Author's Note: I was all iffy about writing Jiichan in this chapter. At first in the series, he of course doesn't like InuYasha, and that's where this takes place. So right now, it's kind of rough between the two of them. I'm used to writing present timeline (as in where the manga is right now) Jiichan. The one who does house chores with InuYasha and just chills out with him at times.

Note- All chapters revised 4/21/06

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"The Beginning of Tomorrow"

-Chapter Four-

Welcome to the Family

By Kelly O'Connor

Kagome bit her lip and sighed, "Well you see… I umm, met InuYasha today," she started and then shook her head. That's not right. Oooh how do I explain this. I'll just start from the beginning as if I were telling my family about any other day.

She took a deep breath.

"Well I was getting food for Buyo, you know… and I came home, and I," she paused, "Never mind, let me skip to what's important."

Kagome stopped to collect her thoughts. Her family continued to give her skeptical looks, and InuYasha fidgeted slightly next to her, momentarily shooting unsure looks to everyone in the room.

"I was out in the shrine and when I left it, Buyo came outside…"

"Kagome dear," Mrs. Higurashi interrupted, "You were in the shrine house? You hardly ever go out there."

"Perhaps she's finally gaining an appreciation for our history!" Jiichan put in. The teenage ignored him and continued.

"I had a class assignment that required me to look through the old shrine records," she explained, not wanting to go into the man at the tree that morning or the fact that InuYasha was the Hanyou from a legend that didn't exactly cast him in a favorable light. She was trying to get InuYasha a home here, and letting Jiichan know who he was would immediately out rule that possibility.

Jiichan and Mama nodded.

"I left the shrine and went back in the house to feed Buyo. Well… to make things short, there was an intruder."

Three pairs of eyes swerved to the Hanyou sitting on the couch.

"No, no the intruder wasn't him!" Kagome clarified. "It was a burglar." She paused when her family gasped, "When he noticed me… I ran, and I managed to get outside. I was backed up against the Goshinboku and…"

"Oh I get it!" Souta piped up, "So this guy came and saved you?" The young boy asked excitedly. Kagome rubbed the area between her eyes.

"Keh- like I wou--"

"Umm no," Kagome interrupted InuYasha and ventured forward, "I saved myself. He had a knife, and I pushed out my hands and… and I…I… blasted him." She winced. How do I describe what I did?

Luckily, her savior came in the form of someone not so expected.

"She blasted the guy because she's a Miko," InuYasha explained, noting Kagome's confusion as to what she had done.

Kagome's mouth formed an 'o,' not having connected the word "Miko" to the powers that had sprung forth upon fighting the man.

"A Miko…" Jiichan gasped. "Kagome, what happened when you attacked the man?"

"Well I put out my hands and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew he was back on the ground, with what looked like a burn." Kagome wrung her hands, "And my hands were… glowing pinkish."

"Ah I knew it!" Jiichan exclaimed, "Our family is descended from a long line of very powerful Miko, and you are obviously one of them!"

Kagome cleared her throat to continue. She knew her family was never known for spiritual power even in more reputable myths, but she supposed that what she had could be nothing but spiritual power.

"Basically the guy freaked out and left," she finished that part of the tale. "I caught enough of his appearance, and I was going to go in and call the police but…"

She halted, wondering how to even start on this part. Her eyes wandered over to InuYasha, who was fidgeting with his hands and tapping his feet impatiently.

"So Kagome," Mama inquired kindly, "Where does this young man figure in?"

"I uhh... well," Kagome struggled, "I found him in our yard, in the tree." She exhaled, "On the tree rather. I stood up to go inside, and when I touched the roots of the Goshinboku they began to dissolve."

"Whoa cool!" Souta expressed at his sister's tale.

While Kagome continued to explain, InuYasha's eyes fell on the small family sitting across from him. The old man, who he'd already pinpointed as a bit senile from the way he had spoken, kept shooting InuYasha suspicious glances as Kagome told the story. The middle-aged woman, who he knew as Kagome's mother, just gave him warm smiles every now and then.

She puzzled the Hanyou, as she seemed to be completely laid back regarding his presence. Then again she doesn't know I'm a Hanyou yet.

Neither did the little boy, 'Souta,' as he kept giving InuYasha glances that appeared somewhat admiring. With a light "Keh" to himself, InuYasha began staring to his side, doing a small double take when the family's obese cat stalked into the room. Curious, he kept his eyes on the brown and beige feline as Kagome continued to tell the story of her day.

