Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha or any of its characters. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

A/N: This takes place sometime in the anime after Miroku proposes to Sango. I have only read a little of the manga, so everything is based off of the anime. Kagome is sixteen now. One can only be fifteen for so long, after all… Humor my mistakes and enjoy!

Fortune's Follies

Chapter 1: The Prologue

"Feh… I don't see why we're going to see this old bat, anyway…" Inu-Yasha muttered.

The group had decided to take a short break from their quest for Naraku and the remaining jewel shards. They hadn't made much progress as of late, and everyone was tired and frustrated. When they returned to find a festival taking place in Kaede's village, they had decided to seize the opportunity and enjoy themselves. The long journey back to the village had tired out Kiara and Shippo, who rested in Kaede's hut, but the adults chose to partake in the festivities. Sango had been trailed by the ever-hopeful Miroku, while Kagome and Inu-Yasha went off on their own. Kagome had spotted a fortune-teller's tent, and was intent on losing her money to some glittering fraud.

"Oh, come on Inu-Yasha. Haven't you always wanted to have your fortune told?" Kagome asked him cheerfully.

"Not particularly." He mumbled in disinterest.

"Well I always have, and this is my opportunity! With all the spirits and magic in this era, I bet this woman's for real."

"This is such a waste of time… Naraku is probably laughing at us as we speak… Hanging around this stupid festival to have some old hag tell us the future…"

"Well, I for one am excited! Who knows what she might tell us? Where we'll be ten years from now, what will happen to our friends, how many children we'll have…"

"Children?! We?!" Inu-Yasha's eyes grew as big as saucers as Kagome's face paled and then rapidly turned a fire-engine red.

"Not how many children we'll have... I mean, I hope to marry someone, someday… And you may find someone yourself… I want four children…" She was still blushing a bit, but fortunately, he had calmed down considerably.

Inu-Yasha had a strange look on his face though. It was a mixture of relief and disappointment…? No. She had to be reading his face incorrectly. The only woman Inu-Yasha wanted to spend the rest of his life with was Kikyou. Kagome imagined that Kikyou would never be able to bear Inu-Yasha's children. The dead could not bear the living after all. Not that Inu-Yasha probably cared. Who needed marriage or children or anything of the sort in hell?

"I don't ever want children…" Inu-Yasha replied. At first, she thought he was responding in his usual brash, stubborn manner, but the far-off look in his eyes said otherwise.

He's remembering his own childhood… The prejudices he and his mother faced. He was treated with such cruelty, even as a little boy. I bet he's afraid that his children would suffer as he did. He could have ¾ human children or ¾ demon children, if he wanted, but that remaining ¼ would always be what kept them apart… I can see why he never wants to pass on that burden to his own offspring… Poor Inu-Yasha…

She grabbed his hand, pulling him forward towards the gaudy fortune-teller's tent.

"Forget what I said… Maybe she can tell us how we'll defeat Naraku…" At that, his skepticism changed to interest, and he charged forward, now pulling Kagome along behind him.

"What are we waiting for, then?"

That's my short-attention spanned half-demon… She smiled, glad his mind was off his troubled past. Temporarily at least.

They burst through the tent flap, nearly giving an old man exiting said tent a heart attack.

"AAAHHHH! DEMON!" He shrieked, pointing at Inu-Yasha with a shaking, arthritic finger.

"Pipe down, Old man." Inu-Yasha yelled, progressing forward into the tent.

"His bark really is worse than his bite." Kagome told the elderly man.

"Young lady… You should stay away from that demon. He'll bring you nothing but pain." The man advised.

"You're wrong about him. Inu-Yasha is my friend… He would never cause me pain…" She whispered softly.

Intentionally… She silently added, knowing it was the truth.

At times, she wished she'd never met Inu-Yasha. He put her in dangerous situations on a daily basis, he was ruining her academic career, and he would rather go to hell with a dead girl than be with her. He was selfish, demanding, arrogant, rude, and so jealous it was ridiculous. But… She couldn't lie to herself. She loved him with her whole heart. In spite of all his flaws, in spite of all the pain he'd put her through, she couldn't help it. He was brave, loyal, and passionate. He'd saved her from death a countless number of times, made her life a constant adventure, and was always by her side. He was her best friend and first love.

