InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ An inu in the hand is worth two in the bush ❯ One-Shot

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

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.


========================




A/N:

I will admit that this scenario is a bit farfetched, but what can I say? I was in the mood for something lemon-lime… Obey Your Thirst!





“Can we stop yet?” Kagome asked, feeling annoyed.

“Iie.” came the abrupt response from the hanyou walking three paces ahead of her, whom neither stopped nor turned his head as he spat his negative answer.

Hmmm, two syllables, wow… Kagome mused darkly, having honestly expected another ‘Feh’.

Inuyasha was not angry with Kagome, merely frustrated. She was in heat, again.

Stupid human females and their monthly fertility cycles! he cursed in his head, wishing her scent didn’t affect him as it did.

It was solely thanks to his hanyou heritage, he was sure. His canine nose enabled him to detect the change in her scent and recognize it for what it was, but it was his human heart that drew him to her when most full-youkai wouldn’t care less about mating with a human. Usually he could find some way to distract himself from dwelling on her delicious odor, and what made it so bad this time around was because they were alone. Miroku’s kazaana had developed another small tear after their latest battle, a natural cause for alarm, to be sure, although the houshi had assured his comrades that he would be fine once Mushin repaired it. Sango wasn’t about to let her beloved go trudging off on his own, unable to defend himself with said kazaana until it was fully healed, and so she had opted to go with him to the shrine where he’d grown up. The pair had been surprised when Shippou had opted to come along as well, since everyone had assumed that the kitsune would have preferred to remain with Kagome and Inuyasha, but then again, given the state of said inu-hanyou’s current grumpiness, perhaps there wasn’t a deep mystery there after all. Shippou would certainly receive fewer bumps on the head from Miroku. The monk and the slayer had admitted their feelings for one another long ago, and as a result, they were no longer suffering from the bottled up emotions that both Inuyasha and Kagome still faced on a near daily basis.

Upon their friends’ departure, Kagome had asked Inuyasha if she could go home for a few days, since they wouldn’t be heading back out until Miroku and Sango were back, anyway. Surprisingly, at least as far as Kagome was concerned, Inuyasha had readily agreed, almost seeming in a hurry to send her back. But it would be faster if he’d just carry her; she didn’t understand why he was walking ahead of her like he currently was. Whenever she tried to shuffle her feet to catch up, he’d pick up his pace as well, never to outrun her, but merely to keep himself at a safe distance ahead. He did it so smoothly one would almost fail to notice, except for Kagome, who knew for a fact that she was currently walking faster than she had been a few minutes earlier. She wondered dryly if he would take off running if she did, but opted not to test that theory, instead slowing her pace back down to something more comfortable.

“Okay.” he finally stated after a while longer, stopping so suddenly that she nearly bumped into him. “We’ll camp here for the night.”

Finally! she thought in relief.

Kagome made quick work of setting up a modest camp; there was only one sleeping roll to set out, after all. All feelings of hostility she may have held towards her companion dissolved the instant she found out there was a hot spring within close proximity to their campsite, which revealed why he had picked that particular location so suddenly. As a show of good faith, to prove she wasn’t upset, she fixed Inuyasha two steaming cups of ramen, handing them to him while sporting a genuine smile. He Keh’d and took the cups, setting one down while diving madly into the other. Kagome had learned long ago to read the subtle gestures her hanyou friend produced, or at least, most of the time. Though she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why he seemed so agitated, she could at least tell that it wasn’t truly directed towards herself. At least, not in the sense of her having done anything wrong to upset him. She didn’t miss the way his eyes had smiled at her in defiance of his mouth when she’d handed him his dinner. So whatever was bothering him, he at least wasn’t angry with her. Kagome had also learned long ago not to press any issues with the hanyou. If confronted, he’d merely bottle everything up, so if she had any chance of him ever telling her what was currently the matter, she knew she had to let him decide to tell her on his own.

“I’m gonna go take my bath now.” she announced suddenly, earning a “Whatever.” in response that was quickly followed by “Take your arrows.”

