Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. I don't own anything. I'm broke.

Rated for profanity and potentially triggering scenes.

Summary:

There are some things that can be taught and others you can only learn through experience. Some subjects you can master and others you can completely fail at. No one ever said love was easy, but damn, no one ever told Inuyasha it was THIS difficult. Love in his 30's is harder than he thought. Can he get an A+ in the subject of love?

Learn It by Heart

Bittersweet 101

A lesson in cheering up the one you cherish

Life was good. Inuyasha leaned back in his chair. A part of him couldn't believe how well things were going in his life. When would the thunder strike down? Things were going so well that he was almost waiting for something to rain on his parade. The last few weeks had been filled with nothing but happy, smile-filled moments that he was more than just appreciative of. Work was great with the students enjoying his lessons, and life was amazing with him having the perfect balance of spending time with his friends and the person he likes. Now if he could just fix his family situation, he would have perfect marks in all areas.

"You good?" Miroku asked as he looked up from the kimchi he was working his way through.

Inuyasha watched beads of sweat make their way down Miroku's forehead and down his cheek. He never understood why Miroku continued to eat spicy food when he knew he couldn't handle it. "I'm good," Inuyasha replied as he tried to ignore the vibration in his pocket.

His old man had been trying to get through to him for the last couple of days but he had been avoiding answering his calls. It would only be a matter of time before his dad showed up at his door demanding his attention. With Inuyasha being as content as he was with his life, he felt he could take his father's annoyance in a fairly calm manner, something he hadn't been able to do in quite a long time.

"Better than you," Inuyasha said as he handed Miroku a napkin.

Miroku forced a smile while wiping at his sweat. "It's worth it. I swear Sango makes the best kimchi."

Inuyasha could only roll his eyes. Hands down Sango was the best chef Inuyasha had ever seen, he wouldn't dare try her spicy dishes knowing just how poor he was with spicy food though. While Miroku could power through it with milk, Inuyasha had no doubt he would be passed out on the floor if he tried to eat anything remotely spicy.

"If you say so," Inuyasha mumbled as he eyed his pocket.

It wasn't every day that his father called him repeatedly like this. He could ignore it or he could answer and quickly end the phone call.

I could just make the excuse that I have to get back to work…That'll keep the conversation brief. What else could his father expect if he was going to call him during work hours?

"I've gotta make a quick phone call. I'll be back in 5 minutes tops," Inuyasha said as he stood up and cracked his back.

Miroku could only nod through the tears welling in his eyes as he continued to finish his meal.

Inuyasha was somewhat excited to go up to the rooftop. He could use the little bit of fresh air before the next 5 hours of work. He took in a big whiff before breathing it out with a smile. Inuyasha felt an odd sense of peace despite going to talk to his father. They hadn't talked since the charity event and Inuyasha was very grateful for that. He was positive his father was going to ask something more of him. An odd request considering that his father hadn't asked much since Inuyasha left the company earlier this year. No matter what his father demanded of him, there was a mental comfort in knowing that he could open up to Kagome about it or easily grab a drink with his best friends to help him alleviate stress. It also put him in a good mood to know that they had an outing with Kagome coming up this weekend.

With little effort, Inuyasha pushed open the heavy door that led to the rooftop. It was a particularly hot day with little wind, he was sure to be sweating like Miroku if he stayed up there any longer than ten minutes.

Eh?

Closer towards the fence, he could see the very girl that he thought of day in and day out looking out at something in the distance. Her back was towards him and she had yet to acknowledge him as she stared out before them.

Inuyasha felt a burst of happiness set in at seeing her, it was the first time he'd seen her all day since the morning meeting.

"Kago-"

Inuyasha was instantly hit with a wave of anxiety as he drew closer to her. She's shaking.

At hearing her name, Kagome started to turn around before retreating into herself and drawing further from him. "Inuyasha."

His stomach caved in on itself. She's crying.

Inuyasha prided himself on being able to work well with people when he liked them and when they were in a good mood, however he had almost no experience with crying people. Especially crying young women. Minus a few episodes with Rin, it was fair to say he was not very qualified to deal with people when they were upset.

