Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, we'd have cute, animal-eared youkai in this time too. I also don't own the fairy tales I mention. I'd rather own Inuyasha.

Special mention to my editor, Italy-onee-san! (Carla Fox)

Twisted

Higurashi Kagome believed she lived a normal life.

Having a shrine for a home wasn't all that normal, she would admit, but her family was basically normal… or at least, her mother and brother were; her grandfather was a bit crazy but that could be expected. Her family had a cat and she herself had gotten a puppy (or was it a full-grown dog? It was small, but there were small adult dogs, too) a year or two ago. Kagome had spiritual powers, which could be used to do anything from healing a human from near-death to binding two souls together for eternity to changing the form of living things to restoring the original body and soul of a damaged being. She had a few friends, had just finished university at the age of twenty-three, had become a history teacher, and had an interesting relationship with two boys (which was considered normal for this time).

Kouga, for example, was constantly chasing her to be his girlfriend. While she had gone out with him a few times (always give him a try, was her moral when it came to men), she had failed to see any real sparks between them. He still pestered her once in a while, but he had actually begun to see her as more of a friend. Lunch dates remained popular, although they were less of dates and more of a friendly lunch, seeing as Miroku, Sango and Shippou, her other three friends, often came with them.

Naraku, on the other hand… Naraku just liked her. It was creepy, to say the least. While he never openly chased her, like Kouga had, it was evident to her four co-workers that the man was completely obsessed with her. Since no one was sure if that was actual liking or simply infatuation, Kagome had learned to let it be.

This turned out to be a big mistake in her life. In retrospect, this was a good decision, but she regretted it for a long time…

…Just like she regretted saying those six words that brought her into the mess in the first place.

It was a relatively nice day; the sun was shining and there was a slight breeze in the air. Kagome's mother was shopping, her grandfather was running the shrine, and Souta was at some gathering with his friends. Miroku and Sango were out (Kagome suspected it was a date, though Sango denied it fervently); Shippou was with his girlfriend, Rin; Kouga was visiting family for the weekend and Naraku…

Naraku was stalking her, as always. Well, it wasn't quite stalking – more of following her around the park, with hope that she would ask him to join her. Kagome was not known for interpreting actions very well, so this had not yet happened.

Today was a day that would change not only her life, but the life of another – forever.

It began when Naraku finally approached her as she was standing by a group of hungry pigeons. Glancing up to see the dark-haired man walking towards her, she waved.

"Hi Naraku-san! Isn't it a beautiful day today?"

Kagome was far too nice to the wrong people sometimes.

"I could say it is, but you are far more beautiful, Higurashi." A smirk formed on his pale face. Kagome wasn't sure if she had ever seen him actually smile; was the odd man incapable of doing so?

Even so, such a compliment made her blush. "Thank you, Naraku-san."

Normally, he would not have continued a conversation, leaving Kagome or one of the others to initiate the act of speaking. Today, as previously mentioned, was special.

"Higurashi, it has come to my understanding that you are… not currently in a relationship of romantic sorts?"

She blinked. What was he getting at? Everyone knew she had been single since Kouga, and that had been last year. "Of course, Naraku-san. I thought you knew… Why are you asking this?"

Her blue orbs met his dark red ones, and she gasped. His eyes seemed so… evil! Kagome could read eyes, and she saw only dark desire in the ones in front of her. Were her friends indeed correct? Was Naraku completely obsessed with her, instead of mildly interested as she had believed until now?

"Kagome…" He breathed her name, stepping closer to her. Reflexively, she shifted her weight backwards. Never before had she been scared of a man, but they say there is a first time for everything, right?

"Have you ever… been with a man?" he continued in a deep, husky voice. Kagome shuddered with fear and disgust.

"No, and I certainly don't plan on being with you!"

He narrowed his eyes, seeming to bore into her very soul. "And why wouldn't you? Am I not considered handsome among you women? Am I not considered desirable?"

"Maybe among others – but not me!" She was breathing heavily now; why of all times did Naraku choose to approach her like this? Kagome had been the target of men's affections in the past, but this was beyond mere whistles or pick-up lines. This was nearly terrifying her, though she was surprised to find disgust in her tone. Now that she had a good look at the man, he didn't appear as good-looking as she had once believed. His hair was oily and hung in dank strands, his complexion was nearly ivory-white, as if he had never been outside, and his eyes… she could not bear to look into those pits of desire that was meant for her.

