Random Disclaimer: I refuse to beleive you still need me to remind you that I don't own this anime... Feh.

Chapter seven: Poached

The monkey had succeded in loosing Jaken and was making his way around the branches of some trees. It pushed back a large branch and suddenly heard a noise below. Startled, it let go of the branch and it came whipping back, smacking the poor monkey in the face and sending it sailing into the stratosphere. The egg hovered for a moment in the air before careening towards the ground. Just then, Hachi the tanooki had been walking underneath the tree and looked up in time to see the egg falling towards him. He reached up and plucked it from the air.

Hachi couldn't believe his luck! The egg had fell into his hands like a gift from above. What a wonderful blessing to have occurred, since he had only just recently been listening to his own belly grumbling in protest over it's emptiness. His first idea had been to go to the nearby village and rustle himself up a bite, but the egg would go well with whatever else he ended up getting.

With an increased pace and happy step he made his way into the village, disguised as his most favorite person- Miroku. He saw no harm in impersonating his friend when it came to getting a little to eat. And he was almost certain his pal didn't mind one bit... as long as he didn't know about it, that was.

He was just turning yet another corner, when he was attacked from behind by a wild little green man.

"THIEF!" Jaken shrieked as loud as he could. "YOU STOLE MY EGG! GIVE IT BACK!"

"GEE!" Hachi flailed about wildly, his ears popping up and part of his disguise as Miroku ruined. "GET OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME!" The two were spinning about now, bumping into carts and walls, upsetting laundry hanging nearby and sending both people and animals running for cover as they twirled about madly like an out of control top.

Toutousai was just coming out of one of the local herbalists homes when he spotted them spinning their way towards him. He stepped back in time to avoid a collision and watched as something white came flinging out of the strange mix. He caught it with one hand and strolled on, only glancing down to inspect the thing when he was certain he wasn't being followed.

"An egg." The old demon grinned, then licked his lips. Ahh, he hadn't had an egg in some time. "An omelet would be lovely." he mumbled, then frowned a bit, realizing just one egg would not make much of an omelet. Glancing about, he noticed a chicken's pen nearby.

"No one would mind if I took only one." he decided and slunk his way towards the tiny shack to snatch another egg from one of the unsuspecting hens inside.

At the same moment he was doing this, Jaken and Hachi collapsed on the ground in a sick heap, both covering their mouths and trying not to hurl whatever was in their nauseated stomachs.

"Where... is... my... egg..." Jaken managed before clamping his hand over his mouth once more, his eyes whirling in every direction.

"It's ... (Gurgle) MY egg!"the odd looking Miroku with the Racoon ears insisted, his tail twitching beneath him. He went to hold it up to prove it and for the first time realized that it was gone from his hand. "GAHH!"

He shot up frantically and his form returned to that of the Racoon. Jaken was up and looking as well, stomach forgotten.

"Where is it?"

"YOU LOST IT!" Jaken screamed.

"YOU JUMPED ME! What did you THINK was going to happen!"

"Ummm... excuse me?" A tiny little girl stood not far off, an empty basket clutched in her arms. Both of the demons stopped arguing and stared at her. She offered up a tiny and slightly toothless smile and pointed behind her.

"If your looking for your egg, the ugly old man with the funny top knot took it that way." she pointed in the direction and then felt the sudden breeze brush by her as the two took off in a mad dash.

She saw a flash of them going around the corner and when she turned back around her eyes grew round at the sight of a demon dressed in all red with silver white hair descended towards her, carrying a lovely human girl on his back. She was thrilled. Only in her grandfather's stories had she ever heard of such things.

"Oi, little kid. You seen an ugly looking toad thing running around here with an egg?" Inuyasha hunkered down a bit so he was at eye level with the tiny thing. She gave a delighted squeal and reached up to yank his ears. Indignant, Inuyasha stood up straight and took a step back, setting Kagome on her feet before hiding behind her.

"Make her answer, dammit! I ain't askin again! She'll wanna tug on my ears."

Kagome knelt down beside the girl and pulled out a sucker from her pocket.

