InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What A Girl Needs ❯ What A Little Fox ( Chapter 13 )

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns everything and I humbly bow to her genius.

Author’s Note: Thank you so much my friends InuSaga, Midoriko-sama, and Angelica Pierce. You’ve all helped me very much and your suggestions and ideas are much appreciated, such as the bridal gift idea, which came from Midi. And I’d also like to thank Inu-hugger, evil beta in training, too. I’ve got the best friends in the world.

I want to also thank the Inuyasha Fanguild for voting this story Best Canon and Best Characterization (Inuyasha) in the 2005 4thI'm very excited and proud.

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What a Girl Needs

by SoutasSister

Chapter 13 -- What A Little Fox

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She and Kohaku continued to search for any sign of Naraku as the sun slowly rose over the horizon illuminating the eastern sky. Kikyou knew their final battle would occur soon. She could sense Naraku’s impatience. She was impatient as well. Her time was running out and still she had not fulfilled her self-appointed task of destroying Naraku and the jewel. So her search for him continued.

Movement caught her eye and she stopped. Although her face remained impassive, she was actually surprised to see the wolf youkai and his two companions walking in the valley not far below the hilly path she and Kohaku traveled. How did they overcome death? Were they now Naraku’s tools? She could not let them pass without knowing if they were now a threat.

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“Are you sure we should go see Nee-chan, Kouga? That Sesshoumaru guy didn’t seem to want you around her....” Ginta’s voice trailed off at the sound of Kouga’s growl. At least he could keep up with Kouga now that the shards were gone.

“The damned dog didn’t say I can’t talk to her! He just said I can’t have her. I need to talk to Mutt-face anyway. If I can’t have her, I sure don’t want Sesshoumaru to get her. He’s even more of a bastard than the mutt. At least I know Dog-shit cares for her so I need to warn him about Sesshoumaru.”

Kouga had been in a bad mood since they’d been revived. It wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful for being alive – far from it. He knew he owed the dog lord more than he could ever repay. But he was still irritated that he wouldn’t get to have Kagome. She’d always been sweet on him, he was sure of it, and she even subdued Dog-shit so he wouldn’t interfere with them when they talked.

He should have just claimed her when he first met her like he had thought about doing at the time. She would have come around eventually even if she would have been angry at first. She wouldn’t have been able to resist him for long. Of course it would have been hard having to travel with her. They would have had to stop each night and eat more often. It would have been a real pain, but he was sorry now that he hadn’t just taken her and dealt with the consequences, because now he’d never have her. Leaving her with the mutt all this time had been a mistake. He sighed deeply...and then froze.

Ginta bumped into Kouga’s back and Hakkaku bumped into Ginta.

“Kouga, what–”

“Shut-up!” Kouga told Ginta, looking around alertly.

“I know you’re there. Come out already,” he called while Ginta and Hakkaku looked around him to see who was there.

Kohaku stepped out from behind a tree ahead of them, weapon in hand, but the voice addressing them came from behind.

“How is it possible that you are here, youkai?”

Kouga growled, looking from one to the other. He recognized both the boy and the woman. She had some connection to Mutt-face and the boy was that girl Sango’s brother according to what he’d learned from Kagome over the years. He knew they were after Naraku too. He didn’t want to hurt them, but since she pointed her arrow at him first....

“You looking for a fight, miko?” he asked, turning to face her fully and cracking his knuckles. Ginta and Hakkaku shuffled together on the side of the trail behind him.

“Answer my question,” she commanded.

“What’s it to you?”

“I will not allow another of Naraku’s resurrections to live,” she said, pulling back a little more on the bowstring.

“What are you talking about, baka! You know we’ve been fighting Naraku just like you have!” Kouga yelled.

“I know you were dead, youkai. Explain how you returned to life.”

Hakkaku nudged Kouga in the back. “Just tell her, Kouga. We’d be suspicious too if it happened to someone else,” he whispered, thinking to himself that it had already happened to her, but hoping Kouga answered her anyway. That miko scared him, not only because she was undead, but also because he’d seen what her arrows could do to a youkai. She wasn’t someone he wanted to antagonize, even though he personally didn’t think she had the right to question anyone about coming back from the dead. He silently prayed that Kouga didn’t anger the creepy woman.

Kouga huffed and grudgingly told her what he didn’t think was her business. “Inuyasha’s brother used his sword to call our souls back and heal our bodies,” he stated, but once that was out, he couldn’t help griping about the circumstances of their resurrection. “The dog wouldn’t revive Ginta until I promised to be his ally and protect his clan, and then, before he would revive Hakkaku, he made me promise to give up Kagome and support his decision to take a human mate. It was almost underhanded if you ask me. He knew I had no choice. I wasn’t going to let my friends stay dead when I could save them. I think–”

“Sesshoumaru’s sword revived you? His battle sword?” Kikyou interrupted.

“No, that other sword he carries; the one he never draws. But that doesn’t matter. He’s after Kagome and I hope she refuses him. Sure, he’s a lord and maybe he’s powerful, but I’m a prince and pretty tough myself. He knew I’d be competition since Kagome already likes me better than anyone else, so he made sure I couldn’t–”

“What is your intent now that you walk among the living again?” she interrupted again and it made Kouga angry.

“What do you mean ‘what is my intent’? I’m gonna kill Naraku! But first I need to go talk to Dog-shit about Kagome and his brother. If you’d stop cutting in, I could finish telling you!” he shouted.

Kikyou lowered her bow and removed the arrow, smoothly sliding it back into her quiver, and then turned and walked back toward the hills. She knew Kohaku would follow her. She could hear Kouga shouting behind her, asking her what her problem was while his friends were telling him to let her leave. She ignored them, thinking instead about Sesshoumaru’s sword. Perhaps it could be the answer to one of her prayers.

She glanced at the position of the sun. It was barely past sunrise. She and Kohaku were not that far from her sister’s village, and judging from the direction the wolf youkai were traveling, that was their destination too, although their travel time would be at least another day by foot. She settled Kohaku in a comfortable spot and left to seek answers.

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At the sound of Shippou’s voice, followed by Sango’s, Miroku’s, Kaede’s, and even Kirara’s, Kagome pressed closer to Inuyasha and whimpered with embarrassment, crying against his chest and trying to hide. He tightened his hold on her and couldn’t help the menacing growl that escaped him.

“Get the fuck away from here!” he yelled as he looked up at them, glaring.

“Oh, but, Inuyasha, we only wish to –”

“I want to see Kagome and –”

“Shut up, Houshi! You too, Shippou!” Sango shouted over Inuyasha’s loud growl.

From her place above them, Sango could see the top of Kagome’s trembling head and her bare shoulders, and she knew it was no time to tease them. Inuyasha’s angry reaction was expected, but Kagome wasn’t chastising him for it as she normally would, which meant that whatever happened wasn’t his fault. Sango decided that something happened, but it probably wasn’t what they had just accused the couple of doing...and whatever it was, they were not happy about it.

“But, Sango–”

“Go back to the village with Shippou-chan, Houshi-sama,” she interrupted Miroku again. She looked at Kaede, meeting the miko’s eye, before giving Miroku a look that plainly said, ‘don’t argue with me unless you want severe pain.’

Miroku might have questioned her, but Kaede, who had been standing next to Sango, seemed to understand whatever Sango knew and she gave him a small shake of her head as she turned to leave.

Shippou jumped onto Miroku’s shoulder and whispered, “I think Kagome’s crying.”

Miroku sighed and followed Kaede. This opportunity would never arise again, he lamented to himself. Teasing Inuyasha was one of his favorite pastimes and this situation was a gift from the gods...if only the women would let him accept the gift. He sighed again as he walked away.

Sango made sure that Miroku and Shippou were following Kaede, who had also had a view of Kagome from her position. She doubted that Miroku had seen anything except Kagome’s arms around Inuyasha’s bare back from where he had been standing. She walked the few steps around the well and picked up Inuyasha’s haori and undershirt.

“Inuyasha, I’m tossing your shirts down and then I’m going to sit down near the well. Bring Kagome-chan up here when she’s covered.”

He glared at her, but nodded his head. She threw the shirts in and then moved several yards away from the well to give them some privacy. Kirara followed her. She didn’t want to leave until Kagome told her that she was okay. She didn’t think that Inuyasha hurt Kagome, otherwise the girl would not be clinging to him like that, but something happened and Kagome might need her. So she sat in the burnt grass with Kirara and waited.

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Sesshoumaru dipped his hand and arm in the cool water of the stream, allowing the current to wash away the offensive ointment that Kagome had slathered on his skin. He was confident that the next time he saw the girl she would be fully mated to his brother, and he would press her to convince Inuyasha that an alliance was in their best interests.

Something in the slight breeze caught his attention suddenly and he stood, turning to walk purposefully back to where he left Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un.

Jaken was holding Ah-Un’s reigns and shouting for the animal to be still. The agitated beast paid him no mind, no doubt sensing the creature approaching their camp. Rin was tending to some roasting fish, but jumped up and happily said his name when he stepped into view.

Sesshoumaru took in the scene without slowing his stride as he passed through the camp, ignoring the girl’s greeting, and never taking his eyes from the thick forest. He stopped near the tree line and, without looking at them, told Jaken to stay by Rin and Rin to stay by Ah-Un. He knew they complied immediately.

He stared into the trees, knowing she was there even if she hid herself from view.

“Why are you here?” he asked after a few moments.

He heard Jaken squawk behind him as she seemed to materialize in the air just inside the tree line. Her youkai servants glowed and slithered around her, setting her lightly on the ground a few yards in front of him. She said nothing and he watched her eyes look beyond him to focus on Rin. He growled and stepped into her line of sight, cutting off her view of the girl.

“You are trying my patience, miko,” he warned her.

She met his glare, and he wondered how his brother could stand looking into her lifeless eyes.

“I am not as foolish as the wolf to believe my reincarnation would willingly leave Inuyasha for you...or anyone. It seems he was correct, however, in his belief that you wanted protection for a human mate.”

He narrowed his eyes even more, neither denying nor confirming her speculation. “What is your purpose here, miko?”

“That girl is ordinary. She cannot defend herself. It will take more than the wolf youkai and you to protect her. Neither humans nor youkai will be pleased with your choice.”

He growled again. What did this undead woman want? He would not allow her to threaten Rin or his plans. He took a step forward, ready to finish her off regardless of Kagome’s wishes or Inuyasha’s reaction when they found out...if they found out. But her words stalled him.

“I am here to offer you help.”

He didn’t trust her, but he waited to hear what she had to say.

“The boy, Kohaku.... He is a skilled fighter.” Her eyes left his to glance at Tenseiga at his waist. “You will have to use your sword once the jewel shard in his back is removed. His sister, the taijiya who travels with Inuyasha, would be grateful...and also in your debt.”

He knew Kohaku traveled with her. He also knew the boy had been resurrected and controlled by Naraku. Sesshoumaru remembered the boy’s blank stare, which held no fear, no emotions, even when his life was threatened.

“Why would I trust Naraku’s servant?” Why would he trust her for that matter?

She must have expected that question. “The shard in Kohaku’s back in under Midoriko’s control. Naraku has had no influence over him for years. He will do all in his power to destroy Naraku, even give his life...which is inevitable under the circumstances.”

He was silent and she suddenly seemed to lose interest in him. She turned and raised an arm, allowing her soul-gathering youkai to lift her into the air.

“Think on it,” she said, sounding indifferent as she rose, putting distance between them.

“What would you gain from this, miko?” he finally asked, before she was too far away.

Her reply was low as she was borne aloft, but he still heard it.

“One less regret.”

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Kagome was crying. It distressed him more than she could possibly know. He needed her to stop, but wasn’t sure how to make her. Normally he would start yelling at her, followed by panicked pleading, but he didn’t think this was a normal situation and yelling was probably not the first thing he should try.

“Shhh, Kagome. They’re gone. It’s okay now,” he tried while rubbing her back.

She stiffened in his arms and suddenly pushed him. He wasn’t expecting it and he stumbled back a pace, confused, and wide-eyed at the clear view of Kagome’s heaving chest.

“It’s okay?! It’s okay?! My brother and Jii-chan almost caught us doing...doing... almost doing t-that, and you say ‘It’s okay’?” She hiccupped and wiped her eyes with the heels of her palms. She was still crying and took a shaky breath, not noticing that Inuyasha was keenly aware of each breath that filled her lungs. “I can’t go back and face them now! I told you to stop and you wouldn’t listen to me! I knew someone would catch us in there! The last time I was in there with no shirt on, Jii-chan came in and–”

Inuyasha had been momentarily distracted by the sight of her bouncing bare breasts, but that statement snapped his eyes back to her face.

“What?! Why were you in the well house with no shirt on?!” he demanded.

This only seemed to increase her anger.

“I didn’t have a shirt on because you took it off me, baka! I was so embarrassed when I realized Sesshoumaru saw me practically naked–”

“What?!”

“--but having my Jii-chan find me like that.... Oh, gods! I can never go home again!” she wailed, covering her face with her hands.

He angrily bent down and snatched up his shirts, thrusting his red haori at her. She felt the fabric brush against her skin and suddenly seemed to realize that she’d been standing there, breasts exposed, arguing with Inuyasha. She squeaked and hurriedly donned the garment, head down and blushing even more.

Inuyasha pulled his white undershirt on, still fuming.

“He won’t fuckin’ see you like that again–” he began, but she interrupted him.

“Shut up about your brother! This whole situation is your fault for letting him goad you! What would make you think I’d want him anyway?! I–”

“What do you mean ‘what would make me think’ that?! You’re the one that said you were looking for a...a....a l-lover! And I heard you tell Sango not to tell me about it! And Sesshoumaru heard you too! He even said he wanted you! I–”

“He did not! Shippou said he never said he wanted me! And why didn’t you say anything sooner if you heard what I said to Sango that night?!”

“I heard him! He kept talking about understanding our father now and why he took a human mate, and he keeps grabbing you every chance he gets! So, don’t fuckin’ tell me he’s not after you! But I ain’t going to let it happen! I’m not letting him, or anyone else, have you!” he yelled, practically nose-to-nose with her. “And I tried to talk to you the day after the new moon, but you wouldn’t let me! It pissed me off!”

