InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Destiny, Time Travelers, and a Little Baby ❯ Guess who's back, back again..... ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer : *does Cabbage Patch and Tootsie Roll* Jingle bells. Naraku smells. Kikyo's a slut. Inuyasha is not mine. I wish I had a cat. Hey! (I always do that dance when I sing Jingle Bells)

Chapter 8 : Guess who's back, back again?

Kagome decided to bring along Kaede and asked Inuyasha to watch Shippo. He complied *cough* and was watching the young kitsune.

Sango asked him to keep an eye on Miroku. She might love him, but she still didn't like when he played the Peeping Tom.

Inuyasha hurriedly agreed. He did want to talk to the monk after all.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*At the Spring*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sango slipped off the rock into the warm, soothing water. Kagome was already in and was gently washing Kaede's blue hair. The toddler was thoroughly enjoying the attention her mother was giving her. She'd felt somewhat left out all weekend, what with the moodiness and all. The minerals were relaxing to the two women and a baby, and the steam created the perfect atmosphere for a private conversation. Or a secret rendezvous with your `lova'. But that wasn't the case this fine afternoon seeing as Sango and Kagome were happily in love with MEN.

Anyway…..

After Kaede was clean, both women hurriedly cleaned themselves with Kagome's future toiletries and soaked in the warm water. Kagome smiled softly at the child in her arms. Kaede had fallen asleep from the relaxing atmosphere. She looked over at Sango with, what could only be described as yearning, in her eyes.

The taijiya read her expression perfectly and said, "It'll happen, Kagome. I can tell. He'll be yours just as much as you're his."

Her comforting statement only brought sadness to Kagome. "No Sango. I don't think he will."

Sango was dumbfounded at how brain-dead her friend was being about this. "Kagome-chan, every time you're away Inuyasha can't even function. I remember Miroku told me a story about when he pushed you down the well. He had to be locked in a hut to keep from making his injuries worse, because he couldn't fight without you there. Shippo said all he did was try to get out and then, when that didn't work, he looked sad. I can tell he has feelings for you. How could he not? And before you say a word about him and Kikyo, I must remind you…..that was a LONG time ago. Sure, he loved her, but people change. Kikyo isn't the Kikyo he knew. I don't think so anyway. He isn't stupid, no matter how well he covers it up. Maybe he just feels an obligation to her and has a desire to set her to rest." Kagome gave her a slanted look. "Of course I could be giving him too much credit. Why don't you talk to him?" She suggested.

"Sango…..I wouldn't even know how to begin." Kagome looked at her closest friend with a heartbreaking look, which soon turned sarcastic. "Hi. I'm Kagome. The girl you protect, and, well, I love you with all of my being and would love to be your wife and the mother of your children. Do you love me back? Or are you still in love with that undead pot that comes around every few weeks trying to kill us?" Kagome turned to Sango after her little act and asked with just as much fire as before, "Couldn't you just see his face if I said that?! He'd have a heart attack! Not to mention, he'd probably laugh his head off at me. ARGH! Sango, he kissed me this weekend and I don't even know if it meant anything to him. Did he see me or Kikyo when he was kissing my brains out?!"

Sango sighed. It seems the only person who didn't see where Inuyasha's attention had gone was the person who needed to see it the most. "Kagome. I know you hate Kikyo for what she did to Inuyasha. And I know that what you have with Inuyasha is special. I can almost assure you that if you started out the conversation like that he'd probably screw your brains out instead of laughing." Sango smiled at her friends horrified expression. "Listen Kagome, I'm a youkai exterminator. In my line of work, I have to know things like signs of youkai mating. If I didn't, how would I know if there was a vengeful demon after my blood for killing it's mate?" Kagome cocked an eyebrow at Sango as if to say `And your point is…..?'. Sango continued in a rush. She had a point to get to dammit! "I can tell that Inuyasha has been courting you for a while. Maybe he doesn't even know it, but he has. When I first saw you, he was protecting you. That's about step two, I think, in the Youkai Mating Ritual." She looked pointedly at Kagome.

Kagome looked back at Sango strangely. "How did you learn about youkai mating?"

Sango blushed and coughed a little. "Well…..um…..as part of my training I had to track and observe a young male without getting caught. He met a girl and…..well…..yeah."

Kagome almost laughed at Sango's discomfort. "So, um, what are the steps and where are we now?"

"Well, obviously I'm not a youkai, so I don't know all the steps. But I'll tell you what I do know." She decided to give Kagome a crash course in youkai mating. "Try not to fall asleep. This'll take a while and I don`t want my best friend to drown on me and die." Kagome's mouth lifted on one corner. "Ah-ha! I knew you still had a smile in there somewhere."

Kagome ducked her head. "Just get on with it."

"Right. Okay, step one is meeting. When the two youkai meet, they take time to smell each other. It's sort of a way to sense each other's personalities. Did he smell you when you first met? I mean, REALLY smell you?"

"Yeah, sort of. He thought I was Kikyo and had to get a good whiff before he figured out I wasn't. Then he said I stank and she was cuter." Kagome sneered at the memory.

"Defense mechanism." Kagome snorted at that. Sango went on unperturbed. "He didn't want to admit you smelled better than his former love. That would've been his first clue that you two were destined." She decided to ignore Kagome's rolling eyes. "Step two is protection. They don't have to like each other to feel the need to keep the other safe. Step three is friendship." Sango grinned at what would come next. "Step four is watching the other sleep." Kagome's jaw dropped. Sango's grin grew. "It's kinda like step two, but more to see what the other is like when they dream. I mean, if they're gonna be together the rest of their lives, they have to know if the other snores or kicks or what have you."