"Well the thing is of course InuYasha now has no where to go," she'd just completed telling the tale of releasing him from the tree. With a couple changes, one being the fact that she hadn't explained that he was a Hanyou, and yet another being that she told them he had been sealed there after being attacked by an evil Miko. Which from all accounts I've picked up… seems to be the actual truth.

She noticed her grandfather shooting InuYasha dangerous glares every once in a while, and wondered if he had picked up on exactly who the young boy was. I know Jiichan knows that legend. I imagine it's what he was eluding to this morning when he gave me the fake shikon no tama.

Boldly, she continued, "He doesn't have anyone around anymore, and he doesn't know how to live and… and."

"Kagome dear," Mama Higurashi cut in, "this is certainly rather strange, but I know you aren't one to tell tales." She paused, "I understand that this boy has nowhere to go, and I'd be willing to allow him to stay here, but eventually he'll have to go out on his own, once he adapts to umm… our era better." Kagome nodded.

"Well you see Mama, it's not that easy."

"Of course it's not that easy!" Jiichan interrupted, "Surely this boy must be under some sort of curse if this happened to him! Unfortunate things will befall our home if we let him stay!"

"Keh- I'm not under any curse Jiji!" InuYasha snapped, his attention back on the conversation.

"I think he seems cool Nee-chan!" Souta beamed, "He's from five hundred years ago. Is he a warrior?" Kagome gestured for silence.

"Mama, Jiichan, Souta, InuYasha!" She commanded, "Please!" The room went silent. "It's not that easy because there's one more thing about InuYasha I should tell you…" The dark haired girl looked to the elderly man. "No he's not cursed." Kagome took a deep gulp. "InuYasha is a Hanyou," she stated simply. She heard her grandfather and InuYasha stiffen, both for different reasons no doubt.

"Nee-chan what's a Hanyou?" Souta finally asked.

"A youkai!" Jiichan questioned angrily.

"Half youkai Jiichan," Kagome corrected, "and half human." She added so Souta could understand. InuYasha visually flinched.

"It doesn't matter, any youkai is all evil!" The gray haired man reasoned. Kagome blinked, getting a slight feeling of déjà vu from that statement.

"That isn't fair Jiichan," she replied naturally.

"My, my," Mrs. Higurashi glanced between the elderly man and the teenage girl, then to the silver haired boy who seemed to be growing more and more irritated by the moment. "This surely has been a strange day. InuYasha is a Hanyou, hmm?"

Kagome nodded in the positive. "InuYasha you can pull off your bandanna now," the schoolgirl requested.

He shot her an aggravated glower. "Keh, fine," InuYasha complied as he reached up and slid the bandanna off his head, placing it in his lap and revealing his most distinguishing trait to Kagome's family.

There was an audible silence in the room as his ears twitched to get the stiffness out of them.

"Uhh," Kagome broke the silence, "so you see… InuYasha is a Hanyou."

Kagome's eyes widened when she saw her mother's face break into a huge grin.

"Well," she laughed lightly, and stood up, "Aren't those the cutest things!" The dark haired woman squealed as she leaned over and placed her fingers on the surprised boy's canine ears.

Kagome could only stare, instead of being shocked or upset; her mother was… going on about how cute he was? Then again I did the same thing when I saw his ears.

InuYasha looked much more shocked and startled then he did irritated at the action, Of course, if those ears distinguish him as a Hanyou, she thought back to the appearance of his full youkai half brother, the idea of someone liking them... She was whipped from her thoughts by the sound of her little brother.

"Let me do it next Mama!" The boy demanded, "Please!"

"Mama, Souta!" She interrupted their actions. Mrs. Higurashi and her younger brother both gave her rather sheepish grins and sat back down. Jiichan let out a light hmph from where he sat. "So, can he stay?" Kagome inquired nervously. Mama nodded.

"I told you I'd be willing to allow him to stay here," she answered. "I'll still allow that. Why would I not?" Kagome smiled gratefully at her mother, and InuYasha's face held a perplexed expression. Just accepting me… just like that. Just like she did. Although that Jiji… Keh, who cares about him.

Said "Jiji" finally took the chance to speak.

"If you want to take the risk of having a youkai living in our house, that is up to you!" Jiichan crossed his arms, "But I will not allow a youkai to deceive my family." He glared at InuYasha. "I will be watching you. Don't you dare try anything." InuYasha looked unfazed.

"Keh, old man, like you could do anything!" The Hanyou snorted.

