Lest the Past Haunts Me

by mauigurl808

The past can be a haunting memory or a terrifying reality. For Kagome, she just wanted to pursue her love for dancing while trying to hide from her past finding her. Inuyasha, Kikyo's choreographer, would be the only one who would break down her walls and find his way into her heart. But would it be too late? Can anyone run from their past?

34. C33- Birthday Surprises

Author's Note: First, I wanted to send a huge 'thank you' to everyone who has sent love, prayers, support and beautiful encouragement to me and my family after my last update. It's been almost 6 months since the fire and our debris still hasn't been cleared so we can start rebuilding, while my family (along with many others displaced in hotels) are still looking and waiting for long-term housing. It's been a very long and slow process... but I'm faithful and hopeful and just abiding by the rules so we can get through this to get our new home up and we have a permanent place to live and call home instead of bouncing around looking for a place. I am lucky to have my church family as they helped me and my family a lot during the beginning of the devastation. I am living with a church sister in a comfortable space downstairs. But it's my other two family members that need a long-term place to stay. Right now, they're staying with family right above where our house once stood. But even there, they want their own space from that crowded house. There is little in terms of housing on Maui so the mayor is supposedly building things for us. But that is another obstacle to figure out like when and how to get on that list. But again... thank you to everyone for your kind words, for your support and for your love.

It's been so long since I updated so I'm just going to encourage you to read on with no R2R (response to reviews). Trust me when I say that I always read your reviews, every one, and sometimes multiple times as they bring me so much joy and they help me to continue to write. I did write most of this chapter before the fire. And when the fire hit, it took me a while to get back into writing. But here it is. I hope that you enjoy this one. This was one that everyone waited for and so I didn't want to just give something quick and half-hearted.

I hope you enjoy. And thank you again ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

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Kagome sat in front of the mirror, looking at herself as one of the makeup artists styled her hair. She wanted her hair down and in wavy curls, so the makeup artist went to work, styling her sapphire blue hair to her liking. Kagome smiled at herself, listening to all the directing and coordinating going on around her.

Today was photoshoot day. It had been postponed to Friday, Inuyasha's birthday and the day before they had to leave for Vegas. So much was happening today that everyone was a bit on edge and anxious since there was so much to do and so little time. The whole week went by in a blur for her as she thought about the week's events while sitting in the makeup chair, watching the artist do her hair.

Monday she had been released from the hospital, and true to Izayoi's word, she was relieved to hear that Izayoi made sure there were no records of her being at the Fujimoto Hospital. Miroku had brought Inuyasha's car so that they would have a car to get back home instead of having to catch the train in Kagome's condition. She felt totally fine and wanted to go to work that day. However, Inuyasha fought against it and wanted her to get some rest. She was given pain meds if she needed them but she hadn't taken any since leaving the hospital. Her head and hands did hurt if she pressed against them, but she didn't need the pain meds. If she did get headaches, it was tolerable, and she would take the meds if she really needed to. Because of her history with drugs, she hated taking them. She would rather deal with pain than take drugs. However, since this was the last week that they had to practice, she was adamant that she needed to go to work. After realizing that he wouldn't get her to go home and rest, Inuyasha agreed to have her go to work with him that day but only if she promised to take it easy and rest when she needed to. He didn't want her to overtax herself and get injured. She agreed. She wouldn't jeopardize her health and Kikyo's show.

Their practices all week were in the warehouse with Kikyo. She sang most of the time unless her voice got tired and they played the music instead. But with Kikyo there, Inuyasha was able to work on her parts while the group danced to theirs. Then vice versa when he needed to make adjustments to the group with Kikyo there. The mirrors were setup so that they could all see themselves while Mizuki and Suikotsu would DJ, making it easier to stop and replay the music to where Inuyasha or Kikyo wanted. All in all, it had been a long, busy week of practicing a full night's show over and over again. There were only a few times she had to take a break because of her headaches from the head injury, but with rest and water, she was back at it with the others.

After work on Monday, Inuyasha agreed with her that they needed to go to her apartment to get her things. On the drive over, they talked about Kagome moving in with Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango. In Inuyasha's eyes, it was already a done deal. There was nowhere else for Kagome to go but with him, where she belonged. But for Kagome, she wanted to talk about it, and to discuss rent and other expenses she would pay for, which Inuyasha immediately denied. Even though she fought him on it, he was able to persuade her by reminding her that his family co-owned Roppongi Hills and he already flat out bought the apartment. So utilities, rent and maid service were all paid for.

How could she argue when she did want to live with him and she really had nowhere else to go? Now the four of them were adapting to it very easily, as if she had been living there all these months she slept over. Sango, of course, loved it because there was another girl in the apartment that she could talk with and do girl things with.

Getting her things from her apartment had been eventful. First, she had called Jinenji after they left the warehouse to ask him if he could meet them there. She wanted to see him again, having more hands to help her would be better, and she felt safe with him there, even though she knew Inuyasha would be with her every second and he wouldn't allow Onigumo to hurt her. He had told her in the hospital Sunday night what happened when he had gone to Midnite. She hadn't been surprised, and for some odd reason, she also hadn't been shocked or worried for Onigumo's sake. She felt... calm, perhaps relieved. She didn't wish for Onigumo to die because of her, but she also didn't want him to get away with what he did to her. She hated him for the things he did to her and the way he treated her. After all these years, and all the good times they had and the work she did for him, and still this was what she got. Yet, when Inuyasha told her that he repaid Onigumo for every attack and injury that he inflicted on her, she was glad. Glad. Strange to feel that way from someone else's pain, but Onigumo hurt her, badly. Not just physically, but he hurt her emotionally. Once, a long time ago, she truly did love and appreciate everything he had done for her, and she wanted nothing more but to repay him and show him how much she appreciated him saving her from Koga. But he took her appreciation and twisted it, using it against her as if she owed him her life, as if she belonged to him like some piece of property. What hurt the most was the betrayal of a friend.

Inuyasha also told her that he and Sesshomaru were working to dismantle Onigumo's reputation, everything he has built for himself and destroy it all. Of course, that only worried Kagome to hear that they would be bankrupting Onigumo, which meant all of the workers at Midnite would have no job. But Inuyasha assured her that he would take care of Midoriko and Ayumi since they were her friends. She appreciated and loved Inuyasha more for his kindness to the people in her life. He also told her that he had Jinenji's number and would be in contact with him to offer him a position with Kikyo as her bodyguard. That was news to her. She had been worried about Jinenji since Onigumo had fired him. But she hadn't thought that Inuyasha had things already in motion, that he was going to talk with Naraku to see if Jinenji could be in Kikyo's security team. She loved Inuyasha so much after he told her all of what he had done and the plans that he would see through to the end. He truly did care for her and for the people in her life, and that was one reason why she was so in love with this man.

However, Monday night, when they got to her apartment and met Jinenji outside, Kagome would see that Onigumo wasn't going to go down without a fight, much to her disappointment and pity for him. Jinenji and Inuyasha were talking about his employment with Kikyo as she was scurrying around her bedroom, trying to pack up all of her things as quickly as possible. She threw what clothes she could fit into her suitcases and the rest she had to throw into trash bags for now, just to get out of this place as soon as possible. She didn't want any trouble with Onigumo and she didn't want anything to do with him anymore. However, there was soon a knock on the door and Jinenji opened it to see four officers outside.

The officers were called by the owner of the building that a former tenant was trespassing and wanted her to be arrested. Inuyasha was obviously furious that Onigumo had called the cops on Kagome and wouldn't even let her retrieve her belongings in peace without causing a scene. Kagome, however, was completely shocked that he had eyes on her, or at least he had seen them through the security cameras. Whatever the case, he knew she was there and he didn't want her to grab her things, which made her feel even less sorry for him. She had no love for Onigumo anymore, no care or mercy. He was digging his own grave and she wasn't going to stop Inuyasha from whatever he wanted to do to Onigumo.

The officers kindly asked them to leave, knowing full well who Inuyasha was. Two of the cops were demons and two were humans. The demon cops were a little more respectful and reserved, knowing Inuyasha's family and what the repercussions could be, but on the other hand, they also had a job to do. Inuyasha threatened them to arrest Kagome and they would see what would happen to their careers and to the head chief of police. But if Onigumo was going to act this way, Kagome wasn't going to stop him. Inuyasha was about to call his lawyers when Kagome stopped him and asked him to help her carry her things out. If Onigumo wanted to fight legally, then they would have to do it that way. Inuyasha promised her that they would be back to grab the last of her things, which was not much. She only needed her toiletries and one or two more bags of clothes and other things. Even if she wasn't allowed back, at least she got most of what little she owned. She didn't care about the furniture or kitchen appliances that she had bought with her own money over the nine years she lived there. Onigumo could have it. And as Inuyasha carried two trash bags while Jinenji took her two suitcases, she carried her duffle bag, getting one last look at her apartment.

As they left, Inuyasha promised the cops that he would call his lawyers and get this trespassing case settled so that Kagome could grab the rest of her things. The two demon cops apologized but there was nothing they could do about it, which Kagome understood. They were just doing their job. And ever since Monday night, she moved in with Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango, and everyone was overjoyed that she was finally staying with them, permanently.

"Kagome, you look nice."

She snapped out of her thoughts, looking in the mirror at Sango's reflection. The woman was already done up. Her hair was in a high ponytail and she had her makeup done as well, sporting a red smoky eye and red matte lipstick. She wore the first outfit they had to take photos in. It was a high-waisted, bell-bottom black pant that had red butterflies embroidered around the ankles. The top was a black, spaghetti-strap crop top that had a sheer black long-sleeve blouse with black butterflies over the crop top and tucked into the pant.

"Wow, Sango." Sango looked drop-dead gorgeous in the outfit, and she was sure that all the women would look smoking hot, especially with the makeup. "You look absolutely great!"

Sango giggled, brushing her off. "Oh this? I mean... it's nothing." The two laughed, looking at each other in the mirror. "How much longer until you get to put your outfit on?"

Kagome shrugged, looking at the makeup artist putting on her foundation. "I need a lot of makeup to cover this up," she joked as the makeup artist did her best with Kagome's stitches.

Sango frowned, but decided not to say anything about Kagome's injury. Wednesday had been bad enough with the students at the dance class, asking what happened to her hands and her head, which Sango could tell was starting to bother Kagome.

Wednesday, the entire gang had gone to the dance class to help Inuyasha and Kagome teach their last class. It had been really fun for Sango to see the students, from a range of ages, who had a passion for dance and who really looked up to Inuyasha and Kagome for their teaching skills. Kagome had been adamant on going, much to Inuyasha's objection and concern, but she argued that she wasn't broken and she was perfectly capable to dance. The only real injury was on her head which meant her arms and feet could still move, which meant she could still dance. Kagome had opted to wear a long-sleeve, turtleneck shirt, which could hide most of the bruises on her neck if she kept her chin down. But of course, being there with all the young students who didn't know what happened to Kagome meant they asked a lot of questions, which wasn't rude. They were just worried for Kagome. And she had to continue to reassure them that she was fine, which Sango could tell was getting on Kagome's nerves. Thanks to Inuyasha's overprotectiveness, he kept telling them to leave her alone and to get back to work.

