Atmospheric Changes

"I'm glad to hear it," Inuyasha's mother-in law said with a smile. Kagome saw her husband fight to keep a smile off his face as he turned his head back towards his wife. Kagome ignored him to stare out the window. How lovely it was this time of year with the bite in the air and the leaves turned to their oranges and yellows and reds. Souta's birthday fell during the most beautiful time of year.

Kagome couldn't believe it, when he had started his first year of middle school, and now he was turning thirteen! Wow, how much things had changed. How much things had changed. She had finally saved up to get Souta the game he had been wanting, and…

"Go on, open it, open it!" Kagome's grandfather smiled jubilantly at his young grandson, sitting with the small box in his hands. He smiled back until lifted the lid of the box and pulled what looked to be large dried fish scale from the box.

"Um…thanks…" Souta grimaced, returning the item to the box.

"Oh, well don't turn your nose up at it so soon! That is a dragon scale, presented to our family three hundred years ago after the long battle between—"

"Father, I think that's enough of the old stories." A smiling man shook his head. He then pointed over to the young couple at then end of the table. "We need to get to dinner before dark, Kagome and…uh…" he trailed off. He could not remember the young man's name.

"Son-in-law? I don't think we've been properly introduced." Kagome frowned at this. Surely her fathr had met Inuyasha before. Grandpa, mama, and Souta had met him on numerous occasions. She couldn't imagine why he had never met Inuyasha.

Wait.

Daddy was…

"Kagome?" Her husband laid a hand on her shoulder, peering over at her with worry on his face. Kagome looked over her family, and they all seemed to be engaged in conversation. The only one aware of her sudden panic was her husband.

"Kagome," he whispered this time, only a few inches from her face, concern in his tone.

"Kagome…

...

...

"Kagome?" Inuyasha said, gently rubbing his sleeping wife's arm. She finally roused then, rolling onto her back and rubbing her eyes. Inuyasha sat up to look down at her. He looked over her thoroughly before asking what the hell kind of dream she was having. It sounded like she was being chased by something.

"No, it was just a regular dream, Inuyasha. Sorry if I woke you up." He scantly believed that, but with a groan, she threw an arm over his hips and pushed her face into his torso.

"Inuyasha, I'm tired," she whined, "let's go back to sleep." He threw her a suspicious look before he blew it off and laid back down. Kagome sighed and pushed her forehead against his chest. She tried not to think about it, but Inuyasha was right, in a way. She was being chased. The thoughts she had tried to push down since she returned here had been invading her mind more and more as of late. She was being chased by the reality of the situation.

She had…the rest of her family was just like her dad…they were still alive and well, but she would never be able to…had she…?

"Damn," Inuyasha swore as his friend came up to him, shrugging.

"Well, it isn't the first time we've come up empty-handed," Miroku said with a sigh.

"Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha mumbled. Sometimes they came out looking for rumors, and often they never panned out, but recently they had been coming up with job opportunities every time they went out looking. It was as if since Miroku's boy had been born, and Kagome had come back, that their luck was changing. It wasn't a tragedy that this one trip didn't work out, but it was disheartening nonetheless—their lucky streak had been broken.

However, going out, they weren't expecting much. Missing chickens? Minor damage to crops? A pair of mortal foxes were killed sneaking into a chicken coop and all the minor troubles seemed to disappear. No demonic troubles afoot, just mortal vermin acting like vermin. Of course it still left the monk and hanyou a distance from home without anything to show for it.

Winter was setting in with the leaves frosting in the mornings, and with an additional mouth to feed this cold season Miroku would chase every rumor he could afford. Inuyasha wasn't as worried, but he was still annoyed with taking time away from his wife for no reason. The hanyou and wife had returned all of the items they borrowed, but there were still a few things they needed to buy. Like an axe. He always tried to leave Kagome with plenty of firewood, but she still used Sango's axe to cut the wood into smaller pieces. He recalled the trips he made last year that kept him and Miroku away for weeks. Ideally Kohaku would take on the further trips, but it was during that time Kohaku was busy elsewhere.