"Do you like candy?" She asked sweetly. The little girl's face lit up and she nodded vigorously. "Can you tell me if you have seen a little frog man with an egg?"

Again, the girl nodded, then clarified. "I saw a frogman wrestling with a racoon, who dropped the egg and the old man with the funny top knot on his head caught it then went around the corner towards the chicken coops and they ran after him." Finally done with her dissertation, she held out her hands expectantly and Kagome quickly unwrapped the sucker and handed it over before Inuyasha grabbed her again and they took off.

The girl was ready to burst with excitement as she plopped the sucker into her mouth and marveled at the two who had just left. Wait until her mother heard. Three demons and two human all after an egg.

"Hey! That's one of Kagome's suckers!" Shippo's voice called out.

She glanced up to see two humans and a small little fox child making their way towards her. She popped the sucker from her mouth and waved at them in a friendly gesture.

"Little girl, did a human and Hanyou just pass by here?" Sango asked breathlessly, Kirara peaking her head up from the safety of her arms to stare in wonder at the tiny girl.

"Um-hm. The pretty girl who gave me the sucker and the silver demon with the cute fluffy ears just went chasing after the frog man who attacked the racoon thing that looked like him," She paused to point up at a startled looking Miroku. "Except he had ears and a tail for a bit." she qualified before continuing on. "and they were both chasing the old man with the funny looking top knot who caught the egg was going towards the chicken coop, "she pointed behind her with the sticky sucker. "That way."

"Thank you!" Sango called out as she and the others ran past. The little girl waved goodbye, proud that she had been able to help out. Wouldn't her mother be pleased?

She started to skip back towards home to share her interesting news when a large gust of wind and a dust cloud swirled around her.

"HEY! YOU! Did you just see-" Koga started, still trying to knock the wind woman from her feather and get away from her.

"Your asking this silly human girl if she knows where-" Kagura said sarcastically, but the little girl cut her off with a heavy sigh.

"The monk who wasn't a racoon who was running with the fox boy on his shoulders and the pretty lady with the cute kitty in her arms just went after the pretty girl who rides the back of a silver haired Hanyou with cute puffy ears, who is chasing after the frog man who attacked the racoon thing that looked sort of like the monk..,"

"This human is long winded..." Kagura sighed in irritation.

"Reminds me of you." Koga muttered, then ignored her while he tried to figure out the tall tail.

The little girl just continued, oblivious to their words "... who dropped the egg that the ugly old man with the top knot picked up and carried off towards the chicken coop that-"

"That's it! The chicken coop!" Koga snarled and sped off, Kagura close behind him.

The little girl hadn't had a chance to finish the explanation when she was blown to the ground by the just and wind. She finally blinked and noticed the two were gone.

With a heavy yawn she got to her feet. Giving directions was hard work. She sleepily went back to her home and pushed open the door, the sucker hanging half out of her mouth and her little eyes drooping.

Her mother turned about to greet her and drew in a shocked breath at the disheveled sight of her youngest child.

"What happened? Did you get the eggs? Did those chickens attack you again?"

The little girl shook her head. "I didn't get the eggs. There were too many people in the chicken coop."

Her mother looked surprised, then angry. "So there are thieves in our chicken coop? Well, I'll have none of that!" Grabbing the broom nearby she charged out the door. Her tiny child decided she had just enough strength left before falling over for a nap to see her mother go after all the strange people she had run into that day. She trotted along behind her and watched in fascination as her mother marched up to the chicken coop, now bulging at the sides.

"Alright! I demand that you come out of that chicken coop THIS INSTANT!" the girl's mother shouted.

"Baka! Get off my foot!" Inuyasha's voice floated from the coop.

"Give me that egg, you old fart!" Koga snarled.

"What's the big idea, you pretending to be me? I thought we talked about this, Hachi!" Miroku shouted.

"GOMEN NASAI!" Hachi howled out miserably. "I was so hungry!"

"Miroku, stop lecturing and help me look for Aiko!" Sango insisted.

"EE-OUCH! The chicken bit me!' Shippo screamed.

"So bite 'em back, brat!" Inuyasha snarled.

