Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a clear night, the full moon illuminating the forest floor from a small clearing of the treetops. The air was muggy after the torrent of rain that had plagued Edo the past couple of days. but Ume welcomed the humid air as her feet pounded on the packed dirt beneath her; it was better than the frigid rain she had dealt with previously, chilled even more so by the heavy gusts of wind. Rain was not an uncommon sight in the warmer season before the falling of the leaves, although the cold wind that accompanied this storm was a little surprising. Not that the state of the weather really mattered to Ume; the topic was merely something to distract herself with.

It seemed surreal, that only four days ago she was sitting in the main room of the headman’s hut. Once a week, the women of her village would gather together to sew and gossip. Ume never talked all that much during their gatherings - she was a quiet girl by nature - but she loved surrounding herself with the chatty women. It filled her with a sense of belonging and peace. She loved to hear the squeals of the younger children playing outside. She savored the rambunctious laughter of the older women, usually from teasing one of the younger brides-to-be. If only she had known what was to come. She wouldn’t have been content to sit idly by. She would have grasped them all by the hands and held on for dear life. She would have held them all so gently, and told them how much she loved them all.

It didn’t matter anymore. She would never see any of them again in this life. All she had now was herself.

Three days ago, her village had been attacked by a group of boar youkai. It was a complete massacre. The village was powerless to stop the destruction as they ran through huts, skewering innocent bystanders. A few huts that were razed to the ground caught fire, which slowly began to spread from one end of the village to the other. One could hear little over the screams of the mutilated villagers and demonic squeals of the youkai. If it wasn’t for the obvious demonic energy they possessed and their gigantic size, Ume might have mistaken them for their animal counterparts. There was no sense of organization to their attack. It didn’t even seem like any of them had the ability to speak. The only thing they cared about was the destruction of everything around them, and Ume was unsure if that made it better or worse.

Truth be told, the village had become lax over the past several years when it came to youkai attacks. It had been peaceful ever since the evil hanyou was defeated. They had even been blessed with no bandit attacks over the past two years. They were paying for that lapse in judgement now.

Ume was having tea with her father when the village was attacked. Luck had been on her side; the hut her family resided in sat on the far side of the village, opposite of where the boar youkai began their assault. Her father ordered her to run towards the forest that lined the north side of the village. He stayed behind, determined to head towards the center of the village to attempt to save her mother and younger sister; they were visiting Kisa, who just had her baby last month. Ume had demanded she accompany him, unwilling to let her father just run towards the danger by himself. He didn’t argue back with her, instead roughly shoving her backward, causing her to stumble and lose her balance. By the time she stood back up again, he was gone. Reluctantly, she retreated into the forest, the only option left of her. Deep down, she knew there was nothing she could do to help her father; she was only a simple village girl, but running away from her only family seemed wrong, like she was abandoning them. Every step she took as she pushed herself to run broke her in more ways than one. Unfortunately, Ume would be the only one of her family to escape with her life.

She ran with every bit of strength she possessed. Ume at first had held out hope that she would possibly stumble upon one of the other villagers running in the same direction to escape. In fact, she had yet to see anyone since her escape from the smoldering village. On one hand, it was a good thing she was able to run without disruption, especially knowing of the savage type of humans that roamed the countryside to plunder unsuspecting villages. Yet, she wished she would stumble upon some poor farmer or traveling merchant who could take her to the next nearest village. She had to find someone who could help her village. Nothing could be done to bring back the lives that had already been lost, but if she could come across someone and convince them to help bury the dead, or take down the boar youkai, at least her village would be able to rest in peace.

Ume would have taken anyone, but there was one group of people she knew could help her, if only she could find them.

A traveling merchant had once stumbled upon her village and wove tales of a small band of warriors - human and demon alike - who roamed the countryside to do battle with the evil that had tainted the lands. It was a fantastical tale; a monk, a tajiya, a powerful priestess who wore a strange style of kimono, and three demons had all worked together to complete the legendary Shikon no Tama before the evil hanyou could get a hold of it to destroy all of Japan. The location of the final battle was said to be filled with so much evil that any mere human would die instantly on the spot. They fought for three days and three nights before the priestess fired the killing arrow that slayed the hanyou.

Ume had been unsure about how much of his story was true and how much had been dramaticized with the help of several sake jugs. One thing was for certain, the evil hanyou was defeated by someone and Ume knew that if she could find them, they would be able to avenge her village. She didn’t have any idea what she would give them for it, but that matter was inconsequential. She would do whatever it took to make things right, even if it killed her.

She spent the better part of two days running. Her feet had become numb, the pain from the endless amount of twigs and sharp rocks almost nonexistent as her flight response was working on overtime. It had begun to rain not long after she fled; the cold sting of the water droplets felt like needles raining down from the sky. She supposed the rain was for the best though; it would help hide her scent from both the boar youkai and any other type of youkai that might be lurking about. Unfortunately, Ume did not have the mind to do anything about the loud crunch of the dead leaves she trampled on or the short gasps she took. Ume was relying solely on luck to help her survive.

And on the third day of running, luck finally gave her a sliver of calmness. Ume had come upon a large tree, obviously older than the surrounding flora. It's roots created a small shelter that kept most of the rain and wind away from it, making it a relatively safe space to rest and get her bearings together. She was exhausted and could feel her shoulders begin to slump. She felt as if she would collapse at any moment. Being careful not to slip on the wet roots, Ume managed to slip into the crawlspace, bringing her knees up into her chest. The rain had ended not too long before she found her temporary shelter and made herself comfortable  - or as comfortable as one could be after running for two days straight anyways. Part of her knew she had to get back up and keep going, but Ume's eyelids became heavier and heavier with each passing second. 

Ume fell into a deep sleep, hoping beyond hope that she would still wake up in the morning. 

"Hurry it up bouzu! I want to make it back home before nightfall!"

"Inuyasha, I am only human and can only walk so fast," Inuyasha could practically feel the exacerbated look Miroku was giving him. He knew he had been unbearable to be around since they left yesterday morning, but he just couldn't find the energy to give a damn. They had been called to assist an outlying village with their youkai problem; they needed help slaying a pack of boar youkai that had been guarding one of the more well trekked forest passages. Those stupid boar youkai weren't tough, but a whole family of them were just wily enough to be an extreme annoyance. An annoyance that turned his sour, irritable demeanor to anger when he realized that it had become late in the evening after defeating said youkai, meaning Miroku and him would have to stay the night at the village they were assisting.

The last thing Inuyasha had wanted to do was spend the night with that letch. Especially when he had a good woman waiting for him at home.

It had been four moons since Kagome returned through the well. It had been the best four moons of his life. He still couldn't believe she came back to be with him, Inuyasha, the lowly, good for nothing hanyou. She left a good life with all the modern conveniences she could ever desire for a life of living in a dirt hut with him.

But, of course, Kagome didn't see it that way. That first night, she led Inuyasha towards the Goshinboku, where they sat amongst its branches and talked well into the night. The past three years had been tough for her as well. She spoke about the fear that sank into her bones when the well refused to open, and how empty she felt once she was forced to resume the life of a high school girl. She told him she would give up everything in the world just to be with him.

Inuyasha still wasn't sure she was thinking straight when she said that, but in the end, he decided that it didn't really matter. If that's what she wanted, then that's what she was gonna get. Except for giving everything up. He loved Kagome, and he would do whatever it took to give her everything her heart desires.

Which is what led to him and Miroku teaming up for yet another youkai slaying gig. If Inuyasha wanted to give Kagome the finest luxuries, he would need the money to do so. Unfortunately, that meant being separated from her for a few nights to get the job done. Inuyasha had been fidgety and exceptionally ornery for their entire trip, feelings that only grew when the youkai refused to just lay down and die like they should have .

It wasn't much farther till they reached home, and Inuyasha was grateful for it. They had been rewarded with several bales of rice, and Inuyasha - being the 'almighty demon' - got to carry it all. If it wasn't for the fact that he needed Miroku to accompany him to negotiate with the village headman, he would have just gone by himself. He could have made it to the village, defeated the youkai, and made it back by first nightfall. But defeating Naraku only granted Inuyasha the kindness of his own villagers; most assumed he was Miroku’s inugami or some bullshit like that.

Inuyasha suddenly stopped, lifting his nose up and sniffing the air vigorously. There was a faint odor in the air; it was difficult at first to pinpoint what it was and the exact direction of the source.

"What is it you smell my friend?" Miroku asked, turning his head slightly back and forth in an attempt to seek out whatever Inuyasha was smelling. The fingers on his left hand glided over his right despite the lack of wind tunnel, a reflex from all the years he had been cursed by Naraku. Inuyasha took one last sniff, whipping his head towards the forest on their right.

"I smell blood. It's faint, and a little ways in, but it's definitely human," the bales of rice made a dull thud on the ground as Inuyasha let them drop from his back. “Stay here, I’m gonna go check it out.” He ran into the woods, leaving Miroku and the rice in the dust.

"Inuyasha, wait!" Miroku yelled, although the ever distancing hanyou probably couldn't hear him by now. Miroku sighed, running his hand through his dark bangs, and silently fumed about how impulsive Inuyasha could be. He kept his guard up though, both from any youkai or passing bandits; either could be a reason for a human bleeding enough for Inuyasha to pick up on.

Inuyasha ran for about a minute before taking a hard left and landing in a small clearing. A large tree, almost similar in size to the Goshinboku, stood surrounded by a cash of smaller trees and bushes. Inuyasha noticed that the smell of blood became more potent the closer he got to the big tree. He wasn't overly concerned that whomever was bleeding was in a life or death situation. Given how much of it he smelled, the person probably had multiple scrapes and scratches all over their body; not enough to bleed out, but enough still that they would need the attention of a healer. 

He noticed a small enclave amongst the tree's giant roots, big enough for a slender enough human to squeeze into. Inside he found just that - a small woman Inuyasha would guess to be around the same age as Kagome. Her dark hair was matted, with small twigs sticking out from the sides. Her kimono was ripped and damp, most likely from the rain they saw yesterday. The bottoms of her feet were bloody and mangled. Inuyasha suspected she had been running barefoot for several days to acquire these kinds of wounds. Her skin was cold to the touch, and she didn’t respond when he shook her shoulders to wake her.

Inuyasha heaved a huge sigh before making the decision to bring her back to Miroku. This woman obviously needed care from a healer before her wounds and the weather caused her to get worse. The last thing Inuyasha wanted to do was stop and help some random human, which would only put them both behind on getting home, but he knew that Kagome would be disappointed if she found out that he had the chance to help someone and didn't. And to be honest, he would be disappointed in himself, too. The thought of leaving someone hurting and in need put a sour taste in his mouth, something Inuyasha would never admit to anyone - save for maybe Kagome.

He carefully maneuvered the woman from her hiding place and sat her up against the base of the tree. Inuyasha wrapped her in his fire rat haori before positioning her on his back and running back towards where he left Miroku.

Miroku was surprised to see Inuyasha carrying a young woman on his back when he returned.

"What happened Inuyasha?"

"Dunno. Found her hiding in some tree roots. She looks like she's been running for a couple days, at least."

"Did she say anything?" Miroku asked as Inuyasha began to transfer the unconscious woman from his back to Miroku's 

"No, she was unconscious when I found her. You're gonna have to carry her." Miroku shot Inuyasha a look. "Unless you want to carry two bales of rice instead?" Miroku eyed the rice warily before giving in to carrying the unconscious woman on his back.

"And no groping!"

"Inuyasha, you wound me!" Miroku tilted his nose up in the air, sporting a very good impression of the holier-than-thou attitude Sesshomaru usually wore. "I would never grope an unconscious woman. Besides, why would I touch another woman when I have Sango waiting for me at home?"

"Those hands are cursed in more ways than one," Inuyasha grumbled as he heaved the rice bales up on his back, leading them both back on the trail towards home.

Ume woke up feeling content. She was drifting in that place between sleep and consciousness. There was something warm and weighted that covered her body, making her feel secure. She didn't open her eyes up at first, content in the moment to just be still and take in her surroundings. There was the sweet crackle of a fireplace that created a soothing background noise. The smell of broth and vegetables filled the air; just breathing in the aroma gave Ume the image of her stomach being generously filled. She wondered what her mother was cooking today. Ume took a deep breath, mere seconds away from opening her eyes when her memories of the past several days began to flood her mind, of images of events she didn’t witness but could imagine with picture perfect clarity. Rivers of blood that lined the village streets, the flames from the burning huts giving off a hellish glow. She could see the face of every villager as they were run through with a curved tusk.

Ume could feel the warmth of her tears as they ran down the sides of her face. A soft material rubbed the tears off her face as she felt a rougher, cool material blotting her forehead. Ume opened her eyes, a slight pounding erupting behind her eyes from the light of the fire. A woman sat before her, holding a damp cloth that must have been used on her forehead. Her dark ebony hair was pulled back into a low ponytail; a few strands had been pulled out to frame her face. Rich, chocolate eyes looked down upon her with relief and concern. Ume was sure she must have been dead, for there was no woman in this world who could be so beautiful.

