Chapter 4

They stood in front of Kagome's shrine, The one she grew up on and the one she gave up to be with Inuyasha- She didn't regret it but she did miss it. She looked up the steep stairs and toke in a deep breath holding it till she felt light headed, she felt a hand touch her lower back, Inuyasha's eyes encouraging her, " Don't pansy out baby," he said nudging her toward the steps.

She turned around and glared at him, opening her mouth to command a punishment upon him when she was interrupted, " May I help you?" Kagome looked up the stone steps at a handsome man in a wife beater shirt and jean pants, holding a pile of large books and a messengers bag on his shoulder.

"Err, um, I was wondering if um, a man named Souta Higarashi lived here?"

"Your looking at him." he said with a smirk, "and who might you be?"

"You're such a dweb, you can't even recognize your own sister."

Souta stared at Kagome with shock, "That's impossible, she's not here anymore, I think you have the wrong Higarashi house hold."

" Damn, your making it sound like she's dead!" Inuyasha gave out a loud scoff, " Freaking kid. So disrespectful of his elders." Kagome slapped his arm.

"And you're making me sound like an old hag!"

" okay, I'm done with this freak show, if you guys don't need anything else than please leave, and sorry I couldn't help." he started to walk passed their odd group.

Once he got to Kagome she said under her breath, " Do you still take those loooonnngggg, baths?" he stopped in his path, Kagome had cornered him on this once when she was trapped on this side of the well, she was the only one to notice and she was the only one who has ever known, " Or have you brought it to the bed?"

They sat around the table, others ate in the hall or sitting on the counter since there wasn't enough room. Souta had be introduces to everyone and he had noticed that Ami and Kichi had seemed to be everywhere he goes. From their short conversations and him over hearing them talk he came to the conclusion that they were slow and odd, kind of the effect you get after doing drugs for too long. Souta looked at Kagome, it's almost as if she hasn't aged, yet you could tell that there was a difference in her; Inuyasha on the other hand had stayed exactly the same, just his protective level increased.

Their children were even more magnificent, they didn't know it but they were the best people you could ever wish to be, which why wouldn't they be, they came out of the two people he looked up to the most.

"so where's mom?" Kagome asked after taking a sip of tea.

"she's with grandpa." he replied with a sad look in his eyes. Kagome instantly knew that look, grief. Kagome's eyes started to well up with tears, almost toppling over the edge.

"when did it happen?" Kagome asked

"about a year ago, she followed after him a couple months later." it was silent for a bit

"so, where are they buried?" Kagome asked

Souta looked confused," buried? Why would they be buried?"

"you said they're together, and they're not here, and you looked hurt to talk about it"

he gave off a chuckle, " silly, they're not dead! They're at a retirement home. Grandpa got so bad we couldn't take care of him, mom went after taking a couple nursing classes to go help." Kagome glared at him giving off a dark aura, everyone in the compacted area shivered and

twitched, except for Souta.

A fist came down on top of Souta's head, "you should really learn how to word things correctly then, instead of leading people on. Idiot" Inuyasha said.

Souta rubbed his head laughing and glancing up and Inuyasha, "I missed you guys," a little glint of tears in his eyes. This threw Inuyasha off a bit.

"Wh- w-w-what does that mean?" He stuttered, he turned around crossing his arms, " You shouldn't say such stupid things." He ended it with a scuff. Kagome rushed passed him toward Souta rapping her arms around him and crying slightly.

After everyone finished eating and drinking their tea Kagome gathered them all up and put them in the bright shiny dish washer that Souta got a couple years ago, he had to teach her how to work it.

"HEY! Take that outside!" Sango shouted at Haru and Hiroshi, who were resealing around in the hallway, slamming up agents walls, they didn't hear her over their grunts and laughs. She stomped over to them grabbing on to their shirt collars and dragging them outside, the other kids following to see what fate was laying upon them, leaving Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippo, and Souta alone.

"I swear after what the kid did, he has a lot of nerve to be actin' so careless." Inuyasha said.

