Inuyasha only heard the shouts. He dropped the broken wagon despite the shouts of the farmer. Rin was still helping a group of older girls feed their foal. Kagome was standing at the river's edge surrounded by other penitents now in an uproar. Her hands lifted defensively.

"The power of the gods!"

"Bless you, Bodhisattva!" An old man bowed. The residents had turned away from the shrine. They bowed instead to the young human girl trying to discourage their worship. Ritual clapping and shouts distracted Kagome from his approach. She backed into his arms.

"Inuyasha, you're here!"

"Back off, idiots!" In their fervor they barely heard his shout. An old man in the center was crying. The way they stretched out their hands unsettled him. Before one more human could put their hands on his wife, he jumped. They yelled in disappointment but humans were no match for his speed. He crouched on a limb high in the safety of an overgrown oak.

"The man was lame. They brought him to the river god to ask for his kindness. I only touched him! The River God must have heard his prayer and healed him," she trembled. "They all wanted my blessing; they wouldn't listen! I am not a faith healer."

"Oi, I've got you." Inuyasha hugged her. It was all he could think to do to reassure her that the mob of humans couldn't reach her. Promised whispers eased her heartbeat even out and slow. The pass of his palm over her spine eased her tension. "Did you pray to the river god?"

"I was meditating about the Heart Sutra because I promised Miroku but I got distracted remembering that song from Mount Hakurei and then I was worried about the first day of school and whether to wear my blue skirt or my green. How can I make them see? I don't want to give them false hope." The girl turned her blue eyes up to him for help. "There IS such a thing as spiritual healing but I haven't learned that yet! Even Kaede says that it only helps set the patient's spirit right to accept the healing. Miroku has studied Kaji healing with Mushin but it takes years of practice to hold the meditative state required and the recipient has to be equally open! I did not sprinkle sacred water on anyone!"

Inuyasha's ears pricked when he heard the mobile villagers already spreading the tale. The Princess Shrine Maiden had healed old man Hatsuo! All of the residents knew the human had been born with a misshapen foot that prevented him from extreme physical labor. He dragged Kagome down to the ground. They raced back to the headman who had Kagome's yellow bag before dragging Rin away from her foal. They were already in the tall grass on the outskirts of town before more humans came looking for the visiting priestess.

"You can blame Miroku for the title – bastard."

"You healed someone? How? That's amazing!" Rin stayed close. Her hand tugged on Kagome's hakama. "Why are we leaving? They wanted to give you presents! Maybe they would give us a foal did you see the foal? He was so cute, Kagome! Wouldn't it be nice to have a little baby horse? His nose was wet and he liked me. Can I have a horse, Inuyasha? I promise I would take care of it. Kaede-sama has a horse for traveling so why shouldn't I? Oh, please?"

"C'mon." They picked up their pace to put distance between their party and the village. Inuyasha shouldered Kagome's bag when the terrain turned rocky. Rin continued to chatter about the little horse which helped to fill the awkward gap in conversation. By the time they stopped to rest on a hillside covered with flowers Rin had worn herself out and sulked on the other side of a boulder. Everyone received a snack and a water bottle to sate their rumbling bellies.

"Was the river god known for healing?"

"They prayed to him to hold back flooding and provide good silt for the harvests." Kagome held out her palms. A normal pair of human palms reflected the sun. Her teeth teased her lower lip in worry. He shifted closer to her. Her blue eyes glanced up at him then down; a flush covered her cheeks. "Inuyasha?"

"What is it?"

"Did – I mean, could Kikyo heal people? She purified Kohaku's shard and Miroku's poisoned blood. You traveled with her. Kikyo knew how to heal people with herbs and medicine and poultices. Could she heal human bodies with her energy?"

