A/N: The count is 14. I've had a few requests to put a lemon in this story. I think what I will do is put it in a chapter all by itself so those of you who want to read in can, and those who don't won't have to.

Tinuviel: Now if I told you all that, there wouldn't be much point in writing the story.

Little One

Chapter 4

Inuyasha grumbled as he leaned against the wall of the Inn. They had finally made it to the village with the shard rumor, but it was too late to go searching. The sun had set and Shippou and Rikka were already asleep when they got to town. Strangely Miroku didn't have to secure them rooms this time. The head of the village had come running to greet them as soon as they set foot in the village. It seemed their reputation proceeded them. Now he sat alone in the dark. With the rooms they were given, they had two beds in each. Shippou and Rikka had taken one, with plenty of room left for Kagome. Sango slept in the other bed with Kirara. Miroku had taken one of the beds in the boys' room, but Inuyasha had decided to sleep sitting up.

Only sleep seemed to evade him this night. He wasn't worried about the pending fight tomorrow, or the safety of the group at this moment. He found himself unconcerned with the Monk sneaking into the other room, or Sango waking the entire house when she beat him senseless. The fact was he missed Kagome's weight on his lap. He missed the smell of her wrapped in his coat filling his nose as he slept. He perked his ears to find only steady breathing in the other room. With a sigh he stood and walked out into the night air.

Kagome did her best to stay still as she tried to sleep. The bed was warm, soft, and inviting, yet she felt uncomfortable. Rikka shifted in her sleep, taking Shippou with her as she moved farther away. Kagome reached up and stroked the little girl's hair softly. It was so like Inuyasha's; soft as silk that had been turned liquid. She smiled and gave the tiny ears a gentle rub, something Inuyasha would never let her do. Rikka gave a soft purring growl in her sleep. Kagome swallowed the giggle that rose in her throat. Maybe that was why he wouldn't let anyone do that. With a sigh she slipped from the bed and moved to get some fresh air.

Inuyasha turned to see Kagome step quietly from her room, turn and closed the door almost soundlessly behind her. She hadn't seen him yet. When she did turn she looked a little surprised by his presence before giving him a smile. He felt himself smile back involuntarily. He stood silently as she walked up to stand next to him.

"Couldn't sleep." She whispered softly, "You?" He only shook his head in reply before turning to look out across the sleeping village. Kagome leaned her hands against the railing of the small porch. It was hard to believe this tiny little village was having this much trouble. A small surprised gasp escaped Kagome when some thing warm and rough covered her hand. She looked down to see Inuyasha's hand over her own. Following his arm up to his face to see him looking out at the village impassively, but looking a bit strained.

Inuyasha watched her look out over the village with a peaceful smile. The moon light shone on her face, giving her a beautiful light blue glow. Timidly he covered her hand with his own, focusing his attention on the scenery. He didn't want to see the look on her face, in case she rejected the touch. The hand slipped away and he squeezed his eyes shut, swallowing hard.

"I'm not Kikyo." Kagome whispered softly. He looked down at her in surprise. She had her hand tucked against her chest as if she had been burned. Her head was hung so he couldn't see her face through her hair.

"Kagome…" He started to reach for her but she took a step back.

"Please don't." she whimpered, "Don't pretend you care…" Inuyasha felt his chest tighten. This was always where she ran off. He saw the tensing of her muscles to run for safety, probably to tell Sango how mean he was being again. Quick as lightening his hand shot out and grabbed her arm before she could get away. It was a gentle hold, but far too firm for her to fight him.

"Kagome, listen to me…" He paused as the smell of salt filled his nose. He reached out and gently lifted her chin. His chest tightened again as he saw the twin rivers rolling from her liquid blue eyes. With his free hand he gently wiped them away with his thumb. "Please don't cry. I hate it when you cry." She sniffled and bit her lip, but the tears stopped.

"Listen to me." He started again, "I know you're not Kikyo. I could never compare you to her. You are alive. Even when she was made of flesh and blood she was never alive. She woke, did her duty, and went to bed. That was it. You… you are different." He cupped her cheek in his hand as fresh tears rolled from her eyes. He wiped them away again.

"I know… I'm just a stupid little girl." She replied in a whimper.

"No…"

"If you care at all Inuyasha, please just let me go." Inuyasha paused for a long moment.

"I can't do that." He replied softly. She started to protest but he stopped her with a finger to her lips, "If I do you'll leave. I don't think I could take it if you left me." He took a step closer to her. "Just answer me one question. Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"That I'd make a good father."

"Yes, I meant it. Why?" Her eyes searched his for an answer to the strange question.

"Because I think you'd be a wonderful mother." He replied before dropping his hands to his side. Kagome stood there shocked. Thoughts, questions, and meanings chased each other through her mind at a dizzying speed. It all stopped suddenly when a tiny hand touched her leg. She looked down to see Rikka with her thumb in her mouth looking up at them.

"Nee-chan, why are you out here with Nii-chan?" She asked softly.

"We-we were talking Rikka." Kagome replied softly. The girl continued to look up at her with concern written on her young face.

"Why have you been crying Nee-chan?" she asked as she used her free hand to rub her tired eyes.

"Because Nii-chan is an idiot and a jerk." Inuyasha answered without looking at Kagome. "You need to get back to bed. We have a big day tomorrow." He reached down and lifted the girl into his arms.

"Ok. Can I sleep with you and Nee-chan again?" She asked innocently.

