A/n: Sorry that this took so long! Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. I'm really happy you all like it so much.
Disclaimer: See previous chapters and apply.
"Pop! Sizzle, sizzle…" The bacon cried as Mrs. Higurashi laid them in her large cast iron skillet. The flame of the stove was on high and the pan was nice and hot. She smiled satisfied as she watched the thin long strips of meat begin to shrivel. She took a deep breath of air and sighed happily. The weatherman had said it was going to be yet another beautiful Saturday morning in Tokyo, and she had been awake since the first light of dawn preparing a massive breakfast feat fit for an emperor to celebrate the fact that all the members of her small family were together on a weekend for a change. Saturdays were the busiest days in the household thanks to her father's weekly excursions into town to peek around in a small shop full of ancient looking scrolls and potions so that he could add them to his already massive collection.
She rolled her eyes. 'It's a good thing that Dad wanted to stay around as long as InuYasha was here to keep an eye on him. Otherwise, he would have tried to con me into accompanying him. I don't know why he insists on collecting those old nasty things. It's not as if he ever uses them, and they cost a fortune!'
Around nine o'clock in the morning it was usually time to send Sota off to football practice. He had just made the school team and from the way he talked, football was more important than food or water, and he spent the little spare time that he had dribbling the little black and white ball around the shrine grounds.
Even Kagome was there, always with InuYasha at her side, and she smiled to herself. It was always fun watching InuYasha sample new foods that she prepared and watching his eyes light up with delight whenever he bit into something he liked.
She mopped her sweat soaked brow with her sleeve and set off to crack the eggs for the omelets she intended to serve. Already on the table, were several dishes were just begging to be eaten. There was a huge basket filled with an pan, a sweet roll like pastry made with bean fudge filling. Next to the rolls sat a large casserole dish that contained steamed sweet potatoes with onions, red peppers and a hint of ginger baked until the top was crusted over and glazed with egg whites. There were soft-boiled eggs still in their shells intended to be cracked opened and mixed into upon a bowl of steaming rice and of course, a large bowel containing sun ripened fruit.
"Mom, are you sure there isn't anything I could help you with?" Kagome took a deep draught of her coffee savoring the way it tasted on her tongue. Coffee was a luxury that Kagome more often than not did without, and she closed her eyes feeling as if she had gone to heaven.
"No dear, really I'm fine." She wiped her hands on the front of her apron and offered a strained smile. "You just relax and enjoy your last day at home."
"It would be no trouble at all. If you'd like I could chop up some vegetables and grate the cheese for the omelets." Kagome offered once more truly wishing to be of service. Helping out with breakfast seemed like the least she could do after what she put her mother through every day. She knew that her mom worried about her constantly, and though it was a comfort to her knowing InuYasha was protecting her, she still couldn't be certain that Kagome was one hundred percent safe.
Suddenly, there was a huge crash on the roof and both Kagome and her mother jumped then flew to the screen door to crane their necks skyward so that they could better see what was making all of the racket. "What's going on up there?" Mrs. Higurashi called loudly hoping to attract the attention of either her father or InuYasha. "Dad?"
Grandpa and InuYasha had been working hard at patching the roof all morning. It had suffered massive damage from the previous year's heavy snow and was cracked and sagging in places causing leaks whenever there was a heavy rain. Her father had insisted that he could not do it without InuYasha's help and after he had received a look from Kagome, he had begrudgingly accepted knowing that it was what Kagome would have wanted him to do. He grumbled to himself and covered his nose as he spread the foul smelling black tar across the new tiles to secure them in place. More and more as the morning progressed; he had found himself doing the majority of the work while Grandpa Higurashi loafed around flipping through the pages of his morning newspaper. Every occasionally he would stir to order the hanyou about or criticize him for not doing something to his strict specifications, but for the most part he was completely engrossed with his reading.
"Dad, are you up there?" Mrs. Higurashi called louder and waved her arms above her head trying to attract his attention once more. "We heard a crash. Is everything all right?"
InuYasha's ears perked up a little at the sound of a friendly voice and he gave one final glance at the old man. He seemed to be completely oblivious to the world around him and he smiled to himself for he could also pick up Kagome's sweet scent on the wind. It was time for a much-needed break and in one leap; he landed on the ground beside Kagome and gave her a meaningful stare conveying without words just how happy he was to see her. She could not help but to blush for she was not yet used to his tender gestures.
