[ONESHOT] Reflections by Moonlight (InuYasha)
More Holiday gift fic. This one was written for shattere.
Title: Reflections by Moonlight [ FF.net Link ]
Pairing: KagomexInuYasha
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama/Romance
Word Count: 965
Summary: The light of the full moon illuminates how things have changed between Kagome and InuYasha.
Note: Takes place a bit less than halfway through the manga, probably right before the Shichinin-tai arc. Let's just say they're on their way to Ushitora. :)
The firelight burned brilliant orange and red, offset by the golden autumn moon, which shown full in the sky above their campsite. Fallen leaves crunched below InuYasha’s bare feet as he stood up to add another log to the fire. The crackling of the leaves and the fire, along with the steady breathing of his sleeping companions, were they only sounds in the night. With autumn had come declining temperatures, especially as the season had lapsed into what Kagome called “late October.” It still wasn’t terribly cold, but InuYasha could feel the chill descending more every night.
Kagome had recently lugged a thicker sleeping bag, this one filled with down, through the well with her. Although she still insists on wearing that damn clothing of hers, InuYasha thought, referring to her skirt. After replenishing the fire, InuYasha leaned against the bottom of a tree trunk and was beginning to slip into sleep himself when a whimper from Kagome interrupted him.
“Inu…Yasha,” she began to sit up, eyes bleary. Puzzled, he scooted over to her sleeping bag. “Sense a shard.” Kagome yawned heavily.
“Oi, you can sense shards in your sleep?”
Kagome laughed; sleep still thick in her voice. “I don’t know. Maybe I wasn’t quite asleep.”
“Which direction is it? I can take care of it.” InuYasha placed his hand instinctively on the hilt of Tessaiga.
Her brow wrinkled in confusion, “I don’t… sense it anymore.”
“Eh?”
“Not at all,” she paused and an ironic smile passed over her features. “In fact I haven’t sensed it since I woke up.”
InuYasha looked puzzled and then crossed his arms, “Keh, you mean you dreamt it?”
“Guess so,” she placed her arms behind her and leaned back on them. “But I’m sort of glad I woke up.”
“We’ll have to wake up early tomorrow though.”
Kagome shook her head. “True, but don’t you think this is the first time we’ve been alone in a while?” She glanced around to her sleeping companions. “Well not entirely, but they’re not awake so…”
InuYasha nodded and felt his cheeks redden when Kagome switched positions and placed her hand on top of his.
He couldn’t pretend he wasn’t enjoying her attentions, but he also couldn’t get the image of the rest of the group waking up to see them together out of his head. “Wanna go for a walk?” InuYasha thought, quite at the same time that he asked.
Kagome’s eyes widened a bit, “Eh? Sure!” She stood up and grabbed her bow, as was habit, and the pair stepped away from their sleeping companions and into the open forest. The starlight and the incandescent moon provided enough brightness to illuminate their way.
“Aren’t you cold?” was the first thing InuYasha asked once they were far enough from the campfire.
“A bit,” Kagome stretched her arms and rubbed her legs, warming them with the friction, “but only at night. That’s why I brought a thicker sleeping bag.”
The boy nodded. He considered giving her his fire-rat coat, but decided against it when he realized it would do little to help her goose bump covered legs.
“It would be nice to have more time alone,” InuYasha intoned, tentative, as if unsure of voicing the sentiment. “Back when we did, you and me…”
“Didn’t really get along,” Kagome finished the statement and they both sighed, as if frustrated at themselves for getting off on a bad foot. “I don’t blame you though.”
“Keh, well… it was sort of my fault though,” InuYasha looked a tad ashamed, although his face was turned so Kagome couldn’t make out his expression.
“You had your reasons,” she placed a hand on his shoulder.
InuYasha looked as if he wanted to retort, likely about how he felt his reasons were not all that justifiable, but decided against it.
“It’s in the past anyway. It doesn’t matter,” Kagome answered his unspoken response. She looked completely genuine; InuYasha could make out her features perfectly in the golden light of the moon.
He found himself overflowing with gratefulness towards her forgiving nature. She really hadn’t held his early unpleasantness against him at all. I tried to hurt her… on purpose, he clenched his eyes shut at the thought. She should have hated me.
“Kagome… did you ever… dislike me?” The question came out before he could register it, although he softened hate into dislike, as if he couldn’t bring himself to say it regarding Kagome.
The girl looked shocked at his query but bit her lip in thought. “I don’t really remember,” she replied after a few moments. “When I think back on when we met, it’s with the perspective of what I know now. I can’t really say did I dislike him? Because my mind tells me No of course not, it wouldn’t be fair considering what he’s been through.”
“Kagome there’s really no excuse for how I acted…”
Kagome shushed him with her hand and continued. “But I think that I must have seen something more there, something better, worth being patient for, beneath it all. After all, why would I have agreed to travel with you otherwise?”
InuYasha’s heart swelled. The fact that even through all the unpleasantness, the rudeness, the insults and their most horrible first meeting, Kagome could see the good in him he had tried so hard to hide, was something he could formulate no spoken reply to.
“Kagome…”
They were both glad they had left the campsite when he proceeded to grab her hand off his shoulder and turn to wrap his arms around her, hands tight around her back. Kagome closed her eyes and smiled contentedly as she embraced him back, not quite sure why her words had caused such a spontaneous burst of affection, but extraordinarily glad they had taken this walk.
