Same disclaimer as before. I own nothing but the story.

While Sango chased after Kagome throughout the grounds of the shrine, Miroku and Inuyasha finished working on Sango's bike. They just managed to clean out the oil tank from the shavings left over from tapping of the tank, when Kagome and Sango returned to Miroku's workshop with them walking arm-in-arm.

The girls stopped at the garage door and Sango asked, "How's my baby doing?"

"Your baby is going to be fine Sango," Miroku replied as he wiped his hands on a red shop towel. "I had to chase the threads a few times in order to make sure the job was done right. Inuyasha and I just finished cleaning out the tank from the shavings and in a few hours, it's should be dry enough to be re-installed."

Sango broke free from Kagome and went over to her bike. She caressed the gas tank as she said, "You are going to be alright Kirara."

Miroku went over to her and put his arm around her shoulders before he said, "You had nothing to worry about Sango. When you told me how special this bike was to you, I knew I could not fail you or your father."

Sango turned her head to face him and said, "I don't know how to thank you properly Miroku."

"I do," Kagome injected as she walked over to where Inuyasha was standing then said, "There is a new club that just opened up and I have been dyeing to get in. How about we go home and rest up, then come back and pick the guys up for a night of fun and dancing?"

"That is not a bad idea Kagome," Sango answered. She then asked, "You guys do know how to dance, right?"

"I don't and I'm sure my brother doesn't either," Inuyasha said.

Kagome stroked his right cheek with her hand, then said, "Then we are going to have to teach all three of you."

Inuyasha liked the feeling if her hand on his face so much, that he actually blushed from her touch alone. He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her the way he did back at the hot spring but her friend was there as well as Miroku and he didn't want to embarrass her. Inuyasha did take her hand in his, brought it to his mouth, and kissed it before he said, "As long as you don't mind me stepping on your toes every once in a while, then I guess I can learn how."

"Good," Kagome said. "Sango can ride back with me and as soon as Kagura gets her behind over here."

"Did someone mention my backside?" Kagura asked.

They all turned in the direction of Kagura's voice and saw her with her left arm tightly interlocked with Sesshoumaru's right and her head leaning against his bicep.

Kagome smirked at her friend, then said, "Now that we are all back together again, let's go home ladies and rest up, because tonight, we are going to party with our new friends until the wee hours of the morning."

"You two can go on without me," Kagura said. "I feel I am needed here." She turned her head towards Sesshoumaru and asked, "Is that alright?"

Sesshoumaru smiled at the demoness and replied, "That is perfectly fine, my dear."

Sango heard Sesshoumaru call Kagura 'Dear' and she asked, "Since when are you anyone's anything Kagura? The last time you and I talked about relationships, you said you were married to the wind and no man could take its place."

"That was before Sesshoumaru and I met," Kagura replied. "There is something about this place that is making me want to stay and become a part of the Shrine. When I was with Izayoi earlier and she brought me to the Children's temple, I was nervous. But a little girl helped me see what I really should be doing with my life. This shrine is special and so are the people who run it as well as its visitors. I want to help teach the ways of Shinto to the children, just like Sesshoumaru does."

"This is a big decision Kagura," Sango said. "Are you sure that is really what you want?"

Kagura looked up at Sesshoumaru who was looking down at her with a worried expression on his face. She slowly turned her head back to her friends, then answered, "I have ignored Izayoi's request for far too long. Plus, I have another incentive for staying here."

"What would that be Kagura?" Kagome asked.

"You already know your answer by the way you are holding onto Inuyasha," Kagura answered.

Kagome didn't realize that she was holding onto Inuyasha's hand. She tried to pull her hand away, but Inuyasha clenched his hand tighter around hers. He looked into her eyes, then said, "Please don't, I like having your hand in mine."

Kagome briefly kissed his cheek, pulled her hand back, then said, "That should be able to hold you until we come back later."

Inuyasha's eyes went wide when Kagome kissed him on the cheek. However, he wanted to feel her lips on his again. Reluctantly he said, "I guess it will have to Kagome. Hey, what should we wear tonight?"

"Something casual, but nice," Kagome replied. "I'm sure you will look great in what ever you wear, puppy."

Inuyasha's ears twitched, then he asked, "Puppy? Why did you call me puppy?"

Kagome was already turning around to change back into her clothes when she heard his question. She stopped, turned to face him, then said, "You are just as cute and adorable as a puppy Inuyasha. Plus your ears sealed the deal, puppy." Kagome grabbed Sango and left the garage.

Miroku went over to his friend, leaned against his right side, and asked, "You asked me if I could handle Sango, can you handle Kagome?"

A smile crossed Inuyasha's face as he watched the woman he was attracted to leave with her friend. He then turned his head to his friend, then answered, "I don't know Miroku, but it will be interesting to find out. You need to clean up to get ready for the next set of services my friend. You can't be giving your sermon all greasy, can you?"

Miroku chuckled, then answered as he left Inuyasha's side, "No, I can't. Your father would skin me alive if I gave my sermon covered in grease."

The two friends left the garage, leaving Sesshoumaru and Kagura alone in the garage. She looked at her bike, then said, "I meant every word I said Sesshoumaru, you have opened my eyes today and now, I feel like I have a place I can call my home."

Sesshoumaru cinched his arm tighter around her waist, then asked, "I'm glad Kagura, can I tell you something and you won't laugh at me?"

Kagura turned her body to face him, slipped her arms around him, and answered, "I promise not to laugh."

He ran his clawed fingers through her hair and inhaled the pleasant scent before he said, "I have never met a woman like you before Kagura. My birth mother had set me up on a few dates with demonesses and as good looking as they all were, the relationship was destined to fail before it ever started. You want to know why?"

Kagura turned her head so she could rest it on his chest and listen to his heart beat before she answered, "Yes."

He wrapped his right arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his frame, then said, "I have always dreamed of being with a woman with a slight wild side to her that is also smart, caring, beautiful, and as a heart that is quite large. None of the demonesses I dated had all of those traits. They were either Air-Heads or acted like a princess who wanted to be catered to. The way Ryoko opened up to you made me think there was more to you than what was on the surface. And now that I have gotten to know you better, I can honestly say that you are the one I would like to call my mate one day."

Kagura lifted her head to face him. She looked into his eyes, then asked, "We just met, how can you say that with such certainty?"

"I'm an Inu-Youkai, we know our destined mates from first sight," Sesshoumaru said. "Would you like to freshen up before services start again in an hour?"

"I guess I could use a nap," Kagura replied. She rested her head on his chest again, then asked, "Will you stay with me while I sleep?"

Sesshoumaru backed away from her, then said, "I'm not sure about this. I don't want to rush into anything and sleeping with you would be crossing a line I'm not comfortable with."

Kagura closed the minuscule distance between them again and held a finger to his lips. She then said, "I don't want you to feel uncomfortable about anything Sesshoumaru. I was only hoping that you would lie with me and hold me while I slept. Nothing more."

"That I think I can do," he replied before he kissed her hand and said, "Allow me to show you to one of the spare rooms. You will not be disturbed.

They left the garage and returned to the residence where Sesshoumaru showed her to one of the spare bedrooms. He slid open the door and allowed her to enter before sliding the door closed behind him.

Kagura looked around the room and noticed it was as sparsely decorated as Shiori's room was. She also noticed Sesshoumaru going into a closet and pulling out a futon then setting it up for her. Kagura never had a man be as chivalrous to her as Sesshoumaru was and she liked it. Not wanting to damage or wrinkle Shiori's dress, she slipped out of it and gently laid it down on the dresser before she put herself down on the futon and covered herself up with the sheet.

Sesshoumaru quickly averted his gaze when Kagura started undressing and when he heard her pulling the sheet up, he returned his gaze to her.

"If you are going to join me, I think you are going to want to remove your robe," she said. "You don't want to wrinkle it."

Sesshoumaru gulped before he removed the robe he was wearing and out it next to his sister's dress. He was now standing before her wearing a t-shirt and a pair of khakis.

Kagura looked over his body and felt flush. Between his well defined chest, arms, and mid-section, she swore she was looking at a Kami. She pulled the sheet aside, inviting him to join her on the futon and said, "I promise, nothing will happen today."

Sesshoumaru went over to the futon and lowered himself onto the mattress. But he kept his distance from her as not to cross some boundary.

Kagura felt his apprehension and scooted closer to him before lifting his left arm and draping it over her. She snuggled tightly into his body, feeling the warmth radiating from his core, then said as she closed her eyes, "That is much better. Close your eyes and rest."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of her light breathing for a few minutes before letting himself go and falling asleep with her in his embrace.

Miroku and Inuyasha perfomed the last two sermons for the day before wishing the patrons a fair well and closing the temple. They left the temple and returned to the residence. As they walked into the kitchen, they found Izayoi and Touga at the table, drinking a cup of tea.

Touga lifted his head when he heard them enter and asked, "Would you boys like a cup of my wife's special tea?"

"Yes father," Inuyasha replied and sat down at the table with Miroku.

Izayoi poured them both a cup and served them.

Miroku took a sip, then said, "Thank you Lady Izayoi, your tea always hits the spot after a long day."

"No thank you Miroku," she responded. "Without you, this shrine would not be what it is today."

"I find that hard to believe," Miroku said before he took another sip of his tea. "Your family made this shrine special. I only preach what is in the book, nothing more."