All in all, the class had gone very well. Even Sango enjoyed it. Inuyasha had taught them one of their choreographies so it was easy for the gang to jump right in while helping the students learn the dance. Sango noted that Inuyasha really is a good teacher. He was much more calm and easy on the students than he is on them, but that's to be expected. Sango could also tell that he enjoyed teaching them. He would take his time on some of the students who needed the extra support while Kagome would carry on with the rest who were ready to move on. They both worked as a team and she was proud of them for doing something together outside of Kikyo's group. At the end of class, Tatsu, one of the managers, came in to give his thanks and farewells to Inuyasha and Kagome. The students were able to talk to some of the others to get their advice on what they should do and how they can move up in their dreams to being a professional dancer. Miroku even had a good conversation with a boy who wanted to dance ballet but was too worried about the stereotype that his family had on such a 'feminine' dance. Miroku talked with him, stilling his fears and encouraging him to follow his dreams, no matter what anyone has to say about them. A lot of the students sought their advice and really appreciated everything that they all had shared. Afterwards, Tatsu took a group photo of everyone, which went viral on social media.

"You look fine, Kagome," Sango said, noting that the skin around the injury was still a little red from healing. At home, Kagome didn't wear a bandage over it, but when they went out, she would always cover it up. The stitches made the injury look worse than it was, according to Kagome, so she could understand Kagome's frustration when everyone kept asking if she was okay.

"Thanks, Sango. I'm sure photoshop will be able to help too."

"Yeah. I think Haru will work on that," she reassured Kagome. The girl smiled at her and Sango turned at the mention of her name, excusing herself as she went to help Mai with her outfit.

Kagome sat in the chair, getting her makeup done, and once that was finished, she went to change into her first outfit. They had a makeshift dressing area with a shoji screen to give them a little privacy in this big, open warehouse. One dressing area was towards one side of the DJ booth for the women and the other was on the other side of the booth for the men. Moe, the costume designer, was there with her crew helping everyone get dressed while also making any notes for changes needing to be made in their fits.

Kagome got dressed into the first costume, putting on the bell-bottom black pant and the black crop top shirt that Sango and all the other women had on. She looked at herself in the mirror of their 'dressing room' as one of the women hemmed the bottom of her pant, tidying her up before she walked out.

She walked towards the opposite end of the room, passing the makeup chairs, where they would be taking the photos. All the lights were setup and Haru had his crew bustling around, setting things up to his liking. There were four umbrella lights that were directed onto the white background while other floodlights were setup in various places. They had a chair setup for Haru and his assistant with a monitor that she knew connected to his camera from a cord. All the shots he took would be automatically shown on the monitors, and the assistant could help him go through them after takes.

"Alright! Is everyone ready?" Haru called out, smiling when he saw Kikyo walk up to him all dressed and looking fabulous. The red and black outfits were an obvious theme that Kikyo ran with.

"Are we going to try and do the red lighting?" Kikyo asked as she came up to Haru. Kagome walked closer to listen, smiling as everyone talked amongst themselves, scattered everywhere, waiting for direction.

"Maybe. I think the red lighting could either drown out your outfits or enhance them, depending on how intense the lighting is. So I'll have to play around with that if you still want to do red," Haru explained.

Kagome gasped, feeling strong arms wrap around her waist, bringing her against a solid body. She giggled, immediately knowing who it was.

"Can we skip the photo shoot and find a place where I can stare at you?" Inuyasha asked huskily, whispering against her ear.

His breath caused her to shiver and she moved to look at him, twisting in his arms to face him. The boys all wore a similar outfit to match the girls. Inuyasha had on a black pant with red butterflies around the ankles, exactly like the girls but the pant wasn't bell-bottom like the girls. He had a red belt and a fit, red long-sleeve button-down shirt. She pushed against his chest to really take him in, loving the fit of the long-sleeve shirt on him, showing off his build. Red was truly his color, but the way it clung to him, hugging his muscles, made her appreciate his body even more. And it made her want to take him up on his offer.

"We have a job to do, Inuyasha," she said, almost scolding him. "Although, I don't mind stopping to take in the view," she said with a twinkle in her eye, bending backwards as he held her tightly against him.

Inuyasha smiled and kissed her on the cheek, not wanting to ruin her makeup. "You look beautiful, Kagome."

"Thank you. You look handsome. I love this shirt on you," she said, placing her hands on his shoulders, giving them a squeeze. "It really accentuates your assets."

Inuyasha laughed. "I thought my assets were a little lower."

She laughed, her smile contagious. "Don't get me started." Inuyasha laughed again and Haru's voice called everyone's attention.

"Okay, everyone. Let's lineup in front of the screen. I want the women and men separated. I'm going to take a group photo with the women on one side and the men on the other. Then we'll mix the group together. Then I'll have Kikyo come in."

Everyone walked towards the lights and the white background, listening to his instructions as they checked each other out in their costumes. They all gathered together, standing with the hot, bright lights shining at them, while looking ahead at Haru. There were so many people standing around, both from Haru's and Kikyo's team, watching them and waiting for direction, or talking amongst themselves and tidying up until they were needed

"After we do the group photos, then I'll take photos by gender, then I'll add Kikyo in the mix. And finally, I'll do Blue Lightning at the end."

Kagome nodded her head, turning to smile at Inuyasha. They had separated into their areas with the women on one side and the men on the other. Kikyo stayed behind Haru, critically watching the way he directed them and waiting to approve or disapprove of anything. Akari and Naraku were there, standing behind Haru's chair by his assistant, watching the incoming photos on the monitor screens.

Once in a while, Haru would check his camera and scroll through a few to see if he was satisfied with what he took. A few times he would pause the shoot and walk back to the monitors to see a bigger version of the photos, critiquing them on the fly with his critical eye. Haru and Kikyo talked over the photos while the others would wait until Haru came back and redirected them for more shots. After he mixed the genders in, he wanted them to have fun and choose their poses, which made for a laughable shoot with silly faces and limbs being used as props.

Kikyo came in after, wearing a red and black dress. The corset part of the dress was black with red butterflies along the front and back of the bodice. The skirt part of the dress was red with black hemming, and the skirt looked like layers of material, almost to mimic petals or butterfly wings, however you perceive it. The effect looked gorgeous and mystical, especially if Kikyo twirled, like she had been doing to show off the beautiful craftsmanship of the dress.

She went to the group and stood in the middle while Haru directed them on how and where he wanted them around Kikyo. Once he got all the pictures he wanted, it was time for the second costume. The dancers had two costumes while Kikyo had five. While they went to change into costume number two, Haru took solo shots of Kikyo. Kagome watched as she waited to change since there were only three of the women who could fit behind the makeshift dressing area. She smiled as Kikyo had fun with her solo shots, spinning around so Haru could capture movement of her dress, but also posing sexily with ease. She envied Kikyo's natural ability to lean into this. It was almost second nature to her with how she posed for photos. Kagome marveled at how Haru rarely had to direct her, but let her be herself, knowing her best shots.

Once all of them were dressed in costume two, they went back to the shooting area while Kikyo went to change into her second costume. This time, the girls wore a low-waist, black leather short that showed off their abdomen. The red wrap-tie, crop-top was tied in the front with black embroidered butterflies that started from the side-breasts and went down the ties and with puff sleeves. The entire outfit was meant to show off skin, and a lot of it. The boys, on the other hand, wore a red pant with red suspenders over a fit, black long-sleeve, button-down shirt. The costume designer wanted them to leave two buttons opened to create a stylish and sexy look. The black belt they wore had a butterfly silver buckle.

They followed the same format that Haru wanted with the group shots and then Kikyo joined them a second time. This time, Kikyo wore a fit, red overall jumpsuit with flare leg. The overall stopped at her waist and she wore a black, short-sleeve, crop top. In a sense, she matched the women with showing skin and wearing a crop top. But she also matched the men with the pants and suspenders. Haru thought the concept was incredible and the costume designer really outdid herself to make everyone blend together as one unit.

Once those group shots were taken, the group went to change out of their costume, calling it a day. It was already noon and everyone was hungry. Kikyo would stay longer to do the rest of her solo shots since she had three more outfits to change into. But Inuyasha and Kagome had to stay a little longer to do their Blue Lightning shots.

"Inuyasha. Kagome. What outfit do you want to take your shots in?" he asked them while Kikyo waited to be shot.

Inuyasha looked to Kagome. "I think these will be fine. What do you think, Kagome?"

She nodded her head, not really caring. "We can stay in these."

Haru nodded, turning his back to them. "I'l shoot Kikyo first and then shoot you two while she changes into her next costume." He started directing Kikyo and they walked out of the lights, heading behind Haru's chair where Naraku and Akari were standing.

"You guys did great," Akari said, smiling at them as they came to stand next to her.

Kagome smiled. "Thanks, Akari. That... was a lot."

"Well, we have a lot of good ones to choose from," Naraku said, his eyes going back to the monitors to watch the incoming photos of Kikyo. "What time is your party tonight, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha's ears perked. "Six." He didn't dare ask if Naraku was coming. Kikyo knew better than to bring Naraku as her plus one.

"Hey guys!" Sango yelled, her voice echoing in the empty warehouse. Inuyasha and Kagome turned to look down where Sango and Miroku were walking towards them, changed back in their clothes. "How long are you staying?"

"Beats me," Inuyasha said. "You guys heading out?"

"Yeah," Miroku said, taking his keys out of his pocket. "I gotta take Shippo and Kimiko home to pick up their suitcases. We'll probably grab something fast to eat and then we'll head out to Nagara."

"You're bringing them out?"

"Yeah. I think Myoga was going to pick up the rest, right?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Myoga's picking up the six. I think he's bringing the limo."

Sango laughed. "Well, they're gonna have fun in that." Kagome smiled.

"Ready!" Shippo said as he came up to them with Kimiko running towards them.

"Me too!"

"Alright. We're heading out. See you at your parents'," Miroku said as Inuyasha nodded. Sango and Kagome shared a smile and the four of them headed for the door while the others were talking and slowly getting their things.

"Inuyasha! Kagome!" Haru called, waving them over when they turned to look at him. They were passing Kikyo and she told them she wanted some shots of them being intimate together.

"Intimate?" Kagome asked, a little shocked.

Kikyo giggled. "Yes. I want you two to be... sexy. Like, into each other. Whatever you wanna call it. I just want to see that sex attraction between you two, which shouldn't be hard. It's Vegas. Those kinds of things sell. And Blue Lightning with physical attraction sells."

Inuyasha smirked as he looked at Kagome. "I can do sex attraction." Kagome raised her eyebrow at him and shook her head.

"Great..." Kikyo snickered and walked away, heading down to the changing area to get into her third costume. She knew Naraku would know what to look for in her absence if she wouldn't get back in time to see Blue Lightning's shots. If she was honest with herself, she still wasn't ready to see the two of them that way, but she was happy for them.

"I know what she wants," Haru said with a smile as the two went back to the shooting area. "How about we start with the simple?"

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

"I hope that the photos came out okay," Kagome said as Inuyasha drove through the city.

"I'm sure they can find one to use," he said, putting on his blinker. "We took so many photos I forgot how I look," he said with irritation, but Kagome just laughed, looking out the window.

"Do you think Haru will be able to photoshop my stitches?"

"He can do it. He's good at what he does." Inuyasha knew how self-conscious Kagome was of her injuries. He'd catch her in their bathroom, putting on makeup with a frown, trying to hide her pain. She tried her best to use makeup on her neck since her skin had discolored significantly since Sunday. Now her neck was a shade of dark red and purple. It looked worse than it actually felt, or so she would tell him. He knew she didn't want him to worry. But he worried. And he felt a deep hatred and rage for Onigumo every time he looked at her bruises. The bruises were mostly in the back of her neck and under her chin where Onigumo's fingers bit into her. His mother told them it would get worse before it got better, but it still didn't prepare him for the emotions he would feel when he saw his mate with those dark bruises.

The makeup artist had to put on a lot of makeup to cover up her bruises, but it did help to lighten the dark markings. And in the end, Haru would do the rest of the cover up, from her bruises to her stitches, in post.