"You would not consider being with me, Higurashi Kagome? Marrying me and being… mine?" The word rolled off his tongue with evident pleasure, making Kagome shudder.

"I would rather marry my dog!"

His eyebrow raised in a questioning manner. "You prefer a mutt like your puppy over me, woman?"

"Of course!" She glared at him. "And even if Shiro is a mutt, he is completely loyal, sweet, adorable, cute, kind… Everything you're not!"

The dark-haired man chuckled. "In that case, it is done."

Kagome blinked. "Done?" she asked. "You mean you'll stop chasing me?"

"Since you're now married, yes."

"Married?" She was completely confused by now.

"Did you not say you wished to marry your dog?" The amused tone in his voice was clear.

"I said I would rather marry him than you," Kagome said. "I did not ask to be married to my pet!"

"Pity, as you now are. After all, you know yourself that one with spiritual powers, such as a monk's houriki or a youkai's jyaki, can bind two souls together, whether they ask to or not." He grinned. "Kiss your freedom goodbye, Higurashi, because it's gone. Oh, and enjoy your wedding night."

With that, he turned and walked away, laughter unable to be suppressed.

Kagome flipped him off as he walked away. "Jackass. Stalking me like that and then marrying me off… He can't be serious, can he?" In a worried tone, she muttered, "I know the act is possible, but he doesn't have spiritual powers – but if he does have jyaki – but I didn't know he was a youkai – but if he was serious – I'm really in trouble!"

Now completely worried, she sprinted up the stairs to her shrine to confront her grandfather, who was telling the history of a small, polished rock to a group of small children.

"Jii-chan!" she called. "Jii-chan, can you see the bonds of souls on a person?"

The old man turned to her, obviously irritated at the interruption. "Of course I can, girl! I'm a priest!" he exclaimed.

Kagome felt a momentary lapse of relief. "So that means there's nothing on me? I'm just paranoid or something?

He squinted at her and shrugged. "Of course you're married, Kagome! I'm angry that you didn't invite your mother and me to the ceremony! Or did you invite her, and that's why she hasn't been here all day…" His thoughtful musings continued, but Kagome was too much in shock to react.

"He wasn't lying," she whispered.

"Who wasn't lying? Oh, and when are we going to meet this special man of yours? I hope he's not a demon," her grandfather said sharply. "Demons are vile creatures that would taint a pure girl such as yourself."

"I don't think you should worry about that," Kagome said weakly. "Just… continue with your work, all right?"

He nodded and turned back to sweeping the grounds, already forgetting their conversation.

Kagome, on the other hand, couldn't get the words out of her mind.

"I'm married," she whispered. "I'm married to my dog. It's all because of that stupid jerk Naraku…" Her eyes began to fill with tears. "I'm never going to have a normal life or a normal boyfriend, because I'm married to an animal!"

So Kagome did the only thing imaginable – she fled into her room.

Inuyasha believed that it was safe to say that he had a very, very bad life.

His parents were dead. His older half-brother hated him. He had been doing pretty well in university, but some old revenge-loving miko changed him into a dog before he got to finish and achieve his dream of being a doctor.

Inuyasha hadn't quite thought of what kind of doctor he'd wanted to be, but being changed into a dog at the age of twenty-one was definitely an event to end your hopes and dreams.

So now he was stuck with being a loyal and faithful pet to Higurashi Kagome.

Actually, that part wasn't so bad. Sure, he had disliked her at first, but as time passed he grew to like her. He knew he was acting more like a pathetic, idolizing puppy than he had ever dreamed of being, but she was… she was special!

All right, he was in love and he knew it. The real problem that ruined his life was that he was currently a dog. Not in his natural form, but in the form of a four-legged animal that was smaller than a toddler.

How could he ever have a chance with Kagome if she didn't know he existed (as something other than a stupid pet)!

Inuyasha knew the answer: he didn't. So he resigned himself to simply being near her, which was nice, but not really enough for him.