The woman smiled brightly when she noticed Ume had opened her eyes. "Oh, thank the Kamis you're awake!" She spoke softly, the lilting sound of her voice soothed against the dull ache in her head.

"Where...where am - " Ume began to violently cough.

"Don't try and speak yet! My husband found you on his way back to our village and brought you home to receive medical help. Supper will be done shortly. In the meantime, let me get you some water."

The woman rose onto her knees and reached for something out of Ume's sight. A second later, she sat back down, holding a ladle with water. The woman positioned her head and held it up so Ume could take a few sips of water. The water helped soothe her dry throat, although she still coughed a little after her last sip.

"Just rest for a little longer. I'm going to check up on supper, and after we eat, my husband and I will answer any questions you have."

Ume nodded; the more awake she became, the more she noticed the aches and pains throughout her body. Part of her wanted to fall back to sleep, to forget the pain she was in, but the thought of getting help for her village kept her awake. Ume took this chance to take note of her surroundings as best as she could. On the far wall was a small table, most likely for chopping food. It was tall - it looked like it was as tall as Ume's waist if she were to stand next to it. Smaller shelves were attached underneath the table and held a variety of jars, most likely filled with pickled vegetables. Above the table, a small number of pots hung on the wall. The fire spit sat in the middle of the hut with the pot that contained tonight's supper being heated by the flames. On the adjacent wall, which faced her bed, was a beautifully crafted chest, gold-trimmed and painted with cherry blossoms. Although she could not move her head enough to look, Ume assumed the entrance to the hut was on the wall opposite the chest. The rustling of a reed mat in that direction proved her right as someone entered the hut.

“You’re just in time, dinner is done!” the woman smiled, giving the individual a soft look.

“Smells good,” they responded, finally coming into view. The individual appeared to be a man, tall and lean, clothed in a bright red hakama and haori. Long, silver hair cascaded down his back, but there was something on the top of his head. Two somethings actually. It was difficult to make them out at first, the light from the fire casting shadows that played tricks with her eyesight. If she didn’t know any better, Ume would say the man had ears on the top of his head. And then, the man turned just enough for her eyes to confirm her very thoughts: two fluffy ears!

As soon as her mind noticed the ears, her eyes began to pick out the rest of his...abnormal features. Long nails - or claws? - golden eyes like the sun, sharpened incisors...like fangs. This was no man, he was a demon! Her first reaction was to cower in fear, thinking she should have never taken that rest in the roots of that tree. Would all her perseverance to survive be for naught? The thought of joining her family and friends in the afterlife without putting her village to rest made her stomach roll.

But the woman - who was clearly human - didn't seem scared of him at all. In fact, she looked happy to see him walk through the door.  Then Ume remembered the woman talking about her husband.

'This must be him!' She thought as the woman began ladling stew into three bowls, one for each of them. She helped Ume sit up properly against a few pillows and began to help feed her, the woman shoving in a few bites of her own food while Ume slowly chewed her own. It was a tad embarrassing for Ume to need a stranger to help feed her, but she was grateful for it nonetheless; her body was still sore and every slight movement made her more and more tired.

The stew was delicious, and after a few bites Ume found the strength to ask who her saviors were.

"My name is Kagome, and this is my husband, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha. It was a strange name, yet Ume could have sworn she had heard it somewhere before. Which was odd because Ume had never been out of her village before, and they rarely got many travelers.

'The merchant!' 

Images of a great battle, with humans and demons alike, were conjured up in her mind. Pictures that she had never seen, but had been imagined through the beautiful words of a traveling merchant. Ume looked at the demon - Inuyasha - and wondered if he could be the famed hanyou she was looking for.

"Are you…" she took a deep breath to steady herself. "Are you the hanyou that defeated Naraku?" Both Kagome and Inuyasha sported shocked looks on their faces. "Please, I must know!"

"Keh, yeah that was us," he replied nonchalantly, shoving his arms into his haori sleeves. Ume felt like the wind was knocked out from her chest. She did it. Those two days of running finally bore her the fruit she had been seeking. But finding the demon who slayed such an evil was only the first step; now she has to convince him to help her.

She began to push herself forward onto her knees. Kagome attempted to stop her, but Ume furiously swatted her hands away. This was something she had to do, no matter how heavy her body felt, or if she could barely breathe because her head was about to explode from the pain of moving when she should be resting. After a minute of fumbling to her knees, she held herself up on her hands for a moment to catch her breath before lowering her head to the floor.

"Please, I beg of you Inuyasha-sama, I am in need of help. My village was attacked by a group of boar youkai not but three days ago. My family, friends, and neighbors all perished by these vicious beasts. I am the only survivor. Please, find it in your heart to help avenge my fallen village and kill the youkai. I don't have any money or goods that I could trade you, but I can work as payment. Please, I will do anything you ask, just avenge my village!" Ume banged her head on the ground for extra encouragement as hot streams of tears began to fall down her face. She meant it when she said she would do anything. No price was too high for the people she grew up with, the people she loved, and missed dearly.

The hut was silent. Ume dared not look up at either individual until she had confirmation, but the silence was beginning to grate on her nerves. What if he refused to help? If Inuyasha wouldn't help her, who else could she turn to?

Finally, he spoke. "When I found you yesterday, my companion and I had been returning from a youkai exorcism; a family of bour youkai had been ravaging a nearby forest trail for some time. They're probably the same youkai that slaughtered your village."

Ume finally lifted her head to look at him. "Do you really think so?" Her voice trembled, she was trying her best to keep the dam of emotions held together. Could it really be this easy?

"Well, I'm sure Inuyasha would be willing to visit your village to be sure," Inuyasha scrunched up his nose to the idea. "But given the number of villages we heard had been victimized by those youkai, I'd say it's a safe assumption." Kagome smiled as she covered Ume’s hands with her own. It was a simple gesture; Kagome's touch reminded Ume of all the times her mother would hold her hands or wrap herself around her shoulders when Ume was feeling sad. It was enough to break the dam, letting all of her bottled up emotions flow out of her. There was nothing more for her to do. The youkai had been vanquished.

Ume tried to focus on the soft crackling of the fire to calm her nerves, but the weight of the events of the past few days proved  too much to bear. Loud sobs erupted from her chest as she leaned against Kagome, who just sat there and let her kimono become drenched in tears, tenderly stroking the top of her head. It was finally over.

The day was steadily proving to be quite the scorcher. The sun had only been seen in the sky for maybe an hour - hour and a half at most - and Ume was already soaked in sweat. She was currently hunched over in Lady Kaede's small garden, attempting to tend to some stubborn weeds that were trying to poke through the soil.

'Perhaps I should head down to the river to get some laundry taken care of. I can always return to the garden when the sun goes down more,' Ume tore her head scarf off to wipe her forehead dry of the impending beads of sweat that threatened to burn her eyes. Yes, a day spent at the river sounded far more appealing than roasting in the garden. Perhaps she could convince Sango to accompany her. With three young children,there was always a plethora of laundry to be cleaned.

Several weeks had passed since Ume had been found by Inuyasha. She spent the first few days at their hut, being taken care of by Kagome so she could gain her strength back. On the fourth day, she met with Kaede, the village miko, and they were able to negotiate Ume's stay in the village - since she had nowhere else to go, with no other family to turn to. She would stay with the elderly miko, and in exchange for food in her belly and a roof over her head, she would help cook and clean, even helping with some minor healer duties. Ume didn't mind; she was no stranger to hard work, and honestly, she would have done anything they asked. Not only did they save her from perishing from the elements, but they destroyed the youkai that slaughtered her village, and let her live amongst them. She thought herself quite fortunate all things considered.

In the coming days, she would meet the rest of the group that defeated Naraku and begin acquainting herself with the village they all lived in.

Ume had never seen a village quite like this one. The amount of youkai activity in the area was...staggering, for an outsider like herself. She learned a little about Inuyasha’s history with the village, and the previous miko who lived there. After the defeat of Naraku, the village begged Inuyasha and his companions to hold down roots. The village men helped build them a couple of huts, and in exchange they kept the village and forest free of any youkai or bandits that would dare threaten the village.

Along with Inuyasha, two other youkai children called this village 'home'. Shippo was a young kitsune kit Kagome and Inuyasha had come across early on in their travels. He wasn't always around; apparently there was something called a youkai exam he had to take in order to become a stronger kitsune youkai? Shippo could talk so fast it was hard to get all the details right. From what she could glean, Shippo would disappear for a couple of weeks at a time, performing kitsune tricks to unsuspecting travelers, returning for a week or two at a time before leaving again. He had only been around for a few days before he had to return for his exams. Inuyasha told her he would be around more once winter comes around, since the snow and cold made the exams more difficult to take part of. He seemed like a sweet child, despite his aversion to tricking the villagers whenever possible.

The other youkai child - although Ume learned that she was actually a hanyou like Inuyasha - that lived in the village was Shiori, who Shippo played with often. Shiori and her mother, Shizu, had met Inuyasha and his friends on the journey to collect the Shikon jewel shards. About a year and a half ago, an older resident of the village had passed, leaving a vacant hut up for grabs. Inuyasha had come to them with the offer to live in his village amongst people who wouldn't ostracize them. With that, plus the added bonus of safety that came with the village being protected by Inuyasha and his friends, Shizu agreed. Ume had not spoken much with Shizu yet; although she had been there for a couple of weeks now, Ume was still a stranger, and old habits die hard for a woman who has had to spend the last seven or eight years protecting her hanyou daughter from the disdainful thoughts of her own village, let alone a stranger.

Or at least that's how old Ume thought Shiori was, since she never bothered to ask anyone. It's not like she had any real, working knowledge on hanyou ageing for that matter.

It was a strange sight to see a young kitsune kit and a bat hanyou playing with a small group of human children. No one in the village seemed frightened by them - if anything there were more looks of irritable apprehension when it came to Shippo, most likely stemming from the trickster ways of kitsune. Ume would have never thought to see such a sight. Humans and youkai coexisting peacefully.

Ume wiped the dirt off her hands and stood, gathering the pulled weeds to be dealt with later on. Despite keeping the windows and door flap open, the inside of the hut was sweltering. No relief would come from staying inside today. Ume quickly gathered up the laundry sitting in the far corner and set out towards Sango and Miroku's hut. She passed by a few of the villagers who were out and about, giving her a friendly bow, which she returned. The villagers here were very kind, and Ume was thankful for it. It can be rough for someone - especially a young woman - to find themselves without family nor acquaintances to fall back on. And it could be hard enough to feed everyone in the village during a bad planting season without adding another mouth to feed. Lady Kaede was gracious to let Ume stay with her, considering she already shared her small hut with another young girl. It was why Ume worked as hard as she did. She didn't want there to be any resentment towards her from Kaede for taking another person into her home. Nor did she want to be a burden onto anyone. Her father taught her to always be respectful of others that are willing to help you, and to always earn your keep; They were values she planned to uphold.

Speaking of her other house mate, Ume could see Rin happily skipping towards the hut, a soft melody being hummed from the young girl. Ume puffed a small chuckle at the young girl’s blissful demeanor. Rin was possibly one of the happiest children Ume had the pleasure to meet.

"Ume-chan!" Rin waved her hands high over her head as she started to run towards her.

"Good morning Rin-chan! Where are you off to this morning?"

"I was heading back to the hut to grab a small basket to collect flowers in! Sango-chan is going to the river to do laundry and I told her I would help watch the girls!"

"Well, that's very kind of you! I was actually on my way to see if Sango wanted to accompany me by the river, so it would seem luck is on my side today. Would you like me to wait and walk together?"

"No, that's okay, I'll be right behind you!" Rin put on a huge smile before running off towards the hut they all shared. Ume chuckled once more at the girl before continuing on her way, making the slight adjustment to go towards the river instead of Sango's.

Ume had become fast friends with Rin in the short time she had lived with them - not like it was a hard thing to do. Rin was extremely outgoing and talkative, and highly inquisitive. The first night Ume had dinner with both Rin and Kaede, the girl was a little shy, more concerned with taking in the strange woman who was to share a home with her. Ume spoke briefly of her village's demise with the elder miko, leaving out any of the more horrid details for the sake of the young girl. Rin seemed to open up more after learning of the events that brought Ume to the villages and before long Rin was rambling on about the games she plays with Shippo and Shiori, or what her favorite flower is.

The most intriguing topic Ron would talk about was her adventures with Sesshomaru-sama . Rin had led a most interesting life for only being eleven years old, and the whole story was so...incredulous. Ume understood how Inuyasha could stand to be around humans - he was half human himself - but Sesshomaru was a full-blooded youkai. A taiyoukai at that. His kind didn't mingle with beings that he viewed as 'lesser'. So it was intriguing to hear this small, human girl talk about following this vicious creature, riding on the back of a two-headed dragon, making small talk with a toad youkai.

