Anything for You

I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. Hope Everyone Enjoys ^_^

Chapter Seven: Shocking Revelations

Everyone stared down at Taro in utter shock and confusion. Kagome was kneeling in front of the small boy who was holding her face in his hands with a smile on his adorable face. No one could move… or even speak. They weren't sure if they had heard Taro's words correctly or not but by the way the demon child was staring up at Kagome, they were almost positive they heard him say that Kagome was his mother.

"No wonder I couldn't find you." Taro muttered as he stroked her ears softly, effectively pulling her out of her stupor. She stared at Taro with wide violet eyes as he grinned and continued stroking her ears as if he did it on a regular basis. Did Taro really say that she was his mother? Was she really Hiei's future mate? This adorable boy was her future son? Kagome turned her shocked gaze toward Hiei, who was staring down at both her and Taro with wide eyes. He met her gaze and a blush immediately heated her entire face.

"Hold on a second… why do you think Kagome is your mom?" Yusuke asked, apparently not completely convinced yet. It wasn't surprising seeing as Kagome had been around Taro for several days. How come he only realized that she was his mother now?

"Because I've never seen mommy with her concealment spells. With her spell, she has light skin, brown eyes and no ears, tail, claws or fangs. My mommy," he said as he pointed at Kagome, "has tanned skin, purple and silver eyes, a tail, claws, fangs, and ears like mine." he explained.

Everyone was back to their shocked silence as they stared at Kagome. Now it definitely made sense. With Kagome's concealment on, she definitely looked different than in her true form. But that was the point of the spell, it was to make her look nothing like a demon. Once Kagome dropped her spell and Taro saw her, he realized that she had been concealed the entire time. His mother in the future had been right, his mother and father were near each other in this time as well… because his mother and father were Kagome and Hiei.

Finally, Yusuke snapped. "HIEI mates my COUSIN in the future! And they have a KID!?" he barked out, turning a furious glare toward Hiei. He began stomping toward his comrade and was ready to attack until Kagome leapt in between them, baring her fangs up at her cousin.

"BACK off Yusuke. What are you so pissed about?! So me and Hiei mate in the future, what does it matter?! Do you have a problem with Hiei? Because of his bloodlines or because he's your friend? If you've got something to say then say it Yusuke!" she snarled, surprising the wits out of everyone except Taro. He knew how explosive his mother's temper could be. He was merely sitting on the side watching in amusement. Kagome was his mother alright, no doubt about it.

Yusuke backed down slightly as the blunt of his cousin's words hit him. Why was he getting anger? Yusuke knew that he would much rather have his beloved cousin mate someone he knew than someone he didn't know or trust. He wasn't sure how Hiei was as a mate but he was positive that the hybrid would keep her safe, even if it meant losing his life. He knew that Hiei protected his family, which was obvious by the way he always watched over Yukina, so why was he getting so riled up that he was going to mate Kagome in the future?

Instead of adding fuel to his cousin's already raging fire, Yusuke turned a glare up to Hiei, who was still standing behind the pissed miko staring down at her in shock. "You better take damn good care of her or I'll kill you Hiei."

Feeling the tension beginning to disappear, Yukina stepped forward. "Why don't we go inside for some tea… and clean up a little?"

After taking a shower, Kagome returned to the living room to join everyone. Yusuke left to take his turn in the bathroom as the miko sat on the couch. Taro leapt up from his seat beside Kurama and climbed onto the couch to sit in Kagome's lap. She smiled down at the boy as she reached up and rubbed his ear softly. During her shower, she was able to accept the fact that Taro was indeed her future child and that she did mate Hiei. It wasn't hard for her to show affection toward the boy since she already felt attached to him in the first place.

Glancing around, she realized everyone was in the living room, including Kirara. Someone must have called Botan and requested for the reaper to bring Kirara back. The neko was purring in her sleep as Kuwabara stroked her soft fur. The miko found that she couldn't make eye contact with Hiei. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks every time she even thought about him. Staring down at Taro, she couldn't help but smile. How did they not see it? He had her ears and her skin tone. He had Hiei's eyes and hair.

There was just one thing that still had Kagome confused. "Why don't you recognize Yusuke? He's your cousin and I'm positive that he would be around when you were born…" the miko asked as she stared down at her future son.

The boy's face turned grim for a moment as he turned his gaze to the ground. "I never remembered his name because I was younger when he was around. But I do remember being told that cousin Yusuke was on a mission that would take him a long time."

Her confusion grew as she tried to think of what type of mission could possibly take so long that Yusuke hadn't seen Taro for several years. The only answers that came to mind were either he'd been hunting down Kuragari… or he died…

"We need to figure out how we're going to get rid of Kuragari." Yusuke stated as he entered the living room once more, pulling Kagome from her dreadful thoughts.

