They say the best things in life are worth waiting for. But exactly how long does one have to wait for such a thing? One certainly wouldn't think that it took years to gain that one wondrous thing.

That was how she felt, always having a feeling of loneliness, never truly being happy. "How much longer must I have to wait to be with him again? My heart can't stand this forever."

That saddening thought passed through her mind as she walked the long path heading into the woods, a sad smile making its way across her lips just thinking of him. They were so happy during those few short years together. She felt so loved and treasured and he had treated her like a queen.

She was brought out of her thoughts as bright light made itself known through the canopy of the trees, conveying that she was close to her destination. Within moments she had stepped foot in the clearing where the old Bone Eater's well stood, finally revealing herself to the world.

She was dressed in the traditional robes of a priestess and had a bow and quiver of arrows strapped to her back. Two things set her apart from the other village women, aside from being a priestess, her stature and the eye patch covering her right eye.

This person standing the clearing was none other than the Lady Kaede herself.

Slowly Kaede made her way over towards the old well. No sound came from among the surrounding trees, for they knew what this day meant to the elderly priestess and in no way did they want to disturb her. Sadness and melancholy permeated the air, just as it always had since that day so many years ago, the day they were separated.

Minutes passed before Kaede finally made it to the well and sat on its edge to catch her breath. She mentally chuckled at the situation. Throughout the years the trip became longer and harder on her as her body aged and gained numerous battle scars from protecting the village from all of the demon attacks. The years had taken their toll on her, and not in a good way.

Lost in her thoughts, Kaede lovingly ran her hand over the old wood. The villagers had always wondered why she came out here on the same day every year, but they had enough sense not to ask her about it, for they could tell that it meant something special to her.

"If only they knew how special this place was. After all, it was where I met the love of my life." And just like every other year before, Kaede became lost in wonderful memories from so long ago.

*Memory Sequence*

It was a day like every other, filled with the same old duties and chores as all the days before.

"Same old, same old. Ugh, if only something exciting would happen." Kaede thought as she gathered some wild herbs in the woods. "Like something adventurous, yes, that's it! Where you didn't know what was going to happen next and always being on your toes."

She had to chuckle at that, it sounded so much how one had to act during an attack, but in a way it didn't. All she wanted was for something different to happen in her life. Everything had become a dull routine ever since Kikyo had died fifteen summers ago.

This would be Kaede's twenty-fifth summer on this plain. Ever since Kikyo was killed she trained even harder, not only to become as strong as her sister, but to prove her worth to the villagers. None of them believed that she, a one-eyed child, could ever grow up to become a respected high priestess and protect their village from harm. She showed them all right. She may not have been as powerful as Kikyo, but she certainly exceeded her in the healing aspect of the job.

But she still heard whispers from the older villagers. How Kikyo would have destroyed an enemy quicker, then there wouldn't be so much to be repaired, or how Kikyo's powers disintegrated the demon so that there was no cleanup.

Didn't they know that not everyone had exact same powers? Each priestess has their own specialty in the vast field of holy powers, anything from healing, to the purification of demons, to seals and charms, and an immense amount of other abilities.

"But of course I can't voice my opinion. Women are only thought of to bear children, not to be smart and think up things." Kaede thought sourly.

As she finished picking the herbs, she began to head back the village but the sound of growling stopped her cold. Hearing it stop, she turned to stare into the beady eyes of a bull demon. All Kaede could do was stand there, she couldn't fight because she left her weapons back in her hut because no demon ever came this close to the village. That was thanks to the strong barriers Kikyo had posted around the village perimeter before she died. Yet another thing the villagers complain about, her not being able to produce such charms.

But now was not the time to think of such things! Kaede had to think of something quick to defer this demon back into the woods. Unfortunately, all thoughts of luring the demon away left her as it blew a deadly powder in her face to temporarily confuse her so that she could be his meal.

"Don't you hurt her!" Yelled a strong, baritone voice.

Suddenly, the demon above Kaede was gone, nothing left but dust and sparkles.

Scrunching her forehead, Kaede wondered who could have saved her. There was no one she knew of that could have that much power.

Kaede looked up after the dust from the purification had cleared, and her throat instantly went dry. Standing just beneath the Sacred Tree was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He didn't look tired and miserable like the men in the village, more like he didn't have a care in the world, and his eyes, oh his eyes appeared so warm and inviting.

If only she knew he was thinking the same. That the woman he saved was the most gorgeous thing in the world. Her hair had the most wonderful blue hue to it and she looked innocent, though he could tell that she had had her share of scars.

