Holy moley! Think this might be one of the longest chapters I've written for this story thus far. Over 19,000 words; wow!

Anyway, you'll find that I kept a few of the original elements from the original episode, but for the most part, this is my own little twist on the cool-down period before we head back into the action in Edo, which will include some fluffy romance for Coraline and Inuyasha (pause for yays).

There will also be an adaptation of a weapon from the 2003 series of TMNT, so I shall stress that I have no ownership over such a reference! Rights and ownership belong to Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird (The awesome, original creators), Mirage Studios, 4Kids TV and Dong Woo Animation.

...That's all from me. Hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter 90: Gap Between the Ages

Another day passes after Coraline awakes from her coma after her dangerously selfless act that not only led to restoring the Soul of the specter-priestess, Kikyō, forging a bigger bond between the women than they could've possibly imagined, but also add fuel to the inner strength of the dog demon, Inuyasha, in his resolve for controlling his inner egos, while shattering the wall between his and Coraline's hearts and finally allowing them to have courage in seeking and capturing eachother's love...

Now, as the weather moves into a mix of sun and cloud for the afternoon, he and the others (minus Coraline, who had gone back to her era in the morning so she could see the Higurashis and catch up with her modern era priorities, but not without Inuyasha promising to come get her the following day) have returned to the ruined remains that was Naraku's Illusionary Castle, to investigate for any clues that might tell them where the evil half-demon may have vanished to after the battle from over a week ago...

Inuyasha was standing by one of the more in-tact houses of the entire castle with a scowl on his face, after sensing nothing:

"Damn that Naraku. The castle looks abandoned, so he probably won't be coming back."

Miroku agrees with him:

"Hm, and you're probably right. After you broke through his demonic barrier, Naraku had to move on or else risk being attacked."

Freeman calls from on top the roof of the house, he and Besa taking in a bird's eye view using a pair of binoculars they brought back yesterday from the modern era,

"Not to mention this place is torn up from the roots and then some, yikes...Not even the renovations teams from Tokyo would wanna touch this place with a hundred-foot pole."

Besa nudges him with his elbow while occupying a half-amused, half-serious expression:

"Dude, I seriously doubt any human would be crazy enough to make a demon castle their next flip-project."

"I know that!"

Shippo, who was sitting in front of the twins on the roof tiles, rolls his eyes at their brotherly bickering, while Sango casts her eyes to the sky with a grim frown, and Inuyasha clenches both of his fists while growling in frustration:

"Man! Naraku is probably vulnerable enough right now for me to kill 'em too! I was so, close! Damn it!"

"Hey, don't go into volcano-mode, man! At least one good thing came up for ya even after this bust!"

Inuyasha turns his eyes up at Freeman's wry grin with a raised brow:

"Oh yeah, and what's that?"

"You and sis are finally a couple, doigt!" Besa's smile was more gentle as he added,

"He's right. While I agree that it sucks Naraku played the chicken card and bailed when he was within killing range, it's better for now to focus on something positive than dwell on the negative. We're all alive, we're all safe, and ready to fight another day. Plus, with yours and Cora's hearts connecting more strongly, I doubt any evil's gonna stand in your way, especially when you and she fight together."

"Guh...you really think so?"

"I know so."

Inuyasha turns away from the twins, and thinks on their words:

Hm...

Present-Day Tokyo, Higurashi Residence, Coraline's POV

Well, this has been a rather eventful day so far...

Early this morning, as soon as I returned to my home in modern-day Tokyo, I was met with bone-crushing hugs, courtesy of Akari-Sama and Souta, who were immensely happy with seeing me alive and safe, before I got the scolding of a lifetime from Grandfather regarding the deal I made with that dream demon, which quickly ended with him hugging me while muttering that he nearly had a heart attack out of worry for me. Once apologies and promises to not do such an act again were made, I was able to hop into the bathroom for a much-needed shower (I was in a coma for five days, and body odour added up quick - ick), then loaded the washing machine with my clothes, and did a few chores before settling into my room to do some homework for my online schooling.

I'm now sitting at my desk doing up some maps for my geography course via my laptop, wearing a pair of black sweatpants, white socks and a soft, v-neck tee that was close to the same colour as Inuyasha's fire rat kimono...

Speaking of him, I think back to that, kiss from yesterday, and blush deeply with a smile:

It's still hard to believe that, we're finally starting a romantic relationship...

Which, makes me feel a bit bad for leaving this morning. I was actually as reluctant as Inuyasha was in terms of heading for the Well.

But, considering all that's happened, it's probably better that I relax with some modern dailiness and de-tox from all the major drama in recent events...

(Ping, ping)

"Hm?"

It was then my computer began singing an email alert, so I save my work and go to open it:

(Click, pop)

"Huh...It's a letter from Professor Hashimoto, down at the museum. Let's see, 'Dear Miss Croft-Higurashi...'"

Once I read it all through, I was filled with a new excitement:

"Ah! No way!"

He really wants me to-I am so there!

I send a quick reply back, before shutting my laptop down, and scrambling into a new outfit consisting of a clean pair of dark-wash jeans, a white, short-sleeved button-up shirt with a brown jacket overtop, and my sole pair of black flats.

Once I gathered up the few items I needed, including some reference papers, a pencil and notebook, I quickly dashed down the stairs, much to Akari-sama and Grandfather's surprise:

"Huh?"

"Goodness, child, where's the fire?"

"No fire, Grandfather, but an amazing opportunity: I just got an email from Professor Hashimoto, and he wants me to come to the museum to check out an artifact he and his team recently discovered! He actually wants my opinion!"

"Uh! Oh my, that is exciting!"

I'm about to head out the door, and I call over my shoulder with a smile,

"Yeah, so I'm gonna head down now! I should be back by this evening!"

Akari-sama calls back,

"Good luck, Coraline!"

"Thanks!"

I leave the house, and begin my descend down the shrine stairs, a big grin of anticipation on my face:

Oh, I can't wait!

Time Skip

After about forty minutes, I reach the downtown museum, and head inside to meet with the professor in the lobby:

"...Professor Hashimoto! I'm here!"

His appearance is of an averagely-tall man with very lightly-tanned skin, short black hair cut into a neatly combed style, kind dark-brown eyes, and wore a casual black suit with a white undershirt, brown shoes, and square, wire-rimmed glasses.

He turns from his gaze at a few papers in his hands, and looks up at me with a smile:

"Ah, Miss Croft-Higurashi, at last. Follow me; the artifact is awaiting us in the backroom."

"Right."

We begin our walk into the back of the museum, where the storerooms and laboratories would be. As we went along, I asked him,

"So what sort of artifact are we actually about to examine? Your email only spoke of its date being somewhere around the end of eleventh century Japan, and that its make was similar to things my father once researched."

"It is something among the remnants of an old katana sword that may have belonged to a samurai of notable rank."

"Wow, really?!"

"(Chuckle) I can see you are already excited by such a find. (Fond smile) You definitely have the same gumption as Croft-san did when he and I collaborated on a few projects..."

I saw his eyes become a bit softer and sentimental at the mention of my father, and I smile back, thinking about how he always seemed to form such strong connections with people in his career field, even when others were against him...

The professor and I stop in front of a door with the label LAB 3-1 painted in black above the frame, and he opens the door for us to walk inside: The room is about the same make-up you'd see in a biology class laboratory for high school, only with more bookshelves filled with file folders and various boxes labeled for some extra artifacts and the occasional human remains, as well as some random technical devices for carbon-dating and other procedures I've yet to learn more about...

"It's right here on this table."

I follow the professor to one of the tables set up in the middle of the room, and let out a small gasp when my eyes fell on the artifact: It was indeed a sword made in the style of a katana, and while the blade has become majorly rusted and chipped away to half of what it once may have been, the handle was in rather pristine condition, made from a white wood base for the hilt, with gold embellishment spinning around the surface, more making up the pommel and shaped like the head of, a goblin (?), and then three sharp blades made onto the blade guard.

"Incredible...Is that suppose to be a tengu on the pommel?"

"Correct. According to an ancient scroll that was found inside a sheath laying next to this piece, the blade was known as the Sword of Tengu."

"The Goblin Sword, eh?"

"(Nod) It was also written that this katana was won by the unnamed samurai from a demon of similar origins, hence the title."

"Interesting..."

Wonder how strong either side was?

Seeing my rising interest, the professor then asks me,

"So, what say you? Would you like to take a try at unlocking some more of the katana's history?"

I turn to look at him in shock, he smiling at me encouragingly...before I smiled eagerly back:

"Yes, sir!"

Maybe someone back in Edo might know more...but for now, I'll do what I can to come up with some sort of a base research.

Time Skip, Sengoku Edo, No POV...

As evening came to grace the grounds of a younger, yet-to-be-renamed-as Tokyo, everyone else will have returned from the remaining structure of Naraku's Castle, before settling into the Goshinboku Village or out by the Bone Eater's Well. Shippo was peering inside the old well with a curious expression, only to be startled out of it, when Inuyasha's foot came resting on the wooden rim, tapping in an impatient manner:

"(Growl) What's taking Coraline so long to get back? She said she was gonna try and not be long this time."

"Well, she said she'd be at least two or three days..."

"Same will be for us in the next couple minutes."

"Hm?" "Huh?"

They turn around and see Freeman and Besa approaching with Sango and Miroku behind them, the first pair carrying their satchels and weapons over their shoulders:

"We gotta head back and make sure our apartment hasn't been broken into like some others have been for the last couple weeks."

"Plus there's clothes to wash, food to stock on, and we wanna see about maybe heading down to the dojo for a class."

Inuyasha makes a 'seriously?!' expression and lets out a noise of exasperation, while Miroku tells him,

"Patience is a virtue, Inuyasha."

"What's your problem? You're as worried as I am!"

Sango calmly replies,

"It's not as though we started hunting Naraku a couple days ago...Besides, Inuyasha, you could still use some rest from not only after that last battle, but also from how stressed you made yourself while Coraline was, temporarily incapacitated..."

Inuyasha flinches a bit from being reminded of the more recent event regarding said redhead and the dream demon she conveyed a deal with, before brushing it off with a scoff:

"Kuh, what are you goin' on about, Sango? I'm not like you weakling humans; a little battle here and there doesn't make me tired."

Miroku points at him and states,

"That's precisely it. We can't keep up with your energy, and you don't expect us to."

Freeman lets out a short laugh and argues,

"Speak for yourself, Miroku! I feel like I'm keeping up just fine!"

Besa side-glances his brother with a smirk and quirks,

"Maybe in your fantasies, Freeman, but anytime we keep up with Inuyasha's pace, it's 'cause he's going easy on us."

"Oi! Don't kill my confidence, bro!"

Everyone lets a laugh out at the banter, and Inuyasha mutters,

"See? You guys are the ones tired, not me."

The twins ready to hop down the well, as Freeman asks with a cheeky smile,

"Maybe not tired, but anxious to hold our sister in your arms again, am I right?"

"Right. (Widens eyes) Hey, wait a minute!"

"Whoops, gotta go; see ya tomorrow!"

And just as Inuyasha whirls around to chew him out, Freeman hops down the well with Besa, leaving everyone else to laugh aloud as the dog demon growls in annoyance from the sneaky comment:

"Dammit, Freeman, I'm gonna kick your ass next time I see you!"

Then again...he might not be wrong, but I'll never say it to his face...

Kikyō's POV

I have traveled to another piece of forest far from my old village, searching for anything that might lead me to the answer of where that loathsome Naraku had vanished to...

Pausing in my walk by an abandoned wilderness shelter, I wait for my allies, the Shinidamachū, to emerge from the trees and speak to me about what they've seen or haven't seen. Once lands on my finger, and I would quickly learn that the latter is still the current story:

"...I understand. Naraku's demonic aura remains hidden and as elusive as before."