"Yes, especially since he seems to be interested in Kagome." Kurama added. No one heard but a soft growl rose in Hiei's throat at the mention of another male being interested in Kagome.

"This could get dangerous. We have to keep Kagome and Taro out of his reach. I'm sure he doesn't know of Taro's status yet but we need to be a step ahead of him." Genkai announced.

"But if he likes Kagome, doesn't that mean he wont hurt her?" Kuwabara asked.

"No, it means that if he can't have me he might try to kidnap me and force me to be his mate." Kagome grumbled. Why did she always attract the obsessive demons? Kouga, Inuyasha, the prince and now this power hungry maniac? She couldn't even exclude Hiei from the group because he was overprotective and drove her insane at times as well. She still couldn't believe that she and him mate in the future… she couldn't even believe that he was actually attracted to her.

"There's no way that bastard is getting that close to you." Yusuke snapped.

"Of course not Yusuke, Kagome will remain safe." Kurama agreed.

"Wait, this doesn't mean that I'm going to be under 24 hour surveillance and never left alone right?" Kagome whined.

"Shut up onna and stop complaining." Hiei snorted, earning a sharp glare from her. For the moment, she completely forgot that they were going to be mates in the near future and was just plain irritated with him.

"Make me you midget from hell." she snarled. "How would you like it if you were put on house arrest?"

"It is necessary for these circumstances." he retorted, sending her a glare that dared the cougar to continue arguing with their logic.

Kagome pouted as she slumped back into the couch. Taro looked up at his mother and smiled. "Daddy only wants what's best for us mommy." he said innocently. A blush engulfed Kagome's entire face as she laughed nervously and nodded.

"Of course he does." she said slowly, definitely avoiding eye contact with the koorime now. Lifting Taro from her lap and placing him on the couch, she stood. "I think I'm going to bed. You can join me when you're ready Taro, or you can sleep with… daddy." she said, her voice wavering when she spoke the last word.

"I have to choose? Don't you both sleep together like always?" Taro questioned innocently, staring first at his future mother with wide sad eyes then turning them to Hiei.

Kagome's face turned an even darker shade of red as she tried to think of what to say.

"Taro, how about you sleep with me tonight? I would love if you cuddled with me for once." Yukina smiled.

As all children have short attention spans, Taro turned an excited smile to the ice maiden and nodded. "Ok aunty Yukina!"

Slightly surprised that the boy called her aunty, Kagome brushed it off and took that moment to escape. Retreating to her room, Kagome closed the door and fell face first onto her bed. She had thought it was hard to get Hiei out of her head before… well now it was nearly impossible! She couldn't stop thinking about the fact that the little boy in the living room with her friends and cousin was her son! And the father of her son was the demon that she was falling for. She had actually begun to accept the fact that Hiei could never love her but now… now she just didn't know what to do. She didn't even know how Hiei felt about her.

Rolling over onto her back, Kagome stared at the ceiling as she listened to everyone make their way to their rooms. She heard her door open quietly and sat up only to see Taro standing in the doorway with Yukina.

"He wanted to say goodnight before we went to bed." the ice maiden smiled.

Kagome got out of bed and kneeled in front of the boy that was slowly beginning to look more and more like her the more she looked at him. Pulling him into a hug, she kissed the top of his head and ruffled his hair, causing him to giggle. "Goodnight sweetie." she smiled.

"Night mommy." he purred before following Yukina down the hall.

Closing her door once more, Kagome turned to return to bed and nearly leapt out of her skin when she saw Hiei sitting on her window sill.

"I swear you just scared three years off my life…" she muttered as she continued toward the bed. "What are you doing in here?" she demanded, slightly irritated that she hadn't felt his arrival.

"We need to talk about this." he stated, turning his intense ruby eyes to her.

Kagome felt her heart race in her chest as she averted her gaze to the ground. "What's there to talk about." she murmured.

"Don't act stupid." Hiei snorted, standing from the window sill only to pace back and forth across the miko's small room.

She turned a glare toward him. "Why are you such an ass all the time?"

Hiei hesitated and seemed as if he were going to answer but kept his mouth shut. Kagome watched him walk back and forth, avoiding her gaze, and realized that this was stressing him as much as it was her. There were two possible ways this was going to end… either Hiei was going to admit he liked her or he would tell her he didn't like her more than a companion. There was a fifty fifty chance that the hybrid felt the same way for her as she did for him and if the future was on her side, then she was almost positive that this night was going to end with her first thought. She really hoped it wasn't the latter.

