Goku paused uncertainly. What was going on? Why was the masked guy laughing like that? Faster than his eyes could follow, a hand shot out and wrapped around his tail. He went rigid for a moment before slumping weakly, all of his energy draining away from him as his opponent chuckled.
"I think I'm going to... fall..." he mumbled, feeling dizzy.
"Wait, what's going on?!" he heard Kagome shout worriedly.
"It's his tail!" Bulma explained, her voice shrill with concern of her own as his face met with the tiles of the arena. "His tail is his weakness! He can't even move if someone's holding it like that!"
But... how had his opponent known that? How? He didn't understand.
"Are you shitting me?" Inuyasha snorted. "Yank his tail and suddenly the brat's useless? Talk about pathetic."
"Sit!"
The boy gritted his teeth, hating the fact that the half-demon was right. The moment his tail was caught, he really couldn't do anything to fight back. What would he have done if this was a real fight? What if he was trying to protect Kagome or another one of their friends and the person that they were up against figured out his weakness like this?
The thought alone sent a shiver up his spine.
"Goku had him beat!" Yamcha argued. "This isn't fair, it's not Goku's fault he loses his power when someone grabs his tail!"
"No, it's not!" Roshi agreed anxiously. "But how did Baba's fighter know about it?!"
"Maybe this guy just got lucky?" Pu'ar suggested.
The masked man chuckled and hoisted the boy up. "Okay, now that I've got you... What should I do with you?"
"You could put me down," he suggested woozily. "I'm feeling dizzy..."
Baba cackled. "Looks like you finally met your match! Which means I won't be showing the dragon ball, after all!"
"Please?" he whimpered.
Inuyasha let out a derisive scoff. "Real tough guy you picked this time, wench."
"SIT, you insufferable jerk," the priestess snarled.
"There's something definitely fishy about all of this," Yamcha exclaimed. "This masked man looked like he knew what he was doing! How the heck did he know about Goku's tail?!"
"... Curious..." Master Roshi murmured.
"This guy fights like Goku, and he seems to know everything about him!" the ex-bandit pointed out frustratedly.
"You're right!" the old man gasped, sounding as though he had just figured out the secrets of the universe. "That's how he can anticipate Goku's moves! And why they have the same powers..." he let out a quiet laugh. "Yes!"
"What are you getting at, Master?" Krillin questioned. "Are you saying you know who this guy is?"
"Oh, yes," Roshi stated. "I believe I do. Yamcha!"
"Yeah?" the older boy asked.
"You were right," the man informed him. "This walking enigma knows everything about Goku!"
"What do you mean?" Bulma pressed worriedly.
"Well, look at them!" the master exclaimed. "They're like mirror images of each other! Tactically speaking, of course. Connected like shadows!"
"What?" the others yelped, turning back towards the fight.
"Stop beating around the bush, you old pervert," Kagome snapped, voice coming out a bit hostile in her effort to mask her own concern.
Roshi spluttered.
"What do you say we call it a day, kiddo?" the masked man offered, his tone surprisingly gentle. It just seemed so familiar to the boy...
"I... can't..." he argued weakly.
They had come so far. Krillin, Yamcha, Kagome, they had all fought so hard - and he had promised. He had told Upa that they would get Bora back, and he refused to go back on that. He owed it to his tiny friend, he owed it to himself... and he owed it to the smile that Kagome had given him when he told her that they were going to save the man without hurting her.
No, he just couldn't back down here. He wouldn't do it.
"Okay," his opponent sighed, shifting his grip on the boy's tail and swinging him around, right before slamming him down on the ground face-first.
Bulma screamed, and he vaguely heard Kagome let out a short stream of curse words - but then it happened again, and again, and his head started to spin too much to make out much of anything other than fuzzy sounds that he knew, somewhere in the back of his brain, were words. He lost count of how many times he got smacked around, getting more and more light-headed as he took the continuous abuse. Still, he refused to give in.
