Taste Of Love

Kagome ran away from her demanding family and found herself right in the arms of Takahashi Inuyasha. Caught up in his world, it's getting hard for her to leave, for she has had her first taste of love.

-x-

C'est la Fin

-x-

"... No," Inuyasha snarled, standing up and glaring at his eldest triplet daughter: sixteen year old daughter, Sayuri. Sayuri was the only one of the triplets that referred to herself with her middle name: Ayana. The other two, Sayuki and Sayumi, referred to each other by their real names (or Yuki and Yumi in terms of nick names).

"But whyyyy?!" Ayana whined, brushing back her short, choppy hair.

"Because it's a school night and—well... I don't like Kyo!!"

Ayana raised an eyebrow. "He's only your best friends kid!"

"Not mine!" Inuyasha held up his hands in defence. "Your mothers."

Ayana rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm going out with Kyo tonight!!"

"No!"

"Yes!!"

"No!!"

"YES!!"

"NOO!!!"

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Inuyasha rubbed his temples. "Why can't you be like Sayumi?! That girl's... discovering... kryptonite and you're out swapping spit with Kyo!"

Ayana raised an eyebrow. "Kryptonite?! Is that the best you could come up with?"

"Truthfully?" Inuyasha sighed, "Yeah."

Ayana walked towards her father and hugged him, tightly. "You're getting too old for this, father."

He twitched. "Hey! I'm only--... forty-eight years old..."

Ayana rolled her eyes, "Yeah, old." She pat her father's head, reaching up to his massive height, "But that's why we love you—now, let's try this again... can I please go out with Kyo tonight?" She said in a sweet voice: "I promise to be home before seven..."

"DON'T DO IT DAD!" Muteki ran into the room, holding his backpack, "It's all a trick! You don't know women—they're... witches."

Ayana glared at her brother. "Get lost, booger."

"Make me, witch."

"Booger!"

"Witch!"

"Booger!!"

"... ugly old ancient priestess from feudal times that has wrinkly sags falling over her eyes and needs five canes to walk two steps!"

Ayana and Inuyasha stared at Muteki who grinned. "Stupid human wench!! You do not understand the beauty of feudal Japan! SENGOKU JIDAI FOR LIFEEEEEE"

And he ran off.

"Oh—kay..." Inuyasha rolled off his tongue before turning to his daughter. Before he could open his mouth, his other daughter, Sayuki, ran into the living room, tearing off her sweater, revealing a baggy blue t-shirt!

"Daddy! I'm going out with Ichiro tonight!"

Inuyasha glared at his other daughter: "What the hell is it up with you two and dating the guys of the family friends?! I swear, I think Sayumi is single because there are no more boys to go around!"

"Ha... ha..." Sayumi snorted, walking into the living room, taking off her lab coat. "I got a hundred and three percent on my chemistry midterm exam."

Ayana twitched. "How?!"

Sayumi shrugged. "Bonus question-- I'm gonna go do some math homework now..."

Ayana could only stare as Sayumi walked up the stairs. She turned to her father and sister: "Who is she like?! Mom and dad don't study this much!!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "Your mom has five brains—she just chooses not to use them."

"Takahashi!" Kagome roared, stomping into the room, "Quit degrading me in front of your daughters!"

"MOMMY!" Ayana and Sayuki ran towards their mother: "Can we go out today?! We promise to be home by seven—seven thirty at most!"

Kagome grinned, "Sure—take the limo, bodyguard each and make sure you're home before time."

"WHY ARE YOU LETTING THEM GO?!"

"Because they're mature enough to handle real life situations with boys that we helped raise?" Kagome raised an eyebrow at her idiotic husband. He merely glared at her.

"You're supposed to be on my side—I'm the overprotective father, remember?"

"And I'm the lax mother that counteracts every overprotective deed the overprotective father enacts."

"Why can't you be on my side for once?"

"I always am—just in a different way," Kagome grinned at her husband, who snorted. Ayana and Sayuki high-fived.

"SCORE!!" Ayana grinned, "Maybe Sayumi'll help us with outfits?"

Sayuki crossed her arms. "She's finding out the chemical properties of like—Uranium or something..."

Ayana snorted, "She needs a life..."