I watch them as they fly away to try again, and think to myself,

I've had my Shinidamachū look for the miasma, but there's not even a hint of a barrier...

How has he hidden such a strong miasma?

I decide to move on, and turn to the southwest, adding mentally,

And if I cannot sense him...it is likely Coraline, Inuyasha and their friends cannot either.

"(Small smile) Hmph. This does not mean I should give up, though. She would not want me to."

Walking away, I add mentally,

I pray Coraline is resting well after her gracious sacrifice...one of which I shall never hope to repay in full.

Kagura's POV

It has been several days since my damned master had mysteriously vanished and left his ruined castle behind, and Kohaku and I have been traveling the skies upon my feather all around Edo, being careful to remain undetected by anyone or anything that could come after us...

Though by us, I mostly mean the boy, due to the shard of the Shikon-no-Tama embedded in his back.

...Damn...

I recall the last order that Naraku sent telepathically to me before he was gone:

(Flash)

"Get the Shikon-no-Tama shard from Kohaku's corpse."

(Flash)

I used to think this kid was a mindless puppet...yet he refused to kill the abducted girl, nor did he allow himself to be killed by Sesshomaru...

"Kohaku. Let me advise you that if you continue to defy Naraku, you won't live for much longer."

Though even as I said that, I contemplated how hypocritical it sounded coming from my own lips:

Not that I'm one to talk...

Small Time Skip, No POV

As the stars come to grace the skies in a glittering stream across the deep blue, we turn our eyes back to the Goshinboku Village, as everyone settled into their own circles for the night...

For Sango, it would mean sitting with her companion Kilala on a knoll overlooking the village, as her mind wandered sadly on who else disappeared recently besides the despicable half-demon:

Naraku disappeared, and he's taken Kohaku with him...

She bends down to hug the tops of her knees with her arms and mutters,

"Kohaku...where are you, my brother?"

(...Jingle, jingle)

It was then that Miroku came up to her from behind, prompting Kilala to mew at him in greeting, and she to turn her head towards him:

"Huh?"

"Sango...?"

"...Miroku."

We cut briefly to Kaede's hut, where Inuyasha and Shippo were, as they and the elder priestess began to eat dinner:

"So. Miroku's gone to woo Sango, now has he?"

Slurping down some stew, Shippo then replies to Kaede,

"Yeah, that has to be. According to both Coraline and Besa, Sango's been secretly waiting for the moment to come, or whatever that means..."

Back outside on the knoll, Miroku asks the twin-tailed cat demon,

"Kilala, can I sit here?"

She mewls, and runs to Sango's right side, allowing the monk to sit on her left...He then asks the slayer,

"I presume you must be worried about your brother?"

"...Yes, I am."

Kilala looks at her with an affectionate and sympathetic expression as she lets out another mew, while Miroku turns his eyes to the sky as he voices his thoughts on Kohaku's situation:

"It's easier said than done...but don't worry yourself too much."

"Huh?"

"(Folds his hands) I understand what you're going through..."

There's a pause...before Miroku decides to stand and leave the area to give Sango some space:

"Y-You'd probably rather be alone, I suppose."

"Huh? You mean, is that all?"

It was Miroku's turn to be confused:

"Uh?"

"It's just...I've come to know what you're like. I thought after giving me the encouragement, you would try something lecherous."

The monk grimaces a little with a smile, before kneeling back down in front of Sango:

"Sango, listen..."

His hand then goes to rest...on her breast?! She blushes madly with a sweatdrop while he chides,

"You've should've told me sooner if that's what you wanted."

...Zooming out to the outside perimeter of the village and the breathtaking view of the stars, a loud slap echoes through the air, followed by Miroku yelping in pain, just as a shooting star comes sliding across the night sky...

And apparently, the sounds were loud enough for Kaede and Shippo to hear from inside the former's hut:

"Oh my."

"Ooo, nice contact on that one."

By this time, Inuyasha had moved outside and onto the hut roof, his leg bouncing in an impatient manner as he thinks to himself,

Everyone is crazy around here!

Present-Day Tokyo, Higurashi Residence/Shrine, Coraline's POV

I'm sitting in the living room with Grandfather, Souta and my twin brothers who've returned about two hours ago, as I show them copies of the pictures for the ancient katana that Professor Hashimoto let me take home, along with some notes he and I made regarding its study...

"Whoa, this is so stupid cool!"

"Amazing!"

"So this sword may have once been wielded by a demon before being won by a samurai?"

I laugh at the excited smiles on all three of my brother's faces and reply,

"Well, nothing's a hundred-percent certain, but what has been determined so far is that this was made sometime around the end of the eleventh century."

Grandfather folds his arms and remarks,

"Well if this was wielded by a demon, I hope whomever held it last remembered to banish any negative energy from it."

"I'm sure they did, (Worried mutter) otherwise the professor's team might not have come back from the excavation..."

I pull up some old texts I borrowed from the library shortly after leaving the museum, and open one to a chapter talking about swordsmanship and special cases:

"So far, I'm not finding anything that talks about a blade called 'The Sword of Tengu' or any unnamed katanas that came up short in writing before vanishing from history, so this is definitely one of the more trickier mysteries..."

Besa puts his hand under his chin in thought:

"Hm...I almost wonder if maybe Tōtōsai or Myoga might know something if this was truly a sword wielded by a goblin demon."

"That's what I was thinking. I'm gonna keep trying to pull out some clues from the sources I can access here, and when we head back to Edo, I might try to see if I can contact one of them."

Souta asks,

"But how are ya gonna explain to the professor about their word without telling him they're demons?"

"I'll use the anonymous resource quip and stress confidentiality. He'll understand real quick."

"Oh. That's smart."

I smile a bit smugly and nod, and Grandfather says to me,

"It wouldn't hurt to ask Yoshi-sama about the sword too. I remember he used to talk about ancient weaponry almost as often as your father did during our talks over tea."

"Hm, good idea, Grandfather."

I put in a paper bookmark and close the text, before carefully shuffling all the work together into a neat pile for me to carry:

"Well, guess I have a mini archaeology project to add to my school portfolio now. This is gonna be fun to do."

Grandfather chuckles and replies,

"I'm sure it will be for you, but right now, you and the boys outta head to bed so you can get up bright and early for your class tomorrow at the dojo and regular school respectively."

The twins and I groan a bit, but nod all the same, before we and Souta all start heading up the stairs to my room and Souta's room respectively.

"Goodnigh', bros."

"Night, sis!" "See ya in the mornin', Cor."

"Goodnight, Cora!"

(Ka-chank) (Ka-chank)

Time Skip, Inuyasha's POV

The next day, as soon as it was about mid-morning, I hop through the Well and over to the other era to get Coraline and her brothers...

But when I got inside the large hut:

(Slide)

"Huh?"

I don't smell either of those three here...Where are they?

"Oh, Inuyasha dear, good morning."

I turn to see Missus Higurashi wrapping up one of those 'lunch boxes' the three sometimes bring to Edo in a yellow cloth over a table top. She smiles at me and says,

"If you're here to pick up Coraline and the twins, they won't be back for a couple hours."

"What? Why not?"

"They're participating in one of Yoshi-sama's martial arts classes downtown in the dojo today."

...Oh yeah: I almost forgot they've been taking lessons here and there when they come back to this era.

They've even been doin' some special training just with him for their weapons...

"Hm..."

"Unfortunately, they left so early that Coraline forgot to take her lunch."

"Oh. That one's hers?"

"Would you be kind enough to take it down to her for me? Here."

I take the wrapped-up box into my hands, and think to myself,

It's not a good idea to do any training without something to eat during break...

Heh, and at least this way, it gives me an excuse to not only see Coraline, but also finally meet this Yoshi character.

"(Nod) Sure thing."

"Thank you, dear."

So I leave the home and descend down the tall shrine stairs into the, 'down-town' area to begin my search for this dojo where Coraline and the twins are suppose to be. I ignore the strange looks of the humans on the streets, concentrating on narrowing in on their scents:

"(Sniff, sniff) Heheheh, all I have to do is follow all three of their scents and I'll find the dojo in no time."

"Stop, thief! Someone catch him!"

"Huh?"

I stand back up and turn around to where the shout came from, and watch as a wastebasket comes crashing to the ground from around a corner, followed by some shady-looking character in dark clothing carrying a bag under his arm running from what I guessed was an authority figure for this era:

"Hold it!"

But the second guy ends up slipping on some trash and falls backwards on his back. I mentally scoff,

How clumsy can ya get? Now I see why Freeman once said the pol-ice guys are useless in stopping crime...

The thief faces back up front and shouts to the other humans,

"Outta my way or ya gonna get hurt!"

They all shriek and scramble aside in a panic, but I only stood up straight as coolly as possible, no way afraid of this man. He was slightly taken aback, but kept his pace and barks at me,

"Ya wanna die, ya little punk?!"

No, but tick me off any further and you might. Psh, the hotheaded humans are all the same no matter what era.

This guy wasn't worth any real effort, so I blew on my fist and just slugged his nose, forcing him to a stop, before he groans in pain and falls over...

"Coraline's world is alot more dangerous than I thought it'd be."

I move on from the ground and started leaping from the tops of the tall buildings (called, skyscrapers, as Besa told me), when one of those big metal machines on wheels coloured red came barrelling down the road below while blaring a warning siren:

"Now what's the problem?"

Curious, I follow it to another area of the downtown, landing on a building standing across one with smoke billowing out of one of the high windows with a really tall ladder extended towards it.

Someone must be trapped inside...

(Leap)

I hop down, spring off one of the smaller metal wagons and dash up the ladder to the top where the window was. I jump up again over two humans using something to spray water on the fire, and use my claws to smash my way inside:

(Slash, shatter-crash)

I land on the ground in front of the one trapped inside the burning home: A little girl with short black hair tied into two tiny ponytails with a ribbon tied over her head, wearing an odd short-sleeved kimono of pink and blue, while holding a toy doll shaped like a bear in her arms. She stares at me in awe, but I get her back to reality by grabbing her and saying,

"Don't just stand there; come on!"

"Oh!"

I jump out the window just in time, before the entire room exploded into flames:

(BOOM)

...As we made our descent, I felt the little girl's stare, and turned to her with a confused frown:

"What's the matter?"

She doesn't answer me verbally, but only breaks into one of those wide, innocent smiles. As we landed, I let go of her, but then quickly found out what she was so excited about:

"Fuzzy ears!"

Aw geez, really?!

I wince a bit from the tug, and shake her hold off while darting into a stand:

"Knock it off; stop touching!"

I growl a bit with a sulky frown, before muttering over my shoulder,

"See ya," and leaping off, but not without hearing the little girl calling to me,

"Doggy man! Thank you for saving me!"

"Man, this world is one disaster after another...(Smirk)."

But no one said living life is easy everywhere...Alright, back to business: Finding that dojo.

(Leap, leap, leap...)

Coraline's POV

"Alright, everyone. We will now work on kicks and leaping attacks, the focuses being balance, delivery, and power."

It's been a fair couple hours since my brothers and I came to Master Yoshi's for some early one-on-one training, before deciding to stick around and participate in one of the more public classes. We stored our weapons in his office so that no one got too curious for their own good, had a few snacks that my brothers remembered packing (I forgot my lunch - cue facepalm), before following everyone in some drills leading to now.

I chose to dress in a pair of grey sweatpants, a white bandeau top with black trimming along the edges that showed my stomach, and a plain black tank-top over top it, while my hair was tied back in a braid. The guys wore matching outfits of black joggers and white shirts, Freeman's being in the muscle-style while Besa's was the classic tee.

We're leaning against the wall watching the other students giving a go in trying some jump and spin kicks, some more successful while others kind-a tripped and fell.

