My story. I can do what I want! XD

Anyway, this chapter will be like brief flashes here and there, maybe a run-in with Sesshomaru. Still debating that as I type this note. We shall see. Some of these scenes may be important to the story line, some may just be random and for fun. May be short, may be long.

Hope everyone enjoys it! ^^

Disclaimer: I do now own Alien or Inuyasha.

"Aliens talking when alone"

"Aliens talking when other non-aliens are around"

Here the Chapter Starts

There are many things he enjoys. Some of these things, his brothers call him strange for his love of them. Yet he just can't bring himself to care. Amongst the hive, he was always the odd ball. He even chewed on his own tail when he was just a chestburster. For the longest time, his mother would not let him leave the cavern he grew up in, afraid he would reveal their existence and bring the wrath of the humans upon them all. Now, she has no fear of that.

Now, he can run around free and roam without fear of humans wanting to kill him and the hive. And he has found so many things that just amaze and fascinate him.

The trees and their changing colors make him curious. The many scents in the air, both natural and strange to him. The water from the sky and how the once dried sand will turn into the mud that covers him. He actually likes the way the mud feels.

His mother still sent a couple of his brothers to keep an eye on him. After all, he is strange. Even he will not deny it.

Though one creature above all else gained the most of his short attention span. Humans. True, his Grandmother is a half-human, though she behaves as a Queen would with a few human instincts. These creatures are fully human, and so strange to him. They have no leader, so they must be chaotic. But they seemed so organized, like they all had one role in life and they stuck to that one role. Yet even then, they move away from that role to take on another.

Humans are confusing, he decided.

Then he met a young human, close to the age of Grandmother. Her hair dark and her eyes earth brown. She is wondering around the woods, seemingly scared of the forest that surrounded her but comforted like she knows she is protected. He recognized her. Grandmother has taken a liking to this young human female.

He approached her from behind, nudging his head against her back. She gave a small scream and spun around so fast, he found himself surprised that she didn't hurt herself. She seemed to relax when she saw him, despite the drying dirt covering him from the knees and elbows down and coating his tail.

"Hello," she greeted him.

"Hi," he returned the greeting, though all she heard was a short growl. He noticed that she is carrying a basket in her arms, bits of vegetation sticking out of the lid.

"I though that Lady Kagome would like some fresh food to eat," the girl explained when she noticed he lowered his head, focused on her basket. "My name's Lien."

"Lien," he hissed before nodding once to her. He can't help his curiosity. He reached out and flipped off the lid of the basket, seeing different vegetables in the basket in one side, but noticed meat in the other. The meat is strange though. It isn't moist with blood and it isn't a raw red. In fact, it is dark, shriveled, and dry.

She gasped out an "Oh!" and took a small piece of the dry meat into her hand before holding it out to him. "Forgive me, I forgot my manners," she explained. "If you would like, you may have this. It's dried meat. I seasoned it myself."

He took the meat in his hand and closely inspected it. Normally, they ate fresh meat that still dripped blood, sometimes still warm from a fresh kill. Still, his Grandmother seemed fond of the saying 'Try new things'. So he shot out his second mouth and swiftly tore off a piece of the dried meat. It was difficult to break and a little hard to swallow, but it tasted good. He let out a small, happy shriek and devoured the rest of the dried meat.

Lien watched in interest as the warrior ate. No one in the village knew much of these creatures, so the second mouth surprised her. She wonders what the purpose of that small mouth is.

Once he is done eating, he looks at his now empty hand then back at her. She smiled at him. "I'm glad you like it," she said. "I hope Lady Kagome likes it, too."

"Well if Yami believes it to be good, I'm sure I will enjoy it," someone spoke.

Lien gasped and spun around again. "Oh, greetings, My Lady," she bowed to the hybrid Queen before her.

"No need for the bow," she said with a wave of her hand. "Yami, what are you doing out here by yourself?" Her eyes trailed over him briefly. "How did you get so dirty?"

"Exploring!" Yami replied before rubbing his large head against Lien's shoulder. "I like her, Grandmother."

