A/N: Ugh, today was jam packed. I'm suprised I got this out on time. (I also gotta hurry up, since House is coming on and my friend got me into it.)

Anyway, I mentioned my deviantart a while ago, and I've actually got a piece of artwork up there now. It's a crack Inuyasha parody drawing, but meh, its art. Link in profile.

Today I also bought book 4 of Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden, all I have to say is, GO RIMUDO! I whooped in joy when he went "My name...is Rimudo, no, it's URUKI!" It is now my favorite of all volumes..

Edit: Please forgive the sloppy chapter I posted last night. Apparently some of the editing I did was not saved, particularly towards the end. I hope it saves correctly this time.


Chapter 20: Love in The Modern Era

What I had always wanted for so long had finally come true, Inuyasha and I were together in the romantic sense. I won't lie and say I wasn't happy, having Inuyasha there at my side, always, promising to never leave. I won't deny that I loved him when he tried to convey his feelings to me in ways other that words. And despite my previous doubts, Inuyasha was a great kisser. I can truly say that those days were of the happiest days of my life.

Though I had been slightly worried before when he said we would go along with our relationship despite the problem of Naraku, I didn't really care anymore. With the happiness that I had because of our decision, it didn't matter to us that we were endangering ourselves. You must understand that we were young, in love, and we would let nothing come between us, nothing.

I did, however, notice that after Inuyasha and I made that decision on the hilltop, he and Miroku-sama seemed a bit distant to each other. They didn't say much, if anything at all. It was impossible for me not to notice the tension between them, particularly when Inuyasha and I were being…together. I asked him about it on our journey back, several times, but he didn't say anything, and by the way he spoke of our friend, it seemed that he was the one mad at Miroku, not the other way around.

Whatever Miroku had said to him when they went off into the woods stung for long afterward. I'm not even sure if Inuyasha has forgiven him to this very day, but the farther time got from the spot, the more friendly they were until all was forgotten…so it seemed.

Anyway, after we got back of learning nothing from the puppet Naraku had planted for us, we went back to the village, and from there Inuyasha and I went back to my time…


Inuyasha and Kagome returned to her time soon after they entered the village. When they found themselves back inside the well-house, Inuyasha immediately remembered the last time he was here in this same spot, and how he had been frightened of how to apologize to Kagome for that first kiss in the cave…

Ah, how things had changed since then.

"Inuyasha, we're going to have to tell Mama about…us," Kagome whispered to him as they climbed out of the well.

"Do we have to?" he gave a small whine. He really didn't like anyone, especially Kagome's mother, to know their business.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome slid open the old wooden door and blinked in the sunlight. "Yes, Inuyasha. She's my mother. She'll find out anyway, and I'd rather it was from us telling her than her walking in on us."

That made the hanyou remember someone else who had learned of their relationship by walking in on them. "Remind me to kill that runt when we get back," he muttered.

"Inuyasha…" she warned, before pushing open the door to the Higurashi home. "I'm back, Mama!"

Inuyasha followed Kagome to the living room, revealing no one. "Mama?" She checked in the kitchen, which was once again, empty. "Souta? Jii-chan?" She looked throughout the house and found it to be empty, with the exception of Buyo pouncing on her when she entered her room.

Inuyasha took of whiff of the air. "No one's here. They've only been gone for about an hour."

Sighing, Kagome sat on her bed. "I guess we just came at a bad time. They'll probably be back soon."

"Yeah…" The hanyou's amber eyes glanced at her, a mischievous grin sprouting on his face. Kagome stared.

"What's with that look, Inuyasha?"

He sat next to her, his grin widening. "You know…we are alone."

Kagome felt her heart thump at that statement, having an idea of where this was going. "What's your point?"

"Well," He leaned closer, making Kagome curse that sexy grin of his while she blushed uncontrollably. "We haven't had much time alone since the monk and the exterminator were brought into all this."

She gulped, wondering how someone who seemed so awkward at first at anything related to love could be so…persuasive. "Inuyasha…we're in my house. We can't just—"

Kagome gave a strangled yelp of surprise when his arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his lap. She liked it when he flirted with her, but perhaps her hanyou was being a bit too forward. "W-wait, you're getting the wrong idea here, Inuyasha…"

He pulled away from where he nose was buried in her raven black hair, nuzzling. "Keh. Don't lie to me. You smell excited, woman."

