I was really excited about this chapter so please bear with me if it seems to be a bit hurried. I was trying to write this quickly for you wonderful people who left me reviews, encouraging me to update quickly. You guys are the best =]

Inuyasha opened his eyes. There was a moment of absolute nothingness: no regrets, no worries, no...nothing. His mind was just completely blank. It was quite peaceful. He didn't feel anything, he didn't particularly want anything at this point in time, he just...existed right now & he was ok with that. There was just...mute peace. & then everything came rushing back.

Day 23.

He'd made a routine: get up, piss, start a pot of coffee, cook grits, eggs & sausage while the coffee was being made & by the time his food was ready the coffee was too. Watch Boys Meets World or Fresh Prince of Bel-Air while he ate breakfast, wash his dishes, shower, dress, work. Come home from work, start dinner, watch something on television, eat, watch something on Netflix until he got sleepy, shower, bed. Repeat.

It was strangely calming to have a routine. He didn't just stare at the wall aimlessly for hours anymore or space out when he really needed to be paying attention. Now on the weekends, he was still trying to find his niche but honestly, those were his freebie days when he allowed himself to stare at the ceiling in complete silence for hours upon hours until the sun went down.

He'd started back smoking. It made him feel so guilty; the first drag was so sweet but he cried until he finished it...then he lit another one. His mind was over crowded with the smell of cigarettes, a song that he felt would make him feel better & the last look Sesshomaru gave him. Oh it haunted him like a murdered step child, especially since he couldn't even go see him. The receptionist said something about, "We're afraid if he is in contact with someone familiar he'll have a lapse & he's doing so well right now". They promised they'd send him progress reports every week but only after the hanyou threw a fit & demanded to know what the hell was going on. It was so hard coping without someone who's been by your side for hundreds of years.

Inuyasha's eyes slid from the ceiling to his phone, which lit up. Miroku was calling him. Again. Why did this fool insist on calling him five, six, seven times a day? Not like he cared about the hanyou; if he did he'd bring his ass over here. He probably just wanted some money. Sango should be about six months along now...maybe seven? He didn't know nor care. Fuck the universe for sending a lecherous guy a baby & taking one away from two parents who were so ready to start a family-

His phone dinged. Voicemail. He slowly lifted the phone to his eyelevel & deleted the voicemail without listening to it. He really didn't care about anything or anyone at the moment unless the human was calling him to tell him Sesshomaru was currently making his way home. How was he going to get through the rest of these days?

Day 58.

Progress report day. Too bad it didn't include a picture of Sesshomaru. But at least he wasn't violent towards people as much as he used to be & he hadn't cut since he first got there. The counselor did mention that he rarely slept so he typically grouchy or couldn't be still. Inuyasha knew before the inuyoukai went into the rehab clinic that he had nightmares sometimes so he preferred not to sleep but he didn't say anything because he didn't want Sesshomaru to be put on any drugs [unless it was the treatment for his immunologic disorder which he was hoping Sesshomaru would start when he came out].

Inuyasha neatly folded the report back up, slipped it into its envelope & stacked it on his desk. He would save it to remind Sesshomaru just how far he came, in case he ever felt down. It would be great motivation, especially if being back in a familiar environment made him lapse. Yes. He would support his boyfriend. He'd be the shoulder the inuyoukai could lean on when times got hard. There would be no stopping him.

Day 60.

Inuyasha blinked & realized the sun was rising. He should've realized how close dawn was, considering his body was covered with the morning dew. He couldn't say how long he'd been out in the front lawn, sitting perfectly still as deer emerged from the surrounding woods & sniffed at him curiously & feeling the little bugs crawling over his arms. He was blank again, lost in his own mind & desperately wanting his mate by his side. Why did he ever think putting him in rehab was a good idea? To be separated from your soul mate for a week was hard enough but for one hundred & eighty days? & he still had over a hundred days more before he even saw him again.

He took another long drag of his cigarette & flicked it away. The better question is why wouldn't they let the people in rehab have visitors. Well, he understood why but how can you separate two people like that for six months & expect them to be ok with not seeing each other the entire time? They should feel lucky no one burned the damn place down yet.

The hanyou wrapped his arms around his middle & leaned forward. It was always hard when he thought about how much longer he was going to have to wait before he saw his love. It made him feel like his heart was being stomped on then ripped apart by some ravenous beast. It was like he was never going to see Sesshomaru again. Inuyasha watched the sun rise with tears running down his face. He took no joy in how incredibly beautiful it was.

Day 100.

