Content

Lying with his back propped up against the hut wall, Inuyasha watched Kagome boil some water for their lunch. Five days had passed since Shippo had returned from his training, and the sixth could not come soon enough. Now that the storm had passed, the kit had received a message that stated all of the students were to return. He admitted he would miss the little half pint a bit since he was sort of a son to him, but nothing was better than Kagome and he getting to be alone. He loved falling asleep and waking up with her bare body pressed to his. Even now, he couldn't help but stare at her enticing bottom swaying back and forth as she walked over to retrieve three Ramen Cups from her bag. He shuddered as Kagome's words played over in his head. "Second, after he leaves in a few days … I want … I'm ready to mate with you."

"Lunch will be ready in a few minutes." She said, pouring the steaming water into the foam containers and closing the lids.

While the hanyou licked his lips, Shippo sat in the corner with a lollipop in his mouth, preoccupied with his crayons and paper. Every so often, the kitsune would squint and his little tongue would stick out of his mouth in concentration. The picture he was working on was bright and full of colors, catching Kagome's attention. Usually Shippo just doodled to pass the time, but now it seemed like he was trying very hard to not make a single mistake. The crayons she had bought him a few weeks ago were finally getting worn down to nubs, making it difficult for the fox to hold correctly. She made a note to get him some new ones the next time she went to her time.

"Wow, that's a really good drawing Shippo." Kagome said, peeking over his shoulder.

He smiled. "Thanks Kagome. I'm working really, really hard on it. I hope Hariki likes it."

Kagome handed Inuyasha his cup, which he immediately began to devour. Smelling lunch, the fox abandoned his art and hopped over to beside the fire where she had placed his. As the miko joined them, she continued.

"Who's Hariki? A friend?" she asked, taking out her chopsticks.

Shippo stopped mid-chew and gulped, his cheeks turning red as Inuyasha's kimono. "Uh … um, y-yeah. I guess so. We are on the same rank right now, but she might beat me to fifteenth soon."

"She?" Kagome asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Shippo sighed and nodded, resting his face on his hand. "Yeah … she's funny, smart, sweet and soooo cute."

Inuyasha slurped down his last bite of noodles, seeing an opportunity to taunt the fox. "I bet you love this Hariki girl Shippo."

Shippo glanced up at him, mortified. "W-what?! No I don't!" he said.

Inuyasha laughed and reached down to ruffle his hair roughly. "Do too!"

Shippo glared at him and stomped his feet. "Do not! Stop teasing me!"

"Liar." Inuyasha taunted, picking him up by his tail and shaking him. The fox growled and whipped his body around, biting his tormentor square on the nose. The half demon yelped in pain and dropped him on the hut floor, holding his face and swearing. "Ouch! Dammit! Why you little …" He made a move to pound the kit into the ground, but Kagome was quicker.

"Inuyasha, you bully! Sit!" she scolded, sending the hanyou face first into the wood floor with a loud "Bang!" The noise echoed throughout the hut, spooking a group of crows that had congregated outside.

Shippo sniffed and turned up his nose at his oppressor, puffing out his chest. "That's what you get for picking on me you jerk!"

Before Inuyasha could retort, Kagome cleared her throat and gave the fox kit an irritated look before she glanced at Inuyasha and snorted in laughter at the four distinct puncture holes on the end of her love's nose. The hanyou scowled at her and huffed, crossing his arms. Shippo stuck his tongue out and continued to eat his lunch, ignoring Inuyasha's furious face. While the kit was oblivious to him, he began to roll up his sleeve to pound the brat, but Kagome stepped in front of him.

"Inuyasha, stop it! You have to admit, you kind of deserved it." She said, trying to stop herself from snickering.

He lowered his arm and his ears flicked. "Feh, whatever."

Seeing the fight was over, Kagome grabbed her cup and plopped down next to him, nudging her leg against his. He smiled, gulped down his last bite of Ramen, and bent down to whisper.

"One more day." He said, licking her softly behind her ear on the sensitive spot on her neck.

