InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ Blood Bond ( Chapter 7 )
[ 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: 01.13.2006 | Updated On: 06.27.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 26.6K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.13.2006 | Updated On: 06.27.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 26.6K | 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.
========================
Chap ter 7 – Blood Bond
As soon as Kagome started heading up the steps of the shrine, she could feel a set of amber eyes upon her. Glancing up, she saw Inuyasha waiting for her at the top of the stairs.
“I’m sorry, that took longer that I thought. The clinic was busy today, and-”
“You never told her?” he interrupted, his question holding an air of disbelief, but no real anger.
“Mama?” Kagome asked, earning a nod from her hanyou mate. “She…she knows…” Kagome fidgeted with her skirt, blushing despite herself.
“She didn’t know much.” he said next, now standing right beside her as he’d leapt down to meet her along the stone walkway. “She didn’t know that it was for life.”
He’d been a little perturbed when, after he’d pulled himself back from their embrace, Mrs. Higurashi had attempted to drill into him the importance of commitment, stating how she wouldn’t tolerate it if he ever broke her baby’s heart. He could understand her position on the subject, he supposed, considering his history with her daughter, but what kind of man did she think he was? Like he would ever leave Kagome now that they were mates! That was when he’d realized that the human woman had no knowledge of inu-youkai customs, and had proceeded to explain a few things, much to Mrs. Higurashi’s relief.
Kagome, meanwhile, was finding a pattern of cracks in the shrine steps incredibly interesting. “Oh, uh…” She didn’t dare let him misunderstand, and think for even one moment that she was ashamed of him, so despite her embarrassment over their topic of conversation, she pushed forward. “It’s just hard, for a girl my age, to talk to her mother about that sort of thing.” she offered, adding “I’m not really old enough to be married in my time, and a lot of girls my age sneak around behind their parents’ backs when it comes to-”
“But that shot of yours was her idea.” he interrupted, as they walked up the steps together, rather slowly, so as to prolong their alone time for this quick conversation.
“I was gonna tell her!” Kagome protested, trying to hide her embarrassment, and failing miserably.
The sight of her squirming and blushing melted away any anger he may have had, as he smiled back at her.
“Well, she knows it’s for life now…I told her.” he stated rather matter-of-factly.
“You and Mama talked about that?” Kagome asked, stopping dead in her tracks.
“You worry too much, I was the one who thought she was about to disown you until she told me she accepted us. You knew she’d approve.” he pointed out.
“It had nothing to do with you being hanyou.” Kagome said, convinced that’s where Inuyasha’s mind had been going at his words of worry over whether or not her mother would disown her. “Just…any girl my age wouldn’t want to talk to her mom about her-”
“Mate.” he finished for her.
“You didn’t use that word did you?” she asked with a groan, not sure how her mother would feel about the idea of them shacking up without a proper wedding.
“Of course I did! You are my mate!”
At this point, Kagome dropped her face into her hands. Mumbling loud enough for him to hear her, she said “Humans don’t just mate and it’s automatically forever…we have a ceremony called-”
“Marriage.” he cut her off again. “I know that, Kagome. Humans get married in my time too, ya know.” he pointed out with a smirk.
She hesitantly lifted her gaze to meet his, and seeing that he wasn’t upset with her, she visibly relaxed.
“Most youkai who take a human mate don’t marry them.” He started, but when he sensed her getting a little sad, he quickly continued. “Even for those species, like inu, who do mate for life, exactly which priest in my time, would be willing to perform such a wedding?”
She had to give him that one; he'd made an excellent point.
“But if you want an official wedding, Kagome...” he continued, “…once you’re of age by your laws…”
He paused when he heard her gasp, and locking eyes with her he saw that she was fighting back tears, although her scent screamed that she was happy, not sad.
“…we could do it here, in your time, with your family, on the night of the new moon.” he finished at last.
Kagome flung herself at him, and it wasn’t until the sound of Mrs. Higurashi clearing her throat, that the two broke away from the embrace.