The days were going faster. Inuyasha could feel himself losing track of the days & he was surprised when he realized the the months had progressed quicker than he anticipated. He grew excited each day...but also nervous. How would Sesshomaru be when he came out? Would he be angry after the last thing Inuyasha said to him? Would he be resentful the hanyou had sent him in the first place? Or would the rehab just change him in a way that Inuyasha no longer saw the man he fell in love with?

A silver Chevy Cruze pulled into his driveway as Inuyasha was sitting out on the front porch & Miroku stepped out before shoving his hands in his pockets. The man looked more serious, more mature than the hanyou last remembered; his face was creased with worry & frown lines & his eyes didn't glitter with mischief anymore but when he saw his friend he smiled & the lines disappeared.

"Inuyasha, my friend! How have you been?"

Inuyasha stood & hugged the human, clapping him on the back. "I've been alright. How about you?"

"Pretty good. I most certainly can't complain. We've all been kinda...worried about you guys. We haven't heard from you since..."

The hanyou swallowed thickly. "Yeah...it's been rough"

Miroku nodded to himself, glancing at his shoes as if he could find a different subject to talk about on top of them. "How is he?"

"He's f-...he's fine"

"We have known each other long enough for you to be honest with me, Inuyasha..."

Inuyasha blinked. Since when had Miroku become so perceptive? "He's...I...it's just been pretty bad lately, man"

The human's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Oh Bhudda. What happened?"

"Sit down. Lemme start from the beginning"

.
..

"W-wow...wow, I had no...idea you guys were going through all of that" Miroku said breathlessly.

Inuyasha lit another cigarette & inhaled deeply. "Yeah nobody knew. I didn't know how I would or if I could explain it to anybody. It's one of those things that just brought on more questions & I wasn't ready to give the answers yet"

He'd explained everything but the rehab situation.

Miroku took a deep breath then exhaled slowly as if the entire story had his heart racing. "Wow. So you're back smoking?"

The hanyou made a 'it is what it is' gesture. "For now. I'll stop again eventually but I need something to get me through the days right now"

The human nodded as if he understood then shifted before standing up. "Well it sounds to me you could use a day out of the house, my friend. How about we go grab a bite to eat. I could call Koga & we can chill like old times"

Shippo was back in school, about to finish his junior year so he wouldn't be coming. Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. "I dunno, man..."

"I'll pay"

"I'll go grab my shoes"

.
..

Inuyasha didn't bother explaining what had been going on with Sesshomaru to Koga. He was pretty sure Miroku was going to tell him anyway, plus he didn't want to coddling & the pity looks, not from his favorite frenemy. That would be too weird.

"How's my baby doing?" the wolf asked as their drinks were set in front of them.

"He's doing alright" Inuyasha answered, cutting his eyes at Miroku who hurriedly looked down at his drink.

"Whoa. You had no problem admitting he's my baby? Wow. Spill"

Inuyasha frowned. "What?"

"Spill. Something's going on & I deserve to know. Are you guys breaking up? Is the sex not as good as it used to be? Did he find the text messages I sent him & he's decided to leave you for me?"

"Oh shut up. It's not like that"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, oh! I...I don't see him much...with my job & all but we're fine. We've hit some rough...times that you know of...but we'll be ok"

Koga sobered up. "Hey man...I never got to tell you how sorry I am you two lost-"

"Alright jalapeno southwest BBQ with a half rack of ribs?" the waitress asked as she balanced four big plates in her hands & on her forearms. Inuyasha was more than relieved he didn't have to respond to Koga.

Koga raised his hand & the waitress set his plate down in front of him. After she passed everyone their plates she asked did they need anything else & when the men said no she bid them bon appetite & walked away.

"Pretty hot, eh, Miroku?" Koga said after taking a huge bite of his burger then grimacing at the fresh jalapeno he bit into. He didn't expect it to be that spicy.

"Uh...yeah" the human said, pouring ketchup on his fries.

Inuyasha's ears perked up. "Say what now?"

"I mean yeah she was...she was pretty I guess"

"Miroku, you do realize our waitress was female right? & she was pretty hot" Koga said, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean I'm not saying she was ugly I just-"

"You weren't even paying attention to her" Inuyasha said in awe.

"I...I just...look, alright, I'm about to have another child & it's time for me to start acting like a real man"

Koga acted like he was choking. "Oh my God, Miroku's growing up! I wasn't ready!"

Inuyasha smiled.

"I'm going to propose to Sango soon &, well, it's time I stopped eyeing other women like I'm single or something"

Inuyasha clapped his friend on the back. "Hey, congrats man. We're happy for you. Make sure you record it"

The male blushed & rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I'll try but you know how women are about cameras..."

