InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hallowed Anniversary ❯ To Live While I'm Alive ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Blanket Disclaimer:

 

Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.

 

 

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Hello and welcome! This story is part two of my 'Hallow' trilogy.

 

Original post date on mediaminer: 10/27/07

 

Originally written and posted one year after All Hallows' Eve, it also takes place one year after where that first story left off, bringing us back for another look at our favorite couple one year into their relationship, as Halloween rolls back around again. The first two chapters contain flashbacks of events that took place during the year-long gap between stories.

 

Although I didn't focus too strongly on keeping with the original canon storyline, especially considering the inherent off-canon nature of this story universe to begin with because of the timeline (and thus Kagome's age) discrepancy, several aspects of the later chapters of the manga (stopping at chapter 525 because that was as far as the manga had gone at the time this story was originally written) are included in the flashbacks throughout the first two chapters. In this story universe, the canon events of chapters 526 and beyond never happened, this story veering completely off-canon from the battle scene of chapter 525.

 

This story was nominated for Best Inu/Kag Romance for the 2008 4th Quarter at the Feudal Association!

 

Enjoy!

 

 

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It's my life

It's now or never

I ain't gonna live forever

I just want to live while I'm alive

 

- Bon Jovi

 

 

 

Chapter 1 – To Live While I'm Alive

 

 

 

 

 

“Be careful, Inuyasha!” Kagome cried while aiming her bow. “He's got two jewel shards, one in each fist!”

 

“Got it!” the hanyou called back, dodging one aforementioned fist, which had been aiming right for his head. That would have hurt.

 

The ugly excuse for an oni had come out of nowhere, stomping through the woods and loudly proclaiming its desire for their jewel shards, in no way appearing to possess the capacity for higher thought process. Still, the dumb brute was a good twenty feet high, with fists like steel, thanks to his shard-enhanced one-two punch, and our couple quickly learned the horrid truth behind the expression 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall.'

 

“What I wouldn't give for the Hiraikotsu right about now,” Kagome mumbled more to herself, as she let her arrow fly. Fortunately, her aim was true, as the tiny glowing projectile succeeded where she knew the bone boomerang would have also, in cleanly severing the beast's hand from his arm.   

 

“Nice shot!” Inuyasha proclaimed, genuinely impressed, as he managed to slice off the monster's other hand using Tetsusaiga.

 

Unfortunately, because of the mystical powers that be when it came to jewel shards, both of the oni's severed hands were rapidly on their way to rejoining with their host's body. Fortunately, Inuyasha was able to annihilate the rest of the youkai with his Wind Scar attack before they had a chance to make contact and reattach.

 

Kagome grimaced in disgust as she plucked the tainted jewel shards from the remaining severed hands, which had lost all signs of life upon the destruction of their master.

 

“Gross,” the miko complained, wiping a blob of blood from her hand against the bark of a nearby tree.

 

Feeling his aura approach her from behind, Kagome knew he was there, even though he hadn't made a sound, as she turned to greet him with a tired smile.

 

“That was some fancy shootin'.” Inuyasha said with a crooked grin, imitating the dialogue of the Western movie he had watched with Souta not too long ago.

 

“Many thanks, kind sir,” Kagome teased back, as she then proceeded to pull out the puffy sides of her hibakama, as though her billowing red miko pants were actually a dress, as she curtsied to the best of her ability.

 

Losing their composure in the silliness of the moment, they both started laughing, before Inuyasha draped a loving arm around his wife's shoulder while stating, “Come on, let's go find us a stream to wash up in. You stink.”

 

“Gee thanks.”

 

~~~Flashback~~~

 

Facing the day of the 'morning after' was definitely going to be one of the toughest things that Inuyasha had ever done in his entire life, though at least he wouldn't be facing the day alone.

 

Lazily circling the index claw of his right hand over the sensitive flesh of his lover's belly, waking up with Kagome in his arms had actually been a rather pleasant sensation, until he suddenly bolted upright at the horrifying realization that he'd fallen asleep in the first place. He was supposed to have moved to the floor before her family got home, damn it! At least, that had been the rule he had silently made for himself, which he'd planned on obeying just as soon as Kagome had fallen asleep.

 

Speaking of our futuristic miko, prior to Inuyasha's panic, Kagome had been suspended somewhere in that wonderful limbo between sleep and wakefulness, somewhat aware of the hanyou whose hand had stealthily crept underneath her pajama top, while still remaining blissfully unaware of how foreign that sensation should have been…until she was rather rudely thrust into full cognizant awareness by said hanyou suddenly bolting upright beside her.

 

Before she had a chance to protest, though, a gentle knocking on her bedroom door caused them both to freeze rather comically, their eyes trained on the door that Kagome instantly realized, with foreboding, was not locked.

 

“You two awake yet?” Came her mother's gentle voice from the other side. “Breakfast is ready.”

 

I guess the cat's out of the bag… Kagome groaned internally, glancing to her side. Or dog, whatever.

 

At least they had put some clothes back on after their 'activities' from the night before, though Inuyasha was just wearing a pair of her more baggy sweatpants, while she sported a cute pajama set. Their 'day' clothes had been gathered into a semi-organized pile near her closet door.

 

While breakfast was understandably awkward, at least for our young lovers, Mrs. Higurashi was the embodiment of tranquility. Still, she didn't want to put off what she felt was a rather necessary conversation, especially considering that now was the perfect opportunity to discuss such things, what with Souta having already left for school earlier that morning, and Kagome's grandfather currently out tending to the shrine grounds.

 

Despite their embarrassment, Kagome and Inuyasha both answered her questions truthfully, and Kagome's mother was actually surprised to learn that the night before had been their first time together. She was well aware of her daughter's feelings for the hanyou boy, and had assumed they were already together by now. She also knew that her daughter had been on birth control for the last two years. After all, she had been the one who'd had to approve the prescription.

 

At that revelation, the young miko could do nothing but shrug sheepishly at Inuyasha's accusing glare, while muttering something about “Just in case?” in a hesitant, questioning fashion. He was quick to forgive her, however, admittedly having known of her feelings for him for quite some time, and embarrassment aside, he actually felt honored to learn that her mother apparently approved of them being together.

 

That morning then became awkward for a second time when Mrs. Higurashi asked them what their plans were for the future. While hesitant to tell the truth, Kagome knew that she couldn't lie to her mother, and so reluctantly, they both came clean regarding the various uncertainties that they still faced. Mrs. Higurashi then proceeded to surprise them both yet again by not being upset, but rather, she took that moment to express her genuine understanding regarding their desire to share whatever time they had together. In a rare moment, she spoke briefly of Kagome's father, expressing that even if she had known how limited their time together was going to be, she would have still married him anyway.

 

The word 'marriage' started to make Kagome fidget, but it was then Inuyasha who surprised both Higurashi women by quickly proclaiming his desire to marry Kagome, at least by the customs of his own time. As far as he was concerned, she was his wife, because he wanted no other. He was only mildly embarrassed by the embrace the miko gave him at his words, flushing mostly at her mother's amusement. Mrs. Higurashi's look of humor was quick to fade into one of genuine appreciation, though, as she patted Inuyasha on the shoulder and said with sincerity, “Welcome to the family.”

 

~~~End Flashback~~~

 

On the road again… Kagome sang in her mind, happily looping her arm through the arm of the man beside her, as they walked together down the nearly abandoned and overgrown mountain pathway.

