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Chapter Text

               It was officially the Taiyoukai’s worst day of his life.  He knew Izayoi was unhappy, but since she wasn’t his mate, he couldn’t feel her discontent and her resentment. What did he do to deserve her leaving him with the only permanent thing that happened in his marriage: Inuyasha?

               “Izayoi, please!” he begged his wife as she was packing up her many suitcases. Every piece of jewelry, and clothing he ever bought her in their ten year marriage was strewn across their master suite, the windows showing a gorgeous sunset.

               “You don’t understand Mattaki!” she cried. “I finally saw him again! I love him!”

               “He almost killed you!” Mattaki roared. “Takemaru was literally sent by your family to kill you!”

               “But that’s because I married you!” she said, crying and flung a ceremonial kimono in her largest suitcase. The dejected cloth crumpled in the depths of the suitcase. Mattaki understood that kimono better than he ever thought he would.

               “But you wanted to marry me, just as much I wanted to marry you!” He yelled at her near the doorway. Unbeknownst to them both, a thirteen year old Sesshomaru and a five year old Inuyasha were just outside the door, listening in to the conversation. Inuyasha was bawling his wide amber eyes out while Sesshomaru tried to stop his little brother from rushing into the room. Sesshomaru’s eyes blazed at his step-mother. He never liked her, even when she first showed up as his father’s girlfriend.

               “I know, Mattaki. I know I wanted to marry you, but then Inuyasha came along and you were working and all the troubles with Sesshomaru….and then Takemaru shows up! I feel so alive again!”

               “And, us, I-” Mattaki’s voice cracked. He tried again. “I don’t make you feel alive?! After all this time, after the nannies, the vacations, the expensive clothing-” he waved his hands at her ten suitcases full of expensive clothing, jewelry, and makeup, “After all of this, and more, you don’t feel alive? Kami-sama, you never said anything to me! I could have done something, anything, and yet you are now leaving me alone for a man who tried to fucking kill you, who made you choose between his filthy ass and your own son, who has done nothing wrong? How could you?!”

               “You don’t understand! You never could! You’re a demon, you can’t feel love like a human can, like he can!”

               “How dare you! I chose you over everybody! I brought you in this house and almost ruined my relationship with Sesshomaru so that way we could be together!” He wanted to hit something. He wanted to run and hide, but he could sense his pups standing outside and listening in to this…this situation. And it was because of them that he squared his shoulders and left the room. Now he knew why she never wished to be his mate. Now he knew that she was simply biding her time before correcting her “mistake” wouldn’t lead to questions about pride.

               He grit his teeth. His pups. His pups didn’t deserve this. Not Inuyasha, not Sesshomaru. He would be strong, for them.

               He saw them both, both with wide broken hearted eyes staring back at him. Tears were trickling down his hanyou’s face, his white puppy ears flat.

               “Papa?” the hanyou whispered. “Is mommy leaving?”

               He couldn’t lie. Not when his son was looking at him like that. He couldn’t. He couldn’t say those cursed words aloud, so he nodded and reached to pick up the toddler. He took him and nuzzled the top of his white head, taking a deep breath.

               “But I’m not going anywhere, Inuyasha. I promise.”

               He looked over at Sesshomaru, whose eyes blazed with hatred at the woman who was packing in the room. “I’ll get her out, Father.” Mattaki, nuzzling and soothing his second borne, simply nodded at his heir. His boys, his light and apples of his eyes, would be his strength and he would be theirs. No evil woman would ever come between them.

               An hour later, he was alone in his big bed for the first time in ten years. Izayoi’s scent was everywhere, cloying and disgusting. He couldn’t stand being in there, so he sighed and left, instead going to Inuyasha’s bedroom to comfort the whimpering hanyou.

               His boys.  His boys were everything. As long as he had them to protect, as long as he had something and someone to protect, it would be fine. Looks like finding a true mate to love would take a backseat.

               He mourned the loss of ten years, even as he pet and growled at his toddler. Inuyasha finally fell asleep with his thumb in his mouth.

               How could he be so blind? But he couldn’t regret meeting the gold digging witch. She gave him something to protect, he thought as he laid down next to the small bed.

               It just simply meant that his true mate was still out there, and the best relationship of his life was yet to come.

Chapter Text

               Kagome couldn’t concentrate…. her stupid sister and her stupid fucking boyfriend!

               “Hey! Can you guys have sex somewhere else?!” she yelled. The moaning stopped for a second and started up again.

               Kagome’s eye twitched. This was her second paper that was due the next day…and Kikyo had one too! She growled and thumped on her wall, again.

               “Hey Kinky-hoe! We have a paper due tomorrow!” No response. More moaning, growling, and were those sucking noises?! Seriously?! She groaned and slapped her face. She just remembered: it was her turn to do the laundry… also…. tomorrow.

               FUCK.

               IT

               ALL

               TO

               HELL

               “KIKYO!”

               In the next room, Kikyo couldn’t ignore her younger twin. She moaned and threw her head back as Inuyasha did a particularly hard and delicious thrust.

               “Oh...nooo,” she moaned out. Inuyasha stopped banging and tilted his head to the side.

               “You okay babe?” No response. Did he do something wrong?!

               “Kikyo?”

               Said young woman almost threw him off the bed (which is impressive, considering he was deep inside her and completely frozen). She groaned.

               “Go…away, Kagome,” she moaned out. Inuyasha widened his eyes and turned his head around…and saw….

               Kagome.

               Said blue eyed miko had her eyes twitching and her hands on her hips.

               “Not until you finish your paper, Kikyo.”

               “I already did, so let me finish!”

               Kagome smirked and said, “I would love to, but Dad’s almost home.”

               Shit! Higurashi Miroku was a fucking pyscho!

               Within twenty seconds, Inuyasha was dressed and out the window, with nary a “See ya later, Kikyo!”

               Kikyo blearily stared at her smirking little sister and then threw her bra.

               “Gods, Kagome, you need to get laid!”

               Kagome smiled her dangerous smile and sweetly replied, “Why would I want a humping dog when all I need is a rabbit?” She laughed and left the room as Kikyo made a face and groaned, “Didn’t need to know that!”

               “And I didn’t need to see Inuyasha’s naked ass!”

               Touché.

               Kikyo rolled over and with a clap, turned off the lights. Kagome was gonna get it, and soon.

***

               Thirty minutes later, Inuyasha arrived at his house, and the first person to ambush him was his sister-in-law, Rin.

               “Where have you been?” she cried. Hearing his wife and mate exclaim, Sesshomaru walked into the hallway, sniffing.

               “The better question is: who have you been in?” he asked, smirking at Inuyasha’s blush.

               “Shut up.”

               Sesshomaru adopted a false serious demeanor. “Ah, my little brother finally becomes a man.”

               “Shut it.”

               “So which Higurashi girl was it? Or don’t tell me- was it both?” Sesshomaru chuckled as Rin and Inuyasha looked at him in distaste.

               “Sesshomaru, sweetie,” Rin began cooing at her mate in a high-pitched voice, “You better not put those thoughts in our child’s head or I will cut you down with your ceremonial sword!”

               Sesshomaru grimaced. “Sweetheart-”

               “Don’t ‘sweetheart’ me, Sesshomaru! Our child hasn’t even been born yet and you’re already making me doubt that your lechery isn’t going to be passed on!”

               Inuyasha looked at them back and forth. What child?

               “Our child was just discovered! Today, and you’re already freaking out about my so-called lechery?! Need I remind you just how you got pregnant in the first place?!”

               “Children can hear in the womb, Sesshomaru! Or were you not paying attention to the lecture? Oh wait: you weren’t, you were staring at the nurse’s tits!”

               “That’s not fair-there were informational brochures behind her!”

               “Oh, that’s a likely-”

               “GUYS, can you shut the fuck up for like one second?! What baby are you talking about?”

               Sesshomaru and Rin both looked over at him and clammed up. Rin grinned suddenly and smushed Inuyasha in a hug.

               “You’re about to become an uncle.”

               Stunned, Inuyasha looked over at his proud brother. “Is it true?” he asked. With a triumphant gleam in his eye, Sesshomaru regally nodded, then broke out in a grin.

               “We found out today.”

               “Congratulations, I’m-”

               “Jealous?” Sesshomaru asked, smirking. “It’s okay little brother, with that scent coming off you, you’ll impregnate Kikyo in no time!”

               “SESSHOMARU!” Rin snapped and hit her husband.

               He simply shrugged and left the room, hearing that Mattaki was home.

***

               Meanwhile, Higurashi Miroku came home to an eerily quiet house. His days as a go-between with the American ambassador were getting too much.

               ‘I should probably start thinking about taking over the shrine,’ he thought. At least that way Mushin would finally retire and travel to the main land like he always wanted. He sighed, and climbed the steps. He paused at Kagome’s room, and saw that the light was still on, and hearing her work on the computer, he experienced pride at having such a diligent daughter.

               Then, he paused at Kikyo’s door, which was slightly ajar. The light was off, and he decided, that he wanted to kiss his eldest daughter’s brow.

               Sneaking into the room like a thief, he put down his suitcase and promptly tripped over Kikyo’s bra.

               ‘Goddamnit. She really needs to start taking safe care of her clothing,’ he thought. But something wasn’t right.

               When he reached over to pick up her bra, why did he also pick up red boxer shorts? The better question, however, was that: why the hell were they wet?!

               He stole them and brought them into Kagome’s room, to take a better look at them. Why would his innocent daughter have boxer shorts?!

               Kagome looked up at him.

               “Dad?”

               “Hmm?”

               “Why do you have Inuyasha’s boxers with you?”

               Miroku shocked, looked over at his innocent daughter.

               “What the hell do you mean, Inuyasha’s boxer shorts?”

               Kagome snorted.

               “Inuyasha was here earlier. Guess the dumb ass forgot to put his pants back on,” she mused, shrugged and went back to work on her paper.

               Miroku wasn’t letting this go.

               “Who’s Inuyasha and why was he here earlier?” he asked sternly. Not even looking up from her paper, Kagome shrugged.

               “Inuyasha is Kikyo’s boyfriend.”

               Boyfriend?! His innocent little girl had a boyfriend?! Kagome wasn’t finished.

               “They were having sex earlier.”

               His innocent Kikyo wasn’t a virgin?! What was this world coming to?! He tried to get his shock under control. He asked again, thankful at least Kagome was still his little girl.

               WASN’T SHE?!

               “Who’s Inuyasha, and why were they having sex?!”

               Damnit, that came a little louder than he intended. Mushin, who was previously sleeping, came in the room with a sleepy Souta behind him.

               “Miroku! You’re finally home!” he crowed with delight, over powering Souta’s, “Daddy!”            

               “Hello, Father,” he said, bowing to the old man and catching Souta. Mushin looked over at the boxers in Miroku’s hand and snorted.

