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The Devil's Rule

Chapter Four: Cognizant

Inuyasha stared listlessly at the 'stove', apparently one is able to use the devise to cook. The only problem with this would be that he had no idea how he was to make this 'stove' cook anything. He wouldn't have even known about this supposedly handy device if it weren't for the runts, and just thinking back on their little run in was enough to make his lips twitch into an almost smile. Something not rare of him, but not entirely common. Now his brother on the other hand... getting that taiyoukai to smile is like trying to move an entire mountain scrape with ones pinky finger. It is near to impossible. He would not deem the task impossible as in his time of life he has known Sesshoumaru to smile a number of time, each one out of one hundred years could be counted on both hands and maybe not even that.

Souta and Shippo had, after getting a sneak peak of the two demons on the grounds, had rushed into in form their sister of their findings. They were bother puffing with the speed they used to run, and when they saw him standing in the kitchen looking like a lost puppy, they nearly fainted. Just the memory of their frantic sentences of their sister murdering them if she were to find the hanyou in the house, were to find that they had let him stay there, and that he needed to hide incase she came down. He got back to examining the device before him, as the memory flashed through his conscious as if he were reliving it.

-

-

Inuyasha nearly jumped five feet in the air when two forms came crashing through the back entrance located near the refrigerator, toppling over the other to land in a pile upon the tile floor. The inu-hanyou watched the proceedings, now that he knew a bit of what was going on, in barely concealed amusement. The two lay tangled up in each other shouting at the other to move so that he could speak with Kagome. Soon it got to the point where he could no longer hold it in, and began to laugh. It was just a few slight chuckles, but enough to freeze both Souta and Shippo as they knew no one else should be within the shrine home beside Kagome. That laugh was definitely not female.

With deep breaths both boy's hesitated before lifting their heads up in the direction of the sound. At that point, when recognition dawned upon them in an instant, Souta and Shippo stood together as if they were pricked with a needle in the bum; gapping stupidly at him.

After a few seconds of working jaws, the questions and feared courses of action to be played upon them took up the silence in the air that permeated for a short while.

"What are you doing in here!" Souta squeaked, eyes searching frantically around him for his sister's angry face.

Shippo turned to the sweating uncle of his, pointing an accusatory finger towards him. "I told you we shouldn't have done this! I told you." He wailed, arm shaking in it's suspended state, eyes wide. "Haha-ue is going to be so mad, and it's going to be all your fault! I told you we shouldn't have let him stay!"

"Shush, Shippo." He hissed, eyes darting to Inuyasha receiving none of the comfort he sought from the seemingly passive hanyou. "We just have to get him out of here so that she doesn't seem him, all will be well again like before, and then, if we do this right, Ane-ue won't kill us just yet." Reaching out for Inuyasha's hand he said. "Come on lets go back, if you were hungry you should have just said-" cutting off abruptly as the inu-hanyou pulled back. Surprised beyond all reason, he just stared dumbly at him trying to processes what went wrong and where. Obviously it was when his small hands closed around air. "Inuyasha, we have to hurry before she comes down and sees you." He didn't understand, why was the hanyou refusing to leave? Did he wish to see an angry Kagome? Souta knew first hand that one of those weren't a pretty sight to behold. He would rather face down the Over Lord any day then be on the receiving end of her wipe like temper.

"It's too late." Inuyasha stated, arms coming to rest akimbo over his chest. "Keh, cause you humans are so weak I had to save her from getting squashed by some demons earlier today." He tossed out like it was nothing, his voice a tad gruffer then usual. "Normally I'd walk the other way since she's a miko, but then you did sucker me into that stupid promise..." Let it be known, Inuyasha was never one to openly admit to wanting to help anyone. For every good deed done by his hands he's always had an excuse to down play his roll in it. It did not want to be seen at the hero type, besides, most of the time when he save a life or helped out in some way the recipient of his help always had some remark to make of how it was not appreciated. He was a hanyou, no one wanted his help. By making up reasons, playing it off, or tossing about what he got in return for such a task was always his way for protecting himself from ridicule for help.

Shippo wailed out, berating himself for not noticing earlier the scent of demon, and not cried out as he recognized her blood scent in the air. Tear flow freely down his face at the thought of the young miko leaving him like his true parents, he may have only known them for six months of his life, but demons were different then humans. They remembered those days, and because of that the kit missed his true Kitsune parents terribly.

