Thanks for reading! I do not own Inuyasha, and I am not making any money for this story.

Rated M for future lemons and violence~

Writing is just a hobby so I apologize if it's hard to follow. I used a lot of dialogue in the first one, I hope thats okay _

Chapter 1

It had nearly been a year since Kagome last saw her side of well. Even after marrying the love of her life, reuniting with her true friends, and even studying something that interested her, she felt that there was something missing. She yearned for the old days. Running between eras, showing the gang the wonders of her time, showing off Inuyasha to her childhood friends. The nostalgia left her yearning for more.

But she had already chosen. She was sound in her decision. She wanted to be with Inuyasha more than anything in this world; even in her world. Was she regretting her decision? Was this what she truly wanted after all? To grow old in front of her lover, who by that time would still resemble the age of the young adult he is now. Sango and Miroku were quick to start a family, but Kagome... Kagome was very hesitant. She often felt bad about holding her self out after their marriage, but her lover steadily reminded her of his patience.

The woman let out a heavy sigh, placing her basket of herb down with a thud.

"Here you go, Kaede. Enough to last you few weeks I hope." She boasted. If anything got her mind off the inevitable, it was her priestess training. There was something about it that let her get immersed in it.

"Aye, what a great harvest ye have brought me." The elder praised Kagome.

"Have you seen Inuyasha today? I thought he was supposed to come back last night but he didn't wake me up like he usually does..." She began the conversation in the quiet hut, helping her sort through the basket of medicine.

"Oooh..? Inuyasha not at Kagome's bossom? That is quite strange indeed." Kaede mused, old age not slowing down her desire to pick on the younger generation. Kagome's face flushed a dark red at the comment. She may have left high school, but high school sure didn't leave her. There were just some things she was still overly embarrassed about... Even with her husband.

The old woman let out a chuckle at Kagome's bashfulness. "I hear wind Inuyasha be on the Great Tree waiting for any demon to attack the village."

"Thank you Kaede," Kagome quickly finished sorting through her half of the harvest before leaving the hut, making her way to the famous tree that helped start it all. Inuyasha's favorite spot was the highest branch. He often resembled a cat in some of his behaviors. Growling, stretching, climbing, chasing bugs, heights...

Her spine shuddered at the last thought. Kagome rode along his back many times, but could never get used to being up high. Never. Never ever again.

She called out to her husband, who almost immediately dropped from his perch to greet her.

"Welcome back," She greeted before sharing a chaste kiss with Inuyasha.

"Feels good to be back." He added softly. A large yawn from his mouth broke their moment, followed by a suspiciously cat-like stretch from the inu-hanyou. Kagome couldn't help but smile at her thoughts. How ironic.

They began making their way towards the village, only to stop at the well along the way. She plopped her butt next to the well and let out another sigh for the day. Now wasn't the time for nostalgia. Never was the time for nostalgia. This is what she chose. Her thoughts were partly interrupted by Inuyasha landing next her, letting out an equally exasperation-filled sigh. Guess his trip with the monk didn't go completely as planned.

She knew she told herself that she wouldn't reminisce, but it was eating at her. She had to ask him. "Inuyasha," she started, turning to look him in the eyes.

"Have you ever... ever thought about my era?"

He blinked, unsure of how to answer. Sure, the food was good, and the stuff was pretty neat, but the only thing he cared from that era was sitting next to him. They could be sitting at the gates of hell and he'd still be happy if she was sitting there next to him.

"Uhh.. Not really. I kinda miss the ninja food."

She smiled. What an 'Inuyasha' answer. "I.. I can't stop thinking about it. How my family feels. Never seeing my friends again. Not being there for my grandpa when he..." Her voice trailed off, not wanting to think about it. The subject of mortality giving her more anxiety than she bargained for.

"But I chose here. I chose to be with you. Why can't I just shut my stupid brain off for five seconds so I won't feel so bad?" She continued, now burying her face into her knees. Her body instinctively leaned to warm his touch. A forgiving shoulder to lean on, something she desperately needed at this moment. Inuyasha didn't have the vocabulary to respond to her sorrow. As long as she knew he wasn't going anywhere, he figured that was enough.

"I mean.. What's going to happen 60 years from now when I'm old and wrinkly, and you're... still the same? How are you going to live? Am I just going to be another ki-" She stopped herself, knowing that the statement went further than it should have ever been. He chose HER. He married HER. Despite her childlike ways of dealing with the fact that she was now an adult, he accepted her for everything she was. And she, him. She cursed at herself for even letting the thought come anywhere near her conscious.

