I know I'm a lousy person when it comes to keeping up with my work, but it is a timing thing, as lame as that sounds.

Roses are red violets are blue, I don't own him and neither do you.

Chapter 17: My extended family?

Kagome jolted awake at the shrieks of a dying youkai.

As it often does after you wake up, Kagome's memories came crashing back down on her.

At the moment all she was seeing was the canopy high above, as she became more aware of her surroundings, she knew that she was on the ground and had her sword in her hands. Kagome also heard the sound of the sound of metal against flesh.

Kagome lifted herself into a sitting position.

" Eh?"

In front of her was literally a wall of youkai corpses, (Well not really like a ' Wall of China' wall, but it was still confusing)

" Um... ok.. This is interesting…."

So there she was, awoken after fainting from exhaustion, from trying to get away from Naraku, and surrounded by a frikken wall of youkai bodies!

Kagome stood up and looked around, Sousei was nowhere to be seen, and Kagome didn't feel her presence in the sword. Kagome was standing at the base of a tree, that's branches extended over the mass of reeking cadavers.

The neko hanyou sheathed her sword and skillfully jumped into the branches, and made her way along until she could see the space beyond the youkai wall.

Below her she could see a man and a woman in green and teal exterminator clothing. (The shoulder pads and stuff not the black skin tight thing) They were fighting off a hoard of youkai that was doing anything in its power to get past them, ' It is probably the youkai that Naraku sent after me when Sousei's barrier went down. Where is she anyway?' Kagome looked to the two people battling off the youkai. ' Who are the taijai, and why are they helping me?'

Kagome was knocked out of her thoughts when a youkai charged at her: out if reflex she dodged it, but just barely.

The sudden movement caused Kagome to lose her balance and fall from her hideout, landing right in between the man and woman Taijai.

" Kagome! It's about time you woke up, don't just sit there help us kill Naraku's demons!" The female in teal armor said, and helped Kagome up.

" How do you know my name?" Kagome said as she drew he sword and slew an offending youkai.

" We will explain when these demons are dead and we are far away from here" the man in green armor yelled from where he was using a halberd to rip through the onslaught of demons.

" Ok," Kagome agreed and set to work making mincemeat out of the youkai, ' where is Sousei?' Kagome thought. Was Sousei killed by the demons before the taijai could get to her?

After many hours of rigorous battling, they could officially say that the threat of the demons was gone, well for the time being anyway.

The threesome traveled south until they were clear of the stench an made camp.

" Thank you for you aiding me, it is much appreciated: may I ask your names? (Can we say too polite? YA)

" My name id Kizu and this is Mizu," the green armored man said indicating to the woman in teal, who was polishing the blade of her weapon, what was that anyway?

" Alright, how do you know about me and that Naraku was after me?"

" Well Kizu and I are cousins," Mizu started," and our other cousin, Seni, is a seer (see-er), meaning she can see into the future. So we know all about the modern era through the well; and that you too were mixed up with Naraku,"

' They have had run-ins with Naraku too?"

Kizu snorted, " That bastard seems to have a grudge on the whole Higurashi line. Mumbling under breath Desecrating our parents bodies after letting the masmia do it's stuff, kidnapping Mizu's sist-"

" Hold it, did you say Higurashi?" Kagome interjected Kizu's mumbling.

" Oh yeah that…" Mizu said from her spot next to Kagome," You could say that we are your extended family." Mizu said cheerfully and draped an arm over Kagome's shoulder in a sisterly way.

" I knew I would bump into my ancestors sooner or later." Kagome said gleefully. (You think she would be worrying about other things, doesn't even know her way back to the group)

" Well sorta," Kizu said from where he was leaned against his giant halberd-turned leaning post.

" Ok, let me see if I get this right…"

" Your great grand Uncle, Our great grandfather, fell down the well into the feudal era, fell in love, had our grandfather, who fell in love with a rough taijai named Nanazari, who gave birth to Our two late twin uncles, Mizu's dad and my mom. One of our two twins Uncle's married a seeress and she had Sani that is why she is a seeress. Mizu's dad married her mom and has three children in order, Mizu, a stillborn baby girl, and her 10 year-old sister, Natsuki; lastly my mom married my dad and had yours truly. Naraku decided, out of the blue I guess, that he would screw up out lives and kill all Mizu's, Seni's, and My families. (Enter cheezy lines) Thusly we three cousins, the last of the feudal era Higurashi's are left to stick together. To follow the last dying words of our Grandfather. To trek across the lands, purging it of evil. To fight for the good hearted, rescue those in need. To-" TWAP

" Enough, enough she gets the point." Mizu says as she thwaps Kizu upside the head.

" You know? Somehow it doesn't surprise me that you two hold a grudge against Naraku too. He's destroyed a lot of peoples' lives. Too many…"

" Amen!" the two taijai said in unison.

Kagome was sitting by the fire with her chin in her hand staring thoughtfully at the endless stars. (By now it is night)

' Well these two are an odd pair. Here I am with two vagabond taijai, on with a halberd and one with… with… what is that anyway?'

" Mizu?" Kagome said, " What is that weapon?"

Mizu chuckled knowingly " This." She started, " was brought over when our great grandfather fell through the well, it was passed down t our grandfather, and when he married Nanazari she turned it into a weapon by adding the sharp edge to the rim. But its original purpose was to be played like a musical instrument of sorts. I'll play for you in the morning, playing it now would attract attention."

" Sugoi, I think I remember seeing a picture of something similar at my family's shrine, a Didgeri-du (Did JUR ree do) I think it was called." Kagome said with her finger pointed up in the air like when she was explaining something.

" That is what gramps called it, grams renamed it Shaku," Kizu said, " those two fogies argued over everything, I don't how they fell in love."

Kagome giggled.

They went about the evening, making and eating dinner and they chatted some more when (Oh so dramatically and suddenly) Kagome remembered where she should have been before she got kidnapped by Naraku.

"Oh! How will I get back to my group? We were separated when IO was kidnapped.

"Ah yes, Seni said something about bumping into them a few days after we found you, so no worried. Besides they would probably come running if they hear Shaku." Mizu said.

Kagome let out a relieved sigh.

End chapter,

Forgive me for not updating in forever, I had to put time and thought into the chapter. I hope you guys like it, plus summer vacation is drawing to a close.

R&R