#(I THOUGHT THE TREE THING MADE SENSE CONSIDERING THE NATURE OF HOW INUYASHA GOT OUT

[dyaz-stories]

The Maid and The Bodyguard — Chapter twelve

If you’re lucky, next chapter should be posted tonight on ff.net (I need to finish writing the last scene and then it’ll still need some editing)

First — Previous — Next — Also available on fanfiction.net

Summary: Inuyasha is princess Kikyo’s bodyguard, but one day, he fails to his duty and the princess is abducted. Kagome is a maidservant who works in the castle, and who has had an interest in Inuyasha for a long time. They are sent together to retrieve the Princess. On their way there, things may become a lot more complicated than they had anticipated. AU, Inukag.

Inuyasha woke up with a start the second he started turning back, instantly alert. He knew from experience that his senses had probably been sharpening for a while now, but apparently, that hadn’t been enough to get him out of his slumber. He sat up slowly, careful not to wake Kagome just yet, and took a moment to look at her. He hadn’t been able to do this in a while — or, well, he hadn’t let himself do it in a while — and it killed him how much he’d missed it, how much he relished being able to do it right now.

He gave himself a few seconds, probably longer than needed to assess the situation, longer than he should have spent, before finally reaching out for her shoulder, shaking her awake.

“Kagome.”

It took a few calls of her name before she opened her eyes, slowly, confused both by the deep but surprisingly gentle voice and the heat of the hand on her shoulder that seemed to spread through her entire body.

“Inuyasha?” she replied, voice thick with sleep, blinking several times to make his image less blurry. The silver hair and the ears were back, she noticed, part of her slightly bitter at the thought that whatever they had during the night was now gone. Again. Because maybe she was pathetic for that, and she certainly hated the feelings that surged within her, but she would take it. She’d give up on whatever else was there, inside her, if they could have even  something as simple as this.

Just… Just something. Something for her to cling on to.

He mumbled something that vaguely sounded like “Sorry” but it was too low for her to catch it clearly and she decided not to believe it. Better that than to be disappointed when he would no doubt turn on her, again. “We gotta go,” he continued. “Would be better to spend as little time as possible in demon territories. ’s a pretty dangerous place.”

She nodded, still silent, waiting for him to leave, to let go of her.

He didn’t.

She frowned, staring in his golden eyes, and vaguely thought about how much she liked the color, as pretty as last night’s purple was. “I need to get changed, Inuyasha.”

Only then did he seem to realize what he was doing, and he pulled his hand away from her like he had just burnt himself. “Keh. Yeah. Wear something practical, ‘kay? We’re leaving the horse here. Wouldn’t survive a day out there.” And I’d rather be protecting you than waste any time protecting it.

She frowned. “Oh. We’re going to be really slow then.”

“We’ll figure out something,” he simply answered with a shrug. “I guess I’ll carry ya.”

Her eyes widened, and Inuyasha found himself recoiling at her reaction. Not too long ago, he’d have told her that she had no fucking choice and that they’d do it because they weren’t going to waste any time just because humans were stupidly slow. Now though? Now he would never force her to do anything, but the thought that she would refuse, or worse, that she’d be disgusted or outraged at his proposition was fucking terrifying.

And this was why he didn’t get close to humans. He couldn’t live with that fear all the time, not when they tended to be so disappointing. He had Kikyo, and that was enough.

Well. It had been enough for the longest time anyway, and he should be working to make sure it would remain like that.

He really should be.

“Oh, erm, s-sure.”

Why was she stuttering? Why was she looking away from him? And why, why the fuck was she blushing? For a moment, he simply couldn’t tear his eyes away from her as he tried to comprehend what was going on there. He felt the urge, the need to touch her, to feel her. He started to reach out, then snapped his hand back, clearing his throat.

“Just don’t take too much time.”

She winced at his harsh tone, and he could have slapped himself. Fuck, he… He didn’t know how to handle that. He didn’t want to hurt her, didn’t want to make her feel like he wanted her far away from him. He knew he couldn’t ask for more, but just for now, couldn’t he at least have that? Just have her around. Be able to talk to her, without screwing it all up every five seconds. It’s not like he was asking for much.

“I’ll go talk to the innkeeper,” he growled. “Get him to take care of the horse.”

She finally stood up, taking a step towards him, her hand hovering above his arm before she resulted not to touch him, folding her arms instead, and the sight was so frustrating he had to hold back another growl.

