Inuyasha-Oniisama, Aishiteru (COMPLETED! BONUS!!!)

Once more, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom as the students congregated in the large schoolyard of Hakuru High school. Parents and friends alike cried and celebrated their final, completed year of high school. With students taking pictures and promising to keep in touch, it was a sight to behold, but none more so than the young girl leaning against a tree, as if waiting for someone. She stood there, beautiful as she was mature. Her long, beautiful black hair wafted in the soft spring breeze and she closed her eyelids over her beautiful brown eyes before opening them. Her white blouse was opened at the throat and tucked into the red, plaid mini skirt she’d always wanted to wear. Her baggy white socks and black penny loafers completed the ensemble. Clenched in her hands was the handle of her brown school bag.



”Kagome-Chan…!”



Ayumi watched as Kagome looked up at her from where she stood against the tree and greeted her with a smile. Following Ayumi, was of course, Eri and Yuka.



“There you are! We thought you’d left! Let’s take some pictures and then go celebrate! We’re so done with high school!” Yuka cheered.



“Can you believe it’s been just four years?” Eri sighed wistfully.



Kagome looked at the sky with a small smile. That’s right, she thought, it had been just four short and so much had happened…



“Kagome-Chan? Are you thinking of your sister?” Ayumi asked softly.



Kagome nodded, giving her friends a smile, but not attempting to hide the tears that started trailing down her face.



”Yeah…I was just thinking of what she’d say…”



“Probably how proud she is of you.” A familiar male voice replied.



Kagome turned around, seeing Inuyasha standing there, his long, black hair pulled backwards into a thin ponytail and the handsome, camouflaged hanyou dressed in a simple pair of black pants and a black t-shirt. Kagome blushed at how handsome he looked, especially standing there with a large bouquet of assorted flowers. Inuyasha approached Kagome and her friends, who were always thrilled to see him.



“Inuyasha-Kun! Hey, you came!” Eri giggled.



”Of course. Congrats, girls. Any plans after this?”



All four girls thought about it for a second.



“Well, I want to go to beauty school.” Eri began.



“I think I’ll train to be a nurse.” Yuka nodded.



“I’ll probably go on to work with pre-school children.” Ayumi giggled.



Kagome could only smile. For someone as gentle and as caring as Ayumi, working with children suit her. Kagome looked down, scratching the back of her head.



“Well…I’m not quite sure what I want to do now.”



“It’s okay, take your time! Anyway, Kagome, let’s get some pictures! I’ll take one of you and Inuyasha together!” Eri said, pushing the two together.



Inuyasha and Kagome stood closely together and while Kagome grinned, Inuyasha just gave a simple smile. After a few more pictures with Kagome and her friends, Ayumi invited Kagome to go out and celebrate with them later that evening and when she got a positive response from Kagome, hurried her friends off so Kagome could be with Inuyasha. Ayumi wasn’t sure whether they were more than friends, especially with Inuyasha being her once brother-in-law. Ayumi would pray that things between the twosome would work out. Kagome giggled and sighed, looking at Inuyasha. With a slight blush, he finally handed over the flowers to her and sighed.



“Congratulations, Kagome.”



As he handed her the flowers, he kissed her on the cheek. Kagome blushed, looking up at him. It was the first display of affection he’d shown her in almost four years. She could only smile and hold the flowers gently.



“Thanks, Inuyasha.”



”Well…let’s get going.”



“Yeah….”



Inuyasha had only taken a few steps in front of Kagome when he realized she hadn’t fallen in step behind him like she normally would have. He turned and saw her wiping away tears with the back of her hand.



“I’m…sorry. It’s just that…I just really wonder if Kikyou’s proud of me. Have I done well these past four years? I…I’ve been using my powers to help people in this time and yours, Inuyasha…I got into a great high school…I’ve been keeping my promise to Kikyou…”



Without a pause, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Kagome tightly, stroking the back of her head with a sigh. It’d been a long and trying four years for the both of them. Having to live with the guilt, trying to heal…trying to live without Kikyou and especially trying to live with one another. Sure, Kagome often traveled between her world and his and he would visit her all the time back at the shrine, and he even celebrated her birthdays with her and went to festivals, but there was always something left unsaid between them.



“Kikyou is proud of you and so is everyone else. Especially me. C’mon, let’s go.”



“Okay…” Kagome sniffled.



