The Shikigami user & the Gorgeous Goddesses

by Uruz 11

Michiru is forced to stay at a relative's house which is occupied by heavenly goddesses, will romance bloom amidst the humor and chaos during his stay? Will all of them visit Feudal Japan as well? Michiru/Peorth as the main pairing, other pairings will also exist pairing Michiru with other female characters from Inuyasha and Oh My Goddess. Warning: Steamy scenes in chapter 16.

9. Trouble with Troubadour

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Oh My Goddess, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #9: Trouble with Troubadour

"Bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs, more bugs more bugs more bugs more bugs more bugs and bugs and bugs." a deep voice murmured from somewhere inside of the yard, causing scaled insects to appear all over Miroku's body which gave the monk the fright of his life, alarming everyone presently outside who mistakenly thought that Urd had been responsible for this commotion.

"AAHHH!" Miroku screamed loudly again, whining like a panic stricken cry baby in front of everybody as he shook frantically in an effort to wipe all of the scaly insects off of his body, shaking his arms and legs in the process. "THERE ALL OVER ME! GET THEM OFF OF ME! HURRY U-UP AND H-HELP M-ME!"

"Oh SHUT UP Miroku! I can't hear myself think!" Michiru responded in an annoyed tone of voice, kicking one side of Miroku's butt in the process to further vent out his anger and disappointment towards the lecherous monk for his inexcusable behaviour towards Urd whom he valued as one of his newly made female friends. "Shippo, you'd better go inside and summon everyone outside so we can decide what to do with Miroku here."

"Gotcha Michiru." Shippo replied before heading back inside the side door of the house to summon everyone outside. "Stupid Miroku."

"Skuld?" Michiru asked curiously, turning to face the young goddess standing beside him. "Am I wrong in thinking that Urd may have cast some sort of spell on Miroku before she kicked him out of the house? I've never seen her cast a spell to summon giant scaly insects before, not that I'd blame her if she did given Miroku's behaviour towards her, you know Urd better than I do since you're both sisters."

"That's a difficult question Michiru, while Urd does have a habit of getting even with those who have wronged her, casting a spell to summon bugs on her victim isn't her style and I myself have never seen her do that at all to anyone." Skuld explained. "She'd usually strike her intended victim or foe with a powerful bolt of lightning or cast a spell on them which would prevent them from any further acts of misbehaviour, which means that someone or something else is responsible for causing all of these bugs to crawl all over Miroku."

"Skuld's right Michiru, I can faintly hear someone's voice chanting "Bugs and bugs and bugs." over and over again somewhere out here." Inuyasha remarked, pausing briefly to inform his Kururugi friend of the discovery he had just made thanks to his superior sense of hearing and smell from being a half demon. "Ah ha! He's hiding on the roof top, Blades of Blood!"

"What'd you do that for Inuyasha?" Michiru asked, turning around just in time to see his half demon friend hurl a handful of razor like blades made from his half demon blood which he had drawn from the palm of his own hand after piercing his flesh with his sharp fingernails.

"What?" Inuyasha pointed out loudly for everyone to hear. "A stranger who comes on to your property and inflicts punishment on someone for their own enjoyment while hiding like a coward is an enemy in my book, just the sort of thing that Naraku would do!"

"I fully understand your point of view Inuyasha, but I think you should refrain from starting a fight until AFTER…" Michiru countered, grabbing hold of Inuyasha's wrist to prevent his half demon friend from hurling more blades of blood at the unknown intruder who had leapt from the roof of the house and was about to land in the middle of the yard. "…We FIRST learn more about who our visitor is and what his intentions are or else we'll look like the aggressors here as much as I know how disappointed you are to hear me saying this."

Ordinarily, Inuyasha wouldn't just sit still in a situation like this, even with Miroku fully deserving what he was forced to endure. But the half demon had great respect for his Kururugi friend and as much as he itched for a fight, this was the modern era where he and everyone else were presently in and so he reluctantly had to do as Michiru suggested, at least he got to alarm the stranger and lure him out of his hiding place with his Blades of Blood attack which also brought an end to Miroku being plagued by giant scaly insects.

"I should have known…" Urd said in annoyance as she arrived on the scene followed by everyone else who came out of the side entrance of the house and into the yard, everyone except for Michiru's Uncle who was cooking tonight's dinner in the kitchen along with Sango's brother Kohaku who was relaxing peacefully on the couch in the living room, Urd strode over to the mysterious intruder in order to talk to him face to face to find out what his intentions were. "Troubadour! What are you doing here showing up uninvited at this hour of the day?"

"Urd!" Troubadour exclaimed cheerfully, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around the second class goddess in order to hold her in his tender embrace to display how much he missed her along with how much he longed to hold her again, completely ignoring Michiru and Inuyasha who were both still waiting for the guy's introduction along with an explanation for his actions towards Miroku. "I've missed you so, it's been ages since we've last seen each other, but I've finally returned to you after braving many dangers over the course of my quest which I have at last completed."

Everyone stood still in silence and suspense as they waited to see what would happen next, Keiichi stood beside Belldandy, Skuld and Lind while Sango along with Shippo and Kagome stood alongside Miroku, all of them were in a long line which bowed in the centre which allowed everyone to watch and listen in on what was going on in front of them, Michiru and Inuyasha stood ahead out in front with their full attention on the mysterious intruder who stood waiting to introduce himself and so on. But before that could happen, everyone was surprised to see Urd stepping forward, walking right up to the suspicious character and calling him by name which revealed his identity along with the fact that the second class goddess knew who he was.

"Who is that Belldandy?" Keiichi asked curiously, being just as much in the dark as everyone else present except of course for Belldandy who at least knew the identity of Troubadour and the relationship that once existed between himself and Urd many years ago.

"That's Troubadour, he's a Plum Tree Spirit who was once Urd's sweetheart, but I recall that they both broke up long ago so I don't understand why he would suddenly show up here now." Belldandy explained. "I guess we'll have to listen closely and find out for ourselves."

Troubadour was very tall and had slightly tanned skin just like Inuyasha along with pointy ears and long black hair which gave him a half demon like appearance even though he wasn't one, he wore white pants with white shoes and a long sleeve shirt. Troubadour also woe a reddish brown cloak over his clothes along with black and white fingerless gloves, resting on his shoulders was a thin brass oval shaped piece of jewellery with a round orb broach that fastened his cloak together which also matched the brass musical harp he happened to be carrying on himself, making everyone think that he was perhaps a musician of sorts.

He had grey eyes, a handsome face complete with a deep singing voice which would woo any young woman who admired such skill from a handsome person as the majority of the people present were about to find out. However, he was still a Plum Tree Spirit and this could be confirmed by the blue circular symbol on his forehead which was similar to the markings that goddesses or demons happened to possess, that and his ability to cast spells upon those whom he vented his jealousy on when ever anyone made any advances towards Urd whom he viewed as his beloved despite the fact that they had both broke up a long while ago.

"Huh?" Troubadour responded in surprise as the second class goddess released herself from his embrace and stepped away before turning around and showing her back to him, a clear indication that his uninvited advance was unwelcome. "What's wrong Urd? Are you not happy to see me again after all this time?"

"If you know what's good for you, you should leave now without saying or doing anything further." Urd declared, everyone could tell from her body language along with the sound of her voice that she wasn't pleased with Troubadour's actions or his appearance, though she was remaining as calm and polite as possible in order to avoid making a scene in front of everybody who stood watching and listening close by. "Who do you think you are suddenly showing up now out of the blue after so long?"

"It's been so long since we've last seen each other and we were both so very young…" Troubadour replied with a soft sigh, recalling the event when he had left Urd to go pursue his lifelong goal many years ago, only to be interrupted by the second class goddess before he could finish his answer.

"Hey, I'm still young in case your eyesight has gotten poor!" Urd cut in crossly with a moment of fury written all over her beautiful face.

"Yes, indeed you are, your beauty is eternal and everlasting just as my feelings of affection which I have for you as well." Troubadour commented, pulling out his brass harp and running his fingers delicately over the string instrument to play a gentle melody. "OH URD MY LOVE, HEAR MY SONG FROM ABOVE, OUR LOVE…"

"ARGH!" Inuyasha cussed out loud with his fists clenching, cracking all of his knuckles again in the process as he interrupted the Plum Tree Spirit's performance. "HEY PAL! ARE YOU GOING TO ANSWER URD'S QUESTION AND EXPLAIN HOW AND WHY YOU CAUSED ALL THOSE BUGS TO PLAGUE MIROKU? OR DO MICHIRU AND I HAVE TO BEAT THE ANSWERS OUT OF YOU OURSELVES?"

"What?" Troubadour said to himself upon turning his attention towards Inuyasha and Michiru whom he had ignored for too long. "HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT ME FROM MY PERFORMANCE! I WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH RUDENESS FROM A HALF DEMON LIKE YOU!"

"That half demon happens to be my best friend sir, so watch your mouth!" Michiru said loudly, stepping forward to get between Troubadour and his half demon friends, surprising Urd and ruining Inuyasha's chance to start a fight. "This happens to be my Uncle's house and everyone here is a welcome guest regardless of who they are, half demon, human, goddess or otherwise. Lastly, you haven't introduced yourself yet so let me ask again. Who are you? What are you doing here and why did you cause Miroku to be plagued by all those scaly bugs and insects?"

"I am Troubadour, and I have come to visit my beloved Urd whom I have been searching for." Troubadour explained while examining both Michiru and Inuyasha with his eyes. "I could hear everyone's voices from inside of the house as I was about to enter in and introduce myself when I heard the most inexcusable words ever spoken to a Goddess, THAT DISGRACE OF A MONK STANDING BEHIND YOU HAD THE NERVE OF ASKING MY URD TO BEAR HIS CHILDREN! I took it upon myself to properly punish the man for his actions!"

"See Miroku? When you mistreat a woman in the Modern era, there are serious consequences; you would do well to remember that." Kagome pointed out, giving the lecherous monk a cold glance which informed how disgusted she and every other woman was with him.

"Now I have some questions for you boy!" Troubadour asked suddenly, pointing directly at the Kururugi boy. "What did you mean when you said everyone here is a welcome guest? Are you implying that Urd is spending the afternoon with the likes of a mere mortal?"

"All of us are staying together at this house which happens to be owned by the Uncle of this young man, that's more or less what's going on and that includes me as well." Urd declared with a soft sigh, knowing full well how her ex boyfriend would react to such information.

