#yes that’s right this was while I was at peak hotheadedness

[mari-vargas]

Allergies can be weird. Allow me to preface this by saying I’ve never had an actual allergy test and am in fact the only one in my close family that’s never been tested for allergies. That being said my family has had copious experience with identifying allergies. Which is good because as it turns out I learned a couple months ago that if I were to be administered an allergy test the doctors would not be able to tell what I was or wasn’t allergic to due to a couple of skin issues I have.

I can say with absolute confidence that I am allergic to dust (to be more specific basically any particulate that is or could be in the air such as pollen, ash, dead skin, sand, clay, etc and even occasionally steam) and Red 40. The way I learned of both of these are quite the stories themselves, but they’ve each been backed up by multiple experiences. There is however one thing I say I’m allergic to but have only a single interaction with and therefore cannot confirm in the same manner as the first two. This is ginseng. Ginseng is often found in energy drinks and some teas among other things. The reason why I say I’m allergic to ginseng after one one experience is because I don’t ever want to experience anything like it again.

As I said, ginseng is in some energy drinks; in particular to this tale it is in Rock Star. (Alright brief tangent time just because it might be confusing if I don’t clarify this right now: I went to an Early College High School meaning whilst is high school I also took college classes through my program and my high school was on the local college campus) One day when I was in high school, Rock Star was doing some sort of advertising thing and giving out free Rock Stars in the cafeteria (the college cafeteria). Some of my friends got some of these. When they heard I’d never tried it before they were flabbergasted and one of the guys offered me the first sip of his so I could determine whether it was worth it to get a whole one of my own.

So I took a sip….and the next thing I personally can remember is waking up facing the underside of a table in the opposite corner of the cafeteria, with my friends crowding around worried, shouting nonsensically and asking if I’m okay. I literally have a black spot in my memory starting immediately mid-sip and fading back in somewhere completely different. From what my friends told me I can deduce that it was as if I’d had the most extreme sugar high and the harshest sugar crash. I’d apparently ran several laps around the cafeteria even up and down and around the stage and then suddenly startlingly stopped dead still before collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut. I had initially assumed it had been the sugar, although I was rather concerned by my lack of memory. In fact I would have continued to assume as much…if it weren’t for how the rest of the day had gone.

I wound up being nauseous the remainder of the day into the evening and threw up a handful of time in the early afternoon. Two of my female friends—one who was with me at the time of the incident and was a grade below me and the other who was in most of my classes and all the afternoon ones that day—watched over me for the rest of the day (the one not in my classes did not have another class until after the high school classes were done for the day so she stayed near the bathroom in case I ran in). I made them swear they wouldn’t tell the office I was throwing up because at that point I’d been sick so many times with various things (always “and a sinus infection”) that between the doctor telling me to stay home or me having to leave mid-day I hadn’t attended my US History class (with my favorite teacher) in a month maybe more. I refused to be sent home early (again!) for something non contagious that I had inadvertently done to myself. BUT if I started exhibiting anything more worrisome than the nausea and puking I told them to get help. I should perhaps explain my stance on those symptoms but that’s a story in and of itself. The short version is that for most of my life I honestly can’t remember ever not being some level of nauseous and due to a childhood in which there hardly was a day I didn’t throw up before we were meant to leave in the morning, my family developed a rule that I wouldn’t be held from school (or wherever else we were going) unless it happened twice. Usually it was just the once and I was completely fine for the rest of the day. Schools obviously don’t have that rule and you get sent home after just once. Even to this day I don’t know why I have had that problem, could be anxiety, overactive stomach enzyme, ate too much or too little, post nasal drip while I slept, dehydration….all valid reasons and all ones that I have perused to some extent of success but never seems to be the full picture. I don’t know but it’s how my life is so I know I have a skewed perspective.

But anyways ya the only thing in the Rock Star that was new was the ginseng and as such I have not dared go near it since because I don’t care enough to confirm. That being said for all I know it could be like when I thought I might be allergic to bees—that’s a heck of a story but again the short of it is actually that I seem to react far less to bee stings than even most people who are not allergic and the incident that made me think I was might’ve simple been my leg falling asleep and swelling from the position I was in.

I started this a couple days ago and got busy in the middle of typing it…for two days…so there’s probably going to be another story time I’ll be starting immediately after posting this one.