It was the kind of story you told young children to get them to sleep.

Ume loved talking with Rin about her lord, about how strong he was, and how one day he would rule over his own grand kingdom. The way she spoke about him made him seem like a long lost friend. Rin would always say I hope you can meet him one day! And Ume would respond in kind, that would be lovely Rin-chan.

In all of Rin's ramblings, Ume had misheard the fact that Sesshomaru came once every month to visit. Ume had been…lucky enough to arrive in the same week as Sesshomaru-sama.

It was, perhaps, the most terrifying experience in her life - and that included the destruction of her village. Kaede, Rin and herself had just begun to eat breakfast that morning when the door flap rustled open. Ume had looked up with a smile on her face, expecting to see Inuyasha or Kagome come through the door. The warm smile froze on her face as she gazed upon an unfamiliar countenance. His hair was silver, like Inuyasha's, with the same golden eyes, except they were sharp, like he could cut you with merely a look. They held no warmth.

Ume felt like a frightened deer, unable to move. Her body was rooted to the ground where she sat. He was the predator, and she was the prey. She wanted to glance over at Kaede or Rin to gauge their reactions, but couldn't move any part of her body no matter how badly she wished. Time seemed to stand still and Ume couldn't tell whether it had been seconds, minutes, or hours. With a disinterested 'hn', he removed her from his freezing stare and left the small hut.

"Wait up Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin called out, making Ume jump. "I will be back later Kaede-sama!"

"Enjoy your time Rin-chan," Kaede replied, unperturbed by the youkai that had just disturbed their breakfast.

"That...that was-"

"Sesshomaru-sama, Inuyasha's elder brother and Rin's...guardian," Kaede continued to munch on her rice porridge.

"He is...beautiful." Ume said whispily. 

"And deadly," Kaede chuckled.

A short time later, Ume arrived at the river. There was a nice spot near a pile of rocks that was perfect for letting clothing sit and dry in the warm sun. It was coveted by all the women in the village, and when it came to who got to use the spot, it was first come first serve. It was still fairly early, so most of the villagers weren't ready to be out and about. Ume was happy to see the prized spot empty and ready for use. She quickly set herself up to begin on her laundry, hoping to get most of it done before Sango arrived. Rin would come and make sure the children were occupied and Ume could help Sango with the mountain of laundry she most likely had piled up already.

Out of everyone she had met since coming to live in the village, Ume became closest with Sango. No one else could relate to Ume quite like Sango could. She knew what it was like to lose your entire village to demons. There was a sinking emptiness that always lingered at the thoughts of her family and friends; Rin was too young to be burdened with her own ire, and Kagome couldn't pull from personal experience like Sango could. Sango was no stranger to the sadness that ebbed and flowed like the tide, and did all she could to help Ume traverse through those dreadful feelings. Sango admitted that she herself still battled with those emotions - she was afraid that if not for her husband she might have given in to those feelings - but having another person to talk these things out with made it easier to cope. Especially with someone who had similar experiences.

When Ume wasn't busy helping out Kaede or Kagome, she was spending her time with Sango, either helping keep her rambunctious daughters busy or cooking dinner. It was like being with her family again.

Ume was about halfway done with her laundry when Sango arrived with her brood, Rin tagging along behind them.

"Good morning Ume-chan!" Sango said, smiling brightly at the young woman. Ume countered with her own salutations, wiggling her fingers at baby Hisui.

"How are you this morning, Sango-chan? I see the twins are...spirited this morning." The two women shot a quick glance at the children playing by the shallows, supervised by Rin. Despite the early hour, Kimi and Momo were already gallivanting about, most likely playing their favourite game of 'who can pretend to be the best demon' at an exuberant level.

"That's one way to put it. The girls went to bed early last night and woke up with a week's worth of energy! Thank the Kami for Rin-chan," Sango sighed, dipping her hands into the cool river.

"Yes, Rin-chan is quite good with the girls!" Ume laughed. She grabbed a handful of Sango's dirty clothes and began the dubious process of washing laundry.

"So, do you have any big plans today Ume-chan?"

"Kagome-chan told me that we would be going a little out of the village today to cultivate some herbs. Apparently a friend of theirs has an extensive garden that he shares with her."

"Ahh yes, that would be Jinenji!"

They continued with their peaceful rapport for a good while, helping Sango with about half of her laundry on top of her own. The sun was nearing its zenith when Ume bid Sango and the girls goodbye. Rin agreed to take the finished laundry back to the hut so Ume could meet with Kagome and Inuyasha at the other end of the village.

It was a good half hour's walk to their destination. According to Kagome, Inuyasha usually carried her when it was just the two of them, cutting their travels time in half, but with Ume accompanying them, they settled for leisurely walking. Kagome and Ume passed the time by chatting happily amongst one another, with Inuyasha bringing up the rear in companionable silence.

Kagome and Inuyasha were the most intriguing couple Ume had ever met. For starters, she had never heard of a hanyou marrying a miko. It was thought that if a miko were to marry at all, she would lose her spiritual powers. Plus, with the youki that Inuyasha held, one could make the statement that he would either overpower her reiki, or she would purify him. Kagome was just as powerful a miko as the tales she heard told, so all points on the matter seemed moot. It seemed that her purity came not from anything physical, but from the very being of her soul. It was a sobering revelation.

Ume could tell there was also much about her life that Kagome wasn't telling her. Kagome regaled her with their entire journey to restore the Shikon no Tama and the defeat of Naraku while Ume was recovering. Yet, at times, she would falter, almost as if she had to think about what she was going to say. A couple of times, Inuyasha would give her a sharp look, stilling her words for just a moment before she backtracked or changed a subject entirely. This happened often when matters of Kagome's home village popped into conversation. If she really lived in a village that is. Ume had a sneaking suspicion that Kagome came from much more noble settings than she currently lived in. Despite her curiosity, Ume never pushed on these matters; Kagome had no reason to tell her everything of her life, as everyone was allowed to have their own privacy. Yet, it made her seem even more mysterious than she already was. Then again, she was a miko, and mystery often came with the job.

They finally reached their destination, coming upon a rather large thatched roof hut. There was a large tree just off the right hand side of the building, it's leaves shielding the hut from a good amount of sun. Ume could see a small corner of what must be the garden behind the hut. There was no one outside, and Inuyasha and Kagome did not bother to see if anyone was inside. Instead, Kagome led the way towards the back.

Ume had never seen such a large garden before. Rows upon rows of herbs were sprouting up from the ground. She recognized some of them right away from all her teachings with Kaede and Kagome, but many of the herbs were foreign to her. Ume wasn't surprised - Kagome did tell her Jinenji grew many herbs that were used to help with demon ailments - but it was still strange to see so many weirdly colored plants. A large figure loomed in the distance, slowly making their way towards them, carrying two deep buckets of water over their shoulders.

'This must be Jinenji,' she thought, her eyes widening as he approached them. Kagome had made sure to inform her of Jinenji's hanyou heritage, and that he had less human-like attributes than Inuyasha did, but Ume still felt awestruck seeing him in person. He towered over them all - even Inuyasha who was a little over six feet tall - despite the fact that he walked slightly bent forward.  He had a mostly human form, his humongous stature and elongated face the main differences that foretold his hanyou heritage. His skin was tanned - most likely from the hours spent outside tending to the garden - and marred with dozens of scars. He wore a simple kimono, grey and dark blue fabrics stitched together for someone of his size.

But it was his eyes that truly stood out before her. Large, circular orbs the color of cerulean found their way to her. Ume had never seen eyes so bright and clear before. From the corner of her eyes, she could vaguely make out Kagome waving her arm in greeting as she and Inuyasha started walking to meet Jinenji halfway, but Ume found herself rooted where she stood, completely lost in his gaze. Ume had never seen the ocean before, but she imagined it was the same color as his eyes. She compared their locked gaze like the ebb and flow of the tide; his aura pushing itself out from his eyes and pulling her in. 

“Ume-chan?”

Kagome’s voice breached through the faint whispers of the wind and music of the birds in the surrounding forest, finally breaking her from his gaze.

“Uh, y-yes!”

“Are you okay?” she asked, a concerned look in her eyes.

“H-hai. I started thinking about my mother and her small garden. I’m sorry,” Ume bowed slightly, her cheeks dusted with pink from the embarrassment of being caught staring.

Kagome stared at her for another moment before giving her a small smile and turning back towards Jinenji, who had set the buckets down a ways away from them, eyeing Ume with an air of trepidation. It suddenly occurred to Ume that it must have looked weird to have been staring so intensely at Jinenji, and given the few things Kagome had told her about him, he must have thought she was looking at him with fear, or even worse, disgust.

Ume wished for a hole in the ground to hide herself in. What would her mother say of her poor manners? Perhaps conversing with demons and hanyou may not have been something that Ume would ever think could happen to her, but her mother taught her well enough to know better than being rude to someone, especially when they are working alongside you. There was no way around it though, she had to make sure her good intentions were known. She swiftly made her way back alongside Kagome and Inuyasha as they were greeting the hanyou.

Jinenji curled in on himself a little more as she neared him, sending a flitter of guilt down her spine. Kagome began her introduction.

“Jinenji, this is the friend I was telling you about, Ume-chan. She’s assisting both me and Kaede-sama in gathering herbs for the village!”

“Hello Jinenji-san,” Ume bowed graciously. “I am excited to learn all you can teach me about the herbs you grow, and am happy to be of service.”

Silence continued to fill the air, causing Ume to stand up fully and lock eyes with Jinenji again. He was slowly wringing his hands together, clearly uncomfortable with the intimate situation he found them both in, yet unable to look away.. Ume smiled softly at him, hoping to melt his wariness of this unknown woman with warm countenances.

“H-hello,” a slight flush painted his face and he turned away from them back towards the garden. “Please follow me.”

Several months passed, and Ume continued to travel to Jinenji’s to help with the herbs. The first few visits had been a little tense; Jinenji was still a little wary of her, although Kagome and Inuyasha’s presence - because the inu hanyou was never very far from his wife - helped calm him after a bit of time. A couple of weeks later, Kagome and Inuyasha gathered everyone for dinner one night to announce that they were pregnant with their first child. It had been a joyous night for the group, full of tears from the women and a few rounds of celebratory sake drinks - mostly partaken by Inuyasha and Miroku, although Ume allowed herself one sip.

Of course, if Inuyasha kept a rather mindful eye on Kagome before, he was absolutely hovering now. He made it abundantly clear that Kagome was to go nowhere by herself. If she wanted to visit Sango, either Inuyasha would accompany her, or Miroku could come to pick her up. The same rules applied if she needed to see anyone in the village. Going outside the village was out of the question as far as Inuyasha was concerned. Ume had never seen Kagome so enraged before. There had been times where the couple would squabble over a small misunderstanding, but both were usually quick to let go of whatever anger they held onto - Ume theorized this was due to their unintended three year distance - but pregnancy found Kagome with little patience for her overprotective husband. Unfortunately for her, Inuyasha would not budge on his reasonings.

Which meant no more visits to Jinenji’s for Kagome, leaving the work for Ume alone. She didn't mind it though. Over the course of the past several months, Ume had become quite friendly with Jinenji's mother. She reminded her of some of the older women that she knew from her village: strong, stubborn, and prideful. She was the type to fight for the things and people she loved. Which was really only her son. Not that Ume could blame her. Jinenji's mother told her a bit about their history with the nearby village, how they feared him and thought him to be the culprit behind a series of killings. Ume could only wonder how anyone could have come to that conclusion. It was obvious that, after spending even a small amount of time with him, Jinenji wasn't the type to hurt a fly, let alone stalk and kill a number of villagers. Yet, it was a little disquieting to think that if she did not live in a village so used to youkai, she might have thought the same as those ignorant villagers. Ume tried not to think about that all too much. What mattered was how she acted in the here and now, not when she lived in her home village.

Jinenji had even slowly begun to open up around her more. It was not an overnight process. The first few weeks he hardly said a word to her, mostly talking through Kagome. Ume was patient with him, not taking his inability to talk to her to heart. Especially after having lunch with his mother a few times, Ume could understand his caution around strangers. She always made it a point to smile warmly at him whenever their eyes crossed paths, walked and sat as close to him as he would let her, and asked a million questions about his garden. She was sure that Jinenji would eventually get tired of her ramblings, going from one topic to another so fast, one could barely keep up with the conversation. But, just as she was patient with him, he was patient with her, letting her talk at a thousand words a minute. Little by little, he started answering some of her questions, more often that not with simple one word answers, but Ume would take what she could get.