```````````
Kagome’s mother sent Souta to a friend’s house, and asked Jii-chan that he do some of his cleaning work in the storage shed, so that they could have the house to themselves for the moment. After making her daughter and – she smiled to herself – her son-in-law some tea, she requested that they follower her into the living room, where the three of them proceeded to settle down, Kagome and Inuyasha on the small sofa, with her mother sitting across from them in a chair. She wanted her daughter to feel as physically comfortable as possible, for what she knew was going to be a rather awkward conversation.
She then proceeded to enlighten her daughter regarding the rather unique conversation that she’d had with Inuyasha earlier in the day. She confirmed right away that she’d already suspected that they were sleeping together, and quickly silenced her daughter’s embarrassed sputtering with reassurance that she wasn’t upset. She then reminded Kagome of the other awkward conversation they’d once shared, back when she had first put her daughter on birth control, reiterating that she had trusted her then, and she still trusted her now, to be responsible and mature enough to know what was in her own heart, and act accordingly. The very existence of her prescription was proof that her mother approved of the aspect of a physical relationship between her daughter and the hanyou, wishing only to take the necessary precautions to prevent any accidents while they still faced their very dangerous mission. Teenagers in love will be teenagers in love, after all, and Mrs. Higurashi had held no delusions that, eventually, something was bound to happen between the two of them.
What she hadn’t been aware of, and quickly went on to explain, was how by inu-youkai custom, they take only one mate for life, possibly taking another if their mate dies, but other than that, their bond was stronger than marriage since “divorce” was not an option.
Kagome was quick to assure her mother that she’d known that fact before they’d coupled, that Inuyasha had taken a moment to make sure she’d understood, insisting that she hadn’t stumbled into anything that she would later regret. Mrs. Higurashi smiled at that news, and then proceeded to confess how, earlier that afternoon, she’d shared with Inuyasha her daughter’s childhood dreams of a fairytale wedding. She’d also admitted to the hanyou that a wedding for Kagome had been a long held desire of her own, as well. She would love nothing more than to witness her daughter getting married to the man, or in this case, the hanyou of her dreams. She’d described for Inuyasha the beautiful ceremony that she’d always pictured in her mind, seeing her baby girl all grown up, and had added how getting married when she was grown had always been something that Kagome had talked about when she was a little girl.
It was Inuyasha’s turn to speak, then, as he turned to his mate and admitted that upon her mother’s words, he had conceded to her wishes, stating that he understood the importance the ceremony represented to humans, and that he’d do anything to make Kagome happy. Mrs. Higurashi then spoke up once more, telling Kagome of how she and Inuyasha had also talked about pups. It made Kagome smile and giggle to hear her mother say the word; she said it with an air of amusement, not disgust. Her mother revealed that she was even more approving of Inuyasha now than she had been before, with the knowledge that he was committed to her daughter, unwaveringly, for life, and that he did want a family with her one day, but after their mission was over and the worst danger passed.
In their earlier discussion, Inuyasha had confessed to her mother that he was nervous about having pups, because should anything happen to him, if he weren’t there to protect Kagome…he didn’t want the same thing to happen to his pups that had happened to him. His mother had died of pneumonia, which was fairly common in his time, not having the medicines of Kagome’s century, but it had left him a helpless, frightened child, alone in a world that wanted him dead. He doubted very much that Kagome would fall victim to such a weakness. She was strong, and at least she could always return home should she get sick, where he knew they had better medicines. But still, she could get hurt, or attacked… He wanted children with her more than anything, but feared for what life would be like for said pups, should – the gods forbid - anything ever happen to himself or Kagome. Not that he planned on getting himself killed, mind you, but he at least wanted to offer Kagome the most protection possible, thus also ensuring the protection of his pups, were they guaranteed their mother’s survival throughout the years. He’d confessed that there was a blood binding ritual that he could perform, an optional ceremony that some youkai do to create the ultimate bond with their mates, and in the rare case of one of those mates being a human, the blood-bond would increase the strength and lifespan of said human…by making them part youkai.
