Disclaimer: Inuyasha equals not mine.

wk: Sorry it took so long to update! Now that I'm done with finals, I can concentrate on fanfiction, though! Sorry again! Without further ado...

Chapter Two
Jealousy and Anniversary

"Kagome! I'm going to go out for a minute. I think I saw You-Know-Who," Inuyasha snarled, and Inu-chan obediently went to his mother when she held out her hand to him. Strangely, however, Kagome seemed tranquil at the announcement.

"Don't inflict too much damage, Inuyasha. I still remember the broken window from last time," Kagome warned as he rushed out of the house.

Inuyasha squinted down the street, and saw a figure standing there. Walking briskly, he said hello to a few neighbors, but didn't allow a chance for conversation. "Oy! What the heck are you doing here?" Inuyasha snapped, stopping in front of Kouga with his arms crossed. "Get out of here, you damned wolf!"

"Are you still sore that your niece and I are engaged?" Kouga asked dryly. Inuyasha "Keh"ed.

"Of course not! Just keep your grubby paws off of her, and we'll all be one big fucking happy family," Inuyasha snapped.

Kouga smirked. "You do know she's not a virgin anymore—" A punch to his face stopped the rest of his sentence.

"What the hell was that for!" Kouga snapped, getting up from the ground where he had landed. Inuyasha, fuming, only bared his fangs. "We've been going out for two years now, dog-shit! You shouldn't be so surprised!"

"I try not to think about you two together if I can help it," Inuyasha growled.

Kouga, although tensed since his pride had been challenged, held himself back. Ayame would be pissed at him if he started an irreconcilable fight with her beloved uncle. Not to mention that Ayame's engagement ring would end up in the trash if he did that. Ayame valued family above others, which was one reason why he loved her so much. Their pups would be loved unconditionally.

Inuyasha, despite the time that had elapsed, couldn't be easy on Kouga. He could accept him as family—albeit grudgingly—but until that ring was on her finger, he was going to be as tough on Kouga as possible. Hell, the man had gone after his wife before setting his sights on Inuyasha's niece! He couldn't trust a man like that. And God forgive him if Kouga did anything to hurt Ayame…

"You know Ayame's coming back this weekend? She's done with her classes over there, and she's going to be on her Thanksgiving break."

"Of course I know," Inuyasha snapped. "I've known since she started school, you piece of wolf crap."

"Watch it, dog shit. I still haven't forgiven you for taking my woman in the first place," Kouga snarled through his half-grin. Inuyasha rounded on him, his teeth bared.

"You have a lot of nerve, calling Kagome your woman! Especially since you're engaged to my niece, you damned--!"

"Oh, Inuyasha!" One of his elderly neighbors hobbled up. "It's such a pretty day, isn't it? How's the family? Oh, and who's this?"

Inuyasha practically shuddered back the dislike for the wolf-demon, and turned to his neighbor. He noticed that as soon as he turned his back, Kouga left. Fucking coward! He heard Kouga yell "See you next time!" as he sped off.

"Hi, Mrs. Kimikawa. The family's good. Wanna stop by? I'm sure Kagome would love it," Inuyasha said, unusually polite. Mrs. Kimikawa just smiled and shook her head.

"No, that's all right dear. I'll bake some cookies for another time." With that, she winked and continued her walk down the street. Inuyasha sighed, and headed back for home.

When he walked inside and slipped off his shoes, Inu-chan was sitting on one of his feet. Inuyasha blinked at his son, and Inu-chan sheepishly smiled back.

"Where'd you go?" Inu-chan asked, tugging slightly on Inuyasha's pants.

"None of your business," Inuyasha said in a sing-song voice, and began to walk with the child still on his foot. "Oy! Kagome? Who's this kid on my foot?"

Inu-chan giggled, digging his face into Inuyasha's pants as if Kagome couldn't see him if he did that.

"Hm… I don't know what you're talking about, Inuyasha. I don't see anyone on your foot."

"Oh, really? Well, I see a little ball of pup on my foot, and he's not gettin' off," Inuyasha said, looking down wryly at the little boy. Inu-chan giggled again, before turning up his face up to look at Inuyasha. Inu-chan stuck out his tongue, and Inuyasha returned the gesture.

"I hope your face gets stuck like that," Kagome muttered, beckoning to Inu-chan.

Inuyasha smiled at her.

