Kagome had always loved the smell of ink. She found it to be earthy, with a sprinkle of metallic. It spoke of choices made and accomplishments acquired, but mostly, it spoke of Kagome finally evening the score with her sister.

"Tell me when I get to start makin' my wishes."

Inuyasha Taisho was eager. Kagome loved when her quarries were eager. It meant less work for her, and more time for her to gloat that this one was so easy.

"Immediately." Kagome crossed her legs and looked into the amber eyes across from her; the fire in them was so intense she felt the burn of the gaze.

"I wanna see Shiori." Inuyasha did not even hesitate. "I wanna see what happened to her."

Kagome nodded her head and snapped her fingers, her mind lingering on the Shiori footnote that was written in Inuyasha's file from six years prior.

Shiori Kōmori was a bat half-demon who lived in Seattle. Her human mother had fallen for her bat demon father in a whirlwind love affair. Unfortunately for Shizu and Tsukuyomaru, bats were not demons that took kindly to humans and demons falling in love. When Tsukuyomaru refused to renounce his wife and his child, he was killed (for reference: Tsukuyomaru was one of those demons who went up instead of down).

Unfortunately, that left Shizu with an infant half-demon daughter and zero ways to make ends meet. She did what she had to, and unfortunately, 'what she had to' had consequences. Shizu was sent to prison for welfare fraud: for the grievous sin of selling food stamps so she could buy feminine products. When Shizu got sick in prison, she didn't get better. And that was that.

Shiori Kōmori went into the system when she was 10 years old.
Shiori Kōmori met Inuyasha when she was 14 years old, after trying to pickpocket him on the Metro.

"Oi!" Inuyasha had managed to grab the tiny teenager's wrist before she'd made her escape. Half-demon matched against half-demon.

"If you don't get your hands off me I'm going to claim you're trying to abduct me," Shiori had whispered. She might have sounded confident, but Inuyasha had not missed the tremble in her voice.

"We both know that you're not keen on yelling for the police there, girlie," Inuyasha had said, not letting go of her wrist. "Now give me back my phone and my wallet."

It was the first time that Shiori had been caught.

"You gonna rat me out half-breed?" Shiori had a mouth on her.

Maybe it was the fact that she sounded so brash but was actually really scared, or maybe it was because she had just used a slur that applied as much to herself as it did to him, but Inuyasha made a decision.

"You eat ramen?" His question had caught her off guard.

Maybe that too is why Shiori answered honestly. And why she didn't take off and run away when he let her go. Though bets were that it had more to do with the fact that a fellow half-demon had not only caught her, but had already shown her more compassion than the last three of her foster homes.

That was also why when Inuyasha asked if she wanted to get ramen, his treat, she actually went with him.

"What's your name?" Inuyasha had asked, both of them gulping down three bowls of the miso broth pork belly ramen that Inuyasha had recommended as his favorite.

"Why? So you can stalk me?" Shiori was onto bowl number four before she'd even been willing to reply, let alone answer.

"Because you're a skinny half-demon kid who steals shit from people," Inuyasha frowned. "And I don't know many half-demons so… I like to know 'em by name."

"Shiori." It was the first time in a long time that Shiori was actually answering that honestly. But hey, if some half-demon white knight wanted to buy her expensive ramen, who the hell was she to say no?

"Who'd you get the hair from?" Inuyasha had pointed to Shiori's light blue hair; most people thought it was hair dye, but he knew better.

"Dad. Who'd you get the ears from?" Shiori's wit was sharp as a whip.

"Dad. Yours dead too? Or a deadbeat?" But Inuyasha's answers kept her from shutting down and walking away.

Shit. She kept wanting to open up around him. It was already annoying.

"Dead. Like my mom," Shiori scoffed.

She didn't need to be a part of the dead dad club with this stupid half-demon who…

"Shit, I'm sorry. Sounds like I shoulda just let ya go…" Inuyasha shrugged, and signaled and grabbed the check. "Let 'em know if you want takeout."

"Thanks…" Shiori had considered for an extra-long moment, then asked. "Uhh… what's your name?"

"Inuyasha."

And that was the end. The whole interaction. Shiori disappeared into the ether of Seattle with some takeout ramen and a name, and Inuyasha paid a bill and tried to figure out how to keep in touch with a teenage half-demon pickpocket.

But he never saw her again.

He thought about her, though. A lot. Enough to trade his soul for a wish to find out what happened to her. That wish was what brought Kagome and Inuyasha to their present location.