"Well hey there, isn't this nice surprise!" He breathed out a sigh of relief and stood to lean his aching back against the yellow siding of the small house. Grandpa had been working him like a tyrant and InuYasha's mind was bent on getting back at the old man sometime before he returned to his homeland.
"We heard a crash." Kagome smiled shyly and played with various shaped pebbles that littered the pavement at her feet. She was not used to feeling so loving towards her hanyou under the careful scrutiny of her nosey family. She knew that it was perfectly natural to feel that way, but still it felt a little strange. She had yet to tell them about InuYasha and her newly discovered feelings towards each other and butterflies rose in her stomach at the mere thought of revealing all to her conservative family. She knew that her mother would more than likely be accepting as would Sota, but her grandfather was another story all together. His reaction to their newly formed union would be completely unpredictable and she knew that it would be best to have the other two on her side before she even mentioned anything to him.
"Is everything all right up there?" Mrs. Higurashi gave the pair a knowing smile then turned, took a step back so that she would have a better view of the rooftop, and shielded her eyes from the glaring sun to try to pinpoint the cause of the disturbance. So far, she could see nothing. "Tell me, what did my father do this time?" She grimaced slightly thinking back to the last fix it job her father had insisted on doing for her. The old toaster had been on its last legs for quite some time and her father had insisted that he knew exactly what the problem was, and how to rectify it, so she placed her faith in him and washed her hands of the situation. That was where she had made her mistake. Her father had proudly presented the newly fixed toaster to her the next morning at breakfast and begged her to try it out. When she plugged the appliance in, the dammed thing caught fire and the wall was singed black. It had cost forty thousand, three hundred and two yen repair the smoke damage, and she swore silently to herself never to let her well-meaning father meddle with household affairs.
"Keh well the old man is fine if that's what you want to know." InuYasha shrugged his shoulders and bit back a sneer. 'Lazy good for nothing old man forcing me to do all the work…' He silently cursed to himself. Even if it took him all day, he would find a way to get even with grandpa Higurashi for forcing him to do the full share of the work. All he needed was the right plan.
Kagome's brows furrowed and she thought back to the loud crash she and her mother had heard just a few minutes earlier. If everything was so fine, what had caused the crash? She wondered to herself. The question was on the tip of her tongue, but she remained silent thinking that perhaps it would be better not to know. If her grandfather had made a mess of things again, she knew that she and Sota would be called in to try to help rectify the problem for he could never seem to do anything right without some sort of help. Her mother's breakfast would go cold and uneaten after all the time and work she had invested in it. Besides, Kagome was ravenous and the sooner she ate the better. "So are you guys almost done? Breakfast should be on the table in about ten more minutes."
"Great I'm starving!" InuYasha grinned broadly at the mention of food. "I just hope that slave driver up there will give me decent break."
"Well I don't see while he wouldn't. He knows as well as I do that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Why if you eat a hearty breakfast every morning, you'll have enough energy to last you the entire day." Mrs. Higurashi replied very matter of factually. She had studied to be a nurse in her youth and had retained much of what she had learned as reference material for whenever someone in her family would fall ill.
Kagome rolled her eyes and forced a small smile on her face. She had heard that argument every morning when she had begged to sleep in just a little later before she went to school and didn't care to hear it for the thousandth time. "Mom, I think I smell something burning!" She interrupted before her mother could say another word. Sure enough, the smoke detector located in the hallway had started its annoying high-pitched beeping, and the smell of burnt pork filtered from under the door causing InuYasha to wrinkle his nose as the foul odor singed his nostrils.
"My bacon!" Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed realizing what was happening and without another word, she flew back inside the house to remove the pan from the stove. Sure enough, all that remained of the thick crispy bacon she had cooked were smoldering black lumps. She frowned and silently carried the pan to the trashcan and emptied its contents. She trudged back over to the sink and started running cool water over the pan so that she could scrub out the charred black ring that completely covered the bottom of it muttering to herself as she worked.
