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Shadowed Nights	By : Huronoryu Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 19768 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
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Shadowed Nights

By The Black Dragon Queen�I�m Ba~ck! *Hordes of
readers run away in terror*
Co Authored by Kallipso

Pairings, Summary, Disc---- Well you all know them by now� no use beating a dead
Hanyou� Inuyasha: �HEY!� er� horse.

Apologies: I�M SORRY! I�M
SORRY! I�M SORRY! GOMEN NASASI! Honto ni gomen nasai!
I know I�m REALLY late but my court case
is still in the works and I really have NO idea what�s going on! ^>.<^

If there is anyone who has more artistic talent then I
have {in other words, anyone who can draw a straight line� mine go all
squiggly} and would like to create some fan art for this story, please send
them to me directly at blackdragonqueen@hotmail.com under the subject �Squiggly
Art.� Thank you

Dedications: This part is dedicated to Puppy Chan! Who bravely
e-mailed me to ask if I was dead and poked my twitching corpse to see if I had
the next chapter yet; also dedicated to Kallipso who walked right past our dear
Puppy and kicked said corpse in the ass shouting at it to get off it�s lazy
butt and write! No! Really! She was poking me while I was writing chapter 22...
Quite viciously actually� it hurt.

Kallipso: Meanwhile she just turns around and glares until I
threaten to keep the Ed plushie I am dangling in
front of BDQ. �Now onward HO!

Fonts: �Speaking�� Thinking�� Mind Speak!�
^o_~^

NOW (finally) ON TO THE STORY!

Shadowed Nights

Winter Woes: Chapters 19-24

Chapter Nineteen: Horrid Happenings

Life in the village was no longer
pleasant; in fact it had become downright horrid.

The small figure did not need to
look around at the multitude of puzzled and unhappy faces of the inhabitances
to know that. It was actually quite sad that everything had come to this but
such was life. �Well, life around here anyhow,� the figure chuckled as
dark eyes watched the activities of village continue around here.

The string of occurrences that
seemed to center around the small village or rather around the hanyou who had
lived here were all in all very amusing, however even the figure had to admit
that life was now becoming difficult, even unbearable in the village.

The others felt it as well. The
Lady Kaede had tried every healing potion she could in order to find a way to
sooth the enraged miko, but alas to no avail.

Kagome was getting worse.

It had been no wonder that the
koinu hanyou had left the village those few weeks before. It was never odd that
the silver haired creature left for days and weeks at a time, no one ever
questioned it. It was actually expected seeing as how it was hard for him to
interact with others on a consistent daily bases.

So it was no surprise to anyone on
the day before the new moon, they had awoken to an empty bed and the hanyou
gone.

The figure, however, doubted
anyone else realized that Inuyasha had absolutely no intentions of even
returning. Though the figure certainly knew and worried how Kagome would react
when she found out her prized �possession� had fled by his own free will.

For some disturbing reason, Kagome
saw Inuyasha as just that. Her property; though many saw it as Kagome just
having a small girlish crush on the half youkai, the figure knew that it
was some twisted way for Kagome to show she had power over the boy.

The subjugation beads were of no
help either.

It was as if Kagome had become
completely obsessed over Inuyasha and the girl resented anyone who would even
think to suggest otherwise. The fact that she had on numerous occasions tried
to convince Inuyasha to travel down the well to her time had been suspicious as
well.

She had begged and pleaded with
him for the past few weeks to travel with her to the future. While before,
Inuyasha would have jumped at the chance to go to the city where his beloved
�Instant Raman� was, he flat out refused after the past few fights. The figure
couldn�t blame him however.

Shuddered in remembrance of the
last fight and the large bruise that had formed on Inuyasha�s chin from
connecting with the hard ground the figure truly could not blame the boy for
leaving. That had not been pretty.

It was almost as if Kagome was
trying to keep the hanyou separate from the others. As if she was ensuring that
the somewhat tentative bond that he had with the others were as strained as
possible.

Perhaps the figure was just being
paranoid, but the fact that Kagome wanted to take Inuyasha back to her own time
without a solid explanation somehow was disturbing.

What had surprised the figure
however was that Inuyasha had gained a suspicious mentality as well and had
voiced that very thought on many occasions in the past few months.

�I should have know that he was
becoming even more miserable than he usually was,� the figure chastised as
it thought back to all the little things that it had missed at the time but now
stood out in vivid detail. �That boy has had to many centuries cultivation
that arrogant persona of unfeeling indifference.�

Feeling ashamed and a little guilt
ridden, the figure turned and started to walk in a random direction absently
acknowledging the few calls of greeting that were called out on the way.

�Why did I not see it before?�
the thoughts continued. �I can honestly say that I am the one person
who knows him best and yet even I could not see how troubled he was��

The figure knew from scrutinizing
how people reacted to Inuyasha that people almost always assumed that the boy
was stupid and a little slow upon first meeting the hanyou but the figure also
knew that the truth was far from what it seemed. That Inuyasha had
survived all these years when the odds for a young child, especially a young
hanyou, were so stacked against him, showed how strong and cunning he really
was.

That�s why it was so surprising to
see suspicion in those golden eyes whenever they looked at the young Miko.

Usually Inuyasha was so careful to
maintain his outward appearance of being a dim hanyou but if there was actually
doubt in his gaze then the figure should have realized that there was something
truly wrong in what was going on in the village� and with Kagome.

Shaking its head at Inuyasha�s
deceptive persona the figure sighed and sat back down by the local butcher. �He�s
so much like his kinfolk that it�s actually quite scary,� the figure mused
as the generous man hander over some leftover venison and then continued on.

The figure had felt terrible about
the hanyou�s situation but in truth, there had been nothing that could be done
to help. The situation had occurred before the figure had even met the
two.

It was why there was the feeling of anger about the
current problem.

The figure should have been able
to tell something was wrong with the girl but it had started out so
subtlety that it was not until it was almost completely too late when the
figure did realize what was happening to help the child. As it stood, the
figure could not think of a way to help Kagome return to her kinder
self.

It was regretful when someone fell
into the darkness but there was little that the figure could do.

The power that the figure
possessed was not strong enough.

The only thing that the figure could
do was to ensure that the child that was part of their group was well taken
care of.

It was odd that Inuyasha had left
and not taken the kit with him, an oversight that he probably did not even
realize at the time. However with Kagome returning to her time less and less,
the figure�s fear for the child�s safety grew more and more.

Moving out of the way of an oncoming cart the figure
started towards the small hut that was the current home of the group and
wondered if it was going to be a somewhat peaceful evening. Doubtful, but one
could still hope. It would be interesting to see if anyone was there at the
moment and the small stream of smoke told that at least Kaede would more likely
than not be home.

It should not be very difficult to get Shippo out of the
small village undetected. Though the figure was instead more worried on how
hard it would be to keep Shippo from trying to return to the village.

It was unknown on just how far Inuyasha had
actually run but knowing the full strength of a youkai, even when they only
possessed half the blood, a youkai could run as far as he wanted as fast
as he wanted without breaking a sweat.

It wouldn�t be at all surprising if Inuyasha had run to
the ends of the earth.

Anything to get away from Kagome.

Sighing, the small figure soon reached the top of the
small hill and smiled as well as the creature could smile at the sight of the
small form that sat on the hut�s front stoop.

Letting out a small yip of hello, the small animal darted
up to the youkai child.

Shippo looked up at Kirara�s greeting and smiled down at
the small twin tailed Neko.

�Hello Kirara,� the small kitsune greeted halfheartedly.

The small youkai looked up at the sad child and yipped
again as she pushed her head under his small hand, begging for a pet.

Smiling a little, the kit obliged stroking her behind the
ear, �are you lonely too?�

Kirara whined softly and gave the child a quick lick for
comfort. Shippo smiled at the little animal and gave her a firm scratch on the
head.

A voice called out and Shippo looked up to see Miroku
returning from his now daily search for Inuyasha. The monk had decided that if
there was anyone who could figure out what was wrong with Kagome it had to be
the hanyou. The problem was that said hanyou had disappeared and the adults
were starting to get worried that it wasn�t so much a case of him leaving as
possibly being captured by Naraku.

Kirara nearly shook her head. �Humans can be so obtuse
sometimes,� she mused as she watched the human trudge up the hill. �It
is clear that the child dose not want to be found and when he doesn�t want to
be found there�s no hide nor hair of him to be seen.�

Miroku came over to them, obviously weary but still
smiling.

�What�s going on Shippo?� he asked.

The kit smiled up at him but still turned to frown at the
empty road behind him. �Still nowhere to be seen?� he asked.

Miroku�s face fell and he shook his head somberly.

�Well good riddance!� Shippo huffed. �We don�t need that
baka anyhow��

Miroku frowned and knelt down and gave the small kit a
hug.

�We�ll find him,� the monk whispered.

Shippo said nothing but leaned into the embrace before
Miroku stood and giving the child a small smile went into the hut.

�Brave human,� Kirara thought as she turned an ear
towards the building.

There was a sudden shout and the sound of something
breaking from within the cottage followed by the humans trying to calm down the
raging miko. �Brave, but stupid.�

Shippo actually cringed and hunched his shoulders in an
attempt to look even smaller than his already diminutive form.

�Why can�t things just go back to normal?� Shippo asked
sullenly as he pulled the small neko into his lap and buried his face in her
soft fur. �Thing�s just haven�t been the same since the baka left,� he
continued.

Kirara silently agreed.

�Things really are terrible,� the small neko
youkai thought as she purred in an attempt to sooth the small kit. The sound of
the fighting in the house grew worse and Kirara knew she had to make her move now.

The humans would be able to take care of themselves but
she knew that Shippo, without an adult�s guidance, was in a very bad situation
that could lead to a world of hurt.

For whatever reasons, Inuyasha had left the only other
person in his party with youkai blood behind and it very well may had been good
reasons. However, Kirara knew that without Inuyasha�s very presence, that when she
finally did realize that Inuyasha was not going to return, that all hell
would break loose.