               “Huh, so he finally left. Good riddance, they were getting to be too loud!”  Miroku, already feeling the beginnings of a heart attack, widened his eyes even further.

               “You knew about this? And you didn’t tell me?”

               “Ha, I’m just glad that someone in this household has a pulse! You used to, remember?”

               “That’s not the point, Sango and I-”

               “But you don’t and I’m glad that at least one of your children hasn’t been permanently scarred!” He looked at the boxers and nodded. “Good for Kikyo- he sounded like a healthy young man!”

               “Who is he?”

               “You mean, you don’t remember? Mattaki’s kid, the hanyou!”

               “That doesn’t make it better, and you know it!”

               Mushin shook his head at his son’s ignorance.

               “They’ve been dating for over a year now.”

               “Sango didn’t tell me anything!”

               Mushin snorted. “With the way you too have been lately, I’m not surprised.” He took Souta from his gob smacked son, and looked over his shoulder at his irritated granddaughter.

               “Humph. You need sleep, and so do you Kagome!”

                “I’m still not finished!”

               “How are you not finished with that thing? You’ve been working all night on it. It’s one in the morning, and you have school tomorrow. Sleep now.”

               Kagome shook her head. “I can sleep when I’m dead.” With that, she placed her headphones back on and continued her (forty-five pages and counting) paper. Mushin shook his head again and transported sleeping Souta from the room. Miroku looked back at his uptight but brilliant daughter, and kissed her head.

               At least he still had a little girl.

               A little girl that would be graduating on top of her class and going to a world-class university on full scholarship, but still his little girl.

               And no man, dead or alive, would ever get her.

               Ever.

               He closed the door behind him and vowed to avenge Kikyo’s innocence. He squeezed the disgusting boxers in his hand, pretending that those were that damn hanyou’s teeny tiny balls.

               That would teach the damn dogs a lesson not to mess with the Higurashis.

               Forgetting how nonsensical it sounded, he nodded his head and went to bed.

***

               “Thatta boy, Sesshomaru! I knew you could do it!” Mattaki thumped his eldest on the back, ignoring everyone’s blushes.

               “And little Rin!” he crowed, his eyes wild. “You a blooming flower! I’m so proud of you!” He gave her a bone crushing hug.

               “Father, you smell drunk.”

               “I have to be, my boy! Why did you think that Kagura would be a good idea?”

               Sesshomaru shrugged. “She likes men, like you and-”

               “You mean, she likes men that have money, like me.”

               “You said you wanted a pretty mate.”

               “Soulmate, not a cold hearted kaze youkai!”

               Sesshomaru shrugged. “Beggars can’t be choosers. I saw your Tinder profile.”

               Mattaki colored up. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

               “Rin has a friend who saw it and sent it to me.”

               “Well then, fuck her!”

               “You did three years ago, remember?”

               Mattaki cocked his head to the side. “Was it that American kitsune? Sonia, was that her name?”

               “Yes, that’s the one!” Inuyasha piped up, eager to get this conversation over with. Mattaki looked over at his son, and sniffed him. His eyes widened.

               “Well well well, Inuyasha, do you have something to share?”

               The hanyou blushed. “No.”

               “Come on, now, boy! You smell like, that girl!”

               “It’s...”

               “Oh, don’t be so modest brother! You almost mated Kikyo today!”

               Mattaki looked from brother to brother, then thumped Inuyasha on the back.

               “That’s right! I have two virile sons, who-wait, did you say almost?”

               Inuyasha coughed while Sesshomaru chuckled.

               “Yes, father, almost. Her twin sister walked in on them before the half-breed could place the mark.”

               “Sesshomaru...” Inuyasha growled as his father howled in laughter.

               “Her twin sister, how hilarious! I wish I had my camera!” he howled further. He looked over at his younger son, whose ears were drooping.

               “Oh, it’s okay Inuyasha! It’s only the first time. Just don’t go near her twin sister, and you’ll be fine!” he chortled as his hanyou son stomped away. “Oh, come on, now, don’t be like that! Us Nishimura men are potent! You’ll get her next time!” He continued in his good humor throughout the night as he got ready for bed.

               It never once crossed his mind that Higurashi Miroku’s daughter was in for some trouble. He had met the girl, and she was good enough for his son. Not much to say about her, other than they were in love and ready to settle down.

               It never once thought that Kikyo’s twin sister was about to collide with himself.

***

               “Okay, I’m going over to Inuyasha’s house!” Kikyo told Kagome on their way home.

               “You can go to hell for all I care,” Kagome groused.

               “Aww, mad at me because you didn’t write all eighty pages of your original outline?” Kikyo teased her sister.

               “It was a brilliant proposal and you know it!” Kagome screamed. “I was just at the conclusion when I just had to fall asleep, and it’s all because of you!”

               “Me? Why me?”

               “Because you just had to have sex last night!”

               “He was going to mate me when you interrupted!”

               “Aww, how romantic!” Kagome jeered. “You could have done it anywhere else!”

               “Well, we will! Tonight. At his place.” Kikyo announced self-righteously.

               Kagome slumped forward. “Are you sure this is a good idea? We’re only eighteen and he’s what….”

               “Twenty-three.”

               “So, he likes jail-bait.”

               “I’m not jail-bait!”

               “We just turned eighteen two months ago and suddenly, without telling Mom or Dad, you’re going to bind your soul to the first guy you met?”

               “You don’t understand, I love him!”

               “Humph. Try telling Dad. He will lock you up.”

               “I’ll tell Mom first, and then he will have to calm down.”

               “He wasn’t so calm last night when he found Inuyasha’s boxers next to you bed. Grandpa had to calm him down.”

               Kikyo stopped in her tracks. “Are you sure?!” Kagome glared at her older sister.

               “Yes. That’s why I didn’t even reach sixty pages before passing out. So, fuck you.”

               Kikyo shrugged. “Fine, whatever. I’m going to mate Inuyasha and when we graduate, I’m going to live with him and his family.”

               “’Kay.” Kagome crossed the street, leaving Kikyo behind.

               “Don’t you walk away from me!”

***

               Mattaki grit his teeth at the amount of messages left by his secretary. Apparently, his old friend Higurashi (whom he hasn’t seen for over a decade) found out about Inuyasha and Kikyo.

               Well fine. Let the games begin. He wouldn’t ever stand in the way of true love, even though the girl was barely legal. Fucking human sensitivities. Hell, twenty years ago, he was the one helping him! Fucking hypocrite.

               He sent his old buddy an email:

               “Hey, I got your 30 different voicemails threatening my son with bodily harm. How about we talk about this? If I agree to make Inuyasha and Kikyo wait (even though Inuyasha can provide for her and she’ll never want for anything), then you have to calm your ass down. Remember how I helped you and Sango elope? Well, guess what, the reckoning has come and take this like a man!

               Sincerely, you apparently forgot about me.”

               Ding!

               Drinking his bland coffee, Miroku checked his email. There it was, from the man who used to be his best friend. Reading it over, he sighed. At least if he was signing Kikyo over to the sharks, it was better that it was a Nishimura shark, not that goddamn Hojou Akitoki dumbass.

               His only reply was, “Tonight, seven pm, the Higurashi shrine. Or else.”

               He then texted Kikyo, “If you’re planning something stupid, you better be home before I find out what it is and drag you back.”

               He leaned back in his chair and sighed. It was good to have control again. He just hoped that Kikyo had enough sense to listen to him. He gulped down the rest of the bitter drink, cracked his knuckles and began translating for the American ambassador.

               What kind of government sent a completely unqualified candidate to be an ambassador. He shivered. The American ambassador wasn’t just stupid, but completely unable of being presentable.

               He loved his job managing that pervert.

***

               Kagome was studying when the knock came at her door. She stretched and looked at the clock. It was almost seven. Her stomach growled. The knocking got louder, and she figured it couldn’t hurt to answer the door. She could also grab something to eat.

               Who was coming over again?

               Mattaki growled to himself. Fucking pervert couldn’t be bothered to even show up on time? So, stuck in his musings, he didn’t notice the most wonderful scent or the very beautiful young woman in possession of it.

               Not until he heard a delicate coughing.

               “Um, excuse me? You must be Nishimura-san,” said the beautiful voice. He looked down and locked eyes with gorgeous blue eyes.

               Kagome wasn’t faring too well either. His gorgeous amber eyes were only the beginning. Nishimura-san was very broad shouldered, with pure white hair tied up in a ponytail, a manly teal stripe each on his square cheeks and from what she could tell, an amazing body. She swallowed.

               How the hell did this piece of goodness straight from the catalogue of masturbation material produce Inuyasha?!

               Thankfully, said poster boy was too aroused to notice anything but this delicate angel. ‘Well, at least my hands are going to be doing something tonight. She blows every other woman I’ve ever met straight out of the water.’

               “Ahem,” a male voice echoed out in the courtyard. Both startled, turned to see Miroku looking hungry and tired. “Please let this man in, Kagome. You might not remember Nishimura-san, but he used to be my best friend.”

               Kagome was the first to react. “Okay, Daddy! I’ll heat up some oden,” she said as she pecked her father on the cheek.

               Handing him the food, she bowed to Mattaki. “I’m very happy to meet you, Nishimura-san. I hope your talk with my father goes well.” She hoped he wouldn’t notice her body heating up. She shivered as she heard a most delicious chuckle.

               “It’s no problem, miss…?”

               “Kagome, sir.”

               Ah so the angel had a name. It was perfect for grunting out during an orgasm.

               “Please call me Mattaki.”

               Miroku seeing this back and forth, cleared his throat and glared at the taiyoukai. The dirty old man wouldn’t have his precious daughter! His disgusting son already took Kikyo away from him, and no one would ever take Kagome!

               Ever!

               Mattaki uneasily observed his old friend. Twenty years could do a lot to a human. He just hoped that he would listen to reason.

               “So, Miroku, let’s talk about this.”

               “Yes, Mattaki, let’s.”

               There was awkward silence and both hesitated. There were twenty years in between them and both wondered how they didn’t see it coming. How hurt Miroku was about being kept from this situation this long. How Mattaki was hurt by Miroku throwing his friendship away. How shocked Mattaki was at being that attracted to Miroku’s daughter.

               They stared at each other in silence while Miroku gulped down his dinner. Mattaki noticed the under-eye circles, the tired visage. Miroku was only forty-three, and Mattaki over five hundred, yet Mattaki looked like a strapping forty-year-old. A silver ‘fox’, not yet leaving his prime. He took a deep breath.

                “So, let’s have this discussion then.”

               Miroku wiped his mouth. “Let’s do this.”

Chapter Text

               After three hours of shouting, Kagome heard them calm down. She sighed and turned on her phone. There it was: Kikyo was a dumbass.

