With Love

Chapter Thirty-six: Three Please

“I got this if you want to check up on them.” Yusuke placed the plate in the washer. There was only a few more things to put in. Kagome’s cooking had turned out better than his own. Dinner had been great, so had the movie afterwards. The girl’s had insisted on their chips while they watched the latest animated cartoon. Him and Kagome had sat there and watched with them. Though he’d accidently dozed off a few times. A quick slap to the leg stirred him every time. Kagome had already seen to their bathes and they were supposed to be in bed. As soon as they were asleep they were going to watch some of the movies she’d brought. He scraped the leftovers down the garbage disposal noticing that his daughter ate twice as much as Kagome’s. He wasn’t sure who’s appetite she had, he’d seen both parents eat on many occasion.


“Both sound asleep. I’ll make us some popcorn real quick.” Kagome smiled to herself. Both girls had been passed out in the small bed. They’d looked so sweet laying next to each other. “You know what this means right. You can’t be mean to me anymore or your daughter will beat your ass.” The two were already attached. She took the bag out of the plastic. “Owe,” she jumped feeling the sting across her ass. He was standing behind her holding the wet rag. “Asshole, I’m telling.”


“Go ahead, I’ll just tell her you were talking back and needed an ass whipping. Be glad I didn’t use my hand. I can think of a good many times when you really needed someone to bend you over their knee.” The rag was tossed into the sink as she turned on the microwave. He was curious as to what kind of movies she’d brought with her. He’d gotten his hand popped when he tried to dig through the bag. “The bowl should be above you and there is spray butter in the fridge. I’m going to go set the couch up.”


The first stop was in his bedroom, he didn’t have any spare covers. Having guests over wasn’t something he did regularly. All his friends had places of their own so they left when it got too late. Four pillows were grabbed along with his comforter. He wasn’t expecting anything to happen but figured she’d want to be comfortable. He made his way back out to the living room and heard the ding of the microwave. The couch pulled out into a bed. He’d go ahead and set it up for her, it’d allow them to lay back and relax during the movie. The pillows were propped against the back of the couch.


Kagome salted the popcorn and found the spray butter. A woman had to love a man that was prepared. Popcorn wasn’t popcorn without lots of butter. She never liked melting the butter because then you had to wait for it to cool and if you didn’t wait long enough it’d end up melting the corn ruining it in the process. At least Yusuke had some tastes that she could agree to. Her next stop was to the fridge to grab them both cold drinks. He was coming back in as she tried to grab it all.


“I’ll take the popcorn, you grab the drinks.” Yusuke grabbed the large bowl of extra buttered corn. “You know you’re going to have high cholesterol before you reach thirty with the way you eat. Can’t have my kid around you too long. I saw how much cheese she piled on her food. You can come over here when she ends up constipated. She takes after me, she’s a real grump when she doesn’t feel good.” She’d only gotten sick twice so far and those times she’d been whiny and clingy. All she’d wanted was to be held. “So what kind of movies did you get?”


“Violent, bloody and inappropriate for children kinds. Got the one I wanted but then I saw a few others I thought we’d enjoy. Unless your tastes have changed. Ponies and princesses are alright for when the girls are around by nothing like an old horror movie to end the night.” She placed her drink down on the coffee table and went for the plastic bag containing the dvd rentals. One action, two horror flicks; she settled on the action first. All three contain action and blood but she wouldn’t watch flesh eating so soon after dinner.


Yusuke got comfortable against his pillows and held her drink as she inserted the disk. He already had all the remotes next to him along with the popcorn. “I gave you the best pillow. You’re lucky I like you. Want to hit the lights before you climb on?” Auto-play had the disk starting as she walked around and flicked the two switches sending the apartment into darkness. He chuckled hearing her hit the side of the coffee table. “Careful, it’s not going to move for you.”


“You don’t say.” Her knee was already smarting from the impact. She went for the remotes first, “it’s going in wide-screen.” They’d been forced to watch the first movie in full, not her preference. Sure it filled the entire screen but she liked to see more of what was occurring. Play, and the movie started. This hadn’t had any previews to speak of. This was the one she’d missed when it had been theaters because she’d been sick. It hadn’t lasted long. Most people didn’t appreciate a good kick ass film. Some cheesy romance had stolen the reviews. “No hogging the corn.”


