Disclaimer: I own nothing. Deal with it.

It's been alittle hard for me to update. I have finally replaced my crappy '98, so I have to go through hell to get all the programs I need running. Sorry for the slowing of updates. This will get better, I promise!

Last Time:

Kagome rolled her eyes. "This from the guy who slices people in half. Get some backbone." She left, giggling at InuYasha's ramblings. Sesshoumaru waited until InuYasha left before allowing himself a brief smile.

The miko is proving to be quite entertaining.

CHAPTER 7: GREETING THE FUTURE

Kagome hefted her large yellow bag over her shoulder. "I really have to cut back on my laundry." She muttered as she threw a leg over the side of the well. "Or at least come back more often." She allowed herself to fall back, and closed her eyes as she felt the wind whip around her. Then it slowed, and the familiar warmth and blue light surrounded her. It slowly faded, and Kagome opened her eyes. "Home again, home again, jiggety jig."

With practiced ease she threw her bag over the side of the well and climbed out. Just as she reached her bag, the well lit up once more. All she could hear was growling, and with a shock, she realized what had happened. "Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP!" Kagome shouted. She rushed to the side of the well. "I'm so so so so so so so so SO sorry Sesshoumaru!"

A blur of white shot past her, and Sesshoumaru stood in front of her, completely pissed off. Kagome gulped. "Miko, I do not appreciate being pulled from an enjoyable activity because of your carelessness."

Kagome bowed. "I'm really, really sorry. I didn't even think." She really did feel guilty. She hadn't meant to pull him away from whatever he'd been doing. She just really needed to get home.

Sesshoumaru turned to the well. "We shall return."

Kagome stopped feeling so sorry. "Okay. Have fun." She turned to leave, only to have her arm caught by the angry taiyoukai.

"We are returning."

"We are not doing anything." Kagome answered back angrily. "You may return to the past if you wish. I am going home."

Sesshoumaru had to remember that growling had yet to win him any arguments, especially since the miko in front of him was not intimidated by him in the slightest. "I cannot return without you, miko. Rin has no protection. We will return."

Kagome remained obstinate. "She has Sango, Miroku, Kaede, Shippou, and an entire village to protect her. Even the local demons will protect the village if the need arises." Seeing his disbelief, she shrugged. "I promised not to go around purifying them all if the promised to defend the village when necessary. It's weird the things people think you can do when you half-purify Naraku."

The sound of footsteps approached, and Kagome tensed. "Um, Sesshoumaru? Do you remember what I asked last time we were here?"

Sesshoumaru gave her a look, the kind that asked if she had seriously asked that question. She took it as a yes. "Please remember not attack anything. Or anyone." The door to the well house opened, and Sesshoumaru glared down at a young male human.

"Kagome!" He shouted, rushing over to hug her. Kagome giggled and hugged him back.

"What's up, Souta? You miss me that much?"

"Not really. We just got a bit worried." Souta grinned. "Mom's gonna kill you when she sees you're okay. When you didn't come yesterday, she thought you got eaten or something."

Kagome gulped. "I don't suppose I could send you in with a message and wait till next week."

Souta grinned again. "Sure. But we both know you wouldn't want to miss a whole week of classes."

Kagome growled. "Smart alec."

"Proud of it." Kagome lunged for him, but he slammed the door before she could reach him. He ran to the house screaming at the top of his lungs. "Mom! Mom! Kagome's back!"

"I'm going to kill that little brat." Kagome muttered. She straightened, dusting off her clothes. "I still need to change too." She opened the door, then froze, remembering Sesshoumaru. Thinking quickly, she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve. "I know it looks undignified, but its better than nothing." She said quickly as she passed it to Sesshoumaru. "And it's better than passing out again." She left quickly before he could protest.

Inside, Kagome was pulled into a fierce hug by her mother. After about ten seconds, her mother stepped back, eyes glinting. "You have some explaining to do, young lady." Sakura Higurashi said.

Kagome gulped. "Well, you see Mom, there is a very good reason why I wasn't here yesterday like I said I'd be." Her mother's eyes glinted, and Kagome quickly added. "And why I didn't tell you I'd be late." Still feeling pressured, Kagome's mouth betrayed her. "Technically, I was here yesterday. I just had to go back really quick."

"You are not helping yourself young lady." Sakura snapped. "If someone says they are going to be someplace, they should be there. Not give everyone else a heart attack when they don't show up."

Kagome was about to answer, but was interrupted by shouts from the courtyard. "Demon begone!"

"Grandpa, look out! He looks mad!"

"He must be a powerful demon to prevail against my wards. Demons begone!"

Kagome gulped again. "Can I get back to you, Mom? You're about to meet the reason I couldn't come yesterday."

She turned to leave, but the door opened before she could get there. A very angry, harassed looking Sesshoumaru walked through the door, looking as if he'd like to tear off a certain miko's head. Closely behind him came her Grandfather and Souta.

"Miko." Sesshoumaru's voice literally froze Grandpa and Souta in place. They looked scared.

