Chapter 5: Revelations, Part I

"It's about time Kagome!"

"Look, I told you I had to stay and catch up on school! Now that summer's here, I can stay a while!"

"It's been over a month!" He caught the glare on her face. "Er, never mind…" he muttered. He didn't feel like getting sat.

Inuyasha bent down to pick up her bags as they headed to the well. Kagome followed him after grabbing her jacket. Now that school was over, she had put her school uniform away and was now wearing tan slacks and a flowery blouse.

"Kagome!"

Inuyasha and Kagome paused as Souta ran up to them and shoved a package at his sister.

"What's this Souta?" Kagome asked as the hanyou looked at her younger brother with curiosity. Souta blushed slightly as he opened it.

"It's a digital camera," he explained, embarrassed. "Since I can't go to the feudal era with you, I was wondering if…"

"Of course I'll take pictures for you," Kagome said with a smile. Her brother immediately brightened.

"Thanks Kagome!"

As the two prepared to jump down the well, Inuyasha couldn't help asking.

"What is a 'digital camera'?"

"I'll show you later."

Kagome had been surprised that she could still use the well without the jewel, but she supposed it had to do with her increased spiritual powers. Kikyo's soul had since returned to her body, nearly doubling her powers. As she lifted her head out of the well, she gave a gasp.

"What's all of this?"

A small, temporary building had been raised over the well. As Kagome looked around, she saw that several posts had been driven into the ground in preparation for a more permanent structure.

"It's a shrine Kagome," Sango said. The demon slayer had come up with Miroku after they'd climbed out of the well.

"A shrine?"

"Yes, it was Miroku's idea." A brief flash of red was all the warning Kagome had before a small kitsune jumped on her.

"Kagome! You're back!" Shippo clung to Kagome's shirt, unwilling to let go.

"Of course she's back!" Inuyasha barked. The young kitsune stuck his tongue out at the hanyou before clambering up onto Kagome's left shoulder.

"Come on Kagome," Inuyasha said, "Let's go put your stuff away."

"All right," she said as she followed him.

They were halfway to Kaede's hut when Inuyasha suddenly stopped in his tracks. A shrine! The hanyou whirled around to look at the construction around the well. They're building a shrine! Several things clicked in his mind and he could only find one response.

"No."

Kagome gave him a curious look.

"No what, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, what's the matter?" Shippo asked. Both the kitsune and the human were surprised when he suddenly grabbed Kagome's shoulders and stared at her intently.

"Umm…Inuyasha?"

"They're building a shrine Kagome! Miroku and Sango are building a shrine by the well!"

"So, what?" Kagome asked, although she had been wondering about it too.

"They're building a shrine!" he repeated, trying to make her understand.

"What's wrong with that?" Shippo asked. The hanyou stamped his feet and waved his arms in frustration.

"A shrine, stupid! Look, isn't your family supposed to be the ones that started the shrine in the first place!"

"Yeah, my ancestors started it a few centuries ago…" Kagome slowly trailed off as understanding hit her.

"You don't mean….!" Inuyasha nodded as she paled. Shippo gaped as he suddenly understood as well. Slowly the three of them turned their heads to gaze at Miroku and Sango. Miroku nudged his future wife in the ribs.

"Why do you suppose they are all staring at us for Sango?"

"I don't know, but Kagome looks awfully pale. I wonder what's wrong?"

In the meantime, Kagome had just covered her face and was shaking her head no while Inuyasha was shaking his head yes.

"Nowaynowaynowaynoway….."

"Kagome!"

"Nowaynowaynoway…."

"You can't really blame her," Shippo said.

"Kagome would you just shut up for a minute!" She paused to look at the hanyou. Inuyasha's golden eyes softened somewhat.

"Look Kagome, I know it's hard to believe, but Miroku and Sango must be your ancestors. They're starting a shrine by the well, they know which tree I was pinned to by Kikyo, which also happens to be the sacred tree in your time, and your family comes from a line of people who are gifted with strong spiritual powers!"

Kagome sighed; she hated it when he was right. It was just so incredible that she could hardly believe it. She heard him mutter something under his breath.

"What'd you say?" she asked.

"He said it's a miracle that your brother isn't a hentai," Shippo answered her, right before the hanyou smacked him.

"Oww! Kagome! Inuyasha hit me!"

"Inuyasha…" she warned.

"Well it's true…" he protested. She sighed before pleading with the hanyou.

"Inuyasha, please don't say anything," she said, but it was too late. The hanyou was already yelling at Miroku.

"YOU STUPID MONK! YOU GROPED YOUR OWN DESCENDANT!"

"WHAT!"

"INUYASHA!" A horrified Kagome screamed.

"KAGOME'S YOUR DESCENDANT, YOU MORON! AND YOU ASKED HER TO BEAR YOUR CHILD!"

"INUYASHA! SIT!"

Shippo looked down at the fallen hanyou as he shook his head.

"You're going to need a lot more tact than that if you're going to be a Lord."

"Owww…."

Kaede, Rin, and Kohaku were watching calmly from the hut as Miroku nearly fainted before attempting to bash his head against a nearby tree.

"That was unexpected," Kohaku said as Rin nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, indeed," Kaede said. "But perhaps we should assist the others in keeping Miroku away from yon tree."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

He sniffed the air, breathing in the clean smells of pine, soil, and brush. The hanyou gripped the Tetsusaiga as he brought it in front of him. He stared down the cat youkai as he looked at the wind scar between them.

