{.x.o.} | Rapture's Remorse | {.o.x.}
{x| Chapter 19: Rapture |x}

"You're beautiful."

Was something he didn't spare to say twice to her—phone call, text message, or when they were standing face to face. It was always preferable if it were the latter but they didn't always have such a luxury. When one is a nurse who is on call half the time and the other a body guard who may have to be somewhere at the drop of a hat it was hard—so very hard—to find time to spare to visit the other.

If only Nikko and Tokyo were closer.

He constantly thought if only she lived in Tokyo.

She constantly lamented if only he lived in Nikko.

Yet nothing would give in, neither would give up. He had a job he couldn't get elsewhere. She had an ill grandfather she couldn't move.

Everything seemed to be working against them, when he got a chance to call she would be rushing about the hospital helping a needy patient. When she found the time to give him a ring he was rushing his ward about to all sorts of appearances or was forced to a no-cellphones-allowed-meal with his father and jackass half-brother.

Everything seemed to be slipping away from the two, not the least of which was each other… if they had less will to stay together they would have given up months ago but he was a stubborn bastard and she was a determined damsel so conversation after conversation they swore they'd keep going. That seeing each other wasn't everything.

It wasn't like they were a really physical couple anyway, he hated to pressure her and she didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

No sex 'til marriage became her golden rule, if he loved her he'd just manage to restrain himself. And yes, yes he did, very much. Enough that he endured the constant blue balls annoyance he'd get.

But as time ticked away love started to feel like it wasn't enough until…

"Hey, Kagome," Inuyasha began in a rush as he threw the little spit-fuck, as he so affectionately called his ward, Shippou into the car to get him back to his millionaire overly protective father. "I don't have the time right now so—"

"Inuyasha," she sniffled anyway and everything stopped for him. He slammed the door behind the overly talkative little boy—which, he still felt it was totally justifiable that so many mistook him for a girl at first.

He definitely did.

"What's wrong?" he sped, "Kagome?"

"My… my grandpa," she chocked.

He knew, before she even said it. The past month hadn't been kind to the foolish old man, his health had been declining and quickly at that. So when the fumbling words finally left her quivering lips they weren't hard for him to believe.

"… is dead."

[…]

"Kagome," he murmured after she opened the door for him and threw trembling body into his open arms, "I'm so sorry."

"I knew," she muttered as she gasped for air, "that he didn't have much time left but… but…"

"It's still hard," he nodded. Gently he led her back into her home all the way to her bedroom to rest. It was more than obvious from the black bags below her big brow bloodshot eyes that she hadn't slept in far too long. All it took were a few soothing words and to promise to stay there holding her until she awoke.

At first, it wasn't hard to sleep with her by his side. At first, it was hard for him to even feel the need to take her like a woman. He loved her, from the start, but they had been friends—and not the type that he always wanted to secretly screw her either. She, of course, was completely fine with that.

But as time grew his love for her morphed into a different type, a type that surely including screwing. She had always been beautiful; it just took him a little longer to see her as someone on his level, not his untouchable guardian angel.

Or, perhaps, for him to see himself as more? For her to help him see himself as more?

Either way, he was more than ready for quite some time to take their relationship to the next level but she didn't want that so he held back… it took some more time for him to get used to them just sleeping together and never getting more.

Time seemed to always being fucking with them.

[…]

When he opened his eyes soft hands were stroking his face, so a smile reflexively appeared on his lips before he managed to pry open his eyes to see a pretty pair staring down at him.

"Kagome," he greeted.

"Inuyasha," she grinned before she bent down to kiss him upon his curved lips.

It was different than all the times before, the kiss went a level deeper, she allowed his hands to roam more, a grab here, and squeeze there. She pressed herself against him in ways she never had but it wasn't until she let him roll her over so that her legs were spread for him and all that separated them were their undergarments that he realized she was about to allow him a chance she hadn't before.

She would let him go all the way.

It killed him—really, it almost did, a certain part demanded he ignore his conscious—but he forced himself off.

