#one-sided inukag

[s0ftandsad]

Inuyasha One Shot/Ficlet!

i wrote another one shot! it didn’t take nearly as long as the Wanda Maximoff/Reader one shot took (to be fair, i was attending college full time and working two part time jobs). This one shot is a little more accurate of Kagome’s and Inuyasha’s personalities relative to previous characterizations for MCU characters in my one shots.

I had a lot of fun writing this. I hope whoever reads this, enjoys it!! <3

Word Count: 938 Pairing: Kagome Higurashi/Inuyasha

Summary: Inuyasha hurts Kagome’s feelings, so she goes back home to mope.

[tha-star]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: One side Higurashi Kagome/Kouga, Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Past InuYasha/Kikyou (InuYasha) - Relationship, Minor Ayame/Kouga (InuYasha) Characters: Kouga (InuYasha), Higurashi Kagome, InuYasha (InuYasha), Ayame (InuYasha) Additional Tags: Unrequited Love, Bittersweet Ending, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Married Couple, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Baggage, Pining, One-Sided Attraction, Drama, Love Confessions, Implied Sexual Content, Sad Ending, Attempted Seduction, Forced Kiss Attempt Summary:

If Kouga still had feelings for Kagome when he married Ayame?

After years without seeing the different human girl he met and fell in love with, Kouga, afraid of forgetting her, decided to go after her and have her for himself.

[shinidamachu]

inuyasha, kagome and jealousy: why their feelings were justified

disclaimer: I'm aware there's a debate about whether or not inukag was officially, canonically dating during the series and that the answers tend to change according to the source material embasing them (manga or anime), but despite using manga panels to write this, I did it purely out of practicality and have no intentions of opening this particular can of worms right now. The point I'll be trying to make for @inukag-week's bickering prompt is that their feelings were valid regardless.

Inuyasha and Kagome get criticized a lot for the jealousy they feel of each other.

People seem to think that Kagome is not entitled to that sentiment because she chose to stay by his side knowing what it entailed and, more often than not, was the one telling him to go see Kikyo, so it's not fair of her to resent him when he actually does.

On the other hand, they claim that precisely because Inuyasha goes to see Kikyo, it's hypocritical of him to get mad at the fact that Koga is constantly showing just how much romantically invested he is on Kagome, as he has no ground to stand on.

Their feelings, however, are completely justified and no other scene proves that better than this manga interaction Sunrise mercilessly cut out:

Inuyasha is once again jealous of Kagome and Koga's proximity and he lets his frustrations out in no uncertain terms, but then Kagome makes a good point: what righ has he to be upset about it when he is also close to Kikyo? It's exactly why he gets flak in the first place. And his answer to that question is very interesting:

She may think Inuyasha is diverting, but he's really not. That's the briliance of this exchange: they are both right and they are both wrong on their assumptions.

Of course that, from Kagome's perspective, Koga putting his arms around her is not that big of a deal. They have no history whatsoever and she made it clear since day one that she wasn't interested. If he still wants to shoot his shot, it's all she can do to lay a friend and ally down gently.

Plus, it doesn't hurt that Koga's interest on her is such an ego boost...

Or that it turns the tables on Inuyasha to make him feel insecure and worried for a change.

Or that, in a twisted way, it actually reassures her of the feelings he tries so hard to be nonchalant about.

It might be a little petty of her, but how any of that even compares to Inuyasha kissing Kikyo? To Inuyasha meeting her alone even though she did terrible things to the two of them? To everyone constantly talking about how he still has feelings for her?

Surely he must know, after everything they've been through, that it can't compare, that he is the one Kagome is in love with. And since he does know, how dare he ever doubt her?

And of course that, from Inuyasha's point of view, Koga putting his arms around her is a huge deal. She complains about how every time he sees Kikyo they "float off into their own little world" but the truth is that except for the kiss she laid on him and the goodbye one they shared when she passed away for good — none of which had romantic conotations —, his interactions with Kikyo were pretty sterile, especially if juxtaposed with Kagome's interactions with Koga.

Kikyo is dead and isn't romantically interested in Inuyasha, nor is he romantically interested in her, but Koga certainly is into Kagome. Just because it isn't reciprocal yet, doesn't mean it hasn't potential to be.

Koga is the one regularly inserting himself into her personal space and she lets him, even though he did terrible things to the two of them. And so how can he be sure she doesn't like it? And how exactly is that different from the dynamic they share? Was she, after all, just being nice with him too and nothing more?

Surely she must know, after everything they've been through, that he only leaves because he has a duty to fulfil, but that he will always come back to her, that she is the one whose shoulders he puts his arm around. And since she does know, how dare she ever doubt him?

It's a classic case of miscommunication, but one that actually makes total sense, because they're just two teenagers navigating through extremely complex feelings in the worst possible circumstances.

They don't have the bigger picture the audience has and even if they did, their judgement would still be clouded by their jealousy, which keeps they stuck into their own perspectives.

And what makes even hard for them to get over these feelings is that they don't come from a place of ownership at all, but rather from a place of insecurity.

That's why Koga and Kikyo make up for such formidable rivals for Inuyasha and Kagome: it's not about the competition — the audience knows there isn't really one —, it's about the insecurities they bring out of the pairing, because they were carefully designed to do just that.

From the very beginning Kagome was being compared to Kikyo for being her reincarnation. She starts the story already having to measure up to her in power and once Kikyo actually enters the scene, Kagome is also taken aback by her beauty and elegance, but more than that: she feels like she can't compete because Kikyo "died for Inuyasha." One day he might return the favor.

For his part, Inuyasha has Koga to deal with. A good looking, uncomplicated man who has taken a like to Kagome and has absolutely nothing holding him back from pursuing her, while he has nothing to offer but a difficult past, an unstable present and an uncertain future. One day she could grow tired of it all and realize that Koga could give her everything he couldn't and leave for good.

In conclusion, all that jealousy is rooted in insecurities and in the fear of losing each other, which are completely understandable and absolutely valid .

The differece, I think, is that the narrative lets Inuyasha express his feelings of jealousy directly towards Koga, from insults to actual physical fights, without grand repercutions, while Kagome is never allowed allowed a similar outlet

But that's a topic for another day.

Special thanks to @kitramune for helping me with the panels.

[dyaz-stories]

Cuddling — Day two of Inukag Fluff Week

Second one shot for @inukagfluffweek! This one is set in canon, and probably a little more on the hurt/comfort side.

Keeping an eye on Kagome was second nature for Inuyasha. After all, if there wasn’t food on her plate, she’d grow hungry and Jewel shards hunting would be interrupted. If there wasn’t a fire to keep her warm, she’d be too tired to go on. If they were caught in a downpour without shelter, she’d get sick. If she kept going when her legs hurt, the next day would be hell. So he got her food, he built the fire, he found the shelter, he carried her on his back. Not ‘cause he cared, though, well, he did care, a little bit, the normal amount, whatever that was, but for purely practical reasons.

That meant he figured out early on that something was wrong. He couldn’t pinpoint what for the life of him, though.

He’d added wood to the fire. He’d caught and cooked a rabbit. He’d carried her on his back half the day, holding her two-wheeled thing in one hand. He’d even offered his services in ridding some farmer of pesky yokai, so they’d get to sleep in a barn for once. Sure, he wasn’t Miroku, and he couldn’t secure them a place in some luxury house, but he was trying his best, ‘kay? Miroku wasn’t around anyway, and Kagome had never complained about luxuries before.

And still, when everything should have been fine, something was clearly wrong. Kagome kept looking in the distance, eyes turning glassy, mouth curving downward as she buried herself in her thought, keeping him so, so far away from her even if she was sitting right next to him.

 Inuyasha had no damn clue how to fix it.

“What is it this time?” he snapped at last as she was finishing her food in silence, taking small, slow bites, and she jumped at the sound of his voice. Her wide brown eyes focused on him at last, and that simple action was grounding enough for him that he would almost have felt sorry for his outburst.

Almost.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, and the immediate frown on her face told him she was not to be messed with right now — too bad he didn’t care, at this point.

“What’s wrong with you, you mean,” he scoffed, folding his arms and shaking his head. “You’ve been sulking for days. So tell me how to fix it, or just stop doing that already!”

If he’d been self-aware enough for that, he would no doubt have realized how childish he sounded. Kagome could have, too, but instead, her face flushed.

“I’m fine!” she replied, her voice too high-pitched to be convincing. “It’s not your problem anyway, so just forget about it!”

“How is it not my problem when you’re all—” He gestured at her, frustrated. “—and it’s a pain to travel!”

“Well if it’s a pain to travel with me, why don’t you just go with someone else?” she replied, raising her voice a little more.

“Because I don’t want to travel with someone else!” he yelled back. “I just want you to tell me how to not make it hard for you!”

She went quiet then, uncharacteristically so, red spreading to her ears, and Inuyasha growled under his breath, muttering to himself. He wasn’t sure what to do with this quiet Kagome. If she needed to scream at him to feel better, well, she could get on with that, and at least then she’d be fixed or whatever, but even picking a fight wasn’t working, damn it.

“I’m sorry,” Kagome whispered at last, and Inuyasha started like he’d been stung by a bee. Uh, yeah, not good. She didn’t do that. Even when she was in the wrong, she needed her time and space to calm down, and then she’d apologize, often while bringing him an offering of ramen. She never turned down a fight with an immediate apology.

That was when the tears came.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, sniffing.

“Wh— No— Don’t—” he pleaded, voice cracking, but she paid him no attention.

“I just— It’s been a very long year, you know? And I— I— I miss my mom,” she finally broke, waterfalls on her cheeks, quiet sobs wracking her body as she wrapped her arms around her knees.

Inuyasha froze. He reached out for her without thinking, overwhelmed by the need to make it stop, make it better, make her better, make it so she’d never ever cry again, but his fingers curled up before he could touch her, caught by some other part of his instinct.

“W-why didn’t you just say so! You can just— you can just go home then!” he scoffed, trying very hard to sound annoyed, but he couldn’t keep the worry out of his voice.

“But we’ve been on the road for days,” Kagome sniffed, “and it would take days to go back, and we haven’t found that stupid Jewel shard, and I just want her to give me a hug, and—”

“Ha, well I-I can do that too! You could have asked me!”

That made Kagome stop crying for long enough to give him a blank stare.

“Come on, Inuyasha. I’m not going to force you to hug me.”

“W-who said anything about forcing me!”

“Well you don’t look thrilled about it,” she said, doubtful, and at least she was crying a lot less now, but her eyes and nose were still read and he wasn’t going to let that slide, was he?