"I dunno. The times we traveled together were mainly to track down a demon. We didn't make stops in any villages. What are you doing?" His brow lifted when she stood with her bow. The flexible yew wood tumbled to the ground. Kagome smiled before attempting to complete the spinning maneuver again. He refused to throw something sharp at her! "Are you stupid? You could get hurt! Kikyo trained for years to master that technique. Stop it!" Inuyasha bounced toward her. The teenage girl figured out how to place her hands while turning the bow. He hit the dirt when a barrier erupted around the girl. It glinted like a soap bubble and popped just as quickly.

"Oi, watch it!"

The ground underneath him rumbled. Beyond the girl's legs he saw the demon emerge from the woods. He rolled past his wife to meet the oni's blade with the flat of Tetsusaiga. Sparks raked down the blade when the bloodthirsty creep pushed back. It roared something ominous about eating the young priestess and her trainee for power.

"I will be more powerful than my brothers! Down, dog. A little half-demon cannot stop me!" The oni bared his fangs. The stench of human blood from its mouth made him nauseous. Another flesh eater! He pushed back. A single leap brought him high enough to avoid the next lazy swing. One strike of Tetsusaiga cut the weakling in two. The halves slid apart on the earth. Rin and Kagome assured him they were fine.

"Eh, Inuyasha!" A familiar shape hovered overhead. "He was mine!"

"Then you should have been faster!" Tetsusaiga was returned to its sheath. Kohaku jumped free before Kilala touched the ground. The young slayer bowed politely to Kagome. "You just missed your sister. She and the monk are on their way to Mushin's Temple if you want to join them."

"They're having a baby!" Rin clapped. "You're going to be an uncle, Kohaku. Isn't that exciting?"

Kagome giggled when the impromptu announcement made both males squirm. Rin continued her one-sided conversation about the village and her own medicinal training. Kohaku quietly agreed to return to the village for her Coming of Age ceremony; yes, he had seen Sesshomaru-sama. Rin tucked her folded hands under her chin when he related that Sesshomaru had asked after her well-being. The girl twirled in happy circles. Apparently the dog demon was wandering somewhere near the coast investigating newly arrived ships from the continent.

Kohaku mentioned the uptick in battles between the regional daimyo. The clans were battling for control of the main roads like the Tōkaidō highway and the merchant classes who controlled the movement of rice from the farmlands. The Takeda clan had suffered a major loss at Tenmokuzan. The lord had burned down Shinpu Castle and retreated to an ally, but the retainer at Iwadono had denied them entry. The family had committed seppuku between the combined armies of Tokugawa and Nobunaga. Many villages and towns had already surrendered to one of the two lords.

"Nobunaga has an impressive warrior called Yasuke. They saw he has skin like charcoal and the strength of ten men. Tokugawa employs a samurai known as the Oni no Hanzō, a warrior with impressive tactical skill. He is known to be fearless. Some of his men even claim he can see the future and that is how he plans a siege. Towns will surrender at the mention of his name," Kohaku shrugged. "I have seen the Oni. His personal force is a clan of ninja who joined him from Iga. They are a force to be reckoned with."

"Miroku mentioned a band of thieves raiding villages."

"He and Sis fought one of their raiding parties. Their methods are nasty. But if you are looking for the demon Jinenji, he is up the road. A scared local summoned me to slay him but he is pretty harmless. Battles forced his people to abandon their old lands. I refused the job and the payment. He is a friend of yours?" Kohaku quickly gave them direction to the town center up the road.

"We will see you back at the village! Bye Kohaku!" Rin waved at the retreating human. Kilala paused to nuzzle the friendly human girl before bounding after her charge.

Jinenji was tending to a large field filled with humans planting the spring seeds. He set the hoe down when Rin ran up to greet him. The giant, blue-eyed half-demon kneeled down. Kagome was the next to approach. The gentle giant guided them towards a small hut where his mother was sweeping out the dirt floor.

"Your friends have come to visit, have they? Well, call 'em in, Jinenji. Don't be rude!" The old mountain witch brushed off her hands. "Bring in the pretty one and the girls! We should have tea."

