"Sota, put this thing away. I won't ask you again."

"Fine!" The teenager let out in exasperation, putting the phone back into the confinement of his pocket.

His grandpa was making him lose his mind. In the interlude of fifteen minutes, the old man had managed to rant about how kids these days always had their faces stuffed into some kind of screen twice.

The bit about damaging the sight and going blind by the age of thirty-five because of it? A lecture all of its own.

"In my time," he began, making Sota fight the urgency to groan, "we treated the elderly with respect and behaved at the table. It's a sacred moment!"

"We're not even eating, anyway! Kagome and her stupid boyfriend are late."

"Sota! Manners!" Intervened his mom. "We don't want InuYasha to think Kagome's family is made up of inconsiderate barbarians, do we?"

Sota rolled his eyes, but remained silent. It was gonna be a long night.

There they were, in Earth's lamest restaurant, waiting for his sister to arrive with her new boyfriend, who, going with the odds, was probably a goody-two-shoes nerd, just like that Hojo guy.

There was no one his age within the radius of a mile.

He was starving.

And to top it all off, bored to death.

It wasn't like Sota didn't love his family. He really did. Besides, seeing Kagome again was something he was looking forward to. Since she had moved out for medical school, they hadn't spent much time together and although the boy would never admit it, he had quite missed their daily bickering.

He just wished they could met at home, in company of his TV and video games, where he could actually avoid his grandpa's constant scolding in the holy peace of his bedroom.

"Look! Look, look, look, look, look." As if on cue, the man in question elbowed Sota's arm, coaxing him to eye the restaurant entrance. He silently snorted, wondering why his grandpa felt the annoying need to repeat the same word grumpier and more demanding each time. Didn't he know Sota could hear him just fine from the first one? Nevertheless, wanting to get it over with, the boy did as he was told. A silver haired gentleman stayed awkwardly in the middle of the entryway, his attention torned between the salon and the outside. Even from afar, his demonic heritage stood out, but the dog ears crowning his head wasn't the only remarkable feature he carried. "See his arms? What a disgrace, to dishonor his own body like that. I pray you, my boy, that you never inflict such disappointment on your old grandfather. I couldn't bear the pain of seeing my only grandson grow into mafia scum."

Sota didn't respond the overdramatic affirmation. He was wonderstruck.

In spite of the anxiety the guy irradiated, he still looked pretty cool, dressed on dark jeans and an elegant white shirt. He had his sleeves rolled up to the biceps, displaying an impressive amount of tattoos. They covered all of the skin, from his wrists to his forearms, possibly ending at the shoulders. It was hard to make out the different shapes, given the distance, but every single one was drawn in black ink.

"Stop staring, you two." Sang his mom. And Sota was about to obey.

But then, in entered his sister.

Kagome clung to the tattooed, supposedly criminal man, causing him to relax on the spot as her gaze scanned the room.

When the girl finally found them, her face lighted up in an excited smile. She said what, reading her lips, Sota interpreted as 'there they are' before taking him by the hand and heading right to their suddenly silent table.

It seemed that the night wouldn't pass by without its share of emotions, after all.

"InuYasha,are you ready? I don't want to be late!"

The hanyou sighed in front of the mirror. Did she mean finished with dressing up ready or psychologically ready? It didn't matter. The answer was no for both.

InuYasha had tried on almost every clothe he had. It served him right for letting piles and more piles of worn-out band t-shirts compose his wardrobe.

His mother had a point. He could definitely use a little makeover.

Every piece felt either too ordinary or too odd, so InuYasha gave up and went back to the button-down shirt he had put first — one of the few decent things he had to wear.

Now closed in their bathroom, determined to pay his mother's atelier a visit as soon as possible and obsessively aligning the outfit, he couldn't help but think the reflection staring back didn't look like him at all.

"Actually, can we reschedule?"

"No way!" Squeaked his girlfriend, her steps louder and louder in her approach. "We've been postponing this for too long. Okay, I'm coming in!" She announced, opening the door at once.

"Whatever happened to privacy?"

"It moved out when I moved in." His girlfriend threw him her best heart stopping smirk and walked in his direction. "Don't you look gorgeous?"

"Keh. You always say that." And he had yet to hear it without blushing.

"It's always true." Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck. With the extra inches the heels provided, she was nearly his height and her rose lips hovered temptingly within the reach of his. "Won't you get hot on this shirt, though? We're in the middle of summer."

"I'll be fine!" InuYasha burst out before he could bite back his tongue. Kagome considered him attentively, her narrowed eyes growing wide in realization.

"You're hiding the tattoos, aren't you?"

InuYasha looked away.

"I want them to like me."

It was a difficult enough task to achieve. Being a half breed, he was despised by demons and feared by humans — apparently his ears, fangs and claws, not to mention the unusual color of his eyes and hair, were a lot for them to take in. The absolute last thing InuYasha needed was for her family to think he was some sort of delinquent too. Which, of course, they would.

He figured, since people would be afraid of him either way, he might as well took it to his advantage and do whatever he wanted, consequences be damned. As a result, whoever wasn't scared of his demon blood sure pissed their pants at the sight of his tattoos, taking him for a criminal. InuYasha couldn't care less. There was a good amount of fights against human opponents he won that way.

But that was before her.

Not caring is easier when you have nothing to lose.

InuYasha didn't doubt his actions would blow up on his face, eventually. It was all they ever did. But never, not even in a million years, he could have predicted Kagome. Now consequences were here to bite him in the ass.

Her folks had plenty to unpack the way it was. At least with the tattoos he could do something about.

"InuYasha…" Her slender fingers caressed his chin, demanding his focus entirely for herself. He complied. "You don't have to do this. I want you to be yourself." She grabbed his right arm and rolled the sleeve all the way up, revealing the intricate mosaic of figures, doodles and forms he collected along the last decade. "They are going to love you."

"Easy for you to say, now that my family worships the ground you walk on."

It had only taken a mild sunday lunch. By the end of it, Kagome had Mr. and Mrs. Taisho eating from the palm of her hand, just like she had their son. That was the day his mother had furtively handed him the engagement ring she inherited from her mother, claiming Kagome was the one he should give it to when the right moment comes. There was no falter from his part.

A month had passed, Kagome and his mom texted one another on a daily basis, and the damn thing still weighed deep inside his pocket. InuYasha carried it with him everywhere, waiting for the perfect occasion and concerned that she might find it if he left it lying around.

"Well, worship is such a strong word..." Said Kagome, doing with his left sleeve the same thing she did with the other, but this time allowing herself to trace the black marks of his arm, lingering on the newest, the little sakura flower InuYasha had gotten solely for her. He raised his eyebrows. "Okay, maybe your parents do it a little bit, but your brother hates my guts. You gotta give me that."