               She mated the hanyou, even though she was told by their father to wait. This was going to be fun.

               She texted Kikyo and let her know about the discussion going on downstairs.

               Ding!

               “Sorry, I had to do this.”

               Kagome texted her back, “Going behind Dad’s back?”

               “I had to mate him. I have to leave.”

               Kagome couldn’t call Kikyo fast enough.

               When her elder sister picked up the phone, Kagome started to shout.

               “What the fuck is wrong with you?! Father literally said that he was okay with you being with him and you just had to wait!”

               “You don’t understand!”

               “Make me understand then!”

               “I can’t be in the same house as him anymore!”

               “So, you went behind his back, and bound your soul before we could figure this out? You seriously couldn’t even wait to graduate?”

               Sigh. “It’s my choice, Kagome, and I don’t want to wait. Nobody is going to tell me how to live my life anymore.”

               Kagome snorted. “Please. You just switched Dad with Inuyasha. Good luck with that.” She slammed her phone against the wall. People were so stupid, she couldn’t believe that Kikyo and her shared even half their DNA, let alone most of it.

               Meanwhile, Mattaki, under the guise of trying to find the bathroom, spied on Kagome from behind the door, and listened in on her conversation.

               Why he was behaving like a pup, he didn’t know, but he was craving her voice right now, and fuck it, why deny himself? ‘Mmmmm,’ he thought to himself, ‘even her voice is sexy.’

               Then he heard her sister say that she was mated and grimaced. Well, shit. The damage was done.

               Miroku was reading the news on his phone when Mattaki ran down the stairs and out the door.  Confused, the monk followed the taiyoukai to where Mattaki was frantically putting on his shoes and cocked his head.

               “Everything okay, Mattaki?” he asked his old friend. Said taiyoukai jumped, whipped his heads to look at the human and laughed hysterically, “Oh yeah! I forgot to do something very important, and I have to go, now.”

               “Okay, don’t let me keep you then,” Miroku said, confused at the inu’s behavior. Something fishy was going on.

***

               “Baby, don’t go,” Kikyo moaned out to her new mate. Inuyasha smirked at her, cockily smiling at the red and sweaty image that Kikyo made and said, “I’m just gonna get some food. I don’t want to tire you out, too much.”

               All he got a moan and he mentally high-fived himself. Three times in a row wasn’t too shabby, but he needed to get some food or else he wouldn’t be able to go on. He went downstairs only to find Sesshomaru with a video camera.

               “So, little brother, had your fun?” the elder inu said. Rin was sitting at the table shaking her head in disbelief.

               “Put that away, would you?” Inuyasha scowled. Sesshomaru slowly shook his head.

               “No way in hell will I do that, little brother. Have you already forgotten what you did when I first mated Rin?”

               Inuyasha blushed at the memory.

               When the moaning finally stopped, Inuyasha crashed into his older brother’s room with the ancient video camera, screaming, “Say cheese mothafucker!”

               Sesshomaru smirked at Inuyasha’s discomfort and continued to record his brother.

               “So, Inuyasha, how many times did you manage? Once, twice?”

               “Oh god, you two are insane.”

               “IT WAS THREE TIMES YOU FUCKERS!” Inuyasha puffed out his chest in pride. “And if you kindly step aside, Fluffy, I need to get some grub so I can continue on with my business.”

               Sesshomaru chuckled as he looked behind the hanyou. “I don’t think your new mate will take too kindly with continuing your, “business”, tonight.”

               Inuyasha whipped around only to see a clothed, irritated Kikyo. “Yeah, it’s so not happening Inu.”

               “Oh, it is, that is if you want the mating to break.”           

               Mattaki arrived, looking winded. Sesshomaru turned his faithful camera to his father. “Would you like to say something for the immense occasion?”

               “Yes, I would.” Mattaki stalked up to his youngest son and slapped him across the face. “YOU COULDN’T HAVE WAITED FOR EVEN A MONTH TO FUCK?!” he screamed. Even Rin winced. Sesshomaru continued to record, hoping to use this video as leverage.

               “You fucking horny rabbits couldn’t have waited for her to graduate?!” Mattaki scolded, pointing at Kikyo. “I just had a three-hour shouting match with her father, trying to talk some sense into letting you two dumbasses be together, finally agreeing on letting her graduate high school first, only to find out from her twin sister that you two already started the process!?”

               “Wait, Kagome told you?”

               Mattaki blushed. Interested, Sesshomaru pointed the camera at his father. “Well, not exactly...”

               Kikyo narrowed her eyes, “What do you mean, ‘not exactly’?”

               Mattaki blushed even more. Sesshomaru zoomed in. “I sort of.... listened in on her?” he said.

               “You did what?!”

               “Look, that’s not the point! The point is, is that I can’t let you break the process, and I can’t let your father find out!”

               “What happens if we break the process?” Inuyasha asked. “Can’t we just do it again?”

               “No, you cannot. If you break the process now, you will never be able to mate each other.”

               “Shit.”

               “Shit is right. How many times have you done it so far?”

               “Three!”

               “Inuyasha!” Said hanyou looked at his mate. “What?”

               “That’s embarrassing!”

               “The time for embarrassment is past, my dear.” Mattaki said, taking command. “Okay, that’s good. You guys only need to do it twice more, and the process will be complete!” He turned to Kikyo.

               “Okay, my dear, go upstairs and wait for Inuyasha.” Kikyo nodded and obeyed orders. Mattaki looked at his son.

               “Okay, you’re very lucky that you’re a Nishimura, my boy, this shouldn’t be hard at all!”

               Sesshomaru followed the hanyou and his father up the stairs into his father’s room, recording everything.

               Mattaki searched through his drawers until he found his favorite drink: what he liked to call in jest- liquid Viagra. He turned to the hanyou.

               “Okay my boy, drink all of this.”

               Inuyasha’s eyes widened at the literal two-liter bottle in his father’s hands. “All of that?”

               “Yes, my boy, all of it.”

               “What does it do?”

               “No time for questions! Drink all of it!” Inuyasha, frightened, nodded and chugged down the potion in one go. Coughing, he let himself get thumped by his father.

               “Okay? You feeling okay?” he asked his son. Inuyasha nodded and Mattaki and Sesshomaru escorted him to his room.

               “Okay, make me proud boy!” he roared. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru roared in answer, “NISHIMURA!” The camera was still on, recording the proceedings.

               “NISHIMURA!” Mattaki roared back, clapped him on the back, shoved him into the room, and locked him in. Mattaki clapped his hands, proud of his handiwork.

               The potion seemed to work, as the next two hours were filled with moans and sounds of slapping flesh.

               The camera finally turned off, Sesshomaru shared a glass of sake with his father, listening in to make sure that the sounds were continuing.

               “So, father?” he asked.

               “Yes, son?”

               “What was in the drink?”

               “Oh that? I spiked my favorite punch with Viagra,” Mattaki said casually, pouring himself another bowl.

               “But why?” Sesshomaru asked, “you don’t seem to have trouble there.”

               “I don’t, but I like the taste.”

               Sesshomaru still looked confused.

               “It’s like this, my boy,” Mattaki said, “it makes things more fun.”

               Sesshomaru cocked his head to the side. “In what way?”

               “It’s better than an acid trip.” Mattaki nodded wisely.

               “So, you take Viagra to get high?”

               “Sometimes.”

               “But why?”

               “Ah, my boy, you’ll figure it out when you get to be my age,” Mattaki said sagely, his eyes twinkling mysteriously.  Sesshomaru continued to listen to his little brother and thought. He turned to his father.

               “Can I have some?”

Chapter Text

Miroku waited by the door, hoping that his eldest daughter would show up. It was two in the morning, and Kikyo wasn’t even answering his many, many, many, many, messages

Goddamn child, he thought. At least Kagome has some sense and is at home, where she belongs.

He looked at the clock again: it was now two thirty in the morning. He sighed and got up, Kikyo is in so much trouble, she will wish she has never met that goddamn hanyou. He went upstairs and listened to any errant sounds. It all seemed quiet, so he went into his bedroom and undressed, plopping into his and Sango's empty bed.

Kami, Sango. Why can't you come home already?

I miss you. 

***

Contrary to what Miroku wished for his eldest twin daughter, Kikyo was in fact, very happy that she had met her hanyou mate. They ended up fucking a good four more times, and she stretched out, leisurely taking in her new room. It was covered in both of their clothes, and she smirked at that. She turned to Inuyasha, only to see him smirking back at her. 

“So?”, he asked, “How’d you like our wedding night, baby?” She giggled. 

“I liked it very much, baby,” she sighed and wrapped her body around his. He laughed. 

“Sorry baby, I’m all done for tonight. You’re gonna have to wait a while,” he said, tucking her hair behind her ear and kissed her on the forehead. She moaned in protest and tucked herself closer to him. 

“That’s okay, baby, we have plenty of time.”

Inuyasha beamed at her, “We do, don’t we?” 

His ear twitched, and he growled. “Go away, asshole.” There was chortling outside the door, and two smacks, presumably from Rin. Inuyasha was about to rise from the bed, eliciting a protest from Kikyo, and her delicate hand stopped him.

“Leave it alone Inuyasha. I’m tired.”

Another voice chimed in: “Hehe boy! One night of dirty dancing and you’re already whipped! Kikyo is just that good, huh?”

“Dad? Seriously?! Can’t a man get some fucking peace around here?”

“Well, a man can,” quipped Sesshomaru. Another smack occurred, louder this time. Inuyasha started growling even louder and started to rise again. Kikyo stopped him again. 

“Inuyasha, enough already!” He sighed again and lay back down. “Fine.”

“Whipped.” 

“Rin!”

Three different giggles. 

“Why you...motherfuckers, I will get you, in the morning for this!”

“Only if you still have your balls attatched to your crotch!”


“That’s it! Kikyo, let me-”

“Sit boy!” Kikyo physically pulled him down on the bed. “One more time and you’re sleeping on the floor!”

There was another loud guffaw. 

“Did she just tell you to sit?!”

“Dad! Can you take yourself someplace else?”

“And miss out on your first argument with your new mate? Not a chance.”

“Dad....” Inuyasha whined. Kikyo face slammed. 

“Mattaki-san?”

“Yes, Kikyo?”

“Can we please have some privacy? I need to ‘sit’ some sense into Inuyasha.”

Another guffaw. “Alright, anything for my new daughter-in-law.” Kikyo and Inuyasha waited until they heard the three interlopers leave before she rounded on him. Inuyasha flinched. 

“If you have so much energy to fight, you might as well use that energy to fuck me!” 

His eyes widened and then he smirked. 

“Well....if I must.”

The rest of the house only heard squeals and moans coming from that room for the rest of the night. 