As Inuyasha explained all of this a second time, this time to the young woman who sat beside him on the couch, Kagome gasped in surprise at the news of this power of his, and was about to interrupt with a million questions before her mother’s gentle voice asked that she let Inuyasha continue unhindered. He explained to Kagome how his parents hadn’t performed the ritual, because his mother, like most humans, opposed the idea of altering her body. She had no desire to strip herself of her mortality, that which makes a human, human, as she watched her friends and family grow old and die around her. She had said instead, what most humans say, that they accept that they’re mortal; that they don’t want to live forever, and that just to live out their natural lives with their partner will be enough.
When Inuyasha gave his mate a nod to indicate that he was finished speaking, the first thing to fly out of Kagome’s mouth was... “But what about their youkai mate? Don’t they think about how badly it will hurt them, to watch their human mate grow old and die? And what about kids?! Don’t the human partners think about how hard it would be to raise a hanyou on their own, should something happen?” She had to admit, even though she hated to fathom anything bad ever happening to Inuyasha, he certainly raised a good point, especially when you consider where he got his point of reference. But children aside, Kagome couldn’t even fathom how anyone could be okay with the idea of forcing the one they love to watch them grow old and die. To a youkai, a human’s lifespan has got to be like how a human views the lifespan of their pet.
It took her a moment for her own words to sink in, but as soon as she realized that she was talking badly about his mother, she tried to apologize, but paused before beginning when she saw the knowing looks and pleased expressions being passed back and forth between Inuyasha and her mother.
“I knew you’d feel that way.” Mrs. Higurashi confessed quietly, the tears in her eyes more of joy than of sadness.
“Maybe it’s selfish, but is it selfish for the human to want to stay the same, or selfish for the youkai to want to change them?” Inuyasha asked her quietly, needing her to give this matter some serious thought before just blindly agreeing.
Kagome absorbed his question, and admitted to herself that she had to think about that one for a minute. Kikyo had wanted Inuyasha to change, to become human. Wasn’t what they were talking about basically the same thing, only in reverse? But Kikyo’s reasoning was selfish in a different way. Her desire for him to become human didn’t stem from her feelings of love; it was because she’d hoped that purifying his youkai half would also purify the jewel. It was because she’d wanted to be free from her obligations, free to become an ordinary woman, even if it did also mean that as a human, Inuyasha would have become her husband. But the choice was out of a desire to not be shunned, to not allow his youkai half to taint her essence in some way, not because she wanted to share her humanity, share growing old, or other romantic images along those lines. She truly was only thinking about herself. But…what Inuyasha was suggesting, although it had a way to be interpreted as selfish, youkai wanting to change their human mate so that they wouldn’t ever be alone once they grew old and died…isn’t such a desire stemmed from their love of their mate? Wanting to protect them, and keep them from dying? Loving them so much, that they cannot fathom life without them?
“Love is selfish at times…” Kagome began quietly, then when she wasn’t interrupted, she added “And it’s also selfless, giving…”
She let her words trail off for a moment, and smiled to herself as she felt Inuyasha take her hand.
“When one partner gives something of themselves for the other, that other will benefit, right? But is it so wrong that they should, when the other one wants to give what they give?”
He didn’t say anything, but shook his head slowly in the negative, in answer to her question. It wasn’t wrong to benefit when the person making the sacrifice wanted you to benefit from it.
“You’re okay with this?” Kagome asked her mother, not that it would really alter her decision, but still, she didn’t want to make an enemy out of her own mother.
“Of course.” Mrs. Higurashi said with a genuine smile, as a couple more happy tears silently fell.
Kagome looked back up into Inuyasha’s eyes, and placing her free hand over their joined ones, she asked. “What must we do?”
`````````````````
Back on Inuyasha’s side of the well, they walked slowly, side-by-side, back towards Kaede’s village. She still couldn’t believe all the new sensations she was experiencing due to the youkai blood within her body. She wasn’t technically hanyou, but she wasn’t a pure human, either, and though there were no visual changes that any other human would recognize, youkai will be able to smell the difference.
