#╭ * kikyō / writing : answer.

[neutronstarchild]

Sending a few more if you would like to answer them!!💥💋🧿

MAN nonnie, giving my brain the workout! I SHALL PREVAIL!

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

My least kudo'd is actually a compilation of character tweets, so not sure it counts? So we'll go with the 2nd least kudo'd.

Goodbye, Lover

It's a NarKik. It's dark. It's pulp, and it features ethereal art from @otaku-108. NarKik is is just... wonderful to unleash your inner darkness on, so this one I got to let Kikyō be all sorts of bad (and Naraku even worse).

💋when you leave comments on a fic, do you want to hear back from the writer?

I actually don't mind either way! If my comment brought a smile to their face, I'm happy.

🧿what steps do you take to not take things personally if a fic doesn't do well, or if your writing/posting/sharing experience isn't going how you'd like it to?

This has come with... experience. You never know how a fic is going to land. It's really tough to predict if it is going to hit the zeitgeist right or not, and there's no rhyme or reason to it.

It's actually also absolutely fine to be bummed about your work doing more poorly than you expected, that's human nature, but we can never demand others to like a thing we did. It doesn't work. Keep a circle of friends close, so you can ask if they can read and give you fluffy feedback to tide you over, and be bummed in private with THEM that your work is not getting the feedback you thought it should. It happens to all of us.

Hopefully also it's something that you are writing for someone like you, then remember that there are probably "you"s out there who have not found the fandom yet, who are really shy, who downloaded your fic and read it out of view when they need a pick me up.

Let's Get ((REAL)) fic writer asks

[emeraldnavypotato]

the same anon who thanked you for being Kikyo stan and InuKik lover. I'm curious what you love Kikyo and InuKik for?

I said a lot about why I love InuKik here: https://emeraldnavypotato.tumblr.com/post/657487400644362240/just-gonna-word-vomit-all-over-this-post so I'm just going to answer about Kikyō!

I love how she doesn't really follow any usual female character archetypes in manga. The mysterious antihero with motives of their own who occasionally shows up, helps and/or hinders the heroes, and then disappears to go do their own thing is almost always a male character, so to see a woman in that role is super refreshing!

I love how she's allowed to be complex and morally grey. She has good intentions, but she doesn't always take the best route to get there (e.g. giving Naraku the jewel shards so that she can ultimately purify them and destroy him). Again, I feel like this is super rare in manga. Male characters get to have shades of grey, but female characters rarely do. Rumiko is great at writing nuanced women, and Kikyō is one of the best examples.

I love how strong she is! Both physically and mentally. A lone woman wandering around feudal Japan would surely be seen as easy pickings for any bandit or demon, but Kikyō just goes where she wants, when she wants, because she knows she can take anyone who tries her. And as for mental strength, how much has this woman suffered??? She alone was responsible for protecting basically the most powerful demonic item to ever exist from every single demon that wanted it; she got betrayed (or so she thought) by the only person she allowed herself to be vulnerable around; she was murdered; she was brought back to life against her will as a rage-filled zombie; she saw that her reincarnation had essentially taken her place; she learned the jewel she had died to keep away from demons was not only back, but shattered into a million pieces for any demon who wanted one to find and that the man who had orchestrated both her murder and the attempted murder of the one she loved was now one of the most powerful demons to ever exist and actively hunting for said jewel - and she's still a good person! She still wants to do her duty and protect people! Literally how??

And then, one of my favorite scenes:

I actually gasped out loud when I first read it, because usually Kikyō stays so collected, even when she's angry - I didn't expect to see her actually yank Tsubaki by the hair! How often do we get to see a female character being violently protective of the male hero? (I also want to hurt anyone who hurts Inuyasha, so I can relate.)

This last part is very esoteric, entirely my own headcanon, and I'm not an expert on the topic at all, so feel free to skip it! Basically, I've had this theory for a while, based on a Shintō philosophy called ichirei shikon (1 spirit, 4 souls). According to this belief, each living thing has not one, but four souls, which are the ara-mitama (wild soul; the angry, violent side), nigi-mitama (peaceful soul; the soul's normal state), saki-mitama (happy soul; the soul as a provider), and the kushi-mitama (miraculous soul; the healing side). (This theory actually got name-checked in an anime-only episode, and the Shikon Jewel seems like it may be referencing it, so idk, maybe it's legit??) I think maybe Kikyō was resurrected with only her ara-mitama, and Kagome has the other three souls. So for her to be resurrected with literally only the angry part of her soul and somehow manage to pacify her own soul and start doing good?? When will your fave???

