Hi, everyone!

Hopefully everyone is done with their school semesters and aced them! I bet you did. ;) My need/want of a Beta still stands, but I understand if you guys are not interested...I also hope that you guys get back into the swing of reviewing my story now that school is (hopefully) over for you because I love reading what you think of it, but very few of you have been leaving reviews lately; So I can't help but wonder where my wonderful readers have gone...I miss you guys with your great questions and comments! :.(

Little rant/plea over, please Enjoy the new chapter!

Constructive Criticism and Questions are always appreciated!

I do not own Inuyasha, not even a cute plushy!

Point of View

-X- time skip

Inuyasha

It took a long time for the injured Kagome and Inuyasha to make it out of the mountain foothills that they had found Yura in, and even after Kagome turned back into her Hanyou form it was still slow going. She had been refusing his help the whole climb down even though she was still trapped in her human form, because she claimed that his injuries were far worse than hers.

Even though she's right, she doesn't have to argue so vehemently every time I offer to jump her down or carry her, damn it! How weak does she think I am!?

She turned back into a Hanyou sometime around dawn and even though she didn't seem to be too hurt or anything like that, she looked lost in worried thinking and refused to talk. So by the time they got back to his forest, he had run out of patience and stepped in front of her so that they both stopped traveling.

"What the hell is your problem!? You seemed happy after we defeated Yura, but you've hardly said anything since then and that look on your face is bothering me!"

"What are you talking about?!"

There was far less fire in her voice than there should have been, and she glared halfheartedly at him.

"Don't give me that, answer the question!"

She sighed, lowering her blue eyes until she was looking at the ground in front of herself.

"It's just...this is your territory..."

"Yeah, what about it?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. Determined to stare an answer out of her regardless of how long it may take, and he was rewarded as his gaze made her shift uncomfortably.

"Are..are you going to kick me out?"

His golden eyes widened.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because demons of similar rank don't really live together in the same territory unless they're family..."

She looked up at him quickly, a surprising fear in her eyes as she tried backtracking.

"Not that I'm saying that I'm as powerful as you or anything like that! It's just-"

He cocked his head to the side.

"That's what you're worried about? Keh. I ain't gonna kick you out, stay as long as you want."

"Really, Inuyasha?"

"Sure, just don't kill any of the humans in that village we were in before. They'll get all annoying and act really stupid if you do."

"Nothing..else?"

"Not that I can think of."

He shrugged, stepped back towards the forest before looking at her questioningly.

"Why? Should there be something else?"

She smiled at him in relief and shook her head.

"Un-uh. So are we heading back to the cave? It would be a good place to get some sleep."

"I guess if you want to. I was just gonna sleep in a tree, but whatever."

Both started running through the forest towards the cave.

"How can that be comfortable sleeping on a tree branch? Don't you worry about falling off?"

He flashed her a toothy grin, a smug look on his face.

"Nope. Never have, never will."

-X-

It was a few days later and both Hanyou were down by the river that flowed near the cave. Kagome was bathing in the river after washing her clothes and Inuyasha was laying on a tree branch nearby, facing away from the river.

"You better not be looking, Inuyasha!"

"I ain't! I'm just waiting for you to be done so I can take one."

"You could go farther up or down stream, then you wouldn't have to wait."

A loud "Keh!" was his only response before he changed the subject.

"Why the hell do you want to go back to the village?!"

"Because Kaede might be able to help me train."

"If you go there, the hag will learn that you're a Hanyou."

"Perhaps."

"She might not like you anymore when she knows, and what kind of training can she help you with? You already know how to use a bow, so get one if you want one and you're all good to go."

"I don't mean training with a bow, Inuyasha. I want her help with training my Miko powers."

"Why do you want to work on those? You can only use them when you're human and you're plenty strong without them taking away your demon powers."

"You may be Inuyasha, but I'm not. I've only managed to live this long because I can run really fast and can purify demons...or because I've had help."

Inuyasha bit back his retort as he heard the sadness in her voice, causing him to pause as he tried to think of a better thing to talk about.

"Inuyasha, how did you get this forest as your territory?"

"My old man left it to me."

"Was he your Dog demon parent?"

When I wanted to talk about something else, I didn't mean this!

"..Yeah. What about you, which was your demon parent?"

"My father. He was a wolf demon from farther north. Yura said that your brother was Ruler of the Western Lands, what did that mean?"

"Well our father was ruler of all these lands and was called that, so after he died royal Stick-up-his-ass became that 'lord'."

"So your father was a Daiyōkai then, that would explain why you're so strong."

"If you say so, what about your father?"

"Him? Oh, my father was the youngest brother of the pack leader, so nowhere near a Daiyōkai like yours."

"How did you get your Miko powers then, because it sure as hell wasn't from him."

"My mother was a Miko, what about yours?"

