A/N: 12/31 Early post because this old lady has plans this weekend! Enjoy and Happy New Year!

"Now, now, Kiyomi, don't you think it's time you rode on Inuyasha's back again?" Miroku asks.

As of late, ever since the incident with Myoga, Kiyomi has been refusing to go anywhere near Inuyasha. At night she would meander over to Sango's side after ignoring Inuyasha and anything to do with him all day. Instead of riding on his back she would stomp away from him and make a beeline for Miroku, leaving Kagome and Shippo to ride with the irritable hanyou. He hasn't been taking the silent treatment well either. He's been extremely grumpy.

Kagome, for one, is impressed by how long Kiyomi can be spiteful. It's been three days since Kiyomi had caught Inuyasha assisting Myoga while he tried to get a taste of the girl's blood and she has yet to forgive him. And that's not to suggest that Inuyasha hasn't tried to earn back the girl's good favor either. He's attempted everything from trying to sit beside her at meals to offering to take her hunting; even offering her extra portions of food. All of this has been met with the same reaction:

She scoffs and sticks her tongue out at him, followed by a snort and some sort of weird grunt.

The first time Inuyasha heard it he nearly burst. Apparently, whatever she called him in their inu-youkai tongue had been incredibly insulting. Kagome can remember him asking Kiyomi "Where'd you even learn something like that?!" completely flabbergasted. Whatever it is, he hasn't shared it but Kagome has caught him grumbling about it on several occasions since…

Miroku's question only invokes the same reaction now. Lo and behold, once she makes the noise Inuyasha's eye twitches and he glares menacingly at her, all to no avail. No matter what tactic he uses, kindness, playfulness, outrage, Kiyomi is not having any of it. The kid knows how to hold a grudge.

"I told you not to let him bite her," Kagome huffs, settling on his back. "We had enough information to know!"

"He never even bit her!" he grouses.

That's true, Kiyomi had woken up just moments before Myoga was about to stick his pointy nose in her arm. She'd been spared the bite at Inuyasha's expense, his eye still yellow from the black eye she managed to give him in her frantic escape. Sure, they had wanted the blood for noble purposes, for Myoga to confirm if Kiyomi was the heir to the infamous inu-youkai tribe of the Southern Isles, but the girl is horrified of flea demons. For now, until Kiyomi's fears can be assuaged, they will have to rely on rumors that she is the daughter of the missing heiress.

All of that being said, this whole event has been a pretty hard blow to Inuyasha who has really grown attached to Kiyomi

"If she tells me to do that one more time," he grinds out as they take off at a run. "I'm not gonna put up with this."

"Well, it serves you right!" Shippo interjects. "You knew she was scared of Myoga and you did it anyway."

Poor little Shippo is knocked right off of Inuyasha's shoulder where he tumbles back into the dust.

~.~.~

"Hey, Kiyomi-chan, mind if I sit down?" Kagome asks.

The little girl is merrily munching on a granola bar a little ways from the campsite on a small hill overlooking a field of wildflowers. Her orchid eyes scan the surrounding area and she sniffs the air to confirm that Kagome hasn't been followed by a certain red-clad hanyou before nodding her head. Kagome sits, unwrapping a bar of her own. Kiyomi smiles up at Kagome.

"Thank you for the yummy granny bar!" she chirps. She hasn't quite figured out that the word is actually granola yet. Oh well, it's kind of cute.

"You're very welcome," Kagome answers.

They sit in silence for a few minutes the little girl finishing her snack. Once she's finished, she hands the wrapper to Kagome, and dutifully asks, "Can I go play now?"

She's pointing down the hill at the flowers waiting patiently for Kagome's permission. Ever since the incident, Kagome has had to play caretaker to both children. It's been exhausting trying to care for two small children on top of her studies. Not to mention, what will they do when she goes back to her time? Kagome needs to try and remedy this soon.

"In a moment," the older girl affirms. "I'd like to talk to you about something."

The girl cocks her head and her ears droop a little. A small squeak escapes her throat but Kagome doesn't understand what the girl's demonic instincts are trying to tell her. All the more reason for her to resolve this feud. Ha! A family feud in the Feudal Era! Not that Kiyomi and Inuyasha are related in any way… but it does fit a little!

"Did I do something bad?" she asks softly, nervously when her little yip goes unanswered. "I didn't mean to…"

"Oh no! You didn't do anything wrong, sweetie. I was just wondering if you could do me a favor?"