“Heh, yeah Miss Let’s Grab It By The Handful, I’m holding it.” He placed it on his lap and leaned back. The scent of her shampoo hit his nose; apples. No wonder his daughter was asking him to buy her some. The introductions were on and they both were comfortable. It was pleasant to sit back and enjoy the woman’s company. It was hard to believe this was the same woman he’d despised most of his high school existence. Of course, part of him had always had a slight crush. What sane male hadn’t during those times? He’d started liking her as a person after she’d started dating his best friend. How much different was she now? Did she still have feelings for Hiei?


Kagome grimaced seeing rather real looking intestines get yanked from some poor guy’s gut. Poor chap shouldn’t have been doing the other guy’s wife. A lot of men didn’t take kindly to another sniffing around their goods. Of course most wouldn’t go to that extreme to make it known either. She noticed that Yusuke was very quiet as he watched the show. Shrugging she took a sip of her drink before it became flat. She’d need another, she’d overdone it on the salt. The popcorn was great, extra butter. She licked the salt from her lips as the wife came running from the room after finding her lover disemboweled. That would have to suck major ass, one way to end it. “Stupid woman,” she shot her hand over to grab some more. Horror filled her when she missed the bowl completely. He must have moved it when he adjusted to get more comfortable. A blush crept up her cheeks, that was definitely not popcorn she had just grabbed.


He almost shot off of the couch feeling the dainty palm land on his crotch. It stilled as she realized her mistake but didn’t move. “That’s not butter flavored, doubt it’s even as salty.” The hand was snatched back and away. His member twitched even though the heat had been removed. Would she leave now or get upset? “Shall I take that as a compliment or an insult? Never had my dick mistaken for a kernel of popcorn before.”


“Keh, sorry. It was an accident, I hadn’t realized that you moved the bowl. I wasn’t paying attention.” She wanted to crawl under the couch and never come out. What must he think? She’d just grabbed his dick. There was no mistaking it for anything but what it was. He must think she was trying to grope him. She wasn’t that damn easy even if she’d had a few lovers over the years. “Neither, we both know that the only thing in this room that could be mistaken for popcorn is your brain. Besides I could care less how you taste.”


“You know if I remember right that’s the second time you’ve made mention of not sucking me off. Is it just the fact that you don’t care for going down on a guy or is it just my dick in particular that you have a problem with?” He spoke before he could stop himself. The question had ran through his mind and straight to his mouth. She’d threatened to bite his cock off before years ago. Was she the type of chick that didn’t care for oral sex? He was waiting for her to tell him it was none of his business what she liked. And to reinforce the fact that he’d never get the chance to find out.


Kagome almost choked on her drink at the audacity of the man. He actually remembered that damn conversation?! No, she had nothing against him in particular, not now. As far as she was concerned she was free to date whomever she pleased. When he’d hit on her before she’d been with Hiei and committed. That had been destroyed long ago, she’d moved on. A tiny part of her still cared about him, always would. How would she handle it if Yusuke wanted more than friendship? “And you seem awfully curious as to whether or not I give head. Let me tell you this Yusuke, I have no problem nor do I object to going down on a guy. In most instances I happen to enjoy it. If you want to broach the subject of your own dick then just say so. I’m not a teenager anymore and neither are you, so act like it. I find it odd that you’d even ask that question when you’ve yet to gather the courage to even kiss me.”


“Courage has nothing to do with it.” He straightened up and leaned forward placing the bowl on the floor. He felt her watching him, he was debating. Had that been an invitation or simply stating the obvious? “I like to think of it as self preservation. I remember you threatening me several times. I like being alive, thank you.” She’d been with his friend then but hadn’t given him any reason to think she’d accept his advances now.


Did she want him to kiss her? Kagome felt her mouth go dry as he closed the distance. This was Yusuke, her ex’s best friend, the guy that had taken her to her prom. He was so close now, she could feel the faint hint of his breath. A calloused hand cupped her cheek and her eyes closed. His lips were softer than she would have guessed. She opened up feeling the moist tip of his tongue roaming her bottom lip. Her mind went blank when he took possession of her mouth. It’d been so long since she’d been kissed this way. All sensation was centered around the thrusting muscle exploring the inner recesses.


Yusuke couldn’t suppress the moan when she responded. His gut twisted, she tasted sweet beneath the hint of butter. Fingers were wrapping around the back of his nape pulling him closer. They didn’t stop moving until she was laying on her back and him hovering over her. His hands remained above her head; one lightly stroking her hair the other supporting his weight. The satiny caress of her tongue was stirring desires he hadn’t thought about in a long time. He was out of breath when they finally separated, “Hm, you know I’ve been waiting years to do that.”


