First thing to address:

No, Kagome definitely didn't lose her spiritual power. I had it written out in the last chapter but I changed a bunch of stuff before I posted it so I guess it got deleted.

Just to quickly recap/explain: Kagome became High Miko of the village after Kaede died, so she's been doing that since her daughter was a baby. Because of that and her two children, she took a step back from doing jobs/exterminations to focus on the village and her kids.

So sorry I didn't mention that. I have another fic called The Next Generation that has all that stuff in it about Kagome becoming High Miko, so I guess I got them a little mixed up. I also very, very vaguely mentioned this is my Our Own Time fic, but it's a very small part. So you should check those fics out, too ;) I also tried to include a little explanation in this chapter, so that should also help.

In the last chapter, Kagome waited back with Sango to help with all the children because like, dude seven kids. I should've been clearer about all that lol.

I've seen some fics that give Miroku and Sango like ten kids (which I suppose is actually canon since Miroku literally proposed to Sango by asking her to bear him 10-20 kids…?) and I wasn't about that lol. I feel like Miroku would've wanted to have Sango pop 'em out left and right, but I think Sango would have put her foot down at some point. I made that point at five. But still…that's a lot of kids. Miroku always wanted a big family, and he got it!

Also, 00nighthowler00, HI! See? I mentioned you right there! Hahaha :)

Chapter 10: Disappearance

Rin was incredibly displeased.

She, Kagome, and Sango were all at Inuyasha and Kagome's house with their kids. Sesshomaru had made her stay here while he went off to see whatever sort of problem there was with Ayame. Rin was a little worried, but she knew that Sesshomaru, along with Miroku and Inuyasha, were capable of keeping the peace.

Rin thought back to when Sesshomaru had left…

One Hour Before-

Rin stayed outside after Sango and her children had gone inside. She turned to look at her Sesshomaru and frowned.

"I want to go with you," she said. Sesshomaru shook his head.

"No," he replied. "You will be safer here." Rin found herself a little irritated, but she knew he was just looking out for her.

"Alright," she finally relented. Sesshomaru gave her a small smile.

"I will see you soon," he replied. He went to walk away, but Rin quickly took a hold of his hand.

"Sesshomaru…" she said as her voice trailed off. Sesshomaru appeared to read her mind.

Her swiftly pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly.

Rin swooned as Sesshomaru kissed her more passionately than she ever thought imaginable. His lips were fluid over hers, and she felt his claws move through her hair.

My goodness, she thought to herself. If there's one way to make me forget I'm annoyed… But she wasn't complaining. She would never complain.

All too soon, Sesshomaru broke the kiss. He held her against him for a moment more, but then pulled her away so he could set his hands on her cheeks.

"I love you, Rin," he murmured. Rin smiled.

"And I you," she replied softly, repeating his words from when he'd first told her he loved her.

Sesshomaru smiled again, and then he finally left.

Rin watched him go, and then she headed into Kagome's house. She sat down and tried to help calm the kids down.

Now, an hour later, she was still waiting with her two friends and their seven children.

It was ridiculously loud, and luckily Rin was used to that. She enjoyed babysitting Kagome and Sango's kids whenever the women needed to do laundry or if they just needed a break.

Kagome's daughter had taken a special liking to Rin, so she'd come straight over to her when she'd arrived. She'd been quiet at first, but Izayoi soon spoke up.

"Hey, Rin?" she said. Rin looked down at her and smiled.

"Yes?" she replied. Izayoi looked at her shyly.

"Are you going to be my aunt?" she asked. Rin's eyes widened.

"Uh, what?" she asked.

Izayoi looked at her expectantly. "Aren't you marrying Sesshomaru?" she asked. "He's my uncle. If you marry him then you'll be my aunt, right?" Rin blushed, but she couldn't help the laugh that escaped her.

"We're not getting married yet, Izayoi," Rin replied. "But if we do, then yes. I would be your aunt." Izayoi looked ecstatic.

"Yes!" she cheered. Rin laughed again and caught Kagome's eye. Kagome smiled knowingly, and Rin blushed again.

