It was one of those ideas that made Kagome smack her forehead, wondering how she had not thought of it before! Brilliant, and wonderful, and… distracting. It helped that it was also a kind thing she could do for Sango.
One month had passed since Kagome had placed her hands on the well.
Inuyasha, I want to see you.
The words were simple, but they came from her soul. And… the well listened. She saw the open sky in Feudal Japan, where he was waiting for her. It felt so simple, so honest. And it reflected her most ardent wish. And when Kagome hugged Mama goodbye and jumped in, she had accepted everything that came along with it, including never seeing her family or modern Tokyo again. Because seeing Inuyasha was worth it, worth everything.
It was a blessing beyond anything she could imagine that that was not a decision she had to make. The well, it seemed, had listened to Kagome's wish, reopening the passage between her two families, separated by 500 years: Tokyo and Sengoku Jidai, connected just for her. Though from that point forward, Kagome never went through the well without Inuyasha. After three years apart, they were not going to risk it.
Even as that month had been the best of Kagome's life, something, the most important thing, eluded her. Even as Inuyasha seemed incapable of being near her without some part of his body in contact with her, he never let himself be openly affectionate. Even as he reaffirmed his promise that he would protect her with his life, he became quiet and closed-off when members of the Musashi village asked Kagome if she had any plans to marry. So, they lived in a stalemate. Her afraid to voice exactly what she wanted, and him afraid that the thing he wanted more than anything in the world was doomed to taint the woman he was born for. They were happier than they had been in three years, yet still somehow miserable.
Whatever they were dancing around, Kagome knew that it had to give. The well would never let her come back if her time there, her time with Inuyasha, was over.
Thankfully, her return to her friends had also provided all the welcome distractions she could need. She cooed over baby Hisui and stepped in to watch Kin'u and Gyokuto nearly every evening. The twins had taken to her immediately, and she… she realized how much she loved being with them, mothering them. They were truly Miroku and Sango in miniature, with Sango's refusal to give up against insurmountable odds (usually involving attempting to climb the tree that Inuyasha had fled into) and Miroku's uncanny ability to sweet-talk their way into getting whatever they wanted (usually convincing Inuyasha he needed to come down from said tree).
Seeing Sango, her best friend and sister-in-every-way-except-blood, was nearly as emotional as seeing Inuyasha. Sango, who had saved her life so many times. Sango, who she shared everything with on their adventure. Sango, who got her happy ending: marrying a man she truly loved, and creating the family Naraku had so cruelly tried to take from her. But, Sango was also exhausted. Miroku often left on jobs and Kohaku needed to train. So everyday Sango took care of her family and trained with her brother for the couple of hours that Rin and Kaede watched the twins and Hisui.
Watching Sango drag her feet, droop her head, and yawn when she didn't think anyone else was watching was how Kagome got the idea. Sango took care of everyone around her without complaint. When Kaede needed an extra hand to cook dinner, Sango was there. When Rin needed help in the garden, Sango was there. When Kagome needed a shoulder to cry on, Sango was there.
So on her most recent voyage through the well, she brought everything she would need. Shampoos and soaps, face masks, cucumbers, and the fluffiest towels she could find were packed into her backpack for her plan.
"Sango-chan!" Kagome called; she'd already bribed Rin and Kohaku to watch the twins, and Kaede had taken baby Hisui. "I have a surprise for you!"
"Kagome-chan?" Sango turned, caught in another yawn.
"Grab your bathing yukata and meet me at the hot spring!" Kagome commanded, squishing the towel folded over her supplies.
Sango looked around, seemed to realize that she had been freed of responsibilities, then giggled. "Okay! I will see you there!"
As she walked toward the hot spring, Kagome couldn't help but smile. It was going to be so much fun! Little did she know that her conversation had been overheard by two fluffy silver ears, and she and Sango were not going to be alone at the hot spring.
Kagome looked down at her supplies, and slipped out of her bathing yukata. She could not wait to feel the hot water leech the aches out of her muscles. When she heard snapping of branches, she looked up to see Sango cross into the little changing alcove.
"I can't tell you how much I needed this, Kagome-chan!" Sango beamed as she disrobed before pointing at the towel where Kagome had laid out her surprise. "What are those?"
"A special gift, for you." Kagome giggled. "Hop in! I'll be there soon."
Sango nodded, and headed down the slope and into the hot spring.
Kagome grabbed the shampoo and the soap, as well as a couple of the towels. The facial masks were always best after a soak, so she left those up in the changing area. Finally, she removed her bathing yukata and headed down to the spring after her friend.