"No you don't, because then you'd have to stare at it while we—"

"Uh-uh, Inuyasha! Not in front of the children!" Kagome warned, blushing. Inuyasha loved it that she could still blush. Inuyasha grabbed her the next moment, giving her a small kiss and grinning.

"Tonight, maybe we can—"

Aiko's sudden cry had a frustrated sigh blowing out of Inuyasha's mouth. He clapped his hands and held out his arms so Kagome could give Aiko over. Aiko didn't quiet when in her Daddy's arms. In fact, she cried harder.

"Hold on. Let me go put Inu-chan down for a nap," Kagome said, picking up the little boy and going to his room.

"Oy, what's wrong with you?" Inuyasha mumbled, patting the baby on the back as one of Aiko's fists curled around one of his locks and yanked. Inuyasha winced, but continued to pat the baby.

Kagome came back out, closing the door softly behind her.

"Oh, I guess she's hungry. I'll go make the milk." Kagome disappeared into the kitchen, and Inuyasha heard her prepare a bottle. He turned his attention to his youngest, and frowned. He held the baby up and away from him, and Aiko opened her eyes and continued to cry. Her eyes were squinted and were squeezing out tears. She was so cute, even when she was crying. Inuyasha felt his heart melt, as it did every time he looked at his kids.

"Inuyasha, can you quiet her? It's going to start to upset Inutaisho."

Inuyasha turned Aiko carefully, and gently closed his mouth over the back of her neck. Infinitely careful, he applied gentle pressure. Aiko immediately ceased crying, and held still and limp. It was a trick he had learned from Myouga. Myouga, a frequent visitor at their humble abode, had seen that Kagome and Inuyasha were harried from Inu-chan's constant crying. When he told Inuyasha what to do, Inuyasha had tried it. Inu-chan had instantly gone quiet, only a few hiccups resounding. It was a survival tactic that was deeply ingrained into canine demons. Wolf-demons had much more stronger tactics and behaviorisms, but dog-demons were able to get by with a only a few.

When he pulled his mouth away, Aiko remained quiet. When he turned her around, she blinked up at him with wide eyes, her nose twitching. He gave an affectionate growl at her, and to his surprise, felt a responding rumble. "Kagome! She's growling!" Kagome ran out of the kitchen, grinning and with a ready bottle in hand.

"Is she really?" Kagome asked, excited as she gave the bottle to Inuyasha and picked Aiko up. "That's much sooner than Inu-chan!"

She growled at her daughter, delighted when she felt the rumble. "Well aren't you the most adorable growler!" Kagome exclaimed, beaming. Myouga had also explained that growling was an essential part of a child's growth. While wolves had their pack song to feel their togetherness, dogs had affectionate growling to make their bonds more concrete.

Kagome let Inuyasha feed Aiko while she growled at her. Inuyasha burped her, and within minutes the youngster was asleep.

"Where's Shippo?" Inuyasha asked, and Kagome took her daughter to put her in the crib.

"He's playing games in his room. What else would he be doing?"

"He needs to get out more and do more stuff," Inuyasha said gruffly. "I'll talk to him later. In the meanwhile, since all the kids are down and out for the count…"

"Are you ready yet?" Inuyasha asked lazily on the couch. His claw plucked idly at the jacket of his tuxedo. He hated tuxedos. He hated the shoes that went with them even more. He hated dress codes.

"Almost!" Kagome yelled back.

Inuyasha had dropped the kids off at Miroku's, after making the monk promise that no harm would come to them. Then he had come back, dressed in his tuxedo, and all the while, Kagome was still not done getting ready. He knew that his impatience would disappear the moment Kagome appeared. He knew that she would take his breath away with her ravishing beauty and completely floor him. Still, waiting was not his forte.

"How about now?" Inuyasha asked. He received no answer, and he sighed. When he heard the door open, he craned his neck around to see, and would have had his neck frozen in that position had she not moved to stand in front of him.

"Where did you get that creation from God?" Inuyasha asked, his voice hoarse. Kagome grinned, turning around and Inuyasha nearly drooled. Her dress was most likely another of Nanami's works. Whenever Kagome went out, she insisted that she buy another master work of art from the now-famous Nanami.

"It's from Nanami, of course. So do you like it?" Kagome asked, twirling a bit to show off the light material of the dress.