So, for the foreseeable future, Ume traveled with Inuyasha by herself to work at Jinenji's every couple of days. It was certainly a process to make the trip. Inuyasha was incessant that Kagome not be by herself while he accompanied Ume to the garden. Some days, Kagome was already in the process of helping Sango with the kids, or making miko rounds with Kaede, but other days, she seemed to be impossible to wrangle about. This usually coincided with Inuyasha saying something to her that she did not care for. Ume had told Kagome that she could walk to and from Jinenji's by herself if it worked better for her and Inuyasha, but Kagome balked at the idea and said that Ume was not to do that under no uncertain terms

The good thing about only the two of them traveling together was the amount of time they cut by having Inuyasha carry her. This way, Ume had even more time to spend with Jinenji and Inuyasha could get back to Kagome faster.

Ume still chuckled when she thought about Inuyasha's undying loyalty to Kagome. It was clear to anyone who had a decent set of eyes that he loved her. And now there was a certain prideful aura around him that can only be explained by the child Kagome grew in her belly.

Today was just like every other day spent at Jinenji's. Ume was currently sitting amongst a small bush of mint, picking off any dead leaves still clinging to the skinny branches. The sun was slowly lowering itself to the ground, another work day nearly over with. Ume hadn't seen much of Jinenji in the past few hours. Today was one of the days he made his way to the ravine that lay just beyond the back of the hut where he picked some useful demon herbs. She was…a little disappointed that she hadn't gotten to see him much today. Shippo and Rin had come up with the cutest little performance - they called it a 'magic show', something done in Kagome's home village - and Ume couldn't wait to tell Jinenji all about it. 

Jinenji's mother was not feeling her best today, so Ume had taken it upon herself to help out with some of the household chores while the older woman got some rest. Much of the gardening was put on the back burner, but Ume was sure that given the circumstances of both Jinenji and his mother being out of service, the plants would be okay. Perhaps she could convince Inuyasha to bring her by tomorrow to make up for the lack of attention today. Ume looked up from the mint, shielding her eyes from the golden setting sun. She hoped Jinenji would be back by the time Inuyasha arrived. She didn't want to make Inuyasha wait to bring her back to the village, but she also didn't want to just leave without seeing Jinenji. And given the position of the sun, Inuyasha should have been there by now.

Finally, she noticed a figure walking towards the hut from her left side. A wide smile broke out on her face as she realized that Jinenji was back from the ravine. She stood on her knees, enthusiastically waving her hands in greeting. He sat his basket filled with demon herbs by the door of the hut and made his way towards her.

"Hello Jinenji-san! How was your trip to the ravine?" She said earnestly.

"It was fine," he muttered. "There were no youkai near the herb I was looking for today." Lately, Jinenji had been talking more in longer sentences, but the volume of his voice had steadily remained low.

'Some progress is better than no progress at all,' she thought, sitting up a bit taller, stretching a sore muscle in her shoulders.

"Inuyasha has not arrived yet?" He asked, scanning the area for said hanyou.

"No, not yet. I'm sure he'll be here any moment now. I'm just glad you arrived back before I had to leave!"

Jinenji eyes softened at her statement before looking towards the forest. Not a second later, Inuyasha came bursting out, a slightly frazzled look painted on his face before he switched to his normal gruff demeanor.

"Ume, you ready?" He asked, already by her side with his hand stretched down to help her up.

"Inuyasha...you are late today," Jinenji said slowly.

"Keh, I'm aware. I was in the middle of helping Kaede with her new roof."

"Oh, is it all finished now?" Ume asked excitedly. During Sesshomaru-sama's last visit, he noticed that Kaede's roof had begun to leak in a few spots. Not even a day later, and supplies for a sturdy roof were dropped off at Inuyasha and Kagome's. A clear sign that Inuyasha was to fix the roof that kept Rin safe from the elements.

"Basically. Let's get a move on and you'll see."

Ume accepted Inuyasha's hand and stood up, brushing the dirt off her apron.

"Jinenji-san, it had been a pleasure," she gave him a warm bow. "Your mother wasn't feeling well today, so I prepped a stew for you both. You just have to heat it up and add some meat if you desire."

"Thank you, Ume-san. Before you go..." Jinenji walked back over to his basket and pulled out a small bundle to hand to her, a warm blush surfacing on his cheeks. Ume was curious as she opened it, finding a beautiful bunch of wildflowers mixed with lavender.

"Jinenji-san - "

"For helping mother today."

Ume brought the bouquet up to her face, closing her eyes and inhaling the sweet scents of the flowers. A light feeling enveloped her chest; This was the first time anyone had ever given her such a gift. She looked back up at him, although his gaze was certainly nowhere near hers. Her mind fumbled at the words she wanted to speak. Jinenji couldn't have known that his mother wasn't feeling well while he was gone, so was it a last minute decision to give these to her or did he -

"Keh, let's get going before the sun goes down," Inuyasha interrupted. Ume felt her own face heat up slightly at the fact that she seemed to have forgotten Inuyasha was there entirely.

"H-hai, Inuyasha-sama," Ume started walking towards Inuyasha, who had already crouched to offer her his back. She stole one more glance behind her. "Perhaps I could stop by tomorrow Jinenji-san?"

"That...would be nice, Ume-san." And before another word could be said, Ume and Inuyasha were flying through the forest back towards their village.

Chapter Text

Another month passes by.

Somehow, despite not talking about the fact Inuyasha had been late to get her on multiple occasions or making a big deal out of it, Miroku - the gossip that he is - still managed to catch wind of it. Which meant Sango found out who then told Kagome, who was not happy to hear about it. Inuyasha was thoroughly scolded by both women, no matter how many times Ume told them she wasn’t upset.

In all honesty, Ume simply could not find it in herself to be all that mad at him for it. She could understand his tunnel vision when it came to his pregnant wife, and she knew he did not arrive late on purpose.

Any concern Ume had with Inuyasha coming late didn’t even relate to her, but Jinenji and his mother; she did not want to extend the courtesy of Jinenji and his mother by staying later than any of them planned. Although, neither of them seemed to have any issues with her staying longer each day - Jinenji’s mother admitted that it was nice to have another woman’s presence around to gab to.

In the end, Inuyasha had given her a very sincere apology - which meant he barked out a brief sorry   without all his usual gruff and grumpy attitude - and had not been late since then.

Today, Ume was currently on her way to Jinenji’s. Without Inuyasha.

Inuyasha and Miroku had been called upon by a village north of their home; a nest of snake youkai had been terrorizing their livestock for a while and had moved on to hunting unsuspecting children. It was a relatively bountiful village, and promised a handsome reward for the extermination of the youkai. Inuyasha had been adamant about staying behind, but Kagome eventually convinced him that with a little one on the way, they would need all the help they could get. The men had left yesterday morning, and would most likely not return until tomorrow.

Inuyasha had taken Ume to Jinenji’s the day before he set out with Miroku, but she didn’t wish to break her routine with the large hanyou she had grown so familiar with. Which is how she found herself walking through the forest that would take her to his home.

It was a beautiful day outside. The slightly chilled air mixed with the warmth of the sun was the perfect combination for the midday stroll Ume found herself on. She really shouldn’t have been out, not without an escort. It was a good half hour by foot from the village to Jinenji’s, and she was too far for anyone in te village to hear her if something happened to her. But Ume hadn’t seen any signs of bandits or malicious youkai since she came to live in the village. Inuyasha went out for a patrol every morning, and his strong sense of smell helped keep their home safe. So, by all accounts, she assumed it would be fine to to walk to Jinenji’s by herself just this once. What could go wrong?

That was a thought Ume never should have conceived.

Suddenly, the forest grew quiet, the melodic chirping of the birds vanishing into the last tendrils of wind. It was so quiet, Ume could practically hear the blood rushing in her ears from the incessant beating of her heart. There was a sense of foreboding in the air as the surrounding foliage loomed tall and dark around her. The bounce in Ume’s steps had long disappeared. There was a nasty tingling sensation that ran down her spine, as if someone was watching her from the shadows. She hesitantly turned her head to look behind her, letting a quick sigh of relief out when she saw no one was there. Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound to her right; Ume screamed in fright as a giant scorpion youkai burst through the trees. It let out a high pitched shriek when it’s eyes landed on Ume, it’s large pincers snapping in anticipation of a new meal.

Ume dropped her basket, hiked up her yukata and wrap, and started to run, her only goal in mind to get to Jinenji’s. She was already halfway there; if she could manage to not get caught, perhaps Jinenji would hear her and come to her rescue. It was the only option awarded to her. With no weapons or knowledge of offensive or defensive fighting, there was no hope that Ume could defeat a youkai of such great size, and with both Miroku and Inuyasha out on a slaying job, there was no one from the village who could get to her in time - let alone hear her. She knew it was a lot to ask sweet, shy Jinenji to risk his life for her, but Ume was in quite the nightmarish situation and didn’t know what else to do but run as fast as her feet could take her. She made as much noise as she possibly could - the scorpion youkai was too fast for her to outrun or hide from. All she needed to do was make enough noise for someone to hear her, to come and save her. She prayed to every Kami she could think of that she wouldn’t die here.

Ume was thrown forward as something crashed into the ground just behind her heels. The scorpion youkai had used its stinger in an attempt to skewer her. There was nowhere left to run now. Tears streamed down her face as she backed herself up into a tree. The youkai scuttled it’s way in front of her, stinger at the ready to plunge into her chest. Ume closed her eyes, unwilling to let this creature be the last thing she saw. She envisioned her family, sitting by the fire enjoying a meal together; Sango and Miroku training behind their hut as Rin and herself sat in the sidelines with the twins, cheering on their parents; Little Shippo showing her and Kaede the new kitsune trick he learned while he was away; Kagome and Kaede walking amongst the village to another blessing, Inuyasha trailing behind them.

'Is this truly the end?'

A lone tear rolled down her cheek at the thought of her new friends. People who had become family to her. She wasn’t ready to give them up yet. There was still more for her to do, to see, to feel.

Ume heard a loud thump land down hard in front of her. She expected the pain from the youkai’s stinger, but it never came. Slowly, she opened her eyes to find the space between herself and the youkai blocked by a large body, their arm holding the base of the stinger still. Tears continued to stream down her face, now of utter relief as Ume came to the realization of who was now protecting her. It seemed her prayers to the Kami had been answered, as Jinenji used his free arm to punch the scorpion youkai back.

"Ume, get out of here! Run to the hut!" He yelled, running toward the scorpion in an attempt to distract it from its wanted dinner. Ume whimpered as she leapt up from the ground and began running towards her previous destination. She did not get far however, her mind throwing away the comfort of safety, demanding that she turn back towards them to watch the ensuing fight. Jinenji had each pincher tightly gripped in his hands, his arm muscles bulged and glistening with sweat as he held them as far away from his face as he could. The clack clack of the scorpion's pincers pierced the air, its irritation growing as the youkai was starting to be pushed back by Jinenji. Ume had finally begun to control her breathing thinking Jinenji was about to throw the youkai when Ume glanced above the battle at a slight, unexpected movement. The breath was suddenly knocked out of her as she witnessed the youkai's stinger - forgotten by the hanyou in favor of the ever persistent pincers - move itself into position to strike Jinenji down. Ume's feet began moving before she could even get a word out. She didn't know what she could do to help him, but standing on the sidelines definitely wasn't an option.

"JINENJI, LOOK OUT!" she shouted barely a moment later, causing him to sneak a glance behind him. His already round eyes seemed to grow even bigger as he watched her get closer and closer to them, to danger. It was too late. The youkai already had its stinger in position and on it's way towards its target, but instead of piercing the hanyou it was battling, it made a last minute decision to use the flatter end of its tail to whack into the human, sending her flying. Luckily for Ume, only a small portion of the rounded tip of the stinger managed to hit her, making her flight from the ground to a nearby tree not nearly as fatal as a full blow would have been. Still, Ume could barely issue a grunt as the force of her body being slammed against a tree had the breath knocked out of her, her eyes bulging from shockwaves of pain that zig zagged its way from her chest all over her body. She felt her arm break, and heard the loud crack from the bones on her right side as she fell to the ground.

Everything was quiet. Either that or Ume was suddenly dead, which she wouldn't dispute happening yet, given her luck today. She tried to take a breath, but the pain from the collision took every breath she could manage.She tried to roll onto her stomach from her broken arm, only to end up in a coughing fit that hurt with every shaking of her chest. Ume could barely move, but a thunderous shout managed to see her through the pain as she lifted her head to see where that sound came from. She had been flung to the side, but slightly behind the scorpion youkai, enough to where she could see the front of Jinenji's face.

What happened next probably only took Jinenji a minute, but to Ume, every movement was an hour off her life. Jinenji's eyes - once that had been timid, yet could be soft and warm - were frightful. His sclera had turned into a blood red that glowed bright even in the sunlight, his shocking blue irises a weapon in and of itself.  Even Ume, who had no markings of someone with any bit of reiki, could practically see and feel the youki that permeated the air. Thick and heavy around her entire body.