“Are you sure?” she asked, looking at him questioningly, clearly worried. “They seem… Pretty on edge here. I don’t want them to cause trouble.”

“I’ll be fine. They sure don’t like demons, but at least they know demons. They won’t try anything. Just come down quick.”

She nodded, and he examined her just a second longer. He didn’t want her to worry. “I’ll be fine,” he repeated one last time before storming out.

Kagome closed her eyes after his departure, letting her head hang low for a few moments. There was clearly less tension between them now, but in a way it only made it harder. It only made it hurt more.

When she got out of the room, having left behind the more elegant kimonos she’d been given and having settled for the most simple one she could fine, which still felt very different to the ones she was used to wearing, the innkeeper bowed deeply, promised her that he would take great care of everything she left behind, and informed her that her “companion” was waiting for her outside.

It had to be the first time that Inuyasha wasn’t simply treated as some sort of slave following her around, making her think back to his words. Shouldn’t these people be even more terrified from him than anyone else? Was it truly a question of knowledge?

“Keh, about time,” he grunted when she came out of the inn. “Let’s start walking.” He lowered his voice before adding “I’ll take you on my back when we’re far enough.”

Kagome sighed. “So the Princess won’t be seen in contact with her bodyguard. Got it.”

“Somethin’ like that.”

HIs voice was gruff, and she couldn’t help but glancing at him. She knew her remark had lacked strength, though she would have liked to get on his nerves just a bit, but he was all the same. Their relationship was changing in ways she couldn’t quite grasp just yet, and she wasn’t too sure how she felt about it.

“You don’t… You don’t think there’s anything shameful about me being with you, do you?”

He glanced at her, seeming rather annoyed. “What sort of question is that?”

“Not one you can answer with that answer.”

He remained silent for a while, staring straight ahead of him as they kept walking, him being surprisingly slow, mindful of her capacities.

“I don’t know,” he finally said. “I mean, I guess not, but that don’t mean it’d be good for Kikyo or for anyone to be seen with me doing, y’know, something that could be interpreted weirdly.”

Hesitating, she glanced back and, since there was no one outside, she decided to take the risk and slip her hand in his. His eyes widened in surprise and he turned to look at her, mouth moving without any sound coming out. She squeezed his hand gently.

“There is nothing shameful about being with you, Inuyasha. I promise. The problem doesn’t come from you.”

He swallowed, and didn’t reply, simply hesitantly closing his fingers around her small and fragile hand. If she meant that, then what did her reaction after his kiss mean? If it wasn’t him being a half-demon, it had to be… It had to be him.

Somehow, he still liked the thought that it was his nature better.

“’kay, I think we’re good now.”

He knelt down in front of her, presenting her his back. “C’mon, get on.” When she didn’t comply immediately, he rolled his eyes. “What’re ya waiting for, woman? We don’t have all day!”

With some hesitance, she finally did, clinging to his shoulders as he stood back up, trying not to think about how her legs were partially revealed. She was glad what she was wearing right now didn’t need to be pulled up too much, but still, she didn’t feel too comfortable with it. And then there were his hands gripping her thighs tightly, even through the fabric…

Inuyasha cleared his throat. “Hang on tight, ‘kay? Gonna start running.”

God, he couldn’t just get all considerate with her like this. She nodded and buried her head in the red fabric of his haori, wrapping her arms around him. For one second, he seemed to tense, and she wondered why, but he quickly took off, and she shrugged it off, trying to use him to shield herself from the wind, and definitely trying not to read too much into it.

Dammit. Couldn’t he make it easy on her, just this once?

Inuyasha kept running like that for several hours before declaring it was time for them — well, mostly for her — to eat, at which point he set her down, instructing her to scream if anything happened, and took off again, leaving her alone and confused. Usually, she would have immediately made some fire, but she didn’t know if that would be careful, considering where they were. Wouldn’t that just attract more attention to them? Not wanting to take the risk, she set herself on waiting for him, simply sitting down against a tree.

She closed her eyes, letting herself feel the environment. She had always been rather sensitive to places where she was, but she had rarely been in such a peaceful setting. No humans, anywhere. Demons, probably, however from what she knew they didn’t exactly have villages or that sort of things, so the place was strangely lacking the usual agitation, the sort of constant buzz that humans make wherever they go. And yet…

It wasn’t a buzz, what she felt. More… More like wind. Not the actual breeze she was feeling, no, something that almost made her shiver.

