My Girl

by Foayasha

Disclaimer: The epic of Inuyasha, while wonderful, does not belong to me. Thus I cannot, and do not, claim to own any of the characters in this short story... sadly that also includes the one with the hair loopies.

Thanks to Shagsthedustmop for all of her wonderful help!

My Girl Chpt 8 - I'll have a daddy in no time

Sorry, but we're back to 4k chapters.

He couldn't wipe the grin off his face. It had been a week since his date with Kagome, but he was still riding on the thrill of how damn awesome it had turned out. Not only was he able to drench himself in her scent, he also confirmed that she was actually fun to be around. That is when they weren't fighting. Well, that wasn't so bad either; her scent spiked even further in the heat of an argument, not to mention her flushed angry face was sexy as hell.

And even better, she returned his affections.

Yes, it had been a good night, and in hopes of riding his good luck train, he had asked her out again the next week. Together they took her daughter out for ice-cream. He wasn't blind enough to think his good fortune would be everlasting. It was inevitable that the two of them would eventually get into an argument. When they finally had, in his mind the argument was completely uncalled for, since all he had done was tell the clerk to mind his own business.

Alright, maybe he had said something along the lines of 'you little punk, why don't you mind your own damn business'.

Kagome had huffed, and yelled that the kid had only been asking her what flavor she wanted, and that it was 'just his job'. Like hell it was his job to ogle his date, asking her flavor was only an attempt to get all buddy buddy with her, like he hadn't been standing there the whole time as a witness. He could tell that the brat had more in mind than just getting her an ice-cream cone.

It was a shock to see her patience after their original date had increased tenfold. After they yelled at each other for a moment, and she nearly threw her mint chocolate chip cone in his face, she calmed down. The rest of the early evening date was great. He had taken her home, and the smile she gave him before she got out of his car nearly stopped his heart. He hadn't felt so good since he put gum in Sesshoumaru's hair.

"Mr. Takahashi, are you alright? You look funny," a small voice said from the side of his desk.

"What do you mean Rin?" he asked his brother ward, whose face was twisted in an odd form of concentration.

"Well, you have been smiling a lot, Uncle Inu- , I mean, Mr. Takahashi," she corrected herself.

"Keh, what's wrong with smiling?" he questioned the youth.

She giggled at him, "You don't smile like that though, you only look like this." She attempted to create a sufficient scowl, contorting her cute face further and further, until he got the impression.

"Ahh, like that," he scowled.

"Yeah, you're doing it right now! Just like that. That's better, now I know you're okay," she said with a sigh, and wiped the imaginary sweat off her brow.

"Well, I'm allowed to smile Rin, so next time, you don't need to be worried," he reminded the girl as she walked away.

Well, it wasn't like he wasn't allowed to smile. He was damn happy. Finally, he met a woman who could keep up with him, and he couldn't get enough of her. Slipping back into his happier thoughts, he didn't notice the three cavorting pups behind him, planning something devious.

"Mr. Takahashi," he heard the voice of Kagome's daughter behind his desk. He turned to see Aimi, Shippo and Shiori, who they had conned into their daily tricks, kneeling behind his chair. Each of them was wearing a paper hat, shaped like a triangle sail boat on their heads. They had colored their accessories with crayons, adding images of youkai fighting great battles. He noticed on Aimi's, it had a red blob with white scribbles on top, brandishing a silver colored set of longer scribbles.

"Aimi, what's this," he pointed at her hat, and the red blob.

"That's you, Mr. Takahashi, fighting lots and lots of evil youkai," she said with a smile. Seeming to forget what she had come over to ask him in the first place.

"Ahh, why I am all red?" he questioned.

"That's your special armor, and you see this," she pointed at a place on her head, which luckily for her landed on the silver scribbles. "This here, it's your sword."

"Oh really?" he thought back, well actually that was pretty accurate. When he would dress in his Fire Rat armor his mother gave him, and his Tessaiga would transform, he did hold a similar appearance to that blob. "Where did you get the idea for this Aimi?"

"From the story you told us, about the hanyou who fought all the youkai. I thought you would fit into that story really good," she blushed, pulling her hands behind her, embarrassed.

