Disclaimer - Aww, man . . . do I have to say it again? *sighs as InuYasha nods his head at her firmly* Oh, for the love of . . . Feh. Geesh, okay, you guys know the drill . . . I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters. *turns to InuYasha* You realize, I'm gonna make you pay for that?
Inu - I think I've already paid ten times over with the stuff you've put me through in this story of yours, wench!
DracOnyx - Hmm . . . just for that, I think I'll put you through some more. *ducks a handful of claws* Oy, now you really are in for it, Inu.
Author's Notes - Well, here's the first piece . . . this chapter looks like it's going to be exceptionally long, so it might be in 3 or 4 installments, instead of my usual 2 . . . I beg you to bear with me.
Some of you had questions that you asked me in reviews . . . I hope this chapter answers some of them, cause I worked the answers into the story. *claps her hands together* Good little me : )
OH! Before I forget . . . those of you who were reading Broken Souls will notice that I took it down. I'm currently doing a MAJOR revamp of it . . . you were right . . . Seph and Inu were WAY out of character. I went back and read it after your reviews, and just about knocked myself over with my own stupidity. So, I'm working on correcting that situation so it's not so bad.
And now, on with Starlight and Shadows *grin*
Chapter 11 - My Mate (Part 1)
Kagome's mother enveloped her daughter in a hug the moment she walked through the door, InuYasha following a few steps behind.
"Hi Mom . . . ." a rather teary Kagome whispered against her mother's shoulder.
"Welcome home, Kagome," her mother replied, stepping back to look at her daughter. Anxious eyes examined every inch of her, and concern overshadowed them. "Kagome, you look terribly tired. Why don't you go take a bath and relax for a bit?" Kagome nodded, turning questioning eyes to InuYasha, who nodded . . . just before he was wrapped up in a hug of his own. The young miko stared in awe, shock making her speechless. InuYasha just stood there, a gentle smile on his lips as he shrugged slightly at her.
Kagome shot him a look that clearly told him she would want an explanation later, and disappeared up the stairs.
InuYasha watched her go, making sure she was out of sight before returning his attention to her mother. She stood silently watching him, a knowing and gentle smile on her face.
"Mrs. Higurashi . . ." he began hesitantly.
"Do I have to keep reminding you to call me Mom?" she asked, her hands on her hips. InuYasha grinned, flicking his ears at her in amusement.
"Feh . . .okay already . . . Mom," he corrected himself, growing serious again, "I . . . I would like your permission to marry Kagome." His ears flattened in an attempt to protect his over sensitive hearing at her delighted cry.
"Oh, InuYasha! It's about time you two sorted things out! Of course you have my permission!" She clasped her hands in front of her, eyes shining with happiness. InuYasha heaved an inner sigh of relief. He had almost been sure she would say yes, but he hadn't been completely assured of that fact. Old habits died hard sometimes, after all . . . and he was too used to being a disgusting outcast for that last sliver of doubt to ever go away. He found himself literally being dragged into the family room and bombarded with questions. He shook his head and grinned to himself. Was this what all mother's were like when it came to their children?
Upstairs, Kagome crept back to the bathroom from the stairway, where she had silently been standing. Curiosity had overwhelmed her the minute she stepped out of InuYasha's line of sight, and she had hoped to have it satisfied by listening in on the conversation below. She'd been somewhat caught off guard by her mother's insistence that InuYasha call her 'Mom', but she figured something must have happened between the two of them while she had been sealed . . . InuYasha had mentioned that he'd been keeping her family updated on her condition, after all. She would have to attempt to get that whole story out of her stubborn mate later. She was less surprised by InuYasha's request of her mom, as they had discussed it slightly before leaving the well house. InuYasha had been against it, saying that she was already his mate, and whether or not her mother gave him permission couldn't change that . . . but apparently he had changed his mind at some point . . . probably when coming face to face with her mom.
She grinned as she sank into the warm tub of water, sighing as warmth suffused her sore muscles. She'd hidden it from InuYasha . . . the last thing she wanted was for him to think he had hurt her somehow by claiming her as his mate . . . he was skittish enough sometimes as it was. She suspected that InuYasha intended to surprise her by honoring her traditions of marriage . . . even though by demon standards they were mated for life . . . until death.
Death. That thought wiped the grin from her face with stunning speed. There were still shards to collect . . . which meant more dangerous battles for her mate and their group. She shuddered at the thought. The most dangerous battle of all was still to come . . . one on which everything rested - Miroku's life, Sango's peace of mind, Kikyo's final rest . . . and her and InuYasha's future together. Anything could happen . . . InuYasha could very well lose his life. Added on top of that was the uncertainty of what would happen once the Shikon No Tama was whole again. Would it return her to her world arbitrarily? Or would it seal the well, trapping her forever in Feudal Japan? Not that she wouldn't mind staying . . . but there were things from her time that she just couldn't live without . . . and she didn't even want to THINK of what InuYasha would do without his beloved Ramen. She sighed, and sank lower in the water. There were just too many uncertainties right now . . . She pushed them out of her mind, and concentrated on washing up. There was one thing that she could take care of now . . . but she needed to discuss it with her mother, and she wasn't entirely sure her mother would approve.
*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Kagome was stunned to walk into her living room and find InuYasha on the couch . . . snoring softly. She smiled gently, backing out of the room so she didn't wake him, She suspected that he hadn't slept much since Kikyo had sealed her . . . besides, this gave her the perfect opportunity to talk with her mother alone.
