AU: Long story short, I abandoned this story some time ago due to life struggles and, as of recently, was looking through my archives and found unfinished chapters and moments that were written for this story. As well as falling back in love with Inuyasha as I rewatch the show, I decided to pick up and start fresh (for the most part lol) I've re-edited as much as I could of the previously posted chapters from years back and add a little more context and storyline to make it flow easier. I hope some readers are still fans and can fall back in love with the story as I have. I promise that I won't give up on this project. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to manga or anime television show, Inuyasha, or it's characters created by Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter One

Inuyasha growled annoyingly at the bright sun as it glared its light upon him. He opened his eyes and narrowed them tightly, trying to adjust to the sunrays, and straightened up his body from the high branch he was laying on.

He was just starting to get comfortable on the Sacred Tree before the clouds decided to move away and unravel the now blazing sun. Even though it was towards the end of the summer, the weather was still had moments of being unbearably hot.

Inuyasha then stretched out his arms in front of him and yawned obnoxiously, before slipping back into his robe of the Fire Rat. He then leaped out the tree and landed on the ground.

With his dark golden eyes, he gazed around the large forest then stared over to the Bone Eater's Well, his eyes becoming distant at the many memories beginning to fill his mind. He suddenly shook his head and blinked a few times, stuffing his hands into the sleeves and began to walk down the path that led to the village.

It's been three years...

Three years and four months, to be exact, since the return of Kagome. He has never felt so relieved...relieved to see her safe and out of harm's way…happy to know that she's decided to stay here in the Feudal Era forever.

Forever with me. Inuyasha thought as he became closer to the village, his small inu ears twitching at the soft noise of the village folk.

He realized much has changed since the defeat of Naraku and Kagome's return. His good friends, Miroku and Sango, have been living happily in the village, now completely wedded with a set of twin girls and a new baby boy. Even though their little brats are annoying and continues to mess and tug at his ears, it always seems to bring a smile to his face every time he goes to see the family. Sango's younger brother, Kohaku, has also been improving much since the destruction of Naraku. He now goes and trains with Master Tōtōsai to become a stronger demon slayer, after his sister decided to settle down. Kohaku does come to visit ever so often, and to Inuyasha's surprise, has been visiting the young girl named Rin frequently as well.

Another addition to the growing group, to Inuyasha's annoyance, was his older brother's young ward, Rin.

After the death of their enemy, Sesshōmaru chose for her to stay with Lady Kaede and be taught properly amongst humans than traveling with his brother. He does visit from time to time to leave the growing girl gifts such as brand new silk kimonos, hair brushes and combs, and other useful items she may use while she lives in the village. In the end, the brothers had put aside their difference and became somewhat civil towards each other.

As Inuyasha continued to walk his way to Kaede's hut, he spotted someone running towards him.

The runner soon came into view more clearly and revealed it to be Rin with Shippō right on her heels. He noticed that Rin has grown quite a bit since she was made to stay here, reaching the age of eleven. She abandoned the small pony tail from on top of her head once Sesshōmaru began to send things that took care of her hair.

Her dark brown hair was much longer and flowed down her back, wearing a white summer kimono with blue and green flower patterns on the bottom and on the sleeves, having a green obi tied at the waist.

She stopped in front of him and smiled brightly, giving a bow. "Good afternoon, Inuyasha-san."

"Hey, squirt," he replied in a gruff tone before looking over to where Shippō perched himself on his shoulder.

"Where have you been, Inuyasha?" The small kit asked.

Inuyasha gave a grunt in response and picked the small kitsune off his shoulder rather roughly by his tail and dropped him onto the ground, "Like I have to tell the likes of you," he growled and began to stomp his way over to his home.

Shippō then hopped onto Rin's shoulder as she began to follow after to him, "We-ll...A certain someone has been looking for you all this morning and got worried when that certain someone couldn't find you when that certain someone woke up!" the kitsune child said with a smirk and crossed his tiny arms over his chest while Rin tried to stifle a giggle at his silliness.

Inuyasha suddenly stopped walking and turned to the smug demon with a glare. "What you talkin' 'bout, runt?"

"What do you think I'm talking about, stupid? Kagome of course! She's been busy lookin' for yah!"