Kagome blushed. "He'd never do that. I mean he-"

Sango cut her off. "I've caught him watching you, so I know you're past that point." Kagome's eyes remained abnormally wide. "Step five is touching slightly. He'd find excuses to touch you. Riding on his back, for one. Um, giving you hugs, fixing your hair when it's blowing in the wind, picking imaginary lint off your shirt, flicking off that grain of rice from your lip, um, grabbing your hand to "keep you safe". Things like that. Step six is open displays of affection. I'm guessing that's where you're at. Or fixing to be." Sango gave Kagome a lecherous grin, straight from the Miroku files. She had to pause after that to think of what comes next. "I don't really know what comes after that. All I know is eventually they mate and each gets a scar for the rest of their life. It marks them as their mate. Every youkai I've seen has a different mating scar. I think dog youkai claw the hips. Or was it bite the back of the neck?" She gave Kagome a sly look as the younger girl tried to hide her mortification. "You could ask Inuyasha if you really want to know that and the rest of the steps."

Kagome was speechless as what Sango had been saying finally clicked. "You're telling me, that he's been courting me from the moment we met and neither of us knew it?!" Kagome's voice rose with each word until she was practically screaming at Sango in disbelief.

Sango gave her a nod and a gentle smile. "Hai. Youkai are very instinctual. They can usually tell who's going to be their life mate from the moment they smell them. Unfortunately, Inuyasha is only half-demon so he probably doesn't recognize what his instincts are telling him. He sent you away that one time to protect you. I'm sure that anything he does is, what he thinks at least, for your own good."

Kagome started to tear up at this new revelation. "So, if he could tell at the beginning, why did he fall for Kikyo?"

Sango looked at her sadly as she realized this was the truth. Why had the hanyou fallen for the miko if he was supposed to be with Kagome? "I really don't know. It could be a lot of things…..he felt drawn to her as a friend and they just happened to want the same things in life. He really did love her and now loves her reincarnation. Or he could've been waiting for you by staying with her. I don't know if he ever REALLY loved her or not, but I do know that he loves you. Even if he doesn't." She smiled at her friend.

Kagome refused to let her tears fall as she listened to Sango's explanation. By the time Sango finished, Kagome had composed herself and managed to smile back at the taijiya. "Thanks Sango. It really helped to talk about it. Even though now I have more questions than answers. But I seem to recall something special that a little birdie just HAD to tell me about." Now her smile was genuine.

Sango blushed at what she was about to tell her best friend. "Yeah, well. While you were away, Miroku didn't grope me too horribly." Kagome gave her a thumbs up. "And he kinda…..sorta asked me out on a date, which was really great. We went to a festival." Another big smile and thumbs up from Kagome. "And he kissed me." She finished quietly, trying to hide the evidence that she was withholding information by hiding behind her bangs.

Kagome's jaw dropped and her eyes bugged out. "HaHA! I knew it'd happen one day." She squealed at the possibilities. "So, when's the wedding? I AM the maid of honor, right?" Kagome asked, giving Sango's blushing face a sly smirk.

"It's not like that!" Sango protested. "We haven't even admitting liking each other and you're already planning my life." Kagome just smiled dreamily into the distance. "Oh, why do I even bother?" She asked the heavens.

Kagome turned to Sango and said conspiratorially, "So, how was it?"

Sango's blush intensified. "Well, it was my first, but *dreamy sigh* I don't know if I'll ever have one as good."

Kagome squealed again. "So, details, details." She urged. And so, the great gossip-fest continued, not noticing the two pairs of eyes watching them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*Back at the Hut, Thirty Minutes Earlier*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inuyasha restrained Miroku from leaving after the girls, most likely to follow them, and stopped Shippo from following for bath time. *sigh* `Why do I always get `baby-sitting' duty?' He sat Miroku down with a glare and put Shippo in Kaede's playpen. Yes. It WAS coming in VERY useful. He locked a cover over the top to keep the kit in.

He gathered his thoughts, then turned to the monk and started in. "Monk, I need help."

"We ALL know THAT Inuyasha." Shippo just had to say it. "It's good to hear that you finally realized it too." He smirked.

Inuyasha just growled at the boy and continued his conversation with Miroku. "Kagome doesn't understand how I feel and I don't exactly have the best means to convince her otherwise."

Miroku looked at he hanyou like he was from another planet. `Oh, so NOW he wants to talk about her, huh? Hope I don't get hit for saying something wrong.' He braced himself for any blows that would be thrown at his first question. "Do YOU know how you feel? Last time I tried talking to you about relationships all I got were knots on the head. And you were undecided if I recall correctly."

Inuyasha conceded that the monk was right. He had given him quite a few lumps for trying to fix his love life in the past. But he was just confused and embarrassed. It was a natural reaction.. "I've made up my mind and I know what I want." He sighed slightly. "I just really need your help to get it."

Miroku suddenly smiled brightly. "Well, my hanyou friend, just say the word and I'm there. I'll help you with your little dilemma. You can count on me."

Inuyasha was doing a cheer on the inside. "Thanks Miroku."

Miroku leaned over conspiratorially towards Inuyasha. "So, what do you need? Anything I can help with right now?" He went back to his original position and sighed. "'Cause we all know I have nothing to do, what with the girls gone and everything."

Inuyasha glowered at the pervert for that last sentence and finally spit out his problem. "I need you to teach me to talk to women. Kagome especially. I have to make her believe me, but whenever I try to tell her, it comes out all wrong."

Miroku was interested. "So, finally realizing my genius, eh, Inuyasha?"

"Heh! You wish pervert!" Inuyasha was getting stubborn again. "I just don't want to offend her. There has to be something useful in that hollow head of yours."

Miroku's eyes narrowed to a slanted glare. "Gratitude doesn't come naturally to you, does it?"

Inuyasha snorted and turned away. "Gratitude ain't got nothin' to do with it. I need help and you're the only other guy I trust to talk to."