He was right. She remembered that day, just over a week and a half ago, when she wouldn’t meet his eyes, and in his anger, he’d called her names. Despite her current anger and embarrassment, her compassionate side was swayed by the hurt in his eyes and she was becoming aroused again at his intensity, even though his passion was fueled by anger. She knew the exact millisecond that he picked up on her renewed arousal as the heat in his gaze shifted slightly. She was losing her own anger rapidly.

“I’m sorry. I know I should have talked to you.... I just...I just....” she started to say but couldn’t find the words to continue. She dropped her eyes, not sure how to explain her insecurities and fears.

His voice dropped to almost a whisper, “Kagome....” His hands came up to gently cup her face and make her look at him. She could see his own insecurities and fears in his eyes as he cautiously leaned in toward her lips with his own.

She brought her hands up to hold onto his forearms and stood on her tiptoes to meet him. Their kiss had barely begun when Sango’s voice reached them.

“Are you coming out of there soon?”

They both froze and Kagome suddenly realized what they were doing again and this time she decided she would be more forceful in her objections.

Inuyasha looked up and yelled, “Go away, Sango!” and Kagome allowed her anger to return.

“No, no, no, and NO! We are not doing this where we can get caught – again – by anyone passing by! Gods, Inuyasha! Don’t you understand the meaning of the word ‘privacy’?”

“Keh! No one can see us! And it’s not their busi–”

“Someone can hear you though!” Sango shouted.

At the sound of Sango’s voice, Kagome pulled away, embarrassed again as well as angry, and started climbing the ladder.

“Kagome–”

“Shut up, Inuyasha! This isn’t the place for whatever you have planned!” Kagome interrupted.

He growled behind her and circled her waist with his arms, plucking her away from the ladder. He jumped out of the well with her, thankful that she didn’t struggle.

As soon as their feet touched the ground, she jerked out of his arms and pulled his haori tighter around her. She blushed even more now that Sango could see them and dropped her eyes in embarrassment.

The shredded bandages littering the ground caught her attention and she suddenly remembered that Inuyasha had been injured and she was ashamed that she had been yelling at him when he was probably in pain.

She glanced up at his chest, which was visible since he had not tied his undershirt closed. The burns were fading but the first-aid ointment had caused the dust in the well to stick to his skin and sweat had left dirty streaks there. She realized that her own chest must be in the same condition since the ointment had no doubt rubbed off on her too during their ‘activities.’ Regardless of that, she continued to take a visual inventory of his injuries. He was scowling at Sango and she could still see the bluish bruises on his cheek and chin, but they seemed to be smaller. His lip seemed to be healing fairly quickly too and only a small cut remained. She looked down at his hands next and reached for one.

Inuyasha was just about to tell Sango where she could go when he felt Kagome take his hand in hers. He turned back to look at her as she inspected his palm. The skin was still red, especially on the tips of his fingers, but it didn’t have that raw, blistered appearance like when she first saw it.

“Does it hurt?” she asked, almost contritely.

“Keh. It’s nothing to worry about,” he told her, in his usual I’m-too-tough-to-feel-pain tone.

She knew him well enough to know that that meant it hurt, but he wasn’t willing to admit it. Sesshoumaru had said that ofuda caused Inuyasha’s burns. Would Miroku really do that to his friend?

“How did this happen?” she asked quietly, seeing Sango stand up out of the corner of her eye.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said, glancing nervously at Sango, and trying to tug his hand out of her grip. He didn’t want Kagome to know how badly he acted while she was gone. He didn’t want her to be even angrier if she found out he would have used Red Tessaiga and their friends had to restrain him. He didn’t want her to know how scared he’d been that she might not come back.

“Did Miroku use ofuda on you?” she asked as Sango took a tentative step toward them.

“Uh....” He could smell her anger escalating and was afraid to admit that he had driven the houshi to take such measures.

“We had to lock him in the storage shed. He was out of control,” Sango told Kagome despite Inuyasha’s death glare.

“You helped Miroku do this to him, Sango-chan?” Kagome asked and something in her tone made both Inuyasha and Sango uneasy.

“He tried to hurt Shippou–” Sango began to explain, but Inuyasha interrupted her.

“I did not!”

“Yes, you did! You were taking it for granted that he would move out of your way! What if he couldn’t? I saw you take a swing at him!” she countered.

“I wouldn’t hurt the runt!” he shouted.

“Maybe not on purpose, but you could have accidentally hurt him or someone else! How would that make you feel?” she shouted back.

“Keh!” he answered, not sure how to defend himself and knowing he wouldn’t have been able to forgive himself if he had accidentally hurt anyone...or sealed the well using Red Tessaiga.

Before Sango or Inuyasha could continue, a very angry Kagome spoke up in a deadly serious voice.

“Nothing, and I mean nothing, gives you or Miroku the right to cage Inuyasha like an animal or burn him with spiritual energy by sealing him with ofuda!”

Her voice rose with each word she spoke and both Inuyasha and Sango stared at her in surprise.

“Look at him! He couldn’t even keep himself clean! What right did you have to do that to him?! Why would you do this to a friend?” she shouted.

Inuyasha recovered from his shock first, relieved that her anger was aimed at Sango and not himself. He decided to add fuel to the fire since Sango was feeling the heat.

“It’s a damned good thing I didn’t eat or drink anything for a few days, since Miroku doesn’t believe in piss-breaks and my hands were tied. I’m lucky I don’t stink worse!”

Sango was gaping at Kagome and trying to think of what to say to justify their actions. She hadn’t thought of what they did as hurting Inuyasha. She believed they had been protecting him by confining him and stopping him from doing something he would regret later.

After all, he’d done it for her in the past when grief had made her irrational. Inuyasha had forcibly taken her sword away, physically restraining her to prevent her from killing Kohaku. While it was happening, she had been angry for his interference, thinking that taking Kohaku’s life was the only way to release the boy from Naraku’s control. She’d thought it was the best thing she could do for her brother. But afterwards, when she’d had time to think clearly, she was grateful Inuyasha had stopped her from such a course of action. But she supposed what he did for her wasn’t quite the same as locking him in a storage hut....

Kagome looked ready to explode and Sango hurried to apologize.

“I’m sorry, Inuyasha. We didn’t intend to hurt you,” she told him sincerely and his ears drooped.

He hadn’t meant to make her feel guilty about it. He understood why they did it. Friends tried to help each other, even if they received anger for their efforts. Until Kagome came, he’d never had friends who cared enough to even try to help him, especially when he didn’t want their help and he yelled at them for it...not even Kikyou would have tried that hard for him. Of course, he considered their actions unnecessary interference, but he knew they did what they did because they truly cared.

“Keh. It’s okay. It’s not like you could ever do anything to hurt me anyway,” he told her gruffly, not meeting her eyes.

“Inuyasha, it’s not okay! They had no right–” Kagome began, but Inuyasha interrupted her.

“How many times have you said ‘osuwari’ to stop me from doing something stupid, Kagome?”

Kagome’s eyes became large with realization and she brought her hand up to cover her trembling mouth. He could see guilt and tears forming in her eyes.

“It didn’t hurt me!” he quickly assured her, holding out his hands in a placating motion. If he could, he would convince Kagome that he never felt pain, and make her understand that it was okay to osuwari him if he needed it.

At the moment, he was actually feeling pretty good compared to just a few hours ago. Turning full youkai, even for a few moments, probably accelerated his healing. The little pain he still had wasn’t worth mentioning, but he was sure Kagome wouldn’t believe him. He was starting to panic, wondering how to stop her tears, when Sango came to his rescue.

“Kagome-chan.... If you ever try to do something that I truly believe will hurt you, especially while you are emotional and upset, I am going to restrain you too. I hope you care enough to do the same for me...even if I kick and scream.”

Sango’s absolute sincerity made the tears roll down Kagome’s face. She remembered a few times in the past when she and Inuyasha, out of concern for their friends, had interfered with Sango or Miroku’s plans. She nodded her head to Sango, finally understanding, even if she was still angry that Inuyasha was burned. Inuyasha’s arms were suddenly around her again.

“I told you it’s okay. Stop crying already, dammit.”

She hugged him back, taking comfort from him, but feeling emotionally wrung out over the morning’s events.

After a few moments, Sango hesitantly asked, “Kagome-chan, do you want to go to the river and bathe. Your hair has clumps of dirt in it....”

Kagome nodded and started to pull away from his embrace as Inuyasha turned his head to glare at Sango.

She glared right back, saying, “Don’t look at me like that, Inuyasha. You could use a good scrubbing too.”

“Fine. I’ll go with you,” he told her defiantly. He really didn’t want to leave Kagome’s side again until they were completely mated, and even then he planned on sticking to her like glue. Not even her panties would have more physical contact with her than he would he decided.

“You will not! Maybe Kagome-chan doesn’t mind if you see her naked, but you will not peek at me!” Sango retorted and Kagome blushed even more.

“She’s not going anywhere without me! That bastard Sesshoumaru is still out there somewhere just waiting to grab her!” he argued.

“Inuyasha, he’s not trying to ‘grab’ me,” Kagome began in a tired voice. She knew she and Inuyasha still needed to talk about a lot of things, but at the moment she felt too drained. She figured he should feel exhausted too considering the week he apparently had without her.

“The fuck he’s not! I’m–”

“You’re not watching us take a bath, Inuyasha!” Kagome told him with a little more fire in her tone.

“I didn’t say I was going to watch! I said I was coming with you!”

“Kirara will be with us. She won’t let anything happen to Kagome-chan,” Sango said, trying to prevent more arguing.

“Keh! Like Kirara could stop Sesshoumaru if he–”

Kirara growled at him as Kagome interrupted to say, “I’ll put up a barrier. You know he can’t get through that, so will that satisfy you?”

He growled at her, knowing he couldn’t argue about that. “Fine, but I’m walking you to the river. I’m not leaving until you put up the barrier, and you better not take the barrier down until I come back to get you.”

His tone was belligerent and Kagome rolled her eyes, but nodded her head in agreement. Sango helped Kagome pick up the items she had removed from her shopping bags when she retrieved the first-aid gear and handed Tessaiga to Inuyasha. Kagome picked up Sesshoumaru’s dagger and carried it along with one of the shopping bags. Sango and Inuyasha picked up the other bags.

“What is all this stuff, wench? It’s even more than you normally bring back,” Inuyasha said after a few minutes of walking.

“I was gone longer than normal, so it makes sense that I’d have more to bring back,” she replied, but judging by the look he gave her, she doubted that he agreed with her logic.

They hiked the rest of the way in silence since the path often required them to walk in single file and because each had things to think about.

Kagome wanted to ask Sango what happened while she was gone, and Sango was thinking about all she wanted to tell Kagome. Inuyasha was thinking about where he could take Kagome so that they’d have privacy and no one would interfere again.

Once they got there, Inuyasha set down the bags and moved a few feet away from Kagome, crossing his arms and giving her a glare that implied, ‘I’m not happy with this, but since I can’t change your mind, get on with it.’

“You’ll have to move further back, Inuyasha. I’m making a larger barrier than the one I had around the well.”

“You can do that?” he asked, curious despite his bad mood.

“Yeah. Now move back,” was all she said.

He said, “Keh,” and launched himself off a nearby boulder, leaping up onto the cliff where he’d been when he’d seen her bath that first time, the day after she woke him from Kikyou’s spell. He turned to face them with a determined stare.

She looked up at him with dismay, knowing he could see everything from there.

Sango knew it too. “You’re not staying there, Inuyasha! Get out of here and quit acting like the houshi!”

“Not until the barrier is up!” he called back, crossing his arms and glaring at them.

Sango was about to yell at him again, but Kagome put a hand on her arm and gave her a satisfied smile. “Don’t worry, Sango-chan. He won’t see us no matter where he stands.”

She walked over to a piece of driftwood, still holding the dagger. She knelt down next to it and gripped the dagger with the blade pointing down just above the wood. Sango watched as Kagome closed her eyes for a second and then plunged the knife into it while the air around them glowed with the barest of pink light for half a second. Kagome stood up with a smile, but Sango was not sure if anything happened...until she heard Inuyasha yell.

“Kagome! Kagome!”

Sango saw him leap from the cliff and run toward them, looking around wildly.

“Wait, Inuyasha! Stop!” Kagome shouted, but he apparently couldn’t hear her and ran right into the barrier.

He was thrown back against the cliff wall and Kagome ran out to him while Sango stood watching in a state of confusion.

“Inuyasha! Are you alright?” Kagome asked, helping him stand back up.

“What the fuck did you do?! I couldn’t see you! Where’s Sango and Kirara?” he demanded.

Sango watched them and gasped when Inuyasha’s gaze swept right past her. He really couldn’t see her?

“I made a barrier like I said I would–”

“That’s not like the one at the well! I could see the well and I could see the other barrier,” he griped.

“This one is better, isn’t it? No one can see us bathing and no one can come near us, so you won’t have to worry,” she told him proudly.

He looked from her to the general area she had been standing in before the barrier went up. “So Sango is still here?” he asked, not sure about her new ability.

“Yes, she’s right there,” Kagome pointed. “Now go take a bath somewhere else. And take your time too. Sango and I have a lot to talk about and you stink.” She smiled at him to take the sting out of her insult.

He looked disgruntled and said, “Don’t leave the barrier until I come back. Promise me, Kagome. I mean it.”

“Okay, okay! I promise!”

She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, but before he could react, she ran back inside the barrier and disappeared. He stood staring at the spot where she vanished for a moment and just before he would have turned to leave, her hand appeared in mid air holding his haori and she dropped it on the ground.

Knowing that she wore no shirt or bra, he wished he could see through the barrier. He huffed in frustration and walked over to pick up the garment, careful not to move beyond where it fell. After scanning the area where he knew she was, but still not seeing her or Sango, he turned and ran from the area, moving back toward the well.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Shippou and Miroku watched from the bushes as Inuyasha entered the well-clearing at a fast run and jumped in the well.

