A/N: It's taken me long enough, but here we are! The sequel to Mating Fever! Let's be real I didn't expect it to be enjoyed as much as it has, so I wasn't expecting there to be so much interest in a sequel. I just hope it delivers.

"I want to come out."

"I said no."

"Why not?"

Inuyasha swore he could almost imagine the youkai side of him pouting if he thought hard enough. "The jewel's gone. Naraku's dead. There's no reason –"

"But I want to come back ouuut!"

"You might as well let him," the human side chimed in. "It's been weeks since he saw any action –"

"It's been far longer since I've gotten any action I wanted –"

"Well tough shit cause you ain't comin' out!"

"But I want to!"

"And I said no!"

"Human back me up."

"Don't you dare help him –"

"Cut him some slack. At least I get to come out once a month."

"Like a woman's cycle."

"You asked for help!"

Inuyasha groaned out loud. "I can't believe I'm arguing with myself. Again."

"If you'd just let me out this wouldn't be an issue."

The hanyou let out a growl of frustration as he returned to work. The weather was still warm enough to not slow his progress, but it wouldn't be much longer before he would be on his own. He wasn't about to drag out the villagers in the cooler weather to help him build a hut in the forest. They had their own families to care for and to prepare for the winter to come. If he could just get the framework for the hut finished, he'd have no problem working on the rest by himself.

Four months. In four months he had gotten Kagome as his mate, found the remaining shards, and put an end to Naraku. The jewel was gone, and everyone was all the better for it.

"Do you believe that the village would shun you after everything you have done, Inuyasha? That you should build your home in its outskirts?"

Well, almost everyone was the better for it.

"How did you know I'd be out here, Kikyo?"

The priestess hadn't vanished with the jewel, as she had expected. She had accepted her fate months ago, prepared to return to the afterlife and an eternity of peace. It had been a tough pill for Inuyasha to swallow when she confronted him with her final goodbye. Even though his heart was now Kagome's, there was an ache there at losing a friend. Kikyo hadn't made it through the battle unscathed, much like the rest of their group, but she hadn't expected to heal. Kagome hadn't done it – she swore up and down she hadn't – and she had been just as drained as the rest of them, so there was no possible way she could have. It didn't make any sense. Kikyo was a shell of her former self, or so she had thought.

She hadn't taken it well when Inuyasha declared that she was approaching her monthly cycle two weeks later, forgetting who he had been addressing. He couldn't blame Kagome for using the beads for that one, but to be fair, he was so used to Kagome's time period being more open to discussions that it had slipped his mind. Once she had gotten past the embarrassment of something private being blurted out, Kikyo had cried. The tears fell harder when Kagome checked her over and declared that yes, she was very much alive. Somehow, someway the young woman had gotten another chance at life.

Kikyo adjusted the basket that she carried on her hip. "I was collecting herbs with my sister and she mentioned that you were working out here again. You didn't answer my question, Inuyasha."

The hanyou shrugged, rolling his stiff shoulders. "They say it's my forest, so why not?"

"And you believe me to accept that answer? Kaede has sung praises about you, you know. The villagers are content with your presence."

"Keh."

"I'm waiting, Inuyasha."

He frowned, tucking his hands in his sleeves. "It ain't… it ain't so much the villagers that made the decision. I chose this spot for Kagome." When Kikyo continued to stare, he rolled his eyes. "It's not far from the Bone Eater's well, if you hadn't noticed. Kagome won't have to go as far to get to the well as she would from the village to see her family. And…if the well were to stop working…she'd still be nearby."

Kikyo noticed how the hanyou's shoulders slumped but didn't comment. She'd had the last four months to get caught up on all of the things to do with Kagome that she had overlooked, and how the well came to be more important to Inuyasha than the jewel ever had. It was…awkward to be around the girl from the future, considering how she had treated Kagome each time. Sango had explained that she had been reluctant to befriend the others when she had first met them, but Kagome had a way of drawing people in. Kikyo had learned quickly what the slayer had meant. She couldn't say that she was a good friend, because she felt strange enough even referring to the girl as a friend.

"Can I ask why you are building this hut so tall, then?"

