Chapter 5

It was late in the fall season, naked trees doing little to protect from the icy wind. Winter was nearly upon them. Kagome wrapped her homemade animal skin cloak tighter around her. She was thinking of a way to ask Inuyasha if she could go home. She hadn't been back in her own era since completing her schooling in the summer. Kagome worked hard to finish early so she could focus on hunting shards. Now she desperately needed to return, she was out of almost everything.

Deciding to just come out with it, Kagome took Ashi off her shoulder and set him down then ran ahead to catch up with Inuyasha walking a few meters in front of the rest of the group. The young miko hoped her friend was in a good mood as she finally caught up to him and got straight to the point of her goal. "Inuyasha it's been awhile since I've been home and I was wondering if it'd be alright if I took a few days to-" "Oh no, bitch!" Inuyasha interrupted. "You ain't going anywhere, you always slack off and leave well, not anymore! You are staying with me til we find all the shards and make me a full demon. You got that!" The rest of the group stopped a few feet back sensing a fight coming and did not want to get in the way.

"SIIIIIT!" Kagome screamed, after recovering from her shock. "SIT BOY, SIT BOY, SIT BOY! she yelled with a red face. "SIT BOY, SIT BOY, SIT BOY! Who do you think you are? You don't own me and you can't order me around like some pet!" Turning to Ashi and walking towards him, he transformed into his larger size and she climbed on. "I'm going home!" the very angry woman yelled and flew off on her neko companion, behind her she left four very scared looking friends and one barely conscious half demon.

"Ugh, the nerve of him! I belong to no one but myself!" she fumed, seeing the well in the distance. The ride back took two hours and she was still boiling inside. Arriving at the well, the pair landed safely and Kagome climbed off the large cat to stand on the grass. "Thank you for flying me so far, Ashi." Kagome said, smiling sadly at him. Transforming to his smaller size and tilting his head to the side Ashi mewed then walked over to her leg to rub against her trying to offer comfort. Picking up her sweet little guy she reassured him, "Let's just forget about it." Turning and walking with her bundle to the well she paused in her tracks. "Um, Ashi, would you like to come with me?" the girl asked. Ashi nodded so she adjusted her bag, quiver, and bow on her back and sent a small prayer to the Kami that he could get through. Sitting on the lip of the well she swung her legs over the edge and dropped down into the portal.

Dazzling blue and black colors surrounded them, moments later she felt her feet softly touch the ground. Still holding Ashi, she looked up at the inside of the well house and smiled. The passage to the future let them both through.

Climbing the latter was slightly difficult with one hand but she made it. It didn't occur to her until she reached the top that she could have put Ashi on her shoulder. Sighing frustratedly, she opened the door to the future. Crisp fall air raced through the new path she created and made her shiver. Walking quickly to her house, she opened the door and let herself in. "Mom, grandpa, Souta, I'm home! Kagome yelled while she slid off her shoes. No one came to greet her so she wandered into the kitchen, finding a note on the table.

Dear Kagome,

If you're reading this unfortunately we aren't home. We're visiting your aunt for the weekend and won't be back until next week.

Love and miss you,

Mom

"Well so much for getting to see my family," Kagome said sadly. It was Friday and she only planned to stay two days, she would be gone before they got back. Setting the note down, she went upstairs to her room to get a change of clothes for a bath. "You can wait here and nap on my bed if you'd like." Kagome said happily to her demon kitty. "Or feel free to explore." Leaving Ashi to his sniffing, she giggled and went to her adjoining bathroom.

Steam filled the room as Kagome slid into the almost too warm water. She loved taking baths in hot water. It relaxed her so completely. "Ah, I wish I could thank the inventors of the water heater," she said aloud. After she shampooed her hair and washed her body, she sat in her tub and thought over the past few days. 'That Inuyasha sometimes I could just- No don't go there girl!' Sighing inwardly she let her thoughts drift to a certain lord. 'I still can't believe it! The eyes from the woods and the ones that have been constantly in my dreams, they belong to Sesshomaru!' she thought, amazed. 'I knew the moment I looked in his eyes they were the same golden suns I've been dreaming of!' "But why?" Kagome asked aloud. Deciding she would figure it out eventually, she pulled the plug from the drain and watched the whirlpool empty her tub.

Dressed in modern clothing and dry hair Kagome went down to the kitchen, Ashi hot on her heels, to make dinner for the two of them. What she didn't expect was for Buyo, their family cat, to trot over to her for a greeting only to stop at a dead halt at seeing the male neko behind her. The two stared at each other until Ashi hissed, Buyo practically jumped out of his fur and dashed up the stairs not to be seen again for their entire trip.

