A man was quietly making his way through Yuuki's former village. The people greeted him as if they knew who he was. But therein lay the key word: was. The body had lost its' life, becoming a mere host for the enemy. The possessor had no plans to attack the village—yet. He behaved as if he had amnesia about this dead man's existence, trying to learn who his host was. It would be easier to fool that half-breed girl if he knew what made Iwao tick. Naraku used the corpse's facial muscles to emit a polite smile and asked the headman, "I'm sorry, sir, but who are you?"

In Taka's hut, however, the demoness watched the scene unfold from behind the door flap. Her keen senses caught onto the stench of death and evil wafting from the man, but she held her tongue. No one would ever believe a woman with her bloodline. She felt an air of foreboding surrounding the village, and was even more determined to get her daughter out of the vicinity as fast as possible.

She and Harumi were packing their belongings, with plans to move to InuYasha's village. Their friends had left, leaving behind an invitation to join them there. The more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. Hostility was mounting in this village, in spite of the fact that the citizens had been rescued. The only reason they were never attacked directly was out of fear, and with good reason. Taka may not have been the most powerful of demons, but she was still formidable in her own right.

She suspected, however, that the dissent was more the work of the present headman than the villagers. No disrespect intended, she quietly hoped that another, more suitable leader would take the man's place. That coward's way of dealing with things was with uncontrollable anger, inciting fear in the villagers, and more or less forcing them to do things his way. She moved away from the doorway, trying to shake off the sudden chill that went through her spine.

"Mama? What's the matter?" A small voice chimed.

Taka turned to look at Harumi and sighed, trying to get the devilish odor out of her nostrils. "I thought I saw one of Yuuki's old friends, but I was mistaken. Come, we need to do as much as possible before the sun sets, alright?" When she saw Harumi nod, she returned to her own packing. A few minutes later, she spotted an ornate box on one of the upper shelves in her room.

It had a name carved in kanji and a family seal on the lid, which was itself sealed to the box. No, it was not her own, but it was under her care until its' owner received it. She smiled and thought, The time has come.

=+IY+=

After the trio arrived at Kaede's, InuYasha, Kagome, and Yuuki quickly ate a bowl of stew while the elderly miko gathered the herbs needed to treat Kouga's injuries. Having seen Kagome's face downcast, the older hanyou was confused for a moment, before replaying the wolf youkai's earlier jab at his beloved:

"…maybe he's only with you because that walking tombstone is out of the picture."

That comment had been extremely uncalled for, especially in front of Kagome. If it hadn't have been for the scent of Ayame's approach, he would have taken Kouga down even before he had made the demand for death. But how was he going to convince Kagome that the wolf youkai was wrong? "We'd better hurry, or those two will wonder what's taking us so long. Yuuki, I need you to stay here with Kaede."

"Why? Did I do something wrong?"

Taking the supplies from Kaede, InuYasha said, "Kagome and I need to talk alone for a little bit."

Yuuki sighed, slightly bummed that she was being left behind. "Okay."

After leaving the hut, they made their way back to the clearing where the patient was waiting. Since Kouga was a full youkai, his injuries would heal faster, so they needn't hurry to return. They were silent during their progression, and it was honestly a little uncomfortable for the engaged couple. "He was wrong, you know."

Kagome looked at him with a small amount of confusion in her eyes. "Wrong about what?"

InuYasha kept his eyes ahead, but allowed himself to reveal a rare, gentle smile. "About why I'm with you." He suddenly halted, and she did likewise. Looking at her, his face was set in determination and love. "You stayed beside me, in spite of the pain I caused you. You gave me a reason to smile and laugh, no matter what the circumstance. You awakened me from the fifty-year death, then gave me a reason to live. I don't deserve your love, and you as sure as my next breath deserve better than me.

