Chapter 3 Inu-yasha.

In the bathroom of Kagome's house.

Kagome stands up straight and looks into the mirror. Her expression hardens. 'Out of the fear of someone knowing about him, I've always keep Inu-yasha on a leash on this side of the well. If I'm going to let him loose, I've got to make sure that nothing too extreme happens. Maybe, just maybe, we'll get lucky and nobody will notice.'

A pause. "So, no smash and grab, no blind Tetsusaiga swinging." She whispers to herself.

After a couple of deep breaths, Kagome nods to herself in the mirror and leaves the bathroom.

She walks back into the living room and sits down next to her mother. As she raises the towel to her mother's face, MRS. H grabs her wrist and asks, "Kagome, thank you. How did you learn to handle a crying woman so well?"

Kagome's mouth twitches, but as she is about to reply, her mother continues, "And tell me the truth."

Mrs. H thinks, 'She's never out and out lied to me about her adventures on the side of the well, but, I also know that she shades the truth. I do not mind, normally, because I don't want to worry. I know she twists the truth in an attempt to stop me from worrying, but, still, this time, I want to know the absolute truth.'

Kagome purses her lips and looks down and she softly says, "I've forgotten how many times, we've come across a village, a manor, or even just random people on the road, that have been attacked and people are hurt and killed. I've helped parents bury children, children bury parents . . . " Her voice trails off and she softly finishes. "You get good at it, sooner or later, or your heart breaks and you become a heartless bastard."

Mrs. Higurashi hugs her daughter.

"I didn't mean to bring up some bad memories." She whispers to Kagome.

Kagome sighs and hugs her mother back. "Bad memories? Not really, mom. Sad memories, yes, even hurtful." She breaks the hug, and looks her mother in the eye, a soft smile appears on lips, "but, the looks people give you, after you've helped them, given them hope, taught them to live again. I'll remember those hopeful, glad, smiling faces the day I die."

Kagome's mother smiles. A pause as they look into each others eyes. "You know, I am hungry, now, I think."

"Good." Kagome lifts up the towel. Her mother's eyes flick to it, and her nods. Kagome cleans her mother's face, as her mother finds the other towel and cleans her daughter's face.

They both stand up and head to the kitchen. "Sit down, mother. I'm doing it." Kagome casually orders, as her mother tries to follow her to the kitchen cabinets.

"Kagome." Her eyebrow raises, "I think you've been spending too much time subduing Inu-yasha."

Kagome blushes, "I'm sorry, mom, that just slipped out." She turns to her mother and gives her a slight bow. "Mother, no, beloved mother, could you please seat yourself at the table, I, your daughter, wish to treat you, as you deserve to be treated."

"You don't have to be that formal, daughter."

Kagome grins, "It's fun on occasion, mother." Her eyes sparkles, mischievously.

"Kagome, what is that gleam in your eyes?"

Kagome shakes her head, slightly, "Just thinking about Inu-yasha's expression, when, maybe the next time we fight, well maybe not, I think I'll want to save this until we're having a good fight, and then instead of the informal language we use around each other, I use a full formal language and tone."

"Do you think it'll be funny?" a slight smile appears on Mrs. H face.

Kagome smiles, radiantly. "Priceless." She waves her hand to the table. "Please, mother, let me cook something for you."

Her mother sighs, softly, then sits down at the table.

Kagome begins to move about the kitchen, beginning to fix a quick brunch for her mother and herself, just a couple of quick sandwiches and a drink.

A silence falls between the two of them.

'I need to keep up the conversation.' Kagome thinks, 'and I need to keep it lite. I would like to talk about Yokio and Gina, but, I'd better talk about something else.'

"You know, mom . . . " Kagome begins to speak as she's pulling out the food she needs.

"Know what, Kagome?"

"Cooking for a person tells you things about them." Kagome says.

A slight smile appears on her mother's lips. 'Keeping me distracted?' she can feel the sadness and concern of the current situation pressing against her thoughts. 'I'll go along.'

"How so, my dear."