... Kagome really wasn't going to be happy with him this time, but he hoped that it would be worth it.
xxxx
She bit down on her lip so hard that she tasted blood, but she held herself back. This wasn't her fight, it wasn't her place to interfere - and while she was no longer so certain that the masked man wouldn't actually injure Goku, his aura still didn't feel truly hostile to her.
That didn't make watching this any easier, though.
"Stop hurting him!" Upa wailed, echoing her own thoughts no matter how tamped down she was trying to keep them. "Won't somebody help him?!"
The priestess knelt down and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, squeezing it tightly without ever taking her eyes off of the match. "We can't, Upa," she told him, wincing as her partner was swung down yet again. "We can't interfere. I'm sorry."
"I thought you cared about him, Kagome!" he sobbed. "Why?! Why won't you help him?!"
She flinched. "Of course I care about him," she ground out stiffly, dropping her hand and standing back up as her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. "But this is Goku's fight. It's his honor on the line, and it's up to him to determine how far he's willing to go for it."
"She's not wrong," the old pervert agreed, sounding almost grave.
"Cut the dramatics, Roshi," Bulma finally spoke up, her voice surprisingly even. "Who is he? Tell us."
"Who cares about him?!" Krillin blurted out. "Upa's right! We have to save Goku!"
"Master Roshi?" Yamcha insisted.
"Kagome is correct. We have no choice but to watch this play itself out," the man sighed. The others tried to protest, but he continued. "As hard as it is to accept, it isn't our place! Even more than Goku fighting for the sake of his pride, the living have no jurisdiction here! The man that he's fighting... he's not of this world. As impossible as this may sound, that masked man is really Gohan! Goku's deceased grandfather!"
The priestess's shoulders shook slightly and she squeezed her eyes shut for a second, taking a deep breath. It wasn't as though it was impossible; Inuyasha standing on the other side of the ring was proof enough of that. But...
Calm down, she told herself firmly. He has to have some kind of reason. Don't let your own feelings blind you to it.
She opened her eyes once more, watching the match sharply as the others gasped over the masked man's identity. He was taking this seriously, but without hostility. Every blow was carefully executed to cause pain, but not permanent damage. He didn't show any reluctance, but he wasn't in a hurry to beat Goku down and win either.
Training, then. That was what he was after. He was trying to take this chance to train the boy, even from beyond the grave.
No wonder his aura was colored by such conflicting emotions of pride and regret.
"S-someone should tell Goku!" Pu'ar declared.
The priestess shot the cat a look from the corner of her eye. "Tell him what, exactly?" she demanded rhetorically. "That he doesn't have to try so hard, it's only his grandpa back from the dead? No. This goes beyond pride now: it's a family matter. If Gohan wants Goku to know who he is, he'll tell him himself. He won't seriously hurt his own grandson."
"Please don't tell me I'm looking at some kind of ghost!" Bulma wailed.
Kagome rolled her eyes, yet again sending a silent apology to her old companions. Now she knew how they must have felt about her ignorance way back when, and she was more than a little bit amazed at the patience they must have had with her.
'Fools,' her other half scoffed rather uncharitably, speaking up for the first time since she had been fighting the Devilman.
She sent it a mental scowl. 'Oh, give them a break. They've never dealt with this kind of thing before.'
'How long have they supposedly known the monkey?' it argued.
There wasn't really anything she could say to counter that.
"Goku's grandfather is most definitely dead," Roshi stated firmly, drawing her out of her thoughts. "That halo over his head isn't just for decoration! Somehow... he's returned!"
An idea struck her and she glanced over at Inuyasha, peeking at the space over his head only to frown. If they had been brought back by the same means, then where was the half-demon's halo? She bit down on the inside of her cheek, flinching at the sound of yet another impact, and turned her attention back to the fight. There would be time for questions later, she told herself. There had to be more to his appearance than just Midoriko wanting to tell her to stay in this world (no matter how serious that piece of information was on its own) and she had every intention of getting to the bottom of it. Just not while her partner needed support, silent though her current show of it may be.
