Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Q & A
Pairings?
Patience. They're still in animal form, romance isn't the first thing on their minds. There is some, and there are hints if you look, but nothing will be stated for another chapter or two at least.

/.../

Chapter 3 - Memories

The first morning as everyone awoke found everyone sluggish. Only Hiei and Inuyasha, who had slept outside, were exempt for the clumsy early morning stumblings of humans and animals. Keiko walked out of what had formerly been Souta's room dragging a still sleepy white arctic fox behind her. He didn't appear to care, even when he was dragged down the stairs and into the kitchen.

She found that a couple of people were already up, surprisingly. The young kitsune, Shippo, was standing on the counter, rummaging through cupboards and taking out bowls for the humanoids and plates for the animals. Botan was also peering down from the top of the refrigerator, absently eating some seeds from a bowl that had been placed up there. Keiko looked around curiously just as a black wolf stumbled in sleepily, squinting up to find there was no food yet and laying down on the kitchen floor, yawning. Youko seemed to find Yusuke's example a good one to follow and slunk out of Keiko's grasp to curl up under the kitchen table.

Souta leaned on the frame of the kitchen door, rubbing at his eyes with one hand and yawning. The young teen glanced around and sighed, looking pointedly at Yusuke and Shippo. "Where's Kagome?"

"I tried waking her. You know how Kagome is sometimes." Shippo said, grimacing slightly, the fox cub sighing as he shook his head, pouring cereal into some of the bowls.

'Me too. Even nipped her hand. All she did was hold the blankets tighter,' Yusuke murmured telepathically in a sleepy voice.

"What were you doing in her bed, Yusuke?" Keiko asked as Youko perked up and swung his head towards the black wolf.

'Only place left,' Yusuke explained shortly. Youko put his white head back down with a thump. A month of being animals was looking to be very boring. Where were the interesting stories?

'Where'd Souta go?' Botan asked as she noticed the boy had disappeared. No one saw Shippo's smirk though both Yusuke and Youko could hear someone going up the stairs.

"Went up the stairs for something. He'll be back down in a minute. The meat will be ready soon." Even as he spoke he was dishing out plates of meat. One was significantly larger than the others and he was stopped from putting any meat on one of the medium sized one's by Hiei's sneering voice entering all their minds.

'Don't bother preparing any for me. I can get my own food.' Shippo grimaced. "Great. Unless we let him have ramen for breakfast Inuyasha will be hunting too. Well, he'd better remember where the edge of the shrine is."

"Hunting? Hiei's going to go kill something?" Keiko asked, her eyes a bit wide. Then she winced and shook her head. "Sorry. Silly of me. I'm just imagining him going off and killing some poor innocent rabbit."

'Rabbit would be nice. I haven't been hunting in years...' Youko was practically drooling, imagining hunting some delicious fat rabbit as it ran for its burrow. Or stealing some out of a farmer's hutch. The kitsune briefly wondered if anyone owned rabbits in the neighborhood. Surely just going out for a few minutes couldn't hurt him any.

"Kurama! You have perfectly good meat here. Why would you want to go hunt?" Keiko wrinkled her nose; it was wasteful to hunt when they had plenty of meat.

'It's not the meat I'm after. The chase and the catch are the best parts. The most exciting parts.' Youko's velvety voice held a double meaning and Yusuke looked at him sharply, but the whole house suddenly found attention drawn to the top floor at a sudden screech.

"AAAAAHHH! COLD, COLD, COLD! I'm going to KILL you, you stupid brat! Come back here Souta!" There was a sudden thunder of footsteps as the Higurashi siblings raced down the stairs, the younger making it to the living room before he was tackled by the older and soaked-with-ice-water sibling.

"Souta, do you have to wake her up that way every time she sleeps later than you'd like?" Shippo asked, looking nervously as the two siblings wrestled across the living room, barely missing the overly large lion taking up about half of the room. Yusuke's head was tilted with his ears still back against his head from the high-pitched shriek.

'What are they doing?' Kuwabara asked in sleepy mystification as he awoke to find them rolling across the floor in front of him. Shippo grimaced and shook his head. "The same thing they do almost every morning. C'mon, eat up and maybe I'll get to finishing more of that story."

Almost immediately all of the Spirit Detectives were in the kitchen, Kuwabara sitting in one corner attempting not to take up too much room despite his bulky feline body. Shippo chuckles. "I believe I left off with the new Guardian having just been taking the arrow out of Inuyasha, correct? Well she does that, and the hanyou finds that he's free of all restraints. Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for her, that won't last long..."