Kagome sighed, staring out the window at all the passing people. The streets were packed during the lunch hour. They made their way through the city, heading for the dress store. Kagome had ordered and purchased a dress for Inuyasha's birthday a month ago. Because of the hectic week, and her not wanting to step foot out of Inuyasha's apartment unless absolutely necessary, she hadn't had time to pick up the dress. It was ready on Monday, and only now, on Friday, were they picking it up. The only problem now was that Inuyasha was with her and she didn't want him to see the dress until tonight.

Once Inuyasha parked, they walked the block over to the dress shop. When Kagome told the woman at the desk she was picking up her dress, she asked for it to be in a bag that wasn't see-through. During the whole transaction, Inuyasha kept hounding her to see the dress. Just a peek to see what color it was. But she refused to let him see, or let him carry it while they walked back to his car. He pouted the whole way and she had stop herself from giving in when she saw his sad face and drooped ears. He was almost too irresistible. Almost. Not even she knew what he was wearing tonight, and the thought of being surprised made the feeling and the moment all the better. She hoped he felt the same way too.

They took her dress to the car and then stopped for a quick bite to eat before driving out to his parents' home. The ride was an hour outside of Tokyo, and thankfully they had finished packing before they left for the photoshoot so they had all their things with them. While Inuyasha drove, they talked about tomorrow's agenda. Inuyasha said that Myoga and Jaken, his family's retainers, were taking the twelve of them to the airport. Kikyo wouldn't be sleeping over since she had a morning interview in the city and wanted to go home after the birthday party. Everyone else would crash at his parents' place and spend the day until their flight.

The drive out of the city, over the Aqua-Line and through the countryside was a blur. After an hour, they finally arrived at the Fujimoto home. Kagome smiled at the welcome sight, remembering the beauty and grandiose of the family home. Inuyasha went to the garage area and parked the car outside, leaving the keys in the cupholder so one of the servants can move it later. She noticed the sunroom and smiled, remembering all the beautiful plants and the way the sunlight colored the room into a beautiful artwork. 'Maybe tomorrow morning we can have our coffee in there again like last time,' she thought with excitement.

The two got out and he took out their suitcases from the trunk. She took her suitcase and folded the garment bag over the handle, pushing it while following him into the garage and to the door that connected to the house. She looked at the two cars already in there.

"Are your parents here?"

"Yeah. At least, I know my Mother is. She's scheming this elaborate party," he said with a shake of his head.

Kagome giggled, holding his free hand. "You know you love her for it."

Inuyasha smiled at her. "I love her, yes. But for making this party that I'm sure will be over the top? Maybe not." He released her hand to open the door for her and she walked in, noticing that they were in the kitchen. She hadn't noticed this side door the last time she was here, but she got her bearings once she knew where she was.

The smell of food hit her first as the sound of people moving around in the kitchen made her look around at all the workers. Everyone was dressed in their normal clothes for now, but there were about a dozen people in the kitchen, moving plates and silverware or sitting at the dining room table with spreads of paper littered on it.

"Wow," Kagome said, turning as Inuyasha came next to her. "Your mother doesn't miss a thing."

Inuyasha chuckled. "I told you... she loves to plan parties. She loved planning Miroku and Sango's engagement party. If she didn't love being a doctor so much, I'm sure she would've taken up being a party planner as her full-time job."

As if on cue, Izayoi breezed into the dining room from the grand hall. "Ah! Inuyasha! Kagome! I'm so happy you're here!"

Inuyasha looked at Kagome and gave her a look, smiling with a shrug. She giggled and the two met his mother halfway. Izayoi embraced him and he hugged her back as Kagome watched them with a tender smile.

"Happy birthday, my sweet boy," Izayoi said softly, closing her eyes as she rested her cheek against his chest.

"Thanks, Mother." He tightened his hold on her and kissed the top of her head. "I hope you're not outdoing yourself for this one."

Izayoi moved back, out of his arms. "Oh, I'm for sure outdoing myself," she said with a wicked look. "It's a big number. Every century and half centuries are good reasons to have a big birthday party because those are big numbers."

"That's what you say for decades too," he complained, though there was nothing but humor there.

Izayoi giggled and went to hug Kagome. "How are you, Kagome?"

"I'm okay."

Izayoi released her and she placed her fingers on Kagome's head, getting a good look at the stitches. "Have you been using the ointment I gave you?"

"Yes. It's been helping with the pain too."

Izayoi smiled, taking her hand back. "It can help lessen the pain a bit. But the main use is for healing. I'm sure the scar will be barely noticeable if you use the ointment every day."

"I will," Kagome promised. "They had to use a lot of makeup on my neck today," she said, running her fingers along her neck. "But I think post will be able to take out my bruises and the stitches."

Izayoi smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure they will. The bruises are barely noticeable now. They did a really good job."

"Yeah. Now I have to go take a shower and hope I do as good of a job as the makeup artist."

Izayoi smiled with a nod, her eyes going to Inuyasha. "Have you been helping her with her wound?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Not as much since your ointment has our saliva properties in it."

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha told me about how you took their saliva and made an ointment years ago when you found out its healing properties."

Izayoi smiled. "I did. Back then, there were no hospitals or medical treatment facilities with vaccines and such. Demons, obviously, could easily heal their own wounds. But humans would either take time to heal or die from their wounds. I got injured once after I mated Inutaisho, and he used his saliva on my wound and within a week it was closed and healed with no evidence of a scar."

Kagome smirked, giving Inuyasha a look. "Maybe I'll ask Yasha to start licking me whenever I get a cut."

Inuyasha chuckled, his eyes focused on her. "Whenever and wherever." Kagome nudged him with her shoulder at their teasing, but pleased that he was willing to take care of her like that.

"It wasn't until the invention of modern medicine that I was able to extract the compounds in their saliva and use that in my own personal medicine. I wasn't able to replicate the compounds artificially, which meant the only way I could make a medicine was with my mate's or either of my sons' saliva. And I wasn't willing to use them as guinea pigs to mass produce medicine. So I promised Inutaisho I would only use it for our family medicine. Thankfully, it's only been me and Rin since the men and little Kumi can heal on their own. But now that you're a part of our family, I'm going to give you a jar you can keep and you let me know when you need more." Izayoi placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder, giving her a light squeeze. "You're a part of our family, Kagome. Don't ever forget that."

Kagome was shocked by Izayoi's words that she didn't say anything at first. It wasn't until Inuyasha placed a hand around her waist, bringing her against him, when she snapped out of her shock to look up at him. He was smiling down at her with pride and love in his eyes.

"Let's go unpack. Miroku should be here soon. The others will probably be here in an hour."

Izayoi smiled at her son and watched the two leave with love in her eyes.

Inuyasha rolled their suitcases to the bottom of the stairs and waited for Kagome to take her dress so that he could carry both suitcases up the stairs. They made their way down the hall and towards Inuyasha's room, the last one on the left. Kagome smiled as she remembered the last time she was here, her room was right next to Inuyasha's. And they had just broken up. Things had been strained when she came to his parents' home but by the time she left, everything was made right again between her and Inuyasha.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Inuyasha knocked and opened the door, noticing his father sitting behind the desk at the opposite end of the room. Walking in, the smell of old books and wood hit him first, bringing back memories. His father's study was dark, from the dark wood on the floor to the bookcases on both sides of the wall. The soft orange lights set a relaxing and calm mood. The only white light in the room was at his father's desk, turned on whenever he needed to work.

Inutaisho's eyes came up as Inuyasha approached his desk and he couldn't help his proud smile. "Son. You look very handsome."

Inuyasha smiled, placing a hand on the desk. "Thanks, Father." He chose to wear all white tonight. The entire tux was white, from the white pants to the white jacket and vest, save for the red tie, the only color he wore.

Inutaisho took a deep breath, leaning back in his chair to get a good look at his son. "You look better than your old man did when he turned two-fifty."

Inuyasha snickered at his father talking about himself. "Then you and Mother did good in making me."

Inutaisho burst out laughing and stood, fixing his charcoal suit and buttoning up the jacket. The color he chose to wear with the red and gold theme was a gold tie. "I guess we did. Are all of your friends here?" he asked, coming around his desk. The two of them turned and walked towards the door.

"Yeah."

"What time do you leave tomorrow?"

"Our flight leaves around midnight so we have to be there by ten."

Inutaisho nodded. "Myoga and Jaken will take you?"

"Yeah."

Inutaisho went to open the door but Inuyasha stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Father... what if she..."

Inutaisho sensed his son's nervousness and took in the change of conversation. He took a moment to think things over as to why Inuyasha would feel such anxiety, and then smiled.

"Son... I don't think you have anything to fear." Inuyasha looked at him with fear and uncertainty. Inutaisho couldn't blame him. After what Inuyasha had been through with Kiyomi, he knew his son's greatest fear would be rejection.

"Before I forget, I would have you know... your mother did send an invitation to her and Takeda. Takeda responded that they will be joining us tonight."

Inuyasha's ears twitched and all his uncertainty vanished as the conversation changed. He honestly wasn't surprised that his mother had invited them. She normally did for big occasions, just to keep the relationship between their families in good terms. Still, he didn't like that Kiyomi was invited to his birthday party. He wanted it to be small and with his family and friends. But of course, she once was a part of his family... and she once was his best friend.

"Fine," Inuyasha said, opening the door and walking out with his father. The last thing he wanted to talk about was Kiyomi, so he dropped the subject, and was grateful that his father didn't speak more about her.

The two made their way into the great room where they heard laughter and chatter. When they came around the corner, they saw some of the gang were standing in the great room, dressed up for the night's occasion.

"Inuyasha!" Emi said, noticing him immediately. "Happy birthday!" she yelled, her voice echoing in the huge room. Shiori, Kokoro and Itsuki all wished him a 'happy birthday' as well as the two men joined the group.

"Thanks guys. It means a lot to me that you're here." He knew they didn't know him that well, not well enough to know all the years he's been alive and the struggles he's been through. But he didn't make friends. Since he was young, his only friend had been Kiyomi for a long time. And after she left... he never made lasting friends until he met Miroku, Sango and Kikyo. Sure, he had acquaintances and business partners, but not friends. Friends who knew him, friends who showed up, friends who were there in the good and the bad times. So it meant a lot to him to have his coworkers, who were like family to him, to be here for his birthday.

"Where's everyone else?" Inutaisho asked.

"Some of them are in the great hall and the others should be heading down soon," Itsuki said, fixing his suit. Everyone wore suits tonight as it was 'dress up' night. And Itsuki had gelled his long hair back and out of his face, making him look older and more refined.

"You should think about styling your hair like that more often," Inuyasha said. "You look mature." That was the only way he could describe it.

"Right," Kokoro drawled with a roll of her eyes. "That's what I told him but he didn't want to hear it. He likes his hair long and covering his eyes." She still sported her shoulder-length red hair that bounced whenever she turned her head. It matched the red and white gown she chose for the night.

Itsuki shrugged. "I like my hair covering my forehead."

Inuyasha shook his head with a smile, knowing Itsuki had a thing with not liking his big forehead. He made his way through the great room to the great hall in the next room, the others following him. The sound of soft music signaled that there were people in the hall to play for.

Once in the great hall, Inuyasha took in the scene. 'Mother... you really outdone yourself,' he thought with a sigh. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to his father who was smiling at him proudly. It was obvious his father approved and was proud of what his mother had done tonight, which he was totally grateful for. However, his mother always outdid parties, especially ones where he didn't want to be the center of attention and he just wanted an intimate birthday party. Now, it seemed like they were having a ball and the world was invited to partake.

