Sup bitches. Its been over 2 years sicne i updated this shit. SUrPRISE! Heres a thing for yall to have. A true edgy bitch is in ur McFuckin presence. Anyways. Thanks to reebajee cuz she beta'd this chappie for me. It was a cool experience, and im glad to have tried it out at least once. Welp, FU motherfuckers.

Previously:

Kagome was quite happy with the days turn out of events. She had secured the final details of her meeting with Sesshomaru, gotten Kyoya to go along with her game within the host club, and had ensured her remaining family member's safety. A lot of good things had been accomplished, and Kagome was rather proud of all she had gotten done today. She had killed approximately 3 birds with one stone, and she was quite happy with herself.

Still, there was more that needed to be done.

Presently:

Haruhi definitely lacked rhythm. If it hadn't been apparent to Kagome before, it definitely was now. As promised, Kagome acted every bit the surrogate dance partner for her elder cousin. A few hours had passed, and Haruhi was still struggling through the motions. It wasn't like Kagome could talk though. Prior to the feudal era, she had two left feet, the same condition of which her cousin was currently suffering with. It wasn't as though her cousin was entirely incompeten-

The butt of Haruhi's heel made contact with the bridge of Kagome's foot. Kagome had forced Haruhi to wear the heels in preparation for the upcoming ball. Haruhi hadn't seen the point as she was supposed to be a male according to the rest of the hosts, but Kagome had bet a week's worth of bento's that Haruhi would be incapable of dancing with the heels. Without so much as a sharp intake of breath, Kagome carried on her dance.

Haruhi, on the other hand, let out a startled gasp, "Oh–Kagome are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you- do you need ice? These heels- is your foot broken? What-"

"Relax, Haruhi, I'm fine-"

"Don't you dare lie to me Kagome, we've been through this-"

"Seriously, I'm okay. It was nothing more than a pinch. You're too light for there to be any significant damage anyways."

Not knowing whether to take offense or compliment to Kagome's ending statement, Haruhi gave her a meaningful look before standing from her squatting position, one she had adopted to better gauge the damage she had caused. The tips of her ears were red. Haruhi never was one to generally blush in the face, but you could always sense her embarrassment through the slightest of symptoms; one of them being the discoloration of her ears. Kagome gave her cousin a teasing grin. She would lay down her life to protect her cousin, but that didn't save the girl from playful banter.

"Awww, look who was wowwied about wittle ol' me."

Haruhi rolled her eyes at her cousins taunting, a small grin adopting her face, "Oh hush you. I do happen to be the older cousin."

"Exactly! Us spritely youth must take good care of the uncoordinated old."

Haruhi let out a puff of laughter, enjoying the silly tone of their banter, "Alas, I believe you to be confused. I have used my legs far longer than you. I could walk before you could crawl."

"That's because I went straight to walking!"

"After being lazy for how many months? Babies like you have no time to have such a lethargic regard for action."

"Lethargic–if I'm such a baby, keep the big boy words to yourself."

At that, Haruhi couldn't contain herself any longer, joyous giggles bubbling from her throat, "Big–haha!–big boy words –oh my gods that is hilarious– big boy words, Kagome, that's freaking fantastic!"

Kagome responded with a deadpan expression, which made the situation seem all the more hilarious to Haruhi. Her giggles developed into full-blown laughter, re-emerging with renewed force whenever she took in the sight of her cousin's unamused visage. In turn, Kagome couldn't help but ease into laughter herself, her cousin enjoying herself far too much, with laughter far too contagious.

Their combined hysteria eventually mellowed out to a reasonable silence, the music they had been dancing to playing in the background and a few sparse giggles slipping out of Haruhi's lips. Kagome was trying. Trying to loosen up around Haruhi. Trying to at least appear normal, for her cousin's sake. It was far too troublesome to drag her cousin into her problems, both physically and emotionally. As long as Haruhi perceived her as okay, Kagome would be okay.

