"Kagome! Watch me!" Shippou cried as he prepared another illusion. He had a broad leaf in both hands, arched over his head, and his face contorted adorably as it swelled and grew into an easily discernible shape. Red, green, yellow and blue stripes took over the sides of the leaf and Kagome laughed as two eyes popped out near the top. "Is it any good?" the kit asked in the squeaky distorted voice that accompanied most of his stranger transformations.
"It's not bad, Shippou-chan. But I doubt anyone's ever seen a hot air balloon in this time," she told him with a chuckle. He faded back to his usual pink bubble and floated back to the ground. "It was a very good imitation though, Shippou! And just from the picture in my geography book too," the young miko complimented him as he trotted over to where she was sitting in the shade of a large tree. She smiled broadly and accepted him into her lap. He snuggled carefully against her, knowing her wound wasn't entirely healed. Inuyasha had allowed her out today to sit in the sunlight and get some warmth on her skin. Shippou was her companion, trying to impress her with the tricks and illusions he'd been working on, while Inuyasha sat in the tree branches above her head. He hadn't said anything as of yet but Kagome had a feeling he would complain about the kit snuggling so close. He'd been overly protective of her, despite the healing power of his blood in her veins, the protective force of his youki. Hovering didn't even begin to cover it.
A deep growl rumbled above her head and Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes. "What did we agree on, gaki?" the hanyou snapped. Shippou flinched and buried himself until he was nearly under Kagome's thigh. "Oi! I'm talking to you, Shippou!"
"The entire countryside can hear you, Inuyasha," Kagome muttered as she softly patted the fluffy orange tail sticking up from between her knees. "He's fine. I'm fine." Inuyasha didn't seem inclined to believe her because he leaped down from his perch and stood over her, scowling to show his frustration. His face tried to show anger but the young woman could feel that it was mostly worry that made him come down. "I promise I feel alright, Inuyasha," she told him in a soft voice, reaching out to pat the ground at her side. The inuhanyou harrumphed but he sat next to her anyway, even sliding an arm around her shoulders. Swallowing a smile, Kagome leaned into him, knowing that was what he was looking for from her. He needed her near as much as she needed him to be near. Several minutes later, sensing that Inuyasha was calmer, Shippou wiggled into a more comfortable position. The three of them sat enjoying the beautiful weather for nearly an hour.
Worn out from his illusions, the kitsune passed out, snoring softly with his mouth hanging open. Kagome giggled gently at her kit and snuggled into Inuyasha's shoulder. "Are you tired?" Inuyasha murmured, slightly drowsy himself. Kagome shook her head while reaching up to pat his hand where it rested on her shoulder. She smiled and muttered his question back at him. "Keh," he huffed. The dreamy quality of the afternoon kept his eyes half closed as he looked down at the beautiful young miko under his arm. The sunlight through the leaves on the tree above them dappled the light across her face. Her dark hair had lightened in thin strips in a few places from being out in the sun so much the last few months and Inuyasha noticed the tan on her skin as well. She was lovely. The hanyou felt a soft rumble roll in his chest as Kagome turned her face toward his in question. Her bottom lip dipped in and he vaguely realized that she was chewing it in nervousness. Inuyasha felt the need to kiss her more strongly than ever before and quickly gave in, unsure why he'd never done so before. Her mouth was soft and accepting, a tiny sound escaping her throat as she relaxed back into the arm that supported her.
The somewhat chaotic bonding of their souls began the long path to knitting together in an even pattern. Kagome sighed and Inuyasha groaned as the kiss deepened, his teeth gently pulling at her bottom lip. The inuhanyou could feel how the very fact that he was kissing her made her more comfortable with him and he savored it. It was Kagome's trust he sought more than anything, her love something he knew he'd never have if he didn't have her faith first. But Kagome had always had faith in him and she had always trusted him to protect her. He had insulted her and tried to ignore her in the past to protect himself, to keep her at arm's length, but he had loved her a long time. It was time he started showing her, he decided. A soft growl of approval rolled in his chest when the hanyou lightly opened his lips and Kagome immediately followed his lead. He was able to taste her more fully and Inuyasha found his mate more wonderful than he could have imagined. He whispered her name as they parted for breath, ready to kiss her once more. A startled squeak broke the two apart. "Ugh!" Inuyasha growled at the interruption, glaring down at the kitsune who now had his head tucked under Kagome's knee. "There are children here!" the kit shouted, his voice muffled from under Kagome's leg.