 

It had been almost one full year since she'd managed to convince her hanyou companion to accompany her to her friends' Halloween party. It had been almost one full year since the impromptu confession of their feelings for one another. It had been almost one full year since they'd first expressed those feelings in the most intimate of acts that any two people could partake in, and they'd continued to express their love for each other ever since. Whenever circumstances permitted, anyway.

 

Coming out of the mountains and meeting up with a more frequently traveled path through the valley, Kagome reluctantly released her grip of the man beside her, exhaling with a weary sigh. She wasn't ashamed of her love for him, but she couldn't risk allowing another traveler on the road to see them acting so 'familiar' with one another. Especially since she was a miko in the eyes of the world at large, and a miko could not be 'familiar' with a hanyou. She'd already learned that lesson the hard way.

 

Inuyasha, upon sensing her displeasure, risked the briefest of touches upon her shoulder, as he glanced apologetically in her direction. His nose and ears had assured him that they were still alone for the time being, though that could change fairly quickly as they neared the next village.

 

“I'm sorry,” he told her sincerely, knowing she would understand what he was referring to. “It's just…it's better this way.”

 

Though Kagome was loath to admit that he was actually right about something so horrible, she still nodded her understanding nonetheless. Slipping his hand from her shoulder, then, Inuyasha adjusted the yellow strap that was currently clinging to his own – he wasn't about to let her carry the heavy monstrosity all day long – before promptly folding his arms within the sleeves of his suikan.

 

He had to keep his arms crossed within his sleeves; it was the only way he could successfully refrain from touching her. He also sped up his pace, just a little bit, until he was walking in front of her rather than by her side as an equal.

 

While at first glance it may seem demeaning that a miko was following behind a youkai, rather than the other way around, it was the simple fact that Kagome was a miko that made this arrangement much more acceptable. After all, for a miko to walk in front of a youkai would mean that she had her back to him, which would mean that she was either very stupid, or very trusting, and when it came to most people's opinions on the matter, trusting a youkai was very stupid. No miko in her right mind would willingly expose her back in such a way. Having the youkai walk in front of her meant that she could keep her eye on him, and that if he tried anything, she'd be able to get a shot out before he did any serious harm.

 

And Kagome was armed. A full quiver of arrows rested snugly on her shoulder, unhindered since he was carrying her backpack, while she clutched the bow from Mt. Azusa firmly in her grasp. She had to maintain her white-knuckle grip on the weapon; it was the only way she could successfully refrain from touching him.

 

A brief gust of wind hinted at the upcoming winter chill, and not for the first time, Kagome was grateful for her change in attire. Having ruined a few too many school uniforms over the years, her mother had finally insisted that they were just too expensive an outfit to go traipsing across all of Feudal Japan in, but at the same time, Kagome didn't much fancy the idea of destroying her personal clothing, either, so it had quickly been decided by both mother and daughter that switching to the means of dress for the time period made the most sense. At first, she had started dressing in simple yukata, which had given Inuyasha rather pleasant flashbacks. But those long and tightly bound robes quickly proved dysfunctional when needing to chase after a shard bearing youkai via rapid paced hanyou-back riding, not to mention how strangers viewed the two of them together once they'd started traveling alone, just the two of them.

 

It had actually been Kaede who had first breached the delicate subject of miko garb, and while Kagome had immediately started to protest on principle alone, she had been surprised into silence when the hanyou sitting beside her had suddenly agreed that it was the best option.

 

“You are a miko,” he had told her, and that had pretty much ended the discussion right there, at least for the time being. Though their relationship hadn't been kept a secret from their friends, he still hadn't felt comfortable revealing his 'softer side' in the presence of others.

 

Later that night, in private, Inuyasha had confessed to Kagome his regret for how he'd compared her to Kikyou back in the beginning, and how he had expressed distaste in her ever wearing the clothing of a miko. He'd reiterated his comprehension that she and Kikyou were two very different people, and that he loved her for her, Ka-go-me. He had also pointed out that were she dressed in the clothing of a miko they would likely encounter much less trouble during their travels, both in the physical sense of the outfit being made to move during battle, and also in the sense of how other people would treat her, and them, if she portrayed herself as a priestess.

 

She was a miko, after all, as he had reminded her again in that moment with a playful tap on the nose. It was high time she let other people know it, too.

 

Kagome had smiled warmly at his words, and pulling him into a quick embrace, she had dared a small kiss only because they were in friendly territory, before heading back to Kaede's hut to sleep.   

 

Ever since that conversation over five months ago, Kagome had been wearing the traditional garb of a miko, and now that the temperatures were dropping, her covered legs rejoiced in the decision. While it had seemed odd, at first, to be referred to by strangers as “Miko” or “Priestess” it was certainly a vast improvement over what some of them used to call her.

 

Coming closer to the outskirts of town, they did indeed meet up with another traveler on the road, heading in the opposite direction. He gazed fearfully in Inuyasha's direction, giving the youkai a wide berth, while Inuyasha pointedly ignored the man, knowing from countless years of experience that making eye contact would only spook him further. The man's eyes then landed on the miko behind him, who nodded her head at the traveler in a reassuring fashion. It was an act that Kagome felt sick over having perfected so well over the last few months, but she supposed that practice did make perfect, as the saying went. She just had trouble stomaching the idea of letting people think that Inuyasha was somehow her servant, but it was admittedly better than them getting it into their heads that she was his prisoner.

 

Inquiring in the village they came upon if anyone had heard any rumors of anything strange, anything that might lead to a jewel shard, Kagome had to literally bite her tongue a few times to avoid spouting off anything inappropriate in response to the rude words she overheard regarding her traveling companion. Many cautioned her that a 'beast such as that' could not be trusted, and, not for the first time, a strong man offered to accompany her on her mission, to 'protect' her from the creature. Kagome truly found it a wonder that Inuyasha managed to keep his own tongue in check, but sad truth be told, he was used to it, and so as long as nobody threatened or insulted Kagome directly, they could say whatever they wanted to about him.

 

This is why Sango and Miroku always did all the talking before, the eighteen-year-old miko reflected with a sigh, remembering how in the past, she and Inuyasha would usually stay away from the crowds while the slayer and monk asked the questions.

 

Her anger over what had been said about her husband, while he was standing right there, no less, still burned behind her eyes as they were led to their room for the night. 'Room' being the operative word, which had displeased the innkeeper greatly.

 

But Kagome had learned a while back that there was no way in hell Inuyasha would ever allow her to stay in a room all by herself, without even Sango for protection. So, still in character, she'd started with her usual insistence that her reasoning for requesting a single room for them to share was so that she could better protect them from him. Usually that worked, because nobody wanted to think about what a youkai (or a hanyou, not that that made any difference to most people) could do in their village if left to his own devises overnight, and so therefore they were usually grateful that the miko had every intention of keeping him in her custody throughout the duration of her stay.

 

When that story didn't work this time around, as the innkeeper had said he could assist her with properly sealing 'the youkai' in another room before she retired to her own chamber for the night, she had resorted to insisting that it was also for Inuyasha's own protection, should anyone from the village get it in their head to rid her of her 'loyal familiar' during the night.

 

“He is my responsibility, and as such, shall remain in my sight at all times. Is that clear?”

 

She hadn't cared one bit when the innkeeper narrowed his eyes at her for saying such a thing.

 

She wasn't stupid, or at least, she wasn't stupid any longer. Well aware of the hateful glances some of the local men had sent Inuyasha's way when they'd first entered the village, looks that had gone well beyond mere concern for her own sake, there was no way in hell she was leaving him in a room all by himself without protection.

