"Get out of my way!"

"I can't believe this! Get off my arm!"

"Hurry up and get us in then, this was your stupid idea!"

"You are holding the bag with my keys!"

"Which bag?"

"I don't know, the only one you have!"

"Bi-"

Souta opened the door and stared. A storm was raging outside, and two very wet hanyous were growling outside the door.

"If your hands were full you just should've knocked." Souta let them in, shaking his head. InuYasha pushed his way past Marathon and dropped her bag on the floor. "You bring three times the junk of Kagome! You know, kid, she has to use Kaede's as a home base just to hold all of her crap."

"I AIN'T KAGOME! Get a reality check and the stick out your ass!"

Both were posed, instantly, for battle, before Miroku's presence interrupted it.

"I see our two half-demons have returned. How is Marathon's training going, and have you gotten anymore information?"

"Let's see," InuYasha put his hand to his chin, then glared at the monk intensely. "Nowhere, and NO. Just when I think she is about to do something right, she screws things up. She wouldn't last twenty-four hours out there."

"He couldn't teach a carcass to play dead! He just runs off like the little smelly mutt he is and does whatever the heck he wants. The only reason he's angry is because I ate his ramen. You can see where his major priorities are."

"Don't you EVEN start with me, pussy! Half the time you wear that stupid hat to hide your ears. You are ashamed of your own heritage."

Marathon growled, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. "At least people don't run away screaming from me. Then again, just your face can do that."

"You guys." Souta tried to interrupt.

"I don't even see why I need you. You are nothing but a liability."

"You DO need me! This is all connected to me somehow, and if you wanna play around and be hero all the time and run off, I could care less if you get yourself killed."

"Guys..." Souta squeaked lightly.

"WHAT!" They both screamed at the boy, causing him to step back.

"Umm...you are both shivering and dripping all over the floor. I'll ask mom to get you some towels and new clothes, okay?"

Marathon's ears fell and she sat, exhausted, on the floor. "Sorry Souta."

InuYasha just mumbled, his mind drifting to something else.

After both of them were dried and dressed they gathered around the dinner table for a home cooked meal. Marathon and InuYasha had not uttered a word to each other since their fight in front of Souta, and needless to say it made the other diners nervous.

"Miroku," Sango nudged him gently and whispered "Doesn't this remind you of something?"

"Yes. I believe they are getting close." He whispered back. "If this goes anything like before, things are going to get interesting. InuYasha is not the type to go for a weak, submissive woman. I certaintly don't have one."

Sango blushed and Shippou, who was listening in on the conversation, giggled.

"InuYasha," Kei spoke, hoping to ease the tension of the early evening, "This is one of Kagome's favorite meals. I don't believe you have ever had it."

"What is it?"

"Macaroni and Cheese. She'd never admit it, she thought it was a little childish, but it was one of her favorites. Today I made it from scratch, but when she was little she refused to eat it any other way except for out of the box."

"What box?" The dog boy inquired.

"We mix cheese flavored powder with milk, butter, and pasta and there it was. It only takes minutes to prepare. You know I never really thought about it until now, compared to what you are used to its probably really confusing here. We make so many different dishes different ways it's easy to get lost."

"Long as it tastes good," InuYasha poked at it with his claw. "What's this thing?" He asked, pointing to the fork next to him.

"A fork. Its used more in western countries, here too, but probably not in your time," Souta told him. "You use it like this, see." He poked a piece of macaroni and put it in his mouth, some of the cheese sauce drizzling down his chin. "It's easy once you get used to it."

"It looks stupid." InuYasha crossed his arms.

Marathon clenched her teeth and looked in the opposite direction. "Will someone tell that culturally inept moron to get with the program."

"But Marathon," her younger cousin said, "You still can't use chopsticks."

"No one needs to know about that..."

InuYasha laughed and pointed. "You're callin' me stupid! You can't even use a pair of chopsticks. I grew up in the woods most of my life and even I can.."

Marathon turned sharply, her eyes looking more feline with each passing moment. "Do you want me to introduce those chopsticks to your throat!"

"Bring it on!" InuYasha started to get up but was gently pushed back to his seat by Miroku. "You really should have better manners in a lady's presence, especially after she's served you dinner."

"I got no problems with mom over there, but catgirl's asking for it."

