Disclaimer: Nope...
A/N: Okay...Now Kagome gets to deal with Hojo some more (And solves absolutely nothing! In fact she makes it worse! You're all going toscream and HATE me for the cliffy (grins))and Inuyasha examines the five-toed footprint. Next chapter Inuyasha finally meets his pink-eyed cousin Taikokajin. Stay tuned! And with this one here, be prepared to scream and hate me...no one dies or anything but I leave you hanging...(nods) yes you WILL hate me...hehehe...so consider yourself warned and read! (winks)
Footprints and Baby Ears
Inuyasha knelt low, close to the ground. Despite the crunchy snow and the chilled air, he hadn't worn anything on his hands or his feet to keep them warm. Sango and Shippo could only shake their heads at what seemed to them to be stupidity, but Inuyasha hardly felt the slightest sting to the bottoms of his feet at all. By design his half demon characteristics included very tough outer foot soles. The hanyou hated wearing shoes—had always hated wearing shoes as a matter of fact. Even when he was nothing but a tiny pup his mother had had an impossible task of keeping socks or shoes on his feet. As soon as she'd forced them on him her hanyou son would rip them off again and proceed to chew them to pieces…
The print—only a few inches shy of the tip of his nose—was exactly like a dog's, or a cat's, except that it had five toes around the central pad, not the usual four. The hanyou expected to scent a cat or a dog or even a bear or a weasel. All of them possessed odors that were related to one another, yet clearly distinct to a sharp nose like that of an inuyoukai's. But what he smelled when he took the deep breath in and exposed his lungs and delicate scent organs to the print, wasn't any of those animal's odors…
He had never smelled such a creature before. It wasn't like any of the other animal's scents at all—instead it was something completely different. Although Inuyasha would never know it he could've found a scent that was a lot like it in the continent of Africa, thousands of miles away: the hyena. But even that scent wasn't like this one completely. There was just no comparison…it was something brand new in his experience.
A chill raced down his spine.
The hanyou drew in a second sniff at it, and then a third, each time hoping to make sense of it…and each time failing.
"Well?" Shippo queried impatiently from Sango's shoulders.
"Well nothing!" Inuyasha huffed and stood up from the paw print. His mind was muddled, he was terrible confused. What was he supposed to tell them? That Shippo had been right! He'd rather die first…
"The scent is too old…and too many people have touched it and been around for me to get a clear idea of what it was." At least some of what he'd said was true…
"So what Shippo said was right…?" Sango ventured uncertainly, bouncing a still very grouchy Kasai in her arms.
The hanyou growled with annoyance and refused to answer her; instead he looked toward the village and scented the wind. Miroku was coming. Saved by the monk! Without giving the kit or the demon slayer any warning, Inuyasha leapt away from them to meet the approaching Miroku, the hanyou's sensitive ears could already hear the monk's staff jangling.
When Miroku crested the last hill between himself and Inuyasha's estate, the snow steadily crunching under his feet. At a slight sound he looked up abruptly, just in time to see a flash of silvered hair and yellow and gold kimono fly through the air to land directly beside him. When he found himself staring, blinkingly, at Inuyasha, he had to force the image of his hanyou friend into his brain to believe it—Inuyasha wasn't wearing the Fire Rat haori! Miroku hardly recognized him!
"Inuyasha—you're back!" he grinned swiftly, "So…was Kagome's grandfather pleased or horrified?" before Inuyasha had left the monk and his wife had betted against one another on the matter. Miroku thought the old man would accept Koinu's rather inhuman appearance easily while Sango had thought that he would only accept Koinu because he was family. But it would be begrudgingly she'd insisted, because humans and demons were generally, as she'd been taught all her life, repulsed by each other.
But Inuyasha was not going to answer such a trivial question as that! "Later." He growled, "What do the villager's say?"
"Oh," Miroku sighed regretfully, "Little that we didn't already know, I'm afraid."
"Tell me anyway!" the hanyou snapped, impatiently. His amber eyes were flashing with some strange emotion that Miroku wasn't certain he could read, but he thought it might've been akin to worry. "I haven't been here for a long time and I need to know!"
Miroku nodded pensively but, as they neared the gates of the estate, he looked quickly to here Sango with Kasai in her arms and Shippo on her shoulder were standing—obviously near to the footprint. He locked his gaze with the hanyou's impatient glare and asked, "Did you scent the print?"