"Ashi, that wasn't very nice," Kagome scolded. "That's Buyo, our family cat, and he isn't a demon like you so you need to be more kind to him." Kagome didn't see Ashi roll his eyes, too busy looking for something for them to eat. Deciding on a quick omelet for herself and some fish she found in the fridge for Ashi she sat down at the table with her finished meal.

Getting up from her spot she threw the rest of her barely touched, cold omelet away. She just wasn't hungry and decided she would just go to bed early and catch up on some sleep. Picking up Ashi's empty dish and her own, she washed them and set them aside to dry. Scooping up her black demon cat she walked upstairs to her room and got ready for bed.

"Today was lousy, tomorrow will be better. I'll go shopping, restock my bag, and make sure I'm ready for winter. I'm not gonna let that jerk inuyasha get to me anymore. I'll have a relaxing day and go back to the feudal era refreshed!" Kagome said, letting her pep talk sooth the rest of her soured mood.

Laying down on her comfortable pink sheets she turned on her side and allowed Ashi to curl up into her stomach. It was his favorite spot to sleep. Turning off her lamp, Kagome laid her head on her pillow and fell asleep almost instantly. Too tired to dream.

Climbing out of the well in the early morning of her return, Kagome hefted herself over the edge. Why she decided to leave so early she couldn't remember. Finally making it out, she set her heavy bag on the ground along with a sleepy looking Ashi. Taking the thermos she brought from home out of her bag, she sipped the hot tea letting it warm her from the inside.

Looking at the sunrise over the hill behind the well, Kagome smiled sadly. Returning was bitter sweet. She loved this era, she felt like she belonged here instead of the future. Not that she didn't like the modern times, she certainly loved how easy and peaceful things were there. Mostly she missed her family, she was sad that she didn't get to see them this time but was sure to leave a note explaining that she was safe and how much she loved and missed them.

Placing her tea back in its pocket on her bag and slinging the heavy yellow thing along with her bow and arrows onto her shoulder, she picked up a grumpy looking Ashi. He definitely was not a morning cat. Giggling, Kagome decided she would carry him and let him go back to sleep while she walked.

It was mid day, the sun at the highest point in the sky, or so she guessed. Today was overcast and gloomy. Not letting this affect her mood, Kagome sang to herself while she walked. She knew the general direction where she left her friends and wasn't worried about getting there anytime soon. So she kept a pleasant pace, stopping when she liked.

"I could get used to this, it's quiet and peaceful and no one is nagging at me to go faster!" Kagome said happily to no one in particular. Stopping on the used path, Kagome looked to the west where she thought she heard someone in the forest. A small cry confirmed her thoughts and she turned in the direction of the noise.

There sitting on a large rock all alone shivering was a little girl, who couldn't be older than five years old, crying. "Hello little one." Kagome said softly. "Eek" the small girl exclaimed and jumped in surprise while sliding off the rock to hide behind it. Ashi's ear twitched then raised his head at the strange sound. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you, are you alright?" the older girl asked, trying not to scare the child again. When there was no movement behind the boulder Kagome tried again. "I promise I won't hurt you, I just heard you crying and came to see if you were alright and if you needed help," reassured the miko. Peeking from behind the rock the tiny child looked at Kagome curiously. "Are you lost?" the woman asked. Nodding her head, yes the child stood cautiously. "It's alright you don't have to be scared, if you want I'll wait with you until your parents find you," Kagome suggested, thinking it best not to go look for them when she had no idea where she was.

Seated on a blanket that she laid out, Kagome poured some of her hot tea into a mug and handed it to the girl. "Here you go sweetie, it's tea and it'll warm you right up." Taking the cup with shaking hands the child sipped the heated liquid and smiled. "My name is Kagome and this is Ashi, what's your name?" "Rin is Rin." replied the smaller girl smiling a toothy grin. "Well, it's nice to meet you Rin, so when was the last time you saw your parents?" Kagome asked, trying to get an idea of how long they would have to wait. "Rin's mommy and daddy passed away, Rin travels with Lord Sesshomaru, he takes care of Rin now," the girl smiled proudly. "May Rin pet Ashi?" the child asked politely. "Of course, he loves attention." Kagome said, trying to recover from the news she just learned, while placing Ashi in Rin's lap. The child giggled and petted him while Kagome watched.