***

Mattaki groaned as he stumbled his way into his room. The night had been long, as he, the head of the family, had to bear witness to the mating of his youngest son. He fell back on the bed.
Both sons mated, one son with a pregnant mate, and who knew? Maybe Kikyo had already conceived. Kami Sama knew they did it enough times to make a pup. 

So how about him? He was lonely, without a single doubt. He raised his sons and made sure they got what they needed out of life. He certainly didn’t think, that at this stage in his life that he would sleep alone and masturbate whenever he had an urge. Oh sure, he dated. Occasionally. And it was quick. He was handsome and rich, and women knew it. He no longer had to be hands on with his boys- they did their own thing now, and provided for themselves, for the most part. And with Rin pregnant, they would also probably leave for a private residence. And judging from tonight, Inuyasha and Kikyo will soon follow. 

He took himself in hand. He thought about his talk with Miroku tonight and the beauty who answered the door.
 
Kagome. Now she was off limits. Especially with Kikyo gone from the house, Miroku wasn’t likely to let go of her. 

But he could always fantasize about her. And maybe, sometime in the (near) future, he could contrive a reason to come round to the Higurashi shrine. 

He started slowly pumping himself, just up and down. He did it almost lazily, like he wasn’t thinking about anything or anyone. He thought about her eyes, her lips, her perfect round ass. 

He moaned, thinking about her naked body, how her smell would spike as he rode her straight into the mattress. About that soft moan that would gradually grow louder as she approached her climax.

He didn’t bother stifling himself. He started pumping harder and faster, until he was at the edge.
 
Not yet. He wanted to make this last. 

When he did come, it came suddenly, and he came all over himself. His breathing started to slow down as he worked himself to completion. 

He stared at the ceiling. 

Kagome. He needed to see her, up close. He needed to find out why he wanted her so much. 

After a while, he got up and cleaned himself off. He plopped down on his bed, wet and naked.
 
***

He must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing he heard was a loud knocking at his front door. He looked over at the clock. It was eight in the morning. 

Shit. Kikyo never came home last night.

He quickly got dressed and ran downstairs to answer the door. 

“Open the door, asshole! I know my daughter is in here and you need to hand her over!!”

Mattaki opened the front door and smiled. “Hello, M-”

“Where the fuck is Kikyo?” Miroku screamed as he shoved his way into the house. “KIKYO! YOU’RE COMING HOME RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!”

“Don’t be so loud! You’ll wake the neighbors!”

“Fuck the neighbors! I want to see my daughter!”

“’Dad?”

They whirled around to see Kikyo standing serenely on the staircase. Miroku stalked over to her and pulled at her. “You’re coming with me young lady!”

She resisted him, wrenching herself from his grasp.

“I am not going anywhere.”

“That’s bullshit, Kikyo. You are.”

“I am not. I mated Inuyasha last night. It is done. I don’t belong to you anymore and I’m staying here.”

“How dare you-”

“How dare I what? Speak to you that way? I am no longer yours to control. I made my choice. I’m staying here.”

“No, you are not. Mattaki and I spoke last night. You’re coming home with me, and you won’t see Inuyasha for a month.”

Mattaki tried to break in. “Why don’t we just sit down and-”

“No! We are not ‘sitting down’. I’m taking Kikyo home. Whether she likes it or not.” 

“Come on, be reasonable, Miroku-” Mattaki tried to soothe Miroku when Miroku slapped him. 

“I will not. Kikyo is my daughter before she is anyone else.” Miroku narrowed his eyes at Mattaki. “I bet you knew about this. I bet you came to my house to distract me while they were getting up in disgusting shenanigans.”

“I-”

Miroku waved Mattaki off. “I see that now. I see that you lied to me about the purpose of our discussion last night.”

“I-”

“You lied to me. My oldest friend.” Miroku shook his head. “My oldest friend is a liar and my oldest daughter is a hasty whore. Fine.”

He turned around and pointed his finger at Kikyo. She stared hard back at him. 


“Since you mated his son,” he jabbed his thumb at Mattaki, “you are no longer welcome in my house. Kagome will bring you your clothing and your other things. You are no longer my daughter.”
Miroku turned to leave but stopped at the threshold. “And Mattaki?”

“Yes, friend?”

Miroku snorted sarcastically. “If I ever catch you near my shrine and my family, especially my Kagome, again, I will not hesitate to purify you myself.” 

Something cried out painfully in Mattaki as he watched his oldest friend leave his home. But he straightened himself out. Kikyo was his daughter now. His duty was to her. He checked at her and Kikyo looked stonily back at him and climbed back up the stairs. He heard Inuyasha comforting her and her reassuring him that she loved him. 

At least they were going to be okay. 

***

Kagome heard as her father stormed back into the house and stop outside her bedroom door. He knocked gently. 

“Sweetheart? Can I come in?”

She eyed the vibrator in her hand, and her disheveled hair in the mirror. She sighed and peeked at her cell phone. Still nothing from Kikyo. 

“Just a second, Daddy!” she called out and set herself to rights. 

Five minutes later, she called back. “You can come in now.”

The door quietly opened. Her father was a disheveled mess: he hadn’t shaved his stubble, his eyes looked bloodshot and his clothing was wrinkled. 

He stepped into the room. 

“Your sister has mated Inuyasha last night.” He announced. When she didn’t gasp, he narrowed his eyes at her. 

“Did you know about this?” he sounded angry. 

“No, father, I swear! Here, look at my messages! I was trying to get her to come back!”

He swiped the phone from her and scrolled through her messages with Kikyo. His shoulders looked less hunched when he handed it back to her. 

And then, he hugged her tight as he sobbed into her shoulder. 

“Oh, thank the gods, at least one of my daughters sees sense!” he choked out. He straightened up and looked her in the eyes. 

 “Kikyo is no longer welcome in this house.” Kagome didn’t protest. She knew it was pointless. She waited for him to continue. 

“You may bring things to her new...residence. I don’t want anything to remain that is hers here, is that understood?” She nodded. 

“Good. I want her things out of here by tomorrow afternoon.” He turned around and started to walk back into the hallway. 

“Father?”

“Yes?”

“May I still communicate with her?” she asked timidly. Her father in his moods was a dangerous man. He sighed. 

“I’m not going to stop you. But-”

“Yes?”

“I don’t want you talking with Nishimura-san.”

“Why not?”

“Because I said so!” His outburst scared her and so she nodded in agreement, even though she was trying to hide her disappointment. Nishimura-san was a very handsome man, and a very intriguing one. 

Still. She had to stay in her father’s good graces, or he would never let her go to America. And she needed to get there at all costs. 

When he left the room, she got dressed and washed her face, and prepared to pack her sister’s life away. 

It was harder than expected. Her older sister always annoyed her greatly, but she loved her. It would be hard not to see her every day. 

Still, that was Kikyo’s fault for being stupid. She would never be that stupid herself. Her dreams depended on it. 

It took her all day to pack most of the clothing and chug it to her father’s car. The furniture would have to wait. 

She stretched on her bed that night, idly thinking about the homework she still needed to complete and the task ahead of her tomorrow. She idly thought what it would be like to see the handsome taiyoukai again. She turned her head to her vibrator, sitting there innocently. 

That night, she needed to use it four times before she was satisfied. 

***

She got to the Nishimura home at noon and hesitantly knocked on the door. She heard running and deep breaths on the other side. Then the door opened.
 
He was still handsome, but she had to remind herself that he was too old and that her dreams were more important than any fantasy. 

“Nishimura-san!” she said brightly. He smiled at her and opened the door wider. 

“I’m here to deliver Kikyo’s things.”

He smiled wider. “Yes, yes, come in! It’s Kagome, right?” he asked as she crossed the threshold. She smiled and nodded. 

“Where’s Kikyo?” she asked. 

“She’s out, meeting Inuyasha’s mother,” he replied, some tension in his voice. 

“Oh, Um, I have to deliver her stuff? And I need some help,” she said. He studied her intently and then said, “Well, I’m here! Let’s do this!”

Kagome tried to not react in any embarrassing way and accepted his help. They worked silently together, taking stuff from the car, and taking it into the house. It wasn’t uncomfortable, just different.

They were silent until the last box was wrenched from the trunk. 

They stood together amid all of the boxes and stared at each other. 

Mattaki looked like he wanted to say something, but then stopped. They looked over to the window. 

It was sunset.

Time for her to leave. 

“Well...thank you for your help!” she said brightly. He nodded.

“Well thank you for bring her stuff!”

She nodded and they stared at each other awkwardly. 

“Let me walk you to your car.”

“That won’t be necessary.” She said and walked down the steps. 

***

Mattaki stared at her diminishing form and sighed. She was just as beautiful, and he wished....

For something. 

Something quite different than when he usually wished things. 

It was confusing and probably hopeless. 

But he had to try...to at least determine if this was something to pay attention to.
 
***

Kagome got back to her home and dropped off the keys to her waiting father. She climbed the stairs to her room, ignoring the empty one next to hers. She started on her assignments.

Problem was...

She couldn’t concentrate on anything. 

She looked at her vibrator and bed. 

Maybe....just for a minute. 

She ended up falling asleep until her alarm rang the next morning. 

Chapter Text

March 1st 2000


Mattaki scanned the coffee shop, waiting for his errant friend Miroku to show up. He had sounded excited over the phone, saying that he had some kind of surprise. Mattaki kind of had an idea over what the surprise would entail; his friend wasn’t subtle. If Mattaki had to guess, the surprise was the girl Mattaki could smell on Miroku. 

Mattaki spotted Miroku with his arm around an athletic looking girl, with straight black hair set in a ponytail and determined black eyes. Miroku waved to his youkai best friend and grabbed a suitcase that Mattaki hadn’t noticed was near them. 

Miroku and the girl made their way to the back of the café, where Miroku loudly exclaimed, “Mattaki! You showed up!”

The other patrons turned to see who was making all the noise and clucked disapprovingly. Miroku ignored them all, and sat down across from Mattaki, and grabbed the girl so she would end up on his lap. 

“Mattaki, this is Sango.” Mattaki nodded at her and she blushed. Looking at the girl closer, he noticed that she was about three years younger than him. Mattaki inwardly rolled his eyes. 
Of course, she was a high school girl. 

“So, let’s cut to the chase: is Sango-chan here pregnant?” Miroku squawked and she blushed even harder. 

“Mattaki! What a horrible thing to say to my lovely bride here! As you know, I’m from a very respectable shrine family, I would never do such a thing!” Miroku smirked at Sango. “At least, not yet.” 

Sango giggled. Mattaki sighed.
 
“Okay, so why do you guys have a suitcase?”

“Well, my dear youkai friend, we need your help-”

“To elope?”

Sango piped up. “Sir?”

The two men turned to her. 

“If you’re wondering why, it’s because my guardians would never consent to this match and I love him!”

