Chapter 21:

The Ties that Bind Us

"Invisible threads are the strongest ties."
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Kagome had spent the last hour explaining to her family just exactly who Ryura was at her grandfather's behest - yet she left out the fact Ryura had once attempted to kill her. The elder man had not been too happy that a fully grown, unknown man had been in the house alone with Kagome. The fact the man was youkai didn't help anything, either. Inuyasha her grandfather could put up with, because he had known him longer and trusted him to a degree, and was a half-youkai, a hanyou. But Ryura? No.

Ryura couldn't honestly blame the man, who had introduced himself as Daisuke. If he had been in Kagome's grandfather's place, Ryura knew he would have felt the same way. And so, Ryura remained quiet, listening to Kagome tell his tale for him, only interrupting when he personally needed to explain something instead.

Daisuke sat in his chair with a small, yet thoughtful, frown on his face.

"He is a Lord, just as Inuyasha's elder half-brother is," Daisuke drawled.

Kagome nodded, "Yes. He has a Steward named Tsuyoshi, a water Dragon Daiyoukai," Kagome repeated. "He's the one who helped my hair grow."

"And he is the son of a powerful house of Air Dragon Daiyoukai, called the House of Storms," Daisuke further summed up.

Kagome nodded again, "And he's rebuilding it. There's only three people in it. Ryura, me, and Tsuyoshi."

"Shippou too, Kagome," Ryura said.

Kagome's eyes boggled. "Shippou is? Since when?"

"The moment you joined, Kagome. You are basically his mother," Ryura explained with a nod.

Kagome stuttered and looked away, knowing he was right. It wasn't she had spoken with Shippou directly about, however, and Kagome wasn't for sure he felt the same way. He was a full grown youkai, and there were things she knew she could never give him. Teaching him about the world of youkai, for one. Ryura seemed to sense her inner turmoil and reached over to lay a gentle hand on her head. He gave her hair a quick ruffle and smiled when she looked at him.

"Trust me, Kagome. He sees you as his mother," he said softly.

Daisuke watched their interaction, eyes flicking back and forth between the two. Kagome was obviously close to the man, and Ryura treated her well from what Daisuke had seen and heard so far. He accepted Kagome into his House for no other reason than to save her embarrassment over her manner of dress, which allowed her to dress as one of her station normally would without looking too much like Kikyou.

Oh, yes. Daisuke knew of Kagome's low self-esteem when it came to Kikyou. Many a times had he heard her crying, and overheard the conversations Kagome would have with her mother. While he didn't mind Inuyasha, Daisuke wasn't afraid to smack the boy over the head, and staunchly refuse to agree to a relationship between the hanyou and his granddaughter. Nope, he just wouldn't do it. Being close friends was one thing, and getting married to each other was a completely different thing altogether.

But with his aging eyes he could easily see the chemistry between Kagome and Ryura. Perhaps, just maybe, if Kagome chose the Dragon, Daisuke would find a small sliver of peace knowing his granddaughter would be taken care of. She had to finish her schooling first, though!

Daisuke let out a soft grumble once the two stopped speaking.

"Fine, fine. I'll allow it – however, you are not to get pregnant before you graduate high school. Is that understood, Kagome?" Daisuke asked with a firm tone.

Both Ryura and Kagome instantly went beat red, with the Miko stuttering and fumbling around with the hem of her shirt.

"W-what? Grandpa!" Kagome squeaked out.

Even Hitomi blushed lightly, "Oh my..."

Ryura just couldn't say anything at all. It was impossible. Just... what? He ended up staring at Daisuke with wide, shocked eyes. Is that what the man was thinking? What was up with the males in this family thinking he was going to end up in a romantic relationship with Kagome? Even Touga had mentioned it before! Apparently the elder man's mind jumped into a different pool of relationships all together.

Like father like son, Ryura ruefully grumbled in his head.

The Dragon flicked a look at Kagome's brightly blushing face. If he honestly thought about it, would it be so bad to actually give into the males of the Higurashi family's thoughts and enter a relationship with Kagome? She was incredibly powerful, possibly stronger than Midoriko herself had been. She was kind, good with children as shown with both Rin and Shippou, and she showed how undeniably pure and caring she was by her every day actions. She was honorable, too.

Ryura continued to roll the thought around in his head. Once, when he first met Kagome, even Sesshoumaru expressed that if he were to mate Kagome, he would be extremely proud of the heir she could give him. It didn't matter if she was human. He took on a thoughtful appearance while continuing to look at Kagome. Resting an elbow on the table, he placed his chin in his hand and tapped his clawed fingers against his cheek.