Souta on the other hand went incredibly pale at the news.. demons? He thought with an audible gulp, and turning fearful eyes upon the hanyou he inquired. "I didn't they... I mean how could they..." He trailed and taking a deep breath he began again. "Did they say who they worked for? Is she alright, please tell me she's alright?" The words left his mouth in such a rush that the words basically ran over each other making the sounds incompressible. At lest to the human ear.

It took him a while, but Inuyasha was able to process what was being said to him. Now while he wondered just whom Souta was worried about, he decided the easier questions would be easier to answer first, besides he wanted to start on his task that he may interrogate his brother's servants. "I haven't a clue who you think they work for, but their my brother's men. They came here by mistake, so don't worry when you see them out their on the courtyard. As for your sister..." He paused which caused their worry and fear to heighten. "She's alright I guess, just a bump on the head. I came down here actually to make her some soup but I..."

Shippo was already long gone before he could even got past the "she's alright" part, while Souta waited to hear the rest of what he had to say. The young boy hadn't the idea what he meant, they were already in the kitchen so that couldn't possibly be what the problem was.... though he did lose his memory. Could it be possible he didn't remember what a kitchen was? Deciding to go with the hunch, Souta said. "This is the kitchen," at his nod he continued, "and that over there is the stove. Just take a pot from the cupboard down there and place water for it to boil one the stove." He pause a moment to show the skin and exactly which cupboard he meant, before opening the pantry. "Any ingredients you might need will be in here or," he walked towards the refrigerator and opened it to reveal the food inside. "In here, do you need any thing else?" He questioned politely, not at all sounding the little ten year old boy that he is.

During the entire instruction Souta kept throwing glances up towards the stairway, and this action was not lost upon the hanyou. Dense, thought he may be, he was not stupid. It was as obvious as his old retainers love for blood; the kid was petrified with worry for his Ane-ue. Briefly, Inuyasha took the time to wonder where his cowardly retainer, Myouga, might be hiding in this day and age. Knowing the extent of his cowardice it was most likely the same place hew was hiding during the wars, or on the other side of the barrier. He would have to remember to ask his brother's 'assassins' for the answers, if they had it, when he spoke to them. Nodding in the direction of the stairway, he said.

"I've got things down here handled kid, go see you're Ane-ue. I know you want to." He looked hesitant a moment, before bolting up the same way Shippo went a few minutes earlier. He watched him go before turning to the task at hand.

-

-

Since that conversation, he found himself before a 'stove' with a pot of water in hand at a complete loss. The kid told him to boil water with the thing, but he just didn't see how the task could be proven possible with this supposedly convenient invention. Back in the Warring States Era, they did not have devices like this one. If you wanted boiled water, or cooked anything, you built a fire in a pit. At least that is if you lived in the wilderness like himself. Those who had the luxuries of huts, though mostly the rich had them, used a furnace.

Inuyasha shook his head, a lot of things, he's noticed, have changed since he was asleep. The extent of how much, he didn't know, but from what he saw around the house and his talks with the oldest runt it was a lot. Yes, from those talks, the impossible seemed to have been accomplished. Or at lest that is what the boy says. He still wasn't too sure on what an air car was, or even a TV. All he knew was that the car got you around to places, and the TV was a box with moving pictures inside. Ah, and then there was this play station both runts could shut up about. Something one would hook up to a TV and play video games on. No matter how much they explained these conveniences to him, he just couldn't understand them nor could he believe them not to be exaggerations of a child's mind. A lot of their tales did seem pretty farfetched.

After a complete examination of the instrument with his eyes and senses, which basically proved useless as there was no magic to the thing, and placed the pot of water a top. From the strange kanji written in white near some strange circler objects, found during his inspection, gave him some help in figuring out the workings of the device. According to what was written there he should turn the dials on the left to activate the stove, and the dials to the right to activate the oven. Assuming the round objects to the dials mentioned, Inuyasha turned them quickly all the way and yelping like a pup jumping back a few feet into a crouch.

The hanyou stared at the stove like he would his worst adversary just waiting for the said for to strike as the flames roared to an incredible height from the contraption; muttering curses all the way. "Damn, what the hell is that thing, a death trap?" He questioned under his breath, still eyeing the thing like he would a coiled up snake youkai ready for the strike.

Not wanting to look like an idiot to his hosts, but most importantly to the miko living there, Inuyasha cautiously stepped toward the 'stove' reaching over the turn the dial slightly. As he did, the hanyou noticed the flames lessen with each turn. Finally getting it to a height that he deemed safe, Inuyasha slide the pot over it and was pleased to see the water began to simmer. With a heaving sigh, his clawed hands brought his singed silver hair into sight and then dropped it with a shrug. With in not even a week those strands would be grown back good as new, it was one of the perks at having demon blood flow through his veins.

