InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Total Eclipse of the Heart ❯ One-Shot

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

Blanket Disclaimer:

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


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In honor of the real life 'Blood Moon' tonight, I thought I'd repost my lunar eclipse related PWPs back to the front of the list. Enjoy!


Nominated for Best Lemon, Inuyasha Fanguild, 4th Quarter 2009



A/N:

This story takes place during what I always used to call the ‘randomly generated anime episode’ time period, back before they made the Final Act, meaning it’s much earlier in the mission, generally speaking, and I’m not going to be too much of a stickler when it comes to keeping with the canon. For a basic point of reference, Kagome still has a collection of jewel shards in her little glass bottle, Kouga is still convinced that she is his woman, and Kikyou is still making random appearances as the walking undead. There’s also some mention to information provided in the third movie, although I am omitting the events of the second movie as if that entire storyline never took place. I would also like to take this opportunity to admit that the concept for this story is pretty farfetched, but is that not the very nature of a PWP? My advice is to just not worry about how unlikely this scenario really is, and sit back and enjoy the ride.






It was a deceptively peaceful late summer afternoon. There was a gentle breeze rustling through the trees that kept the air from feeling too muggy, and several species of songbirds were frolicking playfully amongst the leaves, chirping a medley of merry tunes.

Such was not the attitude of our favorite inu-hanyou as he expeditiously marched his companions back towards the direction of Kaede’s village, his eyes narrowed in determination, his teeth clinched tight in worry.

I should have fucking realized it sooner! Inuyasha scolded himself, his ears pinched tightly against his head in an attempt to muffle all of the various sighs and groans of aggravation and exhaustion coming from the miko stomping along several paces behind him.

How was that for role reversal? Him demanding that she needed to go home, and her not wanting to go. Of course, maybe if Kagome knew the real reason behind why he wanted her to return to her world beyond the well so badly, then she wouldn’t be putting up so much resistance, but like he was going to reveal yet another weakness to the damn girl. She’d already seen his helpless human form, hearing with her own ears what a pansy he could become without his youkai blood to keep his human emotions in check. She’d already seen his ravenous youkai form, stripped of all rhyme or reason as he relished in the sensation of slaughtering repented men begging for mercy. The last thing she needed to see was what happened to him during a…

Besides…I don’t even want to think about what I might do if she were to stick around!

Thoroughly spooked as that new thought entered the forefront of his mind and refused to dissipate, Inuyasha hastened his steps, forcing the humans behind him to jog even faster if they hoped to keep up.

“Come on, we’ll be there in less than two hours!”

He can’t possibly expect us to keep marching like this nonstop! Kagome mentally fumed from her place behind the others, though she was too stubborn in her determination not to speak to him to voice her opinions aloud. The nerve of that guy!

It was bad enough when he’d started acting all twitchy and paranoid earlier in the day, jumping at every little thing like a drug addict convinced the government was after them. But then when he’d more or less ransacked her backpack, scarfing down every last ration of food before turning around and asking her for more, and then having the audacity to accuse her of not keeping enough supplies on hand, she’d damn near blown a fuse.

“You’re the one who suddenly decided to engage in a one-man eating contest!” she’d argued, having attempted to insist that as penance for eating all of their ‘ninja’ food, he would just have to go out of his way to hunt all of their meals for the next few days.

Of course, that had only escalated the fight even further, and despite slamming his face into the ground three separate times in her exasperation, he’d nevertheless remained adamant that hunting was too unpredictable, and that they would not go forward in their mission until after she restocked their emergency supplies. The fact that he had been the one who’d just gone through all of their supplies himself was apparently irrelevant, and Kagome had eventually conceded, albeit begrudgingly, when she’d realized that there was simply no way to get him to change his mind. Inuyasha could be just as stubborn as her when he wanted to be.

Sango and Miroku were no help, remaining surprisingly quiet themselves during the brisk trek back to Kaede’s village. It was almost as if they knew something she didn’t, and that thought in no way worked towards improving Kagome’s mood. She wasn’t stupid. There was no way Inuyasha had genuinely become inflicted with some demonic case of the munchies. It was all just a really poorly thought out ploy to get her to leave, and that thought was what had her determined to stay.

I’ll bet Kikyou is involved somehow…

Maybe he and the undead miko had made an arrangement to meet later that night, and Sango and Miroku had somehow found out about it, and were remaining quiet in their desire not to cause her any more pain than was necessary. She supposed it was a possibility, but what really hurt Kagome the most was all the secrecy. She already knew that he could never forget about Kikyou, she already knew that her predecessor held a portion of his heart that she herself could never hope to gain purchase of. She had already come to those conclusions long ago, and had told Inuyasha to his face that she could not get over her desire to be with him, despite his connection to Kikyou. So how about a little honesty? How about a softly spoken “Kagome, I’m sorry…but I must go see Kikyou tonight.”? Would that really be so hard?

Who are we talking about again?

Silently rolling her eyes, the future-born miko knew the answer to her own questions only too well. Inuyasha was not an emotionally forthcoming individual.

I’ll bet yen to dango* that once we get to the well, he’ll start talking about me returning tomorrow morning instead of this evening…

He would probably start out softly enough, hoping to make it sound like he would ‘let’ her spend the night with her family as his way of making it up to her for eating all the food in the first place. Though, the miko was equally sure that if she showed any signs of resistance, he wouldn’t hesitate to start another fight, using anything from direct insults to reverse psychology about how she better not waste any time, to get her mad enough to demand herself that she would be staying for a while in her world before returning. Bound and determined to get to the bottom of whatever was really going on, Kagome vowed to herself in that moment to not be detoured from her master plan, no matter how angry he might make her once they made it to the well.

Meanwhile, Sango and Miroku were also angry with Inuyasha, but for an entirely different reason. They knew all too well his reasons behind wanting to rush them back to Kaede’s as quickly as possible, and they shared in his sense of urgency. Were they not truly within walking distance, then Sango would’ve insisted they utilize Kirara’s aid to ensure they made it back on time, despite the feline’s own agitation as the night grew closer and closer.

“Hang in there, Kirara…it’ll be all right.” the taijiya whispered quietly to the nekomata she currently held in her arms.

The cat-youkai in question peaked an eye open at her mistress before closing it again, not bothering with a verbal response. She would be very content indeed to sleep away what was to come, and was looking forward to swallowing one of the slayer’s special sleeping tablets once they were back within the safety of the village.

The monk, currently carrying a quieter than usual Shippou, didn’t even have the desire to waste time flirting with Sango, as he paid no attention to the fact that holding Shippou in his arms prevented him from being able to grope the taijiya’s lovely backside.

“What’s going on, Miroku?” Shippou asked quietly, the poor boy having no idea why every nerve on his body felt extra sensitive to the world around him. The sensation might have been painful were it not for the fact that youkai simply did not feel pain the same way humans did. Still, it was as if his very blood had been put on high alert.

“All will be explained once we reach Kaede’s.” Miroku assured the boy, making sure to keep his voice low enough so that the fuming miko currently taking up the rear of their group would not accidentally overhear him.

That was the cause of both his and Sango’s displeasure with their hanyou leader. It was in both of their strong opinions that Kagome should’ve simply been told the truth, but because they both felt a mild wave of sympathy for the hanyou, they had promised to keep his secret, regardless of their personal beliefs.

Miroku couldn’t forget the unmistakable twinge of fear that had been present in Inuyasha’s voice earlier that afternoon, when he had pulled him aside while Sango and Kagome had been finishing up with a bath in the nearby stream.

“There’s a blood red moon tonight.” the hanyou had stated matter-of-factly, getting right to the point since he’d known that the monk would know exactly what he was talking about, and Miroku had known, his eyes widening as he’d asked quietly in reply “Are you certain?”

Silently, Inuyasha had nodded, darting his eyes around a bit as if he’d feared the two of them might be overheard. He had then proceeded to implore that Kagome not be informed of the blood red moon or its significance, stating that it was something she ‘didn’t need to know about’. Miroku had easily translated the hanyou’s true meaning, his eyes having practically been begging the monk not to let Kagome know what was about to happen. Even Miroku himself remained in the dark as to the direct effect the blood red moon had on their half-human companion, though it was enough to know that his transformation would be something he wished to keep secret from Kagome.

When Miroku had asked Inuyasha how he’d then planned on persuading the girl to agree to the sudden change in direction, he’d stated “Leave that to me.” before proceeding to devour their entire stock of ninja food, even going so far as to crumble up and eat the ramen dry. Looking back on it, the monk figured that Inuyasha’s line of logic had probably been that Kagome would not permit their group to continue onward in their journey without any emergency food rations. Indeed, Inuyasha had looked rather taken aback when instead of demanding to go home herself as a result of his ‘thoughtless’ actions, Kagome had instead decided a more appropriate punishment for the hanyou would be forcing him to provide all of their meals himself via hunting. It was during the brief fight that had followed that Miroku had taken the opportunity to pull Sango aside, quickly explaining what was really going on, including their instructions to not inform Kagome of the truth. The way Sango had narrowed her eyes at him had had the monk knowing without a doubt that Sango shared in his belief that Inuyasha was handling everything all wrong, but he was their friend, and they would respect his wishes, regardless.

“That explains why Kirara has practically been hissing at her own shadow…” the slayer had commented offhandedly, stroking the kitten-sized youkai’s fur in a soothing manner while she’d attempted to cool off her own heated blood in regard to what an idiot Inuyasha was being.