She did not want the child there when it happened. And she
knew that the only one who could protect him, not only from the prowling demons
that followed Naraku but from Kagome herself, was Inuyasha.

Now all she had to do was find the runaway pup.

Her mind made up, Kirara whined again before standing and
jumping out of the small kit�s lap.

Shippo looked up in curiosity as Kirara yipped at him and
started jumping impatiently.

�What�s wrong Kirara?� he asked as he jumped up from the
stoop. �Is it Inuyasha? Do you know where he is?�

The little neko yipped again and turned to run down the
hill.

Glancing back at the little hut anxiously, Shippo
hesitated a moment before turning and following the small youkai down the hill.

Kirara occasionally slowed down to ensure that the kitsune
was following her before she turned and darted into the woods.

Shippo huffed in annoyance and ran faster to catch up to
small animal. �Kirara! Wait�� he huffed as he struggled over a fallen branch.

The cat paused and waited for the kit to catch up before
shifting to her full form. Waiting for him to reach her, she knelt down to
allow him to climb upon her back before she took off once more through the
woods.

Shippo yelped in surprise as he grabbed the scruff of her
neck as he dodged branches and tried to just hang on.

�Kirara! Where are we going?� he cried.

She huffed as she continued with her breakneck pace
through the forest. It would be hard for her to track Inuyasha from the air;
she had to stay on the ground if she would be able to track after his scent.

But it would be hard, even for her.

Kirara huffed as she tied find the lingering scent of
Inuyasha as she searched the woods. The problem was, there were too many of his
scent trails. It was only natural for a creature that spent almost every day in
the solitude of the woods.

�Couldn�t he just walk a straight line�� she huffed
as she sniffed every small trace of the hanyou�s scent. Finding one that led to
a large tree she snorted in annoyance. �Better yet, couldn�t he just stay on
the ground?�

Growling in annoyance, she soon found a trail that led
away from all the others and better still- led away from the village. Taking a
chance that she had found the right one she turned and followed the lingering
scent of the inu. With luck, it would be the right one and hopefully she could
get the kit there before all hell broke loose.

Shippo just tied to hang on as she darted sporadically
throughout the forest before determining a somewhat straight path and following
it. He couldn�t understand why it was that Kirara was determined to go looking
for Inuyasha now. They had been searching for weeks now and with no results.

But he could not give up hope that they would find him-
after all; Inuyasha wasn�t at all very bright, how far could he have gone?

Shippo dug his little claws deeper into Kirara�s pelt and
held on as they ran through the woods. They would find Inuyasha. They had to.

He was the closest Shippo had to a friend.

To say that he saw the baka
hanyou as a father figure or even a brother, however, was just simply
pushing it.

Chapter Twenty: Ghastly Habits

The silver figure sighed as he
looked about the disorganized chaos of the cave.

Stuff had been strewed about everywhere.

There were abandoned dishware set
aside at the oddest places, cloths had been dropped haphazardly around the
�sleeping quarters� and there was that odd little puzzle known as a rubric cube
half finished on the futon.

Scowling, he starting grabbing
random items and managing to collect an arm full of bits and pieces he set out
to find the culprits.

The little girl was actually very
well organized, well as organized as a small child could be, but him! He
scowled as he thought about his reluctant cave mate.

�One would think someone his
age would have better housekeeping skills�� he thought in annoyance while
he grabbed a random undershirt and frowned at the scent that radiated from the
material.

Mentally making a note about
laundry, he soon found one of the ne�er-do-wells and glared at the little girl.

Chastising her firmly and
obtaining a regretful apology he handed her the few items she had disregarded
and reminded her to start cleaning up after herself before moving on to find
the mastermind behind the mess.

It took some time before he came
upon the second silver creature that lived in the cave and with a dark look he
threw the heap of cloths in the youkai�s face.

Sesshoumaru glared as the
offensive ball of fabric firmly slammed into his nose before sliding down to
land in a silvery puddle at his feet.

�Do I look like one of your stupid
servants?� Inuyasha demanded as he waved the foul smelling shirt about in the
air. �What the hell do you think you�re doing leaving all this crap around?�

Sesshoumaru stared at the
hyperventilating hanyou and deftly removed the obi that hung randomly on his
shoulder. �What are you ranting about now?� he sneered.

Inuyasha just about decked him.
�YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHAT I�M �RANTING ABOUT� YOU PAMPERED BASTARD!�� The shirt soon followed the fate of the
others as it too smacked against Sesshoumaru�s smirking visage following Inuyasha�s
tirade. �THIS MESS!� and he waved his hand in the general direction of the main
cave. �This irritating clutter that just seems to trail after you everywhere!
And will you stop racking out the rushes! It�s going to get even harder
to replace them when the snow comes!�

Sesshoumaru scowled. �Why can�t
you just get mats?�

�The rushes work just fine!�
Inuyasha hissed. �Always have, always will. I�m sorry if this cave is not to
your liking, but if you hate it so YOU CAN VERY WELL MOVE OUT!�

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and
leaned against one of the small crates of food where he had been
napping/meditating when Inuyasha had stormed the back tunnel. �And leave you
all by your lonesome?� he asked sarcastically.

�I would take ANYONE�S company
over you!� Inuyasha snapped. �I can take care of myself! I�ve been doing
it for centuries.�

Sesshoumaru looked at the hanyou
from toes to ear tips, never missing the scattering of twigs and leaves in the
silver locks. �Yes, I can see how well you took care of yourself.�

Inuyasha bristled. �I�m still
alive, ain�t I?�

�Hmm,� Sesshoumaru hummed as he
dropped the dirty shirt onto of the small pile. �That remains to be seen.�

Inuyasha blushed under
Sesshoumaru�s unwavering gaze. He should have know that having Sesshoumaru
there on a daily bases would be trouble.

It had almost been as if the cave
had shrunk five times it�s size since his elder brother had moved in and to say
that it had been nerve wracking would have been a gross understatement.

The feeling of those piercing
golden eyes on him almost every second of the day had nearly destroyed his
nerves and Inuyasha had never been more grateful that Sesshoumaru had allowed
the little girl to remain instead of sending her off with the toad imp.

Gathering food had never been
quite such a chore either since the taller figure moved in.

For some strange reason,
Sesshoumaru rarely-if ever- left the cave. Another strike against him in
Inuyasha�s opinion that proved just how lofty his royal highness could get.
Sesshoumaru had been a royal pain in the ass since he had arrived.

However there was one question he
needed answered. �Why are you so insistent about all this?� he asked. �Why did
you move in? Why are you so stubborn about this whole�� he waved his hand�s in
a vague gesture, �this whole protecting me when I�m human, after years of
completely denying my very existence? I�ve been wondering about it since you
brought up this whole �truce� thing after that rainy night!�

Inuyasha turned to look
Sesshoumaru, one of his greatest enemy�s in the eye as he asked, �What exactly
do you want with me?�

There was a growl and Inuyasha�s
breath was knocked out of him as he was suddenly slammed against the wall. He
gapped for any bit of air as he clawed at the wrist that Sesshoumaru pressed
against his throat.

�Do not even think of questioning
me, hanyou.� Sesshoumaru leaned forward, his nose inches away from Inuyasha�s
own. �You want to know what I want with you?�

Any thought about regaining his
breath left him as Inuyasha�s eyes widened in shock and they stared into the
narrowed ones of Sesshoumaru. He could feel the youkai�s hot breath brush
gently against his cheek.

That feeling was back. That stupid
little feeling that came up from his toes and slammed into his gut as
Sesshoumaru leaned those last few inches to whisper in a triangle ear�

�That is for me to know��

Inuyasha felt all the tension just
drain out of his body as he stared at Sesshoumaru�s smirking face in complete
disbelief. Narrowing his eyes, he struggled for a while until Sesshoumaru
finally dropped him, his point made and the hanyou took deep lungful of air
rubbing his sore neck in an attempt to sooth his injured throat.

He turned hate filled eyes upward
and glared at the regal figure that towered above him

Sesshoumaru watched as Inuyasha
chest heaved with the force of his gasps for breath and the smooth curve of the
hanyou�s shoulders shook with the exertion. For some damn reason the youkai
couldn�t turn his eyes away.

�Are you finished with your
questions?� he asked casually as he once more leaned against the crates.

Inuyasha huffed and blew his bangs
out of his eyes. �Not really, but for the moment it�s all I can think of,� he
growled as he turned to leave the small storage tunnel where Sesshoumaru had
been meditating� or rather hiding. �If you�re going to kill me then do it,� he
called over his shoulder, �as it stands- I have better things to do.�

If this was how it was going to be
on day five, Inuyasha shuddered to think how the rest of the winter season was
going to go.

He had to get Sesshoumaru out of
his hair and more importantly, out of the cave!

Inuyasha had demanded multiple
times for an explanation of Sesshoumaru�s sudden announcement that he would be
moving in and as yet Sesshoumaru had refused to divulge any information on the
subject.

�Irritating prick!�
Inuyasha thought angrily. �What in the world was he talking about his �instincts�?
He probably made that up, the jerk.�

Inuyasha growled as he entered the main cavern his eyes
immediately going to the small corner where Kuufuku was gnawing on yet another
piece of elaborate silk. A small smile came to his lips before he wandered over
and gently tried to pull the obi from the rat.

�Come on. You already have three whole outfits and I have
to do wash soon,� Inuyasha huffed as he gave a short tug.

Kuufuku actually let out a small
rat growl and pulled back at the cloth. Sighing, Inuyasha pulled back and soon
there was a comical little fight of tug-of-war over the obi. �Will you let go
already?� he whispered. �His royal highness�� and he rolled his eyes at this,
�is already in a cranky mood��

�Youkai are never �cranky�,� the
smooth voice came flowed over him. �We are �avid�.�

Letting out an exasperated breath,
Inuyasha finally managed to claim the obi as the rat scuttled into his own
hole. Without turning around, he started gathering different articles of
clothing and set them into a pile in one corner before starting to collect
dishes and setting them in on the table.

Glancing around he then begin to
collect the small toys and other knick-knacks and set them on top of the futon
next to the colorful cube.