“Really?” Kagome felt foolish at the heated blush creeping along her face. Damn, he was an awesome kisser. The butterflies were still dancing in her stomach. Not to mention she hoped he didn’t have extra sensitive smelling or he’d know exactly how much she’d enjoyed that. It’d been over a year since she’d last been intimate with another. It was hard when her daughter didn’t like anyone. Youko didn’t help with informing her of how to get rid of them. One day she’d figure out just where that little boy got his ideas from. She had a feeling that Mid wouldn’t protest to the man settling on his side next to her. She turned to face him and smiled, “years, then I suggest we start making up for lost time.”


Sango heard the slap then the high pitched wail. “Youko, don’t hit your brother again.” Her son was trying to push her buttons. He was doing a damn good job of it too. There wasn’t much that could irritate her where they were concerned. Except finding her husband in the mouth of a killer plant. That had seriously disturbed her. He had laughed it off saying the child hadn’t meant any harm, she wondered. True, they were part demon and would experiment with their talents. Was it mere coincidence that the week before her son had told the man he wasn’t his father? She didn’t seem to thank so. Shippou let her know if he didn’t like someone but didn’t do much else. Youko on the other hand could be down right hostile at times. He was never that way towards her or her friends, just the men that came into her life. It didn’t matter who the male was. If he showed an interest in her the oldest twin showed animosity. Was it because he was part fox and could tell that they weren’t the one that sired him? Maybe it was an animal thing.


“He stuck his tongue at me.” Youko scowled towards his brother. He wanted to eat, he was hungry. His stupid ugly bro had stolen his last pancake this morning when he’d gotten up to use the bathroom. He’d get him back. He shifted in his seat as their mommy went back to marking some strange looking paper. Would she let him draw on them with his new crayons? Or the walls? He didn’t like the yucky yellow color that was on the walls of the office. It reminded him of the one time he’d eaten too many bananas and they upset his stomach. It had went all over his favorite toy.


Shippou frowned when Youko bumped into his leg again. He knew what his brother wanted, to bring up who’d they’d seen. They’d been outside playing yesterday in the yard and had seen a man walking. He hadn’t come all the way down their street but Youko had pointed him out. It was the same man in the photos of their daddy. Youko said it was him but Shippou didn’t think so. Why would he be walking near their house? Plus, their daddy was gone. Why else hadn’t he come to see them before?


Youko slapped his crayon down seeing Shippou was going to punk out. Too bad Uncle Inuyasha was gone or he’d do it for him. He knew he was right. He’d seen his mommy looking at that book lots of times. So he’d looked at it one day and showed Shippou. That had to be their daddy, why else would she cry when she looked at it? Mommy cried cause she still missed him. “Momma, is daddy going to come see us soon?”


The question stopped the pen dead in it’s track. What did he just say? She lifted her eyes to see them both looking at her. Is that what they were so antsy about? Were they just asking in general? Every once in a while Youko would ask about his father but never Shippou. Even her sweetest child was waiting for an answer. What could she tell them? “I don’t know Sweetie, why do you ask?” Was Inuyasha right? The hanyou had been warning her for years that one day would come when they’d want to seek their father out. Could they feel that he was close?


“We saw em!” This came from Shippou. He wanted to be the one to tell her. “We were playing, Youko was cheating and being mean but then we sawed this big man down the woad. His hair was longa than the one in the picture Youko showed me.”


“You two looked at my album?” Sango felt her heart stop. Shippou looked guilty but Youko crossed his arms in defiance. When? How long have they had the mental image of their father in their tiny minds? “I see, are you sure he looked like the guy in the pictures?” Both nodded in agreement with each other. Their neighborhood wasn’t that large yet. It was possible that the fox had been taking a stroll unknowingly coming close to his children. As long as they both remained then she’d be taking a chance of him finding out. She already was. The second one of his friends or someone they both knew felt the boy’s energy then it would all be out in the open. It wouldn’t be long before he found out. Should she chance him finding out by another source or tell him herself? “Okay, let me ask you boys this and please make sure before you answer me. Do you want to meet him?” A positive nod.


They did, now what? How could she tell him? He wouldn’t even acknowledge her presence. She’d never been able to bring up the past with them. She couldn’t tell them that her father had written her off and she was dead as far as he was concerned. They’d hate him if they were to find out what he’d done. Shippou might not take it to heart but Youko would. He might be curious now but he’d take it like a slap in the face. He acted indifferent and apart but he was more protective of her than Shippou. She could find out how to talk to him. Find out when he was at work one day and go see him. It’d been him that had taken over the auto shop. She couldn’t see telling him in front of a bunch of other males that he’d fathered two children.


