"Phew, Gramps is out," Kagome said as they reached the top of the stairs to her family's shrine.
"How can you tell?" Botan asked.
"His aura isn't anywhere on the grounds," Kagome answered simply. "Kurama, you want my Ma to know or leave it alone?"
Kurama shrugged. "Since she's used to demons, perhaps it would be better if she knew."
Kagome nodded. "Right. Well, come on in everyone, I'll-"
"Kagome-Kaa-san!" yelled a large brown blur.
"Ah! Shippo, a little more warning!" Kagome yelped as she was tackled to the ground.
"Sorry, I just felt unfamiliar energies hanging around, I wanted to make sure you were safe," the brown blur proved to be a young man with a ponytail and handsome features.
"Shippo, this is Hiei and Botan. You remember Kurama of course."
"Well duh I do," Shippo said, getting up and helping Kagome off the ground. He turned to the two strangers and bowed politely. "Nice to meet you, my name is Shippo Higurashi."
"It's nice to meet you too Shippo. Um, why did you call Kagome your mother? She doesn't look old enough to -" Botan said, stuttering a little bit.
"Long story, not in the yard," Kagome interrupted. "So let's go inside. Shippo, will you get Souta and Ma? I'll make tea for everybody."
Shippo nodded and ran into the house, while Kagome and the others walked more calmly. It took the best part of an hour, but a nearly full story of Hiei, Botana and Kurama was told to the present members of the Higurashi family, and the much less full and heavily abbreviated story of Kagome's journey through the well was told to Botan and Hiei.
Botan called up Koenma on her communicator.
"I see no problem with it," Koenma stated. "If Hiei wants to stay there, he seems to be welcome to. As for Miss Higurashi, it's a bit late to be worrying about the well, as it seems to be sealed already."
"Very good sir," Botan said, closing the mirror. "I guess that's that then. I'll see you in a week."
"I'll make dinner," Mrs Higurashi promised the girl as they walked outside so that Botan could summon her oar and take off.
"Bye everyone!" Botan called with a wave as she flew away.
"I'll show you to a room Hiei," Kagome offered, while Souta and Shippo both dragged at Kurama to play video games with them again. "And then I'll give you the tour of the shrine."
"I don't need a tour," Hiei stated.
"Tough. Besides, I thought you wanted a weapon?" Kagome said, dangling the bribe before the demon.
"You keep weapons here?" Hiei asked, clearly surprised.
Kagome nodded, a smile on her lips. "Oh yes."
"Hn, very well."
Kagome smiled in quiet triumph and led Hiei to a room on the second floor of the house, pointing out doors and saying what was behind them on the way, with a warning to avoid her grandfather's room – a caution given to preserve everybody's sanity. Kagome gave Hiei the room at the end of the hall, with a window that opened out into the wooded area at the back of the property.
"We're not a big shrine," Kagome said, leading Hiei back down the stairs, "but we are very rich in history. The Tree of Ages, the Bone Eater's Well, the Shikon no Tama, various relics," she continued, heading towards the storage shed. The items that the shrine had on display were either innocuous, such as the mummified hand of a water imp, or fake, like the Shikon replica sitting on a cushion for the visitors to look at, all accompanied by an information board. The swords were not on display though, except for their 'yearly airing' that her grandfather performed with much ceremony.
"Recently added to the collection were the Tetsusaiga, the Tensaiga, and the Tokijin, all demon swords," Kagome said, leading Hiei into the depths of the store. "The Tensaiga isn't what you're after of course, as it heals. It can save lives and send the undead back to their place in hell, but it can't kill otherwise. The Tokijin I had to purify of it's demonic aura, as it attempted to possess anyone who tried to wield it. Even after all that and five hundred years in the Bone Eater's Well, handling it just plain risky."
The two swords had shown up at the bottom of the well just yesterday, and Kagome had cried for a little while, thinking that Sesshoumaru must be dead for his swords to be sent to her – likely by Rin's hand or Jaken's, unless Sesshoumaru had brought himself to the well as he was near death.
"As for the Tetsusaiga," Kagome continued, "that sword chooses who gets to wield it. It will let any human into its protective barrier, but humans don't have the power needed to use it. If you can use it, then it has the power to destroy a hundred enemies with a single strike."
"It looks dull and rusted," Hiei commented.
"Yeah, it's a pretty good trick really. It looks useless to humans, and is very selective about which demons pick it up. Of course, simply being able to hold it is only half the deal with the Tetsusaiga. We've also got a fairly decent collection of normal swords, left by the samurai, or perhaps by demons who didn't suffer samurai," Kagome said, chuckling at that last thought. Sesshoumaru certainly had little patience for the human warriors, and may have indeed left a few of these swords at the village under Kaede's care so long ago.
"What's the trick with the Tetsusaiga?" Hiei asked.
"You have to have someone to protect," Kagome answered solemnly. "I'll leave you to choose your weapon, and call you when dinner is ready."
Kagome left the store room and half-closed the door behind her, looking over her shoulder at the demon who had an aura of both fire and ice before leaving him in peace.
