A/N: Hope everyone who celebrates American Thanksgiving is having a good one!

Another fluffy chapter to tide you over, though it does have some character development mixed in.

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The wedding ended up being delayed due to Kagome's injury and Sango's illness. However, word had somehow gotten out and the village seemed abuzz with the news that their two protectors would now be wed. The idea of their approval made Kagome happy, and she'd been content the last few days, doing what duties she could with one arm. Presently, she sat with Inuyasha and was picking herbs and flowers to replenish stock. They were talking about Rin and how reluctant the girl had been at the start to live amongst humans again, when an unmistakable shadow wafted overhead, as if on cue.

"Onii-san!" Kagome called in greeting, earning a glare from the brother-in-law in question as he floated past them and out of sight. "Aw, he made a really mean face at me... Ah, Inuyasha, you are too."

"That just sounded so wrong..." the hanyou muttered.

Kagome couldn't help it, she laughed. "It was your idea!"

"I didn't think about Sesshoumaru being included!"

"Oh yes," Kagome teased dramatically, "and Rin-chan is basically your niece, now!"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, lips pursed like he'd tasted something sour in her words.

"Maybe he'll give us a wedding gift."

"You're doing this on purpose. Stop it. I can only take so much disgust in one day."

Kagome laughed again, tapping the flowers she was holding against his nose. He kept the grumpy face, but there was obviously no real bite to it. She placed the flowers in her basket and shifted her position to reach for more of the plants. "Can I ask you something?"

He looked a little surprised by her timid question, his posture straightening a little. "Sure."

"Kikyou's grave needs... some repairs. I wanted to do it, but with my arm..."

To most, his reaction would seem like nonchalance, but she watched as he uncrossed his arms just to re-cross them the other way within his billowing suikan sleeves. "Of course I can help. If you want me to do it."

"I think it would be good for you... if you're okay with it."

"I just said I was."

Kagome let out a shaky sigh. "Don't you still think about her? I don't think I've ever seen you go to her grave."

"Sometimes," he answered, his expression guarded.

"Be honest, please."

"Sometimes," he said again. "Do we really need to talk about this?"

"Well... we've never really talked about... her. And I've been thinking that maybe that's not good. It was in different ways, but she was important to both of us, and our relationship with each other." She picked at the grass, herbs forgotten.

She felt more than saw him shift weight uncomfortably. "I just never thought you wanted to hear about her anymore."

"I think I wouldn't have wanted to talk three years ago, but I had a lot of time to think when I was out of the situation for that long. I don't doubt anything you say or do about your feelings for me. But maybe we should finally... clear the air about everything?"

Inuyasha was silent, and after several moments she was starting to think he'd shut down to the conversation. Then, "Usually my thoughts about her are about not being able to protect her. Sometimes in fights I can't stop thinking about what I'd do if I messed up a third time and let you end up-... When that monkey bastard had you, it was all that was running through my mind. I don't know if I could survive losing you..."

Empathy instantly gnawed at her heart, knowing the hanyou had a deep set trauma about ending up alone again that she may never be able to fully heal. She reached to take his hand and squeeze it reassuringly. "Don't talk like that, okay? You're strong. When you lost Kikyou, you even managed to prove Kaou wrong."

His eyes snapped to hers with such an intensity that she couldn't breathe for a few passionate seconds. "You're not Kikyou."

The words were so simple. They were words she herself had asserted multiple times over their journey, to friends and foes alike. But the real meaning behind him saying them hit her heavy and raw. You're not second best. You're not a replacement. I just want you, and you've always been enough. It was, she realized, the first time she'd actually heard herself compared to Kikyou in a way where she – Kagome – was first. Despite her claim that she'd gone through these feelings on her own and gotten over the pent-up hurt – that when you're young, everything feels like the end of the world and it's silly in hindsight – the backs of her eyes began to sting, and her throat squeezed against her breath.

