I've never heard of a hug as 'cocooned' before. Makes so much sense though. Love the imagery.
"He had come there fully expecting it to be the last time he ever saw her, but once again, Kagome had given him a new reason to love her." Aww, I just LOVE that line! InuYasha is such a sweet individual. Although he's struggling with some doubts, I love that he is open to receiving love and noticing Kagome's affections. Her love reaches through those walls.
"even he understood that a male was supposed to show his appreciation for the sustenance his mate provided" lol how true! No matter how bad the dinner turns out. InuYasha is lucky that Kagome is a decent cook though.
Oh Maikeru, your wife can see through your shenanigans. Just give up now. But choking on the eggs was a perfect way to end that scene =)
Oooohhhhh, Sesshomaru is entering the story. I wonder how this will work out. Does he know his brother has been living alone in a forest? It's been awhile since I've read this, but I don't remember InuYasha mentioning having a brother - maybe they aren't aware of each others existence.
Can't wait to read more!

I've been having a stupidly terrible time lately and I have to say that this chapter helped lift my mood! It has such a strong, determined, but nervous message of hope

This is an extremely compelling first chapter! The introduction was not only well-written, but heart-wrenching, coming back in little pangs with the character's memories

Kiki!!! I'm sorry I've been out of the loop for so long. To be honest I saw your warning and I was like...oh shit, I need to get my lazy ass reviewing again. You know I'll always love your stories the best, and this one is no exception. I also keep the policy you made long ago, and I only decide to review on the particular stories I follow that you write. In any case, I love this chappy, and I love this couple the most. Your progression in their romance is astounding, and I've always been admiring that about your writing. Thank you for updating, and thanks for staying true to you.

As for updates with me, I'm interviewing for medical school right now!!! My undergrad and MCAT wasn't the most fantastic,so I've been looking at Caribbean U.S. accredited schools. My top choice is St. George's University in Greneda. It may sound sketchy, but trust me it's not. It's fully supported and accredited by the US government as a medical school. I've done my research and all the clinical rotations are in the US (and of course residency is in the US). Anyway, I just wanted to update you with my life, keep your fingers crossed for my acceptance to some medical school (uughhh plllleeeaassseee let me in!!!) but it's my dream and passion, and I just have to follow that. Believe it or not, I sort of learned that from following your writing all these years. Thank you so much, and of course I'll still be actively supporting as much as time permits.Hope you are doing well Kiki, I hope to hear about your life too!

Great Chapter, worth the wait!!!!!!!!!!!

DaGrrrl says: Thank you! ^^

I just had to re-read this chapter lol. Inuyasha is so adorable! I'm really excited over the first mention of Sesshoumaru.

Sorry I havent be on in a while its been so hard with work and kids I havent really been able to go on and read and review as much as I would like but I really do love your work you do such and absolute job on your writing style its like when I read your stories I can imagine them such great work I love how this story is going, keep up the good work :)

DaGrrrl says: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the chapter. :) And no worries; I totally understand. Fanfic is leisure and we need to deal with the important stuff first. As long as I know that you're around and really want to maintain your account, it will be there. :)

AHA, I finally got to read something! So...Seshy is into all this now. You know, I totally forgot about him -_- Good call bringing him in now though, I can't wait to see what happens! I'm so glad that the IK are together again!

This is beautiful. Omg I can't stop singing the same tune, but dammit woman... My heart is consumed with a dull ache!

I gasp and got all teary eyes when Inuyasha said he'll be ready to join his mother.

Like... WHY???

I love how your story - how THIS draws me in and make the real world seem like imagination and this world real.

Then Kouga... I'm pretty sure I'm suppose to fucking hate him. I'm so confused there.

It just hit me that if the forest is destroyed, Inuyasha's home is gone... Kagome can adapt easily, but Inuyasha's been in the forest all his life... Damn...Damn damn damn...

I love how aware Kagome was and is. She accepted her fault, acknowledge her feelings - both fear, regret and hurt - and stressed over Inuyasha.

Such love, I swear it's tangible!! *___*

Another excellent story, I have to say that I love how Koga doesn't seem to take after his father in the slightest, though I do fear what will happen if the elder of the two eventually has his way! Not only would his plan spell major trouble for Inuyasha and Kagome, but the entire forest and all the wildlife who reside in and nearby it as well. Knowing that Koga will ultimately be in control of the business does leave me somewhat hopeful, it's just a question of how soon he might or might not be taking the reigns that's troublesome.