"So Aimi, what did you and your friends have to tell me," he smiled at her good nature. "You did have a question for me, right?"

"Oh, Mr. Takahashi," she began, "Shiori and Shippo, and me, we had a question for you."

"Go ahead," he coaxed.

"My mommy, her birfday is soon, and I don't know what to do for her," she explained. "For my birfday, I got lots of cloths, and a really nice doll house. She made it for me using her computer."

"That's pretty neat Aimi. Well, for her birthday, what did you have in mind," he questioned, emphasizing the correct pronunciation. He didn't mind at all, skipping out on his work a bit to talk about Kagome.

"Well, she is always cooking food, and I wanted to cook her some dinner, but I don't know how," she explained. "One time, I tried to make dinner for Mommy while she took a nap, and I got into lots of trouble. We had to call the fireman to our house, and a consfruction man to fix it."

He laughed, at least she learned her lesson and is asking for help instead of attempting to 'make dinner' again on her own. Well, this would be a good way for him to get more time in with the woman. This was probably planned by that damn Kitsune anyways. Even after he had asked out Kagome, the two of them didn't relent on their pushing to get them together. Apparently dating wasn't good enough; the kids were waiting for a marriage proposal or something before they would let off.

"So, are you asking me to help you make dinner for your mom for her birthday?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her knowingly. The girl nodded, and he saw Shiori and Shippo 'high five' each other behind her. Rolling his eyes at them he figured to get the rest of the information, "Aimi, when is your mother's birthday exactly?"

"Sunday, Mr. Takahashi, I think. That's the one at the beginning, right?"

"Yes, Sunday is the beginning of the week," he nodded.

"Ok, yeah, it's Sunday," she said.

"Alright, well it will be our secret then. You and your mother can come to my house, and you and I will make dinner for her," he explained. "All you need to do is make sure she doesn't plan anything for that day, ok? And I'll come by in the evening."

"Okay! I can do that," she smiled, and turned to hug Shippo and Shiori.

He gulped as she walked away, and he overheard her whisper to the other two kids, "This plan is perfect, I'll have a daddy in no time."

[:::]

The rest of the week, Inuyasha and Aimi made their specific plans for Kagome's birthday. What exactly she wanted to make her mother, and if she was getting her a gift. He helped her make a barrette, with a pink glass orb, surrounded by purple quartz stones she had collected.

They decided to make a simple dinner of ramen, and for dessert they were going to bake a pie. He was proud to say that of his limited cooking knowledge he could at least do that. He'd buy some ice cream as well, and make it ala'mode. Aimi seemed to agree with the menu, and told him that she had everything under control for their party. She mentioned Friday they were going to her grandma's house, and spending the night. He didn't need to worry, she said, because they would be home Saturday, and didn't have plans for Sunday.

He tried to not be upset that Kagome would be going to meet her mother, but that he wasn't invited. They didn't know each other that well, he told himself, and they were spending the night. So it wasn't proper anyways. There wasn't any reason to be angry. Maybe she hadn't even told her mother yet, and this was a time to break the ice, about him. It was only a fleeting emotion, but just the fact that he even felt it was just another point that he wanted to be more than just 'some guy' she was dating.

He was just finishing wrapping a gift that he had bought for her that Saturday afternoon, when he got a knock at the door. He looked out his window, and noticed that it was the post master. What did he have business doing here? He opened the door to the older man, and made his greetings.

"Mr Takahashi?" Inuyasha nodded, and the man continued, "I have come by personally, because I wanted to deliver this grossly over-due letter." He handed him a manila envelope and shook his head. "Inside is a letter that was found in our distribution office. It is post marked from about three years previous. I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience sir. Good day."

After the man left, Inuyasha eyed the package carefully, and decided that it was probably just a credit card statement, so nothing to worry about. Right? Carefully slicing it open with a claw, he shook the end of the envelope until a letter fell into his open hand. The small white envelope didn't have a return address, and the handwriting looked familiar, but he couldn't place it.

The ink which lined the letter was smudged by something, droplets of liquid. He felt himself feel a little bit weak, and decided to sit down before opening it to read the contents. He was eternally grateful that he did, because he certainly would have fallen over with shock. In fact, he nearly had a heart attack once he pulled out the single sheet of paper.

