Fitting In

When Ilyomaru said this, he focused his gaze directly on Sesshomaru. Kagome noticed this and quickly realized why; Sesshomaru was extremely aggressive and would not back down from a fight, so what would happen if he met himself and they started fighting? Unless something had changed Sesshomaru drastically over the centuries, they would probably fight until one of them was dead.

Kagome was disrupted from her thoughts by the sudden appearance of the sun as it started to peek over the horizon. She almost didn't believe they had been talking all night. Suddenly a yawn split her mouth wide open however, and she quickly realized just how tired she was.

Ilyomaru noticed her action and spoke up. "Kagome, I believe you should return to your house and sleep. You will need to be rested in the coming days."

"Why?" She was surprised that a demon she barely knew was showing concern for her.

"We will need you around us, as a guide. In case you have forgotten, the only one of us who has ever been here before is Inuyasha, and he hasn't explored all that much. We know very little about this era."

As soon as he said this, Kagome saw the truth in his words and quickly nodded. Turning to Inuyasha, she said, "I'm going to bed. Please keep an eye on Sesshomaru. The last thing we need is for him to kill some poor guy. Okay?" Inuyasha nodded."Okay then, see you guys later. Also, please don't leave the property. If someone saw one of you leaping above the city, it might draw some unwanted attention." With that said, Kagome turned and made her way inside the house. She paused briefly in the kitchen, to reassure her family that everything was going to be all right, before heading upstairs and passing out in her bed.

Once Kagome had departed, the three brothers turned to each other. Sesshomaru looked slightly annoyed, which drew a shrug from Inuyasha. "She's just a human Sesshomaru; she needs to sleep. You got a problem with it?"

Sesshomaru was never one to hold back his inner thoughts. "She is the only one who can guide us through this era, Inuyasha. If we are going to have to do battle in this time, we should learn all the things about it. Now we are forced to wait for her to awaken."

Inuyasha looked like he was about jump Sesshomaru, so Ilyomaru interfered. "Come on now, Sesshomaru. If she didn't rest now, she would only have to rest later. It's better to get it over with sooner." Sesshomaru considered this for a moment before nodding his acceptance. With a barely audible sigh, he suddenly sat down on the steps to the shrine. With Ilyomaru and Inuyasha looking on, he closed his eyes and faded into sleep, never once shifting from his seated position.

"Weird guy," muttered Inuyasha. Glancing at Ilyomaru, he leaped up into the highest branches of the sacred tree. Perched comfortably on one of the thicker limbs, he too quickly fell asleep.

Now that Ilyomaru was all alone, he took the opportunity to look around and check out his surroundings. The thing that drew most of his attention was Kagome's house. It was quite large, much larger than the common hut most Feudal Japanese humans resided in. As he looked at it, his curiosity got the better of him, and he slowly made his way over to the door.

With only a slight bit of hesitation, he threw the door open and walked inside, ducking at the last moment to avoid smashing his head against the top of the doorway. The first thing he saw was Kagome's family sitting around a table, talking quietly. Kagome's mother was quick to take not of his presence. She looked up and gasped in surprise. He held up his hands in a sign of peace and moved towards the table.

"I mean you no harm. I was simply curious about your house."

At his words, she calmed noticeably and smiled. "Excuse me for asking, but what was your name again?"

Smiling politely, he inclined his head toward her. "My name is Ilyomaru. I am the brother of Inuyasha." She nodded in understanding.

Before she could stop him, Sota posed his own question. "Who is the demon that only has one arm? What happened to him?" Ilyomaru smiled at the child's curiosity.

"His name is Sesshomaru and he is mine and Inuyasha's brother. As for his arm, Inuyasha cut it off with his sword, the Tetsusaiga," Ilyomaru explained to the curious boy.

"Why did Inuyasha cut his arm off? You just said that they're brothers." Sota was confused as to why two siblings would act so violently to each other. He knew that Kagome sometimes acted rude to him, but he also knew that she would never do any lasting physical harm to him.

"Let's just say that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru do not get along very well. Now, I have a question for you, mother of Kagome. When Kagome awakens, will you tell her to come speak to me, before she awakens my brothers? It is important." Kagome's mother nodded her agreement."All right then. Do you mind if I explore the rest of your house? I find it terribly interesting." Once again, Kagome's mother nodded in agreement. Smiling, Ilyomaru turned and began his exploration.

The first thing he came across was a black box, sitting on a small table. Ilyomaru noticed that there were small pieces sticking off of it. Reaching down, he pushed at one of the pieces and jumped back in surprise as loud sounds started emitting from it. Then he saw a picture appear on the box. Looking behind him, he noticed a couch, so he sat down on it. The piece of furniture sagged under his considerable weight as he leaned back and continued to observe the strange box. From the voices emitting from it, he deduced that it was some type of news teller.

