Disclaimer - I do not now nor have I ever owned InuYasha, nor do I claim too.

Hi all

I'm sorry for the delay in posting - it's been hectic. Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter. I'm about 1/2 through writing the next one and I should have it ready to post by next weekend (if all goes well)

I've used another couple of Japanese words, I believe I've used the right ones (let me know if I've got them wrong)

Otousan - Father Oboocchan - Son Saiai - Beloved

Anyway I hope you enjoy

KittyKaiya

Chapter 25 – A Little Fun & A Visit.

InuYasha sat relaxing in the shade at the base of the sacred tree watching Kagome. His eyes followed her every movement, his neck gently pulsed with warmth.He still felt a little guilty that she was changing and wondered every now and then that if he had not taken her that night in the cave, would things be different. If he had asked her would she have chosen him if she knew what would happen. Would she have willing accepted these changes?

My god, she is so beautiful. Even with the changes she is still my Kagome he thought as he continued to study her. It was true, she had undergone some physical changes over the last few weeks but none of that made her seem altered, it actually seemed more like she just matured into what she was meant to be.

Her thick black hair that hung to her waist now had the addition of a silver streak that ran from her forehead above her right eye; the funny thing was that during the night it was the only thing that changed, the streak became black while the rest of her hair turned silver. Her facial features had become more refined but she still had that beautiful innocent look that had first attracted him. She had learnt to be careful of her fangs and no longer bite her lip or tongue. He smiled as he remembered the early days when she did that quite often.

The scar she had received had not completely gone; the faint hint of a line which was barely noticeable, still creased the left side of her face. Her eyes still shone but now had a tinge of red to the iris. Her body had changed a little too; it had become leaner and her muscles stronger but she possessed such grace and agility that astounded him. After the last new moon they realized that her claws didn't retract all the way, they now where somewhere in between the nails of a human and the claws of a demon.

Her speed and reflexes matched his own almost as much as her temper and language did. He laughed at this thought, the others thought it was funny to see her flare up the way he did, the red in her eyes flashing brightly when she was angry.

The only other major change was that of her voice which could still only be described as haunting, it seemed to soothe and excite him whenever she spoke. He growled softly as he thought about how other people reacted to her voice, especially men; demon and human a like.

Kagome heard and felt InuYasha growl softly and she looked over at him and saw him frowning. What are you thinking about? She thought.

"Saiai are you alright" she called to him

"Keh….yeah it's nothing" he answered, her voice snapping him out of his thoughts

"It didn't sound like nothing" she said as she made her way over to him.

InuYasha rose from the ground and waited for her to reach him. As she came to stand in front of him he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his hard body, crushing his lips to hers.

Kagome's heart beat increased as their lips met. She sighed into his mouth as he ran his tongue across her fangs. The mark on her neck flared with heat from his desire. She sensed his need to confirm his possession of her; she felt jealousy in his mark on her neck. Concerned and unsure why he would be feeling jealousy she reached into his mind.

What were you thinking about?

Nothing he responded

Nothing my arse, this doesn't feel like nothing

Stop talking will ya

InuYasha raised one hand to the back of her head and buried his hand in her hair, tilting her head back while the other hand pressed more firmly into the small of her back. Kagome's hands encircled his waist and gripped the back of his haori. InuYasha titled Kagome's head back even further and trailed soft kisses across her cheek, his fangs grazed lightly across her cheek and jaw. Kagome moaned softly, she forgot all about finding out what he had original been thinking, this line of thought was more interesting and enjoyable.

InuYasha gently lowered himself and Kagome onto the ground. He nuzzled her neck and as he gently nipped at her neck, he slid his hand under her shirt to cup her right breast. Kagome arched her back to press her body into his hand.

"Yuk…..is that all you can do now is kiss" a voice called out from the bushes followed by high pitch squealing laughter that could only belong to one person.

"SHIPPO" InuYasha roared as he leapt up to his feet "You little bastard get out here"

Kagome giggled slightly as she tried to fix her shirt, typical she thought every time we get a few moments to ourselves someone always comes along. She smiled up at InuYasha and if the look on his face was anything to go by, Shippo was dead meat.

"Oi runt, don't think I don't know where you are" InuYasha growled. He looked down at Kagome and saw that even though she was smiling she had the same look of disappointment on her face that he felt.

"You don't scare me…it's not like I just got here or anything" More laughter came from the bushes which aggravated InuYasha further.

"Why you little shit" Kagome said "Were you spying?" her voice carried the hint of the shock and embarrassment she felt.

"Arr..no….it's just Miroku was looking for you…..and I came…and then you looked busy….so I was just….waiting…" Shippo stuttered from the bushes.

