Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or YuYu Hakusho. If you're reading this story on a site that ISN'T Fanfiction . net, Archive of Our Own, or YouTube, then someone stole this fanfic! Proof is seen on the time the story was published!

April 12th

Three days after Yura attacked the village, Kagome replaced the barrier, providing stronger spiritual stones to keep any unwanted trespassers at bay. Fortunately, none of the recently constructed huts had suffered any impairments, but because the village had expanded by an extra twelve heads, Kagome realized more huts were necessary before the approaching winter. With Seijun, their lead carpenter and hunter temporarily out of the picture, everyone relied on Kosuke, Mokoto, and Toshiro to lead their men with the repairs. (Mokoto/Toshiro were once friends with Satouru)

The villagers weren't immediately keen on trusting Jinenji and Yura to remain within their village, mostly out of fear from Yura's recent attack and also because of Jinenji's incredible build and inhuman appearance. But Kagome reassured them during an important meeting that they would harm no one, especially where the beads of subjugation were concerned. After sticking with her promise to help Yura, the hair demon had all but made herself comfortable inside her home, gushing over the various bottles of hair products she kept in storage, not to mention constantly using the bath basin whenever she deemed necessary.

During those first three days, everyone came together and held a funeral for Jinenji's mother and buried her beside the graves of Kikyou, Inuyasha, Mitsuki and Tsuki, further in the Forest of Inuyasha. After which, Jinenji had inspected the soils and crops within every field and revealed a few hours later that the quality was poor and that it would be best to move the village to better soil. Of course Kagome had known all along, but with reassurance from the green thumbed demon, he insisted they remove the surroundings trees on the outskirts of the forest and move the huts one by one.

It sounded easier said than done, but with Jinenji's incredible strength, she knew it wouldn't be impossible. Kagome feared the task would prove too much for Jinenji on his own, but he reassured her he was no stranger to moving huts. Jinenji had already scoured the fields, woods and rivers for a suitable location for all the huts and determined that the soil was far richer toward the hills above the fields, closest to the Goshinboku Tree and the cemetery.

The very thought astounded Kagome and, because the area would be closest to her family on the other side of the tree, left her agreeing elatedly to Jinenji's plans. Of course, Sango didn't hesitate to join in with ideas of her own, ones which would allow her to stay a day longer before returning to her village. Before successfully moving the huts, they first had to remove the outer trees, creating a path to and from with traveling ease. Whatever lumber was left over could be fashioned into walls to further fortify the village from outside attacks, as well as constructing more huts for the villagers they recently brought in.

As much as she wanted to wait for Seijun's thoughts on all of this, there was no telling what awaited them in the coming days, especially considering someone named Naraku sought the Sacred Jewel. But according to Yura, she no longer had any recollection of who this person was or where she last met him, revealing that a strange fog had clouded her memory moments after she lost the battle. Sango insisted the demon probably placed a spell on her, which meant their enemy would likely attack once again, thus furthering her insistence that the sooner the village was moved and fortified, the better.

This led Kagome to devising more ideas for the village, ones which could make their everyday lives far easier than before. Foremost, she'd extend her barrier to provide everyone working on this project a safe space, perhaps even lengthening it toward the Goshinboku Tree and cemetery. The extra lumber left over from the walls could be stored into an underground bunker with a roof and door to prevent flooding, with a ramp allowing them easier access for the approaching winter. As for its location, Kagome wasn't certain.

Although this all seemed like a week's worth of trouble, Jinenji reassured her that the project would take no longer than a few days, if not less. But as for the fields, it would require at least an entire day to finish and replant, and growing crops was no simple matter, as it required a lot of energy. Supposedly, his father was an expert gardener years ago, once known as the demon of cultivation, and those talents fell onto Jinenji shortly after his father's sudden death. While it seemed almost a waste to replant at this time of the season, he also reassured Kagome that he could easily give the seeds a head start in their growth and that he wouldn't mind maintaining the fields either.

All of this was almost too good to be true, but rather than spend a few days moving, building and replanting, Kagome had an idea to speed everything along. And that something fell onto her shikigami. As stated before, she'd take full advantage of these whenever necessary, plus, the faster the new residents had a place to sleep, the better. Plus, she'd have more time strengthening the barrier just in case Naraku made another move. There was no telling what demon he would send next time.

