Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 7: And better…

The two adults merely stared at each other for a time. Kagome, because she was taking the period of silence to take in the man that stood before her, noticing everything there was to notice about him. She was actually a bit ashamed that she didn't realize immediately that he was Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father. His long, platinum hair was pulled into a high ponytail and still it hung almost to his feet. Instead of the twin stripes on Sesshomaru's cheeks, he had one, thick stripe on both cheeks, similar in color to the crescent Sesshomaru sported. His armor looked bulky and heavy, but she knew that, to him, it weighed next to nothing.

Toga was simply taking the time to notice her noticing him.

"Aaah!"

Sesshomaru squealed, taking notice of his father's scent, jarring said adult from his own thoughts. Toga flicked his eyes over to his son in the arms of the other boy, so overwhelmed that he actually allowed some of his relief to show on his face. His guard returned quickly at the sound of the female's voice.

"Uh, I assume you're here for Sesshoma-"

"I am."

He answered, not even bothering to listen to what he knew she was going to say. Instead he took a step forward, only to be thrown almost all the way across the clearing. Even afterwards he could feel the tingle of spiritual powers across his skin. A miko. She was a miko.

'I underestimated her…'

Now, she was a threat. His eyes tinged red as he approached her again, consequently putting Kagome back on her own guard.

"Drop your weapon, Miko. Your barrier as well."

Kagome worried her bottom lip as she took in the situation again.

"I think you should calm down."

She cursed herself for the less than adequate response. When did they ever calm down just because you told them to? Toga began to growl immediately, the red where the whites of his eyes should have been growing brighter by the second. She was again reminded that "never" was the answer to her question. They never calm down because you tell them to.

"Drop your barrier, and release my son to me."

Traveling with Inuyasha for more than a year can shorten anyone's fuse.

"Release? It isn't like I'm holding him hostage. Why he's even in my care is what needs to be discussed."

Kagome wasn't even completely sure with herself as to whether or not she meant to say those last few words aloud, but it happened.

"Your care? As it stands, miko, you are the one and only suspect-"

"Suspect? He's your son! It was probably your gross negligence that got him captured!"

Toga was around the barrier and in front of her before she could even take in a breath from her last rant. Conveniently, he had sliced her bow clean in two in the same flash of movement, and even more conveniently both of the children that had been forced to watch this altercation, one understanding the clear danger far easier than the other, were growing more and more distraught.

"Taisho-sama, please don't hurt my Okaa!"

Shippo struggled to stand, but managed to do so without dropping the baby he held. Sesshomaru was whining too, confused with the two overpowering auras in his midst.

The rapidly accelerating altercation fell flat instantly. Even despite their obvious differences, their opinion on 'children coming first' was pretty similar. Kagome stepped around him, dropping her barrier. Shippo surprisingly didn't run to her first. He approached the domineering inu Lord, handing him his son. He bowed, before scurrying back to his mother.

"You have your son back."

Kagome was talking much more timidly now; a mixture of the fact that she was a bit sad to see the little one go, and the fact that she had always been prone to ever-changing emotions. Toga noticed her quick emotional change as well, and it only added to her oddness. She was deceptively powerful, highly emotional, and she took care of a youkai child.

"Your insolence has not been forgotten, Miko."

She sighed. Of course he was still angry about her "you're a bad parent" jab, she would have brought it back up too.

The both of them were startled at the whip that neatly trimmed all the grass at the feet of the youkai Lord.

"No! You got Sesshomaru back! Leave my Okaa-san alone!"

Toge was extremely surprised. There were very few inu that could conjure up a whip, and at that age. Of course, he had discovered his when he was half the boy's age, destroying quite a few of his mother's precious moonflowers in the process, but he had been trained.

'No matter. Training the boy would mean taking the Miko.'

The boy would develop it on his own.

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He had learned something else while he had been away from his father. He liked being with the woman a great deal. She was quite a wonder to him. He could sleep and eat without ever leaving her arms, and her scent calmed him. There was a boy too, bigger than him, but smaller than his father, and he played with him whenever the woman was not around. Sesshomaru was a pup that loved attention, that much was certainly true.

His father was leaving the area with the woman and the boy, he could tell by the fading of the scents he had committed to memory. He was going to take him back to their home, that much he knew. But that meant he was taking him back to the other woman; the one that tried gave him away. An easygoing child he was, but he didn't like that idea.

XXXXX

Toga stopped walking as his son began to whimper.

"Sesshomaru?"

He knew his son wouldn't answer him, but he had to ask anyway. He sighed, continuing on his way, but Sesshomaru's wails got louder the farther away he got from the clearing. He furrowed his brows in slight irritation.

XXXXX

"Shippo! Come back here!"

XXXXX

"Taisho-sama! I know why Sesshomaru is so sad. My Okaa had to feed him herself because he doesn't have any teeth, and now he's hungry again."

Toga felt the heat rise to his cheeks, knowing what the boy was talking about━and not knowing whether or not to be grateful or disgusted. He turned to face the miko who had ran after them, Apparently he had crossed more distance then he thought, but he was strangely comforted by the similar awkward blush that stained her cheeks.

Kagome could have melted into the ground and been happy.

'Not this again…'

Toga was frozen again. He cursed himself, not appreciating that this enigma of a woman had rendered him speechless twice already. Sesshomaru had only been with these two for a day, but he had obviously bonded with her. Back at the palace, It was Hatsu that fed him back at the palace, and he certainly would not be allowing her anywhere near Sesshomaru ever again…and he would definitely need to be fed. He stepped toward the unsuspecting Miko.

"Don't!"

Shippo hollered again, moving in front of her, displaying a stance that he assumed was supposed to be protective. He barely stood at the Miko's hip though, so he was certainly no threat.

"You may be bigger, but I won't let you hurt her!"

He accompanied his declaration with a growl. Toga fought a chuckle, actually thinking of how the protective front of the small boy was admirable. And he really did need to be trained. Perhaps they could work something out…

A/N: This was awful. Since I know it, it's okay. This might just be a space holder (cause it really sucks), but I promised a quick update, and I also promised to get things moving…I don't know…Still review though! The next chapter won't be so awkward…I'm really sorry about this one though…