Hitomi recognized that look Ryura was giving Kagome. Her late husband, Hikaru, had much the same look when considering things directly related to herself. In fact, he looked like that right before he proposed to her. This revelation caused Hitomi to smile softly. She only wanted her daughter to be happy, no matter which era she chose once her journey was over. If Kagome did choose Ryura at the end of this harrowing adventure, then Hitomi would accept it.

With that she rose to her feet and went to reheat the meal she had been preparing. Surely by now the food would be slightly cold, and she refused to feed Kagome and her guest a poorly prepared meal.

Kagome continued to look down at her hands balled into fists around the hem of her sweater. What was her grandfather thinking? What about Inuyasha—no, Kagome stopped herself there. If she was going to truly let go of her love for Inuyasha, she had to stop thinking in such ways. Inuyasha was a friend, almost like a brother, nothing more. Now if only her heart would keep up with her mind, that would be great, thanks.

She glanced at Ryura and her heart thumped hard against her ribs. Maybe her heart wasn't slow, after all. Not that Kagome would admit that right now.

Dinner was over and everyone went about their normal daily activities. Souta had been forced into doing his homework by Hitomi, and the boy had fought against it the entire time. It wasn't every day he got to talk to a Dragon, of all things! In the end, however, Hitomi won and Souta was now tucked away in his room, intent on finishing his homework as fast as he could, hopefully before it was time for him to go to bed. He didn't know how long Ryura was going to be here, and he wanted to talk to the Dragon as much as he could.

Kagome was busy with her own homework and studying. Both she had sorely fell behind on while having to carry around Raijinga and Fujinga before Ryura returned. She was so behind that in her mind's eye she was imagining how horrible she was going to do on the exam come Monday morning. Kagome steeled herself. Even if it took the two full days she had left, she would pass the tests on Monday. She wouldn't allow herself to fail.

Thankfully Ryura noticed the determined look on Kagome's face and kept himself occupied by reading another book she had given him. He lounged on her bed, his long form dwarfing the pink covered high-rise futon to the point his feet hung off the edge. Kagome had always thought her bed to be a little big, until she saw Ryura on it, then she realized just how small it was. Before she started to really work on her homework, she honestly thought about saving up her allowance to buy a bigger bed just for times like these, but she didn't know how many times Ryura would come to visit with her. It would probably be a waste of money. And besides, who would buy a bigger bed just so one of their friends could lounge around on it anyway?

The question of how he passed through the Bone-Eater's Well to begin with had been bothering Kagome, and she couldn't find it in herself to truly focus on her work. She finally gave up and turned to sit sideways in her chair, eyes looking to Ryura.

He had one arm behind his head, propping it up with his other hand holding the book and resting on his chest. His hair was unbraided and spilling like a waterfall from her bed to rest on the floor beside him. At the edge of her bed, his feet were crossed at the ankles. Over all, the Daiyoukai looked comfortable and was absorbed in the book he was reading. Seeing him like that, Kagome didn't have the heart to interrupt him. Her question would have to wait for later. She half-smiled and turned back to her work, flipping open her math book.

This was going to be hell.

The pages of a book being turned, scratching of a pencil, and the sound of a clock ticking away filled the room. Kagome grumbled softly every now and then, usually about how much she hated math. Ryura would look over to check on her every now and then, and some times would watch her working.

That reminded him...

"Kagome?" he asked as he laid the book down on his chest.

She wrote for a bit longer before looking up and over her shoulder at him. "Hm?"

"This is quite a large house, and considering what you are doing right now... I cannot help but think your family is nobility," Ryura said honestly.

Kagome laughed and shook her head. "We're not. Our house is actually kind of small compared to some others. It's safe to say we're considered middle-class. Not at the bottom, yet not at the very top, either."

She turned now to get a better look at him and wrapped her arms around the back of her chair, laying her head down on the smooth wood.

"Every child ranging from the ages of five to eighteen are required to go to school. Most of it is free, but there are private institutions, and trust me, Mama can't afford those," she said with a smile. She wasn't embarrassed by her family's situation, because nearly every one she knew in her era were in the same position. If they weren't, they wouldn't be going to school with her.

"After we finish high school we can go onto university, which is higher education. It helps us prepare and gain knowledge for what field we want to go into," she finished with a nod.

"Field?" Ryura asked as he tilted his head slightly.

"Mm-hmm. What field of work. History, business, sociology, psychology, music, art, science, medicine... All sorts of things."

Ryura leaned back, a bit shocked. Humans had become so advanced in just a few centuries? It was almost too much for him to wrap his mind around. What of youkai? He had not felt any trace of youki, and very little reiki since he arrived. It was another question he decided to ask her. She looked uncomfortable and ran a shaky hand through her hair before answering.

