Kagome nurses a cup of green tea at the kitchen island. The steam rises from the cup and helps to clear her sinuses. The heat emitting from the mug that reads: Strongest Wifey, is heavenly against the crisp morning air. The coffee maker brews in the background. Her stomach recoils at the smell.

"M'ornin," Satoru greets, his hair disheveled. He wraps his arms around her, nuzzling into the crook of her neck. His warm breath sends the hairs on her arms racing upwards, brushing against the silk material of her robe. She sets the cup down and runs her hands along his forearms, down to his hands, tracing the veins. He gives her one more squeeze before pulling away to pour himself a cup of coffee.

Kagome watches him over the brim of her mug, inhaling the scent of green tea to counteract the smell of coffee in the air. It's moments like these where she allows herself to forget about Naraku's schemes, how to save Yuji in the process of getting rid of Sukuna, and the constant threat of curses and curse users alike just waiting in the shadows for an opportunity.

"I might not be home in time for dinner," Satoru says, slumping into the seat next to her. He shifts the coffee to the other side of him. "Got a lot of missions today. Megumi is gonna stop by later."

Kagome takes a long sip from her drink. She needs to play this cool or he'll catch on to her. He's been paranoid about her going anywhere alone since she got kidnapped, but she needs to talk to Yakeru without Satoru or anyone else there. Even though Yumi came after her, Yakeru deserves to hear what happened from her and no one else.

"Did he say what time? Just planning out my nap schedule." She prays she does not fall asleep on the train. Her energy levels have been at an all-time low lately. Satoru caught her last night, knocked out on the couch with a bowl of forgotten ice cream.

"Nah, depends on when he finishes his mission." He leans over and pecks her lips. "Don't worry. He has a key to the house, so you don't have to worry about letting him in or anything." His eyelashes kiss his cheeks as he stares at her with love reflecting in his eyes.

He's so damn beautiful it hurts sometimes. Any other time, she would be grateful for his attentiveness. She's never had someone dote on her as much as he does, but right now, he's making it a tad bit difficult for her to see Yakeru without him.

"Don't like that they are working you so hard," she says, changing the subject. She'll just have to wait until after Megumi leaves. Silently, she prays he does not stay the night and opts to join the other students back at the dorms. A wave of guilt washes over her. What an awful thing to think, she berates herself. Megumi is such a sweet boy, and she really does not want to drag him along with her. He's still just a kid and shouldn't have to trouble himself.

"Helps knowing that you are at home where it's safe," he picks up his cup and winks at her. She clucks her tongue, moving away from the island.

"Yeah, yeah," she quips. Kagome waves a hand in the air as she retrieves the stack of bentos from the fridge. Left to his own devices, Satoru would just eat sweets all day. "Give some to the kids," she instructs as she places the bentos into a bag.

"You're the best, Gome-chan," Satoru says, his blue eyes unwavering. Kagome averts her gaze down to the bentos. The tips of her ears tingle.

"Any request for breakfast?" She tucks her hair behind her ears. Her stomach lurches at the thought of food. A wicked smile snakes its way across Satoru's face and Kagome wonders if she'll have to lecture him if he requests something sweet.

"Yep," he says, popping the 'p'. Satoru takes the mugs and dumps them in the sink. He stalks towards her. Kagome takes a step back, her back hits the island. Her heart rate speeds up. He lifts her up as though she weighs nothing and places her down on the island. He kicks the chair away; it lands on the floor with a thud.

"Toru?" She bites her bottom lip as he kisses the column of her neck. His large grips her thighs, his fingernails digging into her skin. She shivers at the feather-like touch tracing the sides of her lace underwear. "H-hey!" She pouts at yet another pair of ripped underwear.

"Shhh, let me have my breakfast." He flashes her a lopsided smile before sinking down.

Kagome pushes up the oversized glasses and lowers the baseball cap. She keeps her head down as she navigates through the streets of Tokyo. She has no idea when Megumi will show up, but she figures that his mission will probably take some time, and she hopes he stops by in the afternoon. Which gives her a tight deadline to make it to Yakeru's, talk to him, and make it back home in time to wash off all awful concoction she sprayed herself with.

Easy… hopefully.

She knocks on the door, ignoring the sign that says closed for vacation. No way he went on vacation. The fox loves running his shop too much. She knocks harder, more frantic. The door yanks open while she's in mid-knock.

"Did you not read the sign?" His green eyes are cold. She wets her lips and then removes the sunglasses.

"Can I come in?"

"Kagome-sama?" Yakeru gasps. He sniffs the air. "Why on earth do you smell like that?" He steps out of the way, allowing her to pass.

"I didn't want to take any risks." She tucks the sunglasses into her shirt and takes off the baseball cap. Her fingers glide across the custom hairpins, keeping her bun in place. "I'm sure you know."

