Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I wish I did, though I'd rather have Edward Elric at the moment XD
Kagome grumbled as she kicked her shoes off and walked towards the stairs, backpack slung over one shoulder. For the past year, since she'd been 'cured' of all her 'ailments', her friends had been trying to hook her up with Hojo. Again. More. Still. Whatever. They just couldn't seem to understand that she didn't like the guy as anything more than a friend. And how would they react if I told them my love interest just happens to be five hundred years in the past? Keh, she snorted, opening her bedroom door and tossing her backpack onto her bed.
In the year since Naraku had been defeated, and the well sealed, Kagome had found herself acting more and more like the hanyou who'd stolen her heart. A fact which Souta pointed out fairly often, which either earned him a glare from his sister or caused her to stare off into space. She sighed, and kicked the door closed, then pulled the old and battered yellow backpack she'd always used for journeys to the past out from under her bed, then sat on the window-sill and stared at it, tracing a rip in it that had been made by one of Inuyasha's claws. Then she dropped it to the floor, and stared out the window, fingers curling around a necklace that the hanyou had given her only a short time before the well had sealed.
I miss them all, but I miss him the most. But I don't think I'll ever see him again. Why, oh, why, did I never tell him how much he meant to me? Her cheerful façade dropped, leaving a sad teenage girl staring out the window, a tear tracing its way down her cheek as her fingers tightened around the necklace.
Kagome's mother watched as she slowly reached up to wipe away the tears. Then she softly closed the door, and leaned against the wall. It hurts so much to see my little girl in pain. I think it's time to tell her.. Hard part will be getting ahold of her father. Hn..
She grinned, then walked downstairs and into the kitchen, then over to the phone. She lifted it off the cradle, then dialed a number, idly popping her knuckles while she waited for the phone on the other end to be answered.
"Hello, Higurashi Corporations. How may I help you?"
"I'd like to speak with the president," she answered.
"May I have your name, please?"
"Rin Higurashi."
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Kagome woke up the next morning with a headache, and groaned. Note to self: crying myself to sleep is not the best plan. She rolled out of bed, dragging the blanket with her, and then walked bleary-eyed down the hall to the bathroom, where she used the toilet, brushed her hair, and then got an aspirin out of the medicine cabinet and downed it with a gulp of water. Then she walked back to her room and took off the school uniform she'd somehow managed to fall asleep in, then dressed in a bright red tank top and black slacks, then pulled her hair up into a tail on top of her head. With a wide yawn, she then walked downstairs and into the kitchen, then sat at the table.
It took her a moment to register the fact that there was someone at the table that she didn't recognize. When she did notice that, she blinked at him, then turned to her mother. Since her mother didn't seem to mind, she just shrugged and went back to eating her cereal. Souta seemed to be vacuuming in his breakfast, and soon finished and put his dish in the sink. Then he raced from the room, heading straight up to his room to see if he could beat Final Fantasy X again.
"Souta, don't spend all day in front of the TV!"
"Okay, Mom!" he called back. Kagome watched her mother shake her head then exchange a smile with the strange man sitting at the table with them. Soon Kagome finished her breakfast and put her bowl in the sink. She was at the doorway when her mother spoke up.
"Kagome, I'd like to speak with you,"
"Eh?" Kagome blinked, confused. "Alright."
Her mother and the man both put their bowls in the sink, and then trailed Kagome into the living room. Kagome sat down on the loveseat while the other two sat down on the couch and watched her, both eerily quiet, which made her fidget. Finally, she couldn't handle it anymore, and burst out, "You said you wanted to talk, so, talk!"
"Oh, sorry," Rin answered with a small smile. "Very well. I think I once told you, when you were very young, that your father had died. I lied. He is very much alive, and has been keeping his eye on us since he left."
"But.. Mama, why did he have to leave?" Kagome was more confused than ever, and not at all certain where this conversation would end up.
"So that you would not recognize him, Kagome, dear," Rin answered.
"Eh?"
"Look at me and tell me that I do not look familiar." Kagome turned her head, then her mouth dropped open.
"Wha- But- You-- Sesshomaru?"