"ARGH!" UNFORGIVABLE! I WILL NOT HAVE YOU ASSOCIATING WITH MY URD! BUG SUMMONING SONG!" Troubadour blurted out before singing the same summoning song which cast the spell he had used earlier on Miroku. "Bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs! More bugs, more bugs, more bugs, more bugs, more bugs and bugs! More bugs and bugs and bugs…"

"Oh, looks like a fight might break out, better get your camera ready Kagome." Shippo suggested, digging the digital camera out of Kagome's yellow backpack which the reborn priestess had brought outside with her in case Miroku needed any band aids or bandages.

"AH! GROSS!" Michiru shouted loudly with disgust, finding himself covered in giant scaly insects like Miroku bad been earlier, frantically using his hands and arms to smack and remove them from his body before he was bitten by any of them. "What a dirty and disgusting trick!"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Urd declared angrily, using her powers to summon a lightning bolt attack in order to save Michiru from Troubadour's wrath.

"HEY PAL!" Inuyasha yelled, charging forwards without warning with both fists clenched. "THAT'S MY FRIEND YOU'RE CASTING YOUR CURSE ON, SO TAKE THIS!"

POW!

"AHH!" Troubadour cried out painfully as he felt both blows at once. Inuyasha had charged forwards, using his right nee to strike the unprepared Plum Tree Spirit between both legs below the belt while delivering an equally powerful upper cut to Troubadour's chin, landing on his feet again with ease like a cat while Troubadour was sent flying up in the air until he fell back to the ground a few feet away from where Urd was standing with Michiru and Inuyasha beside her.

KABOOM!

"Are you alright Inuyasha?" Michiru asked out of concern, amazed to see his half demon friend still standing up on both feet after such a powerful electric shock. Unfortunately, the half demon had stepped into the very spot where Troubadour had been standing, not realizing his mistake until after the powerful lightning bolt attack which Urd had summoned struck him from above.

"Sorry Inuyasha." Urd said apologetically even though Inuyasha was apparently fine apart from the burn marks on his head, arms and all over his red kimono.

"No need to worry, it didn't hurt all that much, awesome magic attack though Urd." Inuyasha replied reassuringly with a confident grin on his face, brushing off the bits of dust and dirt which had covered all over him from the explosion just now.

"Urd, not that it's any of our business, but were you and Troubadour once..." Michiru asked quietly, causing a huge pinkish red blush to cover Urd's entire face due to her own embarrassment, making Michiru smile lightly for a moment since he had ever seen the second class goddess turn red like this before until now. "Wow, Urd looks really cute when she's shy, never thought I'd ever see that side of her."

"Well, a long time ago, we-we dated, but only for a little while." Urd explained with some embarrassment in her voice in addition to the cute pink blush all over her face. "After we broke up and went our separate ways, I thought I'd eventually find someone else, but there wasn't a chance in hell of that ever happening knowing Troubadour's jealousy and all. I wonder what became of all the guys who ever made a move on me, I'll bet they all suffered just like Miroku did, Troubadour's songs cause insects to appear on anyone who ever made passes at me and that only proves of how he easily gets jealous even though we're no longer together."

"Well, I don't blame him for that. Boyfriend or ex-boyfriend, I admit I'd also be jealous of someone making a move on you if you were ever my girlfriend." Michiru stated, drawing Urd's gaze towards himself as he blushed furiously and began spouting out apologies in response. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry Urd! I didn't mean anything weird or... I'm just saying that I understand why Troubadour would be jealous, th-that's all!"

"You there! Young mortal!" Troubadour shouted, snapping to his feet in a flash after hearing Michiru's comments, alarming everyone in the process, making Urd worry for Michiru's safety. "Who are you and what you do think you're doing associating with MY Urd?"

"I'm Michiru Kururugi, Urd and I are friends with each other as well, just as I'm friends with everyone else you see around you." Michiru answered while trying to be polite despite the circumstances of how this meeting begun.

"Friends? FRIENDS?" Troubadour replied as his rage began to boil uncontrollably. "WHY SHOULD A GODDESS SEEK FRIENDSHIP FROM A LOWLY HUMAN LIKE YOU?"

"Excuse me, Urd and I can make friends with whom ever we please thank you." Michiru replied, "And please lower your voice, I can hear you just fine, there's no need for you to yell or get angry."

"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE ANGRY! THAT YOUNG MAN'S BEHAVIOUR IS INEXCUSABLE!" Troubadour shouted while pointing a finger at Miroku, scaring the lecherous monk once again even though he wasn't being cursed this time. "TREATING URD SO DISRESPECTFULLY!"

"Troubadour, for the last time, please lower your voice!" Michiru stated with a slightly raised voice, he was getting more agitated by the minute. "There are ladies present, that being said, I would have thought that there would be gentlemen present as well."

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME IN SUCH A WAY! I WON'T STAND FOR SUCH BACKTALK COMING FROM A LOWLY HUMAN!" Troubadour yelled after losing his temper yet again. "I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL AND ONCE I STRIKE YOU DOWN, URD WILL BE MINE! IF YOU THINK YOURSELF AS HONOURABLE, YOU WILL ACCEPT MY CHALLENGE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!"

"Forget it!" Michiru replied.

"WHAT?" Troubadour asked in surprise.

"Urd is my friend, not some prize to be won or competed for in some duel." Michiru declared, nearly losing patience himself which was no surprise given how the Plum Tree Spirit was acting, all eyes darting back and forth between him and Troubadour.

"Hey Troubled Dude!" Inuyasha blurted out suddenly, mispronouncing Troubadour's name on purpose in order to get his attention. "You wanna duel do ya?"

"YES!" Troubadour answered angrily after turning to face Inuyasha, not realizing he had just picked a fight with the half demon standing before him.

"Good! Then let's get started! AHH!" Inuyasha shouted aloud with a delightful grin on his face, charging forwards and head butting Troubadour which caused the Plum Tree to fall flat on his back, the half demon then picked a stunned Troubadour off of the ground and proceeded to stuff his open mouth with a handful of bugs left over from the Bug Summoning Song which were laying all over the ground close by. "Have some bugs! Have some bugs! More bugs, more bugs and bugs and bugs…"

"Ugh! Looks like Troubadour's getting a taste of his own medicine." Skuld remarked.

"That Inuyasha can be so…hot headed and immature, what am I saying, he's always itching for a big fight." Kagome commented with a sigh, as tempted as she was to stop Inuyasha's one sided brawl, she wasn't in the mood to start another argument with Michiru about her reasons for using or abusing her powers over the subjugation beads which their half demon friend was forced to wear around his neck.

"Yeah, but at least Inuyasha's having a good time, its been ages since he last had himself a good fight…even if it's a little one sided." Shippo added with a funny grin.

"Wooah! Now that felt good! Which of you wants a turn to beat up this Troubled Dude next?" Inuyasha asked out loud, now carrying a tired out Troubadour on his back with both hands like a sack of potatoes, looking around at each of his friends. "Bet you do Miroku!"

All eyes turned to Miroku who hadn't done or said anything since he had been plagued by all the giant scaly insects caused by Troubadour's bug summoning song, it was a dirty trick to pull on him even though the lecherous monk had totally deserved going through the unbearable experience. However, it appeared as though Miroku had taken enough punishment and pain for one evening and he didn't want to risk suffering any more which was evident from him not uttering even one word in response to Inuyasha's offer, all Miroku did was shake his head in a polite refusal.

"What? He's too tired out to sing anymore and you're still scared stiff of him, you big wimp!" Inuyasha remarked disappointedly, tossing Troubadour's body in the air and letting the Plum Tree Spirit fall freely on to the ground a short distance away from where Urd and Michiru both stood.

"Huh?" Urd said, glancing down at something which had presumably fallen out one of the pockets of Troubadour's clothes, the second class goddess caught everyone's attention when she unexpectedly walked over and then knelt down to pick up what looked like a small ring made of silver. "Isn't this…?"

Urd paused briefly in disbelief, staring at the tiny object with widened eyes and her mouth partially open, recalling the memory of the incident when she and Troubadour had exchanged gifts to each other during the time long ago when they had both dated one another. But when Troubadour had abandoned Urd for his life long dream, the second class goddess had mistakenly assumed that the Plum Tree Spirit had no need to hold on to that small silver ring she had given to him all those years ago, she was unprepared to discover that Troubadour had still kept it in his possession all this time. Troubadour had now regained consciousness and recovered from the pummelling Inuyasha had given him, sitting up and coughing out the bugs which had been stuffed into his mouth as he composed himself to converse in conversation with Urd after seeing that she found out about him holding on to the gift she had given to him, perhaps his chance at re-establishing his former relationship with the second class goddess wasn't completely gone for good after all.

"You still had this with you for all this time?" Urd asked softly whilst sitting under the cherry blossom tree with Troubadour sitting behind her, their backs facing each other since they were both too embarrassed to show their faces to one another at the present moment.

"Well, it wasn't my intention to…" Troubadour replied, unable to finish his sentence since he was worried for Urd's response.

"Well, you shouldn't have, cause…because…" Urd said softly, her body shaking ever so slightly, crying softly as a few small tears fell away from her watering eyes and rolled down her lovely, but saddened face. Michiru, feeling sorry for the second class goddess was about to step forward in an effort to try comforting his female friend when Troubadour suddenly turned around and darted forward in a flash, holding a golden coloured scroll in his outstretched hand.

"Ah! At last! I finally unlocked the seal!" Troubadour exclaimed with excitement, unravelling the sacred item in his hands after catching one of Urd's fallen tears, unaware of the fact that both his words and his actions had just poured gasoline on a fire which was on the verge of eruption from inside the young Shikigami user standing off to one side as everyone watched for what was about to occur next. "The sacred seal on the Golden Nightingale can only be unlocked with the heartfelt tears of a goddess! I couldn't have done this without your help Urd, you truly were a necessary part of my dream, I have you to thank for helping me to fulfill it. Now I can summon the Golden Nightingale and hear its divine singing with my own hears, having the opportunity to perform such a deed is an honour and a privilege for a Plum Tree Spirit such as I...all of you should be thankful for getting to see and hear the Golden Nightingale in person as well!"

