Prologue When Good Things Come Together 

The caress of the chilled air punctured Kagome’s exposed skin like the fangs of an animal. Tendrils of ebony hair fell into her eyes, yet she simply wiped them away with trembling fingers and squeezed her eyes shut. Tears cupped her cheeks. Her limbs moved mechanically, as if she was some sort of robot, and her arms felt like hoses at her sides. Compare me to a rag doll and you wouldn’t be far off, she told herself sourly.  

The matted gray sky hung overhead like a bad omen, the clouds about to release buckets of rain. The breeze teased her hair with invisible fingers and caused the tangles to frame her ashen face. Dread nibbled at her heart when she neared the base of the Sacred Tree. She reached out to stroke the bark, memories flooding back into her brain.  

Naraku’s defeat…the purification of the Sacred Jewel…waking up earlier that morning to find Inuyasha gone from Kaede’s hut…rushing out into the cold to find him…and then discovering him in the arms of Kikyo, their lips locked in a passionate kiss… 

Kagome’s hand balled up into a fist against the bark of the Sacred Tree, tears glistening in her eyes. She cursed herself for not thinking of this outcome previously. How many times had she told herself that she held no position in Inuyasha’s heart? How many times had she pondered about being second place in comparison to Kikyo? He belongs with her, she reasoned with herself. I was wrong to think that we would be together. Kikyo was, is, his lover, right? And, I’m just her copy; of what importance am I to him besides a jewel detector? I was a fool to think that our relationship would ever advance.  

“I’m such a fool!” she whispered aloud and punched the Sacred Tree’s trunk with all the force she could muster. Wetness spread between her knuckles. She was about to hit the bark again when a hand grabbed hers. She curved around to find Inuyasha, his molten amber orbs vivid with worry.  

He inspected her hand and released a frustrated sigh. “I let you out of my sight for only a few minutes, and then you go off and hurt yourself. Do you realize how much of a klutz you are?”  

“I’m only human,” she murmured, avoiding his eyes. 

“And that’s why I have to protect you.” He ripped a piece of cloth from his undershirt and wrapped it around her fist to stop the torrent of blood. Kagome said nothing when he released her hand and retreated a step backward to assess her condition. She continued to avoid his eyes. “What’s wrong, Kagome? Why won’t you look at me?”

 “It’s nothing.”

 Understanding dawned on him then and his face flushed. “You saw me and Kikyo again, didn’t you?” When she remained silent, he took it as a yes. “I thought I smelled you. Did you hear what we were saying?” 

She bowed her head. “No…I didn’t.”

 “Good, because I don’t like to repeat myself.” 

She lifted her head to stare at him in confusion at his words. “What?” 

“I told Kikyo…goodbye, and that I chose…you…” he drifted off and stared into her eyes, his blush increasing. He refused to look into her eyes. Before she could voice her confusion, he continued, silencing her. “I chose you because you didn’t care whether I was hanyou or human or demon; you only cared for the person I am, and the only person that had ever done that for me before you was my mother. You shed tears for me, and that alone was so foreign to me that I didn’t know how to react. Truth is, I do have feelings for you; you were the only one that ever cared for me in a way that I return. I…love you, Kagome.” 

Kagome's pulse accelerated as her hanyou's bold declaration reached her ears. He still avoided her eyes, his cheeks dyed red, yet she could still see the ghost of hope in his expression. How many days had she hoped for this? How many times had she had her heart broken, but still remained loyal to him? She had thought herself selfish for wanting him despite his feelings towards Kikyo; who was she to deny him happiness? Heck, she was only the reincarnate of his former love, a simple copy, and a jewel detector in Inuyasha's eyes. Of what importance was she to him? 

But those three simple words of emotion that flowed to the hanyou's lips from deep within his soul caused doubt to arise from where it lied dormant within her. He had practically ripped his heart from his chest and bestowed it upon her, something he would not do unless he knew it was the correct decision. Kagome hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say to him since he had expressed his hidden feelings for her, and felt a wobbly smile replace the "O" her lips had formed. She could feel heat rising to her own cheeks as his words replayed in her mind. I do love him, she thought, convincing herself to voice the words. He was the only reason why I decided to return here. He's the one who protected me, cared for me, and stressed over my safety, even though his heart belonged to Kikyo. My heart used to bleed for him because he had yet to discover happiness and compassion, and now look at him; he is the only one I could ever hope to be with.  

Inuyasha noted Kagome's hesitation and glued his eyes to the grass, his ears dropping to his scalp. She doesn't return my feelings, he thought forlornly. I have betrayed her so many times, and now she has lost her feelings for me. No one is meant to love a hanyou. I guess I was wrong, Kagome; even you cannot see past the demon blood that flows through my veins.