 

At least the innkeeper had eventually relented. After all, she was a paying customer, unlike Miroku who would've tried to scam their way in.

 

That thought had her remembering that when they had all been traveling together as a group they hadn't received nearly as much trouble about Inuyasha's presence, and they'd also had Shippou and Kirara with them, too. But then, on the other hand, their group had also consisted of a monk and youkai slayer, and so everyone must've assumed the humans had the youkai under control. Now, she was a lone miko, and they 'worried' that Inuyasha was too much for her to handle. Even the beads around his neck weren't always reassuring.

 

At that particular village, she also got the distinct impression that whether or not they legitimately doubted her ability to control him, they did not approve of her having such a traveling companion. Thankfully they would be leaving first thing in the morning. Inuyasha had smelled a light drizzle on the breeze and so they'd just wanted shelter for the night rather than risk sleeping outside in the rain.

 

“Gods...” Kagome groaned once they were finally alone. Flopping down onto the futon that had been unrolled for her by the room attendant, she looked up in exasperation at Inuyasha's amused face. “Did Kikyou ever deal with this shit back when you two were together?”

 

Kagome had long since gotten over her insecurities regarding her preincarnation's place in her husband's heart. Kikyou had passed on, she was at peace, and Kagome refused to allow her memory to remain a sore spot between them. She had also adjusted her vocabulary somewhat over the last year.

 

Being married to Inuyasha will do that to you, she thought with a mental chuckle.

 

“We hardly ever traveled,” Inuyasha answered her then, in a normal, conversational tone of voice.

 

He had also matured quite a bit over the last year, and was now more open and honest with Kagome regarding his past and his feelings.

 

Being married to Kagome will do that to you, he thought with a fond smile, before expanding on his answer.

 

“Usually, we just stayed in her village, fighting off anything that came to us in search of the jewel,” he explained then. “During the few times that we did travel, if word had reached us of a troublesome youkai that needed to be taken care of somewhere else, nobody really gave a damn who came to protect their sorry assess just so long as the youkai threatening them got slain, but I also never stayed with Kikyou in the village overnight. I would disappear into the forest after we killed the youkai and join her on the road again when she left the village the next morning.”

 

Nodding her understanding, Kagome hoisted herself back up into a sitting position and reached for the yellow backpack Inuyasha had dropped onto the floor next to the futon. The fire pit in their room had also been lit for them, and retrieving her small pot and a bottle of water to boil she whipped them up two cups of instant ramen as a quick and easy dinner.

 

Afterwards, she retrieved and applied one of her grandfather's useless ofuda to Inuyasha's chest, over his robes so it was fully visible of course, and then gave him a quick chaste kiss upon his lips before whispering “Goodnight” and settling back down onto her futon. She didn't change into her modern pajamas, remaining instead fully dressed in her miko attire with only her sandals having been slipped off by the door, and her bow and arrows were well within arm's reach and positioned so that, theoretically should 'something' try to attack her in the night, she could defend herself.

 

He murmured his own soft “Goodnight” in return and took a seat against the far wall of the room, facing the door, far enough away from her to not seem inappropriately close should anyone peek in on them. Instead of holding his sword like he would customarily do, it was over near Kagome, and although he sat with his arms crossed within his sleeves as that pose was honestly comfortable for him, he would be keeping his ears trained on the walkway outside the door and if anyone got too close he would allow his arms to flop seemingly lifeless by his sides.

 

Everything they knew to do, in their elaborate scheme of precautions against getting found out by the locals, had been learned through painful trial and error. Even though they had never been dumb enough to actually attempt being intimate in a random village inn, they'd learned it was wise to make it appear as though doing so wasn't even a remote possibility, especially after Kagome had started dressing like a miko. Wearing the false sealing charm, Inuyasha had no intention of sleeping, but neither would he reveal he was awake should anyone just think to check up on Kagome. He would maintain the farce that he was out cold unless it became necessary to grab Kagome and run.

 

They'd unfortunately learned the hard way that somebody at an inn 'making sure the miko was safe' during the night was a distinct possibility.

 

They hadn't thought, at first, that simply sleeping beside one another on the futon would cause any problems. Thanks to dumb luck, they'd already done so a couple of times without incident. It hadn't occurred to Inuyasha that one day, an innkeeper might decide to violate Kagome's privacy by sticking his nosy head into their room in the middle of the night to make sure that he was being respectful of the miko.

 

They'd never know if that particular innkeeper had actually already suspected them, or if he really had merely wished to make sure that Kagome was all right and had been completely horrified by his unexpected discovery. It didn't matter that Inuyasha and Kagome had both been fully clothed. Only lovers held each other that tenderly as they slept.

 

They had fled that village at top speed, with flaming torches and words like 'dark miko' and 'youkai's whore' following in their wake. Ever since that fateful night, they had started taking their very necessary precautions, and Inuyasha had once again refused to let himself fall sleep. Better safe than sorry.

 

Listening to his wife's breathing even out as sleep claimed her, and the gentle rhythm of the light rain falling outside, Inuyasha maintained full awareness of their surroundings but also permitted his mind to wander, as he thought back on everything that'd happened since that other fateful night nearly one full year ago. The night he and Kagome had become mates. To his utter amazement, the humans of Kaede's village had accepted them being together, no doubt thanks to the elderly miko's own influence. They looked to her for guidance, so if she didn't have a problem with it then they wouldn't, either. Or if they did, they would at least keep it to themselves.

 

Not everyone they knew had welcomed their union with opens arms, of course. He still remembered the heartache Kagome had suffered after the first time Kouga came calling. She'd learned the hard way that that bastard had never really cared for her to begin with.

 

At least it had given him the opportunity to pull his own head out of his ass and really start embracing his own love for her. Inuyasha had always been insecure to show his feelings, but he'd vowed from that night on to make sure that Kagome never doubted his love for her again.