When the scent of tears drifted to his sensitive nose from Kagome's bedroom door, Inuyasha's initial reaction was to block all hints of crying out of his system: he hated it when women cried. His second reaction was to realize that said crying was coming from the love of his life, and therefore he should go and comfort her.

As a dog, this was not hard to do. Comforting a human as he was consisted of licking her cheek – she tasted damn good, too – and whining. Whining always worked, as her attention was distracted from whatever was making her sad. And, as a bonus, her attention was directed on him.

So, as much as he hated her crying, it did have some benefits. Plus, she sometimes ended up holding him too.

Trying to keep the grin off of his face, he pushed the door open and leaped onto the bed where the blue-eyed girl was currently lying in a state of distress. Angrily, he wondered what vile creature could have caused this beautiful creature such distress. Her pillow was soaked through with a salty liquid that he recognized as her tears, and her eyes were dark red from the effort of crying.

Usually, his appearance brought Kagome comfort. This time, however, she only burst into tears once more, crying even harder.

Did I do something to upset her? Inuyasha wondered, panic evident in his thoughts. Did I remind her of something bad, or – or just what could have happened? He nuzzled her cheek with his nose gently, turning her face to his.

Blue eyes met gold, and the deep sadness that Inuyasha saw in her eyes was one he hoped never to see again.

"Oh, Shiro…" She smiled sadly. "If only I had never run into Naraku today…"

A growl rose in Inuyasha's throat. If that bastard did something to hurt my Kagome…

"I'd never be in this mess. We'd never be in this mess," she amended, lightly scratching his ears. The threatening growl turned into a contented one as she stroked his little head. "If I hadn't been so stubborn, I'd be living a normal life today." A sigh escaped her lips. "It can't be the same, never again."

He glanced at her, obviously confused. What was different in Kagome's life? She seemed perfectly normal to him… Then again, in this form, something could have been done to her soul and he would never be able to sense it without his now-sealed youki. Was that it?

This made him even more determined to find some way of comforting her.

"I should have recognized him as a youkai long ago… perhaps then I could have avoided his dark jyaki. It feels… icky, you know. Disgusting."

Disgusting? What did the bastard DO to her?

His body tensed in anger, and Kagome immediately noticed, running her hand down the soft white fur in an attempt to calm him. "He didn't touch me or anything, Shiro, but… but…" Her voice rose to a higher pitch, as she was evidently panicking about something. "I'll never be able to be with anyone ever again! I'll never have a boyfriend, or – or anything, I can't marry someone who I choose…he took it away, Shiro-chan!"

So he forced her to marry him? Oh, when I get my hands…er, paws on that bastard…

"Though it could be worse, I suppose."

No. No it couldn't.

"It could have been him that I'm bound to."

Oh yes, that would have been worse. Though I'm still going to rip that fucking ass a new hole…

"Then again, he could have at least bound me to something remotely human or youkai…"

…the hell? How can you be married to something that isn't either? Inuyasha was fully confused by now, only trying to make some sense of the conversation because of Kagome's sadness and his anger at Naraku.

With a sigh, Kagome lay back on the bed and closed her eyes, awaiting the embrace of sleep where her problems hopefully would disappear for a short time. Before unconsciousness claimed her, she whispered,

"Though I meant what I said, Shiro. You're much better than Naraku."

And she was asleep, leaving Inuyasha in a complete state of shock as the meaning of her last sentence hit him.

Weeks passed.

Kagome's life changed little despite her new situation. While a few of her students gifted with spiritual powers had been puzzled for a few days, any confusion had died down after a week and she continued teaching her subject. Miroku had noticed, but wisely decided to remain silent at the look she gave him once he opened his mouth. He had evidently told Shippou and Kouga, who would give her a hurt glance on occasion, but otherwise asked her no questions.

Thankfully, Naraku was nowhere to be seen.

Any elation Inuyasha had felt after Kagome's breakdown on that fateful day had dissipated long ago. Their souls may have been tied together, but he was still stuck in this dog form! Kagome behaved no differently towards him since the incident, except for occasional sad looks in his direction. In other words, his situation had not improved.

One night, two months later, everything changed.

