Chapter III: Old Friends and… Enemies?

By: Ryguy5387

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha. I will never own Inu-Yasha. That is a good thing.

A/N: Now that I actually have some ideas, this fanfic will be updated every 7-8 days. I would like to start off by thanking everyone who has reviewed since the last update! For those of you who are coming back for more, I once again humbly ask that you review.

Reviewer Responses:

Orion Kohaishu: Wow, now THAT was a review! I had this ridiculous grin on my face all week! Thank you sooooooo much!

MirokuHoushi: Thanks for another great review! To tell you the truth, my English teacher saidt that it was too long! Go figure, right?

Playmer: Favorite Author? YAHOOOOOO! I seriously have to calm down… thanks so much!

Shikon: Let's just say that Fluffy-sama won't really appreciate it at first… and I don't know about his "cousin" Rin, it has been fifteen years, y'know… but that's next chapter, gomen ne!

Anonymous: When I said anonymous, I meant Warbeak. Anways, thanks for the great review!

Gwen the Goldfish: So… you didn't like this one? * sniffles* I'm so sad… in regards to a sequel, I'm just continuing the story from Halloween. I hope you continue to read it!

ShadowWalker343: I have no idea how you managed to review the same chapter twice… oh well. Thanks for the fantastic review!

Enough with me boring you, on with the chapter!

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Shippo looked at Kagome with the biggest smile he'd ever produced.

"Kagome," he exclaimed, "We're finally home!"

"Hai Shippo," she replied, "We are finally home."

"So," Kou interjected, "Are we just going to stand here all day?"

"You inu-hanyous are so impatient!" Kagome exclaimed, "Like father like son I guess."

"Keh!" Kou snorted as he jumped out of the well, carrying his mother.

"Before you know it, you're going to be calling me wench and ordering me to sense jewel shards," Kagome mumbled to herself. Shippo started laughing and Kou just glared at them both.

"The whole freaking world is against me."

Kagome abruptly stopped laughing as she realized how true that statement was. Her son was a hanyou: Not a youkai or a human. He will most likely be shunned by both.

'Except those who knew his father,' she mused to herself, 'They will know him for the true warrior that he is.'

They had started walking down the familiar path to Kaede's village when Kagome got an idea. "Hey Shippo, c'mon here," she whispered to the Kitsune, "How about we play a trick on Sango and Miroku?"

"What kind of trick would that be?" he asked her.

"Well, since Kou looks exactly like Inu-Yasha, we could scare them to death!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, yeah, we should do that!" Shippo agreed, "Did you hear that, Kou?"

Kou snorted then replied, "Yeah, I heard about your sick, twisted little game, and I'm not going to be part of it!"

Kagome then got an evil twinkle in her eye. "And just what happens when you're in your hanyou form and you disobey you mother?" she asked Kou.

Kou got frightened instantly, "You wouldn't dare!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, wouldn't I? What do you say," she coaxed, "Care to be part of our little game?"

"NEVER!" he shouted.

"You brought this on yourself," Shippo mumbled.

"OSUWARI!" Kagome called, the enchanted rosary dragging her beloved son straight into the ground. Kagome walked over to her son who was sprawled out on the ground. "Are you sure you don't want to help us?" She asked sweetly. Kou knew that voice, it was too sweet.

"Keh! Whatever!" he told them. Kagome and Shippo looked at each other and grinned. This was the plan: Kou would pretend he was his father, with instructions on what to say or do from his mother and brother who'd be hidden. The purpose? Scare the living hell out of their dear, dear friends. But first, they had to figure out whether or not they were in Kaede's hut. Also, Kagome wanted to see how she was doing.

Kagome and Shippo led the way to Kaede's hut. For the time being, Kagome erected a minor miko spell to give the illusion that Kou was human. When they were a couple meters from the hut, they hid behind bushes and sent Kou to investigate. He rapped his knuckles off the side of the hut to grasp the attention of whoever was inside. An old woman dressed in miko robes and wearing an eye patch greeted him.

"Can I help ye, young man?" she asked him.

"Are you the miko of this village, the one they call Kaede?" he asked her.

"Aye child, I am she. What can I help ye with?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me where the houshi Miroku and taijiya Sango are residing?"

"And what business would ye have with them?"

"I'm an old friend of the taijiya's."

"They live in a rather large hut to the ease of this village," she told him.

"That's impossible, I came from the east and there was no house," he told her.

"It is beyond the forest with the Bone Eater's Well," she replied.

"Bone Eater's Well? I thought this forest was called the Forest of Inu-Yasha, after the evil hanyou that attacked the miko Kikyo."

"Ne, child, where did ye hear such rumors? Inu-Yasha was a brave hanyou that defended this village and its inhabitants many-a-time. He was the powerful being that defeated the hanyou Naraku! I shall ask ye never to speak bad of him in my presence again," she finished her rant and turned into her hut.