"Why is he hurting Goku?" Bulma questioned weakly.
"I don't think he came all this way to harm his grandson," Roshi spoke up with a shake of his head, taking the words right out of her mouth.
"He's trying to teach him something," Kagome agreed quietly.
The old man nodded. "That would be my guess as well. But what?"
"What a shame," the masked man - Gohan - spoke up, continuing to smash the boy against the tiles again and again. "All your power gone with one grab of your tail... Had enough? Are you ready to surrender?"
"Be smart!" Baba called out. "Give up while you still have a face!"
"N-no," Goku rejected weakly. "I will never give up..."
The masked man's aura swelled with both pride and a smattering of concern, but he didn't let his emotions color his next words as he hoisted the boy up yet again. "Well, it's your tail on the line, sonny!"
"No, no, no, no, nonono!" Bulma wailed. "I can't watch this anymore! This is insane!"
"How can he be so cruel to his own grandson?" Pu'ar squeaked.
Kagome sighed, her eyes softening just a bit as she watched the two and made a silent little realization. It wasn't as if Gohan wanted to be cruel. He was a fighter, and this was what he knew. Moreover, Goku was the same way - and it wasn't just because that was how he had been raised, it was in his blood. No matter what species he was, that much was clear. And this, this was the only way that the older man knew to ensure that his little boy would be able to live on and protect himself even when he was no longer there to look after him.
The concept was downright demonic, and she really did get it now. After all that time living under Sesshoumaru's roof and her recent integration of the Shikon, this actually felt more natural to her than the more human approach.
No wonder Goku was the way that he was. He not only had his instincts to guide him, he also had the teachings of a man that understood to fall back on in times of uncertainty. She smiled to herself quietly, feeling a great deal of respect for the masked fighter well up in her chest as she absorbed the reality of just what he'd done for her friend. He had taken in a nonhuman child, and not tried to change him into something that he wasn't; on the contrary, he had learned to communicate in the way that Goku needed while trying to instill in him a bit of background on the way that the humans around him would react in certain situations so that he wouldn't be caught too off guard.
That in itself was one in a million, and she knew firsthand how difficult it could be without a great deal of outside help.
No wonder her partner was such a grandpa's boy. Gohan seemed like a great man.
"Stop it," Upa whimpered, obviously not making the same observations as she was.
"Hello, Roshi!" Bulma exploded threateningly, getting into the old man's face. "In case you didn't notice, that's your student out there - and if you don't do something to save him, he's the last one you'll ever have!"
"Goku needs help!" the smallest boy sniffled. "I don't think he'll last much longer!"
Kagome sighed once more and considered trying to explain the nuances that they were overlooking, but quickly decided not to. Upa had already suggested that she didn't care about the tailed boy once, she didn't feel like getting accused of it again just because they wouldn't have been able to work their ways through the inevitable culture shock.
They just didn't get it, and she couldn't really hold it against them. When all you've seen are human interactions, it's damn near impossible to think in any other way. It wasn't like she had been much better just a few years ago.
"But guys, we can't interfere!" Krillin fretted, his eyes wide and locked on the fight. "It's forbidden! If we do, we'll lose the match!"
"Right," Yamcha cringed. "Our helping Goku now would ruin everything we've sacrificed to get to this point!"
"Look at him, he's in pain!" Upa protested. "We can't just stand here and do nothing!"
The priestess's jaw tightened. "That's exactly what we have to do. I know you don't really understand what's going on here, but we have to trust him. Besides, it's not like he would ever forgive us if we broke up his match."
The tiny boy turned betrayed black eyes up at her and opened his mouth to speak.
"Feh!" an unexpected voice barked from the other side of the arena. "You lot ain't all that smart, are ya?"
Kagome glanced over, meeting Inuyasha's knowing, golden gaze - and was more than a little stunned to see a flash of approval in his eyes. Not only that, but looking at him now... Really looking at him... There was a depth to him that hadn't been there before he'd died.
She had been right earlier, then. There was definitely more to that story.