Remembering what Souta said about ingredients for the soup, and he found himself walking towards the pantry and peered inside. Inuyasha couldn't help the widening of his eyes, nor the watering of his mouth. Even when he lived at the castle with his brother never had he seen such food before. Not only were their more foods then he had ever seen in a peasants house, but the types of food he saw were astounding not to mention how they were kept. He remembered a while back when the oldest runt brought him back a bag of potatoes chips, as he had called them, for him to eat and when he had inquired towards the rapping of the bag the kid had informed them it was their way of keeping foods fresh. Not every thing was in that plastic stuff, some were in a type of paper and metal, and some in what smelled of plastic but was infinitely harder then the later.

Shaking himself from his amazement, but no before remembering to question the foods in this era, Inuyasha set about finding what he needed with his nose. No other demon compared to the senses of a dog demon when it came to hearing and scent, he only came second to eyesight when put up against a dragon. They were known to be able to see an aphid on a leaf from a few miles away, not to mention the "sight" which allowed them to view past, present and future occurrences.

Using his sense of smell help the hanyou to locate the spices, potatoes-not the chips-, and seasons that were needed though he couldn't seem to find the rest of the ingredients. That, of course, was before he remembered what the runt said about the white structure. Walking cautiously towards the odd looking thing, as he did not know what to expect from it, he placed his open palm upon the odd, smooth surface.

Strange, he mussed as he ran his hand down the length of the door, it's cold like a winters afternoon while the rest of the room is considerably warm. Noting the handle, Inuyasha wrapped his hand around it and yanked towards himself nearly jumping when the cold air hit his face. He just sat there staring stupidly for a moment, before be began to question just what type of magic she used to do this, but he knew before his hand even touched the object that it held no such properties. "How is this possible." He breathed.

He stood like a few seconds more before making a mental note to question the possibilities of this later, and using the same means as before in finding the rest of his ingredients.

Inuyasha now stood in front of the counter, all his ingredients lined up before him. He had decided to make one of the things, not quite really but basically the only thing a human would find edible, he knew how to make. It was a type of soup that his mother had taught him in his earlier years called, well he couldn't really remember what she called it, but it was good for replenishing ones strength and appetite. He could only hope that after this good deed of his the miko didn't throw his hanyou but off her shrine.

Deciding not to dwell on unpleasant thoughts, Inuyasha grabbed a few potatoes and began to peel them neither paying attention to the gritty feel they left under and between his claws nor where the peelings went. After the task was complete he made quick work of slicing them up into chunks before tossing 'em to the pot, but careful not to splash the water everywhere. He repeated the process with both the carrots and celery, before moving onto the meat.

He examined the produce a moment, taking the packaging as well as the meat itself. By the smell of it he would guess it to be cow, the rump of a cow but it was difficult to say because the plastic wrapping dampened the smell from his senses. With precise movements the wrapping fell to pieces around it, not one slice marred the beef or at least that is until Inuyasha flexed his claws and ran through in all different directions using demon speed to it's fullest advantage. Not even a second past before the meat collapsed into pieces on itself and if there were an audience, which there often were when he was young, he would have been smirking in arrogant triumph. Though as it were, there wasn't an audience to impress or to bring up his ego, and thus he merely collected the pieces up and tossed them within the pot like the other ingredients that needed the same treatment.

Moving over to the left a bit to grab the spices and seasonings, Inuyasha began to shake or toss them in while being wary not to place in to much. One could always add more if it is needed, but too much of something could cause the taste to be off slightly. Grabbing a large wooden spoon that hung upon the wall above the stove, Inuyasha began to stir everything together and then slightly turned up the heat being careful not to make it spout fire so high like the last time.

Eyeing the pot on the stove, and the flame beneath it, the hanyou decided that he couldn't just leave the house with it ablaze least a fire got started. He absolutely refused for anyone to be able to say that he, Inuyasha the hanyou, let a house burn to the ground with a young family within its depths. With a long suffering sigh the half-demon puckered his lips and whistled in to the air at such a high frequency that only a demon should be able to hear it, or one with demon blood running through their veins, and Sesshoumaru's two goons out side the shrine house should know what it means.