Shippo continued with the story and eventually Kagome and a much more wary Souta joined them, Kagome being oddly quiet as the story progressed. Strangely enough every time one of them tried to but in with a question of whom the Guardian is, what her name is, she smiled, almost smirking. Only a little black wolf noticed.

/./

For a week things proceeded almost normally besides a few oddities. The Feudal stories finished with the sad tale of the defeat of Naraku and Inuyasha's mistake. Everyone still hadn't figured out who the Guardian was, despite the many hints. Well, Yusuke was beginning to be suspicious that it was a certain mood swinging miko. Kagome had taken to calling them by nicknames and rarely used their real names anymore.

Another oddity was the way they began acting. Kagome was a bit worried about that. She had thought her mood swings got bad. By the end of the week they were either moping around, or looking like everything around them was potential food. It was surprisingly Inuyasha who figured it out.

"They're home sick. And have a bit of cabin fever being cooped up in the shrine. The girl helps a bit, but they're definitely homesick. Notice the dragon doesn't act as bad? Their new animal instincts are harder to control this way. I bet human things are beginning to get foggy for them too. It happens to demons who stay in animal forms too long as well." Kagome was still trying to figure out how to fix that when the worst thing possible happened. The two canines of the group began to fight.

All Kagome had to do was take on look at them to know they weren't right. Their new instincts had taken over again. Why they were fighting she didn't know. They'd probably gotten angry at each other over something small like everyone had been doing lately. The miko didn't actually care. She just saw them fighting and heard Keiko, who was just there for the day, let out a choked gasp.

The fight was vicious, but all Kagome did was run into it. She could hear Inuyasha yelp out his usual yelling of her name when she was putting herself in danger. Shippo added his too. Souta didn't. At least one of her family trusted her to do something right.

She took a deep breath as she looked from one to another. Both had their ears pricked forward and the fur on their spines was standing on end. They barely looked like they were noticing her. She had no chance to take down the black wolf. That left the fox, whose ears were flicking down in a more defensive aggressive motion. That clinched it.

Kagome darted to one side and then attempted to get near the fox. Youko turned, his eyes holding none of their usual intelligence and tried to snap at her. She snorted and dodged. She hadn't spent years fighting demons and not gotten any benefits. As quick as she could she flipped the fox onto his side, pulling his legs out from under him and pressing his muzzle into the earth. She looked up to see a snarling black wolf stepping forward aggressively. "Yusuke! Youko!"

Both blinked as if hearing their names somehow fixed it. Kagome leaned backward with a sigh or relief as both their ears flattened to their skulls in embarrassment. Kagome breathed a shaky sigh of relief. She could feel everybody staring at her. That had been a bit reckless. You did not get in the middle of two canines fighting. Inuyasha was growling, which wasn't helping Yusuke or Youko's confusion.

'What the hell was that?' Yusuke finally yelled through telepathy. Keiko looked worried and Souta looked thoughtful. "Maybe the spell has some more side effects. Plus, so many animals in one place, even the most controlled being can snap. And you, at least, aren't used to being an animal."

Kagome backed up a few steps, allowing the arctic fox to get to his feet. Youko giving her a considering look before paying attention to the explanation. 'What can we do to prevent it happening again?'

"I don't know if there is anything you can do. Perhaps something to remind you of your human - or demon - selves, but the demon will find you if you go outside the shrine for too long, so I don't see how this would be possible." Something prickled in the back of Kagome's mind as Souta spoke and she took a few steps back to a nearby tree, not having to look up to know there was a small black dragon up there.

'You can shield one going out. The kitsune kit has illusions.' Kagome frowned and glanced at her kit. While Shippo was better at illusions now than when they had first met, she didn't want to put him in danger.

'They won't survive the month without something to remind them.' The fire apparition's sharp mental comment had Kagome wincing before she looked at Shippo. He turned his head almost immediately. They had gotten used to feeling stares on their backs and feeling the different degrees in them.

She indicated with her head that they should move around the side of the shrine. Shippo followed quietly, managing to make himself unnoticed. Hiei was silent as he flew above. Souta continued to discuss the problems and how they could fix it with the detectives turned animals, minus one dragon. If he noticed them leaving, he didn't even bat an eyelid in their direction.

"Mama? What are we going to do to fix their problem?" Kagome's eyes widened in startled confusion. He was more observant than she gave her adopted son credit for.

'We are going to find the fox's book of photos.' Hiei announced before soaring off above them. Kagome glared upwards. "Gee, thanks for asking beforehand. C'mon Shippo, can you reach as high as he is and make an illusion for both yourself and fire breather up there?"