"Hm, gotta give 'em points for trying, at least."

I nod with Freeman and quirk,

"Yeah, but I know a few people who've got 'em beat."

"Ya mean, us, Sango, and your boyfriend?"

I blush slightly at Besa's characterization of Inuyasha and reply,

"U-Um, yeah..."

"(Chuckle) You're a lucky gal, sis, you realize this, right?"

"Of course I do...(Smile) It was a miracle getting the words out alone, though. I was, worried he wouldn't return them."

"What? Psh, the Hell he wouldn't return your feelings. Cor, he's been harpin' for ya as badly as you've been. No way he wouldn't have said yes."

"Heh, I know that now, Freeman."

Besa smiles at me and adds,

"And if god forbid he did, we would've kicked his ass for leavin' ya hanging."

"Haha, thanks, but Sango already made that promise a while back, so you guys would've been in line with her."

We all laugh a little, before Master Yoshi calls us for our turns:

"Croft-san, Brownlee-sans. You're next."

"Hai, sensei!"

We move to our own points of start, along with three other guys (If you haven't already guessed, I'm the only girl here in this dojo...), and ready our ears for the directing:

"Now, Brownlee-sans: Flying Dragons!"

Besa jumps forward while spinning a leg out and landing in a somersault, before Freeman copies him, each one executing their moves smoothly with no mistakes.

Nice one, guys!

"Mazaki: Crane's Flight!"

"Hah!"

The boy does the crane-stance, before jumping up and trying to do an ariel somersault, but stumbles halfway and falls on his stomach:

(Thump)

"Ugh..."

Some of the other students wince, while Mazaki pushes himself up and quickly gets out of the way of the next two guys:

"Kazuma: Basic leap kick!"

(Jump, leap)

"Hrah!"

"Akihiro: Double Spiral!"

(Jump, spin, spin)

Those two did better, if with a minor flaw in their stand and deliveries...Then came my turn:

"Croft-san: Flying Split Kick!"

I take a breath in...before running forward from my place by the entrance doors, and jumping up while doing a split kick:

"Hah!"

Doing the move was easy...Landing on the other hand:

(Thump, trip)

"Ah!"

I almost made the landing, but slipped a bit on my right foot and fell forward to the mat. The other guys wince and make the 'ooo' sound, while my bros chimed,

"Almost had it, sis!" "Real close!"

I pick myself up with a frustrated sigh, brushing off some non-existent dust from my clothes...

"Keh, you call that a Flying Split Kick? Your legs barely stretched out and ya bombed the landing."

I gasped, recognizing the voice:

...Is that...?

Looking back up, standing in the doorway, was Inuyasha, giving me a teasing but well-meaning smirk. The other students gasped at his arrival and comment among themselves in murmurs and whispers, before he adds,

"You're on the right track, but need more practice."

"...Inuyasha!"

I rush over to him, my bros following shortly after:

"Dude!"

"When'd you get here?"

"Went through the well about an hour ago, then tracked ya guys here."

I ask him,

"But, how come? I mean, not that I'm not glad to see you or anything, but we would've been back home in the afternoon..."

He reaches into the sleeve of his kimono and pulls out a yellow-clothed package:

"Missus Higurashi said ya dashed out the door so fast this mornin' that you forgot your lunch, so, here."

"Uh...Oh, thank you."

He came all this way just to bring me my lunch...

I felt my face heat up with a blush and smile appreciatively at Inuyasha, who fehs with his usual frown and looks away, but I don't miss the tiny blush forming on his own cheeks...Freeman the nudges me with his elbow and chimes with a smirk,

"We~ll then, guess ya won't be havin' just water and a power bar for lunch today, thanks to Inuyasha, eh, sis?"

"(Light shove) Shut up."

"Ah, Croft-san. Is this whom I think it is?"

"Hm?"

We all turn to see Master Yoshi come walking towards us from the other end of the dojo, and I nod in confirmation:

"Yes, sensei. This is Inuyasha. (Turns and gestures) Inuyasha, this is our martial arts sensei, Master Yoshi."

Both of them step up to one another and shake hands with sensei saying to Inuyasha,

"I have heard a great deal about you from Croft-san, Inuyasha-san. I understand that you are quite the fighter yourself?"

"Keh, yeah, you could say that...So you're the one who's been teaching these three how to fight?"

"Indeed. (Lowers his voice) In more ways than what I have been teaching the other students here, as I'm sure you're aware."

Inuyasha forms an expression of confusion, until I whisper in his ear,

"Our, weapons?"

"Oooooh, right..."

Master Yoshi then asks,

"Say, Inuyasha-san. If you are interested, how would you like to join the class for the day with the rest of the students?"

"Huh?!" "What, seriously?!"

"Quite serious. (Wise smile) I think the other boys could benefit from rivaling with someone of your stature and experience, and perhaps you too may learn something you haven't previously...What do you say?"

Inuyasha hms with a curve in his lips between a frown and a scowl, and looks around the room at the wary and curious faces of the rest of the class, before turning to me and the guys, to which we just shrug in a 'All up to you' manner.

"...Eh, what the heck? Sure."

I smile while the twins high-five, and an excited murmur begins buzzing through the rest of the students:

"Cool..." "New blood..."

"He looks real tough." "Wonder if he's that good?"

"Oh boy, now I'm really nervous..."

Master Yoshi claps his hands to get everyone's attention back on track:

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Back to work, my students: Line up for combo drills!"

"(Collective) Hai, sensei!"

So for the next hour and a half, we would all continue our work for the day, from basic drills to some more advanced coordination, and even going one-on-one against eachother. Inuyasha picked up on the moves rather quickly, and became a bit more animated during the one-on-one fights, though I stressed for him to pull back a touch on his demon strength so he didn't accidentally break too many bones, to which he'd scoff and promise halfheartedly ("But that don't mean I'm gonna go easy on them..."). He's now in his fifth fight against one of the other students, and it looks like he'll be taking another win:

"Hah!"

(Swing)

"Keh!"

(Dodge)

"Hrrrah!"

(Kick)

"Gaaah!"

Inuyasha lands a swift side-kick in the young man's side and stomach, who flies a few feet backwards with a roll onto the mat face-down. Sensei bangs the small gong he keeps here in the dojo with the mallet, before announcing,

"Match over! Winner: Inuyasha-san!"

We all clap and lightly cheer his success, while he grins proudly, before turning to do the good-sport act and help the other his opponent up:

"(Pant, pant) Thank you, Inuyasha-san. Geez, how the heck are ya so fast?"

"Heheh, years of practice. You weren't terrible, though; it'll just take a while before you can keep up with speed like mine."

"(Sweatdrop) Right..."

Master Yoshi then calls,

"Alright, good work, everyone. We break for lunch, then the next match will be Croft-san versus Kazuma-san."

I straighten from my name being addressed, and turn my gaze to meet Kazuma's, he eyeing me with a somewhat smug grin, causing me to roll my eyes:

Oh boy...

A couple minutes later, I'm sitting with Inuyasha, Freeman, Besa and Mokoto in our own circle, the last one with a beaming smile at finally meeting my boyfriend:

"Dang, this is one class I'll be rememberin' forever. Not only do we all get to meet you, Inuyasha, (laugh) but I got to watch ya kick major ass today! You must've started studying real young if you're that good, am I right?"

As I unwrap my food, Inuyasha kehs nonchalantly and replies,

"Pretty much. Where I come from, you had to learn to defend yourself real quick if ya wanted to see tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, I getcha. Same story for myself, a few cousins and friends of mine from the rougher parts of Tokyo: At the very least, if ya can't run fast, you're more screwed than everyone else."

...Aw geez!

"Ahem, Inuyasha..."

"Hm? What?"

I turn to him with an indifferent frown and ask,

"Did you, 'share' my lunch before you came down here?"

"Uuuhhh..."

Inside the box, about half of the rice and sushi was gone...I let out a sigh while slapping my hand to my face, while Freeman laughs and chides,

"Can't really blame him for that: Missus Higurashi's food's kind-a hard to resist."

"Mhm..."

Besa reaches behind him into his satchel and pulls out an apple and a banana:

"Good thing we brought extra today. Here, sis, add this, and Inuyasha, I dunno if you're hungry again, but here's something to tide ya over."

I take the banana, while Inuyasha lightly snatches up the apple, we both muttering,

"Thanks," before beginning our consumption:

(Munch, munch...)

"...Hey, sorry 'bout that."

"Hm?"

I stop eating my fruit and look at Inuyasha in confusion, he eyeing me somewhat guiltily:

"Ya know, for not askin'..."

I just shake my head with a small smile and reply,

"No worries, it's all good. Think of it as a reward for comin' down here to drop it off."

Leaning over to him, I lightly kiss his cheek and add,

"And then there's this, (Giggle)."

He stutters a bit, before looking away with a light dust of pink on his face...

"Oooh, so the rumours are true: You guys are dating!"

"Hm?"

Focus is turned onto Mokoto, who explains with a sheepish smile:

"Whenever you and your bros aren't here, the other guys have been pondering over who Inuyasha was to you, and most have speculated on the lines of 'secret lover' or 'boyfriend'."

My face heats up in embarrassment:

"Th-They have?"

"Yeah, but nothing perverted or obscene, I assure you...Just that you've been too shy to bring him down, heh, 'til today, that is."

"Oh god..."

I bury my blushing face into my hands as my brothers let out their own bouts of laughter, but I was then nudged by Inuyasha, forcing me to look up and into a pair of confused amber irises:

"Yeah?"

"What does, 'boyfriend' mean?"

Huh? He doesn't kno-Oh, right, of course. That term isn't used in his era...

Clearing my throat, I explain in a whisper,

"It's one of the two modern labels people use for when a couple is in a romantic relationship. You'd be 'boyfriend', and me the 'girlfriend'."

"So, it's another way of saying we're 'mates'?"

"U-Uh, kind-of, but it's a bit, looser in the meaning, if that makes sense..."

"Hmm..."

"We can talk about it more later if you want, but I don't think here's the right place."

"(Sigh) Fine."

I breathe out a small sigh of relief:

Well that wasn't as awkward as I thought it'd be...

"Hey, sis."

"Hm?"

I turn my eyes to Besa, who was staring behind him around the left:

"Kazuma's lookin' your way again."

"Ugh, really?"

Following my brother's line of vision, I saw that Kazuma was indeed staring in my direction, and sends me one of kinds of smirks that reminds me of a few past opponents when they felt that they were gonna win, only to get their ass kicked by me and the team...

"Who's that smug bastard?"

I jump a bit from Inuyasha's blunt question, and glance over to see his face occupying a scowl. Mokoto answers with a straight face,

"That's Kazuma, one of the more regular students here. He's not really that bad a guy, but can get cocky real fast which sets him up to make mistakes, to which he'll immediately deny. I honestly don't think he's the kind of student for this place, but Master Yoshi takes in all kinds..."

Forming a frown, I turn back to our circle and add,

"He was real sexist towards me during the first couple classes, saying a girl had no place here, (Slight smirk) but I quickly shut him up with my skills. Now he's become a bit of an unnecessary rival, sort-of my own version of the feuds between you and Kōga, but stupider."

Inuyasha eyes me with surprise, but then growls a bit in Kazuma's direction before saying,

"Well in that case, ya better kick his butt today. Oh, yeah...speaking of kicking butts..."

His gaze then falls on Freeman, who flinches from the stare with a sweatdrop:

"What?"

"Don't think I've forgotten that snide comment before you and Besa left yesterday, pal. If the chance comes later, you and me are goin' one-on-one!"

"N-Now let's be rational about this; I didn't mean any harm, honest!"

I eye my nervous brother with a wary glance:

"Freeman, what did you say to him?"

"Nothing bad!"