She let out a soft sigh before a single chuckle. "It seems Yami has taken quite a liking to you, Lien," she commented.

"Yami," Lien repeated before smiling at the male nuzzling her then rubbing his head with her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Yami." He gave her a low shriek. "My Lady, father and I thought you would like some fresh food tonight. I dried the meat so it should not spoil any time soon." She held out the basket, but Yami grabbed it and ran off. Kagome watched in amusement while Lien looked shocked. "Yami!" she called after him.

"I think it's the meat he's after," Kagome assured. "He'll leave the rest back at the house. Thank you, Lien. I appreciate the gift and all your village has done for me."

Lien smiled at her. "We are honored by your presence, my Lady!" she exclaimed happily.

Kagome eventually gave up on getting the villagers to stop calling her 'my Lady'. They seem very adamant about her title.

Yami, on the other hand, just found a new fascination and enjoyment. One he does not plan on sharing with any of his brothers.

Here the Scene and Time Changes

When she was first hosted, she was ten years old. She was playing in the woods around the shrine when she came across this unusual tan creature. It quickly attached itself to her face and she eventually went unconscious. A few hours later, she woke. The tan creature was dead next to her head, legs curled in like a spider in pain. Her body burned with heat and her chest ached.

Only a few days passed. She should have died then, probably a few seconds after Anya burst from her chest. It hurt so much. Yet Anya, for some reason, didn't leave. In fact, she seemed fixated on something. Kagome never noticed the glow in her side, only that the pain lessened and her chest was quickly fixing itself. She wasn't sure then, but she believes now that the Shikon is what saved her life and gave her a second chance.

Anya stayed. When she was large enough to easily protect Kagome, she ripped off bits of her skin and slapped them onto her host. The blood burned, acid eating away at her flesh. Once again, the Shikon saved her, or at least made it so she would still have her limbs. The Shikon took the flesh and blood Anya gave her and molded it into Kagome's body, blending the two different DNA together in such a perfect way.

Kagome's mother didn't know about what Anya had done, or about the tan creature or the strange glow in her side. All her mother knew after a couple of weeks was that there were unusual black creatures around the house. At first, she panicked and wanted to call the police or animal control, but Kagome stopped her and said that the boys are protecting them. After a long time, she started to accept that these creatures are a part of Kagome's life. Even Souta enjoyed playing with them whenever he found one.

Though Anya made Kagome promise her one thing, especially after they realized what saved Kagome. She will never host another of the hive.

"You're hosted," Anya pointed out blandly.

Her mother merely hummed, laying against her side in her hybrid form while she picked away at dirt under her claws.

"Mother, you promised!" Anya snarled. "You may have survived my birthing, but I doubt you will survive another! That little rock healed you and you don't have it now!"

"Anya, my daughter, calm yourself," Kagome placated, reaching up and rubbing the Queen's arm. "I am hosted, but not by one of the hive."

"Then what do you carry and why is it in your stomach?" Anya questioned, using one of her smaller hands to poke her mother's abdomen.

Kagome sighed quite happily and snuggled into Anya's side. "I have trapped many human men with my body, daughter," she started. "The boys sometimes not getting to me before it is done. Not once did I ever manage to conceive. Yet now, a tiny being is growing inside of me. It seems I do not reproduce like you do, Anya. I reproduce like a human. I will carry this tiny life inside for a number of months and I will birth it. Alive."

"No egg or host other than yourself?" Anya asked, tilting her head to the side. "Carry it for months instead of hours or days? Will it tear through the flesh of your stomach when it is time?"

Because Kagome believed she would never be a mother to any other than Anya, she never bothered explaining human reproduction to the Queen. It is understandable that she is confused.

"No," Kagome answered, placing a hand on her still flat stomach. "I will probably birth it the way that all human females do."

Anya groaned slightly as she shifted a little. "Mother, you confuse me!" she complained, shaking her large head.

A small chuckle escaped the young hybrid. Explaining the way humans' breed is not at the top of her list of things to explain to Anya. Besides, she would probably end up confused anyway. Anya, like all her sons, is intelligent, just used to things being a certain way. The way she behaves is hereditary, or so Kagome always assumed.

