Bent by Moonlight Silk

Those eyes!

AN: This fic is mostly un-edited so I will apologize before hand for that, regardless, I do not think that the errors are such that it will take anything away from the story.

Standard disclaimer for this and every chapter that follows: I do not own Inuyasha, all credits belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

Please read and review!

She sighed in exasperation. Nothing was being sold, and if and when a potential customer looked her way grabby hands would hassle them away from her. Taxing as the situation was, Kagome tried not to be too disheartened, it was no one's fault; times were hard and people fought for their own survival living like beasts rather than courteous human beings.

Feelings of anxiety threatened to overwhelm her so she closed her eyes and allowed the slight warm breeze to tickle her face and hopefully the soothing sensation would transport her mind elsewhere. Unfortunately, her mood did not improve much by the time she re-opened them, the sun was hot on her body, the smell of the market place undesirable and the loud chatter penetrating her ears was enough to keep her irritated for awhile.

She realized quickly that her temperament was caught up somewhere between frustration and anger which was unwelcomed; she needed to stay unaffected by her surroundings for her own survival as well as for the ones who depended on her. Quickly she smoothed the frown from her brows and the tightness in her jaw with a few strokes of her fingers and a fake yawn and yet the bad feelings remained.

Today was just not her day. The heat was hotter than ever, the sweat on her body grimier and she was undeniably perturbed by her life. Kagome looked up at the sky and wished fervently that it would rain, washing away her fears and gradually bringing about a change. After a few moments she lowered her head and withdrew a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the perspiration from her face and neck and then sat down.

With nothing else left to do but to wait, she closed her eyes again hoping to relax in spite of the difficulties she faced. Soon a string of memories played in sequence inside her head. It took her back to the very beginning; to the beginning of an extraordinary journey...

After the battle against Naraku was won and the Shikon No Tama no longer existed, she had returned to her time where she remained for three years because the well ceased to work then. Eventually, the portal opened and hence the gateway to the past; she'd packed her bags with many necessities including lots of books to help her pass the time.

Her homecoming was a joyous occasion in the beginning; however, she and Inuyasha's relationship never matured beyond mutual friendship. There was no romance, no toe curling kisses under the moonlight like she had envisioned in her fantasies. It had been six months after her arrival back to the past that she realized a romantic relationship with him seemed more dismal than the closure of the well, yet she could not perceive walking away and giving up on Inuyasha without knowing why after she had left her time forever to be with him.

Dark clouds rolled over her dreams and her life's reality bent out of shape; she had no home to go back to now that the gate to the future was sealed for good and a life in the past without her beloved half demon was unthikable, so she took the only reasonable option available to her at the time. She decided to find and talk to Inuyasha to clear the air and fix the problems if she could. Their was no other recourse, her relationship with Inuyasha meant everything to her.

After checking a few of Inuyasha's usual hangouts, she located him, but by the end of their talk or rather her none too gentle probing of him, he'd informed her that many things about himself and the things he had wanted to do with her had changed somewhat over time. He had further stated that he had an obligation to his late father who had died protecting both his mother and him.

What shocked her the most was when he said his obligations now extended to his older half brother Sesshomaru which would tie him up for decades. He cautioned her that the road ahead was filled with uncertainties and he could not make any guarantees. His plans depended largely on Sesshomaru and whenever his brother was ready he would go. 

She had been too stunned and heartbroken then to say anything, nothing made sense to her; this was not the Inuyasha she had loved and had wanted to be with for so long. He had become a total stranger to her.

After Inuyasha had left she'd walked around for hours pondering on her life and what she was going to do. Her conscience understood the need that her beloved had; he respected his brother and wanted to be acknowledged by him. But her heart was selfish, she needed him as well and the fact that she had left her entire life in the future to be with him made her angry and frustrated.

The following day after hours of deep consideration she went to Inuyasha again and all that had happened was a lengthy, bitter argument between them. Inuyasha's stubbornness had raised its annoying head and she had lost it.

Alone that night she had cried bitterly. She couldn’t believe that after three years apart nothing had changed between them deep down. But even then she was still not prepared to let it go. Perhaps if she gave him some time to cool off before going to him again he would be more agreeable. Four days passed restlessly, Kaede sensed the uneasiness in her and offered her some advice.

Acting on the advice and her own feelings towards Inuyasha she went in search of him again. Sometime later, she saw him and initiated conversation. He was still moody and bad tempered, and for one moment she had felt like walking away.

Nevertheless, she sat down beside him at the base of a tree and put her hand around his neck. She’d felt the tension in him but had tried not to react to it, she sighed instead and spoke.

"Maybe we just need more time," she said and shifted her head slightly and stared at him. "Inuyasha, I believe that if we give each other some space it might help you to clarify your feelings."

He shook his head no; Kagome smiled sadly at him, got up and then left.

Without Inuyasha by her side, she’d immersed herself in work and had drawn closer to Sango and Rin while at the back of her mind she waited on her first love to come and make her a happy woman. Sadly that never materialized. Stricken with worry she sought the aid of Miroku who'd informed her that Inuyasha was last seen leaving the village, walking in close proximity to his brother.

Inuyasha's sudden disappearance grieved her deeply. She was miserable with little or no sense of direction. She felt lost and if not for accompanying Kaede to heal and help the sick and needy she would have lost herself to depression and time.