Miroku was shocked. "I thought you didn't trust anyone. Wow. Well, I guess I could tell you some of the basic, non-perverted stuff. The things girls like."

Inuyasha glanced at him. "What kinds of things?"

Miroku thought for a while. It had been a long time since he'd learned it. "Let's see. What did Mushin tell me…..oh yes. When meeting a woman that you want to bed-"

"What?!" Inuyasha shouted. "I didn't say that!"

"I know that. But you'd be nicer to the girls that you do want to." Miroku reasoned to the hanyou.

"If that's so, then why don't you ever use it?" Inuyasha queried.

Miroku sighed. `It had to come out some time.' "I never really try to get women into my bed." He laughed a little to himself as Inuyasha sat there with a disbelieving look on his face. "Don't look at me like that. I don't. How can I gauge if the woman would be a good mother for my child if she just says `yes' and hops in my bed? I ask my question to guess their personality. Kagome ran to you when I first groped her. That means she'd depend on you. Her protector. While that is sweet, it's not the kind of woman I'm looking for."

"Oh really." Inuyasha stated sarcastically. "And what kind of woman are you looking for? I seem to recall a few youkai women that you followed willingly when they said yes."

"Okay, first of all, I followed them when they were pretty and human looking, then asked them. Right after they said yes, almost every time, they turned into their youkai form and/or attacked me. If they'd said yes and stayed in their human forms, I would've made an excuse and walked away."

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. And what about all the `extra' groping?"

"It was to keep them away. If they were to fall for me, well then, when I died I'd have guilt in my heart and on my conscience for leaving them. I think it's worked pretty good so far."

Inuyasha snorted again. "If you say so, monk." He thought for a little bit about what he'd observed between the houshi and the taijiya. "So. What about Sango?" He asked slyly.

Miroku choked on his own spit for a bit. "Nothing's going on between us…..if that's what you mean." He clarified with a hint of sadness.

Inuyasha showed unusual insight, and stated what he thought of this. "And you want it to be more, right? I'm guessing something did happen and now you're more in love with her than before?"

Miroku's eyes widened to an almost painful point, then closed as he struck a meditative pose. "How could I not? She's the first and practically only woman to hit me for my attentions. She'd be the perfect mother for my children. Because we all know they'd need lots of discipline." He laughed a bit to himself and opened his eyes. "It helps that she's beautiful. Our kids would be perfect.….because she's perfect." He sighed and looked away. For the last few days, when he wasn't talking to and generally being around Sango, he was thinking hard about this. "Actually, it's because she's so perfect, that I've decided to just leave her be. I can't stand the thought of leaving her alone, saddled down with my children, when I die." He sighed. "I'm just going to stay celibate. I won't have any children and my line will die out. But…..will you vanquish Naraku for me…..when I'm gone?" He turned a pleading look at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was dumbfounded. Then he got his wits back and scoffed at the foolish houshi. "Shut up monk. There's no way that you're gonna die before we kill Naraku. I won't let ya." He flashed a fang at the other man. "You can have Sango and your kids too. I'll make sure of that."

Miroku gave the hanyou a tight smile. "Thank you for your confidence Inuyasha. Sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me from giving up." He sighed. "Unfortunately, even if that was the case, I don't believe Sango would want to marry me. I doubt she'd even want to have kids with me." `Of course after that night there's little doubt she would mind MAKING them with me.'

"Don't give me that junk, idiot. I have a feeling that she'd be all for it." Inuyasha thought for a bit. Truth be told, he'd been focusing more on Kagome than Miroku and Sango for almost the past month. "Actually…..I don't know that for sure. You could talk to Kagome. I'm sure she'd tell you something about how Sango feels towards you."

Miroku was flabbergasted at this sensitive Inuyasha. `Guess having a kid around really helped him. Having Kagome there helps too…..' "Thanks for the advice Inuyasha. Now to get back to your problem." He cleared his throat. "The customary way to get a woman's attention is called a pick-up line. Usually it's something corny, but there are a few good ones out there. One of my personal favorites is, `Did it hurt?' And then she'd say *girly voice* `What?' so then you say `When you fell from heaven?'. (AN: Actually, my favorite is `Do you have a quarter? I told my mom I'd call her when I found the girl of my dreams.' But that wouldn't work here, so I used my second favorite.) That sets the mood for the suave lover." He paused to look at Inuyasha. "Which you obviously aren't." Inuyasha growled at him. "Oh come on. You know it's true. Besides, she already loves you, you just have to convince her you feel the same, right? So you don't even need a pick-up line. Next is conversation. Generally in talking to a beautiful woman, you must use innuendos. Very subtle ones though or else you just sound horny." (AN : Truth. And sometimes that's not even right.)

Shippo spoke for the first time in a long time. "What's an in-your-end-o?"

Both men looked at each other. They'd totally forgotten that the boy was there. Inuyasha spoke first. "None of your business, runt. And if you say one word of what you've heard here to the girls….." He let the threat hang.

Shippo snorted. "What would I tell them? That you're getting lessons on talking to Kagome from Miroku and Miroku is all sappy about Sango and both of you are trying to console each other?" He scoffed at the idea. "Yeah, they'll believe that."

Miroku dragged Inuyasha a ways away and started a private conversation. "The kid does have a point Inuyasha. They'd never believe that we were having this conversation in the first place."

"Alright." He reluctantly agreed. They walked back towards Shippo. "Shippo, you can stay. But block your ears or something."

"Why?"

The men looked at each other and nodded then looked at the boy. Together they lunged for him and ripped him out of the playpen. Then they walked to the nearest hive and proceeded to stuff bee's wax in his ears. Next they tied a cloth around his ears to keep it from falling out and tied his hands together to keep him from GETTING it out. As an after thought they gagged him and threw him back in the playpen. Wouldn't want him yelling at them to let him out now would we?