Despite the hanyou’s mental hang-ups, they had a serious issue on their hands, and one Sango had agreed needed to be handled in as timely a manner as possible. However Inuyasha had accomplished it, the important thing was that they were now heading back to Kaede’s, and Kagome would be safe on the other side of the well. The taijiya had a better idea of how the blood red moon probably affected Inuyasha than Miroku did, having spent more time studying the nature of various youkai while growing up in the exterminator village. Under normal circumstances, higher youkai, such as Inuyasha’s brother, for example, would show very little if any effect during the nights of a blood red moon. As a general rule of thumb, the bloodlust only affected weaker youkai. But because Inuyasha was hanyou, he had a harder time controlling the pull of his youkai blood to begin with, as had clearly been demonstrated the few times he’d actually managed to transform into a compassionless full-youkai monster. How strongly his human blood would be able to help keep things balanced in his mind that coming night, the slayer couldn’t be sure, but it was clear to her from Inuyasha’s countenance that he feared his ability to maintain control around Kagome. Considering that Inuyasha rarely showed fear, and also considering that the strength of his youkai blood was directly linked to the cycle of the moon, Sango knew better than to question his motives.

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Just as she had predicted, as soon as they entered the borders of Kaede’s village, Inuyasha broke the perpetual silence that had developed between all of them during the trek to inform Kagome that it was so late in the day by that point that she might as well enjoy the night off while she could, because…

“I’m comin’ to get ya first thing in the morning.”

At that moment, Kagome knew that the only thing she could hope to accomplish by arguing would be to acquire more days in the present, something she was sure Inuyasha had taken into consideration as a possibility he would just have to deal with. How often was she satisfied with only one night in her time? Now was probably her cue to demand that since they had already traveled all that way back to the village, she might as well take at least three days to get some studying done. But the fact of the matter was that it was currently summer vacation, meaning she didn’t really have to worry about cramming in some study-time for her return to school for at least another week. They had been traveling along at a pretty good clip going from village to village in the search of any jewel shard rumors when he had suddenly pulled his ‘hungry man’ bullshit, forcing them to reverse-course. For the sake of the mission, Kagome knew it would probably be best if she didn’t dawdle in her time needlessly while she temporarily had the ability to spend school-free days in the past without fearing the consequences with regard to her grades.  

Keeping that last thought in mind, plus knowing she really didn’t feel like fighting any more anyway, her head having cleared a little bit during their march, Kagome decided to go along with Inuyasha’s plan without protest. Or at least, she decided to let him think she was going along with his plan. Still…it might look too suspicious if she appeared too agreeable.

“Not first thing, you aren’t.” she insisted then, adding, “I want to at least have time to enjoy breakfast with my family. I’ll be back sometime before noon.”

With that said, the miko hoisted her backpack a bit higher up on her shoulder for emphasis, before stomping off in the direction of the well before he even had time to say anything in return. As predicted, no cry of protest followed in her wake. Inuyasha had gotten what he really wanted; he didn’t give a shit what time she returned tomorrow.

Once Kagome was out of sight, Miroku observed the way Inuyasha’s shoulders seemed to slump in a mixture of defeat and relief. It was clear he hadn’t really wanted to send Kagome away like that, but the hanyou had simply figured it was for the girl’s own good. Now was not the time to address his own opinions on the matter, though.

“Shall we begin the necessary preparations?” the monk asked instead, reining in his expression in order to avoid showing any signs of pity as Inuyasha turned his way with troubled eyes before nodding once.

Inwardly, Miroku sighed. It was going to be a long night.

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Kagome waited until after dark to make her move, having decided that she would at least take advantage of the evening to spend a little time with her family.

Revealing nothing of her distressing thoughts with her mother, the miko had played it off that they were in the area, and so she’d figured she’d take advantage of the opportunity to get even more supplies. Her mother had decided to go to the store with her, having been in need of a few grocery items herself, and Kagome had thoroughly enjoyed the time spent shopping with her mother. Then for dinner that night, instead of whatever Mrs. Higurashi had previously been planning to cook, she had switched things up to make her daughter her favorite dish, so on top of everything else Kagome had gotten to enjoy a nice bowl of oden.

Now, as she stood outside, gazing up at the branches of the Goshinboku, illuminated under the light of a large full moon, Kagome sighed, trying to psych herself up for whatever she would face upon leaping through the well. Her mother had questioned why she’d wanted to return now instead of spending a comfortable night in her own bed, but the miko had made something up about how everyone was planning on heading out right at first light tomorrow morning, and so in order to avoid the risk of holding everyone up in the morning she had decided it would just make more sense to spend the night at Kaede’s. Kagome wasn’t sure if her mother had been able to see through her poorly thought out story, though she knew she usually wasn’t a very good liar, but either way her mother hadn’t said anything on the subject. Instead, the older Higurashi woman had merely smiled, embracing her daughter in a quick hug before uttering her customary request that Kagome be careful.

It troubled Mrs. Higurashi…the dangerous mission her daughter had to face in the past…but she also knew it wasn’t her place to question destiny.

With one last glance in the sacred tree’s direction, Kagome headed for the well-house, using the flashlight she always carried in her backpack to keep from accidentally tripping down the darkened steps. That’d be all she needed, to trip and twist an ankle or something.

Then Inuyasha would be within his rights to call me clumsy… she thought in passing, taking extra careful steps as she descended, having no intention of giving the hanyou any ammunition.

Arriving in the Sengoku jidai, Kagome knew she was faced with the daunting task of silently climbing out of the Bone Eater’s Well. Even though Inuyasha was usually there to assist her with getting out of the well on his side of time, climbing out under her own power was something that she had done before without incident. But doing it without all of the scraping sounds and grunts she usually uttered under her breath was another matter entirely. Still, the miko knew she needed to remain in stealth-mode if she hoped to sneak back to Kaede’s unawares to a certain sonar-eared dog-demon.

It took her twice as long as usual, but finally, about ten minutes later, Kagome was swinging one leg over the rim of the well, and then the other, as she touched down on the soft, moonlit grass.

Oh wow, the full moon is even brighter on this side of the well… she observed, figuring it was probably from a lack of pollutants in the atmosphere.

Though, as she stared for a moment, the strangest thing occurred to her. The moon wasn’t actually full after all, which of course was impossible since the two timelines were locked in synch with one another via the lunar cycle. But there it was, staring right back at her; the right hand side of the moon was unmistakably blackened, like a waning gibbous moon. In fact, the longer she stared, Kagome realized she could almost swear the shadow appeared to be growing, moving more towards the left. It took her all of two seconds to realize what was happening.

Oh neat! A lunar eclipse! I’m glad I didn’t miss it.

Not yet putting two and two together, Kagome watched for a moment longer before deciding she better not stand out there all night long like an idiot if she wanted to get to the bottom of why Inuyasha had really wanted her to leave. The first logical place to start was at Kaede’s, even though she doubted she would find Inuyasha there, himself, but she was pretty sure that Sango and Miroku knew more than they had told her…which was nothing. Besides, the future-born miko knew enough to realize that she’d better inform the others of her return before she just up and went trotting off into the forest, even if her friends honestly had no idea what Inuyasha was up to.

Even considering how late it was, since most of the villagers were farmers who had their bodies trained to rise and fall with the sun, Kagome couldn’t help but to notice how eerily quiet the village seemed as she made her way to Kaede’s hut. It wasn’t really that late, and on past occasions staying the night in the village most of the locals had still been awake at around that same time of night, but as Kagome approached the silent miko's hut in that moment, she noticed with a growing feeling of unease how not a single person was stirring, anywhere. She heard no voices, no footsteps; none of the usual hustble and bustle of a village. There weren't even any chirping insects, which really started to freak her out. It was like a ghost town. It was too quiet. At least she could see a small flicker of flame coming from within Kaede’s hut once she reached the doorway, so that did offer her a sense of comfort, since summer or no the fire in the firepit should always be going. She would feel bad if her late arrival disturbed anyone’s sleep, but she was bound and determined to get to the bottom of what Inuyasha’s problem was, regardless, so sucking it up, she plowed forward in that moment.

As she quietly pushed the bamboo mat aside, she was met with a rather disturbing sight in its own right…Sango dressed in her full taijiya regalia, Hiraikotsu at the ready, while Kaede sprinkled some kind of foul-smelling herb into the low fire while muttering words too quiet for Kagome to understand.

Certainly not what I was expecting... she thought slowly, worrying her lower lip, as her friend looked up to notice her arrival.

“Kagome!” Sango spoke up in surprise, her loud outburst in no way disturbing little Shippou and Kirara, who both appeared completely conked out in the back of the hut, curled up together on a blanket.

Before Kagome could say anything, and before Sango could speak any further herself, it was Kaede’s turn to be surprised, having not noticed the young miko’s silent entry until Sango’s exclamation because she had been so deep in concentration.

“What are ye doing here, child?!” she asked, not giving Kagome time to answer before the next words left her mouth. “Did Inuyasha not warn ye of the blood red moon tonight?”

The slayer cringed, but fortunately Kagome missed the way Sango mentally winced at Kaede’s words, too focused on the elderly miko and trying to figure out what she could’ve possibly been referring to, until the obvious answer struck her.

“You mean the eclipse?” she asked nonplused. What was so dangerous about an eclipse? Although, she was a little wary of how nervous Kaede obviously was over the fact that she had returned. The elderly miko clearly knew something she didn’t. Shit…did I just screw up big time?