"Nah, Sesshoumaru hates everyone. You ain't special."

"Huh… Thanks?"

InuYasha smiled at her adorable grimace, but it was short lived.

"What if they don't? Like me, I mean."

Both of them knew it was a real possibility.

If they were being honest, they hated each other at the beginning themselves. Most of it, undoubtful, due to repressed sexual attraction. Still, they were constantly jumping at each other's throats before starting to jump at each other's bones.

Attracting and repelling like magnets, they have been through a crazy amount of screaming, crying and slamming doors. Once it was clear that what they had was much more than sex, the need had risen to protect that love at all costs.

They had to.

Every odd was against them.

He was a half demon. Most people hated him at worse and tolerated at best — and that had a lot to do with his family's money, Kagome being one of the uncommon exceptions. In fact, she was the exception to essentially every rule he had.

She was also a human. No, not only a human. That would be too easy. The girl was a priestess. Her family was responsible for a fucking shrine.

Their relationship was the epitome of taboo.

So they had kept it on the low for as long as they could, adopting a discreet profile even after she moved in with him. They didn't want to risk it, didn't want to jinx it. It wasn't worth it.

Their love was theirs and theirs alone, too precious to fall into the cruel claws of the world.

It was a shame it couldn't stay that way forever.

Sooner or later they would have to leave the safe heaven inside those walls and he was terrified of finding out whether or not they could take it.

Kagome's kindness, her unprejudiced beliefs... They had to come from somewhere, and she affirmed it was from her family. How would her folks react, however, once those beliefs were put to the test? InuYasha learned from experience that, sometimes, people struggled to stick to their morals the second they stopped being convenient.

"Then it will be just another bump on the road. What's one more?"

Her hands flew to undo his top button — and nothing more. Tensing involuntarily when her digits contacted the exposed skin, InuYasha let out a shaky breath as she retreated to explore his chest over the shirt, shamelessly going lower.

"Weren't you the one in a hurry just now?"

"I am." She defied.

"I'm not."

InuYasha placed his hands on her waist and pressed her against the nearest wall. He couldn't help it, not after the things she said. Especially when she said them with that dress on — light blue, contrasting with the darkness of her hair, the skirt hugging her waistline, widening at the bottom. No sleeves. Only provocative, unbelievably thin straps. So different from her everyday white clothes.

It was his favorite and he had no doubt it was intentional.

"InuYasha…"

Her mouth was off limits. InuYasha knew better than to mess up her makeup mere minutes away of such important event. Her neck, on the other hand…

"Don't you look gorgeous?" He asked, nose burying on her skin.

"Uh, uh. D-don't you sweet talk me." Kagome tilted her head, giving him unrestrained access and grabbing a handful of his hair as he hooked her leg around him, fingers lifting her skirt up, venturing further and further.

"Wouldn't dream of it." She was limp in his embrace. InuYasha recognized by instinct when his body was the only thing preventing hers from melting to the ground.

"We… We're doing this."

"I know." He eagerly kissed her collarbone, downing to the start of the cleavage.

"It's just a harmless dinner..." She was panting now, nails traveling through his back, applying sufficient pressure to make quite the damage had he been naked. InuYasha went up her throat, his tongue wandering free.

"Hmmm."

"...And then… T-then we'll go... to my childhood house." Kagome paused and he knew it was to hold back a moan as he relentlessly kissed his way up to her chin and jawline, finding destination at her earlobe. "You'll get…" He bit it. "... T-to see my old bedroom," bargained her. InuYasha smirked.

"I'm listening," he whispered, returning to her neck. InuYasha had every intention to suck on the inviting flesh until it left a mark, but restrained himself. Something told him her family wouldn't be fond of it.

His resolve not to claim her lips, though, were increasingly fading. Whatever. Better beg for her taste now and for her forgiveness later.

Reading his thoughts — as she often did —, Kagome gently pushed him away. Good. Their proximity, allied with the escalating scent of her arousal, wasn't making them any favors in the 'getting out of the house' department.

"Come on," she tapped his hand, subtly pleading for him to release her leg, a lead that InuYasha followed with extreme reluctance. He observed as his girlfriend regained composure. The fingers that not long ago were mapping, grasping and scratching every inch of him now fixed the dress strap he had no memory of pulling down. To a newcomer, it would look as if nothing had ever happened. "We'll have a wonderful time."

"To be fair, I was having a wonderful time just now."

"Oh, I can tell you were. That's exactly why we better get going."

"Fine." InuYasha sighed, letting himself be dragged out of their bathroom as she giggled at his less than thrilled disposition.

And there was something about her laughter — so vibrant and carefree — that, combined with the welcome comfort of her hand on his, made InuYasha feel invincible. Having Kagome by his side was like entering the boxe ring already ten points ahead.

"Do you want to go through the basics again?"

Crossing the living room, InuYasha recited his mental notes without missing a beat, the perfect picture of an A+ student, even if for the most part of his life, he had been a solid C+.

"Don't swear. Don't bring up your father. Don't mention we live together."

"Good! Unless..." Kagome stopped and turned to him. Half hesitant, half hopeful. "Do you think I should tell mom I moved here?"

InuYasha was conflicted. It was only fair that she did. His parents had heard the news the day she brought all of her stuff in. And in spite of knowing he'd give her the world if she so wished, Kagome never asked for much.

Yet, he was scared. Scared that Mrs. Higurashi disapproved the arrangement. Scared she would tell her daughter to leave.

What, then?

He had forgotten how his apartment — their apartment— used to be before the bright colors and pout-porris. Before the plants, the second toothbrush on the sink, the pictures frames and the intoxicating scent her body left all over the sheets.

And he didn't want to remember.

According to Kagome, however, her mother was an understanding, open-minded woman, who put her children's happiness above everything else. Which certainly worked in his favor, since InuYasha had turned making Kagome happy into his daily mission and, modesty aside, he believed to be doing a pretty damn good job so far.

InuYasha starred at their fingers, still interlocked, and reminded to be brave.

"If you feel like you should..."

"I do! I honestly do. We used to tell every little thing to each other. I miss that."

"Then go ahead."

"Really?" She thanked him with a tight hug, her palpable excitement coming off her in a giant wave that almost washed all of his doubts away. Almost.

"What about the others?"

"Sota is a child, it's not of his business."

"And your grandfather?"

Kagome moved within his embrace, revealing pursed lips when she did.

"Yeah... He'll definitely need more time. Let's give it three to five years!"

