Me? Own InuYasha? No WAY!!

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Just in front of Kaede's house, Kirara stopped, and looked at InuYasha, then Sango, mewling sadly. Sango understood at once.

"She can't fit through the door in her large form, especially not carrying Kagome. We'll have to wake her up." She explained. InuYasha shook his head.

"No, I'll carry her." He picked Kagome up, and her eyes opened slightly, and protested sleepily. Then she saw who was carrying her, and she settled herself in his arms. Her eyes were still half open as InuYasha carried her inside and set her down on the mat that she had been sleeping on earlier. Kagome's eyes started to close when she heard a yell of fear. He eyes snapped open, and she started to push herself up, and then collapsed. Then she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. It was InuYasha's. She relaxed, and her eyes slid shut again. She realized who had yelled. It was Hojo, who was probably reacting to the presence of a creature with dog ears, fangs, claws, and silver hair.

"Shut it, you idiot." InuYasha snarled. "You're waking up Kagome. She needs sleep."
Hojo gulped, obviously freaked out. Kagome's eyes open slightly, and she mumbled.

"InuYasha, be nice. He doesn't understand..." her voice trailed off.

"Keh." But InuYasha stopped talking, and just glared at Hojo, who's eyes were wide with fear. A second later, Shippo bounded into the house, and snuggled down next to Kagome, without saying a word to Hojo, or InuYasha. Sango followed him closely, with Kirara in her arms, and Miroku was close on her heels.

"Hello Hojo." Sango said with a straight face. "I see you've met InuYasha." Hojo's eyes flickered to Sango, and then back to InuYasha's glaring face. Sango and Miroku mercilessly quashed the urge to laugh. Hojo was not prepared to meet his girlfriend's fiercest protector.

"What's wrong with Kagome? This is the second time she's been like this today..." InuYasha's eyes flashed dangerously.

"She's like this because she just used up a lot of energy saving herself and Shippo!" He snarled. Hojo flinched, and InuYasha continued mercilessly. "Why the Hell did you let her leave when you knew she was still recovering? She could have died, along with Shippo! Don't you care about that at all?" Hojo just stared at him, looking shocked and confused.

"Why would she die? She's just tired. How would that kill her?" InuYasha's eyes flashed, and he took a deep breath to really yell at Hojo, when a soft hand touched his wrist.

"InuYasha." Kagome said softly, and he looked down into her dark half-lidded eyes. She smiled softly when she saw she had his attention, and continued. "Be nice. Hojo doesn't have a clue 

what's going on, or what it means that I'm a miko. Give him a break. Besides, I can't sleep when you're yelling so much." InuYasha immediately looked away feeling guilty.

"Feh." He refused to admit that she was the reason he was stopping. And he thought it might be best not to mention that Hojo was only getting a temporary reprieve. As soon as Kagome woke up again, Hojo would pay for letting her leave.

Hojo looked up to the sound of the door being opened. Finally, the others were back, and he would have someone to talk to! He saw a tall figure enter, blocking the light from the doorway for a minute. Then the figure moved, and Hojo saw a creature with fangs, claws, dog ears, and silver hair cradling his girlfriend in its arms. Hojo stared for a moment, not registering the fact that Kagome seemed perfectly content, and not in the least bit afraid. The... thing laid Kagome down on the mat where she had been sleeping earlier with her back facing Hojo, and Hojo finally came out of his paralysis. He yelled. He saw Kagome stiffen slightly, and try to push herself up. She collapsed, and the creature put hand on her shoulder, looking at him with a glare.

"Shut it, you idiot." he snarled, "You're waking up Kagome. She needs sleep." Hojo gulped. Whatever was standing next to Kagome, it was vaguely terrifying. Then he heard Kagome mumur

"InuYasha, be nice. He doesn't understand..." Hojo's eyes flickered to his girlfriend's form and back to the thing sitting next to her. He felt his eyes widen with fear.

"Keh." The thing, InuYasha, Hojo thought Kagome had called him, sniffed, and resumed glaring at him.

Shippo darted into the room, and snuggled down next Kagome's neck. He was followed by Sango, who was carrying that cat-thing with two tails, and Miroku. He glanced at them desperately, hoping for an explanation, but inexplicably found his gaze drawn back to the glare of Inu- whatever his name was. They surveyed the situation with blank faces, and then Sango spoke.

"Hello, Hojo. I see you've met InuYasha." Her voice was blank, as if she was trying to hide something. Hojo finally managed to screw up the courage to say something.

"What's wrong with Kagome? This is the second time she's been like this today..." Hojo shut up as InuYasha's eyes flashed; he looked furious.