"I'm sorry," She choked out, holding back tears. Inuyasha remained silent, thinking about what she said. He wasn't sure if she was willing to accept the proposal that's been stuck in his mind for the past year, but he'd he damned if he waited til she was an old bag to ask.

"Kagome," His voice brought her to down to reality for a moment, giving her more comfort. "There's a way for you to.. Be like me.."

"What do you mean?" She asked, surprised.

"A way for a human to be half demon. I know of a way.. you know of a way. We killed him together, after all."

"I- wha.." She was at a loss for words. Did he mean Naraku? The evil man who absorbed hundreds of demons into his body in order to chase his obsession with a priestess? She didn't know how to feel about it, or if he was even serious. Was he serious?

"I don't know much myself, I just know there's a way to do it without hurting or changing you... uh, completely.." His voice went hesitant for a moment, "It's what demons call being 'mates'... We have to 'mate,' Kagome."

She sat still, still absorbing the bit of information he gave her. His golden eyes were unwavering and there wasn't a hint of regret in what he said. He was serious, and she... she was terrified. Ecstatic. Happy. Remorseful. Regretful. So many emotions at once for her to handle. Her mouth opened and closed, trying to find the words. Didn't mating imply that they had to finally consummate their marriage? She felt horrible for holding off the past year, too embarrassed to ever complete the act fully, but the young woman still felt like it was too soon for her. Maybe it wasn't. Women of this time were married before they even hit puberty, it wasn't like there would be any stigma thrown their way. A blush rose to her face when thinking about what he just said.

"Does that mean we... Have to...?" She asked, hands making questionable gestures. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Upon catching what her hands were doing, he turned the other way with a blush himself. His woman had a damn weird way of explaining it.

"Yeah," He huffed.

They both sat there for a minute in silence, trying to contain the thoughts that ran through their minds. One more conspicuous than the other, unquestionably.

"Well.. Uh, how does it work?" Kagome continued the conversation. Inuyasha immediately snapped his head at her, eyes glaring. Did she really not know what mating was? She just so elaborated it with her fancy hand movements. The gaze made Kagome's blush a shade darker, realizing the nature of her question.

"Not THAT, idiot! How does it turn me?" Inuyasha instantly sighed in relief. Talking about the birds and the bees to his wife almost a year after marriage seemed like an impossible task. Though, that would be easier to explain than how demons mated. He himself wasn't fully sure of everything.

"I don't even know myself. My mother supposedly turned but I didn't smell a scent of demon on her, but she told me about it. Maybe my old man kicked the bucket before it could finish."

"Finish?"

"Yeah. The whole process. She said it takes a long time, but requires a lot of..." He scratched his nose "mating..."

"Oh..."

The awkwardness remained between them before Kagome made the decision to break the ice. She smiled let out a small huff, feeling silly about living the past year of her life worrying about things that didn't matter anymore. She just had to remember.. This is what she wanted. This is what she wants now. This will be what she wants forever. She just needs to remember the love she received from her family and the love she gets now. Her way home may be gone, but her memories and feelings remained. Yeah, that feels nice.

Inuyasha stood up first and held out a hand to Kagome, helping her from the ground. They both smiled. There was no...

Their solace was cut off abruptly by a sound coming from the well. There was no way... no possible.. Inuyasha let go of her hand and hovered over the well, taking in sniffs. His eyes widened a bit before turning to Kagome.

"Inuyasha...?" Kagome questioned. Was there something wrong with the well? Her gut tightened at the possibility of her anxieties coming forward again. Her family, her friends... Was she able to see them again. And if they ventured to the other side, would they be able to return home?

"It... it works." He replied after another minute of trying to process the event. He turned to her and immediately pulled her in for a hug.

"I won't blame you, Kagome. It's your choice." She found comfort in his arms yet again today, the back of her mind still surprised at how mature her husband had become. Though, even if he was still the same person he was four years ago, she was sure he'd give her the same amount of solace. Kagome pushed herself from his grip, looking into his eyes.

"I want to." She said firmly, accepting the consequences that may come with her choice. If anything, a proper goodbye to her family would resolve most of her problems. Only her mother was the one to say goodbye, and it wasn't even proper. No dinner. No 'I love you's.' No packing. She just jumped in the well and didn't look back.

At least this time she can do things right. They locked hands and descended down the well once again.