Seven

"Rin! We're back!" I skipped out into the meadow and threw myself into the mound of flowers piled next to the little girl.

"Aagh!"

"Oh, sorry Jaken," I scooted off of the toad and grinned. He almost looked cute covered in flowers.

"You stupid fat ningen! You almost killed me with your huge grotesque body!"

I frowned. Ok, not cute at all. "Who the grotesque one here? Oh right, that's you little green lizard thing." I was slightly mollified by his indignant squawk.

"So Rin, were you good while we were away?" I smiled down at her.

"Of course! Me and Jaken played house. I was the mommy, Ah-Un was the daddy and Jaken was the baby. That's why I put flowers on him." She lowered her voice to a whisper, "He's not a very pretty baby."

"No kidding. Maybe we should make Sesshomaru the baby?" I looked over at him. He shot me a flinty eyed glare before turning back to talking to Jaken about Lord of the Western Land stuff. See extremely boring stuff. "Don't want to be the baby?" I turned back to Rin as nonchalant as possible with a smirk on my face. "All right, I guess you have to be the pet. Lets call him fluffy Rin. He our pet doggy."

"Ah! That's perfect Miss Kodi!" Rin clapped her hands in delight "Fluffy-sama!" She giggled. I smiled down at her and plopped a flower crown on her head.

"Oh! What happened to your arm?"

"I just got a little scratch. Don't worry though, Fluffy-sama slobbered on it and it hasn't hurt since."

Rin blinked at me then smiled, "You're funny Onee-san."

"Yeah, I always thought so. Hiking with Sesshomaru was awful!" I put on my saddest face. "He didn't laugh at any of my jokes!"

She patted my arm consolingly and handed me a flower to add to my chain, "It's Ok, hes just shy."

"Ah. Well, that all right then. Can you hand me that pretty blue one?" I slipped the flower into place. "Thanks. All done." I handed to chain to Rin and she scurried away to adorn Ah-Un with it. I watched her murmur to the dragon for a few minutes. She seemed so earnest as she slipped the flowers over their necks. I smiled and reclined back in the grass, crossing my arms behind my head, watching the little puffs of clouds in the sky.

My view was blocked by Sesshomaru standing above me, "Girl, the hanyou is approaching."

"Is Kagome with him?"

"Hnn. His whole pack," he replied with mild disgust.

"Cool," I sat up just as Inuyasha literally bounded out of the trees. Kagome followed at a more sedate pace with the rest of their group, plus one other who I hadn't met yet. A little orange hair boy clung to Kagome's back. He had a tail. Obviously another demon. He was a cute kid. Not related to the dog brothers I didn't think. He seemed a bit shy though. He was trying to hide under Kagome's hair.

"Hi Kagome!" I fluttered my fingers at her as she sat next to me, heaving a sigh of relief as she settled her backpack down.

"Hello," she smiled at me

"Oi! Where's the jewel shard?" Inuyasha scowled at Sesshomaru who had retreated back to stand against a tree.

"Inuyasha! He doesn't have it!" Kagome barked at him.

I slapped my hand to my forehead, "Oh! I forgot." I dug the jewel out of my pocket and handed it to her." Here, take it. This thing has been giving me a headache like you wouldn't believe."

"Thanks," she eyed me curiously and cupped the jewel in her hands. It instantly turned pink. "You didn't… I mean, is that all it did to you? Give you a headache?"

"Mmm. Well, it made me kind of queasy too." I frowned trying to figure out how to put the feeling into words, without sounding stupid. Nope, there was no way to explain it that didn't sound crazy. "It was like, I was being offered the world, at the cost of killing everyone else in it."

She nodded, "Yeah, that sounds about right. I gives most people that feeling. But humans can't usually use it anyway. Thanks for giving it back."

I nodded, "No problem. Sesshomaru said you'd show up eventually if I held onto it. And he's the one that killed the demon that had it."

"Keh," Inuyasha harrumphed.

"Hnn," Sesshomaru replied.

Me and Kagome looked at eachother and giggled. She widened her eyes, "That's right! I almost forgot. I have something for you. I have a feeling you'll want it by now." She pulled something out of her bag and handed it to me. I looked down at it and then back up at her. Then I threw myself at her.

"I love you Kagome!" I hugged her as tight as I could and then tore open the bar of chocolate. I bit into a corner with tears in my eyes.

"Heh, seems like you haven't been feeding your mate Sesshomaru," Inuyasha snickered.

"I have hunted for her," Sesshomaru replied stiffly.

"Human girls like more than meat."

"This coming from a baka who allows his miko to provide all the food for his pack. Worthless hanyou."

"Both of you shut up," I growled at them around a nibble of chocolate. "I am trying to enjoy this." They both were so startled by my growl they did shut up. I cooed happily and bit off another chunk, letting it melt on my tongue. Rin crept up on our little group, obviously shy in the face of so many outsiders. I smiled at her and patted the space next to me. "Would you like to try some Rin?"

