Chapter 9, shard hunting meeting new friends

After Youko had kissed Kagome he ran away as quickly as he could, not stopping until he made it to his newly acquired den. Once he arrived he didn't settle down but instead opted to pace furiously. He couldn't stay still as his confused thoughts continued to run through his mind. He was anything but calm at the moment. Questions and emotions raged through his mind and were maddening in their intensity. Finally Youko sat down hard on the plain dirt floor and attempted to meditate to calm his raging thoughts. After much difficulty his mind quieted and he was able to start to make sense of all that was going on in his head.

First and foremost was Kagome, the beautiful human priestess whom seemed to be taking up more and more of his thoughts ever since he had first laid eyes on her. At first she had been a hated enemy, someone whom deserved pain and every horror imaginable inflicted upon her being. Youko didn't have a doubt in his mind that if she actually had done the terrible things he thought she had that he would have felt no guilt over the punishment he had planned out for her. The potent poison he had given her only inflicted pain and no other harm to the actual victim. He wasn't lying when he said it would kill her because the end result to that poison would have been death just not in the way most poisons worked. It would not have shut down her system nor stopped her heart nor anything of the sort. Instead she would have writhed it pain until she eventually died from lack of being able to do anything else. The pain would have kept her from eating, drinking and even sleeping. If she was lucky she would die from the wounds he had inflicted or would have chocked on her own spit or maybe had a heart attack. If not she could have lived for days until her body finally had used up every ounce of energy. It would have been a terrible death, but then that had been the point.

Now, Kagome was a friend as unlikely as it seemed. How she had managed to forgive him was a puzzle to Youko. She had been under the effects of his poison for nearly 10 minutes and given the intensity of the torture she had gone through it was actually a miracle that she had remained sane. Regardless though now she was undoubtedly a friend and a good one at that. Now a new question popped up, was she more then that? Youko knew without a doubt she was his friend but that didn't explain his feelings well enough. He had had many friends in his life but would he have put himself in great danger for any of them? Youko pondered on it and found that the answer was no, he wouldn't. He would put himself in some danger for a friend but he could think of no one in the world save Shippo he would have been willing to protect in that particular way with his own body as a shield. This surprised Youko, maybe he viewed her as family? Hmmm, That actually fit rather well. He could see himself protect his family as he protected her no problem. This idea suited Kagome quite well because as Shippo's adopted mother she was family in a way. Youko pondered on the idea of her being his cousins mother and thus his adopted aunt, or maybe cousin. As soon as the term aunt came to him his mind instantly flashed to the hot passionate kiss they had shared not long before. There was no was in hell he would do that to his aunt! Youko shuddered as an image of his real aunt took place in his mental image of Kagome and he kissing, he suddenly felt quite ill. O.k. Youko did not see Kagome in any way shape or form as an aunt or relative. But that only left one option, he saw her as a woman, a potential lover maybe?

Somehow the idea of Kagome as a lover did not quite sit well with him. Youko had taken many lovers in his lifetime. It was expected of a kitsune of his age and power to be quite experienced and Youko was exactly that. Not to mention he was incredibly handsome so finding a willing bedmate had always been quite easy, after all no woman could resist Youko Kurama. At first Youko thought maybe her humanity was the reason he had trouble viewing her as a lover. He had never taken a human as a lover before as he had never been attracted to one in the past. They were usually a cowardly species who would run as soon as they saw him and they usually smelled bad, like rot and feces. He did not see Kagome in that light at all, for she seemed to transcend any preconceptions he had of humans. As he tried to ponder what was wrong with the idea of Kagome as a lover Youko went over a mental image of Kagome in his mind. He could definitely admit he found her attractive, there was no doubt in that. Her body was slender and toned and she had lovely curves in all the right places. Her skin was perfectly tanned and when he looked into her eyes he felt like he could see strait into her soul. When he thought back to their earlier kiss he literally groaned at the thought of her sweet taste and the feel of her warm breasts brushing up against his chest. Her scent, always wonderful, had been even more amazing as the scent of her arousal had surrounded him. Youko's already less then innocent thoughts went to what it would be like if she were to be his lover. The image of him shredding her clothing off of her perfect body came to him. How he would love to see her beautiful breasts and to take them in his hands. The image of her touching him shyly in her innocence made Youko's body react intensely as he soon found himself rock hard and he had to adjust his suddenly too tight clothing. Oh how he would love to hear her scream out his name as he took her body from different positions, from on top, from bellow, from behind. Oh yes, Youko had to admit as he tried to get his body under control that he definitely was attracted to the young priestess. So then what was the problem with the image of Kagome as a lover? Finally Youko realized what the problem was with that image and he did not like it.