"I do most of the cooking for us. And the different favorite foods tell you things."

"Ramen means what to Inu-yasha?"

Kagome giggles. "Don't get me started on that one, mom. At times I think his blood is mainly ramen." A pause. "Next time he gets injured, maybe I'll ask him if he can smell the ramen in his blood."

"Kagome?" concern seeps into her mother's tone. 'Is she really that casual about Inu-yasha's injuries, or is she just keeping things cheerful?'

Ignoring her mother's question, Kagome says, "Miroku, you know, is a monk, so he should eat a pure vegetarian diet. But, he keeps slipping meat into his food." A grin appears on Kagome's face. "I know when he's slipped some meat in, because, he always finds a way to grope Sango and I at the same time, sometime during the day. It's his way to get penance for the sin of eating meat."

"Groping?"

"The slaps that Sango and I give him."

A shared giggle between the two of them.

"And what is his penance for groping?"

"That you'll have to ask him, mother" Kagome replies, making sure that her back is to her mother to hide her blush. "It's too embarrassing for me to say."

"Really?"

"Really." Kagome replies. "You can write him about it, maybe he'll reply, but I don't think he will."

Mrs. H slowly nods and thinks, 'I wonder how she knows, if it's that private. Maybe I will ask him in my next letter. I think he will, though, our letters have always been very interesting. Of all of her friends on the other side of the well, Miroku is the one that I like the most.'

Authors' note: this is based on my story "letters to Kagome's mother"

(About six months after Kagome's adventures began, Mrs. h began to write letters to Kagome's friends. Kagome delivers the letters and brings back the replies. Keade and her mother have been exchanging misc. recipes, herbal knowledge, and other things. Shippo sends her drawings and such. Sango writes the least, feeling that she has very little in common with Kagome's mother. Miroku's letters, on the other hand, are full of classic literary quotes and poems, some famous, others his own creation, her mother's replies are in a similar vein. Basically harmless flirting by letter on both sides, as they show off their classical education.)

"Still, all in all, Miroku's diet is the one that is closest to mine." Kagome says in a thoughtful tone. 'Mainly vegetarian, with the occasional piece of meat.'

"Really?"

Kagome nods. "Yes. Oh, there are times when we've ate all the ramen, and Inu-yasha hunts for the group, or the rice is gone. Then we all eat meat, but, when there's a choice, Miroku and my diets are the pretty much the same."

"Oh."

"Sango, now, is different. She wants a diet similar to mine, but, she has to have a different one. She eats a lot of meat, especially after a battle."

"Why?"

"To keep up her strength, mother, she is a demon exterminator." Kagome replies as she continues to cook the food. In a soft voice she says. "I've seen Sango do things that are impossible for a human to do. She has to replace that energy. And that means meat."

"I see."

Kagome sighs, "Not quite, mother."

"hmmmm?"

"It means that she has to eat a lot of food, especially in front of Miroku."

"Oh. I see. That's not ladylike."

Kagome nods. "Yes, it's yet another thing that reminds her of her lack of femininity."

"Poor girl."

"Yes." Kagome replies in a whisper. She sighs. "Cooking for Kirara, though, is easy. She hunts for herself." A giggle. "Not that she won't accept food, meat only of course, from Sango, Shippo or me, but that's a snack, her real meals occur when she changes into her battle form and hunts."

Mrs. H frowns, "She must eat a lot of meat, then." Her memory flashes a picture of Kirara, in her large form, with blushing, embarrassed Sango sitting on her. The picture is up in Kagome's album in her room.

Kagome nods. "The first time I heard her hunting roar. I was frightened." She grins. "My scream of fright embarrassed me in front of Inu-yasha." She blushes from the memory. "But now, hearing that roar means I'm safe."

"Safe?"

Kagome nods.

"Inu-yasha?" Mrs. H asks softly, "you sort of ignored him earlier."

A pause.

"Well, once you ignore the ramen, inu-yasha's diet is pretty close to Sango's. Lots of meat, a little rice and other vegetables." Kagome snorts. "Of course, where Sango would like to eat more rice, Inu-yasha hates it and only eats it because I want him to."