"Such a nice greeting for your father," he answered, grinning. "But yes. If I had stayed with you and Rin, as I wished to, then that would have messed things up."
"I'm confused.." Kagome looked between her mother and the silver haired youkai sitting on the couch, confusedly thinking, I could have sworn his hair was black just a minute ago..
"Not surprising," Rin answered, then poked Sesshomaru's arm. "Tell it from the beginning."
"Watch where you poke, ningen," he mock growled in reply. "Think about it. You grew up with no father. When you met me in the Sengoku Jidai, I was just Inuyasha's brother, someone you didn't particularly like because of the way I treated him. If you had grown up with me around the house, then you would have recognized me in an instant then, and tried to throw yourself at me. What would I have done then?"
"You.. you likely would have killed me," Kagome answered, dazedly.
He nodded. "Quite likely. And then I might never have met your mother, which means that you never would have been born, which makes the whole thing null and void. However, since it went the way it did, the three of us are sitting here, discussing this."
Kagome blinked, trying to sort out the slightly confusing aspects of his mini-speech. Then she arched her eyebrow at him. "I get the feeling you like confusing people."
"Comes with the job, Kagome," Sesshomaru chuckled.
"I bet," she answered skeptically. "Okay, so let me get this straight. You left Mama to raise me, and later Souta, - I'm not going to ask how she managed to conceive him, yet - by herself, just so I wouldn't recognize you when I fell through the well?"
"Precisely."
"It was for our best interest, Kagome," Rin said softly. "I agreed to it because of the way he explained it. Being without him except for short periods for about fourteen years has been hard, especially since we were together for almost five hundred before that."
"Are you going to explain that?"
"Not yet," she answered with a soft laugh. "Any questions?"
"Uh.." Kagome thought for a minute, then Inuyasha's face jumped into her mind. "Wait.. If Sesshomaru is my father, doesn't that make me.. hanyou?"
Both Rin and Sesshomaru caught her slight pause before saying 'hanyou', and exchanged another glance. "Yes, it does," Sesshomaru answered.
"But I look completely human," she protested.
"That monk does come in handy," he mused quietly, then stood up and offered Kagome his hand. "Come with me, and I'll show you."
"Eh... Alright," she agreed, and took his hand. Sesshomaru led her over towards the mirror on the wall, and then lifted her hair. Kagome shifted uncomfortably as she felt his breath on the back of her neck, followed shortly by his fingers.
"Now where... Aha!" He tugged, and Kagome winced at the short, sharp sting of pain. Sesshomaru held the ofuda up. "This was a binding seal. It kept your youkai blood buried deep underneath your human blood. Now that it's been removed, your youkai blood will come rushing to the surface."
"Like.. Inuyasha's.. does on the morning after the new moon?" she asked.
"Exactly."
Kagome would have opened her mouth to ask another question, but stumbled over absolutely nothing as unfamiliar sensations rushed through her body. A couple minutes later, when she'd managed to sort out which direction was up and which was down, she straightened and looked into the mirror, only then realizing that Sesshomaru had been keeping her upright. She wondered slightly at that, but shrugged it off in favor of taking in her new looks. It wasn't much, really - just slit pupils instead of round, claws on her fingers, fangs in her mouth, and two cute fuzzy white dog ears set in a mass of black hair. Oh, and the decidedly odd sensations of being able to smell much better than she ever had before, and the constant noise of the city drifting to her new ears.
Kagome flexed her fingers for a moment, then said, "This is decidedly odd."
He laughed. "I'm sure it is. Now, Rin says that you've been mooning over Inuyasha for about a year now."
"Exactly a year.." she answered, unconsciously reaching up to grasp the necklace hanging around her throat.
Sesshomaru could see the depths of her sadness in her eyes, a sadness coupled with a love just as deep, and marveled at it for a moment. It seems so strange to think that a child of mine is so open to their emotions.. But then again, with Rin for her mother, I guess she can't help it. He cleared his throat, catching her attention again.
"Sorry," she said softly, dropping her gaze to the floor. Sesshomaru chuckled softly, and lifted her chin with one long finger.
