Happy 4th of July to my American readers!

Enjoy this next chapter and please review!


"Oi wench, wake up."

Kagome forced her eyes open, still heavy from sleep and blinked at the large red and white form in front of her.

"Inuyasha? Wassamatter?" She yawned and blinked again. Inuyasha chuckled and stood to his full height.

"Wake up woman. We got somewhere to be today." Said woman groaned dramatically and flopped back down in the cozy furs, closing her eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep.

"Fine then, guess you didn't want to visit that hot spring after all." He shrugged, pretending not to care but his golden eyes were filled with humor. At once Kagome's eyes popped open and she was scrambling out of the bed, suddenly wide awake.

"I'm up I'm up!" Inuyasha chuckled and reached a hand out to help her stand, injured ankle still horribly swollen and bruised.

"You should see your hair. Looks like a rat's nest." He teased, running his fingers through her tangled dark locks. Kagome scowled and swatted at his hand.

"We can't all have perfect demonic hair Inuyasha!" He slid one arm around her waist, using both hands to grasp her elbows and help her hobble towards the fire, where the remains of their dinner was heating back up to eat. He settled her next to it, then brought the ingredients for his favorite tea over for her to prepare. Kagome prepared the tea first, handing Inuyasha a cup to start on while dinner heated up. It wasn't very much, some rice and rabbit seasoned with spices and soy sauce.

"I think we need a large stew pot." Kagome mused as she took a sip of tea.

"What's wrong with that one?" Inuyasha nodded his head towards the smaller pot she usually made their meals in. "Nothing at all, it's just much easier to make a stew in a large pot. We can make it last longer that way anyways." He was quiet for a minute, sipping on his tea.

"We can see about another one I guess." He finally said, down the rest of his first cup of tea and pouring a second one immediately after. Kagome brightened a little that he'd considered her idea.

"Thank you, I think it would be a good idea."

"Ain't nothing wrong with more food anyways." he shrugged and took a huge bite of his rice. Kagome bit back a laugh and took a sip of her tea to compose herself. "I see, you were only thinking of the food." she teased. Inuyasha's ears perked in her direction as he took in her playful tone.

"Easy there wench, you still want the hot spring don't ya?" Kagome sighed longingly, all signs of teasing gone.

"I can't even remember the last time I had a hot bath. Priestesses are required weekly to bathe in cold water for the purification process." Inuyasha wrinkled his nose.

"Sounds miserable. Humans have weird ideas." Kagome laughed, "Miserable it may be, but weird it was not. There was at least one good thing about being banished…." Inuyasha's ears dropped and he looked forlorn. "The only good thing?" He looked so crestfallen that Kagome reached up and gently snagged one of his ears, rubbing the fur between her fingers.

"Oi!" He snapped his hands up and caught her wrists in his hands, growling a light warning. "Woman, those are sensitive. Keep those grabby hands to yourself!"

Without batting an eye, Kagome leaned forward and pecked him on the nose, giggling at the stunned look on his face. He dropped her hands in his surprise, and she reached up to gently touch his ears again.

"Do you trust me, Inuyasha?" She crooned softly, her touch feather light on his ears. Golden eyes met blue for a moment, before he sighed and lowered his head slightly, allowing her to continue. Her touch was gentle as she ran her fingers over the soft fur for only a minute or two before letting go. To Inuyasha's surprise, she took his clawed hands, which had been clenched tightly, and brought them to her lips to kiss them gently.

"Thank you for trusting me," was all she said before she picked up her tea and returned to her meal, letting him process in silence. He snapped out of his reserve when she set the bowls aside and attempted to stand with the cave wall.

"Oi!" He snapped, rolling his eyes and moving to help her. He hauled her to her feet, leaving his own food abandoned.

"Where to?"