"That is not true Miroku and you know it," Touga said. "Even though, we have been running the shrine for centuries, you have added the one thing that was missing, a sense of humanity. Our teachings have been.. um what's the word.. stiff and directly to the point. Miroku, you have added your own personality to those teachings and the parishioners love it. Ever since you have come to live here and started preaching, the numbers of parishioners has doubled, if not tripled."

Miroku put his tea down and looked at the green steaming liquid before he said, "Touga, Lady Izayoi, if it weren't for you two taking me into your home at my time of need, I might not be here now. As you know, my home life was not exactly the most nurturing or loving. Both of my parents were addicted to alcohol and my father was quite abusive to my mother and me. If it wasn't for your compassion and caring, I would probably be dead or living in a ditch by now."

Touga and Izayoi went over to Miroku and embraced him tightly. Then Izayoi said, "We would have not let that happen Miroku. You have been our son's friend when no one else would be because of his heritage. As soon as Inuyasha told us what was happening, my husband went over to your place to talk to your parents."

"They didn't see things my way at first but after I saw you cowering in a corner, beaten, I made the decision to get you out of there," Touga said. "Your parents fought me in court to get you back. But after I explained in great detail about your home life, the courts granted me permission to have you live here indefinitely or until your parents completed rehab. My family considers you one of us and we all love you as family."

Miroku lifted his head to see Touga's smiling face. He embraced them both and said, "I'm eternally grateful for all that you both have done for me over the years and giving me a family. I only wish that Shiori was home, I miss bantering with her and especially the way she gets under your sons' skin. Mind if I tell you something and you wont get mad at me?"

"Go right ahead son," Touga replied.

"The first time I met Shiori, I was attracted to her, in a not so brotherly way," Miroku said. "I wanted to have a relationship with your daughter that I hoped could lead me to kissing her, as well as other things. However, the more I got to know her, my feelings towards her changed from one of a potential suitor, to that of a brother."

Touga was not surprised to hear that Miroku was attracted to Shiori since she was quite beautiful and she seemed to attract men to her everywhere she went. But she was still his little girl and to hear that Miroku wanted more than a platonic relationship with her made him want to protect Shiori from him as well as any other man that dared to date her. "I'm not blind Miroku," Touga said. "I knew you had a crush on my daughter. However, I knew it would not go anywhere. Shiori always played to a different beat than everyone else. So when she told me about your fascination with her, I knew I didn't have to worry about anything. At the time she was more interested in her painting and other artistic endeavors rather than dating. Not to mention that if somehow you managed to get out of line with her, she could easily kill you without batting an eye."

Miroku chuckled at Touga's response then said, "Shiori is definitely your daughter Touga and as much as I wanted to date her back then, I secretly knew she would not go out with me, even though I wanted desperately to have her on my arm. I do feel sort of sorry for the man who does manage to capture her heart though."

"Why would you say that Miroku?" Izayoi asked.

"The. Answer is quite simple Lady Izayoi," Miroku stated. "Between her father and her three brothers looking out for her, no man would dare to cross a line with her that she didn't want crossed."

"Your got that right brother," Inuyasha stated. "Our little sister is not going to be dating anyone anytime soon."

"No she won't brother," Miroku said. "Might I suggest we both take a rest before tonight? I have a feeling that we are going to need our energy to keep up with our female friends."

Izayoi lifted her left eye and asked, "Female friends?"

"Yes mother," Inuyasha answered. "We are going dancing at some club with Kagome and Sango tonight."

"Izayoi smirked at her sons, then said as she rose, "If that is the case, I need to make sure my sons look their best for their lady friends."

"Mother, what is wrong with our normal clothes?" Inuyasha asked.

"Nothing if you were going to be sweeping the stairs or cleaning the temple. However, you three are going out with three beautiful women and all three of you need to look your best! In your closets you are going to find a few outfits me and Shiori picked out for you guys."

"Shiori helped pick out our clothes?" Miroku asked. He remembered what Shiori had told him about he should dress when in the company of a female and as much as he trusted his little sister, her choice in clothing was not his style. "Oh no, I'm not wearing anything your daughter helped pick out Lady Izayoi."

"Oh yes you will Miroku," Izayoi replied. "Trust me, you three are going to look great and you will probably have to keep the ladies away from you once they see you guys."

Kagome and Sango arrived back at their apartment and Kagome parked her bike. She shut off the engine, removed her helmet, and shook out her hair before she said, "This was some morning, I expected to come home last night with a warm body to sleep with and not a date with a hanyou that treats me nicely."

Sango already dismounted Kagome's bike and had removed her helmet. She watched her friend shake out her ebony locks and heard her statement before she said, "I was not having one of my best nights at the club. I usually have two or three guys waiting for a chance to take me home. Its like we were meant to meet the guys today and I guess Kagura was right, we had better start planning your wedding to Inuyasha now. The way he held your hand and you kissed his cheek was telling me you like him more than just a friend or a fling in the sheets."