It wasn't like he could leave her now that he was here. Even when he stood directly behind her, she refused to turn to face him, aggressively swiping at her face as if that would keep her from crying. She obviously didn't want to face him and he wasn't going to force her, but he could at least let her know he was there for her.

"Kagome." He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

In near desperation, Kagome all but threw herself into Inuyasha's arms as she latched on to him. Instinctively, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her. It was the first time for him to see her cry like this and it was honestly heartbreaking. The way her body wracked against his as she cried out but attempted to hold it in made his heart lurch in a painful way.

He gently rubbed her back as he tried to think of what he could say to provide some comfort. His mind ran with all sorts of ideas as to what could have hurt her to make her cry like this. Was her mother okay? Had someone put their hands on her? Was she feeling very sick? He wouldn't speak until she was ready to talk though. He found this method worked best when people were crying.

It felt like hours of her sobbing before it dwindled down to weak sniffles. As she pulled back, she kept the same demeanor, refusing to look at him and keeping her trained on the floor. "Sorry," she gave a laugh of embarrassment.

Inuyasha gently guided her chin up to look at him. "You don't have to apologize." He took the ends of his sleeves and gently began to wipe under her eyes. He was surprised that she could look so composed after wailing like a baby. Despite all of that crying, she still looked beautiful, red swollen eyes and all. "We can talk about it if you wanna'."

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "If it's okay, I want to talk a little."

Hand in hand, the two walked to the benches and sat down.

Kagome heaved a heavy sigh. It wasn't long before laughter bubbled on her lips before spilling out. "It's been a while since I cried like that, I guess it just kind of built up." She turned to him with somewhat of an apologetic look. "Everything is fine, I guess I'm just being a bit sensitive. I feel so stupid."

"What happened?"

She heaved another sigh, as if bogged down by what she was soon to say. "Souta and I got into a fight yesterday."

"Your kid brother?"

"Mhmmm." She rested her elbows on her knees and leaned her head into her hands. "Things just kind of escalated and…." She seemed to choke up at thinking about the fight again. "It was the first time he ever yelled at me like that."

Flashback.

"Ne, Souta," Kagome called out from the couch as she heard Souta walk into the apartment. It was late and he looked fairly tired after a long day of school and club activities.

"What's up?" Despite the fatigue written on his face, he gave his sister his full attention while kicking off his shoes.

"Why didn't you tell me about what happened at school?" Kagome asked as she stood with a hand on her hip.

She had gotten an interesting call on her way from work earlier in the day. Her precious little brother had apparently been chosen as one of two candidates to attend one of the more elite programs with their partner schools after getting top scores on the school exam. Not only would it be a school where he could focus on sports but it would be on a full-ride scholarship that would surely look good on any college application.

The school hadn't said much about it when speaking with her on the phone, only that he had received the news weeks ago and that they had yet to hear a response from him, which ultimately led to them calling her. She remembered him studying hard for the exam, but it was shocking to hear he had passed and she hadn't known about it. At hearing the name of the scholarship, Kagome had done extensive research up until Souta's arrival. The more she searched about it and learned how beneficial it could be for him, the more excited she grew for her little brother's future. It would open so many doors for him when he went to this school. It would mean he would need to live in the boarding dormitories in Hokkaido, so far from their small area in Tokyo, but that was hardly a concern when she thought of how much Souta would enjoy himself.

Souta shrugged his shoulders as he instantly knew what she was referring to. "Don't know."

"Well, you have to sign the papers and give it to them by the end of the week. Er, that's what they said, but I think they really want you to do it by tomorrow."

With exhaustion written on his face, he closed his eyes for a few seconds. His eyes drifted to the table where the dinner his loving sister made and left out for him before he returned them to her. "Thanks for the update. I'm gonna' take a shower."

"Wait a second." It didn't take a genius to notice Souta's disposition at talking about such wonderful news. "What's wrong? Aren't you excited?" She paused for a beat. "Why didn't you tell me about the scholarship? They offered it to you weeks ago." Kagome repeated. He rubbed a nervous hand behind his head before muttering something Kagome couldn't quite understand. "What?"

"I didn't plan to take the scholarship, no point in bringing it up." Souta spoke louder.

