"Kagome!"

Kaori all but tackled her daughter when Kagome, Souta, and Inuyasha returned from their short trip from the park. Her screech startled Jii-chan awake who muttered incoherent words under his breath before waddling off to his bedroom.

"Darling let me see," Kaori grabbed Kagome's arm and stared at the ring, tears gathering in her eyes. Kagome was beaming, watching her mother run a finger over the sparkling ruby. She knew the story, of how her grandfather of twenty generations ago personally set out to find the perfect stone for his bride-to-be. He opted to pick a ruby as it reminded him of a Good Samaritan that saved him and his bride-to-be from a band of bandits.

"This is so wonderful! Oh, we have to plan the ceremony and—"

Kagome shook her head. "Mama, no…"

Souta and Inuyasha glanced at each other, both exchanging the same expression: she doesn't want a ceremony?

Kaori frowned. "What? No ceremony?"

Kagome smiled and offered her explanation: "A ceremony is simply tradition and Inuyasha and I are anything but traditional. Knowing that I'm his wife in his heart is all that I need."

Pouting, Kaori could do nothing but accept her daughter's decision. "Fine. But I'll be going to the government office to add Inuyasha's name to our koseki."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah… I have to talk to my brother about ours."

"You have a koseki?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at Kagome's flabbergasted question. "Of course we do, wench. Everybody has one. Those things have been around since my father was in his teenage years… in human terms."

Kagome shook her head, clearly still surprised.

"Your Jii-chan and I were working on getting Inuyasha's residency papers for this era," Kaori said, ignoring Inuyasha and Kagome's short exchange. "Should almost be finalized, so I can go get his name added to our koseki… but before that, what surname do you want to put down? Are you okay with Higurashi?"

It was now Inuyasha and Kagome's turn to exchange looks. Without missing a beat, Inuyasha filled in the gap: "No, put me down as a Takahashi."

.xx.

"So I'll officially be Kagome Takahashi, hm?" Kagome was grinning as Inuyasha held her close while jumping into the well. It was just after dinner and the couple decided to pay their friends a visit for the evening before returning to Kagome's era.

"Doesn't matter what you are, wench. Ultimately, you're mine."

"How barbaric." Kagome's lips still tugged, her heart pounding at his proclamation of claim.

"Keh—holy shit!" Inuyasha's eyes locked onto the lip of the well as he and Kagome finished their journey through time. Kagome looked at him and then up at the top of the well.

"What?!"

"The babies are here."

Kagome squealed as Inuyasha leapt out of the well and began sprinting towards Miroku's hut. Sure enough, dual sets of lungs were shrieking as Inuyasha and Kagome entered earshot. Inuyasha pressed his ears against the top of his head as they got closer and closer to the hut; eventually not even his silver mane could drown out the sounds of Miroku's brats.

"Wait," Kagome stopped, staring at the door of the hut and then back at Inuyasha, her eyes widening. "Did you say babies?!"

Grinning, he nodded and kicked the door open, revealing Miroku and Sango, sitting on a futon both cradling a baby. Shippo was perched on top of Miroku's head, staring down at one child while Kirara stared up at the babe in Sango's arms.

"Oh my god!" Kagome ran in to the room and dropped to her knees in front of her friends, staring in awe at the babies. "Oh, they are so precious…"

The child in Miroku's arm immediately quieted down when she saw Kagome peering at her. Breaking into a toothless grin, the child reached out to Kagome who smiled widely at her newborn niece.

"How beautiful… unfortunately I can't hold you yet, little one." Kagome looked at her left arm, sadly. "I'm a little broken… but soon, I will."

The baby, who clearly did not understand, began shrieking again. Kagome gave Miroku an apologetic grin who could do nothing but chuckle.

"It's been like this since the girls arrived last night…"

Inuyasha, who had been quiet the whole time, finally approached his friends and sat down beside Kagome. He brought his clawed index finger up to gently trace the side of the baby in Sango's arm.

