alright, it's wednesday again and time for you to pay the toll of reading my fanfic...That is, it is time for my weekly rant.

I hate the school system in the U.S. these days. It's like we're teaching the adults of the future how to stay as dumb as possible while painting it with a veneer of basic knowledge. Now I personally don't have kids, but I do have two little brothers, both of whom are demonstarating that which I am most annoyed with. Their troubles lie predominantly in math, and while math is notorious for giving most people trouble, neither has problems with the concept. item of proof one: Whenever they ask for help on a problem I ask them to define what they are looking for. My little brother who is 10 was doing his homework a few weeks ago and reached a word problem that supposedly had him stumped. It asked him to write an expression and then solve for the answer where x equaled 5. He insisted he didn't know what an expression was despite the fact he had solved half a dozen of them just a few problems above that point on the work sheet. It took me half an hour to convince him he knew what an expression was and how to write one. What are these teachers teaching these kids? Certainly not how to use context clues or even to look at all the information given to them.

item of proof two: My other brother who is 12 got stumped on a problem just this week and insisted he couldn't solve it. I made him define what he was looking for, which he did quite easily but still insisted he couldn't answer the question. I got up from what I was doing to take a look and his problem was simply that the text book didn't write out actual numbers, but instead used a "stack of pennies" to represent them and then asked which stacks represented the mean, median and mode. HAven't the teachers taught him that numbers actually mean something? And truly all it was is more of a graphical representation. Have they not taught him how to read a graph?

With this proof of the failings in our own education system, it's no wonder most of the other countries are skunking us in comparison. And this is nothing new. There have been national studies detailing such things. And society does nothing about it, we're too worried about our kids being stressed out or being teased or not having a social life that we don't press them to build the most important tools in life so that we as a society can stand on equal ground with every other society in the world. And all the tests in the world detailing the problems with the system won't fix them.

Seriuosly, just letting these problems slide is setting us up for more of those kinds of people I hate... the kind that skate by with the minimal amount of effort, because they can get away with it. My brother proved to me the other day that he was turning into one of these people and I told him I didn't like people like that. People who won't work for the things they want but complain about where they're at in life. Now I complain a lot, but I am working on getting somewhere different. I'm making the effort and doing what I have to in order to get there. I may hate my job, but I do the work I signed on to do becuase I said I would. And I do it well because how I work is a direct reflection of me. I don't really understand people who don't do the same. In order to take pride in yourself you have to take pride in all the things you do. If you don't like something it is up to you to work to change it, you're not going to wake up one day and find it changed for you.

Maybe I should run for office or something some day... Nah, I'd never stand a chance. I'm too much of a straight shooter. I don't do that double talk nonsense about things that are important, and lord knows everything that a so-called politician is supposedly responsible for is important in the long run of things. It effects too many people not to be.

I wonder what rumiko takahashi would have to say about it all, maybe she'd just vote for Seshsoumaru or even Naraku, I think we could use some ruthless bloodletting politics to clean up the polls of all the supposed "computer errors", mis counts, and downright worthless condidates who are only in it for the pension plan, relatively easy hours and fringe benefits. Lord knows airforce one is a pretty little piece all on its own.

ONe last minute whatever for the fun of it, Do a good deed and help some kid or family around the holidays. I'm a firm believer that if there's anything that should be held as lethal law it is that no child should be left out or messed with around the holidays. Kids have such a short time to believe in the magic, and if nobody helps perpetuate it, it dies leaving a person who finds it so incredibly hard to believe in the good of other people. and that is a sad way to be, I believe.

I personally bought gifts for two kids I don't know and will most likely never meet through a program at work. If Wal-mart is good for something, they do so love to give back to their communities, and this is no publicity fabircation. I work the phones people, I hear the calls come in every month about donations our particular store makes to local organizations. And I know the national program with the salvation army for the bell-ringers can't be missed. (our cashiers and other front-end employees have been constantly complaining about the non-stop ringing. Heheh.)

On a completely different not, I had quite an adventure trying to get to work yesterday... My car died mid transit, right on the highway. I had enough warning to get over and off the road and to note the mile marker to tell my dad when I called home. still, I got stranded off of 69 in the rain, cold and wind for about 45 minutes. long enough to make me definitely late to work. Which is okay since I already called and told them that. WE'll see if it can be resurrected. Poor Moo. It's probably the alternator. The battery dieing was the ultimate reason the car stopped going, but we're pretty sure it's not what started it, started the keeling over of my old wagon. Station wagon that is. It's old and brown and mine. I loves it! The first car ever relegated to my position that was an automatic and had cruise control. TRUE LOVE!!

