InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Strength of Bond ❯ Hanyou ( Chapter 5 )

4/19/04-Edited

Warnings: a little citrus

Chapter 5

The sliding sound of the door to the tatami room, alerted the girl inside to the presence of her bonded. She could practically feel the anger radiating off him. Not that she couldn't blame him. After all, yesterday she had run to the safety of her mother's room to avoid him. Tonight she was waiting for him, even if he didn't know it. "Good evening Inuyasha."

The being paused at the door, wondering whether to move into the room or not. Needless to say, he was surprised to find the tatami room set up for his presence. The girl was currently sitting demurely besides a table, where a small bowl of rice, a plate of fish, and two cups of tea rested. Only then did he notice that she was wearing a purple kimono, with silver dragon designs. The obi was a bright silver with purple flowers embroidered into the heavy silk cloth. Her ebony hair was pulled back with a purple flower comb, exposing her face and slender neck. He suddenly felt out of place in what he was wearing.

"I wasn't sure if you would be hungry, so I made some food for you." Kagome smiled. "I didn't know what you liked..."

"Why are you doing this?" Inuyasha asked, his tone rough and temperamental.

Kagome ignored the tone. "Why not? I am your mate. Isn't feeding you, part of being a good bonded partner?"

"Keh." He carefully made his way to the low table, noting the doubled tatami mat beds. He owned his own in his house, and personally found them far more comfortable than those of western style beds. Did she actually put all this up herself? Even after she had been terrified of him only last night? Carefully, he tested the fish with his chopsticks. He was pleased to note how the fish meat separated easily into pieces, and was equally delighted that the taste was exceptional. There was little to no spices, which he preferred, considering he was a dog demon and highly spiced food usually overwhelmed him.

"I take it you liked the food?" Her only answer was the sound of someone quickly eating everything in his path. When silence reigned again, she knew he had finished the meager meal. "I should have made more. Would you like me to retrieve-" she started to stand up, only to feel a hand force her back down.

"I'm fine," he growled out. "And don't you even think that this will avoid the inevitable."

A soft gulp followed before she spoke again. "I'm not trying to delay any-."

An answering snort followed by a soft jerk on her arm, broke off her sentence. She rose slowly, guided by the soft tugging on her arm toward the place she had made the bed. When her bare feet touched the soft blankets, she knelt down onto the bed. His hand left her, leaving her once again blind. "I sure hope this whole blind thing doesn't last longer than the crossing over time. It is ridiculous that I can't see anything."

The rustle of fabric was heard, surprisingly loud in the small confines of the tatami room. "That really bugs you, doesn't it?"

"Yes. I would feel so much better if I knew what you looked like."

"Why? Or are you one of those vain type girls that needs a handsome, human partner... what is the statement women use... ah yes it was 'tall, dark, and handsome.'"

There was a bitter edge to his voice. "I already know you're a hanyou," she stated.

The tension in the air became very thick, and she was positive that if she could see, there would be either pain or anger in the eyes of her bonded. The sharp reply he gave next proved she had struck a cord, "Ah, so you're one of them. The ones that hate the fact that youkai have had off-spring with a human. Perfect, just perfect. When you think the-"

He was cut off by the soft touch of her hand upon his. With wide amber eyes, he watched as she moved toward him in with unsure and unsteady movements. How had she known where he was? His thoughts evaded him as she raised a clawed appendage to herself. Tentatively, she ran her fingers over the larger hand memorizing the texture and size. She could feel the sharp edges of his nails, and the rough, long, calloused fingers. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to 'see' what his hands were like.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice breathless from holding his breath. He was confused and surprised that this slip of a woman was exploring his clawed hand like it was a special treasure. Her touch was so soft, almost as if she worried about hurting him. He would have snorted at that thought, under different circumstances, but right now he was entranced. She had weaved her little `spell' very well.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm seeing you through touch." Her fingers danced along his palm feeling the soft lines that some palm readers would say represented you life and happiness line. "You know, blind people do this all the time," she replied, a hint of sarcasm laced her tone.

"Why?"

"Because they can't see."

"I know that, wench. Why are you trying to `see' my hand?" He sounded irritated, but to the hanyou, he was panicky. This had never happened before. No one had ever voluntarily touched him before. Let alone explore his hands like they were a piece of art.

"You seem to be asking that question a lot," she replied, a soft amused smile on her face. "My reply to that, however, is: Why not?" She felt him pull his hand from her grasp, shifting away from her. It had been a gentle pull, almost like he hadn't wanted to take back his hand. Either that or he was worried that too much force would hurt her. Still she smiled at his cute and boyish ways. Who ever thought this dominating individual would be so shy about a simple hand holding?

"You know, I had been hoping you wouldn't find out I was a hanyou until after the crossing. That way we both would be able to live another day, and not die because of prejudice actions and opinions."

Kagome crawled over to him, following the sound of his voice. It was a difficult task in the kimono, and quite uncomfortable since crawling isn't really an acceptable form of movement. The fact that the silk folds slipped under her knees, did nothing to help her in her journey. Not to mention that she kept sitting on the sleeves of the kimono each time she stopped. Nonetheless, it appeared that the hanyou wasn't moving from his current spot, making it easier for her to find him, as she could hear his breathing become louder.

She reached him in less than two normal walking strides- which took her a good five minutes of crawling, stumbling, and resting phases. She reached out her hand to run across a heavy, scratchy like material that covered his back. It was almost like a wool fabric, yet a thicker weave and texture. She decided to ponder that later, as she ran a hand up his back, feeling the course material below her fingertips.