She shivered and struggled to keep her face its normal shade. Seeing Shippo had finished his noodles and went back to coloring, she pecked him gently on the lips and nuzzled his cheek. She again noticed his nose and giggled. The marks had now gotten slightly red, making them look like pimples instead of bites. "Is your nose okay tough guy?"

"Shut up." He mumbled, standing up and helping her to her feet. "Go get dressed, wench."

Kagome frowned when she noticed she was still in her pajamas. How had she forgotten? Pushing the thought aside, she playfully punched his arm and walked down the hall and into their bedroom. Deciding it was still too cold for her school uniform, she strode over to the wooden chest where she kept her spare clothes to find a warm and possibly clean outfit. She had not been able to wash any of her clothes because the river was still frozen over. If the weather didn't warm up a little, she might have to go back to the future to get new things to wear.

Before she began to dig into her piles of shirts and jeans, a bright mass of blues and greens caught her eye. Lying across the bed she shared with Inuyasha, was a beautiful kimono. She placed a hand over her mouth as she knelt down and caressed the soft fabric. The cloth was a rich ocean blue with very detailed jade green leaves woven into the sleeves and neckline. The miko picked it up and placed it against herself … realizing it was sturdy but at the same time light as a feather. Smiling to herself, she quickly shrugged out of her tank top and sleep pants. Shivering from the sudden loss of warmth, she gently slipped her form into the garment, pulling it snug against her body. It was two layers, so it took her a few minutes to figure out how to place them both correctly. Adjusting the collar and tying the sash around her waist, she squealed in delight and twirled dramatically in a circle, the furs that were sewn into it tickling her neck.

"It's so warm." She thought, kneading the smooth material with her fingers.

Inuyasha smirked as he heard Kagome moving or rather dancing around their room. This morning, he had snuck out of the hut before she had woken up and raced to the village. The day before yesterday in the village, he had spied a merchant selling winter garb. Kagome needed a better form of protection from the cold than her future clothes. Taking some money from the rewards from his missions with Miroku, he haggled with the old man to sell him the kimono he knew Kagome would like. The old geezer was stubborn, but eventually Inuyasha was able to persuade, or rather threaten with his fist, the man into bringing the price down to an amount he could afford. He wasn't proud of scaring the codger to death, but nothing was too good for his Kagome. After she had awaked to make breakfast, he pulled the outfit from his robes and placed it neatly on their bed.

Kagome emerged into the main room, skipping and spinning as she moved over to him. "Inuyasha, did you buy this for me?"

He nodded and drank in her petite frame. "Do you like it?"

Seeing Shippo had run outside to chase some crows, she bounced forward and placed her lips on his. He pulled her to him and she instantly melted into his embrace. After a few seconds of gentle kissing, she pulled away and smiled at him before she spoke. "It's wonderful. Thank you."

He shrugged, his cheeks turning a little pink. "It's nothing; you can't wear your uniform in this weather and can't wash any clothes right now. It was a pain getting the old man to sell it for a cheaper price, but I convinced him in the end." He said, a sly grin forming on his lips.

Kagome raised her eyebrows at him, knowing he wasn't exactly one to approach things calmly. "What do you mean by "convinced"? You didn't hurt him, did you?"

"No, but I wanted to … ancient, shriveled old man." He growled.

Kagome went over all of the people who sold goods in the village, trying to pin point which man Inuyasha was referring to. She remembered a man selling Kimonos that he claimed where from different and exotic regions. He was a nice old man from what she had seen; always greeting her whenever she walked by on her duties. He even had offered her a very pretty outfit for free, but she politely declined. He said his name was Ukonobu. The old man could barely reach to shake her hand, let alone be the cranky miser Inuyasha described him to be.

Kagome looked at him, puzzled. "I think you are talking about Ukonobu, but that man would never hurt a fly. You must have done something to upset him."