"Inuyasha?" She pouted in the cutest way, a way that made everything so much harder.

"You," he started before holding back and groan, "do you really want to do this right now, Kagome?"

"Sure," she squeaked as she shifted her legs about and sat up.

Sure was a no, especially when she said in such a way. He swallowed back the urge to take that as a real yes but…

"No you don't," he strained to sound indifferent at best and forced a smile, "it's fine, Kagome, you're hurting right now. You're not thinking straight so let's just leave it at that until later."

"Inuyasha, I know how much you—"

"Kagome," he stopped her with a lift of his hand, "you just lost your grandpa, I'm not going to force you to do anything that you don't want to."

"I—"

"I can wait," he assured.

As an award for his restrain he got to see her warm smile as she slid her shirt back on, "I knew there was a reason I loved you so much."

"Yeah," he murmured before he got his pants back on.

They had a funeral and a wake to endure the next day, they just had to get through that and everything would be alright… probably, hopefully, maybe.

[…]

The wake was waves of warm hearted family friends who held weak smiles and told loving stories of her dearly departed grandpa. Twinkles of tears in their eyes all the while, if not for the strong shoulder she had to lean against she might not have made it through the funeral.

"I'll be right back," Inuyasha whispered gently to the absent minded girl, he waited for her to give him a lifeless nod before he went into her beloved childhood home to leave her alone surrounded by those who she grew up around.

"I am sorry for your loss," was how everyone started but when she heard the smooth voice she knew it would be different.

Her hurt hazels shifted up to see the handsome face she expected and for the first time since the passing of her grandfather she managed a smile that was not forced, "Suikotsu-sensei, thank you for coming."

"Your grandfather was a good man," he countered as he smiled back as his gaze shifted to her house and back, "I am glad to see you have someone watching over you now."

"He's a good guy," she assured, "I am lucky. How about you…? Did you find someone that makes you happy?"

His already sad smile shifted to something even smaller, "I love my job. I'm near family in Tokyo, that's good enough for me."

"I see," she murmured.

"You are a nurse in Nikko now, don't you?"

"Yep," she chimed, "I adore my job, most of the time."

"We are actually currently looking for a few good nurses at the hospital I work at in Tokyo, is there any chance you may want to move back there? I can image that this," he paused as his glance shifted across her home, "place probably holds certain painful memories… for me, moving to Tokyo has truly helped."

"You think I could get a job there?" She dragged out before she bit her bottom lip, "really?"

"Really," he nodded, "I'll put in a good word for you, all you would have to do is submit your resume for review and I guarantee that you'd get that job. The pays good, benefits great, and the location is nice."

"I'm not too fond of Tokyo but…" her hazels shifted back to the door as Inuyasha came out once more, "'I'll think about it."

"I hope you do," he replied before bidding adieu and walking away.

"Who was that?" Inuyasha inquired as he came back to her side.

"Suikotsu-sensei, he wanted to give me his regards, too."

"That all?"

She paused for a moment before smiling with a nod, "that's all."

[…]

She hated the city, well, hate was a strong word. Disliked. She strong disliked the city but… the city was where he was and the city was where all those memories weren't so she submitted her resume the next day, a day later she convinced Inuyasha it was okay for him to go home and back to work and their lives slipped back into their norm.

Her busy shifts, his hectic days, her unexpected on-call notices, his sudden demands to be where his runt—as she would prefer him to call Shippou—needed hm.

A week more of that and she knew that they had no real future together living in separate cities, so when she got the call to go in for an interview she got on a train and went to Tokyo and at the end when she was offered the job she hesitated but only for a bit… he couldn't leave Tokyo but she could leave Nikko.

And for him, she would.

It didn't feel completely right, but it didn't feel totally awful either. After accepting the offer she took the train to end up knocking on the door of her handsome boyfriend.

"Kagome?" He muttered with a cocked brow and tilted head, "what are you doing here?"

"I got a job offer," she started as she slid in to his apartment to glance around at the mess it had become since her last visit. "You still suck at cleaning."