Inuyasha swallowed. Like wasn't the word. The dress was a deep, dark red, almost brown in its color, and only made Kagome's skin glow. The color would have been absolutely hideous on some people. On Kagome, it was the most ravishing. The dress a turtleneck type of dress, and it had a low dip in the back, stopping right at the small of her back. "I… I love it," he managed to croak out. Kagome stifled a chuckle, lifting a foot onto his thigh so he could see the slit that ran up the side of the dress to the point it was nearly indecent. A few more inches and the entire expanse of her leg and hip would be exposed.

"Nanami had it custom-made for me."

"I can tell. It fits you like a wish," Inuyasha murmured, running a fingertip up her leg. She shuddered, goosebumps rising on her skin. "How long are you going to model dresses for her?"

"Until she says she doesn't need me," Kagome murmured, lowering her leg and leaning over to give him a kiss. He growled low in his throat, letting her take a chaste kiss. Besides, they would be late for their reservations if he carried out what he had in mind. "Let's go," Kagome whispered, pulling back, and pulling him to his feet. "The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back."

Inuyasha chuckled. It seemed that having the kids around had Kagome just on edge as he was. "Let's go then," he agreed, watching her slip into her heels. He ushered her to the car, and drove to what Kagome knew to be a fancy, grand, expensive restaurant.

"Inuyasha, are you sure that this is free? Or at least it won't cost a fortune?" Kagome asked, emerging from the car. Inuyasha snorted.

"Even if it did, remember I have that fortune in the bank. Don't worry, and let me take care of you tonight."

Kagome couldn't resist that offer. As a tired housewife, she sank into that offer like it was a cloud. Grinning at him, she took his offered arm, and Inuyasha gave his keys to the valet. It was moments like these that Kagome knew she had married the right man. Although rough around the edges, he was able to shed light on her with the smallest of gestures.

Lord knew he wasn't this gallant on a day-to-day basis.

When they sat down, Inuyasha immediately ordered wine for them to sip on while they looked at their menus and waited for their food. "Mm. I feel like pasta," Kagome murmured, looking through pastas. She ordered something that she could barely pronounce, and Inuyasha just ordered a steak, medium-rare.

Kagome looked around, noticing then that there were all kinds of hanyous there. She thought she even saw another inu-hanyou.

"Kagome, I wanted to ask you something." Inuyasha sipped his wine, looking thoughtfully at the liquid in his glass.

"Hm?" She gave him a soft smile. Pliant with wine, she listened, half of her mind on him, half on the people that were passing by.

Inuyasha grinned at her. "What do you think about—" He was interrupted when the waiter came with their food. He blinked. "That was incredibly fast."

"Thank you sir. We try our best," the waiter said, his smile never faltering even when Inuyasha sniffed his steak suspiciously. Kagome groaned inwardly.

"Thank you. I'm sure it will be delicious." Kagome watched Inuyasha poke at his steak with some level of embarrassment. Still, it was endearing. When he was satisfied that his food wasn't poisoned, he turned to her food. Endearing as it was, Kagome didn't need him to check her food. Stopping him with a finger to the tip of his nose, she pushed him back.

"Inuyasha, you're being paranoid. Don't worry and eat." Kagome took her fork and shoveled a forkful into her mouth before Inuyasha could protest. She rubbed her stomach as if eating an aphrodisiac. "Mm… Yummy! See? Now be a good puppy and eat your food." Scowling, Inuyasha took his knife and fork and cut into his own steak.

"Don't talk to me like I'm your bitch, bitch," Inuyasha said, stuffing a piece of meat in his mouth. Before Kagome could retort, the waiter came by again.

"Excuse me, but that gentleman over there wanted me to hand you this." It was a rose, and attached to it was a number. Inuyasha scowled, glaring at the man who paid no attention to the hanyou but instead had his eyes fixed on Inuyasha's wife. His wife!

"Please tell the gentleman that I—"

"Do not appreciate his damn attentions, and tell him to fuck off. She's fucking married!" Inuyasha growled. Kagome was starting to get annoyed with Inuyasha. She could handle herself! The waiter, seemingly unabashed by the harsh language or Inuyasha's temper, walked back to the man. Kagome wondered if the waiter used Inuyasha's exact words. When the man's eyes moved to Kagome's hand, Kagome moved her fingers subtly so that the man could see her wedding band.

Subtle, however, was shot to hell when Inuyasha grabbed her hand up and pointed at the ring with his finger.