He blinked a few times before turning around to face the hut of Kaede's home. He could sniff out her scent that she was in there.

Why would she be looking for me? He questioned before walking to the hut and slipping inside. She, Sango, and Kaede were all sitting around each other, chatting away with cups of warm tea in front of them.

Kagome turned her attention to the half-demon when just stormed in and gave warm smile. "Hey there, Inuyasha. What brings you here? I thought you were out in the village helping Miroku."

Kaede chuckled and reached over for her cup of tea slowly from her old age, "Yes, I don't believe you would want to stay and hear us women talk," she commented with a kind smile.

All Inuyasha could do was blink at the three before glancing back to see the two children gone and out of sight, successfully tricking the hanyō. "Those stinkin' brats..." he grumbled before turning back around to be face to face with a now worried Kagome.

Her raven colored hair was pulled up into a high pony tail and her bangs brushed nicely over her brown eyes. He noticed that her hair was much longer than from three years ago, and that she looked a little bit older too, close to the age of nineteen. She was also wearing her priestess uniform, which now doesn't bother Inuyasha as much, since she has volunteered to help Kaede around the village to becoming a high priestess.

Kagome tilted her head and moved closer to the half demon, "Everything all right?"

Inuyasha shook her head and lets a grin fall on his lips. "Yea, everythin' is fine, woman. No need to worry 'bout me. Just need to know where those crazy kids ran off to," he muttered then walked back out.

"Speaking of brats," Sango chuckled as she stood up from the floor and walked over to Kagome. "It's going to get late soon and I have to go prepare dinner," she said, gesturing to her three children and husband. "Who knows what going to happen if I leave Miroku in charge for so long?"

The two friends laughed and hugged, bidding each farewell for the evening before Sango stepped out to see Miroku already out with the children, the twins playing around with Shippō and Rin, and their baby boy being held by his father.

...

"So when are you going to ask her, my friend?" Miroku questioned, holding onto his baby boy from behind with a sling.

Inuyasha frowned as he thought to himself, looking over to the kids playing around in the field. "Look, I don't know, alright monk?" He grumbled annoyingly, "I mean…she's only been here a couple of months, what if she doesn't want to?"

Miroku rolled his eyes and reached to pat Inuyasha on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "Oh, c'mon! How can you even say that? If you don't ask her, you'll regret it…" he said sincerely to him.

Inuyasha huffed and crossed his arms over his chest as he glanced over to see Sango walking toward them, while Kagome stood outside of the hut, shielding her eyes from the later afternoon sun.

"I don't know. I mean, we've haven't even talked about gettin' married and she don't know about the whole…mating process," he muttered under his breath, his amber eyes glancing up to his friend's violets. "What if she doesn't like that?"

"Doesn't like what?" Sango suddenly piped up as she walked over, causing her two twin girls to look up from playing and squeal out as they wobbled over to hug their mother tightly, "Momma!" They cried.

The half demon watched the children for a moment, causing his eyes to soften before shaking her head as he began to walk away. "Nothin'. See you later," he said as he walked towards the forest once again thinking of an important question in mind for Kagome.

"Thanks, Lady Kagome!" A young village girl called out, waving from behind her parents.

Kagome gave a warm smile and waved to them in return, wishing them care before she started to walk towards the small home she shared with Inuyasha.

She hefted the small medicine bag filled with herbs and such over her shoulder as she walked through the small village; many of the passing villagers gave her smiles and nods of gratitude to the newly accepted priestess.

So much has changed for Kagome, it almost seemed as if it were a dream

If it were a dream, she hoped it would never end. Three years away from the ones she loved most was difficult. She feared that she never returned; feared that the well would be closed forever after the Scared Jewel shard disappeared and she was lost from Inuyasha…

...

"Kagome?"

The teenaged girl looked up from the well towards her mother who stepped inside the shrine. A loving smile was on her face as she held up a thick, fluffy scarf towards her daughter.

"I thought you might need this," she explained as she walked over and placed the warm scarf around her neck. Kagome couldn't help but smile at her mother from the gesture as she wrapped the garment around her neck.

"Thanks, mom."

Her mother smiled before noticing the dried up tears on her daughter's face that left white streaks from the cold air. The smile on her face faded as she watched Kagome returned to gazing down at the well, as if she were waiting for something…anything. But her mother knew.

