Chapter Thirty Six

Disclaimer: I own nothing that belongs to the creators of Inuyasha.

Please don't forget to go and check out my KOGAOC (that's right, KOGAOC) fanfiction Moments Lost To Time. It does tie into this story so if you've made it this far then you'll no doubt see the connections :). BIG plot twists still to come though!

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YOU GUYS KEEP THIS STORY GOING! You're the BEST!


The afterglow was something else, in my case at least.

I couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear when I was left alone with my thoughts as we journey back to Kaede's village to restock the following day. I would dare some glances in Inuyasha's direction off and on, finding him looking directly back at me each time I did with a knowing, heated look. It would send a shiver down my spine each time, wondering exactly what he might be thinking about.

Was he envisioning my wet, naked body, steaming in the cool evening air as I stepped from the hot spring?

Or was he thinking about how I tasted in his mouth when he had eaten me out and sent me reeling into the first orgasm I had, had in well over a year.

Heat flushes through me at the memory of his tongue on me, his hands bracing me down on the ground as my body arched and writhed under his touch. Chewing softly on my lower lip I look over towards Inuyasha for what must have been the hundredth time that morning. His gaze catches mine once more, but this time it goes lower towards my lips, his own parting slightly as he does.

'No.' I think smugly, feminine pride filling my chest. 'I know exactly what he's thinking about now.'

Looking forward once more, I blanch as I finally notice Sango looking over her shoulder at me, a quirked eyebrow firmly in place. Fighting back a blush I look away to the side from both her and Inuyasha, trying to quietly clear my throat.

Returning to the hut that night hadn't been as awkward as I thought it would be. By the time Inuyasha had woken me in the early night, and we had both quickly rinsed away the evidence of our entanglement and dressed, the others had long since fallen asleep.

It was the morning that was fucking awkward as all get out.

Miroku, as I should have expected, was the first to comment.

"When did you two get back last night?" Miroku asks slyly from where he sits with his morning tea, sipping at it with a calm expression. Inuyasha visibly stiffens, as do I, and I can't help panicking slightly, not even sure what to say. Thankfully Shippo was out doing his morning business, leaving only the adults and Kirara in the hut at the moment.

At least the monk had the good sense to wait till the little boy was gone.

"Stop it, Miroku." Sango speaks up, and I look to her thankfully, only to see a evil smirk spread across her face. "Clearly they're as reluctant to talk this morning as they were last night."

I had nearly died choking on my tea, Miroku's laughter accompanying Sango's at my expense. Thankfully that was the end of the teasing, since Shippo returned only a few moments later, a concerned expression on his face as I was still catching my breath.

By the time we stopped again for the evening, the darkness making it difficult to continue on, the tension between Inuyasha and I could be cut with a dulled knife. The others seemed so busy with their own tasks and conversation that it luckily went unnoticed by them. Inuyasha had leaned himself back against a tree as usual across the fire from me, his golden eyes closed for the moment as the fading light of the setting sun cast his skin in a golden glow. I took the opportunity while I could to look over every detail of his handsome face, still hardly able to believe that he had finally chosen me.

"Kikyo-"

"Is no longer a factor." Inuyasha cuts off evenly, wading forward to try and close the distance between us as he locks me in the most intense look I had ever seen on him. "Don't bring her into this, she doesn't belong here." He murmurs softly, motioning between him and I. I choke back a sob of disbelief at his words.

How could she not be a factor? He loved her.

"You love her!" I point out brokenly, wading back away from him as he continued to slowly advance on me. Inuyasha doesn't break eye contact as he shakes his head slowly.

"I don't."

The pure joy that had washed over me during that moment washes over me again in the memory of it, heart racing and body feeling like it was weightless.

He had chosen me.

Me.

'How insane is that?' I can't help thinking to myself in wonder, my eyes tracing over his handsome face. 'Someone like him, choosing someone like me?' I was everything he should have turned away from. A human, the very embodiment of his dead lover. Yet he saw past all that, he saw me. 'Then again, for Koga there had never been a choice. To him there was no other option than me.'

That annoying thought hits me like a brick wall, my eyes widening as my heart goes from racing to still in an instant.