"What're their names?" He whispered his voice hardly audible over the screaming. Almost immediately, the baby in Sango's arm stopped to stare at Inuyasha; unblinking, they both watched each other until the baby reached up for Inuyasha. Without hesitating, he lifted the baby gently in to his arms and cradled her close to his chest, enveloping her with his warmth.

"She's Aoi," Sango murmured, glad that her daughter was falling asleep.

"And this is Sora." Miroku gestured down at the girl in his arms. Upon hearing her sister cease crying, Sora decided to quiet her screaming to soft whimpering.

Miroku and Sango both looked between their daughters to their two awestricken friends. Shippo bounced off of Miroku's head to perch himself on Kagome's good shoulder. Wordlessly, she smiled over at him and leaned forward to peck his cheek.

"I miss you," she whispered and Shippo could only wrap his tiny arms around Kagome's head.

"Me too, Kagome."

Although she didn't want to admit it, hearing him say her name instead of Okaa-san hurt. But she knew that with time, her adoptive son would refer to her as such…

"How are you feeling?" Kagome looked at her best friend and saw that she looked exhausted. Her eyes were sunken and her smile seemed to be forced.

"Exhausted… Kaede went to the other side of the village to gather some herbs for me to help me sleep." Sango was cut off by her yawn. "But it's hard when I have to feed two girls."

"I'll bet." Kagome murmured. "But they're both absolutely beautiful. They look like you," Kagome winked at Miroku who laughed sheepishly.

"Thank you, Kagome. Not to burst the happy moment, but I'm very glad that we had girls instead of a son." The meaning was sombre, and all five of them felt it. Inuyasha decided to switch the topic and used his head to gesture at Kagome.

"Wench, show them."

Kagome looked confusedly at Inuyasha before she realized what he meant. Excitedly, she extended her right arm to show them the beautiful ring set – Kagome insisted that she wanted the band and engagement ring set immediately, as they weren't holding a ceremony. Traditionally, the rings were placed on the bride's left hand but seeing as how that was impossible, Kagome decided to wear the rings on her right finger until her left arm healed.

Sango squealed as silently as possible. "Rings! You got her rings!"

Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh."

Miroku chuckled. "That's amazing… isn't it strange? We started this journey when we were nothing but coming out of our childhood and half of us are parents." Truly, it was awe inspiring. The four of them were nothing but strangers headed towards a common goal. Somewhere along the way, however, their friendship evolved into a familial bond. Kagome looked up to Sango as if she were her older sister, and Miroku was the goofy brother she never had. Somebody that she could get completely unbaised advice from.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, regarded the two to be higher up in the rankings of his pack. His dog blood was far more dominant than his human blood, so his view of familial bonds were vastly different from Kagome's. While he took on the role of alpha male, Kagome by default assumed the role of alpha female. In the canine hierarchy system, that would make Miroku and Sango his beta male and female. They were the second in command and, if anythere were to happen to him or Kagome, those two would immediately take on any human or demon that ranked lower in the hierarchy system. That is, Shippo and Kirara.

Regardless of blood and definition of family, the meaning remained the same for all of them.

"Yeah, adult stage while still on the same fucking mission." Inuyasha snorted. "You'd think after three years we'd—" He paused, his eyes wide. Kagome knew immediately what was coming and quickly told Sango to take Aoi out of his arms.

Without a second to spare, Sango withdrew Aoi and Inuyasha collapsed his arms both falling flat onto the floor and his breathing ragged. The fucking curse. Kagome hurried over and placed her right arm on his chest. She knew, from the many times darkness engulfed him, that his pain originated from where his heart was. Leaning close, she pressed her forehead against his cheek and whispered only loud enough for him to hear: "It's okay… I'm here. We're going to make sure this never happens again."

Shippo, Miroku and Sango watched, dumbfounded. They had never seen something like that happen and to be frank, it scared the shit out of them. After what felt like an eternity, Inuyasha recovered. Kagome used her sleeve to wipe the bead of sweat that collected on his forehead as he sat back on his hind legs, deeply inhaling and exhaling.

