Satoru crosses his arms as he overlooks the decorations. The clan symbol on full display. Kagome better be wearing the kimono he sent to her. If not, he'll just instruct her to change into the other one he prepared just in case.

"Your guests have arrived at the gate, Gojo-sama," Ito says from behind him. He glances over his shoulder. "And I have the gifts wrapped and ready with the other gifts."

Satoru turns away and walks towards the entrance. He doesn't need anyone escorting Kagome in.

"Wait, Gojo-sama! I can bring them..." She falters under his piercing gaze. "Forgive me. I forget myself."

He speeds up. Kagome's laughter fills the cold halls. Who is making her laugh? Satoru rounds the corner and stops. Kagome has her hair pulled back into a sloppy bun. The light blue kimono pales compared to her. His heart thumps. The clan symbol proudly displayed over her heart and the sleeves.

Satoru frowns.

What a stupid observation.

"Took you long enough," he says, dipping his head at Kagome's mother and grandfather. Sota bounces with excitement.

"We're early!" Kagome blows out a breath. "And this kimono took forever to put on." She lifts a sleeve. "How am I supposed to move around in this, anyway?"

"Are you that incompetent?" He crosses his arms and quirks a brow.

"Why you!" she lunges for him, but he sidesteps and glares at the guards who step forward. How dare they even entertain reaching for their weapons. "Stop moving and hold still so I can hit you."

"Kagome, we do not hit."

"Sorry, Mama." Kagome lets out a huff, her cheeks rosy from chasing him around. "Birthday or not, if you aren't nice, you don't get your gift."

Satoru blinks. How'd he miss the bag in her hands? He reaches for it, but she holds it up over her head and sticks out her tongue.

How childish.

"Whatever. Let's go. The Zenins and the Kamos will arrive shortly. Unless they wish to insult us." He'd rather they just not show up, but everyone was insistent that the other two families be invited.

"Friends of yours?" Kagome walks on his left, oohing and ahhing every so often at the decor. Personally, Satoru thinks the estate is gloomy.

The servants stare with confusion written all over their face. Just because he's never invited a guest to the estate before, doesn't mean they have to gawk at Kagome and her family as though they are some attraction.

"No." He leads them to the hardly ever used welcoming room. There is a table in the middle with seat placements. A pile of gifts, overflowing next to a couch, and portraits detailing the accomplishments of the previous six eyed users. "You sit here." He grabs Kagome's hand and directs her to the couch. Sota scrambles and climbs into Kagome's lap.

Satoru rolls his eyes. His father strolls into the room with his shirt slightly parted and zeros in on Kagome on the couch. He moves so his father cannot see Kagome and keeps his face blank.

"Higurashi was it?" His father says, not looking at the older Higurashi, and completely dismissing Kagome's mother.

"We are blessed to be here, Gojo-san," Kagome's grandfather replies, but it sounds like the opposite, as though being here is the last thing the older Higurashi wanted. "Satoru has been a positive influence on Kagome."

Satoru snorts. Next time, he'll scatter some of those weird imp hands he keeps in the shed just to mess with him for that comment. His presence is the blessing.

"Is that so?" his father intones, crossing his arms. "Satoru's been sneaking out more these days. I admit I was curious about what could hold his attention. But there doesn't seem to be anything special about you."

"Naturally. What could compare to the Gojo clan and their esteemed six eyed and limitless technique?"

His father tenses. "I stand corrected. Perhaps there is more to you." He dips his head towards Kagome's mother.

Satoru frowns. Why is he looking at her like that?

A servant yells out, cutting off his father's next words. "The Zenin and Kamo family are here."

"Is it just them, or is there more?" Satoru asks. He would have preferred if it were just him and Kagome, but of course his father had to go overboard.

"We did not invite the minor clans, since you were insistent on keeping things small."

Satoru doesn't respond. He takes a seat next to Kagome and maps out the faces of everyone trickling in. Of course, the Zenin brat, Naoya, would be here.

"Who knew you were so popular?" Kagome whispers.

Naoya approaches with a gift in hand and instead of adding it to the pile, the brat holds it out for him to take. Kagome nudges him in the side.

"Did you miss the pile of gifts?" He takes it and tosses it.

Naoya's eye twitches. It's subtle. Most would miss the display of anger, but Satoru isn't most.

"Satoru!" Kagome exclaims, her cheeks so full she resembles a chipmunk. He pokes her face. The air whooshes out of Kagome and her glare holds no weight. He presses his face closer to hers until his nose is against her cheek. She smells sweet. Like candy.