"The brat's gotta fight his own battles," the half-demon continued, his gruff drawl loud enough for them to hear even without him coming any closer. "Just listen to the wench and the geezer and butt out already! What the fuck happened to all that faith you had in him earlier, huh? Some friends you are."
The priestess couldn't help but smile a bit, despite the exclamations of those around her. It was weird, having her once-protector back her up like that. It reminded her that not all of their times together had been bad, and it made her realize something a bit unsettling.
She'd forgiven him for the way it had ended between them. She wasn't sure when, and she wasn't sure how it had happened after she had changed so much from the naive schoolgirl who'd never been able to hurt a fly, but she had. Somewhere in there, under all the pain and the anger, she had accepted that he was an idiot and couldn't always process the extent of what he was doing.
He'd been her best friend once. While they could never go back to that, it was starting to dawn on her that he might have been onto something earlier - maybe she really hadn't changed as much as she had always thought...
That realization honestly terrified her, and she quickly turned her attention back to the match. She didn't want to be that girl anymore. She didn't want to be weak like that ever again.
But... looking at her partner, knowing his own personality... was it really a weakness?
No, she wasn't going to think about this right now. She refused.
Gohan's eyes drifted over them all as he finally stopped swinging the boy around, only to pause when they came to her. Her shoulders shifted and she stared right back, but gave him a short nod of understanding and respect. He chuckled and returned the gesture gratefully.
"Is it... over?" Goku questioned shakily.
"Your friends are loyal," the man spoke, returning his gaze down to the boy. "They care a lot about you." Goku gaped up at him, obviously stunned. He shifted his attention back over to them once more, his aura humming with pride. She got the impression that he was smiling under that mask. "Any one of them would lay down their life for you without question."
The tailed boy cringed a bit and forced himself to follow his grandfather's line of sight, taking in each of them before following the older fighter's example and pausing on her for a moment. He tried to force a smile on his face, but it came out as more of a grimace. "H-hello," he greeted the lot of them, his small form shaking from the pain he was in as well as the fact that his tail was still prisoner.
"Can we get on with this?" Baba interrupted impatiently, floating in a bit closer to the pair of fighters. "I'm having my ball waxed in an hour."
The masked man sighed. "Certainly, my dear Baba; it's almost over. The boy and I just have a few more things to pound out first," he explained, hauling Goku into the air once more and continuing the earlier beatdown.
Kagome considered knocking the old woman off her crystal for butting in on their moment, but forced herself to calm down.
"I got it!" Krillin suddenly spoke up excitedly. "I know how we can help Goku! We can call for a timeout - they do it in other sports all the time! This way, we're not interfering with his match but we can still let him have a break!"
"A break?" the blue-haired girl scoffed. "He's already broken!"
"Ha, ha!" the bald boy huffed sarcastically.
"If he lasts, he might be able to get his strength back!" Upa suggested.
"No," Roshi declared a bit sharply, catching the two youngest off guard. "No one is going to help Goku! It is crucial he faces his grandfather without interruption."
"This is ridiculous!" Bulma growled. "Goku doesn't even know who he's fighting!"
"That fact will be revealed in time, I assure you," the old man grumbled. "Patience!"
Kagome shook her head wryly. Of course the only one capable of thinking outside the human constrictions would just have to be the pervert, wouldn't it? Oh, well. Considering that he was also the one that was teaching the boy, maybe that was for the best in the end.
"How much longer can Goku hold on?" the blue-haired girl whined.
"How much longer is his grandfather gonna hold on?" Krillin countered.
"As long as they need to," the priestess stated simply.
Roshi shot her an approving nod, and she just almost felt like she could eventually come to respect him. Maybe.
Only time would tell, really.
"Gohan was not a reckless man," the old master informed them as he turned his gaze back to the fight, beginning to sound irritated. "We must have faith in his judgment! He won't give Goku any more than he can handle. Goku will want to see this fight through to the end!"
"But why?" Pu'ar cried out.
