It Will Be Forever
Kagome sat amongst a patch of balloon flowers called Kikyo. The flowers with the same name as the woman who kept Inuyasha’s thoughts occupied. The woman who often kept his thoughts away from Kagome.
Kikyo.
Kikyo.
She couldn’t quite say the name without it sounding strange to her ears. It was like saying the correct name for any private part of the body. It never seemed to roll off your tong easily.
Kikyo.
So many thoughts surrounded that name. So many questions too. Kagome reached up and ruffled her bangs through her fingers. She didn’t look that much like Kikyo.
“Kagome?” She jumped at the sound of Inuyasha’s voice behind her.
“Oh,” she laughed nervously. “I was just thinking about you.”
He watched her for a moment, and then sat cross-legged on her left. “What’s up? You looked like you were concentrating pretty hard.”
Kagome pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged her knees. “Nothing, Inuyasha.” She shook her head at no one in particular. How could she tell him what she had been thinking? He had hurt her so many times by the obvious love he still held for Kikyo. And yet, if he could just forget about Kikyo, then he wouldn’t be the person she loved. If he chose her then, it would be shallow, it wouldn’t mean as much as if he did chose her after loving and being hurt by Kikyo.
“That’s a load,” Inuyasha smiled as he lay back and gazed at the clouds. “Something’s eating you.”
Kagome watched him fold one hand under his head. So beautiful. She knew she shouldn’t think that about a boy. Boys were supposed to be cute, hott, handsome. Inuyasha was all of those things, but he was also more. Kagome blushed as she thought about Inuyasha being “hott.”
“You gonna take a break?” Inuyasha glanced over to her.
She smiled, “Yeah.” She lay down next to him in the soft field. The clouds blew by as they watched from below. “Beautiful,” she whispered.
“Yeah,” Inuyasha agreed, thinking she was meaning the clouds.
Kagome turned her head to watch the real sight she thought was beautiful. Inuyasha noticed and turned to her.
“What?” He asked much more gently than she assumed he would.
Kagome sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.” She closed her eyes and felt the warm sun on her. She felt a clawed hand entwine with hers and hold it as a light breeze soared over their bodies. Kagome opened her eyes and saw that Inuyasha was still watching her intently.
“Remember when Tsubaki and Menomaru had me fire my arrow at you?”
Inuyasha’s eyes widened from the eased, half-lid gaze they held before. “Yeah?”
Kagome moistened her lips with her tong. “You didn’t run away. Even when I told you to, you didn’t run away.”
“I couldn’t leave you,” he turned his head back to the clouds. “You always get in trouble when I’m not around,” he added.
Kagome giggled at that. “That,” she said, “is a load.”
Inuyasha shrugged. “Well, maybe.”
“Inuyasha,” Kagome whispered. “Why did you run from Kikyo?”
Inuyasha turned back to face her. He looked at her, comprehending her question, and then his expression held a slight pleading emotion. Please don’t ask me that, she could almost hear him think.
Finally, he closed his eyes in what looked like restrained pain.
“I don’t know,” he opened his eyes, begging her not to press on.
Kagome nodded. “Okay, Inuyasha. Okay.”
When you chose me, she thought, it will be for real. It will be forever. She smiled under the warm sun and caressed a balloon flower called Kikyo beside her free hand.
She felt a gentle pressure from Inuyasha squeezing her hand under his. “Kagome?” he asked.
She closed her eyes and wore a content smile on her lips. “Yes, Inuyasha?”
She felt hair tickling her nose and noticed that the sun was no longer on her face. Opening her eyes, she came face to face with a pair of amber ones. Inuyasha leaned over her, putting no weight on her chest.
“Kagome,” he repeated. “Are you going to stay here? With me?” His eyes glistened.
Kagome’s smile became much wider and she nodded happily. “Yes.”
Suddenly a weight was on her as Inuyasha crushed her in a strangling hug. “Thank you,” he whispered in her ear. “Thank you.”
“Okay…Inuyasha,” Kagome struggled to get a breath. “Um, Inuyasha,” she croaked. “I can’t breathe.”
“Sorry!” He jumped off her and lay back down beside her on the ground.
“It’s okay!” she laughed, attempting to breathe in air.
Inuyasha snuggled up to her and rested his cheek on her shoulder. “Thank you,” he said.
Surprised by this show of affection, Kagome did the only thing she could think of. She put her arm around him and fell asleep.