 

~~~Flashback~~~

 

Returning through the well that first November morning was a trying experience for them both. Just as Inuyasha had predicted, Shippou, and even Kirara, could instantly detect the alteration in Kagome's scent, although the nekomata was remarkably more tactful in her discovery, as she seemingly nodded her head in their direction before silently trotting away.

 

Even though they'd each taken a shower that morning, separately – her mother had also been in the house at the time – it would still take a few days for the scent of their joining to fully leave Kagome's body.

 

Before either of them could figure out the best way to break the ice to their human companions, Shippou suddenly blurted out, “You two mated!” in a shocked, almost horrified fashion, like the tone of voice a mother might use with her teenage daughter upon discovering something like an exotic piercing or tattoo.

 

“Oh really now?” Miroku grinned lecherously, expertly dodging Sango's Hiraikotsu when he sensed the weapon being swung towards his head.    “Why, Inuyasha...” he continued, grinning like mad, much to the hanyou's humiliation. “I'd say congratulations are in order! I didn't know you had it in you.”

 

Kagome was horribly embarrassed too, and Sango was just about to come to her friend's defense with a vengeance when Inuyasha somehow managed to swallow the lump in his throat before getting the monk back at his own game.

 

“Well, it was just like you said, monk,” he started, already throwing the holy man off guard with his casual tone of voice. “If there's one thing we've all learned through the hardships that bastard Naraku has made us endure, it's that we must live while we are alive.”

 

Deciding to take it up a notch, he flashed Sango a look of apology before clearing his throat and addressing Miroku once more.

 

“Honestly, I'm surprised at you two, deciding to wait until after he's defeated to get married. What if you die before he does? If you're worried about conceiving, I can sniff out when Sango's fertile so that you can avoid it.”

 

While he'd said it in a playful, teasing manner, and somewhat regretted causing Sango's embarrassment in addition to the monk's, Inuyasha actually meant what he said, and offered. It would require him putting his nose against Sango's belly, which was why he'd never noticed Kagome's lack of fertility thanks to her pills, since she'd still had a monthly cycle. Not going out of his way to check, he honestly just hadn't noticed. But if Sango wanted him to screen her, he would, because she and Miroku were his friends.

 

The slayer knew that, and overcoming her own mortification regarding the topic of conversation, she merely rolled her eyes at the man currently waggling his eyebrows at her and insisted, “Not until after we're married, hentai.”

 

That opened can of worms having been quite thoroughly flung up into the air, Kagome was ever so grateful that time period at least didn't have ceiling fans. The brief cringe and apologetic glance Sango shot her way, over the slayer's sudden realization of what her own foot tasted like, didn't help matters any, either.

 

Once again, out of the mouth of babes, it was Shippou who pierced the thickening silence with his proclamation that Inuyasha had better do the right thing by marrying Kagome properly.

 

That of course triggered Inuyasha's rather mature reply of, “I was going to, you little brat!” as he promptly chased after the kitsune who'd stuck his tongue out at him.

 

Turning back to her friends, Kagome grinned sheepishly, her cheeks still sporting a fairly decent cherry hue, as she addressed Miroku with, “So, um...we were going to ask you...that is...”

 

“Say no more,” he assured her with a polite raise of his hand to silence her fumbling. In a rare moment of complete sincerity, Miroku said, “It would be my honor.”

 

Seeing Sango's suddenly rather wistful expression, Kagome teasingly gestured in the slayer's direction as she forced herself past her shyness and added, “Maybe we'll need Kaede's assistance, instead. Looks like it'll be a double-wedding.”   

 

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After the initial shock of some sudden and rather important changes in all four of their lives, things were quickly back to 'business as usual' for our strange group of traveling companions, as they headed back out once again in search of rumors of Naraku after a quick double-wedding blessed by Kaede, their official marriages added to the village register by the headman. At first Inuyasha had been afraid the village headman would not approve of their union, but since Kagome was also a stranger to them, and Kikyou's reincarnation, and their union had been blessed by Kaede, he had not objected.

 

Kagome, still dressed in her school uniform back then, surprised and delighted her new husband by reaching for his hand to hold in her own as they walked side-by-side down the road. It would take Inuyasha some time to get used to the fact that Kagome was not opposed to openly displaying their affection for one another. While such a display would undoubtedly be unwise while in the presence of strangers, their friends only offered them the occasional teasing smile.   

 

Sleeping arrangements were understandably altered somewhat, too, not that anybody was complaining, though at first Shippou didn't much care for how something else had changed around camp. The kitsune learned fairly quickly that Kagome wouldn't come to his rescue any longer by sitting Inuyasha after he pushed the hanyou too far. She refused to abuse the power of the rosary any longer, and expressed to Shippou plainly enough that if he wanted Inuyasha to leave him alone then he needed to stop antagonizing him.

 

Inuyasha, for his part, understood that the kitsune thought of Kagome like a surrogate mother, and drilled it into the brat's head that that meant that he was to be respected as a father figure. While they hadn't officially 'adopted' the kit, yet, Inuyasha was still the alpha-male of their little rag-tag pack, and it was high time the kid acknowledged that fact. As a reward for his compliance, reluctant though it was, Inuyasha permitted the kitsune to continue snuggling up against Kagome in his sleep, so long as he kept his trap shut regarding how he also cuddled against Kagome from the other side.

 

Miroku also managed to maintain a respectable silence, which was due largely in part to the fact that Sango had threatened to revert their sleeping arrangements back to opposite sides of the campfire unless he left their friends alone. Not wishing to upset his lovely new bride, or risk losing her even more lovely warmth during the night, the monk managed, somehow, to behave himself.

 

They were six days in on their present journey when Inuyasha suddenly declared that he detected a 'stink' on the wind, and the casual way in which he said it instantly let the others know that it had nothing to do with Naraku. Though Kagome could no longer sense Kouga coming as he approached, the ookami was still remarkably fast, even without his jewel shards, and it was only a matter of moments after Inuyasha's declaration that the wolf made his appearance...and immediately began sniffing the air.

 

Though Inuyasha and Kagome hadn't yet had the opportunity to reengage in 'certain' activities, his close proximity to the future-born miko at night had successfully managed to bathe her quite thoroughly in his scent, and he in hers. When spooning her from behind he often slipped his hands underneath her clothing to splay across her breasts or belly, or sometimes even lower, when he was certain the kitsune was asleep, of course. He would also sometimes open his robes enough to touch his chest and stomach to her back, or if she rolled over to face him then he would press their chests and stomachs together as he held her close.

 

He never took the action beyond what Kagome would appreciate while in the company of others, merely holding her close within the privacy of her sleeping bag and nothing more, readjusting their clothing as needed without ever actually removing anything. He just needed to touch her, skin on skin, and thankfully, she understood that and had no problem with it when he'd explained his reasons in private. As dangerous as he knew it was, especially if Naraku ever found out, his baser instinct still insisted that they coat each other with as much of their partner's scent as was physically possible. She was his, and he was hers, and nobody would be able to dispute that. She was his mate.

 

Any arguments that inu-youkai did not follow the automatic 'mating for life' protocol that some other youkai species did were irrelevant. Just because it wasn't automatic didn't mean inu-youkai couldn't choose to mate for life, and besides that he was also half human, and she was human, and as such, she wasn't just his mate but also his wife.

 

Thankfully, the confrontation with Kouga actually went rather well, all things considered. Everyone had feared a blood bath, except for Inuyasha of course, who more relished in the idea than feared it. But even so, everyone had been expecting a battle. Kagome had probably feared the outcome more than anyone, since she had already promised Inuyasha that she would never again abuse the power of the rosary. He had promised her in return that he wouldn't kill the wolf if he ever came back around again, having already known that it was a possibility, and she had to trust him on that. She couldn't 'sit' him, or he'd lose his trust in her. While he had actually insisted that the rosary stay in place, himself, because he still feared what he was capable of were he ever to fully lose himself to a transformation, Kagome was only allowed to 'sit' him when it was absolutely necessary.

 

As Kouga stood sniffing the air, Inuyasha rested his hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt, prepared to draw his sword if necessary although he would allow Kagome the opportunity to set Kouga straight first.

 

Noticing immediately that Kagome smelled more strongly of Inuyasha than usual, but not immediately detecting the scent of mating and not wanting to jump to conclusions, Kouga eyed her suspiciously as he asked her how things were going and if 'mutt-face' was taking care of her properly in his absence.

 

That was when things got a little more interesting.

 

“You have no idea,” Miroku muttered under his breath, chuckling a little until Sango elbowed him in the ribs.

 

Much more suspicious after such a comment, Kouga gazed more closely at 'his' woman, grabbing her hand, and immediately noting the way she attempted pull her hand free from his grasp he promptly tightened his grip on her wrist to the point where there was no chance she could pull herself free.

 

Kagome's heart rate doubled in her chest at that action, and not in a good way. While Kouga's grip wasn't painful, it scared her that he would think to grab her so tightly. The obvious flaring of his nostrils, as he deeply inhaled her scent, was also just as unnerving, as was his increasingly hostile expression as he did so.

 

Inuyasha instantly detected the spike in Kagome's fear, and couldn't stay silent any longer.

 

“What the hell are you doing?!” he shouted, rapidly approaching the pair. “Let her go you bastard! You'll hurt her!”

 

