Hi all! I'm back...and with another update, although this one really isn't as long as I wanted it to be. But fortunately for you guys we're about to get to the plot of the whole thing. And right about now is where my story is about to go Alternate Universe. I have decided to tweak Kagome's past a bit, so I should probably tell you a few things before we proceed. You're going to find out a lot of information in the next chapter but I thought I'd give you a little bit of a heads up before that one comes out. Okay, yes I will say that everything about the Inuyasha stuff happened. Kagome had the jewel, she broke it, she met Inuyasha and the others, okay? Because I've thrown in Shippo and Shiori, I couldn't change that aspect of the anime, especially since I've made it so Inuyasha killed the bat demons. It just makes more sense to leave that stuff alone. However, there are a few things she has been keeping from them...or perhaps she's already told them and you just don't know. Either way, you'll know now, right? Gets dizzy Confused yet? Anyway, Kagome was not born in the future. She has never been there or lived there, nor did she fall into the past through the well. Kagome was born in the Feudal Era and she has always lived there. Now...I'm sorry to say that's all I can say about her past. The next chapter will tell you everything, but just remember what I've told you now and I promise things will become clearer in the next chapter. Her past is the mystery surrounding this story and I promise you won't be disappointed when you find out where she's from and why she seems to be a wanderer. Anyway, this chapter has some more interraction between all the characters and is supposed to give you some insight into Yoko, Kuronue, and even Kyoshi's background. I hope you like what I've done and if not...I seriously don't want to know. If you have a problem with me or my story, keep it to yourself. I have decided I don't like negativity, and that includes any complaining about my story or anyone being out of character. Happy now? Great! So, please proceed and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I've said it way too many times for it not to be true...I refuse to say it again gulps and tries to ignore the glares and flying paper from all the lawyers

Perfect is Imperfect

Chapter 3

It was almost mid-day by the time the strange group of travelers stopped to take a short rest. Kagome had estimated that by now they had about a day's more worth of walking to do until they reached their destination and it was such a beautiful day out that Kagome decided to extend their journey a little bit, especially since she was quickly becoming quite fond of her new friends. Of course the three adults didn't really have a need to rest, it was mostly intended for the children to take a break and to play a little bit.

Currently Kagome sat against a tree, eyes closed peacefully and a small smile on her pink lips while Kuronue sat above her, legs dangling lazily off a low hanging branch as he munched on an apple he picked. His hat was pulled low over his forehead, enabling only his diamond eyes to show and his dark hair to brush over his shoulders gently. Yoko was several yards off, sitting on a rock and staring off into the distance, although it appeared as if he were in a light meditative trance.

Shiori sat and took a nap with her adopted mother while the other two kits wrestled playfully in the grass and exerted all the tension from the day before, all their wounds having been tended to and healed thanks to the awesome powers of their miko mother.

"Hey, mom," Shippo called from underneath his panting brother, both kits too tired to move from their position. Kagome opened her eyes and glanced up at her red-haired son, smiling tenderly as she did so. Kyoshi was half-lying on top of her youngest son and Shippo's arms remained pressed against the older kit's chest, as if he were getting prepared to throw him off.

"What is it, Shippo?" she called over to him, watching in delight as he managed to free himself and flip his brother onto his back, standing up and not bothering to wipe the grass stains out of his clothes. Kagome's eyes flashed with pride and maternal love as she watched her kits. Her youngest kit was quickly becoming the strongest as his training progressed and his powers grew. Soon she knew his fire abilities would begin to expand with his age, causing them to be more than just simple illusions.

"How much longer until we reach Sesshomaru's place?" he asked, ambling over to her, sitting down, and slumping comfortably against her side. He sighed happily and curled up even more when she moved one of her arms around him and drew him close. She and Shippo began a conversation about the trip to Sesshomaru's and about how excited he was at the prospect of seeing his young friend, Rin, again. And all the while Kagome continued to smile and nod at the incredibly fast-spoken words that flew out of his mouth.

Across the way, Kyoshi turned up his nose at the tender scene and pretended that he didn't care that his little brother was getting more attention than himself, not that he was as petty as that or anything. He was just a little jealous that Shippo had found her first. And like it or not Shippo and Kagome had a deeper relationship than with him or Shiori. It wasn't that she loved him more or them any less, it was more to the fact that she and his brother had been together longer, had seen things that no one else had and accomplished things he couldn't hope to in his entire life. It made him sad that he couldn't remember his parents or what they looked like. He often wondered if his own mother was as special as his adopted one. Would he look like her, would she have protected him and loved him as much as this one did? Either way, Kyoshi would always see Kagome as his mother since he really had no other to remember.