Sango was already immersed up to her shoulders, and was leaning her head back against the rocks. Kagome watched as the muscles in her face relaxed: her knitted brows smoothed out, the lips curved into a smile, and her eyes slid closed without the knowing twitch that they would have to shoot open at any moment. When Kagome slipped into the water, one of Sango's eyes did open, then recognized it was Kagome and closed again.
"Just making sure you weren't one of the twins," Sango sighed, stretching in the warm water.
"Miroku knows 'girl time' is special. He'll keep the twins away," Kagome answered.
'Girl time' at the hot spring had been an argument. Inuyasha had wanted to come and protect Kagome; Miroku had wanted to come spend child-free relaxation time with them. But… Kagome needed that time with Sango, and Sango needed time with Kagome. And the men knew better than to argue with them when their minds were set. So hot spring time had become their sacred time.
"Yes, usually he does," Sango sighed. "But… Hisui has been gassy, so we're both more exhausted than usual. Miroku probably needs spa time as much as I do at this point…"
"Miroku can get spa time later. Right now is about you. You've been a busy mama," Kagome said, and started to add a dollop of the rosewater shampoo to her hands. "Which is why I brought all sorts of nice things from my world back here. We call this 'pampering,' and I can think of no one more deserving of it than you."
"That smells… divine Kagome-chan!" Sango beamed, and the pampering commenced.
Kagome massaged the shampoo into her scalp and Sango's, and they both giggled as they dunked under the water of the hot spring. Kagome then took out the coconut-scented soap she had picked up. It was her absolute favorite.
"I've never smelled anything like this before!" Sango breathed, taking in the coconut.
Kagome swore she heard a little "keh" off in the distance, but shook the thought away. This was girl time.
"It's a fragrance from the tropical parts of the world. Coconuts have some special oils and things that are really good for your skin," Kagome answered, splashing her face to rinse the lather off of it. "I love using this soap when I go home. It… it reminds me that everything is going to be okay."
That was the thing about the coconut. It was not something she could ever get in Sengoku Jidai, so it was the distinct scent of her home. Of Jii-chan and Mama and Souta. To that day Kagome could smell her coconut soap and feel safe, protected, loved. Because back when they hunted Naraku, coconut was from a place where she was safe. Kagome always used the coconut soap at home before coming back through the well, taking in its scent as it lingered on her, reminding her of her family and of her home.
Once both of them had rinsed the soap and shampoo out of their hair, Kagome grabbed the towels she'd laid on the edge of the spring.
"One more surprise. Wrap your hair and your body in one of these. I'll be right back." Kagome wrapped her own towel around her body and plodded up to grab the last two surprises.
On particular exhausting campaigns in Sengoku Jidai, when she returned home, Mama had always left out the clay face mask and cucumbers in the bathroom for her, right next to her coconut soap. And Kagome would soak in a bubble bath for at least an hour, escaping into her relaxation space. About halfway through, she would add the mask to her face and throw the cucumbers over her eyes. It was a special way she grounded herself. And when she took the cucumbers off her eyes and wiped away the mask, she felt reborn. Ready to face down more yōkai and heal more wounds… though usually her bath was followed by an enormous meal prepared by her mother.
The smell of cucumbers and clay soothed her nearly as much as the coconut. And she wanted to share that special feeling with Sango.
"Sango-chan! Time for the best part." Kagome returned to her friend. "This goes on your face." Kagome pointed to the mud, then showed her the cucumber wedges, "and these are for your eyes." Sango quirked her eyebrow, but let Kagome apply the seaweed green clay. Once that was done, Kagome added the cucumbers to her eyes. "How does that feel?"
"Blissful," Sango moaned.
Kagome smiled, taking her friend's hand in hers. Kagome had hoped she'd been able to bring her friend even a sliver of the love and relaxation that her baths and mud masks at home had brought her, and it warmed her heart to know that she'd succeeded.
"I needed this," Sango whispered, cucumbers still over her eyes. "The twins don't listen to me anymore and Hisui has kept me up at night. I don't… get much of a break… And I understand how much worse it was when we were fighting Naraku but… sometimes I just want some me time."
"Sounds like I should bring pampering supplies back with me more often," Kagome giggled, but the smile then abandoned her face. "I could probably use a bit more pampering too."
"Things still… in a holding pattern?" Sango whispered. Kagome filled in the rest: with Inuyasha?
"Yeah," Kagome answered, wistful and a little sad. "I just have to… believe."
"He'll come around, Kagome-chan," Sango whispered back. "He visited the well every three days waiting for you." Sango took the cucumbers off of her cinnamon brown eyes, and looked into Kagome's. "Give him time."
"What if he doesn't…" Kagome whimpered, stopping short and hoping Sango would finish her thought: What if he realized he doesn't want to be with me?