Abandoning the right pincers, Jinenji took the left in both hands and began to pull them. The scorpion youkai began shrieking, and in an attempt to thwart the hanyou from doing any more damage, it clamped the other pincer down onto Jinenji's arm. A few small trails of blood poured down his arm, but Jinenji didn't seem to take any notice of the attack, continuing to pull the left pincer apart. Ume heard a few cracks split the air before the pincer was completely broken off, spraying his arm with a thin film of blood. He quickly dropped the broken pincer to do the same thing on the right, completely breaking both of the scorpion's pincers. Jinenji then took hold of the scorpion's stinger in both hands, pulling it as Jinenji began to spin in a circle, moving faster and faster until the scorpion was no longer on the ground. A few more good spins, and Jinenji let go, smashing it into a tree on the opposite side of the forest.

Jinenji crouched low and set his hand on the ground. He let out a final pulse of youki as the scorpion, who lay crumpled at the foot of a damaged tree, began to be completely overridden by plants. They sprouted from the ground, growing from tiny leafs into thin like vines, criss-crossing along the scorpion's torso and wrapping around its broken pincers. Another moment later, Ume could see no more of the youkai; all that remained was a giant shrubbery that encased it.

Once the scorpion was completely out of Ume’s sight, she felt like she could finally look away from the chilling scene. Sometimes, she forgot that while he was half human, he was also half youkai , with strength and powers that Ume could never even begin to wrap her mind around. It was easy to overlook all that when he was normally so sweet and timid.

She attempted to sit up after taking a deep breath. A sharp pain emitted from her chest and arm making it difficult to prop herself up, but it was the state of her dress that sent her barrelling back to the ground. Her wrap skirt was tattered and dirty, the shoulders of the yukata she wore were torn just enough that they would not stay on her shoulders properly. Ume was hurt, exposed, and thoroughly embarrassed . She had been a fool to try and walk to Jinenji's alone. Before she could stop them, tears began to pool around her eyes. She could feel him staring at her, and it only made her feel worse.

'He must be so furious with me,' she groaned, wishing in that moment for the plants to swallow her whole as well. Ume heard a faint ripping sound and looked up just in time for a piece of fabric to fall to the ground in front of her. He had ripped the right arm of his kimono off for her to wear. She noticed his eyes had returned to their normal light blue.

"You can wear this since your kimono is ripped," Jinenji said, looking away from her. The swatch of fabric was large enough that she could wear it as a shawl and it would help cover her chest for the time being.

"Thank you," she muttered, doing her best to hold back the sobs that threatened to overtake her. She took the ripped fabric in her hand and pulled it close to her chest. Jinenji continued to stare off in the opposite direction of her, most likely to spare her the embarrassment of being indecent around him. Ume tried to lift herself again with her one good arm, but a shock of pain traveled from her chest and aggravated her broken arm. She was able to, in a less than graceful manner, throw the ripped fabric over her shoulders to use as a shawl, but the pain made her unable to lift herself up fully. Ume was going to need his help if she was to leave the forest.

"Jinenji-san," she waited a moment for him to acknowledge that he hears her. "I don't think I can get up," she continued on, hoping that he would understand what she needed without actually saying it. He turned his head ever so slightly, just enough to look at her through the corner of his eye. Slowly, he fully turned her way, and when she made eye contact with him, he carefully lifted her into his arms.

There was no way for Jinenji to lift her without aggravating the broken arm, not from her belly down position on the ground. It was awkward at first. Jinenji had to help her sit up on her knees by grasping her good shoulder before he could gently scoop her up, keeping her back stable in one arm while holding her legs in the other. Ume tried to keep her broken arm as still as she could, but every movement sent a shockwave of pain through her body. 

As soon as she was settled - as much as she could be anyways - Jinenji started walking, not towards his own home, but back the way she came. With two skilled priestesses in the village, there was no doubt in knowing the better place to rest and receive the proper attention to her wounds. Even if she'd rather continue on to Jinenji's. She knew both Kaede and Kagome would be furious; she ventured out on her own, and the thought of having to confront them - mingled with each twang of pain that emanated from her broken arm - made her stomach churn.

Now that the youkai had been slain, the sun seemed able to peek out amongst the treetops, giving the forest back its serene aura. Ume tried to block it out. Her head was pounding, the bright light from the sun only making the pain worse. She tried to close her eyes, but her eyelids couldn't seem to completely block the blinding sunlight out. She turned her head inward to block it out with Jinenji's chest, taking a deep breath to calm her frazzled nerves.

Jinenji smelled like any other typical man - she imagined so anyways, not like she had much experience with the natural scents of a man. She could smell the obvious sweat and grime from his previous battle with the youkai. The bolder scents of dirt that came from working in the soil. The familiar smell of dried herbs she knew well from not only the time spent helping Jinenji, but from living with Kaede. And lavender.

All these things coalesced into the scent that was pure Jinenji, and each inhale she took of him relaxed her more and more until she was drifting between consciousness and sleep. Jinenji tightened his grip on her slightly, and in that moment, Ume was sure she would never feel safer unless cradled in his arms.

It was a beautiful, crisp morning, the sun shining brightly and bringing warmth to the late winter day. Spring was soon approaching, and today was the first day in months that Ume would get to see Jinenji again.

Ume couldn't remember much about what happened when Jinenji brought her back to the village. She had fallen asleep in his arms, waking only to find a worried Kagome fretting over her. The worried emotions only lasted for as long as it took Kagome to be sure that there was no lasting damage to Ume physically. Anger soon became the prevailing emotion, amongst not just Kagome, but practically everyone. Ume had just sat quietly as she listened to Kagome, Sango, and Kaede berate her for her thoughtless action. What were you doing going there by yourself? You could have gotten killed! Why didn't you wait for Inuyasha to return? You're lucky Jinenji was close by! Inuyasha and Miroku didn't yell at her like the women did, but she could tell they were equally as worried and disappointed in her.

Ume tried not to get too upset over it all. She knew their concern came from a place of love, and no matter how childish she felt about going off on her own, she was grateful for it. Over half a year has passed since her family was killed and she came to live with them, and they had done all they could to include her in their own self made family. Things could have turned out very bad for her all those months ago, and she found herself to be most blessed with the company she kept.

Of course, she didn't - and wouldn't - regret going out that fateful day. Even now, she could still smell the scent of herbs and lavender that was Jinenji. She could almost feel how it enveloped her into a warm cocoon. It was a comforting feeling that she kept with her all throughout the brutal winter months when the long, cold nights became too much. Ume still had the sleeve Jinenji had ripped off for her. She had almost been loath to wash it, not wanting his scent to wash out of it.

Ume had a lot of time to think it over, and she was fairly certain now that she was developing...something for her dear hanyou - since when did he become mine? She guessed that she was developing feelings for him, although the thought was a little terrifying. Ume tried to remember all the times she spoke with her mother about boys and love and marriage. It had been so long ago, and back then Ume was not nearly as concerned about something as trivial as 'love'. None of the village boys had ever expressed any interest in her - and neither her in them. She was far too busy helping her mother or playing with her younger sisters to think about such things.

Now though, now she regrets not taking those words to heart. She had been a little embarrassed to talk to Kagome or Sango about what she was feeling. Talking about a man she liked was something she had never done before. Sure, she had witnessed many of her friends gossip about the blacksmith's son, or Hiro down the road, but never found someone she was even remotely attracted to to engage in such activities. So, Ume had intended to keep her thoughts to herself and attempt to work out this dilemma on her own.

Of course that idea was nipped in the bud pretty quickly from conception. All because of a swatch of fabric.

A week or so after the attack, Ume had convinced Miroku and Inuyasha to accompany her to the nearest market village, unwittingly with the help of their wives who had expressed interest about certain items they could use from the market after a quick conversation with Ume. She was hoping to find a decent bit of fabric that could be used to sew a new kimono for Jinenji. She felt terrible that he ruined probably the only outfit he owned, and making him a nice kimono seemed the best way to pay him back for his kindness that day.

Between the three of them, they spent hours going from stall to stall, Miroku and Inuyasha stocking up on little things like extra thread or fabric for Kagome and Inuyasha’s impending little one. Ume had taken her time with every pile to inspect every swatch of fabric she saw, running her hands across them to test the way it felt under her hands. She found faults with each one. Too silky for garden work, too heavy to move around in, whites, a few reds, and a sea of browns. Nothing that would be fit for the gentle giant she was shopping for. It wasn’t until she stood in front of the last stall, her hope fizzling out like a candle being separated from the air that fueled it, that her eyes finally landed on it. It was a soft, yet durable fabric, colored in an olive green. It was patterned with tree branches that rained bright green leaves. It spoke of warm summers and filtered sunlight, and Ume made sure they left for their village with it in her arms.

She had been ambushed as soon as she walked into Kaede’s. Sango and Kagome took one look at the bundle in her hands before pushing the children off onto the men as they whisked Ume away towards the closest hot spring to the village, fabric and all, without so much as a word as to the meaning behind it all.

Turns out, Ume hadn’t needed to tell them anything at all about her possible feelings for Jinenji; they seemed to have a pretty good idea of the thoughts running through her head. Kagome and Sango are much smarter than Ume gave them credit for. In what seemed like no time at all, they had her stripped and dunked into the warm water of a nearby hot spring, nothing but high rocks behind her and two nosy women in front of her, stopping her escape.

They hounded her with questions. That sure is a lot of fabric? Who are you making it for? Does he reside in the village? On and on and on, until Ume's face was as red as the fire rat Inuyasha wore. Ume only lasted a few more minutes before finally giving in, her desire for their questions to end bigger than her embarrassment over the entire situation.

Kagome was most ecstatic, talking so fast it was hard for Ume to keep up with her. She gushed about how nice it was for Ume to have her first crush, although she was unsure about what she was "crushing". Sango didn't seem taken aback by Kagome's strange euphemisms, so Ume didn't think about it too much. They spent the remainder of the night going over every interaction between Ume and Jinenji, dissecting every word spoken between the two.

It took Ume the entirety of the winter to sew the kimono. The days were shorter, meaning Ume had to be careful with her time. She often rose before the sun came up, trying to get as many chores done as possible. If she planned it right, she could use the little bit of firelight that illuminated the hut to help her see as she prepped the day's meals into their own separate pots. Then, she could use a majority of the day to sew with as much sunlight as possible. Whenever it became too cold outside for Ume to handle, she would move inside as close to the fire as she would sit for its light and warmth, afraid of accidentally setting the precious fabric on fire.

The snow finally thawed, and Ume had asked Inuyasha if he would stop by to ask Jinenji if she could come to visit - because there was no chance in hell Ume was making the mistake of going alone again. A day had been set aside for her visit, which is how she currently found herself on the path to Jinenji’s hut, with Inuyasha as her escort.

They had been walking for a good amount of time. Ume was sure that they were almost there - considering they had passed by the area where the scorpion youkai had attacked her - and she was becoming more and more anxious by the minute. The kimono was wrapped in a bit of plain, brown parchment, crushed to her chest in her arms. Doubt was creeping into her mind, all the bravado she had when the fabric was purchased and when she sewed it into a cohesive garment was suddenly gone. Was this a good idea? Would he be grateful that she took the time to make something for him? What if he didn’t care for the color or pattern? Ume had been completely sure that the fabric she picked was perfect for Jinenji, but what if she was wrong?

Ume took several deep breaths to try and calm herself. She told herself over and over again in her head that everything would work out fine; It had become her mantra the entire trip. Besides, it didn’t matter whether or not he liked the kimono. He could use it as a cleaning rag for all she cared, so long as he accepted her gift as a thank you for saving her that day. And as an apology for having to ruin his own kimono for her.

A few minutes later, they had arrived at the edge of the forest that Jinenji’s hut bordered. Ume bowed to Inuyasha, thanking him for escorting her safely, and made her way towards the hut. 

Jinenji was already sitting outside as she approached. Ume took one last deep breath as she flipped the sides of her mouth into a warm smile and waved towards him.

“Good morning, Jinenji-san!”

“Good morning, Ume-san,” he replied, his face taking on a similar countenance as Ume’s.

“How have you and your mother fared this winter?”

“We were good. What about yourself?”

“We fared fine!”

A moment of silence passed between them. Neither of them seemed to know what to say next. Ume was still clutching his gift to her chest with all her strength, unsure if she really wanted to give it to him.

“Where is your mother today?” she asked quickly, the words fumbling out of her mouth almost faster than she thought it, desperate to keep some semblance of conversation flowing.

“She is resting inside,” he said, tilting his head toward the hut. “She didn’t get much sleep last night due to some back pain,”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that! Kaede even experienced a bit of pain from the cold of the season. Said she could feel it in her bones” Ume said earnestly. She was sad that Jinenji’s mother wasn’t feeling well, but a part of her was grateful for it. Her attempts at keeping the kimono a secret had already failed with Kagome and Sango, and Ume didn’t want to share her creation with anyone. Save Jinenji. Another bout of silence overtook them.