"What? Are you crazy?" There was no way he was serious.

"No, I'm not crazy," he said as he gave her a wary look. Souta tossed his bag on the couch before pushing past Kagome. "I'm tired."

"Souta, you have to take this scholarship," Kagome said as she gently grabbed hold of his arm. "This is such an amazing opportunity." Her eyes searched for some sort of answer as she looked at him. "Mom is going to be so happy-"

He carefully took his arm out of her grasp. "I'm not going," he spoke softly, though his tone was firm. He wished she could see just how much he didn't want to talk about this. Souta gave her an uncomfortable smile before making his way to the bathroom.

"Is it because of mom?" Kagome asked pointedly. Souta stopped in his tracks. That was all the answer Kagome needed. Hadn't she done enough to show him she could take care of their mother on her own? She had literally taken care of all of the details and everything that needed to be done when their grandfather had passed, he had nothing to worry about.

Souta walked up to his sister indignantly. "It's not because of mom."

She wouldn't be the one to call him a liar, but his reaction to her bringing up their ill mother was just strange. "I've been doing just fine taking care of mom and the shrine and everything, you don't have to worry about it. It's not like you've even been able to visit mom or help out at the shrine anyways." At seeing the shocked expression, she realized how her words must have sounded. "Which is okay! Because mom and I really support you since you work so hard."

"It's not because of our mom," he repeated once more, eyes now icy at the topic.

"Then what is it? Because I thought you would've jumped at this opportunity. I can take care of everything, I swear. I've been trying my best to take care of you and mom and everything." He didn't say it, but it made her feel that one thing was being communicated.

She wasn't doing a good job.

Hadn't she been trying to do absolutely everything for her little brother- her whole family? Their family situation wasn't exactly ideal but….she was doing her best. Souta never had to worry about not eating or having a home. He was in one of the best schools in the area, making lifelong friends and playing the sport he loved most. They spent family time together and she was always trying to be a very active sister in his life. Why wasn't she doing good enough for him? Why wasn't she being a good sister? For him to look so off-put by receiving such an amazing scholarship concerned her- scared her- more than anything. Her little brother deserved the world and she would be damned if she didn't at least attempt to give it to him.

"Kagome, drop it. I'm not taking the scholarship, end of story. Don't ask about it again."

Kagome could feel her heart pick up pace at his tone. He was holding himself back because he was scared of disappointing their mother. He knew how loving, kind, and caring their mother was though. Their mother would be ecstatic at the news, maybe even to the point of getting up and dancing.

Souta had grown into himself quite well over the years. He'd always be her baby-faced brother, a little squirt she would pick on but loved to the moon and back. No matter how many inches he towered over her, no matter how deep his voice became, he would always be her little brother. One that she would always take care of. She would've liked to believe she understood where he was coming from, but she honestly felt like an alien struggling to communicate with him now.

Kagome gently grabbed onto his shirt once more, maybe to comfort him for his kind thoughts, maybe from nervousness at his cold tone towards her, she wasn't quite sure. What could she do to assure him that she could take care of everything? "Souta, you really don't need to worry about mom-"

Souta snatched his arm out of hers, all patience lost. "It's not about mom!" He had asked her to drop it once, she had refused. "For God's sake, why aren't you listening to me!? Damn! I said I don't want to go! What are you trying to do? Get rid of me or something! ? Is it that bad having to take care of me? !" Souta let out an angry breath as he stopped himself from saying more. He could see just how much damage he had done as she flinched at his tone.

While he hadn't meant to yell at her, it all just spilled out. She may have had his best interest in mind, but the fact that she wasn't listening to him, wasn't hearing him, made him shut down. Souta knew better than to blame her for his actions, but he didn't want to think about the guilt he was sure to sleep with tonight.

"God, why couldn't you just listen to me?" He lowered his tone significantly, but the harm was done. Souta could see quite clearly that she was trembling at their small confrontation and she was no doubt ready to cry at the drop of a dime. She rarely ever cried, so to see her break down just from a few harsh words from him hurt him all the more. "Just…I gotta get out of here." He didn't even feel angry or upset, those feelings had erupted and gone. Now he just felt pathetic and guilty for hurting his sister.