Kagome raised an eyebrow at her two other daughters. "Cut her some slack girls," she chided, "Sayumi models, designs clothes, top student of her school and she's jumped two years on top of that—intern secretary at your father's company, part-time babysitter, weekend chemist at the laboratory that your father bought out—and has time for her family all together..."

Ayana twitched. "Yumi... needs a life."

"You," Inuyasha barked, "need to be more like her—not exercising your lips with... Kyo."

"Kyo was one of your favourite kids growing up," Kagome pointed out, "stop being biased just because he's dating your daughter."

"Woman! I helped raise the boy—I was also the same man that... er... took advantage of you in a disadvantaged time! What does that say about me?! Maybe some of my stupidity rubbed off on Kyo!!" Inuyasha flailed around like a fish. Kagome crossed her arms.

"Then my five brains have been passed on to the girls. They cancel out stupidity, right girls?" Kagome smirked at her two laughing daughters. The three knew full well they were unplanned but joked around with it all the time—most of the time.

Sighing in defeat, Inuyasha pointed towards the door. "Be back—by seven... or else I'm sending the dogs to sniff you both out and drag you back home, understood?"

"Yes'sir!" Saluting their father, the girls proceeded to run to their bedroom (obviously shared, as it was their choice) to get ready. Inuyasha glared at his wife.

"Why are you like that?! They could be raped!!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "First of all, they're dating Ichiro and Kyo—boys we've seen since birth. Second of all, I don't want them living the life I did. You know," Kagome shrugged, "confined to your own room— stuff like that."

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "They're sixteen—and each have boyfriends."

"Boyfriends whom we know," Kagome knocked Inuyasha on the head, "Casanova, they are good kids."

"I know—but I'm still the father."

Kagome rolled her eyes, "Nah, you're just a Takahashi—you all are like that. God help my Muteki."

As if on cue, Muteki clambered down the stairs with his sister, Sayumi, behind him. She was, obviously, chasing him, and he was laughing like a hyena. "Catch meee!!" He teased as Sayumi, noticeably laughing, launched over the sofa and tackled her little brother.

"You," she panted, messing up his hair, "are such a booger. Ready to go?"

Muteki nodded as he walked up to his parents: "Priestess Sayumi-onee-chan and I are going to attend the room of giant plays and entertain ourselves with the purchasing of popping corn and carbonated drinks!"

Inuyasha stared at Muteki: "Boy, why aren't you more like me?"

Kagome laughed, kissing Muteki's cheek. "Have fun you two—be back by seven, okay?"

Sayumi nodded, hugging her mom. "Bye mama."

Inuyasha watched Sayumi and Muteki leave before turning to his wife, "Where?"

"Movies." Kagome clarified as she smoothly walked past her husband and headed towards the stairs: "You coming? The kids are all out..." As if on cue, Ayana and Sayuki rushed out the door, both wearing acceptable clothing, by Kagome's taste.

If it were up to Inuyasha, he'd wrap them up in mummification gauze and put a sweater on them before letting them out.

He was... protective.

"Right behind you," he smirked, chasing his wife up the stairs.

-x-

Eight Years Later...

"Do you, Arai Sakamoto, take Sayumi Hikaru Takahashi, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to hold and to cherish, through sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

Twinkling blue eyes, brushed back dirty blond hair and full lips smiled. "I do."

"Do you, Sayumi Hikaru Takahashi, take Arai Sakamoto, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to hold and to cherish, through sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

The youngest of the triplets grinned broadly. "I do."

Within minutes, the rings were slipped onto the fingers and the bride and groom slipped into their first wedded kiss. Ayana and Sayuki were the loudest in applause (as they were the bridesmaids and sister to the bride). Ayana leaned over to Sayuki: "Funny huh, how she was the last to get a man and was the first to get married—to her first boyfriend too!"

Sayuki squealed, "It's so cute!! And stop making it seem like a huge deal—I'm still with Ichiro. He'll, we're engaged!!"

Ayana snorted, "Well, I'm beautifully single and intend to remain that way!"

"Twenty bucks says you're with Kyo before Yumi and Arai take off their pants. You two have been on and off for... nine years..."

"Shut up," Ayana glowered at her sister before realizing Yumi and Arai were leaving the wedding hall. "Rice!" She hissed as she and her sister ran after Yumi with a little pouch of rice, following friends and family alike.

