Summary: It's been years since the defeat of Naraku and it almost feels as if there have been to many years of peace. A feeling in Kagome's bones along with a few oddities that have been happening to her lately tell her that things are about to change, this time on a more personal level…oh and of course the world is in danger as well and the outcome of it all rests on a rag tag group of unlikely people yet again.
A/N: enjoy! And thanks for the wonderfully positive reviews
Chapter one: Assumptions and Secrets
Ryouta sat on the other side of the campfire, across from everyone else. Ginta and Hakku were kind enough to hunting for everyone while Kouga and Ayame tried to figure out what the heck happened to their friend. This was the second time Kagome had to go through the story, because the first time Kouga had the hardest time believing that Ryouta just magically appeared and awakened in the spring, also he was trying to grasp that there may just be another big power growing out there bent on destroying everything they only just recently reclaimed from Naraku. He heard of strong youkai who are able to possess weaker youkai to do their bidding, hell Naraku did it often enough. But in the end Naraku was really weak; he usually used the shikon shards or other tools to enhance the powers of people he enslaved. This master of theirs would have to be one hell of a youkai if it could use its own power to increase the power of its followers. Or there could be something as powerful as the shikon no tama shards doing all the work.
"And you said the youkai rose out of the same spring the boy did?" Ayame mused. When Kagome nodded she continued. "So do you think that when he was unsealed something else was unsealed with him as well?"
It was a logical statement and Kagome hadn't thought about it till now. Once they started to leave the area the youkai rose from the spring and she was sure as hell she never sensed these youkai before. No one had. Even if they had been lying dormant someone would have sensed something. "Who ever did the sealing spell was powerful to be able to make it so not even I or Kaede could sense it. But I unsealed him somehow and even though I have trained all these years I still have a lot to master. So how was it so easy to unseal such a powerful seal? It not like I did anything to make the seal break and wake him up."
"Well maybe it didn't matter how the seal broke but more so who would break it." Kouga sighed. "But why you, do you think it's a connection to the shikon no tama again?"
"I don't know really, but I do think we should head back to the village once we've eaten. Then from there, we'll have to find some place to stay."
Ayame cocked her head to the side curiously, "You can't stay in your village?"
"Well the way I see it is, if there are going to be youkai coming after him again then it might be best not to get innocent people involved. And don't suggest us staying in your den; you have pups now don't you? It wouldn't be good if youkai show up there either…"
While the older youkai and the miko spoke of this and that Ryouta was wrapped up in his own thoughts. He woke up just a few minutes after he passed out, and quickly isolated himself the far corner of their settlement on the other side of the camp fire. He was a little more than upset and hurt, because said fire was burning brightly and fueled by the shelter he'd worked so hard to put together. Sadly everyone seemed to assume it was just a large pile of wood. So he sulked quietly, while he mauled over a few things in his mind. He probably should have been feeling more distressed right now instead of sulking over a poorly made shelter. Other than his name he knew nothing of himself, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't think of anything else. He had no past. He just barely wondered if there was anybody who…worried…about him like those who he heard fussing over Kagome. Clawed fingers tugged at the blades of grass beneath him, and let out a soft sigh. He wasn't trying to let it bother him, but in fact he felt relieved. He didn't really want to remember anything did he? The more he tried to pry his way into his memories the more something inside him died and he felt scared.
It was like falling into darkness. Something inside him didn't want him, made him feel like unwanted in his own body. It didn't even feel like he'd be swallowed up by it but more like he'd just stop existing.
"Hey there Ryouta, are you doing okay now." Kagome asked, setting her hand on his shoulder. There was a soft gasp from the boy, obviously so wrapped up in his thoughts he hadn't heard Kagome come over to him and so was startled.
After recovering from his initial shock, he nodded. "Hn."
It was all he could think to say, and not to mention he was upset with her. She let them burn his work so easily. He had been worried to, and worked hard on that shelter for her. But he did only just meet her, and despite the time he put into it the temporary shelter was just that, temporary. Not to mention it was less than pleasing to the eye.