Kagome knew that if she didn't know he couldn't hurt her, she would have run and kept going. Instead, she took in the sight of Sesshoumaru. His hair went in twenty different directions, stuck up at odd angles by the glue on the sutras. And speaking of sutras, they were plastered all over him. He looked absolutely ridiculous.

Kagome really did try hard not to laugh. But after a few moments of silence, she couldn't hold it in anymore. She fell to the ground and laughed, feeling tears come to her eyes as she did so. She couldn't even speak.

Sesshoumaru stared at the miko and felt his eyes go red. She dared to laugh at him! If the stupid curse wasn't in effect, she'd have been dead within seconds. She would be too, when the curse had been removed.

After about ten minutes, Kagome stood. "I'm sorry. You just look so ridiculous." Another round of giggles hit her, but she managed (with effort) to subdue them. When she turned on her grandfather, all smiles had left her face.

"Grandpa." She said calmly. "What have I told you about trying to exorcise my friends?"

"Kagome, he's a demon!" Grandpa objected.

Kagome sighed. "We've been through this before. Point 1: Your sutras don't even work. Point 2: Not all demons need to be exorcised. Point 3: Your sutras don't work. Point 4: Stop wasting the paper. Point 5: Your sutras don't work. Point 6: I wouldn't bring home demons that would be dangerous. Point 7: Your sutras don't work. Point 8: Sesshoumaru is the most powerful demon in all of Japan, and he could kill you in the time it took you recognize the fact that he is a demon if he wanted to. Point 9: Your sutras don't work. Point 10: The fact that Sesshoumaru didn't kill you means he has immense patience, though it would be unwise to test that patience, seeing as how I like having a grandfather. And finally, Point 11: YOUR SUTRAS DON'T WORK!"

Grandpa pouted. "You just said he was powerful! So maybe my sutras do work on demons, he's just really strong."

Kagome sighed. "Sure. Whatever, Gramps. Why don't you try to find some random lower demon and use your sutras on them. I'm sure you'll have fun."

Grandpa left, mumbling about young people with no manners. Kagome turned to her mother. "Mom, Souta, this is Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands. He's InuYasha's half-brother. The inuyoukai I told you about."

Sakura's eyes widened, and Souta's narrowed as Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru, this is my mother, Sakura Higurashi, and Souta, my little brother." She gestured to the doorway. "The old guy was my grandfather. And thank you for not killing him when he went after you."

Souta stepped forward. "Aren't you the guy that tried to kill my sister that time that InuYasha got his sword?"

Sesshoumaru would never forget the incident. "Yes." He answered simply.

Souta thought for a moment. "So you're InuYasha's older brother."

"Half-brother." Kagome interjected, before Sesshoumaru could answer. "He's touchy about that."

"Now, Souta, don't be so rude." Sakura had finally recovered. "Would you like something to eat while Kagome explains, Sesshoumaru-sama?" She looked at him again. "Actually, why don't you go take a shower and get all that glue out of your hair? Kagome can show you how to use everything."

Kagome looked confused. "Mom. Glue doesn't come out in water."

"No. But I stopped buying your grandfather glue a long time ago." Sakura said with a smile. "Melted sugar is good enough for him."

Kagome laughed. "I wouldn't say that too loud."

She led Sesshoumaru up the stairs to the bathroom. He was instantly on high alert as he entered the small space. Kagome did a quick tour, and demonstrated the handles. Seeing the look on his face, similar to InuYasha's when he'd first seen it, she answered the question. "No. There is no magic controlling the lights or the water. It's technology. If you're a good boy, I'll tell you all about it." She turned off the water. "You can dry off with the towels there."

She started to leave, then paused. "Thank you again, for not attacking my grandfather. I had hoped he'd have learned that his sutras are no better than regular paper after that fiasco with InuYasha, but apparently not. Just, thank you for being patient with him."

Sesshoumaru nodded at her, and she smiled. "Oh, and just so we have our stories straight, the reason you're here is because I'm teaching Rin about her miko powers, and you want to make sure that her teacher is not sneaking away during the week to plot her demise."

She went to leave again, but was stopped by Sesshoumaru's question. "Why do you want to hide the truth?"

Kagome looked at him in confusion. "Well, I doubt you want my mother to know that you're bound to me, right? I just figured I'd help with that." She looked at her watch. "I have to leave at nine, since my first class is at ten. So please try to hurry."

Sesshoumaru watched her leave, and a thought occurred to him. She's actually quite. . . nice.

At Tokyo Univeristy

Kagome entered the classroom a half hour early, happy to find that the teacher was in early. I really hope that Professor Hirata doesn't mind Sesshoumaru. I can't afford to miss anymore classes.

"Ah, Ms. Higurashi. How nice of you to come to class today." Professor Hirata said with a hint of sarcasm.

Kagome blushed and bowed quickly to the professor. "I'm so sorry, Hirata-sensei. I was just about to come back for classes when a friend of mine came to me for help. He ended up in the hospital, and I couldn't leave until I was sure he would be okay. Please forgive me."