They had just arrived, finally escaping Kaede’s watchful eye while she was distracted by a villager who wanted her help with something. They had been surprised to see the clearing empty and were just trying to decide where to look next.

“He came from the river, I think,” Shippou said after Inuyasha disappeared down the well.

“Yes, that makes sense. I’m sure Kagome-sama would be dusty all over from their activities and she would insist on bathing,” the houshi said with a lecherous smile as he stood up and headed in the direction of the river.

“What activities?” Shippou asked, jumping on Miroku’s shoulder.

“You’ll understand when you are older.”

Shippou snorted. “I understand now, baka, and you don’t know what you are talking about. They’re not mated.”

Miroku glanced at the kit’s face, so close to his own, with obvious surprise.

“How do you know?” he asked.

“I would have smelled it. They didn’t go that far,” Shippou told him with smug confidence.

“I see...” Miroku said. “I would have bet quite a sum that they did something.”

“Oh, they did something,” Shippou told him, “but they didn’t mate.”

“How...curious,” Miroku replied and they both became silent as they neared the river.

Soon they were creeping through the bushes toward the girls’ favorite bathing spot.

“You know you’re not supposed to be doing this,” Shippou whispered.

“And why did you wait until now to protest?”

Shippou didn’t answer. He knew he should have said something when Miroku first headed toward the river, but he wanted to see Kagome for himself to know that she was alright. He couldn’t just barge into their bath like he used to because the girls had made it clear that he was getting too ‘grown up’ to bathe with them after they caught him kissing a cute girl in a village they passed through a few months ago. It was just a peck on the cheek, but Kagome had said it reminded her of her own brother’s interest in girls the last few years and that it was a sign that he was growing up.

Shippou had been hurt at first. He didn’t like being excluded from their baths. Kaede had assured him that only infants and very young children bathed with the women and that they were not punishing him on purpose. He had still been upset about it. It was boring to bathe with Inuyasha and Miroku. Inuyasha fussed at him for splashing too much when he played with the water toys Kagome gave him, and Miroku just talked about the girls until Inuyasha told him to shut up or hit him on the head.

Shippou sighed. He hated the changes. He didn’t want anything else to change...not anything.

Miroku’s voice brought him back from his thoughts.

“I wonder where they are...” he said as he walked out of the bushes, not worried about concealing himself since the women were no where to be seen.

“I don’t know,” Shippou answered, following Miroku and looking around the area.

“I can feel spiritual energy here...but clearly no one is here,” Miroku mused.

“Do you think they hiked all the way out to a hot spring?”

“Well...perhaps they did. We would have seen them if they went back to the village. I guess we have no choice but to look there. I wonder if Kirara is still with them. She’ll catch us if she is keeping guard.”

“She won’t care,” Shippou said.

Miroku looked around one more time, his expression perplexed, before shrugging and heading up the trail that led to the cliff.

Shippou followed Miroku as he trekked up the path and beyond toward the hills, unaware of their angry observers.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Inuyasha peeked through a crack in the door of the mini-shrine that housed the well. He couldn’t see her Jii-chan or brother anywhere in his limited view. As fast as he could, he ran out the door and behind the next small building. He quickly looked around the corner of the wooden structure to glance downhill toward the God Tree near the entrance of the Shrine. He spotted the old man down there with some visitors. He glanced in the opposite direction, up the several sets of steps that led to the Higurashi family home and didn’t see anyone, so he took a chance and ran for it. He let out a sigh of relief when he made it through Kagome’s window and was inside her room.

He inhaled and let out a sigh of relief, letting her scent sooth him once again. He still didn’t think she understood how hard their separation had been on him. It scared him how dependent on her he had become. He needed her by his side. He never knew how much until he thought he was losing her this past week. His mouth thinned with determination. He’d fix everything as soon as possible so that she wouldn’t ever leave his side again.

He wouldn’t go through another week like he just had, wondering if she was with someone else, wondering if she would come back to him at all, and wondering if Sesshoumaru would talk her into something that Inuyasha knew would break his own will to live. He had thought he had time, at least until Naraku was taken care of and Kikyou was put to rest, but now Inuyasha was desperate to secure his future with Kagome before she slipped through his fingers. He needed to mate her now. Dammit, why did the old man have to interrupt? Kagome would have been his by now if they’d had just ten more minutes in the well alone. He sighed.

Seeing that barrier she created for her and Sango to bathe had made him decide his original idea –to take her to his ‘private’ hot springs– would be best. If no one could see them, it didn’t matter that the area was not completely enclosed. All he had to do was make sure she was comfortable while they were there.

On that thought, he moved toward her closet and opened it, immediately bending down to reach for what he came to get, but stopped suddenly at the sound of Souta’s voice.

“Looking for something?”

Inuyasha stood up to see the boy standing in Kagome’s doorway, dangling Kagome’s bra from his pointer finger. Inuyasha blushed. He hadn’t planned on confronting that situation yet. Actually he hadn’t planned on confronting it at all. He knew Kagome would overcome her embarrassment eventually and would come back here to visit her family. He figured she could tell them why her clothes were in the well and he wouldn’t have to deal with it.

“Uh...” Inuyasha began, not sure what to say, but Souta’s expression changed from slight amusement to surprised concern as he interrupted.

“What happened to you? Did youkai attack? Is Kagome alright? Where is she now?” he asked anxiously.

Inuyasha had forgotten how bad he looked. He wasn’t sure how to explain...or what he wanted the thirteen-year-old to know.

“Yeah, my brother came to the well on my side and attacked–” he began slowly only to be interrupted again.

“Did he use his poison claws? Kagome told me all about him! Is that why your clothes and skin are burned? Did he do that to your face? Where is Kagome? Did the poison get on her clothes too? Did she have to hide in the well? Is that why her clothes were in there?” He looked at the bra hanging from his finger and suddenly dropped it in horror. “They didn’t look like they had poison on them, but is Kagome okay? Tell me!” he insisted as Inuyasha stared at him dumbly.

“Uh, yeah, she’s okay...she’s taking a bath with Sango–”

Souta looked relieved, but continued with his questions. “Did she have to wash off the poison? Will she be okay? Do you still have poison on you? Maybe you should take a bath too, Inuyasha. Your brother’s poison smells bad. Oh, and why are you here anyway? Do you need first aid supplies?” Souta asked, his face still reflecting some of the hero worship he’d had for Inuyasha over the years.

Inuyasha looked at the boy with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was absolutely willing to let Souta make up his own explanations for why Kagome’s clothing was in the well. On the other hand, Souta was Kagome’s brother and Inuyasha didn’t want to be completely dishonest with him. If things went well for him later that night, Souta would be what humans called his ‘brother-in-law’, and he didn’t want to be on bad terms with any member of Kagome’s family. He decided on a compromise. He wouldn’t tell Souta what he already did with Kagome at the bottom of the well, but he’d tell him what he planned.

“Kagome’s fine, and no, we don’t need first aid stuff, and I do need to get cleaned up, but...I actually came to get something to...that will...that I need to...for tonight.” Inuyasha blushed, knowing he had made no sense. How was he supposed to tell this kid that he wanted to mate his sister?

“What do you need, Inuyasha? What’s happening tonight?” Souta asked, clearly confused.

“I’m taking your sister somewhere...and I need the mood to be right...so I can....” Inuyasha began but stopped talking at the knowing look that crept into the boy’s eyes. He blushed more.

“Oh, now I understand,” Souta said with a smug smile. “I told her you liked her like that, but she didn’t believe me.”

“What?!” Inuyasha’s eyebrows rose behind his bangs. Did Kagome discuss all this with her brother already? And Souta approved? And the stupid girl! Gah! She should have known he wanted her like that and every other way there was to have her! His brows lowered as he scowled at the thought.

Souta’s smiled faltered and he asked, “You do have feelings for her, don’t you? You’re not gonna leave her afterwards, right?”

Inuyasha could see the slight doubt in Souta’s expression and he stated with complete sincerity, “I want to be by Kagome’s side forever.”

Souta relaxed and smiled again. “That’s what I thought. Wow, you’re really going to be my brother now!”

Inuyasha looked at him with slight apprehension.

“I’m a hanyou, you know. Most people wouldn’t be happy to have one in the family,” he said, thinking that Souta wasn’t the one he really needed approval from. He knew Kagome’s family accepted him as Kagome’s friend, but to welcome him as a family member...he had thought they might protest. It wouldn’t change his plans, but it would be easier for Kagome if they didn’t get angry with her for mating him.

Souta must have understood Inuyasha’s unspoken worry, because he said, “I know, and it’s so cool! Don’t worry about Mama and Jii-chan. I’ve seen Mama looking at baby clothes lately and Jii-chan gripes when you’re not here because he has to lift boxes by himself.” Souta paused and sobered. “We like you the way you are, Inuyasha. It doesn’t matter that you’re a hanyou. You know that, right?”

Inuyasha turned his head so Souta couldn’t see how grateful he was that he’d met Kagome and this family. Souta’s mother had been kind and welcoming from the beginning, even when he snatched her daughter and took her down the well into certain danger. And the old man hadn’t thrown those useless ofuda at him since nearly the first time they’d met. Inuyasha had spent a lot of time with the old man over the years, helping him around the shrine, and they had gotten along pretty well, regardless of those few broken artifact incidents. He liked Kagome’s family...and soon they would be his family too.

“Keh. Like I care what anyone thinks about me,” he said, but he knew his voice was shaky.

Souta wasn’t fooled by Inuyasha’s statement, but he smiled and said, “Good! You shouldn’t care. Just be yourself. Now, what did you need from here?”

Inuyasha was glad the kid changed the subject. All the emotions he was feeling made him uncomfortable. He reached into Kagome’s closet and pulled out the rolled up futon mattress that she kept for his use, even though he never used it. It was wide enough for two people to lay side-by-side if they pressed closely against each other. It would provide comfort for her during his planned activities and was necessary since the ground around the hot springs was mostly hard rock.

Souta’s smile became amused again when he saw what Inuyasha had in his hand. “Where are you taking her?”

Inuyasha blushed, and gestured toward the mountains as he said, “There’s a hot spring that I use sometimes. Humans don’t usually go there since it’s a good distance from the village.”

Souta seemed to be thinking about it for a moment and Inuyasha started to think the boy didn’t like the idea when he finally said, “Well that sounds romantic and Kagome will probably like it, but you’ll need more than just that mattress. Will it be outside completely?”

“Uh, yeah...but Kagome likes staring at the stars and I don’t think it will rain tonight.” Inuyasha wasn’t sure if Souta was criticizing his choice of location or not and he became a little defensive.

“Yeah, that’s fine, but will you have food available? Will it be cold?” Souta clarified.

“Well...I guess I can tell Kagome to bring her backpack.” He made a mental note to make sure she had what they would need in her backpack before he grabbed her.

“Yeah, but she won’t be surprised if you tell her where you are going and that she has to bring the supplies, right? Girls like it when you do something romantic to surprise them. You don’t want to ruin the mood, do you?” Souta insisted.

Inuyasha didn’t think Kagome would be surprised to begin with when he grabbed her and took off with her again, but he didn’t want to explain that to Souta. And thinking about it, maybe it would be better to have some supplies already there, just in case he didn’t have time to grab Kagome’s backpack along with Kagome.

“I guess I could go put some supplies there first, before I bring her there,” Inuyasha agreed.

“You go take a bath and I’ll get some stuff together for you to take back. Okay?” Souta said, excited about helping both Inuyasha and his sister, and thinking that the next time he saw Kagome he could tell her, ‘I told you so.’

Inuyasha nodded, still blushing and wondering how he ended up getting help from Kagome’s little brother...and still marveling over the fact that Souta wanted his sister to mate a hanyou.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sango stared at the stiff, semi-dried stuff on Kagome’s skirt with wide eyes. Kagome was getting undressed so they could take their baths and didn’t notice Sango’s astonishment and keen observations. She watched as Kagome had to forcefully peel her skirt away from her panties because the two garments seemed to be glued together by more dried stuff. She had to ask. Her curiosity would not be denied.

“Kagome-chan? What is that on your skirt?”

Kagome’s head turned toward her so fast, Sango thought the girl might have injured her neck. And her eyes became impossibly wide and her face darkened in a deep blush. Sango could see embarrassment, guilt, and a myriad of other emotions pass over Kagome’s face before she finally spoke.

“Uh...um.... I can explain....”

Almost thirty minutes later, Kagome concluded, “My brain shut down or something, because I couldn’t think of a thing to do and I think I was about to faint. If Inuyasha hadn’t picked me up and activated the well, I’m sure they would have caught us. I don’t even want to think about what Jii-chan would have said if he’d seen us.”

She covered her face with her hands again just thinking about her panic and embarrassment during those last moments at the bottom of the well. Kagome had summarized why she was late returning and how she’d made a barrier to save her and Inuyasha from Sesshoumaru. She’d also given Sango a very much edited version of what happened at the bottom of the well, but she was sure the girl understood what that dried stuff was on her skirt now.

“But...I thought your family didn’t mind that Inuyasha was a hanyou,” Sango said, a little confused.

“It’s not that. They accept him the way he is, but that doesn’t mean I want them to see us rolling around together half-naked. What would you do if Kaede-obaa-chan caught you and Miroku-sama doing that?” she asked, knowing that Sango, along with Kagome and her other friends, viewed Kaede as an adopted grandmother.

Sango blanched. “I see your point,” she conceded. After a moment, she asked, “He really admitted that he loves you? He’s such a baka sometimes, but at least he finally told you. What did you say to him when he said it?”

“I said...uh, I don’t think I said anything once he told me he really meant it. I think I just kissed him,” Kagome admitted and realized that she didn’t tell Inuyasha that she loved him too...not that he seemed concerned at the time.

“Maybe you should tell him so he will calm down, Kagome-chan. We were worried about him while you were gone. He was afraid you left him forever and we thought he might end up hurting himself or one of us with his temper,” Sango told her.

“Tell me everything that happened. I want to know why Miroku-sama thought he needed to seal Inuyasha,” Kagome insisted, beginning to let a little anger creep back into her voice.

Sango sighed and began.