Finally, she's absolutely gorgeous! She and Kagura are constantly battling it out for who's the prettiest character:

I climbed Mt. Fuji yesterday, which was incredibly exhausting, and I've had a few Strong Zeros today, so if this post is at all incoherent, that's why and I apologize!! I just love Kikyō more than I can coherently express in words, okay!!

#ask #kikyō is the best and i will physically fight anyone who says otherwise #inuyasha #kikyō

[fawn-eyed-girl]

Hello, I saw on Kalcia's Tumblr that you are working on some InuKog fics. 👀👀👀 Any chance of getting some deets before the fic release? Thank you! Love your writing!!

Well hello there Nonnie!! Thank you so much for this ask!! 💖💖💖

The short answer is YES. I am working on several InuKog fics right now. Two stories -- The Mark and Open Mic Night -- are complete, and one -- Hounds of Hell -- is in-progress. Because Hounds of Hell is the biggest project, and ties into the Toga & Kirinmaru fic I posted yesterday, I'll give you a little taste of that one below the cut!

The music was pumping again that night at the clubhouse. This time, they were celebrating the impending visit from Naraku; Kōga leaned up against the bar, looking out at his brothers, their friends, and the hangarounds. The booze was flowing, the girls were dancing, and Shippō was serving up platter after platter of food. Kōga sipped the beer he was holding, his eyes still scanning the crowd, coming to rest at one of the pool tables, where Inuyasha and Hojo were playing pool with two scantily clad girls, whose tits and asses hanging out for all to see.

Kōga was mildly interested. It wasn’t often that Inuyasha played pool anymore; he and Kōga had played fairly frequently when Inuyasha was still in high school, before Inuyasha got busy prospecting and Kōga met Ayame. Kōga felt a fluttering of his heart as he recalled those moments with Inuyasha.

With Inuyasha dating Kikyō now, and Kōga living with Ayame, things had changed so much, and he found himself missing those days, when it was just the two of them, and Toga, and Izayoi.

He watched Inuyasha leaning over the pool table, his back muscles rippling as he lined up the cue stick with the cue ball. In one, fluid motion, Inuyasha propelled the cue stick forward; he struck the cue ball, which rocketed straight and hit the nine ball, which in turn went into the side pocket.

Inuyasha huffed, a lopsided grin crossing his face; he high-fived the hangaround he was playing with, and then stalked around the table, looking for his next target.

Why was Koga’s body tingling? Why was he so fixated on the way that Inuyasha’s forearms flexed and his delts contracted?

#anon asks #fawnie answers #inukog #inuyasha x koga #hounds of hell #coming soon

[loveyou-x3000]

Salty Ask List #11 and #13 (with hmm, let's make it tough and say Kikyō because I like being a scallywag 😈)

Thank you for the asks @neutronstarchild :)

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Are there any unpopular characters in InuYasha? I think right now the answer would have to be Kagura, but not because she’s unpopular, per se--she’s just controversial, i.e. The Shipping Wars. 

Kagura is clever, resourceful, and cunning throughout the entire series, but also self-serving. There was a lot of potential in what her story might have been after she escaped Naraku’s clutches, but unfortunately, we were robbed of that. Especially with all the drama stirred up around Yashahime right now, it’s interesting to think and explore what she might have been; who she could have become, had she lived, and had Sesshomaru been exposed to her outside the context of Naraku.

(Byakuya is also interesting, but that’s just because he’s woefully underdeveloped.)

13. Unpopular opinion about XXX character? [KIKYO]  

Oh, Kikyo. 

Unpopular opinion: she’s not a raging bitch.

I don’t pay that much attention to Kikyo, honestly, because she’s not one of my favorite characters, but I’ve been slightly interested in her lately. Because the Kikyo we see in the story, in my opinion, is not Kikyo. Not as she was in life. It’s an echo of her, molded by everything she felt while dying; a hollow shell with a soul that doesn’t belong to her anymore. 