Youko did not care about his lovers. They were a means to an end, a night of fun or maybe a week but never more then that. He would never have put himself in harms way for a mere lover. Nor would he think of them as almost family. No, only one type of being could make that kind of an impact in his thoughts. A MATE. Dear Kami, Youko Kurama saw Kagome Higurashi as a potential mate. He a powerful youkai thief was actually considering a pure human miko as a person worthy of bearing his children and living with him for the rest of his life. If he found a mate that would be it, foxes mated for life and this is what he had been unconsciously considering Kagome for. He was not one to lie to himself and he knew it fit perfectly with his feelings. He felt protective, possessive, and had a strong attraction to not only Kagome's body but her mind as well. As Youko came to this realization he felt a warmth in his chest as if the feeling's in his heart wanted to explode from his chest. Youko felt extremely excited and happy as he started to understand his feelings for the beautiful priestess. He didn't care that she was human and he was demon or that she was a priestess and it was the ultimate taboo, all he cared about was that he had amazing feelings for her and he knew she was undoubtedly worthy. He was falling for her and he was falling hard. She was smart, funny, kind, beautiful, strong, brave, she loved children, she held no prejudice against youkai. And as sudden as the happiness came it left as Youko found himself swimming in a pool of doubts, depression, confusion and despair. After all it could never work.

Youko was falling for a woman he had tortured, it was as simple as that. She had forgiven him but how could she ever see him as anything more? The answer to Youko seemed obvious, she couldn't. There was no being in the feudal era who could fall in love with someone who had tortured them as brutally as Youko had Kagome. He knew she still had nightmares about what he had subjected her to, he could hear her whimper in her sleep and ask, 'why are you doing this.' Also even though she hid it well there were times when they were sparring that she would suddenly lose herself to the memories and he would scent her fear of him as all of a sudden and she would shy away. Even though she was worthy of him he was not, nor would he ever be, worthy of her. How could she ever see him as a romantic interest when there were times when she feared him? Youko wished more then anything in the world that there was a way he could go back in time and stop himself from harming Kagome in the past. If he had just thought things through more in the past, if he had made sure before attacking then he wouldn't be in this situation now. Youko had always been so sure he was brilliant in the past but now his mental picture of himself came crashing down around his ears. He was a fool. Youko was so angry at himself that he didn't even realize he had been clenching his fists until the rusty smell of blood reached his nose and a ping ping could be heard as a few drops of his blood hit the dirt floor. Youko unclenched his fists and took a look at his hands noting that he could feel no pain at all because his emotional pain overrode all else. Youko straitened up his back and made a silent vow to himself. There was nothing he could do about the past but he could change the future. He swore that from now on, before he caused such harm again, he would know his enemies and their reasons. Never again would he do such lasting harm to an innocent.

After making that vow Youko felt much better like a weight had been removed from his chest and suddenly he could breath again. As his mind started to clear it went back to the kiss he and Kagome had shared. She had responded to him beautifully. She had kissed him back and her scent had spiked deliciously with her arousal. A smile lit on Youko's face as he finally found a reason to hope. After all she seemed to have enjoyed their kiss as much as he had. She had been surprised at first but she had kissed him back and had practically melted in his arms. With as wonderfully as she had responded he couldn't be completely a lost cause. With that in mind Youko settled on accepting the situation as it was. He was falling for a human miko, one whom he had tortured, but at least she was attracted to him so he would not lose hope. He would do everything in his power to get her to see the good in him and maybe someday she would no longer see him as the being who had done the unspeakable but instead would see him as someone else completely, someone she could love.

After all of this contemplation Youko was calm once more and he had a great desire to see Kagome again. After all there was no time like the present to impress upon her his good nature. He would even try to patch things up between himself and the hanyou, though he did mean what he said, InuYasha would not be allowed to speak to her in that manner again. Still he had done no lasting harm to the whelp so he saw no reason to remain at odds with him, it would only upset Kagome and he could tolerate anyone for her. Youko stood up, dusted his clothes as he had been sitting in the dirt for hours now and went to find Kagome. He ran into Shippo on the way who happened to be looking for him and so they made their way to the village together.

