Summary: Kagome gets a stepsister…but who is she really? How will this strange girl affect their travels?

Chapter 2: To the Feudal Era

"It's about time."

Kuzuma and Kumiko smirked at Sesshomaru, who was standing with his arms at either side. They knew that Sesshomaru could hurt them if he wanted to, but they had long ago made a deal with him and this would help them in the future.

"You look almost exactly like the human girl Inuyasha brings around with him, Kumiko." Sesshomaru said, raising an eyebrow at her. They walked toward him and Kumiko gave him her hand, which he kissed graciously.

"Now, Sesshomaru, don't go spoiling her and treating her like royalty just yet." Kuzuma said, whacking the hand away.

"Just yet, Kuzuma? What do you have in mind for this girl?" Sesshomaru said, a trace of teasing in his voice.

((AN: I know Sesshomaru is being VERY OCC, but I prefer him like this than cold. Don't worry-he is still cold…but he's softening!))

"Come on guys," Kumiko said, blushing a bit and looking confused, "We have to go catch up. Do we all have the potion?"

"Hai." They said, and uncapped the potion. The moment they drank it, they felt their bodies gurgle and their scent faded into the surroundings.

"Hai, so now we know the plan, right?" Kumiko said, glancing at each of the boys, "Iie, so…Kagome said she would be home Friday. If today is Saturday, that's almost a whole week. However, I'll need to get back by tonight…"

While Kumiko thought about the problem at hand, Kuzuma and Sesshomaru began to talk about what had been going on in the western lands since he had left for Kumiko. Although that was two years ago, it was quite a time for anything to happen in the lands.

"I've got it!" Kumiko exclaimed, turning back to the boys, "We'll strategize tonight, and then I'll head back to the future while you two trace the gang. In three suns and two moons, you come back here and wait for me to arrive. Then you two talk to me about what's been going on, and we'll catch up from there."

Kuzuma and Sesshomaru looked at the American girl who was smart but strange and shrugged, heading into the woods so that they would not be seen by anyone coming by.

"Hai…I have some food in my bag, and you guys can start a fire." Kumiko said, grinning at Sesshomaru, almost begging him to oppose her. He didn't say a word, mostly because he knew that to get into an argument with this particular American girl was like surrendering your weapons in a fight. You would most likely lose.

As the two boys went off in search of some wood for a fire, Kumiko watched the sky. She rarely saw the stars at night, mostly because where she lived was the city by standards, and there were one too many lights to see anything. Suddenly something moved in the bushes, and Kumiko jumped up, whipping out the switchblade out from her back pocket. Her eyes and ears sought out any type of motion, and then she let down her guard.

Kuzuma leapt out of the brush and tackled her to the ground, the two of them wrestling near the pit she had dug for the fire. So involved in the play wrestling they had been, they didn't notice Sesshomaru walk up behind them until he said, "Playing around again, kids?"

They stopped and Kumiko giggled. Sesshomaru dropped the firewood next to the pit and Kumiko got up. "I'll start the fire…I have some food that we can eat tonight."

As they prepared food and chatted about things, Kagome and the rest of the gang were doing the same, only a little more uncivilized.

"Come on you little runt-get away from me!"

Inuyasha hit Shippo on the head, causing him to cry out and Kagome look up from where she was making Ramen.

"Inuyasha! Don't hit him-what did he do to you!" Kagome said sharply, now pouring the ramen into bowls.

"The runt was touching Tetseiga!"

Lady Sango, May I…"

"Nuh-uh! I was only looking at it…"

Slap

"No you weren't! I saw you touch it."

"My dear Lady Sango…"

"Kagome! Tell Inuyasha I didn't touch tetseiga!"

"Hentai!"

Kagome put down the last bowl she had filled and rubbed a bit at her temples, trying to move the tension away.

"Inuyasha, stop touching and yelling at Shippo. And you, Shippo, just don't go near tetseiga. Okay guys? And Miroku, please stop grouping Sango." Kagome said, handing them their bowls.

