Time wore on.
Although things were strained at first, after a few days Kagome and Inuyasha settled into a domestic routine. Ironic as it was, these were easily the most harmonious days of their marriage. There were no longer any secrets between them. No longer any expectations.
They were comrades again, living under one roof. They spent time together. They parented together. They ate their meals together and went to bed together—
But they didn’t sleep together.
They said goodnight to one another and then turned over and kept to their respective sides of the bed. It was as though an invisible barrier separated them from being intimate. They didn’t discuss it. But it was there. Always there.
When they did argue, which was rare, there was no longer any real heat behind it. There was an impersonal quality to their disagreements now, almost a cordiality. They were back to their old bickering ways. Nothing got ugly between them because they had nothing to say to one another now that struck anywhere close to the vein.
It didn’t take Kagome long to realize that their marriage as it had been was over. Though they were still a wedded couple in the eyes of the world, their relationship wasn’t really a marriage anymore. It was a friendship. That was why it was so easy for them to keep their passions in check. The source of complication between them—the romance—had been removed.
Kagome accepted this. In her heart, she was even relieved, as shameful as it was to admit. But she knew that Inuyasha didn’t share her feelings. He’d accepted this companionship, too, but still he hoped for more. Kagome caught glances from him now and then. Glances of invitation which she didn’t return, and so he let it go. Time and again.
Tomorrow was another day, after all. Kagome knew the feeling. Each day she woke with her own fresh, vain hopes, only to see them crushed.
She began to feel guilty in new ways.
She thought she’d appreciated Inuyasha’s tenacity before. After all, he’d fought tooth-and-nail so many times to eke out victory in the battle for the Shikon no Tama. But only now did Kagome think she really understood how much he would rather die than surrender.
No matter how he suffered, he would never quit. He would never stop trying. He would never give up. He would struggle on doggedly until the bitter end. This was his nature, and as much as Kagome admired him for it, it grieved her, too. Deeply and personally, in a way she couldn’t properly divine.
Did he even still want what he was fighting so desperately for?
One night in bed, they lay together, chatting about nothing. This and that from today. Some silly anecdote from the past. Something about her wearing that short green schoolgirl skirt for no good reason.
Then all of a sudden, Inuyasha said, “You know, it’s funny. I always figured you were just a cocktease. It seems like a lot of women like to flirt, but they don’t really like to fuck.”
Kagome snorted. “What do you mean by like it? We enjoy it, sure, but if we ‘liked to fuck’ as much as men seem to do, then we’d never do anything else.”
Inuyasha snickered for a good long while. “Yeah…I gotta say, that’s true.” Then reminiscing aloud, he said, “A farm girl once showed me her pussy out of nowhere.”
‘Cocktease,’ ‘fuck,’ ‘pussy’—Inuyasha didn’t even bother to temper his language with her now. He just said things as they came to him, crude and unfiltered. ‘Brothers-in-arms’ sort of talk.
“Really?” Kagome said, genuinely intrigued.
“Yeah. I was just walking past her hut. She was standing by the well. She stared after me, but that’s not anything weird, ya know. What I guess was weird was that she called out to me, asking if I wanted some water. I said, sure. But when I turned around, she hiked up her skirt with her legs cracked and showed it to me.” Kagome heard the grin in his voice as he added, “Not much to see from that angle, with all the bush, but it was still nice.”
“What happened after that?”
“Nothing,” Inuyasha said.
“Well,” she replied, “it’s still sexy.”
“Yeah, I know.” After a beat, he said, “Okay, now you tell me something.”
“Why,” Kagome teased, “so it’s fair? ‘You tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine’?”
“Yeah,” Inuyasha said, “that, and I’ve gotta get off somehow.”
He’d been teasing her back. He’d said it carelessly, with a shrug of his shoulders. He’d meant it as a joke.
But Kagome felt the truth beneath the lie.
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Definitely enjoying the new dynamic for the time being. I wholeheartedly believe that the two of them could eventually find footing as friends, even if there will always be something hanging there. And it seems like this is that type of situation, or at least the beginnings of one. But, as you’ve described, I do like that Inuyasha is still trying to test the waters a lot. As if he’s fine that he got one over on his brother– because Kagome is still with him, but it’s like it’s not enough. That he has to win her back over once more and maybe even pressure her through guilt to become the kind of woman that he wants her to be. I’m very invested in seeing how this plays out, and of course we are ever so curious of the whereabouts of a certain demon.
Ahhh! I can’t believe they’re still together. Like let it go.
I love this story and can’t wait to keep reading
This dynamic between the two of them is almost a relief–but I suspect it’s contingent on Inuyasha’s rationalisation that he was victorious against his brother where Kagome is concerned. Interested to see where this goes!
As always, thanks for the update! 💜
Love love love this. The new dynamic is interesting and so entertaining. I love them as friends, I’m glad there seems to be some healing going on.
Sort of hoping for news about Sesshoumaru. Maybe Inuyasha has him tied up somewhere…lol. They were a bit slow here
“No matter how he suffered, he would never quit. He would never stop trying. He would never give up. He would struggle on doggedly until the bitter end. This was his nature, and as much as Kagome admired him for it, it grieved her, too. Deeply and personally, in a way she couldn’t properly divine.
Did he even still want what he was fighting so desperately for?”