Hiei was debating what he was going to say to the miko. He wasn't one for words and he'd never felt so strongly for another individual as he did for Kagome. He was just so confused and lost that he didn't know what to do. And seeing as she refused to look him in the eye or even hold his gaze for very long, he figured she didn't feel the same way for him. How could she? She was beautiful and could snag any guy she desired. He was just a forbidden with a dark past. Who would want to be with someone like him? He was probably a horrible father in the future anyway.

Kagome felt just as nervous as Hiei looked. She didn't know if he was going to say anything or if he was just going to pace back and forth all night. All she knew was that she couldn't wait much longer. The anticipation was killing her and she needed to know what was going through his head. She wasn't sure what she should say or ask and she couldn't think of anything that didn't sound completely stupid, sarcastic, or desperate. Kagome knew that Hiei was thinking of something to say but she just didn't know what it was.

Not only was Kagome stressing over if Hiei was going to deny her or not, she was also having trouble keeping her eyes from wondering. Even though she would never admit it to anyone, she always thought the hybrid was extremely good looking. Scratch that, good looking didn't even touch how perfectly sexy the apparition was. There were several times the miko had to avoid looking at him just so she could keep her thoughts out of the gutter and tonight just happened to be one of the nights that she imagined Hiei shirtless and pinning her against a wall… kissing her so passionately that it made her head spin. Not able to hold back any longer, Kagome stood from the bed and made her way over to him.

At this point, Kagome didn't even care if he was about to reject her, she just couldn't help herself. Noticing the miko approaching him, Hiei turned his questioning gaze toward her and was completely caught by surprise when she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down for a heated kiss. He wasn't lost in his stupor for long though because before Kagome knew was what happening, Hiei had her pinned down against her bed, breaking their kiss in the process. Both of them smelling the other's arousal spike, Hiei pressed his lips against Kagome's again as he pinned her down completely with the weight of his body.

Kagome's head was spinning… just like she had imagined it would if she ever got the chance to kiss the apparition that had his amazingly sexy body pressed against hers firmly. Unfortunately, the perfect moment ended as quickly as it had started. Hiei pulled away but Kagome thanked any god that was listening when he remained on top of her. Staring up at him, Hiei could see the fear of rejection flooding through her violet eyes. He was surprised to see it in her because it was what he was afraid she would do to him.

Gaining the courage he needed, Hiei leaned down and kissed her once more but this time softly. "I've been attracted to you since we began our mission in the feudal era." he stated, staring straight into her hopeful eyes.

Kagome felt her heart soar. He liked her for that long? But wait… Kagome's smile quickly turned to a frown as his words replayed in her mind. He was attracted to her… he hadn't said he liked her. Kagome's joy quickly turned to sorrow as she looked toward the window to avoid eye contact once more.

Confused with her reaction, Hiei stared at her as he tried to determine what she was thinking. The miko had a surprisingly strong mental barrier and even though Hiei found it irritating since he couldn't read her mind when he wanted to, he respected her that much more for her amount of strength. After several minutes of trying to figure out what she was thinking, Hiei became frustrated and growled softly. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Kagome slid her gaze back toward his and he was further confused by the hurt look that he saw. "You're only attracted to me. There's not much to say about it." she murmured.

Thoroughly frustrated, Hiei growled down at her once more, but more intensely. "For how well you seem to know me, you can be such a baka."

"Shut up you ass." she growled up at him.

"No you shut up for once. Don't you realize by now that I'm not the greatest when it comes to words? You honestly thought that I would know exactly what to say to you?" he glared down at her.

"I don't understand…" Kagome muttered, staring up at him in slight confusion.

Hiei rolled his eyes and groaned. "I like you Kagome. Maybe even love you."

Kagome stared up at him with wide eyes. Did he seriously say what she thought he did? Did he really just use the L word? Was she dreaming? Blinking a few times, Kagome was overjoyed to find that Hiei was indeed still pinning her to the bed with his perfectly toned body and was definitely staring down at her expectantly, waiting for her response. Smiling, Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck. "I can't deny that I'm falling for you too Hiei…"

Staring down at the beautiful mikodemon below him, Hiei couldn't remember the last time he felt so happy. He could almost say that he'd never actually been this happy ever in his life. But as he stared at Kagome, he felt his frozen heart melt and burst into flames as her smile widened and a soft giggle escaped her lips. Was he really lucky enough to steal the heart of this demoness?

"I have to admit… when Taro didn't say I was his mother, I was really disappointed." Kagome murmured, slightly embarrassed.

"So was I." Hiei muttered.

"So… we mate in the future… and have a kid… who is currently sleeping with Yukina." Kagome said somewhat casually.

"Apparently so." Hiei replied before a smirk covered his handsome face.

