Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing! Nothing I tell you!

Summary: A family is all that one has. Keeping that family together even during the toughest of storms is sometimes harder than it appears.

Pairing: Genos/Kagome

Dedication: To CK, who has supported us so much! I would have messaged you privately if I could but that's not possible, so this will have to do instead. Thanks so much for everything!

Kazoku

Chapter Four:

Kagome wandered the aisles of the market, her eyes surveying the products for their expiration date. With a cart already half-full she continued to search mindlessly for the ones that were no longer good to sell. Playing against her aniki last night had helped take her mind off of Inuyasha but as soon as she got to work she found her phone ringing off the hook. It would seem that the boy was aware of her schedule and thought that he could sneak it by Saitama. The girl took a can of soup dated to go out two weeks ago and dropped it noisily in the cart—uncaring of the racket she was making. Let the B.A.O.P. Squad hear her, if anything having them around would provide her with more protection against the eager hound (as the liked to refer to him).

Despite a clingy ex-boyfriend trying to get in touch with her, Kagome's mind wandered to her brother-figure and Genos. They were supposed to take the exams today to get into the Hero Association. She had no doubt that they could pass, but she was nervous for which rank they'd get. The teen knew that her guardian was stronger than anyone alive, but as she researched more into the process she realized that there was more than just a physical test. There was a written test as well. Now for as kind and strong as Saitama was, he wasn't the best at written exams. He mentioned before that he utterly sucked at them. Kagome hoped for the best and held her faith out for him. She found herself not worrying as much for Genos. For the little amount of time she had known him, she learned that he was both strong and incredibly smart. She had full faith in that he could easily enter the A-rank or higher through the exams. She smiled a bit at that thought. Genos really was a kind person, he just didn't like to show it to others. The way he tried to defend her honor from Kikyou-baa the other day proved that much. The teen felt her face heat at the memory. That was not something she wanted to relive either.

"Little bird!" Said woman cried out happily, running swiftly down the slick floors. Kagome ran over to her and quickly steadied her fragile body.

"Be careful Kikyou-baa! You're not as strong as you used to be!" The dark-haired girl reprimanded lightly. The older woman didn't give her any heed. Instead she wrapped her arms around the girl's neck and rubbed her cheek affectionately against hers.

"I missed you little bird! Where have you been?" The hug grew more intense as Kagome struggled to breathe.

"Kikyou-baa! Toushi always gives me my weekends off! You know that!" She pushed against the elderly lady lightly, not wanting to harm her or hurt her feelings.

Kikyou nuzzled her cheek against Kagome's head, "Nuh-uh, you just wanted some alone time with that robo cop of yours, didn't you?" She flashed the flustered girl a wide smirk, "I know you've got a thing for him!"

"Robo cop? Who are…" At that moment, Kagome's face resembled a very ripe tomato. "How many times do we have to say it? It's not like that! Genos-kun is just a friend!" The girl dropped her voice a bit, "Plus I don't think he'd appreciate you calling him robo cop."

Kikyou's smirk nearly cracked her face, "Oh so it's you who likes him. Well don't you worry child, you'll charm him into your good graces soon enough." Kagome thought she nearly passed out from shame.

Toushi appeared behind the two, his thick arms folded over his chest. "Get out. You're harassing my best employee." The teen was grateful for his interference. The older woman glared up at the ox. Sure he was mighty handsome but he was married. The man was taboo to mess with even by Kikyou's standards.

"Fine I'll leave for now, but I'll be back before you know it with the whole B.A.O.P. Squad and you won't like us then." She warned, flipping her white hair over her shoulder and purposely smacking Toushi in the face with it. The man growled but didn't move from his spot. He mustn't hit a customer. He chanted to himself over and over again.

The pair watched as the eccentric old woman left the shop. She mounted a scooter outside. With a single press of a button a couple of jets sprouted magically on the vehicle's side. Then, she was gone in a squeal of rubber tires and smoke. Kagome didn't think she could ever get used to that woman's antics.

Toushi sighed, "You should go ahead and take your half-hour." He patted her on top of her head gently, "You seem a bit tired today."

The dark-haired girl undid her apron. So he had noticed. That wasn't surprising given what happened last night. She returned to the break room, clocked out, and then proceeded to eat the bowl of oyakodon she had packed earlier in the day. She really needed to pull herself together. Going through the day as if she were in a fog was no way to live. The girl's eyes watched with interest as the broadcaster on the T.V. discussed the new series that the pro-hero Handsomely Masked Sweet Mask was going to do. Kagome blinked, she never cared much for that particular hero. He seemed like a two-faced spoiled brat from the interviews she saw of him. The rest of her break was spent in peace. She had long since turned her phone off and left it in her locker. Inuyasha could sulk by himself for all she cared.