I've been blushing so much lately…it's ridiculous, Rin thought to herself. You'd think I was a teenager again.

Her thoughts drifted to the source of all her blushing, and she found her irritation from Sesshomaru leaving her behind come to the surface again.

Then she had an idea.

"Hey, Kagome," she said. "Is Nori home?" Nori was a villager that lived a few houses down, and she and her husband only had one child. They liked to help babysit Kagome and Sango's children, too.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "Why?" Rin hesitated. Maybe it's not such a good idea.

"Well, don't you think if Ayame is coming, then it shouldn't be all men going to meet her?" she asked. Kagome peered at her, but Rin continued. "I mean, what if it's a problem that we could help her with? What if the guys are clueless?" Kagome still looked confused, but then she understood.

"Oh, you're right," she replied. "They might need some women's intuition." Sango laughed.

"You two just want an excuse to go with them," she said. Rin frowned.

"Yeah, I do," Rin replied honestly. "Sesshomaru never used to leave me behind when we were in a battle, and I was a child back then! He'd just tell me to stay near A-Un or something. He never left me behind. I know he's concerned for my safety, but he's gone too far." Kagome sighed.
"Oh, Rin," she said. "We sure did fall in love with members of a loyal family. Those good old inu-boys." Rin looked at her like she'd lost her mind.

Kagome laughed. "Inuyasha was the same way when I first returned through to well after I was gone for three years," she explained. "We were officially together then, and he was called away on a job. He left me at home while he went with Miroku." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"He never used to do that before," she continued. "It wasn't until we were an actual couple that he became even more protective than he was." Rin started to understand, but she was still annoyed.

"But did Inuyasha ever bring you with him again?" she asked. Kagome half-shrugged.

"We sorta made a compromise after he came home from that first job," she replied. "I would go with him sometimes, but I would also sit some of them out. Then I became High Miko after Izayoi was born and I had a lot of responsibilities within the village. That was when I pretty much just stopped going altogether." She chuckled. "And Inuyasha never complains about that." Rin smiled.

"I guess Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are more alike than they want to admit," she said. Kagome laughed.

"They totally are," she replied with a glance at Sango. "But Sango doesn't have to deal with that, right?" Sango rolled her eyes.

"I would probably kill Miroku if he did that to me," she replied. "I like to stay home with the kids, but he's never told me that I couldn't go on a job or that he didn't want me to. He once tried, but I threatened to not bear him any more children if he made me stay home. Needless to say, he never did that again." Rin and Kagome burst into laughter.

"Threatening is a good idea," Kagome said. "I guess I could've tried osuwari on Inuyasha, but I've made an effort to stop doing that since we've been married. Sometimes I slip, though…"

Rin smiled. "I forgot about that little trick," she replied. Kagome smirked.

"It was very helpful," she said. "I could hook you up with one for Sesshomaru if you want." Rin was horrified.

"He would literally kill you," she replied. "He'd kill Inuyasha first and then he'd kill you." Kagome put her hands up.

"I was only kidding," she said. "I'd rather not have Sesshomaru kill my husband and me." The women were quiet for a moment until Rin remembered what was happening in the village.

"So…should we go get Nori?" she asked. Sango nodded.

"Hey!" she called to the children in the house. The kids went quiet and turned to her.

"I'm going to see if Nori can come watch you all," she announced. "The three of us have to leave." Several shouts of protest broke out, but Sango waved her hand to stifle any mutiny.

"I'll go check with Nori," she said as she walked out the door.

About five minutes later, Nori, her husband, and their son came over and got the children settled. Sango, Rin, and Kagome set off soon after.

Kagome and Rin looked up at the sky. "Wow…" Kagome breathed. The sky had turned dark enough that it looked like late evening rather than early afternoon. "I hope Ayame is alright. Something must really be wrong with her if she's created something like this." Rin glanced at her.

"What do you think happened?" she asked. Kagome sighed.

"I have no idea," she replied. "But Koga isn't with her, right? Maybe it's something about him." Sango seemed pensive upon hearing Kagome's speculation. "I hope everything is okay," she mused.

