InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Strength of Bond ❯ Yours Mine ( Chapter 18 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N: Another chapter. Sorry for the delay, but my spring break was being snowed in without internet access to come back to school with way too much to do and no time to do it. Well this was done the previous night but I'm putting it up today, enjoy.

Warnings: None. Fluff.

Chapter 18

Dinner was a fiasco that night for many, many reasons. Miroku pushed one too many buttons that had Sango and Inuyasha beating on him. The poor houshi was almost as purple as his Buddhist robes, yet no one at the table felt any sympathy toward him. Sango had a very difficult time from either punching the houshi or death glaring the hanyou for his crude insults. Furthermore, whenever Kagome spoke, Inuyasha made a snide comment which in turn ended with Inuyasha on the floor along side Miroku. Food was anywhere but in the bellies of the inhabitants of their apartment, and the dinning area and kitchen had seen far better days. It was praised heartily by the group when the telephone rang. It disbanded the group in moments, that drew all but the miko away from the apartment.

Currently, Kagome stood by the window of the common room and paced back and forth. She was alone for the first time since coming to this new home. After the rather strained dinner, she welcomed the phone call… that is until the other three house guests were called away for an emergency. They literally left her standing in the room without a single explanation. Now several hours later, nearing midnight, she paced by the door to the flat and the living room window. She had done the dishes and had gone as far as to clean the entire kitchen and entry from its previous combat zone.

A soft lyrical sound filled the room from a small radio, turned on to hopefully remove the sudden quiet of the place. It had helped initially, but now she was more nervous and worried about the missing occupants. She was nervous because she had never been alone in the new place, which was still a rather unfamiliar dwelling to her. Her worry stemmed from how late and delayed the others were. What could have possibly detained the others for… six hours? What if something bad happened to them? Were they hurt or dead? Was she going to be left here alone forever, since no one seemed that they would come to find her?

A sudden warmth spread through her being. It was soothing and calming like when she drank a nice cup of hot chocolate or cider. It was the feeling she got at home when she spent time with her mother and family, just relaxing in the glow of their love and bond. Why did she suddenly feel like what she had been missing had returned? She focused on the warmth, spiraling chills wrapped around her and sealed her into the comfort she wanted. She knew then, what had caused the feeling. She shot immediately to the door and threw it open.

There, in the small hall, stood a wearied Sango, hunched over and using a giant boomerang as a crutch. Beside the tired taiji-ya, stood Miroku, who was also bone tired, but bore a bright smile. They were a welcomed sight to the miko, but they weren't the cause of the warmth she felt. “Okaeri nasai, Miroku-san, Sango-chan.” She opened the door wider, her eyes scanned behind the pair searching for her bonded. Slowly, but surely, she spotted the twitching ears of Inuyasha as he arrived from the stairwell. The others were forgotten as she pushed past them, and with a running jump, she leapt into her bonded's embrace.

Miroku and Sango exchanged glances before staring at the surprised hanyou. How close were those two really? Sure the morning's bathroom affair showed how physically close the bonded were, but that didn't really say much. Soul bonds were not started with the complete spiritual connection, just the beginning. It was up to a bonded pair to build upon it and strengthen it, if they wished to. Many, of course, do build that spiritual, emotional, and physical bond to a much stronger one. Still, it was highly unusual to see a newly mated pair to be… this close. It was almost as if their bond was already supported with other strengths. How close were they, and better yet, did Inuyasha and Kagome even know how close they really were? They glanced at each other, an unspoken conversation passed between them before they gave up and left said hanyou and miko alone in the short hallway.

“Gomen nasai,” Kagome mumbled into the hanyou's shoulder, her feet dangled in the air due to the height.

Inuyasha held her close for a moment, unconsciously filling his lungs with her unique scent. After a moment, he leaned over and lowered her back to her feet. He almost laughed, when her arms refused to release him. “Kagome?” he prodded gently. The girl continued to whisper incoherent apologies into his shoulder. He sighed, annoyed. “Kagome-koi? What's wrong?” Nothing. Apparently talking wasn't going to work, and since they were still not in the privacy of their home, this was certainly not the place to be dealing with the girl's apologies.