A surprised laugh left his lips when he saw the truth behind the joke.

"You're freaking out about telling him, aren't you?"

"Am not!"

"You totally are!" He said, deflecting from the fact that he, too, was panicking and that waiting five years or more to have that talk was actually a very appealing idea.

"It's just… He can be a tad traditional sometimes."

"Awesome!" InuYasha said, with every drop of sarcasm he could gather. "We both know I'm all about traditions."

Smiling, she reached for his hand again.

"Shall we?"

They call it ripple effect. It's the situation in which one event produces a certain impact, inevitably spreading and producing further consequences. The concept usually comes with the classic example of throwing a rock in a steady pond, which InuYasha thought fitting. Whenever the half demon first stepped into a crowd of strangers, he pretty much felt like that rock.

Heads would turn straight to him in cascade. Surprise. Terror. Disgust. Condescension. Pity. As years went by, he had gotten it all.

Be as it may, soon enough the staring would abruptly get directed anywhere else and be replaced with whispers they didn't know he could hear. Eventually, the waters would settle, but after the initial contact, the pond could never go back to the way it was. Neither could the rock.

His father had taught him to keep his chin up no matter what. The hatred of lesser men was an irrelevant price to pay for being unique. He should be proud of who he is. His mother had told him not to seek validation from others when he already had people who loved and cared for him unconditionally. Those were the guidances InuYasha religiously lived by. Still, sometimes, the hanyou wished he was allowed to just be.

That night was surely the case.

The restaurant was crowded. It should be, in such a busy hour. The habitual glaring didn't go unnoticed by InuYasha when he walked in — it bore holes on his flesh and broke into his bones. As usual, he brushed it off.

His focus oscillated like the flames inside the ornamental lanterns that provided warmth to the place in shades of red, orange and yellow.

Before him, undistinguished buzz raised above the background music and the pervasive smell of food served as a cruel reminder that he hadn't put anything in his stomach since lunch. The lights, the sounds, the people, the scents. It was an overwhelming sensation to contemplate it all. In another day, in a calmer state of mind, he would have spotted her family in a heartbeat. Kagome, the loving daughter she was, had shown him enough pictures of them for the task to be a child's play. Still, he didn't dare to look. Not yet. Not when he was so unsure of what he might find written all over their faces. The same phrases on different pages.

Behind him, a delighted Kagome chatted in the staircase with the woman she had introduced as her middle school history professor. InuYasha had promptly forgotten her name. In no mood for engaging the conversation and wanting to save all of his small talk for dinner, he had politely excused himself, opting for walking ahead while the two of them reminisced.

Obviously, he had underestimated her communication skills, because a considerable amount of time had passed until Kagome caught up to him. Her arm tangled up with his quite easily. All at once, everything was gone, reduced to the speck of dust they were. There was only Kagome, searching the room in concentration. And there was only him, dazed by the smile that accommodated so well on her face, by the colors dancing on her cheeks and lights glittering on her eyes.

"There they are!" Kagome announced, breaking the spell.

His throat went completely dry. On his brain, sirens ran off, telling him to run for his life. How disappointed would she get if he grabbed her and fled? InuYasha also wondered, in vain, what the opponents he had faced would think, if they discovered what a coward the man who had ruthlessly knocked them out truly was. Kagome guided him towards the table where her family awaited, dispelling the intrusive thoughts away.

"Sorry we're late!" She sat down and so did InuYasha, taking the free spot by her side. "We got caught up in traffic."

"That's alright, honey." Mrs. Higurashi reassured with a tone as sweet as her smile. "I'm just glad you're here now. We've missed you."

"I've missed you too. So much!" She replied, drinking each component of her family in, as if to carve their features into her memory so she might have something to hold onto until they met again. After a brief pause, Kagome kicked off the introductions. "Everyone, this is InuYasha. InuYasha, this is my family."

Her grandfather was a perfect materialization of the pictures InuYasha had seen, with his wrinkled skin, grey hair and stoic expression. Her mother, too, matched up his expectations. The woman portrayed an effortless type of beauty, all dimples and heart-shaped face framed by wavy, short brown hair.

It was Sota who surprised him the most.

From Kagome's descriptions, InuYasha was under the impression the boy would be way smaller than he actually was — although he was small, considering he was still a child. The half demon couldn't decide if Kagome was oblivious to Sota's growth due to her crazy student schedule or if it was her big sister bias that affected her judgement, but it was clear that Sota was gonna be taller than her in the near future. The boy also looked very clever for his age — even to someone in InuYasha's case, who knew little to nothing about kids — and stared at him with something suspiciously close to expectancy.

InuYasha cleared his throat.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I've heard a lot about you."

"The reciprocal is hardly true." Whipped a dissonant baritone, so rigid it cut the air. "I haven't heard much of you, that's for sure and certain."

There was no naivety left on InuYasha to believe the lack of reciprocity the man mentioned had anything to do with whether Kagome had told them detailed stories about her new boyfriend or not.

Apparently, Mrs. Higurashi had picked up on how shallow his last sentence sounded as well, because she was quick to swoop in and smooth things over.

"You were, indeed, a mystery, InuYasha."

"I told you why." Intervened Kagome, in an apologizing tone. "We were still figuring things out."

"Well, if you two are done with figuring things out, can we please eat?" Sota retorted. InuYasha had no complaints there. Unfortunately, the elderly man interrupted them with the unapologetic conviction of someone who wasn't aware a conversation was being had, or that simply didn't care.

"Are you a Yakuza member?"

It didn't go unnoticed by the hanyou that the man had addressed him twice without calling his name once. Nonetheless, the question was absolutely directed to InuYasha. Even if the word 'Yakuza' wasn't instantly associated with the tattoos he carried, there were other indications. The abrupt silence that followed, one step away from a cliff of awkwardness, for instance. Or the hawk eyes of Kagome's grandfather, studying his every move.

Luckly, he had warned his girlfriend in advance something like that could happen. More often than not, it did. To the point where he was used to it. And as much as she didn't like it, he resolved to brush it off, at least for the night.

"Because of the tattoos?" He asked, playing dumb. "I get that a lot, but no. I just think they're cool." InuYasha shrugged, then felt the uncontrollable need to over explain himself: "The tattoos, I mean. Not the mafia."

That earned him a laugh from Sota and a chuckle from Mrs. Higurashi. Kagome and her grandfather didn't find it so funny.

"Grandpa, tattoos are very common thing all around the world! Don't you think if everyone who had one was a Yakuza member, we'd be in serious trouble by now?" InuYasha observed her spit the acid comeback, thrown off to see their parts inverted. Usually, he was the one starting fires left and right and she was the placid source of water that always put them down. Again, the man ignored it.