"Never be sorry for being yourself, daughter," he said, golden eyes boring into her blue ones.
"Thank you... Dad." She grinned at the brief flash of shock across his face.
He shook his head, a matching grin coming to his face. "I haven't heard you call me that since you were a little girl. Strange and right, at the same time."
Kagome giggled, and walked back to the loveseat and sat down again, curling her legs underneath her, her thoughts whirling in her head as she tried to digest everything she'd been told. Then a thought struck her like a bolt of lightning as she watched Sesshomaru sit back down. "But doesn't this make Inuyasha my uncle?" she blurted out, eyebrows puckered in distress.
"Yes," Rin answered calmly.
"Then isn't it incest to, you know, have romantic interests in him?"
"Not at all."
"Huh?"
"With humans, it might, but that's not how it works for youkai," Sesshomaru clarified. "With youkai, only direct line ancestors or descendants count where incest is concerned. Thus, parents, grandparents, siblings, or children count."
"But.."
"Think of it like this. Inuyasha and I are brothers; we shared the same father. But since he had nothing to do with you being born, other than the fact that he delivered you (he's a doctor, you know), that means that a relationship between you and him would like a relationship between human cousins."
"Oh.." she replied, blinking. This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder, she observed to herself. "But.. is he even still alive?"
"Very much so," Sesshomaru answered with a chuckle. "Though I do rather wonder where he is this week."
"What?"
"Since you were born, he took to traveling the world, only rarely touching down here in Tokyo. I think he's been pretty much everywhere."
"Oh, cool." She smiled. That sounds exactly like him. "Was he afraid of me recognizing him, too?"
"That, and he was afraid you'd grow up thinking of him only as an uncle, and certainly not a love interest."
"Won't he be mad at you for telling me this?" she asked, smile widening to a grin.
"Probably," he agreed blithely, and Kagome laughed. Sesshomaru then began patting his pockets, looking for something, and finally finding it, apparently in a place where he hadn't expected it to be, because he asked himself how it got there. Then he held it up so that Kagome and Rin could see what it was: a cell phone. "Want me to see if I can reach him? He might not have his phone with him.. Last time I tried to call him, I had to wait a week for him to call back, because he said he'd forgotten it while he went hiking in the mountains."
"That sure sounds like something he'd do," Kagome observed wryly, wondering what this modern Inuyasha would be like. "And you can try, but I don't expect much."
"Alright," he answered, then dialed a number. He waited while it rang, once, twice, then..
"Fuck! Dammit!"
"Hello, little brother."
"Sesshomaru, what the hell are you calling about? I just smacked my head into a metal frame thingy because of you!"
"Still so clumsy, Inuyasha?" An inarticulate growl was his answer. "So, where are you this time?"
"Taking a supposedly relaxing cruise down the Amazon river," Inuyasha answered, rubbing his head as he glared into the darkness around him.
"Ah, then you were sleeping when the call came?"
More like thinking about Kagome, he thought, but answered, "Yeah."
"Sorry."
"So what did you call about, jackass?"
"How many times must I tell you that I am not a jackass? Nevermind, that was rather rhetorical," Sesshomaru sighed. "I just called to tell you that Kagome misses you."
Inuyasha froze, his features taking on a decidedly shocked cast in the dim light of his cell phone's display. She misses me?
After a moment, when Inuyasha hadn't said anything, Sesshomaru asked, "Are you still there?"
"Fuck, yeah," Inuyasha answered, finally finding her voice. "So.. she knows?"
"Yes. She's sitting right across from me watching every word I'm saying."
"Do you.. Could I.. talk to her?" Inuyasha swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling inexplicably dry.
"So timid you are, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru mocked with a smirk on his face. "If she wants, you can talk to her." He held the phone out to Kagome, saying, "He'd like to talk to you."
Kagome eagerly took it, careful not to scratch it with her new and rather unfamiliar claws. "Inuyasha?"
His eyes slid closed, a smile on his face. I haven't heard her voice for nearly five hundred years.. God, I miss her! "Hey."