“J-just— just don’t move, okay?”

Clumsily, despite how careful he was being, he put both arms around her, awkwardly tugging her until he’d brought her against his chest. He was barely touching her, his arms forming a misshaped circle hovering around her. He’d hugged her before, but it had been an impulsive action, not one he’d thought about. He— had no idea how to do it intentionally.

Against his chest, Kagome giggled.

“You have to actually hug me, you know? Like that.”

She did it without hesitation, wrapping her arms around him. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against his, and this time when he froze, there were very different emotions running within him. On the top of his head, his ears were twitching, all his senses alert, taking in her breathing that was getting more even, her smell, her breath against his skin. Swallowing, he finally brought himself to close his arms around her, and she sighed contentedly.

“See?” she asked. “That’s nice, isn’t it?”

He could barely reply around the knot in his throat. She felt so soft against him, so delicate. His half-demon strength would make it so, so easy to break her in half — and she knew that. Her warmth was spreading through him, from his chest and face to the root of his hair and the tip of his toes. Everything he felt was Kagome. With great care, he ran his fingers through her hair, not wanting his claws to cut through them by accident. She shivered, tilted her head forward a little to give him better access. Mesmerized, he kept going. Her hair felt soft between his fingers, silky.

Everything about this was calming. And she’d been right. It was nice.

It caught him by surprise when she moved, entangling herself from him.

“Thanks, Inuyasha,” she said, sniffing again. “I’m feeling better. It was nice of you to— Oh!”

He pulled her back into him, this time with a tighter grip.

“You said you needed a hug, so I’m giving you one that���ll last you until I can get you back to your time,” he said gruffly. “Now just sleep, ‘kay?”

Her laugh vibrated through his chest, and he found it to be the best thing he’d ever felt.

“Okay,” she said. “Thanks, Inuyasha.”

He would have told her that he was just doing it so she’d be in the mood for shard hunting the next day, but if she’d called him out, he would never have been able to lie with a straight face, so he chose not to.

‘cause truth be told, now that he was experiencing it, he thought he’d needed that hug at least as much as her.

Don't have ideas for the upcoming themes so this will probably be my last entry for the week! Thank you all for the love on yesterday's entry, hope you've enjoyed this one as well, and I'll see you when I see you!

[loopyren]

inukag's conversation in ch 176... yea that one

This scene at the well in Ch 176, when Kagome asks to stay by Inuyasha, meant a lot to me… so I decided to do a whole ass formal translation for myself (which you can read at the way bottom, but it's probably not too different from what's already out there.)

While translating, I came across 3 details from the original text that I felt were super important 🤧

①　Everyone knows Inuyasha said that he must "give Kikyo his life" in the official Viz translation. Yes, in the original text, Inuyasha says:

命懸けで応えなくちゃならねえ。 In return, I must stake my life for Kikyo.

But that bolded part implies that staking his life for Kikyo is not something he necessarily wants to do out of his own free will, but something that he must do beyond his own will, if that makes sense. Right here, Inuyasha conveys clearly how he feels about the matter.

If he meant to say that he chose this out of his own volition, he would've said something like "...なくちゃいけない" which implies a will out of choice... But no, he said ならない, which implies it's "out of his control", so that gives clear insight to his feelings. He's not doing this because he wants to. He wants to stay with Kagome if he could, but he thinks his duty binds his fate to Kikyo, so therefore, this must be so.

+

②　Usually, Kagome is translated saying (to Inuyasha) "I want you to live." But I noticed something. She says:

"生きててほしい" ....not just "生きてほしい".

You might think, "Wha? That extra little word changes things?" HAHA well, if you care to know why... yes... bc she's using the present progressive form of that verb. So, I feel there's something missing in that translation.

Kagome doesn't just want Inuyasha to live (as in "be alive"), she wants him to keep on living. She wants to see him live past his trauma, to not give up his life. So, this is a bit of an interpretation, but I personally would translate what she's saying as "I want you to live on." Like when we wish for a friend going through hard times to not succumb to darkness :(

③　Finally, Sunrise had Kagome say something different in her final monologue (wow, what a surprise). (Note, Viz actually did translate this appropriately in the manga.)

In the anime, she just says...

楽しんでほしい。 I want you to be happy.

It's cute, but in the manga, she says...

楽しいことがあってもいい。 -> literally: It's okay to have happiness. -> It's okay (for you) to feel happy.

She's reassuring Inuyasha that it's alright to feel happiness, presumably despite his survivor's guilt. He told her at the start of their conversation, "But… to feel happy, to laugh, I shouldn't be doing these things." This is a response to that. It's so sweet.

+++

THAT'S IT!! There was A LOT of weight to this scene. It made me ugly cry until my eyes got swollen lol...

(if you'd like to read my full translation of their conversation, it is right here below~)

Note: I tried to translate as close to the original nuance of the Japanese text, so the sentence structure may sound unnatural at times.

(SFX: refreshing breeze)

Inuyasha: Kagome...

(Kagome sees him and begins to speak.)

Kagome: I thought about this the whole time I was back home. About you, Kikyo, and me…

Inuyasha: Kagome… I…

Kagome: I know. I know what your feelings are; that's why… I thought I can't be here anymore.

Inuyasha: Kagome… until I met you, I couldn't trust anyone. But you cried for my sake, you were always by my side. When I'm with you, Kagome, I feel happy. My heart is at ease. But… to feel happy, to laugh, I shouldn't be doing these things.

Inuyasha: Kikyo… she followed after me in death. In return, I must stake my life for Kikyo.

Kagome: I understand. I can't compete against her... because I still live.

Kagome: I thought about her a whole lot too. Kikyo and I, we're so completely different. Even with all this stuff about how I'm her reincarnation… well, anyway, I'm not Kikyo. My heart is my own.

Kagome: But you see, there is one thing. How Kikyo is feeling... I get it. I feel the same. We both want to see you, Inuyasha, one more time.

Kagome: You know, somehow, when I thought, "Don't Kikyo and I share the same feelings?", I became a little more at ease. Like, our feelings of wanting to see you are the same, aren't they... So, I gathered up the courage, and came to see you.

Inuyasha: Kagome… As for me, I wanted to see you too. But…

Kagome: I want to be with you*, Inuyasha. To forget about you, I can't do it.

(*T/N: She does not mean "be with you" in a romantic sense. She means to literally be near him, to exist by him, etc.)

Inuyasha: Kagome… what's the best way for me to respond to you?

Kagome: Inuyasha, let me ask you just one thing?

Inuyasha: Yeah…

Kagome: Is it okay if I stay with you?

(SFX: surprise...)

Inuyasha: You'll… stay for me?

Kagome: Yeah… (she smiles.)

Inuyasha and Kikyo's bond absolutely cannot be severed. That... I understand. But you know, Inuyasha? I thought about it… Our meeting was not just a coincidence either.

I want you to live on, Inuyasha.

Kagome: Let's go, Inuyasha.

Inuyasha: O-Oh, yeah, okay...

It's okay to feel happiness. I want you to laugh a lot. I don't know what I can do for you, but…

I will always be by your side.

[dawnrider]

@brain-rot-hour was working on a piece for today's @inukag-week prompt of Personal Space and the conversation evolved to writing about the scenario they created and here we are!

Have a citrus-scented canon universe vignette to go with brain-rot-hour's piece which you will not want to miss. 😏

“Damn monkeys," he growled.   Rolling her eyes, Kagome sighed. "You always let them get to you when they aren't even youkai.” She shook her head with a wry smile. "I can't just kill ‘em. You'd make me feel all guilty.” His face was twisted in a pout, his ears laid back in frustration.  “Pretty sure you'd manage to make yourself feel guilty without my help.��  “Keh.” Deny it though he might, she knew she was right. He was much more of a softy than he liked to admit. “Let’s get that scratch looked at. Don’t want it getting infected.” He nudged her shoulder where his kosode draped down her arm. It was too big, but it was better than her own clothes which were in tatters from the attack. 

She shut the door to the abandoned hut they’d found after herself, waiting for Inuyasha to pass one last inspection and give the nod of approval that it was safe. “Last time I let Shippou rummage through my bag unsupervised,” she grumbled, dropping said bag onto the floor.  The monkeys had been attracted to the smell of fruit soaked into her clothes which the kitsune had spilled when trying to get his crayons from the bottom of her backpack. Needless to say they didn’t understand “no” and “stop that.” Kagome felt lucky that a few small scratches was all she had to show for it. Inuyasha was unfortunate enough to get bitten in the side, so they were taking the time to get cleaned up. Clean water and bandages set aside, Kagome settled herself on the edge of the table so she could get a good look at the bloodied bite just to the left of Inuyasha’s navel. His suikan had been dropped to the floor and she was met with the entire expanse of his torso. A very nice torso that has a bite in it… Swallowing, she used a soft damp cloth to clean the wound, then apologized profusely as she prepared to press the alcohol-soaked cloth to it. She flinched at the same moment he did, but not because of the sting. His large hands, previously pressed onto the tabletop on either side of her, had drifted to her knees and reflexively squeezed when he tensed. He hadn’t caused more pain. In fact… “Sorry,” he murmured. Kagome bit her lip, then went about putting the gauze and tape over his wound. “That scratch… It needs disinfected.” “I can reach it.” “Probably. What if there’s another?” Kagome sucked in a breath as his hands oh-so-carefully brushed aside the length of his kosode, baring her up to her thighs. His nose twitched. “They got your middle too, didn’t they?” “I-I can reach that.” He hummed, his face next to hers so that she couldn’t see his eyes. Kagome felt her heart racing. A shiver went through her when air hit her midriff. “Let me check.” Long warm fingers traced up across her thigh until they met her belly, which tightened at the brush. She struggled not to recoil in surprise, biting her lower lip. “Anything hurt?” A quick shake of her head. His hands returned to her legs, thumbs lightly pushing against the softer skin of her inner thighs until they parted to allow his hips between. “What about here?” he breathed, cheek brushing against hers as he spoke. “Anything stinging?” She murmured that she was fine. “Aching?” She gasped lightly in response. How did he know? She could hear the smirk in his breathy laugh. His hand brushed against the outer side of her knee, fingers curling under and lightly pressing his claws into the soft underneath. “Inuyasha?” she questioned, unable to resist the pull of his soft cheek against her own, the tiniest brush of his lips against her ear. He huffed another laugh at the way she arched into his space. “I’ll make sure there’s not a mark on you.” He paused, pressing a much more intentional kiss to the space just in front of her ear as his thumb pressed a little more into her thigh, claw providing just the slightest prick along the nerve endings. “Not from the monkeys anyway,” he promised. Kagome smiled softly.