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Kagome couldn't keep her mind off of Youko and the kiss they had shared. She kept touching her lips and she wore a smile on her face. She felt as if she were floating and that nothing in the world could go wrong. She kept going over what Youko had said over and over again in her mind. He had said she was important to him, he had kissed her! The most beautiful man Kagome had ever met had kissed her, this wasn't all some crazed dream was it? But Kagome knew it was no dream, she could still remember what he had tasted like, the feel of his warmth so close to her body. No dream she had experienced had ever been so vivid. How was she supposed to react next time she saw him? Oh god what if he didn't mean it like she thought he did? Maybe Youkai were different from humans maybe kissing her didn't mean he liked her? But what if he did, what if he liked her? How was she supposed to act? What did he want from her? Did people date in the feudal era, she didn't know. What if he changed his mind, maybe he would think she was too old, after all in this era she was past old enough to marry and have kids.... What if he wanted kids? 'Oh no getting way to far ahead of myself there Kagome.' Kagome took a calming breath and let a slightly more rational train of thoughts wash over her.

Youko had kissed her and told her that she was important to him. That was something to remember always and so she would. All it meant was that Youko found her important and at least somewhat attractive, no matter what species you were you did not kiss someone you found repulsive. That was all it meant and she should not look for a deeper meaning, she had done so with InuYasha and all it had done was break her heart. She had thought he had loved her as she did him, he had embraced her multiple times and spoken sweet words to her but in the end he loved Kikyo and that was all. Kagome learned that nothing good came from reading into an others actions- all that would lead to was heart ache. If Youko liked her he would have to make it crystal clear because Kagome refused to play the love struck fool once again. Thinking on her feelings Kagome knew that she liked Youko, and found him frighteningly attractive but that was as far as it went. She was not in love with the fox, at least not yet. At one point in time she could have given her heart out easily but that time was passed. Now any love she felt would take time to grow.

Kagome was no expert on love but if she had been she would have known that it was better this way. Her love for InuYasha had been like a home with no foundation, beautiful and functional right away but bound to fall apart with the first real storm. Her love for Youko would be like a fortress, it would take a long time to build but it would be able to withstand everything that could be thrown at it nothing would ever be able to tear it apart.

As Kagome had predicted, it only took InuYasha about an hour to wake up from his earlier beating. He was in quite a bit of pain especially from his broken jaw but he mostly shook it off, he was a lot of things but a wimp was not one of them. As he took stock of where he was he noted that he was still in the clearing that he had lost consciousness in. Sango and Miroku had dragged him to a nearby tree so he would be sitting up at least and had bandaged his wounds. Miroku had placed a barrier around him so he would not be attacked by any stray Youkai though he hardly needed to, few would dare attack InuYasha in his own forest. Youkai could sense that a powerful youkai – or hanyou as the case may be- lived here and claimed it as territory so they mostly avoided it. As InuYasha got up a small groan escaped his lips and he winced as he moved his jaw. As InuYasha recalled the events he mentally winced as well. His mouth had always gotten him in trouble it was ironic that his jaw was broken now. He hated to admit it but he had deserved it. InuYasha couldn't believe he had put Kagome in danger like that it was totally inexcusable. If "Youko" as he had called himself had not intervened Kagome might have died and InuYasha wasn't sure if he would have been able to live with himself if that had happened. It was true that Youko had attacked first so InuYasha didn't feel bad about the fight it was just that he had put Kagome in danger. InuYasha tried to remember what he had done to piss off the older demon only to remember the words the kitsune had spoken to him before knocking him out.

'The manner in which you dare speak to her is worse then I would speak to the lowest of whores let alone a woman as kind as Kagome. You brought her to tears and just for that crime I wish to make you suffer...'

"Kuso!" InuYasha swore as he began to see what he had done. InuYasha's first thought had been that the kitsune was looking at him as if he had insulted his mother. If you changed mother to lover InuYasha had actually been spot on. Youko saw Kagome as a love interest possibly even as a potential mate given how protective he was being of Kagome. By making Kagome cry it was amazing he had gotten off with just a broken jaw, if someone had spoken that way to Kikyo and put her in danger like he had InuYasha would have torn out their entrails and stuffed them down their throat.

