AN: Finally, 25th chapter. More than 4 months since the last chapter. I apologize that. Real life has been very busy for a while. I'm still not dropping any of the stories. I hope these 7 pages will be enough to make the long wait up to you.

Thanks for reviews, I really appreciate them. Oh, and more twists ahead -grin- Not much happens in this chapter, though, it's mostly about figuring about emotions and all. Of course, I'm introducing three new characters, namely Inuyasha's and Shira's three children. Their names might be familiar to you, by the way.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha's kids, Shira, and Sheiji are mine, others aren't.

Chapter 25

Cheery chattering fills the dining room in where old friends are having a light lunch. Or light and light. Shira, Inuyasha, and Sheiji are eating their second huge portions of hot home made ramen, while rest are barely in the half way of their first smaller cups.

Toga is sitting at the one end of the table, with both of his sons on his sides. Inuyasha is on the left, Sesshoumaru on the right. Kagome is sitting next to Sesshoumaru, and Shira is sitting next to her husband. Sheiji is on the other end of the table. Three children of Shira and Inuyasha are out in the city, with their friends.

Kagome recalls the pictures of the three children as Toga, the proud grand father, had shown them to her quite eagerly before the lunch. Oldest was born only bit more than a century ago. They had named her Rin, for apparent reasons. In the picture she had looked like a spitting image of the girl who used to follow Sesshoumaru around. They had told her that Sesshoumaru had actually smiled a warm smile when they had asked him if they could name her that. He had happily agreed.

Second oldest child was a boy, Kohaku, who was born seventy years ago. He only resembled the young taijiya a bit, but enough to share a name with him. Third child was a girl, named Izayoi, after Inuyasha's mother. It had been Shira's idea. This one had born 'only' thirty years ago.

All three had slightly pointed ears and dark hair. Rin had brown eyes, Kohaku had grey, and Izayoi had blue eyes. None of the three seemed to bear any markings, but according to what Inuyasha had told her, when the three got angered, single pair of blue stripes would form on their cheeks. They weren't able to take any 'real' form, though.

Kagome had read some hereditary genetics, but couldn't figure out one odd trait of the children. Their dark hair. Their mother had golden hair, and their father had mostly white hair, except for nights of new moon, when he had black hair. She would've expected them to have blonde hair, white or gold.

She shakes herself from her ponderings as she hears Sesshoumaru saying her name. She turns her head to him to see that his attention is at his audience, which seems to be eager to hear whatever he's saying. Seeing his profile, Kagome blushes slightly. Very few women could say that they knew man as gorgeous, or rather as beautiful as Sesshoumaru was.

In the middle of all blushing she nearly misses what he is telling to the others, so she starts and turns her attention completely to what he's saying.

He is telling the others about their meeting recently. "I asked if she wanted to have a cup of tea with me, as I would tell her about what happened to the people she knew in the Feudal times."

His face turns to Kagome, and their eyes lock. The others follow his gaze. "You were very upset as you heard of your friends who have passed away, Kagome. There is no reason for you to be sad anymore. As you see, many who you knew then, are still here. Also, three more are willing to get to know you, after hearing so many stories of you."

Kagome can't turn her eyes from his. Not that she wants to. So, since their gazes are locked, both fail to notice the looks on the faces of the youkai and hanyou in the room. Sheiji and Inuyasha look stunned, as they have never seen Sesshoumaru looking at anyone with as intense eyes as he's now looking at Kagome.

Shira and Toga are both smiling widely. Both can remember how much Sesshoumaru had spoken of Kagome and the 'adventures' they had together. It had always been apparent to these two that some time during their adventures, the youkai had started to respect the woman.

The female dragon is pretty sure that the stubborn dog is actually grown to love the woman, and is about to say this out loud, when she hears a very quiet 'no' coming from Toga's direction.

She turns to look at the older youkai, but his gaze is at his son. Something in his eyes disturbs Shira. She turns her gaze back to the two, after deciding to have a talk with Toga later.

Toga's thoughts are on the same line as Shira's, but only partially. He's sure that his older son respects the woman, but he's not sure if he loves her. He knows his son well enough, and can remember him saying several times that when it would be his time to 'marry', as the humans put it, he would choose his wife on basis of respect, not love.