"Look around," Kagome suggested; they had been transported to a large circular fountain, its water features looking a bit like a fleur de lis. Around them were handsome brick buildings and manicured lawns. The University of Washington.

Inuyasha's eyes shot back and forth, trying to find a sign—any sign—that Kagome had successfully delivered him his wish.

Then, there she was. She was sitting on the north side of the fountain not 10 yards from where they were both standing, her electric blue hair under a beanie. And even though her back was to them, Inuyasha knew that he was looking at Shiori.

"Oh, look at that; looks like she's getting up and walking directly past you," Kagome smirked, turning away from what she knew to be about to happen. "I wonder if she'll make eye contact."

The figure suddenly stood up and looked toward Central Plaza, her eyes scanning, then freezing the moment that they locked with Inuyasha's. Her shocking violet eyes widened, and her lips curled into a small "oh!", then rapidly stretched into a wide smile.

Inuyasha's hand waved of its own volition, and his ears waggled on the top of his head. Was this really happening? Was the girl bounding over to him at that very moment Shiori, the half-demon pickpocket that still haunted his mind?

"Inu—yasha?" Shiori asked as she stopped just short of him. She looked at his ears, then at his eyes, and somehow her smile became wider. "It is you!"

"Shiori." Inuyasha couldn't find more words.

He had thought about this moment for so long. Now, here he was, not knowing what to ask.

"I'm meeting someone in like a half hour but… do you want to grab coffee?" Shiori asked without hesitation, pointing to a coffee shop in one of the university buildings.

"Y—yeah…" Inuyasha nodded stupidly and simply followed as Shiori walked. What the hell was he planning on asking her, anyway?

What were the questions that one should ask in this circumstance? Inuyasha had asked the devil to find Shiori for him, because of some bowls of ramen, quick hands, and quicker wit. It was absurd that he thought so much, cared so much.

All because she was a half-demon like him?

"I… looked for you." Shiori's whisper was so quiet it was meant only for Inuyasha's ears. "Like, a lot."

"Oh." Inuyasha was still only capable of single-word replies, but thankfully that did not appear to be deterring Shiori.

"Yeah. Dunno why that stupid day in the ramen shop stuck with me so much but… yeah." Shiori was staring off into the distance; they were almost to their destination. "I guess. How often does someone run into a random half-demon who buys them ramen instead of reporting them to—y'know." (Inuyasha did know.) "That sort of shit doesn't happen to—to half-demons."

"Yeah." Inuyasha really really understood. He and his mother's life were hell for so many years. What the fuck else could he do? Turning Shiori in at that moment was consigning her to a life sentence of misery, and she already had to deal with half-demon related bigotry. "Uh, where did you go off to after that? Thought I'd see ya again. Y'know."

"Oh, yeah." Shiori actually smiled as she answered. "Get this; not even a month after that, I was adopted. A horse half-demon and his mother took me in as their family. They put a roof over my head, made sure I had enough to eat—knowing what a half-demon appetite looks like. Jinenji even stayed up all night with me on… on the special night, because he hated his and knew I'd feel vulnerable and alone."

"A half-demon family adopted you?" Inuyasha hadn't thought of that, but then again, he had only met Shiori once, and it would have been extra-weird for a 20-something half-demon to adopt a teenage half-demon.

"Yeah, Ma did, because she knew how hard it is for half-demons," Shiori sighed. "I thought they were going to treat me like some special charity case, but Ma got on me every time I slacked off. She would check my homework and follow me if I tried sneaking out. Plus… no one picks on a half-demon when their older brother is the size of a house."

They pushed through the doors of the cafe. The semester had not started yet, so the place was pretty empty.

"Let me buy you something," Shiori offered. "After all, I still owe you for all that ramen."

Inuyasha couldn't help but chuckle.
Fucking Shiori Kōmori had gotten adopted by a half-demon family not even a month after he met her.

"Black coffee is okay," Inuyasha said.

Suddenly he remembered why he was here. Where the hell was Kagome?

Out of the corner of his eye, there she was, sitting with a cappuccino already in front of her and reading a book in the far corner. No one seemed to notice that she was there; hell, even Inuyasha only saw her when he thought about her.

Kagome looked up when Inuyasha caught her eye. She simply nodded, then gestured back toward Shiori. Her wishes didn't have countdowns, and there was a lot more catching up that the two of them could do. Honestly, Kagome was happy to remain on Earth a bit longer, enjoy the sunshine and the coffee, and read a good book. Though she couldn't quite take her eyes off of her half-demon quarry. He had wished to see a half-demon girl he'd bought ramen for. Not to try to rekindle a lost love opportunity, not to demand what he thought was owed, but simply to see how she was doing.

