Three Little Words

Kagome was awake and cooking breakfast by the time the dog's whimpering was beginning to get annoying. She shooed the little thing away, pushing her with her foot, telling her the food would be done soon. As if she understood Kagome, Aki stamped her paws impatiently, making the cutest little bow-wow-wow in her annoyance of being shoved away. Of course, the display was adorable, and Kagome reached down to ruffle the fur on top of Aki's head, something she knew also annoyed the little orange shiba.

Something felt very uncomfortable when she did that, and Kagome stood back immediately, trying to figure out what was going on. She shook her head, taking the food off the heat as she realized what it must have been.

"Oh no," she said with a groan, sitting back on the raised floor. She untied her hakama and pulled her bottoms off to find out the situation was exactly as she suspected; her stitches didn't hold. She knew it was bound to happen, after a year of cycling through the same three pairs of panties, patching them up, scrubbing them, rinse and repeat. The elastic had completely come out of one pair, and she left those in the bottom of a drawer. This pair had held up a little better, but she had to patch the bottom up time after time. They had finally ripped out again, only now it was in a different spot.

As much as going commando was probably common for women in this era, the thought of all that loose fabric rubbing against her bare backside was not something she looked forward to. Sure, they had those slips, which she was sure were fine under a yukata, but she wore hakama most of the time. She looked out the window, noting that the sun had already come up. She looked down to the scraps of fabric which had once been polka-dotted panties, and made a decision. These were intact enough to use as a sort of pattern for a new pair, and honestly she should have done this a long time ago.

She had a cotton fabric leftover from the last time she had patched Inuyasha's kosode (she should really just get around to making him a new one, it was so full of holes) that she supposed would work. She fed the dog and got a bowl for herself before setting to work cutting the remnants of her underwear to lay flat so that she could make a pattern. As she began tracing onto the fabric with a blackened stick from the fire, she noted the sun was already up. It wasn't the first time she had been late to Kaede's. When Inuyasha first started leaving to spar with Sango, she had usually showed up just before noon, and Kaede never said much about it.

Kagome leaned back and heard her back pop with annoying clarity. She had a bad habit of picking up every child who asked it of her, and she may have overdone it a bit today. She saw two of the children off for their turn to help their grandparents in the field. As she came upon the children's grandparents, she thought they might be arguing so she became a little uneasy, until the grandmother caught sight of Kagome, then turning to her husband.

"Look, the kids are back, so lets just drop it, okay?"

The grandfather sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Good. I still love you, you great oaf," she told him. The man chuckled at this.

"Yeah yeah. Love you too, old hag," he responded in turn, watching a smile grace his wife's lips. Kagome sighed, grateful that it wasn't anything serious.

She left then to see if Inuyasha was still loitering around Sango's house, since she needed to head that direction next. Inuyasha usually mooched lunch off the small family when he and Sango finished sparring. Kagome chuckled at the thought. She knew Inuyasha had a conscience, since he would sometimes bring them over a pheasant to replace the food he had mooched from the family of five previously. She was toying with some of the herbs in her basket, happy to see new wild sprouts in the fields while she walked, but when she got to the house, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"I love you, Sango," she heard Miroku say from behind the door. Something about the words here unsettled her.

'I love you.' It's a simple phrase, barely a sentence, but what it means for young couples—or even older couples, like the grandparents of the two children she just dropped off—was something special. It was something that created a nice, warm feeling in people when it was said aloud. Even when Inuyasha was having a hissy fit—which, admittedly there had been very few of in recent memory—she could tell him that and watch him physically calm down. Sometimes he would blush or scoff, but it usually stopped his mouth from going off. She had said it a few times and gotten a kiss from him, almost as a reward (was he trying to train her like a pup?) so she knew how he felt when she said that simple little phrase to her. She probably felt just as nice when he said it to her…'probably'..?

She couldn't understand what made her pause at first. Then she set a hand on her hip and pondered the issue. Exactly how did Inuyasha saying that to her make her feel? Good surely, but she couldn't remember…wait…

Inuyasha had never—in the entire time that they had been together—been married—told her he loved her!

