Penthesileia: Hey, CPH finally wrote her part!!!! Yay! Everyone send her lots of nice reviews!

Disclaimer: We do not own Inuyasha and we are not getting any money off this.

"Knock your first arrow!"

A dozen bows lifted in the air, each fitted with a sharply pointed arrow.

"Find your anchor!….Fire!"

Twelve arrows simultaneously flew through the air, hitting their marks with deadly force….

Kagome smiled as the children shot their quiver of arrows, shooting one after the other until all six were gone and then looking excitedly at the target ten yards away to see who had gotten the best shot.

"Okay, you may retrieve your arrows, and mark what score you got on your papers," Kagome said, nodding her head to the bales of hay with large, multi-colored bull's eyes.

Kagome smiled again and looked around while her young charges raced each other to the bales, their cheers indicating some had scored very well. The festival seemed to be a success. People were coming in hoards and they had only been open for a few hours.

Food stands had been set up all over the temple grounds, as well as games and a stage for musicians and the play that would take place on the third day. The fireworks were already being set up for the first night's display. There were groups of families and school children all over the place! Her grandfather was besides himself with glee, selling hoards of beads, sutras and replicas of ancient weapons and legendary articles, as well as telling his old stories of feudal times to people who actually listened.

Of course one of the major draws were the demonstrations that were scheduled throughout the day. From archery, sword fighting, to hand-to-hand combat, people came in droves to see modern day people use weapons they imagined their own ancestors used almost daily.

Speaking of which….Kagome thought as she looked to a nearby field, where Sango was currently showing a group of teenage boys how to properly dodge a side attack while simultaneously attacking with a wakizashi. Unfortunately for her pupils, she was doing this while wearing her slayer outfit, which consisted of a tight, black, cat-suit like outfit with pieces of pink armor at critical points, and the poor boys couldn't stop staring long enough to think about dodging her blows….well the people want authentic, and that unfortunately includes the outfits.

Kagome herself was wearing the traditional miko outfit, complete with hakama and a long white kimono shirt with red sode-kukuri through the ends of the sleeves and a red obi around her waist, as well as traditional tabi and straw sandals. Her new favorite piece of jewelry was safely hidden away under her kimono.

The things I do for family….Kagome thought as she sighed and shook her bangs out of her face.

"Lady Kagome, Lady Kagome!"

Kagome smiled as she looked down towards two of the children who grinned widely up at her.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Lady Kagome, can you come play with us?" The little girl asked as she pulled at her hakama slightly, "we want to play the shadow game you showed us last time!" she said as more children came in hopes of cajoling their favorite adult into playing with them.

Kagome laughed as the children pulled at her to play.

"All right, all right!" she said and the children squealed in glee, "but only for a little while.." she said, and instantly saw their faces drop.

She smiled and continued, "or else we won't have time to go listen to the story the monk is going to tell us….", a few of the children seemed a bit skeptical, " I heard there were gonna be demons in it…". Instantly every child's eye lit up and widened, and that's when the questions began, leaving Kagome stranded in the middle of a small puddle of eager children.

Kagome laughed once again and thought about what a great day it was.

----

Miroku stood under the shade of the great God tree, leaning against his golden staff, his gaze directed at a field where several young men now sported welts and bruises.

Children…Miroku scoffed as his gaze fell upon the only person on the field with no visible injury.

She was magnificent, and not only because of the outfit, although if anyone asked for his say, he thought it should be illegal for her to wear anything else…unless of course that something else came from Victoria's Secret lingerie line….

Miroku shook his head…that line of thinking could only lead to trouble….besides, he was here for a reason, and that was to keep an eye on Sango.

She had been brought into the search three days ago, much to Miroku's unheeded protests to Sesshoumaru, and he was worried. Naraku probably knew she was involved by now, and that was dangerous, so when she mentioned that she would need a few hours off during the three days of the weekend for a festival she had to attend he had immediately volunteered to help in any way needed, even bringing up the fact that his family were practicing monks and had been for centuries. She had looked a little shocked at that bit of knowledge, but had seemed genuinely pleased at his offer and accepted.