So with a little smirk on her lips, she got to her feet and walked to the front of the Queen, looking up at her with hands on her hips. She might as well get it over with. "Alright, first of all, the two genders of humans are a lot more different than the hive," she started.

Here the Scene and Time Change

The sky blue and cloudless. The field green and full of flowers of various colors. To little Rin, human ward to the Western Taiyoukai Sesshomaru, this is a perfect day in a perfect spot. Jaken stayed near Ah-Un, the two-headed dragon that Sesshomaru owns and is very protective of Rin. In fact, between the two, the dragon is probably the better protector. Jaken only protects young Rin because Sesshomaru has taken the girl in as his ward.

Both heads of the dragon watched little Rin as she ran around the clearing, going from flower patch to flower patch in order to pick at least one of every type of flower around her. A bouquet rapidly grew in her small hands.

Unknown to any in the clearing, they are being watched. Tio is known as one of the more curious brothers in the hive. While Yami is strange, Kero is overprotective, and Haku is just adventurous, Tio is always curious. He would look at something and try to understand why it is the way it is or how it works or even compare it to something in order to better understand. Right now, he is curious about this little human girl playing in the field with a dragon and an imp watching over her. So strange.

As the old saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. Tio is a firm believer in this and is generally quite careful, but he also believes the second part.

Satisfaction brought it back.

The girl approached the tree line, heading towards the small patch of violet blooms, which also happened to be in front of Tio. He is surrounded by shadows and near impossible to see from a distance. But when the girl reached that patch while he was so deep in studying her, she looked up at him and gasped. The bouquet fell from her hand and to the ground, the gathered flowers scattering as they fell.

The dragon, smelling the fear from the girl, growled lowly and got to its feet, trotting over to Rin. Rin didn't acknowledge the dragon approaching her. She just stared at the strange creature hiding in the shadows of the forest. It just stayed still and seemed to stare back at her.

It jerked back and looked up when Ah-Un snarled at it, hissing in return. Rin sharply turned and ran behind the dragon, hiding behind its back leg. Jaken then noticed something is wrong.

"Rin! Get over here, you stupid girl!" he cried out, fearing that there is danger over there. If there is, Rin will get hurt. If Rin is hurt, Lord Sesshomaru will be angry. VERY angry.

Ignoring the insult as she normally does, Rin ran over to Jaken, who held his staff up. The dragon took a couple of steps back, four eyes trained on the unusual creature as it stalked towards it. The two beasts circled one another, one growling and the other hissing.

"Master Jaken, what is that?" Rin asked, pointing to the black creature.

"I've never seen the likes of it before," Jaken stated, holding the Staff of Two Heads up, ready to shoot fire at the creature should it get close.

A snarl ripped out of the dragon's throat before the creature shrieked back at it, tail lashing. A second shriek called out, making the unusual creature freeze before straightening best it could.

Tio turned his head to the forest, seeing movement in the shadows. A figure approached from the trees, stepping out of the tree line and into the sunlight.

"Lady Kagome!" Rin happily called out, remembering the young miko that travels with her Lord's younger half-brother.

"Hello, Rin," she greeted in return, walking between the two creatures. Ah-Un watched curiously as Kagome's hand patted his two snouts as she passed. Tio turned and followed after the teenager. "How are you?"

"Stay back!" Jaken yelled.

"You're still as annoying as ever," Kagome commented before pulling her leg back and kicking Jaken in the stomach. He flew back a couple of feet from the impact. Kagome scoffed at him then smiled at Rin. "I hope Tio didn't scare you, Rin."

"Tio?" Rin repeated before looking at the black creature.

"Yes, he's just curious about you," Kagome explained. "He wouldn't hurt you even if he wanted to."

"She has no fear to what is around her," Tio pointed out, staring at the dragon then the imp. "Her companions are stranger than the ones you used to travel with." In fact, Tio would have to say that this young girl reminded him of Kagome when she was younger. Kagome held no fear over anything unnatural, at least after she had Anya. He does not know about before that. This girl travels with a two-headed dragon and a little, shriveled imp.