Exploiting Expressions

Heavy fat Snowflakes were already falling by the time everybody made it to the Mole's home tunnels. Yumi immediately showed them where Aki's stuff had been stashed and was promptly thrown out of her father's room with practically everybody else.

Fred got to stay because Sesshoumaru couldn't bully him into leaving, and the same applied to Kikyou who refused to leave before changing Aki's inadequate clothing.

It was a strange scene Kikyou walked into when she left the taiyoukai and his female with the ghost. Most of the group of shard hunters was nosily poking through the main living are for whatever reason. It was strange to her mainly because the undead miko was unfamiliar with their previous scavenger exploits and Miroku's con artist tendencies.

"Hey, I found some rope," Shippou called from the dark recesses of a low shelf.

"Good, we can use it to tie them up," Inuyasha declared as he took it from the kit.

"Should we tie them up?" Kagome asked, "them" being the mole family. "Aki might not like it if we tied the kids up."

"I do not think the lovely Aki will object so long as we do not hurt them," Miroku soothed her. Actually, he was quite certain Aki would object, but there wasn't a prayer of talking Inuyasha out of it.

"We could always untie them after she awakens but before she sees them," Sango suggested.

"What's to stop them from telling her about it?" Kagome pointed out.

"The threat of death on my claws if they say a word," Inuyasha growled.

"Oh please! We both know that once Aki wakes up she won't let you a lay a hand on any of them," Shippou scoffed. "If you weren't so stupid you'd have realized it."

The insulted hanyou growled threateningly at the kit as he bashed the boy on the head, "I know that, but they didn't!"

"Kagome!" Shippou screeched as he tore through the room in attempted escape. "Inuyasha's picking on me!"

"Osuwari!" Kagome snapped shortly. "Why do you always have to resort to violence, Inuyasha?" The hanyou didn't answer, too busy trying to breath around the pile of mining tools he's landed on.

"The mysteries behind Inuyasha's behavior are not worth the effort of figuring out," Kikyou observed. "AS for tieing up our new friends, don't bother. They may run away if they wish to expose themselves to Naraku's tender mercies, if the fear of Aki's rightful judgment so frightens them. It won't affect us any."

"Good point," Kagome tilted her head to the side thoughtfully.

"Kagome," Shippou looked up at her. "I'm hungry."

"We should settle in," Miroku observed. "Aki is not likely to wake quickly if Fred's words are true."

"And we'll be needed to keep Aki's attackers in line," Sango agreed. "With Sesshoumaru stuck to Aki, he won't bother with them at all."

"Not unless Aki takes too long to wake up," Inuyasha pointed out. "Then he's likely to kill them."

"Kill who? What are you plotting?" a scratchy voice demanded from the slightly open door. "I'll inform Sesshoumaru-sama about your evil plots."

"We were talking about Sesshoumaru killing someone, Baka!" Inuyasha growled at the ugly green retainer.

"Who is Sesshoumaru-sama going to kill?" a small voice asked as the door was pushed open a bit more and Azusa peeked through the opening behind Jaken. "Kagome and Inuyasha!" she squealed upon spotting her favorite dog boy.

Inuyasha winced and glanced about to make sure there weren't any flowers about.

"Where's Aki and Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin pushed the other two inside impatiently.

"They're in there," Kagome answered gently with a gesture to the closed door behind her.

"Is Aki okay?" Azusa demanded.

The majority of the group glanced at Kikyou who made a grand effort to stare only at the door concealing Aki from view. "She is recovering," the miko answered blandly.

"What do you mean?" Azusa asked, going pale. "I want to see her! Let me see her!" The little girl bolted across the room and shoved the door aside before anyone could catch her.

"Azusa no!" Kagome called with worry. Azusa and Sesshoumaru didn't exactly get along very well. It was dangerous for the child to approach him in the state he was in, but Azusa didn't care.

Azusa stopped short with her hand outstretched when the inu youkai growled at her. "Please," she whimpered as tears formed in her eyes. Aki was all she really had. She wanted to be certain the partial youkai was okay.

Sesshoumaru reached out slowly and dragged the child's hand to Aki's chest over her heart. He'd only worried the child would disturb the damaged ribs hidden beneath the white bandages, skin and clothing. He tried not to be too harsh with Azusa. He'd taken her from the village by the well to help insure that he would see Aki more often, that plan would backfire if he didn't treat the girl well.