As Kou walked back to Kagome and Shippo, Kagome slapped him upside the head. "What the hell was that, Kou?" she demanded of him, "You know very well how good your father was!"

"Gomen ne, okaa-chan," he told her, "I just wanted to see if she was as good a friend as you said she is."

"Happy now?" she asked, still quite irritated, "Let's go off to Sango-chan's now." They walked through the forest of Inu-Yasha, and stopped as they passed the Go-Shinboku." Kagome nearly gasped at what she saw. There was a small shrine in front of the tree. On it was inscribed:

"Here lies Inu-Yasha. He was a warrior, a hero, and a friend. May his soul rest in peace and tranquility as he waits for his love to join him."

"Oh Kami-sama," Kagome whispered as she read the inscription over and over. Tears started to form in her blue/gray orbs. Before they fell however, Shippo brushed them away.

"Do you want him to roll over in his grave, Kagome?" he asked her, "You know how he hated to see you cry."

Kagome nodded, stood up, wiped her tears away, and put on a big smile. "Enough with the water works, ne? I think it's time we go scare Sango and Miroku shitless!"

Shippo and Kou gave a quick snicker at their mother's use of profanity. As Shippo and Kagome walked away, however, Kou just stood there watching her. It marveled him how strong his mother was—or would be—for him, and for his father.

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"Shhhhhh, there he is!" whispered Kagome as she, Kou, and Shippo spied on Miroku. "You know what to do, right Kou?" she asked him one final time. He nodded, and she said, "Go ahead." Kou sprinted in the other direction for a few meters before circling around. He then proceeded to walk out in the open towards Miroku.

"All right Kou," Kagome whispered, so that only he could hear, "This is what you're going to do. Look at him and bellow, 'Oi bouzo, what the hell are you doin?' okay?" She watched as Kou nodded his head.

"Oi, Bouzo!" Kou called to Miroku, "What the hell are you doin?" Miroku looked up and instantly went a ghastly white.

"W-Wh-Who the h-h-hell a-a-are y-y-you?" he stuttered, raising his staff to a defensive position.

[ A/N: From now 'till the end of the scene, italics are going to be what Kagome tells Kou to say. There will be identifiers too, like:]

"Kou, ask him, 'it's Inu-Yasha, you stupid Hentai, who the hell did you think it was?'"

"It's Inu-Yasha you stupid Hentai, who the hell do you think it is? The freaking Grim Reaper?" Kou ad-libbed a bit, and Kagome thought it was good.

"Nice job, Kou! Tell him, What the hell? Cat got your freaking tongue? And where the hell is that wench with my jewel shards."

"Oi, baka, did some neko cut your damn tongue out or somethin? By the way, where the hell is that Kikyo-wannabe wench with my freaking jewel?" Miroku started glancing around nervously.

"Holy crap Kou," she told him, "How the hell did you do that? You sound just like your father!" she watched as Kou cracked a smirk.

"All right Shippo, do you think it's time we end this?" Kagome asked him.

"Yeah, it was fun seeing him squirm though," Shippo replied.

Kou started laughing uncontrollably.

"So, you must be Miroku?" he asked Miroku, whom was getting more confused by the second. "My mom has told me a lot about you. My name is Ko-Inu-Yasha." He bowed low, which surprised Miroku to say the least.

"Your mother?" Miroku asked, "Do I know her?" Kou quirked an eyebrow

"Miroku-sama, are you saying you've forgotten about me?" asked Kagome as she walked out of the bushes with Shippo.

"Kagome-sama? Is that really you?" Miroku asked, his voice literally drowning with hope.

"And I see you've met my son, too," she told him, "Reminds you of his father a little bit, ne?"

"Hai, Kagome-sama. It's nice to meet you, Ko-Inu-Yasha, Miroku told him. You guys really had me there. Your impression of your father is rather convincing."

"Well, okaa-san and onii-san gave me a lot of help!" he said proudly.

"Yeah, except the comparison with Kikyo," Shippo interjected, "That was sheer brilliance."

"That truly was the icing on the cake," Miroku agreed. "So, shall we go see my lovely wife, Kagome-sama? She's been rather lost without her sister for these sixteen odd years."

"But of course, Miroku-sama." Kagome agreed.

"Oh, by the way, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked, "Could you please drop the formalities? My children will find it weird."

"Only if you drop mine, too, houshi-sama, will I grant you the same privilege," she countered.

"Deal, now let's go." Miroku showed them to the hut where he and his wife live. As they walked in, they saw at least 3 kids playing on the floor.

"Are these all yours, Miroku?" Shippo asked.

"Hai, these are our youngest," he told them.

"Sango-chan!" Miroku called, "I have a guest here for you!"

"Coming Miroku," she called back, "Give me a second though."