Where the hell had that come from?

"It's not a fantasy!" Koga denies passionately then, leaning forward slightly. "I've claimed her as mine!" His blue eyed gaze moves up towards me, locking on my own. "I"m in love with you, Yua!"

Even now I get an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, thinking about the way his icy blue eyes had stared down at me with such open honesty when he had made his proclamation. He had meant it, every word. He had said the words I had wanted Inuyasha to say to me without doubt, without hesitation.

"You've only known me for, like, two days!" I shout at him in disbelief. "How the hell are you in love with me?!"

"It didn't take long for me to know, Yua. Your fighting spirit, your tenacity, your loyalty. It's all wasted on that ungrateful pup." He points angrily towards Inuyasha, never breaking eye contact with me. "You're far better off with me, and you know it." Koga goes on with a tone of superiority. "It's time for you to make a clean breakaway and give up that pathetic mutt-face. He's not good enough for you, forget about him. I'm going to kill him someday anyway!" He adds, pointing his spear at Inuyasha in threat. "Once you've been with a real warrior like me, you'll never go back to scraps again!"

I'm soon distracted by the conversation that takes over during dinner. Miroku was excited to return to the village, whilst Sango listened raptly to any and all details we gave her about the place and the people there. Soon enough the sun set and the stars began to dot the sky.

The moon, however, was absent.

Sango and Miroku had both been present for one of Inuyasha's human transformations to date, but nonetheless they looked on in wonder as Inuyasha's silver hair slowly bled into black from root to tip.

"You don't look the same without your dog ears." Sango comments lightly, sounding slightly weirded out. Inuyasha huffs in annoyance, throwing her a look.

"How do you think I feel?" He asks bitterly, raising a hand up to inspect his now blunt and harmless nails. I frown at that, chewing softly on my lower lip. Inuyasha hated being vulnerable in his human form, and even more, he disliked feeling like he had to rely on us for a night for protection. "I was hoping to be back to the village by the time this happened again." He adds with a troubled frown, glancing around towards the rest of us.

"Don't worry. We've got your back!" Shippo exclaims from his spot beside Miroku, his hand gently resting on Kirara's back. The fox demon has a large smile on his face, nose pointed ever so slightly upwards as he carries an air of importance.

"I'm doomed." Inuyasha mutters lowly in return, Shippo's chest deflating almost instantly as he looks towards the Alpha male with annoyance.

Soon after that dinner was cleaned up and everyone was sleeping in their respective spots. Shippo had chosen to sleep near Sango and Kirara for the night, and I couldn't help a small smile as I looked at the three of them all curled up together across from where I now lay in my own bedroll. The fire was slowly dimming, casting a calming glow over the group, minus Inuyasha who had insisted on scouting around the camp once more tonight, despite his obvious handicap. Force of habit more than anything else, I would guess.

"Make some room." I stiffen at first, slightly surprised as I twist myself slowly to look behind me, Inuyasha now standing there and looking down at me with a small smirk. When I didn't move any further, he raised a teasing eyebrow at me. Stomach bursting with butterflies, I move forward slightly, feeling my blanket lift up as he slid down, his body heat washing over me well before he was actually laying down. His strong arm wrapped around my waist from behind, gently tugging my back to rest against his chest, bodies curving naturally against one and other. His large hand was splayed across my stomach, hidden under the blanket, the heat from it blazing through my un-tucked shirt. I could feel my breath shortening, thinking of how his hand had felt against me the other night, grabbing at me, pushing my legs open wide enough so he could-

"You're going to drive me crazy." I murmur lowly, aware that the others were only feet away from us. His low chuckle wasn't loud enough to hear, but I could feel his chest moving with it as his warm breath washed over my ear. Swallowing thickly, I try my best to slow my racing heart.

Then his hand starts to move.

"You know, there is one good thing about being human." Inuyasha murmurs lowly into my ear, causing a shiver to rush down my spine and heat to pool between my legs. His large hand is moving from where it had been resting just under my breasts, slowly sliding down along my stomach and pausing just over where the band of my pants could be felt under my un-tucked top. His fingers lightly flexed there, before grabbing at the material of my top and slowly pulling it upwards.

