A/N: I would like to thank the following people for their reviews: LogicalGoth, Inu'sgirl4ever, starfire1994, The 214th Rabid Fangirl, foreveramuto98, and to the anonymous "xxWINTERxx." And thanks to all of you who've added this to their lists.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha characters, manga, anime, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Rumiko Takahashi et al.

Her Knight

Ch. 15

Weeks came and went yet neither Kagome nor Inuyasha spoke about the kiss they'd shared in the kitchen the night the agents came to speak with them. They visited the Feudal Era on weekends, catching up with the rest of their pack and discussing the search for jewel shards and Naraku's location. Presently the two hunters were sitting on a hill overlooking the village, Shippou on Kagome's lap. The kitsune had been grounded for three weeks, and was currently reporting to his adoptive parents about the last week of his punishment. When the dog demon grunted in satisfaction, he was handed his handheld game and a lollipop.

"Are you coming home soon, Kagome?"

"I can stay the night, Shippou. Tomorrow I have to go get the stitches in my stomach taken out."

"Really, all night?" The cub asked excited. He was careful not to press against the miko's abdomen.

"All night," she affirmed.

"Could we go to the hot springs together, Kagome?"

"She can't get the stitches wet, runt. The next time we come, okay?" Dejected, Shippou nodded.

"I'm sorry, Shippou. I promise the next time we come, we'll go with Sango and Kirara." Kagome lifted the child up for a gentle hug and kiss.

"That's okay, Kagome." He hopped over to Inuyasha's shoulder so that the hanyou could help his priestess to her feet. They turned in unison towards the sound of the others joining them. Kirara was the first to reach them, easily jumping onto Kagome's shoulder. She giggled, lifting her hand to pet the nekomata.

Sango and Miroku stopped and studied their friends, as the small family unit came towards them. There was a sense of ease between the two teens that hadn't been there before the attack on Kagome. "Do you think…?" Sango trailed off, leaving the question unfinished.

"Mm, something has indeed happened between them." They saw Inuyasha looking their way, and ceased their speculation. The half demon glared briefly at the monk and demon slayer but didn't snarl or complain as he usually would. That more than anything told them that something extraordinary had happened. As a group, the six returned to Kaede's hut and ate the dinner laid out for them. If they hadn't been with the elderly miko, the young shard hunters would have stayed up until the early morning hours talking about all that had gone on while Kagome and Inuyasha had been in the future.

Kagome desperately wanted to talk to Sango about all that had gone on between her and Inuyasha but the chances of finding time alone with the slayer while she was still injured were nonexistent. Inuyasha wouldn't let her out of his sight much less out of his range of hearing. Girl talk would have to wait until they could go to the hot springs together with Kirara as protection. She had to settle for sleeping next to her fox child and being surrounded by the ones she'd come to consider her second family. And it that moment, there was no place else she would have wanted to be.


Inuyasha was sitting outside Kaede's hut the next morning as the sun rose. Everyone else was still asleep and he used the time alone to sort out his thoughts. Since their kiss, Kagome and he had been at ease in each other's company although they still fought over silly things; there hadn't even been any "sits." He was still hesitant to discuss the kiss with his miko but he had no trouble voicing his feelings to himself. Kagome was his, had always been his and would be his mate when the time came. She had agreed to it on the night that he had reassured her he wouldn't hurt Shippou when he punished him. Any jealousy on her part was not misplaced because she had the right to be angry at any other women trying to steal his attention or affection away from her. Even if she was human, her very female reactions were normal in demon society. Had Kagome been a demon, it would have seemed strange if she hadn't been jealous. His priestess had a volatile temper even if she was loving in nature.

The dog demon couldn't fault her for not wanting to share his attention with a stranger or anyone else. He didn't like it when that Hojo character showed up so he couldn't very well complain. Not unless he wanted to create a new crater. While talking to her school friends she had put into words his feelings for the Kikyo that now walked the earth. He felt guilty. He blamed himself for not smelling the newly transformed Naraku fifty years ago and for not saving Kikyo back then. However, he had decided to make Kagome his mate so he had to make it clear to the undead priestess that the girl from the future was now his priority when it came to protecting the two, especially now that Kagome was injured. Far too many times in the past she had been hurt because he went harrowing off to the other miko's side. There had been no word as yet that the rest of the gang had been captured and he was beginning to wonder just how hard it was for his brother's people to track them down.

The curtain covering the door to Kaede's hut moved to one side and Miroku came out. The monk often came outside to meditate in the early morning hours just after sunrise so his appearance now did not surprise the half demon. "Good morning, my friend. It is a beautiful day today isn't it?"

"Seems pretty much like a lot of mornings to me."

