It was getting late, the sun painted red and golden hues over the roofs of the village. As it began to kiss the horizon, a little boy's voice greeted the already worried townsfolk. "MOMMA! MOMMA!" He cried, sobbing into the elderly woman's kimono. His little body shook with each word. He fearfully pleaded into the chest of the woman he had come to think of as his grandmother. His mind was racing with thoughts of his adoptive mother facing Naraku, his movements were becoming more and more erratic. "Let me go! I need to help momma, she could be in trouble!" She simply shushed him in response.

"Hush yourself, little one. Your mother promised ye she'd return safely, did she not?" She patted the young fox on the back and rocked her body back and forth. It broke her heart to say those words when she herself had her own doubts. Kaede knew the foe his mother and the rest of his newfound family faced was powerful beyond her humble imagination. She sighed herself out of her fretful musings and continued consoling the worried kit. "Besides," she half-heartedly chuckled, "you are going to wake little Rin with all this fussing." This paused him mid-sob. His ginger hair swished as he turned his head to look at the girl curled up on the floor beside the warmth of the fire.

As if on cue, she shifted. He watched her as she rolled herself over, seeking comfort from her familiar face. Sensing the kit had calmed down, Kaede opened her arms to where he was no longer restricted and watched as he crawled toward his best friend. She gazed at the two until Shippo's breathing relaxed and his body was no longer tense with worry for his mother. She sighed. He was right to be worried. She could feel the energy in the air, even though the battle was purposely placed rather far away from the small village. The unmistakable warmth of Kagome's power clashed with the darkness that is Naraku viciously, both weakening, neither giving in. It filled the very air flowing through her lungs with growing unease. Kaede knew that worrying would do no good, however. It would only serve to upset the children, she had to be strong for them. She slipped into a meditative state, listening to the calming breath of the children and the crackling of the fire. The peaceful atmosphere within Kaede's hut didn't last very long. Her eyes snapped open when she felt it. The fox kit by her

side shot up, wide awake.

The energy changed. Shifted. Instead of light and dark dancing a twisted dance of death, swapping who has the upper hand, the victor was clear. Kagome's energy had dwindled to the brink of nonexistence, then surged outward in a final attack. She had won. The victory was hers, but her energy and lifeforce were dwindling.

Kaede looked down at her hand when she felt the much smaller paw of the fox kit grab her finger. She followed the paw up to its owner, only to be met with the petrified eyes of a child who fears being orphaned a second time. "My momma is gonna be okay... Right, Kaede?" He whispered though she didn't have time to respond.

Moments later, the piece of fabric hanging in the doorway was shoved aside as Kouga barged in with an unconscious Kagome in his arms. Her breaths came in short gasps and her armored priestess garb was torn and soaked in blood. Whether it was hers or not, no one in the hut could tell. His panicked eyes met the elder. Their silent, yet urgent conversation lasted only a few seconds. He gently laid her body down on the mat, kissed her forehead, and grabbed the children. Casting one last glance at the wounded woman, he took the screaming fox kit and the now very awake crying little girl and exited the hut.

Inside, Kaede moved the fabric of Kagome's clothes to asses the wound. 'Oh, child.' she mourned in her head for the girl she had learned to love so dearly, 'what a scar this will leave.'

...

Annoyed, frustrated, and tired. All words that could very much describe Haruhi Fujioka in this exact moment. Why?

She was trying to study. The key word is trying. Her exuberant father refused to let up his antics. His dancing and twirling her around the room was starting to give her a headache. He giggled as he swung her around easy as if she was made of feathers, gushing at the boys she would meet. 'What's so great about boys anyway?'

"Why aren't you EXCITED my dear?" He cried, setting her on the ground and then capturing her in a rib-shattering embrace. "Just think! All the handsome rich men, GUSHING over my darling daughter!" This rant when on and on. Seven minutes past and despite various complaints about lack of oxygen intake, he didn't let go. It wasn't until her body went limp, seemingly devoid of all life, that he finally set her down on the couch. Waltzing toward the door, he shouted words of farewell on his way to work. As she watched the door close behind him, she pondered his question. I'm not excited because I'm not trying to go to Ouran to date or be doted on by rich boys. I'm going to learn.'

She didn't know how, or what, but even she recognized how much she sounded like she was convincing herself of something. A touch of red dusted her nose. 'But who knows, maybe this year will be different.' …

…

'Nah.'

AUTHORS NOTE

I am only gonna say this in this chapter, but I do not own rights to either of these animes. They belong to their respective creators.

Hope you enjoyed!