"What?" Kagome asked once she saw his expression. It looked almost predatory… as if he were hungrily watching prey.

"I'm curious of how far in the future Taro returned from." Hiei stated as he slowly leaned down and pressed his lips against her neck. Oh how long he'd been waiting to follow through with all of his dirty thoughts and dreams about this miko. He could feel her shiver from his touch and it only caused him to gain more confidence. He smirked against her skin as she stumbled over her words.

"I-I'm not s…sure. Why?"

"Seeing as we're mates in the future, that means that we eventually..." Hiei paused when he smelt the spike in Kagome's scent. She knew exactly what he was talking about and from the smell of it, she seemed almost just as excited about it as he was.

Unfortunately, Hiei knew she wasn't ready just yet. He didn't want to that night anyway because he wanted to see how things settled before going any further. So with that in mind, he lifted himself off the miko and forced his legs to carry him to her door. Turning a smirk toward her once more, Hiei opened the door and stepped out before shutting it behind him.

Kagome stared at the door for several long moments before her blank stare turned to an irritated glare. 'I hate you, I hope you know that.' she growled to herself, knowing Hiei would hear her.

'Whatever you say onna.'

Kagome could hear his soft chuckles and she was tempted to chase him down and beat the living crap out of him just for leaving her hot and bothered. Growling to herself, she rolled over on her side and pulled the blanket over her before forcing her wide awake body and mind to go to sleep.

The next morning, Kagome was waiting at the front door with Hiei for the others again. Yukina exited her room and stretched as she smiled and made her way over to the miko and hybrid. She told them that Taro was still sound asleep in her bed with Kirara and that she hoped they had a good day at school before disappearing into the kitchen. Kagome hadn't spoken to Hiei all morning and hadn't even made eye contact for that matter. Hiei knew the miko hadn't changed her mind about them because of the dark red shade her face would turn every time she even glanced in his direction.

She had yet to put her concealment back since the fight yesterday and even though Hiei would rather her just put on a hat and tie her tail around her waist, he knew she had to cover her other odd features as well. He wouldn't admit it, but he loved the color of her eyes. And fangs looked ridiculous on many demons but on her, they looked sexier than ever. But of all her features; her perfectly flawless tanned skin, ideal curves, and beautiful eyes he wouldn't mind getting lost in forever… her ears and tail intrigued him most. It surprised even him when he found that Kagome's tail whipping back and forth stirred his lustful emotions into a frenzy. And he'd been waiting so long to touch her ears… he was curious if they were a weakness that he could use against her while they were getting intimate.

Not able to resist, Hiei stepped closer to her quietly. Since she was standing in front of him tapping her foot impatiently as they waited for the others, she didn't notice his approach and jumped slightly when he caught one of her ears between his fingers. He gently rubbed the base of her ear and the miko's knees nearly gave out on her as the unmistakable sound of purring rumbled from her chest. Hiei chuckled when she even fell back against him and rested her weight against his chest. Removing his hand and helping her stand straight once more; he rolled his eyes when she turned a disappointed look toward him. It was the first time she'd actually acknowledged his presence since he left her the previous night.

"Conceal yourself onna." he said just as Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara joined them at the door. Kagome sighed and closed her eyes for a moment and muttered something under her breath grudgingly. She didn't like putting on her spells; it made her feel like she was wearing a mask. She liked being in her true form and having her tail and ears free. But she had to keep the concealment in place for school. They didn't need people asking how she got such a perfect tan so quickly and how her eyes changed to a color that couldn't even be acquired by using contacts.

Once her spell was in place, Kagome wrapped her tail around her thigh and dragged herself out the door. She wanted more than anything to skip school today but she couldn't voice her desire because she was positive that if Yusuke knew she wanted it, he would somehow convince her to ditch with him. So deciding to suck it up, Kagome followed the guys to school without much complaint. During their walk to school, Kagome was very aware of the fact that Hiei was walking beside her. She shouldn't have been surprised really seeing as they had told each other how they truly felt and found out they were to be mated in the future and have an adorable kid named Taro.

The miko was grateful that Hiei only walked beside her because for the time being, it seemed that everyone else had forgotten about the fact that they would be future mates. Kagome wasn't in the mood to deal with Yusuke's teasing or complaining or threatening that Hiei had better treat her right. Today, she just wanted to coast through the day and not make a scene. Upon entering the school grounds, everyone split up and went off to their classes; Kagome followed Hiei to their first class and quietly took her seat beside him.

Throughout class, Hiei noticed that she seemed distracted. Curious, he tapped into her mind. 'What's wrong.'

Caught off guard, Kagome jumped slightly at the sound of his voice and turned her surprised gaze to him briefly before regaining her composure. 'Just thinking.'

