#i say yukata a lot in this post but i think the piece of clothing im referring to might actually be haori in most of these cases | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lavendertwilight89 · 4 years

Text

Shelter

Part 2

Just a tad shorter than the first part but there is A LOT of needed dialogue. Enjoy!

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Also posted here in my AO3

There was a strange ringing in her ears. Maybe it was in her head. Either way, she honestly thought someone was screaming at her. She heard muffled versions of it.

Crap. She wanted to respond. But she felt so heavy. Her mind and body were weighed down by an invisible force. Well maybe it was visible. She just couldn’t open her eyes. Her mouth was so dry. She needed water. A whimper of desperation escaped her mouth, or at least she thought that was the sound she made before it all went silent again.

When she came to again, it was oddly quiet. Too silent to be with Inuyasha. Did he leave her? Did she stop him? It was so fuzzy in her head. She couldn’t remember all the details–she assumed it was because her head still weighed at least a thousand pounds.

She was able to sit up–barely. Her head pounded fiercely. She almost threw up but her stomach was completely empty. How long had she been out?

Opening her eyes, she was in… a room. It was still light out. There was a large open screen with a balcony overlooking the clouds. How’d she get there? Panic began to swell within her. Where was she? Where was… Inuyasha?

She quickly tried to take in her surroundings which had proved difficult because of her aching head. It seemed like she was in a palace or something. The room was large, well furnished and decorated. The futon she laid upon had many pillows and she was in--WHO CHANGED HER CLOTHES?!!?

Instinctively she grabbed her chest and lightly twisted the silk fabric of the yukata she was wearing between her fingers. It was brightly colored-- a bright sky blue and hughes of yellow. This was… different. Different from the last time she was taken and woke up alone. That didn’t mean she should trust it. She couldn’t trust anyone--anything. Well… not just anyone. Just Inuyasha. But he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she was wrong.

Standing uneasily, she found her way to the door and clung onto the wall. Panting she gathered her energy and opened the door. The hallway appeared empty as she glanced both ways. Her spiritual power was weakened, just like the last time she was drained. Like someone devoured it. She couldn't sense anyone--or anything. She felt blind like a mole crawling around in the dirt looking for food. It was uncomfortable--it made her vulnerable. She almost missed the dark because then it gave her more of an excuse to be more powerless.

Taking a couple of steps out of the room she had been lying in, she realized she was quickly mistaken by the action. She heard gasps and murmurs that she was awake before she ran as fast as she was able to in her condition. Running down the hall, she heard them swiftly move after her, calling for assistance. She almost bumped into one of the guards; he tried to grab her but she swiftly erected her barrier and enlisted a cry from the demon.

"Fall back! She's scared! Her power will harm you, let me try to calm her," a young woman's voice reasoned from behind the demons.

As she stepped forward Kagome maintained her shield, curling her legs up underneath her, bringing her hands to her chest. She would not be fooled. She needed to be on guard. Not again. She wouldn’t be touched, or grasped, or trapped ever again. She would rather die before that happened. Correction, she would die before it could happen.

"Hi, my name is Lady Rin of the Western Lands. You do not need to be afraid, Lady Kagome. Lord Inuyasha has brought you here to us," the woman with long dark brown hair soothed. But Kagome didn't move. Well, not intentionally. She couldn't stop the tremors of fear shaking her body mercilessly. The liquid adrenaline that pumped through her veins was the only thing keeping her from passing out from being so afraid.

"St-stay away from me," Kagome tried to say strongly but it came out as frightened as a hare staring down a drooling wolf.

"It is alright, Lady Kagome. You are safe," the woman tried to convey again, reaching her hand to her barrier. The girl was foolish to think she wouldn't try to zap her to protect herself--to ensure she wasn't a demon in disguise. As she charged up her power the woman dressed in the rich navy and golden laced kimono was swept up by a flash of silver.

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut to the growl she heard and slowly lifted her hands to cover her ears. She was going mad. Crazy. Something was wrong with her. She was either dreaming, delusional, or in a trap. Either scenario, she was losing. The growl was too familiar but not the same. It wasn’t his. Naraku was copying it. Playing her. All she wanted was--

“Kagome!!! It’s okay--I’m right here. Let down the barrier,” she heard the voice she wanted to hear plea to her to lower her defenses. It was too good to be true. It had to be. No. He wasn’t there. He wasn’t in the same room as when she awoke. It was a lie. A trick. Naraku was good. Really good. But she guaranteed if she opened her eyes, this Inuyasha would have black hair. He had no idea he was actually a half-demon. Naraku commented that she downgraded to a ‘human’.

They weren’t in the hut anymore. He likely left her--figuring she was a waste of time. Her mate left her. How could he not? All she did was drag him down and endanger him… She was pathetic. And Naraku came back. He took her. He had her once again.

Regardless, she couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes. She almost wanted to stay in the dream. Tears were streaming down her face as she wept in fear. She was trapped. She was fucked. Her powers were weak, she was drained--it took everything in her to not let go of the only shield between her and the monster.

“Kagome, please, open your eyes; I’m right here. Come on!”

“Go away!!!” She screamed trying to extend her power, she heard him groan in pain but then growl.

“Damnit Kagome!! That fucking hurt!! Open your fucking eyes you crazy wench!!! It’s me!! What the fuck is your problem?!!” Her eyes flew open at the insult. Naraku wouldn’t have likely known that Inuyasha was so crass with her. As if he would know her wanna-be mate would cuss her out; he would try to sweet talk her. Woo her. It really was Inuyasha!

She was so relieved when she saw his silver hair and his beautiful fluffy ears atop his head. Standing shakily, the barrier shattered as she leapt to close the distance to embrace him; he caught her with ease and she felt his nose bury itself in her hair. He began shushing her worries, rumbling from deep within his chest to soothe her anxieties. That was new. But not unwanted or unwelcomed. It was so… him.

“I-I--I was so scared,” she wailed into his crimson kimono clutching the back of it, not even caring in the slightest they weren’t alone. She didn’t even care if he was upset by their show of affections. She just needed him.

“I’m sorry--I was speaking with Sesshomaru and the monk he summoned… I was only gone for a minute. Then the guards told us you were awake and panicking--I fucked up,” he spoke softly to her. It was literally magic in her ears--magic in her soul.

“I’m sorry--I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just--”

“Shut up; it’s my fault. Don’t be fucking sorry. If the asshat wants anyone to pay for what happened, he should punish me.”

“No!!” She looked up at him tearfully. “No! Lord Sesshomaru,” she turned to the great daiyoukai as she still clung to Inuyasha. “Punish me! I am at fault!! Not Inuyasha!”

“Enough,” Sesshomaru said evenly.

“Lady Kagome,” Rin spoke calmly from the arms of her mate. “It is alright. No harm done. We understand… somewhat. We actually don’t know the full story, but we know enough that we acknowledge you were merely defending yourself. No need to apologize or ask to be chastised for the misunderstanding. Right, my lord?”

“Hn.”

“See? That’s the way my lord says he forgives you,” she said as she wiggled out of his arms and clapped her hands. “Now, let’s get you some lunch, hm? I am sure you are hungry! Lord Inuyasha, would you like to see her back to your room? I will have Akami bring in some light stew and some bread in a moment. After she has eaten, will you both join us back in the study so we may discuss our… uhm--predicament further?”

“Sounds like a plan. Uhm, thank you Lady Rin,” Inuyasha nodded in the form of a bow as he still held onto Kagome. She sank further into his chest thanking every kami listening he hadn’t left and was obviously not embarrassed by their display.

“Please,” she giggled merrily. “Just Rin, Lord Inuyasha. You’re being too formal. Though, I’m sure you are only doing it for you mate’s honor,” she winked mischievously. “Come, my lord. Let us rejoin the monk and slayer, hm?”

“Keep watch over her, brother. No more situations like these or--”

“My lord!” Rin clipped.

“Yes, Rin,” Sesshomaru acknowledged as he turned around to follow his headstrong outspoken mate.

Inuyasha exhaled; she was unsure it was from relief or exhaustion from dealing with his brother and his mate. He lifted Kagome into his arms and proceeded to walk back down the hallway she had just run through. She looked around, as much as she could without leaving the safety of his chest. She tried not to be obvious as she inhaled his scent--musk and pine trees. But she couldn’t help but want to be comforted by it. By him. Her… well, her nothing. Her wished mate. Maybe she should just tell him--just be upfront. It might help their relationship in the long run? She still didn’t remember much from after healing Inuyasha to waking up.

Just bits and pieces of them yelling at each other. Him saying nasty things, trying to leave… Obviously he either came back or she had convinced him to stay. Either way, she counted her blessing he was, in fact, there. With her. Holding her. In his arms.

He opened the shoji door and stepped through then proceeded to close it. A couple more steps were taken as he dipped down and began to try and release her back onto the bed. Nope. Nope. NOPE. She clung onto him, whimpering, and refused the loss of contact.

Sighing, he readjusted some of the pillows and then sat down on the futon. She recurled herself up in his lap and he lightly wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m not good at this--but I’m here. I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered into her ear.

“Please--just don’t leave me,” her voice cracked as she cried the words.

“I’m not--I know I fucked up losing my temper the last time we talked but…. Shit. Kagome, it’s hard to understand and be okay with the fact you are keeping so many secrets. I didn’t even know how to explain to my asshole brother what was going on other than Naraku was hunting you. Not to mention one minute you’re telling me to go, the next you’re wrapped around me so tight. Fuck.”

“Why didn’t you just wake me up?” She muttered softly, still unwilling to let him go. She didn’t care if she seemed desperate or insane--she needed to be in his arms to affirm everything was real. The comfort and security she could only receive from him, she demanded fully.

“Kagome,” he pulled back to look into her eyes. There was a weird light of disbelief and concern. “You--you wouldn’t wake up. I tried everything. You’ve been unconscious for over a week… Sesshomaru ended up calling in a monk to try and figure out what happened.”

Gasping, she tried to control her utter shock. She knew that wasn’t good. She drained herself in healing Inuyasha that last round so much so she… Did he know? Were all her secrets exposed? She messed up--badly. She should have been upfront. He was going to leave her after all. This embrace wouldn’t last. All her hard work, all her concerns, and all her fears were rushing to the surface. She needed to figure out what he knew--what he had actually learned about her.

“Wh-what… uhm… What have you learned since I’ve been asleep?”

“Don’t sound so nervous. I haven’t learned anything honestly. Nothing you haven’t said. Besides that, nothing is going to take me from your side... All we learned was that Naraku hasn’t made his mission a total secret to humans or demons. As for your health, the monk wasn’t helpful at all. I don’t actually believe he’s as powerful as he led Sesshomaru to believe. ”

“What does your brother know about Naraku?”

It took Inuyasha a moment to gather his wandering thoughts, or at least that what it had seemed like. Sighing, he laid her down forcefully, but she clutched onto his haori so he reluctantly followed, scoffing at her neediness. Even though he had sighed defeatedly, his arms remained around her. She also swore she could feel him twirl her hair through his fingers. That had to mean something right?

“We have other things to discuss, Kagome. Like this… behavior,” he added blushing looking at her tight fists on his shirt.

“Inuyasha--please--”

“No. Why are you acting like this? Understand I’m not angry, I’m just kinda confused. You’re shooting me some serious mixed signals. No evading or I am out that damn door and down the hall.”

Shaking, she finally looked up at him. His resolve was fierce, his eyes hard, but nurturing. She exhaled shakily and buried her face back into his chest, desperate to hear his soft rumble he had exuded earlier. When he did it again, she was pleased and began her story.

“I… told you Naraku was hunting me. I left out the part where he had caught me.”

“He what?!!?” She felt his youki grow but tried to use her own depleted reiki to soothe him.

“He… I don’t know how long he had me, or even actually where. But he held me for at least a few weeks. It was dark, cold, wet… It was hard to tell time. When I noticed he was gone for a while, I finally escaped and that's when the demons came. I ran as fast as I could and then I found you--or rather you found me. You tried to lead me out of the forest but I tripped and you protected me. I was able to blast the others before they attacked again and then got us to the hut. I’m so sorry… I--I didn’t know how to tell you it was all my fault you became seriously wounded the first time.” She opted to not include the fact she was naked and touched by the sick demon in her time of imprisonment. He already seemed like he was hanging on to his sanity by a thread.

“Goddamnit!!! What did he do to you?! You're not being very specific! Obviously you're still holding back,” he snarled as his eyes glowed red.

Kagome gasped and took his face into her hands, "Shhhh. I'm right here. I'm fine. I-I’m safe. I’m with you, remember?"

"That's putting it loosely… you're acting odd. Clingy. Open. I should almost ask you if you're real."

"I…" How should she put it? Should she tell him everything? Maybe one day. Just not today. Not yet. Little by little. "I was afraid. That you had actually left after Naraku’s attack and that I caused it. You're right. I need to try and--and not hide so much from you. You stayed with me. You protected me in your human form; twice now. I should put some trust in you. I mean, afterall you're…" She caught herself about to confess too much and swallowed hard. He might not even know that he was her mate. Maybe she wasn't. Maybe it was just hopeful thinking--but he hadn't pulled away yet. He was still next to her; that soft rumble still echoed through his chest. His claws were still caressing through her hair. His arms still wrapped around her.

"I'm what?" He asked leadingly. Crap.

"Important to me," she finished lamely. It was better than nothing.

He seemed to ponder over her words but didn't push further. "So… what else you feel like sharing? Or is that it?"

"You don't want to know what the sick bastard did. I honestly don't know either. I'd rather not think about it…" she murmured softly.

"D-did he…?" He couldn't even finish the thought. But she knew what he was implying. He wanted to know if he tainted her. If he defiled her with his disgusting body.

"No, thank the Gods. But he…" She tensed and shook, having flashbacks of the revolting wet musky hands caressing her thighs, brushing her hair from her face, and the sick twisted laughter that haunted her dreams. "He did… other things. But not that. He didn’t touch me there, "she finished with a deep lump in her throat.

She felt his arms grip around her tightly. Truthfully, she never felt so safe. So secure. So… loved.

Inuyasha traveled with Kagome for a full day before finally arriving at Sesshomaru’s castle. He stood with the young in his arms and he was utterly exhausted. Not only had he been awake his entire human night, but he'd been fatally wounded. As he had run to the fortress, he thought about theory after theory of how he had awoken whole. None of which really added up.