With Shippo effectively out of the conversation, they resumed where they left off.

"Where was I?" Miroku started. "Oh yes, innuendos. You keep making little hints at where you want to head and what'll go on (*here he winked*) and always remember to praise her beauty AND brains. You've done neither for the past two years. That was where you made your first mistake."

"What do ya mean `first mistake'? I didn't do nothing but protect her."

"Right. My mistake." Miroku rolled his eyes. `Thus proves my point…..' "Alright, so after you convince the woman to come to your bed, then you have to follow through with the things you said. This is only if she's a little…..loose, if you know what I mean. (And that's an innuendo ~.^) If she still needs convincing, then gifts, flowers, and more pretty words will keep her around. At least until you can break down her reservations and go in for the kill. *wink* Tiger."

"Okay, flowers, gifts, pretty words." Inuyasha absorbed all this for a bit. "That has nothing to do with me. She knows I don't go for all that crap. Isn't there a technique you use to keep your tongue from getting tied? Something to keep the words flowing in the right direction?"

"Sorry, Inuyasha. But I can't help you there." Miroku apologized. "All people have their own level of articulation. Some are better at sweet talking than others. Like me." He stated with pride.

"Shit. So there's nothing you could tell me? Nothing you can do to help?"

"Afraid not. You'll just have to find the right moment and grasp the opportunity with both hands." Miroku advised. "Just spit it out when that time comes. You might have to explain your reasoning for choosing her over Kikyo, but I believe you can do that." Miroku looked at him with a serious expression. "Just, don't yell or get agitated. Nothing would ruin the mood more than that."

Inuyasha gulped. `That was worthless. I already knew all that. Well, mostly. *sigh* Guess it'll just be me messing it up again.' He cringed at the thought. "Thanks for talkin' to me Miroku, but this was a waste of my time."

Miroku got a gleam in his eye. "Maybe so, but I bet the girls are still at the spring. Wanna take a look?"

"As always." Inuyasha smirked.

They started walking to the springs, leaving Shippo behind in the playpen grunting and screaming behind his gag to set him free.

"So, Inuyasha, why do the girls always assume that you're not going to look at them, when you do it almost as much as me?" Miroku questioned his hanyou friend.

"I don't know. Maybe because I don't make it as obvious that I'm a MAN as you do."

Both `men' looked at each other and started cracking up. As they approached the spring, they heard Sango talking to Kagome.

"Well, it was my first, but *dreamy sigh* I don't know if I'll ever have one as good."

*squeal* "So, details, details."

Inuyasha turned to Miroku to see if he knew what they were talking about, but he was staring at Sango, wondering if she was talking about what he was thinking about. Surely she wouldn't be telling Kagome about that night. Would she?

"Well, it was after you two had left for your time with Kaede and we were in Kaede-baa-chan's hut alone. No, wait, Kirara was there, but she disappeared sometime before he scooted towards me, anyway, I was sharpening Hiraikotsu and he was polishing his staff and when he first came over, I thought he was going to grope me so I grabbed Hiraikotsu tighter and waited for it." She paused to catch her breath. It was embarrassing talking about personal details with anyone, even as trusted a friend as Kagome. And it was painful keeping stuff from a trusted friend. Understandably, her stomach was in knots and she was short of breath.

Inuyasha looked at Miroku again. He seemed to be blushing, or maybe it was oxygen deprivation as he had seemed to have stopped breathing. He leaned over and hissed at the monk. "Ha! I knew something happened between you two while we were gone."

Miroku just nodded and continued waiting for Sango's thoughts on the event. Sure, he'd kissed women before, but Sango was different. He was trying to pour his love through that kiss, not just his lust. And she had said it was probably the best she'd ever have. This thought put a smile on his face and he began breathing again. `Best she'll ever have? I'll have to make sure that's not the case. Hehehe.' And he decided then and there to never leave her alone.

In the good way, of course.

Sango continued, "So, there we were, alone because Kirara had gone missing, and he keeps his hands to himself the whole time. Then he starts talking about what you two could be doing and somehow he asks me out on a date. I'm speechless and we're just staring deep into each others eyes. Then I'm leaning towards him and he's leaning towards me and…..*big sigh and smile* fireworks. Then, after that mind-blowing moment, he leaves me with the most sultry look I've ever seen. I've never felt so….." She searched for the proper word to describe her feelings at that moment.

"Beautiful? Loved? Desired?" Kagome tried to help.

Sango smiled a dreamy smile. "All those and more. It was…..amazing. Then at nightfall, we visited this Spring Festival in the next town over. He won me all sorts of prizes, but I gave them all away to these little kids, except for this one." She reached over to her clothes and pulled out the monk doll. "Isn't it cute? I think it looks just like him. Anyway, after the festival-" She paused and thought how she'd word this without giving away too much. "He caught me from falling down a hill and kissed me again. And that was great!" She said while giggling.

Kagome was smiling so big her face could split at Sango's romantic moment, Miroku had a huge, goofy grin and Inuyasha was looking knowingly between Sango and Miroku. `I knew it. I did. I knew it.'

Sango blushed a deep crimson at her next confession. "You remember how I told you I sorta liked him?" Kagome nodded. "Well, after that, I finally realized how deep it went. Kagome, I- I love him. With all my heart." Kagome hugged her friend as Inuyasha tried to revive the passed out Miroku. "So, I've told my moment, now you tell me yours."

Kagome blushed, Inuyasha stared, and Miroku jumped back out of the land of the unconscious. "Well, as you know, Saturday was the new moon night. Inuyasha was human…..and it just happened."

Sango stared at her in disbelief. "Is that all you're going to say? I tell you all the juicy details of my first kiss AND date and all I get from you is `It just happened'?! That's not fair. I know there was more to it than that."