But how would she use her shikigami to do all of this? It was really quite simple. Since Jinenji was the strongest demon living in their village, with Yura coming second, she'd create a replica of him. Maybe even two. The very idea astounded him, Sango and Yura, and the only thing she'd require of Jinenji was a couple strands of his hair. This led everyone questioning what shikigami was, and of course, Kagome was happy to explain.

Kagome revealed her knowledge surrounding shikigami and its connection with her spiritual powers. It was something which was both shown to her by Tsubaki and the twins. To put it bluntly, shikigami was born from the spiritual powers of its master and bonded to an object which would later serve its duty. Such instances revolved around carefully crafted dolls fashioned out of paper, straw, clay, and wood. The only possible ways to destroy the creation revolved around the life of the user and the doll. So long as both remained safe from peril, it would remain animated until fulfilling its duty.

It was by far her strongest weapon against her enemies, something she'd take full control over, especially during menial tasks centered on the village. Through her training, she focused on the four types of shikigami. Paper, Hair, Demon, and Replica.

Shikigami could be anything from an object, an animal, demon, human, or anything made up. The best example referenced that referenced the Hell Painter was Paper Shikigami. Only instead of blood and evil desires to manifest its creation, Kagome relied on ink and a dash of her spiritual powers. It was sort of like a last resort if she had nothing else on hand. The tiny soldiers could expand in size and vary their appearances depending on what was written on their bodies, but they were far weaker compared to the other three types.

Hair Shikigami was probably the simplest, given that it only required hair and spiritual power to awaken its full potential. Anything from imitating animals, demons or humans was best served for this, and she displayed this during the battle with Yura a few days prior simply by wrapping a strand of youki-infused hair around a straw doll's neck. Not to be confused with Replica Shikigami, although the two were quite similar, it instead required the use of a hollow wood or clay doll, infused with spiritual power, with hair, nails, flesh, bones, ash, organs or blood of the user placed within, with the age and gender written on its body in ink.

Last was Demon Shikigami, which was also quite similar to Hair Shikigami, only it didn't require such a simple alternative. The remnants of its entirety, bones, ashes, hair, fur, organs, flesh, nails, not yet purified, would be placed into either a wood or clay doll. So long as the ingredients were present, writing its name in blood was unnecessary, simply because the youki would remain intact. An interesting fact about Replica and Demon Shikigami was the fact that they were both capable of speech and logical thinking, unlike Hair and Paper Shikigami, something which could prove useful overtime.

And with all that explanation said and understood, Kagome knew it was a better time than any to devise their plans into action. Jinenji led Kagome and Sango out of the village and to the very spot above the hillside where the Forest of Inuyasha began, and from there, revealed how many trees could be taken down and the multiple places to replant.

April 13th

When Kagome first presented the idea of relocating the village and replanting their fields in better soil, the villagers didn't understand immediately why it was necessary. Some argued that the plans should wait until near the end of winter, but Kagome reassured them the process would take a mere few days, if not less, and because Jinenji possessed immense strength and powers over plantlife, their crops would flourish far better than ever before. And not only that, but they could double the fields, with less time spent on harvesting, thanks to her shikigami.

After carefully explaining the upsides to her plans, the villagers were anything but displeased, and they stood in awed stupor at the sight of the newly transformed village above the hill, further in the Forest of Inuyasha. They were completely taken aback by the sight of the towering walls which not only surrounded all the carefully placed huts but also how it encompassed most if not all their fields. This decision would not only hinder wandering thieves and bandits but also wild animals.

Not only did her shikigami help in their endeavors to place the huts, walls and replant the fields, but the villagers also pitched in to help construct the remaining huts for the other villagers that traveled the long distance with Jinenji. With a little help from her hair shikigami, not only did the sight further impress the citizens, but it lessened the overall time for everyone.

Jinenji saved Kagome's hut for last, given that it was far bigger and comprised several flower beds, gardens and an outhouse, as well as her makeshift stone basin, which Sango had crafted for her on the terrace. With help from three of her shikigami, the ordeal took around half an hour before they settled it atop the hillside overlooking the village. Eventually, Kosuke, Toshiro and Mokoto promised to fashion stone stairs from her hut to the village square when the weather deemed it necessary with no surprised rainfall.

