InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Don't know what you've got 'til it's gone ❯ Conundrum ( Chapter 11 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: RhiannonoftheMoon 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.25.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 4.1K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.25.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 4.1K | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other character created by Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 11 – Conundrum
Inuyasha and Kagome sat side by side in the boughs of a giant maple. She stared at the ground between her feet, eyes distant. He watched her face, waiting for her response. Finally she looked up at him and met his eyes.
“What does it mean, to be marked?” she finally asked.
He blinked, unsure of how to answer. Marking was instinctual to youkai; it wasn’t explained to pups, it was simply understood. He knew that she felt the effects of the marking by her responses to him, so she must be trying to equate it with something familiar or human. Unfortunately, he hadn’t made much of an effort to learn human customs, despite all of the time they had spent together.
He thought back to a ceremony that Kaede performed periodically in the village. Each time Kagome and Sango would get giggly and weepy, there would be feasts and dancing, and the couple around whom all the activity centered would move into the same hut. Pups would follow several months later. He usually made himself scarce during the festivities. Even though the villagers accepted him, he felt out of place. To him, youkai marking was much more meaningful.
“It’s the first step in the mating bond. I think it’s like being married, for youkai,” he said. Her lovely silver eyes widened, sparkling. ‘I could lose myself in her eyes and I wouldn’t even miss me,’ he thought. His gaze traveled down her face to her soft lips. As if aware of his scrutiny, her tongue darted out to wet them, leaving them glistening.
She spoke again, snapping his attention back to her eyes. “But why now? You didn’t even look at me before, let alone talk about marriage.”
‘I’ve always looked,’ he admitted to himself. ‘I hid it from you and I tried to hide it from myself.’ Dismayed, he saw doubt creeping into her expression.
“This wasn’t just to spite Koga, was it?” she couldn’t quite allow herself to believe that what she had wanted so badly was now hers. Did he love her or had his possessive streak gotten the better of him?
“What? No! Don’t be an idiot.” She recoiled slightly and he winced, realizing that he was bungling this, but not sure how to fix it. He had never been good with words. Truth be told, he didn’t really know why he had chosen now to make his move, other than his youkai blood had taken over and made the decision for him. How could he explain this to her when he didn’t understand himself?
“Then why?”
“Kagome-“ he struggled for the right words, then gave up. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers, willing her to understand through their bond what he couldn’t say. As her lips softened and parted, he deepened the kiss, brushing her tongue with his. He slipped a hand under her hair, cradling the back of her head. Letting him support her, she fisted her hands in his haori and pulled his body closer. He trailed kisses down her jaw and throat, pausing over her pulse point to nibble on the tender flesh. She gasped out his name and let her head fall back.
Her scent curled around him, goading him on, but Sango’s warning rang in the back of his mind. With one last kiss in the hollow of her throat, he pulled away.
Kagome’s eyes fluttered open and her hands loosened their grasp. “Don’t… stop,” she breathed, her heart pounding.
He groaned and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her to him, one hand resting on his mark. Just a few more days and they could finish mating. She sighed and rested her head against his chest, feeling the tingling in her limbs subside.
“Uhh, Inuyasha,” she asked quietly, twirling a lock of his hair around her finger.
“Hmmm?” he rumbled and flicked his ears.
“Does this mean you’re going to marry me?”
He jumped, almost knocking them from their perch. “Marry you?”
“Well, you don’t have to sound so disgusted. I was just asking.” She yanked her hand out of hair and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Keh. Youkai don’t get married,” but he sensed her displeasure and his ears flattened.
“Your parents were married,” she pointed out, pouting.
“My mother was human!”
“So am-“
“Wench! No you’re not!” He aghast when he saw tears well in her eyes. “What are you doing? Stop that!”
“You would’ve married Kikyo!” she burst out, dashing the tears out of her eyes with the back of her hand.
He caught her chin, turning her head to face him. When her eyes met his, he spoke, “I marked you, not Kikyo. You are my mate.” He kissed away the new tears that had formed.
“But what if you change your mind?” her chin was quivering and another tear left a silvery track down her cheek. He tenderly brushed it off with his thumb. This wasn’t about marriage, he was certain. It probably wasn’t about Kikyo, either. What could make her doubt him like this?
Kagome gazed into his golden eyes, waiting for his answer and daring him to guess the truth. She had finally gotten what she had wanted for so long, but would he want her when he found out that she couldn’t see the sacred jewel fragments? They all counted on her to find enemy youkai’s shards and her touch purified the shards so that they could collect them. She and Inuyasha wouldn’t have joined forces in the first place if not for her ability to detect the sacred jewel. ‘I have to tell him. He’ll find out eventually. Will he undo the mark?’ She sucked a small piece of lip between her teeth and began to chew on it. On the other hand, their relationship had not been going anywhere until she had changed.
Inuyasha watched in frustration as the uncertainty grew in her face. “Marking is forever.”
“And if we exorcise the fox youkai from my body? What then?”
Inuyasha hesitated for a moment. “Is that what’s been bothering you?”
He hadn’t really thought about that. Only youkai or hanyou could be marked, so what would happen to his mark if she were to become human again? The more he considered it, the angrier he got. He had only just staked his claim and the idea that it could be taken away was infuriating. Marriage was a human convention and didn’t mean that much to youkai. He had no illusions that Koga would respect a marriage. Only marking was certain and humans couldn’t be marked. His eyes narrowed and he pulled her tighter to him, growling. He would not allow her to be taken from him.
Kagome didn’t deny it. It was partly true, anyway, and she couldn’t force herself to confess. ‘Besides, it’s not like I’m blind to the jewel shards. I can smell them. And that jewel shard did purify when I picked it up,’ but the thought rang hollow. It wasn’t in her nature to lie or conceal anything of importance. She slipped her arms around his waist. At least she could enjoy the time she had now.
