Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had snuck away from camp that night while the others slept. There were a few things they needed to talk about, and not all was fit for mortal ears. They sat down in an open field.br
"Sesshoumaru," said Inuyasha, "I want you to promise to never try and take the Tetsusaiga from me, capiche?"br
Sesshoumaru shook his head. "You should know by now, Inuyasha, that I have lost all interest in that sword. My concern lies with Raene and the others. I can tell we're going to be joining forces for quite some time." He looked at the sky. There was no moon.br
"Oh no..." Whispered Inuyasha. His hair was turning dark, and his claws were gone. His wounds from their earlier battle opened anew. Blood gushed out onto the ground.br
"Inuyasha!" Cried Sesshoumaru. "What's happening to you?!"br
"I'm...human...for the night," he said softly. "Please, Sesshoumaru, protect Kagome..." Then Inuyasha fainted. Sesshoumaru tore off his kimono top, the pulled Inuyasha's off too. He ripped it to shreds and tied the wounds tightly. "You'll be ok Inuyasha," he murmured. "And so will Kagome. I'll stake my life on it." He scooped up his brother and walked gracefully back to camp.p
"Oh my gosh! Inuyasha!" Kagome ran over. Sesshoumaru, realizing the situation, carefully placed Inuyasha in her arms. "He'll be all right," he said. "Just some minor wounds. Believe me, he's had worse."br
Kagome stroked his black locks. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "SHOOT!" She screamed, almost dropping Inuyasha. "I have to get back to school! If I don't, I'll have to re-take the entire 9th grade!" She frantically looked around for her things. "Sesshoumaru! You and Inuyasha come with me to my time! It's too dangerous for you to stay here." She lugged Inuyasha out of the room. Sesshoumaru, dumbfounded, followed.p
Kagome stopped at an old, overgrown well. She slung her pack over one shoulder, Inuyasha over the other, and grabbed Sesshoumaru's arm. "COME ON!" She yanked him into the well.br
"What's happening? NO RIN!" He grabbed the small girl just before they all disappeared into Kagome's time.br
"Kagome, is that you dear?"br
"Yes, mother! I hope you don't mind, but I brought a few friends!" Kagome nudged Sesshoumaru, who was holding Rin tight. "Come on. It's ok, we're just in a different time zone. But, um, could you carry Inuyasha? I don't think I'll be able to get him out on my own."br
Sesshoumaru set Rin on his shoulders and picked up Inuyasha. They jumped out of the well. Sesshoumaru was so surprised by the sight that he almost dropped his passengers.br
"No time to gawk, Sesshoumaru! I have to study for tomorrow's social studies exam!" She dragged the dumbfounded demon up the stairs and into her room.br
"Dinner will be ready in a few, honey!" Called her mother.br
"Ok mom, thanks," Kagome sat down at her desk and opened her book. "Just make yourself at home. Inuyasha's not bleeding anymore, so just put him on my bed."br
"Bed? I don't see a bed," Sesshoumaru said, looking around.br
iOops, I forgot,/i thought Kagome. iHe doesn't know anything about modern life./i "That big long pink thing by the wall."br
"Oh." Sesshoumaru deposited Inuyasha on the fluffy pink "bed".br
"Hey Sessie!" Called Rin from across the room. "Look at this thing!" She pushed a button on Kagome's radio. It blared KissFM.br
Sesshoumaru grabbed Rin and sheltered her in his arms. "What kind of demon is it?!" He demanded.br
"Oh, that's no demon," Kagome laughed, "that's my radio!" She got up and turned it off.br
"Kagome! Dinner's ready!"br
"Coming mom!" She grabbed Sesshoumaru by the arm. "Come on, we're going to eat."br
Once they were all seated at the table, Kagome's mother came out with the food. "Macaroni and Cheese, my favorite!" Sota exclaimed. "It's the Spongebob kind, the stuff that turns blue!" Kagome's mother spooned it onto everyone's plate. "Enjoy!" she said. "Ooh, Kagome! What a handsome young man! Is that the Inuyasha person you're always talking about?"br