Now that her mother was gone, InuYasha's eyes lit up and impulsively he grabbed Kagome by her wrist and drew her to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his head on her shoulder, breathing in the soft fragrance of her hair. She seemed to melt into his embrace, and softly stoked his back in circles. She closed her eyes completely contented and allowed her muscles to relax into his warmth.
"I missed you." He whispered into her ear giving her earlobe a gentle nip. Delicious shivered coursed down Kagome's spine and she snuggled closer to her beloved hanyou, resting her cheek against his neck. She could almost hear the sound of his heart beating in his chest and she smiled softly.
"Really?" She replied almost skeptically and gave him a brief squeeze. "You missed me?"
"I always miss you when you're not around. Why do you think I follow you back to this god-awful place time after time? I can tell you it isn't because of the scenery."
She giggled and kissed him gently on the nape of his neck. Her lips were as soft as rose petals and InuYasha closed his eyes as the feeling of blissful happiness came over his heart. He hugged her tighter slightly lifting her feet off the ground causing her to gasp and clutch his shoulders to prevent herself from falling. "Hey!"
"Don't play scared with me, you know I'd never let you fall." He chuckled deeply. His bright amber eyes softened and he gave her one last squeeze before letting her go. He could smell the slightly sour scent old parchment and herbs and knew exactly who it was: Kagome's grandfather and he was approaching quickly. He groaned inwardly and let her go, taking a few steps backwards. He knew that no one in Kagome's family knew about their relationship yet, and that Kagome wanted to speak with her mother about it first so that they could all gang up on her grandfather together. He knew that the old man wouldn't be keen about adding a demonic addition to his perfectly pure family.
"Demon, did I tell you that you could slack off?" He cried as he shuffled to the edge of the roof and waved his fist at InuYasha angrily.
"Ah cool it old man! Even I need a break sometimes!" He hollered back irritated.
"You haven't worked hard enough to deserve a break." Grandpa Higurashi smiled smugly. "It's a complete mess up here! The tar is uneven and the shingles crooked. You did a shoddy job in deed." He spat on the ground narrowly missing InuYasha's left shoulder. The half demon glared at the old man silently wondering if Kagome would hold it against him if he slapped that silly grin off his ugly pug face. He growled deep in his throat earning himself a nasty look from Kagome. He ignored it as always when he was in a foul temper and planted his feet firmly on the ground.
"What the hell are you talking about? I've done twice the work that you have!" He yelled up to the shriveled old man who simply glared at him with contempt. He hated that look; it was the look that most demons and humans gave him upon realizing he was a hanyou. That look was worth more than a thousand insults for he knew that it truly came from the heart, and his chest began to burn with anger. Had he been anyone but Kagome's grandfather he would have been face down in a puddle of his own blood, but he had to use some restraint with old man Higurashi. He had been like a father to Kagome growing up and because of his sincere love for his granddaughter, he had managed to earn the hanyou's respect though that fact did not make him like the old man any better and he sneered up at him and bared his fangs.
"Worthless demon!" He threw a small pebble at InuYasha. It bounced off his head and using his amazing reflexes, he managed to catch it in his hand as it fell. He looked at the small dark rock for a moment, then grinned and threw it back at the old man hitting him just above his long gray eyebrows. The old man fell backwards in surprise landing hard on his ass. InuYasha had thrown the stone with enough strength to make it sting but not do any serious damage and he chuckled loudly as he watched Grandpa Higurashi rub the sore spot on his skull gently all the while cursing under his breath. "It is because of my immense compassion that I still allow you to walk this earth. Had it not been for that I would have slain you long ago. You should be on your knees thanking me for being so merciful."
InuYasha's mouth went slack and his eyes opened wide. "Me. thanking you for being merciful? Ha, what a joke! Face it gramps, nothing that you could ever muster would be strong enough to take me out! Hell, I would be willing to bet that even Shippo could take you out, and he is just a kit! Face it old man, everyone knows that you're just a big fraud."
"I've just been going easy on you, that's all!" Grandpa's face turned beet red and he glared at the hanyou with rage. "I am very a very powerful priest able and willing to destroy you at will. My holy abilities have been passed down to me through generations of strong and powerful Higurashi males starting with my great-great-grandfather who lived one hundred years earlier. He was a very powerful man and when he died, his abilities passed on to his firstborn son and so on." He pouted with wounded pride and fiddled with his whiskers, stroking them thoughtfully as he desperately tried to salvage the little bit that was left of his reputation.