Inuyasha's ears fell backward, a sure sign he was going to blow, "Yes…" he snarled, "Now, answer my question…"
Miroku ignored Inuyasha's threatening tone and moved to stand beside Sango's tired form, giving their daughter a worried glance as he passed by, a silent question exchanged between the experienced parents. When Sango answered with a silent smile of gratitude Miroku leaned in and kissed her swiftly on the lips, and then brushed his hand and fingers gently through Kasai's dark hair. "The villagers say that the day you and Kagome and Koinu all left, a large white dog passed through the village. Later that day they also saw a grayish wolf traveling through the forest between your estate and them. Both demons disappeared quickly and gave them no trouble. That is all they have to tell."
All that waiting for nothing… Inuyasha sighed in exasperation. His amber gaze flew to the track behind Miroku and Sango's forms. He felt a strange sense of foreboding, and in a second he'd made up his mind. The feral, golden gaze lightened and he nodded once slightly to himself, solidifying his decision.
He looked up at Sango and Miroku, as well as the two children that were either in the adult's arms, or perched on a shoulder, "I'll stay here for tonight with you. If that pink-eyed bitch wants to "talk" to me she can." He snorted sarcastically, "But I'm going to do the "talking" with Tetsuseiga, of course."
"What about Kagome and Koinu?" Shippo queried worriedly from Miroku's shoulders now.
"She's safe with her family…" he shrugged, "Tomorrow morning I'll go back if nothing unusual has happened." He prayed that whatever was wrong would hurry and present itself so that he wouldn't have to worry about Kagome or Koinu's safety upon their return…he frowned to himself at the thought. "Let's go inside."
"Hojo?" Sota gasped, gaping at his sister for a moment after the shocked silence had passed after their mother's initial announcement. Then, abruptly, his face colored and he avoided his sister's gaze desperately. Yes, he remembered now, he'd mentioned to the still dreamy-eyed, infatuated Hojothat his older sister would likely behome soon, and just the day after, Kagome, Inuyasha, and Koinu had arrived to visit he'd spewed the news all around the campus. He'd edited some of it for Hojo's ears, leaving out the husband and child bit because he knew full well how much the poor guy had beenobsessed with Kagome…now he knew that Hojo must've tracked down his other friends and gotten the information from them about the husband and new baby…but it hadn't stopped him from coming round at all!
"Who's Hojo?" Taro asked, looking from Kagome to Sota confusedly, "He isn't that same guy from on campus that was asking you about Kagome,is he?"
"Yes, he is…" Sota muttered ashamedly, risking a glance to Kagome just in time to cringe as she moved toward him—he expected to be slapped in the face: five, four, three, two, one…! He felt his arms pulled outward and a strange weight passed to him. With a blink he took the burden and gaped stupidly when he realized that Kagome was handing him Koinu.
The baby looked up fussily at his uncle and his ears turned backward. The whimpering began to increase and Sota felt a surge of panic. He looked up and called his sister's name just as he saw her messy red-robed form vanish from the room.
"Sota?" Taro asked, the look in his face very much mirroring the panic that Kagome's little brother felt, "He's starting to cry…"
Awkwardly Sota adjusted his nephew and moved toward where Kagome had been sitting on the couch and plopped his butt down. Cautiously, and murmuring uncertainly to himself, Sota placed the pup on his knee and began bouncing him, making soothing shushing noises at the same time. The pup almost immediately quieted, his blue eyes wide and brilliant, taking in the new experience like a sponge. He started to coo.
"Dude!" Taro chuckled, racing over to join Sota now that the situation was under control again, "You're a natural! You gotta show this to your girlfriends!"
Out in the kitchen things were far from "under control," the tension in the room between Mrs. Higurashi, who was nervously trying to prepare and serve tea to her sudden and unannounced guest, and Hojo, who was sitting at the table wordlessly and stiff, was palpable. When Kagome entered the room that level of tension and anxiety grew tenfold easily.
Seeing her enter, Hojo stood hurriedly, bowing like a slave. "Kagome!" he breathed, his dark, handsome eyes taking her in, all of her, including the messy hair, the aged, matured features, the fullness of her figure, and the strange red robe she wore. He also noted swiftly but with importance, that underneath the red robe she was wearing a breastfeeding shirt—white and thin…he felt a tremor of dizziness pass through him. Thinking about her breasts made him feel somewhere between queasy and excited. At the same time he felt a thrill of jealousy directed at her husband, though they'd never met. His body, every muscle with the exception of the ones in his face, tightened with nervousness, snapping taut.