"They are not the only ones with her," Kagome added in a low growl. "Rin, where is Sesshomaru-sama?"

"He isn't too far away," Rin replied, lacing her fingers behind her back and rocking on her heels.

"Sesshomaru-sama has no time for worthless humans like you!" Jaken yelled.

Tio snarled at the imp and used his tail to swat it away.

"Thank you, Tio," Kagome said.

"The thing is annoying," the male stated.

"Do you mind if Tio and I keep you company for a while, Rin?" Kagome asked as she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I need to speak with Sesshomaru-sama."

Rin nodded her head vigorously. "I would be very happy if you stay!" she answered.

Kagome smiled back at her brightly.

Here the Scene Changes

Sesshomaru is a hard man to read. At first glance, he is emotionless and hates all humans. Mostly, this is true. Yet he cares for his young ward, a small human girl who showed no fear of him upon their first meeting, even when he growled at her with red eyes. To most, he treats her coldly and acts as though he wishes she is elsewhere away from him. In truth, he is very protective of her, thinking of her as his own daughter. He leaves her alone with Jaken and Ah-Un because he goes into dangerous territory and leaves her where he knows she will be safe, and he always returns. If any saw how he acted around her, they will see this.

Kagome is one of those few who have seen him for who he truly is, especially to young Rin. He is a caring demon, a good father figure to the girl, and an amazing Taiyoukai. If one was not worth his time, then he will not waste time with them. If they are worth his time and effort, he either accepts them or leaves them be to watch them grow.

The reason as to why Kagome is one who has seen the softer side of his personality is he saw her fiercer side. It was night and he was wandering through the forest during a full moon, as restless as any other canine normally is during these nights. He came upon her in the forest, not too far away from where his half-brother and the rest of his pack were, but downwind so he would not know her exact location.

Her movements were fluent, as though she was performing a dance instead of practicing forms. He watched her curiously until she noticed he was not too far from her. They ended up sparring hand-to-hand since she had no weapon on her body. Sesshomaru had to admit that he was impressed with her then and respects her for many reasons.

She managed to be his equal in hand-to-hand, yet could barely handle a weapon that well. He taught her what he could, and she had gotten better. She just prefers to fight without one. He accepts this. After all, she is strong with only her body. Hand her a weapon and she will be formidable, so long as she knows how to use it.

As he trained and sparred with her, he had grown attached. Not in a lover's kind of way, but in a sibling way. She once fondly called him 'Onii-sama', then blushed in embarrassment. She laughed when he responded by calling her 'Imouto-chan'. Though one thing still annoyed him. His actual sibling. Half-brother, but sibling all the same.

She would sometimes come visit him while his idiotic brother believed she was going to her home. He would train her as much as she could before she truly did return to her home. Her visits are generally quite unexpected, sometimes months apart. He normally doesn't get surprised when she does come to him, but this time, he can't help but be shocked.

His imouto sat on the ground, no longer dressed in those unusual garbs she used to wear. In fact, she now wore a tan kimono with leaf designs from the shoulder to the waist and some flower print along the bottom. She is leaning against his faithful dragon, poking a disgruntle Jaken. She always has fun bothering the imp. Rin is running around in the small clearing, a black creature either chasing her or running from her.

"Dare I ask what manner of demon that is?" Sesshomaru spoke, bringing his imouto's attention to him.

"Onii-sama!" she greeted with a smile on her lips, getting to her feet. The black creature stopped its running and rose onto its hind legs. This unusual demon can easily tower over him if it stood straight. "Long time no see!"

"Indeed," Sesshomaru agreed, golden eyes locked onto the black being near his ward.

"Don't worry about Tio," Kagome reassured him once she saw whom he is staring at. "I think he's taken with Rin-chan. I haven't seen him play with any child, not even my own brother, before he met her."

"A pet of yours, imouto-chan?" the Taiyoukai asked, looking down at the young woman.

