A/N: Here's the next chapter of this one. I am going to continue updating this one until it is finished, and then update the rest (Next to be finished after this one will be The Final Piece). Hope you are enjoying this one! Please review and let me know what you think!

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Dream of Me
Chapter Eighteen

"And Operation 'Picture Day' commences…" whispered Sango as Kagome and Inuyasha made their way down the stairs the next morning. Kagome was once again in her hanyou form. Both she and Inuyasha were following their noses to the kitchen.

"Good morning, mom!" smiled Kagome, nodding to her mother as she came into the room. "Inuyasha and I are going to be busy today!"

Inuyasha laughed. "You act as if your training is going to be fun. It's not meant to be fun…"

"It is when I know something you don't know…" Kagome teased.

"Hey," Inuyasha smiled. "You may know what that new attack of yours is, but that doesn't mean you actually know how to do it yet…"

"And what if I do?" smirked Kagome in confidence.

Inuyasha smiled. "Then this ought to be very interesting…"

"Well, I hope you two aren't 'all work and no play' today. After all, you both need to get out of the house for a little while anyway. It will be good for you." Kagome's mother winked at Sango and Miroku as she said this.

Kagome shook her head. "Of course not. We'll go out for a while today. We'll just have to be careful is all. I was thinking of making us a lunch for the park. Everyone can come."

Ms. Higurashi shook her head. "You and Inuyasha go alone. Miroku, Sango and I already have an agenda for today, and Souta and Shippo are going to play video games. Unless you want to take your grandfather along?" she whispered.

Inuyasha shook his head. "No. That's perfectly all right. We'll go alone. Besides, there is something…serious I want to talk to Kagome about."

Kagome looked at him in confusion, and blinked several times. What is it? She thought to herself. What has he got to tell me? Maybe…maybe he wants to go back to the Feudal Era? Or is it something more serious? Maybe he doesn't want to be with me anymore? No! That's not it at all! But then…what is he hiding? Kagome shook the thoughts out of her head and quickly got back to devouring the remainder of her breakfast.

"Come on, Inuyasha. If we want to be done with our training before lunch time, then we are going to have to get a move on," Kagome warned. "I'm really looking forward to lunch in the park this afternoon."

Inuyasha nodded. "All right. Let's go."

Inuyasha had been right. Seeing how her attack was done and actually doing it were two completely different animals. Kagome could not manage to get her demonic energy to work properly with her miko energy…thereby, unfortunately, proving Inuyasha right, and getting her own pride slightly hurt in the process.

"It's okay." Inuyasha nodded. "I knew it was going to take you a few days. It's nothing that you need to be ashamed about. You'll get it…and we won't go home until you do." He promised. "I would rather you be safe here than in danger there."

"Thanks, Inuyasha." Kagome smiled. "Now…how about that picnic?"

Inuyasha practically watered at the mouth he was so hungry. "It sounds like a plan to me!" He nodded, rubbing his growling stomach with a circular motion. "But, Kagome?"

"Yes, we can have ramen." Kagome laughed slightly at the puppy-dog sort of look that she saw in Inuyasha's eyes. "But we're going to have other things, too. This is going to be a nice day."

Inuyasha grinned in agreement. "Yes, it is."

Kagome and Inuyasha headed for the kitchen. Once again, Ms. Higurashi winked at Miroku and Sango. "Go ahead and head out to the park before they get there. I already showed you how to use the cellular phone, right? When it vibrates, pick it up and hit the green button. I'll let you know where Kagome and Inuyasha will be."

"Won't he be able to track our scents? He knows us very well." Sango pointed out.

"Among all those other people, Sango?" Miroku laughed. "Neither one of them will be able to concentrate that much, especially with all of the food they will be eating, and all of the trees around…"

"True." Sango nodded. "Let's go then, Monk…" Sango took his hand in hers and the two of them rushed out the door.

Ms. Higurashi watched them with interest. I have my own plans for the two of you. She thought to herself as the monk and the demon slayer ran down the shrine steps. This next couple days at the Higurashi shrine was going to prove to be very interesting indeed.

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At the park, Sango had already managed to take several photos that were worthy of receiving the title 'official Kodak moment'. Miroku, who was hiding in another location and taking pictures, managed to do just as well…despite the hotdog stand that occasionally got into his line of vision. After several minutes of picture taking, the two of them decided that they had exhausted their options, and headed back toward the Higurashi shrine with their cameras in hand.

Ms. Higurashi was busying herself with dinner when they walked into the front door. Yet again, she noticed they were hand-in-hand, and that Sango no longer blushed or attempted to slap the monk. She smiled. This was going to be so easy.

"Miroku?" she called. "Could you help me outside for a moment?"

Miroku looked confused, but followed her out anyway. "What is it?" he asked once they were outside.

Ms. Higurashi shrugged. "Nothing. I just thought that I would point out how obvious you are. If you like her Miroku, you honestly need to tell her. I saw enough of this 'beating around the bush' thing with Kagome and Inuyasha. I won't tolerate it with you, either." She smiled.

Miroku's eyebrow rose. "But…I don't just like her, Ms. Higurashi." He whispered.

"I know that much, Miroku. Now, my question is…are you going to do something about it, or are you going to force me to take action?"

He blinked. "All…right…" he nodded.

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Kagome and Inuyasha had finished their lunch and were relaxing on the grass in the park. They sat under a tree, although the tree didn't do much to shield them from the hot sun of the afternoon.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered.

"Hmm…?" he asked.

"You said…that you had something important that you wanted to talk to me about? What was it?" she asked. "Is everything all right? Did something happen?"

Inuyasha frowned. "No, nothing bad happened. Don't worry, Kagome!" He smiled slightly. "It's something good. I think. I hope…" he blinked, looking at the ground.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome worried. "Are you all right? What's on your mind? You can tell me."

