• 1-The Lucky Ones
• 2-Chapter Two
• 3-Chapter Three
• 4-Chapter Four
• 5-Chapter Five
• 6-Chapter Six
• 7-Chapter Seven
• 8-Chapter Eight
• 9-Chapter Nine
• 10-Chapter Ten
• 11-Chapter Eleven
• 12-Chapter Twelve
• 13-Chapter Thirteen
• 14-Chapter Fourteen
• 15-Chapter Fifteen
• 16-Chapter Sixteen
• 17-Chapter Seventeen
• 18-Chapter Eighteen
• 19-Chapter Nineteen
• 20-Chapter Twenty
• 21-Chapter Twenty-One
• 22-Chapter Twenty-Two
• 23-Chapter Twenty-Three
• 24-Chapter Twenty-Four
• 25-Chapter Twenty-Five
• 26-Chapter Twenty-Six
• 27-Chapter Twenty-Seven
• 28-Chapter Twenty-Eight
• 29-Chapter Twenty-Nine
• 30-Chapter Thirty
• 31-Chapter Thirty-One
• 32-Chapter Thirty-Two
• 33-Chapter Thirty-Three
• 34-Chapter Thirty-Four
• 35-Chapter Thirty-Five
• 36-Chapter Thirty-Six
• 37-Chapter Thirty-Seven
• 38-Chapter Thirty-Eight
• 39-Chapter Thirty-Nine
• 40-Chapter Forty
• 41-Chapter Forty-One
• 42-Chapter Forty-Two
• 43-Chapter Forty-Three
• 44-Chapter F-Fou-Four
• 45-chapter Forty-Five
• 46-Chapter Forty-Six
• 47-Chapter Forty-Seven
• 48-Chapter Forty-Eight
• 49-Epilogue

The Lucky Ones

By Terri Botta

Disclaimer: I don’t own
Inuyasha. Sole copyright belongs to Viz and Rumiko Takashi. I’m poor so don’t
sue.

Rating: R for later chapters.

Pairing: Inuyasha/Kagome,
Miroku/Sango

Summary: Sometimes Fate hands
you a gift you never thought you’d ever get, and it’s up to you to accept it
for what it is.

Feedback to:
tci100@psu.edu

Website: http://www.wordsmiths.net/Botta

A/N: This story is almost
over. I do have some other things planned but it’s wrapping up now. I just want
to warn all of you that I am going on vacation from May 1 to May 9 so don’t
expect any updates until after May 10. Thanks for all of the great reviews.
This story has been very fun to write. :)

Take care all.

Terri

*******

Chapter Thirty-One

Inuyasha
waited until Kagome was gone before he spoke.

“Kikyou...”
he whispered, trying to put all of his regret and sadness in the name.

“Do not
suffer for me, Inuyasha. In many ways your debt has been repaid tenfold.”

He paused,
his eyes downcast. “I... I’m still sorry.”

“Don’t be.
You have found love. Isn’t that what you wished for with me?”

“But you’re
alone! And... and I made you
a promise.”

“The
promise you made was to someone who no longer exists. Your Kikyou died fifty
years ago, Inuyasha, when she followed you in death.”

“Why... why
are you saying these things to me now? Before you demanded that my life was
yours. You told me you wouldn’t give it to anyone else. Why the change of
heart?” he demanded.

‘All that time she made me think she
would come for me. She made me deny Kagome and kept me from building a house.
Kagome may not see it as I do, but I am
dishonoring and shaming her by not making her my wife.’

She looked
at him and did not answer. Her silence irritated him and he scowled.

“Kikyou,
where have you been? No one has seen you in over a year. You just left without
telling anyone anything. The only way we knew you were even alive was through
Kagome. Where did you go?”

‘Why did you just leave me without a
word? Why didn’t you set me free if you did not intend to return?’

“After we
last saw each other by Goshinboku all those months
ago, my travels took me into Shi Nano to a place
called Zenko-ji. You have heard of this place, yes?”

He nodded
that he had. “It’s a holy place like Mt.
Hakurei.”

She nodded
back. “Yes, but all are welcome there. It has been a shrine for centuries. I
went there looking for a Shikon shard and instead I found... peace.”

He blinked.
‘Peace?’ “Peace?”

“The holy
ones there, men and women, they are pure in ways I had only hoped to achieve
while I was alive. They knew me for what I was immediately, but they offered me
no hatred or violence. Instead, they accepted me and invited me to stay. I have
been there ever since.”