The five standing tables at the back were covered in red tablecloth that was tied to the leg with a gold ribbon. They walked towards the next set of tables in the room which were for dessert. Inuyasha went straight to the center of the dessert table, making a face, while the others went to meet with everyone else. 'Mother...' he thought with exasperation. A one-layer, circle cake sat in the middle of the table, calling everyone's attention. The fondant covering the cake was red. On one quarter of the circle there were gold roses and white jasmines made out of fondant. There were gold pearls in different sizes bordering the flowers and beneath them there looked to be liquid gold that dripped down the side of the cake. In the center of the cake stood a 'Happy Birthday' cake topper with a candle while his name was written in gold on the top of the cake. Simple, but still too much.

Inuyasha sighed, turning to head to the others. The dining table looked too big for his liking. He headed straight to his mother who was in the arms of his father.

"Oh my!" Izayoi squealed and left Inutaisho's embrace as she met Inuyasha, her eyes taking in her son's appearance. "Inuyasha... my son..." Her eyes watered and she got choked up, wrapping him into her arms. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes, remembering the times when he was smaller and she could fit him in her arms. Now, his arms enclosed her, strong arms that held her tight against him.

"Mother..." As much as he wanted to argue with her that she invited too many people and all of this was over the top, he knew that she only did it because she loved him. And he had to respect and appreciate her love for him, even though he felt like he didn't deserve it at times.

"Happy birthday Inuyasha," Izayoi said, stepping back to look up at him. "You look so handsome." Inutaisho came to stand behind her, smiling at them.

"Thanks, Mother. And thanks for putting all of this together." He looked around and saw that most of the gang were here, chatting amongst each other with drinks in hand. Miroku and Sango weren't here, and neither was Kagome, but he had caught her scent when he walked in the room. Myoga, Jaken and Chibi were also here, standing on the opposite side of the table from him, not conversing with anyone but also not looking like they were working. They were looking at him with smiles and bowed slightly towards him.

"Happy birthday Lord Inuyasha," the three said.

Inuyasha smirked and nodded his head. "Thanks."

He brought his attention back to his mother. "How many people did you invite?"

Izayoi covered her mouth with her hand, hiding her cheeky smile. "You told me to keep it private and intimate, so that's what I did."

"Really?" he asked, unbelieving. He looked at the long table. "Doesn't look 'intimate' to me."

Izayoi looked at him, exasperated. "Inuyasha... our family alone is about ten people. You have a lot more people who love you and care about you than you think," she said softly.

Inuyasha looked at her and she could see that he didn't believe her. But she felt Inutaisho place his hand on her shoulder and she decided to remain quiet, though she still felt sad that her son couldn't see how loved he was.

"Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, tilting his nose up and taking a couple of sniffs. He immediately looked towards the balcony.

"She's out there," Izayoi said with a smile. "She wanted to look at the garden while we waited for everyone to arrive. She seemed a bit nervous."

Inuyasha turned his eyes back to his mother, giving her a hard stare. "You didn't tell her about Kimiko, did you?"

Izayoi shook her head. "No, honey."

Inuyasha nodded and turned, heading for the doors that lead out to the balcony. The night air was cooler here in the countryside. His family owned much of this uninhabited land that made up their 'backyard'. The mountains beyond looked like dark slopes against the slowly darkening sky. Even the stars out here was a sight he loved to see. But not as much as the sight that stood before him.

His steps slowed as he took in the sight of Kagome standing next to the stone balustrade. The light from inside didn't reach her, but he didn't need the light to see her. She had her back to him and he could perfectly see the curves of her waist and hips. The dress was red, a beautiful scarlet red that hugged her hips. His steps quickened. He needed to be near her, to look at her and hold her in his arms.

The sound of his footsteps caught her attention and she turned around, making him stop short, marveling at her beauty. Kagome wore a scarlet red trumpet dress that hugged her torso down to her hips and then draped down to the ground. The skirt of the dress looked like silk and he wanted to run his hands up her thighs to shape her hips. It gathered at her waist, creating layers that flattered her figure. The bodice clung to her figure, accentuating her breasts with a sweetheart, off-shoulder neckline. She was stunning. Her hair was up in a messy bun with twists and strands of hair framing her face and gold hoop earrings. She had natural makeup on with red lipstick being the only color against her blue eyes.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha breathed, captivated by her.

Kagome smiled sweetly at him, aware that he was staring at her so intently. Her eyes took him in and shone at him, smiling as she closed the distance between them.

"Inuyasha... you look so handsome."

When her hands came around him, his immediately went around her and tightened. He never wanted to let her go. It was in moments like these that he felt like he was the luckiest man alive. Her beauty captivated him and he was sure that she would captivate others as well, humbling him to be able to have her at his side. She could make such a simple dress look so regal and beautiful. It wasn't the dress, but Kagome. She was absolutely beautiful, inside and out, and his heart ached as he looked down into her beautiful, blue eyes.

"Kagome... you take my breath away."

She smiled with a light chuckle. "Back at you, birthday boy."

He released his tight hold on her so that he could bring his head down to the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent while shaping her waist and her hips. Her hands came up his back and held onto his shoulders. Her scent eased his soul. He never wanted anything more for his birthday, or in life, than this one woman that was in his arms. She unraveled him and completed him.

"I love you, Kagome," Inuyasha whispered against her neck. "You are so beautiful. You make me the happiest man in the world."

Kagome shivered from his breath against her neck and tightened her hold on him, bringing herself tighter against him. His arms came around her and held her tight. "Inuyasha... I love you more. You mean so much to me..." she said, choking up as tears came to her eyes. "You really don't understand what you mean to me. How you've changed my life. You're my world. You make me so happy."

Inuyasha brought his head up so he could look at her. Her eyes watered with tears and he brought his hands up to frame her face. Slowly, he bent to kiss her softly, not wanting to ruin her makeup.

"Is it wrong for me to want to go in there and show you off to everyone?" he asked with a gleam in his eyes.

Kagome giggled. His golden eyes shone bright against the dark sky behind him. "Everyone already saw me in this... well, mostly everyone. How many people are coming?"

Inuyasha's mood suddenly changed. He frowned and pulled back a bit, but kept his hands on her hips, connecting them together as she placed her hands on his arms.

"Kagome... you should know that Kiyomi is coming."

Kagome's face went unreadable. "Okay."

"Tell me you're okay."

"I'm okay, Inuyasha." He didn't believe her, and she could tell. "Really, it's okay." She rubbed her hands against his chest. "You said that your families were close. And she was once a part of your life. I don't expect her to disappear from your life."

"But that's exactly what she did."

Her eyebrows rose at his blunt statement that came out harsh. He had come to terms with his past with Kiyomi. He didn't care about it anymore.

"Inuyasha... there would've come a time when I would've had to meet her. I guess this is that time." She smiled up at him, but he could still see the hesitation and worry in her eyes. He knew her fears. They were alike in so many ways. She feared being abandoned and unseen, especially after she had left everything she knew behind and trusted herself to him. He promised to protect her, to be her safe place, to be her home. He knew that from her past, the one thing she couldn't handle was being abandoned. The way her parents constantly abandoned her and left her alone. He would never do that to her because he knew what it was like to be abandoned and rejected by the one he loved.

"I don't want it to be awkward. And I don't want you alone with her," he said adamantly.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know her and I don't trust her. I don't want her telling you any lies."

"Inuyasha... I'm sure she's not a bad person. Yes, she might've made mistakes, and leaving you was one of them. But time changes people. You're only like this because you're hurt that she left you."

Inuyasha scowled and turned his head away. "Don't defend her."

"I'm not defending her," Kagome said, bringing her hands to his face to make him look at her. "I'm saying that you need to forgive her. In your own time, you need to forgive her. I'm sure she loved you and wouldn't have wanted to hurt you like that. Heartbreak and hurt can make people do foolish things. All I'm saying is that I don't mind meeting her and seeing for myself what kind of a person she is. Then... we'll go from there."

Inuyasha stared at her, but chose to say nothing. "Fine."

Kagome took a deep breath, sighing as she smiled. "Okay. Well, I did want to give you something."

She turned to grab something off the balustrade behind her, holding it with both hands, trying to cover it. He could tell it was a small box.

"I didn't know what to get you. You're one of the richest men in the world... so what could I get you that you can't get yourself?" she asked him, not really expecting a response. He quirked an eyebrow at her and she smiled nervously.

"Happy birthday."

She thrusted a small jewelry box towards him and he stared down at it for a moment, wondering what it was. Slowly, he took it and popped open the top. There, sitting inside, was what looked like a blue magatama, one that matched the magatama on his rosary. He grabbed the curved bead and let it rest in the palm of his hand.

"Is this a sapphire?"

Kagome smile, pleased that he knew. "Yes."

He was puzzled and amazed. He stared at it for a moment, questions running through his head. "Where did you get this?"

"I talked to your mother. I wanted to get you something unique, something you've never had before. But I also wanted to get you something that would remind you of me, something that you would have with you wherever you go so that I can be with you wherever you are. Your mother told me about the creator of your necklace, Totosai. Anyway... with a lot of scheming and phone calls... Totosai helped me. He found this blue sapphire for me and was willing to make it into a magatama for your birthday present."

Inuyasha was floored. 'Totosai? That scheming idiot. And to think that he never even told me what she was up to while...'

"Inuyasha? Do you not like it?"

The worry in Kagome's voice snapped him out of his thoughts about strangling Totosai.

"No. I love it, Kagome." He looked at her and smiled, truly touched that she thought of something like this. "I really love it." He loved that she wanted to be with him, somehow, wherever he was. She wanted him to remember her. But in truth, he could never forget her, even if he tried.

"I'm glad!" She beamed at him and brought her hands to his face to kiss him. He obliged her and it took everything in him not to deepen the kiss. He wanted to taste her so badly, to lose himself in her kiss. But the party hadn't even started yet and he didn't want to ruin her beauty.

"Inuyasha! Come inside, dear. Come say 'hi' to everyone."

'Speaking of party...' he thought, a little irritated to be interrupted. He tucked the gift box into his inner jacket pocket, right against his heart.

"Your mother summons," Kagome said with a giggle. "Totosai said he would be here so if you want him to take your rosary and add the magatama, he'll do it tonight."

He stared at her, shocked that she had devised this whole plan, with help, to make this birthday gift for him. Little did she know, her plan was also his. They both thought alike. But even with this treasure of a gift, the greatest gift she could give him was just her. All he wanted for his birthday and for forever was Kagome.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Kagome felt Inuyasha tug on her hand, leading the way. Inuyasha had to do his rounds and greet all of his guests to thank them for coming. The waiters and waitresses kept everyone's drinks filled, walking around with trays of drinks and appetizers. Some people stood at the back tables, chatting and catching up, while others sat at the dining table to relax and chat.

As Inuyasha took her with him to greet each of his guests, she did her best to not look around for Kiyomi. She knew she shouldn't be worried, but deep down she was. She feared this woman that was Inuyasha's first love. Kagome heard the conversation she was a part of now between Inuyasha and Hirohito, Miroku's father, as if it was only a distant sound, her thoughts consuming her. 'What if he still loves her?' She shocked herself. Was she jealous? Of course. She naturally doubted people's love for her. She had every reason to. Her own parents never loved her unconditionally, or conditionally. Even Koga's love was twisted, cruel and brutal. She never trusted anyone's love for her and she never allowed herself to love someone and give them that power to break her heart.

And here she was, jealous of a woman that Inuyasha once loved and once wanted to spend his life with. Yes, she was jealous. Yes, she was worried that they still might have feelings for one another. Yes, she feared that he might want to be with Kiyomi, even though his words said one thing out of his anger and hurt from what Kiyomi did to him. Inuyasha might be masking his pain with anger so that he might be oblivious to his true feelings towards Kiyomi. She had every right to worry about meeting his first love for the first time.

"Kagome?"

She snapped out of her thoughts as Sango touched her shoulder, catching her attention. "Sorry... did you say something?"