Though she was blushing, Kagome couldn't help but laugh. "Hai, there are. How long are you planning on staying, Shippou-chan?" she teased. Both youkai gave a startled snort, Inuyasha's golden eyes wide in his face. Shippou jumped up and started sputtering indignantly. He obviously didn't understand why Kagome would "allow" Inuyasha to do "things like that" to her. The inuhanyou growled again and threatened to thump the kitsune on the head. Cowering with his arms over his potentially tender skull, Shippou ran as fast as his little legs would carry him back toward the village. "That was completely unnecessary, Inuyasha," Kagome mumbled, smiling and nuzzling into the soft underside of his chin. A shiver ran through him at the seductive tone of her voice. Kagome had never really actively tried to seduce him before and Inuyasha wasn't sure how to handle this development. He wasn't even sure if she knew what nuzzling his chin like that meant to him.
"We should get you inside. It's almost dusk," he whispered. Slowly untangling himself from her, he gently lifted her into his arms and started in the direction of the hut they had unofficially laid claim to.
Kagome sagged in disappointment. She'd thought for sure that he would respond to her signals that she wanted him, but he brushed it off and once again treated her like an invalid. How did he expect for them to ever become comfortable with this aspect of their new bond if he wouldn't react to her? She was trying to make him see that she wanted to be his mate, that she was completely fine with it. Well maybe not completely fine, but she was trying. There were still a lot of things they needed to work out and talk about but she couldn't get him to talk to her any more than she could get him to… to kiss her.
Inuyasha just kissed me, she seemed to finally realize. Snuggling herself into his chest, Kagome sighed and allowed him to carry her back to what she was now beginning to think of as their home. Maybe things would work out after all. She'd just have to give it time.
"Kagome-chan, you're awfully quiet," Sango commented to her companion. The two of them were shelling beans for that evening's meal on the front stoop of Kaede's hut. After several weeks of recovery, Kagome was well enough to move around on her own, even with Inuyasha's approval, and she had made the short trip over to visit her friends. The inuhanyou had been keeping her cooped up in their hut after a particular incident in which she nearly passed out and he gruffly made it clear he didn't think she was healed yet.
Once Kagome got tired of him babying her, she made it very clear that she was going out no matter what he said. "You have to be close, Wench, or my youki doesn't do shit!" he'd yelled at her when she tried to explain that she'd only be around the corner at Kaede's.
"Then come with me, baka," she'd retorted, "I can't stand sitting in the house one more minute." After several minutes of pouting and scowling he finally agreed to take her to the old miko's place but she wasn't sure where he'd gone once he'd dropped her off with Sango. "I'm sorry Sango, I'm just feeling a little tired." The tajiya tossed her a worried glance that she waved away. "I feel fine, it's just that... Well Inuyasha and I argued earlier," she explained.
"So I gathered." Kagome blinked at her friend. "What? How long have I known you two? I know the look on Inuyasha's face after you've had a fight. And you were smiling so big when you saw me I thought you might hurt your face," Sango said with a laugh. Kagome blushed faintly, embarrassed that her friends knew about the spat she'd had with her hanyou. "He's worried about you Kagome. The whole time you were unconscious he stayed with you, holding your hand and making sure your wound was healing. I never once saw him away from you. He didn't think you were healing fast enough." The young woman paused to grab more beans to add to her pile. "It only makes sense that he's still worried since you don't have all your strength back yet."
Kagome sighed and nodded. Her friend had tried to explain to her on several occasions why Inuyasha was being so overprotective but it was hard to believe, despite seeing his affectionate side a few times in the last week and a half, that he felt that strongly about her. "I know. I feel worlds better. He's been wonderful," she stated softly, ducking her head as she pressed on with the vegetables in her lap.
Inuyasha really had been wonderful to her as she healed. He made sure she ate well, slept well and he often took her out to get some air when he deemed her well enough to go out. More often than not he even shared the futon with her, holding her through the night to keep her indiscriminate nightmares at bay.
"I'm just worried it doesn't mean what I hope it means," she murmured, so softly that Sango had to strain to hear it.