Inuyasha swallowed thickly at the thought of leaving Kagome for that long. Would she be okay? She joked that she would survive, but something didn't sit well with him. He was hesitant about leaving her this morning, even, because of how she had been acting these last few days. She was quieter that she usually was, sometimes staring off into space. It was freaking him out, but when he asked, she merely replied that she liked the fall. It was pretty when all the leaves were different colors, she told him. He had believed that at the time, but last night she had been more fitful in her sleep than usual. He really wished he had asked what that dream was, because now he was really regretting not asking, leaving her alone like that.

He had been on that trip for a week early on, and he had been on edge the last few days of it. The moment he returned to the village he caught his wife's scent, and he wanted to go to her desperately, but he was dog tired. He knew if he held her and clung to her like he wanted to, she'd have wanted something more. He wasn't going to break the promise of having the house built…and he also wasn't going to embarrass himself by falling asleep midway. What would she think of him if that happened? He had steered himself for Kaede's house, figuring a better option than seeking out Kagome himself.

"…eer-hunting trip? I know it's a little early, but Sango's…Inuyasha, are you listening?"

"Wha?" Inuyasha blinked, not having realized his friend was taking to him.

Miroku squinted in disbelief before shaking his head. He should be used to this by now. He shook Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Ah, just a little ways more, my friend. We'll be out of the cold and in the company of our families. Maybe you pay attention a bit better with a full belly?" He joked. The hanyou shrugged the monk's hand off his shoulder and sent him a glare. He paid attention fine most of the time. Like right now, at the divergence of two paths.

"Actually, Monk, I'm gonna head this way," he said, stepping off the road that normally took them home. "Kagome should be in the west village most of today."

"Oh," Miroku started, "you didn't choose to accompany her?"

"Bah, she can handle herself. Made that clear a while ago."

"Did she?" Miroku smiled. He had heard from Sango what Kagome and husband had discussed on that hill. He waved as Inuyasha separated from himself.

She had finished up early, Ranko's "check-up" having gone remarkably well. The last time, Kagome had given her a little advice from what she had learned directly from a textbook. It seemed to work well for the woman. Maybe she had learned something useful in high school, after all?

With the quiet walk home, Kagome was left to her thoughts. She stared down at the fallen leaves as she walked, looking for any crunchy ones she might like to step on. It was a game she used to play as a child, trying to find the crunchiest leaf possible. The louder the crunch, the better. She loved playing in the leaves, sometimes collecting different colors of them and arranging them in pictures. Her brother loved this time of year as well, when he could play the crunchy leaf game with Kagome and also because his birthday was…

She didn't have the option to play the leaf game anymore. Not with him. She hadn't played it in years so she she shouldn't miss it…but just not having the option to—she had a choice taken away from her… She stopped to take a deep breath. No. She had made the choice to come here. Nothing was taken from her that she didn't freely give, the choice to play with her brother included. She swallowed down any invasive thoughts and continued on.

She heard a small crunch behind her. She heard a scuff follow. The Miko didn't stop or speed her pace, but she slowly slid her bow down her arm. Her right hand reached behind for an arrow when she heard quick footsteps behind her. She sensed no demonic aura…The footsteps were getting closer. She gauged the distance between her and the village. She was almost past the trees that lead into the fields. It was probably nothing, she told herself—a rabbit perhaps—but she nocked her arrow nonetheless and spun to face whatever was following her. She instantly giggled and lowered her weapon.

"Well hi there, cutie," she told the little reddish pup that hesitantly approached. She scanned the woods around her, wondering where the little dog had come from. She pointed in a random direction, as she did with all neighborhood dogs that got out of their yards in her old era.

"You need to go home," she told the dog. It just started to wag its tail and came within an arm's length of Kagome, looking up at her.

"Go home," she said more firmly. The dog's position didn't change. Kagome slowly backed away from the dog.

"Go on, get!" This time the dog hunched down for a second at the alarming tone of Kagome's voice, then came back up with tail continuing to wag. Kagome chuckled, then turned on her heel. Eventually the pup would lose interest and wonder back home. She really should get back to the village.

