It was evening and they were relaxing in a hot spring. Kagome was sitting opposite InuYasha and Shippo was floating by on his back. Sango and Miroku were sitting side by side to Kagome's right. They were holding hands under the water, mainly so that Sango could keep track of Miroku's wandering hands. Though they were at the point where Sango let Miroku grope her in private, she wasn't about to let him do it in public. Kirara, not knowing what the big deal with water was, was chasing fireflies in the clearing nearby.

Kagome sighed as she settled further into the water and stretched the tension out of her body. Her foot momentarily touched InuYasha's and he jerked his foot back and turned his head so that she couldn't see his reddening cheeks. Kagome was surprised then that he slid his foot back into place, so it was just barely touching hers. Their eyes met for a moment but then Shippo swam by, breaking their vision as he babbled on about their latest adventure.

Sango sighed as well, saying "This is so nice, warm water is such a treat."

"And now we can all enjoy it together since Kagome brought us these bathing garments." Miroku mentioned. After yet another peeping incident Kagome decided to bring them all bathing suits back from her time. Miroku, Shippo and InuYasha got matching dark blue trunks while Sango opted for a pretty striped 1 piece. Kagome wore her favorite bright blue 2 piece; it made her feel more sophisticated than her just 17 years.

They all settled in to enjoy the healing warmth, Kagome closed her eyes like the others but was anything but tired, the feeling of InuYasha's foot next to hers was electric, even more so because he had placed it there on purpose. She studied him from her almost closed eyes and he looked comfortable if not peaceful since InuYasha rarely looked peaceful. She wondered how he could be so calm when her emotions were running rampant and making her heart race.

From the other side of the spring, InuYasha was pretending to be calm and restful; his thoughts were awhirl with his own bravery. He could face demon after demon and near certain death again and again, but the mere touch of Kagome's foot had him so confounded he wanted to scream. He had caught the sight of her climbing into the pool and had to control his gaze, and his cheeks! He looked at her now, only her face and hair visible above the water and thought again that he'd never seen someone so beautiful.

Kagome was watching how InuYasha's hair blended with the silver of the moon reflecting on the water and thought again how beautiful it was, not that she'd ever tell him of course, he was too arrogant as it was…but then again, he might not be too keen on being called beautiful…

Suddenly InuYasha popped his eyes open, "What are you staring at?"

"Nothing, what are you staring at?" Kagome shot back.

InuYasha's petulant tone was so familiar to Miroku and Sango that they didn't even open their eyes as the fight got started.

It abruptly ended though when Kirara transformed and growled at the forest beyond the clearing. Sango, Miroku and Kagome were suddenly sprayed with water as InuYasha leapt from the spring to where his clothes were. Kagome took a moment to rescue Shippo from his dunking before she scrambled out of the spring behind Sango & Miroku. "What's happening!?" Kagome asked.

"Demons!" InuYasha yelled as he leapt off towards the forest. He had put on his cloak of the Fire Rat over his swim trunks and was almost at the forest before the four of them got out of the water. They all ran towards where they had their clothes but there was no time. The forest erupted with demons of every shape so they all grabbed their weapons and headed towards the fray.

InuYasha was slashing every which way with the Tetsusaiga and Sango's Hiraikotsu was a killing swath through the group. Miroku, Kagome, Shippo and Kirara were in a group further back than Sango, taking care of any demons that escaped InuYasha and Sango, and got too close to the jewel shards in Kagome's bundle of clothing.

"There's a jewel shard in one of the demons!" Kagome yelled. Miroku was using his staff since InuYasha and Sango were in front of him and in the way of using his wind tunnel. He yelled to Sango about the shards who yelled to InuYasha, though his keen ears had picked up Kagome's words. Shippo was behind Kirara and Miroku, and, in front of them, with an arrow knocked, was Kagome.

InuYasha finally lost what little patience he possessed and told Sango to hold her weapon back, "I'm going to take care of these demons!" and he unleashed his wind scar. Demons caught in the deadly wind were blown to pieces and his companions were engulfed in the cross winds.

"InuYasha!" Kagome yelled and though she was far away his keen ears heard her and he turned, and stopped dead in his tracks, chills running up and down his spine.

She was magnificent! She was standing in an archer's ready stance, arrow pointed towards the forest where so many demons had been moments before. Her skin glistened from the water and he was keenly aware of how much of a woman she'd become in her blue bikini. Her black hair was dancing in the wind, and he saw her for the first time as a warrior.

He'd always seen Kagome as a girl, more recently as a woman, a healer and a priestess but never before a fighter. Sango was a born demon-slayer and Miroku had his wind tunnel and monk's powers. Kagome had been there to help after a battle and to tell them when a jewel shard was nearby, but InuYasha had not noticed how she had grown as a fighter since he was usually the one rescuing her when she got into trouble.

