Kagome walked out of the school and into the sweet fresh air outside. Her exams were finally over! Only one more semester to go and she would finally be done school. She sighed deeply and let the wind wash over her, blowing her hair gently behind her. It felt good. For a moment, she was without worry or stress and she basked in the happy feeling. A large smiled spread across her face as a certain dog-eared man popped into her head. She didn't make herself stop thinking about him anymore. In fact, she even encouraged the thoughts. She had finally moved past Koga and now she could open her heart truly and completely to Inuyasha. She felt her cheeks flush at the thought. Tonight, in celebration of finals being over, Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha, and her were going to have a double movie marathon complete with pizza, popcorn, and tons of junk food.
The night started out like any of their other movie nights. The couple sat closely together on the couch while Inuyasha and Kagome each snuggled into separate armchairs. Inuyasha, as usual, had pulled his over to be beside hers. She had smiled into the darkness as the movie began and they had fallen into their usual animated banter. Sango and Miroku were in their own little world and Kagome had no idea when they left. She only noticed when the credits began to roll and Inuyasha looked at her with his trademarked smirk.
"Should we bother with a second movie?"
Her face scrunched up with confusion before he motioned behind her. She turned around and noticed an empty couch. "Oh…" She laughed a little and turned back to him with a smile. "Yea, let's watch another, I don't want to go home yet." Her subtle under text didn't go misunderstood. His ears perked up and his smirk turned into a gentle smile. "Wanna move to the couch?"
His eyes widened, almost imperceptibly, but she knew him so well by now that she noticed the slight look of surprise. He recovered nearly instantaneously and had moved to the couch so fast all she had seen was a silver blur.
"What the…" Her eyes were wide, she had never seen him move like that. She didn't even care that she looked so shocked. His delicious laugh bounced around her and she joined him on the couch.
"Half-demon, remember?" He pointed to his ears and wiggled them at her.
She blushed, the rosy color highlighting her cheeks and her sudden nerves. "I've just never seen you move so fast."
He smirked again before turning away from her and flicking on the next movie.
The sound of the movie filled the now surprisingly quiet space between them. Scene by scene he moved closer to her, the gap between them growing smaller and smaller until his hand was grazing hers. Her fingers twitched in anticipation, her breath catching in her throat, as her mind screamed for him to grab her hand. The movie shifted into a cliched romantic moment between the two main stars, sappy music blaring out of Inuyasha's impressive speakers. She couldn't concentrate on the screen in front of them and instead turned to look at him. His golden eyes were watching the movie, but his body was leaning towards her and his ears were firmly fixed in her direction. She smiled, her blush only growing.
"You know, I'm really glad I met you Inuyasha."
He broke his eye contact with the screen and turned to face her, an escalating anticipation spreading between the two. Her body twitched as the mere thought of him closing the small gap between them passed enticingly through her mind.
She could have sworn she saw him blush, but it was so dark she couldn't be sure.
Then, with a flinch, she realized that he might have been able to smell the change in her.
"You're something, aren't ya?" She wasn't sure what he meant by that, but he had leaned forward just a little bit and it had made her mind go foggy. He smirked again, as if he knew exactly what he was doing to her. Her lips tingled. She knew what she wanted, and she wanted it bad.
An over-exaggerated scream echoed from the speakers, shaking her from her thoughts. She jumped and her eyes flew to the TV with an accusatory stare.
Inuyasha's deep laugh made her whip her head back towards him, only to be met with him wiggling his ears at her again. The blush on her cheeks was immediate and apparent.
And just like that the romantic tension was back thick in the air.
He leaned forward, he was so close that she could feel his breath lightly against her face. Her fingers twitched, nervous anticipation flooding through her.
"You like them that much, huh?" His smirk was teasing, but Kagome couldn't help but nod. He seemed to analyze her for a moment before coming to a decision.
"Wanna touch them?"
His question hung there for a moment. She gasped excitedly before she managed to mutter out a nervous, "Um, yea…"
He leaned his head down, his bangs covering his eyes, and his ears fully exposed to her curious eyes. Her hands moved towards them and only stopped when they were mere centimeters away.
"Really?" Her hesitation was just as apparent as her eagerness.
He nodded his head slightly and that was all the permission she needed.
