Once Upon a Time...

Kikyou gave Sesshoumaru a smile, "The food is delicious."

He gave her an odd look. "It is indeed. I am glad you enjoy it."

----

Hana smiled to herself softly as she heard his normal tone and continued to service the family in front of her.

"Sesshoumaru...I'm sorry...I should not have acted the way I did. Please forgive my harsh words." Kikyou said gently.

He shook his head. "I understand. You were... involved with my younger brother." Sessshoumaru set his mouth into a line. "I should not have expected you to not defend him."

Kikyou sighed, "Well, it is getting late."

"Indeed it is." After Sesshoumaru called over the check and paid for dinner, the rest of the night went on with little incident and soon enough, they were in front of her house.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight," he said.

(Note: These posts are purely for the purpose of establishing characters, and can chronologically fit in whenever they become relevant.)

"Listen," Kin said, "I get exactly why you feel this way. And I'm not going to stand here and bullshit you and try to act like I'm some ultra-all-knowing authority figure that's going to tell you that you're broken and that I wouldn't feel the exact same way in your position. But I'm also not going to bullshit you when I lay it on the line exactly like this: You can be as angry as you want your whole life about the life your parents brought you into, and you can blame them as much as you want. But somewhere in there, if you let it consume you to the point that you can't, or won't, get anything done in class, all you're really doing is ensuring that at some point in your life, you're going to look at your own kids and wonder why it is that you did exactly to them what made you feel so upset. The choice is yours."

The student sitting in front of him stared back with a look of shock, maybe at hearing the high school guidance councilor say "bullshit" twice, or maybe at the realization he was being forced to come to. "I... look... I... dammit. You're right. Fuck."

Kin smiled. "I talked to Ms. Koshiku. She said you get a one-day extension, and one day only. Don't waste it."

He walked the student to the door and let him out, being sure to sneak a look around to make sure he would be alone after he closed his door. After doing so, he sat down at his desk, plugged his speakers into his laptop, pressed play and opened his window. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, turning his head windowside with every exhale. He could get away with this once a day at most, he thought, but when he did, it was easily the best ten minutes of his day. He dragged deeply as the music overtook him.

Where are we now, where are we now?

---

Utikai checked his watch. Class in exactly... three minutes. Well, shit. He slipped the earbuds of his iPod into his ears and darted down the sidewalk toward the big metal doors of the closest entrance to him. With a Peter Hook baseline pounding in his ear, he was a blur of black-clad, contentedly panicked energy.

---

Fae pulled into the parking lot right on time, the speakers of her car nearly ready to give up the ghost.

"Go on, take everything, take everything, I want you to!" they hissed at her.

"Alright," she smiled, turning the key and shutting down the whole affair.

She walked through the front door and immediately saw Akio. His eyes met hers and he smiled.

"I had fun last night," he said.

"I know," she replied with a grin, "I was there." She didn't have to say it, but she'd had fun too. She placed a hand suggestively on his back, then slowly dragged it away as she walked away to her locker.

On the way, she heard a jeer from the passing crowd, "Hey, town bicycle, when's my turn to ride?"

"Soon as your balls drop," she snapped back, not even looking behind her to see the culprit. She had a personal policy of only responding to creative insults.

Kikyou smiled, "I enjoyed myself greatly."

"I am... Glad," he said, finally.

(I guess it could fit in as the start of the next day?)

Kikyou gave a nod, "I will retire now. Goodnight Sesshoumaru."

He waited until she was inside before he drove off, mulling over the night in his head.

The next morning finally came with many thoughts on many minds.

Hana woke up and rubbed at her aching eyes, forcing herself to sit up and look over at the other bed. She lazily lifted her arm and tossed one of her stuffed animals at the sleeping figure. "Kiiiiraaa," Hana yawned. "Geddup." Akira's hand rose, flashing Hana a very obscene gesture before collapsing back down on the bed. Hana gave her an equally rude look and accompanying gesture before ruffling up her hair and looking at her phone, yawning widely. Stretching before propping her arm up on her bent knee, the kitsune checked for messages from her best friend and others idly, ignoring the surfacing memories. '... She definitely looks more like she belonged in that chair than I did when we went.' Her mouth set into a grim line as her heart swelled with a dull ache. 'Last night went how things should be. She looks good at his arm and I look good behind the scenes, making things easier. They are tickets to an easier alliance between two countries with a bad relationship. I don't have anything to offer and she has everything to give.'