Another twenty minutes later, Kagome asked, “So Miroku thinks Inuyasha wasn’t comparing me to Tessaiga like a possession and that he loves Kikyou like a good friend or even a sibling now and it’s different from his feelings for me, and Inuyasha said he would have ‘claimed’ me sooner if he knew I was on birth control...and, he ‘scent-marked’ me, which means a lot more than I thought it did?” She sighed, thinking again that she really hadn’t been fair to Inuyasha by leaving and not talking to him like a rational adult, and that maybe her own communication skills were as bad as Inuyasha’s.

“Yes. He’s apparently had plans for you for years, Kagome-chan, and he seemed to think you should have known about it,” Sango told her.

“How was I supposed to know? He’s never told me anything or made any promises like that to me. It’s not as if I could read his mind if he doesn’t tell me things,” Kagome griped, sorry for not making Inuyasha talk to her more and for running away when he was finally trying to talk to her.

“You know, Kagome-chan...most men are not like Miroku or...or...Kouga. They don’t usually talk about their feelings. My father almost never told me or Kohaku that he was proud of us or that he loved us, but I knew how he felt by his actions. Inuyasha might not ever say that he loves you again, but...his actions speak louder than words, don’t you think?” Sango said, hoping Kagome would understand.

“And it really wasn’t until the fourth day you were gone that he got really hard to handle,” Sango continued. “He thought you would be back by then, and when you weren’t, he was scared that you had left him for good. He really can’t stand to be away from you. We didn’t know what we were going to do if he actually used Red Tessaiga to try and get to you. He...he really believes he belongs by your side.”

Kagome knew Sango was right. Inuyasha would never lavish her with gifts or sweet words like Houjou or Kouga, but he would always make sure she was safe and cared for in his gruff way. And he did stay by her side. He’d been with her almost every minute of the last three or so years. And now that she thought about it....

“You know, Sango-chan, he did once say something to me that I thought was odd at the time. I was upset about failing a test at school and I yelled at him and blamed him for distracting me. He told me to cheer up because, even though he didn’t know why I was upset, he would always be with me. I think I just thanked him or something for saying that, but I didn’t realize he really meant that he would always be with me...and that was over three years ago.” She looked down and confessed in a low voice, “I should have let him talk to me last week instead of running away. I haven’t been fair to him.”

“You both need to talk to each other. It’s not all your fault, Kagome-chan. I think–”

Sango stopped talking and looked up as Miroku walked right out into the open near the bushes. She grabbed a rock and ducked further into the water, but Kagome put a hand on her arm before she could throw it.

“He can’t see us,” she whispered and Sango realized again that it was true. They were invisible inside the barrier.

A slow smile spread over Sango’s face at Miroku’s very apparent confusion.

“He can’t hear us either...at least I don’t think he can,” Kagome continued.

“He can’t. Otherwise Shippou-chan would have heard too and neither one of them look like they are aware of us at all,” Sango assured her in a louder voice, but she stayed low in the water just in case.

Kagome watched their would-be voyeurs as they made their way up the path that eventually led to the hot springs. Kirara growled at something Shippou said and Kagome noticed her glance at Sango nervously. With the noise of the rushing water, she hadn’t been about to hear Miroku and Shippou’s conversation, but Kirara was on the bank nearer to them.

“Do you think they are going to the hot springs to look for us?”

“Probably...the pervert. And now he’s made Shippou-chan a pervert too!” Sango answered. “I’m going to use Hiraikotsu on him the next time I see him!”

“I don’t think Shippou-chan was being perverted. I think he just wanted to check on me. Besides, he’s seen us naked plenty of times and never looked at us like that,” Kagome insisted.

Sango sighed, “You’re probably right. He acted like he was going to die when we thought Sesshoumaru killed you and Inuyasha. I was crying too and I don’t think I helped him much. You’ll have to tell him everything you told me when we get back to Kaede-obaa-chan’s...well, not everything.”

Kagome blushed at Sango’s teasing, but smiled along with her.

“Well, since we’re finished in here, let’s get out and dry off so we can wait for Inuyasha. It’s already been about an hour. I wonder where he is,” she said.

“He was headed toward the well. You don’t think he went to look for Sesshoumaru, do you?” Sango asked.

Kagome thought a moment as they both moved toward the bank of the river. “No, he wouldn’t do that now. He’s not really in any shape to fight. I’m sure he just went to clean up somewhere.”

She started looking through her bags and pulled out two small towels so that she and Sango could dry off. She handed one towel to Sango who was nervously looking in the direction that Miroku had gone.

“It will take them a while before they realize we aren’t at the hot springs, Sango-chan. They can’t see us anyway even if they do come back.”

Sango looked at the dagger that anchored the barrier and asked, “How did you keep them out but let Kirara and me in?”

Kagome understood that she was asking about the shield. “I’m not sure. I just concentrated on the barrier and pictured you and Kirara with me inside it. That’s what the scrolls said to do. I’m not sure how it works, but since it does, I’m not going to worry about it.”

She dug around in her shopping bags some more and pulled out some clothing for herself as Sango put her own clothes back on. Kagome found the rings she had purchased for Sango and Miroku, and debated in her head for a few minutes whether or not to show the other girl. She finally decided to go ahead. She sat on a small boulder and motioned for Sango to sit near her, and the other girl did.

“I told my brother that you and Miroku were getting married and he suggested getting you both wedding rings.” Sango looked puzzled, and Kagome went on to explain. “In my time, it has become common for couples to exchange rings as a symbol of their commitment to each other. A ring is a circle, without a beginning or end, so it represents eternity and a wedding ring is worn on the third finger of the left hand. I thought you and Miroku might like that. My brother picked out some rings for you two. Would you like to see them?”

“Oh, you mean it is like a wedding gift to your spouse? Like a bridal comb?” Sango asked.

“Yeah, something like that, but both the man and woman wear their ring to show they are married.”

“I’d like to see them. I think I’d like Miroku to wear something that says he’s taken,” Sango said, a little irritation in her voice.

Kagome giggled, “He hasn’t groped anyone but you since you two have been promised to each other. I know he’s a lecher but I really don’t think he would cheat on you.”

“No, maybe not, but some girl from his past might show up again and I’d rather not have any confusion about my relationship with him if they do.”

Kagome smiled sympathetically at her friend and pulled the jeweler boxes out of her shopping bag. She handed them to Sango and at the girl’s confused look, realized she needed to open the hinged boxes for her. Kagome reached over and snapped the first one open in Sango’s hand.

“That one is Miroku’s. I hope it fits him,” she said.

“Oh, Kagome-chan...this looks like gold! It’s very beautiful, but we can’t accept something so expensive!”

“Yes, you can,” Kagome laughed. “In my time, rings like this are easy to get. It was no hardship for me to buy them, I promise.”

“But it is so heavy! I don’t know....” Sango fretted.

“Sango-chan, please accept them as wedding gifts. I really want you to have them if you want them and you are not allowed to refuse them if it is only because you think they are expensive.”

Sango locked eyes with Kagome for a moment and saw the gentle sincerity and the happiness she had for the union of her friends. They smiled at each other, feeling as close as sisters.

“Thank you. I think we will accept these gifts and wear them proudly,” she said.

Kagome’s smile grew wider. “You haven’t even seen yours yet! Here, let me open the other box.”

Sango gasped in awe when the box popped open. Kagome watched her eyes water as she pulled the ring from its niche and tried it on the appropriate finger.

“His eyes are this color...” Sango said very softly.

“I thought so too.”

They sat in silence for a few moments while Sango admired the ring. Finally she said, “I really should make you take this back, Kagome-chan, but I won’t. I like it too much.”

“Good! I wouldn’t let you give them back anyway!” Kagome smiled.

Sango put her ring back in its box and tucked both boxes into a pouch in her clothing. Kagome started putting the towels and bathing supplies back into her shopping bags and looking through the bags to see what else she had. She came across the paperback romance novel that her mother had given her while they were cleaning her uncle’s house. She pulled it out and briefly wondered how it got into her bag, but since she packed so quickly it didn’t surprise her too much that it was there. It reminded her of the sex book she had given Sango and she turned to the other girl.

“Did you have a chance to look at that book I gave you?” Kagome asked, blushing.

The question startled Sango out of her thoughts of the future with Miroku and she blushed too.

“I...I...uh, haven’t thought about it. It’s still in the bag you gave me with the con-, uh, con-, uh.”

“Condoms?”

“Y-yes, those things. I haven’t looked at anything in that bag since a couple of days after you left. I’ve kept the ‘birth control pills’ with me since then and...I started taking them while you were gone. My cycle....” her voice trailed off in her embarrassment.

“Oh, well you have at least three weeks to look at the book then. It will take that long for you to finish the pills and have them be effective if you want to...you know...with Miroku,” Kagome said.

Sango didn’t answer, clearly uncomfortable, and Kagome tried to think of something that might ease her friend’s apprehension and embarrassment.

“Maybe this will help.” She pulled out the paperback and gave it to Sango. “It’s a story about a man and woman in love. It describes...things, but there are no pictures.”

Sango, along with Miroku, Shippou, and Inuyasha, could read modern Japanese fairly well thanks to Kagome’s tutorage over the years. Kagome had not started out to teach any of the adults to read since they already knew how to read the Japanese of their own era, but when she brought Shippou coloring books and children’s books, teaching him what the words in them meant, they became curious too. So over the years, all her friends learned to read the modern written language, and she learned to read the older version when Miroku taught Shippou.

“It describes ‘things’ like in that other book?” Sango asked, still blushing.

“Yeah, some things like that, but mostly it’s about the couple’s feelings for each other.”

Kagome thought about it for a moment and decided maybe she shouldn’t let Sango read it after all. The man in the book was rather forceful and the woman was helpless a lot of the time. Also, Kagome had never brought back a book like this before. Most of the books she gave her friends tended to be useful how-to manuals or along the lines of classic literature. Maybe giving something like this to Sango was a mistake, especially since Sango looked so apprehensive about it.

“You don’t have to read it if you don’t want to,” Kagome told her, reaching for the book.

“No, I think I do want to read it,” Sango said, pulling the book out of range of Kagome’s hand. The pictures really embarrassed her, but maybe just reading about it --and not seeing it-- would be better.

“Okay,” Kagome replied wondering which one of them was blushing more. Not wanting to force Sango to talk about it anymore, she changed the subject. “I wonder what’s taking Inuyasha so long.”

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

“So when are you and Kagome getting married?” Souta asked as he and Inuyasha packed up the food and supplies. Inuyasha had bathed in record time having long ago mastered the modern plumbing in the Higurashi bathroom. His clothes were still damp, but he didn’t seem to care.

Inuyasha hadn’t really thought about getting married. He knew humans sometimes had a public ceremony or some type of official agreement, but he didn’t plan on ever leaving Kagome and he hoped she didn’t think he would ever let her leave him. He wasn’t sure why a marriage contract was necessary between two people who trusted each other. His blank look must have alerted Souta to some of what he was thinking.

“You do plan on marrying her, don’t you? Mama has looked forward to Kagome’s wedding for years. She’s not gonna let her just shack up with you.”

Inuyasha wasn’t sure he understood. “Your mother doesn’t want us to have our own hut?”

“Not unless you are married, but I guess as long as Mama knows you will marry Kagome, she might not mind if she stays with you before the wedding.”

“But Kagome has stayed with me for years,” Inuyasha argued. “Why would it be a problem for her to stay with me if we mated…unless your mother doesn’t want us to mate?”

“Staying with you and ‘mating’ you are two different things! Mama doesn’t mind if you ‘mate’. I think it will make her happy. But she will mind if you don’t make it official with a wedding…you know, with rings and fancy clothes and…” Souta trailed off since it was clear Inuyasha was not following what he was saying. He decided to try it another way. “Inuyasha, what are marriage ceremonies like in your time?”

“In Kaede’s village, if two families agree on a union, the couple moves in with one of the families or into their own hut if the man has one. The headman is usually a witness to the agreement and Kaede blesses the couple. If it was the headman’s daughter or someone important, they might have more witnesses and a feast, I guess.”

Souta decided to do his sister a favor and explain what Mama would expect from Inuyasha since it would be much different from what he was used to.

“If you want Kagome, you’re gonna have to let Mama arrange a wedding. There will be guests, or I guess you could call them witnesses. Kagome’s school friends will most likely come and we have a few relatives that may show up. Jii-chan will probably perform the ceremony. You and Kagome will both be dressed in fine clothes and you’ll probably exchange rings. I guess you could say it’s like the families are publicly agreeing to your union so that everyone knows you’re a married couple. We’ll have a party afterwards with lots of food.”

Inuyasha thought about this for a minute. He liked the idea that the humans would know that Kagome belonged to him and that her family approved. It sounded similar to what would happen in his time if Kagome were the headman’s daughter. But he wasn’t sure that he wanted lots of people around him or that he wanted to wear fancy clothes. It would be a pain. The whole thing seemed like more than he wanted to endure.

Still, if Kagome wanted a wedding and her mother expected it, he’d agree to it. They couldn’t take her back once they gave her to him, could they? Besides, a ceremony like that wouldn’t take more than a couple of hours, right? Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. He’d have to ask Souta more questions so he could do it right and so he’d get the right clothes and stuff. He thought about how he would get what he needed for the ceremony and how he would pay for it. He knew that Kagome sold objects from his time here in her time so that she could buy the food and supplies she brought back for everyone. Inuyasha knew he would need Souta’s help to do the same.

“How much would it cost and can you help me get your modern money to pay for everything I need?”

Souta smiled, realizing that Inuyasha didn’t seem inclined to be too stubborn about this. “Mama will pay for most of it. You could buy the rings though. Did Kagome show you the rings we picked out for your friends? You could buy some like that if you brought back some old stuff from your time and sold it here. I know where Kagome goes to sell the stuff she brings back.”

“She didn’t tell me about any rings. Why do we need them?” Inuyasha asked while slinging the handles of the two bags of supplies over one shoulder and gripping the rolled up futon mattress under one arm. He headed for the back door with Souta on his heels.