"What's that?" I ask quietly, voice cracking as I close my eyes finally feeling the skin of his fingers brushing against my own just under my bellybutton. They begin to tease at the band of my bottoms, sending a shiver of anticipation through my system.

Rated M

"I'll show you, but you've gotta keep quiet." Inuyasha murmurs into my ear, his voice deliciously husky. "Can you do that for me?" I nod, unable to even speak with how tense my body was, waiting for his next move. "Good girl." He murmurs lowly to me at my non-verbal response, his chest rumbling with an inaudible growl against my back. "Now help me get these off." He whispers softly, his hand tugging at the band of my pants. Far past feeling shy or shameful, the throbbing having returned with a painful vengeance between my legs, I quietly help to shimmy my bottoms down and off, the material bunching into a pile just below my feet. Still under the cover of the blanket, I look ahead nervously to the others, stilling and holding my breath for a moment to see if the slight noise the rustling of fabric had made had woken any of them up.

"They're all fast asleep, I can tell by their breathing." Inuyasha murmurs with reassurance, before nibbling teasingly at my ear. My back arches sharply at the feeling, my ass pushing back against his groin. I can feel him stirring against me, and can't resist grinding myself back against him once more with a soft gasp of arousal.

I was like a fucking cat in heat right now.

Like hot iron, Inuyasha's hand grips at my hip with human strength, stilling my movements. I can't help from looking over my shoulder at him then, lips parted and cheeks flushed with arousal, wondering why he had stopped me. His gaze his so heated that it sends wetness trickling down my tense thighs, heart racing at the absolute hunger there.

"The first time I finish, it's going to be inside of you, not inside of my own damn clothes." Inuyasha's tense reply sends both a wave of shock and heat coursing through me, eyes widening as he uses the moment to move his hand down to my leg that was resting on top of the other, carefully moving it to hook back over his own legs and consequently spreading me open. Even though I was still covered by the privacy of the blanket, the sudden rush of fresh air against my damp skin has my hips canting slightly in response. Inuyasha chuckles lowly behind me, having obviously caught my movement. "So responsive." He murmurs lowly, his hand moving from my hip and slowly tracing down my leg that was hooked over his own. I find myself clenching my teeth together to stop from whimpering as his fingers softly traced down as far as he could reach, just below my knee, before moving upwards along the inside of my thigh ever so slowly. I was throbbing, I was impossibly wet, and I was not in the mood for teasing.

'How the hell does he wind me up so easily?' I can't help thinking to myself with frustration, feeling his fingers now tracing little circles along the skin of my inner thigh.

"Yua, quiet. It'll be all over before I even get started if you wake someone." Inuyasha whispers softly, and it's only then that I notice the whimpers that I had thought I was holding back were actually escaping through my tightly closed lips. I close my eyes then, feeling his finger slowly tracing along the exposed crease between my hip and my pussy that this position provided. "That's it…" He coos when I have successfully quieted myself, feeling another wave of heat wash over me.

'Who the hell am I becoming?' I can't help thinking distractedly at that. 'I'm getting so turned on having him order me around, praise me, when we're like this.'

I enjoyed him having control over my body.

My eyes snap open as I feel his finger suddenly trace from my dripping entrance to my clit, taking the wetness with it as it did. The minute his slick fingertip passes over my clit I have to bring up my right hand to cover my mouth, not unlike the night before, my left gripping onto the bed roll beneath us. His finger pauses over my clit, before rolling around, as if experimenting, in a circle around it once again. My whole body jerks, hips lurched forward and upwards in the unconscious effort to feel more friction.

Then his finger stops again, hovering right above where the throbbing was nearly unbearable.

I feel his lips gently press against my neck, my tense body slowly relaxing back into him once more as he does.

Then, with a soft click of his tongue, he tuts me…

He tuts me.

"You need to keep still, Yua." He growls quietly into my neck, his dull human teeth gently scraping along the skin as he does. I nearly let out a sound of disbelief at that, chewing hard on my lower lip to stop it from spilling forth. As if sensing my opposition to the command, Inuyasha's chest vibrates against my back with silent laughter. "Either you keep still and keep quiet, or I roll over and go to sleep. Your choice."

