Disclaimer (for the duration of the collection): I don't own Inuyasha. Yep, I think that pretty much sums it up.

Author's Note: Okay, so, I've just recently gotten on board the LJ fic contest bandwagon, and I needed a place to house all the little odds and ends that are being generated/will be generated for those, and that don't necessarily fit anywhere else. Plus, my story list is getting way too long as it is—can't afford to keep posting all those little random joke fics and things as separate pieces (--grin--). Maybe I'll pull those together in a collection one of these days—who knows. Anyway, I've named this collection "Random Inspirations" after the file on my computer where I keep all my weird thoughts and story ideas. Thought it seemed appropriate…

And, now that these notes have nearly gotten longer than the story (I swear that won't always be the case… --grin--), let's get on with it. This short-short was first posted on June 2, 2008 at LJ's iyficcontest for Week 146: Hair Theme, and it won first place. Word Count: 248

Salt and Pepper

She smiled. The coarse strands of white that were mixed with her dark locks, splayed over the pillowcase, made it look as if she had aged fifty years in the few minutes she'd been dozing. Actually, she rather looked forward to going gray like that—she'd always liked the look, like getting blonde highlights, but without all the time and expense (well, actually, there was some time involved—but at least she wouldn't have to spend it sitting in a chair, paging through glossy, insubstantial fashion magazines).

She ran her fingers over the strands, her smile fading. Sure, it was only a distant musing now—but it wouldn't always be. Time would move forward for her—it would disappear so quickly that he would seem to stand still in comparison. Ironic, almost. His first love had become trapped in a moment in time, while he had continued with his life—and now she, the second, would outstrip him.

"Hey," he murmured in her ear, pulling her a little closer into his chest. "What are you thinking about?"

She breathed a sigh and pressed the mingled strands against her lips, pensively. "I wish we could just stay like this forever."

She felt him chuckle, and it brought a little of the smile back to her face. "We can if you want, wench," he said, pressing a kiss to the nape of her neck. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," she sighed, snuggling back into his warmth, "then neither am I."