Standing atop a guard's tower overlooking the entire village and outside fields, Kagome smiled and leaned her arms onto the railings with satisfied contentment. It was finally done. The fruition of her plans to expand and build upon the village had taken little to no time at all, and all of this thanks to everyone's efforts. By now, it was already nearing dusk, and she had just finished burying her spiritual stones to erect a new barrier around the outer walls, as well as the inside walls.

Physically drained by all of this, she moved away from the railing, but before she proceeded down the ladder, something from her peripheral vision caught her notice, and shifting her gaze away from the huts, past the fields and toward the Forest of Inuyasha, she saw a peculiar light dancing around the trees. Fearful it might be an approaching demon, Kagome reached for a wooden hammer beside her and struck the bell, alerting the villagers of a possible threat.

As the sound carried throughout the village, Kagome quickly descended the ladder and rushed out the open doors before instructing the men on sentry duty to close them. From there, with her bow and quiver of arrows strapped to her back, she darted up the path and toward the forest cautiously. By now, she had already passed through the barrier that protected the village, making her way toward the sacred tree.

Perhaps venturing off on her own wasn't such a good idea, but then again, it wasn't the first time she'd fought demons before, and she was faintly certain she could handle whatever came at her. But as soon as she arrived before the lofty tree, she shifted her gaze, searching the premises for demonic auras, but there was nothing. Not here, at least.

Where did the light come from? What caused it? If her training told her anything, it was to expect the unexpected, and so she waited. Eventually, it would reveal itself, unless the demon found her curious or simply wasn't fazed by attacking her or anyone else.

When a minute passed and nothing happened, Kagome turned away and locked her gaze onto the village a short sprint away. They'd already lit the torches and lanterns, likely hiding in their huts for safety of an attack, but Kagome only sighed. Although it was best to remain cautious in these trying times, she realized she might have been reckless in that instant and caused fear when there was none.

She sighed. "I guess I got a bit carried away… Well… it's always best to be safe than sorry," She said, shaking her head while running a hand through her shoulder-length hair.

Thunder boomed overhead, and she shifted her gaze toward the lightning streak skies of the evening. A storm approached, and the last thing she wanted was caught out in it, but before proceeding down the path of sparse trees, an unexpected weight fell into her from behind, and she lost her footing. Barely catching herself with her hands and knees, she quickly turned and nocked an arrow into her bow, only to hesitate when she realized it wasn't a demon that had attacked her.

It was a person. A boy, probably no older than thirteen or fourteen, dressed in a brightly colored robe of blue and silver, his tateboshi hat lying on the ground at her feet, and his disheveled black hair slightly unkempt as he sat there rubbing his aching temple. On first instinct, Kagome assumed he was nothing more than a wandering priest, and moved to help him onto his feet, only to pause when she noticed something unusually familiar about him. In an instant, she grasped his face with both hands, pressing her fingers flat against his cheeks, only to gasp at the sight of this person.

"S-S-Souta?!"

His dark eyes widened and a full on smile enveloped his face, but before Kagome could fully comprehend what had happened, he encircled his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. "Sis! It finally worked! I can't believe it!"

It was Souta… her brother… here in the feudal era! Kagome's gaze shifted to the tree behind him, and just then, a rippling light distorted the bark, something she hadn't seen since a year ago with her run in with Mistress Centipede. Two figures stumbled out just as the tree returned to normal, and Kagome recognized them as her mom and grandpa, also dressed in brightly colored kimonos.

"M-mom? G-grandpa?" Tears welled in her eyes. "Even Buyou?!" She asked, eyes widening at the sight of the small feline held gently in her mother's arms. "H-how?!" But before Kagome could inquire further, both her mom and grandpa enveloped her in hugs, tears of joy springing from their eyes.

"Kagome! I can't believe I'm seeing you after all this time! Where on earth have you been, my girl?!" Grandpa asked, wiping his tears with his sleeve. "Do you know how worried sick we were? Why didn't you ever come back?"

Souta pulled away but still held tightly to Kagome's waist. "I figured the tree wouldn't let you pass through, just like before, huh? And it looks like I was right to get these costumes too! You look like a Shinto priestess, sis."

She sweat dropped. "Funny you should say that… Wait a minute… how did you even get here? I thought the tree sealed itself all this time?"

Mrs. Higurashi and grandpa shared a glance and pointed their fingers to Souta standing between them. "If you must know, it was all because of your brother," She said, giggling against her hand. "He got his hands onto a strange device, and it somehow opened a rift through the tree on our property. He kept saying it was the only way to reunite with you."