But none of these rushing, rabid feelings and impressions were exposed at all. Hojo kept his secrets.
"Hello Hojo…" Kagome began, shifting nervously on her white-socked feet, "I'm sorry for being so messy…I didn't expect you to come by so soon!" internally she added and without calling, restraining a frown.
"I'm sorry Kagome, I just had some free time, and I thought that…" he shrugged and, suddenly stuttering, plastered a warm grin to his face and thrust forward his usual gift to her…a big box of Pampers.
Kagome blinked, "Uh…"
"I hope that these will fit him!" Hojo began cheerily, "I bought them a little bit too big for you intentionally. I don't know how old your baby is so I just got something for young toddlers because that means that one day he will be able to fit into them! That way they can't be useless because he's outgrown that size already…"
"Thank you Hojo!" she reached for the Pampers, smiling as genuinely as possible, mentally realizing that the diapers would actually fit Koinu now…sheesh, he sure is growing fast…
Mrs. Higurashi set down some tea and teacups for both her daughter and the unexpected guest. "Here, drink up! Feel at home!" she declared, smiling just a little too enthusiastically before adding, "Kagome, I'm going to go check up on Sota…"
"Okay Mom." The two women exchanged quick knowing glances and then the elder of the two vanished down the hall. Once she was gone Kagome hesitantly sat down in the seat opposite Hojo and began pouring the tea as casually as she could.
"So…how have you been, Hojo? What have I missed?" she asked nervously.
"Well," he stopped and thought carefully as she poured his tea patiently, "Koshi has gotten married to Rini—that was just six months ago…" (A/N: Yes! To those that read my other story SWFM I DID reuse the name, but assume it's another person...kay? (sheepish look))
"Married? Those two!" she gasped, caught off guard, "But Rini couldn't stand Koshi!"
Hojo grinned, genuinely now, "She was wrong, I guess. Sometimes things change, you know how it goes!"
Tensely Kagome agreed, laughing and waving one hand through the air lightly, "Yea, yea, some people…" she raked her mind for another thought, another thing to talk about, desperately. If Hojo wanted to see Koinu she thought she might panic—how was she supposed to explain his little dog ears, blue eyes, and silver-white hair! Gods help her…
"How were the graduation parties? I was really sorry that I didn't get to attend any of them, I had the stomach flu…" A lie, a complete and utter lie, but something to talk about! What had she really been doing when they were graduationg? Defeating Naraku, resisting the urge and the desire to grab Inuyasha and either throttle him or tie him to a bed to show him what Kikyo, being dead, would never be able to give him... She blushed briefly avoidedHojo's gaze, opting instead to stir in some sugar to her tea.
"Those things?" Hojo frowned, easing up a little more still, "Everyone got drunk. Yuki ended up making out with Taro."
"Taro? Taro as in my little brother Sota's friend Taro?" She blinked, the guys I left Koinu with?
"Yes," Hojo chuckled, "That Taro."
"Wow, what a small world he's—" she stopped herself from saying, 'In the other room with Sota,' because she knew that that would lead Hojo straight back there where he would spot Koinu and immediately know something fishy was going on. Panicking, she brought the tea to her lips and sipped noisily, and then pretended to cough harshly, choking.
Hojo stared at her worriedly during the fit, "Are you all right, Kagome?"
"Yes, I just choked on my tea a little." She set the teacup back down, swiftly ignoring the stuff again. "Anyway," another topic, another topic… "How is your life on campus doing?"
He shrugged, apparently uninterested, "Fine…" his eyes took on a darker, more serious tone and he leaned closer to her, in spite of the table between them, "Kagome…where have you been all this time? I was always so worried about you! You were always so sick in school, but you look in fine health now! I'm so glad that you got better! And better enough, I should say, you managed to have a baby! I hope the pain wasn't terrible…" he stared at her with sympathy in his warm, dark eyes.
That was something she could talk about, "Yes, actually, it was quite horrid!"
He nodded emphatically, "Did your…husband…" he seemed to choke on the word, she noted, "Make you do it naturally?"
