A/N: Holy shit, this is my first Inuyasha fic! I'm surprised it took me this long, considering how much I love this series. I had this idea stewing around in my head, and I thought—well, why not write it and share it?

I want to dedicate this piece to Keichanz (bruh, seriously, you rock) and SplendentGoddess, both of whom have written some of my absolute favorite Inu/Kag fics. Weird how I say that and then turn around and write a Kag/San BROTP fic, right? I don't see a whole lot, and they don't get enough love (and neither does Inu/San or Mir/Kag), so I figured I'd contribute.

Anyway! Let's get the show going!

It was a bright, beautiful spring afternoon when Kagome had asked her best friend and sister of her heart for something nobody expected. They were sitting inside Miroku and Sango's hut for lunch, little Komori having eaten his fill from his mother's bosom and was freshly burped and content in the slayer's arms. Pausing in the middle of a bite of grilled fish, the young priestess had blurted,

"Teach me how to fight?"

Sango's eyes widened at that. "What do you mean, Kagome? You're already an expert shot with the bow, and you've got an amazing reserve of spiritual power. What else could you need?"

"That's all well and good, but what about when I don't have my bow or arrows? I'm pretty much defenseless without them. If I come across some hostile humans, I can't just shoot them or purify them; they could just overpower me, and then it'd be over." Setting her bowl and chopsticks down, her eyes lowered in shame. "That happened more than enough during the quest. I don't want to worry anyone if I'm in a situation like that again."

"Ohhh," the slayer breathed in realization. "You mean, you don't want to worry Inuyasha if you're in a situation like that." It wasn't stated like a question.

"Well…yeah." Kagome's stormy eyes sparkled in admiration. "I just think it'd be a handy skill to have, being able to incapacitate enemies that I can't purify, and…and… You just looked so cool when you fought, Sango!" She clasped the older woman's free hand in her own, her most desperate puppy-dog eyes on full display. "You were so fast and strong and I wanna be able to do that! Please teach me!"

The slayer had a thoughtful look on her face as she weighed the pros and cons. On the one hand, teaching Kagome how to defend herself hand-to-hand would definitely pay off in the long run, and it provided Sango herself some time to exercise and polish her own moves. It also gave her a chance to spend some time with the future-born girl, and some healthy time away from the kids. She'd have to ask Miroku to watch Komori, and Inuyasha and Shippo could play with Mizuki and Misaki. Those girls absolutely adored Inuyasha, for whatever reason, and it was for a good cause; he'd agree to it, even if he'd grumble about it. On the other hand, she would have to actually teach and test Kagome. That in and of itself wasn't bad; it was just the fact that she'd have to physically scrap with her, as well as put her through lots of bruises and soreness to get her to where she needed to be.

"It's not gonna be easy," Sango warned. "You won't grow to be a master overnight. It's going to take hard work, sweat, and more than a few bruises."

"I understand!" she replied, nodding with enthusiasm, her hands clenched into fists in an energetic display. Kagome regarded Sango with fire. "I know it's gonna be tough, but that's exactly why I have to do it!"

Sango suppressed a giggle at her friend's antics. Closing her eyes and sighing in playful exasperation, she replied, "Well, if you insist on requesting my tutelage, then I guess I've no choice but to take you under my wing as my beloved pupil."

Kagome whooped in delight, startling her nephew and upsetting him in the process. Covering her mouth in embarrassment as Sango cooed at him to stop his fussing, she asked quietly, "When can we start?"

A few days later, after informing the men of the arrangement and leaving the children behind with them, both Kagome and Sango were standing in the middle of a small clearing close to Kaede's village, the slayer in her usual battle suit and the priestess in a simple white kosode and trousers.

With practiced professionalism, the older woman had engaged her friend in a series of warm-up stretches and breathing exercises. After what she deemed an appropriate time to start, Sango spoke first.

"Alright, now that we've finished warming up, are you ready to learn some basics?"

"Heck yeah!" Kagome replied eagerly. "I am SO ready!"

Smiling at her enthusiasm, Sango continued. "The first thing that any warrior has to keep in mind is that there can't be any wasted movement. Always quick, always minimal, always precise." Demonstrating, she slipped into her stance, and threw a quick punch. She repeated the action in slow motion, allowing Kagome to watch and understand her form as she explained, "Extend the arm without strain. Keep your arm straight, your fist firm, and your chin down, as your shoulder will automatically rise and shield your chin. Twisting your body is also important, as it helps with momentum."

Kagome's eyes were sparkling with interest, following Sango's actions in minute detail. The slayer then instructed her to try, slowly at first, so that she could help correct anything out of place. "Remember, chin down, and arm straight."