Strangely the idea of this demon liking Kagome didn't bother InuYasha much at all. The kitsune was obviously not a wimp like that pathetic flea bitten wolf was and if he really was going to join the group then he would be a useful ally against Naraku. InuYasha wouldn't mind extra help protecting the wench either. InuYasha cringed as he realized he had mentally called her wench, he was going to have to get used to using Kagome's name otherwise eating dirt would be the least of his worries. InuYasha sighed and after procrastinating as long as he could walked to Kaede's hut. He was going to hate what came next, it was the one thing he hated almost as much as Naraku, apologizing.

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"Oi wen.... Kagome." InuYasha yelled as he walked into the room, old habits die hard.

"Yes, InuYasha." Kagome responded in a careful tone not quite sure she wanted to listen to what he had to say. All thoughts about Youko left her mind as InuYasha entered the room. She had forgotten that she still had to deal with the hanyou.

"I ummm...." InuYasha looked around and was pleased when he noticed no one was in the room to hear him and then he spoke to the floor. "errrr, ummm, god dammit all to hell, i'm sorry I put you in danger!" It all came out in an irate rush. " I'm glad you are alright o.k. I didn't mean anything I said earlier I was just worried about you when you were gone so long!" InuYasha didn't look up at first waiting for a response but when it wasn't forth coming he finally lifted his head. He saw Kagome close to tears and became worried. He hated it when she cried and he didn't really relish another beating from Youko again for making her cry either. "Kagome are you alright?" InuYasha hung his ears low hoping he hadn't upset her.

"Oh, InuYasha." Kagome threw herself at him and hugged him tightly tears leaking down her face. She knew how hard it was for InuYasha to apologize and didn't hold the abrasiveness of it against him at all. "I'm sorry I made you worry I missed all of you guys so much. I promise not to do it again." Kagome wiped her eyes and sniffed her nose as she tried to get a hold of herself. It was always so rare to see a real apology out of InuYasha it was hard not to get emotional.

"Yeah, well you don't gotta cry about it, and i'm holdin' you to that promise wen..... Kagome."

InuYasha was embarrassed by the emotional display and only barely managed to avoid slipping up. It was a good thing he did too because he hadn't noticed Youko listening in on the conversation from behind the building.

Youko was a bandit thief and he knew one could never be too careful. He wanted to gauge the situation a little before he walked into the room. Sensing the monk and slayer returning he waited for them to enter the building first and for the atmosphere to relax before he made his entrance. Shippo was with Youko and waited with him curious of what his uncle was up to. He decided to be quite and observe as this might be another one of Youko's lessons. Shippo was not disappointed as he noted the shear genius that was Youko. He had never thought about listening in from behind the building. It was the perfect spot, no one ever went back here. Once Youko deemed enough time had passed he walked in the opposite direction from the hut and went around the block before returning. It wouldn't due for someone to see him come from behind the building because then they might suspect him of what he had done and then he wouldn't be able to listen in on the future. Youko motioned for Shippo to enter first then took a deep breath and followed.

Everyone except Kagome was on edge the moment Youko entered but that was only to be expected as he was new to the group. InuYasha was actually looking from Shippo to Youko not sure who to address first. As he was about to address Shippo and ask him who the hell he was Kagome butted in.

"Shippo, thank you for finding him." Kagome gave her son a hug. She then walked strait up to Youko and took him by the hand pulling him further into the building. "Come in I will introduce you to everyone." Youko nodded and followed her the few scant steps into the building to where she wanted him to be happy that she had taken his hand. " Everyone I want to introduce you all to Shippo's cousin Youko Kurama. He wants to join us in our quest and he is the one I have sent all the letters about." Kagome smiled as she said this and everyone relaxed visibly. "Youko this is Sango, Miroku, Kirara and InuYasha whom you already met." Youko bowed in greeting.

"It is a pleasure to meet Kagome's friends. She had told me much about all of you and how brave you all are." Youko felt it would be good to stick to the positive and ignore the earlier mishap. He wanted to make a good impression on these people.

"My name is Sango and anyone who would protect Kagome like you did is a friend of mine." Sango bowed to the Kitsune.