She almost laughed at the thought. Inuyasha wouldn't have made her suffer even if he'd felt it was better for Koinu! The hanyou couldn't stand her discomfort because he was so keenly in tune to it. He smelled it for heaven's sake! She'd been the one to push the midwife and her remedies and aide away, not Inuyasha at all!
"No, In—my husband can't stand to see me in pain. But I was actually the one who chose to birth at home…"
Hojo looked as if he might faint, "At home!" he blinked, "But what if something had gone wrong?"
She almost blurted that Inuyasha would've been able to smell it or hear it before it became bad, but caught herself just in time. "We were prepared to go to the hospital if there was a problem," another lie, "But it was pretty smooth, or so they tell me…"
Mrs. Higurashi entered the room then—and Kagome nearly screamed when she realized that her mother was carrying Koinu in her arms! "Well, well now," she was cooing peaceably, "There, there…" as she reached the table where the couple sat, Mrs. Higurashi passed the pup to Kagome, her face tight and nervous. As she took her son into her arms and Mrs. Higurashi left the kitchen again, Kagome realized that her mother had very smartly pulled over a light blue woolen cap, covering the pup's ears and most of his silvery hair.
Shaking, Kagome broke out into a relieved grin and held her son up for Hojo to see. "Hojo, this is Koinu," as she spoke she tickled her son, making him squeal and squirm, "And Koinu, this is Hojo."
Hojo took in the baby's appearance, spotting a few of the Higurashi genes in the child's face, but overall seeing a stranger's features. The baby clearly took after his father. Koinu was wearing nothing but the cap and his diaper, which made the child look very comical…when the baby stopped giggling from his mother's tickles, Hojo noted with a jolt that the baby had blue eyes…
"His eyes!" he blurted, and then frowned at his own outburst, quickly recovering, "He's gorgeous Kagome! When he grows up he'll be such a little heartbreaker I'll bet! And his eyes…they're blue! How wonderful! You and your husband must be so proud!"
Kagome laughed, tightly, "Yes, oh In—uh, my husband, is very proud. Most people call Koinu the spitting image of his father…"
"Oh," Hojo scooted his tea further aside to reach for the baby, "What made you choose such a strange name as Koinu?"
Kagome blinked, panicking, as Hojo took Koinu into his arms and cradled him, pinching the baby's cheeks and nose. What in the seven hells am I going to tell him about that!
"Oh, it's nothing," she lied a second later, "Just that my husband is a big fan of dogs." She'd always thought that she was a lousy liar…but Hojo seemed to believe her, although she felt certain he must be able to hear her heartbeat's panicked rhythm…but she'd been hanging around Inuyasha too long, Hojo was mortal, not part demon! But then again, he was so busy making faces at Koinu that he'd hardly spared her a glance when she'd spoken at all! She allowed herself to calm down a little, sighing slightly, to watch Hojo's interaction with her little son.
Despite the fact that usually Koinu was nervous with others that smelled plainly different from his mother and father, he seemed to instantly like Hojo. The pup batted at Hojo's nose, giggling, the little claws micro-centimeters from the other's flesh. Kagome cringed inwardly at the sight, realizing that the talons were obviously a little long for a normal baby's fingernails…surely Hojo would notice…?
He did.
Looking up Hojo smiled uncertainly and asked, "Wow! He has some long fingernails on him!" his face became genuinely interested then and he leaned closer to her, holding Koinu up against his shoulder carefully. Kagome was surprised to note how easily Hojo had taken to holding the baby—he was a natural! "Is it true," Hojo asked, eagerly, "That when they're born that their fingernails are so long they need to be trimmed right away? Babies, I mean…" he bounced Koinu, who was squealing happily against the other's shoulder.
"Uh…" Kagome tried to remember what she'd heard, and what she'd seen with Sango's children. She wasn't sure. But she did know that Koinu had been born without those claws, indeed, he'd come out with barely a nail to protect his fragile fingertips. She had to assume that that was a trait of inuyoukai passed on from Inuyasha, but she couldn't be sure…
Frowning uncertainly, Kagome shrugged, "I'm not sure, Hojo." She felt her heart suddenly begin to race frantically when she saw Koinu squirm in her old friend's hold and reach those little trouble-making clawed hands to his head…reaching for the little, light blue woolen cap. The cap which was the only thing hiding his most obviously inhuman traits—the tiny, down-covered white ears.