"He's so handsome." "She is so beautiful." They both thought simultaneously.

For minutes they just stared at each other, neither noticing when the space had closed between them and the man offered to help Kaede off the ground.

"May I help you up?" The man asked.

Kaede just kept staring into his loved filled eyes. "No man has ever looked at me like that. Does he even notice my eye? Why is my heart fluttering so? Is this what love feels like?"

"Aye, ye may. I thank you for saving me. My name is Kaede and I am priestess of this village. Who are you?"

Bowing low and then gently grasping her hand to lightly kiss it, the man replied, "My name is Yasuhiro and you are very welcome. It is my duty to save those in danger."

Blushing profusely at the complement and kiss, Kaede bowed her head in return. "I am anything but beautiful Yasuhiro, but I am thankful anyway. Is there anything I can do to repay such kindness?"

"Yes there is. Could you tell me where I am?"

Tilting her head curiously, as if she were a child again, she answered. "Ye are near the village of Edo. Where may I ask do you come from?"

"Edo? Is this some kind of joke my brothers asked you to go along with?"

"I don't understand what you are talking about, but this is no joke. Did your brothers do something to you? And ye act as if the name Edo surprises you, why is that?" Kaede asked puzzled.

"Of course it surprises me; Tokyo hasn't been called Edo in nearly five hundred years!" Yasuhiro exclaimed. "And I don't know what my brothers did to me because when I woke up I was in the bottom of an old well."

"Ye must be talking about the old Bone Eater's well. But I don't understand, did ye do something to them?"

"Shall we sit a spell so that I may explain?" Yasuhiro asked gently, pleased to hear her say yes in return.

Smiling at the woman he couldn't take his eyes off of, they went to sit beneath the Sacred Tree.

Sitting beneath the calming shade of the tree, Yasuhiro began his tale.

"You see I am the youngest of five siblings and I was the only one of us that had any kind of holy power so father immediately entered me into the priesthood so that I could run our family shrine. It became a joke with my brothers; since I was so busy being a priest, I had no time for girls. I guess they decided I needed a girlfriend since it was Valentine's Day, the day to find love."

"Ye mean a day of courting?" Kaede interrupted.

"I guess you could say that, though dating hasn't been called courting in quite a few years. In fact no one talks the way you do anymore either, but I rather like the way you speak." He said smiling, making Kaede blush once again.

While staring into his amusement filled eyes, Kaede cleared her throat before posing another question. "But what does that have to do with your brothers?"

"Ah, they like to tease me since I'm single because I'm busy around the shrine with my studying. This year though, I finally completed my training so they tried to find me a woman. I refused saying that I had work to do, but they pressed on, to the point where they began to drag me out of the shed I was working in. Next thing I knew I was falling and I ended up here."

Giving off another beaming smile, Kaede found her hands back in his own as she gazed into his beautiful violet eyes.

"I am glad that they did all that though, for if they didn't, I wouldn't have met such an attractive woman. I guess I found a girl today after all." He whispered as their faces came closer.

Both hearts were pumping wildly, neither believing what they were feeling. Was this what "love at first sight" felt like? If it was they hoped it would never end. It felt as if their souls were calling out to each other, begging them to join in harmony as they had in so many other lifetimes before.

Kaede just couldn't take it anymore and closed the space between them to have their lips touch. She couldn't believe what she was feeling through this kiss. How could one pour so much love into such a chaste kiss? Better yet, why did she feel so safe and cherished by a man she had only met mere minutes ago?

"Kikyo had said that sometimes you would find your soul-mate in one that you had never known. Is this man mine? The one that will make me feel whole again? Oh I don't care! Even if this love only last a while I will savor it for the rest my life."

*End Memory Sequence*

Kaede smiled wistfully as she reveled through her beloved memories. After that little "smooching session" as he had called it, they chatted and tried to discover a way to get him back home. After talking long into the night, the theory arose that maybe the well had brought him here, since it was legend that it held magical powers. And from what they had both learned from the other, the well had perhaps taken him back in Japan's history to find her.

Together they walked down the path towards the old well, taking their time so they could relish each other's presence before having to possibly part.

"When we reached the well he kissed me again and looked at me so lovingly that I never wanted him to leave. But he did, saying that if he could get home, he would try to come back and see me. He said he could never stop thinking of me."

Tucking her hand into her sleeve, Kaede pulled out a pressed rose as tears filled her eye.

"By some wonderful gift the well allowed him through every day. He always brought me roses, saying they were just as pretty as I was. We spent so much time together that we became inseparable. And he gave me what I hadn't had in so long, a family."

