Disclaimer: I do not own either Ranma or Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi has that honour. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

Akane stared at the pile of furs which had, until a moment ago, been the source of absolutely terrifying growls and snarls. They had stopped almost instantly and the only sound that could be heard was a low purring which Kagome had told her was Inuyasha comforting Ranma.

"What was that?" She whispered, not wanting to make any more noise than necessary.

"Essentially," Kagome said softly, "that was Inuyasha asserting his dominance over Ranma."

"Huh?"

"Think about it this way," Kagome reasoned, motioning for Akane to follow her towards where they had food and their bedrolls from the night before set up. "In every pack there is an Alpha. The strongest of the group. As far as Ranma is concerned, that is Inuyasha. Like we've said before, the only one Inuyasha answers to is Sesshomaru."

"So when Sesshomaru isn't around, Inuyasha is the Alpha." Akane surmised and Kagome nodded.

"Sesshomaru doesn't come to Tokyo that often, what with Inuyasha being the only Inu here, well, he was and the majority of them still inhabiting the area where the Western Lands used to fall. Of course to the youkai, it still is the Western Lands but that's by the by." She shrugged and Akane nodded, understanding. "Inuyasha is an Alpha and he has to drum that into Ranma as quickly as possible."

"And he'll accept that?" Ranma had never liked being told that he was below anyone else. If beaten, he would always push himself harder to prove himself not only to others and the one that had issued the challenge but to himself. It was part of what made him so formidable. He didn't give up.

"For the moment, yes," Akane didn't like the sound of that. "I'm sure that Ranma will, at some point soon, challenge Inuyasha's dominance."

"How can you be so calm?" Akane wondered at the woman who sat there as though this was an everyday occurrence for her.

"Because I've seen it before," well maybe it was, "a younger Inu will either get cocky or grow irritated with being dominated by another older Inu and will challenge them. But the older the youkai, generally, the stronger they are."

In fact, the only times she had seen a younger Inu defeat an older Inu was when Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had first fought over the Tessaiga in their father's tomb all those centuries ago and again when he had unleashed the Wind Scar against Sesshomaru for the first time.

She knew that a challenge would come from Ranma and Inuyasha knew it too.

They just had to be prepared for when it happened.

~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~

Ranma groaned as he felt himself being pulled back to consciousness. He didn't want to open his eyes. Opening his eyes would mean that he would have to move and the soft warm cocoon he was in didn't make that enticing in the slightest.

He snuggled down into the warmth, yearning to sink back down into the oblivion he had been in before he startled completely awake at the sound of a chuckle from right next to him.

His eyes flew open and he was met with Inuyasha's chest. He was pinned closely to the hanyou, the other's grip on him exceedingly strong, causing his muscles to tense in anticipation.

"Easy," Inuyasha's voice was calm and soft but also held a note of warning and he stilled, his scent washing over him as he inhaled quickly through his nose. For some reason, the scent of the hanyou seemed to calm him but for the life of him, he couldn't place why.

Family.

Protector.

Safe.

It was as though there was another presence in his mind, urging him to trust in the strength of the male that held him tightly. It was niggling at him, telling him that where he was, he was safe. Ranma wasn't sure where this knowledge was coming from but it was pulling him from the inside, urging him to trust it.

He looked up, seeing the amber eyes of the hanyou he had come to know so well watching him closely, watching over him and he felt safe.

He stiffened as he heard movement coming from outside the soft barrier he was encased in, each shuffle echoing in Ranma's mind. He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the noise but it seemed impossible.

"Easy," he heard the soft voice above him, the strong arms surrounding him shifting and he felt his fingers threading into his hair. A soft massaging began at the top of his head and he felt himself relaxing despite the noise that was going on around him. "You're okay. You're alright."

At this moment in time, he believed it.

A rumbling started in the chest pressed against his face and he couldn't help but press against it tighter, wanting the security that came from the sound.