Kagome could feel the distress; it was rolling off the child in waves. She wasn't sure what he was upset about. There were a lot of things that could be running through his mind right now after all. Would he let her in on his thoughts? Most likely not. They'd only spent a few hours together but she could tell that he was very apathetic, reclusive, and over all full of doubts. With one thing being completely clear in this entire situation she knew she was his mother now.
"Ryouta, I want you know you can talk to me about anything that is bothering you. As you said you made me your mother. I am not angry about it so don't worry. I'll try my best to take care of you from now on."
"What is that even mean…" Ryouta sighed. "What is that supposed to mean to me?"
Kagome was a bit taken back by his words. What did he mean, what was that supposed to mean to him? Did he not claim her to be his mother?
"What is mother supposed to mean to me? What is mother?" He clarified, when he noticed her slight confusion. Still she seemed shocked, and Ryouta resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Surely he was not that strange for asking what he did, right?
"So you don't know what a mother is?" Kagome restated, just to be sure she understood correctly. It pretty much meant something must have in him must have told hi to do it. Probably his instinct. Inuyasha once told her how, youkai children who were orphan often don't survive without at least a mother. So as a survival technique, when a youkai child with no mother or father comes across one, be it human or youkai, which they find themselves compatible with subconsciously then they would physically claim them as their own. The process of deciding whether or not to claim a person as their parent was normally quick and didn't require an amount of 'getting to know you time.' So it did make some since if he did it without really knowing what. And by the looks of things it affected her in a way she know felt was very positive. She wasn't dead from their little fall after all. Her senses were strengthening –sight, smell, hearing- and that wasn't the only thing that she felt was stronger. She hadn't lost her miko powers during her change; in fact she felt them now more than ever, bubbling inside her. When she had the chance she'd need to exert some of this power so it wouldn't grow to be to wild.
"It means that I am here for you." She answered and shifted into a more comfortable position. With a smile on her face, which baffled Ryouta greatly because he felt something he couldn't describe upon seeing that smile, she took the contemplating boy into her arms and set him on her lap so he was facing her.
"A mother is someone who will always love you unconditionally, and although they may not be perfect they do what they do because they love you. And for you that means you will never have to be or feel alone." She explained. For what little emotion he expressed on his face, she could see in his eyes. Was he still not fully grasping the concept? Yes, but there was also satisfaction with her explanation meaning it would be good enough until she was able to show him exactly what she meant. There was also his ears and tail. She'd noticed that when ever he was in deep thought his ears would flick back and forth, the more stressed he was more often his ears would move. And when he would stress his tail which was always moving in some motions would stop completely and curl up. "It'll be easier to understand as time goes on." She assured.
"Hn." Was his response. That was becoming a normal response for him to just about everything. But it was usually followed by a… "Acceptable.", Ryouta added, breaking her thoughts for a moment. ….it was usually followed by a small statement of confirmation. He really wasn't much for talking was he?
He was too cute though, even though she was sure he was younger than Shippo when she found him, he wasn't as super small. The only reason she knew Shippo had been older than Ryouta when she found him was because he never felt the urge to make her his mother. He was young and orphaned but even at that time he was old enough and skilled enough to figure out how to survive. The only reason he was ever in a lot of danger was because of the shikon shards and then traveling with her and the group. She still considered him to be her son too however.
Now it was Kagome's turn to be in deep thought. She was fine with raising Ryouta, but the only thing was how. She didn't even know what type of youkai he was and she doubted he knew. It was weird that she could but she could smell the youth in him so it meant by youkai standards he was still barely a toddler he hadn't even put a dent in his life span. Did he give her an equal life span when he claimed her to be his mother? What if he hadn't, he'd still be a child that needed a mother by the time she was eighty if that was the case. Who'd take care of him then? Even if she just focused on the now, there were still problems. She could probably sustain him on human food, but would it weaken him to much? But what if he didn't eat human food, and needed raw meat or something? She wasn't much of a hunter. Which reminded her that eventually he'd need to be trained to fight? He wouldn't be able to survive long without learning to control himself.
Her hands subconsciously went to the boy's head. Her fingers traveled over his soft and fuzzy ears. Their shape reminded her more of a fox, but she couldn't assume much from it. His hair was pure white, tail and ears matching and all the Kitsune youkai she met had reddish orange hair give a take a few shade differences.
Ryouta relaxed under her touch, allowing his guard to drop as he rested against her. It was the first feeling of peace he'd had in the last few hours. He didn't even notice as the wolf youkai that threatened to crush his throat earlier approached them. He looked down at the two. Well in the last couple times he saw Kagome, he hadn't seen her this content. He was still weary of the child but he didn't plan on trying to suffocate him or do any harm to him again. Kagome almost purified his ass once the boy passed out.
"So you're really going to accept him and raise him?" He asked curiously.
"Yes, I plan too."
"Well then, feel free to come to me and Ayame for any help. I doubt that mutt will be of any help." He muttered that last part, but Kagome still heard him all the same.
"Thanks Kouga." She'd have to ask him what he meant by that later.
"Well Ginta and Hakku are back with the kill. Here, we ask Ginta and Hakku run by our den and grab some temporary clothes for the boy. I doubt he should stroll into your village wrapped up in a cloth or naked. After we eat I'll take you and him back to your village." Kouga gave her the clothes and then went to go tell Ayame to head back to the den after their meal. If things were going to start getting messy again they at least needed Ayame there to lead them.
Kagome nodded and looked down at the drowsy child on her lap. She had forgotten that all he had on was a towel. Letting go o his ear, she propped him up so she could see his face. They did bathe last night, so she'd just need to wash the dirt off his face of the in the river. "Come on Ryouta, Kouga gave us some things for you to wear for now."
At the mention of the 'insane' wolf youkai who tried to crush his neck and then destroyed his shelter by burning it, -which was worse than trying to kill him in his mind- Ryouta growled. It was a short lived growl however as Kagome flicked his nose.
"Come on now, you attacked him first though I am sorry that he reacted the way he did. Now let's go put these on, please."
Not putting up anymore of an argument but still annoyed, Ryouta got up and let Kagome take him towards the bank of the river. They kneeled down at its edge and Kagome cupped the water and brought to his face. He had to admit, she was very gentle as she washed his face. When she was done with that, she took the towel and wiped his face.
"Alright now let's see what you have to wear."
As it could be expected, the clothes Ryouta would borrow from Kouga. She was surprised to see it wasn't clothing like his own but instead a simple Jinbei*. Kouga's kids were all a bit taller than Ryouta so the sleeves fell a bit below his elbows. But it looked good. The jinbei was a light blue with white clouds on the left sleeve of the top. Ryouta turned around and let Kagome pull his tail through the hole in the back.
"So what do you think of it?" Kagome asked, not able to hide the happiness in her voice.
Once again she was impressed with someone other than him. Ryouta just sighed. He didn't know why he longed for her attention so much. "It's fine."
It was then his stomach chose to complain. A loud grumble startled both of them. Ryouta held his stomach tenderly and groaned. He'd forgotten just how hungry he was. He'd been starving since waking up in the spring but he'd either been too scared or to worried to actually find anything to eat. Kagome giggled, and went as far as to kiss his cheek. Ryouta's eyes widened farther than Kagome thought possible, this had to be the most expression she'd gotten out of him since meeting him. She hoped it wouldn't be too much of a shock to him. Ryouta wasn't a normal little boy after all. The child seemed to have only a little grasp on the world, the people in it, and himself. She couldn't help it though, she was his mother and it was already more than enough reason to already love him as much as she did.
"Come on let's go eat."
"Hn."
