Disclaimer: All I own is Hirosuke, the title poem and the idea. All other characters are from Inuyasha and thus, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.

Remaking Us
Thank you!

The words pounded on his head, ripped into his heart deeper than any claws ever could. He couldn't believe his own stupidity. This, this, had been what she had been hiding! She had saved his life, and he'd repaid her by insulting, by hurting her. His reputation as a man was forever gone. She had never said she wasn't a demon, come to think of it, and she had been awfully quiet, drunk quite a bit of milk and had a habit of being able to tell whether he was bringing home fish. She had never tried to kill him, though. He had already began envisioning a life built around her, with her, and now he had thrown it to the winds.

He had been surprised, but that, surely, was no excuse for treating her like a murderer. The look on her face when he first screamed at her throbbed in his mind. He was the monster! He had hurt an innocent. Yes, his heart argued, she may have been a demon but she first and foremostly was someone with feelings – feelings he had undoubtedly wounded.

He had to go apologise, he decided; then, if she forgave him, he would throw caution to the dogs and ask her to stay, forever.

With the choice made he burst into full sprint towards the direction in which she had left. He didn't know which way he should turn but rationalized that, because she had been upset, she wouldn't have bothered with changing direction. When he reached the river he found a cat with two tails sleeping. He knew her then, and couldn't help taking a closer look.

She really was quite magnificent: sleek, silky coat, thick tail and that adorable way of tucking her snout under her paws as she slept – he recalled her to have done that a few times in her human form. Moving closer he couldn't stop a hand brushing her hair gently, as he had done the first nights. From this close he could see tear-tracks gluing the fur on her face at random intervals – his heart slammed against his rib-cage. He had been the one to put those tears there. Carefully, and ever so gently, his thumb brushed away a small tear hanging from her closed eye. He hadn't expected her to awake then. Her eyes were quite fearsome like this and he almost lost his resolve. If she threw him into the river, he felt, it would have only been fair; in this form, however, it looked like she was fairly capable of worse things.

He dropped to his knees, before he had a chance to change his mind:

"Forgive me." He raised his eyes to find her staring curiously.

"I apologise for all the things I've said before! I was being stupid! I owe you my life, and I shouldn't have acted the way I did. It was a surprise, you see, but...but...if you wanted me dead you could have killed me anytime, couldn't you now?" He laughed nervously. "So...I know it won't make things better, but I am truly sorry...and I have to say I like your human form, and your...er...this...form" He gestured wildly. "And won't you reconsider coming back? I promise I'll get fish every day, for you, and...and...lots of milk...and..." He raised his eyes. "And...if you let me, I promise to spend the rest of my life making it up to you for being stupid."

She blinked. Did he just...? He stared, she stared.

"Er...so are you...gonna say something? I really am sorry, you know?"

She laughed inwardly – one would think he would have known she couldn't 'talk' in this form.

He lowered his eyes and she curled her tail around him, making sure he didn't leave before she finished transforming. He was staring at her but with a distinct blush on his face and she realized that she had forgotten that transformation didn't involve the materialisation of clothes. Hastily, she wrapped herself in her tail, thankful she hadn't gone straight to her human form.

"I'm sorry." He spoke again and she knew he wasn't lying. His heart was racing madly in its fear it wouldn't be forgiven, his scent had spiked for the same reason. There was no doubt as to her answer.

"You should be!" True, he was sorry, but she was angry! "But, knowing you, you have already beaten yourself up quite enough, haven't you?" She smiled gently at him. "I won't do anything more, but I will take you up on the fish and the milk." She winked.

"You will?!" And he was a little boy again, grinning and beaming with happiness. "Oh, thank you! I meant it, you know! I want you to stay with me...I want you to be my wife...and even if you can't say yes now, I'll wait, and I'll still want to marry you in two or ten or twenty or thirty years! I don't care what you are! I don't care about things that happened! I...I'm in love with you." He confessed rather shyly, by comparison with how he had begun.

She felt her heart melt then explode into myriad shards of glinting rainbows.

"Thank you! Yes! I will!"

It didn't matter he was human – she would prolong his life span, and when he'd die early she would have something to remember of what love was. No, this she couldn't go back on. The jewel, the journey, they could wait – she had a feeling Midoriko would have supported her decision, had she been alive (if not pushed her into it – few people knew Midoriko had been a cureless romantic).

She found herself twirled through the air.

"Thank you, thank you...Kiyoko!"

Oops...she had forgotten about that. When at last he put her down she grasped his hands gently.

"Fujihara-san, I have been less than completely sincere with you, for reasons which I cannot divulge at the present moment."

"I don't care! I love you, demon-girl!"

She tried the nick-name in her head and found she rather liked it.

"Kyoko...I...really..."

Her eye twitched.

"One of the things I didn't divulge...was my true name. I apologise. My name is Kirara."

He looked at her and she didn't miss that shadow of hurt that crossed his eyes, but then he grinned and grasped her hands tighter.

"I knew it!!! I knew it!!! No way you were any kind of child!!!"

She had to laugh at the convinced analysis of her name.

"Kirara – I like it! It suits you even better!"

She didn't know what to say, or how to stop her heart from swelling and floating away completely so she merely hid her face in his shoulder.

"Come Kirara! Let us go home. I'll carry you." He winked and she smiled.

"Let's go home Fujihara-san."

He looked like he wanted to say something, but then he just shook his head and lifted her up.

"Let's go home!"

Translation Note: The "ko" in "Kiyoko" means "child" that's why Hirosuke says he knew she wasn't any kind of child - he felt her name didn't fit.

Author's Note: Fluffy? Indeed. Hirosuke wouldn't be written any other way. :3 I do hope it's not overbearingly schmoopy. Thank you for the lovely and positive responses; do PM me if you have any uncertainties or questions about the story so far. :)