InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Collected Works ❯ Suffocate ( Chapter 63 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: LuxKen27 
Written for LJ community mirsan_fics #18, "Possess"
Summary: Miroku reflects on life after Naraku.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.11.2009 | Pages: 1 | Words: 885 | Visits: 736 | Status: Completed
Written for LJ community mirsan_fics #18, "Possess"
Summary: Miroku reflects on life after Naraku.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.11.2009 | Pages: 1 | Words: 885 | Visits: 736 | Status: Completed
Title: Suffocate
Author: LuxKen27
Universe: Late-manga canon (Chapter 558)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Rating: Y
Warnings: Heavy innuendo, copious amounts of angst
Word Length: 750
Summary: Miroku reflects on life after Naraku.
Entry for mirsan_fics #18, “Possess” (1st Place)
Dawn was just beginning to break over the horizon, warm rays of yellow, orange, and rosy pink filling his field of vision. He yawned, shifting slightly, reveling in the feeling of a most welcome weight draped across his chest and shoulders. A gentle breeze wafted by, lifting and bending the blades of grass at his side, stirring through the tendrils of hair that were tangled through one of his hands. He sighed, a tiny smile pulling at the corners of his lips as he drew the inky purple cloth around her, cocooning her.
He never thought he’d live to see this day.
Oh, it was hardly the first time he’d awakened like this, curled up with a woman on a hastily-made pallet…but it wasn’t often that he’d found himself outdoors, and it was exactly never that he’d been with this woman. No, she was the one: worth waiting for, worth sacrificing for, worth dying for.
But now, it was all over.
Naraku was dead.
Kohaku was safe.
The curse of his hand had vanished.
But, instead of celebrating, they were mourning – for three days, they’d sat on the spot of the vanished well, worrying and hoping and wondering about the fate of their friends. For three long, cruel, agonizing days, she’d stared at that piece of barren ground, determined to see it through to the end. He didn’t know which she was anticipating more – a reunion with Inuyasha and Kagome, or a battle with the reconstituted corpse of their enemy.
At the end of their vigil, the well reappeared in blinding shaft of light, and they had their answers. Inuyasha had returned alone – broken, dirty, exhausted. And then it all happened at once: Shippo cried and launched himself into the hanyou’s reluctant embrace; Sesshoumaru turned on quiet feet and left, trailed after by Jaken, Rin, and Kohaku; Sango stood swiftly and moved away in the opposite direction, into the dense forest that once bore their friend’s name.
Free of his curse – his obligations – his fear, Miroku had followed her, holding his staff still against his shoulder, content to rely on his instincts for the first time in a long time.
As he suspected, she was sitting on the edge of a clearing, dipping her feet into a small stream. He stopped short of full approach, studying her with an assessing gaze. She stared into the water, her expression never changing, but he could feel, palpably, the emotions that rolled through her: relief, sadness, anger, guilt.
So much guilt…
He moved closer, and she finally turned, acknowledging his presence, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. “Is it over?” she asked in trembling tones. “Will it ever be over?”
He sat beside her and pulled her into his arms, realizing he couldn’t provide the answers she sought. Instead, he gave her what he could – reassurance, comfort…freedom. Permission to feel the emotions swirling within her, be they good, bad, or ugly. Time seemed to drift away around them; hugs turned into kisses before melting into more heated embraces. Darkness fell over their secluded spot, but neither desired to leave. Unable to face their devastated travelling companions just yet, they instead found solace in each other, reassuring themselves that they were still human and capable of it all – breathing, feeling, looking, touching…experiencing the love long forbidden them by fate.
He hadn’t meant for it to happen this way – humbly, improperly, organically, with only the night stars for cover – but the timing was right. They were finally free of the monster that had long plagued them, the demon which held their hearts and minds in firm grip over the last year and a half. At long last, he could hold this precious woman as he’d always wanted, tell her and show her and shower her with his love, fulfill the promises he’d made and the vows he’d sworn.
And yet, deep within, he still sensed her pain, a force of darkness she fought valiantly to keep at bay. She’d succeeded, to some extent, during the night, but now…
He cupped her face as she rested against his chest, sliding his thumb gently along the crest of her cheek, wiping away the tears that continued to fall, even in sleep. She stirred in response, gathering herself close, pressing her body flush to his, and he could only hope: whatever dark specter lurked over her – or within her – would not forever consume her thoughts or possess her heart.