Those cute little ears perk back up. "A favor? I like to help!"

Kagome takes a deep breath, hoping that this works out as well as it had in her head. "I'd really appreciate it if you spent a little time with Inuyasha tonight when we make camp."

That cheerful grin dissipates. "Nuh-uh. Not doin' it."

"Why not?" Kagome coaxes. "I talked to him and he is very sorry."

Okay, so he hasn't said so explicitly but she can tell he is based on all the extra steps he's tried to take to earn her forgiveness. Kiyomi blinks at her and bites her lower lip a little. If he told Miss Kagome that he's sorry then that means that she's being mean for no reason. Or he's trying to trick her!

She looks at Kagome shrewdly. "Did he really say he was sorry? That was a mean trick he played."

"So, he hasn't exactly said it in those words," Kagome answers honestly. "But I can tell he is. You know how he keeps trying to sit with you at dinner; that's Inuyasha's way of apologizing. Besides, I know what he did was mean but he wasn't trying to upset you. He thought that if Myoga tasted your blood that we could learn a little bit more about where you're from."

The girl pouts and crosses her arms over her chest. "I didn't like that."

"I know, he shouldn't have done that. He didn't want you to be afraid of Myoga though so he thought it would be nice to lull you to sleep first."

The girl cocks her head again, confused. "What do you mean? He didn't tell me to go to sleep?"

Oh, so the girl doesn't know about that yet. Oops!

"Oh, you know what I mean! He thought that if he helped Myoga take a teeny, tiny amount of blood when you were sleeping that you wouldn't be so scared of the flea demon later."

The girl frowns, deliberating for a moment. That is true… Inuyasha is much bigger than she was. If he had really wanted to, he could have just let the flea bite her anyway. She guesses that it was kind of nice of him to wait for her to fall asleep so she wouldn't be scared… If she's honest, she can't even really remember what a flea bite feels like. It just makes her think of the time a snake bit her leg. Her mama had asked a lady flea demon at the shrine to bite her. She had been scared and upset and the lady flea just kept on biting and sucking out her blood anyway.

And, worst of all, Mama had just let her do it. It's one of the only bad memories she has of Mama… That and her…

Kagome puts her hands together. "Please, Kiyomi, it would really mean a lot to me and Inuyasha if you forgave him."

"Well…" She supposes that if she forgave her mama then she can forgive Inuyasha. "Okay… But he had better say sorry and mean it!"

~.~.~

"Why do I gotta be the one to apologize?" he demands rudely, glaring at Kagome. "What did you do? Were you meddling again?"

"Inuyasha," Kagome groans, "just do it so that we can all get back to normal."

"I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Yes, you did! You knew that she was worried about Myoga biting her and, not only did you let it happen, you helped him do it!"

"Who cares?! It's just a stupid flea bite! It's not like it was somethin' that was actually gonna hurt her," he argues. "Besides"—his voice lowers and his ears dip tellingly—"I tried to make sure she wouldn't be scared. S'not my fault the runt woke up and went crazy."

Kagome puts a soothing hand on his shoulder. "Come on, don't be so stubborn. She's just a little kid and you two are still learning about the other."

"Feh, fine, if it makes ya shut up."

"Just tell her that you're sorry," she begs. "An apology could go a long way here!"

Inuyasha trods away from the camp down the hill as Kagome asked him. He spots the pup lying on her back among the wildflowers and she looks… sad. Is that his fault? Her ears flick in his general direction as he approaches, arms crossed peacefully over his chest. He warily takes a seat beside her. She doesn't move besides the twitch of her ears.

"Well," he muses, "at least she ain't telling me to go fuck a fish this time. Where the hell'd she even hear that? Definitely wasn't from me."

She's thinking of her mama. She misses her mother more than words can say. And it's a little hard because…

Well, she's not sure if the others have noticed it, but they are traveling near where they found her. This is close to her father's village and the large cave that they had lived in after her mother no longer trusted the shrine keeper. They are even closer to the little cave that she'd lived in once she was alone. She can even remember playing in this field with Mama and Papa. It all makes her want to—

"Fine, I'm sorry, okay? Now, are ya done with the silent treatment?"

She peers over at him. That wasn't a very nice apology at all. It was rather rude if you ask her. He looks flustered, uncomfortable. Not at all like the sorry Kagome had described. She lets out a small grunt of acknowledgment.

