Rumiko Takahashi owns all rights to Inuyasha. Here's to wishing she creates a side story for Inuyasha, or even Sesshomaru. Please? PLEASE.
In the evening of that long and confounding day, Kagome had returned to check up on Inuyasha. He was able to sit up on his own, this time, without feeling as though he would collapse from the pressure engulfing his brain. Before she came, he was also able to take a proper opportunity and observe his room. It was fairly small, with a compact space denoting the characteristics of a storage room. It would have been dark and isolating if not for the window that let in a stream of light.
He managed to catch sight of that sword he had found some time earlier and crawled toward it. He picked it up and held it in the palm of his hands. The weapon was worn out as if its owner used it far too arduously. He released it from its black scabbard and it let out a soft shwing. The hilt had soft cloth coming away at the seams, and the thin blade held grey marks on its back. Yet Inuyasha admired it, because he knew that at its prime, the weapon must have been a force to reckon with.
For a brief moment, the weapon pulsed, and he dropped it in shock. He stared, knowing there was something about the sword which seemed all too familiar. His vision did not waver until he heard Kagome approach.
She found him close to the sword and smiled gently. The gesture tugged at his heart and he made a move to scratch his chest and push the emotion away.
"I see you're feeling well enough to move about," she said.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I heal quick."
"Of course. I just wanted to tell you that dinner is ready in case you're hungry."
His stomach growled its approval and he laughed. "I'm starved."
"Would you like to eat in the main room with me or here?"
"Here's fine," he replied.
With a stiff nod, she left, but quickly returned with a bowl at hand. She gently lay it next to him and stood up.
Inuyasha noticed the tightness of her lips, her face indicating that she was displeased, or worst, upset. He found that he didn't like that look so he told her when she was near the exit, "You don't have to leave."
"Thank you," she croaked, emotion clearly laden on her tongue. She once again left the room, only to return with another tray on hand. She sat close to him, not two feet away. They ate their meals in a strained silence. Inuyasha had nothing to say. Or rather, he had many questions to ask this woman, and the rest of the world, but he didn't know how to strike up a conversation. He never had been very social since humans and demons rejected him at every turn. He had always been labeled an abomination or some other asinine slur, causing him to remain a loner. Not that that was a bad thing; he liked his solitude. But sometimes he caught himself wanting to know what it felt like to be cared for by someone other than his mother. Or even wanted. No one had ever wanted him around before.
Except Kikyou... And this woman.
When he finished his food, he asked for another plate. Kagome quickly nodded her head, eager to feed him some more. He wondered if she wanted to make him fat, that way he would never leave out of laziness, and caught himself smiling. Sounded like a proper plot to enact since her food simply tasted amazing.
Instead of leaving, she offered him her half eaten plate. "Have some of mine," she told him as if this were the most natural occurrence. "I'm already full."
He stared at it, eyebrows raised. Never had anyone offered him a meal, nor had he ever thought to take it. Seemed rather unsanitary, if he wanted to be honest, but he couldn't reject the woman's offer. With a nod, he took her bowl. "Uh, thanks," he mumbled.
Despite his hesitation at first, he was able to slurp the soup with one gulp. He wiped his mouth and gave her the bowl. She set it to the side and rubbed her arm. It became so quiet he could hear villagers walking near the house, conversing with one another. Crickets chirped, and a dog could even be heard barking not too far from them. Ten meters away, to be precise. He knew because the awkward silence forced him to focus on the creatures' whereabouts.
Kagome suddenly cleared her throat. "So..." she said. "How are you doing?"
"I'm okay, I guess. Still don't remember a thing."
"I see," she said. "Would you like me to tell you some things? I know everything there is to know about you."
The thought made him feel uncomfortable. What exactly did that mean? "Ha. Uh, no. Head's still hurting me so even if you were to explain some things, I'd just forget it anyway."
She bit the side of her lip, wanting to object to this, but instead she said, "Okay."
She remained there, waiting for something; perhaps for him to speak and strike up a conversation. He scratched the nape of his neck. "Listen, Kagome. I'm not that much of a talker and-"
Kagome chortled and Inuyasha found himself glaring at her.
"What was that for?"
She covered her mouth, embarrassed and mumbled, "Sorry. Didn't mean to laugh. It's just, the Inuyasha I know talks a lot. At least to me."
"Oh yeah? And what did you two talk about?"
Her cheeks darkened to a rare shade of red, and he wondered if the crimson beneath her skin would flow from her nose. He arched one brow and cleared his throat. With that suggestive look of hers, he had nothing more to say, the breath whooshing from his body as if sucked out by the wind.
She finally managed to say something to fill in the silence, though it did not make things much better. "You and I were very close." Her emphasis on the word "very" made him shift on his cot, the room suddenly becoming too hot.
"I don't know what to say to that."
She chuckled, amused at his discomfort and said, "I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. It's just so weird being next to you with you having no idea who I am." She shrugged. "It's my way of coping with this whole debacle."
"I see."
She continued. "When you regain your memories, you're going to either laugh at all of this or apologize. I'm bettin' on the latter."
He sucked his teeth. "What do I have to apologize to you for?"
She completely sobered, her face now serious and stoney. He gulped. "A number of things. One of them being that you called me by your ex's name."
"Ex?" He had never heard of such a word.
She waved her hand. "It's besides the point."
He humphed. "So where are your friends?"
"Home, with their families."
"And they trust you to be alone with me because..?"
She gave him a deadpan look. "Because you will never hurt me."
It wasn't a threat, Inuyasha somehow knew. She truly believed he would not hurt her. She was right, of course. He wouldn't lay a hand on the human; not unless she threatened to hurt him somehow. Which reminded him. "What's with this necklace you've got on my neck?"
"It has sacred beads. It allows me to, uh..."
