AN I: Sorry for the long absence. I had an issue with a sinister Trojan-horse virus known as Internet Speed Monitor. I didn't want to upload anything anywhere that might spread this evil, evil little annoyance. It literally hijacks your computer and pops up web pages every 30 seconds to a minute, even if you are not logged onto Internet Explorer. Not only that, but it alters your security settings to allow tracking cookies, and lowers the setting on your firewall. Even if you find and delete the program, it has an exe file imbedded elsewhere that will reload the program the next time you go online. I nearly threw my laptop across the room in frustration after trying to troubleshoot the problem myself. I finally just handed it over to a professional, and sent emails to the possibly affected websites once I got my laptop back with a clean bill of health. So far so good.

AN II: One reviewer asked if Otome would be doing more than acting like a dog. All I can say is; don't give up reading. I'm having fun making her a dog, but she may change in the future. The story will eventually unravel to the point that you will understand all and it will make sense. So please, just bear with me. Good things come to those who wait. And, if for some unforeseen reason I should have to abandon this story, I will post a brief outline of what should have happened in future chapters and why. I won't leave you hanging.

AN III: And now, an extra long chapter and a preview to atone for the long wait you have endured.

Chapter 37 Travel talk

No further strange events occurred that night. Their puppy-like girl slept through the noises as the world awakened to a new day. Poor Miroku had not fallen back to sleep due to his awkward position as a pillow with nowhere safe to place his hands. When the sun cleared the horizon, Otome stirred.

The three males turned in anticipation. Much to their disappointment, the girl was just as canine as she had been the day before. None of the human-like behavior surfaced as it had in the night. Each man wondered if it had just been a strange dream... that they had somehow shared.

The day progressed much the same as the prior day. Sprint until Otome was winded, then walk slowly for a ways. Repeat. Oddly enough, they had yet to come across any threats; human or demon. Miroku offered a prayer of thanks to God, but Inuyasha secretly attributed their good fortune to a less celestial being; one with a temper and a desire for heirloom swords.

As promised, Sesshomaru did not stay with their group. He vanished after sun up and not a single silver hair was seen throughout the day. Inuyasha thought that the old demon slipped away just so he wouldn't have to participate in keeping Otome occupied.

It seemed that the girl had a fairly chaotic and short attention span. Everything distracted her; from butterflies, to strange smells, to rodents that scurried off the path. It was a nearly constant battle to keep her from chasing after the distraction of the moment.

Once, she had even made it into the bushes before Inuyasha noticed and reprimanded her. Tense moments passed before the girl came bounding out with her prize dangling from her mouth. The hint of a smile that had appeared in the tug of war tilted her lips and threatened to loosen her grip on the rat's tail.

For an instant, Inuyasha felt ill. The memory of subsisting as a child on a diet of little vermin like this nearly choked him. This girl had struggled through the same type of life. The only real difference seemed to be that she didn't know that there was any other way to live. For him, he had known the love of family and sorely missed it once he had become an outcast after his mother's death. Did this girl have a mother missing her somewhere? Even if her mother was a full-blooded mononoke, she could show love. Kirara showed a wide range of feelings all the time; more than some humans he knew, or demons for that matter. Maybe they would find clues about Otome's mother in the castle up north.

Miroku made some strangling noises and commented about not putting dirty things in her mouth. The golden eyes swiveled in his direction and seemed to understand what was said. With a simple snap of her head, the girl flipped the rat in the direction of their resident fire-cat demon and opened her mouth. The squealing ball of gray fur sailed gracelessly through the air only to be snatched up by the great jaws of the transformed cat.

After the quick, impromptu snack, Kirara transformed back to her cute cat size and rubbed appreciatively along Otome's arms and side. It seemed the fire-cat had no problem with their dog-like friend. In fact, the cat gave Inuyasha a break from baby-sitting by playing a hilarious game of tag with the girl. It reminded the men of the games the cat used to play with the younger Shippo.

