A/N: It's been too long! I have great hopes for this story and life got in the way for a while. I was weighing out a lot of pros and cons and where I wanted to take it, but I think I have decided where it's going. Bear with me as I work my way through this story, I have big plans for it.

Chapter Seven:

I sit and read, immersing myself in the pages of this book.

By the time I'm into the third tale I can smell it.

The village always had a smell of cooking fires and drying herbs. Fresh grass and running water.

I feel like I'm walking through the streets, dirt beneath my feet, animals pulling carts passed me. The sun beating down on the top of my head, its warmth enveloping my body as I stroll.

A little girl running in front of me, I can see her grow into a young woman, discovering the world around her.

The stories tell of a demon with a heart who meets his end because of his compassion. A warning to other demons it seems. Don't fall for humans.

I climb the stairs to our bedroom quietly. It's late, it's always late. Hina and I shared a cab home from work.

She keeps telling me she's worried about my relationship and how these long days are affecting me.

"I'm dating a demon, he's fine spending a little time alone…" I brush her off, even I know my tone is unkind. She levels me with her eyes.

"He may live forever, but you won't. If you want to start a family with this man, you should get on that!" She's starting to sound like Mel, but she's right. She's always right.

I close my eyes for a moment, leaning back into the seat. Her voice just floats through my brain and I'm reminded of the last conversation I had with Sango.

We were washing clothes down at the river.

I remember how cool the water was in the early spring. Icy water and warm air mixing, brushing my cheeks as the wind picked up, sun baking the clothes drying along the rocks.

"How do you know when you're ready to have children" My words don't form a question, merely a statement that fell into the crisp air.

She looks at me for a moment, she isn't so much looking at me, but through me. Searching for the answer I want to hear no doubt, weighing her words before she speaks them.

"Oh Kagome, it'll be written in the clouds! Clear as day" She will say. She will tell me I will feel it in my bones, I'll just know. I will fully understand the nuance that is children and be fully ready.

The gods will bestow upon you a child that is right for you and your husband. They will paint the streets and hold festivals in your honour and will give you a manual on how to raise your children.

Her voice startles me from my thoughts and I am brought back down to the river.

"Hmmm…I guess when I realized I was pregnant with the twins!" She looks tired. Her answer is honest and I would expect nothing less from her, but I can't help but wonder.

I wonder what Sango would have been like in the present. Whether she would have travelled, if she would see the world before settling down. I imagine us together in Tokyo, getting drinks and going to clubs, maybe we both went to school together and lived in a tiny apartment.

No one ever knows what they are ready for.

"Why are you always right." She gives a smile but it doesn't quite reach her eyes.

When the cab drops me off Hina hugs me tighter than usual before I get out to climb the shrine steps. I count them out of pure habit.

I know he isn't sleeping. I know he heard me come in.

He's sitting up in bed as I slowly creak the door open.

"You forget I have impeccable hearing." He's so perfect. Curtains open just a crack, they let a sliver of moonlight in through the window. His skin, so white it almost glows in the darkness.

His stupid pretty hair pools around him, cascading into silver. The marks on his face a stark contrast against his lily white skin.

I climb into the bed gracelessly, tripping over my own feet as I try to get to him. My hand finds his face and I kiss his lips.

"I miss you" I whisper into his ear, wrapping my arms around his neck, settling into the curve of his body.

His bare chest touches my cheek. My hands grasp at his skin, I just want to pull him as close to me as humanly possible. His arms cradle me into reassurance, stroking my hair gently, he rests his nose into the crook of my neck.

"I love you no matter what." His voice rumbles and I know he feels me relax because his grip loosens, but only slightly.

I pull off my pants and climb under the covers, facing him I hold onto his hands.

We haven't had a moment of intimacy like this in months, I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. I'm brought back to our first moments of intimacy, when a crush turned into a like.

His hand trails down my face, thumb tracing my cheekbone, I lean into his touch, closing my eyes.

"How was work?" He whispers to me. His lips brush my forehead lightly, wrapping me in his arms he traces shapes on my back. Letting out a sigh I think about what to tell him but decide to be honest.

"I'm stressed, I don't want to have to do everyones job right now." He makes a sound of acknowledgement, it rumbles deep in his chest and I continue to talk.

"I'm just so tired. I'm so exhausted all the time. I want to crack open my skull, take my brain out and just have a break from it for a few days." I can hear my own voice quiver slightly, his fingers continue to trace slow shapes on my barer back and I focus on the gentle graze of his claws.

"Let me take you away…" He squeezes me tightly, and I wrap my legs around his waist, not wanting to let this moment go.

"Let's go away together…we can go to an onsen…think about all that relaxation…"

"Yes please…" Is all I can whisper.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Do we have to call your mother…or do we just show up on her doorstep?" He looks at me for a moment and I know he's thinking it through, carefully weighing the outcome of each scenario.

"We just show up. If we call there will be an elaborate show."

Part of me really wants the elaborate show. The other part is too nervous to think about what it could be.

Would she make us an elaborate meal? Will there be gifts? What does a mother in law get a daughter she's never met?

Sesshoumaru would cook an elaborate meal. Or buy too many gifts, he's proven that both are in his nature. Maybe he gets that from his mother?

"She lives in Shimoda. We can visit the onsen, then go visit her. But you must be relaxed first." I don't think that I am the one who needs to be relaxed to go visit his mother.

"That sounds perfect" He's nervous, I can tell by the way he touches my hair.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx