Author's note: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I wasn't expecting so many. Because so many of you reviewed I decided I was going to do my best to get this up as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or any of his little friends, but I do own my own my little personal anime character that lives in the world I've created for her in my mind. She pays me back by keeping me from getting bored when I'm alone. (
Chapter 8: All the King's Men
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Shippo woke up late in the night, and immediately noticed the feeling of cold air against his skin. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before he realized he was alone in Kagome's futon. He looked around and saw Miroku asleep and Sango curled up with Kirara on the other side of the room, but other than them there was no one but him. He missed the feeling of being cuddled up against Kagome, and decided he wait for her and Inuyasha to come back before going back to bed.

A minute went by. Two. Five. No one came. The kitsune stood up, wanting to go back to bed with them nearby. He couldn't help but wonder if they would come back. Shippo had always had a deep, underlying fear that he'd be left alone again. He loved Kagome like she was his Mother, and he didn't know what he'd do or where he'd go without her. Inuyasha wasn't that bad, either. He just got a kick out of making him mad. In reality he learned all the things his father had never been able to teach him from Inuyasha.

The kitsune bounded to the door as quickly and quietly as he could to find the missing couple.
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Inuyasha and the old couple were currently downstairs having a staring contest. "Well?" Inuyasha inquired roughly. The people before him looked at each other, back at him, then at each other again. Finally Jiro's wife sighed, "Jiro, I think we should tell them. They have a right to know if they are staying in our home."

"They may not be trustworthy, Tomoko," He replied stubbornly (A/N Has anyone noticed that he acts a lot like Inuyasha sometimes?), "They may be one of them."

"One of who?!" Inuyasha demanded. Tomoko placed her hand on her husband's shoulder, "They have brought us no harm, and I believe they are good people. They deserve an explanation." Jiro looked them up and down, as if sizing them up, and nodded. "Fine," He said, "We will explain. Follow us into the sitting room. This may take a while." He walked past them into the room where Kagome had previously met the man that tried to attack her, and sat down as the others followed.

Inuyasha sat cross-legged in a chair across from Jiro and his wife. Before Kagome could find another chair to sit in, however, he reached over and pulled her into his lap, ignoring her blush and surprised expression. He didn't trust these people just yet. The old man and woman were no threat now, but those men upstairs could be working for them for all he knew.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said, slightly embarrassed at his forwardness in public. The hanyou only tightened his grip on her. "Go on," He said gruffly. Jiro nodded and cleared his throat, apparently about to say something either very important or very long.

"I suppose you're wondering what those men upstairs are doing here," He began, and Inuyasha nodded, urging him to continue, "Well, you see, they are officers. Men who work for the King and leader of this and surrounding villages."

"So why are they here?" Inuyasha interrupted, " You in trouble for something?" Jiro shook his head, "We have done nothing but give them a place to rest. They wander all over this area, and we are obliged to give them residence in any place we can, should they command it."

"Why?" Inuyasha interrupted again. "Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded, "Let him finish before you start asking questions!" Inuyasha scowled but remained silent.

"It all began nearly a year ago. A group of rebels, thugs, as you might call them, settled in this village. It was only temporary, mind you, for none of them stay in one place for to long, so no one paid them any mind. That is, until one of them began mingling with the King's daughter. He would be seen talking to her outside the villages, or near the castle gates. It infuriated the king, and he forbade her to ever speak to him again. She, not wanting to spend her time with a thief like him, gratefully used the excuse to stay away from him," Jiro shook his head and Tomoko let out a regretful sigh. "I hate to think about what happened next," Tomoko said sadly, "It was so dreadful."

"What was it?" Kagome couldn't resist asking, and Inuyasha gave her a smug smirk at catching her interrupting. Jiro looked each of them straight in the eye before saying, "The princess was found dead near a stream where she would often speak to the village women. A friend of hers, who saw the whole thing and was unable to prevent it, said she was murdered. Murdered by that rebel she was trying to avoid."

Kagome's eyes widened for a split second upon hearing this before her expression melted into one of sadness and sympathy. Jiro continued to shake his head and Tomoko continued, "Ever since then, the king has been searching for that group of rebels so he can avenge his daughter's death. The group has supposedly grown, and nearly all the killings for miles around are because of them. We don't know whom to trust anymore, because we don't know whose part of the rebel group. Officers from the king will take in anyone they suspect and because of their rank they are allowed to chose where they like to stay. Recently they have been getting a little... aggressive, though."

"I'm sorry," Kagome said softly as the story came to a close, " I didn't know that's why everyone was so on guard. I guess-"

"Kagome?" Shippo's childlike voice cut her off mid-sentence. Everyone turned to the kitsune standing in the doorway. "What are you doing up?" Kagome asked. "I woke up and saw that you weren't there, and I couldn't go back to sleep," Shippo replied. "Go back to bed kid," Came Inuyasha's voice, "This doesn't concern you." Shippo just stuck his tongue out at the hanyou before walking over to where he and Kagome were seated. "What are you guys doing down here?" He asked innocently. Kagome reached over and lifted him into her arms. "I had to use the bathroom," She informed him, "And on my way back a man was being..mean to me, so we're asking Tomoko- sama and Jiro-sama about him and his friends."

"Who'd want to be mean to you? You're never mean!" Shippo exclaimed. Kagome smiled at him, "Thank you, Shippo. We're trying to find out why he was mean." Shippo nodded, "Oh."

Tomoko looked horrified at what Kagome had just told the fox child. "H-he," She stuttered, "He tried to attack you?" Kagome looked down at her feet, not really wanting to talk about it, and nodded. "Oh, my," Tomoko gasped, "I had wondered what had you two so worked up. I apologize for him." Kagome waved it away, "It's okay. He was drunk. It's not your fault."

Inuyasha snorted, "I wasn't going to let anyone hurt my mate. Or my pup." Jiro looked at her, "So you are with child?" Kagome nodded and patted her stomach, glad for a change in subject, "Hai. A little over three months." Tomoko smiled at the two of them, "Congratulations." Kagome smiled back, "Thank you."

Jiro cleared his throat again, capturing everyone's attention, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I want to discuss with you that group of rebels I have told you about."

"Yeah? What about them?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome was now holding a sleeping Shippo, reminding her it was still the middle of the night. She tried her hardest not to fall asleep, but Inuyasha seemed to notice her tiredness and rubbed her back soothingly. She relaxed against him and slowly started to drift into unconsciousness. The last thing she heard from Jiro was,

"We need your help." And then everything went black.
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Inuyasha watched as Kagome and Shippo fall asleep, and after he made sure they were out of it, he glared at the couple. "Why should we help you?" He asked, "We don't know you. You could be setting us up for all we know." Jiro shook his head vigorously, "We are not setting you up! We honestly need your help!" He lowered his voice, "Do you know what it's like to constantly live in fear? Not knowing who to trust, and needing to be careful everywhere you go? Those officers have harassed us for nearly a year. Everyone here has been."

Inuyasha looked him in the eye. He was telling the truth. He could tell by his voice and the way he was looking at him. "Fine, I believe you," He said, and Jiro smiled, "But I didn't say I was going to help you." The old man's smile faltered, and he nodded solemnly, "I understand." He lifted Tomoko by the arm and began to lead her from the room. "We have nothing more to discuss," He said stiffly, "Why don't you and your companions go back to your rooms?" Then he left.

Inuyasha lifted the sleeping girl and kitsune into his arms and walked carefully back to their room. He thought about what the man had said. 'Do you know what it's like to live in fear?'

'Yes,' the hanyou mused, 'yes. I do.'

He opened the door to see that Sango and Miroku were beginning to stir. Sango sat up and looked at him carrying Shippo and Kagome. "What happened, Inuyasha?" She asked. Miroku sat up and looked at him, also, upon hearing Sango's voice. "I'll explain in a little while," He replied. He placed Kagome and Shippo back on their futon and pulled the blanket over the two of them before turning back to his other companions.

"Well, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, "What happened here?"

Inuyasha sat down before them and told them the story. All the way from when he had woken up and found Kagome missing to when they had seen him come in. Sango gasped when she heard of what the officer was trying to do to Kagome, and glanced at her sleeping form.

