*A/N- HAAPPYYY BIIRTHHDAY TO YOOUUUU! I'm releasing this chapter in honor of user grapefruitwannabe's birthday! Ily! Im so sorry I made you wait this long for this chapter! *Cries* I'll try to do better in the future!

The next morning Kagome woke early, before Inuyasha even for once, so she decided that she was going to do a little exploring on her own. She searched through the house for some paper to leave a note, but there wasn't any, so she decided to just go anyway.

"Inuyasha will be able to follow my scent anyway," Kagome reasoned to herself. "And I should be safe in Sango's village."

Kagome walked the path that she remembered to the village square, wondering if the merchants had begun to set up yet. She made her way there and discovered that they were indeed setting up their booths for today. Many of them called out good mornings to her, waving cheerily.

"Mornin' girlie, aren't you a little young to be wandering around all by yourself?" The person who asked her was massive in frame, and he had a large scar running across his brow down to his cheek, contrasting with the bright friendly smile on his face.

"I'm plenty old enough! I'm seven!" Kagome protested, approaching him.

"Is that so, well you're pretty much a grown up, then." He paused for a moment then added, "Oh yeah, you're the young girl that arrived with our little Lady, aren't ya?" Kagome nodded.

"It's nice to see that she's out makin' friends. What's your name?"

"Kagome," she answered.

"Well Kagome, you be sure to take good care of our Little Lady now, you hear?"

"I think she can take care of herself just fine," Kagome commented, thinking back to how Sango slayed the centipede demon on her own. The man chuckled.

"You may be right, Kagome, Sango surely can handle herself. She's going to grow up to be the best slayer in the village I do believe. I don't remember anyone else showing that much talent at a young age."

"Really?" Kagome asked, awed, "that's so cool!"

"And what about you?" He asked, "I saw you holding a bow and arrow on your way in, are you training to be a priestess?"

"Not exactly," Kagome said. "Kaede said I have spiritual power, and she does too and she can use it with her bow and arrow so I wanted to learn to use it too."

"That's sweet, you wanna grow up to be like your grandma?" Kagome nodded.

"I wanna be strong just like Granny and Inuyasha!"

"Well that's a worthy goal!" A voice calling her name made them both turn to the side to see Inuyasha running towards them, looking upset.

"You're awake!" Kagome said, smiling. "I didn't want to wake you up." He came to a halt next to her and took her hand nervously.

"Don't just run off like that," he mumbled.

"Were you worried?" Kagome asked.

"Keh, no," Inuyasha scoffed. Kagome turned her head and nodded conspiratorially at the man she'd just been talking too. He chuckled as Inuyasha led Kagome away, back to the hut they were inhabiting.

X x x

"Wow!" Kagome cooed, "she's so pretty!"

"Why's she made of rock?" Inuyasha asked.

"She's not made of rock!" Sango protested. "She's covered in stag-stalag-stalaga-uh, um…"

"Stalagmite," Her father offered.

"Yeah," she said, "stalagmite."

"What's that?"

"It's a rock that builds up over time!" Kagome answered, remembering the word from science. "Stalagmites are the ones that grow up from the ground, because stalagmite has a 'g' for ground in it!"

"Very good, Kagome!" Sango's father said.

"Thank you!"

"This is the priestess Midoriko, she's the creator of the sacred jewel that came out of your body, Kagome," he went on.

"That's so cool!"

"Indeed," Miroku said, grinning at Sango. She edged away slightly, pressing closer to her father's side. He'd been quite taken with her from the start, although she seemed rather wary of him.

"Did she fight with a bow and arrow?"

"Among other things, I'm sure," Sango's father answered. "She was famous for fighting with a sword."

"Swords are cool!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

"I have a sword!" Sango said excitedly, "but I prefer my Hiraikotsu."

"You're Hiraikotsu is so cool!" Kagome said, "it's so big! And you lift it so easily! This morning a villager told me that you were going to be the best in the whole village!" Her father chuckled.

"Indeed," he said, "I wouldn't be surprised if she surpassed all of us." Sango blushed slightly under all the praise.

"Thank you," she said.

"That's it, Kagome," Kaede said, pull it back just like that!"

"A little higher, Sango," her father said.

He was permitting them to use their training ground for Kagome to begin her training, as well as Miroku to continue his. Sango was training with her Hiraikotsu next to Kagome. Inuyasha was looking at the swords.

"Why don't you try one?" Sango's father said. Inuyasha flashed something like a smile and picked one out at random.