"It's not like I was gonna let him drain you dry," he complains. "And I'm not gonna let anyone do something that's gonna really hurt ya. A little bruiser like you shouldn't be so worked up about a tiny flea demon."

"That was a mean trick," she grumbles, going back to staring up at the sky. "Mama did it once to me too."

"Well, duh, you were bit by a snake. Something had to suck out the venom. That ain't a trick, pup, that's keeping you alive."

But he can see why it would scare a little girl who's already been bit by a venomous snake. Already frightened and in pain… Flea demons don't exactly shrink the more they drink and he's seen Myoga get pretty freaking intimidating if he got carried away. The more the demon sucked up the worse it probably got for the kid.

"I know," she says with a huff. "Mama apologized after. You didn't."

"Well, to be fair, Myoga didn't actually get the chance to bite you. You threw him into a tree."

She frowns. "Mama said she had to do it because I got bit. But, this time I wasn't bit by nothin' and you didn't believe me. I promised I wasn't. Why didn't you listen to me?"

He joins her on his back in the grass, letting the blades tickle his ears. "S'got nothin' to do with being bitten by something. Myoga might know where you're from. He says he knows what your family is supposed to taste like. We're just trying to learn a little bit more about you."

"Why'd you wanna know that?"

He looks up at the sky. He doesn't want to come out and say that there's a good chance that her grandfather could be out there ready to sentence her to death. That'll only scare the kid. He's gotta know though… It's the only way he can be prepared. What if this Kane demon comes after Kiyomi? He's at least got to prepare himself for the risk. It would be really nice to know for certain if the possibility is there.

"Just wonderin' who ya are," he simplifies.

She blinks at him. If he wanted to know more about her then all he had to do was ask. She grabs onto her toes and rolls around in the grass to release some of her nervous energy before confessing, "Mama said she grew up in a castle."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yup! She had a Mama and a Papa and lots of brothers! I never got to see them though. Mama says they aren't very nice and that we shouldn't talk about them."

That certainly sounds like the picture Myoga had provided them in the forest. Poor kid really is alone out there… Well, all the more reason for her to stay in his pack. She can stay right where she is, thank you very much.

"What about your father? Know anything about him?"

"Nuh-uh," she shakes her head lazily. "Mama told me that he was too busy with his family to stay with us."

"His family?"

"Mhmm," the girl says uninterestedly. "I've got brothers somewhere. Don't tell Mama but I ran off to see them one day. They don't look very nice either and their mama was very mean. She threw a tomato at me."

"Where's your father now?" he asks. He'll be damned if the kid has some sort of deadbeat dad roaming around. He'll kill him for neglecting his duties as a—

She looks up at him very plainly and says. "He burnt up."

"Oh."

Finally, after a few moments of silence, Kiyomi still rolling around on her back with her feet in the air, she says, "I like it here. Miss Kagome is very nice and Shippo is fun."

He looks at her, a little flummoxed. "Well, we like you too, kid."

She looks up at the sky completely still for a moment arms and legs spread wide. "I get what Shippo meant… when he told me that he still missed his pa. I still miss Mama… I miss her a lot. But… I think he was right. It isn't so bad anymore now that I have friends. I'm not lonely anymore."

He grins at her. That's a better outcome than he'd expected. "You're welcome for kidnapping you then."

She giggles, rolling over in the grass so that she's resting on her belly, and stares over at him with wide eyes. "Are we still friends?"

"You bet, pup. But if you ever say"—he makes the snort and grunt that she'd been hurling at him for the past three days—"to me again and I'll starve you, got it?"

She blinks at him confused. "Why? What's it mean?"

"You don't know?!"

Kiyomi shakes her head curiously. "I heard Mama say it to Papa once. They were fighting so I think it's supposed to be bad. Is it really naughty?"

"Well, damn, her mother's got a worse mouth than I do."

"So, what's it mean?"

"Heh, I'll tell you when you're older."

~.~.~

"A village! A village! A village!" Shippo chants delightedly.

They've been on the road for six days total and everyone is desperately in need of a warm meal that came with a side of rice for a change. Even Inuyasha, eager as he is to keep hunting Naraku despite the lack of leads won't exactly say no to a roof over his head. Kagome always gets pissy when they are outdoors for too long. The monk is going to want to chase down his women and Sango needs time to tend to her hiraikotsu. They all need a little break. He looks behind him. Kiyomi is dawdling behind them apprehensively. She doesn't look sad but she looks uncomfortable, reflective.

