Chapter One

Rheiyan adjusted her chakram at her hip as they walked down the dirt path. It had been nearly three months now that Kagome insisted on her joining her quest since there was some unknown reason the well had allowed her to use it. Damn, Inuyasha is a slave driver, I'll give him that. She picked up a pebble and watched it hit said hanyou in the back of the head. Bullseye!

Snarling, the silver-haired man turned his gaze on one of his best friends. "What the hell was that for, bitch?" Rheiyan and Inuyasha had bonded significantly since their first meeting at the well.

"I thought you left wench! What the fuck? Who the hell is that?" Kagome chose not to answer, instead she simply continued to climb out of the well with Rheiyan on her heels.

"Inuyasha!" Before Kagome could pull herself fully from the well, Inuyasha had yanked her out and positioned her safely behind him. "What are you..."

"Who's in the well, Kagome?" He sniffed, growled, and drew tetsusaiga. A female hanyou? "Stand back Kagome, this won't take long." He prepared himself for when she climbed out of the well.

"Sit!" Kagome glowered down at the hanyou laying beneath her. "That's my aunt! Sit! Have you ever considered asking before attacking? Sit! Sit! Sit! Baka Inuyasha."

It took a while before she could convince him that she was trustworthy, being Kagome's relative obviously didn't sway his mind in anyway. The first time he actually opened up to her was when they all traveled back home together; when Inuyasha didn't have ofudas thrown at only him.

"I did it because I'm tired you damned slave driver! We need a break, the jewel shards aren't going to disappear if we take a break and neither will Naraku." She stood her ground, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis. He stared at her, growling his disapproval.

"Feh." She had won. Kagome giggled behind her hand as well as Sango at the now sulking Inuyasha.

Ah, Aunt Rheiyan, the goddess! Kagome smiled to her Aunt, silently conveying her thanks. I didn't think I would ever see someone do that to Inuyasha. Maybe it's because she's a hanyou like him. Kagome leaned against the tree Inuyasha had retreated to as she pondered the reasons he would listen to her aunt. He can't like her can he? No, he's in love with Kikyou still. Right?

As if on cue, Rheiyan nudged Kagome's shoulder, silently asking her to follow her. "What's wrong?" Her concerned tone hit Kagome hard, she didn't want to tell her aunt what she was thinking about.

"It's nothing, I'm just tired, we all are." Kagome twisted her hands as she drastically tried not to think the negative thoughts that invaded her mind. What's the worst she could say? Yes? Well, he already loves Kikyou... "I'm scared Inuyasha likes you." Oh, shit. I did not just blurt that out. Did I?

Rheiyan stopped, giving her niece a reassuring smile as she laughed quietly to herself. "Honey, that's a little, well, degrading. He's a nice guy, as a friend, yeah. But, he is definitely not my type. You have nothing to worry about, because he doesn't really like me either." She smiled wider when she was engulfed in a fierce hug. She must really like him. They do make a cute couple. Ugh! Hell, I would never give a guy that immature the time of day. I should have visited these kids more often, heh. "And besides, I think he likes you far too much to even notice another woman. He only listens to me because he knows I'm right." Both Kagome and Rheiyan laughed, Inuyasha was truly a complicated individual.

"He doesn't like me, He..."

"Don't give me the bullshit about Kikyou, I'm tired of hearing it. He was a strong sense of honor, he isn't just going to leave her unavenged, hell the woman's dead for Christ's sake!" Rheiyan gave her niece a stern look that clearly let Kagome know she was serious. "Pay attention to the things he does, would Kikyou really be out there alone and not here, with him if he truly loved her. Doesn't he come and get you all the time, doesn't he protect you? Doesn't he stay here, with you? Now, I am going to go for a walk. You go back and stop being silly." Kagome gave her aunt a smile of thanks before she headed back to camp, back to Inuyasha.

"Silly kids." Rheiyan was planning on taking a small walk, but had changed her mind once she heard running water. A swim would be nice, it's been hot as hell today. She exchanged her leisurely pace for a quicker sprint once she could smell the water.