Dislcaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor am I making profit from this story. It is purely fan made.

"How did you know Mama was the one, Papa?" Inuyasha's oldest girl, who was the ripe old age of eleven, asked him as he tried to teach her how to skin a rabbit. She was squirming away, much like her mother does when presented with the task and choosing instead to talk about her new favorite subject: her parent's romance.

Inuyasha silently groaned in his head. Miroku's twins were nearing 17, meaning they were all sorts of invested in finding a husband and the notion of being wooed. Since his oldest girl spent so much time with them, idolized them, and mimicked everything they did, he should have heeded Miroku's warning and tried to get her to spend as much time with Kagome as possible, so that his wife could fodder the questions.

His ear twitched at her when she spoke, so he knew that she knew that he had heard her inquiry, which meant that he would most likely invoke an angry response if he didn't respond.

"Suzume, ask your mother such questions. Papa doesn't understand romance like she does." He didn't even look at the girl, who would know instantly that he was exasperated by the line of questioning.

Suzume, in all of her glory at Kagome's daughter, was not deterred. Inuyasha should have foreseen as much. "Papa," she cried out, slapping her hands dramatically on her thighs, causing the cruel thought of sticking the dead rabbit under one of those flailing hands to cross her father's mind.

'No,' he told himself, 'that's something her brothers would do to her, not her ever loving father.'

She continued, oblivious to her father's dastardly thoughts for her always washed hands, "You must have known at one-point Mama was the woman you were going to marry and have a family with! Besides, you were the one to court her! You could at least tell me how you asked Mama to marry you!"

Inuyasha snorted. "You know well that your mother and I met by happenstance. We married under the same circumstances." He finished up skinning the rabbit and place the pelt to the side to dry it. Fully knowing his daughter had learned nothing but being far more concerned in escaping the awkward conversation he was having, Inuyasha moved to remove the meat from the bones for Kagome to cook for dinner.

"Papa, Uncle Miroku said that he knew Aunt Sango was the one for him when she said she would rather die than live without him! That was during the journey to find Naraku! Did you realize that Mama was the the same time?"

Inuyasha finally looked over at his daughter, who had leaned forward to clasp his sleeve tightly. Her eyes were shining bright with curiosity, her face lit up with wonder, and her ears pushed forward to let him know she was listening to every word he had to share.

He looked at her for a long time, wondering how to answer her. He had never had a moment where he just looked at Kagome and thought, 'This is it! She's the one!', he had not even really wooed her. He had simply built them a home, Kagome moved in, and a family was started a little over a year later. That family quickly grew, as did his love for Kagome.

How did he ask Kagome to marry him? How did he convince Kagome he would make a good husband and father?

He looked back at the rabbit and got busy so that his newest little one, a girl who had an appetite to put her older brothers to shame, could eat sooner than later.

"Suzume, you know your papa has gotten a bad memory in his old age. You should be grateful I remember your name, and not ask me to remember things from so long ago." Inuyasha quickly cleaned the rabbit, put the meat on a small piece of parchment, and walked inside to give it to his wife.

Once again, Suzume took after her mother more than Inuyasha thought was healthy, barreling in after him. "Papa! I need to know! So that I know when a boy is trying to court me and if I should accept his advances."

Kagome looked up from where she was pulling leaves off of herbs to put in the stew, at her knee the baby of the family also attempting to pull leaves off but being far more successful in squishing the herbs so her hands were warmly scented by them. "Why on earth at your age would any boy be courting you?" Kagome asked, her eyes narrowing. "You are eleven years old, young lady, far too young to be dealing with any of that. You tell your father if any boy so much as looks at you sideways, and he'll take care of it."

Suzume flailed her hands again, making Inuyasha secretly wish he had stuck the rabbit carcass under them earlier to deter the newly found action of defiance from continuing, but reminded himself again that he was more mature than his sons and should never purposefully tease his daughter.

"Mama!" she cried out, but not too loudly since her baby sister was in the room and had a tendency to squeal and squabble angrily at loud noises, "I want to know your love story and Papa's being a butt about it."

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha who was checking the stew to see if the water was hot enough to put the meat in. Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders before tossing the meat in.

