Author Notes: hey, hey. I'm back.

Most of you are wondering(I hope) why the hell Hojo, is working with Naraku. Answer? Simple. Just to be different.

And now on with the story.

--

Kagome looked at Inuyasha and Kouga.

"She ain't yours and never will be." Inuyasha sneered.

"That's exactly why I came over, dumb ass." Kouga admitted.

"Huh?" Inuyasha and Kagome asked simultaneously.

"I came here because I met a girl last summer, and she told me she lived here. So I decided to visit her, ever since I figured I had no chance with Kagome." Kouga sadly smiled.

"Uhm...okay. That's really nice." Kagome stated.

"But I also came to say, that I'll always be here, if ever mutt-face hurts you." Kouga added.

Kagome smiled at him and hugged him, slowly letting him go and asking him, "friends?"

"Yeah, friends."

--

Hojo stealthily put the beat up fox demon on the rug that said 'welcome' rang the doorbell, and ran.

"Ugh, what's with the people." Kagome grunted, as she walked towards the door.

So with Kagome gone, that left, Inuyasha and Kouga alone in the living room.

"You better not hurt Kagome, or you'll pay." Kouga threatened, looking out the window while doing so.

--

Kagome opened the door and gasped at what she saw.

A little fox demon, bruised and gashed and obviously badly injured.

"Oh my god. Inuyasha!" Kagome cried.

Inuyasha came seconds later, seeing Kagome crumpled up on the ground, crying; and in doing so caught a glimpse of the kitsune.

"Shh, it's going to be okay. He's going to be okay." Inuyasha comforted Kagome.

Sango and Miroku and Rin and Sesshomaru heard her yelp and came over as fast as they could, without knocking anything down. Sango and Rin held the same shocked expression as Kagome did. Miroku being the compassionate kind of guy, picked up the kitsune and held it close to his heart. Sesshomaru stepped beside Miroku and checked the kid's pulse, his eyes went wide and immediately ran to the kitchen and grabbed his keys.

"We have to get him to a hospital. I'm afraid he won't make it if we won't hurry." he calmly said.

Inuyasha helped Kagome stand up and they all filed inside Sesshomaru's truck. When he was about to close the door he heard Kouga say, "I'll meet you at the hospital." Inuyasha nodded and got on.

Kagome whimpered as the thunderous engine came to life. She hugged Inuyasha tighter and pressed up against him, in hope that his intoxicating smell could erase the image of the little kitsune, lying half-dead on the carpet.

Sesshomaru pressed the hazard button and drove like a maniac to the hospital; sure he was 'heartless' but the kid looked so helpless, that even the coldest person would want to help him out. Plus, he guessed that he might get to hug Rin, since she needed some comfort.

They all jerked as Sesshomaru slammed on the brakes, right in front of the emergency room. Kagome, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Rin scrambled off the truck and ran to the desk clerk.

"The kid, he..he..we think he might die." Miroku sniffed, seeing the truth in the words that came out of his mouth.

"Oh my! Follow me." the nurse gasped and ran towards the doctor's office. She walked up to the doctor and apologized for barging in, and whispered to him and pointed at the gang, standing at the doorway.

The doctor ushered them out of there and lead them to an examination room. He pulled out his stethoscope and checked his vital signs; his eyes became wide for merely a second and pulled a phone from his pocket.

"Prepare a room. I'm bringing a patient in." he ordered to who ever was on the other line.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Kagome asked, new tears threatening to fall.

"Well, we don't know yet. We have to look at him closer and then, and only then can we the answer to that question." just as the doctor ended, Sesshomaru barged in.

"But for now all you can do is fill out the forms, and pray for his safety." the doctor looked at them.

The doctor walked away with the kitsune's bed and suddenly looked back.

"Who are the parents?" he asked, thinking that they all looked a little too young to be parents.

"Uhm...were not related. We just found him like that in front of our house." Kagome sobbed.

"Oh, ok." the doctor left without another comment.

Kouga came rushing in and behind him came a girl with red hair.

"Hey guys. What did they say? Oh and by the way, this is Ayame, my girlfriend." Kouga smiled.

"They said they have to look closer at him." Inuyasha answered.

--

It was already 2 in the morning, and the gang was only relying on coffee for energy. 4 hours and nothing. Still nothing. Out of nowhere Kagome just started to cry.

"He's gone." she declared, a simple and short statement.

Merely 2 seconds after she said that, the doctor came out and told them, "He's one lucky fellow. Though, he only has five days to live. He has cancer, and I'm afraid, chemotherapy cannot heal it."

"Oh gods." "No." "Please be kidding." "He's too young." rang out through out the waiting room.

All the girls broke down and cried.

All the guys came over and comforted the girls.

"You can all visit him now." the doctor whispered.

That simple sentence had made Kagome smile, even if it was sad one.

They all walked towards room 112.

Kagome touched the cold metal cringing from the feel.

"Here goes nothing." she whispered and a tear fell.

She looked at the small, fragile kid on the bed.