There was
something in her eyes, a serenity and calm that he had only seen on her face
but once before. It was on the night that he had agreed to become human for
her. She had taken his hand and smiled at him, and the same peaceful light had
lit her eyes.

“Kikyou...”
‘Has she been happy?’

“For the first
time since my resurrection, I found a place where I could live and be myself,”
she told him. “It is a rare thing for something which is an abomination to most
to find acceptance. I never understood the importance of it before I became... this.
So many times I had to hide what I was in order to find a small bit of peace.
Then I came to Zenko-ji and experienced acceptance.
To them, I was not an abomination, but another sentient being walking this
earth in need of solace and a place to belong.”

“I’m glad.
I am glad you found a place where you could be happy and accepted,” he said
honestly. ‘I’m glad you were safe,
Kikyou. But why did you not send any word to me? Why did you go away for over a
year and leave me hanging?’

She smiled
softly. “I have been re-learning how to live.”

“But why
did you not send me any word that you were safe? I can read you know,” he
chided.

She
chuckled. “I know. But would you have come seeking me out if you had known
where I was? Would you have left my reincarnation’s side to come to mine? By
then I had realized my claims on your life were unfounded and unfair. I allowed
you to blame yourself for something that was equally my fault. And I had
betrayed you in more ways than one with Naraku.”

He lowered
his head and shifted his feet. “I understand what you were trying to do with Naraku.”

“Do you? I don’t think you do,
Inuyasha. I did not fire my arrow to free the Kodoku
in order to save you. If I had wanted that, I could have shot the Kodoku and killed it, thus denying Naraku
a new body. No, I chose to free the Kodoku and allow Naraku his newy iny in order to see who was there. It was
my own hubris which allowed Naraku to become even
more powerful. Then I added to my shame by giving him the shard I stole from
Kagome. I, in my arrogance and anger, thought I alone could purify the Shikon
no Tama and rid it, and Naraku, from the world. I
deeply regret these decisions because I know how much pain and death they
caused,” she explained.

He
swallowed hard and clenched his fists. ‘Kanna, Kagura, Goshinki who broke my Tessaiga and freed my demon blood...
All detachments from Naraku that he made with the
power of the Shikon no Tama...’

“I tried to
kill Kagome that time, you know. On the day when all of you
were captured by Naraku’s illusions. I had instructed my Shinidama-chuu to drop her into the miasma after I stole
the shard.”

He gritted
his teeth, stamping back the sudden rage he felt. ‘So I was right. Kikyou had
gone after Kagome...’

“I
suspected, but Kagome would not tell me what you had done to her.”

Kikyou made
a soft sound. “Trust my reincarnation to keep the truth from you in order to
prevent you from being hurt. This is why she is more worthy of you than I could
ever be. I am happy that you have found love with her.”

He drooped his ears and closed his eyes. “I... I did love you,
Kikyou.”

“I know.
And I loved you. In my own way. But I couot lot love
you as a hanyou, and you needed to be loved for what you were. Now that I am this I
understand all too well the importance of being loved and accepted as you are.
It is a lesson I never learned in life so I have had to learn it in death.
Kagome loves you as a hanyou. She can give you the peace and acceptance that
you need. Your wish upon the Shikon no Tama will be pure because she is not
tainted as I was.”

He looked
up at her, seeing her with eyes that were clear and sad, but understanding.

“Kikyou...”

The undead miko reached into her kimono and drew out a small cloth
bag. This she removed from around her neck and handed to him.

“Give this
to Kagome. With this and the shards she already has, it should be the last or
very close to it. I only ask that you not make your wish until I join you in
the village.”

He closed
his hand around the bag, feeling the shard within. It felt about the t
st
size.

‘Is this it? Is this the last
shard?’

“I won’t do
anything until we see you again, Kikyou. I promise.”

She gave
him a sad smile. “And your promises are never broken.”

He looked
away again, flushing, then her hand caressed his cheek and her lips were upon
his. He was shocked at first, but then he hugged her and kissed her back,
softly, tenderly- a kiss good-bye.

“Live,
Inuyasha. Live and be happy,” she whispered as she pulled away.

“Kikyou...
I’ll never forget you, Kikyou.”

“And I shall
never forget you, Inuyasha. You were my first love.”

“Mine too,”
he admitted.

The Shinidama-chuu encircled their mistress and lifted her up.

“I’ll come
to the village soon. Wait for me.”

