She arrived to find InuYasha already transformed into his human form, curled up beside Kirara. His eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell in a rhythmic motion of sleep. She couldn't help but smile to herself at the sight. InuYasha was as tough as they come, but when he was asleep, he looked so innocent, and endearing. Then again, to her, he always was. He was her strength, in so many ways. She didn't know what she would do without him.
His dark eyelids fluttered gently, and his eyes opened dreamily. He smiled almost shyly, and yawned. Kagome set her backpack down, and knelt down beside him.
"Seeing you sleeping so peacefully in your human form is a great relief," she said quietly. The others were asleep nearby, and the last thing she wanted to do was wake everyone up from her severe lateness to return.
"I've got a good bodyguard," he said. Sitting up carefully he made sure not to disturb Kirara, and looked at her with sleepy eyes.
"Why are you so late?" he asked.
"Final exams," she explained.
"Tests…" he muttered. With a slight shrug, he stood, and offered her a hand. She looked up at him curiously.
"Aren't you tired?"
"Keh! I'm not THAT weak of a human to need to sleep all night," he said, his cheeks flushing slightly. She took his hand, and he helped her to stand. Much to her surprise, he kept holding her hand gently, and led her away from the others.
"Is there something on your mind?" she asked quietly.
"When isn't there?" he countered. She rolled her eyes.
"If this is about Koga trying to claim me this afternoon, save the lecture," she murmured.
"Who? No, this has nothing to do with that stinking wolf,"he said quietly.
Kagome smiled wistfully. Despite Kouga's on again, off again claim over her, InuYasha seemed to get over his insecurity about it. He didn't get riled up whenever Kouga came around, like he used to. Though, this afternoon, the wolf youkai seemed very determined to claim her, and she never saw InuYasha react the way he had. She half expected it to turn out like all the other fights, but it was different this time. InuYasha protected her honor, and she, trying to stop the fight before anyone got seriously hurt, sat him.
And she felt terrible for it.
Though he took the abuse without a word, and she told Kouga firmly where she stood. And she swore to herself to never use the subduing spell on him, not unless it was absolutely necessary. She also swore it to him as well. InuYasha led her to a grassy hill, above the campsite, which looked so small down below. She looked at him curiously, wondering what he was up to. When he was in his human form, he never usually strayed from the others like this.
"This all disappears one day, doesn't it?" he asked quietly. She looked over at him, to see his hair billow behind him in the gentle breeze, not obscuring his features.
"What?" she stammered, realizing that she was gawking at him.
"This hill, this plain, the trees beyond that, none of it exists in your era," he said.
"Yeah, this area happens to be a large part of the city in my time." she noted aloud.
"It must be nice, to be able to appreciate both sides," he remarked in a strange voice. " I'm going to miss it."
"InuYasha?" she whispered. Now he was beginning to worry her.
He looked at her then, and his eyes sparkled. Maybe it was then that she saw something new, something she never saw before in them.
She could see herself, reflected in his eyes. And something else…
"I've decided. After we complete the jewel, and get rid of it, I want to go with you," he said quickly.
"To the modern era?" she squeaked. He nodded. Her mind whirled. With her? To stay?
"I know it might be difficult, with how different your era is," he went on.
"Um, in my era, will you be a hanyou, or a full youkai?" she asked quietly. He smiled then, so gently, yet so full of conviction.
"A hanyou, of course."
She embraced him then, nearly knocking him down in her excitement. He wanted to be with her! He wanted to live in her era! He…
He chose… He held her tight.
"Everything will work out, you'll see." he spoke softly in her ear…
Kagome awoke with a start. She sat up so abruptly, that the world turned in on itself, and she fell over sideways, with an unceremonious thump loud enough to wake the dead.
Or it should have.
Close by, Shoji was sleeping soundly, and silently. His face had a serene look to it, as he dreamed. And cuddled up with him was the traitor Shippo, who had taken a liking to the carbon copy a little too quickly for her taste. Shippo and InuYasha never really got along so well as to cuddle, like she and Shippo did, but InuYasha would have sacrificed his life for the little kitsune, if need be.
She kicked the blanket she slept under free of her legs, and stood quietly. Sango, Miroku, and Kirara were in the village of the demon slayers, which was a few days away on foot. She wanted to talk to Miroku, and missed Sango desperately, so she decided, or to put it right, forced Shoji to come too. After all, they wouldn't believe it until they saw it. Or him, rather.
She was still trying to figure it all out herself. Part of her wanted to kick Shoji for looking like InuYasha so much. Part of her…longed for him to fulfill the promise he made to her on that specific afternoon before.
"Cant sleep?" his voice sliced through the silence like a knife. She looked over at him. He had that same sleepy look too, damn him!
"I don't sleep well anymore," she said evenly, trying to adopt some of the couldn't-care-less tone she heard Sesshomaru often employ.
"Are you going to treat me this way the entire time?" he asked.
She sighed. Maybe she shouldn't have told him…everything. He HAD accepted it pretty well, though pushing him down the well, and into the feudal era helped to convince him. It took an encounter with a boar youkai to completely make him admit he was indeed awake, and not unconscious at the bottom of the well. And, that he was 500 years into his past, seemingly walking the same path as her.
Almost…
"Just go back to sleep, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," she said. Shoji sighed, and turned on his mat, putting his back to her. Why was she so mean to him anyways? Its not like he did anything wrong. Except that he looked like InuYasha, which meant that he was his reincarnation, and that he was truly gone.
And she never got to say goodbye.
"Women," she heard Shoji mutter under his breath. She couldn't help but smile slightly, despite the circumstances. She did know one thing though, she held a deeper understanding of how InuYasha must have felt.
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