After watching her practice with the air for a good while and noticing her friend's progress, Sango then commented, "Not bad, Kagome. You still have a ways to go, but it looks like you're serious about this."

"Of course!" she said with a grunt, never stopping her movements.

Impressed, she then instructed, "Now start aiming those punches at me."

Kagome looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Taking her place in front of Sango, Kagome did as she was told, taking her form and throwing her best strike, not knowing what to expect.

Stopping her friend's punch upon her left palm, Sango commented leisurely, "Your form is good, but the punch is too slow and too soft."

"Dang." Scratching her head, Kagome replied, "I thought I had it."

The slayer grinned. "Not even close."

"Ouch. No need to hold back, Sango."

"Try again."

They trained like that for quite a while, Kagome alternating between arms and, slowly but steadily, improving her punches against Sango's palms. The priestess-in-training heard much of her friend's advice over and over as she struck, and out of curiosity (and slight exasperation), she asked, "Can you show me how hard it's supposed to be? I'm just not really getting it."

"Of course," Sango agreed, readying her stance. "Hands up, just like how I caught your punches."

Obeying, Kagome readied herself for Sango's strike. However, she didn't quite anticipate when or how fast Sango's arm would move, and felt a sharp pain in the center of her face and a ringing sound in her ears before landing squarely on her rump with a yelp.

Nothing quite registered as the brown-haired woman lost sight of Kagome, her fist hanging in the air. Then it clicked as she looked down at her friend dazedly shaking her head free of disorientation.

Sango gasped. She'd just punched Kagome in the face.

"Oh my gods, Kagome! Are you okay!?" Covering her face in disbelief and fear, Sango rushed, "I am SO sorry! I wasn't thinking, please forgive me!"

"I-It's alright," the younger woman wheezed, staggering slightly to her feet. "I'm fine, don't worry."

Sango winced. "Are you sure? We can stop for the day, if you want—"

"No way!" she exclaimed, a twinkle in her eye despite her throbbing nose. "Let's keep going. Can't progress without bruises, right?"

"O-Okay…" The slayer could sense her determination and resolve. "Then let's begin again."

As the days turned to weeks for Kagome's training, everyone could definitely see that she was making progress. Since the first day, Sango had been patiently teaching her different moves and maneuvers, including ducking, weaving, kicking, and blocking. Kagome often came home with aching muscles and more than a few bruises, and Inuyasha often asked her if it was really worth it.

"Of course it's worth it, Inuyasha," Kagome murmured, snuggling further into him from their perch on the Goshinboku. "Why would I keep going if I didn't think it was?"

"I dunno," he replied. "You're always sore n' shit. All this just in case you get jumped by some measly human guys, even though you know I wouldn't let them get close enough to even think about laying a finger on you."

She smiled up at him. "And I appreciate that. But it's more than just training for the worst case scenario. It's like…" Pausing, Kagome chose her words very carefully. "It's a rite of passage, in a way."

He cocked his head to the side, confused. "How's that?"

"Well, think about it this way. I was a normal girl during the shard hunt, right? No experience with much of anything in this time; I couldn't fight with you and Miroku and Sango, and my marksmanship was sketchy, at best. I felt more like a hindrance than an asset, because I was someone who came from another world. I was an alien. But now, since I'm here to stay, my training with Sango is like a promise to so many people who trusted and believed in me. My family, Sango and Miroku, Shippo, Kaede, Kikyo… and especially to you." Grabbing his hand, she traced patterns on his palm as she continued. "It's a promise that I'll only get stronger from here, to protect those I love. It's a goodbye letter to my old life, as an ordinary girl."

Looking down at his mate, Inuyasha felt a barrage of different emotions. He was often accused of being simple, but he always noticed the little differences between the Kagome from before she started her training to the Kagome he currently had trapped in his embrace. He would never forget the first time he noticed the callouses on her normally soft and smooth palms, or the way she seemed to have lost the roundness in her face. Even now, he could feel the way her body had firmed up, her muscles becoming more prominent and defined. Some of the softness was still there, but it amazed him how dedicated she was to improve, just as how it made him proud to see her progress as well as know the reason behind her goal. True, there was the small fear in him that one day, she may become strong enough to the point where she may not need him to protect her, but he ignored it. He knew that she would never deny his company or protection, but the fact that she grew stronger in hopes of one day protecting him…

He was astounded. "Kagome…"

"And plus, it's kind of fun. Sure, the booboos aren't so great, but I think it's really neat seeing how a frail person like me can bulk up and get strong, too." Smiling cattily, she kissed his nose before continuing, "And if it means having you snuggle me all better, then it's definitely worth it."

