Hey everyone!

nope, not dead yet. sorry it took me so long to get this chapter on... I got held up in Real Life. sad but unfortunate. this chapter gave me some hard times, a lot of editing and tweaking, and it seems to me it's as good as it's gonna be.

I want to thank lolkaitlin for the inspiration for the chapter. I would never have thought of this idea without your review.

last thing: if, for some unknown reason you've never seen 101 Dalmatians and still want to... here there be spoilers. beware.

with that said, all I need to add is that I don't own Inuyasha or 101 Dalmatians.

hope you like!

Kagome smiled mischievously to herself as she climbed up the well, her bag more than a little heavier than she was used to. It didn't matter to her though, since she knew that the new things she had brought would only be fun for her and her friends. And she had a feeling she knew of two little ones who would especially enjoy this treat.

She hummed to herself as she finally reached the top, taking the time to stretch her muscles after all the hard work she had put them through. The tune was a known one from one of her favourite movies as a child.

"Kagomeeeeeeee!" Shippou shouted as her ran over to her, hugging her so tightly that if she wasn't used to such treatment she'd have fallen over back inside the well.

"Shippou-chan! I've missed you! Did you behave nicely for Sango while I wasn't here?"

The kit nodded enthusiastically. "I did, just like I promised! Did you bring me candy?"

Kagome laughed. "I brought something even better."

"Really? What is it Kagome? Is it chocolate?"

"Now, Shippou-chan, you don't want to ruin the surprise, wouldn't you?"

Shippou never got the chance to respond, because there came the rest of them, and along with them—

"Keh, wench! What took you so long? We don't have all day to wait for you! it's bad enough you left for four days!"

Kagome sighed. Try as she might, Inuyasha never understood her need to study for school. Deciding to be a bigger person by not answering, she started walking towards the village.

"Hey, wench! Where are you going?"

A few days later, and Kagome had to deal with a nearly hysterical kitsune trying to find out what her big surprise was. She had not yet managed to find the time to show it to them all, but every time she thought of it she became giddy from the excitement. She just knew they would love it, but she had to wait for the perfect moment. She knew that otherwise, Inuyasha would never agree to it. It was a waste of time, after all.

And the perfect moment had presented itself that night, when they spotted some soul-stealers floating in the area. Kagome allowed herself a small, sad smile as she watched Inuyasha hurry off in their direction. It was interesting, but she was feeling less and less sad to see him go. She knew that those times were practically the only times the group could have a few moments to relax, without having the hanyou breathing over their necks in a hurry to move on, to find more shards, to find Naraku.

The minute Inuyasha was gone, she expanded her aura, looking for something specific. And sure enough, there he was. He was never too far from them. She always half wondered if it was because he knew that in the end, they would lead him to Naraku, or if it was because he was just too curious to see what she came up with next. She usually was not a girl to take all the credits to herself, but she had to wonder, considering his tendency to always be there whenever she did something that obviously did not originate in the Feudal Era.

Her expanded aura serving as all the invitation he needed, Sesshoumaru and his entourage had appeared in the clearing. Sango and Miroku, still not used to his curiosity-based-visits, had tensed up the moment they sensed him. But, seeing Kagome calm – and even smiling up at the demon lord – they had decided to once again trust in their friend and relax.

"I was wondering if you would like to join us," Kagome said to the demon lord. "I brought Shippou a surprise from my time, and I thought Rin might enjoy it as well."

The fact that he himself might find it curious and maybe interesting went unsaid, though not unnoticed by the normally emotionless Taiyoukai. He nodded ever so slightly before Shippo caught on.

"Ooh, you're going to show me that surprise now Kagome? Wait, is it candy? Cause if it is, I'm not sharing!"

Kagome picked the kit up and hugged him. "Shippou-chan, where are your manners? Besides, I already told you it's better than candy. And this kind of a surprise is best shared with as many friends as possible."

By this time, Rin was also excited, wondering what strange thing the miko would introduce her to now. "What is the surprise, Kagome-chan? Rin wants to see!"