"Impossible," Sango cooed, her face soft and loving, and with the slightest glance over her shoulder, Sango winked and added, "I don't think you are going to need to wait much longer." Sango then patted Kagome on the shoulder, popped the two cucumbers into her mouth, and rinsed the mask from her face.
"Thank you, Kagome-chan." Sango hugged her friend tightly, then began to head out of the spring. Just before she exited, Sango turned toward a particularly large pile of rocks. "Inuyasha? Tell my husband that I thought you two grew out of spying a while ago."
Two familiar white ears peeped out from over the outcropping, and it took everything for Kagome not to shriek. Miroku and Inuyasha had watched them? Inuyasha knew that hot spring time was girl time. He knew that Kagome needed that time to unwind, and so did Sango. He knew that Kagome needed to tell Sango things, secret things, that she did not want overheard.
"I-nu-ya-sha…" Kagome warmed herself up to say the words that, quite frankly, the hanyō currently really really deserved to hear.
"Kagome—wait! I can explain!" The hanyō had now scrambled over to her. Kagome clutched her towel closely to her body. "I… I didn't like you and Sango goin' off by yourselves without protection… so I came to guard you and then… that's when I saw the bouzu spying…"
"So you decided it was okay to spy?" Kagome had the words on the tip of her tongue, and the way Inuyasha's ears were pinned back and his eyes were big, it was clear he had a pretty good idea of that too.
"Miroku said somethin' about some sorta special thing you were doin' to Sango from your world! Wantin' to know what it was so he could surprise Sango by doin' it too!" Inuyasha whined, now sitting on his haunches in front of her.
"So… instead of carrying Miroku back to the village because we asked to be left alone, you decided to stay too?" Kagome grumbled, but the way Inuyasha was looking at her, she couldn't do it. There was more in Inuyasha's eyes than simple shame or embarrassment, there was… longing. For something more than to avoid a scolding.
"Well…" Inuyasha's face turned beet red and he jerked his face away, breaking their eye contact. "I uh… we… I wanted to make sure you were safe."
"That's all?" Kagome quirked her eyebrow.
This was normally the time that Inuyasha would vehemently deny that there was anything else. He would growl and bark and then stomp off, only to appear an hour or two later as if nothing had happened. Kagome braced herself for it.
But Inuyasha did not stomp off; he did not growl and he did not bark. Instead, Inuyasha mumbled something so softly that Kagome could only catch a single word: pampered. His ears, once pinned back, had started to droop. As if…
"Inuyasha. Do you want to be pampered?" Kagome asked, keeping her voice gentle. If he was asking her what she thought he was asking…
"Keh. It's something only girls do and why would I want something like that…" Inuyasha murmured, but Kagome thought the hanyō doth protested too much.
"Inuyasha." Kagome took the chance and ran her hands through his bangs. "It's just you and me here." When he leaned into her touch, Kagome softened her voice even more. "You work so hard keeping us all safe. Hunting for us. Watching the twins when they get too rowdy. You deserve to be pampered too."
Inuyasha's ears revealed how he felt before he said anything, perking up and wiggling against his will. Kagome swallowed the giggle that wanted to erupt from her, afraid Inuyasha would take it the wrong way, and let it become a smile that radiated throughout her. Kagome clapped her hands together and started to head out of the spring.
"Let me get dressed, then we can go back and I'll pick up some scent-free—" she started to say, only to find a clawed hand pulling her back. "Inuyasha?"
"That… coconut stuff. Smells… smells like you when you're happy." He was still mumbling, and still avoiding eye contact, but something about his admission and his words pierced her. And a little flutter of warmth began to blossom in Kagome's chest.
"Of course," Kagome answered, heading to the little ledge where her coconut soap was still sitting.
Kagome thought back to the last time Inuyasha had encountered soap. It was before the well closed the first time, before the defeat of Naraku. He'd barged through her door covered in soap… and only soap… with Souta close behind. Kagome definitely had not focused on what soap he used that day.
But another thought occurred to her. Had Inuyasha ever had someone pamper him before? Had anyone run their fingers through his lustrous hair or massaged his scalp, taking care not to get water in his ears? And if his mother had done this for him, who else would have done this for him?
Probably no one.
Inuyasha's time with Kikyo had been too short for something like bathing together.
And Inuyasha would never have accepted this sort of intimate contact from anyone.
The only one Inuyasha could even ask for pampering was her.
Kagome swallowed down the lump in her throat as she pondered. Inuyasha had asked her to care for him in a way that no one other than his mother ever had.
Inuyasha was waiting for her when she walked back to the spring. He'd removed his suikan and hadagi, but Kagome could see the red of his hakama under the water. His shoulders were slightly curled forward, and his eyes were clouded with worry. His ears twitched irritatedly, following every little rustle of the leaves or snap of a stick.