"Just outside, I was hoping to work on that kimono a bit before we go. It's almost done so I can wash my current one." He shrugged and helped her out to the base of his favorite tree, settling her against the trunk before fetching her basket of sewing inside and bringing it to her. She waved him off to continue his meal while she worked in silence. When he was done, he settled into his tree for a nap to wait out her work. True to her word, she was done quickly, showing him the even seams in the kimono sleeve before packing up what little bathing supplies they had into a basket with her new robe. Getting there was going to be more of a problem than they had anticipated, since Kagome couldn't walk alone and Inuyasha couldn't carry her and the basket at the same time. Inuyasha ended up carrying Kagome bridal style with the basket nestled against her middle.

"The hot spring isn't far right?"

"Na, not for me anyways." He took off running at a steady pace. Really what was a light jog for the half demon was equivalent to a horse's steady gallop. True to his word, the run didn't last long, and soon Inuyasha had slowed to a walk and brushed aside some trees to reveal the hot spring.

"Ohhh!" Kagome nudged Inuyasha's chest with her shoulder to signal she wanted down. He chuckled and lowered her to her feet, sliding both hands up her arms to help her balance on her good foot.

"Inuyasha? You won't go far will you?"

"No, I'll be just beyond the trees. I'll be able to hear if you call me." Her shoulders slumped a bit in relief.

"Thank you. Help me to the edge? I can take it from there." He nodded even though she couldn't see and helped Kagome to the edge of the spring, lowering her so her feet dangled in the hot water.

"Ohhhh that feels amazing." Kagome moaned, swinging her feet in the water. Inuyasha chuckled and stepped back.

"I won't be far. Holler if you need me." And then he was gone, disappearing into the brush. Kagome could sense him nearby, circling the spring. Satisfied, she carefully set her basket aside and undid her robe, sliding into the warm water. The water was heavenly against her skin, soothing her swollen ankle. Dunking her head under the water, Kagome emerged already feeling 100 times better. She took her time, lathering her skin and hair with soap and dragging her robe into the water to give it a good cleaning. When she was done rinsing off, she gathered the new robe and slipped out of the spring, sitting on the edge and pulling the new robe on. It was definitely still too big, but would work for now.

"Hey Inuyasha? I'm done!" She called lightly around her. When she focused, she could feel his aura distantly, but still nearby. While waiting, she slid her ankle out of the water and examined it. It was definitely still swollen, the skin angry shades of yellow and green, but felt much better with what healing her spiritual power gave her.

"Well damn," the very unladylike curse slipped out before she could think about it.

"Hey." Inuyasha emerged through the brush a minute later, hands tucked into the sleeve of the red robe he always wore.

"Hey," Kagome answered, slipping her swollen foot back into the water. "It's your turn now." She patted the edge of the basket next to her, then reached her hand in it and removed some cloth and herbs.

"Na, I'm fine Kagome."

"Nice try Inuyasha, I'll be waiting just behind the trees." Kagome held her hand out to ask for help, and he took it to haul her to her feet. She hobbled away, swatting his hands away when he tried to help her and settling herself just beyond the trees where he could still hear and smell her.

"Don't go far." He warned, deciding his woman was a lot bossier than he initially thought. He removed his own clothes and settled into the warm water, one ear perked in the direction Kagome was sitting in. She started to hum to herself a little, working on wrapping her ankle with the herbs and clean cloth. She could hear Inuyasha splashing and moving about in the water, hopefully using the soap she had left for him.

"Hey Inuyasha?"

"What is it?" Was the reply, the sound of his moving in the water stopping instantly as he waited for her response.

"There's something I wanted to ask you about. During the night when you rescued me from the spider demons… Myoga mentioned something called Tetsusaiga?" Inuyasha snorted, and she heard him shift a little in the water.

"Yeah, that's right. What about it?" Kagome frowned at the faintest hint of hostility in his tone.

"Well, what is it first of all? And why did he mention it?" She heard Inuyasha sigh, and then silence for several moments.

"S'not something I care to talk about." He finally said. "Tetsusaiga is a sword. My old man left it to me when he died and the only reason I keep the damn thing is to piss Sesshomaru off."

"Sesshomaru? Who's Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked.