"And I am Miroku and I completely agree, you are welcome here." Miroku bowed as well.

"Mrowww" was Kirara's response not to be out done. She walked over to Youko and butted her head affectionately on his leg. Youko couldn't help but smile at that and lowered a hand to scratch behind her ear. He earned a loud purr as response.

As everyone turned to see InuYasha's response to the newcomer the room started to tense for his reaction. Youko kept his face pleasant, he was willing to put up with the whelp for Kagome's sake and after listening in on their conversation he wasn't feeling as hostile as before towards the boy.

"Feh. You can fight and that's all that matters I ain't got no problems." Everyone relaxed at that. From InuYasha that was practically a compliment. Everyone was surprised when he continued to speak. " Are you.... Really Shippo?" He said incredulously. The whole group broke into laughter at the hanyou. InuYasha just turned around with a "feh".

The rest of the day went quite well. Youko traded stories with the rest of the group and they all got to know each other. InuYasha was in a much better mood after Kagome fixed his jaw and he even admitted that the trip away had not been a complete waist of time. Kagome presented Shippo with his chocolate and he was practically bouncing for joy. He did share a very small piece with Youko. Youko loved it and so Kagome promised to get him some next time she was home. They decided to head out in two days and Youko decided to leave after a few hours to furnish his new den. He gave Kagome directions to his new home and she promised to meet him there the next morning for breakfast.

The following morning Kagome made sure to get up early so she could meet with Youko while everyone else slept in. It wasn't hard to do because Kagome had gotten an extra good nights sleep when she went to visit her family the previous night. She brought her broken orchid plant with her in hopes that Youko could somehow revive it. She had her doubts as it was snapped in half and somewhat smashed. She felt giddy with the idea of going to visit Youko as it was the first time they would be alone since he had kissed her. She found his cave rather easily with her map, it was concealed so no one would know it was there but Kagome had lived in one of his caves so she knew what to look for. She shouted a greeting from the door of vines and they parted for her as if by magic. Once Kagome walked in she was stunned by the decor. This cave was even more beautiful then the last one. There were plants all over like before but now there were rich rugs on the floor and beautiful tapestries on the walls. There were vine doors at four different places, she could only assume they were separate rooms and she could hear running water from one of them. The room she was in now had a beautifully crafted dining table that was laden with food that all looked delicious. There was what smelled like fresh bread as well as a giant fruit platter filled with fruits she knew were not native to Japan. Youko was standing near the table watching as she took it all in. He was not disappointed by her reaction. He had worked tirelessly all afternoon and night to make this den as perfect as he could for her. He had bought some of it from a nearby town and some he had moved from one of his stashes. As a legendary thief he had hidden stashes all over Japan and ways to move large objects. One of his best stashes had been not to far away which made furnishind the den that much easier. He had bought the more mundane breakfast foods from the villagers and had grown the fruit himself. He wanted everything perfect for her.

"Youko this is amazing! How did you do all this? This is beautiful." Kagome stared at him mouth wide open in amazement. She tried to look everywhere at once but there was just so much to take in.

"It's no where near as beautiful nor as amazing as you are Kagome but I am glad you like it." Youko presented Kagome with a rose as she blushed a deep red at his statement. "Would you like the grand tour?" Kagome nodded affirmative as she smelled the sweet smelling rose. As he took her hand in his she felt her heart skip a beat. He showed her all the different rooms. There were three sleeping chambers all beautifully decorated and with their own beds and one room with a hot spring. Kagome was shocked that he had found such an amazing cave that no one was using. Youko explained that the cave had been completely closed off and he had only found it by asking the local plants with his magic. He had had the plants dig out an entrance for him otherwise it would be buried by six feet of solid rock. Kagome then asked him a question because she was confused by one aspect of the way he had arranged the den.

"Youko why do you have three sleeping chambers in this den? I understand you having one for Shippo and one for yourself but why not make the third room for storage or something?" Youko gulped uncomfortably at that. He had not been expecting her to pick up on that so he was caught a little of guard. He thought about it for a second to compose his answer and then decided he might as well ask her now.

