Guys! Guysss! Guess who's back?

Yes, it is I.

*throws chocolate at enraged fandom*

Apologies for the year or two years or three years disappearance. Have some chocolate.

Now, let's pick up where we left off…Hmm?

"I still don't get why we have to hang around this guy?" Inuyasha grumbled at Kagome, as the two of them, including the human peeked out of from the bushes, overlooking the manor where the women were rumoured to be hidden.

Touga leaned against the tree behind them, not caring to hide himself from view. He shook his head as his son and his intended continued the discussion in hushed tones. He also wondered whether it was helpful to point out that nobody could see or hear them for miles.

Kagome gestured at the frowning Nobunga, "You really think it is okay to just leave him on his own. He keeps falling off cliffs."

"Children," Touga gave them a stern look, making them both jump, guiltily. "If you are done playing, then I propose we wait till nightfall and rescue this human's mate."

"She's not my mate!" Nobunga howled, his face red in embarrassment.

The inuyoukai just frowned at him, "You are too loud, human. Cease this noise."

Kagome straightened up and looked towards the castle, murmuring, "It's pretty far away by foot." She threw a quick glance at the handsome inuyoukai, "Perhaps we should start walking if we are to reach it by nightfall."

It seemed Touga could deny his intended nothing. Sighing, he pulled away from his position against the tree, "Very well. Come, Kagome."

The little miko skipped to his side and the inuyoukai cast a swift glance over his shoulder to his youngest son, warning him to keep his distance.

Inuyasha huffed and puffed at that, but his father's temper was painful to say the least and he kept his mouth shut, glaring at the human instead, "Let's go."

As they walked in silence, Touga buried his hands in sleeves, enjoying the wind on his face, and the feeling of being enveloped by his mate's scent.

"Touga-sama?"

The inuyoukai could not help the curving of his lips at the way his name sounded on his intended's lips in such a formal manner.

"Simply, Touga, little one."

"Oh." Kagome blinked. Then, she continued, "Are you really going to help us gather the shards?"

Touga glanced at his mate and to his amusement, he saw that she had some of his silver hair wrapped around her fingers as it swayed in the wind. She might not understand it, but because they were mates, she was drawn to him, to his touch.

It was still amusing to see how she kept trying to play with it, not noticing what she was actually doing.

Enjoying her recklessness with his person, he pretended not to have seen it, and nodded, "I have heard of the Shikon no Tama. I was acquainted with the priestess who resides in it. It is too powerful a jewel to be left unguarded."

"Oh." Kagome said. She wanted to talk to him, but she didn't know what to say, or how to maintain a conversation with him. How was she supposed to get to know him if he didn't speak all that much?

"You look frustrated, little one." Touga chuckled at her knitted brow.

Kagome tried to deny it, when she caught the sight of his curved lips. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. If Seshomaru ever smiled like that, she would probably scream bloody murder and make a break for it. And if Inuyasha ever grinned like that, she would 'sit' him into oblivion, knowing he was up to something. However on him, his smile made something inside her quiver and she swallowed, looking away.

Touga allowed her to hide her arousal, and felt not a little frustrated at how innocent she was yet. It would be a few years before he would be able to claim her. Although mature in some aspects, she was still a child. It honestly felt like he had been saddled with not one pup, but two. The third one was following them, glaring at him at intervals.

Seshomaru was always predictable. He took after his mother with his sarcastic temperament. The toad that followed him around was no doubt the only creature loyal to him.

"So, are you serious about this whole mating thing?"

Kagome blinked at herself as the words were torn from her mouth.

Touga looked at her, and after a moment's silence, commented, "Sometimes, you surprise me with your bravado. I would have assumed you would avoid the topic."

Kagome tightened her fingers on the straps of the bag that she carried on her shoulders, "Yes, well. Sometimes, I surprise myself with my stupidity, too."

Her companion suppressed his smile at her dry remark. But he answered her question, because it was obvious, she needed to get this matter clarified to some extent.

