"I'm not very good at this," Kagome lamented, her ofuda lopsided and slightly crumpled from pushing down on the brush too hard.

Gramps chuckled, then grabbed her hand, going over the lines again with clean, calm strokes. "You're too worried about perfection. The spell will work as long as you put your heart into it."

She tried again, this one better than the last, but ending up with a different meaning when she forgot to wipe off the extra ink. She huffed in frustration. "It's no use. You're sick, and I still can't—" Kagome bit her lip, sitting back in the hospital chair, used ofuda strewn across his bed. "I'm sorry."

Gramps waved her off. "You are simply stating the obvious. I am sick. It'll be better if you accept the facts instead of dwelling in the past."

"I'm not dwelling," she said, putting her paintbrush on his side table. "And you're going to get out of here. The tests haven't come back yet, so you could still—"

He placed a wrinkled hand over hers, squeezing it softly and offering her a wane smile. "You know what the tests are going to say."

"I can still hope."

Gramps shook his head. "I have accepted my fate, Kagome. You should do the same."

Tears pricked her eyes, and she angrily wiped them away. "Stop talking like that. It's like you're giving up."

He sighed, cleaning up the remaining parchment so he could grab both hands. "We've had this conversation before. There is nothing they can do."

"But—"

"Kagome," he said, tone firm. "My time is coming to an end, but you will have much to live for when I'm gone." Her tears overflowed, and his smile was soft as he wiped them away. "Don't shut yourself away. Find someone who loves your smile as much as me."

His request only made her cry harder. "That's not possible."

He chuckled. "Maybe not. Your smile is one of my favourite things." Patting her hands, he gave her a playful glare. "But I mean it. Don't spend your time wallowing after I'm gone. I'll have your grandmother to keep me company. You need someone, too."

"I'll try," she relented, not knowing if she'd be able to keep her promise.

"Just as long as they're as good-looking as you," he said with a wink.

"Gramps!"

"What? Even if I'm not going to be here to see them, I want to be able to admire my adorable great-grandchildren from afar."

"You're daydreaming again," Bankotsu said with a smirk.

Kagome scowled. "For your information, I was thinking about Gramps."

"My teacher says that daydreaming is important," Jakotsu said, not looking up from his craft. His kirigami had improved, and he was currently bringing a large peacock to life, its feathers sprouting up from his paper.

Kagome patted his head. "It is. It keeps things from getting boring." She leaned in, whispering loudly. "Like having to work with your brother all the time."

The boy nodded thoughtfully. "I know. It's like that at home, too."

Bankotsu pretended to stab himself in the heart with a butter knife. "Cut to the quick by my two favourite people. How will I survive?" Kagome and Jakotsu shared a look, then crumpled up some napkins and threw them at him, Jakotsu managing to catch him in the forehead. Bankotsu gasped and fell to the floor, writhing in agony until his brother erupted into giggles.

Kagome shook her head, then walked around the café, checking in with the few customers that had come in for afternoon tea. One was a regular, a well-off widow who loved to gush about her grandchildren—all fifteen of them.

"Oh, Higurashi, wait until you hear about what Hiroki did this last weekend!" she said as soon as Kagome placed a new teapot on her table. "He was playing basketball with some friends, and his little sister wanted to play too, so he stopped the game so that he could help her score a basket! Isn't that just adorable?"

Normally, she'd agree, but these particular stories always came with a catch, so Kagome just waited, knowing there would be a reason behind her sharing it in the first place. Bankotsu caught her gaze out of the corner of her eye and feigned hanging himself.

"He's single, you know," the woman continued, and Kagome tried to hide her wince. "You should really let me set the two of you up—"

Kagome gripped the jug of water she was holding, giving the woman an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to do that."

The customer sighed, resting her chin on her hand. "Oh, come now, he's a perfectly respectable young man. I know I'm biased, but you should give him a chance."

"I'm sure he's wonderful, but—" She lifted her chin as a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "—I'm actually seeing someone."