While Troubadour read the lyrics on the sacred scroll he had just unlocked, Michiru's eyes darted back and forth from him to Urd, his fists were slowly clenching and his calm breathing changed pace until the young man was panting deep breaths in and out in order to vent at least a fraction of his fury until he could no longer contain it. However, one look at a saddened Urd told the Shikigami user that the second class goddess was in more need of attention than Troubadour was so Michiru reluctantly had to keep his temper under control for the sake of his female friend who needed someone to comfort her, most of the others had their attention focused on Troubadour for the moment. Lind and Peorth however, kept their attention on Michiru, glad to see that the Shikigami user had stepped in to comfort Urd after all that the depressed deity had endured thus far, namely Miroku's rude remark and now Troubadour's actions as well.

Urd was crying more heavily than before even though she managed to stay quiet, her face was buried in both hands until Michiru gently rested his left hand on her shoulder which forced the depressed deity to remove her hands from her teary face, allowing the teenage boy kneeling in front of her to pull a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wipe away the tears in order to dry her eyes and face. Urd managed a weak smile which lasted for merely a moment, this embarrassment reminded her of the first time she had been emotionally hurt when the Kururugi boy presently with her had dried her tears and comforted her enough so she could feel better, Urd inwardly had to admit that the young Shikigami warrior was certainly a generous and warm hearted individual who had earned the right to receive assistance from a goddess.

While Michiru tried his best to console Urd, Troubadour was busy seeing each verse written on the sacred golden scroll which he had unravelled in his hands, his deep singing voice captivating all females present except for Urd, Lind and Peorth who were focusing their attention on Michiru. Inuyasha was now becoming bored and he was debating over whether or not he should give the Plum Tree Spirit another good pummelling, but after he turned his attention towards Michiru whom he saw consoling Urd, the half demon had a hunch he wasn't going to be bored for much longer. As the minutes went by, most of the girls and guys were focused on Troubadour as they all waited for the Golden Nightingale to make its appearance; even all of the goddesses had failed to notice the ire that was boiling within their Kururugi friend since Michiru had managed to bottle it up for the time being.

"How nice, what a beautiful melody that is." Belldandy commented, glancing back and forth from Troubadour to Urd since she was worried for how her elder sister felt, but she was relieved to see Michiru stepping in to comfort her and so she was content to leave Urd be.

"What a great singing voice he has." Skuld commented, enjoying the Plum Tree Spirit's singing performance as much as the other girls.

"Miroku? If you ever want to woo a young girl, namely Sango, I strongly suggest you try singing to her instead of feeling her up with your perverted hands all the time." Kagome remarked, getting both Sango's and Miroku's attention at the same time, glancing at the monk momentarily with a slight glare in her eyes.

"I don't think that's a good idea Kagome, you saw how unimpressed Urd was at Troubadour's attempts when she struck him with a lightning b-BOLT!" Miroku disagreed only to receive a sack in the balls from Kagome's yellow backpack which she had swung at him, his eyes widening while he tried clamping his mouth shut to keep quiet and bear the pain from the high school girl's sudden surprise assault.

"Well of course it's not to work all the time! Especially between two people who broke up long ago! I'm talking about wooing a girl whom you've never met before or a girl who you have known for a long time and want to date you lecherous idiot!" Kagome declared with a huff.

"If you sing to me a song Miroku and any of the lyrics have even one lecherous comment in them, I'll sic Kirara on you or ask Inuyasha to give you a good pummelling just like he gave Troubadour." Sango warned without even turning to look at the monk since she was focussed on listening to Troubadour's vocal performance, Shippo laughed at hearing her words and watching Miroku's discouraged face.

"Ah, there it is! The Golden Nightingale! I've finally summoned it! Urd! Isn't that the most beautiful bird you've ever…" Troubadour stated in excitement as a giant shimmering golden bird flew down from the sky towards everyone; the Plum Tree Spirit turned around to look at Urd and stopped short of finishing his sentence when he saw the Kururugi boy consoling the second class goddess. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING BOY? HOW DARE YOU LAY YOUR HANDS ON MY URD! I WILL NOT STAND FOR SUCH AN OUTRAGE!"

"I don't believe this..." Michiru said, backing away from Urd and turning around to face Troubadour as he spoke, it was obvious that Troubadour yelling at him had just ruptured the dam containing his ire and now the flood gates were about to burst open. "...you abandon Urd and leave her alone for all that time without remorse, you come back here and expect to make up just like that, and then you have the gall to make her cry just for the sake of unlocking some stupid seal so you can summon a Golden Nightingale? Have you no heart at all?"

"How dare accuse me of wrongdoing mortal human!" Troubadour protested angrily, pointing a finger at the Kururugi boy. "I gather from your outburst that you've changed your mind about accepting my challenge, if you have, say so and we'll both duel."

"Better have your fun with your Golden Nightingale first then, you might not have the energy or the voice for it after I'm done with you." Michiru warned with his declaration, angering Troubadour yet again and making Inuyasha excited since the half demon was just inching to watch a good fight.

"You won't talk so tough after I put you've endure the same fate as your pathetic excuse for a monk went through." Troubadour countered, canting his bug summoning song. "Bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs, more bugs, more bugs, more bugs."

"Shippo?" Michiru called out after catching the young fox demon out of the corner of is eye which gave him an idea of out to outwit his opponent. "I need ball. Can you transform into a ball?"

"You need a ball?" Shippo replied in confusion, not expecting his Kururugi friend to ask for his assistance in a duel between himself and Troubadour.

"I need ball." Michiru repeated, turning to Shippo again and then redirecting his attention on the Plum Tree Spirit.

"Why do you need a ball?" Shippo asked out of curiosity.

"Michiru's asking you for your help Shippo! Are you turn into a ball or not?" Inuyasha asked impatiently on purpose to get Shippo in the mood for a fight now that all sorts of giant scaly insects appeared all over Michiru and forced the teenager to swat them away with both of his hands over and over again to avoid getting any bug bites.

"Of course I can turn into a ball!" Shippo replied loudly, getting all fired up for a fight. "Hang on to the camera for a minute please Kagome."

"This'll be fun to watch, heh, heh, heh." Inuyasha remarked excitedly with a big grin all over his face.

"I hope this doesn't get any uglier." Kagome commented, taking the camera and aiming it at Shippo who ran towards Michiru and Troubadour.

"Alright! I'm here!" Shippo said loudly before asking "What kind of ball do you need?"

"A soccer ball!" Michiru answered loudly, still frantically smacking away all of the bugs that appeared all over him.

"Okay!" Shippo replied, using his fox demon powers of transformation to turn himself into a soccer ball using the image of a soccer ball Kagome had brought him once to play with for fun at Kaede's village, the fabric of the soccer ball matched the coloured pattern of the fox demon's Feudal era clothes and Shippo's eyes and face could also be seen on one section of the ball as well. "I'm ready Michiru! I'm a ball!"

"Oh brightly burning light! Turn into a sword of wrath!" Michiru called out, casting his Raging flame spell to create a giant red and orange flame which took on the appearance of a Lion momentarily before it launched itself at Troubadour, causing the Plum Tree Spirit to catch fire and bringing an end to his bug summoning spell along with all of the bugs appearing all over the teenager's body as well.

"Ahh!" That's hot! H-How can a mere mortal possess magic powers like that?" Troubadour cried out suddenly in surprise as he hastily removed his red brownish cloak which had caught fire in order to save himself from being burned anymore, using it to beat the rest of the flames out all on the remainder of his body. "HOW DARE YOU! ARGH! BUGS AND BUGS AND...BU-OW!"

Once Troubadour's bug summoning spell was checked, Michiru was free to go on the offensive and after waiting for his Raging Flame spell to do its damage as well as provide a distraction, the Shikigami warrior charged in to attack the preoccupied Plum Tree Spirit. Michiru delivered a powerful punch to Troubadour's stomach and followed up with several more punches to the deity's face before withdrawing upon seeing the giant Golden Nightingale which had at last arrived on the scene for everyone to witness. After Michiru's ire had been fully spent, the giant pudgy Golden feathered bird landed on Troubadour's left shoulder, weighing him down due to his size and weight along with the fact that its body was made of pure gold which is heavy as well.

"Time to finish this, you get to deliver the final blow Shippo." Michiru stated, using his foot to kick the fox demon/soccer ball and launch it with lightning speed towards his immobile opponent.

"HHHAAA!" Shippo shouted as he flew through the air, striking the Troubadour in the balls since the dude's legs were spread apart in order to balance himself because of the heavy Golden Nightingale which had now perched itself on his left shoulder.

"YYEEEEEOOOOOWWW!" Troubadour cried in agony, grabbing his injured area with both hands, totally losing balance and falling to the ground flat on his face with the Golden Nightingale still perched on his left shoulder.

"I WOOPED YOU!" Shippo declared triumphantly out loud, pointing a finger at the defeated Plum Tree Spirit after transforming back into his normal form.

"Thanks for your help Shippo, you delivered the final blow, you're the champ!" Michiru remarked to show his gratitude for Shippo's help.

"I'm the champ!" Shippo replied, feeling really good about himself, Inuyasha then rushed over to join in on the fun as well.

"You're the ball!" Inuyusha commented with a grin, slapping hands and sharing high fives with both Shippo and Michiru who did the same in response.

"I'm the ball!" Shippo shouted, leaping into the air with one fist raised high to celebrate his share of the glory.

"You won as the ball!" Michiru shouted out loud, wanting to share as much of the victory as possible since Shippo didn't get to kick butt a whole lot.

"I won as the ball!" Shippo shouted, jumping up and down over and over again, this celebration made everyone watching laugh humorously with amusement.

"YOU WOOPED ASS AS THE BALL!" Inuyasha shouted out loudly, getting the young fox demon even more fired up than he already was.

"I WOOPED ASS AS THE BALL!" Shippo stated, breathing in and out really quickly, expecting to hear more praise from his friends, but this was more than enough and any more praise would have made the three of them along with everyone else watching die of laughter.

"Alright, the duel is over, go sit down and relax now guys." Michiru said with a few laughs at the end as he calmed down with the others.

"Okay." Shippo replied, walking back to go sit down along with Inuyasha who followed behind him, looking in the Kagome's camera up close with a triumphant grin on his face, poor Kagome had trouble staying still as did everyone else who was watching from the sidelines.

"I protest, this isn't a proper duel!" Troubadour cussed weakly, drawing everyone's attention to himself. "You cheated and had help from your fox demon friend, this duel was only supposed to be between you and I."

