A week had passed since Inuyasha and Kagome's last interruption and the only developments taking place were around them. After Sango's initial freak out, she'd accepted the merfolk secret fairly easily. She'd be going on her fist date-but-not-date with Miroku that weekend. Kagome wasn't about to let her friend off the hook that easy after that phone call and saw to goad her at each opportunity.

"You let him see you naked already," she pointed out during their break. "May as well call it like it is."

Sango blushed. "Well – well – what about you?" she whispered, leaning in. "Inuyasha's always giving you those bedroom eyes and you're gonna tell me you're holding out?"

"Maybe if we weren't always getting interrupted something would've happened already!" Kagome whispered back.

"I knew he didn't stub his foot!"

The exclamation wasn't said quietly, and a few diners around them laughed at the abrupt statement. It didn't matter that they didn't know the context.

"You know nothing," Inuyasha said in passing, a pitcher of tea in hand. With summer winding down, some of the seasonal work Inuyasha had been handling had slowed considerably. Which was fine, as Daisuke was all too happy to bring him on. The no-shows had failed to appear to work twice since the mess from weeks before and had been let go. Inuyasha had taken to serving easily, and the diners enjoyed his presence. It allowed him to add to his nest egg and when he needed to return to the kingdom he didn't have to make up excuses for time off.

Sango grinned at his retreating back. "I think I do," she told him in a singsong voice. Inuyasha pretended that he didn't hear her, but the light tint in his cheeks said otherwise.

Kagome finished the rest of her lunch, ignoring her friend and boyfriend. This wasn't unusual for them, and the diners enjoyed the banter. She could swear they deliberately tried to provoke each other on any given day. It was all in good fun of course, and she was glad that they got along so well. On occasion Miroku and Shippo would come in for lunch, even if the former was more interested in wooing Sango than eating. They had developed a routine, and she didn't mind at all.

She stole a glance over her shoulder. Inuyasha was speaking with a couple older ladies that resided in the retirement community. They were regulars, came in each Sunday for breakfast and on Wednesdays for lunch. Sweet ladies, both grandmothers. They were also notorious flirts and had taken really well to Inuyasha's presence. He took it in stride – they meant nothing by it – and it wasn't like she could blame them. His broad shoulders stretched the diner tee and molded to his frame nicely, putting the muscle in his arms on display. Whether his hair was pulled back into a plait, a ponytail, or left in a quick bun, it gave everyone he passed a nice view of his backside. She was not about to let her eyes go lower. She already knew how well those jeans fit.

Damn. She was lucky to have him in her life. He just as easily could've picked any girl, and he chose her.

Kagome collected her dishes to take back to the kitchen. Did he really choose her though? It wasn't like they were engaged exactly… but Sesshomaru had brought up those traditions, whatever they were, like he expected something to come of it. Inuyasha still hadn't told her anything, and she had a feeling he was more nervous about her reaction than the traditions themselves. She supposed that it would make sense; in a way they were from two different worlds, with different customs. Things they'd done weren't appropriate by his people's views, and even a couple were frowned upon among the islanders, depending on how "traditionalist" they were. She wasn't worried, about what he'd tell her or even what people thought about them. Inuyasha would tell her when he was ready. Everyone else would just have to deal with their choices.

She collected her pad and pen, heading to the first of her tables that was occupied. While her mind was still pondering that talk, her body moved on autopilot, taking the drink orders of the four men at the booth. It wasn't until she was halfway back with the drinks that she was jerked out of her thoughts by their conversation.

"Dude, was that Chubby Bunny Higurashi?"

"No way. It couldn't be."

"I dunno man. Looks like her to me."

"You must be going blind. Higurashi never looked that hot in high school!"

Kagome tried not to slam the glass in her hand down on the table. "Your drinks, gentlemen," she said with a fake smile in place. She knew who they were now, even if their names escaped her. She remembered the teasing, how they called her every fat name under the sun. She also knew not to acknowledge it. As it was, they weren't even sure she was the girl they had picked on. It was better to ignore it. That's what she kept telling herself. "Are you ready to order?" she asked as she placed the final glass on the table. The two guys by the window were ready, quickly listing off a ridiculous amount of food. The third hesitated as he studied her, but eventually ordered. The fourth was the one to give her issue.

"You're Higurashi."

'Don't panic.' "I fail to see how that's relevant to your order."

The guy's grin widened and Kagome's stomach dropped. "It is you." He let out a low whistle that made heads turn from the nearby tables. "Damn Higurashi, it's been a while. What happened?"

"I grew up," she replied in a clipped tone. She would not take the bait. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "Your order?"

"A bacon patty melt. Pickles on the side with onion rings," he rattled off, not looking at the menu. "I see you aren't chubby anymore."