“So, this was your idea?”

“Yes sir. It’s the only way we can be together!”

“Okay...and how old are you, exactly?”

“I’m going to be seventeen next week, sir.”

Mattaki turned to Miroku. “I need to speak with you, now!” He dragged a protesting Miroku away from his bride. 

“Wait for me, my sweet! And while you do so, go ahead and order anything you want from the menu!”

“Okay!”

Mattaki took Miroku outside and dragged him into an alley. Then he punched him. 

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE KAMIS IS WRONG WITH YOU????” Miroku moaned in pain. 

“I LOVE HER YOU BASTARD!” 

“SHE’S SIXTEEN YEARS OLD! DO YOU WANT TO GO TO PRISON?????”

“THAT’S WHY I’M MARRYING HER!!!” 

Mattaki punched Miroku again. “She’s jailbait! You can’t find someone your age? An actual fucking adult???” He punched Miroku again.

“Let me explain you Inu bastard!” Miroku leaned against the opposite brick wall. Mattaki crossed his arms and nodded. 

“Okay, go ahead.”

“I love her.”

“That’s not an explanation.”

“I’m getting to it. Sango is an orphan. She lost her entire family and her little brother to the yakuza when she was nine. And while they found the perpetrator and executed him for his crimes, she was left all alone and the couple who are raising her are also involved in the yakuza and make her participate in their fights and recruit new members.” 

“How do you know it’s even true?” 

“Because my boss is the one who caught Sango on the streets and apprehended her.”

“Okay, but I still don’t understand why you have to marry her.”

“Because, believe it or not, I love her, and I want to keep her safe. The guardians she has now are weak and I know that they will take advantage of her.”

“So, it’s better for you to take advantage of her?” 

“Contrary to what you think you smell; I have not slept with her.” Mattaki sighed in relief. 

“I will help you marry this girl.”

“Oh Mattaki-”

“On the condition that you wait until she is eighteen to consummate your marriage. If you violate that rule, you lose my protection and Sango stays with my family and I. Understand?” 

Miroku smiled widely, his bruised face contorting. “Deal.”

Mattaki clapped Miroku on the back, “Now let’s celebrate!” 
   
                                                                                                                                                ***
19 and a half years later. 

“Miroku, we’re done!” Sango pushed past him with her old suitcase and slid open the door. Miroku looked at her, at loss at what to say to her just to bring her back. 

“Sango, please! Can we please talk about this?”

She whirled around on him. “No, we can’t. I cannot believe that I’ve wasted so much time here. Tell the kids I love them and will call them soon.” 

She left and took Miroku’s heart with him. 

“SANGOO!!!!” 

Chapter Text

Kikyo and Inuyasha got off the subway and onto the busy streets. It was Saturday afternoon, but it was still busy- teeming with people, either going out or going home. After a couple of blocks, they turned into an alley and walked up the door at the end of it. It was a subtle looking entrance, the back way into the apartments above and on the other side. Once in, they rang the bell for apartment 16 when a feminine voice called out, 

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Kikyo!” 

“And Inuyasha.”

The feminine voice sighed, then said, “Come on up.” The door buzzed and they walked into the dingy lobby and into the rickety elevator. 
When the elevator opened, they walked down the shadowy hallway where the last door at the end opened and revealed a woman with dark eyes and hair set into a ponytail. 

“Mother!” Kikyo cried and ran into Sango’s arms, which reluctantly opened up to hug her daughter. Sango looked over at Inuyasha and nodded at him politely. He nodded back and followed his mate and her mother into the tiny apartment. 

“You guys want some tea?” Sango asked. Inuyasha shook his head and Kikyo did the same. “We won’t bother you for long.”

Sango sighed and set herself down by the low table that occupied the apartment. “Please sit.”

Everyone sat down, awkwardly looking at each other. Inuyasha cleared his throat. 

“We came by because we had some news.” He took Kikyo’s hand. “Kikyo and I are now mated. We wanted to tell you in person.”

Sango didn’t react for several seconds, then sighed sadly. “I’m aware of that fact. Kagome told me last week...about the...happy news.” The air thickened with tension. Kikyo swallowed and licked her lips. 

“I must say, as your mother, Kikyo, that while I’m happy that you chose a good man like Inuyasha, I’m still disappointed in your thoughtlessness. Nor am I happy that you decided to forever bind yourself to someone so soon after your 18th birthday.”

“Inuyasha is the one for me, mother. I didn’t want to wait.”

“Are you pregnant?”

Kikyo sputtered. “Mother! Of course not!” 

“Then why the hurry? Inuyasha?” Sango turned to the hanyou. “What was the hurry?”

“We love each other, Higurashi-san.”

“So, you couldn’t wait the month that Miroku and Nishimura-san negotiated out?” 

Inuyasha and Kikyo looked at her, confused. 

“Kagome informed me of what your fathers talked about and how you completely disrespected the both of them.” 

“That’s not fair, Mother-”

“Not fair? You just needed a month to graduate. A literal month and you couldn’t keep it in your pants?”

“But you got married young!” Kikyo didn’t notice that Sango was becoming more and more visibly angry. 

“DO NOT compare yourselves to me! You know exactly why we got married when we did, and we didn’t exactly fuck around until the both of us were good and ready!” Sango waited for Kikyo to sit back down across from her before continuing. 

“Your father and I got married when we did because it was the only way to keep me safe. I loved him and still do, but that’s not why we married. And you better believe I wish I could make a choice like you did. I wish I could have had the chance to be a child, I wish I could have gone on to get educated instead of getting expelled. You sit here with a man whose father took you in without questions, who begged your father for your relationship to stand, who negotiated with your father to be allowed to be together and I had to sneak out, lie and drop off the face of the world so I could be safe, and you dare tell me that your life was unfair? Do you realize what you have done? You will never be able to go back to school, you’ll never get to live on your own, discover who you are without your mate and your entire life will be about him.”

“Hey, wait a second, Higurashi-san, I would never control Kikyo!”

Sango turned to Inuyasha. “I never said that. But you both will see that being with someone permanently will always mean that you can never make choices without the other. You will always have to consider them, even if you just want a girl’s night or a party. How much of an independent life will you lead once Kikyo gets pregnant?” Sango turned back to her daughter. “How much will you be able to grow once your entire life is about meeting everyone’s needs but your own?”

“I’m okay with that, Mother.” 

“Are you? Are you really? You couldn’t wait a measly month to satisfy yourselves and you think you can put an entire life ahead of you? Did you even consider how your sister is feeling? The amount of pressure she’s under, or-”

“No.”

Sango stopped ranting and looked over at her daughter, who was growing angry. 

“You don’t get to talk to me about Kagome, Mother. You don’t get to talk to me about responsibility because you were cowardly. You left us months ago without explaining why. Souta has been crying in his sleep for months now, wanting you to come home. So has Father.”

“You don’t understand, and-”

“Well there you have it. You don’t understand that all I want is a family. That I want to be loved for myself, instead of for Kagome’s sake, because we all here know that she has always been the favorite, the smart one, the ambitious one, the obedient one. Inuyasha loves me for me, not because I’m some powerful miko, but because he loves me. I’m tired of being in her shadow. I want a normal life, with a good, loving mate and I am old enough to know that. I don’t need years of loneliness to tell me that, Mother. I wanted to tell you to your face, like an adult. That’s all.” Kikyo turned to her mate. “Inuyasha, take me home.” Her mate nodded, took her hand and led her out of the apartment, slamming the door shut. 

They were out of the building by the time Sango broke down sobbing on the table. And she didn’t stop until the sky was dark. 

***
Kagome groaned awake, the bright light streaming right into her eyes, her scrambling to get her phone that was buzzing on her nightstand. She glanced at the clock; it was Sunday. The phone monitor revealed several text messages from an unknown number. 

Message one- made at 8:43am- Hey this is Rin. We haven’t met, but I would like to meet you. Kikyo talks a lot about you. P. S. She’s the one who gave me this number! I hope that’s okay!

Message two- made at 9:30am- So I was thinking we could meet in Shinjuku at noon today! There’s this amazing café there, they have the best cheesecake!

Message three- made at 9:45am- Oh my god, I’m so sorry, are you still at school? Maybe we could meet up at 3pm at Shinjuku station! 

Message four- made at 10:13am- Is.... this the right number? 

Kagome looked at the time: 12:05pm. Shit. She completely forgot that she had chores. And studying. And exams. And...
She looked down at her drained vibrator. She really needed to conserve the battery of that thing, she basically used up all of them last night. She groaned. 
Maybe getting a boyfriend isn’t such a bad idea.... 

Ping!

Another text message: made at 12:07pm- I totally forgot it was Sunday! Let’s meet! This pregnant lady won’t forget you and I heard you’re too nice to deny a pregnant lady cheesecake! Call me! Or I’ll keep calling you! 


Kagome growled and pressed the “Call” button next to the number. 

“Hello???!!! Is this Kagome?” rang out a very cheery voice. 

“Yes, this is she,” Kagome growled out. 

“Awesome!” the tinny voice continued, “So you’re willing to meet up at 3pm at Shinjuku station?” 

“And why would I do that...?”

“Because we’re sisters now, duh!” 

“Kikyo is your sister.”

“Well Kikyo is also your sister, so you’re my sister too!” 

“That’s a leap of logic...”

“I’m pregnant...let’s not argue, sister-dear.” Kagome heard giggling on the other side. “Come on, I’m sure you’ll love the café I’m taking you to. Please say yes.”

“Uhhh.”

“Pretty please? I’m buying! I remember how poor students are.” More giggling was heard on the other side. Kagome sighed. 

“Sure, why not? I’ve been studying all night...”

“Exactly! Okay, I’m gonna send a picture to you of what I look like and what I’m wearing. I assume you look almost exactly like Kikyo?”

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Well, yeah, we’re twins. I have blue eyes, though.”

“Okay! A Kikyo with blue eyes! Got it. Meet you by the concourse of the Keio line?” 

“That works.” Kagome spoke into dead air and in a few seconds received a picture file. When she clicked on it, she saw a toothy woman with flyaway hair, an orange and green sweater proudly holding her pregnant belly. She was very pretty, exactly the sort of girl that would giggle on the phone like that. 

Kagome combed her hair, washed her face and smiled into her phone’s camera. Then she sent it to the chat. 


***



Rin’s phone pinged and she lunged to get it before her mate heard the sound. Mattaki-san had been acting strange all week and wouldn’t tell them what had happened when Kikyo’s little sister came over to give Kikyo her stuff. 

She stared at the picture. She was very beautiful; she could see why Mattaki groaned out her name at night. As her pregnancy progressed, she found that she could hear and smell better (it was probably because she was mated to a youkai and was carrying a hanyou) and Mattaki-san smelled a little...different whenever anyone mentioned Kagome. 