A gentle hand on her arm turned the young miko's attention to her friend sitting beside her. "Kagome-chan, I don't claim to know what he's thinking, but I know Inuyasha wouldn't have done what he did if he didn't care about you. Try to remember that and I think things will be better. They won't be easy... but," Sango swallowed her words as the scuffling of bare feet on the edge of the porch alerted the two women to the arrival of another person. "Inuyasha," Sango said in greeting, tipping her head to the hanyou as he approached where they were sitting. He acknowledged the tajiya with a nod of his own but never took his eyes off of the miko sitting in silence.
"Are we staying for dinner?"
"I... I'm kind of tired," Kagome admitted softly, blushing under his intense stare and keeping her eyes averted. "Can... can you just take me home, Inuyasha?" she requested. The hanyou's eyes narrowed faintly but he said nothing, waiting for Kagome to set aside the vegetables before gently lifting her into his arms. Barely even saying goodbye to Sango, the young woman snuggled tightly into the warm arms that held her. After several minutes of his slow pace they were still not back to their hut and Kagome wondered if he was stretching out the time for a reason. "Inuyasha?"
"Why do you think I don't care?" he asked suddenly, as though he hadn't heard her say his name. Kagome sighed softly while trying not to get angry at him for eavesdropping. "I feed you, take care of you. There's a roof over your head. I don't know how many times I've fought to save you." Inuyasha was apparently on a roll because he didn't notice Kagome's rising irritation until she had reached up and snagged one fluffy white ear. He growled at her but froze in surprise when the next thing she snagged was his lips with her own. The inuhanyou nearly dropped her, he was so startled. Her mouth drew him in, taking hold of his attention and not letting it go for anything. The soft press of her lips, the wet heat of her mouth... It was all almost too much for his brain to handle as his blood heated and his body hummed with anticipation.
The two had shared several short kisses in the last week though Kagome rarely initiated them. She was timid, and he now realized she thought he didn't want her to kiss him. With a soft moan that rolled into a growl, Inuyasha took the remaining steps into their hut and gently settled Kagome on the edge of the genkan. She reached for him as he knelt between her knees, his mouth returning to hers almost immediately. His tongue gently prodded at her lips and he was happy to feel her respond to the touch with her own tongue. The heat of her mouth was overwhelming for the poor hanyou and he fought to keep his head on straight as her head tilted faintly to deepen the kiss. They hadn't kissed like this before...
"Kagome," he murmured when she gently pulled back for a moment. She smiled softly at him, hands lifting to run through his hair, carefully catching his ears on the way by. She grinned at his pleased growl as her short nails trailed over his scalp.
"I know you care about me. I just... I worry that it isn't the way that mates should care about each other, Inuyasha. I told you before, no one should be forced to feel anything about someone else." He opened his mouth to protest only to have a small hand press two fingers against his lips. "I never wanted to pressure you into anything. I'm... so grateful for everything you've done for me and all you sacrificed," she sobbed. Again the inuhanyou tried to interrupt only to have his mate stop him. "Let me get this out. I've waited for over a year for something to happen, for something to change between us. I always thought... I always thought she would stay between us, that I would always be in her shadow." Inuyasha shaking his head to deny her statement didn't stop her speech. "But I knew you cared for me in your own way and, for a long time, it was enough."
Having grown frustrated that she wouldn't let him interject, Inuyasha lightly nipped her fingertips with his teeth, causing her to draw back her hand and squeak in surprise. "You've never been in her shadow Kagome. I-I know I wasn't always the nicest. You... You deserve a polite man who treats you right and gives you everything that you could ever need," he whispered, lowering his head and ears as he realized all that he had more or less stolen from her in regards to her future. At the same time, he knew she loved him and that no matter what she deserved, he was all she had for the rest of her life. "But I'm just me. I have a horrible mouth. I only have Tetsusaiga and the clothes on my back. I can't help my temper sometimes and I don't always know how to tell you..." he trailed off, still staring at her lap where he now held her hands in his own.
"Tell me what Inuyasha?"
"How much I do care. I've always cared. More than you ever knew. I just didn't know how to say it..."
Kagome sighed softly, "Oh Inuyasha."
"That's why I marked you. I needed to save you," he pressed, finally locking eyes with her, his golden gaze brimming with emotion. "I need you, Kagome. That's stronger than anything I've ever felt," he admitted. The young miko was so startled by his emotional and candid confession that her mouth dropped open in a silent gasp. "I hate to admit it, but Naraku was right." At Kagome's slightly horrified and confused look he gave her a wry smile. "Had he killed you, it would have killed me. That's why he did what he did to you. He knew, Kagome."