Her hands were on the amazingly soft and fuzzy appendages in an instant. He froze for a moment beneath her touch before relaxing. She rubbed them in slow, gentle, concentric circles. It felt better than she had ever imagined. She felt so close to him in that moment and she couldn't help but remember the first time she had touched his ears. She smiled to herself as she fully indulged in being able to finally touch them with his willing permission. She could hear Inuyasha and for a moment she wasn't sure what she was actually hearing… and then it clicked.
He was… purring?
It was like a deep guttural rumble that stemmed slowly from pleasure. Like the sound a cat made but with the intense passion of a dog wagging its tail when its belly was pet. It was intoxicating. Her hands paused for a minute as the realization sank through her. She had made him purr.
"Don't… Don't stop." His voice was deep and husky.
She gulped and nodded, only after realizing he couldn't see that, and began to rub his ears again. He leaned his head gently into her hands and she wanted to imbed this moment permanently into her mind. Her heart was beating erratically as the noise he was making grew slightly louder, it nearly sounded protective, as if he was claiming her in this moment. The way his head leaned more and more into her touch melted her heart and with a startled gasp that made her motions stop she realized something tremendous…
She loved him.
He leaned his head up, bangs falling away from his eyes, his look deep and needy, an unsaid hunger laced within their golden depths. With one clawed hand he reached up and gently brushed a stray hair behind her ear, the slight touch of his claws gently gliding over her skin making her tingle. His hand lingered there, his claws slowly working their way through her hair to gently cup the back of her head.
He was only inches away now. The tension between them laced with unsaid words and wanton need.
"Kagome…" His voice was husky and she felt her lips tingle as a gentle pressure pulled against the back of her head to bring her in closer. Her eyes flickered shut as she eagerly awaited the feeling of his soft lips pressing against hers for the first time. Her breath hitched in her throat as she felt his breath grace her face. He was so close now…
"Hey, guys! What about that…" Miroku's voice rung in the air and she felt Inuyasha stiffen around her before he let go, his hand slowly falling out of her hair as his fingers combed through her long locks. Her eyes fluttered open in disbelief as she turned a severe stare towards a frozen, and now flushed, Miroku.
They had been so close…
She heard a predatory growl slip past Inuyasha's lips and Miroku laughed nervously in response. He ran a slightly shaking hand through his hair.
"Um… nevermind, you two go back to…"
Inuyasha's growl escalated.
"Whatever it was you were doing…" He stepped slowly backwards, a guilty look splattered across his face, before disappearing into the hallway behind him.
Her eyes rose to meet Inuyasha's threatening glare that was still throwing daggers in his roommate's direction. When he finally looked back at her his ears lowered and the mood was simply gone. That intense anticipation that had hung so thickly in the air only moments ago had been simply wiped out by Miroku's intruding presence. His look softened and his lips turned up into a small smile. It was as if they both somehow understood that the moment had passed, they had missed something, and to do it now would only be forced. He quirked his head at her and she couldn't help but think that he looked absolutely adorable like that.
"Should I take you home?" A playful smirk danced in his eyes and Kagome suddenly felt exhilarated to see his playful side. She nodded in answer.
The drive to her place in his slick car was quiet. Gentle music played in the background, but they didn't speak to each other. Their hands grazed against each other's on the small space between them, but neither dared reach out and fully grab the other's hand. A muffled tension fell in between them and filled the space of the vehicle. One of things unsaid, of needs, of wants, of desperate wishes that they both shared.
The feeling that that tension would break if they entered her apartment was palpable.
When he pulled up to her apartment they lingered in the silence of his car for a minute before he shut off the engine and opened his door. Kagome followed suit and they walked together up to her apartment building's entrance. He turned to look at her, an unspoken question in his eyes, and she just smiled and pushed open the door, motioning for him to follow her inside. It wasn't like he hadn't been to her apartment before. He had been there many times. But, usually Sango was around and even if she wasn't the tension that now hung thick around them had never inhabited this space before. It was new, exhilarating, and terrifying all at once. She could feel her hands nervously twitch, so she quickly sat down on the couch and clasped her fingers together to still herself. He only smirked and sat down beside her.
They didn't turn on the TV, they let themselves just sit in the utter quiet of her apartment, the only noise from the traffic outside and the sound of their own heightened breathing.
