Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.


Kuroo has had a lot to think about in the past few days. The world was so much more complicated than he had known. His girlfriend was a real miko, she was pulled back in time, was trained by a demon lord, fought against demons, fought in a war, healed his broken arm in mere moments—Kami-sama he was starting to sound like a broken record with how often he went over all this information. He was about ready to punch himself just to knock his brain onto the next track.

Leaning back in his desk chair, he looked out his bedroom window and frowned. There were so many questions running through his mind. He knew he needed to see Kagome and sit down with her—but then he would have to ask her why the hell she was with him. Why him, when he was nothing compared to the males she had been around? And that was what he was terrified of, that the answer would be along the lines of him being an obligation or a placeholder.

"Never thought I would be this insecure about my relationship with Kago-chan." He inhaled deeply and held it for a moment before releasing, then turned to the pictures on his night stand. Picking up the picture from their first date, he looked closely at the expression on Kagome's face. It looked like she was happy at that moment with him.

Using his free hand, he rubbed his neck as he set the picture back down. "Just go and talk to her you dumbass…" He checked the time and headed out the door, there was a stop that he needed to make.


Kagome was feeling anxious. Today she and Kuroo were supposed to go out on a date, but she hadn't heard from him since the big Feudal Era reveal. Granted, she never reached out to him to check to see if their date was still on. She was worried that he would say no, or worse, ignore her call. So here she was, stomach twisting with raw nerves and watching as the minutes slowly ticked by. Soon it was time, and still no Kuroo.

"He's never been late before…"

She sat down on the bottom stair and just stared at her phone. Hoping that there would be a call or a message from him as the time became later, and later. Once he was officially fifteen minutes late, and still no word, she could feel the nerves in her stomach turn to lead. Chewing on her bottom lip, she took a deep breath as she mustered up the will to call the Rooster Head. Before she could pull up his number a knock rang out.

Kagome climbed to her feet and approached the door. She took a deep breath as she slowly pulled it open, hoping that it was Kuroo on the other side.

"Oh… Hello, Hojo-san…"


Kuroo was irritated and frustrated. He had a grand plan that he was going to pick up lunch for his and Kagome's date, and that they would eat and talk more about the past and her experiences. However, the restaurant was obscenely busy and took longer to finish his order than expected. To top it off, his hands were full and he feared that if he tried to pull out his phone to let Kagome know that he was running late then all the food would spill out across the road. The best he could do was move as quickly as he could up the stairs while balancing his cargo.

Once he reached the top stair safely, he made his way to the main house only to hear, "Kagome-san, since your health has improved, it's time that we went on a proper date."

Kuroo released a groan as again, the universe seemed to be against him. "Ah hell. Again?" He shook his head as he walked up behind the babbling fool to see the frown on Kagome's face. When she saw his towering form behind Hojo's, her eyes began to light up in happiness and relief—making him feel even guiltier for being late.

"Hey, Kago-chan. Sorry I'm late. The restaurant was really busy today, and every street light was against me it seems."

Hojo flinched and jumped at the voice that called out behind him. He spun around to face the 6 foot plus frame of his dream girl's boyfriend.

"Oh, Hojo-san, right? I didn't know you were stopping by. You know… if I didn't know any better, I would think that you were stalking Kago-chan… or me. I'll tell you right now, that I have no interest in you like that if it's me that you are following. Pocket-sized-feral-kittens are more my speed."

Kagome was about to snigger at the dumbfounded and horrified look on Hojo's face until Kuroo called her short—again. "And here I was going to help you carry the food in, Tetsu-kun."

"Ah, come on, Kago-chan! I'm lucky that I haven't dropped anything yet."

"You should have thought about that before calling me pocket sized. Now hurry up and get in here. I'm starving."

"Yes, ma'am." Kuroo strolled passed the stuttering teen and into the house. Grinning down at the miko, "You know, it's kinda hot when you get all bossy."

Kagome's cheeks flushed as she rolled her eyes. After closing the door, she reached out to take some of the food out of Kuroo's arms so he could slip out of his shoes, and headed for the kitchen. She began to prep the tea, and pull out some plates and other utensils that they would need. As she started to open up the take out boxes, she was stopped by a pair of arms that wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her back against a familiar chest and a head rested on top of hers.

"I really am sorry that I was late today."

She smiled a bit as she relaxed into him and rested her hands on his forearms. "I was worried that you wouldn't come… That you still needed time to think."

Kuroo a heavy sigh, and hugged her a little tighter. "It's still a lot to process, but I have some questions."

Nodding, she patted his arms. "Let's get our plates set and we can talk while we eat."

"Sounds good to me."


Kagome just sat down next to Kuroo after she finished cleaning their plates from lunch. The two had talked for about two hours, going over the adventure in more detail and answering all the questions that Kuroo had. She had hoped that she didn't overwhelm him again when she saw him sitting with his elbows on his knees.

"Kago-chan? Why are you with me?"

Freezing in surprise, she then slowly turned her head to look at the slouched form next to her. "What?"

"Why are you dating me? I don't have a title, nor any power. I'm nothing compared to the men who vied for your affections. So why are you with boring, normal, me?"

She was silent has she carefully processed the question he had asked. There was hesitation in his voice, like he wasn't sure if he truly wanted to know the answer. She frowned and stood up from the couch before sitting on the table in front of him. Her hands reached out and cradled his face to guide him to look at her. "Tetsu-kun, if you think that you are 'boring' and 'normal,' then you really need to have your head examined."

His eyes widened in surprise as a self-depreciating smile crept across his handsome face. "I'm being serious here, Kago-chan."

