InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ The morning after the night before... ( Chapter 5 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: SplendentGoddess 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.28.2005 | Updated On: 06.11.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 30.5K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.28.2005 | Updated On: 06.11.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 30.5K | Status: Completed
Blanket Disclaimer:
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 5 – The morning after the night before…
Kagome awoke at the persistent nagging of the sun upon her eyelids. She didn’t have the foggiest idea what time it’d been when she and Inuyasha had finally fallen asleep last night, but she was fairly certain that not enough time had yet passed to consider herself fully rested. Nevertheless, the others would be waking soon, if they weren’t already up and about, which meant that it was time to pack up camp and continue in their search. After finally opening her eyes, and adjusting them to her surroundings, she found herself lying upon the soft grass, wrapped in Inuyasha’s fire-rat suikan. How warm that fabric was, in contrast to the cool morning air.
Well duh, fire-rat, she thought to herself.
But where was Inuyasha? She was looking forward to waking in his embrace. The fact that she was currently dressed in his robe, and not at their camp, most certainly proved that last night’s events had not been a dream. Not to mention the definite soreness she still felt between her legs, as well as the fresh mating mark on her neck. Staggering to her feet, she quickly realized how sore her legs themselves were, as well, as she stumbled and lost her balance. A red and white blur suddenly flew in from behind her, then, catching her as she fell forward.
“Oi, Kagome! Are you okay?”
His voice was gruff, but the underlying concern in his words was unmistakable. Smiling a warm, contented smile, Kagome relaxed herself into his embrace.
“There you are. I missed you this morning.” she murmured, as she looked up into the honey gaze she had missed seeing beside her as she woke.
He was already dressed, she noted with a pout, sporting his hakama and white kosode. Gathering her strength, she reluctantly pulled herself back from his embrace, standing under her own power. But as he relinquished his grip on her shoulders, his fire-rat suikan, that she’d been loosely wrapped in, silently fell open, revealing that she was still quite naked. Blushing despite himself, Inuyasha politely tried to look elsewhere, to allow her to dress in private, but was shocked out of his shyness when she proceeded to remove his robe from her shoulders, and hand it to him, without making any effort to hide her bare flesh from his view.
“Here you go.” she said with gratitude in her voice, acting for all the world as though she was not currently giving him an eyeful.
He outstretched his hand slowly, on autopilot, and took his robe from her, all the while keeping his eyes glued to her face, lest she catch his gaze roaming elsewhere. She smiled a small, almost playful smile, as if she knew perfectly well the struggle he was currently experiencing, before she finally turned and headed over towards her pile of clothes.
After all the staring I did yesterday, it’s only fair… she reminded herself, and despite a tiny bit of red adorning her cheeks, Kagome continued to move about, getting dressed right before him, allowing him to watch.
To his credit, Inuyasha was quick on the uptake, and realized soon enough that it was okay to look. She was his mate now, after all. He relished in this, the first time she stood before him completely naked, in broad daylight no less, without screaming and yelling sit. Unconsciously, he began fingering the rosary, as he continued to take in the lovely sight of his beautiful mate. When a fully dressed Kagome finally turned back his way, daring to meet his eyes after her little show, she saw him fingering the beads around his neck, and promptly jumped to conclusions.
She felt her heart drop at the reminder of his subjugation necklace, and began reading way more into his actions than what the unconscious movement had really meant. She was afraid that Inuyasha was wondering why she hadn’t yet removed the subduing beads, wondering if she had any intention of removing them, at all.
The reality of it all was that the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind, and he wasn’t even aware that he was touching his rosary, let alone her thoughts on the subject. From his perspective, he had been enjoying watching her get dressed, and then upon turning to meet his eyes after she was finished, her face had suddenly dropped, to look the most unhappy he had ever seen her.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Inuyasha asked her, shaky uncertainty present in his voice.
The look in her eyes utterly terrified him. It was as if she had suddenly realized she’d done something very, very wrong. She wasn’t regretting last night, was she? He would release her from being his mate, if that’s what she truly wanted. He loved her, and above all else, he wanted to see her happy, even if it wasn’t with him. They would always be mates in the youkai world, and he could never be with another, but that didn’t mean that she, as a human, couldn’t be with a human male, who had no youki to displace his claim. It was against youkai law for mates to be unfaithful, but because of his human heart, his love for her could allow him to choose to ignore her status as his mate, if that’s what she truly wanted. Since when did he give a rat’s ass about youkai laws, anyway? But…he had marked her, and taken her innocence. No other man would ever want her now, even if he did release her. What had he done?