To say Kagome was shocked was an understatement, there couldn't be more than one lord Sesshomaru so it had to be the same person. "You travel with Lord Sesshomaru of the western lands?!" asked the miko, completely appalled at what she just heard. "Mhmm, m'lord takes care of Rin like a new daddy!" explained the young one.

Realizing she was sitting there with her mouth open she quickly shut it. 'Sesshomaru with a HUMAN CHIlD?! I can't believe it!' thought Kagome. "How did you come by traveling with lord Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked, needing to sate her curiosity on the subject. "Rin found Sesshomaru-sama when he was hurt real bad. She stayed with him while he got better, then Rin went with him when he was all better!" explained Rin, telling her story so proudly.

An especially cold breeze blowing past the two girls had Rin shivering again. "Here," offered the miko, taking off her fur cloak and wrapping it around the child. It would get her warm faster than Kagome's blankets because it was heated by her body."Thank you lady Kagome, it's very pretty!" said the child excitedly. Kagome didn't correct her on the title, she no longer corrected anyone for giving her the affirmation because they did it anyway as was custom.

Giggling as Rin flapped the too long sleeves around playfully, she reached over and rolled them up until her hands were free. It was too big for the smaller girl but it would have to do.

After an hour had passed, Kagome made a fire to keep them warm. Watching Rin fidget around she could tell the child was bored. "I know I brought these for my friend who is about your age but he won't mind if I give them to you," she said, digging through her bag until she found the farmyard animals coloring book and crayons. "These are called crayons and this is a coloring book," she explained holding up each then setting them in front of the child. "I'll show you how it works, you open the book like this and choose a picture you want to color." she informed the excited Rin. Opening the box of crayons she demonstrated on a corner of the page, "Once you choose the color you want, you press the crayon on the page lightly and drag it along the spot you want the color! See? Now you try, pick your color." Kagome instructed, handing Rin the box.

The morning passed quickly into the afternoon, Rin chatted away about everything and anything and Kagome loved it. She found the girl adorable and wanted to get to know her so she chatted right along with her, coloring the page next to the one Rin was working on.

Both of them laid on their stomachs, snacking on Kagome's ninja food and coloring. They were having a wonderful time when Kagome felt a strong demon aura coming close. 'That must be Lord Sesshomaru' Kagome thought almost sadly, she would miss the girl she spent most of the day with.

Sitting up and starting to clean their mess, Kagome helped Rin put away the crayons. The tiny girl almost choked her in a hug when she told her she could keep them. Just as they finished the western lord came into view and was in front of them in seconds.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" shouted Rin, attaching herself to his leg in a hug. "Are you well Rin?" the demon lord asked, placing a hand on her cloak covered head. "Uh huh, Rin got lost after Jaken yelled at her, Rin cried because she didn't know what to do! Then lady Kagome found Rin and stayed with her while m'lord found Rin!" explained the girl animatedly using hand gestures and all.

Kagome smiled at the two, her heart warming as she watched Sesshomaru listen to her entire story, including when they were coloring and a bug crawled on their book, making both the girls scream then laugh as Ashi chased it. It was obvious the lord cared for the girl.

Standing and folding her blanket and putting it back in the bag, Kagome looked up while Rin was introducing Ashi. "This is Ashi, he's a neko demon, he's very cute and lets Rin pet and cuddle and play with him!"

Stopping the girl to save the demon, Kagome put her bag on her back and hugged the small girl and said her goodbyes. "Will Rin see Lady Kagome again?" Rin asked a sad pout forming on her face. "Um, that would be up to Sesshomaru-sama. Kagome said nervously, looking up at the daiyoukai. "That would be acceptable," replied the lord. "Yay!" screamed the little girl. Kagome had to stop the giggle that threatened to come out when Sesshomaru winced at the loud sound.

Giving one last hug to the girl Kagome told Rin to keep the cloak for warmth, she wrapped it around her tightly, then handed the book and crayons to Sesshomaru. Putting the items in a pouch at his side that looked much too small, the lord turned and started walking away. "Come, Rin." he said over his shoulder. "Bye lady Kagome, we will visit soon!" yelled Rin, waving then carefully running after her lord trying not to trip on the big cloak.

Sighing happily, Kagome watched the pair go until she couldn't see them anymore. "Well we better go before it gets too dark," said the miko, and got on the now transformed Ashi. They would need to travel faster to find her friends before the day light was gone.

Later that night, asleep in her camp with her friends, Kagome dreamed of golden eyes and an infectious tiny laugh.

~End of Chapter 5~

Ta daaaa! Okay bye for now.

Sama- An honorific meaning a respectful title to someone of high rank, generally royalty

Ja ne, Peach