She slowly walked towards him, feeling a weird connection between them.

"Your gonna be okay." she kissed his forehead.

She hated herself for lying to the poor kid.

The little kitsune stirred and awoken.

"Your awake." she smiled.

"Who are you?" he asked, looking at all the people in the unfamiliar room.

"I'm Kagome." she introduced herself, like it was her first day in kindergarten.

"I'm Shippou." he smiled, and felt like he could trust them.

"How are you feeling?" Sango stepped forward and asked.

"Okay, I guess. Still a bit dizzy though." he honestly said.

"Do you know who did this to you?" Rin followed pursuit and sat at the foot of his bed.

"Hm...Hojo? Something like that. And Naraku." Shippou shuddered at the thought.

"Ho...Hojo?" Kagome managed to choke out.

Sango gasped and hugged Kagome.

Kagome told her self to be strong. She told her self that she would give Shippou the best five last days of his life. Hojo? He's another story.

Kagome got out her cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? Uncle Totosai?" Kagome asked.

Silence.

"I'm doing well. I called to tell you to arrest Hojo."
Silence.

"Yes, the same Hojo."

Silence.

"Thank you. And yes I have all the proof you need." she looked at Shippou and smiled.

Kagome turned around and faced Kouga, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sesshomaru and Ayame.

"Were going to the beach tomorrow!" She chirped.

"Really Kagome? Do you really mean it?" Shippou bounced on his bed.

"Yes. I do. I don't like hospitals, they give me the creeps." she smirked.

--

"Kagome, it's so pretty." Hippo whispered to Kagome's ear.

"I know. Oh, I got an idea. Hey Sesshy stop by that store please." Kagome asked.

"Okay? What are you gonna do?" he wanted to know.
"I'm buying two sets of sand building things." she shrugged, hoping that they would catch on.

Kagome got down from the truck and asked the lady for two sand castle making sets, she paid and waved goodbye to the nice lady.

"Okay, Sesshy I'm good." she stole a glance at Inuyasha, who was currently catching up on his sleep.

"Okay, next stop...the beach!" he grinned at Rin.

Kagome leaned in, letting her lips brush against Inuyasha's, just enough for him to wake up.

"Hey sleepy head, were here." she whispered, letting Shippou get out of the truck.

"Oh, okay." he replied.

Kagome was currently wearing a super mini, teal halter dress; and underneath she wore, a black and white horizontally stripped bikini and bra; so when ever the wind blows, you could see a little something, something.

She looked at the beach and put her pink rimmed, sunglasses on; and ran to where Shippou was. And by this time, Inuyasha was practically looking up from the ground, trying to see underneath that little teal dress.

Shippou jumped up and down, ran to and fro, like a normal kid on the beach.

"Okay, guys. Shippou and I thought that it would be fun to have a little contest." Kagome grinned bigger.

"Guys against girls." Shippou continued.

"How does this go?" Miroku asked.
"Okay. So Shippou judges and decides who's he likes best. No destroying one another's castle. No cheating, meaning that you can't use anything besides your own two hands, the things given to you, and anything you see on the beach. 'Kay?" Kagome explained.

Everyone nodded, and huddled up into their groups.

The team captain's, Sango and Miroku, got the supplies from Shippou and went back to their respective little places.

"You guys, we are the best sand castle makers in the world, and a bunch of girly girls would not beat us!" Miroku encouraged, earning nods from everyone.

"Guys can't make sand castles. Let's just leave it at that." Sango smiled, giggles erupting from her team mates.

"Okay! Ready! Set! Go!" Shippou yelled, and sat down.

--

After an hour of sand filled fun, Sango's team had made a four story castle, with drawbridges and moats. And Miroku's team made a flat castle, but a big one at that.

Shippou walked around each of them carefully, making sure to not step on anything.

"And the winner is...drum roll please. Sango's team." Shippou yelled excitedly and jumped into Kagome's arms.

"Woot! Woot! We won!" Sango got into Miroku's face and kissed him.

Miroku looked at Sango and touched his lip, could he be dreaming?

'I just kissed him. Oh, my god.' Sango thought.

--

It was dark out, so they decided to go home. Miroku drove them home, his thoughts still lingering around Sango.

Sango was in a daze, much like Miroku's except hers wasn't as bad.

Kagome awoke Inuyasha and asked him if he could take Shippou to his room; he agreed and carried 'their kid' to his room. All the while, Kagome was 'spying' on them, looking if Inuyasha is a 'dad' material.

Inuyasha walked up the stairs and entered his old bedroom, somehow he knew Shippou would like it, the blue, the window, just like how he did when he was little. He tucked him in and acting on instinct he kissed the kitsune on the forehead.

Kagome was shocked when he did this.

Inuyasha looked at the kid lying down, dad's instinct?

Maybe.

'One day down, four to go.' Kagome thought.

--

Author Says: ey, hey! That was the longest chapter I have ever written!

6 pages...woah.

Well any who, you know you want to click that little button over there.

Review!

ciao!