“J-Jinenji-san…” Ume stuttered, not sure exactly what she wanted to say. She could feel the heat radiating off her face as she became more and more embarrassed by not knowing what to do next. She needed more time to get her thoughts together. Suddenly, an idea hit her. “Would you like to take a stroll with me?”

“A...stroll?”  he remarked, his face flushing with color. Yes, a walk would do just fine.

"I-it's such a nice day outside. It would be a shame to waste it!"

"That...would be nice," he replied softly. He stood from his spot by the wall and gestured for her to follow him. He took them past the garden, heading towards the outskirts of the forest. Despite Ume's anxiety about giving him the kimono, they walked in a comfortable silence, content to take in the sights and sounds of the forest surrounding his home. They soon came upon a small creek that separated the land behind Jinenji's hut and the area of the ravine that Jinenji frequented when in need of certain plants. The ravine was a generally dangerous place, but Jinenji assured her that none of them ever came this far down. Ume wasn't worried about another demon attacking them though; She held the utmost confidence in Jinenji's ability to protect her if the need should arise.

They ended their walk by sitting against a tall oak tree that sat a few feet away from the creek. It was a serene spot to take a rest at. The quiet gurgling of the creek felt superior to even the most skillfully made music boxes. The sun managed to peek just enough out from the leaves to warm their skin, but the shade kept them from overheating. It was the perfect spot to give Jinenji his gift. Ume lifted her head to the sky, a light breeze catching and lifting the ends of her hair. She took one final refreshing breath in before jumping headfirst into unknown waters.

"Jinenji-san," she began, shifting her body so she could fully face him. He was already staring at her, giving her his full attention. She hesitated for only a second, entranced - as always - by the deep blue of his eyes, a slight blush rising to her cheeks at his undivided attention before shaking herself back to the present. There would be time to get lost in the whorls of his eyes later.

"I want to properly thank you for saving me from the scorpion youkai that day. It was foolish of me to not only travel by myself, but to also not tell anyone where I was going. I put your life in jeopardy when you came to save me," Ume took a deep bow, hoping he could sense the overwhelming gratitude she felt for him. He still hadn't said anything when she lifted herself back up again, looking at her as if she was speaking another language. In a far more brisk manner than she had wanted, Ume thrusted the package into Jinenji's arms. "This is for you, Jinenji-san."

Jinenji just stared at the package, as if he was waiting for something unexpected to happen. Several times, Jinenji’s hands would twitch, as if he was ready to take the package from her, before they stilled, and Ume was terrified he wouldn’t accept it. She didn’t know how much longer she could handle it when Jinenji finally took the wrapped gift from her hand. Now that the package was in his hands, there was no taking it back. He would open his gift and either love it or hate it. Ume thought that Jinenji might have been in shock, with the way he tenderly held onto his gift as he began working to untie the ribbon that held it together. He worked slowly, as if he was afraid of destroying the package in any way. Once the ribbon had been fully untied, the flaps of the parchment fell open, revealing the kimono inside.

It took every ounce of energy Ume had to keep her gaze on Jinenji, watching him gently unfold the kimono, letting the fabric pool in his calloused hands. He went back and forth between bunching up the fabric in his hands and running his fingers over the embroidered leaves. His eyes showed no sign of what he was thinking as they poured over every detail of the fabric. His silence was gut wrenching, and Ume decided she simply coudn’t sit in it for any longer.

“I-it’s a fairly durable fabric for how soft it is. And lightweight, too! It shouldn’t be too uncomfortable to wear when it gets warmer out. I mean...you don’t have to wear it if you don’t like it, I just saw it at the market and thought that the colors would work well with your skin tone, and honestly you could just use it for cleaning if you wanted-”

“You….made this for me?” Jinenji spoke meekly, interrupting her abashed ramblings. His eyes flitted over towards her for the first time since receiving the kimono.

“Of….of course,” Ume replied. “It was the least I could do for you since it was my fault you had to rip yours.”

She took her gaze from her lap to Jinenji, who was now keeping his full attention on her. She should have known better than to lock eyes with him; wasn’t she just telling herself not to get lost in them, to become stuck in the tides?

"You didn't have to do anything for me, Ume-san," he said, keeping his gaze. She leaned forward, taking his hands in hers, demurely averting her eyes down towards their clasped hands.

"But I wanted to."

Neither one could fend off the blush that warmed their cheeks as Jinenji slowly worked his right hand free of the fabric to set it gently on top of her hands. Neither of them knew how much time had passed as they held their clasped hands, unspoken words of longing hanging gently in the air.

Chapter Text

‘Inhale. Exhale. Inhale, hold it…….exhale,’

It was a truly idyllic setting. A beautifully warm day cooled just a bit with a nice breeze, the rushing sound of a small waterfall on the opposite end of the river mixed with the soft chirps of a group of nearby birds orchestrating a soothing melody. It was the perfect time and place to get some healing meditation in. Unfortunately, no matter how many times Ume inhaled and exhaled, she simply couldn’t get her brain to shut off.

A couple of moons had already come and gone since she gave Jinenji the kimono she made for him. They had passed the remainder of that afternoon with a comfortable rapport, discussing his future plans for the garden and making small talk about a number of subjects, from his mother’s health to the gossip Ume heard whenever Ume joined the village women at the river to wash her laundry. They were so involved with their conversations that, instead of waiting for Inuyasha, Jinenji escorted her home.

Which Kagome had a field day with.

Kaede had invited Kagome and Inuyasha over for dinner - much to her chagrin - and so was forced to endure question after question about her “date” with Jinenji (which Ume was quick to reassure Kagome that this was not a courting situation, just one friend making a nice kimono for another friend that she just happened to think very highly of possibly in a non-platonic way, which was a perfectly acceptable thing to do thank you very much , but Kagome cared little about her opinion on that subject).

“Did he like the kimono?”

“How did he look?”

“Did he express his feelings for you?”

“It was so romantic of him to walk you home!”

Ume had once thought that Kagome’s interrogation of her budding romantic feelings for Jinenji were bad, but she would have given anything to go back to that time. Kagome’s questioning was exhausting after her long day, even though Ume really hadn’t physically done all that much, save for walking to and from Jinenji’s; she expected that the anxiety from worrying about his reaction probably took a lot out of her.

Dinner that night was probably the longest affair of her life. Thankfully, Inuyasha seemed to be in tune with Ume's irritable demeanor towards Kagome, and sent both of them back home early for the night.

Although Kagome's questioning came at an inopportune time, she was excited about the change she expected would come with their relationship. Yet, the dynamics of their relationship didn't flow exactly the way Ume expected them to.

The last few weeks were filled with happy conversation and extended glances. Jinenji made more of an effort to speak directly with her when she visited and walked a little more closely together. She could still practically feel the firmness of his grasp on her the day she tripped by the river. Ume had been sure that Jinenji was going to kiss her. Embrace her maybe. Confess to his undying love for her? Instead, the cruel sound of nature had come between them, placing far too much distance between them. Suddenly, Jinenji’s whole demeanor changed. He kept her at a distance, similar to when they first met, rarely making conversation or eye contact with her.

An entire week of stilted conversation and awkward visits passed. Ume was puzzled. Did she do something to upset him? Perhaps he didn't actually feel the same way about her that she thought he did?

She didn't think she could take the not knowing. It hurt because she really did care for him.  He was so kind and gentle; big and strong and so good with his hands -

Ume slapped her hands over her eyes, unseating herself on the ground by throwing herself backwards. She let out a groan at the painful contact with the ground, not ready to move her hands yet. 

The things that were about to float through her mind were not proper of a single woman. At least, she didn't think it was. She had never thought about a man that way before - never really got to know a man enough to have that good of an opinion of him - but Jinenji was taking everything Ume knew and flipping it upside down. 

It wasn't fair. 

Ume wasn't getting any younger. She had no family to rely on to help bridge the divide between herself and any suitors - not that there were any. Of course she was grateful that Lady Kaede was kind enough to take her in under her wing, but how long will that last? Ume has no spiritual power of her own to be considered a replacement for the elderly woman (not like that would even be an option seeing as Kagome is the obvious choice for something like that), and she really didn't want to be a burden to anyone else, more than she already is anyways.

To be honest, this whole situation was a silver lining around a gray cloud. Here was a man that was kind, strong, capable of taking care of himself and his family, and knowledgeable. So what if he wasn't fully human? Ume sure didn't care about that. It was the last thing she could have expected when thinking about her marital future, but considering how her life has gone, it was not the worst thing that could happen. Not in a longshot.

Because at this point, there was no denying it; Ume was irrevocably attracted to Jinenji. And she was pretty sure he was attracted to her.

So what was the hold up? Why was he acting this way towards her?

Ume finally let her hands fall away from her face, her arms and legs spread out beside her on the grass. Her face tilted upwards towards the soft blue sky, watching the puffy white clouds float by. It was supposed to be a perfect spot for Ume to come to meditate and receive guidance for her troubled mind. Meditate she did not, but she now knew what her next course of action was.

She had to confront him.

It wasn't proper. To some, it might be downright pitiful, but Ume had had enough. She needed answers, and she was going to get them. One way or another.

'Screw propriety!' She thought, her eyes burning with determination. She was done waiting for Jinenji to...do whatever he was doing or figure out his feelings. She was a grown woman dammit, with wants and needs that extended further than just her dreams at night. She was going to march right up to him and be as straightforward as possible. There was no room for subtlety here.

And if he really didn't share her feelings? At least she would know. It would hurt, and she would need time and space to gather herself again, but she wouldn't let it mess with their friendship. She cared for him too much for that.

Ume rose to her feet, practically running back towards the village. She had to get to Inuyasha so he could carry her there, she didn't care what she had to bribe him with to do it.

Maybe she should just start yelling for him. That way he'll know it's very important. 

Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.

"INUYASHA!!!"

It was sweltering inside the hut. Jinenji had not been outside yet today, but he imagined it must be the hottest day since the snow melted - given the internal temperature of the hut - and it was not preferred for anyone to suffer in such muggy conditions instead of enjoying the cool breeze that came with being out in the open. 

But not Jinenji. Oh no. 

Instead of tending to his garden, feeling the bright sunlight warm his tanned skin as he collects herbs by the river, he was buried in the far corner of his hut, hiding under his favorite pile of furs. Every now and then, he would stoke the small fire placed in the middle of the hut, being careful to keep it just big enough to add some more light inside. Jinenji would have been fine with enduring this time in the dark - it certainly would have been cooler than this - but his mother was determined to stay with him all day and she did not want to sit in the dark. 

'Instead, I get to boil from the inside out,'

Jinenji's eyes narrowed at his mother from the little peephole he made in his fur bun. It's not as if he didn't want his mother to keep him company, but he wished that he could be more comfortable during this time. 

His human time. 

The one time of the month where all his hanyou abilities are deafened and numbed, leaving him and his mother defenseless. From dawn till dusk during the last quarter moon.

He hated it. 

It was bad enough that he was a spineless coward when he had immeasurable strength and a strange power that connected with nature around him, but he felt even lower than dirt when he was human. If he was plagued with terror as a giant monster, what could he possibly do as a weak human? Sure, he was still quite large for your average human, and possibly stronger than most people, but Jinenji’s anxiety prevented him from trying to embrace any positives that came from his time of the month. The worst part of it all was probably his eyesight. Normally, the world was colorful and sharp, and even the dark of night was unable to blind him. He had a love-hate relationship with the outward appearance of his eyes - far too big and bulging and bright to be considered any kind of normal - but his eyesight had saved himself on any number of occasions, and was perhaps his least hated part of himself, despite it’s appearance.

But when he was human, everything became dull and blurred. He felt as if he was constantly squinting his eyes, trying to find his normal clarity in the mountains off in the distance, or in the early morning dew drops on the grass below him.

The world just seemed numb when he became human. Honestly, he didn’t know how humans could even stand it. 

Jinenji burrowed himself even deeper into his fur bun. The day was only maybe halfway over with, and time seemed to be passing by slower and slower. He missed the scorned look of his mother as she continued her work weaving a new basket across the fire from the safety of his burrow. 

"So Jinenji," she paused. Jinenji made a face under the covers; he really didn't want to talk today, about anything.

"Yes mother?" Jinenji sighed.

"How is the garden doing?"

'What kind of question is that?' Jinenji's eyes once again narrowed in the direction of his mother. Why would she be asking him this? She spends almost as much time tending to it as he does. 

"It should be fine mother. You were out tending to it earlier this morning, were you not?"

"Of course I was working earlier! Didn't have to do much though. Nothing that can't wait till later tonight,"

Jinenji paused, wondering how long it would take for her to keep going; he knew she wanted to say something, and Jinenji had a tiny inkling on what that was. He hoped it wouldn't be what he thought it was, but when did anything go right when she was involved. 

