A quick note: The story is set in an alternate universe, in some nonspecific presumably Western region. Japanese name order and honorifics have not been used. Kagome isn't a miko, she doesn't have any powers, and, well, you'll see the rest.

Halloween, the night when the veil between this world and the next thins, and all manner of supernatural entities roam freely. Or at least, that's what the legends claimed. Practical, down-to-earth people smiled and made noncommittal noises when superstitious folk tried to warn them, and then they generally went about their business as usual.

Kagome Higurashi was one of those people. She played along with the superstitions of her family and friends, but she considered herself to be too sensible to actually believe in any of it. She didn't throw spilled salt over her shoulder, she didn't worry if a black cat crossed her path, and she sure as hell didn't think spirits came from beyond to haunt the living on any day of the year.

Unfortunately, she would find out the hard way that she was wrong.

Working in an emergency room was never exactly a cakewalk, but October thirty-first was by all accounts one of the worst days of the year. And with it also being a full moon this year, it was liable to be even more of a zoo than normal(1). Kagome had lucked out and not drawn the short straw this year—sorry, Sango, she thought—so she wouldn't be there overnight, but she would be there until well after dark.

Her best friend, Inuyasha, normally walked her home when she worked nights, but he'd begged off tonight, citing some illness that he didn't want to expose her to. Kagome had argued with him that she was a nurse, for heaven's sakes, that she was more knowledgeable about infection control than he was. But he'd insisted, saying it was probably just some little twenty-four-hour bug and promised if he wasn't better in the morning, she'd be the first person he called.

Hmph. Or he could…you know…go to a doctor!

Kagome rolled her eyes. Her friend was one of the most iatrophobic people she knew, which was ridiculous because their mutual childhood friend Miroku was a doctor! And she and Sango were both nurses.

She shut her locker and shoved her phone and wallet into an inner pocket of her jacket before heading off in search of Sango.

She found her friend at the nurses station, documenting a chart and pointedly ignoring whatever Miroku was saying to her. If Kagome knew the good doctor at all, he was probably flirting.

And considering the light blush dusting Sango's cheeks, Kagome didn't know why Sango didn't just agree to go out with him. Stubborn girl.

"Ah, there's the lucky lady," Miroku said when he spied Kagome. He grinned at her cheekily, and she couldn't deny he was oh-so-charming…with ohhhhh what a reputation.

"Lucky?"

Sango closed the chart with an audible snap and an irritated exhale through her nose. "He means you get to leave, while we're trapped here overnight."

Kagome winced. "I know, and I'm sorry! It's just… Well… It's just…"

"That this place turns into an absolute circus?" Miroku supplied. When she shrugged and nodded, he added, "What, leave your lion tamer costume at home?"

"Yup, you caught me," she replied with a laugh. "C'mon, Sango, don't be mad! I'll do it next year and you can take off."

"Or you could stay and we could face the hellscape together. I mean…" Sango dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Not only is it Halloween…but it's a full moon. There's no telling what sort of creepy stuff could happen!"

"Now, Sango," Miroku said, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "I promise I'll protect you from the boogeyman."

"Doctor. Hoshi," Sango said, her clipped words dripping with ice, "if you don't remove your arm from my person in the next millisecond, I can assure you that you'll be paying a visit to plastics."

"Will you be my nur— Ow, ow, okay, okay, jeeze!"

Kagome shook her head. Their antics were nothing out of the ordinary, and truthfully, she was somewhat relieved Miroku would be there to annoy Sango all night. It would help keep her mind off of anything spooky.

"Right, well, you two kids behave, and I'll see you bright and early for coffee?"

"You betcha! As soon as our shift ends," came the chipper reply from Miroku, as if Sango hadn't nearly dislocated his arm.

Sango nodded. Then, her face grew serious. "Kagome… Are you sure you're okay walking home alone?"

"I told you; I'll be fine. I've taken self-defense, and the roads are pretty well lit, and it's not that far to our apartment. And yes, yes, before you say it, I will text you as soon as I'm home. Promise."

"Self-defense might protect you from humans, but what about…you know…ghosts? Or vampires? Or…or the fae? They say faeries come to find human brides on nights when the veil is thin. Do you have any iron?"

"Sango. I love you, but you have got to stop reading all of those freaky folklore stories and watching horror movies. You know I don't believe in any of that nonsense. I can't believe you do, for that matter! Now, if you can give me actual proof, backed by science, that any of it is real, then I'll listen."

Before Sango could protest further, Kagome pulled her into a quick hug and gave Miroku a wave. She'd learned that hugs from Miroku sometimes came with wandering hands…

Then she headed out the door and into the night.

Behind her, Sango crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her upper arms. "I hope she'll be okay. Do you think she knows about will-o'-the-wisps? Or banshees?"