"Yo," he calls out, "get a move on, pup."

They enter the town and he has to bite back the initial rush of anxiety that crowded villages stir in his gut. He looks at Kagome from the corner of his eye. She'll never let anything happen to him. He's just gotta remember that. It's not like when he used to be alone. As long as Kagome is at his side he can go anywhere and it will always be okay. It's a small village. There are a few shabby stalls selling fish as if they want to eat more freaking fish, and there's a temple in the distance. Inuyasha gets the feeling that the temple or the inn is going to be "haunted".

"Houshi-sama! Houshi-sama!"

Or someone might actually need help.

A young boy races up to the group, maybe nine years old, give or take. He has rich brown hair, elegant clothing, and remarkably green eyes. Inuyasha can't stop staring at him. There's something strangely familiar about the boy… He's got to be confused.

"Yes, my child?" Miroku answers as the boy all but crashes to a halt.

"Houshi-sama!" he exclaims with a bow. "My name is Enkai and I must beg for your help!"

"Whatever's the trouble, young lad?"

Kiyomi's gone rigidly still behind Inuyasha and he can make out the faint hints of a growl. Something about this kid is setting her off. He's not about to ask her now though. She doesn't seem to be frightened or sad, more like on edge and defensive. He chalks it up to just anxiety around strangers. It's normal enough behavior for her, she doesn't like strangers.

"You must come to the castle! We are in dire need of your spiritual assistance. My father's grave has been desecrated! My brother, Yaketsuku, is the lord of this village. He'll make sure you are fairly paid!"

Turns out that the "lord of the village" is a fourteen-year-old twerp who wears way too much perfume. He sits cross-legged on a cushion, looking smugly at Miroku after the group has been ushered into a receiving room. The boy had been fine, even friendly to the monk until he spotted Inuyasha and Kiyomi's ears and noticed that there was a fox demon clinging to the scantily clad miko. Now, he looks like a pompous little windbag. A toddler burbles happily beside him and with a telling glare from the oldest brother, Enkai picks the tot up.

"Hush, Aoki," the younger brother whispers, "not while we are with the houshi-sama."

Yaketsuku isn't satisfied with Enkai's coddling. "Go and bring him to the nanny. That's why we have a nanny."

Enkai nods and it's very clear to Inuyasha that this Yaketsuku is the alpha of their pack. Again, Inuyasha can't help but think that there's something familiar about the kid which is ridiculous because he's never seen any of these children in his life. Behind the boy is a large watercolor painting of a brown-haired man dressed in armor and a beautiful woman with raven black locks. Yaketsuku is clearly the man's son only his hair is black like his mother's and pulled up into a short ponytail.

"Monk," he says rudely. "I apologize for my younger brother's behavior. I told him that it wasn't necessary to involve anyone else."

"No need to apologize," Miroku insists although it doesn't take a mind reader to tell Inuyasha that the monk is uncomfortable. "I'm happy to help in all spiritual matters. I require no pay shy of a room for my friends and me for the night."

The boy shoots a dark look at Inuyasha and Kiyomi who responds with a snarl and has begun openly growling. She's stopped by Inuyasha flicking the side of her head as a warning. Something's got that kid all riled up…

"Interesting company you keep, houshi. It's the first I've heard of a monk, and a youkai taijiya traveling so casually amongst such… rabble."

Miroku bristles. "If you are speaking of my friends, your lordship, then rest assured they will do you no harm. Whom I travel with is my own affair."

"Well," the young man says with a smirk, "it doesn't matter now, does it? I suppose that I could use the two of you for a greater purpose. If your guests will be led to their chambers for the evening, we can discuss it further."

There is something in his tone that suggests that he intends for the half-demons and the kit to remain in the room for the entirety of their stay. Miroku holds a hand up. "If you don't mind, young lord, I wish for my friends to stay."

The boy huffs but seems to allow it. "As my brother already told you, our father's grave has been desecrated. I would like you to bless the site and this"—he tosses Miroku a small purse full of coins—"shall be your compensation."

"This is very generous," Miroku says, eager to get away from this insufferable child. "If that's all…"

"It's not."

There is a stretch of silence where the only sound is Kiyomi's low rumbling in her chest. Inuyasha is worried. She's not doing it intentionally. Something about this place has her on the defense and she does not like these kids. It must be the perfume. It might be bugging her nose…

"Taijiya," the young lord says. "I will need you to exterminate a rather… troublesome pest."