'Elaborate.'

She brushed the demand off, not allowing it to bother her. 'I still can't believe that we end up together and have a kid. I just never thought it was possible… for me to be happy.' she explained and Hiei could easily spot the sadness in her voice. She had told Yusuke of how horribly Inuyasha treated her… the terrible things he said to her. The detective had repeated what she told him to them and warned them not to chip at her pride as the hanyou had. That's why when Hiei picked on Kagome, he made sure not to directly insult her looks or strength because he knew that's what Inuyasha always attacked.

'It's hard to believe.' he agreed.

Kagome glanced at him again to see his expression and blushed when he met her gaze. 'I just never thought I had a chance with you.' she admitted.

'My thoughts were along the same lines with you. I figured you wouldn't desire a forbidden with a dark past like mine.' he confessed. He was surprised that he was being so open with her but didn't hold back. He felt he could trust her and it was good seeing as they were apparently destined to be together.

Kagome snorted and rolled her eyes. 'I don't know how you could think that when every girl in this room would obviously bend over backwards to be with you.'

'You don't think I've noticed the dozens of males in this building that stare at you like a piece of meat? You're desired among this population just as much as I seem to be.'

Kagome hesitated before smiling slightly. She couldn't deny he was right and it made her heart skip a beat to know that Hiei was keeping an eye on her. 'Well then I guess I'll have to scare away all the girls that are after your heart.'

Hiei snorted and scowled as his gaze traveled over the many females in the room that were currently day dreaming about him while the teacher was lecturing. 'These blood thirsty creatures aren't after my heart.'

Kagome rolled her eyes and held back her laughter. 'Well it doesn't matter what their after, if it has anything to do with you, they're not allowed to have it.'

Hiei glanced at the miko from the corner of his eye. The slight glare and determined look on her face was exceedingly sexy because of her show of possessiveness over him. He was just curious of how she planned to deter the girls away from him when class ended. From what he could hear in their thoughts, the girls had formulated a plan because of the incident yesterday. They weren't going to let Kagome just walk out with him this time, that was for sure.

When the bell finally rang, Kagome gathered her things but before she could stand from her desk, three exceedingly good looking boys surrounded her desk and Kagome scowled slightly when she spotted five of the girls that liked Hiei surrounding his. Her attention was pulled away from the hybrid though when one of the boys placed his hands on the desk and shifted so that his face was mere inches away from hers.

"So you're Kagome right? I hear you're Urameshi's cousin, is that true?"

"Yes." she answered, wondering where this guy was going with the conversation.

"I hear from some girls that he's pretty decent in bed, must mean you are too since your related huh?" He smirked and winked suggestively.

Feeling violated on more than one level and pissed that this boy had the nerve to accuse her cousin of sleeping around, Kagome was about to stand and leave the room when she suddenly felt someone's warm hands hold her face gently before a pair of soft lips pressed against hers. Hiei's forest scent drowned out every other smell in the room as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment while it lasted. It wasn't long and before she knew it, Hiei was pulling her out of her seat and dragging her out of class. So much for not making a scene today…

Once they reached they're next class, they took their seats and waited for Kurama. Kagome had the sudden urge to tackle Hiei to the ground and continue what he had started in their previous classroom but her desire was dashed away when Kurama stepped into the room and smiled toward them. Sitting in his seat beside Hiei, the avatar smirked in their direct.

"Word seems to spread like rapid fire around here." he said quietly as the rest of the students rushed into class.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"Everyone thinks you two are dating now." Kurama said, chuckling softly when he spotted not only Kagome's blush but Hiei's as well.

"Those girls must be spreading some horrible rumors." Kagome sighed.

"Well considering they were walking down the halls yelling about 'shrine maiden sluts' stealing one of the three 'gods' from them, then yes, quite horrible. May I ask what you two did to enrage them so?" Kurama said.

Hiei growled softly at the thought of rumors such as those being yelled through the halls. How inappropriate and untrue. "They attacked us this morning. Five of the girls convinced three boys to distract Kagome while they ambushed me. When I sensed her discomfort, I left the girls without a word and took her attention away from the boys that were harassing her." he said quietly.

"How exactly did you steal her attention?"

"He kissed me." Kagome answered.

Kurama stared at them both in surprise. He had accepted the fact that Kagome and Hiei were going to be together soon, or perhaps were already together, but it didn't mean that he was used to it yet. From all the fighting and insulting that occurred between the two of them, Kurama had been surprised out of his mind when Taro announced that Kagome was his mother. Though looking back at Hiei's actions and reassessing them, he did realize that he indeed showed interest but kept it hidden quite well. Looking at them now, Kurama couldn't picture Hiei being the romantic type and hearing that he had kissed the miko in the middle of a group of jealous humans just didn't sound believable.

