Chapter Twenty-Six

Camellias

It was mid-morning when Inuyasha dropped his sword to the dirt floor, signalling the end of training.

"You keep getting better," he commented, wiping the sweat from his brow with his arm as he walked towards the hot springs at the back of the garden.

Shippo followed him with a big smile on his face.

"Thank you," he said, jumping with joy. "I hope one day I will fight as well as you do."

Inuyasha chuckled.

"You need to train a lot harder for that."

The hot springs were empty, much to both of their delights. Inuyasha left his clothes by the shore, sinking into the water until he was completely submerged. He surfaced again, listening to Shippo's splashing as he swam after him.

He continued without stopping until he reached the small waterfall, closing his eyes and throwing his head forward.

There was nothing better than the pressure of the water to relax his muscles.

"Inuyasha."

He opened one eye and looked at Shippo, who stood beside him with his back against the rocks and hundreds of water droplets adorning his red locks.

"Are you going to see her today as well?" the fox asked in a whisper.

Inuyasha scanned his surroundings, making sure there were no yōkai too close that might be listening to their conversation.

"Yeah."

He still didn't know how he was going to answer Kagome's questions, nor if he was going to be able to tell her all of his secrets. He'd been nervous since he'd woken up and talking about it didn't help.

"You could bring her flowers. My mother loved it when my father did that."

"Flowers?" Inuyasha repeated with a frown.

His cheeks burned as he imagined himself giving Kagome a bouquet of wildflowers.

"I'm sure she'll like it if you bring her a gift," Shippo insisted, nodding. "What's her favourite colour?"

Inuyasha's brow furrowed even more.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Shippo repeated with wide eyes. "But what kind of mate are you?"

Inuyasha let out a growl, splashing water in his direction.

"Shut up."

He folded his arms and looked away, hiding his blush and lowering his ears in an attempt not to hear Shippo's laughter.

Kagome's favourite colour... What would it be?

Inuyasha thought about the human's room, remembering the objects he had seen on her walls and the carpet he had landed on so many times.

One colour predominated over all the others.

"Purple."

His right ear twitched as he heard Shippo emerge from the water.

"Are you sure?" the fox asked, shaking himself.

Inuyasha shrugged.

"No, but it's a good colour."

Shippo rolled his eyes.

"I suppose you're right," he admitted, snorting softly as he dressed. "There's a plant full of purple flowers very close to the palace gates."

"I knew that," Inuyasha grunted, narrowing his eyes.

Shippo wrinkled his nose.

"You're so rude. I'm just trying to help you."

Inuyasha sighed, turning away from the waterfall and hopping out of the water.

"I know, runt," he muttered, ruffling Shippo's damp hair with one hand as he passed him.

The fox waited until he was dressed as well and hopped over his shoulder.

"When are you leaving?" he asked, trying to contain his curiosity.

Inuyasha pursed his lips, trying not to smile. His little friend couldn't pretend not to care.

He averted his golden eyes upwards, watching the position of the sun high in the sky.

"Very soon. I'll walk you to the steps," he said, walking down the stony path that wound through the garden.

Shippo stretched as far as he could to whisper near one of his white ears.

"Does she know I exist?"

Inuyasha smiled sideways.

"Yes."

The fox gasped, clutching the collar of his red jacket with both hands.

"Have you told her about me?"

"A long time ago," Inuyasha replied, noticing all the demons strolling through the garden and looking away as he approached. "I don't know if she remembers, though."

Shippo sat on his shoulder and sighed. He glanced sideways at him, smiling at the grimace on his face.

"I'll tell her about you again today," Inuyasha added softly, stopping a few feet away from the stone stairs.

Shippo smiled again and wrapped both arms around his neck before jumping to the ground.

"Will you tell me about it when you get back?"

Inuyasha nodded and the fox gave him one last smile before sprinting up the steps, disappearing into the palace.

He tilted his head to the side, letting out a long sigh, and crossed the rest of the garden to exit the palace. His feet carried him towards the flowers Shippo had mentioned.

He pursed his lips as he gazed at the purple petals of the camellias, still not quite sure if it would be a good idea.

"Keh."

With a single swipe of his claws he sliced eight flowers and held them between his fingers. After that, Inuyasha jumped onto one of the branches and ran towards the border of his world and the human world.

The human girl should be on her way home by now and he didn't want to keep her waiting.

Kagome took the steps two at a time, and by the time she reached the temple's forecourt she was panting.

She sighed, undoing the ponytail she always wore to the hospital and closing her eyes as the warm breeze caressed her face.