`Yeah.' Inuyasha thought. `There was WAY more to it than that.'

Miroku leaned over and quietly taunted the distraught teen. "So, what `just happened', hmm? Was it *gasp* a kiss?! My, my, my. I get all kinds of detail and sighs for my work and yours just gets dismissed." Inuyasha growled at the monk and raised his fist. "Uh-uh-uh. They're right there. You know how it feels to get caught out. It ends with you getting sat and me gett-"

"Shhh." Inuyasha cut him off. "Kagome's talking again."

"Well, it was a bit more than that, but, I don't know." Kagome started.

"What don't you know? How good it was? How bad? What?" Sango prodded.

"I don't know if he really meant it to be what I thought it was."

"And that was….."

"I don't know if he was just fulfilling a fantasy he had left over from fifty years ago, or if he really wanted to kiss me."

Sango closed her eyes and groaned in exasperation. "Just tell me all the dirty little details and I'll try to help you figure it out."

"Alright." Kagome agreed. "He was human and couldn't figure out how to set up the playpen. I was making Ramen for dinner and heard all the commotion so I went to see what was wrong. He couldn't understand why Kaede needed it and said he'd make a better bed for her. I asked if he'd like to prove that theory and he grabbed me and led me to the couch." Sango gave her a blank look. "A couch is like a futon. Only taller…..and longer…..and more padded. So really it's nothing like a futon except in shape. Anyway, you can either sit or lay down on it."

In the bushes, Miroku gave Inuyasha a lecherous grin. "Sit or lay down on it, eh? Oh the possibilities….." Inuyasha just blushed.

"Anyway, he laid down and pulled me on top of him so that my back was on his chest. That was really comfortable." She was a deep red by now. "And I said something about it being lumpy- Not like that Sango! I was just kidding. God! You ARE perfect for Miroku!" Sango's perverted smile turned sheepish. Laughing at your friend's embarrassment is funny…..your own is not. "So then I asked if he thought he could keep from hurting Kaede and he said he'd never hurt someone he cared about. I asked if he'd ever hurt me and he said no, then we were leaning in and the Ramen I was making for dinner started burning. I was going to get up and fix it, but he said it could wait…..and he kissed me."

"Well, how was that?" Sango wanted all the details.

`It's like she's reading my mind!' Inuyasha thought. `How WAS it Kagome?'

"One word." Kagome paused. Everyone leaned in and held their breaths for it. "Magic." She smiled. It was now Inuyasha's turn to have a goofy grin. "I've never had a kiss like that before." And down it went.

"Before?" Sango asked.

"Before?!" Inuyasha and Miroku whispered in unison.

"Yeah. I've had two or three others. But they were from second cousins and Hojo once. It was an accident, but that's why he's so insistent."

Inuyasha was trying to hold down the growl that was surfacing. Miroku looked over at him with concern and put a hand on his shoulder with a meaningful glance. Inuyasha tried harder to stamp it out. `That scrawny runt kissed my woman! Now I have even more reason to kill and/or maim his ass.'

Sango was shocked. She'd thought that Kagome would've been a kissing virgin as well. `Guess not.' "So, if your kiss was when he was human, and he was the one to instigate it, then why do you still have doubts about his affections?"

"I don't know. I. *exhale* It's stupid, but I can't shake the feeling that he was comparing me to Kikyo the whole time. I didn't even notice when it happened, but about an hour afterwards I did. And he never tried to kiss me again the rest of our time there. In fact, he hardly even talked to me after that. He seemed distracted. That's why I figure he was comparing us and I came up short. Again."

In the bushes, Miroku was staring at Inuyasha in disbelief. "You didn't even talk to her after that?! Even I talked to Sango after I kissed her." He harshly whispered to the sad looking hanyou. But he was curious about one thing, "Were you comparing them?"

"No. Well, for a split second I was, and trust me, she did NOT come up short, but then I was thinking of ways to tell her I love her." Inuyasha groaned quietly. "That's why she's been so distant. Gods! I'm such an idiot! How could I have missed that?!"

Sango was talking to Kagome again. "I see. I don't know why he hasn't been talking to you, but I'm sure you didn't come up short. You're way better than Kikyo and I'm almost positive it was just nerves that kept him quiet. Inuyasha is very shy. Maybe he didn't know how you'd react if he wasn't in his human form and he tried that."

"That's just it! I would love him in any form he's in and he can't see that! What's so hard for him to understand?! I love him and want to be with him forever. Why can't he want to be with me? Why?!" Kagome started crying. Sango tried to comfort her as best she could.

In the bushes, Inuyasha was in near tears himself. "But I do, Kagome. I love you too."

Miroku looked over at his muttering friend and patted his shoulder. Inuyasha looked up and Miroku suggested that they head back. Everything was settling down now.

Maybe it was best if they got Shippo untied before the girls got back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*Far Away and On the Road*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kikyo and Kosimu were still tracking Inuyasha. After all the stunts Kosimu had pulled, without her knowing, they were way off course, but since she put on that damnable piece of mind-controlling cloth, they were getting back on track. They'd made major headway, but nobody had seen the Inuyasha-tachi for at least a week.

`They must've gone back to see my darling little sister.' Kikyo thought through his headband. `We'll head that way and see if we can catch up with them.' Her companion nodded. `We're about four days from the village where I was slain. Let's get moving.'

They continued walking. Kikyo's soul stealers came and gave her a boost. Kosimu made himself scarce as she absorbed the innocent souls. She didn't like people to see her feed. Plus, it was sad to see so many souls get lost to her evil.

His brain was mush and he had no will of his own, but something was telling him that this was wrong. Why? He had no idea. It had something to do with another girl and her soul, but he couldn't remember. Why couldn't he remember?

