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mamabearcat · 4 years

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Fortune Favors the Bold

This Secret Santa is so sorry for her tardiness. A combination of travelling, panic over bush fires, and all three children getting a vomiting virus the day before Christmas Eve put a real dampner on my efforts to get this fic finished. It had been almost finished for weeks, but I just couldn’t get the ending right. I’m still not entirely happy with it, but I think you’ve waited long enough @redflamesofpassion

I hope you enjoy it, and Happy Holidays!

Kagome climbed out of the well, her cold fingers making the simple task feel impossible as she grasped the vines to pull herself up over the wooden surround. The cold blustery weather she’d just left behind in modern Tokyo seemed to have followed her to the past. Or had she followed it? Whatever. Her life was confusing enough without trying to compare weather patterns in the same place five hundred years apart.

She blew on her chilled fingers as she hurried towards the village, tucking them into her armpits to warm them. She’d jumped through the well in a hurry, anxious to get back, and had accidentally left her jacket on the kitchen table. The chill wind felt like it was leaching heat from her body, and her long sleeved white cotton serafuku shirt and green skirt was doing little to keep her warm. It would be good to sit around the glow of the fire in Kaede’s small home; she hoped everyone had stayed safe while she had been away catching up with schoolwork.

At least the weight of the overfilled yellow bag was keeping her back warm. She’d packed lots of extra food that Inuyasha liked as a peace offering, and Mama had made treats for everyone. They didn’t really celebrate Christmas, but Mama had decorated little gingerbread man cookies for her friends, even making one with a fox tail for Shippou and another with tiny pointed dog ears for Inuyasha. They were sitting at the very top of her backpack, wrapped carefully in a knotted cloth so they wouldn’t be crushed.

Kagome looked around, hoping to see a flash of red and white in the bare trees. She’d thought that even if Inuyasha hadn’t been at the well to meet her as he usually was, he might come to find her as she got closer to the village. She was sure he would know she was here in the past – there was no fooling his hanyou sense of smell. That proved it then, he was still angry at her. She was torn between being annoyed that he hadn’t wanted to listen to her explanation, and sad that she’d upset him when she really hadn’t meant to. This time it truly wasn’t her fault!

One of the girls who had been chosen to dance for the blessing of at a winter festive market on the grounds of a neighbouring shrine had twisted her ankle, and her mother had suggested Kagome as a last minute replacement because she was a similar size to fit the costume and already knew the steps. Inuyasha had arrived at the shrine in the afternoon, after her three days of study time as agreed. He’d jumped through her bedroom window only to find her dressed in borrowed miko robes, her usually riotous dark wavy hair tamed into a low ponytail, and her yellow backpack nowhere in sight.

She’d tried to explain but he’d become angry; irrationally so, she’d thought. Her gut twisted at the memory, and she sighed heavily. They’d been getting on so much better recently; yes they still argued, but they were quick little spats about nothing, over in moments. She’d seen Miroku and Sango exchanging pointed looks, and even Shippou had commented on how well they were getting on.

They had gotten into the habit of sitting closer together near the fire in the evenings before bedtime. Close, but not quite close enough. Anyone outside their little group might have mistaken his hesitance for dislike, but she knew him. When she wasn’t looking, or when Inuyasha thought she wasn’t, she could see the way his eyes lingered on her, a softness in his expression that wasn’t there usually. He would allow her to brush his arm casually, or even touch his shoulder when she wanted his attention. He would positively melt when she hugged him, his twitching nose pressed into her shoulder. Those looks and his increasing receptiveness to her touch had given her a glimmer of hope, where once she’d pushed all her tender thoughts and feelings for Inuyasha aside, because let’s face it, she thought wryly, kicking a stone with some force, his heart was already spoken for, no matter how she felt about it.

They hadn’t seen Kikyou for some time. She could tell Inuyasha felt anxious about that; Kikyou had a track record of going off and doing things on her own, getting herself hurt in the process. Kagome guessed that when Inuyasha saw her dressed in traditional miko robes earlier this afternoon, he’d been reminded of Kikyou. He’d been so upset… Even Mama’s gentle explanation that Kagome was only doing this as a favour to her and would be delayed a few hours at most had failed to appease him, and he’d departed through the well in a snarling whirlwind of white and red.

A sudden flash and rumble made her jump, and she turned to see ominously dark storm clouds approaching quickly, a shadow of heavy rain below them. She groaned. Could this day get any worse? She’d left her jacket and umbrella behind. She had nothing to keep herself dry. And if her bag got wet, most things inside would be okay, but the cookies Mama had made so carefully, and that Kagome was really looking forward to giving to everyone, would be ruined!