"He says he's too old to remember! Mama, can you believe him! Uncle Miroku told cousin Ayame and Akane without so much as a fight! Why can't Papa tell me?" She slumped down in front of her mother, giving her the best puppy-dog-eyes she could manage. "Oh, Mama, won't you tell Papa he has to tell me?"

Kagome snorted at the dramatic outburst from her oldest girl, silently thankful only her sister and father had also witnessed it. Suzume's brothers certainly would have teased her over that outburst for weeks, had they seen it. "Two things honey: one, if your father is too old to remember, what makes you think I can remember either, and two, I'm sure Ayame and Akane worked at Uncle Miroku for weeks before he broke."

Suzume's ears dropped and she puckered her quivering lip at her mother. Inuyasha commented on that display with a sharp, "she has five kids, I think she's pretty immune to that face, Suzume."

Realizing her antics weren't going to work the way she wanted, she chose to dramatically flop on the floor next to her mother's lap and announce, "If Ayame and Akane could break Uncle Miroku, you best believe I can break you two as well."

"Good luck, kiddo," Inuyasha took the baby from Kagome's knee to blow kisses at her and nuzzle her. The baby age was his favorite age to have around. "Just remember, your mother and I are too old to remember how we fell in love."

Kagome snorted loudly in agreement with her husband's comments and added the herbs to the stew.

And work at her parents for weeks was exactly what she did. Kagome and Inuyasha were used to each other's personality, and their ability to out stubborn each other, meaning that Suzume had absolutely no chance on getting them to cave. They had trained each other to never cave.

So, being the ever thoughtful eleven-year-old she was, turned her sights on the next best person – Uncle Miroku.

"Uncle Miroku, how did my papa get my mama to marry him? How did they fall in love? How did they decide to have a family?" She didn't bother to lead into her questions, hoping that by taking him by surprise would be more successful than not.

Miroku looked at the girl who was tall like her father and striking like her mother in horror. "Suzume dear, why do you ask me? Shouldn't you ask your parents that?"

Suzume flailed her arms, a new habit Inuyasha was working hard to stop her from permanently developing and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I've asked them a thousand times and they keep saying their too old to remember. What a bunch of hogwash that is! If they are too old to remember their own love story, aren't they too old to have more babies? I know for a fact that last night Papa said he wants another baby."

Miroku's eyebrows shot up as he heard more information about his dearest friends than he needed know, especially since he and Sango were pretty set on not having more children after the handful the last two have been, but wisely made no comment. She had a mouth like her mother's; it was going to share information if you wanted it or not.

"Well," he carefully chose his next words, realizing that there must have been a reason Kagome and Inuyasha didn't want to share their journey with their daughter, "your father built your mother a home, and she moved into it. Your oldest brother was born a little over a year later."

Suzume rolled her eyes, "I know that. But how did Papa ask her, how did he woo her, how did he tell her he loved her? I want the good details, not the bare bones!"

Miroku fought back a smile, knowing that being amused by the overreaction of the girl would only trigger her anger, but he shook his head anyways.

"What!?" Suzume stopped her foot in indignation. "It's a valid question. They are my parents after all."

Miroku nodded, replying, "Yes, dear, I understand why you want to know, but it's not the story you are expecting to hear. Your parents, although they share the greatest love the whole world wide, they did not have a great love story like you imagine. It was riddled with heartbreak and teenage confusion. You do know that they fought more than anyone could ever imagine when they first met, don't you?"

Suzume looked surprised at his answer. Miroku chose to elaborate. "Oh yes, Suzume, they could barely stand each other. They fought and said hurtful things all the time. It was clear to everyone but them that they deeply cared for one another, but they were so scared of losing one another they never said the words out loud.

"Sango was convinced for the first few weeks she had known them that they were either the most married people she knew, or they were plotting each other's deaths. Sango was especially surprised to find out that there was a gentleman back in your mother's home that was trying to court her. It was only after two months of knowing the two of them that she saw what they didn't; they so wholly love each other that they were afraid of the thought of losing each other.