"What type of job offer? Where?" he sped as he shut his door to lean against it, completely ignoring her little slam.

"Here, a nice nursing job with more stable and normal hours then the ones I already have," she explained as she leaned against the back of his couch and tilted her head a bit to the side, "what do you think of that?"

"Here? In Tokyo?"

"In Tokyo," she confirmed, "do you love me?"

"Of course."

"Do you want me to move to Tokyo?"

"Only if you do."

"Do you think we have a future if I don't?"

He hesitated for a bit too long, enough for her to know the answer was a no, but he replied, "of course," anyway.

"I love you," she smiled, "so I'm going to move here."

"Kagome, I don't want you to—"

"I can be a nurse anywhere; you can't get the same job anywhere but here. I want a future with you. I want to be with you. I hate how little we see of each other. At least if we live in the same city we'll have to see each other more often."

"Is this what you really want?"

"Yep," she assured with a nod as she pushed off the couch to walk up to him, "do you want me here?"

"Of course I want you here—"

"Then it's settle," she smiled as she slid her arms around his neck, "I'm moving to Tokyo."

"Then," he paused, "then you should move in with me."

The sudden widening in her eyes was proof she didn't expect that, what reinforced that was the stutter in her reply, "r-really?"

"Really," he stated, "that way we are guaranteed to see each other more. Hell, last time we lived in Tokyo together it was kinda like we were already. I think we can handle it."

"You aren't asking me just so you can have a live in maid, now are you?" She teased as she leaned in a fraction closer so their lips almost met.

"No," he coaxed as his grin grew, "that's just an add bonus."

Her long unheard giggle was welcoming, so much so he just had to close the gap between her lips and his. Her arms tightened around his neck, his around her waist, stumbled; fumbled footsteps bashed them around the living room until they ended up against the doorway of his bedroom.

The edge of the wood pushed into his back in the most uncomfortable way but he couldn't find the will to care and she didn't seem to want to stop. Their lips mingled before their tongues tangled, feminine fingers slid across his belt before they slid it off to let it thud to the ground.

"Inuyasha," she gasped between kisses, in that subtle rushed way that made his heart go bump-bump all the faster.

"Kagome," he growled back before grasping her hips and pulling her closer. A few more fumbled steps later and they fell in a mangled mess on his always unmade bed.

"Wait," he swallowed right before the point of no return.

… the point where his conscious couldn't overcome his lower brain's needs.

"We are going to move into together, right?" She replied.

"Right," he nodded.

"You love me, right?"

"Right."

"I love you, too," and she was more than certain if she was ever going to marry it would be to him and him alone.

So why not?

"But are you… sure? About this?"

"Mm-hm, I really doubt we'll be able to live together any never do this," she teased as she brushed her leg against his hardened region, "and I want to, too. So, why not?"

"Uh…" what a grand question, why not?

She was obviously the girl he planned to spend forever with, and obviously the one he adored so… why not?

Discarded panties ad boxers, flesh molded to flesh. His hands groped her but, messaged her breasts, his tongue flicked her nipple, and his other hand rubbed her moist and ever so sensitive area. His mouth swallowed her moans, hers downed his.

Right before their unification his fingers interlaced hers; her legs spread more for his thrust. A gasp escaped her before their rhythm became synchronized; his plunges were met by her buckling hips.

His lips meshed with hers as his needs speed up and her satisfaction heightened then it came—the moment of radical rapture for the both of them.

He collapsed upon her as they both fought to catch their breath, a smile on both their lips.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Sometimes, remorse sparked actions could lead to freeing rapture.

A/N: Thank you everyone who has reviewed to this story. I hope you enjoyed the ride and please continue to review. I want to a simple ending. Most things in real life are like that anyway. Of course, I had to throw in a bit of a lemon.

I want to give a special thanks to xXKimiko_SakakiXx, eine . hexe, and Say0mi_Saki for all the lovely reviews and support. Thank you.