“I would never...” Kouga started to argue, but Inuyasha's close proximity, bringing with it his own current mixture of scents, was the final straw for the wolf. Kouga knew what had happened between them, and he was not pleased.

 

Kagome absolutely reeked of the hanyou's scent, much more so than usual, and while there was no actual scent of recent mating, he couldn't miss the fact that the hanyou's scent was coming from underneath her clothing. Couple that with the fact that the mutt also smelled much more strongly of Kagome than before, and also from underneath his clothing, and it was a no-brainer.   

 

“You bastard,” he barked out harshly, glaring at Inuyasha while at the same time roughly shoving Kagome away from him in disgust. Everyone was surprised by the action, having expected Kouga to draw his own rarely used sword and challenge Inuyasha officially for her hand.

 

“What the fu-” Inuyasha started to protest, his words cut off when a stunned Kagome collided with him.

 

He immediately looked her over to make sure she was unharmed. A confused expression, with a reassuring nod, told Inuyasha she was uninjured. Then they both focused their attention back on Kouga when the wolf said “That was fucking low, hanyou.”

 

“Excuse me?” Inuyasha said, unnerved by the acidity behind the cursed term.

 

Usually, Kouga ripped him on his mixed heritage a little more playfully, with gibes like 'mutt-face' and the like. Never had he heard Kouga straight up call him 'hanyou' before, and with the two of them currently sharing the same enemy as they were, even their normal insults for one another had been growing less frequent in recent months. Kouga was pissed.

 

“You heard me,” the wolf spat, white hot fire dancing in his crystal blue eyes. “That was a really underhanded thing to do, taking Kagome away from me like that.”

 

Smirking then, which was probably not the wisest move in the world, Inuyasha smugly wrapped his arms around the miko as he asked cockily, “What're ya gonna do about it?”

 

Miroku tried to stifle a laugh and ended up coughing, while Sango smacked herself on the forehead. Shippou had long ago found a secure place to hide, while Kagome proceeded to groan to herself in mild annoyance, still prepared to stand by her decision, and her husband, regardless of how immature he could be at times.

 

“Why you...” the ookami ground out, but Kagome quickly decided that that was her cue to intervene.

 

“Kouga,” she said softly. “You never had me. I never agreed to be yours. I chose Inuyasha willingly. I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you. I hope we can still be friends.”

 

Typical Kagome things to say, Inuyasha thought with a small smile as he kissed the top of her head. Too bad Kouga had never really taken the time to get to know the woman he'd claimed as his on the day they'd met.

 

“Oh shut up,” Kouga retorted, waving off her words dismissively. “You're human so you can't understand.”

 

Kagome gaped at him in surprise. “Ex-excuse me?”

 

“I had a legitimate claim on you,” Kouga explained to the miko in exasperation. “I announced you as my woman to my entire pack! It wasn't up to you to chose who you wanted, it was between me and the mutt! If Inu-kuso had had any honor, then he would have challenged me for the right to claim you if he wanted you for himself. But half-breeds don't understand the concept of honor.”

 

He spat that last part with disgust, ignorant to the mix of hurt and anger rolling off of Kagome's aura in waves.

 

Kouga then went on to say how Inuyasha had ruined her on purpose. How the mutt had known that he couldn't win her in an honorable fight and so he'd taken the coward's way out, knowing that all he had to do was bed her like a thief in the night and then he'd have no choice but to drop his claim. He couldn't challenge the hanyou for her now. She was no longer fit to be his mate, now that she had previously been touched by another. It was like stealing somebody's food and then quickly eating it before they had a chance to fight you for it. Sure, he could still kick Inuyasha's ass, but what would be the point? He could never get Kagome back now, even if he killed the mutt, because what was done was done.

 

“Inu-youkai don't even bind themselves with life-long commitments so he'll probably abandon you,” he added then, which earned a strong reaction when Inuyasha started to protest with, “Now wait just a damn minute-” but it was Kagome's gentle touch on his arm that stilled his tongue.

 

The miko then glared at the ookami-youkai, and Inuyasha was amazed Kouga didn't burst into flame.

 

“You disgusting piece of medieval testosterone,” she hissed. Nobody else really understood what that meant but it didn't matter. “I'm human, Kouga. Youkai courtship rules don't apply to me. Your claim was invalid from the start, so Inuyasha did nothing wrong.”

 

Kouga opened his mouth to protest but Kagome wouldn't let him get a word in.

 

“And guess what? Because Inuyasha is half human too, it really doesn't matter what other inu-youkai normally do when it comes to their mates. We got married the human way. Inuyasha is my husband. So no, he won't be abandoning me because we did make a life-long commitment to each other.”

 

Kouga just stared at Kagome in surprise at that, but whether it was because of what she'd said, or just the fact that she'd talked back to him, nobody was sure. One thing Inuyasha was sure of, though, was that he wasn't going to stay quiet in that moment.

 

“Humans have an emotion called love, you fucker. Kagome's not some prize to be won. Believe it or not, it is her choice, who she wants to be with. If she had truly wanted you, in the end, I wouldn't have stopped her. But she chose me, because she loves me. And because I have a human heart, I love her.”

 

The look he gave Kagome in that moment made that fact quite obvious. Even Kouga couldn't deny the hanyou's feelings for the miko from the intensity in his amber gaze as the pair stared at one another.

 

“I don't care of inu-youkai don't normally mate for life,” he continued then, still looking Kagome in the eyes. “As Kagome has said, we are married in the human custom, and I plan on honoring Kagome by being a faithful husband to her for the rest of our lives.”

 

“Don't you mean for the rest of her life?” Kouga sneered then, still seething over this new development, but submitting to the truth of it nonetheless. “She is mortal, after all.”

 

“We'll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Kagome chimed in, squeezing her husband's hand as she looked Kouga's way again.

 

She and Inuyasha had already had a long talk on the subject, and she hadn't forgotten her grandfather's words regarding a 'right wish' making the jewel disappear forever. But that was beside the point, as far as Kouga was concerned. What did he care?

 

“That little fact never seemed to bother you any,” she pointed out, more than a little upset that he would play the 'mortal' card like that. “Nor the fact that as a mortal, our children would have been 'half-breeds' too,” she finished with a hiss, the term leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

 

Kouga spluttered at that comment, but did good to keep his trap shut. There was no point in upsetting her further with the admission that he'd never intended on fathering any cubs with her. While it was true that ookami mated for life, that meant that he would've been free to take another mate upon her death. He would have been loyal to Kagome during her relatively short lifespan, including her elderly years, but nothing could dispute the simple fact that the girl was mortal.

 

“Whatever,” he said, instead of acknowledging her claims.

 

With a final dismissal that they had better stay out of his way when it came to killing Naraku, Kouga took his leave of them, and the inu-tachi seemed to release a collective sigh of relief upon his departure. They trudged onward after a moment, continuing down the same road they had been traveling on prior to Kouga's appearance.

 

Silently biting her lower lip as she walked, Kagome tried not to let the wolf's words get to her, figuring a lot of men from that time period probably felt that a woman was 'ruined' if she had previously slept with another, whether or not the woman had even had any say in the matter.

 

Still, it bothered her that someone who'd claimed to love her and want her for his mate could so easily toss her aside because of something like that, saying he couldn't even challenge Inuyasha for her now because the 'damage' had already been done. What if, hypothetically, Inuyasha had actually attacked her and she had been waiting for the next time Kouga showed up to rescue her? He would have still discarded her, because he had never truly cared about her as a person to begin with.

 

She'd always defended Kouga as a friend, but it was clear to her now that she had been wrong. The wolf-youkai wanted absolutely nothing to do with her any longer. She was a ruined piece of property in his eyes, and nothing more, having slept with Inuyasha without first being 'won' by her husband in a fair battle.

 

The whole thing reminded her of a time, when she was much younger, that she'd gotten upset with Souta over sitting in the front passenger seat of their mother's car during a trip to the store after she had already 'called it' as was her claim. He had ignored her claim and had planted himself on the front passenger seat while she'd still been putting on her shoes.

 

Was she now comparing herself to the proverbial top bunk? Even so, Inuyasha was the one she wanted, so Kagome was honestly glad that he had 'taken her away' from Kouga, as it were. Still, the wolf's words kept ringing in her ears throughout the remainder of the day, even as they set up camp that evening. She needed some alone time with her husband to sort out her thoughts, and to his credit, the hanyou, who in truth only played stupid and oblivious to the subtleties around him, knew exactly what to say.

 

Inuyasha told her that night, in private, that his desire to be with her had had nothing to do with wanting to 'foil Kouga's claim'. Yes, he had very briefly felt amused when he'd thought about the wolf's reaction, when he'd warned her in advance that Kouga would be able to smell it, as he reminded her of their talk prior to going through with it, but he insisted that that hadn't been why he'd wanted to sleep with her. He'd simply wanted her because he loved her.

 

He also added how he had never known true love, until her. He even dared broaching the Kikyou subject, something he said he sincerely hoped would not remain a tender spot between them forever, as he explained that while he had loved the deceased miko, in a way, the tender way in which he'd cared for Kikyou in his heart had been nowhere near as intense as the blazing fire he felt in his very soul for the miko currently wrapped in his arms. She was most definitely not second best, nor his second choice. Inuyasha even went on to assure Kagome that he would have still loved her, and would have still wanted to be with her, even if she had previously been touched by another.

 

Of course, as a joke, he had also said that he would've been forced to hunt that bastard down and “rip his dick off and shove it down his throat” but he just said that to make Kagome laugh, which she did, a little, as she snuggled closer against him. Coming from Inuyasha, his words meant more to her than she figured he'd ever realize.   

 