Power, she understood. Demonic energy, concentrated enough for her to actually feel it. It wasn’t agressive in any way though. On the contrary, it was almost peaceful, accepting. It was terrifying in a way, knowing that it could suddenly turn on her and Inuyasha at any given time. But for now… For now she let herself relax, while waiting for him to come back.

Not one second did she worry about it. Inuyasha had told her he’d be there if anything happened, so why would she?

.

Inuyasha’s heart was beating loudly in his ears as he hunted. He hadn’t planned that. Hadn’t planned that feeling her against him, holding him, trusting him, would feel like that. He would have done anything to calm himself down, because he felt like he was going to catch fire right this second otherwise, and that was exactly what he ended up doing.

That is, he jumped into a river he’d smelled not too far away, actually picking that spot exactly for that reason.

After letting himself cool down for a few moments, he jumped out, shook himself to get rid of some water, quickly caught some fishes, then went back to her, only to be met by her curious eyes.

“Why are you wet?”

He rolled his eyes and ignored her. “Why isn’t the fire ready?”

“I— I wasn’t sure the demons…”

“The ones we need to worry about already know we’re here,” he replied with a joyless grin.

Kagome frowned, apparently not too happy with that information, which he could understand. “Oh.”

“So, are ya gonna get started on that fire?”

She glared at him. “You’d better calm down, or I swear I’ll…”

“Yeah?”

He couldn’t help himself as he teased her. Bad, Inuyasha. Bad idea. But she just looked so pretty, so something that he couldn’t quite place when she was getting angry at him. It was the way her eyes shone, the red color on her cheeks, the way she pushed her hair behind her ears — how had he not noticed that she did that earlier? Because that was fucking adorable.

“I swear you’ll be sorry,” she finally replied, and he just couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot when he heard her, even as she started collecting wood.

He had to fight the urge to step closer to her with every inch of himself. He didn’t know what was up with him right now. Maybe it was the ride he’d given her, but being away from her almost physically hurt. He had wanted to touch her before, but it had never been quite so intense. He had simply never felt something like that before and he was— He was just fucking confused. He had definitely craved contact before, so he at least recognized that part of this very new feeling, but the rest was new and weird and he wasn’t sure what to do with it.

He swallowed, averting his eyes from her as she knelt down with the wood, preparing the hearth.

“Nothin’ happened?”

Why was he even fucking talking?

“No problem, no,” Kagome replied calmly without even looking up at him, something for which he was actually rather thankful, because he was sure he looked way too agitated at the moment. “But if they know we’re here, they probably knew you weren’t far away.”

He shrugged. There were quite a few things here that were powerful enough to cause problems, even for him. In fact, he’d bet that if anything, they were more worried about the spiritual powers they could feel coming from her. He didn’t pick up on anything when he was near, but if there was anything full demons would be better at than him, it had to be something like that. Feeling spiritual power — for simple survival reasons.

Not that that shit felt good for him by the way. He’d tested it, and thanks, but no thanks. Still, he knew he could survive it, where nothing would even be left of them if a monk attacked them.

“Keh. Are you getting somewhere with that shit?”

Kagome stood up, wiping her hands against her legs, and shot him a dark look. “It’s done, Inuyasha. Give me the fishes.”

He handed them to her, and he couldn’t believe himself when he made sure her fingers would brush against his as she took them.

The fuck was wrong with him today? Also, why hadn’t he noticed the fire’s smell? And could his heart stop beating so obnoxiously loud? Fucking hell.

“Hurry up,” he mumbled. “We have to get going.”

Kagome rolled her eyes again. “I know. What’s up with you, seriously?”

Yeah. He’d have liked an answer for that too, but he guessed ‘It’s all your fault’ just wouldn’t be good enough. Or maybe it’d be too good, he couldn’t tell. All the same, he was terrified by the possibility that it was right.

He mumbled something that she couldn’t quite get as she started cooking, but she shrugged it off, feeling a bit miserable as she did so. They’d gone back to their friendly behavior, apparently. Which was better than nothing, sure, but if felt so damn unsatisfying.

.

Riding with her for the rest of the day was hell. Inuyasha had never thought torture could take that form. In fact, just a day earlier, he would have laughed in the face of anyone who would have said that he could suffer from touching Kagome — but that was exactly it, wasn’t it? It was the touching. It had to be. It was holding her thighs in his hands, it was feeling her against his back, it was her arms around him and her breathing in his neck, her hair against his skin and her heat diffusing itself in his body.