Sango looked at her, confused and worried. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah."

Inuyasha still held her hand and he was still talking with Miroku and Hirohito. Sango and her parents had joined them.

"Kagome... congratulations on being Kikyo's opener," Chiharu said with a bright smile. "Sango told us that you and Inuyasha were opening as Blue Lightning."

Kagome smiled at Sango's mother. "Yeah. It was a shock to me at first. But I think it's an amazing opportunity for us."

Toshiro nodded his head, placing his arm around his wife. "It is. But the both of you earned it. It takes a lot of hard work to do what Inuyasha does. And it's good to see that Kikyo and her managers are recognizing and rewarding you two."

Kagome nodded. "Inuyasha deserves it. He works really hard."

"So do you, honey," Chiharu said with a knowing smile. "You've been with the group for almost six months and now you're opening for Kikyo's concert. That's a huge achievement, Kagome."

Kagome blinked at her, thinking about her circumstance in that way. Time really had flown by, but it was also a shock because she still felt 'new' to the group, to the industry in general. And here she was, teaching dance classes and opening for one of Japan's most talented singers. It definitely did seem that she had it all, but she couldn't take any of the credit. She turned her head to look at Inuyasha, seeing him smile at something Miroku said.

"I really can't take the credit. If it wasn't for Inuyasha, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Chiharu shook her head. "You need to own your own talent, Kagome. You are gifted and very talented in your art. You, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku. The entire group. All of you are amazing dancers and deserve the spotlight."

"It's very smart of Kikyo to have Blue Lightning open for her. It's good marketing and business, not just for you two but also for her," Toshiro said.

Kagome nodded, thinking it over. "Yeah, that's true."

Sango waved her hand around. "Let's not talk about work," she said with a smile. "I wanna know what you got Inuyasha for his birthday."

Kagome snickered. "It's a secret." When Sango looked like she was about to object, Kagome quickly said, "You'll see soon enough."

Sango pouted. "But I wanna know what you got him now."

Kagome, Chiharu and Toshiro all laughed at her childish demands. Sango giggled along with them until the others turned their attention to the laughter happening in their conversation.

"What's so funny?" Inuyasha asked, releasing her hand to grab her waist, bringing her against him.

"Did we miss something?" Miroku asked. Even his parents looked around at their laughing faces, wondering what they missed.

Chiharu waved dismissively as they began to calm down. "Nothing, dear. Sango was just being cute."

"Well I already knew that," Miroku said with a smile. He and Sango shared a look and the others finally collected themselves.

Kagome shook her head and felt Inuyasha stiffen. She wrapped her arm around his waist and looked up at him. "Inuyasha?" She noticed that his eyes were looking above her head, at something behind her. She turned in his arm to see what it was.

Across from them, Kagome noticed a group of people walk in. The noticeable features were their silver hairs. From afar, she could tell that they were all related. They carried themselves well and were dressed beautifully in fine clothes. The two men wore black suits with golden ties, and as they got closer, she realized they were inuyoukai because their eyes were gold just like the Fujimotos. She felt her pulse quicken. Her attention went straight to the women that the men escorted in hand. One woman had long silver hair that went down to her hips, swaying in her walk. She was beautiful, wearing a floral headband of red flowers, a stark contrast from her hair. She had red lipstick and she looked so beautiful dressed in a gold trumpet gown that clung to her slender figure. The other woman was just as beautiful, with similar facial features that showed they were related. The woman's silver hair was braided and draped over her right shoulder in front of her with many red flowers pinned down the braid. She also wore red lipstick and was dressed in a blood red trumpet dress with a short train and butterfly sleeves. The dress hugged her slender figure and womanly curves. Both men and both women were beautiful, and Kagome had a sneaking suspicion who they were.

Inuyasha's arm tightened around her and she blinked, turning to look at him. "Inuyasha?"

"Come, Kagome. I need to introduce you to someone," he said softly, his eyes coming down to look at her. She feared he could see her emotions, and he did. He smiled softly at her, kissing her forehead briefly, and then releasing her to grab her hand. "Come."

Kagome followed obediently, though she was sure she would've chickened out and not elected to do this introduction. If it wasn't for Inuyasha pulling her with him, she would've chosen to not have to meet this woman. She looked down. 'Am I that petty?'

They met the two couples and Inuyasha brought her immediately against him, holding her close. She chose to clasp her hands in front of her and did her best to plaster on her best smile.

"Inuyasha." One of the men, with his hair in a high ponytail, bowed slightly in welcome. "It is so good to see you again. Happy birthday."

Inuyasha smiled with a small bow of his own. "Thanks, Takeda."

"It's been a while since we last saw you," said the woman who had her hand holding on to Takeda's arm. She was wearing the gold, sleeveless dress. Her golden eyes were soft as she looked at Inuyasha. "Happy birthday. It's good to see you are well, Inuyasha."

He smiled at her and bowed his head. "Thank you, Tomiko."

"It's good to know that you are a quarter of a thousand years old," said the other male next to the woman. Kagome noticed that he looked nothing like the first couple. Though his hair and eyes were the same colors, his facial features looked nothing like them. "But you're still a child compared to me."

Inuyasha snickered. "You're a little older than my brother, Hikaru, so don't start with that."

The man shrugged. "I'm over half your age, child." He burst out laughing at using the term 'child'.

"Honey... stop teasing him."

Kagome looked to the woman on his arm and realized that she was even more beautiful up close. The red trumpet dress clung to her slender curves. She looked regal in the way she carried herself. Her long, silver hair had many red flower pins along the entire braid. Her golden eyes stared at Inuyasha for a long time, captivated. 'Oh... this must be...'

"Kagome," Inuyasha said, breaking his eye contact with the woman to look at her. He smiled and brought her closer against him, extending his hand out to the first couple. "This is Takeda and his mate, Tomiko." The woman in gold and the man with a ponytail nodded their heads towards her. "And this..." Inuyasha said, waving his hand over to the other couple, "is their daughter Kiyomi and her mate, Hikaru."

There was no change in Inuyasha's voice, but the light flinch from the beautiful woman was evident that Inuyasha said something that she didn't like. Kagome smiled out of courtesy while her mind ran with thoughts and questions. She knew how to hide her emotions well and so she called on her discipline.

"It's very nice to meet all of you. Inuyasha told me that you have been a part of his life since he was a child. Thank you for coming to help us celebrate Inuyasha on his birthday," she said politely, but her eyes refused to look at Kiyomi. The woman intimidated her. Not to mention knowing that this beautiful woman had been with Inuyasha... slept with him...

Kagome straightened, trying to put a little distance from Inuyasha. His arm loosened a little as he looked to her in curiosity.

"Kagome?" Tomiko said, a knowing look in her eyes. "We've heard a lot about you."

"What my mate means is that we've seen you on television," Takeda said with a smile. "We, obviously, never met before. But we feel like we've known of you for a while now."

Tomiko giggled. "Of course, honey. That's what I meant. I've seen your performances with Kikyo, and with the both of you," she said, looking back to Inuyasha. "You two are quite a dance couple."

Kagome didn't miss the way she said 'dance' couple.

"This concert in Vegas is going to be a huge milestone for you both," Takeda said with a smile. "I'm proud of you, Inuyasha. You finally have a stage to shine."

"I've always shone," Inuyasha said without hesitation and with no pride or arrogance. He was simply stating a fact. "But I don't outshine Kikyo. She's the main star and I won't take the stage from her."

Takeda and Tomiko smiled while nodding their heads. Kagome felt her heart melt at his words. Inuyasha really did have such a soft spot for people, especially for his family and friends. He cared about Kikyo, cared enough to make sure he took nothing away from her. He knew his worth, he was humble and was never eager for the attention. Not until she came along. Kagome knew that he started to want to shine, not for himself, but he wanted to shine alongside her. He wanted her in the spotlight, the same way he wanted Kikyo in the spotlight. Kagome couldn't help but feel so grateful that she had him in her life.

"Inuyasha... where is your rosary?" Kiyomi asked. Kagome looked at Kiyomi with interest at the fact that she remembered Inuyasha's rosary and noticed that it was missing from around his neck.

"I gave it to Totosai. Kagome gave me a special birthday gift that needs to be added on the rosary tonight," he said, beaming at Kagome. She smiled at him, grateful that he loved her gift.

"Ah, Takeda, Tomiko, it is good to see you," Inutaisho said as he cut in and came to stand between Inuyasha and Takeda. "Hikaru, Kiyomi," Inutaisho continued, nodding his head towards them in greeting.

"It is good to see you too, my friend," Takeda said, smiling as the two grasped each other's forearms in a strong grip.

"Come," Inutaisho said, releasing Takeda's arm. "Izayoi says dinner is ready. I believe she has a full-course meal for us to enjoy," he said with pride.

The two inuyoukai couples nodded their heads and followed Inutaisho towards the dining table. Everyone started making their way to the table from the many places they were at.

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Kagome, wanting a moment with her. "What are you thinking?"

She looked up at him, seeing his golden eyes studying her, waiting to hear what she had to say after that encounter. She chose her words carefully. "Well, she didn't say much, and I just met her. She's very beautiful, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha shrugged. "She's a youkai. Demons have supernatural beauty, although some can also have hideous features. It's both a blessing and a curse to be a demon."

Kagome ran her hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck. "Well, I think you got the good genes then because you're not hideous to look at."

Inuyasha chuckled and brought his head down, kissing her sweetly.

"This is the first time you've seen her in years," Kagome said as she walked towards the table. "Are you okay?"

"I have you," he said, as if that was the solution. She looked at him with a smile and shook her head just as Izayoi met them to guide them to their seats.

The table could hold all thirty-five of them. Inutaisho sat at the head of the table with Izayoi, Inuyasha and Kagome on his right, Sesshomaru and his family on his left. Inutaisho thanked everyone for coming to join them in celebrating Inuyasha's 250th birthday. He rose a toast and everyone wished Inuyasha a 'happy birthday'. There were many conversations floating around the table with people talking to those around them. The appetizers came first, three dishes to be exact. Then came two main courses, one steak and one fish. And finally one dessert dish to wrap up the six-course meal. Izayoi made it so that every dish had a story and a purpose, all of which were Inuyasha's favorites or something from childhood. Two hours later, dinner was finished and port wine or coffee was served to wind down the night.

Izayoi tapped her fork against her wine glass, standing up to catch everyone's attention as the conversations stopped. "I just wanna thank everyone again for coming to celebrate Inuyasha's birthday. Before we go to the dessert table, I would like my son to say a few things." She looked down at Inuyasha and he smiled obediently up at her, assuming the obligatory courtesy of thanking his own guests.

Inuyasha stood as Izayoi sat and cleared his throat. "Well, I'd just like to thank all of you for coming and celebrating my birthday. I always tell my mother, all of this is unnecessary, but she continues to do it and I appreciate her for it." Kagome smiled when she saw Izayoi beam up at him. "All of you here have known me for years, except for my love," he said, looking down at Kagome, making her blush at his endearment and everyone looking at her with smiles.

"I'm grateful to my family and to my friends who are like family to me. All of you have supported me and been with me through life. And now, with our group and Kikyo going to the States for one of Kikyo's biggest concerts, it's a huge accomplishment and achievement for all of us. I'm proud to be able to be a choreographer, of doing something I love and enjoy, and for our group to be doing what we love for the world to see. I have lived a lot of life, and I have done many things, both good and bad. But in this time of my life... I'm truly happy. And it's all thanks to my family, my friends, and most of all, to Kagome."

Inuyasha turned to look down at her, seeing her blue eyes shining up at him. "With you, living has become... purposeful. This is the first birthday that I can remember where I'm truly happy."