Breakfast was peaceful enough as everyone ate in relative silence. In little time Ryouta was feeling a lot better. He didn't feel weak or tired, and he felt like he had a lot better grasp on his situation. As they ate the deer Ginta and Hakku hunted, Kagome made him aware of her plans. The wolf Kouga, she, and he would travel back to her village so she can gather a few things and a few of her friends. Though they were going to try and be quick so not to put the village in danger, they would give themselves a two day time span to properly prepare. She didn't have place in mind for them to stay after leaving the village but after she discussed it all with her friends she'd let him know. From there she went on to talk about these friends. There was the wolf Kouga who, Ryouta was still holding a light grudge against him. But he was a loyal friend so he'd be tolerant of him. Then she explained Ayame, and she didn't mind her, or Ginta and Hakku. She told him of Sango, Miroku, Kohaku, Rin, Sesshomaru, Inuyasha…and then there was Shippo. The 'first' child she raised and called her son. A feeling best described by the word jealousy bubbled inside him. It was something; Ryouta had been feeling often in the past twenty four and some hours. He didn't like unknown people being more important than him to her. She was supposed to be his mother right? When she did this to him it just felt like there was a barrier between them and it unsettled him.
It didn't go unnoticed by Kagome, his anger. As like every other time, the emotion didn't appear in his physical features but in his aura, as it flickered, and also he seemed to be taking out on his food harshly ripping it apart as he ate. To her it seemed like he'd already had strong feelings for her even if he didn't realize it himself, he just needed to learn more and maybe then he wouldn't be so sensitive to everything.
"Alright, we should get going now. Ginta, Hakku I'll see you all later." Kouga then turned to his mate, and pressed his lips to hers. "Ayame I'll see you back at the den soon, take care." They embraced briefly and sped off. They, Kouga, Kagome, and Ryouta waited to the trio were out of sight before walking in the other direction.
"Kagome, you can probably run a lot faster now. Though most people I know that have been bonded to a youkai child often times change in appearance more so than you have, I also know that the ones that don't still are given the normal youkai abilities as well as some based off of the special abilities of the child." Kouga explained as the walked, following the path of the river. Ryouta walked just behind them, now interested in the scenery and wild life. "Now probably wouldn't be the best time to test your new youkai out but it would speed things up a lot if we ran."
Kagome thought about it for a moment, and then looked back to the child following them. She knew Kouga was right, they didn't know when they would be attacked again in the middle of this forest. Kouga could hand;e himself but he was severely handicapped with Ryouta who was merely a child and then herself who had miko abilities but did not know what would happen now that they were mixed with youkai blood. She could feel they were stronger, but control was something that she wasn't sure of. The last thing she wanted was to purify her friend and her son. So she nodded. "Alright Kouga, let's give it a try then."
"Ok then, I recommends you taking off your shoes for now." Kouga instructed. They stopped and he continued his instructions. "Running itself is not a hard thing, in fact it's natural so it doesn't really require much energy as it does technique and control. For now taking your shoes off is the best way for you to run because it'll be easier to control your turns and stopping with bare feet."
Kagome nodded as she pulled off her sandals and her tabi socks. Ryouta sat down on the grass and watched mildly interested. Could he run? Walking was something he remembered how to do after a little time. Running was possibly the same concept right? Just faster, and he'd been able to run fast when launching himself. Maybe he was just thinking about it to much. But he was still pretty wobbly when walking. He looked down at his own feet, wiggling his toes experimentally. A light brown sparrow, with a cream colored belly and black rings around his eyes landed on Ryouta's head.
"Alright so, I guess we just start running right?"
Kouga nodded, "Right, just be sure to start slowing down ahead of time. Skidding to a stop might be rough on your feet since you're not used to it. When we get close enough to the village I'll tell you and we'll start slowing down."
It was Kagome's turn to nod, and then she looked to Ryouta then back at Kouga. "Do you think you can carry him, or does it look like he could keep up with us?"