Souta quickly grabbed his bag from the couch as he pushed passed her.

That seemed to wake her from the shock as she reached out a hand to him. "Souta-"

Nope, he couldn't talk right now. One thing he was grateful for in other times was now one thing he hated. Kagome had a way of wanting to talk things out when she felt some type of way. Whenever upset or feeling misunderstood, her first instinct always went to talk it out and to work towards resolving the conflict immediately. It was good in some ways, but talking when emotions were still high was the exact opposite of Souta. He needed time to think and compose himself or else he was afraid he would say something else even more hurtful.

"I'm gonna' stay at a friend's house tonight." Without another word, he forced himself out of the apartment with the door shut loudly behind him.

Kagome was left shaking as she looked at the door her brother had just stormed out of. She squeezed the hem of her shirt as she did her best not to let a single tear fall. She wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that she had pushed him too much tonight.

End of flashback.

"It was the first time he yelled at me like that…So I think I really said things that hurt him," her bottom lip trembled.

Inuyasha could see the tears welling in her eyes as she thought back to her brother's reaction. It all sounded like a giant mess. He could see where both were wrong in this situation. Honestly, he was just relieved she was crying because of a tiff with her brother.

Oh. Inuyasha had nearly forgotten. He gently took her hand and placed something in it. "They say it's best to eat something sweet when you're sad."

She looked at the chocolate now sitting in her hand. "You remembered?"

"Keh, of course I did."

Truth be told since that one encounter with her on the rooftop he had made it a point to always carry something sweet with him for moments just like these. While it was mostly sweets that he could eat, today just so happened to be chocolate. A very melted piece of chocolate. If he didn't or couldn't eat whatever treat he had with him during the day, he typically just offered it to a random student or Miroku. More times than not Miroku if the candy or chocolate got too smushed or melted.

"You remembered," she said happily as she began to unwrap the star-shaped chocolate.

He leaned back on the bench to the point that his back let out a loud crack. I need a chiropractor. "Ya' know, there was once this cat. He almost died three times after being hit by a car, another time after a pretty nasty fall, two times after an ear infection, another time after a cat brawl, and then one other time where he ended up in a 3-month coma after being smothered between blankets before living 7 years, dying peacefully in his sleep, and then being reincarnated into a ladybug only to be stepped on a few minutes after by his fool of an owner."

"What? Why did you tell me that? What did you just tell me?" Kagome asked in confusion. She didn't know what to make of it. It all sounded quite crazy though.

"I don't know, maybe I was trying to say something motivational? Life is short? You never know what'll happen? Cherish the people you love most? I don't know, make some lemonade out of that." Who would've thought he would remember that story now of all times?

To his surprise, she seemed to make some pretty sweet lemonade from his words. "You're right! I should just talk things out with him but…." Despite her sudden determination, she frowned. "He hasn't contacted me all day."

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders as he slung his arm around her on the bench. "He said he was going to a friend's house, right? He'll probably come back tonight or tomorrow with an apology ready for you."

"I just don't understand…."

"He said it wasn't because of Moms', right?" He asked, referring to her dear mother fondly. Inuyasha thought back to the few exchanges he had with her little brother. "He seems like the protective type of kid. You really don't understand why he may want to stay?" Come on, she was a smart gal. She should have been able to easily put two and two together.

"Not a clue," she said with a sad shake of the head. "I try to do everything for him but…I guess I can't keep him from worrying about outside factors I can't control." Maybe there was something she had missed that her brother hadn't confided in her about. It would explain the nerve she seemed to pinch and twist last night.

This girl. It can't just be obvious to him.

He gently brushed his hand through her hair as she leaned into his touch. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

She smiled to herself as she breathed calmly for the first time since the argument. "Thank you. I probably would've spent all day worrying over this if it weren't for you."

"Just hold it together until you can talk with him."

Just from seeing the runt, Inuyasha was 1000% sure he was beating himself up for how he had spoken to his sister.

"I will. I'm not too sure he'll cool down over one night, but I'm hoping he'll come around by next week. I'll do my best though, I really don't know what I'd do without you here. On a happier note," she tried her best to sound upbeat with more pep to her tone. "I'm excited for our outing this weekend."

