Playing tag you're it with your feelings and pouncing on the unexpected.


"I can't believe how fast he is growing." Kagome huffed as she put Haru down in the grass. The group was stopping for lunch and Kagome was just about exhausted carrying a squirming infant. Now whenever she held him he whined, because he wanted to crawl on his own. Without the words to express himself he often howled and sometimes even tried to nip at her when she refused to let him down. The pace of the group didn't allow Kagome the luxury of letting Haru crawl and he was too stubborn to sit with anyone else.

After battling with Haru all day Kagome finally convinced Inuyasha to take a much needed break.

"Well he is a demon. They grow fast when they're little." Sango smiled at her friend as Kagome sat down resting her sore feet and arms.

"His size wouldn't matter so much if he didn't fight me! Ever since he started crawling he just takes off and I…" Kagome groaned as she stretched out her back her eyes going wide instantly. Turning her head from left to right she snapped up looking for her precocious son. She had set him down for only a second to prepare his bottle and he had wandered off.

"Sango, did you see where he went?" Kagome asked frantically searching behind her back and darting up to look around the others.

"I'm sure he couldn't have gotten far!" Sango claimed and turned to drag the rest of the group into their search. Being a common occurrence these days everyone groaned and began to search. If Sesshomaru had been around Kagome would have just yelled at him to find the wandering pup, but he had already gone to establish a border around their campsite.

"How can you keep losing him?" Inuyasha snapped as he tried to sniff the pup out. Haru had just started crawling which meant he was nowhere close to being potty trained yet, much to Inuyasha's chagrin. Fortunately it left his scent easy to pick out even for Inuyasha's less sensitive nose.

"I can't find him, the brat's stink is everywhere." Inuyasha sat down and crossed his legs and arms as he turned his nose into the air. Rolling her eyes, Kagome was just about to snap at him when Shippo beat her to it.

"Maybe that's because it's your stink!" Sticking out his tongue, the kitsune kit had only enough time to yelp before he had to run, Inuyasha thundering after him.

"Guys! Come on, we have to find Haru!" Kagome groaned, irritated at having lost the pup again. She was beginning to widen her search to outside their immediate campsite, but being in a small clearing within a forest he could be anywhere.

Sesshomaru entered the clearing watching the group spread out and searching nearby bushes and trees. It didn't take him more than a moment to figure out that they had misplaced the pup again.

"Sesshomaru! Have you seen Haru?" Kagome looked relieved to see him. Her question begged him to find the pup and her features seemed scrunched in worry.

The lord however was unperturbed. He would have sensed any danger to the young pup. Lifting his nose to the air it took him only a moment to sniff out the pup as the boy had yet to learn to control his scent. When he turned his head in the direction of the pup's freshest scent, what he saw amused him.

Rin was looking in a bush for him with the pup watching her from behind. Eyes narrowed and shoulders hunched the pup prowled closer while Rin remained unaware. The miko moved to get him but Sesshomaru stopped her and motioned for her to be quiet.

With speed the pup lunged and pawed at the little girl scaring her. After she let out a yelp, Rin turned to look at Haru with relief.

"Haru! There you are." Rin called when the pup began to playfully nip at her.

Moving forward Sesshomaru grabbed the pup by the scruff of his neck and held him back as Rin rubbed her arm where a small drop of blood pooled from the bite mark.

Sesshomaru held open the pup's mouth and looked inside and showed it to Kagome.

"He is teething. He will need meat for his meals from now on." Setting the pup into Kagome's arms he turned away then as Kagome looked at Rin with worry.

"What did he do to Rin?" Rin asked as she rubbed at her arm, frowning. Pressing down on the bite mark, she tried to stop the flow of blood.

"He was practicing to pounce. He does not understand Rin is a ningen. You will have to teach him now that he is starting to grow fangs and claws." Sesshomaru's eyes met Kagome's as she nodded. Hesitantly she looked down to Haru who gave a grin of pride as if showing off his latest kill. Sure enough in those pink gums two small white fangs were peeking through.