Kagome smiled at the fact that he was concerned for her safety, even if she knew that if asked, he’d merely say that she needed to protect the jewel shards. Bow and arrows in hand, along with her bathing supplies, Kagome skipped around the few large rocks that blocked their camp’s view of the steaming pool.

Maybe if she bathes, her scent won’t be as strong, he hoped.

Coming into sight of the spring, Kagome marveled at the way the place appeared to be designed especially for her. There was a long, smooth plateau on the far side that inclined and sloped into the pool, hidden from view of the forest beyond by a rather large bush. Boulders encircled the side closer to her, and if she didn’t know any better, she would swear that this pool was man-made. Sighing with relief as she lowered herself into the perfectly heated water, the miko soon found that the interior of the pool at the far end had a smoothed surface within the rock face that was absolutely perfect for reclining against, as she stretched her back and rested her head along the smoothed incline of packed soil. She could fall asleep there. She almost did, too, until a most sudden and abrupt jerk of movement brought her to her senses.

Kagome gasped in surprise as vines shot forth from the large bush resting above her head at the top edge of the incline, wrapping themselves around her upper arms and pulling her out of the water. Roots punched through the earth, wrapping themselves tightly around her kicking legs. In a matter of less than five seconds, Kagome went from relaxing in the soothing spring to being bound by roots and vines that began to prick her skin with stinging thorns. She screamed.

“Inuyasha!”

“Kagome!!!”

The hanyou was there in less than half a second, too terrified by what he saw to feel embarrassment as he drew his sword and swiftly severed the youkai-bush from the ground. Youkai plants like that one were rare, but also weak, which was why neither of them had detected its aura. It practically had none. It was not an animal, but a genuine plant, and very unintelligent, feeding with an instinct similar to that of a Venus Fly Trap, though it was mobile. It had not created this perfect hot spring, but had merely discovered it, and with a base knowledge that water equaled animals, it had known that it’d found a good place to wait for food. The thorns its roots had stuck Kagome with were not poisonous, but designed merely to drain her of her blood. Fortunately, now that the youkai was dead, the thorns were no longer doing their job. However, the bindings still were, as the roots themselves held steadfast, protruding through the soil from deep within, wrapping themselves tightly around Kagome’s legs; legs that had been pinned down spread eagle due to the way she had kicked and thrashed upon first being pulled from the water.

As soon as Inuyasha had slain the youkai, he sheathed his sword and glanced down at Kagome. He immediately wished that he hadn’t, though, as he blushed profusely while quickly looking away and removing his fire-rat suikan to drape across her body.

“Inuyasha…” she started softly, mortified but also extremely grateful. “…arigato.”

“Keh.” he mumbled, still not looking at her, though she was adequately covered up at the moment.

“I…ummm…” he tried to start, fumbling for the right words before finally asking,  “Can you get yourself free?”

Kagome winced, but not from the pain. It was a rather compromising situation, after all. But try as she might, she could not even budge.

“No.” she whispered dejectedly.

“Okay then.” he said stated matter-of-factly, turning abruptly, and kneeling down beside her. He began by moving his suikan off her arms one at a time, while keeping her chest properly covered, snapping the various vines that all still connected her to the deceased shrub’s underground root system. He quickly put the red material back in place on each side after he was done, though granted, it wasn’t really her arms that he was concerned about.

“Maybe umm…” Kagome started after a moment, understanding the situation all too well, “You could leave me Tetsusaiga, and I could cut myself free.” she offered, managing to sit up some now that her upper body had been released, carefully holding his suikan in place as she did so.

“I ain’t leaving you alone again, especially not like this.”

How annoyingly noble. Kagome mentally sighed.

“Then…umm…”

Forgetting whatever it was she was going to say, she merely settled for a whispered “All right then…” similar in fashion to the ‘Okay then’ he himself had uttered not long ago, as she laid herself back down without saying anything further.