[justafewsmallsteps]

Another quick art and ficlet for @kagomes-hanakotobamatsuri ! This one focused on Week 3, Fertility and I used the Yellow Rose (new beginnings) as my inspiration flower. I started writing this while I was pregnant 2 years ago, but didn’t get around to finishing it until now.

Title: Potatoes Word Count: 1113 Rating: T Pairing: Inukag Warnings: Pregnancy

Try as she might, Kagome couldn’t help the uncontrollable (and unreasonable) flood of negative emotions that came with her unfulfilled pregnancy craving.

Wacdonald’s, of all things. Of course she was craving one of the most unobtainable foods possible in Sengoku and one of the easiest to find in her modern Tokyo. 

She didn’t really feel regret at leaving the modern world behind, not with Inuyasha and a life of friends and nature to surround her, and yet… 

Kagome found herself seething in angry tears. Angry at her body, angry at her attitude, angry at life. While she was always an emotional person, this hormone-induced storm was driving her crazy. She felt everything stronger, and no amount of logic or sleep was pulling her out of it because when she really really thought about it, it was all so unfair. She was raging at the world for making her choose between one family and another. The past was her future, and the future was now her past. But why did she have to choose? Why couldn’t she have a child with the love of her life and introduce her baby to her mother and grandfather and brother? Her righteous sorrow and her selfish cravings swirled into an indistinguishable mass of feelings. One second there was joy, another pain, the next irrepressible annoyance. She was guilty that she felt this way, upset as a tantruming toddler over a greasy burger and salty fried potatoes. 

And ultimately she was sad to be so far from her mother. 

Her thoughts turned to her poor husband. 

Inuyasha had been very sweet since she’d gotten back, and her pregnancy ramped up his doting completely. From warming her bath, to fetching her the ripest fruits, to building her the most comfortable approximation of a mattress possible, she felt spoiled and grateful. But her pregnancy-addled brain and hormonal body had her feeling so at odds with her heart. She loved being here. She loved her friends and the family they found in each other. She loved Inuyasha. 

Yet she longed for the crepes at the Shinjuku station mall, ice cream from a stand, steak from the grocery store cooked at home… her mouth was practically a waterfall at the thought. But by far the biggest craving was a Wacdonald’s cheeseburger with extra cheese and a side of fries dipped in ketchup. Make that two sides of fries. She could cry thinking about it, which she knew was stupid. 

It didn’t help that so many things made her feel nauseous. She’d helped out with pregnant mothers before, giving them herbs to help, learning from Kaede the rough timeline. She’d given reassurances and her best empathy, but in the throes of morning sickness Kagome wished to strangle her past naivety—and as much as she adored Kaede, the woman never actually had to go through pregnancy. 

Sango helped the most, understanding her anger, giving practical advice to give her the slightest relief. After all, carrying the twins had been an ordeal.

But Kagome was tired of ginger root and plain rice. 

She was tired in general. It has been such a joy to find out she was pregnant, and the first few weeks were a breeze. Then the morning sickness kicked in and subsequently kicked her ass. Morning sickness. God, it was unending sickness. Any time of the day sickness! She huddled under her blanket, willing the fatigue and nausea away. 

Then Inuyasha emerged from the door with her requested pile of potatoes. His look was apprehensive. He wanted to help her in any way he could, knowing that his wife often repressed cries for her mother. 

“I scrubbed ‘em already, and the pan’s good to go.” 

“Thank you, Inuyasha.” 

“I’ll cut ‘em too. It’s supposed to be like sticks, right?” 

She nodded. “Not too thin though.” Her husband was really good with a knife. She might be envious of his skills if he wasn’t such a good partner. 

Before he could start chopping, she stopped him. “Wait! Maybe cubes are better. They’ll move around the pan more easily.” 

“‘Kay,” he replied easily. 

Kagome stifled a groan as she slowly got up. Inuyasha had set the pan to heat already, so all she had to do was add the oil. 

“This look alright?” Inuyasha asked, checking in with her about the size. 

“Those look good.” 

Something about the sound of him chopping away triggered something. Everything triggered some emotion or another—but the domestic simplicity of their lives came at her full force as she heard the rhythmic sounds of their knife hitting their wooden chopping block. 

“It’s wonderful,” she whimpered, tears gathering in her eyes. 

“Woah, woah!” The hanyou turned around in concern, his hand immediately at her back to try to comfort her.  “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” she lifted her head and sobbed, unable to hold it back. “It’s just the hormones, but I do think you’re wonderful. I’m so lucky to have you!” she wailed. 

His entire being was on high alert since she got pregnant, and even though he knew emotional outbursts were bound to happen, he still went into overdrive trying to make sense of it and fix whatever he could. “T-thanks.” 

“Thank you for getting me potatoes so we could try making fries. I’m sorry I’m probably going to hate it or throw it up but it’s the closest thing I have to Wacdonald’s.” She wiped her face with her sleeve and sniffled. 

“I told you, woman, I’ll do anything I can. I’m sorry we don’t got wako’s or whatever here.” 

“I’m being unreasonable.”

“It’s normal. You know it is. I know it is. You shoulda seen Miroku while Sango was having her cravings. Damn near swindled every ingredient from every vendor in every town just to find something she couldn’t remember the name of.” 

Kagome gave a watery laugh. “That makes me feel better.” 

“We’ll make something good, and if you hate it and retch I’ll make you two something else.” 

‘Us two,’ Kagome thought in awe, placing her hand on her belly. “We appreciate you.” She sent him a smile and got on her tiptoes to kiss his jaw. 

“Yeah, yeah. If you’re done, I’m going to go finish cutting now,” he brushed off, trying to hide his blush as he turned around. 

“Okay, but we’re following you,” Kagome declared. As her husband resumed chopping the rest of the potatoes, she wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her cheek against his back. 

“I’m gonna be done in five seconds, you know.” 

“Go slower.” 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but the quick beat of the chopping slowed to a different, sweeter ballad, and Kagome hummed contentedly along.

[feudalmerengue]

Inukag fluff week - day 1

“You smell nice”

No sleep for Miss Higurashi that night

@inukagfluffweek

Come on man this is THE INUKAG SCENE

Also one of my favorites, idk what’s about it but I like to think that’s the first official Inukag scene (w both having feelings for each other) but bc it’s so early on neither of them understand this feeling. Inuyasha understands how good of a person Kagome is and how no matter what she is going to stay by his side. Kagome had already experienced some level and f attraction for Inuyasha (the mask ep) but in this episode it’s the first time she actually gets thinks about this feeling as something romantic

Anyways. Simple doodle bc school is draining me rn 😭. Hope I can make it w every prompt

[malamira]

QUIET LOVE, OH HOW IT SCREAMS

synopsis: "i'd never let anything happen to you, if i could help it."

a/n: GOD, i love doctor!au inukag. i did a lot of editing and revising for this, so it's a different beast from what it was when smutmas version came out. i'm not 100% happy with the ending, but i mean. if i did any more i had a feeling i would just ruin it instead of help it.

— 💓 —

“You’re going to love me,” Sango sing-songed, sliding into the seat next to Kagome’s.

Kagome grunted, massaging her temple. The bar wasn't too crowded, thankfully, but the noise level was high enough that she had to speak up to be heard. “Why? Did you kill the hospital director yet?”

“No,” Sango said primly; Onigumo Industries owned the hospital Kagome was a surgeon at, and Sango's father was vice president of one of the subsidiaries. “But,” she said, grasping her friend’s arm, “I kind of have a solution to your extended shift problem.”

“You mean the hospital is hiring another surgeon?” Kagome mumbled grumpily, knocking back her watered down whisky. The moisture that collected outside the glass splattered unto the bar when she slammed it down. 

“No! A guy!”

Kagome stared at her best friend, first blankly, then sourly. “Sango, I love you and I know you only have my best interests at heart, but seriously? I barely have time to bathe Buyo. I don’t have time for a guy.”

“No, I mean like to fuck!” her friend said encouragingly. “It’s been rough the past few weeks. Maybe a good orgasm will fix you right up!"

Kagome's cheeks colored. "I don't—"

Sango wasn't having any of it. "Aw, come on! It's just some harmless fun. He’s right over there, by the booth—”

“Now?” Kagome said incredulously. “I’m in my scrubs. I have a stain on my shirt!”

“So? Is it a shit stain?” 

“I’m not even going to correct you on how many hospital protocols I would’ve broken if it were a shit stain.”

“Lighten up, Kagome!” Sango insisted, jumping up from her chair and tugging at her friend's arm. “It’s Friday and you deserve to get laid. Come on.”

“It is a testament to our ten-year friendship that I am choosing to trust you,” Kagome said flatly, throwing a few bills on the counter to cover her drink. She called over the bartender before letting Sango pull her away.

“Hello, gentlemen,” Sango said brightly, then brandished her friend from behind her. “As promised, my lady doctor friend.”

“Hi,” the guy at the edge of the booth said, dark hair and bright, blue eyes. He was cute, Kagome could admit, if a little too... pedestrian, for her tastes. He extended a hand to shake. “I’m Kōga.”

“Kagome,” she introduced herself, taking his hand for a brief shake. He scooted over and motioned for her to sit next to him. 

Sango had already settled into the side of a guy who had a short ponytail and earrings. “I’m Miroku,” that guy said. 

She only just managed to land her butt on the leather seat of the booth, she felt a familiar vibration pattern in her pocket. Her emergency pattern.

Before Kōga—or Sango, for that matter—could utter a word, she’d straightened and fished out her phone. “Hospital. Gotta go.” 

Without so much as a look back, she bolted.

—

“I’m here,” Kagome panted, running into the ER. "I'm here!"

“Doc!” Jinenji, one of the nurses on shift, called out, timidly holding a clipboard to his chest as he approached from the nurses' station. “I know you just got out—”

“It’s fine.” She waved away his concern. “What do you need?”

“We did a test for Nazuna, the one who had the appendectomy earlier today, and the results required a change in dosage,” he informed her, then turned sheepish when he continued, “I’m really sorry; her mother was getting… irate, and I couldn't get another physician—”

Kagome shook her head and let out a breath. “It’s okay, Jinenji; it's not your fault. Good thing I was nearby.” A bar two blocks away wasn't necessarily nearby, but Jinenji didn’t have to know that. She took the clipboard. "Nazuna... the one with anemia, right? Can we check if she needs a transfusion? Her RBC's looking pretty low..."

“Dr. Higurashi!” another nurse cried as soon as Jinenji took off with her advice. “Thank God you're here; I need you!”