So now, there he was, dressed in the long purple and blue robes of a Buddhist monk, the golden Shakujou's golden rings jingling slightly with every move he made. He was actually given a rather impressive amount of responsibilities when he arrived; not only was he to work at the gift shops and give lectures on the ways of ancient Buddhist monks to the people who asked, he was also supposed to perform some minor rituals, tell stories to the children and participate in the fighting demonstrations later on.

Miroku sighed and turned his gaze back to Sango as she gracefully dodged an attack by one of the boys and then, with the an almost feline ability, leaped up and landed behind him, blocking his attack a split second before it would have hit her and hooking her foot under him to make him fall down.

He watched as she lightly chastised him for not balancing himself better and then smiled and praised him for his quick thinking in his second attack. He smiled and waved over at her when she looked his way, and his heart almost burst from his chest when she smiled and waved back.

He hadn't been able to talk to her much during the day; they had met up outside in the early hours of the morning and she had introduced her to her friend's grandfather, the priest and caretaker of the shrine, as well as the mother and younger brother of her friend, Kagome if he remembered correctly, but he had yet to meet the young woman herself, who had been busier than everyone else combined, although he knew she was around the grounds somewhere.

"Are you ready for the children's story?" Sango, having somehow made her way over to him without him noticing…the woman wasn't a slayer, she was a ninja!

"Of course! I have plenty of them all planned out and ready to go, just tell me when and where," he replied and smiled his most charming smile at her, which she promptly dismissed with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Kagome is with the children right now, she told me she'd bring them in a few minutes here under the God tree" Sango said, looking up at the enormous tree's who's branches seemed to reach up to the heavens themselves.

"Ah, I finally get to meet the infamous Kagome," Miroku said with a grin.

"Yes, she's great," Sango said, and smiled sweetly, "and if you so much as look at her with a perverted intention, I'll castrate you with a spoon…and make you watch."

Miroku smiled and swallowed loudly….Sango might be a sex goddess, but she was terrifying when she smiled like that.

-----

Kagome herded the pack of children towards the tree that loomed ahead and was relieved to see Sango was already there. She loved the children, but two dozen of them hopped up on sugary treats and youthful energy could drain anyone.

"Ah, you must be Kagome," a handsome young man in monk robes smiled at her, "allow me to introduce myself, I am Miroku." He said with a bow and a devilish grin.

Kagome laughed at his antics and smiled warmly, "Oh you don't need any introduction Miroku, Sango has told me all about you." He seemed nice, she decided, though according to her best friend, he was somewhat of a lech.

"She has??" Miroku sounded very pleased at this development and this just made Kagome like him all the more, he was clearly taken with Sango.

Kagome couldn't help laughing at Sango's face, which went from annoyance, to anger, to embarrassment almost faster than she could register.

"I've only told her the truth!" Sango exclaimed.

"That I'm a charming and devilishly handsome man who's bound by the spell of your beauty?" Miroku inquired

"No! That you're a-" Sango stopped as she noticed the audience of small children around her feet, all of whom were watching the arguments with varying degrees of understanding, and none of whom she could say what she wanted to say about Miroku in front of.

Kagome swallowed a snort as Sango tried to cool down her blood pressure before she gave herself a stroke.

Miroku laughed slightly also and looked over at her…..and suddenly seemed puzzled.

"Have we met before Lady Kagome?" He asked, his voice sounding thoughtful, as if trying to remember when they had in fact met before.

"No, I don't think I've ever had the pleasure" Kagome said as she smiled at him, "but I'm glad we have now, you have to stop by the apartment once in a while to hang out with us," she said as Sango spit out the water she had been drinking, " in fact, I insist."

"What?!" Sango cried in dismay.

"Spend time with two beautiful women? How can I resist?" Miroku said, "Of course I accept!"

"Bu-but..but!" Sango stuttered as she tried to find a way to intervene.