Kagome frowned. That couldn't be right. They were coming up on their first anniversary, surely by now he had told her that he—

Kagome's brain stalled out before she could finish the thought, overhearing a little too much, then.

"No~o," she heard her friend giggle.

"Stop that…noo…stupid...you just got the girls to sleep…"the rest were just muffled giggles as Kagome pulled her ear away from the door, unaware that she had pressed her face up against it. She blushed bright with embarrassment when she realized how perverted listening in on this probably was…she should just…leave them alone for now…

She ran away from Sango and Miroku's house then, hiding her face in shame. She would feel terrible if someone did what she had just done if it were her and Inuyasha on the inside of the house.

Oh, Inuyasha. That's right. Maybe she should ask him if he remembered ever…well, admitting that he loved his wife. Surely he had, she just couldn't remember it. Right?

She was a little surprised to find him back near the house, sitting on the forest floor, with a block of wood held between his feet, tearing into it with his claws…what on earth was he doing?

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked hesitantly as she came up on the strange scene. He grunted to acknowledge her presence but said nothing. She tilted her head to the side, noting more wood to Inuyasha's side. She came closer, then drawing her husband's eye as she looked over the…bowls?

"Eh? What are those, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha's ears flicked at her words, and he drew his eyebrows together before setting down his current project to pick up one of the little bowls. He handed it up to Kagome and she blinked as she stared at the item. She ran her thumb over the surface of it, taking in the shapes carved into the exterior. They were all geometric, but the level of detail of the carvings, and the smoothness of the surface, without any raw edges was amazing. She lifted the bowl to examine it further, the delicate markings around the rim and base made her think of something that should be in a history museum, an example of an expert craftsman's workmanship. She knew what this situation implied, but certainly her husband had not…? With only his claws?

"Did you make this?" She asked, still thumbing over the pristine carving, searching for any indication of splinters.

"I'm trying to copy the pattern on that one, but I can't get it right," he said holding up the other bowl at his knee. He set it down, and scratched the back of his head, averting his eyes from Kagome's.

"Damn thing warped, so I wanted to try again."

Kagome looked down at her husband, wide eyed. So he had made this? She noted that the bowl she held was a little oblong in shape. She sat in front of Inuyasha, holding the bowl out to him.

"This is really good, Inuyasha!"

He scowled, looking off away from her.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered.

"I really mean it! I didn't expect you to, well…the carvings are so detailed, like someone who had been practicing for decades…when did you start carving wood?"

Inuyasha blinked, looking back to his wife.

"A few months ago. You know, you still have that ugly fucking tanuki statue on the shelf."

"That's the first thing you ever carved?! Inuyasha, I'm serious when I say you have talent!" Her mouth hung open as she looked back down at the little warped bowl. She knew neither one of them could draw, so she just assumed neither had any artistic ability whatsoever, but the geometric designs on this bowl definitely looked good, and if she could see it lacquered and shiny, she was certain it would remind her of the sea. Or the beach, with foamy waves splashing up onto rocks in little zig-zags and swirls. Her rough-and-tumble warrior of a husband had some artistic skills after all.

"Keh, whatever," he said, setting his current project aside for later and turning back to his wife.

"You all done for the day?" He asked, taking the bowl back from Kagome.

Kagome's brows scrunched as she tried to remember exactly why she was out here.

"Ah yeah," she said, when her thoughts came back to her.

"I wanted to ask you a question."

Inuyasha shot her a suspicious glance, but gestured for her to go on, nonetheless.

"Have…um…" she hesitated, clasping her hands together, "Have you ever…um…told me that you love me?"

She watched the hanyou man tense up. His jaw clenched, and he remained quiet, giving Kagome her answer.

"You haven't? We've been married for a while now, how come you haven't said it?"

Inuyasha leaned back on his hands and away from his wife.

"Why would I go saying stupid shit like that…" he mumbled.

Kagome pursed her lips.

"Stupid? How is it stupid? It's love. I tell you I love you all the time."

