How She Knows [Standalone]
Title: How She Knows
Fandom: Inuyasha
Rating: G
Pairing: Inuyasha/Kagome
Summary: Inuyasha and Kagome have about the farthest thing from a normal relationship. But Kagome has her own ways of making sense of it.
Word Count: 637
It was just the natural, unchangeable way of things, that Inuyasha was a fighter, not a lover. This was one of the first things Kagome had learned about him, and she knew full well that this would never change. But nevertheless, after the Shikon No Tama had vanished and their journey completed, she had been faced with the decision of returning to her normal life or remaining in the Sengoku Jidai, and she had known that really, there was no choice to deliberate over. In the Sengoku Jidai, with her friends, with Inuyasha, was her only real home. And besides, she loved Inuyasha too much exactly the way he was - the brash, hot-tempered hanyou -, and she never wanted a single thing about him to change.
Since her decision to return to the Sengoku Jidai for good, Kagome and Inuyasha’s relationship had developed to be more romantic, more intimate. The shift had only been subtle, and sometimes when they were sitting somewhere together with Miroku, Sango, and the whole gang, it was like nothing had changed. Sometimes, she would slide her fingers in between his clawed ones, and his mood would determine whether or not he would curl his fingers around hers in return. He hardly ever displayed affection when others were around them. Usually, they’d end up falling back into their old, classic habits of bickering over the most trivial of things. Their confrontations always ended with Kagome sitting him, and then him stalking off angrily. Despite Kagome’s anger, their little arguments would always be strangely comforting in their familiarity. After a fight, Inuyasha would disappear for a few hours, but almost every time, he would come to her some time when she was alone, and apologize. That part was new, and Kagome liked it.
Inuyasha never said it, and showed it rarely, but Kagome knew undoubtedly that he loved her. He was as different as could be from any storybook heroes or princes, but he was her personal hero in his own way. They didn’t have vows or wedding rings, or share last names, but Kagome knew they shared something she would never be able to find an equal to in her own time. She had learned all about his rugged character from the experiences he had endured in his lifetime, and she appreciated every little unique nuance of his personality. She knew him so well, and knew he cared for her. He didn’t say ‘I love you’, but she knew he did when he would throw himself in front of her during a demon attack. He would fight with his life for her safety. He would take a deadly blow in her place. She knew he loved her by the way he had once captured her from the village, and taken her to a distant hilltop where there was a perfect view of the sunset. She knew from the way he had gently turned her head towards him, and kissed her in the dimming evening light. She knew from the way he would wrap her in his robe of the fire rat whenever it grew cold outside. She knew from the way he would seek out her company alone on the nights of the new moon, and even in his human state, he would trust her. She knew from the way he would sometimes watch her when he thought she wouldn’t notice. She knew from the way he would spend whole afternoons just sitting beside her, not even saying a word. She knew from the way he would sometimes carry her high up into the branches of the Goshin Boku, to let her sleep there cradled safe in his arms. Yes, Kagome knew how much Inuyasha loved her. And the subtle ways he expressed it meant more to her than any vows or rings.
Fandom: Inuyasha
Rating: G
Pairing: Inuyasha/Kagome
Summary: Inuyasha and Kagome have about the farthest thing from a normal relationship. But Kagome has her own ways of making sense of it.
Word Count: 637
It was just the natural, unchangeable way of things, that Inuyasha was a fighter, not a lover. This was one of the first things Kagome had learned about him, and she knew full well that this would never change. But nevertheless, after the Shikon No Tama had vanished and their journey completed, she had been faced with the decision of returning to her normal life or remaining in the Sengoku Jidai, and she had known that really, there was no choice to deliberate over. In the Sengoku Jidai, with her friends, with Inuyasha, was her only real home. And besides, she loved Inuyasha too much exactly the way he was - the brash, hot-tempered hanyou -, and she never wanted a single thing about him to change.
Since her decision to return to the Sengoku Jidai for good, Kagome and Inuyasha’s relationship had developed to be more romantic, more intimate. The shift had only been subtle, and sometimes when they were sitting somewhere together with Miroku, Sango, and the whole gang, it was like nothing had changed. Sometimes, she would slide her fingers in between his clawed ones, and his mood would determine whether or not he would curl his fingers around hers in return. He hardly ever displayed affection when others were around them. Usually, they’d end up falling back into their old, classic habits of bickering over the most trivial of things. Their confrontations always ended with Kagome sitting him, and then him stalking off angrily. Despite Kagome’s anger, their little arguments would always be strangely comforting in their familiarity. After a fight, Inuyasha would disappear for a few hours, but almost every time, he would come to her some time when she was alone, and apologize. That part was new, and Kagome liked it.
Inuyasha never said it, and showed it rarely, but Kagome knew undoubtedly that he loved her. He was as different as could be from any storybook heroes or princes, but he was her personal hero in his own way. They didn’t have vows or wedding rings, or share last names, but Kagome knew they shared something she would never be able to find an equal to in her own time. She had learned all about his rugged character from the experiences he had endured in his lifetime, and she appreciated every little unique nuance of his personality. She knew him so well, and knew he cared for her. He didn’t say ‘I love you’, but she knew he did when he would throw himself in front of her during a demon attack. He would fight with his life for her safety. He would take a deadly blow in her place. She knew he loved her by the way he had once captured her from the village, and taken her to a distant hilltop where there was a perfect view of the sunset. She knew from the way he had gently turned her head towards him, and kissed her in the dimming evening light. She knew from the way he would wrap her in his robe of the fire rat whenever it grew cold outside. She knew from the way he would seek out her company alone on the nights of the new moon, and even in his human state, he would trust her. She knew from the way he would sometimes watch her when he thought she wouldn’t notice. She knew from the way he would spend whole afternoons just sitting beside her, not even saying a word. She knew from the way he would sometimes carry her high up into the branches of the Goshin Boku, to let her sleep there cradled safe in his arms. Yes, Kagome knew how much Inuyasha loved her. And the subtle ways he expressed it meant more to her than any vows or rings.