They're conversation ended for the time being because the professor stepped into class at that moment and began his lecture. Classes flew by like they always seemed to. Yusuke had been beyond pissed by the time she arrived at one of the classes she shared with him. He had said that people were spreading rumors that Kagome was a whore and was screwing around with Kurama and Hiei. Kagome wasn't surprised when Yusuke said he'd punched a guy square in the face when he heard that rumor leave his lips. After pounding the boy's face in, he had glared at everyone around him and stated that his cousin was NOT a whore and whoever said otherwise would end up in worst condition than the guy he'd just pummeled.

Soon Kagome was getting ready for gym and joining the rest of her class in the large building. She sighed when she spotted the five girls from her first class sitting near a group of other girls. They all turned deadly glares in her direction when they spotted her and Kagome had a feeling that today was going to get even worst than it already was. Kagome wasn't one for confrontation but if the need arose, she would defend herself without a doubt. With how many times she and Hiei had gotten into verbal battles, Kagome was confident that she could out wit these girls without breaking a sweat.

The teacher stepped into the gym and instructed everyone to run two laps around the track before coming in for dodgeball again. Kagome ran her laps at a decent pace before beginning to jog back into the gym. She was stopped at the door when she heard a snort as she stepped inside. Turning, she wasn't surprised to see the five girls and four others with their arms crossed over their chests.

"So the whore needs her cousin to fight her battles for her huh?" A blonde girl spat, a smug look on her face.

Kagome wanted to laugh. This girl actually thought that was a good insult? She had so much to learn in the art of insults. Staring at the girl with a bored expression on her face, Kagome sighed. "And you need an army to stand behind you just to face the one girl you're jealous of?"

"Who said I was jealous of you?" she snorted.

"Well seeing as I've practically snatched Hiei right from under you, even though you didn't have a chance with him in the first place, and you're spreading rumors about me to make me look bad, I'd say that's jealously."

The girl glared at Kagome for a moment before she snorted and stuck her nose in the air. "You think you're good enough for one of the hottest guys in our school? Or even pretty enough for that matter? You're delusional!" she laughed mockingly.

Although this girl had hit a sensitive spot, Kagome refused to let them see her pain. "If I weren't good enough, he wouldn't have left your attention to come kiss me." Kagome smirked.

The blonde scowled once more as all the others glared at Kagome in hatred. "Don't get too excited. It won't take me long to steal him away from you. And as for the other hotties you hang out with? Yea they'll be taken from you as well." she snapped before walking off. Kagome rolled her eyes at their antics. She just wanted this day to end already…

Kagome sighed in relief when she spotted the temple stairs. School was practically torture that day. Those girls were spreading rumors like rapid fire and even though most of them didn't bother her, Kagome was starting to get overwhelmed. One boy actually came up to her during lunch and said he'd heard she was both terrible and amazing in bed and that he wanted to know which it was. He was quickly dismissed when he saw the deadly glares Hiei, Kurama and Yusuke had pinned him with.

Finally reaching the top of the steps, Kagome quickly prepared herself as Kirara appeared from nowhere in her large form and darted toward her. Kagome laughed as the neko tackled her down and began nuzzling her nose against the miko's face before helping her back to her feet. Kagome hugged Kirara tightly before she reverted to her smaller form and ran into the temple. Kagome followed behind her, not noticing the worried faces of her fellow spirit detectives.

"She looks fine…" Kuwabara murmured as they watched her disappear into the temple.

"No matter how much pain she could possibly be in, that stubborn baka would never show it if it meant ruining someone else's day." Yusuke grumbled. He knew that the rumors today had gotten to her but she seemed more bothered about something else aside from the false talk around school. He'd known her majority her life and knew when Kagome was hiding something.

"Perhaps Hiei should talk to her." Kurama suggested, glancing at the hybrid from the corner of his eye.

"Hn." Hiei turned a slight glare toward them before disappearing. He didn't need to be told to have a word with the miko because he had already been debating what he would say to her. He knew exactly what was bothering Kagome because he'd been following her around school somewhat. Seeing as Kagome's mental barrier was so powerful that he couldn't penetrate it, Hiei settled for sneaking into the minds of those around Kagome. He had seen and heard everything that happened during her gym class and knew that Kagome was worried she wasn't good enough for him. He understood that feeling because he didn't think he was good enough for her. For now, Hiei was going to give the miko her space to calm down. He would approach her later, when the pain wasn't as fresh in her mind.

