IKIGAI

"The reason to be."

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Page IX

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"Look, Moroha. A wolf." Both of you are sitting on the grass, and your finger is pointing at a group of clouds in the sky.

"Seriously, Kagome? That again?" I say, annoyed.

"Kouga?" Our daughter asks, and I feel how my jaw tenses.

"See?" I point out, even more annoyed than before. You look at me.

"Otōsan doesn't like Kouga much." Moroha comments.

"That's right, dear. Dad doesn't like Kouga much." You answer, and I shut my mouth before a word slips through.

You start laughing then, and Moroha looks at me, widening her eyes as if she had just discovered something.

"Otōsan, read about Kouga." She grabs the book you've written, and in her eyes, I see a certain mischief that reminds me of you, when you want something to go your way.

"Please, Otōsan." You encourage her with a naughty tone.

I take the book.

"I'm not going to read about that mang... about that wolf." I start to skim through the book. "Besides, you should be the one to read it, Moroha. You already know how."

"I like to listen to you." She says, as she lays face-up on the grass, looking at me.

I sigh, knowing when I'm losing a battle. I most probably won't be able to deny anything to that pair of eyes, so much like yours.

"I think this should be ok." I mention once I've chosen a book passage, then I start reading. "InuYasha could, literally, drive me crazy. Every time I needed time for myself, to catch up with my studies and tests, he would take it upon himself to make sure I wouldn't forget about him.

"Indeed, that's how it was." You say.

I take a deep breath, then continue.

"This time, he even came by the school where I was trying to catch up with my math classes."

Moroha nods, then her attention comes back to me. I continue.

"When I realized InuYasha was in the hallway, I spat the spell almost involuntarily, not counting with my friends being with him already. I think they didn't get a good impression of me in this sort of relationship we had. Back then, they thought we were dating."

"Dating?" Moroha interjects, looking at you for an explanation. I watch you as you answer.

"Yeah, well... it's when two people are engaged..." You say.

"To marry?" Moroha continues.

"Exactly. That."

"And you were engaged?" The eyes of our daughter are shining.

"Were we, Kagome? Were we engaged?" I jab at you, watching with delight how the blush on your cheeks turns a shade redder.

"No, we were too young still..." You point out, as if it were a just excuse.

"You were young." I clarify.

"Better keep reading." You warn me, and I smile.

"InuYasha took me back home while carrying me on his back." I make a brief pause here. "InuYasha, not Kouga."

"He couldn't go back to my time." You say, and I feel my stomach turn.

"But he wasn't carrying you." I defend.

"He would have, though." You retort.

Moroha's features dart between us both, as if we were playing ball. A moment of silence endues then, during which I only look at you, and you only look at me.

"If he could have, and had offered it, would you have gone with him?" The question comes out in a whisper, my voice soothed.

"I wouldn't." You whisper back.

I feel as if you had given me back something I just realized you'd taken.

"And now, kiss!" Moroha shouts.

We look at her, then we start laughing. The kisses would come later, during the night, just by the stone lamp by our door.

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A/N

One more of their pieces.

Kisses!

Anyara.

This text is possible thanks to the translation of: Dezart