The rest of the evening passed without much pomp and circumstance, homework and dinner completed without a lot of fanfare. This reflected in the week leading up to the ball, every event and interaction following a perfect routine. The monotony somewhat wore on Kagome's nerves, but she couldn't complain too much. Her only issue was that she had encountered -12 leads on Naraku on any of her late night excursions, and it was pissing her off to be quite frank. Despite her irritation, she had one thing to look forward to: Saturday. It was the day of Haruhi's ball, but it was also important due to another matter.

Friday night, Kagome decided against going out that night. Despite her holy prowess, she knew that she would be pushing it if she didn't get at least a semi-decent night of rest. If she went to bed early she wouldn't look like the living dead the following day, and alarm those she was to meet. Haruhi was picking up on her tiredness as well, as concealer couldn't mask her lagging energy as much as it could the voids encasing her eyes or the purple marks fluttering against her skin.

Groaning, Kagome attempted to stretch in hopes of remedying the soreness of her body. At this point, she had grown so used to collapsing on the bed due to wounds or overexertion that she struggled to find sleep. Working her muscles patiently, she grew frustrated with the tediousness of it all. Everything hurt, she was sore, and she hated everything. Sitting up, she winced at the slight twang of her stomach muscles. It no longer bled at inopportune moments. That didn't stop it from being a pain in the ass, though.

There was another reason for her not partaking in her Naraku-hunting that night. Demons happened to have rather sensitive noses and there was no need for the scent of blood to mar her first meeting with her family. Kagome slipped into the bathroom. With the door closed behind her, she placed her hands on her stomach and let her ki flow through her. Her tendons stitched together beneath her cold hands, pink light warming her skin. Sweat beaded on her like a second skin. She was way too low on her ki.

What was generally a bountiful, nearly limitless supply, had dwindled down to a few drops. After the final battle, she had used up all her ki, and with all her Naraku hunts, she had yet to have a chance to recuperate her energy. Midoriko battled for seven days and seven nights before the Shikon was created. Kagome had been fighting for about two months since the beginning of the final battle to the current night. Sure, a big chunk of it took place at night, and the more gruesome dueling had taken place at the beginning, but she never had given herself a chance to rest or recharge.

With one last huff, she let her hands fall to her side. The scar tissue on her stomach was pink and smooth, and the same could be said about her back. With a quick test she determined that everything was back to normal. UGh. Her head was throbbing. Not only that, but she was super tired. It was time for her to go to sleep. She needed to recuperate as much energy as possible. Easing into bed, Kagome was struck as she looked at the time. It was already 12:32. She could already feel her insomnia kicking in, but she didn't want to look like the living dead tomorrow. First impressions do matter, after all.

Taking action, she shoved searching fingers into one of her duffel bags, before gripping the object of her desires. With no regrets, she downed a shot of Nyquil before throwing herself into bed, apathetic of the noise she was making as she attempted to pass out.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~*~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Given the kink in her neck and the bags under her eyes, Kagome could confidently say that she had partaken in a pretty shitty night of sleep. These mortal worries would not stand in her way, however, as she had plans. Plans that she refused to allow anything to stand in the way of. Saturday was here, and she didn't give a shit about anything but her upcoming engagement.

Rolling off her bed, Kagome unceremoniously plopped onto the floor, nausea relaxing within her throat. Stifling a groan, she noted that Haruhi was in the kitchen, the scent of something scrumptious sending conflicting signals to her senses. Despite the delightful aroma, it only furthered the swirling knot in her stomach. Kagome slunk into the bathroom, steaming water seeping into her wounds and aches in an attempt to loosen the tension that characterized her body. So much for stretching.

Five minutes later Kagome was dressed and ready to face the world. Hair still wet, she brewed some ginger tea for her nausea, before she took her seat from across her cousin and began to eat, "G'morning Haruhi."

"Morning to you, sleepyhead."

Kagome let out a huff, the pressure building up behind her eyes stealing her focus, "-ou excited?"

"Excited? For what?"

