Week 10, Friday (later that day)

"I'll drive you home."

Her heart stopped at his words. It wasn't a question. It sure didn't sound like a question. Although, it didn't sound very certain either. His voice had been hesitant and yet gruff all at once, a combination that could have only been accomplished by him. The offer completely threw her off guard and she couldn't help the surprised look that she knew was on her face.

"Are you sure?" Her tone was disbelieving. She couldn't help it. She could hear it ringing in her own ears.

"Keh. Stupid…of course I'm sure." He answered roughly, before pausing. "That is…uh…if its okay with you."

The gentle sound of his voice warmed her soul and she beamed. "I would love that Inuyasha. Thank you."

His answer came out as a soft 'keh' which only caused her heart to beat even faster than before. As she picked up her bag, she could feel his hands on the small of her back leading her down the grassy hill and toward his car. The sun's warmth shined down on her lightly as it made its descent toward the horizon. It was still early, much earlier than when either of them usually left.

The atmosphere of his car hit her senses the instant she entered, filling her with familiar memories. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, drinking it all in while trying to form an image within her mind. The hum of the engine soon started and she buckled herself in, hearing Inuyasha do the same.

The car ride was mostly quiet as they lapsed in to a heavy silence. Next to her, Inuyasha seemed a bit tense for some reason, and every sound she made caused him to shift in his seat. A few times, he growled and grunted as if trying to start something, but it all fell back in to silence. She tried to recall if she had said anything to make him act this way, but she came up with nothing. Then again, this was the first time he had offered to drive her home. That idea alone made her cheeks heat up.

He eventually brought the car to a rolling stop and her head shot up. "Are we here already?" Was that disappointment in her voice?

"Yeah."

She opened the car door, but not before reaching out and laying her hand on top of his. She found his fingers and squeezed them bravely, trying to calm the racing feelings within her. "Thank you for the ride Inuyasha."

He didn't pull away. She was so glad. "Its no big deal." He muttered shyly, and she nearly giggled. She wanted so much to see his face at the moment. After saying one final goodbye, she walked up the steps of her shrine as his engine faded away. The dreamy smile was still on her face, and her spirits felt lighter than air.

"Kagome?" Souta called out in surprise. "How did you get home? I was just coming to pick you up."

For some reason, her hands felt terribly sweaty. "Inuyasha." She replied simply.

An arm wrapped itself around her shoulders. "I see." His voice was contemplative. "I thought I heard his shitty engine in the distance." She smacked him lightly on the arm and he laughed. He led her in to the kitchen where her mother and grandfather greeted her.

"Kagome dear! You're home already?"

She nodded. "I got a ride."

"Ah…from Inuyasha I see?" She could practically see her mother's brilliant smile. Bringing her hands up to her cheeks, she felt the warmth. Was she still blushing? She felt like a silly schoolgirl. How old was she again?

"Inuyasha huh?" She heard her grandfather snort. "I don't like him one bit."

"You haven't even met him!" Kagome protested. It was one thing for Souta to be stubborn about her guy…friends, but it was another thing entirely when her grandfather got in to it. She was just thankful that at least her brother seemed to be warming up to Inuyasha a bit faster.

"He sounds like another hooligan from what I've heard! What is he doing in that park every week anyways?!"

"He works there like…a community service worker." She explained as best she could. Truth be told, she had no idea what Inuyasha was doing at the park. A community service job seemed about right…from what she had gathered. But she still didn't know for sure. The topic had never come up between her and Inuyasha. Her heart dropped slightly as she wondered if it ever would. She hated it when people kept secrets from her.

"You don't know that for sure Kagome! What if he's a criminal or something?!"

"Lighten up gramps!" Souta interjected. "I've met him before and he isn't all that bad."

Her grandfather merely huffed in response and a look of relief washed over Kagome's face. She shot a grateful look in Souta's general direction. He patted her on the shoulder supportively.