"Seems you three have had quite a night," Miroku stated, and Sango nodded in agreement. "So," Sango said, "We're not going to help them?"

"We don't have time for that!" Inuyasha informed them roughly, "We have to find jewel shards while Kagome can still travel!"

"Kagome will want to help them," Miroku's voice was calm in contrast with his friend's, "She is a kind trusting person, and she will try and talk you into helping them."

"She'll try, but that doesn't mean I have to do it!" He said. "Then Kagome may just 'sit' you until you agree to," Sango told him. "She won't 'sit' me," Inuyasha replied matter-of-factly, "She said she was going to try and not do that anymore. The only reason I still have this necklace is so she can control me if I..transform." His transformation from hanyou to youkai was a sensitive subject for him.

Sango and Miroku shared a knowing look. Kagome with mood swings and no more sitting just wasn't possible. Inuyasha had another thing coming. "She'll still want to do it," Sango said. Inuyasha just shrugged and crossed his arms, showing them clearly the discussion was closed until Kagome got up. Everyone got comfortable for their wait.
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Everything was blurry. Kagome felt warm and comfortable, and she didn't want to wake up. 'Go back to sleep,' She told herself, but her body refused. She stretched, and her bones groaned in protest. She noticed Shippo curled up next to her, and tucked the blanket tighter around his tiny form.

She sat up, rubbing her temples because of the terrible headache she had, and got the distinct feeling she was being watched. She looked up, and as soon as her eyes adjusted to the light she saw that Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku were each staring at her from where they sat. "What?" She asked, annoyed that they were all watching her like that. Did she really look that bad when she woke up?

"Nothing, Kagome-chan," Sango said, "We've just been waiting for you to get up."

"You didn't have to, you know. You don't have to wait up for me all the time," She said it harsher than she meant to, and instantly regretted it when they all turned away from her.

'Kagome's on one of her mood swings again,' Inuyasha gave a mental sigh, 'Being pregnant and getting up early just isn't a good mix for Kagome.' He heard Kagome stand up from her futon and he turned to look at her. She looked kind of sad. "Gomen," She said, "I didn't mean to snap at you guys. I really don't even know why I did it." They all nodded, as if this was an everyday occurrence (and for the past couple of months, it was). "It's all right, Kagome," Sango assured her, and Kagome smiled at her for being so understanding.

"We need to get out of here soon," Inuyasha cut in, "This village isn't safe. Since there's no shard, we have no reason to be here."

Kagome couldn't figure why they needed to leave so fast. This village may be a little run down but..wait... She suddenly remembered the events of last night, and knew why Inuyasha was in such a hurry to leave. She also remembered Jiro's voice, asking for help. He sounded so afraid. So hopeful.

"I think we should stay, Inuyasha," She stated.

"What?! You can't be serious!" He replied, his tone and expression showing surprise and anger. However, Kagome had the determination and the moodiness to overpower him. "Hai," She said firmly, "I'm dead serious."

"I hate to say we told you so," Miroku said, "But.."

Inuyasha turned to look at him, "Shut up, Houshi!" Then he faced Kagome, "Kagome, if we stay here, you'll probably not only be dead serious. You'll be just plain dead." He sounded mad, but anyone could pick up on the concern in his voice. Kagome was unfazed, "We need to stay and help them, Inuyasha! They're innocent people! It's our duty to help them!"

"It's our duty to find jewel shards! In case you've forgotten, we only have a month or so to find them!"

Kagome rolled her eyes, "Inuyasha, we still have about three more months until I have to stop traveling!"

"We do not! I am not going to let you travel in that condition!"

"Didn't we already have this argument?" Kagome asked. "Well we're having it again!" An annoyed Inuyasha exclaimed. Kagome took a deep breath, trying to resist the urge to explode. "Inuyasha," She said as calmly as she could, "You remember what almost happened to me last night?" Inuyasha looked away, "Of course, I remember."

"Well, what if you hadn't gotten there in time?"

"But I did!"

"But what if you hadn't?"

Inuyasha scowled. He didn't like what she was doing to him. She was forcing him to feel useless to prove her point. "I could smell you, and hear where you were. Even if I hadn't woken up, I would've heard you yell. I have youkai senses, remember?"

