"When are we going to get there already monk?" Inuyasha snorted. "You're leading us in damn circles."

"I am certain that I have followed the woman's directions quite to the line, oh impatient one. It is not my fault that—"

"It is your damn fault. If you'd listened to me we wouldn't be in this stupid mess, now would we?"

"Why can you not adjust our course now? What is wrong with your nose?"

"Out here in the rain? What kind of moron are you? All the scents are washing away already."

Sango seemed to be as frustrated with the men right now as she was. They were lost, drenched, and muddy from trekking through the woods in the middle of a giant shower that had come down on them from nowhere. And now these two morons were going to bicker on and on and on.

"Guys! Can't we just camp down for the night?" She was sincerely considering sitting him just to relieve her own frustration. "It's getting late and I'd like to be dry for at least a few minutes today."

"Fine," he huffed. She could see by the flick of his ears that he was as tired of walking around like this too. "Hurry up then, since you're all so damn tired. Humans," he snorted. "Can't even take a little rain."

"Sit." Taking Miyuki's hand she marched right past the nearly-drowning hanyou and after Shippo, who was currently leading the way towards the nearest cave. She heard Sango sigh.

Why did he always have to be so stubborn?

Kagome was already stocking the small fire that Miroku had built with old school-paper that she'd already scribbled over during her studying—as all the potential firewood outside was completely wet—when Inuyasha came marching in looking much the part of the sad puppy, with mud in his white hair and his ears flattened to his head. She almost felt bad for him. If only he wasn't being such a jerk.

He was pretty cute when he was grumpy though. Darn.

Miroku had taken off his outer monk's robes and laid them closer to the fire to dry off in his black plainclothes, and even little Shippo had taken off his vest. Everyone was tired of wet, wrinkling clothes.

Kagome couldn't wait to get into her nice warm, and hopefully dry, pajamas.

She opened up her pack and began to dig through it for her pink pajamas, pulling them out. Well, one sleeve was a little damp but all things considering she'd take it. She laid the colorful pile near the fire with the other clothes to dry out a little as she went searching through again for the ramen that Inuyasha hadn't managed to consume yet.

Dirty water was suddenly flying at her and there were accompanying shrieks as Inuyasha had crouched down in his usual manner to shake himself. "Inuyasha! Stop that!" He'd even dampened down the growing fire a bit.

"Damn it Inuyasha!" Miroku suddenly cursed too.

She wasn't the only one having an off day. Even the almost-pacifist monk was getting a little riled at today's events.

"Shut up! Kagome nearly drowned me in mud and you're miffy about a little water?" Inuyasha shot back as he strode around them all to lean against the back wall of this shallow little cave.

"At least we're trying to be polite to each other," Sango glared in his direction. "You don't have to be so obnoxious you know because you're as irritated as we are, Inuyasha."

"Whatever," he stuffed his arms inside his sleeves.

She set the ramen over the fire, rubbing her hands together. Man, she was getting chilly. They didn't even have sunlight anymore to warm them up from the rain. And she was so tired of everyone being fed-up with each other. Maybe tomorrow would be better.

Miyuki was sitting close to her knee, all matted-down white hair and damp skin. She turned back to her pack to get out her washcloth and one of her extra sheets that she kept around. It wouldn't be appropriate for one of them, but it was plenty big enough for a little inu-pup to dry out in. She finally got the girl's attention and brought her to stand in front of her as she quickly eased her out of the blue kimono and into the white sheet, adding her kimono to the growing pile by the fire.

"'Ank you 'Ome." Miyuki sat back down close to the fire.

"S'no problem," she answered distractedly. She was as hungry as anyone else here.

"When are we going to eat Kagome? I'm starving," Shippo rubbed his hands together.

"Just give it a minute to warm up." She didn't need impatience. Definitely not that. It was bad enough having to deal with a now-sulking hanyou. Rain always made him a little grumpier than usual.

"Do we have any candy then?" he pressed.

"Not until after dinner." She was tempted just to give it to him to preserve the utter silence of the room. She needed a few minutes of it.

"Here guys." She started to pass out chopsticks and plastic cups to everyone, and no one said a word, only murmurs of thanks. A day in the rain was enough to make anyone's muscles to feel strained.

"Cold 'Ome," Miyuki pulled on her already stretching green skirt. The water was weighing it down around her thighs uncomfortably.

"After you eat you can wrap up in my sleeping bag ok?" Her stomach growled at the smell of her ramen waiting for her. Which she hadn't gotten to eat yet. "It'll get cold. Eat."

"I'm sure once we have a night's sleep we can find our way in the morning," Sango was murmuring to Miroku. "Nothing will seem so bad then."