The prospect of Inuyasha having wanted to keep her safe from some kind of danger that night had obviously not crossed her mind. Why should it have? If there were something bad going on wouldn’t he have just told her? And if not him, then surely Sango or Miroku would’ve said something, right?

Apparently not…

Casting her eyes in Sango’s direction then, Kagome’s gaze softened as she caught the way the slayer was silently apologizing and asking for her to understand.

Ah, so Inuyasha told them not to tell me… she realized then. Then the next question of course became…tell her what? About the ‘blood red moon’?

I’ll bet it’s really nothing… Kagome tried to reason with herself then. These are superstitious times they live in. They probably have no idea what a lunar eclipse really is, and to someone without that knowledge, it does look kind of spooky.  

Completely relaxed, Kagome let her backpack drop from her shoulder, sitting it against the wall of the hut before having a seat before the fire, forming a half-circle with herself in between Sango and Kaede.

“Eclipse?” Sango chose to voice then, breaking the temporary silence. “Is that what your world calls it when the moon is shrouded by blood?”

Smiling at the way Sango described the eclipse’s appearance, because it confirmed for her that all that was going on was fright over the unknown, the future-born miko proceeded to launch into a quick, albeit detailed explanation of what a lunar eclipse actually was.

Sango and Kaede let Kagome finish uninterrupted, but once she was done with her brief science lesson, it was Kaede’s turn to inform Kagome of something.

“Ye come from a world of unfathomable knowledge…” the elderly miko began, then shaking her head sagely, Kaede observed with her good eye as Kagome’s smile quickly morphed into a frown of worry…as well it should. “But whatever Heavenly reasons behind why the blood red moon occurs matter not, for it is the results of its appearance that are the true danger.”

“Results of its appearance?” Kagome echoed, a growing feeling of dread building up in her stomach.

It was at that moment that Miroku joined the party, the monk having been out in the village double-checking the strength of the wards he had placed on everyone’s homes earlier that evening.

“Kagome!” he exclaimed in surprise, quickly darting his eyes in Sango’s direction. The taijiya met his gaze with a hesitant nod; the time for secrets was over.

A sentiment the young miko shared with her friends when she chose that moment to speak up with, “Okay, will somebody please tell me what’s really going on around here?”

“Kagome is already aware there is a blood red moon tonight,” Sango began, quickly bringing Miroku up to speed, “but she is unaware of its effect on youkai.”

“Kagome…” Kaede continued then, gesturing with her hand for Miroku to have a seat. “While your world is free of youkai and mankind has learned to no longer fear such changes of the moon, an ‘eclipse’ as you called it is truly something to be feared in our world.”

“Maybe it’s really this…alignment…thing, that is affecting the youkai, if the red color is only a result of…light refraction…” Sango added slowly, her friend’s foreign words truly holding no meaning to her, “…but whatever is behind it really doesn’t matter.” the taijiya continued then. “The bottom line is that weaker youkai go mad during the night of a blood red moon.”

Stunned into silence, Kagome stared wide-eyed at her friends, before slowly drifting her gaze over into Shippou and Kirara’s direction. “Are they…?”

Kagome wasn’t afraid of Shippou and Kirara, she was worried for them, and smiling as Sango could clearly read the instant concern in the young girl’s eyes, she assured her friend, “They are fine. The results of a blood red moon are temporary with no long-lasting effects, so I have simply given them both a tablet composed of strong sleeping herbs for youkai. They’ll wake up a bit groggy in the morning, is all.”

“So this is why Inuyasha wanted to get rid of me so badly…” Kagome commented then, speaking to her friends, but really more to herself.

Instead of looking surprised, both Sango and Miroku were relieved to realize that their baka-headed friend at least hadn’t done any permanent damage, since Kagome had now been brought up to speed regarding the true reason behind his actions. Well, mostly…

“Yes…and since it is unquestionably safer for you in your own world tonight, where there are no youkai to be effected by the moon’s darkness, I too think it best if you return to your homeland until morning.” Miroku spoke up then, rising to his feet and grabbing his shakujou as he had every intention of escorting Kagome safely to the well.

Completely ignoring his comment, Kagome questioned whoever would answer, “But…where is Inuyasha? Shouldn’t he be here with you guys? Especially if he’s afraid some random youkai might show up to attack the village?”

“Uh…” Sango began, unsure of what to say that would not be breaking her vow to the hanyou any further than she already had.

Fortunately, Kaede had made Inuyasha no such promise.

“He has gone into the woods, child, fearful of what he himself may do under the moon’s influence.”

“What?!” Kagome shrieked, jumping to her feet. “That baka!” she nearly shouted. “Why didn’t he just tell me?” she asked no one in particular, the question more rhetorical than anything as she didn’t honestly expect anyone to be able to answer her. “There isn’t even an eclipse in my time! He could’ve stayed there with me until tomorrow morning. Ooo!” she fumed, stomping her foot, before turning swiftly and heading out of the hut, a startled Miroku hot on her heels while Sango and Kaede scrambled to their feet to follow as well.

“Surely you do not intend to search for him?!” Miroku called after her. “It’s too dangerous!”

Kagome paused, realizing that to stomp off into the woods during a lunar eclipse in a world where there really were things that went bump in the night was not the wisest of decisions…unarmed.

Turning around wordlessly, she returned to Kaede’s hut just as the taijiya and miko were making their way outside, grabbing her bow and arrows before turning right back around to head past Miroku, who managed to make a grab for her arm in that moment, getting her to stop long enough to listen.

“Kagome, be reasonable.” he beseeched, gesturing to the rapidly disappearing moon overhead. “It has already begun, and even if Inuyasha would listen to reason and return with you to your world, you run the risk of encountering any number of other, lower, crazed youkai seeking to sate their bloodlust. Do not forget you carry the jewel shards, which make you an even bigger target. Inuyasha will be all right once the blood red moon has passed.”

“But I can’t just let him suffer through something like that when he doesn’t have to, Miroku, I can’t.” Kagome insisted in turn, turning to meet his gaze in the hopes of pleading with her eyes for him to understand what she couldn’t yet bring herself to say with words.

Eyes softening as he clearly saw the girl’s love for their hanyou friend, Miroku nevertheless remained steadfast in his resolve.

“How do you think Inuyasha would feel if he realized you were out there risking your neck for his sake?” he asked her quietly. “And I don’t mean how he would react, because we all know he would yell and cuss and throw a fit…”

Kagome snickered a tiny bit under her breath.

“…but how he would really feel, to know you were in such danger.”

He would be scared… Kagome realized as her posture slumped slightly, knowing in the logical part of her mind that Miroku was right. Still, Inuyasha had a tendency to call her stupid, and maybe she really was, because even knowing the risks and possible consequences she wasn’t detoured.

“All right, Miroku, you’ve made your point.” she admitted in a defeated tone of voice, and at face value that statement was true. “I’ll see you guys in the morning, then.” she added, glancing over her shoulder to offer a weak smile in Sango and Kaede’s directions.

Kagome had every intention of returning through the well that night…with Inuyasha.

“Be careful…” Miroku insisted then.

Part of him still wanted to accompany Kagome to the well, but it was only a five-minute walk, and most importantly, he could sense no jyaki anywhere in the nearby area. The girl clearly wanted to be alone in that moment, probably feeling alienated over their unwillingness to concede to her desire to search for Inuyasha, and since there were currently no youkai close enough to the village to be considered an immediate threat, he decided that one small liberty could be afforded, letting her walk to the well alone.

It wouldn’t really have mattered, anyway, Kagome knew…as she made her way down the path that led to the Bone Eater’s Well…since even if Miroku had insisted on accompanying her to the time portal she would’ve just returned again a couple of minutes later, anyway.

At least this way I’ve bought myself a little more time… she thought, gazing up at what was left of the moon. It was now almost completely engulfed in shadow, with only a small strip of bright white remaining off to the left, the portion of the moon that had previously been snuffed by blackness already starting to turn red.

Though it looks like I don’t have very much time! she realized frantically at the sight.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, the miko thought to question her own actions. At that point in time, had things already progressed so far that it really would be better now if she just complied with Inuyasha’s wishes, remaining in her time where she was safe? It was the colossal unknown of what Inuyasha was suffering through himself that had Kagome shaking her head ‘no’ in that moment, as she walked right past the well and headed unhesitatingly into the forest beyond. She didn’t fear Inuyasha, and she never would. He would never hurt her. She couldn’t imagine that it would be anything like when he had transformed into a full-youkai before, his life not currently being in any type of danger, and Tessaiga surely still resting snugly against his hip. While she realized that the other youkai of the forest could pose a potential threat, at least Miroku’s words had allowed her to realize that she should at least have her weapon with her, which she now did, a full quiver of arrows resting reassuringly against her back, her bow tight in hand. Now the question just became how long it would take her to find Inuyasha, especially if he didn’t really want to be found.

Ready or not, here I come…

Much sooner than she would’ve liked, Kagome could literally feel it when the last sliver of white moon disappeared overhead, as the forest itself almost seemed to shudder around her, as though in anticipation for whatever unpleasantries were about to commence. The mortal animals of the night remained silent, even the insects still not chirping, and in that moment Kagome was cursing herself for having left her flashlight behind in her knapsack back at Kaede’s. Knowing it was too late to do anything other than continue onward, she swallowed her nervousness before moving even deeper into the midnight forest.