Kagome had been standing there silently with her hands pressed against her ears to block out their bickering, but now she looked upon her grandfather with pity shining in her doe like eyes. The words that InuYasha spoke were the truth, but she couldn't bear to see him looking so defeated. Indeed the old man made a pretty pitiful picture. His face was creased with a deep frown that appeared to add another ten years to his already haggard appearance. She felt like she had to do something, so with resolve she laid her hand upon InuYasha's shoulder to help her keep her balance and stood on tiptoe to whisper into one of his fuzzy little ears. "InuYasha, go easy on him, after all he is old and even if his powers don't really exist, could it hurt to let him pretend that they do? It makes him feel important."
"Keh, what do I care if it makes him feel special? He's driving me crazy!" The hanyou whispered back furiously.
"Would it kill you to humor him once in a while?"
"Possibly."
"That wasn't funny."
"I wasn't joking."
Kagome rolled her eyes and put a huge smile on her face for her grandfather's benefit. The kind gesture from his beloved granddaughter touched the old man's heart and he could not help but smile back. "Well I guess I'll let you two get back to work before you get into any more trouble." She threw InuYasha a pointed stare. "Be good."
"Keh!" He grumbled turning his face away, but he made no other reply. He knew that, that was a warning from his beloved: be good unless you want to be sat at least fifty times, and he had no plans of going against her in that matter. Being sat had to be one of the most humiliating things in the world, and it had the potential to be pretty painful, depending on the mood Kagome was in that particular day.
"And what are you going to do Kagome? I could use some more help with this roof. I know you'll pull your weight unlike some people." He nodded in InuYasha's direction causing him to growl and balled his fists.
"Gee, that sounds like a lot of fun gramps, but I kind of promised Mama that I'd help her in the kitchen." Kagome feigned disappointment.
"How kind of you Kagome! I often tell your mother that she works too hard for her own good, but does she ever listen to me? He shook his head firmly and pursed his lips disapprovingly. I am afraid that one of these days she will work herself to death. It will do her good to have a little help." He beamed down at her with pride obvious in his eyes. Kagome was growing into quite a woman, and the fact that she was starting to take such an interest in what was typically thought of as women's work pleased him beyond all measure.
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say." She said breezily not really caring what he had said. She was just glad that she managed to worm her way out of manual labor. "I'll see you at breakfast InuYasha. Remember you two; mama said that it should be ready soon."
"Okay dear, just poke your head outside and give me a holler and we'll be right in after we wash up a bit." He smiled at her gently and gave her a little wave, then turned back to InuYasha with eyes full of malice. "As for you, you good for nothing, lazy…how dare you!"
Kagome rolled her eyes and shut the door firmly behind her glad to be away from the stress of their fighting. She took a deep breath of warm, delicious smelling air and let it out in a big sigh, causing her mother to turn around from her place at the stove and frown, fearing that something was the matter with her daughter.
"Kagome, are you feeling all right? Don't tell me that you and InuYasha somehow managed to get into another fight in such a short time period." She smirked. Their fights were legendary in the Higurashi household, and barely a visit went by without them at each other's throats at some point.
"Oh, no mama it's nothing like that." She smiled softly hoping that the fights between her and InuYasha were now a thing of the past. Somehow, she doubted it. "I guess I'm still a little tired from last night, that's all."
"Are you sure that something's not bothering you?"
"No not at all." Kagome shook her head firmly. "Really, I'm fine."
"Well that's good then. So did you and InuYasha have a nice chat then?" She tried to sound casual, but her voice sounded too forced and strained giving her up in the end. She had noticed the sweet little looks that had flown between them when she was outside, and her instincts told her that for some reason or another, they were hiding something from her, but she could not put her finger on what. She would have to resort to prying, a skill that seemed to have come naturally since Kagome's birth. She cleared her throat and resumed her work.
"Um yeah it was nothing special." Kagome replied walking over to the table to take a seat. Her mother seemed busy enough chopping various peppers, onions and tomatoes to be used in her omelets, but Kagome knew that the gears in her head were spinning. 'Is this a good time to tell her, I mean we are alone for a change.' She hesitated looking around to make sure Sota was not hiding somewhere eavesdropping on their conversation, then making split second decision she opened her mouth. "Mom, you like InuYasha, right?"