Koga & Inuyasha gave him a blank stare. "Uhh..."

"Oh...guess you guys don't know...well, women feel like the camera adds ten pounds to them for some reason"

"Wow. They're so weird" Koga grumbled.

The rest of the evening went by smoothly. The guys caught up with what was going on in their daily lives [like Koga finding someone he was interested in which made Inuyasha feel weird cause now he had no one to give him a little competition] as they consumed their delicious food. For the most part, they steered away from what Sesshomaru was doing; Inuyasha was pretty closed-mouth about it so they left it alone but they did talk about things they remembered, things they experience.

"Remember when Inuyasha was about to take Sesshomaru out on their first date & Inuyasha was so nervous he was close to crying?" Miroku said.

Of course, Inuyasha & Sesshomaru's first date had happened long before Miroku was even born but Inuyasha just went with it. "I wasn't about to cry! I was just really nervous!"

"He damn near pissed himself when Sesshomaru showed up but damn, he looked so fuckin' good...lawd, I still remember the fantasies I had of him that nig-" Koga started.

"So anyway I remember they couldn't find a restaurant that was open cause Sesshomaru had gotten off late so they had to come back to our place cause remember that was when Inuyasha lived with me, Koga? Yeah, so I think Sessh cooked chicken alfredo so something really good & Inuyasha got mad cause I wanted som-"

"I didn't get mad at that, I was mad cause I was tryna spend time with my baby & you were interrupting..."

"Did y'all fuck that night?" Koga asked, nibbling on a jalapeno that had fallen off his burger.

"Why do you care?" Inuyasha grumbled, giving the side eye to his frenemy.

"Cause I need a visual of my baby without clothes on...& with me in the picture instead of you"

The hanyou rolled his eyes so hard he could see all the images playing through his mind of him choking Koga out.

"Hey you never proposed to him" Miroku stated, "I remember you saying you got the ring when we were at work but you never said if or when you were going to propose"

Inuyasha ran his hand through his hair a few times & shifted uncomfortably. "I just...haven't really found the right time to do it..."

Koga licked his fingers clean, his tongue wrapping around his fingers in a way that made Inuyasha have to look away quickly. "Well you just better do it before I do. I got the perfect ring I wanna give him, now I just gatta find out his ring size"

"5" Miroku said.

"How the hell-" Inuyasha started.

"Perfect! I think the one I'm looking at is a five. Ooh, & boy, is it pretty. I'll have Sesshomaru panting after me like a dog-"

Inuyasha's face morphed into an expression so threatening even Koga had to stop & look away. You never, ever challenge an Alpha, especially when it came to their Beta.

"Have you guys ever brought it up, a wedding, I mean?" Miroku asked, hoping to get past the awkward moment.

"Not really. He may have said something like what colors he wanted or how he wanted to dress but we haven't talked about that in a long time"

"When he comes back you guys should talk about it. That would be the wedding of the year"

Inuyasha started to say something until he realized what the human said. He froze, glancing out the corner of his eye to see if Koga heard.

"He's gone?!" Koga asked, alarmed.

Miroku shrugged. "Every time you refer to Sesshomaru, it's always something he said or did in the past like you haven't seen him a long time"

"He's gone?!" Koga repeated.

Inuyasha frowned.

Miroku held his hands up. "I'm not trying to be in your business. Whatever you two are going through I hope it works out-"

"HE'S GONE?!"

"Yes Koga, he's fucking gone, you fucking retard!" Inuyasha shouted, startling the people sitting around them, "He's in rehab & there's still eighty more days before I can fucking see him! He's fucking gone, Koga, alright?!"

The ookami stared at him with wide eyes. "Why didn't you tell us, man?" he whispered.

"Because! Because...shit, I dunno! I guessed nobody gave a shit cause ain't nobody hit me up after the...the misca-...after that. Figured y'all had moved on to more important shit..."

"Oh, Yasha. We were just giving you & Sessh your space. We know that was hard on y'all & probably hard on the relationship so we wanted to give you guys all the time it took to recover from it" Koga said.

Inuyasha nodded solemnly. "Thanks guys"

They eventually finished, paid for their food & went their separate ways with the promise that they would keep in touch with each other on a weekly basis. Inuyasha went home feeling very good, relaxed. Yeah, he needed that.

Day 178.

Oh my God. Inuyasha had to go pick Sesshomaru up in two days. In forty eight hours Sesshomaru was going to be right here, in the living room...or in the kitchen...or in the bedroom...here...HERE.