"Stop making excuses!" Bulma shouted. "What his grandfather is doing is cruel!"
"Stop thinking like a human for two seconds and open your eyes!" Kagome snapped, her own patience running thin. "This isn't cruelty, it's a lesson. How many times have you said it yourself? Goku's not a normal kid, and you need to stop thinking that he is whenever something goes against your own views. This is something that he needs, and Gohan has my respect for being willing to do this for him."
They all gaped at her incredulously, but she threw her shoulders back primly and stood firm despite the urge to shout at Inuyasha to stop laughing so hard. Whether they got it or not, the boy wasn't in any real danger and she didn't appreciate that they were so sure of him one minute and then screaming the next.
Her eyes suddenly went wide, a sound of disbelief falling from her lips as her partner's tail literally snapped off under the abuse.
"You were saying?!" Bulma shrieked.
Gohan's aura raged with surprise of his own as he stared at the fuzzy appendage still clutched in his hand. Goku began to scream with pain as he jolted to his feet and started to run around the arena, his hands pressed to the now empty hole in the back of his pants.
"... That had to hurt..." the masked man murmured, sounding a bit dumbstruck. "Well, at least you don't have to worry about people pulling it anymore!"
Roshi laughed uncomfortably. "I don't believe it! The darn thing came right off! So much for that weakness, huh?"
Kagome's eye twitched a bit at the mercurial change in everyone's attitudes at that.
"Wow!" Bulma gasped, beginning to grin.
"Now he can win!" Krillin declared excitedly.
"Alright!" Upa cheered.
She chewed her lower lip worriedly. They didn't really get it, did they? The boy had just lost a limb! She had no idea how it had come off that easily, but there was no way he was okay right now! Earlier, he was fine - but now? Oh, now they were all happy and not even considering how much pain he had to be in at the moment.
Gods, she had no idea what to do with these people. Maybe they couldn't help it, but that didn't mean she had to agree with them.
Gohan seemed almost numb, his aura coloring with concern and regret.
"It's sore!" Goku whimpered, dancing around and trying to shake off how much it hurt. It did occur to the priestess that maybe it wasn't quite as painful as she had been assuming, going by the fact that he could still stand, but it still couldn't be comfortable. "Ow, owww!" He shot a teary glare at the masked man. "You meany! Why'd you have to go and take off my tail?! That isn't fair and you know it!"
The older fighter's aura relaxed a bit, apparently coming to the same conclusion as she had. While the boy may be hurting, he wasn't hurting that much - and his greatest disadvantage had just been completely removed.
Still, she was going to have to pamper him when it came to dinner that night. The poor kid had been through a lot lately, and he deserved some serious downtime.
"Beat him, Goku!" Pu'ar called.
"There's no weakness to hold you back!" Bulma added with a grin.
Even Yamcha nodded in agreement, Upa and Krillin celebrating the newest development by bouncing up and down happily with their hands linked between them.
The no-longer-tailed boy shifted into a fighting stance, his expression fierce. "You won't trick me like that again!" he growled, his golden aura shifting around him and swelling with his determination - proof that he was taking this seriously now. He shifted a bit, keeping his form low as he slowly moved closer to the masked man while keeping on the defensive.
Gohan chuckled quietly, the sounds of mirth increasing in volume as his own aura sang once more of pride and a rather considerable helping of guilt. Just like she had thought earlier, it was obvious that he hadn't really wanted to hurt his grandson, but that he had been bound and determined that the boy learn how to deal with his weak spot before a serious opponent found a way to take advantage of it. "I surrender," he declared, catching them all off guard.
Goku gaped at him. "Did I just hear you right?" he blurted out incredulously. "Did you say you surrender?"
The older fighter laughed again, the sound free of guile.
"Hey, wait..." the boy realized. "You're really telling the truth, aren't you?"
"Of course I am," Gohan assured. "I surrender; I am defeated."
Kagome couldn't help but grin to herself.
"O... kay...?" her partner accepted haltingly.
