InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ Apologies ( Chapter 15 )
[ 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: 01.30.2006 | Updated On: 07.12.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 17.3K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.30.2006 | Updated On: 07.12.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 17.3K | 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 15 - Apologies
As soon as her vision focused, the first thing Kagome realized she could see was Inuyasha, as he sat up with his back leaned against the wall of the hut. Turning her head, she saw the fire, as well as her other friends, all currently sleeping. It was dark, and she soon realized it must be in the middle of the night. Looking down at herself, she saw that she was dressed in miko garb. Reaching up with her right hand, she placed it to her chest, and felt the bandage, as well as the slight sting the contact caused her.
This is real, I’m really awake, I’m really alive… she realized happily.
Feeling around delicately, she could tell where the arrow struck had here, and judging by the dull aching pain she was feeling, she likely had a cracked rib.
If that arrow had passed between my ribs, I would be dead… she realized next, then added, If I didn’t have Inuyasha’s youkai blood flowing through my veins, I’d probably still be dead.
Turning her head now to once again look in Inuyasha’s direction, she quickly realized that that rumbling sound she’d heard throughout her ‘dream’ was still there, being produced, this very minute, by her mate, who though he looked to be asleep, laying against the wall with his head down and eyes closed, she quickly realized must be awake.
“Inuyasha…” she whispered ever so softly.
In an instant, the rumbling stopped, as he opened his eyes, and thanks to her increased vision, which had fully returned by that point, she saw how puffy and red his eyes were. He’d been crying, at least, when nobody else had been looking.
Looking down at her now, he just sat there, a numbed expression on his face, as if he was perhaps in denial over the fact that she’d actually awoken, and whispered his name. But he snapped out of it when he saw her attempt to sit up, wincing in pain in the process. He quickly moved himself to her side, I mean more so than before, as he laid himself down right next to her, wrapping an arm protectively around her body, as he laid above the covers she was tucked securely under.
“Inuyasha…?” she whispered again, trying not to be too loud, so as not to disturb the others.
“Forgive me.” He pleaded, merely a whisper in her ear.
Her response was to take the hand he had placed at her far side, and bring it up to her mouth, gently kissing it, before letting it return to its place, holding her closely to him. She allowed sleep to take her, then, figuring the time she’d spent in the coma didn’t count as actual sleep. He once again started that gentle rumbling noise from deep within his chest, and it lulled her into a peaceful dreamland, a smile upon her lips.
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The following morning, Sango and Miroku were the ones to wake first, Inuyasha having only just gone to sleep a couple of hours ago, for the first time in over four days. They awoke to discover their hanyou friend sleeping on the futon next to his mate, his arm wrapped protectively around her side, her hand placed atop his.
“Do you think this means that Kagome awoke during the night?” Sango whispered to Miroku, trying not to wake the others, but still managing to wake Shippo in the process. Simply hearing Kagome’s name had done it.
“It looks that way.” Miroku agreed, as he wrapped his own arms tightly around the woman he’d held for the last few nights. Sango only smiled at the knowledge that her friend was apparently going to be okay, and leaned into the contact without giving it much thought.
Shippo got up groggily, having heard both Sango and Miroku’s words, but not responding to them yet, as he walked cautiously towards where his adoptive mother lay, sniffing at her. But they both suddenly noticed when his tail perked up, and he turned around hurriedly, with a happy expression on his face, as he leapt himself up into Sango’s grasp, and whispered frantically “Kagome’s scent has changed! She’s better now!”
They all understood what he meant, that she was out of that coma, and now, was simply sleeping.
“Let us let them rest, then.” Kaede murmured next, reappearing from the smaller room off to the side that was her personal sleeping quarters.
Miroku was the last to leave the hut, passing one final glance towards his sleeping companions. At least, he’d thought they were both sleeping, until he suddenly noticed that Inuyasha’s ears were twitching and swiveling with their voices and movements. So, even though he was laying there, as still as could be, with his eyes closed and breathing remarkably calm and even, he was, in fact, wide awake. Most likely awoken by the sounds of their own waking whispers.
The monk recalled quite vividly the way that Inuyasha had gone on and on about how he hoped that Kagome would forgive him, could forgive him, and how he’d been beating himself up with his guilt, going on and on about how he could have been so blind, stupid, foolish, gullible, ignorant, and any other synonyms you could think of. Whispering to his hanyou friend in that moment, whom he now knew to be awake, he …
“I know she will forgive you. Make sure you also forgive yourself.” and with that, he headed outside.