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Shrouded by darkness, his entire body seeming to hum with the hunger of the blood red moon, Inuyasha sat unmoving on the branch of a sturdy tree, breathing deep. Instead of completely losing his mind, he still remembered who he was, and who his friends were, but that knowledge did nothing to stave off the melee of unholy desires pumping through his veins. It was the same every blood red moon, only this time everything was different. Before, he had always been alone, unwanted, hated, and it had been much easier to resist the most primal of his urges, knowing no such outlets existed for him. No matter how strong the pull of a blood red moon, he would never, could never bring himself to attack a random village. He had no desire to smell the fear of a stranger, one fortunate side effect of being half human.

The lust he felt as a result of the blood red moon was unique, and completely different from the bloodlust he’d experienced whenever he’d transformed into a full-youkai. Yes, the desire to kill was still there, buried somewhere in the deepest part of his psyche, but much like any human might experience at any time an internal battle between right and wrong, he was able to resist that temptation. But unlike the times when he had transformed as a result of life-threatening danger, his youkai blood rising to the surface in the heat of battle in order to defeat his enemy, the lust he felt during a blood red moon did not revolve solely around killing. It was lust, in the truest sense of the word, and it sung to him. He was a demon on this night.

He wanted to kill, he wanted to eat, he wanted to mate…he simply wanted, but above all, he wanted to keep Kagome away from him while he was like that. So when her delicate aroma wafted to his nose on the breeze in that moment, he nearly lost it.

Stupid fucking bitch!

And she was carrying the jewel shards…genius. In that moment, Inuyasha’s desire to protect Kagome from the other youkai of the world somehow managed to override his previous concerns regarding being one of those youkai himself, as he leapt down from his branch and made a mad dash for the source of her scent, hoping he would reach her before something else did.

Fortunately, his presence in the woods seemed to be keeping the other, weaker youkai at bay, because the only scent he could pick up besides the mortal animals of the world was Kagome’s own delicious fragrance, and it wasn’t long before the brief flash of concern he’d experienced melted away, as he realized there were no threats in the area that posed his miko any danger. Although, by the time he came to that conclusion, he had already arrived at Kagome’s location, and by then he just couldn’t force himself to turn away. In fact, everything within him longed to get even closer.

To say Kagome was surprised would be the Webster’s definition of ‘understatement’. One minute she was doing her best to forge through the trees without stumbling over anything in the dark, and the next she felt an incredible pull of youki against her miko aura, her eyes flying forward with a start to discover Inuyasha standing just a few feet away from her, an unnatural twinge to his demonic aura that felt foreign as his energy brushed up against her own. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on her bow, though she made no move to reach for an arrow.

No matter how the moon is affecting him, he’s still Inuyasha…the miko told herself in that moment.

Although, the way the eclipsed moon seemed to reflect itself in his eyes, even despite the thick canopy of leaves overhead, really did nothing to put her mind at ease. She could barely see the woods around her in the darkness, but there seemed to be an unnatural illumination about Inuyasha that enabled the future-born miko to very clearly make out the way he was staring at her like he wanted to devour her.

“Inu…Inuyasha…?” she voiced hesitantly.

“Hello Kagome…” the hanyou purred, leaving the miko torn as to whether or not she should feel relieved to hear her name fall from his lips, or even more worried based on his tone of voice.

Then he took a step forward, and without even thinking she took an instinctive step back, which quickly caused a frown to form on his face.

“Do you fear me, Kagome?” Inuyasha asked, in a manner of speaking she could only guess was similar to how serial killers spoke to their victims. “You should fear me, you know…” he continued then, and silently, she gulped. “You should always fear me, just like everyone else always fears me…and yet you don’t. You don’t fear that I’m half youkai, do you?” The way he phrased it made it obvious he already knew the answer.

“N-no…I don’t fear you.” she managed to answer then, despite her rattled nerves. “But I’m fearful for you.” she continued then, finding her resolve as she hoped to reason with him. “Inuyasha…there isn’t a blood red moon in my time. Come back with me through the well. Everything will be all right.”

His lips softened into a gentle smile, though the sentiment didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Aww, you were only thinking of me. I should have known.”

Much to Kagome’s relief, he turned away from her slightly in that moment, gazing up through the trees to what few spots of red could be seen overhead. “I suppose I shouldn’t really be surprised that they broke their word not to tell you of the blood red moon. I’m always getting betrayed by the people I trust.”

It was stated with such nonchalance, Kagome couldn’t be sure if he held any true animosity towards their friends or not, but just in case…

“They didn’t tell me, at least not at first.” she wished to explain. “I had thought you’d wanted to get rid of me tonight for…other reasons. I came back of my own volition, without Sango or Miroku’s knowledge. Once I got here, I already saw for myself there was a lunar eclipse going on, and then it was Kaede who actually first broached the subject of what such an occurrence means for the youkai of this time.”

Kagome…Inuyasha thought in a haze, struggling to remember why he had wanted to keep himself away from her that night. He craved nothing stronger than Kagome’s presence in his life, her scent washing over him, making his blood sing. Regardless of his previous thoughts, he knew in that moment that there was no way he’d let her escape him now. She was his.

However, in a desperate attempt to maintain at least a sliver of self-control, lest he tear into her right then and there, the hanyou latched onto what he knew Kagome’s thoughts had been in her misunderstanding, having clearly heard the way she’d paused in her explanation to him of why she had returned.

“You thought I was going off to see Kikyou tonight?” he asked incredulously, and she was thrown off-guard by his tone.  

“It had crossed my mind.” she admitted hesitantly.

“Yeah, well…she’s the last person I want to see right now.” he admitted, thoroughly disgusted by the idea.

Ouch…the miko thought in sympathy, cringing at the way he’d said it so casually. Still, she supposed she could see his point of view. Kagome highly doubted if Kikyou would be very understanding with regard to what he was currently going through.

Lost in thought as she temporarily was, Kagome missed the look of determination that flashed across his gaze when the hanyou decided he’d make sure the girl in front of him knew just who the most important miko in his life really was.

In an unrecognizable blur of movement, Inuyasha was suddenly directly in front of her, and at such close proximity Kagome could clearly make out the way the outer rims of his yellow irises were tinged with red, blending visually from further away to give his eyes a much darker, amber appearance. Unconsciously, she took another step backwards, then another, and another, until her movements were suddenly halted by the feel of a large tree against her back. He had moved with her, step for step, and still stood just as deeply within her personal space as he had a few moments prior, only now she was trapped. Still, the miko found in that moment that she truly did not fear the man before her; she was merely wary of him. Despite the feral look of his gaze, which seemed to pierce her very soul, Kagome could not miss the distinguishable look of compassion held within, as he surprised her for the second time that night.

“Don’t you know what you mean to me, Kagome?” he asked her softly, and were it not for the somewhat crazed look in his eyes, her heart would have melted completely as he gently lifted his right hand to her face, brushing the back of his index finger down across her left cheek.

Tingles rushed through her at the contact, and she couldn’t be sure if it actually had something to do with the eclipse, if his youki was brushing up against her miko aura in some way it usually never did, or if it was all in her head from the simple tenderness behind such a gesture. One thing was for sure, though, and that was that the hanyou was clearly not himself. For starters, Kagome had never before heard Inuyasha use such a harsh tone of voice when speaking of Kikyou, but to then turn around and be so gentle towards herself?

I could understand him not wanting to see Kikyou tonight, all things considered… she reasoned in that moment. He would never want her to see him like this. But how did his reluctance to see Kikyou while afflicted by the eclipse suddenly make her more valuable to him, herself?

It was kind of hard to concentrate with the way he kept on brushing the back of his finger down her cheek like that, but it did occur to Kagome in that moment that he hadn’t really told her what she meant to him…he had instead only implied that she was important to him by asking her if she knew what she meant to him in a way that directly implied she already should.

Sneaky bastard… she thought then, Can’t trust a man to be honest when he’s all hopped up on ‘blood red moon’, I suppose.

In a desperate attempt to distract him, and get him to quit being quite so…touchy feely…Kagome decided despite her better judgment to keep the topic of his first love alive…er, no pun intended.

“So…you’re really not going to see Kikyou tonight?” she asked then, in what she hoped was a disbelieving enough tone that he might take a few steps back in indignation.

Unfortunately, he didn’t budge from his spot standing directly in front of her, though he did thankfully at least stop brushing his finger against her cheek. Instead of getting upset, however, he merely smirked at her, amusement twinkling in his red-rimmed eyes, which made him look all the crazier.  

“Of course not.” he acknowledged gently, his tone suggesting he thought her question was born more from insecurity than distrust. “Kagome Kagome Kagome…” he sighed next, in a sort of ‘what am I going to do with you’ tone of voice, though he didn’t finish that thought aloud, instead confessing, “I stopped loving Kikyou like that a long time ago, though that doesn’t mean I’m not obligated by honor and guilt to protect her. But it’s you that I want by my side.”

She gasped…somehow believing the sincerity of his words, despite the madness brought on by the blood red moon. It was as if all of his inhibitions were gone. Now she understood why he had wanted to keep her away for the night. Just as she was sure there was no way he would ever want Kikyou to see him like that, Kagome was equally sure he had wanted to avoid her seeing him like that, herself.

Although…worry over embarrassment regarding what she might think of him had probably not been his only concern, which he confirmed for her in that moment as he suddenly stated with conviction, “You shouldn’t have come here. You shouldn’t have looked for me.”

She opened her mouth to say…something…but the look in his eyes had her voice fleeing her in that moment, as her mouth hung open in stunned silence.