"You were spying" Kagome winked at InuYasha "Get em InuYasha"

"Hear that you little shit, you better run" InuYasha yelled before tearing off in Shippo's direction.

Shippo squealed in fear and took off as fast as his legs could carry him with InuYasha hot on his tail.

"Boys" she sighed as she stood up "When is that boy gonna learn to stop irritating his father?" Wait, did I just call InuYasha his father? She thought well I guess between the four of us we're the only parents he truly knows. Ha I wonder what InuYasha would think about that. She giggled slightly at the imagined picture that came to mind.

Kagome turned to head towards Lady Kaede's house listening to the squeals of Shippo and InuYasha disappear in that direction. She felt the wind around her change and she sensed that she wasn't alone anymore. Expanding her senses she felt out who was around and if they posed a threat. Strangely she could sense no other beings, human or demon around. But still she knew she wasn't alone.

We are here a voice echoed in her mind

What?

A strange feeling began to rise within Kagome, she felt warmth build within her chest. It was the same feeling she had the night Naraku's soldiers attacked and she began to change. She looked down at her hands and saw that a brilliant white light seemed be emanating from her body.

What's happening?

We are here.

I thought you had left

We are here, always.

Where?

Deep inside, waiting.

Waiting? For what?

For you to strengthen

Kagome's mind remembered the last conversation she had with the voice and recalled that it had told her she needed to strength her flesh and her soul for a merge of some sort.

Aren't I strong enough now?

We will come to be

When?

We know not of time

Great! So this could take minutes or years.

We will come to be

Don't start that shit again it was annoying the first time around.

Kagome looked at her hands again and turning them over and over, she studied her 'almost claws' as liked to call them.

Have I stopped changing or is there more to come?

Unknown. The vessel will become stronger still

What will I become?

What you were meant to be

But still me, right

We are you, you are us

That doesn't really answer the question now does it.

Miroku and Sango laughed at the sight before them, InuYasha and Shippo were rolling around on the ground wrestling and shrieking with laughter like a couple of pups. The sight was one that they had seen several times since InuYasha and Kagome became mates but InuYasha being this playful and at ease still took some getting used too. He still wore his usual frown and stubborn expression but it had softened some what.

Shippo squealed as InuYasha nipped at his heel and tried to leap out of his grasp.

"Quit it will ya Otousan, that tickles" Shippo said and as the words registered to both him and InuYasha they froze.

Stuttering and nervously shaking Shippo tried to apologize "I…I'm sorry InuYasha…I didn't…" he dropped his head. He had thought of InuYasha as his father for the longest time but had convinced himself that if voiced those thoughts InuYasha and the others would laugh at him or be angry. He was too frightened to look at InuYasha and clenching his hands into fists he tried desperately to control his nervous shaking.

InuYasha starred opened mouthed at the kitsune before him. He smelt Shippo's fear and could see him trembling.

"Shippo.." he started to speak but Shippo cut him off.

Taking a deep breath Shippo blurted out "Before you yell at me or hit me, I'm not really sorry, I meant too…I mean I wanted to ask…" he finally looked up at InuYasha "Please InuYasha…I want to call you Otousan." Tears welled in his eyes as he stared up at the man he had long thought of as his father.

Miroku and Sango starred at the two of them and wondered what InuYasha would say or do, they both silently prayed that he would finally acknowledged what they all knew he felt. Sango reached for Miroku's hand and grasped it tightly causing Miroku to stop breathing.

InuYasha reached a hand forward and laid it on top of Shippo's head. The kitsune flinched slightly. InuYasha stared at him; he saw the tears that were threatening to spill from Shippo's eyes. Doesn't he know? He thought briefly how could he; I've never said anything, but what do I say now? He wondered. He took a deep breath and let it exhale slowly.

"It's about time…obocchan" InuYasha smiled before pulling Shippo into a hug driving the air out of his lungs.

Shippo was stunned to say the least and it took him a few seconds to return the embrace, several tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Otousan" he whispered into InuYasha's haori.

The sound of a body slamming into the ground and Sango screaming Miroku's name caused the newly acknowledged father and son to break apart.

Miroku lay face down in the dirt with Sango crouched down beside him; shaking his shoulders roughly.

"MIROKU, MIROKU" she screamed as InuYasha and Shippo rushed to her side.

"What happened" InuYasha asked, grabbing Miroku and turning him over.

"What'd you do Sango" the kitsune asked in an almost accusing manner "Or rather what'd he do"

"Nothing, he didn't do anything and I swear…I swear I didn't hit him" the words rushing from her mouth, her hands clasped together and held tightly to her chest.

Miroku's face was a lovely shade of red while his lips had a slight blue tinge to them and he was whispering the same sentence over and over.

"She held my hand, she held my hand"

InuYasha burst out laughing followed closely by Shippo, Sango just keeping looking between the three of them.