The only one that was possible, but seemed just as far-fetched as others, was that she healed him. This was the second time she'd likely done something like it too. Did mikos of stronger spiritual power have the ability to heal wounds? It wouldn't have shocked him in all reality. There was some strange shit out there he'd seen the past couple centuries he'd been alive. It just seemed so unreal; the idea that such a beautiful woman and soul would help him in such a way that it would drain her to the point of unconsciousness.

Standing in front of the castle, he noticed the guards hadn't moved. Likely his brother had told them to stand down so he could deal with him himself. He made it to the doors when they were opened and there stood the ‘great and mighty’ Inu no Taisho, Sesshomaru. Stoic as ever. Jackass.

“And to what do I owe the pleasure, little brother,” he said snarkily. Well, it was actually as emotionless as ever, but Inuyasha thought it came off as condescending as usual.

“Sesshomaru…” Inuyasha wasn’t sure where to begin. How could he swallow his pride and ask for his help? Looking down at the young maiden in his arms, he knew where he needed to draw the strength from; he just needed to say the words.

“I… Sesshomaru… We--”

“You bring a miko into the house of a daiyoukai? Are you foolish?” Sesshomaru glared briefly before the guards finally appeared. Welp. So much for coming back to the castle asking for help. Kagome was wrong. Honestly he couldn’t wait to tell her he told her so… Kinda. Not really. He actually didn’t want to see the sympathetic look on her face and the reassurance that she cared about him even if no one else did. He didn’t want to see the look that she would shoulder the pain and burden of his rotten life…

“My Lord! That is no way to treat your brother or his guest!” Inuyasha turned back to see the short woman emerge from behind his brother. She was dressed in a fine purple and orange kimono fit for a hime. Which she honestly was-- she was the Lady of the West. Wife and mate to the Inu no Taisho. Rin.

“Rin…” he said in warning.

“Don’t you ‘Rin’ me! Welcome back home, Lord Inuyasha,” she said cheerfully after she warned her mate to back off. She proceeded to step forward in front of Sesshomaru and glide gracefully to Inuyasha. “Who is your friend? Is she alright?”

“I-I don’t know,” he said meekly.

“Rin, she is a--”

“I’m aware of what she is, my lord. That does not mean we turn her or your brother away. She is obviously someone who is important to Lord Inuyasha as he brought her here, to us, his family,” she said pointedly.

“Who is she, brother?” Sesshomaru asked, losing patience.

“Sesshomaru… she’s--she’s my mate,” Inuyasha finally admitted out loud. To someone. While he hadn’t admitted it to Kagome yet, it felt good to finally say it to another person. Even if that other person was his asshole jackass of a brother. The acknowledgement made it seem real; it wasn’t a made up idea in his head. That the desire could actually become a reality.

“Oh my! You found your mate, Lord Inuyasha? How exciting!! We must hear the whole story--”

“Rin, there’s something wrong with her. Her aura is weak--I think she used her powers to heal me. Is that possible?”

Sesshomaru watched on and signaled for the guards to disperse. “Spiritual powers are different from youki. We would need to invoke another spiritualist… The scrolls also may hold this information. Allow this one to research while Rin assists with getting your mate to your quarters. I will send for Jaken to seek a traveling monk who is rumored to know more than most.”

“Sesshomaru, she doesn’t know she’s my mate. We should put her in a different room--”

“It does not matter, little brother. She will remain in your room as we do not know the miko or her intentions. She will be allowed into our home but that does not mean she is trusted at this time,” Sesshomaru growled as he turned back into the castle, as he likely headed to the study of the castle. Or to find Jaken to take his frustrations out on.

“Follow me, Lord Inuyasha. Let’s get her settled. I will provide her with a sleeping yukata and change her clothing. We can also give her a quick bath before we have the healers come in and examine her before the monk.”

Inuyasha nodded nervously. He was usually brash, full of bravado, and ready to run sword raised into a dragon’s nest. But at that moment he felt like the smallest ant; he had to be humble, sincere, and somewhat appreciative they were willing to give him-- give them a chance to prove themselves.

Without Rin, he would have likely been shit out of luck. They would have had to find another hut for shelter and pray to whatever kami that was listening that Naraku wouldn’t find them again until she was healed. He knew he owed Sesshomaru too. Sesshomaru was technically the alpha, but he really did roll over for Rin. It was funny to watch the more than a head shorter woman boss around an eight-hundred year old demon like he was a newborn puppy.

Once they got to his old room Rin had made Sesshomaru set up for him to stay in here and there, she stepped out briefly and returned with a spare robe of hers and a bucket of water with a cloth.

“Are you comfortable staying or would you prefer I do this alone?”

“She doesn’t know she’s my mate… but I have seen her, uhm, bare,” he said somewhat bashfully, blushing.

“It’s up to you, Lord Inuyasha. I’m sure she would be more comfortable with you being here.”

“Wh-why do you say that??!?” He sputtered flushing even more.

“Well, I know that before Lord Sesshomaru and I mated when he brought me here to tend to my wounds after he saved me from the bandits that I wanted him in the room even though he hadn’t confessed to me yet who I was to him.”

“What??”

“Has he honestly never told you that story??? He is so funny,” she laughed as she undid Kagome’s haori and hakama. “Well, he wanted the healers to take a look at me but I refused to let him leave even though he was trying to ‘preserve my modesty’. Pft. My village and family had just been raided by bandits. Not much left of that.”

“Were you…Did he save you in time?” Inuyasha wasn’t sure if that was too personal ask his sister-in-law. Or if Sesshomaru would just kill him for thinking his mate was defiled.

“Yes, Sesshomaru saved me just in time. Ahhhh, my big strong samurai inuyokai…” she gazed dreamily down at Kagome as she washed her body of the grime, sweat, and dirt. “I don’t ever wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn’t met him. He is everything I have ever dreamed of and more. It was so weird… when I first laid eyes on him, even though he had just cut a man in half and the blood had splattered on me and the other women--it was like I knew. Like he was the thing that was missing in my life. The missing puzzle piece.”

“You sound like a child.”

“Hmmm, have you ever been in love, Lord Inuyasha?”

“Wh-what?!?”

“Well, when you are in love, nothing seems embarrassing or childish. Your life becomes someone else's.”

Inuyasha remained silent then proceeded to help Rin remove Kagome’s garments from her and then helped get her into the robe. Rin patted her shoulder softly, happy with her work. He covered Kagome with a blanket and then wasn’t sure if he should leave or not.

“Lord Inuyasha, let me be honest; I can tell you are in love with this woman. You shouldn’t hide your feelings from her. Tell her. Be open with her.”

“Rin…” he growled.

“It’s obvious; you came here to help her. I’m proud of you for coming home. You’re both welcome to stay as long as you’d like. I’ll send in Akami to bring you dinner. If your intended awakens, just poke your head out and send Shizo to the kitchen to have Akami get more for her.” She patted his shoulder gently before standing and making her way out of his room.

“Rin?” He called, still facing Kagome.

“Yes, Lord Inuyasha?”

“Th-thank you, s-sister…”

“You’re welcome, elder brother.”

Inuyasha gazed down at his mate lovingly. Fuck. He hated being wrong. But, in a way, he also was relieved he was. And of all people to be wrong to, he was thankful it was Kagome. He laid down next to her and couldn’t help himself as he pulled himself close to her body and just held her close. He heard Akami enter and leave his meal, but he kept his eyes closed and his face buried in Kagome’s hair.

He honestly didn’t care if he was caught by her. His new resolution was to try and trust her for keeping things from him. The secrets she carried must’ve been taking a toll on her… He needed to cut her some slack. Maybe if he opened up, she would too.

Days passed and Kagome remained in her deep uninterruptible slumber. Inuyasha refused to leave her side. Each day made him more and more agitated; agitation caused by fear, loathing, and the unknown. Rin often came in to check on her and clean her face then would take her leave. She tried not to linger too long; she respected they needed their alone time even if Kagome was not awake. Rin spoke with Inuyasha about why aside from his mate being unconscious, they came to seek refuge with them.

Inuyasha reluctantly revealed to Rin the nature of how he and Kagome had met. He also told her while he was fairly in the dark about Kagome’s past, he knew at least one thing was true: Naraku was after her and wanted her as his mate. The information had been unsettling for Rin. She said she would speak with his brother and see if he knew anything more of Naraku than what they had already heard in passing.

It wasn’t until the fifth day Sesshomaru emerged from his study to speak with him. Rin, of course, accompanied her mate. Sesshomaru had informed him after researching the archives he had received from their father and even some of the more current ones, there were only a couple of mikos or monks who were even capable of such power. The monk he invited would hopefully give additional information. Jaken had informed him earlier that morning that he had been and had agreed to journey into their territory.

He had also dug as much as he could to try and find out more about Naraku. There wasn't too much more to tell. Just the twisted fuck traveled around in the cloak of an animal--a baboon Inuyasha had informed, and that he had begun spreading rumors of Kagome being his mate. He apparently also made it clear his intentions were less than noble--he tricked and clearly had smeared Kagome’s name as a priestess in the mud. The only other piece of knowledge that Inuyasha had not heard was where Naraku had been seen the most--likely where Kagome’s village had been.

Near the wolf dens. She likely knew Koga and Ayame. It made him question why she hadn’t asked them for help. Koga was the Lord of the Eastern lands. He hadn’t met Koga himself, but he knew Sesshomaru kept strict treaties with the other lands to maintain peace. That was why Naraku was so concerning because he threatened the balance between the demons and humans.

"Brother, the miko must reveal Naraku’s hidden intentions. Without that knowledge, we will not know how to assist her or put an end to the inconvenience."

"Don't gotta tell me that, " Inuyasha muttered.

"My lord, Lord Inuyasha told me that right before he brought Kagome here they were fighting about everything."

"Then your presence here will be conditional depending upon her cooperation," Sesshomaru admonished.

"But my lord--"

"If we do not know why the demon is hunting her, nor what he is capable of, then the priestess could be endangering everyone. I will not allow her to put you in harm's way because of her pride," he said evenly.

Rin sighed her compliance and shot Inuyasha a look of apology. He merely nodded, conceding as well. He knew full well the lengths Sesshomaru would go for his mate. They were brothers after all and they both came from the great Touga who sacrificed his own life for Inuyasha’s human mother. Their loyalties went far for their beloveds.

The monk arrived the following day with his wife. Inuyasha scoffed at the idea, but then again, his own mate was a priestess. He needed to have some faith she would accept him as more even though she was one of the God’s children.

“Monk. Slayer,” Sesshomaru greeted.

“Welcome to our home!” Rin cheerfully called from Sesshomaru’s side.

“Thank you for having us. We are more than happy to serve the Lord and Lady of the West,” the monk said with a bow. “I am Miroku and this is my wife, Sango. We also have a neko-youkai named Kirara.”

“A pleasure to meet you my lord and lady,” the woman called Sango said as she bowed and the cat demon on her shoulder mewed.

“Please, come in; allow me to show you to your room during your stay,” Rin said, taking Sango’s hand. Typical Rin. It took all Inuyasha had not to roll his eyes. But it was well worth seeing Sesshomaru’s tired expression.

After Rin showed them to their quarters, she escorted them back to Inuyasha’s room where he and Sesshomaru waited outside the door.

“This is my younger brother, Inuyasha.”

“The Lord of the West has a brother?” Sango questioned.

“No, I’m a fucking puppet.”

“Language,” Sesshomaru hissed.

“Forgive him, he’s been under a lot of stress. His mate has fallen ill,” Rin said apologetically as she returned to Sesshomaru’s side.

“In the letter you sent, you stated it was a priestess in your care that was ill, did you not?” Miroku asked.

“That is correct,” Sesshomaru said.

“We uh… never heard of a priestess being the mate of a--” Sango started.

“Yea yea, whatever, can you help her or not?” Inuyasha was losing his patience. Quickly. He also didn’t care for their tone of judgement towards Kagome. She would always be the purest soul even if they did complete the mating bond. This monk and slayer were judging her? He hadn’t realized he was growling before Rin placed a comforting arm on his bicep.

“Please, she is to be my sister-in-law. Can you please just examine her? We think she healed Lord Inuyasha and it caused some sort of backfire with her reiki.”

“Of course, our apologies. It is just something new we have come across. No offense was meant, Lord Inuyasha,” Miroku bowed in apology. Sango bit her lip at her question and also bowed as she muttered her own apology.

Rin lightly pushed him and gained his attention. He stepped aside and she opened the door to his room and they filed inside. Inuyasha took residence next to Kagome, eyeing the monk and slayer skeptically. He narrowed his eyes as he saw their faces twist. The slayer looked angry and the monk looked confused. Both not good signs.

Snarling, he leaned over Kagome to block her from view of their pointed stares, “What the fuck is your problem??”

“Is there an issue?” Rin asked quickly, trying to dispel the clear tension that had arisen.

“Explain your concerns, monk and slayer,” Sesshomaru ordered.

“She is the mate of Naraku! They killed some of our best slayers--my family!! You expect us to help her?! And how can you claim she is your mate?!?! She is mated to that--that--that monster!!!”

“My wife, while upset, speaks the truth. She also entered my old monastery and helped destroy the temples… The miko also did claim her love for the demon Naraku. She professed they had mated and she would help him oversee his ultimate desires.”

Rin looked to Sesshomaru and then Inuyasha for clarification. Inuyasha couldn’t stop his demonic half from rising even if he wanted to. He knew his eyes were glowing, he felt his claws slicing through Kagome’s blanket, and his fangs were sinking into his bottom lip.

Sesshomaru had risen and stood to block Inuyasha’s view of them--but he heard the slayer stand in front of the monk in defensiveness when Sesshomaru spoke.

"The miko's virtue is intact. You were likely deceived like the demon planned. It seems his goal was to completely isolate her from any possible ally. To what end, it is unclear."

Rin scooted closer to Inuyasha and enlisted a warning growl from him. Sesshomaru turned and pinned him with a challenging stare to which Inuyasha initially refused to secede. He kept his ears high, snarl low and fierce. Honestly he wanted a fight. He needed to beat the shit outta someone-- while it should be the humans, they were the only ones who likely could tell what was wrong with his mate.

"Back down brother,"Sesshomaru spoke in inuyoukai. Rin stayed near but did not touch Inuyasha.

"They insulted my mate," he barked back.

"We need them to examine the girl first. Then we will spar. Control your temper like you were taught, " Sesshomaru replied shortly.