Kagome walked around her bike to her friend, then said, "Sango, I am normally the type of girl to sleep with a guy then ask questions later. However, Inuyasha is someone I want to know better before I choose to sleep with him. What is it with those guys and what changed Kagura? She had never been serious since we have known her and now, she is giving up her carefree lifestyle to work in a shine?"

Sango latched her right arm around Kagome, then said, "One, Kagura is a demoness after all and I think she has found her soulmate and two, those guys are special Kagome. Both Inuyasha and Miroku have something about them that I can't quite put my finger on but they are nice and polite."

"Yeah and Miroku looks like he is a good kisser too," Kagome interrupted.

Sango lifted an eyebrow at her friend, picked her up, then said as she carried her back to their apartment, "And Inuyasha isn't? I've seen the way you two held onto each other so don't tell me you two didn't kiss at least once already!"

Sango kicked the door closed to the apartment and went to bed after she dumped Kagome into the bath.

Evening came around and Kagura started to stir. She turned around to face her boyfriend and listened to his light breathing. She felt so warm, being in his arms and it felt completely right to her. Kagura lifted a few locks of his silver hair away from his face as she asked, "What is it about you that made me want to stay here?"

Seeing that Sesshoumaru was still in a deep sleep, she kissed his forehead, then left the futon.

She looked at the sleeping demon one last time before dressed and left the room.

"Have you seen Sesshoumaru?" Lady Izayoi asked.

Kagura spun around to see Izayoi standing behind her. After she regained her composure, she answered, "He is in the spare bedroom, sleeping peacefully."

"Why is my son sleeping in the spare bedroom when he has a perfectly good bedroom of his own?" Izayoi asked while placing her hands on her cocked hips.

As much as Kagura didn't want to tell Izayoi she slept with her son, she did not want to start a relationship with her based on a lie either. Cautiously she answered, "I asked him to stay with me while I slept. However, we stayed fully clothed at all times, if that is what you were questioning?"

Izayoi relaxed her posture a little and lowered her hands back to her sides. She then answered, "Sesshoumaru is a complete gentleman and I expect nothing less. Although I am surprised he slept with you Kagura." Izayoi closed the distance between them and said, "I appreciate your honesty Kagura. However, I don't condone you two sharing a bed together. Please don't let it happen again, unless you two are married, alright?"

"I promise, I will not sleep with him again," Kagura answered before she smirked and asked, "I can still kiss him whenever I want, right?"

"Yes you can kiss him as often as you want Kagura," Izayoi responded then put her right arm around her and said, "You and I are more alike than I thought. I barely could contain myself when Touga and I were courting. Not only are his lips very sweet, his body kept me wanting to see exactly what he hid under those clothes he wore."

The two females left the hall and headed towards the kitchen to have a cup of tea and talk about their respective partners in explicit detail.

The girls woke up, showered, and changed into clothes that made them look hot, but not over the top. They each wore a pair of form-fitting pants that hugged their legs and hips to perfection. They also wore tank-tops as well as denim jackets which provided the protection from the cold they needed while on the streets, but when they removed their jackets, they could show off their shapely upper bodies to the world.

"I think the guys are going to like the outfits we picked out, don't you Sango?" Kagome asked as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Sango was securing her left boot to her leg and responded, "We do look hot Kagome, I wouldn't be surprised if a certain 'puppy' didn't follow you around all night long. You are going to have him drooling all over himself as soon as he sees you Kags."

Kagome spun around on her right foot to face Sango, then said, "And you are going to have a certain monk fawning all over you dear sister. Care to make a bet as to which one of them makes the first move?"

"What do you have in mind Kagome?" Sango asked as she rose from the bed.

"I'm thinking that if Miroku kisses you first, I will clean the apartment for the whole week and if Inuyasha kisses me first, you get to clean this place," Kagome answered.

"What about Kagura? Wouldn't she want to get in on a piece of this action?" Sango asked.

"Face it sister, Kagura has been hooked by a hunky Inu-Youkai. I'm beginning to think we should pack up her stuff and send it to the shrine. I doubt she is coming back here," Kagome said.

"Then we should make tonight a Going Away party for her!" Sango said.

"Great idea! We'll make this a send-off she will never forget, and neither will the guys." Kagome said as she grabbed her helmet as well as Sango's. "Let's get to the shrine to pick the guys up as well as your bike. I want to get to the club early so we can have a prime spot on the dance floor."

Sango and Kagome left their apartment and went to Kagome's bike. They mounted the machine and Sango wrapped her arms around Kagome's waist as Kagome secured her helmet to her head and started her bike. She twisted the throttle a few times before she put the bike in gear and took off towards the shrine, preparing for a night that would be burnt into her memory for the rest of her life.

End of Chapter