He heard whispering coming from above him, seeing somewhat distant in the lull he had sunk into. He heard the movement again, closer this time but it didn't hurt his ears as it had before.

"His eyes are closed," there was a pause in the rumbling and Ranma couldn't stop the small whine that pushed from his throat, satisfied when it started again.

"Well, he definitely feels safe with you." Another soft, female voice sounded from above him and he grumbled at the sound. "You think he'll be alright."

"Yeah, just do it slowly." Ranma shifted as he felt the heavy cocoon he was in shift. He winced as light shone from behind his eyelids, grumbling his annoyance at the intrusion.

"See," the voice above him sounded pleased with themselves, "I told you they'd perk up."

"Is it bad that I think they're really cute?" Another, a different, another female voice joined the other two and Ranma wondered how many of them there were.

"Definitely not," the first female voice giggled, "cute ears are a must have when it comes to having your very own Inu-hanyou."

"Hn," was all he heard from the one safe-guarding him. He felt the body next to him shift, fingers still massaging. "Alright, you wanna open your eyes, kid?" Ranma really didn't want to but something in the back of his mind told him it wasn't really a request. He very slowly eased his eyes open, slamming them closed again at the light. "I know it hurts but it'll only be for a second while your eyes adjust. Come on." Once again, Ranma had the urge to obey the other male and slowly opened his eyes again, squinting at the brightness invading his eyes. "There you go. Now, there are some people that wanna see you. You gotta turn over, kid."

Ranma burrowed back down into Inuyasha, grumbling his objection to that idea and the older hanyou just chuckled. Before Ranma could process what was going on, he had been forcefully turned around so that he was now back to chest with Inuyasha. He buried his face in furs below him and Inuyasha chuckled again, along with a feminine giggle.

Intrigued by the sound, he opened his eyes again, the light not hurting so much as he did so, tilting his head back to see who else was there. He was met with two females watching him. He was struck with a sense of familiarity with the both of them, that little voice in his mind stating that they were not a threat.

He ducked back a little as the older female with long black hair and calm brown eyes slowly lifted her hand to his face, resting it on the furs in front of his nose. He tentatively sniffed her hand, catching her scent, absorbing it into his mind, his eyes glued to her face all the while.

Kagome.

Family.

She smiled down at him, seeming pleased by his reaction, gently placing her hand on his head, running her fingers through his hair, whispering gently.

"Just like last night with Inuyasha," she turned to the other female who looked down at him, her large brown eyes watching him intently. He couldn't help but return the gaze, knowing those eyes. She too rested her hand in the furs just in front of his nose and as before, he sniffed her hand.

Akane.

Safe.

Much in the same way he had known that Kagome was his family, his mind attributed Akane as being safe. His memories of her flooded back and while they were not all good, they provided some stability and he welcomed that. He wasn't feeling particularly steady right now and he knew Akane would be there to help him.

"So, does he take after his ojii-san?" Kagome asked with a giggle and Inuyasha just gave a small 'keh' in response. Akane couldn't help but smile at the two of them as she watched their interactions. "I'm sure he'll love a good ear rub."

"Seemed to calm him down," Inuyasha rested his head back down on the furs, making sure his hold on Ranma was still secure. The boy, while more coherent than when he first woke up, was still very much instinctive. There was no way to tell if he would suddenly bolt. He didn't think that he'd hurt the two of them but with youkai it was better safe than sorry. "I think Akane should be the one to give it a try."

She tore her gaze away from Ranma's own, now glittering amber eyes, seeing the older and wiser amber orbs of Inuyasha watching her. "Huh?"

"Try giving him an ear rub," Kagome suggested quietly and Akane looked back to where Ranma was watching her, his eyes wide. His ears were perked up as Kagome had said they would and seemed focused on her. She smiled as she saw them twitch every so often, much like Inuyasha's did, subconsciously reacting to the different sounds that were happening around him. She felt a little apprehensive about touching them though. "Look, think of it as a way to build trust. Inuyasha doesn't let just anyone touch his ears," that earned a snort from the hanyou in question, which Kagome ignored, "mainly because, they're really the only vulnerable spot he has."

