The morning passes slowly.
Inuyasha and Miroku disappear to help the villagers begin harvesting the rice, and Kagome and Sango set to helping Kaede smoke Inuyasha's latest catch and preserve vegetables for the coming winter.
Shippou plays at their feet, munching on scraps as they work.
Kagome tries to focus; she doesn't intend to be distracted. But as she sets strips of fish on the rack of the makeshift smokehouse, her eyes drift to the woods and the sky, searching.
The kit pokes at Kaede. "What's wrong with 'Gome?"
Kaede smiles quietly. "Love. But she does not yet realize it."