Inuyasha scoffed but tried to tap down his anger at the insult towards Kagome. It just--enraged him. To hear someone speak so ill of her. She had saved him. Twice. Almost died once in the process because she was so weak… The idea that they would say such dark things about her made him furious.

“Brother?” Rin asked quietly.

“I’m… fine,” he finally relented fully. Rin finally wrapped her arms around him from behind and pulled him back to sit beside Kagome. Sesshomaru took his place by Rin, but remained standing. He was pushing forth his aura to make sure the mortals knew their place on the chain of command. It made Inuyasha feel maybe a millimeter better.

The monk bowed and then knelt across from Inuyasha to be beside Kagome. Sango stood closely to his back and narrowed her stare at the daiyoukai; he had to give it to her. She was ballsy as hell.

Miroku closed his eyes and waved a hand over her form and he clenched them briefly when he reached her heart. Opening his eyes, he looked fairly concerned and distressed.

“Well?” Inuyasha snapped.

“There isn’t much I can tell you aside from the fact she did in fact heal you. It is what drained her aura…” Inuyasha could tell he was holding back. What he was holding back and why, he wasn’t sure. Was it spiritualists in general that were so fucking secretive???

“And??” he growled in return.

“And until she awakens that’s all I can say unfortunately. Her aura is very weak to be able to discern more than what I have already told you.”

“You heard him,” the slayer defended.

“Let us give Lord Inuyasha and my mate some time. Come, I will get you food since you traveled so far and tended to our priestess first,” Rin said, releasing Inuyasha and gracefully brushing her hand against Sesshomaru before leading them out the door.

“What are your thoughts, little brother?” Sesshomaru asked once they were gone.

“Fuck if I knew. She was just as forthcoming about shit as the monk…”

“Likely it had to do with their reiki. An unspoken alliance. It has been confirmed she is able to use her power to heal others. We at least have one answer. Rest for now with your mate. I will call upon you if I learn anything else from the mortals,” Sesshomaru said as he began to leave the room.

“Sess?”

“Hn?”

“Thank you… for this…”

“Thanks is not necessary. You are my brother,” he informed as he left the room. Inuyasha supposed that was his way of off-handedly apologizing for being a total dick until he met Rin. He’d take it. They weren't a very wordy family. They were men of action. The fact Sesshomaru summoned a monk, researched for five days straight, and even allowed them entry into his home… That was more than enough.

He had been talking with his jackass brother and fake-ass monk about Kagome’s condition two days later when they heard the guards shouting. All he could do was berate himself for the one time he left Kagome’s side that she had woken up. Typical ass Kagome. Stubborn as all damn hell.

When he finally came upon her, she was even further from the girl he had first met. The strong, sassy, hand-licking, weird, beautiful, kind, priestess. She was drenched in sweat, paler than a ghost, shaking, trembling, saturated in fear and anxiety. Those beautiful sapphire eyes were hidden from him. It was crazy to see that change in her that had taken place within a month of them meeting. It killed him inside she was that afraid and had taken to hiding within her weak little barrier than barely covered her body that was folded in on itself.

He called to her--the only way he knew how. He had never spoken to her so gently before--anyone that kindly before. When she finally let down her barrier after burning the fuck out of his hand and he held her as close as he could to his body it finally clicked. What Rin had said about being in love--how literally nothing else mattered, no else in the room was of concern… It was just them.

Finally having her back in the room, it was weird how… intimate they had gotten since she awoke from when she had fallen asleep. It wasn’t like they hadn’t touched before. There were always small carasses from her, a slight lean of her on his shoulder, a hug or two, but this--this was so different. It made him feel powerful. That she put so much faith and trust in him to hold her like this. That she wanted him to protect her and hold her…

Obviously she had counter offers. The Hojo guy from her village and that sick and twisted fuck Naraku. But she wanted his no good half-breed self to hold on to.

When she finally confided in him about being captured and touched in ways that made his blood boil and his desire to kill Naraku only increased ten-fold, did he begin to understand why she wasn’t as forthcoming about Naraku.

“Inuyasha?” Her voice was barely a whisper when she finally spoke again disrupting him from his thoughts. His very graphic thoughts of torturing and killing Naraku. Over. And over. And over again.

“What?” He said more gruffly than he meant. Honestly.

“I--” There was a knock at the door that made her jump and bury herself into him further making him growl.

“Damnit. It’s your food; let me grab it.”

“Wait--”

“I’m just going to the door,” he said as he finally was able to detangle himself from her. She simply scurried and sat up quickly. Even with his back turned, he could feel her big ocean eyes locked on him.

Opening the door, he saw Akami and took the bowl from her. “Let Sesshomaru know we’ll be down shortly.” She bowed and left.

Turning back, he didn’t even notice Kagome was directly behind him and almost dropped her bowl of food, “Fuck!!!”

“Sorry,” she said disparagingly.

“You just scared me. Come on,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to the small table in the corner of the room near the open door to the balcony. He set the bowl down and waited for her pointedly.

She looked unamused. Unmoved by his basic direction of thought. Groaning, he sat down at the table then glared at her. She slightly hesitated but sat as close as she could to him without being on his lap and slowly began eating.

"So… you healed me?" Probably shouldn't have said that while she was eating. Her soup was likely spat outside off the balcony. Gross. He noted to himself to make sure to have Akami clean up after they left. He didn't want his room smelling like sick-people broth.

"How did--"

"I may be a little slow and you can even say I'm an idiot sometimes but I don't just magically heal like that. Especially with something as serious as someone running me through my gut on the night I’m human before the sun even peers over the horizon. Is that why you were so drained?” He knew the answer. But he wanted to test her to see if she’d hide it or lie.

“Yes…” she said defeatedly.

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why did you heal me? If it was gonna do that to you, why did you do that?”

“I--Inuyasha! You can’t expect I would have just let you die!! How can you even think that?!?” There was that fire he was missing. The spunk and resistance.

“When it basically killed you--yea! You have to pick yourself over me!! Fuck Kagome, what would I have done if it had been you?!?!”

“It wasn’t so--”

“It could have very well been!! A week, Kagome! A full fucking week of you unconscious, not moving and me freaking the fuck out not knowing if you were EVER going to wake up!!”

She swallowed and averted her eyes, “ I’m sorry. But I don’t regret my choice and I would do it again.”

“Of course you would,” he said exasperated.

“Look, you took the hit for me, didn’t you? To try and protect me? You did the same thing the first night of the new moon. Obviously it’s ingrained in us at this point we will protect each other.”

“Don’t mean I’m happy about it,” he sulked. It hurt his pride in all actuality of the situation. That she had to help him because he had failed in protecting her.

"I'm not your responsibility, you know. I've been taking care of myself for a while now."

"Fine job you've been doing," he added sarcastically.

"Look, I was doing just fine before Naraku thought I'd make a nice mate, or whatever."

"What is his other reason for hunting you down? Typically demons don't just pursue a mate who wants nothing to do with them," Inuyasha stated.

Kagome bit her lip. Her silence seemed like it was in contemplation of what to say or how much to reveal.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, I know he's not your mate." Uh oh. He was digging his own grave. Saying too much. Even though he… he kinda wanted her to know. He wanted to continue holding her. He wanted to be able to do more.

"You do?"

"W-Well yea," he stammered.

Man up, dumbass.

No one asked you.

I'll tell our mate she is ours.

The fuck you will--

Then grow some fucking balls, hanyou.

Why you--

Did your conversation with our brother's mate just go over your head? Did you lie to yourself about fucking talking her?

N-no, I… Damnit, just shut the fuck up.

“Inuyasha?” Kagome asked, concerned as she was grasping his arm gently.

“Sorry, I got distracted,” he muttered embarrassed as he turned away from her.

“Th-thank you for still believing in me. In that at least. I… I promise he isn’t my mate…” she looked like she wanted to say more but at the same time, fear soaked through her.

“Can a priestess sense that tie between two people?”

Her blush was likely an answer if any… Did she know?

“Kago--”

“Inu--”

“Yo-you first,” she stammered.

“What do you know about mates?” There. That was a clear question.

Coward.

Shut it.

“Just what one of my demon friends has told me. Just the pull between mates is undeniable. It’s like--indescribable, he said. I believed him of course.”

“Your friend has a mate I gather?”

“Yes, he found her last year. They are expecting twins, or rather were. I’m sure she had them by now…” She said, reminiscing her old life. She gazed out the window as if looking at her family. Her friends. Anyone but him. It hurt honestly.

“Do you… miss them?”

“Yes. But…” she said as she turned back towards him and that radiant soft smile on her face. “I don’t regret meeting you. This may sound crazy but--” she leaned forward slowly. Like she was testing to see if he’d pull away. There was a second he slightly panicked but his inner instincts held him firm. If she was going to give him a taste of her sweet mouth, he was going to take it. It made him consider she did know--that she felt the pull herself.

“‘But?’” he repeated looking down at her parted lips. Her breath slightly hitched.

“Do you--”

“Kagome,” he said softly but also gruffly as he was losing patience with the song and dance she was doing. To be fair, he wasn’t being as helpful either.

“I really care about you; more than I think you know. I’m scared I’m pushing you away. Well, I was terrified you had gone… It broke me when I woke up and didn’t see you at my side. The thought you had gone--”

“I get it. Just so we’re clear, I won’t leave you. I can’t,” he admitted.

“You ‘can’t’?”

“Not if I don’t want to die…”

“What does that--” she snapped.

“Can you just shut up??” He finally closed the distance for them and pressed his hungry lips to hers. The sigh she made might as well have been an oasis in the desert. Fuck. Why didn’t they start their relationship like this?? Oh yea. Because he was a dumbass.

Finally-- you admit it.

Do you ever go the fuck away?!

He broke off the kiss at the thought as he looked down into her slowly opening sapphire eyes. She looked as disheveled as he felt.

“You… know?” she asked quietly.

“You mean you knew?” He replied irritated.

“I mean--I was pretty sure--”

“Oh for fucks sake--” he growled.

“This is why you can never get anything done…” Sesshomaru said boredly from the door.

“Eep!!!” Kagome yelped, jumping away from him. If Inuyasha could kill someone with a stare alone, his brother would have been burned into a giant pile of ash. Son of a bitch. Literally.

“Are you fucking kidding me?! How long have you been standing there you fucking perv?!!”

“Long enough to see the pitiful show of affection; Akami said you would be joining us a while ago. Are you done discovering you both knew you were each other’s mate? Or should I come back?”

Kagome reeked of embarrassment and found the wall of his room fairly fascinating while Inuyasha could only snarl at his brother.

“Then you both shall join us,” Sesshomaru ordered as he left the room.

“Damn him to the seventh hell!!”

“It’s fine,” she said farrrrrrrrrr too quickly. She stood and brushed off her kimono and started walking to the door.

Oh fuck no, he thought as he jumped to his feet and was suddenly between her and the door.

“We’re not done yet,” he said stepping towards her.

Swallowing she averted her gaze. “I--”

“What else have you been hiding?”

“Inuyasha--”

“They can wait.” He grabbed her arms and made her look directly at him. “What. Else?”

“Inuyasha please--” She was panicking. “I--I shouldn’t--”

“I’m your mate. You belong to me. Our lives and souls are bound together. Just fucking tell me Kagome. As much as I’d love to get the fuck outta here, I think we need my asshole brother to try and take down Naraku. And his conditions were pretty fucking clear when I brought you here-- either we tell him why Naraku is really after you, or we’re out. While I have confidence in my skills and I am the last to admit this, we may need some help. So will you just tell me?! What are you so goddamn afraid of?!?”

“I’m scared of losing you!!!! Before I had nothing!! NOTHING! I had family, an arranged marriage, and friends, but that was easy to walk away from, Inuyasha!! They were safer if I was away from them! I didn’t want to marry Hojo! But you--I’m afraid of letting you in!! That you’ll realize how much trouble I actually am and decide to run for the freaking hills! I don’t want you to look at me differently! I want your scowl, that hardened face that turns soft when you think I’m not looking, I don’t want you pity or you just be nice because you think I’m a freak! I want you to treat me exactly as I am!! Who I am!! Not what I am or who I was!”

“At least we’re finally getting somewhere,” he smirked down at her.

Kagome’s head was spinning when Inuyasha kissed her. She had been too nervous to close the final distance between them and thank all the Gods he did it for her. It was a key opening a lock. So freeing. She wondered if he felt the same.

When he began to question her, curse, she was so lost in him. Their old way of communication; their own song and dance. Then Sesshomaru spoke. And she had never been so embarrassed.

She wanted the ground to swallow her whole. Then he used the actual words she and Inuyasha were skating around: mates. What was crazier was Inuyasha didn’t deny it. So obviously, he did know. Maybe his fears were just as justified as hers. Or maybe he had doubts. About them. About her.

Once Sesshomaru stepped out, she stood as gracefully as she could and tried to follow but, of course, Inuyasha decided then he wanted to continue their chat. Typical. Not.

Then she word vomited everything she had been thinking. Even better!! Be vulnerable and chase the only guy she had ever been attracted to, pulled to, wanted to be drawn to, away!! She was an idiot if she ever met one.

But his smirk was so alleviating. It was like all the weight she had placed on herself was suddenly lifted.

“Inuyasha…”

“Do I literally have to drag everything out of you until we’re yelling at each other??”

“You’re one to talk, dog-boy,” she sneered.

“There’s my girl. Now spill. Why would I look at you differently??”

“Inuyasha… I’m--I--” How does someone just tell someone else who they really are? What they are guarding??

“Spit it out!!! I’d prefer I know what the fuck I’m walking into before my asshat of a brother!! Kagome, don’t you trust me at all?!?”

“Of course I do!!”

“Obviously you don't!! Kagome,” his hands tightened on her arms. She shivered at her thoughts of being held close by him again. The feel of his lips on hers-- “You don’t look at me any differently for being the freak that I am. You treat me just like a normal person. Don’t you think I’d extend the same courtesy to you? You’re my mate.”

He kept saying that now that it was out in the open--but did that even mean he cared though?? He hadn’t said that yet. Did he even love her? Or was all of this just because she was his mate?

“That doesn’t mean you care or anything. It just means you know that--”

“Kagome will you just stop the fucking excuses and just fucking tell me?!? Don’t feed me that shit that I don’t fucking care about you! You know damn well and good I do otherwise I would have taken off and decided you weren’t worth all this drama. I wouldn’t have begged my fucking asshole of a brother for shelter let alone asked for his help! You can sit there all you want in fucking denail but pull your head out of your ass and stop stalling!!”