Inuyasha saw love and tears in Kagome's eyes, making him feel warm at her acceptance of him. He rose his glass, looking at everyone. "Kanpai." Everyone echoed him and took a sip of their drinks.

Izayoi then asked everyone to make their way to the dessert table. There, everyone gathered around in a circle around the table, marveling at Inuyasha's birthday cake, while Chibi lit the one candle on the 'Happy Birthday' cake topper. Izayoi started to sing and everyone followed along, making Inuyasha shake his head and smile in embarrassment. Kagome squeezed his hand to support him.

"So... as you all know, my son's favorite color is red," Izayoi explained about the cake as everyone clapped at the end of the song. "And the gold, obviously, comes from his eyes, as it does for all inuyoukai. I made the roses in gold and I added white jasmines because it's Kagome's favorite flower."

At this, Kagome's eyes widened and all eyes turned to her. Izayoi looked at her, standing next to her son. "Kagome... you have been such a blessing to Inuyasha and to our family. I have seen the way you have healed my son's heart. I've seen the way your love has changed him and helped him to love again. But I also have seen how you complete him. And completion is something of the souls, something only mates can do. And you have done that for Inuyasha."

Inuyasha wrapped his arm around Kagome and pulled her closer, looking at his mother. "Thanks, Mother. The cake is perfect," he said, looking down at Kagome with love in his eyes, realizing the meaning behind the decoration. Kagome smiled up at him, hugging him around his waist.

"Okay! Cut the cake, honey," she said, giving him the knife. He had to let go of Kagome and step forward to cut a slice, pulling it out and placing it on a gold plate. He grabbed a fork and stepped back with his plate as one of the waiters stepped into the circle to cut the rest of the cake into pieces. Izayoi made sure that it was a small enough cake to feed all of her guests while also wanting them to have room to eat the many other desserts available on the dessert table.

Inuyasha and Kagome walked away as everyone talked and waited for their slice of cake. They made their way outside, walking a little ways onto the balcony to be alone and eat the slice that had the 'H' from 'Happy'.

Inuyasha took a piece from the cake and brought it to Kagome's mouth, making her giggle at his sweet, romantic gesture.

She shook her head. "It's your cake. You take the first bite."

"I want you to taste it first." She smiled at him but obliged, letting him feed her the piece. "What do you think?" he asked, watching her chew. To him, Kagome would always be the most beautiful woman in the world. With the light from inside casting a glow on her body and face, she looked so beautiful it made his heart hurt. He felt so undeserving of her and so lucky to have her. He wanted to have many moments like these, when he could just bask in her beauty, in her love, in her.

"Mmmm... I like it. It tastes like caramel," she said, looking down at the slice to see little ribbons of the caramel swirls. "Wow. Your mother sure knows how to make a cake. And I love how thoughtful she was in the decoration. I need to go and thank her for that," she said, looking past Inuyasha to where everyone had started to disperse to eat their many choices of desserts from the table.

"I told you... my mother knows how to throw a party. She doesn't miss a thing," he said, getting a piece of cake for himself and tasting it. He made an approving face. "That's good."

Kagome nodded. "Very." She opened her mouth and he chuckled, feeding her another piece.

The two finished the cake in silence, both enjoying the peacefulness of the night, just the two of them out on the balcony in the crisp air. Inuyasha placed the plate and the fork down on the balustrade. He grabbed Kagome, wrapping his arms around her, breathing in her scent.

Kagome sighed, wrapping her arms around him too. "I love you, Inuyasha," she said against his chest. She breathed him in. He never wore cologne. His natural smell was musky and sweet, something that she was attracted to, like pheromones. Sometimes it reminded her of a woodsy smell and sometimes it reminded her of sweet leaves. Inuyasha's scent always calmed her, as did his strength when he surrounded her with his arms and held her as if she was precious to him. It was moments like these, in his arms, where she felt like she belonged.

"Kagome..." He placed his cheek on top of her head. "You mean more to me than you could ever know..."

"So are you to me, Inuyasha," she said, looking up at him. She saw his golden eyes, full of love and joy. "For the first time in my life... I feel like I belong somewhere. I've never had a home. I've never felt safe anywhere, in a house, on the streets. But you... you became my home. And your family... they've accepted me and have been so kind."

Inuyasha smiled down at her, putting his hands on her cheeks to wipe the tears that fell.

"You make me feel seen. You make me feel like I belong somewhere, like I mean something to someone. You make me feel so loved and protected... You never gave up on me, on us, even after I kept pushing you away," she said, choking with tears.

Inuyasha held her head up even when she tried to look away from him, overwhelmed by her emotions and her tears. He wiped her tears with strokes of his thumbs, all the while smiling at her, his golden eyes so intense, she wondered what he was thinking.

"I'm sorry..." she giggled, tears still falling. "I know it's your birthday and I shouldn't be crying. But I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I was just so scared. I was scared of being alone, scared of Koga, scared of you and of my feelings for you. Because if I ever lost you... if you ever decide to leave me... I wouldn't survive that. In all my life... I've never considered suicide, no matter how hard my life had been. But I felt like if I gave you my heart... and you left me... I wouldn't want to live anymore." She placed her hands on his wrists to get him to release her, but he simply held her, his whole attention focused on her.

He brought his head down to kiss her sweetly, making her lip tremble. She could feel his love for her and it humbled her and made her weak. She truly didn't deserve him.

"Kagome, I don't have words to express what you mean to me." Inuyasha gave her one last kiss, sweetly, tenderly.

"I wasn't lying when I said this was the first birthday I've had in a long time where I'm truly happy. I'm a half-demon, Kagome. I've lived over two centuries. I've seen wars, death, friends and family betray each other. I've seen countless changing of the seasons and I've watched this nation grow and change for 250 years. In all that time of living, I've fallen in love and I've had my heart broken by my best friend. I've killed some innocent people and some not-so-innocent, both humans and demons. I've shut down my heart to anyone and everyone for centuries. I've used women for my pleasure, sometimes making them feel less than. I don't open up easily to people and I don't make friends. I just don't see the point when I usually outlive them or they prove that they don't care about me enough to stay."

She remained quiet, letting him finish because of the intensity of his eyes. He was determined to tell her something and she wanted to hear him out.

"I touch you with these hands that I have killed with, hands that touched other women carelessly, and I can't help but feel so ashamed. I'm not worthy to touch you. You are too pure and too beautiful for my hands. And yet... holding you like this... you let me touch you even knowing what I have done."

She watched as he held his breath, staring at her, as if waiting for her to say something. "Inuyasha... I accept you for who and what you are. I know you're a good person. I know because I know your heart and I know you. You may have made some bad decisions, but that doesn't make you evil. I've seen evil... and you're not that."

Inuyasha looked relieved, as if his whole existence waited for her acceptance of all the things he's done. She didn't know about every kill that he made, but she knew that he had been through the feudal era, when wars were part of a daily life and the taking of life was every man's own judgment. She knew him enough to trust that what he did in his past was with a clean and good judgment, whether that was to stay alive or to protect someone. She believed that he wouldn't kill people for no reason, but to protect others.

"You humble me, Kagome..." he said, closing his eyes for a moment. When they opened again, there was a new spark in them, making her smile in reassurance.

"Kagome... you've given me more than I could ask for." He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her once. "Please..." he said, placing his cheek on top of her head. "Let me be selfish once more."

She blinked and was about to hug him back when he suddenly released her and dropped to his knee. She looked down at him, confused and startled. He grabbed her hand, looking up at her. Kagome felt her heart beat faster when it felt like time slowed down.

"Inuyasha..." she whispered, taking a step back and going to pull her hand away. But Inuyasha held her hand tight.

"Kagome... when it comes to you... I'm a selfish bastard." He looked up at her with such intensity that it made her heart beat loudly.

"Inuyasha... please stop..." she said, pained, tears clouding her vision.

"I want you, Kagome. I've never wanted anything or anyone more than I want you. I want to wake up to you every morning and go to sleep with you in my arms. I want to love and worship your body. I want to be the one to remind you of how beautiful you are."

Inuyasha continued even as Kagome started crying, covering her mouth with her free hand.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to show you the world. If you asked for it, I would give you the sun, the moon and the stars if that would make you happy. I want to walk next to you, for you to know that you are strong and you can face anything that comes your way, and to remind you that I'm right next to you if you need my strength. I want to carry you when everything becomes too much for you to bear, for you to know that I will carry you and be your strength and protection when you need someone to lean on. I want to be your home, a place you can come to rest and to feel safe. I want to be your man, your mate, your lover for as long as we live."

Kagome couldn't stop crying as she looked down at him through her tears. Every word hit her on a different level as if he knew everything about her and what she needed, what she's always wanted her entire life. His words spoke to every fear, every need, every desire she ever had.

"I know it's selfish of me to ask for all these things..." Inuyasha continued, staring up at Kagome, his heart beating fast the entire time. He was giving his heart and soul to her, there on his knee... and she had the power to accept or reject him.

"But I want to be everything that you need, Kagome. I want to love you. I want to be by your side. I want to live my life with you, Kagome."

Kagome watched as Inuyasha reached into his inner jacket pocket and brought out a ring box. She gasped, pressing her hand tighter to her mouth.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha had to release her hand to open the box and he willed her not to run. He opened the box and heard her gasp. "Be my mate, my bride. I promise I will make you happy and I will take care of you for as long we both live."

Kagome cried, covering her face with her hands, taking another step back. "Inuyasha... I... can't..."

"Why?" he asked, pain-stricken.

Her heart squeezed tight in her chest when she looked down at him, seeing that she hurt him. "It's not you, Inuyasha," she said, trying to compose herself. "I'm already married..."

"I'll take care of it," he said adamantly. "Don't worry, Kagome. I promise you I will get rid of everything and anything that threatens you and your happiness. This has nothing to do with him. This is just you and I."

Kagome felt overwhelmed by emotions. Happiness. Confusion. Joy. Fear. Sadness. How could Inuyasha ask her to marry him, a married woman? Why would he want to marry her? How can he void her marriage with Koga? She had nothing to offer him, nothing in her past and nothing to her name that would make her worthy to be his wife. She didn't know what to do, think, or say. But still he waited. His golden eyes stared up at her with love and fear the longer she didn't answer. She knew that he feared she would reject him, that she would leave him. She did it before. Was she any different from Kiyomi?

She couldn't think about the repercussions, about the hows and the impossibilities. There were so many that it overwhelmed her to think about it. The only thing she could think about was Inuyasha. He had declared his entire heart and soul to her, and that meant more to her than he knew. He promised her the world. How could she deny him?

Kagome smiled, closing her eyes and tossing out all her fears of Koga and the hold he had over her life. If she wanted to be happy, truly happy, then choosing Inuyasha and trusting him was the only way she could truly live her life the way she wanted to live it.

"Okay."

Inuyasha's ears perked and she watched as his face turned into pure joy. "Really?"

Kagome giggled, wiping at her tears. "Yes. I want to be yours, Inuyasha. If I can, I want to make you happy too. I don't know if I can offer you anything... but if I can make you happy and give you strength and be your home, the same way you are to me, then I want to be that for you."

Inuyasha stood abruptly, startling her, and grabbed her face to kiss her hard. She giggled, feeling giddy. The joy that radiated from him seeped into her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. She felt her womb clench and her knees went weak as she leaned against him. Inuyasha growled and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against him as he kissed her like a drunk man.

The sound of applause broke their special moment and they pulled back to look towards the doors where everyone stood. Unbeknownst to them, since Inuyasha had told his father and mother of his plan to ask Kagome to marry him and be his mate, Izayoi had been waiting for the moment Inuyasha would propose. She kept her eyes on the couple and when she finally saw her son down on one knee, she told Myoga, Jaken and Chibi to gather everyone. Now, they all stood, shoulder to shoulder at the threshold, congratulating Inuyasha and Kagome on their engagement. Izayoi was emotional with tears of joy as Inutaisho had a supporting arm around her.

