Chapter One

~ Hinurashi Shrine ~

~ Kagome's POV ~

Three long years have passed since I have made the only and correct wish on the Shikon Jewel after three days of being stuck with it in complete darkness and made it vanish forever. After we returned to my world, the Bone Eater's well stopped working and I had to watch it take Inuyasha back to the Feudal Era without a chance to say goodbye. Anyway, today was my graduation from high school and there was nothing more that I wanted than to see him there with my family as I walked to get my diploma. As the sun set on this chapter of my life, I decided to walk down into the well house for I couldn't help but look down it once more praying that it would let me through. Oh, Inuyasha, I miss you so much. Just then, I could see the sky at the bottom of the well and felt the breeze coming through to my world.

"Kagome," My mom stood at the top of the well house, watching me with saddened eyes as she was holding her hands close to her chest hiding something.

I looked down the well once more before answering, "Mom, I've been thinking…"

~ Bone Eater's Well ~

Normal POV

As the sun began to set over the mountains beyond the Forest of Inuyasha, a streak of silver and red flashed amongst the green of the trees nearing the old well where discarded remains of slain demons were thrown. Strings of stumbling words could be heard in the warm, summer breeze by a man whose golden eyes and silver dog ears twitched and searched for anything unusual while he raced to find the woman that plagued his mind and heart ever since she had first arrived to his era and more when she had been sealed away from him in her own. Panting heavily, he locked his eyes on the large meadow as it came into view, slowing him to a stop at one of the closest trees before sitting down in the cool green grass. Folding his arms behind his head, he watched the sky change into the variety of shades while he began to reminisce about the events that happened around the well, both good and bad. Everything that has changed in my life has happened near this place starting with Kikyo pinning me to a tree and Kagome setting me free fifty years later because she was about to be killed by Mistress Centipede. Even the final defeat of Naraku happened in the very spot, destroying most of the plants in this meadow and it took all these years to grow back. It's been three years since Kagome had gone to the other side of the well, to her home in Tokyo. And now, I can smell her scent coming through the damned thing as if she was right in front of me. But the scent had changed; it is so much sweeter than before. I wonder why?

The familiar blue light flooded the bottom of the well and vanished in the same second while a pair of brown eyes blinked up at the top to see that the sun had begun to vanish over the edge of the aging wood. Cursing under her breath, she stood up and began to attempt to climb up the well and failed. It has been three years since Naraku was defeatedand since I had to climb out of the well… And now I am stuck down here!

"INUYASHA," She yelled for the half demon that she had grown to care for. Ears twitched towards the well, he found himself trying to deny the excitement that mad his heart race when the woman's voice came up from the well, "IF YOU DON'T GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW, I AM GOING TO S-I-T YOU!"

Shit, she is going to 'Sit, Boy' me into next week if I don't get over there. Standing up, he wandered over to her to peer over the edge to see Kagome at the bottom struggling to climb up to the surface. Hiding the joy, he tried to keep an indifferent expression towards the fact that Kagome was back in the Feudal Era ever since he had last seen her in the Modern Era before the well pulled him back to his own home. Reaching a slightly shaking hand into the well, he relished the soft feeling of her palm as she gripped it and then simply lifted her up gingerly into a gentle hug as she stepped onto the lip of the wood. With a smile on his face, he took in a deep whiff of her scent and with one look at her after the soft gasp escaped her lips before she pressed her face into his chest. The yokai side of him could not help but pick up the newer, sweeter scent of Kagome which made his mouth water and the human side literally had a death grip on the leash.

"Kagome," His voice, surprisingly soft, caused her to look up and blush as she saw a small spark of heat in his eyes, "You smell a little different."

Even though what he had said wasn't offensive, she slipped out of his grip before looking around to see that nothing had changed since she had returned and spoke in a frustrated tone, "I just keep expecting for everything to change somehow while I have been in the Modern Era and the first thing that you say to me is 'You smell a little different!'"

He backed away from her slowly while waving his hands in a frantic manor, "I only meant to say that there is something different about you, that's all."

Yokai: You smell so delicious! I must have you as my mate!

Inuyasha: Shut the fuck up!

Growling under his breath, he became completely focused on controlling his yokai self that he missed Kagome rolling her eyes before she walked towards the village and yelled, "SIT, BOY!"

~ The Village ~

After Inuyasha told the twins to slay the fox, dropping them on Shippo, and vanished into the forest towards the well, Miroku took it as a sign that maybe Kagome must have been on her way back even since the well had closed and looked at Sango with a surprised expression as he played with his son's hair. As much as they loved Kagome and wanted to see her immediately after she came out of the well, they knew that Inuyasha should have some time with her.