"Well, kids, why don't you sit down and I'll show you," Kagome answered with a smile, as she bent down to take the surprise out of her bag. "This," she said, taking a thin black box that could never be mistaken as belonging to anything but the 21st century, "is a portable DVD player. Shippou-chan, do you remember when I read you some stories from a book?" the kit had nodded, while Rin looked curiously at the box in Kagome's hands, wondering what kind of magic it held.

"Well, this is so much better. It shows you the story, as if you are seeing it happen in front of you!"

The kids' eyes had grown with awe, and even Miroku and Sango had trouble hiding their amazement at the supposed powers of the relatively small box. Only Sesshoumaru seemed unchanged, but Kagome could see his eyebrow twitching, a sure sign he did not believe her claims. Well, she'll show him.

"I also brought a movie – a story – for us to see, but before we do that, there are some preparations that need to be done. Don't worry," she added, seeing the impatience on her friends' faces. "It won't take long, especially with some help…"

That had got them working. Sango and Miroku were spreading out her sleeping bag so they could all sit as comfortably as possible on the forest floor, while Shippou and Rin stood by next to her as she took a strange bag and poured its contents into one of the many pots she carried around, along with a little butter and a pinch of salt she had brought just for that occasion. When the first 'pop' sounded from the direction of the fire, everyone looked at her in alarm, but she calmed them all, promising them it was supposed to happen.

Soon a very strong scent of butter and salt and another thing they could not name had spread around the camp, along with the occasional popping sound. A glance at her watch told Kagome that it should be ready by now, and she moved the contents of the pot to a different one, one that hasn't been sitting on the fire, and passed it around.

"This is popcorn," she explained. "It is the traditional food for movie nights, as we are doing right now. Careful, it tends to get stuck in your teeth. Now – let's start the movie!"

Kagome plopped the DVD into the slot, barely managing to hold her excitement. She just knew they'd love it! She decided to start with an animated movie, mostly because she thought her friends would need time to get used to that idea before she'd introduce them to the idea of actors and the like. And if she'd have to pick one animated movie, it could only be '101 Dalmatians', her absolute favourite Disney movie from her childhood. Though, she had to wonder how Sesshoumaru would react to the idea of dogs on a leash.

Apparently, he did not take that idea too well. He had started growling not five minutes into the movie, and she noticed her friends sneaking glances at him, hoping he would not go all berserk on them and destroy the small box of magic. The story was really quite interesting.

The growls had become quite thunderous by the time it was clear just what Cruella wanted from the puppies. It was understandable that he was annoyed, Kagome knew, but he was ruining it for the rest!

"Sesshoumaru, this is a movie. It didn't really happen, you know. It's just a story." She explained, trying to calm the Taiyoukai.

"I do not appreciate the idea of killing dogs so that humans would wear their furs as clothing. It is disgusting!"

"I know. There's a reason why Cruella is the bad guy in this movie. C'mon, Sesshoumaru. It's a kid's movie. The bad guy never wins!"

He 'hn'ed, and she knew there was some more convincing on her part before they could all watch the movie in peace.

"Please, Sesshoumaru. Just watch the movie, and you can growl afterwards as much as you like. Just give it a chance, ok?"

He nodded slowly, and she sighed with relief. Deciding they both needed a treat for their efforts, she took out her rapidly dwindling pack of cigarettes, lit one, and wordlessly offered it to him. He accepted just as wordlessly, his eyes not moving from the small screen. Lighting another one for herself, she smiled. He was going to love it, she just knew it!

By the time the movie ended, Sesshoumaru was smirking triumphantly, if only slightly, and Kagome allowed herself a grin. The two kids – as well as Sango and Miroku – obviously enjoyed themselves as soon as the Taiyoukai relaxed. They all 'ooh'ed, and 'aah'ed, and laughed, and even cried out in warning at all the appropriate places. 'Movie night – success!' She thought to herself, her mind already working furiously on what else she could bring her friends from the past.

well then... what do you think?

I think that with the introduction of moving pictures to the cast, there are so many ideas I can play with.

and, if you're once again bummed or surprised by the appearance of the cigarettes... get used to it. it's what the story started from, and it's not leaving just yet.

tell me what you think!