Inuyasha woke up with a start. Sitting upright from the futon he'd been sleeping on, he frantically looked every which way in the dark hut. Something, or rather someone, was amiss.

'She's gone. Kagome's gone. I lost her, I couldn't protect her, I-''

"Inuyasha?" a sleepy voice asked, releasing him from his panic. Head turning towards the source, Inuyasha felt his muscles relax and heart calm at the sight of her. There stood his miko, donned in a simple sleeping kosode and straw sandals. Holding the reed mat that acted as the door in front of her, moonlight spilled behind her and shone in a gentle off white-color on the floor of Kaede's hut, giving her an almost ethereal glow.

"What are you doing up so late at night?" Inuyasha asked gruffly, propping himself up on his elbows. While his words held a slight edge to them, his tinted cheeks gave away the concern he was trying so desperately to hide. Whether the miko noticed in the dark of the night though was an entirely different story.

Rubbing tired hazel eyes, Kagome kicked off her sandals before making her way over to join Inuyasha on the futon they shared.

"Bathroom," the young woman replied sleepily, not really awake. Crawling under the large kakebuton, Kagome laid down with a contented sigh and immediately closed her eyes. Inuyasha watched her, his gaze soft, and listened as her breathing evened out and reached a gentle lull. Once he was sure she was asleep, Inuyasha gently grabbed a lock of ebony-black hair and brought it to his lips. Breathing her scent in, he felt his resolve return. He could do this; tomorrow would be the day. Eyelids growing heavy, the hanyou laid back down and soon fell back asleep just as quickly as he'd woken up.

The next time Inuyasha woke it was to the sun's early rays dancing across his face. Breathing deeply through the nose, Inuyasha let out a discontented growl at the lack of a certain woman next to him. Again. Her scent was there, lingering, indicating that she'd been there, but where she was currently was what eluded him. His ears twitched and turned in an effort to discern whether or not Kagome was even in the hut at all. Hearing nothing but the sound of leaves rustling, birds singing, and the village, Inuyasha sighed in defeat and pinned his ears to his head in disappointment.

'Damn wench. Since when does she wake up before I do?'

Sleepily scratching the crown of his head, Inuyasha stretched before slowly rising from where he lay on the futon. Bare feet lightly tapping against the wooden floor of the hut, the hanyou made his way to the doorway and pushed the reed mat past him.

The village was quite lively despite it being just a little past dawn. Farmers were hunched over in the rice paddies either planting rice seedlings or picking rice plants, managing to talk, share jokes, and laugh as they did so. Women were either preparing the laundry or helping their husbands in the fields. Even the children were up; some helped their parents in the fields while others either stayed close to their family's hut or played kemari in the tiny but quaint village square.

Squinting into the distance, Inuyasha examined the scene below him. This was his new normal; had been his new normal for the past 3 long years. Ever since Kagome had been permanently sent back to the present by the Sacred Jewel, Inuyasha had stayed in the village. No one ever asked why because they all knew: he was waiting, hoping, for the girl beyond the well to return. Didn't his going to the well every three days prove that?

When she had returned though, he wanted nothing more than to share his new "normal" with her. He wanted to make it their new normal. But how could he ask the girl from the future, the girl whose world had so many amenities and benefits he couldn't give her, to stay with him? How could he ask the woman to choose between her family who existed 500 years in the future and him? Just a lowly, pathetic, awful…

The hanyou clapped his hands against his cheeks, the sting from the self-afflicted strike stopping his thoughts from spiraling any further. There was no time for second guessing or self-deprecation. He'd told himself last night that today was the day, and he'd be damned if he waited any longer.

'Damn it, where is that wench anyways?'

"Lady Kagome! Lady Kagome! Is this also a medicinal herb?" the young child next to her asked. Kagome looked at the small white flower that had been shoved into view and chuckled at the sight.