He nodded,
looking after her as the soul-catchers carried her away. “I will.”

“Thank you,
Inuyasha, for loving me and remaining true even when I did not deserve it. I
free you from your promise. Go and be with Kagome. Build her the house she
deserves.”

He gave her
a smile that lit up his eyes. “Thank you, Kikyou. Be safe until I see you
again.”

“And you,
Inuyasha. Be safe and keep your family safe. Good-bye.”

“Good-bye,
Kikyou.”

atchatched
until she was nothing more than a misty white speck against the dark sky, no
different from a twinkling star except that it was moving, then he tucked the
shard she had given him close to his chest and drew a deep breath.

‘I’m free. She set me free. I can
marry Kagome and build her a house and we can have a family.’

The sudden
rush of joy he felt was almost too much for him to contain.

‘Kagome. My beautiful Kagome. I am forever yours for as long as we
both shall live.’

He took a
moment to compose himself before rushing off to find his lover and soon-to-be
wife. He found her sitting by the campfire, Yukio in her lap and playing with
the unopened carton of ramen as he impatiently waited for his father to return.
Kirara in her kitten form, Shippou and Myouga were
all next to her.

“Kagome,”
he said.

She loo up up at him, and he saw the worry and fear fade from eyeseyes once she saw his
face.

“Otou-san!” Yukio cried happily, dropping the cup of ramen.

“Inuyasha-sama, you’ve returned,” Myouga
announced.

“She’s
gone?” Kagome asked him.

He nodded,
moving to crouch beside her. Yukio leaped into his arms and he held his pup
close. “But she’ll be coming to the village soon.”

“She will?”

“She wanted
me to give you this,” he told her, and gave her the bag.

She blinked
at him then opened the bag, revealing the shard. He heard her gasp.

“Inuyasha...”

“Wow!”
Shippou breathed, his eyes opening wide.

“Looks like
the last of it. Yeah, I know.”

She fished
her own shard out from inside the collar of her shirt and brought the two
pieces close to each other. “We’ll know for sure once I fuse them together.”

He put a
hand on her wrist. “Tomorrow,” he requested.

She stopped
and stared at him, but agreed, placing her shard back into her shirt and
wrapping Kikyou’s back up in its bag.

“Once it’s
complete, it will attract even more trouble than it already does and I want
peace tonight,” he explained.

She nodded
that she understood.

“There’s
something else,” he began. ‘How do I tell
her this?’

“She freed
you.”

‘She knew...’

“You
knew...”

She nodded
again. “I suspected. That’s why I left you two alone. I wanted you to be able
to say good-bye without worrying about me being jealous.”

He grinned
and kissed her. “My Kagome, always thinking of others and never of herself…” ‘I can say it now. I’m free to say it…’
“I lo...”

She put a
hand on his lips, halting his final confession.

“Later. When we’re alone. I want to be alone with you when you tell
me the first time because then I won’t have to worry about what I do to you
when you finally do say it.”

Her eyes
were swimming with happy tears and he kissed them away. “Kagome...”

“Inuyasha...”

“Food!” Yukio yelled, shattering the mood.

“Oi, pup!” he scolded.

Yukio
glared at him then stuck his fist in his mouth. “Yukio
hungry. Want ramen.”

Kagome
giggled then began to laugh. “Our son has spoken.”

Inuyasha
growled making Yukio blink and flatten his ears. :Pup
good!:

Inuyasha
nuzzled him with his nose to reassure him that he really wasn’t angry. :Pup good.: “Pup has bad timing.”

told you Yukio was
turning into you. This is why I wanted you to watch your mouth around him.”

“But I’ve
stopped cursing around him!” he argued indignantly.

“You’re
stillchinching him how to be rude. The first thing he said when he saw Kikyou
was that she smelled bad.”

‘Well, she does. She reeks of grave
dirt…’

Yukio
nodded and grabbed his nose. “Kussee,” he said.

“See?” she
said.

He frowned.
“Now see here, pup. You need to mind your manners. No one likes a rude brat
running around.”

Kagome
rolled her eyes. “Oh, now he gets it…”

“Feh, this is why we need a house with separate rooms for
sleeping. So we can put this brat in his place and make him stay
there when he’s misbehaved.”

“And you’ll keep him in his room
precisely how?” she asked incredulously.

“Permanent seals? One of your ‘locks’?
I know, I’ll get Toutousai
to forge a youki door that can only be opened from the outside when locked.”