She was midway between the well and the village. She didn’t think she’d be able to make it back to the village before the rain arrived, but she might be able to make it to the Goshinboku; hopefully its wide branches would give her enough shelter to stay mostly dry until the storm passed.

Hugging her backpack to her front to protect it from stray raindrops, but not so tightly that she’d crush the cookies Mama made, she veered off the well trodden path and sprinted towards the tall tree in a direct line, heedless of the sharp twigs scratching her bare legs as she passed. Heavy drops landed on her back, and the rumbling of thunder increased. The downpour began seconds after she’d started running, and within moments Kagome was drenched from head to toe, cold and wet as the rain came down harder and harder, strong wind whipping the water sideways. She hunched her body protectively over her backpack as she ran, finally arriving at the god tree a few minutes later.

It may have only been a few minutes, but by the time she got there, Kagome could barely feel her extremities and was bitterly regretting forgetting her jacket. She dumped the backpack in the driest spot on the ground, and leaned back against the tree, panting after her quick sprint, her teeth chattering in the cold. She tried not to think of her mother’s warnings about standing under tall trees in thunderstorms. This was the Goshinboku, and if it was still there in her time, that meant it had never been struck by lightning, right?

She twisted her long dark hair, heavy with rain, squeezing out as much water with cold numbed fingers as she could, then wrung out the hem of her pleated skirt. Her thin shirt was clinging to her like a second skin, and she couldn’t stop shivering. She felt so cold that if she’d had dry clothes to get changed into, she wouldn’t have hesitated to strip off out in the open, but she had nothing. She reached into her pocket with numb fingers to see if she at least had a handkerchief to dry her face, but found only paper. Oh! She smoothed it out, a blush pinking her cheeks as she read the koi mikuju fortune again.

Dai-kichi! The person you await comes from a distant place. Be bold! It would be good for you to send them a message.

The neighbouring shrine where she’d danced was dedicated to Izanagi and Izanami, and was famous for giving fortunes for love and marriage. She’d decided to take a fortune by lottery with the other dancers after they’d finished as a bit of fun, shaking the box to choose a numbered chopstick, and choosing a printed paper fortune from the appropriately numbered wooden drawer.

This was the first time she’d drawn a fortune that had the greatest blessing on it – at best, she usually drew a future blessing, and once before an exam, she’d drawn dai-kyou, great curse. She’d tied that one onto a pine tree on the shrine grounds to leave the bad luck behind as fast as possible, unwilling to take the chance that it might come true, shaking her fingers to flick away any lingering misfortune. But this fortune had given her the best of all possible outcomes for romance. Not that she really believed in these of course, it was just for fun. But still…

She smiled despite her increasing shivers as she traced her fingers over the printed fortune, picturing a dog eared boy with white flowing hair and amber eyes. Inuyasha definitely fit the description of ‘comes from a distant place’ – you couldn’t get more distant than five hundred years into the past. But what sort of message would she want to send him? She closed her eyes, folding her numb fingers gently around the tiny slip of paper.

“Inuyasha”, she said quietly, while the thunder boomed and the rain fell in sheets around her, splashing on the ground nearby. Thankfully, even though the tree had lost most of its leaves before winter, the thick lattice of overlapping branches above her was protecting her from most of the rain.

She let her mind wander, trying to think warm thoughts as if they could help ease her shivers and chattering teeth. It felt good to think about him here, in this place where they first met. Be bold, the fortune had said. She wished she could touch him like she wanted to, increase those small moments of intimacy they currently shared to those of a lover. To be able to kiss him like she did in her dreams, and never let him go. She imagined he was standing in front of her, and gathered her thoughts, trying to think what she would say in an ideal world, where he was free to return her feelings.

Kagome’s voice was soft but clear. “Inuyasha, I wish I could tell you out loud how I really feel. I know that you’ve promised yourself to Kikyou; you’ve cared for her for a long time. She comes first in your affections and you made a promise to her; your honour is important to you. I understand. But…”, she took a deep breath in, then blew out a quavering sigh, “I wish things could be different. I said I wanted to stay by your side, and that hasn’t changed. I want to stay with you forever, not just as a friend, but as… as a wife. To truly be your partner in all things. I wish that you wanted to stay by my side too.”

The sudden thud in front of her made her squeak in surprise, and if she wasn’t already leaning against the trunk of the tree, she would have fallen. Her eyes flew open, only to see the scowling face of Inuyasha close to hers.

