Disclaimer: I really wish I owned Inuyasha, but I don't. Only this silly little plot is mine.

Chapter 1

Vows

Inuyasha hated the night of the new moon.

"Mortality doesn't suit me," he whined to Kagome.

"Relax, Inuyasha," she said, smiling at him. "I will protect you."

"It's not even that."

He huffed a sigh and dropped to the ground, his legs crossed.

"I hate being human," he grumbled.

"Don't you like it when I come and sit with you all night long?" Kagome asked, feigning offense at his words.

Inuyasha froze. "No, I love it when you come sit with me, Kagome," he said quickly. "It's just-"

"I'm kidding, Inuyasha." Kagome giggled. She loved it when he was flustered.

"Oh."

Inuyasha crossed his arms again and leaned against the tree, peering at the dark sky. He had been taught by his mother not to sleep under the same roof as the woman he was courting. He respected such teachings only in honor of his mother. Still, on the night of the new moon, Kagome would accompany him for a sleepless night under the stars. Inuyasha never slept when he was in his weak state, but recently he had fallen into the habit of dozing off for an hour or two, Kagome's warm body pressed into his.

It wasn't the physical weakness that frustrated Inuyasha on such nights. It was the overwhelming emotion. His sense of smell weakened and his vision dulled, but he was more attentive to the slight fluctuations in Kagome's emotions and his own emotions. He could feel his passion and love for Kagome surging within him. He could also feel a terrible combination of grief and anger, loss and vengeance. He was lost in a flood of the memories of his harsh childhood, the heartbreak and chaos that Naraku caused, the three unbearable years without Kagome.

Inuyasha was jolted out of his thoughts as Kagome threw one last stick of firewood into the fire and settled in next to him. He could feel her shivering despite the warmth of the fire. He held her close and breathed in her scent. Even when it wasn't magnified by his sensitive nose, Kagme's scent was wonderful. They sat together for several hours, Kagome dozing off on his shoulder while he sat and stared intently at the fire.

"Hey, Inuyasha?" whispered Kagome.

"Yeah?"

"Did I wake you?"

"Naw," he replied. "It's hard to sleep when I'm human."

"I've seen you sleep a few times," she murmured.

"That's only 'cause you were there," he said, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world.

They fell silent for a moment.

"Inuyasha?"

"What is it?"

"Do you know what day it is tomorrow?" Kagome's voice quivered.

"Of course I do." Inuyasha's voice softened. "It's the day that you returned to me."

"It's the day that I left Mom, Souta and Grandpa."

"Do you see it in that way?"

"Sometimes."

Inuyasha was silent.

"Inuyasha…I don't regret my decision to stay here. I love Sango and Miroku and Shippo and Rin and Kaede…I love you. But sometimes…" Kagome struggled for the right words.

"Sometimes what?"

"Sometimes I wonder if…if…you have second thoughts…about me."

Inuyasha tensed angrily. "What makes you say that?" he retorted.

"I don't know…it's been a year, hasn't it? Other girls my age here are getting married…" Kagome blushed furiously. "Are you…afraid of the commitment? Am I not enough?

"Silly girl," he murmured. "Kagome, do you know how long three years is?"

"A lot," she whispered, hiding her face. She was ashamed.

"1095 days. Demons and half-demons like me don't really care about time the way you humans do. But those three years…three years of pain and emptiness and loneliness….struggling to keep you alive in my memories, fearing life without Sango, Miroku and Kaede…praying to the stars that by some miracle, you'd return and save me from myself…"

Inuyasha cupped her chin in his hands and gazed into her eyes.

"And then you returned," he whispered. "The dreams…the hopes I had almost given up, within my reach again."

Kagome was silent, stunned at the sudden outpouring of intense emotions from a man that had been anything but expressive.

"How could a ceremony and a few vows even begin to explain what you mean to me?" He stared into her eyes intensely. "Kagome, if it's a wedding you want, I'll give it to you. If it's a palace, I'll build one with my hands."

"No, Inuyasha." Kagome smiled. "I don't want any of that. I just want a vow…a promise, from you."

The sun began to rise. The rays of early morning sun bathed them in bright light ;when the light subsided, Inuyasha's dark hair had turned into silver and his eyes mirrored the golden sun.

"I promise that I will protect you with my life for all of eternity." He kissed her forehead. "And I promise to love you forever."

Chapter 2

A Place to Call Home

"The wedding ceremony took place beneath the Sacred Tree..."

Author's Note

Hurray to new beginnings! Reviews would be very much appreciated :)

At the end of every chapter, I will post one (or two) quotes from the next chapter as a mini preview!