"Hey!" Shippo countered loudly with an angry grin. "The way we saw it, both of you got to use magic and since you summoned all those bugs to do your fighting for you, there's no reason why Michiru couldn't ask for my help so quit whining and accept that you lost fair and square!"

"OW!" Troubadour cried out again from being kicked in the side by Miroku who had left the others and strode over to give the Plum Tree Spirit some payback after having been plagued by scaly insects from the bug summoning song, the cry catching Michiru's attention in an instant, causing the Kururugi boy to walk over and deal with the matter.

"That was for causing bugs to appear all over my body you Plum Tree prankster." Miroku stated in a triumphant voice even though he hadn't taken part in bringing about Troubadour's defeat.

"Hey! Who're you hitting Miroku?" Michiru asked sarcastically, grabbing the monk by the ear and kneeing him in the groin without warning.

"OW!" Miroku whined, shielding his groin area with both hands before dropping to his knees and falling flat on his face beside Troubadour.

"Don't think for a moment that I've forgotten about YOUR unforgivable actions towards Urd either you ill mannered monk." Michiru stated, the Golden Nightingale then repositioned itself for better balance, planting a foot down on the shoulder of each person who had hurt or insulted Urd a short while ago. "Now I think its best that both of you make amends to each other and apologize to Urd for all that both of you have said and done that hurt her feelings and if she's not satisfied, than I won't be either."

"Sh-Show me mercy, I'm too weighed down to get up and see her with the Golden Nightingale perched on my shoulder." Troubadour pleaded, looking worn out and sore.

"Yes Michiru, t-this giant golden bird is unbelievably heavy; the two of us can't possibly lift ourselves off the ground while it's sitting on our shoulders like this." Miroku said in agreement.

"Quite whining Miroku, we can hear your voices just fine and I'm sure Urd can too." Inuyasha cut in from the audience of friends.

"Urd, I'm s-sorry...for all that I said and did which may have hurt you...please find it in yourself to forgive me even though I probably don't deserve it." Troubadour stated apologetically, fortunate that he and Miroku were at least facing Urd so they could look in her direction despite being held down by the Golden Nightingale.

"Miroku?" Michiru said with an intimidating tone of voice. "You were invited here to this house and to this era as a guest, I expect you to reframe from your usual behaviour and act properly the way a well mannered and respectable monk should, especially towards women no matter their age or whether they be human, goddess or otherwise. Now if you can't bring yourself to do that, then I'll have no choice but to send you back to Feudal Japan where you can spend your days alone until the rest of my friends have enjoyed their stay and decide to return to your era. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Urd, it was very wrong and rude of me to ask you…if you'd be willing to…b-bear my children." Miroku apologized. "As a man and a monk, I have truly shamed myself and I offer my most sincere apologies for my offence, I won't say any such remarks to you ever again."

All eyes then turned towards Urd, eagerly awaiting her response, for her reaction would decide the fate of both Miroku and Troubadour so long as Michiru was concerned. Troubadour and Miroku began to sweat with nervousness as they could see that Urd's mind was undecided, but while Urd had already made up her mind that she'd accept both apologies so everyone could move on, the second class goddess was recollecting all her thoughts and feelings regarding the young Shikigami user who had been so concerned for her due to her inner sadness from this whole affair. Excluding Troubadour and Miroku, Inuyasha and the others were both impressed and pleased with Michiru's handling of the situation even if part of it was out of his control, especially the other goddesses who smiled with admiration and satisfaction all at once.

"Michiru?" Urd said in response, getting the Japanese student's attention. "I'll accept their apologies if I can pass my own judgement upon them and determine the appropriate punishment as well. I say that they have to stay outside for the rest of the day in their present positions so that they'll be properly motivated to reflect on their actions until after the sun has set. Is that alright with you and your friends?"

"Well? How does that sound?" Michiru asked, turning to look at his friends. "Sango? Kagome? Belldandy? Lind?"

"Sounds perfectly fair to me, Miroku can stay outside where he is until sundown while the rest of us have dinner together." Sango agreed.

"I couldn't agree more, maybe Miroku will think about acting the way a proper monk should while he's out here reflecting on his actions with Troubadour." Lind stated in agreement as well even though she already suspected that this wouldn't do any good in the long run.

"I do not wish to be disciplined alongside this monk; he is a disgrace and a disgusting person." Troubadour protested angrily in response.

"The Golden Nightingale should not have to stoop so low as to perform in the presence of a monk who can't even behave like a monk."

"Look at it this way then Troubadour, you and your Nightingale can pass the time singing together which I'm sure you've wanted to do for a long time now and while you're at it, you can teach Miroku how to sing since you have such a great singing voice." Urd suggested, kneeling down to look Troubadour face to face for a moment before standing up again.

"What about the Golden Nightingale?" Michiru asked. "We can't expect it to sit here and hold the two of them down on the ground without asking its permission first, we should at least offer to give it something in exchange for doing us a favour, that only seems fair after all."

"Yeah, what about the Golden Nightingale?" Skuld asked in agreement. "We haven't heard it sing yet."

"Pway, poo pick pock." The Golden Nightingale said while nodding with an extremely low and deep tone of voice, not what everyone was expecting.

"Oh, thank you kindly, I'll bring you some of the dinner we've prepared for tonight to compensate you for your assistance." Belldandy stated after communing with the giant golden bird.

"Miss Belldandy?" Mr. Koshian called out from the side porch of the house after opening the door. "Supper is nearly ready, I'll need your assistance serving it out once it's all cooked, everyone else can wash hands and sit down at the table."

"Very well, thank you Mr. Koshian, we're just coming back inside." Belldandy replied politely with a tender smile on her lovely face.

"Are you feeling any better Urd?" Michiru asked softly as everyone made their way back into the house through the side door entrance.

"Yes Michiru, I'm feeling much better…thanks largely to your efforts." Urd replied rewarding the teenage boy with a sincere smile to express her gratitude for his actions this afternoon.

"Well, I didn't do everything by myself; I had Shippo and Inuyasha to help me out today." Michiru said while getting Inuyasha's attention.

"That's right, you didn't get to hog the whole fight this time Michiru, Shippo and I each played our parts too!" Inuyasha remarked excitedly, playfully jabbing Michiru in the side with his elbow.

"Ow, don't do that Inuyasha, the side of my waist hasn't fully healed yet." Michiru said, hissing at the pain from the injury and holding the side of his lower waist with one hand.

"Uh huh, sorry Michiru, you were so awesome in your fight against Troubadour that I forgot about your injury from your previous fight with that Toshiyuki guy." Inuyasha apologized with a small hint of embarrassment for his forgetfulness. "Not to worry, you're a tough guy so you'll get over it.

"Well everybody, I think we've all had enough excitement and violence for one afternoon so I say we go inside to have supper, Mr. Koshian is waiting for us after all." Keiichi stated, glad that this expected incident along with the previous one was finally over.

"Sounds good Keiichi, come along everyone, follow us inside." Belldandy said in agreement, leading the way back into the house.

After everyone washed their hands before dinner, the company of guests and goddesses scattered about the house to do some last minute errands before sitting down at the table. Sango awoke Kohaku from his nap to wash hands as well while Kagome offered to help Belldandy set the table with all dishes and cutlery until all of the food in the kitchen was ready to be served, Skuld went to her bedroom to go get her robot assistant Banpei and instruct him to keep watch over Troubadour and Miroku who would be outside until sunset according to the punishment which was decided upon by Urd. Keiichi and Michiru both gathered up some more chairs for the additional guests who would be joining everybody at the table for dinner, Inuyasha and Shippo spent the brief minutes watching the video footage recorded on Kagome's digital camera to see how well the recording turned out and needless to say both of them were laughing intently before they were summoned to dine with everyone.

The seating arrangements were more or less the same as where everyone had sat down during lunchtime, except that there were four additional chairs added even though only three more guests would be eating at the dinner table tonight, Belldandy sat at one end of the table while Mr. Koshian sat at the other. Belldandy's left sat Urd followed by Lind, Sango, Kohaku, Kagome and Inuyasha. On Belldandy's right sat Keiichi followed by Skuld, Shippo, an empty chair reserved for Miroku, then Michiru and Peorth. Dinner was a magnificent feast, chicken and beef teriyaki fried and cooked with various vegetables in a tasty looking sauce, cooked rice to eat with it or by itself if anyone had that preference, there was also an immense serving of egg foo yung which was pasta noodles cooked together with eggs, soya sauce and a few spices. All hot foods freshly made on the stove were served on the table inside of the pots and pans that they had been cooked in which sat on top of bread boards to avoid burning the surface of the table, the lids were on top to keep the contents warm and there were giant spoons to dish out the food for all to wanted it.

Besides the pots and pans full of food which were kept at the centre of the table, plates, glasses, cutlery and chopsticks were placed out all along the table for everyone to use, it was a miracle that the long rectangular table could hold so many people at once, everything was also neatly organized and set as well. There were pitchers of juice and water placed on the table so no one had to worry about not being able to wash down what ever they ate nor did they have to worry about being dehydrated either, everybody's eyes widened in awe at the bountiful food prepared for them, their appetites increased tenfold merely at the sight of it as their mouths began to water, Shippo and Inuyasha looked especially hungry and Kagome caught a photo of their funny looking faces with her camera which made everybody laugh before sitting down to eat.

Belldandy along with Michiru and Urd filled a large plate of food to take outside for Miroku, Troubadour and the Golden Nightingale so that they wouldn't starve while everybody else was eating. The three of them wandered outside to where the two trouble makers and the Golden Nightingale had been left, upon seeing the plates full of food brought for them, both Miroku and Troubadour wore expressions of gratitude on their faces, making them look like a pair of youngsters being rewarded for at least being behaved enough during the duration of their punishment. The Golden Nightingale flew up in the air momentarily, allowing Miroku and Troubadour just enough time to get up into sitting positions so that they could at least eat their food more easily now that their hands and arms were free, but each of them had to bear the weight of the huge bird once it touched down again and placed a foot on one of their shoulders.

"You brought us dinner?" Miroku said in surprise turning his eyes to look towards the Shikigami user. "But I thought…"

"I said you both had to stay outside in your present positions for the rest of the day, I didn't say you both had to starve." Urd replied, handing the plate of food to Troubadour. "Here you go you big trouble maker, eat it while it's fresh off the stove."