If Kagome had been watching him, then she surely would have chuckled at his current appearance, since he honestly seemed to be just as embarrassed as she was at the moment. With the red of his hakama, the white of his kosode, the red of his face, toped by the white of his hair, he looked like a hanyou parfait. Tentatively, he began to pull and break the roots that bound her legs, starting with the lowest ones first, biding his time. Inuyasha moved slowly, assuring he did not further injure her with the thorns that stuck into her delicate skin. In a way, he was thankful for the scent of blood that lingered in the air. It helped to drown out certain other odors. He had been wrong; the bath hadn’t helped.

Yanking back on a rather frustrating root, when it finally snapped his hand inadvertently knocked his robe from where it had lain across her torso, fully exposing her most intimate area to his gaze. He wanted to look away, but found that he couldn’t. Her scent had him completely fixated in that moment.

Kagome had long ago attempted to block out the world around her, but was unable to cease from focusing on her friend’s attentions to her body, and she had succeeded in getting herself mildly aroused as a result. That arousal increased when she felt the suikan get thrown aside, and without even looking, she knew that the exposure to air she could suddenly feel also meant that she was exposed to his gaze. She should have been angry, she should have been humiliated, but despite herself she was neither. She felt her heart rate increase and cursed herself, knowing that he’d be able to hear it.

Inuyasha had succeeded in snapping all but the very last root. In a hypnotic sort of gaze, he leaned closer than what was necessary, as he reached for the offending vegetation, his eyes fixated on another location.

He leaned in closer.

Her body was calling out to his, and he knew it. It was times like these when he hated his youkai half. He could smell the spike in her arousal. He could hear the rapidly increasing tempo of her heart, as well as the shallowness of her breaths. These were all symptoms he found himself experiencing, as well.

He leaned in closer.

Gripping the root that had maneuvered itself around her upper thigh, he relished in the sensation of her flesh under his fingers. He’d tried so desperately up until that moment to not touch her. Fingering the plant between his claws, he slowly pinched, allowing it to snap in twain, finally releasing her. For some reason beyond his comprehension, Kagome did not bolt upright the instant she was freed, but rather, she remained perfectly still, save for her leg, which drifted sideways in its new found freedom of movement, succeeding in opening herself up to his gaze even more.

He leaned in closer…and licked.

Kagome gasped at the sudden and unexpected sensation. Inuyasha panicked.

“Kuso!” he cursed aloud. “Goman-nasai!” he pleaded quickly. “Forgive me, I…I don’t know what came over me, I…”

He quickly scurried himself away from her, turning his back. He was humiliated, but not as badly as he was sure she had to be, and he was terrified of her wrath. He had no business reacting to her in such a way; he had no right to touch her in such a fashion. He was a lowly, filthy hanyou. A disgusting, vile creature, whose only chance at love had come and gone long ago. Maybe, maybe if he had become human, then he would have gotten to experience such things, but not as a hanyou, never as a hanyou. “Forgive me.” he whispered once more.

Kagome’s heart sank in her chest at the sound of his voice; he sounded so broken.

“It’s all right.” she whispered, embarrassed over what she was saying, but also knowing that he needed to hear it nonetheless.

She wouldn’t be angry with him for this. She wouldn’t osuwari him. Kagome knew damn well that she had been aroused, and it had obviously affected him. Sitting up, the miko allowed his robe to drop to her waist, exposing her chest to the air alone since he still had his back to her.

He must not have run away because he still felt he needed to stay, to protect me. Kagome surmised.

“Inuyasha?” she whispered in a questioning manner, saddening more when she saw the way his ears drooped upon his head. Then an idea came to her, though she would have to question her sanity later. Kagome wondered if her plan wasn’t, at least in part, simply due to her body’s desire to feel his touch again, but as much as she suddenly found she wanted this, she believed he likely needed it even more.

“Could you…”

She felt the flames of embarrassment rush to her cheeks, but regardless, she forced herself to continue.

“Could you…do that again?”

He turned to face her then, totally baffled by her words and not even registering the visual of her bare breasts upon his brain still trying to wrap itself around what he’d just heard her ask of him.