Kagome stiffened. "No-mother-that's-his-brother, Sesshoumaru." How embarrassing!/i She thought.br
His mother whistled at Sesshoumaru's bare chest. Sesshoumaru, unaccostomed to the attention, stared curiously back. iWhy is she looking at me like that?/i He wondered. Females were very strange creatures.br
"Yummy!" Rin was digging into her food. Sesshoumaru looked on, appalled. "Rin, it's...blue," he said. "Try some!" She held out a noodle. Sesshoumaru gently took it in his fangs and chewed.br
Kagome hid a smile as she watched Sesshoumaru's face light up. He picked up the fork, fumbled with it for a moment, and tried to copy Sota. He ate as quickly as possible, giving some to Rin occasionally.br
Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Inuyasha stumbled into the room. His black hair tumbled in front of his violet eyes. "I'm hungry!" He announced. He tried to move towards the table, but fell. In one swift motion, Sesshoumaru scooped him up and set him in a chair.br
"Look Inuyasha!" Said Rin happily. "Blue food!"br
"Uh..." he looked at Sesshoumaru. "Is it good?"br
"OH YEAH!" He and Rin both reached for the last noodle. "MINE!" They both screamed. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and dug in. His eyes lit up as he savored each noodle. "MMMM...!"br
"I found a good excuse for Kagome!" Kagome's grandpa came into the room waving the newspaper. He tripped over Sesshoumaru's long tail and fell flat on his face. "ACK! What the...?!" He looked slowly around at Sesshoumaru. "AHHH! DEMON!" BAP! He smacked a spell-scroll onto Sesshoumaru's forehead. Inuyasha cracked up.br
"Uhh..." Kagome fell over. "GRAMPA! DON'T DO THAT!" She pulled the scroll off.br
Her grampa was looking at the moon on Sesshoumaru's forehead. "Intriguing..." He ran his finger over the mark.br
"Um, come on guys, we're going to bed!" Kagome dragged Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha out of the room. iThey're so embarrassing! Why can't I have a normal family???/i When she got to her room, she realized; there was only one bed-her own. Sesshoumaru was supporting Inuyasha, who was complaining all the way.br
"Let go of me, Sesshoumaru, I'm FINE!" He struggled.br
"Fine." Sesshoumaru let go, and Inuyasha toppled to the ground. "Feel better now?" Sesshoumaru laughed.br
"Ack..100%," Inuyasha muttered. "Kagome, what's the matter?"br
"I'm trying to decide who gets the bed," she said. "I think Inuyasha should be..cause..." They were all asleep on the floor. "Ehh..." Kagome just about fell over. iOh well.../i She sat down to study.p
iThe next morning.../ibr
Kagome woke up in bed. She had stayed up till late in the night studying. iWhat time is it...?/i She wondered vaguely. iAnd why hasn't my alarm gone off?/i She looked over to see what time it was. "Hey, where'd my alarm go?" Kagome looked down at the ground. Rin was curled up in a ball, and Sesshoumaru had one arm draped protectively over her. Inuyasha however...br
"INUYASHA! YOU BROKE MY ALARM!" He was laying on the scattered pieces of her former alarm.br
"Huh wha...? Oh, this thing? I killed a demon that's all." But Kagome wan't listening. She was pulling on her clothes and running out the door. Sesshoumaru sat up and stretched. "Hey Sesshoumaru," said Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru yawned in response.br
"I want some good meat for breakfast," he said. Inuyasha nodded in agreement and they both headed downstairs.br
"Hey you two," said Kagome's mother. "Where you going?"br
"To get breakfast," answered Sesshoumaru.br
"Um...why are you going outside?"br
"Because that's where the food is?" Guessed Inuyasha.br
"No!" She laughed. "It's right here in the kitchen!"br
Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha looked at each other, shrugged, and went in to where Kagome's mom was. "Do you have any deer meat?" Asked Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha licked his lips hungrily.br
