Changes of Heart by Forsaken Tenshi

Changes of Heart

Title: Changes of Heart

Author: Forsaken Tenshi

Quote: “When I see you smile and know that it is not for me is when I will miss you the most.”

Prompt: Tears

Rating: G or K

Genre: Romance, Friendship, a smidge of Angst

Words: 733

Summary: You do not know what you are missing until it is gone.

Inuyasha scowled as he walked next to Kagome.  His half brother, Sesshoumaru, had been appearing in the village with increasing frequency as of late, ostensibly to ensure the wellbeing of his charge, Rin, who now lived in the village with Kaede.  Often, he would come—usually without desiring a fight and a good distance from the hanyou—and converse with the miko beside him.  They were always in sight of the village, he was pleased to note, for then he could keep an eye on the both of them.  His golden eyes drifted to the woman beside him.

Kagome had changed in the five years after the Shikon no Tama was completed.  The first year after, she had cried nightly when she thought no one would see or hear, desiring to return to her era even though the well no longer allowed passage through time.  After that, her tears dried, and she straightened her back and lived once more, and Inuyasha could not have been more proud of her.  Kagome took to living the life of a miko with gusto, learning from Kaede alongside Rin, caring for the sick and elderly in the village, defending the people from youkai attacks, and playing games with the local children.  It helped that Sango and Miroku lived in the village as well.

Inuyasha’s heart still ached for Kikyo, his former love, but he believed he had finally healed enough to move on.  He loved Kagome with a conviction he felt deep in his soul, but he was still trying to figure out what type of love it was.  Kagome was familiar: the first person to accept him as he was, she would always be his dearest friend and companion.  He knew she loved him romantically, but lately had felt that her love for him had changed into something more platonic.  Did he love her romantically or platonically?  Growling softly in frustration, he shook his head and stuffed his restless hands into his sleeves.

Kagome glanced at her long-time companion.  “Something bothering you, Inuyasha?” she asked.

“Keh!” he scoffed, a blush spreading on his cheeks, “Just thinkin’ is all.”

The miko smiled.  “Don’t hurt yourself,” she teased gently.

Inuyasha gave her a sardonic glare as she giggled at his expense.  He halted abruptly in his walk as a scent reached his nose and a distinctive youki brushed by him.

Kagome felt it the youki as well, and they both turned to find Sesshoumaru not twenty yards away, his clothing, hair, and mokomoko-sama drifting gracefully downwards under gravity’s unrelenting pull.  It was the first time his half brother stood within earshot of him since the final battle against Naraku.

Inuyasha growled and fingered the hilt of Tetsusaiga, but Kagome gently shushed him with a touch and a glance, and greeted the daiyoukai.

“Sesshoumaru-sama.”

There was something different about the way she spoke his name that made the hanyou pause.  The syllables were reverently spoken, as if the name meant the world to her.  Studying her face, Inuyasha watched as a smile lit her countenance, and realization rippled through his being as he watched Sesshoumaru’s expression soften ever so slightly.

“Miko-san,” he replied, and although the address was polite but still not as respectful as her title demanded, it was more considerate than anything he had ever heard his brother say towards a human besides Rin.

Kagome drifted from his side, crossing the distance between the two half brothers easily. Inuyasha swallowed as he finally realized why they had spent the past year or so talking to each other.  It was apparent in Kagome’s breezy laugh, and in Sesshoumaru’s eased body language.

“Inuyasha,” Kagome said as she stood before him, startling out of his reverie, “Sesshoumaru-sama and I are going for a walk.  You can find your way back to the village?”

The hanyou mechanically nodded.

Kagome smiled, that beautiful, breathtaking smile of hers, and a hand fluttered against his cheek.  “I’ll see you later then.”  So saying, she returned to his wretched half brother’s side, where they began walking towards the village and conversing in low tones.  Her bright, cheerful laughter would escape her every now and then, and Inuyasha’s ears flattened against his skull as he watched the pair move away.

Now, he thought with melancholy, when I see you smile and know that it is not for me… is when I will miss you the most.