“I’ll see what I can do.” If she told him then the truth about Kagome’s may have to come to light. Could she do that to the miko? Maybe she should tell her friend what was going on. That would be the smartest course to take now and then figure out how to tell Kurama. That was if she could even get him in the same room with her and turn to look at her. If not then she could just blurt it out; he was an ass not deaf. Let him deal with it however he wanted. She could tell her boys that she’d told their father that they wanted to see him. If Kurama accepted it and wanted to spend time with his children she wouldn’t deny him that. There was nothing the fox could do to take them from her. She’d formed a bond with both since the day of their birth that not even he could sever.


She glanced at her watch, it was just a little after three. Would he still be at work? There was only one way to find out. “Okay, I need to run an errand. Would you two like to get some early dinner and maybe desert? I’m sure Yukina will keep an eye on you for a bit.” Sango stood and stretched her arms. It’d give her a break from her paperwork. First, she’d see if he’d agree to talking to her like a civilized person. There was only a few customers as they stepped out of the office. “Go sit in a booth you two.”


There was only one car in the garage when she pulled up. She smiled seeing Touya under the hood working on something. Business must be slow, unless she was having car trouble. She climbed out of her own vehicle and headed for the office. He would be in there if he was here. She couldn’t take too long here. She wanted to get back before it got dark. The bell rang overhead announcing her presence. An older man was standing behind the counter reading a paper. “Hello, I’m here to see Mr. Minamino.”


“Okay, he’s already got someone in his office. Should I let him know who’s here to see him. And is it business or personal.” It better not be because the woman was wanting to bitch. She was a looker but he knew his boss wouldn’t appreciate being disturbed. He was in a rather pissy mood these days. With any lucky his chick would help get him out of the sour mood. His gaze went to the woman asking to see the man. Oh yeah, this was the one with the missing tension pulley. The boss had done the work on it himself. “Is everything okay? The van not running right?”


“It’s running just fine. It’s a personal call and just tell him it’s Sango Tokimora.” She tapped her nails on the counter. He knew who she was. The thought of seeing him filled her with dread but she was doing this for her boys, not herself. Perhaps this would help some of the anger her oldest had been showing lately. They knew their father was close and wanted to see him. It was only natural they’d want to know their father. Kurama need not be nice to her, just their sons. The man nodded and left her standing alone in the small office. She distracted herself by looking at the pictures. The door opened to the inner office and the man stepped back out alone.


“He said to tell you to let me handle whatever you need.” He shrugged at the woman’s outraged look. He didn’t know what else to do but repeat the message. Hoping to stop a very bad situation he waved the woman over. Perhaps this one didn’t realize that the fiancé was inside with him. Most of them didn’t bother coming in once they noticed Shizuru’s car was in the parking lot. No doubt his boss had scored with this one after fixing her car. Not that he didn’t envy the man, this one was beautiful. They should know better than to come when the other woman was here. All he’d gotten out was that some lady was here to see him and he’d been dismissed. “Look, his fiancé is in there with him. I’d say give him another thirty minutes or so then come back to see him. Boss wouldn’t appreciate it if you caused a scene. All the others just leave for a bit, why don’t you do the same?”


“Excuse me!” Sango raised her voice at the implied insult. Come back indeed like she was one of his tarts. Fiancé? What idiot was stupid enough to want to marry that asshole? What female was lucky enough to get him to the alter? She balled her fists as he smiled trying to appease her. She wasn’t here to get into his pants. The thought that his employees were so use to his flings coming in to see him made her chest tighten in pain. Not surprising he hadn’t changed in all these years. If she looked hard enough she’d find the evidence of him cheating on her while they’d been together. She slapped her hand down on the counter causing the jar of pens to topple and roll to the floor. The breaking glass made her feel somewhat better. How dare he insult her like this. Like it would have hurt him to come out for two minutes and speak to her. Knowing him he was about to get busy fucking.


“You insinuate that I am one of his fucking tarts one more time then I will gauge out one of your eyes with a drill. Or one of those tire irons will work for knocking your ass senseless. I am not one of his whores.” She scowled deeper as he begged her to calm down. “I will not calm down. You are the one that opened your mouth. Next time do not assume.” She’d never be one of his other women, not even for her son’s sake. “But I will leave a message. You tell him I have something urgent to discuss with him. If he isn’t man enough to come speak to me then I’ll make sure to tell his sons that he was too busy getting his dick sucked
to give a rat’s ass about them.”