Never once looking at the taller
man.

He did not speak a single word.

He could practically feel
the anger radiating off the youkai.

Inuyasha couldn�t help but smirk as
he moved about cleaning the cave as best he could while living with two slobs.
Hell, they couldn�t even keep their garbage in sensible clutter.

There was a soft rustle as
Sesshoumaru made his way into the cave and Inuyasha immediately tensed, his
ears swiveling automatically to follow the soft sound of the youkai�s
footsteps.

Forcing himself to relax, he
continued to separate the different messes and pointedly ignored his brother.

So when there was a soft thud,
Inuyasha turned in surprise to see Sesshoumaru dropping the armful of cloths
onto the small pile.

Inuyasha watched as Sesshoumaru
jerked up his nose, turned, and marched back into the tunnel.

The hanyou stared at the
retreating form in shock. Sesshoumaru hadn�t said anything back. That was not what
he had been expecting. A huff, a sneer, and insulting word or two to be sure�
but for Sesshoumaru to say nothing and to just calmly leave. �Perhaps I was
too hard on him,� he wondered briefly before quickly quashing any such
notion.

�Like hell I am,� he argued
with himself as he furiously started grabbing all the clothing and shoving them
in the wicker basket he had obtained. �It was his choice to live out here in
the wilderness as appose to his plushy castle. Why the hell should I
feel sorry for the bastard?�

Quickly double checking that there
was nothing left, Inuyasha strode out of the cave and into the bright afternoon
sunshine.

�Konichiwa, Inuyasha-Sama!� Rin
called from where she was playing with some pebbles making odd designs in the
sand.

Inuyasha nodded at her as he made
his way into the woods. Turning south, he made his way to the small pond that
he had found on his now daily food gathering hunts. Slowly making his way down
the embankment he neared the waters edge and unceremoniously dumped the
clothing into the water.

Removing his outer robe, Inuyasha
rolled up his sleeves and set to work doing laundry. It was a nice, mindless
task�

�If only his brain would cooperate
and stop thinking.

For some reason, his brother�s
attitude the past few days had been nothing short of irritating. He had been
either ignoring his half brother completely or driving him to the point of
insanity with his constant bickering.

�Honestly, it�s not like
I wanted him to live with me,� Inuyasha huffed as he methodically
beat the clothing against a nearby bolder and scrubbed them together with the
small amount of soap he had snitched from the human village.

�And I wish he would stop STARING
at me!� he quickly finished rinsing the cloths and started to lay them out
on the scattered rocks to dry. �I mean it�s not like I�m in my human form or
anything.�

He leaned back against the grass
and watched as the darkening clouds rolled by. �Rain soon�� he muttered as he
watched the sky allowing his mind to simply slow down for the better part of an
hour.

�It�s not like he�s never seen
me before.� Inuyasha continued his mental evaluation as he took a lock of
his hair and held it in front of his eyes, �I�m nothing special. It�s
not as if I look completely different��

A squirrel darted out of the trees
and Inuyasha swiveled and ear to track its movements. �Well, with a few
minor differences,� he chuckled as he started to gather up the laundry and
headed back to the cave.

Placing the clothing in the small
trunk by the futons, Inuyasha handed Rin her own clean clothing to put away in
her own small basket and started separating his own clothing from his brothers,
frowning at the cloths as he immediately saw the difference between
Sesshoumaru�s finer material and his own dilapidated attire.

A pale arm entered his line of
vision from behind as Sesshoumaru snatched up his robes from Inuyasha�s sight.

�INUYASHA!� the enraged bellow
soon came from behind him. �What did you do to my things?�

Inuyasha turned to see Sesshoumaru
holing up his still damp robes (kimonos? Yukatas?)
and rolled his eyes. �I washed them, obviously,� Inuyasha announced as he
continued putting away the last few articles of clothing.

There was a growl. �Washed them, where?�
Sesshoumaru snarled out the question.

Inuyasha turned with a puzzled
look at the fuss the youkai was making, all over some stupid clothes. �Does it
matter where?� he asked tiredly. He still had dinner to make and there was the
cleaning to finish.

�Just answer the question��
Sesshoumaru barked.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow as he
closed the lid of the trunk and set the basket aside. �There�s a small pond not
far from here,� he announced. �Where did you think I was fetching the water
from? Thin air?� He asked sarcastically.

�A pond?� Sesshoumaru gapped
disbelieving. �You washed my silk clothes in cold water?� he
screeched. �You didn�t heat it or anything?� Rin giggled slightly but
quickly clamped a hand over her mouth as she watched the two, demon brothers
argue. �They�re ruined!� Sesshoumaru continued as he slammed the
clothing to the ground. �Completely destroyed!�

The hanyou sighed and looked at
the raging demon. �You have to be exaggerating. They can�t be completely
un-useable.�

Sesshoumaru bent down and with an
exaggerated flick of the wrist held out one of the robes from shoulder height.
Inuyasha suppressed a smirk as he saw the hem now a good half a foot shorter
than it had been. Sesshoumaru scowled, �and what, may I ask, can I do with
them?�

Inuyasha shrugged as he made his
way towards the back of the cave to gather ingredients for dinner.

�Give them to the rat,� he
suggested as he slipped into the tunnel, leaving an enraged bellow and a
grateful squeak behind him.

Chapter
Twenty-One: Now What?

Sesshoumaru was agitated.

This feeling only moved to
infuriate the Youkai Lord even more as Inu Youkai were never agitated. �It
all comes down to the irritating hanyou!� Sesshoumaru thought as he stared
at the figure in red as Inuyasha moved about the cave while he made dinner.

Sesshoumaru suppressed a growl. �Irritating
hanyou,� he thought again as he sat down at the table and proceeded to
meditate�

Or at least, he tried to meditate.

Every time he managed to clear his
mind, he heard Inuyasha move and before he could even think about it, his eyes
would snap open and immediately move to the smaller youkai.

It was really starting to piss him
off. Inuyasha only had to do the slightest twitches; the smallest of movement
and Sesshoumaru was immediately compelled to watch it. To follow it. To file
the small motion away for later reference in the now growing file that was
Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru finally did growl
softly. �Fucking hanyou!�

Rin, playing in the corner, with
her human hearing could not hear the soft noise that emitted from his throat but
Inuyasha did.

The right koinu ear swiveled
towards him and Inuyasha turned to look questioningly at his older brother over
his shoulder, the right eyebrow lifting displaying Inuyasha�s inquisitive look
number three; the one where he was simply curious but not overly so.

In Sesshoumaru�s opinion,
�inquisitive look number three� was much better than number four. The
inquisitive but hostile �what the fuck�s wrong with you?� look.

Sesshoumaru had never wanted to
bang his head against a table so hard in his life.

For the past five days all he
could think about was his brother and the odd feeling accompanying the thoughts
of his brother. He wondered once more why it was that there was this stupid
feeling. That odd little notion that told him, no, demanded that he had
to protect the hanyou.

From what, he had no idea but he
knew he had to protect him.

Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose as a
pungent smell reached his nose. �If only from himself,� he concluded as
Inuyasha made his way over and called Rin to dinner.

If it could be said that
Sesshoumaru was agitated, then it could be said that Inuyasha was anxious. And
the cause of the feeling was right across the cave staring at him as he did the
dishes.

Sesshoumaru had said nothing when Inuyasha returned from
the back of the cave and began making dinner. He said nothing when dinner was
finished and everyone settled down to start eating. He didn�t even utter one
word when dinner was finished and Inuyasha teasingly said that it was his turn
to do the dishes� although he did send his brother a withering glare.

Sesshoumaru had not said one word
since the argument about the laundry. After the meal, he had moved to one side
of the cave and sat down with all the grace and arrogance of the lord he was
all with out uttering a single word.

And the silence was really
starting to freak Inuyasha out. It didn�t help that Sesshoumaru was staring at
him- again. Everywhere he went, he could feel the golden eyes staring at
his back as he moved about.

Inuyasha was they type of person
who could barely sit still as it was but with the added tension he was
practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

He was tempted to snap at the
taller youkai, yell at him for being an idiot or perhaps try and provoke a good
fight. It was a very pleasing idea but one Inuyasha regretfully set aside. �If
we fight in here it�s more than likely everything would get trashed,�
Inuyasha thought as he looked about the cave.

However, this thought did nothing
to quell his anxiety nor did it solve the problem of Sesshoumaru staring at
him.� Huffing in annoyance, Inuyasha
moved towards the sleeping area and started messing about with the blankets.

�I blame the new moon��
Inuyasha thought irritably as he unmade and remade Rin�s futons several times.
�It�s nearly a week away,� he thought as he tucked in a corner, �I�ll
blame that.�

Sighing, he sat back at stared at
the perfectly made bed before moving a few feet down towards his own and
undertook the task of remaking that one. He didn�t dare go near Sesshoumaru�s,
which was on the other side of Rin. For one thing, he was unsure that the small
black bugs he saw there were fleas or not. For another, Sesshoumaru would kill
him.

He groaned as he finished his
third round of making the bed, �I hate my life.�

Glancing at the entrance to the
cave to gage the lateness of the evening, he called to Rin and spent the next
hour trying to distract himself with the task of putting the little girl to
sleep. Three stories and a still very perky girl later, Inuyasha had almost forgotten
about Sesshoumaru�s staring� almost.

For his part Sesshoumaru was
actually slightly amused at Inuyasha�s attempt to put the child to sleep.

It was actually a rather peaceful
moment.

Looking about the cave, one would almost think that it was
a serene picture with your typical family. The master of the � er � cave� was relaxing after dinner while the �wife�,
being a overaggressive hanyou, was settling down the child. The �child� being a
once killed now resurrected� �is she a zombie now or what?� Sesshoumaru
wondered absently.

There was even a� pet� sort of� in
the rat Kuufuku. Sesshoumaru snorted as he glanced around for the small fur
ball of doom�

�And eyes widened in complete and
utter shock and disgust at the sight of the diseased ridden ball of fuzz curled
up on his pillow!