She laughed at that memory. The stares they had received from the villagers had been comical, they didn't think she should be spending so much time with a man, but she didn't care. She was in love and if that meant giving up her post to be happy, then she would have gladly done it in a heartbeat.

*Modern Japan*

If only Kaede knew her beloved husband was also beginning to reflect on old times. Grabbing the bouquet of roses from the top of his dresser, he headed downstairs to exit the home he shared with his family. He had gotten it timed perfectly over the years to leave the house when his grandchildren went off to school. Even his daughter-in-law knew what this day meant to him and she made sure to keep herself busy so that he could relish his beloved memories in peace.

"Bye mom! Bye Gramps! See you after school!" He heard his youngest grandchild, Sota; yell throughout the house before heading off to school. He wouldn't be hearing anything from his granddaughter today; she was still in the Feudal Era.

When his foot hit the last stair he looked to see his daughter-in-law waiting like always on this day. She reached her hand out to grasp his and walked him out to the well house. She bent down and kissed his cheek in goodbye, telling him that she had some shopping to do since she was expecting Kagome back any day now.

Yasuhiro watched her disappear before turning to enter the well house and slowly taking a seat on the well's edge, coincidentally opposite of where Kaede now sat five hundred years in the past at this very moment.

He took one look outside before gazing lovingly into the well just as he had once gazed into a certain woman's eye so long ago.

"Another year has passed my love, making it thirty-five since we have last seen one another, and totaling forty since we first met." He spoke as if she could really hear him.

"Do you remember what this day is my dear, the day of courting as you called it? Valentine's Day became my favorite holiday after we met because it was the day I found you."

Still lost in his thoughts, Yasuhiro stared at nothing in particular as his eyes glazed over thinking of his precious Kaede. Twirling the bouquet of roses in his hands, he voiced another memory.

"I still bring you roses, though not as often as I used to. Remember when I brought you the violet colored roses to celebrate our anniversary of meeting, and to start another reason to celebrate."

*Memory Sequence Two*

"Oh Hiro their exquisite! Where ever did you find such roses?" Kaede asked as she took a big whiff. She loved them more than the others she received throughout this past year, for these were the same color as his amethyst pools.

What she didn't know was that these flowers held another reason. He had an important question to ask her, a life changing one.

"Kaede may I ask you something?"

"Why of course Hiro, ye may ask me anything." She replied smiling. He smirked back, enjoying the nickname she had given him.

"My darling Kaede, we've gotten to known each other extremely well. I have told you things that I haven't even told my own family. I shared with you my thoughts and dreams, some of which we share, raising a big family and growing old together among those few."

A deep breath before continuing, "When I look at you I feel at peace, as if no matter where I am with you, it could be home. I've fallen deeper in love with you every hour we've spent together and I just can't stand to be away from you more than a minute. So I ask you this..."

Yasuhiro paused while getting down on one knee only to gaze back up into the tender chocolate eye of his love. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Kaede's jaw practically hit the ground before she dropped down to her knees and embraced him.

"Yes! Yes I'll marry you!" She cried out happily before a fearful thought struck her.

"But what will the villagers think? There isn't another here to take my place. What will we do?"

Yasuhiro stroked her hair to help calm her down. "There is nothing to worry about. My grandmother was a priestess and when she married she retained her power because it's not about the purity of body, but of the heart. But if you're that worried about it we could see if you can travel through the well so we can get married there."

*End Memory Sequence Two*

"That's what we did my love. Minutes later we were standing before a judge and were married. That was the happiest day of my life, finally being bound to you for eternity." Yasuhiro said finishing out yet another memory.

Grinning, he thought of another reason to celebrate such a meaningful day. "We were blessed again yet a year later. You bore me a son and what a wonderful son he was. If only you could have seen him grow up! Why did that terrible war have to break out?"

Sadness overcame him as he remembered the day they parted. A terrible war had broken out all over the countryside and Edo was right smack in the middle of the fighting. Armies were going from village to village recruiting men to fight the war and this terrified Kaede. She didn't want to have her darling husband taken away from her leaving her alone again.

When they married, Yasuhiro moved to the Feudal Era permanently, only going back to the future during the day to take care of his duties. But in the Feudal Era, he lived in the hut in their woods, so as not to draw attention from the villagers about their relationship and family. Even when Kaede was pregnant, she stayed in his era as her pregnancy progressed.

Kaede was in fear for his and their son's life and she voiced her opinion about it. This led to the toughest decision of their lives. It was decided that Yasuhiro was to take their three year old son and raise him in the modern era while Kaede remained behind to protect the village, so it would never be said that she abandoned her duty. From the way the war was going so far, it promised to be long and deadly.