Neither Kagome nor her mother were surprised when Inuyasha insisted on performing the ritual right away. It wasn’t out of any fear that she’d ever change her mind, but more so out of the fear that Naraku stirred within his body. That last rumor two months ago had been a bust, so the bastard was still out there, somewhere. Now she was protected. Now, should anything ever happen to him, he could die knowing that he was still protecting her. Kagome hadn’t objected, since to her, they were already mated for life, they were already bound to each other forever, so she’d just brought a more ‘literal’ sense to the term, was all. Inuyasha had explained that they’d eventually grow old, as being hanyou, he wasn’t immortal, and his blood could only give her what he had, so she would live the life span of a hanyou, which was several centuries. She had smiled, and said that from a human’s point of view, ‘several centuries’ may as well be immortal. Though she could obviously still die, just as he could, in battle, she would no longer be prone to sickness, and all of her senses had increased to near the strength of his own. Besides her eyesight, hearing, smell, and taste, she was physically stronger. She could lift heavier objects, run faster, jump higher, and travel farther without the need for rest.
His youkai blood had not countered her miko abilities, which had been his one and only concern, which he’d voiced before hand, but she had assured him that she was confident that her miko powers would remain, and as it turned out, she was right. But even if they hadn’t, she’d told him in advance that she wouldn’t be upset. It would have been a small price to pay for the reward of spending the next several centuries by his side.
Pausing in his walk as he saw Kagome stop beside him, he watched as she pulled up her sleeve to look at the new mark she bore, this one on her right arm, just above the wrist. Kagome hoped that her friends wouldn’t see the scar and think that she’d tried to commit suicide or something, but she’d just have to make up some injury or another that caused it; something she’d accidentally cut herself on. She quickly pulled herself from her musings, though, when she sensed Inuyasha’s uncertainty regarding her scrutiny of her arm. That was another ability she’d gained through the bond. She could smell (for lack of a better term) the emotions of those around her, and especially Inuyasha’s.
“I’m not regretting anything.” she assured him right away, speaking before he had a chance said a word.
Taking his hand, she pushed his sleeve up to reveal the identical scar on his own arm, the only scar on his entire body, as he naturally healed from any and all injuries. This mark was different, and his youki knew that. Clasping her hand higher on his arm, she pressed their scars together, just as they had pressed their fresh wounds together when he had first created the bond, mixing their blood through the power of his youki. Continuing to hold hands by gripping each other’s right arm just above the wrist, allowing their bonding marks to continue to press against each other, Kagome pulled him in close, and kissed him.
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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Chap ter 7 – Blood Bond
As soon as Kagome started heading up the steps of the shrine, she could feel a set of amber eyes upon her. Glancing up, she saw Inuyasha waiting for her at the top of the stairs.
“I’m sorry, that took longer that I thought. The clinic was busy today, and-”
“You never told her?” he interrupted, his question holding an air of disbelief, but no real anger.
“Mama?” Kagome asked, earning a nod from her hanyou mate. “She…she knows…” Kagome fidgeted with her skirt, blushing despite herself.
“She didn’t know much.” he said next, now standing right beside her as he’d leapt down to meet her along the stone walkway. “She didn’t know that it was for life.”
He’d been a little perturbed when, after he’d pulled himself back from their embrace, Mrs. Higurashi had attempted to drill into him the importance of commitment, stating how she wouldn’t tolerate it if he ever broke her baby’s heart. He could understand her position on the subject, he supposed, considering his history with her daughter, but what kind of man did she think he was? Like he would ever leave Kagome now that they were mates! That was when he’d realized that the human woman had no knowledge of inu-youkai customs, and had proceeded to explain a few things, much to Mrs. Higurashi’s relief.
Kagome, meanwhile, was finding a pattern of cracks in the shrine steps incredibly interesting. “Oh, uh…” She didn’t dare let him misunderstand, and think for even one moment that she was ashamed of him, so despite her embarrassment over their topic of conversation, she pushed forward. “It’s just hard, for a girl my age, to talk to her mother about that sort of thing.” she offered, adding “I’m not really old enough to be married in my time, and a lot of girls my age sneak around behind their parents’ backs when it comes to-”
“But that shot of yours was her idea.” he interrupted, as they walked up the steps together, rather slowly, so as to prolong their alone time for this quick conversation.
“I was gonna tell her!” Kagome protested, trying to hide her embarrassment, and failing miserably.
The sight of her squirming and blushing melted away any anger he may have had, as he smiled back at her.