“Kagome?” he voiced quietly in uncertainty.
Walking up to him, she closed the distance between them, and his hanyou ears easily picked up her quiet whisper of “Inuyasha…” that had him bracing for the worst.
“I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad.” she continued, and he felt his own heart drop.
Was this really happening to him?
“I just…I just forgot.” she finished lamely, afraid to meet his eyes, as she reached up and fisted his rosary in both hands, lifting it up over his head.
That was what she had been upset about? He hadn’t even thought of the stupid thing!
Quickly reaching up, he grabbed both of her wrists just as she was about to lift his rosary all the way off, guiding her hands to drop the beads back down around his neck where they belonged, before pulling her into a tight embrace.
Kagome was confused on so many levels. Because she had been avoiding eye contact, she’d missed the look of fear in his eyes as she’d begun her apology, but she did raise her eyes to meet his the moment she felt his hands grab her own, catching the definite look of relief that had flashed through his eyes right before he’d pulled her into a near bone crushing embrace. She was also confused as to why he had prevented her from removing the rosary, something that she’d been sure he couldn’t wait to see go, with an air of ‘good riddance’.
As he continued to hold her as if his very life depended on it, Kagome resolved to worry about her confusion later, as she lifted her arms up to wrap around his back, returning his embrace. She felt him start to relax, then, and dared breaking the ice by quietly voicing his name.
“Inuyasha?” she questioned, the meaning behind her tone painfully clear. She was confused, and scared, and he mentally kicked himself for worrying her so. He was just so relieved.
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again!” he barked through relieved laughter, knowing full well that his comment had only confused her more. “I thought…I thought you were regretting your decision to be my mate.” he explained quietly, adding “Your expression just looked so…you seemed so nervous, and regretful.” He knew he wasn’t very good with words, but she deserved a thorough explanation.
Upon hearing his confession, Kagome relaxed as well, relief pouring from her aura in waves against his youki. “I thought you were angry that I hadn’t removed the rosary.” she confessed this time, adding “I saw you rolling the beads around in your fingers.”
He actually snorted, and tightened his grip on her ever so slightly.
“Hell, I was…I was just thinking how that was the first time I got to see you naked, without getting sat for it.” He chuckled nervously at his confession, and then added “I wasn’t thinking ‘bout removing the damn beads at all, never crossed my mind.”
The two decided then and there that they’d have to learn to be more open and verbal with one another, since they were both so prone to jumping to conclusions, and usually the wrong ones. They were mates now, which was like being married, so clear communication was a must.
“Well…” Kagome asked after a moment, “…Do you want me to remove it?”
“The rosary?” he asked, “Nah, leave it where it is.”
“Inuyasha?”
“Keh, just don’t abuse the thing.” he joked, adding “But I suppose I deserve it, sometimes.”
She still protested, saying that it didn’t feel right, that she shouldn’t do that to him if they were mates, but a simple “then don’t” was his logical reply. Making Kagome feel better, he reminded her of the few times - it had happened - when her yelling sit had actually saved his life. When she had made him kiss the ground in order to dodge an attack he hadn’t noticed, or when he’d transformed into his full youkai form, and it was necessary to subdue him, to bring him back to his senses. After he got it through her head that he truly didn’t mind the rosary, she smiled, mumbling that it was, after all, another way in which they were connected.
Changing the subject, Inuyasha surprised Kagome by also apologizing for his absence at her side when she’d first woken.
“You didn’t look up.” he told her with a smile.
When he had woken up, about an hour before her, he’d gotten dressed and taken up residence in a near by tree, in order to survey the land and ensure her safety. He wanted to let her sleep in as long as she needed, knowing her human body would likely be tired after last night’s activities. She also just looked so peaceful, that he didn’t want to wake her, enjoying watching her sleep. Kagome muttered something about not sleeping in as long as she’d needed, making a comment about one of the things she missed about sleeping indoors being curtains. He chuckled at that, being familiar with the window coverings that hung in her room in the future.
Deciding that it was high time they returned to the others, Kagome, without thinking, hopped up onto Inuyasha’s proffered back, an act she instantly regretted. Cringing at the unwanted contact, she hissed in pain, sucking in air between her teeth. This instantly worried her hanyou mate, but she insisted that she was all right, and trying that new communication idea out, she ignored her embarrassment and told him precisely what the problem was. At her explanation, he sat her down gently back upon her feet. He couldn’t ask her to ride on his back if she was still that sore from last night, but they were a fare distance from camp, and it would take too long to walk back, especially with her legs being a little sore, as well. Suddenly, Inuyasha swooped Kagome up bridal style, causing her to squeak in surprise, before relaxing into his embrace. Snuggling against his chest, she wrapped her arms up around his neck, and murmured her thanks, while acknowledging that she was ready any time he was. Agreeing that she was secure enough in his current hold, he smiled down at the precious bundle he held in his arms, before taking off through the woods at top speed.