"His table manners have improved, though." Mrs. h states, as she remembers some of the recent meals that Inu-yasha has had at her house.

Kagome turns and looks at her mother, "only when you're here. Otherwise, arggh. Sometimes I think he uses his bad table manners, just to upset me."

Mrs. H raises an eyebrow, "Kagome, if he did, suddenly, have impeccable table manners, you'd panic."

Kagome pauses, then grins, "probably, no, well, maybe. I'd probably assume someone possessed him, or is mind-controlling him." She snorts.

'Does she realize how much that says about her life on the other side of the well?' her mother thinks. 'And she says she's safe, when she just assumes possession occurs on a regular basis.'

"Of all of us, though, Shippo's diet was the one that caused me the most problems." Kagome says with a sigh.

"Shippo?"

Kagome nods, "When I first started feeding him, I give him food from my bowl. But, he started getting listless, no energy, even his tail started to wilt." She bites her lips, "it took a huge argument with Inu-yasha before he forced me to understand that Shippo is a kitsune, not a human child, and he have different needs."

"More meat?" Mrs. h guesses.

Kagome nods. "Yes. Oh, he likes the taste of candy, especially chocolate, but, his body only absorbs meat."

"So even though you thought that you were feeding him properly."

"He was starving to death, and since he didn't want to upset me, Shippo never complained. It took inu-yasha to tell me what I was doing wrong."

"Cooked meat or raw?" Mrs. h asks.

"Inu-yasha and Shippo eat cooked meat." She replies. She grimaces, "I think, although I've never asked, I think on days that I'm on this side of the well, Shippo eats his raw."

The smell of cooking meal, coming from the microwave, tickles Kagome's nose. She looks down and grins, 'even though it's been a while since I've used the kitchen, I still remembered where everything was.'

"Brunch is ready, mom." Kagome says as she prepares a plate with some sandwiches on it.

"Are you eating, too?"

Kagome nods. "I have a feeling today will be a busy day, mother. I'm going to need all the strength I can get." A pause, "And it'll be a busy day for you, too, so please eat."

"Sit next to me, my dear." Kagome's mother smiles, "you know, this conversation. We haven't talked like this in months."

Kagome nods and stares at her food. She whispers, "I'm sorry, mother. We need to do this more often." the tone full of guilt.

Mrs. h reaches out and pats her daughter's shoulder. "It's ok, dear. This is what I needed to help me."

Kagome looks startled.

"I needed something to remind me about what I have, dear. Some time to settle down and find my center."

"You're ok, then?" hope appears in Kagome's voice.

"Ok?" Mrs. H shakes her head, no. "I won't' be Ok until Yokio is found, but now, I will control myself, I'm not going to break down." Her tone is absolutely sure.

Kagome reaches over and squeezes her mother's hand. "I knew that."

"Thank you."

Kagome sighs, "are you sure that you've found your center?" she asks.

"Of course."

She sighs again, harder, "Ok, then, mother." A pause.

"Kagome, you look like you want to tell me something."

She nods. "I've been thinking mom. Inu-yasha has rescued me, many, many times."

"You're thinking about getting him involved?"

Kagome bites her lips, and nods. "I have to, mom. When Yokio is found, and if she's hurt or even dead, and I didn't ask Inu-yasha. I. . . I couldn't live with myself, then." She finishes in a whisper.

Mrs. Higurashi pauses and then nods. "I understand. The risk is worth it?"

Kagome nods. "I have to do what's right and just hope Inu-yasha doesn't destroy a couple of city blocks."

"Bring him through the well, then, Kagome. I'll ask him." Kagome's mother's voice is strong and sure.

"Do you want to take that nap first? Or wait until after you've rested?" Kagome asks.

Mrs. h purses her lips. "Now." She grimaces, "Earlier, when the police were here, they said that the sooner Yokio is found the better the chance that she'll be fine."

"Yes." Kagome nods. "That's what they say in all the police movies and shows." She pauses, "as soon as we finish, and I clean up, I'll get him."