"It's really you!" Kagome's eyes lit up. If she'd had a tail, it likely would have been wagging a mile a minute.
"Yeah, it's me," he replied, grinning. "Do you know how many times I've wished to hear your voice since the well closed?"
"Probably as many times as I've wished to hear yours," she answered softly. "But I bet it was harder for you, knowing exactly where I was for these past seventeen years, and not being able to see me."
"Yeah, you're right. You were such a pretty baby, too, you know."
"Was that a roundabout compliment?"
"Fuck, yeah," he answered with a laugh. "I guess since you know, I can come visit, huh?"
"You better!" Kagome answered, glaring at a spot somewhere on the ceiling. "You have no idea how many times I've cried myself to sleep because I didn't get to tell you how much you mean to me!"
"Kagome, Kagome, I wish I was there, right now. It's been hell without you nearby. I think I nearly death-willed myself after the well closed."
"My poor Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I've worn that necklace you gave me every day."
"That means so much to me," he answered, just as quietly. "So.. how soon should I be there?"
"Tell you what," she answered, still a bit teary eyed, "if you're not here within a week, I'll track you down and kick your butt."
Inuyasha laughed, a joyous sound full of happiness and love for the young woman on the other end. "I'll be there," he promised.
"You better be, mister, 'cause I've already missed enough school because of you," she teased.
"Hey, hey, no fair bringing up past sins," he protested.
"Haven't you ever heard that past sins always come back to bite you in the ass?"
"Ouch, touché. You got me there."
Kagome giggled. "You're a lot better with words than you used to be."
"I had to learn something other than sitting around and being a jerk."
"Hm, true, true."
"Hey.." Inuyasha protested half-heartedly. He heard a thump, then Shippo climbed onto his bunk.
"Hey, Inuyasha, who you talking to?" the kitsune asked, rubbing his eyes as he sat on Inuyasha's legs.
"Get off my legs, brat," he answered, and Shippo complied. "Thanks. I'm talking with Kagome."
"What, really?!" Shippo was instantly awake. "Can I talk to her, too?"
"We'll be back in Japan in a few days, Shippo, so chill out."
"Inuyasha, who's that you're talking to?" Kagome asked, curious.
"Who else do I call a brat, Kagome?"
"Shippo? Shippo's there? Sesshomaru didn't mention him."
"Still not used to thinking of him as your father?"
"It's.. a bit difficult to reconcile with the way he was in the Sengoku Jidai," she agreed.
"Yeah, I bet," Inuyasha said quietly. "Now, do you want to be talk with the brat or keep talking with me? We'll both be there in a few days, since he travels with me."
"Tell him I'm sorry, but I'd rather talk with you for now."
"Alright." He grinned. Shippo pouted, a rather ridiculous expression, but just shrugged. "So. How's your life been?"
Sesshomaru and Rin got up, and went to track down Souta, leaving Kagome happily talking with Inuyasha.
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"Are we there yet?"
"No, and if you ask one more time I'm going to pull your tail off," Inuyasha hissed, glaring at his companion.
"But, Inuyasha!"
"Shippo, you're not a kid anymore, and I seriously doubt that Kagome will protect you this time. You've been asking that same goddamn question every five minutes for the past three days!"
"I can't help it," Shippo answered, resting his chin on his hand. "I haven't seen Kagome in as long as you haven't, you know."
"I know that, you idiot," Inuyasha answered, "but you don't see me being annoying and acting younger than I am!"
"Well, keh," was the kitsune's response. Inuyasha just decided to ignore him as the taxi pulled into Tokyo traffic. I've never been able to decide which has worse traffic, New York or Tokyo, he thought, the random question popping into his mind as he stared out the window watching people pass by. The streets flashed by, and all was well in the taxi, as Shippo was being quiet and leaving Inuyasha alone for once, which meant that Inuyasha didn't have to try and rip the kitsune's tail off when he'd much rather be thinking about a certain blue eyed black haired young woman.