"I wasn't joking or exaggerating before. Youkai are considered myths. Dragons, magic, youkai, mononoke... None of it exists in this era," Kagome admitted softly.

"How is that possible? If we were a few thousand years into the future I could understand, but it has only been five hundred," Ryura was flabbergasted now.

"I don't really know. Since you guys are considered fables, it's hard to find any correct information on what happened. Maybe you're hiding yourselves?" Kagome suggested. "I'm not for sure, either way. Inuyasha ran around the city once to check, and he couldn't find anything."

Ryura remained silent, not knowing what to make of what she just told him. Daiyoukai hiding themselves? He couldn't see that going over well. Maybe it was human expansion that lowered the youkai numbers down to almost extinction, and they had hid themselves. What could have possibly happened in only five centuries to cause it, though?

As he kept pondering over it, Kagome sighed softly. She hadn't meant to upset him, but she wanted to tell him the truth. She quietly went back to her work with a frown on her face. Thinking over the same thing Ryura was, wasn't going to help her study. Kagome inwardly groaned and pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind to focus on her homework and studying. She had exams in two days she couldn't afford to fail.

The next time she checked on Ryura, she found him still staring thoughtfully ahead.

It was well into the morning, almost five, when Kagome decided to stop. She couldn't see anymore. Her vision had become too blurry for her to read properly. Knowing she was harming herself more than helping, Kagome wearily rose to her feet and stumbled to her bed, completely forgetting Ryura was on it. She didn't even bother turning down her comforter, instead simply crawled on top of the blankets covering her bed, hoping she would get at least a few hours of sleep before her brother came busting in the room to talk to Ryura.

With her foggy mind and blurry vision, Kagome completely missed Ryura giving her a shocked look. He shifted to press himself against the wall, gathered his hair to move it out of her way, and watched as she curled in on herself. Kagome was asleep within moments, leaving Ryura in a very awkward position. He didn't want to risk moving out of the bed due to the possibility of Kagome waking up, but he couldn't keep himself pressed against the wall as if he was a picture frame, either.

Minutes ticked by and eventually Ryura gave up. He lowered himself back to the bed and opted to just lay beside Kagome. There was enough light for him to see to read by because of the rising sun filtering through the room's window, and that's just what he would do.

Soon he was back in his previous position with his arm behind his head and reading. The thoughts from before, of how could youkai completely disappear, were beaten to death and he felt if he thought on it anymore, his brain might just melt. Whatever happened, was going to happen. Ryura resigned himself into making sure he was one of the ones who survived, if any had. Whatever the events were that led to the youkai's disappearance, Ryura would prepare himself and his House for. They would survive. He wouldn't allow his House to fall again.

Kagome rolled over and burrowed against his side, causing Ryura to stop what he was doing and look down to the Miko. Her face was pressed against his ribs and she now had an arm thrown over his stomach. She shivered and Ryura instinctively wrapped the arm around her that had been behind his head, pulling her slightly closer to him.

Shocked at his own actions, Ryura stared at his arm as if it betrayed him. The appendage had moved of its own accord, but right now, Ryura really didn't feel like fighting it. He was almost finished with this book, and he wanted to know what happened. Sighing through his nose, Ryura kept his arm around Kagome, effectively keeping her pressed against him, and went back to reading.

As the sun rose higher into the sky, Kagome shifted her position again, but only slightly. She moved her head up and now had it resting on Ryura's shoulder forcing him to move the book to a new angle where he could see past her dark hair, ending up with his head resting directly atop hers. It didn't take long for Ryura to forget about his book and end up falling asleep. His wounds had been healed, yes, but he was still recovering – though he was nearly healed. A wave of exhaustion hit him, forcing him into the slumber he was now in.

Around seven in the morning, Hitomi opened Kagome's door with a smile on her face with the intent of telling the two breakfast was ready if they were hungry. When she saw Ryura sprawled out on the bed with Kagome tucked against him and a forgotten book laying on his chest, Hitomi's smile only widened. She carefully closed the door behind her and almost squealed out of joy as she headed back to the kitchen.

Fumbling around behind her, Kagome fished around for her clock. When she found it, she looked at the time, blinked, then blinked again. Two in the afternoon? Putting the clock back where she found it, Kagome groaned. She was never going to get caught up at this rate. It was only then Kagome noticed the extra person in bed with her, a person she was half laying on. Frantically she looked up and sighed with relief at seeing Ryura's sleeping face, but then she began to panic. She was too afraid to move. When had she gotten into bed anyway?