She rose to her feet and abruptly walked behind Hojo to grab her son away from him, which took both males by surprise. As Kagome's firm grip surrounded her son's little frame and pulled him away from the warm stranger he whimpered unhappily, and as Kagome withdrew the tiny child from Hojo's arms, her old friend threw her a confused, almost hurt expression. Yet despite this the pup easily left Hojo's arms, he didn't fight Kagome at all.
As Kagome straightened out Koinu in her arms, distracting him from the cap, Hojo cleared his throat and asked the question that had been lingering on his tongue, like a bad taste, ever since he'd learned from Shina that Sota's older sister had gotten married to a "weird foreigner," and had had a baby. When he'd first heard it he hadn't thought she was telling the truth—it just didn't sound like the Kagome he knew from high school! But Mrs. Higurashi had confirmed it when he'd called earlier…and now he had to know, having seen the child himself…
"Kagome?" saying her name his voice trembled, and the tone was suddenly different from that of the conversation moments ago, and that brought the young mother's attention swiftly from her son to her companion.
"Yes Hojo?" she sensed his nervousness, the need, the anticipation, the tension…if she'd tried to breathe at that moment she'd surely choke on it the stuff was so thick!
"Is…how…" he stopped, frowning for once, the expression was a stranger on his face. How the hell am I supposed to say it! Without thinking anymore he squeezed his dark eyes closed in frustration and blurted, "Your husband is a very lucky man!"
Kagome blushed and looked away, focusing on Koinu again. "Thank you," she mumbled as kindly as she could, tensely. I'm sorry Hojo! I wish you could find someone else to be crazy about!
"And…" he was still frowning, still anxious and full of tension. She even thought she saw his hands shaking when he moved them slightly, "I wish that I could've been as lucky as he was…with you…" he turned his eyes away as he spoke, frozen and feeling suddenly sick to his stomach at the confession.
Kagome stared at him, pitying the poor man, and at once longing to run away…but then her gaze landed on Koinu, who was struggling and mumbling in his baby language innocently—and pulling the little light blue cap straight off his head! The little white ears twitched adorably, but Kagome could feel nothing except horror as her son promptly dropped the cap to the floor.
Covering Koinu's ears with her chin as best as she could Kagome knelt down just as Hojo looked toward where she'd been standing, still shaking from his confession…and saw nothing. "Kagome?" he queried, his voice quivering. He looked over the side of the table and to the ground below, blinking in consternation. He looked microseconds too late to see Kagome's frantic secret, as she pulled the cap right back over the pup's head brusquely—which made Koinu cry unrestrainedly. But although Hojo missed the ears he plainly saw the messy strands of rather abundant silver-white hair.
The baby's father must really be American—the child has blonde…well, sort of blonde hair… he shrugged the unusual color aside and tried to smile genuinely at Kagome as she stood up from reapplying the cap. "Babies!" he shook his head at her and waggled a finger at the still crying and fussing Koinu. "You keep your clothes on now, kiddo, you hear?"
Koinu's blue eyes, matching the color almost of the cap on his head, met up with the stranger's and for a moment he quieted, observing…and then immediately looked away, bored, and resumed crying and reaching to grasp the annoying thing on his head…he wanted the thing off! Why couldn't his mother see that! Instead of understand his predicament, Kagome swatted his hands away from the cap, gently but firmly. The pup's squalling and frustration increased tenfold. Under his cap Kagome could see his little dog ears straining to move…
She frowned and looked to Hojo apologetically, but her stance was stiff and still very tense, "Hojo, I'm sorry…let me take him and—"
"Well I think it's just fairly obvious, Kagome," Hojo smiled, amused again and more at ease once more, Kagome hated that he could do such a thing while she couldn't, "I think it's the hat. He just wants it off…and since he's not wearing much else…" Hojo gingerly reached forward, his fingers ready to aide the pup in his quest to rid himself of the cap…
Kagome made a squeaking noise of panic and pushed his questing hand away. "I think I'd better take him…"
"Oh, Kagome, I'm…" he suddenlyappeared as if he might burst into tears, and looked away, shame blossoming on his face, "This is because of me, isn't it? This is because I've made you uncomfortable…" he looked at her pleadingly and Kagome felt a lump grow in her throat for him in sympathy, if only I could tell him the truth! But he'd never believe me… she swallowed nervously. What should she say…? What could she say!