Sango doesn't like the feeling that is creeping up from her gut. "Go on."

Yaketsuku waves a hand at the painting of the man "This was my father who previously ruled this estate. Two years ago it was discovered that he had taken up with a demoness for several years. When confronted for his transgressions he insisted that he would be leaving the village in search of a new life with the scum he'd found. He was bewitched past the point of no return.

"My mother had him burnt at the stake and we hired several accomplished slayers to dispose of the she-devil that had enslaved him. His grave is in the garden. The animal that seduced him is buried somewhere outside of town in the forest. We had to get rid of the body, you see."

If Inuyasha isn't mistaken, he is picking up the faint scent of blood nearby. The hell is going on around here?

"Then what more could you need from me?" she asks coldly, gripping her hiraikotsu's strap to keep her composure.

The boy snickers. "They had some sort of hellspawn together. Somehow, the little cretin has evaded capture and its rightful punishment. I need you to find the creature and bring me its head."

"I am not in the business of hunting down children," Sango warns darkly. "Unless this hanyou has gone on a rampage and destroyed your village then I cannot accept this bounty."

"I believe that the offspring is responsible for the destruction of my father's final resting place," he offers almost sinisterly. "Is that reason enough?"

"Why would you think that?" she challenges him coldly.

The young man is like ice, sneering at the back of the room like Inuyasha and Kiyomi are vermin.

"Simple," he answers softly. "It's unearthed both my father and its mother."

The growling stops suddenly as though someone has just knocked Kiyomi unconscious. Both Inuyasha and Kagome turn their heads to her, surprised only because she has stopped so abruptly. She's wide-eyed and still sneering at Yaketsuku, her little fangs hanging over her lip in a warning. But she looks… stunned for lack of a better word.

"Again, I'm sorry but I cannot accept this bounty," Sango replies, her tone unchanged. "You'll need to find another slayer, one with fewer morals than I, to take on such a task."

The boy turns his nose up. "Very well, Monk, you and your companions will be escorted to their chambers. The blessing must be performed at dawn, yes?"

Miroku is completely shocked by how cold and cruel the young man is and he needs a moment to shake himself off. "Yes, young lord, at first light."

"My younger brother will be in attendance. Enkai always idolized the fool."

~.~.~

Inuyasha is sitting across from Kiyomi, dabbing a wet rag over puncture wounds on her palms. He'd figured out it was her blood he smelled back in the receiving room when the distinct scent followed them to the guest chambers. Pup's worked herself up so much that she's cut her own hands clenching her fists. She's right in front of him but she looks miles away, staring at a portrait hanging on the wall. It's another one of the lord who'd been publicly murdered by his own family. He looks like he's meant to be older in this painting with a full beard and shoulder-length hair.

"Yo," he says to her quietly, "what's your problem?"

He knows she doesn't like people but what happened back there wasn't normal. Usually, if something bothered Kiyomi she just cries over it until, well, she gets over it. He can't recall seeing her this angry before, hell, it goes beyond anger; she's livid. It's even worse than the time she found out about Kikyo. She looks at him, her expression is exhausted and full of something else that he can't put his finger on. If he didn't know her any better he would guess hatred. As if the kid has a hateful bone in her body.

He's gotta get her outta this place… something about it ain't right.

"Be right back," he murmurs, leaving the blood spotted rag in her hands which barely hold it.

"Can you imagine? I mean what kind of monster—" Kagome fumes, like she has been for the past hour, unloading her things. Inuyasha smiles lightly. His Kagome can't imagine a world where hanyous are treated any differently than anyone else. "To suggest murdering— It's unthinkable!"

God, he's so lucky to have found her…

"Miroku," he calls out softly to them, "I'm taking the pup for the night. This place's got her all worked up. Watch out for Kagome, okay?"

"She at least needs a warm meal," Kagome insists. She doesn't understand. "I'm sure she's just upset about hearing what he said about wanting to murder a half-demon child. After all, she is a half-demon child herself. I don't see how you are so calm right now."

"Heh, I dunno if that's—"

There are footsteps by the door and, for the first time in nearly an hour, Kiyomi wakes from her stupor, ears erect. Her upper lip is pulling back, from her chest he can make out some sort of aggressive purr, and her claws scratch against the wooden floor. It almost looks like the kid is out hunting or something.