It was… puzzling.

"So what are you up to now?" Inuyasha brought the coffee and the matcha latte that Shiori had ordered and paid for to the table.

"School," Shiori said, the first sip of the matcha leaving her with a foam mustache. "I am a semester away from a degree in Music. I want to be a composer."

"No shit?" Inuyasha chuckled again.

"Yeah! Ma bought me a violin. Told me I looked like the type who needed to do something with my hands." Shiori shrugged. "If she only knew… Anyway, she was right. I loved it. I tried out for the orchestra and got in—thank you, anonymous auditions—and realized that I didn't just like playing music, I also liked creating it."

"Suits you," Inuyasha interjected. It really was perfect for her.

"Thanks," Shiori blushed. "Anyway… I got into UW School of Music and… the rest is history. I need to start auditioning and things but… I'm avoiding."

"Sounds like you can do anything that you put your mind to," Inuyasha said.

A buzz on Shiori's phone paused their conversation. Apparently their half-hour was up.

"Sorry, it's Hiten. He's meeting me here." Shiori said. "We've been dating for two years. Thunder demon. Really good to me. He's a Mechanical Engineer. Adores anything on wheels." Shiori then looked up frantically. "But I don't want to lose out on years again! So… can I text you so we have each other's contact info?"

Inuyasha looked subtly over at Kagome. Was that part of the wish? That he was allowed to keep talking to Shiori after this one time?

Kagome nodded yes. She half wanted to roll her eyes at his earnestness, but… she couldn't. She was too fond of it.

"Yeah sure!" Inuyasha wrote down his number on a napkin, before finishing his coffee in a single gulp. "It was good to see you! I'm glad you're doin' so well!"

"Thanks," Shiori answered. But just before Inuyasha left, she stopped him with a gentle hand to his wrist. "Seriously. I think about that day—ramen day—a lot. If you'd turned me in… I—I don't know what would have happened."

"Everyone fucks up," Inuyasha answered, and his eyes softened as he looked at Shiori. "And everyone needs someone to buy them ramen once in a while."

They exchanged a lingering gaze at one another for a moment, then Inuyasha saw a dark-haired man with a braid down his back and red eyes making a beeline for the cafe. He turned toward the door, no use making trouble with Shiori and her boyfriend by being the weird half-demon guy hovering around her.

"Don't be a stranger, Inuyasha!" Shiori called just before he crossed the threshold of the door.

"Let me know when you have a concert," Inuyasha answered. "I wanna hear the music that comes outta those hands of yours."

Shiori giggled and waved goodbye, just as her thunder demon boyfriend had made it to the door of the cafe.

I mean it. Don't be a stranger! 😜
A text arrived from an unknown number to Inuyasha's phone; he saved it immediately.

"So…" Kagome was at Inuyasha's side nearly immediately (he had not even noticed that she'd gotten up from her seat), and they headed out into the greenery of the university. "Where to next?"

"Does everyone make all their wishes one right after the other?" Inuyasha frowned.

"Most, yes," Kagome answered.

She wracked her brain for anyone who didn't make them rapidfire. She could only think of one: a doctor seized by two personalities, and desperately trying to gain control. Only one of those personalities wanted to make wishes.

"Well, I want a little bit of time before I have to make the next one." Inuyasha's ears were pinned back and his eyes were haunted. "You can… hang around with me if you want. Like… if you don't need to go back… right now."

How odd, Kagome thought. Most of her previous subjects could not wait to be rid of her. There always did seem to be a bit of shame in taking her bargain.

Inuyasha, though, was not ashamed that he'd traded his soul for wishes, and what's more, his wish was only selfish in the sense that he wanted to make sure someone he cared about was alright. And… there was something about the way he was looking at her, his golden eyes reflected a want—a wish—still buried so deep in his soul that it might never surface. A wish, Kagome realized, she wanted to unearth.

"Okay," Kagome answered, and she roped her arm through his. "I'd be happy to hang around with you." She looked up at the sunlit sky, then back at Inuyasha, whose smile arrested her, but only for a moment. "What is it you have in mind?"

Inuyasha's ears began to wiggle and he led Kagome back toward Drumheller Fountain, talking about the things he loved to do when the sun was out in Seattle.

Yes, Kagome thought as they walked arm-in-arm, It would be nice to spend some more time on Earth.

Because even though she had won Inuyasha's soul, he still managed to be an enigma that she needed to figure out.