"Well I think he seems like a nice young man." Her mother remarked honestly. Quickly, she ushered everyone around the dinner table and set the food dishes down. The aroma of sweet ham and noodles fluttered under Kagome's nose and she sighed. Nothing like her mother's home cooked food.

A plate of food was set in front of her. "Tell us how your day was Kagome." Her mother insisted.

"It was fine. The kids are always a bit more restless on Fridays with the weekend coming up. I've still got some notes to finish but I think I'll manage by Monday."

"And your friend Inuyasha? How was he?"

Her fork stopped about halfway to her mouth. She recognized that tone of her mother's. It was a curious and yet somewhat nosy tone that was masterfully guarded to sound casual and encouraging all at once. It was her mother's specialty that Kagome had yet to adapt to herself. She couldn't help her smile and the returning heat to her face.

"He was fine. We talked like always and he offered to give me a ride home."

"Such a sweet young man." Her mother repeated just as admiringly as before. "Do you suppose he could come by for dinner next week?"

The string of noodles didn't quite make it down. A choking fit resulted, and Kagome pounded her hand to her chest as she felt Souta do the same to her back. A glass of water was place in to her hand and she drank it quickly, still feeling her flushed face from her mother's words.

"For…dinner?" She said slowly.

"Why yes dear, that is…if it's okay with you?" She sounded confused.

Kagome waved her hands in front of her. "Oh no! It's fine! I'm just a little surprised." She assured quickly. But to say that she was just a little surprised was somewhat of an understatement. Did her family (and she hoped, soon to be her grandfather) really want Inuyasha here for dinner? How could they be so certain when they barely knew him? Even Souta, who had hung out with Inuyasha for less than an hour, suddenly seemed to trust him? What exactly had happened to the aggressive attitude her brother had had before?

Her mother had always been a trusting woman to all. Her grandfather had always been paranoid. And her brother, as of late, had been more protective than ever. She supposed that her own description of Inuyasha had been more than enough for them. But still…Inuyasha here for dinner? It was quite a step. She didn't oppose the idea. She welcomed it entirely. It just seemed so foreign to her. And in a way, it felt right. Ever since her incident, she hadn't brought any guys home with her to meet her family. Heck, she hadn't really met any of those sorts of guys in the first place.

Wait…did that mean Inuyasha was that sort of guy?

Like…"more than a friend" kind of guy?

"Oh look…Kagome's blushing. Thinking of Inuyasha again?" Her brother teased playfully. Her mother's giggle soon followed along with her grandfather's typical snort.

"When isn't Kagome not talking about that boy…" Her grandfather grumbled.

"Now come on dad," Her mother chastised. "Kagome has always had good judgment with others and Souta has meet him before. I think the least you could do is give this Inuyasha a chance and get to know him with an open mind. And besides, we haven't heard anything about him to make us think negatively of him." Her grandfather didn't answer and Kagome knew that was the best answer they could get out of him.

The dinner continued smoothly, with only a bit more talk about Inuyasha. After all the food had been eaten, and the table had been cleared, the Higurashi family went back to their nightly tasks, Kagome taking refuge up in her room to finish her notes. After a couple of hours, a knock sounded on her door.

"Come in." Kagome called as she moved her hand over the last of the Braille on the page.

"Sorry to bother you Kagome. I just wanted to give you your laundry."

Her eyes softened. "You didn't have to do that."

"Oh don't worry about it dear." She opened her dresser drawers. "I know you've been busy and all. Handling your students, writing notes, grading papers, having a man in your life now…"

That last bit was supposed to sound completely casual, but Kagome caught it easily. It was a bait of sorts to lead to more conversation, and Kagome decided to take it, hook, line and sinker. She smiled as she practically felt her mother's interested eyes on her. This was going to be interesting.

"I guess it does make things more difficult."

"The kids you mean?"

"No mom. You know what I'm talking about."

She heard her mother pull up a chair. "I'm afraid I don't Kagome. Please tell me more." Kagome chuckled at her mother's "innocent" words.

