Love the title for this one – oh and please review it if you read it and want to read more, it's only polite if you like it, please! Another long one
Cracking Kagome
He never regretted his decision to stay in the West, or his decision to be a protector for the strange miko under Inutaisho's 'care'. In the days that followed they formed a relationship of sorts, not quite friendship, but more than acquaintance, a general understanding to feel comfort in the presence of one another. He found he liked Kagome a lot. She spent several days in the library reading, while he sat at a desk studying, her presence was calming because he cared about hr and when he knew where she was, with him, he knew she was safe. He enjoyed being around her, even if she could be a little, persistent...
She had been bombarding him with random questions about himself and his past for 15 minutes flat. Half of them didn't even make sense, even she abandoned some of them half way through realizing they were not worth finishing, and the other half, well she had no real desire to know how rare he liked his meat did she? He was not actually engaged in serious work and he liked her so he never got annoyed and the calm smile never left his face as he allowed her to amuse herself. He liked her, he liked her laughter and he liked her smiling, so he saw no need to hinder her doing something so simple that she obviously enjoyed.
However, the questions were rather random; she seemed to take a long time to say nothing. But it was jovial chatter, it was not nervous or frightened talk, or talking to bring comfort to a fallen comrade in battle, it was just... nice. He was never a fan of words for the sake of them, he was not against speaking, but there was simply no need something, using too many words clouds your judgement because it just becomes a haze and that is why you trip over them when you speak. If you a clever you simply use less, of course most people do not take that as far as he, but he had grown used to his rather silent demeanour now.
Then suddenly, the mood turned sombre as she, for no apparent reason... burst into tears. He would not say that he was used to her emotional outbursts, all though he had lived through quite a few already. Hell, he was not sure she was not used to them yet and she had been trying to get to grips with them for seventeen years now. She was struck by a sudden bout of tears, because of harsh words, or laughter from a joke she heard yesterday, or some reaction from something or rather at least three times a day, and he was usually present for one of them.
None of them though had been as grand or as heartfelt as this, and he knew that she knew he sensed the difference. She needed him, once again he was being her tower of strength, and... he found he liked it. But although he knew she was grateful for the show of comradeship, he could smell that she felt guilt in taking comfort in his arms; anyone would when taking into account the reason why she was crying, but he did not know that then. He chose not to complicate the issue with being confused, not now when she needed him.
Unfortunately it was becoming apparent that simply hugging her was not having the desired effect it did last time she had a true outburst of emotion. He did the only thing he could think of, the only way she seemed to understand, he talked her through it. "Come now, whatever the reason for your sorrow, you must stop crying." He didn't know why she had to stop crying, but it was making him feel... upset, unsettled – he didn't like it! The moment was spoilt by Touga's appearance, just when he felt he had been making headway in their relationship too. Salt was poured into the wounds as she accepted him immediately. Dejected he turned away like it meant nothing to him and returned to the book he's been studying.
This whole evening she had been attempting to crack him and just ended up shattering herself. She needed someone who was emotional, who did not mind her outbursts, who would coddle her and look after her as fragile as she could be but understood she was strong. She needed someone who did not demand her obedience, or would lose it and attack her someone who did not get called away by duty of ruling a country or fighting a war. She needed someone who was not Touga, she needed someone like him.