"Mama!" Kagome called walking into the house, grocery bags in hand.

She received no answer which surprised her to say the least. Walking through the silent house she found she couldn't even hear the normal sounds of Souta's video games from his bedroom. Instantly on high alert she regretted not letting Kurama walk her into the house before he left to go get his friend Hiei. She also regretted not taking the time working to gain her powers back. As quietly as she could she crept into the kitchen, keeping a close eye out for anything strange. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed her mothers hand written message on the fridge.

Kagome,


In case you get home before I do, I ran Souta to a friends house.

Grandpa is playing go at the club like usual and don't forget I'll need you to

help me this weekend for the Sanno Festival.

Love Always,

Mama

Kagome couldn't help but sigh as she remembered her mother reminding her earlier that the festival was coming up soon. She would have to dress traditionally which normally wouldn't be a problem, but they didn't have a kimono to fit her as she was now. Frowning down at her belly she placed a hand over her belly button sadly.

"You just keep getting me into more and more trouble little one. I can only imagine the nine kinds of hell you're going to raise when you grow up," she said lovingly with a knowing smile.

"Hello?" a timid voice called from the entrance way. "Kagome?"

Confused and not recognizing the voice Kagome poked her head out of the kitchen and looked down the hall to see a young woman with long brown hair looking around worriedly biting her lower lip.

"Can I help you?" Kagome asked stepping into the hallway startling the young woman.

"Oh! I'm Keiko, Yusuke's sent me over here saying that you might need help for this sudden meeting tonight," Keiko introduced with a polite bow from her waist.

Kagome smiled brightly, "Great! Come on in and I'll put you to work!"

Keiko grinned and hurried into the kitchen. From what little Botan and Yukina had told her about the girl, she was excited to get to know the only woman to ever be with Kurama as they knew him now. She was met with an apron to the face which had been carelessly tossed over Kagome's shoulder when she heard the girl enter the room. Quickly she tied on her own paisley apron before facing Keiko who was finishing tying hers on as well.

"So, you're with the street punk right?" Kagome asked letting her hair down only to retie all of it back up on top of her head so it was out of her way.

"I was, but we broke up a few months ago, though we're still really good friends," Keiko replied honestly, "I'm surprised his reputation still precedes him."

Kagome laughed, "No, I met him once before. He actually reminds me a lot of an old friend of mine."

"Really? Was your friend a hot headed pervert too?" Keiko giggled pulling her own long hair into a neat braid with swift fingers.

"Not so much a pervert but a hot head definitely!" Kagome answered. "How'd you learn to do that so quickly?"

"My parents own a restaurant so when I was younger I would sometimes have to come downstairs from our apartment to help out during dinner if we were getting too busy," Keiko said moving closer to Kagome. "Where do we start?"

Together the girls worked quickly using the various ingredients that Kagome had brought home as well as making a few extra dishes since Keiko knew a few members wouldn't have had a chance to have dinner and would want an actual meal rather than just snacks. They were joined midway by Kagome's mother arrival back home, but she had promptly disappeared with a few packages upstairs. Keiko greeted an ever as confused as always Kuwabara at the door followed by a worried looking Yukina. Kagome showed them into the dinning room where they had just laid out all the freshly prepared food.

"Uh, you're Kuwabara, right?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"The one and only!" Kuwabara replied. "I'm surprised you don't remember me," he said disappointingly.

"I didn't forget you silly, I just wanted to be sure I remembered your name," Kagome replied with a warm smile. "I've been meeting a lot of Kurama's friends quickly and at different times so I don't want to get anyone mixed up!"

"Then let me formally introduce myself," he declared striking a pose with one finger in the air. "I am Kazuma Kuwabara! Defender of justice and rescuers of beautiful maidens like my lovely Yukina, right here!" he shouted animatedly before pointing down to where Yukina had just been moments before. "Yukina?"

Kagome laughed uncomfortably, "Uh, maybe she slipped off to the bathroom?" she suggested. "I'll go find her!"

With that she skillfully darted from the room just as Keiko was showing Yusuke inside narrowly avoiding colliding with the young man, before sliding the door shut with a sigh. Keiko and Yusuke shared a knowing look before giggling at the flustered girl.

