Wow, Miji is on a roll. Three chapters in three days? This has got to be a record for me, honest.

Disclaimer: I still don't own them...But I can dream, can't I? Really vivid, Technicolor dreams?

Last Time: Kagome's Ojiisan, who had until now ignored the guest in their home, looked up suddenly. He took in the boy's odd clothing, silver hair and golden eyes, inu ears, and…where those claws on his fingers?

Inuyasha looked sheepishly at the old man, Ojiisan looked back.

"Er…hi?"

And all hell broke loose.

This Time:

In a whirlwind of motion, Ojiisan had jumped up from his place and chasing Inuyasha around with sutras. Inuyasha, having no desire to find out if this was where Kagome had inherited her miko powers from, kept dodging out of the old man's reach. Souta ran back and forth excitedly, torn between defending his new hero and cheering on his Ojiisan. Kagome yelled random commands at the males in the room from a safe place in a corner. Chitose calmly finished serving Inuyasha's food, then prepared her own.

"Eat your food before it goes cold."

The soft command cut through the chaos, halting everyone mid-motion. Souta and Kagome gave Chitose apologetic looks before sitting down. Ojiisan shot Inuyasha one last dirty look before retaking his place as well. The inu hanyou stood awkwardly for a moment before Chitose motioned for him to sit between her daughter and herself.

Silence broken only by sounds of eating made the air thick and stifling, in Inuyasha's opinion. Both the kid and Jiji kept staring at him; the boy worshipfully and the old man scathingly.

'Stupid Jiji,' he thought sourly from his safe place across the fire pit from said Jiji, 'Now that he's not distracting me with his chasing, I can tell he hasn't got a single milligram of spiritual powers.'

Near the end of the meal, Chitose spoke again.

"Inuyasha-san," she said sternly.

"Y-yes?"

She fixed deep brown eyes on him.

"What exactly are your intentions with my daughter?"

He choked on his mouthful of food, flushing brightly as he tried to regain his composure. A quick glance at Kagome revealed that she was just as red, and fidgeting nervously with the ends of her hair.

"I-intentions?" Inuyasha finally sputtered, "What do you mean by that?"

"From what Kagome has told me, she stayed with you in your home for several days, is that not correct," Chitose fixed him with a look, "Inuyasha-san?"

"Okaasan, nothing happened! It was just...And then...He just...I...We.." Kagome babbled frantically, trying to explain that nothing like that had happened.

"Kagome." the girl immediately stopped. "Now, Inuyasha-san, please let it be known that if you will not do the honorable thing and marry my daughter, you will suffer," Inuyasha gulped nervously at the glint in Chitose's eyes and the meaning he heard in the pause, "severe consequences for your irresponsibility."

Both Kagome and Inuyasha blinked at her as the same thought went though their heads.

'What kind of consequences?'

The sun had gone down hours ago, and Kagome's Okaasan had made her decision final. Unless they were married, she would not allow her daughter to travel, alone, with a young man.

"Ne," Inuyasha looked down at the little boy peering into his eyes.

"Whaddya want kid?" he was tired, physically and mentally, and Chitose's arguments were starting to wear him down.

"Since you're gonna marry my nee-chan..."

"Didn't say that."

Souta ignored him and plowed on.

"I think I'll call you Inu no nii-chan," the boy say with finality.

Inuyasha groaned and looked away. He could not deal with this, not here, not now. At this rate, he was just about ready to give up and just marry the girl. It was only the ningen custom, after all, and had nothing really to do with youkai mating...right?

Meanwhile, the women sat outside. Kagome stared at her Okaasan. Chitose stared back. The staring match between mother and daughter had been going on for quite a while now, but Kagome showed signs of being about ready to give up soon.

"Okaasan..."

"Kagome, you know I can't allow it," Chitose said gently, "I'm looking out for your future, your safety."

'And your grandchildren,' Kagome thought dryly.

"I don't want you chasing after some magical artifact with a young man by yourself, not without knowing that you'll be kept safe."

"Demo, Okaasan..."

"My decision is final," the tone relayed the same message the words did, with no room for argument, "Either you marry him and go help fix your mistake, or you don't marry him and be burdened with the guilt for the rest of your life."

Kagome couldn't look her mother in the eye. It wasn't as if she was opposed to the idea of marrying Inuyasha, it was just...

'I don't want it to be like this,' she sighed dismally, 'I want it to be for love, not because Okaasan doesn't want me traveling alone with a man.'

"I...I guess..." Kagome looked away, "Alright. I'll do it. I'll marry Inuyasha."

"Very well," Kagome missed the secretive smile that crossed her Okaasan's lips as she walked back into the hut.

"Inuyasha-san."

The boy looked up, startled from his thoughts, to see Kagome's Okaasan.

"Higurashi-san?"

"I trust that Ojiisan talked to you?"

"Oh, we talked all right," the hanyou grumpily pulled yet another scrap of a sutra out of his hair, "If you call him yelling and throwing those false sutras at me talking."

"And your decision?"

"I...Yes. I'll do it."

"Thank you," Chitose smiled gently at him.

"For what, Higurashi-san?"

"For taking care of my Kagome," she replied, "And please, call me Okaasan now."

"Right," she looked at him expectantly, "...Okaasan."

Chitose beamed ecstatically.

"Oyasumi-nasai, Inuyasha."

'I may just get my grandchildren before I'm too old to enjoy them.'

And there you have it. I have now officially gone off on a tangent from both the plotlines of the anime and the manga. But really, when you think about it, it makes sense that Kagome's mother would insist on her not traveling alone with a guy, considering the times.

...I guess that's all I have to say about this.

Japanese Word Used: (in order of use)

Jiji: Old man; Gramps, rude.

Ne: Hey; Oi.

Demo: But.

Oyasumi-nasai: Goodnight, polite.

Review and tell me what you thought, and others if you like it! Like Miji has been saying the past couple of chapters, 'Publicity is good.'

Much love,

Miji