"Of course I do honey. Why do you ask?" Her mother's eyebrows shot up, but she kept her voice calm. Kagome was not supposed to know that she knew about the obvious feelings between her and the hanyou and it was up to her whether or not she would decide to talk about it. No matter how badly she wanted to hear the words from Kagome's mouth, she had firmly resolved to let the girl come to her about it and not push in any way ,shape, or form.
"I…I…was just wondering." Kagome's cheeks turned red and she lowered her gaze to the table. "Mom, how old were you when you married Dad?"
Mrs. Higurashi dropped her whisk abruptly sending egg batter all over the counter. It was as if Kagome had dropped a huge bomb on her and for a moment, she struggled with her words, the mess forgotten. "Um…when I was nineteen. Your father and I married right out of high school."
"So, do you think nineteen is a good age to get married?" Kagome twiddled her thumbs nervously in her lap and held her breath waiting for her mother's response.
"Kagome why are you asking me all of these questions? Is there something going on that I should know about?" She turned around and gave her daughter a harsh stare. "You're not pregnant are you? Oh, kami! Please tell me you're not! You're so young and you have your whole life ahead of you…"
"Mom!" Kagome sputtered with wide eyes, her face draining of all color. "Of course I'm not pregnant! Where did you get such a stupid idea?"
"Oh thank kami! You really had me frightened there for a moment. I thought that maybe you and InuYasha…" She trailed off as her own cheeks began to flush bright red as she realized her error.
"What!" Kagome's jaw dropped. "Do you honestly think that I would sleep with him? We've only been dating for two days!" Her outrage had caused her to be careless and she covered her mouth as her words repeated in her mind. She had wanted to tell her mother about their relationship tactfully, but now because of her big mouth everything was pretty much out in the open. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily realizing her mistake. 'Shoot!' She cursed to herself not daring to meet her mother's eyes. 'Shoot, shoot, shoot!'
"So what you're saying is that you and InuYasha are a couple!" Mrs. Higurashi's eyes lit up and she clasped her hands together with glee. Kagome had just unintentionally told her everything that she wanted to know." It has finally happened! I was wondering what was taking you two so long. I always knew that you had feelings for each other and I was just waiting for the day you would confess. This is a wonderful surprise and a cause for celebration. My baby has her first boyfriend!" She squealed happily, as any mother would upon hearing such good news. Her little girl was growing up, and personally, she felt that she had made a fine choice. InuYasha could be a little rough around the edges at times, but his heart always seemed to be in the right place, and he was absolutely devoted to her, seeming to love her with his entire heart. That was all that mattered to Mrs. Higurashi, and no matter what anyone else could say nothing would change her mind on the matter.
Kagome blushed deeply and bit her lower lip as she always did when she was slightly embarrassed and timidly asked her mother, "So you don't mind that he's only half human?"
"Honey, I wouldn't care if he were a full demon. The only thing I care about is your happiness, and if he is what makes you happy, then I am happy for you." Her mom reassured her gently and sauntered over to the table to give her daughter's hand a gentle squeeze. The splendid breakfast her heart was set on preparing was momentarily forgotten, and she smiled reassuringly, causing Kagome's lips to twitch slightly in response. "Besides, what really matters is that you love him. You do love him don't you?"
"With all my heart." Kagome responded softly, her coffee colored eyes glistening with emotion.
"Then you should be with him. Kagome, no one can choose who they will love, fate just has a funny way of choosing our mates for us, and perhaps InuYasha is your soul mate? I've had the privilege to watch the feelings between you grow to the point where they are at now, and let me tell you, though your relationship has been rocky at times, I could always tell that there was something there, drawing the two of you together. It is like a tiny thread of fate that connects you to each other. You have a special bond Kagome, a bond like no other I have ever seen. You can almost feel it whenever you are in a room together. It is quite remarkable."
Kagome blushed and looked away not completely comfortable hearing such words escape her mother. Her mother always seemed so calm and rational. It was somewhat strange to hear her talking so passionately about love. "You…uh…really think so?"
