A.N. Here is chapter two-a little bit of fluff before the stress sets in. I may upload chapter three sometime this weekend or early next week, depending on how I'm dealing with the real-life stress of land entanglements with my neighbor and an impending litter of unexpected kittens. (I know, spay, but she was pregnant when I rescued her and still nursing two other kittens, and I didn't find out there were more in the chamber until too late.) Enjoy!

Kagome paused on the stairs as she tried to drag the overstuffed duffle bag as quietly as possible. It had been packed too heavy for her to lift very far off the ground (how, she had no idea because nothing in it was that heavy), and she was trying not to wake her family if they were still asleep.

"Is there a body in there? Please tell me there's not a body in there," Souta said from behind her, catching her as she screamed and tripped down one step in surprise.

"Souta! What the hell?!"

"Sorry! Here, let me get that," Souta offered, taking the bag with a grunt.

Kagome was irritated that he could lift it better than she could; it wasn't like she was weak-she kept pretty fit, and helping out at her uncle and aunt's had developed some muscle. But Souta had filled out quite a bit, and she noticed from his shorts and sweat-soaked t-shirt that he must have taken up some form of exercise.

"What are you even doing up? Aren't teenagers supposed to sleep until noon or something?" She grumbled, grabbing a small suitcase she had left at the top of the stairs.

"Only if they want to be caught and put to work in the storage buildings. Out of house, out of mind," Souta explained, moving out of her way. "Where do you want this?"

She knew it was a bit early, but Inuyasha should be texting soon, and she didn't want to have to carry everything from her room at the last minute.

"Let's get everything to the top of the shrine stairs and set it out of the way of visitors."

"All that way? Fine, but I'm getting the cart grandpa uses to move boxes. I don't mind helping, but I'm not blowing out my back before I'm twenty," Souta joked.

"Oh! I hadn't even thought of that!" Kagome said brightly; she hadn't been looking forward to lugging her bags all that way. "In that case, I should be able to get all of the essentials out and not need to make another big trip!"

"Try not to look too excited at the thought of leaving us-mom is all sad because she had a ton of meals planned, and now she's not going to get to feed you," Souta advised her, only half joking.

"I won't be that far away, and I can always be lured into town for a meal," Kagome promised.

They had just gotten the last of her bags onto the cart and were headed for the steps when her phone buzzed in the back of her denim shorts. When she pulled it out to check the screen, she saw a message from Inuyasha.

Inuyasha: Ten minutes out. I know it's earlier than we said, so do you want me to come now or wait?

Kagome: I'm ready now! You can park in front of the stairs.

Inuyasha: ? ﾟﾏﾻ

"Thanks, Souta! Inuyasha should be here in a few minutes."

"No problem. I'm gonna sneak in and let Mom know; she'll want to see him, but if Gramps catches on, he'll put us all to work in the storage buildings."

Kagome watched as her brother loped back to the house and used the tail of her pink t-shirt to wipe the beads of sweat that had broken out along her hairline. She was tired from spending most of the night packing, but she was satisfied with what she had gotten done. Her mother had helped for a bit, and although she was happy that Kagome had found a safe place to live, Kagome knew she was a little sad that she wasn't going to be staying with the family longer.

So busy being caught up in her thoughts, she didn't hear the sound of someone walking up the steps until she noticed the shadow at her feet.

"Place hasn't changed much, has it?" Inuyasha asked, looking up towards the shrine. He had been a regular visitor since middle school, and rarely a week had gone by without him showing up.

"With Gramps in charge? Hardly," Kagoke laughed, taking him in as he moved to stand beside her.

His faded jeans were ripped at the knees, and the armholes of the sleeveless red shirt he wore were slightly frayed. He wore a pair of beat-up work boots, and his hair had been pulled back at the base of his neck by a hair tie.

"Is that all ya got?" He gestured to her pile of boxes and bags still sitting on the cart.

"Yeah, this is all of the important stuff. I can always stop by if I need anything else," Kagome answered, doing a mental inventory to see if she'd forgotten anything.

"I'll start taking the heavier pieces down and get it loaded then," Inuyasha said, lifting a couple of boxes effortlessly.

"I forgot how annoyingly easy that is for you," Kagome sighed, picking up some of the smaller bags and following after him, envying the way he moved fluidly in spite of the extra weight.

"It's lighter than the metal and wood I usually heft around, that's for sure," Inuyasha said, shooting her a smug smirk.

