Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.


This had to be one of the most surreal and strangest days that she's ever experienced. Never thought that being pulled into a well by a demon and ending up 500 years in the past could be topped—who was she kidding? There's really no topping that, but this is right up there. However, where being pulled into the Feudal Era was terrifying—this was a mixed bag of happy, nostalgia, and just plain weird. And it's only Thursday, if that counts for anything.

When Kagome woke up this bright, and cold morning. All she expected to do was to clear the paths of the shrine of snow while wrangling Souta into helping. Winter break equals winter chores, got to love that. Kuroo and Kenma were due arrive at some point. Kenma was determined that whatever strategy he's cooked up will finally defeat Grandpa—Souta was anxious to watch the show down. What she didn't expect was hearing an unfamiliar voice call out to her as she was shoveling the path. Narrowing her eyes, she felt the demonic aura and looked at Souta to make sure he was safe near the house—nothing threatening yet, but she would take no chances. Turning to greet the guest, she tilted her head slightly in confusion.

Looking the man over she took in his reddish-brown hair, wide grin, and his height. He had a slender build and looked to be in his twenties. But it was his eyes and aura that were tugging at her in familiarity.

"Come on Kagome! I know that I'm a lot bigger now, but it hasn't been that long since you saw me last."

Kagome furrowed her brow and then her eyes widened as his image seemed to almost fade or melt away and his ears became pointed. His hair turned a brighter red and was pulled back into a tail. It was his bright green eyes that helped reveal his identity.

"…Shippo?"


Kuroo and Kenma were climbing the stairs for Kenma's showdown with Grandpa Higurashi.

"So, do you think you're going to beat him this time?"

"It's hard to say."

Kuroo raised a brow and looked down at him. "Not showing a lot of confidence there, Kenma. I thought you said you were sure that your new strategy would be effective?"

"Higurashi-sensei is crafty. Every time when I think I have him cornered, he slips away."

Leaning into Kenma, he grinned as he proceeded to needle him. "Frustrates the hell out of you doesn't it?"

Kenma's eye began to twitch before he frowned up at his childhood friend. "I would be highly annoyed if I didn't admire his skills so much."

Kuroo laughed as they crested the stairs. Looking over towards the house they saw Kagome and Souta in the courtyard with a strange red-haired man standing in front of them. The boys paused when they saw Kagome's eyes go wide in shock before she shrieked and launched herself at the man. They were stumped when she hugged him tightly and he spun her in a brief circle.

"Who is that?"

"Uh, not sure." Kuroo was curious about the stranger and why his girlfriend was starting to fuss over him. Now if this was anyone else, he would probably be a little concerned about this scene. But this was Kagome and the way she was now treating the man reminded him of how she treats her brother and the team—she was in her mother hen mode. "Well, how about we go and say hi."

Kagome caught sight of them and waved them over. "Tetsu-kun! Kenma! Come and meet Shippo!"

The two teens blinked in familiarity at the name and joined the small group before them.


This was a huge mistake on her part—like massively huge and she really, really should have thought this through more. She actually introduced her adopted full-blooded kitsune brother, to her scheming Rooster Headed boyfriend—she's going to have to ask mama she schedule an appointment for her to get her head examined. Normally, maybe, she wouldn't have a problem with this. However, it's been over 500 years since Shippo has seen her, and he used to be small enough to ride on her shoulder and hide under her hair. Now he was Kuroo's height… the kami-sama really do hate her.

The two new friends were currently trading stories about Kagome and discussing how tiny she was in comparison to them—rude much? The moment that Kuroo informed Shippo that he called her 'pocket-sized,' well that was the end of her patience. With a twitch under her eye, she barely processed Souta and Kenma inching away out of the line of fire and standing behind her. She bent down and began to quickly form two good sized snowballs and chucked them at the cackling duo. It was comical how stunned and offended they looked at her audacity in hitting them in the face—she would have joined Souta and Kenma in their snickering if she wasn't so busy smirking in vindication.

Kuroo and Shippo both narrowed their eyes at their tiny attacker. "Kago-can. This. Means—"

"War."

With that chaos had been unleashed. Souta and Kenma quickly joined Kagome's team and the three dove behind the Goshinboku to avoid the incoming snowballs that were thrown their way. The two boys began to work together to form their own ammunition and hand them to Kagome—her aim was deadly, so it was a much better strategy to have her on the attack.

Kuroo grumped good-naturally about Kenma always choosing Kagome's side, to which Kenma looked around the sacred tree to raise a brow at his longtime friend. "I'm not stupid enough to go against the obvious winner." Souta shouted his agreement with the assessment, he has long since learned that it was not wise to bet against his sister.

"Oi! I take offense to that! I'm a youkai, you know!"

Kagome quickly beamed him with a snowball as she laughed. "You should know by now that that means very little, Shippo-chan!"

The five combatants were deeply entrenched in their icy war, each side took hits and there was little evidence as to whom was truly winning. Kagome had grabbed a fist-sized snowball and launched it at Shippo, hitting him just as he was about to throw his own. His aim went higher than he had intended, saving Kagome as she stood frozen at the sudden feeling of a very familiar aura behind her. Hearing a thud of the wayward snowball hitting something and the now paling figure of the red kitsune, she slowly turned to meet the newest arrival that stood with Nekomata-sensei.

"Kit, your training will be increased starting tomorrow."

Ignoring the strangled cry, Kagome stared wide-eyed at the figure before her. "Sesshoumaru-sensei?"