The taxi coasted to a stop, and Inuyasha blinked. He hadn't been expecting for it to stop for a while yet. He paid the fare - 3,300 yen - and got out, grabbing his bags from the trunk while Shippo got his own bags. He thanked the cabbie for the ride, then started climbing the stairs to the Sunrise Shrine. At the top, he and Shippo paused, watching Kagome chase Souta around, both with fuzzy white ears on top of their heads.
"Souta, get back here, you brat!" Kagome yelled, clawed hands reaching out for the young boy's neck.
"Nuh-uh! Besides, it wasn't my fault your CD player broke!" Souta yelled back.
"Yes, it was! And you had the gall to stick it back together with duct tape!"
"I just didn't want you to try to kill me," Souta whined, finally cornered by his elder sister.
"Fat chance, Souta," she replied, ears pressed against her head and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Now, do I have to strangle it out of you, or what?"
"I'm sorry, okay? I'll even buy you a new one, just stop being so scary!"
Kagome laughed. "Okay, you're forgiven. Now get outta here." He scampered off and back into the house, while Kagome turned and bent over backwards, popping her back. She straightened up, and her eyes fell on Shippo, who was already bounding towards her, despite the fact that he was actually a bit taller than her by now. She joyously hugged him, laughing about how he'd grown, then her eyes fell on Inuyasha. Shippo realized that her attention was elsewhere, and let her go. He waited where he was while Kagome walked towards Inuyasha, hand raised hesitantly.
Inuyasha lifted his own hand, and their fingers twined together, followed by the palms pressing against one another. Then blue eyes met gold, and the rest of the world was forgotten.
"Inuyasha," she whispered, her eyes alight. "I've missed you."
"Not half as much as I've missed you," he answered, pulling her into his embrace and burying his nose in her hair. "My Kagome.."
"Then you're my Inuyasha," she said quietly, clinging to him.
"I'd never have it any other way," he replied, then tilted her chin up. "I've waited five hundred years to do this, and nothing's gonna stop me now." Then he kissed her, and they were both lost in it, oblivious to anyone else that might be watching. And several people were, namely her family, Shippo, and her friends who just happened to have Hojo in tow. Those last observers felt their jaws dropping at the heat of Inuyasha and Kagome's embrace.
They broke for air, then Inuyasha swept her up into his arms and leaped into the Goshinboku's branches. Shippo grinned at Sesshomaru, then picked up his and Inuyasha's bags and corralled Souta into showing him where the guest room was. Yuka, Eri, Ayumi and Hojo walked over to Rin, still half staring at the Goshinboku, though they couldn't see either of the two now hidden in it's branches.
"Mrs. Higurashi, who was that man?" Yuka asked, having found her voice before the other three had.
"The young man Kagome happens to be in love with," she answered.
"Well, how come we've never seen him before?" Ayumi asked, curious.
"He travels the world a lot," was the answer.
"Well, then how'd they meet?"
"That's a long story, Eri," Rin answered. "And one I don't have the time for today. And by the way, please stop trying to coerce Kagome into a date with Hojo. She doesn't like it when you do that."
With that, she and Sesshomaru turned and entered the house, leaving the four teens staring at the door. Neither of the two were surprised to find Kagome and Inuyasha curled up together on the couch.
"Did you have a nice trip, little brother?" Sesshomaru asked, a small smile on his face.
"Best I've had in twenty years," Inuyasha answered, hands stroking through Kagome's hair. Sesshomaru smiled, a real one.
"I bet. Kagome, would you like to see some other old friends of yours?" he asked.
She looked up, blinking. "What? But, Inuyasha and Shippo are here.. Wait.. You mean Miroku and Sango, don't you?" Sesshomaru nodded. "But they were ordinary humans, weren't they?"
"They were, at that time. However, it is possible for a human's life span to be extended to that of a youkai."
"It is? How?" Kagome cocked her head, obviously curious.
"Well, if a youkai from an ancient family line takes a human in, and shares a bit of his, or her, blood with said human, the human then has their life extended and won't die for many, many years, unless they take a spear or bullet or something in a vital area," he explained.
"Oh, okay," Kagome responded. "So.. when can I see them, Dad?"
"Whenever you're ready for a trip to China, Kagome," he answered.
