A Village of Hanyou

"Have you met the new guy?" Kagome asked of her husband as he scarfed his breakfast.

"Seen him, not met him," Inuyasha mumbled disinterestedly, followed by a nod from Shippo. The kitsune had come in from his little den to eat breakfast as well. Inuyasha had recruited Shippo in his patrols, not to interfere with demons or large animals, just to report to Inuyasha if he spotted anything suspicious. Shippo was scarfing his food just as quickly.

"Alright, gotta get outta here." Inuyasha stood abruptly, leaving his bowl on the floor where he had been sitting. He quickly turned towards the door.

"Ey, wai' fer mer," Shippo complained through a mouthful of food. He quickly swallowed, and threw the bowl down before following the impatient hanyou out the door. Kagome sighed. She finished her breakfast, before collecting the bowls to wash. The forest had been active as of late, so Inuyasha had been rushing off early in the mornings.

There were new residents moving into the village every so often, and there was usually a bit of gossip regarding the newcomers. Normally, the new residents would stay with family members. If the family was large enough, the stay would be temporary, until the new residents could have a house of their own made. It wasn't unusual, so Kagome rarely heard much about it. However, when a man came to the town all by himself, without any family already living in the village, she found it a little odd. The rumors said he spent his nights in the forest, coming into the village during the day to beg for work, so that he could get help with his own house, on the far edge of the village. Kagome didn't think too much of it, she had heard that he would say he 'didn't wish to impose' by asking someone to put him up for the nights.

The young Miko had seen the new face a few times, assuming this the new resident. A tallish, scruffy-looking 30-something who appeared to be working hard in whatever he was doing. Maybe he didn't like people that much, and that's why he didn't want to stay with any of the generous people in the village. Kagome continued to think nothing of him, until she heard something which concerned her greatly. He apparently had come with two children in tow. They stayed in the woods all day and had very rarely been seen in the village, clinging tightly to their presumed father. Little children shouldn't be left alone in the woods like that all day.

She didn't want to tell him how to raise his kids, but she did mention her concerns to some of the... Nosier women in the village. Of those she found that he still refused to impose himself or his children onto anyone. Kagome was a little upset, but the weather was warm and dry in the night, so for the time being the kids were fairly safe living out in the woods with their father. She would rather he let her babysit if he just wanted them out of his hair while he was working. Again, she wasn't about to tell this man how to raise his kids.

Actually, as she mentioned it to Kaede, the older woman said that they, as Miko, could intervene if they felt the children were in any danger. Kagome thought on this for a second. She had peeked at the foundation structure, a short walk from Sango's house, separated by a few houses and a small, but thick grove of trees. The square foundation was tiny, probably not much bigger than the space for three or four people to sleep. Well, it didn't look like he planned on remarrying, but what Kagome was looking at, was the fact that the tiny structure would go up quickly. It wasn't likely the small family would still be out during the winter. Kagome wondered if she could get Inuyasha to help this man out.

Inuyasha had been dealing with insects lately. Nasty demons, centipedes like small trees, mantises twice his size, all sorts of bugs right at the edge of his forest, looking for meat, human, chicken or cattle, none of which they were getting their segmented claws on. It had been quiet for two days, but Inuyasha wasn't trusting the quiet, his search becoming more thorough until he was positive his forest was clear.

He almost stepped right on a little kid picking berries in the forest. The kid just froze, staring up at the larger body.

"Shit, sorry kid, didn't see you there." The kid just stared up at him. He was about five, an unseasonable green scarf drawn up over his head. Inuyasha tilted his head, observing the unusual kid. No scream. No running. No "it's okay". No reaction of any kind.

"Did I hurt ya or something?" Inuyasha squinted. He tilted his head up when he saw movement. Another kid was creeping towards the pair very slowly, but froze when Inuyasha looked at him. This one was older, about eight, a tan scarf drawn over his head like the smaller one.

"This, uh. Your brother?" Inuyasha stood up, deciding to just go. His words, however, seemed to snap the older boy out of it and he started approaching Inuyasha at a normal pace, stopping at his brother and picking him up, without breaking eye contact with Inuyasha.

"Y-yeah. I told him to stay close but he's uh. Sorta slow." The boy continued to stare as his brother got to his feet and clung to the elder. Inuyasha was getting a funny feeling about these two. He at least had some memory of the village kids, since his wife and the monk spent time watching them. He was sure he had never seen these children before, and he felt like he would have remembered two kids who liked wearing hoods in the thick of summer. He stood up straighter to get a better look at the kids. Something was off...

He noticed it then.

These kids didn't have a scent. Or at least, not much of one. They smelled a little like human, but as he examined the kids in that brief moment, he noticed the boys' eyes were not human. They were brown, but the pupils were horizontal, and oblong.

"What are you two doing around here?"

The older boy gulped, but the younger spoke.

"Daddy told us to stay here and um, pick berries while he goes to working. We're-" the older slapped a hand over his mouth and continued.

"Yeah we, uh. Just moved here, and that's why you don't know us yet." That wasn't what Inuyasha was meaning by the question. He meant what a pair of demons were...ah hell, they're just little kids...