"I think I'd like to be a language teacher," Kagome said. She had moved out of the shrine to avoid her grandfather's questioning, and was now sitting at the kitchen table in a small apartment a few blocks away. Empty dishes lay on the table, dinner having been finished a few minutes ago. At the other end of the table, Inuyasha lay curled up on a chair, pushed away from the table and into Kagome's range of sight. Being a small dog, he couldn't be seen over the table.

"I've always liked reading," she continued. "The old English fairy tales are so enchanting – you know, Shiro?" Inuyasha never understood why Kagome insisted talking to him as if he was a real person – not that he wasn't, but Kagome continued to see him as a simple-minded dog (much to his chagrin).

"You should hear them sometime," she said to him. He had read a few of them when he was a child, actually, but most of the stories had been pushed from his memory by all the biology courses he had taken.

Kagome picked up her chopsticks and twirled them around her fingers. "I brought some of the stories with me when I moved from the Shrine. They're so interesting! I would love to teach children about the stories – they'd have to know about the Western culture, of course, but we could do so many activities once they know the stories! I could direct a play!" she exclaimed in happiness.

Inuyasha flicked an ear at her.

"You're not listening, are you, Shiro." She sighed and reached across to scratch his ears. Perhaps Kagome wasn't aware of this, but once she started doing that, Inuyasha was incapable of listening to anything she said – though he did try to focus.

"Come on." She scooped him up in her arms and wandered over to her bedroom. "I'll read to you right now, all right?" Inuyasha glanced over her shoulder towards the kitchen, where the dishes remained on the table. He glanced up at her quizzically.

Kagome followed his gaze and flipped the kitchen lights off. "I'll do them in the morning," she reassured him.

The miko's enthusiasm for reading surprised the hanyou. Kagome was always such a clean person – why would she leave something dirty on the table for a whole night? Apparently, he still had much to learn about the teacher and her obsession for fairy tales.

Book in hand, Kagome sat down on the bed and opened to the first page. "I'd like to read The Frog Prince, all right? It's always been my favourite fairy tale." Her slender fingers traced the creamy pages of the book. "I haven't met my Prince Charming in any of the conventional ways, and I always thought this story was so romantic, you know? I hoped I would meet my prince in the most unusual way – that he would be someone I never even looked at, but he would save me at the perfect time."

Inuyasha blushed, partially because of her words and the story, and partially because of his close proximity to her breasts.

Kagome's smile faded. "I suppose that will never happen now, will it," she said sadly. "No one can rescue me now."

Inuyasha growled, the sound slightly muffled by her body.

"I suppose you're right, Shiro," she admitted, one hand reaching out to stroke the soft fur on his head. "There's no use looking back and crying about what's already happened. I can't change it. I should be grateful that I'm alive and well, and maintain my positive outlook on life." With that, her smile returned and she began to read.

"One fine evening, a young Princess went to play…"

Kagome's like a princess, Inuyasha thought. She's nicer than any of them, I bet… and prettier, too…

This happened to be one of the fairy tales Inuyasha had forgotten over the years, and he listened to Kagome's gentle voice with a sort of wonder.

How could the Princess be so uncaring? he wondered. The frog does her a favour and she ignores him and breaks her promise? Kagome would never do such a thing.

Of course, it was a bit difficult to appreciate the story properly when he couldn't stop thinking of the woman he was in love with, but he did manage to remember the more important parts of the story.

"…when the Princess awoke on the following morning, she was amazed to see, instead of the frog, a handsome Prince with beautiful eyes standing by the head of the bed. He told her that he had been changed into a frog by a wicked fairy, and he had to live in the spring as a frog until some Princess would take him out, and let him eat from her plate, and sleep on her bed for three nights.

"'You,' said the Prince, 'have broken the cruel charm at last. Now let us go to my father's kingdom, where I will marry you, and love you as long as you live.'…"

If anything, this part made Inuyasha feel slightly depressed. After all, he had slept in Kagome's bed (as a dog, of course) for two years – and he was still stuck as a dog!

He growled lightly, not loud enough for Kagome to hear. Why does that stupid frog get to be normal again and be with his love, but I don't? Damn, reality is so unfair.