"Inuyasha, try to cooperate here!" She was irritated by his stubborn attitude, "What if you weren't here? I would've been.attacked. There are other girls around here, you know. What if the same thing happens to them?"

He hadn't really thought about that. He hated the thought of a woman being taken advantage of. It made him sick to the stomach. It was worse than when they cried. The thought of that happening to Kagome made him want to kill.

Kagome noted the thoughtful look on his face. "See what I'm trying to say?" She said, breaking him from his trance, "We can't just let them live like this. My conscience just won't let me live with that. Helping them would be the right thing to do." Inuyasha shrugged. Even if she did have a point, he still had the jewel shards to think about. "I'll think about it," He said. Kagome smiled widely, knowing that she was one large step closer to convincing him. Inuyasha saw this, "I just said I would think about it! Don't get all happy just yet."

"Whatever you say, Inuyasha!" Kagome said cheerfully.

"Moody," Inuyasha muttered under his breath. "What was that, Inuyasha?" She asked. "Nothing," He replied quickly.

Everyone got ready to go, lest Inuyasha decided they would leave, while the aforementioned hanyou watched on impatiently. Shippo awoke about half an hour after Kagome did, and was currently helping Kagome pack while chatting excitedly about everything that happened last night. It was a rare event for the kitsune to be included in such things!

Kagome finished her packing and looked at Inuyasha, who was currently leaning against a wall with his eyes closed. "I'm hungry," she informed him. He opened one eye to look at her, "Why don't you go get something out of your pack?"

"There's no breakfast foods in there," Kagome said. Sango strapped her Haraikotsu to her back and stood next to Kagome. "What do you feel like eating?" She asked. She had come to understand Kagome's random cravings. Kagome thought for a second. "Umm..," She said, somewhat shyly. She didn't want to seem selfish. "Eggs?" she suggested (A/N I don't know if they ate eggs in ancient Japan, but I suppose they did. Besides, it's good for pregnant women to eat eggs. Lots of protein! (). Sango nodded and grabbed her hand as she led her to the door, "Let's see what we can find." Kagome turned to the boys before exiting, "Aren't you coming?" Shippo bounded after her happily, and Inuyasha and Miroku stood and followed more calmly than the young fox.

The group entered the kitchen, and Tomoko and Jiro regarded them with a nod. "Excuse me," Sango said to Tomoko, "but do you have anything to eat? If you have any eggs we could eat, we'd be very grateful." Tomoko smiled warmly, "Yes. I do believe we have a few eggs to spare. I will cook them for you if you like." Sango and Kagome smiled back at the kind old woman. "Thank you. That would be wonderful," Kagome said. Tomoko went and began preparing the food.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was approaching Jiro. "Hey, old man," He greeted him. Jiro looked up from whatever he had been doing. "Hai?" He inquired sharply. He apparently wasn't on great terms with the hanyou boy ever since he had refused to help him and his fellow villagers. "I'm reconsidering your request," Inuyasha replied. That caught Jiro's interest. "But," The hanyou continued, "I'm only considering it, and if I do decide to help you, you will have Kagome to thank." Jiro grinned, "I understand."

Kagome and the others finished their breakfast, and stood up. After thanking Tomoko and Jiro for their hospitality, everyone went outside for some fresh air. They walked down the roads, seeing the villagers coming out of their homes to begin their day. They were even tenser than before. Perhaps it had something to do with the guards that had lined up at the sides of the roads. Many of them looked bored as hell. They would glare at everyone who passed, and the victims of their stares would cringe and walk away quickly. As the group went by them, they all stopped what they were doing to stare rudely.

"You, there!" One called. They turned to face him. "You're a strange group. A youkai exterminator traveling with youkai, a monk, and a girl in strange clothing. Very suspicious," He said.

"Yeah. What's it to you?" Inuyasha replied gruffly, "We get the same reaction wherever we go, except without the interrogation."

"I am an official officer for the king, and it is my responsibility to interrogate anyone who may be members of the ronin rebels," He informed them in a formal tone.

"Sir," Kagome cut off anything Inuyasha might have said, " I guarantee that we're not members of the rebel group. We're just passing through."

"You're still a very suspicious looking group."