Her head ached with such vengeance that it was all she could think about for the moment. Heck, she barely even registered she had a half-demon in the house downstairs with her younger brother and adopted son somewhere on the grounds that she knew not a thing about.

Eyes squeezed shut and fists clenching into the bed sheets, Kagome counted to ten while she concentrated on ignoring the pain. If she could accomplish this then the pain would only become a dull throb in the back of her senses, a very annoying dull throb, but at the moment it seemed her training pain endurance was not paying off. Whimpering pathetically and turning her head to the side the young miko began to use her spiritual powers to lessen the pain a bit as a last resort. A priestess was not to use her powers for herself unless it were urgent, as a priestess powers were only to protect and care for her village or, in her case, the entire proven under the Over Lord as it is her duty charged at birth.

Kagome's hold on the cotton white bed sheets lessened as the pain receded into a dull throb, her breath heavy with the effort put into the action. She was still injured, tired from the fight, as well as from the ceremony she preformed earlier in the day to keep up the barrier around the province of the Devil's Rule. Now that she had at lest some senses back, Kagome sat up a bit, thought this action was done slowly and with great care, and began to ponder her next course of action.

Well one thing she knew for sure was that the hanyou would not likely be killing her anytime soon. She knew from experience. When a demon, even half, went out of their way to save a life, which was not often, then did not go out and mindlessly end that life. No, if they were to do such a thing it would be that that life had wronged their savior in some way to merit their own death. It is a demon code of such that she learned in her younger years from her cousins in the rebellion.

The rebellion was a group of humans and demons alike that wished to put an end to the province of the Over Lord, or better yet known as the Devil's Rule. She, in secret, had worked for them, being her few remaining family, and helped them before she was forced into hiding as they had helped her intern.

Kagome began to shift her position slightly so that she could slide off of the bed and spy on her little hanyou visitor, but before she could even get an inch a red ball of fur came flying towards her. The girl laughed merrily when the kitsune child clutched at her shirt saying in his young high pitched voice.

"Kagome! Your alright, I smelled your blood and I got so scared." He buried his face in between her chest to hide his tears from her, and when she realized this her laughter calmed as her arms moved to grasp him to her in a comforting hug. "I thought you were dead!" He wailed.

"I'm not dead and you can see that Shippo, no more tears alright?" She spoke not an octave above a whisper, keeping her voice low and comforting towards the kit. "I'm going to be fine, don't be sad anymore… please." Kagome pleaded before kissing his head of auburn hair.

Shippo snuggled up deeper into her chest as he let himself focus on her hand smoothing down the back of his head. This gesture always brought immeasurable comfort to him in times of sadness and fear. Just as he lifted his head to answer her, the door clicked as it was opened distracting to the two occupants to the new comer.

Souta stood their in the doorway looking everywhere but his sister, fidgeting with his hands and Kimono. He was very nervous, to say the lest, and scared. No one wanted to face an irate Kagome if they could help it. She could be down right scary at times. Gathering up all of his courage Souta managed to bring his eyes to her throat, not wanting to meet her own eyes head on. If he were to do that then the little courage to face her that he scrounged up would go sailing to the four winds.

"Uh… hey Ane-ue, you alright?" He questioned, albeit a bit hesitantly.

Kagome smile sweetly, her voice dripping of honey when she answered him. He cringed, knowing exactly what that tone meant. He was in trouble. Big time. "Fine Souta, but do you mind telling me why we've had a guest staying at the shrine for a long while now without my knowledge?"

He laughed nervously. "Well, you see, Kagome, um, Shippo and I-"

"Hey, don't bring me into this, I told you not to!" Shippo intervened in the start of his speech once his name was mentioned. He didn't want to be in trouble with his haha-ue, especially when he had done not a thing wrong. It wasn't his fault that Souta refused to listen to him.

Souta shot him a glare that cause the young kit to squeak and hid his face against Kagomes chest. "Yeah well, like I said Shippo and I were walking in the woods exploring like we do every day, but this time we came across this inu-hanyou. He's got a demon made blade and is on the run from the Over Lord, Kagome! I had to help him, I just had to." He brought his eyes, very courageously, to meet her own creamy brown ones. "He doesn't remember anything, he hit his head, Ane-ue. You said that it's our job to help people when they can't help themselves, I had to help him, he was on the run like us." He explained, his eyes pleading for her to see thing from his point of view. He had only done what he thought was write according to the things she taught him, and those he remembered from their mother.