Though Inuyasha never opened his eyes, a small smile appeared on his face at his friend’s words, before he allowed sleep to take him once again.
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It was early afternoon when Kagome awoke again, and quickly realized that the hut was now empty, save for herself and Inuyasha. She also realized that he was still lying next to her, still holding her in his embrace, and that he was also, for the moment, quite asleep. She would have loved nothing more than to simply lie there forever, but the mild aching in her body told her that she’d already been doing that, for several days she imagined, and her limbs were protesting the lack of movement. Ignoring the sensation momentarily, her body decided to slap another one on her, when she suddenly she was thirsty, so begrudgingly, she eventually decided she’d need to disturb her mate’s rest.
“Inuyasha…” she whispered.
Hearing the increase in his heart rate and breathing told her that he was waking up, so a little louder this time, she mumbled “Inuyasha…” again, in a friendly voice.
Tilting her head enough to catch his in her peripheral vision, she noticed his ears swivel when she called his name the second time, and as she continued to study him, it was only a moment before she saw him slowly open his eyes.
Springing into a sitting position almost instantly, his quick movements started her, as he hesitantly, no, make that frantically, asked her “Kagome! Are you okay? Do you need anything? How are you feeling?” He wouldn’t have stopped there, except Kagome reached up and placed her hand playfully across his mouth.
“I’m just really thirsty.” she muttered once she got him to listen.
Dashing across the room to where a pot of clean water was already waiting, he scooped up a cup full and brought it back to her.
Kagome started to sit up, but even though she tried not to visibly wince at the movement, it was almost as if Inuyasha had winced for her. He quickly shushed her, and told her to lie back down, while gesturing assisting her to do so. She readily cooperated, and once she was lying flat on her back again, he assisted in tilting her head enough to swallow the water he’d brought her.
“What happened?” she managed to ask after he pulled the cup from her lips.
“Kikyou had shown up in the woods while we were camping and-”
“No, I remember that…” she interrupted, “I remember everything up to when her arrow hit me.”
His ears flattened at that.
“But…what happened after I went down?” she asked, no paranoia, no skepticism, no hurt present in her voice, only concern. “I was so scared. I remember wanting to stay awake, even as I slipped into unconsciousness. I wanted, needed, to protect you.” she added, before he’d had a chance to say anything else. “I knew she was going to drag you into hell with her…that night.” she finished, an aftertaste of fear tingeing her scent at the reminder.
“You’re right, she was going to.” he reluctantly confirmed, but quickly added. “But you don’t have to worry about that any more. She’ll never be trying it again, ever …”
His voice was sad, and for so many different reasons, but it was the undertone of finality that had Kagome asking, “What happened?”
“I finally stopped denying that she wasn’t the real Kikyou…” he began, hesitantly. “I…” He couldn’t finish, but Kagome suddenly remembered a scene from her ‘dream’, of Inuyasha cutting Kikyou down with his sword, and instantly, she knew what must have happened.
“We should collect her remains, and return her to her proper resting place.” she stated after a moment of silence.
“Already done.” he admitted quietly.
Though he’d never left Kagome’s side the entire time she was out, he’d told the others where Kikyou’s remains rested in the woods, and Miroku and Sango had both volunteered to go collect them with Kirara. The monk even offered a prayer over Kikyou’s gravesite, once the miko’s remains were laid to rest, even though her soul had already been reincarnated in their injured friend. Time traveling could get confusing, but something they all understood was that Kagome had regained her missing piece of soul, so hopefully, that piece of Kikyou would no longer be tormented by darkness, as it was now surrounded by Kagome’s light.
Said miko from the future nodded her understanding as her mate softly informed her of all that she’d missed.
“Kagome…” he sighed next.
She merely tilted her head to look him in the eyes…“Yes?” she responded.
“Do you…can you…ever forgive me?” he asked hesitantly.
Sitting up now, regardless of the stabbing pain that washed through her body as she did so, she said, rather firmly…“There’s nothing to forgive.”
“Are you stupid?” he asked in a harsh whisper, hoping to keep his voice down, and their conversation private, while his sarcasm clearly indicated that he didn’t agree with her one bit.
She pulled her head back a little at the jab, and crinkled her nose. Why was he so upset? It was Kikyou’s fault, not his. He didn’t fire an arrow at her. In fact, Kikyou hadn’t fired an arrow at her either, she’d fired it at Inuyasha!