She’s a living, breathing ghost, and I don’t think people consider that enough when they write her. Emotion fuels her. It changes her goals. She went from wanting to take InuYasha back to hell with her (not even wanting to be alive again in the first place) to wanting to put an end to Naraku, who caused all this suffering.

I need to do more reading on her character and her different arcs, but yeah. That’s my unpopular opinion. She can’t be summarized into just being raging bitch. It’s more complex than that.

[Salty Ask List]

#salty asks #kikyo #inuyasha #yashahime #kagura #anti-sessrin #sesshomaru #naraku #ask #neutronstarchild #the shipping drama

[shirokodomo]

۝ SEND ME 👑 + A CHARACTER NAME OF A CHARACTER YOU THINK I SHOULD WRITE ! ۝

@silverhanyou​ has sent:  👑 + KAEDE.

WOULD I: YES / MAYBE / NO

HAVE I EVER BEFORE: YES / NO

ICON & WRITING SAMPLE

Kaede stared for a good while at the white haired hanyou, standing just a few feet away from her, eyeing longingly the grave of her beloved elder sister. It had only been a few days since Inuyasha came to the village and delivered to her the news that Kikyō’s soul had departed from this world.

This time for good. Her sister was finally free.

Of course it had broken the elderly woman’s heart but she had long accepted  Kikyō as someone who did not belong in the living world anymore. And she had prayed, so many nights, for her soul to find peace. 

Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if Inuyasha would ever be able to accept it just like she had. Only time would give her that answer and for now all she could do was make sure that the hanyou didn’t dive into despair and continued being who he was. As she knew it would be what her elder sister would want.

“Inuyasha!” she called out to the half demon “Come and help an old woman go downstairs will you?”

#memes #ask #[gghh Kaede brings so many feels] #[poor woman]

[keichanz]

Hey Keichanz!! I love your writing and it’s my birthday next week and I don’t know if you take requests or prompts, but if you have time/feel like it some day could you do a fluffy/angsty/some kind of post canon one-shot of our fav couple, something like Inu reminding Kagome that he cares for her specially & didn’t stop or reaffirming her place there with him as Kagome & not Kikyō or a second choice he was left with 😊 Kinda something I would’ve loved to see as canon!! Thank you so much!!!! 💚💚

Happy brithday anon!! 

it’s not really angst, but i did my best to give the feels. i don’t write angst for a reason; i’m horrible at it lol. i hope you like it regardless.

Two months.

It had been two months since Kagome came back through the well after three long years, two months since her life had changed forever, and two months since she had been reunited with her beloved hanyou.

Two. Freaking. Months. Since Inuyasha had touched her.

Oh, sure, he touched her, but not in the way Kagome wanted. A brush of a shoulder, claws grazing her arms, his hand briefly enveloping hers whenever he dragged her onto his back. Chaste touches, innocent touches.

Friendly touches.

And Kagome didn’t want to be his friend—she wanted more.

Heaving a sigh from her location just outside her hut – the one said hanyou had built just for her – Kagome looked up from the basket she was weaving and spotted the silver-haired man in question chatting amicably with Miroku not too far away. Close enough she could hear their voices, but not detect what they were saying, she propped her head in her hand and simply watched him, noting his relaxed posture, arms folded lazily over his chest, legs crossed at the ankle as he leaned against the fence, and the familiar smirk on his face that was present whenever he was being a smartass.

And judging by the deadpan look on Miroku’s face as he responded to whatever Inuyasha said, he was being quite the cheeky little brat, Kagome imagined. Her suspicions were only confirmed when with a wicked grin Inuyasha dropped his gaze down to the twin toddlers playing quietly at their father’s feet and got their attention. He waited until two pairs of identical violet eyes swung his way before asking something and they blinked owlishly at him. Miroku beamed down at them and said something as well; his daughter’s turned their gazes toward him for a fleeting moment then looked back over to their favorite doggy.

Kagome frowned. What had they asked them…?