[xoxopandapanda]

Little Family Ch. 18

Chapters  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

FF.net

AO3

As it grew closer to night fall, Inuyasha felt his strength finally slip away, along with all of his senses. Thankfully, Grandpa had only needed his height, not strength, for sorting out the shed. Inuyasha set the last vase on the top shelf before he heard Kagome calling them in for dinner.

He walked slowly behind Grandpa, listening to the old man talk about the new baby that had been borne to some patrons recently and the shrine visits of late.

Entering the house, he paused to wipe his feet before helping Grandpa get his shoes off.

He wasn’t sure the older man needed the help, but he didn’t reject it ether.

Kagome nodded at Inuyasha as the two of them entered the dining room, and Inuyasha nodded back.

“Can you go get Koji and Souta?” Kagome asked her husband.

Inuyasha didn’t acknowledge the request verbally, instead just turning to go upstairs.

Inuyasha walked into Souta’s room, where the toddler was still sitting on his uncle’s lap. “Was he good for you?” Inuyasha asked.

Koji looked over his shoulder at his father when he heard his voice, giving him a big smile. As soon as Koji lifted his arms up in the air, Inuyasha scooped him up and held him close. While it had only been a very brief amount of time they had been separated, it had felt long since it was rare they were apart.

Souta smiled up at his brother-in-law. “Yeah, he was helping me with my math. Weren’t you, little man?” Souta tickled the bottom of Koji’s feet, causing the boy to squirm and squeal with joy.

“Good to hear,” Inuyasha said as he bounced the boy up and down slightly in his arms. “Dinner’s ready.”

Souta stood, nodding his acknowledgement to Inuyasha’s statement. Inuyasha turned, still holding Koji close, and walked out the door, Souta not far behind.

Kagome and Mama Higurashi had set up the dinner table while Inuyasha was collecting the boys. The very simple meal of grilled fish, rice, and several appeasing smelling side dishes gather Koji’s attention very quickly. He squirmed viciously in Inuyasha’s arms, trying to gain access to the food as quickly as possible.

Inuyasha sat cross-legged, placing Koji in his lap and trying to keep him from toppling the dishes in his excitement to get to the food. Grandpa, despite Inuyasha’s attempts to keep the food away from Koji until everyone was seated, started to give Koji small amount of rice with his chopsticks.

Koji used his fists to cram the food into his mouth.

“Koji, are you making mochi with your rice?” Kagome teased her son as she sat next to her husband.

Koji looked over at her when she spoke, chewing loudly on the food in his mouth.

Once the rest of the family was seated, and Souta laughing at his nephew’s antics, Inuyasha put the side dishes close enough for Koji to grab some while Kagome pulled the fish apart into smaller pieces, removing the bones so Koji wouldn’t choke.

Koji shoveled food into his mouth as normal, getting just as much into his body as he got onto his and his father’s clothes. Inuyasha and Kagome took small bites here and there, wanting Koji to have his fill more than them.

Koji made a mad scramble for Grandpa’s rice again, this time very determined to eat that particular bowl and not the one his father had tried to put into his grasp. As his little fist made contact with the rice, Kagome tried to pull his hand away, but a fistful went with the offending appendage.

“Oh Grandpa, I’m sorry.” Kagome took her untouched bowl and moved it towards her grandfather. “Here, have this one. I’ll eat the one he touched.”

Grandpa laughed loudly, a sound that both fascinated and started Koji. The smaller child leaned forward, his red ears peaking up and standing at alert from the sound.

“You say that as if this is the first time I’ve eaten with a child.” Grandpa offered more of his food to Koji, who was happy to oblige and take it. “You used to do the same things to me when you were little, Kagome.”

Kagome felt the heat of an embarrassed blush creep up her ears and cheeks.

Grandpa continued, paying no mind to Kagome’s embarrassment, “Why yes, it has been quite a while since I’ve had this much entertainment at a meal.”

Koji, despite not understanding what was going on, was gleeful for the attention and extra food and flashed a big, bright smile at his great-grandfather. Grandpa returned the smile, leaning his face towards to rub noses with the toddler.

Koji’s eyes went wide at the contact, but he didn’t pull away.

Grandpa did however, touching one finger to the end of his nose. “Why,” he exclaimed, “he’s got a wet nose!”

Inuyasha snorted loudly. “Yeah, he’s a dog demon.”

Souta asked from across the table, “Do you have a wet nose, Inuyasha?”

“Well, yeah.”

Kagome added, “Not right now you don’t.”