"You're going to go see some of your old friends today right?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm definitely looking forward to it. How about you, are you ready for your first ball?"

Haruhi scrunched her face, "As ready as I'll ever be. Kagome, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't know, you're looking a little… out of it."

"Just a little headache is all, nothing to worry about."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

A text notification cut through the air, Kagome leisurely pulling the device from her back pocket. I'm here! lit up her screen, a cheeky emoji accompanying it, "I gotta go Haru, they're here."

"Love you, have fun!"

"I love you too. Be safe, and if those hosts so much as bat an eyelash in the wrong way, let me know and I will make sure to-"

"Kagome! I'll be fine, I promise."

"Alright, but I have my phone – and keep yours on you at all times – so just send me a text if you need anything at all."

"Yes, mother," Kagome smirked at her cousin's ironic tone, pressing a kiss to her cheek before she left the apartment complex. The car residing in front of her house let out a honk, and Kagome rolled her eyes. Taking her sweet time, she made sure to exaggerate every step she made towards the car, feeling the waves of anticipation rolling off her son's aura.

Opening the passenger side door, she was greeted with her son's whining, "Kaa-chaaan why are you so slowwww? You're practically an old Obaa-chan now!"

"Says my son who's how many hundred years older than me?"

"Hey! That's not fair! I'm still pretty young in demon terms."

"I doubt that you lil ol' fart."

"If I'm an old fart, that makes you extinct! Prehistoric! O L D ! !"

This style of conversation continued for the remainder of the car ride to Sesshomaru's abode. When they finally reached the home, it was both nothing like Kagome expected, and just as she had anticipated it to be. The traditional Japanese home was rather large, a forest surrounding it from all but one side. A gate enclosed the area farther than she could see, only accessible through the front entrance which had a security clearance. A few random holes were strewn sparsely in the front yard, dirt piled messily beside them. Kagome had a few ideas as to why they were there. Shippo clicked the car's gear into park, the engine going silent as he removed his keys from the car, "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Kagome repeated the same sentiment her cousin had used on her. They both were approaching the unknown, and even though this was her family, Kagome wasn't sure what their reaction would be to her.

Walking from the car, she took her son's hand and walked up the steps. Strangely enough, a western-style door met them, Shippo pulling out a key, "Sesshomaru has trust issues."

Kagome snorted. As the door opened, Shippo belted out, "We're hOME!" his voice rising in intensity to call the home's occupants to attention.

This course of action was rather unnecessary seeing as it was a house stock full of demons, but it was the thought that counted. Sesshomaru had already been approaching when Shippo had made his joyous proclamation, and continued his strides without falter, undoubtedly used to the kitsune's shenanigans, "Kago-"

Kagome threw herself into the inu-daiyokai's arms, "It's been a long time, Sesshomaru."

"It has been indeed, Kagome."

This was the first time in a long time that his parents were before him, together. Kagome was his mother through and through, but Sesshomaru had filled every bit of the male figure he had needed in the time spent separated from his mother. Sure, the man was technically his uncle, but tomato, tomato, "Family hug!"

Shippo completed the sandwich surrounding Kagome, far taller than she was and the warmth surrounding her was greatly appreciated on all accounts. She took in the time to just appreciate their scents, the air tickling her neck with every intake of breath, the hands that clung to her clothes as if she were about to disappear.

Feeling as though the hug had dragged on long enough (she was stretching to meet them in the middle and it was irritating multiple wounds), Kagome slowly pulled away. Her soul lingered in the moment, eased into a sense of safety that it hadn't known for so long, "I missed you, you old fart."

An eyebrow quirked, "As I did you, miko." Sesshomaru beckoned Kagome over to the living room adjacent to the main hallway, having already kicked off her shoes. They kneeled comfortably at the table, as their conversation continued.

"How has everything been? Shippo mentioned you have a mate and some cute ol' brats- where are they?"