Inuyasha wasn't sure if he could tell her that the plan for the hut was to recreate her childhood home at the shrine as close as feasible for him. That one day, the house Kagome would grow up in could be built in the same area as the one he was building for their future family. If that even made sense. The more he thought about it the more confusing it became, so it was better to just not think about it. "Kagome's home in the future is big," he said simply. "I don't want her to have to settle for less. She's giving up so many things by living in this time, and I want to do everything I can to take care of her."

Kikyo nodded, and he took that to mean she was pleased with his response. "How come you are not with Kagome in her time? It is getting late in the day, after all."

He turned and started back through the forest. When Kikyo didn't move to follow, he asked, "Well come on. I ain't about to let ya walk back on your own!"

She let out a small laugh, something she would never have done before, and caught up to Inuyasha's pace. "You have changed indeed," she smiled. "I remember there was a time when you would have shadowed me when I traveled, and now you walk beside me."

"You're still my friend, Kikyo. And if I recall back then you were the one that said that you didn't require an escort!"

"You were the one that claimed to not need anyone," she countered with a larger smile. "And now look at you. You have a wife, many friends, and the makings of a home to begin a family."

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't sure he felt right about where this conversation was going. "Feh. That ain't gonna happen for a while now. Kagome has her school-thing she needs to complete, and that's months away from ending. I won't force her to carry my pups while she has that to deal with. What about you? You know you can have these things too, Kikyo."

Kikyo shrugged lightly. "That is true. I think that it might be best if I become acquainted with having a living body again first, however. When that witch brought me back…" she couldn't finish the sentence. She had been so angry, being pulled from an eternal rest and thrown into a clay shell that resembled her body and having been done so under the work of someone filled with hatred. It was no surprise that when she encountered the reincarnation that held her soul, she'd done what she had. But it wasn't her soul, really. Not anymore. Kikyo could see traces of herself in some of Kagome's mannerisms, but they were brief and very fleeting. Now Kikyo had her own soul, and perhaps a small part of that contained a glimmer of Kagome in return.

He stopped walking when the village came into view. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked softly. "I know things are strange now, but I really don't want to lose you as a friend because Kagome –" Inuyasha knew the older woman didn't like his mate. It wasn't hard to tell, no matter how much Kagome tried to change her mind, he wasn't sure they'd ever have a friendship like she and Sango did.

"I once asked Kagome if you were happy, back when you both had become bound. She told me that you were. That is all I can ask for Inuyasha. To know that you are happy at last." Kikyo gripped the basket a little harder and took a breath. This was something she'd been holding in for four months, and it had to be said. "I wish that I could have been the one to make you that happy, but I see the both of you together and it's clear that you wouldn't have been. You both compliment the other in a way that we could not have, and as strange as it is to say, I think we may be too much alike –"

"T-too much alike?! How in the fu –"

Kikyo laughed at his outburst, letting go of the basket with one hand to shake a finger at him for nearly swearing. Oh, she'd heard quite the variety of words in the last four months; it was more teasing than actually reprimanding him. She'd been around him too often, for she nearly let out one when she accidentally cut her finger two days ago. Kaede was still laughing about that one. "As I was saying," she continued, "I'm…trying to form a decent relationship with Kagome. It isn't easy for me, because I can't forget the things I've done, but she is persistent. It will take time."

Inuyasha snorted. "I hate to break it to you, but she's not gonna rest until you accept it. You gonna be alright?" he asked, nodding towards the dirt path that led into the heart of the village.

"I'll be fine, Inuyasha," Kikyo smiled. "It's getting late. Kagome will be waiting for you."

"Yeah… there's something she wants me to do today," he mumbled. "I'll see you later, if not tomorrow." He turned and took off into the forest again, heading straight for the well. Kagome was expecting him for something important, and he had to time his departure just right. As stressed as she was with her schoolwork, he wasn't about to fuck this up.

"What's this big surprise, Kagome?"

"You said that you'd tell us when we got back to your house!"

"Why are you leading us to the sacred tree?"

Kagome bit her lip and exhaled through her nose. This had been something she had been contemplating for the longest time, and since she and Inuyasha were bound now, there was going to come a time when her friends would need to know. Obviously they would all go their separate ways when the school year was over, as one tends to do when graduating high school. The thought of her friends never knowing the truth however, bothered her. If by some chance she could never travel back to the present, she didn't want to put her family in the position of coming up with lies to her friends if they crossed paths. She had discussed it at length with Inuyasha and her family, and it was decided that the girls should be let in on the secret.

