“Damn it!” InuYasha grumbled as he hoisted a wooden plank over his shoulder. A youkai had charged the village looking for something to kill and InuYasha had killed him with one swing of his sword. As luck had to happen, the body of the youkai had fallen on part of Keade’s hut. Now he was the one fixing it.

“Come now InuYasha, you’ve been moody since last week.” Miroku mumbled.

“Heard that.” InuYasha hissed.

“I know you did.”

“Idiot...”

“Can you men shut your mouths and get this done!” Sango snapped, “By the way, have you seen Shippo?”

“No.” Both Miroku and InuYasha said at the same time.

“Well, then both of you shut up!” Sango grumbled, “Houshi…go find Shippo, I’ll go look check near the Goshinboku.”

“What about me!?” InuYasha cried.

“You can still help an old woman.” InuYasha turned and glared at the old miko.

“Fine!” InuYasha huffed. “But don’t expect my mood to become any better after this!”

“Shame on that dear.” Keade sighed. “Now put that plank over there.”

“Grumble…” InuYasha snarled. Pulling the plank more over his shoulder, he felt a sudden pain in his foot.

“Fuck! Shit! Damn!” InuYasha shouted. He hopped up and down, realizing a nasty wooden piece had stabbed into the heel of his foot. Hissing, he grabbed his heel to pry the annoying splinter out, when suddenly a scent hit his nose, causing all the pain in his heel to suddenly vanish.

“InuYasha…?”

InuYasha turned, ripping the wood from his foot, feeling no pain, and stared in the direction from where the angel-like voice had come from.

She stood there, in a strange red kimono, with a pattern InuYasha couldn’t quite tell from the distance between them. Her black hair blew in the breeze, loose and free. The yellow backpack swung usually over her shoulder, and the bow and arrows bound to the yellow pack.

InuYasha was speechless, the sight of her, the scent, the brown eyes that started up at him. He took it all in, she had grown, and she looked a lot healthier, her posture showed something completely new. He was staring at a woman, not the scared child that he always argued with and eventually was ‘osuwari’ at the end. 

“Kagome…”

InuYasha let the name slip, he hadn’t said for what felt like eternity. She smiled as silent tears ran down her smooth cheeks. She raced towards him as fast as her strange kimono would let her, and wrapped her arms around his arms and waist. She snuggled her face in his haori, gripping it tightly. Her breathe choked in sobs and then she pulled her face up to his. He couldn’t say anything, as if someone had cursed him mute.

“InuYasha…” She reached up and rubbed his ear. InuYasha felt it flick, but relaxed it to fell Kagome’s fingers touch the soft skin.

“Kagome, I…”

“InuYasha…” She looked up at him, their noses touching. InuYasha felt something he had not felt since Kikyo’s death, a longing for love.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer then ever before. Her scent intoxicated him, he looked down at her, her brown eyes sparkled, and her lip trembled slightly. He glanced at her upper lip, the scar was barley there. A small knot of skin that showed the irregular shape was almost faded into nothing.

“Kagome, I…” He couldn’t finish what he wanted to say, he was paralyzed by her presence.

“InuYasha, its okay, I can never hate you. I’ve forgiven you so long ago.” She smiled, and got on her tip-toes, know their lips barley apart. InuYasha leaned his face closer and met her lips.

The kiss brought relief, his body melted from all the guilt that had been building up inside of him. He pulled her gently up, his fingers engulfed in her black sea of hair.

They parted and stared down in each others eyes; finally they looked away, red rising on both of their faces.

“Bravo.” Miroku came into view, clapping.

“Houshi!” BONK!

“Oh! Sango, my dear, what was that for!?” Miroku cried, holding his head where Sango had just hit him with her Hiraikotsu.

“Keep your hentai-ness away from them!” Sango huffed. She turned towards the couple. “Sorry, go back to what you were doing.”

With that, she grabbed Miroku by the ear and pulled him, and a peeping kitsune, who was looking at InuYasha and Kagome with wide eyes, behind the bushes.

Kagome giggled and snuggled next to InuYasha’s chest.

“I missed you.” She whispered.

“Me too.” He combined through her hair. He looked at her kimono, now noticing that the design was covered in white, fluffy dogs. “Why dogs?”

“Do you like it?” Kagome asked, she twirled around to show him every curve it had ion her.

“It looks fine.” He answered. She frowned.

“Fine?”

“Kagome…what do you want me to say?” InuYasha gave her a funny look.

“Is it not pretty?”

“I…yes, it sure is.” InuYasha sighed. Stupid stubbornness of his was backing him into a corner. He walked over and leaned close to her ear. “But, you’re even more beautiful.”

Kagome blushed and moved her palms over his cheeks and smiled.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” She whispered. She gave him another hug and squeezed his back.

“OH! OUCH! Damn it, Kagome!” InuYasha hissed.

“What!?” Kagome jumped back, startled.

“Damn…my back still is sore.” InuYasha grunted.

“Oh, sorry…” Kagome said. She looked down and mumbled. “What happened to them, the wings?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“No.”

“Alright, is Naraku going to have to wait?” InuYasha and Kagome turned towards their friends, Miroku’s eyebrow was up.

“Keh, no, we’re leaving.” InuYasha smirked.

“Wait…I have to fight in this!?” Kagome gasped.

“Come on Kagome, you don’t need to worry about it.” InuYasha said. “Besides, I think it will blind Naraku so you can shot him.”

“Hue!? What do you mean by that dog boy!?” Kagome put her hands on her hips.

“You know what I mean Kagome-koi.”

“Koi?” Miroku gave InuYasha a look. BONK! The poor houshi was now unconscious on the ground.

InuYasha smirked and looked back at Kagome. Kagome gave him a confused look, and then she smiled.

“And are you two going to get cuddly again?” Sango questioned as she covered Shippo’s eyes.

“NO!” The couple shouted their faces as scarlet as InuYasha’s kimono.

“Alright then.” Sango smiled and helped Miroku up. “And as for you, you’re riding with me.”

“Ooohhh…” Miroku rubbed his head.

“InuYasha?”

“Yea Kagome?”

“Can I ride with you?” She looked at him.

“Sure, I guess.” He picked her bridal style, and pulled the backpack on his upper arm, careful of his back. Still due to his sore back, Kagome would not be riding the normal way. He looked down as he started off after the large youkai cat that had transformed and had their friends on her back.

Kagome’s body felt so close to him as he held her, but he knew it wasn’t going to last. They would go back to their petty arguments, their fights, but he would still remember this feeling.

He leaned down, touching her nose as he ran. She looked up at him and their eyes met. Their kiss didn’t go unnoticed, but to them it didn’t matter. I was a moment of bliss that would last for a lifetime.

_~~~~~~~_

THE END

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