"Hey." Miroku placed a hand gently on her shoulder. There was none of his characteristic flirtatiousness in his demeanor. "Kagome's right. That stuff is fun, but it's fiction! She'll be fine."

The streets were full of costume-bedecked Halloween revelers, of all ages. A precious pumpkin here, a sexy black cat there, she passed all manner of costumes. Witch hats and masks and capes galore, Kagome momentarily—a split second, really—wondered if beneath the face paint or opaque masks if there might actually be some otherworldly creature.

Knock it off, Kagome. You're letting all of Sango's silliness get into your head.

The two girls were roommates, living in an apartment only a ten- to fifteen-minute walk from the hospital, and as such, Kagome routinely watched the various spooky movies and supernatural-themed documentaries with Sango. And occasionally humored her friend and listened to a podcast or read an article.

Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time, it never even fazed Kagome. Tonight, however, was a different story, and Kagome found herself startling more at weird noises, her gaze darting around her, half-expecting something to pop out and yell, "Boo!"

She pulled her jacket a little tighter around her, mentally chastising herself for being ridiculous. Just because the wind had picked up, making the trees moan, and clouds were shrouding the moon in a rather unnerving manner didn't mean anything.

Then, suddenly, Kagome froze. A deep, loud noise had cut through the night air, and she spun on her heel, looking around her, trying to detect if anyone else had heard it.

The howl of a dog—or wolf.

But this couldn't have been an ordinary animal; no, to make such a sound, so loudly, it would have had to have been massive!

Or not of this world…whispered a little voice in the back of her head.

"No, no way," she said aloud. Fortunately, no one around her noticed.

In fact…it didn't seem like anyone around her had noticed anything. Not her talking to herself or the terrifying howl.

Right then. It was all in her head.

She kept walking, but every story involving a dog or a wolf she'd seen or read or heard with Sango was rushing through her mind.

Werewolves. Rabid dogs. Hellhounds.

The Cú-Sith.

A gigantic faery canid—it depended on the story whether it was dog or wolf—its cry was said to be a harbinger of death, similar to a banshee, and when the number of howls reached three, the hearer was whisked away to the afterlife, underworld, or somewhere by the huge beast. Or they died instantly. Again…tales varied(2).

Kagome walked faster. Not that she actually thought there was some spectral canine on her tail. She just wanted a hot bath, that was all.

Minutes later, another long, mournful yowl pierced the night, and she shivered.

Two.

She shifted into a light jog, weaving through the throngs of trick-or-treaters. You know…cardio. Good for what ails ya.

She made a blind turn down an alleyway, only to realize too late that in her haste she'd made a wrong turn. This one led to the expansive nature preserve that bordered the city. The closest portion had been turned into a park, but beyond that it was wild, untamed.

Perfect for wolves, her mind murmured. And not-wolves.

"Shut up shut up shut up!" she snapped at herself. If she kept going, the road would wind around and bring her to her apartment complex. It was the long way, but for some reason, she didn't want to turn back and go the other way.

Because it's silly to turn around and run with your tail tucked between your legs because some scary dog spooked you. Pull it together, girl!

But as she neared the park, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she wished she'd taken the cowardly way out.

Like a scene from one of Sango's beloved horror movies, the park was veiled in mist and eerily vacant. The sound of her shoes crunching on the ground echoed in the empty night, and she put one hand on her phone and the other on her apartment key. It was iron…right?

Goose bumps erupted as another shiver raced down her spine.

And then, she heard it.

The third howl.

This time, it was frighteningly close, and Kagome broke into an all-out run, sprinting away from the sound, heedless of the direction she ran. As she glanced backward, a shard of moonlight illuminated the path and she could see the figure of an enormous beast, running swiftly toward her on deadly silent paws.

Of course, staring at the creature behind her meant she wasn't looking where she was going, and she tripped over an exposed tree root and smashed headfirst into the tree's trunk.

The wind knocked out of her and the world spinning, she crumpled to the ground, eyes closing against the dizziness. When she felt her head, her fingers came away sticky.

Shit.

Knowing her luck, it was probably a werewolf or rabid dog, and now it was going to want to suck her blood. Wait, no, that was vampires. She groaned out loud.

"Miss?" a man's voice spoke.

Kagome startled. When she tried to sit up, she somehow managed to overbalance and smack the back of her head against the offending tree. "Damnit!"

"Whoa, there, easy."

When she felt someone begin to touch her, she slapped his hands away, blinking to try to clear her vision.

"Don't touch me!"

She couldn't scramble any farther away, being backed against the damn tree, so she snatched her apartment key out of her pocket and thrust it in front of her, brandishing it as though it were a sword and not a two-inch scrap of metal.

The man who she could thankfully now see chuckled. "And what're you gonna do with that, hmm? Poke me to death?"