It was only an outing. Nothing more, nothing less. Certainly, not a date and both understood that fully well. The plan was to go back to her hometown to eat lunch with her mother and help set up and prepare for interviews before going into the downtown area around there and doing some window shopping for birthday gifts for Miroku. It would be a nice peaceful weekend.

"Ye-."Hold up a sec. "No. What do you mean you don't think he'll cool down overnight?" Inuyasha asked as he sat up. He couldn't imagine her brother being mad for that long, but Kagome knew him a hella lot better than Inuyasha did.

It was Kagome's turn to shrug her shoulders. "Well, he really did seem upset and….I wouldn't be surprised if he stayed out for a few days to calm down." It was the first time he had ever done anything like that so she wasn't sure what to expect.

Inuyasha could see the image of his perfect day in town with Kagome crumbling. "We're not going out if you don't makeup with him," Inuyasha said seriously. He could already see her fretting over it, checking her phone a hundred times until he called, debating whether to just return home despite their travels into the city.

"What?" Kagome was ready to put up a fight about it.

"Nope, puddin' cup," Inuyasha said with a shake of his. He could've laughed at her expression to his random nickname. "Think about it. We're supposed to be going out to just enjoy the day and escape from the troubles in this city after setting up, right? It wouldn't be fair for me not to have your undivided attention while we're out." Inuyasha reminded her. He would always be there for her to pick her up when she was sad, but he wanted to get this point across to her.

"...I guess you're right…" She mumbled under her breath. "But what if he doesn't want to talk or really doesn't come back before the weekend?"

Inuyasha knew damn well her brother was gonna come home to make up with her. They had a fairly strong relationship and Inuyasha couldn't imagine that brat actually putting his sister through more torture than what he knew she was going through. "Don't care, we're not going out until you get this situated."

"Can't I just…not?" For someone that was ready to jump down Mr. Canna's throat at the bar, she sure was acting brand new to the idea of confrontation.

"Nope. I don't care if you have to drag him by the neck of his uniform. Sit him down and talk it out. I will stop talking to you until you talk with him."

With a huff, she rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Inuyasha smiled. Despite her indignant attitude, he could see she desperately wanted to talk to her brother. She was a lover of her family and friends and he absolutely adored that about her. He could see Kagome smothering their kids with love to the point of near suffocation until Inuyasha could jump in. She came from such a loving family, it was no wonder she turned out as so.

Maybe we'll have conversations like this if we have kids of our own. He snickered to himself.

Kagome paced back and forth in the living room as she waited. She quickly took her phone out of her short's pockets before texting Inuyasha.

It's almost 10 and he's still not here. I told you he wouldn't come home.

Truth be told, it wasn't too unusual for him to return home after a late day of club activities and studying. There were some nights, rare nights, where he was out past ten, but maybe he was just outright avoiding her. She wouldn't put it past him with the way she had pissed him off.

Then send a beacon to summon him.

Kagome rolled her eyes as she read Inuyasha's text.

I'll just wait until he's ready. Please don't ruin our special planned day.

Kagome had been looking forward to it all week and she didn't want to let this fight with her brother get in the way of it. Sure, she'd be extremely distracted waiting to hear back from her brother but…..she still wanted to spend all day with Inuyasha.

Officially done texting you until you text that you've made up with your brother.

She frowned knowing fully well Inuyasha meant his word. There goes her little bit of sanity. He really would cancel if she didn't fix things.

Kagome felt dejected as she looked at all of the food she had made. Nabe and chirashi. "Souta's favorites," she mumbled as she began cleaning up the dining room table. At least she would have a nice meal for lunch tomorrow.

She nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard the bolts and locks of the front door. She couldn't help but notice how tired Souta looked while walking in.

"Souta," she breathed out. Kagome had rounded the table to get closer to him but stopped so as to give him his space. Maybe he wasn't ready to talk and just wanted to come home and go straight to sleep. That was fine, she was just happy he was home.

As his eyes locked with hers, he could truly see how worried she was about their argument. When had Kagome ever not openly greeted him with a loving embrace when he came home? This distance felt unfamiliar and unwelcome. He sighed as he kicked off his shoes.

