The tunnel underneath Matsumoto Castle branched. Latched sections overhead opened into various sections of the castle. Despite the excavations being undertaken in the city, the tunnel looked undisturbed by modern humans. Rat skeletons and other vermin littered the dirt path. A family of albino spiders crowded one corner. Inuyasha stretched his arms overhead to push open another trapped door. His sleeve slipped down over his elbows but the square of wood was stuck. He grumbled and applied more force. The immediate tinge of blue light sparked against him.

"Aaaaahh!" The barrier sent him flying into the wall.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome touched his back. "Are you ok?"

"A barrier!" Inuyasha pushed himself to his feet. The glowing protection spell faded into nothing. The trap door had a sealing sutra on the other side! He prepared to strike again but Kagome stopped him. There was a broken arrowhead buried in the dust. Kagome sat on his shoulder. He shielded his eyes from the purifying light. The clunk of wood striking wood echoed through the tunnel.

"Eh? What are you doing?" Inuyasha winced when Kagome's foot pushed against his head. The girl pulled herself up and into the room with a cute wiggle of her hips. The angle gave him a clear view up her skirt. Grumbling, he waited for her to be clear of the space before leaping through. It was a smaller room in the castle. The stale air made him cough into his sleeve. A sutra floated to the ground.

"The ink disappeared!"

"Did we find the treasure?" Inuyasha peered around the dark room. The idea of finding more 'antiques' to pawn at a local merchant house made him think of Kagome's family. If he could return with enough money, it would secure his place in their pack! The expense of the wedding and its associated troubles had surely emptied their coffers. Surely they expected him to contribute to the family estate? Even if her mother did not require a bride price for Kagome, it would be shameful to continue to let the old man pay for his food. Souta needed tuition to become successful in this era. Mama Higurashi had showed him the papers for the kid's middle school application. The expensive school led to a better apprenticeship!

They're counting on me!

"Oh, interesting!" Kagome clapped her hands together. Another shrine to the Moon God. A low table displayed rice mochi in various colors. Inuyasha crossed his arms when Kagome admired the bowl, the perfection of the shrine and table. She lit the candles with a long taper. The wicks burned golden in the gloomy darkness. She dropped to her knees.

"Kagome, this is not the place!"

"It's the perfect place!"

"Why build a shrine to the Moon God underground?"

"I don't know!" The silly girl popped one of the mochi into her mouth. Her eyes closed to relish the sticky sweetness of the confection. Inuyasha's brow twitched. Humans must have a death wish. Before she could reach for another, he pounced. "What is your problem? They're good!"

"Who made them? How long have they been sitting here? Idiot!"

"Let me go. Sit!" Kagome's command sent him to the floor. He was captive when the girl brought the offering bowl into her lap. One after another, Kagome consumed the rice mochi. A long moan escaped her throat. It made him flush.

"What are you doing? Stop!"

"Sit boy!" Aches echoed through his frame. The human girl exhaled a raspy breath before drinking the sacramental sake. Crumbs gathered on her cute gray sweater but she did not seem to notice. Addicted to the mochi, his wife barely seemed to care about causing him pain. Her skin flushed. Her fingers stroked her lower lip. She giggled!

"That's it! We are getting out of here. Kagome!"

"Sit. Sit! Sit." The girl sung the command like a joke. He cried out. What is wrong with her? Is she under some kind of spell? His claws gouged the ancient wooden flooring. Kagome popped another serving into her mouth while he watched. In a drunken state she reached up to loosen her hair. It required several tries for her wandering fingers to find the clip which clattered to the floor. Her hand stroked down her neck to her breast. Is she drunk?

"Kagome, can you hear me? We need to leave!"

"I suppose I should be grateful to Tsukuyomi. And you, half-demon." A dark laugh made him snarl. "A ravished priestess is a perfect offering. I shall have to reward you. What a beautiful bride she will make."

"Show yourself!" Inuyasha challenged.

A dark shape materialized in the corner. An arrogant bastard in black clothing stepped forward. Long black hair swung to his waist. Kagome swayed drunkenly. He cursed but the rosary held. The laughing jerk pulled his wife to her feet. It was intolerable to watch the sharp-toothed bastard sniff her hair. The sword hanging by his waist carried its own aura.

"Kagome, Kagome! Wake up. You have to wake up!"

"Siiiit!" Giggles.

"Is she as sweet as she smells, half-demon?"

"Get your hands off her!"The guy had his hands on her hips. A malevolent grin stretched too far on his face before he kissed Kagome's pulse. The man fell silent and serious when Kagome swatted her hands against his leather-padded shoulders. She shook her finger in his face.