"I can clean up." Her mother offers.

Kagome shakes her head. "No, mother. You're going to sit on the sofa, calm yourself, and wait until I return with him."

Mrs. h softly snorts, "you really mean to mother me, don't you."

Kagome grins, "of course."

Mrs. h raises her hands and waves them in front of herself, "ok, ok, you win."

"Thank you." Kagome smiles. Then, with a serious look on her face, she asks, "did Souta tell you where he went? I want to tell him I'm here and tell him to come home."

Her mother nods. "He went to Akira's."

"Akira?" Kagome says. The name is obviously unfamiliar to her.

'I don't even know Souta's friends anymore.' She thinks. 'Damn.' She blushes. 'Damn, I just thought damn. I've being spending too much time with Inu-yasha.'

"His number is on that blue note on next to the phone." Mrs. H points to the phone and the note pad next to it.

A few minutes later, Kagome is on the phone, her mother is sitting on the sofa, slowing going through and trying to organize the papers on the low table in front of the sofa.

"Hi. This is Higurashi Kagome, could I please speak with my brother Souta?"

"I'll wait."

A pause.

"Souta, could you please ask your friends to quiet down, I can't hear you."

Another pause.

"Thank you, Souta."

"Yes. Yes. I'm back. And Inu-yasha will be here soon."

Kagome's tone hardens, "And Souta, Mom needs you at home, now."

Another pause.

"Souta. I'm not interested in excuses. Come home, now." Her tone gets harder. She hangs up the phone.

"Kagome?" her mother asks.

"He should have been here, mother." Anger colors her tone. Kagome takes a deep breath and lets it out.

She thinks, 'yes, since he likes Inu–yasha so much, he's going to get an inu-yasha style chewing out. And then, tomorrow morning, he will help me serve mom a breakfast in bed.'

At Akira's house, just after Souta leaves.

"He's pussy whipped."

"Naw, just a mother's boy."

"We got to teach him, that his friends are important."

"Yeah, he'll never have any fun."

"We'll just have to teach him how to have fun, then."

"Especially fun that his mother will hate."

"I'll be back in a few minutes, mother." Kagome says as she leaves the house headed to the well house.

"Ok, dear."

As Kagome stands near the well, she thinks, 'you must work. I must get to Inu-yasha and return. Please.'

She claps her hands together and bows to the well. "Please, Bone Eater Well. Let me through."

She jumps into the well.

The well flashes blue.

'Better.' Kagome thinks as she lands at the bottom of the well. 'The stars flowed past closer too normal this time.'

Kirara, who is sitting at the top of the well, 'meows.' A soft greeting.

Kagome waves at the fire cat and climbs up the well.

"Shippo!" Kagome yells as she climbs out of the well

"Kagome!" Shippo yells in surprise. He spins around facing her, his hands, suspiciously behind his back. "You're back!" his fingers are covered in red and blue paint.

Kagome glares, hard, at Shippo, obviously angry. "Shippo, what were you thinking. I need Inu-yasha, I need him in a good mood, and I need him now." She points to the still trapped half-demon.

She thinks as she slowly approaches him, 'I don't need this! I told mom that I'd be back in a few minutes. If I try to sort out what just happened here, we'll get distracted and who knows how long I'll be trapped here. I'm going to have to put off figuring out what happened here, until later.'

The word 'idiot' is painted on Inu-yasha's face. In multiple places and in different colors. The dirt around Inu-yasha is full of gouges, where he tried to use his claws to dig his way out from under Shippo's fox statue.

Inu-yasha's eyebrow's raise at the comments that she needs him, especially the 'good mood' one.

"I can explain." Shippo brings to sputter as he back up and away from Inu-yasha and Kagome.

"Later." Kagome bites off, ignoring him, as she bends down next to Inu-yasha's head. She reaches down, grabs his chin and holds up his head, so she can look at his eyes.

"Inu-yasha, my mother needs you. And. Please, Inu-yasha, we can't waste time. So, please when I release you, don't punish Shippo." Her eyes glance at Shippo. "After we come back, then, you can punish him."