Inuyasha spent the entire day, dusting off everything, scrubbing, vacumming, washing, freshening, changing & rearranging in preparation for Sesshomaru's return. Every time he thought about that he found something else to clean, something else that didn't look right, something else that needed sprucing up. Lawd, the house just needed to be torn down so he could start from scratch!

His phone rang & Inuyasha hurriedly answered it. "H-hello?!"

"Hello, this is Janet from Shikon Rehabilitation Treatment Center. Am I speaking with Mr. Inuyasha?"

The hanyou grinned. "Yes"

"Ah, hello, Mr. Inuyasha. I was just calling to remind you that your husband, Mr. Sesshomaru, will be ready for departure at 10:30 on Friday morning. Will you be picking him up or have you authorized someone else to do it?"

Departure? Made it sound like he was leaving on a flight or something. He focused instead on the fact she called him his husband. That had such a nice ring to it. "I will be picking him up myself"

"Awesome. & is this the number I can reach you at in case you are late?"

"This is my home phone. Lemme give you my cell phone" he called it out to her, after squinting at the ceiling trying to remember it, then she bid him a good day.

He was so happy right now he was practically vibrating. The nervousness had pretty much vanished with only a very small lingering doubt about what he should wear & if he should bring a change of clothes for Sesshomaru. Lord knows, he'd blow that place up if they had his baby walking out in some prison like jumpsuit.

In his last progress report, his counselor said he'd come a long way. She never went into details [something about violating the patient's privacy under a particular law] but she would tell him highlights of Sesshomaru's visit like how music therapy really seemed to help. Inuyasha had never even heard of music therapy; when he Googled it, the only thing it told him was rehabilitation through song & composition. So they had Brahm's playing if Sesshomaru grabbed something sharp? That didn't even sound like real rehabilitation but if it helped, then that's all that mattered.

Inuyasha ran outside & sat on the lawn, grinning. Two more days. 48 hours...

Day 180.

Inuyasha felt like he was going to projectile vomit all over himself. It was eight in the morning. Two & a half more hours. He hadn't slept a wink last night. He'd laid in bed, coated in a sheet of sweat, his tongue swollen from thirst & his sheets tangled all up in his legs. After sleeping alone all this time, what was it going to be like having someone to sleep with again? Having someone to make love to? [he hadn't even felt like masturbating the entire six months]. The whole thought of it made him sick with worry. What if Sesshomaru had developed a snoring habit? What if now he farted in his sleep? What if...what if he wasn't interested in Inuyasha anymore? What if he fell in love with someone else in the rehab center?! Anger boiled Inuyasha's blood.

He glanced at the clock. 8:30. Oh my God, only two more hours. He rechecked to make sure that everything in the house was...close to perfect. He still wanted to tear the house down but he didn't have time for all of that. He wiped an imaginary piece of lint off of the flat screen television & arranged the remotes more neatly. Wait...what if Sesshomaru didn't want the house to smell like a bunch of cleaning products? What if he needed the smell of home to remind him of how much he missed home?

Inuyasha ran upstairs to the bathroom & grabbed his cologne bottle. He spritzed it on pretty much all of the furniture then he ran through a cloud of it to coat himself without being too over bearing. Ok...ok that should be better. Wait...Sesshomaru like the smell of food too! Inuyasha grabbed some eggs, sausage, grits & bacon & began cooking them even though he wasn't even remotely hungry. Oh he should leave some strips of bacon for Sesshomaru...no, he should take it with him in case Sesshomaru is hungry, yeah, that's what he'd do.

After the food was done he ate then packed one of their Pyrex dishes with what he cooked to take to his sweetheart. It was now 9:00. In thirty more minutes he'd need to leave to get there on time. Well, a little early since traffic was never heavy this early in the day. But what was he supposed to do until then? He brushed his teeth but that only took two minutes. He took a shower but that only took ten minutes. He searched for an acceptable outfit, recleaned their room, dusted off their fan, did a few exercises, redid his hair, & recleaned the kitchen & it was only-oh it was 9:30 now. He could leave.

The hour drive felt like it took two days. The entire time Inuyasha felt his stomach twitching & twisting in anticipation & nervousness & a couple times he had to pull over to take deep breaths because he felt like he was going to throw up. He began to get worried that maybe Sesshomaru would be different, like he would resent him...or worse, have absolutely no interest in him anymore. That thought alone made Inuyasha want to puke. He's always said he could live without Sesshomaru by his side but could he really? After all the years & everything they had been through...of course it would take some getting used to but...he honestly didn't think it was something he could make it through.

