Title: Komorebi

Author: Lexa a.k.a. Silene ([email protected])

Disclaimer: Lexi don't own nothing, Lexi don't know nothing, so not sue Lexi! ;_;

Author's note: my first attempt to write a story in English (as you can tell from my writing, English isn't my mother tongue)… so please show mercy, I've done my very best! And if you find any mistakes (yes, I'm sure that I made a lot of them -.-) please tell me, as exactly as possible! I'll be eternally grateful… (Edited version: thank you all so very much for you reviews and your helpful criticism! Some things were just stupid mistakes, but some things I certainly couldn't have figured out by myself… so special thanks to Katzztar and The-Ominous*Haphazard!)

Perhaps this idea isn't new, actually I'm almost sure somebody wrote something like this before, but I really don't know! Little OOC-ness and hopeless WAFF, hope you don't mind… anyway, comments, criticism and flames welcome!!!

~~~

Kagome sighed.

Although the air was fresh and clean and the sky blue as can be, although the birds chirped cheerfully in the trees, although the sun warmed her when her rays fell through the leaves, drawing beautiful pictures of shadow and light on the ground, the girl from the future paid no attention to the lovely sight.

Her mind was on more pressing matters.

It was time for her to go home again.

No, there wasn't a test this time.

They just ran low on supplies and beside that Kagome had to get herself some new clothes.

No problem actually…

… if it wasn't for a certain white-haired hanyou with an incredible temper who simply didn't like the idea of her going into her time at all.

As if he's afraid that I won't come back… bah, dream on, Kagome! This jerk would follow me and drag me back if necessary…

The dog-demon didn't know that she had a reason for coming back every time… and this reason was _not_ the shikon no tama!

No, her "reason" was exactly this hanyou… only that he didn't know how much he meant to her.

If only he would stop being so rude! Kagome thought with a sigh.

She knew he had a gentle side, too, she saw it on those rare time when he allowed his true feelings to show for a brief moment.

But as he had told her, he didn't trust anyone.

I wished he would recognize that he can trust me… that I won't betray him like Kikyou did- never! I love him too much…

And in a few minutes she thought while walking towards the well, we'll fight again and I'll 'sit' him because he don't want to let me go… will it always be like that?"
Suddenly she stopped in her tracks.

An idea was forming in her mind.

Perhaps _this_ was a way… at least it was worth a try!

If she for once didn't try to sneak past him or to argue, but to be nice- at least as long as he didn't make her loose her temper…

~~~

Finally she found Inuyasha beneath a huge yew tree.

It was a beautiful picture: the sunrays falling through the leaves and caressing his face, shadows and light dancing on his white hair.

She had known that she would find him here- not far away from the well so that he would hear her of she tried to go home.

"Inuyasha?"

"Hm?" came she short reply as the hanyou eyed her suspiciously, his hands hidden in the wide sleeves of his shirt, his twitching ears showing that he listened to her.

"I wanted to talk to you," she answered friendly and sat down next to him.

"Is that so? Then talk."

He leaned back, watching her with narrowed eyes.

He already had a feeling what she wanted.

"Ano… it's just… you know, we're running low on supplies at the moment…"

"And so you want to go home, don't you?" the hanyou completed her sentence.

"Forget it, wench, you're not going anywhere until we've found all the shikon shards!"

Kagome looked at him with big imploring eyes.

"Oh, come on, Inuyasha, it's just for an hour, not longer!" she said while reaching out playfully and touching his furry ears like she always did with her cat.

She already knew that Inuyasha didn't like it when somebody touched his ears, but despite this she wasn't prepared for his reaction at all.

He gasped at her touch, a shudder running down his spine, and for a second he seemed to unconsciously lean closer to her hands…

…until he came back to his senses and backed away from her fingers.

"Stop it, wench!" he barked, "don't dare that ever again!"

But Kagome wasn't listening at all.

Had she just imagined his reaction, or had it seemed like he was actually enjoying it, even if only for a brief moment?

She reached out again and started scratching his ears gently.

He gasped again, but didn't flinch, and this time his voice was almost a plea.

"Please… don't…"

But he couldn't help but let his eyes slide closed as she continued rubbing his ears ever-so-gently.
"Do you hate it this much?" she asked quietly, both surprised and pleased by his unexpected reaction, still not letting go of his ears.

"No… it's just…" he whispered almost desperately, as if being afraid of giving in to her so easily, but unable to pull away at the same time.

Even though he didn't finish his sentence, Kagome knew what he had been trying to say- he hated loosing control, especially control over himself.

Because loosing control meant to have to trust somebody else, and that he wouldn't… couldn't…

"Inuyasha… you should know that you can trust me.", Kagome whispered, her hand tugging at his ears, gently massaging.

"Trust you…" he repeated in a murmur, thoughtfully, but then his body began to relax and he leaned softly to her touch.

Moments ago he had cursed the sensitivity of his ears, but now he couldn't help but enjoy what Kagome was doing to him… her hands seeming to find his weakest points… such a wonderful, sweet feeling…so relaxing… and her intoxicating scent…

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise when a soft purr of pleasure escaped Inuyasha's throat.

She knew that he was partly a dog-demon, but _this_ she surely hadn't expected.

But she smiled contently and continued rubbing his ears, enjoying the way his purring became stronger when she did so, and how his shoulders sagged forward in complete relaxation.

She should've tried this earlier…

Despite this she gasped in surprise again when his upper body slowly sank forward until his head rested in her lap- he had fallen asleep, lulled in by her caresses.

Almost shocked she looked down on him.

Was it only the sensibility of his ears, or could it be that he was trusting her enough to sleep in front of her, to let her see him in this vulnerable state?

Could it be that he really started to trust her?

In her surprise, she'd drawn back her hands, and instantly he shifted uneasily in her lap, as if missing the soft touch, until her fingers were again stroking his ears.

At that he snuggled closer against her, a relaxed, peaceful expression on his face.

~~~

The rays of sunlight danced on the face of the sleeping hanyou, painting complex pictures of light and shadow on his hair.

They fell on the lovely picture created by the hanyou and the girl in whose lap he rested and who played gently with his ears.

A fond smile played across her beautiful face, as she watched her sleeping lover.

Kagome was happy, happier then she'd been for a while.

Although she didn't know if he loved her back or if the dead miko Kikyo still lived in his heart, this surely was a beginning, sign of his growing trust in her.

She'd go home tomorrow, then.

For now she would cradle this precious moment with the hanyou she loved and who finally opened his heart up to her.

~O(su)wari ^^

Note: Komorebi is one of these beautiful Japanese words you can't translate. It the word used for rays of sunlight falling through dense leaves to touch the ground. It's just lovely how you can paint such a precise and beautiful picture with one word!

So, what do you think? As I told you, it's my very, very first attempt… I've never done something like that before, especially a fan fiction… so show mercy and tell me anything that's wrong- be it grammar or anything else. Arigato~ ^^

                                                                        Lexa