The older taiyoukai is quite sure that his son has loved only one who has never been biologically part of his family, and that was Rin, the little girl Sesshoumaru had taken in as his daughter. Even in her case, and Sesshoumaru had said it himself, at first he had allowed the girl to follow him because she had been kind to him, even though he hadn't asked for it.

Kind of quid pro quo, a favour for a favour.

However, according to his own words, his son had begun to grow on her, wanting to protect her just for her own sake, not just out of his honour. Eventually he had not just seen her as his daughter, but also called her that.

This father-daughter love had taken nearly ten years. Toga suspects that his son would marry the woman before that time had passed, whether he had grown to love her during that time or not.

Toga is quite sure, that the woman would agree to marry Sesshoumaru if he asked. Maybe not right away, but his son was accustomed to get what he wanted, and if he wanted her as wife, he would know the ways to get her to agree to his proposal.

His eyes find Kagome's blushing face, and her eyes that tells him how she feels towards his son. Respect, kindness, friendship. And something else. He sighs inwardly. The girl has fallen in love with his son. But for now it's just a crush. Unless the crush turns into love, if the two do get married soon, that marriage could be loveless, for a while.

Or possibly she might forget the crush and never to actually love his son. That wouldn't be good. He has seen how his younger son is happy with Shira, and they love each other. He also remembers his marriage to Sesshoumaru's mother. That one was arranged, and had been loveless. They had respected each other, and at least he wasn't unhappy, but he wasn't happy either.

That's not something he wants for the two. He wants his son to be happy, and he wants the young woman he learned to like and respect even after knowing her for so short time.

After lunch Kagome and Shira are in the garden, chatting about 'female things'. They had left the men in the house to talk about whatever it was men talked about when they were alone. Kagome was sure they were talking about sports and cars and things like that.

Thought of Sesshoumaru talking about what team would win in any sports, or who single athlete was the best in his or her sport, brought a smile on Kagome's face. His basically blank face and his cool, generally emotionless, voice wouldn't fit into her idea of men talking about 'manly' subjects.

Gentlemanly subjects like politics would fit Toga and Sesshoumaru, but she really couldn't imagine Inuyasha and Sheiji discussing calmly over such matters.

Or Sesshoumaru and Toga discussing passionately about games, sports, cars and such, for the matter.

She suddenly starts as she can hear Shira's laughter. She comes back from her musings and glares at the youkai. "What's so funny?"

Shira snickers. "You should've seen your face, Kagome. First the expression on your face was musing, then it turned into a smile, and finally into quite funny. What were you thinking about?"

So, Kagome tells her, causing the youkai to burst into a fit of laughter. When Shira manages to speak again she takes a deep breath. "Kagome, all of us have changed during these centuries. Inuyasha isn't as brash anymore. Neither is my brother. As for the two full inu, they aren't as 'high and mighty' as they were. Well, Toga never was much like that, but Sesshoumaru was."

Kagome nods. "I know he was. So, has he changed a lot?"

Shira raises one eyebrow. "Interested in him now are we?"

The human blushes. "I-I… He's been kind to me ever since we met after I was sent back to my time."

Shira smirks. "You do have feelings for him, don't you?"

Kagome only nods, since she can guess that the youkai wasn't really expecting an answer.

The youkai's next question surprises her. "What feelings?"

She raises her face to meet the youkai's gaze. Shira had made a good question. What did she feel towards the youkai? Respect of course. Friendship. He had saved her life more than once, and they had worked well during the three tests.

So, even though the youkai wasn't expecting an actual answer, she decides to give her one. "I'm not sure if you've heard that he has saved my life more than just once, just as he had tried to take it away a few times." Shira nods at this, prompting her to continue.

So she does. "At first time we met, he tried to kill me. I had drawn the Tessaiga from the stone, something he hadn't been able to do, so that's why he tried it then. And later, when I had broken part of his armour with my arrow, he tried to kill me again. Then I thought him to be this uncaring and cruel and emotionless youkai who hated his little brother just because of the human blood in his veins.

"Later I realized that he wasn't like that, much. When Inuyasha's youkai blood took control, he came there and stopped him. And then told us how to prevent it from happening again. We later learned of Rin. That's when I realized that I had been wrong. He wasn't uncaring or cruel. He was just as he was.

"And when he saved me from youkai that were attacking me, and when he agreed to take me to Inuyasha, and even healed me when I had eaten poisonous berries… I had never expected him to do that. Sure, he saved me from Mukotsu the poison master, by accident as he put it, and he protected Rin always, but I was his brother's human."