~~~End Flashback~~~

 

Heading out the following morning, Kagome did the best she could to ignore the heated glares sent Inuyasha's way by the staff at the inn, since he had dared to share in some of the breakfast that had been provided for her before their departure.

 

“I cannot have my warrior running low on strength, now can I?” had been her seemingly amused reply, sounding as condescending as possible, while in reality, she'd wanted to defend his right to eat just like any other person.

 

She somehow managed to successfully hold her temper as they continued to travel away from the village, until Inuyasha finally let her know that they were safely out of sight and out of earshot.

 

“Okay,” was all he said, and as though she had been waiting for his permission to get upset – which she sort of had been, or at least she'd been waiting for the signal that she could safely express it outwardly – Kagome instantly flung herself into his waiting embrace.

 

“It's not fair!” she cried, locking her arms around his neck, while he delicately rested his hands on her hips.

 

Inuyasha remained silent and just held her, just letting her get it all out. She needed to compose herself before they approached the next village.

 

“It's not fair,” she repeated, calming down, as her sobs lightened up to quiet sniffles. “You shouldn't be treated like a monster just because you're half youkai.”

 

“Being half monster makes you a monster,” Inuyasha answered softly, leaning forward to place a tender kiss upon her forehead.

 

“But you're not a monster,” Kagome argued. “Not even being full youkai automatically makes someone a monster.”

 

“Being full youkai makes me a monster,” he pointed out quietly.

 

Glaring up at him with a very ‘That’s not what I meant and you know it’    look in her eyes, she instead retorted with, “What about Shippou? Is he a monster?”

 

“He's a nuisance,” the hanyou said with a chuckle.

 

“But you love him.”

 

Stiffening, he looked her dead in the eye as he stated quite seriously, “Don't let him know that, or he'll never let me live it down.”

 

Relieved that he had successfully changed Kagome's tears into giggles, Inuyasha hugged the girl to him as tightly as he dared, ever mindful of her fragile human body.

 

“So…” he asked after a moment, deciding to break the growing silence. “What are you gonna dress up as this year?”

 

They'd already discussed once again celebrating Halloween in Kagome's time, which was quickly approaching in less than two weeks. She had no idea what her friends in her time had planned for the holiday, if anything, but she was certain that the two of them could come up with something to pass the time if there weren't any parties to go to. There were always street parties, after all, so they could just go crash one of them. Inuyasha had admitted to having fun at last year's party, save for the candy corn incident. It had been such a unique experience for him, simply 'hanging out' with other the humans, none of them treating him any differently than one of their own. He wouldn't mind doing that again. He wouldn't mind it at all.

 

Kagome was also looking forward to the upcoming holiday, though for a much more personal reason. She'd told Inuyasha how she thought they'd picked the perfect date to become their anniversary, as the holiday enabled Inuyasha to walk the streets unafraid of displaying his demonic features. To her, all that truly mattered was Inuyasha's happiness, and being able to feel comfortable in his own skin for even one night out of the year was more than the hanyou had ever dared to dream possible before meeting Kagome. They'd need to start heading back to Kaede's in another three days, tops, if they planned on making it back through the well in time. The calendar waited for no one.

 

Thinking about what he'd just asked her, which had her mind going off on its own for a moment there, Kagome finally snapped herself back into reality to answer his question.

 

“Well, I still have all the stuff from last year,” she said. “And since your costume choice is rather limit...”

 

“You don't have to be a hanyou again on my account,” he assured her, playfully tapping her nose before confessing, “You looked weird.”

 

Chuckling, Kagome asked, “Well, what did you have in mind then?”

 

He knew she was a stickler for matching costumes, and gazing at her now, with the noonday sun reflecting off the natural blue highlights of her hair, Inuyasha asked his wife with all sincerity, “What's wrong with what you're wearing now? You look beautiful.”

 

Glancing down over herself on instinct, despite the fact that she already knew what she was wearing, Kagome then raised her eyes back up to meet his own, as she asked for clarification, “Miko garb? Are you sure?”

 

“Keh, why not? Never seen nobody wearing that stuff in your time before, so they'd definitely make good dress-up. Hardly see any proper robes at all, everyone wearing that 'Western influence' stuff you people call clothes now. Bet they still got miko hanging 'round the old shrines, but that makes it all the better, 'cause then people will at least recognize what you're dressed up as. It's appropriate, too, since you do live at a shrine yourself 'n' all.”

 

Smiling at the realization that he'd obviously thought a great deal on the subject, she asked him playfully, “What about you?”

 

Shrugging nonchalantly, he answered, “We'll just say we're the miko and hanyou from that legend, how 'bout that?”

 

Of course, the truth was that he was the hanyou from that legend, and Kikyou had been the miko. Suddenly wondering if he'd perhaps gone too far, with suggesting that Kagome actually pretend she's dressed in costume as her old rival in love, despite the tiny little detail that she was Kikyou's reincarnation, Inuyasha's worries were instantly laid to rest when Kagome merely tapped her chin in thought before finally commenting, “Well, my grandfather does have those fake Shikon jewel key chains...”   

