Giving Thanks by ƒ å ł ł - ç н å η

Giving Thanks

Kagome tossed and turned in her bedroll, unable to fall asleep. She hadn't realized it was Thanksgiving, caught up as she was in the excitement of life in the Feudal Era, until they had stumbled upon a village in the midst of a great festival. Miroku had explained the significance to her and it had translated easily - even 500 years in the past, there were still things to be thankful for.

Next to her, Shippo twitched in his sleep and she involuntarily found herself soothing him much like she would Kirara. Somewhere nearby, Sango mumbled something in her sleep and turned over; causing what she assumed was Inuyasha to look up briefly, ears perked.

'Inuyasha...'

She had been harsh on the hanyou, she guiltily realized. When she had asked Inuyasha if she could return to her time and he refused, she had lost her temper. It was the first time she was away from home on Thanksgiving and she could almost imagine what it must have been like for Souta and her grandfather and her mother - the table set for four people, complete with the magnificent bird that was tradition, and her mother periodically looking towards the door, waiting for her to walk through, as her grandfather said some prayers "to bring her home." They would have eventually realized she wouldn't be back as they waited, the clock ticking away and the food growing cold on the table. Sango had eventually pulled her aside, telling her as gently as possible that they were too far away from the well for her to return in time; and Inuyasha had tried to make up for it in his own way, letting them stop earlier and finding a hot spring for her to soak in.

Thinking about Inuyasha reminded her of everything that had happened since she had first fallen into the well. Kagome rolled onto her back, staring up at the stars in the night sky. It was almost midnight, she realized with a start. She might not have been able to return home to her family, but she could still do as tradition dictated and give thanks for all the good that had happened to her.

'Thank you' she began, apprehensively biting her lower lip. Normally, her grandfather had been the one to start and she couldn't remember in full how the words went. It was the sentiment that counted, though. That was what her mother always said. 'Thank you, Inuyasha. For being my protector and for keeping all of us safe. Thank you, Sango, for being such a good friend...'

By the time she had gone through the full list of her friends - Koga, Kaede, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, Shippo, and Inuyasha being the most noteworthy - she had begun to feel tired at last. She hadn't realized how many people she knew in the Feudal Era, or how many people she could actually consider friends. Most of them had tried to kill her before - and that was another thing she was thankful for, her being alive after all those battles and in better health than ever - in fact, all of them had tried to kill or harm her before. At least, all the ones that she remembered right now had tried to kill her before.

'Let's see...' There were more people to thank, she knew it. Somewhere near Sango, Kirara mewed in her sleep and Kagome grinned, suddenly reminded of Myoga. The old flea youkai was a coward but he always helped Inuyasha in some way, giving him information when he was around. Thinking of Myoga reminded her of Totosai and she decided that the old swordsmith deserved thanks as well. After all, he had reforged the Tessaiga for Inuyasha after it broke...

After a moment's though, she decided that there was enough reason for her to thank Sesshomaru as well - the daiyoukai might have insulted Inuyasha and fought against him, but he hadn't killed the hanyou, not even when he had been unconscious that one time when his demon blood had taken over. He had also refrained from killing Kohaku after Naraku had ordered the boy to kidnap Rin and almost killed her through Sango's brother; and she was immensely thankful for that as it would have been devastating for Sango if her brother had been killed. Thinking of Sesshoumaru inevitably brought her to thoughts of people such as his ward, Rin; and Kagome stifled a giggle when she thought of the cute little girl. Her fingers brushed across the metal zipper of her sleeping bag and she almost gasped. She had entirely forgotten about all her friends in her era! There was Hojo, who really did mean well even if his constant gifts to improve her health grew annoying, and Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi, who were still her friends even if they were incredibly nosy at times. After all, they still hung out with her even though she was almost never there... Frankly, she didn't mind being in the Feudal Era so much. For all that she was almost killed on a daily basis and that she traipsed all over the country, it was refreshing and she wouldn't change it for the world.

'And...for being the reason I'm here right now...thank you Kikyo and Naraku.' She never thought she would ever thank Naraku for anything and even just thanking Kikyo was a stretch; but, they were the reason that she was here now, with Inuyasha and her friends in the Feudal Era. If Naraku hadn't tried to take the Shikon no Tama for himself, Kikyo would never have died and she wouldn't have been the miko's reincarnation, which meant that she would never have met all her friends.

Kagome yawned, sleepily blinking at the sky, before turning over so that she was facing Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha?" she called out quietly. Her only response was a grunt. "I'm sorry. And thank you."

It was only after she had fallen asleep that Inuyasha responded.

"Keh! What the hell was that for, wench?"