He already had a theory to why the man disliked him. A month ago, Miroku had procured a few supposedly rare blends of wine from one of the jobs they had taken. Seeing the smell made Inuyasha sick and Kagome defiantly wasn't partial to it, the monk decided to take the rewards with him and keep them for Sango and himself. When they were about a mile away from the home, Miroku grew restless and decided to indulge in one of them by himself. The hanyou knew the man could hold his liquor from his many drinking sessions with Mushin when they had visited the temple. Things seemed fine until his companion tossed back one gulp after another, finishing one of the bottles before opening another. As they entered the village, the monk began to sway on his feet, his face turning green and eyes glossy. Before Inuyasha could attempt to steer him away from the market place, Miroku stumbled and hit his head on wooden beam above one of the stands and vomited violently all over a pile of expensive looking garments on display. The man selling them screamed a list of curses at the pair and ended up swatting at them both with a stick. Inuyasha hurried away and directed Miroku away from the commotion and towards his hut. The following days consisted of the self-proclaimed "holy man" swearing he would never drink again and the old merchant glaring whenever either one of them walked by.

He shook his head free of the memory and ran his knuckles across her cheek. "Feh, it doesn't matter. I just wanted to give you something nice."

She caressed the warm fabric and smiled. "I do love it, thank you."

He smiled and cupped her face, kissing her warmly and nibbling at her lips. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, snuggling her way into his warm chest.

Wrapped in each other's embrace, they failed to notice Shippo enter the hut, a few crow feathers stuck in his hair. "Hey Kagome, look what I caught for dinner!" He said, raising four dead birds above his head, patiently waiting for the miko to praise him on his catch. When he didn't hear her reply, he glanced up them and pouted when she hadn't acknowledged him.

Kagome couldn't help but laugh when she could feel the jealousy radiating of the kit in waves. Kneeling down to his level, she felt her stomach turn at the sight of the four dead birds in the fox's hands. From what she had gathered, crows were not really edible, but had studied up back in her time on the computer and it said that they were safe to eat if cooked thoroughly. You had to take what you could in this time of year. Even in this weather, Inuyasha always managed to come back from hunting with either a wild boar or some rabbits. All of the others in the village had to save and ration meals until the animals returned once warmer weather came. She was happy the kit had thought to catch something, but why did they have to be crows? Kagome was sure they were probably all feather and bone, with very little meat and a gamey taste. Maybe she could make a decent stew out of them.

Grimacing, she took the fowls from Shippo and set them aside. "Good job Shippo, they will make a nice dinner tonight." She said, ruffling his hair. Taking Inuyasha's hand, she grabbed her bow and arrows. "Let's head to the village, I need to buy a few things."

Shippo smiled and turned to leave first, but stopped when a loud popping noise sounded in the hut. Inuyasha pulled Kagome behind him and reached for Tetsusaiga, but the commotion didn't seem to bother the kitsune. He removed his hands from over his ears and smiled as a small bubble of red and blue smoke appeared before him. When he popped it, a shimmering yellow card dropped into his palm. He smelled it and immediately knew who had sent it, as if her pretty writing hadn't let him know first. The fox bounced in place after he read her message.

Kagome stepped from behind Inuyasha, eager to know what he was so happy about. "What's that Shippo?"

"It's a note from Hariki. She wants me to come back a day early to help her train for our exam." He said, blush staining his face. Stuffing the paper into his pocket, he raced past them to his room. He returned a moment later, his bag on his shoulders. Gathering up his crayons, he tossed them into the pack and grabbed his drawing, delicately folding it and placing it in his vest. "I'm gonna leave now, you guys! I don't wanna miss a chance to help her train and play some."

Once they walked outside, he hopped on to Kagome's shoulder and pecked her on the cheek. "I'll be back in two weeks. See ya later!" he said before jumping into the air and transforming into his pink balloon form. His little arms wiggled and waved to them before he disappeared over the snow covered trees.

Kagome smiled and leaned into Inuyasha's warmth. "That was quick. You think he will be okay on the way there?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine." He said, kneeling down so she could climb on to his back. "I thought he'd never leave!"

Kagome smacked his arm lightly. "Oh be nice, I like it when he comes to see us. I'm glad he sees here as his home."

Inuyasha stood up and twisted her around to where she was cradled in his arms, making her gasp in surprise. "Did I say one more day? I meant today." He murmured, kissing her hard and pulling away to nip at her neck. "Let's hurry and get what you need cause when we get back, we won't be leaving the hut for a few days."

The miko caught his meaning and blushed, squealing as he raced off down the hill toward the village.