“You’re serious?” was the only thing he could think to say, in a very ‘You’ve got to be shitting me’ tone of voice.

“Onegai…” Kagome whispered, her blush intensifying. “I…I want your touch, Inuyasha. I need it.” Her voice revealed her nervousness, but also her honesty.

Shaking his head, not in refusal but merely in denial, he mumbled, “But I’m just a filthy hanyou.”

“You are Inuyasha.” she countered, as if that statement closed the argument, and in reality, it did, as he offered her no further protests. Kagome then proceeded to lay herself back down. Moving his suikan off of her and placing it at her side, she rested fully exposed to him, as she slowly allowed her legs to drift further apart.

Inuyasha knew he should have run away when he’d the chance. He’d been momentarily in control of his own actions, but he’d remained by her side because he wouldn’t in his right mind leave her unprotected in her nakedness. But he also wouldn’t, in his right mind, be leaning in to deeply inhale the direct scent of her arousal, either. She had accepted his action. He couldn’t for the life of him fathom why, but she had. He still knew he should get up and walk away now that she was no longer trapped by those roots, but at the sight of her once again exposed to his hungry gaze, Inuyasha suddenly found that he couldn’t even look away.

He leaned in closer, and licked her again. She gasped in pleasure and raised her hips into him. Absolutely awestruck that he was bringing her this type of pleasure, he took another tentative lick.

“That feels so good…” she moaned.

He smiled. Maybe he wouldn’t get osuwari’d into the next world, after all.

Growing bolder, the hanyou experimentally swirled his tongue around her entire entrance, taking special care to flick it playfully across the nub at the top of her opening. She spread her legs open further, bending them at the knees, and he happily delved his tongue within the core of her heat. It wasn’t long at all before the shy, uncertain hanyou that he had been, became the lust driven inu-youkai that he was now, frantically lapping at the bitch presenting herself before him. Kagome moaned his name and bucked her hips, clinging to her own breasts for lack of anything better to grasp at the moment. A thin layer of sweat beaded across her body, assuring her that she’d be in need of another bath when it was all over.

Inuyasha groaned as he dove into her, relishing in her taste, in her odor, in her very being. Never in his wildest fantasies had he ever imagined himself pleasuring Kagome in such a fashion, and he has had fantasies about her. Several, in fact. But he had never thought that someone as kind and pure hearted as Kagome would ever permit his touch. He knew she cared for him deeply, and he her, but he’d always simply assumed that nothing physical would ever come of it; could ever come of it. Obviously, he had been mistaken. Oh how he wanted to make her his mate, when the time was right, of course. He would have to find the courage to tell her of his feelings, now that hers were as openly exposed to him as her womanhood. Allowing his instincts to control his actions, he lapped at her with the length of his tongue, shaking his head swiftly from side to side. Kagome’s moans grew louder and more frequent. Inuyasha then placed his hands upon her inner thighs, holding her legs steady as they began to quiver and shake beneath him.

Kagome thrashed her head violently, spots of white invading her vision. She could feel the coil within her belly winding tighter and tighter, until…

“Inuyasha!” she cried in passion as she clamped her hands down upon his head, holding him in place as he continued to drive her over the edge, her soul tumbling towards a state of euphoria.

He knew what had happened, and grinning, he stayed his course for a moment longer, not desiring to relinquish his claims of her until he sensed that she could take it no longer. The sound of his name escaping her lips as she climaxed had succeeded in increasing the throbbing he felt in his own erection, and he moaned.

Kagome sat up slowly as she felt Inuyasha gradually pull away, but when she looked up at him, she was relieved to see his eyes looking back down at her with a smile present not only in their amber depths, but also upon the very lips which had just brought her so much pleasure.

“You taste so good, Kagome.” he uttered, nearly a whisper, his own state of arousal not going unnoticed by either of them.

Kagome glanced down and saw the distinctive bulge in his hakama. Well, she knew she loved him, and he clearly had similar feelings for her, so why should they not express their love in the most natural of ways? She was ready, she decided in that moment. Kagome was understandably surprised, then, when his hands gently but firmly gripped hers, to still them, when she began tugging at the ties to his hakama.