"Not just yet. You are mine, Kagome." He glanced sideways at her, his eyes sharp in their intensity, "Make no mistake of that. Your scent has been imprinted on my senses since you fell down the well two thousand years ago. I was promised your return and here you stand."

"Promised?" Kagome blinked. "Did someone else fall down the well, too?"

"No, child. Your guardian, the guardian of the well, it promised me that you would return to me."

"Ah," Kagome nodded, wisely. "So, there is a third party involved. One who's making decisions for me."

"You are an impertinent child." This time she saw his full fledged grin and the rakish side of Inuyasha's father shimmered in front of her. The smile vanished just as quick, but she had seen it.

"And amusing," He told her, his eyes lingering on her face. "I doubt you will ever lose that insolence of yours."

"You say that like it's a good thing." Kagome muttered under her breath, adjusting the weight of her bag. Suddenly it was taken from her and tossed behind them.

"Inuyasha. Carry this satchel." Touga ordered his youngest.

Inuyasha stared at the bag he had unwittingly caught, dumbfounded, "Do I look like a pack mule to you, old man? Make the wench carry it!"

The deadly look his sire sent him, had him snapping his mouth shut, "And you assume to tell me, my intended is one?"

Kagome made an apologetic face at the hanyou who just grumbled under his breath, but knew better than to argue with the powerful inuyoukai walking a little farther ahead of him.

The group walked in silence for a few minutes, till Touga glanced at the quiet miko at his side. She seemed to be lost in thought and he took the opportunity to study her clothing.

"What is this that you wear?"

Kagome glanced down at her jeans. She had carried an extra pair just in case the previous ones got dirtied. Of course she had not counted on having to cut them off and make them into a pair of makeshift shorts.

"Jeans."

"They are very form fitting." Touga murmured aloud, disapproval lacing his tone. He did not like the idea of having his mate's curves so obvious to anybody watching.

If Kagome noticed the tone, she narrowed her eyes, and chose to ignore it. "These are easier to run in. Like the other day, there was this huge bear youkai that attacked us, and it threw Inuyasha really far away and came after me. So, I ran really fast because my movement wasn't restricted in these."

A part of her was bristling at what the inuyoukai had been trying to do, and the logical part of her was trying to calm herself down.

Touga said nothing, just absorbing her words.

However, Kagome could not let it go.

After a while, she looked at him, a very serious look in her eyes, "I'm from the future, Touga-sama. Where I come from, men do not tell women what to wear. They don't tell them how to behave, or how to dress, or how to act. I am not completely buying into this mating thing right now, but if I were, and if this is actually a thing, then don't try to change me into the kind of woman that you are accustomed to. Because I won't let you break me."

There was a strong stench of fear in her words, but also stubbornness and determination.

And for the first time since he had met her, Touga discovered a new found respect for this female that was to be his mate.

He took her delicate hand in his and felt the quiver of fear. Amused, he brought the hand to his lips and pressed them against it, murmuring, "I would never dare to change you, my mate."

Startled, Kagome, swallowed.

That was not what she had been expecting. Perhaps, an outburst of temper, or a display of dominance, but not this delight.

"Y-Yes, well." She sniffed, her nose in the air, trying not to let him see how taken aback she was at the scene. But, deep inside, she could not help but be pleased that he respected her opinion. This powerful male that was dominance itself, lowered his head and courteously accepted her decision.

Touga could feel his mate's happiness and it, in turn, made him contented.

"I will not mate you yet," He told her, picking up the conversation from where they had left it a while back.

When she glanced at him, he continued, "You are young yet, and you need time to grow into yourself. So, do not be alarmed and take this time to understand yourself and me."

The gratitude that rushed through Kagome, joined with relief had her nearly sinking to her knees. In the back of her mind, she had been terrified that her youth was going to be taken away from her. It was bad enough she was stuck with finding these shards, but to become married to some man here, and get added responsibility?

A part of her had still be contemplating returning home and finding some way of sealing the well. She was too young for all this.

But what Touga said was kind of simple for her to grasp. He wanted to date her in some feudal era way and then marry her, or mate her, or do whatever he said they would be doing.