The walk home wasn’t as painful as the silence that stretched between them. When they returned to the shrine, Kagome headed upstairs to change out of her uniform. Inuyasha told her he was going to help himself to whatever was in the refrigerator. Kagome could only giggle. Once in her room, Kagome began to undress, catching a glance at the scroll sitting on her desk as it had been all this time. With a sigh, Kagome walked over to her desk and picked it up, unraveling it for the thousandth time and read her sister’s message…



~Kagome-Chan…my dearest sister,

I write these words to you with no regret whatsoever.

You’re growing up so beautifully and your power is astounding.

You seem to embrace everyone you encounter in a warming light that beautifully surrounds you, like the wings of an angel.

Kagome…while I shall give you this scroll myself when I am alive, I hope by the time you read this, then I have passed on to the next world.

Don’t be unhappy and live, Kagome.

Be strong and smile and laugh.



And…look after Inuyasha.

I don’t mean to make Inuyasha seem no less than a worthless dog…

But when I die, Inuyasha is yours to take care of.

Make him smile, make him laugh…

Make him love again.

I give you my blessings.



That is all I ask, Kagome.



And should he ever get out of line…those beads of subjugation are at your disposal as well.



With all of my love,

~Kikyou~



Kagome closed her eyes as she felt the sting of tears and clutched the scroll. It had almost been a year after Kikyou’s death that she finally summoned up the urge to show Inuyasha. It eased his sense of guilt, but he wasn’t too pleased as he now belonged to Kagome, in some strange way. Now, almost four years later, here they both were; Kagome had graduated high school and wasn’t sure what to do with her life, whereas Inuyasha’s life seemed simple enough; protect the village, kill a few demons, visit Kikyou’s grave, visit Kagome and do it all over again tomorrow. Kagome set the scroll down once more as she continued to undress and soon changed into a light-blue sundress. Kagome opened the doors to her balcony, letting in a soft spring breeze before lying down upon the bed. She stared at the blank ceiling with a sigh. Where did she and Inuyasha stand? Even though time had managed to heal most wounds inflicted by the cruel past, Inuyasha still kept their relationship strictly as if they were related by blood, instead of marriage. Kagome closed her eyes, wondering if they’d ever get back to the point of where she could express her deepest feelings him.



“Hey, Kagome?”



Kagome sat up slowly and saw Inuyasha sticking his head inside of her room. He was shirtless with a white towel around his neck.



“Hey, I’m gonna take a bath before I head back to my time.”



“Oh, you’re going back tonight?”



”Yeah. You’re supposed to be going out with your friends tonight, right?”



”Yeah, Eri wanted to do a Shibuya Binge* tonight, in celebration of graduation. We’ll probably be out all night!” Kagome smiled.



Inuyasha couldn’t help but smile a little; no matter how old she got, when Kagome was happy or excited about something, she’d have the cutest smile on her face. Inuyasha looked across the room and at the desk with the small scroll lay rolled up on her desk. He walked over to the desk, Kagome watching him intently. He picked up the scroll and sighed heavily.



“Four years, huh?”



Kagome swung her long legs off of the side of the bed and sat on the edge of it.



“Yeah…Things have changed, yet stayed the same, haven’t they?”



Kagome stood up and walked over to her window, feeling the soft breeze coming from the open doors of her balcony. She walked out onto the small balcony with a heavy sigh and stared up at the blue sky. Inuyasha looked at Kagome with his own small sigh. Even viewing her from behind, he saw the portrait of a beautiful young woman; one who’d matured from a cute young girl trying to get along in life. The blue summer dress, stopping a few inches above her thighs, she wore flapped softly in the breeze, exposing her long, beautiful legs. Her long, black hair wafted gently in the wind, reminding him of Kikyou’s longer, straighter hair. He did some mental slapping on the wrist; this was Kagome and not Kikyou. Whiny, bratty, stubborn, proud Kagome. For years, he’d done his best to keep her at arm’s length for several reasons; One, until just a few years ago, they’d be siblings, even if it had been by marriage. Two, he still couldn’t forget about Kikyou, no matter how hard he tried and when he came to grips with the fact that it was alright to never forget about her, it made him wonder something else—would Kikyou be alright with how he felt about her younger sibling? He’d wrestled with his feelings for almost four years now…what was he waiting for? He looked at the scroll and kissed it before setting it down on her desk once more. Kikyou had given him so much and he was grateful, but what he’d really be eternally grateful to her for was courage; his courage to finally take that big leap. He’d never forget Kikyou, never forget how he loved and lost, but he had loved and lost and now…it was time to move on. Kikyou was his past, but Kagome…Kagome was his future.