When he passed though the village looking for his wife, her scent wasn't as strong as it should be, so either she had been inside one of these houses for a long while, or she had already left for home. He supposed she could have, since it was getting dark already, and she probably wanted to leave before then, he hadn't thought of that until now. She could have started out in the morning. Kagome would probably sleep in until noon if he let her, so that was what he expected when he left before waking her.

Some of these folks he had met before, and they all knew who he was—Inuyasha of the forest—but that didn't stop the apprehensive stares he got from the people as he walked about, trying to sniff out which house she might be in. When he heard a woman shushing her crying child, worried over the demon, he was finally annoyed enough to take off out of there. So much for trying to walk home with his wife.

He could smell Kagome's scent on the path, but he couldn't be sure if that was from her coming or going. He would just have to wait for her at home. He should have just stuck with Miroku the entire way, instead of going the route that would leave him with a headache. As he meandered through the forest, he caught a glimpse of a pheasant struggling to get up to roost, and it was too good to pass up. Even if he couldn't come home with anything from the trip, he may as well get some meat for dinner.

"What the hell is that, Kagome?" Inuyasha snarled, never taking his eyes from the reddish-tan animal. Kagome set a hand on her hip.

"Stop growling at the poor thing, you're scaring him!" Kagome dropped down and wrapped her arms around the little dog. Inuyasha stood straighter as his growl fizzled out. His glare turned towards his wife as she stroked the dog and got it to stop growling.

"Hell no. Take that thing back wherever it came from," Inuyasha demanded.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome stood, lifting the small dog into her arms without its protest. The dog rolled its head around to look back at the woman holding it. "He's so well behaved, see? And besides, I don't know where they came from, but they've been following me all day…and eventually they let me pet them and…well, he followed me right in the house…"

Inuyasha's stern expression didn't waver. Kagome set her chin on the little dog's head.

"Aren't they cute, Inuyasha?"

"Hell no, that thing's filthy! I don't want it in the house," he argued.

"His paws are cleaner than your feet," Kagome muttered. "How can you saw no to this little face?"

"I hate dogs." Kagome's face head lifted from the dog's with confusion.

"Really?" She asked dubiously. "You hate dogs?" Inuyasha's face screwed into a deeper scowl. No way was she comparing him to a…well…he was part dog demon, but the 'demon' part was the focus! He was not a fucking dog!

"Don't you look at me like that. We're not keeping the dog."

Her dubious expression fell. Inuyasha felt his heart thud once as he realized that her expression was now…she had been so somber lately. They had not had a real back-and-forth conversation in days, between how busy they were, and how quiet she was. He wanted desperately to know what was wrong with her, but he was bad with words and he didn't know how to ask properly, even though Sango had mentioned it to him as well. He scowled at the opposite wall.

"Inuyasha," she said at last, a soft huff in her words, "come on, we can't just—"

"Fine!" Inuyasha growled finally. He sat on the raised floor to brush his feet off. There was a moment of silence that stretched between husband and wife, allowing her time to notice the strain in his expression. Even the dog had quieted down. She set the dog on the floor, taking hesitant steps towards her husband. He closed his eyes as she came near. His arms jerked slightly as gentle fingertips came to rest on his crossed forearms.

"I was…if I knew it would bother you so much, I wouldn't have suggested it. We don't have to keep the dog, I'm not exactly attached to it yet. I'm sure we can find someone who can take it." She tried to sound nonchalant. She really couldn't have gotten attached to it so soon, could she?

"It's not the dog…not just the dog." He eyed her carefully. How would he start on this? He hadn't had a great day himself so…maybe if he diverted. He tugged her arm to let her know to sit beside him.

"The trip was a bust."

Kagome sighed.

"It's just one trip. I'm sure there will be others, so—"

"it's not that either, it's just lately we've both been kind of… well, we've…" Kagome was looking at him. She was listening intently. She had been spacing out a lot lately, and Inuyasha was distracted for a moment…until the dog felt ignored and came trotting over to Kagome. It hopped up, putting both front paws on Kagome's shoulder, trying to lick the woman's face and get her attention.