"You just want to know more about Inuyasha, don't you?" She accused amusingly, cutting right to the point. If her mother was taken off guard, she was sure good at recoveries.

"Yes, but don't you want to as well?"

Kagome sighed. "Yes…yes I do." She pressed her fingers to her eyes as if trying to erase the darkness, but immediately regretted the action. A sharp burst of pain penetrated her nerves just beyond her eyes and she winced.

"Kagome dear, are you alright?"

She blinked a few times, half expecting to see something. The pain had faded as quickly as it had come and the darkness remained. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I could get you some aspirin if you like." She heard her mother stand.

She shook her head. "No, really I'm fine. And besides," She smirked. "Didn't you come in here to talk more about 'you know who'?"

"Oh well…if you insist dear." She replied all naturally, taking her seat once more. "Tell me more about today. What did he say to you in the car?"

Kagome laughed completely outright at her mother's question. She felt as if they were both in high school gossiping about the cutest boy in school. Oh how she loved her mother. She could be so stern sometimes and then this nosy side of her would come out momentarily. Not that Kagome minded much. Her mother never pressured her.

"It was so quiet in the car. And I felt like the air was…so thick and awkward."

"He must have been very nervous." Her mother figured.

"I don't understand why though. I mean, it wasn't like I asked him for the ride home. He offered it to me!"

"Oh Kagome…" Her mother laughed heartily. "You make it sound like boys who get what they want know exactly what to do with it."

"Huh?"

A gentle hand found her own. "It's one thing to get a girl's attention, but its another thing to keep it." But Kagome's puzzled expression didn't fade. Her mother always had a way with words that left her speechless.

"Are you saying that Inuyasha was nervous because he didn't know what to do…with me?" She cried out unconvinced. The only reason for someone to be nervous because of someone else was if they were both…she blushed at the thought.

"Inuyasha cares about you a lot Kagome." Her mother spoke softly. "Trust me, I can tell. You have always had good judgments with others, even before your accident. If anything, your trust and perception of people has only grown making you who you are now."

"But I don't want him to feel…uncomfortable around me. He barely trusted me when I was just getting to know him and I would feel terrible if he couldn't even be himself around me." She whispered sadly, her face downcast. She remembered the day she had first met Inuyasha. He had been so angry with her. And she learned over the weeks that he held such a tough exterior that she was slowly breaking through.

Her mother stroked her arms soothingly. "Oh honey…you've got it bad."

"I've got what bad?"

"Well I was in love like this once." She sighed aimlessly and Kagome's heart pounded even louder. "He was such a handsome young man, never failing to make me laugh. Although he always joked around so much that I found it hard to take him seriously. I often wondered how seriously he took our relationship."

"What happened?" Kagome asked, completely enraptured.

"I married him." She stated with another laugh. "And I can see from the look in your eyes and the way you speak of him that you feel the same way I did." Kagome's smile grew at her words and she felt tears beginning to form. She had never really confronted the thought before, but after hearing it from her mother, she knew it to be true.

"Thanks mom." She pulled her in to a tight hug. Her mother returned it instantly and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Don't worry about your grandfather. I'll set him straight." She promised. Her voice and words comforted Kagome and she flashed another smile. She eventually heard her mother opened the door. "If you want to talk more, I'm right down the hall."

She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I know."

"And Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"He will be here for dinner next Friday."

It wasn't a question and Kagome nodded immediately. The closing of a door was heard and Kagome let out a sigh. She felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and a new one had replaced it. Inuyasha over for dinner? She was already imagining the conversation she would have with him.

XxXxXxXx

Oh man I love Kagome's mom. She's so great sometimes. This chapter is definitely one of my new favorites especially with the dialogue with Kagome's mom! Sorry for the lateness! I got back from my vacation last week, and I've been pretty tired. Also I've been trying to see all my friends before school starts! And I'm going to be super busy next week due to college stuff so an update might take a while again!

BTW, just for complete clarification: Yes Kikyou was a child, about Rin's age. I hope that didn't confuse anyone.

Once again, I thank you all for your patience and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!