"Then what do you do for a living?"

InuYasha almost smirked. That was precisely the sort of cliche interrogatory he was expecting — no, that he was wishing. After walking on so many eggshells, they were finally entering known territory and, as he felt the firm path of a parents pleaser answer forming under his feet, his confidence boosted.

"I'm majoring in business administration. My father wants my brother and I to learn as much as we can, if we're gonna run the family company someday."

It was extremely satisfying to watch the guy trying and failing to come up with any judgemental thing to say. His mouth sealed into a thin line.

"But what InuYasha really wants is to be a boxer."

His head snapped to Kagome, astonished that she would turn him in there and then. The girl was not kidding when she demanded him to be himself.

"No way!" Sota exclaimed the words in the precise way his sister did when she was excited.

"Isn't this dangerous, dear?" Mrs. Higurashi was genuine concerned. Her cinnamon irises studied him carefully, as if already searching for wounds. It reminded him of his own mother.

"Actually, InuYasha is undefeated." Kagome replied for him, not bothering to hide the pride tone in her voice.

So it's chill when you brag about it, but when I do, I'm a cocky jerk. He amused, simultaneously deciding it sounded better when she did, anyway.

"Awesome! How come I have never seen you fight on TV?"

At Sota's crescent interest, InuYasha answered in a bursting of atypical modesty.

"I didn't get there just yet."

"I'm sure it's a matter of time." Encouraged Mrs. Higurashi. Kagome's grandfather scoffed. "I must ask you, though: how did you two met?"

"My sister isn't the most athletic of girls." Agreed Sota.

"I can't believe I missed you." The girl fired back.

"That's true. But I can tell you first hand that she's got a mean right hook."

Her brother was thrilled. Her mom, not so much.

"She punched you?"

"Oh, my."

"No! I gave her a couple of self defense classes, that's all." InuYasha hurried to explain.

"Oh!" Mrs. Higurashi seemed visibly relieved her daughter didn't walk around purposefully breaking the criminal code. "Well, in that case I really appreciate it. Thank you, dear."

"So that's how you met? Self defense classes?"

"Not quite."

The self defense classes came way later, in what InuYasha labeled as the 'denial' phase.

It started on a random night. They were arguing over something stupid, for a change. Things escalated rather fast and, against his better judgement, they had angry sex on her couch. He hadn't thought much of it back them, telling himself they were just blowing off steam, that it wouldn't happen again.

Only it did.

Over and over.

It was useless to fight it. No way to escape it. After a while, InuYasha had stopped trying and accepted the fact that every road lead him back to her bed. What he couldn't, wouldn't, refused to acknowledge, however, was that somewhere along the way, an invisible line was crossed and, as animosity gave space to awkward cordiality and awkward cordiality gave space to unlikely fondness, Kagome became much more than a mind-blowing fuck, even if at first he was too stubborn to say so.

And so, InuYasha came up with socially acceptable excuses to spend more time with her without it coming off as a big deal, hence the self defense classes. They were perfect for them, once it was something he mastered and it involved lots of physical contact. Besides, the half demon slept better at night, knowing Kagome could throw a proper punch at anyone who got too handsy. It wasn't part of the ordinary self defense program, but then again, she was no ordinary girl. Although her spiritual powers assured no youkai would lay a finger on her, the priestess was on her own in terms of human threats. What InuYasha did was making sure that was enough.

They've been inseparable ever since.

"We've met through Miroku long before that." Kagome clarified, conveniently leaving the petty behavior and childish arguments they had that first day out of it. "InuYasha is his roommate. Also, Sango has been friends with him since he was ten."

"Oh!" The table nodded in understanding, working the math for themselves. It wasn't a difficult calculation to make.

Miroku was a close friend of her family. Quite literally, given they were neighbors for as long as the bastard could remember. His family was spiritually gifted like no other and took to themselves the responsibility to help little Kagome Higurashi to improve her abilities to the fullest. As a result, they grew up together. People often confused them for siblings and at heart, they were.

InuYasha met the nuisance of a friend several years later, when both of them entered college. Graduation certainly wasn't his biggest goal in life. Far from it. It was more like a boring thing he had to do in order to conquer his deserved space in the real world. Regardless, the half demon was eager to enjoy his first shot at independency.

He found a great place right outside campus, but the extent of time he could afford it without resorting to his folk's pockets was limited. Doing all of the domestic chores by himself wasn't appealing, either. He needed a roommate.

A river of candidates flooded his inbox — it was truly a fantastic deal — Miroku stood out for being the only human to reply to his advertisement. Curious, InuYasha booked an interview. The man was clearly a womanizer, appreciated a good booze and was the farthest thing from what he claimed his family to be. Or from what InuYasha looked for in a friend.

And yet, to his total bewilderment, they hit it off right away.

How was he supposed to know Miroku would fall for Sango?

His best friend Sango.

The same Sango who helped him to train under the correct and outraging pretext that she had always been faster, that his defense was pathetic and that she would hate to see him get his ass kicked.

Gorgeous, confident, heart of gold Sango…

Yes, standing back from it now, InuYasha was a fool for not seeing it coming, since that was the obvious part.

The not so obvious one was that the two lovebirds would engage into a very loving, very serious relationship and that when Sango's turn came to move out for college, Miroku would suggest an old friend to fill the vacant roommate position in her new apartment. A freshman as well, named Kagome.

And so InuYasha's undoing began.

An unplanned dinner with mutual friends was hardly the most remarkable way to meet someone, but whenever InuYasha thought about the exquisite series of coincidences, about all of the incidents bound to happen in order to put them face to face in that distant autumn night… Well, he couldn't shake the feeling it was meant to be, even if he had never had much faith in destiny, soulmates or any of that corny crap, there was no denying that suddenly every love song started making sense.

Flash forward and Miroku switched places with Kagome to better attend the living situation for the four of them. And that was that.

"What a… Delightful turn of events." The venomous remark of the Higurashi patriarch brought the hanyou back to the present. This polite facade was what bothered him the most and InuYasha wanted the man, just for once, to say what he actually meant to say.

"Isn't it?" Said Kagome, her enthusiasm palpable. If the girl had noticed the sarcasm hidden in that comment — and InuYasha was willing to bet so —, she made a point to disdain it, landing one hand on his knee, a discreet act of support.

Her grandfather clenched his jaw.

"InuYasha, you mentioned your family owns a company." Mrs. Higurashi changed the subject unapologetically. "Any chances we have heard of it?"

