Disclaimer – Inu Yasha is a product of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Entertainment. This ficlet is merely for my entertainment – and yours if you feel so inclined. Enjoy. )

Lucky

Aside from slaying other demons, sitting with her on quiet afternoons like this one was one of his favorite pastimes. No words were usually exchanged between them – she was so accustomed to his presence that she often times forgot he was there. He didn't really mind, however; before it used to irk him to no end to think she was ignoring him, but he soon came to realize that for her not to react to his demon aura showed how much she actually trusted him. Now it was times like this he could watch her unguarded, and thank whatever deity had decided to bless him with such a wonderful gift.

And she was wonderful; there was no doubt about that in his mind. She was strong, and beautiful, but most of all kind. Granted she could be a bit clumsy at times and often needed to be saved occasionally... not to mention she had a bit of a temper – now really, who was he to judge? – but he could have never asked for a better mate.

He was damned lucky, that's for sure.

The two continued to sit in silence, she engrossed in her task and he merely taking in the sight of her. She hummed quietly to herself as she flitted through the small kitchen area, drifting over to a cutting board arranging her ingredients in front of her. The weather outside was very pleasant, sunlight filtering in through the window, casting a halo over her face, highlighting the color in her hair as well as the edge of the cutting knife in her hand. She took no notice if this, however, deftly cutting vegetables in to thin, even slices.

He forced himself to hold back a snort. For someone who could barely go a few feet without tripping over something – or attracting the attention of some bloodthirsty youkai – he was amused she could exhibit such grace towards anything else besides archery. That had come naturally, of course, but it was still a surprise to see how she handled that knife with such precision.

But of course, he had once been so foolish as to go open his mouth and tell her this, so she in turn went to one of Sango's acquaintances – who just so happened to be a ninja skilled in the art throwing knives. After learning the technique herself, she'd jokingly threatened to skewer him if he ever made fun of her fighting abilities again. He, naturally, took the hint.

It didn't take eyes to see how strong she was. Without even a slip of training, she exhibited some of the most amazing miko abilities he had ever seen. Not all of it was physical, of course; most of her strength came from her heart. Who else could take all the abuse she had from a lowly hanyou like himself and yet have nothing but love and trust (and maybe a few sits) to give in return? Yes, he was lucky, truly lucky.

She paused from her task, turning to face him. Blinking momentarily, her surprise melted into a warm smile. "Hey," she replied.

He merely inclined his head in response. That was another thing he found amazing about her. She understood the fact that he wasn't that good with words. She never forced him to talk about anything he found uncomfortable unless she felt it was for his benefit. She knew when he wanted company and she also knew when he wanted to be alone. They had been together so long she could often understand him without a single word being spoken.

Her expression turned to one of amusement. It was his turn to blink now. "I thought you said something about not wanting to be cooped up in the house all day with nothing to do."

"Keh, who said I wasn't doing something." A pinkish tint spread across his face as he realized what he had said. Of course she had probably known what he was doing all along, but that didn't mean he had to admit it out loud.

She merely smiled. Did she even realize how beautiful she was when she smiled? He could actually feel his heartbeat speeding up.

The two of them continued on in silence, she engrossed in her task of cooking, he merely basking in the pleasure of being in her presence.

A timer went off somewhere by the stove, and she removed a pot from the heat, rustling around in the drawers for some bowls. When it seemed that she wasn't able to reach the one she wanted, he feigned a frustrated sigh, rising from his seat to help her.

He stood beside her, making sure not to leave any space between the two of them. "Which one?" he grunted.

She was blushing, he could tell. "The red one."

He frowned slightly. The red one? The red one was his bowl, the one he always ate out o--- oh boy...Now he understood. She'd found some new recipe, and he was unfortunate to be her test subject.

She'd never given him anything he hadn't enjoyed eating, but it was the principle of the thing.

He grabbed the bowl, setting down on the counter before retreating back to his seat at the table. "So, what'd you make?"

With her back facing him, she'd spooned her concoction into the bowl before turning to face him. The most wonderful smell in the world reached his nose – well, second most wonderful smell compared to her scent.

An eager smile was on her face as she looked up at him. "Ramen."

From scratch? He couldn't have asked for a better mate.

He blinked at the bowl before staring back up at her. Fighting the urge to grin, he pasted his usual expression of disinterest on his face. "Fine, pass me some chopsticks."

She squealed happily and quickly obliged.

It turned out he hadn't really needed the chopsticks after all, but asking for them was merely routine. Once he'd finished what was in front of him, he glanced back at his mate who was waiting patiently for his response.

It always surprised him to see how much what he thought of her meant to her.

He smiled. "Got any seconds?"

She smiled brightly and hugged him, giving his ear a little tweak. "I love you, too, Inu Yasha."

Had he mentioned how lucky he was? Lucky, lucky, lucky.

End

Author's Notes (10/24/04) – Wow, this thing has been sitting on my hard drive for quite some time. It seems I have this thing where a fic has to be a certain length... but hey, I finally finished it. Fewer than 4 pages no less, that's a big thing for me!

Wufei – Well whoopty frickin' doo...

::ignores him:: Anyway, I've been in a strangely creative mood lately, maybe because I no longer have tuition bills eating at my conscience. (Paid 'em off, baby... WOOHOO!) Granted, I'm still broke, but oh well.

Anyways, enjoy this little fic of my. You can even review if you'd like, it would certainly make my day. Also, keep a lookout for more plotless little works like this, as well as updates on my other fics (I'll get back to 'em, I swear!).

In the meantime....

Read...

Write...

Review...

or else! Just kidding... D