“Wait, you didn’t tell me that it was important. Sorry lady,” he waved his hands trying to fend off the verbal attack. What they hell had he just done? His mistake for assuming, “wait wait. I can go tell him it’s about his kids. I didn’t know he had any but I don’t know everything.” He said to wait but the woman was already storming out of the door with her head held high. Great, now he had to go tell his boss. He had a feeling this could get ugly and he was now in the middle of it. Why couldn’t the man have just come out? Not like he was doing anything important but paperwork while Shizuru sat looking at magazines. He grumbled to himself as he made his way back to speak to his boss. He should have called in sick today.


A rather boney waitress came to their table. Kurama reached for the menu as he heard the koorime’s rather chipper voice calling out. Why had he let Shizuru convince him to come here for dinner? Rumors were that the food was even better than Kaede’s had been. It was already earning repeat customers due to the clean atmosphere, fair prices and excellent menu choices. Yukina was the one running it so there was a good chance he wouldn’t have to worry about seeing Sango here. He’d already had to dissolve a fight with Shizuru at the office. There relationship was open but they had rules. If either saw anyone else on the side then it wasn’t to be out in the open. What woman had come to see him? It’d been awhile since he’d been with anyone else. Then whomever it was had a horrid sense of humor. The message left hadn’t been amusing. He hadn’t bothered to listen to it all. As soon as he heard the words children he’d snapped.


Getting pissed he wouldn’t come out was one thing. Even if the female was bothering him at work. Shizuru hadn’t been amused either. Not when one of his flings would joke around like that. He’d apologized and had asked for the name. He’d gotten the name of someone he didn’t know. He might have gotten more out of the man if he hadn’t been yelling. One thing that had been discussed between him and Shizuru had been children. Shizuru had one already but couldn’t have anymore. She knew his desire to one day have one but it wouldn’t be with her. They’d discussed options but any final decisions would wait until after the wedding.


“Hey you two, I didn’t expect to see you.” Yukina smiled as she walked over. “Order whatever you’d like, it’ll be on the house. We have some great salads you might like to try out. The owner added them. I believe she got the recipes from one of her trips.” She pointed out the page with all the exotic dishes. They were a little more expensive but worth the cost. She eyed the fox sitting next to her friend and frowned. Then she flickered back to the two boys sitting at the table coloring happily. Sango should be returning soon from her shopping to pick them up. She was starting to have a nagging suspicion about those two. They were about the right age and Youko wasn’t what she thought he was. That was the only one she’d seen until recently. Sango had always been picky about letting her children come around. As far as she knew dog demons couldn’t manipulate anything. But she’d caught the little ones doing just that a while ago. Now that she looked at the two kids she could see some resemblances. Not to mention Youko looked almost like Kurama in the face.


“Thanks, a salad sounds good.” Shizuru noticed a seafood salad that looked tempting. A high pitched giggle got her attention. A pair of kids were sitting in a booth across from them. What parent would just leave their kids unattended in a restaurant? The one with the long silver hair had his or her head turned but she could make out the other one. “Cute kids, where the hell is the parents? Or do you run a daycare also?” They’d been sitting here for a few minutes and no one else had come in.


“Oh, no.” Yukina laughed. Figures Shizuru would notice that they were alone. Being a mother she would have noticed it also. “They are Sango’s boys actually. She was in earlier to do a few things and asked if I’d watch them so she could run a few errands. I didn’t want to leave them in the office by themselves. She’d be upset to come back and find that Youko had drawn in her account books again.” She could remember when that had happened. She’d been terrified she’d be fired since she was supposed to be keeping an eye on them long enough for her boss to sign for a shipment. The little boy had moved so fast and silent she didn’t realize what he was doing until he had red crayon all over the ledgers. “They’re usually very good for me.”


“Why didn’t she get Inuyasha to watch them? Or did he not come back with her?” Kurama kept his eyes on the back of the one’s head. The floppy ears twitched as the other child giggled. Long silver hair, dog ears; she’d had a kid for the hanyou. The other one was smaller, so had to be younger. “Who did she have the youngest for, he doesn’t look like the hanyou?” The two didn’t look alike at all. The youngest kind of resembled Sango in the face.


