Waverly

Authors Note:

Hey everyone, I'm back! So I just got married last month and my sister is getting married in just two months! So my life has been crazy! My husband and I are now trying to conceive and I'm a full time student so I'm limited on time. Writing is a way for me to relieve stress and kind of escape for a while, I'm not an English major so I'm sorry if my writing isn't too great. I'm not sure where I'm going with this story quite yet so if you all have some suggestions I'd love to hear them. I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. This is a fan made story for the sole purpose of entertainment for no profit.

Chapter One – Gifts

Kagome walked through the forest taking in the cool breeze and enjoying the warm sun on her skin. It was the middle of summer and she just had a visit home with her family. Every time she goes back she feels more and more disconnected and like a stranger in her own time. This is where she felt at home now. She had gone shopping with her mother and brought back lots of treats for her friends. She always tries to stock up on food and medical supplies but this time she got a little bit extra. They had been venturing for a while this past time and although InuYasha wasn't happy about taking a break for her to visit home, even he had to admit they could use some more supplies. As she approached the village she saw Shippo come running up to her, he jumped up and landed in her arms.

"Kagome! I've missed you so much! How was home?" Shippo said clinging onto her shirt while she wrapped him in a loving hug.

"It was good Shippo, I missed you too!" Kagome said smiling down at her friend, "how was everything while I was gone?"

Shippo shrugged "Same as usual, we relaxed, InuYasha got irritated that we relaxed, ya know, same old-same old."

Kagome laughed "well, I have a surprise for you all!" she said as they crossed the bridge walking into the village.

"What is it?!" He asked excitedly.

"You'll just have to wait and see!" She said with a coy smile.

As they approached the group InuYasha stood, he could smell Kagome from a while away but he knew Shippo wanted to run and greet her, so he stayed in his hut while the little runt ran to his mother-like friend. As InuYasha walked towards the entry way of the hut Miroku and Sango smiled, he always got in such a better mood once Kagome was here. Kagome walked in and Shippo jumped out of her arms and onto the floor. "Kagome has a surprise for us!"

"Well, it's about time you got here! How long did you need over there, we have to get back on the hunt for the jewel shards! Or am I the only one that still cares about that?" InuYasha said, hiding his curiosity for the surprise Kagome had brought.

"Oh hush, I wasn't gone that long, it was only three days. Besides, I do have a surprise for you! For all of you!" Kagome said swinging her backpack around to the front of her and dropping to her knees with her bag laying in her lap. She began to dig in the bag and continued to explain. "I went shopping with my mom and we got each of you something!" She pulled out the first thing, it was a plastic gun "This is for Shippo"

Shippo jumped up grabbing the toy gun, he examined it for a while and said "…thank you" not sure what to do with it. Kagome laughed and took it back from him and pulled out a water bottle, she opened a small tab on the top of the gun and began to pour water in it. Then she pulled the trigger and water came squirting out. Shippo's face illuminated in a bright smile, he took the gun back and started squirting InuYasha. "Thanks Kagome!"

InuYasha looked at Kagome with a disgruntled face "Yeah, thanks Kagome…" he mumbled sarcastically.

"Ok next is Kirara!" Kagome said pulling out a small cat bed, she laid it on the floor and Kirara came up and nestled into it purring.

"Thank you Kagome!" Sango said smiling at Kirara.

"I got something for you too Sango," Kagome said pulling out a long cloth, "this is a style scarf, you can wrap it around you in a bunch of different ways, you can tie it up in your hair or wear it like a normal scarf, wrap it around your chest like a shirt, or even around your waist like a skirt! There's a million things you can do with it. It just looked like something you would enjoy." It was long and black with hot pink streaks that looked like they were painted on the silk material.

Sango took the scarf and smiled at Kagome, "Thank you Kagome, this is really neat!"

Kagome slid her hand back into her bag and pulled out a book, "now this might be a little hard to read but it's a book on meditation and spiritual connections. I thought you'd find it interesting Miroku!"

Miroku smiled as he took the book and began to flip through the pages "Thank you Kagome!"

Kagome looked over at InuYasha and saw him sitting in the corner, arms crossed impatient as ever. "Well, I guess that does it…"

"What about my surprise?" InuYasha said standing up "Don't tell me you forgot about me?!"

Kagome laughed slyly "No surprises for whiners"

"Who's whining?!" He said with his frown going crooked.

Kagome rolled her eyes and pulled out a long chain with a small pendent on the end. On the pendent there was a beautiful tree engraved. Its branches twisted and turned and there were leaves hanging off them that looked like they were bending in the wind. InuYasha didn't understand his gift and looked up at Kagome awaiting an explanation.