The three women headed to the edge of the village. Moments later, they caught sight of Miroku, Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha locked in a heated conversation with a slightly more mature-looking Ayame.

As they approached, they could see that Ayame was deeply troubled; her mouth was drawn in a tight frown and her eyes were fiery.

Inuyasha caught sight of the three women first, and once he saw them, Kagome especially, he rolled his eyes.

"Didn't we tell you lot to wait behind?" he asked in obvious annoyance. Kagome shrugged at him.

"Since when have we ever been good at following directions?" she fired back. Inuyasha rolled his eyes again but didn't argue further.

Rin's gaze locked with Sesshomaru, but his expression was unfathomable. He looked at her for a moment more, and then he turned back to Ayame.

"Actually…" Miroku chimed in. "It's a good thing you three are here. We're a little out of our elements." Kagome stepped up and smiled at Ayame.

"Hello, Ayame," she greeted kindly. "What's going on?" Ayame turned to face her and Rin stifled a gasp when she caught sight of her stomach.

Ayame was pregnant.

"Koga is missing," she spat out. "And I know that you all took him!" Kagome's eyes widened, and along with Rin and Sango, she was speechless. Ayame turned back to the men.

"You're so worried about the heir to Koga's legacy that you're willing to sabotage our child's father!" she accused. "Release my mate!"

Ayame's pain was evident, and Rin felt a stab of pity for her.

"Ayame," Kagome said calmly. "We don't have Koga. We haven't seen him in years." Ayame's eyes flashed.

"You're lying," she replied. "You've been after him ever since you met!" Kagome looked annoyed, and Rin remembered hearing about the "love triangle" she'd been in with Koga and Ayame. It was ridiculous.

"Ayame, I'm married," Kagome said. "And we really haven't seen Koga in over a decade." Ayame looked like she was near tears.

"You're lying," she choked out. "Give him back to me!" Ayame lunged at Kagome, but Inuyasha was quick to block her by bracing himself in front of Kagome.

"Inuyasha," Kagome chided as she lightly pushed her husband to the side. She moved closer to Ayame, but the pregnant wolf-yokai only fell to her knees instead of meeting the Miko's eyes. To everyone's surprise, Ayame finally broke into tears.

Kagome shocked the group by putting her arms around Ayame and pulling her into a comforting embrace. Rin never ceased to be surprised by how kind Kagome was.

She glanced at Inuyasha and saw that his gaze his soften at his wife. Rin knew his thoughts were the same as her own, but Inuyasha's were full of love for Kagome.

Once Ayame had calmed down, Kagome let her go and gently wiped away her tears.

"Ayame," she began, "would you like for us to help you find Koga?" Ayame looked up at her in melancholy surprise.

"You would do that?" she asked. Kagome smiled and nodded.

"Of course," she replied. "Does Koga know you're pregnant?"

Ayame nodded sadly. "Yes," she said. "He went missing last week. I've been searching everywhere but there's no sign of him." Kagome reached out for Ayame's hand.

"We'll help you," she replied. Kagome then turned to the group behind her. "Won't we?"

Rin and Sango were quick to nod in affirmation, but Rin saw the obvious displeasing gaze on Inuyasha's face. Miroku seemed indifferent, and Sesshomaru's expression remained unfathomable.

"It's settled," Kagome announced. "We'll help you find Koga." Ayame finally smiled, and her gratitude was evident.

Rin was happy to help even though she saw a bit of irony. She would be helping Koga's wife find him, but she was happy to lend a hand to both of them.

"We'll leave tomorrow," Kagome said as she helped Ayame up.

Despite the reluctance of Inuyasha and most likely Sesshomaru, it was decided.

They would find Koga.

To be continued…

I sure hope this was a good lead into the adventure aspect of this fic! I'm really excited to continue this story!

So yeah, Ayame is pregnant. I purposefully didn't say how far along she was, but just know it's enough for her to be showing. I have no clue how a yokai gestational period would work, but wolves are mammals so I'm guessing they'd be pregnant rather than lay yokai eggs…gross. xD

Alright, I'll post another chapter soon!

Much love. :)