“Maybe because Ayame would strangle him if he had. Don’t get me wrong from what I hear they are still good friends but I don’t think Inuyasha’s wife would let him come babysit and leave his own family.” Yukina giggled at the fox’s strange expression. Hadn’t he known that the former football player had gotten married and that’s why he’d left town? It had happened kind of sudden, if she remembered right then the couple had only known each other two weeks before tying the knot. “They are twins, I’m not sure which is older but I think it’s Youko. Shippou looks more like Sango but if you ask me Youko looks just like his father. It’s not Inuyasha although one might think that at a first glance with the hair and ears. There’s Sango now, I’ll be right back. Take your time ordering.”


Sango felt like she’d been punched in the gut seeing the fox sitting at the table with his intended. That had to be her, if he was out with her in public. His flings would be kept in secrecy. She managed a smile for the smaller woman coming towards her. She wouldn’t think of it now. Not until her son’s happened to glance over and see just who the fuck was there. They wouldn’t say anything, they had manners. If they were rude she’d maim Spidey and torch a very large army collection. “Hey Yukina, thanks. Sorry, it took me so long.” She wondered how she’d get out of there now. With any luck the boys would follow her out. She’d waited outside for him to come out for an hour. It became apparent that he wasn’t coming out to talk to her. After sweating so much her bra was soaked she had driven away.


Either he didn’t give a shit that she had just informed him that he had two children or that he was use to women coming in there to discuss his offspring. She was willing to bet it was that he just didn’t give a fuck about what she had to say. So what if she had kids for him. Wasn’t he in the least curious as to why she’d leave him that kind of message? Everyone knew she had kids. With him being Yukina’s cousin he had to know she had kids. Then she showed up demanding to talk to him about his kids. Didn’t take a genius to figure it out. He either didn’t care or didn’t believe her. She wouldn’t tell her boys, they’d be hurt.


Instead she had a small surprise for them. The number was crinkled in her palm. She’d already called it and gotten directions. She’d stopped by the local shelter to find that they didn’t have any puppies. She didn’t want an adult dog for them. This woman had two litters that needed to find a good home. They were cheap also and both could pick out the one they wanted. “I got a surprise for them so I’ll finish up tomorrow morning. I’ll see you then.” She left the koorime standing there and went to where they were seated. Shippou was the first to notice her approach.


“Mommy!” he jumped from his seat and ran to her. Had she noticed the man sitting at the other table? Youko had pointed him out again. Had he come to see them? He didn’t want to see him if it’d make their mother upset. She was smiling but he could see the sadness in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”


“Nothing, absolutely nothing except I got a call.” She sat down where he’d just vacated with him on her lap. She placed the number down in front of Youko who was looking at her excited. She didn’t want them to ask about Kurama. Knowing him he’d say something that would stress them. “See that number?” Both nodded, “that lady has a few puppies that need a home. What do you say?”


“Okay,” Youko nodded seeing his brother had just forgotten about the man sitting near them. He knew who the man was. He turned in his seat and glanced back knowing his mother saw him. Anger filled him seeing the way the man was staring at his mother. He didn’t like that look, not at all. If anyone should be mad it was their mother. What wasn’t she telling them? He knew when she was sad or had been crying. Plus, Uncle Inu had said that their mommy had loved their father. The look his father was sending made him think of the look that the one boyfriend of his mother’s had often given him and Shippou. The one that he’d gotten rid of by putting a nest of vines in his car motor. The mean man had stopped coming around then. He glanced back at the number, she was trying to give them a present to get their minds off of their dad. “Alright, can we go get them now?”


“Sure, we can go now.” Sango wanted to kiss her son. He was probably wise beyond his years but very understanding. She knew he was letting her off easy for now because of Shippou. Her carefree son was excited about the idea of getting his puppy and didn’t sense the unease around them. Youko would want to know why their father had sat there and didn’t talk to them. Then she’d have to get in the explanations. She’d tried to tell talk to him but had been ignored. Even after years the cold dismissal still stung enough to bring her to tears. “Think we should see if they have any kittens?”


“Yes, Midoriko doesn’t have her kitten yet. Think Aunt Kagome will let us get her one?” Youko stood up as Shippou clung to his mother’s arms. He didn’t want to be carried, he was a big boy. He was still mad, his father was still looking at his mom. Would he try to talk to them? Who was the tall lady sitting with him? He didn’t want another mommy, he had the one he wanted. Green eyes a lot like Shippou’s caught his as he walked by. He didn’t care that he’d just been caught looking.