"Houshi-sama, may I—"

The shoji slides open and it takes all of three seconds for Kiyomi to jump to her feet. She's gone from dazed to downright vicious, snarling openly at poor Enkai with her ears pulled flat against her head. She doesn't approach him but she does cross the room to block his entrance. The boy leaps back shocked while Inuyasha has to grab the kid by the back of her haori for fear that she's about to take the kid's face off.

'MINE! MINE! MINE!' her youkai is warning the boy furiously in the form of snarls and the snapping of her jaw.

"Young Enkai!" Miroku splutters, taken aback by Kiyomi's aggressive outburst. "I apologize! Our friend is a little skittish but I'm sure that she will calm down in a moment? Right, Inuyasha?"

'GO AWAY! FIGHT!' her inu-youkai instincts insist struggling in earnest against Inuyasha's tight hold. 'MINE!'

'Stop! Calm! Safe!' Inuyasha's youkai is urging her with a series of sharp yips. It's not working, whatever restraint she had this afternoon is completely used up. He knew he should've gotten her out of here.

Enkai looks at Kiyomi nervously. "Well, that's why I'm here… I want to apologize for Yaketsuku"—the boy takes a deep breath—"he hasn't been the same since Otou-sama was…" He looks at Sango desperately, pressing three little coins into the slayer's hand. "It's all I have saved up! I'll get you more if you need it. Just… Please, don't kill my sister!"

Sango is shellshocked. "But I—I've never met your sister…"

The boy looks back at Kiyomi who is now just lowly growling out a warning but at least she's stopped thrashing around. Her stillness is not a sign of calm at all. It's a way to conserve energy. The longer he looks at her the tenser and more rigid she becomes. Inuyasha can feel her muscles quivering in his arms.

"I-I remember you… That night… you just wanted to play with us and… my mom threw something at you… I'm really sorry… Otou-sama was very upset when I told him what happened! I've never seen him so angry."

She just keeps her resolve, baring her teeth and pulling against Inuyasha's hold as if her tiny body could stand up to his strength. Heh, a shortstop like this doesn't stand a chance against him, but good luck telling her that. He's a little surprised. This boy is speaking as if he knows her… Did the kid have some sort of history here? Enkai looks angry when he turns back to Sango.

"Yaketsuku knew who she was too! That's why he said those things," he says worriedly to Miroku. "He told me that he's asked you to kill her. Please don't do it. Otou-sama loved her very much!"

Miroku starts putting the pieces together, looking back and forth between the little girl and the trembling lad in front of him. "Young man, are suggesting that Kiyomi is—"

"OW!" "Inuyasha yowls. Kiyomi's sunk her teeth into the arm that's holding her back drawing blood.

He lets her go in surprise; the girl, literally, leaps at the opportunity. Crossing the room in one bound, she positions herself between the boy and Sango, tripping Miroku in the process. She's all but frothing at the mouth, her fangs on full display, and her lips pulled back not unlike a real dog. Her claws are raised in warning.

"GET OUT!" she shrieks and the boy cowers, shrinking away from her. "HE'S MY PAPA! NOT YOURS!"

"What the flying fuck is she going on about? Is this some sort of territorial thing? But why?", Inuyasha wonders to himself, reaching over to pluck the girl off the ground. It gives the lad some distance from her claws which Inuyasha's pretty sure she intends to use.

While he's struggling to get the enraged kid under control he grinds out to Miroku, "Monk, can you get him outta here?"

"Young man," Miroku says gently. "As you can see, our friend is not well and—"

The boy holds his hand up, his face white as a sheet. The kid's got guts for someone his age. "It's okay… I-I understand, I don't... I don't blame her."

"She's normally not like this," Sango explains. "She's usually very friendly!"

"You call this friendly?" Inuyasha yelps. "OI! Quit tryin' to bite me, you little—"

Enkai sighs, "It's really all right… She must hate us after—"

Whatever he's about to say, Kiyomi doesn't want him to say. "GET! OUT!"

"After what?" Shippo asks, taking in the entire scene with shock and a little hint of fear. He hadn't realized his newest friend could be so scary. The kit looks up at Kagome and whimpers, "What's wrong with Kiyomi-chan?"