Inuyasha returned a month later and no one, not even the kamis themselves could have told her that he had not come back to be with her to make her believe it. To her dismay again, later that night he visited with her only to report that he would be leaving in the morning.

Four years would be the total number of years before her eyes would grace him again. When they met later that day she did not ask him about his absence though deep down she had wanted to know, she decided abruptly to file it away at the back of her mind. Right now she was too happy to care, he was here.....

Rin was about to be married and that had kept her busy for awhile, however, the evening before the wedding, Inuyasha had come to see her. He’d held her hand and had led her away in silence from the village to their spot under the tree by the river. There, she sat with him and tried to relax.

"Kagome," he said quietly, breaking the silence, "I have something to tell you."

She lifted her head, moved closer to his face and kissed him on the lips to silence him. Something in his tone scared her and right now she did not want to hear anything to disrupt the tense happy moment. She closed her eyes as Inuyasha finally kissed her back. He pressed his warm body to hers and hugged her tightly to his chest.

The kiss was soft and sweet and it had taken her to places unknown, it was her second and hopefully many more would come after this one. They stayed like that for so long that she had to pull away to draw for oxygen, in the end he never got around to tell her what was on his mind.

Rin's wedding day came and went without a glitch. The Daiyoukai attended the event and watched proudly from the side as the little girl that he had befriended, now a beautiful young woman embarked on a life of her own. Kagome observed the ceremony and couldn't help herself, she smiled constantly; perhaps soon she would be the one getting married. Her dreams, they were never meant to be. The very next day Inuyasha left Edo for good with a kiss and a goodbye and without a single promise of his return.

*****

Several years came and went by quickly, times were hard, women and young girls were viewed as second class citizens, their worth was measured by the number of children they bore for their husbands; the more males the higher the value. She was despondent with the lack of opportunities for women and so she used the meager resources that she had to build a school with the aid of the men of the village. All were welcomed; women, men, girls, and boys. It was a place of learning so there was no discrimination.

As time moved on Kaede died, but before she did she willed Kagome the two-room hut, the land with everything on it including the farm and the school. Over time with monies earned from being a priestess and donations, she modified the hut to suit her modern needs.

The years kept on coming and going. Soon fifty years were behind her and all her human friends had died yet she never aged a day over eighteen years. It would seem as though time had stopped for her the moment she'd returned to the past at eighteen years. Her youthfulness did not go by unnoticed and so she became known affectionately as the immortal priestess.

Completely alone now, only the children of her friends and their children remembered her, and she kept them very close to her heart. Some of these relatives were students at her school and that included Rin's four grandchildren.

Now the demon lord was very loyal and kept a close eye on Rin's generation after she had passed away. From time to time he would visit the school and sit outside the window while she taught the lessons. He would greet her politely in those instances and she would do likewise. On one of those rare moments that he'd actually spoken to her, she had just finished the lessons for the day and was preparing tomorrow's schedule. She felt him coming towards her but continued to work on the lesson plan sitting at her desk.

His impressive form blocked the sun from her person and the occurrence caused her to look up and their eyes met and held, she just could not look away, she was spellbound. For this close his eyes were like liquid gold and it sparkled, his skin was as smooth as an alabaster stone with just a hint of sunshine and it glowed.

"Oh my god," she gasped and lowered her head. She hoped that he had not caught onto her infatuations.

His silent approach coming around the table and closer to her caught her off guard because she was drowning in the golden pools that were his eyes and had not realized that he had moved and was almost upon her. The gentle breeze that steadily flowed in through the open windows brought with it his scent as he moved; the scent of rain in springtime, lightly fragranced with pinewood.

Nervousness made the chair drag along the floor noisily as she backed out of it and stood to face him, her head barely reaching his shoulders. She gazed at him quizzically, this would be the first time that he had ever come so close to her and it frightened her.

Before she could react his touch was gentle upon her face stroking it with the back of his hand that she forgets to breathe. Gasping, she was in disbelief, her heart raced and the terrible drumming that it made felt as though it would leap from her chest. Combing his fingers through her wavy black hair, he let it tumble through his fingers as it fell gently back in place.

What is he doing? She wondered but kept silent as he continued to stroke her hair back.

Her eyes closed at the soothing feeling, but only for a moment as his hand tightened in her locks and wrenched her head back painfully. She grabbed the hand at the base of her skull and asked him.

"What are you doing, I don't understand?"

Assessing eyes looked her over, and as she gazed at those eyes still captivated by their beauty, she watched as his lips parted and he spoke.

"What sort of witchcraft are you using to stay so youthful and to keep the whites out of your hair?"

His voice was low and deep, but his words were ones of curiosity with a hint of contempt.

She struggled in his hold trying to break free, but his hand held her head firmly and she could not escape his clutches. Her eyes burned with anger and resentment at his rough treatment of her, but she was also conscious of the fact that he would not let her go if she did not answer his question.

"I am not using any sort magic to stay young. As to why I am not aging, I don't know."

He saw her tears and suddenly let go. She stumbled against the table holding onto it firmly while her heart still raced. She was stunned.

She took a seat after he had left and tried to calm the anxieties from her mind and body. She could scarcely catch her breath and still quite shaken from the encounter much less to notice as he took a book from her bag on the front bench of the classroom.