Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

Chapter five: Telling your friends (or maybe not)

The following morning Inuyasha came back in the feudal era while Kagome went to school, resolved to ask the headman the permission to build a new hut in the village and talk with Kaede about a marriage ceremony. Now that he had her mother permission, they could start their life in the village even if Kagome still needed to maintain her routine on the other side of the well. He intended to do his best to give her a semblance of a normal life on this other side, despite the double life she would have to lead for the next two years, more or less.

He didn't even set foot in the village when a body collided with his, making him stumble. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed someone coming towards him quickly.

"Inuyasha," Sango cried, "Oh my God, you're alright, thank God! We were so worried, you disappeared on us, and then Kagome decided to come back home, and we didn't know where to start looking, and we feared something happened to you..." She kept rumbling on while another smaller body reached for him.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo squealed, landing on his shoulder and hugging him tightly by his neck. "You're alright... I told Sango she didn't have to worry, but you know how women are. Hey, wait!" He sniffed, "why do you-" Inuyasha slapped a hand on his mouth and narrowed his eyes.

"Do. Not. Say. A. Word," he managed to spit out, the words only reaching Shippo's ears. He made it clear that a slow, painful death waited for him if he revealed anything.

"Where have you been?" Sango asked when the waterworks stopped.

The jingle of Miroku's Shakujo reached him and then an "Inuyasha! You finally came back..." made his ears swivel towards the newcomer who put an arm around his wife's shoulders, trying to soothe her.

"What? What's your problem? Why were you so worried about me? I was on the other side of the well. No big deal, Kagome didn't even sit me once." He grinned smugly, obviously proud of himself. And not only had she not sat him, but she had given him a big reward, more than once.

Ah, if this was how it had gone every time he had shown up unannounced on the other side...

"You WHAT?!" Sango shrieked, flames erupted in her eyes. "All this time we worried about you, and you were at Kagome's?" She tried to smack him, but he dodged her.

"Oi! What the hell? It's not like I could have been somewhere else if I wasn't in the village. Where would I want to be?"

"You disappeared two days ago! You weren't feeling quite right; you fought with Kagome – who, shall I remind you, you avoided for the last weeks – and then you tell us it should have been obvious that you went after her?" She clenched her hands, distressed about the whole situation.

"Sango, please, shall we try to calm down and talk about it more serenely?" her husband tried to appease her, then turned to Inuyasha. "Why did you wait for two days to come back, Inuyasha? You usually drag her immediately back. It's certainly suspicious..." He pried, looking a little too cocky for Inuyasha's liking.

He shrugged. "Don't know what you're implying, monk. When I reached her home it was already late, everyone was already sleeping, so we actually talked the day after," Now, this wasn't a lie, just a half-truth, "then her brother forced me to try these bunch of new videogames of his and her mother asked me to stay for dinner and you don't say no to that. I mean, she cooked steak!" He tried to change the subject of the conversation because he could already see where the monk's mind was going, and he didn't want to talk about it yet.

Not when he was alone and especially not before he had the chance to speak with the headman and Kaede.

"What's a videogame?" Shippo asked from his perch on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Something her kid brother likes a lot and always forces me to play with. You'd like it; it's a pity you cannot cross the time portal," he snickered.

"MEANIE!" Shippo cried.

"Did you make up with Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked again. Inuyasha nodded. "Did you also make out?" he nodded again absentmindedly. He realized his mistake a couple of seconds later, and he punched the monk on his head.

"Oi! You tricked me. Say another word, and I'll make you sure you won't have the heir you have always longed for." Miroku grinned at that. "Why are you grinning like a fool?"

"My friend, I don't want to disappoint you, but you can't threaten me with that anymore," he said with a toothy smile.

"What?" What in the seven hells was he talking about?

"Kaede-Sama gave me the good news a little while ago, I am pregnant!" Sango exclaimed, not angry anymore.

"Oi! That's why you are so moody this morning, Sango! Congratulations, Miroku!" he patted him on the shoulder. Sango narrowed her eyes.

"Inuyasha, you better start thinking before you put your foot in your mouth from now on, or you could find yourself at the mercy of Hiraikotsu more than you like," Miroku suggested when Sango tried to punch Inuyasha a second time. Inuyasha gulped; maybe he really needed to start thinking before speaking.

"Well, this certainly is gonna slow down our quest," the half-demon said after a bit. "We can't let you travel anymore, Sango; it's not safe."

"Oh, don't worry, Inuyasha, I still have a couple of months before things start to be difficult."

"You can't go slaying demons while you're pregnant Sango, it's not safe."

"Why not? He or she will be a demon slayer after all," she reasoned. "Better start training sooner than later."

"Now, now, guys, let's go talking about this in the safety of our home."

"I can't," Inuyasha interrupted immediately.

"And why is that?"

"I have something to do. Shippo, come with me. See you later, monk." That said, they were both gone.

"What's the deal, Inuyasha?" Shippo asked when they were finally alone. "Why do you smell so much of Kagome? Have you two finally mated?"

Inuyasha stopped. "What do you know about that?" He narrowed his eyes.