"I'm surprised the old woman is still alive. How old is she? Keh," he grumbled. He was ignored. Even Kagome shoved him aside to beat Rin into the hut. Poor, shy Jinenji seemed overwhelmed at the female energy. He didn't miss the way Jinenji clenched his hands when Kagome told him about the marriage. Poor bastard. I fell for Kagome, too.

"You hear that, Jinenji? Married! I knew you had an eye for him." The cackle made him flinch. Jinenji used his chopsticks to push his meal around his bowl. Rin told the mother all about the preparations for the house and Kagome's novice gardening skills. It was true that neither of them knew much about growing things - he was a demon, not a farmer! Kagome blushed while Rin described Kagome's attempts to seed the furrowed soil and her resulting temper tantrum. The girl had stalked inside after a harmless joke.

"Jinenji knows how to grow herbs! Would you like to come live in our village? Rin would like that," the girl pleaded. The size difference was almost comical cramped in this tiny hut. Sweet brown eyes begged him to do as she said. Apparently Rin had also encountered Jinenji years ago in a quest to heal Jaken from poison.

"You live together in this village - married?"

"Yeah. It's better than most. Kagome has influence there. Kaede brokered a deal with the headman to give us land in exchange for our protection. Kagome wants to build a local hospice for survivors of the wars. Neither of us knows much about raising crops, but you do, don't you Jinenji?" Inuyasha felt sorry for dashing the demon's hopes. It would be hard for the guy to find a human wife the way he looked but he was compassionate. "We are friends with a kitsune and a nekomata and a kappa. They are used to demons walking through the place so you wouldn't have to worry about them calling the slayers. We can vouch for you with the humans."

"What do you think, Ma?"

Rin extended her arms into the air when the mother agreed in her own colorful way. The pair had little to pack but they agreed to wait until the morning to set out. It would take another more than a full day to come within reach of Kaede's village. Kagome and Rin were already planning to give them the abandoned hut of Eito, the young man who had left the village months prior to become a traveling artist. There was already farmland around the hut but it was unmanaged. Jinenji quietly agreed to teach Kagome what he inherently knew about herbs and medicine, a subtle gift from his father, who had once been considered a kami of the earthly realm. He shared with her the little statue carved in the likeness from a forgotten shrine.

"He looked very kind."

Jinenji's mood brightened when he showed the girls a new variant of plant they had rescued from his Pa's farm which he called the lunar moss. It could only be harvested under full moonlight. He turned his face away while his wife admired his creativity and intelligence of the delicately budding bioluminescent flower. Jealousy gently churned his insides. Baka. Who cares if he is good with plants? Kagome is his friend. No matter how irrational, he gave the girls an excuse to step outside. The other humans gave him a wide berth but none seemed aggressive.

Kagome found him perched on a limb overlooking the local onsen. The girl stubbornly placed her hands on her hips while she called for him to come down. He kept an eye on the locals when she rested her hands on his ribs to scold him for being so aloof. The miko was being very familiar with the dog demon! Wasn't one enough? The mention of visiting the waters together was suggested - maybe after dinner? Inuyasha pushed her hands away before they attracted more damn attention.

"What is wrong with you?"

Kagome glared at him over dinner. He ignored the way she sloshed his stew onto his dish. An angry Kagome was fearsome but an angry human mob with torches would be worse. The girl purposefully let her sheet slap him in the face when she and Rin exited the hut to take advantage of the onsen. Jinenji's mother invited him to take an evening stroll through the fields for his health but he declined. Based on the humans' whispers he would rather guard his wife and charge.

"The girl is a demon's whore. She must be a demon masquerading as a human!"

"What if the big one wants a wife too? Our women aren't safe! What can we do?" His ear swiveled to pick up the sounds. Kagome and Rin were unmindful of his trailing presence. There were several pools on the edge of the refugee's side. There were already other women in adjacent onsen having conversations above the water.

Inuyasha sat at the base of a tree near the onsen where he could hear the girls splashing. More whispers about the implied relationship between them were angering the most conservative of the group. Whether they would have the guts to form a mob remained to be seen. No need to frighten Kagome yet. Let her enjoy the water.