She laid there for what felt like hours to her until Ryura finally began to stir. The arm wrapped around her left, leaving Kagome's back feeling cold and she involuntarily shivered. The Dragon Daiyoukai beside her raised his arms over his head and stretched, groaning at the same time. His still sleep riddled eyes opened and slowly began to focus on Kagome's terrified face.

"I'm sorry!" she squeaked out. "I have a bad habit of not paying attention to what I'm doing when I study for too long! I'm sorry!-"

Ryura blinked quickly and leaned back slightly to get a better look at her.

"You don't need to apologize?" he said with a questioning tone. "You were tired, and I was still awake when you came to bed. If anything, I should be the one apologizing."

Kagome's mind promptly blanched. He let her? He actually allowed her to sleep that close to him? Wait, what?

"Erhm, no... It's okay," she stuttered out once she found her voice.

The Miko quickly rose from her bed and gathered things to take a bath with. She was too embarrassed to look at Ryura at the moment. When had she become so comfortable around him that she would sleep next to him? She moved in a daze to the bathroom and quietly closed the door behind her.

Ryura watched her go with a small frown on his face, wondering if he had upset her. He tuned into her aura, releasing his senses despite how much the noises and smells around him hurt, then breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't upset, but embarrassed, judging by the feeling of aura he became accustomed to while training her not to be so nervous while in battle. He could live with that.

As he dialed back his senses yet again he decided to wait for her to return. He still had a book to finish, and fully intended on doing just that before Kagome returned. But Ryura wouldn't get the chance. Souta came bounding into the room as soon as he heard the shower turn on, telling him Kagome was awake.

"Ryura!" the boy yelled.

Ryura chuckled at the excitement that literally radiated from Souta. With a flick down to the number of the page he was on, he closed it and set it on the small table beside the bed.

"Good morning, Souta," Ryura said with a grin in the boy's direction.

"Morning? It's afternoon!"

Ryura looked out the window, "Afternoon? I suppose it is."

He listened to Souta excited chatter about something called video games and how Dragons were included in a lot of the ones he played. Then he began firing off questions about Dragons, wondering what they really looked like.

"What do you think they look like?" Ryura asked.

"Oh! I'll show you!" Souta said before he sped from the room.

When he returned he was holding a few books and video game cases. Souta spread them out on Kagome's bed, not daring to go near her desk since it looked like she had been studying. He didn't want to face that wrath, not again. As the books and cases were laid out, Ryura's eyebrows rose higher and higher in his surprise.

"That is...disturbingly correct, Souta. I thought Dragons were myths in this era?" Ryura asked as he reached for one book and carefully looked at the cover.

The book showed an almost platinum dragon who held much the same appearance as Ryura did in his true form. There were differences, of course, but they were very minor. The back half of the Dragon was almost transparent, showing off its muscles and ligaments. The words on the book were foreign to him, so Ryura didn't even bother trying to read it.

As he listened to Souta speak on his theory, that somehow true information managed to survive the times, Kagome entered the room and gave Souta a withering glare.

"Souta..." Kagome growled.

The boy squeaked and collected his things, all but the book Ryura was still holding, and scooted from the room without turning his back on Kagome. With him now gone, Kagome sighed and tossed her hair in the towel she was holding.

"I'm sorry about him. He gets a little too excited for his own good sometimes," she apologized as she looked to Ryura.

"It's alright," Ryura said with a smile. "However, could you tell me what this book says? I don't know this language."

Kagome, curious now, carefully took the book from Ryura and looked over it's cover.

"A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent," she glanced up at Ryura. "It's a work of fiction, wrote by Marie Brennan. It's in English."

"Ah, the language of the British," he murmured.

Shocked, Kagome asked, "You know of the British?"

"I do. I traveled quite a bit before I was trapped on Horai Island."

Kagome looked back at the book and pondered for a moment. "If you want, I can read it to you."

"Perhaps after I finish this book," Ryura said with a grin, holding up the book he had been reading.

"Ryura?"

"Hm?" he hummed.

"Do you want to take a bath, too?" Kagome asked nervously.

And that was how Kagome found herself in the bathroom, showing Ryura how indoor plumping worked. She fiddled with the water until he voiced it was the right temperature. Just as she was about to high tail it out of the room, Ryura stopped her.

"Wash my hair for me?" he asked with a grin.

"But..." Kagome trailed off and stared at his pants.

"I'll leave them on," he said quickly when he realized what she was looking at.

It never occurred to him until then that this was no hot springs, like the last time. The bath was a decent sized, yes, but no way would it cover what he would need covered.

Kagome gave him a nod and an exasperated smile, moving past him. She lowered herself to her knees and swished her hand gently through the water as the bathtub filled up. Behind her she could hear Ryura removing his shirt and she stole a glance at him.