“I had only wanted to protect you…from myself.”

With that last statement released between them, he suddenly captured her mouth with his own, his desire to kiss those teasing lips of hers having simply grown too strong to resist one moment longer. Of course, he wanted to do a whole lot more than merely kiss her, which Kagome became fully aware of as she felt something long and stiff press firmly against her belly.

Whoa, boy! That is most certainly what I think it is!

This was nothing like how she had always envisioned her first kiss would be, rough and demanding instead of soft and gentle, forceful and passionate instead of shy and unsure. Inuyasha had taken something very special from her without any consideration to her own feelings, and even though he was the man she had envisioned sharing her first kiss with, his actions in that moment had Kagome worrying over just what else he would be willing to take from her by force.

With nowhere to run as he dominated her mouth, his tongue forcing itself over every inch of her wet cavern, the rough bark of the tree behind her holding her just as firmly in place as his hands on her shoulders, her legs pinned against the tree with his own as he greedily ground his stiffness against her hip, a genuine feeling of fear began bubbling up in her stomach for the first time. Before Kagome even knew what was happening, her miko aura was crackling all around her, and suddenly, she was swinging her bow like a club, somehow managing to bring it up to knock Inuyasha across the temple. A repelling spell similar to what she had used against Tsubaki sprung forth, and the next thing she knew, Inuyasha was lying on the ground before her, shaking the disorientation free from his mind.

Her first thought of  Oh kami, I hope I didn’t hurt him!  was quickly replaced with a more cautious  Is he…still…?

That unfinished question was answered the instant his red-rimmed eyes snapped up to meet her own, a ravenous growl tumbling forth from deep within his throat as he grumbled low, “You bitch.”

She ran, a panicked cry of “Osuwari!” echoing in her wake, which prevented the hanyou from immediately giving chase as he suddenly found himself pinned face down in the dirt.

The position gave him a moment to think, or at least try to.

While the one lingering and severely tattered thread connecting him to what was once reality tried to get Inuyasha to understand how he should just let her go in that moment, that thought was a fleeting whisper against the bellowing shout of his most primal instincts, the very blood pulsing within his veins demanding that he not let his bitch escape him.

Kagome knew that running was probably futile, though that knowledge didn’t stop her from darting through the inky forest as quickly as her human limitations would allow. She only had one thing going for her, and that was the subduing rosary, which she utilized to her full advantage as she continually called out “Osuwari!” while she ran. It was disquieting how close the thuds were becoming, as Inuyasha’s curses reached her ears louder and louder with each passing second.

“Osuwari! Osuwari! Osuwari!”

If she could only make it to the well, then everything would be fine. Even if in his anger he followed right after her, the spell of the moon would be broken the instant his body emerged on her side of time. The well was her savior.

The tree root that picked that exact moment to trip her, however, was her damnation.

Kagome flew forward, half expecting a pair of strong arms to catch her in her descent, though that mercy never came. Suddenly having a greater sympathy for what the subduing spell probably felt like for her canine friend, Kagome glanced up in horror at the sight of her scattered arrows, the missiles having tumbled from her quiver in her momentum. She didn’t have time to gather them. Scrambling to her feet, she found she didn’t have time to take off running again, either, as a feral-looking Inuyasha stood motionless before her.

Inhaling in a loud, startled gasp, she prepared to shout the subduing command once more, but her hope for actually escaping to her time was robed from her as well in that moment as he rushed forward to close the gap between them before she could even utter the first syllable. His hand suddenly pressed firmly over her mouth prevented her from saying the command, and she couldn’t stop the second rush of fear that overtook her at the way he glared at her.

A subtle flaring of his nostrils told Kagome he could smell her fear, and his eyes softened the tiniest bit, as he stated firmly, “Don’t say it.”

Swallowing down her nervousness, she managed to nod against his hand.

He released her mouth then, some part of him still trusting that if she gave her word on something, she would not deliberately break that promise.

For the briefest of moments Kagome actually considered it, but then knew that in the end, that would only make everything ten times worse for herself. So instead, she tried to reason with him again.

“Inuyasha…?” she started hesitantly. He merely stared at her. “Inuyasha, just come back with me.” she begged, glancing over her shoulder to spy the tallest branches of the Goshinboku peaking over the rest of the forest. The clearing of the well was literally just a few steps away.

“This…whatever it is…will go away once we make it to my time.” she hoped to reassure whatever lingering traces of his rational mind might still exist behind the fog. “We can pretend that kiss never happened. ”

“Now why would I want to go and do a thing like that?” he asked her then, his posture relaxing slightly, his lips curling up in a disturbing adaptation of his classic smirk. “I’m glad you finally know how I feel.” he added after a moment, giving his hips a little thrust to drive his exact meaning home.

He doesn’t mean that! Kagome attempted to convince herself, a strange combination of horror and elation warring for dominance in her heart. He still loves Kikyou, I know he dose, no matter how he might also feel about me. But of course, he could never really be with her…like that… she realized after a moment, knowing that even assuming the undead miko would allow such carnal behavior, which she surely wouldn’t, her false body of clay and graveyard soil would make such intimacy impossible, anyway. That had to have been what he’d meant, wasn’t it? He was still obligated to protect her, even though any chance of a physical relationship between them was now destroyed. Sure, he’d told her that he didn’t love Kikyou any longer, but that was probably just sour grapes.

I’m just the next best thing, since he can never have who he really wants…I’m just nice and warm, and alive… Kagome convinced herself in that moment, though she wasn’t too distressed, her more pressing concerns currently regarding her worry over how far gone her hanyou really was, in order for him to seem so brazen regarding something she was sure he would normally find cause for mortification.

And Sango had said the blood red moon had no long-lasting effects. Yeah right… Kagome was sure that if Inuyasha retained any memory of his actions once the eclipse was over, there would be no consoling him for days, maybe even weeks.

“You don’t really want me.” she stated in that moment, having no idea where her bravado had come from, though she wasn’t complaining.  

“Who says I don’t want you?” he asked her in turn, though his tone of voice was thankfully not hostile. She had worried for a moment if her statement was going to trigger an argument, or worse, cause him to prove her wrong, but he appeared to be back to his more aloof self, now, like how she had first found him that night, or more accurately, how he had first found her.

“Inuyasha, listen to yourself.” Kagome insisted then. “This is only because of the blood red moon.”

“Well of course it is.” he confirmed, as if she were a complete moron. “You think I would have the balls to be so honest otherwise?” he asked, continuing before she even had a chance to ponder whether or not she was supposed to really answer him.

“My blood is on fire…” he confessed, his tone of voice revealing that for the moment, he was absolutely enthralled with the sensation, a fact made even more apparent by the unquestionable lust she could see in his gaze.

Great, so he still has enough awareness about him to realize he’s being affected by the moon, but at the same time he’s openly loving every minute of it…

It was almost as if Inuyasha were suffering from an extremely high dose of Ecstasy, although ‘suffering’ didn’t really appear to be the right word. Her thoughts were brought back into certain, more naughty directions as she caught sight of the way he adjusted himself in that moment, an act done with purpose as he smirked at her reddening cheeks.

Blushing, and trying not to remember the feel of his excitement pressing against her, she tried another approach.

“I meant…I’m not really the one you…really want.”

His eyes snapped into focus, his red-rimmed gaze meeting her own with unwavering resolve.

Kagome gulped.

“You’ve been the one I’ve wanted since almost the day I met you.” he told her then, and she was mentally floored by the amount of absolute sincerity she could hear in his voice, even if the way he was suddenly stalking forward was a little disconcerting.

Hesitantly, she started taking equal steps backwards, until Kagome suddenly found herself in a clearing. Realizing where she was, she turned and bolted, though the well she could see standing just a few feet away seemed utterly out of reach when he appeared directly before her again. At least she had kept her promise not to subdue him. That would count for something, right? She had never promised not to try to run away.

“Why do you keep running from me?” he asked her then, in a reprise of what she had earlier dubbed his ‘serial killer’ voice. It was a tone of voice that made the answer to his question exceedingly obvious, at least to her.

As he began stalking forward once more, Kagome once again began her slow steps backwards, until a thought occurred to her and she slowly, carefully, managed to get them both turned around until the well was once again behind her, with Inuyasha in front and not blocking her path. She knew she was still much too far away to make another run for it, though, so she would play it slow instead, hopefully inching her way closer to the time portal over the next few minutes without his notice. With that last thought in mind, she slowed her retreat before he caught on to her plan, allowing him to reenter her personal space. With the amount of passion she could clearly read in his eyes in that moment, it was a miracle he somehow managed to resist the urge to touch her, as he kept his arms at his sides.

“Did you know there was a blood red moon the night I was born?” he asked her then, his voice low and raspy, and with wide eyes she silently shook her head in the negative.

“Mother said it was the pull of the blood red moon that gave my father the strength he needed after battling Ryuukossei to come to our rescue, that it was the power of the blood red moon that had spoken to me while I’d still been inside her, demanding I be born in that moment.”

The miko knew better than to question the power of any kind of magic after witnessing what an eclipse was apparently capable of doing to the adult hanyou standing before her. Tilting her head back to glance up at the moon, Kagome hoped to catch a bright line of white on its rim, indicating the eclipse was on its way to being over, but there was still only a solid red moon shining dimly back down at her, as if taunting her. With her sense of time somewhat warped in the craziness of what was happening to her companion, she honestly had no idea how long the moon had already been fully engulfed in shadow, although she did know that depending on how far away the moon was from the earth at any given time, totality of the eclipse could last for well over an hour.