“Idiot!” he grumbled. “What are you doing just standing there drippin’ in a fucking rainstorm when you should be gettin’ dry!”

He’d heard what she said. He’d been moping in the Goshinboku when he saw her running towards the tree to avoid the sudden storm, ready to jump down to help her if she tripped, because if there was something to trip over, Kagome would do it. Hell, she sometimes tripped when there was nothing there. He’d winced as he’d seen the scratches on her legs, the small amount of blood washed away by the heavy rain, but he hadn’t planned on jumping down when she’d made it to the tree. He was still mulling over the sight of Kagome in those miko robes, unable to get his thoughts in order.

But then she’d spoken, just loud enough for him to hear her over the storm. His heart was beating faster now after hearing her heartfelt words, and his own heart felt full to overflowing, but he had absolutely no idea what to do about it.

He’d felt drawn to Kagome since the moment they met, right here in front of this tree over a year ago; not in ideal circumstances it was true, but now he couldn’t remember a time when he hadn’t wanted her to be part of his life. He didn’t want to remember. She inspired him to be better without even trying. He wanted to protect her, everything about her. His Kagome was headstrong and determined, with a temper to match, but she also caring and generous to a fault, and had a bad habit of wearing her heart on her sleeve for all to see. She could be easily hurt, and he knew that a lot of the time, that was his fault. She was inherently good, and he was coming to recognise, beautiful, both inside and out. The way she affected him seemed to come from her very soul.

He’d known that his feelings toward Kagome had been changing, but it was so gradual that he didn’t recognise them at first. It felt natural for them to be close together, and it was only when she was apart from him that he realised how much he needed her. Her laugh, her smile, her touch, her scent, the soft curves of her body as she pushed herself against his side as they sat by the fire. It was getting harder to ignore the instincts in the back of his mind that wanted him to take her, make her his, so that she could never leave. But what did Kagome want? Could she really want to bind herself to a hanyou? What she’d said just now – it seemed the answer was yes. But did he dare ask her? Act on his instincts?

Inuyasha’s cheeks heated at that thought, and he hid his consternation by dropping to a crouch next to Kagome’s bag and sorting haphazardly through her backpack, looking for something to dry her with. He ignored Kagome’s sudden shriek as she pounced to save the cookies, putting the cloth wrapped package safely out of his reach. He pulled out the old towel she usually used when they stopped to bathe, dropping it over her head and briskly drying as much of her as he could, concentrating mainly on her hair and face, her body still shivering violently, while she protested his rough treatment. All the negative thoughts were coming back now that she was here in front of him, and he did his best to push them away.

“Where’s your other clothes?” he asked, dropping the now damp towel on the ground, and flicking his gaze away from her. “You need to get dry or you’re gonna get sick.”

“I didn’t bring anything else”, she whispered, not meeting his eyes. “I wanted to bring extra things for you to make it up to you, and because I was in a rush I forgot.” Tentatively, her hand reached out, the slim delicate fingers brushing against his sleeve. “Inuyasha, I’m sorry I made you angry. I guess seeing me in the miko outfit wasn’t what you expected.”

An irritated grumbling sound left him. The scent of her sorrow was making him feel awkward and guilty. He knew he’d overreacted, but the hurt he’d felt at the time had been visceral, and no amount of explanation had soothed him. He was also worried by the blue tint to her lips and her pale skin. He needed to take her back to her mother’s house so she could get dry clothing. The rain was beginning to slow now; as soon as it stopped, he’d take her back. The last thing he needed was having to fret about her getting sick, especially with the colder weather approaching. And besides, he needed her to wear something else. Kagome’s white school shirt was soaked completely through, the thin material hugging her every curve. He’d been trying to avert his eyes, but they kept flicking back to her as if they had a mind of their own.

“That wasn’t why I was angry”, he huffed, tucking his hands into his sleeves. “Not exactly anyway.”

Kagome sighed, her eyes still lowered. “It’s okay to be worried about her, Inuyasha. I know we haven’t seen Kikyou for a while, but I’m sure she will be fine. She’s strong and determined, and…”

Inuyasha placed his hand firmly over her mouth. “Just shut up for a minute will ya? I’m tryin’ ta figure out how ta say somethin’.

Kagome’s brows contracted in irritation, her brown eyes narrowing; he could feel those soft lips of hers moving into a pout under his palm, and it made him lose his train of thought entirely, his breath leaving him in a loud huff.

