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Hallowed Anniversary	By : SplendentGoddess Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 4984 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi or VIZ Productions, and I do not gain financially from my fanfic in any way.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Nominated for Best Inu/Kag Romance for the 2008 4th Quarter at the Feudal Association!
Hello again! While this is part two of my 'Hallow' trilogy, and I strongly recommend reading the previous installment first, please note that this story is not a direct sequel from where 'All Hallow's Eve' left off. It originally took me three years to complete the Hallow trilogy, because coming up on my second Halloween after writing my first Halloween fic, I had decided to stick with the same universe I had created, thinking it would be fun if I revisited them one true year later, just like how it was in real life, as Halloween - and their anniversary - rolled around again. So this story, originally written in 2007, takes place one year later, meaning that because of the off-canon way in which I had made Kagome older to begin with, it has now been over three years since she originally fell down the well, and she's eighteen years old. The first two chapters contain several flashbacks that will help bring everyone up to speed regarding what we missed during the last year of their lives together.
Please note: Though I'm not focusing too strongly on keeping with the original canon throughout the entire story - and in truth these Halloween stories are off-canon to begin with because of Kagome's age difference and inclusion of the anime - several aspects of the later chapters of the manga (stopping at chapter 525) are included throughout the various flashbacks in the first two chapters. I especially focus on the events leading up to and within chapter 525 during one particular battle scene, shown in flashback mode. Chapter 525 was the newest chapter of the manga at that time, when this battle scene was originally written, and so the story veers away from the manga in its entirety from that point onward, as in this universe, the events of manga chapters 526 and beyond didn't happen.
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 called while aiming her bow, "He's got two jewel shards, one in each fist."
"Got it!" the hanyou called back, dodging one of said fists, which had been aiming right for his head. That would have hurt.
The ugly excuse for an oni had come out of nowhere, meandering 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 steal, 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 youkai with his Wind Scar attack before they had a chance to make contact.
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 smirked, imitating the dialog 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 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 had to do 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' of 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.
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While breakfast was understandably awkward, at least for our young lovers, Mrs. Higurashi was the embodiment of tranquility. Still, she didn't wanted 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 protesting blushes, 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 she also knew that her daughter had been on birth control for the last two years. She had been the one who'd had to approve the prescription, after all.
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.
The morning then became awkward for a second time, when Mrs. Higurashi asked them what their plans were for the future. While hesitant to do so, 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 still would have married him anyway.
The word 'marriage' started to make Kagome fidget, but it was Inuyasha who surprised both Higurashi women, then, by quickly proclaiming his desire to maintain Kagome's honor by having themselves properly wed, at least by the customs in his own time. He was only mildly embarrassed by the embrace the miko gave him at his words, flushing at her mother's amusement. Her look of humor was quick to fade into one of genuine appreciation, though, as Mrs. Higurashi patted Inuyasha on the shoulder, and stated 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 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 murmured, 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, 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 their right mind would willingly expose their back in such a manner. 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 snuggly 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 the Sengoku jidai 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 rapidly paced hanyou-back riding.
It was actually Kaede who had first breached the delicate subject of miko garments, 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 solution available.
"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, Inuyasha had confessed to Kagome, in private, 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 both 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 literal sense of the outfit being made to move during battle, and also in the visual sense, with displaying herself as the spiritually powerful being that she was. 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, as well. 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 day 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-sama", 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 birth, 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, 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'.
Inquiring in the village they came upon if anyone had heard rumors of anything strange, anything that might lead to a jewel shard, Kagome had to literally bite her tongue on several occasions to avoid spouting off anything inappropriate in response to the rude words she heard regarding her traveling companion. Many cautioned her that a 'beast such as that' couldn't 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 found it truly a wonder that Inuyasha managed to keep his own tongue in check, but 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 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 hanyou lover, 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 caused quite a commotion at the Inn.