While the 'children' played, there was nothing for the men to do except talk. Miroku casually asked a question as he walked along, "So, what do you think that was all about last night?" The staff he carried jingled soothingly as it struck the ground with every other step.

Inuyasha grunted and frowned, "Maybe we were all dreaming? I mean, how come she suddenly starts acting human after so many weeks?" The thought of her secretly being able to walk upright angered him a bit when he thought about all the times he had to carry the little trouble-maker. If he found out she had faked it, he was going to give her quite the lecture.

Miroku placed a hand thoughtfully to his chin and pondered the possibility. "I rather doubt that the three of us all had the same dream. And I know I was not sleeping after she decided to use me as a pillow. My discomfort was quite real. Do you think she was dreaming? She didn't look completely awake, like she was in a trance." He had seen that look before with his children. He even had one son who would walk in his sleep and sometimes end up in the strangest places. Luckily for the toddler, Kirara knew to accompany him on his nightly strolls to keep him safe.

Inuyasha snorted. "Who knows? Maybe she just suddenly decided to imitate us. I mean, we must look pretty impressive walking around like we do." The arrogance rolled off the half demon as he strutted a bit prouder down the path.

The monk laughed, "Well, be that as it may, and I'm not disputing we look exceptionally good, do you think it will happen again?" They didn't mind having the demonic puppy around, but it would be so much more interesting if she did something more than eat, play and kill something. It would be wonderful if the girl could suddenly talk and tell them the answers to their dozens of questions.

Inuyasha searched ahead of them to see the girl and cat race back towards them. This time, Kirara chased Otome. His brow crinkled in a frown, "I dunno. Maybe she needs to be asleep for her human side to come out. Cause when she's awake, she sure is all dog!"

Miroku pondered this for a moment as he swiftly dodged the blur of girl who tried to take refuge from the tiny firecat behind his purple clad legs. "You mean like when you are in danger and your demon side takes control?"

Inuyasha's face darkened at that comment. He hated when he lost control. He also hated admitting that he lost control. Hopefully, he was strong enough now that his demon would never feel threatened enough to reemerge. "Yea….well….something like that… but it's only a guess."

Kirara jumped up on the monk's shoulder and issued a loud, adoring purr as she rubbed against the side of his head. It never failed that she would run one of her twin tails right under his nose, just like a domesticated cat. Still, the monk's mind was not distracted from their conversation. A disturbing thought grew in his mind, "You don't think she was somehow being controlled do you? I mean, we've seen our fair share of demon possession and puppets."

Inuyasha crossed his arms in his typical gruff manner of annoyance. "Tell me about it." His mind replayed some of the encounters with puppets and puppet-masters.

Kirara stared haughtily down at the ground-level Otome and seemed to issue a challenge with just her eyes. In a flash, the cat leapt off the monk's shoulder and streaked down the path with a happily yipping Otome hot on her heels. Miroku glanced down at his hand that used to house the dreaded wind tunnel. Even though it was gone, he still wore the protective cover and blessed rosary. "You know, even after all these years, I still find myself expecting Naraku to ambush us and laugh about his great plan to lull us into a false sense of safety. I keep expecting someone to pull the rug out from under our peaceful lives." In a nervous gesture, he rubbed his previously cursed hand down the purple robes to relieve the itch of worry.

Golden eyes caught the unconscious movement of his friend. In his best reassuring voice, Inuyasha laughed, "Yea, I know what you mean. But, as long as I'm alive, I'll never let that bastard come back and ruin everything." The swagger in his step only increased. In his mind, he remembered many a similar promise he had made with a certain modern girl by his side.

A true smile graced the monk's face at his friend's declaration. With a hearty slap on the shoulder, Miroku responded, "You know you can count on me and Sango to help, for as long as we are able. Even then, I'm sure some of our children will take up our mantle to defeat any threats to our lives or our village." Sango made sure that all their offspring knew the basics of self-defense and demon slaying. He also passed his experience and wisdom down to the next generation in the event they were called on to stop an evil force similar to the evil spider half-breed. When push came to shove, his children could probably single-handedly defend the village from any demon attack as long as the enemy was weaker than Inuyasha. None of his children had ever come out the victor in their mock battles with the half-dog.