"A lot has changed over the 500 years that have passed since you made your final trip to the feudal era. Demon politics have shifted to accommodate humans, and for the most part, demons remain in secrecy. The government is aware of our presence, however, they do not meddle with our affairs. Consider it a stalemate of sorts, or mutually assured destruction. If they attack us, we respond in full force, and likewise, should we do so to them. Our existence is kept in secrecy in order to bar from national hysteria. As far as I'm aware, Shippo alluded to how your knowledge aided us in remaining relevant and in good financial standing to this day. Thank you for that, by the way. As for my mate, she passed away several decades ago."

"Sesshomaru, I'm so sorry to hear that."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. She died fighting valiantly for our pups-"

"We're hoME!"

Multiple cries of, "Daddy!" or similar variants followed this proclamation, a brood of children glomping into Sesshomaru's side. Kagome was quite pleased to see the range of sizes that characterized the balls of energy, a few of them more docile than their younger counterparts.

"Hey there! I'm Kachika, Sesshomaru's-definitely-not-dead-mate. Nice to meet you, Kagome-chan!" her attention drawn to the clear voice, Kagome got a full view of the woman who had captured her brother's heart and soul.

Gold. Light. Radiance. Kachika embodied these qualities with ease. Dark brown skin had the undertones of gold, her body gilded in brilliance. Her eyes were large and sharp, a gold metallic sheen decorating her eyelids and three distinct drops of that enchanting color placed in decreasing size tracing from the furthest corner of her eyes to the inner corner upon her periorbital. Her hair was short and curly, thick coils framing her face perfectly. A bindi was placed delicately between her eyes, and a glimmer on her left nostril notified Kagome of the nose ring present upon her skin. The beauty of the woman had not fallen upon blind eyes, and Kagome could sense the deep power she assuredly possessed.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Kagome gave the woman a genuine smile, feeling that she could be trusted, "Also, Sesshomaru what the heck. Who do you think you are, trying to keep this beautiful woman to yourself?"

"It's been 500 years since I could mess with you, let me live a little."

Kachika gave a disapproving look to Sesshomaru, turning her head with a huff as he leaned in for a kiss, "So you were gonna pretend I was dead as a joke? I'm insulted, Sesshy-bear."

"Now, Kachi–"

"Don't you Kachi me, mister."

"It just makes your appearance all the more invigorating. A marvelous woman such as you deserves a rather marvelous entrance, no?"

Kachika contemplated his words for a moment, "I suppose so, sweet cheeks," and with that, she gave him the kiss he had been waiting for (but Kagome noticed that she pinched Sesshomaru's butt in the process, which made it all the more amusing for her to witness).

"Eew! Mommy and Daddy kissed!"

Taking note of the other, smaller occupants in the room, Kagome grinned, "Now, I believe introductions are in order. Just who might you all be?"

"I'm Anika! I'm 50 years old!" the youngest of the brood pronounced, confidently showing off her canines, a few of her teeth missing and creating a more endearing image. Deep waves created an ocean of her white hair, nearly the spitting image of her father spare for a few minute details. Her skin was the lightest of her siblings and reminded Kagome of a cafe au lait due to the softness of the brown. The magenta that found a home upon her father's eyelids was more of a rose-gold on her skin, the same to be said of the smooth slashes on either of her chubby cheeks. The crescent moon was present on all of the children's forehead's, a delicate reminder of their lineage.

"I'm Zahi, and I'm 87 years old!" a mischievous quirk of his lips informed Kagome that he had spent far too much time with her own son. Unlike the white hair that claimed his younger sister and father, his had a more silver-metallic sheen. A single dot of magenta fell beneath the center of each of his eyes, a smooth slash upon each of his cheekbones. A few band-aids upon his hands allowed Kagome to know that he was quite the troublemaker.

"My name is Oria, nice to meet you, Aunt Kagome. I am 124 years old," came the melodious voice of her eldest niece. Golden curls fell to her waist, dots in increasing size replacing the spot where slashes should have been. Just as Zahi, magenta encased her eyelids. Braces glinted upon her teeth in her smile, which had been small but pleasant.

