A/N: A warning before you read this, guys: there is a slight lime near the end. I don't think it's enough to rate this story M, but seeing as T is the equivalent of PG-13, I wanted to be safe. There is some steam here, but no lemon. You have been warned, so don't say I sold you cat for rabbit, lol.

Kagome was shivering, soaked to the bone. She could feel her husband's anger radiating from across the room, just like she had all day from afar.

He's not very happy about being stuck in here with me now, she thought wryly. Closing her eyes, she stifled a groan. Heavy rain pounded on the roof; Sango wouldn't be visiting in such a weather.

I guess it will be a long night.

Glancing at Inuyasha's stiff shoulders as he took off his dripping fire-rat robe, she tried not to feel too miserable.

Talk to him, an irritating little voice nagged at her in the back of her mind. Are you a married young woman or what?

"Get your feet off the ground," Inuyasha said brusquely, making Kagome jump out of her skin. He didn't turn her way. "You'll catch a cold."

And just like that, she felt her eyes burning with tears.

Get it together, girl.

Silently, she stepped on the raised wooden floor and sat down to take off her sandals. Her feet were dirty. Kagome looked around her for something to clean them with, dreading the thought of walking all over their sleeping place with wet dust between her toes.

Inuyasha was suddenly there, kneeling before her with a mantle in his hands. With a brief look at Kagome, he made quick work of cleaning her feet.

She relished the contact, practical as it may be. He hadn't deliberately touched her since the previous day, but it felt like it had been a week.

Maybe that was just her guilt talking, but it did.

Finished with her, Inuyasha sat down on the raised floor to clean his own feet. Then, he leisurely made his way to the fire pit, leaving his wife there, staring at the ground.

With a sigh, Kagome got up and followed him. She had half a mind to yell at him for being so stubborn, but she knew this fight was solely her fault.

And it was their first serious one as a married couple, too.

She cleared her throat. "Inuyasha—"

"Lie down," he said, interrupting her. "Lemme take a look at those." He pointed at her pants, and she knew he meant he wanted to see the burns on her thighs.

"It's okay..." She sighed, walking past him to her chest of medicinal herbs. "I'll change the bandages."

"You ain't doing nothing now," Inuyasha warned quietly. She winced at his forced calmness. "You're limping. I'll change them for you."

Not wanting to provoke him and worsen their situation, she went to the futon and sat down as he got her supplies. Taking off her pants, Kagome got under the covers and gathered them around her waist. She didn't want to be too exposed to him at that moment, even though it was a silly notion.

She groaned upon looking at the wet bandages, glued to the skin of her thighs. These will be a pain to get rid of. Literally.

Crouching beside her, Inuyasha put the clean fabric for the new bandages and the small pot of ointment on the floor. Then, he reached for her legs, furrowing his brows. With the tips of his claws, he began peeling off the bandages from her angry skin.

Kagome hissed, unable to control herself. His ears flattened and straightened again. "Sorry," he mumbled, concern making his eyes soften as he gazed at her thighs.

She felt warm all over.

It's now or never.

"M-Me too," she stuttered, reaching out to take his hand. Inuyasha resisted at first, scowling, but Kagome tugged harder, urging him to look at her.

When he did, she cupped his cheek with her free hand. Her husband didn't lean into it like usual, but at least he didn't move away. His golden eyes were guarded.

"You know I didn't mean to do that," she said, frowning at how his ears flattened. "I don't do that anymore." She shook her head. "I just—"

"You just yelled and sat me in front of everyone," he finished, his eyes narrowing into slits. "I didn't give a damn when you did it before, but I live here now." The resentment she saw in his gaze took her breath away. Suddenly, his expression changed to slightly desperate. No doubt noticing she was about to cry, he backpedaled, "But that ain't reason to—"

"It's just—those girls!" Kagome groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. Inuyasha furrowed his brows. "I've seen those two looking at you before, but I thought I was above it. I thought 'hey, they're just fifteen, I'm too grown to feel jealous,' but yesterday—yesterday, it was too much!" She sighed, dropping her hand from his face.

"Tch." Inuyasha briefly squeezed her other hand before letting go, exasperated. "They're just brats, okay? Probably bored." In spite of his obvious irritation, he blushed, glaring at her. "They were just standing there as I worked my ass off in your—"

"Say 'your garden,' Inuyasha, and I'll—" She let the threat die, her eyes roaming his face and taking in his pink dusted nose. "God, you're blushing just thinking of it! How are they just brats?" Kagome crossed her arms. Inuyasha scratched the back of his neck and looked away, making her forget all about apologizing. "Seems to me like you enjoyed the attention, too!"