All of that, and he wasn’t able to do anything about it.

What it was that he wanted to do, he wasn’t sure, to be honest. He could tell she was like a magnet for him, could tell he wanted to touch her, but he still couldn’t quite comprehend the strength of it all.

He wasn’t completely oblivious to the things of love and, well, sex. He heard the soldiers’ coarse laughter about it, he could even recognize its smell, sometimes discovering it on maids, and sometimes on noblemen and noblewomen. He wasn’t too sure how to feel about it. He knew demons didn’t quite have the same prejudice humans had about it. At the same time, he had vaguely understood, even as a very young kid, that the fact that his mother had had sex with a demon was the biggest part of the problem.

The problem being him. The proof that it had happened.

Because it was one thing to love a demon, to associate with one, but having sex with one? Worse, the fact that people could tell when they looked at him? That was the absolute disgrace.

He couldn’t quite tell if what he felt for Kagome, this intense urge to be with her, was about desire. Wasn’t sure what he should do with it if it was. He knew at least what he shouldn’t do though. There was one path he simply couldn’t pick. For his own survival, sure, but mostly because he wouldn’t be able to stand the look in her eyes, the disgust that would no doubt finally start burning in there if he did anything, as she pushed him away.

After a night he had spent jumping awake at the slightest sound, and during which he had had to growl at only a couple minor demons to send them running away, they started travelling again. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t get much better for him. If anything, he would have said it was getting worse, actually.

Which was the main reason why, when they stopped to eat, he said “We’ll stop here for the night.”

Kagome’s eyes widened as she looked up to him. “What? But it’s only—”

“I’m aware,” he growled. “But we’ve been followed by things and this could be a good time to train you with your powers. Might be enough to get them to go away.”

At least he wasn’t downright lying right now. One demon in particular, which he recognized through its smell, had seemed to take an interest in them earlier today and hadn’t let go of them ever since. He was fairly new at demons smells, as he hadn’t seen any since he had met Kikyo basically, so he couldn’t quite pin it down, but there was no doubt whatsoever that it was one. It was weird though, regularly changing, with its core remaining the same. If his nose hadn’t been that sensitive, it might have fooled him actually, making him think there were several different creatures. A shapeshifter, maybe? He had no idea, but he didn’t like it.

Still, it hadn’t shown itself, and he simply couldn’t leave Kagome behind to go hunt for it. He doubted it was really powerful though, otherwise it probably already would have made a move.

“How am I going to train anyway?” Kagome asked, all while feeling that she had been indulging him way too much recently. “I don’t know anything about that… power, or whatever you say it is. We know I’ve activated twice at least— Against that frog thing and…” Her eyes drifted to his neck, and he tensed self-consciously.

The necklace was still hanging there. He had tried hiding it, especially when they stopped in inns, because he knew everyone could tell just what it was, and he hated it, but he had realized that feeling it against his skin was even worse. At least, like this, he could forget about it from time to time.

“I could try to take it off,” she offered softly.

Just like the first time, he shook his head vehemently. “No. You don’t know anything about that stuff, and you don’t need to train for that. Unless you intend to use it on other demons.”

“Of course not!” she protested, shocked by the intense disgust in his voice. “I just want you to—”

“I can live with it, Kagome, okay? I’ll be fine.”

He had said that several times already, and still she just couldn’t bring herself to believe him. It was obvious that he hated having that thing around his neck. She was starting to get used to him refusing to let her do anything for him, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

He glanced away from her. He knew his anger had nothing to do with her, but he hadn’t expected to react so strongly when she had mentioned the necklace. He knew how much he despised it, but he hadn’t thought that the idea of him or any demon being basically enslaved by humans would make his stomach churn like that. Demons weren’t much better with humans when they got their hands on them, sure, but there was something terribly animalizing about how humans treated others living beings, and it just made him sick.

“Then that leaves us with the same problem,” she said slowly, anger obvious in his voice, and he knew he hadn’t heard the last of it. “How am I supposed to train?”

He rose an eyebrow. “’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? I mean, I could go get you some demon, but I ain’t leaving you alone unless it’s absolutely necessary, so…” He opened his arms, the meaning of his gesture obvious.

