A/N: You have no idea how hard it is for me to focus when I hear a wailing kid.

Coming Home

She was walking home, slowly climbing up the path connecting two villages. She had traveled this road pretty often, but for the first time in her long life she was coming home to a hut full of people.

Her parents had died before she could remember them and her older sister had died when she had been still but a child. She had became a miko shortly after that and had never married. For years she had lived aloe and if you asked her right now she would say she never regretted that choice.

Still, it was nice to know that in her hut there was a fire burning, a dinner being prepared and a rag tag group of misfits just like her bickering about this thing or that.

She neared the hut and saw Shippou running out of it as if to greet her. But his yell of her name wasn't a joyous one, it was desperate. The reason for that became obvious pretty soon, because right after the fox ran the dog.

Kaede looked at the pair running in circles around her. She briefly wondered why the miko who appeared in the door way wasn't tugging on the metaphorical leash around the hanyou's neck, when she noticed a box of sweets in Shippou's clutches.

Laughing she opened her arms and granted the boy a safe haven, since Inuyasha, while barking curses and insults, would never reach a hand to harm her. When the hanyou glared at her with a pout Kaede released the box from relieved Shippou's hands and threw it towards the hanyou. Inuyasha caught it and dashed back to the younger miko before Shippou had a chance to scream his upset and jump out of her arms to try and save his treats.

Kaede walked towards the younger miko still standing in the doorway.

"Good evening, Kaede," Kagome smiled. "I hope you had a safe trip?"

"Yes, indeed, child. Is Sango per any chance making that fish dish traditional in her village?" the old miko blinked her only one good eye at Kagome.

"Yes," Kagome nodded and led the old woman into the hut. While walking towards Sango in the kitchen area to help her the younger miko walked past the hanyou squatting next to her bag and guarding the ninja food from the pouting kitsune. As she moved past him she patted him between his ears and when he grumbled at her she pretended not to notice as she turned her head to make sure Miroku was still busy reading his scroll and not sneaking up on Sango.

Kaede sat on the raised floor to remove her sandals and smiled widely. She was home and even if the home was often chaotic and overcrowded she wouldn't change it for any palace.