“So I can
lock you in there too when I want to be alone?” she teased.

“Oi!”

She smiled
and kissed him to soothe his wounded pride. “I love you.”

He beamed
at her and kissed her back, then hugged her with one arm because the other
still held his pup.

“I can build the house now,
right Kagome?”

She gave
him a tearful nod and rested her head on his shoulder. “Yes, you can build the
house.”

He sighed
and all the tension left his body. ‘She’s
accepted me. Did you have any doubts that she would? Fool. She should. She
should see you for the tainted half-breed you are and run for the hills.’

He looked
at her fondly and kissed her temple. “Kagome…”

“How many rooms should it have?” she
asked faintly.

“Hmmm? Ummm, three at least. One for us and two for the pups, that way
the older ones won’t have to sleep with the littles.”

“Three bedrooms? It sounds like you plan to build me a
palace.”

“Do you
want one? I’ll build it. As big as you like…”

“No,” she
cut him off. “I don’t need a palace or a big house. I’m happy in our den
actually. I think I’ll miss it.”

He smirked.
“Who says we’re going to abandon it? You think I’d give up our love nest?”

She
chuckled. “I’m glad.”

The water
was boiling so she pulled away from him to make the ramen. He mourned the loss
of her warmth beside him, but the smell of the food was adequate repayment for
his momentary loneliness, and soon she was handing him the steaming cup of
noodles. Yukio released him and turned to sit in his lap, clapping happily.

“Ramen! Ramen!”

Kagome
placed his dinner on the ground beside his father’s knee.

“Here, you
have to wait a bit, baby. It’s too hot to eat yet.”

Yukio
pouted but knew what would happen if he ate the ramen when it was too hot
because he’d already learned that lesson. Inuyasha took the opportunity to
hastily eat his dinner in preparation for feeding his son once the noodles were
cool enough for the toddler to eat. Then he noticed that he and Yukio were the
only ones with cup noodles.

“Hey,
aren’t you eating?”

Kagome
fished into her bag and pulled out one of the sacks of provisions given to them
by the villagers.

“You and
Yukio may want those instant noodles, but the rest of us want real
food,” she answered.

“That’s
because hanyous have no taste,” Shippou commented sagely.

“Oi!” he groused but the kit was just out of hitting range.

“Shippou,
stop insulting Inuyasha,” Kagome scolded.

The kitsune
looked chagrined but not really repentant. Then he brightened when Kagome
handed him a bowl of steamed rice and dumplings.

“Thank you,
Kagome!”

“Keh. I still say the instant
stuff is better,” he sniffed.

Kagome shrugged
and ate her dinner. He ate two cups of ramen and then fed Yukio his cup. The
pup was still too young to use chopsticks, so he cut the noodles up into small
bits and fed him with a spoon.

“How can
you think you’re a bad father when you are so caring and attentive to him?”
Kagome asked him suddenly.

He drooped his ears and blushed a little. “Because I’m rude and
violent and teach him bad manners,” he replied.

She cocked
her head and looked at him with amusement. “That’s true, but you’re also loving
and tender and he adores you.” She came up behind him and wrapped her arms
around his shoulders, pressing her soft breasts
against his back and making him shiver with desire. “I think you’re a wonderful
father.”

Yukio
looked up at the both of them and beamed.

“Otou-san. Okaa-san.”

She reached
over his shoulder to rub the pup’s ears. “Okaa-san loves Yukio.”

Yukio
giggled and grabbed at her hand. “Yukio loves Okaa-san, loves Otou-san.”

The toddler
moved forward further into his lap and hugged him around his chest, his little
head right against his collarbone. He put one arm around his pup, and used the
other to reach up to hold Kagome’s hand.

‘My mate and my pup. Do I need anything else to sustain me in
this world?’ he asked himself. ‘I
never thought I would ever have someone to love me. I never dreamed of taking a
wife or having pups. Then I met Kikyou and she loved me. I would have done
anything for her and I would have become human if Naraku
hadn’t tricked us into betraying each other. But was Kikyou right about her
love not being pure? Would her taint really have caused my wish to go wrong?’

“What are
you thinking?” Kagome questioned. “You just got all tense.”

“Something
Kikyou said to me before she left.”

“Oh?”

‘There’s no anger or jealousy in her
voice when she speaks of Kikyou now…’

“Do you
think what Kikyou said about my wish to become human possibly going wrong if
I’d made it all those years ago is true? That her love for me was tainted with
her hatred of youkai, and that the jewel would have used
that to twist the wish?”