"My asshole older brother, that's who. I'm coming out now." Older brother?! He had a brother?! Despite the multitude of questions that popped up, she bit her tongue and kept silent. She could hear gentle splashing and the rustle of clothing, and then he emerged, hair and skin damp from the water. He'd listened to her and she had to fight a smile.

"Why don't you use the sword if it was for you?" she asked, choosing a safer topic as Inuyasha took her hand and hauled her to her feet, picking up the basket with his other hand and handing it to her. She took it and let him scoop her up. He snickered at her suggestion and shook his head, trekking back towards the cave.

"See for yourself when we get back, the damn thing is useless."

-0-

The aging priestess Kaede shaded her eyes and cast a glance towards the position of the sun. It was a little past noon, and soon she would begin her rounds among the sick and injured of her village. Carefully, she pulled herself to her feet from where she'd been tending her modest vegetable garden, gathering her day's harvest into the basket she had at her side. She gently rubbed her aching knees, thinking fondly of her youth and the days when being a priestess was easier.

"Lady Kaede!" The priestess twisted at the sound of her name and waved when she saw the caller. The young demon slayer Sango, of the slayer villager, and with her the monk Miroku, her fiancé (and serial womanizer before he'd tried to grope the wrong woman and ended up flat on the ground with a boomerang to his throat)

"Greetings to ye both." She extended as the two approached her and leaned against the fence around the garden she was currently tending to. "What brings ye this far?"

"Rumors of a demon attack near the river villager. I haven't been by in a while so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone." Sango replied cheerfully, no doubt speaking of her close friendship with the priestess in training, Kagome, who Kaede knew was no longer there. The two tailed demon cat, Kelala, purred in agreement with her mistress from Miroku's shoulder.

"Aye child, I see your reasoning, there was indeed a demon attack but I'm afraid Kagome is no longer there." Sango looked shocked at the information, while Miroku, a few years his fiancée's senior, frowned, guessing where this was going.

"What happened?!" Manners forgotten, Sango was desperate to know.

"I know not the details, but she is no longer of the village and has taken refuge with a demon."

"She was kidnapped?!" Of course, Sango would immediately assume such a thing. But Kaede had lived a long life, and being a servant of the Kami had taught her many things, the most important of which was that love comes in many forms. She had seen the looks Inuyasha had given Kagome. There was no doubt of his intentions.

"Nay child, not a kidnapping." But Sango, out of love for her friend, was not in the mood to listen to Kaede's explanations.

"Kelala!" Quickly, the tiny feline leaped from the monk's shoulder and transformed into a ferocious looking giant cat, her fur a silky black and white and eyes deep red. Kaede could only sigh and let them go as the monk and slayer took off into the skies towards the river village. She would need to delay her rounds to pray for a positive outcome from this.

-0-

Once back at the cave, Kagome wasted no time in spreading her kimono out to dry in the sunshine peeking through the trees. As she hobbled back into the cave with the basket, Inuyasha nodded towards the trunk he had given her, mumbling, "Sword's in there." Before disappearing to the outside of the cave. Puzzled by his reaction, Kagome opened the trunk and found the object of her man's brewing- a katana pushed to the back of the trunk. Kagome lifted the curious weapon out of the box, and the second her hand touched it a wave of emotions washed over her. She could feel it. The strength of his love for his family, a mother's sorrow over the life her son would live. It crashed over her like a tidal wave. She stumbled out of the cave, clutching the sword to her chest like it was her lifeline. Inuyasha had been brooding in his tree, stretched out with his arms behind his head. He looked startled when she came stumbling out of the cave, immediately leaping from his perch to help her.

"The hell Kagome, you ok?" He helped her sink into the grass, trying to take the sword from her but Kagome refused, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"Give it to me Kagome." Inuyasha ordered, looking stricken at the sight of her tears. Kagome shook her head and clutched the sword harder, but gave in when Inuyasha refused to stop fighting for it. She shuddered when the sword left her hands, watching as Inuyasha dropped it next to them and sank to his knees, meeting her eyes with concern.