"Is he always that enthusiastic?" she hissed while Yukina appeared from the kitchen holding a tray of vegetables in one hand while munching on a carrot stick in the other.

"He's calmed down quite a bit since we were younger but yeah," Yusuke laughed. "You get used to it after a while or you just start punching him in the head."

"Seriously?" Kagome questioned in disbelief before shaking her head. "Has anyone heard from Kurama or Botan?"

"Not since she came to tell me about the meeting," Yusuke replied thoughtfully. "She said something about picking up some dessert since I guess this has turned into a party as much as a meeting."

"Yusuke, it's a little hard not to have so many people over and not call it a party and besides the only reason we made food was number one so you wouldn't raid poor Kagome's fridge and number two because of the short notice," Keiko explained with a sigh. "Just go eat before Kuwabara hordes down all the pizza."

"Pizza?" Yusuke grinned stepping into the room quickly closing the door behind him.

Kagome sighed and winced as the baby moved inside her again narrowly missing one of her more sore spots instead catching the side of what she was sure to be her kidneys. Both Yukina and Keiko noticed and glanced at one another worriedly before looking back to the dark haired girl leaning against the wall with a hand on her belly.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" Yukina asked setting the plate of veggies on a nearby side table. "Is the baby hurting you?"

"I'm sure it's just nothing," Kagome admonished waving their concern off. "I'm just too human, I suppose."

"Too human?" Keiko questioned. "How can you be too human?"

"I'm more fragile than a demon, though I'm trying to carry a demon's baby," Kagome answered. "My friend Sango, told me that usually it's very hard to carry a half demon baby because a human body can't handle the strength or energy of the baby."

"Sounds like your friend was very knowledgeable in birthing half demons," Yukina commented reaching out for Kagome to check on her.

"More like she was very knowledgeable in killing them," Kagome replied sadly. "She was a demon slayer and had to deal with raped women who became pregnant by evil demons. She said the child that was produced because of that type of copulation would also be evil and eat its way out of the mother if not taken care of, though it still made her sad to have to kill a child, even that of a demon."

Yukina raised her eyebrows, "A slayer who feels pity for the demons she kills? That's unheard of," she said lifting up Kagome's shirt. "My goodness why didn't you say something sooner about this?"

"I thought it was normal," Kagome replied quickly pushing her shirt back down.

Yukina was about to say more when the front door opened again and they heard Kurama announcing he had found Hiei. A moment later saw him at the end of the hallway looking at them strangely. Kagome smiled and excused herself to the kitchen claiming she had forgotten the drinks which Kurama found to be all the more suspicious as she rushed past him leaving Yukina reaching out for her uncertainly. Shaking her head with a sigh Keiko glanced at Yukina with a nod before going into the dining room to make sure the boys hadn't ate everything in sight.

"Yukina, what's going on?" Kurama asked concerned.

"Nothing, just normal girl stuff, but I think I'll go and help Kagome carry the drinks, excuse me," she replied with a uncertain smile before stepping past him like his mate had just done.

"She's lying," Hiei stated flatly.

"Yes, but why?" Kurama asked staring off after the two women just as Hiei was.

"She's worried for your mate, but doesn't want you to be concerned," was his only answer before the fire apparition moved into the dining room.

The next ten minutes or so saw that everyone of the normal group was situated around the table and chowing down happily including Botan who had brought a dozen delicious looking cup cakes. Talk began almost immediately about all their past enemies, but Kagome only half listened. The only real enemy she had ever faced was Naraku and he was dead so as far as these new random enemies she didn't have a clue. Sitting comfortably on her cushion she merely played with her bowl of rice though no one really noticed, not even Kurama.

She hated feeling like this. Here she was in a crowded room yet she felt so alone. The only person she knew was Kurama sitting beside her and she didn't really know this new Kurama. The Kurama that was shy and reserved, unlike Youko who was always bold and brutally honest. She shifted on her heels beginning to feel the strain of the extra weight on her knees as she sat very proper like. Why was it she felt this upset? Sure, pregnancy caused random mood swings, but normally she had learned to control them for the most part, though her mother still caught the brunt of most of it. She faintly listened as she hear the conversation turn and soon she was filled with bitter anger.

"Naraku is dead," she said suddenly startling everyone into remembering she was there. "There's nothing left of him to be terrorizing anyone every again."