Kagome's eyes got bigger. Excited…how? But then she remembered, Well, he can smell fear, so I suppose he can smell other things too… Her blush deepened, "But, um Inuyasha…why are you being so…" Her embarrassment was too much to continue on.

The hanyou rolled his eyes, as if it was obvious. "I'm stuck in a room that smells completely like you, and I can barely keep control when I'm only around you. How do you think I feel in here?"

Kagome didn't know whether to be flattered or…well, 'flattered' would be a good word. "Oh…well…you can go to another room if you're…uncomfortable…" she said the last word so softly that Inuyasha barely heard.

Inuyasha hooked his fingers underneath her chin, lifting her blushing face to look back at him. "No." And then he wasted no time in capturing her lips with his, pulling her more into his lap.

Whatever embarrassments and hesitations Kagome had were forgotten as she kissed him back, admitting to herself that perhaps she did like the dominant and forward Inuyasha he was now. He probably wouldn't be like this all the time, but it was nice every once in a while.

She gave a gasp as he pulled back from her lips and began moving lower, putting feather like kisses on her chin, jaw line, and down her swan-like neck. His lips lowered to right above the base of her neck where it connected to her shoulder, Kagome giving a gasp as he kissed in just the right spot. "Inuyasha…"

"Kagome! Are you back? I see your backpack down here!" Her mother called up the stairs, causing girl and hanyou to jerk away from each other in shock. Unfortunately, as they tried to spring apart, Kagome fell off his lap onto her bed, and with her hands still clenched to the back of his haori, he fell with her—to be more specific, half on top of her.

"Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi was advancing up the stairs, causing both of them to panic.

"Get off me, she's coming up here!" Kagome hastily whispered, trying to push him off. Her mother was on the landing as Inuyasha finally fell off her bed, but with his arm still hooked oddly around hers, she fell too…just as her mother turned the knob.

Mrs. Higurashi opened the door to find Inuyasha sprawled on the floor with Kagome on top of him, both of them looking like very embarrassed deer in headlights. She looked slightly surprised for a minute before asking, "Should I assume I came in at the wrong time?"

Inuyasha had never seen Kagome jump up so quickly, before speaking very fast from a very red face, "Um, yeah. We were just sitting on the bed when we heard you and you startled us so we kind of…fell."

It didn't take a genius to figure out the look in her mother's eye; she was suspicious. "But why would I startle you? You've heard me come home before."

Instead of trying to explain it again, Kagome hung her tomato-red face, hoping her mother would get the drift. Mrs. Higurashi's eyes darted from Kagome, to Inuyasha, not looking much better, andthen back again. She asked, "So…were you two…?"

Her daughter said nothing, but only gave a slight nod, wishing the floor would just open up and swallow her.

In a rapid turning of emotions, Mrs. Higurashi's mood suddenly brightened and she gave a small giggle, to the couple's embarrassment. "I always knew it was a matter of time. I guess I should leave you alone…" she closed the door again, but any mood that had been left in the room had long since evaporated.

Kagome and Inuyasha still were bright red as she left, and the first one to break the silence was Inuyasha. "Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"Why is it that everyone keeps finding out like this?"


Everyone was quite happy to see Kagome was back, and Souta was especially happy to see that Inuyasha had come too. While he dragged the hanyou off to show him some new video games, leaving him wondering to what a 'Pray-stayshun' was, Kagome helped her mother in the kitchen. Sooner than she thought, the topic turned to herself and Inuyasha.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed about this, Kagome. I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"But Mama," Kagome exclaimed, "You're not supposed to be happy about it!"

Mrs. Higurashi shrugged, "But I am happy. I've seen how you two have acted and known for a while, Kagome. And besides, Inuyasha-kun is a good boy, he protects and takes care of you, he can barely stand not to be around you, and we all like him, even Jii-chan. Most importantly, I know I can trust you both not to get in over your head."

