Work Text:
The love within me is a fire you've stoked each passing day.
If there was one thing Kagome missed about the modern era, it was central heating. Winter descended upon the Feudal Era with chilly mornings and freezing nights that only made her want to linger in the coziness of her futon a little longer. Alas, after all this time, her internal clock reset to wake before the birds could prepare their morning's symphony, and only the hum of the forest, as well as her quiet sighs, filled the air as she rose. Still, there were a few benefits to the cold months, such as her waking up to a fire burning bright in the ash-dusted hearth where a solitary figure sat nearby as its solemn guardian. The warmth exuding from the flames couldn't match what surged in Kagome's chest as she swept her eyes over him. Unable to believe once more that he was even real.
Silver hair burned white-gold in the fire's glow, tumbling down a strong back equipped with broad shoulders and muscular arms hidden beneath voluminous red sleeves. Kagome knew the definition of those arms, having felt their muscles contract around her many times, hauling her close against a chest housing a strong heart.
She’s heard it beat in many ways over the time they’d been together. Slow as it struggled to pump blood through his ruined body. Hard and fast, like a drum, when his face flushed with anger and eyes blew wide to where those catlike pupils were pinpricks against the overwhelming luminous gold of his irises. Though her favorite time was when the hardened lines and angles of his face melted away like warm honey, and she felt his heartbeat under her hand.
Those times were the best, especially when…
Her cheeks felt warm, and she resisted the urge to squeal, curling into a tighter ball. Scolding herself for fawning over him like this seemed half-hearted at best. It wasn’t like she was a junior high student anymore. But it was okay, wasn’t it? Her gaze flicked up to him. She wondered what expression he held. His yōki didn't flare, nor did it simmer. A steady pulse like a heartbeat emanated from him so clearly that her own matched it.
Her lips pulled up into a gentle smile, cheek resting atop her squared pillow. Questions of when he slept and how long he'd been awake were pushed far from mind in favor of awe at how peaceful he was. Before, Inuyasha always seemed to be at war, whether with himself or an enemy in their path. She worried he would lose his direction with no battles to fight, but here he was, awake before the first hint of dawn brushed the sky, tending to a fire solely out of want.
Kagome's eyes wandered over him a few times, greedily taking in the sight as nourishment for her heart and soul. This was the future she hoped he would have. A life no one could take, one where he didn't need to fight unless necessary, one where he had a home to return to. It burned her to think that she would never see it. See him again. But if he were happy somewhere, then that would be enough for her. At the time, she could admit to herself that she tried to swallow that bitter lie. Yet now that they were together, she wanted to stay like this.
For as long as they had.
Inuyasha's shoulder twitched, a ripple interrupting the beat of his aura. As he began to turn around, Kagome quickly shut her eyes. She buried her nose in the down-filled lining of her comforter to hide the warmth creeping up her neck to flush her cheeks hotly. A moment passed, then another, her lungs straining with a breath she'd been holding out of instinct. Then, a deep, mirthful chuckle drifted to her ears as well as a soft but cheeky voice saying, "I know you're awake."
Kagome peeked over the top of her comforter and found a sliver of gold peering at her from across a red-clad shoulder, like the sun rising or fading over the scarlet horizon. Her cheeks burned as she lifted her head a little, letting the blanket slide down to her chin. "Since when?"
"Your heart skipped a beat when you opened your eyes," Inuyasha told her in that low rumbling voice he seldom used in the evening and early morning. She couldn’t put into words how much she adored it. Aside from the gentle kindness in his tone, it was as if Inuyasha was speaking for her ears alone. Sure, he was talking to her, but it was like he only spoke this way when there were things he only wanted her to hear. In a way, it made her feel special.
Though the way he was teasing her made her pout just a little.
He must have noticed because the corner of his eye scrunched up until she could barely make out his irises. And from the way his shoulders shook, Kagome knew he had to be laughing. Her heart throbbed painfully. She wanted to toss aside her blanket and round his shoulder to see the small smile she knew to be hiding there where his hair obscured his mouth. Never mind the cold, the joy she felt at his laughter left her body feeling flush with warmth.
Kagome smiled, wiggling from beneath her comforter. The floorboards were still a little cool, but she powered through the initial warmth loss, shuffling over to Inuyasha. His laughter died down into a satisfied hum as she knelt beside him then nudged his elbow a few times. Taking the hint, Inuyasha pulled his hands from his sleeves then lifted one arm, allowing Kagome to nestle against him. She tucked her arms in close as Inuyasha's arm draped across her. While his claws grazed the wrinkles in her yukata bunched around her hips, Kagome followed their path in her mind with a tiny smile.