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Chapter 11 – Conundrum
Inuyasha and Kagome sat side by side in the boughs of a giant maple. She stared at the ground between her feet, eyes distant. He watched her face, waiting for her response. Finally she looked up at him and met his eyes.
“What does it mean, to be marked?” she finally asked.
He blinked, unsure of how to answer. Marking was instinctual to youkai; it wasn’t explained to pups, it was simply understood. He knew that she felt the effects of the marking by her responses to him, so she must be trying to equate it with something familiar or human. Unfortunately, he hadn’t made much of an effort to learn human customs, despite all of the time they had spent together.
He thought back to a ceremony that Kaede performed periodically in the village. Each time Kagome and Sango would get giggly and weepy, there would be feasts and dancing, and the couple around whom all the activity centered would move into the same hut. Pups would follow several months later. He usually made himself scarce during the festivities. Even though the villagers accepted him, he felt out of place. To him, youkai marking was much more meaningful.
“It’s the first step in the mating bond. I think it’s like being married, for youkai,” he said. Her lovely silver eyes widened, sparkling. ‘I could lose myself in her eyes and I wouldn’t even miss me,’ he thought. His gaze traveled down her face to her soft lips. As if aware of his scrutiny, her tongue darted out to wet them, leaving them glistening.
She spoke again, snapping his attention back to her eyes. “But why now? You didn’t even look at me before, let alone talk about marriage.”
‘I’ve always looked,’ he admitted to himself. ‘I hid it from you and I tried to hide it from myself.’ Dismayed, he saw doubt creeping into her expression.
“This wasn’t just to spite Koga, was it?” she couldn’t quite allow herself to believe that what she had wanted so badly was now hers. Did he love her or had his possessive streak gotten the better of him?
“What? No! Don’t be an idiot.” She recoiled slightly and he winced, realizing that he was bungling this, but not sure how to fix it. He had never been good with words. Truth be told, he didn’t really know why he had chosen now to make his move, other than his youkai blood had taken over and made the decision for him. How could he explain this to her when he didn’t understand himself?
“Then why?”
“Kagome-“ he struggled for the right words, then gave up. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers, willing her to understand through their bond what he couldn’t say. As her lips softened and parted, he deepened the kiss, brushing her tongue with his. He slipped a hand under her hair, cradling the back of her head. Letting him support her, she fisted her hands in his haori and pulled his body closer. He trailed kisses down her jaw and throat, pausing over her pulse point to nibble on the tender flesh. She gasped out his name and let her head fall back.
Her scent curled around him, goading him on, but Sango’s warning rang in the back of his mind. With one last kiss in the hollow of her throat, he pulled away.
Kagome’s eyes fluttered open and her hands loosened their grasp. “Don’t… stop,” she breathed, her heart pounding.
He groaned and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her to him, one hand resting on his mark. Just a few more days and they could finish mating. She sighed and rested her head against his chest, feeling the tingling in her limbs subside.
“Uhh, Inuyasha,” she asked quietly, twirling a lock of his hair around her finger.
“Hmmm?” he rumbled and flicked his ears.
“Does this mean you’re going to marry me?”
He jumped, almost knocking them from their perch. “Marry you?”
“Well, you don’t have to sound so disgusted. I was just asking.” She yanked her hand out of hair and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Keh. Youkai don’t get married,” but he sensed her displeasure and his ears flattened.
“Your parents were married,” she pointed out, pouting.
“My mother was human!”
“So am-“
“Wench! No you’re not!” He aghast when he saw tears well in her eyes. “What are you doing? Stop that!”
“You would’ve married Kikyo!” she burst out, dashing the tears out of her eyes with the back of her hand.
He caught her chin, turning her head to face him. When her eyes met his, he spoke, “I marked you, not Kikyo. You are my mate.” He kissed away the new tears that had formed.
“But what if you change your mind?” her chin was quivering and another tear left a silvery track down her cheek. He tenderly brushed it off with his thumb. This wasn’t about marriage, he was certain. It probably wasn’t about Kikyo, either. What could make her doubt him like this?
Kagome gazed into his golden eyes, waiting for his answer and daring him to guess the truth. She had finally gotten what she had wanted for so long, but would he want her when he found out that she couldn’t see the sacred jewel fragments? They all counted on her to find enemy youkai’s shards and her touch purified the shards so that they could collect them. She and Inuyasha wouldn’t have joined forces in the first place if not for her ability to detect the sacred jewel. ‘I have to tell him. He’ll find out eventually. Will he undo the mark?’ She sucked a small piece of lip between her teeth and began to chew on it. On the other hand, their relationship had not been going anywhere until she had changed.
Inuyasha watched in frustration as the uncertainty grew in her face. “Marking is forever.”
“And if we exorcise the fox youkai from my body? What then?”
Inuyasha hesitated for a moment. “Is that what’s been bothering you?”
He hadn’t really thought about that. Only youkai or hanyou could be marked, so what would happen to his mark if she were to become human again? The more he considered it, the angrier he got. He had only just staked his claim and the idea that it could be taken away was infuriating. Marriage was a human convention and didn’t mean that much to youkai. He had no illusions that Koga would respect a marriage. Only marking was certain and humans couldn’t be marked. His eyes narrowed and he pulled her tighter to him, growling. He would not allow her to be taken from him.
Kagome didn’t deny it. It was partly true, anyway, and she couldn’t force herself to confess. ‘Besides, it’s not like I’m blind to the jewel shards. I can smell them. And that jewel shard did purify when I picked it up,’ but the thought rang hollow. It wasn’t in her nature to lie or conceal anything of importance. She slipped her arms around his waist. At least she could enjoy the time she had now.
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