Smack!

Satoru blinks. Did she just...

The room hushes. He may not have the ability to read minds, but he knows what is going through everyone's right now.

"Kagome!"

"High five on the nose!" Kagome chimes, swinging her legs. Sota giggles and claps his hands before reaching up and high fiving Kagome on the nose too.

"You're such a brat," he grumbles, leaning in again, only to poke her forehead in retaliation. "Hands to yourself or I won't give you your gifts."

"I have gifts?" Her eyes widen.

"Kids, will be kids," Kagome's grandfather says.

"Satoru has never been a normal child." His father cuts his eyes at him. "We will start with gifts since we are already gathered here."

Satoru rolls his eyes. "Kagome. My gift." He holds out his hand, waiting for her to hand over the bag.

"Is everyone going to keep standing? It's creepy," she whispers, handing over the bag. "It's from all of us, but I picked it out."

What could it be?

Sweets?

He reaches into the bag and pulls out a picture frame. Is that supposed to be a portrait of him? He presses his lips together. Sota beams at him. This awful, lopsided picture is his doing. Satoru sets the gift to the side and reaches into the bag and pulls out a bracelet. There's no brand on it, but it has their names on it and '4ever' spelled out.

"I made it," Kagome offers. "Mama paid for the material, but now you're stuck with me."

Someone sucks in a breath. There's a crash. And his father says nothing. Instead, he raises a brow and just observes. Satoru holds out his arm and the bracelet. Kagome huffs, but helps him put the bracelet on.

It clashes with his watch, but he can get one that fits the bracelet. Satoru dips his head in acknowledgment and waits for the other gifts to be brought to him. They range from new clothing to trinkets he doesn't care about.

"Here you go, Kagome-sama," Ito says, stepping forward with a small gift.

Kagome frowns. "Just Kagome. Or Kagome-chan." She takes the gift and holds it out in front of her and Sota.

Ito looks at him for confirmation, but Satoru ignores her. He leans back on the couch and watches her reaction to the gift.

"It's the broken watch," she says, holding up the pink Rolex.

Kagome's mother gasps. Someone falls down, but Satoru ignores them. Someone other than him will help that person up.

"It's not broken. It's not supposed to tick. I told you that." He rolls his eyes. Is this party over yet? He just wanted Kagome here, not all these other peons.

"Kagome, dear. Easy with that. It's not cheap."

"Oh? Did you spend 500 yen on it?" She sticks out her tongue as she tries to put the watch on, but the kimono sleeves are long, and Kagome is not at all graceful.

"No, it was 4,200,000.00 yen," he deadpans. Kagome cannot be serious. 500 yen? That's just insulting.

Her mouth drops as she stares at the pink Rolex. "Nooooo, it doesn't..." she trails off. "Satoru!"

"Where is the other gift?" Satoru addresses his father, who snaps his fingers. A servant approaches with a small kitten with brown and black patches on white fur. Its eyes are small and dark. The cat looks stupid. He glances over at Kagome, who is way more excited about the kitten than the watch.

"Oooh, what are you going to name him? Her?"

He holds the kitten up by the scuff and deposits it into her lap. "It's yours."

"You can't give me a cat! Right Mama?"

Kagome's mother scratches her face with a frown on her lips. "You can have a cat if you want since Satoru was so kind to get you gifts on his birthday." She sighs. "You both can be in charge of the cat."

"Satoru-sama does not do chores," a servant speaks up.

"Quiet," he says. "That is acceptable. Take the cat, Kagome."

"Gojo-san," Kagome's grandfather speaks up. "I hope I am not overstepping, but perhaps now would be a good time for dinner."

"Yes, we will have dinner now. I have much to discuss with both of you." His father directs the servants to bring out dinner and motions for Kagome's family to follow him.

Satoru narrows his eyes. What could they possibly have to discuss?

"Come on, Satoru!" Kagome chimes, wrapping her arms around Sota and hopping off the couch. "It's food time!"

Naoya opens his mouth to speak, but Satoru brushes past. He doesn't want to hear anything that clingy brat has to say.

"You will sit next to me," he instructs, pointing to the oversized gold and pink chair that looks like something a queen would have sat on.

Kagome shrugs and hops into the seat. "I'm still shocked you aren't actually homeless."

"I never said I was."

"You're always over."

"I can stop."