"Honey I know so." Her mother replied with a firm nod of her head. "I've always known that you two would get together eventually, and I am so happy that the day has finally come. You're happiness is all that I've ever wanted Kagome since the day you were born, and I give you and InuYasha my blessing. When the time comes, I'm sure that your life together will be full of happiness."
Kagome's eyes filled with unshed tears and she rose from the table and wrapped her arms firmly around her mother's neck, embracing her tightly. "Mama I…thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."
Her mother chuckled lightly and hugged her daughter back gently. "I probably don't." She released her at arms length and looked at her for a moment, pride glistening in her eyes. "You've changed so much Kagome; I can hardly recognize you now. It seems like over night you have grown from a young girl into a beautiful woman, not only your pretty face dear, but your soul as well." She kissed her briefly on the forehead, and then released her leaving Kagome standing in a state of shock, still contemplating her words.
"Hey mom, is breakfast ready yet?" Sota popped his head into the kitchen and took a deep breath of delicious smelling air. "Oh boy, it smells great in here. My mouth is watering already!"
"Patience Sota, breakfast will be ready shortly." Mrs. Higurashi chuckled. Sota was well known for his almost constant hunger and bottomless stomach. "Why don't you and your sister get the table ready while I finish up in here?"
"Ah mom, do I have to? There's a really good anime on." Sota pouted hoping that he could somehow get out of the task she had assigned.
Kagome rolled her eyes and sighed. It was a typical response from her little brother. "Don't be so lazy Sota. It'll only take a few minutes to set the table."
"If it'll only take a few minutes, then why don't you do it by yourself? You don't seem to have anything better to do unlike me." He retorted smugly.
"Don't be such a brat Sota! It is only a dumb TV show. I'm sure they'll end up repeating it in a few weeks." Kagome snapped back. "Besides you heard Mama, she wants you to help me out."
"But it isn't fair! I have to pick up your share of the chores when you're off chasing demons in the warring states era!" He whined in nine-year-old fashion, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You get to have all the fun."
"If you call almost getting killed on a daily basis fun," Kagome retorted sarcastically wishing that her mother were out of the room so she could give her younger brother a good box on the ear. It would serve him right; he was really starting to get on his nerves. "Oh and let's not forget failing all of my classes and ruining my chances of getting into a good school." She sighed. "Face it; you have no idea what it's like to live my life."
"Ooh cry me a river!" He stuck his tongue out at his older sister, openly mocking her dramatics. "You really can be so lame sometimes."
"Sota!" Mrs. Higurashi frowned and turned to give her son a nasty glare. "That wasn't very nice. Apologize to your sister right now."
"But mom, It's not my fault that Kagome's a loser!"
"Take that back you little creep!" Kagome shouted at the top of her lungs and stood up from the table.
"Make me!" He took off sprinting out of the kitchen with his older sister tailing on his heels. He had gotten a head start and was starting to feel pretty good about himself. Though his legs were shorter, he considered himself the better runner and he couldn't help but rub it in her face. "Is that the fastest you can go?"
"I swear to kami that when I catch you, you are dead!" She threatened menacingly in true sibling fashion as she chased him through the small family room of her home. Around and around they ran, one after the other dodging various objects of furniture in their way. Their breath came in short pants, but neither was willing to give up so soon. Sota would not be satisfied until Kagome agreed to back off, and Kagome refused to quit unless she either received an apology or socked him in the nose. "You can't run forever."
Deep down she adored her younger brother and was willing to go to almost any length to ensure his happiness and well being, but sometimes he could be so irritating she could hardly stand it. This was one of those times.
"Sota, Kagome, knock if off before you break something!" Their mother had rushed out of the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand. She was dripping egg yolk all over her freshly cleaned floor, but for some reason that didn't seem to matter. 'So much for a peaceful morning.' She thought to herself ruefully as she watched her children.
They hadn't seemed to hear her the first time; either that or they simply did not care. Kagome had caught up to Sota and had him in a headlock while the smaller boy struggled to free himself from her iron like grasp. "I mean it you two, cut it out!"
"What are you going to do now Sota?" Kagome teased him giving his dark hair a painful pull and he cried out and tried to step on her foot as hard as he could.
"Cut it out sis that really hurts!"
"First you owe me an apology!"
"I don't owe you nothing, you big jerk!"
"Brat!"
"Butt head!"