He was tall, though that was always hard for her to gauge as short as she was. Though the park was dimly lit, she saw that he had black hair pulled back into a ponytail, a brownish headband, and he was clad in oddly dated green clothing, with some sort of animal pelt-based boots. She tried telling herself it was just a costume. It was Halloween, after all. It was the rather prominent floofy tail protruding from his backside that challenged the assumption. It didn't look fake.

A very elaborate costume?

When he knelt down next to her, peering at her with some concern, she could see that his eyes were a vibrant blue and the tips of his ears pointed.

Like the tail, those didn't look fake. Not even remotely. She sucked in a shallow breath. Oh, shit. Pointed ears…!

"You— You're—" Kagome gulped, fingers gripping her key more firmly. "A…a…faery!"

He gave a sort of mock-bow from his kneeling position. "Well done, miss. But can ya guess what kind?"

"If I do, will you leave me alone?" She gestured with her key, surprised when the man laughed.

"Listen, beautiful. That thing you're wavin' about there? It's brass. So unless you've got some fancy sort of alchemy to turn it to iron or you're skilled in the lesser-known art of key-jitsu, go ahead and put it away, will ya?"

"O-oh." Her cheeks flamed as she fumbled to shove it back into her pocket. "But, wait! If you don't want it to be iron, then that means faeries are weak to iron!" Kagome said triumphantly.

He shrugged. "Or maybe I'm just jerkin' your chain. Besides, even if I am, do you have any iron?"

When she fumed silently, annoyed he was right, he reached for her again.

"Hey, back off! What do you think you're doing?"

He pushed her hands away and gripped her chin, eyeing the damage the godforsaken tree had inflicted on her head. "Looking at your wounds. I'd say you need a healer, miss."

"I am a nurse, thankyouverymuch. If you'll just let me go, I can see to my own needs."

His blue eyes twinkled. "Ah, well, that's where we come to a bit of a problem. You want to go, and I want to keep you."

"And that's called abduction and is not only illegal but also super creepy, so no thanks."

"But I did catch you, so it's only fair I make you my woman. Don't worry, you'll fall in love with me."

Oh, hell no. This is so not happening.

"Sorry to break it to you, but I've no plan to be the 'beauty' to your beast, buddy. Maybe consent doesn't mean anything to you faeries, but it matters to us mere mortals," Kagome said with an irritated huff.

He tilted his head. "So… Are you saying you'd agree to be my wife if I, what, court you?"

"What?!" she yelped. "You'd… I don't… Huh?"

"Did ya bump your ears too? I'm asking if you're saying you want to be wooed first."

Kagome rubbed her forehead, which turned out to be a mistake. It burned and throbbed at the contact, and she hissed in pain.

Suddenly, she found herself swooped up into the arms of the strange faery man, bridal-style. As she shrieked, he said, "I ain't abducting you, so hush. If you'll tell me where you live, I'll take you there so we can treat your wounds. Then we can continue our discussion."

"And I should trust you why?" Kagome snapped.

"All right, a fair point." He paused. "The name's Kōga. I promise if you let me into your home, I won't hurt you."

Her mouth dropped open. He'd given her his…name? If faery lore was to be trusted, that was huge! But, wait…

"How do I know that's your real name?"

He grinned, the tips of his fangs glinting in the moonlight. "Faeries don't lie. 'Sides, if I'd wanted to trick ya, I'd have said 'Call me So-and-So', ya know?"

It made sense, sort of. Kagome nodded and pointed. "That way about a block, then turn left."

He didn't move though, kept looking at her with those uncanny bright blue eyes. "And your name, beautiful?"

Oh-ho, she'd heard these stories before. No way was she going to tell him her real name. "It's…uh…" The memory of one of Sango's stories came to mind, and she bit back a smile. "Ainsel."(3)

Kōga tipped his head back toward the sky and groaned. "'My-Own-Self', eh? Cheeky thing, aren't you?" When he looked down, she could see he was smirking. "It's an old tactic, but I'll let it go. For now."

Then, in a whoosh, they were off.

He ran through the streets at a breakneck speed, flying as though she were light as a feather. It was exhilarating, and in spite of everything, Kagome couldn't help but enjoy it somewhat.

It took nearly no time at all to reach her apartment, and at his prompting, she handed him the key to unlock the door.

"May I enter?" he asked politely.

"Umm…yeah?" she replied. "It'll be hard to carry me in if you don't." Then with some embarrassment at her comment, she added, "Or, um, you could just put me down."

It's not like she was enjoying the sensation of being carried or the warmth of his arms around her. It wasn't like he smelled good or anything, not at all like freshly mown grass and crackling bonfires and…

Oh my god. What is wrong with you? You've got to have a concussion; you're delusional. This man is a stranger! He probably isn't even a faery; you're probably hallucinating.

Kōga ignored the comment about putting her down, unlocking her door and whisking them both inside. He carried her into the small den, lying her on the sofa.

Instead of lying still, however, Kagome sat up and shakily got to her feet. That had been some ride!