“A lot of couples give each other a ring when they get married. If Kagome wore a wedding ring, people here in this time would know she was married, just like if you wore one. There’s probably other reasons that Kagome could tell you, but I’m not sure of them,” he said while holding the door open for Inuyasha.

Inuyasha liked the ring idea. Humans wouldn’t know if Kagome was claimed because they couldn’t smell his scent on her, but if she wore a ‘wedding ring,’ it would be like giving her a physical mark they could see.

“If I bring back something to sell, can we go this afternoon?” he asked. It was best to get this marriage ceremony thing out of the way quickly, he thought.

“Well, I guess we can. I didn’t have to go to school today since we just got back from the funeral this morning, so I don’t have anything better to do,” Souta replied, secretly thrilled to be helping his hero.

“And if I get the rings, can we have this wedding thing tomorrow?” Inuyasha asked. By the look on Souta’s face, he guessed they couldn’t.

“Uh...well, Inuyasha, it takes time to plan a wedding. Mama will need at least a few weeks. But you can still get the rings. Kagome might like to wear an engagement ring.”

“I thought it was a ‘wedding ring,’” Inuyasha said, frowning.

Souta slid the door to the mini-shrine that housed the well open for Inuyasha as he answered. “Yeah, both men and women wear wedding rings after they are married, but some women wear an engagement ring before they are married to show that they are promised to someone,” he explained.

“What does she do with her engagement ring when she gets her wedding ring?” Inuyasha asked, getting confused again.

“She wears both,” he shrugged. “I don’t know why. Maybe Mama knows.”

Inuyasha sighed, ready to jump in the well. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll get her both. I’ll try and come back later and bring something to sell, but I want to be back in my time before dark.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later.” He waved as Inuyasha jumped in the well.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Miroku and Shippou sat down for a few minutes to catch their breaths after their hilly trek to the hot springs.

“I don’t understand how we didn’t see them leave here,” Shippou said.

“Maybe they didn’t come here. Maybe they bathed at another part of the river instead of their normal place,” Miroku mused. Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about the spiritual energy he felt by the river. It felt like a barrier, but it was illusive.

The thought that maybe Kagome had made a barrier did fleetingly pass through his mind, but he dismissed it. He’d seen the very visible barrier that Kagome had made around the well, and while it was very strong, it was not a concealing barrier and he didn’t think she knew how to make one. It had taken the combined efforts of both he and Kaede to create a concealing barrier when Naraku had once used Rouyakan to attack Inuyasha. Surely Kagome couldn’t do that by herself.

He sighed and stood up. “Let’s go back to the village, Shippou. If they bathed in the river, they are most likely back at Kaede’s hut by now.”

Shippou nodded in agreement and followed him back down the path.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Inuyasha jumped out of the well and tensed his muscles to leap, but halted when he heard his name being called.

“Inuyasha-sama! Inuyasha-sama!”

He looked down and saw a flea youkai land on the rolled up futon that was still under his arm.

“What the hell do you want, Myouga-jii-jii? I’m in a hurry,” he said while taking off in the direction of his hot spring.

Myouga hung on to the futon and said, “I have news of the wolf youkai called Kouga! He was slain by Naraku and his jewel shards are lost!”

“Keh! You’re a little late telling me that. I heard it over a week ago, baka.”

“Hmmm, perhaps it is old news. I heard it from a sparrow several days past. Well, as long as you already know, there’s no harm done. But I must ask, Inuyasha-sama, what happened around the well? The grass is all burnt and the pattern suggests there was a barrier around the well to protect it. Has Naraku attacked here too?”

Inuyasha stopped jogging and looked down at the small youkai. Maybe he could get some information out of the little coward.

“Sesshoumaru made Kagome put up the fuckin’ barrier. Then the bastard got mad because she stayed in her time for so long,” he explained, ignoring the part where he himself acted crazy. “He tried to break the barrier with Toukijin, but it didn’t work. Kagome’s barrier was too strong for him.” Inuyasha said that last part with unconscious pride.

“Well that explains the scorched ground, but why is Sesshoumaru-sama conversing with Kagome-sama?”

“Because the asshole wants to take Kagome as his mate, that’s why! The damn bastard has been hanging around since the new moon. He’s really pissing me off!”

Myouga looked around them, both surprised and worried. “What? You mean he’s still near here?”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it? But I’m gonna fix it tonight so he can’t have her. I’m gonna mate her myself,” Inuyasha stated with conviction.

“Inuyasha-sama, has Kagome-sama already agreed? Congratulations are in order!”

“I think she’s okay with it,” he said, “but I need to get something for her for the human wedding later. Do you know if any of my mother’s belongings are stashed somewhere?” Inuyasha thought it might be a useless question since he had never been aware of anything like that before, but he wanted to make sure before he started bartering in the village for items to sell in Kagome’s time.

“You mean you need a bridal gift in the human tradition? Kagome-sama’s family has agreed to the union?”

“Keh, of course they agreed!” he stated as if he never had doubts himself. “Do you know if anything is stashed away or not? I ain’t got all day!”

“No, I can’t say that I recall anything in hidden storage. Your father sent your mother back to her people for safekeeping while he dealt with some trouble. She may have had some jewelry and other items of value, but they were probably destroyed in the fire that broke out in her home on the day you were born.”

Inuyasha sighed, not wanting to think about all that. “You’re no use,” he mumbled and started walking again.

“I’m sorry, Inuyasha-sama. Perhaps you can trade in Kaede-sama’s village for a bridal gift. I’m sure Miroku-sama would help you.”

“Forget about it. Now, get lost. I’m busy.” He tried to shake the flea youkai off the futon.

“No, wait! I need to explain how to mate! You need to know about bonding wi–”

“I know how to mate, you stupid flea!” Inuyasha yelled, red in the face and shaking the futon harder. Even though that book had weird pictures that he didn’t understand, Inuyasha was still confident that he could do what needed to be done with Kagome without having anyone explain it to him.

“But, Inuyasha-sama! I need to explain–”

“All you need to do is shut up!” Inuyasha stopped in his tracks and dropped the two bags to the ground. With his hand now free, he grabbed Myouga and flung him into the forest with a wind-up pitch. He picked up the bags again and took off running. “Stupid old fart...” he mumbled as he ran.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Myouga sat up and rubbed his abused head. “As hot-headed as ever,” he sighed to himself.

He got to his feet and surveyed the foliage around him, hoping to find a friendly bird to give him a ride to Kaede’s village. He’d try and talk to Inuyasha again. The boy didn’t know about bonding even if he did know how to physically mate. He sighed again and, not seeing any birds available, started walking in the direction of the village. He hadn’t taken more than half a dozen steps when he froze at the sound of a deep, frightening voice.

“Flea, I have a use for you.”

Myouga trembled with fear.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Kagome and Sango sat by the river talking about the events and changes in their lives over the last couple of weeks. Kagome now had a full account of most everything Sango knew, including things that Inuyasha had revealed while she was gone. Kagome, in turn, told Sango that she knew for a fact that Sesshoumaru did not want Kagome for a mate, but he did want her to improve her miko skills, though she didn’t tell Sango why.

“It seemed like you were gone a year, Kagome-chan. I hope I didn’t forget to tell you anything. I should have waited until Houshi-sama and Shippou-chan were with us.” Sango had a feeling she was forgetting something important, but so much had happened, some of it was just a blur in her mind.

“That’s okay, Sango-chan. I’m sure I’ll get the whole story from them again anyway,” Kagome said as she glanced up the trail toward the cliff. She was about to look away when Miroku came into view. She nudged Sango and gestured in Miroku’s direction.

“Speak of the devils,” Sango said as Shippou came into view too.

“I wish Inuyasha would hurry up. Do you think he would be mad if I dropped the barrier before he comes back?” Kagome asked.

“Yes! Inuyasha is paranoid about Sesshoumaru and he has good reason to be even if you don’t think Sesshoumaru means any harm. Let’s just watch the stupid lecher so we can confront him later for trying to peek at us.”

Kagome laughed. “I wonder what excuse he will use.”

“He won’t be able to give an excuse when Hiraikotsu collides with his head,” Sango mumbled, and Kagome giggled.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Miroku stopped at the base of the cliff and again looked around the area. He could definitely feel spiritual energy and he was sure it was a barrier.

“Aren’t we going back to the village?” Shippou asked when he noticed that Miroku wasn’t walking.

“Yes, but–”

“What the hell are you doing here, pervert? I told you I don’t want you peeking at Kagome!”

Inuyasha’s voice interrupted Miroku. He and Shippou turned to see the hanyou jogging toward them.

“Since Kagome-sama is not here, I fail to see why you are complaining, Inuyasha,” Miroku calmly stated with an air of innocence.

“Cut the act, bouzu! You were trying to peek and I know it!” Inuyasha yelled. He then turned to scan the bank of the river and said, “Kagome, you can come out now,” in a lower voice.

The air shimmered for half a second and Miroku’s eyes widened as his gaze locked with Sango’s narrowed glare. He felt like a rat paralyzed by the stare of a viper. He visibly gulped.

“Finally!” Kagome huffed as Inuyasha walked toward her. When their eyes met, they both blushed, both thinking about what they did together in the well little more than two hours ago. She dropped her eyes and set the dagger onto the ground next to her bags and turned to him, focusing her eyes just below his chin. “What took you so long? You’ve been gone forever.”

“I had to clean up, didn’t I? And my clothes had to dry too. It took time, wench!” he replied, not really answering the question and hoping the ‘wench’ remark would distract her. He had deposited the stuff Souta had given him at his hot spring, hiding it behind a boulder, and run all the way back here, but he didn’t want Kagome to know any of that yet. She also looked nervous to him and he didn’t like it.

Kagome’s eyes snapped up to meet Inuyasha’s, her shyness forgotten. “‘Wench?’ Are we back to–Oooph!” Her voice was cut off when Shippou launched himself at her and barreled into her. She automatically wrapped her arms around him and staggered back a couple of steps before she caught her balance.

Inuyasha silently thanked the kit for redirecting Kagome’s attention, but frowned when he saw Kagome almost fall over backwards from the kitsune’s impact.

“I was so worried, Kagome! We thought Sesshoumaru killed you! I swear I was going to avenge you if he did, but I’m soooo glad he didn’t!” Shippou cried against her shoulder.

“It’s okay, Shippou-chan. He didn’t hurt me. We’re all alright now,” she soothed, rubbing his back and hugging him closer.

“Hey, runt. You’re too fat to jump on Kagome like that. You almost knocked her on her butt, baka,” Inuyasha said, glaring at Shippou who was clinging to Kagome.

Shippou turned his head, obviously to yell at the hanyou, but Kagome spoke first.

“Don’t worry about it, Inuyasha. I missed him too.” She smiled over Shippou’s head at Inuyasha and he blushed. Shippou wisely held his tongue.

Miroku cleared his throat and edged closer to Inuyasha, as if he hoped for protection from Sango’s wrath. “Indeed, Kagome-sama, we were all very concerned for your welfare and missed you greatly while you were gone to your time, especially Shippou. I could not in good conscious stand idly by and witness the child’s suffering and his distress at being parted from you, especially after this morning’s events. It is for that reason that I led him to you.”

Inuyasha and Kirara snorted, Shippou’s expression said, ‘Try another one, baka,’ as he looked askance at the monk, and Kagome giggled at Miroku’s efforts to weasel out of whatever Sango had planned for him.

“Let us get one thing straight, Houshi-sama. Everyone here knows you were trying to peek at us like the pervert you are, and no one believes your excuses,” Sango told him angrily. “However, since Shippou was involved and he’s not hiding anything,” she didn’t notice Shippou flinch at her assumption, “and since you didn’t see anything, I’ll let it slide.” She saw Miroku relax his tense shoulders and smile as if he thought he had pulled a fast one, so she added, “This time only! Next time Hiraikotsu will be involved in my reaction!”

She looked at her other friends to see them all gaping at her like she had exposed herself to Miroku in front of them. “What?” she said, not losing any anger in her voice.

Kagome recovered first and giggled. “Nothing, Sango-chan. I guess everyone deserves a break after the morning we’ve all had.”

Sango sighed and agreed. “Yes, it has been a long day and we’ve missed lunch. Let’s go to Kaede-obaa-chan’s and eat something. I’m tired too. Shippou’s tricks kept me up all night.” She gave Shippou a stern look to remind him that hadn’t forgotten about the kitsune’s fake fatal injuries.

“Oh, that’s right, Sango-chan. You told me what this bad little boy did.” Kagome said, giving the kitsune a pointed look. He gulped. “Well, Shippou-chan? What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Keh,” Inuyasha said before Shippou could come up with an excuse. “They’re just mad because us youkai outsmarted them and Shippou was on my side.”

They stared at him for a short moment, since he almost never defended Shippou from being scolded, until Kagome said, “Riiiight,” to Inuyasha, who lowered his brows and frowned, but didn’t reply. She then turned to everyone else. “I think we could all use a quiet night. Let’s go back to the village.”

They all nodded agreement. She set Shippou down and he immediately jumped on Miroku’s shoulder as the houshi started walking toward the path to the village with Sango following, Kirara in her arms.

Kagome picked up the dagger she’d used to anchor the barrier. She didn’t have anywhere to put it and was afraid to put the exposed blade in her bag because it might cut something. She guessed she’d have to carry it. She gripped the handle of one of the bags in her other hand.

“Inuyasha? Can you help me carry these bags, please?” she asked.

He grabbed the dagger out of her hand and threw it across the river. “There. Now you have another free hand,” he declared.

“Why did you do that, baka?” she yelled, glaring at him.

“You don’t need that bastard’s gifts! You would have cut yourself carrying that thing around, idiot. We’ll go to Toutousai and ask him for one with a sheath,” he defended himself, blushing.

Kagome might have said the ‘O’ word if she didn’t realize that jealousy was the real reason behind his actions. It made her feel a little flutter in her stomach. She was still irritated, but she wasn’t as angry as she would have been if he had done something like this a few weeks ago before she knew his feelings.

“Well, you could have just given it back to him instead of throwing it away. And he didn’t tell me I could keep it anyway. He just let me use it,” she told him while picking up another bag.

His wary expression eased somewhat, and she knew he had expected to be subdued. She smiled slightly and said, “Are you going to help me or not?”