"I'm ok." she said, wiping at the tears on her cheeks. "I could feel it, how much they loved you Inuyasha. It was so strong, I've never felt something so intense before…" She gazed back down at the sword.

"I never found out what happened to my parents. To feel the intensity of their love for you… it was overwhelming." She met her eyes with his golden ones to see the shock in them, the disbelief, the confusion… and anger?

"Inuyasha?" He looked completely stricken by her words. Kagome reached for his hand but he flinched away, his own emotions clouding the urge to comfort her. Without another word he turned and disappeared into the forest. Kagome sighed and reached for the sword, pulling it into her lap and stroking the hilt as though she were comforting it.

"It's alright." she said aloud, "he needs some time. He'll be back." Briefly the image of a beautiful woman flashed in Kagome's mind and she smiled, feeling the rush of a mother's love move over her. She glanced down at the sword, admiring the warm red aura the sword was emitting as she waited for Inuyasha to return.

A couple hours later, a surprised Kagome glanced a weary eye towards the sun, guessing it was fast approaching dinner time. But still no half demon.

I hope he's ok, she thought to herself as she hauled a stack of his inner white robes to wash by the large bucket of water she'd talked him into bringing back for her. He only had a few of the robes, but he went through them so quickly they fast became a pain in the butt- a pain in her butt anyways. The washing wasn't enough of a distraction, as her thoughts instantly roamed back to her half demon even as her hands kept busy. She felt bad for springing the emotions on him like that-especially when it was something he clearly wasn't prepared for. Then again, she hadn't been prepared for it either. But she could understand it, she could understand how someone could love him as much as they did.

Wait, love?

Kagome froze mid wash, the realization dropping over her like a bucket of water.

She loved him. She loved Inuyasha.

Warmth filled her heart and she clasped her hands together even though they were sopping wet and covered in soap bubbles.

She loved him. Despite how they came to be, she loved him.

And then she screamed as a demon came crashing through the forest, blood red eyes sending a shiver down her spine.

"Kagome! Thank the kami you're safe!" Heart still pounding, Kagome realized she recognized the giant demon cat before her.

"Kelala?" The cat purred when Kagome said her name. "Sango?!" To Kagome's surprise, both Sango and Miroku slid off of Kelala's back, the former rushing to throw her arms around the stunned ex priestess.

"I'm so glad to see you!" Stunned, Kagome returned the hug half-heartedly.

"What are you doing here?" Kagome choked out when Sango finally let go.

"I was on my way for a job at your village," Sango explained as Kelala shrunk to her miniature size and leaped into her mistress's arms. Miroku stepped forward and also hugged Kagome before stepping back to Sango's side and resting a hand on her back, resisting the urge to brush it lower..

"They told us you had been stolen by a demon. I thought… well, I thought we might be too late, but when Kelala picked up your scent…" she stroked the soft fur of the demon cat fondly.

"You… you came to find me?" Kagome blinked, affection for her friend washing over her. "That's… thank you Sango, but I don't need rescuing." Both the slayer and monk looked incredibly confused, glancing at each other.

"What do you mean you don't need-" she was cut off by an animalistic snarl as Inuyasha dropped from the trees between them, making Kagome squeak in surprise and the slayer and monk leap back in defense. Inuyasha snarled again, cracking his knuckles before he flexed his claws and bared his fangs. He crouched low in front of Kagome, his body language making it clear he was preparing to strike. Sango drew her katana and prepared to fight back, feeling anger flow through her at finally seeing the demon that she believed had kidnapped her friend.

"Stay back!" He snarled, and Kagome couldn't tell if he meant her or her friends.

"Demon!" Sango hissed back, "let my friend go!"

"She's mine!" Inuyasha hollered at the slayer, held back from lunging by Kagome clutching his arm..

"Inuyasha no!"

"Kagome, get back!" Miroku reached a hand out in warning and Inuyasha swiped his claws, missing the monk's fingers by an inch and catching the corner of his robes. The monk grit his teeth and threw an ofuda straight at Inuyasha's forehead, staring in surprise when instead of paralyzing Inuyasha's muscles, a pink barrier appeared and blocked the ofuda from even touching him.