Straying her from her thoughts was the boy in question's rough grip as he pulled her into the tent, "Come on, Kagome! We haven't got all day!"

Did I mention impatient? She thought, adding it to her list.

"Come, come my child…" The old woman crooned.

"Hello Lady Keiko. Will you read my fortune, please?"

"Yes, of course, Child. For a price." She extended a bony, wrinkled hand as Kagome forked over some ancient currency.

"I will read your fortune. But not his. I will not foretell the future of a demon…"

"That's not fair! Inu-Yasha wants to find out how we defeat Naraku!" Kagome protested.

"Save it, Kagome. I don't need this old hag's voodoo anyway." Inu-Yasha huffed.

"No refunds. Do you want me to tell you your fortune or not?" The old woman demanded impatiently.

"Well… I suppose there's no use in wasting good money…"

"Smart girl. Give me your hand." The woman cautiously examined Kagome's hand, staring at her as though in some sort of trance. She gazed into a cheap glass ball sitting in front of her, "divining" through her "crystal ball."

Maybe Inu-Yasha was right… Maybe this is a complete waste of time…

"Interesting. Very interesting." The fortune-teller whispered.

"What a load of bull…" Inu-Yasha grumbled from where he sat cross-legged on the floor.

"I have seen your future, my child…" The woman whispered.

"You will marry…"

"Well there's a shock…" Inu-Yasha commented. Why wouldn't Kagome get married? It seemed like every man in Japan, both in the past and present, found Kagome attractive. She was kind, smart, beautiful, and loyal. She would make a perfect wife. Inu-Yasha's face flushed at that thought, but he still wasn't buying this witch's nonsense.

"Let me finish, Demon!" She demanded sternly.

"Be my guest, Hag…"

"It will be several years before you will take this step. You'll be an old maid, but someone will still find you attractive…" She continued as Kagome shot her an angry glare.

Old maid?! I'm sixteen! There's no way I'm getting married anytime soon! Old maid, my foot… Most girls in my time don't get married until they're in their mid-twenties!

Inu-Yasha grinned in amusement. Kagome had not liked the old maid comment. He realized though that his time and Kagome's were very different. In the Feudal Era, life was short. Women married young, had children young, and died young. He gulped at that last part. In Kagome's era, women did not just become wives, mothers, and housekeepers. They pursued education and careers alongside men. And the medicine and magic of her era ensured everyone longer lives. No one in her time was in a big hurry to get married. On the other hand, Sango and Miroku were a rarity in the Feudal Era. Few people remained single for so long.

"Your husband will be someone you'll have known for years… A man you've had a difficult relationship with… You'll have many children. You'll be very happy. I congratulate you." The crinkled face smiled at the schoolgirl.

"Tell me, Lady Keiko… What will my husband look like?"

"Let me see… The man will have black hair and dark eyes… He'll be very kind and handsome, too. I suggest you start working towards this marriage, my dear. I can tell you when the luckiest dates are for the ceremony. I may be able to tell you about your children, too, if you…"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Inu-Yasha roared, leaping up and knocking over the fortune-teller's table, his eyes filled with fire.

"Inu-Yasha…" Kagome whispered, fearing his anger.

"What right do you have to determine Kagome's fate? How do you even know that she wants to get married? Why do you think she's going to have any children?! You don't know anything, you miserable old witch!"

"Inu-Yasha!" She was shocked by his anger, but more by his blatant rudeness.

"I have only told the girl what I see… I'm never wrong. Mark my words, this dark-haired man is probably nearby. And he will be the man she marries!"

"Pardon me, my friends, but have you seen the fair Lady Sango? I wanted to show her…" Miroku entered the tent, but grew silent when he was the fury in Inu-Yasha's eyes. Inu-Yasha observed the dark-haired, dark-eyed man who Kagome had known for a long time. A man who had groped her upon their first meeting… A perverted man who wanted a multitude of children…

"Hell no!" He roared, diving at Miroku as Kagome looked on, embarrassed and alarmed. Perhaps this hadn't been such a good idea after all…

A/N: Well, here is chapter one… Humor me, I've never written more than a one-shot for this category. True, there are many dark-haired, dark-eyed men in Japan, but Inu-Yasha is the type to jump to conclusions, and Miroku has rather bad timing. They probably didn't have crystal balls, but humor me… I may go back and change it into something more fitting later. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!