“Keh,” he said as he grabbed the handles of the remaining bags and fell into step beside her.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

They ate a late lunch consisting of some fish a villager had given to Kaede and some vegetables. Inuyasha and Shippou fought over the last fish and, for Kagome, everything seemed almost normal.

She was very relieved that she was back with her friends. She glanced at Inuyasha, who was sitting next to her, and caught him looking at her. She blushed, thinking about what they did at the bottom of the well, but smiled because she felt happy to be there with him. He blushed and looked away, and her smile widened. Maybe everything would work out for her and Inuyasha after all.

Inuyasha couldn’t stop watching Kagome. He was thrilled that she was back, but he also couldn’t stop thinking of the intimacy they shared in the well and what he hoped they would share later that night. He reminded himself that he needed to go meet Souta with something to sell, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave Kagome’s side just yet even though sunset was only three or four hours away. Myouga’s arrival, however, forced him into action.

The old flea youkai bounced into Kaede’s hut and landed on Inuyasha’s nose. “Inuyasha-sama! I must talk to you about that matter--” he said without greeting anyone else.

“Shut up, baka!” Inuyasha replied, lightly smacking Myouga away from his nose with a nervous glance at Kagome. He just knew the damned old youkai would say something stupid or give away his plans.

“Myouga-ojii-chan?” Kagome said and Inuyasha was afraid she might ask the flea questions.

Myouga recovered his balance where he landed on Inuyasha’s knee and said, “Ahh, Kagome-sama! I must extend my warmest congrat–”

“Shut up, baka!” Inuyasha said again with frustration, grabbing the flea youkai and capturing him in his closed fist. He needed to get Myouga out of the hut and away from Kagome before the coward said too much. After what happened this morning, Inuyasha didn’t want anyone to embarrass Kagome in front of their friends again by blurting something about their eminent mating, which she was not aware was eminent. He wanted her to be cooperative when he took her away later that night, so he wanted to avoid making her angry or flustered now.

Inuyasha turned to Kagome and said, “I need to go do something and I want you to stay here and don’t leave the hut.” He started to rise, intent on removing Myouga from Kagome’s range of hearing.

“But–” Kagome began only to be interrupted by Inuyasha.

“Don’t leave the hut!” he repeated, and then in a softer voice told her, “I’ll be back in a little while and I’ll tell you about it then.” Yeah, he’d tell her about it when he had her far away from anyone who could interfere. When she didn’t argue and only watched him with concern, he nodded once and left.

Kagome followed him with her eyes as he went out the door. Where was he going? Why couldn’t he tell her now instead of later? It made her uneasy and doubtful again. She tried to push those feelings away and distracted herself by catching up with her friends.

She spent the rest of the afternoon telling Kaede, Miroku, and Shippou why she was gone so long and about the barriers she could make. They all had questions and comments so their conversation lasted quite a while. Kaede and Miroku were surprised that Kagome could make a barrier that rendered things and people invisible all by herself, but quite proud of her for it too.

She had a brief argument with Miroku about his use of ofuda on Inuyasha, but Kaede ended the discussion by reminding Kagome that Inuyasha knew very well there was no malice behind the monks actions or he would have given Miroku more than just a black eye.

Afterwards, Kagome distributed the items she had brought back for everyone. She then settled down to spend some time with Shippou and his new colored pencils and sketchpad, but her worry about Inuyasha’s whereabouts was always on her mind.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Jii-jii? What’s so important that you have to bother me now?” Inuyasha fumed as he stalked into the forest, out of view of the village. He opened his fist and stared down at the tiny youkai on his palm.

Myouga gulped. He wasn’t a good liar and he hoped Inuyasha fell for his story. “Why I j-just wanted to congratulate Kagome-sama for–”

“Well, don’t! You’ll ruin my plans!” Inuyasha interrupted.

“But, Inuyasha-sama, I thought she knew already. How could congratulating her ruin it?” he asked in a confused voice.

“She knows already, but she don’t know it’s tonight, baka! So keep your trap shut!”

Inuyasha started to close his fist, and Myouga hurried to prevent the hanyou from throwing him again.

“Wait, Inuyasha-sama! I have good news! I can help you!”

“Spit it out if you have something to say, old man. I’ve got things to do.”

“Ah, w-well, you see, I j-just remembered that there is one thing that you may be able to retrieve as a b-bridal gift for your mate–”

“But you said my mother’s things were destroyed!” Inuyasha hissed.

“Yes, yes, the things s-she had with her when you were born were d-destroyed, but your f-father had something hidden that I’m certain he intended to give your mother at a later t-time, but he died before he c-could,” Myouga stuttered, wiping his sweaty forehead with his handkerchief.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Inuyasha questioned.

“Forgive me, p-please. My m-memory isn’t what it used to b-be. It just came to me after we last s-spoke,” he answered nervously.

Inuyasha didn’t want to think about his mother and father’s deaths, or things that Myouga might have witnessed or remembered about them. “Keh, stupid flea,” he muttered and then sighed. “Tell me what it is and where it is hidden. I don’t have time to waste.”

Myouga allowed himself to relax a little since Inuyasha seemed to believe him. “I don’t know what it is, but it is not too far from here; perhaps an hour away if you hurry. I can s-show you where it is if you like.”

Inuyasha mentally cursed. It would take him longer than he thought to get the rings this afternoon. He glanced at the sun. He only had a few hours until dark. He sighed again and said, “Let’s go. No sense standing here wasting daylight.”

He waited a second for Myouga to jump into his hair and then took off running in the direction the old youkai indicated. Myouga hung on for dear life and, over the course of the next hour or so, guided the hanyou to a cave in the hills.

The cave looked small and damp to Inuyasha and he glanced around the area suspiciously.

“Sesshoumaru has been here recently. It’s very light, but I can smell the bastard’s scent in the air,” he complained. He turned back to the cave. “Why the hell would my father hide something here? And why would Sesshoumaru visit here too? Is it some secret family hiding place that I don’t know about?” he asked with a frown.

“Eh, funny you should ask, Inuyasha-sama,” Myouga laughed uneasily. “I’m quite positive everyone in your f-family knows about this place.” He hoped Inuyasha didn’t pick up on the fact that he was speaking in the present tense, and that Sesshoumaru was the hanyou’s only living family.

Inuyasha wasn’t really paying attention to Myouga’s explanation. Sesshoumaru’s scent reminded him that he shouldn’t have left Kagome in the village with only Sango and Miroku for protection. He became agitated.

“It’s a stupid place to hide things. Let’s just get whatever is buried here and go,” he barked.

“Of course, Inuyasha-sama. I believe there is a rock that was used to cover a hiding place near the entrance of the cave.”

“Fine, show me where,” he said as he walked into the cave.

“Ah, I think that may be the very rock we seek,” Myouga said, pointing. “Right there.”

Inuyasha bent down and visually inspected the large rock for a moment as if it were dangerous. He didn’t like Sesshoumaru’s scent in this cave and it put him in a foul mood.

“Eh, you have to move the stone, Inuyasha-sama,” Myouga said helpfully after a moment.

“I know that, baka! I just want to make sure it’s not a fuckin’ trick!” he replied with irritation.

With much effort, Myouga kept his mouth shut as he watched Inuyasha slowly lift the rock and look under it. They could see a small fabric-wrapped bundle in a small hole. The indentation had prevented the stone from crushing whatever was in the cloth. Inuyasha set the rock aside and poked the bundle with one claw. It didn’t move.

Myouga bit his tongue, not wanting to aggravate Inuyasha any more than necessary, but it was hard when the boy just stared warily at the bundle for several minutes as if he expected it to crawl away or jump at him. The hanyou finally picked up the cloth-bound lump and carried it out of the cave into the sunlight. Myouga slowly let out his breath in relief.

“If my father hid this, there must be a spell on it,” Inuyasha said, eyeing the bundle with distrust.

“W-why would you say that?” Myouga asked.

“Because this silk looks pretty new and the old man’s been dead long enough for anything he buried to rot by now.”

Myouga scrambled for an explanation. “Eh, well, perhaps it is youkai silk and...and it’s impervious to time. Yes, much like your fire rat clothing, it does not d-deteriorate. Yes, I’m sure that must b-be the case.” He wiped his brow again with his handkerchief.

Myouga’s anxiety level rose when the hanyou seemed to become even more suspicious. Inuyasha was naive in many ways, but he was not stupid. Maybe a different tack was needed.

“Or perhaps, S-Sesshoumaru-sama is aware of it since it belonged to your father. Perhaps he has recently changed the s-silk wrapping to protect whatever is inside.”

Inuyasha scowled. He didn’t want anything that belonged to Sesshoumaru. “Keh, let’s just throw it back in the cave and go. This was a fuckin’ waste of time.”

Myouga panicked. He had to convince Inuyasha to take the bundle! His life depended on it!

“B-but, Inuyasha-sama, anything found in this cave belonged to your father! You have as much right to it as Sesshoumaru-sama! In fact, you have more right to it if it was meant to be a gift for your mother! Perhaps Sesshoumaru-sama was hiding it from you! Open it, Inuyasha-sama! Please!” he begged.

Inuyasha growled. Would Sesshoumaru keep something that should have come to him after their father’s death? ‘Oh, hell, yes, he would,’ he thought as he glanced down at Tessaiga’s hilt. Maybe he should at least see what was wrapped in the silk.

He glared at the fabric as he opened its folds. Sesshoumaru thought he could steal Inuyasha’s inheritance, did he? Well, the bastard wouldn’t get away with it! A second piece of silk was wrapped around the object, but finally Inuyasha could see what he held. It was jewelry. He’d seen important and rich women wear this type of decoration in their hair, and he could vaguely remember that his own mother wore something similar.

Myouga caught his attention again. “Yes, Inuyasha-sama, that is d-definitely a gift for a lady and I’m certain your father would have given it to your mother had he lived. I b-believe it belongs to you now. It is a priceless family heirloom and should be yours since it was intended for your mother.” The flea was practically begging Inuyasha to take it.

Inuyasha thought about it for a minute. He didn’t give a rat’s ass that it was a family heirloom, however he could sell this and buy the rings for Kagome so he could marry her. But was it really his to take? ‘Fuck, yes!’ he decided.

Since Sesshoumaru didn’t seem to have any qualms about trying to take family heirlooms that didn’t belong to him, Inuyasha shouldn’t feel bad about taking something that may or may not rightfully be Inuyasha’s to take, right? Just because Sesshoumaru hadn’t tried to take Tessaiga in years didn’t erase that fact that, at one time, he would have killed Inuyasha to get it. Inuyasha figured that Sesshoumaru owed him for all the times they fought over Tessaiga, so it was okay to take this little bauble now, right? His mouth firmed into a straight line as he made up his mind.

He wrapped it back up, shoved the bundle into his haori, and headed back toward the village. He didn’t notice that Myouga nearly collapsed with relief on his shoulder, or that his brother, well hidden near the cave, nearly smiled in satisfaction at the success of his current scheme and the predictability of the hanyou.

Sesshoumaru fingered the dagger that he had retrieved after his brother had thrown it. He’d been tempted to kill the fool then and there, since the idiot hanyou hadn’t mated the girl yet. The only reason he let Inuyasha live was because the baka was actively planning to consummate his relationship with the miko later that night. Sesshoumaru hoped the flea explained the necessary information to Inuyasha. He would personally squish the tiny youkai into oblivion if he failed in his task.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

“You took it! You pervert! You went through my bag, didn’t you?! I knew I shouldn’t trust you!” Sango’s angry scream startled everyone in the hut.

Kaede, Kagome, Shippou, and Kirara all turned their attention to the enraged young woman and her fiancé.

Sango had the tote bag Kagome had given her with the birth control items in her hand, her knuckles turning white from clenching her fist in the fabric. Her eyes were narrowed as she stared angrily at the monk and blushed.

Miroku’s expression was one of confusion and surprise, and his palm was flat against his chest in a gesture that seemed to say, ‘Are you talking to me?’

“My lovely Sango, I don’t know what you are talking about. Is something missing?” he asked in a bewildered voice.

Sango didn’t seem to believe his innocent act. “Yes, and you do know exactly what I’m talking about, Houshi! Who else would take that book?”

“What book? What was it about?” he asked with what looked like genuine concern.

Sango turned very red when she realized she could not describe the book in front of everyone. She just could not bring herself to talk about that subject. It made her even angrier that Miroku probably knew she wouldn’t answer that question too, and she thought he was teasing her.

“You know what book, pervert! Don’t act innocent about it!” she yelled.

Kagome blushed for Sango. She knew that Sango would not be able to reveal the type of book it was to Shippou or Kaede, just as Kagome herself would not willingly talk about it in front of them. The pervert was using Sango’s modesty against her. She became angry for Sango’s sake too.

When Kaede asked directly what book Sango was looking for, Kagome became alarmed at the sight of the other girl’s flushed, angry face and the look of panic that was surfacing.

Kagome intervened to prevent further distress for Sango even though she knew her own face was flaming. “It is...it’s about...having a successful marriage, Kaede-obaa-chan.” Kagome grimaced at such a lame explanation, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Kaede was no fool. By the looks on the two girls’ faces, she realized the book must deal with the more intimate side of marriage and she sympathized with Sango if the monk had taken it. Although Kaede herself had never had those types of relations with a man, she was not ignorant. She had counseled many young brides regarding that aspect of married life and delivered many children from those unions.

She herself had been given dire warnings about having a physical relationship with anyone. When she was very young, the older mikos told her various tales about the consequences of losing her virginity, ranging from loss of her spiritual power to permanent blindness and even death. It was not until she was older and wiser, and the opportunities of youth had passed, that she recognized those grim stories of a miko’s fall from grace as the lies they were.

Not every village had a miko, and finding a miko with actual spiritual power was uncommon. Most mikos only had knowledge of the healing arts, but no ability to make barriers or imbue their arrows with purification power. As a result, young mikos, especially those with spiritual abilities, were very valuable to the communities they served. No village could afford to lose their miko. Young mikos were ruthlessly discouraged from shirking their responsibilities in any manner. They were told terrifying tales of divine retribution if they wavered from their duties or failed to put the welfare of the community before their own desires, especially their carnal desires.