Inuyasha pulled her to him. The tightness of his arms around her grounded her until she was able to suck in enough breath to quiet her beginning tears. "Thank you..." he murmured in her ear, "for still loving this idiot even when my head and heart were too fucked up to love back in the way you deserved. I want to spend the rest of my life making you feel special. Is that okay, Ka-Go-Me...?"

"Inuyasha..." she half-sobbed against his chest, unable to say anything else.

"I know you already said yes, but... I didn't say everything I should have when I asked you. Too distracted by that mouth of yours."

She giggled at that, never having heard Inuyasha flirt before. "There's more of that in it for you if you help me with my chores while my arm is messed up."

"I have to earn it, now?!"

"Well we're not married yet," she teased.

Inuyasha growled, but Kagome could have sworn it sounded almost playful. She wiped at her eyes, hoping they wouldn't look too red, and stood with the basket of herbs balanced against her hip. Inuyasha rose with her, and followed her as she led the way back to Kaede's. A gasp caught in her throat when arms circled around her waist just before they made it to the door, and she was pulled gently against a red-clad chest.

"Don't forget what I said, okay?" Inuyasha spoke into her neck. "I know you said you don't doubt me, but I'm not sure you have a real understanding of my feelings for you."

She would have held the back of his head while he pressed a lingering and shaky kiss to her clavicle, if not for the basket of herbs still in her good arm. "I look forward to learning, then."

He flashed her a smile before moving past her to hold the reed mat to the hut's entrance open as they both ducked in. Shippou was the first to greet them, bounding across the small space to tug on Kagome's sleeve. No matter how much older the kitsune seemed sometimes, when he was excited he always turned back into a needy child.

"Kagome! Sango gave me a hunting knife because I'm old enough to help clean kills now! Look at the rabbit I skinned for lunch!"

Inuyasha looked pretty impassive, but Kagome put on a bright smile for the fox. "That's great, Shippou-chan! It is about lunch time, isn't it? Are you going to take some of it to Sango-chan while she's sick?"

"Yup! Kaede was about to show me how to make a stew that will help her throat feel better and give her strength."

Kaede then motioned for Shippou to sit next to her and he did. "Yes, you've been a big help," the old woman said, "but if you want to help Sango with her lunch, then we need to get started. Kagome, did you get the herbs?"

"Ah, yes. Here."

"Thank you, and sorry for making you do that. You should rest now."

Kagome smiled but sat down on the other side of the irori hearth to Kaede and Shippou. Inuyasha plopped down next to her, close enough for their legs to be touching. Such a puppy... She made a mental note of everything Shippou was told to mix in to the broth. Ginger, leek, daikon, mushrooms, carrot, burdock, thyme, bellflower root, miso, honey... and then the rabbit cured with salt. It was mostly stuff she could have guessed, but it never hurt to learn more. Shippou had also gone the extra mile and saved some ripe persimmons to have on the side. In case Sango had a sweet tooth, he'd claimed.

While the stew simmered, Shippou hummed while trying to carve a toy out of driftwood with his new knife, and Kaede sorted through the herbs Kagome had brought. The conversation was sparse, but cheery. Kagome felt her nose clearing from the hot steam of the food.

"You just missed Rin," Kaede mentioned. "Sesshoumaru brought her a new kimono and she decided to make the necessary hems out in the sun. I told her she may get it dirty but she was adamant that she'd be careful."

"Oh," Kagome giggled, "I'm sure I'll run into her later, then. Does Sesshoumaru-onii-san visit her often?"

"No," Kaede said, "I think he wants her to integrate into human society properly, though he can't quite stay away forever. This is the first time he's shown up in months."

"Tch, thankfully..." Inuyasha commented lowly. "He still thinks he's above being around humans."

Kagome grinned and scratched behind the hanyou's ear, which seemed to startle him. "He's still a stray at heart, I guess. Not like our puppy here."

Inuyasha merely pulled away. "Keh!"

Shippou looked up slyly. "This one's even collared."

Inuyasha glared back. "Watch it, you little brat."

"Shippou-chan, he's not collared. I promised never to say the word of subjugation again."

The kitsune looked confused at that. "So why don't you just take it off?"