She inhaled deeply then shook her head. "No, not a pet," she replied. "Onii-sama, I must admit. I have not been entirely truthful to you. I have secrets."

"Everyone does," Sesshomaru told her.

"Mine is not a secret as common as a paranoia or skeletons in the closet," she told him. "Well, maybe skeletons in the closet." She reached up and patted his shoulder. "Mind if we take a walk, Sesshomaru-sama? I do not want my secrets to scar Rin-chan."

He nodded. "Very well, imouto-chan," he replied. "But if you uncomfortable sharing these secrets of yours, you should not."

"I trust you more than I trust your brother, Sesshomaru-sama," she stated as the Taiyoukai led her back into the forest. "Even he doesn't have a clue as to what I am going to tell you. I want to tell you because you are important to me, and I feel like I am betraying you by not telling you the full truth about myself. If you do not wish to know me any longer after this, then I will respect that wish and I will understand."

For a moment, Sesshomaru hesitated. He is curious as to what it is she is talking about, but he enjoys his imouto's company. He knows she is not the same woman she is when around Inuyasha, but if these secrets are going to make him see her in a new light, he isn't sure if he wants to know them. He can tell that keeping these secrets from him are breaking her very slowly, as though she is depending on his acceptance of her. "Very well, imouto-chan," he said. "I will listen to these secrets if you wish to share them."

Kagome smiled at him momentarily before looking at the ground, stopping her strides by his side. He stopped only two steps away from her. "You should know then that I am not fully human," she started. "Maybe half-human, but what I am… I don't know whether to call it demon or alien. During my time in this era, I have not seen another demon like them, nor have I seen signs of them." A small sigh escaped her. "I almost died when I was ten because of my daughter and the Shikon saved my life. And because of my daughter, I am what I am."

"And what exactly are you, imouto?" Sesshomaru asked with a quirked eyebrow. "And how is it that you had a daughter at ten?"

"I still have her," Kagome answered. "These creatures, my daughter and her many sons, breed in such a way. They breed like parasites. The hatchlings that are called face-huggers attach themselves to a host, a living host. Once attached, they force an embryo down the throat of their victim and that embryo goes to the chest, where it rapidly grows. After some time, it becomes a chest-burster."

"I assume it lives up to its name," Sesshomaru commented.

"Yes," Kagome replied with a nod. "It breaks through the rib cage, killing the host during its birth. I carried a Queen when I was ten and the Shikon in my side healed the injury and any others she inflicted on me."

"She harmed you?"

"She made me what I am," Kagome corrected. "She tore off bits of her own flesh and put them on me. The Shikon absorbed her flesh and blood and mixed it with my own. Because of this is the reason why I am so terrible with weapons. My entire body, even my blood, is a weapon."

"Explain," Sesshomaru ordered.

Kagome changed one hand, showing him the thicker skin and sharp claws. "I can change anything I want at will," she stated. "My fully transformed self is a Queen, smaller than a full-grown one like Anya." Using one of her claws, she cut the center of her palm and watched the blood slowly leak out. Unlike the blood of the Hive, her blood still holds its human red coloring. She reached out and wiped her hand on a tree, smearing the blood over the bark. Sesshomaru watched in surprise as her blood seemed to eat away at the trunk. "My blood, their blood, melts anything it touches. When Anya gave me her flesh, she put it on me. The Shikon healed her flesh to my injuries, thus taking in the new blood and making me half."

Sesshomaru removed his gaze from the tree and to his imouto. She is staring at the ground, waiting for either his rejection or acceptance. "That creature with Rin?" he asked.

"A full grown male, a warrior," she replied. "Think of the hive as you would a bee hive or an ant nest. There is the Queen, who lays the eggs. I already told you about how they grow. Most of the eggs she lays will be males. She has yet to lay an egg that will be another Queen, strange as that may be considering she is nearly seven and has over a hundred sons."

"How did they find so many hosts?" the demon continued to question.