"Do you see this?" he practically bellowed it. Other guests stared at them curiously. Kagome covered her face with her free hand, trying to tug the other one from Inuyasha's grasp.

"Inuyasha! Stop! You're causing a scene!"

"You're damn right I am! How dare he! We're fucking on a fucking date and he has the fucking nerve to—"

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down, or you'll have to leave."

"Motherfucker! Can't even get a decent meal around here without getting interrupted!" Inuyasha growled. Kagome nearly wept from embarrassment as people continued to stare. Still, she sat there, eating her now-cold pasta silently. Inuyasha continued to fume about the subject, and the man that had been sitting at the bar disappeared. Probably scarred for life. "…freak carries around roses with him anyway?"

"Shut up, Inuyasha," Kagome said through gritted teeth. Inuyasha glanced at her, startled.

"Do you like him?" Inuyasha asked, his face bewildered. Kagome sighed.

"Inuyasha, I'm married to you, you freak. Calm down." She gave him a brilliant smile. "I love you. I could have married… Oh, I don't know… Kouga, for instance." Inuyasha snarled at that.

"If that wolf thinks he's—"

"Inuyasha! It was just an example. Geez." Kagome snapped, exasperated. You would think that after a year, he would know that she loved him and only him. "I love you, dammit," she said, more than a little peeved. This was their night out for the first time in a long time, and he was bent on ruining it.

Suddenly, he grinned and took her hand in his. Kagome, a little caught off by his behavior, blinked. "Kagome, when was the last time you've seen me acting jealously?"

Kagome blinked again, contemplating his question. "It was just… uh… Hm…" Kagome thought about it, and realized that Inuyasha hadn't really been jealous at all. Well, maybe with Kouga, but that was probably because Kouga was marrying his niece and he was very protective.

"Kagome, look at the rose. Look at the number." Kagome, frowning, looked at the small sheet of paper attached to the rose. When she contemplated the number, she blanched. She could figure out the first eight numbers. It was the date they were married. Kagome gave a puzzled look at the last two numbers.

"02?" She asked, looking at it quizzically.

"It's our two year anniversary." Inuyasha grinned. "Well, I'm a little late. Also, I didn't do anything for you last year. I know you've been working yourself to the bone, what with taking care of three kids. You even gave up your job. I wanted to take you out tonight to show you how much I appreciate it, and love you for it." Inuyasha, in a completely un-Inuyashalike gesture, kissed her fingers. Kagome's breath hitched, and she felt tears gather in her eyes.

"Inuyasha," she whispered. Inuyasha, usually uncomfortable when she cried, just grinned.

"There's more. Boy, you're going to be bawling when you see what I have in store for you next." Inuyasha picked up the rose that she had put down to wipe away a few tears. He handed it to her, and her fingers curled around it a lot more delicately, as if it had become more fragile.

"It's a closed bud. But if you open it…" Kagome gave him another quizzical look, but tried to peel back the petals. What she saw inside had her dropping the rose bud and gasping. Inuyasha laughed at her reaction. "Was there a bug inside?" he teased. Kagome's lip started to quiver, and Inuyasha gave her back the rose. This time, when she opened it, it revealed a beautiful, silver ring with three diamonds in the middle. It was crafted beautifully, and the bands weren't really connected, but one band went on top and the other on the bottom. It was one band, but they were twisted to be put together at the diamonds…. Kagome didn't know exactly how to explain it. It was just beautiful. She felt the tears gather and spill over.

"Here." Inuyasha took the ring, grabbed her left hand and put the ring on her ring finger on top of the other one. "Perfect."

Kagome gave a wet, delighted laugh. "Who was that guy?" She asked when she turned to try to find the man that had been sitting on the stool.

"Madame," said a deep voice behind her. Kagome turned quickly, and let out a loud, delighted, still wet laugh.

"Miroku! You look absolutely ridiculous! How could I not tell it was you?" Kagome asked, and only chuckled when Miroku kissed her hand. He was standing there in a trench coat, looking as if he was a detective or a criminal. He also had a fake mustache that curled upwards, as if he spent most of his time twisting it.

"You, my lovely flower, was meant for the most beautiful things. If you were the one to have bore my children, I would have been—"

"Miroku, man, that's enough," Inuyasha cut in. He was still grinning foolishly however.

"I thought you were watching the children?" Kagome asked.

"Sango can handle them." Kagome sighed.