The teacup had never before flown
with such frightening accuracy across the cave as Sesshoumaru hurled the cup at
his own bed. With a rather loud squeak (that sounded to the youkai like a
taunting laugh) the rat quickly scuttled away from the deadly ceramic and
quickly made his way to the other side where both Inuyasha and Rin were
watching him with rather amused looks.

Sesshoumaru scowled and narrowed
his eyes at them before they turned their attention back to� well, whatever the
hell it was that they were doing.

�Oh god, I�m actually losing
it,� Sesshoumaru moaned quietly. �The hanyou had done it. He has
actually gone and done it. He�s driven me insane. Any and all rational thought
has actually gotten up and flew away for the year��

Sesshoumaru huffed as he rose to
his feet and made his way to the back of the cave and the solitude of the
tunnel. �One can only hope it returns in the spring��

Growling in utter disgust, he
stomped back to Inuyasha�s storage cave and hefted himself up on the crate he
had been sitting on earlier. The entire week has been driving him crazy. He
actually wondered what it was that possessed him to actually even suggest
staying with his brother for the whole of the winter season.

�This is insane,� he
mentally cursed at himself. �Jaken was right. This whole thing with Inuyasha
is unhealthy.�

Sesshoumaru huffed and closed his
eyes as he tried to get his jumbled thoughts into some semblance of order.

To start with, there was the
discovery of Inuyasha as a human. Right there he should have been thrilled with
the knowledge of the cursed hanyou�s weakness. Instead, he suddenly felt the
compelling urge to ensure the hanyou�s safety. In doing so, he forced his
brother into a truce where ever month, he would protect his now human brother
during the nights of the new moon.

Sesshoumaru rationalized this
argument with the re-enforced notion that it was because he did not want anyone
else to kill his half brother, instead holding onto that privilege for himself.
However, the simple fact that Sesshoumaru wanted the privilege of killing
Inuyasha himself did not explain the current situation. The discovery that
Inuyasha was living on his own and no longer with the dratted humans should
have had absolutely no effect on Sesshoumaru one-way or the other.

As Inuyasha had argued more than
once in a very determined tone, he had survived by himself for decades and he
was not yet even a full grown hanyou! But when he realized that Inuyasha had
once again taken to the wilds by himself, some part deep inside Sesshoumaru
practically shot up in alarm at the mere notion. �Why did this ridicules
urge to watch over Inuyasha increase almost a hundred fold when I found out
that he was by himself?� Sesshoumaru wondered in annoyance. �The last
thing I need is some fraternal feelings creeping up on me.�

�Sesshoumaru?�

�Oh Kami, now what.�
Sesshoumaru cracked an eye open and glared at the intruder. �What do you want?�

Inuyasha visibly bristled. �Well
excuse me for wondering what the fuck�s wrong with you. I have to live with
you, ya know. It could help if I knew what the fuck
went on in that �regal� brain of yours.�

�You and me both,�
Sesshoumaru huffed. �Why do you insist on bothering my solitude today? Is it
not enough that you practically destroyed my cloths today? Is there anything
more of mine that you can annihilate with your incompetence?�

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. �You
destroyed my life. Can you blame me for wanting to get something back?� he
asked sarcastically.

Sesshoumaru scowled. �I did not
�destroy� you life hanyou. You�re still breathing, are you not?�

�What the fuck is that suppose to
mean?� Inuyasha shouted as he stormed towards the seated youkai. �Here I am
actually somewhat worried about your huffy ass and for once, it�s you
who just wants to start a fight!�

Sesshoumaru growled low in his throat as he surged forward
and grabbed the hanyou by the color of his fire rat robe, slamming him against
the wall as he glared at the snarling koinu.

�Sesshoumaru! Kisama!
What is with you and walls? Put me down you bastard!� Inuyasha yelped as he
immediately started struggling against the iron grip.

�Shut up!� Sesshoumaru snapped. He
shook Inuyasha as he tired to push the raging emotions down in to a tiny
lockbox in the back of his mind. �Just,� he growled. �Just shut up.�

And wonder or wonders, Inuyasha
did.

They stood there, both their
chests heaving as they fought for breath.

Inuyasha�s eyes watching as
Sesshoumaru sucked in air through clenched jaws. His brother�s face was almost
directly next to him. He could actually see a small bead of sweat as it rolled
down the youkai�s temple down the slender jaw line. His silver hair was
frazzled and small strands were plastered to his perspiring brow.

Inuyasha�s breathing hitched
slightly. Was it possible that there was something more going on than what he
had originally thought? Sesshoumaru seemed very upset.

And if Sesshoumaru was upset, then
in normal speak Inuyasha should be absolutely terrified.

Inuyasha swallowed heavily and
tried to calm his breathing but the very thought of something that frightened
the lord of the west to this level of panic only succeeded in causing his short
gasps to speed up rapidly, until he was near hyperventilating. His shoulders
were trembling with the force and he knew his eyes were as wide as they could
go as they stared up at Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru to one look at the
distressed hanyou and nearly groaned at the picture his brother presented.

It was a desperate, wild look as
he stared up at the taller youkai above him. It was a look of almost fearful
helplessness that surge the need to protect this creature to the forefront of
Sesshoumaru�s mind.

The glassy sheen to Inuyasha�s
golden eyes, the flush across his cheeks�Hell even his ears were shaking and
Sesshoumaru found that he couldn�t tear his eyes away from the sight.

The two points were trembling on
top of the hanyou�s head, swiveling sporadically as Inuyasha tried to calm
down. Sesshoumaru�s eyes remained riveted on the two fuzzy triangles and he
leaned forward those extra few inches towards the odd appendages.

He gently exhaled against the
closest one and the reaction was immediate.

Inuyasha had completely stopped
trembling, his body instead going ramrod straight as his eyelids fluttered
closed. The ears that had been the youkai�s sole focus twisted to lay parallel
against the floor away from the attacking air.

This time, Sesshoumaru couldn�t
even hold back the moan that rose to his throat.

Inuyasha�s eyes instantly opened as
he looked up at Sesshomaru with a puzzled frown. Sesshoumaru�s own wide,
shocked eyes looked back down at the confused hanyou as he practically dropped
the younger youkai. �Oh god! Oh Kami-Sama NO!� Sesshoumaru�s mind
wailed as his brain finally caught up with what it was that his youki had been
telling him- had been screaming at him, for the last few months.

The grand Youkai Lord stared at
the smaller figure in complete and utter amazement. Sesshoumaru knew that there
had to be something wrong. There was no possible way that his notion was right.
There had to have been something wrong! The conclusion he had arrived at was
the result of a wrong turn somewhere in his frazzled mind.

Inuyasha stared up as Sesshoumaru
shook his head as if to disagree with something and the hanyou could almost
hear the small word �no� repeating over and over under the youkai�s breath. He
frowned as some part of him suddenly felt the urge to comfort the distressed
youkai and he tentatively took a step forward toward the other male, one arm
stretched out as if to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Sesshoumaru actually reared back
at the offered hand, shaking his head in disbelief.

�Oh God�� he groaned as he stared
at the now very worried and anxious visage of his brother.

�Sesshoumaru?� Inuyasha finally
asked. �What is-�

He got no further than that as the
Great Inu Youkai; the Lord of the West and all around levelheaded youkai turned
and completely fled the small antechamber.

Staring in complete shock,
Inuyasha gapped at where Sesshoumaru had been standing before he finally
managed to gain enough awareness to actually follow the youkai out of the
antechamber.

One way or the other, Inuyasha was
determined to get some answers but he was too late. When he arrived at the main
cave he discovered only the still sleeping girl and one small rat staring out
at the entrance to the cave with a perplexing look.

Sesshoumaru was gone.

Inuyasha had to wonder if he would
ever bother coming back.

Chapter Twenty-Two: A Mislaid Miscreant

�Oh fuck! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!
No! No! No!�

This was
the ongoing mantra of one very shocked and very confused youkai as he ran
through the forest as if the minions of Naraku were on his tail.

�What the HELL is wrong with me�� Sesshoumaru thought frantically as he
dodged around a tree. �Better yet, what
the fuck�s wrong with my damn youki?�

In his
hysterical state, Sesshoumaru continued on his path and jumped a bush that
blocked him. It was not a very large bush. More like overgrown underbrush that
wasn�t even very wide. He could have just as easily gone around the bush, but
in Sesshoumaru�s frazzled mind, to actually take the time to go around the bush would require too much
thought and so Sesshoumaru continued in his straight line towards the horizon
and jumped the bush.

Much to
the annoyance of the family of rabbits who lived there.

�There has got to be a better explanation!� Sesshoumaru thought
desperately. �There could be no possible
way that my youki is� is� oh Kami, I can�t even think it!�

Sesshoumaru shook his head as he
continued onward, dodging trees, jumping bushes and the occasional animal the
couldn�t get out of the way fast enough.

Even the herd of deer that had
tortured Inuyasha all those weeks ago looked on in complete confusion as the
white blur speed past the feeding ground.

The last of Sesshoumaru�s
un-chewed robes were torn as he ran through the forest; branches tearing at his
clothing. There was a trail of torn silver hairs followed in Sesshoumaru�s wake
as the outreaching branches caught his long silver hair and torn from his body.

All in all, Sesshoumaru was a
complete and total mess. It was a state that the youkai lord would never allow anyone to see him in, let alone allow his appearance to become so disheveled as it was now.

None of it mattered. The only
thing that mattered was the absurd conclusion he had arrived at when he was
staring at those ridiculous, little triangle ears that sat upon his brothers
head.

�I have gone insane,� Sesshoumaru thought as he ran. �There is no other possible explanation other
than that I have gone completely and utterly crazy��

Sesshoumaru ran.

It was the only think he could
think of doing in his confused state. The little corner of his mind that was a
creatures thought of self preservation chanted at him, �run away. Run away.�

And so Sesshoumaru did.

He ran thought the forest away
from the cave and it�s homey like feeling. Away from the damn rat that was a
constant curse to his life, not that Sesshoumaru regretted running away from
the rat, the thing was fucking scary but still it was a blow to his pride.

