(I am so sorry that I haven't been able to upload anything lately! School starts this upcoming Monday for me and I've been trying to get everything set up for it. I have brought you all a chapter to stave off your rath for now! -hands it over and hides- Enjoy!)

~Chapter 8~

Kagome's eyes were as wide as tea saucers as she got an eye-full of a soaking wet Itachi. She noticed that a towel was the only thing he had on and her eyes widened even more as she turned several shades of red. She averted her eyes and cleared her throat, trying to mask her embarrassment a little. "L-lunch is ready... If you would like to join us." Her eyes strayed to a few water droplets making there way down Itachi's well-defined chest. Her fingers twitched a little at the thought of tracing the same paths they had taken. Her face changed into a deeper crimson at the thought. 'I have got to stop thinking like his fangirls!' She shook her head a little and tried to clear her mind. "S-so yeah... You can join us if you'd like.. Once you're dressed..." She looked up slightly, raising her eyes from the floor. "So... See ya." She quickly left, trying to tame her blush before she got back into the dining room with the kids.

Once she was downstairs, she leaned against the wall, trying to even her breathing a little. "That... Was unexpected..." She shook her head as the images tried to weave their way forward. She groaned and forced the thoughts into the far recesses of her mind, then went to the dining room to serve the children their lunch. She heard a soft and airy voice talking, and she smiled, realizing that it was Rin talking to everyone. "I... I am signed up to start in the academy next fall."

Kagome smiled and walked into the dining room. "And did you know that Sasuke-chan is signed up to start next fall as well?" The four children looked up, eyes wide. "Mhmm. Mikoto asked me to sign you up for next fall so that you'll be in with a few students your age. Also, Inu and Shippo, I'll sign you two up as well." She smiled and giggled as they started hopping around in their chairs. "Alright, alright. Sasuke, will you help me bring in lunch?"

Sasuke nodded and got down and walked into the kitchen, waiting for Kagome to join him. He smiled when she finally walked in. "We were playing ninja hide-and-seek. And Itachi was our target." Kagome's eyes widened a little and she motioned for him to continue. "We got him the same way I got you before!" He smiled as Kagome started to smile.

Kagome giggled softly. "Well, I guess he deserved it for never being home, huh?"

"No..." Sasuke pouted a little. "It was because of how mean he was when he first got home." He smiled a little again. "What about lunch?"

Kagome smiled and ruffled Sasuke's hair. "Alright then. Just help me carry it out to the table." She smiled as the four year old nodded and took one of the bowls and went to the dining room. She shook her head and picked up two of the plates and headed out, only to drop the bowls, screaming.

The teen's eyes were wide as arms shot out from behind her to catch the bowls. "All this yelling and screaming is unbefitting of a lady..." Itachi smirked a little as he untangled them and took the bowls to the dining room, leaving Kagome flustered.

"Urrrg! That arrogant... What I would do to him iof the kids were taking a nap..." The thought of nailing him to a tree with kunai and smirked a little, pulling in her chakra that was starting to lash out around her. She took a deep breath and grabbed a few of the plates and went to the dining room. "Okay..." She looked around at the four children. "What? Do I have something on my face?" She tilted her head to the side a little.

Rin spoke up first. "We heard you scream, nee-chan..." She bit her lip a little and her eyes widened as she watched Kagome set the plates down. "Dango?"

Kagome smiled and nodded. "I do believe that I made a favorite of each person." She smiled as she pointed to each plate. **"We have Inuyasha's favorite of Ramen... Specifically chicken ramen. Shippo's favorite of oyakodon, Sasuke's of sesame soba salad, Rin's of mitarashi dango, and my favorite of oden." She smiled and looked up a little. "I also made a few extra dishes because I wasn't sure what else everyone would like. And they are gyoza, katsu curry with black curry, tonkatsu, chicken teriyaki, and beef teriyaki." Kagome didn't notice when Itachi's eyes widened a little when she said she made tonkatsu, one of his favorite foods.

All of the children thanked her and helped each other dish out a few different foods onto their plates. Itachi made the first move at the tonkatsu and nearly filled his plate with. "Thank you..." He watched as Kagome looked up from helping Rin and smiled, nodding.

Kagome smiled as she watched everyone start to eat their lunch and finally filled her plate. She took a little oden, beef teriyaki, and chicken ramen, her plate nearly matching Inuyasha's. "I hope you all like lunch."She picked up her chopsticks just as a knock resounded from the front door. "I'll get it." She smiled as she got up and went to the door. She opened it to see Mikoto and Fugaku standing their with their arms full of bags. She instantly took most of the bags from them and took them to the kitchen, the matriarch and patriarch of the family following behind by a few steps.

Once Mikoto got into the dining room, she gasped softly. "Aren't you three adorable!"

Rin blushed a little, setting her chopsticks down on the table and folded her hands in her lap. Inuyasha rolled his eyes a little and continued to eat his ramen. Shippo looked up from the dango he was holding and smiled a little. "I remember you!"

Mikoto smiled and giggled softly. "And I remember you. You nearly made Kagome bowl right over Sasuke and myself." Shippo looked down a little, bashful at what was said. Mikoto shook her head a little, still smiling. "It's fine. I know how much you mean to Kagome and I wasn't mad to start with, simply surprized."

Kagome took her seat as Itachi stood up and walked over to his mother, knocking into Kagome slightly, as he gave his mother a hug. She flushed a little at thinking about what she saw just a handful of minutes ago. Rin looked up at the older girl who had just sat down beside her and turned a funny color. " 'Gome-nee-chan, are you okay? You look funny."

Kagome's brows furrowed a little. "What's wrong with the way I look?"

The teenage girl tilted her head to the side a little as Mikoto sat down next to her. "I think she means the blush on your face.." She smiled a little. "Did you find someone that you like and get asked out on a date?"

Fugaku nodded his head a little. "Last time I went with you and Sasuke to the market, Hatake Kakashi was trying to make a pass on you even though he's a year or two younger than you."

Kagome's eyes widened and she held up her hands. "No, that's not it at all! I just was thinking about something that happened a while ago. My aniki pulled a trick on me a few weeks ago that reminded me of something that Inuyasha and Shippo pulled a while ago."

"If you say so, dear." Mikoto smiled as she set her plate up. "Ah~ It's so nice to be able to have lunch with everyone." She looked at the three little ones whom she didn't know the names of. "And what might your names be?"

Shippo looked up. "I'm Shippo. I didn't mean to almost knock you over a few weeks ago in the market." He looked back at his plate and started to push some of the food around.

"Keh, you never can do anything right, dummy." Inuyasha crossed his arms a little. "I'm Inuyasha, the oldest of us three." He soon went back to his ramen after Rin took the spotlight from him.

Rin looked up a little from her plate, holding onto her stuffed Shomu tightly. "R-Rin is Rin... I'm the youngest." She mumbled softly.

Fugaku chuckled softly. "You seem to be the most mature of the three of you, Miss Rin."

Mikoto giggled a little in turn. "You are by far the cutest too."

Rin blushed a little, mumbling a soft 'thank you' before eating a small piece of dango.

Kagome smiled as she watched the little ones introduce themselves. 'This might be easier than I thought it would be...'

**The link to the pictures of the food referenced in this chapter. Just remove the spaces~! === : / / tmblr. co/ ZCXbvrrozh65