This statement brought Inuyasha's mind back to his ponderings about the aging of his friends from the day before. "Hmm. Speaking of that, what do you think about what Kikyo was saying about you not aging?"

The pensive look returned to the ever-youthful face of the monk "I admit I had not noticed any inconsistencies. Yet, once she mentioned that, I realized she was correct. Neither Sango nor myself show the natural signs of aging. Lady Kikyo is roughly the same age as we are, and yet, her skin and body show the wear and tear of living these past two decades. Neither Sango nor myself even have gray hairs. And, considering some of the adventures we have had slaying demons and raising children, we should both have a healthy crop of gray."

Inuyasha glanced at his friend, half-heartedly searched for gray hairs, wrinkles or age spots. "Why do you think that is?" Not that he really minded, but it was odd. Wouldn't their scent have changed if something had altered their aging?

The monk's sure steps faltered as he slowed to ponder the cause. If they simply assumed Kikyo's statement were true, there had to be a reason. "Well, there is always the chance that our ancestors looked young into their late years, but I don't think that can explain it completely. There may be other factors. The wind tunnel absorbed thousands of demons and their toxins. It's possible that may have had an effect on my body. Still, that doesn't explain Sango." His thoughts churned over other possibilities. A few minutes later, he resumed speaking, "She did have that exposure to the sake jars of Yakurou Dokusen when she was trying to get Hiraikotsu repaired. She spoke of the demons from Hiraikotsu bonding with her. Then again, maybe there was something else in that demon's sake. He admitted that his medicines were also a poison. That same demon gave me medicine to deaden the pain of the poison that was slowly decaying my arm and body. He stated that my medicine was connected to the poison Sango was in. Who knows what that crafty demon was really up to?" Silence fell between them as they remembered that incident in their adventures.

Otome and Kirara returned down the path, panting heavily. It was decided that a quick stop for some water and a breather was in order. As the men leaned against the thick trunk of a tree, they watched the puppy and kitten nap in the sun. Inuyasha resumed their discussion, "Do you think it had anything to do with the jewel shard planted in Sango's body when she first met us?"

Miroku shook the fuzzy, sleepy feeling out of his head that he had gotten as he watched them sleep so unguardedly. "Well, if that were the case, Kohaku would also have the non-aging side-effect. We should probably ask Sesshomaru if he had noticed anything unusual." The monk paused a moment as a small butterfly landed on Kirara's nose and caused the cat to stir. "I've often wondered if that cursed jewel left anything behind in those that used it. Otherwise, how were some demons able to sense the shards that Kagome carried? I always wondered about Lady Kagome's story of Mistress Centipede who initially dragged her down the well. The creature had long been deceased and buried. What triggered it's resurrection in her time and what lead it to believe she had the jewel?"

Inuyasha remembered back to his first waking moments after being resurrected. "I dunno. It was just a stupid low-level demon." The smirk grew on his face as he remembered how easy it was to slaughter, and the look of awe that had graced Kagome's face. In fact, as he thought about it, it was only low-level demons that sought or used the jewel or its shards until Naraku. A frown marred the forehead of the half-demon.

Otome rolled over and blinked sleepy eyes at the two males. She rose and padded over to plop down beside Inuyasha, with her head in his lap. Just as quickly, she returned to sleep. Miroku smiled thinking this might be a longer stop than they had planned. The monk continued their discussion. "Yes, but didn't Sango state that her father had originally found the newly discovered jewel in that very demon after he had slain it? Possibly, the beings that come in contact with the jewel can sense it then after?"

A clawed hand gently stroked the black hair, and worked tangles out of the girl's mane as he thought about that. "Ok, but then, wouldn't Sango have been able to sense the jewel shards, just like the demons could that came after Kagome?"

Miroku had closed his eyes in his traditional meditation pose. "That's a good point. As far as I know, only Lady Kagome was capable of actually seeing the jewels."