She was sure she had the ability to run as fast as Kouga and Inuyasha with her miko powers fueling her, however with less experience and control she didn't trust herself to carry her child. Kouga looked aver at the kid on the ground, and sighed. It couldn't be helped. He went over to him and picked him up, which earned him a hard glare from Ryouta. Kagome smiled. It was nice to see Kouga really mellowed with age. He was still impulsive and had an inflated ego from time to time. But he'd grown into a great leader, and once he stopped obsessing over her he ended up being a great brother figure.
"Now, now Ryouta. You really shouldn't hold grudges; you're much too young for that sort of thing." She chided. He didn't say anything, just huffed and relaxed in the wolf's arm. Once he calmed, Kagome nodded and started running. She was shocked at how fast she was going; maybe she put too much into it. She shot off as soon as the thought pulsed through her. She was amazed as instead of becoming tired and sluggish she felt energized like she could go faster. But she didn't, for now. She felt a presences coming up behind her and looked to her right. Kouga appeared, smirking. She spotted Ryouta on his back now instead of in his arms.
"Wow this kid really did a number on you; power level has really jumped up there. I could barely believe it when you sped off like that." Kouga chuckled. The scenery blurred past them as they rushed towards the village. As they got within a fuel miles, a less than appreciated smell assaulted Kagome's nose. It made her eyes water to the point where she couldn't see well and was forced to slow down. Ryouta had a similar reaction, only he passed out after a few seconds.
"Shit." Kouga cursed as he slipped and fell rather hard as a result of trying to turn and catched the unconscious boy falling off his back. He grumbled a few curses, having caught the boy but smashed his forehead on the ground in doing so, he got up and looked around for Kagome. Her change in speed had been so sudden, and had been down so quickly, so he ended up passing her by a few feet. The kid passed out and was falling off his back and instead stopping he found himself doing some weird skid forward. All in all he'd been seriously caught off guard. He was about to call her name but she popped up from behind them shortly so he changed what he was going to say.
"What happened back there? Why'd you stop, we're almost to the village?"
"That smell…"
Kouga tilted his head to the side, "Smell?" He sniffed the air.
"It smells so bad, and it's coming from the direction we're going in." Kagome groaned, by this point she was holding her nose tightly just wanting to block it out.
His eyes widened, and then Kouga just grinned sheepishly and nodded in understanding. "Oh that's the human's you smell. I'm sure you've noticed by now most human's don't exactly bathe regularly like you do, in fear of either getting sick or turning into some water demon…or being eaten by one. So collectively, when in large groups like villages, they tend to smell pretty bad. But once you're able to sort out everyone's individual scents and focus on the ones you find attractive it becomes bearable."
Kagome nodded, no wonder Inuyasha and Shippo seemed to appreciate her since of hygiene so much.
"Just focus on my scent for now…I suppose you will have to learn about scents as well. I am sure mutt face would love to teach you that, along with everything else you will need to learn." Kouga mused, "Well we're close enough so we can walk from here.
"What happened to Ryouta?"
Kouga looked down at the boy in his arms. "Well I'm guessing he couldn't handle the scents. He was laying dormant for who knows how long it may take a while for him to get used to everything, he may have to relearn some things, assuming he knew something before falling into his sleep. It's really hard to say with this kid, all we can do is assume and hope that his memories will come back with time."
"Agreed, it really would be nice to know the full story behind Ryouta. He really doesn't make much sense now does he?"
"Defiantly not, but Kagome we should keep a close eye on him."
"I know, if he's wanted then we should make sure he doesn't fall into the wrong hands."
"No, I mean we should watch him. Kagome he could be a real threat, yes there are others we should worry about but can't you sense you something wrong with him?"