[~~~]

Inuyasha,

I am writing you this letter as a last request, just in case something happens to me in the future. Who knows if it will, but this world can be cruel at times, and I have learned that the hard way.

I was not completely honest with you after our last meeting, and at times I had regretted it, but what is done is done. Between you and me, after that night 9 months ago, I found we had produced a child. I was scared, and ashamed, but at the same time I had hope. I did not want you to be burdened with the child of our lost love, and our past, so I gave birth to her in secret.

I would have liked to keep the child, but financially, I was completely unable. I carefully screened many applicants along with a social worker, and after several were selected, but I was not allowed to learn the final choice. She is in a good family now, and I hope for her to be happy. If you receive this letter, it probably means I will be unable to find the child once she reaches 18, and connect with her like I would have preferred to do.

I can't give you any information on where she is, or who she is with, but I wish for you to find her some day. I have given her a gift, which you will instantly recognize if you find her. She deserves to know that she was not given away because she unwanted, but because I wanted her to have the best life possible. That is all I can say.

Please forgive me for keeping this secret; I only did it because I thought it was for the best.

Take care Inuyasha,
Kikyo

[~~~]

How could this be possible?

He was a father, and he didn't even know it. Somehow, the rage he expected to fill him never came. Instead a feeling of longing surrounded his being. He had a daughter in the world, and he didn't even know it. Where was she, who was she? Images of a young hanpa with his golden eyes, and silver hair trickled into his mind. Funny how the image looked just like Aimi, but honestly, what were the chances of that? He laughed out loud.

Well, it could be possible, wouldn't that be perfect…

Wait? Would it be perfect? Is that what he really wanted, to be Aimi's father? Sure Kagome was great, and he really did care about both of them, but did he want to be the girl's father? Probably best to not think about that right now anyways. Kagome would think he was a lunatic for jumping ahead so quickly into their relationship. The two of them hadn't even been dating for more than a couple weeks, and really, he had only known her for a couple of months. Most of those they were arguing constantly when they saw each other.

Yeah, better to not think about that. The possibility of Aimi, his student, to be his long lost daughter, slim to none.

[:::]

Sunday morning came and went, and it quickly closed onto Sunday evening, before he knew it, he was standing at her door, ringing the bell. He heard the pounding of feet, as he imagined Aimi running to answer the door.

"Mr. Takahashi! Come inside," she said, grandly sweeping her little arm, and attempting to curtsy. She was damn cute, he had to admit. But what was she wearing? She had a tiara, and was dressed, in what he would assume, was a 'princess' type gown. It was extremely formal, but she was probably just playing, so he couldn't say much.

That is until Kagome came running around the corner, also dressed in an extremely formal, but beautiful glittering emerald gown. She was giggling, and smiling brilliantly; well at least until she noticed that he was standing in the foyer. The smile turned into a look of absolute horror at that point, and she paled dead in her tracks. He had to admit, that even though he could tell she wasn't expecting him, she was stunning. Her gown was the type a woman would wear for a night of formal dining and dancing. Her hair was done up in a mess of barrettes and clips, randomly placed and occasionally braided; falling mainly in loose curls upon her bare shoulders. This looked like the handy work of a five year old.

"Inuyasha… what are you… doing… here?" she said, in a quivering embarrassed tone, glancing sideways at the most obvious culprit princess.

"Doesn't mommy look beautiful Mr. Takahashi? We dressed up nice for our party tonight," she said proudly. Her smile was almost as brilliant as Kagome's had been. Well, at least until she realized she had been ambushed.

"Aimi, you said we were just playing," she wailed, sending a glare at the girl.

"No, Mommy, I told you. We had to dress nice because we were having a party," the girl frowned, since her mother was upset with her. "I thought *sniff* that you understood. *Sniff* me and Mr. Takahashi *hiccup into a sniff* made all da plans."

"Oh baby, don't cry," her mother rushed to her side, and 'shhed' her, "It's ok, baby, thank you for helping me get ready. You did a great job."