"Oh! Are you still sculpting? I wasn't sure since I heard you were joining the family business."

In high school, Inuyasha had fallen in love against his will with metalworking. The temporary shop teacher they had pulled in, Totosai, had ridden him hard, but he somehow managed to pull more out of an apathetic Inuyasha than most people had been able to at the time. The hanyou had put a lot of his pent-up anger and energy into metal sculpting and later added woodworking to the mix. He had never wanted to do it professionally full-time, but it had been a good outlet for him.

"Yeah, that's actually one of the reasons I picked the house I did. It has a big ass shop building outside and no neighbors close enough to bother with the noise. Now I don't have to rent space, and I can work on stuff whenever I have the time," Inuyasha explained as they made it down the last few steps.

"That's fantastic! It sounds like the house was a pretty good-wait, you bought a new house, but you're still driving this?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha's trademark Isuzu Amigo came into view.

"Hey, it hasn't let me down yet!" Inuyasha defended the vehicle that he'd owned since he got his license. The four of them had gone on countless camping trips in that thing, and some of his best memories were attached to it. "Besides, I have a truck I use if I need to move some of my bigger pieces, and it's more visually appealing than this to those of you with no taste."

"At least it looks like you got it repainted," Kagome said, referring to the way the red paint was already faded when he first bought it.

"And I replaced the flooring from where Miroku got sick after graduation," Inuyasha pointed out while stacking the boxes in the back to make efficient use of the space.

"Aw, the Stain of Shame is gone?" Kagome said in mild disappointment; they had gotten a lot of teasing mileage out of that one.

"Well, I figure we have enough dirt on him without it at this point. Think we can get the rest in here in about two more trips?" Inuyasha asked.

"If not, Souta will help," Kagome promised, mentally wondering if she could get Souta to carry the stuff down with Inuyasha while she did one last check of her room.

As they reached the top of the stairs, they found that Souta and their mother were waiting for them.

"Inuyasha! It's been too long!" Kaori exclaimed, rushing up and pulling him into a hug. "Oh my goodness, you're huge now-I can't even reach your adorable ears anymore!"

Inuyasha couldn't help laughing as he returned the hug; Kagome's mom had been like a second mother to him, and while the two of them were growing up, she had become friends with his own mother as well. "I had to get tall for exactly that reason-what is it with you Higurashis and my ears?" He asked, still unable to see the appeal.

"We can't help being drawn to cuteness, can we, Kagome?"

"Mom!" Kagome let out a strangled wail, suddenly feeling fifteen years old again. Why hadn't she fled in the dead of night?

"Don't worry, Inuyasha; I promise that I don't have any desire to fondle your ears," Souta said with a grin.

"Shrimp!" Inuyasha said in surprise, "You're not a shrimp anymore!"

"Could you prove that by helping Inuyasha load the last of my stuff? I need to go make sure I didn't forget anything," Kagome asked, ignoring the flush she still felt heating her cheeks.

"You left your purse on the kitchen table, so at the very least, you need to get that," her mother pointed out.

Before Souta had a chance to argue, Kagome turned and jogged for the house, smiling a little as she heard both Souta and Inuyasha squawking at her abandonment. She really did need to do a last check, and it would give her time to get over the mild embarrassment of her mom implying that she thought Inuyasha was cute. Some truths just really didn't need to be shared, and that one was near the top of the list. She didn't think he noticed anything odd, and thankfully, Inuyasha was easily distracted.

She quickly did a walkthrough of her bedroom and the bathroom and was pleased to find that she hadn't forgotten anything. After she had grabbed her purse off of the table, she trotted back out to join the others, who had finished up loading and were talking.

"I got everything!" Kagome said as she joined them. "I'm ready to go when you are."

"Inuyasha, please come in with Kagome when she visits for dinner-we'd love to have you, and I'll make sure not to fix anything too spicy!" Her mother asked him, patting his arm.

Inuyasha's ears flicked forward, his eyes lighting up not only at being included but the fact that she cared enough to remember what he couldn't eat. "That'd be great if you're sure you don't mind."

Kagome had to hide her smile at the almost imperceptible puppy wiggle he gave-it was something he did when he was pleased, but he hated attention being drawn to it.

"Souta? Souta, are you out there?"

The four of them froze as the voice of an old man floated across the courtyard.

"Oh no," Souta whispered. "Please, no."