Inuyasha stopped his grooming of the girl and stared skyward. In a reverent voice he asked, "Did you ever wonder why? Why couldn't other Priestesses see the jewel? What was so special about Kagome?" Small white clouds meandered over the bright blue sky as his thoughts drifted back to his friend.

The monk opened his eyes at his friend's tone of voice, and glanced towards the half-demon. "Actually, Lady Kaede and I have discussed this matter at length. The closest we can figure is that Lady Kagome didn't just house the jewel, but was in fact, created by the Gods to hide and protect the jewel. It was obvious that she was not only the reincarnation of Lady Kikyo when her soul was removed to animate the clay body that became Kikyo. While it is undisputed that Lady Kikyo's soul was indeed housed within Lady Kagome, there was much more to her than that. Both Lady Kaede and Kanna mentioned the immenseness of Lady Kagome's soul." He had also personally felt the girl's enormous aura on many occasions.

Inuyasha's hand unconsciously stroked Otome's hair and ear again as he tried to digest all that his friend had just said. "So, you think she was the reincarnation of more than just Kikyo? Wow. I wonder who all was in there. Wouldn't it get confusing? I mean, wouldn't they try to take over?"

Kirara roused just enough to join her puppy-like friend in the shade where the men sat. Miroku stopped a moment to decide if he should share the next part with his volatile friend. He finally decided it couldn't hurt and continued in a quiet, non-threatening voice, "Well, actually, although I hate to make this comparison, it is rather like Naraku's body." He hurried through his explanation after he witnessed the look of anger on the half-dog's face. "He absorbed and configured thousands of demons to compose his body. Still, all the parts combined to make something completely new and unique. Naraku was not just Onigumo with a demon body, but Naraku developed an individual personality separate and apart from the demons he absorbed. And when he absorbed new demons, it did not alter his personality at all. I think Kagome's soul was something like that. Many souls combined to create a new and separate soul with the power to house and contain the Shikon jewel."

Inuyasha shifted his leg to rouse the girl that used him as a pillow. As he rose to resume their walk he smiled, "Hmm, maybe that's why the bastard was so afraid of Kagome. Not only was she powerful enough to be a threat to him, but she was sorta like him." What had Kagome always said to him when he called her an idiot, 'Takes one to know one.'

Miroku shifted up with a swish of fabric and a jingle of his staff. The more subdued group headed back down the trail. "True. Where Naraku was composed of many bodies to create his new persona, Kagome was composed of many souls that created her unique personality. And, from what it seemed, Kagome was the only true Master of the jewel. Remember the time the Dark Priestess Tsubaki cursed her through the shards? Somehow, Kagome not only fought against the curse, but managed to start purifying the larger fragment in Tsubaki's possession."

Inuyasha scooped up a medium sized stick and tossed it for Otome to fetch. "Yea, and she did all that with her powers sealed. Just imagine what she could have done if she could have accessed all her powers. I bet Naraku would've run with his tail between his legs. Man, I would have loved to have seen that."

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Preview of Chapter 38 Modern Life

Kagome's life was nearly perfect since the well had deposited her in the Modern era. Although she missed her friends in the Feudal era, she felt that she was performing her duty to her family by excelling in school. Her mother had stressed the need for a good education since she was old enough to read. In this way, she felt she was repaying her mother for her support during her travels to the past.

Kagome's friends didn't miss a beat in their antics and no one mentioned her mystery illnesses. Life went on as it should have. Even Hojo's persistence followed the expected pattern. Not that she was truly interested, but it was nice to have a male interested in just her. Boys of this era just seemed so boring, and two-dimensional. Seriously, who could take a male seriously who worried about skin-care and fashion?

The only fly in the ointment was the persistent nightmares. Her sleep was plagued with hordes of swirling, gnashing demons; every night! There was no end to the torturous nightly visits. No matter how many she killed, they continued to pursue her. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn that they were real. But, in the morning, she woke in the same room, in the same condition, with no physical indication of anything out of the ordinary.