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, I had to finish the spit for tonight's dinner," Sango rambled, wiping her hands on her apron on the way in, "I hope you don't—"

Sango stopped abruptly, and gasped, "KAGOME?" Then she fainted…

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Sango's head was pounding as she regained consciousness. She found that she was lying in her and Miroku's futon, with Miroku watching her.

"Miroku, what happened?" she asked groggily, "I had the strangest dream… Kagome came back and Shippo and Inu-Yasha were with her, and…"

"Miroku-sama?" Kou asked on his way into the room, "Okaa-san wants to know how—"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Sango's gasp interrupted his statement.

"Owww," Kou whined, rubbing his ears, "Gomen ne for scaring you, Sango-sama, but that hurts my ears."

"I-I-Inu-Y-Y-Yasha?" she asked.

"Iie," Miroku answered for him, "This is his and Kagome's son, Ko-Inu-Yasha."

"It's very nice to meet you, Sango-sama, I've heard many-a-story about you." Ko-Inu-Yasha once again bowed low, which surprised them both.

"Why do you bow so low to us, Ko-Inu-Yasha?" Miroku asked him.

"I would appreciate it if you'd just call me Kou, Sango-sama, Miroku-sama."

"Sure, Kou, as long as you drop the honorifics."

"Very well, Sango, Miroku," he told them gratefully.

"Actually," Kagome interrupted, "I think he should call you 'Aunt' Sango and 'Uncle' Miroku, but that's entirely up to you."

"Kagome-chan!" Sango called as she rushed her "sister" into an embrace. "I've missed you so much! What took you so long to come back?" One look into her eyes told Sango everything she needed to know.

"Oh, gomen ne Kagome-chan," she reassured her.

"S'okay," Kagome said, "Let's live for the moment, ne?"

"So, would you guys like to meet our kids?" Miroku and Sango asked in unison. All three guests nodded vigorously.

"Kids, c'mon in here! Meet your aunt and cousins!" Miroku called. Sango named them one by one. The first one to walk in looked strangely like someone Kagome had seen before, but she couldn't place it.

"This is our first-born, Kohaku," Sango told them, and Kagome's head snapped towards hers in an instant. " He is 13 years old. Looks a lot like his namesake, ne Kagome?"

"Hai," Kagome replied, "He sure does."

"Our second born is Chii," Sango said, yet Chi decided to intorduce herslef

"I'm Chii," she announced as she walked in, her flowing brown hair waving in the breeze, "I'm ten years old!"

"She looks just like you, Sango," Kagome complimented, "Just as beautiful as her mother." Sango blushed at the praise.

"Our next one is Yuki," Miroku announced, "Yuki is seven years old." Yuki walked in bashfully. She had short brown hair tied into a ponytail, and lots of freckles dotted her face.

"And finally we have the twins," Sango announced, "The twins are 4 years old, their names are Hideki and Hiroshi." Hideki and Hiroshi came foreward.

Kou greeted them all with a huge smile, "I'm Kou, and I'm your big cousin!" he announced, and him and Kohaku instantly hit it off. After the introductions, the twins and Yuki continued wrestling, Chii left to pick berries for supper, and Kohaku and Kou left to talk swords and fighting. Sango, Miroku, Kagome, and Shippo just sat around the kitchen talking.

"Kou is so much like his father," Sango complimented, "You must be really proud of him."

"Hai, I am," Kagome sighed and replied, "Sometimes I think that he's all that keeps me sane sometimes."

Sango sensed an eerie silence coming on, "Wow Shippo," she complimented, "You've certainly grown a lot. How have you been doing?"

"Fine," he replied, his face wearing a blush from the compliments, "I've been training in kendo and, if something should happen to Kou in battle, I can wield Tetsusaiga somewhat faithfully. I've also learned a whole kitsune's army of spells!"

"Very nice Shippo, very nice," Sango and Miroku complimented.

"Anyway, what do you guys do for a living?" Shippo asked them.

"Well, because our services to the village," Miroku began, "They let us stay here and share their crops. We exorcise demons once-in-awhile, and Sango has a little taijiya school going."

"Really? Who are your students?" Kagome asked.

"Well, right now, only Kohaku and Chii are old enough, so they are our first," Sango began, "There's also a couple people from this and neighboring villages. Then there are some special cases."

"Wait!" Kagome interjected, "There is a tremendous youki coming!" They all rushed outside to see a familiar two-headed youkai.

"And this is the most special case," commented Miroku. Kagome gasped at what she saw:

Descending on it was the Lord of the Western Lands: Sesshomaru.

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A/N: There's the latest chapter! I hope you review! Also, I know it's a shameful plug, but can anyone who reads this review my new songfic? It's a little action and pure fluff, which this story is SERIOUSLY lacking, I know. It will come though, it will come… Anyway, it's based off of the song 'The Power of Love' from Sailor Moon R: The move. Until next time, I hope you review and have a good week!