"Of course I can... For how long?" Shippo's green eyes dimmed in worry. He could do two illusions. He could! But for how long could he keep them up?

'Two hours.' Kagome winced at the answer. Inuyasha was going to kill her when she got home. Shippo looked up at her questioningly. She sighed and rubbed at her temples. "Let's go."

/./

It surprisingly took a whole hour for anybody to notice anything amiss. Perhaps it was because Souta was doing an excellent job at turning their attention somewhere else. But Keiko looked up at one point and frowned, searching the area. "Hey guys, where did Kagome go?"

There was a pause and suddenly Souta found the sky very interesting. He had seen them leave after all. Yusuke and Youko both turned around, automatically looking for Hiei, seeking the other member of their group. Yusuke gave a low growl and Youko gave a small snarl. 'Hiei's gone as well.'

"Oh. Well... Perhaps..." Keiko sighed and trailed off, unsure of where they could be. Hiei wasn't allowed to leave the shrine after all. At least, that's what had been said.

There was the slightest rustle of leaves and Inuyasha scowled as he looked down from the trees. After the canine fight the hanyou had left, going hunting on his own and making one less canine presence in the shrine. "Where's Kagome?"

There was a brief pause before Souta answered brightly, "Oh, she went off with the dragon and Shippo about an hour ago."

Birds were shaken from their perches at Inuyasha's loud response.

"WHAT!"

/./

Kagome stared at the window of the house in front of them and tried to understand how that kitsune had done that. Sure, he had control over plants, but even the grass, short as it was, was trying to stab them. And he wasn't even here!

"It's your friend. Can't you do anything?" Kagome looked up accusingly at the dragon circling above them.

'It is not my home. They do not recognize me.' The rose vines had curled around Kurama's window and refused to let even Hiei in. Shippo was taking a brief breather in his illusions and crouched down, ready to transform.

"I can do it!" Shippo jumped as high as he could and transformed into his pink bubble, floating up toward the vine covered window. Strangely, the vines didn't lash out at him and he managed to float right into the window, much to the consternation of the two watchers.

'The plants must not be smart enough to recognize individual signatures, only species related ones. Despite being different types, Shippo must be close enough to Youko's kind to be able to get into the room.' Hiei's calm explanation would have been taken better if he wasn't trying to burn the plant to the ground.

"Found it !" Shippo exclaimed suddenly as he reappeared, throwing himself out of the windowsill and into Kagome's waiting arms. He appeared tired and Kagome frowned.

"Shippo, can you transform into a fox and use your illusions at the same time? Then you would only have to keep one illusion up at the same time." She took the small photo album he was holding and absently handed it to the dragon that grabbed it with his teeth and hovered there, glaring at them silently.

"Sure!" In her arms the kitsune transformed into a normal sized fox. Or, he was the size of a full-grown fox but he looked like a kit. Thankfully, being under a century, he only had one tail and though odd, it wasn't exactly an unnatural demon she was holding anymore.

"Good. You keep the illusion on Hiei, I'll carry you, and Hiei can carry the album. Everyone good? Great, let's go home before Inuyasha has a heart attack." The fox cuddled into her arms and Kagome ignored the dragon still glaring at her as they started home.

/./

It had taken the predicted two hours to get to and from Kurama's house. Kagome was wary about actually climbing the steps in front of her, but Hiei had already flown into the protective wards and Shippo had dropped his disguise and scampered up the stairs.

Kagome turned to look over the city and wondered if the feeling that something had noticed them was just her imagination. Whatever had done this to them was still out there, and it could have been watching for them. Or her own paranoia could have fooled her. She dismissed it as the familiar roar of her name from a furious hanyou reached her ears.

She took the stairs at a reluctantly fast pace. Once she stepped inside the wards two clawed hands grabbed her and shook her slightly. "What the hell were you doing? What under the fucking sun could you've been thinking? Don't you dare ever do that again!"

Inuyasha dropped her with a surprised yelp as his hands crackled with pink energy. Kagome winced as she saw him staring at his hands and stumbled a few steps as she caught her balance. Then she drew herself up firmly and stared at Inuyasha. "I think I could ask the same thing of you, Inuyasha. I don't know when you decided I had to have your permission to go anywhere, but I suggest you undecide it right now."

"I did what I wanted, that's what I did. If you don't like it, Inuyasha, you can just leave! No one said you had to stay here anyway!" Inuyasha looked stunned as Kagome shouldered him aside and stomped inside.