"But what if there was even a small piece of him like that creepy Toguro?" Kuwabara asked.

"NO!" Kagome snapped clenching her chopsticks in her fist. "I keep telling you people, he's gone! I was there I would know!"

"And we were there too when the Elder Toguro was supposedly destroyed and somehow he came back to life," Yusuke answered her just as vehemently.

"There are key differences between the destruction of Naraku and the destruction of the Toguro brothers, Yusuke," Kurama inserted calmly attempting to diffuse the situation.

"So then how the hell is this Naraku guy connected to all of us?" Kuwabara asked scratching his head dumbly. "That's the only part I don't understand."

"Botan, I believe this is your theory," Kurama said motioning to the blue haired deity across from him.

Botan nodded and sat up straight pushing her plate aside as she cleared her throat, "The first connection we draw Naraku to isn't to Kagome, but to Youko."

"How so? As I said I never faced him before he was destroyed," Kurama questioned inquisitively.

"Oh, but you did," Botan replied ominously. "Your clan was destroyed by a powerful horde of demons for your clans alchemical secrets."

Kurama nodded though his emerald eyes tinged gold around the edges of his iris', "Very few knew of the clans existence, however, I had brought unnecessary light upon them as a infamous thief."

"The demons were led by a traveler who had been in your village just months before," she explained. "It was a weakened half breed with bad burns across his body. Your clan healed him quickly, but he was left with a-"

"Spider shaped scar on his back," Kurama finished for her with wide eyes before he recomposed himself.

Botan nodded before continuing, "Next person to come into contact with him after that was Hiei, more specifically his father."

Kagome noticed that the indifferent midget like man that was Hiei look up for the first time from his corner closest to her and Kurama. He looked at Botan with a mildly interested look and Kagome realized that he reminded her a lot of the stoic Lord Sesshomaru.

"The reason why your father was so injured that he ran into your mother was because Naraku attempted to absorb him for his power some fifty or so years after the destruction of Youko's village," Botan continued. "Next was Yusuke's father, Raizen, who had already become a vegetarian at that point, by attempting to hire him to steal the Shikon Jewel, but Raizen refused, therefore Naraku manipulated a village of slayers to destroy his family. This is why he never sought you out, Yusuke, because by all accounts according to him you should have never been created.

"At this point he of course started hunting for the jewel shards, and the rest of the story Kagome knows better than me," Botan finished seriously.

"What about me?" Kuwabara asked. "I thought you said that this Naraku weirdo affected all of us."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Botan exclaimed with a huge grin. "Kagome, you might recognize his aura, but Kuwabara you're a descendant of the monk Miroku and demon slayer Sango."

"Are you serious?!" Kagome asked with a wide eyed expression.

"Mm-hm, so his gift is actually a bloodline trait," Botan nodded reaching for a cupcake. "So you see, Naraku is a common enemy to all of us, directly and indirectly, but since even spirit world acknowledges him as dead. So it's my theory that he had a child, or even a surviving creation that's wanting revenge for his death."

"But what the hell did that demon mean when he said we would be meeting for lunch?" Yusuke asked scratching his head sitting in between Yukina and Keiko.

"I think its a clue to when he'll be making his next move," Kurama said thoughtfully.

Kagome shifted in her seat uncomfortably as the baby kicked her in the stomach before moving and kicking her in the already full bladder. She closed her eyes as though in thought before she added to Kurama's theory.

"The anniversary of Naraku's destruction is coming up and we destroyed him just as we were settling in for lunch that day," she said, before standing up. "Excuse me."

Yukina watched her knowingly with her chopsticks to her lips before looking over at Kurama, "After dinner I want to see both you and Kagome alone, please."

Kurama nodded and the conversation continued, "So what we know now is that there is going to be an attack here by a child of Naraku on the anniversary of his father's destruction. Now what we need to decide is how we're going to prevent and or fight this battle."

"I say we just wait for this idiot to make his move and kill him dead," Yusuke said obviously, leaning back on his hands behind him. "It's obvious that's what he wants and from Botan told me before he's really good at covering his tracks so finding him beforehand is going to be like finding a needle in Kansas."

"I agree for once," Kuwabara said seriously resting his elbows on the table and playing with his bowl of ramen, "but I also don't think that we should give up looking for him completely. Couldn't you three use your connections in Makai to try to snuff him out?"