"Your right, I did say that." Kagome sighed, all previous anger at being kept in the dark washing away. "I just wish you would have said something to me, what if he had been cereal murder, or something. I know he's not," She replied to the look her brother shot her, "but I still would have liked to have known he was there."

"I know, and I'm sorry for keeping it from you." The boy replied to her comment while staring at the ground sheepishly, arms at his side.

"That's alright Souta, just please, next time tell me when you get the urge to give refuge to a stranger." She held out her arms to him as he came nearer to the bed, and once he was situated at her side, her arm supporting his back as he lay against her did Kagome continue. Her tone quite and pained. "I just don't like being in the dark."

Souta flinched at the tone, if anything it was far worse then her honey-dripping-sweet tone. That one didn't grip and squeeze at his heart like this one did upon reaching his ears. Slipping an arm around her, Souta hugged his elder sibling close. "I promise, Ane-ue, no more secrets."

Thank you, Souta…

Inuyasha sat upon the counter near the stove thing in front of his brothers men as they took up two chairs in the center piece of the kitchen. The hanyou was quite surprised when the giant purple looking demon was able to fit within the shrine home. Originally he would not have, but it seemed the youkai was able to change shape and size, something that was a very rare ability to have. It took much training to master and just as much, if not more, strength or youkai, to use it.

Keeping his nose, as well as ears, to his quickly cooking food, Inuyasha eyed both demons before going on to speak. They had been sitting in there respective places and the hanyou stirred the soup and said nothing, as they sat and looked around waiting calmly for their younger lord to speak. When his mouth began to move, they sat up straighter to show their attention was in fact upon him.

"I need to know," he began. "I need to know what happened all those years in that war, I need to know what is going on now. The last thing I can recall is that battle and then I am suddenly a few thousand years in the future with some human that manage to get dominate control over all the lands of Japan." Taking a calming breath, and speaking with all the warmth and care of sword being drawn, he said. "I need to know what the hell is going on, and I need to know now!"

The cotton ball was the one to answer as he quickly jumped from his giant companions shoulder and onto the island within the kitchen. With something as close to a bow as he, with his stature, could get and began to speak in low respectful tones. "My lord the war seemed to have been won, you and your brother dominated the field… that is until you both mysteriously vanished from the field. It wouldn't have been that bad if the monk whom guarded the eastern lands leaders camp had not vanished as you had…" The cotton ball took in a breath and continued. "Since there was no one to lead the western or eastern lands they were easily captured and dominated by this Over Lord. Oh, then he was not called such. Then he went by no name. It wasn't until he combined the forces of the western and eastern lands with his own to decimate the remaining kingdoms, did he call himself such.

"Demons wished not to be ruled over by one without honor as him. No one with honor would watch the battle of another and wait for either side to be weakened before stepping and tearing it down. One with honor would wait for them to heal and strike when they are at their best to prove that they, the defeater, is the better. Maybe humans hold to a different belief, but that is what a demon holds to heart.

"The youkai banned together and tried to fight off the Over lord and at lest gain a portion of their lands back, but as it were they only managed to hold on to Hokkaido." As the cotton ball paused a moment once again to draw in breath before continuing, Inuyasha took the intuitive to stir his soup least it scorch and taste of burnt ashes.

"That is how things are now. The Over Lord controls everything except for our little island of Hokkaido. It was only a little over a few hundred years that this shrine was built for the soul purpose of housing the Shikon no Tama, as it is what keeps the barriers up over his province. He had these barriers made to keep the demons under control and to keep those that reside in Hokkaido out. Those that remain here, demons and half that is, are weakened by the shikon's magic and thus they are unable to revolt against him. That is all I am sure about." He finished.

Inuyasha looked to his side, staring into the pot of boiling soup in deep thought. So, he and his brother weren't the only ones who were to disappear from the battle field that day. He would have to seek out this monk as well as his brother, they were connected some how, it was a feeling that he got deep down and he learned, after years of fending for himself, that they were never wrong. The only problem would be the finding them part, the land had been growing for years and changing, and he doubted that much was the same as he remembered it. He would just have to wing it, there was no way he was asking for help. It was bad enough they though he had a memory failure.

Mechanically Inuyasha began to stir the soup, again not wanting it to scorch and burn from the bottom up. Inuyasha was sure that this Over Lord that every one was speaking about was responsible for his and his brother's disappearance, but was he wanted to know was why? Why did they need to disappear, why just them and a monk? He would figure it out, and then he would bring this lord down and kill him slowly. No one messes with him, especially not the only family he has left. The idiot signed his death warrant the moment he made his brother vanish, but he would find his brother again and then there would be hell to pay.

