#117 - In the Quiet of Midnight
Title: Always There
Rating: K
Genre: Romance
Pairings or Characters: Inu Yasha/Kagome
Warnings: None
Summary: The Inu-tachi's encounter with the Flower Prince gives Inu Yasha a lot to think about
Always There
If he could pick which time he hated most, outside of the new moon, it would be this. The time of darkest night. According to Kagome, they called it "midnight" in her time. While the rest of their stalwart group slumbered on, he was left alone with his thoughts. Oh, he'd feigned sleep so that Kagome would finally get off his case and settle herself down, but the moment he heard her deep, even breathing, he opened his eyes again. There would be no peace for him tonight, a condition only worsened by their encounter with the Flower Prince.
Many times, he wished he really was the ignorant simpleton he tried so hard to portray. Having brawn was bad enough. Admitting to have any sort of brains along with that would be a death sentence.
"I didn't think you'd really gone to sleep."
Inu Yasha barely kept himself from startling out of his reverie and bit back a growl. Her scent was so familiar to him now, she could sneak up on him. That wasn't good. At all.
"Keh. Tried. Couldn't. Go back to sleep."
"Mmmm.. nope. I've had more sleep than you lately, so I can stay up," Kagome retorted.
"Don't be stupid. You need rest."
"So do you."
Inu Yasha opened his mouth to refute her accusation, but snapped it shut as his eyes widened. "K.. Kagome?!"
She'd been kneeling beside him, but then she'd risen to her feet, and now she was actively insinuating herself between his legs.
Inu Yasha kept himself absolutely still as she sat down in his lap. He could both hear and feel the blood rushing in his ears along with the quickened pace of his heartbeat. Almost as if against his will, he began to shift, his body moving to accommodate hers without any conscious thought behind it. Soon she was curled up, her back to his front, his legs shielding hers from the coolness of the night.
Kagome snuggled up right next to Tessaiga, positioning his arms as if he were some sort of oversized doll. He ended up with the sleeves of his haori acting as a blanket, and the warmth of Kagome's body pressed to his.
"Much better," Kagome said.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Inu Yasha hissed.
"Everybody else is asleep," Kagome said, resting her head in the hollow of his shoulder, "and you're warmer than the sleeping bag."
"So?"
Kagome turned her head to look up at him, her expression all innocence. "You told me to go to sleep, didn't you?"
Inu Yasha snarled, but she did have a point. "Fine."
"Thank you," she replied, with more warmth than he really deserved.
Inu Yasha bit back a sigh as he realized that the longer she stayed in such close contact, the hazier his thoughts became. It frightened him sometimes how much power Kagome had over him, and he wasn't talking about the rosary. Her warmth was something that went beyond the physical, seeping into his wounded heart and soul, working her magic to start mending him. Again.
"Kagome?"
"Hm?" was Kagome's drowsy reply.
"That guy was wrong."
Kagome roused herself a little more. "What guy?"
"That Flower Prince bastard."
"Oh? What was he wrong about?"
"He called Kikyou 'the woman I loved most'. Just goes to show that even though he could read emotions, he sucked at interpreting them."
"Inu Yasha?"
"What he felt..." Inu Yasha paused. He hated trying to find the right words, but he knew this was important. "He felt my sense of loss. My failure to keep my promise to her. He mistook desperation for.. love."
"You don't have to lie, Inu Yasha. It's okay."
"I'm not lying!" Inu Yasha burst out, almost loud enough to wake their companions. He shushed himself, the words he spoke quiet, but intense. "Yes, I loved Kikyou. She is the first woman I loved. You know that, and I know that. But she is NOT the woman I love most."
He could feel Kagome trembling. He carefully shifted his arm, just enough to lay Tessaiga down, allowing him to more fully wrap his arms around Kagome and hold her tight.
"In fact, what I feel for you runs so deeply, he didn't even know it was there. Yes, Kikyou was foremost in my thoughts at that moment, but you... You're always there. You never leave. I get so used to thinking about you, that I take it for granted."
Kagome whispered his name, and he stared down at her, meeting her gaze so she could see the truth of his words.
"You're a part of me, and if I ever lost you--."
Kagome's hand came up, her fingers pressing against his lips to silence him. "You won't," Kagome said.
Inu Yasha knew he could continue the argument, but all at once, he was so sick of fighting. Instead, he pursed his lips slightly, brushing the fingers that held them closed. Kagome's hand snapped back, and the heat that came into her cheeks almost burned brighter than the banked fire at the center of their campsite.
No more words were spoken, but for the first time since Kikyou's passing, Inu Yasha's mind had stopped whirling, even if just for a moment.
He inhaled the sweet scent of Kagome, allowed himself to bask in her warmth, and he felt the edges of much needed sleep creeping in on him. He wouldn't let it take over completely. He needed to keep watch, after all. But he would allow himself to doze, the reminder of why he had to be well rested now an undeniable presence in his arms.