But most importantly, he ran from
Inuyasha. From the damn feelings that the hanyou was invoking deep within the
little cobwebbed corner of his mind. From the damned urges to protect the
exasperating koinu and most importantly from the
frightening conclusions, or more specifically delusions, that the Taiyoukai
had reached.

Sesshoumaru ran until he could run
no more.

The end to the youkai�s flight was
not that his had reached his limit. It was not the panting, gasping breath that
told Sesshoumaru that he had reached the end, nor was it his aching feet that
compelled him to stop.

It was more the fact that there
was simply nowhere else for him to go.

Sesshoumaru coughed and sputtered
as he tried to climb somewhat upright and glared at the fish that had dared to
come investigated the creature that had invaded their home. Growling,
Sesshoumaru gathered as much dignity that he could muster, pulled the piece of
seaweed out of his hair, turned and trudged out of the lake that he had � found.

Collapsing onto the small beach,
Sesshoumaru allowed himself to finally catch his breath as he watched the stars
shined above him.

�It couldn�t be possible,� Sesshoumaru thought. �It�s a completely and utterly insane notion
that my youki is considering that
brat of a hanyou as a� as a��

Sesshoumaru huffed as he sat up
and started to wring out as much water as he could from his cloths, scowling at
the multitude of tears in the fabric. ��He�s still a damn koinu!� he
rationalized. �Not even five hundred
years old. A fucking baby!�

Standing, he removed the outer
layer of his robe and setting it out to dry he sat back down on the soft sand
and continued his internal monologue. �There�s
no possible reason for my youki to be reacting in this fashion,� he thought
as he stared at the waning moon.

�The moon!� Sesshoumaru stared at the large glowing orb with a
start. �Fuck! When the hell do humans mature again? Does that even make a difference with Inuyasha?�

�Fuck,�
Sesshoumaru growled as he rubbed his temples. �I hate my life.�

Sighing, he sat back and allowed
his thought to try and convey into some semblance of order. The stars were
actually quite nice in the winter months. Sesshoumaru wondered if it had to do
with the tilt of the earth or if was just a fact that the sky was clearer in
winter.

�And now I�m just ignoring the subject,� Sesshoumaru criticized
himself as he thought back to the situation at hand. �There is no possible way that my youki sees Inuyasha as a��
Sesshoumaru swallowed heavily before plunging on, �as a�mate��

Sesshoumaru immediately shook his
head and felt his face contorted into a rather putrid look. �Oh Kami, what the
hell is happening?�

The stars had no reply.

�Okay, calm down Sesshoumaru- you can look at this rationally� � He
told himself.

Doing some quick meditating
breathing before continuing, Sesshoumaru went thought the facts. �My youki is reacting to Inuyasha. It is
responding as if it has declared him as a mate.� Sesshoumaru could not help
but roll his eyes at the thought. �However,
Inuyasha is still too young to have come into his first heat. Therefore, what
the fuck is my youki thinking?�

He frowned. �Then there is the fact that my youki has never before reacted to the
hanyou until the day when I first came across Inuyasha as a human. Oh hell,
when do Humans mate?� Sesshoumaru
thought frantically. �I have no
interest in humans, how the hell should I know when they mature?�

Sesshoumaru idly wondered if he could
obtain the information from Jaken or if he would have to find another source.

Growling again Sesshoumaru
continued his furious denial between bouts of dozing and stargazing.

It was a few hours later when the
sun was just coming over the horizon that it finally hit him. The surrounding
finally made their way into the youkai�s confused mind and registered there.

�Oh crap!� he shouted as he sat
bolt upright at stared at the forest and gleaming lake before him.

Jumping to his feet he turned a
complete one hundred and eighty degrees as he searched for anything
familiar. �I left the cave!�

Sesshoumaru gapped a few moments
before falling backwards onto the sand.

�I am so dead.�

And a few miles away, a fuming hanyou agreed with him.

Inuyasha�s scowled as he looked
about the cave for one very absent youkai. �Okay, one crazy rat�� he
looked at the small bundle of Sesshoumaru�s discarded clothes and the sleeping
rat therein. �Check. One tiny human girl�� a rather loud snore
penetrated the cool morning air. ��With very powerful lungs; check. One
cranky youkai who thinks he�s God�� He looked about the cave for any sign
of silver.

�Hello�� he called out softly,
�calling for one cranky youkai lord who insists on disrupting my life�� he
listened for a moment. �Come out, come out where ever you are��

Only the loud snores now
accompanied by some soft wheezing answered him.

�Where the hell is he?� he
muttered as he moved about the main cave silently as to not awake the snoring
girl and the snoozing rat.

Ensuring that Sesshoumaru was
nowhere about the cavern, Inuyasha turned to inspect the long tunnel and the
antechambers there. �Didn�t that prick come back last night?� he huffed as he
made his way outside and glanced about the forest as if his brother would suddenly
jump out from behind a bush and shout �boo�.

Sighing, he moved away from the
cave to a small clearing that hosted a makeshift paddock where Sesshoumaru�s
flying � thing was patiently waiting for food.

Smiling, Inuyasha got some food
for the two headed dragon from a small shed he managed to create with some
appropriated timber. After ensuring that the creature was satisfied with his
meal and there was enough water, Inuyasha once more scanned the tree line for
the missing youkai before huffing.

�Keh, irritating prick.� Inuyasha
rolled his eyes as he made his way back into the cave. �There was defiantly
something wrong with that jerk last night,� he thought as he went about
starting the fire. �He was acting so strange�� He paused, �well
stranger.�

Checking on the sleeping occupants
of the cave once more, the hanyou sat back and just enjoyed the quiet of the
morning as he thought things over.

�Okay,� he thought. �Let�s
start at the beginning. Sesshoumaru saves my hide- correction!� he amended
the thought, �my human hide from a group of Lesser Demons.�
Inuyasha shook his head. �Right there, we are descending into that �Twilight�
place.�

�Point two, he saves my butt
and doesn�t leave me� Hell he took CARE of me��

Inuyasha bolted upright as a tiny
thought crossed his mind. �Of course, it�s an imposter!� The sound of his shout
echoed off the walls and Inuyasha froze as Rin mumbled gently. Not daring to
make a sound, Inuyasha held his breath until the girl rolled over and promptly
went back to sleep.

�Okay, stupid idea,� he
thought as he allowed himself to exhale the breath he was holding.� �Jaken would have noticed something wrong.�
Then he thought about it. �Or not� Moving on,� he threw another
log onto the building fire. �Next morning he insists we form a truce,�
he shuddered. �Even scarier is I agreed.�

Inuyasha paused and thought about
it in a little more detail.

�Well, times are most defiantly
more dangerous than before my time on the tree what with Naraku involved now.
So the fact that I would be in even more danger when I�m in human form is a
given, but why the hell would Sesshoumaru care?�

Sighing, he shifted a little away
from the fire as the cave gradually became warmer.

�Next is the very odd cave that
is warded against youkai�s. Only I can get through it and only then when I�m
human.�

Inuyasha glanced at the sleeping
girl. �Mental note, see if Rin can get through the wards,� he thought
absently.

�Continuing on; after
discovering that I had moved away from the human village, instead of applauding
me for finally severing any and all ties with the humans, he completely freaks
out and forces his way into moving in with me.�

He looked over at the extra futon
and the vacancy there. �And then does absolutely nothing!� he
growled. �He just sits around the cave and � stares.�

Inuyasha shuddered. �What is up with the damn staring?� he
questioned. �He�s been doing it since he saw me as a human.� He puzzled
for a moment.

�What made yesterday so
different though?� he wondered. �Nothing really out of the ordinary
happened.�

He mentally went over the day�s
events. �Made breakfast, Sesshoumaru ignored me. Fed the flying lizard, Sesshoumaru ignored me. Cleaned the cave, Sesshoumaru
ignored me. Made lunch, Sesshoumaru ignored me. All in all, except for the
fight about him actually cleaning up after himself he generally ignored
me.�

�Feh, right�� he sighed. �So what
the hell set him off?�

He thought of the few heated words
shared before Sesshoumaru ran out of the cave.

�He was uptight about
something, even more than normal. So what the hell could get him so nervous?
�

Inuyasha briefly thought back to
the moments before Sesshoumaru�s �great escape� as he thought of it.

�It has to do with me, but what
the fuck did I do?� he wondered. �I haven�t done anything to him
lately. In fact,� he thought, �it�s mostly been him acting all
odd and picking fights.�

Inuyasha frowned as the image of
Sesshoumaru�s look of absolute horror while looking down at him came to the
forefront of his thoughts. Inuyasha had never seen
such a look on his brother�s face in all his life. It made the hanyou
immediately want to reach out for the youkai, to console him, to comfort him
and ensure that the regal visage never held such a look again.

It was another infuriating feeling
that Sesshoumaru created with in him that Inuyasha had never before felt in his
life. It was so odd.

Ever since Inuyasha
stumbled across his brother while he was human, the most bizarre feelings had
been creeping up with in him. Feelings that he had no names for but for some
reason made him embarrassed and, feh, nervous around Sesshoumaru.

It was getting rather irritating.

Groaning, he leaned back and
gently banged his head against the wall, �I hate thinking,� he moaned aloud
before finally rising to his feet. Glancing out the entrance Inuyasha decided
that it was about time to begin breakfast since the second person in the cave
would be waking soon.

Plucking two eggs from a small
basket, Inuyasha went about making something called an �omelet�. He smirked as
he shifted the skillet over the fire, �the one thing Kagome got right.�

�Got what right?� a soft voice
called from across the cave.

Inuyasha turned and smiled at the
blearily eyed girl as she made her way over towards the table.

�Good morning,� Inuyasha smiled as
she sat down and dished out a plate of the warm yellow fluff.

�Good morning,� she smiled back as
she began eating, but her eyes were darting around the cave obviously looking
for something� or someone.