A few seconds later her question was answered when the twins suddenly chorused loud enough for her to hear, “Doggy!” then sprang up with dual cries of delight before throwing themselves at the now hysterically laughing hanyou and clinging to his legs with matching grins. Kagome was unable to hide her smile as Inuyasha swooped down to take a kid in each arm and they climbed onto his shoulders, their favorite spot to mess with his ears, and he didn’t even bother to stop them as they gently tweaked at the sensitive appendages.

Probably because he was too busy rubbing it in Miroku’s face that his kids apparently favored him over their own father, who looked utterly betrayed as he gawked at his offspring hanging from his best friend’s shoulders. That only served to make Inuyasha laugh even harder.

Miroku gave a defeated sigh and rolled his eyes, but Kagome didn’t miss the smile twitching at his lips as he addressed his children still clinging to the hanyou’s arms. The twins giggled, planted a big kiss on each of Inuyasha’s cheeks, and Inuyasha ruffled their hair as they shimmied on down, skittering back over to their father.

Kagome couldn’t contain her own soft laughter at the display and knew Inuyasha heard it when she saw his ears flick in her direction followed by a quick glance of amber eyes. He bid Miroku farewell, to which he returned, and waved at the girls as they also called out their goodbyes before turning and heading over to where she sat, the unfinished basket now abandoned on the ground beside her.

He knelt in front of her, resting his elbows on his knees and tossing a crooked grin at her.

Kagome’s stomach fluttered as it always did whenever he smiled at her and she quirked a brow at him, her own smile still present.

“I think I just saw two cute girls hanging all over you just a minute ago. What a scoundrel.”

“It’s the ears. They’re ear-esistible.”

Kagome snorted a laugh and swatted his shoulder. “Oh my god, that was horrible.”

“You laughed.”

“Because it was horrible.”

“Jealous.”

“Hardly. I feel my IQ dropping.”

“I’m gonna drop you if you don’t take that back.”

“Mmm, promises, promises.”

Inuyasha laughed that time and shook his head, his grin turning into a genuine smile and Kagome’s expression softened at the sight.

It was amazing, how much more Inuyasha smiled now, and now easy it was to joke around like this with him. He really had changed in the three years they’d been apart, and Kagome truly did love these changes. She just wished something else had been changed as well, but so far that didn’t seem very likely, much to her disappointment.

She felt the familiar twinge in her heart whenever she thought about it but ignored the sensation and focused on the hanyou before her. His smile had faded and he was studying her quietly with a familiar expression on his face that Kagome had caught him wearing several times before while staring at her. The look of calm contemplation on his features was underlined with a hint of perplexity, as if he wanted he wanted to ask her something but didn’t know how, or perhaps searching for something but didn’t know what it was.

Kagome blinked and raised her brows in silent inquiry, but then Inuyasha’s expression abruptly cleared and he stood up, avoiding her gaze. She withheld a sigh of disappointment and dropped her eyes to her lap.

It was the same every time; the hanyou would give her that familiar look, and before she could ask about it, it would disappear and he’d look away. Pestering him about it would be pointless anyway; he always changed the subject or just outright ignored he, so Kagome had learned to let it go and just be patient while he figured out what it was he needed to say to her.

The thing was, though, Kagome wasn’t sure if it would ever happen, and the longer he remained silent, the more her hopes dwindled.

“I’m gonna go catch dinner while it’s still light out,” Inuyasha suddenly announced and Kagome lifted her head to lock gazes with him. “Shouldn’t take long.”

Before Kagome could answer, he turned around and started for the forest, but then paused, hesitated, and looked over his shoulder. Intense amber collided with rich brown and her breath caught in her throat.

“Wait for me?”

Kagome swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and mustered up a smile. How long are you going to keep me waiting, Inuyasha?

“Of course.”

Inuyasha’s expression softened, he gave her a small grin, and then took off, bounding away into the trees and disappearing from sight.

Kagome’s chest ached and she released the sigh she’d held back earlier, smile fading as she stared after him with sad eyes. Wait for him? She’d already waited three long torturous years; didn’t he realize that she’d wait for an eternity if it meant she would gain his love?