"My ofuda are foolproof! Many generations of Higurashi have used them, and a single one can obliterate a powerful youkai!" InuYasha rolled his eyes and prepared to retort, but Kagome cut in.

"That is enough you two! Jiichan, InuYasha is not going to hurt any of us. I know it. He just needs a place to stay." InuYasha stared at Kagome, blown away by this girl's trust in him.

"If he's the InuYasha of legend then…"

"You do know the legend Jiichan?" Kagome asked.

"Of course I do! It's one of the more well known ones of our shrine!" Kagome gave her grandfather a gentle smile.

"Jiichan, sometimes legends aren't as they are written. I'm sure you know that," she looked to the Hanyou, "Like I said, he has nowhere else to go. Please… give him a chance." The elderly shrine keeper looked in his granddaughter's eyes and saw the honesty and pleading within them.

"Very well," he reluctantly consented, "but I'm still keeping a watch on him." Kagome stood up to give him a quick hug.

"Thank you so much Jiichan," the teenage girl exclaimed thankfully. Mama Higurashi smiled at the exchange and turned her attention to their new house guest.

"InuYasha?" She began.

"Oi, what?" He replied. Mrs. Higurashi continued, not put off by his rude reply.

"If you plan on staying here… we have a lot to take care of," she paused. "We'll need to get you somewhere to sleep, teach you about living in this time, find something for you to do when Kagome's at school," she glanced down at his clothing. "Get you some new clothes of course…" InuYasha's eyes widened at all this.

"Life here is very different from how it was back then, and I know it's going to be a lot of work. We'll help you out, but we need your cooperation as well."

Kagome had turned her attention back to InuYasha and her mother, and she noticed the slightly overwhelmed expression the boy held. She also noted that her mother seemed extremely excited about all this.

"Eventually we'll have to get you some form of identity as well. That won't be easy, but I've heard of it being done before… and you're still young so we have some time." She halted her slight rambling a bit. "Say, how old are you anyway?" InuYasha looked surprised by the question, but paused to think.

"Fifteen springs," he replied, "Keh, what's it matter?"

"Oh you're the same age as Kagome then, that's nice!" Mama exclaimed. Kagome blushed lightly, flustered at her mother's implications. Mrs. Higurashi had a slight knack for matchmaking, and she knew what her mother was going for here.

"Mama!" Kagome groaned. "Leave InuYasha alone he's a bit…"

"Nee-chan!" Souta interrupted, "So he's really staying with us?" The young boy then proceeded to hop over to InuYasha and sit down directly next to him on the zabuton. "Neh, umm, Inu-no-niichan?" He said tentatively, as if trying out the nickname he'd just given the Hanyou on his tongue.

Mrs. Higurashi laughed lightly at her son, and Kagome couldn't help but repress a small smile.

"Inu-no-nii… Keh!" He shot the little boy a sharp glare. Souta looked non-intimidated and ventured on.

"Now that you're here… you can be like my big brother right?" Souta bit his lip, and InuYasha's expression softened a bit. "Play video games and soccer… help me with my chores…" He rambled.

InuYasha let out a small sound of surprise when he felt something leap onto his lap. Looking down, he saw that the enormous brown and beige cat from before had made himself a space on his lap. With a slight, growl he pushed the cat off onto the ground.

The Hanyou shot Souta, Jiichan, Mama, and Kagome all rather irritated looks, before crossing his arms across his chest. Kagome noted that his expression had turned more confused and perplexed--- overwhelmed, and his ears were flattened against his head as well.

"Now, now there's no need to push the cat," Mama remarked as Buyo lazily walked away. Kagome sighed lightly.

"Mama!" She called out.

"Hold on Kagome let me get InuYasha a…" She cut herself off when she saw that InuYasha had just stood up from the zabuton and bolted out of the room.

Following him into the hallway, Mama Higurashi watched as he ran out the front door, and made his way towards the Goshinboku. "Oh my…" Mama said in awe from the doorway, as she watched the teenage boy leap into the high up branches of the great tree. "I suppose…"

"He's overwhelmed Mama," Kagome came up behind her, "That's what I was trying to say. This is just too much for him to handle right now."

"You're right Kagome," Mrs. Higurashi sighed regretfully, "I'm sorry… perhaps we need to ease him into things instead of telling him all the burdens of our world in one night."

Kagome glanced out the doorway, and to the Hanyou high up in the branches of Goshinboku.

"Ease him very slowly Mama," she frowned, "he's got enough burdens already."

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