Kagome pressed her brows together. She didn't sense anything wrong with him at all, but she closed her eyes and let her senses pass over him again. She couldn't since anything out of place, there didn't seem to be…oh waiting, there was something. A sort of inner conflict, which she'd, missed before. Now that she was digging deeper she could see what Kouga was talking about, there were two presences in the boy each fighting for control. Only a few seconds into witnessing this she was 'kick out'. Opening her eyes she found herself look at a wide awake Ryouta. 'I wonder if he knows he just shut me out.' She thought. It was doubtful but, she could no longer see into him. Her abilities to sense his conflicting soul were blocked by his own. She looked up to Kouga and nodded. She knew what Kouga had sensed wrong was in the boy's aura, not his soul. But being a miko gave her the ability to sometimes see the souls of the tormented. It wasn't something she shared with people often because one's soul was a very personal matter but also because she didn't spend her day prying her way into the very essences of the people around her.
"You feel okay?" She asked, propping the child up on her hip as she started walking again, with Kouga by her side. They were around the area near the ancient bone eater well, so they were in a safe enough spot to walk casually.
"It smells horrible." He sighed, resting his overwhelmed head against her shoulder. His ears flattened down against his skull, as the noise of the bustling village invaded his ear drums. Admittedly the noise wasn't as bothersome as the smell, but if he tilted his head a little more to the right most of the smell was clouded out by Kagome's scent. Likewise could be said for Kagome, having Ryouta this close helped take her mind of the smell of the humans.
"Well, here we go. Dog breath at three o'clock." Kouga snickered. Kagome was met with the familiar and yet unfamiliar scent that was Inuyasha. She knew it was his by feeling, but it was the first time smelling his scent this in depth. He smelt of earth, bark, and something she didn't quiet describe. It gave her an ill feeling though.
"Kagome!" He shouted, bursting through the trees surrounding the clearing. He landed in front of her, and pulled her into a tight hug. Even if they were growing apart moments like this always seemed to suck her back in. "Kagome are you alright, what the hell happened to you! Miroku, Sango, and the old hag have been worried sick!" Inuyasha barked, "And so have I." He thought. He was more than relieved to see her safe and his overwhelming happiness caused him to overlook the slight change in Kagome's looks, the drastic change in her aura and scent, and the young boy in her arms.
"Feh, nice going mutt face, can't I trust you with Kagome for even a second? Every time I turn around she's in danger and you're no were to be found. I don't see why she sticks around with you she'd be a lot safer with me in my den." Kouga sneered. He may be mated to Ayame, and may not obsess over Kagome but that didn't mean he felt ok with the idea of Inuyasha and Kagome together, especially after what he stumbled across that one faithful night.
Inuyasha growled, brushing by Kagome to challenge Kouga. He stomped up the wolf demon and yelled, "Shut up flea bag! I would have found Kagome on my own I didn't need your help. She's back with me now so why don't you just run on home."
"Please, spare me. Without me it would have taken your slow ass days to find Kagome!"
"Oh like you did any work. You had your mangy wolves do all the tracking and once they found her you just swooped in like you did something and now you wanna act all high and mighty!"
"Shove up your ass dog breath."
"I bet you'd love that wouldn't you faggot wolf!"
"Me!" Kouga looked dumbstruck, and shoved Inuyasha out of his face, "You're the one who…"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You damn wolf!"
"You stupid runt! It's about time; you get the balls to..."
"Alright that's enough out of both of you!" Kagome yelled interrupting the oh so critical argument between Kouga and Inuyasha. "I won't have anymore of your foul mouths around Ryouta!"
Now Inuyasha noticed the child Kagome was holding, then looked her in the eyes which then he noticed their color. "What the..? Kagome what the hell is wrong with your face!"
"Nothing is wrong with my face thank you very much, but if you are referring to my eyes then he happened." She pointed to Ryouta and continued. "He claimed me as his mother."
Before Inuyasha could start yelling and demanding an explanation she held up her hand and added, "It'd be nice to just go through the story one time, so let's head into the village so we can talk amongst Miroku and Sango as well."