He lifted her back up his body, pulled her legs around his waist, and entered the flat. He closed the door, flipped the locking mechanisms into place, and strode off to their bedroom. The other two occupants were, thankfully, not in the hallway to witness the scene, and he quickly made his way to the end of the hall to the bedroom. He entered the room and closed that door behind him. He mentally reminded himself to get a lock the following day, as he made his way to the tatami bed. He lowered her onto the downy softness, and kneeled down in front of her to catch her gaze.

Her arms were still securely wrapped behind his neck, but now he could see her face without her midnight hair hiding it from him. Crystal tears trailed down each cheek, from tightly squeezed eyes, and his heart pinched in pain. Soft sobs punctuated each of her mumbled apologies, and each felt like they stabbed him in the chest every time she broke off in her sentences. His ears flattened, a look of fear on his face. “What did I do now?” he murmured under his breath.

She was still unresponsive to him, as she just continued to say she was sorry. Frustrated he finally snapped, “Nani shiyagaru? What are you sorry for?!”

Apparently that finally got through to her, as her back stiffened and her drooping eyes finally met his. Watery gray-blue eyes met stricken gold. The panic on his face was almost comical, if she was in a better mood, she might have laughed. Her jumbled words paused as she digested what he had just said. Instead of the anger that usually followed when the hanyou cursed, she brushed it aside and said, “For being rude and mean to you. I didn't mean to make you angry. I shouldn't have said all those awful things and then subdue you.”

He rolled his eyes, the thumbs of his hands rubbed softly upon her cheeks, catching the fallen tears. “Don't apologize for something stupid like that. It's not worth your tears, either.” She opened her mouth to rebuttal, but he continued on, “I deserved every insult and face plant today. I was, to put it bluntly, a ketsu. So don't apologize for my faults.” His eyes softened and she nodded her head in reply, the tears dissolving as if they had never been there, except for the puffy red eyes.

“Good.” He smiled slightly, but paused when he realized that there was something still wrong with the girl. “Now, what's really bothering you, Kagome? You acted like I was dead or something.”

Her silence spoke volumes, not to mention the subtle paling of her skin upon her face. Did she really have so little faith in him? Or was it something else? He leaned further down and slid her house-slippers off her feet, followed by her socks. He then massaged each foot. “I see. Do you remember what I told you at the completion of the bond? The part about how we are connected in a way that would allow me to know whether or not you were dead or hurt?”

Her mouth mumbled a yes, her shoulders slumped like a child whose been scolded.

“Well, I guess I forgot to mention that the same thing will happen for you.” He focused his gaze up and caught her own and held it. “See, if I am hurt or dead you will know.”

“Really?”

He pulled his eyes from hers and stared back down at her feet, his eyes barely open. A faint pink blush fluttered upon his cheeks. “Aa. Really, really.”

A relieved sigh came from the girl. “Gomen ne, Inuyasha. I was being silly. Kagome no baka. I had forgotten all about the connection we have. Its just… you were all gone for such a long time that… well, I guess I was a little worried.”

A soft smile tugged on a corner of his mouth. He leaned up and kissed her forehead ever so softly. “Arigato, Koibito.”

“For what?” she asked as he stood and strode over to the closet. Her wide eyes followed him from her spot on the bed to the closet, before he disappeared from her sight. Her heart beat faster. It was moments like these that she lived for. After all, no one else ever had the chance to get this side of inu-hanyou, except her.

“For worrying,” came Inuyasha's voice from the closet.

A soft blush covered her cheeks and a gentle smiled fluttered across her lips. Yeah… no one but her ever got to see this side of him. She hoped that it forever remained that way.

“Speaking of what happened earlier today, what was the deal with you snapping at me?” he called out, snapping her from her thoughts.

Kagome lost her smile and folded her arms. “Well, excuse me, but I don't appreciate you treating me like a piece of property! And in front of my teacher, no less! Then you proceeded to call me names, again! Was it not enough to humiliate me in front of strangers, that you had to go and blemish my reputation with your insinuation of how loose I am?! That's what the so-called `deal' was about!”

