Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this gentle adventure... especially for the one who has something to look forward to. A nod of recognition is bent towards Rumiko Takahashi for her creative prowess where InuYasha is concerned. All due respect is also offered to Yoshihiro Togashi, whose fervid imagination is responsible for YuYu Hakusho.

An Affinity for Complexities

- 19 -
The Greater Need

If Mrs. Higurashi thought it strange to have tucked a full-grown male kitsune into her daughter's bed in the middle of the night only to find him replaced by a familiar red-haired tutor the next morning, she didn't say as much. With her usual warm smile, she placed a tea tray bedside table and asked, "Are you feeling better, Minamino-kun?"

Kurama eased to sitting, wincing as his body protested. "I must apologize...."

"Not at all," Mrs. Higurashi smoothly interjected. "I'm glad you felt you could turn to us in your time of need."

He studied her face in amazement. This is not willful ignorance; she knows what I am, and it does not matter to her. For a moment, he wondered if his own mother might be as understanding. "I... thank you," he managed clumsily.

As if reading his mind, she announced, "You should let me call your mother. She must be worried sick, and I can set her mind at ease."

Green eyes widened, and he shook his head. "Please, don't trouble yourself on my account."

She frowned slightly. "Does she know?"

"She does not."

"Hmm." Mrs. Higurashi propped pillows behind his back, then pressed a steaming cup into his hands. "My family is accustomed to explaining away impossible things. Leave it to me, Minamino-kun. We'll make your excuses for you."

Following an instinct he barely understood, Kurama accepted her offer with as much grace as he could muster. "I am in your debt."

Kagome's mother paused in the doorway and gazed at him thoughtfully. "On the contrary, young man... I doubt we could ever repay the kindness you have shown."

He waved her words aside. "I'm merely a tutor...."

"No," she corrected firmly. "You are someone my daughter can trust fully, and that is a gift beyond price."

- 20 -
My Sister's Keeper

Later that afternoon, Kagome slipped through her bedroom door, waking Kurama with the sweet smell of soap. Her hair was wrapped in a towel, cheeks prettily flushed. She tiptoed across the room and knelt beside the bed. "You look better," she smiled.

"Likewise," he returned mildly.

"Mama washed and mended your shirt," she announced. "If you're up to it, the bath is ready downstairs. You can clean up while Grandpa's busy in the Shrine. Erm... he and Souta don't know you came in last night, and we thought it would be best if it stayed that way."

Smiling sleepily, Kurama replied, "Yes... thank you... I'll manage," unsure if he'd answered in the right order. If she noticed, she didn't say as much. Like mother, like daughter.

When Kurama stepped into the dining room, damp hair curling against the his cheeks, he found snacks laid out just as they always were for his tutoring sessions with Kagome. Normalcy. The transition to it had never been quite so natural.

Within the hour, Souta returned and hesitated in the doorway before joining Kagome and Kurama at the table and reaching for a rice ball. "Do you want some iced tea?" she offered.

"Yeah... sure, sis." Once she disappeared towards the kitchen, Souta fixed the tutor with a suspicious look. "What are you doing here? It's not your usual day."

"True," Kurama replied, taken aback by the mulish light in the boy's eyes.

"Just so you know... my sister has someone. Someone really great," he announced gruffly. "So don't get any ideas."

The redhead folded his hands on the table and gave Kagome's willful young guard dog a faint smile. Choosing his words with care, he replied, "I have no wish to impose upon your sister."

Souta relaxed slightly and muttered a sullen, "Good."

- 21 -
Sense of Adventure

Kagome hummed under her breath as she reached for a glass, then crossed to the refrigerator. Last night's fright had long since faded, leaving in its place a feeling she hadn't realized was missing so conspicuously from her days—anticipation.

When Inuyasha first returned her to her home, it had been a safe haven. The familiarity was a welcome relief after experiencing so much darkness, death, and despair. She'd been able to settle down, get her bearings, and think clearly for the first time since her fifteenth birthday. As she poured Souta's tea, Kagome thought back over the last two years. Going back to being 'normal' had been incredibly easy... at first. Lately, she'd come to realize that a high school girl's existence offered very little variety, and she wondered why she'd longed for such a humdrum existence. Did I sacrifice happiness in order to be safe? Knowing what I do now, would I have made the same choice?

Up until Shuuichi Minamino's path crossed hers, all she could look forward to was more of the same... and the only things that threatened her existence were bad grades. But Kurama brought a dash of excitement back to her days, and she was giddy over the prospect of new experiences. Sure, they came hand-in-hand with danger, but Kagome was more than ready to pay that price.

Still humming to herself, she returned to the dining room, serving Souta his drink and favoring Kurama with a warm smile. Youkai still lived and breathed. Friends still battled at one another's sides. Anything might happen, and she was up for the adventure.

End Note: These three drabbles were written for the Live Journal community fanfic(underscore)bakeoff and their Secret Ingredient for May 2010—Willful. The drabbles are 299, 300, and 267 words respectively. Posted on May 23, 2010.