Hana tossed her phone down gently onto the bed and growled in frustration lightly, mindful of her sleeping sister on the other bed, her hands grabbing at her hair as she fell back down into her pile of pillows, tense with the growing anxiety and anger at the situation. However, once her back hit the bed, she melted and loosened up, eyes staring dully at the ceiling. All she could think of is the day both of them found out about the engagement. '... His parents are cruel. How could they just not tell him for all his life and then tell him right at the height of our relationship? I can only imagine how it was for her and Inuyasha... I don't get that. Couldn't the alliance be solid if she married the brother...? Duh, Hana. He's illegitimate. Obviously it wouldn't count, but it's still stupid. He's Touga's son too.' Hana's eyes flitted towards her nightstand and softened as a certain thought occurred to her. 'Poor Inuyasha. You can almost understand the jerky attitude, considering everything. I don't like the way he blames his brother for everything going wrong, but... It's not fair on anyone, so... I kind of understand...'

---

Laying on his side, idly stroking the red hair in his reach as his chin lay on her head, Shinki stared at the decorations on Ayame's walls. He'd been up for a while, but dared not move much so the she-wolf in his arms would rest well until she was ready to wake up. His soothing, off-hand movements went with his thoughts. Cyclic, numbing, mindless. Golden eyes steely, he thought over everything that'd happened. 'Obviously not feeling like a genius right now, but it's okay. Nothing too bad went on. She turned out to be a whore, but she didn't get pregnant. I'm not bound to her or anything, so I can move on.' But if he were to be honest with himself, he'd moved on. He knew. He'd known so long ago and last night was just... The severing knife. He felt the pain from not being attached to her anymore, but that was gone. If he were to be even more honest with himself, he'd say he felt... free. That girl had been a suffocation on him. She dictated so much in his life and he'd let her. No more carrying her books. No more mall trips, no more pressure on his wallet. No more worrying about where she was. No more anxiety about that stupid cell-phone of hers and who she was texting. No more loathing every time he asked her where she was and what she was doing because he couldn't distinguish the truth from her stupid lies.

He felt... Great. After he'd mourned the loss for a few hours, a burden he didn't even know existed had been lifted and he could see clearly again. He looked down at Ayame. 'Poor thing. Kouga is such an ass for hurting such a sweet girl. She, least of anyone, deserved to be played by someone like him.' He smiled softly. He was glad to have her around and to be able to offer her the comfort she needed. She really needed to get over that sleep-talking habit; however cute it was. He suppressed a laugh as he remembered some of her oddities of the night before looking back up at her walls. 'She has talent. This girl is going far if she keeps at it with that head and heart of hers. I suppose it's a good thing she won't have a man like Kouga to hold her back from reaching her heights.' He looked down again and brushed a bit of hair away from her lips. 'I'm fine, but she needs me right now. At least to help get rid of the hurt Kouga caused. She didn't have the sneaking suspicions like I did with Ranka. I had more time to get over it.' With a soft and resigned sigh, he decided right then to help Ayame until she was able to walk on her own again. It was the least he could do for a friend like her.

---

For once, this morning found Inuyasha wide awake. He'd woken in the middle of the night and hadn't been able to fall asleep since, pacing his room, staring out of his stupid window, even kicking at his stupid ball before he finally collapsed into his desk chair. Sparing a side-long glance at his alarm clock, he decided that now would be as good a time as any to start getting ready for the day... yet he felt glued to his spot.