"H-hey. You're not my hu-HIC-husband!"

"What are you?"

"You're a pervert, that's what YOU are." Kagome hiccuped again. The man did not resist when she pushed away from him. The beautiful, crazy girl tried to plant her hands on her hips. Inuyasha was proud of her foot stomp. Even drunk Kagome has enough sense to deny this idiot!

"I am the Crow, the Night Sky! No mortal has the power – what are you doing?"

"I'm going to throw THIS arrowhead at you and poof!" The broken shaft in Kagome's hand was held like a dart. She swayed on her feet. Her cute, pink tongue came out of her mouth. Inuyasha felt the rosary's power fade. He scrambled out of the way. The girl's aim was bad enough when she was sober! The klutz was liable to purify them both in her state. Brave, impossible Kagome giggled.

"What is so funny?"

"You want to marry me but I married him! Inuyasha," she whispered conspiratorially. "And this is really pointy."

"I am Amatsu-Mikaboshi. I cannot die, mortal."

"Like...SO pointy! Look Inuyasha!" Kagome's hand glowed with reiki. The guy stepped back in surprise. The drunken mess stepped closer with a grin on her face. He was equally surprised to witness the girl summon her powers unconsciously. Knowing the girl better than their foe, he moved behind her.

"I understand. You have not sampled your maiden! Then I shall complete the wedding ceremony and taste the first - " The guy grabbed her wrists. Inuyasha prepared to intervene until he realized his wife had it handled. Reiki poured from her palms onto her assailant. A ragged cry shook the room. The castle itself seemed to be shaking. Dust and debris floated from the ceiling. The demon dissolved into a scattering of shining motes. Kagome brushed her hands together with an irritation and swiveled uncertainly to find him. Her face lit up when she found him.

"Inuyasha!"

"I'm here. Oi!" He braced uncertainly when she rushed him. Sloppy wet kisses covered his neck.

"I found you!"

"Y-you did!" The castle was definitely shaking. Pushing aside her hands, which still glowed dangerously, he swept her into his arms. He jumped through the gape in the floor. The tunnel shook. Rocks and lizards and pieces of stone were coming down around their heads.

"Wheee!" Kagome kicked her legs straight.

"This is no time for games!" The girl was transferred to his back. He sprinted for the far exit but a stone fell. A branching tunnel led to one of the previously opened trap doors. The wood shattered when he burst through the hatch. The castle walls twisted unusually. Supporting joists broke. Load-bearing walls were preparing to succumb to the weight above. His cursing was loud when they burst through a latticed window into the open air. The famous red bridge sent wooden beams flying into the water. Water seemed to be draining from the moat.

"Doggy ears!" A human mouth descended on his furry ear. It tickled.

"Stop that! Hey!"

"I could have a baby with doggy ears! That is so weird." Kagome pondered aloud. Despite their situation, he blushed. "Isn't that weird, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha avoided the huge stones falling from Matsumoto Castle. The flat courtyard seemed a safe enough place to turn. The breathy girl on his back clapped her hands in front of his face with another drunken hiccup. The food she had consumed was making her potently unaware to the danger. Completely vulnerable to the demon who desired her as his offering, his bride! Like hell will someone else marry MY wife.

"That's what you said, remember? Remember?"

"I remember, dammit!"

"Did you mean it? You want babies with me?" The question sounded sad. The wench is drunk off her ass! Ignoring the earthquake and the draining moat and the collapsing towers, he hoisted Kagome's legs higher on his waist. Warm thighs clenched around his torso. His wife was draped over his back completely, breathing on his ears. A hand sought out his face, tweaking his nose. Giggles.

"Yes, stupid!" My crazy wife.

An impressive cascade of brick, wood, glass and mortar was happening. Tower crashed into roof, roof fell onto level, level crashed into level. The ground underneath his feet trembled and unsettled his balance. Alarms were going off in the distance. Screeching high-pitched sirens wailed into the night. Kagome gasped and flattened her palms against his ears to 'protect' them.


Humans crowded the streets. Cars had stopped in their journey. Women wrapped in blankets were being attended by uniformed physicians with horrible metal carriages with flashing lights mounted. Inuyasha stopped to help a child crying outside a fallen house find her parents. Uniformed humans were everywhere trying to assist the wounded and the needy. The quake had damaged some of the local homes and businesses. A commercial building had been felled but no one had been injured. Others were not so lucky.

Kagome napped peacefully against his hair. Drooling.