Sayumi had found the man of her dreams: a biologist studying plant activity in planets beyond earth when she turned seventeen. They had dated, for seven years before he finally proposed. Obviously, Inuyasha being Inuyasha, had disagreed—at first, but saw the light. Sayumi assumed her mother had something to do with it...

Maybe some sex—

But that was a disturbing thought. They were her parents...

Muteki was dating Katie, the youngest daughter of Miroku and Sango Lin. They were steady for three years so far and, from what Inuyasha was told, Muteki was going to propose to her after Sayumi was beautifully married off. Muteki had taken over Inuyasha's empire with his two other cousins, Suoh and Zen. The three shared continental parts of their company, as Kaoru Ehime had signed off his entire empire to the Takahashi's.

Suoh concentrated on North and South America while Zen had Africa and Europe. Muteki had Asia and Oceania as his continents. Sesshomaru and Kagura relocated themselves to Italy, and their daughter, Rin—who had married a prestigious lawyer, moved to New York. Suoh was engaged and lived with his sister and brother-in-law in New York while Zen was a divorcee living in South Africa.

Arai lifted Sayumi and walked with her to the limousine. Sayumi grinned at her parents as she passed them: I love you. She mouthed as Kagome wiped away a tear.

"Oh god," Kagome whispered, leaning against Inuyasha: "I swear she was born yesterday."

Inuyasha wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder. "And now our baby's getting married... I'm proud of her."

Kagome smiled sadly, "I'll miss her... oh the house will be so quiet now."

Inuyasha twitched. "Woman, we have the other two plus Muteki and their significant other... how quiet do you think it'll honestly get?!"

"It's a figure of speech you retard! Oh my god, you haven't changed since your younger years—just some added wrinkles." Kagome poked his cheek.

Inuyasha caught her fingers, "You're still as beautiful as the first day I laid my eyes on you..."

Kagome blushed as she turned her head into his shoulder. Tears began streaming down her face—She'd miss Sayumi...

"It's okay," Inuyasha whispered, "it's life—you left your family... she has to leave hers..."

Kagome glared at Inuyasha. "So much for consolation; my family was horrible! At least hers was—acceptable."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, mademoiselle, Takahashi Inuyasha is her father: you can't have it any better!"

"You were so protective while they were growing up," Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Stop fighting and wave!" Muteki hissed as he shoved his father. "Mom's right always and you're always wrong—you two have been married for twenty-four years and you haven't figured that out yet?"

Inuyasha glared at his son before turning his attention back at the limousine... it was the last time he saw his daughter as Takahashi Sayumi Hikaru—From today on she was Sakamoto Sayumi Hikaru.

-x-

3 years later—and after a lot of binding in holy "matrimonies"

Kagome dropped her glass of water, her eyes trained onto her son for the longest time. "What?" She gasped as Muteki grinned, aged twenty-four and married for exactly one year. He walked to his mother and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Congratulations," he whispered as Kagome couldn't even blink, "you're gonna be a grandma..."

Kagome pulled back. "Does Sango know?!"

Muteki had married his first girlfriend: Katie Lin, Miroku and Sango's second daughter. Muteki shook his head, "Nah—we wanted to tell you first... where's dad?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, "Saving Suoh from bankruptcy. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha flew immediately to New York because our Western branch was—dying..."

Muteki snorted. "Suoh can't do anything right—but yes... Katie's pregnant."

The triplets had all married. Ayana and Kyo broke up and Ayana ended up marrying the second son of the owner of their rival company, allowing a merger to happen. They dated for a year after the break-up and ended up getting married within the current year. Sayumi and Arai were going strong and decided to have kids later on in their life. Sayuki married Ichiro the previous year and were living in Australia together.

Kagome all but ran to Katie and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Congratulations!!" She breathed as Katie returned the embrace, smiling at her husband over her mother-in-law's shoulder.

"Ditto, Mom..." She whispered in her ear...

-x-

Five years later

"Nana!! Where's daddy?" A tiny four year old boy ran to Inuyasha who was laying on the sofa watching televisions: as healthy and fit as ever. He was fifty-nine years old but looked forty and acted twenty.

"Daddy is out with Aunt Ayana, Sayumi, Sayuki, your mommy and—everybody else we're related to." Inuyasha responded, his eyes trained on the wrestling match on the television.