Inuyasha shrugged, picking up some food from his leg to eat it. The action caused Koji to look down, and, upon seeing the treasure trove of food on his father’s pant leg, started to eat it as well. Kagome shot Inuyasha an unamused look that he ignored.

Mama patted Kagome’s arm tenderly, before speaking. “Oh, that’s just what dads and their kids do, Kagome. Don’t be too upset by them eating dropped food.” She addressed Inuyasha next. “Why isn’t your nose wet now?”

“It’s my human night. I start to lose a lot of my demon features as the day goes on.”

Mama nodded understandingly. “Right. I apologize. I forgot about that.”

Inuyasha pulled a piece of lint from Koji’s hand to prevent him from eating it. “The transformation will start soon. You’d have remembered then.”

Mama smiled at Inuyasha’s attempt to comfort her, looking tenderly over at Kagome who was trying to bribe Koji into eating some fish. “You two have grown up so much…” she whispered out.

Kagome paused, still holding up the fish in her chopsticks by Koji’s face, not that the boy was paying any attention to it. “You think so?” she asked her mother.

“Yes. I can tell how much you’ve grown just from becoming his parents.”

Grandpa agreed. “You two are much more mellow, too. The hotheadedness is just about gone from both of you.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, old man. I was never hotheaded.” Inuyasha’s comment earned him a stare from his wife.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, wanting to scold him for his stubbornness. But, Inuyasha, sensing his wife’s look, gave her a smile that reached his eyes. He was teasing her.

Kagome rolled her eyes and tried to get Koji’s attention away from the rice and seaweed on his father’s lap to eat something other than dropped food. Koji finally looked over at her, took the fish in his hand, shoved it into his mouth, and returned to picking up singular rice grains from his father’s pants.

Kagome sighed in defeat. There was no pulling Koji’s attention away from eating the remnants on Inuyasha’s leg. “I guess,” Kagome spoke, returning to her mother’s comments from before, “the world seems so different with him in it. Like there’s no reason to argue; he’s healthy. There’s no reason to be mad; he’s growing up just fine. He relies so heavily on us for daily needs and survival, that the little things that used to annoy me just don’t matter as much anymore.”

Kagome looked over at her mother. “I think that’s what parenthood is supposed to do, right?”

Her mother nodded, smiling softly at her daughter across the table. “Yes,” she responded softly. “That’s what parenthood does.”

Their attention was drawn away from the conversation at hand as Inuyasha’s body thumped, his blood rushing with the beginnings of his transformation. Koji was startled from eating and looked up, twisting his body all the way around to look up at his father.

Inuyasha looked back at Koji, scrunching up his face to hopefully distract the toddler from the transformation happening, but Koji paid no attention to the look that usually made him laugh.

As Inuyasha’s ears retreated from the top of his head into the lower half, going from furry triangles to plain human ears, Koji lurched to grab the top of his father’s head in concern.

“They’re not there anymore, kiddo.” Inuyasha tilted his head down so Koji could thoroughly investigate his scalp.

Koji shrieked in horror as Inuyasha’s hair, starting from the root, turned pitch black, and he grabbed on as hard as he could. Inuyasha yelped from the pain and Kagome rushed to pull Koji’s hands from her husband’s head.

“Not so hard, baby!” Kagome used her finger to wedge Koji’s fist out of Inuyasha’s locks. “That hurts!”

Inuyasha, once Kagome had loosened Koji’s grip enough for him to pull away, raised his head up, giving Koji a stern look. “What? You act like you’ve never seen this before,” he said flatly.

“Maybe he hasn’t.” Kagome went to take Koji from Inuyasha, but the toddler pulled away from her grasp. “Maybe he’s never seen what he looks like on his human night.”

Inuyasha cast a sideways glance at his wife, considering her words. Koji’s life before them was all but unknown, and on his human night not too long ago, he hadn’t been near anything that would have allowed him to see his reflection.

Perhaps she was right, he thought. Perhaps Koji’s never seen what a hanyou’s transformation looked like – just felt it.

Inuyasha eyes, now a soft gray instead of a blazing gold, took in Koji’s body language. He had grabbed his father’s front when he was forced to let of his hair, his body ridged and eyes wide. He was taking in the sight of his father’s appearance, frightened by the change.

Inuyasha pulled Koji close, patting his back and humming to him once he saw the welling of tears in his son’s eyes.