 

```````````````````````````````````````

 

Fortunately, the next village they stopped at was much nicer to Inuyasha than the last one. The villagers there actually recognized the duo from their previous travels, when they'd still been hunting Naraku.

 

At that time, the village had been under attack, and just like Inuyasha had said the night before, people under attack never cared who saved them so long as the attacking youkai got taken care of. He had been welcomed in the village along side his human companions that night, as they had all feasted in celebration of the victory of defeating the oni that would have surely killed them all had the inu-tachi not happened by.

 

Unfortunately, the villagers were unable to offer the pair any word on jewel shards this time around, but Kagome and Inuyasha were still offered a hot meal, and a place to sleep, with little to no odd glances as they were shown to their single room for the night.

 

For Kagome's part, she was relieved that she could at least drop the routine of superiority over her companion for even a single night, treating Inuyasha as the equal that he was, even while in the company of others. The villagers there already knew of their partnership from before, after all. Kagome was the miko entrusted with protecting the Sacred Jewel, and Inuyasha was her protector, to help her collect the jewel shards from the terrible youkai she surely wouldn't be able to face down all on her own. In exchange for his services as her protector in battle, she also protected him, in spirit, giving him a purpose as a miko's assistant – not servant – as she in turn assisted him with redemption for possessing youkai blood.

 

Okay, so they didn't have their story 100% accurate, but Kagome would rather that they believed he was attempting to atone for his youkai blood, which at least acknowledged the fact that he did possess a human heart, rather than merely thinking him a bloodthirsty monster. She also knew that they'd start singing a different tune real quick if they ever found out the two of them were actually married, but Kagome figured what the villagers didn't know wouldn't hurt them. 'Them' actually referring to Inuyasha and herself.

 

The rising of the sun the following morning meant that it was once again time to depart, but this time, instead of continuing further up the road in search of yet another village, our pair decided that they'd best start heading back towards Kaede's village. They didn't want to push it until the very last minute, after all, and there was a new moon between then and Halloween, so that would slow them down for one night already. The good news was that with deciding to head back to Kaede's village, Inuyasha could now detour through the wilds of the forest, rather than sticking to the beaten path. It was a considerable shortcut, and also offered he and Kagome the genuine privacy they had so desperately been missing during their last few nights indoors.

 

While it was true that they sometimes missed their other traveling companions, neither Kagome nor Inuyasha could blame the pair for wanting to settle down and start a family following the destruction of Naraku. It wasn't their responsibility to recollect the jewel shards, after all, and the monk and slayer had already been traveling together, as man and wife, for months, without having had any true amount of time to be together. Now, with Sango and Miroku happily settled down in Kaede's village, and little Shippou staying behind more often than not as well, for his own protection, Kagome and Inuyasha relished in the chance to truly be alone for a while, themselves. It was a win/win situation, when you looked at it that way.

 

Still, they longed for the day when they too could stop their endless hunting, and settle down in the village like their friends had done. Nobody had expected the jewel to become shattered a second time, and while in a way, Kagome enjoyed having her adventure continue, another part of her was ready to get it over and done with.

 

Not that that meant she was in any hurry to rush back to her own time.

 

As far as she was concerned, her place was in the past, with Inuyasha. She still did her best to struggle through school, though she was more or less just keeping up appearances by that point. Fortunately, it was almost over, as she would be graduating that year. Hopefully. If she kept her grades good enough. But either way, it was going to be her last year of school, no matter what. She wasn't going to repeat her senior year if she failed to graduate, and she had no intention of enrolling in college, either, if she did pass high school.

 

Kagome also wouldn't be looking for a job, or doing any of the other stuff that young adults did in her world. At age eighteen, Kagome could legally decide for herself what she wanted to do with her life, and she had already told her family that she planned on staying with Inuyasha in the past. Hopefully, if the well didn't close after their wish, then she'd still continue to visit her family all the time, just as any other grown daughter who had moved out would do. But she had meant what she'd said on that fateful night one year ago, when she had told Inuyasha that if she had to choose, she would chose him.

 

```````````````````````````````````````

 

Three and a half days in on their journey home, lunch was relatively uneventful, as usual consisting of the fish that Inuyasha had caught in the nearby stream.

 

“What are you thinking about?” he asked his wife, his gentle voice breaking the peaceful silence between them, though it was clear that on some level, he'd had to force himself to ask the seemingly innocent question.

 

Old habits died hard, and Kagome understood that he might never fully remove the walls around his heart that he had constructed so long ago. While he was still just as gruff and uncaring when in the presence of others, it wasn't so much that he lowered his walls whenever he and Kagome were alone, but more accurately, she thought of it as though he had merely constructed a doorway within said walls, that permitted her, and only her, access through to the other side.

 

It was a visible effort on his part that was greatly appreciated, as was the way he had noticed that her mind was currently troubled.

 

“Just remembering a few things,” she answered softly, while gesturing around herself to their chosen resting place. “We've stopped here before,” she explained. “Back when we first headed out again, just the two of us.”

 

“Oh yeah,” he murmured in realization, as the clearing took on a more familiar appearance at her words.

 

Honestly, it had all started to blend together after a while. A clearing by a stream was a clearing by a stream. But Kagome was right, they had stopped there before.

 

If he wasn't mistaken, then there was a small farming village just a few miles north from there. Lowering his ears, Inuyasha remembered how horrible that experience had been for Kagome.

 

It had been shortly after the fall of Naraku, just like Kagome said, and Miroku and Sango had stayed behind, the pair temporarily settled into Kaede's hut while Miroku and the village men worked on building his own hut for he and Sango. Already not getting any alone time together while staying with Kaede, the monk and slayer had offered to keep watch over Shippou while Kagome and Inuyasha headed back out in search of jewel shards again, so that at least the hanyou and miko could enjoy some alone time together just the two of them.

 

Kagome had already stopped wearing her school uniform by that point, a decision made after her mother had seen the damage done to her latest uniform during the final battle with the dark hanyou, and as such, she had been wearing a cute little pink yukata with darker pink and green sakura accents at the time. The dress had actually been from her own century, but had also been relatively inexpensive compared to her school uniforms, and it'd blended in with what the people of the Feudal era considered 'modern society' much better than her weird school uniforms ever did.