He clung to the distraction like it was a life jacket.

"Probably, yeah! Taisho Inc.?"

"As in Toga Taisho?" Sota asked, his chin dropping. "Toga Taisho is your dad?"

"And Izayoi is his mom." Kagome added, fixing a knowing gaze on her own mother, whose bewilderment now mirrored her son's.

"The Izayoi?"

"The one and only." The hanyou nodded, accustomed to the heated reactions his distinguished bloodline got him. For better or for worse.

"Oh, her brand is fantastic! I read somewhere every clothing collection is environment friendly. And they're so affordable, too!"

"Mom, you're jabbering." Interjected Sota.

"Sorry." She said. More to be polite than anything else. "I'm a huge fan of her work!"

"So I've been told." InuYasha glanced at Kagome, who stared at him right back. It was all it took, and he would be able to draw a meticulous picture of what she was thinking: both their mothers, chatting and enjoying a cold cup of tea under the setting sun like long date friends. Knowing his mom — and now Mrs. Higurashi — that was quite a possible scene.

"I'm sure the two of you will meet at some point." Proclaimed Kagome. "Anyway… You won't believe who InuYasha and I bumped into when we arrived—"

"Miss Kaede." Sota and Mrs. Higurashi simultaneously answered, and at Kagome's questioning expression, the boy shrugged. "She saw when we got here and came to say hi."

They ordered minutes after.

The meal was hot and tasty, one of the best InuYasha had ever had. It helped that having dinner with her family, as it turned out, had been an overall pleasant experience. Light. Breezy. Sota and Mrs Higurashi did a wonderful job at keeping him comfortable. InuYasha would go as far as saying they had liked him, and for that he was insanely grateful.

Kagome's grandfather, however, was a whole other story. The guy despised him and didn't lift a finger to cover it, but he had spent the rest of the night relatively quiet about it, so InuYasha labeled it as progress.

He had offered them a ride home and they had accepted, just like Kagome said they would. It was funny, the speed in which he grew accustomed to their dynamics. Kagome and her brother mindless bickering, their mother pretending exasperation while secretly pleased, the drive filled with childhood tales and life updates, a innocent joke every now and then. It was decidedly something InuYasha could be a part of.

Their property was a rustic piece of land inserted between one urban construction and the next, refusing to be touched by modern convenience. Kagome's enchantment for the place was justified. Growing up in there couldn't have been anything less than magical.

"It's not much," Mrs. Higurashi apologized, "but it's home." She opened the door and turned on the light.

The house seemed bigger on the inside. Not fancy big. Cozy big. On every wall, past and future merged themselves in harmony. The decoration, simple and of good taste, spoke anecdotes of the merry family living there.

As they entered the living room, a movement alarmed his senses, and in a quick motion InuYasha dove in just in time to grab the falling ornamental vase before it hit the ground. The responsible for the almost disaster meowed and jumped off the glass shelf, making a point of stepping on InuYasha with indifference to then greet the others.

"You must be Buyo."

"Nice catch!" Congratulated Sota.

"Oh, my! Thank you, InuYasha. This vase is very dear to me." He handed her the adornment, which was immediately restored the its rightful spot. "Kagome, why don't you show your boyfriend around?"

Obediently, her daughter let go of the purring cat and played the role of guide, giving him a comprehensive tour through her former home. Truth to her word, she saved the best for last.

"Before we get in, I want you to remember I was young and didn't know any better."

"I'll be the judge of that." He established, gesturing for her to rush and turn the knob.

Her bedroom was a gleeful explosion of pink and purple. From the roof to the floor, most of the surfaces were bathed in different shades of the combination. Sheets. Teddy bears. Carpet. Alarm clock. Curtains. Posters that could now pass for vintage. InuYasha was impressed. Despite all reason, the aesthetic actually worked.

He barked a laugh.

"What did you have against the other colors?"

"Shut up, I was five!"

InuYasha ignored her in favor of snooping around. Objects that dared not to stick with the pink or purple agenda were inevitably highlighted by it. He went after those first.

"So many CDs!" InuYasha contemplated, inspecting her collection attentively. Music was a passion they shared. Even though she was a pop kind of girl and he fell more into the rock line, they had been able to find common ground, eventually. Like Rihanna. Or The Beatles. "Are you kidding me?"

Kagome acknowledged his raised brows and the copy of a NSYNC album he was holding with a giggle.

"I stand by it."

Books also filled the room. For starts, there was the Biology ones, piled up on her writing desk in a greater amount than what could be considered healthy — and more worn out than the math editions. On the main bookcase, he ran his claws through the good stuff. Jane Austen. J.K. Rowling. Stephen King. He wasn't much of a reader, himself. His relationship with literature came down to the bedtime stories her mom lulled him to sleep with and A Song of Ice and Fire, which Kagome was currently reading because of him, albeit they had binged Game Of Thrones together.

Among her personal, reduced library, there was one book that gave the impression not to belong. It was larger, made of aged, tawny leather and no inscription was printed on the spine. Curious, InuYasha pulled it out, discovering the item to be a photo album. He pointed to its cover.

"Can I?"

"Knock yourself out."

She paid no attention to him as he sat on her bed and cautiously flipped through the pages, too lost in her own nostalgia.

The compilation began at a hospital room. A younger Mrs. Higurashi exhibited a teary smile to the chubby newborn nestled against her chest, the arms of an equally jubilant man involved them in a hug. Mr. Higurashi had elongated traits that narrowed his chin and pronounced nose in a gentle manner, like time had purposefully left his boyish attributes untouched. He resembled Sota. In everything except his wavy, dark hair. InuYasha grinned. Kagome had her father's hair.

The photograph below showed three pair of legs, lazily lying on white sheets. A woman, a man and between them a baby, the size difference contributing to make the latter even cuter. Next to that, a picture of baby Kagome old enough to sit up, dressing onesie pajamas and chewing on a pacifier. Her grandfather appeared every now and then, feeding her porridge, kissing her tiny palm, exasperated at the paint mess she had done on the hall.

InuYasha watched her grow up the deeper he advanced. From crawling to standing behind Mrs. Higurashi, wrapping her little arms around the long skirt of her mother as she did the dishes. From that, to climbing onto a chair to help her father with the baking, covered in flour in front of the kitchen table while he proudly cleaned her up. Picnics. Beach trips. Birthdays. Every milestone was documented. After her first day at school — a big red ribbon on her hair —, new characters came to scene. Miroku, by her side on the backyard, one of his teeth missing and autumn leaves sticking to the two of them everywhere, twin wide smiles on their lips. Buyo, only a kitten napping on her lap as they sat on a tyre swing. She was wearing a beautiful dress and sneakers, her feet inches away from the ground.