Unsure of how to respond to all he had told her, Kagome simply slipped her hands from his grasp, gently wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Yasha," she murmured, tears in her voice. The inuhanyou carefully hugged her back, needing the comfort she had to offer as much as he wanted to offer her the same. The two stayed like that for some time. Finally, Kagome turned her head, kissing the space on the side of Inuyasha's head where human ears would be. He slowly faced her, his golden eyes deep and consuming. Kagome trailed her lips along his jaw toward his mouth until she was able to press their mouths together in another hungry kiss. He responded quickly with a deep groan, his lips becoming demanding even as his hands remained gentle on her sides.
When the pair began to feel the kissing was not enough, Inuyasha carefully lifted Kagome from her seated position and carried her to their futon. His lips trailed softly over her throat as he lay her out beneath him, both their eyes closed in nervous excitement. Inuyasha's kisses warmed her skin, his tongue often darting out to taste her and make her gasp. The young miko sighed her lover's name, fingers gripping his back and shoulders when her heart seemed to leap at his touch. This was quite the opposite of the incident on the first day she'd been awake. Her whole body was tingling hotly instead of feeling numb, no sign of her previous pain at all. She could also feel Inuyasha more acutely than ever before. His youki wrapped around them like a warm blanket, her own aura reaching out to caress his when she could feel his uncertainty.
As this continued, he seemed to grow more confident in his touches, his hands shaking less and his mouth taking longer tastes of her throat and shoulders. His fingers trailed over the summer yukata she wore, indicating – not so subtly – that he wanted to take it off. Kagome breathed in sharply at the brush of his claws against the fabric which made Inuyasha halt his movements, again nervous that she wasn't ready.
Her own hands shaking, the young miko slid the knot in the belt apart, letting its ends remain looped around one another but making it clear that the fabric was loose enough for Inuyasha to do what he would with it. The hanyou sucked in a small breath while his fingertips trailed along the edge of the yukata that lay on top of the other. "It's alright," she murmured, looking up at him with deep brown eyes.
Inuyasha knew his lack of experience in this department didn't phase Kagome, but it certainly bothered him. How was he supposed to make her feel good? How did he show her what she meant to him? At the same time he was extremely glad he was sharing this with her and her alone. No one else had ever loved him like she had and no one had ever made him feel like she did. "Kagome," he growled, lightly nipping her neck and kissing the curve of her throat when she arched her back.
His hands had begun moving the sides of her yukata apart without his knowledge and as her creamy skin was revealed to him the inuhanyou found himself unable to stop kissing and tasting her. The rough texture of his tongue on her smooth skin made her gasp in ways he'd never heard before, a pleasing sound to his highly focused ears.
She'd never felt like this before. So vulnerable and yet protected. She was open to Inuyasha's every touch and yet he made her feel like he would never make her feel anything but amazing. He seemed fascinated by her skin and the young miko would be the last person to deter him. Soft nips on her breast had her yelping in surprise, not aware that he would do that. It didn't feel bad, quite the opposite, she was just startled by the feeling of his teeth on her in places she'd never been touched before.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked nervously, his eyes wide and slightly wild.
Kagome strove to soothe him right away. "No... I just... wasn't expecting it," she told him, reaching up to gently pet his ear. He smiled faintly and allowed her the affectionate gesture. Leaning down, he kissed her softly, distracting her while his hands fully removed her yukata. In turn she began pulling his suikan from his shoulders along with his kosode. Unable to protest, the inuhanyou let her move his arms through the motions to remove the clothing, sighing when they were able to come together chest to chest. "Inuyasha," she murmured softly against his lips.
His hand rested on her hip, his thumb circling her bellybutton. She giggled softly at the soft caress, Inuyasha's eyes drawn to where he was touching. He couldn't miss the starburst shaped scar that still slightly puckered her skin just above where his thumb lay. "Kagome," he whispered, the painful reminder of her injury stealing his breath. She glanced down at where he was staring. An upset blush tinted her face and she fought for a moment to pull on her yukata. "Kagome?"
"It's ugly." Inuyasha held her hands apart so she couldn't completely close herself off from him. Tears were welling up in her eyes and he didn't want them to lose all they had just gained in the last half hour.