Kagome spent the entire day with Taro and Kirara. Once she got to the temple after school, Taro had begged Kagome to drop her spell because he thought she was prettier in her true form. Kagome didn't complain because she felt more comfortable in her true form… more free. And spending time with Taro helped her completely forget about the drama at school. Kirara ended up falling asleep on Kagome's bed after several hours of activities and Taro still seemed to be full of energy. It was still bright outside so Kagome decided to take Taro for a short walk with her. Yusuke and Kuwabara had left a few hours ago to visit their homes and Kagome wasn't sure what Hiei and Kurama were doing, through she could feel they were somewhere on the shrine grounds.

Taking Taro's hand in hers and smiling down at her future son, she led him into the forest that surrounded the temple. She spread her aura out around her to be sure there weren't any threats nearby as they slowly walked farther into the forest. With her senses on high alert, Kagome allowed Taro to run around but told him to remain within her line of vision. The small boy's actions reminded her so much of Hiei and her that she nearly couldn't believe it. His beautiful ruby eyes scanned across the surrounding area for any danger before he turned and smiled at Kagome. She shouldn't have been surprised though, seeing as Taro was their son in the future.

Speaking of the future… Kagome blushed as she watched Taro run around chasing a rabbit. She wasn't sure how far in the future she and Hiei mated and had Taro. She also wondered if Taro's appearance sped up the process. Kagome was positive that if she and Hiei were meant to be in the future, it wouldn't have happened for quite some time because of the way they acted toward each other. Even though Kagome had secretly liked Hiei, she would have never revealed her true feelings and if Hiei secretly liked her, he wouldn't have either.

Staring at Taro, the miko thought of how terrible the future must be for him. Watching his world fall to pieces and his parents get killed… Her mind wondering to that particular subject, Kagome felt her heart clench at the thought of Hiei being taken away from her. She had seen Hiei fight before and knew he was far stronger than she was so Kuragari had to be quite strong to be able to take Hiei down in battle… if that was even how the hybrid was killed. For all she knew, Kuragari didn't fight fair in the future and just had others do his dirty work for him. And if she and Hiei were killed then that meant Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan, Koenma, Yukina, and Genkai were also killed.

Kagome tore her eyes away from Taro as she felt tears beginning to well up. She was going to be the cause of more deaths in the future… it was as if the past was repeating itself and more of her friends were going to die. Their blood would be on her hands… but she was being given another chance to fix things. Her future self had sent back their son to help her correct the future and save everyone. All she had to do was defeat Kuragari before he got too powerful and was able to destroy Reikai. Kagome's attention was pulled from her thoughts when she felt someone approaching her at high speeds. Her senses went into a chaos when she realized the aura she felt approaching was the exact demon that ended her perfect future.

Rushing toward Taro, she wrapped her tail around his waist as she had before and pressed his back against hers. "Mommy, what's wrong?" she heard him ask, his voice shaking slightly. Kagome remained silent for a moment as she concentrated. There weren't any other demons with Kuragari and that brought a small amount of relief to the miko. "There's danger coming sweetie, I need you to remain quiet and still ok?"

"Yes, mommy… be careful please." he replied and Kagome could hear the fear in his voice. He was afraid that he'd lose her… again.

She didn't have any time to comfort the boy because Kuragari had finally made his appearance and was now standing several feet away from her with that trademark smirk on his face. "You shouldn't wonder off on your own my dear; there are dangerous creatures out and about."

"Nothing I can't handle." she snorted, glaring at him.

The cougar pouted and shook his head slightly. "What have I done to deserve such hostility from you Kagome? I've shown you nothing but kindness."

"You're attacking the barrier and you searched out where I live and attacked there too. How do you possibly consider that kindness?" She snarled.

"I merely wanted to get your attention." he purred.

"All you've done is caused trouble." she growled, her ears pinning down against her hair.

"Has anyone ever told you that your incredibly sexy when you're angry?" he questioned, taking a step closer to her.

"Stay away from me." she growled, baring her fangs.

"Now why would I do that?" he smirked, taking another step toward her.

"Because I will tear you to pieces if you don't." she snarled, her entire body tensing.

Kuragari's attention was pulled from Kagome when he heard a soft whimper. He chuckled slightly as he took in Kagome's tense, protective stance and realized why she was more cautious than he'd seen during their very first encounter. "So that demon child is with you hmm?" he questioned, smirking once more when he saw Kagome's anger increase. Before Kagome knew what was happening, Kuragari disappeared from her line of vision. Her senses told her exactly where he was and she turned so quickly, she wouldn't have been surprised if Taro was slightly dizzy.

"He looks surprisingly similar to you, has the same ears and some facial features… but he lacks you're breathtaking eyes." the cougar stated, his expression turning curious. "His scent is also similar to yours… If I didn't know any better, I would say he could be your son."

