The journey back to the cottage was quiet, but it was also more peaceful than the first portion of their trip to Kaede's. While Inuyasha did not choose to join the ladies in the carriage, he rode beside it, escorting it the entire length of the journey. Kagome found her eyes wandering from the scenery to his profile, appreciating his figure as he seemed to be one with his horse through long years of riding. She often found herself distracted by the shifting of his shoulders as he reigned the horse in, the sun reflecting off his silvery hair, the flick of his ears as he picked up sounds she could only imagine hearing.

On rare occasions his eyes would turn and meet hers, their amber depths glowing in the sunlight. Where before, as young and immature as she had been even 6 months before, Kagome would have averted her eyes with a blush, now she met his gaze full on, letting a smile curve her lips, an answering one forming on his handsome face.

Sango smiled as she would catch Kagome looking at Inuyasha, it was much more entertaining than the book that she had brought with her. Not that she would let Kagome know she was watching, it would have embarrassed her sister. When her gaze met her mother's she saw a similar smile returned, both women thoroughly amused watching the pair poorly pretending not to watch the other.

"I must say, it will be good to have both of my daughters home." Mai finally broke the silence, hiding her smirk when Kagome started and quickly turned from the window.

"Yes, while London was lovely, I missed the quiet of the country. There is such interesting scenery here." Sango responded, winking to Mai as Kagome's cheeks flushed pink.

"I hate you…" Kagome huffed as she settled back into the bench, her arms crossing over her chest.

"No, you don't." Sango nudged her with her shoulder, which made Kagome's lips curve before she responded with a harder nudge of her own.

"It would serve you right if I did." Kagome laughed, letting her head hit Sango's shoulder.

"Oh I have missed you both." Tears shone in Mai's eyes as she watched her daughters. While she had enjoyed the quiet… for a day… she had truly missed the energy that her daughters brought to the house.

"We missed you as well Mama." Sango reached out a hand, waiting for Mai take it before Sango squeezed. A mischievous smile turned her lips as she glanced down at Kagome, a matching expression on her sister.

"OH, STOP!" Mai laughed as Sango and Kagome launched themselves at their mother, both crowding her on her bench, their arms scrambling to come around her.

When Inuyasha next looked into the carriage, he saw the pile of three women, arms around each other, as they dozed lightly together.

Kagome let her hand trace the keys of the familiar piano at the cottage, her thoughts on the hours she had sat at it, learning new music, challenging herself at Inuyasha's encouragement. How she had changed, how she had grown, she felt like a wholly different person than the child who had left the cottage only a few months before. While she still appreciated the beauty of the instrument, she knew the work that it took to maintain it, to keep it properly tuned.

She smiled as she heard Jonathan and Martha chatter with her mother in the kitchen, making plans for the week, what was to be served, tasks to be completed. She had a new appreciation for them, without them, she knew she would have been lost when it came to preparing any food. Lord, she hadn't even known how to light a fire when they had moved here.

How many things had she taken for granted, accepted without a thought? How many people had she overlooked? Could she even name any of the servants at Shikon? She wasn't quite sure if she could.

But now she would make sure to know everyone who worked with her, to know their lives, their families. To truly work with them, rather than ordering others around without regard for their own needs and time.

She let her thoughts carry her to the window, her fingers coming to rest on the pain as she saw Inuyasha speaking with the driver from the carriage. His smile flashed, a glint off the slight fangs, and even though she could not hear what he said, she could just imagine the humor in his voice.

"Colonel Inuyasha is truly an exceptional man, I think." Kagome's tone was pensive as she watched him.

"He is." Sango responded as she stepped up behind Kagome to wrap her arms around her sister's waist. Her chin hit Kagome's shoulder as she too considered the man through the window.

"What a life he has known. He stayed faithful to the first woman he loved, even after he had lost her. His struggles, his journey, what he has had to endure, and yet he still seeks to find moments of happiness in life." She sighed and let her head drift to meet Sango's. "I daresay he is the true romantic."

"Hnnn." Sango murmured, letting Kagome continue her thoughts.

"It is not what we say… or what we feel that makes us what we are, it is what we do." Kagome mused, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Or fail to do."

"Do you still find him too proper?" Sango teased as she swayed with Kagome in her arms.