She wasn’t sure what she was most shocked about; was it the fact he admitted he did care about her? Or was it the fact he did it in such a roundabout jackass way?

“This isn’t--damnit! Inuyasha this isn’t a conversation that I can just rush!! There’s so much that goes into it--”

“Give me the short version otherwise that dick is gonna come back,” he growled, releasing her arms. Something she didn’t want to happen. The contact they shared made it easier to unintentionally spill her beans but… obviously she didn’t have much choice.

“You’re not going to understand--”

“Probably not--but I wanna be the first one to know.”

“UGH! Why are you so---”

“--Impossible?? Yea; you are too, sunshine.”

“Ughhhhhh!!!” She groaned. “Fine!!! I’m the reincarnation of a priestess named Kikyo who had to guard the Sacred Jewel of the Four Souls; she was killed by her fiance and had the jewel burned with her body because she claimed it was cursed!!! We know I’m the reincarnation because the stupid thing is inside of me!!! That’s what Naraku wants!!

“I still don’t know why he claims I’m his mate. I still don’t really know what he wanted with me when he caught me because all he did was keep me in the fucking dark cave naked and touch me like a made of stupid glass--like he couldn’t actually bring himself to do anything further!!! That’s it! That’s everything!!!” Okay--that was a lie. But it was a little white lie. She wasn’t about to say she gave him her life force while healing him.

He just looked at her. Blankly… well, incorrect phrasing--more like his usual scowl and he was just… staring at it. To be honest, she would have preferred some form of shift in his stare. Confusion? Anger? Relief? Something?

“Uhm… Inuyasha?”

He still didn’t respond. Did she break him?

“Uh--hello?” She waved a hand in front of his face to which he caught and growled.

“I’m just--fuck--ok--come on,” he pulled and led her through the door and down the hall. She thought he was being a little rough, but she relished the re-established contact between them.

“O-ok,” she whispered as he dragged her down the hall.

He stopped right in front of the opening to what she could only assume was where they were meeting his brother and turned back to her. He finally held a different look--one she hadn’t quite seen before. Disbelief maybe? Regret…?

“We’ll get through this, alright?”

“Inuyasha…” His name floated from her lips like the air they breathed.

“I’m not going anywhere. I may not totally understand--but we’re gonna defeat that bastard together.”

She smiled at his words and squeezed his hand that was gripping hers.

They entered the room and she froze. She knew her face showed her emotions and heard Inuyasha growl in displeasure. The monk and slayer she had met before… the ones that claimed she was mated to that thing.

She felt herself shrink behind Inuyasha as if by instinct. Embracing his full protection and support.

“Stand down Inuyasha, they mean no harm,” Sesshomaru admonished.

“They are making her uncomfortable with their fucking stares,” Inuyasha snarled as his hand brushed against her hip in a soothing gesture.

“Lord Inuyasha, it was a misunderstanding--one of which we do owe an apology to your mate for,” the monk spoke first. Kagome kept her face in Inuyasha’s haori though. He could apologize to her from her current position.

“Priestess, we do--uhm--apologize for our rash behavior when we first met…” the woman slayer began. She sounded uncomfortable with the idea of apologizing. Either she felt she was still in the right or had never had to apologize before in her life.

“It-it’s fine,” she finally spoke but still refused to leave the comfort of Inuyasha’s person. This was a little much. All a little too new. She hadn’t been around people in a long time. And here she was, with four new ones, none of her old friends she had even trusted. The only thing she could do was latch onto something familiar. Someone who would understand. That person who meant more to her than anyone.

“It’s actually not fine, but don’t worry. It will be later,” Inuyasha sneered.

“Is that a challenge?” She heard the slayer say in a deadly voice.

“Take it however you want, bitch. Just know this little chat isn’t over,” he said, guiding Kagome to sit on the other side of him away from them.

When he got her to sit down a hand touched her shoulder and she about jumped out her skin. She saw a very pleasant looking woman. Oh---the Lady of the West!

“Hello, I am so sorry about our original meeting. I’m Rin, your--well--have you and Inuyasha--”

“Your asshole mate told her,” Inuyasha scoffed.

Rin laughed merrily as if nothing the past hour had happened. Kagome couldn’t but be in awe of her joy. “Of course he did--he had not tact at all. Well then, I am to be your sister in law--should you accept Inuyasha as your mate that is. It is nice to make your acquaintance. I’ve heard a little about you from Lord Inuyasha when I would bathe you.”

“O-Oh,” Kagome blushed. “Y-yes, it’s nice to meet you as well, Lady Rin.” She began to bow before the hand on her shoulder tightened, stopping her movements to look back into Rin’s glowing face.

“Just ‘Rin’, sister…?” she asked leadingly with a twinkle in her eyes. Oh Gods. She was going to be trouble.

“U-uhhh, y-yes. Sister is fine,” Kagome admitted, sinking into Inuyasha’s side asking silent permission. His arm wrapping around her waist was relieving to say the least. It meant he felt the same. But they clearly had much more to discuss.

“If you are done,” Sesshomaru finally spoke.

“Yes, my lord! I will go grab fresh tea since Lord Inuyasha took forever and a dayyyyyy,” Rin chided teasingly.

“See what I mean?” he whispered into her ear.

“Talkative. I got it,” Kagome agreed with what she thought would be a permanent blush on her face.

Once Rin returned, Sesshomaru turned to Kagome. Silently. She was a little uncomfortable with such a stoic look and was confused about what he wanted.

“Well?” he prompted.

“The bastard wants you to tell us your story,” Inuyasha finally spoke, looking annoyed at his brother.

“Oh… right. My apologies. I’m sure it has been quite the topic of discussion since our arrival.”

“And then some,” the slayer added.

“I guess I should start at… the beginning. First, what do you know of the Shikon no Tama?”

The monk made a face of wonder while everyone else remained silent except for Sesshomaru. “This one knows of its existence until about fifty years ago when the priestess who guarded it took it with her to the underworld.”

“Yes. That is correct.”

“How do you know of the jewel?” the monk asked.

“My family was the line of Shrine maidens that was charged with the jewel’s protection from demons. Only close monks and priestesses were let in on that knowledge in case something happened to one of us. I… assume you are one of those branches of monks?”

“Yes, my grandfather was told of Kikyo’s death. He went about trying to figure out if the jewel could somehow make its way back into the world but--” he paused and it was if understanding dawned on him. “You--”

“Yes,” Kagome said sullenly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. “The jewel was reborn in me--the reincarnation of Kikyo. We decided not to tell anyone in hopes we could find out a way to purify the jewel like Kikyo had wanted. She had claimed the jewel was cursed as most if not all the priestesses who were charged with protecting the jewel met an unfortunate end.

“Our explorations didn’t really reveal much so… We gave up. Hoping the secret that it was inside me would be enough to keep it dormant. But we were sadly mistaken.

“On the eve of my eighteenth birthday, Naraku appeared and propositioned me when I was alone by our village's lake. He wanted me to join him. I told him no because I could sense the underlying evil within him. He only laughed at the rejection and said I would grow to regret that decision. That I would ultimately change my mind…

“The villagers started giving me weird looks and then it erupted into an almost controlled chaos. They were claiming I was stealing things, tipping carts, causing damage, and that I had even gone so far as to hurt someone. My family of course stood by me… But I was concerned. So I ventured into the wolves territory to speak to my friends.

“Shippo is a fox demon they adopted when I had found him in a trap outside our village. The villagers were wary of demons, so I figured they would be okay helping him out. Koga was alright with it. So I asked Shippo if he had been pulling pranks on the villagers which he had sworn he hadn’t. Koga also validated his story. He mentioned there had been a demon trespassing around their lands, but their scent shifted and changed which made him harder to track. It was then it dawned on me what Naraku had meant; that he would give me no other choice than to choose him.

“That night, I packed a few things and left without a word to anyone. I initially tried to take refuge with the slayers…”

The woman slayer met Kagome’s glance and still looked somewhat upset. Not in a bashful sense. In an angry sense. As if she didn't necessarily believe her story. Inuyasha’s arm tightening around her waist made her relax knowing she was just being paranoid.

“Monk, keep your woman under control before I take her outside and teach her some manners,” Inuyasha growled.

“Sango is her own person and I cannot blame her for her skepticism after what happened at her village,” the monk defended, placing a calming hand on his wife’s arm.

“I’m not saying she aint her own person, but I am saying she needs to back the fuck down because if I smell my mate’s discomfort again--”

“Enough,” Sesshomaru ordered. “Continue your story priestess. Judgement shall be held off until after she has finished her story.”

“They turned me away saying I had aided Naraku in killing some of their best slayers… then I tried different montasaries, even different shrines, I even went to some villages and all had the same story. That I helped Naraku kill people, harm others, whatever the offense, I was guilty. It was long after that he had captured me and kept me locked up for a couple weeks.

“I was able to escape and that’s when I found Inuyasha, or rather he found me…” She turned back to gaze into his eyes. That rich pool of honey was hard to look away from. Her lip somehow became embedded between her teeth and it was all she could to not kiss him.

“And you just expect us to believe you??! I saw you there!” The slayer definitely killed the mood. Her hand had slammed down on the table they were sitting at stirring the cups of tea. She was standing and leaning over the table as if expecting her stance and infuriated face pointed towards Kagome to change her mind.

“What you saw was an illusion,” Sesshomaru stated as calmly as ever. Kagome shot a look at him and saw Rin was looking at him adoration.

“Her scent remained neutral throughout the whole story. There was no presence of lies and she is the mate to my brother. A human is not given the option of having more than one mate if they are linked to a demon. She still is scented of purity and holds no outlying scent of Naraku. Even if she was still plotting with him, she would have some sort of scent marker on her; but neither I nor my younger brother have scented it.”

“That’s a bunch of bullshit Lord Sesshomaru! You were not there!!!” Sango’s voice broke in suppressed grief that she masked with a look of rage.

“Enough of your ignorance, slayer. Naraku indeed succeeded in his plans to drag you away from the actual pressing issue. His goal was to make the priestess feel alone enough to accept him. However even then, she made her escape. While you may not trust her, she is a part of the court of the West. You will hold your tongue while you reside in our home.”

“Sango, I know you are upset. It is not that I do not believe you, but it is likely plausible… Naraku seems to be a shapeshifter of some sorts.” The monk tried to reason with his wife.

“That does not explain how both he and she were standing before us!!!!”

“He uses demon puppetry,” Inuyasha finally said. “He likely was using a puppet in the baboon suit and assumed the form of Kagome.”

“You’re giving a woman you’ve only known for a month a lot of credit,” the monk added as if goading the half-demon.

“She has been nothing but kind to me. She healed me not once, but twice, and kept the barrier up around us for over a month without complaint. She originally sent me away but I stayed. If she really had it out for me, she would have just killed me.”

“And you’re not just blinded by the fact a half-demon found its mate and you’d do anything to protect her since she’d be the only person to accept you?” the slayer pointed out.

It was Kagome’s turn to stand slamming her hand against the table. “How dare you say such things about Inuyasha!!!” She knew her power was flaring but couldn’t help it; Inuyasha called her name but she ignored as she stepped around the table to finally face the woman head on. The monk stood and glanced nervously between his wife and her.

“Inuyasha is the kindest man I have ever met!!! He saved me and almost gave his life for me without even a second thought!! Just because he is a half-demon doesn’t make him any less worthy of love or care!!! Even if he was a full demon or human I would still love him!! But he’s perfect just the way he is! He has the strength and instincts of a demon and the loving heart of a human! Apologize to him this minute for saying he was only standing up for me because he only wants to be with someone even if they are tainted!!! You can talk about how poor and dirty and even low I am but you will not include or slander Inuyasha!!”

The room was eerily quiet. She finally noticed Sesshomaru and Rin were on the other side of the room by the door. It made her question why Sesshomaru kept pulling Rin away from reiki attacks. She was human--mated to a demon sure--but it shouldn’t hurt--

She finally turned her full gaze upon Rin and couldn’t stop the realization in her stare. Sesshmaru glared but Rin smiled softly and nodded. They obviously knew exactly what she was thinking; Rin was pregnant.

“Oh my gosh--Rin--I’m so--”

“It is alright, Lady Kagome. Lord Sesshomaru would never allow harm to come to me,” she replied, cutting Kagome’s apology short.

“However, refrain from showing that kind of display again. This is a castle full of demons,” Sesshomaru reasoned.

Inuyasha finally was at her side again and she grimaced seeing she also burned him, “Inu--”

“It’s fine. Come on; I’m not gonna let this bitch keep pushing your buttons when you were barely able to stand earlier,” he sighed as he took her arm and led her from the room.

“Lord Inuyasha--”Rin started before Sesshomaru stepped in front of her to stand before Inuyasha.

“I will speak with our guests. We will see you at dinner.”

“Thank you Sesshomaru,” Inuyasha said with a nod as he pulled Kagome along.

“Just a moment Lord Inuyasha!” The monk called after them. Inuyasha initially growled then realized he was alone. “Might I speak to your mate alone for just a moment? I promise I mean no harm. There is just something I’d like to ask her about regarding her spiritual powers.”

Kagome turned back to Inuyasha and nodded it would be ok. Inuyasha glared but sighed. He released her arm and walked down the end of the hall slowly so that she would know which way to get back to his room.

“What is it?” she said quietly hoping he didn’t over hear their conversation.

“Lady Kagome… you, I think you know what this is about. The reason I had been summoned was to see why you would not wake from your slumber due to your depleted aura.”

“A-ah...” she acknowledged and swallowed.

“Do you know what healing someone does to our power? To our bodies and souls?”

“Yes, Miroku. I am not a child. I went through all the training.”

“Then you know you are killing yourself healing a half-demon! Why-- he would have healed!!”

“You don’t know that!” She snapped back angrily. She wouldn’t reveal Inuyasha’s secret but she also was not going to listen to this monk’s outlandish claims.

“Lady Kagome--do you know how depleted your life force actually is?!? You have maybe a couple of weeks left! If you’re lucky!!”

“I know!!” She yelled. Then realized Inuyasha had turned their way and repeated softer, “I-I know…”

“Are you going to tell him?”

“I don’t think it’s really his business at the moment,” she replied back harshly.

“You realize when demons mate you end up sharing life-spans, correct? What happens if you completely deplete his??”

She gasped not realizing that could have been a possible outcome. Then it dawned on her--of course that would be the outcome. The jewel was cursed. It cursed her and everyone it came in contact with. She was so ignorant to think anything differently. That Inuyasha and her could have lived happily ever after in the shelter they had once shared… Of course… that would never happen. No matter where she went, no matter how far she traveled, she would never find an actual safe haven. She would only have shelter….