Kagome was surprised to see everyone watching them, and when she looked back at Inuyasha, she gasped and giggled.

"Yasha... my lipstick is all over your lips," she said, giggling as she tried to wipe his lips clean of her red lipstick.

"I don't care," he said, bursting with joy. He looked down at the ring box and took out the ring.

Kagome stared in awe at the ring, finally getting a good look at it. In the center lay a huge red, opal-shaped gem. The red was as bright as her dress, even here where there wasn't much light to reflect. The jewel sparkled in the middle of a halo of white diamonds surrounding it with a gold band.

"Inuyasha..." she breathed as he grabbed her left hand and slid the ring onto her finger. Her eyes came up to look at him in shock and awe.

Inuyasha smiled. "I asked Totosai to make it for me. I wanted you to have something unique, something that doesn't have a value to it. Because you are worth more than anything in this world."

Kagome bit her bottom lip, humbled by his words. She looked down at the ring, spreading out her fingers to admire the way it fit and sat on her finger.

"It's a red diamond, only found in the depths of a volcano. Totosai also helped to give it its redness since he's a forger and he can breathe fire just as hot as volcanic magma. Red diamonds are the most rarest of diamonds in the world, and that one has the purest red that I've ever seen in diamonds. Thanks to Totosai, he found it and polished it up to give it its deep red hue."

"Inuyasha... it's beautiful..." she said, looking at him with tears in her eyes.

He shrugged. "It's nothing compared to you, Kagome. It's how I feel about you. You're rare. No one can compare to you, Kagome."

She smiled and hugged him before she started crying again. His arms came around her and she couldn't be happier. She had everything she could ever want. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The music played into more modern hits as everyone wanted to dance. Inuyasha and Kagome went through their greetings of 'congratulations' from everyone, and now everyone wanted to dance in celebration of not only Inuyasha's birthday but now his engagement to Kagome. Totosai congratulated the couple and gave Inuyasha back his rosary. Totosai had added on the sapphire magatama to the necklace, right in the middle where it would rest against his collarbone. The two thanked him for his help for the both of them in their secret missions to get gifts for the other with his help. After, Totosai excused himself and left for the night.

The mood was happy and everyone was ready to dance the night away. The waiters kept the dessert table stocked with ice buckets and an assortment of alcohol that they could serve themselves.

Kagome excused herself, setting her drink down on one of the back tables and headed for the bathroom. She did her business while admiring the huge ring on her finger, unable to take her eyes off the huge, red diamond. 'I wonder how many carats this is... this is probably worth millions,' she thought, getting overwhelmed at the thought of having something that expensive just slipped onto her finger.

She made her way to the sink to wash her hands when the door opened and someone walked in. When she looked up, she froze and her eyes stared at the beautiful woman.

Kiyomi stood behind her, staring at her reflection. Kagome broke the connection first, not wanting to be rude but also not knowing what to say to Kiyomi. She finished with her hands and wiped up, all the while wondering all the more about Inuyasha and Kiyomi's relationship.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Kagome."

She took a deep breath, knowing that this was bound to have happened. She steeled herself the way she always did and turned to face Kiyomi.

"I'm glad we finally could meet." She didn't really know what else to say to the woman who broke Inuyasha's heart. Kiyomi was very beautiful that Kagome was sure she could have Inuyasha if it was by looks alone. The red trumpet dress hugged her figure perfectly, showing off her slender figure. Her silver hair was braided over her shoulder with red butterflies that made her look like a fairytale princess.

Kiyomi smiled softly. "I've only seen you on photos or videos from the concert. But I must say, you are very pretty in person."

Kagome smiled and bowed slightly. "Thank you. You're very beautiful." What else was there to say? And because she didn't want to have small talk with this woman in the ladies room, she started for the door.

"I..."

Kagome stopped, looking at Kiyomi, waiting. Kiyomi seemed nervous but her golden eyes were steadfast.

"Has Inuyasha told you about us?"

She nodded.

"All good things, I hope." Kagome's silence made Kiyomi smile and she looked down. "I know he has his feelings, and I'm not going to tell you he's wrong in any way. We both... we were both young."

Kagome frowned, furrowing her eyebrows at Kiyomi's explanation as if being young was to blame for their relationship ending.

"Tonight... after not seeing him for so many years... I realize that I still love him."

Kagome closed her eyes, putting her head down, taking deep, steadying breaths.

"I know it's selfish of me to tell you that... and it's wrong to love someone else besides my mate." Kiyomi walked to the wall to lean her back against it, staring at Kagome with suspicion. "What Hikaru and I have is different from what Inuyasha and I had..."

Kagome held up her hand. "Please... I don't want to hear it." Kiyomi paused, a little shocked that this human girl would shut her up. "Your relationship with your mate and your relationship with Inuyasha has nothing to do with me. You should talk to Inuyasha about your feelings for him, but you should know that he has his own feelings towards you that you might not like."

"I know. Inuyasha thinks that I left him because I never loved him."

"Isn't that the truth?" Kagome looked Kiyomi straight in the eye, feeling a wave of anger wash over her.

Kiyomi straightened, coming off the wall. "No. That is not true. I loved him..."

"You didn't love him enough," Kagome said, cutting her off. "If you loved him, you wouldn't have left him just because he couldn't give you any children."

Kiyomi's eyes widened. 'He told her...' The fact that Kagome knew only meant that she probably knew much more about her relationship with Inuyasha than Kiyomi thought.

"You know nothing," Kiyomi said, getting angry and defensive. "You have no right to judge me or to judge my relationship with Inuyasha."

"Your past relationship with him," Kagome clarified. "And I'm not judging you. I'm stating a fact. Now if you'll excuse me, I don't feel like going into my fiancé's past relationship right now."

Kagome started for the door and Kiyomi moved so fast, she was a blur, appearing right in front of Kagome and blocking her from leaving. Kagome could tell that she hit a nerve. Kiyomi looked angry and a little flustered, her golden eyes glaring at her.

"You've got some nerve. You think you can make him happy? You've only been with him for a short time. We were together for a century."

Kagome frowned but decided to cut this conversation short. "Listen, Kiyomi. You and your family obviously are still close to the Fujimotos. I don't want to cause any trouble between your families. You might not like what I have to say, but it's the truth. You should talk to Inuyasha if you feel so strongly about him. But I have nothing more to say to you."

With that, Kagome moved around Kiyomi and was grateful that the woman didn't stop her. She knew that Kiyomi, being an inuyoukai, could stop her anytime, whether by speed or by force. But she didn't want to have a confrontation with the woman, especially here in the women's bathroom.

The door opened and Rin walked in. She smiled at Kagome but Kagome quickly smiled and walked out while the door was closing. She rounded the corner and briskly walked back to the great hall. She could feel her hands shaking. The whole encounter was only a couple of minutes, but adrenaline had rushed through her body, both from anxiety, fear and anger. So many emotions in the blink of an eye, and now, she didn't think she could go back into the party and plaster a smile for everyone. She just wanted to be alone. She needed to think. She needed to get control of her emotions.

Kagome slowed her steps and then decided to head outside for fresh air. Izayoi's garden and the thought of smelling the sweet scents was a good idea. 'I need to think...' she thought, opening the front door and closing it behind her.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Inuyasha scanned the room, looking for Kagome. Still, it hasn't looked like she came back from the bathroom. He focused on the conversation he was in with his friends, everyone excited about tomorrow's trip and the fact that Inuyasha proposed. Kikyo had already left since she had an early interview tomorrow.

"Wow... so now we're going to have two married couples in the group," Shippo said, elbowing Inuyasha in the side. The hanyou turned to look at him, seeming distracted.

"You're one to talk. There's going to be three married couples."

Shippo nodded. "Mizuki and I never married, so by human laws we're not tied to each other with share assets. But we mated, so that's all that matters to us. One day we'll get married, when we see the need to. But we're both demons so human marriage holds no value to us."

Inuyasha nodded his understanding. "I get it. I want to tie Kagome to me both in the youkai world and the human world."

Sango placed a hand on his arm. "Have you thought about all of that?" He looked at Sango, reading her expression, and he knew what she was referring to. He had told her and Miroku about Kagome's past, but no one else, except for his parents and brother.

"Yeah. I told Kagome I'll take care of it. She's worried. But I'm thankful that she trusts me to take care of her and protect her."

Sango smiled, giving his arm a squeeze. "I'm glad. You two need a break from all that drama."

"What drama?" Shippo asked.

Miroku waved him off. "Nothing. Just the time when they went through a rough patch."

Shippo made an 'o' with his mouth and nodded. Mizuki came into their circle to talk about the others dancing and took her mate to go dance with the others. Miroku and Sango said they were going to dance too and invited Inuyasha to go with them. But he looked to the doorway of the hall and saw Rin walk in, her eyes searching until they met his. There was something in the way she walked briskly towards him, her steps sure and her face with concern, that made him worry.

"You guys go." He left the two and headed to meet his sister-in-law.

"Rin. What happened?"

She frowned, looking around to make sure no one was listening. "I think that Kiyomi said something to Kagome."

"What?! When?!" He felt anger starting to surge within him. The thought of Kiyomi talking to Kagome just angered him. He didn't trust Kiyomi. Not now, not ever.

"Just now, in the women's bathroom. I walked in and Kagome was leaving but I could feel the tension between the two women, and Kagome barely looked at me before she literally ran out of the bathroom. I talked to Kiyomi and asked her what happened, but all she said was that she had a 'little talk' with Kagome and went to leave. I warned her not to bother Kagome but she just left without another word."

Inuyasha pressed his lips together, his eyes going up to look for Kiyomi and Kagome.

"I don't know where the two went, but I'm sure Kiyomi said something to Kagome that upset her if she's not here," Rin said, looking to the crowd ahead and not seeing Kagome anywhere.

"I need to find Kiyomi." With that, he headed toward the women's bathroom in the hall, trailing Kiyomi's scent. He stopped at the doorway of his parents' home, smelling Kagome's scent end here. 'She must've gone outside.' A part of him wanted to follow her scent and find her. Another part of him wanted to make it perfectly clear to Kiyomi to leave Kagome alone. He wants her to know her place, especially when it came to Kagome, and he wanted to make it clear to her that Kagome was off limits. If it was one thing he wanted to protect most in this world, it was Kagome. Even from his past.

Inuyasha brought his nose up and scented the air, catching Kiyomi's scent and following it. She went through the great room and up the stairs to the bedrooms. His steps quickened when he began to realize which room she went in. He used his demonic speed to close the distance and walked into his bedroom, standing in the doorway.

Kiyomi sat at the foot of his bed, staring at the painting on the wall of him as a child. Her eyes connected to his and for a moment, he felt his chest tighten. There was a long silence as they stared at one another until she looked back at the painting.

"I used to love this portrait of you."

Inuyasha didn't have to look at the said portrait to know what she was talking about. "What are you doing in my room?"

Kiyomi smiled softly, looking down at the sheets as she ran her hand over the covers. "Your room smells of her."

"You sound disappointed."

"Not really," she said with a shrug. "I'm just trying to understand what I'm feeling."

"What you're feeling has nothing to do with me and Kagome." He walked into his room, going closer to her. "I'm going to make this clear once, Kiyomi, and next time I won't be so lenient."

He towered over her, standing in front of her, glaring at her. Kiyomi looked up at him and he heard her heart rate speed up, that along with her excitement.

"Leave Kagome alone. I don't want you alone with her."

"Why?" she asked, standing quickly to glare back at him. "She's a big girl, Inuyasha. She can take care of herself."