"But I love you more than I can tell you, Kagome—never forget that," he finished, his voice husky. With that, he leaned over, tilted her face up towards his, and briefly brushed his lips over hers. It was sweet and chaste, yet passionate and fiery at the same time. He would have liked to continue, but he held back, for her sake.

Kagome's lips tingled at the light touch, sending shockwaves through her soul. It left her longing for more. She already knew that he wasn't one for showing vulnerability around others, but to see him let down his guard around her…It was an honor that was hers and hers alone. When she looked up, she could see the honesty radiating in his eyes, and she smiled. "I love you too, InuYasha."

Holding hands, the couple made their way back to Kouga and Ayame.

=+IY+=

In the clearing, Ayame quietly sat beside Kouga as they waited for their friends to return. The silence between them was also becoming quite awkward.

"Why, Ayame?"

The female youkai looked at her companion, who kept his eyes fixed on the ground ahead of him. "'Why,' what?"

"You heard what the Mutt said, didn't ya? You're the one with the right to kill me for putting you through all this. So, why didn't you just do that?"

She turned her own attention to the grass at her feet, and shrugged. "I couldn't do it, Kouga. I mean, yeah, you made that promise to me, and I knew you lied about having forgotten about it. But I was just a kid back then, and we didn't have any witnesses to attest to it. That kinda makes it void, right?"

Kouga snorted. "I didn't ask you to make excuses about it, Ayame—I want to know why you decided to let me off the hook." For several seconds, she didn't reply. Just when he thought Ayame had forgotten his inquiry, she answered.

"Because a long time ago, before I went to train with Grandfather, I fell in love with someone who stopped the birds-of-paradise from taking my life. And even though he chose someone else, why wouldn't I want to save his life in return?" Looking him in the eyes, she continued, "I can't force you to love me, but I want to at least show you my love."

He didn't know what to say to her at the moment. He swiftly looked away, a blush rising on his face. When he finally found his voice, he said, "Will you teach me how to love you back?"

One minute, Ayame was staring in surprise at Kouga's request. The next, InuYasha and Kagome were entering the clearing, just in time to see the two wolf youkai in an impromptu make-out session. They only stopped when the hanyou firmly cleared his throat.

"It looks like you're feeling better, Kouga," Kagome quipped. "I think we'll just leave the supplies with you and Ayame, and head back to the village." After handing the items over, she and InuYasha retraced their path.

=+IY+=

Later that morning, a voice from outside her hut caught Sakura's attention. Curious, she lifted the mat from the doorframe to reveal her visitors. After greeting them, she allowed InuYasha and Kagome to enter. "Please, have a seat," she said. "To what do I owe this visit?"

The couple looked at each other for a second, trying to decide who should go first. InuYasha nodded, showing that he would be the one speaking. After quietly clearing his throat, he began.

"Sakura, we wanted to thank you for helping my sister last night."

The girl became concerned at the mention of her new friend. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's good now," he answered. "Kaede told us you heard a voice asking for help, and you got right to it."

"Well, it kind of threw me off, because I'd never heard it before. I wasn't about to disobey it, though."

Kagome joined in at that point. "We're all grateful to you, Sakura. Sango told us some things about you, also." She revealed the events that her friend had told them, leaving Sakura a little uncomfortable at this point. Then she finished by saying, "InuYasha, Kaede, and I talked things over, and we think it would be best if you became the official miko of the village."

Sakura was stunned for a few seconds. "Me? But aren't you the one taking over, Lady Kagome?"

"If we weren't getting married, she would," InuYasha stated proudly. Seeing their host's surprised facial expression, he continued. "But since we are, we made an arrangement with Kaede that we believe will work."

"You know what a miko does, right?" When the girl nodded, Kagome informed her of the plan they had come up with. Once she was finished, Kagome said, "There's a reason you experienced those things, Sakura—and we're certain that this is the reason." When both she and her fiancé saw Sakura deep in thought, she looked at him and nodded towards the door. As they both exited the hut, she smiled at the girl. "At least consider the possibility, okay?"