'This isn't my room,' he immediately thought to himself. 'This is a room in my stupid father's house with his stupid wife... mate... whatever the hell she is... and their stupid spawn.' His brows furrowing in irritation, he continued on his thought train. 'In this family, diddly-shit is straight. I don't get it. After leaving me on my own for however long, they only just a few years ago decided to think I'm good enough for them?' Inuyasha snorted. 'What a lot of stuck-up assholes.' Feeling a renewed sense of energy, he sprung up and snatched up his towel, skulking towards his attached bathroom. Scoffing at the thought of this family taking pity on the half-orphaned hanyou, he shut the door behind him and stripped down for his morning shower. Tossing open the curtain, he turned on the shower head and let the water claim him at its mercy until the temperature was just right.

He wanted to stay angry and frustrated and pissed off, but the water had other plans. He'd calmed into melancholy the instant the streams hit. Usually he tied his hair up, but today he felt like staying in the shower a little longer. Breathing out a ragged sigh and raking his fingers back through his bangs and into his hair. He hated it. He hated being in this situation. He hated not being able to completely hate this family because, as much as he hated to admit it, they did something significant for him. He was alive and comfortable and well-fed and clothed and he wasn't the kind of guy to have all that and be ungrateful for it. Granted, in the beginning, he was reproachful of the sudden interest to have him ingrained into the family, but that boiled down when he realized that, while most of them didn't particularly like him, they were sincere in their offer to house him as the semblance of kin. Staring at the tiles as the water beat down on him and he idly went through the motions of grooming.

His step-mother was... Alright. He expected more animosity from her, but she gave him none. She mostly ignored him, which was just as well for him. He was just glad there were five plates at the table every time dinner was served instead of her treating him like he just didn't exist. He'd had a conversation or two with her, but it was never anything major. She mostly told him to do her the favor of being conscious of Tsukikomaru. 'The kid's alright,' Inuyasha thought to himself in reference to Tsuki. He had the best relationship with his younger half-brother out of all of them. The child was exactly as it said on the label: a kid. He was glad for that much. The child didn't know well enough to know what his presence indicated and, as a consequence, didn't feel the need to dislike him. Tsukikomaru was a young boy that only knew he'd gained an older brother that was more open to hanging around him than that statue of another brother he'd had to grow up with.

He smiled a bit before frowning again the instant he thought of his own older brother. 'That... That... He gritted his teeth angrily, clenching his fists. 'Fucking asshole!' he finally thought out, glad he remembered to keep it in his head. (The door connecting Tsuki's room to their bathroom wasn't known for being particularly thick for a kid with super-sonic hearing.) 'Honestly, it's like the fucker was sent into this house to ruin my life. Nevermind the fact that he's a snobby-asshat, but he... FUCKING. TAKES. EVERYTHING. FROM. ME.' Eyes piercing into the deep blue tiles, it took all of his self-control to not smash a fist into them and pretend they were Sesshoumaru's fucking face.

Curling and unfurling his fists in an effort to calm himself, Inuyasha's breath came in heavy rags as the thoughts of his and his brother's relationship came to mind. From the instant he'd stepped foot through that door, he'd instantly known that Sesshoumaru didn't like him. That much, he could somewhat get if it weren't for the degree of hatred he just KNEW Touga's eldest child had for him burning in those eyes he'd seen just an instant after stepping through that threshold. From that very moment, he knew their would be a terrible relationship and he'd been proven right thus-far. As the spoiled prince of the family, Sesshoumaru flaunted his status. His little frog... lizard... toad... thing... retainer or whatever the fuck it was only screamed at him in its scratchy, terrible voice. Inuyasha was glad the thing was gone for the year and dreaded the day it'd be back. His brother impassively looked on while his minion abused and ordered him around. He'd have killed the thing if it weren't for his father's warning speech about how the house is neutral ground and its residents are to not be fatally harmed.