“I should be the one asking you that.” she said, but quickly realizing how it’d sounded, she added “Not if you’re stupid…” Then, dropping the harsh sarcasm, and replacing it with a soft, sincere whisper, she added… “If you forgive me…”
His ears sprung straight up on the top of his head in disbelief over what he just heard her say…
“Forgive you?” he asked in utter bewilderment. “For what?”
“For eavesdropping, for interfering, for coming between you and-”
“No, stop right there.” he ground out. “I already told you I wouldn’t be going to hell with her, my place is with you.”
“Yes, but…if we hadn’t-”
“What?” he cut her off again, asking sarcastically “If we hadn’t become mates?”
Sighing, because he could feel her distress through their bonding marks, as well as her physical pain, though he wasn’t about to let her know that, since she already felt bad enough as it was, he quickly blurted out...
“I already told you, damn it, that I love you now, not her. If she’d have killed you, I would have lost my mind! I can’t live without you in my life! Why the fuck do you think I wanted to do the bonding? Even seven or eight decades isn’t enough time with you!”
She sighed, smiling despite herself, although she wished she could close her ears up like he could, because of how loud he was suddenly getting. So much for keeping their conversation to themselves, the whole village could probably hear him by now.
“And another thing! Kaede tells me that damn arrow of hers wouldn’t even have killed me! I’m the one who’s supposed to protect you, not the other way around. Don’t you ever do anything that stupid ever again!”
He hadn’t meant to yell at her like he was, he was just so scared, so angry with himself, and angry with Kikyou for that matter, an emotion he’d only just recently learned to express towards the dead miko in the last four days.
Kagome couldn’t help but begin to cry at the harshness she was receiving, though deep down she understood the reasons behind his outburst.
“I’m sorry!” she cried, her hysteria only making her chest hurt worse, though truth be told, the injury was nearly completely healed, thanks to her youkai blood.
“How was I supposed to know a purifying arrow wouldn’t kill you, huh?” she snapped back. “I wasn’t exactly born in this time, you know! It’s not like I went to miko school or anything.” Her pain faded away as her anger rose. “All I know is I saw the man I love about to get struck down, and it was my instinct to save him! Was that stupid? Was I stupid to save you? So what if you would have only turned human? She would have opened the gates to hell after that! I couldn’t get through her barrier! It was the only thing I could think of!” She was crying frantically at that point.
Then, in a moment of complete, and utter despair, as the visual made its way back into her mind’s eye, Inuyasha could have sworn he smelled the youkai blood within her system rise in power, and for the briefest moment, for only a moment, her eyes flashed red, as she screamed... “I wasn’t about to let that bitch take my mate!”
“Don’t you EVER-” he started to defend on instinct, grabbing her shoulders roughly, before the implications of his reaction finally reached his brain.
Kagome froze, eyes and mouth open in shock, which matched his own expression fairly well at the moment, as he quickly lowered his hands.
“I’m sorry.” he rushed out quickly.
Kagome just looked away, unable to get up and walk away.
“You’re absolutely right.” he said next, in a rather defeated tone of voice. “The Kikyou I knew and loved once died over fifty years ago, never to return. That golem born of hatred was never her, and I was just too stupid to see it.”
“It’s not stupid, you loved her.” Kagome defended, her voice eerily calm, all things considered. “Once…” she added then, her eyes showing the tiniest amount of love and understanding.
“Keh…well, that’s in the past, and you are my future.” he said rather matter-of-factly.
Though she smiled and nodded, thanks to their bond he could sense the distraught nature of her emotions. She was feeling guilty, and uncertain, and…unworthy.
“Kagome…” he whispered softly, taking her hands, which she didn’t resist. “Maybe I don’t say it often enough, but I do love you.”
She closed her eyes and nodded, lowering her head as a few more tears leaked past her lashes.
“Do you hear me?” he asked with determination in his voice, as he placed two fingers under her chin in order to bring her vision up to his. “I love you, Kagome. You are my one and only mate, for life, and I love you.” He said it flawlessly, void of any hesitation, nervousness, or anxiety.
“I love you too.” she murmured without delay, opening her eyes again, smiling as she saw the look of absolute love reflected in his own. Reaching out with her senses, she easily detected the sincerity behind his words, as his love for her burned through their marks. “I always have, and I always will.” she added, and he too could tell that she meant every word.