Kagome had learned a while back that there was no way in hell that Inuyasha would ever allow her to stay in a room all by herself, without even the taijiya for protection. So, still in character, she'd started with her usual insistence that her reasoning for requesting a single room was so that she could better protect them...presumably from her youkai companion. Usually, that worked, because nobody wanted to think about what a youkai (or a hanyou, in this case) could do in their village if left to his own devises, and so therefore, they were grateful that the miko had every intention of keeping him in her custody throughout the duration of the night. When that story hadn't worked this time around, as they'd simply said they could assist her with sealing him in another room before she retired to her own chamber, she had resorted to insisting that it was for his own protection, as well. She didn't care what they thought of her for saying such a thing. She wasn't stupid, or at least, she wasn't any longer. She hadn't missed the rather hateful glances some of the men had been sending his way upon entering the village, and so while glaring pointedly in certain gulping people's directions, Kagome had confidently went on to express how she wouldn't put it passed 'someone' to take it upon themselves to attempt to rid her of her seemingly dangerous, yet extremely necessary associate.
"He is my responsibility, and as such, shall remain in my sight at all times. Is that clear?"
Though it was obvious that nobody liked it, they had eventually backed down to her wishes.
"Gods..." she groaned, now that they were finally alone. "Did Kikyou ever go through this mess back when you two were together?"
Kagome had long ago 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.
"We hardly ever traveled." he answered in a normal, conversational tone. Inuyasha had also matured quite a bit over the last year, and was now more open with his past and his feelings, at least in private. Having Kagome for a wife will do that to you.
"Usually, we just stayed in the village, fighting off anything that came to us in search of the jewel. On 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."
Nodding her understanding, Kagome applied one of her grandfather's useless sutra to Inuyasha's chest, quickly placing a chaste kiss upon his lips before whispering goodnight and settling into her futon. Everything they knew to do, in their elaborate scheme of precautions against getting found out, had been learned through painful trial and error. Though they had never been dumb enough to actually attempt being intimate in a village Inn, they'd learned it was wise to make it appear as though doing so wasn't even a remote possibility. Wearing the false sealing charm, Inuyasha settled into the corner, Tetsusaiga resting against the wall right beside him. If somebody dared peak their head into their room, he would maintain the farce that he couldn't move, unless it became necessary to grab Kagome and run.
~~~Flashback~~~
Returning through the well that November morning was a trying experience for them both. Just as Inuyasha had predicted, Shippou, and even Kirara, could instantly detect the alteration in their joined scents, 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, separately - her mother had been home at the time - it would still take a few days for the scent of their mating to leave their bodies completely.
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.
"Really now?" Miroku grinned lecherously, agilely dodging Sango's Hiraikotsu when he sensed the weapon being flung towards his head. "Why, Inuyasha..." he continued, grinning like mad, much to the hanyou's humiliation, "I didn't know you had it in you." he congratulated.
Kagome was horribly embarrassed, 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, Houshi." he started, already throwing the monk off guard with his rather polite use of the term Houshi, rather than his more common, derogatory favorite, Bouzu. "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. Honestly, I'm surprised at you two, deciding to wait until after he's defeated. 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.
Thankfully, the taijiya knew that, and overcoming her own humiliation for the moment, she managed to glare daggers at the man currently waggling his eyebrows at her, as she insisted, "Not without a proper wedding, hentai."
That opened can of worms having been quite thoroughly flung up into the air, Kagome was ever so grateful that that time period at least didn't have ceiling fans. The apologetic glance Sango quickly offered her, over the taijiya'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 their companion and marry 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, "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 her friend's sudden and rather wistful expression, Kagome teasingly gestured in Sango's direction, as she managed to lose her own shyness and comment, "Maybe we'll need Kaede's assistance, as well. 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 of their lives, things were quickly 'business as usual' for our strange group of traveling companions, as they headed back out once again in search of rumors of Naraku. Kagome, still dressed in her school uniform for the time being, surprised and delighted her husband by reaching for his hand to hold in her own as they walked side-by-side. 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 of familiarity 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 had 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, that 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 rag-tag pack, and it was high time the little snot acknowledged that fact. As a reward for his compliance, reluctant though it was, Inuyasha permitted the kitsune to continue snuggling 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 wife, or risk losing her even more lovely warmth as he slept, the monk managed, somehow, to behave himself.