Kagome sighed and got to work.

—

A few hours later, she yawned as she pushed back against the desk in the middle of the doctor's lounge, her chair screeching against the floor. "Oh my God," she groaned, exhausted.

“I hear Higurashi,” a gruff voice called a few hours later, and a light-haired head popped into the admin room doorway. Gold eyes peered at her with interest. “Hey. Isn’t your shift over? Why are you still here?”

Kagome stretched in her chair and rubbed her eye with the back of her hand. She smiled tiredly at Inuyasha, who regarded her with curious eyes. “Had to do something. You haven’t left yet?”

He strode into the room, hands in his pockets. He’d forgone his lab coat and scrubs, changing into jeans and a button-up shirt. “About to, yeah. Where'd you come from? Your house?”

She shook her head. “No, I was at the bar two blocks down. You know Shikon?”

Inuyasha smirked and jerked his head. “Come on. I’ll drive you back. Unless you wanna walk…?”

“Nah, you’re good,” she said, collecting her things and leaving the room. She fell into step next to him. “And excuse you, I had one drink.”

He opened the door to the stairwell and let her pass; the elevator to the parking was under repair. “Shikon’s for kids anyway. Why not head to, I don’t know, Totosai’s, or something?”

“I didn’t pick the place,” Kagome mumbled. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she fumbled for it, shoes echoing as they made their way down the cement steps.

“Oh? Were you out with friends, then?”

"Yeah." Kagome groaned, pausing in the middle of the stairwell, "And she’s fucking pissed at me.”

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, curious. He hopped back up a few steps to get back to her level and peered at her phone, eyes widening at the slew of texts she'd apparently ignored.

Sango 23:44 Is everything ok?

Sango 00:22 Kagome we’re still at the bar in case u wanna come back, I’m telling Koga ur coming back

Sango 00:28 Can u reply so i can give an update

Sango 01:18 Kagome PLS!! Trying to call u, pls answer

Sango 01:31 Koga left. He’s kinda pissed and I’m super embarrassed

Sango 01:56 Leaving too, it’s been 2 hours

Sango 02:03 Call me in the morning when I’m more important than your job

He whistled lowly. “She’s really mad, huh?”

“No, really? What gave that away?” Kagome said blankly, furiously typing back. Sorry, stuff at the hospital got hectic. Will make it up to you tomorrow. She sent the message and pocketed her phone, pressing a hand to her forehead. She took a deep breath before turning to climb back up the stairs.

“What’s up?”

“You go on ahead,” she said.

“What?" She could hear Inuyasha climb up after her. "Why?”

“I’m heading home,” she said, looking back at him. She lived on the other side of town, opposite the direction of Shikon.

Inuyasha put his hands in his pockets and looked at her like she was crazy. “Are you crazy? It’s two in the morning, Higurashi. I’ll drive you home."

She gaped. “Are you crazy? I live an hour away!”

“Traffic won’t be too bad,” he said with a shrug, not looking at her. “I don’t mind. Seriously.”

“But—”

He sighed and climbed further up the stairs until they were a step apart, his eyes meeting hers with barely a tilt of his head. “Kagome, seriously. You work too hard and give too much."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm fine—"

"Oh, come on," Inuyasha said, clearly exasperated. "Don’t think I hadn’t heard of you being wheeled out of the operating room after that cystectomy last week.”

She flushed at that. “I—How’d you know about that?”

“Jinenji’s very easy to manipulate.” 

She gaped and lightly smacked his arm. “That’s mean! You know he’s scared of you.”

“He’s scared of a lot of things,” Inuyasha shot back. “And I would’ve known anyway.”

“How?”

“Kagome,” he said, one of his hands slipping out of his pocket to gently grasp her wrist. He raised it so it hovered in between their faces. “You’re shaking.”

Her hand twitched before her eyes, and she bit her lip. “I'm fine, I'm just tired—"

"Tired? But you're consistently taking 24-hour shifts?" He lowered her hand, but didn't let go of her wrist. "Come on, Kagome. Admit it; you're overworking yourself."

She sniffed. "I didn’t know you watched me so closely.” It was meant to corner him, but it came out feeble and shy.

He sighed and lowered their clasped hands. “Seriously, Kagome,” he mumbled as he, to her surprise, rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “You need to take care of yourself more.”

She looked down at his hand, watching as his thumb dragged tenderly over her skin.

Her relationship with Inuyasha was both surprisingly simple and terrifyingly complicated. They had met in medical school, when she was a sophomore and he was in his last year. They'd gone to different schools—rival schools—but they had a mutual friend who introduced them, thinking they’d be perfect for each other.

It couldn’t have gone more wrong.

She looked too much like his ex, he said, while she claimed that he was too big of an asshole. While they were both planning to eventually become surgeons, it seemed like the similarities stopped there. Whenever they managed to come across each other it was like they wanted to bite each other’s head off for the smallest of things—like breathing too loud, or walking too slow—until they discovered that they’d work together in the same hospital, in the same operating team.

They'd learned to deal with each other. At least until the day Kagome’s brother had been wheeled in into the ER.

Sōta had been shot.

Kagome had nearly lost her mind with worry, snapping at anyone who denied her access to her brother, until Inuyasha had to practically manhandle her to sit down on the couch in the physician’s lounge. He had talked her down, told her that he was handling the operation, he'd be the one to take care of her brother, but she needed to calm the fuck down, okay? 

She'd grabbed his hand and made him promise to do everything—everything—he could.

He'd kissed her forehead, unbidden, and left the room. The shock of it was like the icing on the proverbial cake, rendering her speechless. It was too much all at once, and she ended up sleeping on the lounge couch. A few hours later, Inuyasha woke Kagome up and she bolted to see her brother.

Sōta had made it, albeit looking a little worse for wear. Her mother had screamed at the police on the phone, the angriest Kagome had ever seen her. Turned out Sōta had been shot by an unknown assailant after being mugged, and the man was still on the loose. 

The police had found him eventually, Kagome had told Inuyasha when he asked, and she hadn't known anything beyond that. The other surgeon nodded, looking pensive. Kagome had realized she hadn’t thanked him yet, for all he’d done. She had suggested that she pick up his shifts in return.

He'd declined (surprisingly politely). Instead, he'd offered to pick up her shifts while she took a break. When she'd asked what for, all he said was, "To take care of your brother," and left it at that.

She'd thought he'd take one or two shifts, but he'd crossed her name out of the shift sheet for a total of three weeks, declaring that hanyōs didn't really need sleep, and therefore could take on more work. ("I'm the ideal ER doctor, if you think about it," he'd said.)

"Inuyasha," she said.

His thumb resumed its motions. "Hm?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked him.

That seemed to snap him out of whatever stupor he'd landed himself in, and he let go. She kind of missed it.

With a blush on his face, he scoffed and looked away. "I—You know, I pick up your shifts when you're out, you know? I—You shouldn't take—If you get sick, I'll have to take more shifts."

Awkward silence settled over them, and Kagome stepped down to stand closer to him. They were practically nose to nose, and Inuyasha's gold gaze met hers with an intensity that made her want to shiver.

"You're lying," she challenged boldly, and that made him scoff again, sounding completely offended this time around.

"Why would I lie?" he said with a roll of his eyes, turning away and stepping down.

Kagome was growing frustrated. She couldn't put into words what she wanted to tell him.

"You're always—" She shook her head. She was ready to yell, but she wasn't angry. Once upon a time, she would have snapped, called him a coward, and stomped past him. But gone was the pure loathing that defined the early stages of their relationship. So where did that leave them?

Where did that leave her?

He turned and looked back up at her. "Look. I can drive you home, and I—" He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Just get some rest, okay? You've had a long day. I can take your shift tomorrow, just... just get some rest."

The next thing she knew, she was watching his back as he climbed down the stairs, and that's when it dawned on her.

Her brother, her job, her wellbeing—why hadn't she realized sooner that—

"Inuyasha."

He paused and sighed, turning back to face her. "Kagome, just—"

Maybe it was the exhaustion, but the way he looked at her made her eyes prick with heat. She bounded towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shirt collar. "Thank you."

He was clearly taken aback, but managed to keep both of them upright. "Wh—For what—"

"For taking care of me," she mumbled. "That's what you're doing, right?"

She felt his body go rigid before relaxing. His arms slowly came around her middle. "Stupid girl," he murmured with so much affection it made her heart skip, "Only because you're doing a terrible job at it."

She sobbed. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"It's okay."

"And I'm sorry for not noticing sooner," she sniffled. "I'm sorry for being a workaholic, and for being exhausted, and for crying."

His arms tightened just a bit. "It's okay."

"I'm sorry for being annoying about it."

His low laughter rumbled in his chest. "It's okay."

She hugged him tighter. "And I'm sorry I never thanked you for Sōta."

He lets out a breath and turn his head. "You don't have to apologize or thank me for that, Kagome," he told her gently. Pressing a soft kiss to the shell of her ear, he continued, "Your family is important to you. I'd never let anything happen to them." Then, softer yet louder at the same time, "I'd never let anything happen to you, if I could help it."

That made her gut wrench and heart swell and it made her cry harder.

He held her close as she did.

[skyelara]

I am super excited to present my FIRST Inukag story for @inukag-week Day 3: Bickering. I think this could also apply to the prompt Yearning, but I had originally written it with Bickering in mind. This story has been living in my mind rent free for the past year. It's based on the Taylor Swift song The Other Side of the Door. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It takes place during episodes 38 and 48 in season two, combining the two story lines together. Read it here on Ao3 <3

“Why’d you let them go?” Inuyasha screeched from the ground, glaring after the wolf demon. The one who’d captured her one minute and then declared he loved her the next. 

Kagome turned her head toward him, frowning. “He wasn’t fit to fight. Koga was hurt. He was good to me…,” she murmured, completing facing Inuyasha to convey her feelings, “so I returned the favor.”

He pushed up from the ground, eyebrows knitted together in frustration. “Good to you? Are you nuts?” He stormed toward her, fist curled as he scowled down at her. “Don’t tell me you get off on that kind of thing. You were kidnapped and almost killed!”

Kagome blinked at his reaction. She tore her gaze away from his, staring at his chest. “He looked rougher than he was.” Inuyasha growled, and she knew she wasn’t getting the words out properly. She pressed her index fingers together, mind stumbling over a way to get him to understand. “He, uh, protected me a lot, you know.”

[inukag-archive]

Jealously Inuyasha fanfics??