Finally looking back up at the cotton ball look-a-like and his silent companion, Inuyasha said. "Is there anything else, do you know of anything more about this Over Lord guy?"

"My lord, I do know of a group that seeks to destroy him. In fact whenever the barrier is at its weakest we can some times get in messengers, and that is only one to two men at a time once ever two weeks. It isn't much, but it is enough to know that they two wish to see in the destruction of the Over Lord, more so that any other, and would likely know more about the subject then I myself do." He replied in answer to the question of his young lord.

Inuyasha nodded before jumping off of the counter top. Turing towards his meal and stirring once more, he turned the dial so that the flames completely died down; the food was done. He would never get tired of this strange place, everything just so… he could think of a word to describe it, but strange would do. "I want you to send word to this group that I am coming and wish to speak with them, I should be there in a couple of days."

The cotton ball gave a semblance of a nod, before inquiring. "My lord do you wish for one of us to stay incase you need directions to the establishment?"

Inuyasha shook his head, his hair and ears swaying slightly with the movement. "No." He answered. "I should be able to smell you out, if not I could always call for you like a did before." Moving down to the left a bit, Inuyasha opened the cupboards that Souta pointed out earlier and grabbed a few bowls to place the soup in.

"By your leave, my lord, and we shall deliver your message."

Startled, but not showing it, as he had thought them to be gone already, said. "Huh, oh, yeah sure go." Turning back to the task at hand, Inuyasha began to pour in the soup.

Three startled faces whipped towards the door as opened, as everyone had forgotten about the hanyou down stairs. Especially Kagome, whom had yet to get use to the idea of another demon being in the house. Besides she had been a bit busy with trying to comfort the kit and her brother, assuring them that she was indeed fine, to be paying attention to other auras in her house.

"Oi runts, down stairs now." He ordered them. "There's some soup down there if you want it." Immediately they jump from the respective positions and raced each other down the stairs. Inuyasha's ears moved about flickering in the direction of the sound. Once he was sure they were well enough away, he moved to the side of the bed and set her soup down. He was nervous.

Never before had he spent so much time with a woman before, in all of his years demon women have always thought him to weak for his human blood and human women thought him a monster for his demon blood. Now mikos, at first sight of him they usually moved in for the kill. He was half-breed, no way could he not be hostile, no way could he just want to help. He was a monster that needed extermination.

Inuyasha clenched his fists at the thought, but slowly forced himself to relax at Kagome's curiously looks as she slowly brought the chops sticks to her mouth. It wasn't like he had to converse with her, he just needed to make sure that she ate and then change her bandages. After that… after that he only had to worry about being kicked out of the shrine. Not that it mattered anyways as he would be leaving soon either way. It would just be a little sooner then he had thought to leave. Inuyasha plopped himself down at the edge of the bed to watch her eat, his sitting position looking at of a squatting dog.

Since the hanyou had walked she had been curious. So far he had only said a few words, and those were only to her young brother and son. He only handed her a bowl of soup with some chops sticks, and then proceeded to watch her eat. It was a little unnerving, yes, for him to be watching her like this but her thought were more centered around why on earth he would help. Most demons would not help a priestess, especially when they openly admit to hating them as he had done.

The silence was beginning to get to her and she hated it. It wasn't because it was quite, or that it was awkward, well not really, but more because he had not taken his golden orbs from her sense he had handed over the bowl of soup. She decided that if he would not breath, she would.

"My brother says that you have lost your memory?"

Inuyasha looked at her confusedly, before realization dawned on him. That was his excuse for being to ignorant to things around this time. "Yes." He answered shortly, not at all sure why she had decided to strike up a conversation with him. He had never spoken with a miko before, unless of course it was yelling he did nothing wrong, and then the said priestess calling him a dirty half-breed and such.

She was quite for a while, not at all sure on what to say next. She had thought that maybe all he needed was a conversation breaker, obviously its not that at all. It was quite obvious that the hanyou wasn't much of a conversationalist. After another couple seconds of silence, Kagome decided to try again. "My brother also says that your on the run from the Over Lord." She glanced at him suspiciously, as she just realized something. "But how could you know that, if you remember nothing." He wasn't lying to them, was he? Saving her wasn't a ploy created by 'him, was it? No, she did not want to believe that. Her brother is an excellent judge in character, and she would not believe him to work for the Over Lord until she found proof of otherwise.