Where had this incredibly confident, sexy guy come from?

In my wildest dreams I never would have guessed Inuyasha would have this type of sexual power to him. After all, physically he looked closer to my age, even though I knew he was quite a bit older in demon years. I should have known that he'd have experience, as much as I really didn't want to think about that right now. I just didn't realize that it would manifest into the man that was currently holding me hostage by my clit.

"Okay, okay." I gasp out softly, quietly as I can, thighs tense as I held my hips steady. Inuyasha rolls his finger over my clit again, and this time I don't move an inch. It takes everything in my power not to, the urge to buck my hips so strong that my thighs are trembling with the effort of holding back. I knew he could feel them shaking, especially the one hooked over his own, but he doesn't let up, his finger trailing down to my entrance once more and slowly sweeping back up to my clit with more of my juices. He coats my clit again, making it slick, before rubbing his finger back and forth over it, instead of circling it.

And this time, he doesn't stop.

I'm sure my lower lip must be close to the point of bleeding with how hard I'm biting down onto it, my entire body shaking with the effort of staying as still as possible. I didn't want to find out if his threat would play out, not now of all times. The burning, tightening sensation was intense as my core begins to constrict, and I can feel myself being rocketed towards release.

"Don't cum. Not yet." Inuyasha's growls the order lowly, my teeth letting my lower lip go as my mouth widens with horrified disbelief. His index finger continues to rub vigorously at my clit, bringing me closer and closer to cumming, no matter what he might have just said.

No, no, no. That was definitely too much to ask of me.

"Don't. Don't you dare." Inuyasha growls against my ear again, as if able to sense my thoughts. I swallow thickly, closing my eyes tightly to try and think of anything that would stop me from orgasming.

Nothing was coming to mind.

His finger leaves my clit, just as I'm determined to deliberately disobey him and let myself go. A whoosh of air leaves me through my nose, eyes snapping open and looking over my shoulder at him in frustrated disbelief. He's smirking confidently at me, his arm that was under him gently moving to snake under my neck, reaching out till he found my own hand that was still gripping the bedroll beneath me. His fingers gently urge my own to intertwine with his, his nose lightly brushing over my ear as his warm breath washes delightfully down my neck. His index finger moves slowly down along my soaking slit till he comes to my entrance. My eyes widen in realization then, what he had said earlier all coming together for the first time for me tonight.

He had no claws.

Just as that thought hit me I can feel his dulled, human finger tip pressing gently into me. Eyes widening, I find myself holding my breath as his finger ever so slowly presses into me, the slickness from my arousal making it easy. Inuyasha's mouth parts slightly in a pant, his eyes glazed over and hooded as his finger finally sinks into me completely, wiggling slightly. The action causes my body to react, clamping down around the digit. My hand that was currently holding his own tightens, his own squeezing back in return as a nearly inaudible groan passes between his full lips.

"You're so tight."

That phrase alone felt like enough to cause me to careen over the edge, since I was hanging dangerously close to it to begin with. Something deep and primal inside of me liked the fact he obviously was pleased with how my pussy felt around his finger. It was a prelude to what it would feel like around his cock, and he obviously wasn't going to be disappointed.

"Let me know if this is uncomfortable for you." He speaks up softly, and I'm only left in confusion for a moment before I feel his index finger retreat gently, his middle finger joining it as he slowly pushes both inside of me. Uncomfortable wasn't how I would describe it, but there was a sensation of stretching that I hadn't felt in well over a year, ever since I had stopped pleasing myself with my own fingers. Even then, my fingers weren't nearly as thick as his.

My hips jolt slightly as his fingers sink in completely, the fullness feeling insanely good. I freeze, wondering if Inuyasha would reprimand me again, but he doesn't. Instead he leans towards my ear once more, fingers still buried deep inside my clenching pussy. He wiggles them together once, before gently starting to thrust them at a slow easy pace. "I want you to cum on my fingers, sweetheart." The pet name, something he had never used on me before, slips by his full lips.

'Sweetheart…Koga called me that.' I inconveniently remember, chest tightening slightly before I shake that thought away. I allow myself to get caught up in the feeling of his fingers filling me so deeply as they pass over what felt like every nerve ending inside of me.