Kagome's mother looked confused. "No...don't you want cereal?"br
"What's cereal?" Inquired Rin.br
iOh yeah,/i thought the mother. iThese people are from the past.../i "It's this." She held up a box of Cocoa Puffs.br
"Lemme taste it first, Rin," said Sesshoumaru, reaching for the box. He stuck his hand in and started to pull out dry cereal, but Kagome's mother smacked him on the head. "Use a bowl!" She shouted.br
Sesshoumaru took the bowl from her hands and puzzled over the setup of milk, cereal, bowl, and spoon. Inuyasha watched intently. Sesshoumaru picked up the spoon, and at Kagome's mother's directions, poured milk into the bowl on top of the cereal.br
"Looks mushy," said Rin, wrinkling her nose.br
Sesshoumaru raised the spoon to his lips and took a bite.br
"Well?" Said Inuyasha anxiously. "Is it good?"br
"Yes, it's great!" He took another bite. "Man, this future food is really good." He held a piece out for Rin. "Oh, yes. Mrs. Hiragashi, where does Kagome go during the day?"br
"School, of course."br
Inuyasha dumped a bowl of Cocoa Puffs, spilling them all over the table. Rin scrambled to pick up the chocolate morsels. Sesshoumaru laughed as he watched the small girl stuff her face. She carefully reached up and placed one in Sesshoumaru's mouth.br
"Let's go outside," said Inuyasha. "It's too cooped up in here."br
They all walked outside. Their jaws dropped.br
Skyscrapers towered overhead, and cars zoomed by in every direction. A jet flew overhead. "Whoa," whispered Rin.br
"Wh...where did all the trees go?" Inuyasha gasped. Sesshoumaru walked over to get a drink from the river. "UGH!" He spat it out. "It tastes horrible! What's wrong with this era?!"br
Rin saw a bunch of kids playing over by the river. "Hi!" She ran over.br
"Who are iyou/i?" Said the oldest girl. She looked around 6.br
"My name's Rin! What's yours?"br
The girls laughed. "What kind of name is ithat/i?"br
Rin's smile faded. "What do you mean?"br
"What's your problem?" The girl taunted. "Can't you figure out when you're not wanted?"br
"But I..." Tears were forming in her eyes. "I just wanted to play with you..."br
The girl snorted. "Get lost Pin, or whatever your name is. Unless you want to fight me. You can be in our group if you win."br
Rin looked at the ground. "I don't want to fight you. I see too much violence in my own home...if you can really call it a home. We move around a lot."br
"Oooh is the little baby scared?"br
Rin shook her head violently. "I just don't want to hurt you. Sess...I mean, my father taught me how to fight."br
Sesshoumaru's sharp ears had picked up that last. iHer father?/i He asked himself. He looked where Rin was standing. Day after day, she was becoming more and more like his own pup. He sat back to enjoy the fight while Inuyasha staked out the town.br
"You sure you don't want to come?" Inuyasha asked.br
"Yes. Go ahead, have some fun. Don't interfere with these species it could be hazardous to your health."br
Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah sure." Then walked away.br
Sesshoumaru turned back to the brewing fight.br
"Your dad, huh? Well let's see what he taught you!"br
Rin bowed her head. "As you wish. I'll give you the honor of the first hit."br
The girl shrugged. "It's your skin." Then she charged. iWhy isn't she dodging?!/i The girl thought to herself. iUsually all my victims go screaming out of the way!/ibr
Rin stopped her with one finger, then pushed her over backwards. Moving so fast she couldn't be seen, Rin ran around and pinned the girl's arms to the ground. Her fist flew back and she crooked her fingers as she had seen Sesshoumaru do when he was about to issue the killing blow. But right when her hand started its descent, Sesshoumaru got up with lightning speed and grabbed her hand.br
"I don't think modern fights end in death, Rin."br
"Whoa..." said the other girls. The girl Rin had been fighting just stared. She was covered in blood from head to toe. "Is that a tail?" She inquired.br