"No," she took the menus back, tucking them under her arm. "I'm not." 'Don't encourage them, Kagome. You just need to get away –'

"You got a boyfriend, Chubby Bunny?" He continued, ignorant of the flash of annoyance that crossed her face. "Someone getting a chubby carrot each night?"

His friends around him choked out a few laughs, but one hard look from Kagome sobered them up. She chose not to respond to that comment, tearing the order sheet off the pad. In her irritation she dropped the paper and stooped to pick it up. Not a second later she felt – and heard – the sound of a hand smacking her rear. Kagome straightened and spun on her heel, ready to tell off the guy, only she never got the chance.

A familiar hand had a tight grip on the wrist of the guy. The growl that came out of Inuyasha was almost feral. "You will apologize to her."

"Man who the hell –"

"You. Will. Apologize. To. Her. Now."

With each word Kagome saw Inuyasha's grip tighten on the wrist. Not that she was concerned about this man's wellbeing, but his hand was starting to change color. It wouldn't reflect well on Inuyasha if he didn't stop soon. His buddies were even telling him to apologize, but she couldn't look away from Inuyasha. Kagome had never seen him so mad before. As she placed a hand on his arm, his gaze snapped to her.

"It's not worth it," she whispered, startled by what she saw. Normally warm eyes the color of whiskey glared back a brilliant gold. Faint markings stretched across his cheekbones, not unlike Touga's. 'What's happening to you, Inuyasha?'

As soon as the guy let out a half-assed "sorry", Inuyasha let his wrist go. Kagome didn't bother to wait for the whimpering that was bound to follow before she tugged Inuyasha by the arm to the kitchen. On the way she slapped the menus and the order list on the pickup counter. Someone would see them and take care of it. She pulled Inuyasha down the hallway to the office, not stopping to knock on the door.

Daisuke was sitting at the desk filling out forms as his daughter stormed into the room, pulling her boyfriend behind her. "What's wrong?"

"Some cretin touched Kagome," Inuyasha snarled, trying to reign in his temper. He'd been only a few tables away when he'd heard the conversation and had grown concerned. Then the man had made that lewd comment, and he'd gotten angry. But when Kagome bent to pick up the dropped paper and he'd touched her…he saw red. He didn't recall crossing the space in three steps or grabbing the offending hand. Even Kagome's touch had taken him a minute to process, but the startled look in her eyes bothered him the most.

"What –" Daisuke rose from his seat, throwing down his pen.

"Guys from school that used to pick on me," Kagome cut in quickly. "One of them thought he was being clever…and he touched me when I bent to pick up the order list. Inuyasha nearly broke his wrist –"

"He deserved it!"

"Yeah but you don't deserve to get charged with battery!" she shot back. Kagome knew that he meant well, but the guy really wasn't worth the effort. He would've spun the story to outrageous levels, and Inuyasha or the diner getting fined was the best-case scenario. Telling him all this didn't seem to calm him down unfortunately. Kagome sighed, stepped into his arms and pressed her face against the crook of his neck. "I'm alright, Inuyasha."

Daisuke didn't look happy either. He was glad that Inuyasha had taken up for Kagome. But it shouldn't have happened in the first place. "They're still here? Have they ordered?"

"Yeah, I left their order on the pickup counter for Yusuke." Kagome tried not to sigh as Inuyasha started to rub her back. He knew. She was alright, but she wasn't alright. That guy's touch had been as unwarranted as his words. Inuyasha's touch was comforting, and she leaned into him, tightening her arms around his waist.

"I don't want you going back over to that table until they're gone," Daisuke told her as he opened the door. "For the remainder of your shifts, I want you and Inuyasha to switch. I'll handle that table as long as they're here. As much as I'd love to let you, I can't let you kick his ass. At least not on the property. Unless of course he were to start it…"

The dark chuckle that rumbled against her chest had Kagome looking up. The marks on his cheeks were gone, but his eyes still held a hint of gold. "There you are," she smiled. "Are you okay now?"

"I…think so." Inuyasha tightened his hold. He knew they'd have to get back out on the floor, or Sango was going to give them hell, but he just needed a few more minutes. He hadn't been able to understand why Kagome had looked at him so strangely until he'd seen his reflection in the small mirror on the wall when they'd come in. He hadn't recognized himself, and that terrified him. Even Miroku had never been able to test his temper like that. What was going on?


"You're going back?" Kagome tried not to look disappointed when Inuyasha told her that he needed to return to the kingdom.

They'd just finished cleaning up from dinner when he said it. Though really, she shouldn't have been surprised. After the day they had, it was understandable. Inuyasha hadn't been himself since, even when they got off work.

He nodded. "I need to speak with my parents about what happened. I need -" He couldn't finish the thought. That surge of anger, that energy that came over him…he had to know why it happened. He had to know that he could control it. To be assured that he wouldn't hurt Kagome if he ever reached that point again. Aside from the physical changes that had alarmed him, not being able to recognize her at first scared the hell out of him. If he were to hurt her in that state he would never forgive himself.