 

~~~Flashback~~~

 

“Isn't this fun?” Kagome said with a giggle as she walked side-by-side with her fuming hanyou companion.

 

“I would hardly consider having to recollect all of the fucking jewel shards fun!” he snapped, his ears instantly lowering as he detected the spike of sadness in his wife's scent.

 

“I'm sorry,” he apologized right away. “But it's just…fuck…what else is gonna go wrong?”

 

“Everything's fine,” Kagome answered with a forgiving smile, having gotten over his unexpected reaction to her statement. She knew he wasn't really angry with her.

 

“If you say so.”

 

“Well, look at it this way. At least Naraku is dead, and Magatsuhi can't manifest himself while the jewel is in pieces. Most of the youkai we'd ever encountered with jewel shards before were fairly easy to take down, all things considered.”

 

He gave her a sideways glance and she amended, “Compared to Naraku, at least.”

 

He snorted.

 

She continued, saying, “The only youkai I know of that's strong enough to really be considered a major threat if he started collecting jewel shards for himself would be your brother, and since Sesshoumaru has no interest in the jewel...”

 

She permitted her words to trail off as she hoped Inuyasha would start catching on to her point of view. Yes, it was an inconvenience and disadvantage that the jewel had been shattered again, but it could still be worse. It could be a lot worse.

 

Stopping for lunch in a small clearing by a stream, Kagome worked to add bits of the fish he'd caught into their ramen noodles. Work with what you had, right? Her yellow backpack might still be a bit out of place in that era, but she loved that gaudy monstrosity. Kagome could definitely do a commercial for the manufacturer. It'd stood up against literally everything for over two and a half years now, while she'd gone through uniform after uniform.

 

After resting for a little while, it was time to head out again, and deciding to head north, they both rejoiced at the sight of a small farming village. While Inuyasha never much cared for staying at human villages, he knew that Kagome didn't much care for camping outdoors, and so if he could give her a roof and proper bedding for even one night, then it would be worth enduring the whispers.

 

“Excuse me,” Kagome began politely, addressing one of the elderly workers in the field. “Could you please tell me if there might be available lodging in your village for one night? We have coins to pay for a room, of course.”

 

Kagome had never agreed with how Miroku would always con their way into free room and board with false exorcisms.

 

Glancing up at the sound of a sweet, young voice, the man offered Kagome a smile, at first, until he caught sight of the thing that was standing behind her.

 

“How dare you bring demonic filth into our borders!” he cried in place of whatever response had previously been on his tongue.

 

“Excuse me?” Kagome asked again, only that time, a little taken aback, and somewhat offended. “Inuyasha is not demonic filth, he's-”

 

“That's enough, Kagome,” Inuyasha interrupted, wishing to stop her before she really said too much. “We'll just camp out in the forest, come on.”

 

“Not in our forest you won't, vermin!” The man hadn't missed the way they'd addressed each other so familiarly.

 

“What's your problem?!” Kagome all but shouted, completely thrown off guard by how much hostility they were receiving.

 

It was never this bad before, she thought, quickly followed by, Yeah, but before, Inuyasha was outnumbered by you, a youkai slayer and a monk. He probably didn't seem as threatening when most people figured that either Sango or Miroku could keep him in line.

 

Of course, that didn't mean she was ready to let the matter drop.

 

“Look,” she started, barely keeping her temper in check, “all we're looking for is a place to sleep for the night. We have money.”

 

“I don't care if you have a hime's dowry,” the man sneered, speaking lower now, so as not to draw too much unwanted attention from the rest of the villagers. “No youkai beast and his whore are going to taint our village with their unholy union.”

 

Kagome gasped, and would have retorted, but she suddenly found herself being literally dragged away by Inuyasha at that point.

 

~~~End Flashback~~~

 

While that evening had been the first time that Kagome had encountered just how 'hospitable' most humans could actually be, it most certainly hadn't been the last. Over the next two months, they had come across more harsh words than Kagome had previously been aware even existed. It had quickly become apparent that a young woman traveling alone with a hanyou was nowhere near as acceptable as the larger group they had previously traveled in, which had also consisted of a monk and youkai slayer, not to mention a kitsune child and a nekomata. For some reason, though, nobody had ever seemed to have a problem with Shippou or Kirara, but that was probably because most people didn't truly fear kitsune as anything worse than tricksters, or at least they didn't fear one that was still just a child, while Kirara, in her kitten form, probably appeared more like a pet in most people's eyes.

 

Kagome tried to rack her brain for those first few weeks that she and Inuyasha had been alone before, back when she had been fifteen, but they honestly hadn't stopped at very many villages at that time, probably because of Inuyasha's extra hostility towards humans in general back then, and so she couldn't really say that she had much basis for comparison as a result. Also, she had been so blatantly naive back then that she probably wouldn't have even understood what the glares in her direction had meant, even if she had been receiving any. Then they'd picked up little Shippou so quickly, and that alone had already seemed to make all the difference in the world. Looking back on it, the miko supposed that most people had probably just figured that you couldn't be rutting in the woods like a pair of wild animals with a small child in your midst.

 

Kagome still remembered when she had told the Thunder Brothers that they were lovers, she and Inuyasha, and how vehemently he had immediately denied her claim, not that she could really blame him, looking back on it now. After all, she'd only said it thinking that it would offer herself some small measure of protection, like 'You better not kill me or you'll be sorry.' How was she supposed to know that the opposite would actually be true?

 

Not that he had denied her claim to protect her; he'd denied it because it wasn't true. They had most definitely not been lovers back then; they had hardly even liked each other at all back then. She'd thought he was a rude, selfish, childish jerk, while he'd thought she was a useless, powerless, clumsy bitch who'd stolen Kikyou's face. Not to mention the fact that she'd shattered the jewel, that he'd tried to steal from her, before getting his face slammed into the ground thanks to Kaede's quick thinking regarding the rosary. They had been enemies, to put it bluntly, forced to work together for the greater good, and it was the best thing that'd ever happened to either one of them.

 

If they had each been a little more open to the signs, then they probably could have realized their feelings for one another a lot sooner, but the past was in the past, Kagome supposed.

 

She could dwell on it forever, how he'd freaked out for a second there when he'd thought that she and Shippou were ghostly apparitions there to say goodbye, or how he'd told her she smelled nice during their first moonless night together, when she'd let him rest his head on her lap. Then of course there was the time that he'd nearly kissed her when she'd accused him of hating her because she looked like Kikyou. Truth be told, they probably would have ended up getting together a lot earlier on if Kikyou hadn't been brought back to life, but Kagome was a firm believer in the concept of everything happening for a reason, even if that reason eluded you for a time.

 

Thinking about their past, she remembered that Inuyasha actually had been aware of her feelings for him. He'd confessed as much the night they got together, the hanyou revealing he was nowhere near as stupid as he pretended to be while in the presence of others. But according to what he'd told her of his reasoning behind the act, he had thought, at that time, that he was doing the right thing by letting her believe that her feelings for him were one-sided. Now that they were finally together, exactly what he'd feared would happen, had happened, that being Kagome being rejected by others.

 

She often had to remind herself that that, too, all happened for a reason, whatever that was. Maybe it was just so she would finally grow up a little and gain a life lesson or two. She'd most certainly gotten over her previous misconception that the world as a whole was a kind and loving place. While she still insisted on believing in the good in people, it was clear that most people, at least outwardly, behaved exactly how Inuyasha had predicted they'd behave. Though, Kagome also tried to tell herself that it wasn't really their fault. They weren't being cruel on purpose. Their hatred was driven by fear, after all, and living in the world they lived in, Kagome couldn't really blame them for fearing youkai, either.

 

If she started hating everybody else, simply because they hated her, then she would be no better than they were. She knew that, and despite it all, Inuyasha was relieved to see that his Kagome was still the same Kagome in spirit that he had fallen in love with. She hadn't been broken. She loved him, and she would stand by him, no matter what.

 

Over the last few months of them traveling alone together looking for shards she had been called a race traitor and a whore. She'd been spat on, and had things thrown at her, and each and every time that something happened, Inuyasha had been there to kiss away her tears. That alone made it bearable to her. There was no point in trying to claim that they were married, because nobody would ever believe them, and supposing that somebody actually did believe their claims in that regard, they sure as hell didn't want to risk inadvertently getting the people of Kaede's village in any trouble, if word got out just which village had welcomed a married hanyou and miko among them.

 

Shaking her head free of such nonsense, Kagome tossed the remains of her fish into the fire, before rising to her feet and asking “Shall we?” in regard to continuing on their way.

 

“Keh.”

 

Remains cleared away, and fire put out, Kagome swung her backpack over one shoulder and her quiver over the other – a shuffle that she'd learned to manage quite well over the years – before grabbing her bow and half leaping, half climbing onto Inuyasha's back. Tonight was te new moon, so they needed to cover as much ground as possible.