There had been a time he truly thought he would never be accepted.
And she had proved that he could be: she had befriended him, and gave him real, true friendship.
There had been a time he truly thought he would never be loved.
And she showed him that she loved him, deeply, purely loved him for who he was and ignored his flaws, healed his damaged soul.
And he loved her more than anything else in this world because of it.
Gazing lovingly over at his wife, sound asleep on the mat in their cozy little home on the outskirts of Kaede's village, he curled closer to her as she slept, pressing a gentle kiss to her brow. A small smile tugged at his lips as she let out an adorable little mewl under her breath and nuzzled closer to him in her sleep, her dreams obviously pleasant. His arms cocooned her, his breath let out in quiet puffs into her hair. His claws absentmindedly ran up and down the length of her back, her skin crawling pleasantly under his touch, and another mewl escaped her lips. He brushed his mouth over hers, not quite in a kiss, but more of a caress; the kisses would come when she was awake.
His gaze clouded over in pain at the thought of another thought he used to have, one that nagged the back of his head, one that made his smile wither away until a somber expression possessed his features.
There had been a time Inuyasha truly thought he would never see Kagome again.
The three years they were separated following the defeat of Naraku had damaged him almost beyond repair. On more occasions than he'd care to recall, he had broken down and wept at his loss, pleading the gods to bring her back somehow, if that was what she wanted as well. Every night would be spent watching his friends and their new family, as they played with their children, laughing with them as they went about their days, and all he could do was dream that he would have that family someday with Kagome at his side as they raised their pups, until the early beams of dawn would rip him from that hope, its rays washing away that one last dream he could cling to until it could hold him again in the shadows of night.
And she had proved him wrong yet again.
She had come back.
The elation he felt when he felt her grip his hand as he pulled her out of the well, the joy that surged through him when their eyes met once more, were simply indescribable. He had held her then, closer than he had ever held her before, never to take her presence for granted, never to assume that she would always be there again. He would not fall victim to his naiveté again and lose his reason for living a second time. Later that day he had proposed to her, at long last revealing his heart to her, with no restraints. It had not been easy, exposing himself to her like that, even then, but she smiled and accepted happily. The embrace they had shared that night was one neither would forget for as long as they live.
His glazed eyes refocused when he felt Kagome shift a bit in his arms. He blinked down at her a moment, realizing that his gaze was met, even if it were in a sleepy haze. He smiled at her, much more fully this time, and nuzzled her nose with his. "Did I wake you?" He asked her, pressing a kiss to her nose. She giggled, reaching up to massage his ear. He lowered his head to the crook of her neck, purring lazily as he held her closer.
"No, I just got up on my own, that's all." He nodded lethargically, his senses intoxicated by her touch, her warmth, and her smell. He trailed kisses along her neck, light and chaste, until he reached her mouth to kiss her deeply. She shivered, and he almost smirked at the thought that it wasn't from the cold.
"You should go back to sleep," he murmured, his senses still distorted as she continued to rub his ear affectionately. She smiled, knowing he was showing her tenderness and love that only she was privy to; he was still unsure of himself in public, too shy to go beyond hand holding when they were out and about. But when they were alone, and no one else was around, he shed that bashfulness and wasn't afraid to show her, tell her, how much he loved her, and she would reciprocate those feelings wholeheartedly, happy that he could at long last relax in her arms without the fear that she might disappear.
"Only if you sleep, too," she hummed, closing her eyes as she let her head rest a bit more on her pillow. He nodded against her hair, kissing her temple lightly one last time before following her into slumber.