"I will go hunt now to gather some food. I will be back shortly." Sesshomaru said softly casting a warning glare in Haru's direction. Kagome sighed, watching the lord disappear and turned back to the group to lay Haru down. Instantly he started crawling away and Kagome had to reach for him to stop him. He squirmed at this as she sighed with fatigue and beckoned to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, can you play with him? Sesshomaru says he is starting to prowl. He wants to play but he will only hurt the rest of us." Inuyasha grinned, happy to help with the pup in some way. He had still yet to bond with him. It seemed the only ones Haru gravitated towards were Sesshomaru, Rin, and Kagome. Sesshomaru mentioned it having something to do with pack instincts, but Kagome did not understand.

Haru brought much joy to Kagome. She enjoyed taking care of him and loved his happy smiles and coos when he would babble to her. He was developing quickly as Sesshomaru said was typical of full blooded demon children and she couldn't help think that the great lord was growing fond of the boy.

Thinking back to his over protectiveness of Haru just a few months earlier, Kagome knew Sesshomaru had to care on some level for Haru. Other than that episode, there was nothing in particular about Sesshomaru's attitude that made Kagome think that he was affectionate to the boy except that he had been less gruff. It seemed his curiosity had won over and he even enjoyed being a pack leader. Of course, Kagome was reluctant to assume anything where the great lord was concerned. Even after all this time, she was careful in her judgment of him.

Her new adoptive daughter, however, was easier to read. Rin had always admired Sesshomaru, but now her adoration grew by bounds. She loved watching the attention he gave to Haru and to herself as a result. Kagome only hoped she would not become jealous of the attention Haru received.

Shippo had already become terser with Kagome lately, taking on the mannerisms of Inuyasha to her chagrin. Kagome tried to give him more time and attention, but he shirked away from her attempts. However, with Haru busy with Inuyasha, Kagome sought out Shippo hoping she would catch him at a good time.

"Rin, where's Shippo?" Rin looked around before pointing to the far end of their small campsite where Shippo was sitting with his back turned to the group staring over a hill.

Without hesitation, Kagome walked up the hill to the spot next to Shippo and sat down. She didn't know how to broach the subject of his insecurities and instead hoped he would give her the opportunity.

After a few minutes of silence passed, Kagome tried to break the silence.

"Did you finish that coloring book I gave you?" She asked sweetly hoping he wouldn't catch on to her prying. The wind blew past them freeing her hair from the back of her neck and cooling her skin. Beside her Shippo shrugged and looked down.

"Shippo is everything alright?" Kagome couldn't handle the tension anymore and she blurted out her daring question. The fox kit beside her jerked at the suddenness of her inquiry his eyes going wide. Again he shook his head, this time more forcefully as if trying to deny the answer to himself.

"Shippo, if there's something bothering you, I hope you know you can always talk to me. I will try my best to help you in any way I can, but I can't do that unless you tell me what's bothering you." Her words were nowhere near as fluid and thoughtful as she remembered her mother's being. There was something about Kagome's mother that made you want to tell everything that was in your heart because even if you knew logically there may be nothing she could do, you still felt better afterwards. Kagome, however, had neither the experience nor the skill that her mother had and she was still learning as she went. She only hoped she wouldn't push Shippo away forever.

"Why do you care so much about Haru anyways?" Shippo finally said. His voice struck Kagome as terrifying as he sounded so injured and jealous. Kagome gulped hoping she could get him to see the truth without messing everything up.

"I care about Haru as much as I care about you and Rin." She was caught off by a growl that came from her adoptive son's throat.

"That's not true! You only spend time with Haru! It's always about Haru! You used to…"

"Shippo stop! Just because I spend time with someone else doesn't mean I like them more than you. Do you think I like Sesshomaru more than you?" The little fox looked stumped then, his eyebrow's furrowing together as he tried to think an answer to her question. After a few seconds he sighed.

"Well no, but that's different…" Kagome sighed as Shippo trailed off, his beautiful green eyes refusing to meet hers.