Kiyomi tries to wriggle out of the vice grip that Inuyasha's got her in. He has her crushed against his chest with both arms around her midsection pinning her there securely. She's trying with all of her might to get him to let her go again but it's a little difficult with her arms pinned to her sides. But she'll figure it out! This time she won't hesitate! She's gonna go straight for the jugular! How dare he come in here and try to apologize to her like he even knows or cares about her! First, they stole her papa from her and then they kill him!

"They killed Mama."

'Enemy! Fight! MINE!'

Suddenly, Inuyasha realizes something… She said she'd had brothers that she didn't know and that her father… Oh fuck.

"I've got brothers somewhere. Don't tell Mama but I ran off to see them one day. They don't look very nice either and their mama was very mean. She threw a tomato at me."

"Where's your father now?"

"He burnt up."

Enkai backs away slowly to the shoji, looking at Shippo sadly as if he had hoped for a different outcome. He smiles at Miroku even though his eyes are watering. "Please take good care of my sister, houshi-sama. I-I'm not upset with her for hating us… I w-wouldn't like me very much if I were her either… He was her Otou-sama as well."

The young lad exits the room leaving everyone a little surprised, sympathetic, and, in Shippo's case, quite terrified. They can hear his footsteps pounding on the floor outside as he runs. The only sound in the room now is Kiyomi trying to free herself from Inuyasha's hold, yelping and snarling the whole time. He's trying to use his inu-youkai language to get her to calm down but it's not working.

The girl is still making every possible effort to get out of his arms so that she can hunt down that boy and shred him to bits.

"Let me GO!" she hollers, wriggling harder than ever. "Lemme go!"

"Not until you quit it!" Inuyasha argues, trying to pin down all of her flailing limbs.

She can't use her arms so she's attempting to pry his arms off of her with her foot. After a few long moments of struggling she finally relaxes against him. She's far from calm, he can tell because her ears are upright and alert. She's panting but she's stopped growling. She's probably trying to outwit him into letting her out but he also knows he can't hang on to her forever.

"If I let you go are you gonna try to take off?"

She shakes her head, hair and ears flopping. Inuyasha puts his arms down and immediately the girl leaps off of him like an arrow, headed right for the door. Her speed is no match for her hanyou caregiver and he pulls her back by her ankle. Her claws that are scrabbling for purchase leave long marks along the hardwood floor.

"Hmph," he grumbles, holding her by the ankle, "thought as much."

"I hate them!" she hollers, trying to drag herself away from him by using her claws to dig into the floor. "I hate them! I HATE THEM!"

"Yeah, pup, we get the point," Inuyasha grunts, pulling her back to restrain her in his lap while she squirms this way and that to try and get to the door. "Will ya stop it?!"

She doesn't stand a chance of getting out but that doesn't mean he's not getting tired.

He can smell the telltale salt of tears, someone's crying but it's not Kiyomi. Nah, she's still too pissed off for her to reach that point. He dares a glance behind him to see that Kagome's eyes are brimming with them. After a few moments, she kneels in front of the two hanyous, the youngest one still trying desperately to squirm her way out. Kagome wipes her eyes, looking at Kiyomi as if the girl weren't enraged to the point of attack.

"Kiyomi-chan," she says softly, "we know you're sad. It's all right to feel this way."

The girl stops straining against Inuyasha's grip, withering a little. She looks at Kagome with wide eyes, shuddering slightly. Her limbs, previously so rigid are now almost weightless. Now, he's using his arms to simply hold her up. She's not about to cry, at least not yet. She keeps looking back and forth between the shoji and Kagome's sympathetic gaze.

"But"—she points to the door with a shaking finger—"they…"

"They killed my Mama and Papa…" she reminds herself.

The older girl nods her head and reaches out to touch Kiyomi's hand. "I know. I'm so sorry that this has happened to you…"

The girl's lower lip is trembling something awful and she looks up at the painting of the lord.

"But he's my papa… And they… They tricked…," she warbles before narrowing her eyes again and trying to another break for the door. "I'll kill them!"

"Pfft," she hears above her as Inuyasha clamps down on her again. "You ain't gonna be killing anybody."

"You have every right to be angry," Kagome soothes, resting her hands on her lap. "What happened to you wasn't fair. But you don't really want to hurt anybody, do you?"

"Yes, I do!" she insists, the words darkened by her clenched jaw. "I HATE THEM!"