"Ew!" The older boy squealed, pulling his hand away from his brother's mouth, "don't lick me!"

The younger wore a smirk of satisfaction before looking back at Inuyasha.

"You're Inuyasha, aren't you? Daddy told us you would protect-"

"Shuuushhh!" The older tried to silence his brother.

"What are you?" Inuyasha asked, as he remembered that Kagome had asked the new resident she was so curious about. It was a hunch, but...it made him feel something strange as he looked at the little kids.

"We're humans!" The older brother blurted. Now that was interesting. No human just randomly felt like stating that. Lightish brown bangs in front of the little one's eyes, no scent, freezing at the first sign of danger...

"Dad wears an orange kimono? Beard?" Inuyasha asked. They both nodded.

"You're a hanyou too, huh?" Asked the little brother. The older seemed to get even more nervous, tugging the littler one back a step.

"'Too,' Eh?" Inuyasha felt warm then. So they were a pair of hanyou kids. Hanyou kids like...he suddenly felt sad, knowing these kids and their father had probably moved here...looking for some sort of a...safe haven, where Inuyasha, a fellow half demon had scraped out a home for himself.

Inuyasha felt this...surge of protectiveness as he looked between the two kids, one of whom seemed almost afraid of him. He knew he recognized the feeling, it was the same feeling when he met that little girl, Shiori, and that weird sense of understanding when he met that herb farmer, Jenenji. Half demons...

That was another problem. How did their father know he wasn't a full demon? Even as far as the rumors spread about him and the others finally taking down Naraku, they always told of an inu youkai not a hanyou. He'd see about a chat with their dad.

"Well, that's fine. But the forest ain't the place for a couple of kids right now. I'll take you back to your dad."

Both of the kids shook their heads, even the little one's grin dropping. Right. Stranger danger. Good job, dad. They'd probably feel more comfortable with a woman.

"Alright, well, how about you get into the village on your own. If you see a Miko with black hair, her name's Kagome. She's my wife, and babysits a lot of kids during the day. The older one's good people too." The kids stayed still.

"I mean it. There's some dangerous shit in the forest right now, so you two probably shouldn't be out here without your dad." Inuyasha forgot to censor his language. The kids nodded, and Inuyasha continued on his patrol, watching the kids out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't figure out what he wanted to do first after he finished, talk to Kagome about keeping an eye on the hanyou kids or talk to the dad about how exactly he had found out Inuyasha was a half demon. That was something only a very few people should know.

"Oh, your wife died in childbirth. I'm so sorry. Was this recent?" Kagome had caught the new resident on a break from one of his odd jobs. He seemed a little nervous speaking to the young Miko, but answered her questions with only a bit of hesitation.

"It was...about four months ago."

"What made you decide to move here?"

The man's eyes shifted to the side as he dabbed the sweat off the back of his neck. Kagome realized the man had probably answered all of these questions before, but Kagome couldn't control her curiosity.

"I uh...needed a change of pace, I suppose. I heard from someone once that this village was a good place to raise children."

Kagome touches a finger to her lips.

"I suppose it is. It's well protected, at the very least...so, where are your children? I haven't seen them around." Kagome pried. She wasn't going to tell him how to raise his kids. She swore she wouldn't, but...

"Oh. They are...very shy. I had been working as a bamboo cutter, so they feel more comfortable playing in the woods. They're good boys, and stay out of trouble," the man said, waving his hands in front of himself defensively, looking even more nervous than before.

"I see. Well, Inuyasha does patrols through the woods, so they're pretty safe, but-"

"What about me," came Inuyasha's voice from behind Kagome. Kagome turned to greet her husband, noticing how he was eyeing the man. Kagome tilted her head, although Inuyasha's gaze just stayed forward, towards the man.

"You the new guy with the two kids in the woods? Wearing hoods?" The hanyou asked, suddenly. The man looked almost afraid as Inuyasha crossed his arms and stared down at him.

"I uh, yes. I hope they haven't caused any t-trouble."

"Inuyasha..." Kagome warned, standing up and setting a hand on his arm.

"Nah, but it's been dangerous in those woods on-and-off lately. Don't want a pair of half human kids left out like that."

'Crap,' Kagome thought. She was not going to tell the man how to raise his kids, but she wished Inuyasha had gotten that memo beca-wait. Half human?

Kagome's gaze turned back to the father of the two boys. He had risen to his feet with Inuyasha's statement, looking unsure, wavering between several emotions, one of which was definitely fear. oh. Oh. OH!

That would explain so much.

"Oh," Kagome started, intentionally drawing her attention to her husband, "you still think there's insect demons in the woods?"

Inuyasha shrugged, his expression as softening from the disapproving stare he had given the father.

"Could be," he looked back towards the man. He sighed, a gruff sound, and hunched his shoulders.

"Look, I get what you're doing. Keepin' your kids hidden out in the woods until you're somewhat settled in here, but, you should probably camp close to the village, in case you've gotta make a run fer it."

"I uh," the man swallowed thickly, "I'll do that."