"Yes," Miroku's eyes closed for a moment. He was so tired that he wasn't even making a play for Sango's behind.

"I hope so. I don't know how we got lost anyway," Shippo gripped his plastic cup a little more tightly. "You'd think that since we have Inuyasha's nose to lead us that we wouldn't get lost. Apparently not."

"Shut up runt," Inuyasha's voice ordered quietly. "Ain't like you helped any either, now did 'cha?"

"Enough already," Miroku sighed. "Fight in the morning if you must, but grant the rest of us a night's reprieve for once."

"This is impossible. You cannot find a trail?" Inuyasha had been on his four limbs all morning trying to find something in this miserable, drowned-out forest. But the rain kept falling and the roads were starting to wash away.

"All this damn rain's just making my nose close up. There ain't nothing to find, idiot!" Inuyasha growled back at Miroku. Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by its accompanying boom of thunder.

"If this storm just keeps getting worse we're going to have to find higher ground," Sango mused. "We can't stay out here in this for much longer."

"Fine," he snapped irritably. Hoisting her up onto his back with an uncomfortable tug on her arm Inuyasha stood up again, waiting for the others to climb aboard Kilala. With their friends and the children aboard Kilala took to the air and Inuyasha set off at a sprint towards the next hill. "I knew we should'a…" the rest of his sentence was lost in the approaching thunder.

It was then that she felt the sensation at the edge of her mind. Turning her head she tried to focus between Inuyasha's jostling and the utter torrent dripping from the sky, but as faint as it was it was unmistakable.

"Inuyasha," she had to raise her voice.

"What?"

"I sense a jewel shard."

"What? Speak up, wench." More thunder, and Inuyasha was distracted as he skirted around a tree that was beginning to crack dangerously.

"I sense jewel shards, Inuyasha!" She leaned up some to yell into his ear and he came to a stop, and she watched Kilala's yellow-black form continue to fly ahead above them.

"You serious?" Inuyasha threw back at her over his shoulder.

"Yes!" It was a terrible time to be battling some other youkai but it wasn't like it was ever a convenient time. And it was getting closer. "I think it's following us! We have to warn the others!"

"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed, pushing his legs forward as he leapt over the trees again. He turned mid-air so that she was the one with her back to the wind as he took a look at the forest behind them. He twisted just in time to land on his feet and push himself harder. "They'll never hear me over this fucking wind!"

She couldn't help glancing back constantly as he ran. The presence was still there, following at a constant enough pace as the once-green scenery rushed past them at a haphazard rate. "Can you smell anything Inuyasha?"

"Nothing but damn water!" The rain was washing away all the scents that he used to detect danger. Oh dear. What she wouldn't give right now to be somewhere out in the open plains where she could see everything. Not trapped amongst the dozens of dozens of trees that surrounded them right now making her even jumpier than she already was.

He was doing his best to catch up to Kilala but the fire-cat youkai didn't have to compete with the forest on her search for suitable higher ground: they did. She could feel how tense Inuyasha's shoulders were at the knowledge that they were being followed but there was nothing to be done about it at the moment.

"Ow!" A branch had scraped against her, pulling out several hairs.

"Sorry," Inuyasha was distracted but he'd heard her little gasp of pain. "Couple a'trees been pulled over out here. Damn lightning."

At least with another burst of Inuyasha's hanyou speed they were finally out onto more open ground where they weren't so visually impaired. Kilala was landing near a cave several feet above the grass that looked like it had been carved out from the stone. He hastily dropped her down nearby. "Inuyasha? Whatever is the matter?"

They'd noticed his expression.

"I can't smell a thing and Kagome can s—" thunder interrupted his sentence and he growled. "Kagome senses the jewel. Someone's following us. Get inside with the others," he barked to her impatiently.

"In this weather?" Miroku blinked, pushing a bit of loose hair out of his eyes. "That is quite some dedication."

"Perhaps it would have been better to cross through the mountains after all," Sango sighed, helping her heave her bag into the safety of the stone cave.

"This storm followed us too quickly to be predicted Sango. It is no one's fault," Miroku spoke conversationally but Inuyasha wasn't the only one watching the open field behind them.

"Take Miyuki inside Shippo, please?" Sango gently pressed the two of them inside.

There was a figure at the edge of the trees and she tried to focus her eyes on it, something humanoid, but in the darkness of the rain and with the moving tree-limbs it was hard to make out. She saw Inuyasha's shoulders drop from their defensive stance though.

"It's just the damn wolf people. Cool it," Inuyasha let out a deep breath.

And as the figure trotted towards them she was finally able to see her friend: the dark hair, those vivid blue eyes that always seemed to define Kouga's tanned face, the confidence in his figure. Definitely Kouga.