"Sorry Rikka, people wouldn't understand. I'll be right next door if you need me." Inuyasha passed the girl to Kagome and turned to walk back inside. Kagome followed then turned into her own room at the last moment.

Inuyasha stopped at his door and listened as Kagome and Rikka disappeared into the girls' room. He listened as she tucked the girl in and began singing a soft lullaby. His eyes found the sky as memories flooded his mind. His mother, Kikyo, Kagome: the three women who had been in his life. Of them Kikyo was the odd one out. Kikyo wanted him to change, to be something he hated just so neither of them would be lonely anymore. Kagome and his mother on the other hand, liked him the way he was. His decision was made. He would do whatever it took to show Kagome how much she meant to him, no matter the cost.

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Inuyasha watched in horror as Rikka and Shippou where lifted into the air. The demon with the shard had actually not been a demon at all. It was, originally, a small docile plant called a 'Living Trap'. Much like its cousin the Venus Fly Trap, it attracted insets to come close before closing around them and digesting them. The Living Trap, however, had the ability to move from place to place to follow food sources by using its vine like leaves to 'walk' across the ground. When laying in ambush it sat with its flower-like mouth open to lure in bugs.

However, this one had gotten a hold of a shard, most likely it fell out of the sky right into the plants waiting mouth. This once foot high flora now towered 30 ft in the air. The delicate flower pedal mouth had grown sharp fangs that dripped an acid like goo. Tentacle once used for movement now lay like snares for any unfortunate human or animal to step too close. In one attack it had forced Kagome to dodge to the right and the two young demons to the left. Before anyone could come to their aid two tentacles and wrapped around them and lifted the two kids into the air.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango's boomerang sliced through the air. It cut the vine that now had Shippou by the throat. A spray of green red blood splashed the air. Shippou fell free of the broken grasp only to be quickly caught by Kirara. The boomerang turned and returned to its owner, intending on setting the other youngster free in the process. The huge plant pulled its pray from the weapon.

Inuyasha cursed as the plant moved the small demon towards its waiting mouth. He hacked at the tentacles with Tetsusaiga, but they seemed to grow back faster then he could cut through them. Rikka's screams suddenly stopped and the half-demon looked up in fear of what he might see.

Rikka hung by her throat from one of the tentacles, poised over the open mouth. Her eyes were squeezed closed, her teeth clenched, and her tiny hands were fisted around the ivy in a vain attempt to pry free. Then something strange happened. Rikka's eyes snapped open to reveal that they had turned a solid glowing sapphire. Her hair began to lift as if on an up draft, only she could feel. For a moment everything was silent, as if the world were holding its breath, then it was shattered by a sound like an enormous heart beat. The air around her moved out with such force on lookers could actually see the atmosphere bend. The force of the blast was enough to knock everyone off their feet. When they looked again the vine around Rikka's neck had frozen and the ice was quickly spreading over the now panicked plant. In a few short seconds the predator had fallen to its prey, having become nothing more then a huge, funny shaped ice cube.

Rikka slumped forward in exhaustion. Inuyasha swung his sword against one of the vines and the whole thing shattered like glass. The half-demon leapt through the shards of frozen vegetation to catch the small girl easily. Kagome and Shippou were at his side the instant he landed.

"Oh god, is she ok? What happened?" Kagome asked quickly as she looked over Inuyasha's shoulder. The young miko started checking her pulse, breathing, pupils, and everything else she could think of to see if the demon was ok.

"Take it easy Kagome." Inuyasha reassured as he stood, "She just came into her powers and wore herself out."

"Came into her powers…?" Kagome repeated. Shippou laughed.

"My papa said when I did that I sneezed and scorched everything for ten feet in every direction." Shippou piped.

"That's nothing." Inuyasha snorted, "I broke every hut in the village I was in with one throw of my ball."

"What are you two talking about?" Kagome asked as she trotted along to keep pace with Inuyasha's stride. The half-demon slowed his pace and looked at her.

"You don't think demons are born with all their powers do you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I never thought about it." Kagome said honestly. Inuyasha laughed lightly.

"I'll explain later. Now lets get the shard so we can find Rikka a place to rest."

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"Now tell me what you two were talking about." Kagome demand. Inuyasha turned his attention to the question he had been expecting. They had returned to the Inn from the previous night, receiving just as warm a welcome. Rikka had been asleep on arrival and was put straight to bed. Shippou decided it was his job to watch over his sleeping friend and alert everyone of any change. The rest of the group had moved to the other room to talk.

"When your mother was pregnant with Souta did she let you feel him kick?" He asked.

"Yeah…"

"Think what kicking would have done to my mother. I could easily have broken ribs or punched holes in her organs without meaning to. Sesshoumaru could have melted his mother from the inside out. Can you imagine Shippou doing his bubble transformation inside the womb?" Kagome's eye widened. She really hadn't considered such things. "The truth is we are born as weak and defenseless and human pups. We don't gain our powers until we get to be about Rikka's age, when we can have some control."

"That didn't look like control to me." Sango said in concern.

"Of course not." Miroku intercepted, "Up until now she as been unable to do such things, then suddenly she has full demon powers. I would be willing to bet she has no idea of the damage she could cause without meaning to. She will need a teacher."

"Feh! I know that." Inuyasha snorted, "But ice is a very uncommon power. One I don't have experience with. How about you, Sango, ever seen ice powers in a demon?" the demon exterminator shook her head. "Miroku?" The monk responded to the negative as well.

"Then this will just have to be more trial and error." Kagome provided.