Souta looked back and forth between Inuyasha and Kagome, "What did he do?" Kagome rubbed her face sighing deeply, and finally saw how drained she was. "Never mind, we'll talk about it later." he pulled his sister to a chair and sat next to her, gesturing for Shippo and Inuyasha to sit too. "So, sis I know you probably don't wanna talk about it, but you need to tell me what happened." She looked up at him and took a deep breath.

Souta was breathless after they told him what had happened, and how they got here. "... I don't really know what I'm going to do. I came here to talk to mom and all, but now she's not even here. I got all the other stuff to get by in this year, but now I'm at a loss... We all are" she said looking up and Inuyasha and Shippo.

Souta leaned back, "Kagome, you know, just because when you left I was a kid, doesn't mean that I still am. If you haven't noticed I'm handling a lot; I'm 28, I'm pushing 30. I can help, I can take care of you guys." He looked at the kitchen, " You guys can live here, in the house. I'm pretty sure with some renovating I'm sure we'll have enough room." He finished with a smile.

"You'll let us stay here!" Shippo asked excitedly, a little of his kid side seeping thru. Souta answering with a nod of his head.

"You realize there's 18 of us right?" Inuyasha scuffed.

"I sure do. That's where the renovation comes in."

"Who's gonna do that?" Inuyasha asked.

The hammer came down on the nail jamming it into the wood. Inuyasha was building support beams to place in the house before they could knock down the living room wall and Kagome's old bed room (which was serving as Souta's office.) He had messed up several times and was starting to get aggravated- which didn't take much.

Sango and Miroku were sitting on a blanket over by the shrine, Miroku had his shirt off so Sango could look at how his wound was doing; it was healing nicely, but it was going to leave a scar, which Sango disliked because she did like his body, in fact she loved his body. Over the last 20 years his muscle mass has grown, but also in other areas slimmed because he wasn't doing the same kind of work.. now that we weren't looking for the jewel shards anymore.

On the other side of the yard was Hitomi, Chika, and Yukio sat half way in the sun and the shade of the sacred tree, Hitomi had her head on Yukio's lap and her feet spread out in front of her while Chika laid her head or Hitomi's stomach. Hitomi chuckling at her dad doing the pillers.

"I wonder what happened." Said Yukio, "We've heard of this place from your mother, bur only her and Inuyasha have been here. And yet somehow they haven't even been here, it's all off."

"It's all of bro, we fell out of the sky from nowhere in the middle of dinner, unless that's a daily occurrence for you, then it wouldn't be so weird." Chika replied throwing a little ball of grass up at him, which feel apart when it hit him, landing all over Hitomi's head. Hitomi kicked up her knee to make Chika's head bounce into her boobs , "Haha. now there's a place I wouldn't mind falling into, " Chika said winking up at Hitomi, who had busted up laughing. Hitomi started pulling the grass strands out of her hair, looking over at her brothers and Hiroshi sleeping in the sun on a pile of wood that her uncle got from Home depot for the pillars. Inuyasha glanced up at the pile and saw her brothers, she heard his voice clearly across the yard, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" as he slammed the hammer down on the nail, also smashing his finger. "Damn it!" he shouted rolling on the ground holding his hand, he grabbed the hammer and threw it towards Haru, just as Taiki woke up, the hammer hitting him in the head, sending him flying backwards off the wood with blood streaming from his nose. Chika, Yukio and Hitomi all started cracking up.

"Oh my God! I think im going to pee my pants!" Chika shouted shotting up and running toward the house, bumping into every little thing.

The pain was excruciating, the burning in her stomach and the horrible pressure on her bladder, she busted into the house forgetting were the bathroom was, and opening all the doors on the first level she couldn't find it. She looked in the kitchen to see if anyone was there, it was vacant. She looked down the hall way and ran over to the counter.

Kagome heard thrashing down stairs, and tucked Kyo in before leaving him with Tora- who's been supervising him Since the Inn Incident. She walked down stairs and saw all the doors were open. She was looking in the room closes to the stairs before she heard a scrapping sound in the kitchen. Walking in she stopped in her tracks… Chikas pants were pulled down and she had a relieved look on her face as she peed in the sink, her face changed with embarrassment and shock once she realized Kagome was standing there….

"eh, when a girls gotta go, a girl's gotta go." Chika said nonchalantly.