Bringing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them, Kagome blinked back tears as she propped her chin on her raised knees, biting her lip to stifle any unwanted sounds of sorrow that were bubbling up in her throat. How could he not know? She came back exclusively for him. She was training under Kaede for him. She was wearing the robes, waking at dawn, and missing her family for him.

And yet he hadn’t given her one sign that he wanted a relationship with her that went beyond mere friendship. She knew he cared for her; that was much was obvious, and almost painfully so, because with every tender look, every gentle brush of his hand and every whisper of her name Kagome was always reminded of the kiss they’d shared while inside the meido and in turn that only served to remind her that had hadn’t kissed her, or even touched her romantically since she’d returned.

She didn’t understand. If he didn’t want her, why did he kiss her? Why did he hold her so tightly, so desperately against him on that first day two months ago if he didn’t feel for her what she so deeply felt for him? Had it just been spur of the moment? An act without thought, without reason?

These were all questions she’d been burning to ask him the instant she’d returned, but with their friends’ untimely arrival, she’d never gotten the chance to. Every moment after that had been a whirlwind of activity she’d barely been able to keep up with, and every time Kagome found she had a brief respite to track Inuyasha down and have a much needed conversation, something would always drag her away at the last second, distracting her once again. Then suddenly nearly two months had gone by and by that point Kagome figured it was too late to attempt any such conversation, and had reluctantly let it go to the wayside.

She regretted it now, not finding the time to sneak away to be alone and get everything out in the open. Would things be different now if she had? Would she and Inuyasha be together and she wouldn’t be hiding this pain behind false smiles and silent tears?

Kagome’s chest tightened and she buried her face in her knees, squeezing her eyes shut tight and gritting her teeth against the pain that flared in her heart. Her hands fisted in her hakama so tightly her knuckles turned white and her stomach roiled uncomfortably.

What if…what if his feelings had changed? What if all he felt for her now was just friendship and any chance of it developing into a romance was slim to none? Three years, after all, was no small amount of time. They’d both had a lot of time to reflect on what happened, to think and make decisions, and Kagome liked to believe that had both matured as well. She wasn’t the naïve fifteen-year-old girl she’d been when they’d first met, and Inuyasha wasn’t that stubborn teenaged boy she’d found pinned to the tree. He had grown older mentally and physically, and it was entirely plausible that his feelings had shifted as well, dying along with the hope that she would ever come back.

Because, after all, wouldn’t it be fruitless to pine after something you were uncertain you would ever see again?

But it didn’t make sense! She was back! She was right here, with him, in his time, and she wasn’t leaving him again! Why couldn’t he understand that?! Kagome knew he’d always been a bit dense, but—

Kagome’s eyes snapped open and she lifted her head with a quiet gasp in time to see the object of her thoughts emerge from the trees. His stride was purposeful, his head was bowed, and he was sans any dead animal that would be their dinner, however he was not emptied handed as he walked straight toward her.

In his hand he clutched a single Chinese bellflower, the vibrant color of the petals easily recognizable even in the setting sun.

Kagome’s body froze, the breath stalled in her lungs, and her blood ran cold as she slowly, so slowly rose to her feet, her eyes locked on that single blossom.

And suddenly it all made sense. That look he would give her. How he wouldn’t look her in the eye sometimes. The way he always, always pulled away whenever she would initiate contact that suggested her feelings went deeper than friendship. He didn’t want her.

He wanted Kikyou.

God, how could she have been so stupid, so utterly blind?Not once had they talked about what happened after the priestess had died, what it meant for them, what would happen next, and thinking about it now, why would they have? They were still young and dumb, still insecure about everything between them, and Naraku was still at large. They hadn’t had the time to sit down and talk, and it hadn’t taken precedence anyway. It had been a silent but mutual agreement any discussion concerning the undead priestess would be put on the backburner until after Naraku was gone and the jewel was whole again.

Then Kagome was trapped in her time and any such discussion had been impossible.

Kagome choked on a gasp as her eyes welled with tears and her gaze darted back up to his face. Inuyasha had stopped in his tracks and was staring at her with a puzzled frown, and when he glanced down at the blossom in his hand, he seemed to realize what she was thinking and the color leeched from his face as his eyes went wide.

She bit back an anguished sob and shook her head in denial as Inuyasha whipped his head back up, his expression frantic. She took a step back, the pain in her chest unfurling and making it hard to breathe.