Inuyasha sighed as he turned to
look at the girl head on. �Um, Rin�� the girl turned huge eyes on him and
Inuyasha sweat dropped. He cleared his throat and started again. �Rin, I�m
sorry but it seems that Sesshoumaru has gone out for� a while.�

He shifted uncomfortably as the
girl never took her eyes off him. �Um, I�m not sure when he�ll come back or��

�It will be a while,� Rin
announced and went back to her eggs.

Inuyasha face vaulted. �Nani?�

Rin swallowed politely before
continuing. �Sesshoumaru-sama sometimes leaves for a while before coming back,�
she announced in a matter of fact voice. �Rin asked Sesshoumaru-sama once and
Sesshoumaru-sama said he goes to clear his head.�

And with that rather pointed
announcement, Rin finished her eggs, cleaned her pate and asked Inuyasha if she
could go out to play.

Inuyasha gave her a rather dazed
nod before coming back to himself. �Don�t wander far from the cave!� he called
after her.

Sighing, he turned to the rat who
had gone on to his own breakfast. �I don�t suppose you�re all that upset that Sesshoumaru�s
gone.�

Kuufuku actually gave a mournful
squeak he continued to slowly devour one of the pilfered robes.

Inuyasha smiled softly as he
started cleaning up after breakfast and started his own.

�You and me both.�

Chapter Twenty-Three: Finding Friends

Kirara was completely exhausted.

Tracking had never before been so
difficult in her life. Who knew that hunting down one hanyou would be so
complicated? It was almost as if she was going in circles!

She couldn�t blame the hanyou for
leaving but her nose felt as if it would fall off.

She had to hand it to Inuyasha
though; he certainly knew what he was doing to ensure his survival. There were
so many false trails that there were moments that even her nose got
confused. And so it was without a doubt that if she were having problems, then
anyone else who dared try hunting down the half inu would definitely
have it worse off that she did.

��Kirara, are we there yet?�

��Of course, any one else who would be
tracking Inuyasha would probably not be caring for a young youko,� she
thought indignantly.

The neko rolled her eyes as she
sniffed at another promising trail. �Two days� two days of nothing but
circling and crisscrossing and back tracking�� she growled to herself. �Just
where the hell did he run too?�

�Kirara. I�m hungry�� Shippo wined
softly.

The neko cooed in reply and firmed
her resolve. She had to find Inuyasha and it had to be today. Any longer
and she would be forced to take the little youkai back to the village.

She was actually surprised that
the kit had lasted as long as he had. Not so much complaining and his youki
sustained him but Shippo was still just a baby so lasting two days was an
accomplishment for him.

Following the smells as best she
could, Kirara continued forward praying that she would find Inuyasha soon, if
only for the kit�s sake.

Shippo, for his part, was all for
turning back around to the village.

They had been searching for
Inuyasha for days now and there had been no sign of the baka. He could
understand that the neko youkai was missing the hanyou, but perhaps they should
have gone with the others during their searches, rather than going out on their
own.

They had to hide on a few
different occasions when they came across some youkai�s but other than that,
there had been almost no one in the whole of the forest.

�Kirara, can we go back now?� he
asked softly as he wrung his hands to try and obtain some feeling back into
them.

Riding Kirara when she was in her
larger form was always fun before but at that moment in time all Shippo wanted
was off!

Kirara once again made a soothing
noise before taking off at full tilt causing Shippo to lunge for her scruff and
hold on for dear life. �Kirara!� the kit shouted. �Warn me before you do that!�

The large neko youkai yelped once
in acknowledgement but never once slowed down her speed.

�Kirara!� he shouted but gave it
up for a loss. Kirara was certainly determined to find Inuyasha. Though why
anyone would be worried for that stupid jerk of a youkai was anyone�s guess.

Kirara knew that he hectic run was
upsetting the kitsune, but at that moment she was too happy to really care what
the child thought. She had found it! She had finally; finally found a main
scent that had to be at least a week old and re-enforced with Inuyasha�s
repetitive use of the path.

She had just come to a small pond
when she was forced to slam herself into a halt, her paws dragging through the
dirt leaving skid trails in her wake. Shippo took a breath to ask what it was
when she whirled and managing to get the kit by the scruff of his shirt, she
threw him into a small bush before shifting to her smaller form and joined him.

Shippo cast her a confused look
but thankfully said nothing. Kirara licked the boy�s small hand approvingly as
she lifted her nose to the air. It was actually surprising that the child could
not smell the scent that was drifting on the winds.

�Perhaps the boy is
spending to much time with humans,� she thought briefly before turning her
attention to the problem at hand.

They watched, turning their gazes
towards the other side of the pond as a soft rustle sounded and a head of
silver suddenly emerged from the thick foliage.

Shippo�s face lit up in a smile
and he rose as if to run and greet the figure.

It was only Kirara�s little razor
sharp teeth digging into his tail that held him back and Shippo turned to glare
at the little cat before once more turning towards the figure.

He promptly dropped back down and
burrowed himself as deep in the foliage underbrush as he could as the figure came
completely into view.

There stood the Great Taiyoukai of
the West in all his glory glaring at the pond as if it were his greatest enemy.

��Damn it!� Sesshoumaru muttered. �What the
hell is with me and water this week?�

The two hidden beings dared not
make a sound as they watched the tall form of Inuyasha�s brother move around
the lake; each step brining him closer to their position.

Kirara sent the gods a prayer that
the wind stayed true and kept their sent from reaching the youkai lord.

It was with bated breath and tense
moments before the other youkai finally left the small pond area and continued
on his way through the forest.

Shippo let out a sigh of relief as
the figure disappeared but Kirara did not let her guard down until she was
completely sure that Sesshoumaru was well and truly gone.

�Well,� she thought in
surprise. �That explains the other scent that I was continually
coming across.�

Shaking her head, she quickly
moved out of the impromptu hiding spot and shifted back inter her full form
quickly knelt down for Shippo to climb aboard. For once, Shippo didn�t stop to
complain as he scrambled up onto her back and clung for dear life.

Kirara turned around purposefully
in the opposite direction that Sesshoumaru had gone and quickly made her way as
far from the creature as she could.

It was about half an hour before
they finally came across another living creature, and one with a very odd
scent. Even Shippo stopped to stare at the creature.

�Kirara, is it me�� Shippo started
speaking very slowly, �or does that rat smell like Inuyasha?�

Kirara, meanwhile, was in shock.
Aside from the hanyou, she could also almost smell the fait scent of the very
youkai that they had left at the pond. �What the?� she stared at the
rat.

The rat darted around for a time
before turning and started to walk away from the bewildered duo. Kirara paused
to wonder if she should follow the creature or if it was just an odd
coincidence.

The rat continued for a moment
before the turning back around and squeaked at them. Kirara blinked in
confusion as she stared at the rat in complete shock as the rat squeaked again
as it turned and continued on his way.

Kirara and Shippo glanced at each other before the older
youkai decided to take a chance and followed the small rodent.

�This could very well be something more to this rat
than meets the eye,� Kirara thought as she watched the animal.

The rat stopped suddenly and began to run around in
circles as he chased his tail.

Kirara sweat dropped.

�Then again.�

Shippo stared at the crazy rat as it ran in circles for a
full minute before heading off again. �What�s his problem?� he thought
as he eyes the rat curiously, �and why does he smell of Inuyasha? What
would that baka be doing with a rat?�

Both kept their thoughts to themselves as they followed
the small creature for a ways until they finally saw the trees thin out and the
bright sun filtered through the tree line. Blinking, the two made their way out
of the woods and found themselves facing a rather large cliff

Kirara glanced back towards the direction of the rat only
to snort in annoyance to discover the dratted creature was gone. �Great. Now
what�s next?� she wondered in frustration. �Naraku appearing out of thin
air to declare war on us?�

�HELL~O!� Kirara jumped at the sudden sound of Shippo�s
voice as he cupped his hands around his mouth to strengthen the call. �Is
anyone here?�

The child�s voice echoed off the rock face and both youkai
tilted their head to listen for any response. Kirara did not expect anyone to be
in the area since the last human village they had seen had been at least ten
miles away, but she listed anyway. There was still a tiny grain of hope that
lingered in her heart, waiting for any sign that their journey was over.

Shippo sighed after a long moment and no answer to his
call.

Kirara let out a comforting whine as she slowly turned to
continue on her hunt, putting her nose to the air to once more try and find the
missing hanyou�s scent.

Shippo refused to admit that tears were beginning to weld
in his eyes and the sudden weight of despair that descended into his chest. �We
knew that we wouldn�t find the jerk, right Kirara?� Shippo asked in a small
voice as he furiously rubbed at his moist eyes. �So why does it hurt so much?�

Kirara had no reply as she turned at the odd smell that
wafted on the air. �A human?� she wondered. �But where?�

Shippo, in his distraught state, did not notice Kirara�s
sudden pause as he continued to try and bring his building tears under control.

�You know Kirara,� he said under a bitter sob, �this is
almost like that water game that Kagome taught us.�

With a small bitter smile Shippo took a deep breath and
called out, �Marco!�

So when a young female voice replied the small youko was
so surprised that he completely fell off the large youkai he was riding when
the answering �polo!� reached him.

Kirara whirled around, moving so she was standing
protectively over the small kitsune and stared down at the little human girl
that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. �Why do I know her?� she
thought absently before relaxing her stance as Shippo jumped to his feet and
ran to the young girl.

�Do you know Inuyasha?� he blurted out as he stared at the
small human girl with hopeful eyes.

�The girl smiled.
�Rin knows Inuyasha-Sama!� she said brightly. �Does Fox-Kun know him too?�

Shippo let out a whoop of joy and Kirara felt her
shoulders sag as her focus waned long enough for her to shift into her smaller
neko form. They had finally found him.

Or at least would get a better idea on where he was if the
small girl had any knowledge of the hanyou�s whereabouts.

�Now if only Shippo would ask the right questions,�
she thought hopefully.

�Did Inuyasha-Sama teach you this game as well?� the
little girl, Rin, asked.

Shippo shook his head as the tears finally fell free from
his eyes and a joyful laugh burst from the small boy.