"Thank you Urd." Troubadour replied gratefully, accepting the meal and using the utensils on the plate's edge to feed himself.

"Be thankful that the weight of your punishment is far outweighed by the very deeds that you're being punished for in the first place Miroku." Michiru stated as politely as he could even though he was still very displeased with the monk, handing Miroku the plate of food.

"Here is your dinner my good feathered friend, enjoy." Belldandy said, holding the plate out in front of the Golden Nightingale who eat it up quickly in just a few seconds, this was easily accomplished due to the size of the bird's big beak considering how huge the animal was.

"Pohk, peow." The Golden Nightingale said thankfully after eating its meal, bowing its head politely to the first class goddess in response.

"That sure smells tasty, what are you eating there?" A female voice called out from behind Michiru and the two goddesses.

"Mara?" Urd asked in surprise upon turning around with her companions and seeing the female demon standing before them. "What are you still doing here? I thought I already told you to leave."

"Uh huh, w-well I was about to leave right after I ran to the gate, but then I caught a glimpse of Troubadour arriving and wonder who he was and what he was doing here so…I kinda stayed and watched from afar until I saw Miroku fly out of the side door and land on the ground." Mara explained. "My curiosity got the better of me and I just had to figure out what was going on so I stayed to watch and listen in on everything, I never knew you had boyfriend Urd, but that would explain why Troubadour was so pissed off at Miroku and Michiru."

"Argh! That's none of your business Mara, and he's my ex boyfriend now in case you failed to figure that out while you were eavesdropping on all of us." Urd declared angrily, having a glaring contest with the female demon.

"Would you like to have dinner with us Mara?" Belldandy offered politely, catching everybody off guard with her request, especially Urd.

"What?" Urd protested. "Belldandy!"

"Mara said she stayed to watch from afar once she saw Troubadour arrive, since she didn't know who he was or what his intentions were, she was naturally curious and possibly concerned as well which is why she watched out for us as the situation developed." Belldandy stated. "Therefore, we should repay Mara for her concern by allowing her to have dinner with us tonight, it's the least we can do for her in return."

"You can be a little too forgiving sometimes Belldandy." Urd commented before she turned to Michiru, wanting to hear a second opinion and none other than from the Shikigami warrior who had done so much for her and the other goddesses already. "What do you think Michiru?"

The Kururugi boy turned his attention to Mara, searching her eyes for any sign of deception or hidden intentions before he made a decision. Michiru found himself in a dilemma, while he had to admit that he didn't know the female foe as well as Urd and Belldandy both did, he wanted to believe that Mara had watched on them out of concern for them and not just out of curiosity. Despite the uneasy tension which existed between them due to both occasions when the Japanese student had fought and defeated the female demon who still held a grudge against him for those feats, Michiru still felt that Mara was a far better adversary than others he had fought against so perhaps he could extend his show of mercy even further by inviting her to dinner with everyone which would hopefully make Mara see him less as an enemy and more as a friend in the long run. And in the off chance that any trouble were to occur, all of Michiru's friends would be with him and they were all charged up and ready to deal with it as a unified group.

"Mara is welcome to stay over for dinner, so long as she doesn't start any fights or unwanted trouble, I'm willing to overlook her earlier deeds and give her a second chance if you and Belldandy are both willing as well Urd." Michiru stated, surprising both Mara and Urd with his answer.

"Fine, but you heard Michiru Mara, don't cause any trouble or else…" Urd politely warned. "Dancing to hard rock music will be the least of your worries."

"You're fortunate that there's one empty seat available, you'll be sitting between Michiru and Shippo." Belldandy pointed out in advance.

"It had been reserved for Miroku, but he didn't watch his mouth or his manners and that's why he's stuck outside for the remainder of the day." Michiru mentioned as the four of them wandered inside.

"What?" Miroku mumbled in dismay with his mouth and eyes wide open. "You mean Mara gets to sit where I would have sat while I'm stuck out here?"

"That's what you get for insulting a goddess you big idiot." Troubadour cut in, making Miroku's mind become divided and argue with itself.

"Welcome back big sis!" Skuld stated happily upon seeing her two sisters along with Michiru back, she was suddenly surprise to see Mara entering the room though as was everybody else who stood up from their chairs in response.

"I see we have another guest staying for dinner." Mr. Koshian stated. "Who might you be young lady?"

"Mr. Koshian, this is Mara, she's a friend who's always visits once every now and then when ever she's not away on business." Belldandy answered politely. "Mara, this is Mr. Koshian, the owner of this house and Uncle of Michiru."

"Ah ha, n-nice to m-meet you s-sir, a-and nice meeting the rest of you too." Mara said hesitantly with embarrassment since she was also lying through the teeth just a little, meeting eyes with Inuyasha who momentarily glared back at the female demon with a polite grin on his face.

"Michiru, please show Miss Mara to her seat, there's a good lad." Mr. Koshian asked politely, not realizing the awkwardness he was causing both his nephew and his newest house guest whom had fought against each other more than once in the last few days.

"Yes Uncle, here you are Mara, please sit down." Michiru instructed, pulling the empty chair out for the female demon and waiting for her to sit down so he could push the chair in for her as well.

"Thank you M-Michiru." Mara replied, just managing an awkward smile, much to the amusement of both Urd and Inuyasha who kept their eyes on the female demon now sitting at the table with everyone, she then sampled all of the food with her eyes in an effort to take her mind off of the two half demons both staring at her from the opposite side of the table. "This looks like quite a feast you have here!"

"Yeah, I know, we can't wait to dig in and try all of it out." Skuld stated, eager to start eating just as Inuyasha and Shippo both were.

"Everyone, let us give thanks for this delicious food and let us also give thanks for having each other's company here tonight." Mr. Koshian stated happily, placing his hands together in prayer momentarily, everybody else then did the same until the brief moment was finished.

"Amen." Michiru stated politely after he saw his Uncle had finished giving his thanks, he then looked to Peorth and Mara seated on either side of himself. "Peorth? Mara? Would either of you want some egg foo yung? Or is there something else you'd like to eat instead?"

"Yes please, I'd like to try some egg foo yung, thank you Michiru." Peorth answered sweetly with a lovely smile on her gorgeous face.

"Your welcome." Michiru replied, standing up to grab the frying pan and serve some of its contents to the gorgeous goddess, he then served himself some of the food before turning his attention to Mara who was seated beside him on his left. "Hungry Mara? Please help yourself or I can serve it for you if you'd like, if you want something else then all you have to do is ask and someone will pass it to you."

"Hmm?" Mara replied, momentarily distracted. "Huh, actually I'll have some of that teriyaki with fried vegetables please."

"Alright, here Inuyasha, please pass this frying pan down your side of the table so everyone can have a helping okay?" Michiru requested, passing the frying pan to his half demon friend sitting on the opposite side of the table just a little to his right. "Keiichi? Could you and Skuld pass down the frying pan with the teriyaki and fried vegetables please?"

"Sure Michiru, Skuld and I are just loading our plates so it's on its way down in a minute." Keiichi answered, passing the frying pan to Skuld after the two of them had served themselves, Shippo served himself next before passing the frying pan to Mara who took it from the young fox demon sitting beside to her left.

Well, this has been one hell of a day, to call it crazy would be an understatement. First I was planning to pull a prank with Toshiyuki, then after it backfired, this Michiru kid defeats me again only to defend me from Urd and later on, invite me to have dinner here with Belldandy and everyone else.

Inuyasha eventually dropped his guard, if Michiru and Belldandy were both alright with Mara having dinner here with everybody else, than he would be too and besides, he couldn't focus his mind on anything other than the delicious food on the table now that it was time to eat. Urd still gave the female demon a glance every now and again, but this was only because she knew Mara better than most as a result of being half demon herself, for they had spent many occasions talking while drinking and eating together…even pulling pranks on each other as well which is what made the second class goddess suspicious even though things appeared to be alright so far. Lind kept an eye on Mara as well, for she was a Valkyrie warrior and had been trained to combat powerful foes, she wasn't about to let her guard down just because Mara appeared to be cooperative for the time being and so she decided to stay alert until after the female demon had departed once dinner was over.

Everyone chit chatted back and forth while enjoying the delicious meal Mr. Koshian had prepared for them with some small assistance from Belldandy, with so many people present and those with huge appetites, all of the food was eventually eaten, leaving only empty dishes on the table. To everyone's amusement, Inuyasha and Mara proved that they were the ones with the biggest stomachs by how much food they had eaten, everyone else had eaten just enough to satisfy their hunger so no one felt sore or had any stomach aches. Now that dinner was over, Michiru along with his Uncle, Belldandy, and Kagome gathered up all the dirty dishes to put in the dishwater or sink, everyone else still sat at the table to relax while Urd went to check turn on the television to see if any good programs were playing later in the evening that would be fun to watch.

"Inuyasha? I hear you're supposedly a really strong guy. Can you please help me move my TV from my bedroom to the dining room?" Skuld asked suddenly, surprising the half demon.

"Uh, sure Skuld." Inuyasha answered, wandering off to help the young goddess.

"What would Skuld be planning by moving a TV from her bedroom to the dinning room?" Shippo asked curiously.

"Heck if I know, she's always planning some crazy experiment or science project in the works." Keiichi answered.

"I'm glad everyone enjoyed the meal Miss Belldandy and I prepared for you all, you ate every last bit of food and saved us the trouble of having any leftovers to put away in the fridge." Mr. Koshian commented with a grin, making everyone still at the table laugh lightly in response. "I'm going to the Temple to pray for a short while before I go to bed, please allow me to wish you all a pleasant evening and a good night as well, all of you have been wonderful guests."

"Thank you Mr. Koshian, good night to you as well and enjoy your evening!" Everyone said simultaneously in response.

"Okay, Skuld, where do you want me to set this thing?" Inuyasha asked, carrying a rectangular flat screen TV in his hands as he and Skuld retraced their steps back into the dinning room, getting everybody's attention and curiosity in the process.

"Just set it on the end of the table where Belldandy was sitting, right there, thank you Inuyasha." Skuld replied, plugging in a cable she had grabbed and dragged throughout the house, the other end of which was plugged in who knows where. "What's wrong Urd?"

"Aww, nothing good's playing tonight, you'd think they'd have some awesome movies since its summer vacation and all." Urd remarked as she entered the dining room and saw what Skuld was doing with the flat screen TV on the table. "What's going on with that Skuld?"