Of course. Of course it was Kikyou, it would always be Kikyou, wouldn’t it? Even dead Kagome couldn’t escape her, the ghost of her predecessor forever haunting, taunting her with the love of a hanyou that she would never have for herself. Just because Kikyou was dead didn’t mean Inuyasha would suddenly forget her, stop loving her, even, and Kagome was a fool to ever think otherwise.

Ears pinned and wincing, Inuyasha took a step forward and reached out with a hand. “Shit—Kagome, don’t—”

“How could you,” Kagome gasped, bringing both hands to her chest, over her aching heart as hot tears ran unchecked down her face. He flinched and the sob that erupted from her throat was raw and anguished.

Frowning now, Inuyasha tried again, determined to get her to listen to him. “Wench, listen to me—”

“All this time,” Kagome spoke over him and Inuyasha cut himself off with a scowl. “It was never me.” A choked gasp escaped her lips and she lifted a trembling hand to press against her mouth.

Inuyasha actually looked offended at that and the pissed off growl that rent the air should have had her shrinking back in fear, but all it deed was sharpen the ache, wedge the knife deeper into her heart, her suspicions confirmed. He was mad because she’d figured it out, that had to be it—

“What the fuck are you talking about, Kagome? ‘All this time?’ ‘Never you?’” He snorted loudly. “Where is all this bullshit coming from?

Suddenly outraged at his callous denial despite holding the proof in his hand, Kagome whipped her head up and sent him such a withering glare Inuyasha was slightly taken aback, the vehemence in her eyes more than a little alarming.

What the actual fuck—

“Don’t stand there and lie to my face, Inuyasha,” Kagome spat, standing to her full height and fisting shaking hands at her sides, dark eyes narrowed into a lethal glare and face etched into a furious scowl. “I’m not stupid. You won’t hug me, you won’t even be alone with me, and those stupid looks! Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out?!”

Blinded by her fury, by her pain, she missed the genuine confusion that crossed his face as he gazed at her.

“Looks? What looks?” Inuyasha asked, deigning not to comment on the other two things she’d mentioned because they were both his fault, but for reasons that were entirely different than what she was obviously thinking. How could she not realize that? Did she truly not know?

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Don’t play dumb,” she sneered, trying to hide the waver in her voice as she recalled those thoughtfully confused looks he’d give her, now finally understanding the painful meaning behind hem. “All the time you would just stare at me silently like you want to ask me something but you never do and now I realize it’s because I remind you of her, isn’t it?”

The hissed words had Inuyasha reeling back in shock and he gaped at her, truly astounded that she would come to this conclusion just because of how he looked at her sometimes. And now that he thought about it, Inuyasha knew what look she was referring to and she couldn’t he more wrong. Dammit, he thought they were passed this! How could Kagome even think a thing like that? How could she not know? Did she trust him so little, have such little faith in him that she thought every time he looked at her he saw his former love?

It hurt, more so than he would have guessed, and the pain that flared sharp and severe in his chest had him exploding before he even realized it.

“You stupid wench!”Inuyasha thundered at such a loud volume Kagome gasped and stumbled back a step in surprise, eyes widening at the intensity of his reaction. Golden eyes glowered at her so fiercely Kagome knew if looks could kill she’d be six feet under and the deadly growl that reverberated in his chest gave off all kinds of pissed off vibes that warned her to tread very carefully.

“Are you fucking serious?!” he continued to bellow and Kagome flinched involuntarily, but then recovered and glared at him in steely silence. Inuyasha snarled and roared, “How could you not know?! Why—why the fuck would you think—!”

Cutting himself off with an aggravated groan that ended with a frustrated growl, Inuyasha shoved his hands through his hair, momentarily forgetting about the bloom he still held, and pegged her with a hard, stern glare.

“I build you a goddamn home, I hunt for you, I provide for you, protect you from anything that seeks to do you harm, and you throw it back in my face by claiming that I see her when I look at you?! What the fuck, Kagome?! How could you even—I thought—”

Clenching his jaw, Inuyasha finished off with a growl and merely glared at her, ears pinned, and though his face was contorted into a scowl, his eyes pleaded with her to provide some kind of explanation behind all this bullshit so he could fix it.