The silence was stifling.
Finally, Inuyasha's voice rang out in the quiet. He didn't look at her, but his ears were firmly fixed in her direction.
"You know what was wrong with my last relationship?"
Kagome's eyebrows squinted together as she looked at him somewhat baffled. They had talked briefly about their past relationships, but they honestly hadn't gone into that much detail. While she knew it was stupid and pointless for her to care, it still stung a bit thinking about him with Kikyo.
"What?" It came out muffled and soft, her confusion clearly showing through her voice. He looked over at her with a smirk before leaning back against the couch. He looked right at home in her living space.
"I had to fake my happiness most of the time." He trailed off, his face turning serious as his eyes dove into hers, searching for something within their depths. "I never have to fake it with you, Kagome. I can just be myself."
Her breath caught in her throat and her heart started sputtering out of control. She could feel it beating away within her chest, like a trapped animal begging to be released. A rosy blush spread across her cheeks as she muttered out a soft, "Oh…"
He blushed too and that was when she realized that, yes, he had heard the way her heart had gone crazy when he had said those words. He stood up briskly and walked over to the door before turning back to look at her with a playful smirk.
"See you soon, Ka-Go-Me."
Her flabbergasted expression was the last thing he saw before the door shut behind him. She could hear his laughter echoing back towards her even through the closed door and it took a good hour for her to calm herself down.
Later that night, as she lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, her phone beeped. She glanced down curiously and nearly jumped in shock when she saw Inuyasha's name float across her screen. Overeager, she dramatically reached for her phone which only led to her somehow falling off the bed and landing hard on the floor.
"Ow…" She muttered as she rubbed her now sore bum and picked up her cell phone.
Inuyasha: {Hey Kagome, you up?}
Kagome's fingers flew across her keys as her mind darted through an imaginary list of reasons he might be texting her that late.
Kagome: {Yep! What's up?}
Simple, understated, to the point. She mentally high-fived herself.
Inuyasha: {I know its a little bit away, but do you wanna go to a shrine visit New Years Eve with me?}
Kagome stopped and stared at her phone, wide-eyed and tongue-tied. He wanted to go to the first shrine visit of the year… With her? Her palms got sweaty and her breathing hitched. Was this, could this, possibly be a date? She hadn't realized how long she was lost within her own tantalizing thoughts, but it had been a good five minutes and she still hadn't replied when her phone beeped again.
Inuyasha: {I'm asking you on a date, in case that wasn't obvious, Ka-Go-Me.}
She could just hear the teasing tone in his voice when she read the text and she smiled despite herself. Her nerves reached heights that she hadn't even imagined possible as she gingerly typed her response to the long awaited question.
Kagome: {Yes.}
She couldn't manage more. Her brain had stopped working. She felt muddled and trapped within a bubble of excitement and a mass of nerves.
Inuyasha: {Keh, sound a little more excited will ya? See you then, night Kagome.}
Kagome: {Sweet dreams, Inuyasha.}
With shaking hands she dropped her phone onto the softness of her bed before she collapsed against her pillows, a gigantic never-ending smile engraved upon her face, as a girlish squeal escaped her lips.
She was going on a date.
Not only was she going on a date, but she was going to go out on a date with the handsome, dog-eared, golden-eyed, amazing Inuyasha.
She closed her eyes and let herself drift off into a fantasy world, one where Inuyasha and herself were officially a couple, one where they had kissed, one where they held hands every chance they got, and one where they had told each other 'I love you'. She lived in that fantasy world for a while before she slowly opened her eyes and arrived back in reality. Staring up at the dark ceiling she permitted herself to mutter the feelings that she had, but hadn't had the chance to actually voice.
"I love you, Inuyasha."
~ Author's Note ~
Hello, everyone! I'm so sorry this took so long to post, but I had a hard time writing it because I was consumed with the idea for a (massive) one-shot for Fairy Tail. If you like Fairy Tail take a look, it's called "Death of a Fairy".
I'm sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than normal, but the next (and final!… unless I add an epilogue) chapter will make up for it. I will have it up within the week, how quickly depends on how many reviews come in. Either way, the story will be finished this week. I really hope that you have enjoyed reading "Love in the Time of Tea".
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, it means a lot to me.
Review and let me know your thoughts.
~ FeudalAi