There was a significant passage of time when InuYasha turned to another page. He knew it because, abruptly, Sota was there too, even though Mrs. Higurashi had been pregnant just a few images ago. The subtitle read Kagome, giving her baby brother a bath. In reality, she had used shampoo to pin all of his hair up. Her growth was perceptible as well.

There were no pictures of Mr. Higurashi anymore.

Instead, Sota, Miroku and some other friends conquered a little more of space, as Kagome got closer and closer to become the woman InuYasha came to know. The final picture was of her high school gang. Ayumi, Eri, Yuka.

And Hojo.

She had dated him back then and they were friends to this day. Naturally. Because Kagome was fundamentally a good person. And the fucker was unabashedly still into her.

The worst thing was, he couldn't even bring himself to resent the guy. As a matter of fact, the hanyou pitied him. If InuYasha was in his shoes, he doubt he could ever move on from Kagome. Be that as it may, he much would have preferred they had held a grudge, blocked each other on social media and called it quits. Like normal people did.

Kagome was staring out the window by the time InuYasha shut the album and returned it to its shelf. He let his face fall into the curve of her shoulder — a flawless fit — in the process of embracing her waist. She leaned her head to him, her fingertips caressing his forearms.

Out of respect, they had left the door open, but it was just for show. His keen senses ensured they could get away with innocent displays of affection without having to worry about unexpected interruptions.

"What are we lookin' at?"

"The Goshinboku." The view of her bedroom was composed by a stunning garden, a mighty tree standing tall in the center of it. "When I was a little girl, there was a tyre swing attached to it. My dad built it for me. And grandpa almost had a heart attack because the tree is supposed to be sacred."

The fresh memory came rushing back, of a lovely girl, her sleeping cat and a tyre swing.

"He sounds like a good man." InuYasha let it out, mentally kicking himself at the same time. Don't bring up her father, remembered his inner voice, a second too late. Damn it, he thought, I was doing so well. But they were alone. And Kagome was the one to raise the subject.

"The best." She agreed, the longing painfully distinguishable in her timbre. "The colors are his fault, actually. He let me pick them and insisted I'd help him painting, saying it was my room and therefore I should be an active part of its making in order to truly look my own. I felt like such a grown up, with that brush in my hand! It wasn't until years later I realized he had done most of the heavy work, of course. My enthusiasm about the colors decreased with time, I gotta admit. But I never wanted to change it, because whenever I see them, I'm taken back to that day."

InuYasha was at a loss for words.

In one night, Kagome had shared more about her father than she had in their entire relationship, the topic always a delicate one.

To measure her pain, he tried to imagine what would be like. His life without Toga Taisho in every step of the way, with his goofy jokes and thunderous laughter, teaching him how to shave, talking about girls, buying him his first pair of boxing gloves. Cheering him on. Most fathers wouldn't be as supportive of his career choice. Especially when it meant stepping down from the family empire.

Unthinkable.

InuYasha couldn't even began to understand.

Unexpectedly, he was assaulted by the crushing need to hug his old man.

"He'd be proud of ya. You know that, right?"

"I do." Kagome sighed. She was at the verge of crying, he could tell. "I wish he had met you."

"Yeah. Me too."

"So..." Kagome bravely pushed her sorrow underneath, recovering the cheerful temper that was so typical of her. "Did you find anything good in that photo album?"

"Oh, yeah!" InuYasha nodded, taking her unsaid ask for distraction for what it was. "Miroku won't hear the end of it." She laughed and he relaxed at the sound. "Come on, let's go downstairs. Your grandfather is getting distraught."

"How did you do that?" Sota watched the TV screen in awe as their characters fought. InuYasha had just released a powerful blow, inflecting several damage on his opponent.

"Left-Right-B-B."

Sota pressed the combination and as soon as he did, his character recreated the attack, hitting InuYasha back full force. The kid learned fast.

"Sweet! You gotta teach me more of this stuff! Can I come over to your place sometime?"

"Sure!" He answered, in autopilot. Kagome quietly pinched him in the tigh and the half demon realized his mistake. Don't mention we live together. What an idiot he was. InuYasha wouldn't have to mention anything if her brother saw it with his own eyes. "I-I mean, if that's cool with your mom. It ain't a quick drive."

"For real?!"

"Yeah, just… Text me first."

"You got it!"

InuYasha shrugged apologetically to his frustrated girlfriend. It was the best he could do.

"Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi swiftly called from the kitchen. "Can you help me with the desserts, please?"

"Coming!"

Involuntarily, his ears twitched to follow her trail of noises. Steps. Crockery getting handled. Whispers.

"Alright: your honest opinion. Go!"

"Oh, I think your opinion is the one that counts."

"It's the one that counts the most. It's not the only one that counts."

"In that case, I must say you make a lovely couple. InuYasha caused an excellent impression on me. The way he looks at you… Your father used to look at me just like that."

"Mama!"

There was a pause.

Out of habit, InuYasha kept hitting the right buttons, but his interest was far away from the game.

"Now, what else are you wanting to tell me?"

"How did you know?"

"A mother always does. What is it?"

"InuYasha and I… We're living together."

"I had my suspicions."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Are you happy?"

"The happiest."

"Well, then. That's all that matters to me."

"Thank you! I love you so much!"

"I love you too, honey. But it might be wise not to let your grandfather know for now."

"I figured as much."

"One more thing."

"Shoot!"

"Are the two of you using protection?"

"Mom!"

"What? It's a fair concern."

InuYasha had darkened multiple shades of embarrassment, all of them red. Sota took advantage of his temporary stupefied state to deliver the final blast, settling their score.

"Yes!"

"I totally let you win."

"You wish!"

The two women walked into the room, dessert glasses on their hands. Sota accepted the one his mother offered him while Kagome sat on her previous spot by InuYasha.

"This candy is a family recipe." Mrs. Higurashi explained. "It's also the reason why we didn't order a dessert at the restaurant."

InuYasha hadn't complained. In terms of food, sugary snacks were hardly his favorites. He opened his mouth, planning to decline the treat in way that wasn't too rude, but his girlfriend beat him to the punch and sticked a spoon full of the stuff inside his mouth. The flavor outburst on his tongue was unprecedented, caramel being the base of it. The kickoff was undeniably sweet, pursued by a salty ending that assured a refined balance.

"Holy f… ork." Don't swear. At least this time he managed to caught himself before the failure.

"I'm glad you liked it." Said Mrs. Higurashi, as InuYasha grabbed his portion from Kagome's grasp and ate the whole thing in eager spoonfuls.