“Well, she knows it’s for life now…I told her.” he stated rather matter-of-factly.
“You and Mama talked about that?” Kagome asked, stopping dead in her tracks.
“You worry too much, I was the one who thought she was about to disown you until she told me she accepted us. You knew she’d approve.” he pointed out.
“It had nothing to do with you being hanyou.” Kagome said, convinced that’s where Inuyasha’s mind had been going at his words of worry over whether or not her mother would disown her. “Just…any girl my age wouldn’t want to talk to her mom about her-”
“Mate.” he finished for her.
“You didn’t use that word did you?” she asked with a groan, not sure how her mother would feel about the idea of them shacking up without a proper wedding.
“Of course I did! You are my mate!”
At this point, Kagome dropped her face into her hands. Mumbling loud enough for him to hear her, she said “Humans don’t just mate and it’s automatically forever…we have a ceremony called-”
“Marriage.” he cut her off again. “I know that, Kagome. Humans get married in my time too, ya know.” he pointed out with a smirk.
She hesitantly lifted her gaze to meet his, and seeing that he wasn’t upset with her, she visibly relaxed.
“Most youkai who take a human mate don’t marry them.” He started, but when he sensed her getting a little sad, he quickly continued. “Even for those species, like inu, who do mate for life, exactly which priest in my time, would be willing to perform such a wedding?”
She had to give him that one; he'd made an excellent point.
“But if you want an official wedding, Kagome...” he continued, “…once you’re of age by your laws…”
He paused when he heard her gasp, and locking eyes with her he saw that she was fighting back tears, although her scent screamed that she was happy, not sad.
“…we could do it here, in your time, with your family, on the night of the new moon.” he finished at last.
Kagome flung herself at him, and it wasn’t until the sound of Mrs. Higurashi clearing her throat, that the two broke away from the embrace.
```````````
Kagome’s mother sent Souta to a friend’s house, and asked Jii-chan that he do some of his cleaning work in the storage shed, so that they could have the house to themselves for the moment. After making her daughter and – she smiled to herself – her son-in-law some tea, she requested that they follower her into the living room, where the three of them proceeded to settle down, Kagome and Inuyasha on the small sofa, with her mother sitting across from them in a chair. She wanted her daughter to feel as physically comfortable as possible, for what she knew was going to be a rather awkward conversation.
She then proceeded to enlighten her daughter regarding the rather unique conversation that she’d had with Inuyasha earlier in the day. She confirmed right away that she’d already suspected that they were sleeping together, and quickly silenced her daughter’s embarrassed sputtering with reassurance that she wasn’t upset. She then reminded Kagome of the other awkward conversation they’d once shared, back when she had first put her daughter on birth control, reiterating that she had trusted her then, and she still trusted her now, to be responsible and mature enough to know what was in her own heart, and act accordingly. The very existence of her prescription was proof that her mother approved of the aspect of a physical relationship between her daughter and the hanyou, wishing only to take the necessary precautions to prevent any accidents while they still faced their very dangerous mission. Teenagers in love will be teenagers in love, after all, and Mrs. Higurashi had held no delusions that, eventually, something was bound to happen between the two of them.
What she hadn’t been aware of, and quickly went on to explain, was how by inu-youkai custom, they take only one mate for life, possibly taking another if their mate dies, but other than that, their bond was stronger than marriage since “divorce” was not an option.
Kagome was quick to assure her mother that she’d known that fact before they’d coupled, that Inuyasha had taken a moment to make sure she’d understood, insisting that she hadn’t stumbled into anything that she would later regret. Mrs. Higurashi smiled at that news, and then proceeded to confess how, earlier that afternoon, she’d shared with Inuyasha her daughter’s childhood dreams of a fairytale wedding. She’d also admitted to the hanyou that a wedding for Kagome had been a long held desire of her own, as well. She would love nothing more than to witness her daughter getting married to the man, or in this case, the hanyou of her dreams. She’d described for Inuyasha the beautiful ceremony that she’d always pictured in her mind, seeing her baby girl all grown up, and had added how getting married when she was grown had always been something that Kagome had talked about when she was a little girl.