"And I'm Kousuke! Nice to meet you as well, Auntie. I'm 124 years old. I'm 3 minutes older than she is," he jabbed a thumb in the direction of his slightly taller sister. Golden freckles were splattered across his face, a deep burgundy upon his eyelids and a jagged slash of the same color upon each of his cheeks, similar to that of his paternal grandmother.

"I'm Emiko!" came an approaching voice. Kagome had seen the woman rush elsewhere into the home when Sesshomaru's family first made their appearance, "Sorry I'm late to introductions, I just had to use the bathroom. The little kit just loves kicking mommy's bladder."

A heavily pregnant woman entered the room, a few beauty marks scattered upon her porcelain skin. The only distinctive marking she claimed was the purple of her eyelids. She had warm palatinate eyes, and layered black hair. The discomforts of pregnancy were no match for her, skin positively glowing with love and life. Shippo immediately came to her side, pressing a kiss on her cheek and not-so-discreetly eyeing her bulging stomach with adoration.

Fuck.

Kagome was going to be a grandmother. Damn, she felt old, "I'm gonna be a grandma."

Shippo snorted, before cackling, "Now there's gonna be two old farts in the house, you and Sesshomaru!"

"Daddy's not an old fart!" came the defense of young Anika, sending a pointed look to her cousin.

"Shippo, that is no way to address your mother," chastised Kagome.

"Or my mother-in-law," inputted Emiko, "Which reminds me, I promise to look after your son and protect him from harm."

Sincerity glimmered in dark purple eyes, "I thank you for that. Kami knows the boy needs it."

"Hey! I can take care of myself!"

"Sure honey, Mommy totally believes you."

"Kaa-chan stop making fun of me. I ain't no baby!"

"You're always gonna be my baby, Baby."

"Shippo's a baby! Daddy did you hear that, Oba-chan called Shippo a baby!"

It was becoming quickly apparent to Kagome that Anika was a Daddy's Girl, "I did, Honey. It's true, after all, you're becoming a big girl and he's still a baby."

"Like you can talk, Fluffy!"

The jesting atmosphere continued throughout the rest of the night, Kagome easily roping the twins into conversation and Zahi telling her of his grand misadventures with Shippo. The evening was the best one she had enjoyed in a long while. That isn't to diminish her relationship with Haruhi, but it was still amazing to see how much her family had grown, and was continuing to grow. Despite how much she was enjoying herself, the image of her brother lingered in the back of her mind, and she felt guilty for enjoying herself. While he was alone. While he was in pain. While he was surrounded by darkness. But she did her best to keep it there, simply in the back of her mind so it wasn't forgotten but it wouldn't impede on the night's events.

Following a late lunch, everyone had contented themselves with relaxing in the inner courtyard. They had already discussed some of the basics facts about themselves, such as how Kachika was a half-Dominican and half-Indian, or re-telling of the many war stories Kagome and Sesshomaru shared. The children disclosed their many misadventures together, and Shippo was often referenced in Zahi's own tales. The banter of the meal had given way to a complete silence, everyone feeling united as a family.

"Aunt Kagome?"

"Yes, Oria?"

Oria sat up from where she had been leaning upon Kousuke, "Do you mind showing me some of your miko powers? I've never met a miko before and I'm rather curious to see what your abilities are."

"Of course, honey." Stretching, Kagome's back cracked as she moved beside her niece, "There are a lot of things I can do, but I promise not to hurt you. For one thing, I can see auras."

This certainly caught Kousuke's attention, "Auras? Like, for real?" Kagome nodded, "That's so cool! What do they look like?"

"They're kind of like a halo of water that encases your body. They're rather fickle, because they can convey emotions or intentions to a degree. With little Anika, I can see she's rather happy and feels loved, but I can also sense she's sleepy because of the almost muted tone of the colors and how her aura is behaving. The way the aura moves around you says a lot too."

