Author's Note: I've never gotten so many reviews before, thank you. I'm very appreciative.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Ponder

Kagome awoke the next morning. A content sigh was released from her mouth before she slowly opened her eyes. Kagome propped herself against the cold wooden tree that she had slept against that night with Darien next to her holding her against the cold night. Shippo was sleeping against Kagome's chest. They were still covered with Kagome's blue blanket. There were gray clouds in the sky, looking as if it was going to rain. Beside her Darien stirred and lifted himself up yawning and rubbing his eyes. He gave Kagome a half grin when he noticed she was up.

"Morning, Kagome." Darien whispered getting up off the ground, bringing Kagome up with him, Shippo was cradled against Kagome's chest.

Kagome smiled at him. "Good morning, Darien. Where's Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked noticing that the Demon Lord was missing.

Sesshomaru left the still sleeping couple and kitsune to find Rin and Jaken at the camp he had left them off into the forest to find the power he had felt at InuYasha's forest. He soon found the scent of who he was looking for. He stopped at a lake on the edge of the forest.

"Lord Sesshomaru you're back!" A little voice cried. He looked down to see Rin running up to him smiling with a handful of fish.

"I caught some fish to eat, My Lord while I was waiting for you to come back from your meeting with your brother."

"Where's Jaken?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Down the river trying to fish" Rin said giggling then turned her attention somebody screaming and then a demon landed behind Sesshomaru with a girl behind his back.

Kagome hurried and got off of Darien scowling at him as Shippo jumped off of Kagome's shoulder yawning and stretching.

"What?" Darien said trying to look innocent as Kagome readjusted her backpack.

"Lord Sesshomaru, if I didn't know any better I would think you was trying to ditch us." Darien said grinning as Sesshomaru turned his attention back to Rin.

"This Sesshomaru has matters to attend to as I'm a Lord and will not have to wait upon your awakenings." Sesshomaru said stepping into the clearing as Jaken came from the river soak and wet, "Jaken"

"Yes My Lord" Jaken replied shocked to see a younger version of Lord Sesshomaru behind him along with InuYasha's wench.

"Make something to eat for Rin then prepare to leave camp." Sesshomaru replied walking away from the group.

"Geeze, not even a good morning, or how are you doing? Are you sure we're in relations?" Darien asked Kagome out loud.

"Do be aware that I have good hearing." Sesshomaru said from behind him.

"I should think so, I did say my words pretty loudly. One would think you were deaf if you did not hear them." Darien replied back as Sesshomaru disappeared in the forest.

"Will you stop provoking him, Darien!" Kagome hissed at him as Darien rolled his eyes. Shippo went to gather wood.

"The big grump needs to learn how to loosen up, like learning how to laugh a little. Enjoy life while it's young." Darien shrugged his shoulders yawning once more.

"Lord Sesshomaru doesn't have time to 'enjoy life' as you put it, he probably has better things to do." Kagome replied.

"Are you one of Lord Sesshomaru's brothers?" Rin asked Darien with a confused expression on her face. "Lord Sesshomaru only spoke of one brother, InuYasha or are you his son?" Rin asked excitedly this time.

Darien's eyes got huge at the very thought while Kagome laughed by his side.

"We are very, very, vvvvery, very, 'very', distant relatives." Darien replied as Rin looked cheerful at the prospect then frowned.

"Are you like InuYasha?" Rin asked him as Kagome went to help Shippo prepare a fire.

"What do you mean?" Darien asked confused.

"Do you hate Lord Sesshomaru?"

Darien laughed at this.

"No I don't hate Lord Sesshomaru, but he most likely hates me." Darien replied as Rin smiled up at him.

"Lord Sesshomaru needs a friend, when I see him sometimes he looks lonely. He needs somebody that he can relate to and knows him well. Since you two are related you two can be friends and Lord Sesshomaru won't be so lonely." Rin said happily walking away making Darien smirk. The little girl was cute.

Lord Sesshomaru getting along with him? Yea right!

"Sesshomaru's lonely?" Darien whispered to himself watching Kagome argue with Jaken about the food. "Hmmm." Darien could feel Sesshomaru staring at him and chose to ignore him. Whatever Sesshomaru had to say to him he could come down from the stupid tree and say it.

"Kagome I want shrimp Ramen!" Darien said walking towards the group as Kagome rolled his eyes at him.

Sesshomaru sat up high on one of the tree branches watching the group, gathering in his own thoughts in the process. It was amazing how much Darien reminded him of himself at his age, only he didn't speak his thoughts out loud like Darien did, he kept them to himself. He knew better than to voice his own opinions when he was Darien's age, his father taught him better than that while he was still alive along with his mother. How Darien was raised was another thing itself. He was obviously raised free willed and care free. He was indeed lucky on how he was raised and the environment. Would he Sesshomaru have turned out the same way?

Sesshomaru frowned. He didn't care. He didn't. He was fine with his life and could care less about Darien's.

Sesshomaru groaned and looked back at the campsite to see Rin walking away from Darien. Why had he accepted Darien's proposal? As if he need another InuYasha in his presence. Sesshomaru groaned again. InuYasha. He had taken InuYasha's wench with him! Had he gone mad? Was he getting soft? Darien though, liked the miko for some odd reason. A 'miko', that should definitely not be allowed, but it wasn't like he could stop it if he tried. He watched as Kagome took one of Darien's shrimp from his food and put it in hers when Darien wasn't looking. Shippo grinned up at her and went back to talking with Rin. He watched as Darien scowled when he realized he had fewer shrimp left in his noodles and stared at a giggling Kagome.