He absorbed all of this in the moment before she let fly an arrow, straight at him! His mind flashed back to when Kikyo had shot a sacred arrow at him and in that instant he prayed that Kagome's arrow would kill him since he couldn't face the heartbreak of a betrayal by her…anyone else he could live with, but not her, not Kagome.

In the heartbeat it took for the arrow to reach him, InuYasha sensed the demon behind him and he realized Kagome wasn't shooting at him, but was turning the tables and being his rescuer. His heart started beating again and with renewed purpose. He was suddenly very proud of her.

The demon behind him exploded and he wrenched his gaze from Kagome long enough to see and sense that there weren't any demons left in the area. Kagome ran into the clearing and retrieved the jewel shard; she placed it in the jar with the others and put it around her neck. She looked around and sniffed, "I don't think those demons should ruin this beautiful night, I'm going back into the pool." Kagome announced, though she placed her bow & arrows a lot closer than before.

Sango and Miroku shrugged and went to join her, both leaving their weapons near Kagome's. Shippo cannon-balled into the spring and soaked the three companions and a water fight was soon in full swing, Kirara watching from a safe distance. InuYasha announced he was going to check out the forest to see if he could find where the demons had come from and once he was properly changed, they could hear him bound off.

They soon tired of the fight and settled into the warmth to let them relax after the sudden battle. Kagome opened her eyes when Sango nudged her foot and gave her a look. "C'mon Shippo, let's get a fire going so we can get dry before bed." They climbed out of the pool and went their separate ways to get dressed. Kagome dried off and gathered her things and walked a good way away from the pond and the dead demon bits. When she found a suitable spot she set up for a fire. Shippo and Kirara retrieved kindling and soon they had a nice little fire going.

"Shouldn't we get Miroku and Sango Kagome?" Shippo asked her.

"I think they're busy just now Shippo, they'll find us when they're ready." Shippo, wise beyond his years, nodded knowingly and curled up next to Kirara to sleep. Kagome heard a noise and looked across the fire to see InuYasha standing there. Their eyes met and something was going on behind that amber that she couldn't discern.

"Did you find anything?" Kagome asked.

"No, it's as if they just appeared out of nowhere. Where's Sango and Miroku?" InuYasha asked.

"They're still swimming."

"Well, it's late, they should get some sleep, humans need a lot of sleep I find." He said and made to go back to the pool.

"They're fine."

"But-"

"Take a seat before I have to say it." Kagome's eyes flicked to the beads around his neck and he ulped and he sat almost as fast as he would have if Kagome had said 'sit'. He was almost all the way across the fire from her and could study her without looking like he was. She was back in her usual clothes but he couldn't get that image of her in her bikini holding the bow out of his mind. Kagome could feel his eyes on her but kept her annoyance to herself.

"I'm proud of you." He said it so softly she thought she might have imagined it, until she looked up and saw him looking directly at her.

"What?" she said softly.

"Today, you, you looked- I thought- argh!" she sat back in shock at the sudden outburst, confused as InuYasha hopped up and started pacing. Kagome glanced at Shippo and Kirara but they apparently didn't care or were fast asleep. Just then Miroku and Sango walked up, fully clothed and ready for sleep. Sango lay her sleeping bag next to Kirara and Shippo and got in, Miroku lay down so their heads were right near each other but out of arms reach (they'd been sleeping like that for a while now).

InuYasha plunked down with his back to the fire (and Kagome to his side) so Kagome crawled into her sleeping bag and fell asleep, wondering what had InuYasha so upset.

InuYasha watched Kagome out of the corner of his eye until she fell asleep. He was much too agitated from his thoughts about Kagome and the smell of his two companions' activities to think about rest, Good thing he was a half-demon and didn't need as much sleep.

He blushed as the image of Kagome in her bikini, the wind whipping her hair about came back to him again. That thought led him to thoughts of Kikyo and how Kagome was different from her. Kikyo had wanted him to change, become other than hanyou. She had wanted the jewel for him to wish to be human. After Kikyo's betrayal he had wanted the jewel so that he could become a full demon, but now he wasn't so sure anymore…

Kagome liked him just as he was, she didn't want him to change, his demon side frightened her and though she liked his human side, she liked his ears too. His ears twitched, thinking about how she sometimes petted them, not realizing what it did to him inside.

Kikyo was always so serious, Kagome could be as well, but she usually smiled, and when she laughed the whole day seemed brighter. She was searching for the jewel because she had been the one to shatter it, but also because she wanted him to have it, even if it meant him becoming what she feared.

Kagome had been telling InuYasha what to do since the day they had met but never about the important things. She let him make up his mind about Kikyo, and he knew she'd not try to influence him when they got the Shikon jewel back together either.

His thoughts continued as the fire burned down, he looked at Kagome as she shivered without the fire to warm her. He decided to be brave again and he lay down beside her, enveloping them both in his kimono. She sighed in her sleep at the warmth and familiar smell at her back and snuggled against him. Her hair was in his face now and he breathed in her scent, a scent he had once told her he didn't like, back when they were forced together on this journey, and he was content.