"Did he just win?" Yamcha questioned.
"Mhm," Roshi confirmed.
Baba frowned. "This is most irregular!" she squawked.
"Goku," the masked man spoke, taking a step towards his grandson. "You have worked hard and grown strong in such a short amount of time!" he praised.
"How come you already know my name?" the boy wondered.
"Unfortunately," Gohan continued, holding up the detached tail, "you never mastered your one weakness. This tail would be your undoing one day! I always told you that, remember?"
Goku's expression slowly colored with disbelief. "W-wait a minute...! Y-you're my...!"
"Oh, thank goodness!" the man let out a relieved sigh. "I was so tired of wearing this mask," he declared, reaching up and pulling it off his face. He smiled warmly. "Did the whiskers give me away?"
The boy was literally shaking. "Is that you, Grandpa?" he questioned, almost sounding afraid to believe it as he hesitantly began to approach. He studied the grinning fighter for a moment, his nose twitching and his expression melting into awed excitement. "Yes... it is you!" he shouted, throwing caution to the wind and breaking into a run. "Grandpa! Grandpa!"
"That's right!" the old man laughed, holding his arms out to catch the boy in a hug. "It's me, my boy, it's me!"
Goku launched himself into the air, latching onto the older fighter's face and very nearly knocking him right over. Gohan made a rather impressive save and caught himself, holding his grandson close as the boy babbled happily for a few moments about how very much he had missed him.
"W-where have you been?" Goku asked, tears running down his cheeks as he finally pulled away to see his grandfather's face. "I thought you...!" He let out a sob and latched onto the man once more, wailing noisily into his shirt.
"There there, now, stop your crying," the man hushed.
"I looked everywhere for you and I couldn't find you!" the boy choked.
Bulma gave a quiet sniffle. "Goku... I've never seen him like this."
"With all the strength and accomplishments, it's easy to forget he's just a kid," Yamcha agreed, his own eyes a bit moist.
"Goku... he's happy!" Upa beamed.
Kagome's own smile was far sadder, colored by the knowledge that soon enough it would have to dawn on her little friend that his grandpa wasn't back to stay. That he really was dead, and that he would have to go back to the afterlife sooner rather than later unless he wanted to acquire a debt with the gods.
Still, this was a chance for them to say goodbye. A chance that, from the sound of things, they hadn't gotten before. For that, she was grateful.
"Goku, how's your backside feeling?" Gohan questioned worriedly. "Does it still hurt?"
The boy shook his head in response, grinning away as he scrubbed the back of his wrist over his face in an effort to wipe away the tears.
The older fighter ruffled his hair, smiling gently. "I didn't mean to break your tail, my boy - I was just trying to prove a point," he explained. "You have to learn to protect your weaknesses, like I always told you. Now, are you okay?"
"I'm alright, Grandpa," Goku assured, still trying to get himself back under control.
Gohan chuckled softly, his whole being radiating warmth. "Aside from that, I must tell you I was impressed by your strength! I never expected you could beat me in a match. Have you been taking lessons from Master Roshi?"
The boy nodded, turning his eyes towards the group. "Uh-huh!"
Kagome just smiled quietly and sighed, moving her own gaze over to meet Inuyasha's. He was staring at her, an expectant gleam in his eye. She firmed her jaw and shook her head, silently communicating that their own inevitable discussion would have to wait a bit longer. Much as she knew that they needed to talk, much as she knew in her head that she had already forgiven the half-demon, the thought of facing him again one-on-one still caused her chest to tighten with anxiety.
The older fighter followed his gaze, eyes widening in surprise as he grinned and quickly brought his palms together over his chest and giving a short bow in a show of respect. "Master Roshi!" he greeted. "It's an honor to see you again, my old friend!"
The old pervert inclined his head in agreement. "Likewise. It's been a long time, Gohan! I almost didn't recognize you behind that silly mask!"
"Oh," Gohan demurred sheepishly. "Well, if I kept my secrecy I thought it was necessary. I was afraid if Goku knew my true identity, he would hold back and not use his full power!"