"And you look great," Inuyasha said, taking her hand, to pull her up off the floor. He placed a light kiss on the hand he held. "Your chariot awaits, M'lady."

"So this is your doing," she said, playfully swatting his shoulder.

"Well, I did help," he replied.

"Alright, well it will take me a minute to gather up our things," she said with a light sigh. "Why don't you two wait in the living room while I put my hair to order as well?"

"But Mommy," Aimi said with glowing innocent eyes. "Don't you like my style? I gave it the 'loopies', like the girl in Avatar! And… the barrettes are the special ones I found the other day on our walk."

"Aimi, I love my hair, but I need to put it up if we're going somewhere. They are fine for play, but if I lose one, I'll feel awful. Do you understand?" Kagome said with practiced ease. The young girl nodded her head, and went to sit next to Inuyasha on the couch.

While the two waited, Inuyasha looked around the room at different decorations. There were a couple paintings, abstract and renaissance alike. Also, along the wall leading into the hall were many portraits of the two, and who he assumed were her parents, family and friends. As he gazed at the different pictures, he noticed that several of the images of Kagome, when she was younger, amid large crowds.

Well that was odd, didn't Kagome have Enochlophobia? He looked that name up one night, and was pretty proud for remembering it.

He looked over at Aimi who was quietly playing with a ponytail holder, springing it back and forth. He got an idea, and walked over to the young girl, and sat next to her again.

"Aimi," he began, "Why is your mom scared of people?"

When he looked back to face the girl, he was surprised to see her face was solemn; it didn't fit well at all with her innocences or age. She seemed to think something over in her head before deciding it was okay to tell him. She sighed, and looked forward and away from him.

The girls eyes misted slightly, and a small pout appeared on her lips, "Mommy doesn't like talkin' bout it. Somefing happened before I was born. Even before Mommy married Mr. Akitoki."

The young girl looked heartsick; the kind of expression you would find on a child whose dog just ran away. Before he knew it a whimper left Aimi's throat and she began to cry. He scooped her up in his arms, and started to rub her back, cooing to her.

"Aimi, what's the matter," Kagome rushed into the living room when she heard her daughters sobbing. "Aww, hush darling. It's ok. Don't cry."

"I uhm... asked her something. I didn't realize she would be so upset to tell me," he said, feeling very guilty.

"And what did you ask her," Kagome glared at him with an expectancy.

"About your phobia," he looked at her softly. "I saw some pictures on the wall where you were with crowds, but you didn't seem nervous or scared."

Kagome looked away from him, and held her head down. There for a moment he thought she may have fallen asleep, but after a deep breath she brought her eyes up to meet his. "I hated the idea that she would know; if she found out it would only upset her. My twit of a brother just had to open his big mouth," she scowled, obviously upset that the young girl had been told something disturbing. She focused her doe eyes out her picture window, remembering the experience, and it killed him to think that she would be ever in pain.

"When I was younger while schooling abroad, I made some new friends. Needless to say, they weren't exactly concerned about my welfare. There was some sort of… party they brought me to, where I was handed a drink and left to wander the crowded halls," she smiled, embarrassed and bitter.

"Let's just say, the drink they gave me wasn't an innocent punch, like I thought. When I finally woke up, I felt like I just got trampled by the running bulls. Only the stampeding crowd surrounded me still, pounding the floor to the beat of the music, paying no mind that I was under their feet. Ever since that night… I just felt like…"

Inuyasha watched as her smile returned, focusing on the angel in her lap. She hugged the girl close, sighing contently, "I was just scared. When Aimi found out, she was so upset that she vowed to protect me forever."

"I do promise, Mommy," Aimi whispered nuzzling her closer to her mother. Her tears had slowed, and her breathing evening out. "I won't ever let anyone hurt you again."

"I know sweetheart, that's what you're my special protector!" Kagome picked her up, and headed back down the hall with the girl on her hip. She turned slowly, and called out to him, "don't worry about it Inuyasha, I'm fine. I have my big strong girl here for me."

Her smiled warmed up the cold spot that had momentarily formed in his chest at the thought of the pain she may have suffered. She didn't know, but silently, he also vowed to never let anyone hurt her again.