"Well Kagome I was thinking about how you are Shippo's guardian and you would not like to be separated from him. I also would rather not have to be separated from my little cousin. I would feel safer if he was near by so I could protect him. The spare bed chamber is for you, if you are willing to stay here with Shippo. I understand if you say no but know that if you do choose to stay I will be happy to provide anything that either you or Shippo could need." Youko looked at her with pleading in his eyes and preyed she would say yes. He wanted her to stay with him so badly. Part of it was because he would miss his cousin but he would also miss her.

Kagome was stunned that Youko would think about giving her a room in his home. As Shippo's relative she figured he would have expected her to stay at the village while he got Shippo. Honestly she would have understood that so long as she was allowed to visit and Shippo would stay with her every now and then. In the village they all either stayed in Kaede's hut or slept out doors so it wasn'y exactly easy living. Kagome looked at Youko, She really wanted to accept but she didn't want to get between him and Shippo.

"Are you sure I wouldn't get in the way? I know you probably want some bonding time with Shippo yourself. I can always stay in the village" Kagome was unsure of herself and even though she really didn't want to she had to ask lest she wonder in the future if Youko would regret his decision.

Youko was stunned that she would ask that. It sounded like she thought she was some sort of nuisance, like she didn't think he would want her there. Didn't she realize that he liked her? But looking at her he realized that she actually had that low of an opinion of herself. He had figured that she would be aware of how amazing and special she was. Now that he had realized his feelings for her he had just assumed she would know that he was interested in her, He had kissed her after all. But it seemed Kagome did not know those things, well he would just have to tell her. He would have to be careful though he didn't want to scare her away with the intensity of his feelings.

"Kagome you would never get in the way of anything. I will admit having Shippo here all the time when we are not traveling does appeal to me but that it only half of it. I should have said so before but I will say it now, I want you here for yourself regardless of Shippo. You are an amazing woman and I enjoy your company." Youko paused for a moment and Kagome could see strong emotions in his intense golden gaze as he stared into her eyes. "Please stay with me Kagome because I like you and I would like to get to know you better. I hope for you to see me as a good friend and maybe someday more." It was one of the hardest things for Youko to say in his long life. He knew he needed to make his intentions to Kagome known but he was terrified of her reaction. What if she shot him down here and now just because he said the wrong thing. He watched Kagome closely waiting for an answer, any answer that wouldn't shoot down any hopes he might have with her.

Kagome's heart felt like bursting from what he had told her. He did like her and he wanted her to stay with him because he enjoyed her company. Kagome knew she liked Youko, It wasn't an all consuming craze or anything like that but if he were in her era she would be plenty willing to date him. Kagome knew now after InuYasha that love did not happen over night, it was something that took time to develop. At the moment Kagome would be happy to stay with Youko and see where things led, it wasn't as if she hadn't already lived with him before. He wasn't going to do anything indecent or anything of the sort and Shippo would be there as well so it wasn't just her alone.

"Youko I would be happy to stay with you and Shippo. I trust you and I like spending time with you. If you are sure you are interested then I would be more then willing to get to know you better as well and see where it leads." At the last part Kagome blushed bright red. It was really embarrassing to admit to be willing to date. Especially because she didn't really know the procedure in this era, well except for the many arranged marriages.

Youko was so happy to hear her answer that he quickly embraced her in a tight hug and twirled her around in a circle. He never would have expected her to say what she did. He was expecting a yes or a no but she had said so much more. The tiny spark of hope in Youko grew to a small fire. When he put her down Kagome was giggling and Youko had never heard a more lovely sound. Youko took her hands and asked her a question that he had thought he wouldn't have the nerve to ask for a long time to come.

"Kagome would you allow me to court you?" Youko smiled at her the light still dancing in his eyes from her earlier words. Kagome looked at him with a puzzed expression and he realized she did not know what a courtship was. " I do not know what is done in your era but I would like to express interest in you and spend time alone with you in hopes that we can get to know each other better."

Kagome pondered for a few seconds and then realized he was just asking what she had already said she was willing to do."I would be happy to Youko." Kagome smiled humorously. " Though I think I had already kinda said yes." Youko laughed at that and told her that he just felt better making it official. They ate a pleasant meal and talked a little more about their different cultures and what a courtship entailed. It was basically dating so Kagome didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Before she left to the village Kagome remembered her crushed orchid plant. She had put it in a bag and it had been out of sight.

"Youko?"Kagome asked.

"Yes, Kagome."