Moving on, after lunch, everyone would clear the mat to stand against or sit by the walls, with Master Yoshi standing in the middle of the right side by his gong, and I stood a couple feet from Kazuma at the ready with my back by the entrance door and windows...

"Alright: Match between Croft-san and Kazuma-san for three points! Both of you are familiar with the rules, correct?"

We both nod, and sensei nods back:

"Good. In that case..."

(Bong)

"Begin!"

Kazuma made the first move, sprinting at me with a fist at the ready:

"Haaah!"

I wait for the right moment, then duck to the left in a dodge, grab his arm while placing one hand on his lower torso, before flipping him sideways to the ground:

"Hiyah!"

(Wham)

"Agh!"

"One point to Croft-san!"

The other students take in sharp breaths, while I catch the grins of my brothers and Mokoto, and the approving nod of Inuyasha.

Alright, one down, two to go...

Kazuma hops back onto his feet, and I try to knock him back down with a spin kick, but he dodges it, and whirls around to kick me in the side of my torso:

"Hah!"

(Whack)

"Rgh!"

I stumble backwards, but don't fall onto the mat, steadying myself while Master Yoshi calls,

"One point to Kazuma-san!"

A few of his buddies cheer his spout of victory, while he rubs under his nose with a chuckle, eyeing me with a taunting smirk. I just scoff with a minor glare, and position myself before attacking again:

(Dash)

"Hyah!"

We both go fists-to-fists with a few multi-combos, but don't land a major hit for either of ourselves, until I feign a punch by the left side of his shoulder, before sweeping my leg against his:

"Hgah!"

(Kick)

"Uh!"

Kazuma falls down to the mat again, and sensei grants me another point, prompting more cheers and claps, with Freeman shouting,

"Just one more, Cor! You got this!"

Grinding his teeth a bit, Kazuma stands on his feet once more, growling at me while I just raised a brow at his temper rise:

Sheesh, someone's not happy. Now it really feels like I'm Inuyasha and he's Kōga. Then again, even wolf-boy's not this quick to anger...

Kazuma then lets out a partially pathetic war-cry, and springs at me with his fists in the air, prompting me to start rolling with the punches, dodging each one with real ease. I threw a few blows against him here and there, but much like with my fight with Bridget, I was really focusing on wearing his stamina out...

And eventually, I got the opening I was waiting for: He lands a straight punch through the air, but I shift right, causing him to stumble, before I went in for the killing combo.

(Punch, punch, punch, punch)

"Hrh, hah, hrh, hah...! Hiiiyah!"

(KICK)

"Aaaarrrhhhh!"

My foot lands right in his gut from the spin kick, sending him flying backwards almost all the way to the far back wall, landing face-up with a pained and frustrated groan...

"Match over: Winner, Croft-san!"

I relax my stance while panting profoundly in exhaustion, before the dojo erupted in cheers and applause:

"Yeah!" "Alright, Croft-san!"

"Waita go!"

"Nice technique!" "So cool!"

I let out a breathy laugh of satisfaction, before being tackled by hugs from Freeman and Besa:

"That was awesome, Cor!"

"You real good, sis, real good!"

Mokoto and Inuyasha walk over next, the former chiming,

"Congrats on the win, Coraline."

"Heheh, thanks."

I look to Inuyasha eagerly:

"So, how'd I do?"

He shakes his head a bit with a small smirk of amusement, before wrapping an arm around my torso and replying,

"You kicked butt. Good job."

He then does one gesture I didn't expect:

(Kiss)

"Uh!"

He pecked my cheek while adding in my ear,

"No way that idiot's gonna give ya trouble now..."

"U-Um, right..."

My face heats up anew from the display of affection:

Oh wow...

Small Time Skip, No POV

As soon as three in the afternoon rolled around, class would be done down in Master Yoshi's dojo, with Coraline, Inuyasha and the twins the last ones to leave:

"See ya 'round, sensei!"

"Good luck to all of you, and come down when you can next! Inuyasha-san, you are also welcomed back when you're able!"

"Keh, sure thing, Yoshi-san. Later!"

The door closes, with the four standing out on the sidewalk, the three modern teens carrying their special weapons over their backs or in their satchels. Freeman stretches his arms and says,

"Whoo! That was one heck of a class today! I really felt the burn today...(Glances at Inuyasha nervously) in more ways than one..."

Inuyasha gives him a mean smirk, while Besa sighs with an exasperated headshake, and Coraline rolls her shoulder before quirking,

"I'll say it was..."

"Hey, Coraline, guys! You still here?"

"Huh?"

The four then turn to the shout of Mokoto, who comes running back from around the next corner with a piece of paper in his hands.

"Oh, Mokoto!"

"What's up, dude? Why the reverse?"

He stops in front of them and catches his breath, before straightening up and replying,

"I forgot to tell ya all about something. There's this new teen karaoke bar that just opened a month ago called 'Musica' not too far from here, and I thought you'd be interested in checkin' it out. (Holds out the paper) Here's a copy of the flyer."

Coraline takes it into her hands, and reads,

"'Come one come all to the latest hot spot for teenage fun: Musica, the Karaoke Bar that's always in the now for all things music!' Huh...(Smile) Haven't been to a karaoke bar for a while."

"Yeah, I'd figure you of all people would be interested, Coraline, considering how much of a songbird ya are."

"Psh, it's not like I'm plannin' on makin' a career out of it. I just like music, is all..."

The twins roll their eyes at how modest Coraline sounded, before they mutter,

"Still, wouldn't hurt to scope it out..."

"Yeah, I could see us makin' a scene for the night."

Mokoto then waves his hand and says,

"Well, I gotta head home and help my folks out with chores. I might or might not see ya there later, if you're goin'. Bye!"

The three other human teens wave him off, and when he was gone, Inuyasha then asks,

"Could one of ya explain what the heck a 'karaoke bar' is?"

Besa takes a crack at breaking it down for the dog demon:

"It's pretty much a hiped-up version of what you'd know as a tavern, only instead of serving alcohol, the teen variety like this one serves drinks like soda and mixed fruit juice, and there's a machine similar to a larger version of the Mp3 player you've seen already that plays all kinds of different songs for everyone to hear. It's all about having a good time, dancing, and just cutting it loose without the worry of getting drunk."

"Huh..."

Coraline then moves to place a hand on Inuyasha's chest in an endearing way before softly asking,

"Would you, like to come with us and see for yourself?"

"Uh! Seriously?"

"Yeah, why not? It can be like, our first date, ah-heh, with two chaperones. We can go for a few hours in the evening, then come back and spend the night here before heading back to Edo in the morning...What do you say?"

Inuyasha hms in thought, noting the intent expression on Coraline's face, and remembering how sparkly her eyes got as she read the flyer...before letting out a loud sigh and replying,

"Alright, we'll go."

"(Hug) Sweet!"

"But, we head straight back to the other side of the well in the morning, got it?"

"Got it."

"Good...So, next question: Do I have to, wear any of those strange clothes for men in this time to head to this place?"

Coraline looks up at him with a blank look and says,

"Well I'm not saying what you're wearing isn't fine, but it might dial back some stares if you tried wearing some clothes more to this era's fashion."

Inuyasha snorts, but then feels the hands of the twins clap his shoulders, before turning to see them smiling at him:

"Huh?"

"Leave it all to us. We got some clothes that should fit ya fine and close to the way your current attire does."

"Come back with us to our apartment, and we can try some stuff out and meet up at the shrine a little later."

"Uuh, okay..."

Besa looks to Coraline and chides,

"So we'll be up there, say, five-thirty?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you gentlemen then."

With that, the teens part into their respected groups in opposite directions, with Coraline jogging back to the shrine, and the twins leading Inuyasha to where their neighbourhood would be...

Small Time Skip, Inuyasha's POV

Gods, these clothes feel so weird on my skin...but at least they aren't constricting.

I'm now walking with the twins up the street to where the shrine steps began, wearing an outfit similar to some of the male humans I've seen already: A pair of blue, 'jeans' in a loose style close to how my hakama usually sat on my legs, a large white 'tee-shirt' that fits like a shorter-sleeved version of my white undershirt, and a black jacket with one those metal things called a 'zipper' worn open. I was also forced to wear a pair of socks and something called 'sneak-ers' on my feet, with I wasn't particularly happy about, but sucked it up because of this apparent 'no shoes, no shirt, no service' policy that would be in effect at the bar we were all going to...

"Dude, you alright?"

"Huh?"

I turned right to face Freeman, he wearing a pair of blue skinny-cut jeans, a black tank-top and his leather jacket, who says with a smile,

"You look like one of those poor saps getting shot-gun hitched. Chillax."

"Kuh, easy for you to say: You're used to wearing clothes like this. I ain't, and feel ridiculous."

I hold up my left foot and add,

"I think I hate these shoes most of all."

Besa, who was wearing a dark green button-up shirt with a grey vest, grey jeans, and a jacket like mine except it was a light brown shade, comments back patiently,

"So you've announced several times already, but like we said, these were the largest sneakers we had available for you, so just be glad they aren't too tight. It's just for the one night, anyway. As soon as we return back to the Higurashi's, you can slip back into bare foot mode."

"Fine, fine..."

We reach the top of the stairs, just as Besa adds,

"Besides, I'm sure Cora's real curious of how ya look in your new outfit, which by the way, is great."

"...You're sure I don't look stupid in this get-up?"

"Positive...If you tried anything on from the nineteen-eighties, that's when you'll look dumb."

I form a confused expression, but decide to just wave the remark off...Reaching the front door, Freeman rings the 'door-bell':

(Ding, dong)

(Ka-chank)

It would be the little tyke Souta who answers:

"Oh, hey guys! Wow, Inuyasha: You look different, in a good way, of course."

"Hey, squirt. Is Coraline ready yet?"

"Lemme check."

The four of us walk inside and into the living room, while Souta calls up the staircase:

"Coooraaa! The guys are here to take ya out to that karaoke bar!"

"(Distant) Okay, I'll be right down!"

The old man of the place puts down that bunch of scroll called a newspaper and gives me the once over, and to a lesser extent the twins:

"Hmm...This is certainly interesting, but no amount of a wardrobe change is going to deter me from giving you this message, boy: No funny business during your date, and keep my granddaughter safe! You're lucky these other two are going with you, otherwise such an event wouldn't be happening."

"(Sweatdrop) Uh, right..."

Missus Higurashi then walks in from the kitchen and lightly nudges her hand against the elder's shoulder:

"Oh, dad, don't be so hard on him. Remember what he has been doing for her these last couple months..."

She looks up at me with a smile and adds,

"I am more than sure Inuyasha will be good to Coraline on their outing and keep her safe, right dear?"

"(Clears throat) Uh, yes ma'am. (Small smile) Coraline couldn't be in safer hands."

"Oh good grief, they're giving you all a hard time already?"

"Huh?"

I turn around to the sound of said young woman's voice, only to freeze on the spot when I see what she's wearing: She had on one of her white tank tops, but this one seemed to hug her body more, and had two slits on each of her sides exposing bits of her skin, while carrying her camouflage-patterned jacket over her shoulder. Then the blue jeans she was wearing, they flared a little at the bottom, and had little flowers and skull designs in black from her left hip and down towards the knee. Her feet had these simple, flat black shoes, but no socks, which meant some of the skin of her feet was shown. Finally, her long red hair was styled down, but tonight, it seemed shinier, neater, and was practically begging to be tousled.

Holy...She...She's beautiful...Damn, I got my work cut out for me tonight.

Noticing my gaped mouth and wide eyes, Coraline lets out a quiet laugh behind her hand, before walking down to stand in front of me with a flirty smile:

"Like what you see, I take it?"

Not trusting myself to speak, I just nodded, swallowing a nervous lump in my throat. She leans up and gives me a quick kiss on the lips before complimenting,

"You look good too. Handsome, I dare say, but then again, you always look good in your usual clothes."

