Author's Note: No Sess/Rin in this chapter, but it will be soon! Please review!
Kagome knelt before the fire pit of the hut she shared with her husband, and stirred the soup. She was hoping Inuyasha would be home tonight to enjoy it. She shivered in anticipation of his touch. Feeling flushed, she wondered if it would always be this way, always wanting him like this.
Satisfied that the soup was almost finished, she grabbed an empty water bucket and headed out to the river so she could wash up and refresh their drinking water for the night.
She was just drying her face when arms snaked around her waist from behind.
She gasped and twisted in his hold. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. She would never get enough of his touch. His mouth devoured hers hungrily, his growls making her moan. She dropped her head back indulgently, giving him the access to her throat she knew he wanted. "Inuyasha…"
"I missed you," he hissed. He nipped and licked her throat, taking deep breaths through his nose. She knew he must be sniffing her. She giggled when his velvety ears tickled her jaw.
"You've only been away for a few days. I'm sure you have gotten along just fine."
"Does this feel fine to you, wife?" He thrust his swelling interest into her stomach. Kagome thrilled at how aggressive and flirtatious he was in showing his affection for her.
"Why don't you take me to bed, and I'll see what I can do about that," she murmured coquettishly.
She squealed in delight as he scooped her up in his arms. Once inside their home, there was no stopping him. Within moments, their clothing was scattered about the hut, and the soup forgotten. Kagome luxuriated in Inuyasha's worship and dominant possession of her body.
Afterward, they lay tangled upon their sleeping pallet, sated and drowsy. Kagome drew patterns upon his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. She thought of how very lucky she was to be so adored by such a man as this. Remembering how incredibly lonely she had been during her separation from Inuyasha was a pain she never wanted to go through again…and a pain she would not want anyone else she cared for to have to endure.
Poor Rin. Despite her loneliness, the girl had just turned down Kenta's proposal of marriage. Even though she didn't love him, such a thing had to have been very difficult for her. Kagome admired her courage and resolve to do what was right for herself. This was feudal Japan and for a peasant girl to reject such an eligible match would not make things easy for her among the villagers. She just hoped the girl would one day soon obtain her heart's desire.
Inuyasha rumbled contently as his beautiful Kagome pet and stroked his chest. The press of her warm body to his, the touch of her hands on his skin...how did he get so damn lucky to call such a fine woman his wife?
"Inuyasha…"
"Yeah." He nuzzled the top of her head.
"You know Sesshōmaru is around, don't you? I felt his presence today."
He sighed. Not this again. He wasn't in the mood to rehash this tired argument. All he wanted to do was enjoy the afterglow. Talking about his brother was sure to ruin it. "He probably came to check on Rin."
She fiddled with the rosary around his neck. "While you and Miroku were away, Kenta asked her to marry him. She turned him down."
Ok, he wasn't expecting this. Inuyasha propped himself up on his elbow. "No kidding? Damn, that must've been rough on him."
"And rough on her! Today during archery practice Rin was really withdrawn and sad. I think I know why she declined Kenta's offer. She is waiting for Sesshōmaru to visit her."
"Huh. Maybe she feels like she needs his permission or something before accepting any marriage offers."
Kagome scowled at him and tugged a silver forelock. "Inuyasha! Don't be dense."
"Whaddaya mean? How am I being dense?" he demanded, wounded.
"Because, it's obvious to any observant person that Rin is in love with him."
"Well, then why didn't she say yes? Kenta can ask Sesshōmaru's blessing or whatever, but it's not like he'd stand in the way or anything. Women don't make any sense."
Kagome looked at him like he wasn't too bright. "She's not in love with Kenta, Inuyasha. She's in love with Sesshōmaru."
He blanched in horror but she just giggled at him.
"How?! Rin's a sweet kid and he's a complete bastard!"
Now she was laughing at him. "In case you haven't noticed, she isn't a kid, and hasn't been for a while."
Inuyasha sputtered, embarrassed at the direction the conversation had taken.
"Don't you notice how she lights up whenever he visits? And when he leaves she goes into a depression," Kagome pointed out reasonably.
"Yeah, but she's always done that. He saved her life, brought her back from death, all that shit. She's just got a bad case of hero worship, always has.
Kagome sighed.
"Inuyasha, he needs to come see her, as in actually visit her. It's been several months since he's shown his face around here and she's incredibly sad about it! The more she grows up, the less he visits! But he sure lurks around all the time, not that she has any idea. It's weird! Where I come from, we call that stalking."