"What the-" he was cut off as Sango lunged, swiping her katana towards Inuyasha. He shook Kagome off and easily avoided it, swiping in return at the slayer. Sango was too well trained to be defeated that easily. She leaped to the side and rolled, coming out of the roll next to her main weapon- the giant boomerang hiraikotsu. More than once Kagome had seen the powerful weapon cleave a demon in two, and she was not willing to sit around and watch that happen to her husband.

"No stop! Inuyasha!" One of his ears flicked in her direction upon hearing his name, but he otherwise ignored her, charging again towards Sango with claws raised. It was exactly what she was waiting for, sending the boomerang flying towards the half demon.

"No!" Kagome screamed, attempting to run to Inuyasha despite her still healing ankle. Miroku quickly caught her and held her back, lest she be injured by the boomerang.

"It's not safe Kagome!"

"Miroku you don't understand!" She continued to struggle in an attempt to run to Inuyasha. To everyone's surprise, Inuyasha lifted a hand and caught the boomerang, his reflexes too quick for such a move. He flung the weapon aside and instantly his eyes were drawn to a struggling Kagome being held back by Miroku. He snarled so low and animalistic it sent a shiver down even Kagome's spine.

"Miroku look out!" Sango cried a warning, drawing her katana once again and rushing to help defend her fiancé. Miroku used one hand to once again pull out an ofuda, but like before a pink barrier appeared and disintegrated the paper to dust. Inuyasha stopped short only a few feet from them, body tense but unwilling to attack and potentially harm Kagome. And suddenly everything clicked in Miroku's mind. Inuyasha's raging protectiveness, the pink barrier, and Kagome…

Sango reached his side as he abruptly let go of Kagome and watched as the girl he considered a sister stumbled to the half demon, throwing her arms around his neck and embracing him. Inuyasha brought one arm up around her back to return the hug, nuzzling her temple briefly before snarling at the slayers before them.

"Miroku, why did you do that?!" Sango demanded, holding her katana defensively.

"Sango wait!" Kagome stepped briefly out of her mate's embrace and he pulled her back, using his arm to keep her by his side. Sango grit her teeth, the only one to not understand what was going on.

"Let her go!" She demanded, still holding the sword firmly in front of her. Miroku placed a hand on her shoulder to attempt to calm her. "Sango-"

"I love him!"

The entire company went dead silent at Kagome's words. Inuyasha's face dropped from a snarl to pure shock, Sango looked stunned and Miroku only sighed in confirmation of what he had suspected.

"I love him." Kagome repeated, lifted her face to meet Inuyasha's shocked one. She briefly raised her hand and touched his cheek before stepping out of his embrace and moving towards her friend. Inuyasha let her, still stunned. Sango lowered the weapon as Kagome approached, dropping it as Kagome took the slayer's hands in hers.

"Whatever the river village told you was wrong. I love him Sango, I choose to be here even as I chose to save his life. He's my husband as much as I am his mate." Tears pooled in Sango's eyes and she flung her arms around Kagome, embracing her fiercely.

"Oh Kagome, I thought you were in danger! I should have trusted you first! I'm so sorry! Can you ever forgive me?!" Kagome embraced her friend back, whispering her reassurances of forgiveness in Sango's ear as the two women held each other and cried.

-0-

Kagome of course insisted Sango and Miroku join them for dinner in an attempt to ease the tension between them and Inuyasha. Miroku had approached the half demon and had used his silver tongue to smoothly apologize and introduce himself to his friend's chosen. Sango had tearfully apologized as well, horrified about what had almost happened. Kagome had coaxed Inuyasha into fetching them fish, and he had not been happy about it, hesitant to leave her. Though he had relaxed considerably after receiving apologies from both Sango and Miroku. After he had left, Sango had remarked (somewhat approvingly) how fiercely protective Inuyasha had been. Kagome took the time to explain how their relationship had come to be, even detailing her banishment to her horrified companions. As even professional demon slayers they knew not all demons were mindless killers. Inuyasha had of course returned just as Kagome was detailing her banishment, his least favorite topic. He proceeded to brood over it as he prepared and cooked the fish, always one ear tuned into Kagome as she conversed with her friends.

