Disclaimers: I do not own InuYasha or any of the manga/anime characters. They belong to the wonderful genius Rumiko Takahashi.



Red is the Color…

Kagome stopped and closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh cool air of the crisp autumn day. She thought it was probably October, though honestly, she didn’t try to keep track so much any more. Opening her eyes, she decided to stop and rest for a few minutes. She had walked a little further than she had originally intended, but Kaede needed the herbs she had in her basket. Setting it down, along with her quiver and bow, she unfolded the cloth she had with her and then sat down.

She couldn’t help but to admire the splendor of the wilderness spread out before her. Even now, in the Feudal Era, there were Japanese maples scattered in the shade of larger trees. The beautiful plants were said to have been cultivated as far back as the seventh century in their native land. While modern Japan may have more varieties in a wider selection of colors, she didn’t think that any really were more beautiful the glorious red foliage of the trees in front of her.

Red. She had to admit that she loved the color, and it had so many different meanings to her. Red was the color of the traditional miko robes, robes that earlier in her life she’d only thought she’d ever wear around the shrine when they were in costume for special events. Her fingers danced across the fabric of her hakama. She remembered the first time she’d had them on in the Feudal Era because her modern clothing was drying. She smiled as she remembered InuYasha telling her to take them off, earning him an “Osuwari.” She would later come to learn that she reminded him too much of Kikyou in them back then. He didn’t want her take them off so he could see her naked, he just wanted her to wear something else. For the longest time the red and white traditional robes reminded her that she could never be as good as Kikyou in his eyes. In fact, her own eyes seemed to be red an awful lot from crying over the hanyou. Either they were red from her tears, or she was seeing red with anger. She shook her head to dislodge those unpleasant memories. Those days were long past.

Seeing Red. That phrase had been given a new meaning when InuYasha’s youkai blood overtook his body in order to save him. Considering all of the changes that occurred when that happened – the markings on his face, the longer claws, the deepening of his voice – those blood red eyes were the most alarming. They were so cold and calculating and made him look murderous – there was no other way to describe it. She’d heard the term used to describe being angry, but that didn’t even begin to cover the state the hanyou was in when his eyes were that color. Fortunately, he had not undergone that transformation since the time he was affected by the tainted jewel in Naraku’s body. His youkai blood had remained under control, and she had not seen the blood red eyes since then.

Blood Red. Oh, how much blood had she seen? How many times had she had to patch up her hanyou after a battle? Or even Sango, Miroku, herself or a total stranger? InuYasha would declare that he’d be fine, and she’d insist on cleaning his wounds and bandaging him anyway. Then there was the blood of those that died, blood spilled from a battle or a fight. It seemed like some of the battlefields they’d had to cross were drenched in it. So much of the blood that had been shed had been pointless – innocent villagers caught up in a fight between warring daimyo or shogun. They were fortunate that so far their little village was remote enough that no one of real power had shown any genuine interest in it. While they were self sufficient, they didn’t have anything worth taking.

However, they did seem to have an increase recently in births. While the young miko still had to help patch up those who managed to injure themselves one way or another, usually in a farming accident, most of the blood she saw these days was that of birthing. Much to her surprise as well as to that of InuYasha and the others, Kagome was considered something of a good luck charm in the village. She was welcomed at births and other events in the village, at least by most. There were always a few that wouldn’t agree with her marriage to the hanyou, but it wasn’t nearly as many has he had feared. In fact, it was only a handful at best. The young miko had to admit she’d wondered how much red tape she’d have to go through to be allowed to be with him.

Red tape. Now there was something she didn’t miss at all. She knew her family saw enough of it trying to get her through middle school graduation since she missed so much school. She really was afraid she’d have to jump through hoops of some kind to get into high school, but fortunately her entrance exam grade was acceptable, and one of the high schools had an opening. She was glad she had made it through and made her family proud, but she had to admit she really didn’t miss it that much. Yes, she missed her family of course, but she didn’t miss the bustle of life there. Everything was so much simpler here.

Red hair. Now where had that thought come from? There had been a boy with bright red hair in her class her final year, and she sometimes wondered if he was a kitsune in disguise. If not, he should have been considering some of the pranks he’d pulled. Kagome actually giggled. She had to admit she liked red hair, especially when it was really the bright orangey-red fur that covered her favorite fox child. Shippou had gotten better about not teasing InuYasha, though the fact she hadn’t been there for three years had probably helped. Without her interference, he’d had to learn on his own not to push the hanyou too far. InuYasha had never really hurt him, but he’d made it clear that there were boundaries. The kitsune had pushed his luck a couple of times since Kagome had returned, but Kaede had warned her to not interfere if she didn’t want serious problems later. The younger miko had heeded the elder miko’s advice, and things had worked themselves out. It was probably a good thing, too, or she could have just seen Shippou bursting in on them during their wedding night.

Red Virgin. Well, it might have supposed to have been a poem by a French philosopher, but the title reminded her of her wedding night. She blushed at the remembrance of their first time together. They were both so unsure of themselves and had no experience. Saying it was awkward would have been an understatement. InuYasha had panicked and almost fled when he first made love to her and then caught the scent of her blood. She thought it was a minor miracle that she still had a hymen, considering everything she’d been through. Kagome had grabbed him by the hair and practically yanked him back to her so she could explain that it was perfectly natural and had to happen. However, he’d insisted on waiting for her to heal before he would do anything more than hold and kiss her. A few nights later, well, all she could remember was wow! By then they were both ready to explode, and they did. She wasn’t certain who was more vocal that night, her or her hanyou. They may have still been a little clumsy, but they made up for it with passion and exuberance.

“Hey, what are you doing out here all alone?” a familiar voice called from behind her.

“InuYasha! You’re back already?” Kagome responded as she climbed to her feet and brushed herself off.

“Yeah, it didn’t take long for Miroku to smoke out the youkai and for me to kill it. I brought a bale of rice back for you along with some herbs I thought might be useful for healing or cooking – they ought to be good for something,” the hanyou said. “You didn’t answer me though, what are you doing out here by yourself?”

Kagome reached up to give him a peck on the lips. “I had been out gathering herbs to help Kaede’s arthritis. It took me longer than I thought, and I’d walked further than I realized so I sat down to rest for a few minutes. I got caught up looking at the landscape. Aren’t the trees beautiful?”

“If you say so.” InuYasha glanced at the brilliant shades of red that dotted the tree line. “Do those remind you of home?”

“Not so much – I just love the color. Do you think in the spring we might could move a couple of small ones near the house? The leaves are so pretty and so red in the fall.”

“Like red, do you?” InuYasha couldn’t help but to grin.

Kagome leaned over and picked up her basket and held it against her hip with her left hand so she could hold the hanyou’s hand with her right once she had her quiver and bow in place. “You know I do.”

And she did. InuYasha habitually dressed in his red hakama and firerat. More than anything, the color red reminded her of him. “In fact, I think it’s my favorite color. I can’t get enough of it.”

The hanyou turned into her and captured her lips for another kiss. “Well, let’s go home and work on that.”

Kagome smiled in return. “I’d like that.”