Arriving back at their campsite, Inuyasha put Kagome down before they entered the clearing, not feeling it necessary to draw any more attention to their arrival. Upon entering their campsite, they found Sango missing, Miroku awake and tending a fire, while Shippo still slept soundly, cuddled against a semi-awake Kirara.
Before either could think of something nonchalant enough to say, Miroku greeted them with a simple “Morning you two.” Then in true lecherous fashion, he added a wink for extra emphases.
“Uhh…morning.” Kagome mumbled behind a blush “Where’s Sango?”
“Gathering water.”
“Good, that means we can make ramen!” bellowed a suddenly starving hanyou. Kagome gawked at him, but she supposed that last night had been a bit of a workout, even for someone with his stamina.
She then promptly lost whatever measure of normality she had been attempting to maintain, as her new mate leaned into her ear, and whispered quietly “Unless you wanna watch me fish again.”
Her face was on fire instantly, which caused Miroku to smirk, wondering what his hanyou friend had whispered to the lovely Kagome to make her cheeks darken so.
But while the monk hadn’t heard Inuyasha’s comment, his whispered words apparently hadn’t been quiet enough for a gradually waking kitsune to miss picking up.
“Fish for breakfast?” he asked, crinkling his nose.
“No Shippo.” Kagome assured him, while giving her mate a glare that only made the hanyou chuckle. Shaking her head, with an expression that said I give up, she stated with a smile “We’re just gonna do ramen this morning.”
“Can I have some pocky then?”
“Not for breakfast.”
“But…”
“Feh, she said no, brat!”
“I didn’t ask you!”
“Nice to see things are back to normal.” chuckled Miroku
“Feh! What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Why, nothing, nothing at all.”
Inuyasha was about ready to wipe that smirk right off the houshi’s face, but was thankfully interrupted by Sango’s return.
“You guys ready to eat?” the taijiya asked, as she poured some water into a pot for boiling.
“Keh, of course!” rejoiced Inuyasha, as he started digging through Kagome’s bag for the containers of ramen.
Sango noticed Kagome didn’t seem to mind the fact that Inuyasha was digging through her stuff, which had always seemed to bother her in the past, considering that she had private stuff in that bad, including bras, panties, etc. She figured that things were different now, now that the two of them were mates. Sango had also noticed the bite mark on Kagome's neck, which was plainly visible thanks to the tank top she currently wore, so she was relieved to realize that their friends apparently didn’t plan on hiding what had transpired between them. Inuyasha then proceeded to draw even more attention to his knew relationship with their miko, when upon her simple statement to the world that she needed to get changed, he proceeded to dig through her bag once more, handing her a complete school uniform, including said bra and panties. She didn’t scream, she didn’t blush, and she didn’t sit him. Instead, she thanked him, and collected her clothes from his grasp, darting behind one of the largest trees to change.
Inuyasha could feel their eyes upon him, and knew that they had questions. He and Kagome hadn’t discussed whether or not they wanted their new relationship to remain a secret, but the fact of the matter was, he had figured – and he was pretty sure that she had reached the same conclusion – that there was no real way to keep something like that a secret for long. Never mind the fact that Kagome’s mark had been plainly visible, but with the way Shippo was crinkling his nose at him, it was obvious that the kitsune could smell what had transpired. Inuyasha was caught off guard, however, when he was preparing to break the ice on the subject, as Sango suddenly beat him to the punch, with her quiet statement of
“So, it’s true.”
As pointless and illogical as it was, he feigned ignorance. “Keh. What’s true?”
“You know what.” added Miroku, wearing a lecherous grin, and a twinkle in his eye.
“Springtime…” Sango hinted, letting her meaning linger in the air like the scent Shippo could still smell.
Inuyasha’s face disappeared into the red of his suikan at the realization that they were not only aware of he and Kagome, but they were aware of mating season. He didn’t know why he was embarrassed to be discussing his instinctive drive to mate, but then again, this was all still so new, and the looks Miroku kept sending him certainly weren’t helping matters any!
Finally, before Kagome returned, he managed to ask “How did you...?”
