The carriage ride to Devonshire was markedly different from the one that had brought them to London. The carriage was no longer filled with chatter and excitement, and that honestly suited Kagome more than she had realized it would. Too much had happened in London, and she had outgrown her fascination with the town. She longed for the simplicity of the cottage, the thunder of the sea against the cliffs, and the comfort of her mother's presence.

"We will need to stop at my estates for a few days, before we continue onto the cottage." Kaede advised quietly, also not wanting to disturb the silence in the carriage. A soft murmur of agreement fell from Kagome's lips as she turned her attention to the countryside, watching as the miles of trees gave way to the familiar cliffs of what she now thought of as home.

As the carriage began to slow to a stop she suddenly bolted upright, gasping as she saw Inuyasha standing by the door.

"Ah, good, I was hoping he would be able to make it." Kaede nodded as she too caught sight of the man. "I had worried his business in London would keep him too long."

"I didn't realize he was coming home as well." Kagome breathed as she ran her hand down her hair, which caused Sango to chuckle.

"Yes indeed, he said he wanted to be sure the rectory house was in good shape before the new tenants moved in."

Kagome's eyes flew to Sango, catching the slight grimace on her sister's face before Sango schooled her expression, once again showing no signs that she was bothered by the upcoming addition to their area.

As the carriage pulled to a stop Inuyasha stepped forward, offering his hand first to Kaede and then Sango, helping them out of the carriage. When he offered it to Kagome, she took a deep, calming breath and laid her hand against his, but curled her fingers so she slightly held his, rather than merely using it for balance. His soft inhale and the way his body froze had her looking to him, and she found herself captured by his golden gaze.

How had she ever found his eyes to be cold? They burned like the sun, shifting with his emotions, deepening when he was lost in thought, brightening when he was happy. She found herself smiling as she stepped out of the carriage, never shifting her gaze as she took in every shift of his ears, the shift of colors within his eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered, and his ears quivered as they shifted to focus solely on her. As she let her hand drop from his she heard his exhale, and realized that from the moment she had touched him he had not allowed himself to breathe.

This was the feeling that she had wanted, that she had hoped for, why had she been so stubborn, so blind as to deny it? Her hand felt cold now that it was no longer against his, and she found herself wanting to lace her fingers through his, to trace the claws that tipped his fingers, to feel his breath against her skin, his lips against hers…

"Come Kagome, it has been a long journey and we should get you settled." Kaede drew Kagome away from Inuyasha, shuffling her towards the door of the manor. Just before entering Kagome looked back at the carriage to find Inuyasha's entire attention was focused on her, and Kagome smiled, nodding her head to him as she bit her bottom lip. Inuyasha stiffened as his mouth dropped open, but before he could say a word Kaede had whisked Kagome inside, the solid wood closing between them.

That look occupied her thoughts for the remainder of the day as she went through the motions of eating dinner and preparing for bed. It wasn't until she lay under the blanket, curled up next to Sango that she allowed herself to give in to the questions that had run through her mind.

"What do you think they want from us?" She whispered, and felt Sango turn to face her.

"Who?"

"The gentlemen. I keep thinking of Kouga, and what we found about him."

"I do not know." Sango sighed.

"Perhaps they see us not as people, but merely as playthings." Kagome mused, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.

"That may be true for Kouga, and Hojo to some extent, but I do not see that being how Inuyasha or Miroku truly think."

"I suppose." Kagome turned to her back, lowering the blanket to stare at the ceiling through the darkness. "But it makes you wonder, do they see us as women as their equals, or are we just a doll, property, to them?

"I wish I knew for certain." Sango sighed as she let her head rest against Kagome's. "I truly do."

The question lingered on Kagome's mind as she slid to sleep, and was the first thought she had upon awakening. Her quiet demeanor was noted by both Kaede and Sango, but she could not pull herself out of her own thoughts to calm their worries.

"I need to go for a walk." Kagome mused, her gaze lingering out of the window the gardens of Kaede's estate.

"Kagome?" Sango questioned.

"A walk," Kagome responded. "I need some fresh air to help settle my thoughts."

"But it is going to rain my dear," Kaede protested, "look how gray it is outside."

"I know, but I promise I will be back long before the rain hits."