"Kagome," she started, reaching over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I know you miss him. I even miss him. And those fuzzy, little ears," she said with a giggle, hoping to bring a laugh to her daughter but to no avail. "But…you mustn't let this drag you down. You have to understand that fate has a funny way of showing what the next chapter of your life is going to be."

Kagome turned to look back at her mother, her brown eyes tearing up from her words, "I wanted it to be our next chapter," she whispered, referring to the number one person she missed the most, the one that was on the other side of the well.

Her mother continued to smile down at her daughter and placed a soft kiss to her temple and squeezed her shoulder gently, "And maybe it will be…" she whispered before looking down at the well.

...

And, that was only a year after the Bone Eater's Well stopped working. She remembered standing in front of it almost every single day, hoping something might happen.

Kagome sighed tiredly as she placed her belongings inside the home that Inuyasha build for them. It didn't take him that long with the help of Miroku on occasion when he wasn't preoccupied with his own duties. After her three-year absence, Kagome figured that no one would even suspect her returning after the first couple of days of the well not working. But that didn't stop Inuyasha from hoping for as long as possible but figured distracting himself would make the time go by faster, which evolved in a successful foundation of a home he had built with his own two hands. Parts of the home had some resemblance of her old home at the shrine such as their bedroom, a built in fireplace, and even a bathtub! She was grateful for that addition now that she has to fully get accustomed to the simple living of Senjoku jidai.

The thought of her and Inuyasha together in their home still made her blush, but she was more than content. It's what Kagome always wanted…to be with Inuyasha. To always be by his side…

Since it was towards the end of the day, a nice bath would make her feel even more comfortable after training with Kaede and helping a few villagers with their ailments. She began to untie of kimono and rest of the cloth from her body when she heard a soft creak from the wooden floor behind, and quickly turned around to see Inuyasha standing in the entryway of their bedroom.

"Oh! You scared me," she breathed out.

"I'm sorry,"

Kagome raised a brow at his rather soft tone of voice before nodding. "It's okay. I just forget sometimes you're light on your feet." She coughed a bit as she clutched onto her robes from falling off her body since she was in the middle of undressing.

"Uh...um, I was expecting you later. Since you were making your rounds and such." Kagome mentally kicked herself for sounding so nervous.

Inuyasha shrugged as he made his way into the room and towards the Priestess, his amber gaze catching sight of her kimono slipping off her shoulder, exposing creamy, ivory skin.

The hanyō cleared his throat before speaking, "I decided to come home early," he simply said with a tilt of his head and a flicker of his ears on top of his head.

Kagome smiled slightly at the action, reminding her of a puppy before trying to grab her clothing before it exposed more of her form. Wait? Why should she be embarrassed in front of Inuyasha? They're going to be husband and wife someday! She shouldn't be all flustered…but…

Inuyasha slowly stepped forward again, his gaze never leaving the young woman before he reached to bring back down the kimono that started to slip to expose the column of her neck. His amber eyes slowly lowered to her neck, noticing her pulse starting to quicken as he moved even closer until they were barely a centimeter away from each other.

Inuyasha then slowly lowered his head so that his lips could press against her neck. Kagome shivered at the feeling of his warm breath against her skin before she felt his lips continue to brush along her skin.

Her eyes fluttered closed once she felt his lips upon hers in a soft kiss. Now, since her returned, she hasn't experienced really any hot and steamy moments with her hanyō other than a few warm gestures and kind phrases one would say to someone you were dating. And then she realized, after some girl talk with Sango, that Inuyasha was simply courting her traditionally. It was almost strange for Kagome to see Inuyasha act so gentlemanly. Other than building their house, he's presented her with other gifts such as flowers he would bring to her in the morning or little trinkets he would purchase from the nearby shops.

It always made Kagome's heart flutter to see the rather deep gaze she would catch him staring at her with, especially recently, and she could fully understand why.

She felt his clawed hand reach up to gingerly cup one side of her face as the kiss deepened, their lips pressed softly against each other. While holding her face, Inuyasha tilted his head just slightly to continue the kiss, his lips parting to let his tongue slip up and run along her bottom lip tentatively before parting her own lips. This caused Kagome to let out a tiny gasp at the foreign feeling before relishing in it as their tongues clashed together in their passionate lip-lock.