Moving closer, Kagome reached out her arms and enveloped Shippo in them. Even if he was mad at her Shippo loved her hugs and he couldn't refuse her affections.

"Shippo, no one will ever replace you in my heart. That's the wonderful thing about hearts, there is always room for more and they can keep growing and growing. I will try my hardest to spend more time with you, just you and me. We can even start right now! Inuyasha is busy with Haru and Rin is picking flowers for Jaken. So what do you want to do?" It took Shippo a moment but finally he turned to Kagome and grinned a mischievous smile that reminded her of his sly nature as a fox demon.

For the rest of the hour that Sesshomaru was gone, he practiced his demon abilities showing her how he had been trying to improve so he could protect her better. Kagome smiled at his enthusiasm and played hide and seek with him, putting his stalking skills to the test.

Eventually Haru came and began pouncing on Shippo practicing his growing skills on the fox kit. Shippo was hesitant at first but eventually he took it upon himself to teach his adoptive brother about demon stalking and how to do it properly on an unsuspecting Jaken.

A few narrow escapes and a head full of flowers later Jaken lay slumped on the ground, exhausted from running around and being the bait at the whim of the children. Even Inuyasha had taken a secret delight in taunting the poor river imp.

They all had to stop playing when Sesshomaru came back to the campsite with a large mammal hanging across his shoulder, its neck carefully slashed with a neat cut.

Kagome's eyes widened with Haru's as they stared at the carcass. But where hers were with mortification, his was full of hunger. He instantly began squirming from her arms and she nearly dropped him when he bit his sharp little teeth into her arm. Exclaiming to herself Haru began to crawl towards the meat until Sesshomaru stopped him with a deep growl.

Worriedly, the boy stopped and sat staring at the meat hungrily. He whimpered lifting his eyes up to Sesshomaru. His wide eyes full of pleas, Sesshomaru growled at him again flashing his teeth to the pup in warning.

Eying the boy dangerously Sesshomaru turned to Kagome and looked at her arm where the boy had bit her. Taking hold of her pale skinned limb he inspected the wound and saw how deep it was. It was unlike Rin's, which had been just a nibble. This was a deep bite, the small puncture wounds dipping into her flesh and causing droplets of blood to bubble up.

It would seem Sesshomaru would have to watch the pup more closely now.

Leaning forward, instinct took over and he reached out with his tongue and licked at Kagome's wound. As soon as the rough touch of his tongue met her soft flesh, he felt the girl stiffen under his grip and the sweet smell of arousal and fear filled his nostrils. When he was finished licking, the wound seemed but a dream with only a slim red tint to her arm and the quickly drying sticky wetness from his saliva. He looked up to meet Kagome's sky blue eyes before turning back to the pup.

Haru had remained obedient sitting quietly beside the animal, but his eyes were focused on the thick flanks that called to him. Sesshomaru sat beside him and carefully and slowly began to skin the carcass. The pup whimpered until Sesshomaru eyed him dangerously and then he quieted.

As Kagome looked to her arm a shiver went through her body as she touched the unmarred skin, feeling the smooth surface. The cut was completely gone now with only the remainder dried blood to signal it had ever been.

"This Sesshomaru's saliva has healing properties." He said before she could even open her mouth. She turned then to Haru and again Sesshomaru anticipated her.

"He is teething. He will begin to yearn for meat and become aggressive to get it. You must discipline him and teach him to be patient and wait his turn. In a pack, the alphas are given the right to eat the kills of the pack first. They may or may not choose to feed the young first. Either way, Haru must wait until you offer him his turn. As his alpha it is your right." Sesshomaru looked to the boy who was staring wide eyed at the food as Sesshomaru cut off a slice of lean meat and offered it to Kagome. Knowing the miko's distress to raw foods he beckoned her closer.

"You must take the meat first miko, to show him it is your right as alpha to choose." Kagome looked at the bloody morsel shaped into a small and delicate piece that would fit into the infant's mouth and be easy for him to chew. She suddenly understood what she was supposed to do. It was just like training an animal and although she felt some disgust having to treat a humanoid being in such a way she could see the implication.