After Kikyo got her energy boost, they continued down the path to nowhere.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*Meanwhile*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The girls had come back form their bath after getting Kagome composed again. The boys had untied Shippo and bribed him to keep quiet about everything they'd said and done. And so, they were all huddled in Kaede's hut talking about what they'd do next. Sango and Miroku had made some inquiries to travelers passing through, but none of the wanderers had any information to give them. It was as if the jewel shards were almost all found. There were hardly any rumors anymore, and yet, Kagome's part of the jewel was only half complete.

This didn't bode well for our heroes, and that is what they were heatedly discussing after Inuyasha had hunted down dinner.

Inuyasha was pacing the small hut. Kagome was feeding Kaede, or trying to anyway. She didn't seem to want milk anymore. Big Kaede was out tending to the villagers, Shippo was asleep in a corner with Kirara, Miroku was watching Inuyasha pace and Sango was making dinner.

"I know there's more shards out there." Inuyasha ranted.

"Let's think about this." Miroku suggested. "How many shards do we know of that we'll have to get last?"

"Kouga has two," Kagome stated distinctly. "and Kohaku has one." She finished quietly. Sango looked sad for a brief moment and Miroku looked over at her concerned.

"That's only three!" Inuyasha practically shouted.

"Well, Inuyasha, we have some but Naraku has many." Miroku reasoned.

"How many does that bastard have?" He grit his teeth. "We have to get his shards away from him. It's the only way we can make it whole again. We MUST defeat him."

"It's done." Sango called from the fire pit.

"Inuyasha, we know that. Let's eat first and then think about what we're going to do next." Kagome set down Kaede and walked to where Sango was tending the pot to get her dinner.

Miroku and Inuyasha followed her lead and came over to eat. Shippo awoke from all the commotion and groggily made his way over. They were having boar and vegetable stew over rice.

Suddenly Kaede got up and came over to grab a plate. No one was surprised that she'd walked over and grabbed something, but when she started asking for some of the food…..that was shocking.

Everyone stopped eating and looked over at the two week old. They all looked at each other and then back at her. Kagome got Kaede a little piece of boar and a small portion of the rice and vegetables. All watched her eat with great interest, ready to save her from choking or anything. Amazingly she didn't choke once and ate the food almost as fast as Inuyasha would've, if he wasn't fearing for her life that is.

"Okay, now I KNOW that isn't normal." Inuyasha said. Everybody nodded agreement.

Miroku recovered from the shock second and tried to justify what he was seeing. "Let me get this straight. She's almost two weeks old, right?" Kagome, Inuyasha, and Shippo nodded. "Okay, but she can walk, talk, eat solid foods, and she has some kind of acid?" Another nod. "How?" They shrugged.

"She also grows exceptionally fast, if you haven't noticed houshi-sama." Sango added.

Miroku sighed. "What did I tell you about that, sweet Sango?" Sango blushed. He looked Kaede over. "She does grow quickly, doesn't she?"

"Yes." Kagome said. "She went from being the size of a one week old to a one year old in a day. But it seems to come in spurts. She hasn't grow at all after that first day in my time. Until now that is."

"Hmm. Interesting." Miroku rubbed his chin as he thought about what this could mean.

"I've never heard of a youkai that could control their growth rate." Sango informed. "I don't really even know how they age, but judging from Shippo it takes a while. Kaede seems to grow as she wants."

The group was baffled from this realization and couldn't figure out why she would do all these things. Suddenly, Inuyasha audibly sniffed the air as his ears perked up and he ran out of the hut, a growl following in his wake. The others, not liking that growl, ran out after him, their weapons in hand.

"Shippo! Watch Kaede. Don't let her come out." Kagome yelled over her shoulder on her way out.

Outside, a tall man with white hair and brilliant gold eyes was staring down Inuyasha. Beside him was a green toad-like youkai and waiting in the bushes was a little girl. The group got prepared for the normal yelling of curses and particularly violent fighting.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to ask what his half-brother wanted, when he was cut off. Sesshomaru stepped away from Jaken and in front of Rin. He spoke in his deep, rich baritone. "I couldn't help overhearing your dilemma, little brother. Perhaps if I could see the child, I might have an answer to your questions."

The group was shocked that he actually wanted to help them, but more than a little suspicious of his intentions.

"No way is anyone, especially you, going to take her away from us." Inuyasha shouted.

"Calm yourself, Inuyasha. I simply wish to see the girl." Sesshomaru stated. "I might have some information for you if she is who I think she is."

Inuyasha looked to the others for confirmation. They all looked to Kagome. She looked especially troubled by his request. She thought for a moment, then went back to the hut and brought out Kaede. Shippo followed a few steps behind.

Kagome walked towards Sesshomaru, Kaede on her hip, when she was stopped by Inuyasha ten feet away.

"What do you think you're doing Kagome?" He hissed at her. "Are you just going to hand-deliver her into death?"

Kagome looked at him sorrowfully. "I know what you're thinking, but this may be the only way we'll ever find out what's going on with her."

Inuyasha's hard look softened as he listened to his love's heartfelt plea. "Fine. But I'm holding her." He took Kaede away from Kagome and walked to his brother. "Sesshomaru! You pull anything and I'll personally see to it that you never have kids of you own." He reached the inu-youkai with a look of malice on his face. "And I'm holding her the whole time, got that?!"

Sesshomaru cocked one elegant brow at his brother`s overly protective attitude to the little chameleon girl. "Yes." He bent down and examined the toddler's scent and features. He leaned back up and caught his brothers eyes with a glint in his own. "Just as I suspected."

"What? What is it?" Inuyasha demanded.

"I'll tell you….." He stalled, "if you give me Tetsusaiga."

"Never!" Inuyasha yelled. `I need this sword to protect my family.'

"Whatever you say." He turned to walk away.