"Are you any good at reviving plants if they have been crushed? I brought you one from my time but InuYasha stepped on it. I understand if you can't it's not really anything special I just thought you might like it for a house warming gift." Kagome mumbled and pulled out the broken gift. She felt a little silly when she did. It wasn't like it was expensive or anything and here she was presenting him with a dead plant, she should have just thrown it away. But Youko looked at her with curious eyes and simply took the plant which was currently in two pieces from her. Kagome watched and was amazed at what she saw, he put each piece of the plant in different hand's and the little orchid started to grow. The plant had been small just big enough for a 3 in pot and it was not in bloom when she gave it to him but now each piece turned into a separate plant and both were many times larger then the original and suddenly there were multiple flower shoots poking out from both plants. It was quite beautiful to watch as Youko brought life to something that had barely any life left in it to live. Youko placed both plants in matching pots and handed one to Kagome with a smile on his face.

"Thank you for the gift Kagome. I will very much enjoy it. In fact I will place it in my bedroom and treasure it as the first gift I ever received from you. You are welcome to keep that one for yourself to remember today with. I always like to see exotic new plants and I have never seen one like this before. Do you know anything about it? It does not seem like a typical orchid." Youko was excited that Kagome would think to get him a gift. It was a sign of caring for another. The fact that it was a plant showed that she had put real thought into what to get him, after all Youko did love plants.

Kagome listed off the information she had received from the florist from the grocery store about the orchid. She told him the county of origin, how it was known for having beautiful black leaves with orange stripes unlike most orchids that were known for their flowers and how it lived in the dirt on the ground unlike most orchids that lived in trees. She had wanted to get it for Youko because it was such a different pant and he seemed interested in all the information she had for him. Kagome was at a loss at first what to do with her plant until she decided that she would take it home to her era and leave it in her room at home. It would serve as a reminder of Youko.

Kagome finally said her farewells to Youko for the day and went back to the village to help everyone get ready for their next bout of traveling. She made a quick trip home since she had one more day then she had thought and dropped off her plant, as well as got more chocolate for Youko and Shippo. She told everyone later that day that Youko, Shippo and her would be staying a little away from the village when they were in the area. Miroku had made a hentai comment about Kagome staying with two men, Sango had slapped him, and Kaede said it seemed like a wise decision as some of the villagers were getting uncomfortable with the idea of two full grown youkai in the village. In general the idea had gone over quite well and InuYasha had just rolled his eyes when she had mentioned the hot springs at the den muttering something about crazy wenches who were never clean enough.

The next day the whole group gathered together and left the village in order to hunt for the shards. At first things were awkward between the group and Youko but after about a week everyone had accepted him completely. It was hard not to. Youko made traveling much easier, he always knew where a close by cave was at night and there were hardly any chores to do because his plants would do them all. Youko's helpfulness coupled with Shippo's made traveling much faster for the group. Camping was more relaxing and they had gained a very powerful ally so battles went by much more smoothly. Youko also had a knack for finding out rumors for the shards of the shinkon. When asked by the group he would just say that a bandit thief has his ways. With him in the group they found 10 shards in just six weeks, it was record speed for them. After that however rumors dried up considerably. The shard hunters were feeling more and more certain that there were no more shards left. All that remained was the final battle with Naraku to see who would be the victor.

During their travels, training for Shippo and Kagome did not stop nor did Youko's courting of Kagome. Every day while they walked Kagome practiced barriers for hiding her scent and aura, it was extremely tough work but Kagome did make some progress. She eventually got to the point where so long as she was concentrating she could mask her presence, but it generally would fall apart the second she talked or tried to pay attention to someone or something else. A by product of this training was that Kagome got a good feel for auras and soon she could sense other people and demons in the general vicinity. It was comforting to her to know who was around her and where they were, and it came in handy quite frequently. She was able to sense demons who were coming to attack them from great distances and even better Miroku when he was sneaking up behind her to get in a good grope. Spiritual training wasn't all that was happening either. Youko would train Kagome or Shippo for a few hours each night once they set up camp in hand to hand and whip use, both were getting quite good. Then later in the evenings Youko and Kagome would go for a walk together to get to know each other. The walks were easily the highlight of Kagome's day. She really loved spending time with Youko and he always made her feel special. They would talk about the modern era a lot and Youko's time in China. Kagome especially loved listening about Shippo's parents, Shippo didn't really remember them well and Kagome wanted to know what kind of people they were. Kagome and Youko often would hold hands during these walks and sometimes they would even kiss. Kagome loved Youko's kisses and there was nothing like being held in his embrace. They never went further then kissing for which Kagome could only feel grateful, she really liked Youko but she was still new to romance and she wasn't really ready for much else.