The customer's eyes widened, and she immediately bowed her head. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize."

Kagome waved her off, heading to the next table. "It's alright. Let me know if you need anything else." She'd barely put the jug down before Bankotsu loomed over her.

"I knew it! Who are they? Is it someone from the restaurant?" His eyes widened. "It's not Hojo, is it?"

She groaned, knowing she couldn't put it off any longer. "No, it's not Hojo. It's actually…remember how I told you there were burglaries going on around my complex, and a detective stopped by?" She recounted the event, expression softening at the memory until she looked up and caught Bankotsu's aghast expression. "What?"

"That asshole took advantage of you!" he said, keeping his voice low enough that Jakotsu wouldn't hear him but unable to contain his outrage. "He uses some ruse about burglaries and forces you to go out with him while pretending to protect you?"

It took a moment before Kagome's mind caught up with his reasoning, waving her hands. "No, no! He was nothing but polite, and then I ran into him at the grocery store and asked him over for dinner." She kept the details about what happened after their dinner together to herself, knowing she'd never hear the end of it.

"You're sure he didn't force himself on you?" Kagome shook her head, managing not to blush. "And you like him?"

She smiled, the memory of him making her coffee flashing through her mind, and nodded. "I do."

Bankotsu leaned closer, inspecting her face before crossing his arms. "Next time, just tell me. I like hearing about your personal life, ya know."

Her smile widened. "I will. But it's my personal life, so don't go spouting it to all your brothers." He pouted, and she pointed a finger in his face. "I mean it. Or I won't tell you anything."

"Ugh, fine! Spoilsport." He fished his phone out of his pocket, clicking a few buttons before putting it to his ear.

Kagome's mouth fell open. "What did I just say?"

Bankotsu rolled his eyes. "I'm getting Ren to pick up Jak so you and I can go for drinks after work. Where you're going to tell me everything." Kagome sputtered, then started laughing as he spoke into the phone. "And if he does anything to hurt you, I'll pickle his balls in a nice ornate jar and put them on display here for everyone to see."

He kept any prying questions to himself until after they'd closed the café and were nursing drinks down the street. Bankotsu had insisted on treating her, telling her to choose anything on the menu. She'd eventually decided on a fun-sounding cocktail, and he clinked the rim of his beer against the glass in a toast to her good fortune.

"To you finally getting laid," he said, taking a swig of his drink before she could smack him.

"That's not why I'm with him," she said.

"Maybe not." He wiggled his eyebrows. "But it's a perk." She groaned and slumped back in her chair. "Don't even deny it! I remember him coming into the café. I'm surprised you didn't set the sheets on fire."

Kagome landed a kick to his shin under the table. "He's been a perfect gentleman! Unlike my present company."

"Maybe you should up your game, then," he smirked.

"Maybe I should find new friends," she retorted.

Bankotsu pretended to swoon. "You insult me so often! It's a wonder I keep you around."

Pulling the decorative toothpick out of her drink, she brandished it like a sword. "I will stab you."

He raised his hands in surrender, a genuine smile lifting his features as he leaned forward. "I'm happy for you, ya know. I knew something was different but couldn't quite figure it out."

She sipped her drink, the lychee fizzing on her tongue. "Was it that obvious?"

"Only because we spend so much time together." He poked her in the nose. "You've been smiling more."

Kagome's hands went to her face, cupping her cheeks. She'd felt happier but thought she'd been hiding her melancholy a lot better. "That's good, right?"

"Definitely," he agreed. "You deserve to be happy, Kags. You've been through some shit, and maybe I'm being selfish because it's made you open up more, but I think this guy is good for you."

"I'm sorry—"

He poked her in the nose again. "If you apologize for being sad about things you're allowed to be sad about, I'll walk over to his precinct and go all big brother on his ass, demanding he make an honest woman out of you."

Her eyes widened, horrified at the thought. "You wouldn't dare!"

Indigo eyes twinkled with mischief, and he raised his knife, swatting at her toothpick. "Try me."