Still, it saddened him greatly that he didn't have these answers. Had his family cared for him at all? Had they simply abandoned him when they could no longer care for a child? Or had something happened to split them all up? Did he have any brothers or sisters out there that may be searching for him? It was quite an unsettling thought and practically the only things he had that would give him any sort of clue that he ever had a family were the clothes on his back and the strange markings that he hid for his own protection, proving that he had once belonged to a powerful clan. For only the most powerful demons possessed markings such as these, markings such as the ones Sesshomaru wore. So why was it that a clan that was obviously that powerful hadn't noticed they were missing one of their own?

"What's the matter, kit?" Yoko asked without opening his eyes. He could smell the scent of worry, confusion, and sorrow in the air and wondered why the kid suddenly seemed so lost. Kyoshi shot the older male a glare, bristling when he realized how close he'd come to the older male. His eyes furrowed even further when the older male seemed to sense his sudden irritation and chuckled slightly.

"I don't have to tell you anything," Kyoshi huffed, turning his back on the other kitsune.

Yoko opened his eyes briefly, eyes that flashed with slight amusement before hiding them behind closed lids once again. "You're right, you don't," Yoko murmured in response.

Kyoshi's eyes widened in surprise, as he'd expected to be hounded for answers. After all, his mother often tried to coax him to tell her what was on his mind and sometimes it was really annoying. Not that he didn't appreciate the sentiment behind it, but sometimes he just didn't feel like talking about his problems. Still... "Mother always says you should talk about your problems so they don't grow deeper with time."

"Well, your mother is one smart lady," Yoko commented lazily and without opening his eyes this time.

Kyoshi growled, aware that the other kitsune was amused and aggravated that he didn't know the reason why. Were adults always so aggravating? And why did he suddenly want to spill everything to the one male who probably wouldn't care to begin with? Kyoshi growled and stalked off, coming across Kuronue who merely lifted an eyebrow in greeting as he ambled his way over to his best friend. "Something the matter?" he asked, confused when the young kit let out a scream of frustration and darted off into the nearby forest to sulk, Yoko's soft laughter trailing after him like the breeze.

"What was that about?" Kuronue asked, seating himself beside his partner, allowing the peacefulness of the day to dull his senses. If he were anywhere else but in the presence of his partner and a particularly strong miko, he would not have allowed his body to relax fully, but as it was he figured they were strong enough to alert him if something came up. Besides it was just too beautiful out to worry about anything attacking them.

"Nothing," Yoko answered, opening his eyes and turning to gaze at his oldest friend. "The kid's confused about his past and searching for answers, yet he's reluctant to speak of it since he fears no one will care. I think he's even a little bit afraid of the answers he seeks."

"Hm," Kuronue murmured in thought, head tilted towards the sky in thought. Finally he turned to Yoko with a question in his eyes. "And you know this how? If he didn't want to tell you, how do you know what's on his mind? I've known you long enough to know you aren't a mind reader, Yoko."

Yoko continued staring back at his partner, wondering what secrets his partner had kept from him all these years and wondering why he hadn't bothered to ask. "I know," Yoko whispered softly. "I know because I was once like him, searching for a place to belong, not knowing what secrets lay in my parents' past, but knowing if I kept dwelling on it for too long, that I would never have a future."

Kuronue turned his head and met his partner's searching eyes. "Sometimes I wish I didn't know," he admitted after awhile, ducking his head and suddenly ashamed of himself for keeping this a secret all these years. He just...hadn't known it was possible for anyone else to feel as lost and alone as he was, at least not until he'd run into Yoko and looked into those harsh eyes and read the pain behind them. It was like looking in a mirror and only one who had experienced being on their own would be able to recognize the longing in another. His partner had been hurting too, he just hadn't known how to express it. "When I was born, my father," Kuronue swallowed harshly, lest he keep his tears at bay. He could feel Yoko's eyes upon him, never condemning, simply searching. He took a breath and continued on. "My father didn't want me. He said it was because I was tainted and imperfect. I was born unable to fly and because of that my father and those like him pushed me around, told me I'd never be able to amount to anything if I wasn't able to defend myself. But my eldest brother, Kuronosuke, Shiori's father, he was different. He always treated me as if we were equals and started training me early on in order to protect myself. My mother couldn't do much because she wasn't as strong as my father, at least that I can remember. She...killed herself. Or so he claimed." Kuronue's eyes flashed bitterly and Yoko absently noted the bloodstone pendant in his hand. He'd always wondered why his partner always carried the thing around when it didn't really do anything. At least now some things were starting to make sense; why Kuronue had never allowed anyone close to his heart, why he hadn't ever attempted to fly in his presence, or why he always looked at the pendant as if trying to see something within it.