"U-Uh, thanks..."

That's when the squirt came rushing over by us and chimed,

"Cora and Inuyasha~, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

She was quicker than I was on the reaction, and whacks the back of his head with her hand while glaring mildly at him:

"Quiet, you!"

"Auh, siiisss!"

A chorus of laughter rings from everyone else, while I stood and groaned quietly in embarrassment:

Aw man...

Thankfully, Freeman saved her and I from anymore possible teasing:

"Okay, that's enough of that! Time for us to head out on the town and pa~rty!"

Coraline slips her jacket on, and takes my hand with a smile, making me smile back, as we all make a beeline for the door:

"See you all later!"

"Be sure to be home by eight o' clock at the latest!"

"Got it, Akari-sama!" "Yes, Missus Higurashi!"

(Ka-chank)

Small Time Skip, No POV

After a while of walking, the four teens had arrived downtown, keeping their distance from the side of the road with more pedestrian traffic, and focusing on heading for their prize which was the teen karaoke bar, Musica.

The twins lead the way down the paved sidewalk, while Coraline and Inuyasha brought up the rear, the couple holding hands as they went. The single girl among the three men glances up at her date, noticing that he seemed both calm and nervous at the same time:

Guess his nerves are close to my level...To think we're even going on such an outing.

I'm excited, but a bit worried he's not going to enjoy himself. Inuyasha's not overly used to the activities and lifestyle of modern Japan...

"What's with the look?"

"Huh?"

She snaps out of her thoughts and sees that Inuyasha was giving her a funny look:

"You're giving me that expression that everyone else does when I'm in a bad mood and worried about setting me off. What's up?"

"Um, well...(Worried smile) I guess I'm just a bit nervous, I mean...this is our first outing as a couple, you know? And, you haven't really done too much here in this era, so, I'm concerned that this could all blow up in your face too soon..."

She's worried about me not having a good time?

Inuyasha rolls his eyes a bit and gives her a small smirk:

"Keh, you're really worried about that? If so, then don't be. Sure, you're right: I'm more used to my own era and what goes on there, but..."

He wraps his arm around her waist:

"As long as I'm with you, I can take on anything that this 'modern time' dares to throw my way."

"Inuyasha..."

"Plus, this place we're headin' to is where people take turns singing, right? I get to laugh at some bad performances, and see you throw a tune in."

"Heh, that's assumin' I get the opportunity to steal the mic. If not, maybe Freeman and Besa might."

"Hey, lovebirds! The bar's this way; come on!"

Snapping away from their own world, the couple looks up and forward to see the twins gesturing their thumbs to the next corner, and move to catch up:

"Coming, guys!"

"Keep your shirts on, and watch who you're callin' 'Lovebirds'!"

Rounding the corner, the four come across the building for the karaoke bar: It was fairly big, a little larger than the small dojo belonging to Master Yoshi, made from black-painted brick and white-washed wooden paneling, with spray-painted designs depicting single scores of music notes in both base and treble clef, and a large neon sign hanging over the doorway that glowed 'MUSICA' in rainbow colouring.

Freeman and Besa comment in awe,

"Wooow, this place looks awesome!"

"I'll say it does! Well, shall we all head inside?"

A collective nod passes through the four, and they push themselves inside, meeting the sound of multiple conversations coming from small crowds of other teenage patriots to the bar, the melody of a techno-pop song echoing from several speakers set up around the room, and the quiet pouring of drinks being prepared at the mix station. Round wooden tables, both large and small were scattered across the hardwood floor, with either stools or bench-style sofas set up around/behind them depending on where they sat, along with a few television screens linked to the karaoke system strategically placed for everyone to watch and read along for each song that played, and a small stage sat around the center-back with the main machine to choose and play a song for all to hear.

Inuyasha grimaces a bit from how loud it was inside, his ears flattening to dull the sound:

Damn, I was hoping it wasn't going to be this loud. Times like this when having the hearing of a dog sucks...!

"Inuyasha, are you okay?"

He looks down to see Coraline eyeing him with concern, and he replies gruffly,

"I'm fine. Just gonna take me a bit to get used to the volume."

"Okay, but if it does get too loud, just let me know and we can head outside for a break..."

"Hey, Coraline, is that you?!"

"Huh?"

Coraline jumps to a freeze from the familiar voice calling from somewhere in the crowd:

No, way...That couldn't be him...!

She whirls behind her, and walking out of the way of a few girls and boys wearing the standard school uniforms, was,

"Hōjō!? What on earth?!"

Instead of his usual school uniform, the boy was wearing a simple white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black pants with a matching belt, and brown shoes. He smiles kindly at Coraline and says,

"(Laugh) Uh, not just me, hang on. (Calls behind him) Yumi, over here! You're not gonna believe who just arrived!"

"(Distant) Coming, Hōjō!"

The brunette boy steps to his left, making room for another familiar face: A young lady with long, curly dark brown hair tied back in a large ponytail with a pink ribbon, only this time round, she wore an outfit of a pink t-shirt with the word 'Kawaii' scribbled on in silver glitter, a knee-length flowy denim skirt, knee-high white socks, and black ballet flats rather than her own green-dominant school uniform.

"Oh! You must be Coraline! Oh my gosh, it is so great to finally meet you; I can actually thank you in person for saving our relationship a while back!"

Coraline smiles at the girl's enthusiasm and chides while shaking her hand,

"It's nice to meet you at last too, Yumi, and I'm glad you and Hōjō were able to patch up. Seems you're both still goin' strong, then?"

"Strong as ever, (Giggle). So, I'm guessin' those three guys are with you?"

"Mhm. (Gestures) The twins are my friends and brothers, Freeman and Besa Brownlee..."

"Hey!" "Sup."

"And this is Inuyasha, heh, my boyfriend."

"Oooo, how cute! This your first date? If so, good place to come to for it."

"It is, and I'm hopin' it'll be."

As the girls chatted, Inuyasha's eyes fell on Hōjō, narrowing them in suspicion:

Huh, so this is that 'Hōjō' guy. Doesn't look like much...but still...The guys said he once had feelings for Coraline.

What if, a bit of those feelings remain, even with this Yumi chick?

Feeling the stare, Hōjō turns to the dog demon and asks a bit nervously,

"Uh, Inuyasha, was it? Is something wrong? You seem a bit tense..."

"Nothin'...as long as ya don't cause any problems."

"Huh?"

Sensing the rising protectiveness (and possibly some very light jealousy), the twins clap their hands on Inuyasha's shoulders and hiss in his ears,

"Dude, cool it, would ya? No need to go alpha male."

"Yeah, Hōjō's eyes are only for Yumi, and he now knows that you and Coraline are in your own relationship. He might be a bit of a pushover, but he's smart enough not to mess in something he shouldn't...Okay?"

Inuyasha hms, and looks to see Hōjō glancing lovingly at the other girl and not Coraline, before he relaxes somewhat:

Alright. I'll dial back a little for now, but one wrong move, buddy, and you're gettin' your ass whooped, girlfriend or no girlfriend.

"...Everything okay, you guys?"

They all look to see Yumi and Coraline looking curiously at them, the latter's stare a bit more firm:

"I trust you're all getting along?"

The men nod, before Hōjō asks,

"Say, do you four wanna join us at our table? We got one of the ones with the sofa and we should all fit."

Coraline glances eye-to-eye with her brothers and her boyfriend, the first two more willing towards the idea than the third, but no actual protests were made, so she turns back to Hōjō with a friendly smile:

"Sure, if you and Yumi don't mind another couple and, heh, their chaperones."

Yumi waves a hand and replies sweetly,

"Not at all! Heheh, at least this way, we'll be able to say to our parents that we didn't go out unsupervised."

"(Wince) Ooo, that strict, eh?"

"Oh, don't even get me started..."

So for the next hour, the quartet turned sextet would be sitting around a table in a leather sofa that boxed around the back, left and right sides leaving the front unblocked, with the seating arrangement as Inuyasha and Coraline sitting on the right together, Hōjō and Yumi the left, and the twins in the middle, chatting away over soda and the occasional appetizers while listening to the buzz and croons of amateur singers taking turns at the mic. Slowly, Inuyasha became less suspicious of Hōjō's intentions, and even threw in a dry response or two when asked by the curious brunette boy, which would include the topic that was his physical appearance:

"So, if it's not too prying of me to ask, those ears on the top of your head: Are they some kind of custom accessory or something? I've just noticed them moving a few times on their own..."

"Um..."

Shoot, what was that excuse Coraline said to use?...Oh, right!

"(Clears throat) They're a-uh, special 'cos-play' accessory that attaches to my real ears with wires like earbuds, and every time they pick up sound, they move."

"Oooh...(Smile) That's really neat, and they blend nicely with your hair."

"Uh, thanks, I guess."

...He actually bought that? Must be either real stupid, or just that oblivious.

(Nudge)

"Hm?"

Coraline whispers to him,

"Good job on the response, and, sorry I'm asking you to lie about your ears. I'm just not sure if Hōjō and Yumi are, mentally-prepared to know about the existence of demons or in your case, half-demons."

"Keh, it's fine...I guess I'd rather do this than cover 'em with one of those weird 'ball-caps' the guys showed me earlier."

"Heh, yeah, I can totally see you protesting to that plan..."

The dog demon then grimaces from a high note being sung by a random girl singing an American pop song, and flattens his ears while grumbling,

"On the other hand, the hat would probably stifle some of the loud sounds in this place. Geez, how can anyone get their voice that high?!"

The redhead lightly rubs his arm soothingly while eyeing him in sympathy, while Hōjō notices Inuyasha's discomfort:

Poor guy. Must have sensitive hearing...Hang on: This place has a booth where you can get those special wireless earbuds to...

Yeah! That might work!

"Excuse me a second, Yumi. I need to go get something."

"Um, alright, hurry back."

The brunette rushes from the table and heads for the other side of the bar through the crowd of dancing teens, much to everyone else's confusion:

"Huh?" "Where's he going?"

"Have too much soda or somethin'?"

...A couple minutes later:

"Inuyasha!"

Hōjō comes back to the table with an excited smile, carrying something in one of his hands:

"I noticed that you seem to be bothered by the loudness of the bar, so I got this from the booth over there. Here: Put these in your ears."

Though eyeing him funny, Inuyasha nonetheless takes the objects out of the brunette's hand, and looks down to see a small pair of blue-schemed earbuds:

"...What are these?"

"Noise-reduction earphones. When set up right, they'll filter out any sound waves and frequencies you choose that are a bit too much. They're also wireless so there's no need to plug them into anything."

Hōjō then holds up his smartphone:

"I already downloaded the free app to control them onto my phone when I went to get them. I just have to turn it on, and we can start to filter the noise to your preferred levels...What do you think?"

Inuyasha was taken aback by the other's generosity and kindness, but then gives himself a mental headshake before looking back down at the wireless earbuds:

"Hmm...Okay. I just stick them into my ears?"

"Yep, and I'll take care of the rest."

The dog demon puts them into his ears, getting a nod of approval from Coraline to check that he put them in correctly, before giving a nod to the brunette to get started:

"Okay..."

(Tap, ping)

"Now we just zero in on the basic sound waves for this place...Is it the music speakers, microphone or the background noise that's bothering you?"

"All three."

"Ah. Alright...Just turn this dial down, then this one...How's that?"

"Hnn...Can ya turn the microphone noise down more?"

"Got it...How about now?"

"Yep, this'll work...Thanks alot."

"No problem."

Coraline smiles at the scene, happy that Inuyasha and Hōjō weren't butting heads:

That was really sweet of Hōjō to help out like that...This'll definitely keep Inuyasha in a good mood.

