Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, just the video game and the two posters I bought… :o)  But I DO own Hoonomei. He's still mine. :o)

Chapter 8: Explanations and ideas

"And that's the general idea." Miroku closed his eyes, sat back and waited for the explosion. After this, she will never speak to me again…

"Why didn't you say so from the beginning?" His eyes snapped open, but she wasn't looking at him. She had turned to Sesshoumaru.

The demon lord had been watching while the monk told the story. He smirked. "I, Lord Sessh—"

"Oh, forget it. I know why. You don't explain yourself. I get it." She turned back to Miroku, missing Sesshoumaru's shocked expression. "Now, you. Why all the drama?"

He gave her a blank look. "Um, drama?"

"Drama. Production. Performance. Commotion. Spectacle. Why do all of this? Why not tell me outright?"

Miroku turned beet red. "Erm, well, uh… Inuyasha?" Miroku, you baka! Why did I have to mention his name?

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You should know by now I would jump at the chance to do something like this. I like to help others. Inuyasha or no Inuyasha." She stood and walked to another futon. She grabbed the frame and pulled it away from the other two. Miroku started to stand. One glare from her sat him down again. She glared at Sesshoumaru for good measure. He raised an eyebrow at her, stood and went back to the table. He sat next to Miroku and grabbed another cup. The two men sipped their tea. The only sounds coming from the hut were her grunts and the scraping futon.

The scraping sounds stopped. She came back to the table and wiped her hands with a napkin. The trio sat drinking their tea, each immersed in their own thoughts.

An orphaned little girl, killed by wolves… How sad… If that were Souta, how would I feel? I would want him to have someone to take care of him, and possibly get an education…

She has not killed me yet… Is that a good sign? I hope she understands why I did all of this… She is extremely attractive when she is upset, though…

The monk trusts her to protect Rin… Do I share that sentiment? More to the point, can she teach Rin to be a lady? She is no more than a child herself. Is she really capable of taking care of her? How will Rin react when I tell her? I hope she does not cry… I hate to see her cry… And Jaken? He likes the child…

"You do realize that, if I agree to this—" she waved their incredulous looks away. "Yes, I said 'if.' How are we explaining her presence to the others?" She stressed the word 'others,' which Miroku knew meant Inuyasha. "How old is she, by the way?"

"The child seems to be about seven human years."

Kagome nodded. "So, any ideas? And they better be good ones. I'd rather get back to Kaede-babas' before morning."

The trio mentally considered and discarded ideas.

No, she can't come from my time… They already know about Souta, so I can't say she's my sister… Relative? "Souta can't cross the well, wench. Why can she?" Maybe I can go with Sesshoumaru and teach her somewhere else… But what about the Jewel?

She's too young for me to ask her to bear my child… They know I don't have any brothers or sisters… Or do I?

Why explain her to that half-breed? If he hurts her…

"He won't hurt her while we're around."

Sesshoumaru started. "Witch! How did you—"

"Your hand is clenched, your eyes are turning red and you're growling." She smiled. "You're worried about her, aren't you? I promise to do everything in my power to take care of her." She held up her hand to stop him from replying. "Yes, I'll tutor her."

"My sister!"  Both turned to a grinning Miroku. "He won't hurt my sister. Not even Inuyasha is THAT cruel."

"The ages don't match up."

Mirokus' face fell. "Oh."

"Half-sister."

Both humans turned towards the demon lord. He smirked at their faces. "What is the matter? Is that not a reasonable explanation?"

Kagome and Miroku glanced at each other. "Um, well…"

"Just because I, Lord Sesshoumaru, hate the half-breed, it does not mean that my idea has no merit."

"He does have a point, Lady Kagome."

Kagome was not convinced. "Okay. Let's say that explanation works. How do we explain her sudden appearance?"

"I, Lord Sesshoumaru, will take care of that."

© 7/12/03, M.A.R.

Aphiopsyduck: I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to the readers who are sticking with this fic. Sorry I haven't updated recently. There's too many good fics floating around for me to resist them… Anyhoo. Hope you like this one. :o)

Personal to:

--Kagome: Sorry you're getting confused. I hope it's cleared in later chapters.

--Rem: That's another idea I've been thinking about. Look for it at some point.

--princessroze3: The curiosity's killing me too. I DID write an epilogue, though.

(More or less) Permanent A/N: *sweatdrops…*  Ehehe…  First fanfic… If nothing else, it's a test run, since this will be my first real fanfic posted anywhere. I don' really know where it's going though, so please bear with me. Reviews are welcome, and flames will be used on undead mikos who refuse to leave our heroes alone. :o)