"It's plausible, but Makai is so full of hiding places that if this person is smart enough even the best of the best would have a hard time tracking him down," Hiei answered with a shrug. "I'll inform the rest of the Border Patrol to be on the look out."

"I also am in agreement with Yusuke for once," Kurama admitted before taking a sip of his mug of warm tea which was all that he had in front of him. "However my concern is that this place is number one in the middle of a crowded city, and number two this is Kagome's family home. We will need to avoid causing a public spectacle and if possible protect her family and their livelihood."

"Wouldn't it be possible to set up a barrier around the area?" Yukina asked setting her now empty bowl aside on the table. "If Botan and I work at it then I'm sure we can maintain a decent barrier around the perimeter of the shrine grounds, however, I think that would be the limit to our powers and at that point we'll be vulnerable."

"Never fear my love!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "I'll always protect you!"

Yukina only sighed and shook her head, "It won't be that simple," she said tucking as Kagome reentered the room. "At our current levels we'll only be able to hold the barrier for twenty minutes at the most with any substantial amount of strength to it."

"She's right, neither one of us are very powerful," Botan said. "Not to mention what about Kagome and her family? We'll have to get them somewhere safe, but who's to say they won't soon become targets?"

"My family will be fine," Kagome said confidently. "As long as I can get my powers back we'll all be fine."

Kurama looked up at her standing in front of the closed dining room door as she held herself with pride. It was true that back in the day she was the most powerful priestess of his time, second only to Midoriko. If she were able to gain access to them again she would be a formidable opponent for even Yusuke or even Mukuro.

"Do you think that you can do it?" Yusuke asked skeptically. "I mean can you do that while you're all fat and stuff?"

"Yusuke!" Keiko chastised smacking him in the head. "That was totally uncalled for!"

"What?!" he whined. "I was being serious!"

"She can do it," Yukina said just as confidently as Kagome was. "I know she can, now all we need to form is a strategy."

"Wow, since when did you become all knowing and stuff?" Kuwabara asked blinking down at the small woman beside him.

"Kazuma, I've always been intelligent," Yukina replied with a smile. "I've just been unfamiliar with the customs of this realm, but living with your sister has been an experience to say the least."

Botan laughed as she stood up, "I figured that when Koenma was sending you to college that Shizuru would step up and teach you how to be a girl in the world! So why don't we put those brains to work in the other room and leave the boys to their war talk ladies?"

Keiko and Yukina smiled and nodded before getting up as well and Kagome stared at them confusedly, blocking the door. Botan only took her arm and drug her out of the room and into the kitchen with them where they all took seats around the smaller table.

"You all don't stay and help?" Kagome asked finally finding her voice. "I mean you don't help plan or anything?"

"Nope," Keiko said with a shake of her head. "We're not fighters, so we're just stuck with clean up afterward."

"Oh and don't forget we're the world's best cheerleaders!" Botan giggled.

"I'm a fighter so I'm going to get back in there," Kagome said still in disbelief attempting to stand and leave but Botan only pulled her back down.

"We have more important things to deal with in here," Botan said cheerfully. "After all you need a baby shower!"

"Baby shower?" Kagome questioned incredulously. "How the hell is that more important than the possible destruction of my home and the coming of potential evil?!"

"Simple," Botan replied. "When working together the boys are more than enough to stop just about anything!"

"She's right Kagome, relax, you'll be taken care of," Yukina added.

"So are you having a boy or a girl?" Keiko asked excitedly.

"I don't know," Kagome answered still slightly in shock. "The last ultrasound I had was when I was still in my first trimester."

"I can find out," Yukina offered. "I was planning on doing an in depth check on why the baby is hurting you more than she should be."

"Well we'll have to know or else we won't know what theme to go with!" Botan exclaimed as though it were obvious.

"Kagome would you like to know?" Yukina asked locking eyes with the young priestess who could only nod.

Standing Yukina motioned for Kagome to turn in her seat to face her midwife and so Yukina placed her hands on either side of Kagome's swollen abdomen. All the girls watched in fascination as Yukina's hands began to glow an eerie blue and soon so did Kagome's belly in response. It took a few moments of intense silence before the glowing stopped and it was a few moments after that that Yukina looked back up with a smile and straightened up again.