“Hey now,” he spoke softly, rubbing the tiny back that was barely bigger than both of his hands, “why are you crying?”

Koji whimpered, burying his face into Inuyasha chest and rubbing his nose harshly on the firerat robe.

Inuyasha gave Kagome a confused glance, hoping she could clear up his confusion.

“Maybe he’s scared for you? He knows how terrifying the experience is first hand.”

Inuyasha shook his head. “There’s no need for any of this though.”

“Perhaps so,” Mama’s voice flittered from the other side of the table, “but he’s young and everything is very new to him.”

Inuyasha lifted his gaze to his mother-in-law and considered her words very carefully. He sighed to himself, lifting Koji up to his shoulder and cuddling him. Koji accepted the change of position readily, pressing his face firmly into the crook of his father’s neck. Inuyasha was at a loss for words, unsure of how to offer the small child comfort or relief from his distress.

Kagome scooted closer to place her head by Koji’s on Inuyasha’s shoulder and put her hands on both her husband and child’s back. Koji let out a soft, shuddering sigh at his mother’s contact, his body still trembling.

Mama asked Souta for help cleaning up the dinner table, telling Kagome she would set aside food for the three of them to eat later. Kagome nodded her thanks, not moving from her husband’s side. Koji’s body continued to shake slightly in Inuyasha’s embrace.

Inuyasha confessed to his wife, “I don’t know what to do.”

Kagome kissed his shoulder. “That’s okay. We’ll figure it out together. Right now, we’ll just be.”

Inuyasha was thankful for Kagome’s unwavering resolve. His mind whirled with all the ways he was, in that moment, he was failing Koji as a father. He couldn’t offer any sort of comfort to his child, and it was his condition that was scaring the boy. What kind of father allowed his child to remain frightened?

Kagome’s soft embrace on both of them stilled his worries for the time. He wanted to tell Kagome about his worries and fears, but he didn’t know how. He had never had a family he could rely on, and now that he did, he often didn’t know how to ask for help.

But Kagome’s constant presence and love eased his mind enough for him to just be, like she had said.

Koji, after a while, lifted his head up from Inuyasha’s shoulder and touched Inuyasha’s face to look at him. Inuyasha saw the welling of tears still just sitting on the surface of Koji’s eyes, the brown irises boring into his. Koji patted the side of Inuyasha’s face gently, in the same way Inuyasha sometimes did when Koji was upset or overly tired.

Inuyasha blinked at the contact, feeling the tiny palm smack softly against his face. Koji leaned forward to kiss Inuyasha’s cheek before resuming patting the side of his father’s face.

Inuyasha smiled, recognizing that Koji was trying to offer the same kind of comfort he received. He leaned his head down to press their foreheads together, rubbing them softly and mussing up Koji’s fine hair.

“Thanks, bud,” he spoke softly to his son.

Kagome’s heart nearly burst at the sight of Koji’s affection for his father. It must all be very confusing for the poor child, trying to figure out what was going on with Inuyasha. But still, despite his confusion and fear, Koji was trying to offer Inuyasha some sort of comfort himself.

She wondered whatever they had done in their lives to deserve such a loving child.

Koji placed his head back down, satisfied that he had soothed his father’s worry for the time being, and sniffled lightly. He rubbed his eyes with one hand, the other reaching behind Inuyasha’s neck to hold onto his other shoulder.

Grandpa, who had been watching the whole exchange with gentle interest, look the peace and the relaxed state of the boy as a sign that the stressful events were over. Reaching into the cabinet next to the wall, Grandpa pulled out the television remote and turn it on. The slight rumble of static perked Koji’s ears up, and the sudden talking of a news report put the boy on full alert.

Koji’s head shot up from his father’s shoulder and he looked at the television in confusion. His ears twitched and flicked back and forth. He tilted his head left and right, assessing the sounds he was hearing from the box across the room.

Kagome watched him as he stared at the television. She remembered the first time Inuyasha had seen a new report. He had stalked around the room looking for where the person was hiding, and had moved the TV around to confirm the man wasn’t in the room. He had asked Kagome how this man knew about the weather, and how he was talking to them, urgent in his demands.

Inuyasha had come to accept that technology of the future was beyond his understanding, but had come to enjoy the past time of watching a program with Souta or Grandpa while Kagome was at school.

She saw the same wonder and fascination that Inuyasha had experienced play across Koji’s face.