"You two better hurry, Kagome. You know how your grandfather is. If he catches you, he'll get you to move at least one load of boxes," her mother sighed in fond exasperation.

"Souta! I know you're here somewhere! You promised to help today!"

Souta turned to Inuyasha and gripped his arm. "It's too late for me; I'm a marked man," he said melodramatically. "Please, take my sister and flee! Find a better life somewhere, and think of me as I was, young and unbroken."

"Sorry, kid, I feel for ya," Inuyasha chuckled, having been put to work by the old man himself more times than he could count.

"Sooooouta! If your friends are out there, bring them to help! I'll make tea for everyone!"

"Oh crap, he's serious! You'd better run-I think he's getting closer!" Souta warned them with wide eyes.

Startled, Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other, reverting to their old habits of adult avoidance. Inuyasha squatted down, and without giving it a second thought, Kagome swung herself onto his back. With a whoop, they were bounding down the stairs, Inuyasha taking the whole thing in just a few small leaps to land beside the Amigo.

"I forgot how fun that is!" Kagome said with breathless laughter.

"What? Escaping from your grandfather?" Inuyasha asked, setting her down by the passenger door.

"No, riding you!" Instantly she regretted her phrasing as his face morphed into a Miroku-like smirk.

"Well, Peaches, I didn't know you rode," he teased her.

"Shut up! You know what I meant!" She growled, smacking them on the arm before busying herself getting in the car, ignoring his cackle as he walked to the other side. Crap. Was she going to get used to jokes like that, or was she going to be constantly on guard, so she didn't melt from the heat?

It was nearly an hour's drive to Inuyasha's house, and the ride was uneventful. They talked easily, but there were stretches of silence that were far from uncomfortable. It was something the two of them had always been able to do, and Kagome figured it would come in handy while living together. Neither of them would enjoy having to constantly fill the silence, and she was glad that their time apart hadn't changed that aspect of their relationship.

"Is there anything else out this way?" Kagome asked as the city faded into the distance, and buildings became fewer and farther between.

"Not a lot. There's a small town with the basics that's probably within a distance you're comfortable with walking, but if you need anything major, you'll need to come into the city. There's a spare truck key you can borrow if you need it," Inuyasha explained, turning onto a narrower road.

"Not going to trust me with the Amigo?" Kagome joked, knowing he had never let anyone else drive it.

"Nope. Can't trust anyone not to wreck it on purpose, so I have to replace it," he said, shooting her a fanged smirk.

As they drove, the area became thick with trees, and Kagome felt herself relaxing. She loved being at home, and there were lots of things she enjoyed doing in the city, but while staying with her uncle, she had discovered that she liked feeling closer to nature and a less frantic pace of life.

"This is nice," she said quietly, watching as the sun filtered through the leaves to leave shadows swirling on the ground below.

"So you don't mind being so far out?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

She shook her head, tucking a strand behind her ear. "No, I like it better, actually. It's fun going into the city once in a while for something specific, but I just...I feel more relaxed and focused out here. Does that sound corny?"

Inuyasha grinned at her. "If it does, then call me a corndog because I feel the same way. If you look ahead, the house is gonna be coming up on our left."

Kagome leaned forward, making the seat squeak as she bounced up and down excitedly. "Oh! I think I see the roof!"

The road was straight, so Inuyasha watched her out of the corner of his eye to get her reaction. He knew the place wasn't at its best, but as soon as he had seen it, he had known it was the one. He slowed down so she would get the full effect.

The home was an older western style that sprawled out more than the compact cookie-cutter houses in the city. There was a wide porch area that had called for a swing, although he had never seen the purpose in having one before. Rich stone in shades of brown and red composed the bottom half of the house, while the siding of the top half had been painted forest green. It was peeling in most places, but he had already decided to repaint it the same color. Off to one side were two large shop buildings, and on the opposite side were the remains of what used to be someone's garden. The front yard had several tall trees, and over the top of the house, you could see where the backyard bled into the forest.

"Oh wow," Kagome breathed, leaning over Inuyasha in an effort to see better. "I love it!" And she did; this was one of the most perfect houses she had ever seen, and part of it was because it still had room for improvement. There was something about putting your own stamp on a place to make it truly unique that she found appealing. The house had plenty of room and would fit a growing family. With a garden and plenty of room for swingsets and other toys, she could just picture several kids running wild through the trees and hanging out on the porch.

Of course, they wouldn't be her kids, she reminded herself.