It was in that moment that Kagome’s focus was brought back to the man standing a mere six inches away, when she felt the heated puffs of his breath against her neck, and she realized belatedly that she had just bared her throat to a passionate inu-youkai. Quickly snapping her head back down, she sought his gaze with her own, hoping to plead one last time for him to accompany her through the well.

“Inuya-”

That was as far as she got before suddenly finding his lips pressed firmly against her own for the second time that night, although this kiss was thankfully much softer than the first. While he applied enough pressure to eliminate any doubt as to who was in charge, it was clear he didn’t want to risk accidentally hurting her, which she had honestly feared he might the first time around. Not that she would ever believe for a second that he could deliberately cause her harm, but clumsily injuring her in his haste, on the other hand…

Oh, and speaking of his hands.

Despite herself, Kagome melted under his touch, as he brought his arms up to cradle her delicate human body. Lifting his right hand to tangle in her hair, he gently held her head in place, while skillfully using his left hand to run loving patterns up and down her right arm, until he managed to relax her so thoroughly, she dropped her bow. That task complete, he broke away from the kiss for only a moment to grab her empty quiver, her arrows having all fallen out during her tumble in the woods, and pulling it from her he dropped it to land by her bow. His right hand was back in her hair, then, his left hand moving to her side, gently yet firmly holding her to him. Of their own accord, her own arms lifted to wind themselves around his neck, not caring that he had disarmed her, and he took full advantage of the new position to strengthen the passion behind his kiss even more, lowering the hand on her side to her hip as he pulled her lower body in even tighter against his own.

At the feel of his erection poking her through their clothing again, she moaned into the kiss, one of the hands behind his neck curling into a fist which tangled aggressively in his hair. She was getting a little too into it.

Kami…is this ‘blood red moon’ thing contagious?!

Keeping her left hand fisted in his hair, she managed to bring her right hand down to press against his chest, wanting to push him back a little bit so she didn’t feel so overwhelmed, but Inuyasha proved just how much stronger than Kagome he really was when she found she couldn’t budge him in the slightest. The harder she pushed, the louder he rumbled, an almost purring sort of growl having slowly started to develop from deep within his chest, but she couldn't shove him away by even an inch. It was like pushing against a brick wall. A brick wall that suddenly pulled her in even closer, and in an instant Kagome found her right hand trapped and useless, pressed in between their two bodies. She began tugging backwards on the hair she still held fisted in her left hand, though the hanyou was no more affected by that action than he had been by her previous attempt to shove him away. She couldn’t even snap his head back at all, let alone get him to take a few steps back away from her. She would have started to panic if it weren’t for how gently he was still kissing her, and she found that a nasty little part of her in the back of her mind was actually getting turned on by his aggression. It was just too bad it was artificial, and not how he really felt.

When his right leg somehow managed to maneuver itself between her own she finally started to feel the panic building back up in her chest, until his rumbling got even louder, which despite herself, the miko found to be almost abnormally soothing. When Inuyasha bent his leg enough for her to grind herself against his knee, she felt embarrassed for maybe a few seconds, before reason swiftly began giving way to passion.

This is wrong…no matter what he says, I know he doesn’t really want this.

Still, Kagome would have to admit that being with Inuyasha ‘like that’ had been a fantasy of hers for quite some time now. Granted, this was not how she had envisioned it taking place, but as the miko saw it in that moment, she had two choices. She could either continue to fight him off until he grew so frustrated that he simply took her by force, or she could go with it, allowing herself to enjoy it. She didn’t doubt that in his warped frame of mind he really might just take her by force if it came to that, and she knew she did not want that, for either of them, so when she looked at it that way, the choice was rather obvious. She could only pray that he would have no memory of what had happened after the eclipse was over, like the most recent times when he’d turned full-youkai.

Kagome was so wrapped up in the kiss, though it couldn’t really be called just a kiss any longer, that she didn’t even notice it when Inuyasha started walking her backwards again, until the back of her legs bumped against something solid. It took her a second to realize she was actually leaning against the well.

What the…?

A brief flutter of butterflies danced in her stomach as his hands at her sides swiftly lifted her, and then the next thing Kagome knew, she was sitting on the edge of the ancient time portal. His kiss continued for a few seconds longer before she felt him pull back, her left hand releasing its hold on his hair. For a brief moment, the miko wondered if Inuyasha was suffering from some kind of internal battle, and that despite his physical desires, he had somehow managed to get her to the well with the intention of sending her away. That thought flew from her mind, though, when she felt his hands shift on her person, his left hand moving to support her back so she wouldn’t accidentally tumble over, while his right hand moved in between her legs.

He’s moving a little faster than I would’ve…Ohhhh…

Moving aside the crotch of her panties, the hanyou was surprisingly gentle as he fondled her bare flesh, especially considering his razor sharp talons. Though, as Kagome thought about it, ‘razor sharp’ wasn’t really an accurate description. Inuyasha’s nails were pointy, but they weren’t like sword tips. After all, he was an inu hanyou, not a neko. They were just dangerous because of how much force he could put behind them if he wanted to, because of how strong he was and how unbreakable they were, not to mention he could channel his youki through them. But they were still blunt enough to be lightly brushed across human flesh without causing harm, and she trusted in that moment that he would not injure her.

“Mmmm…”

Indeed, causing her pain was forbidden in his mind.

Yeah…that’s it…ride my hand, bitch.

Inuyasha was in sensory overload, the scent of Kagome’s womanly juices flooding his nose and making his mind even foggier than the eclipse already had. It was clear the girl was lost in her pleasure as she tilted her head back, baring her throat to him a second time as she let herself get lost in the feeling of his fingers pumping in and out of her, while he gently rubbed her clit with the pad of his thumb. Gradually, he stretched her, every whimper of discomfort apologized for by quick retreat and extra consideration to her little nub of pleasure, until finally, she was riding all four fingers and loving every minute of it, her right hand clutching his left shoulder while her left hand was balled in a fist at her side. Inuyasha retracted his hand then, the whimper that escaped his bitch in that moment one of disappointment as she lost the delicious feeling of his teasing digits.

Blinking her vision back into focus, Kagome panted, noting absentmindedly when a tiny thread of white suddenly appeared on the furthest right edge of the moon. It would still be a while before Inuyasha came to his senses, she was sure. The miko was only just coming to her own senses when she realized that Inuyasha had stepped away from her entirely, glancing forward in time to see him twisting around his baggy hakama, until the slits that usually went up his hips were in the front and back. Something long and hard sprang forth as he removed his hand from within the front slit, tossing a discarded length of white fabric to the ground, the sheathed Tessaiga soon to follow.

Oh man…I’m not sure if I’m ready for this.

Looking deep into his eyes in that moment, his gaze still just as crazy and on fire as it had been all night long, despite the slowly depleting eclipse overhead, Kagome couldn’t miss the spark of something that seemed genuine, resting just below the surface, and that something spoke to her in that moment, setting her resolve. In that moment she’d realized she had a third option, besides just play along and give in to her fantasy, or ultimately get raped if she continued to resist. In that moment she knew she could easily break her silent promise and ‘osuwari’ him. So easily, one little word, and she knew she could tumble herself backwards into the well long before the subduing spell wore off.

But she also knew that if she stopped him in that moment, she would most likely never have another opportunity to share with him what she had always dreamed of sharing.

If I’ve dreamt it, then I’m ready, right?

Not necessarily, although her decision was made in that moment, mere seconds before he closed the final gap between them, his left hand once again resting gently on her back, while he guided himself into her with his right. Kagome couldn’t stop the spike of fear that washed over her as she felt his shaft start to press its way inside, although she figured it was more anxiety than actual fear she was feeling. Not to mention it was rather disquieting to be doing something so intimate out in the open, where anyone could easily stumble upon them. She silently prayed that Miroku didn’t decide to come double-check if she had actually gone through the well in that moment.

Worried that he would be quick and forceful, and bracing herself for the pain of it, Kagome was tremendously relieved when Inuyasha seemed willing to take his time, entering her slowly so that her body would have time to adjust to his intrusion. It stung a little to be stretched further than his fingers had been capable of doing, but she had no doubt it would’ve hurt a lot worse had he not prepared her first. Besides being partially stretched to accommodate his size, she was also wet and horny, and when his thumb made its way back to her clit in that moment, Kagome found herself rocking against him as his thighs made contact with her own.

This is it…there’s no going back now…what’s done is done.

She swore she wouldn’t regret her decision.

Slowly, he retracted his hips, before pushing forward once more, his left hand against her back keeping her steady so that she wouldn’t get any splinters from shifting against the old wood. Although, her panties would keep her bottom fairly protected, considering he had only moved the offending piece of fabric aside to reach his destination.

How romantic… she thought sarcastically, though any additional thinking, of any nature, was quickly flushed from her mind as he began building up a steady rhythm, the tempo of his thumb against her clit speeding up in time with his thrusts. It wasn’t long before Kagome’s right hand was fisting the fabric across his left shoulder, while her left hand tightly clinched the material of her own shirt, across her chest. It was almost as if she were unconsciously afraid that her frantically pounding heart would fly right out of her chest if she didn’t go out of her way to hold her shirt closed, not that it occurred to her in that precise moment how Inuyasha hadn’t even shown any interest in opening her shirt to begin with.