“Stop.” she heard him whisper.

“Inuyasha…it’s okay….” she wished to assure him, only to be surprised again, and hurt, by his next words.

“No, it’s not.”

He mentally groaned when he saw the moisture begin to gather within her pools of chocolate, a terrible twinge of rejection suddenly lacing her scent, so he immediately felt he should at least attempt to explain.

“You’re in heat.” he managed to mumble, “You’d get pupped.”

He winced at his own choice of words. Why oh why couldn’t he have just used the human word, pregnant? He just had to go and remind her of what he was, didn’t he? But Kagome wasn’t fazed by his presumed slip of the tongue, as her gaze softened to shine with understanding at his words.

“Things are just too complicated right now.” she heard him continue, and she knew this was one of those rare moments in which he had decided to open up to her, so she knew to remain quiet and let him speak. “I…care about you, Kagome, I really do, but right now, with Naraku out there, and Kikyou…” He whispered that last part, afraid to bring up the name of his former love.

However, Kagome knew that Inuyasha no longer held the strong feelings of love for Kikyou that he once had. She knew that he knew that the Kikyou that walked today was not the same one he had loved in the past; she was not the same one that had died. But the future-born-miko also knew that Inuyasha was honor bound to uphold his vow of protection to the resurrected Kikyou, and he could not simply forget about his responsibilities. Fortunately, Kikyou had long ago ceased speaking of dragging Inuyasha off to Hell with her; she spoke those days of dragging Naraku there, instead. It was Inuyasha’s job to make sure that Naraku didn’t slay her before she had the chance. Kagome understood that. That was why she herself had saved Kikyou when the undead miko had nearly been killed by Naraku’s miasma.

“I understand.” she whispered softly in that moment, not wishing to interrupt his thoughts if he still had more he planned on saying.

Inuyasha looked up to meet her gaze, and saw that her eyes were happy once more. She did understand, and for that, he was relieved.

“I…” he tried to continue, figuring they’d never have a moment like this again, and wishing to make himself perfectly clear to the woman who sat naked before him. “When all this is over and done, I…I want…” He fumbled and started again, “After I slay Naraku, and Kikyou’s soul is finally at rest, would you…that is…”

“I love you.” she suddenly blurted out, and Inuyasha’s eyes grew to the size of saucers at her unexpected words. She secured her smile, and continued. “I understand what you’re trying to say, and I agree. Now’s not the right time for us to be together, like you said, what with Naraku still out there, and Kikyou…” she trailed off, forbidding her eyes to reflect any of the old hurt that the sound of her preincarnation’s name used to inspire. She honestly didn’t hate her. “Kikyou needs to be put to rest before your commitment to her is absolved.” she managed to state, feeling better hearing herself say the words out loud. The way Inuyasha’s smile increased at her show of understanding made her feel even better as well, and then she continued. “But when your duties are fulfilled, yes, I would love to become your mate.” she stated, answering his unasked question.

“Kagome…” he sighed in relief, an unbelievable feeling of love surrounding him, like the warmth of a safety blanket. He leaned in, and kissed her.

Kagome readily returned the kiss, tasting herself on his lips, on his tongue. As the passion grew between them, she wrapped her arms up and around his neck, as he wrapped his arms around her naked back, pressing her more firmly against him. When they finally pulled apart, mostly due to Kagome’s need for air, she chuckled at the look of absolute awe that was present in his eyes.

“What?” she teased, laughing playfully.

“Nothing…” he answered while shaking his head, smiling stupidly as well. “Just never really figured this would happen, that you’d love me. Me, a hanyou.”

“Haven’t I told you before that I love you as a hanyou?” she asked, her voice soft and caring.

“That’s different.” he said, his words playfully argumentative, “I knew you loved me, I just didn’t know you loved me.” The difference in his meaning was clear.