"China? Cool! Have you ever been to China, Inuyasha?"
"Bunches of times, Kagome," he answered. "Like just a couple years ago.."
Rin smiled, and indicated to Sesshomaru that they should leave the two alone. Neither noticed when the other two left, and it seemed that, for once, Shippo and Souta would behave themselves. Either that, or Sesshomaru had threatened them.
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--Three years later--
"Hey, Dad, when's Kagome gonna be home?" Souta asked, hanging upside-down over the back of the couch.
"In a couple hours, Souta," Sesshomaru answered, glancing at his watch.
"Why can't she be home now?" he asked, kicking his legs impatiently.
"Do you miss her, then?" Sesshomaru asked, smiling at his son.
"Keh. Not reeaally, but I wanna meet her kids," Souta explained.
"I guess you're excited about being an uncle, then."
"Who wouldn't, Dad? Besides, aren't her kids your nephew and niece, too?"
"Hm.. You have a point. Interesting to think that I'm both grandfather and uncle to them."
"Don't think too hard, Dad. You might break your brain."
"Watch it, kid. I thought that was Inuyasha."
"Oh, yeah," Souta replied, grinning. A few minutes later.. "Daaad, I'm bored."
"So go play video games," Sesshomaru sighed.
"No fun by myself," he retorted.
Sesshomaru sighed, and set his paperwork down. Then he scooped the boy up and carted him up the stairs. Souta shrieked, surprised, then, just as he'd relaxed, got tossed onto his bed. "I'll play with you, alright?"
"Dad, I didn't know you knew how."
"If Inuyasha can pick up on it, how hard can it be?"
-
Sesshomaru was regretting those words a few hours later, when Souta had kicked his butt for the umpteenth time in a row on the game. Then his ears perked up when he heard the door opening downstairs.
"We're home!" Kagome called as Inuyasha shut the door behind them. Within moments, the other three occupants of the house and three guests who'd been staying the month - Miroku, Sango and Shippo - were in the living room with them, cooing over the twin children Kagome had given birth to.
"Sis, what're their names?" Souta asked as he tried to get the boy interested in his GameBoy.
"Souta, he's too young for that," Kagome said softly, pushing the GameBoy away from the baby's face. "And his name is Keitaro. The girl is Ayasha."
"Nice names," Miroku observed, fiddling with his earring.
"Nice to know you approve, bouzo," Inuyasha said, deadpan, earning himself a half-hearted smack from Kagome. He just laughed, and then lifted Ayasha out of her carseat, then rocked her gently in his arms. Kagome smiled, and lifted Keitaro out of his seat, then curled up next to Inuyasha, her head resting on his shoulder as they admired their children. Everyone else smiled, and Rin got out the camera. After all, she thought as she took a picture, grandchildren are meant to be spoiled.
As the impromptu party settled down, everyone in the room was thinking the same thing: Life is good, family is better, and we're all happy. That's the best.
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Wow. That was long O.o Not sure how it got that long, but.. oh well. I hope you guys like it. I know, the ending sucks, but it's the best I could do.. I think. LOL. Anyway, you guys may or may not see some RurouKen, Naruto or Full Metal Alchemist fics from me.. I do have a RurouKen fic about.. 1/3 finished, I think, but I haven't exactly been working on it, lol. I also have a barely started Ranma fic.. which I may just rewrite from a different starting point. I'm not sure what to do with a Naruto fic, though I have a couple ideas. As for FMA.. I think it's just random mutterings in my head which branched out from me thinking Edward is really, really cute XD
And for your information, 3,300 yen is roughly equivalent to $33.75 in American dollars. And according to the site I found earlier, about taxi fares in Tokyo, Japan, that means the taxi went for about five miles, since a 1.25 mile taxi ride in Tokyo costs 660 yen. I'm sure I didn't do the math quite right, since it takes 70 yen to make $1. Lol. Fear my awful math skills XD
I've rambled on enough.. Hope you enjoyed this crappu fic XD Flames will be used to make my brothers feel pain, so anything and everything is welcome. Mwahaha, I'm so evil..
--Myuu