That’s what I was hoping for Kagome to realize. Inuyasha may be much older than Kagome in dog demon years but the difference in their maturity levels and reasoning is vastly different. Inuyasha won’t even consider the fact that Kagome betrayed him and Shin isn’t his. Sesshomaru was right when he said Inuyasha has blinders on when it comes to Kagome but I think Kagome sees that and she’s tired of it. Inuyasha only cares that he “won” over Sesshomaru but the reality is that he hasn’t “won” anything and once Sesshomaru resurfaces or Kagome gets tired of excusing the awkward comments, he’ll be hurt even more. There’s no romance anymore and hadn’t been since way before Kagome decided to go ahead with her plan. She’s accepted that they’re better off as friends but Inuyasha won’t get there until she leaves and puts some distance between them. Inuyasha seems as though he’s waiting for Kagome to get over Sesshomaru and that’s not going to happen. They both know that their relationship was best in the earlier years but it’s like they’re going back in time and expecting 2 different outcomes: Inuyasha wants to pickup where things went bad and Kagome wants to just freeze things the way they were before they even became romantic. The bandaid is still slowly being peeled off, neither one realizing its easier to just rip it off and deal with the few seconds of pain.
S/N: It would’ve been hilarious if she said Sesshomaru was the best she ever had or something lol
Thanks for another great chapter!
Char. You did NOT create a mature InuYasha did you? 😂 This is amazing. Not them reminiscing the good ol’ times in her short skirt days. He actually acts non-dickish when he’s not in his feelings. I’m loving this version of him. Whenever Sesshoumaru reappears will be the ultimate test for him.
Oh, Inuyasha, what will you do once you grow tired of Kagome’s rejection? I feel like whatever little friendship they’ve got atm will go up in flames. 😩 Like the man said, he’s gotta get off somehow.
Hey CHAR THANKS for the updates I’m loving how things have been going so far I kinda wonder what sessho been up to since then but I know you will fill us in on that soon I love the way inu and kags relationship has turned into friendship but I know you going to take us on another rollercoaster and I’m ready for the ride ‼️
He’d accepted this companionship, too, but still he hoped for more. Kagome caught glances from him now and then. Glances of invitation which she didn’t return, and so he let it go. Time and again.
OOHHH alarm bells ringing!! There’s some canine predation going on I can feel it 😳
They’re not slipping into an amicable truce, not with all the mysteries still floating around him. I think he’s actively stalking, waiting for the right moment to make his move. For both their sakes she really shouldn’t have continued to stay with him after the truth was outed. It’s feeding something starving under the surface.
I agree, this inuyasha has created a mask of placidness and I’m just waiting for the shoe to drop with him. This isn’t like his character at all and I just wish Kagome hadn’t gone back to him.
you guys are scaring me sjdgklsdjgdsjg INUYASHA WHAT R U HIDING
what?? 😂 he still expects the wife who cheated on him to help him get off? someone get this boy to therapy-
“Why,” Kagome teased, “so it’s fair? ‘You tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine’?”
“Yeah,” Inuyasha said, “that, and I’ve gotta get off somehow.”
_
Is he baiting her for Sess talk?
WHO WANTS YOUR BORING HUMAN COCK WHEN THEY CAN HAVE A DEMON KNOT IN THEIR ASS, INUYASHA. HM? YOU LIKE THAT TALK? I BET YOU DON’T, YOU VANILLA PUPPY.
ffff I’m sorry he just grinds my gears. Absolutely insane for him to ask this of her after everything that’s happened 🤣🤣🤣
‘Comrades’ and ‘brothers-in-arms’… they’re at an armistice 😂 And I bet Sesshoumaru is the one who’ll break this fragile peace.
“It didn’t take Kagome long to realize that their marriage as it had been was over. Though they were still a wedded couple in the eyes of the world, their relationship wasn’t really a marriage anymore. It was a friendship. That was why it was so easy for them to keep their passions in check. The source of complication between them—the romance—had been removed.”
Even if you take the romance away, the damage it left is still mighty. We just haven’t seen how yet, but I’m sure it’ll be CATASTROPHIC when it does rear its ugly head soon.
‘Cocktease,’ ‘fuck,’ ‘pussy’—Inuyasha didn’t even bother to temper his language with her now. He just said things as they came to him, crude and unfiltered. ‘Brothers-in-arms’ sort of talk.
I would shove TWO bars of soap in Inuyasha’s mouth now but I miss Sess’s stinging, mean words 😔💘💕
I know right?? 😭 Sess’s venomous tongue just hits the right sort of “Ouch“ ❤️🔥
What is interesting is that Inuyasha has always been crude, previous chapters have shown him calling Kagome very derogatory names. The only difference now is that he is being explicitly vulgar to get a reaction out of her. So now he wants a friends with benefits situation? He is selfish. He knows that Kagome is not attracted to him anymore mentally, physically, romantically, or emotionally. She confessed her feelings to him about Sesshoumaru and instead of letting her go, he said but you promised to stay forever, playing on her guilt and weaknesses. There is that saying, when you love someone you love them enough to let them go, he doesn’t love her, he just wants to use her body at this point. It is very cringe that he tries to bait her into an encounter and then says well how else am I supposed to get off. As previous commenters have said above, I wish she would have told him about all her encounters with Sesshoumaru and see if that will help him “get off”.