Kurama felt his gut twist, the amber eyes were staring him down. This kid was looking for something. With the boy’s back turned he couldn’t see his face. Shockingly Sango would let her child’s hair grow so long. Both kids were mixed, twins? The auburn one looked more like Sango but this one. Disbelief filled him as he gazed into a face that was like looking in a mirror. It wasn’t possible, he’d have known. He wanted to believe that this one looked like Inuyasha but the face didn’t fit. If it was the hanyou’s then Sango had to have gotten pregnant not long after they’d broken up. She’d been with the hanyou around that time but had she slept with the other male? Yukina was saying no, that Inuyasha wasn’t the father. He turned his gaze to the other. This one had the tail too but a different coloring. A dirty red, auburn, if he were correct. A woman had come to see him about his kids.


Sango felt his eyes land back on her and almost ran. Let him be upset, she didn’t give a damn. She’d gone to see him but he’d been too busy to give a shit. “Let’s go.” She reached out to grab her son’s hand. It wouldn’t do well to cause a scene. She didn’t want to have them watch as she strangled their sire in her own business. If he wanted to come talk later then that was fine. The bells chimed as an elderly couple came in. She greeted them and walked out.


The house was a few streets down from her parent’s. She almost laughed seeing the tow truck sitting in the driveway. What were the odds? The boys were already climbing out as she undid her seatbelt. An elderly woman had picked up the phone when she’d called. It was a very pleased Touya that was coming out to meet them. She’d forgotten his mother had lived in the same neighborhood. “Hold on boys,” they were already rushing forward. “Hello.”


“Hey, so you’re looking for a watch dog?” Touya eyed the kids coming towards him. His mother had said a lady had called about an hour ago saying she’d be stopping by as soon as she picked up her kids. The two boys looked different, were they both hers? Not that he cared, he liked kids. He smiled at Sango and turned his attention to the boys. “So which one of you is going to pick it out? We got eight in total that need homes. Or are you going to take them all?”


“I don’t think so.” Sango shook her head. “Don’t give them any ideas. They both get to pick out one, no more than two are coming home.” She was going to have to hound them about responsibility as it was. Not to mention the puppies had to be house trained. Good thing they had a fenced in yard. She wouldn’t be coming home to a house filled with droppings. “Unless you are going to be the one to train them all and pay for the dog food.”


“I might be persuaded but I think eight is pushing it even for me. Come on guys, let me show you where they are.” He waved the boys to follow him on in. His mother was on the phone and had asked him to show the family the dogs. Now he was glad he’d stopped by for the evening after work. He didn’t dare glance back to look at the woman silently following. The very same girl he’d had a secret crush on during high school. Not that she’d have ever noticed it since she was dating Jin. He knew where he stood where she was concerned. Not only had he envied his best friend but so had Kurama. Pointing out the fox’s obvious interest had directed Jin from his own. Hearing Jin tell the lies hadn’t squashed his interest any. If anything it’d only endeared her to him more. He never spoke against his best friend but had remained silent. What good would it have done? Now she was back and she wasn’t with Kurama or Jin.


Sango noticed that the house was spotless despite the yapping of dogs from somewhere. She doubted hers would ever stay this clean. Not with her brats running around. Both boys were already getting excited hearing the soft yips of puppies. They ended at laundry room that Touya opened to allow them inside. Her feet was attacked as soon as she stepped inside and the door closed. A small grey puppy was at her pants leg pulling in earnest. “Okay, I see you’ve been teaching them how to attack strangers.”


“They just want to play. The smaller ones are for my mother’s rat terrier. Don’t ask what the father was, she got out one day. The larger three are for the great danes out back. They come with papers of course and are registered.” He saw the lighter boy going for the large pups and the smaller boy went to the terrier mix with blotches. Two of the danes had already been sold to a breeder, leaving those three. He didn’t know any mother that would pay that price just for their kids to have a pet. The dogs were mostly for show, not cuddling. “The mutts are going for one hundred.”


“Okay,” She noticed that Shippou was petting the one in his tiny arms. He’d want something small but Youko was picking up the dane that looked to be a girl and inspecting it with care. It was a pure bred show dog, not a pet but that didn’t stop her son from starting to pet it. They’d both made their choices. “How much are those?” She’d been told that eight puppies were available and that’s how many were in the room. Youko would want something he could play rough with.


“Um, think those are going two grand but I’d have to ask her for sure.” Touya saw the boy holding it in a death grip. What if Sango wasn’t willing to pay that much for a puppy? His mother loved kids but this was how she made her money, by breeding. “I can probably get you a discount on the smaller ones if you are getting two but don’t think she’ll drop the price of the others. I’ll be right back.”