"Well, all right, but keep yourself away from the cliffs, and be careful in the meadow, there are dips and twists that are hidden by the flowers." Kaede cautioned, earning her the first bright smile from Kagome in weeks.

"Thank you Kaede." Kagome exclaimed as she threw her arms around the older woman, and dashed out of the house before any further protest could be raised.

Kagome let the salt brined air fill her lungs as she tipped her head to the sky, letting the mottled light from the clouds wash over her face.

It amused her, at Shikon she had never wished to be alone, always wanting to be near others, even if she was lost in her book or her poetry. Now, she found more comfort in her own thoughts than in the silly gossip of others her own age. She was on the verge of turning 18, and now more keenly felt the difference between being a girl and being a woman.

Ironically, she was not sure if she would have had that revelation if she had not actually met Kouga and Inuyasha. Had she stayed at Shikon Park, she could honestly say that she would still have been the same, a spoiled child who did not know what she wanted, but expected it to come to her.

Oh how her parents had spoiled her. She had always been more drawn to flights of fancy than Sango had, and her parents, especially her father, had always let her. Sango had been the one to step in where Kagome hadn't strengthened, so she had never really realized how much she had needed to grow to become her own person.

At the very least, she was thankful to Kouga for opening her eyes to that.

The soft rumble of thunder suited her mood as she continued to walk, lost in her thoughts. She nodded briefly to the gardener she passed, working on a hedge, who cast a glance at her and the darkening sky, but Kagome had disappeared around a corner before he was able to give her any caution.

When had she gone from someone who dreamed of fancy things and softly spoken words? When had she begun to long for a deeper connection, of a true partnership? She had said, so many months before, that it was what she had sought but she had not realized what it really meant. Her only knowledge of love had been her parents, and her father had been around 20 years older than her mother, so while they had been loving towards each other, it hadn't been the flash of love spoken about in her poetry books. Her mother had lived for her father, that was true, and while Kagome had thought that was what she wanted, had she really expected to give up all her own personal pursuits when she married?

If so, why had she started to turn from Kouga?

He had been comfortable, easy. A quick smile, a well placed word. Granted, in the end she had been wise to turn from him when she had, to not let herself fall head over heels for him, but at the time… how had he not been what she wanted?

Inuyasha… Inuyasha was not comfortable. He didn't put her at ease when he was near. He was like a lightning bolt, one that strangely both irritated and soothed her. The bright flash of the sky accented her thoughts as she continued her journey, no set destination in mind.

No, Inuyasha made her feel, and that was what had made her uncomfortable at first. The touch of his hand against hers made her heart beat faster than Kouga's lips had against hers. Inuyasha made her angry, but at the same time, made her feel safe, protected, and cherished. He acted as though he cared about her thoughts, her vision for things, and it made her smile to think of how he had changed his garden merely at her suggestion. It was the first time anyone had listened to her, taken her advice.

It wasn't though she hadn't had suitors at Shikon, though there had not been that many. Too many of the men in the area had been boring, merely looking at her beauty and not her mind, her personality.

But wasn't that what Kouga had done as well?

Kouga was always looking at the surface, the physical beauty, the pleasure, never seeing beyond that. I always looked for the truth of something, what was inside.

Kagome let her head tip back into the softly falling rain as she remembered Inuyasha's words from only a few weeks before.

Yes, Kouga had been flash, and he had been safe, never challenging her to think beyond the surface. But Inuyasha made her feel, made her think, challenged her to be her best, to do her best, not because he wanted her to, but because she wanted to for herself.

He's too…too proper.

Oh the thoughts of youth. Kagome groaned as she remembered her passionate vow to Sango to never be alone with Inuyasha, and to only be near him in a crowd. She had gotten exactly what she wished, even when she realized she no longer had wished it. By the time he had taken her mare to stable at Tessaiga, she had found herself looking forward to spending time with him, to speaking with him. Not about poetry, but about his estate, the lives of those who lived on it.

Things of substance– that had actual value.

It was amazing to her how someone else finding value in her thoughts had helped her to find the value in herself.

A loud crack of thunder was her only warning before the soft rain became a torrential downpour. Kagome let out a loud gasp as she spun, trying to determine where she was and which was she needed to go to make her way back to the manor. The rain was heavy enough that it obscured everything more than a few feet in front of her, and she quickly tried to scramble back the way she had come.