…Wish I could marry Kagome. Wait – I mean, for real, not just some soul thing…

"…and lived there for a great many happy years."

Kagome shut the book and sighed happily. "Isn't it romantic, Shiro?"

He growled. No.

"Then again, it isn't as if you meet an enchanted frog every day, who is really a handsome man who will sweep me off my feet and marry me – not that it's even possible right now, but I can always dream, can't I?" Kagome sighed.

"It would be nice, though."

Inuyasha felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of Kagome marrying someone else, but he wisely chose to ignore it as not only was it impossible, he couldn't do a thing about it as he was.

"Tomorrow, I think I'll read you Sleeping Beauty," she told Inuyasha. "It must be very hard to live with a curse hanging over your head, but that it can all be dispelled with love's first kiss… It's romantic," she said, a dreamlike quality to her voice.

The hanyou wondered if "romantic" was Kagome's new favourite word.

Kagome sighed and leaned over to place him gently on the floor – he had to create his own space in Kagome's bed every night, since she thought he belonged on the ground. "Goodnight, Shiro. Sleep well."

With that, she leaned over to kiss him lightly on the nose…

…except that her lips landed somewhere else instead.

"Oops," she giggled, removing her hands from the shocked figure on the floor. "Hope you didn't mind. Night-"

As she reached to turn out the light, she found herself staring into Inuyasha's shocked amber orbs.

Hanyou Inuyasha's amber orbs.

Kagome fainted in shock.

The first thing Kagome felt when she awoke was a damp coolness on her forehead. As her grey-blue eyes fluttered open, she noticed something white, and furry – dog ears?

"Shiro?" she whispered. It had to be Shiro. She lived alone, didn't she? Her puppy's ears looked exactly like that – except smaller. She couldn't feel his weight on the bed with her, so why were his ears at eye level?

"Don't speak, Kagome. You fainted – just focus on waking up."

That wasn't her dog - Shiro couldn't speak – who was that?

With a groan, Kagome tried to sit up. Strong arms pushed her back down, much to her frustration. Unable to fight back, Kagome said weakly, "Who are you?"

"I'll tell you later, when you're better – and capable of normal thought," the voice said quietly. As the coolness on her forehead returned – a washcloth, Kagome realized -, she realized the voice was distinctly male.

In Kagome's mind, being alone in her house with a mysterious man was bad. She did the only thing she could think of in her weakened state: she screamed.

"Someone help me!" she called. "Shiro! What have you done to my dog, you bastard?"

"It's me, you idiot!" he responded, reaching out to hold her still only to have his arms smacked away weakly. "I don't know what you did, but I'm normal now."

Kagome's eyes finally focused properly and she turned to look at the speaker. He was about her age, and likely a youkai – humans didn't have white hair and dog ears, after all – but his eyes…

They were Shiro's eyes. Could he be telling the truth?

"Shiro?" she whispered hesitantly. "What happened?"

"I don't know," he responded, "and my name is Inuyasha, not Shiro." Who names their dog 'white', anyway?

"I-Inuyasha," she said. The name was familiar to her, but she couldn't remember where she had heard it before. "Why are you different now?"

"I used to be like this – a hanyou – before some old miko decided she had a grudge against me," he explained, a sour look forming on his face. "She changed me into a dog without explaining why."

"You were cursed," Kagome said, amazed.

"I guess – but she crushed my dreams!"

"How?" she asked.

"I was studying to be a doctor, but I couldn't exactly go to university as a dog. So here I am." Inuyasha shrugged and sat on a chair he had taken from the kitchen, thankful that his clothes had changed with him (though he could use a change).

"What about your family?" Kagome wondered. "Do they know that you were a dog?"

"My half-brother doesn't care," Inuyasha said flatly, "and I was too busy with school to make many friends." He shrugged. "Well, now that I'm back to normal I can go back to university…"

"That's wonderful!" Kagome smiled at him and heat rose in Inuyasha's face. His feelings for her apparently had not changed with his physical form, much to his… relief? How could he be happy that he still was in love with her, even though his excuse for staying near her was now gone?

Noticing Inuyasha's face fall, Kagome became confused. "Aren't you happy, Inuyasha? You can continue your life!"