From cheap jabs to stealing every bit of dignity he could, Sesshoumaru was the future head of the household and he so obviously knew it. Even the little kitsune girlfriend he had or whatever couldn't help but to sneer at him every time the bitch was around because he just knew Sesshoumaru would poison her thoughts of him with his lies. Inuyasha glumly stared at the rising steam. He wouldn't have to worry about Sesshoumaru's kitsune bitch because he'd replaced her with his girlfriend. Granted, it wasn't by choice, but the least the bastard could have done is fought the revelation! Instead, like the trained brat he is, he bowed his head to his father's words and accepted them wordlessly. Nothing. No horror at having to leave his favorite attachment in the dust. No look of disgust at the thought of having to be with his younger brother's girl. No semblance of emotion whatsoever.

He felt his chest swell at the memories with Kikyou. She was the first, and only, smiling face he'd ever seen for a really long time before the school had opened up to him. She was beautiful and he felt lucky to have her. She was nice and smelled great and didn't get upset when he lost his temper and helped him deal with a lot going on in his life and she was a hanyou like him. She promised to help him deal with his situation and she did in her way. She listened for him. She stuck up for him when people would make fun of him. They were a little more reserved than he'd have liked, but he didn't mind. He loved her. And Sesshoumaru snatched that away from him.

A jab of guilt went through him as he mentally corrected himself. Kikyou may have been the first, but she wasn't the only friendly face in the crowd. From the moment they'd met, Kagome had been everything her sister had been and more. She was clumsy and cheerful and a little too chatty for her own good, but she had a good heart and a great smile. He couldn't help but see her sister in her, but there was a bit of... Something else there too. Guilt ate at him as he remembered being with Kikyou, but feeling a little too happy when Kagome was around too. He loved Kikyou, but there had been a something he couldn't name for the life of him that'd drawn him to the younger twin. He hated the situation, but he... remembered instantly thinking of Kagome when the news had been told. He felt like the scum of the Earth, but he liked her. He really did. But he wasn't one to betray his former girlfriend like that. When Kikyou couldn't be around, caught up in her studies, Kagome was there for him on a level Kikyou could never be. She wasn't physically more beautiful than her sister, but something made her look so much prettier to him. He couldn't place it. She just was.

Head lifting as he heard Tsuki knock on the door so he could come in, Inuyasha shut off the shower, glad for the house's unlimited source of hot water. He dried himself off and opened the door for his brother, watching the kid waddle under his out-stretched hand and start to undress. The kid had grown tired of Setsuna bathing him all the time and started getting up earlier to do it himself. Inuyasha closed the door for his brother and got to brushing his teeth while the youngest sibling of the house bathed, brushing aside his thoughts for the moment. He cringed when he heard Tsuki's whine from hitting his forehead against the tiles from nodding off. 'This isn't a problem that's gonna be solved in one shower, he thought to himself as he stared into the mirror after making sure the kid was okay.

Kikyou who of course was awake, stood in the kitchen as she performed her daily routine of cooking a small breakfast for Kimora and coffee for her father. Kentaro then strode into the kitchen with a large smile, "So?"

Kikyou turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised, "So what?"

"Well you know, how did your date go with Sesshoumaru?" Kentaro inquired walking over to pour himself a cup of coffee. "Kagome told me you two went out last night."

"You and Kagome gossip like a ravenous pack of middle school teenagers." Kikyou scoffed. Kent just smiled widely at her before she sighed and answered him, "It went well I suppose."

Kentaro nodded happy with the progress so far between the two heirs, "Let's hope it continues to go well. We have a lot of damage to repair due to the centuries of bad blood between us and the western lands of Japan."

"Right..." Kikyou frowned. Kimora then chose to happily bounce into the kitchen diving right into her food eating rather viciously.

"I'm heading out now. I'll be home a little early tonight so I'll cook." Kentaro said as he picked up his newspaper. He walked over and kissed Kimora on her cheek and then Kikyou. "See you girls later."

"Bye!" Kimora yelled out as he left.

"Come on Kimora, we should be going. I don't want us to be late." Kikyou said taking her finished plate and rinsing it off in the sink.

---

Ayame yawned and blinked sleepily, with her vision blurred she rubs at her eyes, "Shinki?"

Shinki looked down at her. "Hey there, Red," he greeted with his smile, loosening his grip a little. "Good morning."