Walking into the kitchen, she found her mother at the dining table, drinking a cup of coffee with a thoughtful expression on her face. Kagome sat down opposite her, folding her hands lightly in front of her on the table.
"Mom . . ." she murmured, and paused. 'How do I say this? Oh, hell, I might as well just dive right in. It's not like it's gonna get any easier, no matter how I word it."
"Yes dear?" Mrs. Higurashi murmured. She hadn't heard Kagome sound this unsure of something since Kagome had come to her a year ago to request birth control. She had been worried at the time that Kagome was suddenly . . . active, in that part of life . . . but Kagome had told her frankly that was not the case. Rather, she had wanted to go on birth control for other reasons . . . to help stabilize her monthly times and make them shorter . . . in a sense, easier for InuYasha to deal with. Kagome had noticed an odd tendency that during her time, InuYasha became more irritable and harder to put up with. She had finally cornered him about it, and after a few dozen 'sits' had gotten to truth out of him. Mrs. Higurashi smiled slightly as she remembered how red Kagome had been explaining all this to her. She'd agreed, knowing that if Kagome had planned on being active sexually, she would never have concocted such a story . . . meaning that her reason's had to be the truth. Now, she wondered what was on her daughter's mind this time that was making her so hesitant, and listened attentively to her words.
"I . . . I think it would be best if I dropped out of school," Kagome blurted suddenly, staring at her hands. "When this is over . . . I want to train to be a miko." She paused for a moment before rushing on. "Something . . . something just tells me it's what I was meant to do . . . and I've just been putting it off, trying to deny it." She glanced up at her mother, her eyes uncertain. "I'm sorry . . . I know you are disappointed in me . . ."
"No, hun, I'm not." Kagome's startled eyes flew up to meet her mother's serious and calm expression across the table. "Kagome . . ." she sighed, "I've been wondering for month's now as to why you continued to place such an emphasis on your school work. I'll admit, that under normal circumstances, your schooling would be the most important thing in the world. But . . ." she paused to take a sip of her coffee before continuing, "circumstances in your case are far from normal. What you are doing back through that well is so much more important, and I've been thinking that perhaps you really were meant to be a miko. And after all this is over . . . do you really think you could be happy coming back here and living a 'normal' life?" She shook her head slowly, setting her coffee cup down before reaching over to grasp her daughter's hands.
"Kagome . . . you are my daughter, and I love you very much . . . and I am very proud of you. But . . . this world really isn't your home now. Your home, and your heart, are back there, with InuYasha. He needs you . . . and he loves you. So no, I am not disappointed in you . . . I never could be. I worry about you, but that's what mother's do. In any case, I've actually had the paperwork necessary for you ready and waiting for you for a while now. I just wanted to be sure that it was what you wanted."
Kagome got up from her chair, and rushed around the table to give her mother a huge hug, tears spilling down her cheeks. Mrs. Higurashi returned the hug, all the while hoping she was doing the right thing by allowing Kagome to make her own choice. Leaning back, she smiled down at her daughter.
"Now, dry those tears . . . before a certain hanyou with an over sensitive nose comes rushing in here to see why you are crying."
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Morning came early the next day to the Higurashi shrine, casting the golden glow of a new day over the worn buildings. InuYasha winced as it struck his eyelids, waking him instantly. He was still sprawled on the couch . . . although someone had draped a blanket over him at some point during the night. He sniffed, and smiled as he caught Kagome's scent on the blanket. He had figured it was her . . . she was the only person who would have been able to get that close to him without waking him. He sat up, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it of sleep before going in search of his mate. Surprisingly enough, he found both her and her mother already wide awake and in the kitchen discussing the wedding.
"We'll need to get him papers before you can be legally married . . . but I don't see any reason to really worry about it, honestly. You'll be spending most of your time over there anyway . . . oh, Good Morning InuYasha."
"Good morning . . . Mom," he replied, slumping into a vacant chair, still yawning, his fangs showing clearly. Kagome hid a grin behind the rim of her coffee mug. He was so NOT a morning person. Then again . . . neither was she most of the time. She'd woken up not long after dawn, too full of energy to go back to sleep. Her mother had come down the stairs not long after her, and found her in the kitchen practicing her mental exercises.
"So," her mother's voice broke into her thoughts, "when were the two of you planning on going back through the well?" InuYasha shrugged, glancing at Kagome before he answered.
"I figured to give Kagome a couple of days to rest and catch up on those damn 'test' things she's so fond of, the we would head back." Kagome stared at him in shock. He was willing to give her a couple of days? This was certainly a new development. A sudden thought made her eye him suspiciously, to which he replied with a bland, innocent look. Kagome wasn't fooled. 'He's up to something,' she thought warily. 'But what in the world could he be planning in my time?'
If Kagome had known, she would have dragged him straight back through the well by his adorable dog ears. 'It's time I met this Hojo guy,' InuYasha thought, watching Kagome studying him out of the corner of his eye. 'It's well past time I met the competition . . . and let them know who won.'
To Be Continued
AN - WAH! Yes, I could not resist doing a scene with Hojo meeting InuYasha. Now that she's his mate, he's gonna make sure everyone knows it! Jealous, possessive Inu-hanyou . . . look out below! Anyway, review peeps : ) I get such a great feeling from reading them. And if you haven't read my other fics, why don't you go read and review them too? I think they're quite good . . . but that's speaking for myself.