"Yes, Akiko, very good! Do you know what that flower's name is?" Akiko brought the plant back to her gaze and stared at it thoughtfully. Kagome watched the young girl and couldn't help but smile. She could almost imagine little gears turning in the young girl's head and in all honesty, it was absolutely adorable. Just as she was about to offer a hint, however, Akiko suddenly started to cry. Kagome watched in horror as little tears streaked against Akiko's cheeks and pooled at her chin.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Lady K-Kagome, I don't know! I don't remember!" Akiko sobbed before burying her face in her hands. Kagome could feel her heart breaking. How could she tell the young girl that it wasn't a big deal without making it sound like she was completely dismissing the girl's efforts? What words could she offer to console her? Just as Kagome was going to embrace and console the crying child beside her, she felt a tall shadow loom over her.

"Geez, Kagome. I never thought I'd see the day where you'd make a kid cry," Inuyasha remarked, giving Kagome a smirk for extra measure.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, clearly embarrassed by the situation. She already felt horrible, she didn't need someone reminding her. Especially not someone as snarky and pretentious as Inuyasha. Just as she was about to choose between 'Osuwari-ing' him and yelling at him, Akiko rose from her sobbing and ran over to Inuyasha. The young girl was soon plastered against one of Inuyasha's legs, head buried in the red cloth of the fire rat that made up his hakama and haori. Inuyasha and Kagome just stared at each other in disbelief, mouths agape and eyes conveying confusion. What were they supposed to do now?

Looking at the crying girl below him, Inuyasha let out a sigh and crouched to her level, effectively dislodging the hold she had on him. Balled up fists went to Akiko's eyes soon after, desperately trying to rub the tears that wouldn't seem to stop falling away.

"Oi." Inuyasha said simply before lightly tapping the girl's nose, being careful with his claws as he did so. Akiko blinked in confusion at the amber orbs in front of her, her sobbing lessening as her attention was redirected. Kagome watched the scene unfold in front of her with avid interest. This was a side of Inuyasha Kagome had never seen.

"Did that mean priestess over there hurt you?" Inuyasha asked before giving a wink to Kagome. Torn between wanting to intervene so that her good name wasn't tarnished any further and respecting Inuyasha's silent plea to let him handle it, Kagome settled for resting her hands beneath her and fuming.

'I'll show him what "mean" means…' Despite the teasing, though, Kagome couldn't bring herself to actually be mad at Inuyasha. Her mind then began to drift to memories of tender moments together. Slowly losing focus, Kagome fell deeper into her thoughts before Akiko's little voice brought her back. She then returned her gaze and focus to the scene unfolding in front of her.

"N-No, I just.." Akiko trailed off and sniffed, obviously trying to keep herself from crying.

"Just what?" Inuyasha asked immediately before tapping her nose again. Akiko wiggled and scrunched her nose in response.

"I didn't know the name of the flower I'd picked for Lady Kagome. I messed up." Akiko then began to fiddle her fingers, her hands moving in an anxious manner. Inuyasha simply sighed again and watched, resisting the urge to smirk at the little girl in front of him. Children had such simple problems.

"So what if you messed up? That's how people learn, kid. Without mistakes we wouldn't be able to grow as people."

Both Kagome and Akiko blinked in surprise. Kagome was taken aback by Inuyasha's… dare she say it, softness.

'When did Inuyasha become so… understanding? Or maybe… thoughtful?'

"B-But I don't like making mistakes," Akiko replied, the corners of her mouth tugging into the form of a frown.

"No one does. But mistakes are going to happen anyways, so you might as well get used to it and learn from them." Akiko shifted her gaze from the hanyou in front of her to the now crumpled medicinal herb in her hand. Sniffling from leftover tears, Akiko rubbed a hand against her face one last time before turning around and running over to Kagome.

"Lady Kagome, what's the name of this herb?" Akiko asked, averting her gaze from Kagome's chestnut eyes. Kagome simply put on her warmest smile so that whenever Akiko grew more comfortable, she'd be met with nothing but kindness.

"That's chamomile. It's good for easing upset stomachs and treating heartburn and nausea," Kagome replied. The young miko felt her heart swell when Akiko returned her gaze. The smile on the young girl's face was all Kagome needed to know that she was feeling better, that she was going to be okay.

"Oh! Do you think if I picked some more chamomile my mother would use it?"