They were eight days in on their latest journey when Inuyasha suddenly declared that he detected a 'stink' on the wind, and the casual way in which he'd 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.
Though Inuyasha and Kagome hadn't yet had the opportunity to reengage in 'certain' activities, his close proximity to the girl at night had successfully managed to bathe her quite thoroughly in his scent, and he in hers. 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 never took the action beyond what Kagome would appreciate while in the company of others, he just needed to touch her, and thankfully, she understood that. She even reciprocated by sometimes sliding a hand backwards to touch him, as well. 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. Any claims that inu-youkai did not follow the automatic 'mating for life' protocol that some youkai species did were overruled by the very real fact that he was also half human, and she was human, and as such, he had honored not only her, but himself as well, by marrying her in the human tradition.
The confrontation with Kouga actually went rather well, all things considered. Everyone had feared a blood bath, except for Inuyasha, who more relished in the idea rather 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 her power over the rosary. He had promised her in return that he wouldn't kill the wolf, and she had to trust him on that. She couldn't 'sit' him, or he'd lose his trust in her. While he had insisted that the rosary stay in place, because he himself still feared what he was capable of were he ever to lose himself to a transformation, Kagome was only allowed to 'sit' him when it was absolutely necessary.
Kouga appeared on schedule, emerging from a cloud of dust, and as usual, he grabbed Kagome's wrists before anyone even had a chance to blink. Then, just as predicted, Inuyasha drew the Tetsusaiga, angrily growling that he release Kagome at once, while the wolf completely ignored him, asking Kagome how she was doing, and if 'mutt-face' was taking care of her properly in his absence. That's when things got a little more interesting.
"You have no idea." Miroku smirked quietly to himself, although regrettably not quietly enough.
Insecure after such a comment, Kouga gazed more closely at 'his woman', and noting the way she seemed to be attempting to free her hands from his grasp, he promptly tightened his grip on her wrists to the point where she would be unable to do so. Kagome's heart rate doubled in her chest at that action, and not in a good way. While Kouga's grip wasn't causing her any pain, it scared her that he would think to grab her so tightly. The definite 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 all hell broke loose.
"What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted, rapidly approaching the pair. "Let go you bastard! You'll hurt her!"
"I would never..." he started to growl at the hanyou in automatic self-defense, but Inuyasha's close proximity, bringing with it his own current mixture of scents, was simply 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, his nose would have had to be blind to miss the fact that the hanyou's scent was coming from underneath her clothing. Couple that with the fact that the hanyou also smelled strongly of Kagome, and it was a no-brainer. Usually, Kagome's scent was only present on Inuyasha's body in a few very select locations. Some scent transfer was bound to happen when she rode on his back, for example. But the hanyou did not merely have Kagome's scent on his back. Her sent was all over him. On his chest, on his neck, on his ears...which was a dead giveaway that something had changed between them right there...and, what angered Kouga the most, was what the hanyou's hands smelled like. He suddenly had no desire to smell Kagome's hands, and was instantly grateful that he had actually grabbed her by her wrists instead.
"You bastard." he whispered harshly, aiming his comment at Inuyasha, while at the same time shoving Kagome away from himself 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 eyes trained on Kagome's form to be sure she was unharmed. A confused expression, with a reluctant nod, assured him that she was uninjured. But he never finished his curse as he had been interrupted, and after registering the fact that Kagome was okay, his mind permitted him to realize just what it was that the wolf had just said.
