Quiver

She'd been watching them for a while now, stealing glances when she was sure no one watched her and could notice her actions.

They looked so soft and cute. They made him look much easier to approach than her uncle. He was strong and courageous, carried an air of authority and confidence different from her uncle, but as real as the aloof demeanor of the daiyoukai.

They moved constantly, turning to catch every noise. He didn't have to turn his head, he just cocked them and could take notice of anything nearby.

She loved how these small white triangles swiveled towards her when he spoke. He could be focused on something else or pretend he didn't care, but these two appendages betrayed him.

They spoke for him and one had to watch them as closely as they should listen to his words. Her mom seemed to have this nailed, immediately picking on his body language.

Even in his sleep his ears twitched. Only the hand of her mom could calm that motion.

Moroha watched her parents sitting under the Sacred Tree. Well, her mom sat there, her dad was laying on his side, with his head in her lap. Her mom was absentmindedly running her hand through his hair and over his ears as she read.

Neither Towa nor Setsuna had ears like his. It was a pity, they'd look so cute with them! But every hanyou looked different and they had different youkai traits than Inuyasha.

"You can come and pet them," she flinched. She crouched behind a bush. A quick glance towards her parents showed that Kagome was looking directly at her, a big smile on her lips.

"Uh, hi," she scratched the back of her head as she stood up and approached slowly. She decided to play dumb. "What do you mean mom?"

"His ears. You were staring at them for an awful amount of time," the human grinned, a spark in her eye. "Come and have a go."

Moroha glanced down at her father, hesitant Of course her mom had noticed. Moms were supposed to notice shit. still. She remembered how she had tried to touch Rion's ears.

"Uh… Would that be okay?" she asked after a minute, blushing a little.

"I don't see why you shouldn't," Kagome shrugged. "He would like that, as long as you don't tug at them."

"Oh," Moroha stared at the top of the sleeping man's head. His ear was directed towards her, quivering just a were a sign of his hanyou status, one many would consider abominable. So why did they look so cute and cuddly? "Okay."

Kagome moved her head away to give her more space as Moroha reached a hand, tentatively approaching the ear.

As her fingertips brushed against the downy fur, the ear trembled, as if in anticipation. Gently, slowly, she inched closer, her blunt claws skimming over the fine fur covering the appendage. Finally, she dared to grasp it and apply just a tiny bit of pressure as she massaged the ear.

Inuyasha sighed and Moroha paused for a moment, but resumed her treatment of the ear after seeing his body relax further in his sleep. He even hummed something she couldn't decipher.

Kagome had a gentle smile on her lips as she watched her daughter.

"I wish I had ears like dad," Moroha confessed, her eyes drawn back to where she was rubbing the ear.

"You have his fierce heart," Kagome reached out and stroked her cheek.. Moroha blushed at the pride clear in her mom's voice.

"Oi, you two are too loud," Moroha gasped and pulled her hand back against herself, her wide eyes glancing down to meet the golden ones of her father looking back at her. Kagome giggled and patted his shoulder.

"Uh… I… i just…" she tried and failed to explain herself. She didn't want him to think she was weird. People often were miffed by being touched by someone like her. Until Towa had come along Moroha didn't really hug anyone, even her mentor.

"Your mom told you it's fine to touch 'em, huh?" he sat up and his ears twitched a couple of times. Towa would have squealed if she had been there. Moroha dropped her gaze to her lap. "She wasn't wrong, you know."

"Of course I wasn't wrong, you like it!" Kagome pointed out.

"Keh!" the hanyou gave them one of his quick smirks. "Just don't drag Sesshomaru's twins to have a go with them the next time I go to sleep."

Moroha looked between them, remembering the story of how her mom had touched these twitching ears as soon as she'd seen her dad. After experiencing the touch of the delicate fur and seeing that her dad wasn't angry, she relaxed and smiled a big, relieved smile.

"No promises, old man," she jumped to her feet and looked down at her parents, her heart light and thumping with joy in her chest.

She was a part of this, of this family. She had not only her cousins and uncle, but also her parents, aunt and others on the other side of the well.

She was no longer alone, fated to be lonely and share no warmth or close bond with anyone. For the first time in her life her bottom lip didn't quiver when she thought about the future.