Kei's eyes went down to her meal. He called me mother. He probably didn't mean it, but I think this is just a small insight into how much Kagome meant to him.

Grandpa stood up and cleared his throat. "Enough! I will not have such foolish behavior on my property. Now eat right or don't eat at all!"

Marathon sunk down in her chair and started shoveling mac and cheese down her throat. "Be glad I'm hungry." She managed to mutter between mouthfuls.

InuYasha, frustrated with the weird fork, ate out of the side of his bowl. He liked it, and proved it to everyone else by licking the cheese from the bottom of the bowl. On the table too was bread rolls, steamed brocolli, pudding and a plate of fried chicken.

"What's up with the menu anyway, Aunt Kei?"

"Oh. It is a little different from normal isn't it. I'm glad you were able to make it, I was just thinking of the types of meals I used to make years ago when you and your cousin were little. Before I used to experiment all the time, American, French and Korean I toyed with all them time. I really miss those days."

"Then get back into it. Yeah, I remember you were a real culinary addict. Maybe you should go to cooking school or something."

"I've thought about it, but I just don't know. I'd feel better about everything once you all are out of danger."

The table was quiet, the only noise being the clanging of silverware against the plates. The cat hanyou most of all was nervous, feeling more and more that the safety of everyone at that table was in her hands.

As long as nothing is resolved, Kagome's soul is still trapped and everyone is a target. Of course that Naraku guy is still out there, and somehow everything keeps going back to me. Why was I attacked? Why was I contacted? This isn't my fault!

InuYasha looked over at Marathon, then to Kei. "The last thing I'm going to do is let anyone play puppet with me or any of my friends. When I find my enemies they are going to taste Tetsusaiga and meet their fate." If I don't, and something happens to catgirl here, then I really am nothing. I'll disgrace my father's memory and Sesshomaru will be right. The last thing I want is for Sesshomaru to be right.

"There may be something I haven't told you yet that could help you." Nami said. "My nana, who I told you knows something about the multifarious, lives near a large tower. A long time ago they tried to reach the heavens with it, but it didn't work. After that people thought the lands around the tower were cursed, until the Golden One appeared. She brought the area luck again, and when Nana heard about it, she moved there. Does that help?"

"I think I've heard of that area." Sango ran her fingers through her hair. "InuYasha, do you remember the area where we first battled the band of seven?"

"Eh? I think so."

"East of that, I believe, is where you can just barely spot that tower. Its a rather large settlement. When I was younger my father and I had to deal with a real menacing demon problem there. It was even before Kohaku started training."

"I see. We'll go east then, tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Marathon glared, "We've barely rested at all."

"Give me a break. It hasn't even been a full month yet and already you are whining. How tough are you Marathon, really?"

Marathon looked at each and every person at the dinner table, and then back to InuYasha. "A hell of a lot tougher than you. Its gonna be way too late when you figure that out though."

"Then why not make it sooner, stupid neko."

"DON'T SCREW WITH ME! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME OR WHERE I'M FROM!" For a breif second Marathon's eyes flashed red, and her claws struck the table, splintering it. InuYasha nearly fell out of his chair and everyone else rose to their feet.

"Just forget it. No one talk to me!" Marathon threw the dinner rolls in InuYasha's face and made a hasty retreat. InuYasha just held one, confused.

Kei walked over to the other side of the table and picked up the rolls that had fallen to the floor. She straightened out the table and then turned to her half-demon guest."Maybe she does need the break, InuYasha. She hasn't exactly had the time to get accustomed to all of this."

"How in the hell is she supposed to if she doesn't go out there."

"There is a lot you don't know about her. She's had difficulties in her younger days, just like you have."

"But I," InuYasha set the roll down, "never used them as an excuse."

"There were probably times where you thought about it though."

"Mom," Souta started piling up his plate more, "May I eat in my room tonight?"

"Sure. Maybe we should all settle down on our own. Most of the food is still warm, so..." Kei never finished her thought, just straightened up. The group dispersed into different areas of the house, as quickly and quietly as they could.

"What do you think made Marathon freak out like that?" Sango asked as she cleared a spot for Miroku on the couch."

"Maybe its just like Kei said, stress. Considering what she has told me, I'm surprised she handles things as well as she does. We have all been through a great deal, and though I do my best to hide it, there are times when I think I couldn't take it as well."