"She got a green thumb, that girl,"

"Kagome has a very gentle hand when it comes to plants,"

"Don't lie to me boy, we both know I wasn't talking about Kagome," his mother exclaimed sharply, causing Jinenji to flinch, even under the safety of his furs. Considering only one other woman visited his home, he knew exactly who his mother was referring to.

"Yes mother, Ume has a very green thumb," Jinenji said with a clenched jaw.

A round of silence went on between them. Just the faint crackle of the fire and the whooshing brush of the leaves as they are braided together. 

"An interesting girl, that Ume. She reminds me of Kagome; kind and compassionate"

"Mmm,"

"Hardworking, too. She never complains and always has a smile on her face, " she mutters something under her breath, but Jinenji has no way to hear it with his human ears. Not that he'd two want to hear it, he'd rather her drop the subject while she's ahead.

"Mmm,"

She didn't seem to be noticing his less than enthusiastic responses.

“And such a pretty little thing. I bet she’d make a good wife someday,”

“Mother, please, can we drop this conversation?”

“I shall not!” She snipped, her eyes blazed with determination as she continued weaving. “A good looking girl like her isn’t meant to be unwed forever. Eventually, someone is going to notice and will sweep her away if you don’t tell her how you feel,”

And there it was.

Of course, it had been of no surprise that his mother had seen how their relationship had begun to blossom over the past month. It had started with small gestures; conversation that flowed easier, keeping her in much closer contact. Jinenji was constantly watching her, and noticing that she watched him almost just as much. 

And then, he nearly ruined everything a week ago. They had finished their gardening early and had taken another walk down by the river. Ume didn’t see a tree root that was sticking out of the ground and tripped. Jinenji was quick enough to catch her before she hit the ground, but there had been consequences for his help.

This had been the closest he had ever been to Ume. It would have been all too easy to pull her towards him and engulf her in his arms, to never let go. He wondered what it would feel like to have her body pressed against his. If her lips were as soft as they looked.

The splash from a fish that jumped in the water brought them both back to reality, before either one could act on their extremely close proximity. Ume’s face held a pretty blush as she thanked him for catching her. Jinenji didn’t know exactly what it was that brought his next thought to mind; Perhaps it was the slowly fading, tingling warmth he could still feel on his fingertips, thinking about how small she was in his giant grasp. Maybe it was the quick glance of himself on the water’s surface - like a mirror despite the rippling effect the fish’s jump caused - of all his weird, demonic traits and the knowledge that soon enough they would transform into something a little more human-like for a single day.

Despite all his flaws as a hanyou, Jinenji didn’t care for himself as a human either. His demonic attributes were the reason why most people steered clear of him, but they were somewhat normal enough to him that changing his appearance seemed wrong somehow. He still loomed heavily over his mother’s shoulder as a human, big and bulky - most of the village men would probably only come to his shoulders at most. His face felt all scrunched up, with only a little nub for a nose, and his eyes dark and beady.

Jinenji might not have any confidence in himself as a hanyou, but he sure didn’t feel like himself as a human either. And who would want to deal with the emotional cargo that comes with all that each month?

At the end of the day, Jinenji was a monster , and monsters don’t deserve the love of pretty women.

After his internal back and forth considering the beautiful woman before him, Jinenji allowed himself the comfort of her company for the remainder of the day, but as soon as she was safely escorted back into her own village, Jinenji began constructing the walls that once stood around his heart. There was no reason to entertain any notion that she could ever love him - or even want to be with him in that way.

So, he shoved those thoughts of her deep, deep, deep into his heart, locking them away to never be seen again.

Or, he would if his meddling mother would learn to just let the damn subject go.

“Mother, we’ve been over this before - “

“And once again you refuse to listen to your mother! Do you think me so old and senile that I would not be able to tell when she gets that look in her eyes?”

Jinenji flinched once again at the venom in her words. “No Mother, you know I’d never - “

“Despite my age, I still remember what it was like to be a young woman in the prime of her life. I remember how I felt with your father. And I hate to see you deny yourself the potential for the same happiness I once had all those years ago,”

Jinenji could do nothing but stay silent. The anger that had once been in her voice had changed to something akin to sadness or pity.

The worst part about it all was that she was right. Jinenji knew that Ume cared for him. It was apparent by the smile on her face whenever she visited; The fact that she visited as often as she did, always eager to help out either with the garden or even assisting mother with the standard household chores.

As a human, Jinenji couldn’t stop his emotions from leaking out of the cage he tried to keep it in. He could see, clearly as if his hanyou vision was back, her bright, brown eyes staring up at him with such reverence as he held her, like she knew he would always be there to save her.

It was too much for him to handle. Sure, Ume cared for him, but that didn’t mean that she loved him. Not in that way. Jinenji didn’t think he could handle the rejection if he dared to ask.

He treasured the time she would spend with him, but he wouldn’t hold her back from her own happiness, even if that didn’t include him.

Jinenji and his mother let the silence swirl around the hut, coating everything in a melancholy aura. Jinenji curled up deeper in his furs, determined that he would die of heat stroke before showing his mother the look of utter defeat that probably showed on his face. After another minute, she sighed heavily.

“I think I’ll go check on the garden anyways. Call for me if you need me,” 

Jinenji listened as she stood up from her place by the fire. She set her weaving supplies down at the far end of the hut, grabbed an empty basket, and made her way outside. The hut was silent, save for the crackling fire, and all Jinenji could fixate on was how alone he felt in that moment.

“Such a stubborn boy…” she murmured as soon as she was far enough away from the hut that Jinenji wouldn’t hear her.

Ushi was at her wits end with these children. It was a sad fact that she had given up on the prospect of Jinenji settling down with a wife of his own, to grow his own family. She knew the consequences of having a child with a demon, how most people would shun them or fear them. Although, she certainly didn’t think she’d be doing it alone.

It was because of this preconceived notion that she was so adamant that Jinenji rip his head away from the dirt he’d forced it into and realize that Ume was crazy for him. For some reason.

Not to say that there was anything bad about Jinenji. She raised a good son. She knew if Jinenji could find a woman to care for that he would be the most gentle, loving husband a man should be. But she knew that it would take a strong hearted woman to look past everything that made Jinenji….different.

She had hoped for a small moment that Kagome might be the one, but alas, just as she could see the love and admiration Ume has for Jinenji, so could she see the same things in Kagome and Inuyasha all those years ago. Just by hearing the way she defended both hanyou boys, and seeing Inuyasha follow her around like a love sick puppy was plenty of evidence.

It was a little disappointing - knowing that Kagome’s heart was already won by another hanyou - but it was also inspiring. It was obvious Kagome didn’t care about those parts of Inuyasha - if anything, those were some of the things she loved about him. And it gave her hope that one day, her son might find someone like Kagome. Preferably before she croaked.

All of her patient waiting and prayers began to produce good fruit when Kagome introduced them to Ume. If only her son could stop being so stubborn and scared and talk to the girl.

It was obvious that she was going to have to meddle deep into this situation. She had been honest earlier when she told Jinenji there wasn’t much gardening to do today, but she had to come up with a way to push those two together, and being stuck inside with her brooding son would not be productive for her. She should have grabbed her weaving supplies out with her, but - 

“Just set me here Inuyasha, I can walk up there on my own,”

She stopped. All thoughts disappeared from her head. If she wasn’t going crazy, then that voice sounded a lot like…

Ume.

There she was, casually climbing off Inuyasha with her own basket in tow, quietly conversing with the inuhanyou. He locked eyes with her for just a second, nodding in acknowledgment before heading back the way he came. Ume turned toward her then, a warm smile on her face as she began walking towards her, waving in greeting.

Part of her would have liked a little more time to prepare a plan, but she was nothing if not intuitive and cunning. She could work with this.

“Good afternoon Ushi-san!”

“Ahh, good afternoon Ume-san. I didn’t expect to see you today!”

Ume flushed at the statement, her gait a little more hesitant than it was just a second ago, but whatever had went through her mind disappeared as quickly as it came and she continued to walk until she was right in front of her.

“Yes, it was a last minute decision to stop by, I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

“No no, it’s been a quiet day around here. Not much gardening to do thanks to you and Jinenji,”

Once again, her face flushed at the mention of her son. Honestly, the boy really thought she didn’t care for him in that way? A question for another time she supposed, not when she was formulating a plan even as they spoke.

“Well, I was hoping to speak with Jinenji, is he around?”

Showtime.

“Oh yes, Jinenji is just hunkered down inside, the poor thing. Came down with a little sickness - nothing too terrible! Just some coughing and body aches.” The look of horror on Ume’s face almost made her feel a little guilty for lying like this.

Almost.

“Actually, it’s most fortuitous that you’ve come by today. There is a special plant down by the river that I wanted to harvest for Jinenji, but I didn’t want to have to leave him here by himself. Do you think I could trouble you to stay with him until I return?”

“Of course I would! It would be no trouble at all!”

“Ahh thank you for doing this old woman a favor! When I return, I shall make us all a hearty pot of soup for dinner, if you would do me the honor of staying?”

Ume agreed, and after the both of them bowed to each other, she made her way towards the hut as Ushi began her trek toward the river. Of course, there was no plant to be harvested by the river - nothing that Jinenji couldn’t get tomorrow anyways. She decided it would be nice to just relax by the river for a good while. Perhaps she would grab the net by the old storage shed they had and catch some fish for dinner.

She held a look of pure triumph on her way the whole way there.

It wasn’t much longer from the time she left that Jinenji’s mother came sauntering back inside. Lucky for her, since he was just moments away from getting rid of the fire that threatened to boil him alive. Jinenji simply stayed buried under his furs, unwilling to be apart of his mother’s endless meddling.

“Jinenji-san?”

Odd. That sure didn’t sound like his mother. In fact, it almost sounds like - 

“Jinenji-san, are you awake?”

Jinenji struggled to erect a small peephole in his furs, completely baffled by the voice he was hearing. It must be his human hearing. There’s no way she was here. He made sure to keep her at a distance, to keep her away. The only option available to him was that his mother was indeed a witch - a thought he sometimes entertained over the years as she bested many of the village men whenever they decided to spew their vitriol in his direction.

He finally managed to move one of the furs so he could see into the hut. And there she stood, dark hair highlighted by the low light of the fire, her honey colored eyes - that Jinenji would swear held the sun in each of them - staring upon his bed of furs, a worried look that was far too cumbersome for her beautiful face.

“Ume-san? Is that you?”

The worried look on her face lessened as soon as she heard his voice, giving way to a bright smile that made his stomach do flips.

“I heard from Ushi-san that you weren’t feeling well today. I said I’d stay with you while she went to forage by the river,”

She set her basket down by the door and walked around the fire to sit beside him.

“How are you feeling? Have you had anything to eat yet? Do you want me to make you some tea? If I had known you weren’t feeling well, I could have brought some of Kaede-sama’s herbal teas,”

“I….I’m feeling fine, Ume-san. Just a little…under the weather…”

Jinenji wasn’t sure where he’d find the courage, but when he did, he was going to give his mother a stern talking to. He didn’t know how she did it, how she managed to make the one person Jinenji could not see in his current state just….appear out of nowhere.

She was definitely a witch, no doubt about that.

The hard part now was finding a way to get rid of Ume before anything bad could happen. Like her seeing him in his human form. Or him blurting out his undying love for her and asking stupid questions like ‘Will you be my wife?’ .

Jinenji’s hands were sweaty, and it wasn’t because of the heat.

“What-what are you doing here? I didn’t think you would….be stopping by,” Jinenji hated the words coming out of his mouth, because of course he wouldn’t think she would be visiting, not with the way he had been avoiding her all week.

Actually, perhaps this was for the best. She was obviously here to let him know she was never coming back again. One moment they were two souls traveling along the same path that only led to a beautiful meadow, and the next he was pushing her off the side of his own internal castle for one. 

Mother was right. She was a young and beautiful woman who would in no time find a suitable husband. Who was Jinenji to stand in the way of that because he couldn’t keep control over his emotions?

Or perhaps she never shared the same feelings with him, and couldn’t stand to be around some pining, love sick monster any longer.

Either way, she was here to set the record straight and leave him. Well, at least he would always have the memory of that warm smile and soft, tinkling laughter. It would be enough. It would have to be.

Ume flushed at his question, pointedly looking at anything but his fur bundle. Her hands came up to awkwardly fiddle with the ends of her hair. Jinenji couldn’t help but keep his eyes on her hands - so tiny and soft, yet still held a solid strength in them.

She huffed a deep sigh, tugged slightly on the ends of her hair, and set her hands back down in her lap. She turned her body so it more faced him, her back straight, and a determined look in her eyes.

“Jinenji-san, I came by to ask you something, and I would appreciate it if you let me finish speaking before answering any of my questions. I’m afraid of losing my resolve after working up the courage to be here,”

Even though Jinenji knew she was going to let him down with whatever speech she had prepared for him, he couldn’t help but admire her tenacity. She wasn’t quite as explosive as Kagome could be, but there was a fire that burned inside her. Her kindness and willingness to go with the flow could not be labeled as meekness, and it made Jinenji admire even more than he ever thought he could.