Well Inuyasha didn't see much room to argue, so he just grumbled his usual 'feh' and turned on his heel starting towards Edo. Kagome sighed, Ryouta had surprisingly been quite through all of this, and looking down she discovered why. He was sleeping once more. She looked back up to see Kouga walking alongside Inuyasha.
"Hey wait up guys!"
Kouga glanced over his shoulder then leaned towards Inuyasha, speaking hushed and hurriedly so Kagome didn't hear. "You sense the oddity in his aura right?"
Inuyasha nodded, "Yeah, and let me guess Kagome already told you what happened right."
"Pretty much, me and the boy didn't meet on good terms so it was best she explained herself. And let me tell you he is strange and something that needs to be watched. He might be a danger to us all, I can only assume by this weird situation."
"I don't know, it's not really good to assume anything after what we've been through with Naraku. But I'll take your advice this once."
"Good. Now, when do you plan on talking to…"
"Shut up flea bag!"
"Geez you guys are walking fast." Kagome huffed, finally catching up to them.
"Oh sorry Kagome, it's just that the faster we actually get into the village the better. The scent of all those humans will mask yours and his scents from anyone interested in finding him."
They reached the top of the steps of Edo in a few short minutes. Relief instantly washed over, the group as they descended down into the growing village. By that point once again, Ryouta woke up. The smell had overwhelmed him again, but he was feeling better now. As they moved closer his nose had adjusted subconsciously while he slept. After a bit of squirming Kagome let him down, though she kept a firm grasp on his hand, the last thing they needed was form him to get lost in the crowds. His ears twitched as each new sound hit his ear drums. He was awe struck by the amount of people, all different in sizes and shapes and colors. They were all doing different things and interacting with one another seemly wrapped up in there own worlds. Of course they did notice him, but they were so used to friendly youkai being brought in by the miko and hanyou that protected them that they didn't seem to care. There were a few heads that turned but most of them were children who were interested in a new friend to play with.
Ryouta was pulled into a hut by Kagome, followed by Kouga then Inuyasha. His blue eyes stared around at the five humans sitting around the fire, along with the twin tailed neko youkai. For some reason he felt like he recognized the neko but he just couldn't remember. Obviously she knew him though for faster than anyone could register she ran over and jumped onto his shoulder. He was startled at first, stumbling back against Kagome's leg. However after Kirara cuddled up to his cheek and licked him he felt a bit better and happy to feel like he had some connection to his past no matter how small it may be.
"Kagome, you're okay." Sango exclaimed, being the first to get up and embrace her sister. She'd been so worried about her. They'd been through too much together for her to just disappear.
Rin was next in greeting her also getting up to hug her. Rin had grown up quiet a bit. She was starting to fill out and get a bit shapelier. She was about as tall as Kagome's shoulder, she'd really shot up there as the years passed. Her hair was long and straight, with a nice cut to frame her innocent face. She still wore the same pattern kimono but she had to have a longer one made. She kept the pattern in order to still feel close to her Lord Sesshomaru.
"Yes, it is good to see you are home safely Kagome-sama. We're all relieved." He went in for his hug as well, hand twitching as he neared her soft bottom.
"Don't even Miroku, now's not the time for you to be unconscious." Kagome chuckled. She could see Sango readying Hirakotsu over the monk's shoulder. Miroku cleared his throat nervously, and continued. "You are unharmed, Kagome-sama? When Kohaku ran across the youkai we assumed attacked you they were unscratched."
Kagome looked at Kohaku curiously, "Rin and I had been on our way back to the village when we spotted a large group of youkai gathering on a cliff. They're youkai aura was really intense to I fought them. During my fight they mentioned something of a miko and a youkai child. When the fight was over a few of them disappeared while the other were killed by my hand. Rin and I made it back here and found out you were missing, so we assumed the miko he spoke of was you…and is that the child?" Kohaku finished, pointing at the white haired boy in the corner tenderly stroking the neko's fur.
"Okay Kagome, start talking its time for answers." Inuyasha demanded.