"I didn't know it was still there." She looked away from him, her tears sliding over her nose and into her hair. "It's getting a lot smaller. It will go away." Kagome didn't seemed reassured at all by his determined statement.
She sniffled a few times, knowing she was overreacting but unsure how to stop. "Even if it does go away, what if... what if everything doesn't work properly?" Inuyasha looked perplexed if not completely baffled. "You, know, stuff?" she tried to reiterate, waving vaguely at her stomach.
"Does anything hurt?" the inuhanyou questioned her, unsure what she was getting at. She shook her head, sighing exasperatedly. He wasn't getting any specific emotion from her except worry and disappointment and neither of those was helping him figure anything out. "I don't get what you're worried about. You should be all healed on the inside." Kagome laughed, but it was not the mirthful laugh Inuyasha was accustomed to hearing. "Does something hurt?" he asked more forcefully, fear making his voice sound gruff and angry.
"No, Inuyasha." His mate wasn't telling him everything, that much was certain. "But what if we can't... I can't..." She sighed, trying to calm her breathing so she could go on. "What if I can't have children?" she murmured. Inuyasha was taken aback by her question. A family hadn't even entered his mind yet. He supposed it probably should have, considering what he'd just intended to do with her, but having children of his own had never really crossed his mind. What if they couldn't have a family? He had to get over the possibility that they could have a family first. "I'd be useless to you."
"Don't, Kagome. You know that's not true." Her eyes shut quickly and he regretted speaking so harshly. "I... I never thought about pups," he admitted, "but everything should have healed." She nodded that she understood, her eyes still closed. "You," he paused to collect himself, "you want pups? With me?"
Finally Kagome opened her eyes to find uncertainty and fear in the golden eyes that she had long ago come to love. He seemed more afraid that she did want children with him than the possibility that they might not be able to have them. "Of course I do. That's part of the whole deal right? We're mated, married more or less, we have children, we raise them, we grow old together."
Inuyasha shook his head roughly to try and remove the fuzziness. "You don't have to want pups, Kagome. I mean, not just because you think it's expected of you or something." He sighed. Now that she'd only mentioned the idea of them raising a family together it was rolling around his head like a dangerous boulder careening down a mountainside. Flashes of children with dark hair like Kagome's, with bright gold eyes like his, even with his ears... Inuyasha snorted and shook his head again. Looking down into Kagome's concerned brown eyes, Inuyasha could feel that he was making her upset.
"Don't you think that's something we need to talk about, Inuyasha?"
"Huh?"
Kagome tried not to scream out her frustration. Inuyasha could be so dense sometimes! "What's expected of me? You still haven't told me what this whole mating mark thing means. I mean, I know that it means we're mates," she forestalled his outburst, "but what does that mean, Inuyasha?" He gaped at her for a few moments and Kagome had to hold onto her frustration and anger to keep from laughing at the dopey look on his face. He really didn't know how to talk about this, did he? Well tough! "What is it you want from me, really?"
Inuyasha shook his head softly. "Just you." She frowned a little and he realized that wasn't enough. "Mating is what you think it is. It's like human marriage, with pups and growing old together and all of that." The inuhanyou sighed. "But the growing old takes a hell of a lot longer and this isn't a marriage we can walk out on. We're together, forever. Not just until we die, forever," he reiterated.
"You mean our souls..."
"Will continue to find each other in every life after this one, not that we haven't already," he said with a wry twist to his mouth. "But you'll age as I do. At least I think you will. My mother said something about it, but my old man died so I don't know how it really works. And I'm hanyou," he spat, "so who knows if it will be as binding as it would be for youkai."
"Don't talk about yourself like that." Kagome remained still, watching her hanyou stare down at her. He was still uncertain and she could feel it roiling within him. He was afraid she wanted out still. "Maybe I'm a bit selfish... But I'm glad I finally get you to myself." Inuyasha coughed, choked and then laughed aloud. The two of them continued to snort and chuckle together for several minutes before Inuyasha calmed himself enough to kiss her. "I... I love you."
Looking at her, really looking at her, Inuyasha came to terms with her feelings at last. "I know. I..." He struggled with the words, unable to properly form them on his tongue. He wanted to say them so badly...
"I know," Kagome whispered. A commotion in the village stirred them from their futon, Kagome barely having time to close her yukata before Inuyasha was up and growling.