It took a moment for Azusa's cold trembling fingers to register the rise and fall of Aki's chest and the faint beating of the heart under her hand, but when it finally did reach her the little girls' breath puffed out in a relieved sigh. The child leaned forward despite the inu youkai's closeness and rested her ear against the steady rhythm of her guardian's life.

"Azusa?" Rin called from the open doorway and the concerned crowd of people that had stopped before violating the room.

Azusa turned and smiled at her traveling companion. Aki was okay and her world had not collapsed again, she rubbed her cheek against the strange fabric of Aki's shirt.

Rin approached more slowly that Azusa had, her eyes steady on her own guardian. He would warn her off if she shouldn't come near. She skirted around Azusa to Sesshoumaru's side so that she could peer into Aki's face. She leaned against his shoulder, drawing comfort from this minor contact.

Kagome blinked at the picture before her. "What on Earth?" she gasped in wonder. She'd been pretty certain Sesshoumaru wouldn't allow either girl to intrude, but he had without serious protest. Kagome went to step into the room but Inuyasha stopped her. "What?" she asked in confusion.

Inuyasha shook his head and looked to his half brother. "He won't let you in there without violence," he informed her.

"Why?" Sango asked curiously, if the taiyoukai would allow the two girls why not Kagome too? "He let Azusa in and those two didn't seem to get along at all.

"That was when we all first met the child, things have most likely changed since then," Miroku pointed out. "She was traveling with him, if appearances are to be believed."

"It wouldn't have mattered," Inuyasha declared gruffly. "Azusa and Rin are human children. They aren't a threat and they are familiar, practically part of his pack. Kagome is not a child and she is not perceived as part of his pack." Kagome beamed at being declared not a child by her hanyou. After all, if she wasn't a child she had to be a woman and old enough for certain things she was pretty sure Inuyasha thought she was too young for before.

"And Kagome has miko powers," Kikyou said from the other side of the room.

"Then why did he let you in?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Because Kikyou and I were the ones to tell him Aki was in trouble," Fred answered. "And even then, Kikyou didn't stay long."

"Yeah, and the kids probably shouldn't either," Inuyasha declared.

"As almost non-existent as Sesshoumaru's relationship with Aki is, we're lucky he's allowed anyone near when she's in this condition," Sango nodded. "I was surprised when he let the kids in at all, it's very unusual. Most youkai would kill anything that moved too close when sheltering a mate that has suffered injury."

"I hate to say Sesshoumaru is ever right about anything, but he is a taiyoukai," Inuyasha grudgingly explained. "He has a higher level of control and reasoning, but it isn't limitless."

"Leave the kids be for now," Miroku suggested. "Rin and Azusa are Sesshoumaru and Aki's children in a way. It may soothe all of them to be near each other for a while." The monk nodded to the huddled group in the other room. "Let them stay until a meal is prepared. Then we would at least have a valid reason to call them away without alarming the children."

"Somebody needs to try coaxing something into Aki and probably Sesshoumaru as well," Fred declared wryly.

Kikyou glanced at the ghost speakingly; did he know just how fractious the inu youkai was likely to be if they tried to make him eat?

"Well, Aki did lose a lot of blood when she cut her wrist," Kagome thought aloud. "She needs to at least drink some water to help replace it."

"FUCK!" Fred yelled and Kagome jumped in surprise at his obscene out burst.

"Don't bring that up ever again," Inuyasha growled darkly. "Never again, Kagome, especially not around Sesshoumaru's people."

"Pretending it didn't happen isn't going to solve anything," Kagome grumbled.

"No, Kagome, that's not what he meant," Miroku tried to diffuse the brewing argument.

"Sesshoumaru is currently very on edge Kagome and he will not ever handle any reminder of situations where he couldn't prevent harm to Aki well. Especially if the harm was caused by herself," Sango explained gently. "It is best not to provoke him to violence."

"And the children have no need to know," Kikyou declared. "They know Aki was hurt, but they don't need to know that some of it was self inflicted unless they ask."

"Which they most likely won't," Fred pointed out. "Even if they did you could gloss it over if you really want but Aki will set them straight if it ever comes up."

"Still your faith in her never waivers," Miroku commented, his hand twitching at Sango's proximity

"Aki has proven on more than one occasion he has good reason for his faith," Kikyou shrugged. "Even this last time when the worst damage wasn't from an enemy, Aki pulled through the situation faster than death could claim her.