“Shippo.” was the unison response, which caused Inuyasha to aim his gaze at said kitsune.
“What?” He tried to look as innocent as possible.
“Well, I think it’s wonderful.” Miroku declared, actually being half serious for once, as he took the boiling water and added it to the ramen cups.
“What’s wonderful?” asked a returning Kagome, dressed in her school uniform.
“Why, the-”
“Weather!” Sango interrupted, before Miroku could get any more lecherous. He was supposed to be a monk, after all!
Kagome looked at them in confusion, while Inuyasha looked at them in a mix of embarrassment and frustration, then shifting his gaze towards his mate, stated simply “They know.”
Kagome did a lovely fire-rat impersonation as she reached her hand up to cover the mark at the junction to her neck and shoulder. Well, she supposed they were bound to find out anyway, and the fact that she hadn’t even thought of trying to conceal her mark must show that on some level, she didn’t want to hide their new relationship. Getting a handle on her embarrassment, she then proceeded to take her ramen cup from an equally blushing Sango, who next passed one to Inuyasha. They all ate their instant noodles in awkward silence, until they suddenly sensed a youkai approach. A youkai Kagome suddenly proclaimed possessed a jewel shard!
They were all grateful for the distraction.
It was only another bear youkai, but it proved a welcome divergence, and after the small, and easily won battle, they all packed up camp, happy they had another shard in their possession, and continued to head out in the direction they were heading the previous day, towards rumors of Naraku’s location.
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Thin gs were pretty much back to normal. Sort of.
Once again, Kagome found herself pushing her stupid bike, not that she would have been able to ride the thing for the time being, even if it hadn’t had a flat. Inuyasha really wished that she hadn’t brought the stupid contraption with her. He missed her riding on his back. As the two started to bicker about it, Inuyasha suddenly flung her heavy backpack up onto the handlebars, and proceeded to knock her hands out of the way, as he began to push her bike.
“Inuyasha?”
“Keh, well, I’m stronger than you, and I can push it faster.”
“Let’s just…let’s just leave it somewhere.” she said after a moment. “I can always come back for it later, on our way back to Kaede’s.”
“That’ll work too.” he readily agreed, as he started looking for a place to hide the thing.
Finding a nice thick brushy area in the forest to hide her bicycle in, he was just about to leave her schoolbooks there too, when she snatched them from his hand, proclaiming that she needed those.
“Feh, whatever.” He smiled at her, which made her smile back. She couldn’t help it; she loved him.
They ended up agreeing on taking turns carrying her backpack, but Inuyasha ended up carrying the weight of it most of the time, as half the times Kagome carried the bag, he ended up carrying Kagome. Not that he minded, though.
Practically every night, for the next two months, Kagome and Inuyasha would sneak off together at night. Well, not so much ‘sneak’ off, since everyone was fully aware of what they were doing. But still, they didn’t announce it to the point of setting up their own separate camp for the entire night, and they also tried, and were usually successful, at returning to the others before sunup.
As the days and nights began to get hotter with summer’s approach, and Inuyasha’s libido finally slowed down, they didn’t wander off every night, but on the nights they stayed at camp, or in a village’s Inn, whatever the case may be, they stayed together, snuggled against each other. It took some convincing to get Inuyasha to allow Shippo to continue to cuddle with Kagome as well, but he knew he was like her own pup to her, and so he eventually caved. The nights from then on, usually, found Kagome held securely in Inuyasha’s arms, with Shippo held tightly in hers.
Again, Sango flashed Miroku the ‘don’t get any ideas’ look.
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IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Once upon a time, this is where the story ended. BUT, I ended up receiving several requests to continue the story, and eventually decided to do just that. I am leaving this a/n in place as a landmark of my accomplishment, of how a five chapter PWP evolved into a one hundred chapter novel of epic proportions. To be perfectly honest, when I first started extending this story, I hadn’t the foggiest idea where it was going. I knew that I had left a lot of loose ends, and focused on those first, like Kagome breaching the subject of being Inuyasha’s mate to her family, and Inuyasha breaching the subject of extending Kagome’s life span. I also knew that I could buy myself time with a “Kouga” incident, and a “Kikyou” incident, and the destruction of Naraku, and so on and so forth. But this story goes WELL beyond the norm, taking us down a road never before traveled, at least not to this extent.
So be prepared to laugh, and cry, and teeter at the edge of your seat. There is action and adventure, blood and gore, romance and hentai and WAFF. Follow Inuyasha and Kagome as they experience the joys and hardships of mated life and parenthood over the next five hundred years. I proudly present to you, my masterpiece that is Mating Season.