#inuyasha fanfiction #inuyasha au #shelter #inuyasha x kagome #inukag #inu x kag

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mysaldate · 4 years

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!!! Similar to what you did with Kamanue (the babiest baby of all babies) could you please write a mini analysis/general hcs for Susamaru? I love her so much

@kimetsuno-yaiba-imagines This probably isn’t you but I’m writing about your girl so I thought I’d tag you. Sorry if I don’t do her justice!

So this is then the third in the General + Past headcanon series! I’ll link the other two at the end of this post just in case anyone is interested in my takes on the others.

General Susamaru headcanons

I’ll open it up with the obvious this time. You would hardly find a more playful demon than Maru-chan. It doesn’t matter if you don’t feel like playing with her, if she says you will, you don’t have the right to refuse. If you try that, she will make sure you know why it’s a bad idea. You will be lucky if you live to get another chance.

It doesn’t even matter all that much whether it would be playing with the temari or with something else, though if you choose the former, she will be much more pleased. But she will also enjoy other outdoor activities. Sports, of course, are her strongest suit.

She is quite good at most calmer activities as well. Most board games are a-ok with her. She doesn’t appreciate long strategy-based games though so don’t bother asking her for a game of chess. The most you would get out of her is playing for a few minutes before she would start flinging the pawns at you.

Karaoke. Take her to a karaoke night and you’re about to witness a real monster. You thought you took a cute girl out for a date? Hah! This cute girl will utterly destroy you no matter what song you pick. She can do anything, and I mean absolutely anything, from opera to metal, her vocal range is just as impressive as her football skills.

Despite all of this, she will still enjoy it when you call her cute – even if she won’t tell you. She might scoff and deny it, saying she’s powerful and scary and cool but there’s really a little part deep inside her that still enjoys that for reasons I will more expand on later.

She tends to get carried away really easily. It’s not unlikely for her to receive a mission that’s supposed to be stealthy but end up entirely blowing up the place. But well, if nobody is alive to tell the tale, she did technically go unnoticed, right? It’s not like anyone can pin the blame on her if she’s quick enough to disappear before anyone can come and doesn’t leave a trace.

She has a lower pain tolerance than most other demons. Why? Not sure. But when you compare her reaction to Muzan’s curse activating to other demons’ reactions to having their heads off (Rui, Enmu, Wakuraba) or getting their whole body sliced to pieces (spider sister), she still does feel like someone who feels more than she probably should. Or it might just be because Muzan’s curse is simply THAT painful, I’ll leave this one up to you (if it is the pain tolerance, it could hint at something I will mention later on so stay tuned!). Also she actually shrieked when Yushiro punched her and that didn’t even draw blood.

Another one to really idolize and adore Muzan, as seen from her confrontation of Tamayo. While it’s true we never saw any other demon being confronted with anything like that, it’s not unlikely that few of them would react anywhere near the extent of her anger. Much like Tanjiro points out, she is very childish so it’s not completely impossible she sees Muzan as a sort of father figure as well.

I imagine she also hasn’t been a demon for a long time, and neither has Yahaba. Since they don’t seem to know about the eyeball engraving for the Demon Moons and simply believe they’re part of them because Muzan told them so, they probably haven’t met anyone higher in the hierarchy other than Muzan himself.

It’s true that they have only been put together with Yahaba for that one mission but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of them seeing each other before. Naturally, they didn’t talk or anything since demons can’t really group up together for the most part. But it is possible they have at least a little idea about each other’s abilities as well. After all, Tokyo is only so big, it’s highly unlikely they would never run into each other.

She is a surprisingly humble girl for someone of her flashiness. After all, she doesn’t mind Yahaba giving her instructions and even though she clearly finds his worries about dust to be ridiculous, she never puts him down for it. They don’t really bicker either, nor do we ever see him complaining he didn’t support her enough. Oh and let’s not forget she didn’t really think there was a house being hidden and just acted on Yahaba’s orders during the first attack. And she did admit he was right. She also has no issues recognizing Nezuko’s strength. She’s really not a proud girl, just very very dedicated and certain they could win since Muzan trusts in them enough to give such an important mission to them.

Susamaru backstory headcanons

I’ll start, again, by the type of background I see her growing up in. This time, I am quite sure it was a rich family. Not insanely rich but the colour of her kimono as well as the colourful sash were usually a sign of power, influence, money. Not to mention the stripped inner yukata she wears, they’re usually made in plain colours unless you want to show you can afford better. She also has what appears to be pearl earrings, those would without a doubt be expensive. And even if they’re not pearls, the fact she’s the only demon in the series to wear earrings (and the only character aside from Tanjiro’s family) seems to hint on something because as we’ve already estabilished, the past has a lot to do with a demon’s clothes.

But don’t get the wrong idea, they weren’t rich by inheritance or family fortune, both her parents worked very hard to make that kind of money. It’s probable they owned a large company, possibly with an overseas branch (remember the story of KNY is set in early 1910′s so she would become a demon some time before that) that kept them busy most of the time.

Another option is that they might even be a samurai family, just a lesser known one than Kokushibo’s, a smaller clan if you will. And possibly did some business too because by then, it was no longer very benefitial to just be a samurai since the industrialization and all.

Either way, they had little to no time for her. And she didn’t have any siblings. She saw her mother more than her father who was practically absent from her life. This lead to her often being very lonely. And that’s not even mentioning her tomboyish tendencies that caused the girls from her neighbourhood not to want to play with her. Girls playing with boys was being frowned upon, especially since she came from an influential family.

Basically, she needed to be a “proper lady” regardless of whether she wanted to or not simply not to bring shame to her family. She hated it, naturally, but there was little she could do about it. It didn’t get better when she got older.

She might have had a cat. Since temaris are often used to play with them, maybe the cat was the only companion she had. I feel like she’s the type who’d pick up a stray kitten and then refuse to give it up even when her parents (or mother since her dad was never home) were against it. She might have even pulled the “You don’t have time for me so let me have this” card.

She wasn’t even the age to get married yet and people around were already saying she would never find anyone. A lot of them mentioned she’s just not cute, not suited to be a wife, not womanly enough, too wild, too loud, not gentle enough. Her mom often cried over that and it made Maru-chan feel kinda bad. Still, it was a part of herself and she didn’t want to give it up.

She has first met Muzan when she was still quite a little kid. She was hanging out around the house after the sun has gone down, playing with her cat when he walked by. Being the mischievous and fearless kid she was, she threw the temari at him, then straight-up went to ask him if he wanted to play with her.

He was quite tempted to just kill her then and there but she showed a good amount of courage by approaching him in the first place and she didn’t shrink back after seeing his red eyes. I have a feeling she might even call him cool which fluttered his ego just enough to let the little cupcake live. No, he didn’t play with her.

It wasn’t too long before the troubles of owning a large corporation caught up to them. Her mother ran away with a lover who paid her more attention than her husband and Maru-chan was left alone with their few house servants and her always busy father. In hopes to make it up to her, her father started giving her many presents, such as the afforementioned earrings but, naturally, none of that could really replace the human contact she needed (I imagine she could be some 10-12).

Now for the theory regarding pain tolerance. My theory is that a demon’s ability to tolerate pain grows based on how old they were when they were turned and how much blood have they received over time as well as the number of humans they have devoured. For example, Rui was turned at a very young age but he is a Lower Moon, he received a large amount of blood and he devoured a lot of people, thus, he was able to cut his own head off without much any issue. Rui’s spider mother, however, didn’t receive that much blood and most likely didn’t devour nearly as many people as he did. As a result, both Rui and the spider father could easily cause her a lot of pain. The spider sister was turned into a demon when she was older than her and she ate a fair share of humans so even when Rui cut her body to pieces, she was able to pick herself up rather quickly and run off with just a few hisses. As for where does Maru-chan come in, we know she received a fair amount of Muzan’s blood because she says so to Yahaba. In spite of this, Yushiro’s punch is enough to make her scream out and Muzan’s curse hurts her to the point of tears even before ripping through her. So my explanation for this is, she was turned into a demon at a young age and she didn’t eat that many humans.

Basically, I believe that after her mom left, she no longer had anyone to spend time with in her house, nobody who would care for her. So after her kitty inevitably left this world, she was all alone. This is around the second time she ran into Muzan. And it was she who recognized him before he could recognize her. Once more, she ran up to him, this time not asking to play but rather asking why was he there.

She was very contact starved, alright? Chatting with him was the closest she got to a proper talk since her mom left. And he didn’t really have anything more important to do back then so he suffered through her complaining about her life. She certainly had a lot of bitterness inside of her at that point and she still had that childish courage from when they first met. And she was also just desperate enough that when he asked if she wanted to go with him, she nodded to it without a second thought.

One of the main reasons she admires Muzan so much is that he was the first person to fully accept her. He took her in when her own mother ran away and her father couldn’t care less as long as she didn’t bother him.

The reason she doesn’t look that young is simply because, as mentioned, some demons can shapeshift. Her powers are far from as impressive as Muzan’s but she can at least alter her physical age slightly. Seeing as Muzan can shapeshift to the point where he changes even his own aura and even his fellow demons have troubles recognizing him makes her strive to be like him. The fact that she can do just a speck of what he can is what draws her closer to him. And also why that final betrayal when she gets killed by his curse hurts so much more than just physically.

Previous demons in this series: Kamanue | Enmu

Wow, these things are getting longer and longer the more of them I do xD

#kny #kimetsu no yaiba #susamaru #kny susamaru #kny headcanons #kny imagines

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petri808 · 4 years

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A Forgotten Email

Finale. I don’t think it’s as long as the first two parts, but has a New Years Eve twist 😊. Happy New Year Everyone!

Part 1 Part 2 modern InuKag AU. it’s a little rushed, but I really wanted to get this posted tonight.

The rocky beginnings of their introduction were all but a distant memory for Inuyasha and Kagome. It hadn’t gone from weeds to roses over night, but at least they got along now, and the relationship was a slow bloom in progress much to the delight of certain individuals. Toga was pleased with Kagome as both an employee and possible love interest for his son. The girl was smart, sweet, but feisty. Now that they were on a good track, Toga backed off to watch from a distance.

“Everything’s been set up Toga,” Kagome began reading off her clipboard. “Caterer, bartender, servers, decorating company, music, and invitations have gone out this morning.”

“Well done Kagome!” He sits back in his chair with a smile. “Our annual New Year’s Eve Gala has always been popular with our clients and employees, but with your skills, I believe this will be the best one yet!”

Kagome blushes. “You flatter me too much. I’m just doing my best.”

He chuckles, “I speak no lies. Over the years, I’ve had many secretaries, but you are in the top three.”

Her eyebrow raises, amused. “And it has nothing to do with me dating your son?”

Toga feigns shock, “of course not!”

She laughs, knowing that a tiny bit of it lays with that fact. “Okay boss. If that will be all, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“That would be all.”

In the two weeks leading up to the party, there were a lot of things to take care of for the business. It was customary for the company to close from January 1st and reopen on the 4th to allow employees to celebrate according to tradition. The party was to usher in good luck and prosperity for the upcoming year, but also kick start the short vacation. Being closed for so many days, all orders needed to be filled, pending contracts taken care of, and end-of-year financial balancing completed. Everyone was running around and working hard to get it all done.

The one downside was the fact Kagome couldn’t see Inuyasha as often as she’d have liked. Working through lunches, one would work late, but not the other, didn’t allow for much personal time. Most days she was tired and just wanted to sleep so she’d be fine the next day. But it couldn’t be helped because of their positions. This was her first time having such heavy responsibilities, though it was nice to know her boss appreciated what she did.

‘Did you get your dress yet?’ Inuyasha messages Kagome a week before the party through the intra-office system.

‘Not yet. I was going shopping this weekend to find one. Why?’

‘It’s not me. My… mom did.’

‘Your mom??’

‘She wants to take you shopping, something about making it a girl’s day.’

‘…..’

‘I know. Want me to have her call you?’

‘Um. Okay.’

‘Cool. BTW how is the report coming?’

‘Bringing it down by lunchtime.’

‘Perfect…’

Within 15 minutes of logging off with Inuyasha, Kagome’s cellphone rings. It was his mother, Izayoi. A sweet and sprightly woman that Kagome adored from the moment she met her, and it was obvious the feeling was mutual. Izayoi insisted on taking her out on Saturday to do her nails and find a dress for the gala, saying something about the whole family matching. Of course, Kagome tried to respectfully decline. She didn’t want to appear as though she were taking advantage of them, but Izayoi swiftly dismissed the girls worry. A mom always wants the best for her son, the woman had put it, and as far as she was concerned, Kagome was already a part of their family. Kagome spent the rest of the afternoon wondering just what did Izayoi have planned.

Asking Inuyasha was of no help. That evening during a late dinner, the man simply shrugged his shoulders and said his mom knew his clothing size and would have his outfit prepared and ready before the dinner. He had no idea what it would look like. Oh well, it wasn’t such a bad thing, Kagome guessed. Based on everything Inuyasha had told her, and from her own knowledge of the woman, Izayoi had good tastes, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

The rest of the week blows by soon enough. Things at the company were moving right on schedule. All the orders that needed to be filled would be finished with time to spare, and the accounting department was finishing up the reports. The business had done well that year, finishing with a net profit that exceeded their annual projections. In fact, aside from just having a lot to juggle, the only real issue that came up was the caterer unable to find a specific new year’s ingredient. Luckily for Kagome, and with Toga’s approval, they were able to find and fly it in from another country. Crisis averted.

On Saturday morning, Izayoi picks Kagome up around 10am. First, they had any early lunch to fuel their plans for the day. Next stop was nails, pedicures, and facials. Kagome had to admit that it was a nice, relaxing break. It had been awhile since she’s ever had the works done like this. In fact, the last time was probably back when she and Sango were still in college as a way to de-stress after finals. She wasn’t very fond of wearing fake nails, preferring to keep hers short to make typing easier, but for the holiday, it would look nicer. So, when it came time to choose the style or color, Kagome allowed Izayoi take the reins. A white base with reddish and gold accents, perfect for the New Year’s good luck tradition.

It was at that point, as the chauffer drove them to their final destination, that Izayoi told Kagome of the type of dress she was hoping to find.

“Back in the old days,” the older female muses, “we would wear fancy kimono and elegant head pieces to such events. But times are different now.”

