All week, Kagome stayed at the office after work in order to continue her research on Inu yokais. It was now Friday night, and she decided to stay until 6 pm. She would meet with Sango at 6:30 pm for dinner. Inuyasha was working on the evening shift so he would finish only around 3 am. They planned to meet tomorrow afternoon.
She was tired and the words on her screen had started to blur.
She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I think that's enough for tonight." she thought out loud.
She stretched and was about to close the window on the computer when something caught her attention. In small characters, at the bottom of the page she was consulting, there was a reference to a study titled: The reproduction in certain yokais' clans and the theory of the unique bound.
She quickly searched for that study in the data base and fortunately found it. Since it was near 6 pm, she decided to print it so she could read it during the weekend.
A folder holding the 54 pages of the study under her arm, she went back home to change and waited for her friend who was bringing takeout from their favorite restaurant.
She couldn't stop staring at the purple folder on the table. She looked at her phone and decided to start reading before her friend arrived.
She didn't hear Sango coming in.
"Hey Kagome!" she called as she closed the appartment door.
Kagome closed the folder when Sango entered the living room.
"Where do I put the bags?"
"Hey! You can leave them on the kitchen counter. I'll join you in a minute." answered the black haired girl.
Sango dropped the bags on the counter and came back to the living room.
"What were you reading?" she asked.
"Oh it's a study I pulled out from my office's archives."
"You bring work home on Friday nights now?" Sango was looking at her friend, frowning.
Kagome chuckled. "No it's not work. I need some informations for myself actually."
"And does it have something to do with a certain Inu boy we know?" she teased.
Kagome's face turned a slight shade of pink. "Well... Yes. I haven't talked to you about that yet because you were busy with work and the Inu boy's best friend. Let's go to the kitchen, I'll give you details while we eat."
They were at the end of their meal and Kagome had explained what was happening with Inuyasha.
"So basically, you both want each other badly but can't act on it since his yokai side gets too excited." resumed Sango.
"Basically, yes. And it's frustrating. My coworker Kikyo noticed I was distracted and when we discussed about it, I learned that she dated Inuyasha like 10 years ago!"
"Wait, seriously? Did this... issue happened to them too?" the woman asked, intrigued.
"No. Only with me according to Inuyasha. She said that he was actually very in control back then... I think she even hinted a few times that he was good in bed."
"Ooohhh if she still thinks that after 10 years, then it must have been memorable."
"Sango, you're not helping right now."
"Sorry!" she commented, grinning. "So now you're doing research to find a way to go in Mister's half-demon pants?"
"Sango!! Will you stop that?" Kagome replied, glaring at her friend.
"Ok ok! I'm kidding. Would you like me to check that research with you?"
"Yeah, I could use the help, before I explose in front of my boyfriend." said Kagome, getting up.
Sango, who was also getting up, stoped mid rise. "Did you just say boyfriend?"
Kagome smiled brightly. "Yeah... We kind of agreed it was time for what we have to be more... official."
Sango jumped on her feet and bear hugged her friend. "I'm so happy for you!! Hey, we'll even be able to go on double dates!"
"Sango you're... I need to... breathe."
She released her. "I'm sorry! I'm just so excited for you! You deserve to be happy."
"Thank you. And yes, double dates would be great!" answered Kagome, smiling.
The girls sat in the living room. Sango took the purple folder.
"The reproduction in certain yokais' clans and the theory of the unique bound." she read. "Ok. Sounds... interesting?"
"You don't have to help me you know."said Kagome.
"Of course I want to help! So, where do we start?"
The girls spent the next hour reading the study. They finally found a page about Inu yokais.
"Kagome! Check this! Yokais from the Inu clan were known for selecting a specific mate to preserve the strength of their offsprings."
"Let me see."
Kagome continued to read. "It is believed that males Inu could sense the perfect mate, a unique and strong bound linking them. They could have intercourse with different potential mates before sensing the right one. Once they found them, after uniting for the first time and performing the marking act on their partner, Inu yokais mated for life."
"That sounds almost like soulmates." Sango remarked. "Do you think that could be what's happening? That Inuyasha sensed you as his perfect mate so his yokai side goes wild?"
"I... Maybe? No. That would be crazy. I was literally born like 425 years after him! That doesn't make sense..."
Sango continued to read.
"Despite the theory of the unique bound, it happened, in rare occasions, that a male Inu found a second mate if something happened to the first one. He could then perform the act of marking on his new mate, allowing them to have offsprings."
Kagome got lost in her thoughts. What if it was the case? What would it mean? That some strange force decided she belonged to him? That it was meant to be?
Her thoughts were interrupted by her friend.
"So, what will you do with this information?" asked Sango.
"I'll discuss this with Inuyasha as soon as possible, I guess. Maybe it's a good lead?"
"Maybe. Let me know what he thinks about that. I have to go, Miroku is waiting outside."
"Ok. Oh and Sango? Please keep this to yourself."
"Of course."
Kagome didn't sleep much that night. She couldn't wait to ask Inuyasha what he thought about the study she found, but she was really nervous.
She jumped when she heard knocking. Her heart beating rapidly, she opened the door.
"Hey Gorgeous." greated Inuyasha, closing the door behind him. "Missed me?"
Kagome chuckled. "Of course I did, you silly."
He caught her in a warm embrace, burying his nose in her hair. Her head was pressed against his chest. She sighed, content.
They got to the living room and sat on the couch. Kagome cleared her throat.
"I might have found something interesting in the archives."
She opened the folder. "Here."
