Chapter 2

The summer was brutally hot this year and Inuyasha had to keep his livestock fed and watered so they didn't die. He and the boys worked on building a trench from the river to have a stream flow into their yard through the pasture. A nearby town, housing humans and demons, proved to be a boon for Inuyasha and his clan. They had a wonderful marketplace where Inuyasha could purchase a variety of materials. This is how they built their homes, one for Yasha and Shiori and one for the rest of them. Inuyasha built a huge great room for them to eat and gather as a family. The room had two fireplaces to keep them warm in the winter months.

The upper level of the home was a loft bedroom for Inuyasha and Kagome and the pups' bedrooms were below them. All the rooms had fireplaces and Kagome had the metal artisans design bed warmers for her family. They still visited the future with Kagome's time portal, but they had the portal open near Kobe. The pups (and Inuyasha) refused to do without their ninja food and Kagome's cd and DVD player.

Inuyasha worked on tilling the never before used land and Kagome made potions that she mixed with animal manure to get the ground ready. Soon, Inuyasha and Yasha had the ground planted with fall crops. If everything worked out, they would have enough food for winter without having to dig too far into their wallets.

One day, Sesshoumaru came by with Ah-Un and Jaken in tow.

"Inuyasha,", he addressed his younger brother, "I need to let you know what I've heard through the forest. It appears some demons are trying to invade the Western Lands from the north. I am heading there now to see what the situation is."

"And why tell me? I told you, I have no desire to defend these lands. You want the power, you have it. Just leave me out of it.", Inuyasha said, going back to his work.

"I allow you to live here and you won't defend the land our great and terrible father fought for so long ago? You inconsiderate ..."

"Bastard. Yea, I know. I defend my land and my family. That's all. Unless you want to force me to fight ... then I will gladly take you on.", Inuyasha stated, taking a defensive stance, his hand on Tessaiga's hilt, ready to draw if necessary.

"I have no desire to fight you now. But, keep this up and I may just take you on.", Sesshoumaru said, as he disappeared into a ball of light.

"Jackass!", Inuyasha muttered, as he returned to his work. Yasha and Hiroshi joined him.

"The wells are dug and we have an irrigation system just about up and running.", Yasha informed him.

"Just about? I expect you to have it finished by now. We need that system flowing into the houses and a pump in the homes. We have all the materials and showed you how it was built in the future. I expect to be able to pump water in the houses for cooking and bathing. The women shouldn't have to go outside to the wells every time they need water."

Yasha and Hiroshi bowed to their father and said, "Yes, Otou-san.", as they headed back to their work. Inuyasha worked himself to he was tired to the bone and expected his sons to do the same.

That night, after all the chores were done, Inuyasha proudly showed Kagome that she now had "running water" and "indoor plumbing" in her home. Kagome had told him stories of how the Romans had perfected indoor plumbing and Inuyasha was determined that if those ancient people could do it, so could they. Kagome and Shiori were both thrilled at the modernization of their homes.

The next few days saw the men getting the stream to power a large water wheel which helped provide some "electricity" to the home. Thanks to materials they brought back from the future, they didn't always have to rely on candles for light or batteries for power to the cd player that Kagome owned.

After a couple of months of steady working, Inuyasha and his sons had provided their women with decent homes they could be proud of. By this time, it was time to harvest the fall vegetables and slaughter the needed animals to be put in the smokehouse for the winter. All thoughts of Sesshoumaru and attacking demons were far from Inuyasha's mind as he worked steadily to prepare his family for a harsh winter.

After a hot bath one night near the Winter Solstice, Kagome gave Inuyasha a full body rub to relax his mind and muscles. As they laid together, holding each other, Kagome asked Inuyasha,

"Inuyasha, Why do you act like you are dumb? I've been wondering this for a long time now. It's obvious you're smarter than some humans."

"You've asked me something like that before. I told you. Everybody expects half-demons to be dumb. It's easier to act the way they think you are because they don't believe anything else."

They were quiet for a moment, when Inuyasha's ears perked up. Something, or someone, was outside, crawling around. He quickly got dresses in his fire rat clothes and grabbed Tessaiga. Kagome, too, got dressed and took her witches wand with her as they headed downstairs. Hiroshi and Kazuo were also ready to check what the noise was.

Heading outside, Kagome grabbed a torch and lit it from her wand, so they could see. Walking around to the back of the house, they stopped at what they saw.

"It's a ...", Kagome gasped.