Inuyasha had the good grace to blush. "F-feh! So that's your real goal, is it?"

Kagome laughed. "It's clever, isn't it?"

"Keh." Grinning, he squeezed her tighter before whispering, "All you had to do was ask."

Weeks later, Sango had joyously declared Kagome's training to be a huge success. While she was still learning and polishing her technique, the slayer had no doubt never seen such progress in such a short amount of time, and thus declared a small celebration in her honor between the original Inu-gang, plus Rin and Kaede. Inuyasha had immediately declared that he'd catch whatever animal they wanted. Sango and Kaede had taken up the cooking, the older priestess more than happy to contribute to the festivities. Rin had also eagerly offered her assistance, wanting to take part in the fun. Miroku had recently ventured to the local market a few days prior, and suggested that he and Sango share some of the foreign spiced tea with their friends for the happy occasion. Even Shippo pitched in, happily chirping that he knew of the absolute perfect peach tree not too far from here, earning a pleased grin from everyone involved. Peaches were her favorite fruit.

Of course, Kagome herself was none the wiser as to what was going on, having gone to study herbology with Jinenji for the morning. After Inuyasha had procured the wild boar for the meal and taken it to Kaede and Sango, he sauntered off to watch her, lounging in a nearby tree while Jinenji had quizzed her on the healing benefits of the herbs they'd picked. They would be finished soon enough, and he wanted to make sure she went straight back to the village without delay; the food would be finished upon her arrival, and he was sure she'd be hungry.

The plan was to meet her when her lessons had concluded, and discreetly escort her back to Miroku and Sango's and join up with the monk himself, where the three of them would walk to Kaede's—and Kagome's celebration.

"Inuyasha!"

Dropping down from his selected tree, Inuyasha met Kagome at the base. She looked quite pleased with herself; she must have done well with Jinenji's tasks.

"You ready to head back? The monk says he wanted to meet up at his place; I dunno what he wants, but he told me to make sure you came along." Stuffing his arms into his sleeves, he figures that was a good enough excuse to lead them there. Kagome cocked her head to the side. "I wonder what it could be?"

"Let's go find out."

And so they went, Kagome happily recounting her morning to her husband as they made the trek to their friends' home. Inuyasha praised her diligence, keeping up with her spiritual and healing studies as well as her lessons with Sango, and she beamed at him in response. She was working very hard to make sure she earned her keep, and to hear him tell her that she was doing well made her happier than he knew.

After their journey back to the village, the pair had stopped outside of Miroku and Sango's home, Inuyasha noting that he could smell Miroku from inside.

"I seriously wonder what could be going on," Kagome mused, her chin in her hand.

Inuyasha gave a noncommittal grunt, opting to lazily watch the clouds as they waited for the monk.

Miroku exited his home about ten minutes later, the tea in his possession. Kagome had her back to him, obviously thinking about something, while her husband and mate stood sideways next to her. Without thinking, he walked over to them and reached to gently touch Kagome's shoulder.

He expected for her to turn around in mild surprise, or maybe a little jump.

He did not, however, expect to see the sky, or to feel the ground at his back.

As she felt his hand on her shoulder, Kagome had immediately acted on auto-pilot—she grabbed his arm, pulled him forward and, using his weight against him, tossed the unsuspecting monk over her shoulder and slammed him onto the ground. The entire maneuver lasted about five seconds, but to him (and a certain red-clad bystander), it seemed like everything happened in slow motion.

"Oh my god! Miroku, I'm so sorry!"

Tuning back into the present, Miroku watched as Kagome knelt down at his side, her hands covering her mouth, while he heard some poorly suppressed snickering somewhere from his right. What the hell?

"Um… What just happened?"

"She handed you your ass, is what happened," Inuyasha snorted in laughter.

"Kagome?"

"It was an accident!" she wailed. "I didn't mean to, I swear!"

In the recesses of his psyche, Miroku had noticed that this had happened before, in the distant past. What was it that happened? Oh, yes, right, he had tried to grope Sango's rear end, and found himself hurled to his back instead. Which meant…

"I can see that your training is going extremely well," he teased, attempting to save face and nurse his wounded pride.

Inuyasha was never going to let him live this down.

And if the look on Kagome's face was any indication, he wasn't going to let her forget, either.

A/N: Geh. Not only did this turn out to be more Inu/Kag than anything else, but I couldn't think of a good way to end it, either. I knew I wanted for Miroku's unfortunate meeting with the ground to be the last thing that happened, but I wanted it to be…funnier, I dunno. Either way, this was sitting for way too long, and I wanted it done and up.

Reviews are appreciated!

What did I listen to? Phantom from the Persona 5 OST and I Am by Hitomi.