[:::]

Once he ushered the girls to his house, they came inside to find he had set up a nice table arrangement, and had prepared the kitchen for Aimi and him to start making her dinner. Kagome rest in the living room while the two of them began to cook; Aimi had appointed herself the official 'taste tester'.

First they started by making the pie, which he had already premade mostly, but still needed to be assembled. He guided her small hands along, and she easily followed his expert instruction. As he watched her form the lattices on the pie, he noticed that Kagome was peeking around the corner of the kitchen. She was watching the two of them work, and had a rather wistful expression on her face.

"Kagome, you are supposed to be relaxing. Aimi and I are in charge of preparing the meal," he scolded her.

"Yeah, Mommy, get outta here!" Aimi said, pointing her finger back towards the living room.

"But... but, how can I not watch the two of you, it's sooo cute," she said with a mock pout.

"Shoo, Woman," he teased, and she stuck her tongue out at him. To which he sent Aimi after her, with a wooden spoon with apple pie filling on it, to chase her around the house. After the two girls were done with their game, Kagome took the girl to clean her up.

When Aimi came back, they finished up preparing the dinner, and set the table. Once the pie was in the oven, they waited for it to cook. Aimi and Inuyasha played a racing video game, while Kagome watched, until Inuyasha challenged her as well. She kicked his butt, but that was ok. He told her that since it was her birthday, he gave her a freebie.

"You know, Inuyasha, you seem to really enjoy spending time with her," she said gesturing to Aimi who was engrossed in another game.

"You know, I really do," he answered casually. "The two of you are great, but I really love spending time with you."

She blushed at the intense look he gave her as she lean in to nuzzle the side of her neck. "You sure that she doesn't just come with the package, Inuyasha?"

"I'm sure Kagome, I think both of you are great," he assured. "Really, I'm not just saying that."

She turned and kissed his cheek, and giggled; that was about as much action she had gotten out of the relationship, other than the occasional nuzzles. That was ok though, she didn't mind taking things slow.

Soon enough dinner was ready, and the two girls came to sit in his dining room, to where he brought out their dinner for them. As he was bringing in the last item Aimi gasped, and whispered something into Kagome's ear.

"Oh, sure, would you like to?" Kagome said, smiling gently.

"Oh yes please, it's a special day. It's ok," Aimi said, urgently nodding her head.

"Okay, but you're lucky I brought it. I figured you may want to wear it tonight," Kagome smiled at her daughter. "Excuse me for one moment."

She walked into the living room, and grabbed her little clutch purse, and came back to Aimi's side of the table, and knelt down beside the young girl. She reached into the purse, and pulled out a small silver chain, clasping the delicate jewelry in place around her daughter's neck.

Inuyasha couldn't take his eyes off the charm as Aimi proudly displayed it, and did his best to reign in any emotions he felt at seeing it again.

"That's Aimi's special gift, from her real mother," Kagome explained. "She gets to wear it on special occasions."

The silver disc that hung from the chain was a frame for a delicate cameo, in ivory, of a white dog with swirling features. It was his mother's necklace, the one he had misplaced. Aimi had it, a gift from her natural mother.

Aimi was his daughter.

[~A:|:N~]

4219

Vocab Time!

Enochlophobia – fear of crowds

Post Master – So, like back in the day (which was a Wednesday) people would receive mail in tangible formats called letters. The Post Master was the person who handled the delivery of such items. Didn't think you were getting a history lesson, did ya!

A'la Mode – Didn't I say this already? Delicious treat people.

Ahh... the end.

Just kidding, but really... 1 chapter left. I hope nobody was too disappointed with the rather simple inclusion of Kagome's phobia. I didn't want her fears to be front and center, but more of just a part of her character. I wouldn't have even included it if I didn't think someone would at least ask why. It gave a nice addition to Aimi's protectiveness as well. ^_^

And a question for those... I don't know if it really matters, but I have 2 fics I was considering starting next. One is a drama, the other is humor (its still pretty cute though). Which would you prefer to read? Descriptions for the two on my profile [1] and [2]. I added more descriptive summaries to the profile, at the request of PurduePup, thank ya!

Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing, and reading my fic. Love you all!

- Foa