"The key to hitting your target is aiming carefully and taking a deep breath before you release your arrow," Kaede said.

"In order to hit your mark, ladies and gentleman, you need focus. On the battlefield when you use your weapon it won't be like this peaceful training ground, it will be loud, and dirty, and you will have to know about everything going on around you in order to avoid losing your life."

"Yeah right," Inuyasha said, "All I need is to be the most powerful person out there and I'll be fine!" Miroku rolled his eyes and swung the bottom of his staff around and knocked Inuyasha's feet out from underneath him.

"Yeah, knowing what's going on around you is a completely useless skill," he said blandly, as Inuyasha sat up angrily.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Miroku?"

"Language, Inuyasha," Kaede commented. The two boys ignored her.

"Proving Sango's father right, apparently." Sango snickered.

"Having a cocky attitude is an easy way to get yourself killed," Sango's Father said, "I've seen many talented slayers killed because they thought they were too good to be gotten." Inuyasha brooded angrily, unable to argue right after having been knocked flat on his back.

The others went back to their training, although Kagome couldn't help but be fascinated by what miroku was doing. He was using one of the archery targets, but he wasn't shooting arrows. Instead, he was throwing little pieces of paper. Eventually Kagome's curiosity got the better of her and she approached him, bow hanging over her shoulder the way she'd seen Kaede do.

"Why are you throwing those papers?"

"I'm practicing my aim with sutras," He said.

"But those aren't sutras," she pointed out, "they're just blank paper."

"I don't know how to write them yet," Miroku confessed, "but I figured I should practice throwing them for when I do! What happens if I'm facing a demon and throw my sutras but miss?" Kagome thought back to how the demon attacked her in the forest the other night while she was defenseless, and how badly it had hurt when Mistress Centipede had ripped the jewel out of her. She shuddered.

"Good idea," she said severely. He nodded.

"How's your aim with your bow and arrow?" He asked brightly, pointing at it.

"Not good," she sighed, resigned. "I keep missing the target."

"I'm sure you'll get it eventually!" Miroku said, smiling encouragingly. "After all you just started, didn't you?" Kagome nodded.

"I could barely hit the target when I first started too!" He said, "Now watch!" He turned and threw all three papers in his hand at once at the target. Kagome watched eagerly as one flew straight past the target, one stuck to the edge, barely hanging on, and one hit the outside ring, plastered wholly on. Kagome bounced up and down on the spot excitedly, clapping her hands.

"Wow, Miroku, you're so amazing!" She said. Miroku blushed slightly and smiled.

"I bet you'll be even better, once you practice a little!" He replied. Kagome grinned.

"These kids certainly have a lot of energy," Sango's father whispered as he accompanied Kaede out of the guest hut, leaving the children all sleeping soundly for their midday nap. "But they seem to have worn themselves out training."

"It bodes well for the future, headman," Kaede said. "Full of energy and hard working." He smiled.

"You're right," he replied. "And it's been good for Sango to get to meet other kids her age. She spends most of her time alone, she's in between two generations of kids here, and doesn't really fit in with either of them."

"She's welcome to travel with us," Kaede said. "Miroku's guardian had the same concern about him, and she seems like she can take care of herself. It'd be no trouble."

"You know what," the headman replied, "I might just take you up on that. She needs to take a break from her training and just be a kid for a while. I'd have to ask her mother of course." Kaede chuckled.

"Yes I met her earlier, Sango will be getting a sibling any day now, won't she?" He nodded.

"She's dying to have a sister, but as I recall, she's already decided that Kagome is her new sister, so maybe she won't be too disappointed if it's a boy." He smiled.

"I'm sure she'll love them just the same," Kaede chuckled.

"I'm sure you're right."

After their nap, the kids were even more full of energy, but since the training grounds were currently in use by grown-ups, they had to find other ways to expand their seemingly endless supply. These other ways included: running through the marketplace and causing general mayhem, tag with Kirara, hide and seek, and running around aimlessly in Sango's house while her father tried to have meetings.

Kaede considered the day a smashing success when it ended with only two shouting matches, one fist fight, and a near-miss with a temper tantrum. When she'd lived her life unmarried and childless, she'd never expected to be charged with so many rowdy children so late in life. Of course, she felt very blessed to have had the fortune of meeting Kagome, Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango. Each child was special and had their own unique view on the world that constantly reminded Kaede of how differently people can perceive the same situation. She looked forward to each of these children growing up to be wonderful people, who would no doubt spread love and goodness wherever they went.