"Down, down. Get off me," she chastised. Suddenly the dog was out of her face, and her husband's arm was out of her grasp. The pup whimpered from Inuyasha's hold on its scruff until he brought it up level with his face and stared it down.

"Inuyasha, please put him down!"

"She's fine." Inuyasha gave the dog one more glare before he set it back on the floor. The dog only took a few steps away from Inuyasha before it turned to examine the big red animal that stood before the nicer one. Kagome looked over to make sure the dog was okay, if not frightened of her husband.

"Look, I ain't mad or nothin', but, well…" he took a step back, leaning his shoulders against the wall once more. "We were on a lucky streak I guess." He could barely remember what he originally wanted to say.

"Oh…Is this the first time…"

"Since you've been back, and since Miroku's boy was born. It's not like we go out often, but you know."

"I'm not disappointed, Inuyasha." That only earned a glare and a scoff from her husband. Not her intended effect.

"Hell, I knew you wouldn't be disappointed. You shouldn't be disappointed—"

"And neither should you." Inuyasha's glare softened, only just. She was smiling at him.

"And about the dog," he started, walking towards the dog. The dog—brave thing—didn't try to run, but merely hunkered down as Inuyasha's hand stretched towards it. Kagome became nervous when Inuyasha reached for the dog's scruff again.

"It's somebody's pet already." He parted the thick fur and pulled the collar away from the skin. Red and tan rope served as marking for ownership. Kagome touched her fingertips to her lips. She hadn't thought to look for a collar. That must be why it was so well-behaved and friendly. If it was someone's pet, why had it just followed her home like that? It wasn't as if she brought it with her, it followed on its own. It was just a pup, Inuyasha told her. They get distracted easily, like any kid.

"I know you had a cat, but you don't seem to know the first thing about dogs." Inuyasha left the dog's collar alone and stood back up. His pretty young wife wore a curious expression as she stared him down.

"And you do?"

"Yeah, I do," Inuyasha scoffed. "Like, this entire time, you've been calling it a 'he' but it's a female. Females are way more trouble than they're worth. She's still young, but the minute she goes into heat that first time, we'll have every mongrel this side of Musashi at our doorstep." He shook his head at his statement. "We have to find her master before then I guess."

"Aki? Aki, come here," Kagome ordered, pointing to the ground in front of her. She had given the dog a name, while she looked around for her owners—much to Inuyasha's dismay.

The Miko ordered the dog back again, but the shiba looked at her, wagged her curled tail and darted off into the forest. Kagome groaned and ran after the little dog. She chased Aki in circles around trees, over logs and deeper into the forest. The dog yipped and wagged her tail when Kagome finally propped herself against a tree. She was panting and laughing at herself for being bested by the fluffy critter when she finally noticed where the dog had lead her.

The wind blew out behind her, sending a chill up Kagome's spine. The dog trotted out into the clearing, unaware of the significance of the hill to the woman following behind. Kagome's breath was shaky as she clasped her hands together, staring—just staring—out to the small wooden structure in the center of the clearing. She had seen the old well hundreds of times—thousands—in her lifetime, why was it now that she was paralyzed looking upon it. Was it the dream? Was it the wind that seemed to pull her towards it?

Before Kagome realized it, she was stepping slowly towards the well. When she came next to it, she laid a hand on the wood, and she wondered why she was here again. Of all the times she had seen this well, none of them had been within the last six or so months of her life—because she didn't need to anymore. She had waited, stared at it, hoped, so often before then that the well would accept her again and let her into this world. She was supposed to be happy, because this was where she belonged. Right here. She didn't need to hope or pray anymore because she had everything she asked for. Everything she had ever prayed for, as if the well were some sort of deity that could grant her wish. Unlike the Shikon jewel, this one had granted her wish—and with no side-effects.

At least she thought.

The first fifteen years of her life, she had only had passing glances to the well, and she had never been intrigued by it, unlike the following year, and the three after. And why? Because she was busy. Too busy to explore, and warned not to…by who? Her grandfather…her mother…

Sota wouldn't even go in the shelter, because he was afraid of the dark.