"Rub yourself."

I don't have to be told twice at this point.

With my free hand I reach down for my clit, rubbing it in almost vicious circles as his fingers start a faster, harder pace inside of me. I can feel the pressure building up, the sensations so much more intense than when I had almost cum for him moments before. I could feel myself tightening around his fingers, my channel gripping them like a vice as I breathed heavily though my nose, every mindful to keep the moans and cries quiet. "I can feel it, you're so close." Inuyasha groans lowly into my ear, breathing heavily against it. He was right, I was, and I was fighting to throw myself over that edge. "Let go, Yua. Now."

I'm sure I must have blacked out when the first waves of my orgasm hit.

My ears were buzzing as I snapped, eyes wide but unseeing as light blinded my vision. It took a few seconds for my body's tense muscles to release, shaking and trembling as the waves of my orgasm continued to squeeze Inuyasha's gently rocking fingers inside of me over and over again, each clench getting only slightly weaker than the first. It felt like minutes before I was finally able to relax, though my body would jolt every now and then when a sporadic, strong, aftershock would hit me. All the while Inuyasha didn't move, his hand gripping my own tightly, whilst his other stayed buried between my legs. His head was buried against my neck, breathing deeply as his own body trembled against my own. Experimentally I arch my back, pressing my ass back against him.

Finding him hard as rock against me.

A quiet, warning growl issued from deep in his chest had me shuffle forward slightly once again, his promise from earlier still clear in my mind.

"The first time I finish with you, it's going to be inside of you, not inside of my own damn clothes."

Slowly, gently, Inuyasha removes his fingers from inside of me, making sure not to make too much more of a mess on me as he does. His head lifts, and I can't help looking over my shoulder at him with hooded eyes at the movement.

My mouth drops open slightly as I force back a wanton moan when his sticks those fingers in his mouth and sucks on them, cleaning my juices away with his tongue. He's smirking around his fingers at me as he does, before releasing his fingers and leaning forward to kiss me deeply, his tongue shoving through my own lips to tangle with mine. I could taste the muskiness of me on his mouth, though not as concentrated as the night he had eaten me out. It still sent a flood of heat through me all the same. Breathing as quietly as I could when he broke the kiss, I nuzzle my nose sweetly against his own, a soft smile on his own lips at the gesture. He kisses me sweetly once more, before letting go of my hand and shifting his arm from under my neck.

"Don't move." He murmurs lowly, getting out from under the blankets and moving with surprising stealth around the camp, given his currently very human nature. He goes into my bag and finds one of my washcloths, going to the pot of clean water we had put aside for tea in the morning. He dips it in, wrings it out, before coming back over to me and handing it down to my outreaching hand. I smile in thanks, taking the cloth below the blanket and wiping myself up. Inuyasha's hand reaches down once I had, and I'm slightly surprised when he takes the cloth and throws it over a nearby log, fairly out of sight. I would have to remember to grab that up in the morning. I hate the idea of pulling my bottoms back on, the material now scratchy and itchy against my sensitive skin, but I knew I should just incase. I look around, Inuyasha now standing by the log he had thrown the small towel over, looking at me with a soft expression. I reach out to him, silently asking him to come back to the bedroll with me. His soft smile turns into a handsome smirk as he does so, crawling back in behind me and pulling me back to his chest.

I knew in the morning he wouldn't be there, for the sake of saving us both some embarrassment with the group, but I would take being able to fall asleep in his warm, protective arms.


We reach the village two days later, and are greeted by a very happy Kaede. It was clear to see that she grew a little lonely without us around, or more namely Shippo. The little fox demon had wormed his way into her old heart as well, spending time with her learning about herbs and such during our previous visits. She eagerly accepts his help to work in her small garden behind her hut, leaving the rest of us to get settled once again and to start thinking about supplies.

During our third day there, I find myself walking the familiar trail back towards the Bone Eater's Well. When I arrive I can see that someone had repaired the well from when Inuyasha had stuffed that tree down it to try and ensure that I wasn't able to return.