Kagome could feel her heart trying to pound out of her chest. He had slightly hesitated before taking steps towards her. All in one movement he wrapped his arms around his big sister. Kagome stood shocked before she slowly brought her arms up and around his torso.

He was sorry, that much could easily be said.

Somehow, Kagome felt a bit more confident about navigating this conversation with him. "Let's talk." Kagome took his hand and led him to the couch.

It didn't even take a second for Souta to break into an apology. "I didn't mean to yell at you, sis. I'm sorry."

Kagome shook her head with a smile, a warm dismissive gesture on her part. "Don't worry about it. You said you didn't want to talk about it and I continued to push you, I'm sorry too."

"It really didn't have to do with mom though; I know she's in good hands and that she'll be better in no time," Souta stressed.

"Okay, I understand." She accepted that answer, she just wasn't sure if she should press more into the topic. "Can I ask what the reason is? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to though."

"You," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Now she was confused. "Me?"

"How could I leave you here after-." His voice broke. "You did a lot for me," he continued. "I forced you not to take that big job and then you had to stay in this area for me and mom."

If there was one thing to be known, it was that Souta truly did respect his sister. She was put in a difficult situation and thrown a lot of challenges all at one time. A lot of her plans were ruined and yet she still managed to make family a priority.

At the time of their grandfather's death and Kagome needing to make a decision to take a job that required her to travel, Souta had been angry. So incredibly angry and disappointed in her. But it wasn't until he saw how hard his sister worked for their family that he realized it was wrong of him to force her to make a snap decision when she was still trying to process the loss of their grandfather and near loss of their shrine, the last connection to their father.

He had vowed to do his best not to put too much of a burden on his sister, but she always seemed to be going out of her way or doing something for him. It almost made him pity her. What kind of brother would he be to have made her feel bad about her decision and then take a scholarship that would force him to leave her after so many sacrifices?

When he had first heard he was nominated he was ecstatic, but that all came crashing down at the thought of telling his sister and realizing what taking that scholarship would mean. He couldn't do that to her. It came with a cool sinking feeling that left him numb when he heard he was one of the two nominated people in their final decision weeks ago. He had smiled and politely declined thinking that would be the end of it. There was much pushing from his friends, even more pushing from the school as it was an honor for them to have two students from their school to receive this scholarship. Souta just couldn't shake the image of Kagome coming home to nothing each day. Sure he was always home late, but at least he came home and always tried to make time for her. Who would be here for her if he were to leave?

"You've done everything for me," he ended quietly.

"Souta," Kagome could see just how miserable he was to be put in this situation. "You silly sweet little thing. You don't have to feel bad about taking the scholarship," she laughed. "You didn't force me to do anything. Staying to take care of you and mom is the best decision I've ever made," she said honestly.

"I would feel guilty if I left you alone here."

"I'm not alone. Mom is a hop, skip, and a jump away. Not to mention Sango and Miroku are always checking in on me, and you know that Inuyasha and I are doing really well these days." She gently cupped his cheeks with a genuine smile. "Remember how happy I was when I asked about the scholarship? I didn't think about anything I may or may not have missed out on. The only thing I could think about was how proud I was to be your sister and how much I want to support you as you grow and work towards your dreams," she said as she brushed a hand through his hair.

Souta wrapped his arms around his sister. He definitely had the best big sister in the world. "You really mean it?"

"Of course, squirt. I saw the soccer program and the academics of the school. You'll fit in so well. Maybe I'm even a little jealous," she joked. The fact that everything was all paid for and that he would have his foot in the door with many Universities was making her see stars.

"But…" There was another worry of his about suddenly switching schools. "They would expect me to move there soon to prepare for the fall school semester." He would have to leave in July with the orientation being earlier and him needing to set up his living situation before school actually started. It was scary to think that their time would suddenly be cut short. In a matter of a few weeks, he would leave his big sister if he truly followed through with this.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "That doesn't matter. Honest answer, do you want to take this scholarship and start school there?"

"Yes," not a single ounce of hesitation broke into his voice.