The flashes of lightning were blinding as the storm shrieked its fury across the skies, the thunder deafening as it roared almost continuously with each flash. Kagome felt the hair at the back of her neck start to rise and ducked, instinctively screaming as the tree she had just passed exploded as electricity coursed through it, its heavy branches giving up the ability to hang on under the strain. Kagome ran as quickly as she could to avoid the falling limb, and in her haste, was not watching her feet as carefully as she had been. Her foot hit a slick of soil, now slippery mud with the rain coursing over it and lost its purchase, tipping her onto the ground.

Her head hit a rock, and the world around her went black, her small pink clad completely still form a stark contrast to the anger of the storm.


Sango sat at the window, trying to focus on her book while still scanning the grounds for any sign of her sister. Approximately 15 minutes after Kagome had left for her walk Colonel Inuyasha had arrived, a small bouquet of flowers in hand, and Sango knew that Kagome would not want to miss him.

That had been nearly an hour before, and now the skies raged as she had not experienced in quite some time.

Perhaps she had missed her return, and Kagome was hiding somewhere in the house with her thoughts. It would not be the first time Kagome had found a quiet nook to read, but typically she would at least alert her that she had returned,

"Where is your sister?" Inuyasha's voice startled Sango out of her thoughts, voicing the same question that she had just been thinking.

"I'm sure she has returned by now, most likely she has discovered the library." Kaede mused, as she sipped from her cup of tea.

"No, she is not." Inuyasha's voice gave no reason to question it, but Sango found she had to.

"Are you sure?"

"I…" Inuyasha's cheeks flushed slightly before he shook his head. "I can scent everyone in the house, and her scent is old, as if she hasn't been here for more than an hour."

"You don't think…" Kaede gasped as Sango turned, her eyes wide with fear.

"No…"

"What is it? Where is she?" Inuyasha demanded, his voice deepening as he stalked towards Sango.

"She went for a walk, but she promised she would be back before the rain hit…"

A bright flash of lightning blinded the room, the thunder booming before the light had even faded. Between one breath and the next Inuyasha was gone from the room, the slamming of the front door the only indication of where he had gone. Sango spun back to the window to watch Inuyasha as he raced to the stables, emerging with his horse, free from its tack, and leapt onto its back, disappearing into the rain.

"She couldn't be, could she…?" Sango's eyes were wide as she spun around, her face showing her fear.

"Come now, let us prepare, if anyone could find her, it would be the good Colonel." Kaede's voice was grim as she rose, a quick nod to the hovering servants who ran to prepare for the worst.

Sango watched them bustle about with her heart in her throat… Why hadn't Kagome returned when the weather began to turn? She turned back to the window and placed her hand against it, trying to peer through the sheets of rain, but knowing she would not find anything.


A slight groan of pain tore from Kagome's lips as the rain lashed against her, the sound lost against the cracks of thunder. She had no idea how long she had been laying there, but her dress and hair were completely plastered against her, and water was pooling in ways she did not remember just before her fall.

But her head… oh her head. Another grimace turned into a groan as she attempted to move, and agony coursed through her.

"... agome!" A hint of sound broke through the cacophony that surrounded her, so faint she was almost sure she had imagined it.

"KAGOME!" No, she had not imagined it… there it was again, as if someone were searching for her, but she couldn't find the strength to move, all she wanted to do was sleep…

"Kagome, oh thank god." A familiar voice choked as she felt hands against her hair, her shoulders.

She struggled to open her eyes, moaning as the world spun around her with the movement, and a gentle hand was placed under her head, helping lift her carefully out of the rain. She managed to lift her head, and when her vision cleared she saw the frantic golden gaze of Inuyasha as he scanned her face.

"Kagome," his whisper broke as he drew her close, his silver hair falling over around her, shielding her from the elements as she felt his chest shaking, as if he were overcome by emotions.

"Co.. Colonel…" She whispered, her eyes drifting shut as her head met his shoulder… "Inuyasha…"

The rain that had been pelting her constantly eased, and Kagome found herself surrounded by warmth, mixed with the gentle scent of Inuyasha. Her body relaxed, tension she hadn't realized she had easing as she felt herself lifted off the ground, cradled gently against a strong, slightly trembling chest.