"Aye child, we are all anxious to her what happened to you." Kaede spoke, restating Inuyasha in a more polite way.
Kagome nodded, and everyone settled around to listen. A half an hour later, and everyone sat silently trying to process everything they just heard, save for Kagome, Kouga, and Ryouta. For comfort she let her fingers run through her boy's soft hair. Sometime during her story he got restless and moved into her lap, he didn't like it when everyone's eyes turned to him and stared at him. "That's pretty much it guys. So we need a plan. Ryouta can't stay in the village, it could bode ill for the villagers and I don't think they can handle anymore hard times. But I'm not just going to leave him alone. However I don't expect you guys to get wrapped up in this mess, this isn't like with Naraku where we all had a reason to fight. So I'm not going to drag you all into this."
"What are you talking about Kagome, of course I'm coming with you!" Inuyasha scoffed, "What did you bump your head that hard when you went tumbling off that cliff, feh."
"I must agree with Inuyasha, though he could be less crude about it." Miroku chuckled, "I would be more than delighted to accompany you."
"As would I Kagome. You know you're my sister, Kagome I wouldn't abandon you. It doesn't matter if we may not be as connected with this battle like we were with Naraku but…if this is something that bodes well for you; you can probably bet that it'll end up bad for all of us eventually." Sango added. Kohaku nodded in agreement.
"Besides you helped us so much during the battle with Naraku, even when you didn't have to." The young slayer looked at Rin, "Isn't that right."
The girl nodded her head vigorously, "Of course, we all owe it to you and love you so it involves us either way. You raised me like your daughter when Sesshomaru-sama left me here, so he technically owes you too." Rin wasn't shy about involving Sesshomaru in this; after all she had a feeling that if she got into this he would soon make an appearance.
Ryouta watched the touching moment with curiosity and longing. In the last twenty four hours this is the most out of place he'd felt. He didn't think he could offer Kagome anything like what they were offering her. She didn't even like the shelter he made. Yes, he was still depressed about that. It was like if he was a normal kid and made his mom a picture only for her to toss it to the side without thinking twice about it. He had had some hopes that she'd well, praise him for trying it. He longed for her attention, her love –though he wasn't sure what exactly love was or felt like-, and her appreciation along with the things she promised she'd do for him. He longed for it before he even knew what he was longing for. He sighed softly.
"Well we could always move into the old slayer fortress, Kohaku and I used to live in. Sango suggested. "It's always from the village, well hidden, and its has fairly decent training grounds still."
After some thought it didn't seem like such a bad idea. They didn't have any other good options. "Right then, in two days we'll set out to the slayer village. Till then everyone get some rest and stock up on supplies, when we leave we won't be coming back for a while." Inuyasha instructed, and got up. Everyone else nodded and got up as well and began exiting Kaede's hut.
"Well I'll be heading back to the den. I can't leave my pack as they need their alpha but I will be tracking you guys and popping up every now and again. Bye mutt face, bye Kagome."
Inuyasha growled and turned away walking in the opposite direction, "Come on Kagome, let's go home with the brat."
"His name is Ryouta." Kagome growled, following after the oddly silent boy. Well it wasn't that odd because he was usually quite but she could tell something was bothering him.
"Kaede-sama would it be too much trouble to ask you to watch over our children while we are gone?" Sango asked.
"Not at all child, it would be my pleasure."
"Thank you Kaede-sama, come on Kohaku let's go we have to start preparing."
Kohaku nodded and kisses Rin's cheek, shyly before rushing off after his sister and brother in law. Rin giggled after him and reentered the hut with Kaede. She lived with the woman and enjoyed every moment of it.
"Young Rin is it wise to volunteer yourself into danger. I doubt Sesshomaru-sama would be pleased with this, coming here and discovering you missing."
"I know Kaede-sama, he will not be pleased but it's something I feel like I should do not to mention that I feel like he's already involved in this. You see I haven't told anyone else but, the western lands are not doing so well these days…"