : A more polite form of addressing a person.

Kizoku : Nobility class in Japan.

Kyoto : This is for those who don't really know a touch of Japan. Anyway, Kyoto is the old capital of Japan from AD 747 to AD 1868.