"I know it's not much, but the tree on it reminded me of you and of the sacred tree, and everything." Kagome looked up with big hopeful eyes. It was always hard opening up to him but sometimes he let her in.

"Oh, um, thank you" InuYasha said looking down at it, trying to be grateful for the gift he held.

Kagome's face dropped from hopeful to 'seriously?' she reached into the bag and pulled out another water gun and handed it to InuYasha "Here, I got you this too" she said flatly.

InuYasha's face lit up and he took the gun and started filling it with water "You're in for it now Shippo!"

In his haste to go get Shippo soaked with his newly loaded water gun, he dropped the necklace on the ground. Kagome picked it up and put it in her pocket and looked around at her friends, Kirara napping in her new bed while Sango played with the wrap; trying it on in different ways. Miroku was sitting by the fire with his book and Shippo and InuYasha were going at it outside taking turns squirting each other. Kagome sat down and smiled, at least everyone was happy, and for once everything was going okay.

They decided to stay one more night and leave in the morning, they began to travel early. With no real direction their quest to find Naraku felt like the blind leading the blind. As they walked along a path Kagome smelled the salty air breeze past her soft cheeks. "Hey are we close to the beach?" She asked looking around "Maybe we should take a break"

InuYasha turned around with a serious face, "no, we just took a break at Kaede's village."

"Come on InuYasha, we don't have any lead, and there's a change being in one place for a while might help us." Miroku said

"That doesn't even make any sense" InuYasha said as he kept walking forward.

"I vote beach!" Shippo said raising his hand.

"Me too" Said Sango.

InuYasha turned around and saw everyone standing there together. It was clear he lost this battle. "fine." He said lowly with a look of defeat.

Everyone smiled big and started walking in the direction of the coast. As they came upon the sand, everyone took off their shoes and let the sand go between their toes. It was a well-deserved mini vacation and they all intended on taking every advantage. Kagome pulled out a big bag and some sticks from her backpack. "I brought this just in case we needed it, really I thought we might need it for rain, but the sun on the beach works too!" After setting up a spacious tent she placed the backpack inside and her and Sango zipped it up from the inside. "I have an extra swim suit if you need one." Kagome said pulling out her green bikini.

"Um, if you just have bottoms, that'd work. I can use the wrap you gave me for a top." Sango said, she liked that her friend was always willing to share, but the clothes from Kagome's time tended to be a little too revealing for Sango's comfort. She slid on pink booty short like swim bottoms and then tied the black wrap around her like a halter top.

As they stepped out they saw the boys were already down to their shorts. They all started running to the water, splashing and playing with each other, Shippo and InuYasha got some good use out of their water guns. After a while Kagome laid out in the sun and InuYasha and Miroku were rough housing in the water. Sango was sitting at the edge of the shore watching Shippo jump from rock to rock looking into the water and playing with Kirara. She saw Shippo jump and then stop playing. He stared into the water with his head turned. Then a splash came up and Sango saw a girl's head, she immediately got to her feet "Shippo?"

Kagome lifted her head and saw Shippo talking to a girl in the water. Kagome slowly walked over and saw the girl clearer as she approached Shippo, she knelt down. "Well hello! What's your name?"

The young girl looked about thirteen, as she tucked her wavy brown hair behind her ear she said "My name is Azalea" she blinked her big green eyes up at Kagome.

"Azalea, what are you doing here?" Kagome asked concerned for the girl's safety without an adult around for her.

Azalea looked confused "I live here, what are you doing here?" She asked in return.

Kagome looked around confused "You live where?"

Azalea laughed now understanding her confusion she swam backwards and revealed a bright blue tail "I live in the ocean!"

Kagome looked with shock "You're a mermaid?!"

Sango, InuYasha and Miroku had now made their way over to them. "What's going on?" Sango asked

"This is Azalea, she's a mermaid!" Said Kagome excited.

"Well that's neat" Smiled Sango down at Azalea.

"Do you always hang out here Azalea?" Shippo asked

"Sometimes, my mom doesn't mind as long as I'm home when I say I'm going to be." Azalea shrugged.

After a while of talking and getting to know each other Kagome sensed something, a jewel shared. She looked up sharply. InuYasha picked up on her look immediately.

"Where is it?" He said standing up

"It's coming toward us from over there" Kagome said pointing to a spot in the open ocean. From where Kagome was pointing something jumped out of the water and then back in, much like a dolphin.

"That's my mom!" Said Azalea smiling big towards her mother.