Why was Darien so fond of her? What was so special about the miko? Sesshomaru couldn't see 'anything' special about her. She looked like any other human. Black hair, still nothing special, blue eyes, well that was unusual but not special, She's got porcelain skin, who could stand that? He listened as Darien started tickling Kagome. She's got the cutest laugh I ever heard Sesshomaru mused than repent himself. The sooner they were gone, the better! They were already making him go crazy and it has barely been a day yet.

Sesshomaru jumped down the tree just as Kagome came up to him and grabbed is arm. "Do not touch this Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru snapped at her as Kagome immediately let go. She had completely forgot about Sesshomaru's personality after chasing away from Darien.

"I'm sorry, I was just going to ask you to join us in breakfast." Kagome said as Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at her.

"Don't be a grouch, just come and eat with us." Darien said from behind Kagome making her visibly relax at hearing his voice.

"You are treading on thin line, Darien. This Sesshomaru does not eat 'human' food." Sesshomaru replied walking past them.

"Kagome make sure I cut my tongue out before I ask Sesshomaru if he wants anything. Kami knows it'll kill him if he eats with us." Darien replied rolling his eyes at a smirking Kagome.

Sesshomaru rolled his own eyes at Darien's words, but luckily nobody was there to witness Sesshomaru showing signs of amusement from his dispassionate mask that he keeps up all the time. 'Spoiled brat' Sesshomaru thought coming to the campsite just as Jaken was cleaning everything up.

"We are leaving." Was all Sesshomaru said before calling for Ah-Uh.

"Where are we going?" Darien asked him as Rin ran towards the dragon.

"The weather has canceled our training session for today, so we are going to my castle to train in my dojo. Do not speak to this Sesshomaru unless spoken to." Sesshomaru replied as Darien scowled behind him.

"Hi Ah-Uh." Rin said hugging the dragon.

"How are we getting to your castle?" Darien asked ignoring Sesshomaru's warning as Shippo came up towards Kagome scowling at an irritated Jaken as he started climbing on top of Ah-Uh.

Kagome gasped as Sesshomaru was in Darien's face in mere seconds about to lash out at him, but Darien had seen it coming and had jumped in the air and did a back flip growling. 'Darien growls?' Kagome thought to herself amused. Shippo had hid behind Kagome through the whole commotion.

"Did this Sesshomaru not warn you not to speak unless spoken to?" Sesshomaru sneered at him.

"Whatever, come on Kagome. I already know where the castle is." Darien replied grabbing his bag where the group had sat eating.

Kagome looked between a heated Darien and 'I could care less' Sesshomaru. Shippo shrugged his shoulders when Kagome looked down at him for advice. Kagome then sighed.

"Darien…"

"You are 'so' taking his side!" Darien argued with Kagome as they walked through the forest Shippo beside them rolling his eyes at the couple. Sesshomaru, Rin, and Jaken were probably already at the castle while they slowly made their progress there.

"I'm not taking anybody's side! I came with you didn't I! Stubborn brat!" Kagome retorted.

"You know you didn't want to come with me!" Darien countered back.

"Who would want to walk miles into the forest to reach Sesshomaru's castle? We could have gotten there quicker if we would have went with Sesshomaru." Kagome replied.

"It's raining." Shippo replied smirking when Kagome gave Darien a dirty look.

"I hope you're happy!" Kagome snapped at him.

"Yes Kagome I'm happy! Happy, happy, happy, happy, 'happy'! I could do a dance, that's just how happy I am!" Darien snapped sarcastically back at her.

"Why don't we go in that cave till the rain passes?" Shippo suggested as it started thundering.

Kagome sighed pulling her white hood from her jacket over her head.

"Where is it?" Darien asked him as Shippo pointed towards it.

"Come on." Darien replied pulling Kagome's hand as they made their way towards the cave. Shippo smiled at them, they sure were a weird couple. He liked that Darien could make Kagome smile and laugh a lot. She rarely did that around InuYasha.

"Shippo!" Kagome called for him.

"Coming." Shippo raced towards them.

"Do you think anybody is in here?" Kagome whispered to Darien sticking close to him inside the dark cave.

"I don't sense any aurora in here, how about you?" Darien asked her.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked confused.

"You 'are' a miko aren't you?" Darien grinned at her.

"I'm not a good one."

"That's not true! You're good Kagome." Shippo defended her.

Kagome just shrugged her shoulders.

"Hmm… well do you feel my energy? Or Shippo's?" Darien asked her.

"Uhm…" Kagome frowned; she never tried to feel anybody's energy before.

"How about we play a game of hide and seek when the rain clears up and you can try and find us through are different auroras." Darien replied walking ahead, checking the cave out.

"Ooo! That sounds like fun!" Shippo said excitedly as the cave echoed Shippo's words.

Kagome grinned down at him.

"Wow!" Shippo said as the cave said the same thing.

"Can we live here?" Shippo asked Kagome as she laughed.

"Hey guys! Come check this out!" Darien shouted from up ahead.

"What is it, Darien?" Kagome asked as Shippo raced ahead.

Kagome had to touch the walls of the cave as her sight wasn't as good as Darien's and Shippo's, but then their was a bit of light coming from somewhere making a bit easier for her to see. Kagome gasped.

To Be Continued…

A/N I hope you guys wont be too disappointed when I don't update right away. I'm working on it.