"Really?"

"They're really sensitive," Kagome gently ran a finger over the edge of the silver appendage on top of Inuyasha's head, causing it to twitch insanely while the hanyou grumbled, unable to move away from her touch, other than to flatten the offended ear into his hair. "See? The fur is really fine, making it so sensitive. And while they may heal quickly, any damage to them bleeds a lot and is really painful." She looked back down to Ranma, who hadn't taken his eyes off of Akane, watching her intently. "A gentle rub should let you build on the bond you already had with Ranma when he was human by letting him know, through touch, that you're not going to hurt him."

Akane could see what Kagome meant as the other woman leaned over, trying to placate her grumbling hanyou. She turned to look at Ranma again, slowly leaning forward as she had when he had allowed him to scent her hand. His eyes followed her hand the entire time, ducking away slightly as she moved it slightly behind his head. She gave him a soft smile which caught his attention, distracting him from her hand. She gently placed her hand on the back of his head, her thumb just brushing the base of his ear.

He stiffened immediately and as Kagome had shown her with Inuyasha the night before, she gently started to rub her thumb along the base of his ear, feeling the join where the new appendage met the rest of his head. She could feel it twitching with each movement and she was aware that he was still tense. She pressed a little harder, her thumb moving in wider strokes and she felt him start to relax a little. She couldn't help but smile at the thought that she might be helping him a little.

She shifted her hand a tiny bit as though she was cradling his head and in so doing, shifted the position of her thumb. The effect was instantaneous as he started to push against her hand, a rumble sounding from his chest. She jumped a little, looking up at Kagome, seeing a wide smile on the older woman's face.

"You got the spot." She laughed and Akane felt her brow furrow slightly. "He's pushing into your hand, right?" Akane nodded and Kagome's grin widened. "Inuyasha and our children do the same thing. They each have a spot on either ear that they love. Once you get it, that's it, you're stuck. Never know, keep at it long enough and his leg might start to shake." Akane looked up at her, surprised. "He's already purring."

Akane looked down at Ranma who had completely relaxed with a content expression on his face. Kagome was right. There was a very distinct rumble coming from him and Akane couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face at the sound.

"He's drifting off again," Inuyasha murmured and Akane looked to him, startled. "Don't worry. It's probably for the best. He's just undergone a huge change and the fact that he's not freaking our right now means he's going to be okay. His body needs to adjust to the changes and in a way, the best thing for everything to settle, is sleep."

Akane nodded, her eyes drifting down to the newly released hanyou. She was going to miss his deep blue eyes but there was something about the amber eyes that had stared up at her that made him seem other worldly.

She just hoped she had a place in it.

~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~

Once again, Ranma woke up, groaning a little as he opened his eyes. He lifted his head, feeling a little foggy but much more with it than he had the last time he had woken up. He hadn't meant to fall asleep but something had caused him to drift off.

He looked around seeing that it must be dark outside. He was amazed to note that he could still see perfectly well. He could make out the individual planks of wood that made up the floor and walls of the shrine. He could see Kagome and Akane as they slept on the other side of the shrine. Everything was illuminated by the soft pink barrier that was still erect around the shrine. He reasoned that Kagome must have dropped it at certain points for her and Akane to get out and freshen up, probably ensuring that he was asleep beforehand.

He froze as Inuyasha moved behind him, his head shaking indicating that he was awake.

"You're alright, kid." He mumbled and Ranma tried to turn his head to see the hanyou. Before he could register it, he had been flipped over once again before being pulled into Inuyasha's chest. While he was much more clear headed than he had been, Inuyasha's scent calmed him, reassuring him deep inside that he was safe. "How're you feeling?"

"Better," his throat was dry, his voice hoarse and Inuyasha unwrapped one of his arms from the boy, reaching up and grabbing the bottle of water Kagome had left here, complete with straw.