"What's wrong with her?" Inuyasha muttered.

"You do crowd her too much. She isn't your responsibility anymore, and she needs her space." Souta was frowning at the hanyou and his eyes had a hard look to them. Inuyasha's ears flattened to his head, obviously surprised that Souta had taken Kagome's side.

'Here.' Hiei dropped the album onto Youko's head. The fox snarled as it bounced off of his skull and he twisted around and jumped in one motion. Hiei barely missed getting bitten as the fox snapped his jobs millimeters away.

Shippo sighed and opened the photo album to a random picture and tugged at the white fox's tail. "Look!"

Youko turned with a feral look in his eyes, ready to snap up the younger kitsune. The picture beneath him caught his eye and the wild look faded as he caught sight of a group picture, Hiei skulking in the background, Kuwabara and Yusuke obviously arguing over something with Keiko trying to separate them, while his other self watched them in amusement. Youko remembered Botan had been the one to take this picture.

'You went to Shuichi's house to get a few pictures? Why?' Youko's inquisitive look was split between Shippo and Hiei, seeing as the miko girl had disappeared into her house.

"You were getting too much like animals. This is to remind you of who you were," Shippo chirped simply. Then he looked sharply at Yusuke. "Especially you canines."

Yusuke uncurled from where he had been napping under the God Tree and glanced down at the picture for a few moments. Then without a second look, he slunk toward the house and through the open door. Even Keiko stared after him for an instant. "What was that about?" she asked.

'He's going to talk to the miko.' He announced.

"What for? He'll only get his head bitten off," Inuyasha stated, plainly sulking.

'Perhaps, unlike some people, he'll be thankful that she risked herself for others. Perhaps he won't immediately start screeching about what she can and can't do,' Botan said acidly. She received shocked looks and she fluffed her feathers in annoyance.

"Females," Inuyasha grumbled, only to have a seed thrown at him. When he whirled to take a tantrum at Botan, the blue jay had flitted away.

Inside the house, Kagome was busy making herself tea. She didn't notice when Yusuke padded in and sat by the door, watching her with puzzled brown eyes. 'Why did you go out there and get it?'

"It was the right thing to do. You were tearing yourselves and each other apart. It was only you and Youko this time, but what if it had been Kuwabara? Or Hiei? It was too dangerous to leave you like that. And... I don't want any of you going insane. Youko asked for sanctuary for all of you. I have given it to you." Kagome was leaning out the window as the tea bag soaked into a steaming cup of water.

'Well... Thanks.' Kagome giggled at the awkward voice in her head.

"No problem, blackie." She hid her grin as he immediately bristled. It was fun to rile them sometimes, and remind them that they in words they were still the equal of anyone.

'Don't call me that! I'm Yusuke!' He actually growled a bit. He forced himself to relax when she smiled over her shoulder at him and then reached out a hand and ruffled his fur.

"I know that. But you need a nickname and here I was, all ready to give you one."

'You won't be able to do this when I'm normal again. I'm taller than you,' he said smugly.

"So? I can reach up as well as down."

'You won't.' He said confidently.

"Don't bet on it," Kagome said.

/.../

Next chapter the second stage mark will hit, and Kagome finally gets to see them in their much more attractive human forms.

Reviewer responses:

Thank you to Foxylilraven, anime-lavuh, Reality, Lnzy1, Nytingale, Gizmo369, tbiris, inu.-sess.fan, sweet silver fox, Lady Akina, Night of the Raven!!!!!!!!, lady sakura, Addanc-TSC, Sukera, Anonymousfanfic, kogasmate05, SunStarKitsune, kitsune, anime luver, shadow miko, fox girl, blackrose113, Addanc88, RoxyFoxyKitsune, VB, and hidenseek for reviewing!

Winged Knight: At the third stage, or basically, when they get back to normal, then they get powers for their animal form as well as humanoid. In the second stage they get some strength back for their normal forms, but they're still weak in animal form.

Choas Babe: Sorry, Yukina wasn't there at the fight, so she wouldn't have received an animal form.

Pen Against Sword: While I do like Hiei/Sango pairings, Sango isn't even in this story. As for Hiei romances, I do try them, or I will be in the future of many stories, but they are usually a secondary pairing. Hiei can't be excluded from a story, but I don't think I would do well trying to make him in the spotlight all the time, he would get way OOC.

Jacklyn: Thank you very much! I love attempting "after year" stories, it's nice to have it appreciated! The Miko Network is an important detail that most people seemed to gloss over when reading, I'm glad you noticed it!