"I think your mother and father gradually fell in love. It wasn't quick or painless, and it certainly was not romantic like you are imagining. They grew together as people, which is where their love sprung from. They didn't have an easy time falling in love, nor was maintaining that love easy for them. They work hard every day for each other and their family."

Suzume looked down at her feet and carefully thought about what her uncle had said to her. "So," she quietly asked, "Mama and Papa didn't have a perfect love story, like you and Auntie?"

Miroku laughed, risking the preteen's anger. "Sango and I didn't have a perfect love story either. We also had to work hard for our relationship and our family. Suzume," he patted her should that was nearly as high as his, "love is a journey. Not a story you tell."

Suzume departed from her uncle, feeling wiser and more confused that she had in her entire life. Her parents just seemed so in love at all times that she simply couldn't imagine that there had been a time where they weren't in love or together. Her mind swirled at the revelation that there was a different man who had tried to court her mother, that her parents had once fought and broke each other's hearts, and that there ever was a chance her family wouldn't have existed.

She entered their home as supper was being served, tossing off the goading comments from her brothers that she looked so sad, like a wet puppy dog, and the concerned looks her parents were giving her. She played the rest of the evening with her baby sister, suddenly so much more grateful for her family than she ever had been.

Once her brothers were sleeping, Suzume knocked quietly on the shoji of her parents' room. Inuyasha slid the door open but didn't look surprised to see who on the other side. He stepped to the side, indicating that she should come on in.

Kagome was trying to soothe her disgruntled baby, who was desperately pulling at her yukata, wanting the comfort of a suckle to fall asleep, although Kagome was working to wean her not-so-little-anymore baby. She looked up and offered the arm that wasn't holding the baby up to her oldest daughter.

"Can I ask you something, Mama?" Suzume blurted before Kagome could ask if she was alright. Kagome dropped her arm and said, "Of course, sweetie. What is it?"

"Is it true you and Papa didn't always get along? That there was a different boy who was trying to court you? That you and Papa haven't always been together?" Suzume felt herself blush at revealing what had been eating her all day to her parents.

Inuyasha was the one who laughed at the questions. Before his daughter could get too upset he answered her. "Your mother and I used to fight worse than anything. Sometimes we still do."

"Everyone argues sometimes, Suzume," Kagome added. "It's part of being human. What's important is that you learn how to communicate better and work past what you are fighting about."

"And if you're referring to Hobo," Inuyasha said, ignoring Kagome loudly correcting him with 'HOJO, dear', "he was just some stupid human who thought your mom was pretty, that's all. He was too stupid to see that your mom is much more than a pretty face, which meant your mom shut him down real fast."

Kagome rolled her eyes, lifting her baby to her neck to nuzzle close. "He was a gentle soul, Suzume, but he wasn't the one for me."

Inuyasha was on a roll, though, leaving no room for Suzume to ask her mother what she meant by the one, finishing his answer with a sharp, "And no, your mother and I haven't always been together. But we made our way back to each other, and that's what matters. Are you still all concerned about us, or is your curiosity satisfied?"

He walked forward and hugged his daughter. "Do you still worry about your future and ours, or are you able to see that we are in this together, because that's what family does?"

Suzume returned her father's hug, and sighed that she was fine, thanking him for telling her all of that. Eventually, her little sister's pleas for comfort, because she was oh so tired and yet oh so not willing to sleep, caused her Suzume to let her father go and wish her parents good night.

Inuyasha patted her head before scooping his baby daughter up to try to ease her anger so she would fall asleep and wished his oldest daughter to sleep well.

Kagome rose to give her older daughter a kiss and a hug good night, whispering one last bit of information to her while her husband was occupied with soothing his youngest. "Your father once told me that he was born for me and I was born for him."

Suzume looked at her mother in surprise, as this was the closest either of her parents had come to admitting that they loved each other in any sort of way to her since she had started her inquiry into the matter. Kagome smiled a small smile, pressing her index finger to her lips to indicate it was a mother-daughter secret.

Suzume smiled back, mimicking her mother's motions to show she understood. She walked back to her room, her heart light and happy for she had learned the best lesson of all from her parents.

Love is a journey, and you have to find someone to go it with you.