"What was that?" Miroku finally asked, his voice cracking.

"Nothing." Inuyasha croaked. He stood up and extended his arm to Kagome, helping her get up as well. "It doesn't concern you both… anyway, take rest. Kagome and I need to pay Sesshomaru a little visit."

"But—"

Kagome shook her head, stopping Sango before she could continue. "Please listen to him."

Sango, hesitantly, closed her mouth. A billion questions were running through her mind, but she was going to respect her friend's request and not ask them. Yet.

Miroku nodded at Shippo. "See them out? One wrong move and this one will wake up." He looked down at a sleeping Sora.

Shippo nodded from his spot on Kagome's shoulder. Exchanging one final look, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo left the hut, leaving two very confused parents watch their retreating figures.

"I knew they got married for a reason." Sango whispered, hoping Inuyasha couldn't hear her. "That has to be it. What do you think it could be?"

Miroku shook his head. "I have no idea, but I'll find out…" Although he didn't know how he was going to find out what was wrong with his friend. He was determined to find out; Miroku decided in a heartbeat that if he and Sango could be of any help, they'd do it.

Two newborns or not, they would use any means necessary to help their family.Kagome and Inuyasha had been there for them time and time again throughout the years, and it was their turn to return the favour.

.xx.

"You're going to Sesshomaru's?" Shippo asked as the duo walked towards the archway that signified the border of Goshinboku village.

"Yeah," Inuyasha nodded, only just recovering from the effect of the curse. His breathing finally evened and his hands stopped shaking. "I have to add Kagome to my koseki."

"Right." Shippo nodded. "Sesshomaru probably has to go with you to do it, right? Are you even on yours?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Of-fucking-course I am, idiot. My mother was alive until I was a kid, remember? My father should've put her on his, and she would've put me on it too."

"Just checking." Shippo muttered.

"How's school?" Kagome changed the topic, seeing Inuyasha getting frustrated with Shippo's barrage of questions. The topic of his parents was a sensitive one, and Kagome knew that better than anybody else.

"Boring." Shippo sighed. "I can't wait until I'm done. I wanna join you two on your adventures again."

"I know," Kagome smiled. "But you have to finish your schooling… otherwise the Kitsune clan'll come after us."

"Inuyasha can kick their asses." Shippo whispered. Inuyasha smirked.

"I'm sure he can, but he won't." Kagome said, firmly. "You don't have much longer, anyway. Before you know it, you'll be helping us kick Naraku's ass instead."

Shippo clapped his hands. "Yes! You two better not fight him until I'm ready."

"Yeah, let me go tell Naraku to hold off on destroying Japan until you graduate." Inuyasha said, sarcastically. Shippo blew his tongue at Inuyasha, who clenched his fist and held it up.

"Do that again, I dare you."

"I'm on Kagome's shoulder, you're too chicken to hit—AHH, KAGOME!" Shippo clung onto Kagome's head as Inuyasha took a menacing step forward. Kagome shot Inuyasha a look.

"Don't."

"But—"

"I said don't."

Pouting, Inuyasha shoved his hands into the sleeves of his haori and pick up his pace. Kagome smirked over at Shippo who blew a raspberry at the back of Inuyasha's head. Without missing a beat, Inuyasha called over his shoulder:

"I heard that."

The sound of Kagome and Shippo's laughter filled the air and, while they couldn't see him, Inuyasha smiled fondly. It would only be a matter of time before this runt called him Otou-san. Once upon a time, that thought would've terrified him but Inuyasha was actually looking forward to that moment.

"Alright, my job here is done." Shippo jumped off of Kaogme's shoulder and smiled up at her. "You two have been safely delivered to the edge of the village. Now…" Shippo brought his hand up to shield his eyes as he scouted the area. "Time to find Kaede-baa-san."

Kagome's smile was affectionate. "Take care. See you soon?"

"Yep!" With a final wave, Shippo began running towards where he scented Kaede. Kagome allowed her shoulders to sag as she approached Inuyasha to walk in tandem beside him. He brought his hand over and interlaced his fingers through Kagome's before giving her a gentle squeeze.

