A/N: Okay, so I might have confused some people last chapter. When Zel looked up at Kagome's reactions she realizes that it was true, Inuyasha is her father. Hope that cleared it up, and in the next chapters (more so then this one) I'll try to kill it with more detail to reduce confusion. Anyways, you guys are going to see plenty more Inu/Kag in the coming chapters after I just set the generic framework.

~*~

Kagome touched down on the other side and spotted Zel pushed up in the corner of the well and staring up toward the blue sky. Kagome took a breath, immediately assaulted by the deep pollen and mossy scents of the feudal era.

She squinted in the bright light ads she looked up and before her brain configured a way to get up the well, Inuyasha poked his head into her sight.

"About time."

Kagome snatched up Zel and Inuyasha hefted them both up by the back of Kagome's shirt. Her feet touched back down on the soft grass and she let out a breath.

"Mom! Mom!" Meimi and Ko screamed and unison and ran to her. Their tiny fingers snatched her legs and they twisted to hide behind them.

Poking their heads out, they stuck their tongues out at Inuyasha.

The dog demon faltered for a second but jumped forward and clenched his fists.

"Hey little squirts—"

"Inuyasha, calm down." Kagome laughed and held out a hand to calm him.

Inuyasha reluctantly stood back up. Popping his head up, he crossed his arms.

"We don't have time for this, let's go." He said.

For a second and a half, Kagome caught herself staring. The gesture seemed too familiar and it struck a chord in her heart. Inuyasha acted just like her children. Her heart twanged and Kagome's face flushed. Jerking her head down, she stared at the ground and nudged the dirt with her scuffed up black shoes.

"Kagome." Inuyasha said again, his eyes opening to catch a glimpse of the girl.

Her bangs managed to shadow out her eyes and her arm absently wrapped around Zel. Even Zel frowned when she stared at her mother.

"Let's go." He tried again, lowering his voice this time, uncertain at her reaction.

She finally looked back up and gave a watery smile. "Lead the way."

Miemi and Ko didn't stop whining the entire way to the village. Somehow though, the odd surroundings didn't spring up in their conversation. They only complained about how they had to walk, why Kagome only held Zel, why they didn't get to be carried.

It got to a point that Inuyasha flattened his ears and complained himself.

"Do they ever stop?" He asked just as they entered the village.

Kagome almost giggled but forced a stoic face.

"They're just cranky. They need to take a nap." She told him earning protests from the girls beneath her.

"Feh."

Inuyasha walked in front of her and held open the mat doorway to Kaede's hut. Kagome thanked him as she slipped in with the girls on her heals.

Sango and Miroku had posted themselves against the wall. Shippou and Kirara sitting on their laps. Kaede was absent from the hut but those who were there instantly perked up.

"Oh my," Sango gasped when she laid eyes on the bunch.

Shippou stirred when he heard her and sprung up.

"Kagome you're back!" He ran at her and crawled up her leg.

She struggled quickly to grab him with her free arm and greeted him brightly.

"Hi Shippou."

"What's that mom?" Ko asked, snaking around her leg to point at the ball of orange fur.

"Hey, I'm not a that!" Shippou leaned over to peer over Kagome's arm. He spotted the girl with the black hair and dog ears.

"Yes, Ko, please be polite. This is Shippou. He's a fox demon." She twisted the best she could so her girls could get a clear look and satisfy their curiosity.

"A fox? He doesn't look like a fox." Meimi announced earning a tail twitch from Shippou.

"He's certainly tiny." Ko added.

Zel only brought a hand to her mouth as she watched expectedly. Kagome growled and she shot her daughters a firm look.

"You're tiny." Shippou retaliated undeterred. He crossed his arms and leaned back in Kagome's arm with a 'hmph'.

Sango and Miroku sprung up and closed the distance by a few feet. Their brows had pinched and Miroku brought up a hand to rub his chin.

"There are more of them." Sango didn't hide the amazement in her voice. She reached out and brushed the silky strands of Zel's hair. The girl blinked her owl eyes at the demon exterminator but didn't pull away. Sango couldn't hide the brilliant smile that lit up her face.

"They're so cute!"

"Thank you." Kagome acknowledged politely.

Miroku turned away and looked at the hanyou that had posted himself in the corner. Inuyasha had folded his eyes again, his hands disappearing into his billowing sleeves. His golden eyes watched the girls carefully with a softness Miroku hadn't seen in awhile. A relaxed mood still set on him despite his seeming concentration.

"Oh what are their names?" Sango asked, kneeling down to see the other girls.

Meimi and Ko eyed her suspiciously for a second before accepting the woman.

"Hi." They both nodded and gave her a smile.

"This is Ko and Miemi," Kagome nudged them both and shook her head. "They'll try to confuse you if they get a chance so don't let them. And this is Zel." She nudged her head toward the girl in her arms.

Sango kept smiling as she tried to memorize the names. The two twin girls looked so similar she noted how hard it would be to tell them apart. But Ko's hair was a bit longer, reaching down to her hips. Meimi's just spilled over her shoulders.

"So," Miroku spoke up looking back toward them, "they're all girls?"

He saw Inuyasha twitch from the corner of his eye and the twin girls spring up. Curling their fingers into a fist, they shook it at him in unison.

"Geez, why does everyone have a problem with girls around here?"

Sango kept grinning but backed up.

"Yes, Miroku. I think they're adorable."

Kagome watched the exchange almost silently when her arms started to grow tired. While the combined weight of Zel and Shippou weren't much, Kagome's muscles still hadn't recovered from earlier. They started to ache and Kagome shifted the two in her arms.

"Could we put them somewhere to take a nap?" She asked Sango and the brunette girl instantly kicked into motion.

Sango went to recover some beds and Kagome kneeled down and put Zel on her feet.

Sango urged the three girls to come lay down and they obeyed without much fight. Rubbing their eyes with closed fists, they complained quietly for awhile before plopping down.

"This would be good Kagome." Miroku crossed the distance between them and rested a hand on her shoulder, "I do believe we need to speak…about just what happened before you left to understand what me must do next."

Kagome's heart fell but she bit down on her lip and nodded. Of course…they would have to do that.