She nodded and I handed her a piece. The boy peeked at us from behind Kagome. I carefully broke off a chunk and weighed it in my hand. I held it out to him and waited. He grinned and snatched it up.

"I'm Shippou!" the boy volunteered around a mouthful of melting chocolate. I nodded at him, "Nice to meet you. I like your tail." I smiled as he blushed. I shot a glance over at Inuyasha's ears and sighed wistfully.

"Sesshomaru?" I said.

"Hnn."

"Why don't you have a cute tail or furry ears or something?"

He growled and I smiled at a gaping Shippou

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"I said it before and I'll say it again. I love you Kagome."

Kagome giggled in response as I lowered myself into the hot springs. Rin jumped in and I laughed as Sango shrieked when she was splashed. Shippou had blushingly declined to join us when he found out Rin was joining us. It seemed seeing someone his own age naked was different from seeing his mother figure naked. And from what I had seen Kagome was his mother figure. I sighed and the heat of the water began to work on my muscles. Rin doggy paddled around the pool.

"You've got to teach me how you bullied Inuyasha into finding this spring."

Kagome smiled, "It's a secret."

Sango grinned, "Sometimes you can teach an old dog new tricks."

We all giggled, and Kagome began pulling soaps and other bath things out of her bag. It really was amazing. Since she had first shown up earlier, I had seen her pull out enough ramen to feed and army, a few tattered looking textbooks, a sleeping bag, a change of clothes, towels, an almost constant supply of candy for Shippou and eventually Rin as she overcame her shyness, one can of soda, one bag of chips, and now two different kinds of soap, shampoo and conditioner, a sea sponge and a loofah on a stick. Amazing.

She passed me the shampoo, "Here, we'll take turns." Rin watched us with wide eyes. This girly stuff probably wasn't something she saw a lot of traveling with Lord Stick up His Pretty Butt and Green Gills.

I smiled at her, "Come here Rin, I'll wash your hair for you." Rin darted over almost immediately and settled herself infront of me. I squirted some into my hand and passed the bottle to Sango. Then I busied myself to give the poor girl some much needed pampering.

Bathing with Sango and Kagome was lots of fun. They gossiped and teased the whole time they were washing. And by the time we were done spoiling Rin she was beaming and glowing like a shiny, new coin.

I was a little behind on finishing however and the other girls were already toweling off and dressing when I finally got around to shampooing my own hair.

"Don't worry about it guys. I'll be right there. Go back without me." I waved them off. Rin finished tying her kimono and scurried over to me. She leaned down kissed me on the cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered before running after a smiling Sango and Kagome. Well, now I was the one beaming.

"Ah!" And now I was the one who had soap in her eyes. I rubbed my tearing eyes and hurring through the rest of my bath. I wanted to get back with the rest of the group.

By the time I was dry and pulling on my kimono I was happily imagining a hot bowl of ramen and curling up under the blanket Kagome had promised me. I hummed a little tuneless song as I finished tying the kimono.

"So you're the little ningen girl that's trapped the great Taiyoukai."

I yelped as the smooth voice curled its way out of the trees.

"Who's there?" I spun around, searching the shadows. A figure cloaked in a baboon skin stepped forward. I wrinkled my nose and a question escaped me before I could stop it, "Ew, why are you wearing that?"

"Hmm, you do not seem like a girl who would catch his interest. What the swamp witch said must be true then. You've gone and gotten yourself cursed onto him haven't you." A smile glittered in the gap of the baboons mouth. "How fortuitous."

I frowned, "Who are you? How long have you been hiding?"

"Not long little girl. You needn't fear for you modesty."

"Hnn," I sneered, borrowing Sesshomaru much used noise. "What do you mean by the swamp witch? You spoke with Kitomi?"

"You could call it that. You could also call it ripping open her mind and reading all her dirty secrets. She was quite useful with a little encouragement."

I paled, "You are Naraku? Of course, from what I've heard, only a loser like Naraku would walk around dressed as a baboon."

I shrieked as tentacles shot out from under the fur to wrap around my throat, "Sesshomaru!"

"He can't hear you girl. I could kill you now I suppose. But I think I'll make our Sesshomaru-sama work a little. A little game of hide and sneak?" Another flash of a smile glinted and then Naraku bounded into the trees, carrying me along after him.

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Kagome glanced up curiously as Sesshomaru swiftly stood to his feet. An agitated growl rumbled over the grass. Shippou jumped and hurried to hide beneath Kagomes hair.

"Oi, what's your problem?" Inuyasha barked from his spot up in the trees.

"Where is she going?" Sesshomaru snarled. "She is moving too fast. What is that…" A roar of anger shook the trees. "Naraku!"

"Oh no! Naraku has Kodi?" Kagome cried.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin whimpered. Sesshomaru looked down at the little girl, momentarily pulled out of his instinctual rage at having his mate (His Mate!) taken by the childs tears. "Please bring her back!"

Sesshomaru's eyes bled. He turned toward the faint smell of chocolate, flowers and girl and leaped. When his feet next touched the earth he was completely youkai. And acid burned a seething trail behind him.