Which Rin had taken to do so as many times as she could because Mattaki-san certainly acted weird around her and whenever she came up. Almost like...he liked her. Like, like liked, her. She was intrigued and decided to snoop around, because Kikyo wouldn’t open up about her. In fact, when she and Inuyasha came home last night, she looked angry when Rin asked if she wanted to see her younger twin. 

So, it was up to Rin to figure out what this Kagome was like. 

Which is why she didn’t want anyone to know about it. She was sneaky and if she liked Kagome enough, she was going to bring her over here and see how the two of them interacted. 



***



Kagome got to Shinjuku station two minutes before 3pm and walked herself to the Keio line concourse. According to her texts, Rin had been there for ten minutes already. She felt bad and made sure she moved quicker so that Rin wouldn’t be waiting for too long. 

Rin spotted her first and waved her over. 

Kagome held out her hand, but Rin bypassed it, and hugged her. “I’m so glad I get to finally meet you! Kikyo, and Mattaki-san have not stopped talking about you!” Rin smirked behind Kagome’s back, wanting to see her reaction. 

She wasn’t disappointed. The poor girl was tomato red when she released her. Rin pretended to overlook it and dragged Kagome out of the train station, surprising Kagome with her strength. 

Rin...was nice, decided Kagome. She was sweet and not moody like Kagome thought pregnant women would. She still remembered Sango pregnant with Souta, all bloated and angry. Was it a human thing? She shrugged to herself and tried to listen to Rin’s chatter as they walked towards the café. 

Kagome...was quiet and observant, thought Rin. She was nice and attentive and proper. Though she and Kikyo were completely different. Kikyo was loud and very opinionated. Rin could hear her and Inuyasha fighting (only like newlyweds could get away with) and then loudly making up. Maybe Kagome was the same, but she definitely looked like she had the world on her shoulders. 

They got to the café and found a good spot overlooking the sidewalk. There were a lot of people milling around; it was a very nice day so no surprise there. Rin stopped chattering for a while, while looking over the menu. Kagome looked over it too, mostly to be polite. It was hard but she was thinking about the work she needed to get done while Rin ruminated over the many cheesecake options. 
Finally, they ordered and then Rin really dug in. 

“So,” she asked, smirking, “You got a boyfriend?” Her question seemed innocent, so Kagome just shrugged and said, “Nope. Don’t really have a lot of time for all that.”

Rin seemed to think over and then the next question came, “You got anyone that you like?”

Kagome blushed, thinking about why she needed to buy new batteries. “Um, no?”

Rin openly smirked. “You’re blushing. Are you sure you don’t like anybody?”

The food and the coffee came, and Kagome was suddenly very interested in the meal. She looked up at Rin who didn’t bother eating her cheesecake, but was staring at Kagome, with that goddamn smirk. 

“Come on, we’re sisters now! You can tell me.” She leaned in closer. “Do I know him?”

Kagome was embarrassed and started wolfing down cheesecake. “I don’t know...” she swallowed, “what you are going on about. I’m too busy for all that stuff.”

“Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you can’t like someone!”

“Well, I don’t, so...”

“Uh-huh.” Rin didn’t look like she believed her. So, Rin tried a different tack. 

“You ever have a boyfriend?” she asked nonchalantly. Kagome shook her head. 

“Nope, my father would have killed me, and then whomever I was dating. Kikyo was always the one with the boyfriends; I tend to stay away.”

“Why not?”

“Because if my father ever lets me go to America, or England, I have to be on my best behavior.” 

Rin was confused. “What’s in America or England?”

Kagome shrugged. “Good schools and opportunities.” 

“What’s there that you can’t get here?”

Kagome thought about it. “Freedom.”

Rin nodded, pretending to understand. “Freedom.” She stared at the younger woman in front of her, analyzing her. So, the other twin wanted to fly away from the nest too, huh? That could work....if she ever decided to tell anyone about it. She filed that away and continued to ask Kagome more questions, trying to understand why a grown ass youkai like her father-in-law was fascinated by this girl. Though it made sense, since the houshi used to be his best friend. Cradle robber, eh? 

They talked some more, ordering more coffee. Kagome looked surprised at Rin and Rin swore her to secrecy. 

“Sesshomaru is becoming very protective and I need my freedom.” Kagome smiled at that...then,
“What’s it like to be with a youkai?” 

Rin smirked inwardly. So, the little miko wanted a taste of the wild side?

“Well, it’s almost like being with a human man...but, more. Youkai, if you know anything basic, are more possessive, powerful, and bigger.” She let that insinuation hang in the air. “My mate, for example, can tell what I’m feeling from miles away and can take care of me better than any human male can. I’ve dated human men, and let’s just say...they’re a lot more boring than youkai men. The living almost for forever doesn’t hurt either. I’m not going to age until Sesshomaru starts to. Best freedom there is.”

Kagome looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Freedom from age means freedom to do anything, because you have more years to accomplish your goals, freedom to pursue knowledge as much as you want and freedom to postpone children...should you ever want any.” Rin trusted Kagome to understand the implications. 

They chatted some more until Rin said that she had to go. 

“Will you walk with me? This pregnant belly of mine gives me trouble,” Rin said, and Kagome decided to humor her, even though Rin came all the way here with no discernable problems. Though, Kagome assumed, you never knew with pregnancy. Besides, there was no harm in delaying the inevitable. 

“Sure, I think there is a subway stop near your place, right?”

“Oh please. Mattaki-san will give you a ride back,” Rin said breezily. She noticed Kagome blanch. “Don’t worry, he’ll stop away from the shrine, so it looks like you took the subway.” Kagome smiled gratefully. “Thanks”

“Anything for a sister.”



***




They arrived at the Nishimura household just as it was getting dark outside. Kagome sent a text message to Miroku to tell him that she was going to be home in about an hour and a half (depending on her errand) and got his permission. 

She helped Rin up the stairs, who was visibly wilting from the exertion and they walked into the kitchen with the rest of the household waiting for them. Everyone looked surprised to see Kagome and Rin just said, “Look who I ran into today in Shinjuku!” Kagome blushed when she saw Mattaki staring at her and waved. 

“Hello.”

“Hello, welcome.” Kagome felt rather than heard Mattaki’ greeting and something inside of her flexed. 

Damnit, she forgot the batteries. 

Sesshomaru came up to Rin and picked her up while scolding her gently. Kagome smiled and sat down at the table near Kikyo and Inuyasha.
 
“How have you guys been?” Kikyo wouldn’t look at her so she looked to Inuyasha. 

“We visited your mom yesterday...she wasn’t pleased...to say the least.” Kikyo snorted next to him. 

“Well, that sucks because as stupid as you guys were, you clearly love each other. And I know that our parents can’t exactly talk,” Kagome said, reaching out to Kikyo. Kikyo hesitated but smiled and reached out to her sister. 

“Thanks, Kagome,” Kikyo whispered. “That means a lot.” Kagome shrugged. 

“I’ve been thinking about it, and I guess I understand, because I also cannot wait to leave and gain some freedom. So...I guess I can’t condemn you for doing just that.” Kikyo teared up and ran around the table to hug her twin.

“Thank you, Kagome!”

Kagome awkwardly patted her sister on the back. 

“No matter how much you annoy me and piss me off, you’re my sister, and I love you.” They hugged more, and were both surprised when Inuyasha joined in. They all started to laugh and cry when,
“Kagome-san? Does your father know that you’re here?” They turned to a very concerned Mattaki. Kagome extracted herself from her sister and brother (in-law) and shook her head. 

“He doesn’t.” She looked back at her sister. “I’m so sorry I haven’t visited sooner, and I promise I’ll visit soon, but Nishimura-san is right, I have to go home now.” 

She walked out the door and was about to walk into the street when she heard, “Do you need a ride?” She turned back to see Mattaki with his car keys. She smiled, 

“Why not?”

Chapter Text

“Why not?” 

She smiled as Mattaki grinned boyishly and bounded down the stairs and unlocked his nice car in a flourish. He was a gentleman as he held the door open to her and sat down in the driver’s seat quickly. 

And then they were on their way. 

At first there was an awkward silence until Kagome cleared her throat. 

“Um...thank you for the ride, Nishimura-san.” 

He flashed her a grin. 

“No problem! Can’t have you walking around at night alone. It’s the least I could do!” 

She took a deep breath. “Um...okay?”

He turned back to her. 

“Everything okay?” 

“Um...well...my father did say to stay away from you.”

He sighed. “I know, and I will park anywhere you wish me to, but you’re pack now. I’m not going to let your father’s paranoia put you in any danger.”

Kagome was surprised at the jolt of pleasure she felt when she heard ‘pack’.

“Pack?” she asked. 

“Oh yeah, you’re pack. You’ve been friends with Inuyasha for years and now that your sister and my son are mated, you’re family. And if you’re family, you’re pack. Especially since you visited Kikyo today. She’s been pretty beat up about your mother.” 

Kagome sighed. “Yeah, it’s been...tough.” 

Mattaki hummed. “I’ll bet. It’s never fun getting chewed out by your parents; especially in your situation.” 

“You know about our situation?”

“Only that your mom left the house and was angry with Kikyo about marrying too young. Which, considering the circumstances of your parent’s marriage, I can see why.” 

Kagome started. “What do you mean, ‘the circumstances’?” 

“You don’t know?”

“They weren’t in the habit of being forthcoming.” 

Mattaki nodded sagely. “To be honest, I don’t know if I just put my foot in my mouth. So, I’ll stop there.” 

Kagome sighed. “Is it that bad?”

Mattaki considered, “I don’t know if it is, especially, but let’s just say that your mother didn't exactly, how do I say this, had much of a choice.”

“So, you’re saying that they weren’t in love?”

“Not exactly?” 

“Nishimura-san, you clearly know something that I don’t about my family. Please tell me.” 

He sighed. “Okay, but please know that while I know the reason, I don’t have the full story.”

Kagome motioned impatiently. 

He continued, “Your mother had been in some shady business that her guardians involved her in. She wanted to escape, and your father clearly loved her and was eager so she married him.”

“She didn’t love him?”

“I didn't say that. She did, but I think she also knew that by submitting to your father that she was giving up on a life she wanted.”

“How do you know all of this anyway?”

“She lived with me about a year after they married. Your father came to me for help marrying your mother and I agreed to help only if they wouldn’t...consummate their marriage until after she came of age.”

“Oh.” More awkward silence. 

“Thank you, Nishimura-san: I definitely understand now.”

“You’re welcome.”

They rode the rest of the way back in silence. 

When they arrived about a block away from the house, Kagome motioned for him to stop. He pulled over and leapt to open the car door for her. 