A smirk appears on Inu-yasha's face, hidden by the sealing scroll.

"Kagome! Please!" Shippo wails, "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Shippo, I've got more important things to do, then to listen to you, right now." Kagome looks back down at inu-yasha. "Please, nod yes, if you understand."

'Damn, she's about to start to cry.' Inu-yasha thinks as he nods. 'Anything to prevent her from crying.'

Kagome smiles at inu-yasha. "Take off the statue, Shippo."

"Kag . . . " Shippo starts to say something.

Kagome glares at him. He wilts and takes off the statue. Kagome removes the seal on Inu-yasha's lips.

"Fucking, kit!" Inu-yasha screams as he jumps up.

Shippo runs and hides behind her. "Kagome!"

"Not now!" Kagome screams.

Inu-yasha gives Shippo one of his patented, 'I will enjoy eating your entrails' glares.

"Inu-yasha, will you please go through the well." Kagome asks through gritted teeth.

Inu-yasha looks at her, stopping the glare. Something, maybe concern, appears in his eyes. "What happened? Your mother's never asked me for anything before."

Kagome gulps. "I. . . it'll be explained by her, Inu-yasha."

Inu-yasha growls, points his clawed forefinger at Shippo. "I ain't done with you." He jumps into the well.

"Shippo." Kagome says before she jumps through the well, "Tell Sango and Miroku that'll it might be a few days before we can return. If I can, I'll return sometime tomorrow and explain. But, I don't have time right now."

Shippo nods and says. "Ok, Kagome." As the well flashes blue.

Kirara 'meows,' at Shippo.

"I'm in deep shit."

Kirara nods.

"Fuck."

When Kagome appears at the bottom of the well, on her side, Inu-yasha is at the top of the well.

'Do I tell her that there was some resistance in the well, before I appeared on this side?' Inu-yasha thinks. 'No. it can wait until I find out what's so important.'

As Kagome climbs the rope ladder, she says, "Thank you for waiting on me, Inu-yasha."

"What wench? And have you sit me, again, like you did the last time I opened that damned door first." Inu-yasha growls as he points to the door of the well house.

Kagome blushes. "I have a good reason, Inu-yasha!"

Kagome is about to open the door, then she stops, spins around, stares at Inu-yasha's face.

"What, wench? What's so funny about my . . . " Inu-yasha stops speaking and growls. "I'm going to kill that kit. There is no way in hell that I'm stepping out that door with this crap on my face."

"You're not going to kill him, Inu-yasha. It looks like he wrote 'Idiot'"

Deep growl from inu-yasha.

"Four times. So, you can bop him four times."

Inu-yasha blinks. "You're going to let me bop him."

Kagome grimaces, but nods.

"No sits?"

She nods again.

Inu-yasha smiles.

"You aren't going to like it, Inu-yasha." Kagome says in a low hard voice. "And, you can't laugh or joke about it, either. This a punishment, and you need to be serious about that, not like you normally are."

"Are you going to be serious about it, too?"

Kagome purses her lips, looks down at the floor, then nods. "I'm going to hate it." A deep breath. "I'll be back in a second Inu-yasha." She opens the door to the well house.

"What?"

"I'm getting a towel to clean off your face." She says as she runs to her house.

Kagome runs into the house, grabs the still damp face towels on the sofa, mumbling, "sorry, mom. I've got to clean him, first." And runs out of the house before her mother can say anything.

As Kagome is raises the damp towel to Inu-yasha's face she says, "it's just water-based paint, and I think these are still damp enough."

Inu-yasha grabs her wrist and sniffs the towels. "You and your mother's tears." He husks.

Kagome nods. Tears well up in her eyes. "She was crying when I arrived." She whispers. "I've never seen her like that." Her eyes harden and she glares into his eyes. "Please, Inu-yasha don't make her cry. Please" she pleads.

Inu-yasha looks into her eyes and nods, without saying a word, he also places a hand on her shoulder and gives her a gentle squeeze.

