Once Upon a Time...

Ayame returned his hug back tightly, "Thank you and I'm sorry about being super emotional. I'm not normally like this." She said with a small smile.

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"Yes and currently my aunt is staying with us as well." Kikyou replied.

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"You will find something for yourself Hana. I promise, I don't see you struggling like this for much longer. Besdies you have the better end of the bargain than he did. He has no choice in his life along with my sister, but you...you have other options." Kagome consoled. "You'll be alright, okay? Just hang in there and whatever ghelp you need or want I'm there for you."

Shinki paused before he admitted, "My parents died a long time ago in a raid."

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"Your aunt?" he questioned.

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She sighed and put her head into her hand. "I hope you're right." Her ear twitched and she pulled herself up, dusting off her skirt and wiping her misty eyes. "Sadly, duty calls. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ayame gave him a sad look as she pulled him back into a hug and rubbed his back in circles, "I'm so sorry. That's terrible."

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"Yes my aunt, she's my father's 6 year old sister." Kikyou replied.

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"Okay see you later girl." Kagome replied before hanging up.

He shook his head. "I've long accepted it and... We're surviving." He gave her a small smile. "All 13 of us."

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Sesshoumaru noted, "She's quite young to be your aunt." He instantly paused and thought about that. "I have a younger, full brother around her age."

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She hung up and put her phone away, walking back out and picking up some trays to bus to some of her customers, plastering a big smile back on.

Ayame looked at him surprised, "There's thirteen of you? Wow, I heard kitsunes were busy creatures, but I never imagined that busy." She giggled.

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"Well yes, but I seems my grandparents didn't feel they were to old to reproduce." Kikyou replied as she shook her head. "But she is adorable, I must admit." She smiled.

"Try telling my father he's too old to have children," he commented, shaking his head. "Then again, I can only imagine with your grandparents."

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He laughed. "Well... Only seven of us are my parent's children. My brother's wife and their daughter live with us. Two of my sisters have children of their own and make up the rest."

Kikyou took a sip of her water, "So tell me a bit about yourself Sesshoumaru." She sat her cup down and leaned forward, "You're a bit of a mystery."

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"Oh well that explains things, but geez that is still a lot. Wolf clans only have cubs every so often. I never saw many children growing up." Ayame replied with a smile.

"What is there to tell?" he asked. "You know most of the important things."

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He leaned back. "Yeah, we're apparently really fertile creatures." He grinned. "Twins, sometimes triplets, among kitsune are pretty common."

"And what of the finer details? I would at least hope to know some of the more detailed aspects of you rather than the general need to know. Granted I have a very long lifetime of getting to know you, it would help." Kikyou responded.

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"Ahh..." Ayame replied before yawning. "I'm getting tired."

"Ask me then."

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Shinki asked, "Will you be fine on your own or should I stay?"

"What is your favorite color?" Kikyou inquired genuinely interested.

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Ayame's emerald eyes gave him a pleading look, "Can you stay? Please?"

He paused to think about it. "Scarlet."

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Shinki blinked before relaxing again. "Alright. I'll stay."

"Ah, it suits you. What type of music are you interested in?" Kikyou asked, idly wondering where their food was.

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Ayame smiled happily and hugged him tightly, "Thank you so much!" She grinned.

He looked up as Hana laid two dishes before them and bowed to them. "Forgive the delay; there was a mix-up in the kitchen."

"It's quite alright." Sesshoumaru looked down at the plate. "... I don't have to worry about poisons, right?"

Hana rolled her eyes. "Haha." She whispered audiably to Kikyou, "Good luck putting up with his terrible humor! Kami knows it's really bad."

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He hugged her back. "Just let me know where I can sleep."

Kikyou gave a small chuckle at Hana's joke. She looked on sadly at the two, she felt terrible for having interrupting her relationship. Her chest constricted as she thought of Inuyasha. She was going to miss him terribly. He always had a way of making her smile and laugh when she didn't want to. He was extremely sweet in his own gruff way.

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"Well we have plenty of guest rooms, but that would really defeat the purpose of you staying to keep me company. You can sleep on my bed, it's not like we'll be sleeping naked or anything." Ayame blushed.

Sesshoumaru gave her a glare and she grinned at him. "Have fun, lovebirds~" Hana teasingly sang, giving Kikyou a large grin, before skipping off and going over to a different table.

He sighed, placing a hand over his face to hide his embarrassment. "You'll have to excuse her."

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He took in a deep breath. "Sure. If you're positive, I don't see a problem with it."

Kikyou picked up her utensils, "Oh I am quite used to her strange behavior. She is my twin sister's best friend after all." She began eating, "You seem easily embarassed." She observed.

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"Okay, well I'm going to change into my comfy pajamas okay? I'll be back." Yame grabbed her clothes from nearby and went into her bathroom.

He sighed and mirrored her. "I am highly unused to situations like these. Throw in that girl, who somehow is constantly disturbing my internal balance all the time... And you now have a very confused me."

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Shinki covered his mouth with his hand in thought, contemplating the situation.

"Are you two normally this way with one another?" Kikyou inquired.

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Ayame returned in green pajama pants and a shirt, "Would you like to change into somthing more comfortable? We have male clothes around." Ayame said as she climbed into bed.

"If you're asking if Hana is irritating to me every moment we are near each other? Indefinitely. She is the most horribly infuriating girl in the entire world. Then again," he contemplated. "I am pretty confident that my half-brother wasn't much easier to deal with."

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"Ah... If you'd show me to them, that'd be nice." Normally, he wore a little less than nothing, but for the sake of her modesty...

"No, not necessarily. He was quite a handful at times." Kikyou responded with a small smile before taking a bite of her food.

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Ayame left to retrieve the clothes and brought them back, "I'm sure they will fit. The bathroom is over there to change in."

"Believe me, I know."

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Shinki took them into his arms, looking over the outfit. "Thanks, Ayame. I'll be right out."

"So how do you two normally interact at home? Are you close to him or no?" Kikyou inquired.

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Ayame nodded, "Okay." She went to sit on her bed before lying back thinking of the days events.

"Not particularly," Sesshoumaru responded simply, looking down and poking his fork into a piece of meat. "Would you expect otherwise?"

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Shinki walked into the bathroom, starting to strip down, and looked into the mirror, frowning deeply when he saw himself. ... That doesn't even look like me... He stopped for a moment to lean on the sink and stare at his reflection. I don't have those lines or those eyes. He'd always been made fun of for his feminine appearance, but looking at himself, right then, he decided he looked far too... Old. Like an old man. He didn't like it. Sighing, Shinki ran his hand back through his hair, letting it all loose from the hair-tie he used to hold it back. He sat himself on the tub edge, pensive as he thought about everything that'd transpired tonight.

He knew it'd been coming. He knew it better than anyone else. But some silly, childish hope had kept him at her side, hoping she was the girl he thought, not knew, she was. Cursing himself and burying his face in his hands, Shinki let out a long and ragged sigh, closing his his eyes tightly to push back the feelings swelling out and threatening to break loose. Sure, he was hurt. He glanced at the mirror again tiredly. But someone needs me to be strong for them. And so he stood and pulled on the clothes Ayame had given him, gathering his own, and sparing one last look into the mirror behind him with a kind and rejuvenated smile, he walked back out to her room. That's more like it.

"Well no...but sometimes it seems as if he wants to be closer to you." Kikyou sighed. "He believes you borderline hate him, because of his parentage."

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Ayame looked up, "Thank you again Shinki. It means a lot to me that you're staying."