"That's rather interesting," conveyed Oria. "She means that it's pretty radical!" translated Kousuke.

Kagome smiled, albeit a tad distracted. Her headache from earlier that morning had returned with a vengeance, "There are some abilities that you may know of due to the stories your father and I were sharing earlier, but the best one for demonstration would be my healing abilities.

"Demons naturally have an escalated rate of healing compared to humans. Miko are able to utilize their powers to further speed up the healing process, and it can be far faster than that of a demon as wounds are capable of healing in an instant depending on both the skill and amount of power the miko possesses."

Oria's amber eyes glittered with curiosity, "Is there a chance you would be able to demonstrate?"

"Of course, sweet pea," Kagome grinned at her beautiful niece, seeing a familiar sparkle in her eye's. She looked so much like Souta when she–

No. Not now.

Kagome thrust her attention to be centered upon making her hands glow its signature pink, "Woah," breathed Oria and Kousuke in unison.

"Auntie Kagome, your hands are pink!" squealed Anika, eyes wide with excitement.

"I wanna touch it– can I touch your hands, Kagome Oba-chan?" Zahi grinned, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Yes you may," suddenly, four pairs of hands of varying tones rubbed her hands, swiping through the aura that surrounded it.

"Its warm!" proclaimed Zahi, hands swirling through her pink ki.

"Yes, it is. The way I'm using my energy at this moment is for healing purposes. So when I put my hands on here," she rolled up her pant leg and placed her hands on her swollen bruised ankle, "it is capable of making wounds disappear. Depending on the severity of a wound, scarring may or may not occur." Kagome allowed her hands to dim, revealing her ankle to be in perfect condition.

"That was really intriguing, Auntie Kagome. Thank you for the demonstration!" Oria's eyes were just about sparkling as they looked into her Aunt's own.

"She means thAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!" emphasized Kousuke, a pink tinge on his cheeks from his own excitement.

"Do it again, do it again!" chanted Anika, already wanting to see more of her Aunt's magic.

"Maybe later, baby girl. Your Aunt and I need to discuss something of importance. You and your siblings should run off and practice your own abilities, so that one day you can show off your skills to your Aunt like she has down for you." A certain gleam in Sesshomaru's eye left no room for argument, and although a tad begrudgingly, the kids ran off the deck to go wreak havoc within the yard.

"Where did you acquire that wound, Kagome?"

Gold eyes pierced Kagome's Blues, and she merely shrugged off the weight of his gaze, "Nowhere important, Fluffy." His glare grew stronger, mouth pulled into a frown as his eyes prodded her to continue. Kagome could only sigh tiredly, shaking her head as she gave him the answer he wanted, "Naraku-hunting. No biggie."

"You have been looking for the spider without our aid?"

"Of course I have."

"Why did you not wait for our aid?"

"Because time is of the essence. Every second is precious."

"You still could have waited. I expected–"

"What did you expect, Sesshomaru? I didn't even know you guys were still alive until two weeks ago! I've been going out every night since the final battle to find that bastard! He has Souta. Souta is only 8 years old! He's basically Zahi's age in human years!"

"Mom, you don't have to do it alone-"

"But I was alone!" Kagome took a breath, not wanting to fall apart. She needed to keep it together, "I was alone. Everyone in the feudal era was dead. When I came back, Naraku had already ripped apart what was left of my home. My cousin and uncle are in danger, and my baby brother is being tortured and broken at the hands of that bastard every second that passes by. I love you all, and I'm so grateful to have you now – but god Sesshomaru I am tired. My ki reserves are impossibly low, my body is screwed up from battle after battle, and I am constantly doing my best to save my brother and protect what is left of my family. I'm all used up. I don't want to drag you into my mess. You have kids," Kagome then turned to look at Shippo, "and you have a baby on the way. There's too much at risk for you. You had peace in the time I was gone, and I don't want to bring devastation into your homes."