The thought made her smile dim, and she pulled back into her seat.

"What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked with a frown. She had looked so excited, and then all of a sudden, an odd sort of sadness had passed across her face.

No sulking, Higurashi. This was exactly what we were trying to avoid, remember? Kagome gave herself a shake, knowing she had to get a grip on herself before Inuyasha noticed anything amiss.

"Nothing, it just suddenly made me miss my uncle and aunt. I stayed there for two years, and I guess I got more attached than I realized," she explained, knowing better than to tell a full lie. "But this is such a perfect place, and I can't wait to see inside!"

He stared at her a moment longer as if not quite sure whether to believe her or not before his shoulders relaxed, and he let the car roll toward the driveway.

"Let me give you a quick tour, and then we can get your stuff in, okay? I think I picked a decent room for you, but if you like one of the other ones better, just say so."

"As long as it's one close to that huge tub you mentioned, I'm sure it'll be fine," she laughed, putting her earlier depressing thought out of the way to deal with never.

"It's adjoining, actually," Inuyasha said as they got out of the Amigo. "From what the realtor told me, the house was originally built by several extended family members. They had health issues that would have made it hard for some of them to live alone, but they all liked a little privacy. That's why the place is so big and laid out sort of funny."

"Has it been empty for a while? Miroku made it sound like it's needed a lot of work."

Inuyasha shrugged, unlocking the front door and waving her through. "The plumbing is going to have to be replaced soon, and there've been a few problems with the flooring and a few walls. The carpet was old and filled with so much crap that I was constantly sneezing, so I've been ripping it out until I decide on what I want. It's pretty livable, though. Wait! Except for the basement! Don't try the stairs yet, because you'll break your neck."

"Seriously?" Kagome asked, glancing at him before she stepped into the living room, which was fairly large and had, of all things, a stone fireplace.

"Seriously. I nearly fell through some of the stairs, and it felt like the whole staircase could tip over. Just leave it until I can take care of that," he said, knowing that her curiosity and stubbornness could be deadly.

"Fine, I'll leave the mysterious torture chamber to you; I promise not to go roaming down there with only a candle to light my way," Kagome said absently, referencing the horror movies they used to watch. "Does the fireplace work?"

Inuyasha leaned in the doorway connecting the living room to the hallway. "It's supposed to, but I have someone coming to clean it out before I test it," he said, watching as she roamed around the room. "Sorry, I don't have a lot in the way of furniture yet, by the way. I'm trying to do it as I go room by room, but I don't see the point in buying somethin' I'm gonna hate later."

Kagome nodded, her hand stroking over the mantle. It wasn't the right time of year for a fire, but if she was still here when it got cold, she could see herself camping in front of it. "That makes sense. A house is more permanent than an apartment, so you really want to make it feel like yours."

Inuyasha scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, I could actually use your help with that. I can kinda pick a few things and know that's the direction I want to go in, but pulling it all together is another thing."

"Well, that's part of my rent, right? I get to play interior decorator!" Kagome said, a slightly manic gleam in her eye. Just because she wasn't going to live here permanently didn't mean she couldn't bling it out!

Her expression didn't go unnoticed by Inuyasha, who raised his hands imploringly. "Within reason! None of that fluffy shit you used to have in your room!"

"Yeah, yeah, we'll toss up a few deer heads and an antler chandelier. Keep it nice and masculine," Kagome rolled her eyes, pushing past him to get a look at the rest of his house; the fireplace had been stunning, but aside from a squashy black couch, coffee table, and wall mounted tv, it was pretty bare if you didn't count the tools and supplies scattered about.

"Heads no, chandelier a maybe," he shot back, trailing behind her as she darted about like a squirrel, chattering and clucking.

Kagome didn't investigate the kitchen too much, knowing she would be seeing it on a regular basis since she was partial to eating at least once a day. She also didn't spend too much time on the linen closet or the bathroom that was clearly meant for guests, given its proximity to the living room. Instead, she focused most of her attention on the bedrooms. Both of them were of a fairly decent size, but when she flipped the light switch, she reared back at the wallpaper. The first was sort of a melted paisley, and it looked like the designer had taken a favorite color from several different palettes and put them together with disastrous effects. To add to the travesty, the flooring was puce green linoleum. And...it was sticky. Which didn't bear thinking about, if she didn't want to lose her breakfast.