"That was fucking low, hanyou."
"Excuse me?" he blinked, surprised by the acidity behind the cursed term. Usually, Kouga ripped him on his mixed heritage a little more playfully, with jibes like 'mutt-face' or 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.
"You heard me." The wolf spat, fire dancing in his crystal blue eyes. "That was a really low thing to do, taking Kagome away from me like that."
Smirking, which was probably not the wisest move in the world, Inuyasha smugly rested the transformed Tetsusaiga against his shoulder, as he asked cockily, "What're ya gonna do about it?"
Miroku tried to stifle a laugh, 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 started slowly, "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 smile. Too bad Kouga had never really taken the time to get to know the woman he'd claimed as his since the day they'd met.
"Oh shut up, you humans just don't understand."
Now it was Kagome's turn to blink in surprise. "Ex-excuse me?"
"I had a legitimate claim on you." Kouga explained to the miko in exasperation, as though she were a total moron. "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, officially. But half-breeds don't understand the concept of honor."
He spat that last part with disgust, ignorant to the confused anger rolling off of Kagome's aura in waves. He even went on to say how Inuyasha had ruined her on purpose. How the mutt had known that all he had to do was bed her, 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 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 him. What was done was done.
"Inu-youkai don't even honor their mates with life-long commitments." he added, which earned a strong reaction when Inuyasha started to protest with, "Now wait just a damn minute-" but Kouga still wasn't done yet.
"He knew he'd lose, that's why he did the underhanded thing and took you for himself behind my back." he finished.
Everyone, including Kagome, expected Inuyasha to defend his own male pride against the wolf's accusation that he feared losing a confrontation, so it was with great surprise, and love on Kagome's part, that they bore witness to a different argument entirely.
"You fucking ignorant piece of demonic testosterone." he hissed, "Kagome's human, you moron. Youkai rules don't apply in their world." Gazing lovingly in her direction for a moment, he turned back to the wolf, and added, "And they don't apply to me, either."
His other two human companions both gasped in surprise at that statement, but ignoring them, the hanyou continued.
"Humans have an emotion called love, you fucker. Kagome's not some prize to be won in battle. 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. She loves me. And I love her." "Inu-youkai don't express love-" Kouga started to argue sarcastically, but it was now Inuyasha's turn to interrupt, as he continued his ranting.
"As true as that may be where my bastard of a brother is concerned, as you're so fond of pointing out, I'm only a 'half-breed', meaning I'm just as much human as I am youkai."
Since Kagome was standing right next to him by that point, he took a moment to gently grip her hand in his, as he turned to look at her with unbridled love in his eyes before saying his final piece.
"I don't care of inu-youkai don't 'mate for life' like ookami-youkai do. The way I see it, that just makes us more like humans. Sure, humans are perfectly capable of whoring around, but most humans have enough honor to remain respectfully loyal to a single spouse all their lives. My youkai half may not be from a species that can legitimately claim Kagome as my 'life mate', but my human half can, and does claim her as my wife. We are married in the human custom, thanks to our friend over there..." He gestured towards Miroku, who bowed nervously at the introduction "...and I plan on honoring Kagome by being a faithful husband, for the rest of our lives."
"Don't you mean for the rest of her life?" Kouga sneered, still seething over this new development, but submitting to the truth of it nonetheless. "She is mortal, after all." he jabbed.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Kagome spoke up, while squeezing her husband's hand. 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'." 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 admittance 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 upon her death. He would have been unwaveringly loyal to Kagome during her relatively short lifespan, including her elderly years, but nothing could dispute the simple fact that the girl was mortal.
With a final word that they'd better stay out of his way when it came to killing Naraku, Kouga eventually took his leave of them, the atmosphere around the inu-tachi growing increasingly awkward after his departure. Reluctantly, they trudged onward after a moment, continuing down the same road they had been traveling on prior to Kouga's appearance.
