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Suggested Listening: The Creationist by Kerli

Touch of Blue

Part XIII: A Serious Question

Oikawa felt his stomach twist with nervousness. Why had he done this again? Oh right, it was the proper thing to do. The train jolted as it began its journey. Kagome reached over to take his hand within hers.

"You nervous?" She pressed her shoulder into his arm as she leaned against him.

"Says who? I'm quite good at charming families, you know." The setter teased back. He pressed his cheek against the crown of her head. Not for the first time that day, her scent filtered through his senses. His stomach settled somewhat at its effect. He loved this part of their relationship. Everything was still so new but even the small things seemed to carry a heavy influence over him.

"I'll agree with the charming part," she tilted her head to burrow her face into the space between his shoulder and neck. In that second he felt something soft press against his skin. Had she just…?

"But you'll have your work cut out for you." She tried to draw back. Oikawa released her hand in favor of lifting his arm and wrapping it around her shoulders; pulling her flush against his side. He noted with no small amount of pride the dark blush that crossed her cheeks. The setter splayed his free hand up in an silent invitation. She interlaced their fingers wordlessly.

"Oh? We talking about an overprotective dad?" His grin widened, "If so then I think I can manage that." It was for the most part true as well. He'd always been able to sway the families of his previous girlfriends with ease. Part of his personality was to be charming. It pissed Iwaizumi off to no end but that's just who he was.

Kagome laughed, "More like a crazy dad." Then it died away as a thoughtful look crossed her features. "Speaking of, I wonder if he invited him during this break. Mom said she didn't hear anything about it though."

Suddenly the knot in his stomach returned, "Him?"

Please don't let it be.

The young woman sighed, "I don't want to take you by surprise. So fair warning, my dad got really close to my other ex. He'll occasionally invite him over to stay during our school breaks." She tapped at her chin, "I did ask Mom before we left and she said that as far as she knew, he wouldn't be there for this trip." His girlfriend flashed him a warm smile. "I didn't want to add any extra pressure to you on this first meeting."

Oikawa felt his shoulders sag, "I appreciate the thought but seriously?" He dropped his head against the glass of the window behind them. "I just can't let my guard down around you, can I?" A small smile pulled at the edge of his lips. "Every time I turn around there's someone just waiting to take my place."

She leaned into his side heavy, "Oh please, it's not like that. We talk but there's no interest there anymore." Was that supposed to make him feel better? His gut twisted for the umpteenth time that day. "Besides it's more like dad sort of sees him as a son. We've been neighbors for a long time so they got attached to each other." Somehow that just made things worse.

"How do you do it?" The setter moved his hand that was on her shoulder to wrap a loose strand of hair around his index finger. He watched as it curled and fell away, repeating the action several times in a subtle attempt to calm himself. "I get so jealous yet you're calm as a cucumber when it comes to my exes." Admittedly, he felt a bit envious of her confidence.

"Do I have reason to be?" She nuzzled her cheek against his neck.

"Well, no. I guess not." But it still didn't stop him from feeling uneasy.

"Are you dating them?" A light smirk tugged the corners of her lips upwards teasingly.

"No." His answer was quick. "Of course not." He added after the feeling of embarrassment settled in.

"Are you flirting with them?" That time he felt the light scraping of her teeth against his neck. His face flushed. He turned his head from side to side, ensuring that no one else saw. Satisfied that they hadn't been spotted, he dipped his head and pressed his lips against the shell of her ear. Two could play at that game.

"No." At one point he wouldn't have been able to give that answer truthfully. However since their first date he couldn't bring himself to feel the same excitement he once did when he flirted with other girls. After that night his mind always kept traveling back to Kagome. So he slowly started to fall out of contact with the girls he'd been talking to before. They still texted from time to time but it wasn't the same as it had been.

"Then I don't have anything to be jealous of." She drew back much to his disappointment. "I'm still friends with Kuro. As for my other ex, yes we still talk but it's not the same as it was before. He's sort of moved into a brother figure role."

Oikawa leaned closer to her, "Fine but I'm still not good at controlling my jealousy yet." His eyes dropped to her mouth meaningfully. Would she let him? "You're just too cute to not get crazy about." With that he moved towards her in a single, fluid motion. He pressed his lips against hers gently. It was as soft as he'd imagined. His eyes closed as his hand tangled in her hair more thickly. It only lasted for a few moments, but she responded eagerly. The setter pulled back.

"So how about we cross that whole ex thing after we get there? That sound good?" He smiled down at her flushed expression warmly. He could definitely get used to this.

"Sounds good to me." Kagome beamed back at him. She burrowed herself further under his arm and pillowed her head against his shoulder. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to rest before we get there. I'll need to to be able to handle them."