“Really?” Kagome tips her head in confusion. It was becoming rare in these modern times for women to dress up in such a way except for very special events. She knew they may don kimono or yukata to attend New Year’s church ceremonies, but headpieces too?

Izayoi chuckles, “well, I was a Princess during those times, so it was expected of us.”

“Princess?!”

“Oh,” the woman laughs, her eyes crinkling in amusement, “Toga didn’t tell you anything about me?”

Kagome shakes her head.

Izayoi sits back, looking up as if in contemplation. “My memory sometimes fails me, but that was about 300 years ago. Life was very different back then, so much simpler. It took some getting used to all the change’s but having my family around makes it easier.”

Kagome’s jaw drops. She knew the yokai world was very different from the human one, but Izayoi was also human. How could she be over 300 years old?! The surprised expression spread across her face made Inuyasha’s mother laugh.

“My dear, you really had no idea, did you?”

Again, Kagome shakes her head enthusiastically.

“Yokai age very, very slowly. On the rare occasion that they fall in love with a human, certain things must be done so that the human can be with them.” She places a hand on Kagome’s knee. “I will let Inuyasha explain more in due time, but just know that yes,” Izayoi chuckles again, “I am much older than I look.”

“Wow…. I sometimes wondered what would happen. I mean, I knew Inuyasha ages differently from me, but I never really thought about the future and how it would affect us.”

Izayoi’s eyes crinkle, happy with Kagome’s words and tone. She could tell this girl was falling in love with her son but didn’t want to be too nosy. If it was meant to last, it will. When her husband Toga had first told her about Kagome, she hadn’t wanted to hold out too much hope. Her son rarely ever showed any interests in a female, nor did many stick-around because of his personality. Toga spoke very highly of the young woman their son was seeing, but it was only after 6 months of dating, did she decide to see who this Kagome was for herself. Needless to say, she had been pleasantly surprised.

“Does it feel better to know, things will be fine?”

“Yes,” Kagome exhales.

“I’m happy to hear that.”

The two women search through a couple of high-end stores before finding just the right dresses, not only for Kagome, but Izayoi as well. After that, they stop at a tailor and pick up the custom suits Izayoi had ordered for Toga and Inuyasha. She explained, that because of the men’s physiques, it was easier to have the suits made for them. Kagome could understand that. Inuyasha and Toga both had large, broad chests and shoulders, that if the shirt and jacket were not cut well, it would be extremely tight and uncomfortable to wear.

As Izayoi drops Kagome off at her apartment, she leaves with one final, and uncompromising message. “Our driver will pick you up at 2pm next Tuesday.”

“But the dinner isn’t until 6pm.”

Izayoi grins, “hair and makeup, my dear, takes time to perfect.” She winks, “see you then! And tell my son nothing, I want you to be a surprise.”

Kagome stands on the sidewalk, watching the car drive away. Oh boy, she chuckles and shakes her head with a small smile. A surprise for Inuyasha? It was true, this’ll be the first time he’ll see her dressed up in a gown. A beautiful gown, and one that would have taken her a month’s salary to afford on her own. She found it amusing and endearing how much effort his mother was putting into this party attire, but she guessed it was to be expected to want the best for one’s child.

For the next two days, it wasn’t easy keeping her word to Izayoi, when a certain Hanyo son was constantly bugging her to know what his mother had said or done during their Saturday shopping trip. Kagome did her best, simply saying they’d had a great time doing girly things. Inuyasha whined that his mom was meddling, but Kagome shrugged it off. That’s what mothers do sometimes. At least in this case, it wasn’t personally intrusive, but rather quite sweet.

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Kagome wakes up by 8am and readies herself for the day because it was going to be a long one. She gathers everything she’ll need, expecting to not get home until the wee hours of New Year’s Day. And sure enough, Izayoi’s driver is parked outside of her building at 2pm on the dot.

Kagome gets into the car, where Izayoi greets her and explains they’ll be going to a private salon to prepare for the evening. There, they’ll be dressed, have their hair and makeup done, and any other last-minute touch-ups made. The place was nothing like any salon Kagome had ever seen before! The most she’s ever spent on her hair was a few dollars to trim it, and well makeup was something she barely wore. It was all new experiences for the young woman who’s never had someone dress her before.

Three hours fly by quickly, and before Kagome knew it, they were ready to make the drive to the hotel where the company party was being held at. When they arrive, Izayoi ushers her into a side room.

“Wait, but I’m in charge of making sure things are set up for the party.” Kagome insists on not staying in the room.

“It’s fine, I asked Miroku to step in for now. I don’t want you to appear in the ballroom until Inuyasha arrives.”

Oh geez, this woman really was hell-bent on surprising her son.

“Shouldn’t be much longer, I promise. Toga texted me that they are on their way now.”

A few minutes later, Izayoi’s phone ping’s and she leaves the room. Meanwhile Kagome waits, pacing the floor. She knew that Miroku was capable, but if anything goes wrong, it was her responsibility to take care of it. Everything wrong that could happen funnels through her mind causing her anxiety to rise, so after 10 minutes, Kagome is tired of waiting. She stomps over to the door and swings it open, running right smack into Inuyasha.

“Kagome?!”

“Inuyasha?!”

Seconds tick by when a staring contest ensues, neither able to tear their eyes away. It was like seeing each other for the first time. Turns out, Izayoi’s surprise swung both ways.

“Wow… you look so beautiful Kagome.” Inuyasha was stunned. The red dress seemed made for her. Its smooth fabric hugging her hourglass frame like it was molded to her body, while the skirt flowed free right at the thigh to allow movement. The strapless, boned corset top snuggly held her bosoms and showed… a little too much of her milky skin. Not too much for him, oh no, too much for other males prying eyes. Kagome’s hair was pinned up on one side with a decorative hair pin and miniature kanzashi pick, while the other side was twisted and wind-swept to fall in light curls draping over her shoulder.

Her face heats up into a blush. “You look pretty handsome yourself Inuyasha.” His white, double-breasted suit with red handkerchief in the pocket cut was cut in immaculate fashion. That tailor had really outdone themselves. A matching tie, and his hair polished and pulled into a high ponytail completed the masterpiece.

Inuyasha reaches out to cradle her cheek, gently running his fingers over her skin. He holds her gaze, and Kagome her breath as he leans in…

“Ah hem.” The pair stop and turn to the voice of Toga Inutaisho. “As much as I’d like to leave you two alone, that belongs for midnight.” He snickers, “we have guests arriving.”

“Oh hun,” Izayoi chuckles quietly, “there’s nothing wrong with one kiss.” She was thrilled to see that her work brought the results she’d been hoping for.

Toga laughs and sweeps in his own wife around the waist, placing a quick kiss on her lips. “Tis true my love. Alright kids, just make it quick.”

As soon as Inuyasha’s parents leave them alone again, Kagome looks back to see Inuyasha with the most pissed off look, and one she hasn’t seen since the day they’d met. She giggles, for yes, she couldn’t agree more.

“Hey,” she turns Inuyasha’s face to hers. “The moment hasn’t left… yet.”

“But that prick just had to interrupt….”

“Inuyasha…”

He stops whining, “yes?”

Kagome giggles again. “Will you just shut up and kiss me.”

The hanyo’s ears perk up and a wide grin reappears. “Screw the party and lock the doors cause imma kiss you till the clock strikes midnight…”

#inukag #inukag fanfiction #modern AU #New Years eve #finale part 3 #inuyasha #kagome higurashi

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mwub · 5 years

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Hmmm, thought I had posted this but evidently I didn’t, it was supposed to be a multichapter but I couldn't figure out how to continue it.

Toward Tomorrow

”Hey Lucy, what do I look like?” Came to a playful snicker from Lucy’s now open window as a young man with vibrant spiked pink hair that seemed like it hadn’t met a hairbrush in weeks pulled himself into the windowsill. Although the guild liked to joke otherwise, Natsu was quite handsome, not classically like Gray or princely like Loke but he held a certain spark that drew one's eye.

“What do you mean?” Lucy absently hummed as she sorted through clothes, holding up a powder blue sweater with an inquisitive look before tossing the sweater to the side with a derisive shrug.

“I mean, what do I look like?” Natsu responded with a slightly impatient edge to his naturally husky voice. At his tone, Lucy glanced his way to take his appearance in. The sunlight seemed to dance on his hair in knots and waves, one moment a soothing salmon color the next a bright Sakura pink, almost as if it couldn’t decide what color it wanted to be and changes from moment to moment. Oddly enough it perfectly suited his tan skin and his sharp dark olive green eyes that often sparkled with mischief. The mischief that wasn’t absent now as Natsu rocked back on his heels in order to gain a more comfortable balance on the window, a bright fanged smirk gently pulling on his lips as he studied the blonde.

Lucy was supposed to be packing for the 100-year quest that Natsu claimed they were going on, they just were now awaiting Makarov’s permission to do so which they surely would receive. Of course, Lucy was taking forever to pack, choosing each outfit carefully despite knowing it probably wouldn’t matter anyway when it came down to a fight. Natsu thought she looked beautiful always, even though he wouldn’t say it aloud with her in earshot, the only one he had openly admitted his feelings to was Happy and he was tied and bound in secrecy under the threat of no fish for a month.

Lucy looked especially beautiful to him right now, a millennial pink knit sweater suited her pearly skin, bringing out a natural blush under her skin that’s not ordinarily seen unless you were looking for it. Her hair was tied back in a curled ponytail with a simple white ribbon and white ruffled skirt that ended mid-thigh accentuated her legs that seemed to go on for days before ending in a pair of delicate sandals. Natsu felt a warm glow of pride when he saw a pair of gold flash from Lucy’s ears as she bent to scrutinize a pair of dark jeans. A pair of red ruby eyes glared back at him in the form of two small dragon shaped dangly earrings, they were a gift for Lucy’s birthday a month before and it amused Natsu to no end to see her wear them so often.

Natsu knew he didn’t own Lucy, that he had no claim over her, she was her own person and couldn’t possibly ever be owned. But the fact that he had managed to give her a that she appreciated so much gave him a warm feeling in his heart.

Lucy quirked her eyebrow as she saw his eyes falter and glaze over slightly as he asked that question again, “Like the same Natsu I’ve always known, am I supposed to notice something different today,” Placing a hand on her hip, smoothing down her skirt, “did you get new clothes, cause most of them look the same to me.”

“No… nevermind,” Natsu grumbled, breaking his gaze before flopping forward onto his back, landing with a soft thud on Lucy’s pink comforter before grabbing her pillow and burying his face from view. “Just hurry up already, we are leaving in a few days, we don’t know when we’ll be back so you’ll need you’re more travel-ready clothes anyway. I don’t see why ya wanna pack those daggers you call heels.”

“I know that I still think we should go on one more job before we leave, the more rent money I give to my landlady ahead of time the longer I can help you guys finish whatever this quest is. It doesn’t have to be a big one, just another months worth of rent should be enough.” Lucy finished with a pleading look, her pink lip poking ever so slightly out in an adorable pout.

“...Alright fine, we’ll take that one job in Hakobe forest clearing out some were-rabbits. Shouldn’t be too dangerous as long as we catch them by surprise.” Natsu reluctantly agreed finally, “Pays 200,000 Jewel, that sound like enough to you, we’ll stay two days and be back in 4 days.”

“Thank you! You’re the best, a little extra cash never hurt anybody right?” Squealed the excited blonde as she rushed over and squeezed him into a tight hug, Natsu struggling to hide a slight blush as he was painfully aware of how soft her rather large bust was pressed against his own toned muscles. How she didn’t notice how tight her sweater was he didn’t know but he wasn’t gonna complain if it meant he got the occasional sneak peek that other the other guys in the guild drooled after. Just because he respected her as a person doesn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate her gorgeous looks and all its assets.

“I’ll be here tomorrow morning to pick you up and we can walk there.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN WALK THERE, IT’LL TAKE TWICE AS LONG TO WALK THERE AND BACK!”

“Fine, walk there and train back, unless you want me to have my insides become outsides the entire trip.” Natsu quipped slyly, knowing he won by the way the girl in front of his eye twitched at the prospect of playing nurse the entire trip.

“Fine.”

~~~~~~

“You complain about wasted time and yet you insist we stop at a Hot Spring.”

“Give it a rest Natsu, it was a great deal, two nights and three days for the price of one and there’s a to die for Sauna along with a open bar.” The blond finished with a prideful smirk.

“It’s only a great deal cause they are closing it to be renovated soon and desperately need customers. Probably no one there except a few stragglers and old people” Natsu said dismissively, shuddering slightly at the thought of seeing old crotchety men fight over sauna rights.

Would there be unisex saunas and baths? I hope so, these types of things are better with Luce’s company anyway. Natsu thought, getting slightly excited at the idea of teasing Lucy again for being so embarrassed wearing such a small towel. She was so weird sometimes, at least Happy was staying with Wendy and Carla, the idea of Happy teasing Lucy into a rage was not a pleasing thought even if Happy was his best friend.

“We’re here”

Before them stood the Gin No Taki hot springs, a rather large old Edo-era style building several stories tall with gorgeous paned windows reflecting like mirrors silhouetted by overarching maple trees, their leaves beginning to shift color from green to red in some places, leaves rustling with the gentle breeze and the buzz of nearby cicadas harmonizing with the distant trickling sound of running water. It looked heavenly.

“Let’s go inside!” Lucy squeaked in excitement, grabbing Natsu’s hand and dragging him along in her wake.

After being greeted by the staff and selecting a room, being fitted into their respective yukatas, they finally settled down for a late lunch consisting of a wide variety of local fish and vegetarian delicacies. Not enough protein for Natsu’s taste but it would whatever it takes to keep the tank full.

After choosing a piece of grilled fish with a side of steamed rice and pickled plums, Natsu couldn’t help glancing at the woman beside him. His jaw slightly going slack at the vision before him, a almost shimmering periwinkle robe hugged her curves, accentuating every crevice. Clouds and cranes dances across the fabric, almost luring him into finding out where they lead, where the clouds and birds chase on the river's breeze adorning the blonds skin. Her hair was pinned into a loosely braided bun held together with a set of pins adorned with silver crescent moon and stars, her hair almost seemed to shimmer pure gold in the afternoon light.

Being caught in a daze Natsu didn't immediately catch what Lucy said until she repeated herself with a slight laugh.

“You look nice Natsu” She giggled, hiding her smile behind her hands in amusement, having noticed his ogling a moment before.

“Thanks” Replied Natsu stupidly, staring down at his own chest. His was a lot more barbaric than hers, black with fire breathing dragons spiraling across it, he felt a certain pride while wearing it as the mere decorations injected him a with a new boldness he didn’t know he needed before. Interesting.

“Have you checked out the saunas yet, I heard there's a communal one… if you want to join me? I-I mean you don’t have to, just don't want to be separated from my partner is all haha” Lucy finished nervously letting loose a shaky chuckle, unconsciously nudging the shoulder of her robe off, displaying more lush cleavage.

Gulping and trying to hide his own blush, Natsu replied as nonchalantly as possible so as to avoid suspicion, “ Yeah, I’ve seen it, we can go if you want, doesn’t really matter to me” Yes it does “ And probably shouldn’t be apart for too long in case something happens to ya”

“Y-Yeah, well, my back is feeling a little stiff carrying that backpack all day, let’s meet there in an hour, ‘kay?

“Fine”

~~~~~~

“You’ve got to be kidding me”

The sauna was packed with at least half the members of SaberTooth. Apparently, Sting had thought it would be a good idea to have a guild-wide excursion to this exact hot spring to celebrate a recent unspecified victory of theirs. Which meant there was almost no room in the damn sauna, not with everyone filling it to the brim. Lucy’s eyes searched over the crowd of heads spying a pink head conversing loudly with Sting.