“Now wait a damn minute! You are my mate and therefore you do belong to me! And I never insinuated you as loose!” he yelled as he entered back into the room wearing a pair of flannel pajama pants and the kotodama resting on his bare chest. His ears were flattened and his fangs were bared that more than ever, he had the appearance of a rabid dog, minus the foam at the mouth.

She stood from the bed, her face now flushed from anger. Her eyes practically sparked, and her miko aura rose to powerful proportions. “I am not your property!”

Inuyasha snarled and threw his hands up into the air. “You are mated to a youkai! Mates belong to each other. It's a personal possession no one but one's mate can have!” His eyes softened and he lowered his voice into a very dark tone. “You are my mate, therefore you are mine. No one else can tell me what to do with what is mine.”

A strange look crossed his mate's face. “What?!” he snapped.

“You said that mates belong to each other, right?” she asked, slowly. She turned over his words in her mind, finally coming to a rather interesting conclusion. She spoke again, when she noticed the curt nod he bestowed to her question, “Then if I belong to you, then you belong to me?”

“Of course. What's your point, wench?”

A small smile spread across her face. “So I can tell everyone I meet that you are mine and that you belong to me.”

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. Did he really want her to go around telling people he belonged to her? What would the people at work say? Better yet, how would his brother use that bit of information against him? He sighed. “I see your point.”

She grinned and awarded herself the win.

“However, Kagome, it is improper for a female to argue with the male counterpart in youkai relations.”

She blinked. “Large words from you. Do I sense you are beginning to see where I am coming from? I will make a deal with you. I will yield to your decisions in public as long as you don't call me names and treat me like property. Deal?”

“Agreed.”

With a sashaying motion, she slipped off to the closet to change her clothes for bed, while he grumbled to himself at how badly he lost that particular battle. When she returned, he was already tucked into bed. She turned off the lights and settled into the bed next to her mate. The bed shifted and two arms encircled her, and dragged her across the bed into a very warm embrace. She shifted down into a comfortable position and yawned into her pillow. A soft purr from him lulled her to sleep.

A tentative thread of light hovered just beyond the braided cord of their bond. It was the beginning, but it wasn't quite complete yet. One person had the unwavering trust in the other, but one was still not quite ready to give in. As darkness enveloped the pair, the bond glowed for a moment and then disappeared. It was still there, if one looked for it, and it was far thicker than many bonded would have had in such a short time together. When they slipped deeper into their dreams, Inuyasha's arms tightened around his bonded as if to hold the bond between them harder. Kagome, in turn, leaned into the strength and power of his embrace, yielding to him all of herself. In the stillness of the room, he gingerly nipped at her ear and whispered into it an all encompassing, but nevertheless true, one word, “Mine.”

~~~-~~~

The bell for the end of class rang. The girls filed out in hurried motions, each anxious to go home after a long day of lecture and meditation. If one thought regular school was boring, they had never been to one like this. Sure regular school there are teachers and homework to keep one busy paying attention, but in this school imagine having to meditate without falling asleep and listen to the lecture of one teacher for a good eight hours. Murder would be less painful.

“Namigashira-san? Why are you here?” Kagome asked as she exited her classroom, bowing ever so slightly in greeting to Miroku.

Said monk bowed in return. “Inuyasha and Sango-chan are busy at the MSS headquarters filing reports from last nights rouge youkai catch. From what I hear, they have been doing quite a bit of damage control since the youkai last night took out a few buildings.”

She stared wide eyed as she digested that information. This was the first time anyone had said anything about what her mate did for a living. Rouge youkai? What did that mean? And why was Miroku called out to help? Why was she turning up more questions than answers lately? Furthermore, why couldn't anyone tell her any straight forward answer?!

“I am here to escort you home, Kagome-sama.”

She glared at him for a moment debating whether or not to drill the man or not. What did the monk do for a job, anyway? All anyone ever said was that he was a certified houshi… whatever that meant. “All right,” she began after a moment, “Just keep your hands to yourself.”

He held a hand to his heart as if he was wounded. “Kagome-sama, you must believe that I would nev-”

“Save it for someone who believes your lies, Hentai. Come. I want to go to the store before we go back home.”

He sighed. “I'm so misunderstood.”

Kagome lead the way out of the school, before she was guided to a small purple Nissan. A little while later navigating through the never ending traffic jams (which still go on at all hours of the day and night) the pair found themselves parking on the roof of a small supermarket on the way to the apartment. After taking an elevator down from the parking lot on the roof, they were now able to stroll down the small aisles with the largest cart they could find.

“Ramen for dinner?” asked the surprised houshi, as they paused at one section of the store.

“Yes and no. Inuyasha loves ramen and insists on having it at all meals and hours of the day.” She pulled out various ramen packages from the shelf into the small basket filled with the other ingredients for dinner. She eyed the number of packages debating whether or not she should get more of the dehydrated noodles or not.

“Don't you think that is too much, Kagome-sama?”

“You've seen him eat. You tell me?”

Miroku sighed and leaned over and knocked in a few more ramen sets, clearing out the poor supermarket's entire row of ramen. Yeah, he'd seen Inuyasha eat… and he sure was glad the half-breed didn't have a taste for human flesh.