Kagome stared at him, completely silent for a few seconds. “Are you kid— No.” He had rarely heard her being that final, but that didn’t mean he was going to back down that easily.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he snarled. “You need to be able to defend yourself.”

He stood up and started walking towards her, leaving his half-eaten fish behind him, in full display. It was an obvious trap and he doubted it would do anything, but he at least had to try. If the demon went for it, it would be reassuring in terms of power and intelligence, and he may actually be able to catch it and deal with it, which would be one thing less to worry about.

She stood up in response, looking both nervous and worried.

“Inuyasha, I’m not using you for training. If you’re injured, it will be a much bigger problem than me using my energy.”

“I heal quick,” he replied with a mere shrug, taking another step, ignoring her obvious displeasure at him being so careless about getting hurt.

She put her hand up as to push him away, something they both knew to be completely useless since she would never do anything against him — not that he would ever put her in a situation where she actually needed to defend herself against him.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Inuyasha,” she pleaded.

He stopped then, and maybe she had imagined it, but she thought she’d seen his ear flickering to the side. She turned around, wondering what he’d heard, and then next thing she knew, his arms were around her waist, his chest pressed against her back, and his mouth was way too close to her ear for comfort.

Finally acting on all these urges he’d felt for the past two days, finally touching her in a way that was at least slightly more satisfying.

“Wha—”

“What’d you do if something like that happened, K’gome?” he breathed, so close to her, sending the most delightful shiver down her spine.

“I don’t—”

“I get that you don’t want to hurt me, Kagome, I fucking do, I swear,” and his voice was surprisingly warm and fond and it just killed her, “but I need to know that there’s something you’d be able to do if somethin’ like that ever happens, okay?”

She felt him take a breath, his chest heaving against her back, and she wondered how he felt about her smell now, immediately cursing her brain for going in that direction now of all times. She bit her lip to try to keep herself focusing. She tried to let her shoulders react, closing her eyes, reaching deep inside her mind to try to find that energy she’d felt before.

Inuyasha was right, technically, even though he would definitely hear from that again — he could expect his food to mysteriously be burnt for the next few days. She needed to be able to defend herself, and she couldn’t just count on it manifesting whenever there was a danger. But there was a difference between that and a moment when she didn’t feel any danger whatsoever, she realized when she found absolutely nothing, not even the slightest spark.

Just the fire of Inuyasha against her.

“I can’t find it,” she said softly, all too aware once again of him there, against her, so close.

“Well—”

“It’s only ever reacted when I was in danger, Inuyasha. And I… I’m not in danger right now.”

His arms around her loosened just a little, and she regretted the pang of disappointment that ran through her just then.

“What’re ya talking about? We’re in the middle of—”

“But I’m with you,” she replied. “And as long as I’m with you, I don’t feel like I’m in danger.”

His breath caught in his throat, completely shaken by her words. He should have let her go just then, but he found he simply couldn’t, particularly when she managed to turn in his hold, which was much more like an embrace at this point, and her eyes met his. He tried desperately to understand, to find something in there to explain to him all the things he didn’t get, to finally tell him what she fucking meant by that.

The sight was so entrancing that he almost missed the movement on their left, but his reflexes did it for him.

Kagome lost her balance when Inuyasha suddenly disappeared from against her, miraculously regaining it before falling to the ground, a strange cold settling where he had just been touching her. She spun around, ready to yell at him because what on Earth did he think he was doing, and that’s when she found him, holding by the neck a—

“Oh my God, Inuyasha, what are you doing?”

He turned towards her, genuine surprise on his features, not understanding the anger in her words, only to find her storming towards him and snatching the demon from his hands.

“It’s a child,” she protested furiously, holding it carefully against her just like a mother would. “There is no need to be so brutal.”

“Brut— Kagome, it’s a demon. A kitsune. That’s probably not even its real appearance, for f—”

“How old are you?” she asked gently to the small, red-haired demon, ignoring him completely.

“I’m six,” the kid replied with tears in his eyes, and Inuyasha scoffed at that.

“Yeah right, and I’m—”

“You’re a dog-demon, shouldn’t you be able to tell?” the kitsune shot at him.

Inuyasha actually shut up for an instant to lean closer to him and sniff it carefully. Shit. He was telling the truth. He was a kid. He looked up to see Kagome staring at him, clearly waiting for his verdict. He sighed.