“Well, I do, I love you,” she answered, giggling, and tugging on his kosode. Pulling the white fabric out from where it was tucked into his hakama, she softly whispered, “And I want to pleasure you.”  

Gripping her hands in his own again, he moaned, “Kagome, I…we…we can’t do this. Not right now, anyway…”

“I know, I know…” she soothed, leaning in to kiss his chin, then his neck, then his exposed chest, as she managed to work his kosode loose despite his best efforts to still her hands. “Mating would make the commitment official, and though it’s something we both want, we should wait until after all of those other complications are taken care of.”

She didn’t want to say what was really in the forefront of both of their minds. Kikyou wasn’t so much a complication, just a responsibility. His main concern, she knew, was whether or not he would survive the final battle against Naraku. He didn’t want to mate with her, then go and die, leaving her alone, especially alone with a pup. With her ovulating at the moment, it gave them a very real reason to avoid giving in to their pleasure entirely.

“Besides,” she started, voicing that very concern. “Like you said, I’d get pupped, and I can’t go trekking across all of Nihon with a pup growing inside my belly.”

He nodded. “Naraku would use it against us.” he stated solemnly, even as a little part of him was deeply touched by her use of the word ‘pup’.  

She nodded as well, stating, “I’m sure you’re right, but let’s just not worry about that, okay?”

She then reached down and grabbed his stiffness through the cloth of his hakama, causing his eyes to once again widen to the size of saucers, a look of absolute shock present on his face.

“I know now’s not the right time to consummate our mating, and I don’t plan to. I just want to pleasure you, the same way you pleasured me.”

As the meaning of her words slowly sunk in, Inuyasha felt a flush rise once again to his cheeks. The red tinting of his face was quickly replaced, however, shifting from the red of embarrassment to the red of passion, as she began stroking him through his pants. His breathing labored, and he found himself lying backwards despite his better judgment.

“Kagome…” he moaned again, as she pulled loose the knots holding his hakama in place.

Reaching inside the loosened article, she made quick work of removing his fundoshi next. He gasped loudly at the sensation of her delicate hand gripping his bare flesh, as he found himself unconsciously moving his hips in time with her caress. There had been several times since they’d met that he’d relieved himself of the tension her monthly scent always caused him. But never in all those secret moments of his did the sensations come anywhere near matching what washed through him as he realized that it was her hand that gripped him and not his own. He could feel Kagome tugging down on his hakama, and he raised his hips from the forest floor to assist her, as she slid the article of clothing down his legs, freeing him from their confines completely, as she slid them past his feet. At the same time, he shrugged off his white kosode, which though he’d still worn, had long ago been opened, exposing his full chest and stomach. Now, just like Kagome, he was completely naked, completely exposed. The notion brought forth a feeling of uneasiness.

It’s not like she hadn’t seen him naked before, and truthfully, the concept of nakedness didn’t necessarily bother him all that much. It was simply that he was hanyou, half dog, and in his eyes, he considered himself disgusting. He knew what human males looked like naked. He became one himself once a month, after all. Kagome’s opinion of his hanyou form was the complete opposite of his own, however. While Inuyasha felt himself unworthy of her gaze, of her affections, Kagome felt humbled to be in the presence of someone so flawless. It didn’t bother her in the slightest that the tiny flecks of hair that started just below his navel, traveling down towards a massive collection that rested around his manhood, were white and soft like fur. It didn’t bother her that when she pulled back on his foreskin, exposing the mushroom head of his human-shaped phallus, that his flesh tone was dark red like a canine.

She could tell he felt scrutinized under her gaze, so as she tightened her fingers around his shaft, she leaned herself forward to whisper into his sensitive ears…

“You are beautiful to me, you are perfect, and don’t you ever let yourself think otherwise.”

He tried to nod his understanding, but the sudden blast of pleasure that washed through him in that moment caused him to throw his head back, instead, as he pinched his eyes shut, biting his lower lip to keep from whimpering like a dog. Kagome had lowered her mouth to him.

