Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Mating ❯ A Quick Sidetrip ( Chapter 31 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

"The Mating"

Disclaimer: OC's are mine namely any and all characters pertaining to the Thieves guild with the exception of Kurama- all other character's are not, never have been, never will be mine. I'm just borrowing and I'll put them back where I found them, I promise.

A/N: Struggling with Writer's Block, nasty stuff. Sorry if this isn't up to my normal standards. Haven't written much, but I had this sitting on my 'puter and a few lovely emails sent to me have encouraged me to once more set hands to keyboard. For those waiting on Kuronue's Pendant, or the Betrayal, my cowriter has no computer at the moment, a situation we both mean to rectify in the extremely near future. For all who have patiently waited for me to update, I am sorry. My muse went MIA for a very long time. It just showed up again. I can't promise updates quite as often as I was doing them, but they should be there again on a slightly more regular basis. Summer is the busiest time of the year and I haven't even had time to think. Fortunately that is settling down. Without further ado(Sorry for all those that I usually thank individually, I'll have to pick that up again.) on with the fic. *gasp*

Chapter 31- A Quick Side-trip

Sesshomeru looked at his old friend, then turned to his sister-in-law. "So, when do you think we'll be able to visit her relatives?"

Kurama shouldered his own pack. "Any time. We'll just have to be somewhat careful, however, keeping in mind that Keiko and I can cast illusions on all of us. We, at least, have bounties out on our heads."

InuYasha raised his brow and asked playfully. "Now why would that be?"

Kurama gave a youko-ish grin. "Because I decided to mate with a human."

InuYasha returned the grin, "What do you know? So did we!"

"And look at where we ended up, brother." Sesshomeru added deadpan.

Rin smiled up at her mate, causing him to smile back. "So where did you end up?"

Sesshomeru declined to answer, causing her to laugh.

Kurama chuckled, shaking his head. "Fluffy domesticated, I never thought I'd see the day!"

Sesshomeru smiled at his old friend. "That makes two of us."

Keiko cleared her throat. "Shall we leave? Kagome is getting upset."

Kagome looked at her in shock. "How did you-?"

"Know? No clue." Keiko finished for her.

Kurama turned to Keiko, cupping her cheek in his hand. "It is a blessing and a curse, a female youko's empathy. I was unsure as to whether you would acquire it or not."

Keiko looked at Kurama a little confused, "You mean this is also normal?"

Kurama just nodded at her, then turned to the other two males in the room, curious about something. "Are your mates completely of your race?"

Sesshomeru nodded. "They are. Why?"

Kurama took out the journal and threw it at Sesshomeru who easily caught and opened it, "Because Koenma gave me this, practically blackmailed me to document Keiko, Shizuru, and Kuwabara's transformations in it."

Sesshomeru's eyes narrowed in anger. He growled, closing the journal. "I dislike the idea of that journal. What did he use to blackmail you?"

"My human family." Kurama replied shortly, showing his own anger.

Kagome's eyes narrowed in dislike, "This reeks of Enma. When the instructions went out originally, Koenma had just been born. He may not realize just how deep seated his father's mistrust of youkai goes. How did Koenma turn out?"

"Paranoid." Kurama told her quickly, easily summarizing.

"That doesn't surprise me." Kagome replied, then went back to her original situation. "However, Keiko is right. I am getting upset, can we leave?"

"I have one stop to make, informing others to lay some groundwork for when I return." Kurama told them. "I need to hunt down a scamp by the name of Tashan."

Sesshomeru shook his head, looking very amused. "Very well, Youko."

"Fluffy." Kurama retorted teasingly, leading the way down to the marketplace with the others following him. Kurama quickly located the boy that he was looking for. "Tashan, I need you to relay another message. Tell Carlana that I need some agents in my old stomping ground. Can you do that? I need to make a quick trip."

Tashan grinned up at him, "Will do, Youko, welcome back, sir."

"Thanks, lad, I wish it was under better circumstances." Kurama told him.

Tashan shrugged, "You get what you can, and around here any hope is precious. Losing you took a lot out of some folks, but when Carlana reported you were alive, well, relief swept through the entire guild." He looked up at Kurama, "Should I report and then come with you, sir, or should I stay here?"

"Stay here, lad, we shouldn't be gone that long and I'll be back to get you, I might need you." Kurama told him then reached down and ruffled the teen youkai's hair. "And don't pick any pockets, I'd rather not have to bail you out of Yomi's jail, soon to be mine."

Tashan gave him a smart ass salute after dodging out from under Kurama's hand. "Yes, sir!"

Kurama smiled and shook his head. "Now, go, tell Carlana what I need."

Tashan ran off.

Sesshomeru watched the boy, "How do you know we can trust him?"

Kurama shrugged, "I don't, but at best, word only gets back to Carlana, at worst it gets to both sides. Could happen anyway, even if Tashan is trustworthy." He added, remembering the reservations about Trent.