"Don't gulp it down." He warned and Ranma had to force himself not to do just that. The water felt so good on his throat and he grumbled as Inuyasha pulled the bottle away, settling it back where it had been. "Hey, enough of that." Ranma ducked down, unsure of where the noise came from. "Don't worry, kid, you'll get the hang of it. Your vocal chords have a much bigger range now. Essentially they've expanded to allow you to communicate with other Inu's." Ranma nodded, the words sinking in. "Probably why your throat's so sore right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the first time you woke up, you were sure as hell growling and putting up a fuss." Inuyasha chuckled and Ranma felt his cheeks warm as he ducked his head down. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, kid. It's natural." Well, that made him feel a little better. "You doing okay?"

"A little foggy," Ranma admitted, seeing no reason to lie, "everything seems . . . weird."

"Weird how?" He looked up at Inuyasha who was watching him intently. "Explain it to me."

"I don't know," he sighed, resting his head against the hanyou again, the same feeling of safety enveloping him. "It's like . . . everything's just . . . more. I can see better, I can smell better, I can hear everything."

"Well your new ears will be the reason for that," Inuyasha chuckled and Ranma felt his brow crease.

"What do you mean?" Instead of answering, Inuyasha ducked his head forward, wrapping his lips around the tip of one of Ranma's new ears, tugging gently. Ranma sucked in a breath as he tried to move away, earning a chuckle from Inuyasha. Moving one of his hands away from where they were tucked between the two of them, he slowly felt along the side of his head where his ears had been before, feeling nothing but smooth skin. He reached up into his hair line, sucking in another breath as he came across what he instantly knew was a god ear on the top of his own head. "Dog ears?"

Inuyasha released the captured appendage, grinning down at Ranma. "Yup. Don't worry, according to Kagome and Akane, they're just so cute."

Ranma shot him a look, still investigating the new addition to his body. "What do they look like?"

"They look like mine, kid," Inuyasha flicked his own ears, "but they're black with silver at the tip."

"They feel weird." He released the ear, settling his head back down on the furs, noticing the claws on his hands for the first time. He examined them, the fact that they were on the ends of his fingers not really computing to his already overwhelmed brain. "What else looks different?" He wondered if he really wanted the answer to that.

"Well, you've got fangs now." Ranma immediately ran his tongue over his teeth, wincing as his tongue brushed the elongated canines. "And other than the ears, your eyes are probably the most noticeable thing. They're not blue anymore."

"Amber?" Inuyasha nodded and Ranma blinked, wishing he had a mirror.

"And there's also two nice big streaks of silver running through your hair now," Ranma blinked, reaching behind him and grabbing his pigtail, pulling it over his shoulder and sure enough, intertwined in the black there were now streaks of silver that had been split where it had been twisted together. "Hey, you'll get used to it all. And remember, you'll have to wear a concealment spell most of the time." Ranma nodded, thinking about that. "Don't worry. You're not alone."

No, he wasn't. And Ranma was grateful for that.

~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~

Inuyasha woke one again to see glimmers of light shining through the tiny gaps in the joins of the shrine doors. He reasoned that it had to be early in the morning from the direction they were coming from.

He started slightly, that the barrier was down, the pink shimmer not surrounding the shrine anymore. What's more, there were raised voices coming from outside. He looked down at Ranma, seeing that he had stirred awake with Inuyasha's movements.

"Morning, kid," Ranma blinked at him, the faint light still bothering him slightly as he woke up. He heard Kagome's voice outside, along with another voice he could have done without hearing. He grumbled to himself, easing away from Ranma slightly. "You gonna be okay, kid? I've got something I need to sort out." Ranma nodded and Inuyasha noticed Akane sitting on the futon that she had inhabited while they had been ensconced in the shrine. While Kagome had allowed her out to wash and change, he knew that she had to have been really bored over the last day or so. Mostly he and Ranma had slept, Ranma adjusting to the changes happening inside of him and Inuyasha allowing himself the rest knowing he would need his strength to combat the new hanyou. "Akane?" She looked over towards him, blinking blearily as though she had not been awake long. "What happened?"