"Well, it ain't somethin' that—well, it's fine if a girl says it but it ain't the same for me to—"

"Miroku tells Sango he loves her," Kagome interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest. Inuyasha sent her a glare.

"So what? Miroku's Miroku, an' I ain't." His eyes closed then, leaning forward to stand, but Kagome put her hands on his shoulders, encouraging him to sit once again.

"Well, what's the difference? If you love someone, you tell them. You love me, so it shouldn't be so hard to say it." She could feel Inuyasha's body beginning to vibrate with an inaudible growl starting.

"You do love me, right?"

The growl became audible as gold eyes darted back to Kagome's.

"Don't do that, you're being stupid." He crossed his arms in his sleeves and closed his eyes. He sighed, though the sound came out more as a low growl.

"You act like it's an easy fuckin' thing to say like that. I ain't you, and I ain't Miroku, so for me, it ain't."

"You told Kikyo you loved her," Kagome said thoughtlessly, suddenly bitter. She regretted it the instant the words left her mouth, and the next words would have been an apology if Inuyasha hadn't sent her such an angry, pained expression. He crinkled his nose as if he smelled something nasty and his eyes left Kagome's for a second before returning, as his mouth opened to speak.

"As she was dying! I only…god damn. She was dying, so yeah I fucking

'—I told her... She fucking died right there, so…" he trailed off with a growl, and Kagome's hands squeezed against her chest.

"I'm sorry, it didn't mean it like that."

Inuyasha huffed, closing his eyes again.

"I know…But…she had to start dying before I could say a single thing to her. I said it, and then she died so…"

"So you're…hesitant to say you love me…in part because of…" Kagome trailed off. Inuyasha opened one eye, seeing his wife's downturned face. He growled.

"Besides, Kagome. It should be obvious."

Kagome lifted her head.

"What's obvious?"

Inuyasha shook his head.

"I answered your question," he said. Kagome squinted in confusion, before remembering that she had phrased 'you do love me, right?' as a question.

"That you love me?"

Inuyasha scoffed.

"Dummy. It should be obvious by now."

Kagome smiled, feeling a bit of warmth come to her cheeks then. That was really all she wanted. After all this time, it was obvious in everything Inuyasha did for her, how he was calmed from his moodier days by her words or mere presence, how he kissed and held her…well, she never had questioned how he felt, ever. Even when she knew he was still in love with Kikyo, he loved her as well. It was silly to think that a few words would further embed the thought into her mind. "It should be obvious," was more than she needed, and it was exactly what she expected out of Inuyasha. He had never been very good with his words, and she understood that about him. She loved him, and he loved her, whether or not he could say it aloud.

As Kagome went back to Kaede's for an hour or so, Inuyasha followed her, stretching out in the sun on the old woman's roof. As the hanyou lay relaxing in the rare warmth of the early spring, the conversation in the forest played around in his mind. He really was head-over-heels for the young woman, wasn't he? She was right in saying that she told him she loved him—and often—so laying there he wondered why it really was so difficult for him to vocalize the sentiment. It wasn't like normal, when he had a hard time finding the right words to say, this time he knew what words to use but…she deserved to hear him say it. It wasn't something that came easy. When she brought up Kikyo, he knew that…those words had slipped right off his tongue, without anything holding him back. He was a wreak then, watching her die, and his emotions were haywire...Maybe if he got drunk enough, it would loosen his tongue?

Naw. That was a terrible idea. Although, there were a few things known to loosen the regular constraints he put on himself—the ways he let his guard down. As Kagome wished Kaede well, an idea formed in the hanyou's mind. Maybe it was stupid, but worth a try, he supposed. He kept quiet until after dinner, when Kagome was putting the dishes away, stopping to take a look at the unfinished bowls she had set on the shelf.

"I can't believe you made this, it's really good," Kagome said, mumbling the last bit. She ran her fingertips across the delicate etchings, feeling the roughness of the unfinished patterns. Just mindless geometric patterns, but the workmanship was so intricate that she could tell that a lot of time had been put into the bowl. Her hanyou had made this? She smiled, lifting it to the top shelf of her cabinet.