~~~-~~~

Kagome happily placed warm rice into a large bowl and then proceeded to mix in fried salmon flakes for the onigiri. She occasionally glanced over to watch the water and dashi upon the stove to boil for the miso soup. She dusted her wet hands with a smidgen of salt then picked up the rice and salmon to form into triangle shapes, which she then wrapped with dried nori. As she placed one aside, she stirred the warming water of the miso, and checked the main salmon fillets that fried lightly on the other side of the stove. She smiled as she formed the next onigiri, and checked over the various other items that were cooling for dinner: two ramen cups, the rice for the rice bowls, and asparagus stalks.

Miroku was meditating in one of the rooms and attending to paperwork for his job. She had learned more about the houshi in their afternoon and was surprised how versatile his jobs were. He was officially a teacher at the houshi school, Hibari Koutou-gakkou, teaching upper level battle and defense magic. He was part of the Magera Council Historians and currently one of seven houshi being trained to take over the counselor position of houshi in the event that the current owner, Kong Fang, retired, died, or was impeached from the position. On top of all that, he was on call for when battles with rouge youkai needed an added strength or spiritual aid.

She grumbled to herself. In one afternoon she knew more about Miroku than she knew about her own mate. Still, the conversations had allowed her an insight into what her mate actually did as a job. It should have scared her, but it didn't. Maybe by hearing it from the cool and collected monk, she could see that there was some safety assurances now than if her bonded had just blurted it out. Still, she also knew that the bond would allow her to feel if something happened to him. With that factor, she knew she could stand the anxiety and the wait. Was this how wives of cops or military personnel felt when their husbands were away risking their lives? How they had to rely on someone else's word to insure that their loved one was safe and alive? And was this how women's intuition came into play when they just knew that they were okay? The door to the flat opened, and Kagome was pulled forcibly from her thoughts.

Sango, alone, stood in the doorway, covered in some green substance. She had a look of utter disgust on her face, and her nose was scrunched up because of the smell of the substance. It was sticky, like glue, and thick like that of slime or paste. She dragged in her boomerang, nicknamed Hiraikotsu, that was also covered in the green goo. She said a gruff hello, propped the said weapon on the wall, closed the front door, and finally made her way to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Kagome blinked a few times at the place the woman had been. She wondered if she should clean the weapon on the wall, but decided against it. She put down her new onigiri and brushed her hands off. She reached down beneath the sink and carefully pulled out a scent can and sprayed the boomerang down to dilute the acrid smell that came off of it. There was no way she was cleaning up that thing. How did Sango manage to carry it, anyway? It was bigger than her little body, and no doubt weighed a pretty penny. She sighed and turned back to the stove, satisfied that she had at least helped the inhabitants a smidgen by deodorizing the weapon.

She washed her hands again and continued to finish the dinner she had started. She placed in tofu cubes and sliced mushrooms into the boiling water for the miso and allowed it to simmer for a few minutes as she made the final onigiri. She then added in about three tablespoons of miso and allowed the miso to completely dissolve. Satisfied that all pieces of the dinner were now prepared, she proceeded to place the fried salmon filets on a platter in the center of the table. She then filled each rice bowl with fresh rice. On each place setting she put down some asparagus and two or three onigiri. She finally filled small bowls with the miso soup, decorating them with little spring onion rings. She stepped back to admire the spread, when the door finally opened. She glanced at the door to see her bonded slink into the flat.