"Oi, Ainsel," he said, a teasing lilt to her fake name, "where ya think you're going? Let me—"

"As much as I appreciate it, I am the nurse here. I'd rather examine myself, if it's all the same to you."

He shrugged and stepped out of her way, following behind her as she headed toward her bathroom. Flipping the switch, she squinted against the sudden brightness of the lights. Once her eyes adjusted, she leaned in close and peered at her reflection. She had an ugly scrape on her forehead that was slightly swollen, but otherwise, she appeared uninjured. Her head only hurt a little bit, surprisingly, and if you ignored the fact that she believed the man standing behind her was a faery, she was perfectly lucid. She didn't think she had a concussion.

She sighed, warring with herself mentally. Logically, she knew she should go to the ER and get examined for a concussion, that it was the responsible thing to do, but to tell her friends she ran into a tree? How embarrassing!

Also there was the matter of Kōga…how the actual hell would she explain him?

No, she wouldn't go to the ER. She would stay home and perhaps her newfound faery friend would be willing to wake her up every two to four hours and make sure her cognitive functions weren't declining.

But what about their morning coffee date? These rather obvious abrasions on her forehead would generate questions, and then Sanyo would murder her for not coming in to be examined tonight.

Kagome sighed. She'd have to come up with some excuse to skip.

"Oh, shit!" Kagome fumbled with her jacket pockets, yanking her phone out.

"Problem?" Kōga asked.

"I forgot to text Sango. If I take too long, she's liable to think I was murdered or abducted by aliens or attacked by werewolves or something…"

If she hadn't been looking down at her phone, she'd have seen his eyes widen slightly and then an exasperated look at the word "werewolves."

Kagome tapped out a quick "Made it home, safe and sound," text to Sango, feeling only a teensy bit guilty about that tiny white lie. She'd made it home… Safe and sound? Well, that was a matter of opinion, she thought, glancing up at the faery in her bathroom.

Her phone chimed.

Sango: Thank you! Miroku wants to know if you saw any ghosts
Kagome: Ha ha very funny you two

She paused, biting her lower lip. Then she sent another one.

Kagome: Can we raincheck coffee tomorrow? I'm wiped and wouldn't mind the opportunity to sleep in.
Sango: Ugh, and leaving me with Dr. McGrabbyHands?
Kagome: Don't act like you don't like his grabby hands ;-)
Sango: Traitor. Fine. See you tomorrow

Kagome let out the breath she'd been holding, relieved.

"This, ahem, friend?" Kōga asked. "Significant other? Or…?"

Kagome laughed. "She's one of my best friends and my roommate. I'm pretty sure she's got a thing for one of our other friends, but she's stubborn as hell and won't admit it."

He gave her a toothy smile. "That mean you're single?"

She rolled her eyes at him and pulled out things to clean her scrapes with. As she took care of the injury, she said, "Not that it's any of your business, but yes, I happen to be single."

"Perfect! Then it's settled. You can be my woman."

Kagome paused in her ministrations to glare at him. Kōga looked unfazed. "You don't let up, do you? Not that it's not flattering and all, but really. Why me? I'm human, for heaven's sakes."

Kōga chuckled. "C'mon, My-Own-Self. Dontcha know some fae have a penchant for mortals?"

She did know, and as much as it annoyed the hell out of her, an itty-bitty portion of her couldn't deny the attraction she had to this strange man. It was almost something out of a fairy tale—no pun intended—and loathe as she was to admit it, Kagome had always wondered what it would be like to be swept off her feet by a handsome prince and ride off into the sunset.

You know, minus all the other icky bits usually in fairy tales, like curses, evil stepmothers, and the threat of death or dismemberment.

Did she dare entertain the possibility of agreeing to his outlandish proposal? Not the marriage bit, not yet at least.

Oh good heavens, Kagome, what is wrong with you? Are you actually considering dating a faery?

Kōga had been watching her silently throughout her inner debate as she patched herself up. Her eyes flicked to his blue ones in the mirror, and she wondered belatedly if he could read thoughts.

"Nope, can't read thoughts. Just your facial expressions and body language," he said when she startled. "Well, and, uh, scent."

"Scent?!"

"I ain't human, Ainsel. I'm a—" He broke off, giving her a mischievous smirk. "Well, what do you think I am?"

"I think you're a pest," she muttered, brushing by him as she headed toward her bedroom to change out of her scrubs.

"Aren't you the least bit curious about me?" he asked as he trailed behind her.

"Well, yes…" she admitted. Then, "Hey, no way. You stay out here while I change!"

Kōga held up his hands in feigned surrender, and she shut the bedroom door in his face, hard.

"So ya are curious, huh?" came through the door.

"Ugh, why did I say that?" she said to herself as she dressed in some yoga pants, a tank top, and a hoodie. "Just a little!" she answered more audibly.

"Uh-huh. So, any guesses?"