The slightly wide eyed expression that crossed Kagome's face for just a moment was enough to confirm Kuragari's curiosity. Not to mention Taro had somehow built up the courage to snarl out a threat if he dared to touch his mommy. Kagome glared at her opponent threateningly as she prepared for him to attack… or do anything. She was surprised when he merely glared at the ground and clenched his hands into fists.

"Who is the father? So that I can tear him to pieces and take his place."

"I'll rip you apart before I let you lay a hand on him or my son." she snarled.

"Oh? You think you can successfully protect the kit from me?" he challenged, his ears perking up in interest. Before Kagome could throw out another threat, Kuragari was on the move once more, but this time she was prepared for it. Her trained eyes watched him carefully as he circled her and looked for an opening in her protective stance. No matter where he moved, Kagome was able to maneuver Taro out of harms way. She was quickly getting more pissed as each second ticked by. This bastard found it entertaining to play with Taro's life.

Kagome thought that Kuragari was going to mess around with her all night until he finally landed an attack on her. It wasn't severe but she knew his intention was to weaken her so that she couldn't successfully keep Taro safe any longer. Now that she knew he wouldn't hesitate to draw her blood, Kagome was even more alert to his actions. Unfortunately for her, he seemed to be almost as quick as Hiei and she wasn't nearly fast enough to match his speed every time he dove in to attack. Her main goal was to keep Taro out of harms way, even if it meant that she took the blow.

Kagome was about to retaliate with an attack of her own just as Kuragari was rushing in for another attack when Hiei suddenly appeared before her and deflected the cougar's attack with his katana. Relief flooded through Kagome's entire system as she unraveled her tail from Taro's waist and pulled him into her lap so she could lean back against a tree. She had several injuries and although they weren't deep enough to kill her, they hurt like all hell and were bleeding freely.

Kagome watched as Hiei and Kuragari's fight quickly escalated into a serious life or death battle. Kagome could tell Hiei was pissed and just wanted to paint the surrounding area with the cougar's blood and she could tell Kuragari realized it. They're battle raged on for quite some time and the sun was beginning to fall behind the mountains. Hiei knew that Kagome's wounds needed to be taken care of and he could see that she was on the verge of passing out from blood loss. He needed to finish this quickly but Kuragari's skills nearly matched his and he was able to counter all of his attacks. He needed to find some kind of weakness that he could use to his advantage.

"You're protecting them as if you're life depended on it." Kuragari observed with slight amusement in his voice. "Is the father of her son going to kill you if you don't bring them back in one piece?" he mocked, his eyes narrowing slightly at the thought of Kagome being with another male.

That's when it clicked and the hybrid knew how to end this. Hiei snorted as a slight smirked appeared on his face. "I'm the father. Isn't that obvious baka." he mocked. Only an idiot couldn't tell that Kuragari had seemed to have fallen for Kagome. He was obviously jealous that the miko had a child and apparently a significant other. Hiei figured that if he got the cougar pissed off, his defense would waver and he'd get his chance to take his opponent down.

Kuragari's eyes widened as his gaze briefly traveled to the small boy sitting in Kagome's lap trying to keep her awake. Feeling eyes on him, Taro turned to his father and the demon he was fighting and Kuragari saw it. The boy had the exact same eyes at the hybrid he was currently battling against. He was telling the truth… he was the father of Kagome's son. Kuragari snarled in anger and leapt forward to attack Hiei but didn't realize that in his fury, he wasn't paying complete attention anymore. With his distraction, Hiei was able to push his katana directly into his enemy's stomach. Unfortunately, the hybrid didn't get the chance to finish him off because he disappeared right before his eyes.

Shaking his mind clear, Hiei rushed to Kagome's side and grew even more worried when he saw how close she was to passing out. Lifting her into his arms and pulling Taro onto his back, Hiei rushed back to the temple and directly to his room. Placing the miko down on his bed, the hybrid placed Taro down beside her before quickly locating Yukina. The ice maiden made quick work of healing Kagome's wounds before Hiei requested she have Taro sleep with her for the night. Yukina departed to her room with Taro in tow, muttering that she expected an explanation in the morning.

Once the maiden closed his door, Hiei crawled onto his bed and sat with his back against the head board. Pulling the still unconscious miko into his lap, he laid her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her protectively. Burying his nose in her hair, he sighed as he growled softly. "Baka onna… why do you have to be so reckless… you'll be the end of me if you continue causing so much trouble…"

A/N:

That wraps up this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed. Until next time…. R&R!

~*Icyfire*~

Next Chapter - Chapter 8: Multiple Failed Attempts