The wind scar, the place where two youkai powers meet. All I have to do is slice through it and I would kill her. His arm swung the blade, stopping short before actually slicing through the wind scar.

"How was that?" he asked as he looked at the older man standing on his right. The other hanyou's golden eyes bore into him for a moment before a smirk rose on his face.

"Not bad," Inuyasha answered. The hanyou Lord took his sword back from Shippo's son. The younger hanyou's green eyes glittered with a smile as he turned to the cat youkai.

"Thanks Kirara, I couldn't do it without you," Namu said. Kirara shook herself as she transformed back into her smaller form. She then gave a soft mew as she hopped onto Namu's shoulder.

Inuyasha rested a hand on the teenaged hanyou's other shoulder. The Inu hanyou had eventually grown out of his teenage form and now appeared to be in his twenties. He would never admit it, but his features resembled his brother's even more than they had before.

"Let's go get something to eat kid." Namu followed Inuyasha up the hill. He eyed the gleaming armor on his father figure's body. Inuyasha also wore a furry stole on his right shoulder, which Namu had been told was a symbol of leadership. The young hanyou didn't really understand why Inuyasha wore it. The older man obviously hated it, he usually threatened to burn it of give it some other grisly fate. Yet he still wore it everyday. Namu didn't understand why.

Inuyasha suddenly stopped, causing Namu to run into him.

"Why'd you stop for?" He suddenly saw a strange, pink, balloon like object floating in front of Inuyasha. "Oh…" he said. Namu recognized it as kitsune magic. It was a message from his father.

"What's he want now?" Namu asked, slightly annoyed. Inuyasha didn't say anything. He just pulled the rolled up parchment from the pink object, causing it to abruptly change back into a leaf after having served its purpose. His golden eyes slowly scanned the paper before looking up at Namu.

"You shouldn't be so hard on your father Namu."

"And why not? It's not like he pays any attention to me!" Inuyasha eyed him for a moment before tossing the paper at him.

"Read it."

"I don't want to."

"You'll read it because it concerns me." Namu grumbled as he unrolled the paper.

Inuyasha,

The rumors are true. Sango and I have found Jaken and he has found your brother in Edo. We will be meeting them this morning.

Shippo

Namu looked up in surprise at the hanyou. The Lord of the Western Lands merely gave him an impassive look. Humans called the city Tokyo now, but his father like most other youkai still referred to it as Edo.

"Are you going?" he asked. Inuyasha turned and started walking back up the hill again. "Inuyasha?" Namu asked again.

"Yes, I'm going."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Do it again, Uncle Kenny!"

"Do it again, Unca Kenny!"

Kenshin smiled down at the little girls as they pleaded with him. He lifted another shirt out of the wash water and rung the excess water from it.

"Are you ready Ayame and Suzume?" Their eyes sparkled up at him in anticipation. Kenshin threw the shirt up in the air and caught the collar. With a flash he waved it around in a blur as he did a silly dance for the girls. Then he stopped on the ball of one foot and presented the shirt with a flourish. It was completely dry. The little girls squealed in delight.

"Again! Again!"

"I'm afraid that we are out of shirts, that we are." Besides, if he did it again, Kenshin was afraid he'd get dizzy.

"Awww…" they complained.

"Kenshin should be in the circus," Yahiko said as he finished sweeping the deck. Sanosuke grunted from his seat on the stairs.

"Kenshin and I were in the circus, remember? Kaoru forced us into it."

"Shut up! It was for a good cause!" Kaoru yelled at him. "Besides, I told Marimo and her father that you two would be willing to help again." Kenshin and Sanosuke both cringed.

"Yeah, and we'll both be hiding when that happens," Sanosuke muttered.

"What'd you say?"

"I said you missed a spot." Whack.

"Oww!"

"Serves you right, you freeloader!"

Kenshin was chuckling to himself when he felt them approach. The swordsman stood up as he looked at the three visitors that had just arrived.

"Who the heck are they?" Yahiko asked. A strange, red-haired man stood looking at them, or more precisely, Kenshin. He was the first person with red hair that Yahiko had seen besides his older friend. Yet there seemed to be something off about him, something not quite human. One the man's left stood a raven haired girl about his age and on the right….

Yahiko gasped as he looked closer at the other figure. At first the boy had thought it was another child, but it couldn't be. The creature looked like a cross between a toad and a small child.

"Who the hell are they?" Sanosuke growled as Kaoru joined Kenshin. Ayame and Suzume each gripped a pant leg of their 'uncle' as they stared wide-eyed at the visitors.

Kenshin had no idea who they were, but the hair had risen on the back of his neck. That had never happened to him before. They're not human, none of them are… Kenshin's eyes suddenly became focused on two swords in the girl's hands. Unconsciously he flexed his right hand as he felt a pull on his mind. With an effort, he tore his gaze from the swords and studied the man. That's when Kenshin noticed that his feet weren't that of a human, but an animal. Sharp, green eyes inspected him from the distance as the man started to approach.

Kenshin placed himself slightly in front of Kaoru, but nothing prepared him for what happened next. The strange toad man smiled joyfully and began to run at him.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

………………………………

Author's Note: Marimo is the name of the Cannon Girl Kenshin and Co. helped out at the circus if you don't remember.