"She was a noblewoman, but your father must have been crazy to want a mate that could do what you've done to those demons we've fought."

"My father wasn't crazy! My mother didn't like purifying demons because she thought that it was wrong unless they were going to kill someone, and he could tell. He said that Ma...Mother was interesting so he watched her for awhile, then once he was sure about this, he started pursuing her."

"Still sounds crazy to me, but he was a wolf so I'm not surprised that he was crazy. Was she powerful?"

"Kind of, she could make really powerful barriers, but she wasn't really much of a fighter because she was so kind."

Inuyasha took a couple seconds to digest this information, but he was distracted by the sound of water falling from Kagome's hair as she wrung it out.

"I'm done Inuyasha. I was thinking-"

"About time that you were done, Wench. What were you trying to do, wash yourself white?"

He leapt down and walked over to near where she was standing. She had put back on her Miko clothes even though they were not fully dry yet, and she was wringing out her very thick black hair. She frowned at him as he walked over, the blue sheen of her hair and pointed erection and attention of her similar colored ears that looked like his own had a smile coming on his face, but he covered it with a smirk.

"As I was saying, I was thinking that I'd go for a quick hunt while you doing your washing. So I'll meet you back at the cave later."

He frowned slightly, and watched her separate two small sections of hair on either side of her face and attach a single large wooden bead onto each of them. When she finished and looked at him expectantly, he blinked then nodded his consent and then started striping. She was gone in a flash, but he thought that he caught a hint of a red face as she left so he decided that he'd get this washing over with quickly...

-X-

"This is a stupid idea, Kagome. That old bat can't help you and we'd be better off avoiding humans."

"It is not a bad idea! She could be very helpful, and the people there don't seem that bad."

She paused at the edge of the forest by the village and flattened her ears to her head, then rearranged her forelocks to cover them so that they just looked like another part of her hair. She glanced at him and saw the strange somewhat confused and slightly accusing look he was giving her, so she frowned at him.

"What now?"

"Why did you do that thing with your hair and ears?"

"What do you think?! I was hiding them because I don't need to rub it in their faces that I'm a Hanyou!"

"They're not going to think that you're human even with having done that because you still have blue eyes, sharp teeth, and claws."

"So I won't flash my teeth at them, I'll walk with my hands folded so that they can't see my claws, and pass off my eyes as a gift from the Kami! What do you want me to do Inuyasha?! Walk in there like you, bold as brass in broad daylight Hanyou?!"

She said while poking his chest with one clawed finger, now standing on her tip-toes so that she was closer to his height.

"Well at least I'm not pretending to be something I'm not!"

He retorted, leaning down towards her angry face.

"Oh, like you don't deny that you're a Hanyou and try to convince people that you're a full-blooded demon whenever you can! Because that's 'pretending to be something you're not' too, Inuyasha!"

"What?! I-"

"Don't you dare try to tell me that you've never done that before!"

"Wha-!"

"Oh! Kagome, Inuyasha, how nice to see ye again so soon."

Both Hanyou started at the sound of the old woman's voice, and Kagome whipped around to smile kindly at her.

"Kaede-sama! Your injury must be healing nicely, because you look so much better now."

"Aye, it be healing well. So to what do I-"

"Hey! I don't remember telling you my name before!"

Inuyasha interrupted the old woman to receive an angry half-swallowed warning growl from Kagome as she turned her head to glare at him.

"Inuyasha!"

He growled back.

If you think that I'm the one going to submit here, Wench. You got another-

"I knew who ya were when I first saw ya in my hut, Inuyasha. This whole forest is named for red and silver dog demon that claims this as its territory, after all. And I doubt that there are any others around who match that interesting a description."

"Here Kaede-sama, let me carry that basket for you."

Kagome stepped in between the mild looks that the woman and Hanyou were giving each other and took the small, shallow basket from the Priestess's good arm.

"Thank ye child. I was just on me way to me hut to start drying some of these herbs, would ya be interested in helping?"

They all started walking towards the village again with Kagome and Kaede in the lead and Inuyasha walking behind them, arms folded into his sleeves while glowering at the women's backs.

"Yes, in fact we were just on our way to see you. You see, I have a favor to ask of you-"

"Shh, child."

Kaede said softly while looking around with her carefully.

"Ask me when we are within me hut, these people are too nosy for their own good."

Kaede said before nodding pleasantly at a group of children and their mothers, and leading the two Hanyou through the village towards her hut.

A big Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

Twisted Musalih : I'm glad that you really like it so far, and I hope that you love the chapters to come! :)

StormGemini : *blushes* I'm happy that you like it so far, and I don't think that I can make myself hold off on bringing the whole group together for much longer. So I think that it's safe to say that we can all expect the group to get together in the next few chapters! :D

Leave a review and I'll thank you too!

Best wishes till next time!