Her daughter slumped into a chair. "It's kind of a new thing, Mama."

"Even if it is, I'm glad it happened." With a sly grin, she added, "Besides, how many other mothers can brag their daughter's boyfriend is a hanyou with cute dog ears?"

"Mama!" Kagome yelled, looking positively horrified, before her mother laughed again and turned back to cooking, leaving her daughter in a sour mood.


And so that was how Mama found out about us being together. I half-expected her reaction, but I didn't expect her to learn about us in the way that she did. But she seemed happy, rather than upset about it, and that's all that mattered.

And so life continued like that for a whole month. We didn't travel much in the Sengoku Jidai, having no leads or youkai to fight, so I mostly stayed in my time, with Inuyasha at my side. He would walk me to school, and, to my delight, give me a morning goodbye kiss before I went inside. My friends were quite shocked the first time they saw it, and Houjou looked a bit distraught as well. It took a lot of convincing and many kisses before my friends finally believed that my boyfriend had decided to take our relationship seriously.

And after that, he would leave to help out at the shrine, getting on Jii-chan's good side. At first, my grandfather was…unhappy, you might say, to learn of Inuyasha and I together, as I was his only granddaughter, but he seemed to get over it as Inuyasha was useful in helping to clean out the shrine storerooms. When it was time for me to get out of school, he would then leave to come pick me up, greeting me with yet another kiss and walking me home.

There was no other word for it; I was happier than I ever had been. I had the man I loved at my side, with me every day. We were more careful about when and where we were "alone" but it didn't matter. As long as Inuyasha was there, smiling, and laughing, I knew I was loved, and I know he knew it too.

However, even for being "boyfriend" and "girlfriend", we didn't do many of the things people in our time did. For example, we didn't go on what most would call "dates" because I knew Inuyasha would be uncomfortable. But there was one time, as the weather got colder and winter was coming upon us, that we did go out for a night on the town, a night I shall never forget…


The minute Kagome got out of school that day, she knew something was wrong. Inuyasha wasn't there to walk her home or give her an after school kiss. Her mood hardened, she had been looking forward to that ever since the last one that morning.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Yuka asked, glancing around the street. "I thought he always came to pick you up."

"So did I," Kagome muttered, wondering where he could be. She knew how possessive he was over her, and how he wouldn't like to leave her alone like this. Should she be worried?

"He probably just forgot," Eri supplied, as they walked down the streets toward the shrine together.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome told her, "Trust me, Eri-chan, he wouldn't forget."

"Maybe he is waiting for you to get back because he has a surprise for you!" Ayumi squealed, her eyes sparkling.

"I doubt it. He's not one for surprises," said Kagome, making her annoyed. He better have had a logical explanation for not showing up, because the only way she had gotten through math was thinking about what a kiss she was going to get at the end of the day!

When she got to the shrine, she learned exactly why he hadn't shown up. "Mama, where's Inuyasha?" Kagome asked the minute she got into her home. "He didn't pick me up today."

"He's upstairs, in Souta's room, trying on one of your father's old tuxedos," her mother replied, as if she was talking about the weather.

It took Kagome a few seconds to fully understand what her mother had said. "Wait…he's what?"

"Didn't I tell you? I decided that since you two don't get to go out and on dates like normal teenagers, I thought I might set one up for you."

Kagome started at her mother. "You did what?"

Mrs. Higurashi smiled and held up a beautiful periwinkle blue dress to her gaping daughter. "I bought you something to wear, too. I don't understand what the problem is. It's just to a fancy restaurant and then home."

Kagome began to wonder if her mother had completely lost it. "Mama you want me…to take Inuyasha…to a fancy restaurant?"

Before she could finish, there was a voice from the stairs. "Hey, I think I have this on wrong…" Kagome turned…and there was Inuyasha, standing there, looking god-like in his tux. Her mouth fell open.

The hanyou was bewildered by the look on Kagome's face. "Do I look all right?"

The only thing she could do was nod. It was true; those things could make any man look good. But Inuyasha didn't quite understand what her gesture meant, so he just walked back up stairs, leaving Kagome in awe.