“Don’t think for a second that I’m not eternally grateful that you saved me.” he said next. “And if you ever find yourself in a similar situation with any of our enemies, you do what you think is necessary. That’s why I insisted on keeping the rosary, remember?” he reminded her sweetly. “Only…just learn to duck, yourself, okay?” he added with a small chuckle, attempting to lift her spirits.
She chuckled quickly in return, and eventually murmured… “Deal.”
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Their friends, who had all been sitting just outside the hut, had all heard the argument coming from within, or at least, the loudest parts of it. Shippo filled in the gaps where his human companions missed what was said. After everything grew quiet, and Shippo said they both smelled happy, they decided to reenter the hut, and see how Kagome was feeling, with regard to her injury.
“I’m feeling all right.” she said through gritted teeth, as she managed to bring a bite of ramen to her lips.
“Keh, liar…” Inuyasha grumbled, adding for her “You’re still in a lot of pain.”
“How do you…?” Then it dawned on her, as she remembered how they’d felt each other’s pleasure. So, did that mean…?
“Uh…” Crap, he hadn’t meant for her to figure that part out.
Setting her cup down and taking his hand, she squeezed it lightly, letting him know that she wasn’t upset for his attempt at keeping his discomfort a secret, knowing he had only wanted to protect her feelings. She did feel guilty, now, realizing he could sense her pain, but the look of love he flashed her in that moment assured her that he didn’t regret a thing.
“Well…” Miroku chimed in at that point… “Kaede tells me she’s quite impressed with how fast you’re healing. That youkai blood of yours is certainly helping to speed things along.” he finished with a smile.
“Yeah, though it still hurts.” Kagome continued, admitting now the pain she was in. “It feels a lot better than it did, though, and I should be completely healed in another couple of days, rather than several weeks.” For that, she was grateful.
The wound had already healed on the outside, her skin smooth and free from blemish. All that remained was a slight amount of bone knitting.
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Word was quickly spreading through the village that Inuyasha had taken Kagome as his mate. None of them had actually thought of it as a secret, though Sango and Miroku had known better than to say anything. But Shippo had let it slip a few times, when some of the villagers expressed concern over Kagome being able to survive an arrow to the chest.
Now that Kagome was awake, and resting normally, Inuyasha permitted himself to leave the hut and get some fresh air.
He quickly noticed the stares, I mean, it was hard not to, but what he heard whispered had honestly surprised him. Most of the villagers were talking amongst themselves, somewhere along the lines of…
“Is it true?” “Yes I think it is.” “Look there he is.” “How is she feeling?” “How long have they been together?” “I don’t know” “Does this mean she’ll remain once their mission is complete?”
Your standard, run of the mill, cackling hackling hen talk, minus the words Youkai, Hanyou, Whore, Filthy, Lowly, Tainted, Disgusting…. Etc.
When one of the village elders finally had the spine to approach Inuyasha directly, as he perched himself on a fence post outside Kaede’s hut, he suppressed the urge to growl, deciding to hear the man out first.
“Inuyasha-sama…” Well, that was a good start. “How is Lady Kagome feeling today?” the man asked politely.
“She’s getting stronger ever day. She should be fine by tomorrow.” he answered matter-of-factly.
“It is a blessing that she was not taken from us.” the man said next, quickly asking… “Is it true?” hoping he had not over stepped his bounds.
Inuyasha knew very well what the man was referring to, and said without hesitation, “Yes, it is true.” Kagome’s survival was testament enough to that, so he figured there was no point in denying what half the village already knew anyway.
“Several of us have been speaking with the village Headman…” the man added next. Inuyasha wasn’t sure he if liked where this was going, though it would quickly turn out, he was way off base with his assumptions. “There is a section of land bordering the edge of our village that lies close to your forest and her well, that is yours, if you’d have it. For as many times as you have aided this village, as well as countless others, the tales of your heroism flourishing across the land, it would be our honor, if you and Lady Kagome made your permanent home in our village.”
Inuyasha hopped down from his perch then, and stared the man square in the face, daring him to lie, but his scent indicated he was telling the truth.
“Thank you.” he said after a moment, truly humbled. “I will let her know. I’m sure she had no other village in mind to ever reside in, though I honestly hadn’t known if we would be welcome here.” he mumbled shyly, and the man understood.
“We are pleased to see the two of you together, Inuyasha-sama. It brings us no displeasure.”
Blushing despite himself, he tried to appear as tough as everyone expected him to be, as he said, “Show me this spot of land.”