Sango shrugged when he left. It didn’t matter the cost of the dog. She’d pay the two grand if that’s how much it cost. More assistant tugging at her leg, damn puppy. It was one of the danes, the dark grey was almost spotless. Cute but it was jerking it’s head. Giving in she reached down to pick it up. “What do you want? You must be a male, you are annoying.” Sure enough the plumbing spoke the truth. It yipped and tried to lick her face. “Aren’t you a cute one.”


“It likes you mommy. Why don’t you get one too?” Shippou held onto his new friend and gazed at his brother. Maybe if she had a puppy too she wouldn’t be so lonely all the time. The puppy started barking and trying to lick the fingers wrapped around it’s body.


“I don’t know, not really a dog person.” Sango wasn’t sure if she wanted another thing to be responsible for. She was more like a fish person. Touya came back into the room with an attractive older woman. “Hello,” this had to be his mother. The long dark blue hair was pulled back in a long braid. Her sons came to her side. “How much for all three?” Might as well bite the bullet. The one in her hands squirmed as if knowing he’d just been selected.


“Well, not sure if Touya told you but those are registered. I charge three grand for the females and two for the males. That would be over five grand for both and plus the hundred for the other.” She smiled at the two little boys. The last kids that had came had gone away disappointed when the father had found out the cost of the danes. They’d left with one of the others, much to the children’s dismay. “I also deal in cash, no personal checks.”


“Okay, let me head out to the car and get my case. Youko will you hold mine for me? Mommy has to pay for them real quick. Plus, I think yours and mine come with special papers.” She handed it over to her son before straightening. “I’ll be right back. Touya can you walk me out?” He nodded and stepped out of the room. She’d have to stop by the atm in the morning before going to pay for her account but that would be no problem. She’d found a great seafood place only an hour drive from here. She’d opened an account in the diner’s name but they wouldn’t take checks. So every month she would have to go put down a deposit on her account. It was worth the extra trouble and time.


“Um, I don’t mean to pry but you aren’t spending your life savings on the puppies are you? I’d feel bad seeing you living in a box on the way to work. I could steal them or something when she goes to bed if you want em that bad.” He knew the look of a mother that would do anything for her child. In this case Sango was spending a good bit of money. The mutts were just as good when it came to being a child’s pet. Maybe even a little better since they wouldn’t get that big.


“Thanks but no. I might adore my children but I do have common sense. Don’t worry about it. I am not spending anything that I don’t have plenty to spare.” She’d was already earning back what it had cost to open up her business. In a few years she’d be well established. Not like she had to worry about money. Her kids weren’t spoiled, so giving them something every once in a while was fine. It would also give them a sense of responsibility. “That is sweet of you though. I don’t want you stealing anything for me. Besides didn’t you steal that jacket for me in high school?”


“Yeah but that was in high school and only worth sixty bucks. I wouldn’t have had to steal it if Jin would have just bought the damn thing.” He could remember snatching that damn thing. They’d been in the mall shopping. The girl had been drooling over the jacket but Jin had chosen to buy some music cd’s instead. Sango had been disappointed so he’d gone back and snatched it off of the clearance rack. He’d almost gotten caught too.


She opened the passenger door and reached inside to find her briefcase. “So why did you do that anyways?” She’d been very happy when he’d gifted her with it. Kagome had tried to say that the ice apparition had liked her but she didn’t see it. He’d never really spoke to her that much. Was just kind of in the background most of the time, but always there. He’d also comforted her a few times when her and Jin had fought. Was he still hanging out with his loser of a friend? She turned to see why he hadn’t answered. Was he just checking out her ass? “Well?”


“I don’t know, you wanted it so I got it for you.” He turned his gaze back towards the house. “Mom will let you know what kind of food they are on and what all they’ll need.” He fell in step beside her and had to wonder just what she’d been doing with herself. Did she really own that diner? She’d always had a good head on her shoulders. “So, I hear the bar is opening up tomorrow night.” A positive nod, “Great, I was thinking about going. Don’t suppose I could talk you into going with me.”


“To be honest, I was going anyways. After all Kagome owns it and Botan will be helping her run it. I’m kind of expected to be there for it. But yeah, I think you could convince me to go with you.” She saw his surprise. She was just as shocked that he’d ask her out. Which was what he’d just done. “One condition though, we take my vehicle. I got to drop my kids off at my parent’s after we close the diner down tomorrow night. Stop by the diner tomorrow after work, we’ll grab dinner there first.” She wanted to make sure she ate before drinking. It’d been years since she’d indulged in it. Hard to have a night of boozing with twins running around.

Next Chapter: A major confrontation and a little bar scene...... please read and review