It was getting warmer and warmer in Tokyo, but the shrine's trees and proximity to the forest meant that the temperature there was always slightly cooler.

Kagome walked home with her eyes fixed on her window.

Would Inuyasha be waiting inside?

As she passed the sacred tree she saw something scarlet out of the corner of her eye and stopped, turning her head.

Yes, there was definitely something red hidden within its branches.

Kagome moved closer with a frown. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a strand of silver hair waving through the leaves.

She was speechless at the sight. He was lying on one of the larger branches, head resting against the trunk and eyes closed.

Kagome looked around nervously, glancing back up to where the half-demon was sleeping.

Had he gone mad?

Inuyasha moved one of his hands and scratched his nose.

He wasn't as asleep as he looked. He was just resting.

Kagome placed a hand on the tree trunk, biting her lip as she stared up at Inuyasha's calm face.

She wasn't sure if she had ever seen him so relaxed.

"Inuyasha?"

She smiled as both of his ears twitched at the sound of her voice.

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing there? Someone might see you."

Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked down, arching an eyebrow.

"This branch can't be seen from your house. I checked."

"What if someone other than me had come up the steps?" Kagome asked with her hands on her hips.

"I knew it was you," he pointed to his nose and smirked.

She couldn't help but return his smile.

"That's cheating."

Inuyasha sat up on the branch. He hopped down to the ground, keeping himself hidden from prying eyes behind the large trunk.

He wore his red kimono and no shoes. Kagome took a few steps closer to him, glancing nervously at her house out of the corner of her eye.

"Your brother and mother are talking in the living room and your grandfather is asleep. I hear him snoring," Inuyasha commented quietly.

She nodded, frowning as she saw that he had a hand hidden behind his back.

"What do you have there?"

Looking up again, Kagome held her breath as she saw his cheeks flush red.

Seeing Inuyasha blushing and twitching made her even more nervous.

"I've... I've brought you something," he murmured, dodging her gaze as he held out what was in his hand.

A bouquet of purple flowers. They were cut at the same height and had all the petals open, spreading a very sweet scent in the air.

Kagome closed her mouth as she realised her jaw was open and looked Inuyasha in the eyes again, swallowing as she felt herself blush.

At least they were both equally shy, which wasn't much consolation.

"Are they for me?"

He nodded, his gaze still fixed somewhere behind her.

"It was Shippo's idea."

Kagome held the flowers in her hands, which were tied together with a small piece of vine.

It was the third time Inuyasha had said that name.

"Shippo is the boy you found, isn't he? The one who is a little mischievous?" she asked, lifting the bouquet so she could smell it better.

She closed his eyes, inhaling softly. A big smile spread across her face as she opened them again. It was the first time anyone had ever given her flowers.

Inuyasha had his gaze fixed on her face, watching her reaction.

"He found me, actually."

Kagome held the bouquet against her chest, feeling her heartbeat quicken.

"Is he a half-demon like you?"

Inuyasha shook his head.

"There is no one else like me. Shippo is a fox yōkai."

A small shiver ran down her spine at the word yōkai. Kagome looked down at the flowers, sighing heavily.

If Inuyasha had turned out to be not so scary, there was a chance that more kind-hearted demons like him existed.

They wouldn't all be evil human-eaters, as she had thought when she discovered what the guy in front of her really was.

"Inuyasha, thank you. They smell nice. Are they camellias?"

He nodded, crossing his arms.

"I picked them in the forest. They're not dangerous, though."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Are there dangerous flowers in the forest?"

"Not many, but yes."

Kagome looked back towards her house.

"My family could come out at any moment," she whispered worriedly. "Meet me in my room?" she asked, glancing sideways at Inuyasha.

The demon gave her a small smile before hopping away into the leaves of the tree.

Kagome sighed, pulling her keys out of her pocket. She heard her mother's greeting as soon as she closed the door.

"Kagome! We're all here."

"Coming!"

She found Kimiko and Sota on the sofa with her grandfather lying next to them, fast asleep.

Just as Inuyasha had said.

Her brother gasped, his eyes widening at the sight of the bouquet of flowers.

"Sister! Who gave you that?"

Kagome narrowed her eyes.

"Don't be nosy."

"But I want to know!"

Kimiko patted her son's shoulder gently before standing up.

"Don't talk so loud. You'll wake grandpa."

She approached Kagome with a smile that widened when she saw how embarrassed her daughter was.

After kissing her cheek, Kimiko spoke softly.

