lostmoonchild: I know I didn't update last Monday and I'm terribly sorry about it. Sunday evening I decided to go horseback riding on a colt that wasn't fully saddle broke and I decided to ride on her back without a saddle. As I was getting on, she blew and knocked my butt onto the ground before proceeding to step on my foot. When I managed to get on her even though my instincts said not to, she blew again and I ended up getting into a contest over who had the hardest head. Clearly she won since I'm sporting a bruise on my right cheek since I suppose my subconscious was saying, "Protect the left side! Fuck the right!" since I'm left-handed and the right half of my body gets beaten up a lot more than my left.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Rae so don't sue.


Chapter Eleven

"Six months."

Sesshomaru looked at the teenage girl and saw the solemn look in her eyes. "What?" Sesshomaru questioned.

"That's how long I've been part of Kagome's family." Rae answered. "I know you were wondering ever since you saw Kagome and I together. We're not really used to having a sister but we decided that we're friends despite the papers saying that we're sisters."

Ah, so it was fairly normal for the miko to be a bit short tempered with the hyper girl. "I see." Sesshomaru nodded slightly.

"Rae, didn't you have any brothers or sisters?" Rin questioned as she looked up at the older girl.

"No. My parents didn't want another baby since they thought I might do something dangerous to hurt the baby."

Rin made a face before asking, "Didn't they trust you?"

Rae grinned slightly. "Nope, and I have to say that they were pretty smart about that subject." Rae answered with a grin.

"Kagome!"

Kagome grunted as she was tackled, blinking a couple of times to see her sister's grinning face. "Yeah, hi. I missed you too now get off." Kagome said as she shoved her sister to the ground.

Her brown eyes focused on Sesshomaru, seeing the calmness in the taiyoukai's eyes. "Whatever she broke, I don't know if I can pay for." Kagome said automatically.

"Pride." Rae said simply.

"Yeah, can't pay for that."

Sesshomaru had to admit to himself that the miko had a pretty clear head on her shoulders. She understood what her sister was capable of doing and was at least decent enough to offer to pay for whatever it was that her sister did break. "Didn't he kill you yet?" Inuyasha questioned as he stood a safe distance away from the now jumping teenager.

"Obviously not." Sesshomaru stated calmly.

Kagome smiled a bit before grabbing her sister and pushing down on her shoulders. "Didn't I tell you that I'd only ask two questions if she got killed?" Kagome questioned with a small smile.

Sesshomaru nodded slightly as he watched Rae's hands start to twitch. "Miko, she's about to grab something." Sesshomaru warned the miko.

"Ha! Nice try." Kagome said as she wrapped her arms around her sister's body, pressing her arms against her body.

Rae leaned her head back and rested it on Kagome's shoulders, blinking at her a couple of times. "Ne, Kagome-chan…" Rae said slowly.

"What?" Kagome quickly let go and looked at her sister with a concerned look. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Iie, demo…" Rae trailed off and looked away for a moment.

"Sister talk?"

Slowly Rae nodded. Kagome pulled her sister out of Sesshomaru's earshot and sat down next to her. "What is it?" Kagome asked softly.

"Kagome, what'll happen when the Shikon no Tama's complete?" Rae questioned softly.

"What do you mean?"

Rae looked at her with tears gathering. "What'll happen when it's complete?! I know you have to make a selfless wish but what if you're forced to make a choice between this era and ours? I don't want to see you make a choice that's going to make you unhappy."

Ah, so that's what was bothering her. Kagome kissed her sister's forehead and lightly squeezed the other girl's hands. "If I stay here with Inuyasha and the others, I'll only need to wait five hundred years before I'm home again." Kagome told her softly.

"Five hundred years is a long time."

"Yeah, but if I were to choose the future then I could never be with my friends or with Inuyasha."

She loved Inuyasha very much, Rae realized as she looked into her sister's eyes. There was that doubt in her eyes, the one that told her that she wasn't overly positive that she'd be able to survive having her heart shattered into a thousand pieces by Inuyasha for any reason. She was just barely surviving the knowledge that the hanyou sometimes went to Kikyo. "I was thinking," Rae said softly.

"About what?"

"This Naraku guy that you're chasing."

Kagome groaned. "Leave him alone, Rae. I swear that he'll kill you without any second thoughts."

Rae's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at her sister. Why didn't Kagome trust her judgment regarding such delicate subjects? Just because she was incapable of being quiet for more than two minutes didn't mean that she wasn't capable of being a strategist. She was willing to bet that she could even give Sesshomaru's best strategist a run for his money in that department. "Please, Kags, just listen to what I have to say. If it's a bad idea then-"

"Then what?"

The two teenagers stiffened when they saw Kagura watching them. Rae immediately rose to her feet and stood in front of Kagome when the demoness advanced towards them. "Help!" Rae screamed. "Sesshomaru-sama!"

She figured that Sesshomaru would know that she was being serious if she used the honorable suffix with his name. The only time that Sesshomaru had even heard her speak to him with any respect whatsoever was whenever she was in trouble so he had to come running. "Do you really think that Sesshomaru will be able to save you?" Kagura questioned.

She was going to get Kagome. She was going to hurt Kagome.

Rae felt her thoughts slipping to sentences that were no more than six words long and each of them centering around her sister and their friends. Naraku wanted to hurt them all. He wanted them all dead. She wouldn't let him kill them!

A cry left her lips as she attacked Kagura, fully aware that she was being pulled up into the air with the wind sorceress. "You're not the miko but I suppose that Lord Sesshomaru will come to get you." Kagura stated simply.

As she looked down, she could see the shock in Sesshomaru's eyes. "Kagome!" Rae screamed. She absolutely hated heights and this woman was obviously not her favorite person in the whole world. "Kagome, help me!"

Kagome stared in shock as she watched Kagura fly away with her sister. She ran back to the group and saw that the others were just as shocked. As she climbed onto Inuyasha's back, she couldn't help but realize the shock in Sesshomaru's eyes. It wasn't the same shock that a lover held for someone he loved. No, the shock in his eyes was the type used for someone else that probably was even more precious than a lover.

The look in his eyes, she knew, was reserved for a friend.


lostmoonchild: I'm not entirely sure what'll happen next although I do realize that it'll involve Naraku. Maybe I can get the story done before too long which will be a good thing cause I really don't like pretending to be happy all of the time even though we're reaching the serious parts. Anyway, read and review, flames are accepted.