"She's been taking care of herself all her life," he said, holding in his rage. "I know she can take care of herself. It's you I don't trust. I don't want you around her. Did you wait to corner her in the bathroom?"

He eyed her suspiciously and she couldn't help but feel that pull she had once felt for him. It was faintly there, but she recognized it now that her mate and no one else was around for her to be honest with her feelings. Kiyomi frowned and took a step closer to him, bringing her hands up to cup both sides of his face. He leaned back a little, but he stayed rooted to his spot.

"Does she know...?" He watched her as her eyes moved to his lips. "Does she know how wild your demon is? Is she scared of you because she's only human?"

Inuyasha growled, grasping her wrists, catching her attention. "My sex life with my mate has nothing to do with you."

"Are you really going to mate her?"

"Honestly, Kiyomi, what makes you think you can ask me these questions after all these years?"

Kiyomi frowned, staring at his lips again. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha," she whispered, making his ears twitch.

Inuyasha made a pained face, pulling her hands away from his face. "It's too late, Kiyomi."

"No, it's not," she argued. "I realized tonight that... that I didn't like seeing you with another woman." She ducked her head in her shame, admitting that to him.

Inuyasha could not believe that she was telling him this, now. His mind raced with thoughts as to why she would bring this up. But then he stopped himself. He remembered that Kagome was still out there and he wanted to get to her soon. He didn't have time for this.

"Listen, Kiyomi. You and I were done years ago. You left me. You chose to leave me, even though you knew how much I loved you."

She looked up, hearing the pain in his voice though his face gave away no emotion. He looked stoic, much like his older brother. He was trying hard not to show his feelings to her but his voice said it all.

"Inuyasha... I'm so sorry," she said, pressing her hands against his chest with his still wrapped around her wrists. "I didn't mean to. You knew that I was pressured from my parents to get pregnant. It is the way of youkai. We needed to continue the bloodline. My parents kept pressuring me to leave you or to get pregnant some other way."

"And so you chose to leave me," he finished the entire story for her and closed the book. "You chose, Kiyomi. Not them. This is on no one else but you. I chose you. I would've chosen you over anything. I did choose you over anything, even over my parents. My mother didn't fully agree to our mating. But still, I chose you!" he said, his voice growing louder.

She pained at his words and turned her head, not wanting to see the hurt and the anger in his eyes. She knew she had hurt him when she had left him. She had hoped that he had forgiven her for being so foolish to have listened to her parents out of fear and uncertainty.

"Since then... I believed that I was incapable of being loved, that I was never going to be good enough for anyone. But then... I found Kagome... or at least, she found me." She looked at him when she heard his voice start to soften. "Kagome gave me the strength to love again. She healed my heart and helped me to trust my feelings. She and I... we're both similar in a lot of ways. And she's captured my heart and soul in a way that you never had."

Kiyomi took her hands back, stung.

"I'm sorry, Kiyomi. You and I were once good friends. I wish we had stayed that way. Maybe we still could've been friends and things would've been different between us. But... you broke my heart."

Kiyomi bit her lip, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm sorry..."

"I know," he said, stepping back and heading for the balcony. "I'm sorry, too, Kiyomi. I couldn't give you what you wanted, what you needed... and that was my failure. I'm glad that you have a mate and a family. It's what you've always wanted."

Kiyomi went to follow him but stopped. This was their goodbye. Even though she was just starting to realize that she still loved him, after all these years, Inuyasha was telling her that he didn't love her back. He couldn't and wouldn't, not after what she had put him through. He had found someone else to love, someone else who loves him and who wants to be with him. And if she was honest with herself, a small part of her was happy for him. His words, though it hurt, were true. She got what she wanted. She has her children and her mate. She was happy. She just hated that it hadn't been with Inuyasha. Perhaps in another life, but not in this one. He was far gone and had given his heart to another.

"Please leave my room, Kiyomi," Inuyasha said, standing outside in the fresh air. He lifted his nose and scented Kagome on the wind. His body immediately relaxed, all the tension he had been feeling from Kiyomi immediately left him. 'Kagome...' He wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her senseless and be alone with her where he could hear her voice and touch her skin.

"Thank you for apologizing. Rin tells me that I need to forgive you and move on. I thought I did forgive you, but this... maybe I needed Kagome to heal my heart before I was able to see how broken it was. And I appreciate your apology." He turned back to look at her, seeing her standing next to his bed with a bewildered expression. "I really am glad that you have your mate and your family. Please be happy for me that I have found mine."

With that, Inuyasha leapt up, bounding for his mother's garden where he knew Kagome was. He hoped that Kiyomi would be gone from his room before he returned with his fiancé.

His mother's garden was right below him and he smiled, catching the sight of Kagome in her red dress. He dropped right at the entrance of the garden and used his demonic speed to get up right behind her, making her hair fly. She turned at the feel of him and her eyes widened.

"Inuyasha!"

"Sorry," he said with a smile. "I just wanted to be near you once I saw you." He grabbed her waist and turned her to bring her into his arms. She fit against him so well. He took a deep breath, breathing her in and feeling the way his body simply relaxed. He no longer felt anger or pain caused by Kiyomi. He only felt Kagome in his arms and her scent that worked wonders on him.

"Inuyasha... I thought you were dancing with the others." She placed her hands on his chest, leaning into him. He sensed her nervousness.

He placed his hands over hers, grabbing them but keeping them against his chest. "Why didn't you come get me?"

She immediately looked away with a frown. "I didn't want to be around anyone."

"Even me?"

"I just needed to be alone..." she whispered.

"Talk to me, Kagome." He squeezed her hands, wanting her to look at him. "I know Kiyomi said something to you."

Kagome looked up at him, surprised.

"I talked to her. I told her to leave you alone."

Kagome smiled and took her hands out of his. "I'm a big girl, Inuyasha. You don't have to tell another woman to leave me alone."

She walked away from him and he began to wonder if he did something wrong. He felt an instinctual need to protect her. It wasn't that he didn't trust she could take care of herself. Like he told Kiyomi, he knew Kagome had been surviving and taking care of herself, alone, all her life. It's just that now... she had him. He was going to make sure she didn't have to take care of herself alone anymore. He was going to make sure that he protected her, that he made her happy.

"Inuyasha... I'm starting to realize just how selfish and jealous I can be... being in a relationship with you."

He frowned as she stopped several feet away from him. He wanted to go to her, but if she needed space in order to be open and talk to him, then he'd give that to her.

"I'm selfish and jealous too, Kagome. I'm a demon. I don't share."

She turned to face him, clasping her hands in front with a sad smile. "Being a demon means nothing to me. Koga was a demon. He shared."

"Koga is a wolf demon. Their species is known to be polygamous, especially the alpha pair. The female never mates with anyone besides her mate. But the male can mate with anyone he so choose. That's just their way."

"And what's your way?"

"I'm inuhanyou. Inuyoukai species mate for life. There is only one mate for the other as long as they live. Some may choose to mate again after their mate dies. But we are fiercely loyal and protective by nature. We don't share our mates and we have no desire to have sex with anyone or anything besides our mates."

Kagome frowned. He wished he could read her mind. Her eyes looked so sad. He couldn't tell what was bothering her, but from the sound of it, it had to do with Kiyomi and Koga.

"So... the difference is that you and Koga are just different species?"

"Why are you comparing me to Koga?" he asked, starting to get a little angry. He was nothing like that pathetic wolf. He knew Koga, long ago, and he hated the wolf demon then and he hates the wolf demon with a burning passion now.

"I'm just trying to understand..."

"Understand what?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

Kagome hugged her arms, needing that sense of comfort. "I need to understand what it means to be a mate. Kiyomi was your mate..."

"She was not." She looked at him with confusion and upset. "We never mated. We were in love, yes. But we never mated to each other and bound ourselves to each other."

She furrowed her eyebrows, confused. He knew that she knew nothing of the inuyoukai mating ritual, which was something he would have to explain to her later.

"So... love has nothing to do with mating?"

"Love is a part of mating. Mates love one another, cherish one another, and can't be apart from one another. But love isn't the only thing that makes mates. It's something deeper than love."

"Kiyomi still loves you," she said softly, watching his reaction.

He shrugged. "I know. Her love is unrequited."

"She's gorgeous, Inuyasha," she said sadly, turning around and walking away from him. "I wasn't expecting her to be so beautiful. And she still loves you. You two have known each other and loved each other for longer than I've been alive."

"Kagome, stop!"

She stopped walking away from him but she didn't turn to look at him. So he walked towards her and went in front of her, forcing her to look at him.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you pushing me away again?"

Kagome bent her head and covered her face in her hands. "I'm scared..." she whispered.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, smelling the saltiness of her tears. "Scared of what, Kagome?"

"I'm scared that you'll leave me."

Inuyasha took a deep breath, steadying his emotions, feeling his anger slip away now that he understood. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly, willing her to feel his love for her.

"Kagome, I could never you leave you. Please listen to me and believe me when I say this. I love you. I am not leaving you for anyone. Don't compare me to Koga. I hate when you do that. I hate that damn wolf. And don't compare us to what I once had with Kiyomi."

He released her, wanting to look at her eyes. He moved her hands away from her face to hold her head, her blue eyes looking up at him with sadness and tears.

"If you need... I will spend my whole life proving to you that I will be loyal to you for as long as I live. You mean more to me than anyone in my life does. You are more beautiful to me than anyone I have ever seen. You've healed my heart so that I can love again, so that I can love you. You're the only one I love, the only one I want to love, and I would never be stupid enough to break your trust or give you up to someone else. You're mine."

She chuckled, tears falling down her face, but happiness radiating off her. He saw her eyes glitter and come to life at his words. She was starting to get it. But he knew that time would prove her doubts wrong. She trusted him enough now. He just hoped that he would show her over time that her doubts are just her own insecurities.

"Inuyasha... I'm sorry," she said, crying. "I didn't mean to compare you to Koga... I just... I don't deserve you... and... I don't know what love is."

"I know..." he said sadly. He wrapped her in his arms again, needing to take away her pain. Years of being neglected and forgotten has led to the woman she has become. Doubtful of people and their love. Unsure. Insecure. She had no one to trust and depend on but herself for so many years. This was why he needed to protect her. Not from others like Kiyomi. He needed to protect her from herself. She has been choosing her own way for her own sake all her life. Now, he needed to remind her that there was someone else willing to choose her, willing to love her and protect her. He needed to remind her that she wasn't alone anymore and that she would have to change her way of thinking and living.

"Kagome... I love you."

"I love you, too, Inuyasha," she said, wrapping her arms around him and then pulling her head back. "I don't want to stain your white suit."

He chuckled. "Who cares." He rested his cheek on her head, breathing in her scent. "Marry me. Be my mate." He needed to hear that she still wanted to be with him.

Kagome nodded against him. "Yes. If you'll still have me."

He pulled back to smile down at her. "All the days of my life."

She giggled and he kissed her senseless. This woman. She was the reason why he lived. And he looked forward to his days now, with her by his side. Her hands running up his chest, reminding him of how strong he was compared to her. She felt so small, so soft, that he wanted to hold her and make love to her. He wanted to worship her body the way she deserved to be worshipped. He deepened the kiss, drowning her in his love. His hands explored her body, loving every curve, committing it to memory. Her kisses and her touch only inflamed him, blood pooling deep and low, his desire for her growing. He smelt her faint arousal, stirring his demon blood even more.

He broke the kiss and swept her off her feet, holding her bridal style. Their eyes met, a knowing look of love and desire, and he raced through his mother's garden to head back to his room. He cared not about the party and everyone else. He wanted to spend the rest of his birthday with the one woman who gave him a reason to celebrate. He wanted to make love to his woman all night long, to hear her moans and to feel their bodies become one. And that was exactly what he did.