"Traitors within the Thieve's Guild?" Sesshomeru asked, raising an eyebrow, showing for the first time just how disquieting that idea was.

Kurama only nodded. "Yes, indeed. We are having to tread cautiously to avoid messes."

InuYasha shook his head, "This is bad."

Kurama raised a brow. "I am one of the three leaders of the Thieve’s Guild, you don't have to tell me that. Now let's get going, I'm hoping we can be on our way back here by nightfall. This situation is not going to get any better by itself."

Sesshomeru just asked on their way out of town, "So, when did you shift to S-class?"

Kurama replied, "That, my friend is a very long story. I will tell you on the way to the Ningenkai." So Kurama found himself telling his friend his whole story, which Keiko found fascinating to listen to, as some she didn't even know.

Sesshomeru simply listened, without interrupting his friend. Fortunately their trip through to the portal was uneventful.

At the portal, Kurama stopped them. "Now, we must plan this carefully. Do you all know how to shield your auras?"

Keiko just looked at him flatly.

"I didn't mean you, my flower, you are too new to this. I mean for you to take the fox form, which will hide your youki all on it's own."

Keiko looked up at her mate. "But I don't have the control yet of my fox form. Just look at what I did to your mother's house!"

Kurama chuckled. "Yes, but I will keep in telepathic contact with you and help you. We need one scout and you are the best option we have."

"But-"

He gently kissed her silent, "But nothing. A small illusion will hold you either invisible or looking like a normal human. The rest of us I will put an illusion over and make us appear to be normal humans walking down the streets. Do you know the way to the Higurashi shrine?"

Keiko nodded, then added shyly, "Could we stop by my parents as well? It's on the way back."

Kurama smiled. "I suppose we could do that."

Kagome asked, "Do they know what happened to you?"

Keiko nodded. "Last time they saw me, I was deaf in human form and growing from my 5' 3" to my current almost six foot height. Needless to say I was in a bit of pain and they were worried about me."

Kagome raised her brows. "Interesting. I didn't go through anything like that."

"Inu youkai are different from youkos." Sesshomeru stated deadpan.

Kurama nodded. "Sesshomeru and InuYasha are half-brothers, but when InuYasha was transformed to true demon, he would have, had he been youko, gained height as well. Youko's minimum height is six foot. Whereas in animal form your form is much larger, ours is smaller, not much different from a normal fox, other than the tails and such."

Kagome looked on with some surprise. "I thought I knew a youko, raised him in fact, but he never takes fox form."

"We rarely do." Kurama stated with a smile. "Foxes are a little too playful to control completely."

Keiko sighed, "And you want me to take the fox form?"

Kurama nodded. "Yes, I think you'll be okay. If you need help, just ask."

Keiko nodded and shifted to her fox form, also casting an illusion over it to appear as if it was a human standing there and not the silvery fox. ~Like this?~

Kurama smiled down proudly. "Exactly like that. Now let me cast the illusion over the rest of us."

There was a brief discussion over who should look like what, but they finally settled on Sesshomeru and InuYasha having blond hair and tawny eyes, still obviously brothers, but looking more human. Kagome wanted to look as close to her original human form as possible, but Kurama worried about her missing person's report. He settled for her original human appearance but with a little added 'don't look at me' charm added to it.

They quickly crossed over to the Ningenkai, fortunately seen by no one. They quickly made their way to the Higurashi Shrine, pointing out Kurama's house and Keiko's parents place. Keiko kept a very strict control of the fox form that she had adopted for this, only occasionally aided by Kurama.

Kagome started recognizing streets after a short while, even though the memories were centuries old. She finally came to the old, familiar stairs that led up to her family's shrine and started to run up them. InuYasha followed his mate close on her heels.

Sesshomeru looked at his mate and his old friend. "Tell me again how it is that you managed to live here?"

Kurama nodded. "It is a bit overwhelming isn't it? No worse than some portions of home though."

Sesshomeru just thoughtfully nodded and started up the steps, helping Rin up them.

Kurama stopped him with a question. "Is your mate carrying as well?"

Sesshomeru turned and replied with a single nod. "She is not due for another couple of months. It'll be our third."

"Congratulations." Kurama told him as the four went up the stairs together.

"Thank you." Sesshomeru replied.

Rin laughed him off as he tried to make her rest at the top of the stairs. "I'm fine, really."

Keiko turned towards Kurama, ~You ever treat me like I'm made of glass and I don't know what I'd do!~ She said in the most serious tone that promised bodily harm he'd ever heard from her.

Kurama looked down at her, "Would I ever do that, my flower?"

~You just might.~

"Not for another two or three months, I promise." Kurama took a firmer tone, "At that point you will be just as vulnerable as Yukina."

Keiko looked uncertainly up at her mate, ~Really?~

Kurama only nodded. "That is why we must get this resolved quickly."

