Spring 1561

Inuyasha and Kagome weren't entirely sure how they'd found themselves in their current situation, yet there they were.

The kids were usually pretty good with staying in their own rooms at night, and the baby at least in her own bed. Granted, Kiotsu or Yukio might wander in every now and again, shivering with fright from a nightmare, or from some ominous scratching sound they heard outside, or on a particularly loud and stormy night like this one. But, at ages two-and-a-half and just-four, respectively, there wasn't much to blame them for. Even Kikyo-five and a half-snuck in from time to time, stuffed fox in tow. But nighttime visits from Michi, Izzy, and especially Shippo were very rare indeed. And yet, there they were, all at once, all asleep. Even the family dog decided she didn't want to be left out, curling up near Inuyasha's feet.

The room was silent a while, save the pattering of the heavy rain on the roof and walls of the house and occasional roll of thunder. Inuyasha's gaze darted across the room for a moment, then over his family. He failed to stifle a small chuckle.

Kagome raised a curious eyebrow, but smiled softly.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's nothing," the hanyou brushed off. But when his wife continued to stare expectantly, he knew he'd have to elaborate. He took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling.

"I was just thinkin'," he began. "If you'd asked me, about fifteen years ago, when you freed my from that tree...or even before that, before I got stuck to that thing, before I'd met you...where I saw myself in the future..." He turned his gaze back towards Kagome's. "Well, let's just say that laying here, in my bed in my own house, next to my human wife who never, ever discriminated against me for being a hanyou, surrounded by an orphaned kitsune, a stray mutt, and six kids of my own would not have been my answer!" He smiled a bit at that last part. Kagome mirrored his expression.

"What would have been your answer?" she asked, curious. Inuyasha shrugged-or, at at least, as much as he could shrug with his nine-year-old son asleep on his shoulder.

"I dunno. Probably having successfully turned myself into a true youkai using that darn jewel or somethin'."

"But you like your actual outcome better than that idea?" It was a dumb question and Kagome knew it, but she asked it anyways. Inuyasha let out a semi-amused huff.

"No doubt. Back then...I thought I wanted power. At least, that's what I told myself. But what I really wanted was a home. A place to belong. Power was just the means to that ends. If I had that...I'd be able to make a place for myself. Force myself into a position of respect. But you...you gave me far more of a home than some stupid jewel or an extra fifty-percent youkai blood ever could have."

Kagome beamed warmly at him.

"I love you."

"Yeah. Love you, too." The words were rare coming off his lips, reserved for only the most special of circumstances, but were never anything but sincere.

I know.

"Good luck feeling your limbs tomorrow, though," she added with a teasing tone, gesturing lightly to where Michi, Kikyo, Yukio, and the dog were using him as their pillow.

"Keh," the hanyou scoffed softly, smiling gently as he closed his eyes to go to sleep.

.oOo.

A/N:

Accompanying art can be found here:

[ ] art/Stormy-Night-Snooze-519023934