by
Anaphalis
Summary: A journey of a thousand miles may start with a single step- but what happens if someone walks into you? Battousai the assassin gets transported to feudal Japan. The rest of his year isn't looking very good either. Rurouni Kenshin X Inuyasha crossover. Romance/Drama.
Chapter Summary: Somewhere in hell demons are breaking out the ice-skates.
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Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Shonen Jump. Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Watsuki Nobuhiro and Jump. Brushes on this page courtesy of Pure Anodyne.
Just when you think you hold all the cards, someone switches the game to dominoes.
Kenshin didn't say anything. The hanyou had been giving him black looks for a long time. If Inuyasha wanted a fight then he was going to have to start it. It was a complete surprise when Inuyasha sighed softly and started to talk.
"There was a wolf demon who really loved Kagome. He was killed over a year ago." Inuyasha gave a shaky exhale, running his claws through his hair. "She was devastated, but I thought that maybe with him gone there wouldn't be anything that might hold her here permanently. She's bound so tight to Shippo that no matter where she goes he'll go with her. I thought that if I pushed her hard enough, made it painful enough for her here, that she'd go home and be safe. There's a good chance that none of us who face Naraku will survive. I wanted Kagome gone before then." He stopped then and stared out over the still waters of the lake.
"Then you came. I could see her talking and laughing with you. And then she started to look at you. Just look. But it was the way she used to look at me."
The hanyou's eyes were haunted. "I'm not fucking blind. I know that she loved me. I love her too. I will always love Kikyo. She was the first person I loved and I will always feel guilty for what happened to her. I've promised her my life and soul. Hell, once the jewel is done, I'm going to die for her. But Kagome... Kagome is so warm. And gods help me, but sometimes I just want to be warm... I guess you probably can't understand that kind of indecision."
Oh, but could he ever understand. Tomoe had taught him about love and died on his sword blade. Unlike Inuyasha however, he had made his peace with her memory and his guilt in the arms of the very warm Kagome.
Suddenly Inuyasha glared at Kenshin. "You know that a part of her will always love me."
Kenshin levelly regarded Inuyasha. "I'd rather have a part of her heart than all of the love of another woman."
Inuyasha seemed to deflate in front of him. "I know that I've never deserved her. I have nothing to offer her and I treat her like shit to try and distance her. But we decided..."
"We?" A cold suspicion started to settle in the back of Kenshin's mind.
"Sango, Miroku and I. Kagome's too pure, too innocent for this time. We've been trying to convince her to go back. Now that you're in the picture, who knows what will happen? But maybe, even if you need to stay in this time to be with her, you can convince her to leave the shard hunt."
"So you've all been treating her like a child."
"I thought that you would understand, that you would want to protect her."
"At some point don't you think that it is Kagome's decision what she does with her life? Why don't you ask her what happened with her family? Find out what she really gave up to be with you ungrateful shit-heads."
He was yelling he realized. He never yelled. In the stunned silence that followed his outburst he heard a soft sob. To his utter horror, when he looked up he saw a very pale Kagome standing at the edge of the forest.
Kenshin went to her, hoping to explain before she ran away from him, but she placed a finger on his lips.
"I'm not mad at you. I'll talk to you later. Right now though, I need to talk to Inuyasha. Alone."
-###-
Kagome knew that this confrontation had been building for four years. But now that it was here, she no longer wanted to start. Kagome wasn't angry or sad or betrayed. She was just very, very tired. The words that he finally said were the last ones that she expected to hear.
"I'm sorry."
And really, there was nothing else to say.
"It's okay." Even as she said it, she realized that it was indeed okay. There was a certain peace, a resolution in her heart as she turned towards the forest. Inuyasha briefly touched her arm and in his eyes she saw an acceptance that both relieved and saddened her.
"Don't wait to be happy."
Kenshin was waiting, just out of hearing range. Kagome didn't hesitate.
"I love you. When this is finished, I want to marry you. I want to have a family with you and Shippo."
Kenshin seemed to be having trouble breathing. He drew three shaky breaths before he was finally able to speak.
"Yes..."
As he folded her into his arms, she heard him mumble the rest of his sentence into her hair.
"Gods, I love you."
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