Sitting down she took the meat into her hand and then beckoned to Haru who crawled over to her side quickly. He reached for the bite of meat greedily, but she pulled him back making him realize that he had to wait until the food was offered instead of just assuming he would receive the meal. When he calmed and realized he had to wait only then did she take a small bite of the meat and then handed the rest to Haru.

The pup let out a small squeal of pleasure and began to suck and nibble on the raw piece of meat. His tiny fangs barely punctured the flesh and so he took to sucking out its red juices. Kagome nearly gagged as the blood began to drip down the sides of his lips. He smiled at her and she gave a weak smile back.

When Kagome turned back to Sesshomaru she saw he was regarding her with what seemed to be pride on his features.

"You handled yourself well, miko." He said and she nearly beamed at the compliment.

If only she were youkai.

I want. She smells sweet and takes care of young ones. One day it will be our young…

His beast was cut off quickly before the thought could continue. He was a daiyoukai after all and to lose control over one's beast was a sign of weakness.

Silence. She is still human.

I no longer care. The beast huffed like a spoiled child, but remained quiet thereafter, leaving Sesshomaru to ponder its meaning.

His beast was beginning to worry Sesshomaru. As a rule of thumb his beast was always the most instinctual of his soul, and did not usually lead him astray. Now however, his beast kept him awake with impure thoughts of the miko and it was becoming more difficult to suppress his primal urges.

Kagome had taken to nuzzling Haru like an inu letting her scent linger on the pup. She had even begun picking up on Sesshomaru's pack habits. Like a true inu female she normally deferred to him in all aspects of Haru's life, taking his words into deep consideration. She followed his instructions and urgings down to the letter with sometimes a ningen twist.

Despite his initial reluctance to protect the pup, he had grown mildly attached to the young one. The pup showed a certain deviousness Sesshomaru found amusing. Haru also seemed to be quite intelligent in obeying Sesshomaru as a true pack member would. The inuyoukai rarely ever had to tell the boy twice or raise his voice beyond the deep rumble of a warning growl.

He took this to be a good sign of Kagome's abilities. He found through observation a pup often resembled a bitch in mannerisms, looking to his mother for acceptance and guidance and to the father for discipline. Kagome had taught him well.

This role of a family he had placed himself in seemed to suit Sesshomaru. He was finding it more and more acceptable to him and soon his thoughts were turning to the time when he would have pups of his own. He would wish to have a mate like Kagome, one that was strong, motherly, and caring.

His eyes had somehow worked their way back to Kagome's form as she began to clean some meat to cook and he found his beast purring. Aghast at the sound his inner self was making, he tore his eyes away from the ningen, reminding himself that they were weak and worthless. Their bodies could not even sustain their souls for a century. They were nothing but trouble.

He found himself growling at such thoughts and stalked off leaving the carcass to the rest of the group. He would come back later and take his fill if any were left. If not he would feed later.

As he made his way into the woods, Rin stopped him, running up to him with her ponytail bouncing on top of her head.

"Sesshomaru-sama. Rin does not want to you leave. Rin wants Sesshomaru-sama to stay with mama. Rin knows he cares for mama." Her small innocent face looked up to him hopefully as he glared back at her. Never one to be frightened by the demon, Rin stood her ground until Sesshomaru told the girl to return back to camp. She nodded and followed his directions, a smile on her face as she skipped back to Kagome.


A few days later Sesshomaru found Haru trying to pounce again but this time the demon boy's eyes were beginning to grow red. He had not expected the youkai pup to give in to his demon side so soon and he mentally scolded himself for being so ill attentive to the boy's aura. Taking the pup by his neck he calmed the squealing infant and fed his aura knowing it would calm him for the time being. Soon the boy would have to deal with his inner demon but until then he would try to satisfy the pup's aura so his inner beast would remain content.


A/N: Please review!