"I know…I'm just…I mean…let's go home. To the shrine, I mean. I'll talk to you there. I promise. Okay?" he smiled and nodded. "Come on, Kagome. If we hurry now we can make it back to help your mom finish with dinner, too!"

Kagome was confused. "But Inuyasha…what about…?"

"I said we'd talk about it when we got back home. Besides, I don't want all these people in my business…"

"All right…" Kagome sighed.

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"Okay everyone! Wash your hands and come to help me set up for dinner tonight, please!" Ms. Higurashi made a general call through the house. Everyone rushed to the kitchen except for Kagome's grandfather. Ms. Higurashi's brow furrowed deeply at this.

She stomped outside, and didn't immediately see the old man out there, either. He wasn't by the sacred tree, or in the process of coming up the shrine steps, but in the last place she looked, the well house, he was standing stiff as a board, staring into the well.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" she demanded. "You really need to quit pouting about this whole Kagome and Inuyasha thing, grandfather. They love each other, and I am not going to come between that. You tried that with Hojo, remember, and it didn't work…so give it up already and let her have her happiness…"

The eldest Higurashi made no indication that he was even consciously listening to his daughter-in-law. Ms. Higurashi groaned. "Fine then. You can be a grumpy old man if you wish, but you're on your own this time." She smirked, and marched back into the house.

When she got inside, Sango was preparing the rice, and Miroku was helping Shippo to set the table. Souta was busily chopping vegetables. He looked up at his mother and smiled when she came into the room.

Inuyasha and Kagome came up the shrine steps hand-in-hand.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered.

She looked up at him. "What is it, Inuyasha?" she asked.

"Do you love me?" he asked, so silently that even Kagome had trouble hearing it.

She stopped, staring into his eyes. "Of course I love you. I've loved you for a long time, Inuyasha…" she took a deep breath. "Is this what you were so worried about back in the park?" She gently placed a kiss on his cheek.

Inuyasha shook his head. "No, that wasn't it entirely, but I wanted your mom and everyone to be there…" he explained.

"Why?" asked Kagome.

"Because I just do, okay?" he sighed nervously. "It's something that's very important…and…just come inside, okay?" he groaned in a whiney voice.

Kagome nodded. "Okay. I'm coming. Don't worry…" she nearly laughed.

They walked into Kagome's house to find that everyone was busily preparing dinner…except, of course, for her grandfather. Kagome blinked.

"Where is gramps?"

"Out in the well house, pouting." Her mother snapped. "Just leave him there. I am tired of his acting like a child all the time."

"It's probably best that he not be here right now, anyway…" Inuyasha whispered, more to himself than to anyone else.

Kagome, however, picked up on it. "What? Why?"

"I'll tell you after we've had dinner. I need to think about it first…"

"Don't hurt yourself, Inuyasha." Miroku joked, but quieted quickly when Inuyasha shot him a death-glare. "I was joking…" he laughed nervously.

Inuyasha's frown disappeared a few seconds later, and he seemed to be deep in thought. Kagome looked worried for him, and searched her mother's gaze for answers. However, even Ms. Higurashi was clueless as to what could be so heavy on the hanyou's mind.

Inuyasha put down his cup, and the liquid sloshed around for a moment with the force of his action. He took a deep breath. "Kagome, I want you to be my mate…" he said so quickly and so softly that he was barely understood. He took another deep breath. "I know we've talked about it…or about what it would really mean, anyway, but…but I wanted your family's permission first…"

Kagome blushed ten different shades of scarlet. "Inuyasha…"

"That is wonderful news!" Kagome's mother clapped. "Honestly, I thought that the two of you had already gone through with it…I didn't think you would want to go through the trouble of asking the family's permission. I will fully support your decision, though…"

"And Inuyasha will be part of the family!" Souta jumped up, wrapping Inuyasha in the tightest of hugs. "This is awesome!"

Kagome smiled brightly, but her smile quickly faded, and her ears fell flat against her head. "Mom…where did you say gramps was at?" she whispered, looking around quickly. The old man did not appear to be in the house, and she had suddenly lost his scent.

"Why?" she asked.

Inuyasha blinked. "Kagome…where did he go? I don't sense him anymore…but I do smell something else…and it isn't him…"

Kagome jumped, grabbing Inuyasha's hand, and rushing towards the well house, from whence this new smell seemed to be coming from. Standing in the well house, silently looking down the well, appeared to be her grandfather. But this man was not her grandfather. In fact, he was not even human…

"How long has he been like that?" gasped Miroku.

Sango shook her head. "Whatever's taken him over has been there a couple of days. He's…he's gone at this point…" Sango whispered to her friends. The demon masquerading around in her grandfather's skin still made no attempt to even show that he noticed they were there.

"Gone?" Kagome repeated. "But…if he's only possessed…"

"Then we would have been able to detect his scent earlier…" Inuyasha frowned deeply. "I'm sorry, Kagome…" Inuyasha sighed as the demon disguised as Kagome's grandfather wheeled around and faced them.

Kagome gasped. In a split second, she had experienced both the happiest and the most terrible moments of her life. Inuyasha stepped protectively in front of her as the old man began to growl. He was glowing purple, and emitting a strong evil aura.

"Inuyasha…I can't do it…" she stammered. "I can't. I won't…" she frowned as a single tear ran down her cheek. "He's my grandfather…"

"No, he's not, Kagome." Sango snapped. "Not anymore, anyway…"

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A/N: Took me long enough, eh? Sorry about that, but I've been really busy with school, and soon I'll be starting my job, so I have been really swamped. I will try to start making these reviews a little more frequent, though! Please review and let me know what you think!