~oOo~
Kagome made sure to take her grandfather aside the instant he got home so that she could explain to him about the most recent demon lodger in the house, and that he was under no circumstance to throw seals or sutras or anything at him yelling 'demon be gone'. This caused the old man to grumble a bit, but he relented at the fierce look in his granddaughter's eye.
Hiei joined the family at the dinner table and was silent throughout the meal unless questions were directed specifically at him, in which case he gave short answers to discourage further questions. Kagome noted silently that he had chosen a human blade to hang at his side, and wondered to herself if he had tried to pick up the Tetsusaiga at all. Then again, few demons were inclined to admit that they had something or someone to protect, so he may not have bothered.
She sighed as she washed up the dishes. It would have been nice to see the Tetsusaiga in action again, not that there was all that much action to be had these days.
~oOo~
Botan's visits were something Kagome quickly began to look forward to. The girl was a bit air-headed without the threat of emergency, but the effect she had on Kagome's grandfather was something she didn't think she would ever get tired of. Kurama usually visited the shrine at the same time, so that Botan wouldn't have to track him down at his own home or at school, which made both Souta and Shippo very happy. Hiei probably liked to see the red head as well, though he clearly refused to admit it if he did. Shiori visited them a few times as well, and was best friends with Mrs Higurashi very quickly.
Hiei took to training out the back of the house where visitors to the shrine wouldn't see him, and even allowed Kagome and Shippo to be his opponents sometimes, which helped them keep their own weapon-skills sharp. It didn't take long for the demon to develop a grudging respect for the miko and her 'son'.
Kagome continued to meet Kurama at his school's gates as well, and they had various sorts of dates in many different public places, keeping the fans away from the poor red head. They even spent a few of the weekends together – usually training with Hiei, but sometimes out where the fangirls could see that their precious Shuichi was still dating the rumoured home-schooled girl from the shrine.
It was on one of those dates that Kagome spotted them. A few rather disgusting bugs crawling into some boys who didn't seem to notice them at all. Unable to help herself, she yelped and ducked behind Kurama.
"Kagome?"
"I hate bugs!" she cried, even as the boys headed off to another part of the city. "Sorry Kurama," she whispered, peeking over his shoulder to see that the boys were gone.
"Let's get you back to the shrine. Those were Makai insects, and they'll mean some kind of trouble for the world if something isn't done about them," Kurama said, wrapping a protective arm around Kagome's waist and leading her back to her family's shrine.
They arrived as Kurama's communication mirror went off in his pocket – a device Botan had delivered a while ago in case Koenma needed to contact them while she was occupied.
"Hello Koenma," Kurama said, the mirror open in his hand.
"Kurama. There is a situation. I've sent Botan to get Yusuke, but he's going to need help. The four Saint Beasts are demanding to be released into the human world. They also have the makai whistle, which they're using as their bargaining chip," Koenma said, his young face very serious despite the pacifier.
"That would explain the presence of the makai insects we just saw," Kurama said.
"I want you and Hiei to meet Yusuke at the edge of the City of Ghosts and Apparitions, and help him defeat these Beasts and retrieve that whistle. We can't give into their demands, and we can't let them continue to terrorise human world remotely with that whistle," Koenma explained.
"Hiei will want to know what's in it for him," Kurama stated, with the undertone that he wanted a good deal for himself as well. "He doesn't care what happens to the human world."
Kagome smirked where Koenma couldn't see her. Hiei didn't care about most of human world, that was true, but he might mind if the ice cream ever ran out.
"You'll both get a clean slate. Criminal records expunged. Hiei will still be on parole, he's too dangerous to let slip off the radar after only six months, but I'll shorten it a bit," Koenma negotiated, thinking fast.
Kurama nodded. "I think that sounds fair."
"Good! We've created a small breach in the barrier around Maze Castle for you to get in," Koenma started explaining.
Kagome excused herself to get Hiei, as the details were things she didn't need to know. She wasn't going on this mission after all.
Kurama closed the mirror when Kagome and Hiei appeared at the front door of the Higurashi family house.
"Let's go," Hiei stated. Kagome had already explained about the deal Koenma had made with Kurama when she found him training out the back.
"I'll have bandages and ice cream ready and waiting for when you get back," she promised, giving them both a hug before they disappeared.
"Thank you Kagome," Kurama said, returning the hug.
"Hn."
For her part, Kagome went to collect Souta from school and put a barrier around the shrine to keep the insects out. When Kurama and Hiei returned with two strange boys over their shoulders a few hours later, Kagome didn't give her grandfather a chance to so much as gape before she flew into action with the promised bandages.
"This is Yusuke Urameshi, and the one with the unfortunate face is Kazuma Kuwabara," Kurama explained, holding his own wound while Kagome quickly treated the two unconscious boys.
"You promised ice cream, Miko," Hiei stated with a frown.
"There's a whole tub of chocolate ice cream with your name on it in the freezer," Kagome answered, moving from the two boys to Kurama. "So leave the vanilla one for everybody else, alright?"