“Thank you, Nishimura-san,” she said, giving a little bow. When she came up and faced him, she could see some kind of conflict within him. Then, he came to a decision and reached for something in his pocket. 

He grabbed the item and presented it to her. 

It was his business card, email and phone number provided. 

He cleared his throat. 

“Look, I understand what your father has commanded, and as a father myself I wouldn’t like this. But, if you ever need to talk, or feel unsafe for whatever reason, or even to check up on Kikyo if she doesn’t respond, please give me a call. I can see that you’re dealing with the fallout all on your own and you have expectations that would cripple even me. So please, if you need anything, let me know?”

Kagome deliberated, and hesitantly accepted his business card. 

“Good night, Mattaki-san.”

“Good night!” 

She didn't walk back home until she couldn't see his car anymore.

Chapter Text

For the next few days, Kagome saw no hide nor hair of anybody by her father, Souta and her sulky grandfather. She focused all of her attention onto her studies and her exams; there were many because she was in the last leg before graduation. 

Kikyo had dropped out; the school would have never let her finish now that everyone knew that she was married. Kagome tried to ignore the loneliness that settled in and she finished all of her assignments before the due date. 

Her days were simple: wake up, eat, work on homework, eat, try to sleep, masturbate, and only then could she fall asleep. 

All the while, Nishimura-san’s business card burned a hole in her pocket. 

When the weekend came around again, Kagome decided to go to her mother’s apartment. Sango had been texting her, clearly seeking a way to justify her rejection of her oldest twin daughter. Feeling particularly forgiving, she made plans with her mother on Sunday. 

When Sunday came, it was a beautiful, sunny and cool day. Kagome dressed herself quickly and stuck some toast into her pocket before her father and her younger brother woke up. She wrote a note:

“Going out to see Mom and run some errands. Phone is fully charged. Love you, Kagome.”

An hour later, she arrived at her mother’s shady looking apartment and was let inside. 

Sango coolly kissed her daughter; she wasn’t one for displays of affection, and motioned her towards the low table, which was covered with rapidly cooling tea and snacks clearly gotten at a convenience store. 

Kagome looked around the shabby apartment. There was the kitchen, the bathroom, the futon, the table and an old television- all which was situated against the walls to create the illusion of a big space. The walls were originally whitewashed and had yellowed since Sango moved in six months ago.

They exchanged pleasantries as they drank the cooling tea and ate the snacks laid out. After a half an hour, they both fell into an awkward silence. 

“So, Kagome?” Sango began after the silence became oppressive, “did you hear that Kouga-san is getting married?” 

Kagome’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Kouga Suzuki was their family friend. The wolf youkai had sworn himself to bachelorhood after getting rejected by his first love twenty years ago and to hear that he was getting married...? 

A goddamn miracle. 

“Who’s he even getting married to?” 

“Some secretary named Ayame.” 

Kagome choked. “A secretary? Wait....wasn’t his secretary named Ayame?” 

Sango chuckled. “Yes. Our dear old romantic friend is marrying...a mediocre secretary from Ishigaki.” 

Kagome winced at the bitterness in Sango’s voice and asked, 

“Have you met her?” she asked. 

Sango snorted. “Oh yes I have. She’s just as naïve as someone from a tourist location for Americans would be.” 

Kagome had nothing to say to that; she had been aware that her mother had sunk into some kind of depression, but she never looked down on anyone like that before. 

“Mom...?” she asked. 

Sango looked at her expectantly. 

“Are you okay?” 

Sango waved the question off. “Of course, I am! I’m finally away from your father. I’m free.” 

“What did Father even do? You guys seemed so happy. And then you left.” 

“That is none of your business. Your father and I are no longer together. That’s it.”

“Did he cheat?” 

Sango sighed. “Yes.” 

Kagome couldn’t say that she was surprised at that answer. 

“Do you know with who?”

“I didn’t care enough to ask. I married your father for a reason and we had a deal. He broke part of his. That’s all there is to it.” 

Kagome couldn’t get anything else out of her mother and the visit soon concluded. Kagome left the apartment with her mind reeling. As she rode the subway back, and then walked home, her mind was on one thing and one thing only. 

The business card.




***




Mattaki was having a good week. First, he talked to the most beautiful woman he’s ever laid eyes on, then she accepted his business card, then his family was happy and healthy. 

Sesshomaru and Rin were looking for a place, Inuyasha and Kikyo stopped fighting over petty shit (his sons were his nostalgia-how else to explain his sadness at seeing his sons all grown up and mated, and starting families? Definitely wasn’t jealousy), and he got a bonus at work. 

He was expecting a nice and quiet weekend; the kind that only happened occasionally. He had his favorite food, his favorite book, and he already practiced his kata for two hours. 

He was feeling on top of the world when his phone buzzed. 

(Unknown Phone Number) 12:09pm- Hello, this is Kagome. Can we talk?

He swallowed. Then, without thinking, he added her as a contact and,

Mattaki (me) 12:11pm- Yes, of course! Is everything alright? 

Kagome (sexy miko) 12:12pm- You said you knew my parents when they eloped. 

Mattaki (me) 12:13pm- Yes, I did. Is everything okay? 

Kagome (sexy miko) 12:14pm- My mother mentioned that they had some kind of deal when they got married, and that my father apparently broke it. Do you have any idea what she might have meant?



***




Kagome sent the last text with bated breath. This could be it- the moment she’d been waiting for. 

Mattaki (sexy youkai) 12:17pm- I shouldn’t have told you. 

Kagome (me) 12:17pm- Well, you did. Please. I’m so sick of the lies and secrecy. My parents fought and separated. Then my sister abandons our family, and now I’m barely ever going to see her.
 
Mattaki (sexy youkai) 12:18pm- I thought you were okay with Kikyo and Inuyasha. 

Kagome (me) 12:19pm- I am okay with them being together; I’m not okay with how they got together. 

Mattaki (sexy youkai) 12:20pm- That’s completely fair. However, this is not a conversation that should take place over a text message. When can I call you? 

Kagome (me) 12:21pm- LOL, you’re so old fashioned. 

Mattaki (sexy youkai) 12:22pm- Well, that’s part of my charm ; )

Kagome (me) 12:23pm- I don’t know that you’re what you would call ‘charming’.  : )

Mattaki (sexy youkai) 12:24: Oh, I’d beg to differ. You'll find out soon enough.

Kagome (me) 12:26pm- Whatever you say....    And you can call me tomorrow, at 3pm. I’ll need a place to hide. 

Mattaki (sexy youkai) 12:28pm- Shit. I’m sorry. I forgot about the ban. Maybe this isn’t a good idea. 


Kagome thought it over and, 

Kagome (me) 12:32pm- I don’t care anymore. I want to know, and my father won’t stop me. 



***



Mattaki blushed like a schoolboy. What they were doing was dangerous. 


Mattaki (me) 12:34pm- It’s a date. 

Chapter Text

Kagome had been anxiously counting down the minutes to three o’clock all day. She could no longer deny her attraction to the older youkai but his age didn’t sit right with her. 

He was old enough to be her father- adjusted for human years- and she couldn’t get caught up with a man anyway. 

Still, she was inordinately excited to know more about her parents’ history. Mattaki seemed to know more than he initially let on, and she would know all. 

At a quarter to three, she left the house and crept down into the old decrepit building on the shrine that housed an old well. The structure surrounding the well was a shed, with no decorations to speak of and it was on the back of the property. It was her favorite spot in the whole world, and she outfitted the bottom of the well with a bunch of ratty old blankets that no one would ever miss. Amazingly, the cell reception wasn’t bad at all and she would be able to converse with Mattaki well. 

***


Mattaki was a similar nervous wreck, pacing up and down until three o’clock. He had butterflies, something that hadn’t happened for over a quarter of a century, and he’d never had them this bad. Was it Kagome? 

Or was it because he was about to betray his friend? 

Never mind that Miroku no longer considered them friends, that was beside the point. Once a friend, always a friend, went Mattaki’s philosophy, because there was always a reason for someone to be in his life after all. 

Only Rin, who was the only one in the house, noticed his agitation with some amusement. 

 So, he was talking to the Miko, eh? She could tell it was the case because ever since he drove her home a week ago, he had been silent and distracted....something that Mattaki never was. And then, yesterday afternoon, he emerged with his face pink!

Pink!

At half past two, he left the house and Rin, bored, decided to follow him. She wasn’t a miko but spent enough time around youkai to know to keep herself at a safe distance away. He walked for a while and then took a sharp turn to go into a small alleyway with a red nondescript door. The door has a lock with Mattaki’s youki embedded into it- making sure that no one could enter without him noticing. 

Rin realized what this door led to and hastily walked away. If he was that desperate for privacy, then her being here would only make things worse. She would find out another way. 

She took out her phone:

2:55pm (me)- Kagome? It’s Rin. When are you free again?


 

***



Kagome had settled into her little nest on the bottom of the well when her phone buzzed. 

2:55pm (Rin)- Kagome? It’s Rin. When are you free again? 

Kagome fired off a quick message:

2:56pm (me)- I’m not sure, I’ll have to see. I have to go. Busy.


***


Rin looked at the alley way and then at her phone. 

“Interesting.”




***



Mattaki settled into his small den, having shook off his pursuer. He pretty much knew who it was; his daughter-in-law, Rin, liked to poke her nose in where it didn’t belong. He knew that she had pretty much guess who he had been texting with, but he was too agitated to care. She couldn’t prove anything to anybody and anyway, she couldn’t eavesdrop either. That’s why he had this small closet like space- to deal with intruders like her. 

He looked up at the clock. 

It was 3:01pm. 

He was about to press the “call” button when he had an incoming call from “Sexy miko”. He sighed in relief and pressed the green button to answer. 

“Hello?” He asked. 

“Hello, it’s Kagome.” He shivered. Kami, her voice was so sexy. 

There was a small pause. He heard her clear her throat. 

“So...you promised to tell me about my parents?”

He huffed. “Right. Of course.”



***



Kagome listened to everything he had to say about how he met her parents and how they had gotten married. It took about a half and hour to describe but after retelling the story there was one thing that wasn’t clear. 

“Mattaki-san?” she asked timidly. 

His sexy smooth voice replied in the affirmative. 

“What kind of deal had they made anyway? If they married for convenience then why would Mother care so much about infidelity?”

There was a pause and a sigh and then: “Because your mother had a boyfriend before your father and he offered her the same way out.”




***




Mattaki could tell that she was in shock so proceeded. 

“There was a man who caught her committing a crime and told her that she could either marry him or go to prison. I didn’t know this at the time, mind you. I only found out the night before they were going to move in with your grandfather. She was crying, saying that she was worried that Miroku would cheat on her and treat her like trash. The man who offered her a ‘way out’, was Miroku’s boss at the time- that’s how they met. Your father’s boss offered her an escape and she took him up on it, and then abused her and brought over women who he was clearly sleeping with but still wouldn’t let her go. So, your father offered her a deal: they would be faithful to each other and be together. If either she or he cheated, then the offended party would be able to leave.”