Mrs. Higurashi could only smile. "So, do you think you want to try on the dress?"

"I think I will," Kagome replied, walking up to her room, and the minute she got in, she wondered how long it would be before she got tuxedo-clad Inuyasha all to herself.


Hours later, her mother dropped them off at some high class restaurant in the heart of Tokyo. Kagome had ended up wearing the dress, and high heels to match, with her hair put up in an elegant bun at the back of her neck. The look she had given him had been repeated when he had first seen her dressed up. It was hard enough not to keep staring at her as they were seated at their table.

Kagome thought Inuyasha looked better than before, despite the fact that his ears were hidden by yet another hat, though this one didn't look as stupid as his traditional baseball hat. But despite how nice he looked, there was still one fear she had. "Inuyasha, Mama did tell you how to act in here…right?" she whispered to him.

"Keh, of course I know how to act in here," he muttered back. Inuyasha could tell that he wasn't familiar with this kind of environment, and so, he would do what he had to in order to survive without getting sat or embarrassing Kagome; copy whatever she did.

But he wasn't perfect, his first slip up was with the menu. He recognized some of the foods, but others he hadn't even heard of before, or were written in a way that he couldn't decipher. "Kagome, what's this stuff?" he asked, pointing to the parts he couldn't read.

Kagome mentally cursed herself for her stupidity. Of course Inuyasha couldn't read romanji. Besides, it was all foreign food anyway. "Um…why don't you let me order for you, Inuyasha," she said, hoping she could work this out.

Inuyasha's second mistake was not realizing that the guy who was leaning a bit too close to Kagome was only doing it because he was taking her order. When he started growling, Kagome gave him a sharp glare, while the others stared, making him slide down in his seat. He had screwed up again.

Everything seemed to have gone downhill from there, he ate too messily, he growled at the people passing by, he used too foul of language for this type of place…he soon wished this night would end before he ended up disappointing Kagome more. By the time they walked out of the restaurant, it was a relief to both of them.

His earsdrooped on his head despite that they were still hidden. "I'm sorry, Kagome."

She glanced back at him. "For what?"

"For…back there." His head hung low, feeling horrible for embarrassing Kagome like that.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said softly, trying to reassure him. "It's all right…I understand that you—"

She was cut off by someone bumping in to her. "Oh, excuse me," a male voice said, continuing to walk along.

Turning back, Kagome continued, reaching down to rest her arm on her purse. "Like I was saying—" she stopped. Her purse wasn't where she thought it was…in fact, it wasn't even on her arm. She glanced back at the man that just bumped into her, who now broke into a run.

"Hey! He stole my purse!" she yelled, hoping Inuyasha would jump on the chase. Unfortunately, he didn't.

"So? Get a new one!" he muttered, folding his arms, not wanting to go chasing after someone tonight, in her time of all places.

"Inuyasha," her voice had gone deeper, and he knew it was a threat. "Besides my money, and my mother's credit card, I have the shikon shards in that purse."

A second later, Inuyasha had thrown off the tuxedo coat, had pulled Kagome onto his back, and was soaring above the rooftops. "Why the hell did you put them in there, woman?" he roared, as he followed the thief's scent.

"You told me to always keep them close!" she bellowed back. "But I couldn't wear them around me neck in there!"

"But you don't just let them get stolen either!"

"There he is!" Kagome pointed down to the figure far below, running into one of the alleys.

"Hang on tight!" Inuyasha called back before he jumped down and skidded to a stop right in front of the thief.

"Give me my purse back!" Kagome called, jumping off Inuyasha, but the thief had other plans, he ran in the opposite direction, just what Inuyasha wanted. He cornered the man into an alleyway, his only escape blocked by an angry hanyou.

Growling, Inuyasha stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "I'll be taking that back now."

"Who are you to order me?" the man asked, though Inuyasha could smell the scent of fear on him.

A perfectly timed gust of wind blew by, knocking the hat off Inuyasha's head, revealing his dog like ears, causing the man to stumble back and yell in surprise. Grinning evilly, showing off his fangs, Inuyasha growled low, "Your worst nightmare."