"Subjugate me."
"Yeah, I guess."
He scowled. "Doesn't seem like a very nice thing to do to someone you call your husband."
She looked at him with sad, contrite eyes. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I promised I would never do it, but under these circumstances I had no choice. You threatened to run away and in your state, it would not have been a good idea to let you go."
He understood what she meant, but it didn't stop him from sulking. After all, it was rather demeaning and embarrassing having been contained this way.
They sat in the quiet for some time, having nothing further to say, though Kagome's mind swirled. She felt so sad and dejected with Inuyasha. He did not seem very eager to get to know her and find out anything about his past. She comforted herself with hoping this happened because he was still somewhat wounded and recuperating. But another side of her knew that Inuyasha was simply being stubborn; he always had been. The main problem was that during his youth, he had been even more insufferable since mostly all of life's important lessons stemmed from his relationship with her. He had once told her years ago, after she returned from her time in the future, that she had been the reason why he understood what it meant to smile, care for people and even love. He said, and she would never forget this, that they met each other because they were made for one another.
In his current state of mind, how was she to remind him of that without him knowing everything they had gone through? All that transpired led them to where they were as a couple. His memories, all of them, sad and happy, dark and bright; they mattered. She sighed, life weighing heavily on her shoulders. She sat next to her world and he felt nothing. How tragic.
He was sitting with his legs crossed. His eyes were closed and she wondered what he thought; if he was even interested in her. She recalled what it had been like when they first met. Inuyasha had treated her with disgust. But it was only because of what had transpired between he and Kikyou. Perhaps now, with that past forgotten, he found her somewhat attractive?
Hope faded. He didn't know her and surely she looked unkempt and unattractive with how she dressed. She was wearing one of his shirts, after all. A woman of his time didn't dress like this if she wanted to attract a mate.
But Inuyasha had never cared about what she wore when they were married. With a new blush forming, she remembered how much he appreciated her when she wore the least amount of clothing possible.
She missed him so much.
And she would get him back. Amnesia hardly ever remained permanent, as far as she could remember. He had been hit on the head, that was all. He could retain his memories if something, or someone, jerked it back from wherever it was hiding in that white head of his. She knew it to be true and hope surged within her.
Yes, she would get her husband back. Of that she had no doubt.
Kagome patted Inuyasha and he opened one eye. "Are you thirsty?" If he needed anything, she would be at his beck and call. Of course, he didn't need to know that, lest he take advantage of her, the scoundrel.
"Sure," he said. "I'm parched."
She slapped her thigh and stood up. As she walked around him, she managed to get entangled by his blanket and fell. Unfortunately, she landed on Inuyasha with a loud thud, and yelped in his ear.
Inuyasha bit back a moan. He smashed onto his cot when Kagome fell on top of him, and bumped his head. With his luck, he would never get better since this woman wanted nothing more than to bring more damage to his plate. She made a move to scramble away from him, but in the process, elbowed his rib cage and he jumped with an "Oof."
"I'm so sorry, Inuyasha!" she practically squealed, adding insult to injury.
"It's no big," he breathed. "I'm-"
Her scent caught him off guard and he froze.
Kagome smelled like him.
Suddenly, with panic rising, he felt lost, not knowing what to do, except perhaps run.
Yes. He had to leave. Run away. To make sense of this whole disaster. She smelled like him. His scent encompassed her skin, acting like her own. How had he not noticed this before? Perhaps because the whole of this house smelled like him. But when she landed on him, he could tell that his scent permeated her skin, as if it were somehow engrained within her.
If she was his wife, it made sense. If not, what could have caused that smell to remain on her as if they...he...with her?
Kagome jumped away from him, apologizing profusely. He said nothing, too lost in his mind to say a word. His face, he knew, was completely flushed, concentrating on the picture his mind now portrayed. Suddenly, an image appeared of this woman, this Kagome, on top of him, looking down at him with the most beautiful, yet seductive face he had ever encountered. Her gown flowed, yet a gap revealed her collar bone, and beneath it showcased pale skin. Her breast, he thought, appearing somewhat exposed, seemed to arch toward him as if aching for a kiss. He swallowed thickly, the image causing friction to form below his pelvis.
"Inuyasha."
In an instant the image fell away, his raging storm now flaccid.
"Did I hurt you?"
He cleared his throat. "No. I'm okay."
She nodded, then fixed up her clothing. He finally noticed what she was wearing and his mouth dried. The pale shirt she wore seemed rather loose fitted and long, but her legs were displayed, nearly as pale as his hair. The shirt should have been unfeminine, but on her it was nothing short of seductive. He frowned. "What are you wearing?"
She blushed. "Your shirt. Sorry."
Inuyasha wanted to place his shirt as the main culprit of that smell, but her skin gave her away. Somehow his essence was a part of her. The thought made him shiver.
"You smell like me," he told her. "Why?"
She swallowed thickly and her reply came out hoarse. "Because I'm your wife, no matter how long you choose not to believe it."
"Why?"
"Why what?" she whispered.
"Did you marry me."
At that, Kagome became flustered. "I-I... Because, you see, we, uh... We went through a lot together. And, during that time, we fell..." She gulped. "We fell in love."
He eyed her skeptically. Inuyasha could hardly imagine himself ever falling in love. Especially with a human. The only person he'd ever felt affection for was Kikyou and she... Well, she was nowhere to be found. Or was she? He would have to leave to find out the truth of his predicament. Perhaps if he found her, he could understand what was happening to him.
After all, he trusted her.
But he couldn't let this priestess know. Not yet.
Maybe never, if he had his way.
With his mind set, and his former pain dulling, he tolerated her presence, giving her the entertainment she desired for the time being.
And when she left, he would wait till she slept. For in the dark of the night, he would run.