"Do you know the meaning of those flowers, honey?"

Kagome shook her head, watching the purple petals intently.

How had Inuyasha known that was her favourite colour?

"They're camellias and in the language of flowers they mean perfect love," her mother murmured, chuckling as she saw Kagome's blush worsen. "Whoever gave them to you must have strong feelings for you."

Kagome wished she was swallowed up by the earth.

"That's not... He didn't..."

"It must have been that guy she's dated a few times," Sota cut her off.

He had stood up and was holding an apple in his hand. Kagome shot him a look of hatred.

"Sota!"

He shrugged as he chewed.

"What? Mum knows, too!"

"Shut up," Kagome hissed angrily.

It was true. She never kept anything from her mother and she had told her that she was dating someone she liked. But it had been weeks since she had mentioned Inuyasha in front of her family.

"Was it him? Since you've been kind of depressed lately, I thought you hadn't seen him again," her mother said, cocking her head.

Kagome looked at her again.

"Did you know I was sad?"

"I didn't want to say anything, but mothers always notice these things. I was waiting for you to come to talk to me about it," Kimiko replied with a nod.

Kagome sighed.

"It's all right, mum. It was a misunderstanding, Inuyasha... I really like him a lot," she admitted in a whisper.

Just the thought of Inuyasha listening to everything with his demon ears...

"I'd like to meet him someday, when you're ready."

"Meet who?" Sota asked, taking a bite of his apple and walking over to them.

"Kagome's boyfriend."

She blanched.

"He's not my boyfriend! Well... I don't know. We haven't talked about it."

"I think he is," her mother muttered with a chuckle. "You should put them in water so they don't spoil," she added, pointing to the flowers.

Kagome took the opportunity to walk away to the kitchen counter. She picked up a small vase that was empty and filled it with water in the sink, placing the flowers inside.

"I'll be in my room," she said, stepping into the hallway.

"Get some rest, darling. I'll call you when it's time for dinner."

When she was two steps away from the door to her room, it opened on its own.

Inuyasha was on the other side. He stepped aside for her to enter and closed it as Kagome set the vase on her desk.

She clenched her fists as her hands shook.

Why was she so nervous?

'You're twenty-two years old, Kagome. You can't be so embarrassed.'

Inuyasha and she had kissed four times. They had hugged as many times. They had even slept together twice, though one of those had been unintentional and the other time he hadn't slept a wink.

It was logical that she liked him, and it was all right for him to know it. She was sure he already figured it out.

Kagome cleared her throat, turning to look at him. Inuyasha was sitting on the edge of the bed and had just laid his sword on the mattress.

"Did you... did you hear us?"

He folded his arms, jamming his hands into the sleeves of his jacket.

"Keh."

His cheeks were flushed and he was avoiding her gaze again, which meant that he had overheard her conversation.

Kagome sighed, sitting down next to him.

"It's not fair that you can hear everything with those ears of yours."

"I can't help it," he muttered through his teeth.

She looked up, staring at the small furry ears flicking on top of his head nervously.

"Can I touch them again?"

Inuyasha turned his head so fast that, if he were human, he probably would have hurt his neck.

"Why?" he asked with wide eyes.

Kagome shrugged, a blush on her face.

"They're soft and very beautiful."

She wanted to touch them again so badly that her hands itched. Inuyasha snorted, glancing back and forth between her eyes.

"All right," he agreed softly, making her smile. He started to lower his head but snapped it back up. "Can I lean on you?" he added, looking into her eyes.

Kagome nodded, not quite sure what he meant.

She gasped as Inuyasha laid down on the bed, resting his head on her knees.

He looked up, taking in her face and turning serious at her expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Kagome tried to speak but her voice was nowhere to be found. She was wearing a short skirt and his mane fell down her legs, tickling her. She could feel the heat of his body on her thighs, though what had impressed her most was that he was in such a vulnerable position, giving her full access to his ears.

"I've seen you like this with your friends," the demon added with a frown. "Can't men do this?"

"Of course they can," Kagome replied, moving her right hand slowly to touch a lock of his silver hair. "I didn't know you trusted me so much," she added in a whisper.

Inuyasha continued to stare at her.

"You said you wouldn't use your powers against me."

"And I won't," Kagome assured him, brushing his cheek with her fingers. "Besides, I don't know how to use them."

Inuyasha licked his lips, closing his eyes.

"I could bring you a book about the ancient priestesses."

Her fingers froze.

"Really?"

"I'd have to get it out of there without anyone seeing me... and I think I can do it."