"What, don't think I'm good enough for that?"

She didn't expect his breath to brush her ear, and she jumped, only to hear a chuckle in reply. Her spike of surprise melted into something warm in her belly as his hands crept along her hips.

"I didn't say th…" she trailed off as her husband's hands pushed inside the open side of her hakama. They paused as he nosed aside her loose braid and lips found her neck, silently asking permission to continue this venture.

"Inuyasha…m'kay," she mumbled, her voice coming out rough and halting. How quickly this man won her over. 'So weak,' she thought with a note of whimsy. The next conscious thought didn't occur to her until they lay together in a tangled pile of half-undone robes. Inuyasha was glancing below her hips, to the garment she constructed in place of her ripped panties. She was embarrassed to have him see what was essentially a g-string, until a smirk fell upon his lips.

Those ties at her hips looked as if one pull at the end would unravel the knot. His assumption was proven correct when he pulled the loose end until the knot came undone. Kagome stayed remarkably still even as he pointedly met her hazy brown eyes as he pulled the second string loose. They reflected every bit of desire that he felt. He loved getting that look from her. He would love to hurry and roll her onto her belly like he normally did when they were feeling this strongly but…

He had hold of her hips, but he stopped, his brain barely clinging to his purpose for getting into his wife's clothes in the first place. He pushed the front of the garment away, his hands opening her legs up for him as his lips came back to her neck and he began grinding into her.

It was a great view he always had of her whenever she crawled on top of him. Tonight's show was delightfully vague—tempting—her kosode hanging off her shoulders down to conceal the softest spans of skin on her body, that only he knew the texture, and taste of. The fabric would move when she tipped a little further upright to reveal a little more of the skin to him. If he could keep his head from tipping back every time she repositioned herself that way. He bit the inside of his cheek with a grunt, tipping his head forward again to watch her. His hands slid up her thighs, beneath the fabric. He pushed up to her waist, and she changed her movements to a slow grind against his hips. He looked up when her hands pushed against the center of his chest to see her with that bottom lip between her teeth, staring down at him with those gorgeous brown eyes of hers, hazy and half-lidded.

He squeezed on her ribs when his hands traveled up further, before coming to stroke down her back.

"I do, you know." His words were breathy, and came haltingly. His pretty little wife smiled even as her brow furrowed with confusion.

"Do what?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha smiled, stroking back down to her hips.

"…Love you…"

Kagome blinked, halting her slow movement over him.

"What?" Her voice came out without a note of surprise, simply confusion, as if she hadn't heard him. Inuyasha huffed through his nose.

"I love you."

Ah, there was the surprise. Then came a deep blush, followed by—

"Y-you can't say that during sex!"

Inuyasha shot her a puzzled look of his own, before furrowing his brow with a note of annoyance.

"What?! Why not?"

Kagome gaped for a second.

"You just can't!"

"And I'm asking why!"

"Just—" She grabbed his wrists and pulled them away from her waist, "It's against the rules…"

"What the hell rules are you..?" Kagome shook her head and pushed Inuyasha's hands down, and he allowed her to press them to the floor beneath him, on either side of his head. He allowed her to harmlessly pin him there, as her expression lightened and a smile fell upon his own lips.

"Keh. What rules?"

Kagome bit her lip to keep a smile at bay.

"Just how things are."

"Like how humans only marry humans? Well, we ain't gone by that one, so…" he shifted the hands she held and pushed back up against them, twining his fingers with hers and pushing his forearms up at the elbow. Kagome squeezed her fingers against his hand and sat back up, leaning up on his hands. She chuckled at their position.

"I love you, Inuyasha."

...

Sorry I'm so late on the update. Summer got hectic, moving and all that, but I'll be getting back on a regular schedule provided all goes well with school. This one's kind of piecemeal, but I wanted to get it done. I don't think Inuyasha's the type to say "I love you" all that often. Also, where is Aki? Find out next time on Dragon Ba - Little by Little.