Inuyasha smirked inwardly, this one was a little too smart. Most would have over looked that. "I remember something's," he said, not entirely sure at to why he was answering her in the way he was. "I do not know if it is him exactly, but I do believe that he has taken something important from me. I won't rest until he is dead for it." Was all he said before falling silent again, but he very much wished to speak again. He wanted to ask her if she knew anything about him, the Over Lord, he wanted to hear her voice again… no he didn't. He would just wait for her to speak again.

The shrine grounds were quite and Kagome busied herself with some of her choirs and then later perhaps some more training with the bow. She was becoming quite the master archer. Taking the broom in hand she began to sweep in quick strokes, humming her mother's luliby with none of the words spilling from her lips. She felt at peace, calm as the birds cherped and flew from tree to tree.

Her peace however, was shatter as shout rang throughout the air.

"Jonathan, what are you doing!" Her mother's voice screeched out fearfully. "Please, Jonathan, do not do this!" As though shouts met her ears breaking her peace, her silence, Kagome dropped the broom and hurried toward the location of the noise.

Kagome turned from him, her eyes staring into the depths of her soup bowl that was now only halfway full, as her mind replayed flashes of that fateful day. "I know what you mean." She whispered softly, hoping that he would not catch it and they could remain in silence.

They hanyou studied the young miko in curiosity for a moment. He remembered the runts saying that they were on the run, hiding from this Over Lord. Just what had this conqueror of lands done to her that she must hide, how is it that they are alike. When she did not speak again, when her eyes remained glued to her soup bowl, and his curious side starving to be satisfied did Inuyasha do something so unlike him. His clawed hand reached out grasping her chin and forcing her to look at him. "What do you mean we're alike?"

The scene that she happened upon froze her blood like nothing else. Her legs locked up, numbing so that she could no longer feel them. Her heart beating within her chest so painfully hard that she feared it would rip its way from its confines and beat itself into oblivion. All she could do was force herself to breath, and watch things play with eyes wide and confused and muddled mind.

"Suki, I demand you give it to me now!" He father boomed as he stalked her. For every step forward he took was another step her mother moved backwards, her hands shaking on the bow and arrow she held at the ready pointed directly toward her father's heart. "Suki, put that away and give it over." He coxed. "Let me take it off your hands Suki."

Her mother had tears running down her cheeks, her hair was a mess with bruise on her right cheek and blood trickling down the corner of her lips. "Jonathan, I don't know what's wrong with you, but I do know that you don't want to do this" She pleaded with him, trying to talk sense with him. "You know I can't give this to you, you know what will happen. Why are you doing this?"

"I know perfectly well what I am doing, Suki, now that we have that established, give it to me!"

Kagome watched as her mother's eyes widened, and then squeezed shut. "I'm sorry Jonathan." She whispered as she released the bow string.

The arrow sailed through the air and struck her father at his left side, he screamed out and pain and grabbed at it as if it would help ease the pain he felt. Finally finding her voice, Kagome called out. "Father!" Her hand reached out toward him, her legs still unresponsive to her brains command.

"Kagome!" Her mother held frantically, bow pointed downward. "What are you doing here, go back inside! Now!"

Inuyasha awaited patiently for her answer, but when none seemed fourth coming he released her chin and asked again. "Tell me what you meant." He prodded gently. He wanted to know, she worked up his curiosity with her secrecy, but deep down it was more then that. He wanted another reason to kill this Over Lord, no, he wanted to know what the pound scum did to her that caused the light in her eyes to dull and the smile on her face to vanish so completely. He wanted to kill him for it as well, not that he would ever admit that aloud.

She did not want to remember, she did not want to speak of it to him. What right did he have to know of her past when she knew nothing of his? Kagome began to fiddle with her bed sheets, having set her soup bowl aside sometime ago during the silence the stretched between them from when he first asked the question. Now clenching her fists within the bed sheets, hidden under the blanket, she looked him square in the eyes stating firmly. "I don't want to talk about it." He had yet to notice the tears building up in her eyes, normally he would have smelled them long before, but he was concentrating to hard on getting the answer.

"Please, tell me what he did to you?"

Kagome's eyes widened as she watched her father lung towards her mother, she tried to cry out in warning but it was of no use as her throat seemed to close up allowing no sound to escape her. She watched, unable to move, as her father took a dagger from his side and dug it deep with in the depths of her mother heart pulling it free only to do so again. Kagome fell to her knees tears falling freely, as her mother's cries of anguish echoed throughout the shrine to be heard by none but herself, her father, and her own mother as she took in her last breath.