"How come you never made me one of those?" He threw Kagome an accusatory glance.

"I'm sorry, I just don't think our relationship is that solid yet."

InuYasha was formulating a sly remark when he heard her grandfather struggling to carry a heavy wood box.

"Sir, wanna some help?" He volunteered, already jumping to the rescue.

"I'm old, not invalid."

"It wasn't my intention to suges—"

"Grandpa, please don't be dramatic." Intervened Kagome. "We don't want a broken hip, do we?"

Grudgingly, the elder turned his burden over to InuYasha, who followed him out into the storehouse. He was serenaded by the crickets and the constant instructions of the wrinkle bag, urging him to be careful.

"Where do you want this, sir?"

"There." He pointed to the left corner of the room and InuYasha accomplished the task without breaking a sweat. Or a priceless relic. "Thank you."

"Anytime." The temptation to spin on his heels and exit the building was tremendous. For Kagome, though, he had to make an effort. "I guess is safe to say you don't like me or my tattoos very much. That's alright, I get it. You just met me. But I promise you, sir, I would never, ever, do anything to hurt your granddaughter. I'm a hundred percent committed to Kagome. In fact…" InuYasha fished the ring off his back pocket and presented it to him. "I intend to propose to her in a near future. You don't have to answer right now, just know it would mean a lot to her… To us, if you could give us your blessing."

The man glared at the ring as if it was a viper ready to strike.

"I wasn't aware this relationship of yours was that serious."

"Well… It kinda is. I… I love her."

InuYasha felt naked, so very naked, under the somber gaze of that man. However true his words were, he wasn't the type to pour his heart out, let alone to someone he had met for less than the duration of a night. Vulnerability was something to be avoided. Let your guard open, you get knocked down. A lifetime of boxing will teach you that. Still, Kagome was worth way more than his stupid pride.

"I see. In that case, you must end it at once."

"What?"

"I held my peace because I was convinced, the moment my granddaughter introduced you as her boyfriend, that this was bound to break. Do not take it personally. I can't possibly be the first one to point it out and chances are I won't be the last. You are far from the man I imagined her future husband to be. Yet here you are, speaking of marriage. It is up to me, then, to open your eyes and remind you the implications of it."

"The implications of it." The hanyou half repeated, half questioned. The superior tone in which the man expressed himself was enerving and the fact InuYasha had no idea of where he was trying to get only worsened the tension.

"Your mother is human, is she not?" All of the pieces fell into place right then. He would rather they hadn't.

"Yes, she is."

"Then you better than anyone must know of the hardships she had to endure as a result of her lifestyle."

InuYasha was numb. Completely anesthetized. It was to be expected his stupor would soft the pain of the bad memories. It didn't.

Romeo and Juliet got nothing on his parents. His mom had told him the story time and time again. They had met each other on a tropical storm. Her car died and of course he was there to help. She kept his coat. He kept her phone number on a piece of paper that accidentally was ruined by the rain. When their paths crossed again, he was a divorced father and she was engaged. They managed to get it right anyway. Timing was a comical thing. It never worked with rationality.

Both families were against it. Strongly against it. His mother was no longer welcomed in the house. They had burned to the ground any evidence she once belonged to that place. The only thing she took with her was the ring of her deceased mother that InuYasha now held inside his clenched fist. She wasn't allowed in the Taisho mansion either, but it just meant his father wouldn't set foot feet there as well.

There were grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins InuYasha didn't have the chance to met. Because they didn't want to. Other than from Sesshoumaru and his mom, that was it for him in the family section.

He used to resent it. When he caught a homesick Izayoi crying. When his father yelled at the management of some restaurant about their anti-human politics. When she was denied entrance because InuYasha was in her arms. When the family tree of the other kids in school was so much more complex than his. Fortunately, he came to terms with it. Family had little to do with blood.

"It wasn't her fault and it wasn't your father's, either." InuYasha heard him go on. "Regardless, this is the way things are. The way things have always been. And pretending otherwise is to believe in fairytales. You can not blame me for wishing a better fate upon Kagome."

"Kagome is happy. I know she is!"

"For now. What would be of this so called happiness in the long run? Keep in mind Kagome is a priestess. What if this union causes her to lose her spiritual powers? Even if she doesn't, a child born out of it would carry demon genes. It can not be avoided. It can affect their reiki greatly."

"W-we haven't talk—"

Kids. The subject was never discussed between them. It was not a secret Kagome wanted to have children. She should have children. Motherhood suited her. InuYasha, on the other hand, didn't give the topic a lot of thought. He just accepted that, taking in consideration the lengths he was willing to go to make her happy, babies weren't even that bad.

Now, his treacherous brain was plaguing him with the forbidden images. Another aged, tawny leather photo album, theirs to fulfill with pictures of a raven haired, golden eyed toddler. Kagome, pregnant with his child. It wasn't bad. It wasn't bad at all.

"Listen close, boy. I take no pride in that, but when cancer took my son away… It tore this home apart. Kagome? She was the one to put it back together. It was an unfair burden, for someone so young to take. And it meant countless sacrifices from her part. My granddaughter had to grow up too fast too soon. She deserves the luck of an ease love. You seem like a decent man, tattoos aside. That is why, if you love Kagome the way you claim to do, you will let her go."

"InuYasha!"

"Huh?"

"I'm talking to you!"

"I'm driving!" Even to himself, the excuse sounded weak. For fear Kagome would pick up on his bullshit, he opted for diplomacy. "Can you repeat what it was?"

"My family! Did you like them?"

"Yeah, they're great."

She could sniff it out his lies from miles away, one of her many infuriating talents. It was a good thing InuYasha wasn't lying, then. Her mom and brother had won him over without even trying. Her grandfather was difficult, to say the least. But ultimately, he only had Kagome's best interests at heart. How could InuYasha not hold someone like that in deep appreciation? They shared the same priorities, after all.

"I'm glad." Kagome sticked a palm out of the window, to cut the chill night air. Not even that diverted his concentration from the road ahead, hands sweating at the tigh grip on the steering wheel. They let the silence set, until her profound exhale disturbed it. "Do you miss your motorbike?"

Before Kagome, a classic black Harley used to be the love of his life. He had saved every penny he ever gotten in order to get it. It was the first significant thing he had ever bought with his own money. Sadly, the maintenance was pretty expensive and by the time they started going on double dates with Miroku and Sango or Koga and Ayame, an average car proved to be the obvious, more practical choice. It had its advantages. Convenience. Economy. Illegal activities on the backseat. His mother was radiant, too. She had somehow convinced herself owning a motorcycle was a creative way of signing his own death certificate.