"Yes, it is."br
"Wow! Will you adopt me?"br
"Huh? Why? Don't you pups have your own families?" families?"br
"No. We're from the local orphanage."br
"A...what?"br
The girls looked at each other. "Where homeless children are kept."br
"Oh."br
"Sesshoumaru RUN! KAGOME'S COMING AND SHE'S NOT TOO HAPPY ABOUT US BEING OUTSIDE!" Inuyasha was bolting down the street. Sesshoumaru scooped up Rin. But before running, he gave her a quick squeeze, tucking her into the warmth of his embrace. Sesshoumaru jumped up onto the nearest building. The orphan girls followed on the ground.br
Back at the shrine, Kagome was yelling at the demon duo. Rin was cowering in Sesshoumaru's arms. After she was done, she grabbed both of them by the ears and dragged them up to her room. She turned off the light and said "EVERYONE GO TO SLEEP!" And they all obeyed.br
Later that night Rin shook Kagome awake. "Look at Sesshoumaru!" She cried in a whisper.br
"Huh?" Kagome looked over.br
"Ra..en..e..." Sesshoumaru murmured. "Come back..."br
"Oh Sesshoumaru..." Kagome reached out and pushed his hair out of his face. "You poor thing..." iI wonder if this is how Inuyasha feels about me...I know it's how I feel about him.../i "Come here Rin. You can sleep with me tonight."br
Rin shook her head and crawled under Sesshoumaru's arm. He unconsciously started running his fingers through her hair, as he had done to comfort her many times in the forest. She immediately felt safe and fell asleep.p
"Try and keep up!" It was the next day. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had taken off from the shrine again. Inuyasha was running as fast as he could, with Sesshoumaru chasing him. They were exploring the city, and having quite a good time.br
"I bet you can't catch one of those fast metallic demons," announced Inuyasha.br
"You're on!" Sesshoumaru ran out in the middle of the road to decide which of the shiny fast-moving demons he would pick off first.br
"Hey jerk! Look oooooooouuuuuuttttt!" From behind, a truck was slamming on its brakes. Sesshoumaru calmly turned around. He reached out and stripped the covering of the vehicle. The truck rammed into the nearest building.br
"Halt!" A policewoman stepped out of a patrol car. She flicked her long black hair out of her face. "What do you think you are doing here?"br
Sesshoumaru turned around. "Is it so wrong to kill a demon?"br
The policewoman laughed. "That's no demon, that's a truck. What century do you live in anyway? You look like something from a Renosance festival."br
Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha looked blankly at each other. What was this woman talking about? "Not this century," said Inuyasha.br
"Well, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm going to have to take you two into custody. Please come quietly."br
"Why should we?" Demanded Sesshoumaru.br
"So we can get you some new clothes," the woman said sarcasticly. "Come with me."br
"No."br
"Then I'll have to take you by force." The woman drew her gun, but Sesshoumaru had her in a headlock before she could even get it out of it's sheath. "L...Let me go!" She cried. "How could you have moved so quickly?! It's humanly impossible!"br
"Well, then you have a lot to learn about Youkais." Sesshoumaru said, looking idly at Inuyasha, who nodded.br
"Youkais?! But those are...demons..." She gasped at her own words. Were these two really demons? "Let me go, and I swear I'll leave you alone."br
"Will you show us around? We have a lot to learn about this time."br
"Uh...sure."br
Sesshoumaru dropped the police officer. "What do you call yourself?" He inquired.br
"My name is Kokira Tagashi. If you really wish to learn more about this time, then we definitely need to get you some new clothes." She led them into the nearest clothes store.br
"Try this on. Oh and this. And this. Can you move that fluffy thing? You're going to have to take it off when you try the clothes on. We also need to get you both a haircut-"br