When it became clear Jinenji wasn’t going to say anything, Ume began her speech.

“Did I do something to offend you? It’s just…things seemed to be going so well….between us. I mean to say, you’ve been so…sweet and doting, and for a moment it seemed that we were of similar minds. But now you’ve been distant and I just need to know if I did something, or if all of this was just in my head, because this past week has been awful and I hate this distance between us and - “

Ume was rambling. The longer she went, the louder her voice became, her hands stepping away from fiddling with the ends of her hair to loudly gesturing with her words. She didn’t look at him once, but her face became redder with each passing second.

Jinenji was…confused, to say the least. He was expecting something more along the lines of “I’m uncomfortable around you” or “I can’t be seen with you anymore”. Instead, it sounded like the opposite. Like she actually cared for him in a romantic way.

Which was crazy . But Jinenji was replaying each and every word she spoke, despite the fact that his brain was attempting to stop working. 

“Jinenji-san, please say something,” she spoke softly. He was so far into his own head that he hadn’t realized that she had stopped her nervous rambling and was now looking to him for a response.

Jinenji didn’t know what to say. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was and ask her to stay with him for the rest of their lives because he loved her , but Jinenji was a coward, and he was so afraid of reading this whole situation incorrectly.

Despite always having his mother, Jinenji had lived a lonely life, and for once he just wanted to live a normal life. He envied the village men, the ones who would take a trip into the forest for firewood with a few others - talking and laughing and teasing each other - only to go back to a warm home with a loving wife and giggling children.

Things had gotten a little better over the years. The village didn’t treat Jinenji and his mother with the contempt they used to after he saved them all from that demon. Inuyasha and Kagome and their group gave Jinenji the friendship he never had growing up. But getting married was always something that seemed so completely out of reach.

Maybe not so much anymore.

Jinenji had more things in his life now than he ever did, things that once upon a time were also ‘out of reach’. If those things had become a possibility, why couldn’t this?

He still wasn’t sure he could speak, not quite yet, so Jinenji decided to take some action. Something small to tell her that he cared for her and wanted to share things with her.

Keeping his blankets still firmly wrapped around him, Jinenji sat up. He was shaking slightly at the prospect of what he was about to do. But no matter how this all ended up, Jinenji put all his trust in this little woman, and that thought was what fueled him to let his blankets drop, and show her his deepest secret.

He didn’t expect the scream to come out of her mouth.

Ume couldn’t help the scream that rose from her throat.

The whole time she assumed she had been talking to Jinenji - it sure sounded like him, despite being under a mountain of furs - but the figure that came out definitely couldn’t be him.

This was obviously a human, with dark brown eyes so vastly different from the cerulean blue that were normally set in her direction. Despite broad shoulders, muscled arms, and a good foot taller than Ume sitting down, he was tiny compared to her gentle giant.

But there were other things that Ume noticed that seemed very familiar. His jet black hair framed a different pair of colored eyes, but they held a softness in them when he looked over at her, as if staring at her for too long or too hard would break her. He had the same sun tanned skin as Jinenji, the same scars littered across his arms and knuckles.

If anything, he looked like a ‘human’ version of Jinenji.

“Please don’t be frightened, it’s me!” The man spoke. He held out his arms towards her, as if he wanted to hold her, before sharply bringing them back towards his body. The movement was so sharp, it was almost like he was burned by being too close to her.

It was an action so familiar to Jinenji, especially in the beginning. Ume’s heart was still frantically beating out of her chest, but she took a few deep breaths to calm herself enough to truly look at him in realization.

The human sitting before her was Jinenji.

“J-Jinenji-san? Is that really you?” She asked, wide eyes taking every part of Jinenji in. He didn’t respond, just giving her a small nod as he began to squirm a little under her strong gaze. “I don’t understand. What’s happened to you?”

Jinenji wrung his hands on the blankets surrounding him, staring into the fire.

“I have not met many hanyou. Inuyasha was the first, and I’ve met with little Shiori once when she and her mother came to live in Inuyasha’s village. But generally, a hanyou is marked by their more demonic traits. Some are more noticeable than others. But one day a month, our appearances change. Once a month, our demonic traits disappear, and we become human.”

Ume had so many questions, and no idea where to start. For one, she couldn’t believe that it had been almost a whole year since she had first met Jinenji, and she had no idea that this happened to him every month. She wanted to feel upset at not knowing such a change happened to him regularly, but one look at him had her tucking away those feelings.

He hadn’t said anything after that declaration. He just sat there with a defeated look in his eyes as he continued to stare into the fire. It looked like he had lost something at just the mere mention of his predicament. She wondered if Jinenji ever told this to anyone else.

“How long will you be…human like this?” She knew it couldn’t be long; not counting the winter, she spent most of her days of the week at Jinenji’s, but she needed to ask, to be sure that this wouldn’t last forever.

“It’s different for every hanyou I think. I’ve seen Inuyasha before during my transformation, and he’s always looked the same. For me, it happens the day of the quarter moon after a full moon. I turn into a human at dawn and stay that way until dusk,”

“And you’ll turn back into your normal self when the sun goes down?”

He nodded at her question, and Ume couldn’t help but sigh in relief at the answer.

“Oh, that’s good to hear,” she said with a smile, until she realized how that might have sounded to him. “Not that I don’t care for you this way! I’m just not used to seeing you like this, and I guess I’m more comfortable with how you usually look - NOT that seeing you in this way is a bad thing! I think your human form is very handsome, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t think you’re handsome as you already are and I just didn’t want you to think that - “

Ume couldn’t stop her rambling. She was sure her face was as red as Inuyasha’s robes, and yet she couldn’t stop. She just kept going and going, digging herself further and further into her future grave.

Jinenji, meanwhile, had been silent as Ume rambled on. He might have been human currently, but he was almost positive she said the word “handsome”, and used it to describe him. Both as he was currently and how he normally is.

Which made his head want to both spin for all eternity and explode at the same time.

Jinenji tried not to read too much into it. He didn’t want to assume anything, only to ruin the friendship he shared with her.

But he couldn’t help but notice the way her eyes gazed over his form, causing her face to become even more flushed as she continued talking. He remembered all the times she came by to help with the garden, or to help his Ma with the daily chores so she wouldn’t hurt as much the next day. All the long walks taken together, stolen glances. That day by the river, when she was so close to him.

No one else looked at him the way she did. No one devoted their lives to his like she did. Had he really been such a fool to not see it? Was he so scared of her rejection that he failed to see the love she gave him everyday?

Well, of course that last one was true. Now the question became, what would he do about it?

“Ume,”

His voice was so soft, yet it was strong enough to break through her nervous rambling. She looked over at him, surprised because she had never realized how reverent her name sounded from him when the formalities were dropped, her eyes widening at the man sitting beside her. He had shed much of the tension in his stature, sitting comfortably with his furs around him. His gaze on her burned with such intensity, her insides were melting under the heat, filling her with a warmth that was both relaxing and overwhelming. He paired his gaze with a small smile that made her dizzy in the head.

If she wasn’t already aware that she was hopelessly in love with Jinenji, she sure would have known by now.

“Thank you,” Ume’s rampant thoughts were interrupted by Jinenji once again.

“Wh-what for?”

“For being here with me today. I don’t think I could ever properly give you my thanks,”

“It’s no trouble at all. I love spending time with you,” she smiled.

She really wanted to tell him she loved just being beside him, but she lost some of the confidence she had sported on her way there. Of course, she never expected to see Jinenji as a full human. Besides, he seemed completely at ease with her around now that he had gotten his secret off of his chest. All of her anxious thoughts from earlier about why she hadn’t seen or heard from him this week were swept away. 

“And I you, little flower,” his innocent nickname for her had both of them flushing even more.

Ume had come here for answers. A hope that she could mend whatever tear had been made in the fabric of their relationship. To use sturdier garments to transform what was into what could be. She wasn’t sure if she got the straight answer she had originally set off to find from him. There were still things left unsaid, swirling around in the hot air that permeated the hut, but she didn’t feel as rushed anymore to pry these things from him.

Not when he continued to look at her like that.

Instead, they sat together for a little while longer, content to bask in the comfortable silence that existed between them. Eventually, Ume walked over to where they kept their food stores, gathering a variety of vegetables to start chopping for the stew Jinenji’s mother would make when she returned; if she was going to stay and eat with them, she might as well help. Meanwhile, Jinenji moved for the first time that day since his transformation hit him, grabbing a nearby pot filled with water to prepare them some tea.

They passed the time by making small talk, neither one bringing up Jinenji’s transformation or the reason that Ume stopped by at all. They didn’t need to. There would be time for that in the future.

Later on, when Ushi returned - a fair catch of fish in tow - she noticed that all the door and window coverings were open, letting in what little breeze the warm day would provide them. Jinenji never left them open during his human days, too afraid of anyone stopping by and finding him in such a state. When she stepped over the threshold, she was awarded with the most precious view she had probably ever seen, concerning her son.

The fire had severely dwindled down, now only scorching embers. Sunlight spilled through the open window onto the young ones sitting on the floor against the opposite wall. They were both asleep, Jinenji’s head laid upon Ume’s lap, her hand wrapped gently within his dark locks, as if she had been combing her fingers through his hair before falling asleep herself.

Ushi stifled a chuckle that she oh so longed to let free. Her son was as stubborn as a horse - pun intended - but as always, Ume seemed to pull him out of his shell and soften him up.

Ushi grabbed whatever supplies she needed to prepare the fish for dinner and tip-toed back outside.

Lovebirds needed their rest after all.

Inuyasha let out a loud burp, leaning back onto his hands and letting his head hang back. 

“Inuyasha!” Kagome chided, although there was no heat behind it.

“What? I can’t help it if my wife makes the best stew in the whole village,” he said with a smirk, causing Kagome to giggle at him.

“Flattery will get you everywhere you know,” she teased, leaning over to give him a peck on the lips. “Hand me your bowl so I can wash it,”

“Absolutely not, woman!” He chided, hastily jumping forward to grab his bowl before she could. He plucked hers from her hands before standing to take care of them.

“Inuyasha, just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I’m incapable of cleaning some dishes,”

“You heard the ol’ baba earlier. You need to take it easy this next month, we have no idea when the baby is going to come!”

Kagome sighed, but didn’t argue with him further. She supposed he was at least a little right. Despite accounts both from Myouga about Inuyasha’s mother, and Jinenji’s mother, there really wasn’t a good way to tell how long her pregnancy would be for their quarter hanyou child. All they could do was take it day by day. She could tell Inuyasha was nervous about it, and if she was honest, so was she. But she tried to have a positive outlook on everything. After all, the stress wouldn’t be good for either her or the baby.

Instead, she reached over to grab her sewing basket from beside their chest. Between herself, Sango, and Rin, they had finished a plethora of little outfits for their newest family member. Perhaps, with Inuyasha cleaning up dinner, she would be able to finish the pattern on her current project.

It wasn’t long into their tasks though, that Inuyasha stopped to look towards the door, taking a few discreet sniffs.

“Wonder what he’s doing coming by this way…” he murmured.

“Inuyasha?”

“Stay here Kagome. It’s just Jinenji, probably bringing Ume back home. He usually doesn’t come by this route though. I’m gonna go see if he needs anything,” Inuyasha dried his hands on a dry towel, leaving the bowls to soak while he spoke with the giant hanyou. “And don’t you dare touch those dishes Kagome!”

It was a foolish thing to ask of her, he knew she was going to as soon as he was gone. But he’d deal with that afterwards.

It was already dark outside, although Inuyasha could still see Jinenji’s giant form lumbering down to him from the tree line.

He found this all quite odd. Firstly, because Jinenji never came by the hut when he would drop Ume off at Kaede’s. It was a little off the beaten path from the rest of the village, meaning that coming towards the hut would put Jinenji farther from his own. And Jinenji wasn’t known to be out and about so late at night. Sure, Jinenji was slowly coming into his own - thanks in part to both Kagome and Ume - but Inuyasha knew that his fears of the world would probably take a lifetime to overcome. Straying from his own sanctuary of safety just to bring Ume home sometimes was a feat in and of itself.

There was also something different about Jinenji’s posture as he came closer. Normally, Jinenji walked with a slight hunch in his back, making it look like he was constantly trying to curl into himself. Instead, he seemed to walk towards Inuyasha with almost his full height, with a quiet aura of confidence Inuyasha hadn’t seen since that demon attack at his home.

“What brings you by, Jinenji?” Inuyasha asked, pulling his arms into the sleeves of his haori.

Jinenji stopped a few feet away, his eyes glancing around the hut, by the garden, making its way toward the storage shed a few feet behind the main hut they lived in.

“I’m sorry to come by so late, but I need to ask a favor of you, Inuyasha-sama,”