"Nothing to worry about Urd, I've thought of something that should get everybody entertained so just sit down." Skuld replied turning on the power and testing out the remote in her hand to make some selections. The young goddess then reached under the table and pulled a switch which unlocked the end of the table so it could be pulled out, allowing Skuld to grab the leaf from the storage room to put in place and lengthen the already long dining room table. "Ah ha, there we go."

"Anyone have room left for dessert?" Michiru asked upon entering the dinning room and drawing everybody's attention, holding a full pitcher with freshly made chocolate milkshake inside of it along with a tray of clean glasses already filled with some ready to serve out.

"Yay!" Skuld cheered with joy, pausing from her work to ask for a glass. "Chocolate Ice cream milkshakes! I'll have one please Michiru!"

"I thought you might Skuld, now while everyone's relaxing at the table, please look at this menu I'm handing out and let me know what each of you would like for dessert…if any of you are still hungry that is." Michiru instructed, handing Skuld her glass of milkshake before handing out a small piece of paper, one to Inuyasha and the other to Peorth so they could select something and pass the menu down to everyone else seated at the table.

"Chocolate cake? Fruit salad? Banana split?" Inuyasha replied, reading through the menu before handing it to Kagome. "Just give me one of everything Michiru."

"I'll have some chocolate cake please Michiru." Peorth asked, handing the menu to Mara as Michiru served out the other glasses of milkshake to everyone at the table.

"I'll have one of everything too Michiru!" Shippo said excitedly, not having even looked at the dessert menu yet which made everyone laugh out loud hilariously, that and also because he was so small so no one thought he had the stomach to eat as much as Inuyasha did.

"Alright, alright, one at a time please. Your desserts will all be ready as soon as possible, for those of you having chocolate cake, you'll have to wait a little longer since it's presently baking in the oven as we speak. For now, I suppose I'll leave you in Skuld's capable hands, enjoy your evening everyone." Michiru replied, writing down everyone's request on a small note pad he had brought with him, he then bowed respectfully like a restaurant waiter before wandering back to the kitchen where he was working to prepare all the desserts.

"What's going on here Michiru?" Belldandy asked curiously after returning to the dining room and seeing the huge flat screen TV sitting on the end of the table where she sat along with the Kururugi boy's performance as a host and waiter now that Michiru's Uncle was gone for the rest of the evening.

"Oh, I'm just preparing some desserts for everyone Belldandy, you can sit here in my Uncle's seat while you wait and watch TV with everyone." Michiru answered after being called back into the dining room by the first class goddess. "Look at the menu and let me know if you want anything, I'll just be in the kitchen, please excuse me."

"So, what are we going to watch on the television Skuld?" Peorth asked curiously just as Skuld had finished all her preparations.

"I left Banpei out to watch over Miroku and Troubadour to see that they stay put and behave, Banpei's a robot so they won't know his eyes are cameras and we can watch what he sees and hears on the screen thanks to my scientific and inventive genius." Skuld explained, turning on the correct settings, then a visual of Miroku and Troubadour along with the Golden Nightingale appeared on the TV screen.

"It looks like Troubadour's singing with the Golden Nightingale." Kagome pointed out as the visual zoomed in to get a close up view of the trio on TV. "Miroku doesn't look very impressed though."

Just outside the house…

"You must have sung about twenty songs already, shut your mouth and give me some piece and quiet already." Miroku bickered angrily.

"An ill-mannered monk like you doesn't appreciate the fine art of singing and how one's voice can lift other people's soles and spirits." Troubadour countered, completely caught up in himself and his Golden Nightingale who was singing along with him, both of them driving Miroku crazy. "Don't listen to him my fine feathered Nightingale, let's sing another song."

"Wait, I'll make a bet with you." Miroku declared. "I'll ask a question and if you can't answer it, you promise not to sing any more. But you can sing one song for every question you answer correctly. Do we have a deal?"

"How about I ask a question as well and if you don't answer correctly, I'll also get to sing another song?" Troubadour suggested. "No sense if I have to do all the guessing."

"Fine, you ask first then." Miroku reluctantly agreed.

"Alright." Troubadour asked. "Are you a lecherous idiot?"

"What?" Miroku blurted out in denial. "Of course not!"

"Wrong answer." Troubadour stated. "Hooray! We get to sing another song!"

"That wasn't fair Troubadour!" Miroku protested.

"Yes it was, it was a yes or no question, requiring a very simple answer." Troubadour countered cleverly while clearing his throat.

"That's not the point!" Miroku blurted out angrily as the Plum Tree Spirit begun to sing with his Golden Nightingale joining along with him.

Back inside the house…

"AH! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Inuyusha/Mara laughed out loud as Troubadour begun singing another song which tenors or opera singers would perform on stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people, performing it beautifully no matter which language he used.

"This is turning into quite an entertaining program, live singing for several minutes and then comedy for the next several minutes." Kagome stated with a laugh.

"I don't think Miroku will be able to last through until sunset if this keeps up." Sango remarked, worried for Miroku's wellbeing and sanity.

"Look at it this way Sango, Miroku will be less motivated to say or do anything rude or inappropriate again after this from now on." Inuyasha commented. "If he's forced to endure this much punishment because of asking a young woman to bear his children, imagine what awaits him should he be foolish enough to feel someone up or peep on them while they're bathing or changing clothes."

"I don't think we'll have to imagine given his long list of despicable deeds thus far Inuyasha." Lind remarked as she watched the screen.

Just outside the house…

"That was a beautiful performance! You have such a deep and robust voice!" Troubadour commented in awe and admiration of the Golden Nightingale. "I'm waiting for you to ask your question Miroku."

"Just a second, I'm thinking, I'm thinking." Miroku muttered.

"Pardon?" Troubadour replied offhandedly.

"I'm trying to think of one, hang on." Miroku mumbled angrily, unable to think of anything to ask the Plum Tree Spirit.

"Once more please, I didn't hear you that time either." Troubadour asked again.

"I'M TRYING TO THINK OF ONE! I'M TRYING TO THINK OF ONE!" Miroku yelled infuriately in Troubadour's face. "ARE YOU DEAF?"

"No, but I'll bet you'll be in a little while." Troubadour answered with a grin, cleverly outwitting Miroku yet again. "I answered your question so we can sing another song."

"WHAT?" Miroku blurted out uncontrollably. "THAT WASN'T MY QUESTION! ARGH!"

Back inside the house…

"AH! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Shippo/Skuld laughed out at the same time, holding their sides as their eyes watered uncontrollably. "I'M GOING TO DIE IF THIS KEEPS UP ALL NIGHT! AH! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

"Poor Miroku, he's just too predictable…Ha, ha, ha, ha." Sango stated, letting out a couple of giggles as she also found it hilarious to watch and listen too.

"Well at least he'll be too tired to try anything perverted so we'll all be able to get a good nights sleep…" Kagome remarked, giggling as well. "…I can't say the same for him though, ah, ha, ha, ha, ha."

"I honestly didn't see this coming when I decided that they both had to stay outside together until the sun goes down." Urd declared with an amused expression on her face, smiling in response since all these free laughs at the expense of those who had offended her were working wonders and cheering everybody up even if they didn't need it.

"Do you have any regrets?" Lind asked curiously out of concern for the second class goddess sitting beside her.

"No, not at all." Urd replied letting out a soft sigh as she relaxed even more, the burden of all the hurts and actions she was forced to endure finally leaving her for good thanks to the unexpected efforts of the two guys on screen, but mainly because of the efforts made by the Shikigami user who had consoled her as well as punished those who had wrongfully hurt or insulted her as well.

"AH! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Peorth laughed uncontrollably, hugging her sides with both hands to ease the burden of laughing so hard with most of the laughter still trapped inside of her stomach, she only just managed to calm down once Michiru came back to hand out what ever desserts were ready to be served.

Just outside the house…

"Time for another question Miroku." Troubadour asked. "Are you dum? Come on, answer the question, I know you've got an answer."

Miroku had already lost his temper, but he didn't want to utter even one more word for fear of being outwitted by the Plum Tree Spirit again and again so he just kept his mouth shut and tried his best to ignore Troubadour, though that was practically impossible since he was forced to sit next to the dude by the Golden Nightingale perched on each of their shoulders along with the fact that both of his outdoor companions were both singing aloud together.

"If you don't answer, you automatically forfeit which means you also lose." Troubadour replied. "Time for another song! Ready?"

Back inside the house…

"Ah! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Everybody laughed out loud in response to Troubadour's words, Miroku's inability to counter anything that the Plum Tree Spirit had to say to him along with the priceless expression on his miserable looking face.

This kept going for a few more hours until sunset, during that time, there were plenty of laughs and songs to be heard and felt by all. Michiru had finally returned after the very first hour or so once the chocolate cake was ready to be sliced and served to everybody who wanted some, he finally joined everyone at the table and got to enjoy the entertainment displayed on the TV screen, the young teenager took the opportunity to enjoy some dessert as well. When ever Troubadour or Miroku said anything unbelievably hilarious, Skuld had to turn up the volume so everyone could hear what was being said above those who laughed out too loudly, this routine was enjoyable in its own way too. The sun was nearly set and the darkness was just about settling in which meant that the eventful evening would soon be over, all that was left to do was to tidy up and then prepare for bed, thankfully that wouldn't take too long. Michiru had already cleaned up the kitchen so all that remained was to gather up the dirty dishes from the table, and just like the supper they had eaten before, all the food had been eaten so no leftovers needed to be put away in the fridge.

"Since it's really late, I should be heading home where I live, it was nice meeting all of you and getting to spend the evening with you too." Mara stated politely with a hint of embarrassment in her voice along with a tiny blush on her face. "Thank you for inviting me over to have dinner with you Belldandy, the food was delicious, including the dessert too, thank you Michiru."

"You're welcome Mara, get home safely and have a goodnight's sleep." Belldandy said warmly with a polite smile on her lovely face.

"Bye Mara, until we meet again." Michiru said, waving goodbye to the female demon as she left through the front door of the house.