Kaede realized that such tales were not really meant to save the miko from suffering the punishment of the gods for having an intimate relationship with a man, but rather to avoid a serious conflict of interest if the miko married and raised a family.

A miko was trained to serve the village and place the well being of the villagers above all else in her life. If the miko had a husband and family, her first concern would naturally be for her family, and the villagers would be second in her priorities. Most headmen and older mikos wanted to avoid having that conflict of interest occur, so they concocted horrible cautionary tales to dissuade temptation.

Kaede thought about her own sister’s desire for an ordinary life with a husband and children. It was a normal longing in all young women, but for a miko it was a forbidden dream...for the good of the community.

If anything had ever convinced Kaede that those warnings she had received so long ago regarding ‘intimate relationships’ were a pack of lies, it was her knowledge of the dark miko Tsubaki. Tsubaki had to ‘join’ with her youkai partner in more than just the spiritual sense in order to retain her youth. If copulating with a truly evil youkai didn’t taint her enough to lose her spiritual abilities, then nothing would.

Kaede had concluded that some souls had spiritual power and some didn’t. It was no different than hair color or height. Spiritual and physical attributes varied from person to person, and how a person lived their life wouldn’t change those attributes.

Kaede herself was satisfied with her life as a miko and was proud of the respect she received for her leadership role in the community. The villagers had become her family and she did not begrudge her service to them. She enjoyed sharing their joys and supported them in times of tragedy. She had few regrets regarding the path that her life had taken. But the spouseless life of a miko was not for everyone, even those with strong spiritual powers.

She glanced at Kagome and was glad no one ever told the girl any nonsense about the ‘loss of purity’ that went with the loss of virginity or the act of loving a man. Kagome would not have the worries and guilt that came with any decision she had regarding her relationship with Inuyasha, as Kikyou had so long ago. Kagome’s power would not diminish as her self-recriminations grew and she would not be prey to self-doubt as Kikyou had.

Her sister had been young and had still believed the lies she had been told. Kikyou’s love for Inuyasha was accompanied by guilt and a loss of confidence in her own abilities. Kikyou believed she would lose her spiritual powers and so she slowly did. Even without a physical relationship with the hanyou, Kaede knew Kikyou’s feelings were strong for him. As her love grew, her spiritual abilities diminished, eaten away by self-reproach and conflicts between duty and desire.

Kaede was thankful that Kagome would not suffer such grave doubts about herself as Kikyou had...all because the villagers needed a miko devoted solely and completely to their welfare with no personal life or family of her own.

The sound of Hiraikotsu connecting with Miroku’s head brought Kaede out of her musings and she realized she had missed a verbal sparring match between the houshi and the taijiya.

The houshi was knocked out on the floor and Kaede watched Sango search through the small cloth bundle that held Miroku’s personal belongings. After a moment, she growled in frustration and threw the lump down near the wall in its original resting place. She then turned her enraged eyes back to her fiancé.

“Check his clothes for me, Shippou-chan,” Sango commanded since she herself would not go so far as to run her hands over the monk’s unconscious form.

“Wh-what? Why do I have to touch him? I don’t even know what you’re looking for!” the kitsune whined.

“It’s a book like one of my school books, Shippou-chan. It has a hard cover and it’s about this big,” Kagome told him, holding up her hands to illustrate the height and width of the rectangular book. “It should be easy to feel through his clothes if he has it.”

“But I don’t–”

“Just do it, Shippou!” Sango shouted, her intense glare aimed at the boy.

Shippou gulped, not liking Sango’s anger being redirected to him, and moved toward Miroku who was sprawled on his back on the hut’s floor. He gingerly patted the pervert’s clothing, touching the area around his chest, abdomen and sleeves since they all knew that’s where the book would be tucked if he had it. Shippou reached into one of Miroku’s sleeves when he found a lump and pulled out a pouch with some coins in it. He pulled a bundle of ofuda from the other sleeve, glancing nervously at Sango the whole time. He pulled a fabric wrapped lump from its hiding place inside Miroku’s outer robe but didn’t unwrap it since it didn’t feel like a book and he was sure it was the collection of talisman and good luck charms that the monk carried.

Finally, he looked up at Sango and fearfully said, “He doesn’t have it.” He cringed away from her when her brows lowered even more over her narrowed eyes.

“Are you sure? I think you should check him again!” she said.

“No, he doesn’t have it. You watched me check him and I’m n-not doing it again,” the kit bravely told her despite his fear of her anger.

Sango’s face slowly changed to one of horror and guilt. She dropped Hiraikotsu behind her and her hand came up to cover her trembling lips. Her eyes filled with tears.

“What have I done?” she whispered. “He really is innocent and I hit him anyway!” She kneeled beside him and started to gently shake his shoulders. “Houshi-sama! Houshi-sama! Wake up! Please!”

Kagome and Kaede exchanged a glance, not entirely sure this wasn’t one of Miroku’s tricks, but still feeling compassion for Sango. Kagome automatically went to get a chemical ice pack from her first aid supplies and apply it to the lump on Miroku’s head. He moaned at the contact.

For the next hour or so, Shippou, Kagome, Kaede, and Kirara watched a contrite Sango hover over Miroku obsessively, trying to atone for the bump on his head that she’d given him. The monk took full advantage of the attention and even got in a grope or two without retaliation from Sango.

Kagome and Kaede exchanged amused glances as they cooked a light supper for the group, but their youkai companions seemed mildly disgusted by the whole affair. Shippou and Kirara settled together in a corner to nap until it was time to eat since the humans were behaving in boringly predictable patterns.

With no more disturbances, everyone eventually ate their supper and prepared for bed, carefully not mentioning that Inuyasha had not returned yet or that Kagome kept her eyes on the door as the sun began to set.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Inuyasha had tossed Myouga to the wind halfway back to the village when the flea kept insisting that the hanyou should allow him to explain mating. He was still mumbling to himself about stupid old men trying to tell him what to do when he jumped in the well to bring the jewelry to Souta.

The kid was waiting for him in the well house and Inuyasha almost landed on him when he jumped out of the well.

“Inuyasha! I didn’t think you were coming back! You found something to sell?”

“Yeah, I told you I would, didn’t I? It just took me longer than I thought to get this,” he replied, taking the silk bundle from his haori. “Let’s go sell this junk and get the rings. I’ve got to get back to Kagome and it’s getting late.” He walked out of the well house with Souta on his heels.

“Wait!” Souta yelled as he caught up with Inuyasha. “Here. You need to wear this.” He handed the hanyou a ball cap he’d been holding in anticipation of his hero’s return.

Inuyasha grabbed it without comment and shoved it on his head. They left the shrine at a fast walk. After a quick bus ride that still made Inuyasha uncomfortable no matter how many times he’d done it with Kagome, they arrived at their destination just minutes before the shop closed.

Souta led the way to the counter and prepared to do the talking. He cleared his throat he watched a man make his way to the counter, putting away his feather duster. Souta recognized him as the man who had served Kagome the other day and thought he must be the shop owner.

“Can I help you boys?” the man asked in a friendly manner.

“We have something to sell,” Souta stated but realized he didn’t know what Inuyasha had with him. In the rush to get to the shop, he hadn’t had a chance to ask Inuyasha to let him see the object.

“Inuyasha, show him what you have,” Souta prompted.

The hanyou pulled his silk-wrapped cargo out of his haori and unfolded the fabric. Both Souta and the man behind the counter gasped at what they saw. The man reached for it, but Souta was faster.

“I’m very sorry, sir, but we made a mistake,” he explained as he clutched the object to his chest with a shaking hand and used his other hand to pull Inuyasha away from the counter.

“But, I am willing to pay–”

“But, I need to sell–”

Inuyasha and the shopkeeper tried to talk at the same time, but Souta interrupted them both.

“I apologize for taking your time, sir, but we must go now,” he almost shouted while tugging his scowling future brother-in-law out of the shop.

Once on the sidewalk, Inuyasha became stubborn and wouldn’t budge another step.

“What the hell is your problem? I needed to sell that so I can get Kagome the marriage rings!”

“But, Inuyasha! This is a bridal comb! You have to give it to Kagome! She’d kill me if I let you sell it!” Souta pleaded.

He may be a thirteen-year-old kid, but he came from a shrine family and some of what his Jii-chan told him over the years had sunk into his brain. He knew that what he held in his hand was very valuable and he also knew that it would be a crime to let Inuyasha sell it, regardless of Kagome’s reaction if she ever found out.

The delicate comb had intricately crafted cherry blossoms created from mother-of-pearl, jade, rubies, and pearls. It was exquisite and he knew it was worth a fortune. His sister would swoon for a bridal comb even one-fourth this beautiful.

“How would she know if I sold it or not? It’s just a hair ornament and Kagome hardly ever wears shit like that,” Inuyasha replied, getting frustrated.

“I’ll tell her!” Souta threatened. “Do you want her to be so mad at you that she won’t let you touch her? If you don’t give this to Kagome, you can forget about marrying her for at least another year, because that’s how long it will take for her temper to cool off after she finds out you sold it!”

“Damn it! How am I gonna buy the rings I need if you don’t let me sell it?”

Souta could tell that Inuyasha didn’t understand the impact this bridal comb would have on Kagome, but he didn’t know how to explain it either. Sometimes his hero could be so clueless! He sighed and tried to placate the older boy.

“Look, Inuyasha. If you give Kagome this comb tonight, I promise you that the rings won’t matter. And you’ll have time to get them later anyway. Just bring back an old cooking pot or something the next time you come back here and I promise we will sell it, but I won’t let you sell this comb.” Souta set his jaw in a determined manner and gave the taller boy his most ferocious intimidating glare.

Inuyasha knew a thing or two about intimidating glares and gave Souta one of his own. The teenager gulped but didn’t back down. After a moment of unwavering staring, Inuyasha finally gave in. It was already sunset and he needed to get back to Kagome.

“Fine, but if she isn’t happy with that thing, I’m coming after your hide, kid. Got it?” he threatened with a final glare before snatching the comb back, haphazardly wrapping it in the silk fabric he still held, and stuffing it into his haori. He set off toward the bus stop, but changed his mind and headed down an alley away from curious eyes.

Souta grinned from ear to ear and hurried to catch up with his hero. He was extremely happy to have won the argument with the older boy, but he also knew Inuyasha well enough to know they wouldn’t be taking the bus back to the shrine. He ran down the alley, excitedly anticipating his piggyback ride back home.

Not too many minutes later, Souta, still happy and giddy from their rooftop run, waved good-bye to Inuyasha as the disgruntled hanyou jumped in the well.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Shippou looked around Kaede’s hut nervously. He was sitting in front of the fire, his back to Kagome’s sleeping bag and watching everyone getting ready for bed. He still hadn’t revealed his secret to Kagome. He didn’t really want to tell her, but he was afraid of what Sesshoumaru might do if he let things stay the same.

“Are you okay, Shippou?”

He looked up at Kagome and almost blurted it out. It was a good opportunity since she was asking him to tell her if something was wrong, but after a slight hesitation, he said, “Yeah. I’m just thinkin’.”

Kagome smiled at him and teased, “Well, don’t think too hard, because it looks like it hurts.”

He said, “Keh,” unconsciously sounding like Inuyasha and dropped his eyes. He didn’t notice her frown as her concerned eyes stayed on him for a moment before looking toward the door.

After a minute, she sighed and told him, “Come to bed, Shippou.” She sat on her sleeping bag against the back wall behind him.

“Okay. I will in a little while,” he replied, not really tired after his earlier nap. After another moment of studying him, she murmured her acceptance and turned back to her own preparations for sleep. He knew she was preoccupied with Inuyasha’s absence.

Maybe he should wait until tomorrow to tell her. She didn’t know he had anything out of the ordinary to tell her anyway. And in all the excitement of the day, no one even remembered to tell Kagome that Sesshoumaru had used his energy whip on Shippou’s behind. Of course it had healed in little more than a day and it had happened over a week before, but he still felt slightly hurt that his friends didn’t tattle on Sesshoumaru immediately. If they told her, it would lead very nicely into the issue he needed to talk about.

Shippou didn’t want to be the one to tell Kagome about Sesshoumaru’s abuse of his small, helpless kitsune body, preferring instead to cast himself in the role of silently suffering victim rather than indignant whiner. He had learned over the years that, as a victim, he could get a lot of positive attention from Kagome, whereas if he whined too much, she sometimes gave him stern looks or even a lecture on his behavior.

Of course, he could disguise his whining as fear of Sesshoumaru and it would be the absolute truth. He could appeal to Kagome for protection...but if he tried that, she’d be sure to bring Inuyasha into the situation and Shippou could just imagine how Inuyasha would react.

Shippou could almost hear Inuyasha’s voice in his mind saying, ‘Keh, the runt wasn’t hurt bad. Tell him to stop whining and keep his mouth shut around Sesshoumaru.’ That would probably be followed by a bop on his head from the hanyou, which would make Kagome yell at Inuyasha, and Inuyasha would start an argument with her, and once those two got into it, Shippou knew he’d be completely ignored.

He sighed. After so much time had passed, there was no easy way to do this, but it had to be done. He had to allow his friends to see him as he really was, or else Sesshoumaru would do something Shippou was sure he would not enjoy…or survive. And hopefully, Kagome wouldn’t be too angry about it.

He came out of his thoughts and looked around at his companions and suddenly realized that they were almost asleep. He glanced over his shoulder to look at Kagome. Her back was to him, but he could tell by her breathing that she was awake, probably waiting for Inuyasha to return.

He could tell her now. All he had to do was tap her shoulder. His hands were sweating and he tried to harden his resolve. He took a deep breath and then reached his hand toward her…and chickened out when the low fire cast a feint shadow of his hand across her form.

He let his hand drop back into his lap, turned back toward the fire and stared past it at the door, not really seeing it. He dithered a few more minutes. The more he thought about it, the more he thought it might be best to wait until tomorrow. After all, Sesshoumaru had just been near the village this morning, so he probably wouldn’t be back for a few days. Why would he come back now that Kagome was here? He shouldn’t be mad anymore, right?