“Okay, yeah, he’s probably saying the truth, but—”

“Oh you poor thing! Were you trying to get Inuyasha’s fish? Here, you can have it!”

Inuyasha grimaced. Something was telling him that he hadn’t seen the last of the kitsune.

But it was only when he noticed the kid sticking his tongue out at him while Kagome was looking away, leaning down to pick up the fish — his fish — that he realized in how much trouble he was in. Oh, hell no.

He was not going to let that happen.

#inuyasha #kagome #inukag #the maid and the bodyguard #inuyasha fanfiction #my writing

[inukag-4ever]

Soul Came Out of the Mirror - Wedding Vows

InuKag Week Day 6: Stars

(thanks to @grapefruitwannabe for drawing this wonderful art piece for this fic!)

Inuyasha and Kagome exchange vows in a way that’s as unconventional as their relationship.

So, I started the fic Soul Came Out of the Mirror LAST YEAR for @inukag-week. It was only supposed to be a oneshot, but it’s turning into a 9 chapter fanfic. I want to thank Cynthia and Lali for creating and running this week. I sometimes talk about this on my blog, but I was going through a rough patch around this time last year. InuKag Week helped get me out of my funk, because I had the inspiration to write again. I can’t believe that I get the chance to finish a fic that I started for InuKag Week, one year later. 

Without further ado, here’s my post-canon InuKag wedding (taking place under the stars, of course). This chapter can be read as a oneshot!

Inuyasha had been fidgeting all day.

Kagome and he had spent a quiet evening together, eating dinner and watching the sunset. When Inuyasha suggested another forest walk under the starlight, Kagome was happy to oblige. Hopefully this walk will save me from sleeping next to a twitching man tonight, she thought. She was aware that when Inuyasha fidgeted like that, something was off. But she knew her hanyou well enough to know that if she pressured him into talking, he’d probably clam up even more.

The two held hands as they travelled deeper into the forest. Inuyasha wasn’t one for public displays of affection. He hated any form of attention, especially around the villagers. Though they accepted him, he still felt like he walked on eggshells around them. Kagome argued that he was just being paranoid. 

As they walked, the two took the path they’d frequently take: the path to Goshinboku. It was laden with purple flowers and arranged stones, much to Kagome’s surprise. This path hadn’t looked so manicured before.  This is just like walking down an aisle… Kagome thought. The two often liked to walk under the tree and say prayers. It was the only thing that connected them between the two eras; the only part of Inuyasha’s time that felt modern to Kagome. Gazing at that tree reminded Kagome of childhood evenings spent staring out her window. 

The two stopped in front of the sacred tree, and stared up at its branches. Kagome felt a surge of gratitude shoot up her legs and into her body.  Seeing this tree made her feel like she was home. She was always home.

“Kagome…” Inuyasha began. She knew he was about to say something important. “I had so many days during those three years away from you to miss you. And so I did. Constantly! Miroku mentioned a few times that he thought I should consider moving on. He didn’t say to give up hope, but he had a theory that the Shikon jewel was the only reason you were connected to this world. Though I knew that wasn’t true at all.”

“Because I was born to meet you,” Kagome said.

“Yeah,” Inuyasha responded.

Inuyasha held Kagome’s chin and pulled it up so their lips could meet. After a short moment, he grabbed her hands and continued.

“But I had a lot of doubt. Those days felt eternal to me. Then they turned into months. And honestly Kagome, it was torture. It hurt too much to think that there was so much time in between the last time I saw you and the time it was at that moment. I thought about you constantly. I imagined you happy and with your family and friends. I hoped that you’d stay there if you were happier. But there was a selfish part of me that hoped you’d rather be with me.”

“I did. I wanted to be with you so badly. I’m… I’m glad that I got the chance to have a normal high school life. I got my education and spent time with my family. It was carefree, but that didn’t change the fact that I wanted to be with you. I tried to enjoy my life in my era. I attempted to move on, even. But I didn’t want to… I missed you too much.”

Inuyasha pulled Kagome into a hug. Kagome couldn’t help but feel like an incredible circle had just occurred. The last time the boy she loved had hugged her under that tree, they were in unstable places, physically and emotionally. Kagome had doubts in her heart that Inuyasha wanted to be with her over Kikyou. The two feared for their lives almost every day. And Inuyasha had difficulty relaxing into the new relationships he had formed. It took him a lot of time to trust that his friends wouldn’t betray him. But that only made the fear of losing those he cared about deepen.