But seeing her face drop when he told her he was leaving was just as bad.

"If it were anything else…"

"I know," she said softly. "You do what you need to do, Inuyasha. I'll be alright."

It wasn't exactly a lie. She was independent, or at least she liked to think she was. Then again, she'd never slept in this house by herself before tonight. Inuyasha had been there each night since she moved in, she realized. They both knew that he'd have to go back sometime, it just…never happened. Until tonight. Maybe she wanted to be a little selfish. Even sleeping in his own room, it was still a comfort that she wasn't alone at night.

Inuyasha looked at her skeptically, and she knew he saw through her. "I wouldn't leave this late if it wasn't important," he told her, reaching up to brush his knuckles against her cheek. He wasn't keen on the idea of leaving her alone either. They had built a routine, and he liked that. It gave him comfort. He bent to kiss her gently, hating himself for pulling away. He wanted to stay. "I'm going to try to be back before breakfast."

She nodded, and they shared one more kiss at the door before saying goodnight. Kagome watched from the windows until she could no longer see Inuyasha on the street. It wasn't like it was goodbye, she reasoned with a shaky breath, but the ache in her chest sure as hell felt like it.

Unbeknownst to her, Inuyasha felt the same way as he forced himself to not turn around. Each step forward meant he was closer to answers, and ultimately getting back to Kagome. Still, both couldn't help but wonder how they were going to get through the night.


Touga and Izayoi were surprised to see their son appear in the corridor that evening, and naturally they assumed that something bad had happened. After all, seeing your child rush into your home late at night looking troubled never spelled good news. It wasn't until Inuyasha explained what happened that day that they understood his panic. What they didn't understand was why he didn't see the situation for what it was.

Izayoi watched him with a frown as Inuyasha tore through the racks of scrolls in the study. She had told her husband to turn in with Inukimi. He had hesitated until she urged him, telling him that once Inuyasha had his answers she would join them. There wasn't much either of them could do at the moment, but she had a feeling he might benefit from hearing her explain things. "What is it that you hope to find sweetheart?"

"I need to know that I won't hurt Kagome," he said, not turning around. He'd open one scroll, scan it, and return it to the shelf. It had felt like hours had passed and he was no closer to a definitive answer. It was just out of reach and it was driving him crazy. He tossed another rolled up scroll back and groaned. "How can we have all of these," he waved a hand at the racks, "but not have one that can tell me what I need to know!?"

She shook her head. 'Just like his father. Overlooking the obvious.' Izayoi swam to his side, stalling his movements with a hand on his arm. "You said that your anger rose," she reminded him. "What caused it?"

"Those men spoke inappropriately to Kagome." Alright so it was just the one that kept at it when she was right there, but it was a minor detail.

"What made you stop your duties and go over to them?"

Inuyasha frowned at his mother. He'd told her all of this earlier. "That one touched her –"

"Tell me why you nearly broke his wrist."

"Because Kagome didn't deserve to be treated like that! He had no right to touch her –"

Izayoi wasn't letting him finish before she cut in again. "And why is that?"

"She's my girlfriend –"

"So?" She shot him a calculating look. "There were any number of things that you could've done. You chose to inflict bodily harm. Why?"

"I love her. Mother –"

"Is that all?" she pressed. She knew she was pissing him off. Touga said that she could take that same expression that was on Inuyasha's face when she became irritated.

"No –"

"Then tell me the real reason you did what you did."

"She's my chosen!" he shouted in the room. "I want to be with Kagome! To make her mine! To be hers! No one will touch her like that –" Inuyasha's eyes widened as the words sunk in. "Mother…I…"

Izayoi was beaming. "I'm glad you figured that out at last, Inuyasha. I really didn't want to be the one to tell you what you were feeling."

"You- you mean you knew? This whole time?"

She laughed softly. "I'm your mother. I had a hunch back when you both were children that we'd have this discussion one day." Laughing was good in that moment. It meant she was less likely to shed a tear for the realization that her son had truly grown up. She knew of course that one day he would leave home. His staying with Kagome at her house was the beginning. As sad as the thought was that Inuyasha would not need her as much anymore, she wasn't as upset as she thought she'd be. He'd found his intended. He was happy with Kagome, and she couldn't ask for more than that.

"That still doesn't explain –"

"If you think about it, it does." Izayoi began to count on her fingers of past examples. "When you are away from Kagome, she is all you can talk about. You've admitted that you love her – multiple times. I see you with a faraway look and I can tell it's her you think about. Are you really surprised that you fly into a rage when she's treated inappropriately, much less touched inappropriately by another man?"