I had a feeling that Sesshomaru would be making an appearance soon after Koga began describing his Japanese supplier, and it's nice to see him officially mentioned! Whether the daiyouka knows about Inuyasha at all may be still unknown, but it would certainly be interesting to see the reaction from both sides should Sesshy eventually come to Shikon and cross paths with the forests resident hanyou.

As for Maikeru and Aiko, I'm absolutely loving the elder couple! In some ways their interactions with each other almost remind me of an older version of Sango and Miroku. I also admire there willingness to help Kagome out so much, though at the same time I also can't help but hate how Maikeru want's Kagome to move in with them. I realize that he wants her to be safe and that his only knowledge of Inuyasha comes from the brief glimpse he got of the hanyou back when the two were younger, but I can't help but hate the guy at bit every time he makes known his desire to take Kags away from the forest and, by extension, Inuyasha.

On that subject, I also love Aiko more and more each time she shoots down her husbands plans! Not only does she actually get how disastrous it can be to try forcibly uprooting Kagome from her childhood home, Inuyasha or not, but she's also, unknowingly, allowing Inu and Kags to spend more time getting to know each other better, which I love. Aiko's belief that matchmaking is best left out of mortal hands was yet another relief! It's nice to know that Doc Hiro probably won't be receiving any support from her over his idea of playing cupid for Koga and Kagome! Besides, knowing Koga's character from the anime/manga it's entirely possibly that he'll eventually, and possibly unknowingly, try to start up a love triangle with Kagome on his own, without any needed help from the Doc.

As for the two misfits themselves, it was extremely sad to learn about their stories. I can't imagine what it's like to lose a parent, or worse yet both of them at such young ages, especially in Inuyasha's case! I know his background, in many ways, seems extremely similar to that of his canon counterpart, but at least that Yash knew what he was and that he still had some family left. Sure Sesshy was likely cold, violent, and distant towards him, but Inuyasha still knew that the ice king existed. This version doesn't even know that his parents were from Japan, nor does he realize that he's a half demon, something that his cannon counter part at least had the privilege of knowing. I realize that such knowledge obviously doesn't help ease loneliness, but at least he'd know that he's definitely not a monster. Well, at least he has Kagome now and visa versa so neither one of them are completely alone any more. That's always a good thing!

Well, guess that's about it for now, excellent work so far! I look forward to seeing how things will progress from here!

DaGrrrl says:

What a lovely, meaty review! It was wonderful to read, thank you! <33

You've really delved into tis one, which is always a joy for a writer. There are some twists and turns but I can't reveal anything just yet. Everyone who reads this has only tasted the mild (super mild) angst of seeing InuYasha and Kagome feel their way around their budding relationship, but the ridges will come soon enough as other characters enter the picture.

I haven't decided how much of a role Sesshomaru will play in this, but he alway adds something interesting when he shows up. As for Kouga and his dad.. His father isn't really a 'terrible' person, just determined and unable to let go of a harsh upbringing. And Koga, well, he's more complex than he looks. (No more hints!)

There are still quite a few chapters to go before this one is over, so there's more IK cuteness to come, along with some drama… I just wish I could get the motivation to get it going already! Urgh.

Thanks again for the awesome review!!

Finally finished all the published chapters. It should have taken a lot less time to read if I wasn't so busy lately. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I really can't wait for more. I think what I like so much about it is purity of the romance between kagome and Inuyasha. It is almost childlike yet profound. It's not the kind of thing ine sees these days and I like that they aren't jaded. The sweetness of it all almost makes me forget that Inu is some kind of hybrid so I can sort of relate to his character. I can't wait to read more about him and his origin.I like that he is a different kind of hybrid than we would normally see in books. It makes it all the more exciting. All in all this has been a great read. Awesome job! Can't wait to read more.

I like that more and more of the characters' background is revealed in this chapter. I especially like the little flashbacks (for lack of a better word) that kinda describe the male character both physically and mentally. Like, how he looks, how he thinks, past experiences and all that. nicely done.

DaGrrrl says: Thanks! ^^ Glad to know that you're enjoying it so far. And you're correct to call them flashbacks -that's what they are. I tend to do that when i want to explain history without writing it in the present tense. It's a bit of a 'fanfic' thing, I'm afraid. :)