Chapter 21

A/N: It was brought to my attention that Ol' Fluffy does, in fact, use peoples name and not just their titles or descriptions. I hadn't realized I had pushed the name thing so far away. Let's just say he's trying to maintain his distance from some individuals, whether he realizes it or not.

Thanks for all the reviews. Every one is appreciated. :)

That evening, Sesshoumaru walked a small distance away to spar with Takeshi as Shippo and Kagome meditated. Kagome had learned to truly appreciate this time of the day. As she fell deeper into her mind, she tuned out the birds chirping, Shippo's breathing and Takeshi's soft battle cries. Sometimes she would fall into her memories while meditating. She knew that wasn't what she was supposed to do, but it was the only way she could keep images of her family and previous life fresh in her mind.

She remembered her mother's gentle embrace and the way she always made the kitchen smell so good with her home cooking.

She remembered the stories that her Grandfather would tell. She tried to think back to each one. She had taken them for granted back then.

She remembered Sota's first confession, as she, her Mother and Inuyasha cheered him on.

She remembered her friends from school always going to WacDonald's and gossiping.

She remembered playing with her husband's ears when they first met, and the cute way he would blush when he payed her a compliment.

So much had changed in just a few short years and she didn't want to forget a moment. She really should take Shippo's advice and start a journal of her life. At least it would be something to pass on, and with any luck, it would end up in her family's hands... though if it wasn't there before she left... does that mean she didn't write it? Time travel can be such a headache.

She was brought out of her musings when Sesshoumaru and Takeshi returned. She swore Sesshoumaru never had a hair out of place, ever. Takeshi, on the other hand, looked a bit battered and she noticed his eyes were fading from red, back to their usual golden color. He was frowning and refused to look at anyone. "Shippo," Kagome started, "why don't you and Takeshi get cleaned up before dinner."

Shippo stood and stretched his limbs. "Sure, Kagome." He turned to Takeshi as they grabbed their cleaning supplies. "Race ya!" He said to the young dog. Takeshi just shook his head and walked into the woods, Shippo shrugged and followed along.

The two adults watched the boys leave, finally Kagome broke the silence. "What happened?" She asked, a touch worried.

"He refuses to speak of that night."

She shook her head as she stoked the fire and sat near her companion. "It wasn't going to happen quickly." She laid a gentle hand on his arm. "He will come around, please don't give up."

Sesshoumaru looked to the hand that was resting on his arm. There was a time he would have melted that hand for taking such liberties with his person, but not now. Now he just regarded the being that sat so close to him. The decision to send Takeshi with the woman was made quickly. He saw an opportunity to keep his heir protected and took it. He may not have liked the female,at first, but he watched her as she hunted for the shards with her unusual pack, learned to fight and tolerated his half-brother. She had gone from the half-breed's irritant to tolerable ally to recognized pack. He left the boy, but didn't go far at first to see how they would interact. When she put Takeshi in his place, he knew he wouldn't have to worry about the boy getting away with as much as he did in his mother's home. Maybe, when this was over, he would claim the woman as pack in front of the council then locate a good mate for her. He watched as she patted his arm lightly then stood to prepare the evening meal. He thought back to their conversation about marriage in her time, and realized she would never accept a mating that he would arrange. Suddenly he felt irritated and wondered why he even cared and brushed the stray thoughts from his mind.

The little camp was quiet, even as the boys returned from their bath. He watched as Takeshi declined the food offered him, and went to lay down for the night. Shippo and Kagome looked at each other and Shippo gave a small shake of his head. The silence remained even as the other 2 beings turned in for the night, trusting their Lord to watch over their little pack.

Late into the night, Sesshoumaru's pup began to stir. He watched as the boy started to flail and whimper. When he realized the night terror wasn't going to go away, he started to stand to wake the him, only to stop when the priestess groggily stumbled in the boy's direction. He watched as she sat down and started running her fingers through his hair and along his cheek, all the while calling his name quietly and telling him it was "okay" and "just a dream". Finally, the boy's head lifted with a start, he quickly glanced around until he saw Kagome. Takeshi launched his upper body into the woman's arms and whimper softly as he hugged her. She continued murmuring soft assurances until the boy was asleep again. Finally, she raised her head and looked at Sesshoumaru while covering a yawn.

"The nightmares had been slacking off." She replied to the unspoken question.

"You did not mention them." He said, slightly irritated that she knew something about his son that he didn't.

She shrugged. "I didn't see the point. When you were around before, your presence seemed to keep them away. Besides, I don't think he would like knowing you know he fears something. Despite the anger, I believe, he want's to be just like you."

"Why do you think that?"

"The way he defends you. If someone says something against you, your power, your strength or your honor, he defends it. It's as if he thinks that he is the only one allowed to have such thoughts."

Finally, she curled up next to the boy and quickly fell asleep.

He regarded the woman again. She would not leave his thoughts. She was so different from any other female that he'd ever known. Even his honorable mother, though she was strong and often had no qualms voicing her opinions, she knew her place. This woman seemed to challenge him at every turn. She was strong and educated the way only a male should be, or so he thought at one time. A strong female... it almost made him completely overlook her humanity. Like Rin, she was so different from the other humans that he'd observed. He suddenly growled softly at himself... he had more important things to think on besides human females. They would be coming to Inuyasha's village in two days. If anything happened to Rin, no one would be safe from his wrath.

The next day found the small group fighting a large group of ogres. These demons weren't smart and they weren't strong, but their smell permeated everything in the area. An hour after the battle and the small pack found themselves bathing in a cool river. Kagome washed further upstream from the males of the group, scrubbing furiously at her clothing, body and hair. To be covered in demon guts was bad enough, but very smelly demon guts was so much worse. As she moaned once again about missing her modern soaps and shampoos, she failed to notice the 3 men that walked up behind her, stopping at the shore line.