"I don't know," she looked outside where the voices were coming from. He could feel Ranma tensing at the noise, reacting to the tones from outside. "I woke up as Kagome dropped the barrier and stormed outside."

He looked down at Ranma again, seeing that he was now wide awake, his head leaned back to look at the door, his ears flattened into his hair. "Come here, Akane." She looked to the door again before standing and walking over to the fur pile, stretching as she did so. "I need to try and sort out what's going on out there. Can you look after him for me while I do?" She looked down at Ranma who was watching her with the same intensity he had been when he had woken the second time. She nodded and Inuyasha sat up, bringing Ranma with him. He unwrapped his arms before bringing the furs around the teen and standing up, stretching out, letting out a sigh of relief as his joints cracked, settling after two days of no use.

He nodded for Akane to sit where he had just been by Ranma and she knelt down slowly, golden eyes following her as she moved. The two of them watched as Inuyasha made his way towards the door of the shrine, both of them squinting slightly as he opened the door, the sunlight bursting through before being cut off as the door closed again.

"How're you feeling?" Akane asked, Ranma turning to look at her.

"A little weird." He admitted truthfully and she gave him a small smile. "Apparently I look different."

"Mm-hm," she nodded, her eyes flicking to the ears he now knew were on the top of his head. "You do. But I like it."

"Really?" He sounded doubtful and she grinned at him, nodding. "Even . . . you know?"

"The ears?" He nodded and she giggled, watching them flick and twitch at the noise. "Silly," she reached up and his ears flattened until she gently ran a finger over the outside of his right ear. "I think they're the best part."

"Yeah, Inuyasha said how you thought they were cute." He grumbled and she giggled again, tracing the outside of his ear up to the tip with her finger.

"They are," she admitted and he huffed. She moved her hand to the base, rubbing her thumb over the spot she had found the previous day. He immediately let out a rumble and began to push into her hand indicating that she had found it. "Not only that but Kagome told me how sensitive they are. She told me that Inuyasha really relies on his hearing and apparently he's never more grumpy than when he's got water in his ears. Apparently he can't hear a thing." She giggled and Ranma hummed in response. "She also said they were the best way to calm an irritated or worked up hanyou. And I can see what she meant."

Ranma cracked an eye open, seeing her smile. He flicked his ear, partially amazed that he had cognitively done that rather than the new addition moving on its own, which had been the case until then. Now that he was aware of them, he was conscious of every twitch and flick that came from the top of his head and he was certain the damn things seemed to have a life of their own.

She let go, her hand sliding down to where his human ears used to be. "You're still Ranma to me." She said softly and he gave her a smile, thankful she was here.

The two of them turned to the door, hearing an unfamiliar voice rising in volume. Whoever it was, wanted in the shrine and was not taking no for an answer. The two teens looked at each other, wondering if the shit wasn't about to hit the fan.

Inuyasha really wasn't in the mood for this. He had only just woken up and still had a pup to look after. While Ranma might argue, that's what he was. He wouldn't be considered an adult in the youkai world until he was well into his three hundreds. He had a long way to go.

Inuyasha let out a frustrated sigh as he walked out of the main shrine building closing the door quickly so that the sunlight wouldn't affect Ranma too much. It would also stop the fresh air from disturbing the scents that had built up of the last couple of days. His, Kagome's, Akane's and Ranma's scents had settled in the air in the shrine which would allow Ranma's increasingly sensitive nose to become acclimated to their scents. Especially Akane's. While he would instinctively know Kagome and himself as family, Akane was not. The more Ranma was exposed to her scent, the easier things would be for him.

Not that they would be leaving the shrine for a little while. Ranma needed to get used to all of the changes that were happening and they also had to wait for Totosai to return.