Kagome washed her dishes quickly before putting them away. Once she had made sure that she hadn't left a mess, she retied her apron and clocked back in. Only three more hours left before she could go home. The prospect excited her. She really wanted to know what ranks her aniki and Genos made today.

The first half hour of work was for the most part peaceful. There were a small handful of difficult customers but Toushi had dealt them (usually including tossing them clear across the store to get the emphasize that he wasn't a pushover). Then the doors chimed and someone stepped into the market. Kagome turned, her usual 'retail smile' plastered across her face.

"Welcome! How are you tod…" She stopped mid-sentence. Cobalt eyes widened at the familiar person standing only a few feet away from her. This could not be happening!

A silver haired male stood by the register he knew to be Kagome's. He scratched the side of his head before he caught her eye.

"Mind if we talk?" The young man asked. Though it was more of a statement than a question. He tried to approach her but she backed away, fire burning in her eyes. Then an idea hit her.

"What can I help you with today sir? Do you need some contraceptives for your lady back at home?" Inuyasha cringed and Kagome smirked. Oh yeah, hit him where it hurt the most. "Or perhaps she needs a pregnancy test? Sango mentioned that Hotaru wasn't feeling too good lately." The teen tutted, "My, you sure should learn to use protection." Okay so she wasn't exactly the prime example of good customer service, but right now she didn't care. She had a score to settle. Besides, Toushi was busy on a phone conference with Corporate HQ. He'd be gone for at least an hour before he could help her out of this mess. She was on her own here without the support of her aniki or the B.A.O.P. Squad.

The silver-haired male rubbed the back of his head, "I screwed up okay. No need to be rude about it." She nearly snorted at him. Her? Rude to him? Oh now that was a laugh! What she was doing wasn't anything compared to what he did to her! She backed up a couple of steps as her ex-boyfriend tried to take her hand.

"I just want to talk." His golden eyes pleaded with her. Her cobalt ones bore into them like knives.

"No. I've nothing to say to you." She finally commented, aware of her power rising with her anger. Damn, she needed to learn to control that better. He step forward again, forcing her to take another step back. The teen cringed as she was forced into the shelving; she was trapped.

Inuyasha's hand came up to touch her face but was stopped. The girl's head snapped up. Without her ever knowing, Genos had shown up and now had the other man by the wrist. His grip clamped down harshly into the soft flesh of the other male.

"Keep your hands to yourself." The blond warned darkly, "She is not an object for you to manhandle as you please." With that the cyborg threw the man away from them. A dark bruise formed on the boy's skin-a reminder of not to touch what wasn't his. He pushed Kagome safely behind him as the stranger regained his balance. He felt her grip the shirt on his back. His anger rose by the small action. She was frightened. The way her hands trembled tipped him off to that much. The more she clung to him, the more he realized that he hated seeing her like this. It was time to correct the situation before it went any further.

He had only come here to speak with her about a few things, mostly about her power. He hadn't told her guardian where he was going or why, so he was by himself. Though he had a feeling that if Saitama had come then Inuyasha would have already been on his knees groveling for forgiveness. A ball of flame appeared in Genos' free palm. Guess he'd have to make that happen himself. Two pairs of fierce golden eyes clashed with one another. So this was the infamous Inuyasha that his mentor had mentioned. Perhaps he should give the boy a lesson in how to treat women? It was clear he had no class especially with the way he had tried to touch Kagome.

An unbridled rage grew within him. Seeing such filth try to touch her so gently made him furious. Now, it was time to prove himself a worthy disciple to Saitama. Fending off Kagome's stalker of an ex-boyfriend was a good way to start.

"Who the fuck are you?!" Inuyasha roared with fury.

"Genos!" Kagome cried as he took a step forward. She gently grabbed his arm and held him back, "Not here. It's not worth it." The blond watched as her eyes darted nervously around the shop. Of course, she didn't want her workplace to be damaged in the crosshairs. Well that was fine, he'd just take them somewhere else. Fully intending on taking the fight outside, he tried to move forward but found himself being held back by her vice-like grip.

As he tried to pry her grip off of him, she suddenly came out from behind and pressed herself against him. Her hands pushed against his chest as she tried to keep him from attacking Inuyasha. The fire in his hand went out—a precaution against causing unintended harm.