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 5 – The morning after the night before…
Kagome awoke at the persistent nagging of the sun upon her eyelids. She didn’t have the foggiest idea what time it’d been when she and Inuyasha had finally fallen asleep last night, but she was fairly certain that not enough time had yet passed to consider herself fully rested. Nevertheless, the others would be waking soon, if they weren’t already up and about, which meant that it was time to pack up camp and continue in their search. After finally opening her eyes, and adjusting them to her surroundings, she found herself lying upon the soft grass, wrapped in Inuyasha’s fire-rat suikan. How warm that fabric was, in contrast to the cool morning air.
Well duh, fire-rat, she thought to herself.
But where was Inuyasha? She was looking forward to waking in his embrace. The fact that she was currently dressed in his robe, and not at their camp, most certainly proved that last night’s events had not been a dream. Not to mention the definite soreness she still felt between her legs, as well as the fresh mating mark on her neck. Staggering to her feet, she quickly realized how sore her legs themselves were, as well, as she stumbled and lost her balance. A red and white blur suddenly flew in from behind her, then, catching her as she fell forward.
“Oi, Kagome! Are you okay?”
His voice was gruff, but the underlying concern in his words was unmistakable. Smiling a warm, contented smile, Kagome relaxed herself into his embrace.
“There you are. I missed you this morning.” she murmured, as she looked up into the honey gaze she had missed seeing beside her as she woke.
He was already dressed, she noted with a pout, sporting his hakama and white kosode. Gathering her strength, she reluctantly pulled herself back from his embrace, standing under her own power. But as he relinquished his grip on her shoulders, his fire-rat suikan, that she’d been loosely wrapped in, silently fell open, revealing that she was still quite naked. Blushing despite himself, Inuyasha politely tried to look elsewhere, to allow her to dress in private, but was shocked out of his shyness when she proceeded to remove his robe from her shoulders, and hand it to him, without making any effort to hide her bare flesh from his view.
“Here you go.” she said with gratitude in her voice, acting for all the world as though she was not currently giving him an eyeful.
He outstretched his hand slowly, on autopilot, and took his robe from her, all the while keeping his eyes glued to her face, lest she catch his gaze roaming elsewhere. She smiled a small, almost playful smile, as if she knew perfectly well the struggle he was currently experiencing, before she finally turned and headed over towards her pile of clothes.
After all the staring I did yesterday, it’s only fair… she reminded herself, and despite a tiny bit of red adorning her cheeks, Kagome continued to move about, getting dressed right before him, allowing him to watch.
To his credit, Inuyasha was quick on the uptake, and realized soon enough that it was okay to look. She was his mate now, after all. He relished in this, the first time she stood before him completely naked, in broad daylight no less, without screaming and yelling sit. Unconsciously, he began fingering the rosary, as he continued to take in the lovely sight of his beautiful mate. When a fully dressed Kagome finally turned back his way, daring to meet his eyes after her little show, she saw him fingering the beads around his neck, and promptly jumped to conclusions.
She felt her heart drop at the reminder of his subjugation necklace, and began reading way more into his actions than what the unconscious movement had really meant. She was afraid that Inuyasha was wondering why she hadn’t yet removed the subduing beads, wondering if she had any intention of removing them, at all.
The reality of it all was that the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind, and he wasn’t even aware that he was touching his rosary, let alone her thoughts on the subject. From his perspective, he had been enjoying watching her get dressed, and then upon turning to meet his eyes after she was finished, her face had suddenly dropped, to look the most unhappy he had ever seen her.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Inuyasha asked her, shaky uncertainty present in his voice.
The look in her eyes utterly terrified him. It was as if she had suddenly realized she’d done something very, very wrong. She wasn’t regretting last night, was she? He would release her from being his mate, if that’s what she truly wanted. He loved her, and above all else, he wanted to see her happy, even if it wasn’t with him. They would always be mates in the youkai world, and he could never be with another, but that didn’t mean that she, as a human, couldn’t be with a human male, who had no youki to displace his claim. It was against youkai law for mates to be unfaithful, but because of his human heart, his love for her could allow him to choose to ignore her status as his mate, if that’s what she truly wanted. Since when did he give a rat’s ass about youkai laws, anyway? But…he had marked her, and taken her innocence. No other man would ever want her now, even if he did release her. What had he done?
“Kagome?” he voiced quietly in uncertainty.
