A/N: Here's another chapter! Hope you like it!

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23.

Summer

The Higurashi group had decided to travel farther west than Musashi and into the southern borders of the Central Lands, a small neutral zone where none of the Cardinal Territories laid claim to. They had been five days into their journey when they came across a group of distressed humans.

As they approached the group had huddled together in fear at the sight of the yokai and at the weaponry Kagome was carrying, but Kagome's reassurances calmed them down enough that they were willing to talk.

"We are a traveling band of performers. We host minor plays, songs, dancing, and some fortune-telling on the side. We were intending to leave for the south to perform in the Renpu(1) when our wagon hit a hole in the road and caused one of our koto players' Mana to twist her wrist when she fell off. None of us have any healing knowledge and do not know how serious it is, let alone the closest healer is a day away."

Kagome offered them to look at her free of charge, to which the group readily agreed and brought Mana to her. Only from seeing countless worse injuries did Kagome hold back a wince at how swollen the wrist was. Pushing aside her doubts Kagome went into 'medic' mode and began feeling the wrist, checking for any sign of broken bone or ligaments.

To the relief of the performers there was no breaking of the wrist, but Kagome warned them as she put soothing balm on the wrist and bandaged it that Mana would need to hold off from moving it for a day or so, changing the bandages and balm in the morning and before going to bed. Once the swelling subsided Mana was to exercise her wrist a few times a day for the next few days. If there were still problems they were to find a healer to look at it.

The performers, Mana especially, thanked the Higurashi's profusely and promised to put the good word for them wherever they went.

Later, as they walked further west, Takamaru lightly mentioned that by the time they reached the western borders, most of the villages would know of them.

Kagome laughed nervously, "Your joking right?" Takamaru did not reply to that, but the mischievous gleam in Koyuki's eye made Kagome groan and Shippo laugh.

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During the year traveling Japan the Higurashi had made a name for themselves defending villages from lesser demons, helping any they came across, and generally doing good deeds.

At first there had been much fear concerning her yokai companions, but over time and the more villages they visited the more there rep grew; until finally some village headmen even went out of their way to come greet all of them.

Though even now, there were just as many who refused to even let them enter the village.

24.

Shippo had taken his experiences to heart.

"If I can't fight, then I can at least hide and run" had been his reasoning as he used his kitsune trickery on every person he could. He still learned how to use his dagger-sword as best her could, but everyone knew that it was more for last-defense then anything at this point.

Thus far his greatest achievement had been when he had scared a group of bandits to abandon their intention of raiding a village, using only his transformations and illusions. The entire village had a small celebration in Shippo's honor.

Shippo had never blushed so much in one night.

25.

The most unexpected change was when Kagome found a pair of twin hanyou children, physically not even six, shivering in a tree truck. They had look half starved and had ragged clothing.

No one in their group was surprised when Kagome being Kagome yanked them from the tree, dragged them to their camp, and gave them some hot soup and a warm bed, and all out mothering them.

The two cranes and kitsune had shared a knowing look before Shippo mock-whispered "Looks like I'm getting sisters."

26.

It turned out that the two children, Hinoko and Sekitanko, were the twin daughters of a fire-elemental yokai and a mortal father. Both children looked exactly alike, miniature versions of their mother their father had once said, except for the coloring of their hair and eyes; Hinoko had black eyes with fire-red hair while her sister had fire-red eyes with black hair.

The village they had all lived in had only accepted the presence of the girls and their mother because their father had been a respected man in the community, but when he had died in an accident the villagers had wasted no time placing ill-omens over their presence.

A few months after their father's death and with the coming of winter, the villagers had banded together with a traveling monk and had attacked the small hut they lived in. Their mother had ordered them to flee while she gave them time, and that had been the last they ever saw of their mother.

27.

Well, Kagome being Kagome, all it took was that story for her maternal instincts to go off and insist that both girls stay with them.

Shippo prophesized well that he would get two sisters.

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A/N: to all who have continued to follow my fic, thanks you!

(1) the Renpu was the alternative name of Kamakura, the capital of the Kamakura Shogunate. It's about 31 miles south-west of modern Tokyo.

Next Chapter: The Higurashi clan gets a home