Kagome pauses for a moment to take a breath before continuing. "And then when you allowed us to take the three tests, we worked well together. During that time I learned to respect him, especially when I learned more of him during the third test."

She holds a short pause during which Shira asks a question, frowning. "What happened then? Sesshoumaru only told that you two were brought to your time. What actually did happen, he barely mentioned. Just something about this 'Gate to Heaven', and how you found a bit about it in a book of legends."

Kagome holds her silence for a while. For some reason Sesshoumaru hadn't told much about that time. She's not sure why, though. She should talk about it with him. "It's a long story, and I think I should talk with him about why he didn't tell you more. I'm sure he has a good reason not to tell, though."

Shira gives her a faint smile. "I know what he's like, so I understand. I'm curious though."

Kagome returns her smile. "I thought he only cared about himself and wanted to get what he thought was his, at any cost. After he got the Tokijin he and Inuyasha didn't fight as much. But still I thought that the two could never get along like they have."

"What changed your thoughts of him?" Shira's voice is quiet.

Kagome's smile widens. "Let's just say that I saw a whole new side of him during the three tests. I suppose that's how learned to respect him. I think I can call him a friend."

As the women are talking their things out in the garden, the four men are in the living room having a conversation of their own. But their topic isn't sports or cars, nor music, games, movies, or politics.

Not even close. Their topic is certain time travelling Tokyo girl.

Inuyasha is grinning at his older half brother. "Don't think I didn't see that."

Sesshoumaru glances coolly at the hanyou. "Care to specify, little brother?"

The hanyou does as asked, smiling widely. "When you brought her here, and after she had 'sat' me and all that, after her hugging me, you placed a hand on her shoulder."

Sesshoumaru frowns. "I surely did nothing such."

Inuyasha is about to point out that he saw it, when his father's voice, filled with mirth, gets there first. "Actually, my son, you did. Even Kagome noticed that."

Sesshoumaru shrugs. "I do not remember such, thus if I did do it, it was subconscious, and something I did not mean to do."

Toga locks his gaze with his older son's gaze, and the mirth is gone from his voice as he speaks. "Sesshoumaru, what are you feelings towards that girl, Kagome?"

The younger youkai holds his silence for a while, thinking about this. What does he feel for her? At first she was just a human accompanying his brother. A human who wounded his pride when she pulled the Tessaiga from the stone, when he himself wasn't able to do it.

Only reason his pride wasn't hurt that badly was that Inuyasha hadn't been able to pull it from the stone, either.

Then later she had gotten annoying when during his fight with Inuyasha she had used her arrow to break his armour.

He had tried to kill her after that. He wonders how things would be if he had succeeded then. Or if he had succeeded at his father's tomb. Although, he should've known that the sword would protect the human.

During time, he had learnt to see that she was not an ordinary human. She could see the shards of the Shikon, and she was a powerful miko, with archery skills that could match Kikyo. She still is, he supposes. And she never received any training. Or that was what Inuyasha had said.

When the girl had gotten herself in trouble and the hanyou was nowhere to be found, he had saved her because of his honour. He had protected and healed her because of his honour.

Still, he supposes, by then he had already started to respect the girl, not only because of her usefulness in finding Naraku, but also because she had actually had enough guts to wave the rusty Tessaiga at him, yelling at him how he had tried to kill her.

Not many would've done that. Especially not many humans. Few members of the resurrected band of seven were an exception.

Then, the three tests. During them he had slowly grown to respect her, and even consider her as a friend.

He thinks he has the answer now. "I respect her, and see her as a friend."

Toga narrows his eyes. "Are you planning to marry her?"

Sesshoumaru hears gasps and notices that both Sheiji and Inuyasha are gaping, glancing from him to his father, and then back to him. This answer he already knows, though. "Why would I wish to marry a human?"

Toga sighs. "Do you care about her, other than a friend?"

Sesshoumaru is about to shake his head, but realizes that he's not sure. So, he settles for a shrug.

The older youkai shakes his head. "My son, I know you, and I remember what you have said about marriage. You have said that love is no reason for you to get married. But respect is. And you said yourself, you respect her and see her as a friend. I know that when you do feel like getting married, you will choose her."