'Clearly that plan hadn't worked out.' I think with humor, chewing softly on my lower lip as I reach for the jewel fragment hanging around my neck, once again reminded that it was no longer hanging there.

"I believe that the Bone Eater's Well is a doorway in which you can travel back and forth from your time to the past, though I am unsure if you can do so without the Sacred Jewel. Perhaps because you belong to both worlds, it is possible." Kaede's theorizes as our group sits around her fire. Miroku looks curiously at the old woman, however he slowly nods.

"I was thinking the same thing after what had happened all those months ago." Miroku agrees, stoking the fire with a small stick he held. His gaze moves from his task over the flames towards where I sat opposite of him. "After Shippo dropped the jewel shards in the Well, you were able to return." I blink, the memory still fresh, and nod.

"I was unable to return, though, when Inuyasha had thrown me back into the well without the jewel shards." I remind the monk, frowning. "I don't see how it's going to be possible to go back and forth without them." I add softly. Miroku frowns, before digging into his robe then and pulling out the three jewel shards that he personally owned. I look at him shocked as he opens his hand and extends it towards me, the shards glowing in his palm.

"Take them." Miroku urges, and I can't help hesitating, knowing how hard he had to have worked to earn them.

"Are you sure?" I ask softly, looking up into his kind blue eyes.

"Very. I've come to realize, now more than ever, that this is a joint effort. The supplies that you can bring from your world are invaluable to our quest." He reasons, gently gesturing for me to take them once again. I reach out slowly, grabbing the shards from his hand whilst nodding thankfully to him.

"This means a lot, Miroku. Thank you." I state gratefully, closing my hands around the shards and bringing that hand to my chest. It was weird, but with his jewel fragments in my hand I suddenly felt like I had purpose again. My life for the past number of months, has revolved around the gathering and protection of the jewel shards. When Kikyo had taken them from me, she had also taken away what I felt I contributed to with our group.

Miroku's offering meant more to me than he would ever realize, and I was truly thankful to have made a friend of him.

"So, should I return back to the future and grab some things we need?" I ask lightly, mentally noting how I sounded like that American movie franchise at the moment, the one with the time traveling car.

"What would we need?" Inuyasha asks sharply, frowning from where he sat against the far wall, arms crossed and Tessaiga leaning against his shoulder. "Why risk it?" I chew on my lower lip, glancing towards Kaede, before looking at the flames of the fire.

"No offense to the medicine here, but our time has made some very large advances in that respect. I mean, you've all seen for yourselves." I add, thinking about my now empty first-aid kit that my Aunt had ensured I had packed during our last impromptu visit. "Not to mention," I go on, a sly note to my voice as I glance back over my shoulder at the silver haired half demon, "someone seemed to really enjoy the ramen I brought back the first time. It was gone within the first night!" Inuyasha flushes slightly at this, stubbornly looking away from me.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Smiling warmly at the memory as I stare down at the Well, I feel my stomach continuing to flutter with nerves. If I went down the Well, there was no guarantee I would come back, that much was for certain. Could I risk that? Could I risk never seeing any of my friends again?

Never seeing Inuyasha again?

"If you really want to go, I'll come with you." I nearly let out a startled shout, having not expected to hear the voice of the very half demon I had just been thinking of. I send him an annoyed look as I breathe deeply to calm my now racing heart.

"I really wish you wouldn't sneak up on me like that." I murmur lowly, before sighing heavily as I turn to look back at the Bone Eater's Well. "And I'm not sure I want to go." I add softly, frowning. "I mean, it would be nice to see everyone again, and grab some much needed supplies." 'Like tampons.' I think dryly to myself. "What if we can't get back through the Well, though?"

"I've traveled through it once, and you have twice. Despite not really wanting to put it to the test, I think our odds are pretty good." Inuyasha replies evenly, his arms crossed as he looks at the Well with calculation. "It's honestly up to you, though." I chew on my lower lip, looking back over to him now he stood shoulder to shoulder with me.