“Just… it weren’t anythin’ to do with Kikyou. I do care about Kikyou, and I don’t want anythin’ bad to happen to her, but I don’t think of her the way I think about you. I never see her when I look at you, okay?” he growled. “Seein’ you dressed like that reminded me that you have a place in the future where I don’t belong! That you have people there who need you too, and you don’t have to come back here at all if you don’t wanna.”

He sighed, twitching his gaze away from hers and lowering his ears at the thought of what he was about to admit. “I just started to think about what it’s gonna be like when this is all over, when we beat Naraku and you’ve got no reason to come through the well anymore.” Kagome’s eyes filled with tears, and he shook his head.

“Don’t cry!” Inuyasha moved his hand away from her mouth to cup her cheek, wiping away a single tear that spilled down her cheek with his thumb. “In your time, you have a home, and a family, and it’s safe there. People respect you Kagome – that’s what I saw when you were in those miko robes. I got nothin’ to offer you. No home, no family.”

His voice became husky as he looked into her wide brown eyes. “I… I heard what ya said just now Kagome.” He made a soothing noise at her startled intake of breath. “If you stayed here with me as a hanyou’s wife, people would scorn you. You stayin’ in the future is the only sensible thing.” His thumb rubbed over her cheek gently as she made a sound of distress. “So why does it hurt so much when I think about that? My chest aches Kagome, when I think of my future without you in it.”

He was quite unprepared for when she launched herself at him, her arms flinging up to go around his neck tightly, the wet fabric cold against the uncovered skin of his neck. “I don’t want to go Inuyasha!” she cried. “I want to be with you! I love you!”

Inuyasha buried his nose in close to her neck, breathing in that scent, his arms wrapping around her waist to pull her tightly against him. No other person’s personal scent affected him like Kagome’s did, and he couldn’t get enough of it.

“I want you to stay Kagome. I can barely last three days with you there away from me, let alone fucking forever”, he said gruffly, sighing against the soft smooth skin of her throat. “I know it would be better for you if you didn’t, but I’m just a selfish bastard. I need you.”

She was racked with another violent fit of shivering, despite her proximity to him, so with a soft brush of his lips against her pale skin, he regretfully pushed her back for a moment. “But you won’t be stayin’ anywhere if ya die because ya catch a chill, stupid. I can’t believe you came without anythin’ warm to wear. You’re meant ta be the smart one. Here.” He undid the ties to his fire rat and shrugged it off, ready to hand it over to her, but her close proximity to him in her wet clothes had him gulping.

She may as well have not been wearing a shirt at all. The rain had made the white cotton transparent where it clung to her, and the scrap of lacy white cloth she wore underneath did nothing to hide the imprint of her nipples against the damp fabric. Inuyasha found himself staring, eyes following the trail of water from her dark hair, down her slim neck and into the green collar of her shirt where it was plastered to her wet skin. The thicker fabric of her green skirt was so heavy with water it was hanging dangerously low on her hips, leaving little to the imagination – he could see more of that white lace fabric peeking out over the top of her waistband. All he wanted was to peel her out of her clothes and taste the droplets of water glistening on her skin.

His eyes moved upwards, connecting with hers, the smoldering heat in his gaze full of want. She glanced down, now aware of why his eyes kept straying downwards, glued to the see-through material, and she squeaked, crossing her arms across her chest in sudden embarrassment.

“I’m sorry”, he said gruffly, averting his eyes and draping his suikan over her head and shoulders, pulling the edges shut. “This should keep you a bit warmer. Although you need to get out of those wet clothes. When the rain stops I’ll take you back through the well and you can have a hot bath and get warm again.”

Kagome smiled at him shyly, then bit her lip, holding the fire rat robe open again. What was that English saying they’d learnt in class recently? Something about being brave to get what you want?

Fortune favours the bold.

Kagome took a deep breath. “Inuyasha, I don’t want you to get cold and wet too. I’m sure we could both fit under here, if we were a little closer.”

“Kagome”, he groaned. “I’m tryin’ ta do the right thing here.”

“So am I”, she whispered. “Please Inuyasha. I feel warm when I’m close to you. Help me stay warm.”

With another groan he sat down, pulling her with him. He leaned his back against the bark of the tree, directly under where he’d been pinned by an arrow so many years ago. Now it was the weight of Kagome sitting in his lap keeping him pinned, and he knew exactly which one he preferred. Kagome squirmed in his lap, getting comfortable, her legs astride his, her hands grasping fistfuls of his kosode. His feet were getting wet from the rain, but he could care less. His lap was full of the girl he wanted to stay beside forever, and that was enough for him.