After their tearful goodbye, he had used half his power to place a seal on her side of the well and when he went through he would use the other half to effectively seal off the well, but not completely. He made sure to leave out just enough power so that over time the power would weaken and then they would be able to be together again.

"But just how much longer will this power continue to thrive?" He wondered to himself.

"I've often heard Kagome speak of a woman named Kaede and I can never help but wonder, could it be you my sweet?" He wondered aloud.

Yasuhiro was so lost in thought that he didn't notice when Buyo sauntered in and sat by his feet. He was so startled when he felt Buyo rub up against his leg and 'meow' so loudly that he fell into the well.

Closing his eyes and waiting for the impact, he never noticed when his body didn't hit any packed earth, nor did he notice the twinkling blue lights surrounding him.

*Feudal Era*

Kaede was living through the last memory of her beloved husband and of their tearful departure.

"They say that the best things are worth waiting for. But how long must I wait before we are finally reunited?"

Drying her eye, she stood and began walking back towards the village she called home, but a burst of magical energy stopped her. Turning around to face the only object that held such immense power, she saw something fly out and land on the ground before her. Picking it up, she noticed that it was a bouquet of roses.

"These are just like the ones Hiro brought me the day asked me to marry him. I haven't seen any roses like this since." Hope began to swell in her chest. "Could it be?"

Heavy breathing could be heard coming from the well, as well as a bit of grumbling, and she could see the vines leading into the well being tugged upon.

"Ugh, I am too old to be doing this." A gruff voice said before pulling himself to sit on the lip of the well to catch his breath.

Kaede just stood quiet in her place, not believing what her single eye was seeing. The elderly man before did look like the priest that saved her so many years ago. Had the seals on the well finally allowed him to come back? She hoped so, oh how she hoped.

Finally lifted his head to look at his surroundings, he saw the forest that enclosed the clearing around the well. Happiness filled his very being as a single thought kept flying through his mind.

"I'm back! I'm back!" He screamed throughout his mind. But when he looked to his left, his mind went blank and his heart practically stopped, which wasn't good for a man of his age. He slowly came to stand on his own two feet, never taking his eyes off the woman before him. A thrilled feeling engulfed him. She was alive, after all these years and the horrible war; she was still alive and waiting for him.

Wetting his lips, surprised at their sudden dryness, he hesitantly questioned.

"Kae... Kaede is that... is that you?"

A smile and eager nod was his reply before he found his arms around by the woman and his lips occupied by hers in the most passionate kiss he had had in years.

Finally they parted when they both urgently needed oxygen. Kaede took one of her hands and caressed her husband's face while the other twirled itself in his robes. She felt the need to keep hold of him in case by some stretch of the imagination, he was taken away from her again.

"Hiro, promise you won't leave me again. Promise me." She begged, laying her head against his chest.

A single digit slipped under her chin making her gaze into his eyes before her lips were busied once again by his, taking her breath away. Once they ran out of breath again, Yasuhiro laid his forehead against her own and stared into her luscious chocolate eye.

"I promise my dearest, I will never leave you again. We will be together for the rest of our lives and beyond." He spoke sincerely.

It was then that his eyes caught sight of the flowers that lay forgotten on the ground from when Kaede dropped them while she ran into his arms. Taking one arm off from around her, he gently bent down and took hold of the bouquet and placed between them.

Yasuhiro bent down to Kaede's ear and began to whisper sweet nothings to her that made her blush as she used to in her youth. He then took one of her hands and wrapped her fingers around the bouquet while saying the most wonderful thing she had ever heard in many, many years.

"I love you my beautiful, gorgeous Kaede. Happy Anniversary darling."

Smiling tenderly, she caressed his cheek again. "And I love you too my most beloved husband."

Kaede kissed him chastely on the cheek before whispering in his ear, "And Happy Valentine's Day as well."

Yasuhiro's eyes widened in surprise; she actually remembered the holiday of love he taught her about so long ago.

Giving him one last innocent kiss on the lips, Kaede removed herself from Yasuhiro's arms and moved to stand by his side, her left arm looped in his right.

"Would you do this old woman the honor of escorting her back to the village so that she may show off her long missed husband to her fellow villagers?" She asked sincerely while taking in the scent of her roses.

Straightening up to make himself look proud, he placed his withered hand atop her knurled one. "It would be an honor my lovely lady."

With that they walked arm in arm, both casting affectionate glancing towards one another, back to the quaint village that both would now call home.