Inuyasha shook his head at the thought of the old loon.

Brilliant he may be but the old codger needed to be committed, he was sure.

He walked across the courtyard, his weathered feet not noticing any pebbles or loose stones littering the ancient slabs. He could see Kagome standing there, her posture stiff and her hands clenched.

And he growled to himself at the reason for it.

"Hey, mutt! You wanna explain what's going on?" He snarled silently at the ancient insult, still irritated from having to leave Ranma to deal with this idiot.

"I'm not sure that we have to explain anything to you," he replied, wrapping an arm around Kagome, feeling the tension in her shoulders.

Kouga stood there in front of the couple, his posture stiff and ready for a fight should one come, wanting answers. Inuyasha glanced at the wolf to his side, recognising him as his son, Ichirou. Inuyasha had always wondered where Kouga's though processes came from. He had literally named his sons in the order they were born. Apparently originality wasn't something possessed by wolves.

"Look, we and probably a hell of a lot of other youkai around felt a huge blast of youki the other night." He growled, stepping towards the already irritated Inu. "And where did it come from? Right here. I think we deserve some kind of explanation as to what the hell you're up to."

"It's nothing that concerns you, Kouga." Inuyasha responded, trying to keep his voice calm. He was conscious that Ranma's new ears would be able to pick up exactly what was going on outside and he didn't want to raise his voice and startle the kid. It was like dealing with a pup. And he knew from raising his own that they didn't like sudden movements or sounds and they absolutely hated the sound of raised voices. "If and when we feel it does, you will be informed but not before then."

Kagome stared at the wolf that, while she considered him a friend, coming to the shrine and behaving this way was not something she took lightly. She was proud of Inuyasha in that moment. As tired as he had to have been from dealing with Ranma and making sure that he was settled and calm, she would have expected him to explode. After half a millennium of knowing each other, the dog and the wolf knew exactly what buttons to push to get an explosion.

"Kouga, please go," she said softly, avoiding glancing over her shoulder at the shrine. To do so would tip him off even more that something was going on. She didn't want to risk him trying to get in there and disturbing Ranma. As instinctive and confused as he was at the moment, they had no idea how the teen would react.

Well, actually she had an idea.

But it wasn't pretty.

Adaptation was going to be hard enough for him as it was, she wouldn't allow him to be put under that kind of stress.

The wolf was going to argue, press his point about what was going on and what they were hiding in the shrine. He knew they didn't want him to go into the main building but he couldn't understand why. There was only a light breeze which was blowing in the wrong direction for him to pick up any scents. Although he could smell another Inu on the mutt in front of him, the scent wasn't known to him. He could see Inuyasha's posture was stiff and he had no doubt that the hanyou would fight to protect whatever was in the building behind him.

He would let it go.

For now.

"Alright," he relented and the couple in front of him nodded. "But I want an explanation."

"When the time is right, wolf," Inuyasha responded, his tone brooking no argument. "And not a moment before."

Kouga stepped backwards, his son following him. He knew he wouldn't get any further with the two of them. He had thought that it was hard getting to them when he had first met them, when Kagome had control of the mutt with those beads but trying to persuade them after she had come back through the well and they had been mated. That was practically impossible.

He still liked to wind up the mutt, though. Even after five hundred years, seeing the hanyou flip his lid was entertaining.

But there as something about the way he was that Kouga couldn't put his finger on as he and Ichirou descended the many steps towards the street below the shrine. He was defensive but not in the usual way. Normally, they would throw insults at each other and then it would turn physical. He would never admit it out loud but the mutt was strong. He always had been. He remembered when he had first met Inuyasha, how he had wiped out the Birds of Paradise with one swing of the Tessaiga. He'd never admitted it but he had been impressed.

But today, there had been none of that. Inuyasha had been calm and collected, his voice remaining low and steady. As though he didn't want to disturb the peace of the early morning. Something Kouga had absolutely no problems with.