"Wait." Inuyasha yelled. Sesshomaru stopped and waited for the inevitable compromise. After a short and heated conference with Kagome, Inuyasha gave Kaede to the enraged young miko and walked up to his brother. "I'll give you Tetsusaiga if you can pull it from my hip."

Rising to the challenge, Sesshomaru took up the offer. "Alright, half-breed. This Sesshomaru accepts your challenge." He hid his smile well, as usual. `Finally what I came here for. A worthy spar.'

He made a grab for the sword, but Inuyasha jumped back and his claws passed by a fraction of an inch, or whatever. Sesshomaru swung a clawed hand towards Inuyasha's face. The hanyou ducked under the blow and weaved away. It was very tempting to just draw the sword and take out his brother right there, but he kept his resolve not to draw Tetsusaiga.

This went on for a few minutes. Sesshomaru tested his brother's speed, strength and endurance, all while keeping back some of his more lethal weapons. Inuyasha was getting tired of this game and decided to give his brother a break. He waited until Sesshomaru was coming at him and stood stock-still in his path. The older youkai couldn't believe Inuyasha, his impatient and impetuous little half-brother, would just stay there. He slowed in his dissent, coming to stop directly in front of the hanyou.

Inuyasha stayed rooted to his spot. The two faced each other with curious looks. Sesshomaru, because Inuyasha had stopped dodging him, and Inuyasha, because Sesshomaru had stopped attacking him. Neither knew what to do in this situation as they had never encountered it before.

Finally, to stop this from becoming any more time consuming, Inuyasha stepped forward and said, "Take it." `After all, Sesshomaru can't draw Tetsusaiga. I am it's true owner.'

Sesshomaru looked at him oddly for a few moments. Slowly, he made his way over, tensed, preparing for any sudden attacks. He reached out his only arm and-

The defensive spell took action.

Sesshomaru was knocked back and Rin came running from her hiding place to see if her Sesshomaru-sama was okay. He got up, flexed his hand a little to get the blood flowing right again, and smiled imperceptibly. `The hanyou has gotten much stronger.' He looked longingly at the sword at his brother's hip. `Too bad. If I were to take it from him, he would go crazy again. I don't think I could hold that off for very long anymore. I just wish I'd have remembered that defensive spell sooner. Shit that hurt.' He looked at his brother and the group. "I digress. I will give you the information you seek." He made for the door of the hut.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Inuyasha called out

"These things are better said in private." He never acknowledged them by facing them or even stopped walking. "Come Rin."

The little girl followed her rescuer into the strange house. The rest of them walked in afterwards.

"So what can you tell us?" Kagome asked him.

She set Kaede on the floor with Shippo and Rin and the three started playing. Unfortunately, Kaede couldn't keep up with the older two very well. She let loose a small growl and concentrated very hard on reaching the power she'd unlocked before. It was a little harder now that she was going for such a drastic change, but she knew she could do it.

After the change her eyes were brighter, and she had lost some, but not all, of her baby fat. All in all she looked like a regular, healthy, feisty six year old girl. Except for the scales that were beginning to show up more on her legs, now that her clothes were clinging by threads to her body, and the claws, fangs and pointed ears of course were plainly visible, marking her as a youkai.

Kagome sighed and began digging in her bag for a new play kimono that would fit Kaede. Sesshomaru had watched it all with a detached eye. Now he was certain about her heritage. He let a small smile slip and chuckled so quietly no one could hear him, not even Inuyasha.

"Amazing." He started. "The two chameleon youkai I've heard so much about are the mother and father of your newest addition. I'm astounded that they actually had offspring. Tell me. How did you get their child?"

Kagome retold the story of Kaede's birth, but when she got to the part about who Kaede's parents thought she was, she paused. She'd never thought about that part before. `What could Naraku want with a baby? He's got too many henchmen as it is. And why would Kikyo be getting her for him?' She snapped out of it and finished the tale.

At the end, Sesshomaru nodded his acknowledgement and said, "I see. I suppose you would like to know why this child is unlike any youkai you've ever encountered before, right?" They all nodded and he began divulging his information. "I first heard tale of her parents sixty years ago, before Inuyasha even got pinned to that tree by his miko." He sneered. Everyone's faces twisted into a great pain that Sesshomaru, obviously, couldn't understand. He merely raised an eyebrow at the suddenly somber faces and continued. "It seems, they were born a special kind of youkai. No one knows how they got the abilities they did, but somehow they were born with the ability to completely disappear. As you already know, most chameleon youkai can blend in with their surroundings to where they seem invisible, but are still there if you look hard enough. But these two…..they were truly amazing. The only two of their kind and they happened to be of opposing sex." He heard a small squeak coming from Kagome. He paused his story and looked at her. She looked excited about something and he let his curiosity get the best of him. Just this once. She reminded him so much of his Rin at times, only older. "What is that look for woman? Do you have something you'd like to interrupt me for?"

Kagome let her hands fall from her face and revealed a dazzling smile. She began talking excitedly. "It's just like the X-Men. They were like the mutants of the Sengoku Jidai. *gasp* And now we have their daughter. Does that mean she'll be a mutant too?" She stopped and looked at the youkai lord wide-eyed.