"Youko, you have changed greatly." Sesshomeru commented.

"No more than you have."

Sesshomeru accepted this with equanimity. "Come, let us go and get these illusions off of us and I'm sure your mate would appreciate being in her true form again."

~Would I ever!~

Kurama dropped the charm portion of the illusion that he held over Kagome just as she knocked on the door, not feeling comfortable enough to just walk in after five hundred years.

As luck would have it, Souta answered the door. "Sis!" He cried as he threw himself at her.

Kagome hugged him to her, unable to talk. Her mother walked around the courner to see what Souta had yelled about before rushing forward to embrace her daughter. "Kagome! We were so worried about you!"

Gramps came out of one of the sheds at hearing Kagome's name. "Kagome! We were afraid that the youkai you traveled with had kidnapped you off, permanently!"

Kagome smiled ruefully. For once her grandfather was more correct than she'd ever given him credit for.

Souta looked up at his sister, "I even tried going through the well myself! Or at least sending a message through it, like I did that one time, but nothing happened! It had sealed up somehow."

Kagome nodded. "When the Shikon-no-Tama purified itself out of existence, the well closed. I was trapped back in the feudal era."

Her mother looked her over, "Then how did you get here?"

Kagome just looked at Kurama.

Kurama let the illusions drop as Keiko turned to her youko form, also dropping her illusion with a sense of relief.

Gramps just yelled, "Kagome's turned into a demon!" and cried.

"Gramps! Will you cut that out!" Kagome half asked, half yelled back.

Sesshomeru stepped forward, "If we could take this inside, it would be best to get away from prying eyes."

Kagome's mother looked at the steely eyed lord and nodded stepping aside so they could enter.

Sesshomeru and Rin entered first, followed by Kurama and Keiko and then InuYasha and Kagome, with Kagome's family following her.

Kagome's mother just looked at her daughter as they all sat down in the living room. "Can I offer you tea?"

Rin smiled, "That would be nice, thank you."

Kurama said, "If I might suggest something?"

Kagome's mother raised her brow. "Certainly."

Kurama quickly took out his favorite tea. "Use these. Steep three minutes."

Sesshomeru shook his head. "Think it'll help, Youko?"

"It did with my mother." He shrugged.

"I'm still having trouble picturing you trapped as a human for 15 or so years." Sesshomeru stated.

Kurama smiled, "Once you meet her, you'll have less problems with that, too."

Gramps just sat there, listening to them.

"Look, Old Man, you've seen me before! I'm not even the only one who has ears any more!" InuYasha burst out, gesturing towards Kurama and Keiko.

Sesshomeru just looked at InuYasha. "Younger brother, there is no cause to be rude."

"Sorry." InuYasha mumbled.

"Now," Kagome's mother asked, "If you can kindly all explain what happened to my daughter, I would appreciate it." She set down the tea set and poured for the guests.

Sesshomeru picked up a cup and took a sip. "I am impressed, Youko."

InuYasha sipped. "This is good!"

Kurama took a grateful sip and sighed. Keiko sipped and settled against her mate.

Rin sipped and smiled, "I like this."

Kagome took a sip and felt her thoughts stop running around in circles. "Thank you, Youko Kurama." She proceeded to explain about what had happened, that she had mated with InuYasha back in the feudal era, but after the Shikon-no-Tama was gone, then discovering that the well was closed.

"And through mating with a demon, you became a demon yourself?"

Kagome nodded.

"So, can you introduce me?" Her mother asked, looking around at the rest of the strange youkai that had suddenly descended upon her house. "I've met InuYasha on several occasions, but the rest of these people, I don't know."

Kagome nodded and started to introduce them in order of rank as she would do back in the Makai. "This is Sesshomeru, my brother-in-law and head of our pack, village whatever you want to call it."

"The proper term is land, Kagome." Sesshomeru told her, face never changing expression. He turned to Kagome's family, "As the formal head of our pack, I need to apologize to you for not finding some way to inform you of your daughters situation and condition."

Souta piped in with, "We got used to her being gone for a couple of weeks at a time, it was only when the well sealed up that we really started to worry."

Kagome grimaced, "Sorry, but the only thing that I could think of would be to leave a note in the well, but then I would have found it. Not a good thing."

Rin smiled over at her. "I've had too many years with you to ever wish you were somewhere else."

"Between you and Shippo I had my hands full, add in InuYasha and well, it was a mess." Kagome agreed.

"I wasn't sure that Shippo would ever settle down. He still hasn't mated, but he's not quite so wild anymore." InuYasha put in defense of the kitsune they had taken in.

"And these others?" Kagome's mother asked.

Sesshomeru broke in, "Allow me to introduce them," He put an arm around Rin, "This is my mate, Rin," Here she smiled shyly, and he continued, "And these two," Here he gestured towards Kurama. "This is Youko Kurama, most call him just Youko, and his mate, Keiko."