Hello there! We previously posted a list of stories centered around jealous Inuyasha, but we were able to find a few more below (featuring Inuyasha and/or Kagome as the jealous one). You might also want to check out our protective/possessive InuKag list, since there is some overlap of jealousy there too.

Happy reading!

GIF by @sleepy-edits

Jealous Hanyou by Ayster (M)

Inuyasha does not like what is his to be touched, not even a simple touch in a friendly manner. His too cute for her own good girlfriend- Kagome - works at a bar where she wears a bunny-nurse cosplay as her work uniform. When he finally gets fed up with all the horny idiots that hit on his female at work- he at last claims her as his.

--

The Jealous Are Troublesome to Others, but a Torment to Themselves by KuroNoHime (E)

Kagome's new, hot math tutor blows Inuyasha off his hinges and the girl of the future has finally had her quota on Inuyasha's constant, irrational jealousy. She brews a plan to serve Inuyasha some humble pie and make him admit his feelings for her.

--

Let me kiss your ramen-flavoured lips by @jeremymarsh & @turtleduckstudios (G)

Working as a freelancer has forced Inuyasha to leave Kagome far more than he would have liked and they’ve sort of gotten used to it. So when a well-paid job opportunity that could allow them to finally marry and secure the house of their dreams comes along he can’t refuse, even if it means they’ll be on different sides of the country for a long time.

Will jealousy and insecurities play their part too?

Or:

Inuyasha is a worrywart and that causes problems more often than not, but in the end, Kagome loves him too much to care.

--

InuKag - Jealousy by pastedpages (E)

A week after Kagome returns to the feudal era for good, Kōga shows up to see her—and Inuyasha isn't happy about it. Luckily for him, he's the only one she wants.

--

The Other Woman by legallyadragon (T)

Kagome never truly understood why Koga's baseless flirting bothered Inuyasha so much. After all, he knew she wasn't actually interested.

She understands a little bit better now, but Inuyasha shows her that she doesn't have anything to worry about.

--

Tits for Tat by @kitramune (E)

During Inuyasha's human night, Kagome ends up feeling something she hasn't felt in a long time. Luckily they have new ways of... venting that feeling, so to speak.

--

Maybe, Probably by @lavaffair (T)

They've been best friends since they were kids, and somewhere along the way, they fell in love. However, neither of them have confessed these feelings to one another. They vowed to always put each other first, and to stick by each other's side no matter what.

With finals week two weeks away, Inuyasha's classmate asks him for help to study for their big test. The same classmate who happens to have a massive crush on him.

For the first time, Kagome deals a hand with jealousy.

--

No One Else by @goshinote (G)

After exterminating a yokai in a small village, Inuyasha finds himself as the focus of a local woman's attentions. Since when is Inuyasha a ladies' man? Well, maybe that's stretching it.

--

Perfectly Flawed by dolphingirl0113 (T)

Inuyasha began to feel the cruel stab of jealousy. How was he supposed to compete with a copy of himself? A better copy? Someone without all of his flaws? “Kagome…please don’t leave me…”

--

Jealous Much? by Gfam89 (M)

Kagome is tired of the Kikyo and Inuyasha situation, so she goes home to get a break. She knows she can't be away from Inuyasha for too long, but when she meets another boy at school, how will Inuyasha react to her newfound 'friendship'

--

A Sealed Fate by @ajoy3fanfics (M)

Kikyou no longer wishes to drag InuYasha to hell, but rather pick up where they left off 50 years ago. Convinced that this is what will heal InuYashas heart, Kagome leaves the feudal era, sealing the well behind her. Or so InuYasha thinks...

--

Give Me Love - an InuAU by EnelyaTheSmall (T)

Inuyasha is a Mixed Martial Artist with an anger problem and Kagome is the breath of fresh air that he has so desperately needed.

--

Love and War by @starlingchildgazingatthestars (E)

Prompt: "We're not just friends, and you fucking know it."

Kagome is fed up with Inuyasha's obnoxious, jealous behavior, and they get into a huge fight. They may be childhood best friends, but this is getting ridiculous. They aren't even a couple! Or are they...?

--

Feel free to add your own recs in the comments or reblogs! Check our Masterlist of previous lists to see which topics we've covered.  After reviewing our submission guidelines, send us an ask (here).

[fuedalreesespieces]

ramble-y post incoming:

tldr: is the inukag to izanori pipeline real, and am i falling headfirst into it? yes, yes i am.

[This post does contain spoilers for Kanata Kara and Inuyasha.]

recently (and by that i mean two days ago) i decided i wanted to start a shojo manga that wasn't too long, something I could read in between lectures. i checked some of my saved manga on the website i use, and found one that i had saved purely because i'd been enthralled by the cover art, which looked like this:

(i mean, look at them!!)

...that, and it was 14 volumes, so I thought i could finish it within a week or two, reading a few chapters every day.

i was wrong. i'm on volume ten and it's been a day and a half.

i haven't finished and I'm making this post (partly because i've been rambling about it in ballistic keysmash-consistent twitter posts) to say that Kanata Kara is good. very, very good. damn that one-star review on the site i'm using, because that shit has to be an accidental click. I love the world-building, the diverse cast of characters, and the art is magnificent. I think my favorite thing of all has to be the themes represented so far in the manga, perpetuated by our titular characters noriko and izark. I may make a future post about that when i finish the manga, but there is one thing i noticed while reading that struck me as really interesting: the dynamic between izark and noriko, and the characters themselves, remind me a lot of inuyasha and kagome.

now i'm gonna preface this by saying i'm not trying to say that these are the same dynamics or something, because they aren't - I just want to point out parallels i thought were really interesting, as someone who loves both relationships in their respective mangas. i also want to establish that Kanata Kara predates Inuyasha by three to five years*- so what I really should be saying is that inuyasha and kagome remind me of izark and noriko, but you get the picture. you could argue a number of things with this in mind, but i'm not here to discuss any of that. this isn't meant to be some sort of dumb gotcha; both series are good in their own ways, and some of the similarities i'm highlighting can be attributed to similar tropes being at play!

*(sources vary, some say 1993, others say 1995)

izark/inuyasha

demons - inuyasha is half inu-youkai, whereas izark is the sky demon from a prophecy that makes up much of the manga's internal and external conflict for him. an interesting contrast i found was that while inuyasha's half-demon features are present for the majority of the manga and his human side shows up only a handful of times, it's the exact opposite for izark, whose "human" appearance reigns for the majority of the manga.

both characters were shunned by their respective communities (and humanity at large, though inuyasha had his mother for some time, and izark's mother tried to kill him). when both parents died, they began living on the fringes of society, never interacting with anyone and, according to them, "preferring to be alone."

both share moments where their demon sides take over and they are unable to control themselves - unless, of course, their loved one is present to help them. otherwise, both are trapped in a violent, bloodthirsty state of mind that makes them lose parts of their identity each time transformation is undergone. both try to avoid this part of them out of fear of losing themselves, but when occasions rise where they are in those forms, their respective loved ones pull them out of it/help them ground themselves.

powerful fighters willing to quite literally put everything on the line for their respective loved ones - i'm talking half-dead-dragging their-bodies-across-the floor and thinking "well, at least she's okay."

one interesting difference to me is how izark and inuyasha approach their humanity. izark is constantly shown in his "human" form and is only in his demon form a handful of times, and the exact opposite is true for inuyasha. izark's earlier (brief) plan of doing away with noriko is spurned from his desire to avoid the tragic fate tied with his demonic form, whereas inuyasha's earlier actions are motivated by his desire to become a full demon. izark relates his demon side to inevitability, to the idea that he might just become the monster everyone prophesied him to be; inuyasha (in the beginning) views his humanity with scorn and associates it with weakness. he wants to embrace the possibility of achieving full demon status, and why? is it just because he wants power? in my opinion, no - I think it's a way of finding a place; being free to go where he wants. inuyasha is already powerful in his own right, and even when he's given the opportunity to claim a formidable weapon like his father's sword, he says he has no interest in it (until, of course, kagome mentions he could try to claim it just to spite sesshomaru, and only then is his interest peaked.) inuyasha seeks freedom by assimilating into a full demon identity, izark seeks freedom from that full demon identity, and only then will he feel in control of his life.

kagome/noriko

both from modern era japan and get isekaied into another world - kagome's instance is time-travel, though - noriko is transported to a whole other world with different culture, geography, and language (noriko having to learn the language of the people there and taking part in their customs is one of my favorite things about the manga!!)

the beacon of light in their respective groups/found family, bringing everyone together

key players in a "Prophecy of Doom" - kagome's "destiny" is to continue the cycle of the shikon jewel; noriko's "destiny" is to awaken the Sky Demon (izark). both girls, and their loved ones, change their futures.

damsels? maybe, but never in distress:

and, of course, the most prominent parallel for me: their acceptance of their lovers and the ripple effect that love has on their lovers' relationships and life:

"i'm not leaving you no matter what happens, no matter who you are - I will stay by your side":

"you changed my life for the better":

"i've opened up and become more vulnerable":

there are a ton of other examples i could use for this bullet, since it has a pretty broad spectrum of events that could fall under it, but these are my favorites.

i also want to draw attention to the way noriko deals with feeling powerless - both she and kagome are surrounded by powerful, experienced individuals, but unlike noriko, kagome has a reign on her archery and spiritual skills pretty early on in the manga, so she contributes in battles one way or another. one of noriko's longest internal conflicts is that she feels guilty that she can't do anything to help and that people are getting hurt on her behalf:

i absolutely love the advice given to her, and how it ties into the themes of the manga. noriko feels like she isn't helping, but even a simple thank you helps - even if it's just thanking one person for a single deed, everyone is intricately tied, and that goodwill spreads. it grows. it becomes a part of everyone. you don't have to be a fighter to spread good.

conclusion: the parallels are neat and READ KANATA KARA!

[xxkagomexx]

The Forbidden Outfit

Fandom: Inuyasha

Pairing: Inukag

Inukag week 2024: Day 3 Bickering

Rating: T

Belated Inukag week submission. I haven’t written anything in forever but I was reading some of the entry’s and seeing the prompt was inspired. @inukag-week

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thud

The dull sound of the impact from Sango’s leg connecting with her forearms that were locked in a defensive block position may have been quiet, but the force behind it wasn’t. The strength behind the kick forced Kagome’s right foot to fall back slightly in order to brace herself and keep her balance. This may only be a sparring match, but it certainly didn’t mean the demon slayer was going easy on her. Kagome brought her foot forward to regain her stance, remembering to keep more of her weight on the balls of her feet to allow for quick movements. The priestess barely had a chance to recover before Sango came at her again, this time aiming calculated punches towards her midsection.