Inuyasha’s palm melded to the curve of her hip for a brief second, then eased off, hovering higher near her side as if he couldn’t decide where to lay his hand. Kagome sighed internally, sneaking a glance up at him. While she was a little tired of being hover handed, it was cute. Uncertainty wasn't something most people would attribute to Inuyasha, but the people who truly knew him were aware of how careful he could be. Sometimes, she wondered if he was trying little things now and again. When he spoke to her, when he touched her, it was as if there was always something newly mixed with the gestures she knew by heart.
Furtive glances when he thought she wasn't looking, silently asking the question whether or not it was okay. Testing boundaries to see how wide the gap between them was from the years they'd been apart. While it pained her to see him so worried, she also thought it was sweet. That Inuyasha was trying to be himself while also waiting for her.
Everyone joked around that it was only a matter of time before they married, especially considering they lived together. However, it wasn’t exactly that easy. Work seldom kept them apart, and there were things to figure out for their future together and by themselves. Wants, needs, expectations. They were together but not together, but in moments like this, no one else’s opinion mattered, and she wasn’t worried about the future at all.
If she could wake up to him every day, be right by his side, then the cold mornings were worth it.
Once his hand brushed against her own, she quickly took hold of it then fit her fingers in the spaces between his own, closing them one by one. Inuyasha's hand went stiff Fingers flexed with tiny twitches, then one by one, they curled down to rest against her own. His clawed fingers against her blunt nails were so different that they made her laugh just a bit. She felt the rumble in his chest, a confused noise he made when curious about something she did or said. Her eyelids felt a little heavier as she tucked her head under his chin, mumbling that it was nothing though from the way his chin slid against the top of her head - she could imagine him with his head tipped, and ear pricked as if trying to pinpoint where exactly she lied.
Like a curious puppy.
It must not have proven worth the effort in the end as his arm closed around her tighter, bringing her snug against him. She would have practically been in his lap if not for his folded legs pressed close to her tucked ones. A space she didn't mind as she turned her face against the opening of his hadagi, breathing him in then letting out a sigh.
Drifting off, Kagome could have sworn she heard Inuyasha whisper her name before she felt a gentle pressure against the top of her head as the world melted away.
"Kagome, oi.” She wrinkled her nose as her body swayed from side to side, chipping away at the vestiges of sleep slipping out of her grasp. Head rolling back with a little mumble, Kagome hoped that the interruption would go away if she stayed still enough. Gradually, sensation returned as she floated somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness. Just a little longer, and she could slip away. A weight settled on her shoulder with a firm shake, and an even firmer tone, repeating, “Kagome, wake up."
She whined as her eyelids fluttered open, wincing at the blinding light before they slammed shut. "Mmrgh..." Kagome groaned miserably, turning her face away from the light and into something soft yet firm. Cold nipping at her cheeks forgotten as she rubbed her cheek against it, savoring the warmth and the crisp, refreshing scent of herbs along with something strong and sweet she couldn’t quite place. She pressed her nose against it, inhaling deeply.
Just a little longer and…
"Uh… Kagome...?”
Her eyes snapped open. Usually, those words would drift into her ears, but she felt them reverberate in the rolling vibrations beneath her cheek. Her cheek that wasn’t firmly pressed to a pillow but pillowed atop of someone else. Slowly, she peeled herself off and saw a familiar robe that was a little more disheveled than usual. The hadagi’s white collar had pushed open wider gifting the generous view of a defined collarbone sporting a faint reddish hue. Kagome blinked slowly, curling her fingers then loosening them as she let them trail down a broad back. Muscles contracting then relaxing under her wandering touch.
Slowly, she tipped her chin up and met a pair of bright golden eyes just as wide as her own must have been. "Inu...yasha...?"
Inuyasha didn’t seem annoyed by the fact that she had been essentially cuddling up to him to shrug her off, but his gaze averted the moment she looked up at him. "It's morning,” he mumbled. The corners of his lips twitched downward for a brief second, and she felt a light prod at her arms as he nudged her away gently. “You should get dressed. You’ll be late."
Numbly, Kagome nodded then scooted backward onto her butt. A little further away from him, she noticed how the slanting sunshine drifting in through the window slats illuminated Inuyasha’s hair to a brilliant white. His eyes were impossibly bright, softened around their corners though there was a deep curve to his lips that didn’t sit well with her. Upon remembering her promise to Kaede, Kagome realized that there wasn’t much time to decipher what was going through Inuyasha’s head.