The full fledge female demon departed quickly, suddenly feeling very uneasy inside, she had enjoyed herself and had a great time with everyone and there lay the problem. They were her enemies, the goddesses anyway, but the others who were staying over had to be counted as enemies as well. There was no escaping the underlying truth behind why all of them were her enemies, Mara was a servant of demon kind who's task it was to increase demon shares by either creating contracts between humans and demons similar to those that the goddesses had or else to thwart and harass the goddesses enough to sabotage their efforts of maintaining their present peace and control over the mortal world. However, Mara was unable to figure out what to do from now on, especially after her encounters with Michiru Kururugi who had defeated her using his Shikigami powers and by taking advantage of her weakness for hard rock music. While the young human boy had proven formidable, he was also compassionate and understanding which is way he had shown her mercy even after her involvement in today's events along with the grudge she still held against him for defeating her twice on two separate occasions.

"Argh!" Mara grumbled frustratingly as she levitated through the air in the direction of her home. "I can't think clearly about this whole affair with so many variables and circumstances involved, I'll just have to leave it until after I've had a good night's sleep, then I'll figure it all out tomorrow."

Back at the house…

"Okay everyone, its now sunset, let's go outside and see how our television trio is doing." Urd stated, standing up from the table to go outside, followed by Michiru, Sango and Inuyasha. The four of them wandered outside and sought out the trio they had been watching on TV for a few hours already, Michiru along with Sango and Urd had a plate of dessert which the Kururugi boy had hidden away for the two trouble makers and for the Golden Nightingale who kept watch over them until sundown as some compensation for having behaved themselves and also for providing some unexpected entertainment for everybody else inside the house. "Are all of you still alive and singing?"

"Yes we are." Troubadour answered before suddenly catching the final remark in Urd's sentence. "Wait, how do you know we were singing?"

"We were watching and listening to the three of you on a television inside thanks to Skuld's handy work and her robot Banpei who stood watching over you all evening." Urd answered, handing Troubadour a plate of dessert. "A gift from Michiru, he thought you earned it."

Troubadour's eyes darted back and forth from Urd to Michiru until the Plum Tree Spirit found it in himself to reply. "Thank you Michiru."

"You're welcome Troubadour." Michiru replied briefly before holding a plate of dessert out for the Golden Nightingale to eat from. "Here you are, since you had supper earlier, it's only fair that you get to have some dessert as well. Thanks again for your help and your singing, you're free to go where you please."

"Pohk, peow." The Golden Nightingale replied thankfully before gobbling down the dessert really fast in one moment, it then bowed respectfully again before taking off into the air and finally leaving Miroku and Troubadour to stand up and stretch their worn out limps.

"Hey! Wait! Come back here! Where do you think you're going without your master?" Troubadour cried out in dismay, darting up into the air to pursue the giant golden bird, only to pause in hesitation as he turned to look back to the second class goddess standing below him.

"Get going or you out be able to chase after your Golden Nightingale, let alone catch it." Urd stated, throwing the tiny silver ring up to the Plum Tree Spirit who managed to catch it even though it was dark outside. "It's too bad that your Golden Nightingale means more to you than I do, but that was what you decided when you left me all those years ago."

"I'm sorry Urd." Troubadour said softly, turning away shamefully before darting after the Golden Nightingale who had a tremendous head start ahead of himself, only now realizing the consequences of his mistake long after it was far too late.

"Finally, he's gone at last, I thought he'd never leave." Miroku remarked, breathing a sigh of relieve while stretching his worn out arms.

"Have some left over dessert Miroku, Michiru made it for you might as well have something to cheer you up before bedtime." Sango said, offering the plate of dessert to the still pissed off perverted monk.

"No thank you Sango, I've lost my appetite." Miroku replied, wanting nothing more than to go to bed to get some much needed sleep.

"Oh, well that's too bad." Sango said with a sigh, not wanting to waste it, she turned to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha? Would you mind eating it?"

"Don't mind if I do, thanks Sango, you know I'm always there to help you guys out." Inuyasha said thankfully, taking the plate from the female fighter and eating up the dessert swiftly.

"When it comes to fighting foes and finishing food that is." Miroku mumbled without thinking.

"I heard that you idiot." Inuyasha countered before turning his attention to his Kururugi friend. "Thanks a lot for the desserts you made Michiru, they were all delicious, oh and the chocolate milkshakes too."

"You're welcome Inuyasha." Michiru replied, taking the plates and utensils from everyone so he could put them with the other dirty dishes.

The five friends along with Banpei returned indoors and went to the living room where everyone else was in order to say their goodnights before preparing to go to bed, the day had certainly been an eventful one from beginning to end with one unexpected experience after another, and it was hard for most to believe that it was finally over. Michiru's Uncle had already gone to bed after praying in the Temple about several hours ago and despite the long period of singing and laughter, he had fallen asleep easily without being disturbed or aroused by any noises in the rest of the house. However, everyone had been so focused on enjoying their visit and the unexpected experiences along with it that no one had taken into account the dilemma which everybody was now faced with, namely the sleeping arrangements since there weren't enough bedrooms in the house.

"Well, I'd say its past time we all went to bed, it's been a long day and all of us need to get some much needed sleep." Sango pointed out.

"Speaking of going to bed, um…now that there are much more of us then there were before, I don't know if we have enough rooms for everyone to stay the night in." Keiichi pointed out with some concern, suddenly alarming the majority of everybody in the living room.

"I have to stay with Kohaku in order to take care of him, but I'm willing to share a room with Kagome and Shippo, we've stayed together before during our travels throughout the Feudal era after all so it won't be a problem here in the Modern era." Sango mentioned.

"The only person I'll share my bedroom with is Belldandy, so don't even think about sharing a room with her Keiichi." Skuld declared with a glare, giving Keiichi a brief scare before turning her attention to Banpei. "You did a spectacular job for us tonight Banpei, thanks a lot."

"I don't mind sharing a room with Michiru, besides, we've slept together before." Peorth stated, causing everyone's eyes to widen, their faces to turn pink, except for Michiru's who of course was blushing red.

"WWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTT?" Everyone burst out loud with wide open eyes, mouths and bright pink faces.

"You snuck into his sleeping bag while he was asleep Peorth, that's hardly the same thing." Urd pointed out. "Michiru can stay in my room tonight if he wants too, besides, it's not like I don't have anything he hasn't already seen before."

"WWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTT?" Everyone burst out loud again, their eyes and mouths open wide again as before, but this time with bright cherry red faces.

"You opened the door to your room and flashed Michiru after he used his magic to restore your energy Urd, that's all." Peorth stated.

"I know, but Michiru's a nice guy, I just couldn't resist the temptation." Urd replied with a cheerful smile, giggling out loud.

Michiru could only focus his eyes on the floor while blushing red with sweat threatening to trickle down his face from the sudden temperature rise in his body after hearing each comment from the two heavenly goddesses gathered in the living room with him and all of his friends. Multiple pairs of eyes examined him for a few moments, making him feel even more uncomfortable about the goddesses' remarks, but he managed to find the energy and the courage to response accordingly in order to resolve the matter quickly and decisively.

"Urd?" Michiru stated while blushing furiously. "Kagome, Sango, Shippo and Kohaku can share the downstairs area. Peorth and Lind can both share my bedroom if you want to have your room to yourself, Miroku along with Inuyasha and I will sleep in the temple after we've gathered up our belongings. That will allow Keiichi, Skuld and Belldandy to keep their rooms as well. Does that sound fair to everyone?"

"Yes, that's fine Michiru if everyone else agrees." Urd replied with a nod, watching Skuld sneak off to her bedroom with Banpei following her close behind. "Thank you Michiru, anyone who needs to use the washroom better do so now or else wait in line until it's vacant."

"Does anyone smell blood around here?" Inuyasha asked, his half demon sense of smell kicking in and detecting the smell of blood.
"You're side is bleeding Michiru, that cut must have reopened, let's go to the washroom so we can re-bandage it!" Peorth pointed out after seeing a small blood stain on the one side of Michiru's lower waist, grabbing hold of the young boy's arm in order to rush him to the washroom "And no ands ifs or buts about it, Urd, Lind and I are going to look after you whether you like it or not so let's get this over with."

"I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks Peorth, I hardly feel any pain at all, really." Michiru said reassuringly even though his efforts at dispelling Peorth's worries and those of both Lind and Urd were in vain as he was forcefully hurried to the washroom by the three heavenly goddesses.

"That's what you said last time Michiru and it was bleeding a lot more the first time around, it didn't even fully heal when you used your own magic to heal it so we're not taking any chances seeing as how you frequently like to aid those in need of help even if that means putting your own life at risk." Urd countered, cleverly catching the Kururugi boy in a trap of words which forced him to keep quiet and give in to their demands. "I'm going to my bedroom to get you some special medicine, Peorth and Lind will help clean that slash to your waist and re-bandage it, please wait here until I'm back."

Michiru let out a soft sigh, while he was thankful for the concern of the goddesses, he still wanted to show that he was capable of taking care of himself with or without the aid of his Shikigami powers. Nevertheless, Michiru reluctantly had to go along with the goddesses on this occasion, else he'd risk offending them by acting rude or ungrateful which he especially didn't want to do after all each of them had been through along with all each of them had given him thus far.

"Don't look so down Michiru, Urd's just overly concerned for you, that's all." Peorth said cheerfully, trying to brighten the young boy's mood a little while she and Lind prepared the new bandages. "You did a lot for Urd today when you cheered her up just as you did when you saved me from Toshiyuki and later Skuld as well, try and think of this as her way of repaying you for all that you've done."

"Urd doesn't owe me anything Peorth and neither do any of you for that matter either, even though you're all goddesses, you're my friends first and that still applies even if none of you were goddesses." Michiru argued back, unable to sit still like this and being treated like a kid.

"Well, now it's OUR turn to help you out for a change, now hold still so I can remove your shirt." Peorth declared, smiling deviously as she closed in on the helpless high school student, making Michiru blush with embarrassment at the realization that the gorgeous goddess was going to have her hands all over him even though he knew in his mind that her intentions were purely out of concern for his wellbeing.

"I'll do it." Michiru stated, removing his T-shirt quickly so the first class goddess could examine the slash wound on the side of his waist. "I must have accidentally struck it without realizing it while I was trying to smack those bugs that were all over me because of Troubadour's bug summoning song, either that or being elbowed in the side by Inuyasha might have caused it to reopen…or both for all we know."

"Well which ever it was, you'd best get yourself another clean T-shirt because that one's going in the wash." Lind stated, pointing at the piece of clothing now laying on the floor, she then sat behind Michiru and held pressure on the old bandage with one hand while Peorth did the work of unravelling the bandage ties wrapped around the teenager's waist. "Please hold your arms up Michiru, they're in the way."