“Tadaima,” he muttered. Shrugging off his tennis shoes and hanging up his large black leather coat and baseball cap. He wore a comfortable pair of jeans and a dark red t-shirt. He sighed happily to be finally rid of his shoes- which he only wore outside of the apartment or in areas that required shoes.

“Okaeri nasai, Inuyasha,” she greeted and then turned and wondered over to the refrigerator. “What would you like to drink with dinner?”

He turned to look at the girl completely missing her question as he took in the sight of her. A cute checkered apron was wrapped around her waist and she wore a knee-length blue dress. The long sleeves of the dress were pulled up to the elbow so she could cook without hindrance. Her long raven hair was pulled back into a bun, exposing her smooth neck. As she bent slightly into the fridge he took in how the material shifted just so to expose the mark on her shoulder ever so slightly. Unable to stop himself, he moved to her with swift movements, snagged her from behind, and drew her into his chest. His nose buried in her neck and breathed deeply, memorizing her scent again.

“Daijoubu?” she asked, a surprised flush upon her cheeks.

“Aa.”

She smiled. “Are you ready for gohan?”

“Hmmm…” He drew her tighter against his body, reveling in her short pleasured gasps. “Only if you're on the menu.”

A slight cough drew the pair from their intimate greeting to see the leering gaze of Miroku. “Please don't mind me.”

They separated, reluctantly, in an irritated sort of way. Kagome cleared her throat. “So what would you like to drink with dinner, Inuyasha?”

He shrugged his shoulders in an indifferent sort of way and planted him down in a seat at the table. “Anything would be fine.”

Miroku grinned and took a seat as well. “Kagome-sama, I'm sure Inuyasha would rather have you to drink from.”

Inuyasha growled a warning, while Kagome flushed and hurried back to the refrigerator and pulled out some fresh ice tea. She proceeded to poor some into each of the glasses, valiantly trying to ignore the numerous hints and comments coming from Miroku's mouth. She then placed the tea onto the table and moved back to the counter and grabbed two ramen cups and placed them in front of Inuyasha's seat. She then carefully took her seat beside her bonded, farthest from the hentai monk.

Sango strode in a moment later to see the three already seated at the table. One of them appeared rather embarrassed that any redder and a tomato would be jealous. One seemed rather upset and ready to break something preferably someone's neck. The last one seemed to be rather smug with himself, a very lecherous leer upon his face. She sighed and sat down at the table. She paused a moment debating on what to do, then she reached over and smacked Miroku upside the head. “It looks delicious Kagome-chan.”

“What was that for?”

“For being you?”

Kagome smiled. “Arigato, Sango-chan.”

Inuyasha nodded his head and began to devour his two bowls of ramen on top of the main meal. The others just sighed and let the hanyou enjoy his meal. Slowly, the previous tension was dissolved and lively conversations and arguments dominated the previous silence and knowing looks. Everything seemed just perfect then.

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Translation and Pronunciation Guide:

Okaeri nasai- (oh-ky-ree nah-sigh) Basically equivalent to “Welcome home. Hope if was a safe journey.” Only spoken to someone who is entering their own home or dweling.

-Koi- (koh-e) Love.

Shiyagaru- (she-yah-gah-roo) Fuck. Nani Shiyagaru- What the fuck?

Ketsu- (keh-sue) Ass.

Aa- (ah-ah) Yes. Typically only males use this particular phrase.

Koibito- (koh-e-be-toe) Sweetheart, lover.

Onigiri- (oh-knee-gee-ree) Rice balls.

Dashi- (dah-she) Broth, stock.

Miso- (me-soh) Bean paste.

Nori- (noh-ree) Seaweed.

Hibari- (he-bah-ree) Lark.

Hiraikotsu- (he-rye-koh-sue) Come flying skill.

Tadaima- (Ta-die-e-mah) Basically only said when someone is entering their home to announce to the inhabitants that they are home safe and sound.

Daijoubu- (die-joh-boo) Are you okay?

Gohan- (goh-han) Dinner, food, fried rice.