"Alright, next up for karaoke, is Yumi Tsukito! Come on up to the stage!"

"Hm?"

The group looks at said girl, who smile sheepishly and says,

"Heheh, I put my name on the list earlier before I got mine and Hōjō's drinks. Guess I better head up there."

Hōjō moves aside to a stand to let Yumi out, and takes her hand to kiss while chiming,

"Good luck. I know you'll be great."

"(Giggle) Thanks!"

Freeman watches the exchange with a smile and comments to his brother,

"Those to are just so darn chipper."

"Yeah. I think this what Sango and Miroku could be like if they were hyped up on sugar."

Inuyasha hears the description and lets out a snort:

"Ha! Yeah right, like those two could act that lovey-dovey. Only way that's happenin' is when the monk quits gettin' handsy with Sango."

As Hōjō sits down again, he asks curiously,

"Who is Sango and Miroku? Are they more friends of you four?"

Coraline answers,

"Mhm. They have a bit of a, complicated relationship, so to speak. They do seem to harbour secret feelings for eachother, but they're constantly being roadblocked by the following conundrum: Miroku's one of those, lecherous ladies men types, and Sango's constantly annoyed by his behaviour, wanting him to be more serious about his expressionism."

"(Sweatdrop) Oh wow, that does sound complicated. Um, when you say he's lecherous, do you mean he..."

"Uh, yeah, but nothing that marks him as a danger to the community or anything!"

"Kuh, you mean he's not a danger around the same sex."

"Oh come on, you know what I mean, Inuyasha: He's getting better at controlling himself and does cool off after the first slap."

"Tch, riiight..." Rolling her eyes, Coraline finishes,

"Anyway, when he isn't distracted by girls, he's a pretty decent guy, dedicated to his religion as a Buddhist, and is a good friend to count on when times get rough."

Hōjō nods with a nervous smile:

"I gotcha. I have the same problem sometimes with a few guy friends of mine. Must be a hormone thing at this time in life, right?"

The twins chime,

"Amen to that."

Focus then turns to Yumi, who clears her throat while standing on the small stage in front of the mic stand:

"Hi everyone! The song I'll be singing is I Am by Hitomi!"

(Note: I do not own this music reference, and my fellow fans should recognize this one as the second opening for the anime series. Yay!)

Applause is made, before the machine began playing the melody for the entire bar to hear, and Yumi immediately started singing along with the lyrics on screen, her voice sounding surprisingly close to that of the original singer...The other five comment,

"Wow, she's good..." "Not bad!"

"Yeah, must be a favourite of hers."

"That's my Yumi."

"Huh, she's definitely better than some of the other wench-er, women, that took a turn..."

...The song comes and passes, and Yumi finishes on a long, clear note, prompting everyone in the bar to clap and whistle in congratulations. She blushes modestly and calls,

"Heheh, thanks, everyone!"

She then walks off the stage and back to the others, with the twins complimenting her performance:

"That was really good!"

"Yeah, you had some people movin', for sure!"

Hōjō wraps an arm around her shoulders and chides,

"You did great, Yumi. People loved you."

"Thank you. I was worried I was gonna screw up the lyrics at some point, but I managed to swim through no probs...Hm?"

Her eyes then fall to the entrance way of the bar, before she groans,

"Oh, no..."

"What is it?"

"What's wrong?"

"Ugh, it's Mikuru, that girl from the high school that rivals mine and Hōjō's..."

Eyes follow Yumi's direct of sight, as they fall onto the following form: A girl who looked to be about sixteen, with straight black hair that went a little past her shoulders, sharp green eyes with purple eyeliner on her eyelids, bright pink glossed lips curved into a mean smile, pale, smooth complexion, and wore an outfit consisting of a dark purple tube top, tight hip-hugger black jeans, a cropped black leather jacket, and black pumps.

Freeman shivers and Besa comments,

"Yikes, that's a rather showy outfit for someone her age. She's lucky to be able to wear that and not get arrested."

Coraline hms while putting her hand under her chin:

"How strange...I feel like I've seen her before, but I can't place it..."

"I'm surprised you don't remember."

"Hm?"

She turns to Hōjō, who adds,

"She was the one you went up against in that singing competition in the park a few years ago, you know, in the final round?"

"...Oh yeah! Now it's comin' back: Good lord, she was so pitchy back then..."

Inuyasha eyes the redhead curiously:

"You never said you were in a competition before..."

"Never came up in conversation. It was just one of those summer events that came and went, but it was there I first met Hōjō."

"Oh...is that right?"

"Yeah, (Whisper) but don't read into it much: I didn't even know he was in the audience until he told me a few months ago."

"Ah, okay."

The conversation was then interrupted by a new female voice that sounded like a mix of Yura of the Hair and Kagura who calls,

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me: You're here?"

"Gh!" "Uh!"

The pair jolt a little from the call, and look up to see that the girl, Mikuru, was nearing their table. Inuyasha asks in a low hiss,

"Please tell me I'm not the only one that just had a flashback to that hair witch and the damn wind sorceress..."

"Oh-hoh, trust me: It wasn't just you. I think my bros might've twitched too, but I could've imagined it."

Moving along, Coraline sees that the girl's address and stare was on her, so she leans back casually and replies,

"Who wants to know?"

"I do, you smug little robin! Perhaps you're memory's shot from a few years ago when you beat me in that singing competition in the park? What the hell did you do that made the audience pick you as winner?"

"Well, for starters, I actually knew what I was singing..."

The twins snicker behind their hands from the smart-alack reply, while Yumi covers her mouth in surprise, and the last two men widen their eyes from the tone Coraline used or, excuse me, continued to use:

"Second, while you weren't necessarily terrible altogether, you were extremely pitchy, so it was hard to tell if you were even singing in the right key. True, I came off sounding more masculine with my song choice, but at least I knew how to sing it that did the artist justice."

Mikuru grinds her teeth and mutters,

"Why you...!"

Sensing she was likely to cause a scene, Coraline decided to tone her own attitude down a peg and address the temperamental girl more calmly:

"Look, I'm honestly not trying to cause trouble, okay? I'm just here to have a good time with some friends and my date. You chose to come here and obviously try to pick a fight, so why not walk away and get yourself a drink to cool off?"

Inuyasha was impressed by how well she was handling the situation:

Wow. She sounds like a combo of me and Sango: Cool, collected, and just a bit cocky...Heh, I like it.

Mikuru squints her eyes at Coraline and snorts,

"Hmph, like I'm gonna listen to a tomboy like you. (Glances at Inuyasha) And he's your date? Tch, talk about a roughneck with no future."

(Slam)

Coraline's hand slaps the flat surface of the table, shutting the other girl up real quick, while everyone else eyes the redhead with concern:

"Oooh, she really shouldn't have said that..."

"Damn, the gauntlet's gonna fly to the floor."

"Are, you okay, Coraline?" "Coraline?"

"Hey, don't listen to her, okay? I've been called worse, seriously..."

Everyone flinches as she suddenly darts to a stand, sending a deadly glare at Mikuru, and says with as much control in her voice as possible,

"Okay, look: I don't wanna start one of those stereotypical bar fights, so unless you wanna head outside and risk getting more than one of your cheaply manicured tips snapped, back, off."

Though afraid at first, Mikuru musters back some courage and gets an idea:

"(Smirk) Better yet, how 'bout you try and make me by going against me in a singing rematch? Unless, you're worried about making a fool of yourself in front of your boy~frie~nd..."

"Tch, now you're askin' for it, bitch."

"Huh?"

The feuding girls turn to Inuyasha, who folds his arms with a scowl and remarks,

"The only who's more than likely gonna look like a fool is you, after my girlfriend kicks your ass."

Freeman and Besa's jaws drop from his statement, and Coraline quietly gasps with a bright red blush:

He...He just called me his girlfriend. Holy crap! Now I definitely gotta do this.

Turning back to Mikuru, she holds out her hand and says firmly,

"You're on. I'll even let you grace the mic first."

The girls grasp eachother's hands, each squeezing the other's tight, while glaring daggers at one another. A few seconds later, Mikuru leaves to go and get ready on stage, while Coraline sits back down beside Inuyasha, exhaling a big breath she was holding and leaning her forehead on her folded hands:

"Oh lord..."

Hōjō smiles with a sweatdrop and rubs the back of his head while commenting,

"That's what I was thinking during the whole scene...You're not nervous though, are you, Coraline?"

Straightening up, Coraline shakes her head:

"Nuh-uh, I'm fine. Most of my nerves we're directed at holding back my anger with a rope around its waist so I didn't tackle the girl to the ground. That would've really killed the mood for tonight."

Everyone laughs at her small joke, before attention turned to the karaoke stage as Mikuru stood in the limelight:

"Hey all! So, tonight, I'm gonna be bringing you a little treat, a small competition, if you will. I'm gonna sing you all something, (Glance) then a girl by name of Croft will be goin' next to see if she can best me. We'll of course, leave the audience to decide who tops who. That sound alright?"

The rest of the teens in the bar clap and cheer in approval, while Coraline mutters,

"Not even using my first name. Typical," as Inuyasha wraps an arm around her to pull her close...

"Okay then! So, first is me, the lovely Mikuru, with a little somethin' from our friends across the water! Hot, by Avril Lavigne! Hit it!"

(Note: Rights and ownership to the music reference belong solely to Avril Lavigne herself.)

The pop rock song began playing, with some other couples moving along to the contemporary ballad on the dance floor...Mikuru then opens her mouth to begin singing the lyrics, her voice coming out choppy and rather pitchy with several key mistakes, causing our group at the table to cringe:

"Whooa!" "Yikes..."

Yumi and Inuyasha both cover their ears, and Hōjō comments with a grimace,

"Good grief, I wish I could say she's improved, but...even I know that's a lie."

Coraline hms and makes her own observations while watching the black-haired girl sway back and forth to the song's beat:

"Actually, her pitch and clarity aren't half as bad as she was back then...But she would've been better off singing the Japanese version of this song rather than its original English so she wouldn't be making so many grammatical errors."

Uncovering her ears with a frown, Yumi then says,

"Gets you wondering if she even pays attention to the English language class at her school..."

"Heh, I was just thinkin' that."

A few minutes later, the mild torture for our group's hearing was over, and Mikuru hops off the stage with a,

"Thank you!"

Her applause wasn't very high, but not so low that she'd notice and begin complaining, and she smirks smugly while eyeing in Coraline's direction:

Beat that, Croft.

Back at the table, Coraline readies to rise out of her seat while flexing her fingers:

"Welp, guess it's me on deck now. Wish me luck, you guys."

"What song are you gonna do?"

"You'll just have to wait and see, bro."

Inuyasha quickly pulls her in to give her a kiss on the cheek while telling her,

"Good luck up there, and kick ass."

"Heh, always, but I dunno if I'll get tired of ya telling me to."

Coraline then leaves the table for the stage, leaning over by the machine to search for her song choice in mind:

Let's see...

...Aha!

Smiling, she taps the touch screen where the name of the song was, and presets it to start in the next thirty seconds, before turning to address her audience:

"Yo. So, I'm Coraline Croft, and...the song I'll be doing for ya is one that speaks rather personal for me. Kind-of a reflection of myself in past and present. It's called I'm Not An Angel by Halestorm."

(Note: And for the third time, I stress that I have no ownership over such a music reference. That belongs to Halestorm and their awesome lead singer, Lizzie Hales. Thank you!)

A few seconds after she announces such, the slower-paced hard rock song came to flow through the speakers, and the redhead opens her mouth to sing, her voice coming out strong, clear with some raw emotion mixed in. Everyone was left in awe, including the other five watching her from their table:

"Wow..." "Good pick."

"She's amazing!"

"Almost reminds me of how she sounded back then, only better."