 "I understand your feelings," he said to her. "No one can ever love a hanyou." 

Kagome met his gaze with tears brimming in her eyes and a wavering smile on her face. He took this as a sign and started to retreat into the vegetation and return to the village. That, or hit my head against a rock, he added mentally. She must think I'm an idiot.  

He was taken aback by the pressure of a hand on his arm and turned to meet the liquid chocolate eyes of the miko he had vowed to protect. The unshed tears were still there, uncloaked by the presence of joy, and he felt the flame of hope burn his insides premeditatedly. She was his sanctuary, his own little spark of happiness, and he sought her warmth in his arms. How many times had he wanted to speak his mind to her, to tell her how he felt? How each individual touch made his heart fly in his rib cage and how it brought a sense of compassion to his usually cold demeanor; how her warmth diminished the ice that had consumed his entire being to the point where he was frozen and impassive. She had saved his soul and mended his broken heart, tended to the injuries that his former love left behind, and helped him to see bright sunshine instead of the dark side of the moon. She was the spark in his life, his only reason for living. 

"You're wrong," Kagome whispered past the lump in her throat, seizing the chance to tell him her own feelings. "Everyone can love a hanyou if given the chance like you had given to me. I never cared if you were hanyou or human or your full demon side; I loved you for the man you were, and for the kind heart that beats in your chest. I never doubted you in battle, and I never lost my feelings for you, even when you left to see Kikyo. My heart would ache when you left, because I feared that she would drag you with her into death, and I would not be there to stop her. But I still had faith in you that you would return to me. My feelings for you will never relinquish, Inuyasha, and I'm thankful that I was able to meet you; I love you, too." She caressed his cheek with her hand, smiling.

 “And…” He gulped, still avoiding her gaze. “And…would you become my…mate?” 

Hearing the demon term for “wife” slip from his lips caused Kagome’s heart to pound in her ears. He wants me to be his…mate? she thought. And, look at him; he’s so nervous. Does he really want me to be that to him? Does he care for me that much? 

“Inuyasha…is that what you want me to be? Your mate?” she asked cautiously. 

“Only if you want to be, koi.” His eyes were pleading, but his voice hid it.  

Sango had explained to Kagome before that hanyous were lucky to get mates, or anyone that found love within them. Sango had told her that Inuyasha’s demon side was desperate to protect her because it had subconsciously accepted her as its mate. The thought of this had caused Kagome’s mind to reel, but she had simply plastered a smile to her face and listened intently to all Sango had to say; she knew deep within her heart that Inuyasha’s heart belonged to Kikyo, not her, and that when the time came, he would chose his former love. Kagome had convinced herself of this many times in a mantra of words until it stuck in both her mind and her soul; even her heart began to believe it.

Now her feelings revolted against her heart, mind, and soul, and convinced them to believe his declaration of love, and to accept his proposal. 

She launched herself at him and they both crashed to the ground, Kagome on top of Inuyasha. “Yes, yes! I’ll be your mate.” 

"I'm glad you return my feelings," he admitted, sighing in relief. “And my proposal.”

 "And I'm glad that you finally had the guts to ask," she teased, leaning away from him to gaze into his eyes. “So, I’m basically going be your wife, right?” 

“In human terms, yeah. But I think we better get properly married in the human way before the real mating ritual begins; I don’t think your grandfather would like it much if I used the alternative method. Do you mind?” His eyes were hopeful. 

Wow, he has a lot of honor, Kagome thought with a gentle smile. “My grandfather would like that. Thank you for considering him, Inuyasha.” The blush returned to his cheeks.

 “Feh. Whatever.”

 Inuyasha watched her move her lips and felt lust inside him. His demon side was compelling him to take her into his arms and kiss away the worries of marriage. His heart swelled for the miko as he helped her to her feet. When she grabbed onto his hand, he felt tingles at the sudden contact. His demon side increased its taunts. How long had he wished for the feeling of her lips on his? How long had he fought against his demon side to protect her from him? Was it possible to love someone too much? He struggled to control his inner outburst, hoping that Kagome didn’t notice. 

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Kagome asked worriedly, placing her head on his shoulder. He almost scowled at his false hope.

 "Fine," he lied, attempting to smile to ease her worries.  

It was then that his demon side won over and he twisted her around and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. She tasted like strawberries, her lips warm and sensual. She seemed spellbound for a moment before returning the kiss, smiling against his lips. This felt so right to her; it felt as if she was kissing a god, and not the hanyou she had secretly loved up until this point. Her senses became flooded with the emotion of love to the point where she assumed her heart would explode. This is what true happiness and peace feels like, she decided. This is my own little piece of heaven.