Kurama inclined his head, "Pleased to meet you, I am an old friend of Sesshomeru's."

Keiko smiled. "Hi!"

Kurama turned to Kagome regretting to inform her of this, "We cannot stay long, unfortunately."

Kagome's mother turned stricken eyes on Kurama, then turned to Kagome. "What's this?"

"It's all right, Mother, I'll be able to visit periodically from now on, but for the longest time, we were all locked within the Makai, or demon world. That lock is gone now."

"So, sis, are you ever gonna finish school?" Souta asked.

"Souta, I'm over five hundred years old, I somehow don't think it's high on my list of priorities. I'll try to bring at least one of our children here next time, though."

"I'm a grandmother?" Kagome's mother asked faintly.

"And I'm a great-grandfather?" This promptly caused Gramps to cry again.

"Yeah, Old Man," InuYasha broke in with, "Even if your descendants are youkai."

Kagome blushed, "We had our fourth child 50 years ago."

Souta just looked wide eyed, "I'm an uncle? But sis, I'm too young!"

"I'm sorry you guys didn't know any of this stuff." Kagome told them.

Keiko looked over feeling a disturbance without really being able to pinpoint more than who, "Rin, is something wrong?"

Rin looked over and smiled ruefully, "Never try to hide anything around a female youko." She hung her head, "My body, once being human, has always had troubles producing youki, and the child is taking most of that."

Kurama looked over, "Shizuru was having that problem throughout her transformation, too. I wonder."

Keiko looked at her mate, "Think some kela would help?"

"I was thinking that the medicine I made for Shizuru might be more effective." Kurama counter suggested.

"Only after some kela, she needs nutrition, too." Keiko stated firmly, accepting the point, but unwilling to give in on her own point, causing Kurama to smile at his mate. "Should we ask Botan?"

"Only if it becomes necessary to do some healing." Kurama shook his head.

Rin looked back and forth between the two mates. "You know something that could help me?"

Kagome looked over, quite seriously. "Yeah, Rin's had trouble carrying to term at all. She's managed to have three children, but struggled with each of them and she's lost two."

Sesshomeru pulled his mate closer, as if to protect her. "If you can help her, Kurama, please, I ask you."

"My friend," Kurama replied feeling for his old friend, "I will do whatever I can. Children born of love in our world are all too rare."

Sesshomeru gave his friend a small bow, "I find myself in your debt."

"No debt between friends, Sesshomeru." Kurama told him honestly. "InuYasha, can you or Kagome cast illusions?"

"Nope. Inu have no skill in that area." InuYasha replied.

"Can we cut this visit short in favor of a later visit?" Kurama asked Kagome with some urgency. "We need to know if this will work, or not."

Kagome quickly issued hugs for all her family, and said that she'd "see them all later."

The six quickly departed, Kurama issuing the illusion all over again, and Keiko adopting the kitsune form once more. Kurama quickly led the way to his house, not feeling quite comfortable within Kagome's family temple to do anything, but knowing the protections on his mother's house, he knew that he could do what needed to be done there.

Shiori looked up as the door opened. She asked in surprise at seeing her son, "Kurama?"

Kurama smiled at her, "Yes, mother, it's me. I brought a few old friends over, one who is in need of some help."

Shiori instantly offered to help.

Kurama nodded at her. "Thank you. Can you take them up to my room?"

"Of course." Shiori looked at the assembled and said, "Please, follow me."

Sesshomeru turned to Kurama asking seriously, "You trust her?"

"Completely." Kurama replied with no hesitation, knowing why he asked.

"Then I shall as well. Please lead on." Sesshomeru followed the human woman up the stairs and into a room that had obviously been decorated by Kurama. "If I had any doubts about Kurama, this alone would have settled them."

"You knew my son?" Shiori asked curiously.

"I did. Long ago." Sesshomeru replied as he settled Rin on the bed who gratefully laid down. "Yusuke was the one to reunite us."

Kagome sat on the chair at the desk as InuYasha prowled around the room. Kagome looked around, "This looks like such a normal room, though."

Shiori nodded, "My son tried very hard to be normal for most of the last eighteen years, not always completely successfully, though."

"If any could have done so, it would have been Youko." Sesshomeru replied, remembering Kurama's abilities. "He excels at anything that he wants to."

"You certainly described my son." Shiori told him.

"Madam," Sesshomeru confirmed, "I would be very surprised had you told me otherwise. The only thing that his years amoung humans seems to have done to him is teach him to love, which is a lesson all to rarely taught within the Makai."

Shiori nodded. "He's told me about that, as has Hiei."

Kagome looked up, "You've met Hiei?"

"Yes, why?" Shiori asked.

"I just thought he was dangerous." Kagome stated.