She turned, motioning for them to sit on the bench in front of the tree. "You know that bald patch on Goshinboku, where the bark never grew over? Do you remember Grandpa telling us about the legend of a youkai that had been sealed to the tree?"

Eri frowned. "Yeah, but it's just one of your grandpa's shrine stories. Why bring that up?"

"Because it's not just a shrine story. It actually happened."

Ayumi turned to study the tree. "So youkai once existed?"

"You can't honestly believe that," Yuka said to the girl.

"How can you be sure that was even real?" Eri asked, "He said that was centuries ago. There are hardly any recorded notes from that time. I can't imagine that there'd be any on youkai of all things."

Kagome knew that of the three, Ayumi would be the easiest to convince. Eri and Yuka were too analytical to suspend their belief of needing concrete evidence to support a statement. She sighed. "You're gonna call me crazy, but I can tell you that the story is very much real." She didn't give them a chance to respond before diving right into the story that started nearly three years ago. How she was pulled into the Bone-eater's well by Mistress Centipede to being accosted by the villagers and unleashing Inuyasha from Goshinboku. She told them about the jewel of four souls, pausing to show the scar from where it was ripped from her side, and how she accidentally shattered the pieces across feudal Japan. She told them about Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara – from how they met during their travels – and how Naraku had affected each of their lives. She told them why Inuyasha had been pinned to Goshinboku for fifty years, about Kikyo, and how she had been revived. Kagome didn't hold back as she explained that all of her "sick days" were really coverups for her traveling five centuries into the past to stop an evil being from taking over pretty much everything. She chose to omit the part four months ago where Inuyasha split, as it wasn't necessary to the overall story. That would come soon enough.

Her friends had been quiet the entire time, and from the expressions on their faces Kagome wasn't sure if they were completely behind what she told them. Even Ayumi looked like she was having trouble digesting the story of a magical well.

"Alright," Kagome began gesturing towards the well house. "I know it's farfetched, and yeah it definitely sounds crazy, but come with me. I can prove that it's real."

As they reached the well house, Kagome didn't stop to watch their expressions as she went down the steps and waited by the well. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi followed, looking closely at the well to see if there were anything that could show that it was a portal. To each of them, it looked like a standard old-world well that had dried up. The wood that framed the edge had been well cared for, perhaps even replaced not long ago, but there was nothing that backed up Kagome's claims.

And then a bright purple light filled the bottom of the well.

To their credit, they didn't scream.

When Inuyasha appeared in the bottom of the well, however, the words "YOU!" echoed within the wellhouse in such a shrill tone that even Kagome was covering her ears.

"Oi! What the fuck's with the yelling!"

"You're Kagome's boyfriend!" Yuka gasped, putting the pieces together. "You're a youkai!"

Inuyasha leapt up onto the edge of the well and stepped off. "Hanyou," he corrected, rubbing his ears. "I'm half human, too."

"Is that why you were wearing that bandana when we met that time? To hide your ears?" Eri asked.

"Yeah," his eyes narrowed, almost expecting one of the girls to reach towards him. "And yeah, they're real. No, you ain't touchin' 'em."

Ayumi stepped from around Yuka, who had backed into her when the lightshow started. "You get that a lot?"

Kagome reached up and gently rubbed an ear. "They're just delicate," she explained when it was apparent that Inuyasha wouldn't. "People see them and they think they're a trick of the imagination, so they yank on them without thinking that they're very real." She stood on her toes, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. "So do you girls believe me now? The well is a portal, like I said. Just like the rest of the story happened."

Inuyasha looked down at Kagome. "You told them everything? So they know we're married, then?"

"YOU'RE MARRIED?!" the three shrieked. "I was waiting to tell them when you got here…" Kagome mumbled. She turned to her friends and tried to put on a brave face, but the barrage of questions were already making her feel guilty.

"WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US SOONER?"

"WAS THERE A WEDDING?"

"HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL US, KAGOME? THIS IS BIG!"

"Guys," she held her hands up, trying to stall their questions. "Yes, we're married. Or soul bound, according to inuyoukai traditions, anyway. There hasn't been a wedding…yet. That's why I wanted to tell you girls the truth. I want you to be there for the wedding."