"Well-..."

"I asked her not to, not that it's any of your damn business."

Shippou narrowed his eyes and seemed ready to ask more questions before Kaede chose to intervene. "It's true the beads were put on Inuyasha initially to protect Kagome and keep his wild tendencies in line, but they haven't been needed for a long time. Still, remembering how far one has come is always important."

"Hm..." the fox dismissed, "I still don't get it. You two can be weird."

The conversation about the beads had been brought up not long after she'd come back, but Kagome wasn't interested in retelling it if Inuyasha wanted it private. To be honest, she kind of did, too. All he'd told her was that they'd become extremely important to him over the three year separation as his only link to her that he could carry with him.

When the stew was done, Inuyasha helped Shippou take it to Sango and Miroku's place. For her part, Kagome had gone back outside to get more sun while she rested her arm. Spotting Rin on a grassy knoll with her kimono and sewing kit, the miko made her way over to her.

"Need any company?" she asked.

"Kagome-sama!" Rin greeted cheerfully. "Of course, please sit! I was just hemming up this kimono since parts of it are a little long."

"From Sesshoumaru-onii-san, right?"

"Yes. That's right, you and Inuyasha-sama are getting married, aren't you?"

"We've talked about doing it soon, yes."

Rin looked thoughtful. "Kagome-sama, is it normal to get married when you're of age where you're from, as well?"

"Mmm..." That was a harder question to answer than she'd anticipated. "I guess it is, though the age is a little different for a lot of people. Why do you ask?"

Rin's hands slowed in their almost expert seeming needlework. "I've been feeling like maybe I'm a bit strange... I have no desire to get married or have children in the future. I guess I'm just not used to people and the idea of being tied to one still scares me."

"Oh Rin-chan, that's perfectly okay," Kagome started to soothe. "Kaede-obaa-chan's not the type to marry you off, and it's more normal than you think to be intimidated by that kind of intimacy with someone."

"Were you ever scared to be with Inuyasha-sama?"

"Absolutely. In fact things were very complicated between us for... a long time. There were a lot of moments when I was sure nothing would come of it, but I still wanted to stay with him because I knew he needed someone to. We went through a lot with each other to get to this point."

"That sounds so romantic..." Rin smiled. "All the boys my age are just weird. I kind of miss Kohaku... he was quiet and listened to me. Plus we both lost our-..."

The girl trailed off, but Kagome could infer what she'd been about to say. She didn't know much about Rin's past, but she could guess that she was somehow orphaned, since she'd been trailing after Sesshoumaru. "When he visits again, why don't you ask him to stop by more often? I'm sure he gets lonely too, with only Kirara for company."

"I guess... I could... I just thought he'd prefer to spend his time here with his sister."

"Maybe, but Sango-chan's attention is pretty divided now with three kids, so it could be nice for him to have someone closer to his own age to hang out with."

Rin smiled at her. "Thank you, Kagome-sama. I'll ask him."

Kagome smiled back. As much as the girl was fitting in at Kaede's, it would be nice for her to have more friends. She played with the other village children, but Kagome had never seen her get as emotionally attached to anyone as she had Sesshoumaru. Maybe it really was just hard for her to bond with humans at this point.

By the time the sun had reached its highest peak, Rin was finished and had ducked inside to change out her worn and too-small kosode for the new kimono. It might have been a little extravagant for a little village girl like her, but if his own attire was any indication, Kagome guessed that Sesshoumaru may just have extravagant tastes. Either way it was adorable, and it was nice to see Rin so excited.

"Kagome-sama, do you have a kimono for your wedding? I can help sew one if you're too busy!" the girl chirped.

Kagome gave a little laugh and waved her off. "Oh no, I don't think Inuyasha and I will be doing anything fancy like that. Our usual clothes will be okay for a small event. I won't even have any trousseau to prepare, since we already live together."

'And I left everything back in my time...' her mind remembered.

"Hmm, well okay, then!" Rin accepted just as cheerily.