Shiori replied, looking over at Kagome and remembering Hiei's abilities. "He is, if you are his enemy."

"I'll try to remember that." Kagome added dryly.

Keiko came in with two bowls and two sets of chopsticks. "Rin, here, eat this. It should help. I added a little tofu to it to help with the protein levels, Kurama didn't think that it would disturb the balance."

Rin took the dish and tried a bite experimentally, seeing Keiko quickly eating. "This is delicious!" She quickly finished off the bowl and felt her youki getting generated much quicker than it had been before.

Sesshomeru felt the easing in his mate. "What is it that you fixed?"

"'S called kela." Keiko said around her last leaf that she was eating. She finished swallowing and sighed. "It's specially formulated to help our bodies generate youki. It really helps if all you need is a boost, such as after mating, or when us womenfolk are carrying children."

"Sesshomeru, you didn't know about kela?" Kurama asked, carrying a banana and the same small bowl as he had for Shizuru and a spoon.

Sesshomeru looked at his old friend. "I had heard of it, but never knew how to prepare it. You were the plant person, not I."

Kurama nodded. "I understand. I shall teach the miko how to make this and send her with some extra seeds so you may grow the ingredients in your garden. Keiko and I simply keep the seeds on hand, grow what we need and that's it, unless you have a youko?"

"A red." Sesshomeru stated. "He has some small skill with plants. Nothing on par with a silver, but still . . ."

"For a red to have skill with plants, he must be powerful. What's his name?" Kurama asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Kagome answered, "His name is Shippo, I adopted him when he was just a kit."

"You did well, then. Not many can handle kits outside the clans." Kurama complimented her.

"Clans?" Kagome asked, having never heard of this before.

"All full adult male youkos ready to truly settle down take a mate and start a clan, sort of an extended family. You are within the boundaries of my clan now. My human mother, my stepbrother and stepfather are all bound to my clan." Kurama explained.

"Then I must apologize to you," Sesshomeru told him, "In questioning the trust of your mother, I offended your clan."

Kurama shook his head, "You could not have known, back then we both despised humanities weaknesses without ever once seeing their strengths. Both of our eyes have been opened."

Sesshomeru inclined his head in agreement. "What do you have there?"

Kurama told him, "It is the same medicine that finally convinced Shizuru's body to stop producing reiki and start producing only youki. I will warn you, it will knock her out for a few hours, which is why my mate insisted that she eat first."

Keiko shrugged, "Someone has to stick up for her! Rin, I'm sorry to have to say this, but if you don't speak up, your own needs that are not always sensed by your mate will not be met."

Kurama chuckled. "Keiko, you've never changed."

"Did you really think I would? My body changed, not my personality." Keiko retorted, then turned to Rin. "Now, just take the medicine and get better, for your child."

Rin smiled at Keiko. "Thank you. I just don't usually speak up, my mate speaks up for me."

"Bad habit to fall into." Keiko told her.

Sesshomeru looked at Kurama, "Youko, I do believe your mate is a bad influence on my mate." He mock protested.

Kurama laughed. "I doubt it, Fluffy. Just means that your mate will be a little more outspoken." He turned to Rin. "Now, I will warn you, this tastes awful, but I have a banana that washes out most of the flavor."

Rin looked dubiously at him. "I suppose." She took the spoon of medicine that Kurama held out to her and quickly took it, shuddering freely. Kurama handed her the peeled banana which she ate. She yawned, "That takes effect quickly, doesn't it?"

Kurama nodded. "Very."

Rin settled onto the bed, curling onto her side protectively around her stomach.

Sesshomeru tenderly brushed his hand through her hair and gave a soft kiss to her temple. "Sleep well, my mate." He whispered to her, then rose and left the room with the rest of them.

Kurama looked back at Sesshomeru, "You do trust me."

Sesshomeru raised an eyebrow, "And how did you determine this?"

"You left your mate sleeping by herself in my territory."

Sesshomeru nodded. "Yes, I did. Kurama, you are one of the few that I do trust. Remember, we have guarded each other's backs before."

Kurama smiled as he nodded. "Thank you for trusting my clan."

InuYasha grumbled, "Why does no one ever trust me the same way?"

"Because, little brother," Sesshomeru replied, "You are still hot-headed."

"Pardon me!"

Kagome chuckled. "You always were, InuYasha, don't pretend otherwise."

InuYasha chuckled at himself. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Shiori just watched the by-play between her son and these guests of his. Sesshomeru seemed very similar to Kurama and Hiei both while InuYasha seemed very like Yusuke. She still remembered the sound of her overly serious son call the other serious demon Fluffy. She took one look at the imposing youkai lord and knew that she'd never get the courage to call him that.

Sesshomeru looked over at his friend. "How long will my mate sleep?"

Kurama calculated. "I didn't give her quite as much as I gave Shizuru, simply because with her condition she cannot tolerate the higher doses."