Sesshoumaru shrugs again. "Of the available women I know, she is the one I respect most. She's still a human, though."

Toga nods. "Yes, she is. Still, there are no available youkai women left."

For a while silence reigns in the room. It's soon broken by Inuyasha. "Are you planning to go after her? So that she would marry you?"

Sesshoumaru stares at his brother and falls into his thoughts again. Is he planning to try to get her to marry him? That would be a marriage of reason. As sensible that sounds, he's not ready to marry anyone yet. He shakes his head. "I'm not planning anything of the sort."

Toga nods, smiling. "Then I think you don't mind if I invite her to stay here for the rest of her journey in Kyoto?"

Sesshoumaru narrows his eyes. What is his father up to now? He decides to find out someday. Now he only shrugs. "Do as you wish."

Toga's grin widens, and it's starting to worry Sesshoumaru. He should've been expecting his next words, by just looking at that grin. "I also want you to stay here during her stay."

Sesshoumaru groans, but sees no honourable way out, so he has to agree. "As you wish, father."

Kagome looks around the room she's going to spend the rest of her nights at Kyoto in. As soon as she had returned inside with Shira, Toga had invited her to stay rest of her visit with them. She had agreed after a short whispered conversation with Shira. She didn't mind being with these people –er, youkai- who she knew, and still knows, better than her friends from school.

The room she's in looks suspiciously similar than the one she had woken up in this morning at Sesshoumaru's mansion. Actually, this room could've been the very same, if she wouldn't have been sure that she's in Toga's mansion now, not Sesshoumaru's.

Speaking of Sesshoumaru… After she had agreed to stay here, Toga had informed her that also Sesshoumaru would be staying.

She turns to the window, looking at the garden. After a moment her gaze turns at the horizon as her thoughts wander off to somewhere unknown to anyone else but her.

Does she really mind that he's staying here too? No, she doesn't think she does. She actually thinks that she might enjoy his company.

Did she enjoy his company during the tests? Not at first. She had accepted his company during the first two tests, and not disliked it, but the third test… She hadn't definitely minded his company then.

Hadn't minded, but had she enjoyed it?

She can't stop herself from blushing. She had actually.

She closes her eyes. This is just how things went with Inuyasha. Is she falling in love with her first love's brother? Or…

She can't take that thought any further, as Shira's voice comes at the door. "Kagome, Toga wants us all downstairs. Oh, and Rin, Izayoi, and Kohaku are here too."

Kagome starts smiling. She can't wait to see the three. So she walks to the door and opens it, coming face to face with a widely smiling Shira. "So I can finally see them?"

Shira nods and grabs her wrist, and then starts more or less dragging the other girl down the corridor, then down the stairs, and to the living room where she can see Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Toga, Sheiji, and the three people she had already seen in the photo's that Toga showed her earlier.

All three are sitting in the couch. On the left is a young woman who's like spitting image of what Rin must've been at that relative age. She seems to be about fifteen. Next to her is the boy who seems to be same age as the Kohaku she knew once had been when she had first met him. So, about eleven. Finally, the one on the right looks younger than the Rin she knew had been.

She frees her wrist from Shira's grip and approaches the couch. However, before she can reach it so that she could introduce herself, she is halts as she hears a familiar voice saying her name from next to her. She turns to look at her right to see Toga.

The older taiyoukai seems to be excited. "Kagome, meet Rin, Kohaku, and Izayoi, my grand children. Children, this is Kagome, the miko of the Shikon Jewel we've told you about many times."

He is barely able to finish his sentence before the one named Rin gets up and walks to Kagome. "You don't look like the mighty miko father always talks about. Are you sure you're powerful?"

Kagome can only stare at the girl. Sesshoumaru's Rin had never been like this. She turns at Inuyasha, one brow arched in question, when Toga's voice brings her attention to the older youkai.

Toga sounds reprimanding. "Rin, behave."

From Rin he turns to Kagome. "My apologies, I should've warned you. Rin was lively and polite like her namesake until a decade or so back. I believe you humans call it 'puberty'."

Kagome grins at him. "It's okay, I know how puberty affects people, especially young girls." She turns at Rin. "Actually I still have my powers. So, I can make you a similar necklace than the one your father is wearing."

Rin's eyes widen, and she glances at Inuyasha, her gaze at the beads around his neck. Then she turns back to Kagome with a grin. "He has told us about how you would always say 'sit' if he annoyed you, and what that rosary did."