Oikawa laughed, "Sure thing. I'll wake you at our stop." He took pleasure in the warmth of her body pressed against his own. Even if it was just a short ride, he'd enjoy this moment as much as he could.

She nodded once, "Thanks."

With that he closed his eyes and focused solely on this moment. The rest of his concerns could wait.

Oikawa panted heavily with his hands clasped over his aching knees. He knew that she said that she'd lived on a shrine. He just hadn't realized how huge the staircase that led to it was. No wonder the woman was so damn athletic.

"Did you seriously go up and down those things every day?" He gasped between breaths. Sweat beaded his brow and created a light sheen over his shirt. This was not how he wanted to make a first impression on his girlfriend's family. Hell, for all he knew this could've been a test of his stamina! His back immediately straightened. He glanced around the courtyard wildly.

"Yeah, you get used to it after a while." Kagome answered nonchalantly. "Anyways, lets go find everyone else. I think they might be inside."

He steadied his breathing. From the way his knee ached, he'd likely have to ice it down later this evening. The brace he wore under his jeans did little more than take a slight edge off of the pain.

His girlfriend paused to look at him with concern etched across her features, "How's your knee though? You seem like you're in pain." She crouched down as if to examine it. "Is it hurting too much."

Oikawa smiled. He helped her to her feet before giving his answer, "I'll take care of it later. So don't worry." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his chest. He felt her palms brace themselves against his abdomen. It felt nice having her like this. "For now how about we go say hello, or was there something else you wanted to do?" He couldn't help himself.

He leaned down to kiss her for the second time that day. He watched as her eyes closed. He responded much the same. Just as the gap between them nearly disappeared, something sticky struck the back of his head.

"Demon be gone!" And old man's voice raged from somewhere behind him. "Unhand my precious granddaughter! Heathen!"

Slowly, he reached around to pluck the disgusting item that'd been stuck to his hair. His finger touched the rough material. He pulled it off with ease, bringing it around so that he could see it.

A sutra?

What the hell had he just walked into?

"Gramps!" Kagome's voice took on a scolding tone. "You already knew that Oikawa-kun was coming today! Why'd you do that?!" She temporarily stepped out of his arms to give the elderly monk a withering glare. "You know better than that!" Somehow he felt like he was watching a mother scold a misbehaving infant. Perhaps the man was a little senile?

Her grandfather laughed heartily, "No boy is without his demons my precious child. I was just exorcising them!"

Yup, definitely senile.

The setter turned. He plastered on a pleasant smile and tried to salvage the meeting, "So you're her grandfather. I've heard a little about you." He kept his tone even and placating. The old man's brows furrowed. This was not a good sign. "She speaks quite highly of you." It wasn't a lie either. Kagome always spoke fondly of her 'eccentric yet loving' family. He just hadn't realized how eccentric they were.

"Knock it off gramps. Mom is going to get mad again." A boy, barely a preteen, approached from behind. "Hey sis, that the guy you were talking about?" The kid gestured towards him.

Ah, that must have been her brother. She mentioned him a few times before.

"Oikawa Toru, it's a pleasure to meet you." He turned bright smile at the boy.

"Yeah, sure. I'm Souta." The boy looked back towards his sibling. What was he, chopped liver?! "Anyways, sis you should probably talk to Mom. Dad went running off a few minutes ago saying that he'll be late to get him or something."

Kagome's expression suddenly went dark, "He didn't."

Souta nodded, "He probably did."

Then the kid turned towards him. A slight glint entered his eyes, "By the way, the bottom bunk is mine." With that he strutted off. Their grandfather followed after him faithfully.

His girlfriend sighed, "Aw man, this is going to get seriously awkward." The put in his stomach grew three sizes at her proclamation.

"What do you mean?" His breath caught in his throat.

Please don't let it be.

"It means that dad probably invited my ex to join us this week." Her brows furrowed sharply. "What was he thinking?"

"He wasn't." A kindly woman came from the main building. A warm smile touched her lips but there was an edge of fury in her eyes. Oikawa glanced between her and Kagome. Their similarities couldn't be denied. This woman was definitely her mother. She turned to him, "I apologize for my family's rudeness towards you Oikawa-san. But if you don't mind, let us go inside so that we can all talk and get to know each other better." Her smile became just a bit warmer. "It's nice to finally meet you, dear. My daughter talks about you quite a bit."

Kagome suddenly flushed, "Okay Mom, let's go! No more of that!"

The setter grinned widely. Oh he most definitely wanted to hear more. He tucked his hands into his pockets and followed after them. It was just as she'd said on the train though. His jealousy issues wouldn't disappear overnight, but he wouldn't dwell on them for the moment. He'd focus on that after he saw the guy first hand. No fights, no shitty comments. He'd just have to grin and bear it. Besides, he had a feeling that this was all a test anyways.

A small smirk pulled at his lips as he followed after them.

He would not fail.