"If I guess correctly, do you go away?" she asked as she opened the door.

"Do you want me to?" he countered, his eyes shining with mischief. "And don't lie—ain't fair if I'm honest and you aren't."

"I highly doubt anyone would dub the fae 'honest'. But, fine, in the essence of fair play, I'll confess I don't want you to go away…yet."

His handsome face lit up in a broad smile, and Kagome felt liquid heat pool in her belly. Shit. This could be bad. Very bad.

Kōga had been thrilled with her request for him to stay the night and monitor her just in case. He'd tried to get her to go somewhere with him, as a "distraction" he'd said, but she'd dug in her proverbial heels. She wasn't a total fool.

Not…completely.

For a while, they just chatted. After a couple wrong guesses, she'd finally figured out he was a faery wolf and also that he wasn't restricted to Faery during the rest of the year.

"That whole veil stuff is for spirits, ghosts, you know, that kind of thing. Faeries can come and go as we please. Oh, sure, it's easier on Halloween, 'cause it takes less work to blend in, but I betcha have some fae around ya and you don't even know it."

When Kagome had gaped at him, he'd laughed.

"Guess this isn't the time to tell ya vampires are real, huh? Not werewolves though, not the way you think of 'em at least. Shapeshifters tend to be types of fae." He shrugged.

"Wait, whoa, hold up. What about that whole iron thing? Is that just a myth?" She flinched at her wording. "I mean, fake?"

"Nah, it's real. But pure iron tends to be pretty rare these days, everything's an alloy or plastic or synthetic or whatever. Some fae are more sensitive to it than others, too." When she stared at him, still utterly dumbfounded, Kōga shrugged yet again. "There's all manner of faery flora and fauna, each with their own quirks and strengths and weaknesses. Not that different from your world, ya know?"

"I'd say it's a lot different! We don't have magic, for one. Or shapeshifters, or…or…" Kagome waved a hand toward him. "Pointy ears and tails!"

Kōga's tail twitched as though offended. "Hey, nothin' wrong with either of those things!"

The conversation had been bizarrely comfortable, and Kagome didn't know how she felt about that. Being with him was somehow…easy. Soothing. Like she'd known him forever.

She'd chalked it up to faery weirdness, not wanting to delve too much into it.

As the night went on, her post-work fatigue snuck up on her and she found herself yawning uncontrollably, her eyelids drooping. Kōga teased her initially, but then to her shock, he'd picked her up and carried her to bed.

She'd squawked about him putting her down, that she wasn't that kind of girl, but he'd just snickered, pulling the covers over her and sitting down on her bedside.

"You're tired, Ainsel. Get some sleep. I promise I'll wake ya like I said I would. And 'fore you say it, I won't do anything to you in your sleep. I swear it on my true name."

Something in his words rang true, and nodding drowsily, Kagome allowed herself to sleep.

When the faint rays of dawn's light crept into her room, Kagome stirred. Rubbing her eyes as she sat up, she found herself nose to nose with Kōga.

He grinned. "Mornin', beautiful."

She pushed at his chest, forcing herself to ignore the firm muscle beneath his shirt. "Ugh, go 'way. What time is it even?" A glance at her clock told her it was 5:45 a.m.

"Way too early…" She flopped back onto the bed, covering her eyes with one arm.

"Much as I'd love to stay, I've got to get back. Obligations, you know. But before I leave…" He tugged on Kagome's free arm until she relented and sat up again.

He snatched both of her hands in his claw-tipped ones, gazing into her eyes earnestly. "Let me court ya, hmm? Give me a month?"

"A month?" Kagome snorted. "Try a"—she tossed out a time frame she was sure he wouldn't agree to—"year."

Kōga nodded sharply. "A year it is, then. If you're not my woman by next Halloween, then I'll leave ya be. Swear it on my name."

Then, fast as a flash of lightning he was gone, leaving Kagome to wonder if he'd ever been real at all.

A few hours later, after Sango had returned home and gone to bed, Kagome's phone dinged. It was a text, from Inuyasha.

Inuyasha: Hey. We need to talk.
Kagome: About? Everything okay? How are you feeling?
Inuyasha: I'm fine. be over in a few, will bring coffee.

Kagome stared at her phone. The presumption that he could just head over was nothing new, but he'd been strangely evasive. Oh well, guess she'd find out.

About thirty minutes later, Inuyasha showed up with two to-go cups of coffee. They sat on the sofa in the den, and handing her one, he said slowly, "So…there's something you should know about me."

Kagome raised an eyebrow as she sipped her coffee.

"I'm…" He cleared his throat, running his hands nervously through his ebony hair. "I'm half-fae."

She nearly spit her coffee. "Excuse me? You're what?"

He scowled at her. "You deaf? I'm half-fae. You know, faery? Like the mangy wolf you met last night?"

Kagome had been all prepared to tear into him for keeping secrets from her but at that final sentence, she stopped short.