"Will it harm the child?" Sesshomeru asked seriously.

Kurama shook his head, "Not with that level. I wouldn't have given it to her at all had she not been in danger of loosing the child anyway."

Kagome nodded. "Her youki levels have been so low that I worried about her travelling at all, but Sesshomeru asked her and promised that he'd take care of anything that came their way, not that he really needed to."

Kurama smiled and nodded. "Fluffy's always been good at that."

Shiori smiled. "As have you, my son."

Kurama looked over at his mother, unsure of what to say.

Kagome smiled at Shiori. "I'm glad we haven't intimidated you. Sesshomeru can intimidate anyone if he really puts his mind to it."

"This Sesshomeru would never stoop to intimidation."

"Fluffy, you excel at it." Kurama retorted, eyes smiling. He turned to Kagome and InuYasha. "I do not mean to bring an end to the banter, it's been too long since I could tease Fluffy like this, but I need some information. We have probably two, maybe three hours before Rin wakes up. I don't suppose you can tell me about this kitsune living with you?"

Kagome shrugged. "Sure. Shippo was just a kit when we found him, orphaned by the Thunder Brothers."

Kurama lifted his brow, "I knew of them. I even stole a time or two from them."

"Must have been before they got their grubby hands on jewel shards." InuYasha told him, "Otherwise I bet you would have stolen them right from their foreheads."

Kurama shook his head. "Not necessarily. I never needed, nor wanted the Shikon-no-Tama. I had all the power I wanted."

Kagome looked over at the silver kitsune, "Then you were a very unusual demon. Course, so are these two." Kagome jerked her thumb in the direction of Sesshomeru and InuYasha. "Anyway, the two had killed Shippo's father, who I think was a three tail. All were reds." She went on, telling about their adventures and Shippo's part in solving things.

Kurama laughed, "That is a kitsune for you!" After InuYasha told him about being trapped under the statue that was really only a couple inches high.

Even Sesshomeru seemed amused by this tale, knowing how good kitsune could be at cunning.

They passed the next couple of hours just discussing the assorted adventures before Rin appeared at the top of the stairs. Sesshomeru immediately went over to her. "How do you feel?"

Rin smiled up at him. "Much better."

"Well," Kagome told her, "Your body isn't trying to produce reiki anymore. This is a good thing."

Sesshomeru looked down at his old friend. "Kurama, I owe you more than I can ever repay."

Kurama smiled up at the two. "You owe me nothing. It is more than worth it to see another old friend happy."

"I can do no other, then help you to solve this. I am not well known throughout the Makai and can help you." Sesshomeru replied.

"We welcome the aide." Kurama replied, "On behalf of us all."

Rin smiled down at them mistily. "You have helped us more than you could have known."

Shiori smiled at the couple on the stairs. "I'm glad we could help."

Kurama glanced at the clock. "Have you had any troubles, Mother?" He noted that it was almost three.

Shiori shook her head. "None."

"Good. I am afraid that we must run. Keiko wanted to stop and see her parents before going back to the Makai." Kurama told his mother.

"I understand." Shiori told him. "I called Keiko's mother to tell them what happened last night and while her father wasn't upset, he didn't seem to be happy without actually speaking to his daughter. Other than that I’ve called Takanaka and he said that somehow he knew that he would not be seeing Moya again any time soon. How is she doing? I’ve been worried for her as she’s the only one who’s really new to this entire situation."

"I expected as much from Keiko’s parents. He intimated to me that he wished to discuss some things with me when he was here last." Kurama replied, then he sighed, "As far as Takanaka goes, tell him that I will have Moya get in contact with him as soon as I possibly can. She’s the most vulnerable amoung the group other than Yukina and Kazuma, just by virtue of being Ningen. We are trying to avert all out war on behalf of Reikai and Makai, if we succeed, this place will be remarkably untouched, I hope, if not, well, we will try to rescue anyone and everyone we can.” Kurama looked around, “And back to the illusions, folks. Keiko, I'm sorry to have to ask this of you yet again."

Keiko smiled as she shook her head. "No need, I understand why we must do this, I don't have to like it."

Kurama and Keiko each gave Shiori a hug before renewing their illusions and in Keiko's case, her alternate form. Shiori saw them to the door, wishing them well, and to let them know either when to visit, or when they could visit her.

On their way over to Keiko's parents, Kagome asked, "Did you require the same medicine that Shizuru and Rin did?"

Keiko replied, ~No, I didn't. My body started producing youki very quickly and with no complications.~

Kagome looked at Keiko in surprise. "Wonder why?"

Kurama looked over, "Hiei and I have a theory that one of her fairly recent ancestors was a youkai."

Sesshomeru looked interested. "I would be curious to track down her ancestor, then."

InuYasha humphed, "Good luck. All youkai have problems escaping the Makai until just recently."

"Shippo's gotten out on several occasions." Rin pointed out.