"Kagome, would you like to join me after we finish eating? I know there's a hot spring near here." Sango glared at Miroku, who sheepishly ducked behind his bowl.

"Yeah, sure…I have some new magazines we can go through, if you'd like." Kagome replied, taking another small bite of her food. She was eager to slip into the hot, steamy water and relax some.

They had just had another fight this afternoon, getting another jewel shard. There was no telling how many Naroku had, or anyone else. The only person they knew of was Kouga.

"So are we heading out in the morning?" Kagome asked, looking at Inuyasha and eating her ramen.

"Yeah, so be ready."

"Inuyasha! When have I ever not been ready for you, huh?"

"Well, maybe that first time we met."

"That doesn't count and you know it!"

"Kagome, are you finished yet?" Sango interrupted, "We can go and relax at the spring while the boys clean up."

"Huh? Oh, Sango…yes, I'm finished…we can go." Kagome replied, putting her bowl down and looking one more time at Inuyasha.

They got their things and walked down to the hot spring, climbing down into it and relaxing on the rocks. Sango reached for the shampoo and lathered some into her hair, massaging her scalp as Kagome had taught her.

"So, what do you think is Miroku's problem?" She asked the young girl, who was taking her turn with the shampoo.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"He hasn't groped as many girls as he usually does."

"Well, we haven't been in as many towns lately as we usually are."

"Oh."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing…I just…" Sango let her sentence drift off when she had the thought that Kagome didn't realize what she was getting at.
Kagome started to laugh.

"You know…" she started, between giggles, "that…you…are…so seriously…crazy about…him…and…it's so…obvious…"

Sango blushed, now washing her body with a small piece of cloth. She should have known that Kagome knew about her crush. But…wait…'obvious'?

"Obvious? Kagome, how is that?" Sango asked, now suddenly near anger.

"Oh, relax Sango. I've known for a little while. It's not obvious to anyone else, but I'm a girl…I know these things." Kagome said, gently turning her friend around and washing her back for her.

"Oh."

"So do you think Miroku is unconscious by now?"

"Perhaps. Shall we go take a look?" Sango laughed, and they gathered up their things.

"I wonder if Inuyasha washed those dishes right. It took me so long to convince mama they wouldn't get broken."

"Oh, are those her favorite?"

"Iie, but a gift from her father. She loves those dishes, even though they aren't something pretty." Kagome replied, glancing around the campsite.

"Kagome...?"

"Inuyasha? Where are you?" Kagome said, looking around for the familiar hanyou.

"Up here."

Kagome sighed and gave her things to Sango.

"Just put them in my bag, Hai? I'll go see what's up with Inuyasha."

Sango nodded and did as Kagome asked, then crawled into the small sleeping tent Kagome had given her to use. Miroku and Shippo shared one, while Kagome spilt her time between sleeping in the tent with Sango and in a tree with Inuyasha.

Kagome scaled the tree with little trouble, making Inuyasha laugh.

"You know, laughing is a sign of happiness, Inuyasha." Kagome said, settling into his lap, "Could it be that you're happy?"

"Hush, wench." Inuyasha told her, and wrapped his arms around her, instantly warming her body.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Inuyasha." Kagome said, before falling asleep.

She said this every night and still he wasn't tired of it. He knew she meant it and that she was trying to make him know that he's okay here. He thought back to the night that she began sleeping in his lap…

"Sesshomaru…what are you doing here?" Inuyasha growled.

"I wanted to warn you that the wench is wanted throughout the land. I come here not on my own concern, but of someone who wishes to remain nameless. I tell you, stay away from the south region of Kyoto. It would be dangerous to go there." He said, and simply turned.

After watching Sesshomaru vanish into the darkness, Kagome walked up to the tree where Inuyasha was now sitting, contemplating his brothers words. He knew that Sesshomaru was telling the truth, because he knew that he would not go through so much trouble to go track them down and tell them something like this. Especially without fighting or saying one insult. Well, except for calling Kagome a wench.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called up from the ground.