The little girls mother stared in confusion for a moment, wondering how on earth so many had fit into the tiny building. Then her temper flared. It was too much like her own home, where her words were never heard. Well, she'd certainly make this lot listen to what she had to say!

"That does it! Come out right-"she swung the broom against the pen once, intent on making a racket to scare them all, but the force on the old wood was already close to breaking point so the added impact sent the wooden material bursting apart.

Chicken's were everywhere, their feathers filling the sky like a blizzard and their squawks of protests nearly drowning out the shouts and cries from the carious others flying through the air. Both demon, human and chicken were flying about in a graceful ball of fluff, everyone grabbing as many eggs as they could as they tumbled blindly towards earth.

"I got it!" Hachi shouted happily.

"THAT"S MY NOSE, YOU BAKA!" Toutousai screamed.

"Ah- Gomen!" Hachi scooped up his stash and beat a hasty retreat from the group, not wishing to catch anymore hell from his friend for impersonating him.

Toutousai followed his example and grabbed enough for his coveted omelet, then broke away from the rest and ran like hell for his hill.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out as she reached for one egg after another, none bearing the mark her teacher had placed. "I can't find her anywhere!"

Near the back of forest, Rin came upon the sight. She sat atop Ah and Un, all three puzzled as to why Jaken and the other adults were all fighting with chickens and each other for eggs.

"Jaken-sama?" Rin called out. "Are you okay?"

Jaken's head popped up form the cluster of bodies and his arms were filled to overflowing with white eggs.

"RIN!" He shouted. Then kicked and scrambled his way towards her, feathers sticking out from every area on him. "Quickly, Rin! Help me with these eggs! We MUST get them to Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"...eh, hai Jaken-sama." Rin wasn't sure why he wanted to take eggs to her master, but she decided it really wasn't her concern. She waited until he was on Ah and Un and then they took off in flight, Jaken shouting triumphantly as they went.

Kagura shot up from the group next, plucking feather after feather out of her hair and throwing them into the air until she found one of her magical ones. As soon as it transformed, she climbed aboard, her own arms full of eggs. With one last look of disdain in Koga's direction, she took to the sky's and headed for her masters to bestow the eggs at his feet.

"Filthy thief!" A broom came down hard on Koga's head and the wolf leader yelped, dropping all the eggs he had gathered. He beat a hasty retreat as the woman chased him, broom swinging wildly and connecting with him every now and then.

"This is ridiculous!" Sango moaned as she picked up one egg after another. "They could already have it, or it's been broken."

"Don't say such things! This is our God-child your giving up hope on." Miroku admonished. Sango gave him a scathing look and kicked him when he turned to inspect another egg. He went down face first and landed on a chicken, who squawked and flapped wildly until he rolled off it. Sango was immediately sorry and dropped down beside him.

"Gomen! I shouldn't have done that." She tried helping him back up when he snagged one of her hands and placed it on his own backside.

"I forgive you, Sango. I give you permission to fondle my backside which you so carelessly-" her hand connected with his cheek and he went down hard again on yet another chicken.

"Baka..." Sango grumbled and got to her feet, her face red with embarrassment for where her hand had just been.

"She's gone." Kagome whispered miserably, blowing at the feathers that were in her hair and sitting down hard. A chicken strutted over made itself comfortable on her lap.

Inuyasha looked over and frowned, then stomped over and batted the shocked chicken off her lap. It soared into the sky, it's cry of "BAAAAKKKAAAAA..." following in it's wake.

"We can just write on another one. Don't be so freakin upset!" he demanded, squatting down next to her and pulling a few more feathers from her hair.

Kagome nodded and looked up at him. "I suppose I am being a bit silly about it all. Maybe-"

"We found it!" Shippo called out excitedly. "Kirara and I found Aiko!"

Inuyasha leapt to his feet and gave out a whoop of joy. Everyone stared at him in shock and amazement.

"Awfully excited for a guy who isn't supposed to care." Miroku commented as he got to his feet and brushed himself off, politely removing a chicken from the top of his head.

Inuyasha stopped suddenly and gave him a scowling look. "I'm just glad Kagome's not gonna have to fail her thing."

"Riiiight..." Sango smirked.