"Ah, yes, because of the baby. There are no secrets amongst us foxes." He glides across the room, somehow still looking so unworldly, dressed down in a casual shirt and jeans. "I am honored that you have come all this way to see me."

Kagome sucks in a deep breath. "I wanted to talk to you about Yumi." Her heart thunders in her eardrums, her palms are slick with sweat.

"Did she do something to offend you? I have tried to talk reason into her," he remarks, leading them towards the back room.

"Well… Uh, she kidnapped me." Kagome tightens her grip on the baseball cap.

"Did she? And yet you are here and she is not." He looks over his shoulder, assessing. "I see."

"Y-you see?" Kagome's brows furrow. He should be upset. She shakes her head. "She was working with a demon—a half-demon named Naraku."

"Then the fault lies on my shoulders."

"What? No. You couldn't have stopped Yumi from working with Naraku. And I think she was acting alone from him."

"I should have known that he would try to manipulate Yumi. She was always power hungry and Naraku is a known schemer." His voice is calm, but his fingers twitch with agitation. In a burst of confidence, or maybe stupidity, she wraps her arms around his back. "Kagome-sama?"

"I'm sorry," she offers, her voice wavering. Yakeru's claws dig into his palms. "I didn't want to, but…" Tears cling to her lashes. She was not fond of Yumi and while she does not regret protecting herself and her child—her heart cries out for Yakeru. They stand there for a moment. Her mind dwells on how familiar the others are with Naraku. She wonders how long he has been in this world—clearly a lot longer than she.

"We foxes look out for own," Yakeru says, startling her. "It is how we have survived as long as we have."

"I'm sorry," she repeats.

"Yumi rejected you despite all of the mounting proof of who you are." His shoulders slump.

"She wanted my child. She didn't care about the jewel and I don't think Naraku knew what she was planning."

"No one but you can use the power of the jewel. According to the legend, others have tried, but their wishes have always been twisted and destroyed them in the end."

Kagome unwraps her arms and takes a step back. "A scroll was taken from the school about the Shikon."

Yakeru waves a hand. "They won't be able to open it, just like they cannot destroy Sukuna's fingers in their own strength." He tosses his red locks back. "The power scale shifted with the birth of your mate. He could wipe out Japan with a snap of his fingers if he wanted to. I should have anticipated this."

"Anticipated what?"

"Yumi hated how we have blended in with humans. It was not always this way, there was a time when we dominated… but we demons live a long time…"

"The human population took over?" She wonders if that explains the lack of demons in her world. "But the foxes at the hotel showed us the nursery."

"They won't be mature for centuries. Half demons take less time, but they come with the risk of losing themselves." He walks forward, leading them into an office space. He plops down in the chair, his mask cracks as the weariness settles onto his shoulders. "No one can deny the power of Satoru Gojo, not even Yumi. She must have seen your child as a weapon."

"Please do not do anything rash." Kagome rubs her arm.

"I cannot allow such a transgression. I will let the others know," he murmurs to himself as he opens the desk drawl, rummaging around for something. He pulls out a talisman and holds it out to her. "You do not understand the war that is brewing."

Kagome takes the talisman. "What is this for?" And what the heck does he mean by war? She can't tell if he means an actual one or him just seeking revenge.

"If you call, I will come." He stands up, his lips downturned. "I will take you back home. You should not have traveled alone."

"You sound like Satoru," she grumbles. She can take care of herself. Kagome puts the baseball cap back on. "I took measures to disguise myself." She slides the sunglasses on.

"Be that as it may, Naraku is not the only demon looking to return things to how they were. And your mate would have my head if I let you walk out of here and something were to happen."

"No one else knows that I'm the Shikon priestess," she points out.

"No, but you are a weak point that could be exploited if anyone wanted to take out your mate."

Yakeru trails behind her on the way home, keeping a safe distance where he could jump in at any sign of danger. In his paranoia, he changed his appearance to blend in further with the rest of the civilians. When they arrive at the home, she unlocks the door and then turns to him.

"Don't do anything rash," she stresses.

"You have nothing to worry about," he says, cheerily, "I won't do anything that you wouldn't do. Oh, and Kagome-sama, do be careful about the things you wish for."

"Wait—"

He poofs into a bird and flies off. Kagome groans. Great, just great. Yakeru is for sure going to try to track Naraku down. She takes off the baseball cap as she walks through the door. That went better than she was expecting. She thought that Yakeru would have lashed out in anger, but he was collected the entire time. And what was with the cryptic message?

"I should tell Satoru," she says, walking up the stairs. Aw, crap. She chuckles nervously at Satoru and Megumi standing at the top of the stairs.

"Tell me what?"


A/N: Thank you all for the support! Trying to get back on schedule. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!