"No! That's not what I said." She pouts.

"If I could—" Naoya tries to interject.

"After I went through the effort of putting oden on the menu."

"There's oden!"

"Satoru-san, I—"

"And your favorite cake. You're so mean."

"I am not."

"Are."

"Not."

"Are."

"Children!" Kagome's mother says, "Enough." She smiles, but there is nothing friendly about that smile. Satoru turns his head away.

Tch. Whatever.

"How did you do that?" His father asks.

Satoru rolls his eyes and drowns them out. They act like he's a child. Kagome leans over, her eyes earnest.

"Thanks, Toru-chan."

His face warms. "S-shut up."

Dinner passes relatively quickly, with the Kamos bowing out before long. At least they know not to overstay their welcome. The Zenins, on the other hand... Satoru frowns as he sees them huddled up off to the side.

What are they whispering about? Satoru narrows his eyes, observing the way Kagome's grandfather strokes his beard. The Zenin brat talks animatedly next to his father's side.

His father crosses his arms and looks back at him, making eye contact.

"Stay here," he tells Kagome, who pays him no attention, too busy stuffing her face. He walks over to the group and slides on a blank expression.

"The Zenins are interested in your friend," his father says. "There's something different about her."

Satoru zeros in on Naoya. What a dumb face. His smug grin is beyond annoying.

"Kagome is mine."

Naoya splutters. The older Zenin doesn't blink.

"Name your price Higurashi."

"My granddaughter cannot be bought."

"Everyone can be bought. You seem to think you have power here."

Satoru grits his teeth. Anger swells in his chest. "I said. Kagome. Is. Mine." She wears his clan symbol. Are these Zenins draft?

"It is not up to any of you," Kagome's grandfather says. "The bridal market is not something we Higurashis take part in."

"You think we can't force your hand?"

"I didn't get this far by being scared."

Satoru glances at his father. "Kagome will say yes."

Naoya opens his mouth and promptly shuts it under Satoru's glare.

"Kagome!" Satoru calls, turning his back to the Zenins. "You are my wife."

"I'm your what?"

"Wife. Don't argue."

Kagome scoffs. "Whatever Toru-chan, if I'm your wife." She rolls her eyes. "Then you can't have anyone else. And you have to say that Biyomon is cool."

He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. The stupid bird is cool sometimes." He turns back to the Zenins, his six eyes activated. "Leave."

They splutter, looking instead at his father for interference as though his father will sway his mind.

"It's getting late and the Zenin compound is a long way to go from here," his father says, effectively dismissing the unwanted Zenins.

"My granddaughter is still not up for sale."

"Never said she was." His father looks over his shoulder, back at the table, where Kagome and Sota continue to eat way too many sweets, even by Satoru's standards. "But the Zenins are interested, so it would be best to allow them to believe she was."

"You sorcerers are a handful. Fine. But it is ultimately up to her." The old man pins him with a look. Is he supposed to be scared?

Satoru snorts. "Kagome already said yes." Besides, no one is taking his shrine maiden away. Kagome is his. He holds up his arm with the bracelet. "She already proclaimed herself as such."

His father snorts. "A little advice, son. If you want to keep the girl safe, then stop slacking off on training."

Is he threatening him?

"No. But if you want to keep that girl, then become strong enough so no one can take her."

Kagome's grandfather sighs. "You sorcerers truly are a handful."

Satoru takes that as acceptance.

A/N: Wednesday night is close enough to the weekend, right? I hope you are staying safe and taking care of yourself. I saw Usher cosplayed as Gojo and I hope Gege's editor sees that and convinces him that Gojo needs to be in the story lol. Still plan to get the next chapter of How To Tame up this weekend.

Here's a sneak peek of a later chapter for Accidental:

"Um, hi?" Suguru says, giving Satoru a look that says they will talk later.

"Hi! I'm Higurashi Kagome. Satoru and I go way back."

"Gojo."

"She knows who you are." Suguru shakes his head. " Geto Suguru."

"No, her name is Gojo Kagome. Last I checked we never got divorced."

"We never got married either."

"I'm not the one holding up the ceremony."

"You never even asked."

"Ask? I said —"

"Stop!" Suguru interrupts, pressing a hand to his temple. "I missed some milestones. Wife?"

"I'm not."

"You said you were."

"We were like 11."

"So you admit it."

"Toru," she warns.

"Where's the rest of your outfit?"

She glances down and frowns. "This is the gym uniform."