Her hands reached up to cling onto the sleeves of his robes then up to his biceps as she literally felt like her breath was being taken away.

Kagome felt heat rise up to her cheeks once Inuyasha slowly pulled away, her eyes remaining closed. She feared it might all be a dream if she'd open them.

She felt his arms suddenly circle around her to press her body against his while he began to place little love bites and kisses along her skin, causing the priestess to bite at her lower lip to hold back any other noises that might escape.

As Inuyasha continued to tease along her neck, he then pulled away slowly to see that he left a certain spot on her neck rather red from his teasing.

There. That's where I'll mark her. And then she'll be mine…

"Inuyasha…" he heard Kagome whispered. Her eyes were half-lidded as she looked up at her lover who gave a small smirk to her in return.

This caused Kagome to blink in surprise as he placed her kimono back over her shoulder and neck. "Finish dressing and meet me outside…" he whispered before turning around and walked out of their room.

Once he disappeared, Kagome plopped down on their cot, her hand reaching up to brush against the now sensitive spot on her neck. What was that all about? First, he's acting all shady in the morning, as if he was keeping secrets, then proceeds to seduce her, and now leaves all hot and bothered.

And she was really excited to take her bath before. She supposed that could wait due to Inuyasha's rather alluring demand to meet outside.

Once Kagome redressed, she stepped out of her home and saw that Inuyasha was waiting for her a few feet waiting, noticing that he was in the direction of the forest that shared his name.

Kagome gave a smirk before following after him and disappearing behind the tress, wondering what is going on through her half-demon's head.

"But I no sleepy…" A tired mumble escaped from a child lips as she was tucked in to her small cot with her twin sister lying beside her. Both of their big brown eyes drooped slowly as they tried not to fall asleep, causing Sango to smile amusingly down at her dozing daughters, Sayuri and Saki.

"Come now, Sayuri. You're already tucked in," Their mother said and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on each of their foreheads, and whispered out 'Goodnight' before slipping out of the room.

Once Sango walked out, she caught sight of her husband slowly placing their newborn son, Hiro, into his small bassinet that he and Inuyasha made when she was pregnant with the twins.

After placing Hiro under the covers, Miroku smiled warmly at the sleeping child. At one point in his life, he's never imagined that he'd actually live to see the day of his family.

Of course, he would go to every woman who could walk to bare his children but for him, that was just stalling the inevitable that he had believed that was sure to come true. He was so sure that he was just going to hunt down Naraku until the Kazaana in his right hand would swallow him into his own demise. Now, with the battle over, he couldn't be happier making the decision to have settled down and have a family with the person he loved the most.

"Finally, some piece and quite…" Sango said as she made her way over to the houshi, her arms slowly slipping around his neck and gave a smirk.

"I couldn't agree more," he said, returning the smirk before leaning down to place a chaste kiss upon his wife's lips. This kiss lingered for a moment before it turned into a much heated and passionate kiss.

However, the pleasure was short-lived when Hiro began to whine and fuss once again, obviously not tired at all. Both parents sighed inwardly as they pulled away. As Sango began to move towards her child, Miroku suddenly grasped her arm to pull her back. "Let me. You go and rest," he said with a smile before he went over to try and comfort their son.

Sango smiled in gratitude as she watched her husband and son for a moment before retiring to her bedroom to get ready for the evening. The retired yōkai taijiya also thought she wouldn't be blessed with such a life during her mission to defeat Naraku. Her sole purpose was to save her younger brother, Kohaku, from Naraku's manipulation and kill him to avenge the rest of her fallen family and comrades. But once the half-demon died and the Shikon-no-Tama was gone for good, she could finally live in peace. She turned in her Hiraikotsu and settled down with Miroku, and before she knew it, she was pregnant…with twins nonetheless! And Sango was more than happy.

As Sango looked out of the window to gaze at the night's sky, her eyes caught sight of her friends walking hand-in-hand into the forest. The sight certainly brought a smile to the young woman's face. Sango was a sucker for happy endings, and was glad that Kagome was able to come back after everyone thought the well was closed off for good. She wanted Inuyasha to be happy, and the first three years with the priestess gone was pretty rough for the hanyō.