“Hey, Kagome…”



“Hmm?” she turned with a smile.



But then it hit him and the words he wanted to tell her hitched in his throat. What if Kagome no longer had feelings for him? After all, he’d led her on with no problem and she still probably resented him that. Moreover, what if she didn’t want him looking at her with the eyes of a man? Would ‘Inuyasha-niisan’ ever be all she saw him as? Inuyasha sighed with a defeated smile.



“I’m probably gonna hop in the tub now. Why don’t you get ready for tonight?”



”Yeah, I guess I need to. It’s starting to get late, anyway.”



Inuyasha gave a nod and headed out of her room, closing the door behind him. Kagome gave a small sigh and stole a glance at her clock. She was supposed to meet her friends at seven in Shibuya…she had atleast half an hour to get ready.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Inuyasha eased into the hot bath with a small sigh of relief. In his time, he knew he could never get a nice, hot relaxing bath unless he traveled to one of those high-class inns, or even a hot spring. He closed his eyes for a moment, reflecting slightly; wondering what his life would have been like if Kikyou had still been alive. How would his child have looked? He was positive that if the child had hung around Kagome enough, it would have been a little replica of her. A passing thought caused him feel a pang of regret—Was it terrible of him to think that maybe Kikyou’s passing, and the fact that she’d lost the child as well, had been beneficial to him? Inuyasha had to admit, while he wasn’t certain he could have been a good husband to Kikyou in the short time they’d been married, he was absolutely positive he wouldn’t have made a good father, even though he did enjoy children to a certain extent. If he had been weighed down with the burden of a child, could he and Kagome have traveled all over his time, fighting demons, both external and internal? Maybe, but he knew he was starting to stray from his original thoughts. He imagined Kikyou being a wonderful mother; hell, she was ecstatic about being pregnant in the first place. He closed his eyes with a small chuckle, remembering how gentle Kikyou usually was with the village children. They always wanted to play with her and she was very kind to each and every child. Kikyou would have made a wonderful mother.



But what about Kagome? Inuyasha’s eyes flew open at the sudden intrusive thought. He could picture Kikyou as a mother, but what could he picture Kagome as…in his heart? Would Kagome be a good mother? She was gentle, energetic and kind, just like Kikyou and he could imagine Kagome being quite the ‘fun’ mother, retaining her big-sister qualities even though the children she would have one day would be her own. Inuyasha quickly shook his head, trying to get rid of such thoughts and letting his mind drift to his previous thought of what his life would have been like if Kikyou and the child had lived. Once again, he couldn’t picture himself being a decent father and he didn’t know why. Being with Kikyou had felt right, but having a child with Kikyou was a subject of a whole different caliber. Inuyasha sunk lower into the water, trying to relax his shoulders. Dammit, he was getting too confused by all of these what-if theories, but there was one he hadn’t thought of yet—What if he and Kagome got married and had a child?



…The thought alone was enough to bring a smile to the face of the hanyou disguised as a human. Kagome was a good cook, a talent acquired from years of working in the kitchen making meals, so he knew he’d never go hungry. He imagined Kagome blushing at their wedding and later on in life, holding their first child. Inuyasha allowed himself a pleased smile. He imagined traveling with Kagome all over her strange world with their child on his shoulders in the winter as they did ‘window-shopping’ and taking the child to the beach when the summer came…



“Inuyasha, sorry for intruding…”



Inuyasha quickly sat up, turned and saw Kagome sticking her head in the door. He hadn’t even heard her knock and was thankful he was still waist-deep in the bathwater. The second his eyes locked with hers and he saw her smile, it felt like all of time had frozen. It dawned on Inuyasha quicker than anything—the only reason he couldn’t imagine being the father of Kikyou’s child was because somewhere in his heart, the mirror reflecting his deepest desires was getting the message across loud and clear; to have Kagome mother his child. He wondered, as she stood there, when his feelings for her had gotten so strong. He resisted all urges to jump out of that bathtub and take her into his arms and never let her go. The shy little girl who followed him around like a stray kitten when they were little, the fiery vixen who demanded that she be looked at as a woman when she was just fifteen and the mature young woman that stood before him now…she was all he’d ever want or need.



“Um…Inuyasha…?” noticing the distant look on his face.



Inuyasha quickly shook his head and scratched the back of his head. That’s right, if it hadn’t been for Kagome, he probably wouldn’t have returned to the way he was before Kikyou died—in fact, he was positive he laughed and smiled more so now than ever.



“Inuyasha…?” Kagome repeated.



