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Of Butterfly Wings

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Future Goals

Kagome closed her eyes as she took comfort in the familiar warmth of Touya's presence. Although she'd calmed down significantly since she'd arrived at Sesshoumaru's manor, she still couldn't shake the feeling of the world crumbling beneath her feet.

She pressed her ear against the center of his chest, taking solace in the sound of his heartbeat.

Given that it was so late in the evening, Sesshoumaru had granted Touya permission to stay the night. He simply took Endeavor's number from him and gave the man a call to inform him of their current situation. She didn't stick around long enough to hear his father's response. Instead she and Touya simply retreated to her new bedroom for the night. Sesshoumaru had granted Touya permission to stay with her provided that they kept the door open at all times and nothing untoward occurred. She didn't think Sesshoumaru had any intention of sending Touya away in the first place, but simply wanted to warn them both to ensure that they didn't cross his boundaries before allowing him to stay the night. So they would respect his wishes.

Kagome curled up next to her significant other. Her body felt heavy and sluggish, yet her mind was still running a mile a minute. The only thing keeping her from breaking down completely was the sound of Touya's heart steadily beating.

None of this felt quite real to her yet. Not the fight with her mother nor suddenly moving into Sesshoumaru's home. Everything felt so surreal. As if she were sleeping and could wake up from this dream at any moment.

"Hey Touya," She nestled herself deeper within the comfort of his embrace. "I think I'll try publishing that manuscript."

That thought kept circling back. With all of the Todoroki siblings encouragement and everything that'd happened tonight, she had the sudden desire to step out of her comfort zone and put her work in the public sphere.

She felt his palm come to rest at the space behind her head, his fingers tangling in her hair as he gave a soft hum of encouragement.

"You still haven't let me read it yet." His tone was teasing but she could tell that he was beginning to get tired. It wouldn't be long before they both fell asleep.

She smiled against his chest, "I'll lend it to you tomorrow."

Sesshoumaru was well aware of her manuscript's secret hiding place. In fact, he'd been the first to find it and gave her many pointers on how to improve the course of her story. He didn't try flattering her ego, but he did give her small tidbits of knowledge to chew on and consider during the entire process. In some ways, it felt as if he wanted her to publish it as well. So knowing him, he would never have left it behind in the Shrine.

She desperately wanted to make writing novels a professional career for herself. It was a passion that she wanted to foster and grow into something productive. She wasn't foolish enough to think that her first book would be a success right off the bat, but she wanted to at least give it a shot. If this didn't pan out then she could always consider going into the editing side of the business. Competitive though it may be, she was confident enough in her skills to make something worthwhile of her passion.

Kagome blinked as a stray thought crossed her mind.

"You know," She started again. "I don't think I ever asked you want you wanted to do after graduation."

She was curious.

He'd already decided against being a pro hero, so did that mean he'd already chosen something else for himself?

Touya held her closer to his heart, "I don't know yet. I've got a few ideas about what I might do but I haven't decided on anything yet." He gave a small snort of laughter, "Although college is off the table for me. I've got no interest in it."

Kagome lifted herself onto her forearms, "Yeah, I can't see you powering through another four years of school. There's a lot of blue collar jobs that have good opportunities you can look into."

It would give him the advantage too in that he could start right out of school and earn more experience directly in the field. The real question was what sort of job he wanted for himself. Working in a field he hated would wear him down. So it'd have to be something that would keep his interest. She couldn't picture him taking up a position working on plumbing systems. Maybe electrical work or construction would be better suited to him?

"New question," He shot her a small grin. She knew that he was only trying to change the subject so she played along, "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?"

Kagome pressed the pad of her foot against the top of his, "The ocean."

Her smile turned sheepish, "I've never actually visited the beach or seen the ocean in person. I've never even visited Kyoto for that matter."

Their mother was extremely restrictive when they were growing up. They were not permitted to do anything deemed 'dangerous' such as amusement parks, roller coasters or even visiting remote locations like mountains or beaches. They were to keep themselves in top condition at all times and obtaining evening a small scratch was worth a three hour lecture. Although now she would no longer need to worry about such things.

Touya rolled to his side, pulling her completely against himself as he did.

"Then we'll go to Fukuoka later. It's supposed to be nice there."

Kagome clutched at the front of his shirt, "That sounds wonderful."

Almost like a dream, really.

She lifted her head just enough to meet his gaze, "Did you really mean what you said the other day?"

She wasn't sure if he'd understand her question and was still debating on whether or not to elaborate when she felt Touya's lips upon her own. It was soft and reassuring, just as he always was.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." His face was flushed in spite of the confidence of his words, "We've still got some time before we graduate but I just want you to know that I do want this to be something more than just a fling."

His true meaning had been left unsaid.

What he wanted was for them to start considering what a future together would look like. Where would they live, what sort of jobs would they hold and even what their goals for the future beyond ten years from now would be. Those were all things that they would need to consider before graduation.

Kagome nestled herself within the warmth of his chest, "You know, I'm glad that things turned out this way." She offered him a wide smile, "If Kikyou hadn't broken off my relationship with Inuyasha, then you and I wouldn't be here right now." Her smile softened, "So I'm glad. I'm glad that I got to meet you the way I did and that I've had the chance to get to know the real you." She tucked herself beneath her chin as sleep slowly started to claim her, "Meeting you is one thing I won't ever regret."
That she could promise.

Touya nestled his cheek against the crown of her head, "When you talk like that it makes it sound like you're gonna die, so stop it." He sounded slightly annoyed yet the sharp uptick in his heartrate belied his true feelings. "For what it's worth, I don't regret it either. Now go to sleep. I can feel you slouching."

Kagome laughed, "I'm not slouching."

Although she likely was, she just didn't want to admit it.

Whatever happened tomorrow, she felt comfort in knowing that she wasn't facing it alone. For tonight, Touya was at her side and he would continue to be there for her in the days to come.

A small smile splayed across her lips.

Tomorrow she would work on getting her book published then afterwards they would focus on Touya's future.

Whatever he chose for himself, she wanted to support him just as he did her.

She could think of no better future than one at his side.