"It might be easier if you sat down outside the bath, that way your pants won't get soaked," she suggested.

Ryura nodded and did just that. He lowered himself to sit beside Kagome with his back to the bath, then Kagome directed him to lay back until the back of his neck was resting just on the edge. She gathered his hair then, placing it into the water. With her hands cupped she gathered water and wet the rest of his hair. The Dragon Daiyoukai's eyes were lidded as Kagome washed his long hair, his face one of utter contentment. When Kagome began to hum softly, Ryura found it hard to not drift off to sleep, even if he hadn't been awake for very long. He felt her rinse the soap from his hair then begin to wring it out, laying it section by section on the outside of the bath, and when she was finished, she tapped his forehead and stood.

"All done! I'll let you finish up," she smiled as she spoke.

Ryura watched her go with a daze. He was forced to stay sitting against the bath until he collected his bearings, and only then did he finish undressing and set into the water. His mind began to churn and reel with different thoughts, most of them centered around Kagome.

A knock on the door alerted him to someone's presence, and he faintly heard Souta's muffled voice.

"Hey, Ryura? Can I come in?" he asked.

"Yes," Ryura drawled out, still half dazed from before.

The door creaked open and Souta quickly slipped inside. Over one arm he held a full set of clothing - blue jeans darker than the ones Kagome had been wearing and a black t-shirt - which he set off to the side on a dry shelf. When he was finished with that, Souta looked to Ryura and jerked back. The guy looked like he was drunk! He was lazing in the bath with his arms resting on the edges of the bath. One foot hung off the edge and the other was half way propped up against the wall, showing he was far too long to fully stretch out comfortably. His cheeks were red and his eyes were glazed, staring ahead at nothing.

"Uh, you okay?" Souta asked.

Ryura's eyes slid over to Souta but his head didn't turn, and Souta felt like the red gaze of the Dragon was piercing his very soul, seeing who he truly was deep down. He could see one of Ryura's fangs peeking out from his mouth, catching on his bottom lip. His fingers were slowly tapping along the bath, claws ticking away at the porcelain in a steady rhythm. Souta didn't truly realize how dangerous Ryura was until that moment.

"I am fine," Ryura finally said after a long stretch of silence.

Souta stood extremely still, too afraid to move. Ryura reminded him of a predator who was hunting, patiently waiting for its prey to present itself in a vulnerable manner that would lead to its death. When Souta did find it within himself to move, he slowly took steps back, not daring to show Ryura his back.

"Souta?" Ryura asked, causing Souta to still in his movements.

"Yeah?" the boy squeaked out, freezing in his place.

"Something wrong?"

Souta shook his head quickly in a negative manner and Ryura gave him a suspicious look, obviously not believing him. Ryura then sighed and closed his eyes as his head leaned back to rest against the wall behind him. Raising his left hand, Ryura motioned for Souta to come closer to him. He heard Souta slowly begin to walk towards him, and not once did Ryura open his eyes. As Souta came to a halt about half a foot away from the bath, Ryura began to speak.

"You are afraid," he stated. "Why?"

Souta gulped. "You... um... you look like you could kill something right now," he said in a small voice.

Ryura's eyes snapped open, head raising and he looked up to Souta with a confused expression. Had he truly? He wasn't angry, far from it. He was comfortable to the point he felt lazy and didn't think he'd be getting out of the water until it was extremely cold, which Kagome warned could happen.

"I am not angry, Souta," Ryura murmured. "I am... content. You should have no reason to fear me. I will never harm you or your family."

Souta smiled a bit sheepishly as relief swelled through him. What was he thinking? Souta should have known better – of course he wasn't going to hurt anyone, else Kagome wouldn't have allowed him to stay as long as he had. Ryura had just looked so... primal that it scared him for a bit.

"I'm sorry. I'm not... I'm not used to having another guy around that's not older than dirt," he admitted. "I was really young when my dad died. I've only seen pictures of him."

Ryura didn't say anything. He instead rose from the water and grabbed the towel Kagome had left for him, wrapping the white material around his waist. Once he was out of the bath he unplugged it to allowed the water to drain, then sat on the bath's edge with his hands resting over his knees. He looked Souta in the eyes, his new position allowing him to be on equal level with the young boy.

"I was young when my own father died, as well," Ryura said, causing Souta's eyes to widen. "However I was not as young as you were."

"Really?" Souta asked.

Ryura nodded. "While you may not know your father trust me when I say this; he knows you. He watches over you to this day – you and your family. He has kept Kagome safe from dangers in the past before."

"...how can you be so sure?" Souta asked warily.

"Because I have met him," Ryura said with a sad smile. "I was dead for quite some time, Souta."

The boy's mouth hung open. "What!?"