But she couldn’t help but try. The events of last night played through her mind again and again as she headed outside with a wooden pail. She’d undeniably fallen asleep beneath Inuyasha’s arm, but she must have moved closer to him sometime during the night . Which he allowed, or she wouldn’t have woken up between his arms with her head on his chest. She nearly stumbled over a tree root, her face flushed hotly as a blush crept up to her cheeks, threatening to tinge the roots of her hair red. So the soft yet firm thing she’d been cuddling against hadn’t been her pillow but Inuyasha’s chest all along.
The pail fell to the ground as she clapped over her face, biting back a squeak. It wouldn’t be as easy for Inuyasha to hear her screaming if she muffled it, but she didn’t dare tempt fate. Peeking between her fingers at her flustered reflection, Kagome sighed then bent down to pick up the pail by its handle. When she returned from bathing and brushing her teeth, she was shivering, and Inuyasha was before her in a flash as she stepped past the door to tell him goodbye. She hardly expected it to be this cold, and his immediate presence warmed her up in a way that brought those memories hurtling back.
A smoky scent drew her out of her thoughts as she realized his suikan was missing, and his hands were fiddling with something in front of her. Kagome’s heart skipped a beat as she looked down and recognized the red folds tucked then tugged around her shoulders.
"It's getting colder outside,” Inuyasha muttered as if that solely explained why he was giving her this without prompting. His head jerked to the right of them. “And you're nowhere close to finishing that.."
Kagome blushed. She knew that he meant the basket with the failure of her sewing inside, which she honestly was having quite a bit of trouble with and would need to ask Sango how to fix it. Although Kaede offered her a straw cloak, Kagome found it a little heavy and scratchy. Yet, making herself a cloak proved to be more difficult a task than she thought.
"I'll be fine, Inuyasha..” Kagome tried not to think too deeply about how his hands roamed over her shoulders, patting then brushing wrinkles from the suikan’s fold. “Besides, you'll be cold without it."
Inuyasha scoffed, but there was no actual irritation there. "I've told you, my body isn't like yours."
"But..." Protests halted on Kagome’s lips as Inuyasha finished with an upward tug, situating the suikan around her like a cloak, draped over her shoulders then spilled down her back.
With his hands twisted in the bunched fabric around her neck, his thumb pressed to the underside of her jaw, tipping her head up until all she could do was look into his eyes. His eyes narrowed slightly, but they were warm as honey. "Quit it,” he scolded, though there was just enough softness in his voice that she didn’t rise to meet him. His thumb ghosted over her shoulder, and if he hadn’t lingered, then she might not have noticed it at all. “Just go catch up with Kaede-babā, then come back for breakfast."
Her heart melted a little when she realized. Right, breakfast. Occasionally forgetting had become one of her newest bad habits and one of Inuyasha’s pet peeves. He didn’t criticize her for it, but she felt terrible for putting him through the hassle of bringing her breakfast every day to make sure she ate. ".. Kay,” sighed Kagome as she pressed up on her toes to touch her lips to his own with a promise thrumming from where they touched. “I'll be back."
She was close enough to see the exact moment Inuyasha’s eyes widened before her own drifted shut. Supple, sweet lips melded against her own in a slow movement that caused a chain reaction. Her mind barely registered how his hands skimmed the length of her arms, slipping beneath to rest beneath where the opening of his suikan enveloped her hips. Kagome’s squeak broke apart the seam of their lips when a sharp tug of her hips brought her flush against him. Only a slight breath allowed before Inuyasha’s lips found hers again. The rush of heat was dizzying. Her right hand grasped his collar while the left cupped his jaw, thumb brushing against the swell of his cheek.
As her fingers tangled into his forelocks, she thought to wind her arms around his neck and bring him closer. Then, a bird’s distant tweeting roused her from the euphoric haze. Peeling herself away from Inuyasha proved to be more of a challenge than she thought when his arms encircled her waist. Kagome tried to think of a tactical way to excuse herself without offending him, but her mind stalled at the sight of his face. All soft and lost in bliss, his eyelashes fluttered as they opened, eyes heavy-lidded and dark with a look that would surely haunt her for the rest of the day. Kagome wiggled free from his slackened grasp, then grabbed her bow and quiver, deciding she’d tell Kaede she left her basket at home.
"I'm leaving!" She shouted over her shoulder, unwilling to take another look at him lest she was drawn in again by whatever trance possessed her to kiss him like that, to begin with.