"Yes?" He said drowsily, almost ready to fall asleep.

"Can I sleep with you tonight? I'm scared, Inuyasha, really scared." She said, and Inuyasha could smell tears from where he was.

"Hai, Hai, just no more crying."

She attempted to climb the tree, only to slip and fall to the ground. She tried again to get up to where Inuyasha was, but only fell again.

"Come on, wench." Inuyasha said, jumping down and back up to his perch with her in his arms.

As they settled down, she looked up and smiled faintly. "Thank you for taking care of me, Inuyasha."

He knew that he would never forget her words, and knew that they would be together for a long time.

And they would, he thought, remembering the words.

Kagome smiled against his chest, and then snuggled closer. As he hugged her closer, Kumiko was just getting back to the future.

"Okay, so I'll see you later, okay Kuzuma?" She said, hugging him close.

He nodded and darted off into the darkness. Kumiko walked into the shrine houses' kitchen and noticed that Ms. Higurashi was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at a small electronic.

"Konbanwa, Okasan." Kumiko said, smiling at the woman.

"Konbanwa, Kumiko…" Ms. Higurashi said vaguely, now fiddling with the machine.

"Anything I can help you with?" Kumiko offered, her eyes tired and her feet aching from the play fighting she and Kuzuma had been engaged in before Sesshomaru had reminded them that they needed to be getting back.

"Well…" Ms. Higurashi said, hesitant at asking her new daughter for help, "I can't seem to get this thing to work…"

Kumiko leaned over and looked at the gadget. "Why," she said, surprised, "it's a cell phone."

Ms. Higurashi nodded, "I've been wanting to get one so that the kids can reach me when I go on the short vacations I'm fond of. But when I got home with this…I realized that I have no idea how to use this thing!"

"No worries, Okasan," Kumiko said, laughing to herself, "I can help you get this set up."

For the next hour or so, Kumiko and Ms. Higurashi were bent over the cell phone. When they were finished, Ms. Higurashi kissed Kumiko's head and whispered, "You were sent from heaven, baby."

Kumiko smiled at her and watched as she walked upstairs to her room. Then, standing, she got herself a glass of water and went out to the god tree. As she sat down, she heard a noise behind her and said, "I know that you're there, Kuzuma."

He crept out from behind the tree and sat down next to her, taking her glass and taking a small sip from it, setting it down between them.

"I was making sure that nothing happened." He said, a small blush on his cheeks. Kumiko's eyes became alert and she said, "But you haven't been paying attention to the things around you."

When his head turned to face her, she nodded up to the second floor window of the shrine house, where a small face peered out at them. "Souto."

"Yeah. While you were out here sneaking around and pretending to pay attention, he was probably watching you. Now it's all we need is for him to go and tell Okasan." Kumiko told him, sighing and taking another sip of the water.

"He won't…he sees that I'm not a threat." Kazuma said, winking at the window.

"He'll tell that I had a boy over…even if he didn't see your face, he can still tell you're a boy." She shot back, and then stood.

"Wait-"

"Kazuma, please go. We're fine, okay? Come back in the morning. I'm…I'm just tired and a little testy. Luv ya, 'night." Kumiko said, ruffling his hair and walking back inside, locking the door.

As she walked up the stairs and into her bedroom, she realized that she hadn't put her mark on the room yet.

She unpacked her bags and stored them in the closet. She placed her things neatly and carefully, in both her room and bathroom. When she finally got to the last box, she glanced around the room for a private place to put it.

At last, she put it behind some other old things on the top shelf of her closet.

"There." She pronounced, smiling to herself at her room. She crossed to the bathroom and cleaned up. Her fighting had left her with scratches and plenty of marks, not to mention she was sweaty.

When she got out, she walked over to her dresser and reached into the top drawer, pulling out a small, thin nightgown and replacing her towel with it. She also put on some socks and underwear.

When she finished, she crawled into bed and hugged herself close, silently crying and wishing that things were normal. Although her tears fell silently and softly, her heart was screaming and her mind racing.

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