"What is the meaning of this?" A deep voice roared above their shrieks and Kagome quickly let her brother go, causing him to crash onto the floor. Her grandfather had just come in from outside with her hanyou at his heels and she felt her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment and she lowered her eyes to her feet. "Kagome!"
"He started it Gramps!" She pointed at her unsuspecting brother, hoping to transfer her grandfather's wrath onto the younger boy.
"I did not!"
"Did so!"
"Enough!" Grandpa Higurashi cried again holding his ears with his hands to block out their voices. "I don't want to hear another word about this! Daughter why did you not put a stop to their bickering immediately? You know that all this yelling is bad for my heart!"
"Oh Dad, they're just children. You know as well as I do that siblings will always fight no matter how old they are. It's just a part of nature." Mrs. Higurashi ran her hand through her short damp hair and sighed. "Let's not let this ruin our morning. It's Kagome and InuYasha's last day after all, and I'm sure they want to eat quickly so that they can go to the store to stock up on more food and bandages."
Her father closed his eyes and pouted sullenly. "Hrmph! That's the problem with you; you're too soft on them. Why in my day if I had even caused the slightest bit of noise my mother would have beaten me with… hey, where'd everybody go?" He looked around the room with confusion. 'They were all here just a moment ago. They couldn't have snuck out so quickly.' "Hey come back here, I haven't finished talking yet!'
His protests were lost upon deaf ears as Sota, InuYasha, and Kagome snickered to themselves from the safety of the kitchen, delighted to be spared another lecture on the olden days when he was a lad. Mrs. Higurashi too was happy to be away from her father's criticism and she whistled a merry tune as she resumed her cooking.
"Man, what is it with him?" InuYasha wondered aloud taking a seat at the table. "Does he just like to hear himself talk or something? I mean he never shuts up!"
"I know!" Sota threw his hands in the air in agreement, his quarrel with Kagome forgotten now that his hero was within earshot. "Sometimes I think he's going crazy in his old age."
"Sota, that wasn't nice." Mrs. Higurashi replied from her place at the stove.
"Hey the twerp has a point! I've always thought he was a tad on the crazy side."
"InuYasha," Kagome's voice had a warning tone. "You shouldn't say such mean things about grandpa. He's just trying to look after us the best he can."
"Kagome's right InuYasha. You should really try to be nicer to him. I think deep down he really likes you."
"Yeah, at least he has something to do when you're around." Kagome smirked.
"Would you shut up?" InuYasha gave her a look of feigned indifference. "I don't care if he likes me or not. I can't stand him!"
"Sure you can't."
"I can't."
"Face it InuYasha, you can't fool me. I think you secretly like him too."
"I do not!"
"At least he keeps you from being too bored when I'm not around."
"Keh!"
Mrs. Higurashi chuckled to herself as she placed the last omelets on a large china plate and sighed with satisfaction. At last, the cooking was finished and it was time to eat. "Sota, I still want you and your sister to set the table for breakfast. Since InuYasha is here as well, he can help out too, that way the work will get done twice as fast."
"Oh mom, do I have to?" Sota whined once again pouting. He loathed doing any kind of chores, figuring that they were a waste of valuable time. Secretly InuYasha agreed with him, but nonetheless he stood and took a hold of the pile of chopsticks, knives and spoons and that were lying on the counter to move them to the table. Kagome followed suit collecting the delicately printed dishes and their, leaving Sota with the worst job of all, the glasses.
"Hey that's no fair! Why do I get stuck with the glasses?"
"You snooze you lose!" Kagome stuck her tongue out at him.
"But you got the easy job! I'll have to run back and forth at least ten times to get both the juice glasses and the tea cups on the table!"
"Then you'd better start now." She smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "Tough break kid."
"But Kagome!" He followed the two out to the eating area still pouting miserably.
Mrs. Higurashi smiled and shook her head. 'Kids will be kids I guess.'
A/n: Sorry to end this here, but I kind of ran out of ideas for this chapter. I know it may be a little dull and uneventful, but I did want to wrap this story up so that I can begin working on something else. If it sucks, then I am truly sorry. I did want to let you know that there should be one more chapter to bring conclusion to this story and I will try to get that out ASAP. As always thanks for reading, and all reviews are appreciated.