After the rumors for shards dried up the group decided to head back to the village. They needed to restock supplies and come up with a strategy for what was to come next. They all knew that the final battle would take place soon, they needed to find Naraku. The weather was sweltering hot the day they started towards the village and everyone felt miserable. Kagome just wanted to jump in a nice cool shower and wash off all the grime. She was out of conditioner and her hair felt like a dried up nest. Needless to say no one was happy when they heard her shout of warning.

"There is an extremely powerful demon heading in fast coming from the north!" Kagome grabbed her bow and arrows and readied her weapons as everyone else did the same.

"Oi Kagome, any clue what kind?" InuYasha shouted as he gleefully pulled out tetsusaiga. He was in a pissy mood from all the heat and whomever was coming was going to receive a less then warm welcome.

"Well errr, maybe dog it's kinda hard to tell, whatever they are it's really powerful but no shards." Kagome had learned to identify some demons types from their auras but she had not seen any demon quite like this one since she had learned to sense them, it felt kinda like InuYasha except different.

Youko reacted strangely to this information, a grin grew on his face and he seemed to be anticipating something. He leaned down to Kagome and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry it's a friend." He then moved forward in front of the entire group and told them all, "Please no one interfere."

He readied his rose whip and suddenly a white blur entered the clearing and streaked strait for Youko. Youko and the other beings whips clashed and they moved in the clearing so fast that no one could get a clear view of the two demons. They clashed so loudly that the entire clearing rang with the loud noises. They were like two white streaks floating in the air and sparks were flying everywhere. And then as quickly as it started it was over the whole thing had lasted under three minutes. Both demons had stopped and one demon had disarmed the other an energy whip fizzled on the ground before zapping out of existence. Youko stood victorious and the other demon bowed in defeat. As he righted himself the entire group gasped in shock as they finally got a good look at the defeated demon. It was Lord Sesshomaru and he looked like he was smiling.

"Sensei, I see you are still as sharp as ever." Sesshomaru bowed respectfully to Youko.

"Don't sound so disappointed." Youko was smiling as he spoke to Sesshomaru. "What kind of teacher would I be if I allowed my students to best me? They need to have some motivation for improving their skills."

The group was stunned at what they were hearing. Youko had taught Sesshomaru? And he had just disarmed him without the dog demon going ballistic? Even InuYasha was too stunned to speak or attempt to insult his brother. Finally the ice was broken when a young girl of about 14 years ran into the clearing running strait for the group as excitable as always.

"Kagome!" The girl ran into the priestess' welcome arms and into a tight embrace. "Rin missed you so much. Sesshomaru-sama said that we could travel with you guys now! Rin's so excited, is Shippo around? Rin wants to show him the pretty flowers that she picked for Jaken. Jaken says he doesn't like them but Rin thinks he does." The priestess just laughed and told her that she was excited too. When Kagome pointed Shippo out Rin was excited and grabbed him by the hand to show him the flowers. She didn't even bat an eyelash at Shippo's transformation, she just told him that he had certainly gotten tall. They ran off into the distance to go torture Jaken and the rest of the group finally snapped out of their daze. Sesshomaru knew Youko, He had even smiled. What was the world coming to?

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Alright so no one can possibly hate me for a slow update now. This chapter is easily long enough to be two full chapters. It was 10 pages long and took about that many hours to write. Hopefully the next chapter will lead up to or be the battle with Naraku. Don't expect super steamy romance sections yet, the real romance won't start until after that battle and I don't know if I have it in me to write a lemon, this is my first fanfic. Btw I did give into my temptations for final fantasy and thats part of why I put off writing, I got every trophy for that game. Also just a heads up I never saw the last season of the anime, so there is just Naraku, Kanna and Kagura no baby or any of that. I hope everyone liked the super long chapter, and please please please review. I really love getting reviews, it's my main motivation for writing. I especially appreciate multi-reviewers. Thank you all very much for reading.