"Lady Kagome!" one of the children, called out, "will Monk Miroku be telling the story soon?"

"Oh why yes!" Miroku suddenly said as he made his way to sit in front of the children, his back to the God tree, folding his legs under him. "I believe we shall start with the story of…."

Sango still stood dumbfounded as Kagome sat the children in front of Miroku, each one paying rapt attention as Miroku wove a very vivid tale for them about ancient monsters and brave heroes. Sighing and deciding it was best not to interrupt story time, Sango sat down on the grass also and listened to Miroku's soothing voice.

Oh, he was going to pay….

---

"….the old women, unable to control her greed, did not heed the advice of the sparrows and opened the basket halfway to the house. "They are just a bunch of foolish birds! What would they know!" The old woman claimed as she opened the large basket. But she was the fool, for out came ogres, snakes and demons of all kinds, spilling out and scaring her so badly that she slipped and fell down the slope of the mountain, tumbling down, never to be seen again."

Miroku finished the story and the children all clapped and stared wide eyed at one another.

"Tell us another monk Miroku!"

"Yes monk Miroku! Another, another!"

"Please monk Miroku?!"

Miroku chuckled and nodded his agreement and looked over at Sango and Kagome, both of whom were allowing their laps to be used as seats for the younger children.

"Why don't you kids go get some drinks first, and then meet back here for the next story in five minutes so that Monk Miroku can take a break?" Kagome suggested, noticing how Miroku had had to clear his throat a few times in the last story.

A few of the children "awed" with disappointment, but most of them scurried off, while the rest remained to talk amongst themselves about the stories they had heard so far. Sango went in search of some drinks for the three of them.

"Lady Kagome? Is the old woman all right? Did the demons eat her?" the little girl on Kagome's lap asked her.

"No, I'm sure she was all right, she probably made her own little house in the forest and lived there so the demons wouldn't find her," Kagome said soothingly.

The little girl grinned and snuggled against Kagome's neck. Kagome smiled lightly and patted her head with one hand, and reached for the drink Sango handed her with the other.

She's a natural mother that one, Miroku thought as he looked over at the young woman, with the snuggling child before shifting his gaze to his beloved, who held out a can of soda to him. Taking a sip of the cold drink, he glanced back at Kagome and almost chocked on the liquid going down his throat.

….he KNEW he had seen her before!

---

Inuyasha was in his room at his condo trying to find something to do, anything. Not only was he no closer to finding the jewel, but he couldn't keep that woman out of his head! And the worst part was that he couldn't find HER either! They had both just disappeared!

He couldn't even hang out with Miroku because he was off trying to impress Sango by helping her out at a festival or something like that. The man just wouldn't give up, no matter how many times she handed his ass to him.

Sighing and picking up the notes scattered on his desk once again, he started to read through the latest information they had found on the legend of the sacred jewel. Luckily it had been decoded from whatever dead language it had been written in before being handed to him…that's another thing he wondered. If the jewel was of Japanese origin, why the hell was the legend written in some kind of coded mix of Latin, Greek, Spanish and French?!

He was still pondering that when his cell phone rang. He was so eager to end his boredom he would've even been excited if it was the mangy wolf calling, but instead it was Miroku.

"Hey, what's up? I thought you were at a festival or something." Inuyasha said as a way of greeting.

"….Inuyasha," Miroku's voice sounded weird on the line, like he was having a hard time breathing, either from excitement or nervousness.

Inuyasha frowned and sat down again, "Miroku….what's wrong? Why do you sound weird?"

He could hear him let out a loud breath, and he took a few seconds but he finally spoke. "Inuyasha, what is the one thing you really wanna find right at this very second?"

Inuyasha frowned once again, but then rolled his eyes and snorted, "You know that there are two things I really wanna find; the jewel and that girl. I don't even know which one I want more."

Inuyasha could almost hear Miroku smirk.

"How about both?"

Penthesileia: My turn next!!!! Hope you've enjoyed it so far!