The man gave one final scream and tossed the purse back to Kagome before running out of the alleyway faster than he ran in. Looking down at the prize back in her hands, she gave a sigh of relief. "At least we got my purse back."

But Inuyasha was still enjoying the moment far too much. He cackled, "Did you see the look on his face! I never get tired of that!"

"Yeah, whatever, Inuyasha. Now put your hat back on." Kagome handed his hat to him, and his giddy expression dropped when he saw it.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, Inuyasha, or I'll say 'it'."

Grumbling, the hanyou thrust the hat back on head. "Do you know where we are, anyway?"

Kagome looked around, until she spotted something she recognized. "Look! It's the dance club we went to before!"

With that look in her eyes, he knew what was coming. "Oh, no you don't!" But she had already pulled him to it and inside, where the music was playing a slow song.

"Come on!" She dragged him to the dance floor again, despite the fact that they didn't look at all like people you'd expect to go clubbing—some of Kagome's hair had fallen out of its bun and Inuyasha had rolled up the sleeves on his dress shirt before going after the thief.

"Kagome, wait! I don't know how to do this!" he whispered hastily, hating the fact that she was making him dance again.

Smiling mischievously, she grinned, "Then learn." She leaned against him again, swaying softly to the music, while his arms wrapped around her timidly once more. For a while, he was comfortable, until the music began to get fast again.

Kagome tried to get him to dance again, but this time, he flat out refused, and walked out of the club, leaving Kagome feeling guilty and following after him. All she wanted was a little bit of fun and she had thought after last time that maybe he did…

Once outside, she tried to apologize. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, I know you don't like it, and I shouldn't force you to—"

He cut her off by grinning at her. "Hey, Kagome?"

She stared. He wasn't angry? And what was he so happy about? "What?"

"Wanna go flying, Kagome?"

Kagome barely had any time to gasp before Inuyasha pulled her on to his back, and leapt into the air, soaring among the rooftops once more. While the rose higher, his hat flew off, falling down to the ground far below them. "Inuyasha, your hat!" Kagome cried,her eyes on his rather conspicuous ears.

"Don't worry, we're going faster than they can see us!" With that, he jumped on top of a roof and raced across it, leaping into the moonlit sky, with Kagome laughing in delight as the next rooftop seemingly rose up to meet them.

"Where are we going?" she asked, between laughs and gasps as they rose and fell.

With her question the hanyou began to slow, and then skidded to a stop on top of a skyscraper in the middle of Tokyo. He glanced back at her, his grin returning. "To the moon." And then he took off once more, flying higher and faster than he had done before. Kagome held on to him for dear life, but he felt her throw her head back and give the most beautiful laugh he had ever heard, feeling the wind rush past them, completely ripping her hair free of the bun she had had it in before. This is what it felt like…flying…

They landed on a high, long roof, both out of breath and giving off little laughs. The instant he set her down Kagome's legs failed her, and she fell down on to the concrete roof, giggling at her fall. Inuyasha sat down with her, both of them ended up to looking out towards the lights reflecting off Tokyo bay.

As their laughter died down, Kagome leaned against Inuyasha, smiling. Despite how the night had begun with Inuyasha making mistakes, and then her misguided hopes of trying to get Inuyasha to do something that he didn't like, the night had ended just the way she wanted. It was their thing, flying, and a reminder of that day, one month ago, when their relationship had begun.

"I'll never forget this night, Inuyasha," Kagome murmured, snuggling closer to him.

He glanced at her, suspiciously. "It didn't start out right."

Shaking her head, she continued, "No, but its end was perfect…I like flying with you."

"We've done this before," Inuyasha said as Kagome turned her face towards his.

A smile teased her lips. "But tonight is better. Do you want to know why?"

He tilted his head towards hers, getting the drift. "Why?"

"Because of this." Her lips pressed on to his, Inuyasha returning the gesture. They clung to each other as they continued in their beautiful embrace, wishing it would never stop. Fireworks exploded beneath both of their eyelids, and though the did not realize it, over the bay as well. The moonlight shone down upon the hanyou and the miko, both so much in love that they hoped this embrace would never end.

Unfortunately, fate would be too cruel.