"L-Last night? But how—"

"He found me this morning before I left Faery. Wanted to know the nature of our relationship." Inuyasha snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Before you left where? What are you—"

He held up a hand, staving off her myriad questions. "Shut it and let me explain, will ya? Then we can talk about that…wolf."

She didn't miss the way he said the word "wolf," full of disdain.

He took a deep breath and then said, "So about me. I'm half-fae, and what that means is every full moon, I revert to my true faery form. I can't control it, so that's why I'm always MIA that time of the month."

Kagome opened and closed her mouth, probably looking for all the world like a fish. "So…you… But…" She shook her head. "How?"

"Well, Kagome, when one faery loves a mortal very much—" He snickered when she smacked him in the arm.

"It's not funny! How could you not tell me? Aren't we friends?"

"Aw, jeeze, Kagome…" Inuyasha rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. "'Course we're friends. It's just… C'mon, how do you tell someone something like that? 'Oh, hey, pal, by the way, I'm part faery and sometimes I don't even look human.' Yeah, that would go over well, especially with teenagers."

"Are you even really twenty-seven?" she asked suspiciously.

"Keh. About that…more like…onehundredandtwentyseven," he mumbled.

"Holy shit, Inuyasha! A hundred years older than me? What the hell?"

"Shhh, keep it down, will ya? You'll wake Sango up!"

"Puh-lease," Kagome scoffed. "You know damn good and well she sleeps like the dead. Seriously, though, you've got some explaining to do."

It was early afternoon by the time he finished telling her everything. How he was a faery dog, sort of like the cú-sith of legend—and no, he couldn't let her see and pet his puppy ears, it didn't work like that—and how it hadn't been easy as a half-fae growing up. How he'd found he sort of liked living in this world part of the time, that humans weren't nearly as bad as many faery made them out to be. How he'd fallen in love with one of those humans about fifty years ago, a woman named Kikyō.

How she'd gotten sick, an incurable illness that threatened her life.

So he'd taken her to Faery, where she wouldn't age or be sick anymore.

How fourteen years ago, they'd had a massive tiff, and Inuyasha had gone off to the mortal realm in a huff out of spite, knowing she couldn't follow lest her sickness return.

"Oh. My. God. You're telling me you've been over here pouting for the last fourteen years because you two got in a fight?" Kagome had interrupted, throwing her arms up in frustration. "How immature are you?"

"Tch. It wasn't just any fight, it was— You know what, that's not even the point!" Inuyasha had snapped in return. "Just shut up and let me finish."

Evidently, he and Kikyō were working things out somewhat, but he valued the friendships he'd formed with her, Sango, and Miroku. He split his time between here and Faery so that he wouldn't have to lose any of them.

"So what I'm sayin' is…" Inuyasha looked distinctly uncomfortable. "If ya want to… Uh, you know…date this wolf, it's not like you've got to give up this world."

Heat flowed up her neck and into her cheeks. "Jeeze, how much did Kōga tell you?" She crossed her arms over her chest, staring out the window. It made it easier somehow. "So…um…do you know him?"

"Keh. A bit. He's all right, for a filthy wolf. I guess. He's the alpha of a pack in faery, so I dunno. Guess he can't be all bad. You know…for a—"

"Yes, for a wolf, I get it." Kagome faced Inuyasha, a smile curving her lips. "Am I crazy, 'Yasha? To even consider it?"

"You've always been crazy, so…" He grinned at her when she gave him a warning look. "It's not the most conventional relationship, and we've got our share of problems, ain't gonna lie, but I wouldn't trade Kikyō for the world. What's it hurt if ya try, hmm?"

One year later

This Halloween, instead of dread, Kagome was filled with anticipation. Tonight was the night: the night she'd give Kōga his answer.

As she dressed for the day, pulling on her scrubs—she had promised Sango, after all—she thought back over the past year. It had been a whirlwind, a wild ride unlike anything she'd ever imagined possible.

At first, she didn't hear from him. For two days, Kagome had found herself taking the long way to and from work, by the park, just in case she caught a glimpse of him. Sometimes she even thought she saw bright blue eyes and a black ponytail out of the corner of her eye, but when she'd turn to look, there'd be nothing.

If it weren't for the fact that Inuyasha knew he existed, Kagome would have thought she'd imagined the whole thing.

Finally, on the third day, at dusk, when the trees were inky silhouettes against the twilight sky, he appeared. She'd gone for a walk in the park—yes, in hopes he'd be there—and there had been a slight shift in the wind, a rustle of the dry leaves in the trees, and…poof.

She'd jumped, surprised, of course, which made him laugh. Then, in a show of chivalry most of humanity had long forgotten, he offered her his arm, and he led her along a path deeper into the woods, away from prying eyes, she assumed. After all, he wasn't exactly…normal-looking.