So caught up in the wonder of the strange box, Ilyomaru lost track of time. Hours passed as he sat there, entranced by the strange device. Never before had he seen such a thing and the amazement he felt was not quick to fade.

Meanwhile, Kagome had slept for about six hours and woke up feeling refreshed. Getting out of bed, she went for a quick shower, then threw on some fresh clothing and made her way downstairs. The first person she came across was her mother. The older woman was standing at the kitchen sink and she looked up as Kagome entered the room.

"Kagome dear," she began, "your large friend asked me to ask you if you would go talk to him as soon as you woke up."

Kagome had to think a minute before remembering who her mother was talking about. Then her memories came rushing back; Ilyomaru, Inuyasha's eldest brother. "Where is he?" she asked her mother. With her hand, the older woman gestured towards the living room. Kagome quickly turned and entered the indicated room. She immediately heard the familiar voice of one of the local news anchors. She immediately spotted Ilyomaru resting on her couch, staring intently at the television. He looked up when he heard Kagome enter the room and smiled broadly.

"What is the name of this device, Kagome?" he inquired, pointing towards the television set.

"It's called a television. It broadcasts pictures and sounds to keep us entertained and informed. You're watching the local news station right now. It lets us know what is happening all around the city," she explained. Ilyomaru nodded and went back to watching the television. Kagome watched him for a minute before remembering why she was there.

"Ilyomaru—" she started, but he cut her off.

"Please, call me Ilyo. You are too pretty to be addressing me so formally." Kagome blushed at the compliment but went back to asking her question.

"All right then, Ilyo. Why did you want to speak with me?" Getting off of the couch, Ilyo moved to stand before Kagome. Standing straight, Kagome realized just how tall Ilyo was. She gulped visibly.

Ilyo noticed her reaction to his intimidating appearance and an amused expression formed on his face. "There is no need to fear, Kagome. I am not some bloodthirsty beast. I was raised in a family of royalty. I learned at an early age to treat women properly." Kagome relaxed visibly at his statement, although she still remained a bit apprehensive about him.

"Anyways, we both know that eventually, we will meet our future selves. I know they are alive; I can sense their demonic energy. I don't wish to upset you, but I can also sense Inuyasha. You know that he is only a half-demon. Although they do have a very long lifespan, they cannot live for five hundred years. Do you know what that means?" he asked her gently.

Kagome tried to make the connection but it just wouldn't come to her. She puzzled over it for a moment, her face screwed up into an expression of concentration. Suddenly, it hit her and she gasped loudly. "Do you mean that—?"

Ilyomaru cut her off before she could finish. "Yes. It means that Inuyasha has become a full-blooded demon. When we meet him, he will be different from the half-demon you've known for the last several years. You have to promise me not to do anything rash. We need you as a guide, so we can't have you getting injured or even killed by Inuyasha's full-demon self."

Kagome nodded, her thoughts already turned to the horror she would feel if she saw Inuyasha turned evil, into a killer.

Her musings were disturbed when Ilyo loudly cleared his throat. She looked up and he motioned for her to follow him. Nodding, she turned and followed him outside. Ilyo noticed that Sesshomaru was still sitting on the steps, but he was no longer sleeping. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was not where Ilyo had left him. Turning, Ilyo spotted him reclining comfortably on Kagome's roof.

"Inuyasha, come here. We need to plan out what we'll be doing while we are stuck here." Inuyasha looked up at the sound of Kagome's voice. He leaped off the roof, landing lightly on his feet in front of Kagome. Completely ignoring his brothers, he turned to Kagome.

"What is there to plan? The way I figure it, we might as well relax."

Sesshomaru looked at him like he was an idiot. "Are you stupid, little brother?" he asked coldly. "While in this era, we should learn as much about the culture as we can. In case you have forgotten, we will most likely be meeting our future selves and we would do well to know as much as they do." Ilyo nodded in agreement.

Inuyasha realized the truth in his brother's word, but he did not want to admit it. Instead, he looked at Kagome and asked, "All right then. What are we going to do?"

Kagome thought for a moment and then her face brightened."Well, I have an idea. First though, I'm going to have to find some appropriate clothing for you."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at that. "What do you mean find some appropriate clothing? What is wrong with my clothing?"

He appeared rather displeased, so Kagome quickly changed her wording. "I didn't mean that there is anything wrong with your clothing, it's just that the people from this era do not dress like you do. I figure that it would be easiest if you guys simply dress more like modern people do. That way, we will hopefully avoid any difficult questions and we won't draw as much attention to ourselves."

Sesshomaru still looked displeased, but Ilyo realized the sense in her words. "She is right, Sesshomaru. It would be best if we drew as little attention to ourselves as possible." Sesshomaru reluctantly agreed.

Ilyo turned back to Kagome."Now then, since that has been settled, what did you have in mind for today?"

"Well since you guys need to fit in," she said, "I figure that the first thing we could do is go shopping!"