"You okay?" Kagome asked, sliding herself behind Inuyasha.
"Just listenin'," Inuyasha replied, his body still tense and his ears still twitching.
"I doubt there are any yōkai lurking about," Kagome said, "Unless… you're not worried about… oh."
Inuyasha was worried that they would be caught. She couldn't keep the sigh from escaping from her lips.
"I just…" Inuyasha's face was not the only part of him that was blushing. "I'm not… I'm not ready for… for everyone to…" He was struggling to find his words. And Kagome knew to wait and give him the time he needed to express himself. "…To be in our business."
"Is… is that why—" Kagome tried to keep asking her question, but she stopped herself. She was still scared of the answer. "Um. Let me know if this is too smelly for you."
Kagome began to rub the soap into her hands, creating a thick and silky lather, trying to distract herself from what she'd almost just asked. As she did so, the coconut fragrance hit her nose in waves. But Inuyasha had turned his head around, his eyes searching hers.
"Why what?" Inuyasha wasn't going to let her slip of the tongue go.
"It's… well…" Was it finally time to come clean? To tell him how she felt? "I…"
"I uh… overheard you and Sango," Inuyasha winced. "I didn't… I didn't know that I… left ya wondering."
"Inuyasha?" Kagome desperately wanted him to continue. To say the rest of what he was thinking. To blow away the fog of ambiguity and express to her the things she'd been so desperate to hear him say for the past month and three years.
"Hanyō aren't supposed to live long and fulfilling lives. We're supposed to die young, and if we survive past childhood, we're supposed to be alone until someone wakes our yōkai blood and we give in." Inuyasha had not opened his eyes. "If we're really lucky, someone takes pity on us… and accepts one part of us." Inuyasha didn't say more, but Kagome knew he was thinking about Kikyo, and his promise to turn human for her. "Then… you stupid idiot came barging in and fucked up all the things my life was supposed to be. I have friends because of you. I… changed the fate of hanyō everywhere because of you."
Inuyasha finally tilted his head back up to look into Kagome's eyes. "Hanyō aren't supposed to find… people. Uh… who complete us. Who want to be with us. Who… want to be with me."
"I want to be with you, Inuyasha." Kagome couldn't hold it in anymore.
Inuyasha's ears yet again gave away his mood far faster than the rest of him did, perking up once more and wiggling.
"You… you're sure?" Inuyasha's voice had taken on an edge of a whine. "You really mean it?"
"Yes, you baka," Kagome laughed, unable to contain the joy that was seeping through her now. "When the well opened up again. I—I said goodbye. To Mama… Because I was ready to say goodbye to her, to my family, to everyone, if it meant I could see you again."
Before Kagome could continue, Inuyasha had stood up and thrown his arms around her, pulling her into him.
"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered, and she heard them, tears, obscured by the moisture of the hot spring, but still laced into his voice.
And then Inuyasha leaned in and he kissed her. It held the same desperate need as their kiss in the endless black of the Shikon No Tama. It also held the same relief. But this kiss, unlike that kiss, also contained jubilation. As if finally, finally, the dam had broken, and the questions had all been answered.
Kagome had been born to meet Inuyasha, and Inuyasha had been born for her. And finally, in a hot spring, the scent of coconut teasing their noses, they had finally embraced the red string of fate that had twisted around them, pulling them closer and closer.
Then Kagome heard a loud plunk.
"I-Inuyasha," Kagome half-whispered, half-giggled, "I just… lost the soap."
Inuyasha looked down at the now dissolving white bar, which was releasing coconut fragrance at the rate of one of Sango's scent beads. Inuyasha's eyes had started to dilate and he looked a little woozy. Given the coconut flavor was even irritating Kagome's nose, she didn't want to think about how bad Inuyasha had it.
"Silly wench," Inuyasha grumbled, picking Kagome up bridal style and launching them both out of the hot spring. "Clumsy as ever."
He put them both down in the dressing area, clear of the coconut bomb Kagome had accidentally unleashed.
"Oh noooo!" Kagome cried, smacking herself in her forehead. "I can't pamper you now!"
"You… already did more for me than… I could have ever wished for Kagome." Inuyasha's eyes were watering, this time not just from the overpowering coconut scent still infusing the hot spring. He then leaned in and kissed Kagome's forehead. "And maybe… if you wanted to. We could… get more of that soap. And… we could pamper each other. Tomorrow."
"What about the day after that?" Kagome chortled, unable to contain herself, her jubilation. She pulled herself closer to Inuyasha, and gifted his lips with a little peck.
"Yeah." Inuyasha leaned in and deepened their kiss. "And the day after that too."
"Forever?" Kagome asked, her voice now serious.
"Forever," Inuyasha answered, and sealed his promise with one more kiss.