"Ah, but love was not springing forth back then, fully acknowledged. You and Kagome have confessed, have you not?"

"No." The deflated look on Miroku's face was priceless. That's what the bouzo got for being nosy.

"No? But you are so much more at ease with each other."

"There are still some things to settle." He wasn't going to elaborate. Let the monk wonder what was really happening.

"Oh?" The wealth of meaning in that one syllable made Inuyasha cringe. Maybe he shouldn't let the monk wonder.

"It's none of your business, Miroku. You'll know what's what when the time comes. Just keep an eye on things here. Kagome's still got three weeks before her rib and wrist are even almost good enough to travel with. And I'm not letting her out of this village until she can shoot her bow again."

"That is a wise decision. I promise to take care of the others, Inuyasha. If we hear of a rumor, we'll check it out." The Buddhist monk studied the half dog demon silently for some minutes before speaking again. "Inuyasha, is it true of all demons that they can sense when something happens to their mates?"

"Sure, as far as I know. Might be different for mates who join for political reasons, why…?" Inuyasha trailed off as the information struck home. Miroku saw the widening of his eyes and the color leech from his face. Almost immediately red replaced the bleached countenance. "Kuso," he uttered.

Satisfied, the other young man started to walk away whistling. Shippou had been right about the feelings needing to be between the pair concerned even if the two weren't official mates. A clawed hand yanked back the monk until he was looking into desperate gold eyes. "Is something the matter?"

"It all makes sense now."

"I thought it made sense before. Surely you didn't just realize you loved Kagome."

"Not really, before it was kind of just there, in the back of my head. My demon half understood but my human half was still wavering. When Kagome got hurt, the blood beast decided it wasn't going to do without her anymore."

"Ah, I suppose that is understandable."

"I've always needed her; I've known that ever since we fought Menomaru." Miroku didn't point out the fact that he'd known that since Inuyasha had to fight without her after Sesshoumaru put his hand through his stomach. "And my demon half is always jealous and extremely possessive. That's no surprise either, really."

Taking pity on his friend, and wanting to be free of the half demon's grip, the monk nodded. "Things are coming together for you. I would take my time and sort them out completely before telling Kagome. Once both sides of your nature are in tune to what she means to you, tell her."

"Yeah, thanks, Miroku." Noticing for the first time that he was practically lifting the houshi off of the ground, Inuyasha let his robes go. "Sorry."

"Quite all right, my friend. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some personal business to attend to before our lovely companions awaken."

"Too late, Sango's already up. Take the runt with you, will you?" Shippou came stumbling out, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Miroku walked away, a kitsune on his shoulder. The demon slayer came out a few minutes later and went in the opposite direction. Absently, Inuyasha listened to make sure no detours on Miroku's part were taken while he went back inside the hut. Kagome still slept and Kaede was putting away her bedding. Kirara sat on the corner of Sango's blanket, watching the slumbering miko.

Sitting down against one wall, Inuyasha leaned his sword up against his shoulder and contemplated the nekomata. He'd known almost from the first that she was far older than she appeared. Her power might have been limited to transforming into a giant flying saber tooth at present but someday in the future she would have a humanoid body. "Kirara, I need to ask you a favor." The fire cat tilted her head. It was not every day the pup requested help. Padding over to him, she sat at his feet and silently waited for him to begin. "One day in Kagome's time, we're going to get hurt, you know that already."

"Mew," she said in agreement.

"I need you to be there when we do. You're the only one strong enough that I can fully trust to help me when I'm down for the count." Kirara thought over his words carefully. She'd been present when he'd told the others how badly he'd been hurt. And out of the three demons he knew who would be in the future, she was going to be the strongest one. Silently she debated the wisdom of interfering with things. If Feudal Era Inuyasha died in Kagome's time along with the miko, Naraku wouldn't die in this time.

"Mew!" she finally accepted, licking his hand as a sign of her promise. In return, she got an ear scratch to show he'd understood.

"Thanks." Kagome stirred then and both demons refocused their attention on the young priestess.

"Inuyasha?"

"Finally, wench. You ready to go back?"

"Come now, Inuyasha, at least let the girl have breakfast first." Kaede had stayed out of the discussion between neko and inu. "Why don't you take her to the river to freshen up and by the time she's done, I shall have some rice made."

"I'd like that, Kaede-sama, thank you." Kagome rose and gathered her things. Her protector followed her to the river, while the elder priestess began preparations for the meal.

Kaede put rice on to cook before looking at the two-tailed demon cat bathing on her mistress' blanket. "They still haven't confessed, have they, Kirara?"

"Mew," the nekomata answered, shaking her head.

"I didn't think so. Oh, well. They're young yet. Love is never a simple thing for youth."

"Mew!" was the whole hearted agreement.