Inuyasha gaped like a fish. She would've laughed if she weren't so pissed. He fought for words, anger making his face redder. "I-I was embarrassed as shit!" He protested with ultraje, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "But being ogled sure beats being chased out of town with shovels, I'll give them that."

"Ugh!" Kagome punched the futon in anger, blowing her bangs from her eyes. "I cannot believe you're pulling the 'loathed half-demon' thing!" She laughed without humor. "That's rich, Inuyasha, really!"

Her husband scowled at her, tightening his hands into fists. She waited for his answer with baited breath, secretly feeling a little thrilled. At least they were talking.

After a few seconds of tension, Inuyasha shrugged forcefully. "It don't matter anymore," he spat. "You take care of the garden from now on." Then, to her amazement, he got back to treating her wounds, otherwise dismissing her entirely.

She opened her mouth to give him another piece of her mind, but the pain in her throbbing leg stopped her. She winced, and he shot her a worried look before schooling his features back into a scowl.

Kagome felt goosebumps on her skin as his hands brushed her thighs. His gentle care brought tears to her eyes again, making her think of the awful incident the day before.

Inuyasha was working in the garden when she got home. She spotted his fire-rat robe hanging on the fence, where two village girls pretended to chat as they stared at his back.

Kagome eyed him discreetly under the firelight, seeing what those girls had seen. He always looks good in white, she thought, remembering how the undershirt he wore now had clung to his body as he worked.

Kagome had been ready to join him when Hisoka, an unmarried fifteen-year-old, tugged at her friend's sleeve and squealed 'Good God' upon seeing Inuyasha thrust the shovel into the ground a bit too roughly. He stopped working and blinked, stunned, at the girl, his face flushing.

They had stared at each other for maybe two seconds, his mouth agape and hers smiling, but even a second was too much for Kagome. It didn't help that Inuyasha was blushing instead of scowling, as he should have.

As she opened her mouth to throw a fit and announce her presence to the girl, the village chief ran up to them. Breathing hard, he yelled that a demon bird had set the old shrine where the Shikon no Tama used to be kept on fire.

There was no time to make the scene she wanted, but Kagome reveled in the feeling of being feared. Hisoka turned, white as a sheet, to meet her gaze.

"Hmph," Inuyasha grunted, bringing her back to the present. He was wrinkling his nose at the pungent smell of the ointment, holding it away from his face. "You'll reek of this for weeks," he muttered.

Kagome blushed. "I-I tried to mix it with a little—"

"Jasmine," he supplied. Inuyasha looked at her, his face unnervingly blank. "Smelled like piss before," he stated. "Smells like piss and flowers now."

Kagome clenched her jaw. I won't sit him. I won't. "As long as it's not dog," she muttered darkly.

Inuyasha stiffened for a moment. Kagome knew he must've been biting his tongue. Turning his head in her direction, he sneered. "You already smell of dog everywhere." He lowered his eyebrows. "Sorry 'bout that."

Kagome bit the inside of her cheek. I don't even know what's happening here, she contemplated, shaking her head. We're acting like children for no good reason.

So, instead of retorting, she watched the pads of his fingers tracing the rough edges of her burned skin. With each stroke, her irritation was evaporating, giving place to something she couldn't afford to feel at the moment. Not in her current state, and not before apologizing for what had happened the day before.

After retrieving her bow from inside their hut, she followed the chief immediately, Inuyasha hot on her heels, his sword in hand.

When Kagome got to the old shrine, she saw several men throwing buckets of water at the raging flames. A yellow bird the size of a pig flew in circles over the roof of the construction, feeding the inferno by spitting fire from its red beak.

"It's too fast!" Miroku yelled from a few feet away. He held his right hand away from his body with his left one, his fingers burned. "I have wasted all my ofuda, but Sango's coming." He looked at them a bit sheepishly. "She went to Kaede's to leave the children there."

Suddenly, Kagome heard a child screaming for help from inside the building. All rational thought left her mind. She started running for it, Inuyasha right behind her.