"And so am I. You must have taken too many volleyballs to the head. Now for why I was never interested in the others and chose you? Tetsu-kun, they may have 'vied' for my affections, but they were never interested in me." Kagome paused to gather her thoughts as his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Inuyasha saw me as a piss-poor copy of Kikyo. Constantly he berated and belittled me for not rising to the exalted pedestal that she stood on. Then when she died again, I was seen as his only chance to be with her, like I would magically fall for him and forget all the nasty things he had said to me."

Kuroo had to grin a bit at how hard she rolled her eyes.

"Kouga, only saw me for my power. It was only after he learned that I could see the shards that he declared his intent to claim me as his mate. Conveniently ignoring me every time I rejected his claim and informed him that I was not his woman. In fact, I think I was merely a tool to be used to find the shards so he could gain more power, to needle Inuyasha, and to help him avoid the oath he made to another youkai in regards to mating her."

"The others were along the lines of Kouga, and were only interested in the power that I held. Sesshoumaru only saw me as an ally and an annoying student. So, of all the 'interest' in me back in the Feudal Era, the only thing that they wanted me for was my power and the fact that I looked like Kikyo. Not a single one of them wanted me."

Kagome took a deep breath and watched the gears in Kuroo's brain turn as he absorbed what she just said. "Now as for you. You never saw me as someone who is beneath you. Someone who wasn't strong enough or good enough. Someone who needed to change or merely there to help you become stronger. I have never been a substitute in your eyes. I've always just been me. Whenever I struggle with something, you never talked down to me Tetsu-kun. You may tease me a bit, but you are always right there and willing to lend a hand if I need it. Do you know that I hadn't really laughed or felt free of the burden of the past when I returned until I met you again?"

"Kami-sama, Tetsu-kun. There had been so many days before school started that I felt like an alien in my own skin because I didn't know how to connect with people outside of my family anymore. I had a hard time sleeping because of nightmares—still have them occasionally. But being with you and focusing on the team has really helped me move on. I'll have days where it'll all reemerge, I'm sure, but I don't have to drown in it. I finally feel like it's ok to be a teenager again, to have fun and relax. With you I feel safe. So, with all that. Why on earth would I ever want to be with anyone other than you?"

Kuroo felt like he had been hit over the head with a bat as he listened to everything that Kagome revealed. Once again, it felt like his brain was on information overload. "Well, when you put it like that, I can see why you didn't want any of those guys." He took a breath before reaching out and pulling her petite frame onto his lap so she straddled him. Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his forehead against hers and just breathed with her. "I didn't know that I was helping you."

Kagome gave him a small, sad smile while she gently stroked his cheeks with her thumbs. "More than you could imagine. And that's why you are so amazing, Tetsu-kun. You weren't trying to be helpful—you just were. It's one of the many reason's why you could never be classified as normal or boring."

Kuroo smiled and decided to try to lighten the atmosphere a bit. "Oh? Do tell. What are some of the other reasons?"

"Well you are stupidly tall. You have a crazy bedhead. You slouch around and ooze that scheming personality, so people suspect that you are essentially a delinquent. Only for them to discover later that you are ridiculously smart. And all that hides that softer, sensitive, and awkward side that I now know for certain is still alive and well from our childhood."

He snorted lightly at her list, "I really need to do something about my hair… Will you help me?"

Kagome smiled and melded her lips with his and wrapped her arms around his neck. When she pulled away and looked into his dazed eyes, she shook her head. "Nope."

"Wha—? Why not?"

"Three reasons. One, your hair has been like that for years and I'm sure it's now a part of your DNA. Two, I'm honestly not sure if I would recognize you without it at this point. And three, I'm not sure if you realize this, but if the girls at school could see your entire face? Let's just say that you would have more than just Kitori-san stalking you in the hallways."

She watched as Kuroo's cheeks flushed and he blinked rapidly before a sly grin crossed his face. "Aww, Kago-chan. Are you saying you would be jealous?"

"No, jealousy would imply that I don't trust you. I'm merely looking out for you and saving you the headache of having rabid fangirls chase you across town."

He snickered at her as he hugged her closer, "Whatever you say, Kago-chan. Whatever you say."

Kagome gave him a smug grin, "It's true! Now, do you have any other questions? I think we covered just about everything. You didn't ask much about Sango, Miroku, Rin, and Kohaku now that I think about it."

"Hmm? Oh, Kenma and I ran into Coach Nekomata yesterday. He told us a little about them when discussing the family history…" He stopped when he saw the look of curiosity and confusion in her eyes. "You don't know their connection?"

"No. What did he say?"

"He said that Kohaku took on the name Nekomata in honor of Kirara, and married Rin. Met Kirara at Nekomata-sensei's house by the way, hard to believe that she transforms into a giant sabretooth—"

"Kirara is at Uncle Yasu's?!"

"Yup, and apparently Sesshoumaru also checks in on the family every so often. Then Miroku and Sango got married and took on the Higurashi name in honor of you, starting the Higurashi line—Kago-chan?"

Kagome had paled a bit and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Kuroo became alarmed when he felt her body shiver and her hands clutch at his back. "Kagome? Are you alright?"

"You mean to tell me that I was groped and propositioned by my however many times great grandfather?!"

The muffled yet highly miserable and queasy tone that she had nearly had him rolling as he cackled. "I guess so."

"I hate my life…"

"Aww come on Kago-chan. It's alright."

"I need bleach for my brain."

"…I could grope you to help you forget about it."

"Keep your hands away from my butt!"

"But it's such a cute butt, I can see why your great-great-great grandfather couldn't help himself."

"I will kill you…"

Kuroo laughed as he felt the weight of the past few days melt away and a sense of security set in. Their relationship was stronger than ever. While her past may create some challenges here and there, they would face them together.