It was Inuyasha’s turn to speak, then, as he turned to his mate and admitted that upon her mother’s words, he had conceded to her wishes, stating that he understood the importance the ceremony represented to humans, and that he’d do anything to make Kagome happy. Mrs. Higurashi then spoke up once more, telling Kagome of how she and Inuyasha had also talked about pups. It made Kagome smile and giggle to hear her mother say the word; she said it with an air of amusement, not disgust. Her mother revealed that she was even more approving of Inuyasha now than she had been before, with the knowledge that he was committed to her daughter, unwaveringly, for life, and that he did want a family with her one day, but after their mission was over and the worst danger passed.
In their earlier discussion, Inuyasha had confessed to her mother that he was nervous about having pups, because should anything happen to him, if he weren’t there to protect Kagome…he didn’t want the same thing to happen to his pups that had happened to him. His mother had died of pneumonia, which was fairly common in his time, not having the medicines of Kagome’s century, but it had left him a helpless, frightened child, alone in a world that wanted him dead. He doubted very much that Kagome would fall victim to such a weakness. She was strong, and at least she could always return home should she get sick, where he knew they had better medicines. But still, she could get hurt, or attacked… He wanted children with her more than anything, but feared for what life would be like for said pups, should – the gods forbid - anything ever happen to himself or Kagome. Not that he planned on getting himself killed, mind you, but he at least wanted to offer Kagome the most protection possible, thus also ensuring the protection of his pups, were they guaranteed their mother’s survival throughout the years. He’d confessed that there was a blood binding ritual that he could perform, an optional ceremony that some youkai do to create the ultimate bond with their mates, and in the rare case of one of those mates being a human, the blood-bond would increase the strength and lifespan of said human…by making them part youkai.
As Inuyasha explained all of this a second time, this time to the young woman who sat beside him on the couch, Kagome gasped in surprise at the news of this power of his, and was about to interrupt with a million questions before her mother’s gentle voice asked that she let Inuyasha continue unhindered. He explained to Kagome how his parents hadn’t performed the ritual, because his mother, like most humans, opposed the idea of altering her body. She had no desire to strip herself of her mortality, that which makes a human, human, as she watched her friends and family grow old and die around her. She had said instead, what most humans say, that they accept that they’re mortal; that they don’t want to live forever, and that just to live out their natural lives with their partner will be enough.
When Inuyasha gave his mate a nod to indicate that he was finished speaking, the first thing to fly out of Kagome’s mouth was... “But what about their youkai mate? Don’t they think about how badly it will hurt them, to watch their human mate grow old and die? And what about kids?! Don’t the human partners think about how hard it would be to raise a hanyou on their own, should something happen?” She had to admit, even though she hated to fathom anything bad ever happening to Inuyasha, he certainly raised a good point, especially when you consider where he got his point of reference. But children aside, Kagome couldn’t even fathom how anyone could be okay with the idea of forcing the one they love to watch them grow old and die. To a youkai, a human’s lifespan has got to be like how a human views the lifespan of their pet.
It took her a moment for her own words to sink in, but as soon as she realized that she was talking badly about his mother, she tried to apologize, but paused before beginning when she saw the knowing looks and pleased expressions being passed back and forth between Inuyasha and her mother.
“I knew you’d feel that way.” Mrs. Higurashi confessed quietly, the tears in her eyes more of joy than of sadness.
“Maybe it’s selfish, but is it selfish for the human to want to stay the same, or selfish for the youkai to want to change them?” Inuyasha asked her quietly, needing her to give this matter some serious thought before just blindly agreeing.
Kagome absorbed his question, and admitted to herself that she had to think about that one for a minute. Kikyo had wanted Inuyasha to change, to become human. Wasn’t what they were talking about basically the same thing, only in reverse? But Kikyo’s reasoning was selfish in a different way. Her desire for him to become human didn’t stem from her feelings of love; it was because she’d hoped that purifying his youkai half would also purify the jewel. It was because she’d wanted to be free from her obligations, free to become an ordinary woman, even if it did also mean that as a human, Inuyasha would have become her husband. But the choice was out of a desire to not be shunned, to not allow his youkai half to taint her essence in some way, not because she wanted to share her humanity, share growing old, or other romantic images along those lines. She truly was only thinking about herself. But…what Inuyasha was suggesting, although it had a way to be interpreted as selfish, youkai wanting to change their human mate so that they wouldn’t ever be alone once they grew old and died…isn’t such a desire stemmed from their love of their mate? Wanting to protect them, and keep them from dying? Loving them so much, that they cannot fathom life without them?