Inuyasha remained silent, his amber eyes solely focused on Coraline's form as she moved and gestured to the lyrics, bringing a story along for the audience:

Beautiful...and Real. That's the only way to describe her performance.

...And this song, kind-a speaks true to her and me:

In the beginning, we were buttin' heads but kept comin' back for more, 'cause deep down, we wanted it.

No matter how many times we screamed at eachother and pointed blame, we always found a way past the fights.

And yeah, let's face it: Neither of us will ever really change...But, I don't think I want her to.

She might not be an Angel...but that's not the kind of girl I want.

I want her as her, faults and all.

He concludes his thoughts aloud in a quiet whisper with a smile:

"She's my girl, and always will be mine."

By this time, Coraline was finishing the last chorus, and puts it all into the outro, feigning pain and anguish, when really, she was feeling confident and right with herself:

Not the prettiest choice...but I don't always like doing pretty, and it's one that describes me to a T.

...As soon as the mic lowered, the whole bar erupted in applause and hollering cheers, causing her to blush as modestly as Yumi did a while ago:

"Ah-heh, thanks. Glad you all enjoyed that!"

She goes to put the microphone back onto its stand, before walking back to the table where her brothers, acquaintances and boyfriend were waiting, but not before sending a triumphant smile in the direction of a fuming Mikuru, who was standing by the bar trying her hardest not to shatter the glass of lime soda in her hand...

Small Time Skip, Coraline's POV

"(Laugh) Wait wait, so how mad was this Mikuru girl at the bar when you trumped her?!"

After my song, the guys and I decide to call it a night and head back home to the shrine before it got too late, sending goodbyes to Hōjō and Yumi as they also left because of some exams they had to cram for. We're now all sitting in the living room, along with Souta, Grandfather and Akari-sama, as we regaled highlights of our outing, including the singing duel between myself and Mikuru. I answer Souta with a mirthful smile,

"So mad that if we hadn't left as soon as we did, I'm pretty sure Inuyasha would've had to use his arm to block her glass after throwing it."

My twin bros laugh and chime,

"Yeah, that sounds about right!"

Grandfather hmphs and remarks while folding his arms,

"It sounds like that young lady must live a rather spoiled lifestyle. Makes me glad that Akari and I have raised the two of you not to be such people."

"And we thank you for that, Grandfather, I'm sure. Right, Souta?...Souta?"

I turn to see his attention was on the TV, he using the remote to turn up the volume:

"Everyone: Check this out!"

We all focus our eyes on the screen, just as the News came on, with the most unexpected report:

"According to eye witnesses, a strange youth in a red kimono single-handedly captured a bank robber..."

Wait...red kimono? Could they be talking about-

"And on top of that, this strange young man rescued a child trapped in a local fire..."

Souta exclaims with a fist-pump,

"Inuyasha's so cool!"

I knew it! But, when the heck did he do those things?

I turn to look at his crouching form in curiousity, as Freeman notes,

"Looks like this all happened a little after noon..."

"Here is a drawing of his likeness done by the child."

We all cringe and gasp a bit from the crude drawing of Inuyasha, but there was no mistaking the basic features:

That is him...sort-of.

Besa asks for myself and Freeman,

"Inuyasha, did you run into some 'detours' on the way to the dojo earlier today?"

He answers a bit sheepishly,

"Uh, yeah, I guess that's one way to word it. It just happened..."

Akari-sama kneels beside him while looking at the TV screen and compliments,

"You did do the city some needed heroics...though I'm mostly glad you didn't hurt yourself in the process, dear..."

"Keh, I don't get hurt that easily, ma'am. (Squints at the TV) This is the strangest-looking box I've ever seen..."

I roll my eyes a little at his kindly-worded brush-off with a smile, while Freeman comments,

"Heh, guess this means we're not the only ones to get on the News anymore for doin' something both reckless and in the right of it, right bro? Sis?"

Besa and I nod with wry smiles, and that caught Inuyasha's attention:

"Huh? You guys have appeared on this weird box before?"

"Remember that story we told about our participation in a youth protest?"

"Uuuh, I think so."

"It became a news headline for about a week, and we were caught by the media cameras long enough that our faces could be recognized."

I laugh as Besa adds,

"We were known for a little while as part of this ridiculousness called the 'downtown youth rebels', at least until they finally moved onto a new story to talk about."

Inuyasha quirks a brow in both confusion and interest:

"Huh..."

After a bit, I excused myself to head into my room so I could do some more homework for school, while also seeing about searching for any possible online references for the artifact I looked at yesterday with Professor Hashimoto:

"Okay, let's try, 'Lost Blades from Late Eleventh Century'..."

At some point, Inuyasha had slipped through the door to come and see what I was doing, and kept popping in and out around me while trying to see my work, which annoyed me a little:

This, is, not a good time for this...

I smile sarcastically and comment,

"Yeaaahhh, this is helping me concentrate..."

I spin around and clap his shoulders to make him stop moving:

"Not!"

"Hey!"

Ignoring the indignant look he was throwing me, I call out the door,

"Souta, can you come here a sec, please?"

(Ka-chank)

"What is it, Cora?"

"If it's not too much trouble, can you or the guys keep Inuyasha occupied for me for a while?"

"Sure thing!"

Taking Inuyasha's hand, Souta leads him out of my room towards the bathroom:

"I'll scrub your back if you scrub mine." I call to him gratefully,

"Thanks, Souta; you're a peach!"

I walk back to my desk, and sit down to focus back on my work:

"Now where was I? Oh, right: References...Shoot, nothin' from that search. Okay, maybe if-"

"(Distant) Gaaah! It's boiling! What's he tryin' to do to me?!"

"Huh?"

I turn around to the sound of Inuyasha's muffled shouts, and the next thing I knew, he comes running into my room, bare-skinned while carrying his modern outfit (He brought his fire rat kimono to be tossed into the washer and dryer and hadn't grabbed it yet, while his Tessaiga was sitting in my room next to ShatterSoul) in one hand, with only so much soap foam covering the more...private areas...

I let out a mortified shriek and immediately covered my face to shield my eyes while also hiding my newly bright-red face:

Ooooh my god!

I hear a smaller set of feet come in and Souta saying to Inuyasha,

"Come on; you have to rinse off the suds!"

"I'm not goin' back in there!"

I squeak from between my fingers,

"Can you two please continue this conversation outside my room?!"

Then came the muffled frantic steps of my other brothers:

"...What the heck's goin' on up here?!"

"Cora, you okay?!"

Oh dear god, the timing cannot get any worse than this!

I still kept my face covered, not daring to peek incase I saw, m-more of Inuyasha then I want to in one sitting, as Freeman and Besa arrive on scene:

"Gah-hah, whoa!"

"Dude! Put on a towel before ya enter Cora's room like that! Are you crazy?!"

The conversation becomes a bit too rushed after that for my ears to follow, as my older, and thankfully smarter brothers guide Inuyasha and Souta back towards the bathroom...Once there was silence again, I uncover my eyes with a deep sigh of embarrassment and exasperation:

Hoh boy, that's one image I'm never gonna get outta my head...

"(Ghostly moan)"

"Hm?"

It was then that Lumos came flying in from my opened window:

"Oh hey. Where have you been all day, bud?"

He just circles around my head, before settling on it while making a questioning-type of moan. I smile and reply,

"I'm fine. Just, had a moment I wasn't prepared for...(Mutter) Hopefully nothin' a little Math can't kill."

Inuyasha's POV

Geez, I can't believe I rushed into her room naked like that! What was I thinking?!

I'm now redressed in my more familiar-feeling kimono and sitting in the living room again with the rest of the people in this house, trying to not blush madly from what happened a few minutes ago as Souta uses this thing called a blow-dryer to dry my hair. Gotta say, it actually felt pretty soothing...

It was then Missus Higurashi walks in from the kitchen:

"Hm?"

"Would you like something to eat? I dunno how much you and the others did eat while you were out, but..."

I nod at her invitation, before my ears pick up on some hushed whispers from those jokers Freeman and Besa as they sat nearest the old man, who burst into stifled laughter shortly after. I knew they must've been talking about me, so I ask them in an interrogative manner,

"What're you two snickerin' about over there?"

They eye me with cheeky smiles and reply while waving their hands,

"Oh nothing..."

"Nothing at all..."

I eye them back suspiciously:

Kuh, yeah right...The little comedians.

No POV

Back up in Coraline's room, she pauses in her work as she notices the drop of volume for the house in general:

"Huh. Got quiet real fast...(Turns her gaze up) What do you think, Lumos?"

He sends a soft moan back, and the young woman smiles before turning her eyes back to her laptop...when suddenly:

"(Muffled) Aauuuhhh! Wha' wazh tha'?!"

Coraline facepalms while quietly groaning,

"And here comes round two..."

Inuyasha then rushes into her room (again), sputtering with his tongue lolled out,

"My tougn'z on fiwre...!"

Akari comes walking in shortly after while holding a steaming plate of food:

"I gave him some curry, but maybe it was too spicy..."

As the dog demon continues to whimper while keeping his tongue out of his mouth, Coraline looks at him with a somewhat sympathetic deadpan and says,

"You really need to learn to look before you eat. (Sigh) Go back down with Akari-sama and get a glass of milk, then..."

...Moving on, the late night comes rolling in, with the only ones left awake being Coraline and Inuyasha, as everyone else had gone to bed, the twins camping out in Souta's Room like they have before...Inuyasha was sitting on Coraline's bed Indian-style, his sword tucked into his folded arms, watching with an intent and serious expression as the redhead was looking over an open book and file folder while writing something inside one of her notebooks.

She then pauses, and turns around to face the dog demon with a curious expression:

"Say, Inuyasha..."

"What is it? I'm keepin' quiet."

She shakes her head with a smile and replies,

"That's not what I was going to comment on...Actually, I was, wondering if I could get your opinion on something."

That caught Inuyasha off guard:

"Huh? Uhh, okay. What?"

Picking up the copies of the images taken for the ancient sword, Coraline walks over to sit by Inuyasha's right before holding one out while asking,

"Have you ever heard of something called 'The Sword of Tengu'?"

"Hmm...No, doesn't sound familiar. (Squints at the held image) That suppose to be it? Looks more like scrap metal."

"That's because until recently, it's been subjected to the elements underground. It was discovered by Professor Hashimoto and his team, an archaeologist who was once a minor colleague of my late father, in an old settlement outside of the city."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhm. (Proud smile) And just yesterday, he called me to ask if I could join the project as a student's perspective, and I took his offer. I've been trying to find some further references to what the story was behind his artifact, but, I'm comin' up dry. All that's known so far is that it was made sometime in the late eleventh century, and belonged to a samurai who supposingly won it off a goblin demon, hence the name."

"A goblin wielding a katana...(Shrug) I've heard of weirder. But how could a human have won it?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. It's just the basic plot line that was translated from a scroll that was found in the sword's sheath, which also somehow survived decay..."

Inuyasha takes one of the pictures into his hand, that depicted a close-up of the end bit of the remaining katana blade, so he could examine it even closer:

"Hmm..."

"...What is it?"

"...I don't claim to be an expert, but it looks like the blade's been snapped in two."

Coraline widens her eyes in mild surprise:

"Really? I just assumed it got corroded to that point after so many centuries."

"If this actually was a demon blade, it's not that simple: Unlike the blades fashioned by humans, demon forgers will use all kinds of materials mixed with earth metals, from blood to demon bone and even sometimes crystal energies. Swords of that make will last a hell of alot longer, but like all weapons, not forever."

"Aaah, that makes sense...(Sheepish smile) Heheh, silly me should've thought of those considerations sooner, especially after all I have seen already in recent times..."

Taking back the images, Coraline heads back to her desk to make some notes:

"Thank you for the insight. Now I can narrow the search for information further..."