"I should talk to her then, Miroku. It's possible I can relate to her by telling her about Kohaku. It was so hard to smile sometimes, knowing that my little brother's life was being played with by that monster Naraku. Every time I saw him, I could just tell he was trying to call me his sister, but he couldn't. Every time he left me still in Naraku's grasp I felt sick to my stomach. To keep fighting each day took more effort than you could ever imagine."

"The void in my hand is no picnic either. Knowing how you are destined to die, knowing for a fact that an endless void will consume you is a horrible fate. Knowing this, I'm glad to have found you, Sango." His hand migrated down to her bottom, and gave it a quick squeeze. "I know now that my line will continue."

Sango hesitated, then calmly removed Miroku's hand. "Be glad I'm more worried about Marathon than your lecherous ways."

Miroku finished off the last of the tidbits he had taken from the dinner table. "I feel as if I should work such a rich meal off. What do you say, my dear Sango, to DDR?"

"Sure, I'll try."

"You go first."

Miroku helped her set it up, then Sango started out on an easy setting. Miroku did his best to get the perfect view of his jumping and sweating companion.

In the dead of night, once the storm had settled, but the clouds remained, Marathon returned to the Higurashi household. She slowly turned the key in the lock, opened the door, and flopped right on the couch. In her mouth was a half smoked cigarette, and the smell had already reached the nose of one already annoyed individual.

"What the-" InuYasha came out of the kitchen, holding his nose and coughing. "Those things! Didn't I tell you before we left to cut that out. Your sense of smell is pathetic as it is."

"I needed it, and right now, I don't need you." Marathon kept her eyes straight forward, not acknowledging him further.

"Forget this." He stormed right up, got in the catgirl's face, and snatched it right out of her mouth. He pulled her to her feet, shook her jacket, and took out the three packs she had bought while she was out. "I'm getting rid of all of these."

"I really think you need to step out of my life, now."

"Face it, my life is your life. We are stuck together, get used to it." He dumped all into the kitchen trash, then dumped the leftover punch from dinner all over it. "Can't smoke when everything is all wet."

"Do you know how much money you just wasted?"

"Do you know how much I care?"

"How much, we all care," Kei came in from the hallway. "I went into your room while you were in the feudal era and got rid of a few things. Marathon, you are only hurting yourself. You are much too young to even know what half of those things are."

"You're not my mother," the catgirl hissed, "You have no right."

"I am your guardian now, so yes I do. InuYasha, do whatever it takes to get her head out of the ground." It was unusual for Kei to sound so stern, and it got Marathon's attention. "Im counting on you, InuYasha."

"No problem."

Infuriated, Marathon stormed up to her attic room without saying another word. After a good solid hour of just trying to calm herself down, she started to pull out her drawing paper. Among all of her poetry she had sketches, and even more recent, comics. In her current mood she was determined to draw the bloodiest, angst filled story she could come up with.

Back downstairs, Kei had taken the garbage out to make sure her neice wouldn't get to it, and InuYasha watched TV. The entire concept of television was still fascinating to him, and he concentrated less on what was actually on than he thought about how it was possible to get the pictures on the screen. Souta, once sure his mother had went to bed, snuck downstairs and took a seat beside InuYasha.

"Hm?" He turned around. "Aren't you normally in bed?"

"Normally, but I really want to talk to you."

"What is it?"

"I was thinking. Maybe I can help you guys out in the feudal era now. I've been practicing a lot, all of your moves, and I think I can finally handle the real thing. Hear me out, InuYasha, I know I can do it. Please take me with you and Marathon."

"No way."

"What? I even helped Grandpa defeat the demon that came here."

"Thats right." InuYasha leaned back. "Gramps did tell me how you found that bird statue and sealed the rogue demon away. You are starting to impress me. But even so I'm going to ask that you stay here."

"But why? Why would you want me to stay here if you really are proud of me?"

"They need you here. You and the others make a fantastic team. You really don't need to go into the feudal era to have adventures, anyway."

Souta thought about it and nodded. "I did help mom keep calm."

"And that's really important. You need to keep calm if you are going to win a battle. Keep training here. One of these days you will be ready to cross over to my world."

"Do you promise?"

"Yeah. Get to bed. I wouldn't want to make your mother angry."

Souta smiled and got down. He silently practiced InuYasha's 'Iron Reaver' technique all the way back to bed.