"She even protected Yumi and Youta despite their stupidity and bad behavior by annihilating that Naraku puppet," Shippou declared a bit loudly. He was very proud to have been able to use one of the big words Aki had taught him.

"That certainly does seem consistent with her normal behavior," Kagome nodded.

"Except for the annihilating the puppet before it attacked," Inuyasha muttered under his breath.

"Can you blame her?" Fred demanded, having heard the hanyou. "Besides, Naraku's puppets aren't really alive are they?"

"He's got a point," Miroku shook his head.

"Well the ghost having a point doesn't get food made or people settled," Inuyasha growled.

"Settled how Inuyasha?" Miroku asked the hanyou. "What is there to settle? We are sheltered and warm. This is someone's home so most everything we could possibly need is already here and accessible. The door is shut and the fire started, what more do you need?"

"Who's sleeping where and when, stupid!" Inuyasha growled at the lecherous monk who had clearly assumed it wasn't an issue despite the number of people involved and the amount of space they had so far seen in the mole's home. "Somebody has to keep watch over those bastards!"

"No need to appoint a guard," Kikyou declared boredly. "Two of us are quite dead and hove no real need for sleep."

"Don't you need to rest at all?" Kagome couldn't believe it.

"Not really," Fed shrugged "occasionally I wind up in a kind of fuzzy state similar to being half asleep, but that only happens when I'm invisible," he grinned impishly. "And Kikyou only has to rest when she's forced on a diet."

"For the last time," Kikyou smacked him upside the head, "Souls don't weigh a thing as you've said yourself. I can't gain weight from feeding on souls."

"Being fat isn't the only reason to go on a diet," Fred smiled even wider.

"Stop harassing Kikyou," Inuyasha growled.

"Or you'll what?" Fred snorted, keeping attention off Kagome. "You don't even know what we're talking about, so butt out."

"Fred behave yourself or I'll tell Aki and she will finally come to her senses and get rid of you," Kikyou taunted the ghost.

"You better watch that," Fred warned her with the same demented grin. "Aki will tell us to kiss and make up again."

A small amount of color gathered in Kikyou's cheeks at the memory of the last time that happened.

"What do you mean kiss?" Inuyasha demanded loudly.

Kagome looked away to hide the emotion in her eyes before explaining that it was "just an expression" and nothing to worry about.

Kikyou, upon hearing Kagome's tone, glared at the ghost who was the cause of Inuyasha's outburst. "Just an expression?" her eyes narrowed at Fred dangerously.

"Yeah," he smiled innocently, "It basically means to drop the disagreement and get along."

"Just an expression!" the dead miko fumed.

"What are you making a big deal out of this?" Kagome asked in confusion. "It's not like Fred could actually kiss you and take advantage of the situation."

Miroku smirked at the ghost, "I believe that is exactly what happened. What I want to know is when it happened."

"But Fred's a ghost, he can't touch anybody. How could he kiss Kikyou?" Sango asked after pounding the monk into the ground for his cursed hand.

The ghost's grin turned positively evil. "Like this," he declared with glee and demonstrated on Kikyou before she had the chance to escape.

"Ew, gross!" Youta exclaimed. "Dad, the dead people are kissing!" his horror and disgust was met with nothing more than the crackling of the fire that valiantly warmed the moles' residence and the people therein. No one could bring themselves to do more than stare with ever widening eyes as Fred kissed the daylights out of the undead miko.

Eventually Fred let Kikyou go wit a smug expression painted over his pale features. Kikyou had been so thoroughly kissed Kagome was breathless.

"Woo! That was some kiss!" Kagome laughed as the clay miko was having trouble controlling her anger.

"You must have been quite experienced in your day," Miroku offered in admiration. He was already trying to figure out ways to get Sango to ask for pointers. Ah, to expose and contaminate others with his special depravities.

Fred just shrugged but kept on eye on the building rage in the shaking frame of the miko he'd just kissed. Kikyou really couldn't do anything to him, he was dead, but she was fun to watch when she tried.

"Did you always run around kissing girls that didn't want you to?" Inuyasha demanded with a growl.

"Nah," Fred shrugged nonchalantly. What did he care if Inuyasha was on the verge of throwing a fit? "But Kikyou and I needed to 'kiss and make up' you know."

"It's quite obvious Kikyou's still pissed off, so it didn't work," the hanyou snarled.