Kagome had seen her friend’s eyes shift lower to her intended target and was able to side step away from the attack. Now slightly beside her, the black haired woman was able to counter attack with jab of her own. Sango grunted at the blow to her ribs and darted back, opening space between them. Her confidence rising at getting a hit in on the highly trained slayer, Kagome took a risk and dashed forward. She planted one foot on the ground to anchor herself in preparation to aim a high kick when suddenly the air rushed out of her lungs and she found herself staring up at the clouds lazily floating across the light blue sky.

Kagome coughed before sucking in a breath after having the wind knocked out of her. It took her a moment to process what had happened since it was so fast. Sango had taken the opportunity to sweep out her legs from underneath her when she had shifted her balance. The brunette’s reflexes were cat like and lightening quick, a deadly combination. Soon enough, an outstretched hand obscured her vision of the sky. Kagome lifted her arm and took a hold of Sango’s hand, allowing her friend to help her to her feet. Her friend wore an apologetic look on her face as she watched the priestess dust herself off.

“That was much better, Kagome! You were able to anticipate my next attacks better by watching my body language,” the demon slayer praised genuinely, a smile lighting up her face. Her cheeks were flushed a beautiful shade of rosy pink and her chocolate colored bangs were sticking to her forehead from sweat. It was midsummer and the heat had been rough for everyone this season. That was why Sango had suggested that they train earlier in the morning before the heat became unbearable.

“You’re just saying that,” Kagome laughed breathlessly and walked over to where her small jug of water was. She took a few long sips of the wonderfully delicious cold water before speaking again. “I hardly lasted more than a minute before landing flat on my back.”

Sango merely chuckled and brushed off her friends words. “The time is irrelevant. I told you that today the focus was recognizing your opponents body language and cues they give off that can help you figure out what their next move is and you did that.” The look she gave her was one that told her to give herself some credit.

Deciding to take the compliment, Kagome aimed a small smile at the young mother and sat on one of the old moss covered logs nearby. She really appreciated Sango taking the time to help her train when she already had three children to care for. Although, she likely appreciated the time away from the young ones and leaving them in Miroku’s care so she could have a break. While adorable, they were a handful especially the twins who were always looking for trouble.

Her thoughts flitted from Sango’s kids to her own daughter. Kagome wondered how she was behaving for Inuyasha, but frankly she behaved better for him than she did for her. That little girl had herself wrapped around Inuyasha’s finger, but the toddler was just as enamored by her father in return. Inuyasha and Hikari were more alike than she could have ever anticipated from inheriting his deep, golden eye color to copying his mannerisms. She may have the same black hair as her mother, but the rest was Inuyasha. Hikari was only two, but it was already showing more and more as her personality developed the older she got. The baby would let out the most adorable squeals of excitement whenever she watched Inuyasha train with Tensaiga, as if adding in her own battle cries.

Hikari was truly a blessing and she couldn’t be more thankful, however she was the reason behind these sparring matches. After giving birth nearly two years ago, Kagome didn’t feel the same in her body. She didn’t have the same stamina or speed she used to before she had the baby. Not to mention, spending her days raising Hikari and there being less demon attacks since Naraku’s defeat led the priestess to have taken a backseat in fighting. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago when Inuyasha was going on a job to slay some demons wrecking havoc on a village a few towns south of them did she realize it. Miroku wasn’t able to come with because the twins had come down with a cold and he didn’t want to leave Sango alone to care for them by herself. Kagome had offered to go with him instead and her husband had hesitated and looked less than thrilled with the idea.

“You ready to go again?” Sango called from the center of their makeshift training ground, one of her arms behind her head as she stretched her muscles. “You might want to put your hair up it’s getting hotter out here.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Kagome agreed and dug through her small pouch of belongings to find a ribbon to hold her hair up in a high pony tail similar to Sango’s. That wasn’t the only thing making them look more alike today. Her long robed Miko garments made doing this kind of training difficult and impeded her movement. Kagome had gotten frustrated by the amount of times she almost tripped on the hem of her pants or smacked herself in the face with her sleeves. Sango wasn’t just teaching her how to fight, she also was doing strength training and other demon slayer training exercises to help Kagome get stronger.

That was why today she had abandoned her normal robes and sported one of Sango’s old demon slayer outfits. The black tight fitting material wasn’t anything she was used to wearing, and she was surprised to find it light and breathable and not constricting like she assumed it would be. With this on, it made going through the exercises much easier. Also, the shielding on parts of her body like her elbows, shoulders and knees made any impact with the ground less painful. Sango told her that it would make learning the steps easier and that way when she had a better handle on it they could transition back to her normal red and white priestess robes she wore everyday since realistically, that is what she would be wearing during a fight. Once her hair was up, Kagome joined her friend to continue on with the rest of their lesson.

After another half hour of grueling sparring, the two women were sweaty and breathless with proud smiles on their faces. Kagome was elated to have managed to get in a few hits on Sango, a few even managing to surprise the expert fighter.

It had been an hour and just like every other time before this, the black haired woman spotted Inuyasha down the road heading her way, their daughter balanced in his one arm while the other rested loosely on the handle of his sword. He always arrived right on the dot to walk her back home without fail. She had told him countless times that he didn’t have to go out of his way to do so, but he insisted.

“Thanks again for today, Sango. I’ll wash this tonight and give it back to you tomorrow,” Kagome promised as she picked up her small bag she carried with her. Unlike the modern era, she didn’t need to carry around a lot here in the feudal era. There were no cell phones, school IDs, wallets or anything of the sort. Now, her small pouch just held some extra coins in case she needed some money, a few common herbs, and any memorabilia she liked to travel with.

Sango sent a smile her way. “Don’t bother giving it back to me. You can use it for next time. That’s an old one anyways I couldn’t tell you the last time I wore it,” she waved her hand in dismissal.

“Oi, Kagome! You just about finished?” The hanyou’s loud voice interrupted them as he and Hikari approached. “If you guys need more time I-“ Inuyasha suddenly stopped speaking, causing Kagome to turn towards him as she picked up her water to see what made him stop talking. A dark brow rose as she looked at him questioningly. The look on his face was not one she recognized, and she’d memorized pretty much all of them by now.

“We finished,” Kagome said when he didn’t start speaking again and simply stared at her, lips pressed into a thin line. “Were you going to say something?” She prodded.

Inuyasha continued staring her down, his thick, dark brows narrowing at her and he almost looked…annoyed? She hadn’t the faintest idea why he would be. He had been in a fine mood when she left. Hikari on the other hand was clinging to her father’s haori contently and trying to shove his subjugation beads into her mouth. She was going to ask him what was wrong when he beat her to speaking.

“What the hell are you wearing?” He asked flatly. Definitely annoyance.

“One of Sango’s old demon slayer outfits. She let me borrow it so it was easier to train since my robes were making it harder,” Kagome explained, watching him stare her down like a hawk. Crossing her arms over her chest she met his stare back evenly.

His eye flickered towards her chest where she had crossed her arms, his nostrils flaring slightly. “Your normal robes are just fine,” he grunted, shifting Hikari to his other arm more comfortably.

“Sure, my robes are fine but these are easier to spar in,” Kagome reiterated, not liking his tone.

“I’m going to go check on the kids now. Bye you two,” Sango quickly cut in with her departing words as she sensed the tension grow by tenfold from the couple. Now that they were married, Inuyasha and Kagome didn’t bicker nearly as much as they did when they were traveling on their journey to defeat Naraku, but they still had their moments and it was best for any bystanders to leave them to it to avoid being hit in the crossfire.

The moment Sango had slipped away and was out of earshot, Inuyasha looked at Kagome seriously and said, “I don’t like you wearing that,” in a flat voice.

Her temper may be more subdued than it was as a teenager, but Inuyasha still had the wonderful ability to be able to push all the right buttons to make her mad. What did he mean he didn’t like her wearing that? Did he think she didn’t look cute enough in this compared to her more reserved priestess garments? Well, Kagome was no modern miko and she would wear whatever the hell she wanted to! “You don’t get to tell me what I can or can’t wear,” she growled. The only thing saving him from her sending his face flying into the ground with a command was their daughter in his arms.

“I never said that,” Inuyasha grunted in retort, unable to help himself but to argue back.

“You just did.”

His jaw clenched. “I said I don’t want you wearing that specifically. I never said anything about any other clothing.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Kagome snapped back and marched up to him, promptly collecting Hikari from him. She took a deep breath to calm herself as she reminded herself to keep her cool since Hikari was there and didn’t need to be upset by them arguing.

“Kagome,” the white haired half demon started, but his wife would have none of it. She promptly spun on her heel and stormed off in the direction of their home. His golden eyes followed her retreating form for only a few seconds before running after her. “Kagome, you know that’s not what I meant,” he growled, trying to get her attention as she obviously tried to ignore him. “You can wear whatever you want. If you don’t want to wear the priestess robes you don’t have to. No one is forcing you to,” he tried.

His wife simply remained silent as she weaved through the dirt road through the village, passing by a small group of men who seemed were trying to negotiate a trade of some sort. “Oh, so I have your permission? Wow, thanks,” she drawled sarcastically, her eyes focused on the road ahead. Hikari oblivious to her parents argument simply babbled happily, her little black dog ears swiveling at all the different sounds from the town.

Inuyasha let out a strangled groan. “Kagome, just listen to me.”

“I think I’ve heard enough,” the young mother quipped without glancing back at him, picking up her pace slightly to put distance between them.

“If you would just let me explain-“

“Explain what? That you don’t find me attractive in these clothes? That they look too masculine? Well, too bad! I’m wearing them when I train and that’s that,” Kagome snapped, whipping her head over her shoulder to cast him a stormy glare. Inuyasha shrank away from her daggered glare slightly, but recovered quickly. He opened his mouth to defend himself but she didn’t want to hear any of it. “I’ll wear whatever I like, regardless if you think it makes me less desirable to you,” she faced forward once again, her fingers rubbing up and down Hikari’s back to help keep the baby calm despite their argument. “You may be my husband, but that doesn’t give you the right to-“ she stopped speaking abruptly as she felt fabric over shoulders.

Craning her neck around, Kagome stopped walking as she realized he had draped his fire rat over her shoulders to cover her shoulders and back, leaving him standing in his cream colored kosode. Furrowing her brows in confusion, she opened her mouth to berate him for this, but the look on his face brought her to pause.

“You never let me finish,” Inuyasha grumbled, and it was then that she noticed a light pink dusting his cheeks. “I meant I don’t like you wearing it cuz I don’t want other men to see you in it,” he explained himself finally, avoiding her gaze.