"What's up, mutt?" he smirked through the rain dripping down his face.

Another pair of figures appeared at the edge, waving maniacally once they saw their group. "Kouga! Kouga!"

"Might I suggest we take this reunion inside?" Miroku pushed more water-heavy hair out of his eyes. "Unless you two would care to fight out here in this torrent, on which case be my guest."

"Leave the dog out in the rain," Kouga was already pushing his way past Inuyasha and into the considerably large cave.

"Me?" Inuyasha followed. "Don't you have a tree to go mark or something, wolf-shit?"

Oh dear.

Would she be forced to endure canine-related puns all night?

She sat on Inuyasha's left side. Kouga had been forcibly sat on his right to avoid contact with her. Meanwhile, the others sat in their various positions around the campfire that had already consumed her extra notebook to stay aflame. Even Ginta and Hakkaku had decided to come in to take shelter from the giant lightning-storm.

"We thought we were going to be fighting," Sango was pouring out tea to the wolf-boys. "Thankfully, not."

She caught sight of Miyuki peeking out from behind Miroku's back amongst all the cloth that he wore. She was staring at Kouga and Inuyasha—who were currently fighting over a cup of cooked ramen—with wide golden eyes. Those beautiful eyes swiveled again to rest on her own brown ones pleadingly before switching to the two considerably calmer youkai: Ginta and Hakkaku.

She patted her drying lap invitingly. "Come on sweetie. They're friends."

It only took a second for Miyuki to decide. She adjusted the little inu on her lap inside her arms so that she could stare at the fighting adult males next to her. Who were currently irritating her infinitely. "Would you two give it a rest already?"

Both heads swiveled towards her: Inuyasha looked argumentative, and Kouga was trying to be suave. "There's more in my bag if you want it."

"You don't seriously want to give him our food do you?"

"Thank you Kagome," his cerulean eyes gleamed as Inuyasha's grip had finally lessened and he started to eat…Inuyasha's ramen.

"Hey!"

"Yaya?"

Miyuki's little voice pulled his attention to the little girl, and his expression lost a lot of its anger. "What is it?"

"Since when did you get another kid to tag along with you?" Kouga's voice interjected, leaning forward to peer around the hanyou.

"None of your business." Inuyasha scowled.

"He fa'me?" Miyuki turned her face up and it took her a moment to respond.

"Kouga? You can trust him. He wouldn't hurt you." She ran her hand through that silky white hair that these inus seemed to have gentle to comfort her a little. "So yes, I think you could call him family."

"Give me that!" Inuyasha wrenched at the cup.

"It's mine! You heard her! Jealous, dog boy?" Kouga wrenched back.

"Why should you get our food? Go catch your own!" Inuyasha growled, and the two glared at each other about an inch apart.

"Are they going to do that all night?" Hakkaku's voice whisper echoed a bit through the cave.

"Yeah, I think they are," Ginta rolled his eyes.

"So stupid," Shippo shook his head, sitting between them.

"Get over it already! Kagome loves me, dog breath," Kouga growled back. "She knows a real man when she sees one. Not one with kitty ears."

"Kitty ears?" Inuyasha hissed. "Why don't you go chase your own tail and leave mine alone!" She started to cough. Who would've thought that Inuyasha would've remembered that expression?

"Sit boy!"

Ooh, the nerve!

She barely registered that Kouga had stepped over Inuyasha's now flat form to sit on her left side, not even trying to cover up his smirk at what he thought was triumph over his foe. Even Miroku and Sango were laughing.

"Chasin' tail, huh?" Kouga's deep voice rumbled in laughter. "Ya know, I kinda like that."

There was a little growl against her chest and she looked down to see Miyuki glaring at Kouga. His hand froze from where it was going to take hers from where it rested on Miyuki's side. "Miyuki?"

"Oi, pup. Kagome's my woman, didn't you know that?" he spoke directly to her. Miyuki leaned forward a bit to sniff at Kouga's hand, and he let her.

His woman?

I don't think so.

"This is all your fault, wolf."

"If you knew your place then we wouldn't be out here stupid."

"You're the stupid," he growled back.

They were sitting outside the cave on the little bit of a ledge. Kagome had thrown them both outside, saying she'd "had enough of them" and some shit. But whatever. He'd been trying to keep the wolf off her and she didn't appreciate it at all. Why was she so damn sensitive anyway?

"Why do you let a woman control you anyway? I wouldn't let her command me like that," Kouga stuck his nose up into the rain.

"Then why are you out here you baka?" He couldn't help a bark of laughter at the look on the stupid wolf's face at the realization. "What's your excuse?"

"She's damn scary when she wants to be." Kouga finally admitted.

"Ok. I'll give you that one."