"Inuyasha and Kagome were the ones who killed me," Ryura admitted. Souta looked too shocked to ask why, so Ryura kept speaking. "I was not always as I am now, Souta. I was the General of a group called the Four War Gods. I've killed a lot of innocent people. I was greedy, and daresay insane. Inuyasha and your sister saved me by sending me to my death.

"I was a void for six centuries, to me – time travels differently when you are dead. Your father came to me one day, in a different form that I would know, and made a deal with me. You see, he was Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's father in a past life. He was also my god-father. His name was Touga. Later, after I returned to the living, your father called me to him, and explained to me exactly who he was, and what he has done. He watches over you, all of you, even now. He's probably listening in on our conversation," Ryura finished with a lopsided grin.

Souta looked down to the floor in a thoughtful manner. He didn't know whether to believe Ryura or not, but it did make sense. If anything Souta knew he could ask Kagome later.

"One time, when I was little," Souta began, "I ran out into the street while at a friend's house, and a car was coming. I couldn't move I was so afraid, but I felt something push me out of the way. And don't tell Kagome or mom this, they'll freak out!"

"My lips are sealed," Ryura promised with a chuckle. "What you felt was possibly Hikaru, your father."

Souta looked up and smiled brightly at Ryura. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Ryura stood to his feet and ruffled Souta's hair. "The world works in mysterious ways, Souta. Believe in things that are unbelievable, and never stop having faith. I'm living proof that the myths of your era are not actual myths, and that the Kami-sama do exist. Things aren't always the way they seem."

Souta, still smiling, nodded. They didn't speak much after that, both fine with letting the conversation end as it had. Souta showed Ryura how to wear the clothing his mother had pulled out for Ryura, and both were pleased when they saw the clothing fit Ryura a little too well. Apparently Souta and Kagome's father had been the exact same size as Ryura, which was convenient. The only problem was the shirt was a little too tight, but that Ryura could deal with while his own clothing was being cleaned.

The day passed without too many incidents, and the following morning went well except for when Hojo showed up to ask Hitomi if Kagome was going to school in the morning. He wanted to come in and see her, since Hitomi had told him that yes, Kagome was indeed going to school. If she was well enough to go to school, she was well enough to visit with him for a little bit.

Kagome had been listening from the stairs and almost lost her mind when she heard her mother reluctantly agree to Hojo's visit. Ryura was upstairs! There was a Daiyoukai in their house and her mother just let a human in – a human who had no idea what youkai were!

She barged up the stairs and into her room, pressing herself up against her door with her chest heaving due to her nervousness.

"Ryura!" Kagome said.

Ryura was quickly off the bed, his book flying from his hands, and standing in front of her, thinking something was wrong. He checked her over for injuries, and when he found none, he looked at her more carefully.

"What is it?" he said with urgency.

"Hojo's here!" Kagome yanked her door open as she spoke and began pushing Ryura out of it. "Go hide in Souta's room – don't ask questions right now, Souta can explain!"

Ryura stood within Souta's room, bewildered. Souta sat in front of the television in his room with wide eyes looking to Ryura. He was playing a video game and had a stick of pockey hanging out from the left corner of his mouth.

"Hojo?" Ryura asked.

Souta yelped out of surprise, "Crap!"

Ryura blinked quickly. "What?" he asked, not understanding how this Hojo person could send everyone into a frenzy.

"He's a friend of Kagome's who's literally obsessed with her. The guy's a creep," Souta grumbled as he turned his eyes back to his video game, his mood soured by having to talk about Hojo. "He's always asking about her, following her around when she's home and walking around in the city. He always asks her how she's doing and if she needs anything, which would be fine if he wasn't so persistent about it."

Ryura chest rumbled with a growl and he kept himself against Souta's door, listening to what was going on outside. He willed his markings to disappear, following that up by forcing the color of his hair and eyes to change, his claws and fangs to shrink, and his pointed ears to turn into human-like shells. Souta was watching now, shock all over his face.

"H-how!?" he exclaimed while pointing at Ryura.

"Daiyoukai can control what they look like to a point, if they're skilled enough," he said while flicking his eyes to look at Souta. "I'm making myself look human."

"Obviously, but why?" Souta asked as he pushed himself from the floor and came to stand beside Ryura with his face pressed against the door. Was something happening outside?

"Kagome is alone with Hojo, in her room. Why do you think?"

"...Oooohhhhh," the boy said when he caught Ryura's meaning.

Souta really couldn't hear anything, but then again he wasn't youkai like Ryura was. He looked quickly to the Lord standing beside him and watched as Ryura's face fell into one of utter stoicism. Souta wasn't exactly for sure what that look meant, but he did have a feeling it didn't mean anything good for Hojo.