"Well, yeah," he muttered, trying to keep his voice neutral. Kagome didn't know his reasons for being disappointed, and if she learned now, he was sure he would die of embarrassment.

A sudden realization hit Kagome at that moment. "I feel so stupid!" she exclaimed. "All this time I've been treating you as a stupid animal: reading to you, talking baby talk, complaining to you – I didn't think you understood – you must think I'm such an idiot…"

"Not really," Inuyasha admitted. "You didn't know I wasn't a dog."

"That's true."

There was a long pause before Kagome realized something else.

"You've seen me naked!"

"Er…" Memories formed in the back of his mind and, thanks to his hanyou body's reaction, Inuyasha wondered if he would be blushing permanently after this. "Yeah, I guess…"

Kagome's face took on the same shade as she realized how many times she had changed in front of the dog, unaware of his true form. "And… what did you think?"

It may have been a stupid question to ask, but she couldn't deny that she wanted the opinion of an attractive man – and attractive was something that Inuyasha definitely was.

"Um…"

"You thought I was ugly?" Kagome gasped, shocked at the sudden devastation of her self-confidence. Tears started to form in her eyes. Inuyasha knew he had to do something before she burst out sobbing: tell the truth.

"What are you talking about?" he exclaimed. "Ugly is the last thing you are!"

"Then…" Kagome glanced at him, confused. "Then what am I?"

"You're fucking beautiful!" he blurted out without realizing. A moment later, he found himself very tempted to bang his head against Kagome's wooden desk. This was bad – if Kagome learned of his feelings, he would be dead (if not from heartbreak, then from Sango's violent actions towards any unknown man that dared like her friend).

Kagome was quite flattered to know his opinion – could it be that he actually liked her? At the thought, another memory came rushing back and her good mood deflated. With a sigh, she leaned back against the headboard.

"I can't be thinking in this way," she sighed. "Thanks to Naraku, my relations with men are limited to family and friendship. That bastard…"

"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed. How could he even think of having a relationship with her, even as a hanyou, when she was married to…

…to…

…him…

Somehow, neither of them had remembered their situation until that moment.

"You know," Kagome said, "this might not be too bad after all."

Inuyasha nodded, still in a bit of shock. Perhaps his life wasn't too bad after all…

Naraku returned eight months later.

It was a beautiful autumn day, and the small group of friends – Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Rin, Kagome, and now Inuyasha – had been having a leisurely lunch at a small restaurant near the university.

Inuyasha had returned to his studies after the two-year absence, and had little difficulty adjusting to his new lifestyle. Kagome decided to continue her studies for another year or so – she wanted a few more years of experience before returning to teaching. Sango was in her last year of university, and planned on becoming a lawyer; Miroku had opened the restaurant they were currently eating in. Kouga inherited a business company from his family, the leaders of a wolf youkai tribe (he unfortunately had a meeting to attend that morning), and Shippou and Rin, being younger than the others, still had years of school ahead of them.

In the six months that had passed since Inuyasha's curse was broken, life had taken a turn for the better. Sango and Miroku had finally become official, and were celebrating their five-month anniversary the following week. Kouga had met another wolf youkai, Ayame, and they had quickly become a couple. Kagome was aware that Shippou was planning to propose to Rin within the next month; planning a wedding was something Kagome loved to do.

"Sango and Miroku had better get married soon," she whispered to Inuyasha. He glanced at her quizzically, to which she responded, "I love planning weddings! Attending them is even more fun!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised? This is Kagome the romance lover, after all."

"I'll make sure no one forgets it!" she proclaimed.

"What?" Sango asked, confused by her friend's outburst.

"Kagome loves romance," the hanyou explained, "and apparently she wants the world to know of her devious plans about you and-"

The miko clapped a hand over his mouth. "It's a secret!" she whispered anxiously. "Don't tell them!"

"What secret, Kagome? Is there something you're not telling me?" Sango asked sweetly.

"Maybe," Kagome squeaked, "but you're not finding out!"

"Higurashi Kagome, what a pleasure it is to see you again."

Everyone turned to face the owner of the new voice, but only Kagome spoke aloud.