It wasn't like Inuyasha owned anything other than Tessaiga either, so she wasn't expecting much in the way of ceremony. Speaking of Inuyasha, he chose that moment to reappear from the direction of Sango and Miroku's house. Shippou wasn't with him so she guessed he must be still helping. The hanyou looked somewhat pleased with himself, but said nothing in particular when he took up his usual spot beside her.

"How was Sango-chan?" Kagome asked conversationally.

"She's okay. She's been up and about now, though Miroku's still trying to get her to rest."

"Is she still able to feed Hisui-kun okay? That can be a problem when women become bedridden for too long."

Inuyasha huffed in slight annoyance at the question. "How am I supposed to know? Smelled like it, so probably."

Kagome realized she was probably getting too into doctor mode and dropped that line of questioning. "As long as she's eating okay and resting, which it sounds like she is. I'll visit her myself later this afternoon. The bedroll really needs to be aired out while it's still warm."

"I can do that," Inuyasha said.

Rin spoke up again as well, "I can help with chores too, if you need it!"

"Thank you, Rin-chan. I'd appreciate it."

…

It was pretty obvious Inuyasha had never had to air out a bed in his life. He had the basic idea from watching her, but if Rin weren't there to trail behind him with the slack, it's likely the thing would have needed a good wash as well. Kagome sighed from her spot against the firewood, where the three chickens were preening around her after being fed.

"It's nice getting to have a break, isn't it, Eri, Yuka, Ayumi?"

Inuyasha looked back over at her incredulously. "You named them after your friends?"

"You don't see the resemblance?"

"I do, but I never expected to hear it from you."

Kagome laughed, petting the chickens. Rin was now weeding the garden for them, seeming lost in her own little world for the moment. Deciding she'd had enough of being the only one having a break, Kagome forced herself up and inside, intending to at least make some tea. Sorting herbs into the kettle, she jumped a little when she felt a nose nuzzle into her hair.

"You're so quiet when you want to be..." she giggled breathlessly.

"So have I earned one of those kisses, yet?" Inuyasha's voice murmured into her ear.

"Hmmm... maybe just about."

"If you give me one, I might just have the motivation to scrub the floors today."

It was strange, but somehow refreshing to hear him being playful in this way. She remembered their talk about how he'd apparently been good at making his mother laugh as a child. Maybe that side of him was trying to resurface. "That does sound nice. I guess I have no choice."

Turning around to catch his smile, Kagome gripped at his rosary to pull his head down and meet her lips. His hands were winding around her waist and against her back, but she kept it brief because of Rin's presence. The last thing she wanted was an awkward moment like that. Inuyasha kept following her mouth though, trying to catch more kisses from her, until she laughed and pushed against his chest.

"I promise we can do this more, later! Let's try not to scare Rin-chan away."

Her hanyou looked mildly frustrated but she could tell he was still being playful when he said, "I'm gonna hold you to that."

He went to get a pail of water then, making good on his promise to scrub the floors, but Kagome couldn't answer other than to smile and touch her lips. Shaking her head, she at last went back to attending the tea. This new side to Inuyasha was making her heart pound. She wasn't sure how she was going to function even with both arms if he kept it up.

A/N: I'm not going to ship Rin with anyone in this fic, but she and Kohaku are an underrated friendship. Also the names of Kagome's friends, like Sango's kids' names, are the only things I'm borrowing from the anime, haha. They never even got names in the manga!

So... one of my biggest gripes with the canon story is that even though it was obvious to readers who Inuyasha loved "best", Kagome herself never really got a chance to know she was more than a 2nd place trophy after Kikyou died. I know she had her "it's okay to feel" moral lesson, but I always wished they could have had a good talk to properly clear the air. (He didn't even get to hear her "I want you to live and be happy" internal monologue, just like she didn't get to hear his "born for her" speech. Which is a literal war crime on Takahashi's part.) So I fixed it, LOL. I think there's a lot more to explore about the Kagome vs Kikyou thing from both perspectives, but it seems a bit weird to focus on it at this point in their relationship, so oh well.