Walking up to him, she closed the distance between them, and his hanyou ears easily picked up her quiet whisper of “Inuyasha…” that had him bracing for the worst.
“I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad.” she continued, and he felt his own heart drop.
Was this really happening to him?
“I just…I just forgot.” she finished lamely, afraid to meet his eyes, as she reached up and fisted his rosary in both hands, lifting it up over his head.
That was what she had been upset about? He hadn’t even thought of the stupid thing!
Quickly reaching up, he grabbed both of her wrists just as she was about to lift his rosary all the way off, guiding her hands to drop the beads back down around his neck where they belonged, before pulling her into a tight embrace.
Kagome was confused on so many levels. Because she had been avoiding eye contact, she’d missed the look of fear in his eyes as she’d begun her apology, but she did raise her eyes to meet his the moment she felt his hands grab her own, catching the definite look of relief that had flashed through his eyes right before he’d pulled her into a near bone crushing embrace. She was also confused as to why he had prevented her from removing the rosary, something that she’d been sure he couldn’t wait to see go, with an air of ‘good riddance’.
As he continued to hold her as if his very life depended on it, Kagome resolved to worry about her confusion later, as she lifted her arms up to wrap around his back, returning his embrace. She felt him start to relax, then, and dared breaking the ice by quietly voicing his name.
“Inuyasha?” she questioned, the meaning behind her tone painfully clear. She was confused, and scared, and he mentally kicked himself for worrying her so. He was just so relieved.
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again!” he barked through relieved laughter, knowing full well that his comment had only confused her more. “I thought…I thought you were regretting your decision to be my mate.” he explained quietly, adding “Your expression just looked so…you seemed so nervous, and regretful.” He knew he wasn’t very good with words, but she deserved a thorough explanation.
Upon hearing his confession, Kagome relaxed as well, relief pouring from her aura in waves against his youki. “I thought you were angry that I hadn’t removed the rosary.” she confessed this time, adding “I saw you rolling the beads around in your fingers.”
He actually snorted, and tightened his grip on her ever so slightly.
“Hell, I was…I was just thinking how that was the first time I got to see you naked, without getting sat for it.” He chuckled nervously at his confession, and then added “I wasn’t thinking ‘bout removing the damn beads at all, never crossed my mind.”
The two decided then and there that they’d have to learn to be more open and verbal with one another, since they were both so prone to jumping to conclusions, and usually the wrong ones. They were mates now, which was like being married, so clear communication was a must.
“Well…” Kagome asked after a moment, “…Do you want me to remove it?”
“The rosary?” he asked, “Nah, leave it where it is.”
“Inuyasha?”
“Keh, just don’t abuse the thing.” he joked, adding “But I suppose I deserve it, sometimes.”
She still protested, saying that it didn’t feel right, that she shouldn’t do that to him if they were mates, but a simple “then don’t” was his logical reply. Making Kagome feel better, he reminded her of the few times - it had happened - when her yelling sit had actually saved his life. When she had made him kiss the ground in order to dodge an attack he hadn’t noticed, or when he’d transformed into his full youkai form, and it was necessary to subdue him, to bring him back to his senses. After he got it through her head that he truly didn’t mind the rosary, she smiled, mumbling that it was, after all, another way in which they were connected.
Changing the subject, Inuyasha surprised Kagome by also apologizing for his absence at her side when she’d first woken.
“You didn’t look up.” he told her with a smile.
When he had woken up, about an hour before her, he’d gotten dressed and taken up residence in a near by tree, in order to survey the land and ensure her safety. He wanted to let her sleep in as long as she needed, knowing her human body would likely be tired after last night’s activities. She also just looked so peaceful, that he didn’t want to wake her, enjoying watching her sleep. Kagome muttered something about not sleeping in as long as she’d needed, making a comment about one of the things she missed about sleeping indoors being curtains. He chuckled at that, being familiar with the window coverings that hung in her room in the future.
Deciding that it was high time they returned to the others, Kagome, without thinking, hopped up onto Inuyasha’s proffered back, an act she instantly regretted. Cringing at the unwanted contact, she hissed in pain, sucking in air between her teeth. This instantly worried her hanyou mate, but she insisted that she was all right, and trying that new communication idea out, she ignored her embarrassment and told him precisely what the problem was. At her explanation, he sat her down gently back upon her feet. He couldn’t ask her to ride on his back if she was still that sore from last night, but they were a fare distance from camp, and it would take too long to walk back, especially with her legs being a little sore, as well. Suddenly, Inuyasha swooped Kagome up bridal style, causing her to squeak in surprise, before relaxing into his embrace. Snuggling against his chest, she wrapped her arms up around his neck, and murmured her thanks, while acknowledging that she was ready any time he was. Agreeing that she was secure enough in his current hold, he smiled down at the precious bundle he held in his arms, before taking off through the woods at top speed.
