Nocturne - An Inuyasha Fanfic

Chapter Three: Reluctant Longing

Nocturne - Chapter Three: Reluctant Longing

Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)

o - o - o - o - o : Indicates scene or POV change

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Kagome had rushed home in time to avoid Inuyasha strolling through the doorway. She had folded the hankimono up and hidden it within one of her modern bags she knew Inuyasha never rummaged through. Quickly, she'd changed into her usual miko garb and had even enough time to brew tea before he arrived.

To anyone else, her guilt may have been obvious, but Inuyasha was again oblivious to her inner thoughts, only thinking that her silence indicated how angry she still felt. Inside, she shook with fear. Any moment now, he would smell the scent of another male on her and blow up. He would have every right to, she told herself. Instead, he seemed to take the blame for their fight the night before.

He approached her from behind while she was readying a cup. His arms wrapped around her and she let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Tears filled her eyes.

"Inuyasha, I'm-I'm sorry...about...about last night," she choked out.

"No, I'm sorry..." he whispered into the curve of her neck. I should've been more..." He paused and searched for a word he'd heard her use before: "sensitive to your mood."

On any other day, Kagome would have retaliated to that statement.

'Her mood?!'

She was just so touchy these days. Instead, she let it go, her shame eating at her. She could not help but feel sad.

Here she was, dirty from a night with Inuyasha's elder brother, no less, and now in his arms as if nothing had happened. It crushed her soul to lie, but she knew that Inuyasha would never understand. She'd been enchanted. But why had she wanted it so badly? A part of herself knew she could have purged herself from the spell that had been cast on her. Why did she let it run its course?

Inuyasha felt very apologetic, and Kagome felt very guilty. When he began to plant light kisses down her neck, she moaned despite herself. He pulled her around, and their lips met with practiced ease. She wrapped her hands around his neck, twining her fingers through his hair. Despite herself, she wondered if Sesshomaru's locks felt as soft as his brothers' or his lips as tender.

With some mental gumption, she dismissed those thoughts and let Inuyasha's skilled hands work down her body, bringing her to life and back to the present. She buried the events from last night deep down and promised herself she would never bring them up again.

Kagome buried the memory of that night in the deepest corners of her mind, convincing herself she could carry on as though it never happened. And for a time, she did.

The days passed uneventfully, though the air between her and Inuyasha remained tentative as if balanced on a fragile thread. Soon, the season changed. The cool crispness of autumn gave way to the biting chill of winter. Snow blanketed the forest, muffling the sounds of the world, while the wind howled mercilessly, carrying the scent of ice and frost. The village huddled closer together, fires burning day and night to fight off the unforgiving cold.

Kagome kept herself busy, tending to the sick and helping the villagers prepare for the harshest weeks ahead. The cave and its secrets seemed a distant memory now, hidden under layers of snow and guilt. She thought she had left that night behind her.

But sometimes, in the stillness of the night, when the fire crackled low, and the shadows stretched long, her thoughts strayed back to Sesshomaru's piercing gaze and the spell that had bound her to him. Those moments of weakness made her stomach twist with guilt and shame, but she pressed forward, pretending the weight of the past didn't cling to her.