"Oi, wench!" The annoyed growl came from behind her, snapping her out of her musings and she turned to glance at Inuyasha.

"What the fuck are you carrying in here? Bricks?"

She rolled her eyes, "Don't be such a baby, Inuyasha. I swear, everytime I see you, you find something new to complain about."

She turned on her heel, and walked away, smirking at how her comment had made him gape at her, open mouthed like a fish.

I won.

She grinned to herself.

"Oi, bitch."

The grin faded. And she turned around, smiling at him cheerfully, "Did you just call me a bitch, Inuyasha?"

When he bared his teeth at her, she fluttered her eye lashes, saying the accursed word in a hard voice, "Sit, boy."

The howl that emitted from the crater shaped hole in the ground had her blinking, and putting her hand to her ear in a mocking gesture, "Oh, dear. Did you say something?"

Inuyasha lifted his head with great difficulty and snarled at her, "You fucking-"

"Sit, boy."

Touga would have intervened, but in a way, Kagome had more inu bitch traits than she realized. Probably the effect of his youki that had surrounded her all these years in the form of the dagger. His pup did not realize it, but he was being disciplined by the Alpha female of the pack.

And neither did Kagome, he realized.

However, he would have to step in, if they were to get to the castle before nightfall.

"Children."

His tone was sharp, and Kagome cast a guilty look his way, before staring at a point over his shoulder.

"Stop aggravating my intended, Inuyasha. And Kagome," He could not help the twinge of affectionate exasperation that streaked through him as she bit her lower lip in a micture of defiance and guilt, and finally met his eyes, mentally readying herself to be chastised. "Do not let yourself get affected so easily by his taunts. That is unbecoming in a lady."

"She ain't no Lady!" Inuyasha howled from his position in the ground, as he struggled ot get up.

"Damn it! SIT, INUYASHA! SIT!"

The pup groaned from his position and the little miko marched ahead, her cheeks flushed with anger. She made a magnificent sight and Touga shook his head at his youngest. "Patience is not your strong suit, boy."

"Keh." Inuyasha muttered, faintly embarrassed at the censure in his sire's voice.

The young Nobunga watched the entire affair, his mouth dry in fear at the power the woman held with jut a word.

"She's terrifying," He murmured.

"More like bat shit crazy," Inuyasha told him, darkly, dusting himself off.

They reached the castle as darkness laid its claim to the earth, and the sky gave up its hold on the various colours of the sunset. Kagome enjoyed the stark beauty of the night and she stared up at the clear sky, looking at the stars, a happy sigh on her lips. Strands of her hair flew over her shoulder with the breeze and Toyga reached out to grasp at them.

"There are hues of deep blue in your tresses," He told her, a soft look in his eyes. The sternness that was a part of him had vanished for a few seconds and he looked like a man, mesmerized.

Kagome blushed, "My father used to have this colour. His was darker, though."

Her father. Her Sire.

He knew nothing about her family, Touga thought. Or about this future that she came from.

However, there was no more time for musings, because Inuyasha reached them and sniffed the air, and gave a satisfied grin, "There is no way the Shikon no Tama wouldn't be here. This place fucking reeks of youkai."

"Such polite language," Kagome mused, loudly.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her prim tone, and gestured, "Let's go. Climb on, Kagome."

Kagome took a step towards him, and then something forced her to stop and she glanced over her shoulder. The disapproval that lined Touga's face was as clear as day.

"Or," She voiced aloud, "I could go with Touga-sama. And um –"

"You can carry me!" Nobunga declared, clambering onto the hanyou's back.

Inuyasha scowled at him, "Who the hell invited you?!"

However, the human male was stubborn. The princess he loved was inside these castle walls, scared and defenceless. There was no way he was not going inside.

"I, too, have business in the castle!" He argued with the agitated, silver-haired hanyou.

"Inuyasha." Touga held Kagome in his arms. "Let us hurry and not waste time."

Grumbling under his breath, Inuyasha let the human cling onto him as they jumped into the castle.

