A/N: Have fun! I'm going to write the next chap of Flowers now and boy oh boy will it be cool!
Beta: Cstorm86

The Miko and The Mailman

Kagome walked down the corridor, smiling. After her meeting with Inuyasha the previous evening they all had a nice, even if awkward, dinner. Grandpa had done the most talking. Inuyasha had been more focused on devouring the food with the enthusiasm of a starved man. She had been watching the two men, throwing questions and basically trying to make the hanyou feel welcome.

Now, she felt as if it was her first day of being a real shrine keeper. From what she gathered from her grandfather's stories most shrines had no guardians like Inuyasha. Not many youkai in the past had felt inclined to accept the life of a guardian, even if they were benevolent.

She exited the house and was on her way towards the shed where the broom they used to sweep the shrine yard was, when she saw a postman approaching the gate. He waved a hand at her, holding a pack under his arm.

"Good day," he greeted when Kagome approached him. He had a young. round face with playful dark eyes and a nice smile. A bit on the pudgy side and with a kind expression on his face, he gestured to the pack. "I'm the new postman, I've worked in the village for the last month, but I believe I've never meet you before, miss. My name is Takeda Shi and this pack is for Mr. Higurashi."

"Hello," Kagome couldn't help, but smile at the man who stood almost in the shadow of the gate. "I'm Higurashi Kagome, I'm his granddaughter. Can I sign for him, or should I call him?"

"Oh, your signature will suffice," the postman assured her. He was about to hand pad he almost dropped it when a loud bark could be heard. Kagome looked back and saw a big - but not bigger than an akita inu should be - dog running their way, his tail up like a banner, barking and growling. His golden eyes never left the postman, who was looking at him in mixture of shock and uncertainty.

"Oh, goodness," Kagome gasped. It was shocking to see Inuyasha charging on an innocent human with his teeth bared, even if he was not to his normal height. The dog looked so splendid in the sunlight he seemed to shine like a divine messenger. "Inuyasha, behave!" she scolded and gave the frightened postman a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, he won't bite."

She was actually more than a bit surprised to see the shrine guardian leaving the sanctuary of his forest - she already had labeled him as the type that didn't like to spend much time with others. And she would've never thought he was the type to chase mailman down the driveway.

"Oh... I...Uh," the startled man still looked as if he was seconds from bolting down the shrine steps. Inuyasha meanwhile reached them and bodily forced Kagome to step back, taking the spot in front of her and glaring at the man, daring him to do something Inuyasha wouldn't like. "Let's just..."

He outstretched his hand with the pad and a pen for Kagome to sign the paper. She gave him an apologetic smile, murmured once again for Inuyasha to behave and signed the paper. Then she exchanged the pad for the pack and the man - looking very relieved - bid her good day and turned around to leave.

And that was when Kagome saw his tail.

Fluffy, orange tail with a white tip. sticking out from under the postman's jacket. It visibly fluffed out when the man was walking.

"Stupid dog," he muttered under his breath, barely audibly for Kagome, but apparently well in Inuyasha's hearing range. The dog, that had remained motionless after assuming his position, sprang forward and gave a sharp, but not really that strong, nip to the furry appendage.

The postman yelped in surprise more than in pain. In front of the staring Kagome he spun around and pointed at the canine.

"You!" he exclaimed and added another, weird word. The air sizzled as a spark shot off of the tip of his finger and hit the dog.

Five minutes later, when the tempers finally cooled down, Kagome looked between the two youkai glaring at each other.

"I'm not here to cause much trouble, miko," the kitsune promised when he noticed her concerned eyes. "I'm in the human world only for a couple of months, to pass my test.

"Test?" Kagome asked, tilting her head. After retribution for the bite the kitsune had lost his will to fight and Inuyasha was now pouting near her, as if just in case that it was all just a game.

"Yeah. I want to go up in rank and get a tail," Shi explained with a hopeful smile. "I have to pretend to be a human for half of a year. Please, don't send me back, I will not get a chance to repeat this test for a century. I promise not to cause you any trouble."

Kagome looked to Inuyasha and barely held in a giggle when the fluff ball of curly fur glared at them both. She guessed that if he wasn't attacking the kitsune it was probably fine to agree to his plea. Besides, she had no idea how to 'send him back'.

"Alright, just remember to behave," she said to the fox, who smiled in relief and bid her good day for the second time before leaving the shrine. This time his tail was tucked safely under his jacket. When he was far enough Kagome turned to Inuyasha.

"Um... Do you want me to brush it smooth again or...?" she asked.

'Feh!' the shrine guardian barked at her and ran off into his forest, not saying a real word.