He then followed the man through the village, towards the border of the forest that bore his name.
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 15 - Apologies
As soon as her vision focused, the first thing Kagome realized she could see was Inuyasha, as he sat up with his back leaned against the wall of the hut. Turning her head, she saw the fire, as well as her other friends, all currently sleeping. It was dark, and she soon realized it must be in the middle of the night. Looking down at herself, she saw that she was dressed in miko garb. Reaching up with her right hand, she placed it to her chest, and felt the bandage, as well as the slight sting the contact caused her.
This is real, I’m really awake, I’m really alive… she realized happily.
Feeling around delicately, she could tell where the arrow struck had here, and judging by the dull aching pain she was feeling, she likely had a cracked rib.
If that arrow had passed between my ribs, I would be dead… she realized next, then added, If I didn’t have Inuyasha’s youkai blood flowing through my veins, I’d probably still be dead.
Turning her head now to once again look in Inuyasha’s direction, she quickly realized that that rumbling sound she’d heard throughout her ‘dream’ was still there, being produced, this very minute, by her mate, who though he looked to be asleep, laying against the wall with his head down and eyes closed, she quickly realized must be awake.
“Inuyasha…” she whispered ever so softly.
In an instant, the rumbling stopped, as he opened his eyes, and thanks to her increased vision, which had fully returned by that point, she saw how puffy and red his eyes were. He’d been crying, at least, when nobody else had been looking.
Looking down at her now, he just sat there, a numbed expression on his face, as if he was perhaps in denial over the fact that she’d actually awoken, and whispered his name. But he snapped out of it when he saw her attempt to sit up, wincing in pain in the process. He quickly moved himself to her side, I mean more so than before, as he laid himself down right next to her, wrapping an arm protectively around her body, as he laid above the covers she was tucked securely under.
“Inuyasha…?” she whispered again, trying not to be too loud, so as not to disturb the others.
“Forgive me.” He pleaded, merely a whisper in her ear.
Her response was to take the hand he had placed at her far side, and bring it up to her mouth, gently kissing it, before letting it return to its place, holding her closely to him. She allowed sleep to take her, then, figuring the time she’d spent in the coma didn’t count as actual sleep. He once again started that gentle rumbling noise from deep within his chest, and it lulled her into a peaceful dreamland, a smile upon her lips.
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The following morning, Sango and Miroku were the ones to wake first, Inuyasha having only just gone to sleep a couple of hours ago, for the first time in over four days. They awoke to discover their hanyou friend sleeping on the futon next to his mate, his arm wrapped protectively around her side, her hand placed atop his.
“Do you think this means that Kagome awoke during the night?” Sango whispered to Miroku, trying not to wake the others, but still managing to wake Shippo in the process. Simply hearing Kagome’s name had done it.
“It looks that way.” Miroku agreed, as he wrapped his own arms tightly around the woman he’d held for the last few nights. Sango only smiled at the knowledge that her friend was apparently going to be okay, and leaned into the contact without giving it much thought.
Shippo got up groggily, having heard both Sango and Miroku’s words, but not responding to them yet, as he walked cautiously towards where his adoptive mother lay, sniffing at her. But they both suddenly noticed when his tail perked up, and he turned around hurriedly, with a happy expression on his face, as he leapt himself up into Sango’s grasp, and whispered frantically “Kagome’s scent has changed! She’s better now!”
They all understood what he meant, that she was out of that coma, and now, was simply sleeping.
“Let us let them rest, then.” Kaede murmured next, reappearing from the smaller room off to the side that was her personal sleeping quarters.
Miroku was the last to leave the hut, passing one final glance towards his sleeping companions. At least, he’d thought they were both sleeping, until he suddenly noticed that Inuyasha’s ears were twitching and swiveling with their voices and movements. So, even though he was laying there, as still as could be, with his eyes closed and breathing remarkably calm and even, he was, in fact, wide awake. Most likely awoken by the sounds of their own waking whispers.
The monk recalled quite vividly the way that Inuyasha had gone on and on about how he hoped that Kagome would forgive him, could forgive him, and how he’d been beating himself up with his guilt, going on and on about how he could have been so blind, stupid, foolish, gullible, ignorant, and any other synonyms you could think of. Whispering to his hanyou friend in that moment, whom he now knew to be awake, he …
“I know she will forgive you. Make sure you also forgive yourself.” and with that, he headed outside.