"Hmmm, no, I can't say I do. Oh, he is proper, very proper, but have you noticed that he only keeps that stiff propriety in company of those he is not familiar with?"

"I can't say that I have."

"He does." Kagome smiled as she spoke. "His eyes lose that coolness that he had when we first met, and you can see the warmth that he hides. You can see it when he speaks with those that work for him."

Kagome straightened when Inuyasha turned from the groomsman and made his way to the door, giving him a soft smile as he entered.

"I must leave you for now, Alexander wants to get the horses back to the stable for a rest, and I need to see to the mountain of paperwork that no doubt awaits me."

Sango smiled as she released her arms from around Kagome and quickly made her way into the kitchen… to politely eavesdrop next to her mother and Martha.

"Why is he leaving now when he has the advantage?" Mai whispered softly.

Sango noticed one of Inuyasha's ears twitch, and knew he had heard them, but did not make a move to stop their conversation.

"I have heard that the great tamers of horses do it by being gentle, then walking away." Sango whispered even more quietly into her mother's ear. "Nine times out of ten, the wild horse will follow."

"Are you comparing your sister to a wild horse?" Mai teased quietly as she glanced at Sango.

"She is a proud wild mare, destined to find her own path." Sango smiled as Kagome took a step to follow Inuyasha as he bowed slightly then made his way out to Alexander and the waiting horses and carriage outside.

Kagome sighed as she watched Inuyasha and Alexander disappear down the path, barely acknowledging that her mother and sister had come to her side.

"Sango," Kagome sighed, and Sango realized Kagome must have realized more than she had thought. "I look back at my conduct last autumn. I truly was a fool wasn't I, to myself, and inconsiderate of everyone else as I tried to pursue a flight of fancy."

"Kagome, please do not compare your conduct with Lord Kouga." Sango's eyes narrowed as she spoke.

"I don't." Kagome shrugged. "I compare it with what it should have been." She turned to meet Sango's eyes full on "I compare it with yours. I only hope that I am wiser now."

"You have always been wise, my dear." Mai wrapped her arm around Kagome as she spoke, causing Kagome to smile.

"You know, I have determined to enter into a course of serious study." Kagome grinned as she spoke, "Colonel Inuyasha has promised me that I am welcome at Shikon as often as I would like to borrow books and to play the beautiful piano that he has."

"Hmmm, he is quite generous." Sango laughed.

"Oh, I daresay he is." Mai chuckled, "but I do have to ask Kagome, would you be going to study the books… or to study the good Colonel?"

"MAMA!" Kagome cried in outrage, making both Mai and Sango still, worried they had misread Kagome's intention, only to relax as Kagome burst out laughing. "Who is to say I cannot do both?"

Indeed, Kagome waited only two days to walk to Tessaiga, Martha walking behind her with a knowing grin.

"Oh stop it." Kagome groaned as she caught sight of Martha's grin, before offering her arm for the woman to take.

"I do not know what you are talking about Miss." Martha giggled as she hesitantly took the offered arm, her smile growing when Kagome laughed.

"As if I haven't seen you, Sango and Mama buzzing about together, whispering in corners."

"There is a lot of planning to do Miss." Martha's face was the look of innocence.

"Not when you stop talking the moment I enter the room!" Kagome exclaimed, shooting the other woman a mock glare. "Thus I know you were speaking of me, I just wish to know about what."

"Wellll…" Martha bit her cheek as Kagome pouted, her face turning to face away from her. "We were taking bets on how long it would take you to visit Tessaiga… to visit your mare Sarah of course." Martha laughed as Kagome's face whipped back to her, her eyes wide.

"You didn't!"

"Oh, I daresay we did Miss, in fact it was at your mother's suggestion."

"Oh, well now I have to know, who won?"

"I did, if you would believe it." Martha laughed. "Your mother was sure you would march after him less than an hour after he left, your sister said oh your stubborn streak would mean you would wait at least a week. Jonathan, bless his soul, was confused as to why you would visit Tessaiga at all when you had only just returned to the cottage, but I said, I give it two days, and then she will visit."

"And how did you select the two days?" Kagome was curious.

"Knowing you as long as I have Miss Kagome, I know how curious and also how headstrong you are. You wouldn't want to go immediately, yet at the same time, you want to know what is in those books, and to see your young man again."