"Then you're going, end of discussion. I'm so proud of you." She couldn't wait to tell their mother how amazing Souta was. She only wished she was half as good of a child as Souta was. Kagome smothered him in loving kisses. It wounded her to think about him leaving, but she was honestly over the moon about the good news. "Bring those papers to me asap so I can sign the guardian portion of it and read everything over."

"Let's do that later," he said as he looked over his shoulder at the food on the dining room tables. "Nabe and chirashi?" He asked. Who would be as kind and caring as his big sister?

"I made your favorites, we can celebrate another time with a bigger feast," Kagome said with a smile as she went to warm up his food.

"Good minds think alike?" Souta asked as he dug around in his bag.

Kagome busted out laughing as Souta brought all of her favorite junk food home. From birthday cake ice cream to plum chips, he had practically done a haul at the grocery store.

"Nooo, now you can't go, I'll lose my mind without such a sweet baby brother here to love me," she said as she tackled him into a hug.

Maybe Inuyasha was right? Time was a bit too short. In a matter of minutes, the time she could've spent with her brother was cut down to no more than less than a month with the new developments.

This was a bit too bittersweet.

"For the millionth time, I'm just going to walk," Kagome said as she walked along the side of the road.

Somehow things didn't go as planned, but she was far from complaining. With Saturday finally ending, Kagome couldn't help but smile at the unexpected day.

Despite her being able to make up with Souta, it turned out that Inuyasha's father needed him for some business that only he could take care of it. Whatever it was, Inuyasha refused to say, but he had been very openly grumpy about it throughout the texts they sent. While he was able to drop her off in her hometown earlier that morning, he had to run straight to work for his father. Inuyasha had been peeved all day about it, but Kagome was grateful for the calm day she had. It certainly would've been better with a certain half-dog demon by her side though.

"Can't you just wait at the bus stop? I'm almost there," Inuyasha asked impatiently.

He had been working all day and the only saving point would be meeting up with Kagome. His father had forced him to do overtime with documents he only trusted family members with, which resulted in Inuyasha's whole day being wasted. He had at least hoped to pick Kagome up from the shrine, but with it getting late and her not wanting to stay until the last bus, she offered to just meet him after he finished work.

"Nope," she smiled. "It's really dark in this area, so I want to walk to where there's more light. Meet me at the convenience store. It's closest to me from the way that I'm walking." Kagome had shown him what her route to and from the bus stop looked like a couple of weeks ago, so she was fairly sure he knew which place she was talking about. "I'll see you when I get there, okay?"

"Yea," Inuyasha grumbled. "If I beat you there, I'll just drive along that way until I see you. Let's just stay on the ph-" She could hear the beeping of another caller. "I gotta take this…I'll call you back after."

"Sounds perfect," she hung up as she thought of different foods to make for Inuyasha. He had been so angry when he heard he had to work for his father the day before, it took a lot to calm him down. One of those things being that she would cook him a nice meal when she returned. "We really balance each other out." Kagome thought with a laugh as she quickly put on her flashlight. It always made her a bit antsy to walk along this part at night even with a few people passing by, but thinking of Inuyasha and cooking dinner for him made her happy. Almost like husband and wife.

"Hey." Kagome jerked her head to look at one of the by-passers. She had stopped but wasn't sure the calling had been meant for her until the person backtracked towards her.

"Yes?" Had she dropped something?

At being face-to-face with the man, she could see him a bit more clearly. A lanky man fairly taller than her peered down at her. Kagome could feel herself becoming slightly unnerved at the man staring at her without a word.

She didn't owe this man anything and could instantly recognize a situation that could potentially become dangerous despite the man doing nothing.

Kagome gave an awkward, "Okay…" Before turning away.

"Hey." This time he grabbed onto her arm. "You're that Higurashi girl, right?"

A deep fear set in her at the mention of her name. She didn't recognize this man and even if she did, anyone willing to grip her as hard as he currently was was no friend of hers.

She snatched her arm out of his, this seemed to shock the man as he snapped his hand back. "Ah, sorry. Wrong person I guess." He stalked off as if Kagome had done something wrong to him.