Kagome was
quiet for a moment and he wondered what she was thinking about this new
revelation.

“Hmmm. She might be right. The Shikon no Tama is very
sensitive to the energy around it. It’s entirely possible that if her hatred
was strong enough, it could have affected your wish.”

He nodded.
“So it might have corrupted the wish and destroyed us,” he added.

Her arms
around him tightened a little bit. “I’m glad that didn’t happen. We’ll have to
be very careful with your wish.”

“She said
your love was pure and wouldn’t taint the jewel.”

“Mmm. She said something very
similar when I was there. She said it was the reason my being with you didn’t
decrease my spiritual powers.”

He turned
his head to nuzzle her and lick her temple lightly.

‘Mmm, I love how
you smell and taste…’ he thought with a small needy whine.

“Did Kikyou
say where she’s been all this time?”

“Eh? Oh.
Yeah. She’s been at Senko-ji,” he replied, forcing
himself back from his amorous haze.

“So she was
the shrine maiden from the temple there.”

He nodded.
“Kikyou told me the holy ones there accepted her even though they knew she was
dead, and that she found peace there.”

“Oh, that’s
so wonderful. What a comfort that must be for her to not have to hide what she
is for fear of being hated and hunted.”

‘Like a hanyou… Kikyou’s learned
what it’s like to be a hanyou. Now she understands what my life has been like…’

She gave
him a kiss on the cheek then playfully licked his ear; a clear sign that she
intended to pleasure him later because she knew what licking his ears did to
him. He groaned softly deep in his throat and nipped at her chin as he turned
his head, then gave a little moan and grasped at her when she pulled away.

“Later,”
she whispered in his ear, giving it another quick lick.

He whined,
but she just nuzzled him with her nose and moved to get more rice and dumplings
for herself.

“Yukio want
some of Kaa-san’s dumplings?” she asked, offering the
toddler one of hers.

Yukio
sniffed at it, his nose screwing up, and looked at her with suspicious eyes.
“Not ramen.”

“No, but
they’re just as good.”

“Don’t
believe her, pup. Nothing is as good as ramen,” he warned.

“Nothing?”
she answered coyly.

‘Shit. If you wanna
have her tonight, you’d better do some fast talking...’ He stammered and
back-pedaled. “No food is better than ramen,” he corrected hastily.

“Ahh, no food is better. Well, thank you for
clarifying that.”

Shippou
just shook his head. “I think I’m too young for this conversation.”

Kagome
giggled and blushed, but Inuyasha just beamed proudly and reached over to pat
the fox kit on the head. “Someday you’ll understand, Shippou.”

The kitsune
gave him a tolerant look. “I understand now.”

“Inuyasha-sama, you should be more discrete in front of the
children!” Myouga scolded.

“Hey she
started it!” ‘With the ear licking and
the teasing and the...’

He looked
at his companions amused faces and realized they were kidding him. He snorted
and looked away, folding his arms into his sleeves.

“Keh!”

He watched
and waited as Kagome finished up the dinner chores and got things ready for the
night. He pretended not to care about her actions or even be aware of her as he
played with his son, but when all the preparations for the evening were
complete and they were all settling down, he fixed her with a look that was
pure heat and undisguised need.

“Kirara,
can you watch Yukio?” he heard her ask the firecat.

Kirara
mewed and transformed into her full form. Yukio saw the firecat
change and launched a protest.

“No!”

“Now see
here, pup. Otou and Kaa-san are going off to have
some time alone together. No pups allowed.”

“No leave
Yukio!! No! No!”

Kagome came
close and took him into her arms. He latched onto her with his claws and clung.

“Now, now,
baby. Otou and Kaa-san need their time. You’ll be
safe with Kirara and Shippou-chan. And we always come
back, ne? We’ve never left you for long, right?”

Yukio
sniffled and sucked on his fist.

“Okaa-a-a-a. Nooooooo.”

“Hush. There’s lots of times when it’s just you and me, ne? Does Otou complain when I spend time with you?”

The toddler
blinked at her and sniffled again. “Yes.”

“Oi! I do not!” he protested.

“Yukio,
sweetheart, Okaas and Otous
need time alone. It helps Okaas and Otous stay happy together. You want us to be happy, ne?”

Yukio gave
her a perfect imitation of ‘soulful puppy dog eyes’ and Inuyasha blanched.