Then she bows at her, before returning to her siblings. As soon as she is sitting, Kohaku stands up and approaches Kagome, who is wondering if he would be like his namesake.

She's about to find out as he greets her. "We've heard a lot about you. Can you tell us of the adventures you had, in case our father forgot to mention some of it?"

Kagome glances at the blushing Inuyasha. So he has left out some embarrassing parts of their adventures. She should fix that. Smiling innocently she turns back at Kohaku. "I'll be happy to fill in every detail he might have missed. Did he tell you about how we met Shippou and how the kitsune was able to trick him?"

A gleeful glint lights in Kohaku's eyes. "Nope."

Kagome laughs. "Well, that was what happened. And a group of monkey spirits did the same a bit later, I will tell you all about that soon."

Kohaku bows at her, before walking back to the couch. As he goes, Kagome can swear she can hear him snickering.

Kohaku sits down and glances at Izayoi, who glances from her brother to Kagome, and then starts blushing and hides her face in Kohaku's arm.

Kagome glances at Inuyasha, confused.

He shrugs. "She is quite shy." He turns his attention at his youngest child. "Izayoi, come. She won't bite you or anything like that."

Kagome smiles at Inuyasha. "Don't worry about it." Then she too turns at the little girl. "You know, you look like the other Izayoi. And she was beautiful."

The girl lifts her head and glances warily at Kagome, who then crouches down. "I met her once. Well, it wasn't her, but a youkai impersonating her. That's how I know that she was beautiful. I also heard stories about her. How kind she was, and how her own people nearly abandoned her because she had chosen a youkai over a human. I also heard how she protected the hanyou son she had, especially when the child's father was gone."

The girl now looks taken aback, and she glances at Toga, and from him her gaze turns back at Kagome. "But grand father is still alive."

Kagome glances at Toga as well, and she can see him shaking his head slightly. So, they never told the girl, or maybe all three children, that he died the night Inuyasha was born, and came back to life only because of the Shikon no Tama. He apparently wishes her not to tell the truth either.

So, she complies. Thinking her words carefully she turns back to the girl. "Gone doesn't always mean dead. I'm sure he would've wanted to be there, but just couldn't."

Izayoi nods and as Kagome glances at the other two children, she can see Kohaku smiling at her. Rin however…

Rin's eyes are narrowed. "What do you know about what happened?"

Kagome sighs. "Only what I heard. Toga couldn't watch their child grow up. To put it in one sentence."

The girl shrugs. "That's about what they told us too. But I don't quite believe that."

Before Kagome can figure out how to respond to that she is saved by a servant who announces that dinner will be served shortly.

Something Kagome, and everyone else in the room missed, as Kagome was talking to the three children, was how during the entire time someone had been staring intensively at her.

As Kagome disappears through the door, Sesshoumaru knows that she would become a great mother one day. But, of course, he wouldn't allow her to marry just any man. Even though he wouldn't most likely be interested enough in her to marry her, he could always make sure that the one she would marry would be worthy of her.

He wouldn't accept any man who might harm her in any way. He respects her too much to allow any man to hurt her. The man would have to be able to provide for her and their children, be educated and, of course, honourable.

He isn't sure if Kagome would accept him chaperoning her, he knows her temper too well to presume her being docile as most women in Feudal Era were. He shrugs at the thought. She doesn't need to know.

His thoughts are interrupted as Toga appears at the doorway. "Are you coming? We're waiting for you."

Sesshoumaru walks to his father. "Then let us not keep them waiting."

As the two are walking towards the dining room, Sesshoumaru reaches a decision. He will not trust any man that Kagome would find. As a good chaperone, he'll find her a husband he approves. In fact, he already has someone in mind.

Yes, that guy would be perfect for Kagome. He has a good income, he is very educated, and has a good reputation of being kind and honourable. He has known the man long enough to know that he could trust her in his hands.

So, all he has to do know is to make a few phone calls and make sure the man would meet Kagome and they could get to know each other. Would the two fall in love? Perhaps. And if they didn't, well, as long as they could live together and respect each other, it wouldn't be his problem.

This decided, he sits down on his chair, and prepares to eat his dinner, sending glances at the young woman he is now chaperoning, without her knowledge. Of course, if it was up to him, she would never find out.