This is madness.

Matsumoto Castle was a pile of rubble. The possessing spirit within seemed to have been banished or purified. The grounds had imploded but the cherry blossom trees remained. That would improve Kagome's mood when she awakened. As he turned the corner to walk the road back to their inn, Kagome's befuddled hopes replayed in his ears. He had not considered that she had taken his errant question as a confession! It was confusing.

We could have babies.

Where had that come from? Years of watching the monk with girls, probably. Overhearing the two lovebirds whisper happily about their first child. Listening to Kaede sigh happily about their little group of misfits. Building a larger house than he had initially planned to please his new wife. The monk was right about one thing. Opening the screens to a planned garden would be good for minding children. Flowers and water and herbs for Kagome's healing. A covered table for her studies. Bamboo piping to deliver water for her morning cleansing ritual! It had looked fairly simple in the castle. Surely Kagome's school had books about bringing water! There were books for every other subject he cared to consider. Math, history, healing, writing, stories...

"Babies," he rumbled aloud. Kagome nuzzled his shoulder.

Inuyasha vaguely remembered a section about childbearing in her Health textbook. The concept of the already tempestuous girl undergoing mood swings was fearsome. The idea of her flat, toned belly stretching as large as Shippo's balloon form 'freaked' him out. There was no way of knowing how her human body would react to HIS kid, a child with demon heritage. Her spiritual powers complicated the equation. The Well and its mysteries made it worse!

Her mother wants grandchildren, she has made that clear.

Humans underestimated his hearing. He had overhead the matron and her father-in-law talking in the kitchen. Planning for Kagome's first child. First! How they would set money aside, how they would accommodate a new baby, Kagome's schedule, doctors, babysitting, Souta! Beyond his financial obligations to his new human family, it was clear that they expected an heir. There were real, financial preparations being undertaken.

Humans worry about money more than I realized!

A bachelor outcast in the woods never needed money! Hunting and scavenging for his dinner had been normal. Humans would not hire him for coin. They refused to even trade with him if they cared to approach him at all. Demons did not trade shiny metal for goods! Sesshomaru had endless presents for Rin but the bastard did not have a profession. Miroku had often complained about a lack of money to spend at geisha houses or roadside stalls but it was a luxury. Without money, they would continue. Fish from a stream and sleeping under the stars was normal for him but Miroku insisted that was not suitable for a 'wife'. Kagome would expect her own home and money and treats. Even Sango spoke about earning extra money and taking jobs to save for their future expenses! Cloth and food and services!

I have never lived in a village. I have never lived indoors!

His friends laughed and teased about Kagome taming him. They marveled at his new house and the efforts he was undertaking to please Kagome but he was nervous and it gave him energy. He knew how to scout and starve and survive. Kagome was a different standard of living! To keep her, there could be no 'survival'. His wife could not go hungry very long before she would die. They could not huddle in a tree in the depth of winter. Kagome had never eaten a rabbit raw because there was a blizzard and she was starving and the wind was too strong to maintain a fire!

A crowd of impatient humans had gathered outside their inn. They parted to allow him to be approached by a senior member of the staff carrying a clipboard. She expressed relief that they were safe. Yes, the inn was safe, they were waiting for clearance from the city. She recorded his room number and name before marching towards uniformed humans in a band. They wore shiny hats and spoke with authority.

Inuyasha marched behind a group into the building. Humans in nightclothes were allowed to return to their suites. Kagome barely stirred as he marched up the expensive stairs to their room. The key in her purse unlocked the door. Somehow he was able to gently roll her onto the bed sheets and slip off her little shoes. The girl stretched and mumbled. Safe and warm in soft sheets, Inuyasha relaxed. His wife might suffer a demonic hangover in the morning but she was protected. The medicine case was a mystery so he placed the entire pack by her for the morning. The purse he set on its rightful shelf.

When will she learn to be more careful?

Inuyasha wet a cleaning cloth. Sitting on the bed at her hip, he gently cleaned her sticky fingers and her soft mouth. He pushed her hair aside to clean her neck thoroughly. The scent of the rice mochi lingered on her breath.

A soft kiss to her forehead stirred her damp locks.

There was a pack of paper in Kagome's purse. Inuyasha settled in the floor. The self-contained writing instrument took practice but soon he was able to darken the page with characters. His control was not as refined as Miroku's or efficient like Kagome's. He could not remember the characters for everything he needed to itemize so he doodled rough versions of the subject. Using his era as a frame of reference, he quickly tallied the numbers, remembering the monk's complaints and empty purse strings.