He didn't regret it.

But he couldn't chase the wind in a car. Kagome wouldn't hold him for dear life in a car.

"Sometimes."

"Me too. Maybe we can afford to buy it back, someday." His stomach sank. There would be no 'someday'. Not for them. "InuYasha?"

"Maybe."

He turned the radio on and neither of them talked the whole way home.

Water was pouring down, warm and nice against his skin. InuYasha stood under the shower far more than the necessary. His hope was that if he stalled long enough, Kagome would be sleeping by the time he left the bathroom. It was an act of pure cowardice, but it was for the best. If she was awake, he would be tempted to take her one last time, and what kind of monster he'd be by the morning, when they would have to say goodbye?

Kagome was sitting on their bed, waiting for him with his AC/DC shirt on. InuYasha should have anticipated she wouldn't be entirely oblivious to his internal turmoil. He hadn't done the neatest job hiding it and she knew him like no one else.

"Alright, what is wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"Just who do you think you're kidding?"

"Can we please do this tomorrow?"

"No! You've been acting strange since we left. I tried to give you space, but I won't be able to sleep unless you put my mind at ease."

From all the scenarios he had ran on his head of how this conversation would go, this was without a doubt the worst one. He didn't want to end their relationship in the middle of the night, dressed only on his sweatpants, risking her to storm off that late. He owed Kagome more than that. Massaging his temple, InuYasha realized his hands were tied. She wouldn't let it die. He sat by her side and ripped off the band-aid.

"We should break up."

Her reaction to the news was a mystery InuYasha wasn't dying to find out. She could cry, she used to do it for less and his ego would appreciate it. She could scream at him, it was totally understandable. She could slap his face, he probably deserved it. She could leave. He wouldn't blame her.

"No." Plain and simple.

Whatever he expected her to do, that wasn't it.

"No?"

"That's right."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"Exactly what I said."

"We're breaking up!"

"No, we're not. Are you in love with someone else?"

"Well... No."

"Have you stopped loving me?"

"That's… That's not the issue."

"Then what is it?"

"I'm bad for you, Kagome! Can't you see that?" His ferocity made her quiver and cursing himself, InuYasha counted two heavy breaths to try and tone it down."Can't you see everything you'll miss out just to be by my side? I can't do that to you. I won't. What we have… It can be easy here, but in the real world..."

"Did my grandfather put you up to this?"

His startle gave him away. It was pointless to deny.

"He only said what we already knew and were too stubborn to accept."

"How dare he?!"

"He's right, y'know? This is the best thing for you."

"How dare you?" She poked his naked chest, her fury unleashed like InuYasha hadn't seen in a while. "Who are you to make this decision for me?"

"I'm someone who saw his mother be casted out and humiliated on a daily basis over it!"

"Have you ever asked her if she would do it again? Because I'm pretty sure I know the answer. And mine is the same."

"What about children? You wouldn't have to worry about whether or not they would inherit your spiritual powers if you had 'em with a human."

"I don't care about the stupid bloodline tradition! It's not like demons and humans are at war anymore. Any child we might have will be loved, powers or not powers. I refuse to let outdated morals dictate how I live my life, I refuse to let them get in the way of my happiness. And I can't believe after everything we've been through you would give up of me that easy."

"Easy?" InuYasha hissed. Kagome didn't back down one bit at his rompant. "You think this is easy for me? This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do and if it's possible you're making it even harder. For once in my life I'm being selfless. For once in my life I'm putting someone else first. Because I fucking love you!"

Finally, finally, her lips crushed into his. It was a long time coming, as if every single event since he had seen her in that blue dress earlier were building up to that moment. He welcomed her touch like was second nature, greedly pulling her close to devour her lips. The taste of mint toothpaste flooded his senses and suddenly the whole universe shrunk to the shape her mouth. Her slow hands went from his cheeks to his wet hair, tangling on the messy strands and inducing the nape ones to rise up.

Only then InuYasha understood.

He was fooling himself.

Selfish. His love for her always was and always would be selfish. He could try to stay away, he could try to shut her out. In the end of the day, all she had to do was snap her fingers and he would be running to her. There was no escaping it. She wanted him, he was hers.

Little by little, InuYasha broke the kiss, their foreheads still connected as their hearts restored their normal pace.

"I don't want to make things difficult between you and your family."

"I'm sorry about tonight, InuYasha. I was so excited with the idea of you and my family getting along, I forgot to be more careful and pushed it too far with grandpa. Let's give it time, okay? He'll come around. If he doesn't, you are not the one making things difficult. He is. People tend to be afraid of what they don't know. It doesn't matter. It's not theirs to know, it's ours. And we shouldn't allow their opinions to interfere. No prejudiced beliefs can take me from your side. As long as you want me, there are no deal breakers. So what do you truly want?"

"What I truly want…" He got up and went to their wardrobe, reaching the depths of the drawer where he kept his jeans for the hidden ring. He found it and fell into one knee in front of her. "It's to spend the rest of my life with you." She gasped, hands flying to cover her mouth as her eyes overflowed. "This might be crazy soon, but it has also been a crazy night. Kagome, will you—"

"Yes!"

She knocked him down in a hug that turned into another kiss, tender than the prior. They had time to pleasantries now. They had all the time in the world. InuYasha wanted to laugh at the expense of his unplanned rebellion. There he was, making the exact opposite thing her grandfather had ordered him to do. And he was still a bit unaware as to how.

"Will ya let me put this thing on your finger or what?" He questioned when she pulled away.

"In one condition."

"Which one?"

"Don't you ever break up with me again."

"It won't be a problem."

A/N: this is for the brilliant Just Dyana who requested "The stakes are high. Tthe water's rough. But this love is ours" + "And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored. Cause my heart is yours" for the lyric game.

I hope you don't mind the "my father" to "my grandfather"change, but I thought it was more fitting, given the circumstances. Sorry I made you the bad guy, grandpa, but someone had to be! Also, I know the lyrics say that the snide remarks about the tattoos would be ignored, but no matter how hard I tried to stand by it, Kagome refused to be silenced.

About the tattoos: I've read somewhere cherry blossoms mean female beauty, love, happiness, renovation and hope. They symbolize the end of winter and beginning of spring… which is pretty much everything Kagome represents to InuYasha.

That being said, happy Inukag Week! Yes, I do celebrate it as if it was a hollyday. No, I do not think I'm obsessed. I like this couple a normal amount. And this fanfic just happens to fit the prompt "acceptance" from day one, so here you go inukag-week