But…didn’t he say something about training her when she left last week? Did he plan on coming to train her soon? Tomorrow?

Shippou started to worry even more and wiped his sweaty hand across his sweaty face. He didn’t have a choice. He had to tell Kagome before Sesshoumaru came back. His shoulders drooped and he resigned himself. He might as well get it over with now he decided, and hopefully Sesshoumaru’s ill treatment of Shippou’s posterior could be brought into the conversation at some point so that Kagome would still hug him and let him be a kid.

He closed his eyes. He quietly took a deep breath and released it slowly, letting his illusion fall as the air left his lungs. Barely a whisper of sound marked his transformation. He sat very still, ears alert, expecting someone to yell at him at any moment…but nothing happened. He started to breathe a little easier and opened his eyes. No one had stirred from their sleeping mats.

This wouldn’t do. He needed to get Kagome’s attention and tell her –or rather show her– his real self. Taking another deep breath, he shakily got to his knees and turned to face her. He slowly reached for her shoulder....

Kagome heard Shippou’s sighs and deep breaths behind her, but didn’t pay much mind to it until she felt something weird in his aura and heard his clothes rustling in a location higher than the floor, which is where he had been sitting when she’d lain down. She glanced over her shoulder to see what he was doing…and screamed.

A shadowy figure loomed over her, silhouetted by the low light from the dying fire, reaching out its thin arm, its claws nearly touching her shoulder.

Shippou screamed when Kagome screamed and looked behind him to see what frightened her. No one was behind him except Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Kaede, who were all jerking up to see why Kagome screamed and reaching for their weapons.

Shippou realized she was screaming because of him and turned back to her with both hands outstretched in a placating motion. He heard the mat hanging in front of the door being thrown aside.

Before he could say anything, he felt the side of Inuyasha’s hard fist connect with the top of his red head, and he doubled over on his knees more from his own emotional fears than from the blow. His forehead hit the floor and his hands covered the back of his head.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Shippou?! Change back to normal and quit fuckin’ around! You upset Kagome, baka!”

Shippou heard Kagome’s startled gasp and started crying. He couldn’t help it. He stayed on the floor and felt sorry for himself. Nothing was going right. Kagome was scared of him and Inuyasha was yelling at him and everything was going to change. He hated Sesshoumaru! It was all his fault!

“Shippou-chan?” Kagome asked softly in front of him. “Is that you?”

“Keh, of course it’s the runt! I know his stink!”

“Hush!” he heard Kagome say, and then in a quieter voice, “Shippou-chan?”

He felt her gentle hand on one of his, pulling his hand away from the back of his head and trying to get him to sit back up on his knees. He could hear someone building up the fire so that there would be more light in the hut.

“I’m sorry, Shippou-chan. I didn’t mean to scare you when I screamed. I didn’t know it was you. Are you okay?”

He resisted Kagome’s tugs on his hand. He didn’t want to see her expression yet.

“Get up, baka. Your little joke is over. And damn it, Kagome, don’t apologize to him! The runt should be saying he’s sorry to you for being a jerk in the middle of the night!”

Shippou felt Inuyasha’s toes nudging his thigh and all his fear and frustration turned into anger. He sat up abruptly and turned to Inuyasha with his teeth bared, subconsciously delaying the inevitable talk with Kagome.

“Like you’ve never been a jerk in the middle of the night, Inuyasha! How many times have you upset Kagome, huh, baka? Did you apologize?” he yelled at the hanyou.

Inuyasha flushed and his ears flattened against his head, but he yelled back, “Shut the fuck up and change back to normal!”

“This is normal, baka!” Shippou cried, tears rolling down his face.

All movement stopped. In the long moment of silence that followed, Shippou started to panic again. His eyes dropped from Inuyasha’s shocked face to the floor, but he kept his head turned away from Kagome. Just when the tension made him ready to jump up and bolt out the door, he felt Kagome’s arms embrace him, pulling him into a hug, and the side of her face resting against the top of his head. His heart skipped a beat.

“I don’t understand, Shippou-chan. Why do you look like this?” she asked quietly.

He threw his arms around her middle and buried his face against her pajama-covered chest, hiccupping through his tears. It felt good to have Kagome rub his back and still accept him.

“Shippou, did someone do this to you?” Miroku questioned in his calm, concerned voice.

“Maybe we can fix it, Shippou-chan,” Sango said, and Shippou realized that they didn’t understand any more than Kagome did. He felt Kirara rub against his lower back, trying to comfort him in her own way. They weren’t rejecting him...yet.

He took a deep breath and tried to speak, not raising his face from the fabric of Kagome’s pajama top. “T-this is m-me...the real me.” He could feel their eyes on him and tightened his arms around Kagome.

Another silent moment followed that statement until Inuyasha spoke.

“What the hell do you mean, ‘the real you’?! What happened to the fat little runt?”

Kagome’s arms around him gave him hope that maybe everything would be okay, and Inuyasha’s insults sparked some sense of normalcy within Shippou. He turned his head slightly until the knee area of Inuyasha’s hakama came into his view and said in a louder voice, “I’m not fat, baka!”

“Not now, you’re not! Hell, you look like one of those stick figures you made that time as a decoy to fool me, but you were a pudgy little fuzz-ball when I saw you just a while ago. So, what the fuck happened?”

Shippou let his eyes slowly move up Inuyasha’s tall form. It felt like the hanyou was looming over him since he stood right next to he and Kagome’s sitting forms, looking down on them like a large predator, the silver hair reminding him of Sesshoumaru, and the kit was again glad the girl was holding him. But as Shippou’s eyes locked with Inuyasha’s, his fear subsided a little. He couldn’t read all the emotions in the older boy’s expression, but genuine concern was clearly there behind the angry tone. Shippou relaxed a fraction more. Even Inuyasha wasn’t rejecting him. Maybe everything really would be okay.

He took a deep shuddering breath, still slightly hiccupping from crying. He maintained eye contact with Inuyasha as he said, “I’ve been using an illusion…so that I’d look the same as when you and Kagome met me.”

Shippou watched Inuyasha’s expression turn to confusion and maybe even guilt, while his lowered brows still indicated anger. He turned his face back to the crook of Kagome’s arm and tensed, waiting for the accusations to start. Kagome’s soft voice next to his ear startled him.

“Why, Shippou-chan? Why did you think you needed to hide from us?”

Her voice was gentle, but he could hear the hurt beneath her concern and it made him tighten his arms around her again. He had never meant to hurt her, and truthfully the illusion had become so second nature to him over the years that he rarely thought of it any more. Even while he slept, he kept the illusion going and it was as automatic as breathing to him. Of course that meant that all other illusions were on top of this constant illusion, which made them shaky at best, but once he started using it, he thought he could never stop. So now, he wasn’t sure how to answer Kagome even though he’d been thinking of what to say for days.

After a moment, his breath still hitching from crying, he said, “I w-wanted to stay with y-you…and I w-was worried that...if I got b-big–”

“You stupid little jerk! Has Kagome ever given you any reason to think she’d send you away? What the hell–”

“Inuyasha!” Kagome hissed, interrupting him. “Sit down and let Shippou tell us himself. You’re not making this easier for him.”

“He should know by now–”

“Inuyasha! Do I have to say the ‘O’ word?”

Shippou listened to Inuyasha huff in annoyance, but he sat down next to them anyway.

“Shippou-chan, why did you think getting bigger would change things? Everyone grows up, you know,” Kagome said after she was sure Inuyasha was going to be quiet.

He hesitantly told her the truth, “I didn’t at first, b-but...I noticed that humans send their kids away young and I didn’t want t-to have to go away.” He paused when Kagome’s arms hugged him a little closer. “Sango said Kohaku w-was eleven the first time he went into battle...and…and all that stuff happened to him. And the kids in the v-village go work in the fields before they are ten...and girls go away t-to get married when they’re twelve or thirteen...and I...I’m not...I don’t want anything to change.”

“Baka! Humans only have maybe fifty years before they keel over dead! They don’t have time to waste before they start living their lives! The hag there is fuckin’ ancient for a human!”

Kaede glared at Inuyasha with her single eye and Kagome said his name in a warning tone, but he kept talking anyway.

“But you’re a fuckin’ youkai! You don’t age like them! You’re still a baby! A stupid cry-baby who–”

“Inuyasha!” Kagome tried to interrupt him.

“–still needs someone to wipe your ass for you and–”

“Inuyasha! Osuwari!”

Inuyasha raised his head barely a second after it hit the floor. “Why the fuck are you punishing me when he’s pulling shit like this?!” he fumed.

Kagome could tell that Inuyasha was angry, angrier than the situation warranted. She wasn’t sure why he was acting like this, but it wasn’t helping the situation and she told him so.

“You’re not helping by yelling! Let Shippou talk!” She glared at him, meeting his angry eyes without flinching. She was still hurt that he wouldn’t tell her where he had gone and she was scared to push him to tell her in case the answer ripped her heart out yet again. She was still unsure about where their relationship would go even after the intimacy that occurred between them just a bare twelve hours ago, regardless of his declaration of love.

The spell wore off and Inuyasha sat up suddenly, crossing his legs in front of him and pushing his hands and forearms into the sleeves of his haori. He snorted and looked away from her, obviously upset under his anger.

Kagome watched him for a moment before focusing on Shippou again. “Shippou-chan, you didn’t really think we would send you away, did you?”

Shippou took a deep breath, relaxing against her again. He didn’t say it out loud, but Inuyasha’s yelling actually made him feel better. If Inuyasha thought he was still a baby, then he wouldn’t try to send him away either. He tried to explain his fears.

“I started hiding my changes a l-long time ago, right after we met. And the longer I hid it, th-the more it would have shown if I stopped using the illusion. Inuyasha s-said he was on his own by my age and–”

“You think I had a choice? You stupid fucking–”

“Inuyasha! Don’t make me say the word again!” She glared at him and he turned his head away again. They would definitely have to talk later. He was unreasonably angry about Shippou’s confession and she wanted to know why. “Go ahead, Shippou-chan. What were you about to say?”

He hesitated a moment before he continued. “And then I was afraid to let the illusion g-go because I didn’t want anyone to change how they feel about me. I didn’t want anything to change.” He hugged Kagome harder, his face pressed against her shirt.

Kagome hugged him back. She felt a tear roll down her face as her natural compassion for Shippou overflowed. Everyone was quiet for a moment and Kagome thought about what Shippou said and his fears felt familiar to her.

Didn’t she also hide behind a mask these last few years? Didn’t she pretend that she was just a friend to Inuyasha when she really wanted to be more, but was too scared to tell him? Wasn’t she still scared of the changes in her relationship with Inuyasha? At that moment, she realized some things about herself and she didn’t like how cowardly she’d been. She took a breath and tried to reassure the kitsune.

“Shippou-chan,” she paused and turned her head slightly until her eyes locked with Inuyasha’s angry ones. “It’s natural to be scared of changes. Changes in relationships can be especially scary. I’m very proud of you for being brave enough to reveal yourself to us. I know it was hard for you to do. What if something changed and you lost what you had before? What if you misread someone else’s feelings and they didn’t feel the way you’d hoped they felt? Sometimes, it’s easier to pretend nothing about yourself or your feelings has changed just so you can keep what you already have…even if you want more.”

Kagome didn’t notice that Sango and Miroku exchanged understanding glances as she continued watching Inuyasha as she spoke. His eyes softened a little as she continued.

“I guess we all hide ourselves sometimes, don’t we? We all have insecurities that make us afraid to show ourselves, our feelings, completely. But, Shippou-chan, there comes a time when you just have to trust the people you care about. You have to trust that they will change with you and let your relationship grow. You have to trust that they will not hurt you. You have to trust in love. And I’m glad you did.”

No one said anything for a moment. Kagome watched as Inuyasha blushed and dropped his eyes. At least his features had relaxed a little, losing some of the anger. Did he know she was talking about herself as much as Shippou?

“Never doubt that your family cares for you, child,” Kaede said, breaking the silence. “None of you were born into this odd family, but you have all bonded in the way only a family can bond. In some ways, you are all closer than many blood-related families and that is a gift you should thank the gods for. You will not be abandoned, Shippou.”

Kagome smiled at Kaede, knowing what she said was true, and glanced at Sango and Miroku who were smiling too. They were a family of sorts. The relationships within their family would evolve and change, but nothing could sever the connections they felt for one another and the caring love they all had for each other.

“Keh. The stupid runt should’ve known that.”

Kagome looked at Inuyasha wryly. He was blushing, with a scowl on his face, and looking at his feet. She found that remark rather hypocritical since he seemed to think she was ready to run off with his brother any second now. He should know better. But she refrained from telling him anything since there were things she should have known too. She smiled at him instead.

Miroku broke the tension in the room by calling attention to the ‘new’ Shippou once again. “Stand up, Shippou. Let us get a look at you. The back of your head looks the same to me, so there cannot be too much that is different.”

Kagome kissed the top of his head and loosened her hold on him. “Yeah, Shippou-chan, let’s get a look at you,” she said, smiling down at him as he lifted his face to her. She wiped the wetness from one of his cheeks and he gave her a slight smile too.

He glanced over his shoulder at Miroku and Sango who returned his smile. He felt Kirara put a paw on his thigh and dropped his eyes to her red ones. Even she seemed to be encouraging him. He let go of Kagome and slowly stood up.

...

oOoOoOoOoOoOo ~ End Chapter 13 ~ oOoOoOoOoOoOo

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Author’s Notes: Thank you for all your patience and encouragement! I’ve appreciated every review and email. Please let me know what you think of this chapter too.

Chapter 14 will be posted within the week. I’ve got it mostly finished and my friends will look it over for me before I post it. I apologize for the long wait for this chapter and I hope you are still reading this story.

I’ll give individual thanks to everyone who has reviewed and emailed me at the end of that chapter. I really do enjoy getting every review and I appreciate all the support and encouragement you’ve all given me. Thanks again!

And the lemon is written. It will be at the end of the chapter 14 but it will not be the last intimate moment our favorite couple shares. Stay tuned.