Despite the man walking off, Kagome was left paralyzed in fear. It was like her mind stopped working or was overworking to make sense of what had just happened. She watched where the man had run off to before walking too far out of her view.

I was just grabbed. Without another thought, she began speed walking in the other direction. Her fingers clumsily scrolled through to the main contact on her phone as she called Inuyasha once more.

"But he was in the middle of another call…" She quickly hung up before going to her younger brother's contact. Even with the person walking the opposite way, the idea of him turning around and coming back had her terrified.

Before she could call Souta, the picture of Inuyasha and her together popped up on her phone. She could've cried at how relieved she was that he had called her back.

"Inuyasha," her voice came out much shakier than she had intended it to.

He was instantly on alert. "What's wrong?"

"There was a man, he-he grabbed me and he's gone, bu-but."

"Where are you? Are you okay?" Inuyasha pressed down on the gas.

"I'm still ten minutes from the convenience store," she said as she checked behind her once more.

"I'm almost there, stay on the phone with me. You're okay, right?" He asked once more.

"I'm fine, just a bit startled…..I'm fine." She said more so just to reassure herself that she was okay.

Kagome all but ran the remaining distance while keeping Inuyasha on the phone. It wasn't long before Inuyasha's car pulled into the parking lot with a screech. He definitely must've gone over the speed limit to get here as quickly as he did. Kagome waved him over before walking up to his car. Just seeing Inuyasha already put her at such ease.

Before she could even say one word, Inuyasha pulled her into a hug. "Kagome."

He could see it immediately, she was scared. No matter how okay she tried to sound on the phone, he could see just how shaken she was as she gripped onto him.

"Let me see you. What happened?" Inuyasha asked again as he pulled back and looked her over.

Kagome watched a couple walk by to get into the store, suddenly feeling highly aware of people in the area. "Let's talk in the car."

As the two got into his car, Kagome breathed a sigh of relief.

"What happened?" Inuyasha asked. "Who? What did he look like?"

"I told you. I don't really even know. He was a little shorter than you, kind of lanky, straight black hair….". She couldn't quite remember with how fast it happened. "As I was walking here, he just grabbed me and asked if I was me? 'Are you that Higurashi girl?'" She repeated.

"He said your name?" She hadn't mentioned that on the phone. "Where did he grab you?"

Kagome pulled back the sleeve of her cardigan and frowned at the bruising mark that was forming. There was a clear red print on her wrist from where she was grabbed. With the adrenaline pumping, she hadn't even realized how hard he had squeezed her.

"I-" Kagome stopped in her tracks as she turned to look at Inuyasha. His face was twisted in anger. She had never seen him look this irate before and it was honestly a bit scary. His knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel. He looked ready to murder. For him to look so cross in a matter of seconds somewhat terrified her as she felt her hands become clammy. "Hey," Kagome guided his face back to hers to keep him from looking at her bruise. "I'm okay, I'm really okay."

Inuyasha's eyes softened at looking into hers. Right now, what she needed was to feel safe, not scared by him. "You're not walking in this area alone anymore. Only if I can drive or pick you up, ya' hear?" Inuyasha mentally cussed at himself. The one day he couldn't pick her up was the one day this would happen.

"Okay," Kagome agreed. She wasn't in any position to say any otherwise with what had happened.

"Let's get you home and take care of your arm," Inuyasha said as he started the car.

This was much too close to where they lived and he would be damned if he let anything else happen to her. The drive continued on with strained conversation as Inuyasha tried to get their minds on a more positive topic. Even with the change of subject, Inuyasha's mind was a million miles away.

His heart pounded at the idea of this happening again, he would probably have to kill someone. Why was this happening to her? He could hardly swallow the lump in his throat at some of the plausible ideas.

First the phone calls and now this?

His mind instantly went to all worst-case scenarios that could arise from this, though he was stuck on one very important question though.

How did that man know who she was?

Hmmm . Oh no?

I barely checked this and realize I'm like…a month late posting this..I barely checked it over. Sorry for the mistakes.

Arc 2

Chapter: 2/ 7

(10/22)

Posted:2/15/23

Finished writing on: can't remember. Sometime in Summ of 2022?

Words: About 7,900

Pages: 22