"She's like this because she just used up a lot of energy saving herself and Shippo!" He snarled. Hojo flinched in fear. Whatever InuYasha was, he was clearly very mad at Hojo. Something told Hojo that was not a good thing. At all. "Why the Hell did you let her leave when you knew she was still recovering?" He continued, still furious. "She could have died, along with Shippo! Don't you care about that at all?" Now Hojo was seriously confused, and very much afraid for his life.



"Why would she die? She's just tired. How would that kill her?" He asked timidly, and InuYasha's eyes flashed again, with a look that Hojo was coming to associate with impending doom. InuYasha took a deep breath through clenched teeth, making his fangs very obvious to Hojo, and was about to yell, when he stopped suddenly. It took Hojo a second to realize that Kagome had put her hand on InuYasha's wrist to get his attention, and InuYasha was looking down at her. A second later, Kagome began to speak very quietly, so that Hojo could not hear most of what she said. Occasionally, he caught phrases like

"...doesn't have a clue what's going on... what it means that I'm a miko..." Then her voice got a little louder. "Besides, I can't sleep when you're yelling so much." Hojo stared in stunned amazement as what he considered to be a scary, uncontrollable inhuman creature suddenly looked away from his girlfriend's eyes. In fact, if he did not know better, Hojo would say that the expression etched on InuYasha's face was guilt.

"Feh." InuYasha said, tucking his hands into his sleeves, and that seemed to be the end of it. Hojo relaxed very slightly, thinking he was home free.

Sango rolled her eyes as Hojo relaxed, knowing that he was thinking he was safe.

Only a stupid idiot would think that InuYasha was finished with him when he let Kagome go get herself in a position where she could get killed after that. Well, that does define Hojo, I suppose...

Calmly, she got up, grabbed her hirakosu, and the small bag containing her clothes, and turned to the others.

"I'm going to get changed. I want to get out of this armor. I'm taking Kirara. We'll be back in a minute." Miroku and InuYasha nodded. Shippo and Kagome were asleep, and Hojo did not react at all.

True to her word, Sango walked back into the house a few minutes later, dressed in her usual clothes. She sat her hirakosu against the wall, and took her usual seat next to Miroku, waiting for Kagome to wake up.

If Hojo suggests dumping water on her again, InuYasha will kill him. Then we'll have to track down Sesshomaru and some how talk him into using the Tensaiga to bring him back... so Miroku and I can have a turn... Sango thought contentedly. Then she stiffened.

Hojo was staring at her. And she did not like the way he was looking at her. Kirara hissed at him, attracting Miroku's attention. Miroku's eyes narrowed to slits, and very slowly he edged closer to Sango. For once, Sango did not mind in the slightest. Not at all.

Hojo had not really reacted when Sango left, but he definitely noticed when she came back in. Without her armor on, Sango looked... different. Prettier, somehow. He could not stop staring at her, even when Kirara hissed at him. He did not really notice that Sango had a look of 

vaguely disgusted horror on her face, and that Miroku was edging closer to her every second. He just could not stop.

Miroku had noticed that Hojo was staring at Sango the moment she came back into the house. He did not like it. At all. Sango was his woman, and Hojo was already in enough trouble for having Kagome. While Miroku might be the calmest of the group, he was far from the least dangerous. His wind tunnel would make quick work of Hojo, if he tried anything. As it was, Hojo was lucky that InuYasha was a little preoccupied with watching Kagome's face to notice the direction of Hojo's stare. He would be really dead, then. When Kirara hissed at Hojo, Miroku felt his eyes narrow into slits. It took a lot to anger him, but if Kirara was hissing, Sango was clearly upset. That gave him permission to begin edging closer to Sango, trying to indicate to Hojo that Sango was taken.

Hojo did not get the message.

The next thing Miroku did could be considered either extremely risky, or extremely territorial, neither of which would be to pleasing to Sango. Slowly, to provide Sango time to tell him to back off if she wished, Miroku put his arm around her. Much to the monk's surprise, Sango did not mind at all. She actually moved a little closer to him.

Kirara started hissing again. Hojo's eyes were still locked on Sango, who's hand was inching towards the hirakosu. Miroku leaned down and whispered very quietly.

"If he tries anything, I'm yelling at InuYasha to get out of the way and using the wind tunnel." Sango beamed up at him.

"Thank you. I appreciate that. Just know that if you try anything, my hirakosu is within grabbing distance." Miroku gulped, and nodded. Sango's smile turned slightly evil. "Good."

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It occurs to me that I have not given credit to my partner in crime for this story here on . She is my best friend, who prefers to maintain her DeviantArt pseudonym of Roze010. Absolutely wonderful girl! She talked out a huge portion of the chapters with me, gave me several brilliant ideas, including the little scene above with Sango, Miroku, and Hojo! I loves her!