Kagome blinked, her anger dissolving into confusion. “Why don’t you want other people to see me in this?”

The hanyou groaned, rubbing his hand down his face. “Because I don’t like it when other men stare at you,” he managed to get out. Words never came easily to him, or eloquently.

“What are you talking about? No one is staring at me.”

“Not anymore,” he jutted his chin towards his robe that covered her. “That whole group of men we just passed couldn’t keep their filthy eyes off of you.” His fingers flexed at his side, as if the mere memory made his body itch for a fight.

The dark haired woman stared at him, trying to follow his jumbled thought process. It was then that she realized his gaze kept dropping to the curves of her hips and chest that were more pronounced in the tight fitting clothes. Her mouth shaped a small “oh” as the puzzle pieces clicked together. “You’re jealous,” she stated, realizing that it wasn’t that he didn’t like how she looked in the clothes, but rather that it was more revealing than her normal outfit and he didn’t appreciate other men greedily eyeing his wife.

“I ain’t jealous!” The hanyou retorted, his blush deepening as he struggled to find the words. At least she didn’t seem ready to ‘sit’ him anymore. “I just don’t want other men looking at you like that. It pisses me off,” he huffed, moving to shove his hands into his sleeves but remembering he wasn’t wearing his fire rat and settled for crossing his arms haughtily instead.

“So it’s not that you don’t like how I look in this?” Kagome affirmed, shifting her weight to her other leg as her daughter wiggled slightly in her arms.

“I like it too much, that’s the problem!” Inuyasha realized what he said out loud and blushed further in embarrassment, turning his nose away from her to stubbornly glare at the trees to his right where the forest began.

Kagome felt her own cheeks heat up from his statement. He didn’t like that others could see her figure in this uniform and were likely staring at her hips and thighs that were now on display. “Oh…” was all she managed to say, trying to process everything. Shoving aside the feelings of her heart racing, the miko began to walk again, knowing he would follow. They continued in silence down the path to their home that was just outside the village. By it being more secluded it allowed for a bit more privacy. The only sound for the next few minutes was the soft taps of their footsteps on the ground and the occasional baby noise from their daughter.

Once they were out of the village completely, Kagome spoke up. “So you’re okay if I wear this just around you then?” She asked. He cast a wary glance at her, wondering if this was a trick question.

“Well yeah,” he answered as if it were obvious. “It looks good on you, that’s the problem. It’s hard for me to keep my hands off of you when you’re wearing that.”

He said it so matter of factually she almost choked. She felt her face heat up and wondered if the color matched his robes she wore. Her teeth caught on her lower lip, glancing over at him. Despite being married and having a child together he still managed to fluster her.

Kagome cleared her throat. “Well, Sango said I don’t have to return this to her anytime soon,” she told him, feigning casualty and ignoring her racing heart.

Inuyasha followed her thought process with this, and his expression morphed into a cocky grin. “Oh?”

“I don’t see why I can’t wear it for you at home every once in a while,” the black haired woman feigned innocence, blinking her doe brown eyes at him.

“Keh, it won’t last long on you when you’re with me,” the half demon grinned slyly and snaked his arm around her waist underneath his robe. His hand rested on her hip as he pulled her closer to his side as they continued walking home, their small hut just around the bend.

The priestess matched his grin. If it wasn’t for Hikari she would have said screw it and have him race her home the rest of the way to get started. However, the duty of being parents would force them to wait until later tonight whenever their daughter went to bed. “I’ll hold you to that,” she purred, pressing closer against him. As much as she didn’t want to ruin the moment that they had mended, Kagome still had to address something. “It really is easier for me to learn what Sango’s teaching me with this on. Once I get the moves down she’s teaching me I’ll switch back to my priestess robes. That was the plan all along,” she explained once again to him.

Inuyasha slid his eyes over to her, seeming to think over his next words. At least he got better at that over the years instead of blurting out the first thing that came to his mind. “Fine, but I wanna be around when you’re training with Sango then,” he said in compromise. “That way I can pummel anyone who tries to creep on you.”

Kagome let out a light laugh as they entered their home. “I suppose that’s fair.” Hikari had been lulled to sleep by the swaying of her walk so she laid the toddler down in her bedding. Straightening, she waltzed over to her husband, letting her hips sway more than normal with the movement and watched as his eyes trained on her. “You know, I could wear this when we spar too,” she smiled. Sango wasn’t the only one who had been helping her get back into fighting shape. Inuyasha had also been working with her at her request and they both enjoyed sparring with one another when Hikari was napping.

Inuyasha’s eyes twinkled in mischief. “I guess it will be a training session for me too.”

“Training in what?”

Inuyasha fully grinned, his fangs on full display. “Restraint,” he said and leaned down to kiss her firmly on the lips. She immediately melded into him, her hands moving to grip his robes.

They kissed like that for a while, Inuyasha switching from kissing her lips to moving down towards her neck. Before things could get more heated, soft cries could be heard from the bedding as Hikari woke up from her all too short nap. Inuyasha pulled away from her slightly with a sigh, giving her neck one last playful nip before releasing his wife and allowing her to tend to their little girl. As Kagome scooped up Hikari to soothe her she caught Inuyasha watching her with a smile and all she could think was that she couldn’t wait for their next sparing match.

[heynikkiyousofine]

Happy Birthday @jeremymarsh💕🎂 I hope you've had the best day! Enjoy a little InuKag fluff that goes along with @clearwillow's amazing art that you can see here.

Springtime Naps

She had forgotten how much she enjoyed sitting in the grass, appreciating the earth around her. Spring was in full bloom, with flowers coloring the fields and the cloudless sky giving her a perfect view of the village, of her home. Sighing happily, Kagome leaned back on her hands, aware of soft footsteps approaching behind her, his aura caressing hers in a loving way.

“Whatcha doin’ up here by yourself, wife?”

“Just admiring the view.” 

He didn’t say anything, just merely collapsed to the ground beside her and snuggled his way into her, his head perched on her thigh. While this particular position wasn’t new to them, Inuyasha having done so outside of their home was. Running her fingers through his silver locks, she thought back on the last year, the year she returned to the place she now considered home.

It was late into last spring when the well reopened and she was married to Inuyasha by the end of the summer, taking the time to build a home together. The image of her husband cursing up a storm when he clipped his finger as he hammered down the roof, made her giggle.

“Oi, what’s so funny?” His deep voice pulled her from the memory, Inuyasha pulling her fingers from his hair to intertwine his own with hers.

“I was just thinking about the past year, particularly when we built our home and you being on the roof.”

“You were laughing because I kept hurting myself with that damned hammer.” he wasn’t angry at her, but the faint blush of his cheek told her he was still slightly embarrassed at reacting the way he did by the time the roof was finished. He all but flung the hammer into the woods and somehow managed to hit Miroku as he was walking down the path towards their home. Sango almost beheaded Inuyasha for knocking her husband out when he was supposed to be helping her deep clean their home. That had been a day to remember.

“It’s amazing how many hits Miroku has gotten over the years and he’s still the same, just like my favorite hanyou.” She teased him, leaning down to place a quick peck to his warm cheek.

“Favorite? You only know two other hanyou. I don’t think that’s a good enough title.”

“How about my favorite husband?”

“Now you’re gonna get it.” Using his youkai speed, he managed to flip their positions, so her head now settled in his lap and his fingers danced along her side, making Kagome squeal. Begging for him to stop, he repeated her action from earlier and placed a kiss to her cheek, his happiness contagious. Her yawn snuck up on her, causing Inuyasha to chuckle as he shifted his leg once more, making her as comfortable as possible. 

Closing her eyes, basking in the sun's warmth, she felt him recline his body, their hands somehow still intertwined as if it were their lifeline.

The last thing Kagome thought before she fell into a light doze was the quick prayer to whatever kami was listening that they would have peaceful springtime naps together for the rest of their lives.

taglist:

@blairex ; @mamabearcat ; @enchantedink-ag ; @splendentgoddess ; @mandirox89 ; @sailorlolo ; @mustardyellowsunshine ; @knittingknots ; @yukinon-writes ; @clearwillow ; @keichanz ; @serial-doubters-club ; @malditamigs ; @zelink-inukag ; @shinidamachu ; @banksdelivers ; @that-one-nerdy-gal ; @sarahk21 ; @dchelyst ; @anisaanisa ; @lavendertwilight89 ; @otaku-108 ; @sailorbabydoll92 ; @queerkagome ; @chit-a-to ; @liz8080 ; @lightmidnight ; @shikonstar ; @soliska ; @inukagbot ; @brain-rot-hour ; @xanthippe-writes ; @hahaalaine ; @moonkissedart ; @lostinfantasyworlds ; 

[loopyren]

can i say something about inukik & inukag lol

For context, I’m a latecomer to this series. I just finished it last month in the year 2023. And “Did Inuyasha love Kikyo more or Kagome more?” is sort of a weird debate for me.

Because it's sort of implying that "love" could be quantified or something. Like it’s something you can point your finger at and count. But from my, ahem seasoned expertise, that’s not how it works.

So I want to look at it in a different way.

Let’s get it straight. Love is not quantifiable. Inuyasha loved both Kikyo and Kagome the best way he knew how. He was genuine about both of them. His feelings were earnest and true.

But you can’t deny his love somehow feels... different between the two of them.

So what is it? What is this difference?...

*deep breath* please bear with me I need to get this out of my system

+

Inuyasha loved Kikyo. But their love felt transactional.

Kikyo showed him kindness, didn't try to kill him, treated him like a normal person for once. But... she was kind of in a sad place in life. In protecting the jewel, she felt robbed of a normal life. So, she asked him one day, "Will you become human and destroy the jewel? For me?" Kind of a tall ask, but I don’t blame her. She was feeling miserable. And Inuyasha's like, "Yes, of course!"

But then she died. And got resurrected. And Inuyasha's like “well shit, now I REALLY need to do something for her. She DIED because of me.” That's really what's driving his love (is it love anymore? idk) at this point. It feels like he's chasing to pay off his debt.

That's what I mean by “transactional.”

Okay, so Inuyasha loved Kagome too. But their love felt unconditional.