Why was Kagome all the way out here? She was supposed to be at the shrine all day today. He modified his route to check on his wife, noting the smell of dog as well. That damn thing was not house trained at all. Relieved itself wherever it happened to be at the time. Chewed on the shelves too. He had taken care of the hygiene issues like he had always learned to do; rubbing the dog's nose in it. Kagome chewed him out for it, but it worked for inside the house. The dog was smart to learn from only one time that outside was the only reasonable place to go. It caused a lot of frustration, but at least Kagome seemed to be in better spirits. More talkative, though Inuyasha didn't know how much conversation he really could participate in.

He paused briefly, noticing the direction he was walking. Towards…the well? What was she doing out here?

He spotted her…exactly where he thought she would be. She was leaning up against the wood with her knees pulled to her chest. She lifted her head when she noticed him, then scrambling to her feet and brushing herself off.

"I…I was just." She swallowed roughly, flapping her sleeves behind herself. "It's uh—" she cleared her throat, "It's still here I guess…"

Inuyasha slowly walked towards his wife and the well. Kagome spun around laying both hands on the lip. His heart was pounding. Why was she out here? Suddenly…her behavior the past week. She was…

But her home was with him. She had told him that so many months ago, and he still believed her but…

"Yep, good…good and sturdy." She kicked the well for added effect. "Wh-whoever fixed it the last time did a good job of it." Inuyasha paused when she ended on that, an arm's length from the well.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Kagome's voice was small. Inuyasha's heart fell into his stomach when he heard the first sniffle and smelled the salt of her tears. She spun around and threw herself against him, fists balled into his clothes. He just stood there, unsure of what to…he had never been good with crying women. Least of all, Kagome. How did he use to deal with this? She was his wife, so he had to do something. It was just...this was the first time he had seen her cry since they were married!

"Say something," Kagome begged him. Say what? Inuyasha had no clue what to say. He finally brought his arms around her back and squeezed her to him. He looked over her shoulder to the well below. He wasn't stupid. He knew the well itself wasn't the reason she reacted violently, it was what lay beyond it. She had a family back there, safe and whole, that she could never return to.

"What do I say?" He asked, pressing his cheek against hers.

"Anything."

"…I'm sorry…" he mumbled after a second. Kagome turned her face away from his, pushing against his chest to loosen his grip. He did, but only enough to see her face as she shook her head at him.

"Don't be sorry," she sniffed, wiping one eye on her wrist. "I'm sorry."

"What've you got to be sorry about?" He asked, brows knit.

"I didn't mean to cry on you," she chuckled, wiping her other eye. He only tilted his head a little.

"Keh," was his only response.

"I shouldn't have come here…well…I guess…I didn't know I was going to start crying just seeing the old thing." Her voice was trembling, and Inuyasha feared she would start crying again.

"Are you…?" He asked. Kagome nodded to answer his unfinished question. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and tugged on Inuyasha's clothes. She wanted to go home. When Inuyasha didn't get the message, she sighed.

"I…this time of year is…Souta used to get really excited around now. When all the leaves would turn colors, he knew his birthday was coming up." Inuyasha's ears twitched as his brain worked to put together the pieces. That's why she'd been so quiet specifically during the past week. She was…reminded of home.

Well, it wasn't her home now. Her home was supposed to be with him. They were still a part of her family though. More than he was. He shouldn't feel jealous of her birth family. He knew he shouldn't but, he couldn't help the dread and annoyance and everything else that the past moments summoned in him. If she were any normal bride, she could visit her family from time to time, but since she decided to marry him, that simply wasn't possible. Marrying him meant cutting off all ties with her family. Marrying him meant her decision to leave her family was final. She wouldn't regret her decision…would she? She wasn't that kind of person.

Inuyasha turned his gaze to the well. It was her goddamned family. Of course. He still missed his mother, and she had been gone from his life since he was a child. He had no choice in the matter, but it was the same thing, right?