Sighing inwardly, Kagome did her best to keep herself from looking annoyed. Hojo was sitting on the chair of her desk, going on and on about school and how she needs to take better care of herself. Really, she got the guy wanted to be a doctor, but this was a little much.

"You shouldn't keep the window open, Kagome!" Hojo said as he leaned over and closed aforementioned window with a soft click. "It's not summer anymore!"

He turned around then and started looking over her homework and study notes. When he clicked his tongue in a disappointed manner, Kagome's eyebrow twitched against her will.

"You're going to take the exams with this?" Hojo sighed softly, looking like he'd just been fed something sour.

He began pulling notebooks out of his bag and laying them on Kagome's desk, mumbling to himself to make sure they were the right ones.

"Hojo, my things are fine!" Kagome whined. "It's hard to understand your notes!"

"That's because you're not trying hard enough!" Hojo scolded.

Kagome hung her head and sighed. She didn't mind Hojo, not really. He was a good friend who was just worried about her. That didn't mean she could help the annoyed feeling she got whenever he would go on one of his rants.

"What's this?" he suddenly said with a tone of wonder.

Kagome looked up and paled. He was holding up one of Ryura's black boots that she forgot to toss in her closet, and he was eying it with suspicion. He turned it this way and that, humming thoughtfully all the while. It was obviously way too big to be one of Kagome's or Souta's boots. Hojo looked to the window the back to the boot, and ever so slowly set the boot down and turned to face Kagome with a frown on his face.

"Instead of studying you were messing around with a guy?" he asked. He just looked disappointed. "I didn't expect that from you, Kagome."

"Excuse me?" Kagome said hotly.

"I shouldn't need to repeat myself, you know. I was wondering why your grades were slipping even further than they had since you got sick, and I think I know the reason now," Hojo replied evenly.

Kagome grit her teeth. "And that reason would be?"

"You have a boyfriend, and instead of studying or doing your homework, you're messing around with him. Your grades are horrible, Kagome. Your family is going to be so sad..." he trailed off with a sad frown.

"I don't really think this is any of your business, Hojo." Kagome said as she stood up and placed her hands on her hips.

Hojo snapped his eyes up and glared at her. "I think it is! I promised your grandfather I would look after you!"

"I don't need someone to look after me, thank you very much!" Kagome said a bit louder than she intended. "My grandpa is very aware of what's going on, and if anything I have his permission!"

Hojo stood up as well and came closer to her. "What? And you think that makes it all okay? Stop being delusional!"

"Delusional!?" Kagome screeched.

"Yes, delusional! You're fifteen years old! Do you think this guy you're obsessed with is any good for you? Huh, do you!?" Hojo yelled back. "He's not! If he truly cared for you, he wouldn't let you ruin your life like this!"

Just to make his point, Hojo leaned back and grabbed one of Kagome's notebooks that held her scribbles of notes and all but flung it at her. Kagome awkwardly caught it, hissing when one of the pages sliced her finger. She hated paper cuts! Blood seeped from the cut and Kagome angrily shoved it in her mouth. This whole situation was stupid.

Kagome knew how this was coming off. Hojo wasn't aware she was constantly juggling two lives and trying to save the world with her friends. He didn't know what she had seen, what she had been through, or what she could do. He didn't know that she had very, very good friends who supported her, and he definitely didn't know she was part of a noble House whose Lord took very good care of her, all things considering.

Hojo's rant continued as Kagome sucked on her still bleeding finger. The cut was deeper than she originally thought it was.

"And another thing, are you really sick at all or are you just faking it so you can be with him all the time!? If you were really sick you wouldn't look as good as you do!"

Kagome popped her finger out of her mouth and frowned. "It's none of your business! If you don't have anything nice to say, just leave!"

"I'm trying to help you, Kagome! Can't you see that!?" Hojo said as he moved to place his hands on her shoulders.

Kagome instinctively flinched away from him, remembering the last time that someone had laid their hands on her in such a way. Ryura ended up almost dying. Not that Hojo carried the power to kill Ryura, far from it, but she couldn't help herself from worrying.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed.

He didn't listen to her, reaching for her again with both hands.

"I believe she said not to touch her."

Hojo and Kagome both looked to the door of the room, heads turning slowly and eyes widening dramatically. Ryura stood leaning against the door frame with his arms folded over his chest. His sudden appearance surprised Hojo, but it was how he looked that surprised Kagome. His long hair was jet black, eyes a deep burgundy color, and he was overall missing any traits that screamed, "Hey everyone, I'm a youkai!"

And considering he was dressed in her father's old clothes, he looked anything but youkai.