"All those days you spent in the Feudal era fighting demons and training with your friends have given you a little muscle Michiru, now I understand why you fought so well in combat today against various foes, you're turning into quite the handsome warrior." Peorth stated, complimenting the Shikigami user while she did her work, admiring Michiru's athletic physique with her eyes and occasionally feeling him up with her hands every couple of seconds until the old bandage was unfastened. "No need to be so embarrassment Michiru, I was giving you a compliment, you should be especially proud of yourself right now since you've received such attention from a goddess such as I."

"Hurry up please Peorth, you're making Michiru uncomfortable and the three of us need to finish so we can go to bed." Lind said, reminding the first class goddess of their task and ruining Peorth's fun in order to save Michiru some unnecessary embarrassment.

WHY? WHY IS MICHIRU SO LUCKY AND I'M NOT? LIVING UNDER A ROOF WITH FIVE GORGEOUS GODDESSES! Miroku whined mentally while eavesdropping outside from behind the closed door of the washroom, the words he heard only drove him even more nuts.

"AHEM!" Urd responded angrily upon her return only to catch the lecherous monk who had insulted her earlier up to no good yet again even after all he had been forced to endure during the duration of his punishment. "You never learn do you Miroku? I guess you really must enjoy being punished, I can't imagine how everyone's been able to put up with you all this time, especially Sango of all people."

"Uh ha, I-I'll be going to the temple n-now, g-good night U-Urd." Miroku muttered guiltily before making his escape, but once he was outside and on his way to the temple, a bolt of lightning came crashing down to earth and struck the panicked pervert. "AAAHHHH!"

"Hello Urd, we've finished changing the bandages on Michiru's injured waist." Lind stated as Urd entered the washroom. "What's that?""

"This is a healing enhancement seed, if you eat it, your injury should fully heal itself overnight so you won't have to wear any bandages tomorrow morning." Urd answered, handing the small almond looking medicine to Michiru who sat looking at it with in his hand while he listened closely to the second class goddess. "Michiru? You have to be asleep in order for the seed to do its work, so best go to bed now."

"Very well, thanks very much for the medicine Urd, I appreciate it." Michiru replied politely. "Lind? Peorth? Thank you for your kind efforts and concerns as well, good night and pleasant dreams to all of you."

"Good night Michiru." Peorth/Urd/Lind said in response before the three of them along with Michiru went about preparing for bed. Urd then retreated to the private sanctuary of her bedroom and after closing the door, the second class goddess sat for a short while deep in thought, feeling guilty as additional feelings flooded into her heart and mind along with the memories of today's events from start to finish.

"That half demon happens to be my best friend sir, so watch your mouth!" Michiru said loudly, Urd recalling the memory again in her mind.

Why do I feel this way all of a sudden? Is it because of Michiru and what he did for me this afternoon? A-And this morning too? No, I-I can't! It's not possible! I've only known him for two days! He's a young teenage boy and I-I'm a… Peorth's already developed feelings for him and even I can see that Michiru also has feelings for her as well and I don't' want to make things worse by coming between them!

Author's Note: Sorry again for the long delay, I hope all of you had a nice Christmas Holiday and that the New Year will bring many great experiences for everyone. Congratulations to Orionpax09 for correctly guessing that Troubadour was the culprit who caused all of the bugs and scaly insects to appear crawling all over Miroku for the lecherous monk's recent rude behaviour towards Urd at the end of the previous chapter. The comedy has begun and more misfortune is in store for Miroku, more embarrassing moments will also befall Michiru even if some of them come as a welcome delight to some of the gorgeous goddesses, I hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter and that all of you look forward to the next one.

Jose19: Michiru Kururugi is one of four characters created for a PS2 game Inuyasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask, so he doesn't exist in either the anime or the manga of the original Inuyasha realm and neither do any of the other four characters either. You can watch walkthrough clips of the game and look up more information about the game various internet websites if you want to know more, the game is very difficult to find, I myself only found out about its existence about eight years ago, many years after Inuyasha first aired in English dub on television. Although there isn't much anime video footage in the game itself, at least there's enough background information on each of the four characters to use as a basis for further character development which is especially helpful when it comes to fan fiction writing, anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story so far and that you continue to read more of it as new chapters are uploaded.

Trace Carter: So pleased to read a review from you again, it feels like ages since I last heard from you, I hope you've been doing well. Mara may have caused mischief as she frequently does, but the worst is over for her and she'll have plenty of chances for friendly interactions with the Goddesses…so long as Inuyasha doesn't try to pick a fight with her that is, those two have such short tempers even though they're both awesome characters. Sayako is a nice person underneath the fierce female façade she normally wears and displays towards others, but the worst is also over for her also and there will be opportunities for her to appear again without her pride interfering with her gentle personality.

I've never forgiven Toshiyuki either and from that episode in season 1 when he tries to harm Skuld, I honestly thought his punishment was far too light and quick which is why I wrote what occurred in chapter 8 so the rich spoiled scumbag ended up behind bars where he belongs. Now that he's there for good, Skuld and the Goddesses are free to enjoy the summer and have fun with Michiru along with Inuyasha and the rest without any further interruptions, except for course for some minor incidents used for hilarious comedy and so on.

J4RRE77: Yes, it turned out to be more violent that what I had anticipated, but it needed to be done in order for Toshiyuki to be sentenced to jail which is what he deserves so that's that. Time for the hilarious humour to begin now that Inuyasha and the others have finally arrived for a visit, thanks again for your idea involving Kirara, I'll be sure to include it soon when the time comes for everyone to re visit Japan's Feudal era.

Raidentensho: Trust me; there will be plenty of interesting twists, whether they involve comedy or drama. I agree with you that Sango truly is a beauty just as each of the heavenly Goddesses are, a pity that she's forced to put up with Miroku's lecherous ways, but not to worry. Miroku's going to learn that being the lecherous idiot he is will ruin his chances of gaining any of the Goddess's favour, the next couple of chapters are going to put him through hell so that he'll eventually learn this lesson or so I hope anyway, hope you can look forward to it.

Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint: Glad you enjoyed the chapter along with the fight scenes and the events involving all characters from both anime realms, Miroku won't learn such like that I'm afraid, but I have plenty of plans in store for him so he'll learn to wise up a bit.

Orionpax09: Yes, Belldandy unfortunately exhausted herself by using up most of her powers, but she managed to recover in the end. While its true that Inuyasha and his feudal era friends do stick out in a crowd of modern era people, all of them are smart enough to keep cautious and not draw unwanted attention to themselves despite the excitement that some of them must be feeling about getting to explore the modern era and see all that it offers, Shippo and Miroku are the ones most likely to do this even though they managed to stay put. But the reason is primarily because of all the warnings that Kagome and Inuyasha gave them, while Miroku would especially be tempted to feel up a young girl among other things, he knew he'd eventually have that same chance later on once he meet all of the Goddesses at the house Michiru is staying at which is most likely why he refrained from his lecherous actions…that is of course until he asked Urd to bear his children which was downright disrespectful.

Yes, Toshiyuki is certainly what you described him to be, all the more reason why he got what he deserved in the end. I was honestly unsatisfied with how the Oh My Goddess episode ended with him merely being struck by Urd's lightning bolt attacks, such a punishment is far too minor and quick for all that he did and all of what he would have done had he had his way. He was given plenty of chances by Michiru for a peaceful way out which he rejected, threatening both Mara and Skuld pretty much made the crowning achievements of his unforgivable actions until the fight finally broke out. And long before Toshiyuki was chased from the grounds and later arrested, I enjoyed Lind and Peorth coming to the rescue to stop the swine from backstabbing Michiru like a lowly coward, those scenes turned out nicely. Belldandy wouldn't tolerate anyone harming her sisters and in addition, leaving Toshiyuki free to commit more crimes again would put everyone at risk and in the unfortunate position of having to explain everything to the authorities afterwards so ensuring that Toshiyuki is arrested and sent to prison was the best course of action available for everybody's sakes and that's what she choose to do.

Michiru showing Mara mercy demonstrates his chivalrous personality just like how he was able to trust Kagura and eventually forgive Utsugi's actions from the Cursed Mask game, and this should also help Mara to eventually come to know Michiru as a friend rather than an adversary even though her pride as a demon might not allow her too. Inuyasha missed out on the fight unfortunately, but he got to help chasing Toshiyuki from the property and besides, there are other things to do for fun other than fighting which he'll have to find out for himself.

Michiru may be turning a few heads of the Goddesses, but it's only because of the events that occurred, though I don't blame Keiichi for being concerned about the matter seeing as how Belldandy happens to be his girlfriend. Although Michiru has found out about Urd's nature, his view hasn't changed despite the fact that he doesn't know all the details and that Urd is reluctant to talk about the matter. Nevertheless, Urd will eventually find out that Michiru knows about her demonic heritage which will effect the friendship between them once she realizes that he still sees her and treats her with kindness and respect just as he treats others and don't worry, Urd will get over her accidental reflex action when she kicked Michiru suddenly without warning.

Congratulations on guessing that Troubadour was behind all of the bugs and insects crawling all over Miroku at the end of the last chapter! Could deduction on your part, I hope you enjoyed the fight that broke out between Michiru and Troubadour, it was bound to happen when the Plum Tree Spirit made Urd cry just so he could unlock the seal on his Golden Nightingale and such an action would be unforgivable in Michiru's eyes after all that Urd's had to endure for one afternoon. I also think it would help draw Urd and Michiru closer together, slowly but surely, Urd has suffered in ways which are similar to experiences that Inuyasha and Sango have had to endure and she truly deserves to find happiness in life and Michiru is someone who can help her achieve that in my humble opinion.

Lastly, I'm very happy you enjoyed the scenes with Michiru receiving all sorts of gifts from his Feudal era friends for all that he did for them during his Feudal era adventures, I also like the paper leaf drawing and thought it would make a wonderful keepsake which is why I had Kagome be the one to give it to him as her gift. There will come a time when Michiru and everybody else will return to the Feudal era and find themselves battling many foes together which is why I decided that Sango forge some armour for Michiru and Inuyasha giving him the Flower Bloomer sword was also a workable idea, I plan on expanding on the sword's potential in the future so it will do a great deal more than just making flowers bloom, I hope you can look forward to that.