"He isn't my young man…" Kagome grumbled, her eyes dropping to the floor. True, no matter how well she thought of him, and how he seemed to enjoy being around her, that didn't make him her anything… did it?

"Come now Miss, none of that." Martha slowed them to a stop, waiting for Kagome to look back at her face. "I have seen him around you since you met him, and Sango told your mother and I how he cared for you when you were sick. If he isn't your young man, I will eat my shoe."

"I hope you are right." Kagome sighed as she resumed walking with Martha, her pace quickening as they approached Tessaiga.

As soon as she saw the formal gardens, the hydrangea beginning to flower with their mix of pink and blue, her heart began to race. It may have made no sense to anyone else how seeing the flowers mixed into the gardens would make her heart race, but to her, it was the first time someone had asked her opinion and listened, truly listened, and followed it. And how beautiful it looked, the hydrangeas were much more fluid, adding a sense of harmony to the garden that the roses had lacked.

Beyond the garden movement caught her eye, drawing her gaze to the entryway, and the man that stood in it. She couldn't see his face, but somehow knew that his whole attention was on her as she made her way closer. She was so entranced watching him come into more focus that she did not even notice Martha stepping away, nor hear the delighted giggle of the other woman.

"Miss Kagome," Inuyasha bowed as the two women came closer, "I welcome you again to Tessaiga. I hope you find it as… inviting as I do."

"I am sure I will, Colonel." Kagome's cheeks warmed as she spoke.

"Come, let me show you to the library, there are a great many books that I am sure will capture your attention."

"I… Thank you sir." Kagome found herself stammering as Inuyasha offered his arm, but stepped forward to take it, letting her fingers trail down the sleeve of his jacket as she did, relishing the slight shiver she felt him give at the movement.

What the inside of the home looked like, Kagome could not tell you, the only thing she saw was the man beside her, his smile, the wiggle of his ears when he looked at her and grinned.

"Here we are." His voice was deeper, his eyes a darker hue of amber as he opened a door, letting Kagome step in before him. Kagome reluctantly turned her attention to the new room… and gasped as soon as she saw her surroundings.

While some libraries seemed dark, cold almost, this was warm, and just as Inuyasha had said, inviting. There were shelves, floor to the tall ceiling,filled with books of all sizes and colors. A settee sat by the window, the blanket draped over its back telling her it was a well loved and well used piece of furniture. Beside it sat one of the grandest piano's she had ever had the pleasure to see, its polished mahogany gleaming, along with its gilded golden accents.

A desk sat against a side wall, its wood showing its years of use, polished till it shone, a sturdy, yet somehow also comfortable looking, leather chair behind it.

"I… ah… had a desk put in here for work, it is not my usual study, but I do find I work here most of the time." Inuyasha ran a hand over his neck as he spoke, his cheeks taking on a ruddy hue with the words.

"It is beautiful, I do not blame you for wanting to work here." Kagome smiled at him as she turned, taking in the majesty of the room. "I would never want to leave either."

Inuyasha's mouth opened for a moment, only to close again, his cheeks flushing deeper at whatever thought had gone through his head.

"The books are organized by topic." He cleared his throat as he crossed into the room. "At the far wall, closest to the window, you will find books on the sciences, the studies of Galileo, Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci." He stopped at the second wall and tapped a book. "These are literature, novels, poetry, of various ages. Some of the books are quite heavy, those are all found on the bottom shelves, if you would like one of those please call for either me or for my staff to come and help you with it."

"I thank you, Colonel."

"Inuyasha…" Kagome's eyes darted to meet his as he spoke. "Please… call me Inuyasha."

"If you will call me Kagome." she smiled, thrilled at his request.

"Perfect… Kagome." He grinned back at her, but a slight sound from Martha had him starting, his eyes closing as he suddenly remembered they were not alone. "I will leave you to your studies then."

"I… Inuyasha…" Kagome called out as he began to take a step, and he paused, his ears flicking back to her. "I did not know if you still had work to do, but if this is your primary place for doing it… you are more than welcome to join me."

Inuyasha's ears quivered as he turned to see Kagome, the sun from the window framing her perfectly, and smiled.

"I would love to."

Over the next few weeks Kagome was a frequent visitor at Tessaiga, often dragging Sango with her to pour over the books… at least that was the reason Kagome gave.