"How old is he?" Inuyasha asked after a moment of thought. "I mean, how old would he be turning?"

Kagome smiled, wiping her eye.

"Thirteen. He'd be an official teenager this year…"she trailed off, taking a deep breath. "You woke me up the other night because you thought I was having a bad dream—"

"You said you weren't," he interrupted.

"And I wasn't. I was having a good dream...but when I woke up, I realized it was only a dream and…well…It was Souta's birthday, and everyone was there, and I had finally saved up enough to buy him that game he wanted but…It was just a dream."

"And," he felt that his mouth had gone dry, "you wanted it to be real. Do…do you wish you could have stayed on that side?"

Kagome's head jerked back to look Inuyasha in the eye. He was an idiot. He knew it the moment the words left his lips.

"No." She reached up and grabbed Inuyasha by the back of his head. She pulled him down to her level, so she could press her forehead against his. She made sure she had his attention, brown eyes staring up into gold, as she spoke the next words.

"When I say everyone was there, I mean... Grandpa, you, everyone. Even…even my dad, Inuyasha." She watched him blink as she gave the last person. Her father had passed away when Sota was barely old enough to remember him, and had been gone for years. Inuyasha had guessed that early on, since he smelled no trace of a man besides her grandfather in the home.

"If anything, I wish I could have both. Still get to travel between the two times, but I would never want to live without you. Without Sango, Miroku, Shippo, everyone on this side. I couldn't do that."

"Have you ever tried?" He asked, suddenly pulling his head back.

"Tried what?"

"To go through the well."

Kagome shook her head. No. She just knew it wouldn't work again. She could feel that it was just as dormant as it had been during her years in high school. It wouldn't work. And even if it did she wasn't going to chance it. What if it did work, but only that one last time? She would be separated from this world again, back to square one. She wouldn't chance losing Inuyasha again.

"Then hold onto me. We can jump together," he suggested, squeezing her back. He offered what he thought was a reassuring smile. To his surprise, she yanked herself away from him, out of his grasp, and several steps away. His smile fell. She had an almost panicked look in her eyes as she looked from him, to the well and back. She loosely clasped her hands together and took another step back. She was scared to try it. Scared.

Inuyasha knew to push the issue no further. He slowly walked next to Kagome, watching her body still further as he got closer. She really was scared.

"Well," he started, staring off down the hill, "You're supposed to be back down at the shrine, aren't you?"

Kagome blinked, then nodded.

"I was, until Aki decided to—Aki!" she suddenly had returned to her normal demeanor, searching around for any sign of the little dog.

"I'll walk you back to the shrine, then I'll go find the dog," he offered. As they started to walk, Inuyasha remembered what he had been wanting to say for days.

"You told me not to keep nothin' from you, but you've been doin' the same thing, not tellin' me you were homesick. You been all quiet and shit."

Kagome stopped walking. Inuyasha took two more steps before turning to look at his wife, surprised look on her face.

"H-have I?"

Inuyasha huffed.

"Yeah, kinda." He took the two steps to stand beside her again, shaking his head.

"You told me to let you know whatever's on my mind, well, the same thing goes for you, wife."

He called her that again. Not dismissively, not condescendingly…like he had just realized that's what she was to him. She was his family.

"Eh? K-Kagome? I-I didn't say nothin' to—" she felt confusion at his suddenly stiff posture until she felt a bead of moisture roll down her cheek. She was crying again.

"Oh Inuyasha, I'm alright," she said, mustering a smile. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed against his chest.

"You don't sound alright."

...

First off, don't do what Inuyasha does. There's probably better ways to house train a dog, but this is what I was taught (I've never owned a puppy btw).

Secondly, this chapter is a lot more somber than the last few, and it gets worse from here, though next chapter should have a good bit of fluff (and maybe smut, I haven't decided) to break any sort of mood. I barely have anything written for chapter 23, we'll see how that goes. Just because Inuyasha is now a part of Kagome's family, it doesn't mean she will miss her other members any less. She has him as her support, (and Sango, Miroku, Shippo, etc) but she still left her family of 18 years behind.