"WHY DIDN'T THEY TAKE MEEEE?!?!" His tears began immediately falling and Inuyasha shot up, picking the kid up and putting him on his lap.

"Ryu!!" Inuyasha said, in a panicky voice. "You have Nana and Nani here!! We'll have fun!!"

"You're watching fat men fight!" Ryu, the first son of Muteki and the only Takahashi heir, sobbed as Kagome shook her head, walking from the kitchen with a bowl of soup for Ryu.

"Because Nana wishes he was a fat man that could fight like them. Ryu-chan wants to be big and strong so that when he's older, he can fight Nana, right?" Kagome cooed, sitting down beside her grandson. Ryu launched off Inuyasha's knee and ran to his grandmother.

"Yes! How do I do it??" Ryu inquired, his tears immediately vanishing. Kagome held the bowl in front of her.

"Drink Nani's special soup—it's made especially for a little boy named Ryu Takahashi."

"That's me!!"

Kagome blew on the spoon to cool down the spoon, "So let's get you big and strong, shall we?"

-x-

5 more years down the road...

Inuyasha lay in his bed: same mansion as before, with his wife lightly snoring beside him. Their entire family, wives, kids, grandkids, friends, and in-laws were all over at the Takahashi mansion celebrating thirty-seven years of marriage for Kagome and Inuyasha.

Inuyasha aged eyes kept staring at the ceiling—the same ceiling he woke up to with his wife beside him for many years...

Kagome stirred: "Inuyasha?"

"Remember when I first met you?" He whispered. "You were playing tag with Ai—you were so gorgeous..."

Kagome looked up at him. "Where did that come from?"

He looked down at his wife, "Thirty-seven years Kagome—I haven't had a girlfriend for longer than three years and here I am... married... for thirty-seven."

Kagome laughed, "Love can do it to you—I suppose."

He kissed her temple, "I love you, Mademoiselle..."

Kagome could only smile: "I love you too—and guess what."

"What?"

"We had a son... and I never managed to dress up as a porcupine. Therefore, I won that bet."

Inuyasha gasped. "Shit! I forgot we ever made that bet!"

"I win!"

Inuyasha chuckled, poking his wife's side. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

Kagome merely rolled her eyes. "I'm old, saggy, wrinkly, and... old..."

"But you're the most beautiful old, wrinkly, and saggy woman ever." He teased, "Got a problem?"

"You're so bad," Kagome snorted as she wrapped her arm tightly around his torso, "but I guess that's why we made thirty-seven, eh?"

"Definitely."

They were silent for a long time before Inuyasha placed another kiss on her, this time in her hair. "Mademoiselle Miko?" He whispered, sounding just as he did when they were in their twenties.

Kagome smiled up at him, "Oui?"

"Je t'aime..."

Laughing, she pressed her lips against his and he could only comply. Pulling back, her eyes twinkled, "Je taime aussi—Casanova."

-x-

"Fine." Inuyasha stepped back. "Shall we have a bet?"

"Stakes?" Kagome never turned down a bet.

"By the end of the month if I find you more mature and you do not find me a snob, I'll give you anything you want."

"And if I lose?" Kagome raised a brow and Kikyo wanted to scream.

"You have to," Inuyasha smirked, "publicly humiliate yourself."

"Publicly…" Kagome frowned. "Define publicly."

"National television."

Kagome would've slapped him, if he didn't look so serous. "And why do you want to place this bet?" She raised a brow.

"Nobody shits with me," he said in a deadly whisper, "and gets away with it."

"All I did was call you a snob." Kagome tested.

Definitely feisty… definitely like. He thought, quite amused.

"And that I am not. You stay out of my way, we stay out of yours. House is big enough."

"I have no idea why you are going to let us stay but hey, if that means we don't have to drive four hours back home then so be it!"

-x-

He merely called for a simple bet. She merely agreed to it—

None of them knew that it would be the first of many things:

First for a blossoming friendship;
First for endless quarrels;
First for many tears;
And perhaps heartbreaks as well;
First for true happiness;
And a first for committing adultery.
But the best first out of them all;
Was that it was the first for him to realize;
And her to feel...
The true taste... of love...

-x- C'est la fin -x-

February 11th, 2009—Taste of Love completed.

March 31st, 2007 – Taste of Love first published.