Sango smiled as Kagome shifted in her chair, moving it ever so slowly closer to Inuyasha's desk, and Inuyasha's shifting of his own chair towards Kagome.

It made her heart happy to see Kagome laugh at a comment Inuyasha had made, his ears twitching to catch her response. They looked good together, but more than that, they looked comfortable with each other.

It truly was remarkable seeing the difference in Inuyasha's demeanor between his public and his private behavior. Now Sango could see what Kagome had months prior, the casual warmth that Inuyasha had when he was around those he trusted. The man had infinite patience, especially where Kagome was concerned, and frequently would put aside his own paperwork to help her understand a portion of a book, or a concept that was raised.

Of course, Sango was sure, the fact that he would get to stand behind Kagome, his hand on her shoulder or next to hers as it held the book may have had something to do with how eager he was.

But what really made her smile as she hid her face in her own book was not when Inuyasha would help Kagome, but when Kagome would help him with his work. It had started subtly, he would be muttering to himself about a problem that had arisen, and Kagome would offer a short response, which made him pause and reconsider the problem at hand. Now, he would just motion her closer to his desk and show her the report or the ledgers, asking her for her input or advice on how to handle various situations.

And more importantly, at least to Kagome, he often would take her advice into consideration, and often implemented it or a version of it.

"Hmmm, so if we were to rotate the planting of wheat, peas, and you said, I believe, turnips, each year it could actually help improve the production of the fields?" Inuyasha questioned as he considered the letter from his farmers carefully. Field productions had dropped, which was causing concern for some of his tenants, and none of the newest fertilizers that had been acquired in trade had helped.

"I think so," Kagome bit her lip as she read the document again. "One of the new trades you have on the shelf talks about a process of… I think they said 'crop rotation,' and that it increased the yield for each subsequent year."

"Which one was it?" Inuyasha pushed himself up, waiting for Kagome to stand quickly before she moved to one of the bookshelves, her fingers scanning the spines until she found a small paper pamphlet. She quickly pulled it out and scanned it, nodding as she read before turning back to Inuyasha, pointing to a section.

"Here, this is where they recommended it, along with something called fallow, but I am not sure what that is."

"It's leaving a field untilled for a season." Inuyasha murmured as he scanned the pamphlet, his hand moving to grasp it. His pinky brushed Kagome's hand by accident, causing them both to freeze for a moment, Inuyasha quickly pulling his finger away, his cheeks tinged with pink.

When Kagome shifted her pinky to rest against his, however, the movement was slow, deliberate. The casual contact made her heart race, and she gasped when Inuyasha shifted his finger to twine it with hers, hidden behind the pamphlet.

"Thank you, I think this will help solve the tenants' concern and ultimately help increase production." Inuyasha's voice was soft as he spoke, which only increased the air of intimacy between them.

"Even with the untilled field?" Kagome looked up at him, her own cheeks flushing at the expression in his eyes.

"I believe so. I will go out and discuss it with them all, would you… would you like to go with me? It was your suggestion after all."

"I…" the feel of his finger sliding against hers made Kagome lose her train of thought as she lost herself in his eyes. It was only Sango's soft cough that drew her out of her daze, and with great reluctance she let her hand fall from the paper, missing the warmth of his hand already. "I do not want to be in the way."

"You would never be in the way, Kagome." Inuyasha whispered, as he reached out to tuck one of her curls behind her ear. She automatically leaned her face into his hand, sighing as his fingers trailed along her cheek.

"It is getting late, so I do not think it would be proper for me to go with you, if you were going today."

Inuyasha groaned as she stepped away. "I probably should, we are about to begin planting season, and we need to determine the best rotation for the next yield."

"Then, we will leave you to it." Kagome gave a small smile before she turned, her eyes meeting Sango's, who rose immediately from her own chair.

Both sisters gave Inuyasha a slight curtsey before stepping out of the library, Kagome's arm wrapped through Sango's as they made their way through the home.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha's voice made Kagome pause as she turned to see him holding the door jamb from the library, his golden eyes shining. "If I were to come by… tomorrow… would I be able to speak with your mother and… and then with you?"

Kagome's smile blinded the sun as it lit her face.

"I will tell her to expect you."