Sesshomaru merely blinked at her question. "None of what you said made sense, girl. I suggest you think before you speak." He continued on with his original purpose. "They also had the unique ability to control their aging. No other youkai could do so and that's how they gained their reputation. Because of this they met and fell in love. They wandered far and wide looking for a place to live before finally getting accepted into a village at the mercy of a series of vicious demon attacks. When they killed an entire swarm of demon bees, the village elder decided they could stay and defend the village against other youkai. They weren't going to do it, but when they saw the hardships the villagers were going through, they took pity and decided to use their abilities for good. They protected the village for well over a hundred years. Come to find out they were fierce fighters. No one, youkai or human, could get past them without being chopped to ribbons. I don't know the exact attacks they used, seeing as I never had need to fight them. But there were some rumors about spitting acid and detachable tails." He had a sudden thought and looked to the girl playing with his Rin. "I see the girl has no tail yet. She'll most likely get one soon." He looked back to the group as they observed Kaede. She did seem to have a bump on the small of her back , now that they were looking for it. Sesshomaru saw that they had become distracted and cleared his regal throat. They turned back and listened with full attention. "None of the other youkai in Edo thought the woman was fertile and were rejoicing for it. They were probably the biggest threat facing any youkai. Now, they've gone missing and it turns out my brother's wench has delivered their only offspring and been acting in place as it's mother. I applaud your courage, young miko. Not many face a female youkai during child birth and live to tell the tale."

"Um. Thanks. I think." Kagome mumbled.

Inuyasha snorted. "Great story. Very helpful. Now how about you leave before I-"

Miroku cut him off and voiced what was on everyone's minds. "Now I see what NARAKU could want with her. But what about Kikyo?"

Kagome thought for a bit. "Kaede's mother did say something about Kikyo training her and being like her mother. Maybe Kikyo's working for Naraku now?" She looked to the others for agreement. They looked to Inuyasha, waiting for him to jump to Kikyo's defense as he always did. He just stared at Kagome, and eventually nodded at her logic. The others, except Miroku, were shocked that he made no move to defend her, but they had to agree with Kagome.

"That's all well and good, but he main question is, why would the two give their only offspring to that disgrace?" Sesshomaru asked them.

No one could answer that and decided to think on it. They finished dinner and pondered the last question. They watched the children play tag around the hut until they tuckered themselves out and started to settle down for bed. Sesshomaru decided to stay in a tree and wait for the morning. Rin slept in the hut with Shippo and Kaede, her new best friends. Inuyasha slept outside in a tree a few feet away from his brother's.

Around midnight, Sesshomaru jumped into Inuyasha's tree on a branch above his. Contrary to popular belief, Sesshomaru had long ago realized that he couldn't have Tetsusaiga. He sought his little brother out mainly to test his strength and progress on using Tetsusaiga. He wasn't disappointed. Inuyasha made an excellent sparring partner. The hanyou was making great strides in his abilities with the sword, but he still lacked finesse. `Somehow I'll have to teach him that.' he decided.

But right now, he had a sudden urge to give older-brotherly advice. This was probably the first and last time he'd do it too. It was an odd sensation to be helping the one who thought he was, probably not his greatest enemy, but certainly still an enemy.

How wrong his brother was.

Tonight he'd watched the interaction between the whelp and the wench. The attraction was mutual and yet they weren't mated. Why? It was a question that plagued him all through dinner and he had to know. And possibly help his little brother find the happiness he himself was finding in his current venues.

He thought for a moment on how to broach the subject. He wasn't even sure if Inuyasha would talk to him about such a sensitive topic. He decided the best route was to get straight to the point. He turned his head slightly to look at the other occupant of the tree and stated in a clear voice, "Why haven't you marked her yet?"

Inuyasha almost fell out of the tree in surprise. "NANI?!"

Sesshomaru would've chuckled, had he not been so composed. "I'm merely asking why your woman isn't marked. Its obvious to anyone with eyes you're attracted to each other. Not to mention the fact that you've been courting her for as long as I can remember."

He paused and Inuyasha took the opportunity to sort through it all. "Hold up. `Courting her for as long as you can remember'? What do you mean by that?" He glared at his brother. "And what are you up to? It's none of your business if I mark her or not."

Sesshomaru stared hard at his brother's face. `Surely he couldn't NOT know what I'm talking about. But maybe…..' He leaned back on his branch. `I'll give it time. He'll remember soon. I hope.' He sat up straight and gazed through half-lidded eyes at Inuyasha. "Never mind. Just don't let that girl slip away." He turned around and prepared to jump to his own tree. "She is worth any trouble you'll go through." And he left Inuyasha to ponder what he could possibly be on all night.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*Morning*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Morning's light broke in all it's glory. The sun rose over the little village, waking most of the dreamers to another rousing day of work with the rooster's crow. The groggy denizens had the privilege to enjoy the reds, pinks, purples, and blues that made morning so glorious. It was an awe inspiring sight. One most people in the present day never got to see, let alone stop and admire.

The sleepers in the hut, unfortunately, were awoken to the `Symphony of Sit'. Or `SOS' as Inuyasha should call it. Seems that Kagome woke to Inuyasha staring at her again. Sesshomaru was still in his tree. He hadn't needed sleep that night. Instead he found joy in watching that hanyou brother of his stew and think and be all protective over the wench.

Once morning hit, it was quite interesting to watch him sneak into the hut and partake in step four, even though Inuyasha had no idea what step four was. It was actually informational to Sesshomaru. Now he knew what NEVER to do during that crucial step. With second hand experience of course. And what is that, you ask? Why, never let them see you partake in step four. Duh.

Once all our travelers were up and around, Sesshomaru decided to take his leave of them.

"Rin will miss Kaede and Shippo." The little girl hugged her friends and wiped a tear away. "You come see Rin soon, okay?"

"Okay." Shippo and Kaede both agreed, and they hugged once again.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru was trying to ignore the heartfelt goodbyes of the children. When it seemed they were coming to an end, he turned to Ah-Un and waved Jaken forward. "Come Rin."

The two headed demon jumped in the air and rode off while the six looked on.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*Close…..Very Close…..*~*~*~*~*~*~*

`We're making better time than I thought Kosimu.' Kikyo thought to the ninja. `We should be there tomorrow night. The day after tomorrow at the latest. I can't wait to see my dear reincarnation again.'

Kosimu nodded to his mistress. But, why did he feel so bad about finally meeting up with the hanyou and his companions?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

R&R! Thank you!