---

Hana and Akira were soon done getting ready. Hana peeked into her brother's room and frowned. "Where's Shinki?"

Akira shrugged. "Getting mugged? Sleeping with some chick to get back at Ranka? Skydiving? Who knows. We'll probably see him at school." Hana rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness, but went about to stealing her brother's keys to drive herself and her sister to school.

---

Soon, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru came down, sparing each other a look as they crossed paths, tension apparent between them. Setsuna peeked over to check what was going on. "Are you two going to eat each other for breakfast or should I just throw away your plates?"

Eyes narrowing, Inuyasha reluctantly broke his glare and brooded over to grab something to eat, followed by his other brother and surpassed by his youngest, who leapt onto one of the chairs at the island in the kitchen cheerfully.

"Morning." Ayame smiled. "Well this is nice...someone is actually here when I wake up." She sat up in bed, "Did you sleep well?"

---

Touga walks into the kitchen, briefcase in hand. "Good morning." He said to all of them. "How was everything with Kikyou last night, Sesshoumaru?"

Inuyasha spat out his juice. "What?!" he sputtered.

Setsuna wrinkled her nose and held up her arm, doused in juice. "How utterly disgusting!" She gave Inuyasha a more than displeased look, annoyed when she saw he had Sesshoumaru's shoulder held. "Brat."

"Why didn't I know!?"

Sesshoumaru looked at him in disinterest. "Because it wasn't any of your business?" He brushed off the hanyou's hand. "Apologize to my mother for your terrible manners," he told him before looking at Touga. "It went as well as it could have, father."

Inuyasha was obviously upset, but looked to Setsuna and apologized, reaching for a towel to help her clean up. She held up a slow and controlled hand to stop him. "I believe you've done quite enough to destroy my attire for the day. Simply clean up the rest of the mess." She greeted her husband icily before heading back up the stairs.

Tsukikomaru chewed on his bacon as he witnessed the scene.

---

"Yeah," he said, stretching out. "You?"

Touga brushed off Setsuna's glare and sent a disapproving frown to Inuyasha before addressing Sesshoumaru, "Well coming from you I suppose that is a good thing. I'll talk to you more about it later." He checked the time, "I have to be going." Touga ruffled Tsuki's hair as he walked past him "Have a good day at school." He then exited the kitchen.

---

Ayame nodded, "I did." She checked her phone for the time, "We have a little time to spare before we have to be at school. Would you like me to stop by your house so you can get a change of clothes?"

Tsukikomaru waved with a grin. "Bye, daddy!" Inuyasha scowled as he got on his hands and knees to clean his mess up, grumbling to himself. Sesshoumaru peeked over the island.

"I will be taking Tsukikomaru to school, Inuyasha. If you wish to come, you would do well to hurry."

Inuyasha growled out, gripping onto the papertowel. "I'll take the fucking bus."

Tsuki gasped. "Ooooooo! Inu said a bad woooooooorddd!"

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. "Your profanities withstanding, I am not leaving at this moment. Come, or you'll be late."

Inuyasha ignored him, red faced with anger and embarrassment at what'd transpired.

Sesshoumaru frowned. "Suit yourself." He looked at his youngest brother. "Hurry and finish your breakfast, Tsuki."

The child chowed down a little faster.

---

Shinki sat up. "No. The clothes I had on yesterday were still fresh. I keep a shirt in my locker, so I can change that at school."

Ayame nodded, "Alright, well I'm going to get dressed. I'll be quick." She shot him a small smile before hopping off of the bed and into her closet.

Shinki started to undress again, sniffing himself. 'Good. I'm still fresh from my shower.' he checked his breath. '... I have a spare toothbrush at school.'

---

Akira walked into the school, hearing the rumors circulating.

"I heard Sesshoumaru dissed his ex- by bringing his new girlfriend to the restaurant where she worked AND she was their waitress."

"What a jerk. I'd be mortified if I were Hana or Kikyou."

"Nevermind that. Did you hear? Ranka got caught! With Kouga!"

"What???"