"We all have the same purpose to travel around, so we just kind of met up and started traveling together," She replied. The officer turned to one of his companions and spoke in hushed voices. A moment later he turned back to them, "We will be keeping a close watch on you all. You may pass." Kagome nodded to him and hurried everyone else away.

"That was annoying," She said, "I wonder if these people have to go through that all the time?"

"Probably," Sango said.

They continued walking while trying not to meet the stares of the soldiers. Inuyasha watched their movements. Those officers were cruel. They sneered at children as they went by, and whistled and laughed as women went by. To the elders and men they simply glared, as if to say 'why do we have to stand around and watch you all day?' It was getting on his nerves. Kagome was right. They couldn't just leave them here like this. If they did, Kagome would never let him forget it. 'Listen to yourself,' he berated himself, 'Your actually pitying these humans!'

Kagome noticed Inuyasha was no longer standing next to her. She turned to see he had stopped in the middle of the path, and was glaring at the soldiers that stood at the edge of the road. "Inuyasha?" she called, "Just ignore them. Don't let them get to you."

"That's it," He said, and Kagome furrowed her brow in confusion, "What?"

"We're staying here. I can't stand these guards anymore!" He said irritably. Kagome smiled and walked back to him. "You really are so sweet, Inu-chan," She said softly. He let out a faint growl, meant to convince her he was annoyed, and failing miserably, "Don't call me that, Kagome." She giggled, "But I like it!"

The rest of the group seemed to have finally noticed they had stopped, and looked at them. "Hey, guys!" Shippo hollered, "Why are you two standing in the road?" Kagome hurried up to them "We're staying," She said, "We're going to help!" Everyone nodded and cast a meaningful look at Inuyasha, a look that obviously meant 'We knew she'd talk you into it.' Inuyasha looked away, "Feh!"
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Kagome was glad they had decided to pack beforehand. After they had returned they told Tomoko and Jiro their decision. The couple was delighted at hearing this. Jiro had, upon Inuyasha's demand to know where to find this rebel group, gone out and spoke with some of the more friendly officers, who informed him that many scattered rebels were found up north, hidden in the caves and cliffs of the mountains. So the group had come back to heir room to gather their things.

They filed downstairs, Inuyasha in front, as always. With the exception of the hanyou, they each bowed to the couple, who thanked them again and again for agreeing to help them, and left.

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"I think we should take a break Inuyasha," Kagome insisted for the second time. "We need to keep going! We have to get this over with," He replied without stopping. 'Why is he being like this?' She wondered, 'Recently he's been the one who insists I take a break. I mean, I know we're going of our way here, but what's with the sudden hurry?'

She walked faster so she stood next to him. "Inuyasha," She tugged at his sleeve, "I really don't feel so good." He stopped and glanced around, and Kagome knew she had won. He turned around, "Okay. We'll stop for a couple minutes." Kagome gave him a lopsided smile, "Thank you."

They settled down in the grass, and Inuyasha took to a tree above them. He seemed very on edge, though she couldn't figure out why. She leaned back against the tree and looked up at him. Unable to find a cause for his strange behavior, she sighed and took off her shoes to rub her aching feet. They were sore and swollen, and her back hurt a bit. She was also nauseous, and moody. Because of her moodiness, knowing all this made her want to cry.

Inuyasha watched her stand up. "Excuse me," She said weakly. She made a nauseous sound in her throat before backing into a small group of trees. He could hear what was happening and leapt from his tree to check on her. He stood next to her as she retched, rubbing her back and holding her hair back. When she was done, she straightened and panted for air. "Thanks," She breathed. He nodded, "No problem. You okay now?" She attempted a smile, "Much better."

"Good, because we need to get goi-," He began, but she cut him off. "Inuyasha!" She said, "Two shards are coming towards us, and fast!"

He lifted his nose and sniffed the air before uttering one word,

"Kouga."

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Author's note: Here you go. Just so you know, the whole rebel group thing isn't a really big thing in the story, it's just supposed to lead up to the meeting with Kouga. ( I feel so bad for all the people in Iraq, on both sides. Those innocent people are starving over there right now, and our soldiers are dying and being captured. It's so terrible. Please review. I need at least five.