 XX 

Permission from Kagome’s family did not come easy. Kagome’s mother accepted the idea with a bright smile on her face, content with the idea of having grandchildren with cute little puppy ears, but it was Kagome’s grandfather who had the greatest issue. He threatened to tape a sutra to Inuyasha’s back and then throw him down the well himself, and burn the well to the ground after Kagome was permanently locked away in her room. A heated argument between Inuyasha and her grandfather had occurred after that. Kagome’s mother spoke calm words to try and console her father, but luck was not on their side.

 “I’m sorry about this, Inuyasha,” Kagome whispered in Inuyasha’s ear while the two parental figures argued. “Grandfather is just being plain difficult; I’m sorry you had to see him like this. He’s just being protective of me, even though he knows that you are protective of me, too.” 

He grabbed onto her hand and gave it a squeeze. “It’s gonna be all right; I know it. Eventually the fight will come to a conclusion, right?”

 “Right,” she agreed half heartily.

 “Okay, Kagome,” her mother finally sighed, smiling gently. “We have finally come to a decision.” 

Kagome’s grandfather muttered softly at her side, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance. He glowered at Inuyasha. Whatever the decision was, he wasn’t very happy about it. Kagome held her breath, and Inuyasha squeezed her hand.

 “We have decided to allow you to get married as long as you do it properly,” Kagome’s mother finally said. Her smile widened. “And your grandfather has ‘offered’ to complete the marriage ceremony for you.”

 “I did what?” he growled, glaring daggers at Kagome’s mother. She simply smiled at him. 

Kagome launched herself into her mother’s arms, tears blurring her vision. “Thank you, Mama! Thank you so much! This is the best day of my life.” 

She leaned away for a moment to take a glimpse at Inuyasha and saw that he stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded. He probably didn’t think my family would do that, she realized. He was probably thinking that we would have to elope because he is hanyou. Does he not realize that my family loves him, and trusts him? I mean, Souta thinks that Inuyasha is his hero and all. I guess it’s up to me to convince him that people can love a hanyou if given the chance to get to know them. I’ll break through his icy shell; I know I can do it. 

“Isn’t this great, Inuyasha?” she chirped, walking away from her mother to embrace him. She felt him stiffen in shock before wrapping his arms around her.  He buried his nose in her hair.

“Keh. This is wonderful, koi,” he agreed, his voice muffled. 

XX 

Two days later, and after being properly married by Kagome’s grumpy grandfather, the two returned to the feudal era. They were greeted enthusiastically by their comrades, who instantly congratulated and praised the two on their bonding. Kagome went with them to gossip about what had occurred on the other side of the well after Inuyasha offered up an excuse to complete an important task. Kagome didn’t ask him exactly what it was, but she was instantly suspicious when his absences became more frequent. The two hadn’t mated yet since they wanted to wait for a while, or at least until they made it back to the feudal era where they could have more privacy, but Inuyasha had been away for many nights, and she was forced to stay with Sango and Miroku in their new hut. She loved Sango and Miroku like a sister and a brother, but she wanted time with her husband, as well, and she could only wonder what he was up to. 

One morning, she stepped out of the hut to get some fresh air when her eyes were covered by a pair of hands.

“It’s just me,” Inuyasha said in her ear to silence the screams lodged in her throat. “I have a surprise for you.” 

She was led, blinded by Inuyasha’s hands, to an unknown location that baffled her mind. Where is he taking me? she pondered. I wonder what the surprise is. PLEASE tell me that this whole thing isn’t a joke and that he’s not taking me somewhere to tell me that he doesn’t want me anymore; that would kill me.  

“Inuyasha…?” she asked hesitantly. 

“You can open your eyes now, koi,” he said, removing his hands. 

opened her eyes to meet the sight of a brand new hut that sat at the entrance to the Inuyasha Forest. It was made of elegantly cut lumber that insolated warmth and created a homely sensation. She inhaled in disbelief. Inside there were three rooms: one for the main room, one for the bedroom, and one for when the pups came, or so Inuyasha explained with a blush tainting his cheeks. 

 “It’s perfect,” Kagome whispered, taking his hand. “So, you’ve been disappearing from me to build this?” 

He shrugged. “I wanted it to be a surprise. Is that such a crime?” 

 “No, I love it; thank you.”

“Keh. It’s nothing.” 

They spent the night in their new home, their arms wrapped around each other in a loving embrace. When Kagome woke up the next morning, covered only by Inuyasha’s robe of the fire rat, she was elated to gaze into the molten amber orbs of her beloved husband.  This is what true happiness is, she told herself, a smile reaching her lips. I just hope that it never ends.