"You'll really go with me?" I ask softly, voice unsure. As weird as it sounded, I felt like if he were to come with me I'd be able to return to this era regardless if I could do so on my own or not. I feel Inuyasha's hand gently wrap around my own, squeezing it as he does.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again." Inuyasha replies in a solemn promise, causing me to look over at him with slight shock. He's gazing at the Well still, though I know he can sense me looking at him all the same. Warmth rolls over me at his proclamation, something deep inside of me nearly purring at the idea of never being far from him ever again.

"Okay." I state shakily as I turn my gaze to the Bone Eater's Well now too. "We'll tell the others and leave tomorrow morning." I squeeze his hand in return, never having let go of it in the first place.

I just hoped we weren't making a huge mistake.


It was a huge mistake.

A massive mistake of epic proportions.

"So," my Aunt begins slyly as we sit around the dining room table, Inuyasha and my Grandpa both battling with their chopsticks over the last slice of salmon, "this is the boy you were upset over?" I take in the sight of my half demon lover, his golden eyes narrowed in challenge and his dog ears pressed down to his head as he nearly snarled while smacking my Grandpa's chopsticks away from the plate between them with his own. The family had only met him very briefly during the last encounter after the Noh Mask incident, so this was a real introduction in relation.

"Yeah." I sigh, shoulders slumping in exasperation.

"He seems pretty cool." Sota speaks up from my other side, a wide grin on his face as he watched the scene before us with amusement. "I mean, he's got a sword!" I can't help a small laugh at that. Clearly Sota was easily won over.

"Have you guys run into Kikyo since she was resurrected?" Kagome asks, and Inuyasha freezes on the spot, allowing Grandpa to claim victory with a shout of glee. I clear my throat, looking between Inuyasha as he turns to stare at her with unreadable golden eyes, fixated for a moment on her face.

That had been weird too. Watching Inuyasha react when he saw my cousin for the first time in months since that incident. He had paused when Kagome had walked though the door from school, body stiff and mouth slackening at the sight. I tried my best not to be too testy about his response to my cousin, a person so different yet so similar to the woman Inuyasha had once loved. Kagome, however, didn't wish me dead.

Not that I knew of at least.

"Um, here and there." I reply, heart thumping uncomfortably under my rib-cage.

"I still think it's freaky, knowing that there is a woman walking around that looks exactly like me." Kagome's brows furrowed then in thought. "But I guess I look like her since she's in the past…" She sighs heavily. "It's all so confusing!"

Guess how I feel?

Later that evening, once all the awkward conversations that could be had, had happened and were thankfully over with, Inuyasha and I stood by the well with my family all gathered at the stairs. My bag now once again heavy with much needed supplies, I let Inuyasha help me stand up on the wood wall, looking over my shoulder down towards the dark pit behind us, before looking back to my family. For some reason sadness washes over me like a tidal wave, and realistically I know it's because I'm unsure of when I would see them again.

If I would see them again.

"Thank you for the stuff, guys. It's honestly a huge help." I state softly, shifting the heavy bag on my shoulder, my bow shifting with it. The shine of the finely polished wood catches my Grandpa's eyes, a soft smile overtaking his lips.

"I see you've taken good care of it." He murmurs, nodding towards the weapon over my shoulder. "I hope it's taken good care of you as well?"

"More than you could imagine." I smile at him, nodding. "Thank you for giving it to me all those months ago, Grandpa. I needed it more than I knew at the time."

"You needed to feel control more than you needed that bow, Yua. I'm glad I could give you some semblance of it back." Grandpa replies knowingly, and I'm profoundly moved by exactly how right he was, having never realized it myself. Nodding in agreement, I wave one last time to my family before Inuyasha turns us and jumps down into the well with me securely at his side.

Even though I was saddened to be leaving them behind, I couldn't wait to get back home again.


"What did the old man mean, back there?" Inuyasha asks as we travel together through the night, the path taking us along the edge of the forest back towards the village. I frown in confusion hearing him, looking over towards the half demon with a furrowed brow.

"What do you mean?"

"The thing about control." He responds, his clawed hand reaching out and gently grabbing at my backpack to stop me from going further. I could feel anxiety bubbling in my chest, knowing what he was asking about now. "I can hear your heart racing, Yua. You're nervous. Why?" He asks, golden eyes looking down at me in concern now.