Kagome rubs her check against his hand, then begins to clean his face.

As Inu-yasha enters Kagome's house he, like he normally does, takes a deep breath. Most of the time it's just a way to remind himself about the scents in her house, and a way to find out how many people have been in the house.

This time, though, the scents of Kagome and her mother's tears cause him to grind his teeth together. He analyzes the new odors in the house. 'Three adults, all human, two men and a woman were here earlier. One, a male, smoked near the door.'

Inu-yasha mentally grins as he remembers overhearing a conversion, he heard one afternoon while he was waiting on Kagome, between Mrs. H and a friend of hers. Mrs. h told her friend that she appreciates her not smoking in the house, as the cigratte smoke irritated a houseguest.

He continues, 'The other male wore that horrible cologne. The woman . . . it's a good thing that she's not here. I'd be gagging from that perfume.'

He looks at Kagome's mother as she sits on the couch. She is sitting in her normal posture, but he can see the pulse on veins of her neck. He can smell her tears, and the odors related to tension and worry.

"Inu-yasha," Mrs. H says in a soft voice. "Could you please come here and rest by me?" She pats the couch next to her. "Kagome, could you," she smiles and with a slight grin, "Sit on that chair." She points to the cushioned recliner.

"Ok, mother."

"Feh." They say as Inu-yasha and Kagome sit where her mother asked them to.

Once Inu-yasha is seated, Mrs. h reaches out and grabs his hand. "Umm?"

Mrs. H looks at Inu-yasha's hand. She thinks, 'She cleaned his face, but, I wonder why his hand is dirty?' her fingers trace the calluses on his fingers and touch his claws. 'So hard, so rough.'

"Ahh . . . " inu-yasha tries to speak, but nothing comes out. "What the fu . . . what's happened?" He finally manages to say.

Kagome's mother looks at Inu-yasha's face and says in a firm voice. "You've never met my friend, Tenrousei Gina, but I know you've seen her."

Inu-yasha nods. "She's been over here a couple of times when I've been waiting on Kagome. And you and her have talked many times on that telephone thing." He points to the phone.

Mrs. H nods. "She has a daughter. Her only child. She's a couple of years younger than Kagome." She pauses. "She was coming home from school, like Kagome does, yesterday, when a man kidnaped her."

Inu-yasha's eyes flash to Kagome. She nods, yes.

Rage builds in Inu-yasha's eyes.

"I'm safe." Kagome's says in a gentle voice.

"It could have been you." He growls.

"You are here. I am safe." Kagome repeats in a harder tone.

"Inu-yasha." Mrs. H says, drawing his attention back to her.

"You want me to rescue her." Inu-yasha states in a nonsense tone.

"I would like it, if as a personal favor to me, you would."

Inu-yasha stares into her eyes, then looks into Kagome's eyes. 'I'm going to lose this argument.' He thinks in a flash of understanding. 'Maybe, just maybe I could have won it against Kagome, maybe, I could have won it against her mother, but against them both. No way in fucking hell.'

He snarls at both women, "Feh." His eyes pin Mrs. H back into the sofa. "How are you going to force me to do it?" He points at Kagome. "Threaten to prevent her from going through the well." He points to the kitchen. "Bribe me with ramen?" he, then, grabs his necklace. "Punish me with the fucking word! Which way?"

end chapter 3

review T: thank you

Crazed Inyashafan girl: Shippo will have someone to love him, in addition to Kagome's love as a mother.

Zashera; Thank you. I hope I'll be able to come up with a couple of new twists.

Smfandonja: Thank Thank you. I'm going to try to update once a week.

Dilanda albata: thank you. I tried to write the first chapter as close to a traditional fanfic as I could, in later chapters, my own style will come through more. Marie jones: thank you. Once a week, I hope.

Ambereyez; thank you

ladykaa28: sess and new demons? I've got a couple of, I hope, new twists on some traditional characters that I want to try, but new demons will be involved as well.

Chanda: thank you

joy: thank you

thank you for reading

jeff shelton