�Do you know where he is?� Shippo asked instead. �Have you
seen Inuyasha? Do you know where he was going?�

The questions poured from Shippo�s lips as he bounced up
and down in front of the girl, completely enthusiastic with his idea of
possibly finding the hanyou.

Rin smiled, seeming to have no
problem keeping up with the hyper kit. �Inuyasha went hunting this morning! He
said since the snows are almost here we needed some more food.�

Kirara puzzled at the small girl�s answers. �Hunting?�
she wondered at the cryptic statement.�

Shippo, however, seemed to have no problem with it. �Where
will he go when he�s done?� he asked.

Kirara sniffed in annoyance. �Must be the age level,�
she concluded as she listened to the two children.

The human smiled as she reached out and picked up the now
small neko youkai. �Back here of course,� she answered with a giggle as she
turned and started walking along the wall of the cliff. Shippo jumped and
followed after her as they went around a small bend and the little makeshift
paddock with An and Un came into view.

�Ah, the odd smell,� Kirara determined as she
watched the creature munch on a patch of grass. The girl was just pointing out
the mouth of a cave when they heard someone call the Kitsune�s name.

The voice was full of surprise as the owner made his way
towards the small group standing in front of the cave. �Shippo!� he called.
�Kirara! What in the world are you doing here?� Inuyasha demanded as he
stomped up to them, glaring down at the pair.

�INUYASHA!� Shippo cried out as the small kit
launched himself at the other youkai and buried his face in the bewildered
hanyou�s chest, completely ignoring Inuyasha�s attempt to look angry. Letting
out heaving sobs he rubbed his face back and forth against the red fabric all
the while muttering Inuyasha�s name as if he couldn�t believe that they had
actually found him.

Inuyasha held the child awkwardly and looked down at him
with a small smile as he stroked the boy�s head in a comforting manner.
�Honestly you brat, I already did the wash,� he complained to the child.

Shippo actually snorted in annoyance but didn�t raise his
head as he continued to cling to Inuyasha�s red Fire Rat Robe.

Inuyasha looked up at the small girl who was still holding
Kirara in her arms. Sending a small glare at the tiny youkai Inuyasha tilted
his head in the direction of the cave�s entrance. �We have a lot of talking to
do,� he said as he made his way inside. �Best get comfortable.�

Kirara drooped her ears as she wiggled into a more
comfortable position in the girl�s arms as they followed him and the still
sobbing youko.

Finally she could rest. They had found him and Kirara was
sure that Shippo would be taken care of. She�d worry about returning to the
village and the problem of Kagome later. For now, all she wanted was to relax�
and maybe chase a rat.

The rest would just have to wait.

Chapter
Twenty-Four: Increasing Vermin

Inuyasha sighed as he sat down at
the small table, shifting into a more comfortable position with the still
wailing kit on his lap. �Keh, the kid can certainly turn on the water works,�
he thought with some mock annoyance. In truth, he was completely worried at the
sudden child�s appearance.

He glanced over at the other pair
in the room and he could see Kirara take in all the little details of the cave.
He saw Kirara noticing the third pallet and tell tale silver robes that told
all who knew him who it was that was also living in the cave.

Inuyasha knew that Kirara was a
whole lot smarter than a lot of people gave her credit for. Even Sango couldn�t
possibly know just how intelligent her pet two tail was. He knew that he
was also going to have to explain to her later the whole situation but at that
moment, it was Shippo who needed his attention.

Starting with what the hell he was
doing there in the first place.

He knew that there was no possible
way that the small kitsune was skilled enough to hunt him down and knew that
the culprit had to be the creature currently lounging in the Rin�s small arms
enjoying having her chin scratched.

Inuyasha frowned as he shifted the
child again and gave the boy a final pat on the back.

�Okay, enough is enough,� he
announced as he firmly pried the small kit�s claws out of his cloths and set
the child down on the floor.

Looking directly into the watery
eyes Inuyasha put on his most stern face. �Why are you here Shippo?� he asked.

�Me?� Shippo squeaked. �Me?
What about you?�

Inuyasha jerked upright. �What
about me?� he asked sharply.

�Why did you leave?� Shippo
whined again, more tears threatening to erupt from the large, pleading eyes.

Inuyasha couldn�t help but wince
at the child�s question and letting out a long sigh he looked down at the
scratched surface of the little table and tried to bring his thought together.
�How the hell do I answer that?� he thought quickly to himself.

�Shippo, it was just� well� oh
hell!� he ran his hands thought his hair quickly as he tried to bring the words
together. �It�s adult stuff, kid. You wouldn�t get it yet.�

�I would too!� Shippo shouted
indignantly.

�Would not!� Inuyasha returned.

�Would too!�

Inuyasha bit down on a scathing
reply as he glared at the kit. �What I do is my life, kid is not your problem.
I�m a hell of a lot older that you and I can most defiantly take care of
myself. You on the other hand, should still be living in your parents
den-�

Shippo huffed as he crossed his
arms and pointedly turned away from the growling hanyou. �Kinda hard when you
don�t have parents,� he muttered angrily.

Inuyasha sighed at the small huff but he knew exactly what
it was that the small kit was going through.

After all, he had gone through it
himself all those years ago.

�Shippo,� Inuyasha said gently,
allowing some of the concern he felt creep into his voice. �My point is that
you are still a very young youkai and coming after me on you own was a very, very,
very stupid thing to do.�

�But I wasn�t alone!�
Shippo complained as he turned back to look Inuyasha in the eye. �Kirara was
with me!� Inuyasha turned angry eyes to glare at the now cowering neko. �And,
and we�ve all been looking for you!� Shippo continued. �Miroku�s been searching
for you every day and we all miss you and it�s just not the same without you!�

Inuyasha sighed as looked upward
towards the top of the cave in order to keep the pained look that filtered
across his face from the kitsune.

�Shippo, I had my reasons for
leaving. I�m sure that the others understand that.�

�But� but� why did you not tell
me?� Shippo cried out in anguish. �You could have told me. I�m old enough!
Really!�

Inuyasha shook his head and heaved
out yet another sigh. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. �Shippo, it�s
not that simple.�

�And what about the Jewel shards?
And Naraku? You have to come back! We need you!�

Inuyasha shook his head. �No kid,
they don�t need me. Ah!� he raised a finger as Shippo�s mouth opened to argue.
�That don�t mean that I�m not going to do anything. I will still search for the
shards and fight Naraku every chance I get.�

Shippo looked at him hopefully and
Inuyasha felt devastated that he had to crush that look. �But I�ll no longer be
with the gang.�

Shippo�s gapped at him before a
look of steeled resolve passed over him and Shippo crossed his arms, turning as
if the conversation no longer held any meaning to him. �Well if you want to go
off and get yourself killed, that�s your problem.�

Inuyasha bristled. �What�s that
suppose to mean?�

�It mean�s that without Kagome and
the others you�d probably be dead somewhere! Kagome�s saved your sorry hide
more that a dozen times now! You owe it to her to stay! You�re the only one who
can protect her and the jewel shards!�

�Oh Kagome can very well take care of herself; and I�m
speaking from personal experience here,� Inuyasha scoffed under his breath.

�Why don�t you come back? You have
to come back!� Shippo demanded.

Inuyasha shook his head and pulled
the kit to sit directly to across form him. �Listen kid,� he said in his most
strict tone ever. �I know this is hard for you, but I can�t go back. I�m
not wanted there.�

�But I want you there!�
Shippo burst out. The kit gasped as his hands immediately clamped over his
mouth. �Didn�t mean to say that,� he mumbled.

Inuyasha actually smiled. �I
actually missed you too kid, but the village is not longer the best place for
me. Believe me kid,� Inuyasha�s smiled turned bitter. �I know when it�s
time to go and it was time for me to bail.�

He gently placed his hand on the
child�s head. �Can you understand that, chibi?�

Shippo sniffed and shook his head, �I just don�t get why you
don�t want to be with us anymore.�

Inuyasha sighed, �It has nothing
to do with you Shippo. It�s just other stuff that basically forced me to go.�

�But you�re living in a cave!�
Shippo burst out. �The village has to be better than this!�

Inuyasha scowled, �And what about
you?� he asked. �Shippo, we�re youkai. Cave�s are the least of our problems.�

Shippo scowled and looked around the cave once again, eyes
roaming over the walls and the small furnishings that Inuyasha had. �It is
kinda� homey,� Shippo said slowly. In fact, it was really nice.

Shippo frowned as an old memory
started to surface. He could remember a he was in cave. It wasn�t as big as
this one. In fact it was more of a small hole in the ground. Shippo frowned as
he grabbed onto the memory and hung on to it.

He almost started crying as he
remembered his parents and him all snuggled in that small space. �Our den��
Shippo remembered as fresh tears started to run down his cheeks. �How could
I forget?�

�Shippo,� Inuyasha asked gently.
�I think I kind of know why it was you were looking for me, but right now you
have a choice.� Shippo sniffed as he looked back up at the older youkai.
�Shippo, if you want you can stay here with me if only for a few day or,� and
Inuyasha took a deep breath, �or I could take you back to the village.�

Shippo frowned as he thought about
it, knowing that if he went back to the village it would be possible that he
would never see the hanyou again, but what about Kagome and the others? He knew
that in a fight against Naraku he was more hinder than help, but he could
help with what little power he had. But how would he be able to gain more power
if he didn�t have another youkai to show him how to use his youki?

He was still deep in thought when
a sudden yip resonated in the room.

The two youkai turned to see
Kirara wriggle out of Rin�s arms, now supporting a few brightly colored bows,
and made her way to the small kit. She climbed into the boy�s lap and stayed
there, looking at Inuyasha with pleading eyes.

Inuyasha looked solemnly at the
animal before turning to the children. �Shippo, why don�t you think about it
for a while,� he told him. �For now, why don�t you and Rin go play outside? Rin
can show you all her favorite places.�

Rin nodded as if she knew exactly
what Inuyasha was trying to do and jumped to her feet, grabbing Shippo�s hand
and tugging him out the cave babbling about riding An and Un and other stuff,
leaving Inuyasha and Kirara staring down at each other.

