Disclaimer: Yeah I forgot to do this for the first chapter so: I don't own Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Miroku, Shippo, Sango, or any characters and ideas related to the show, manga, movies, or anything like that.
I want to thank Grandsabre of Hearts 'cause if I hadn't of gotten her/his review I would have never remembered I had even written this. So I'll give this writing thing one more chance.
Taroshi tried to shut her eyes tighter, but morning wouldn't relent. Yawning, she popped her neck and rolled off the futon. The door was close, but she could hear Inu-Yasha on the other side. There was a pile of clothes sitting on a chair. A baggy pair of green cargo pants, heavy-duty boots, and a tight, black tank top. There was also an awesome trench coat included. Taroshi changed into the outfit. She liked it.
Inu-Yasha was sitting at a desk with a white chair. There was a pile of papers in front of him. He was studying a gold ring. He looked up, and smirked.
"Like your clothes?" he asked
"Yeah, thanks," Taroshi said flatly. She deposited herself in a chair.
"Here." Inu-Yasha stood up and walked to her. "I was told to give this to you. I've waited 500 years," he gave her the ring.
Taroshi looked at it. "From..?"
"You'll meet him soon enough. He always wore it here." Inu-Yasha slipped it on her middle finger, on her right hand.
"Oh."
"Come along."
They took a cab to a less prestigious part of town.
"Here we are." Inu-Yasha took Taroshi up to a door and knocked. Kagome answered the door.
"Inu-Yasha? I thought we weren't going to see each other until after I came back from the past for good," she said.
"I know I need a favor," he looked at Kagome lovingly.
"Oh…"
"'Gome, I need you to take Taroshi," 'Yasha pointed to Taroshi, "with you to the past."
"Sure, but why?"
"She must change what might happen if she doesn't. Later." And he was gone, heading to his limo, and back home.
"HI," Taroshi waved to Kagome. Yeah, he didn't have to go.
"Hi, oh you hand, it's like Miroku's," Kagome said.
"Yeah," quickly Taroshi lowered her hand. "You know 'im? He's my …ah…great, great, great…well you get the point, grandfather."
"Oh," said Kagome softly. "Well, I was just about to leave."
She led Taroshi to the well. Recounting a few of her adventures firsthand.
"He didn't tell me what I have to do. It's creepy. Disturbing even! I just met him, and he reads me like a book."
"Who, Inu-Yasha?"
"Yeah. He says that his nephew likes me! And that I like Kirshi back. I hate Kirshi," at this point Taroshi was letting off steam. She took a deep breath and continued. "So, what's your story? I know about the time travel, but now…"
"Oh, that's Inu-Yasha from now. We decided I wouldn't ah…date him until after the past Inu-Yasha and I completed the jewel. He's changed a lot in 500 years."
"Oh."
They jumped into the well. Surprisingly it let Taroshi pass. It didn't take Taroshi nearly as long to climb the well as it took Kagome.
"You made it through! Weird," wondered Kagome.
"Yeah." Taroshi surveyed the landscape. Trees, dirt, and a few huts. Nothing short of fascinating. "Wow, how beautiful!" she breathed.
"Yep." Kagome began to head towards the village. "C'mon."
"Who are you?" growled a voice.
"I could ask you," Taroshi answered back.
"Inu-Yasha be nice. This is Taroshi. Taroshi, meet the Inu-Yasha you don't know.
"What's that mean?" demanded Inu-Yasha "Explain!"
"Don't worry, Inu-Yasha. I will, in front of everyone. C'mon."
Kagome led them to Kaede's hut. Shippo, Sango, and Miroku were waiting for them.
Taroshi stopped dead in Kaede's doorway. Her face hardened, and her hand dropped. She didn't take her eyes away from Miroku. Her eyes fell on his hand. The ring was on his hand. 'He gave this to me?!' she thought.
"Taroshi meet Shippo, Sango, and Miroku."
"Hmmm. Kagome has he…?" Taroshi asked.
"What? Oh, 'Yasha said you might not trust Miroku. ("And with good reason!" snorted Sango.) No. He hasn't done it yet," Kagome told her. 'Yasha (from the future) had told what Miroku had done.
"Right." Taroshi sat done next to Kagome.
"What?" asked Miroku. "Hello, good lady," he began shaking off his confusion. "I'm in great need of----"
"Someone to bear your child, right?" asked Taroshi. "Don't worry 'bout it Gramps," she showed them her hand. "You'll do it someday."
"You're my daughter?" Miroku asked, his eyes lighting up.
"No more like a great great great granddaughter," (you do the math).
"C'mon Taroshi, lighten up. Why don't you two go talk."
"Is that wise?" asked Sango.
"Yes, now go!" Kagome pushed them out of the hut.
"Okay!" Miroku rubbed his neck guiltily. "So what did I do?"
"You? You betrayed Inu-Yasha, and he never forgave you. He wants to kill you," said Taroshi.
"I did?"
"Not yet, sometime soon. I never found out what. And you never beat Naraku."
"So I die, yet I pass this on?"
"Well, they never found the hole. No one saw, or felt, your death."
"I disappear?" asked Miroku slowly.
"Yeah, but…" Taroshi trailed off. Something was familiar in his voice.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"So, who do I do it with?" a smirk crossed Miroku's face. The sun was setting casting orange light over Japan.
"I don't know!"
"Oh…"
***
"There's two of them…we must stop this." Hissed Naraku. "I think I'll visit them."
***
"Feh. Catching up?" scoffed Inu-Yasha. "Listen, we're going shard hunting. Are you two coming?"
"Yeah," said Miroku, rising.
It took them two days to get to where Kagome sensed a shard.
"I sense an ominous presence over your house. In return for lodging for my friends and I, I will provide an exorcism."
It was a farmer's house, but it beat sleeping out in the rain. The farmer quickly nodded his consent and led them to a rather cramped room.
"They fall for it every time," said Inu-Yasha.
"But I fear I do sense a presence here."
"Hentai!" screamed Sango. "It's your hand, baka!"
"Hehe…"
"Really…I can't believe I'm related to you," said Taroshi.
"About that shard," said Kagome tensing, "something's coming."
"So, let's get the shard, and getta outta here!"
Miroku and Inu-Yasha spun around at the same time. Taroshi, drying her hair, demanded "What is that?" There was a foreboding deep inside her.
"That was a demon," whispered Miroku. "Of course you can sense them like I."
Suddenly an ear-shattering roar erupted from outside the farmhouse. Kagome screamed, Sango tottered to the floor.
"C'mon!" bellowed Inu-Yasha. He stormed out of the house, Tetsusaiga drawn. Miroku, Sango, and Kagome followed. Taroshi moved to follow, but little Shippo grabbed her by the trench coat.
"No, don't! Let them handle it," said Shippo.
The demon was a giant, slimy, snake. It raised it's hooded head, hissing at the defenders. Suddenly it struck – missing Sango by a hair. She raised her boomerang and his it on the side of her head.
"I see it! It's in the hood!" yelled Kagome.
"Great!"
With lightning speed two things happened. The snake struck, and Inu-Yasha sliced it's head clean off.
The world was deadly quiet. The dust kicked up from the falling head slowly disappeared. Lying in shocked disbelief was Miroku bleeding from the wounds the snake's deadly fangs had induced.