"Yeah! Eri saw it while she was walking her dog in the park yesterday. Ayame found them and ran into Shinki while being chased by Ranka. Ranka looked like Ayame punched her lights out."

"What a HO."

"No kidding."

"Don't they all sit at the same table?"

"Awkwaaard."

Ayame came out of her closet dressed, "Alright, are you ready to head out?"

Shinki looked over with his shirt in his hands. "Ah... Yeah." He quickly pulled it over his head and on.

Ayame smiled, "Sweet." She lead them out of the house and into her car. Soon enough they arrive at the school. She parked her car and turned to look at Shinki, "Welp, we're here."

Shinki thanked her and went off to his locker to change his shirt.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave." Was Kagome's first thought as she stepped into the warm shower. How ironic it was to her that her own twin sister who was dating her crush has to mate his brother, who in fact was dating her best friend. Which must be hard for her considering that she herself was identical in looks to the woman who is going to mate the love of her life. "Drama, drama, drama. That's all that is and I'm positive that more will come when the trip happens. As far as I'm concerned it has nothing to do with me and I refuse to play an active part in it. I'm just going to be there for Kikyou and Hana as a sister and best friend respectively. Besides, my mind has been occupied lately..."

Immediately Kagome felt the pangs of guilt. Her crush, who had always preferred her sister than her, had been plaguing her mind. She felt she shouldn't like him as much as she did, but she just couldn't help it. If only he could see her, for herself and not as a replica of Kikyou. She shook her head as if the thoughts would disperse "What am I thinking? He would never look at me as a potential interest and he's my sister's ex whom she obviously still cares for. I can't betray her trust like that."

She poured shampoo into her hands and lathered it into her hair, "How can I not like him? He may have a bit of a hard shell on the outside, but I know for a fact that deep down he's sweet, funny, caring, loyal, and is just all around a great person. We both have so much in common as well. We're both hanyou's and we both lost our mother's at such a young age. Granted yes, Kikyou has those things in common as well, but him and I connect on an emotional level. I know we do." Her thoughts strayed to her sister as she stepped under the water to rinse her hair, "Kikyou isn't very good at being empathetic. Sympathy she can provide, but empathy is something she struggles with. I know mother's death affected her the most, as much as she'd like to try and hide it." Kagome would always watch the way Kikyou interacted with Inuyasha. The way she was with him was so very reserved. She knew that Kikyou may have cared for him, but she also knew that sometimes his brash ways and thoughtless remarks would never have Kikyou open up completely to him. "But what can I say? It's not like I can tell him these things. Whether or not Kikyou had to mate Sesshoumaru...she most likely would have never taken a step further other than where they were now. "

Soon Kagome felt her lower abdomen contract a dull ache, she looked down and noticed a bit of pink in the water, "Oh dammit. Just my luck. I completely forgot about my cycle." Grumbling Kagome hurriedly finished her shower, dressed, and left for school. Not too long later she arrived and notice Kikyou standing where they normally met up, "How was the date?"

"I do not recall telling you to inform father of it." Kikyou smoothly replied.

Huffing Kagome placed her hands on her hips, "Well what was I supposed to tell him? That you were at the library studying that late at night? No library is open that late and he knows you don't have friends to go over and hang out at their house. Besides what's wrong with him knowing? He should be happy with the progress that you're making."

Ignoring the friend comment Kikyou began to walk to her first class, "I do not want him meddling and trying to force things to go along further. It is enough that I'm being forced to do this."

Kagome laughed, "So I'm guessing you started too, huh?"

"Be silent." Kikyou frowned before entering her classroom.

----

After Shinki's departure Ayame sighed and leaned forward to press her head onto her steering wheel. "Please don't let Kouga run into me today. Please, please, please. I won't be able to handle it." The emotions she were supressing started to rise. Tears started to gather in her eyes and she shut them tight to prevent them from spilling over "Okay, just calm down Ayame. Maybe he grew brains overnight and decided to leave you alone and give you space. Yeah, maybe that'll happen." She quickly pep talked herself. Taking another deep sigh she got out of her car, wiped her eyes, and went inside to the school.