"What do you mean I can't see her? She's my woman and I'll damn well see her when I want to!" The familiar and very unwelcome voice forced Kagome to her feet as well, tying off her yukata as she reached for Inuyasha's haori. Inuyasha remained bare from the waist up, growling and snarling to himself as he helped her into the fire rat. He didn't budge from the edge of the genkan however, firmly planting his feet. "Kagome! Kagome where are you?" Unsure why he couldn't scent her, Kagome remained completely still in hopes that he might leave, thinking her gone. The ookami stepped into the hut as though he owned the place, much like he did anywhere he went. "Inu-koro, where are you hiding..." Kouga stopped short as he came face to face with a fuming inuhanyou.
"Get the fuck out." Inuyasha's voice was even and deadly, a growl rolling under his breath. Kouga stared first at him and then looked up at where Kagome stood clutching Inuyasha's haori across her chest. When he moved to step around the inuhanyou, a vicious snarl lashed out at him. He paused.
Something was distinctly different about this situation. "Move out of my way Mutt-face. I came to see my woman." His tone implied that this should be completely obvious to anyone.
Kagome held her breath, wishing she could disappear into the floor. "She ain't your woman. She never has been and never will be." She watched the two demonic males warily, unsure if she should stay out of it or try to mediate the situation. She felt that this may be the one time when she should remain silent and let Inuyasha handle it. "Take a whiff you mangy wolf." She watched Kouga scent the air, a wide-eyed look coming over his features. He knew. He had to.
The wolf prince couldn't believe his nose. Inu-koro had marked her! Had marked his woman while his back was turned! "How dare you..."
Inuyasha snapped his teeth at him, snarling a command any canine would recognize. Despite himself, Kouga shut his mouth and stayed quiet. "She has always been mine to protect and now there is no question who she belongs with. I have given my blood, we share food, water. We have made a den together. There will be pups of this den. There is no question," he repeated.
Kagome flushed at his somewhat crude but honest appraisal of their life at the moment. Pups of this den? But the young miko began to see that telling Kouga those things seemed to be the key to making him leave her alone. The wolf youkai was still silent, staring at her where she stood. By some urging, a feeling that must have come from Inuyasha, she lowered the shoulder of her yukata to show her long-time would-be suitor the silver mark that rested on her shoulder. He took a step back toward the door, a pang of anger and upset on his face.
"I was never yours, Kouga. Inuyasha has always had my heart," she whispered, knowing it might be adding insult to injury, but needing him to understand that there was no possible way he could try to win her over anymore. The wolf prince looked as though he'd been slapped in the face, but she could tell he knew the truth now. She'd only tried to befriend him, not once had she tried to return his affections. "I'm sorry." At her apology the hurt youkai spun on his heel and tore through the door hanging.
Inuyasha snorted, knowing he'd have to fix it, but was infinitely glad that confrontation was over. He went outside the hut for a moment to make sure the stupid wolf really was gone, then stepped back inside to find Kagome kneeling on their futon, her head in her hands.
"K-Kagome?" Why was she upset? She didn't really care about that mangy, flea-bitten wolf, did she?
"I'm alright, I just hate to have to hurt Kouga's feelings like that. He was always a good friend, if a little pushy." Inuyasha sighed.
He now understood what she meant, what she'd always meant. She would have felt much the same way had she been forced to hurt Miroku's pride in such a way. The compassion of a friend, not that of a lover. He'd been so busy being insecure and jealous all this time, he hadn't been willing to listen to her explanations of why she was so nice to the wolf all the time.
"Is there something we can do about the door?" Inuyasha glanced around the room, frowning. Kagome had an old blanket in her bag that would have to do until morning. She pulled it out for him while he figured out a way to hang it and keep it closed. He was building a door, a real one with hinges like Kagome had on her house in her time. Then he could keep out all the villagers, the nosy monk, bossy demon slayer and even the kitsune brat!
"I'm going to build you a real house," he told her with confidence. "It'll take a while, but I'm going to do it." Kagome stared up at him from where she stood under his arm, holding the blanket against the wall. Build her a house? "It's gonna have a bathroom like at your house, and a big kitchen with places to store ramen and bedrooms for us and the pups." Kagome gaped at him. Getting a bit carried away wasn't he? But she couldn't help the warm feeling that started at her toes, tingling its way up to her nose.
"It... it sounds wonderful, Inuyasha," she whispered, swallowing back happy tears.