"He can be so moody! Ugh, men!"

"Yeah, men!" Rin giggled.

The nearby matrons were jealous of Kagome's beauty and affect on their husbands. They were clearly mocking the young priestess in ways that didn't make sense. Inuyasha ignored the girl's conversation about him...he was too on edge to care. Insinuating that Kagome was too pretty to be human? Great, just great! The men who didn't want to kill her for being a demon were lusting after her beauty and untouchable status! Why did everyone demand everything from the girl?

Inuyasha raised his claws to strike when he heard the chirp. An orange fox sat on its heels and stared back at him. Its' nose twitched curiously before it crept closer. He kept still to appease it. The animal had an intelligent face haloed by white fur. It twirled in an excited circle and bit down on his sleeve playfully.

"Hey, I'm not a toy." The scolding was reflexive; the fox was harmless. It chirped at him again.

Inuyasha confirmed that Kagome and Rin were safely entrenched in their conversation surrounded by half the local women before he followed the little fox through the forest. It would stop periodically to verify he was following. The fox left the well-traveled road of humans for tangled forest growth. It swished its tail at him as it crossed a peaceful little pond to squeeze between the narrow gap between stones. Colorful pink bushes grew in the little grove enlightened by moonlight. The fox laid on its belly beneath two white statues.

"So you're an Inari fox? Kagome would like you. You could have waited for her," he scoffed. This was exactly the type of place where Kagome liked to have picnics. The little shrine behind the two statues probably enshrined the kami. Rin loved to tease Shippo; hugging a real fox servant would please her. He folded his hands inside his sleeves while he bent forward. The wooden shrine atop the boulder had writing carved into the wood, a prayer from the original worshipper. "I don't have any food."

Inuyasha had always liked animals. Animals didn't care about human or demon - so long as they were treated fairly. He kneeled down to scratch the little guy behind his ears. Mother had always encouraged him to be kind to creatures smaller than him. Other boys on the grounds had thrown rocks at birds or squirrels or snakes for the sake of being cruel. He remembered the pride in her eyes when he brought home a fallen nest. Even when others had been cruel to her, she had been gracious. No matter the circumstances, Mother had always made regular visits to the local shrine to thank the spirit for their safety and health. As an adult, he realized life could have been far worse in his early years. If her cousin had abandoned her, they would have struggled to find a village accepting of an unmarried woman with no skills and a half-demon child. A noblewoman, even a beautiful one, with limited medicinal skills, musical training and needlework would have been considered a burden unless she remarried. Not even a nunnery would have accepted her. And what human noble would marry an exiled princess without requiring her to abandon her bastard?

For his mother's sake, he gathered an offering of flowers from the local surroundings to lay on the shrine. The peaceful aura of the grove helped him feel a bit more charitable towards the townsfolk. Mother would remind him that they did not understand, to forgive them, to act with honor. Jinenji and his mother were safe; Kagome had another mentor with an affinity for growing the herbs she needed to heal others. Rin would have another guardian to dissuade random jerks from kidnapping her to challenge Sesshomaru. The big guy would be helpful in the fields, too. He was meek but insanely strong!

"Eh, what's this?" Inuyasha accepted the gift from the little fox. It was a little bag of mon! He scratched its chin gratefully. The fox chirped at him when he finally said his goodbye. Kagome was waiting! The girl tapping her foot outside of the hut was perplexed by his mood. In the shadows of the hut he kissed her excitedly. The clean smell of her filled his nose. Her hair was slightly damp from the steam so he chided her for being careless.

"Why, you - !" Kagome exhaled through her nose but nuzzled him back. He rested his forehead against hers. The elevation of her heartbeat was pleasing. Rin was having a one-sided conversation with Jinenji's mother about horses in the hut. The girl's mouth dropped when he offered her the rough bouquet of weeds and flowers. "Of course I like them, Inuyasha. That's so sweet!" The flowers had a milder scent than other varieties. The grounds had been immaculately maintained by the castle staff. Kagome smiled at him before bringing the flowers to her nose.