Miroku kneels next to Kagome. After a moment of deliberation, he reaches over to pat Kiyomi's head, scratching the spot behind her ear that he's noticed tends to calm her down best. It seems to work, she's stopped tensing and shivering. Inuyasha can still feel that her heartbeat is rapid but it should be safe to release her. When he does, she doesn't move, temporarily soothed by Miroku rubbing her little ear.

"As Buddha says," the monk begins. "'Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.' I think you'll find the road of forgiveness much more pleasant, our little friend."

"We're here for you," Kagome soothes. "All of us."

The girl is sitting up now, Inuyasha holding on to the collar of her jacket just in case she loses it again, and she stares at Kagome intensely. Her ears are folding back across her scalp again, now that Miroku's withdrawn his hand, hiding in her tangled hair. She bites her lower lip, tucking her chin into her chest and her hands clenching into fists drawing blood again. With a curt 'leave me alone' she scoots away from the trio and curls up in a little ball underneath the portrait of her father. They hear a little sigh but the girl doesn't cry.

'Sad,' Her youkai is whimpering out and only Inuyasha understands it. 'Mother. Father. Gone. Sad.'

"Guys, I'm gonna get her outta here," he says calmly. "Me and her are gonna sleep out in the woods tonight."

"We should all go," Sango says darkly. "I don't like this place at all."

"I agree," Miroku answers, standing up. "I will return the money and apologize to the young lord. He'll have to find another monk."

"No," Inuyasha says sharply. "You guys stay. The least we can do for the kid is bless the gravesite. And, do me a favor, find the mother's too. That kid that drove her crazy might be able to tell you where it is."

"I think he wants to spend a little time alone with Kiyomi. Deny it all he likes but he's got such a soft side," Kagome muses with a smile.

"And it will be good for us to have a roof and a warm meal at the expense of the little turd who runs this place," Kagome adds.

She passes Inuyasha a knowing smile. "You two go on. I'll bring you back some breakfast and"—she turns around to rustle in her bag for a bit—"take the lighter. That'll make it easier for you to start the fire. Kiyomi knows how to use it."

"But I wanna go!" Shippo whines.

"Now, Shippo, I'm countin' on ya to watch over these weak humans for me," Inuyasha says, using his 'macho-man' voice to impress Shippo. "I'll owe ya big time for this."

"Right!" the boy says with a little jump. "Don't worry, Inuyasha, I'll keep it together!"

"Good work, Shippo," the half-demon says with a wink.

If Kiyomi had been eavesdropping she doesn't show it. She's exhausted, outraged, sad, embarrassed… She has so many emotions swirling around in her head. She's curled beneath the portrait, not unlike a small, sleepy puppy. Her half-lidded eyes don't change or shift when Inuyasha crouches in front of her with a welcoming smile. He holds a hand out to her and all he gets in return is a pitiful whine. With a frown, he leans over and uncurls her out of her little ball. She turns away from him to look up at the portrait of her father, her hands resting by his feet on the scroll.

'Father.' The yip is soft and pitiful.

"Yeah, I know, pup," he says, glaring at the portrait like it's done something horribly wrong to him. "C'mon, let's get outta this shithole."

He lifts her easily and places her on his back, taking a moment to look at Kagome. Again, he wonders what the hell he would do without her. Checking that the pup's latched onto his jacket and won't fall off, he marches out of the guest chambers. He figures he'll be able to leave once he reaches the courtyard.

Inuyasha gets the feeling that Enkai boy had been trying to soften a bigger blow. Heh, that jackass eldest brother probably has plans to visit the room at some point. He probably wants to provoke Kiyomi. He's glad that she at least got to meet her nicer brother, even if she wanted to paint the walls with the boy's entrails. He's glad it didn't come to that. Why didn't she warn him once they got back to the room? He could've avoided that whole disaster if he'd known that the pup was as tense as a loaded bow from the start. She should have warned them when they reached the city. She'd been nervous the whole time so she'd known where they were going.

When's this kid gonna fucking trust him?

As they approach the forest it's still midday and he finally shakes her off of his shoulders. She stares at the trees blankly and he reaches over to hold her hand, her blood sticking to his palm. He leads her deep inside the forest, just in case this is some kind of trap set by that little shit, Yaketsuku. He doubts it but it doesn't hurt to be careful. He hadn't lived this long by taking unnecessary risks. Contrary to what the others think about him, he's actually more cautious than they give him credit for.

He's also a lot smarter than they think. The poor kid just needs a little time alone after all that. Time alone is almost impossible when you're traveling in a group of seven.