Though Inuyasha never opened his eyes, a small smile appeared on his face at his friend’s words, before he allowed sleep to take him once again.
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It was early afternoon when Kagome awoke again, and quickly realized that the hut was now empty, save for herself and Inuyasha. She also realized that he was still lying next to her, still holding her in his embrace, and that he was also, for the moment, quite asleep. She would have loved nothing more than to simply lie there forever, but the mild aching in her body told her that she’d already been doing that, for several days she imagined, and her limbs were protesting the lack of movement. Ignoring the sensation momentarily, her body decided to slap another one on her, when she suddenly she was thirsty, so begrudgingly, she eventually decided she’d need to disturb her mate’s rest.
“Inuyasha…” she whispered.
Hearing the increase in his heart rate and breathing told her that he was waking up, so a little louder this time, she mumbled “Inuyasha…” again, in a friendly voice.
Tilting her head enough to catch his in her peripheral vision, she noticed his ears swivel when she called his name the second time, and as she continued to study him, it was only a moment before she saw him slowly open his eyes.
Springing into a sitting position almost instantly, his quick movements started her, as he hesitantly, no, make that frantically, asked her “Kagome! Are you okay? Do you need anything? How are you feeling?” He wouldn’t have stopped there, except Kagome reached up and placed her hand playfully across his mouth.
“I’m just really thirsty.” she muttered once she got him to listen.
Dashing across the room to where a pot of clean water was already waiting, he scooped up a cup full and brought it back to her.
Kagome started to sit up, but even though she tried not to visibly wince at the movement, it was almost as if Inuyasha had winced for her. He quickly shushed her, and told her to lie back down, while gesturing assisting her to do so. She readily cooperated, and once she was lying flat on her back again, he assisted in tilting her head enough to swallow the water he’d brought her.
“What happened?” she managed to ask after he pulled the cup from her lips.
“Kikyou had shown up in the woods while we were camping and-”
“No, I remember that…” she interrupted, “I remember everything up to when her arrow hit me.”
His ears flattened at that.
“But…what happened after I went down?” she asked, no paranoia, no skepticism, no hurt present in her voice, only concern. “I was so scared. I remember wanting to stay awake, even as I slipped into unconsciousness. I wanted, needed, to protect you.” she added, before he’d had a chance to say anything else. “I knew she was going to drag you into hell with her…that night.” she finished, an aftertaste of fear tingeing her scent at the reminder.
“You’re right, she was going to.” he reluctantly confirmed, but quickly added. “But you don’t have to worry about that any more. She’ll never be trying it again, ever …”
His voice was sad, and for so many different reasons, but it was the undertone of finality that had Kagome asking, “What happened?”
“I finally stopped denying that she wasn’t the real Kikyou…” he began, hesitantly. “I…” He couldn’t finish, but Kagome suddenly remembered a scene from her ‘dream’, of Inuyasha cutting Kikyou down with his sword, and instantly, she knew what must have happened.
“We should collect her remains, and return her to her proper resting place.” she stated after a moment of silence.
“Already done.” he admitted quietly.
Though he’d never left Kagome’s side the entire time she was out, he’d told the others where Kikyou’s remains rested in the woods, and Miroku and Sango had both volunteered to go collect them with Kirara. The monk even offered a prayer over Kikyou’s gravesite, once the miko’s remains were laid to rest, even though her soul had already been reincarnated in their injured friend. Time traveling could get confusing, but something they all understood was that Kagome had regained her missing piece of soul, so hopefully, that piece of Kikyou would no longer be tormented by darkness, as it was now surrounded by Kagome’s light.
Said miko from the future nodded her understanding as her mate softly informed her of all that she’d missed.
“Kagome…” he sighed next.
She merely tilted her head to look him in the eyes…“Yes?” she responded.
“Do you…can you…ever forgive me?” he asked hesitantly.
Sitting up now, regardless of the stabbing pain that washed through her body as she did so, she said, rather firmly…“There’s nothing to forgive.”
“Are you stupid?” he asked in a harsh whisper, hoping to keep his voice down, and their conversation private, while his sarcasm clearly indicated that he didn’t agree with her one bit.
She pulled her head back a little at the jab, and crinkled her nose. Why was he so upset? It was Kikyou’s fault, not his. He didn’t fire an arrow at her. In fact, Kikyou hadn’t fired an arrow at her either, she’d fired it at Inuyasha!