"Congratulations!" she said happily. "It's a girl."

"Aww! A baby girl!" Keiko cooed. "Wow!"

"What's more we can decorate everything in pink!" Botan giggled.

"It's also a fox," Yukina added calmly.

"What?" Kagome asked. "You mean she's in a demon form?"

"Yes and no," Yukina said carefully. "Kagome, you're having twins."

Nothing was said for a moment as they all watched Kagome's reaction. She sat in her chair dumbfounded before bolting out of her chair much to their surprise. They followed after her quickly even more surprised when she didn't rush into the dining room but out the front door. She didn't stop until she was at the base of the Goshinboku and it was there that she collapsed. The girls stood in the doorway giving the poor girl her space for a moment.

Twins. Meaning not just one baby but two. How was she supposed to handle that? She was already scared to her wits end about having one, let alone a second child. Of course she had practically raised Shippo on her own, but he was already able to take care of himself by the time she began caring for him. For the first time since her first trimester she suddenly felt very ill. Tears filled her eyes and she felt more alone than she ever had. One of the babies shifted within her as though uncomfortable with her feelings of fear.

Not for the first time did she reach out and brush her fingertips over the small memorial tablet she had posted in front of the ancient tree and wished she was still with those that the tablet represented. Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, Kaede, Kikyo, Kohaku, all of their faces passed through her mind and she could swear that she could even hear Shippo's sweet voice calling to her. Letting out a sob she let her hand drop to her lap. There was just no way her son hadn't survived, she couldn't and wouldn't accept that as an answer. He would have to be here with her to help her as he always had. He would have to be there so she wouldn't feel so alone in a sea of people she didn't even know.

"There is a poem I saw once called Loss, carved into a big stone. It has three words, but the poet has scratched them out. You cannot read Loss. Only feel it," a soft masculine voice said from behind her. Tearfully she turned and saw the mysterious red head squatting behind her watching her with his knowing green eyes and his elbows resting on his knees, "In the same way the heart always dies a slow death just like this tree here, shedding each hope like leaves in the autumn... Until one day there are none left. No hopes. Nothing remains, but the cold space of winter."

She didn't try to say anything as she sat up, but she did wipe her eyes and clear her throat. Gently she felt him lean closer and wrap his arms around her. He nuzzled the sensitive area at the start of her neck just by her hair line and she couldn't help but relax if only slightly.

"We'll get through this Kagome, together," he whispered in her ear. "I'm never leaving you again, but I'm honestly afraid that you're going to take off at a moments notice."

She shook her head, "Where would I go? I have nothing left, no where to run to."

"I know you," he chuckled. "You would find a way to disappear if you really wanted to. Tell me what's really on your mind."

"I'm having twins, one of which is in a demon form," she said flatly in a voice that would make Sesshomaru proud. "Life was going to be hard enough with one baby, but two? I can only pay for so much and working here at the shrine would have barely covered my living expenses so Mama wouldn't have to, but there's no way I'll be able to afford things now. Mama is already working hard enough for me as it is."

"You speak as though you are still alone," he said wisely.

"I still feel so alone," she admitted quietly. "In there I was surrounded by people I don't even know who automatically treated me as though I was one of them."

"Because you are."

"No I'm not! I was never there for any of those battles that you guys were talking about!" she protested turning in his arms to look up at him.

He only smiled, "But you are a part of me, and I'm a part of this, therefore you are too. Sure the girls are a bit over enthusiastic, but that's just the way they've always been. They're like pack mothers, really."

A pack. Now there's a term she could understand. She was the pack mother when she ran with Inuyasha and had even claimed the title of alpha in the village when she lived there. It was a term Inuyasha had taught her and it was a way of life that she happily accepted, but here in the modern era where there were too many alphas running about she really didn't know where she fit in. Perhaps she needed his pack where everything was as it was supposed to be. Perhaps this was a good thing. Inside her heart she felt a shift of her emotions as her optimistic nature fell back into place. Slowly she smiled at the green eyed red head before leaning her head on his chest.

They weren't perfect, but today, though long and chaotic, had been a real eye opener for them both. Together, truly for the first time since meeting in the modern era. They realized that they were finally at peace, together.