"This is also true." Kagome replied, "But then, Shippo's not much more than a middle B, which is still high for a red kitsune."

Kurama whistled. "Even a mid-B is a very high rank for a red to achieve. I would be exceedingly interested to meet him, as well as teach him about the clans, which if he was as young as that, he would not have been taught yet."

Sesshomeru nodded, "He is indeed ignorant for a kitsune of his own heritage, having been brought up as he has."

"We can fix that." Kurama replied. They came to a stop in front of the Yukimura residence.

Keiko turned to her mate, ~Last time I was here, I was thrown out by my father.~ She whispered to his mind.

Kurama wished that he could take his mate in his arms, but as it was, they were still on the street. "It won't be like that this time. He made the first overture of peace, now we have to follow it up. We want our children, well, these anyway, to know their grandparents, do we not?"

Keiko nodded and the group went through the door, Kurama altering the illusion over himself and Keiko to look like their human forms. "Excuse me, sir. We need to talk to you." Kurama stated.

Mr. and Mrs. Yukimura looked up, fortunately they were having a nice dead period and there wasn't a customer in the building. Mr. Yukimura quickly put up the closed sign and locked the door, even as Mrs. Yukimura hurried them all through the door connecting the family's area with the restaurant.

Kurama and company dropped the illusions and changed forms gratefully. Keiko sat down in the nearest chair. "Thank goodness for kela!"

Kurama smiled at her. "It does help, doesn't it?"

Keiko nodded. "I'm glad something does. Otherwise, I don't know how much help I'd be."

Kagome told her, "You'd still help, just as Rin does."

Sesshomeru shook his head. "Keiko, you are a worthy mate for Youko."

Mrs. Yukimura looked puzzled. "Who are you?"

"Madame, I am Lord Sesshomeru, an old friend of your daughter's mate." He told her.

Mr. Yukimura looked in. "I suppose you are another like Kurama and Hiei?"

"If you mean demon, then yes, however I am not a youko, and I am not a hi youkai, either. I am an inu youkai." Sesshomeru stated.

Kurama looked at his father-in-law. "Sir, if you will sit down, we can discuss what happened and your daughter would like some reassurance that you are still her father."

Mr. Yukimura smiled gruffly. "Keiko, never doubt my feelings for you, kiddo. But you took me by surprise."

Keiko went over to him and hugged him gently. "Dad, you'll always be my father, and I love you too. Now, let's move on to business, there's a lot going on."

Mr. Yukimura turned to Kurama. "Care to tell me what's going on? Your mother called last night and told me that someone found you guys and you had to hightail it out of there, yet here you are, sauntering around as if you haven't a care in the world."

Kurama nodded. "That is mostly because all youkos can cast illusions, sir. In fact that is one main reason why it is the two of us doing this mission. Kagome here needed to see some people and Keiko and I took care of it."

Kagome smiled at the humans. "It's true. I won't go into the complete details, but suffice it to say, both Rin and myself started out human."

Keiko's mother looked over, "You went through the same process as my daughter did, then?"

Kagome nodded ruefully. "I won't go into great detail, but suffice it to say, that I think we appreciate being youkai more than some youkai do. This is a very complicated situation and I wanted to see my family again, and Kurama and Keiko helped me out greatly."

Keiko's father turned to Rin, "And yourself, miss? Are you here to also visit family?"

Rin shook her head, answering softly, "No, my family died many years ago, sir."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories for you."

"Don't let it bother you. I was a small child when I was orphaned, and the first one to truly care about me was Lord Sesshomeru." Rin put her head on Sesshomeru's arm, who looked uncomfortable in the presence of these two strange humans.

Keiko walked over to her parents, getting to the real issues. "Mom, Dad, Kurama and I cannot stay in the Ningenkai for long, in fact, we'll have to be heading back fairly soon here, but I wanted to tell you that I am carrying Kurama's kits, our children."

Keiko's mother immediately went misty eyed as she hugged her daughter to her, unable to speak.

Her father turned to Kurama, "What is this that she's talking about, kits?"

"Sir, it is what baby foxes, or youkos are called. I think she is carrying two, but it is a little early to tell as of yet." Kurama smiled fondly at Keiko then turned to look at her parent’s steadily. "Within four months, you will be grandparents. We would like them to know you, if possible."

Keiko's father looked incredulously between his daughter and her mate. "Four months?"

Sesshomeru nodded. "Yes, four months. And Kurama, it is two sparks of life that she carries."

"Thank you, Sesshomeru." Kurama replied, "We will be having twins. I want to have you and the rest of my family present when they are born."

"I call midwife, unless someone has an objection!" Kagome called with authority.

Rin chuckled. "You are the better midwife, though I would like to be present."

Keiko looked over at the miko turned youkai. "I think you would be fine as my midwife." She smiled over at Kagome.