"It's our reality, wench."

"I know." Kagome muttered. "I'm not complaining… I just hate that we leave him behind."

"He clearly is stuck with us for the rest of our lives, so enjoy the moments without him when you can."

Kagome giggled and looked up at Inuyasha. "Fine, you're right. Anyway! Can you please explain how you have a family register?"

"I told you, it's been around for as long as I can remember. It's not a modern day invention, you know." He rolled his eyes at his wife's expense. Subconsciously, he ran his thumb over the ruby of her ring, his heart picking up its pace by just a few beats per second.

"I have to look into its origins then," Kagome murmured. "Do you guys put surnames in your register?"

"No," Inuyasha shook his head. "I think it's done by your father's name." Inuyasha's eyes flickered down to his mate. "Like Inuyasha, son of Toga."

Kagome considered what he said. "Are you going to add Takahashi?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "And tip Sesshomaru off? No fucking way. Let's just bide our time and see when we work our last name in."

"Makes sense."

Neither said anything else. A comforting silence settled upon them, and both welcomed it. The ambience of their surroundings filled the air; birds chirping, trees rustling, a distant stream trickling. The sounds were familiar to Kagome, and it comforted her. Walking with Inuyasha, hand-in-hand, in the era she called home was all that Kagome lived for. Whether it was hunting for the Shikon no Tama – or to find a remedy to this curse –, as long as Kagome was with Inuyasha, it really didn't matter what she was doing.

I love him so much.

So much that it hurt.

"Can we… stay the night at the castle?" Kagome asked not looking at Inuyasha.

He glanced down at her. "Why?"

At least it wasn't a flat no.

"You now… to spend time together."

Inuyasha cocked his eyebrows. "But we spend time in your era."

"Yes but…" Kagome began blushing. "The walls are… thin."

"And—ohhhh!" Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Fuck, you should've just said you wanted to rut."

Kagome pulled her hand away from his and glared up at him. "Don't make it sound so disgusting. Who says rut?"

"I say rut," Inuyasha stopped and turned to face his wife. "You gotta problem, wench?"

"Yes. Say love-making."

"What the hell is that?! It sounds so fucking pansy."

"How the hell does a phrase sound pansy?"

"Hell if I know, but you just did it!"

Electricity sizzled between them, both unblinking and refusing to relent first. Kagome wiggled her nose and Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

"Blink."

"No." Kagome narrowed her eyes, but still remained unblinking. A few seconds more ticked by, and just when Kagome thought she was going to lose because of her burning eyes, Inuyasha shoved her out of the way.

"Watch out!"

Kagome whirled around in time to see a dart sink into Inuyasha's neck. The rest happened as if it were in slow motion: Inuyasha pulled the dart out of his neck and spun around to frantically look at Kagome.

"Run!" He moved to take a step towards her but his legs stumbled and he collapsed.

"INUYASHA!"

Just as Kagome moved to get to Inuyasha, she felt a hand clamp over her mouth. Kagome let out an ear piercing scream and Inuyasha, with great difficulty, pulled his head up to watch his mate being dragged away.

"Ka—gome…" He reached for Kagome, his arm shaking but a swift kick to his stomach knocked him unconscious.

"INUYASHAAA!" Kagome tried to scream from behind the hand over her mouth. Her captor shook her violently.

"Shut the hell up."

Without warning, a blindfold was tightly wrapped around her eyes and her hands were tied with a thick rope. She was thrown into what she believed was a carriage before somebody yanked a handkerchief around her mouth and tied it, preventing her from screaming. Her left arm was throbbing with pain, but her blindfold soaked up her tears. It wasn't the pain that was hurting her, it was the fact knowing her husband was lying somewhere unconscious that killed her soul

Inuyasha...

"There."

Kagome didn't recognize the voice.

"We've got the shard detector."

Oh fuck.

A koseki is a Japanese family register. It's where you add/remove names when there are marriages, births, deaths, divorce, etc.