Touga was very pleased. It seemed Kagome was starting to accept his place in her life to some extent. Her hesitation at letting his son carry her, and opting for him was a huge step. She might not have recognized it, but he did.

"They're certainly very careless," Inuyasha frowned. "Not a single guard here."

Kagome's eyes widened, as she saw a few men slumped against each other on the ground. Before, she could say anything, Touga murmured, "They're asleep. A spell, most likely. This reeks of dark magic."

"Everyone is asleep," Kagome muttered as they wandered inside the castle. Touga stepped in front of her.

"Do not leave my side, mate. And lower your –"

"HIME!" Nobunga shouted, running past the inuyoukai, into the next room.

Kagome blinked, "Isn't this enemy territory for him? Should he really be shouting?"

Inuyasha looked bored, "Well, everyone's is asleep as it is." A wicked smirk formed on his features as he flexed his claws, realization dawning on him, "All this noise is bound to bring out the youkai hiding here."

A distraught howl had them all looking inside the room where Nobunga had rushed into. He was clasping a withered hand, his face twisted in deep sorrow, "Princess Tsuyu! Hang in there!"

As he saw the woman's lined and ancient face, pain etched into every line of his face, as he cried in horror, "What have they done to you, my princess?!"

"Uh, Nobunga?" Kagome spoke.

"Isn't this her? The princess you're looking for?"

Her tone was dry, as she gestured towards a beautiful female who lay on the ground, unconscious.

Abandoning the elderly female, whose hand he had clasped in a git of passion, Nobunga rushed towards the woman who stirred, and let out a moan.

Kagome rolled her eyes at Touga, who maintained his blank façade.

As the couple reunited, the princess shuddered in fear, "The Lord here collapsed one day, in the garden, and when he awoke, he was no longer himself."

At the sound of someone scuttling, Inuyasha assumed a defensive position in front of the humans and Touga noted that he pushed Kagome behind him as well.

A fat creature waddled in, his voice shrill, "You won't escape!"

His face was covered in bandages and Touga chose to stand aside and see his son handle this. He lifted a brow as Inuyasha jumped at the creature, shouting, "Show yourself!"

His claws ripped off the bandages that covered the creature's face and a gasp from the princess was heard as the bandages revealed a frog's face.

"Ew. That's nasty." Kagome winced. Then, her eyes narrowed, as she saw something thst no one else did.

Her hand was gripping Touga's, something the inuyouki noted.

"Inuyasha! I see the shard!"

She did?

Touga looked in the direction his mate was looking but saw nothing.

However, in the heat of the battle, his son took her word as law. Sneering, he flexed his claws, "Even with the the jewel, he looks like a fucking weakling."

"I wouldn't be so hasty, pup." His father remarked from his position against the wall where he leaned. "This is no ordinary youkai. It is a 300 year old one, called Tsukumo no Gama."

This is how he had trained Seshomaru, throwing his son into battle and making him learn.

However, where Seshomaru had been calculating, Inuyasha was heat and energy, a reckless soul, who just jumped into the fray.

Shaking his head at his son's over confidence, he watched as Inuyasha grinned, viciously, "I'm going to tear him apart in one strike!" and jumped towards the toad youkai.

One hand wrapped around Kagome, as Touga pulled her into himself, covering her mouth with his sleeve.

He knew what was going to happen.

The toad's cheeks swelled, just as Inuyasha raised his claws and then he released a strangely coloured miasma that had his pup collapsing and shouting out to Kagome not to breathe in the miasma.

As Inuyasha coughed, the toad youkai approached his human target and Nobunga raised his sword, sweat dribbling down his back in fear. However, the woman he loved was being threatened, and he shouted, hoarsely, "Stay back, youkai!"

However, the Tsukumo no Gama found himself annoyed at the human standing in his way, and he opened his mouth, his tongue slashing out at Nobunga, throwing the young man a few feet away. His arm was badly cut and Kagome rushed to his side, discarding her protection.

The youkai grabbed the unconscious princess and made a run for it.