"You're saying that like you believe there is actually something I should do about it," he mumbled sullenly, plopping back down on his back.
Kagome scooted closer, pressing her body to his side. She looked earnestly down into his face. He groaned. It was the same look she used to give him when she wanted to take a detour from shard hunting to help some poor slob in danger.
"Inuyasha, I know how often he's close by, you know it too. There is more to it than some canine instinct to keep her safe."
Inuyasha's ears flattened, miffed by her choice of words. "So what are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that Sesshōmaru might possibly return her feelings. In his own way."
"Aw, dammit all to hell, woman," he whined. "Are we really having this conversation?" He covered his eyes in a vain attempt to escape his wife's eager scheming. He still had secondhand embarrassment from her meddling into her little brother's love life all those years ago.
"Inuyasha!" she scolded him.
"What? Look, I know what you are getting at, and the answer is still no."
"You don't know what I was going to say!" she protested hotly.
"Yes I do. I know exactly what you were going to say. You think we should butt in and talk to him." He shuddered. "You mention Sesshōmaru to me every time you sense his aura, and every time I tell you we need to mind our own damn business!"
Kagome deflated a little. "I just know how much we missed each other when we were apart. Sesshōmaru probably has no idea how much his long absences affect her…how much it hurts her."
Inuyasha gathered her close to him, struck for the millionth time how caring and soft hearted his wife was. What did he _ever_do to deserve her? Here he was thinking of only one aspect of things, how unpleasant his brother was, and Kagome saw all sides. She was thinking of Rin and Sesshōmaru, and wanting them both to find happiness. As outrageous as Inuyasha found the entire idea, he couldn't fault Kagome for looking out at the very least for Rin. The girl deserved to be happy, and if seeing his bastard brother made her happy, then Inuyasha would do what he could, even if it meant talking to the jerk.
"Alright, wench. You win."
She smiled tenderly up at him. "I'm not saying you need to ask him deep personal questions, Inuyasha. Just ask him to please visit her."
"You're already getting what you want, no need to bat your eyes at me." He leered and rolled on top of her. "Now since you're keeping me awake, I'll have to take inappropriate liberties."
Her eyes became hooded and she welcomed him into the warmth of her body yet again. "Thank the gods for that."
Inuyasha slipped outside into the peaceful twilight. Kagome was still sound asleep. It was the small hours before dawn and his nose told him his brother would not be hard to find.
Silently, he leapt from tree to tree, his senses on alert, staying just on the outskirts of the village. From out of nowhere he was hit directly with a painful jab of demonic energy that knocked the wind out of him. He fell gracelessly to the ground, landing flat on his back. It wasn't strong enough to hurt him physically, but it damn sure hurt his pride, which was likely the point.
He growled in annoyance and got up, dusting himself off.
A moment later, Sesshōmaru materialized from the darkness, his expression unreadable. "Ah, little brother."
"Ya know, no one is gonna think you've gone soft if you just cut that shit out and act normal," Inuyasha snapped.
Sesshōmaru raised an eyebrow. "It is no fault of mine that your senses are dulled to the point of uselessness."
"Asshole."
Sesshōmaru narrowed his eyes. "You searched me out, whelp. What do you want?"
Growling at Sesshōmaru's arrogance, Inuyasha crossed his arms within his sleeves and glared. He was tempted to tell the bastard to get lost and never come back, but remembered the reason for even coming out here in the first place. He tamped down on his anger at being caught off guard and grit his teeth.
"I know you are here because of the new moon, but you should also visit the kid."
Sesshōmaru's expression darkened. "I saw Rin yesterday. She is well."
"You spied on her. You have no idea if she is well or not."
Sesshōmaru's eyes flashed red for a split second, but his expression remained otherwise neutral.
"Pray, enlighten me. How does Rin fare?"
"Maybe if you tried talking to her, you could find out for yourself. Ever think of that?"
Sesshōmaru said nothing for a long time, so long that Inuyasha figured he'd get nothing more out of him. He snorted and shook his head.
"K'eh! Do what you want. I said what I needed to say." He turned his back on his half brother and started walking back to the village.
"Inuyasha."
Surprised, he stopped and turned. He was startled by how troubled Sesshōmaru looked.
"I will wait for her near the well at daybreak. You will inform her."
And with that imperious command, the dog demon disappeared back into the darkened forest.
To Be Continued...