An especially powerful lunge had the hanyou hitting something buried deeply within her in that moment, causing a sharp jolt of pleasure to rocket through her body, and she moaned aloud, her head flopping backwards. The movement caught Inuyasha off guard, as the hanyou had become completely lost in his own pleasure, and unable to counterbalance the two of them fast enough, they both toppled over the edge of the well, descending into the blue lights of time head-first, their bodies still connected quite securely down below.

No! Oh no… Kagome panicked, her haze of lovemaking immediately gone to worry over what she was about to face as soon as Inuyasha came to.

Thankfully, they at least didn’t have to worry about getting hurt with the way they’d tumbled tail over teakettle into the well, the magical powers that be depositing them nice and gently on the ground on her side of time, Kagome laying mostly on her back with her head propped slightly against the wall of the well, her legs bent at the knees, with Inuyasha lying possessively over her…and inside of her…his own legs bent at the knees with his shins and feet leaning up against the opposite wall. It was somewhat uncomfortable, but it wasn’t painful.  

Unbidden, tears sprang to her eyes, as she mentally braced herself for the onslaught of curses she was sure were about to be unleashed. She could only hope that he would be quiet enough so as not to alert her family to their presence.

It took Inuyasha a minute for the fog to fully lift from his mind, and as his thoughts scrambled to catch up with him, like waking up after a night of excessive drinking, he immediately took note of two very important factors. One, he was lying both on and in Kagome, that thought alone causing his higher brain functions to start running around in circles screaming in panic in his head, and two…Kagome was crying.

Just fucking kill me now… he silently prayed to whatever kami would listen, knowing such a fate was more merciful than what he deserved.

He immediately tried to back away from her then, knowing enough to keep his mouth shut lest he wake her family. Besides, he had no reason to suddenly jump away from her yelling ‘What the fuck?!’ He remembered everything. But Inuyasha’s eyes flew wide open in that moment, unintentionally causing him to stare directly into Kagome’s tearful pools of chocolate, when he registered the sensation of her legs wrapping up and around his buttock, holding him in place.

“Ka-Kagome?!”

“Please,” she sniffled, a shaky hand rising to wipe away the tears that fell against her will. “Please just finish what you started. Please grant me this, even if you never want to see me again afterwards.”

Waaaaaiiiiiit a minute here… the hanyou thought slowly, his scrambled thinking made even harder to function properly with the way she started gyrating against him, causing a low moan of pleasure to tumble from his throat before he could stop himself.

Bringing his hands up to cup each side of her face, he made sure he had her complete attention before commanding gently, “Stop that…let me talk.”

Biting her lower lip in worry, Kagome obeyed nonetheless, even going so far as to unlock her legs from around him, letting them fall to either side of his own.

“You…” he started slowly after a moment, his eyes and tone of voice both disbelieving, yet daring to hope. “You’re not…angry…over this? You don’t totally hate me for what I’ve done?”

“Seducing me?” she asked quietly for clarification, first confused, then horrified, when he shook his head ‘no’ before quietly murmuring, “Raping you.”

“You didn’t rape me!” she insisted without hesitation, her voice set at that strained level of yell/whisper people tended to use whenever trying to stay quiet during times of extreme stress.

The look he shot her in that moment told Kagome that he didn’t believe her. That he thought she was being foolishly defensive of him, just like when she had tried to convince him that he wasn’t a heartless monster after slaughtering all those human bandits.

“I remember everything, Kagome.” he told her then, his tone scolding for her attempt at lying to him about something so important, although he quickly reined in his emotions after a minute. Getting angry with her simply because she refused to acknowledge how severely he had violated her trust in him would not be the wisest of decisions.  

Making sure his voice reflected the remorse he truly felt, he confessed in that moment, “I remember how I kept stalking towards you like cornered prey, and how you kept trying to escape me, using your miko powers, using the beads…I remember the stench of your fear.”

Eyes softening in that moment, Kagome tried to make sure her voice reflected the amount of love she truly felt for him as she asked him, “Do you also remember how I kissed you back? How I rubbed myself against you?”

Shaking his head in denial, he murmured dejectedly, “You were just trying to play along until you could get away.”

Attempting to inhale to calm his nerves, he instead almost gagged at the scent of their joining mixed with the lingering odor of her tears and fright.

“Kami…you never could’ve hoped to get away.” he whispered brokenly, and Kagome’s eyes widened in surprise at the appearance of moisture gathering in his own, now fully yellow orbs.

“Inuyasha, listen to me…” she commanded in that moment, placing her own hand upon his cheek to be sure she had his full attention. “I had a chance to get away.” He scoffed at her but she remained steadfast. “No, I did, when you pulled away from me in order to readjust your hakama.”

That mental picture had him cringing over the reminder that he had been in such a hurry to take her like the wild animal he was, that he hadn’t even bothered removing either of their clothing. It would’ve been such a pointless waste of time, after all. Note the sarcasm. But then, bit-by-bit, Kagome’s words started making more sense.

“Think about it,” she insisted, and he did. “I was sitting on the edge of the well, and you were a good three feet away from me, at least. I could’ve easily tumbled myself backwards into the well in that moment, and I did think about it, but then I decided that I didn’t want to. I chose to stay; I chose to let you make love to me.”

Staring down at her with wide eyes starting to reflect more hope and less self-loathing, Inuyasha asked her timidly, “You really mean that?”

Her answer came in the form of raising her hips up off the floor of the well, her feet pressed flatly on the ground to give her the leverage needed. A low groan of pleasure met her ears as a result, as the man above her closed his eyes, his face grimacing in what she prayed was only pleasure and not regret. While Kagome knew there were still a lot of elephants in the room in dire need of discussion, they could wait, she decided. If he would be willing to continue, then she wanted nothing more than to forget everything and just enjoy their moment of oneness. Reality could wait.

Inuyasha had been doing his best to ignore the delicious sensation of being one with Kagome while attempting to have their much-needed conversation, but the feel of her thrusting against him in that moment was simply too much. He had never mated with anyone before, and the feeling of being wrapped so securely in her wet, inviting heat was far better than he had ever imagined. He didn’t know how he was supposed to go back to pleasuring himself with his hand after this.

Maybe…maybe I won’t have to…

But concerns for the future were honestly the furthest thing on his mind as he allowed his body to meet Kagome on her next thrust, the two of them quickly building up a steady rhythm together. He realized in that moment that Kagome was right, she could have very easily escaped him when he’d left her alone on the edge of the well while struggling to adjust his pants and remove his fundoshi. So if she swore to him now that the thought to flee had crossed her mind and it had been her own decision to remain, that she had decided that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her, then who was he to argue?

Although, it was rather awkward lying haphazardly against the bottom of the well like they were. There wasn’t enough room to stretch out comfortably, and he didn’t have the freedom of movement he would prefer in order to thrust into her properly.  

“Wrap your arms and legs around me.” he whispered to her then. “Hold on tight.”

Feeling tremendous relief and anticipation over the fact that she had gotten him to calm down enough to see her side of things and agree to continue with their intimate activity, Kagome happily complied with his request. As soon as the hanyou felt that she was secure enough so that he wouldn’t accidentally dislodge himself from her welcoming sheath, he moved to stand up, quickly helping to support the girl wrapped around him with a pair of strong hands firmly yet gently gripping her hips. Then he pressed her back against the cold, hard stone of the well’s inner wall, and the miko found herself somewhat grateful to still be wearing her shirt.

“Inuyasha…? Wha…Oh!”

Hammering into her as he held her up against the wall, he silenced her with a kiss so that her moans wouldn’t accidentally wake her family. He had no idea how loud they were actually being to human ears, but down there in the bottom of the well, the sounds of their passion were echoing loudly in the sensitive appendages upon his head.

Kagome was seeing stars, despite nothing but the roof to the well-house being in her line of vision as Inuyasha broke their kiss and her head fell back against the stone, her eyes snapping open with an especially deep thrust. She had always been under the impression that the first time was supposed to be painful for girls, but as she thought about it, it had been uncomfortable at first, earlier, when he had been preparing her with his fingers. Whatever he had done had apparently stretched her enough so that now, as he entered her in rapid shallow thrusts, never fully withdrawing, she felt nothing but pleasure. Somehow finding the strength to lower her head back down, Kagome faced straight ahead into Inuyasha’s eyes in that moment, something inside her heating even further at the sight of his smoldering eyes boring into her very soul, and the curse of the blood red moon had been completely removed. This was the real Inuyasha who was thrusting up into her at piston speed. He had decided not to think beyond that moment in time, and neither would she, as she enjoyed every minute of it, riding him for all she was worth.

“Yes…yes…” she whispered, doing her best to remain quiet, having to bite her lip several times to keep from moaning or gasping.

“Fuck having to be quiet.” she heard Inuyasha mutter after a moment, and before she could question him, his grip on her sides tightened noticeably as he stepped them away from the wall, before he suddenly launched the two of them straight up into the air, only to drop back down into the well again, emerging moments later on his side of time.

Kagome shuddered at the sensation of traveling through time while remaining intimately connected with him, again, and upon opening her eyes once more, she gasped at the sight of red-rimmed irises staring back at her passionately. It didn’t take Kagome long to realize that Inuyasha had obviously known what he was doing, and so he had deliberately put the ‘curse’ of the eclipse back upon himself, probably relishing in the lack of inhibitions he felt with the lust of the blood red moon flowing freely through his veins. They still had a lot to talk about, Kagome knew, so she couldn’t blame the guy for wanting to at least finish enjoying their sex without a bunch of troublesome thoughts buzzing around in his brain, and since she also knew that he would remember everything once the eclipse was finally over, she decided not to give the matter a second thought as she began crying out in her pleasure.