"You have seen Inu-chan on the run, haven't you?" Kagome asked. Miroku smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I should return as soon as possible. I was just following Inuyasha's orders."

Kagome gave Inuyasha such a melting look that his heart didn't fail to give the solid thump it always did when Kagome looked at him like that.

Miroku said good-bye, and left. The frazzled waiter, who had been standing there the entire time, grumpily said, "Congratulations," and went on his way back to the kitchen once he was dismissed.

"So… Do you like it?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome gave him a heartfelt smile.

"Like? More like love it!" Kagome said enthusiastically. "You spoil me rotten. Inuyasha… I didn't even remember…"

"Sh… Don't worry about it. The fact that you take care of the hellion and our other children is enough of a gift for me."

"Well, I was going to say I could make up for it tonight, but if you just want me to look over the kids…" Kagome gave him such a sexy smirk that he couldn't help but pout.

"Aw… Kagome, you know I didn't mean that…" Kagome giggled, leaning over the table to kiss away his pout.

"I feel like such a lovesick fool tonight," Kagome said, starry-eyed from the wonder of the evening. "That was very clever of you, by the way. I was beginning to think you were a jealous jerk again."

"Please. As if I would be jealous of that stupid mongrel."

"Well, I didn't know it was Miroku at the time. He was pretty far away. And with that ridiculous mustache…" Kagome went off into peals of laughter. Inuyasha's heart squeezed at the sound. He loved making her laugh. He spent too much time making her angry and sad.

Even after two years, he knew he was still madly in love with Kagome. And he knew it didn't matter how much more time passed by, he would always love her.

When Kagome stopped laughing, she wondered why Inuyasha was staring at her so intently. "Inuyasha, do I have something on my face?"

"Hm? Oh, no. I was just thinking that this isn't going to go away," Inuyasha said, gruff. Kagome's brows furrowed in confusion.

"What's not going to go away?"

"This. Our connection. Bah. I don't like being a sap, Kag," Inuyasha said. Kagome giggled at his sudden turn of attitude.

"You were doing fine earlier," Kagome said. Inuyasha blushed.

"I practiced. In front of a mirror. Miroku told me what to do. Otherwise…" Inuyasha shrugged while Kagome valiantly held in her laughter. Thankfully, the waiter came with rolls at that moment.

"Kag, you said you love the ring, but—"

"Silly man. Must you hear it from me everyday for you to know?" Kagome chewed on a piece of chicken carefully. "I love you, my silly husband. Now eat, so we can go and I can show you how much I appreciate you."

"Yes ma'am," Inuyasha muttered, shoveling the food in his mouth. Kagome chuckled at how fast he was eating.

After they were done eating, Kagome hooked her arm through his as they walked outside. Inuyasha went to retrieve their car, and Kagome waited on the curb. The valet sputtered a protest, but Kagome soothed him, giving him another bill to keep him happy.

Kagome never noticed a pair of sinister eyes in the dark across the street, watching as Inuyasha picked her up and drove off onto the streets.

wk: Dun dun dun... Cliffie! Again! Sorry. Couldn't help myself. Sorry that this chapter is so short when you guys have been waiting forever for my update. (Guilty face) But like I said in my beginning author's note, I have a considerable amount of more time, so I should start updating regularly again. Yay! And yeah. The "Scawy Man" from the last chapter turned out to be Kouga. Most of the people seemed to think it was Naraku or Sesshoumaru. Glad to have stymied people Mwahaha!But a sinister pair of eyes? Hmmm... We'll have to see, won't we?

Okay. Now, I know that review of reviews is... what would you call it... "illegal" now, but I'm gonna do it anyway. Just for some people, anyway, since I believe some reviewers need feedback. For example...

NefCanuck, that is a brilliant idea, and I do believe I will utilize it.

HAHA, Chibes, I nearly fell out of my chair laughing when I read your review. I should have made it Richard Simmons. Then we could all be thin while we gasp in suspense for my next chapter.

Congratulations, Okanim! You were the one to correctly guess fully! You even guessed when... well... Let's keep that to just us. (Wink)

Um... I think adding an epilogue to 102.5 FM is kind of useless, since this is the sequel anyway. So... Yeah,I think that's going to be the end.Thanks for asking, Dice-lord!

wk: Okay. done. See? Not overly long and drawn out. Wait for my next chapter! I think I have an idea of how it's going to be...