"This is an affront to mankind," Kagome muttered in horror. How had she missed this in the pictures?

"The next one isn't much better, but don't worry too much; the one I picked for you is decent. Kinda old-fashioned, but nothing that'll give you a panic attack to look at if you're on cold medicine or anything."

"My eyeballs thank you-or they will, once they recover!" Kagome almost yelped as she made the mistake of looking into the next room. Mod patterned wallpaper from floor to ceiling on all walls, with the original orange shag carpet to match, matted down by years of wear. Someone had added mirrored tiles to the ceiling, and every time she turned, she felt slightly sick to her stomach.

"I haven't done a lot with this part of the house. Come on, the decent rooms are down the other hallway," he said, leading her back towards the living room and then turning in the opposite direction than they had traveled. He pushed open a door, and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. The room was larger than her bedroom at home, with a closet to match. Inuyasha hadn't been lying when he said that the cream wallpaper with small blue floral bouquets was dated, but it wasn't anything she couldn't live with. There was already a bed, and the mattress and bedding looked brand new. She gave him a questioning look.

"Mom came by to visit early on, and I wasn't gonna have her sleep on an air mattress," he said with a shrug. "Go on in and check the rest out. The door over there is the bathroom."

Stepping into the room, she was happy to see the carpet had already been removed to show scarred wooden flooring, which would probably need to be replaced. It looked a bit warped in some spots, and there appeared to be water damage in one corner, which matched a stain on the ceiling. A small table caught her eye. On it sat a gift basket of...peaches.

"Really?" She asked, looking at him over her shoulder. "That really stuck with you, didn't it?"

"At least I didn't go with callin' you Bananas," he said, grinning shamelessly.

Shaking her head, she mentally planned on getting a desk and chair since she would need to do a lot of work on her laptop.

"There's a pretty nice secondhand furniture store in town that has some neat stuff," Inuyasha said from the doorway as if reading her mind. "They should be open tomorrow if you wanna go in."

"That sounds good," she said, filing it away for later before she opened the door to the bathroom and gasped.

Inuyasha hadn't lied; that had to be the biggest jacuzzi-style tub she had ever seen! The toilet was partitioned off, and almost one whole wall held a counter with a basin sink in the middle. Cabinets ran along the bottom, and behind the whole thing was a large mirror in need of cleaning.

"I may never leave this room," she muttered, already planning where she was going to place her candles. This bathroom screamed for candles. She was going to be buying more candles. It was going to be a gothic masterpiece by the time she got done.

"You're not even curious about what the master looks like?" Inuyasha asked, his voice laced with amusement.

Kagome spun around, her hair whipping around her head. "Is it even more over the top than this?" She asked incredulously.

"Lemme show ya," called, already headed to the hall.

Kagome rushed to follow him and was surprised to see that it was only a short distance from her room. "I'm surprised you didn't put me in the other hallway. Are you sure I won't bother you being this close?" She couldn't help but wonder. She still remembered the types of noises that drove him nuts, and aside from music, she was a relatively quiet person to live with.

"Stop worrying so much," he said with a small scowl. "I wouldn't have asked ya if I thought it would. Besides, I don't spend a lot of time in my room, so you'll probably be asleep anyway when I decide to stop whatever I'm doing for the night."

She was prevented from answering when the door to the bedroom swung open. Immediately, Kagome realized why Inuyasha had chosen this one. It wasn't the size, although it was the largest. But it was the large french doors that held her attention, facing out towards the forest and the shape of a mountain rising up in the far distance. With that view, it looked as if they were even further away from the city, and Inuyasha could step directly outside whenever he wanted. Which he apparently did because there was a camp chair and small folding table right outside.

Flooring had actually been put down in this room. Dark polished wood gleamed up at her, and she could still faintly smell whatever had been used on it to get it to shine. Inuyasha's bed was pushed up against one wall, the bedclothes rumpled on one side. He already had a desk and chair, but they were tucked away into an alcove in such a way that they were hardly noticeable. There was a small dresser next to the closet with a few odds and ends scattered over the top, and it looked like part of a set that matched the bedside table.

"Go on, check out the bathroom. It's clean, at least, even if there's a few things on the counter."

Kagome wandered in, awestruck. This one was even larger than hers, and she froze in her tracks when she realized what he had wanted her to see. There before her was a real, honest-to-goodness waterfall shower! It was glass on three sides, and it looked big enough for several people to stand in comfortably at the same time. Along the wall ran a long, low stone bench.