Shikon Rehab Treatment Center loomed up around the corner & Inuyasha's heart started beating as fast as a racing horse. Oh God, he was going to throw up. Where was that happiness he'd been feeling? I mean of course it was still there; his boyfriend was coming home after not seeing him for six months but...oh there were so many buts...

The hanyou parked, took a deep breath & slowly got out of the car. His mind had gone blank with worry now so the only thing he was concerned about right now was putting one foot in front of the other which was taking a lot of concentration right now. The automatic doors opened, blasting cool air into his face & seemingly pressing a restart button on his brain. Suddenly he wasn't nervous anymore & the urge the throw up went away. Now he smiled charmingly at the receptionist, a pretty hanyou with lilac colored eyes.

She smiled back. "Hello, what can I do for you?"

"I'm Inuyasha Taisho, here to pick up my...husband, Sesshomaru"

The receptionist made a face like she knew exactly who was talking about & began typing something on her computer. "Ah yes, he's on his way now. May I see your I.D please?"

He handed her his driver's license & hoped to God she didn't pay too much attention to the picture. He looked high & hungover in the picture but really he'd just been sleepy.

She handed it back to him. "I think he's gathering his things. Would you like to make sure he doesn't forget anything?"

She gave him a look that let him know she knew how bad Inuyasha wanted to see his "husband". It was a kind smile but also one of those "I know what you're thinking, you dog, make sure you lock the door so no one walks in on you two" kind of smiles but that was the farthest thing from the inuhanyou's mind.

He grinned & nodded. "Yeah, I'll go see if he needs help"

"He'll be through these doors, all the way down the hall until it curves, take the ramp up to the rooms & he'll be the second door on your right" she said, pointing with two fingers in the direction he needed to go.

Inuyasha walked briskly, but not too fast. He was barely able to control the urge to turn around & dive headfirst back into the car. His excitement was about to get out of control though; his hands kept twitching & he had a feeling he was walking strangely, trying to keep himself from running. You know when your emotions are so intense you just forget how to walk normally? Yeah that's what kind of predicament Inuyasha was in right now. The hallway began to curve, now he just had to look for that ramp. Dread began making its way into his stomach. Oh God. He was going to hurl. This place looked nice enough with its yellow walls with the white floral designs on the floorboards & landscape paintings but there was no telling what kind of people were behind all these closed doors! What if they were ex-convicts? Or had hidden agendas? Did the rehab center even do background checks?! There was no telling if they even had any interaction with Sesshomaru & influenced him in a negative way!

The ramp appeared to his left. He walked up the slight slope slowly & approached the second door. It was closed & no noise was coming through it but he did see what looked like the silhouette of a set of legs under the door. They seemed to be pacing, going back & forth across the room slowly. Excitement seized Inuyasha entire torso so quickly he lost his breath & unceremoniously, he reached up & knocked on the door. The legs stilled & turned towards the door then walked slowly towards it. Oh my God! Inuyasha's heart was in his throat.

The door knob turned, the door opened & revealed a very glowing, radiant looking Sesshomaru. Oh God, he looked so good. His skin was nearly sparkling, his hair looked so silky & full of volume, & his eyes...God his eyes were so expressive & full of...something that just...did something to Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru's face held concern as Inuyasha slowly reached up with a shaking hand & touched his cheek.

"You're s-so beautiful..." he whispered, his voice cracking. He absentmindedly noticed a wet trail run slowly down his cheek.

The inuyoukai's breathing picked up & his bit his bottom lip as his eyes welled up with tears. "I...Inuyasha"

The hanyou kissed his soulmate & felt his knees tremble. His lips have missed these lips so very much. They were so soft & molded so well with his, it was like they were specifically made for his own. His breath smelled minty & was cool against his cheek, causing goosebumps to shoot down the hanyou's arms. He wrapped one hand behind the inuyoukai's neck, holding him close & deeply inhaling his lovely scent. Sesshomaru clenched the front of his shirt & held on like he was afraid Inuyasha would leave him. He let out a very soft keen in the back of his throat to which Inuyasha responded to by pressing his body close to his mate's. He purred deep in his chest. Jesus Christ, this was heaven.

Sesshomaru leaned back, panting & his eyes watery. He slowly stroked Inuyasha's cheek with his thumb, sharp eyes searching his face as if he wanted to make sure everything about the hanyou's face was exactly as he left it. "I love you so much..." he whispered, a few tears spilling over his lower lashes.

"I love you more, baby" Inuyasha whispered, smiling as he choked back a sob.