Touga just watched in interest as his mate tended to the franctic young man. As the human male tried to resist her efforts to help and attempted to follow after the princess, Kagome spoke in a soft voice, "You must really love her."

Nobunga looked shocked at her astute observation, "How did you know?!"

"You were –" Kagome didn't know how to conceal her amazement at the dim witted man, "You were trying to hide it?"

A growl from behind her had her looking up a pissed off Inuyasha, "That damn frog will die!"

"Oh," Kagome declared cheerfully, "You look better now."

Inuyasha just scowled at her, and then glared at his father, "Keh, old man. Why didn't you stop that damn frog?!"

Touga raised a brow, "This is your fight, pup."

Inuyasha growled at him, but rushed in the direction where the youkai had left in. Nobunga raised himself to his feet and struggled to follow.

"Don't move!" Kagome told him, alarmed at the blood leaking out of his wound. The painfilled, but determined smile that Nobunga gave her was that of a man, who would cross into the threshold of death for the woman he loved, "My princess needs me. I won't abandon her."

"Touga!"

At the desperate look that Kagome shot him, the inuyoukai peeled himself from the wall, and lifted the human up, his fingers gripping the back of his shirt.

A little startled at the way he was being carried, Nobunga realized something was better than nothing.

Kagome gripped onto her bow and arrows and followed them.

The whole in the wall that Inuyasha must have created revealed huge transparent circles which contained naked women, whose eyes were open but blank.

"Are – Are these frog eggs?" The fascinated horror in Kagome's voice had Touga glancing at her and dropping the human in his hold.

"Yes." Touga touched one of the eggs and felt disgust, slicing one open. "The Tsukumo no Gama keep souls in here till they are ripened for consuming."

The horror in Nubungo's voice at the idea that his princess was in one of these, just waiting to be eaten, had him rushing forward, ignoring his wound, "Damn you!"

However, Inuyasha was faster, "Outta my way!"

Jumping ahead, he took out the Tetsusaiga and raised it over his head. The flash of silver on the blade had the simply metal transforming into its original form. The miasma that the frog youkai released had Inuyasha cutting through it, and the youkai.

Kagome tugged at Touga's sleeve in a mixture of excitement that pride.

"Look at that! He's using the Tetsaiga so well. He is helping the humans," She admitted in a cheerful tone, that just showed her confidence in her companion's abilities. "Sort of."

As the short lived battle raged between the frog youkai and the inu hanyou, Nobunga released the princess from the egg she was sealed in, which led to another tearful reunion between the two, with Kagome remarking in an offhand manner, "You know this really isn't the time to be –"

"Give me back my woman!" The frog youkai howled, greatly weakened by his injuries.

Not even bothering to kill him, Inuyasha simply hit him over the head with the flat edge of his sword, growling, "You're one to talk, bastard."

The blow must have dislodged the shard that was imbedded in the youkai's chest because remorse oozed from his voice, along with the horror of what he had done, "I – I did this?"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the thin voice, "Kill me! Please!"

"The Lord's human heart is still there!" Kagome gasped.

As Inuyasha raised his sword, Touga watched, a brow lifted, to see what his son would do.

"No, Inuyasha! You mustn't!"

Inuyasha growled at the miko, who had grabbed his arm, "He wants me to kill him!"

"But the Lord was consumed by the power of the shard. He is still alive in there!"

But Inuyasha refused to listen.

Touga wondered if his on would take the killing blow. He watched how the blade came down, and then deflected. So, his son did a have a humane side to him.

The pup snarled at Kagome, "How do you intend to deal with this, then?"

The relief showed on Kagome's face and as she opened her mouth, Inuyasha flew across the room ad fell onto the floor.

The corruption of the shard had retained control over the Lord again, and this time he advanced towards Kagome, "I'll eat you first, girl!"

A dangerous gleam in Touga's eyes and he moved within the blink of an eye. His arms were folded within his sleeves as he now stood in front of his mate, eying the frog youkai.

A cold look that promised a painful death.

"You should not have looked at this one's mate."