"I think that would be extremely thoughtful of you, Akiko. I'm sure she'll really appreciate it." That encouragement was all Akiko needed to cheer up completely. Moving every which way, Akiko rambled off to whoever would listen while she picked more of the little white flowers that would help her mother. When she thought she'd picked enough, Akiko went to show Inuyasha and Kagome before making her way back to the village with her flowers and newfound knowledge. Inuyasha took the chance to sit next to Kagome as she continued to pick medicinal herbs.

"Keh, I still can't believe you made the poor kid cry."

"Oh would you quit with that? I didn't even say anything to her before she started crying. Besides," Kagome hesitated to look into Inuyasha's golden orbs before continuing. "You know that I hate upsetting people."

"Really now? That's interesting considering the amount of times you've used those damn 'Osuwari' commands on me. Do you think I enjoy being slammed into the ground?"

"I only say 'Osuwari' when y-"

But Kagome realized her mistake too late. Without warning, Inuyasha was slammed into the ground by the force of the beads of subjugation. Kagome felt her sweat drop when Inuyasha sent a glare that sent shivers down her spine. Uh-oh.

"You're gonna regret that wench," Inuyasha growled before springing to life. Screaming more from delight than fear, Kagome dropped the herbs she'd been picking and made a run for it. Despite how angry she was able to make her hanyou companion, deep down Kagome knew that he would never intentionally do anything to put her in harm's way. Their journey to find the Sacred Jewel shards more than proved that. How many times had he saved her, protected her? Kagome then began to feel melancholy and slowed down her run to a light jog. A moment later, she was swept off her feet bridal style and met with one of the smuggest expressions she'd seen in her life.

"You didn't really put up much of a fight, wench. I thought you had more in you… Kagome, what's wrong?" The girl, no, the young woman in his arms had started crying before he could even finish his sentence. Inuyasha didn't know how much more he could handle the smell of salt. Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head as he felt Kagome tremble in his arms. "Damn it, woman, what's wrong?!" he exclaimed in frustration, more mad at himself for making Kagome cry than her actual crying.

"I just- I just- I missed you, I missed you so much!" Kagome sobbed before burying her face into Inuyasha's haori-covered chest, gasping every so often in an attempt to calm down. Inuyasha just stood there holding her, not exactly sure of what he was supposed to do. Didn't she know that he'd missed her more than he'd missed anything before? Had his actions not conveyed his feelings? Steeling himself, Inuyasha's face grew determined as he mustered the courage to ask what he'd wanted to ask her the second she'd returned from the future.

"Kagome, would you stay with me?" Inuyasha asked as if it were the most natural question in the world. Kagome's sobbing then started to slow down. She blinked multiple times, partially from confusion and also to get rid of the remaining tears that stuck to the corner of her eyes. She was taken aback, confused by the abrupt question. How they'd gone from point A to point B was beyond her. She was just about to ask Inuyasha where that question had come from before getting a good look at his face.

The hanyou, her stubborn, proud, sometimes arrogant hanyou looked so nervous in that moment. Lower lip slightly tucked under his teeth, Inuyasha wasn't even looking at her; he was looking to the side, as if her gaze would turn him to stone. Kagome didn't miss the rosy hue his cheeks took on either. Kagome knew Inuyasha well enough to know what he was really hinting at, what he was really asking. She'd just assumed they would spend the rest of their lives together when she'd passed through the Bone-Eater's well one final time.

Stifling the laugh that was beginning to rise in her chest, Kagome simply leaned her head against Inuyasha's shoulder. She'd spare him the embarrassment; she knew how hard it was for Inuyasha to open up, let alone ask for things.

"Of course, Inuyasha," Kagome replied before nestling her head in the crook of his neck, her tears having ceased. Inuyasha puffed his chest out slightly in victory. He'd done it, he'd finally done it. He'd finally asked Kagome to stay with him, to stand by his side. And best of all? He'd asked as if it were the easiest thing in the world… or so he thought.

Watching the sun begin to dip beneath the horizon, Inuyasha took that as his cue to head back to the village. The woman he loved still in his arms, Inuyasha walked at a leisurely pace so that he could enjoy every second of the moment. The two stayed like that, in companionable silence, until Inuyasha finally spoke.

"Hey Kagome?"

"Yes, Inuyasha?"

"... I missed you too."