Kagome sighed heavily. "They are not all hosted, but I gave them rules to follow, and Anya merely made them law," she explained. "Anya still calls me 'mother'. To her, what makes me happy is what is important. I didn't want them to be running around in the city, drawing unwanted attention by grabbing random people who others will know are missing. But who will miss a criminal? A rapist or a murderer? Or even someone who has no home or family left, their will to live gone? I led them to their hosts, or led their hosts to them, sometimes using myself as bait." Here she scoffed. "I even allowed a child molester to take my body for my first time and my blood melted his dick off before the boys came in and dragged him away."

Sesshomaru barely flinched at that, but he still imagines the pain that caused. "You allowed yourself to be forced upon?" he said in disbelief.

"If I remained a virgin until I found that one person I would love to stay with for the rest of my life, as soon as they took my purity, my blood would melt their dick off like it did that man's," she explained. "I wasn't going to risk it."

They were silent for a brief moment, Sesshomaru thinking over everything she had just told him. "Well imouto-chan," he said lowly. "I do not see any reason to hate you. Everyone has their secrets and everyone does what they must in order to survive. While some of the things you have done are a bit out of the ordinary, you are still my imouto."

She looked up at him in shock before a grin slowly spread across her face. She leapt at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Arigato, Onii-sama!" she cried happily. "You have no idea what this means to me!" Deep down, she feels like he does know.

He returned her hug with his one arm before she finally let go. "Now while I am still in such a mood, is there anything else you feel like you must share?" he asked.

She blinked at him then her grin vanished. "Um, kind of," she replied. "See, I made this deal with Naraku when I first came here…" She thus told him about the deal, what she offered the spider hanyou, the hive being brought from her time to this time, the village she lives near, and whatever else she could.

"So Naraku nearly has the entire jewel?" he asked.

"Almost," Kagome replied hesitantly.

"You're on friendly terms with him?"

"Sorta."

"You're carrying his child."

"Wasn't expecting to since I never got pregnant before."

He stood there for a moment then shook his head. "I am not promising you anything, imouto," he firmly stated.

"Wasn't asking you to," she reassured with a smile. "Can the baby call you 'Uncle Sesshomaru'?"

"…Very well."

Here the Scene and Time Changes

In the center of the room lays a ten-foot tall Queen, curled into a ball and surrounded by those she so affectionately calls her 'boys'. He, unfortunately, is in this very same room, along with another man. Both at opposite sides of the room and both unable to move.

In a way, she expected this. After all, Naraku has many enemies and she doubts that any of his enemies can be in the same room as him without there being a fight. But his visits are unexpected. He can be gone for days then she would turn around and there he is. Her adopted brother, on the other hand, was just recently informed of her new residence, so he decided to visit.

Normally, this would not be such a big deal. But Naraku is visiting at the same time. The two saw each other and a fight started within two minutes. Kagome in her hybrid form had come in after five minutes, curious about the noise and her boys seemed more amused than anything at the moment. She entered the room, shrieked, and the fight was broken up in a very humiliating way.

The strange substance he remembers seeing along the walls of the hive's cave now covers him and Sesshomaru with a very thick layer. It is keeping them pinned to the walls they are on, unable to move or break free. After an hour of struggling against the strange slime, the two gave up and Kagome chewed them out.

This is her home and her territory and she won't have fighting anywhere near her hive or her home or even the village, unless she's defending it from bandits. Ranted about how the villagers built this house for her in thanks and she wasn't going to stand for their fighting destroying it. Then she proceeded to transform into her full form and curled into a ball, deciding sleep is better than ranting. None of the males are letting the two demons down unless she tells them to.

"Strangest thing that has happened to me so far," Naraku commented.

"Indeed," Sesshomaru agreed.

Naraku hummed gently then gazed at the slumbering Queen. "She plans on leaving us here until we come to an accord, doesn't she?" he asked.

"Imouto-chan does tend to do everything in her power until she gets things the way she wants," the Taiyoukai replied in amusement. "She is stubborn in that way."

He made a small noise of agreement. "I don't know about you, Sesshomaru-sama, but I don't plan on staying here for days," he sighed. "So a truce? While we are here in her home and territory, we do not fight one another."