Koji squirmed to get out Inuyasha’s arms, moving to stalk across the floor and around the table. He watched the face of the man on the television intently, the same way he watched Inuyasha when they played together.

As the man moved on to the local news, including the breaking ground ceremony that had happened earlier in the day, Koji moved suddenly to stand before the screen.

He stood, tense and rigid in front of the large screen, his body ready.

“He’s not going to notice you, Koji,” Inuyasha called to his son. “He’s not in the room.”

Koji side stepped to get out of the line of vision of the man on the television before turning to look at his father. He looked back and forth between the screen and his father, as if asking what was going on.

The screen flashed clips of the breaking ground ceremony, dozens of people lined up to watch the event and a priest in a large hat and heavily decorated robes began a blessing chant over the ground. As soon as the priest appeared on the screen, Koji’s body froze and his eyes remained on the man.

As soon as the camera panned over to the crowd, the toddler scrambled to run back to his father before the priest appeared on the television again. Climbing up to cling to Inuyasha’s torso, Koji looked over his shoulder at the image of the blessing ceremony. When the priest came up again, Koji buried his head into Inuyasha’s shoulder, whimpering in fear.

Kagome rubbed Koji’s back, placing her hand just under Inuyasha’s one that had rose to hold the boy close to him. “It’s okay, baby,” Kagome murmured. “He’s not here.”

As soon as Koji had run into his father’s arms, his great-grandfather had pulled up the remote and was in the process of switching the channel to a rerun of Pokémon. The change of sounds, especially the Pokémon’s noises, caused Koji to lift his head up.

He returned his attention to the television and watched as Pikachu and Squirtle moved across the screen. Once again, he stood and approached the source of his fascination slowly, moving around the furniture and moving his head which way and that to get a better idea of the sounds he was hearing.

The animation was intriguing to him, and he patting the screen with sticky hands, leaving a residue to finger and hand prints over the surface. Kagome made a mental note to clean that up once the boy had gone to bed.

“Is he afraid of priests?” Grandpa asked the parents once Koji’s attention was raptured by the television and the Pokémon.

Kagome shrugged. “Apparently so. We don’t know the extent of what he went through, or what he’s afraid of.”

Inuyasha stretched his legs out under the kotatsu, enjoying the warmth and return of blood flow. “He could have been attacked by a priest. I was when I was young, before I left the village.”

“Attacked? Why?” Kagome twisted her body to get a better look at Inuyasha. “Why would a priest attack a child?”

Inuyasha kept his gaze on his son who was now circling the TV stand, looking for the things on the screen in the room. “Because,” Inuyasha spoke slowly, feeling a familiar pang in his chest, “the child is half demon. Priests only protect humans.”

Realizing her mistake, Kagome shifted to face forward and look at Koji, who was unfazed by the attention he was receiving from the other people in the room. Sometimes Kagome still forgot that there were people who would harm her husband and son just for existing.

“Well,” Grandpa announced, shattering the silence that had overcome the room, “no priest will bother my great-grandson at my shrine.”

Kagome’s mind went back to when Grandpa had thrown seals at Inuyasha and tried to cast him out, but her mouth remained shut. No point in poking an old bear, especially since Inuyasha bore no grudge from the past.

But the ticking of the side of Inuyasha’s mouth was clear sign that he had thought something similar to Kagome.

Souta walked past the room and saw Koji watching the Pokémon battle on the screen. He crossed to sit on the floor and watch the show with his nephew. “He’s got good taste in shows,” Souta said over his shoulder to his sister.

Koji, hearing Souta’s voice, moved away from television to sit in Souta’s lap, tossing his legs outwards and lounging. Souta leaned his back against the table and relaxed as well. Kagome chuckled to herself at the sight of her son and little brother hanging out watching anime together, taking a moment to rest her head back onto Inuyasha.

“They look cozy.” Grandpa teased the two boys who were intent on watching the show.

“Yeah,” Kagome agreed. “That’s all I could ask for, too.”

Two episodes later and it was bed time for the little boy. Souta handed Koji off to his mother who was holding out her arms for him. Once she was holding Koji, she took a moment to snuggle him briefly, sorely missing his affection as he had spent most of the day in his father’s arms. Inuyasha was in the kitchen, finishing up the meal he hadn’t had a chance to eat earlier and talking to Mama.

Kagome began to walk upstairs to give Koji a bath and get him ready for the night when she heard the tell-tale “Rowr?” of her cat emerge from her room.