Maybe this "midnight" thing wasn't so bad, after all.
Rating: K
Genre: Romance
Pairings or Characters: Inu Yasha/Kagome
Warnings: None
Summary: The Inu-tachi's encounter with the Flower Prince gives Inu Yasha a lot to think about
Always There
If he could pick which time he hated most, outside of the new moon, it would be this. The time of darkest night. According to Kagome, they called it "midnight" in her time. While the rest of their stalwart group slumbered on, he was left alone with his thoughts. Oh, he'd feigned sleep so that Kagome would finally get off his case and settle herself down, but the moment he heard her deep, even breathing, he opened his eyes again. There would be no peace for him tonight, a condition only worsened by their encounter with the Flower Prince.
Many times, he wished he really was the ignorant simpleton he tried so hard to portray. Having brawn was bad enough. Admitting to have any sort of brains along with that would be a death sentence.
"I didn't think you'd really gone to sleep."
Inu Yasha barely kept himself from startling out of his reverie and bit back a growl. Her scent was so familiar to him now, she could sneak up on him. That wasn't good. At all.
"Keh. Tried. Couldn't. Go back to sleep."
"Mmmm.. nope. I've had more sleep than you lately, so I can stay up," Kagome retorted.
"Don't be stupid. You need rest."
"So do you."
Inu Yasha opened his mouth to refute her accusation, but snapped it shut as his eyes widened. "K.. Kagome?!"
She'd been kneeling beside him, but then she'd risen to her feet, and now she was actively insinuating herself between his legs.
Inu Yasha kept himself absolutely still as she sat down in his lap. He could both hear and feel the blood rushing in his ears along with the quickened pace of his heartbeat. Almost as if against his will, he began to shift, his body moving to accommodate hers without any conscious thought behind it. Soon she was curled up, her back to his front, his legs shielding hers from the coolness of the night.
Kagome snuggled up right next to Tessaiga, positioning his arms as if he were some sort of oversized doll. He ended up with the sleeves of his haori acting as a blanket, and the warmth of Kagome's body pressed to his.
"Much better," Kagome said.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Inu Yasha hissed.
"Everybody else is asleep," Kagome said, resting her head in the hollow of his shoulder, "and you're warmer than the sleeping bag."
"So?"
Kagome turned her head to look up at him, her expression all innocence. "You told me to go to sleep, didn't you?"
Inu Yasha snarled, but she did have a point. "Fine."
"Thank you," she replied, with more warmth than he really deserved.
Inu Yasha bit back a sigh as he realized that the longer she stayed in such close contact, the hazier his thoughts became. It frightened him sometimes how much power Kagome had over him, and he wasn't talking about the rosary. Her warmth was something that went beyond the physical, seeping into his wounded heart and soul, working her magic to start mending him. Again.
"Kagome?"
"Hm?" was Kagome's drowsy reply.
"That guy was wrong."
Kagome roused herself a little more. "What guy?"
"That Flower Prince bastard."
"Oh? What was he wrong about?"
"He called Kikyou 'the woman I loved most'. Just goes to show that even though he could read emotions, he sucked at interpreting them."
"Inu Yasha?"
"What he felt..." Inu Yasha paused. He hated trying to find the right words, but he knew this was important. "He felt my sense of loss. My failure to keep my promise to her. He mistook desperation for.. love."
"You don't have to lie, Inu Yasha. It's okay."
"I'm not lying!" Inu Yasha burst out, almost loud enough to wake their companions. He shushed himself, the words he spoke quiet, but intense. "Yes, I loved Kikyou. She is the first woman I loved. You know that, and I know that. But she is NOT the woman I love most."
He could feel Kagome trembling. He carefully shifted his arm, just enough to lay Tessaiga down, allowing him to more fully wrap his arms around Kagome and hold her tight.
"In fact, what I feel for you runs so deeply, he didn't even know it was there. Yes, Kikyou was foremost in my thoughts at that moment, but you... You're always there. You never leave. I get so used to thinking about you, that I take it for granted."
Kagome whispered his name, and he stared down at her, meeting her gaze so she could see the truth of his words.
"You're a part of me, and if I ever lost you--."
Kagome's hand came up, her fingers pressing against his lips to silence him. "You won't," Kagome said.
Inu Yasha knew he could continue the argument, but all at once, he was so sick of fighting. Instead, he pursed his lips slightly, brushing the fingers that held them closed. Kagome's hand snapped back, and the heat that came into her cheeks almost burned brighter than the banked fire at the center of their campsite.
No more words were spoken, but for the first time since Kikyou's passing, Inu Yasha's mind had stopped whirling, even if just for a moment.
He inhaled the sweet scent of Kagome, allowed himself to bask in her warmth, and he felt the edges of much needed sleep creeping in on him. He wouldn't let it take over completely. He needed to keep watch, after all. But he would allow himself to doze, the reminder of why he had to be well rested now an undeniable presence in his arms.
Maybe this "midnight" thing wasn't so bad, after all.