“Yeah, sorry. Anyway, what’s up?”



“Well, I just wanted to let you know that I was heading out. How do I look?”



Kagome stepped into full view, revealing her outfit of choice: a pair of black short-shorts and a thin, sleeveless, strapless baby camisole that emphasized her bust. In her hands, he could see a pair of sandals with blue straps and a slight, black platform to them. He could see the straps of her small, miniature black backpack covering her shoulders slightly. Her hair was teased and there was even a slight hint of makeup upon her beautiful features.



“Well, what do you think? The girls and I are gonna enjoy Shibuya like no other tonight! We plan on doing a Kara-Mara, shopping, getting a lot of snacking in and even hitting the arcade!”



Inuyasha ignored all of the terms he wasn’t familiar with and just smiled slightly. There was that same, excited smile she wore…the one he’d never get tired of seeing.



“Sounds like fun…and uh…you look nice. Just be careful. Do you plan on being back tonight?”



Kagome giggled, which caught Inuyasha off guard.



”Did I say something funny?”



”That’s just like you, Niisan! You don’t have to worry, I’ll be really careful. I’ll probably be back later on tonight. Will you remember to lock up before you leave?”



Kagome didn’t wait for an answer as she closed the door to the bathroom and headed out for her night on the town, leaving a dumbfounded Inuyasha. He grit his teeth, balled up his fist and punched the floor so hard the tile chipped beneath his knuckles. How could she still think of him as a brother? He was sick and tired of it…Once he was positive Kagome was gone, he exited the bath, tied his hair back and headed into the spare room that Kikyou had once set aside for him…before they’d become intimate. He went through his closet for a few minutes warily eying the ‘modern’ clothes Kikyou and Kagome had bought him over the years. The shrill ring of the house phone caught his attention before he could find anything to wear and he was grateful for the distraction. Why couldn’t he just wear his normal red outfit? By the third ring of the phone, he quickly picked it up and sighed.



“Higurashi Shrine.”



‘Inuyasha? Hey, it’s me!’



It took Inuyasha a second to realize he was talking to Kagome’s ‘perverted sensei’, who was now a ‘perverted sensei of two kids’, thanks to his marriage to Ayame, which, even Inuyasha had to admit, was a pleasant wedding ceremony.



“Oh, yeah, Kouga, what is it?”



’I have some free time tonight—wanna get a few drinks?’



“Now why would I want to do that?”



‘Because I just happen to be in Shibuya and I just happened to notice Kagome go off with a few of her girlfriends…and a few guys joined them. I’m not sure what they have planned, but one of the guys was definitely had his eyes on Kagome.’



Inuyasha’s eyes widened slightly. Kagome had mentioned going out with a few of her girlfriends—sans men.



“Where were they headed?”



‘A nice little karaoke place not too far from the bar where I happen to frequent and where I heard they’d be going after their karaoke party. Care to join me?’



”Yeah, just tell me where this place is and I’ll meet you there.”



‘Just meet be in front of Hachi--the stone dog. Oh, and Inuyasha, dress nice.’



After a few more minutes of small conversation Inuyasha hung up the phone and returned to ‘his’ room. He gave a heavy sigh, looking in the mirror when he was finally dressed. He couldn’t help but smirk a little. He made his way towards the door with a heavy sigh, looking up at sky for guidance.



“Kikyou…if everything goes as planned tonight…I doubt you’ll ever have to worry about Kagome and I ever again.”



Steeling his reserve, he headed out into the warm, night air, determined to make this night end the way he wanted it to…or he wouldn’t be returning to Kagome’s era for a long, long time.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: YAY, finally an update! I can sympathize with (college) students/authors on here who have to study for finals and everything right now. It’s hard posting and everything! T_T Anyway, I had intended this to be like the last chapter, but my muse was slacking and had a few more ideas. It probably won’t go hopefully past the next two chapters, plus a bonus one for a type of epilogue thing!



Selina: LOVED YOUR STORY! I can’t believe it’s over!!!!!! And I’m glad you liked how real my last chapter was! I would have italicized everything that described the dream, but DAMMIT, I don’t know how to get italics working! It drives me nuts! Tell me, por favor (please!) Thanks for reading and reviewing!!!



HikariNeko: Sorry to leave ya hanging, lol! I hope this will do it for now!!! And yeah, it’s almost over, but it’ll go out with a bang! (No pun intended lol!)



Kimiko: I’m really glad that last chapter moved you! It makes me really happy to know that a lot of readers got the main point of all the drama! Thanks a lot!!!!!