From behind her, she heard Inuyasha stammer and shout, "H-Hey! Kagome..!", but she ran against the morning chill with the ghost of his touch keeping her warm.
Thankfully, Kaede asked no questions when Kagome arrived panting and frazzled. Perhaps out of respect for Rin who peeked around the doorframe with a smile, coming to take Kagome’s hand with a hearty morning greeting. Impure thoughts sapped from her mind when faced with Rin’s cheer and after catching her breath, Kagome let the girl lead her alongside Kaede who’d been conversing with Miroku before the pair turned to greet them.
Their trek to the temple was often done in silence but today, there was slight chatter between Kaede and Miroku. About a subject Kagome couldn’t keep up with though not out of a lack of trying. Inuyasha’s scent surrounded her thickly, pushing at her thoughts as she remembered her morning departure. What would he have said if she stayed long enough to hear him out?
Bemoaning the moment’s loss wasn’t appropriate now of all times but she couldn’t help but make up scenarios in her head.
"Did you sleep well, Kagome-sama?"
Startled by Rin’s voice, Kagome whipped her head around then looked down at the sweetly smiling face regarding her warmly. "Yes, I'm fine,” said Kagome. Sharing what had happened with Rin would’ve been inappropriate. She was only eleven, and from what Kaede said, thought as little of boys as she did of girls. Besides, Kagome was sure she couldn’t even string together a word of what happened without bursting into flames.
Rin seemed unaware of her plight, but curious of something. Giving Kagome a long look before she nodded and said, "You know, I think moving to live with Inuyasha-sama was a good thing for you."
Kagome tensed, surprised by the suddenness of it. Though she was always aware of Rin's approval, even if the girl didn't speak about it. "You think so?"
She knew it wasn't the most beloved social choice she made since returning but it was easier for her to breathe with Inuyasha nearby. Even if he was busy taking her breath away by other means.
"Mhm,” Rin swung her arms back and forth. Hopping over a root without breaking eye contact with Kagome much to her surprise. “Being away from your family seemed to make you sad..” She swung her head and shoulders forward, smiling up at the scant sun rays peeking through the tree tops. “And this world is different... fitting in is hard, but you're doing your best to belong in a way that fits you."
Kagome blinked slowly. She heard Sesshōmaru had left Rin in the village so she could learn to live among humans. To have a choice where she would be in the end, but it must have been hard for her too. Was anyone picking on her? Rin seemed to have plenty of friends but no one that she really knew from before. Kagome understood how hard it was to go through something life-altering then be forced to wave it off, saying you're fine, burying feelings you were unsure of how to confront. At least she had Inuyasha by her side again. Who knew when or if Sesshōmaru would return to the village?
Her heart said that he would. Abandoning Rin would have been the most dasterdous thing Sesshōmaru ever did. But if she had such a concern, Rin didn’t show it. Her smile remained as genuine as ever and in the time Kagome lived with her and Kaede, not once did she sigh or weep.
"Rin-chan..." Kagome sighed, in awe of her.
“Miroku-sama said to understand people; I should watch and listen and talk to them..” Rin glanced up at her sideways, brown eyes twinkling with the joy of knowing something someone else didn’t. “But anyone can tell you and Inuyasha-sama are happier together.”
Kagome ducked her face against Inuyasha’s suikan, trying and failing to keep herself from blushing. Even after avoiding Rin’s stare, his scent flooded her mind with their kiss. “Is that so?” Kagome mumbled as they followed Miroku and Kaede up the rocky incline hugged close to the cliff face. “Did you talk to Inuyasha a lot when I was.. away?”
Rin nodded. “At first, I didn’t think he liked me.” Kagome chuckled at that. Inuyasha did have the effect of making you think he hated everyone and everything. Rin giggled along with her then continued with a hum, “But I think Inuyasha-sama was just sad because he missed you.”
That caught Kagome’s attention and that spark of warmth in her chest grew. She was glad Inuyasha wasn’t alone and she didn’t want him to suffer, even in missing her. But it did make her happy to know. “Thank you for not giving up on him, Rin-chan.”
Rin twirled the empty herb basket in her arms. “Thank you for coming back.” Kagome glanced down at her, not missing the quiet mutter, “I missed you too.”
She cooed over her, throwing her arms around Rin’s slim shoulders to hold her close to her surprise. "How can you be so cute?"
Kagome smiled at her giggling. She wouldn’t miss these moments for anything in the world.