"This is not just your mess!" Sesshomaru's voice held a slight growl to it that Kagome hadn't heard in a long time, "Naraku began this war and I was there beside you as we fought. Even the fox runt–"

"Hey!"

"–did his part. The war wasn't started by you, its end started with you. You need not to worry anymore, sister. We are here now. You are not alone. We are all one family, and we will fight to end the war that began so many centuries ago."

"No matter what, I will always be there for you Kaa-chan."

"But the–"

"The children will be fine, Kagome," input Kachika. "My pups are strong, and so is our family. You don't need to worry about anything."

"Don't even think about using my pregnancy as a defense either! If anything, me being pregnant makes me all the more stronger, because I can get feral real quick these days. We love pregnancy hormones," Emiko finished with a hint of sarcasm, her face amused but her resolve strong.

"Yeah, since she's been with the kit I feel I'm walking on eggshells, one wrong move and–OW!"

"Shippo! That is no way to talk about your pregnant wife." Shippo looked up pleadingly at his mother, his lips pouting from her tug on his ear.

"Exactly! Thank you, Okaa-san!" Emiko looked at her husband with a teasing pride, sticking her tongue out at him in her merriment.

"Long story short, you can rely on us, Imouto. You are not alone."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~*~•~•~•~•~•~•~

The first thing Kagome saw as she arrived at the ball was the idiot king pushing her cousin into a full-on liplock with the host hopping girl. She strode over with intense purpose, eyes trained on her cousin to analyze her reaction. Oh. Kagome's pace slowed to a leisurely one, no longer in a hurry. Although her cousin appeared to be a tad embarrassed, she waved off the encounter with surprising finesse. Had her cousin had a reaction more negative, the blond would very quickly receive a lesson on personal space courtesy of Kagome.

Instead of dealing with any of the hassles of letting her presence be known, Kagome remained in the shadows. No too far from her, Kagome noticed another individual lurking in the shadows. His blues eyes gazed longingly at the festivities, and his aura had a somber tone to it. Nothing about him screamed evil or mal-intent, but Kagome could sense that he had some budding ki hiding within him. Huh. A monk in the modern day, even though he seemed to lack any true training. When he finally noticed her, his eyes widened, hands clutching a little cat doll, "Too bright," he hissed, as he slithered away into the darkness.

Well, that was fucking weird.

Most of the guests had dispersed to their limousines at that point, allowing her the opportunity to finally escort her cousin home. It appeared as though the rest club had retreated indoors. Following their auras, Kagome was able to trace them into a changing area of sorts, her cousin at the center of attention.

"–aki-senpai it's really not that big of a deal!"

Tamaki glared at the girl from where he grew mushrooms, crocodile tears pouring from his eyes, "But that was your first kiss! From a girl!"

"Who gives a shit, Suoh-san. If Haruhi isn't bothered by it, then it's none of your business. Besides, there's nothing wrong with girls kissing girls," although Kagome was fairly certain her cousin was straight, his overreaction was on dangerous territory. Whatever her cousin's sexuality may be, Tamaki had no right to impede on her in any manner.

"Kagome!" Haruhi grinned, her younger cousin ruffling her hair in affection, "How was your visit?"

"It went fantastically. I'll tell you all about it when we get home."

"Ohhh, Kagome-kun~" the twins called her attention in a sing-song voice, "Who did you go see?"

"Was it your girlfriend~?" Karou teased with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, of course it was. Her name is Nunya."

"Nunya who?" questioned Honey, curiosity in his gaze.

"Nunya Fucking-Business," Kagome chuckled, amused that they had fallen for the joke so easily. "Anyways, Haru and I have to get going to catch the metro."

Waving their goodbyes, Kagome and Haruhi strolled to the station, arms linked with one another. They talked about anything and everything, enjoying the bit of leisure time they had together. With all the activity they had recently, they barely had a chance to enjoy any downtime with one another. It was nice to enjoy the peace of twilight with a warm soul at their side. Despite the tranquility that characterized their interaction, such a calm would not last for long.