Kagome was so glad to be under Goshinboku in better circumstances. The two had come so far, apart and together. She was glad that she lacked fear or doubt in her heart. Though she still felt sorrow, it was eased by her gratitude.

Inuyasha spoke softly into Kagome’s hair, “I have something to ask you tonight.”

 Kagome pulled away so she could face her fiancé in the eyes. “Ask me anything.”

Inuyasha pulled a ring out of his pocket and got down on one knee. Kagome’s chest filled with clutching warmth that expanded up into her chest and almost spilled out of her eyes. The ring was absolutely stunning. It wasn’t just a diamond ring: it was a ring made entirely out of diamonds. The band was a gorgeous, thinly cut clear diamond that fit perfectly around Kagome’s left ring finger. The stud was simple but stunning. It was shaped like a tiny rose that sparked and caught light every time the piece turned. It would’ve been priceless in the modern era.

Inuyasha stared patiently up at Kagome, waiting in earnest for her response. He wasn’t nervous by her stillness; he’d grown more in tune with understanding reactions of others. Inuyasha’s nose could pick out the varied scents of emotions. Sorrow and fear had a bitter scent to them. Gratitude and happiness were warm. And though any of these given emotions could produce the salty scent of tears, Inuyasha could distinguish them easily.

The scent coming off of Kagome was something else, though.

Kagome’s scent oozed of warmth, of light, of peace - but it was accompanied by a deepness that he didn’t think he’d experienced before. Perhaps once or twice when he’d passed by a loving couple in a village, or when he dug far back into his memory banks and had seen his parents together when he was an infant. He decided she must feel a deep sense of family and love towards him. 

Inuyasha couldn’t help but notice his scent was beginning to match hers.

Left hand shaking, Kagome extended her fingers towards her kneeling fiancé. He clasped them gently, putting the ring into her palm and closing her fingers around it. Inuyasha’s hands clasped around Kagome’s enclosed fist, and bent to kiss the top of her hand.

“This ring is yours, if you want it.” His voice shook. He was offering himself to her in a way he never imagined possible for an outsider like him. Kagome, a beautiful and warm-hearted woman, loved him. Before he’d met her, he simply believed that type of love was out of his reach. She made him feel like the luckiest bastard on the planet. 

Tiny teardrops sprung at the corner of Kagome’s eyes. “You’re supposed to one to put the ring on me, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha’s face crossed with a serious expression. “I want you to tell me if you still want to marry me, Kagome. I want you to promise me that this is what you want. If it is, then I promise I’ll do everything in my power to protect you and make you happy.”

“I want to marry you more than anything,” she replied without an ounce of uncertainty.

Nodding, Inuyasha took Kagome’s hand and gently slid the ring up her finger. It fit perfectly. She suspected he must have measured her finger in her sleep, or something. She had never owned anything so close to perfect.

Kagome held her hand up to admire the ring. Inuyasha rose to softly kiss Kagome on the lips. He slid his hand up her back and into her hair, feeling the warmth of her skin under her clothing and then gently cupping her scalp, letting his fingers trace along the back of her head.

“How on earth did you know that in my time, people propose to their potential spouses with a diamond ring?” 

Inuyasha laughed. “Don’t forget that I came to visit you in your time. It may have been confusing as hell, but I did learn some things. Your brother taught me about the diamond ring, actually.” 

“Where did you even get the ring?” 

“Hosenki’s son, remember him? He couldn’t help us get to the underworld so well, but a diamond ring is no problem. Especially since I provided him with more than enough diamond to work with.” 

Kagome shook her head.

“What?” Inuyasha asked, knowing something was going through his woman’s brain.

“When my soul came out of Kanna’s mirror and back into my body… I felt this wholeness that I’d never known before. Probably because I had no idea what it was like for part of my soul to be missing. But when my soul came back into my body, I had a new appreciation for the feeling of being complete. 

“Inuyasha, it feels like my soul has always been severed in some way, because I think that it’s so interwoven with yours. Right now, being with you, my soul has truly returned to me. I know that living here entails sacrifice on my end, and that we’ll fight, and that I’ll lose my temper, I’m gonna forgive you over and over again. Nothing is worse than being away from you. My soul feels like it’s truly come out of the mirror, Inuyasha.” 

“I love you. You were born for me.” 

“I love you and I was born for you.”