"Don't worry about it. He's not worth the effort." Kagome tried to calm his wrath. "Look at me!" She growled out as the cyborg continued his glaring contest. Hearing her voice he stopped and did as she asked, "Don't let him rile you up. It's not worth it." She repeated. Of course it was worth it. What was she talking about? Not letting someone treat her so shabbily was worth every bit of effort!

Inuyasha glowered, "What do you mean 'not worth it'?" He stomped up to the couple, "What's gotten into you and who the fuck is this guy?" The silver haired teen jutted a thumb in the cyborg's direction, "You already hooked up with someone else? It's been two fucking weeks! How easy are you?" Inuyasha attempted to grab her from Genos. It was in that moment something snapped within the blond. His arm wrapped itself securely around her waist to ensure that the male couldn't take her. Then he twisted his body and threw his punch into Inuyasha's face. It collided with his cheek, the sickening crack of a bone breaking echoed in the market. Genos morbidly wondered how many bones he'd get the chance to break to get the picture across.

Kagome's face was beet red as he held her tightly against him. There it was again. The stark contrast of her body pressed flushed against his made him remember his humanity once more. Softness and steel. It seemed so foreign yet familiar to him.

Toushi came rushing back down at the sound of the commotion. The phone in his hand long forgotten. The ox-man's eyes took in the devastation that Genos' punch had created. Inuyasha was lying unconscious on the floor after having been sent flying clear across the entire market. Shelf after shelf had been knocked over and products were lying in heaps of rubble.

"That mother fucker!" The man roared as he picked up the boy. He casually dragged him outside and called an ambulance. If Inuyasha hadn't already been knocked out, he'd have given him a beating as well! Kagome's manager then turned onto them. He deflated somewhat at the sight of her being held so protectively by the cyborg, but that didn't excuse him of the mess.

"You!" He pointed a finger at Genos, "Will clean this immediately." The teen nodded in agreement. Sure he could do that. Besides he wasn't about to let his teacher's ward stay here by herself after that fiasco. The only thing that bothered him now was what to do in the upcoming weeks. As a new S-rank Pro Hero he wouldn't have much time, so who was going to pick her up from work and make sure she was safe from that bastard?

"Genos?" Kagome asked as she realized that he hadn't let go of her yet. Instead his arm suddenly tightened around her waist. She blushed. She knew that their relationship wasn't like what Kikyou or the others had been suggesting, but that didn't that she was dead! He was handsome and he was holding her very intimately. Of course she'd feel something about that. Try as she might, she couldn't keep the pink from her cheeks.

Sensing her discomfort, he released his hold on her, "Sorry, I caused you trouble."

She shook her head, "You helped more than anything." The young woman flashed her friend a smile, "Thanks! I owe you big time!" Genos nodded and returned her smile with a small one of his own. At least she wasn't angry with him. Golden eyes turned to the mess. Now all he needed to do was fix everything before she got off of work. He glanced at his time. Two hours left. That was more than plenty for him. With that the young man set to work.

"You sure it was a good idea letting Inuyasha go in there?" Kaede peered over at her sibling.

Kikyou waved her hand, "It's all good. Robo cop was following in right behind him." She gave a cocky smirk as she twirled a pistol around her finger, "Besides, it was about time the kid staked his claim and gave Inuyasha the boot."

Kaede's countenance deadpanned, "Sister, they've only known each other for a few days. I sincerely doubt that, that Genos boy will be 'staking a claim' so soon." Really, why did she get cursed with such a sibling? Living with her had been total hell when they were younger. Now that they were old things only seemed to have gotten worse. Only their older brother had the power to get her somewhat in line. Though even his ability to do so was quickly fading. She was becoming far too hard-headed for her own good.

"To the contrary," She pointed to the disaster that was now left in the cyborg's wake, "He wouldn't of done that if he only felt friendship towards her." She tapped her foot against the ledge of the scooter, "That was possessiveness. Even if robo cop doesn't understand the feeling himself, it's definitely still there." The old woman put away her binoculars and gestured for her sister to start driving. "C'mon we need to plan for the next time the hound appears." With the pistol holstered in its proper place (her bra), the two took off into the sunset. There was so much to do and so little time.

A/n: So I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I kinda wanted the B.A.O.P. Squad to have more involvement but it just didn't work out that way. I'll see what I can do for them in the next chapter though. Inuyasha isn't going to be going away anytime soon and Genos is quite protective already. Anyways let me know what you guys think! Thanks so much for all of your support!