"Then I guess I didn't kiss her good enough," Fred replied and lunged at Kikyou. The miko was pushed back from the ghost by Inuyasha, forcing the ghost to travel through the dog boy, but he still managed to plant his kiss.

This time the kiss lasted twice as long and was quite obviously a great deal more thorough. By the time Fred was done with her the second time, Kikyou was incapable of coherent thought.

Inuyasha was torn between rage and a horrific trembling disgust at having a ghost sail through him.

"Dear lord, Fred!" Kagome exclaimed. "If Kikyou wasn't already dead she would be form the pleasure of that kiss!" Kagome's warm enthusiasm in commenting on the kiss shared between the miko and the ghost helped Inuyasha overcome his disgust and turned his rage into a different breed altogether.

He didn't like her praising the kissing abilities of another male so strongly, but he couldn't really yell at her for her opinion. It wasn't as if she had any real experience to base it on to begin with. Kagome just didn't go around kissing other guys; he ought to know, what with all the clobbering he did to ensure it. And it wasn't as if Inuyasha had ever kissed her consciously.

There was that one time, but it had been her to kiss him and she'd only done it to save his and everybody else's lives.

In any case, he definitely had to shut her up.

"You call that a kiss?" Inuyasha interrupted Kagome's stream of teasing praise to the dead male. She barely had time to blink before his lips were planted rather firmly on hers.

Blessed, blessed silence. Kagome's eyes rolled back into her head with pleasure before the shock had entirely worn off. That was before Inuyasha actually put any real effort into the kiss. Then it was really something to make her toes curl.

Then Fred's catcalls and the sound of Miroku propositioning Sango and Kikyou filtered into his brain and it finally clicked that Inuyasha really was kissing Kagome like no tomorrow. Once it actually registered to him that he was KISSING Kagome in front of Kikyou the heart ran out of his kiss and the two parted on a rather flat note.

"Well, I'd say you could use a little finessing on your ending, but the start was good," Fred teased the dog boy as the tide of crimson rose up to drown Inuyasha's features in embarrassment even as he carefully watched Kagome.

Sango sighed and approached a rather stunned and slightly disheartened Kagome. Even someone as innocent and inexperienced as Kagome was could tell that Inuyasha hadn't been thinking only about her during that kiss. And the miko-in-training was pretty certain it wouldn't have happened at all if Fred hadn't kissed Kikyou first. She knew this just as surely as she knew Inuyasha had flubbed her first real kiss because Kikyou was present.

"Are you all right Kagome?" Sango asked quietly under the noise of Fred's continued teasing of Inuyasha. Sometimes she wondered if half the outrageous things the ghost said and did was to allow just such questions to be asked without drawing too much attention.

Kagome sniffed absently before taking a deep breath. "I'm fine," she declared fiercely. The look on Sango's face made her duck under the scrutiny of her friend's gaze. "Let's just get some food made for everybody," the time traveler shrugged tiredly. "I think I'll want to turn in early and that can't happen if dinner doesn't get made."

Sango sighed but let it go, moving to help her fr

iend while pointedly staying out of range of the slowly rousing monk. Sometime, he just didn't know when to quit. Tenacity was only a good thing when applied to the right purposes. Unfortunately, Miroku hadn't as yet found one to suit him besides groping and indecently propositioning women.

Yumi stared up at the warrior woman who had clobbered the man in purple that couldn't seem to behave himself. The girl really wouldn't mind helping prepare dinner, in fact she felt kind of bad that she hadn't already started. It was her home after all, and as rare as guest were, her mama had taught her to be a proper hostess. But she was afraid of what these strangers would do if she offered her help. It wasn't like they had met under normal circumstances.

Her timidity was overcome the moment the little mole realized the strangers intended to use the small cooking dishes that they brought with them instead of her mother's larger pots and pans, which would save cooking time. It would take them forever to cook dinner for everybody with those pans and her family was sure to be the last fed. Yumi was quite hungry already and didn't think she could wait that long.

Never underestimate hunger as a motivator in a child. Yumi flew over to where the dish was stashed, which was strange because moles aren't known for flight. The movement startled both her family and Inuyasha, causing one to shout and the other to growl. In the end, Kagome merely thanked the girl and gave her something to do to help the meal preparations further along.

"Just because you helped, doesn't mean you'll get fed," Inuyasha growled.

"Osuwari!" Kagome added her own growl. "She will be fed and you will not threaten her that way!"

"I must concur with Kagome," Miroku added gently "the children should not be denied sustenance. Aki would not wish us to deprive them in such a way."