Kagome tried not to let the wolf's words get to her, knowing how even most human men of that time period felt that a woman was 'ruined' if they had previously slept with another, whether or not the woman had had any say in the matter. Still, it managed to bother her for quite a while, that someone who claimed to love her so deeply would just as soon toss her aside because of something like that. He hadn't even challenged Inuyasha for her at all, because the 'damage' had already been done. She'd always defended that Kouga was her friend, but it was clear to her now that the wolf youkai had no desire to continue associating with her whatsoever. She was a whore in his eyes, having slept with Inuyasha without first being 'won' by her husband in a fair battle. It reminded her of a time, when she was much younger, that she'd gotten upset with Souta over sitting shot-gun in their mother's car during a trip to the store after she had already 'called it' as was her defense. He had promptly ignored her claim, and had planted himself on the front passenger seat while she'd still been getting ready.
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, his 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.
He told her that night, in private, that his desire to be with her had had nothing to do with simply wishing to foil Kouga's claim. He told her again that he loved her, adding how he had never known true love, until her. He even dared breaching the subject of Kikyou, something 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 no where near as intense as the blazing fire he felt in his very soul for the miko currently wrapped in his arms. He even went on to admit 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, he 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 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 glances sent in Inuyasha's direction, 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 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 chuckled.
"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 managed to change 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 decided to break the silence after a moment, "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 they could come up with something to pass the time. Inuyasha had reluctantly admitted to having had fun at the party last year, 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 once how she thought they'd picked the perfect date to become their anniversary, as the time of year enabled Inuyasha to walk the streets unafraid of displaying his true appearance. 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 in time for the holiday. The calendar waited for no one.
Thinking about what he'd just asked her, that had gotten 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 offered, "And since your costume choice is rather limited..."
"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 robes? 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 robes at all, everyone wearing that 'Western influence' stuff you people call clothing. Bet they still got miko hanging 'round the temples, 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 '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, Jii-chan does have those fake Shikon jewel key chains..."
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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 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 quickly 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 any true amount of time to be together. Now, with Sango and Miroku happily settled into 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 again, and while in a way, Kagome enjoyed having her adventure continue, another part of her was ready to get it over and done with by that point. 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 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 there ever was to be a choice, she would chose him.
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Three and a half days in on their journey home, lunch was relatively uneventful, as usual consisting of fish that Inuyasha had caught in a 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 voiced 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 was shortly after the fall of Naraku, and Miroku and Sango had temporarily settled into Kaede's hut while Miroku worked on building his own hut for himself and his wife. Considering they had already been allotted zero alone time to begin with at that time, what with temporarily sharing a dwelling with the elderly miko while their new home was yet to be constructed, the monk and slayer had easily offered to keep watch over Shippou during the next journey, so that at least Inuyasha and Kagome could get some quality time together. No sense in both couples going without, right?
Kagome had already stopped wearing her school uniform by that point, a decision made after her mother had seen the damage suffered by said 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 been from her own century, but had also been relatively inexpensive, and it'd blended in with what Inuyasha considered 'modern society' much better than her weird school uniforms ever did.
~~~Flashback~~~
"Isn't this fun?" Kagome giggled, 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, "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. 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 stepped in, 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...
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... her mind supplied after a moment.
That's just ridiculous... she argued with herself.
"Look," she started after a moment, 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 might have 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 no where near as acceptable as the larger group they had previously traveled in, which had also consisted of a houshi and taijiya, not to mention a kitsune child and a nekomata. For some reason, nobody 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 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 hardly been lovers back then; they had hardly even liked each other at all at that time. 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. 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 new moon 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 not being anywhere 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. Kagome often had to remind herself that it, 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 that 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. She'd been called a 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 Miroku in any trouble, if word ever got out regarding which monk had supposedly betrayed his loyalty to the cloth by condoning such sacrilege.
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 the new moon, so they needed to cover as much ground as possible.
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