"Agreed," Sesshomaru quickly said.

"About damn time," Kagome growled, lifting her head to look back and forth between the two. "I thought you would never get it."

"Can we get down now, Kagome?" Naraku asked the smaller Queen.

Kagome hummed then lowered her head. "Let's allow the idea to fully sink in first," she said. After a few seconds, her breathing evened out. Sometimes, he hated the fact that they cannot see eyes on these creatures, especially Kagome's in her full form.

Here the Scene and Time Changes

Weeks had gone by since Kagome had left their group, nearly three months. They had heard whispers of once peaceful demons becoming dangerous and had assumed either Naraku or a jewel shard was involved, but they were all false leads.

Speaking with Kouga had not done anything to help ease their concerns for her. Either she is captured and being used to allow an imposter to steal her face and scent, or she has completely turned against them, or she is dead. A simple scent trail would help make Inuyasha feel better. At least then, he could follow it to her. But there is no scent to follow. Rain washed whatever trail could have been and no rumors or possible sightings of her.

At the moment, Shippo is the only one awake, staring at the campfire in front of him. Sango had Kirara curled around her. Inuyasha leaning against a tree with Kikyo's head on his shoulder. Miroku is also leaning against a tree, closer to Sango than Inuyasha. Shippo had slept for an hour or two then woke up and climbed down from the top of Kirara's fluffy neck.

Young Shippo is easily the most heartbroken about Kagome's departure and unknown fate. He lost his mother when he was too young to properly remember her, and after he lost his father, he had no one. Then Inuyasha and Kagome showed up. While Inuyasha acted more like an older brother trying to make Shippo a man in his own way, Kagome treated him like she would a son. After a while, he considered her his second mother. Now she's gone and no one has seen her. This imposter Kouga told them about a couple weeks ago made him very uneasy.

A twig snapped, making Shippo gasp and leap to his feet. His green eyes scanned around the area that he could see with the help of the fire. Nothing moved and there are no more sounds. Shippo shivered. As he was about to make his way back over to the large neko youkai, a twig snapped again.

The kitsune whimpered slightly, looking around before bounding over to Sango and shaking her shoulder. "Sango," he whispered. "Sango!"

Sango hummed and opened her eyes, rubbing them a bit. "Shippo?" she spoke softly, sleep evident in her voice. "Is something wrong?"

"I hear something out there," Shippo replied. "Listen!"

For a moment, no sounds. Not even the wind dared to. It made both kitsune and demon slayer uneasy. Then a low hiss followed by a growl.

"Miroku! Inuyasha!" Sango called, not even bothering to call Kikyo.

Both men jumped awake, Kikyo slowly rising to her feet. "What's going on?" Inuyasha asked, hand on the hilt of his Tetsusaiga.

"There's something out there," Shippo stated. "First it was a twig snapping then we heard a hiss and a growl and it sounded really close!"

Inuyasha growled lowly, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, ready to draw at the slightest sign of danger. Kikyo held her bow and a arrow ready to notch. Sango held Hiraikotsu over her shoulder. Kirara sniffed at the air letting out a low growl. Miroku reached into his robes and gripped a couple of talismans, eyes relentlessly scanning the surrounding area.

"I don't hear anything," Inuyasha commented, yet not relaxing.

"Maybe something that is simply passing by," Miroku offered as an explanation.

A shriek suddenly ripped through the still air, making Shippo yelp and jump onto Kirara, burying his face into her mane. Kirara roared back in response. It sounded closer than before.

"What was that?!" Inuyasha exclaimed, looking around.

A growl sounded out this time before something fell from above, landing with a thump in the center of the circle that the group formed. Everyone spun around at the sound then noticed the wrapped bundle on the ground. Sounds from the trees signaled the unexpected visitor's departure.

"Do I even want to know?" Sango asked, inching her way to the bundle.

"Be careful, Sango," Miroku warned. "We don't know what it is."

Nodding to the monk, Sango reached down and gently grasped the fabric before unwrapping it. The fabric was soon unwrapped and the group stared in surprise at what the bundle is.

