Tora-chan: I'm back! And Vitanie didn't hurt me; thankfully Hiroshi came back from his little vacation just as Vitanie caught me. She had to take a forced nap, but everything's fine now.

Hiroshi: I thought I told you to be careful when I left.

Tora-chan: Well it was in the middle of a chapter that you ran out the door saying you're leaving for several days. Do actually expect me to remember anything while I'm writing? Please give me a break.

Hiroshi: You're right; I gave you way too much credit.

Tora-chan: That's righ - - Hey!

Hiroshi: Tora-chan doesn't own Inuyasha only the characters you don't recognize. And now she will continue the story.

Tora-chan: Yeah, yeah.

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Last time: Everyone met Sen and they ended up at the border of Sen's forest and the Sunrise Temple.

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Directly in front of where they stood there was a light blue barrier keeping any unwanted guest from wandering in through the forest. Vitanie looked at the barrier and smiled at how easy it was to get past this one. Once invited in to the temple grounds through the barrier you could pass through without any problems. The only problem was that the only one in the group that could go through it was Vitanie. And it had to be the one that created the barrier to be the one to invite people through. This barrier just happened to be the combination of two powers. One she recognized as her mother's the other she hadn't seen before, but felt that it must be her brother's.

"Okay, here's the thing," she began turning to the others. "You must be invited through the barrier to get in. To do that I need to find my mother or brother."

"Why's that?" Miroku asked studying the barrier closely.

"It has to the one who raised the barrier to invite you through. I can go through because I've been invited in and the barrier will accept me. The only other one that can get through is Sen," she explained. "Now we're losing day light and the temple gates should be closed by now. So I'll go and get my mother and be back quickly." She looked around the group and saw the nods before heading through the barrier. She shivered while going through remembering being forced through a barrier when she was little but quickly set off to find her mother.

The temple grounds where large with plenty of room for people to wander around. There was a large temple in the middle of the grounds that was well cared for a small shrine was not far from the entrance on the temple and allowed the villagers to come and pay quick respects before continuing on their day. Off to the right side of the large clearing was the house of the temple maidens, or it use to be. Now it was the home of the priestess and her family and that was where Vitanie headed. She was about halfway to the well that was behind the house when she heard a shout.

"VITANIE!" she turned just in time to be bowled over by a young man about her height. The two ended up on the ground in a heap, Vitanie's staff rolling away from her.

As she looked at the face in front of her a smile replaced her surprise quickly. "Akemi! Ah, is that really you? You've grown so much," she exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah just wait, kitty, pretty soon I'll be taller then you," Akemi grinned as they got back to their feet. Vitanie let out a small growl at the nickname. She hated it and felt like tearing something apart every time someone used it. But it had been one of Akemi's nicknames for her for ten years.

"Akemi, please don't use that name. Almost everyone I've fought has used it and it leaves a really bad taste in my mouth when I hear it," she asked quietly. Akemi was about to argue when he saw how serious she was and how tight her muscles were and quickly agreed. Vitanie was just about to lead him off to allow her friends in when a voice spoke from the kitchen door.

"Akemi, what is all the racket about?" a middle aged women came out the door and stopped in her tracks. The sunlight, leaving large shadows across the yard, was shining directly on Vitanie's face. Her hair took on an orange color from the setting sun but there was no mistaking who stood in the temple yard. "Vitanie, is that really you?" she whispered as she slowly walked forward.

Vitanie left her brother's side and rushed over to her mother sweeping her off her feet. "Mother, I've missed you so much," she hoarsely whispered to her. Vitanie quickly set her mother down and wiped a tear from her eye. She hadn't realized just how much she had missed her family until now.

"Well let's go inside I'm sure you're tired," her mother, Akiasa said motioning toward the kitchen door.

"I would love to rest, mother. But you see I have some friend waiting on the other side of the barrier and they're probably getting impatient waiting for me to come back," she ducked her head sheepishly.

"Vitanie Tora I taught you better manners then you," Akiasa stated as she headed across the yard. "You should have brought them through the front gate."

"I would have, but we would have gotten to town about midday tomorrow and I, let alone some of my friends, wouldn't have been welcomed by the villagers," Vitanie stated as she started to look for her staff. She looked up as Akemi walked past her, her staff in his hands following their mother across the yard.

"So you've made some demon friends, eh," Akiasa smiled not stopping making Vitanie quicken her pace to catch up with her.

"Yes, and a few of them can probably hear you," she told them looking up and seeing Inuyasha and the others on the other side of the barrier. Inuyasha was fingering his Tetsusaiga while Kagome had a hand on his shoulder trying to calm the half demon down. Vitanie expected to see Yuki near the front getting angry at waiting as well, so was surprised when she saw him behind Sango looking nervous.

"You better, believe we can hear you," Inuyasha growled and then yelped as Kagome grabbed one of his dog ears and pulled hard.

"Well that's one way to keep him in line, but there are other ways. Now I know that I will have to say this seeing that at least one of you have an attitude," Akiasa said putting her hands on her hips. "I wont take any lip from any of you. I never took in from my daughter and I wont take it from you," she told them sternly before she smiled and held her hands out toward them. "Now enter and be welcomed. Any friend of my daughter is a friends of mine." A hole appeared in the barrier to allow them through and then quickly closed.

"Mother, the sun." Akemi reminded her just as it sank past the horizon.