Author: LuxKen27
Universe: Late-manga canon (Chapter 558)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Rating: Y
Warnings: Heavy innuendo, copious amounts of angst
Word Length: 750
Summary: Miroku reflects on life after Naraku.
Entry for mirsan_fics #18, “Possess” (1st Place)
Disclaimer: The Inuyasha concept, story, and characters are copyright Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media.
~*~
In the haze of early morning, Miroku reflected.Dawn was just beginning to break over the horizon, warm rays of yellow, orange, and rosy pink filling his field of vision. He yawned, shifting slightly, reveling in the feeling of a most welcome weight draped across his chest and shoulders. A gentle breeze wafted by, lifting and bending the blades of grass at his side, stirring through the tendrils of hair that were tangled through one of his hands. He sighed, a tiny smile pulling at the corners of his lips as he drew the inky purple cloth around her, cocooning her.
He never thought he’d live to see this day.
Oh, it was hardly the first time he’d awakened like this, curled up with a woman on a hastily-made pallet…but it wasn’t often that he’d found himself outdoors, and it was exactly never that he’d been with this woman. No, she was the one: worth waiting for, worth sacrificing for, worth dying for.
But now, it was all over.
Naraku was dead.
Kohaku was safe.
The curse of his hand had vanished.
But, instead of celebrating, they were mourning – for three days, they’d sat on the spot of the vanished well, worrying and hoping and wondering about the fate of their friends. For three long, cruel, agonizing days, she’d stared at that piece of barren ground, determined to see it through to the end. He didn’t know which she was anticipating more – a reunion with Inuyasha and Kagome, or a battle with the reconstituted corpse of their enemy.
At the end of their vigil, the well reappeared in blinding shaft of light, and they had their answers. Inuyasha had returned alone – broken, dirty, exhausted. And then it all happened at once: Shippo cried and launched himself into the hanyou’s reluctant embrace; Sesshoumaru turned on quiet feet and left, trailed after by Jaken, Rin, and Kohaku; Sango stood swiftly and moved away in the opposite direction, into the dense forest that once bore their friend’s name.
Free of his curse – his obligations – his fear, Miroku had followed her, holding his staff still against his shoulder, content to rely on his instincts for the first time in a long time.
As he suspected, she was sitting on the edge of a clearing, dipping her feet into a small stream. He stopped short of full approach, studying her with an assessing gaze. She stared into the water, her expression never changing, but he could feel, palpably, the emotions that rolled through her: relief, sadness, anger, guilt.
So much guilt…
He moved closer, and she finally turned, acknowledging his presence, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. “Is it over?” she asked in trembling tones. “Will it ever be over?”
He sat beside her and pulled her into his arms, realizing he couldn’t provide the answers she sought. Instead, he gave her what he could – reassurance, comfort…freedom. Permission to feel the emotions swirling within her, be they good, bad, or ugly. Time seemed to drift away around them; hugs turned into kisses before melting into more heated embraces. Darkness fell over their secluded spot, but neither desired to leave. Unable to face their devastated travelling companions just yet, they instead found solace in each other, reassuring themselves that they were still human and capable of it all – breathing, feeling, looking, touching…experiencing the love long forbidden them by fate.
He hadn’t meant for it to happen this way – humbly, improperly, organically, with only the night stars for cover – but the timing was right. They were finally free of the monster that had long plagued them, the demon which held their hearts and minds in firm grip over the last year and a half. At long last, he could hold this precious woman as he’d always wanted, tell her and show her and shower her with his love, fulfill the promises he’d made and the vows he’d sworn.
And yet, deep within, he still sensed her pain, a force of darkness she fought valiantly to keep at bay. She’d succeeded, to some extent, during the night, but now…
He cupped her face as she rested against his chest, sliding his thumb gently along the crest of her cheek, wiping away the tears that continued to fall, even in sleep. She stirred in response, gathering herself close, pressing her body flush to his, and he could only hope: whatever dark specter lurked over her – or within her – would not forever consume her thoughts or possess her heart.