Arriving back at their campsite, Inuyasha put Kagome down before they entered the clearing, not feeling it necessary to draw any more attention to their arrival. Upon entering their campsite, they found Sango missing, Miroku awake and tending a fire, while Shippo still slept soundly, cuddled against a semi-awake Kirara.
Before either could think of something nonchalant enough to say, Miroku greeted them with a simple “Morning you two.” Then in true lecherous fashion, he added a wink for extra emphases.
“Uhh…morning.” Kagome mumbled behind a blush “Where’s Sango?”
“Gathering water.”
“Good, that means we can make ramen!” bellowed a suddenly starving hanyou. Kagome gawked at him, but she supposed that last night had been a bit of a workout, even for someone with his stamina.
She then promptly lost whatever measure of normality she had been attempting to maintain, as her new mate leaned into her ear, and whispered quietly “Unless you wanna watch me fish again.”
Her face was on fire instantly, which caused Miroku to smirk, wondering what his hanyou friend had whispered to the lovely Kagome to make her cheeks darken so.
But while the monk hadn’t heard Inuyasha’s comment, his whispered words apparently hadn’t been quiet enough for a gradually waking kitsune to miss picking up.
“Fish for breakfast?” he asked, crinkling his nose.
“No Shippo.” Kagome assured him, while giving her mate a glare that only made the hanyou chuckle. Shaking her head, with an expression that said I give up, she stated with a smile “We’re just gonna do ramen this morning.”
“Can I have some pocky then?”
“Not for breakfast.”
“But…”
“Feh, she said no, brat!”
“I didn’t ask you!”
“Nice to see things are back to normal.” chuckled Miroku
“Feh! What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Why, nothing, nothing at all.”
Inuyasha was about ready to wipe that smirk right off the houshi’s face, but was thankfully interrupted by Sango’s return.
“You guys ready to eat?” the taijiya asked, as she poured some water into a pot for boiling.
“Keh, of course!” rejoiced Inuyasha, as he started digging through Kagome’s bag for the containers of ramen.
Sango noticed Kagome didn’t seem to mind the fact that Inuyasha was digging through her stuff, which had always seemed to bother her in the past, considering that she had private stuff in that bad, including bras, panties, etc. She figured that things were different now, now that the two of them were mates. Sango had also noticed the bite mark on Kagome's neck, which was plainly visible thanks to the tank top she currently wore, so she was relieved to realize that their friends apparently didn’t plan on hiding what had transpired between them. Inuyasha then proceeded to draw even more attention to his knew relationship with their miko, when upon her simple statement to the world that she needed to get changed, he proceeded to dig through her bag once more, handing her a complete school uniform, including said bra and panties. She didn’t scream, she didn’t blush, and she didn’t sit him. Instead, she thanked him, and collected her clothes from his grasp, darting behind one of the largest trees to change.
Inuyasha could feel their eyes upon him, and knew that they had questions. He and Kagome hadn’t discussed whether or not they wanted their new relationship to remain a secret, but the fact of the matter was, he had figured – and he was pretty sure that she had reached the same conclusion – that there was no real way to keep something like that a secret for long. Never mind the fact that Kagome’s mark had been plainly visible, but with the way Shippo was crinkling his nose at him, it was obvious that the kitsune could smell what had transpired. Inuyasha was caught off guard, however, when he was preparing to break the ice on the subject, as Sango suddenly beat him to the punch, with her quiet statement of
“So, it’s true.”
As pointless and illogical as it was, he feigned ignorance. “Keh. What’s true?”
“You know what.” added Miroku, wearing a lecherous grin, and a twinkle in his eye.
“Springtime…” Sango hinted, letting her meaning linger in the air like the scent Shippo could still smell.
Inuyasha’s face disappeared into the red of his suikan at the realization that they were not only aware of he and Kagome, but they were aware of mating season. He didn’t know why he was embarrassed to be discussing his instinctive drive to mate, but then again, this was all still so new, and the looks Miroku kept sending him certainly weren’t helping matters any!
Finally, before Kagome returned, he managed to ask “How did you...?”
“Shippo.” was the unison response, which caused Inuyasha to aim his gaze at said kitsune.
