They all knew that Inuyasha had a rough exterior, but his heart was brighter that the diamonds he could shoot at will from his sword. Diamond is also the hardest substance known to mankind, and when it cuts, it can cut real fine – resulting in scars that refuse to heal.

Kagome Higurashi was an unhappy woman. For nine long years of marriage she had tried and tried to make a caring lover out of her gruff hanyou and now she wearied of trying – trying to polish his coarse surface and rub off his grime so his unsullied heart could shine through; tired of going for days without so much as a nod at her direction only to be rewarded by the occasional declaration of love or a bout of passion. She stayed by this man having forsaken everything that was once her world – a loving family, the security of a modern life, the prospect of a career – and what had it come to?

She looked critically into the mirror. The woman who scowled back at her was bronzed, coarse, rustic – appearing much older than her actual age. Nobody could argue that Kagome hadn't tried hard enough to blend in with her surrounding. She had learnt how to pick out herbs and make medicines, how to milk a cow, light a fire, wash clothes in the river, wait for her husband to return from his trips with Miroku – in an era pre-dating mobile phones or e-mail. The first year of their marriage had gone by in the blink of an eye. It was all so new to her – the thrill of living with the man she loved, the thrill of being back in the feudal era after three years of agonizing separation, taking household decisions, assisting Kaede in her exorcisms. She had so much to learn, so much to cope with, she found hardly any downtime to analyze her husband's behaviour.

And then she found out she was pregnant. She was happy – deliriously so, but she was also very sick. Morning sickness had curtailed her activities to a large extent and she was relegated to babysitting for Sango, who did most of her work. But she always had Rin or Miroku's twins for company. In the evenings, Kaede and Sango would come over for a chat, though the rest of the village women generally kept a reverential distance from her. Inuyasha had been overjoyed, but he ended up spending more time away from home, in order to bring in more kind. Kagome needed the best meat and vegetables to eat and the finest wool to keep her warm. As her husband, he said he would take care of her every comfort.

The arrival of her son marked a new epoch in her life. The screaming, demanding April baby took up all her time and attention; the constant feeding, changing, washing of soiled diapers, worrying over every single burp, gulp and gurgle left her with very little energy to notice anything else. By the time baby fell asleep she was so tired that she would simply curl up beside him and doze off – often going without supper. Inuyasha had to stay longer and longer away from home to ensure that both the mother and the infant were provided with the very best that feudal Japan had to offer.

The intervening years rolled by uneventfully. Rin's wedding to Kohaku had been an occasion for great joy. Kaede came down with old age and sickness, and was largely confined to her hut, leaving Kagome to do most of the priestess duties. Her son grew up and started attending the village school. Kagome was secretly relieved when she saw that he was not discriminated against by the other children. But as she settled into a life of stability and comfort (thanks to Inuyasha's constant effort in that direction) she began to feel something was missing in her heart.

It was Inuyasha's attitude towards her that gave her cause for sorrow. The hanyou had wound down comfortably into a life of happy domesticity. He was thankful to her for his warm meals and clean clothes, her soothing touch and medicines, for a clean home and a well-stocked kitchen and most importantly, for a washed, well-fed and intelligent boy. She was the perfect home-maker and he was the perfect breadwinner – the envy of the entire village.

But behind the perfect façade Kagome was just Kagome, nobody's substitute. Inuyasha himself had said it once and it was clear to her that he had meant it from the bottom of his heart. Not for Kagome, the tender-eyed adulation that he had reserved for Kikyou, where she could see his whole heart quivering at the brink of his eyelashes at the mere mention of her name…the way he would dash off to meet her in secret, leaving all of them – her included – exposed to danger…the passionate kisses he imprinted on her, not caring whether they were alone or in the company of others. He would beg her to stay with him; yearn to embrace and to protect her, spend long hours sitting in front of the fire and thinking about her…thinking about them and the life that was…

After Kikyou was gone, Inuyasha had come to Kagome's time, to promise that he would protect her with his own life. He entered into the meidou for her and declared that he was born to be with her. And unbeknownst to herself, Kagome had come to expect from him the same intensity, the same passion towards her as her jealous eyes had seen him shower on Kikyou. The girl had forgotten that she was not Kikyou – and she never will be. Why would he focus his displaced affection on her? His feelings toward her might have changed over time, but his behaviour would not. They were friends, partners, even mates…but not lovers. As far as Inuyasha and Kagome were concerned, this was as good as it would ever get. Will he even miss me if I'm gone? She wondered.

At that moment she felt completely alone, utterly removed from everybody. Cut off from her family and childhood friends by the insurmountable wall of time, she had found her only solace in Sango – her best friend and confidante. But last summer even she shifted to the north with Miroku and the children – to look after Mushin in his last days.

A tear glistened in Kagome's eyes as she surveyed the outside from the doorstep. A storm was looming, the sky looked dark and sinister. Resting her head against the shoji, she wondered if there was a single person in this wide, endless world who really cared about her. She remembered how Inuyasha would protect her, come to her help whenever danger threatened her. With Naraku gone, the danger had passed but maybe the protective ardour was still slumbering somewhere in the heart of her sleeping husband. She looked at him, dreaming comfortably on the futon, and wondered if she should tempt destiny…summon one final enemy to see how far he goes to make her safe…

…to be continued.