Inuyasha looked embarrassed. How had he not realized? His mother spelled it out before him, and looking back it was so obvious. He'd become smitten with Kagome long before he even began to understand that she'd become the first thing he thought of in the mornings and the last thought at night. "But my face –"

"Your father's blood is powerful," she said simply. "If I had been born of the sea as Inukimi had been, you would resemble your brother. As it stands, you are just as strong. It only lays dormant until you require it and draw from it."

"Then…I won't hurt Kagome?"

Izayoi tutted, pulling her son into a hug. "I highly doubt that would happen, sweetheart. Now, do you have the answers you need? I believe you have things you need to take care of."


Kagome reached for her phone on the bedside table, turning on the screen so she could read the clock. It was going on two in the morning and she couldn't fall asleep and stay asleep. Every sound would jolt her awake. It could be the house settling or the tree her grandfather had always talked about cutting down – it didn't matter. She'd sit up, hoping to hear Inuyasha moving somewhere in the house. She wasn't worried about someone trying to break in; her house was too far out of the way for it to be considered, and even the community was relatively easygoing. If something suspicious occurred on the island, half the town would hear about it over coffee the next day.

It was pointless to look for him. She knew this. He wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Or later today, technically. There was no need to look for him. He would come back, just as he said, and hopefully with the answers he was looking for. That's what she kept telling herself each time she got up out of bed and walked the house. She'd check each room upstairs, starting with his, then go downstairs and search. It's like she hoped that she'd find him camped out on the couch because he didn't want to disturb her coming in.

By midnight she'd convinced herself to stop getting out of the bed.

'Thank god tomorrow is a short shift,' she thought, burying her face into her pillow once more. 'I may not sleep until the sun comes up at this rate.'


Inuyasha winched as he closed the front door. He knew it was the middle of the night, but his heart didn't want to wait until morning. He'd gotten his answers, and he intended to stay for his mother's benefit. When she had brought it up that he'd been at Kagome's house each night since she moved in, he was more than mortified. It had explained the peculiar look that Lady Inukimi had given him in passing when he appeared at the kingdom earlier. Lady Inukimi probably thought like much of the realm had, if Miroku's comments were to go by: that he was going against tradition, taking advantage of the hospitality of the human woman who'd captured his interests.

Well, they weren't wrong. In the years since he met her, Kagome had taken hold of him and wrapped him around her finger without either of them realizing it.

Izayoi had shooed him off with a laugh, knowing that his attempts to stay would've had him restless for the remainder of the night. She really didn't mind. He'd found his place. She wasn't going to keep him there. All he would do would be wandering the corridors, and no one would get any rest.

He'd felt guilt as he pulled himself up onto the shore, throwing handfuls of sand over his tail to dry it faster. Dressing in the clothes he'd left in felt like a walk of shame, even though he didn't have anything to be ashamed of. They hadn't done anything…exactly… He'd been thankful that it was dark as he left the beach and followed the streets to Kagome's house. Less likely to be seen blushing like an idiot as the reality of the situation set in.

Kagome was home.

She'd given him a key to her house months ago. That alone said enough. 'I should've known then,' he thought. He walked softly through the house until he found the wall clock. 'It's after three?' he winced again. 'Good think we don't work until this afternoon.' Inuyasha stepped slowly as he went upstairs, as if that would prevent the sounds of wood creaking. As quiet as the house was, he wouldn't have been surprised to step wrong and make a loud noise. He reached the second floor and paused as the two doors came into view. Both were open, but his feet were leading him away from where he knew he should go. Where it was socially acceptable to go.

The light of the moon shone through the window, casting a soft glow across the curves of the figure in the bed. Inuyasha stood in the doorway, watching the slow rise and fall of Kagome's chest as she slept. It looked like she was sleeping soundly, but the rumpled covers around her disagreed. He sighed, knowing he should turn around, go back to his room. He knew that she was right here, and she was alright. It would be the proper thing to do.

Inuyasha took a step forward, not giving a shit about being proper anymore.

Quietly, he undressed to his boxers, leaving the clothes in a pile by the foot of the bed. It wasn't difficult to slip under the covers behind her. He sighed in contentment as he got comfortable. Already he felt better. It wasn't enough to know that she was there, it seemed. As he slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest, he felt a wave of tiredness settle over him. If he'd done the sensible thing and gone back to his room, he probably wouldn't have slept at all.

"Mm…" Kagome shifted, and he tensed as she mumbled. A small part of him feared that she'd tell him to go back to his room, but that fear was washed away with her next words. "Inuyasha…you came back."

She'd sounded so relieved, and it made his heart swell. "Keh, course I did," he grinned, burying his nose in her hair. "Get some rest, Kagome. I'm right here." He heard her let out a small sigh of her own as she went back to sleep. 'And if you'll allow me, I'll be with you from here on out.'