Picking through the crowd, squeezing her way past a gossiping Minerva, Lucy finally made her way over to Natsu, only come to find out it was just as crowded. Natsu put the man in man-spreading, Mavis does he have no shame? Sting was no better, if not worse.

“Lucy, It’s been a while, how you been? Come sit with us” Called Sting, beckoning her over, oblivious to the seating situation.

“ Yeah come sit” Natsu joined in, ignoring her indignant sputtering; “ I was just telling him about that time we went Celestial spirits realm thing. It was wild man, even if they are so weird. I’ll never understand how Lucy deals with them.”

“Maybe cause they listen when I’m talking to them, if you haven’t noticed there’s nowhere for me to sit peabrain.” Lucy groaned in exasperation.

“Yes there is, right here” Natsu smirked, smacking his thigh, “If ya wanted a seat you should’ve just asked.”

“No way, I’ll just wait until someone moves”

“Suit yourself” Chirped Natsu, eyes glimmering with amusement at the flustered girl. “By the way, met someone on the way in here. Apparently, they had the same idea on going to a cheap hot spring”

“Aye sir!” Came a high pitched voice, “Carla said she wanted to take a bath, kinda weird for a cat to want that but whatever she wants I guess.”

A familiar blue cat came floating lazily into view only to stop to sit on the bench next to Natsu’s right leg, “You’re all sweaty Lushi”.

“Uh, that’s the point dummy.”

“NATSU, LUCY IS BEING MEAN AGAIN.”

“AM NOT!”

Natsu could only double over in laughter as his Nakama argued over what the point of a sauna was. That amusement only doubled as Lucy, who had not been paying attention to her surroundings, was bumped from behind and toppled over.

Well, almost toppled over, if it weren’t for the fact that Natsu caught her just in time, pulling her firmly into his lap between his spread legs. A rosy blush soon bloomed across the girls pretty cheeks in a heated flush, quickly becoming aware of the precariousness of the situation she has now found herself in.

Natsu’s warmed calloused hand spanned across her flat stomach, fingertips peeking just under her thin white towel and ever so slightly squeezing the underside of her full breasts under his firm grip, holding her close to him.

Heart racing at this sudden action, Lucy couldn’t help but glance at the man for only to find that he was now engaged in a rather one-sided conversation with Rogue, who seemed rather disinterested sauna as a whole.

Relaxing slightly, Lucy leaned back into his well-toned chest, feeling the ripple and flex of his pectorals and abs after each laugh, after each breath. Lucy took note of the water and steam collecting in the laugh lines of his face and dusted his hair like diamonds. He was exquisite, he was exotic, he was might she dare say enticing. He looked like a god.

Feeling a bit bolder, she pressed even firmer back against him, wiggling her butt to fit more snugly against his shoulder and lean her head on his collarbone. Only to stop when she felt him stiffen slightly at the motion and relax again.

Lip quirking slightly, Lucy repeated the motion again, a bit firmer this time. Making sure to push the softness of her rear to the apex of his thighs, daring him to respond. And he did.

Fingers tightened around her waist, slipping even farther under the fold of her towel. A low, rough growl rumbled from the chest next to her ear, exciting her, and challenging a deeper part of herself.