Kagome would need thicker clothes for winter. Shoes. Where did humans get shoes? Their agreement with the village guaranteed them a percentage of the crop in exchange for his guardianship and Kagome's apprenticeship. If necessary, he could hunt and trade skins for extra income. Certainly they needed seed for their own garden. Salt. Cooking things! What other cooking materials would Kagome require? Chickens? A cow! Barrels for pickling vegetables? A storage house?

Movement in the shadow set him on alert.

"Finally, found you!" A thin voice cheered. Inuyasha rolled to his feet. A small figure dropped onto the carpet with little impact from the window. He cracked his claws in preparation to defend his vulnerable wife. Whiskers on the little creature wiggled nervously. Brown paws on the ends of hands raised to suggest submission. "You are the half-demon from the castle! Younger than I thought."

I fucking hate windows!

"Name yourself before I skewer you, rabbit!" Long, floppy brown ears rotated nervously. The animal nose sniffled.

"M-my apologies! I am Tsukinōsagi. I was forced to pound my last rice mochi by Amatsu-Mikaboshi! I feared for my life after he chased Tsukuyomi from the castle."

"The moon guy?"

"My m-master was clever. He cursed a portion of Amatsu-Mikaboshi to remained trapped within the castle! You let her sleep!" The small rabbit-man bounded between his legs to land on Kagome's pillow. His white nose wriggled over Kagome's hair.

"Hey! Get away from her!"

"Oh, no! No, no." The rabbit left paw marks on Kagome's cheeks.

"Let her rest, rabbit! Haven't you caused enough trouble?"

The rabbit's genuine concern made him pause. "My rice mochi is an offering to Tsukuyomi. Your human consumed my last batch. What will I do?"

"So make some more!"

"I cannot! Uke Mochi is dead. There is no more rice!" Inuyasha picked up the idiot by his ears. Giant feet swung up to kick his face. Growling, he crushed the irritating rabbit against the flooring. His fist trembled with the urge to pound the little creep.

"The girl is mortal!"

"That doesn't give you the right to touch her!"

"Stubborn dog, mortals cannot consume the food of the kami!"

"Eh? Why not?" The rabbit's disbelief made him nervous. Miroku and Kaede made regular offerings to the village shrine to ensure tranquility and prosperity. He had assumed the local deity was not interested based on the careful disposal of the ignored food. This seemed different. The sprites of the monkey god had catered to the will of the old guy. Had they brought him food?

"No one has ever been foolish enough to permit it! This cannot be good."

"Kagome is in danger?"

Tsukinōsagi wiggled his rabbit feet hysterically in protest. He grumbled but released the little nuisance. The rabbit rubbed his ears pathetically while complaining about his treatment. The rabbit used the bedding to pull himself up onto the mattress. Inuyasha watched while he performed a cursory examination of the slumbering maiden. Kagome stirred to swat at the little pest.

"What power does the food have, rabbit?"

"My name is Tsukinōsagi, dog!"

"Whatever! What is so special about some rice?"

"It is my sacred duty to feed Tsukuyomi. She has stolen his food! Oh, he will be so angry! The mochi provides him the energy he needs to awaken."

"And if he stays asleep?"

"The Star God will have victory. There will be no moon."

"Oh, great! What about Kagome?" The horror of endless moonless nights filled him. Eternally human, mortal, powerless! It would give Kagome a normal, human husband but the village would be unprotected. One night a month without Kagome's scent was enough!

"I suppose it MIGHT be possible to procure more rice in the patties below Kotakuji Temple. Before he killed Uke Mochi for her foul ways she spared a portion to the Zen apprentices for their training. Replacing what the girl stole might be a proper penance."

"Penance? She has nothing to apologize for!"

"Humans are greedy creatures. Many of them have forgotten the old ways. By consuming the food of Tsukuyomi, she has put us all in great peril! My lord has a temper. Do you realize what madness would descend if Amatsu-Mikaboshi chased the moon from the sky? A great evil would flow across the land. The creature wants nothing more than to tilt the balance of life towards chaos!"

"Kagome ain't greedy, stupid. She's good!"

"Precisely what a half dog would say! Ow!" The rabbit sulked in the chair rubbing his lumps. Thick brown feet thumped against the side of the chair in an irritating nervous tick. Inuyasha raised a fist until the rabbit went silent. He settled with his back against the bed in case the little rodent was a pervert. Out of unconscious habit, Kagome flipped onto her side. The quiet, satisfied sigh when she tweaked the fur eased his worries.