"What are you doing here, Naraku?"

"My dear Kagome, I only wish to see my… friends… again." Thankfully, none of the others were fooled by his cool tone or his words; Kagome had informed them of his actions, and now he was unwelcome among the group.

"Friends refrain from behaving in such a way, Naraku," Miroku said tightly.

"In what way?" Naraku asked with seeming confusion.

"Marrying Kagome to her puppy," Sango said with a sharp glare.

"Oh, that? She did ask for it, you know."

"I'm sure," Inuyasha muttered. He actually held the least animosity towards Naraku, since it was him who initiated the… relationship… between Kagome and himself.

"And who might you be?" Naraku blinked at the hanyou. "You must be a recent addition to the circle, are you not?"

Does he not know? "I would have thought you'd have heard of me," Inuyasha responded, "seeing as you did mess around with my life."

Naraku was completely puzzled. "I've never seen you before!"

"Perhaps I should be thanking you, Naraku," Kagome said. "Your actions did bring a happy ending, after all. You did intend to make my life miserable for refusing you, correct?"

Naraku frowned. "That may have been my intention, yes."

"It didn't work." Kagome turned back to Inuyasha, whose arm had tightened around Kagome with every sentence from Naraku. "I'm actually quite happy with the situation I'm in."

The dark-haired youkai stared at the couple blankly.

"Does the word 'curse' mean anything to you?"

No response.

"All right, how about 'my dog was cursed'?"

The light bulb flashed.

"You mean – he is…"

"Yes." Kagome snuggled closer to Inuyasha, who smirked at Naraku. "So thank you for misinterpreting my statement – neither of us would have such a happy future if it weren't for you."

"She's not upset!" Shippou whispered to Rin. "If that had happened to me…"

"Wouldn't you be happy that you ended up with me?" Rin asked the fox.

"Of course I would!" Shippou exclaimed.

"Then…"

"Then I suppose I would be thanking him, too," the red-haired boy admitted, squeezing Rin's hand. "Life is really good right now!"

Nods of agreement came from Miroku and Sango.

"Damnit," Naraku snarled, "why do my evil plans never work?"

"It's fate," Miroku supplied helpfully.

"I'm sure. Have a happy ending," Naraku spat. With that, he turned and stalked away – only to walk into a garbage can a few feet away. It was rather amusing for the six of them to watch; usually, antagonists in stories had graceful exits.

"I'm glad he's gone," Sango said, relieved. "That guy has always scared me."

"Yeah," Rin agreed. "I never liked him."

"He was a bit eccentric," Miroku admitted, "though at times he wasn't too bad."

"Of course, he only stalked me," Kagome said. "I've had the oddest boyfriends, you know? Kouga pursued me for years, Naraku was a stalker, and Inuyasha here used to be my dog. No wonder most of them didn't work out."

"I'm happy about that," Inuyasha said with a grin. "Otherwise, you'd have ended up with one of them."

"What's so bad about that?" Kagome asked with fake innocence. Her response was a growl and,

"I'd kill them, of course!"

"You would," Kagome said with a sigh. "It's not as if I'm disappointed, you know. I love my life!"

"I've heard married life is very demanding for the men, Inuyasha. Settling down with one woman must be very strange – how are you faring?"

Inuyasha glared at the monk. "Quite well, thank you very much."

"Ah, of course, you wouldn't really know the difference in settling down since you've never had a girlfriend- what was that for?"

The hanyou had given Miroku a rather hard punch in the head.

"Don't even think about saying that, Miroku."

"But it's true, isn't it? You were too busy with your work to look at-"

"So you used to know Inuyasha?" Kagome interrupted, partially out of curiosity and partially to save Inuyasha from whatever humiliating aspect of his life Miroku was about to relate.

"I knew him in high school," Miroku told the others. "During university, communication was rather difficult – I enjoyed parties, you see, while he was shut up in his room with homework."

"Having no free time must have been a pain," Shippou observed. "Didn't he make time for his girlfriend?"

The fox youkai evidently didn't notice the effect his words had on Kagome, but Miroku did. "He might have – if he ever had one."

"Conversation's over," Inuyasha stated flatly. "Lunch ends in five minutes."