Inuyasha was unsure how to react to the man. He was never really keen on newcomers, but at the same time, this family... He had some sort of deep-seated desire to make the lives of those kids worth living. He hoped that the hanyou kids would grow up where they were at the very least tolerated, unlike...unlike how Inuyasha had been received by human and demon alike. The younger of the boys, at the very least, was still bright eyed and hopeful. There was hope for them yet. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the hope for this family was the hope for any children he, himself, fathered. They would be mixed as well, and he could hope that they would grow up without being abused and outcasted as he had been, if only in this village, where he got some sort of tepid respect as a protector.

Inuyasha made it clear that he was serious about the woods. His forest was safer than other areas because Inuyasha was so protective of his territory, but there was always the chance that something would go wrong.

"Well, Inuyasha. You should help get his house built, so that it goes faster," Kagome suggested. Inuyasha's brows knit. Oh no, she was not gonna rope him into-

"And just so you know, you and your children are definitely welcome here. By a Miko," she pointed to herself, "my husband," she pointed to Inuyasha, "and all our friend's, one who is a monk, and the other a demon slayer, at the very least."

"You uh. You know about my boys?" The man was probably a bit taller than Inuyasha, but he was hunched, making himself look smaller, nervous.

"Duh. My nose hasn't failed me yet. My question to you, is how the hell you knew about me. That younger one needs to keep that shit to himself, you understand?"

"Oh, I'm... I'm really sorry. We lived alone until now, I've yet to teach him not to speak of others. I'm going to talk to him immediately."

Inuyasha growled, shifting his weight onto one foot.

"And how'd you know about me?"

The man looked down in front of him. Kagome squeezed her husband's arm, him mouthing back an annoyed 'what?'

"I uh. I heard from a fellow that I met in passing. Took one look at my boys and told me to come to Inuyasha's forest. I had already decided to come here, since the uh, rumors of those who killed Naraku had settled in here to protect the forest." He looked towards Inuyasha without actually looking at him.

"Yeah, yeah, what did this 'fellow' look like eh? Ya got a name?"

"His name was? Ji...ji...Jenenji? I think that was his name. Big guy-"

"Oh. We know him," Kagome said. She hoped he was still doing alright.

"Alright, whatever. Talk to that little one."

The man swallowed thickly, still looking beyond nervous as an awkward silence passed between the three of them. With a cough, the man looked off to the side, muttering a 'thanks' for having them on his side, before turning around to head back to work. Once he was gone Inuyasha shook his head.

"Guy acts like a scared mouse..."

Kagome frowned.

"He's nervous...his children are really half demons?"

Inuyasha grunted in reply.

"I guess he's still jumpy from all of this, whatever happened to the kids' mom. Highly doubt she died givin' birth."

Kagome agreed.

"So, what do you think about all this?" Kagome asked Inuyasha when they sat down for dinner that night. Inuyasha scowled.

"I dunno what to think. S'not really my business..." He paused. "I can't say what the rest of the village is gonna say. They've already got me living here. And Shippo, they don't seem to mind too much, provided he ain't played any pranks on 'em."

"Hey!" Shippo blurted, "I don't play as many pranks as I used to." Shippo set his chopsticks down as if he had something important to say.

"Besides, I think people here are starting to learn more about demons. There's good ones, like me," pointed a thumb back at himself, "and bad ones too. But humans can be pretty evil too."

"Blah, blah, blah," Inuyasha grumbled, swallowing a bit of rabbit meat, which Kagome had shot, herself. Of course, she still let her husband clean it up.

"I kinda doubt they'll be so open when there's too many more of us. With these two, they're bound to figure it out. That and whatever kids we have," he glanced back at Kagome, "then there's enough demon-blooded monsters walking around to make any village nervous."

"Inuyasha, come on. There's a couple people who've even let me have snacks, they aren't afraid of me or anything. I think if having some uh. Ben-benevolent," Shippo sounded like he was testing a new word, "benevolent demons around, it'll become more normalized."

Inuyasha huffed.

"Yeah, well... You're also knee high, of course you don't look like much of a threat." He paused, looking over at Shippo, "I wanna watch those two...you're a little bit older than them, but if you could keep an eye on them while they're staying out in the woods? Eh? The older is skittish, so..."

"I think that's a good idea. Shippo, could you do that?" Kagome asked of the kit.

Shippo frowned, but shrugged after a moment of thought. He thought it would be closer to babysitting because the kids are so much younger than him. He was eleven and obviously much cooler than the little kids.

"And Inuyasha, if you don't like them staying out in the woods like that, you could help get the house built, hm?" Kagome wore an expectant smile.

Inuyasha growled, but gave no protest. This was the second time she had mentioned that. He kind of figured he'd be roped into something like that.

"Shippo, get on outta here if you're done eatin'. We're getting up early again tomorrow."

Shippo rolled his eyes, but he knew better then to stick around after he'd been told to get. Yatta yatta, Inuyasha wanted to have a private chat with Kagome. Good luck getting alone time when they have a screaming baby shaking down the house.

Inuyasha waited until Shippo had left before sighing and taking another bite of food.

"So what's on your mind?" Kagome asked before taking her last bite of food.

...

3am. Tired. I have something in mind. Hm... I wonder if Shiori is going too appear in this story?

Spoilers. She will