"I heard you and Myoga talking about it a month ago. Let me tell you, you are so stupid sometimes, but I'm glad you finally saw the light," Inuyasha thumped him. "Oi, that hurt!"

"It's not something you would understand, runt, so shut up! Now, yes, we mated, but you have to keep your trap shut until we have time to explain it to Miroku and Sango. Got it?" Shippo nodded, rubbing the aching spot on his head. "Good, you're coming with me to Kaede; I need to ask her something. Kagome and I decided to get married, and her mother gave me permission, so I need to build a hut too."

"That's great, Inuyasha!" Shippo squealed, hugging him again. "That means Kagome is going to stay on this side of the well permanently; she is not gonna leave us."

"Of course runt, she can't leave us anymore, we mated," he patted him on the head, "she will still have to go back and forth until she finishes school, but then she's gonna stay here for good," he grinned. "That's why we need a big new hut now. If she's gonna live here, I want to give her the biggest hut I can build. Could you see the places people live in on the other side, Shippo!"

When they reached Kaede's hut, the old priestess was sorting some herbs with the help of little Rin.

"Ah, Inuyasha, I see ya finally came back. I told the child ye were just fine. Come sit, both of ye," Kaede welcomed them.

"Inuyasha-sama, I'm glad you came back fine," Rin giggled. "I wanted to ask Sesshomaru-sama to start looking for you, but Kaede-sama told me not."

"Thank God Kaede stopped her," both Inuyasha and Shippo thought.

"It's ok, Rin," he answered, then turned to Kaede. "Old hag, I came to ask you something..." he finally said while he sat down, crossing his legs, Shippo still perched on his shoulder.

"Well, speak, boy," she said, not bothering to look up from her herbs.

"I asked Kagome's mother permission to marry her, and I want you to perform the ceremony. I know Kagome would appreciate it and I'll be glad if you'd come with me to the headman. I need to build a hut if we're gonna live here in the village when we're not travelling, and we need his consent."

Kaede's eyes lit up. "It's high time ye decided to speak with the girl. I'm happy for ye both. I'll come with ye to the headman, but I don't think there will be problems, ye are the village's protector after all, and everyone was waiting for ye to settle with Kagome." She patted his hand reassuringly.

"Inuyasha-sama and Kagome-sama are getting married? Is Sesshomaru-sama coming to the marriage too? Are you having children like Miroku-sama and Sango-san? I will gladly help with them," Rin babbled with a big smile.

Shippo and Kaede chuckled while Inuyasha flushed, "Ehm... maybe not now, Rin, but thanks for the offer. Anyway, I'd like you not to tell Miroku and Sango of this. Kagome and I wanted to speak with them together."

"As ye want, my boy."

That evening Inuyasha and Kagome were snuggled up in her room as Inuyasha retold her the events of the day.

As Kaede had predicted, the headman had no problems with Inuyasha's request and told him they could start tomorrow so that the hut could be ready before the marriage, which had been scheduled for the next week. Inuyasha would have to present the builder his idea and help with the construction to complete it faster.

In the meantime, he had decided with Miroku that Sango would stay at the village as they kept hunting for the shards, and Miroku would remain with her half of the time. They hoped they could find the last shards as she was still in the early stage of her pregnancy because they couldn't ask the monk to stay away from her for so long. They didn't know how many shards they were missing, but the chunk Kagome guarded wasn't small. They also had to find a way to diminish its aura, because they didn't want to attract more demons, especially now that they had to wait until Kagome's graduation before they wished the Jewel away. Without the jewel, the bone-eater's well would likely close, and Kagome had promised her mother to stay until the end of her study.

"There's gonna be a baby in the group by the end of the year. Isn't that fantastic, Inuyasha?" Kagome squealed.

"Yeah, I'm happy for them. I just hope it's not a boy; Miroku would raise him like the lecher he is." He shivered at the thought of little Mirokus raising the skirts of the villagers.

Kagome giggled. "Sango is likely to castrate him before that happens. Instead, why don't we worry about the things we have to bring from here and the clothes we're gonna wear for the marriage? We still have to speak with Sango and Miroku; tomorrow I'm going to come with you after school," she rambled on.

"This is gonna be a looong week," Inuyasha thought, resigned.

In the following month, Kagome and Inuyasha became acquainted with the quiet life in the village when they weren't travelling and when Kagome wasn't at home to focus on school. The small ceremony Kaede held for them went smooth, and the whole village celebrated with them, accepting Inuyasha without problems. Now, they knew the truth about 50 years ago, and he acted as their protector. Besides, Kagome was asked to be Kaede's apprentice, so she also started wearing a set of Miko robes instead of her school uniform and studying with the old priestess. This way, they encountered fewer problems while travelling from village to village looking for information about strange demons or the shards.

Villagers were more likely to accept a group with a respectable monk and Miko within and they could also earn some valuables when asked to exorcise spirits or exterminate demons. Now that both the couples had settled in the village and Miroku had a baby on his way, they had gladly begun an extermination business.

Life, however, certainly wasn't simple for Kagome.