"I do have a question for you Kagome." The monk remarked as Inuyasha portioned the fish and Kagome passed out dishes.

"How did the barrier come to be?"

"Barrier? What barrier?" Kagome's face scrunched up in confusion as she handed the monk a bowl of rice and a cup of tea.

"Several times I noticed a barrier appear around Inuyasha when I attempted any sort of spiritual attack." Kagome shrugged, not really sure herself.

"I noticed it before, just never really got the chance to think about it. It just started happening after I put the necklace on him. I never intended to bind him to it, just use it as an anchor to save him."

"I think that's exactly what you did." Miroku theorized. "By using the spell to save his life, a part of yourself had to be bound as well. You bound a portion of your own essence, your own energy into the necklace in order to protect him. You've… potentially made him invincible against spiritual attacks by protecting him with your own power Kagome." By the end of his speech, the three companions with him were staring in surprise.

"It's no wonder the bond between you is so strong." Sango remarked after a moment, glancing at her friend. "I don't even have spiritual powers and I can sense it. Of course, I'm usually more in tune to demonic auras than spiritual ones."

"Myoga said a bond is similar to human marriage. In that you don't exchange rings, but energy." Sango chuckled a little, setting her bowl of rice in front of her and picking up the bowl of fish instead.

"He's not wrong Kagome, you certainly exchanged energy. But it's more than just exchanging energy, more evolved than human marriages. You don't go through physical changes in human marriage like you do taking a mate."

"Myoga mentioned that too, though he suspected I wasn't likely to see any changes, just Inuyasha." She glanced at her quiet companion, shooting him a smile.

"Dog demons are rare, so even I don't know a ton about them." Sango shrugged and brought a piece of fish up to her mouth.

"You said something about a demon attack earlier," Inuyasha injected suddenly, surprising Kagome and her friends. He'd been very quiet ever since the apology and unwilling to join the conversation.

"Do you mean the attack at the river village?" It was Miroku who replied, as Sango was finishing her meal. At Inuyasha's sharp nod, Miroku elaborated.

"Indeed, they inquired about our services over what we think might have been some form of spider demon." At his words, Kagome's entire body went rigid and her mouth dropped open in shock. Inuyasha scowled, showing his fangs.

"Is something wrong?" Sango abandoned the rest of her meal and observed her friends in alarm.

"Yeah, the fact that those bastards keep surviving and coming back for more." Inuyasha growled, turning his gaze to Kagome. She shivered and set her own empty bowl down.

"The last time we dealt with them, they kidnapped me and poisoned Inuyasha. He almost died from it."

"It's time I go and deal with those bastards once and for all, completely eliminate them from here." Kagome gasped and shook her head, reaching her hands to clasp Inuyasha's arm.

"You can't go alone!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes, disregarding her concerns. "I've been taking care of myself for a long time 'gome, I think I can handle them. You should go back to Sunrise village with Sango and Miroku. I can't focus if I'm busy worrin' about you the whole time." Miroku, who had been studying Inuyasha while he spoke, was quick to agree.

"He's right Kagome, Inuyasha should be more than capable of handling them. Why not take a break and spend some time with Sango? It has been some time since we came this way."

Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but closed it when Inuyasha suddenly stood, nose in the air. One ear twitched towards the forest and his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Inuyasha? What is it?"

"Smells like a fox," he responded, looking confused. "No foxes around here that I know of."

"Did you say fox?" Sango jumped to her feet, shooting a look at Miroku. Inuyasha nodded, narrowing his eyes in suspicion at her. Sango sighed and cupped her hands over her mouth. "We know you're there Shippo! Come on out!" Kagome locked eyes with Inuyasha and mouthed 'Shippo?' Inuyasha just shrugged. To their surprise, the brush began to rustle and then a small child stepped out, looking sheepish at having been caught. He was tiny, only a few feet tall, with red hair covering his head and body and a long, fluffy tail. He was positively adorable.