“What?” He tried to look as innocent as possible.
“Well, I think it’s wonderful.” Miroku declared, actually being half serious for once, as he took the boiling water and added it to the ramen cups.
“What’s wonderful?” asked a returning Kagome, dressed in her school uniform.
“Why, the-”
“Weather!” Sango interrupted, before Miroku could get any more lecherous. He was supposed to be a monk, after all!
Kagome looked at them in confusion, while Inuyasha looked at them in a mix of embarrassment and frustration, then shifting his gaze towards his mate, stated simply “They know.”
Kagome did a lovely fire-rat impersonation as she reached her hand up to cover the mark at the junction to her neck and shoulder. Well, she supposed they were bound to find out anyway, and the fact that she hadn’t even thought of trying to conceal her mark must show that on some level, she didn’t want to hide their new relationship. Getting a handle on her embarrassment, she then proceeded to take her ramen cup from an equally blushing Sango, who next passed one to Inuyasha. They all ate their instant noodles in awkward silence, until they suddenly sensed a youkai approach. A youkai Kagome suddenly proclaimed possessed a jewel shard!
They were all grateful for the distraction.
It was only another bear youkai, but it proved a welcome divergence, and after the small, and easily won battle, they all packed up camp, happy they had another shard in their possession, and continued to head out in the direction they were heading the previous day, towards rumors of Naraku’s location.
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Thin gs were pretty much back to normal. Sort of.
Once again, Kagome found herself pushing her stupid bike, not that she would have been able to ride the thing for the time being, even if it hadn’t had a flat. Inuyasha really wished that she hadn’t brought the stupid contraption with her. He missed her riding on his back. As the two started to bicker about it, Inuyasha suddenly flung her heavy backpack up onto the handlebars, and proceeded to knock her hands out of the way, as he began to push her bike.
“Inuyasha?”
“Keh, well, I’m stronger than you, and I can push it faster.”
“Let’s just…let’s just leave it somewhere.” she said after a moment. “I can always come back for it later, on our way back to Kaede’s.”
“That’ll work too.” he readily agreed, as he started looking for a place to hide the thing.
Finding a nice thick brushy area in the forest to hide her bicycle in, he was just about to leave her schoolbooks there too, when she snatched them from his hand, proclaiming that she needed those.
“Feh, whatever.” He smiled at her, which made her smile back. She couldn’t help it; she loved him.
They ended up agreeing on taking turns carrying her backpack, but Inuyasha ended up carrying the weight of it most of the time, as half the times Kagome carried the bag, he ended up carrying Kagome. Not that he minded, though.
Practically every night, for the next two months, Kagome and Inuyasha would sneak off together at night. Well, not so much ‘sneak’ off, since everyone was fully aware of what they were doing. But still, they didn’t announce it to the point of setting up their own separate camp for the entire night, and they also tried, and were usually successful, at returning to the others before sunup.
As the days and nights began to get hotter with summer’s approach, and Inuyasha’s libido finally slowed down, they didn’t wander off every night, but on the nights they stayed at camp, or in a village’s Inn, whatever the case may be, they stayed together, snuggled against each other. It took some convincing to get Inuyasha to allow Shippo to continue to cuddle with Kagome as well, but he knew he was like her own pup to her, and so he eventually caved. The nights from then on, usually, found Kagome held securely in Inuyasha’s arms, with Shippo held tightly in hers.
Again, Sango flashed Miroku the ‘don’t get any ideas’ look.
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IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Once upon a time, this is where the story ended. BUT, I ended up receiving several requests to continue the story, and eventually decided to do just that. I am leaving this a/n in place as a landmark of my accomplishment, of how a five chapter PWP evolved into a one hundred chapter novel of epic proportions. To be perfectly honest, when I first started extending this story, I hadn’t the foggiest idea where it was going. I knew that I had left a lot of loose ends, and focused on those first, like Kagome breaching the subject of being Inuyasha’s mate to her family, and Inuyasha breaching the subject of extending Kagome’s life span. I also knew that I could buy myself time with a “Kouga” incident, and a “Kikyou” incident, and the destruction of Naraku, and so on and so forth. But this story goes WELL beyond the norm, taking us down a road never before traveled, at least not to this extent.
So be prepared to laugh, and cry, and teeter at the edge of your seat. There is action and adventure, blood and gore, romance and hentai and WAFF. Follow Inuyasha and Kagome as they experience the joys and hardships of mated life and parenthood over the next five hundred years. I proudly present to you, my masterpiece that is Mating Season.