She heard his quick intake of breath, as her hand slid higher up to reach his left shoulder. She gave it a soft squeeze before saying in a soft voice, "I don't see how you being hanyou matters. It doesn't bother me. It could never bother me. It's part of who you are, and as your bonded I accept everything you are." She brought her head to rest against his back, wrapping her arms around his upper body. "Though I have to admit that I've never encountered a hanyou before. I guess you could say that I am curious to know what you look like." She rubbed her nose against the rough cloth, breathing in a soft scent of tree bark, leaves, and frosty water. "If you're hands are any indication of how unique you are, I wouldn't mind exploring the rest of you." Her cheeks heated at the last statement, but it had the affect she wanted.

Inuyasha shifted around, lifting her arms slightly so that he could face his bonded. He would never admit this outloud, but she did look incredibly beautiful in the kimono, with her head down in a `demure' fashion. The shadows of the room melted her in and out of existence, almost like it was afraid to release its hold on her. Personally, he preferred moonlight streaming in from her window to highlight her soft features, but this utter darkness was just as good. He licked his dry lips and said in a husky whisper, "You already know what most of me feels like. Unless, you need a strong refresher?"

Kagome's face could have been described as a sunburn, if there had been adequate light. However, even Inuyasha's eyes could not see the contrasting colors upon her skin in this dark abyss. When she released her arms from his, he caught them in his before she could escape him. He could hear the change in her heart beat as it picked up in pace. He could smell the change in her scent, as well, from the small action of his. The spicy tingling smell enticed him, and he smiled in spite of himself. If he didn't take her soon, he might actually hurt her in his rush for completion.

"Inuyasha?"

"Hmm?"

"Where did you get those flowers from, yesterday?" She wanted to draw his attention away from where the conversation had been heading. She wasn't ready to do the verbal foreplay just yet.

Inuyasha's smile widened and he chuckled in spite of himself. "Oh, there's a green house behind my family's home." He decided not to elaborate that the green house actually belonged to his older brother. He also didn't elaborate that they had been his brother's favorite cross. Nor did he mention that he destroyed one entire bush for the petals. His brother would be finding out soon, though, and Inuyasha wasn't too eager to go home in the morning.

His older brother, Sesshoumaru, was a full Inu-youkai, who didn't care much for his little brother. At least when other people were around. Sesshoumaru was one of the High Counsel members, and therefore had a great responsibility to his people and his family. He may say in his coldest voice that he will kill his younger brother, but in truth they had never harmed each other seriously enough to cause worry. Sure a few holes here and there and maybe a missing limb occasionally were dangerous for humans, but for youkai it was `rough' housing.

"Can I touch your face?"

Inuyasha blinked at her. He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts and returned to focus on the reason he was here. Well it wasn't a reason anymore to him. More of a person now, than what he used to think as an obligation. "Keh."

Kagome smiled, as he lifted her hands with his own to his face. Carefully, she rested them upon his forehead before she gently dragged the pads of her fingertips over his face. She graced over his strong eyebrows, which she suspected were usually drawn in a hard scowl of concentration. She smiled slightly, as she flitted over his eyes, which closed at her questing fingers, noting the fullness of his eyelashes. His nose was smooth and slightly pointed, much like those bred of an aristocratic nature. She could picture him being arrogant and haughty, as she'd `seen' him play that part before. She also felt his high cheek bones, almost suggesting a more feminine look about him. Lastly, she trailed over his smooth chin and lips.

Inuyasha peered at the girl through slitted eyes, gauging the reactions that she had over each new discovery. Even if he didn't know better, he would have thought she was trying to decipher his entire character and being by the shape and contours of his face. He saw a soft frown touch her lips, when she seemed to concentrate on his mouth with her hands. As the fingers drifted down to his chin again, his eyes closed feeling the sensations of her flittering caresses. The touch of her mouth upon his lips, brought him back to reality in a flash, his eyes snapping open. With a soft gasp of surprise, he felt her tongue slip between the folds of skin and into the recesses of his mouth.

She flicked her tongue over the large canines in his mouth, now realizing that her hanyou had fangs. Truly a vampire. She carefully explored them, a smile pressing against his mouth by her discovery. Before she could explore them more, and possibly cut herself with their sharp points, his tongue had grazed her own. With a soft moan she surrendered into war, as the two of them battled for dominance. A heady fog clouded her vision as she focused purely on the battle she was quickly losing.

They finally pulled away from the kiss, catching their breaths, after a moment. In that time, the two of them had pulled each other as close as possible, while still remaining as two separate entities. Inuyasha recovered first from the kiss, and he leaned forward again, dragging a clawed hand to her chin to hold. He trailed hot, but soft nibbling kisses along her jaw, making his way towards her ear.

--------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Added: 4/19/04

Translation and Pronunciation Guide:

Kimono- (key-mow-noh) A type of dress. There are many different forms of the kimono, one type addressed in chapter 6.

Obi- (oh-bee) A belt or sash.

Tatami- (tah-tah-me) A mat. Tatami mats are in reality bamboo woven floors mats that many Japanese homes have. Some houses will actually have a special tatami room that may hold their small shrine. No shoes, including slippers, should be worn inside the tatami room. Many homes may even disallow socks and sizes of these rooms may vary depending on the house. Tatami beds are cushions that are easy to fold and put away into a closet. With special covers and blankets, these beds are extremely soft and comfortable. Basically you would sleep only about three to seven inches off the ground. Many traditional Japanese home use these are the bed- but like many things Japan has many modern conveniences as well as the western style beds.

Sesshoumaru- (seh-show-MAH-roo) Cruel curse or circle. Now I'm going to rant because dubbed anime has messed up his name. It is not pronounced seh-SHOW-mah-roo… the `ma' in his name is where the emphasis is placed on the name not the shou… (just my little pet-peeve).

Inu-youkai- (e-new yoh-k-eye) Dog apparition or demon.