"Aren't these…?" Shippo started, but didn't finish.

"Okay, this is weird," Inuyasha scoffed, staring at the items.

"Probably poisoned," Sango stated as everyone knelt around the items.

"The only way to get this stuff is to go to Kagome's time and get it," Inuyasha pointed out, picking up a cup of ramen as Shippo grabbed a chocolate bar.

"Snacks from Lady Kagome's time," Miroku mused to himself. "Could this be a sign?"

"There's a note," Kikyo pointed out, noticing a slip of paper under the snacks. She easily slid it out of its place and scanned over it. "I know some of you enjoy the treats my time has to offer. I am sorry for leaving like I did and I know these will not earn me your forgiveness, but I hope it is a start. If you wish to find me like my boys say you do, leave your answer on the back of this note. They will come back and get it. With all my heart and sincere apologies, Kagome."

"Her boys?" Inuyasha repeated in confusion.

"Remember when you told us about what her mother said?" Miroku asked. "She mentioned strange creatures Kagome called her hive."

"Could these be the same things?" Sango mused.

"I think we should stay up and see if one will come back for this note," Shippo suggested. "At least, we can pretend to sleep and when it comes, we follow it to Kagome!"

"I doubt that will work," Kikyo stated, crushing the young kitsune's hope. "These things are not going to let us see them. It is obvious from the way that they hid when they arrived. And the fact that one is still around."

"How can you tell?" Shippo asked, a sneer threatening to come across his face. He knew he shouldn't, mainly because Inuyasha is so defensive of the clay miko.

Inuyasha's ears twitched slightly. "Yeah, one's still here, probably waiting for an answer," he agreed. "It's in the trees. I can't see it, but it isn't exactly being quiet."

The others looked around, hoping to see a small bit of movement in the shadows of the night forest, but they could see nothing. Shippo strained his ears, but even he eventually caught the light breathing that doesn't sound too far away.

"Are you one of these 'boys' Kagome mentioned in her note?" Shippo asked the hidden creature.

A low growl answered him.

"I don't think it can talk," Sango commented, placing her Hiraikotsu down on the ground behind her. "A growl for yes and a hiss for no."

Silence then a growl.

"Did Kagome really send you here?" Miroku asked this time.

Another growl.

"Can't you come out so we can actually talk to you?" Shippo complained.

A shriek rang through the air. An obvious no.

"You plan on going back to Kagome any time soon?" Inuyasha asked now.

A slight pause then a hiss followed by a growl. Not now but later.

"Then forget the stupid note!" Inuyasha growled back. "If you're going back to her, figure out some way to tell her we do want to find her!"

Hiss.

"Why not?!" Shippo yelled. "Why can't you tell her?!"

A twig snapped then flew through the air, entering the campsite and hitting the note that Kikyo still held.

He growled lowly from his spot a few trees away from the group. They had to say it. They had to let her know in their own writing. She will not take it from him, only from them. He can say whatever she wants to hear, but even those words can be lies. She needed written proof. It seems that the monk, at least, understands.

"It seems that she won't take a word, but she will take a note," Miroku stated, gently taking the note from Kikyo's cold hands. He turned it over to stare at the blank side. "Does anyone having something I can write with?" He was handed a small brush and ink by Sango. "Thank you, Sango." He dipped the tip of the brush into the ink before writing 'We do want to find you' on the back of it. "There you go!" he said cheerfully, holding it up.

The male growled. He knows that this is a way to lure him out so they can see him. Well, he may show a small part, but not much. He scurried through the branches until he was directly above the monk. Using his tail, he knocked down a small branch. Like he thought they would, the group snapped their attention to the branch. As they are momentarily distracted, he quickly reached down and snatched the note from the monk's hand. The human stared at his empty hand in surprise.

"Well so much for that idea," the human female chuckled.

Here the Chapter Ends

Maybe next chapter we will have a reunion. I don't know yet. I got a million and one scenarios running through my mind and I can't choose one. If anyone has an idea to help settle my mind, I will appreciate it. Ja ne, minna-san!