"I have never seen so much hope in his eyes ever since the well returned," Sango smiled timidly as she put down the basket to shift their infant son more comfortably on her back, "Do you think that Kagome will actually stay in this world or try to convince Inuyasha to go to her own?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Miroku looked towards the forest with a hesitated expression, "I am pretty sure that she will stay here with him. And, I know he and a couple of the men from the village have gone into the forest the past few months with supplies for building and there was an anxious look on his face every time I ask him about it. But, that light in his eyes is something that I have only seen when you and Kagome had appeared after being separated in the miasma."

Missing the slight flinch that Sango tried to conceal as he mentioned the wretched week of their disappearance, she nodded and folded an already prefect blanket, "She makes him happy."

Suddenly, the twins wrapped themselves around his legs almost knocking him off balance and giggled at their father's surprised expression, "Auntie Kagome coming?"

Shippo stumbled up to the stone porch out of breath and collapsed onto his back with his arms out to his sides, "Well, she has been gone for such a long time."

Meanwhile, as Sango went back to doing the laundry, Miroku and Shippo looked over the forest's tree line looking for the couple and suddenly felt the ground tremble. Snickering, Shippo ran over to the path to see a steaming Kagome come out of the brush and Inuyasha trailing behind her rubbing his lower back. Jumping in her arms, Shippo began to chatter about the last three years while trying to soothe Kagome's temper.

"I wonder what he did this time," Sango muttered as she watched Kagome head towards Kaede's house.

Miroku laughed as he pulled her towards him, "I don't want to know."

~ Sesshomaru's Castle ~

While the sun sank over the mountains turning the sky a bright orange, the Demon Dog Lord stood on the balcony outside his bedroom overlooking the gardens below watching Rin pick flowers for the rooms of the entire castle. No matter how much he had denied his feelings toward the young woman throughout the journey to track down Naraku, he now finds himself longing for her company more and more as days of peace go by. Even though I had instructed that she stay in the human village to get used to living with others of her kind until she was ready to make her decision on where she wanted to live, she had chosen to remain by my side and helped to take care of situations in the human villages nearby the castle walls. Looking up at the sunset, he could not help but smile as he could smell the soft scent of his half-brother's mate. At last, he will be happy!

Rin could see that her wonderful lord staring off to the heavens and walked inside before the darkness concealed her path, "Oh, how happy am to be here with Lord Sesshomaru."

Stepping into the main hall, Rin set her armful of roses, daises, and lilies before going around the room to retrieve the vases that contained the dead and withered flowers that she was determined to replace before the Lord came down. Taking the entire dead plants, she walked over to the window where she scattered them along the ground for compost before going back to separate the roses from the rest and set them on the side. Arranging the daisies and lilies in all the vases, she only took two roses to place them in the set for the table. Sighing happily, she danced around the room placing the vase back in their original spots before collecting the roses for the vase in Sesshomaru's room.

Hidden in the shadows was the little green imp, Jakin, who was instructed to keep an eye on Rin for protection from the villagers that might take the relationship between the honorable Lord and the young woman. What is that girl doing? Following her through the halls of the palace, he grasped the Staff of Two Heads tighter as he watched the young woman slip into Sesshomaru's bed chambers. Taking off, he ran into the Lord who was walking towards the kitchens.

"M-m-m-my Lord, young Rin has entered your bed chambers!" Jakin bowed his head as he tried to calm himself.

A puzzled look crossed his face as he looked down the hall to see Rin closing his door and heading to her own room to wash for dinner before replying to his servant, "Jakin, you are on guard duty tonight on the wall."

Sweat appeared on the imp's face before bowing, "As you wish, my Lord."

~ The Village ~

The sky sparkled with the moonless night as Kagome sat beside Lady Kaede in her hut.

"Why are you with Inuyasha?" Kaede stirred the stew.

Kagome took a sip of water before she looked out the window, "He is sulking because I sat him earlier."

"Kagome, don't you think that you should take off those beads from his neck?" Kaede handed her a bowl.

Lowering her head, Kagome frowned as she took a spoonful of the meal, "It is like a connection to both of us but I think that it is time that I take it off."

On the roof, Inuyasha kept his face hidden behind his dark hair as he listened to the conversation. She wants to release me? Twisting the beads around his neck between his fingers, his eyes turned to the starry night. Do I want to lose this connection with Kagome? The sit commands have been a major pain in the back but they have been helpful at some points especially when I transformed.

"Inuyasha, will you please come in here?" Kagome's voice floated up from below.

As he jumped down, he folded his arms inside the sleeves of his shirt before walking inside the building to see Kagome dressed in a green kimono

"Inuyasha," Kagome stepped closer to Inuyasha as he leaned against the God's Tree before playing with the beads around his neck, "Do the beads bother you?"