As Kirara struggled to figure out
a way to try and make Inuyasha understand why it was that she brought Shippo to
him Inuyasha sighed as he decided to make the first move.

�Kirara, I think I understand why
it was that you brought him here, but I honestly didn�t thing that it was that
bad.� Inuyasha�s expression turned worried. �Is it really that bad?�

Kirara sighed and nodded her
slight head.

�Damn,� Inuyasha burst out as he
banged his fist on the table. �I thought that if I left Kagome might get better
or at least less violent.�

Kirara whined, �If anything,
she�s worse now.�

Inuyasha nodded. �I figured it had
to be something like that for you of all people to bring the boy to me.�

Kirara cooed softly as she moved to push her head under
Inuyasha�s hand gently pawed at the hanyou�s leg. �You�re the only one
who can protect him.�

He glanced down at the small
youkai and shook his head. �He was just as safe at the village as he would be
with me. Sango and Miroku could at least protect him.

Kirara snorted in annoyance. �But
they�re human�s,� she insisted.

Inuyasha shook his head, �you know
that they�re not ordinary humans. They should have at least been able to
keep him from serious harm.�

Kirara shook her head. �A
human can not care for a youkai,� she argued. �Trust me.�

Inuyasha chuckled and held up his
hands, �Okay, okay! I�ll trust you.� Kirara preened with the win. �You know,�
Inuyasha mused, �I think I missed our conversations the most.�

Kirara smiled a vulpine grin, �You
really are smarter that most people believe,� she said. �I don�t
know why you never let anyone else know it.�

Inuyasha chuckled as he reached
forward and taking down a small bowl he filled it with water and placed it in
front of the neko. �Years of experience,� he admitted before turning serious
once more as he started collecting different pots and pans.� �I still don�t think that Shippo is safest
with me though.�

Kirara looked pointedly at the
third futon and the multitude of silver clothing�s piled on top. �So I
wasn�t imagining things when I thought I smelled Sesshoumaru,�

Inuyasha laughed gently, as he
followed the neko�s gaze to the other pallet. �Er, yeah, I should probably mention Sesshoumaru�s presence
to Shippo, but this is my home.� Kirara looked at Inuyasha with a
curious gaze, the question clear in her eyes. �Well, he kinda bullied himself
in,� the hanyou admitted as he scratched the back of his head nervously.

Kirara gave him a skeptical look
but continued to lap at the water gratefully. �Best get it over with,�
she told him seriously.

Inuyasha smiled, �what are you? My
mother?�

Kirara said nothing but the
smug feeling she sent over the mental link was more than enough.

�What about you?� he asked as he
went about making dinner. �Are you going to stay with us?�

Kirara shook her head. �I
owe my life to Sango�s clan,� she told him. �And she�s my best
friend, I can�t leave her alone, I could never forgive myself.�

�I suppose I can respect that,�
Inuyasha stated before calling the kids in for food. �But are you sure you�re
not just going back to make Miroku�s life a living hell?�

Kirara smirked but said nothing as
the kids made their way into the cave.

Rin came flouncing in with all smiles but Shippo moved at
a slower pace, his eyes immediately moving to the tell tale futon. �Inuyasha,�
he said very slowly. �Rin told me something odd.�

Inuyasha groaned as Kirara sent
him an �I told you so,� and looked at the angry child.

�Well, she�s right,� Inuyasha
admitted slowly.

�YOU�RE LIVING WITH SESSHOUMARU?� Shippo burst out. �What�s wrong with you? Did you
hit your head or something? He want�s you dead and you�re making house
with him?�

�Shippo, that�s enough!� Inuyasha
snapped. �There�s a lot going on that you don�t understand. Sesshoumaru has no
say over whether or not you stay here so don�t worry about him.�

Shippo sulked as he turned away
from the hanyou.

Inuyasha felt like tearing his
hair out at the boy�s antics. �Who knew dealing with kids could be so friggin difficult?�

�You want me to help?�

�You stay out of this!�
he snapped at Kirara�s smug offering. He could hear her soft laughter in the
back of her mind and vowed to get back at her later. �Shippo, if you want, I
can take you back to the village right now.�

The fight seemed to just drain out
of Shippo as he shook his head. �I want to stay with you,� he announced.

Inuyasha�s breath caught as he
felt the stirrings of hope rise in his chest, but he just had to make sure.
�Shippo, you know that if you stay with me, you may not ever see the others
again.�

Shippo nodded. �I thought about
it, and I made my decision,� he said firmly. Inuyasha smiled and gave the boy a
small hug before the kit wriggled his way free. �No mushy stuff!� he shouted
and the two boys grinned at each other.

�We�ll talk about arrangements
later,� Inuyasha set the pot down on the table. �Eat first.�

Shippo looked at the four plates
in confusion as both Rin and Kirara sat down at the table. Well, Kirara was
actually on the table but that was beside the point. �But, what about
Sesshoumaru?� Shippo asked nervously as he sat down next to Rin. �He�s going to
come back, right?�

�Oh, I�m sure he�ll show up any
day now,� Inuyasha said cheerfully as he started dishing out dinner to the very
hungry group. �Now eat your food.�

Shippo took a very caution sniff of the food placed before him
and gave Inuyasha a dubious stare. �This is edible?� he asked sarcastically.

Inuyasha scowled down at the
smirking kitsune. �Oh shut up and eat,� he ordered as he slapped down a huge
helping of stew into his own bowl and sat down to eat.

However, Inuyasha was proven wrong
as it wasn�t until two days later that the missing occupant of the mismatched
group finally returned.

It had been hard goings. Very
hard goings, but he had made it
finally.

He had arrived at his intended
destination and was now staring in front of the very refuge that he had been
searching for, for five days. He had endured many perils.

Including the terror he had faced
when confronting the herd of Shika. It had been a
frightening ordeal but he had over come� and managed to bring the lead buck
back with him as souvenir. He wondered absently if the other would enjoy deer
meat.

However, none of these thought�s
mattered anymore. In fact at that moment, nothing mattered but the sudden
situation that the Taiyoukai suddenly found himself in.

Sesshoumaru found himself
unwillingly engaged in a staring contest.

He shifted to the right, the small
figure shifted with him.

He took a step forward; the figure
took a small step back.

Sesshoumaru was almost tempted to
raise his hand to see if the small child would mimic his actions, but managed
to refrain himself from the interesting notion, Almost.

Raising his hand, he frowned as
the child narrowed his eyes even more as he backed away from the confused
youkai. Sesshoumaru looked over the small Kitsune�s head to the amused hanyou
standing in the cave entrance and told him, in a very bland tone-

�The rats are multiplying.�

^O______O^ Next up: Learning to
Get Along! Hopefully I�ll get it up much faster than this one! 142 pages� I
think I�ve broken my writing record! Go me!

OMAKE:

Inuyasha wanders on stage attempting to assassinate BDQ but being
interrupted by a horde of crying Kuufuku fan girl
demanding more time for their star.

Next scene flashes to Sesshoumaru attempting to kill said fan girls for running
over his mate.

�Now Now
Sesshoumaru you can�t kill your fan base.� BDQ says.

�Watch me,� he replies.

�Need help?� Kallipso-chan
says while trying to smuggle the Ed plushy down the hallway from BDQ.

�Find me some rope. I need rope.� Sesshoumaru replies. � I don�t want to get lost looking for
it my self.�

�Sesshoumaru
you will leave Kuufuku and his fans alone. I don�t
know what has gotten into you stupid dog.��
The now revived Inuyasha replies as he grabs Sesshoumaru and runs of stage. � We have to get away before
she makes the rats multiply even more.� Inuyasha says
as he drags Sesshoumaru off.

BDQ looks at Kallipso-chan
� Now look what you have done. Give me back my ED.�

� Nope, sorry. ED is mine!!� evil
laughter followed as Kallipso-chan used her magical
escape portal to get away.

BDQ, � HEY NO STAR GATES.�

BDQ looks around somberly �why did
everybody leave me?�
BDQ cries.

Puppy-chan
� Don�t worry. We are here for you.�

BDQ turns around and goggles at
the masses. �Oh SHIT�
Puppy-chan
smiles innocently completely ignoring the rabid horde of angry fans waving all
manors of blunt and pointy objects. �We will make sure that your are never
lonely again. NOW WRITE.�

BDQ �Yes Master.�

Brought to you by: Flying Lizards
INC in association with rat productions.

�Japanese Index:
Arigato (gozaimasu)-Thank you��
Baka-Idiot/stupid
Hanyou-Half Demon
Hakuchoo-Swan

Inu-Dog

Kitsune-Fox
Kisama-Bastard (roughly)
Koinu-Puppy
Kumo-Spider

Miko-Priestess
Nani?- What?
Neko-Cat
Ningen-Human
Ookami-Wolf
Osuwari-Sit
Shika-Deer
Taisho- General
Tokage-Lizard
Youkai-Demon
Youko- Fox-spirit (Kurama from YYH)
Youki-Demon Spirit
- 3
- 4
- 5
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Shadowed Nights

Shadowed Nights

Co Authored by Kallipso

NOW (finally) ON TO THE STORY!

Shadowed Nights

Winter Woes: Chapters 19-24

Chapter Nineteen: Horrid Happenings

Chapter Twenty: Ghastly Habits

Chapter
Twenty-One: Now What?

Chapter
Twenty-Four: Increasing Vermin

Hakuchoo-Swan

Inu-Dog

Kumo-Spider

Shadowed Nights

Shadowed Nights

Co Authored by Kallipso

NOW (finally) ON TO THE STORY!

Shadowed Nights

Winter Woes: Chapters 19-24

Chapter Nineteen: Horrid Happenings

Chapter Twenty: Ghastly Habits

ChapterTwenty-One: Now What?

ChapterTwenty-Four: Increasing Vermin

Hakuchoo-Swan

Inu-Dog

Kumo-Spider

Chapter
Twenty-One: Now What?

Chapter
Twenty-Four: Increasing Vermin