"My mother grew flowers like these when I was young. Maybe we could grow them in our garden? I think she would like them for the shrine. The cabinet is being stained by the craftsmen. He said we should make regular offerings to the thing. I dunno," he averted his eyes.

"Are they not beautiful, Inuyasha? They bloom as golden as your lovely eyes, eyes like your father's."

"Chrysanthemums are a wonderful shrine offering. They symbolize the renewal of life and bringing happiness to a demoralized person, eternal loyalty," Kagome touched his chest. "Being remembered by someone you love is the most we can ask for after we've gone to the other world. I will set aside a special plot for a bed of your mother's flowers. What a lovely thought, Inuyasha. Rin has already been sowing the seeds of some lesser perennials, I'm afraid some have mixed in with the herbs."

"The monk mentioned we should have the butsudan ready for autumn. Kaede mentioned you would be leading the others in a dance - you and Rin? It makes sense. The old granny isn't as limber as she once was. I've heard the villagers discussing it. There will be visitors from other towns to see the famous priestess dance, like your 'family union'. We might need extra food for your visitors, Princess Shrine Maiden."

"I forgot about the Bon dance. I have to learn all of the steps!" Kagome buried her face in his chest. " Everyone will be watching! It's my duty to honor the dead. What if I can't learn the dance in time? Miroku wants to give me extra training. Jinenji always wakes before dawn to say sweet words to his plants. Sango wants to begin training me to picks locks and escape bondage. I do not always get captured! What do you think?" The sweet girl looked up. "I have to go to school! How will I have time for so much study?"

"You'll have time, I can help you."

"I have to learn how to control my powers so I can't delay that. I bet Miroku's a strict teacher," Kagome pouted. "How many sutra has he memorized? I'll have to copy them over and over to learn. How did he do it without unlimited paper? At least Jinenji will be forgiving when I can't remember. I have to learn anatomy!"

"You're the smartest person I have ever met. We can figure it out. You will do what you can," he promised. "If anybody has a problem with that, they can answer to me. You get to decide what's most important."


Jinenji's size made it difficult to find a suitable hut for the pair to claim but Kaede found a solution. They could temporarily claim the shed on the edge of town while a taller structure was built for the pair. Some of the villagers were off-put by his appearance but his quiet, humble nature soothed them. Unlike Inuyasha, Jinenji was obviously subservient. They were more afraid of his mother's hellfire attitude which earned Jinenji some sympathy.

Inuyasha left Jinenji helping the men in the fields to dive through the Well. Kagome was abuzz with energy getting ready for her first day of nursing school. Her little blue pack had been packed and repacked several times with what she deemed the essentials; not even a bath could ease her anxiety. He offered her bow as a source of strength. Together they sat under the soothing branches of the Goshinboku. Kagome reviewed her class schedule aloud. He reaffirmed his promise to carry her to school. It was unlike her to be so nervous.

"Why don't you try your meditation?"

"It's easier to follow Miroku," she sighed. The monk's handwriting was brought out from her bag. The crescent moon of her downturned lips told him all he needed to know. He inwardly groaned when he faced her in a cross-legged position. It took him a minute to make out the first part of the sutra.

"You're going to meditate with me?"

"Shut up and lemme read," he ordered. The girl went silent but kept her smile. His poor reading skills made him self-conscious. What the fuck do I know about meditation and self-reflection? Kagome could read much faster. At least his participation seemed to distract his bride. "What's that one?"

"It says, 'prajnaparamita', a female bodhisattva." Kagome only smiled at his aggravated hum. "They have attained enlightenment but don't enter eternal peace for the sake of helping others."

"So you're looking for the 'Dawn of Peace'?"

"I would settle for quieting my mind. Ok. Ready?" Kagome clapped her hands together. It felt silly to mimic her actions but he did for her sake. She shuttered her beautiful blue eyes to the world to submerge herself in the aura of the tree. He kept his eyes open to read from the notebook on his knee but he was distracted. How can she be so beautiful and so good? Her black hair brushed against the thick straps of her blue dress that left her shoulders exposed. The sweetness of her mouth was puckered to start her breathing exercises.