"Keh, just from that bit?"

"Even the smallest clues are the most valuable. Now that I know the blade was broken at some point, likely before it was buried in that site, I can focus on searches like 'samurai disgraced' or even 'samurai gone mad'. If the katana really belonged to a tengu before the warrior, they could've returned in a revenge attack to reclaim what they lost. Of course, an attack like that might not have necessarily been recorded, depending on the environment at the time and where the views of humans and demons stood..."

Coraline kept droning scenario after scenario, to which Inuyasha would half-listen to, his mouth curving up a bit at how animated she sounded on the subject...The room fell into another quiet for the next twenty minutes, and as Coraline finished brainstorming and contemplating some more things to zero in on for the artifact project, she pauses to check up on her boyfriend, noticing some fatigue that was appearing behind his irises:

Hm...He must be finally reaching his limit.

"What now?"

"(Smile) Inuyasha, it's just the two of us. You can lie down for some rest if you want to."

"Not likely. Now turn around and get back to your studies. We're goin' back tomorrow; no excuses."

"I know, I know..."

Rolling her eyes a bit, she does as he directed, switching her work up to some regular school assignments, stacking her notebook and file folder for the artifact away for the time being:

I'll save this for when I'm back in Edo. I'm more than sure I can get some oral information from Myoga or Tōtōsai if I see them...

As she typed up some answers for a science quiz, she could feel Inuyasha's stare, which had her wondering,

Is he really going to try and watch over me all night?

Not that the behaviour wouldn't like him, but...I don't buy that he has that much energy.

He's been pushing his limits alot lately...

Another half hour passes, and Coraline decides to call it a night:

"(Sigh) I think that's enough staring at the computer for one day..."

Closing the laptop and shuffling her books together, the young woman turns around in her chair...only to find that Inuyasha, was asleep!

"(Soft gasp) Inuyasha...!"

He was laying on his side, arms folded into himself, legs tucked in close in a fetal-like position, while his facial features were much more relaxed than he usually looked awake...

Coraline smiles and shakes her head in amusement:

I knew it. There was no way he was going to stay up any longer...

Come to think of it, this is a first in a very long while I've seen Inuyasha sleep, so peacefully...

"(Whispers) He's been working himself hard, since the day he woke up at the tree...Thank god he can get a moment of relaxation today."

The redhead then quietly slips out of her room, after grabbing a pair of grey sweatpants and a soft blue t-shirt to change into, and heads into the bathroom to quickly do her bedtime routine...Once she was done, she returns to the room, pulls out an outfit for tomorrow, as well as do a bit of satchel prepping before morning would come, and then bends down on her knees beside Inuyasha's head, smiling lovingly at his peaceful face:

I'd be a fool to try and wake him up, so I'll sleep downstairs on the couch tonight...

Coraline leans in and plants a gentle kiss on Inuyasha's forehead, whispering,

"Have a good sleep, Inuyasha. Love you."

...But just as she readies to lift herself up and leave the dog demon to snooze away:

(Grasp)

"Huh?"

Inuyasha's hand suddenly reaches out and grabs one of her arms, before pulling her straight into bed:

(Yank)

"Oh!"

Coraline lands softly against Inuyasha's chest, who shifted onto his back, and moved his arms so that they were enveloping the redhead around her upper back and waist, their legs laying next to eachother!

"Uh..."

...Good thing I changed into some sleep clothes, then! Is, he awake?

The subtle sound of his snoring told her otherwise...Lumos comes to hover by where Coraline's eyes were facing, which would be towards the wall where her bed sat, and makes quiet sounds of concern. Coraline just smiles and shakes her head while quietly reassuring,

"It's okay, Lumos, I'm fine...I think this is just gonna be the sleeping arrangement tonight, (Giggle)."

"(Mumble) No, mo' talkin'. Sleep..."

Coraline lets out another quiet laugh from the muffled message courtesy of a sleeping dog demon, and snuggles down into his red kimono, wrapping her arm around his shoulder while laying another hand next to his:

Gotcha loud and clear, Inuyasha...See you in the morning.

With that, she falls asleep to the steady rhythm of Inuyasha's heartbeat, while the Will O' Wisp settles himself on Coraline's nightstand, keeping a vigil on the slumbering couple...

Time Skip, Inuyasha's POV

"Mmmm...mm-mmh?"

Agh, damn sun. Gotta kill my sleep now?

...Hang on...I feel, somethin' on top of me...

Blinking my eyes open, I was surprised to find that it was, Coraline, fast asleep in my arms while laying on my chest with a smile on her face!

When did...Did I pull her into bed in my sleep or something?

I'm brought out of my thoughts as I hear a small hum of content, and watch as Coraline snuggles deeper into my kimono...Seeing how happy and peaceful she looked with me...it made me smile too:

Heh, who cares how this happened? All that matters is, that it did.

I decided to take advantage of the peace for a few more minutes, and pulled her closer to me while breathing in the scent of her hair and skin:

Gods, she smells so good...like, the morning dew on grass and, those flowers from her home country. Bell Heather. Yeah, I think that's what the flower is called...

Her hair cleansers clash a bit with her raw scent, but not too badly. Just a bit too fruity...

(Sigh) I wish I could just lay with her like this forever, without the world comin' in to ruin the moment.

...But even I know that's wishful thinking. There's still a job to do.

I reach a hand out to stroke Coraline's red hair as I quietly vowed,

"But once this is all over, and that bastard is dead...we'll have all the time in the world to just be with one another...I promise."

I give her a kiss on the head, and that was when she started to stir:

"Mmm-mm...hm? In...Inu-yasha?"

Her irises that reflected the blue of a unsettled sky show to meet my amber, and I chuckle a little at how sleepy she still looked:

"Mornin'. Sleep well?"

"(Tired smile) Mhm, really well...How 'bout you?"

"Good. Actually, this might have been the best I've slept for a long time."

I start sitting up, taking Coraline with me as she asks,

"That so?"

"Yeah. Your bed is really soft. I can see why you'd wanna come back here so you could even just take a nap on it...But what really helped..."

I steal a kiss from her lips:

"...was having you in my arms as I slept."

Coraline's face got really rosy from my comment:

"R-Really? That's, g-good...I, like being next to you as we sleep too."

We stare at one another for a few minutes...before that little ball of light, Lumos, comes circling over us while making that weird wispy sound:

"(Ghostly moan)"

I growl a little from the interruption, while Coraline just smiles and says,

"And a good morning to you too, Lumos. Is it approaching that time, I'm guessing?"

He bops up and down, before floating out of the room through the partly-opened window...

"Well, I guess I better get changed into something a bit more practical instead of sweatpants and a t-shirt."

Coraline then lifts herself off of my lap to stand on the floor, and I follow her example while asking,

"You think Freeman and Besa are up yet?"

"Not likely, but feel free to go and wake them while I get dressed. (Turns with a smile) And yes, that was my polite way of telling you to am-scray while I change."

I send her a light smirk-glare before doing as she asks:

"Fine, but don't be long."

"When have I ever been long in changing clothes?"

We both laugh, and I leave her to it while heading towards the squirt's room to get the twin's lazy asses up.

No POV

As soon as everyone up (including some rather rudely-woken twins) and gathered all that they needed, the four teens would head out from the house and to the Bone Eater's Well to return to Sengoku Edo.

This round, Coraline opt for an outfit of a light yellow tank top with a brown/white checkered flannel shirt (unbuttoned as usual), acid wash jeans with a tear in her left knee and stitching in the other, and her black combat boots. Freeman and Besa chose to wear semi-coordinating outfits of dark blue jeans, green t-shirts and their black/white converse sneakers, but while Freeman's shirt had the Yin Chinese character written in the middle in black lettering, Besa's had Yang on his in white lettering.

The twins would be eyeing Inuyasha with disgruntled glares from the wake-up call they were given:

"That was not cool, man."

"Yeah, why the heck did ya have to yank the blankets so hard that we flipped over? That hurt!"

Inuyasha just scoffs with a smirk and replies,

"That's what happens when you don't listen the first time...(Mutter) I just can't believe Souta didn't wake up from all that noise..."

Coraline forms an amused smile and quirks as she spies Lumos floating towards them from the leaves of the Goshinboku Tree,

"He's got the sleeping patterns of Grandfather: It takes a specific trigger before he'll actually grace the world with his presence. Otherwise, he's dead to the world."

"Oh? And what trigger is that?"

"The promise of chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast."

The four teens burst into laughter as they approached the well house, as Coraline adds,

"And sometimes if we feel nice enough, Akari-sama and I follow through the promise."

The door creaks open, and they enter the structure, their target being the old well inside, while the Will O' Wisp's was the front pocket of Coraline's satchel. Each teen takes a side, with the twins moving to jump down first:

"Alrighty, down we go."

"See ya two on the other side!"

(Slip) (Slip)

(Whoooooshhh...)

Once the light dies down, it would be Inuyasha and Coraline's turns to take the plunge:

"Ready?"

"Yep!"

Taking eachother's hand, the two hop down the well:

(Whooooshhh...)

...Passing backwards through time and space, the pair touch down onto the dirt-packed ground of the well again, only instead of the roof of the well house, the above view would be clear blue skies...and one excited fox demon:

"Yay! Coraline and Inuyasha are back now!"

Coraline waves upward:

"Hey, Shippo!"

Inuyasha then scoops her up into his arms, catching her off-guard:

"Oh!"

"Keh, save the hellos for when were outta here first."

He then leaps up and out to stand on the lip of the well, meeting the sight of thickly grown trees, untamed grass, and some tall stalks of scattered wheat mixing with some wildflowers...

Another face that was here to greet the arrivals, was Miroku. He looks to Inuyasha who was placing Coraline to her feet on the soft green, and asks with a slightly wry smile,

"Aah, so you spent the night at Coraline's, did you?"

Before the dog demon's temper flared, Coraline rushes to answer for them both with a smile-glare:

"Not in the way you're thinking, Miroku..."

"(Dramatic) Why Coraline, you couldn't possibly be thinking I would suggest such vulgar thoughts! Surely you know me better than that by now."

"Uh-huh, suuure. But if you must pry, we actually went on an outing yesterday evening, with the guys chaperoning to ease the minds of Akari-sama and Grandfather."

"Oh, is that right? What did you do?"

"I'll be happy to tell you about it, plus a few other events that happened these last two days, after we head enter the village."

Miroku sighs in disappointment, but nods all the same. Inuyasha looks down at Coraline with suspicion:

"And what exactly will you be telling the monk?"

She giggles a bit and takes his arm into hers while reassuring him in a lowered voice,

"Oh relax: I'll leave the more intimate and embarrassing bits out for you if you want. I just wanna highlight the basics, is all."

"Keh, alright. But I'll be listening close for any slips."

"I know you will."

The pair then lean into one another and share a kiss on the lips, prompting Shippo to yelp while covering his eyes with his hands:

"Aaauuuh! Freeman, Inuyasha and Coraline are kissing! Make 'em stop!"

Picking the fox demon up and placing him on his shoulders, Freeman replies,

"Better yet, I'll get ya out of the area while the gettin's good. (Dramatic yell) Run away from the romance!"

He then runs down the hill towards the village, both of them laughing as they went, with Besa rolling his eyes at the childish antic:

"Real mature, you guys!"

He facepalms with a groan, before feeling Miroku's hand on his shoulder:

"I see that despite his views on love, your brother is still a kid a heart."

"Story of my life..."

They then start walking in the direction that Freeman ran off to, with Inuyasha and Coraline following behind them a few seconds after, hand-in-hand:

"(Sigh) A new day..."

"Yeah...Good weather to begin on too."

And the sun shines down in streams over the land, signalling a new start to the ragtag group's adventures in Edo, and the ongoing war for the Shikon-no-Tama...