"What? Why are you laughing?" Sango snapped at them.

"I'd say he was holding his breath while you were holding his hand" InuYasha managed to say whilst laughing.

Sango stood up and as she turned she spat out "Idiot" before walking off with her face flushed bright red.

InuYasha stopped laughing suddenly and looked in the direction of the sacred tree, something tugged in the back of his mind and his heart. Something wasn't quite right.

"Kagome" he whispered before launching off towards the tree.

InuYasha burst through the trees and came to a halt several paces from where Kagome still stood near the sacred tree, it didn't seem like she had moved at all. It was almost as if the time around Kagome had ceased to move forward. Something pulled in his subconscious again and he knew somewhere deep inside him that she was hearing that voice again.

"Kagome" he whispered. InuYasha took a couple of steps towards her; she didn't seem to register his presence. Raising a hand to his neck he felt the subtle warmth in the mark on his neck, it pulsed slightly under his touch.

He closed the distance between them until he stood directly in front of her and yet her eyes didn't flicker as he crossed into her line of vision. His neck pulsed again, stronger this time. The air around her felt thicker and heavier, almost like a barrier of some sort and yet there was no resistance as he reached out to embrace her. As he gathered her in his arms and placed his forehead against hers, the pulse in his neck exploded causing his body to buckle but instead of falling to the ground Kagome's arms circled his waist and kept him upright.

"Kagome" he struggled to say through clenched teeth.

"We are here" she answered

InuYasha's mind filled with another presence.

As are we

The voice that spoke in his mind was much like the one Kagome now spoke with the exception that the over lapping of voices was easier to determine and it was stronger.

"What is…" InuYasha started to speak

We are here the voice spoke again.

InuYasha and Kagome stood there underneath the sacred tree, their arms around each other, and their foreheads resting against one another starring straight into the other's eyes but not really seeing. And yet somehow in their minds they saw each other clearly. A brilliant white light surrounded their physical bodies, warmth flooded through them.

"I can hear them, what is going on Kagome" InuYasha asked in his mind

"I don't really know" she answered

We are here

Kagome frowned and InuYasha felt it.

"Great, here we go again" she said

InuYasha could sense and feel Kagome's irritation.

"Huh" InuYasha was slightly confused.

"That's their answer for everything. That and 'we will come to be'"

We are here

"See, told ya"

InuYasha thought back to the day after the attack when Kagome had told them all about the voice and the things it had said. All the things about Kagome changing, the merge that would happen, the need for her flesh and soul to become stronger and most of all; it told her and showed her where Naraku was.

"What do they want?" he asked "Is this to do with the merge or Naraku?"

"They haven't said yet"

We are you, we are him, you are us, we are us

"Shit! That doesn't make any sense" InuYasha spat

"That's what I said"

We are the demon in him, the priestess in you, we are the light in love, the strength in courage, we are the wisdom of mind and the faith of heart, we are us

"Keh"

"They said that too"

It will soon come to pass

"What are they talking about now?" he asked

"Don't know that either"

The vessel must become stronger

"How do I do that?""

Fight

"What? Fight who"

The one that is vital

"WHAT" Kagome screamed

"Who are they talking about Kagome?"

"You can't be serious, I can't do that, I won't do that" she yelled

InuYasha could feel Kagome's rage, it flooded through him.

"Who the hell are they talking about" he demanded, his own rage building.

The one that is vital will strengthen the vessel

"NO, there has to be another way" she cried out

"KAGOME" InuYasha growled "Tell who the hell their talking about and tell me NOW"

Kagome's thoughts were going a hundred miles an hour. She could feel InuYasha's rage and she knew that she should answer her mate but she couldn't bring herself to tell him.

"That can't be right, you can't possibly be serious"

It is as it should be

"KAGOME" InuYasha growled even more loudly causing Kagome to flinch and to pull back.

The air around them cracked and the energy surrounding them broke. Kagome sunk to the ground while InuYasha remained on his feet starring down at her. His hands clenched into fists as he tried to control his anger. They were both breathing heavy and their necks pulsed with the other's emotions.

"Kagome…" InuYasha growled lower this time "I will ask you once more and as my mate you had better answer, who were they…it…talking about? Who is vital?"

Kagome looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Inu…InuYasha" she stammered, as she watched him close his eyes tightly and clutch his fists even tighter causing his claws to pierce his palms.

"Kagome" he growled.

She flinched again as she saw blood begin to drip from his fists.

"The one….the one that is vital…is.." she took a deep breath "….the one they want me to fight is…." her voice dropping to a whisper as she hung her head.

InuYasha's mouth twitched and his eyes flew open, wide.

"WHAT" he roared

"….you…"

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