Hojo involuntarily stepped away from Kagome and held his hands up level with his chest, palms facing outwards. When he was far enough away, Ryura stepped further into the room and went straight to Kagome. His eyes landed on her still bleeding finger and he grumbled. Taking her hand in his, he stuck her bleeding finger in his mouth. While normally a Dragon's saliva was corrosive, it could also seal wounds. Ryura kept her finger in his mouth until he felt the blood stop flowing from the small wound, and then lowered her hand from his face. He grinned at her blushing face.

"Thought you said you couldn't be nervous anymore?" he asked playfully.

"T-that is...!" Kagome stuttered.

"Who are you?" Hojo asked, making himself aware to the two again.

Ryura looked over his shoulder and frowned at the male.

"I am Ryura," he said.

"And...?" Hojo drawled out.

"He's a very close friend of mine and my family," Kagome said with a nod once her nerves settled down.

"He knew my father," she explained further. Well, he knew her father's spirit, but Kagome kept that to herself.

"Your boyfriend?" Hojo asked with a tilt of his head. Silently he was wondering how old the guy was, if he knew Kagome's father before the man had passed away.

"Yes," Ryura answered.

Souta had explained to him before he left what a boyfriend was when Ryura had asked while listening in to Hojo and Kagome's conversation. Souta described it as someone, in the modern era, you were dating, or courting. A person you spent quite a lot of your time with and cared for more than you would a simple friend.

Ryura had decided that his and Kagome's relationship wasn't too far off from that. While they weren't courting, they did spend an awful lot of time around each other, and Ryura cared more for her than he would another person, because she was a member of his House. As a youkai, anyone within a House was practically family. The positions were reserved for those who were close to the Lord's family, and in the end, became extended family themselves.

Kagome kept her mouth shut, shocked beyond belief and wondering if Ryura knew what he was really saying. She just watched as Hojo's mouth thinned into a tight line and he nodded firmly, turning to gather his things, including his notebooks.

"Do what you want, Kagome," Hojo bit out. "I'm not helping you anymore. If you fail and dishonor your family, that's on you now."

Neither Kagome nor Ryura said anything as he left, and when he was gone and they saw him stalking his way to the long staircase that led to the Shrine, Kagome sighed.

"It's going to be interesting at school tomorrow," she said.

Ryura's head tilted curiously, "Why's that?"

"He's friends with my friends, and they have a habit of talking a bit too loudly about my love life and humans in this era are too curious for their own good, so people hear things. Hojo thinks you're my boyfriend, so..." Kagome said with a shrug.

Ryura was silent and Kagome ended up asking, "Do you know what a boyfriend is?"

"Souta explained it to me. Aside from the courting aspect, our relationship is not far from what Souta described, when it comes down to it," Ryura admitted.

Kagome paused to think about it, and eventually realized he was right. He pretty much did act like he was her boyfriend. Odd thing was, Kagome found she didn't really mind the thought of him actually acting in such a way. He wasn't possessive as Inuyasha had been – not that she had seen anyway. He was kind, caring, and protected both physically and mentally.

She blushed and looked down to the carpet. What was she thinking?

Ryura crouched down and tilted his head up to look at her face. His right hand raised to rest gently on her cheek and he stroked it with a thumb.

"I apologize for any problems this may cause you when you go to school," he said softly.

Kagome smiled down at him and lightly shook her head, then leaned into his touch. "It's alright. I can deal with it. I'll just confirm what they're thinking. I'll say we're dating, and answer what questions they have about you the best I can. If anything I can say you're a very private person and you don't like having much known about you."

"Hn, that is possibly the best route to take. It is not as if you can tell them who I truly am, ne?" he asked with a small grin.

"Oh I can see that going wonderfully. Hey, guys, he's not actually my boyfriend, but my Lord. He's a Daiyoukai who traveled five hundred years into the future because I was too tired to walk by myself. I'd be tossed into the nearest insane asylum," Kagome said sarcastically, making Ryura laugh.

The Dragon straightened himself and put his hands on Kagome's shoulders, then leaned over to kiss the crown of her head.

"Now you will study. I will keep Souta busy," Ryura said after he pulled away. "Show the human how wrong he is."

Kagome gave an almost feral grin, happy with the idea. She only had one more day.

Well, almost a day, she thought after taking a glance at her clock.

A.N.: Again, A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan is a real book. Also! I'm going to start putting the name of the song(s) I listened to while writing the chapters. Without them, and those who have reviewed so far, I wouldn't have had the inspiration to write what I have so far. Consider them prompts. Sometimes they might have something to do with that particular chapter, and sometimes they might not. :3

Prompt: A Rose for Epona - Eluveitie