"No, Hojo," she shook her head gently, and pushed Koinu's little clawed hands free of his cap again, making the pup scream as if she'd slugged him instead, "It's because…" the words might've slipped past her lips then but Koinu's crying had become too loud for her to stand. She sighed reluctantly, "Excuse me a moment…" she turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen, toward the living room. The moment she was out of sight, Kagome tugged Koinu's blue cap off and tickled his ears. Almost immediately the pup's cries subsided into small whimpers. Instinctually he snuggled close to her, burrowing into her neck. She reached the living room where Sota and Taro were now playing video games with a vengeance and set Koinu gently down beside them. The boys hardly spared her a look all this time until she reached up and turned off the TV in front of them.
"Hey!" they shouted in a chorus.
"I need you two to watch Koinu for me."
Taro and Sota looked to the pup with something like horror, and then Sota's face wrinkled with an unreadable emotion. "We're supposed to watch after Koinu again while you are out there flirting with Hojo!" he shook his head in outrage, "I'm going to tell Inuyasha!" the moment the hanyou's name slipped from his lips Sota colored and looked to Taro, guiltily.
"Who?" Taro asked, exactly as Sota had feared he would—but before Kagome could yell at him Sota came up with a good lie and blurted it.
"That's my nickname for her husband, Taro." Sota rolled his eyes to make it convincing, "His real name is a really boring thing from America—John. But you know, because of the disease, I call him Inuyasha."
"Oh." Taro seemed to buy it, and, trying to hide his embarrassment, Sota looked back to Kagome, scowling.
"I will tell him!"
"Good for you, Sota." Kagome half-growled, rolling her eyes, "But just watch Koinu for a little while, okay? Just long enough that I can tell Hojo—"
"Kagome!" Sota interrupted her mid-sentence, gasping, his eyes huge and stunned. Beside him Taro looked perplexed, and Kagome realized with a start that both of the boys were focused on something, or someone, behind her…
She turned just in time to hear Hojo clearing his throat, and asking, with a quavering, nervous voice, "Uh…Kagome…why…what's…" he took a deeper, quivering breath, "What's wrong with your baby's ears…?"
From his place on the floor, amidst the stunned adults, Koinu squealed gleefully, kicking his feet as if for joy. Seemingly he adored that he had caused them all so much trouble. His little face broke out in a toothless, fangless grin of baby pride.
Endnote: HA! How's THAT for an ending? You guys are going to scream at me (sticks out her tongue) Kay...here we go... THANK YOU to ALL Reviewers FYI IY is mine, SerenaClearwater, cool-chick-rae (actually there really IS a disease that covers people's faces in hair, all over the face inparticularly. They call people afflicted with it "wolf boy" and stuff...But I don't know what it's called, a gene gets switched on for hair growth that shouldn't be on but is anyway...), kirarakitty(the 17 year old sounds okay(evil grin)),andarial (you're probably right(pouts) I'm sorry, thank you for telling me), meetingreality, Duel Battle and War The Tasmanian Tiger is a marsupial, and being that they're more primitive and ancient mammals I believe you, probably do have five toes (hehe, or did?) NefCanuck, The Moonless Night Thank you for such along review! YAYS, InuPhoenix, fanfiction1 You got it, Mad-4-Manga yes Taro is a pervert...hehehe...
Wow! I'm done...sorry I'm being shorter than usual, EVERY review is good! EVERY one is encouragement and appreciated! But I gotta get SWFM finished...and I gotta finish this story's next chapter too...but I have enough of the next update ready that I can give you a quick peek:
Inuyasha restrained a shudder, "What makes you think, bitch, that I give a rat's ass about the clan?" he bristled suddenly, finding a memory from his past to fuel his abrupt fury. "I mean, they sure as hell didn't care when the great Inutaisho of the wonderful dog demon clan died, leaving his mate, my mother, alone and defenseless with his half-demon son!" his fists curled in a sudden rage, ready to reach and draw Tetsuseiga. "You assholes left her to be murdered! And me to starve!"
Yes, the next chapter uses the word "bitch" a lot...to anyone who takes offense at that it IS correct when Inuyasha is talking to an Inuyoukai female...though he could be using it both ways of course...anyway...I'm done for now...gotta write some more...Until next time! THANK YOU ALL!