At The Edge Of The Moon

 

a/n: This is my first fanfiction I've ever written, but I am excited to be finally putting my ideas to paper after reading so many quality stories. I do encourage you to be patient, as I don't want to rush the story any faster than I can form ideas and there will definitely be times when it will be slow. But it will be worth it!

So, please enjoy the story and there will definitely be more to come, with juicer snippets, I promise. ;)

 

Chapter 1:

   A trickle of pale light danced into the room, ebbing along the smooth floorboards, illuminating a swath of peachy skin peering out from between the cover of a woolen duvet. Skin turned into a creamy shoulder, attached to a slumbering woman, who of which was nestled in a small ball, securely tucked in her blankets. And as she dreamt on, the night peaceful, a lone pair of golden eyes peered casually through her window.

   How many times had he stopped here, looking in longing at the woman tucked away for the night, tucked away from the world… ?

  With a heavy sigh, Inu Yasha removed his hand from the windowpane and began his slow trek into the forest, his mind distant as always.

   It was always the same thing – he would check on Kagome as she slept, only to turn about-face and seek out the cold, earthy embrace of his lover. An ear flicked flat against his skull at the thought. Kagome would be so hurt if she knew… If she knew how many nights he had snuck off to satiate the urges and desires of his body and heart. She would be devastated he thought, a clawed hand moving to scratch the back of his head as he walked further into the woods. As the tell-tale glow of soul catchers appeared in the distance, he couldn’t help but pick up his speed and grimace at the same time.



No, she could never know.

 

 

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  Dusk turned to dawn and moonlight melted into the warming glow of the sun. Quietly, the door to Kagome’s hut creaked open and the soft foot-falls of a young kit snuck closer to his adoptive mother. With whispered words and a gentle shake to Kagome’s shoulder, Shippo attempted to wake the slumbering woman.

   The darkness of behind her eyelids cracked open to a blurry, unfocused image of the kit. Kagome could only stifle a yawn as she struggled to sit up and take notice as he crawled up and into her lap.

   “Ooka-san! Wake up!” The child clambered further into her lap, only to stand on tiptoe on her thighs, little paws reaching up to gently grasp each side of Kagome’s face with a endearing shake. As Kagome’s world came into focus, she could only smile down at the kit and grab him up in a loving armful, her nose pressed deep into his red-brown fur. “I’m up, I’m up,” she smiled, pressing a fat kiss to the top of his head and setting him down to her side as she proceeded to struggle in getting up for the morning.

  Things would be as their usual morning ritual – to fold and put away their futons and blankets, clean up the hut, and head out to the springs with Sango, before arranging their morning meal with the group.

  Ever since the Shikon No Tama had been cleansed and Naraku defeated, life had been nothing short of peaceful. Sango and Miroku had moved on with their lives together, having gotten married the summer following Naraku’s defeat. Kagome and Shippo had remained in the village, but had taken the opportunity to build their own hut with similar embellishments of a modern house, given Kagome’s experience and memory of the future.

As Kagome piled blankets into a corner of the hut and turned, proceeding to grasp the wooden handle of a broom, she couldn’t help but to smile to herself. The future… The well had closed for good, remaining once more a useless entry. Sota… mom… grandpa…  Kagome paused only temporarily in her sweeping to give a soft, short sigh. She thought of her family often, but had come to the understanding that while she had lost her family of the future, she had gained one from the past. Sango and Miroku were more and more like a brother and sisterto her, while Shippo was always her darling child. And Inu Yasha…



Inu Yasha…



   She could only shake her head and resume sweeping the bits of forest debris and dust out the front door.  What was there to say about the hanyou? He was crude, sarcastic, aggravating, and everything that she had wanted in a partner… But it had seemed that as of late, he had become more and more distant to their already precarious relationship.

 They had not tried to further anything beyond a gentle, private kiss in the past. And while Kagome may have yearned for it, and maybe even Inu Yasha for that matter, neither had mustered up the courage to seek more time alone or push the envelope of their already sexually-tense relationship.

   Setting the broom aside and picking up a small basket with a change of clothes and shampoo, Kagome stepped outside the hut and into the brilliant sunlight of the morning outdoors. Raising a hand to shield her eyes, she scanned the village for the tell-tale signs of people waking up.

   Chickens were clucking near a nearby hut, another spouting smoke from a window, the smell of freshly boiled lentils and grilled fish wafting past her nose. Inhaling deeply, Kagome smiled and turned the direction of her gaze to the little kit that had appeared by her side, clutching gently to her leg.

  Chuckling, Kagome reached her hand out to pet his head tenderly, “Did you wash up already?” Shippo could only grin and nod, earning a wider smile from his adoptive mother. “Alright, how about you go help Sango with breakfast and I will be back after my bath?” “Okay momma~!”

  The kit scurried off in a small dust cloud, leaving Kagome to wonder how she was able to even handle his energy at times.

  Shrugging to herself, Kagome started off toward the woods, her goal being the hotsprings located not too far from their humble village. As she walked, Kagome inhaled a lungful of the crisp morning air. Today felt like it would be a good day. Nodding to herself as if to reaffirm the thought, she picked up her speed – yes, today would be a good day and there would be no silly Hanyou to ruin it for her.

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Off in the west, a certain Taiyoukai sat attentively at a large oaken desk, clawed fingertips poised against a quill with a piece of delicate parchment resting just beneath that.

  Like many a things, Sesshoumaru’s day had also started as usual. He had come home late in the evening, waking up only hours later to resume his daily task of maintaining and ruling over both his home and territories.

He would wake, bathe, and head out into the wilderness to monitor the lands surrounding the Western Castle, only to return and begin the tedious process of signing and approving documentation from both youkai officials and castle-staff alike.

This particular morning, the Lord was having a rather difficult time concentrating on the document displayed in front of him. Sure, the words were legible, but his mind was elsewhere – distracted on something he couldn’t quite put a finger on.

  With a heavy sigh, Sesshoumar set down the quill and pushed his chair back from the desk. With a wisp of silver and white, the Taiyoukai stood and paced the length of his desk before stopping at the broad window that ornamented the northern wall.  The lands surrounding his castle looked peaceful in the morning glow. Surely the people of his lands were waking for the day, beginning their pathetic little lives as usual. At this thought, Sesshoumaru crossed and held his hands behind his back, a glare down his aristocratic nose being sent down to the land he had just been admiring just seconds before.

   Pathetic humans, indeed… The Taiyoukai turned away from the window with a scoff, his jaw locked in a hard grip as he seated himself once again to proceed with the document lying disinterestedly on his desk.