She married me.

Kagome opened one eye. He ducked his head in embarrassment to read the prayer aloud. Most of the wistful poetry went over his head. The dead are the dead and once they've gone to the other world they are beyond the living. If the witch Urasue had not resurrected Kikyo, I would never have known the truth about her death. I would have hated her the rest of my life for betraying me. To think I might never have learned about Naraku's involvement in her death!

Marriage to Kagome made him happy. Knowing what he knew now, it was hard to recall that he had asked Kikyo to be his wife. He had truly loved the sad, lonely girl separated from humanity but would they have made one another miserable in time? It was hard to imagine Kikyo bounding towards him with Kagome's light; it felt damning to imagine sharing her bed. The storm-maiden with her blue eyes never shied from challenging him. It was more than love – they were compatible. Inuyasha paused from reading the sutra to bask in his fortune. Above, the Goshinboku shifted with the wind. Kagome did not respond when he clasped their hands together.

Whatever fate brought us together, I'm glad. We were born for each other! I need Kagome as much as she needs me…

The girl did not react when he kissed her palms.

Kagome who fought by his side, tended his wounds, prepared his meals, warmed his heart. An impossible woman. She could face down the fiercest demonic foes without fear yet worry endlessly over his flesh wounds. An honorable priestess who could bless the lives of little children and come home to drag him to their bed. Born in the modern era, living in her past! The strength of her heart was unrivaled. For her sake he would suffer any price so long as he could keep her. If she needed a partner to assist with her meditation, he would do his best. Inuyasha could hear the ghost of Kikyo's happy laugh gliding on the breeze.

"You are so impatient! Come join us, Inuyasha. It is good for the soul."

"Keh, no thanks!"

Inuyasha knew he did not share the same depth of faith but he liked the Goshinboku. Kagome did not need to memorize norito to rouse spirits. He bent his head over her delicate human wrists to make a sincere wish for Kagome's happiness. The selfless human rarely put her own needs first so perhaps that was his purpose. While Kagome lived to better the lives of others, he would do his best to serve her! He struggled for a moment. Did a wish count if he did not say it aloud? It would embarrass him to let Kagome hear. Mother had always spoken her prayers. Kagome would simply clap her hands together, bow, and leave an offering to honor the shrine. She had not spoken when she kissed the baby's mark at the blessing ceremony.

"Inuyasha."

The spirit beneath the shadow of the limbs smiled. Inuyasha forgot about praying for his wife. By the time she turned her little dark head, the ghost was gone. He sputtered unintelligibly before looping around the tree. Gone! Kagome brushed her skirt clean with the heels of her hand.

"You are so fidgety!" His wife laughed. The teenager took the opportunity to stretch her arms above her head and bend side-to-side exposing the band of skin above her waistline. Inuyasha was too distraught to register her jovial attitude. The faint scent of his mother's perfume drove him crazy. The echoes of the soft voice hung in the air. Why hadn't he acted faster? Kagome was welcome to tease him. He swallowed hard.

"Mother? Are you there? Mother!" The silence was crushing disappointment. He hid his face from Kagome's probing. Had she transformed into a vengeful yurei? If her soul could not depart for the other world, was she in danger? As her only son, he should have found a way to attend her funeral, but her family had barred him. Too many times they had faced the imprisoned souls of a sad, lonely princess tempted by a demon. His fist drove into the Goshinboku's trunk.

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome was right, she's always right. My mother deserves to be remembered. I don't care what they called her, she was a noblewoman. I am her only son. So what if she was human? The touch of soft hands on his back beneath his hair made him tremble. Her fingers slid around his ribs to press against his stomach. The embrace evoked too many raw memories. Before the Un-Mother had stolen her form, he had almost forgotten she was dead. After decades of loneliness, remembering her had been too painful. Survive, grow stronger. Make Mother proud.