"Holy crap, how many people fit in there?" She blurted out.

"I think you've got me confused with Miroku," he laughed, watching as she stepped inside and spun around with her arms outstretched.

"I'm sure he thinks it's wasted on you," Kagome agreed. "Still, I think I'm happier with the tub."

She had been so entranced with the shower that she hadn't been paying too much attention, but now she was trapped in a room that carried the scent of his body wash, and it was starting to affect her in ways she wasn't proud to say she could still feel. Hopefully, he couldn't tell-and if he did, maybe he would think that she just really, really liked the shower.

"Ready to get your stuff inside? You can look around more later, but I wanted you to know where all the important stuff was," Inuyasha said as she scuttled out of the bathroom.

"Yeah! Let's just dump it all in the middle of my room, and I can sort it out from there," she said.

The two of them spent the next hour or so moving her things in and then making lunch, which consisted mostly of sandwich fixings since Inuyasha had been too busy to cook much for himself and kept little on hand. While they ate, Inuyasha pushed over a pile of samples and notes for Kagome to look at to give her a rough idea not only of what he was generally looking for as an end result for the house but also the order he was working on certain projects.

"I can work on a lot of this between assignments," Kagome finally said, already itching to start removing wallpaper.

"There's no rush, so don't push yourself or anything," Inuyasha said, knowing that Kagome had a tendency to throw herself into projects with little regard for herself.

"I know, but I think it'll be fun! By the way, what time do you usually get up? I can make you breakfast before you go to work."

Inuyasha shook his head, crumpling up the trash from lunch and tossing it into the can. "Don't worry about breakfast. For one thing, I don't like eating that early. For another, I didn't ask you to cook every meal-just somethin' whenever you were already making it for yourself."

"But what if I'm up cooking breakfast for myself anyway?" She asked, her eyes sparkling brightly as she tried to out-maneuver him.

"Then I'll eat something, and in that case, it doesn't matter what time I get up," he said with a toothy grin, used to her deviously generous nature.

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him, irritated at being foiled so easily. Not that she would give up, but it was insulting how easily he had beaten her; clearly, she was out of practice.

"While I'm thinking about it, let me give you the wifi password and show you where the key to the truck is," Inuyasha suggested, knowing she was going to need both sooner rather than later. "I don't have a spare house key yet, but we can do that in town later."

Arms stretched over her head, Kagome gave a jaw-cracking yawn. "I hadn't even thought about a house key. Just a minute, let me go get my laptop-it's been acting up, so I want to make sure it'll even try to connect."

Inuyasha sat back in his chair as she left the room, one of his claws absently tracing a thin scar in the wooden table that had been left behind in the house. He rarely made major decisions on an impulse, be he had done just that last night when he invited Kagome to move in with him. Afterward, he had kicked himself, not because he regretted it exactly, but because he wasn't sure he wouldn't do so eventually. It had been a couple of years, and there was no guarantee that Kagome was the same person he had remembered. But the longer he was around her, he found that feeling fading. When she had entered the house, he hadn't felt like he had been invaded and hadn't felt the need to treat her like a guest. In some ways, it felt completely natural, like she had just come back from being away. Which, he supposed, was exactly what had happened.

Until today, he hadn't realized how much he had missed having Kagome around. It had come as a shock when she moved away abruptly, and he had never quite figured out why she had chosen to leave like that. The strangest part was that Sango and Miroku hadn't seemed surprised at all, so he had assumed that maybe it was one of those weird human things he was supposed to understand but didn't.

Whatever her reason for leaving, it felt fitting that she was back now that he had bought this house. Ever since he had met her, Kagome had always been part of the most important things that happened in his life. Maybe that was why it had constantly felt like something was missing ever since he had bought the place. Nothing he had been able to lay his finger on, just something a little off. Now that Kagome was here, that feeling had vanished, and he could almost bring himself to enjoy it.

If it wasn't for his damned instincts.

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he thought back over the last two days and certain expressions or gestures that Kagome had made. Something was off. Something was wrong. The more he thought about it, the more it felt like it had right before she had left. That time, he had brushed off his instincts. He remembered that odd moment in the car when she had suddenly felt utterly and completely sad; the scent filling the close confines of the Amigo had nearly choked him. To make it worse, she had tried to brush it off as just missing her family.

Bullshit.

Whatever was going on...

This time, he was going to find out.