Sango placed both hands on her hips in a very mother-like gesture and gave the child a disapproving look. "I specifically remember telling you you couldn't come with us this time Shippo."

He shuffled his feet in the grass and gave her a wide-eyed, innocent looking pout. Sango rolled her eyes and gestured back to the group.

"You may as well introduce yourself since you're here."

Looking thoroughly scolded, the child shuffled forward until he was before Inuyasha and Kagome, cheeks pink with embarrassment. He cast one more look at Sango, who nodded encouragingly.

"Sorry for sneaking up on you. I'm Shippo." Inuyasha crossed his arms with a huff, not really caring as long as the kit wasn't a threat. Kagome was practically beaming she was smiling so wide.

"It's nice to meet you Shippo! Are you a fox demon?" The kit's chest puffed up with pride as he nodded enthusiastically. "I know lots of magic tricks! Wanna see one?" The kit immediately fished into his robes and pulled out what looked like an acorn. With a shout of "Fox magic!" The kit threw the acorn into the ground, instantly transforming it into a giant top about the size of a melon. Kagome ooohed and ahhhed over the top as Shippo leapt onto the toy, smiling widely and using his magic to direct the top around them, showing off.

After a moment, the kit lost his balance, toppling off the toy and sending the top, which transformed back into an acorn, flying straight towards Kagome. Without even blinking, Inuyasha's hand snapped out and caught the acorn mid air, only a few inches from Kagome's face. His wife's eyes were wide with both shock and fear. The half demon let the acorn drop from his hand and shot the kit an unamused glare. The kit shrugged sheepishly and ran to hide behind Sango, who began laughing. Soon she had everyone but Inuyasha laughing.

"I think," Miroku interjected once the laughing had died down, "It is time we return to the village for the night." He stood, reaching a hand to help Sango and gesturing towards Shippo to come with them.

"Shall we expect to see the two of you tomorrow in the village?" He directed the question to both Inuyasha and Kagome. The two exchanged glances and Kagome sighed loudly after a few seconds, giving up the battle.

"Oh all right, I'll stay at the village with them tomorrow. But I will not be happy about it!"

-0-

By the time Inuyasha and Kagome made it to the village the next day, it was late morning. It had taken a large amount of coaxing and bribing from Inuyasha to convince Kagome to actually go. She was stubborn, taking her time packing a basket with her sewing supplies and her sleeping robe. All the while trying to convince Inuyasha that leaving her behind was a terrible mistake. He wouldn't budge. It wasn't until they actually made it to the village that her stubbornness showed it's true form- fear. She resorted to begging and pleading, and was practically in tears by the time he was ready to leave. Inuyasha hated tears.

"For cryin' out loud Kagome it ain't like I'm gonna be gone that long. Like a day or two at the most depending on how long it takes me to clear that whole damn nest." He sighed when Kagome blubbered something even he couldn't understand, pulling her closer and wrapping an arm around her back while she tried to stifle her tears against his red haori. He wasn't sure where this sudden hysteria had come from regarding his leaving for a short while- but then again it was the first time they had really been separated since being bonded. He didn't know much about this shit, but could the bond be the cause?

"I'll be back as soon as I can." He was far more soft when he spoke this time, leaning down to whisper close to her ear. "Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone, yeah?" Kagome sniffed and took a deep shuddering breath, then she nodded and stepped back, wiping her red cheeks with her hands to whisk the tears away.

"I'll try." She whispered, wet blue eyes meeting his gold ones. He slid a hand around the back of her neck to cup her head, bringing her closer to kiss her gently.

"That's my girl." And then he was gone, red blur disappearing into the trees and leaving Kagome standing alone.


Apparently I forgot how to spell Inuyasha's name. I had to correct myself more than once.

Have a great weekend and please review!