If he was being honest, the mutt had reminded him exactly of Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha sighed as the two wolves walked down the steps away from the shrine, knowing that this wasn't going to be the last time they investigated. The majority of the youkai in the Tokyo area ignored anything coming from the Higurashi shrine, knowing that they would have it in hand but without fail either Kouga, Ayame or another one of the wolf tribe would turn up at any little thing.

"I guess the barrier wasn't thick enough." Kagome said softly and he nodded. While one of the purposes of the barrier was to try and stem the flow of youki being released, they had been more concerned with physical demons getting into the shrine and also, Ranma getting out.

They quickly made their way back to the main building, smiling as they heard Akane giggling from inside. They looked at each other, pleased before Inuyasha opened the door and they stepped into the room. He quickly closed the door, grinning as he saw the two teens right where he'd left them.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the look of concentration on Ranma's face as Akane giggled, watching him. It didn't take long for him to figure out what was going on. The boy was trying to figure out how to control his ears.

The two of them walked over to the teens, Kagome not hesitating at all before climbing on to the furs. Ranma was aware and cognitive now, not completely overwhelmed by his instincts as he had been before, so the purity of Inuyasha's scent on the furs wasn't paramount. They would probably continue to have Ranma sleep wrapped in there for another day or two but that was mostly for his senses to settle and for him to become more aware of his new abilities as a hanyou.

"Don't worry, kid," Inuyasha grinned as the teens ear flicked at him. "It'll come." He reached down, giving the soft furred appendage a light rub.

Inuyasha couldn't lie, seeing Ranma's ears, he immediately thought of Honoka. Hers had been exactly the same. Of their four pups, the eldest two, Izumi and Kazuhiko, their first born son, were almost exact copies of their father. They both had his silver hair, bright amber eyes and of course, they had inherited his dog ears. Their second son, Masaru had a mix of silver and black hair, his eyes the same amber as his father and older siblings but his ears silver with a large black patch covering a large chunk of his left ear. Honoka, however had taken after her mother almost entirely in her looks. Other than the amber eyes it seemed would be dominant within their gene pool and the dog ears nestled on top of her head, she was the copy of her mother. Instead of the bright silver of her siblings her hair and been pitch black. Her ears had been the same, save for the spot of silver on each tip.

The exact same ears that Ranma now sported.

He shook his head, coming back to the present to find Kagome smiling up at him. "Back with us?" She asked softly, not bothering to hide the amusement in her tone.

He sighed, shaking his head again. He looked down at Ranma, surprised to see that he still had the teen's ear in between his fingers, the pads of his fingers and thumb, gently rubbing either side of the soft appendage. "Just remembering," he said softly, gazing down at Ranma as Kagome did the same, a wistful smile on her face, watching Ranma's slightly spaced out look as Inuyasha continued his ministrations.

Oh yeah, Ranma was his alright.

~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~

Shampoo was fuming as she stormed her way back to the Nekohanten, slamming the door behind her as she entered the property. Cologne turned to look at her, watching as the girl with a face like thunder stomped past. For once she was glad that Mousse wasn't around as there was no doubt he could have gotten himself killed.

Shampoo couldn't believe what she had been told. She had gone to the Tendo's wanting to see Ranma, still smarting over how Akane had spoken to her when she was there last. She was still somewhat surprised over Ranma's attitude when he had seen her standing there. Granted she had been standing next to the crazy chef at the time but that was beside the point.

He had been distant and cold, not her Airen at all.

She knew nasty pervert-girl had something to do with it.

And now she had been told that her Airen and pervert-girl had gone on a training trip. Alone!

Shampoo was furious.

She reasoned that nasty tomboy had to have tricked her Airen into it. Maybe she was holding something over his head. Something that could hurt him. She couldn't let it stand. She had to gin out where they'd gone and make sure pervert-girl didn't hurt her Airen. Unfortunately, the Tendo's hadn't know where they were. Or they had been lying to her, which was entirely possible.

So she would have to find them on her own.