She drew her bow, aiming at the bird. One of the rafters fell to the ground right in front of her, throwing sparkles everywhere. Kagome hissed at the feeling of her legs burning. Adrenaline alone kept her standing.

She was pulled back by Inuyasha's hand on her arm. He patted the fire-rat robe on her pants to put out the fire.

"Wait!" He all but pleaded when she made to approach the shrine again, grabbing her wrist. "You're injured! I'll—"

"I can handle this!" She snapped, trying to pull free, the desperation to save the child and her earlier rage making her reckless.

"No need for you to handle it, wench!" He growled. "You haven't done this in three years! Just let me—"

"SIT!" Kagome yelled, finally yanking herself free from his hold. She turned to glare at him, her heart pounding in her ears.

She needed to save the child.

Kagome saw Inuyasha's dumbfounded expression as he lay there in a crater, the transformed Tetsusaiga in his hand. She picked the fire-rat robe from the ground and threw it over her head, ignoring the reproachful eyes of the men who stood back, watching the scene instead of helping.

The sound of Inuyasha's teeth tearing through fabric made her head snap up to him. He lifted her legs by the knee one at a time, passing the material under them and tying the ends of it over her thighs. Then, he smoothed the bandages with his hands. Kagome could feel each one of his callouses through the cloth. She shivered, but he didn't say anything, getting up to put the supplies away.

"Thank you," she murmured, gazing at his retreating back.

"It's fine." He sighed, starting to shed his clothes. "Go to sleep, Kagome. It'll be better tomorrow."

She nodded even though he couldn't see it, not trusting her voice to speak.

Sango had struck down the bird with her boomerang just as Kagome had gotten the child out of the ruins, the fire-rat robe protecting them. Everything had been settled… Except for her situation with Inuyasha.

She'd left the robe folded on the futon at home.

At first, Kagome had been angry. She knew she'd been wrong to sit him, and he had every right to be mad, but avoiding her was juvenile. They'd been separated for far too long for that.

Then, she'd stopped to think about what she'd really done.

It wasn't just about sitting her husband in front of the entire village. His protection was a fundamental thing in their relationship, and she'd dismissed it crudely because she'd been jealous. Granted, she'd been under pressure at the time, but weren't those the moments they most needed to stick together? To work as the team they were?

Kagome disrobed and put on her sleeping yukata, getting under the covers and turning to the wall. She had wanted to apologize today as soon as she'd woken, but both of them had had too much work to do.

We've been so happy since I came back, she thought regretfully, her eyes watering. I think I ruined it.

She felt the covers being pulled as he settled down. Kagome didn't have to look over her shoulder to know Inuyasha had turned his back to hers, facing the fire.

Her lips trembled. They didn't usually hold each other throughout the night, both finding it a little uncomfortable, but they certainly had more contact than this. Well, suck it up, she admonished herself. We don't usually go to bed without sharing a meal either, but that's all for today.

She would settle things tomorrow. In the meantime…

Discreetly, Kagome pulled the covers over her head, ready to act like an adult and do some quiet crying under it.

Where was the strong woman who came back through the well? Did she vanish at the first real marriage fight? Muffling a sniff, Kagome let a few tears fall. The situation was turning into a snowball.

Inuyasha shifted, making her stiffen. She knew he would realize she was crying, but she couldn't stop herself.

Suddenly, she was gathered into his arms. "Go to sleep, Kagome," he murmured into her hair, sounding tired. She closed her eyes, scooting closer to his warmth. "It ain't important."

She opened her eyes again. Was that his backhanded way of saying she was forgiven?

Kagome tugged at his arm so he'd let her roll around. Under the firelight, they frowned at each other, nose to nose.

"It is important," she said, making a valiant effort not to look at his mouth, telling herself it wasn't the time. Was it a sin to argue with such a ridiculously good-looking husband when she could be kissing him instead? She gulped. Maybe. "I shouldn't have sat you. You didn't deserve it."

Inuyasha studied her eyes for a few seconds, his slight scowl still in place. "I just got you back," he murmured, unable to suppress a shiver. "You ran into danger alone—and hurt." Kagome could see the shadow of fear in his eyes. He nuzzled her nose with his, but his voice was threatening when he warned, "Don't do it again."

Was it wrong that she felt a tingle down her spine?

Kagome lifted her hand to comb his bangs away from his face. "I won't," she agreed, sighing. "But you also won't stare at Hisoka for more than three seconds again. Ever."