Never in his wildest fantasies…oh, he said that already. Well, it was true. Never in his fantasies had he ever envisioned either he or Kagome doing this particular act. It wasn’t that his imagination was lacking, it was just that he had attempted to keep his dreams closer to the realm of what he had considered to be reality, finding no point in fantasizing about something he knew could never happen. Showed him what he knew.

As she took him fully within her mouth and throat, his eyes rolled back in his head. To be surrounded by such warmth, such sensations, engulfed in her essence, her love, this was an honor he felt he could never deserve, but he vowed then and there to spend his lifetime trying to earn it, nonetheless. Her delicate hand at the base of his shaft continued to pump him, as his hips continued to thrust in time with her movements, plunging himself within the embrace her delicate mouth offered. She swirled her tongue around his tip, teasing the rim of his foreskin. Pulling his skin taut on her down stroke, she sucked with greater pressure, permitting her blunt human teeth to graze him carefully. With her free hand, she gently massaged his sac, relishing in the feel of his soft fur between her fingers.

She loved this man, the whole man, though a whole man he was not. She was not bothered by the fact that he was half inu-youkai. He’d long ago given up even attempting to hide his canine side, as he whined and whimpered in time with her ministrations. He moaned her name as well, and he moaned it often. Feeling the tightly wound coil within his loins start to buckle from the pressure, he had the notion to warn her what was about to happen, and managed to utter a semi-coherent “Ka…gome…w-wait…I’m…I’m gonna…” before he exploded.

Kagome was not stupid, and had known very well what it was he’d tried to warn her about. It was what she had been striving for. Drinking in everything he gave her, she continued to pump him, awed by the bellowing howl that had erupted from his throat. She had done that; she had given him such pleasure.

Inuyasha shuddered as he felt Kagome swirl her tongue a few last times, cleaning him of the mess he had made. Daring to gaze down at her, what he saw threatened to make the first ever tears of joy moisten his eyes. Kagome was smiling up at him, but it wasn’t as simple as that. Kagome had smiled at him lots of times, but there was a special gleam in her eyes this time that was unmistakable. She was happy, 100% truly, genuinely happy, with nothing lingering in the back of her mind. That speck of darkness Akago had found in her heart those months back was now gone. He had bared his soul to Kagome, and in return, she had offered him her own. She had brought him a pleasure he had never in his life ever believed would ever befall itself upon him, and she was happy to have done it. She was not disgusted by him, but rather, she was in love with him, and he quickly realized that he was in love with her as well. He never used to understand the difference between love, and being in love, but he did now. He had loved Kikyou, but he was in love with Kagome. When he’d heard her yell out that she was in love with him, when he’d rescued her from Akago, he hadn’t wanted to believe he’d understood her meaning. He simply couldn’t fathom how something like that could ever be possible. He still couldn’t, fathom it that was, why someone as pure as his Kagome had chosen to love him, had allowed herself to love him, and to be loved by him in return. It would remain a mystery until the day he died, which if all went according to plan, would not be for a very, very long time.

“Kagome…” he sighed, at a true loss for anything else to say beyond that.

But he didn’t need to speak as far as Kagome was concerned, for his eyes in that moment spoke volumes. They said “I need you - I want you - I love you” and in that same moment, she spoke softly with her own eyes as well, telling him “You are not filthy - You are not disgusting - You are not alone.”

“Kagome, I…” he tried to start then, but upon noticing his fumble for words, Kagome shushed him, muttering, “Shhhh, it’s okay, you don’t have to say anything.”

“I…I want to.” he mumbled, sitting back up as Kagome sat up as well. Neither bothered to reach for their clothing. “I…I just want you to know that I…I…”

Kagome leaned forward, offering him the gentlest of kisses upon his soft lips. He breathed deep, relishing in her scent, in her presence, and as he exhaled, he felt his anxiety leave him with his breath.

“I love you.” he said at last, loud and clear.

“I love you too.” she smiled, reaching up to rub one of his sensitive ears. He leaned into her touch.

“I know…” he chuckled, adding playfully, “I just don’t know why.”