"NO WAY ARE YOU TOUCHING MY HAIR!" Shouted Inuyasha, his arms full of things Kokira wanted him to try on. Sesshoumaru was looking puzzled.br
"I, um, can't take it off. It's part of me."br
Kokira's face turned red. "Oh yes. You're a Youkai. Well, uh, I guess you're gonna have to cut a hole out of the back..."br
A couple minutes later, the Youkai brothers stepped out of the store in brand new clothes. Inuyasha was wearing a white tank top with a leather jacket over top. He was wearing baggy jeans with a chain hanging from the belt loops. Sesshoumaru was wearing a light short sleeve shirt and the same jeans as Inuyasha, only not as baggy. Both wore black shoes with white laces.br
"I don't think I'll ever get used to these shoes," grumbled Inuyasha. He uncomfortably shifted from foot to foot. Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement, pulling his tail out of a mudhole.br
"You two look fabulous!" Exclaimed Kokira. She brushed Sesshoumaru's bangs out his face. "You have the most beautiful eyes. Are they contacts?" When Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha looked at her curiously, she remembered they were from the past. "Oh yeah. Never mind. Well, it's almost 3 o' clock. I want to be on patrol before the middle school lets out."br
"Middle school?!" Inuyasha looked over his shoulder. His sharp ears could pick up the chime of the final bell. He had heard Kagome complain about it enough to recognize it. "Sesshoumaru we gotta get outta here! If we don't, Kagome will slaughter us. And I don't feel like listening to another one of her lectures. Let's go!"br
"Go where?" Came an annoyed voice from behind them. There was Kagome, with all her school friends. "I don't recall you having an appointment anywhere."br
The brothers jerked around. "We got lost," muttered Inuyasha. But Kagome and her friends weren't listening. They all had gigantic stars in their eyes.br
"Oh Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru! You two look great! Where'd you get the new clothes?" Kagome was dazzled. Their muscle tone showed perfect in the short sleeves, especially Sesshoumaru.br
"Sweet!" Exclaimed her best friend, Kajii. "Girls, I think I found my dance date!"br
"No way! I want the tall one!" Kagome's friend Megume said.br
iOh yeah, the dance! I wonder if Inuyasha would go with me.../i Wondered Kagome. "Hey guys! That's the wrong one...!" Kagome watched in horror as her friends milled around Sesshoumaru.br
Kajii wrapped herself in Sesshoumaru's soft white tail. "I've always wondered what it would be like to date a Youkai!" She sighed dreamily. "Please go to the dance with me!"br
"No go with me!"br
"Me!"br
"What about me?"br
Sesshoumaru sighed and put his head down. iWhat has happened to me? A week ago no one would have dared touch me like that except Rin. Now the priviledge is shared by all?/i Rage built up inside him. His Youkai nature was getting the better of him. No female touched him without his consent. iThe demon lord will not tolerate this!/i "GET OFF OF ME!" He screamed. He jumped up to the top of a lamp post, tail trailing to the ground. The wind picked up at the demon's whim, blowing his long moonlight hair into a swirling streak of white behind him. His clear gold eyes studied the group on the ground.br
iDarn!/i Thought Kagome. iUnlike Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru doesn't have to listen on command! If only.../i She pulled out the string of magic beads Kaede had given her as backup in case Inuyasha's ever broke. She clasped it in her hand, ready to throw it over Sesshoumaru's head. But how could she catch him? "Inuyasha," she whispered.br
"Hmm?"br
"Could you please slip these over your brother's head?" Kagome pressed the beads into his hand.br
"Why?! They badger me enough as it is! How do you think he would put up with it?!"br
iI have to try!/i Thought Kagome. iIf only I could think of a way! His Youkai instincts are taking over. He's going to destroy the whole city!