The forest was quiet, peaceful, and they spent a long time walking and talking and learning more about one another. Kōga told her about his pack, about his two Betas, Ginta and Hakkaku, and his face had lit in a delighted grin when she'd said she looked forward to meeting them.

Kagome told him about her work, about the ups and downs of being a nurse, particularly one in the ER. About her friends, her family.

Just…not her name.

He had an easy, laid-back manner and a goofy sense of humor, and she found herself oddly relieved she'd agreed to this, well, courtship. It was weird, no doubt about it, and still extremely surreal. But in a good way.

As the days went by, he came to see her periodically, but more often than not, he visited her in her dreams. It had come as a shock initially—she hadn't believed it was truly him. This made him howl with laughter the next time he saw her in person.

"'Course it was me. Or…" A wicked glint in his eyes. "Are ya sayin' it would be normal for you to dream about me? Hmm?"

"Ugh, you're impossible!"

The dreams were truly magical, though. She dreamed of them every night, of them running together through an ethereally beautiful landscape, of lying on hilltops watching the stars, of snuggling under piles of thick furs to ward off the cold.

He courted her mainly from the shadows, from dreamland, the way only the fae could.

And unlike the real world, if she indulged in a steaming mug of rich hot cocoa or quenched her thirst from an ice-cold mountain stream, she wasn't bound to the place eternally. When her alarm woke her, she returned to the mortal world, leaving Faery behind her. Or, at least she'd assumed consuming food or drink in Faery would trap her there.

When she mentioned it to Inuyasha, he'd rolled his eyes.

"Keh. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that's a load of crap. Know who came up with that bullshit? Humans who wanted an excuse to ditch their shitty mortal spouses but didn't want to own up to it. 'Oh, sorry, Jim, it was the faery food. I was trapped there.' Yeah, right."

"So Kikyō can come and go as she pleases?" Kagome asked.

His expression soured. "In theory, sure. But her illness comes back when she leaves Faery. Time passes the same there as it does here, but no one gets sick or ages in Faery, not even mortals. When a human comes back, it starts right back up, like you'd pushed pause or somethin'."

Her down-to-earth mind had fought the whole prospect. She supposed she'd have to see it to believe it.

When she had nightmares after a horrific shift in the ER, somehow Kōga knew, and he would swoop in, scoop her up, and dash out of the bad dream. Kagome wasn't sure how he did it, or how he knew she'd been having a nightmare, but she was grateful. Sometimes they could be all too vivid and realistic.

Like the time a patient who'd been out of their mind on drugs had attacked her. Nothing terrible, mind you, but she'd gone home bearing a split lip and bruised cheekbone and plenty of nightmare-fuel. Kōga had been infuriated. He'd wanted to find the bastard who'd done that to her, rip his guts out and—

"Uh, sorry about that," he said, unclenching claw-tipped fingers he'd unknowingly fisted. "I just hate you got hurt, and worst still, nothing I can do to protect you, ya know?"

"It could've been worse. I'm fine," Kagome said trying to soothe him. It failed.

"Worse? This is bad enough!" Kōga growled, his fangs showing prominently. Kagome wondered why they'd never frightened her. But they didn't.

She put a hand on his arm. "Hey, calm down. I'm fine. What will make you feel better?"

Some of the tension left his body. "A kiss?" Then, slyly, "Or…your name?"

By now, she trusted him, trusted he wouldn't do her any harm or take her to Faery against her will. So she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. Then, trailing her lips over to his ear, she whispered, "It's Kagome."

Eventually, summer's heat began to lessen and the leaves transitioned from green to scarlet, copper, and gold. She spent September's full moon with Inuyasha, ecstatic that he'd offered to share his faery form with her. She'd been a tad bit jealous of his luscious, sleek silver hair, but mostly, she was thrilled she got to rub his fuzzy puppy ears. Something she could tell he'd only tolerated because they were such good friends.

Together, she and Inuyasha told Miroku and Sango about his, er, condition. And then Kagome spilled the beans about her little secret. Which apparently hadn't been nearly as secret as she'd thought.

"I knew you were seeing someone!" Sango squealed happily. "I wondered when you would finally tell me. But he's…a…a…faery? No lie?"

"Ah, Sango, dear," Miroku had interrupted Sango's barrage of questions about the fae and other supernatural beings. "Don't you think we should, erm, tell them?"

Sango went pink to the tips of her ears. "I… I guess. If we have to."

"Keh. Ain't exactly a secret to me," Inuyasha said, giving Miroku a fangy smirk. "Her scent was all over our apartment—particularly your room."

"What?!" Kagome and Sango yelped in unison.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kagome added, annoyed.

He shrugged. "Not my story to tell."

"Speaking of stories…" Sango poked Kagome playfully. "Spill."