“That’s a really weird deal, all things considering.”

“According to your father, it was a way to get her to trust him. So, she took him up on it.”

“That still doesn’t explain why Mother would be all that offended.”

“I’m making the assumption that by then, your mother did truly love your father.”

There was silence on the line for a couple of minutes and then, 

“Well, that explains a lot. Thank you, Mattaki-san.”

He smiled. “Your welcome.”

He didn’t want this conversation to end. He didn’t want to get off the phone and go back to his lonely and suddenly transitional home. He just wanted to stay here in this tiny room and talk to her. 





***




Unnoticed to him, Kagome wished the same thing. Even though she swore not to get attached, she figured a small amount of time talking to someone other than her AI and her small circle of online friends wouldn’t hurt. 

“Sooo....how was your day?” she asked, lamely. 

It took him about a minute but finally, “It’s better now.”

She flushed, and she could barely hear him clear his throat. 

“I’m sorry, I’m used to flirting with everyone. That was inappropriate, I’m sorry.”

She laughed, “It’s fine. I don’t flirt with anyone, so I wouldn’t know what was appropriate or not.” 

“That’s amazing, how is that possible? No one flirts with you?”

“I didn’t say that I said I don’t.” 

“That’s fair.” 

More silence and then he ventured out with, 

“So, what are you planning on studying in university?”

She thought about it. “I’m not sure yet. I do know that I don’t want to work in the medical field, nor do I want to work as an engineer. The rest...I don’t know. There’s so much to consider.”





***





Mattaki felt surprised. Kagome seemed like the girl who knew everything. But he was curious about one thing. One thing her sister didn’t exhibit. 

“I’m wondering about something.” 

“Sure, go ahead and ask, I’ve got plenty of time.”

He took a deep breath and then,

“I’m wondering why you have manifested and not your sister.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, that while it was possible for Kikyo to mate with Inuyasha, it took more times than even I could have predicted. While you give off strong miko energy. How is that possible? You are twins.”

She sounded surprised: “How do you know that I’m a miko? My parents expect me to keep it quiet. You know how people are.”

“Anyone with a working nose can tell that you’re a miko. And anyway, that’s not a stigma anymore.”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I said that it actually was a stigma and furthermore, if you’re a miko, then you’re expected and ‘encouraged’ to be a nurse or a doctor, and I have no interest in that.”

“Why is it still a stigma? Do humans really find mikos of all creatures that intimidating?”

“Well let’s see: one, if we mate with a fellow miko or a youkai, we’re basically immortal and that means some serious legal issues, though Kami knows why. Two, people think that we have scary powers and so are only allowed to use them for ‘humanity’s sake’ which usually means some kind of healing work. And three, because people are assholes.” 

He snorted at the last one. 

“I’m still confused why you were the only one who manifested.”

“I’m not sure why, maybe because I was the only one who trained? As soon as I did though, my parents took pains to make sure I stopped.”

“Did you?”

“Hell no! It was too much fun!”

He laughed at that. Pretty, powerful, intelligent, and now funny? Fuuucckkkk. She laughed along with him. 




***




They chatted for a while more, laughing until Kagome’s battery was at 15%. She sighed. 

“I have to go. My phone is about to die.”

“You don’t have a power cord near you?”

“No, because I’m not at home right now.”

“Really? Where are you?”

“I’m in my favorite space in all of the world.”

“Which is?”

She told him about the well until her phone buzzed again to say that it was now at 5%. 

“Shit, I’m sorry. I really do have to go now.”

“Well, I guess this is goodbye then.”

She smiled. “Yes. Goodbye.”

She ended the call, surprised at how long they were talking. 

3hrs 23min and 34 sec.

Chapter Text

Rin didn’t know who Mattaki thought he was fooling. For the past month or so, he kept disappearing in his little hole in the wall and coming back hours later with a smile and a spring in his step. Maybe he fooled Inuyasha and Sesshomaru (they didn’t notice things like their father’s steps), but certainly not Kikyo, who spent hours observing her new father-in-law and finding him suspicious.

Rin grinned at the fact that not even Kikyo knew why he was so happy, just that a switch had turned on. Rin also kept tabs on Kagome, who while appearing busy, was also acting strangely and secretive and wouldn’t explain to anyone what suddenly occupied her time so much. Certainly not her schoolwork- she was done and was relaxing while waiting for the mail to arrive from the numerous American schools she had already applied to.

Rin approved. She was just a daughter-in-law and a sister-in-law once removed, but as the weeks went by and she and Kagome exchanged texts, she grew to love the little miko like family. In fact, she was going to meet Kagome at a coffee shop soon, so she was getting ready (which meant squeezing into some pants and a maternity blouse) and she was so excited that she didn’t notice Kikyo coming in.

“Ahem!” Rin whirled around and waved at her sister-in-law…. who looked paler than usual.

“I heard that you’re going to see Kagome today,” Kikyo said. Rin nodded happily and continued to dress.

“Yes, I am, do you want to join us?”

“No thanks…I have somewhere else to be.”

“Why not? You haven’t seen Kagome in a while. Is anything wrong?”

“It’s still a little awkward, what with how our parents reacted. And anyway, Kagome’s too busy applying for schools in America, which we can’t seem to stop fighting about, so I’d rather not deal with it right now.”

Rin couldn’t comprehend why going to America was such an issue, so she resolved to ask Kagome about it when they met up.

Along with some other things.

***

Kagome was running late, so she barely made it on time to meet up with Rin at their now favorite café. Rin…was nosy, but at least she didn’t seem to get angry about her university plans like the rest of them.

Rin was already at their spot, and when she spotted Kagome, she waved her over.

Kagome grinned.

“Hi! I’m so sorry I’m late. I had some things to do.”

Rin just raised her eyebrows.

“You mean like talking to a boy, something to do?”

Kagome blushed, nodding. She and Mattaki have been exchanging texts and emails, along with having some pretty long chats on the phone. She didn’t dare say anything though, Miroku would kill her and then she wouldn’t be able to escape. And escape was her main priority.

She and Rin chatted about how Rin’s pregnancy was going and then Rin mentioned that Kikyo had been acting strange lately.

“Acting strange, how exactly?” Kagome was worried. It couldn’t be easy to be kicked out of a family and have to make her own way.

“She’s been tired, and moody, and she said that you and she have been at each other’s throats. She hasn’t been eating well either.”

“Has she been to the doctor?” Kagome asked with a sinking feeling.

“Maybe that’s what she had to do today.” Rin shrugged.

“Anyway, why have you guys been fighting?”

Kagome hesitated. She wasn’t sure whether the older woman would understand the need she felt to leave.

“It’s kind of complicated.”

Rin smiled and reached over to her, gripping her hand. “You can tell me, you know. I may not be a miko like you, but after I mated Sesshomaru, my family was angry. So, I’m just concerned that that doesn’t happen between you and Kikyo.”

Kagome sipped her drink, thinking it over. She decided that she could trust Rin, at least up to a point.

“Okay. Well, you know that I’m a miko.”

Rin nodded encouragingly.

“Well, mikos here are pressured into the health field or be stuck being a shrine maiden. And I don’t want to be either one. I want to study biology, yes, but I want to work with plants.”

Rin looked impressed. “A botanist?”

Kagome shrugged, “Yeah, something like that. But the problem is that I’ll have to register myself as a miko because of my family history. If I leave, I leave my family history, but also the stigma. At least most of it. Kikyo doesn’t understand, and she’s angry because it costs more to leave than to go to school here. But I won’t have to be registered, at least if I don’t want to. Youkai over there don’t care as long as we don’t harm them, and vice versa.”

Rin wrinkled her brows. “But it’s dangerous over there.”

Kagome shrugged. “I’d rather take my chances than be registered. Or forced into a shrine marriage. America is not a perfect solution, but I need space from…well everything.”

***

Rin considered the young girl in front of her. There was clearly more to this story than just what she was saying. But she wouldn’t pry beyond that because it was a threat to Mattaki regardless. And she needed Mattaki to be happy.

“But what about that boy?” she asked teasingly. She noted that Kagome blushed.

“What about him?” the younger woman asked.

“Is he okay with all of this?”

Kagome shrugged. “He doesn’t know. I don’t have any news to share with him yet. And anyway, it’ll never work out long term.”

“Why not?”

“He’s… significantly older.”

“Is he a youkai?”

Kagome blushed again. “Yeah, but that’s not the problem. I can’t risk my escape, and if my father found out who it was, he would never let me go.”

Rin nodded sagely. Okay, she could work with this.

“Is it the age then?”

“He’s old enough to be my father.”

Rin inwardly grinned. At least Kagome had feelings…. She definitely could work with this.

“Why is that a problem? Older men are more fun.”

Kagome snorted and they both started to giggle.

“But seriously,” Rin said, “Tell him. He deserves to know.”

Kagome returned her smile with a tentative one of her own.

They dropped the conversation after that, but Rin started to formulate a plan.

***

Kagome spent the way home thinking about what Rin said. About telling Mattaki. But what was the point?

He was too old.

He was going to be a grandfather.

He was her father’s friend/enemy.

He was Kikyo’s father-in-law.

She didn’t have time for romance.

She would tell him, before things got out of hand. But it was out of the question to be with him.

Besides, he wasn’t thinking of her that way anyway.

She put it out of her mind.

***

Rin arrived home to a full house. Everyone was sitting around the table, with expressions ranging from excitement to fear.

Kikyo was in the middle, looking frightened.

“Is everything okay?” Rin asked brightly.

She turned to Inuyasha, who looked a little sick.

“I’m pregnant,” Kikyo said.

“Congrats!” Rin beamed. “Soon we’ll have two babies!”

She turned to Sesshomaru, who was happy, and to Mattaki, who was ecstatic and proud.

They chatted for a bit, and then, as they were leaving the kitchen, Kikyo took Rin aside.

“Look, I know you speak with my sister. But let me tell her.”

Rin assured her that she wouldn’t dream of announcing her news. But she did make a note to check in with Kagome to make sure Kikyo did tell her sister. They owed it to each other.

***

Mattaki was the last one to leave the kitchen after the announcement. He was happy, but scared. Inuyasha and Kikyo were so young, but they were adamant that they would keep the baby. He couldn’t dissuade them, so he chose to think of it as a blessing.

He wondered if Kagome knew already. It was unlikely, as the twins were fighting over Kagome’s plans to leave Japan for school. He was unhappy about that, as in the short time he knew Kagome, he grew increasingly attached to her.

No, scratch that.

He was in love.

And he had hope that she would feel that way…eventually.