"I've got you, I've got you." Inuyasha soothed, carefully settling her onto his horse, his coat wrapped securely around her to shield her from the storm. When she felt his warmth settle at her back, one arm securing her around his waist she let herself drift, her head once again coming to his shoulder, and she surrendered herself to the pulsing darkness once again.

"Oh gods!" Sango gasped as she saw the horse appearing out of the storm, Inuyasha hunched over a small form cradled in his arms. "KAEDE!"

A groomsman ran to meet Inuyasha's horse, holding the mane while Inuyasha used all his strength and grace to keep Kagome from being jarred as he slid off its back. Sango rushed to open the door wide, letting Inuyasha through with Kagome cradled in his arms.

"She is chilled, make a fire in her room." Inuyasha commanded as he hurried through the manner, letting Kagome's scent lead him to her room.

"We already started one." Kaede assured him as she scurried after him, Sango's hand clasped in hers as they followed down the hall.

"Good, she will need to be stripped and chafed all over, there is a rasp forming in her lungs, we must get her warm." He lay Kagome down on the bed, his coat flung to the side in his haste. Without thinking Inuyasha removed his outer jacket, not wanting the wet garment near her. "I have seen this too many times on the battlefield, build the fire up some more, and bring her some additional blankets, we must get her temperature up."

Inuyasha bent over Kagome's figure, his hands reaching for her gown, when he paused. Kagome's eyes fluttered open at that moment, chocolate eyes dulled with pain meeting his gold, as his hands began to shake.

"Colonel…" Sango whispered as she took a blanket from a maid, stepping forward as Inuyasha stepped back, his eyes still locked with Kagome's."

"I… I should leave you." He swallowed, and Sango noticed his hands never ceased their tremors. "Please, be sure to make haste, time is of the essence, she hit her head, it had ceased bleeding by the time I arrived, but it may need attention as well."

"Thank you sir," Kaede nodded, stepping in front of Inuyasha to usher him out of the room. She turned to a hovering groomsman and ordered "have someone fetch the doctor immediately."

"Yes Ma'am."

Inuyasha's eyes were still on Kagome as the door to the bedroom shut, and Sango swore she heard a muffled sob from the other side.

"Hurry, we must get her out of her wet clothing." Kaede commanded, and Sango jumped into action, quickly working with the other woman to remove Kagome's gown and under clothes, gently dressing her in a flannel nightdress that had been left by Rin.

Kagome's focus had gone in and out during the commotion, she had scanned the room each time she had a moment of lucidity, only to fade a moment later.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered, her eyes drifting shut as she sighed at the warmth now surrounding her.

"He's here Kagome, he did not want to leave until he knew how you were. He is downstairs, waiting for the doctor." Sango murmured, her voice low.

"I want to see him." Kagome's voice was soft, the words almost too faint to be heard.

Kaede nodded to Sango as the elderly woman sat on the side of the bed, taking Kagome's hand in hers as Sango rose to make her way downstairs to summon Inuyasha.

"How is she?" She had barely made it halfway down the stairs when Inuyasha rushed to her, his eyes darting back upstairs towards Kagome's room.

"She is a little recovered," Sango assured him, "resting now as she tries to shake off the chill."

"Good, good, that is good."

Sango let herself take in Inuyasha's figure, the tension in his shoulders, his hair still dripping down his back, how his hands were opening and closing as if he couldn't keep himself still.

"She has asked to see you, Colonel." Her soft words made Inuyasha pause, his eyes wide, before he rushed past Sango, darting back up the stairs to Kagome's side.

Kagome's head turned towards the door at the quiet knock, her lips curving the best they could as the door opened and Inuyasha stepped through, his ears quivering as he moved towards her. The hustle and bustle of the other occupants of the room faded as he sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers brushing against her hand as it lay beside her. Inuyasha's mouth turned up into a small smile as he watched her, the panic in his eyes fading.

Slowly, deliberately, her eyes locked onto him the entire time, Kagome shifted her hand, letting her fingers rest over his. Inuyasha's breath caught as he quickly looked down to their hands, watching as Kagome slightly laced her fingers through his, before his attention turned back to her face. Kagome gave him a slight smile as her head turned towards him on the pillow, her eyes drifted closed and she let herself drift to sleep, knowing he was there to watch over her.

When Sango came to check on Kagome some time later, Inuyasha still sat by her side, her hand linked with his.