The two shared a kiss under the deep glow of the moonlight, as if nature itself had decided that the two needed some sort of spotlight.

“Kagome, will you marry me?”

“I already said yes, baka!”

“No,” Inuyasha said with a smile, “will you marry me right now?”

Inuyasha watched the hesitation dance through her eyes.

“Think about it, Kagome. No matter how many people we invite, there will always be someone missing. The same goes if we were to get married in your time, if that were at all a possibility. If we can’t have everyone, then we’ll only have each other. If you want a big, fancy, traditional wedding later, then hell yes we can do that. But damnit Kagome, I want to be married to you now and married to you tonight. I waited many years for you to return to me, and I spent an infinite amount of moments regretting not kissing you more, or telling you how beautiful you are, and being grateful for all you do. Let’s just do it now, Kagome. I want you to be my wife.”

“We don’t need anyone else here, but it might be nice to have a witness,” Inuyasha said. “I thought Goshinboku would do just fine. He’s been here for all the important moments and has lived in both of our times.”

Everything was starting to sink in for Kagome. This was it. She was actually getting married to the love of her life. She’d dreamt about this day since she was fifteen years old. And though the dreams hurt much more when she’d spent those three years away from her beloved, they’d only helped her learn that she would never be able to forget about him. There wasn’t a single part of her that was uncertain.

 “What do you say, Kagome? Will you marry me right now?”

 “Inuyasha…”

 “Whatever you want, Kagome. I’m serious. If you’d prefer to live together unmarried, that’s fine with me. As long as we’re together, I-”

 Kagome brought her fingers to Inuyasha’s lips to silence him. “I want to marry you. You’re right, there’s no point in putting off the marriage on the off chance I’ll see my family again. And if we do, we’ll just marry again. But the thought of not being married to you for an indeterminable amount of time doesn’t feel good. Let’s get married right now.”

Inuyasha chuckled in relief. “I’m so glad you said yes.”

“I mean, I already said yes to you when I first got here.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you have any vows?” Inuyasha asked.

“Of course I didn’t prepare any,” Kagome said softly. “But I will say this: I want to marry you. I want to live with you for the rest of my life and let the days with you grow longer.” 

Inuyasha stood in front of her, his nose nearly touching hers. “Kagome, I vow to protect you. I’ve done it many times from horrendous forces. But from you I’ve learned a new way to protect others. You’ve helped ease the hardness in my emotions and supported me, despite the fact that I can be a jackass sometimes.” That comment earned a laugh from the teary Kagome.

 “Your forgiveness” he continued, “has taught me how to protect you emotionally. I vow to treat you with respect, kindness, and compassion.”

 Tears were streaming down Kagome’s face. “It really sounds like you prepared something,” she said in awe.

 “What can I say? I’ve been thinking about marrying ya for a long time,” he chuckled and kissed her forehead.

 “Okay, well I’ll do what I can. Maybe Goshinboku can help me out here.” Kagome cleared her throat, “I vow to help you see you for who you are every day: a kind, strong, and honest man who’s overcome unimaginable challenges. I feel blessed that I got the chance to meet my soul mate at such an early age. You helped me learn that I’m strong.” 

Inuyasha laughed. “You’re the strongest person I know!”

After a moment, Inuyasha began chanting some prayers. Again, Kagome was impressed by how much preparation this had taken for him. She recognized the prayers as special wedding vows Miroku would chant. He had learned them just for her!

After he’d finished chanting, Inuyasha said, “Technically, I can’t marry us since I’m not a monk or anything. But I thought that if I had a priestess here to approve the marriage, perhaps the kami will honour our vows tonight.”

Inuyasha’s eyes began to quiver, and Kagome could see him fighting back tears. Kagome cried openly. “With every cell in my body, I approve and bless these vows.” 

The two put their hands in gassho and did a small bow. Then, in a very Western fashion, they crashed onto each other’s lips. They had no reason to hold back anymore.

“And so now you’re my husband.”

“Yeah,” Inuyasha said softly.

It had not been an easy journey. But it was a journey well worth walking.

Author’s Note: thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read this! For the record, Souta actually did show Inuyasha a diamond ring in the anime! So this scenario isn’t out of the realm of possibility!

And a NSFW part 2 coming soon....

#inukag week #inukag-week #inuyasha #inuyasha and kagome #kagome #fanfic #fanfiction #wedding night