“I should be the one asking you that.” she said, but quickly realizing how it’d sounded, she added “Not if you’re stupid…” Then, dropping the harsh sarcasm, and replacing it with a soft, sincere whisper, she added… “If you forgive me…”
His ears sprung straight up on the top of his head in disbelief over what he just heard her say…
“Forgive you?” he asked in utter bewilderment. “For what?”
“For eavesdropping, for interfering, for coming between you and-”
“No, stop right there.” he ground out. “I already told you I wouldn’t be going to hell with her, my place is with you.”
“Yes, but…if we hadn’t-”
“What?” he cut her off again, asking sarcastically “If we hadn’t become mates?”
Sighing, because he could feel her distress through their bonding marks, as well as her physical pain, though he wasn’t about to let her know that, since she already felt bad enough as it was, he quickly blurted out...
“I already told you, damn it, that I love you now, not her. If she’d have killed you, I would have lost my mind! I can’t live without you in my life! Why the fuck do you think I wanted to do the bonding? Even seven or eight decades isn’t enough time with you!”
She sighed, smiling despite herself, although she wished she could close her ears up like he could, because of how loud he was suddenly getting. So much for keeping their conversation to themselves, the whole village could probably hear him by now.
“And another thing! Kaede tells me that damn arrow of hers wouldn’t even have killed me! I’m the one who’s supposed to protect you, not the other way around. Don’t you ever do anything that stupid ever again!”
He hadn’t meant to yell at her like he was, he was just so scared, so angry with himself, and angry with Kikyou for that matter, an emotion he’d only just recently learned to express towards the dead miko in the last four days.
Kagome couldn’t help but begin to cry at the harshness she was receiving, though deep down she understood the reasons behind his outburst.
“I’m sorry!” she cried, her hysteria only making her chest hurt worse, though truth be told, the injury was nearly completely healed, thanks to her youkai blood.
“How was I supposed to know a purifying arrow wouldn’t kill you, huh?” she snapped back. “I wasn’t exactly born in this time, you know! It’s not like I went to miko school or anything.” Her pain faded away as her anger rose. “All I know is I saw the man I love about to get struck down, and it was my instinct to save him! Was that stupid? Was I stupid to save you? So what if you would have only turned human? She would have opened the gates to hell after that! I couldn’t get through her barrier! It was the only thing I could think of!” She was crying frantically at that point.
Then, in a moment of complete, and utter despair, as the visual made its way back into her mind’s eye, Inuyasha could have sworn he smelled the youkai blood within her system rise in power, and for the briefest moment, for only a moment, her eyes flashed red, as she screamed... “I wasn’t about to let that bitch take my mate!”
“Don’t you EVER-” he started to defend on instinct, grabbing her shoulders roughly, before the implications of his reaction finally reached his brain.
Kagome froze, eyes and mouth open in shock, which matched his own expression fairly well at the moment, as he quickly lowered his hands.
“I’m sorry.” he rushed out quickly.
Kagome just looked away, unable to get up and walk away.
“You’re absolutely right.” he said next, in a rather defeated tone of voice. “The Kikyou I knew and loved once died over fifty years ago, never to return. That golem born of hatred was never her, and I was just too stupid to see it.”
“It’s not stupid, you loved her.” Kagome defended, her voice eerily calm, all things considered. “Once…” she added then, her eyes showing the tiniest amount of love and understanding.
“Keh…well, that’s in the past, and you are my future.” he said rather matter-of-factly.
Though she smiled and nodded, thanks to their bond he could sense the distraught nature of her emotions. She was feeling guilty, and uncertain, and…unworthy.
“Kagome…” he whispered softly, taking her hands, which she didn’t resist. “Maybe I don’t say it often enough, but I do love you.”
She closed her eyes and nodded, lowering her head as a few more tears leaked past her lashes.
“Do you hear me?” he asked with determination in his voice, as he placed two fingers under her chin in order to bring her vision up to his. “I love you, Kagome. You are my one and only mate, for life, and I love you.” He said it flawlessly, void of any hesitation, nervousness, or anxiety.
“I love you too.” she murmured without delay, opening her eyes again, smiling as she saw the look of absolute love reflected in his own. Reaching out with her senses, she easily detected the sincerity behind his words, as his love for her burned through their marks. “I always have, and I always will.” she added, and he too could tell that she meant every word.