Sniffling, Kagome screwed her face up and glared right back and refusing to acknowledge the little seedling of hope that embedded in her heart at his intense and adamant outburst. If his reaction was this strong, then maybe…

“What am I supposed to think, Inuyasha?” Kagome fired back, crossing her arms. “It’s been two months and nothing’s changed! You haven’t hugged me since the day I came back, go out of your way to avoid being alone with me, and you seem perfectly content to keep things as they are now!”

Clenching his jaw, lips peeled back in a lethal snarl as his his hands fisted so tightly his claws dug into his palms, Inuyasha had to refrain from screaming in her face in pure frustration.

“I thought it was obvious,” he managed to grit out from between tightly clenched teeth, hardly noticing when he crushed the delicate stem of the flower he still held in his hand.

Fucking hell, he’d built her a hut. A motherfucking home. That they slept in every night. Together. How much more clear did he need to be, goddammit?!

“Obvious?!” Kagome repeated incredulously, her voice high-pitched and dark eyes wide. “You’re as obvious as a brick wall, Inuyasha, and apparently just as dense if you think I have even the slightest idea of what you’re getting at so a little enlightenment would be nice!”

Inuyasha suddenly straightened his back, set his jaw, and stared directly her eyes. She wanted obvious? Fine. He’d be so obvious that there was no way she’d be able to mistake what came out of his mouth next.

“Then marry me, dammit.”

Kagome froze. Her eyes went wide, her mouth dropped, and color suffused her cheeks with a becoming shade of scarlet.

“W-what…?” she whispered, lifting a hand to hover above her wildly beating heart. Had…had she heard him right…? Had he just asked her to…?

“I said,” Inuyasha began slowly, his eyes intense, hot as they bore into her own. “Marry me. And that’s not a request.”

Suddenly feeling dizzy Kagome swayed where she stood and she was sure she would had collapsed onto the ground had it not been for the arm that appeared out of nowhere and snapped around her waist, hauling her up against a solid chest.

Shaking her head, a mixture of confusion, shock, and utter elation making her head swim, Kagome stared wide-eyed up at him, her lips trembling, hands clutching his suikan in a desperate grip.

“You…you can’t order me to—”

“I can,” he interrupted her lowly, his arm tightening around her as his eyes lowered to half-mast. “And I will. Because obviously that’s what I need to do in order for you to believe me when I say that she has nothing to do with anything. Nothing.”

Kagome swallowed thickly, not daring to hope. “But…but the flower—”

With a grunt Inuyasha brought the forgotten bloom up between them, the flower slightly crushed from his forceful grip, but still intact.

“Do you know what a bellflower means, Kagome? What it signifies?” he asked her, his voice softer than it had been previously.

She shook her head mutely, biting her lip.

“It means,” he started and carefully tucked the blossom behind her ear, brushing her hair away and trailing his claws along the delicate curve of her jaw. “Endless love. And honesty.”

When Kagome gasped and hope flared in those gorgeous eyes of hers, his expression softened and he elaborated, “When I went to go hunt for our dinner, I saw this single bellflower just sitting at the base of a tree, completely untouched, spared from any harsh weather or hungry animal.  And suddenly it was the sign I’ve been waiting for, the sign for me to stop being such a goddamn coward and finally be honest about my feelings. So I took it and came back to you without finding anything to eat. I needed to tell you, because I was suddenly afraid that if I didn’t, I would lose for you forever and Kagome…”

Throat tightening against the intense emotion that welled up, Inuyasha cupped her face in his hands and leaned his forehead against her own, not at all surprised when unshed tears brimmed her eyes and threatened to spill down flushed cheeks.

“I couldn’t let that happen,” he confessed in a near whisper, golden eyes bright and Kagome’s breath hitched. “So I’m gonna ask you again, Kagome.”

Staring into her eyes, trying to pour everything he was feeling into his own, the love, hope, and fear unmistakable in the amber depths.

“Will you marry me?”

The tears spilled from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks as a trembling but genuine smile slowly spread across Kagome’s face, small hands coming up to cover his own where they still held her face in a tender grip.