A device? What on earth were they talking about?

Souta nodded. "Gramps kept praying to the spirits to bring you back, but even that didn't work! So… I had no other choice but take matters into my own hands! And now that we're here, we can go back home! You won't be trapped here anymore—"

"Oh my, oh me… those humans walked out of that tree…"

Surprised by this, Kagome and her family whipped their heads in Yura's direction, standing erect on a branch of a nearby tree, her crimson eyes staring curiously between the trio and Kagome. "Yura?! You… saw that?!"

"Yes. You should really pay more attention to your surroundings. I've been standing here this entire time, the moment that strange phenomenon occurred. But… who are these humans?" She asked, slowly blinking. "Judging by their brightly colored kimonos… they must be from a wealthy family…"

Before Kagome could answer, a voice called out from behind her, and shifting her attention past Yura, she saw the familiar face of Jinenji springing into view. His bulbous blue eyes glimmered in the dusk of twilight, and as lightning streaked overhead, accompanied by the roaring clap of thunder, a shriek from behind reached her ear.

"What is that thing?!" Souta shouted, a whimper suddenly escaping him as he clutched onto his mom.

The moment he stopped before her, towering greater than ten feet, Kagome warily glanced back at her family, only to find them cowering behind the Goshinboku, with Souta's incessant screaming filling the silence.

"I thought I'd follow you in case you needed help… but—"

"Demon begone!" Grandpa yelled unexpectedly, whipping out his forged sutras before tossing them at Jinenji. But when the sutras failed to purify him, sliding off his body with gentle ease and blown away by the sudden wind of the oncoming storm, tears escaped the old man's eyes, and he pointed an accusatory finger at him. "No! They failed! Which means only one thing! He's no ordinary demon!"

Another clap of thunder overhead, and Jinenji raised his hands and covered his face. "I'm sorry… I'm really sorry… I don't mean to frighten you… I was born this way…" He said, his words barely audible.

Again… Kagome sweat dropped, but there was no hiding her embarrassment. She patted Jinenji's arm. "It's okay, Jinenji. Don't think nothing of it. Grandpa is always shouting about demons and tossing his sutras. One day it's you… another day it's the mail guy with the weird hair… You get the picture."

He only nodded and lowered his arms. "Oh… I see… But is everything okay? What was that bright light? I could have sworn it came from this direction."

"S-s-sis… you know that… that… person? No… demon?" He asked, and after a pause, he cupped his mouth and whispered to her. "Is that a demon?"

"Yep!" She said, turning and smiling in reassurance. "His name is Jinenji. He's really friendly, so don't let his looks intimidate you. And you already met Yura," She said, pointing to the young demoness in the tree. "Well… this is… quite the reunion. I don't really know where to start…"

I wasn't expecting any of this to happen… Ever in fact. I thought the tree sealed itself long ago… What is this talk about a strange device that opened a rift? And why is Souta involved? I have so many questions.

The mother giggled and extended her hand to Jinenji, and as they shook hands, Yura jumped down beside him and was soon hugged by the older female, much to her surprise. "How do you do? It's nice to meet the two of you! Thank you for looking after Kagome all this time! But my… aren't you two cute?"

"How do you do… I'm Yura of the hair," Yura greeted, wiping the imaginary human filth from her upper body before crossing her arms. "So, what sort of magic did you cast just now? You caused that bright light moments ago."

"You mean these humans did?" Jinenji asked. "Speaking of which… if you don't mind me asking… who exactly are you? You sort of smell like Kagome…"

"They're her family, Jinenji," Yura said with a roll of her eyes. "You missed it… They walked out of the Sacred Tree! Now… I might only be a few hundred years old, but this is surely the first time I've seen a human perform such a trick. Now answer the question, or I shall be cross."

Before Yura could intimidate her family any further, Kagome immediately intervened and lifted her hands in front of her. "Why don't we continue this back at the hut? After all… it's about to storm—" Just as those words fell from her mouth, the rain fell.

A/N

Finally. After two years of planning this reunion, I finally did it. xD I always liked the idea of Souta and the family time traveling. I wish other writers would include that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I apologize if this isn't the best written.

I would love to know your thoughts on the chapter and your opinions concerning the direction of the story. I'm trying not to make this too predictable. xD Youko is coming in very soon.