Kagome poked the hanyou in the shoulder. "You're just avoiding Miroku, aren't you?"

"Yes," Inuyasha muttered, "but we really should be leaving."

"If that is the case," Miroku said with mock sadness, "I fear I will be left alone."

"My classes don't begin for another hour," Sango observed.

"Indeed… Would you care to keep me company, Sango?"

"I might," she said with a blush.

"In that case…"

"Oi!" Inuyasha called. "Are you too caught up in your romantic moment to notice that we're leaving?"

Miroku shook his head. "I merely thought you had left already. You were in a hurry, were you not?"

"For other reasons," Inuyasha said.

"Is lunch tomorrow good for everyone?" Rin asked. "The food here is amazing – much better than in the average restaurant!"

"It's also free," Shippou added.

"That too," his girlfriend admitted.

"Fine with me," Sango said.

"And with us," Kagome said, nudging Inuyasha. "We don't have any plans."

"Then it's settled!" Miroku proclaimed. "Lunch tomorrow is, as always, on the house. Would anyone care to order early?"

"We'll wait," Rin laughed, grabbing Shippou's hand. "Bye!"

As they ran off towards the building, Miroku turned to the hanyou and miko with a sly smile. "Now that the kids are gone, we can discuss more… adult matters."

"How about no," Inuyasha responded, glancing nervously at Kagome. "We've really got to be going – being late is bad, and…"

"So," Miroku stated, "when do I get to be an uncle?"

Inuyasha did happen to be late for his classes. Everyone noticed he was in an especially bad mood that day – though only a few noticed that his face was red for other reasons than anger…

Apparently, Kagome had actually considered Miroku's comment.

"Not until I'm finished school!" Inuyasha protested. "I've been missing for two years; I don't need more time away!"

"Inuyasha," she whined, "why not?"

"I just told you," he said, "and we haven't discussed the topic of your grandfather yet."

"What's wrong with Jii-chan?" Kagome asked.

"He hates me."

"Don't be so pessimistic, Inuyasha," she said as her hands traveled up his head to scratch the furry white ears on top. "He doesn't like youkai, but he really doesn't mind you. Mama adores you, and Souta worships you. They won't care – they'd be happy!"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Okay, that's not a problem, but-"

Kagome frowned at him. "I can take a break before going back to teaching."

"Maybe…"

"Don't be such a grouch, Inuyasha!" Kagome reprimanded cheerfully. "I didn't spend twenty-four years of my life waiting for my Prince Charming only to have him complain about the bad things in life!"

"Who, me?" Inuyasha wondered.

"Of course, you silly puppy! Do you think it was a coincidence that I read my favourite fairy tale before the events actually unfolded?" She tweaked his ear lightly. "Though I'm thankful you weren't a frog… and you still have the ears."

"I'm sure you always wanted a boyfriend with dog ears," Inuyasha said sarcastically.

Kagome giggled. "They're cute."

Inuyasha now believed that he had a very good life – one he would never consider complaining about. In fact, if he ever met up with that odd miko again, he would probably consider thanking her like Kagome did to Naraku.

If it hadn't been for her, he never would have met Kagome.

If it hadn't been for Naraku, he never would have had a relationship with Kagome.

And if it hadn't been for those fairy tales, he never would have had the opportunities he had at that moment.

Of course, he wasn't actually thinking this at the moment – his mind was entirely focused on Kagome. Somewhere in the back of his mind, however, he knew this.

And perhaps if you didn't realize something right away, good things might happen. Right?

That's the way Inuyasha's life had worked so far, and it looked like nothing would change.

Anyway, Inuyasha and Kagome had a very happy life together.

Miroku and Sango did end up marrying before the year was over, but Miroku ended up being an uncle more times than a father. Sango just didn't want more pain than she gave Miroku.

Shippou nearly didn't gain the consent of Sesshoumaru to marry Rin, but somehow (thanks to the taiyoukai's adorable nieces and nephews, perhaps? Did he want grandchildren?), all worked out in the end.

Even Naraku got together with someone – the not-so-old miko who cursed Inuyasha in the first place. See? Everyone got their happy ending in this fairy tale.

Edited because I hated the ending.