They didn't have to fear Naraku, so Kagome could concentrate better on school. However, she also had her hands full with both homework and Kaede's apprenticeship, plus the quest for the jewel shards. Speaking of which, they still didn't have so much luck with that; it seemed that whoever had found the missing pieces was good at hiding.

However, something strange happened the week after Kagome and Inuyasha's marriage.

Kagome was in the middle of one of Kaede's lessons and was collecting several herbs with the help of little Rin when she suddenly felt a huge demonic presence. She didn't have time to notch an arrow that Sesshomaru presented himself in front of her.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin squealed.

"Miko," he sniffed quietly and wasn't impressed to notice that his half-brother had finally mated her. Not that it was really of importance, but he hadn't expected less after Naraku's death. "I believe I have something that belongs to you." He stepped closer and held his palm open. Kagome saw three impure shards that changed as soon as Sesshomaru let them fall on her opened hands.

"How?" she asked, not expecting Sesshomaru to help them with the missing shards.

"I killed a demon who was blocking my path. Do not think I would waste my time with these matters otherwise," the demon stated coldly and then turned over, leaving both Kagome and Rin.

"Of course not," she said, staring at the shards in her hands. How many were still out there for them to find? "One thing is sure," she thought while she put them away. "Sesshomaru just made things a little bit easier for us." "Thank you anyway, Sesshomaru."

"Sesshomaru-sama does things like these," Rin said. "He helps others he cares of but he never says a word about .it. He rather says that he did some things because others were on his way. He doesn't want anyone to know, but Sesshomaru-sama has a good heart; he shows it to me every day," she explained with great confidence.

Kagome frowned, "Sesshomaru and a good heart are two things that sound strange in the same sentence."

"Sure, Rin. After all, he did save my life more than once," Kagome thought out loud. Rin nodded sagely.

"Sesshomaru-sama saved you because he knew Inuyasha-sama would have been sad if you were to die."

"Sometimes, it astounds me how much faith Rin has in Sesshomaru."

"I think no one can know better than you, Rin-chan."

Word was also spreading about the new Miko that currently resided at Kaede's village. Everyone seemed to know that the strong Miko who had destroyed Naraku had decided to settle there and people were coming to request her blessing. Such a thing embarrassed Kagome because she wasn't used to being praised so high, and she still didn't know how to react; in the end, they all thought she was the shy type. Nonetheless, the whole thing made her feel a little happier because it showed her she would always have a place in the village once the well would be definitely sealed.

However, outside the village, they usually avoid telling people that she was married to Inuyasha if they could. They didn't know how outsiders could react to that since there was still a lot of prejudice. Miko usually didn't get married, let alone marry a half-demon. He always acted as his protector anyway to avoid problems.

Of course, the ones who come seeking her help in the village eventually find out that she was married to the village's protector, and even if some of them looked at her strangely after that, no one had refused her help yet. After all, if she still retained her powers and her pureness, who were they to comment on that?

She was sure that just as the news that she was now Kaede's apprentice spread, eventually, people would also start talking about her marriage with the hanyou who used to accompany her in her quest and the one who helped her kill Naraku.

It wouldn't be simple; she wasn't so naive, prejudices were hard to die, and Inuyasha was still of demon blood. But at least, the ones who feared him were considerably less than before. And honestly, she didn't care if someone refused her help because they were against her marriage, as long as they didn't think they could interfere in her life because of it.

The hut Inuyasha had built with the help of the builder and a few villagers was indeed the biggest of the village and was situated at the edge for convenience. It was near the forest so that Inuyasha could sense a threat faster if he needed it; it was also near the bone-eater's well so that it gave them privacy and a lot of space.

Compared to the ones she was accustomed to, their hut was still modest, but it still appeared as a little manor house to everyone new to the village. It had a large main room with a fire pit, a storeroom, a private chamber for Inuyasha and Kagome and two little rooms that would eventually be for their children, one currently used by Shippo.

Kagome had insisted on Shippo not living anymore with Kaede, whose hut was smaller. Inuyasha had protested, but when Shippo had promised not to be a bother and leave them the privacy they needed, he had eventually given in. Inuyasha had also insisted on a large bathtub, something he had built based on his future knowledge. Even if it wasn't the same – of course, he couldn't obtain the same result – she had squealed out of sheer joy when she saw it the first time. It showed her how much effort Inuyasha had put in it and how much considerate of her needs he was, even if he rarely showed it.

Outside, they had reserved some space for a garden where Kagome could grow vegetables and more medicinal herbs. After a month, nothing had grown yet. Kagome had also brought seeds from the future to have much variety, even if she had avoided everything unknown in the feudal era.

They had furnished the hut with things from both the past and future, but they had been careful to avoid objects that could create problems with the timeline. Kagome's mother had gladly helped them with the shopping list when something was too expensive to be bought in the past.

In the end, life was definitely good for the new couple and, even if it was a little bit stressful and she still had a double life, Kagome regretted nothing.

It was only the beginning.

A/N: From the next chapter on things are going to be a little more animated, I'll start introducing things that will lead to one big event that however won't happen until chapters 14/15.