“Inuyasha!”

“Kagome.” he growled low as he pounded into her, his bizzare tone of voice no longer sounding eerie to her ears as she embraced the affect the eclipse was once again having on him. “My Kagome.” he said next, and the possessiveness she could feel in him only increased her pleasure as tingles starting rushing through her entire body.

Still, Kagome knew better than to scream too loudly; the last thing either of them needed was their friends running over to check up on them. So leaning forward, the miko clamped down on whatever she could reach, getting a mouth full of fire-rat clad shoulder, as she bit down as hard as she could to stifle the cry that ripped from her throat as his talented hips wrenched from her body the most powerful orgasm she had ever experienced.

The sensation of Kagome’s inner muscles clamping down even tighter around his overly sensitized shaft was all Inuyasha needed to finally find his own release, and not giving a damn about being quiet at the moment thanks to the effects of the moon, he howled like the inu-youkai he was, a call all other youkai in the area would recognize meant that he had successfully claimed a mate.

How am I supposed to go back to pleasuring myself after this? Kagome thought lazily, as she came back down from her high just in time to realize she needed to unwrap her legs from around Inuyasha’s backside, as the hanyou moved to carefully place her feet back upon the ground.

It was rather perplexing that after sharing such intimacy, it dawned on Kagome in that moment that she had still never seen the guy naked, well…except for that one time he had run into her room after Souta had accidentally scalded him in the bath…but she had hardly been in a position to ogle him at that time. So quickly deciding to take whatever she could get, she glanced down in that moment, noting the way his still slightly hard member glistened in the moonlight with the evidence of their joining. It was then that she also realized just how brightly the moon was shining, and glancing upward, she caught sight of the moon right overhead. The eclipse was almost completely over, most of the moon shining a bright white once more, with only a small amount of blackened shadow remaining. The red color of a full lunar eclipse was gone completely. Tilting her head back down to catch Inuyasha’s eyes, it was with a sense of relief that she noted his irises were fully yellow once again, the effects of the eclipse completely washed from his system. It took her another moment to recognize the way he was smirking at her, and then belatedly realizing that he had clearly caught her staring at his dick, she felt the heat of embarrassment rush her cheeks.

Inuyasha’s soft chuckle followed by her name spoken with tender affection immediately got her attention when she started to cover her face with her hands.

“You can look, Kagome.” he assured her then, a goofy smile exposing his fangs as he added, “Hell, you can do way more than look.”

Blushing prettily, the miko couldn’t help it when her eyes wandered down below for a second time, noting that his now more flaccid penis was still hanging free from his hakama. She immediately turned her head away, although she did smile the tiniest bit at the sound of him chuckling again.

Fixing his pants so that Kagome would be able to look his way without bursting into flame, Inuyasha then hooked a gentle finger under her chin, turning her head to face him once more.

“Kagome…” he started, unsure of what to say, and even more unsure of how to say it.

The renewed bravado he had felt as a result of jumping back into his time before the end of the eclipse was now gone from his system, but he couldn’t very well go back to being shy and reserved about talking about his feelings after all they had shared. He knew that, and he also knew that the girl standing hopefully before him still had a few doubts that were his responsibility to clear up once and for all.

“You aren’t my second choice.” he somehow managed to utter at just her hearing level, and Kagome’s eyes widened in surprise as she realized what he was telling her.

“It wasn’t just the blood red moon making me say those things, when I said I hadn’t loved Kikyou like that in a very long time. When you first revived me from her spell…I’d honestly had mixed feelings about it.” he attempted to explain, thankful that she was being quiet to let him gather his thoughts at his own pace.

“Part of me still loved her, but another part of me hated her, believing she had betrayed me. It hadn’t mattered anyway, because she’d been dead, so mainly I’d thought to put my memories of her behind me. It wasn’t so much that you reminded me of her, why I was always such a jerk to you. I was just untrusting of anyone after being betrayed the way I thought I had been, and so I was afraid to let you in.” he confessed.

Kagome blinked as his words slowly sunk in.

Did he just…admit to being…afraid…? That in and of itself was such a breakthrough for him, she knew, to admit that he had been fearful of being hurt again. That statement also let her know that he had in fact apparently been telling the truth when he’d told her earlier that evening that he’d wanted her from almost the moment he’d met her.

“You and Kikyou…” he continued then, immediately capturing her full attention. “You two have completely different scents, and I’m inu, Kagome. Scent is everything to me. I know you’re not her. I could never get the two of you confused.”

Tears began silently slipping down the young miko’s cheeks, but he detected no trace of sadness or hurt in her scent, and quickly realized that they were tears of happiness. Feeling emboldened, he plowed forward, offering her a small, yet genuine smile.  

“You know how you got all mad when I accused you of getting close to the wolf?” he asked, his tone of voice indicating he had no intention of starting a fight with her about Kouga in that moment. Actually, looking back on it, he was very grateful to the wolf that he hadn’t shown up around their village during the blood red moon.

At Kagome’s silent nod, he continued, his smile getting bigger.

“Well, as I’m sure was obvious, it was because I was jealous.” he chuckled, grateful when he saw her smile and chuckle a bit herself. “But that wasn’t the point I was going to make.” he continued. “Me getting jealous of Kouga is like you getting jealous of Kikyou.”

A look of confusion came over the miko’s features as she attempted to absorb his latest words.

Well, it’s definitely a double standard, I agree with him there. I have a right to be jealous if he is…and vise versa, I suppose. But where is he going with this?

Seeing her confusion, he mentally cursed her inability to catch on, as she forced him to spell it out more clearly. He absolutely hated talking about ‘feelings’, but hopefully once this talk was finally over, they’d never have to talk about it again.

“You just think of the wolf as a friend, and I get that now. I won’t go into his feelings for you, that’s his own problem, that the guy’s an even bigger idiot than I am.” Kagome snickered a bit at his admittance. “But my point is…” he continued then, looking deeply into Kagome’s eyes. “You wanting to visit with the wolf, or care for him if he’s injured, your feelings…that’s how I feel about Kikyou, now. I wanna be nice if she wants to see me, I don’t want to hurt her feelings, and if she’s hurt, then I can’t just sit back and do nothing ‘bout it, but I don’t feel for her the way I feel for you…any more than you feel for Kouga the way you feel for me.”

Eyes widening, Kagome caught on to exactly what he was saying. Even though the comparison was slightly off, since he had loved Kikyou in the past, Kagome understood that it was possible to fall in and out of love with different people. While she couldn’t personally imagine ever loving another, she did accept the fact that his feelings for Kikyou were capable of changing. He still cared for the undead miko, but she was apparently no longer the love of his life. Kagome realized in that moment what Inuyasha hadn’t said in so many words. It was her that he was in love with, now.

“Inuyasha…” Kagome said softly, placing a gentle hand upon his chest. I love you… she told him with her eyes, knowing that he was generally uncomfortable with talking about emotions, and that he had probably already maxed out his ‘mushy stuff’ tolerance for the night.

So instead of telling him how she felt with words, especially since it was clear that he already knew, anyway, Kagome decided to merely reinforce what he already knew of her love for him by leaning up on her toes to bring her lips to his.

Smiling into the kiss, Inuyasha gently tilted his head downward to make it easier for the girl who had to otherwise stand on her tippy-toes in order to reach him. Wrapping his arms lovingly around her body to hold her close, their kiss was slow and tender…nothing like when he had previously been trying to fuck her with his mouth.

Pulling apart after a moment, he gently tapped her nose with his index finger as he said, “I guess we should get out of this thing at some point.” in reference to the fact that they were still standing in the Bone Eater’s Well.

“Kaede and the other’s aren’t expecting me back until morning.” Kagome said then, adding, “And Mama knows I came back here, so we couldn’t very easily explain my return home tonight, either.”

Inuyasha grinned then. “Looks like I have you all to myself for the night.” he said playfully, before finally launching both he and Kagome up and out of the well, to alight softly on the night grass beside it.

Collecting his discarded fundoshi to put back on later, he slid the sheathed Tessaiga back through his obi while Kagome grabbed her bow and quiver, and then together, they headed into the treeline so that she could collect her scattered arrows.

“Come on.” he said then, and smiling, she immediately complied and climbed up onto his back as he knelt before her.

He grinned as he felt her wrap her arms around him extra tightly. Perhaps he would take her to his favorite tree after the Goshinboku, the one he had been sitting within when he had first detected her scent on the breeze. The Goshinboku was where he went when he didn’t mind somebody finding him. This tree was his favorite for when he went off deep into the forest to be alone. Now they would be alone, together.

While the future was still uncertain, Inuyasha knew one thing beyond a shadow of a doubt, and that was that the girl currently riding on his back loved him, despite the fact that he was a homeless hanyou with nothing to offer her aside from the love he felt for her in return.

As Kagome clung to his shoulders, enjoying the feel of the wind whipping her face as they raced into the deepest part of the forest, she knew that together, they could overcome anything. No matter what the future might hold, no matter what manipulations Naraku might attempt or who they might meet who would oppose their relationship, nothing would ever come between them. She would forever be by his side.




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* Dango are Japanese sweet dumplings; basically grilled balls of dough with a sugary sauce, though there’s more to it than that. But they are what I decided to use for a Japanese equivalent to the expression “I’ll bet dollars to donuts.”