“Love is selfish at times…” Kagome began quietly, then when she wasn’t interrupted, she added “And it’s also selfless, giving…”
She let her words trail off for a moment, and smiled to herself as she felt Inuyasha take her hand.
“When one partner gives something of themselves for the other, that other will benefit, right? But is it so wrong that they should, when the other one wants to give what they give?”
He didn’t say anything, but shook his head slowly in the negative, in answer to her question. It wasn’t wrong to benefit when the person making the sacrifice wanted you to benefit from it.
“You’re okay with this?” Kagome asked her mother, not that it would really alter her decision, but still, she didn’t want to make an enemy out of her own mother.
“Of course.” Mrs. Higurashi said with a genuine smile, as a couple more happy tears silently fell.
Kagome looked back up into Inuyasha’s eyes, and placing her free hand over their joined ones, she asked. “What must we do?”
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Back on Inuyasha’s side of the well, they walked slowly, side-by-side, back towards Kaede’s village. She still couldn’t believe all the new sensations she was experiencing due to the youkai blood within her body. She wasn’t technically hanyou, but she wasn’t a pure human, either, and though there were no visual changes that any other human would recognize, youkai will be able to smell the difference.
Neither Kagome nor her mother were surprised when Inuyasha insisted on performing the ritual right away. It wasn’t out of any fear that she’d ever change her mind, but more so out of the fear that Naraku stirred within his body. That last rumor two months ago had been a bust, so the bastard was still out there, somewhere. Now she was protected. Now, should anything ever happen to him, he could die knowing that he was still protecting her. Kagome hadn’t objected, since to her, they were already mated for life, they were already bound to each other forever, so she’d just brought a more ‘literal’ sense to the term, was all. Inuyasha had explained that they’d eventually grow old, as being hanyou, he wasn’t immortal, and his blood could only give her what he had, so she would live the life span of a hanyou, which was several centuries. She had smiled, and said that from a human’s point of view, ‘several centuries’ may as well be immortal. Though she could obviously still die, just as he could, in battle, she would no longer be prone to sickness, and all of her senses had increased to near the strength of his own. Besides her eyesight, hearing, smell, and taste, she was physically stronger. She could lift heavier objects, run faster, jump higher, and travel farther without the need for rest.
His youkai blood had not countered her miko abilities, which had been his one and only concern, which he’d voiced before hand, but she had assured him that she was confident that her miko powers would remain, and as it turned out, she was right. But even if they hadn’t, she’d told him in advance that she wouldn’t be upset. It would have been a small price to pay for the reward of spending the next several centuries by his side.
Pausing in his walk as he saw Kagome stop beside him, he watched as she pulled up her sleeve to look at the new mark she bore, this one on her right arm, just above the wrist. Kagome hoped that her friends wouldn’t see the scar and think that she’d tried to commit suicide or something, but she’d just have to make up some injury or another that caused it; something she’d accidentally cut herself on. She quickly pulled herself from her musings, though, when she sensed Inuyasha’s uncertainty regarding her scrutiny of her arm. That was another ability she’d gained through the bond. She could smell (for lack of a better term) the emotions of those around her, and especially Inuyasha’s.
“I’m not regretting anything.” she assured him right away, speaking before he had a chance said a word.
Taking his hand, she pushed his sleeve up to reveal the identical scar on his own arm, the only scar on his entire body, as he naturally healed from any and all injuries. This mark was different, and his youki knew that. Clasping her hand higher on his arm, she pressed their scars together, just as they had pressed their fresh wounds together when he had first created the bond, mixing their blood through the power of his youki. Continuing to hold hands by gripping each other’s right arm just above the wrist, allowing their bonding marks to continue to press against each other, Kagome pulled him in close, and kissed him.