"Truthfully, I have a lot of brothers and sisters, Yoko, though it is doubtful the lot of them have survived up to this point. My father was an exceptionally cruel man and he enjoyed hurting us all...all except my youngest brother, Kuronite. He was the only one who my father deemed 'perfect'. Growing up, he was the only one who never starved or got beaten...or left behind."

"Perfect?" a voice whispered and Kuronue glanced up, so lost in thought and in his own world that he hadn't spotted Kagome who was now standing next to Yoko, one hand braced on the kitsune's shoulder as she leaned comfortably against his side, both apparently having grown on each other to the point where they could touch each other freely. Both the kitsune and the miko were gazing at him patiently, listening to his story at tentatively while Kagome had a thoughtful look in her eyes. "It's interesting that people use perfect as an ideal, you know as if to say that one thing or another is what defines us as being perfect. But what is perfect? What is that one special thing that makes one person different from another? Take this for example." Kagome reached down and plucked a flower from the ground, a small white flower with eight complete petals surrounding a berry red center. "It's a beautiful flower; delicate, perfectly proportioned, and divine in color. In fact you might even say that it is perfect. However," Kagome saw the wince on Yoko's face as she crushed the tiny thing beneath her fist, releasing her hand as the once magnificent flower floated gently to the ground in more than a few pieces. "It can still be destroyed. It can still be hurt. And it can still feel pain. It is no different from any of the others out here, so why would we classify it as perfect? The way I see it, perfect is imperfect."

Kagome closed her eyes, lost in her own thoughts as both demons digested the miko's wise words.

"I don't remember my parents," Yoko admitted after a long while, wishing to contribute something as well. "I was just like Kyoshi, wandering aimlessly, wondering who I was and where I came from. When I was younger I used to obsess about who my parents were and why I was without them and it got to the point that I would go for days without nourishment or rest upon a rumor that someone might have information. But one day during my travels I came across a young, heavily scarred woman. She was young, I could tell by her scent. But she looked so much older than she should have appeared. She carried bruises every where and she was crying when I stumbled upon her. She begged me for some food and water, but I had none even for myself and I told her so. She thanked me anyway and disappeared. A few days later I came across the village I was searching for in order to ask the elder if he had any news of my parents. I had gotten a tip that a group of silver kitsunes had inhabited the village at one point and wished to know if any still lived there. I was just about to approach the elder when I noticed the same woman from the day before being beaten by an older male. I don't know what happened after that, but I ended up saving her life. Later she told me that the man who was beating her was her father and that he had always treated her that way. I was...outraged." Yoko's golden eyes were burning with intensity and Kuronue thought he'd seen more emotion in his best friend in this moment than he had in years. "Why would a father beat his daughter simply for existing? Why had she been begging for food when it should have been her father feeding her in the first place? Why would anyone treat their child as if they were nothing? What reason could their be for a father to treat his daughter as a possession and not as a person? And in that moment I realized just how lucky I was that I didn't have to grow up like that. Just knowing that there were people out there willing to beat up their own child was enough to make me see how lucky I was that I didn't have to know that pain myself. So I left the village without inquiring any questions and never looked back. I didn't want to know my family if it meant discovering something like that." Yoko finished his story, realizing that he really was lucky he hadn't had to grow up like Kuronue.

"They're lucky, you know," Kuronue commented, raising his eyebrows to the silent miko who turned her head and glanced at the bat demon curiously. "Kyoshi, Shippo, Shiori. They are lucky to have you in their lives. I'd give anything to have someone care for me as much as you do those kids. And you didn't even give birth to them. I have to admit, I have never met someone as caring and open-hearted as you, Kagome, and it is an honor that you even give a demon such as I the time of day."