Inuyasha lifted an eyebrow, and she saw the twinkle of amusement in his eyes. It suited him way too much for his own good.

Sinful, she thought airily, but didn't voice it.

"Can I stare at other women, then?"

He was rubbing the small of her back. It seemed her husband was in a playful mood.

"Suit yourself," she replied in a singsong voice, putting her arms around his neck. "Just don't fall in love with them when you do. That was all it took with Kikyo, right?" She teased, hoping she wasn't crossing the line. "Some hot staring." Kagome widened her eyes in mock excitement.

To her relief, he snorted a laugh.

If anyone had told her three years ago that they would be joking about anything even remotely related to Kikyo, she would've laughed—or cried, really.

"Mock me all you like, wench," Inuyasha said, pecking her nose. Four months hadn't been enough for her to get used to how affectionate he could get in private. Her heart skipped a beat. "Staring wasn't half bad for the way I lived." He huffed. "And I ain't pulling the 'loathed half-demon' move."

Her smile slowly vanished. Kagome suddenly felt a little nervous. "Did you actually enjoy it?" She asked quietly, playing with a lock of his hair. "Being… admired like that by those girls, I mean."

Inuyasha considered her question, seemingly a little lost. A part of her was grateful he was taking her seriously, but the other just thought: to hell with honesty, Mister, the right answer to that is no!

"It sure as hell surprised me." He shrugged. "I don't like staring villagers, but it wasn't bad this time." Just as her heart started sinking, he frowned. "It was—off." He looked at her mouth, his ears twitching. "Like things weren't right."

Kagome blinked, knowing full well what he was doing. "Huh."

She weaved her hands in his hair, pulling him in for a long kiss. Inuyasha applied a little more pressure to the small of her back, urging her to come closer. One of his hands ran up her spine to grab the nape of her neck, melting all of her bones.

With deliberate slowness, feeling every inch of his chest and stomach, her fingers found their way to his pants.

He hissed when she cupped him over the fabric, pressing his nose to hers.

"Just m-making sure you don't like little girls," Kagome stuttered in spite of her boldness. Progress! She mentally celebrated. One day, that won't be awkward at all!

She lost her train of thought as he nibbled on her lower lip.

"Kick them d-down the well for all I care." Inuyasha grunted, grabbing Kagome's waist beneath her clothes. Her skin was tingling everywhere. She repaid him by moving her audacious hand in slow circles. "Help S-Sota out."

Kagome giggled at that, raising her leg to place it on his hip.

That was when the burned skin of her thigh stretched, making her gasp. Inuyasha snapped out of his daze, his lips thinning as he reached for her leg.

"Are you alright?" He asked, holding the back of her knee to help Kagome ease her leg back to the futon.

Taking a shaky breath, she nodded. "Seems I can't do much to show you I'm sorry." She sighed, brushing his jaw with her fingertips. "But I can keep—"

"Actually," he interjected, silencing her with a finger on her mouth. He traced the curve of her upper lip with his claw. "I feel kinda forgiving."

Inuyasha sat up in an eyebat, crossing his legs. Grabbing Kagome by the ankles, he carefully lifted her lower body into his lap, putting one of her legs on each side of his waist.

Still unsatisfied, be cupped her ass in his hands—and squeezed.

The nerve of the man.

"Wha-Wha—Huh?"

"S'alright," Inuyasha shushed her. "Just don't squirm too much."

He wasn't smiling (God forbid, she'd have ran out the door), but his eyes were glowing. If he had a tail, it would be swishing.

When her husband tickled her hips with his claws, Kagome knew she was in for the torture of her life.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called sleepily. His arms around her waist tightened briefly, showing her he was listening. "When we have children, let's not name them right away."

There was a moment of puzzled silence.

"Why?" He asked, his voice muffled by her hair.

"I wanna see how they behave first," she murmured. "To choose the right name."

"Hn." He sighed. "Why?"

"Well…" Kagome yawned. "Hisoka, for instance, means reserved." She paused, waiting for his reaction. When none came, she probed, "See?"

She felt Inuyasha raise his head behind her. Chuckling, he pulled her closer.

Kagome fell asleep with a smile on her face. That night in particular, she didn't think cuddling was uncomfortable at all—but tomorrow would be, of course, another day.

A/N: You should know this was my first attempt at something like this haha. Please, review!