Professor Hirata waved away the apology. "Don't worry so much, Ms. Higurashi. I've dealt with you long enough to know that you wouldn't miss class without a very good reason." He shuffled his papers, and Kagome waited again for him to speak. "Was there something else?"

Kagome shifted nervously. "I have a friend who is visiting for a while. He's from a very old fashioned village in the west, and he's never really seen a modern city before. I was wondering if you would mind if I brought him with me to class. I'm a bit afraid to leave him alone for too long."

Professor Hirata thought for a moment, then nodded. "Why not? The more the merrier."

Kagome smiled and bowed again. "Thank you very much, Hirata-sensei." She hurried out before he could change his mind. She looked for Sesshoumaru where she'd left him, but found that he'd moved to the other side of the hall. She nearly laughed at the sight.

A gaggle of girls surrounded him, playing "Make The Boy Talk." Sesshoumaru was dressed in a pair of old jeans and a polo left over from Kagome's father, and even Kagome had to admit, the guy was hot. However, the modern clothing was driving Sesshoumaru up a wall. Almost literally. The gaggle of girls around him did not help, and his eyes were starting to tinge red.

Quickly, Kagome slipped through the crowed around him. "Sesshoumaru, here you are! I lost you for a second there." She grabbed his arm and tugged, giving him a quick look that the girls missed. "We've got a half hour before class, so I thought we'd head up to the library and study." She pulled him away and headed for the library.

But they went to breakfast instead. The library had been a trick for the stampede of girls who'd tried to follow them.

Sesshoumaru stared at the eggs in front of Kagome in distaste. "How can you eat such garbage?"

"Eggs are good for you." Kagome said absently, looking through and copying the notes borrowed from Hojo. Sesshoumaru, unused to not having the full attention of a person, grabbed the miko's plate. She didn't react at all.

Sesshoumaru was very tempted to strike her with a poison claw, but he restrained himself. He had promised that he would not use his powers while in her world.

Kagome finished copying the notes, then packed up her bag. "Sesshoumaru, I need my plate back." He blinked before returning it, surprised that she had noticed. "We're going to be in classes for most of the day, so you'll probably be more than a little bored. Just try not to make it too obvious that you don't care."

Sesshoumaru didn't acknowledge her statement. He was too busy staring at the human male who had started to approach them. The male stopped right next to Kagome. "Hey, Higurashi!"

Kagome turned, and smiled. "Hojo! How are you?"

"I'm great. Are you alright?" Hojo grabbed the seat next to Kagome and sat beside her. "I noticed you weren't here yesterday. You didn't relapse, did you?"

Sesshoumaru's ears perked up. Relapse. . . as in she was ill before? What was wrong with her?/i An evil thought snaked through him. iMaybe if she relapses, she'll die, and I'll be free of this curse!

bYou're forgetting, of course, that if she dies, we die.

Sesshoumaru growled at his inner demon. He had forgotten that.

Kagome smiled over at Hojo. "No, I'm perfectly fine. A friend of mine wasn't feeling well, and I had to take him to the hospital. I figured that I couldn't say no just because of classes." She handed over the notes. "Thank you for letting me copy them. I don't know what I would have done."

Hojo smiled. "It's no problem. I know that you always have an excellent reason for missing class." He chuckled. "Besides, after all that time you were ill during middle school, you can't afford to fall behind here."

Kagome laughed with him, and Sesshoumaru detected a false note in her laugh. He made a mental note to ask about her illnesses later.

"Say, Kagome." Kagome held back a groan. He always said that right before he asked her out. "How would you like to go to the movies this weekend?"

Kagome just barely kept herself from sighing in relief. "I'm afraid I can't, Hojo. I work on the weekends in Sendai. I'm afraid that I leave right after school on Fridays. I'm sorry, Hojo." Mentally, she punched her fists into the air. iTake that, evil kamis of dating!/i "Maybe some other time."

"Then how about Thursday?" Kagome froze. Hojo just kept talking. "Since you can't go on the weekend, Thursday seems good. Around seven?"

Kagome smiled, and Sesshoumaru could easily detect the falseness in her eyes. "Sure Hojo. That sounds lovely."

Hojo smiled back at her, then checked his watch. "Shoot! I've got class in five minutes!" He grabbed his stuff. "See you, Higurashi."

Kagome waved good-bye, waiting till he was out of sight before dropping her head onto the table. "Dung Spitters!"

Sesshoumauru raised an eyebrow at the miko. Perhaps she was not as sane as he had first thought.

-----------------------------Author's Rant-----------------------------

Obsessive_Goddess: Haha. Brin gon the Hojo.

Kagome: [glaring] I don't think I like this anymore. Hojo's annoying.

Obsessive_Goddess: I know, but it has to be done. You'll see later.

Kagome: [thinking to herself] Maybe this story isn't so good after all

-----------------------------Author's Rant-----------------------------