He dropped the knife eyes wide clearly showing his horror and pain. "Suki.... wha..." His eyes took in all the blood that soaked her white kimono to the blood that covered his hands; her blood. "No." He whispered hoarsely, shaking his head frantically. "No!" He cried out stronger this time. "What happened? What have I... did I...? No..." He leaned over her, head above her heart and when he heard nothing, felt nothing he cried out his pain, and it sounded as if he had been run through. "Suki, please come back to me!" He cried, taking her body in his arms rocking back and fourth.

He was so involved with her, with his pain, that he did not notice the shadow creature that snuck upon him. Kagome did, however, and could not form the word to call out warning to him as the figure lifted his blade and ran it through his stomach. Kagome's face paled at the blood pouring from her fathers wounds, at the blood that fell from his mouth as he took his last breaths and fell upon his mother with his last dying words. "I'm sorry, Suki."

It was like time was frozen as she stood stock still watching them, before the spell that kept her in place seemed to break and allow her movement. Kagome crawled toward them on all fours, tears still coursing down her cheeks, but she stopped a few feet from the hooded figure as she could now see.

"Your father was a very bad man you know." The man taunted, it was definitely a mans voice as it was way too deep to be anything else. "He betrayed your family to the Devil's Rule, and all for the promise of power, the type of power that the pink jewel would bring." The man snorted as his hooded head turned it's sightless gaze unto the dead couple. "He had to die though, my master would see no less, as your father failed his mission. He killed the priestess, his wife, before he could retrieve it from her." The man laughed evilly before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Kagome stumbled the rest of the way to her parents dead and now cold bodies, and cried until she could cry no more.

Flashes of that night flashed through her mind, her father stabbing her mother, the hooded figure, and how the night ended with her burning their bodies and storing them within the mini shrines. A sob broke trough her throat and then another, and another. She could feel the tears as they make tracks down her face to land upon her chest.

Inuyasha began to panic. She was crying, he hated it when women cried. Not that he has ever seen one cry before besides his mother, but that is why he detested it so. He always made his mother cry when he was younger. He didn't mean to, he just wanted to know what a hanyou was, what half of the things he was called as a child meant. Every time she cried when he asked what a word meant, he would never ask again. That is how this hatred for tears was born. He made her cry, his chest clenched painfully.

He moved nearer to her, and then sat up higher so that he was now hovering her his hands above, but not touching, her shoulders unsure of what to do exactly. "Don't cry!" He whispered frantically, as if speaking any louder would send her into deeper hysterics. "Please!" Any one whom knew the hanyou would have been shocked out of there minds at that word, but he didn't care he just wanted her to stop. The deep heaving breaths and chocked cries were assaulting his ears and smell of saltwater his nose, which all and all was causing his chest to painfully constrict. "Damnit, stop crying!" He yelled. "No, no, no please stop!"

She looked up at him. "You want I should laugh instead."

"No! Just," his hands rest upon her shoulders before going back to barely touching. "I just don't like to see you cry."

Kagome couldn't help the warm smile that lit up her face, one that caused the hanyou's heart to lighten a bit, as his face looked like that of a kicked puppy. Whipping her tears away, and sniffing a bit, the young miko decided to change the subject. "You can stay here," she offered, "for as long as you wish."

It took Inuyasha a moment to grasp what she had said, as his head was still spinning from her miraculous mood change and when he had it took everything in him to stop himself from gaping. She wasn't going to kick him out! She was going to let him stay! "Why?"

She yawned settling back into her bed. "Because, you save my life and its the lest I could do." She yawned again, and her eyes started to shut. "Besides, you make really good soup and you have a nice soul." She mumbled the last part out as she fell into fitful sleep.

Inuyasha watched her in amazement. She actually fell asleep with him in the room, she did not fear that he would kill her in her sleep. She trusted him. Inuyasha felt a strange feeling growing in the pit of his stomach before it moved and spread throughout his entire body. He did not know what this feeling was, but Inuyasha did know one thing... he didn't want it to leave him; ever.

A/N:

I am So----- Sorry that I haven't updated this story in like forever, it's just that I've been lazy and too darn tired after I finish up all my work to type… But I won't do it again! I swear to you all! Now that I've updated once again, I'm going to try and continue to do so at lest once or twice a week -K-

This wonderful Chapter goes out to all my wonderful reviewers! I don't know what I'd do with you!

I'd probably still be on chapter one !!