Beautiful, Kagome thought, shifting her gaze from the crescent moon to the river of twinkling stars that splashed across the sky. Sometimes, when she couldn't sleep, she let her feet carry her to the little patch of grass close to the village, then sat down and just stared up.

The night sky was one of Kagome's favorite things about Sengoku Jidai. When she was feeling particularly sad, she would simply look up at the stars, reminding herself that although she left so much behind in the moment she jumped through the well, she gained a lot too. She missed Mama and Jii-chan. She missed Sōta and Buyō too.

She got her goodbye with Mama, but barely. And it hadn't been enough. She wished she'd had a chance to say more to them, to tell them how much she loved them. But she was meant to live her life by Inuyasha's side, and maybe—hopefully—onthe other end of the well, and on the other end of 500 years, they would live happy lives without her, knowing that she loved them.

"I can smell your tears from the hut, 'Gome." Inuyasha roped his arms around Kagome's mid-section, and he perched his chin on her shoulder, inhaling audibly.

"Just thinking…" Kagome said, trying to swallow down her grief.

"Talk to me, mate." Inuyasha scooted his body flush against Kagome's back, his hands moving from her waist up to her hair, his warmth warming her in kind. "Thinkin' about your family again?"

He always seemed to know.

"I miss them," Kagome sighed. "And… I love my family here too. I missed you on that side as much as I miss them on this side."

"You're so special that you have two families," Inuyasha said, bracing his body for Kagome to lean against. "Your blood may be 500 years in the future, but they still think about you every day. Because we sure as fuck thought about you every day."

Inuyasha said things like this often enough that they no longer jarred Kagome, but every time he said them, they still made her whole body flutter with love.

"Stars live for millions of years, barely changing in all that time," Kagome mused. "500 years from now, they won't have changed. They'll still be shining. Still be giving us their light in the dark. The stars I see now are the same as the ones that my family sees." Kagome snuggled further into Inuyasha's embrace. "For some reason, that comforts me."

"Do you remember… that time I asked you what's so special about the stars?" Inuyasha asked, a clawed finger twirling one of the strands of Kagome's hair.

"I… don't," Kagome admitted.

"You said something about not seein' them so well in your time," Inuyasha said. "And from that day on, I looked up at 'em all the time. Because I couldn't believe that I'd missed how beautiful they are."

"I hope Mama or Sōta will someday get to see them like this," Kagome sniffled, and the moment she moisture dusted her eyes, Inuyasha's lips were kissing the tears away.

"Didn't you say that they're gonna be the same, even 500 years from now?" Inuyasha punctuated his words between kisses.

"Yeah," Kagome answered, trying to understand where Inuyasha was going.

"Then we'll just have to show 'em when we see them again," Inuyasha answered so matter-of-factly that it caught Kagome off-guard.

"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked.

"You need to listen to me better when I explain stuff mate," Inuyasha chuckled. "Bein' with a hanyō ain't like bein' with a human."

"You know I know that Yash," Kagome giggled, thinking about the energy reserves her hanyō husband had for their married activities.

And the flirtation had successfully distracted Kagome away from her mourning.

"Well, not just that," Inuyasha purred. "It's other stuff. Bigger stuff. We share a life. So… you're gonna be alive as long as I'm alive." Inuyasha leaned in and whispered, "And we are gonna live a long-ass time."

Kagome remembered the ritual. Inuyasha and her first night as husband and wife, coming together for the first time. She remembered the way it felt when his yōki bathed her in its light, infusing her with warmth so deep it was as if Inuyasha had imbued every cell in her body with his love. How he whispered to her, and called her his mate throughout the physical act of their love. But she never thought about what that meant, because being with him had been everything and had been enough.

Mates were not something taught in school. Because demons were not something taught in schools.

"I… I share your lifespan now?" Kagome asked. She needed to be sure she was understanding him correctly.

"Yeah. Sorry… I thought I'd… told you about that part." Inuyasha sounded sheepish, and Kagome just knew if she could see his face, his beautiful downie ears would be drooping.

Kagome turned her head, glancing up and confirming her suspicion about his ears, then leaned forward and kissed Inuyasha's lips, a hopeful smile breaking through her sadness.

"So... there's a chance I will get to see my family again?" Kagome breathed, trying to keep the tears that were still threatening to escape from coming.

"I mean, I can't promise anything…" Inuyasha shrugged, "and 500 years is a long-ass time. But… yeah, you're my wife, my mate. And… if the stars can keep shining the same way for 500 years, then a hanyō can stay alive that long to make sure his wife gets to see her family again."

"Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered.

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed playfully. "My life was yours from the day you woke me up." Then he kissed her again. "And if I have to live as long as the stars to make you happy, I sure as fuck will."