“Buyo?” Kagome called up the stairs, and a soft, sad “Merow?” echoed back. Koji lifted looked up the stairs, making eye contact with the large cat standing at the top of them. Kagome could feel the energy begin to rise in Koji’s small body.

“You leave Buyo alone, Koji. Your father bothers him enough as it is.” Kagome softly chastised her son as she walked up the stairs. Once she reached the top, Buyo scurried his way into her room again, his abrupt departure giving Koji a reason to try to give chase.

But Kagome didn’t let the toddler escape her, holding him steady as he moved around to get down. “Nuh uh. It’s bath time.”

Koji knew that word and stilled, giving his mother a pitiful face. Kagome shook her head, and walked into the bathroom with him.

The water was warmer than the river, and Koji didn’t protest nearly as much as he usually did when Kagome bathed him. His attention was kept by multitude of plastic bottles and other items in the bath that were foreign to him, so Kagome was able to wash him up quickly.

Inuyasha had knocked on the door just as she was finishing rinsing the boy off. As Inuyasha opened the door, Kagome asked, “Are you going to take a bath tonight?”

Inuyasha shrugged, holding out a towel to dry the toddler off.

Kagome knew to take that as a no.

As soon as Koji saw his father, his face lit up and he tried to make a break for him. Inuyasha stepped in and scooped Koji up in a towel before he could run across the wet floor and hurt himself. “Hey there, long time, no see.”

Koji huffed at Inuyasha and pulled himself close.

“I’ll take him to your room while you’re in the bath.” Inuyasha exited the bathroom, a bundled boy in his arms. “Try not to stay in too long. You’ll turn into a prune.”

Kagome let out a dry, “Ha ha” at her husband’s retreating back.

Once her bath was finished – and had managed to not turn into a prune – Kagome went to her room to find her boys sitting on her bed, inspecting one of her old cram books.

“Witches spells, Koji,” Inuyasha told his son. “These are witches spells.”

Kagome pulled on her nightclothes, snorting at the comment. “No, I’m pretty sure that’s just algebra.”

Inuyasha’s eyes sparkled as he looked up at his wife. Kagome cocked one eyebrow up at him. “No,” he continued to tell Koji, “these are witches spells.”

Exasperated, but not upset, Kagome rolled her eyes and sat on the bed by them. Inuyasha closed the book and placed it on her night stand. As he stood, Kagome scooted to sit under the covers and held her arms out for Koji. Inuyasha tried to put him down to sleep next to Kagome, but Koji pulled hard against Inuyasha and wouldn’t budge.

While it did sting that Koji wouldn’t go to her, Kagome took the opportunity to tell Inuyasha, “Looks like you have to squeeze on with us.”

Inuyasha snorted. “Can’t. Fat cat takes up too much room,” he said, referring to Buyo who was at the foot of the bed and not budging.

It was his bed, damnit.

Kagome shook her head. “There’s enough room for the four of us.”

Inuyasha stared at Buyo’s head, but the cat kept his eyes shut and didn’t move. Sighing and resigning himself to squishing on the bed and having to maneuver around the fat animal, Inuyasha swatted Kagome’s side to get her to move over.

She wiggled to the other side of the bed and lifted the covers for Inuyasha and Koji to climb in.

Inuyasha was only able to fit one leg on the bed due to the way Buyo was sprawled out, so he laid back, half on the mattress, half off.

“Oh yeah,” he told his wife. “Real comfortable.”

Kagome smiled at him and moved to curl into his side. “He’ll move soon enough.”

Inuyasha shook his head while moving Koji to rest in between them. Koji slid happily over into his usual sleeping spot nestled between his parents. Before Inuyasha was able to make a snide comment back at Kagome, Buyo stood and walked up to lay on Inuyasha’s now free chest.

Taking a moment to get all the way onto the mattress, Inuyasha told Buyo, “That wasn’t an invitation.”

Buyo purred loudly, dropping his head and closing his eyes, quick to fall asleep once again. Koji lifted his hand to pat the fat cat laying on his father’s chest, before closing his eyes and succumbing to sleep as well.

Closing her eyes, enjoying the feeling of her most beloved people sleeping close to her, Kagome yawned out, “He’s just getting even.”

Kissing the top of Koji’s head, Buyo’s face, and then Inuyasha’s lips, Kagome whispered, “Good night, my boys.”

She received no response, but she felt the love radiate back.