Roshi nodded. "Yes, yes, I understand. How else could you have accurately measured the boy's true growth?"
"Master Roshi?" Bulma spoke up.
The old pervert turned back towards her. "Yes?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you told us that Goku's grandfather was dead!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed. The others nodded in agreement.
"Did... Did you really come back to life, Grandpa?" the boy asked.
"Oh no, Goku, I didn't come back to life," the older fighter quickly corrected.
"For the sake of not passing out, I'll pretend you didn't say that!" the blue-haired girl shrieked. "I'm talking to a dead man..."
"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed, walking over to join them. "Talk about slow." The priestess shot him a look, and he returned it with a distinctly unimpressed air. "Shut up, wench. You may have the rest or yer life ahead of ya, but I ain't gonna be able to stick around for much longer before I gotta go back. So listen the hell up, got it?"
She clenched her fists tightly, ignoring Bulma's yelp that there were two dead men right in front of her, and the injustice that one of them had died so young and good-looking. "Fine," she stated shortly. "Talk, then."
He glowered at her. "You really want these idiots hearin' everything?" he challenged.
Kagome frowned at him. "You didn't have any problem spewing things in front of them before," she pointed out argumentatively.
The half-demon scowled. "If ya think I actually got to anything important, you're dumber than they are. Look, you may not'a liked it, but you were still the emissary of the West and the bastard's actin' alpha female because of the brats. Then ya got the shit with being brought into the House of the Moon, and the facts start addin' up a certain way. Got it? Then ya pretty much named the monkey brat over there pack, and you know what that means. Without the bastard or the other brat around to scare the shit outta any sorry bastard that decides to try and court ya-"
"I can deal with that kind of thing by myself, Inuyasha!" she tried to interject, only for him to continue talking right over her.
"-that means he'd hafta be the one to deal with it, and then there's all the different mating rights that go along with bein' the last living heir of the Lands if he ever decides to give it a crack himself - I mean, who knows, he seems crazy enough-"
"For kami's sake, how many times do I have to point out the eight year age gap!" she snarled, stomping over and tugging one of his ears. He winced, but ignored it.
"Eight years is nothin' and you know it, wench! My dad was over a thousand and my mom was fifteen when they had me, and we both know that you're gonna be around at least that long all on yer own. Now where was I?" he huffed as she started dragging him a short ways off, no longer willing to deal with the questions that the others were no doubt forming just for the sake of being stubborn. "Oh, yeah. You've still got Suzumiya to deal with, too; the sorry bastard didn't just fuck with you when he made that goddamn wish, he fucked with the West - and that means his ass is yours to rip apart as ya please. And then..."
She palmed her face tiredly as he rambled on, going over things that she already knew and basically being a patronizing ass while he did so.
Just like old times, she thought frustratedly.
xxxx
A/N: Holy crap, has it really been a month since I last updated?! I am so sorry, guys! I have no idea how the time managed to get away from me like that. Again, I am so sorry. I promise I'll do my best to get back to a more frequent updating schedule.
On the plus side, we finally approach the first three year time-skip! Once Goku's fifteen, the romance will start getting a bit more blatant. Kagome's still going to be having issues with the age difference and such, obviously, but our favorite little monkey's going to be taking note of a few things as he gets older. Innocent as he may be, instincts (not to mention puberty, dreaded thing that it is) can certainly go a long way when dealt with under the correct circumstances...
Edit: Okay, so a comment pointed out to me that the Inu no Taishou was way older than what I'd first written (which, I'll be honest, I just scribbled in at random because I couldn't remember ever seeing his age anywhere) so I went ahead and looked it up, only to find that, while it doesn't ever state blatantly how old he is to the year, it does say that he's at least 3000. So, leaving that pretty open there while still letting Inuyasha make his point better than ever. Thanks to the person who brought that up to me; I hate being inaccurate just because I was feeling lazy about double-checking my backgrounds.
(Second) Edit: 8/27/16