“Don’t think for a second that I’m not eternally grateful that you saved me.” he said next. “And if you ever find yourself in a similar situation with any of our enemies, you do what you think is necessary. That’s why I insisted on keeping the rosary, remember?” he reminded her sweetly. “Only…just learn to duck, yourself, okay?” he added with a small chuckle, attempting to lift her spirits.
She chuckled quickly in return, and eventually murmured… “Deal.”
``````````````
Their friends, who had all been sitting just outside the hut, had all heard the argument coming from within, or at least, the loudest parts of it. Shippo filled in the gaps where his human companions missed what was said. After everything grew quiet, and Shippo said they both smelled happy, they decided to reenter the hut, and see how Kagome was feeling, with regard to her injury.
“I’m feeling all right.” she said through gritted teeth, as she managed to bring a bite of ramen to her lips.
“Keh, liar…” Inuyasha grumbled, adding for her “You’re still in a lot of pain.”
“How do you…?” Then it dawned on her, as she remembered how they’d felt each other’s pleasure. So, did that mean…?
“Uh…” Crap, he hadn’t meant for her to figure that part out.
Setting her cup down and taking his hand, she squeezed it lightly, letting him know that she wasn’t upset for his attempt at keeping his discomfort a secret, knowing he had only wanted to protect her feelings. She did feel guilty, now, realizing he could sense her pain, but the look of love he flashed her in that moment assured her that he didn’t regret a thing.
“Well…” Miroku chimed in at that point… “Kaede tells me she’s quite impressed with how fast you’re healing. That youkai blood of yours is certainly helping to speed things along.” he finished with a smile.
“Yeah, though it still hurts.” Kagome continued, admitting now the pain she was in. “It feels a lot better than it did, though, and I should be completely healed in another couple of days, rather than several weeks.” For that, she was grateful.
The wound had already healed on the outside, her skin smooth and free from blemish. All that remained was a slight amount of bone knitting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Word was quickly spreading through the village that Inuyasha had taken Kagome as his mate. None of them had actually thought of it as a secret, though Sango and Miroku had known better than to say anything. But Shippo had let it slip a few times, when some of the villagers expressed concern over Kagome being able to survive an arrow to the chest.
Now that Kagome was awake, and resting normally, Inuyasha permitted himself to leave the hut and get some fresh air.
He quickly noticed the stares, I mean, it was hard not to, but what he heard whispered had honestly surprised him. Most of the villagers were talking amongst themselves, somewhere along the lines of…
“Is it true?” “Yes I think it is.” “Look there he is.” “How is she feeling?” “How long have they been together?” “I don’t know” “Does this mean she’ll remain once their mission is complete?”
Your standard, run of the mill, cackling hackling hen talk, minus the words Youkai, Hanyou, Whore, Filthy, Lowly, Tainted, Disgusting…. Etc.
When one of the village elders finally had the spine to approach Inuyasha directly, as he perched himself on a fence post outside Kaede’s hut, he suppressed the urge to growl, deciding to hear the man out first.
“Inuyasha-sama…” Well, that was a good start. “How is Lady Kagome feeling today?” the man asked politely.
“She’s getting stronger ever day. She should be fine by tomorrow.” he answered matter-of-factly.
“It is a blessing that she was not taken from us.” the man said next, quickly asking… “Is it true?” hoping he had not over stepped his bounds.
Inuyasha knew very well what the man was referring to, and said without hesitation, “Yes, it is true.” Kagome’s survival was testament enough to that, so he figured there was no point in denying what half the village already knew anyway.
“Several of us have been speaking with the village Headman…” the man added next. Inuyasha wasn’t sure he if liked where this was going, though it would quickly turn out, he was way off base with his assumptions. “There is a section of land bordering the edge of our village that lies close to your forest and her well, that is yours, if you’d have it. For as many times as you have aided this village, as well as countless others, the tales of your heroism flourishing across the land, it would be our honor, if you and Lady Kagome made your permanent home in our village.”
Inuyasha hopped down from his perch then, and stared the man square in the face, daring him to lie, but his scent indicated he was telling the truth.
“Thank you.” he said after a moment, truly humbled. “I will let her know. I’m sure she had no other village in mind to ever reside in, though I honestly hadn’t known if we would be welcome here.” he mumbled shyly, and the man understood.
“We are pleased to see the two of you together, Inuyasha-sama. It brings us no displeasure.”
Blushing despite himself, he tried to appear as tough as everyone expected him to be, as he said, “Show me this spot of land.”
He then followed the man through the village, towards the border of the forest that bore his name.