“Yes,” she breathed and wrapped her arms around his neck, twining her fingers in his hair and wondering if she could love this amazing hanyou any more than she already did.

Without preamble Inuyasha leaned down, covering her mouth with his own, and as he stole her heart and the very breath from her lungs with his kiss, he suddenly recalled a third meaning to the innocent flower that had given him the courage to be so honest, and he grinned against her lips.

Kagome hummed and he growled, dropping his hands to lift her up against him and he swallowed her surprised gasp. Abruptly he decided he was going plant a garden of the lavender flower, a constant reminder not of his former lover, but of something with much deeper meaning, a secret that he would one day tell his future wife, but not today.

Pulling back, pressing a series of soft, lingering kisses to her lips, Inuyasha’s eyes flicked to the blossom tucked innocently behind her ear and he smiled.

Endless love. Honesty.

The return of a friend—a lover—is strongly desired.

#bellflower #oneshot #inuyasha #kagome #inukag #keizfanfiction #i tweaked the third meaning a little to suit my own purposes #i found it on a website when i looked up bellflower meaning #it was too perfect to not use hahaa #happy birthday! ^_^

[neutronstarchild]

🎉how often do you celebrate completing & posting a work? how often do you give yourself the credit/validation that you seek from others when you post? (if you don't, you should!) 📡why is writing and sharing your writing important for fandom? 💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

Anonfriend thanks for the ask!!!

🎉how often do you celebrate completing & posting a work? how often do you give yourself the credit/validation that you seek from others when you post? (if you don't, you should!)

Yeahhhhhhh, I... don't really? Sometimes I message my friends and say WHEE FINISHEDDDD!!! But outside of that, it's usually a quiet affair. I smile and get excited, sometimes even re-read the whole of the thing, but once it's done my brain begs me to go onto the next thing!

📡why is writing and sharing your writing important for fandom?

HM. I think I will go big picture and philosophical for this one. It's because it's how most literature works. We see a thing we like and we riff off of it and make something else, something new. It's why there are so very many Pantheon myths out there, sometimes directly contradicting one another. It's what makes it fun to write. And yes, the information travels faster and the internet makes stories instantaneous, but every author's take on characters we love has the potential to enrich our lives. Be that an AU with a specific kink that is hard to come by or someone taking a deep dive into a side character we never even thought about until that ONE FIC TOUCHED US. It enriches the relationship we have with the original, and has the potential to grow into a whole new and wonderful thing all on its own!

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

At this point I swear that I could be asked this question a LOT and still have answers. The plot bunnies have bred in my backyard, and I am still trying to herd them.

For YOI, another, which is from a fic that I'm writing in honor of (and as a belated bday gift for) @bullsfish

“Welcome!” Yuuri was so entranced by the place that he entirely forgot to… pay attention to the people in the place.

Which he really should have.

The sound that came out of Yuuri’s mouth when he met eyes with the person behind the counter, the one who greeted him, was truly embarrassing.Was it the silver hair, with the slightest hint of curl, draping over his eye that did it? Or maybe it was the crystalline blue of eyes the color of tropical waters. His skin looked silk to the touch, with rose-pink lips and cheeks and a button nose dusted with a blush. Yuuri tried (failed) to hold the man’s gaze, because he had the sleeves of his button-down shirt rolled up, revealing muscled arms honed from (probably) kneading dough. God, his chest was broad too, and his neck slender, elegant, as if he was sculpted by the gods themselves. People who looked like this should be illegal.

For Inuyasha (unfortunately I vowed to myself that I would not start another long multichapter fic until I finished my two WIPs)... soooo... The Mahogany Inu.

“Are you certain you know the way?” Kagome asked the wooden Inu in her pocket.

“I am not!” Kikyō’s answer was certainly not the one Kagome had hoped for, but she continued on all the same. “I simply have faith that this is the right way.”

It was not the most reassuring of answers, but so too was this a journey of faith. And thus far, Kagome’s faith in Kikyō had not been misplaced.

The forest grew thicker as they walked, the canopy choking out more and more of the morning light, until an eerie twilight settled in. The deepest forest was another world, in which day and night no longer held.

Thanks again for the ((REAL)) Ask my anonymous friend!