Title: Reflections by Moonlight [ FF.net Link ]
Pairing: KagomexInuYasha
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama/Romance
Word Count: 965
Summary: The light of the full moon illuminates how things have changed between Kagome and InuYasha.
Note: Takes place a bit less than halfway through the manga, probably right before the Shichinin-tai arc. Let's just say they're on their way to Ushitora. :)
The firelight burned brilliant orange and red, offset by the golden autumn moon, which shown full in the sky above their campsite. Fallen leaves crunched below InuYasha’s bare feet as he stood up to add another log to the fire. The crackling of the leaves and the fire, along with the steady breathing of his sleeping companions, were they only sounds in the night. With autumn had come declining temperatures, especially as the season had lapsed into what Kagome called “late October.” It still wasn’t terribly cold, but InuYasha could feel the chill descending more every night.
Kagome had recently lugged a thicker sleeping bag, this one filled with down, through the well with her. Although she still insists on wearing that damn clothing of hers, InuYasha thought, referring to her skirt. After replenishing the fire, InuYasha leaned against the bottom of a tree trunk and was beginning to slip into sleep himself when a whimper from Kagome interrupted him.
“Inu…Yasha,” she began to sit up, eyes bleary. Puzzled, he scooted over to her sleeping bag. “Sense a shard.” Kagome yawned heavily.
“Oi, you can sense shards in your sleep?”
Kagome laughed; sleep still thick in her voice. “I don’t know. Maybe I wasn’t quite asleep.”
“Which direction is it? I can take care of it.” InuYasha placed his hand instinctively on the hilt of Tessaiga.
Her brow wrinkled in confusion, “I don’t… sense it anymore.”
“Eh?”
“Not at all,” she paused and an ironic smile passed over her features. “In fact I haven’t sensed it since I woke up.”
InuYasha looked puzzled and then crossed his arms, “Keh, you mean you dreamt it?”
“Guess so,” she placed her arms behind her and leaned back on them. “But I’m sort of glad I woke up.”
“We’ll have to wake up early tomorrow though.”
Kagome shook her head. “True, but don’t you think this is the first time we’ve been alone in a while?” She glanced around to her sleeping companions. “Well not entirely, but they’re not awake so…”
InuYasha nodded and felt his cheeks redden when Kagome switched positions and placed her hand on top of his.
He couldn’t pretend he wasn’t enjoying her attentions, but he also couldn’t get the image of the rest of the group waking up to see them together out of his head. “Wanna go for a walk?” InuYasha thought, quite at the same time that he asked.
Kagome’s eyes widened a bit, “Eh? Sure!” She stood up and grabbed her bow, as was habit, and the pair stepped away from their sleeping companions and into the open forest. The starlight and the incandescent moon provided enough brightness to illuminate their way.
“Aren’t you cold?” was the first thing InuYasha asked once they were far enough from the campfire.
“A bit,” Kagome stretched her arms and rubbed her legs, warming them with the friction, “but only at night. That’s why I brought a thicker sleeping bag.”
The boy nodded. He considered giving her his fire-rat coat, but decided against it when he realized it would do little to help her goose bump covered legs.
“It would be nice to have more time alone,” InuYasha intoned, tentative, as if unsure of voicing the sentiment. “Back when we did, you and me…”
“Didn’t really get along,” Kagome finished the statement and they both sighed, as if frustrated at themselves for getting off on a bad foot. “I don’t blame you though.”
“Keh, well… it was sort of my fault though,” InuYasha looked a tad ashamed, although his face was turned so Kagome couldn’t make out his expression.
“You had your reasons,” she placed a hand on his shoulder.
InuYasha looked as if he wanted to retort, likely about how he felt his reasons were not all that justifiable, but decided against it.
“It’s in the past anyway. It doesn’t matter,” Kagome answered his unspoken response. She looked completely genuine; InuYasha could make out her features perfectly in the golden light of the moon.
He found himself overflowing with gratefulness towards her forgiving nature. She really hadn’t held his early unpleasantness against him at all. I tried to hurt her… on purpose, he clenched his eyes shut at the thought. She should have hated me.
“Kagome… did you ever… dislike me?” The question came out before he could register it, although he softened hate into dislike, as if he couldn’t bring himself to say it regarding Kagome.
The girl looked shocked at his query but bit her lip in thought. “I don’t really remember,” she replied after a few moments. “When I think back on when we met, it’s with the perspective of what I know now. I can’t really say did I dislike him? Because my mind tells me No of course not, it wouldn’t be fair considering what he’s been through.”
“Kagome there’s really no excuse for how I acted…”
Kagome shushed him with her hand and continued. “But I think that I must have seen something more there, something better, worth being patient for, beneath it all. After all, why would I have agreed to travel with you otherwise?”
InuYasha’s heart swelled. The fact that even through all the unpleasantness, the rudeness, the insults and their most horrible first meeting, Kagome could see the good in him he had tried so hard to hide, was something he could formulate no spoken reply to.
“Kagome…”
They were both glad they had left the campsite when he proceeded to grab her hand off his shoulder and turn to wrap his arms around her, hands tight around her back. Kagome closed her eyes and smiled contentedly as she embraced him back, not quite sure why her words had caused such a spontaneous burst of affection, but extraordinarily glad they had taken this walk.