Kagome also showed him kindness, didn't try to kill him, treated him like a normal person etc. just like Kikyo. But she doesn’t really need anything from Inuyasha, right. She’s content with her life and all. So... she didn't ask for anything back. She just gave kindness to him and went on her merry way. Ok ya, sometimes she gets a lil grumpy (she’s human) but she always believes in him, trusts him to do the right thing, supports him when he's weak, yada yada... and like, that's it. Inuyasha even tries to make himself look like the bad guy, steals her shards, freakin’ pushes her into the well to get her to go home (cuz he didn’t want her to get hurt anymore), but Kagome comes back HUGGING him LMAO

Kagome is giving him literally nothing but love and trust and support. Not really expecting anything in return. She just wants to see him be his best and do his best. Encourage him during hard times. Even when she sees him with Kikyo lol… Clearly it hurts her and she realizes she caught feelings (oops), but she accepts that about herself and holds on to her desire to support him through and through.

She kinda says to him, "Hey… I know my place (in relation to Kikyo), but I still want to support you. I want to see you smile and be happy. Will you let me stay by your side?"

DAMN. Inuyasha says, "You’ll stay for me?" (well, in the anime in Japanese that's what he literally says, I replayed that scene like 500 times to make sure I heard it right). And she's like ya! Let's go!

CMONNNN. His brain is probably like “NO STOP! I OWE MY LIFE TO KIKYO!” but his heart is already saying “JFC THIS GIRL. I LOVE HER.” And he wants to do everything for her, not because he's indebted to her. It's not a transaction he needs to pay up. He does it because he really wants to.

So like, people making a ruckus about “Inuyasha Loved Kikyo!!!” vs “NO INUYASHA LOVED KAGOME!!” And I’m just sitting here going, uhh. I mean y'all both right! He... loved them both? Hello? And he loved very adorably for both of them. He’s such an honest lover.

But the circumstances in which he loved each girl are totally different. 

With Kikyo, the circumstances were pretty dire. They were both deprived of something important to them. Her, a normal life. Him, just basic love and affection. They weren’t able to love each other with no strings attached bc they both still had stuff internally to deal with (her: the need to be liberated & him: insecurity). But, regardless, they shared a special bond that can’t be replaced. That’s a given.

Kagome... gave him better circumstances to love. Her love made him feel light. It felt so good and positive. She taught him a lot on what it means to trust and love someone unconditionally. He could show her all his ugly and she accepts that about him. She helped him meet lifelong friends too, Miroku, Sango, Shippo... And he really treasures her for that. They also shared a special bond that can’t be replaced, literally no one can replace bc he basically screams out loud (in the Meido) she is his soulmate. :’) suh cute

I think at the end, yeah, Kikyo might’ve got some smooches and our InuKag friends are like D: But… I’m romantic ace so maybe I see it differently, but it’s just a kiss. I never doubted that the only kiss that would truly make his eyes light up, the only kiss that could cause his entire soul to leap out of his own mouth and stun him into silence, is a kiss with Kagome. And Rumiko Takahashi did that without actually providing us a kiss scene (in the manga). 

Takahashi made me trust Inuyasha like how he and Kagome trust each other. :((((

That’s... incredible. Standing ovation character building 👏🏼

[sailorshadzter]

sacrifice.

@inukag-week

The stench of blood is in the air. 

It’s a bitter stench, lingering, but he knows it is a sign of the battle yet to be won. 

They stand side by side, him and his comrades, ready to finish this fight with Naraku before it goes on any longer. Each one of them had their own reasons to defeat him, to end things once and for all, and they would not rest until it was finished. “Kagome!” He looks to his right, where sure enough she stands, a fierce determination in her dark blue eyes. “Where’s the shards?” Those same eyes widen ever so slightly and then she’s turning away, looking up at Naraku now, seeing for the first time the glow of the Shikon no Tama.

“There! In his chest!” She points upward, where she alone can see the faint glow of the jewel he holds, nearly completed, but not quite. Instinctively her hand grasps the little bottle she wears around her own neck, which inside sits two shards, some of the final ones of those lost all those months ago when her arrow shattered the jewel. Those piercing red eyes turn her way then, Naraku’s scowl sending chills down her spine as their gazes meet. But she would not show her fear, not now, not ever!

“It’s over Naraku!” Inuyasha shouts, leaping into the air with his sword swinging- of course, as he expects, the barrier erects around him, preventing him from hitting his mark. But that’s not his only trick. A squeeze of Tessaiga’s handle and it glows red, the power flowing through the steel as he swings again. This time, the barrier shatters and below his comrades are ready to intervene. Sango’s hiraikotsu comes barreling through, but Naraku vanishes into thin air a moment before it can strike. 

Falling back to the ground, he lands into place beside Kagome, glancing her way a moment before Naraku appears once more, his swarm of miasma and saimyosho preventing Miroku from unleashing his wind tunnel. “Careful guys,” Kagome says, clutching her bow closely, watching above as Naraku begins to laugh. She alone can feel the sting of the poisoned Shikon No Tama, the once lilac light growing ever darker. It wounds her soul in a way nothing else ever has, in a way she can’t put to words, not even in her own mind. She has to find a way to purify it and fast… The miasma that seeps out from the tainted jewel only serves as a power booster for Naraku and she knows it wouldn’t be long before his power would overwhelm them. 

Inuyasha is flying forward once more, Tessaiga swinging. “Wind Scar!” He bellows, unleashing his attack, soaring back towards the ground as the Wind Scar hits the mark- but just as he suspects, Naraku’s barrier has returned, protecting him from harm. Again he swings, the red blade returning, but before he can strike, Naraku’s arm shoots forward, turned back into the twisted tentacle that aims for Inuyasha. Cursing, he darts out of the way just in the nick of time, landing a short distance away from Kagome and the others. “Cheap trick. Naraku. Scared I’ll cut off your head if I get too close?” Inuyasha smirks, though Naraku’s smile is a malicious one as he looks down upon the hayou. “Try this!” He leaps back as the blade becomes less like steel and more like diamond. “Adamant Barrage!” The shards from the sword fly forward, crashing through the barrier and once more taking it down. Before anyone can move, Inuyasha is on the move, ready to attack before Naraku ever has the chance to recover the barrier. “Wind Scar!” he shouts again and unleashes the attack with every ounce of fury he has inside of him. 

This time it hits and something about the moment feels off. 

Kagome watches as Inuyasha comes back down to where they stand, his triumphant look telling her he doesn’t feel the same vibes that she does. “Inuyasha…!” She calls out, uncertainty in her eyes as he turns to face her, Tessaiga resting against his shoulder. But there is no time for the hanyou before Naraku appears behind him, his red eyes gleaming in the darkness of night. “Look out!” She screams, fear coursing through her, but there was no time to react, not even for Inuyasha, for just as he spins around, Naraku attacks.

The hanyou is pierced through his chest with one of Naraku’s twisted tentacles, the spray of blood shocking her as she can do nothing but watch. Black lightning begins to crackle and then it surrounds Inuyasha, enveloping him until he’s out of sight, lost among the darkness of the attack. Her heart pounding, she doesn’t think, she doesn’t even hesitate- somehow, her body just knows what to do. Despite the shouts from her comrades, she’s rushing forward, drawing an arrow from her quiver and squaring her shoulders. “I don’t think so Kagome,” Naraku’s voice booms, another tentacle coming her way, knocking her off her feet before she can aim. And though she stumbles, she gets back up onto her feet, putting her arrow to her bow. She takes aim and with a single deep breath, she lets it fly. 

The lilac glow is like a beacon in the night, the arrow flying forward, aimed not for Naraku himself, but for the limb that still is piercing Inuyasha’s chest. Her arrow does the trick, severing the tentacle and at once the lightning ceases, allowing for the hanyou’s body to tumble back to the ground. Naraku growls, knowing he had to do something about that damned woman and soon, but… he recalls the need to use her eyes, her mystic power to find the remaining Shikon no Tama shards, and his anger cools. At least just a little. 

Red eyes flicker back to the hanyou there on the ground, finally in a way that could result in his end. It had to be now. “This is the end for you, Inuyasha,” Naraku calls, raising his hand, a gathering of energy swirling in his palm. He would kill Inuyasha and take Kagome and finally complete his desires. 

This would be it.

Kagome watches as the power Naraku gathers in his hands grows, the wind swirling around him, the black lightning crackling. She knows almost at once what he intends to do as her eyes dart back to the fallen hanyou- who is squirming now on the ground, unable to rise, unable to protect himself from what was about to happen. And even him, the strong, the seemingly unbeatable Inuyasha, couldn’t withstand a powerful blast such as this one in his condition. She thinks of every moment that’s led them to this one- each moment that Inuyasha has thrown himself into battle at her expense, that he’s protected her, shielded her, caught her. He’d been there for her in every way possible… perhaps now… 

Perhaps now it was her turn.

She isn’t sure what she can do, but she knows she has to try. Rushing forward, she throws herself down onto the ground at his side, his weak voice crying out her name as he realizes what she intends to do. Instead, she glances his way and smiles, as if she somehow knows everything would be just fine. And then, holding tight to her bow, she turns back to face the attack that is now hurtling towards them.

When it strikes, she feels the sharp sting of the lightning, but the bow she holds does something miraculous. The light surrounds both her and Inuyasha, bright and beautiful, forming something like a barrier of her own making, shielding them from the brunt of the attack. When the light dies away, they are left mostly uninjured, save for the few burns she’s endured to her arms. “It’s over for you, Naraku,” she spits, an arrow to her bow, blue eyes narrowing as she focuses, poised to strike him down once and for all.

Surprised by this outcome, Naraku takes a step back before he vanishes, reappearing in the sky high above them, out of her arrow’s trajectory. He hadn’t been prepared for a new show of that spiritual power of hers… But it only serves as more of a reason to make her his. If he couldn’t have Kikyo, this would be the next best. “Oh, but it isn’t over yet,” he says, red eyes finding blue, before he’s gone in a storm of swirling miasma. 

With Naraku gone, she’s turning to face the battered Inuyasha, who is now pushing his elbow to the dirt, forcing himself upright. “Kagome… Are you crazy?” He asks as she puts her arm around him, helping him up into a sitting position. He’s badly injured, that she can see, but he must be feeling well enough if he can admonish her in such a way. “You could have been killed!” He cannot bear such a thought- and even now, recalling how weak he’d been in the moment, unable to protect himself, let alone her, made him sick. He was supposed to keep her safe and she could have died in that moment, all because she’d put herself in front of him.

“You always do it for me,” she says with a shrug, lips curving in a smile. 

Inuyasha blinks, surprised by her words, but then his gaze softens, his heart turning over as he slides his hand into place over hers. “Just don’t do it again,” he sighs and she laughs, tears filling her eyes as she leans in to embrace him, uncaring of the blood that will stain her clothes. Despite his injured frame, he holds onto her, breathing her in; despite it all, he’s thankful for her desire to protect him, to keep him safe. 

There weren't that many people in the world so willing, after all.