Hiei nodded and disappeared from the room while Kagome looked at Kurama's injuries.
"So, why is Hiei the only one unharmed?"
"He's an apparition of dual natures, fire and ice," Kurama answered. "His opponent claimed to be an ice master, but really had skipped more than a few of his lessons."
"And those two?" Kagome asked, she knew about Hiei's dual nature already after all, and odd as it was for such opposing forces to be combined, Hiei seemed to be fairly content with his life.
"Kuwabara attempted to fight a creature many times stronger than himself, as did Yusuke. They are both lucky to be alive."
"Ugh..."
"Looks like one of them is waking up," Kagome commented with a wry smile.
"Kuwabara has an unfortunate fascination with attractive young women Kagome, so I suggest that you do not let him see you," Kurama advised. "I'll get him back to his house, and take Yusuke with us. I wouldn't want to impose on you, or force you to suffer through their antics."
Kagome chuckled, but nodded and left the room while Kuwabara slowly woke up.
"Huh? Kurama? What's going on? Where are we?"
"The human world," Kurama answered. "This is where Hiei has been living. It was closest, and I didn't know where you or Yusuke actually lived."
"Ugh, right. Well, I'm alright now, so help me get Urameshi to my place. I get the feeling shorty wouldn't want us to hang around," Kuwabara said, getting off the bed and moving to pick up the still sleeping Yusuke. "And I don't much like the idea of sleeping in the same building he's in."
"Of course," Kurama answered with a small smile.
~oOo~
"Hiei? Shippo? Kurama promised to take me to visit the psychic Genkai today. Do either of you want to come?" Kagome asked the two demons who were sparring in the back yard.
"Sis, why can't I come?" Souta begged, pulling on her sleeve.
"Have you finished all of your homework?" Kagome said, raising an eyebrow at her little brother.
Souta visibly sagged and went back inside. "Stingy," he mumbled.
"This Genkai, she's the one who trained that Yusuke person you patched up yesterday?" Shippo asked, breaking off his attack and giving Kagome his full attention.
Kagome nodded. "She's really famous as well. I've been wanting to meet her for a while, but Kurama talked me out of going while she was training her new apprentice."
"Sure, I'll come," Shippo said, smiling. "What about you Hiei?"
"It might be interesting to meet the woman who was able to put up with the Detective for six months," the dark apparition conceded with a shrug. "When does Kurama get here?"
"Couple of minutes," Kagome answered. "Long enough for you two to towel off," she added with a teasing smile. They may have been training hard, but they weren't sweating.
~oOo~
"Wow, she's got even more stairs up to her temple than we've got at the shrine," Kagome said, staring up at the impressive flight for a moment before shrugging and beginning the walk. "She's not in the city though, so I guess that kinda explains it."
It had been a half-hour train ride to reach the stairs, and it turned out to be another ten minutes of steady climbing. Kagome, the only full human of the group, raced up as fast as she could, challenging herself. She hadn't had such burning in her legs and lungs for a long time, and she was puffing a little when she got to the top, unlike her three companions.
"I'd say not fair, but you're demons," she said, straightening up.
"You must be Kagome."
The four companions looked up at the short figure on the porch.
"I am, Master Genkai," Kagome said, taking a deep breath and bowing to the old woman. "It is an honour to meet you."
"Likewise kid. Well, you came all this way, so come in I guess," she said, turning away from them and heading inside.
When everyone was seated and Genkai had set the tea on the small table, the old woman started the conversation with a few questions.
"How much training have you had in your powers?"
"A lot," Kagome said, glancing at Kurama. He had been the one who trained her. "But probably never enough," she added, turning back to Genkai.
"Someone who knows they can always improve, now that's novel," Genkai said, smiling. "Why keep company with demons when you're carrying that thing around your neck?"
"Shippo is family," Kagome stated. "Kurama helped me to reassemble the jewel. Hiei is someone that Kurama has said I can trust, so I trust him."
"But you are a miko," Genkai pointed out. "My understanding of miko's is that it is their duty to purify all demons."
"I'm not a traditional miko," Kagome answered firmly. It was practically her catch phrase. "And I'm not an idiot. I've met humans who are worse than some demons, and I've met some demons that had lost their own will and gone mad with blood lust. I refuse to judge based on species."
Genkai nodded. "Do you want my training?"
"I have duties at my family's shrine that I cannot leave," Kagome said.
"That doesn't answer my question girlie."
"Kagome. Yes, I would appreciate your training, Master Genkai."
"I will give you tasks, trials, and instructions that you will be able to carry out at your family's shrine. I expect these three gentlemen will be glad to help push you, and may even decide to undergo some of this training as well," Genkai said, smirking as she picked up her tea cup.
"Thank you Master Genkai."
For a while they just sat in silence, drinking tea.
"Come, there are some things that I will need to demonstrate for you," Genkai said at last.
Kagome nodded, rose, and followed after the short woman.
The three demons exchanged looks before they followed as well.
~oOo~