"The only fault of Yumi and Youta is that they had not realized the danger to Aki being unable to act on her own," Sango pointed out. "Tell me how many children you know their age that would have made the necessary connection without coaching."

Inuyasha growled something unintelligible and quite possibly obscene.

"By your own argument, their father could do without a meal or two," Kikyou pointed out. "He cannot use youth to defend his actions."

"No dinner for him!" Shippou gleefully declared.

"No!" Kagome shouted. "You said to let Aki deal out their punishment, so only Aki can decide that!"

"Here's a compromise," Fred cut in. "Treat him like a prisoner. Give him bland but filling food like plain rice or ramen noodles without the seasoning."

"No ramen!" Inuyasha bellowed.

Kagome rolled her eyes, "Nobody is going to give away your stupid ramen. If you don't settle down even you won't get any!"

"I'm rather taken with that idea, Fred," Miroku talked calmly over the building argument.

"I like Kagome's idea of not making Ramen," Sango shrugged as she prepped some soft rice to be spoon fed to Aki. "Even bland rice sounds more appealing."

"Careful Sango," Miroku smirked. "You wouldn't want Inuyasha to hear such blasphemy."

"Hey Kagome," Sango called as Yumi revealed the Mole family's stored food. "What do you say we make a real dinner out of what's here?"

"Sounds Great!" Kagome replied brightly. "Inuyasha can eat his stupid ramen and Aki can share her soft rice with Yumi and Youta's father."

"Don't let the youkai Lord hear the word 'share' used in the same sentence as Aki and her tormentor," Kikyou advised.

"Tormentor is a bit strong," Kagome muttered.

"No it isn't!" Fred stated heatedly. "What would you call involuntary starvation, sleep deprivation and constant manipulation if not torment?"

Kagome scoffed, "that definition makes Naraku sound cuddly and Inuyasha into our tormentor."

"What!" Inuyasha barked.

"Ah, Kagome-sama presents a tantalizing argument," Miroku pondered admiringly. "Inuyasha often drives us past meal times leaving us too weary to eat and without rest in pursuit of Naraku. He manipulates us by using constant reminders as to what Naraku has already done to us and what he might currently be doing to others."

"Whereas Naraku only manipulates us using clearly visible tools," Sango picked up the monk's thought. "Such as my brother and the saimyoushi."

"I am not worse than Naraku!" Inuyasha hollered indignantly.

"We didn't say you were. We were simply exploring how Fred's definition of torment applies to our situation," Miroku soothed the hanyou.

"The difference," Fred growled, "is that Inuyasha's behavior does not ultimately cause you more harm than good and is based solely on his impatience, whereas the mole's spell would have eventually killed Aki very slowly simply because he desired to use her for his own purposes."

"And that lands him on par with Naraku," Kikyou observed. "If Inuyasha could leave you out of the hunt he would, but the mole youkai never considered other options."

"Papa was afraid," Yumi cried, tears glistening in her eyes. "Naraku had already killed mama and two of my brothers."

Kagome pulled the girl into a hug. "Does Aki know this?" she asked gently.

Yumi nodded. "The first night I talked with her was after a nightmare about it. I waned to talk about mama, but papa never did and Youta didn't understand like mama would have."

"Not like Aki understood," Fred nodded. "Like Azusa and Rin and Sango and Shippou and Inuyasha and Miroku and Kagome and to a lesser extent Sesshoumaru would understand."

"Huh?" Shippou demanded.

"All have lost something to Naraku or the Shikon no Tama and all have not desired to forget about it or that which was lost," Kikyou explained "instead they use the memory as a reason to continue, to work towards making it so that others will not suffer the same. Aki is the only exception because it is not the Shikon or Naraku in specific that caused her loss, but she treated it the same."

"What aren't you included in that list Kikyou?" Shippou asked in confusion.

"Because I am not alive," Kikyou answered succinctly as she picked up the bowl of soft rice meant for Aki. "Come on ghost, lets go see if we can feed Aki while she sleeps. I will send the girls out for the meal. It would be wise to keep them from returning again tonight." The miko advised before opening the door and stepping into the room haunted by Sesshoumaru's growling.

"What did Sesshoumaru lose?" Shippou asked quietly.

"It's not what he lost Shippou, but what he nearly lost," Miroku replied. "Though if things keep up like this, he really will lose it."

Sango shook her head and helped Kagome serve up dinner. What Sesshoumaru was likely to lose would affect them all should it come to pass, and not in a good way.