#Inuyasha aka can't-keep-his-hands-off-his-wife

[spiritedarcher]

he sits behind her and pulls her back against his chest, crossing his legs beneath hers, successfully placing her in his lap. with a little huff he rests his chin against the top her head and ONLY then does he finally tune into the conversation at hand.

                         She had been talking about their plans for the winter -the things they had to fix, provisions they needed to buy- but her words were cut short by Inuyasha’s abrupt movement. Heat rose to her cheeks and colored them red as a surprised squeak escaped her parted lips. Had she not been in such a good mood Kagome might have been angry at his behavior; however, she was merely amused by his sudden display of affection. 

                            ❝Geez, Inuyasha! Were you even paying attention? I was talking about something important ‘ya know!❞

[hanmajoerin]

A/N: Man, I started writing this back when I thought there was more to Kagome and InuYasha’s absence in Yashahime than just Sesshomaru forgetting that he put them in the black pearl. I thought that InuYasha might be dealing with the consequences of Sesshomaru shedding their dad’s title (AKA: demon’s trying to take InuYasha out because the great Inu no Taisho’s heir is now a half-demon and blah, blah, blah). I really thought that our favorite half-demon was once again faced with a dilemma involving human and demon hearts. But nope, InuYasha and Kagome are apparently on an extended vacation in the borderland. It’s fine. Good for them, I guess. Anyway, I only finished this for my Pirate Queen Kaede.

Chapter Summary: When Kaede watched InuYasha and Kagome leave her village, she thought they would be like the sun that always outshined the stars. Fourteen years have passed since then and with the appearance of Moroha, she can't help but remember their time together.

II AO3 II

-X-

The night’s stars pierced the dawn like thousands of arrowheads, as if they could overpower the inevitable glimmer of the sun. Kaede’s limbs groaned from the chill and her abrupt awakening. Still, the elder clung to these sensations which were commonplace in light of the couple in front of her. Kaede saw them off, standing just like this before, but the dirt path near her home felt longer now.

Kagome and InuYasha stood with their shoulders and jaws squared, their eyes–four suns–unafraid of the night. “We spoke with Lord Miroku and Sango already, but if you wouldn’t mind giving Shippo this next time he visits, we’d appreciate it,” Kagome explained, handing a neatly folded piece of parchment to Kaede. The elder priestess gripped the note tightly before tucking it away in one of her sleeves. “Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me, but, are you sure about this?” Kaede pressed, lifting her gaze to InuYasha. Tension had been like a low fog in their village, only rising as demons continued terrorizing their homes. But that shouldn’t have inspired the half-demon to leave, it should have prompted him and his wife to clear it all.

“Keh, ‘course we are!” InuYasha barked out, nose pointing to the sky above him.

“I see. But leaving won’t stop the demons from finding us,” Kaede responded, closing her eye and taking a deep breath. She reminded herself that nearly seven years ago, she watched Kagome leave with the surly half-demon to piece together an enchanted jewel. Back then it was easy.

“Kaede, please, there’s so much to keep safe in this village,” Kagome pleaded, pausing briefly before pushing onwards, “the last time, Kin’u almost–we, we won’t let this continue.”

“There’s too much at risk,” InuYasha huffed in agreement. “I can’t sleep if they’re doing this just to fight me and Kagome. We’ll make a new trail for them to follow then come back. It’s not like we’ll be gone long.”

Kagome nodded then untied the knapsack knotted at her collar bone. “Please, Kaede, would you mind looking after my stuff? It’s not everything, but we want you to have it until we’re back.”

Kaede recognized the cloth instantly; it was the same one she’d given Kagome last month. Just then, the priestess travelled further than the path; sitting seiza in her hut to say that she and InuYasha wanted to start a family. Every word spoken twinkled. Kaede wondered if Kagome returned the herbs she’d given her, too.

“How long do you expect to be gone?”

“As long as it takes,” the two answered simultaneously.

The old priestess sighed. “I thought you already made plans here,” she said. A losing battle, but one she picked nonetheless.

Kagome’s stance tripped up, tipping off the elder to the difficulties the couple faced. Kagome closed her eyes then, a translucent smile gracing her features. “Sometimes plans change,” she replied, and Kaede didn’t miss how the younger priestess reached out to grasp InuYasha’s arm. InuYasha turned sharply at her touch, amber eyes giving Kagome whatever she needed in the moment. These were not the kids Kaede sent off to collect jewel shards.

Plans change.

“If that’s what must be done then, please be careful and return home as soon as you can.”

“Thank you.”

-x-

Kaede shuffled towards a small chest in her hut, kneeling before it. Over a decade passed since the priestess sent InuYasha and Kagome off on their next journey.

In the bottom of her chest, nestled in the right-hand corner, was the neatly folded knapsack Kagome passed on. After all this time, Kaede never bothered to open it. But with the appearance of Moroha, it felt as if she’d been given something new to hold onto.

It was hard to believe that all three of them parted ways so long ago, and that Kaede was still around to miss them. She thought about the Kagome in her memories, so eager to start a family with InuYasha. So proud to remain by his side through it all. She recalled the heaviness hidden behind that smile the morning when Kagome left–how the stars couldn’t seem to let go of the night despite morning’s light. The couple reminded her of the approaching morning because daylight always outshined the stars. Perhaps Kagome and InuYasha couldn’t be the sun.

Kaede stared at the contents in the cloth. A blue skirt, a light pink sweater, a pair of shoes, a burgundy shirt, three nuptial cups, and a few letters addressed to a name she couldn’t make out.

Moroha’s voice rang in her ears. The red clothes, her black hair, the fangs, a warm smile, brown eyes, and a need to move forward. Kaede closed her eye. She’d lost track of the time, couldn’t ever seem to find the rumors, yet somehow they’d come back to her. The children she ushered onto one of many journeys were gone forever, and Kaede knew that, but the people they became had a habit of getting what they wanted no matter the cost. Kaede smiled. “It seems, Child, plans do change.”