Kagome could feel the blush creeping over her shoulders and onto her face at hearing Kuronue's words, amazed that he held such respect for her. If only he knew what her life had been like before she'd started traveling. But she did recognize the truth in his statement. It wasn't hard to love any of her kids and she considered them flesh and blood even though they hadn't been born from her own. Loving them was easy and entirely natural and she could only hope that her own future children never had to experience life without her.

Kagome was about to say something when she heard her name being called from some distance away. Instantly alert, Kagome lept to her feet, quickly followed by Yoko and Kuronue. She had a feeling she knew who was shouting her name and if she was found out, there would be no escaping. Damn, was her freedom over that fast?

"What is this?" Yoko growled.

"Kyoshi!" Kagome ignored her friend for now and cried into the forest, knowing her son would hear her and know she wanted him to protect his siblings. He was very sensitive to her moods and had probably sensed her anxiety by now.

Sure enough not ten seconds later the silver haired kit came flying out of the forest, long hair streaming behind him. He didn't even have to look at her to know what she wanted him to do. After all, this wasn't the first time they'd almost gotten caught. He quickly darted to the tree where his siblings were previously sleeping and urged his brother and sister to their feet, Shippo's clear, aqua eyes widening with surprise, and herded them up the tree so they wouldn't be discovered so quickly.

Kagome let out a brief sigh of relief...that is until she heard the shouts getting louder as the distance between them and her steadily decreased..

"Quick, hide!" Kagome shoved Kuronue to the side and behind the boulder, even knowing that it wouldn't hide their presence. She didn't really care if she was acting insanely at the moment, she just did not want to be found. Yoko moved on his own accord, the bat's body sliding roughly off the boulder and tumbling onto the hard ground beside her. Kagome landed on her feet above the bat in a protective position before she slumped down and leaned her head out from behind the boulder. "Shippo, Shiori, Kyoshi, stay high in the trees for me please," she called to them. "I don't want them to discover you just yet if we can help it."

"What's going on, Kagome?" Kuronue demanded with a snarl.

"Er gulp well," Kagome looked a bit nervous, having the good grace to blush in embarrassment. How could she explain to them just who she was and why she had lied to them. Well, she hadn't lied, per se, merely omitted some things. Okay, so admittedly they were probably important things; things such as her true heritage and why it was she was traveling alone in the first place, but really how could you tell people you barely knew that after so many years of being on the run, your past had finally come to claim you...in the form of about 12 guards, all sent by the one person who you had pissed off the most and was probably ready to skin you alive by now. "Well," Kagome stammered and squirmed from the force of the bandits' combined stare/glare. "How should I put this? Ah yes cough have you ever heard the phrase 'you can't go home again?' No?" When Yoko and Kuronue continued to stare at her for several seconds without blinking Kagome blushed even more. "Well, lets just say that in my case it's the exact opposite and that if I don't find some way to hide myself, I'll probably be there long until my dying day...which may actually come quicker than I expected it to be."

Kuronue went to demand answers, grabbing Kagome by the shoulders though not enough to hurt her, when a loud voice called out to them, momentarily putting a stop to the confrontation.

"Unhand the Princess, you cretin, or face the wrath of the Lord of the East!"

Yep, that's where I decided to draw the line...hee hee...get it, draw the line? sweatdrops Anyway, I know Yoko's story was lame, but I just couldn't figure out what to make of his past. Because Kuronue is so obviously left out of the real anime, it's extremely easy to come up with a background for him. Yoko...not so easy because most of us know his story. It's a bit easier since we don't know anything about his past before becomming a thief, but still hard to write. Anyway, I like what I've done with Kuronue's past and I tried to make his past interesting. Okay, I think I messed up somewhere with Kuronue's brother. I believe the real name given in the anime is something like Sukuromaru or something like that. But since I called him something else earlier, I'm just going to go ahead and use the name I've chosen. Sorry to confuse you people once again. Um, I haven't really figured out if Kyoshi's past is going to rear its ugly head. So for now, he's just a confused kit. And as for Kagome giggles I bet you weren't expecting that to happen. And no, Kagome is not a demon...not at the moment anyway. You'll find out soon enough if you're patient...and review tons more times! Well I'm glad you're all very confused and ready to skin this kitsune alive Kura flattens ears but I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I don't know when I'll update as I'm slowly working on all my stories, trying to get them all updated, but I hope it doesn't take as long as it took the last time.

Ja ne.

Kura