‘He is turning into me!’

His
pleading expression fell on a hardened heart. “Now Otou and I are going to go
have our time, and you are going to be a good pup and stay with Kirara, Shippou
and Myouga-jiichan, right? Because if you don’t,
you’ll be in trouble and Otou will punish you.”

Yukio
looked his way and tried ‘soulful puppy dog eyes’ on him. He felt his resolve
wavering and bit his lip.

‘How does she say no to either of us
when we make that face?’

But the
thought of not having any alone time with Kagome was even less appealing than
refusing his pup what he wanted, and that gave him the strength to hold his
ground.

“Listen to
Okaa, pup. If we go off and you follow, I’ll put you over my knee. Got it?”

Yukio’s
eyes widened at the threat and he shrank back against his mother, eyes tearing
up again and spilling over.

“Noooooooooooooo.” :Pup good! Pup good.:

:Obey Leader-male,: he ordered.

“Are you
going to be good and stay with Kirara and Shippou?” Kagome asked.

Yukio
nodded sadly.

“Ye-e-e-sss.”

“You
promise?”

“Yes.”

n stn style='mso-tab-count:1'> “Good.
Remember promises have to be kept, right?”

Yukio
nodded again. He knew keeping promises was very important to his parents and
was one of the values they were doing their best to instill in him.

“That’s
right, pup. A man’s word is his bond. If you can’t be trusted to keep your
word, then no one will ever trust you with anything,” he reasserted. “Are you a
man?”

Yukio
nodded dutifully, and Inuyasha gave him a grunt of satisfaction. “Then you’ll
keep your word and leave Okaa and me alone until we come back.”

“And we
will be back, baby. Before you go to sleep. We’ll all
get into my sleeping bag together, and you’ll snuggle up between us like
always, safe and warm. Okay?” Kagome added.

With a
final pout and sniff, Yukio nodded. “Okay.”

Kagome
smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “That’s my brave boy. Who’s a big dog?”

The toddler
beamed. “Me!”

“Good.
That’s what I like to hear,” she said as she gently placed him next to Kirara. “Be
good now. Okaa and Otou will be back soon.”

“Not that
soon,” he corrected, murmuring in her ear as he nipped at the lobe. ‘I’d keep you to myself all night if I had
the choice.’

“Hush.”

He growled
then sighed as she nuzzled him. Reaching down, he rubbed his pup’s ears and
gave him a smile.

“You be good and keep an eye on the others, pup. Especially that
fox. He’s a tricky one.”

“Hey!”
Shippou complained.

He
snickered and gave the kit a smirk, then he wrapped
his arms around Kagome and pulled her close.

‘Mine.’

“Ready?” he
asked.

She nodded
and he could smell the beginnings of her excitement. Gathering her up, he leapt
off, taking her back to the banks of the hot spring.

“Back
here?” she asked as he set her down.

“You don’t
like it? I thought it would be nice. You could bathe afterwards…” ‘Did I make the wrong choice?’

“Yes, but
Kikyou was just…”

‘Here. Oh. I understand.’ “We could find
another onsen. Where there’s one, there are usually
others.”

She looked
up at him, pleading and apologetic. “Please?”

“Heh, so my Kagome still gets jealous,” he teased, then
raised his head to sniff the area. He thought he caught the scent of another
spring not too far away.

“This way,”
he said, motioning for her to get on his back.

She obeyed
and wrapped her legs around his hips, bringing her soft spot right against his
spine and deliberately rubbing it against him as he moved. Her arousal wafted
to his nose and his own body reacted with enthusiasm.

“Stop that,
woman, or we won’t get to the spring,” he warned.

“Stop
what?” she asked innocently.

He just
gritted his teeth and growled in frustration. ‘I’ll make you pay for that, tease.’

The second onsen was smaller, but thankfully not as hot. This
one he would be able to tolerate and that pleased him because he liked bathing
with Kagome, especially after lovemaking.

“Is this
better?” he asked.

Her answer
was a deep kiss that he took as a ‘yes’ and he returned her kiss eagerly.

“I love
you,” she whispered.

He shivered
at the words and licked her neck. “I… I love you, koishii,”
he stammered, still half-afraid to admit it because then it would be real and
it could be taken away.

There. He’d
said it. He’d finally said it, and the words broke the last chains from around
his heart. He could almost hear them shattering and falling in tiny orphaned
links, and his heart, open at last, beat wildly with its newfound freedom.