And now, here she was, on All Hallows' Eve itself, about to tell the wily wolf that, yes, she'd agree to be his wife. She had a few provisions to the agreement, of course; she wasn't ready to give up her life in the mortal world quite yet. But from what both Inuyasha and Kōga had told her, crossing between both worlds was perfectly doable.

She just hoped he hadn't changed his mind.

Kagome was surprised to see Sango still at the hospital when she arrived. "Hey, thought you were gonna take off early?"

Sango grinned. "About that. I swapped shifts. Or rather, I had someone cover my shift, and I took someone else's."

"Huh? Whose? You hate working Halloween."

"Yours," Sango said simply, her grin widening. "You've got more important things to do tonight, like get ready for a certain you-know-who." She jerked her chin toward the door. "Go on, shoo."

"But…"

A voice spoke from behind her. "Ah, Miss Higurashi." She turned to see Miroku smiling mischievously. "I approved your vacation request. You're off for the next week. I hope you're, ahem, going somewhere fun."

"My what?" Kagome hadn't put in any time off requests. "What are you—" The realization hit her. "Which one of you put that in? You two…"

Miroku looped one arm around her waist and the other around Sango's, pulling them into a group hug. "It was a joint effort. And you deserve it. This place will survive without you for a week, I promise."

"Just make sure you finagle a way for us to visit, hmm?" Sango said teasingly. "Don't forget I'm supposed to be your maid of honor!"

"All right, all right, if it will make you both happy." Kagome laughed. Then, more seriously, "I love you two idiots, you know that, right? Thank you."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Sango gave a sudden indignant squeal. "Miroku, I mean, Doctor! We are on duty. Keep your hands to yourself," she hissed.

Kagome shook her head, giggling. At least some things never changed.

She'd planned to go home first, change out of her scrubs and freshen up a bit, but something drew her to the park instead. She followed the path she knew so well, and there, on the edge of the woods, stood Kōga, his ponytail swaying gently in the evening breeze.

The radiant colors of the setting sun surrounded him, making him look even more otherworldly than normal. It took her breath away, and for a moment, Kagome wondered if any of this was actually real.

Would she wake up unexpectedly and discover it was nothing more than a dream?

But then he strode up to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, and she could smell the distinctive scent of him, feel his warmth, his breath on her hair, and she knew he wasn't just a figment of her imagination.

"You're early," he murmured, drawing back just enough to cup her face.

"So are you." She closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his. Kōga let her lead, let her deepen the kiss, growling softly in the back of his throat when she nipped his lower lip.

She pulled away briefly, gazing deeply into those bottomless blue eyes. "Kōga…yes. My answer is yes."

He crushed her to him, burying his face in her neck. His exhaled, "fuck yes," tickled her skin. Then, he lifted his head, threaded his fingers in her hair, and kissed her soundly, until they were both panting.

When they paused to catch their breath, he scooped her up, just like he had a year prior.

"Kōga!" she shrieked, though some giggles definitely slipped out. "What are you doing?"

"Carrying my woman back to Faeryland. Why?"

"Oh, good grief, put me down!" she said. "This is ridiculous; what would your pack members say?"

Kōga hesitated, pursing his lips. Then he gave her a crooked grin, a bit of fang glinting. "Ah, damn, Kagome. You're right."

"Of course I am. I'm always— Ehhhhh? Kōga! What on earth are you—" Her entire world tilted on its axis and Kagome found herself tossed over Kōga's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Best to carry my bride back home the traditional way, hmm? Like you said, what would the pack say?"

"That is not what I meant and you know it!"

Kōga chuckled. "Careful what you wish for, Kagome. Especially around the fae…"

And so, with his hand on her ass and Kagome staring at his, the faery wolf and his bride walked off into the sunset.

Happily ever after.

~The End~

Footnotes:

1. I know in canon, Inuyasha changes into a human on the night of the new moon. For this universe, it's human to fae on the night of the full moon. Because, Reasons™

2. Authorial liberties have been taken. From what I can tell, the cú-sith isn't ever considered a wolf, but hey. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I do what I want.

3. Using the alias "Ainsel" or "My Own Self" stems from folklore and the idea that giving the fae one's true name can be disastrous. With this tale and its variants, a faery child is injured while playing with a human child who'd given their name as Ainsel. When the faery complained to its mother, the mother asked who hurt them, and of course the faery's answer of Ainsel, meaning "My Own Self," made it sound like they'd hurt themselves.

Author's notes:

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this! I've no idea where it spawned from. It just sort of poofed into my brain and I'm not about to question the whims of my fickle muse. It's likely full of gaping plot holes and probably could've used a beta, but oh well. Caution being thrown to the wind and all that.

Also, since it's that spooky time of year and all, and who knows if there's a veil and if it's thinning…the lore varies greatly on the topic of whether or not the Fair Folk lie. Word of advice: should you be so (un)lucky as to happen upon one, take anything and everything they say with a grain of salt. And maybe carry some iron ;-)

Happy Halloween!