“C’mere you”, he said, his voice husky, adjusting his suikan around her head and shoulders to keep her warm. “Snuggle in tight if ya don’t want me to look at you.”

“M-maybe I want you to… to look at me, I mean.” He raised a dark eyebrow at her and she grinned mischeviously, despite her blue tinged lips and chattering teeth. “And maybe I wouldn’t mind if you did more than look.” Her cold hands tugged at his fingers near her shoulders and placed them low on her hips, and she smiled encouragingly at him. “You can touch, if you want.”

He couldn’t help the needy rumbling growl that vibrated in his chest. “I do want. Tell me if I do anythin’ you don’t like, okay?”

Kagome nodded, and his fingers traipsed up and down her sides over the wet fabric of her clothing as she gazed at him with wide eyes. She was beautiful, even like this, with wet straggly hair, and chattering teeth. Even looking like a drowned rat didn’t seem to be enough to dampen her light. His thumbs brushed the sides of her breasts, and he watched her expression, waiting for her to tell him to stop, but she only whimpered slightly, her thighs tensing against his, her bottom wiggling enticingly in his lap.

That did it. His fingers grew bolder, moving towards the front of her breasts, drawing small circles over the damp cotton of her shirt, her already hard nipples taut as he tweaked them gently, causing even more goosebumps to ripple across her skin. With a growl, his hands moved swiftly to her behind, pushing her tight against him. He rained soft licks and kisses on her face and neck, coaxing a quiet moan to fall from her lips, before he moved up to capture the sound and plunder the sweetness of her mouth.

At first he kissed her gently, a tender brush of his lips against hers, his mouth soft and pliable and hungry. She tasted of rainwater, and something sweeter. Kagome sighed as she melted against him, angling her head to deepen the kiss, her fingers slipping into his long mane of hair to pull slightly at the nape of his neck. He opened his mouth against hers, needing to taste more of her, their tongues touching tentatively at first, then more passionately as they grew in confidence.

Inuyasha growled, a low and needy rumble into her mouth, the sound bubbling up without warning; an uncontrollable reaction to her closeness. He could feel Kagome smiling against his lips at the sound, and he couldn’t help but match her with a grin of his own, his sharp canine teeth grazing her bottom lip. He pulled her in tighter, deepening the kiss until they were both gasping for air. With reluctance he finally lifted his mouth from hers, cursing his need to breathe, but smirking at her disappointed whine.

He was quick to silence that unhappiness, her sound of upset replaced by heated sighs as he bent his head to claim her neck, grazing her pale skin lightly with his pointed teeth. Her hands found their way around his torso, fingers finding purchase in the rough cloth at his shoulder blades. A cold gust of wind hit them, and Kagome shivered violently, dragging them both out of the moment, her teeth chattering despite the fire rat draped over her shoulders and the warmth of his body heat against her front.

He pressed his nose into her neck, licking the damp skin. “I need to get you back through the well Kagome. You’re gonna get sick.”

Her teeth chattered harder. “I c-could just t-take off my w-wet things”, she said, cuddling in tightly against him.

“Sure, right before you get into a hot bath. I’m takin’ you home.”

He pulled back, taking a moment to just look at her, drinking in the sight of her eyes shining like jewels in the shadow created by his fire rat, her slim body backlit by sudden flashes of lightning. Distant thunder rumbled around them, the previous downpour now a sprinkle, drifting like soft mist.

He watched with amusement as Kagome carefully placed the wrapped cloth parcel in the top of her backpack again, hampered by the hugeness of his suikan and her numb fingers. He moved to help, and she pushed his fingers away. “You’re too rough. Mama worked hard to make these for everyone, and I don’t want them all broken. As soon as I’ve gotten warm again, we’re coming back so I can give them to everyone.”

She finally managed to get her backpack over her shoulders, and he bent down to allow her to climb onto his back, his hands caressing the soft skin of her thighs as he began to sprint back to the well. She cuddled in close to him, enjoying his warmth.

“Of course you’re comin’ back”, he grinned. “And you’d better not take too long in that bath, or I’m comin’ in after you.”

Fortune favours the bold.

She leaned forward to whisper in his ear, her teeth still chattering, but her voice full of promise. “Maybe I want you to.”

#I don't know #inukag secret santa #inukag blanket fic #inukag caught in the rain #inukag kisses #inukag fanfic #Bearpluscat fanfics

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