“What do you think you are doing”

~~~~~~~

If you guys think I should rewrite and continue the next 2 chapters let me know, I had written a second one but I didn't like how it turned out😅

#fairy tail #fairy tail 100 year quest #nalu #nalu fanfiction #i guess Tumblr ate the original #ft fanfiction #natsu dragneel #lucy heartifilla

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todorokiprotectionsquad · 6 years

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i need help!! i love todoroki as much as u do and i also love your posts, but for some reason i feel kinda bitter when i see todomomo, i appreciate the ship as a brotp and i respect it as a romantic one, but i want to get rid of my bitterness towards the ship :(( can you help me? (i'm a tododeku shipper tbh and for some reason i am fine with izuocha, but not tdmm)

ahh sure! i hope this helps, cute non~

(more under the cut!)

first, i want to say that i’m grateful that you still appreciate and respect tdmm!!!! that part is so important since there are a lot of people who don’t accept other people’s preferences..! that being said, i think an important part of being.. unaffected/not bitter (?) towards ships that you don’t particularly prefer is respecting each character individually. like, maybe do spend some time in the yaomomo tag? she and todoroki are individually great characters!

momo is:

kind and cares about her classmates

part of the bakugou rescue squad despite not really interacting with him much previously

committed to heroics and doing whats right! she has a strong sense of justice

really cool quirk. she’s so smart

has to understand the foundation of everything she creates.. her quirk itself has so much potential, but so much of it depends on a insane brain capacity. the fact that she can make any nonliving thing, from clothing to fullsized canons?? that’s incredible……

is doing her best!!!

absolute cutie

on todoroki’s end of this, i just.. love him so much. i like to see him happy and healthy, and so i don’t mind any relationship that supports his well being. i think that’s why i can accept so many todoships… even if i don’t really like them or actively think about them. for example!!!! i really like.. don’t ship tddk at all. but i understand that the basis for the ship is solid and they have a good relationship so!!! since it’s healthy and cute, i show support for it (:

so that leads into thiiiiis, the basis for tdmm! i’ll just list a few common reasons people seem to like tdmm. when you think about it, it’s actually similar to tddk. oh and i threw some headcanons in there because.. why not lol

trope type perks: rich kid couple. oblivious couple. aesthetic and fashion couple. iconic babies wearing each other’s turtlenecks. red n blue. pure

i like to imagine that momo knew todo before they started at yuuei. (iida too for that matter). with both their families in the sort of elitist class, i imagine little momo seeing little todo at parties and stuff. noticing when his mood changed. being scared to death for him when she sees that big bandage over half his body, and shocked when she sees the size of his scar. baby momo trying to befriend and comfort little todo after she hears his mama was taken away..

the end of term arc. that’s a turning point for a lot of people!!!

todoroki turns around and throws his confidence and support to momo, similar to how deku did to him (on a smaller scale)

momo is smart. she’s so smart, but she lacks confidence. todoroki is similar, incredibly powerful and tactic, but lacked trust in himself. it took a friend for todoroki to start reaching his full potential, and it’s the same for momo.. todoroki was that friend

she knew how to win, what to do when they fought aizawa. but she was so unsure of herself. it took todoroki telling her, hey, sorry for not hearing you out, your idea is great and you should go for it!!! it took a friend to push her forward, and that companionship was found with todoroki

todo gets so flustered and blushy when she actually plays out her plan!!!! like really!!!!! shy boy

TODOROKI VOTED FOR MOMO FOR CLASS PRESIDENT

and then u get the cute comfort scene, with him offering momo a massage and being totally oblivious to her blush

they seem to hang around each other a lot, and it’s comfortable. they seem to be natural friends

sit together in class

subunit for the bakugou rescue squad

similar fashion sense

they live on the same floor at the dorm!!! fifth floor friends who can walk to the cafeteria and to classes and whatnot together uwu

thEY HAD THAT WHOLE AUDIO SHORT WHERE THEY GO TO THE FESTIVAL TOGETHER

i think todo even mentioned something about momo in her yukata.. cuties

they sneak each other a lot of little… looks

there’s another few of momo shooting todo some looks but i can’t find the screencaps rn

momo seems to worry for todoroki a lot, and likewise? after initially breaking the ice during the final exam arc, he seems to pick up on when momo’s gears are turning

momo is very observant and admires todoroki a lot!!! she respects his opinions and struggles and is always saying how impressive he is. they just seem close!!!! she is so sweet and shy and todo is so oblivious but kind towards her ajdfioajdf LOTS of potential for fluff here

edit: i forgot to mention, but sometimes it’s fun to look through ship tags and you see that one piece of art, or read that one fic that really gets you. so i’ll recommend some todomomo content creators real quick: kitanoko (url used to be todomomo!!!! they’ve got a ton of tdmm and they write)!, altruisticshouto - they have a sideblog dedicated to tdmm too i think it’s antitodomomo or something, there’s also i-am-the-altman (writing), uhhhh selephi (artist), panchi-disco (artist), hazel0217 (artist), a lot of really talented friends!! also i have more tdmm on my main, (yaomomochi) and sometimes i write!!!! key word sometimes

anyway tdmm is my bnha otp so of course i’m like, over here overflowing with love and support for them both!!!!!!!!! there’s really nothing *bad* or questionable about this ship. it’s very straightforward and healthy imo, without any obvious critiques or controversy or potential strain on either characters. i like it a lot~ i hope this helped, a little?! i’m happy you’re trying to reach out to tdmm a bit!!!! ♡

#todomomo #long post #im in the process of adding mangacaps hold on a sec LOL #i love tdmm so much ajifodfjj ahhhhhhhhhhhh #bnha #liv answers

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justaramblingromantic · 6 years

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when she was little - part iv

Characters/Pairing: Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji/ShiYori

Type: Canon, Post!Series, Say Please!verse, Lily and Thistle!verse, ShiYori Week 2018,

Word Count: 3957

A/N: Part four of seven.

The promise of food mollified her a little, and Shinji herded her off to fulfill their morning ablutions. Ten minutes later, Hiyori stumbled out of the bathroom and froze, gawking momentarily in surprise as she stared at the outfit that had been laid out for her.

“W-What’s this??” she demanded in a tone pitched high in astonishment as she stared at the pretty red yukata with the tiny little songbird motif, and after a while, Shinji stuck out his head from the bathroom to see what all the fuss was about, toothbrush still hanging from his mouth. His eyebrow rose at the way his currently child sized lover was frowning warily at the outfit, and ducked briefly back into the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth and complete the rest of his grooming routine before reemerging from the smaller chamber once more.

“Ya don’t like it?” he asked the bewildered female still staring at the yukata. “Ya chose this piece all by yerself, ya know.”

Hiyori looked up to her lover, her brow furrowing. “…The hell I did!” But she sounded somewhat uncertain, and there was an oddly wistful note in her tone as she slowly reached out and touched the sleeve of the yukata, before she quickly snatched her hand away and looked at him in a scowl-y manner, clearly determined to be as difficult as she possibly could this morning.

“Return it – I don’t want it,” she told him stubbornly, but he shook his head.

“It’s already paid for, and I don’t know if ya still remember, brat, but there’re still a couple more where this one came from.”

Hiyori looked more aggravated than before, if possible. “More? I don’t need more! S’not like I’m gonna stay like this forever!!”

The remotely possibility that she could remain this small for the foreseeable future made her anxiety level rise further, and Hiyori did not even want to think of it any more than she had too lest she ended up jinxing herself. Shinji shrugged, at the same time picking out a fresh set of Shihakusho from his closet and donning it with swift, economical grace, neatly folding it around himself with the left side over the right and then fixing the ties of his hakama over the entire ensemble. Straightening his uniform, the Vizard Captain remarked.

“I know. But the ‘lil you really liked ‘em, and ‘sides, s’not like I can’t afford it.”

Hiyori flushed at his answer, but still refused to let the issue go.

“Yer wastin’ money, and I didn’t need ya ‘ta do this for me,” she insisted mulishly.

Shinji shrugged again, glancing at the dresser mirror as he fixed his cravat and met her gaze through the reflective surface. “I’m s’posed ‘ta spend money on ya,” he declared, as another thought occurred to him. “‘Sides, these yukata can keep for pretty long if they’re treated properly; when we have a daughter, she can wear ‘em when she’s old enough.”

He was matter of fact as he shamelessly spoke of their future offspring, turning around and heading over to the coat hanger to collect his white robe and pulling it on over his standard black shihakusho at the same time. Hiyori gaped at him, her jaw nearly dropping to the ground, a hot flush quickly creeping up her neck and face.

“W-Wh-What the hell are ya talkin’ ‘bout?!” the girl bellowed squeakily. “Who’s gonna have yer kid?! And I’m a kid right now, ya damn perv! Pervert Shinji, ero Shinji, hentai Shinji!!”

Shinji paused, his eye twitching as the young looking girl child continued to yell at him for his supposedly deviant ways. Then he mentally cycled back, thought about his own remarks more and promptly realized that they did sound rather suspiciously like sexual harassment. The man started to look a bit embarrassed himself.

“D-Dumbass! I was just sayin’! And s’not like we haven’t…already-” the larger blonde broke off abruptly, his face turning even redder when he realized what he was just about to blurt out. However, Hiyori had a very good idea what he had been about to say, and she was blushing furiously as well, torn between stomping over to kick him in the shin or shying away like a…virgin maiden, which she was clearly not, thanks to the aforementioned idiot baldy, and the current situation of being stuck in a child’s body just made the whole thing even more weird.

Shinji did not even know why he was being so flustered in the first place, but he recovered soon enough and to prevent Hiyori from shrilling at him some more, he quickly walked over to her and picked up the yukata, intending to keep it away since she was making such an ungodly fuss over it and spawning all this awkwardness. “If ya don’t wanna put it on, fine. Ya can just wear one of the standard uniforms that I’ll get someone ‘ta bring over later-”

The smaller blonde’s hand suddenly snaked out and she grabbed at the edge of the yukata before he could go, and even though her face was still glowing red and she wasn’t looking him in the eye, she mumbled out of the corner of her mouth, “What the hell are ya doin’? Didn’t I already said not ‘ta waste money? Stupid Shinji.”

Tugging the delicately embroidered fabric back, the girl fumbled with the material for a bit and threw it over herself, ungainly shoving her arms through the sleeves one after the other before doing her best to tie it all together. It had been such a long time since she had voluntarily wore traditional wear, and yukata were notoriously harder to put on by oneself than the haori/hakama combination that was the Shihakusho. As such, the young girl was having trouble securing her outfit, and the harder she tried, the more worked up she became, until at last he gave up on watching her futile struggle and sank down to his knees before her, wordlessly grabbing her by the lapels of her yukata and tugging her close, then swiftly and methodically taking over the task of fixing her clothing, ignoring her indignant yelp of surprised protest as he did so.

It quickly became evident that he was a lot better at putting on a kimono than she did and where she could only clumsily try her best to make sure (and then pray hard) that the fabric would not fall off of her diminutive frame at her shoddy handiwork, he calmly and expertly enfolded the fabric around her tiny form, straightening it out by the hem at her ankles. Next, he secured around her waist first the thin koshi himo belt, followed by the slightly thicker datejime, and finally, the more elaborate obi. Elegant, nimble fingers quickly smoothed out and tucked away any creases or unwanted folds formed in the process, before deftly tying the decorative sash at her back in a plain, minimal bow that was perfectly functional yet still pretty in its simplicity. It was far from the more elaborate pattern that Momo had done for her the evening before, but he got the deed of getting her dressed fulfilled and it was also still leagues and miles better than what Hiyori could have accomplished on her own.

The tiny blonde girl frowned down thoughtfully at her yukata. It looked really beautiful to her and felt even more luxurious, and she wandered over to the dresser mirror to inspect herself closely. This was the first time that she was taking the care and time to study her child form, and she looked rather cute and surprisingly neat in her current ensemble. A curious thought assailed her and refused to let her go. Turning to frown at Shinji, she immediately asked in a cross, accusatory manner. “How come yer so good at puttin’ on women’s kimono?”

The answer was obvious, of course, but it wasn’t as if he wanted to tell her that he had learned to be very good at removing women’s clothes a very long time ago and putting it back on was only a simple matter of a reverse process. He shrugged ambiguously at her, aware of her prickly, jealous streak and knowing that she would be extremely displeased at the vaguest mention of the feminine company whom he had been with in the past, even though the encounters had happened centuries ago, when they weren’t even aware of each other that way yet.

Even without him saying a word about that matter, she already suspected more or less the truth, and her little face screwed up in a scowl. “Ero Shinji,” she muttered bitterly under her breath, and even her hair seemed to bristle hostilely in her displeasure, but he shrugged at her and calmly replied.

“T’was a long time ago, brat,” he told her quietly, soundlessly getting to his feet and padding over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. He wanted to do more like pull her into his arms to embrace her, but hesitated and didn’t think that it felt appropriate given her current diminished condition. “We weren’t even together yet back then; yer my one and only now, ya know that.”

Hiyori did not know why but the thought of her lover being intimate with someone other than herself made her feel extremely angry and upset, even in her current form. Once again, she had the strangest urge to cry, and her large, catlike eyes started to fill with unshed tears. Her nose tingled and she sniffled slightly in a bid to stifle the sob, though when Shinji took one look at her miserable façade, he made an unhappy sound at the back of his throat and knelt down before her once more to pull her into his arms, propriety bedamned. Child sized or not, this was still the same woman whom he had fallen in love with and he wasn’t about to ignore her wellbeing just because she had inconveniently turned into a kid on a temporary basis.

“Don’t cry, Hiyori,” he pleaded softly, tucking her dainty self against his larger frame, his hand coming up to soothingly stroke her hair, but his tenderness towards her only served to unlock the floodgates of her emotional distress, much to his own dismay. She wasn’t typically this weepy, but maybe turning into a child had also turned her into a temporary crybaby as well, for she buried her face into the side of his neck and sniffled once more, feeling inexplicably and irrationally angry at Shinji and however many women he had been with in the distant past, but also highly upset with herself for not being able to pull herself away from his comforting hold or even logically rationalize away this unhappy feeling even though she knew that she was being ridiculous about it.

Her small hands came up to clench into the lapels of his Shihakusho, and her shoulders trembled with the force of her upset. Shinji closed his eyes and looked vaguely pained and guilty when he felt his neck stain wet with her tears, but there was nothing else he could do but slowly rub her back and wait for her emotional bout to subside. “Sorry,” he whispered in her ear, though for what he was apologizing for, they both had not an idea. Moments later, she was still shuddering slightly, her breathing hitched and unsteady, but she slowly pushed away from him and even though her eyes were watery and her nose were also red from the impromptu crying, she no longer looked as upset as earlier and gave him a small scowl.

“S’not fair,” she mumbled sullenly, her morose gaze sharpening to a glare as she looked at him. “Ya had all yer ‘first loves’ but I had none…”

He straightened slightly in his crouch, starting to look vaguely alarmed by the direction of her thoughts. Reaching up, he reached out to lightly flick her forehead. “What am I? Chopped liver?” he asked her in a rhetorical manner. “I’m yer first love, remember.” He sounded rather proud of that feat, since she was such a prickly and defensive little thing and wriggling his way into her heart had been no small accomplishment. Shinji’s gaze softened and his fingers brushed lightly against the skin under her eyes, wiping away the last traces of her tears. “I’m also gonna be yer last love, so get used ‘ta it.”

Hiyori made a sound of pique, looking displeased. “Get used ‘ta it?” she echoed dangerously, and he could tell that she was starting to return to her usual fiery self once more.

He shrugged, purposely irritating her further with his laidback demeanor. “Um-hmm. I’m yer Prince Charmin’, ya know.”

Hiyori’s eye twitched, and before she knew it, she had punched him right in the nose, though thankfully enough she was still small and hence her attack wasn’t forceful enough to propel him right through the opposite wall. “Yer the shittiest Prince Charmin’ ever!!”

And just where had she heard those words? His declaration had sounded annoyingly familiar…

The tiny blonde’s eyes widened slightly when the memories slowly came back to her. While Shinji was ruefully rubbing his bruised nose, her small fist shot out again and she popped him once more, this time catching him under his right eye and impacting her knuckles against his stupidly hard cheekbone.

“Ow! Hiyori!!”

The young girl shook out her stinging fist and looked completely unrepentant at him.

“I remember what happened yesterday now, dumbass!” she barked at him, turning red again when she remembered how gentle he had been to her kid self – well, technically she was still stuck in the body of a child right now, but at least her head was clear once more and she was no longer just thinking like one. He had teased the cookie out of her and had taken more than his fair share of amusement at her expense, but where it counted, he had looked after her and put up with her hotheaded antics – just like he always had.

Hiyori’s face turned redder, and even though Shinji was muttering complaints in the background, she understood perfectly well what he had been trying to tell her all along. His past didn’t really matter so much after all, if she had to be honest to herself.

…Though sometimes it was still nice to purposely kick up a huge fuss and watch him run around in metaphorical circles just to placate her and make her happy again. The special treatment made her feel just a bit like a princess – albeit a rather spoilt one.

But that was alright, since he was a rather shitty Prince Charming, after all. They matched, flaws, idiocy and all, and even though Hiyori would never admit it aloud to him – he was right.

“That’s it; yer definitely gettin’ spanked when ya return back ‘ta normal,” he grumbled in a nasally tone, and she scoffed at him in an unimpressed manner.

“Yeah, right!! Yer just a lolicon whose tryin’ ‘ta take advantage of a cute ‘lil girl like me!”

He turned red and spluttered. “Will ya stop jokin’ ‘bout things like that?!! Yer givin’ me a really bad reputation here!!” What an idiot; but he was her idiot.

“Shut up! Are we gonna go get breakfast or are ya just gonna stand here and gab? I’m starvin’, ya know!!”

“I swear; yer such a pain in the ass!!”

But still, he stood up and shuffled off to get her fed, and Hiyori watched his retreating back until he paused at the doorway and turned back to look at her, his expression vaguely cross and exasperated.

“Well, are ya comin’ or what?” he asked bluntly, and she slowly followed after him, grudgingly certain of one thing at least.

Whether she liked it or not, this was definitely the man who was going to be her first and last love.

They had breakfast in the mess hall of the Gobantai.

The other Shinigami that her baldy led gawked discreetly at the sight of their Captain entering the building with a little blonde girl, and their appearance sparked some rather outrageous rumors that the young child was perhaps his secret offspring, much to the chagrin of the duo. A handful of his female seated officers came up to coo over the adorable little girl, giggling and fawning over her, and Hiyori only tolerated all that needless attention for all of two minutes before she lost her patience and lashed out aggressively at the gaggle of hens, when she decided that she has had enough and those women were getting too close to her property.

“Don’t ya bunch of airheads have anythin’ better ‘ta do?” she snapped at them fiercely, bristling with displeasure and dislike. For some reason, her potty mouth and touchy demeanor only made her even more adorable to the females, especially in light of her diminutive form, and they ‘aw’-ed and cooed over her even more. It quickly became apparent that the golden haired Vizard Captain was not the object of their interest, especially when the growing group of women spirited the protesting child-woman away from the former and continued to exclaim over her cuteness and her pretty yukata and even her ‘kawaii, tsundere’ personality.

Shinji wanted to laugh at the aggravated expression on Hiyori’s face when she got dragged off but decided that it was more prudent for him to keep his head down lest the unhappy brat decided to turn her displeasure on him. Leaving the young girl to be subjected to the tender mercies of his amused female subordinates, the fine haired male went up to the front of the canteen and joined up the food line with the rest of his division members, accepting their greetings and generally mingling with them for a bit.

The chain of command within the Gobantai was generally a relaxed one outside of the daily formal military structure of the Gotei 13, and Shinji had worked hard to cultivate and rebuild an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect between both the seated and the unseated officers of his Division, especially in light of the treachery and betrayal of his successor and predecessor. His laidback approach to running his squad was quite different from that of the previous Captain, but it worked well so far and he intended to keep at it. Shinji typically took his meals with the rest of his squad – it was a good way to foster a friendly relationship with the other members and it also allowed them to know their leader better. The Vizard Captain had nothing to hide and he had made that very clear the moment he retook command of his old Division, and the fact that he was a bit quirky in temperament but still a rather easygoing individual was slowly but surely endearing him to the men and women who followed his lead.

After several rounds of idle pleasantries with his men, the blonde snagged two standard trays of breakfast from the canteen counter and slowly made his way back to rescue his currently beleaguered and child sized significant other. He could not even see the pint sized girl as she was currently still stuck in the middle of a small crowd of jabbering, giggling female Shinigami, and could very well imagine that Hiyori was starting to get very desperate to get out of there by now.

Setting the trays of food on an unoccupied table nearby, Shinji cleared his throat somewhat pointedly and spoke above the din of women. “I think that’s enough, all of ya. Let her go before she loses her temper. She needs ‘ta eat too, so the rest of ya should also get back ‘ta yer duties after yer meals.”

The women were reluctant to release their cute little doll, but Hiyori’s temper was no joke and by then the red faced little female really did look like she was very near the verge of an impending tantrum. Obeying the orders of their amused Captain, the female Shinigami slowly dispersed, leaving behind a flustered and disturbed Hiyori who felt strangely violated from the experience. The rest of the Gobantai members still milling around the mess hall kept their distance and respectfully left them some privacy, and therefore they also wisely turned a blind eye when the little firecracker stomped up to their esteemed Taichou and leapt at his head, wrapping her skinny arms and legs around his face and neck and angrily trying to gnaw at his temple in revenge for simply dumping her in a group of his female subordinates.

“Hage!!! Yer so dead when I turn back ‘ta normal!!!” Hiyori growled as she tugged sharply at fistfuls of his hair, her little fang glinting as she bared her teeth at him. Shinji winced and evaded the tiny flailing arms to grab her by the scruff of her yukata, plucking her small form from his head and unceremoniously plunking her down before the tray of food that he had gotten for her. The tantalizing smell of the hot, fragrant rice with its side of steaming miso soup and freshly grilled mackerel teased her nose and immediately caught her unwilling attention, and Hiyori’s stomach growled loudly in approval of what her eyes were seeing. She was still hankering to pound her idiot lover for deliberately subjecting her to the high pitched squeals and cheek pinches of his officers who seemed to believe that she was nothing more than just a cute little five year old kid, and it was already bad enough that she had willingly came into Seireitei for him, but the blonde girl had not been thrilled at all to be in such close proximity to so many shitty Shinigami.

The urge to yell at the damn baldy some more was overwhelming, but before she could bring down the roof with her angry vocalizations of displeasure, he pushed a pair of chopsticks into her hand, tied a large dining napkin around her neck, and then took his seat across her side of the table, where his own breakfast was waiting. Surprised by how deftly and quickly he had gone through the motions, she had just sat there and gaped at him in a brief stupor, her hand still grasping the chopsticks and her mouth open in astonishment.

Picking up his own set of utensils, Shinji glanced over at the small, still form of his lover. His eyebrow went up. “Eat,” he told her. “Or d’ya need a booster seat or somethin’?”

Hiyori spluttered. B-B-Booster seat-!!! Why, that dickhead!!

“Ya damn shitty-!!”Before she could finish yelling, he used his chopsticks to pick up a clump of rice from his bowl and popped it into her mouth. “Eat,” he repeated again. “Or ya ain’t gonna grow big and strong, ya know.”

Hiyori’s eye twitched. The moron was definitely making fun of her!! Nevertheless, as visibly riled as she was by him, she started to chew voraciously at the rice that he had shoved into her mouth. Then, Hiyori remembered that he just put on a bib on her. Her face turned red. Her gaze grew shadowed. Her tiny fist clenched and the chopsticks in her grasp snapped like twigs with an audible thwack.

“HIRAKO SHINJI!!”

Her shrill bellow of outrage echoed through the entire canteen.

The man in question was unfazed by the explosion even as his other subordinates jumped in surprise, and his only reaction was to fish out a cube of tofu from the miso soup with his chopsticks and stopper her outrage (and mouth) with it.

“Ah? So ya want me ‘ta feed ya? Ya should just say so, brat~”

“…!!!”

::tsuzuku::

#bleach #Shiyori #shiyoriweek2018 #Sarugaki Hiyori #Hirako Shinji #ShiYori: Say Please AU #my fics

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