Inuyasha read the paragraphs she pointed him.
"Hm." was his first reaction. "I think I've heard about something like that, a long time ago... That... That could be a possibility."
"What will you do if..." she started.
He turned towards her and took her hands in his. "I... I don't know. It's true that since we met, I feel... drawn to you. Your smell is absolutely delightful to me, that's the first thing I noticed. But one thing is sure, I will never force you into anything you don't want."
"Inuyasha..."
His gaze was locked on hers. He lifted her hands and kissed them. Then he leaned towards her and kissed her softly and slowly. He slid his hands from her wrists to her shoulders, making her shiver.
When he broke the kiss, Kagome opened her eyes and smiled warmly.
"I also feel drawn to you... Why do you think I kept coming back to the Wolf's lair? I don't even like bars! But I could'nt help it..."
Inuyasha was looking at her, a soft expression on his face. He placed a strand of hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek at the same time.
"I didn't really know why you kept coming back, but I was, and still am, very pleased."
They kissed again, more passionate this time. Her hands were exploring his chest over his t-shirt, following the shapes of his muscles, making him sigh in their kiss.
He stopped her hands by holding her wrists and broke the kiss.
"Let's not get further. I'm starting to feel my youki rising."
A few moments later, they were cuddling on the couch while Inuyasha was browsing through the purple folder. In the references, at the end, he noted a website that seemed to be from the institute where the researchers were from. He picked up his phone and typed the address in his web browser.
"What are you looking at? Kagome asked.
"There's a website address there." He pointed at the document. "I'm checking if they did other researches or have more informations." he answered.
"Maybe... Or the contact infos of one of the researchers?"
"Oh yeah good idea. Let me see... Yes, here! The email address of the head teacher of the research. I'm sending him an email right away."
A few days later, Kagome was working when she received a text from her boyfriend.
Inuyasha : [Hey, I got an answer from the research guy.]
Me: [What, really? That's great!]
Inuyasha : [He wants to speak to us directly so there's a zoom meeting with him tonight at 7 pm.]
Me: [Amazing! I'll stop by the bar after work and we go to your place after?]
Inuyasha : [That sounds like a plan.]
They were now sitting at Inuyasha's kitchen table, his laptop opened in front of them, waiting for the meeting to start. The hanyo had his knitted beanie on to hide his ears, not sure if he wanted to reveal his origins.
"You're really cute with this hat." Kagome said.
Inuyasha didn't have time to answer. The zoom window showed a middle-aged man smiling.
"Hello, you must be Inuyasha?" the man asked.
"Yes and this is Kagome." The latter smiled and added: "Thank you for accepting to speak to us, professor."
"It's my pleasure! So from the email you sent me, you wanted to discuss the research The reproduction in certain yokais' clans and the theory of the unique bound?
"Yes." Kagome answered. "I'm also a researcher and I was looking for information regarding Inu yokais and I found your study. It was a very interesting read."
"I'm glad you appreciated it!" said the professor, smiling.
"I would like to learn more about certain points."
Kagome took the folder and got to the right page.
"It's written that the male yokais can sense their mate. Do you know how it's manifested?"
The man adjusted his glasses on his nose.
"Well, from the information we gathered, it could be in different ways depending of the species or clan. For example, cat yokais would see their mate's aura slightly glowing in the dark, while wolf and Inu yokais would perceive a different and pleasing smell for their mate."
Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other for a few seconds before turning their attention to the man on the screen.
"That's interesting!" exclaimed the woman. "Also, I was not sure what the marking act implies."
"That's pretty simple. The male would mark the female by biting her to show that she's taken."
"Ok... So it's basically a sign showing to the other males of the clan that they can't persue her?"
"Mainly yes." answered the researcher. "However, and this is just a theory, but that could also be a way to seal the bound between them, so offsprings could be born. The studies show a cause-and-effect relationship between reproduction and officially marked mates."
"Wow! Thank you for sharing this information with us."
"You're welcome! I'm sorry if this is intrusive of me but may I ask a question?"
"Sure" Kagome confirmed.
"Inuyasha, would you be, by any chance, a descendant of yokais?
"Hum yeah... My father was an Inu yokai and my mother was human." He answered, a bit unsure.
"This is extraordinary!" exclaimed the professor. "Are you... experiencing any sign of the special bound?"
The hanyo blushed slightly. "Well... I may find that this charming woman here has a very, very nice smell. It never happened before."
"Oh! I didn't know if hanyos experimented this as well. It seems you do. That's fantastic!"
"Hum... Do you know if yokais turn crazy when it happens?" asked Inuyasha. "My yokai side kinda want to take control. The few times it happened before, it was not pretty..."
Kagome put a reassuring hand on his forearm.
"Good question. When your yokai side took over, were you in danger?"
"Yeah, I was on the verge of dying." the hanyo answered.
"Here's my theory. A half-breed's body probably has a different way of self-preservation when in danger, since it's less resistant than a pure breed. But the Yokai blood is very strong and once it takes over, it's very hard to control."
The man scratched his gray beard, thinking.
"I believe that it's not the same thing when the yokai's blood acts by itself vs when you willingly let this side come out."
"That's... an interesting theory." Inuyasha answered, looking thoughtful.
After thanking the professor for his time and saying goodbye, they disconnected from the zoom meeting.
Kagome looked at her boyfriend who was still lost in his thoughts. She put her head against his shoulder and released a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"What do you think of all this?" she asked softly.
"I think it seems to make a lot of sense. We need to decide where we go from there..." Inuyasha answered, pensively.