"You've changed so much," Kagome whispered to InuYasha. "Why?"

"I don't really know."

"Usually, you would've just said 'Feh' and ignored me."

"I don't see the point of ignoring you anymore."

"So, be honest, what do you feel towards Luna?"

InuYasha glanced up at the miko from the book that he'd borrowed from Luna. "To be honest, she's like a sibling. A little, annoying sibling."

"I can't believe she caused you to change this much."

"Well, she looked like you on that first day, then once I realized it wasn't, I felt like I had to protect her because we were the same endangered species."

"You're reading, though."

"She said I might need to study on the different creatures here."

"That's... actually good." Kagome smiled cheerily at the male hanyou.

Across the clearing, Jaken was talking to Sesshomaru about a similar topic.

"Lord Sesshomaru, why are you so calm? I haven't seen you like this since... ever."

Sesshomaru sighed, yet never quit staring at Luna. "Love changes things, Jaken. You wouldn't understand."

"But Lord Sesshomaru, you wanted to kill out the hanyoukai, now you're mated to one!" A well-placed kick silenced the imp.

"I think you need to shut up, Jaken."

"Can I just ask one more question?"

"Ugh, fine."

"What do you see in her that you like so much, you've changed yourself so you can be with her?"

Sesshomaru paused, his head slightly tilting to the side. "I love her because... she's unique."

"What?"

"She's different than anyone I've ever met. She is beautiful beyond compare, as gentle as a soft spring breeze, and still powerful and independent. She is like a proper samurai should be, beautiful yet dangerous, graceful yet solid, tough yet soft. That's not including her voice. I don't think a chorus of angels could out-sing her."

"Hm... I've never really listened to her do that."

"Why don't you go down there and listen? She's singing to the twins right now."

"As you wish, milord." Jaken strode off to the center of the clearing, where Luna was trying to soothe the babies to sleep.

"Sleep little baby,

don't cry anymore.

The war is over

and sleep awaits at the door.

Rest now. Rest now.

Rest now, my dear.

For then will come morning,

so you can play some more." Luna gently rocked the infants in her arms as their eyelids began to close. Jaken's eyes mimicked the hanyou twins' and he fell asleep next to Luna's leg.

Hime was chatting to Emmett happily, slowly cheering up the saddened vampire. "See, you don't need to be so sad about what happened yesterday, stuff happens!"

"You know what? I think you're right! Yeah, I don't need her. I'm my own person!" Emmett stood up happily, nearly knocking the mini-vampire off of the rock they were sitting on.

"Do you think you can be your own person without killing me, Mister Giant?"

"Oh, sorry. I forgot you were sitting there."

"So typical. Everyone forgets about me." Hime looked to the ground sadly.

Emmett leaned over so that he could see her face. Tears like diamonds fell from her eyes as she sobbed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Hime sobbed, "I'll be fine."

"Here, let me carry you. Then you can tell me why you feel like everyone forgets you." Emmett picked her up before she could object. "Now why do you think that?"

Hime took a deep breath. "I became a vampire when my mother abandoned me as an infant, about five months ago. A vampire was nearby and bit me. The only reason I'm alive... sort of... today is because Luna and Bree heard my shrieks of terror. Luna had a theory about vampire and hanyou venom. Luna's Theory, as we named it was that since vampires can be poisoned and weakened by venom from Serdian Era hanyoukai, perhaps the effects of their venom can be reversed also."

"But it didn't do that, did it?"

"No, it had a surprising effect that no one could have foreseen. It aged me to a ten-year-old's body. I'm only half-a-year-old, and yet I can go to fifth grade classes."

"So, in other words, Luna aged you to be a preteen?"

"Yes. Now, she's trying to find out how to make it to where any vampire, not just a human injected with venom, can age themselves willingly. The moment she does, I'm going to become an adult."

"Why an adult?"

"Be thankful you aren't stuck as a kid. Some things are permanently off-limits." 'Like you,' she thought. "But she has figured out how to make vampires have children."

"Really? How?"

"Luna has separated a special gene in her venom which can make vampire women have menstrual cycles, which in turn means childbirth."

"That's incredible!"

"I know, right?"

"I'm still shocked that you can talk like a scientist!"

"I thought you were referring to the experiment."

"That too! You don't realize how important those discoveries are."

"Well, thanks. I actually helped her with them, so I'm glad to see someone interested in our research."

"When we get back, you need to show me this stuff."

"Okay, now can we rejoin the group?"

"Sure." Emmett proudly carried the little vampire back to the group as everyone fell asleep under the setting sun.

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Author: Recital Time!

Hime: Yeah!

Luna: Oh boy... is the performance "Klutz on Ice"?

Hime: *throws shoe*

Luna: *is hit with ballet shoe* Hey!

Hime: Shut up or I'll throw the tap shoe next.

Luna: *cringes*

Author: You know the drill, folks.

Hime: *sitting on top of a drill* Are you referring to this one?

Author: I'm not even going to ask where you got that, but put it back.

Hime: Fine. *puts drill away*

Author: Sayonara, folks.