Kuroo frowned in confusion and familiarity as he stared at the newcomer as he greeted Kagome. When those golden eyes connected with his own, he straightened in shock—

He was standing by the volleyball net in the park, frowning since he didn't have anyone to practice with. Glancing over to by the swings he noticed a little girl sitting by herself looking sadly down at her shoes. She was a tiny little thing, he couldn't guess her age, but knew she had to be younger than him. But why was she sad?

"Are you just going to stand there looking at her? Or are you going to go and talk to her?"

Kuroo nearly jumped out of his skin and clutched the volleyball in his hands tighter at the deep voice that resonated behind him. Spinning around he looked up at the towering frame before him. "Umm...?"

The man stared down at Kuroo's small form with intense golden eyes, and raised a brow. "You have been watching that girl for some time, looking like you wish to speak to her."

The young boy chewed on his lower lip and fiddled with the ball in his hands as he glanced back at the girl in question. "I um—I don't want to bother her."

"Hn. It looks like she could use a friend."

Kuroo turned back to the little girl that he had been watching and nodded to himself. Looking over his shoulder he was stunned to see that the man had disappeared. He shook his head with a small frown and made his way to the swings.

"Hi, I'm Kuroo Tetsurou."

The little girl flinched slightly as she looked up at him. He had to keep from getting distracted by her pretty blue eyes. "Um, I'm Higurashi Kagome."

"Want to play volleyball?"

"I-I don't know how to play."

"Don't worry! I'll teach you, Kago-chan!"

Kagome's cheeks flushed lightly and her eyes lit up. "Ok, Tetsu-kun. Let's go!"

Kuroo snapped out of his reminiscing to flinch to the side as the kitsune next to him was suddenly hurled forward face down into the snow by a certain large sabretooth tiger perched on his back. Blinking rapidly in shock, the teens all began to snicker at the youkai's flailing and muffled shouts for Kirara to get off of him.

"Hn. Miko, you should know that the Kit become quite the ladies' man during time that you have been gone."

Kagome's eyes slid over to the panicking youkai. "Is that so?" Grabbing handfuls of snow, she slowly approached his trapped form. "I knew that Miroku would be a horrible influence on you!"

Kuroo laughed at Shippo's misfortune before glancing at the retreating figure.


Sesshoumaru smirked and nodded slightly at the fire cat as Kagome shoved snow down the kit's shirt. After ensuring that vengeance was being dealt to the trickster, he and Nekomata joined Grandpa Higurashi inside the house. Mama Higurashi greeted the old youkai and brought out tea for the trio, while the shouts and laughter resumed outside.

"It seemed that Kuroo-kun may have recognized you, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Hn."

"Will you tell them the role that you played in their lives?"

"If I am asked. Perhaps."

Grandpa looked to the old youkai that had watched over the family for centuries. "Whether you tell them or not, we are grateful for your efforts Sesshoumaru-sama."

"I did not do much. Merely provided a nudge here and there. Everything else was their doing."

"Well regardless, I am thankful that you supported the school, Sesshoumaru-sama. It broke my heart when they were talking about closing it down all those years ago."

The regal youkai merely nodded as he drank his tea. He felt no need to reveal that the main reasons why he did that was because his ward's descendent expressed his desire to teach there one day. Also, that he remembered during one of the many nights that the Miko rambled about her home—she had told him that the high school that she wished to attend was Nekoma High. How she had heard that they had a strong volleyball team, and her hope was to find her old friend there, or that his team would eventually play against the school. Trivial things really, but important to the ones he considered pack. What kind of alpha would he be, if he didn't do everything that he could to ensure his packs happiness?

Mama Higurashi brought in more tea and snacks before she called everyone inside to warm up. As the group piled into the room, Grandpa got the shogi board ready for his bout against Kenma. Souta claimed a spot near the two combatants to cheer on his gaming partner. Shippo, Kuroo, and Kagome sat down with Kirara lounging in her lap as they talked. Shippo regaled the room with stories about the past, while Kagome interjected with tidbits about Shippo's shenanigans that he tried to leave out—whenever Miroku's perverted actions were mentioned, Kuroo would smirk at Kagome causing her to cringe and scowl at him.

As the stories began to leave the past and touch on the present, tales of Kagome's reign as the Tiny Tyrant were brought forth. As Shippo commiserated with Kenma and Kuroo over Kagome's conditioning techniques, Sesshoumaru merely raised a brow.

"An interesting use of your training, Miko."

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sensei—"

"But you are going far too easy on them."

Kenma and Kuroo flinched in horror at the thought that the routines that they at times feared, were considered 'too easy.' Kagome frowned at the stoic youkai, "If I push them too hard, too fast, they could be injured. Plus, we want them to keep coming back to practice." Seeing the blank and unimpressed stare, she sighed. "Don't worry. We're increasing their workouts and they have made drastic improvements already. Uncle Yasu, Coach Naoi, and I, all have full confidence that the team will reach the National level."

"Hn."

"The team shows a great deal of promise Sesshoumaru-sama. Kagome-chan has done well to get them this far. And now Naoi and I are there to help bring them further."

The youkai lord was silent for a moment as he looked at his former student. "I may need to observe these practices at some point."

'Shit…'


Author's note: Ok! Either the next chapter will be the Golden Week training with Karasuno, or it will be the last chapter before Karasuno makes an appearance. We'll see where my brain goes with this. Now, I'm going to go do the oh so 'difficult' task of binge watching the seasons again for like the 20th time for research. It will be hard work, but worth the sacrifice.

Until next time!