Sesshomeru reassured his friend. "Kagome is a very good midwife."

Kurama told him, "As you trusted my clan, I can do no other than trust your pack. We accept."

"Thank you," Sesshomeru replied.

"Now, what's going to happen?" Keiko's father asked.

Kurama turned to his mate's father. "What will happen is that in three months, Keiko and I will have to retreat to my den in the Makai to await the birth of our kits. About a week before they will be born, I will hopefully send either Sesshomeru and Rin, or Hiei and Shizuru, depending on who's more mobile, though I might just get in touch with Yusuke. I'm running out of options, almost all of my allies have pregnant mates." He added ruefully.

"You mean the other woman that we met is also pregnant?" Keiko's father asked.

Kurama nodded.

"Dad, her name is Shizuru, and yes, she is." Keiko exasperatedly told her father.

"However, you have met both Yusuke, and Hiei before. I will send one of them to get you, they will also get my family at the same time for my clan must be present." Kurama added.

"I mean no offense, but could you send Yusuke?" Keiko's father hesitantly asked, "It's been a while since we have seen him."

"We can do that." Kurama nodded.

Keiko nodded.

Kurama looked over at his friend, and asked kind of exasperatedly, "No offense, Fluffy, but maybe you could solve this mystery for me. I normally have a human form, courtesy of being born in a human body, ever since Keiko's transformation, I'm stuck."

Sesshomeru chuckled at seeing his friend so disconcerted. "It's a result of your mate carrying, Youko. It happens to us all. Our mate's weakened condition causes our own youki to flare, only to settle once the mate delivers."

Kurama shook his head, "Why didn't I think of that?"

InuYasha laughed, "Now this is a first! I have never seen it before where you didn't have an answer and my brother did!"

"Do not rub it in, little brother. Kurama's never had a pregnant mate to deal with. You and I both know how this affects us in our own ways, Kurama is still learning to deal with this." Sesshomeru told him evenly.

InuYasha shrugged, "Ya mean I can't even tease him?"

Keiko laughed. "It's not easy to find things to tease Kurama about, and quite frankly, do you want to tease someone as old and as dangerous as your brother?" She sensed that the two were on comparable power levels and InuYasha, while still S-class, was also a little lower than his brother.

InuYasha nodded. "I guess you're right."

Kurama sighed. "I regret that we cannot stay longer, however, you have the invitation and we can discuss things more in depth. In the meantime, keep in touch with my mother as she does have the means to contact me if needs be."

Keiko gave her mother a hug and her father gave her an embrace. "Mom, Dad, I'm happy. I shall see you in a few months, if not sooner."

"Dear, that's all that either of us wanted for you, truthfully, all any parent wants for their child." Her mother told her.

"I'm sorry I'm such a grouch, just next time try not to surprise me quite as badly, and I'll try to handle it better." Her father added.

Keiko kissed both of them on the cheek, surprising her father, who hadn't seen his daughter quite this open with her feelings since she was small.

Kurama saw the surprise, "Female youkos are quite free with affection, sir." He told them as Keiko came back to his side and hugged his arm.

"Well, let's give our children a safe place to be born in, I really don't like the whole mess we find ourselves in." Keiko told her mate.

Kurama nodded. "Well, let us get our illusions back on, the shrine had protections on it, as did my house, however, this does not. Which means at the moment, all of our youki's are completely detectable."

Sesshomeru agreed, "Indeed. We are very powerful and can be detected rather easily."

They masked their youki again, Keiko taking the fox form, but couldn't resist going over and giving each of her parents a thorough licking before rejoining her mate and then casting the illusion over herself.

The six quickly made their way back to the park which they had entered through. Kurama looked back at the Ningenkai, then sighed, "Well, back to home sweet home, I guess."

Sesshomeru nodded. "It was interesting seeing what happened to this place in the interim while we've been locked away."

InuYasha just looked around, "Too many stinks, and what they did to the place is just horrid."

Rin took Sesshomeru's hand, "It is hard to believe that the village where we based the shard collecting was once part of this vast city."

"Well, let's get going," Kurama replied, opening the portal, "the problems back home aren't solving themselves."

The six went through, dropping illusions after closing the portal behind them, and Keiko taking her youko form. "That was difficult, holding the kitsune form under control." She told her mate.

Kurama smiled ruefully at her, "I'm sorry, shall we get going back to Gandistra? I need to pick up Tashan, then get to Kaitan, which we should be able to make before dark."

Sesshomeru raised an eyebrow, "Youko has returned indeed. Even I was somewhat known in that city, for the frequency of visits, much like I am known in Gandistra now, just not as a visiting lord."

"Well, let's get going." InuYasha said, bending down to offer his back to Kagome, even as Kurama summoned one of his flying plants which he and Keiko took and Sesshomeru once more did their own flying trick, making their way to Gandistra very quickly indeed.