"Yes of course. Now come it's late and you must be tired. Akemi and I must be up early tomorrow so I'm afraid I can't be a proper hostess, but I'm sure Vitanie remembers where everything is," she smiled at her daughter.

"I better, I only had sixteen years to organize that mess you called a house," she mumbled. Akiasa laughed as she led the group to the house.

"Now I'm sorry but I must go to bed, please make yourselves at home," she said before she headed through the house followed by Akemi.

Vitanie shook her head as she grabbed her staff before Akemi walked away with it. "Sorry about that, but one must be up early at this temple," she sighed.

"Does that have anything to do with this being the Sunrise Temple?" Sango asked as she leaned her Hiraikotsu against the wall next to the door.

"Yes, my mother use to get up right after dawn while my brother got up just before. Evidently they both get up before dawn now to greet the sun. Now would you guys like something to eat or would you rather get some sleep," she asked looking around the room. They all decided that the questions and answer session could wait for the next day and that they should get some sleep. So Vitanie showed the guys to a room apologizing for having to have them share a room while she took Kagome, Sango, Mari, and Kirara to her room.

"Sorry but we only have the one guest room, so you'll have to sleep in my room," she apologized once again.

"Don't worry about it Vitanie, we don't mind," Sango said leaning against the wall under the window. "Besides this room is huge compared to what we're used to. We all share Kaede's hut all the time this room alone in almost twice that."

"Yes this place is large compared to Kaede's," Kagome mentioned while looking around the room. "It must be because of the temple being right here."

"I believe so, now I'm going to get some water and then go to bed. You can wonder around the grounds if you'd like," Vitanie smiled as she walked out of the room. By the time she came back everyone was asleep so she quickly crawled into bed and fell asleep as well.

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Vitanie woke before sunrise the next day and quietly made her way to the kitchen. She smiled at the thought of once again waking before her mother. Everyday she use to wake up after Akemi who would gather the eggs for the day, bring water in from the well, and cut the firewood for the day. Then she would come and make breakfast as he started to sweep the yard and their mother would say the morning prayers and check the barriers.

Now that she was home again it felt like little time had passed so she had breakfast going when Akemi walked through the kitchen and out the back door. It was such a familiar sight that it took him a minute to remember that Vitanie had been gone.

"You're up early Vee," he commented through the kitchen window where the firewood was stacked.

"Well who else do you think is going to make breakfast shrimp? We have a lot of mouths to feed, two of which are very hungry dog demons," she replied with a smile. "Now get those eggs in here before the pan gets too hot."

Shortly after that Akiasa came into the room. "What do you think you're doing Vee?"

"I'm making breakfast, now don't you have some morning prayers to do," she stated shooing her mother out the door. "I can take care of breakfast. You already know I could cook so enjoy it while I'm here."

Everything was quiet and normal like nothing had happened over the past two years until a very hungry and crabby wolf demon stumbled into the kitchen.

"Come on Yuki, sleeping inside can't be that bad," Vitanie teased as she took the basket of eggs that Akemi handed her through the window. "I know you prefer to sleep outside but it's nice to sleep inside once in a while." She heard a grumble from where Yuki sat against the wall not fully awake yet to come up with a come back, though she thought she heard 'baka neko' in the grumble. She chuckled as she started cooking the eggs. By the time the eggs where done there where three hungry demons and one half demon wanting food.

Mari and Shippo had stated that they were hungry but were content to play until breakfast was ready. Yuki who had finally woken up had gone outside and was leaning against the wall just content to not have four walls around him. Kagome was trying to keep Inuyasha's calm until he got food in him. He was getting tired of waiting.

Just as Vitanie got the last egg out of the pan Akemi and Akiasa came in followed by Yuki. Akiasa grabbed plates and handed them out to their guests and motioned them into the other room. Once everyone was sitting she spoke, "As you can see here that we're very relaxed in this house. You are welcome here for as long as you wish to stay, but I don't think it is for a rest that you've come," she said eyeing her daughter. "But please make yourselves at home and enjoy the rest." With that she sat and started to eat.

Everyone began to eat until Yuki and Hiroshi both gasped in shock, "This is good!"

"Why is it that I've done most of the cooking while we travel," Hiroshi asked.

"You never said you could cook this good!" Yuki exclaimed.

Vitanie looked over at her two companions and smiled. It was a sweet smile that would make anyone who knew her gulp in fear. "But you guys never asked if I could cook. So I neglected to tell you that I could," she purred before going back to her meal.

The two men looked at each other and sighed as everyone else just laughed at them.

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Tora-chan: Well I think that's it. It only took me a week to write this chapter. I don't think it's my best so I wont be offended if you don't like it.

Vitanie: If you don't like it why are you posting it?

Tora-chan: Because I can't think of any way to change it. Besides everyone's waiting for the next chapter.

Vitanie: Whatever.

Tora-chan: I would like to thank inuyashaswife12, Whitetigermisty, Shikahanyou, and gfam89 for your reviews last chapter. I would also like to thank my newest review xenus. I hope you all know that I love you all. Thanks so much for the reviews. Sorry if I didn't get you in the thank yous but my computer keeps freezing on me. I'm looking into getting a laptop inbetween writing chapters.

Hiroshi: Please read and review, as we all know it makes Tora-chan very happy when you do.

Vitanie: Yeah, she practical bounces out of her chair when she gets reviews (snorts in disgust)

Hiroshi: Thank you for reading and see you next chapter (bows)