"I'd really appreciate it. I'd like to know if there's any way to control that energy," Kagome replied, raising her hand to the top of his head.

Just as she was about to touch them, Inuyasha spoke.

"Be careful, human. They are very sensitive."

Kagome brushed the tip of one of his ears, which twitched forward. After a small sigh, she held it between her fingers, rubbing the outside of it gently.

They were as soft as she remembered. White and furry on the outside, pink on the inside. She stroked them with both hands until she saw Inuyasha wrinkle his nose.

"Does it bother you?" she asked, pausing.

He pursed his lips without opening his eyes.

"No, but it's weird. I'm not used to having my ears touched."

Kagome smiled and stroked them gently again, tracing the outline with her fingertips.

"You can ask your questions now," Inuyasha added in a whisper.

He didn't look uncomfortable, he seemed to enjoy it. Kagome remembered the conversation they had had the day before just before she fell asleep.

"What does it mean that I'm your mate?"

"Fuck," Inuyasha growled, opening one eye to glare at her. "It's the hardest question of all."

"If you don't want to answer it..." Kagome murmured, trying to hide the disappointment she was feeling.

He snorted, settling his head better in her lap.

"It's easier if I don't see you," he said, closing his eye again. "I already explained that yōkai have mates. It may work differently with me being a half-demon because I haven't heard of anyone who's felt the same way I have."

"What do you mean?" she asked, intrigued.

"Most demons don't feel human emotions, Kagome. I do, and I know Shippo does too, but I don't know anyone else who has felt them."

"And what human emotions have you felt since you saw me?"

"Hate at first. But also fear, confusion, and..." Inuyasha shook his head, but she was watching him and caught a glimpse of the slight blush creeping up his neck. "It doesn't matter. There is only one mate destined for each yōkai. If he doesn't find her, or if she dies, he will never have another."

Her fingers froze as he locked his golden eyes on her face.

"And you are mine."

Kagome nodded, feeling a whirlwind of emotions inside her.

She still couldn't quite understand all that it meant, but knowing that Inuyasha would never meet someone like her again caused a burst of butterflies in her stomach.

"We were meant to meet, Kagome," he added in a raspy voice.

Kagome swallowed as she saw the seriousness on his face.

"Do you think so?"

Inuyasha nodded.

"I'm quite sure. My father met my human mother and changed his life for her, now I have met you and my thinking has changed since then. I don't see things the same way anymore."

"What do you see differently now?" she asked softly, rubbing his ears again to distract herself and calm her nerves.

Had Inuyasha just compared his parents' relationship to theirs?

"Humans aren't stupid, or simple," the demon murmured, blinking a few times. "They're fascinating. At least you are."

Her heart was pounding and she knew he could hear it. Inuyasha lifted a hand, curling his forefinger through her dark locks.

"We are different, but you treat me as if we are the same."

He was smiling as he spoke. Kagome smiled as well, lowering a hand to his neck and brushing it against his skin.

Her smile widened when she felt his pulse under her fingertips.

"We're not so different, Inuyasha."

He smiled wider, showing his fangs.

"Maybe."

Inuyasha moved, sitting up beside her, and Kagome closed her eyes as she felt his breath on her face. It didn't take him long to kiss her, claiming her lips as if it was the only thing he had wanted to do since she had arrived at the shrine.

Kagome kissed him back, wrapping both arms around his neck and parting her lips. She had been thinking about kissing him ever since she had seen him, but hadn't dared to do so.

She heard Inuyasha growl softly as she tried nipping his lower lip. His arms snaked around her and Kagome suddenly found herself lying on the mattress, the demon whose kisses made her blood burn on top of her.

Their bodies were so close together that she could feel his heat all over her, melting into hers.

Would Inuyasha feel the same fire burning inside him when their lips came into contact?

He pressed her against the mattress, deepening the kiss and burying one of his hands in her hair.

Kagome couldn't contain herself and a small moan escaped her throat. Inuyasha tensed suddenly, breaking the kiss.

When she opened her eyes, he was looking at her with a very strange expression. He jumped off the bed, turning his back to her.

"I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow."

He opened the window and jumped out without waiting for her answer. She sat up in bed, panting for air.

"Inuyasha! Wait!"

When she reached the window there was no sign of him.

Kagome sighed, closing it and leaning her hip on the edge of her desk.

She wasn't sure what she had seen in Inuyasha's eyes before he had run away.

Had it been fear?

Fun fact: I chose camellias because of their meaning in Japanese (perfect love), but they are flowers that have no scent.