"It's a long story." I murmur softly, hands trembling around the straps of my backpack I was gripping. Inuyasha is silent for a moment, before I can feel the weight lifting off of my back as he takes my pack and pulls it off of me, setting it on the grassy hill to the side of the path. Sitting down, he pats the ground next to him.

"We have time right now." He states, beckoning me to him. I chew on my lower lip, before sighing heavily in resignation, knowing that this would have come up one way or another at some point in time.

My Father's abuse.

I sit down, looking upwards at the starry sky to take in a calming breath. Inuyasha is surprisingly patient as he waits silently for me, giving me the time I need. "I told you that my parents both died." I begin, glancing towards him. "Do you remember?"

"Yeah, I do." He answers, and somehow I'm not surprised he hadn't forgotten that conversation between us. "Your Mother was sick, like mine had been. Your Dad drank himself to death, you said."

"And both things are true, but things with my Dad were more…well there was more going on than I've told you." I reply, clasping my hands together in front of me on my lap. "It's not an uncommon issue with drinking, aggression, that is."

"Aggression?" Inuyasha asks sharply, and one look at him showed that he was already piecing together things in his mind. It was like he was waiting for me to confirm it, though.

"My Mother was my Father's whole world." I begin to explain. "So much so that I was of little consequence to him while she was alive. Mom was a little more attentive to me, but not much. It was like they had me because it was the socially acceptable and expected thing to do after getting married. So when my Mom died…" I pause, throat tightening slightly, "he lost it. Completely lost it."

"What do you mean 'lost it'?"

"The drinking had started soon after she had first gotten sick, but he held it together long enough to support her while she was dying. Afterwards the drinking got much worse. He couldn't keep a job, so I had to get one to keep us in our home." Silence grew between us for a moment as I gathered myself for the next bit. "When he was without jobs and without money, he couldn't buy his own drinks and smokes. At first I would buy them for him out of a sick sense of duty. I was his daughter, after all, I should do what he asks, help him if he needs it. The first time I finally clued in that feeding his addiction wasn't helping him, and refused to buy him his booze, he beat me."

"What?"

The voice was so cold, so filled with murderous intent that it even shocks me as I turn to look at Inuyasha, his eyes holding intense hatred. Body stiff, his knuckles cracked as he flexed his fingers, claws glinting sharply in the moonlight.

"He beat me." I clarified again, my mouth feeling like it was made of cotton. "It was bad enough the school nurse noticed and pulled me aside to try and get me to confess to his abuse. Stupidly, I made up some ridiculous excuse for the bruises, figuring that it would be worse if I said something and they couldn't get me away from him."

"I'll kill him." Inuyasha murmurs low in his chest, growl echoing into the dead of the night. I blink in surprise, reaching over and gently placing my hand on his tensed shoulder.

"He's dead." I remind him gently. "Killed in an accident of his own making because he was drunk."

"How could a man beat his daughter?" Inuyasha asks lowly. Though I know he's not looking for an answer, because let's face it, there never would be one to that question, I answer as best I can.

"A real man doesn't. A coward does." I reply, having had to repeat that to myself time and time again over the years. He had only beaten me once, but it had been enough for me to not even feel the slightest remorse at his death.

"I would never…I could never…" Inuyasha murmurs incoherently, though I know what he's trying to say. He could never beat his own children, lay a harmful hand on them.

"I know." I murmur soothingly, squeezing his shoulder for reassurance. This has his gaze return to me once more, his arms reaching out and gathering me up with easy to move me into his lap. He wraps his arms around me, the sleeves of his kimono creating a familiar protective barrier around me as I melt back into his chest, head leaning back against his shoulder.

"You're safe here with me." Inuyasha's voice rumbles low in his chest against my back, warmth washing over me as my heart ached with the knowledge that I knew, without a doubt, I was.

I was somewhere safe, with someone who wanted to protect me and loved me.


Soooo there it is :) Thank you again guys for your support and patience as the updates slow down due to work. I really appreciate that and hearing from you all still! It makes my long work week seem a little bit shorter :). As always, please let me know what you thought of this chapter and head on over to Moments Lost To Time and leave me your thoughts about that story as well!

Until next time!

T.O.T.