TITLE: Ruby Red

SUMMARY: At 15 years old, she fell through the well and shattered the jewel. She awakened a beast hell-bent on world dominance. At 16, she defeated that evil with the help of her friends and was sent back to the time she was born to. At 19, she took a chance and opened her soul to return to the time that called to her the most.

Her new beginning came with a brash half-demon lover, a young fox-kit son, a demon slayer and her monk husband, and a small town that she knew to be the beginning makings of one of the largest super-cities in the 20th century world. But things are not always what they seem, and her "happily ever after" seems farther away than it should.

DISCLAIMER: I own none of the original characters or ideas. This is merely my story of what happened after the manga and anime series "Inuyasha" as created by Takahashi Rumiko and associates. I receive absolutely zero compensation either monetary or otherwise for this work.

NOTE:

_ *** _ denotes pov change

CHAPTER 1

Morning in Edo was always the same. Before dawn came, men could be heard out in the fields collecting the cotton and rice. Women began their chores around dawn and could be heard tending and caring for their homes in ways Kagome never realized were necessary. Those without children could be found in the fields shucking, shuffling, and planting alongside the men. It was tedious and menial work, but the residents of Edo knew what hard work was and that with it they would be prosperous in the long run.

For her part, Kagome could always be found in the herb gardens on the north side of town in the predawn hours of the day. She had found that many of the herbs she needed on a daily basis were much more potent when plucked at the peak of their own morning rituals. At first she would carry a few in a satchel every morning to Kaede's hut and help her to set them to dry before assisting her with preparing those already dried for their poultices and elixirs. After a while, Kagome found that a large woven basket worked much better and saved her a lot of time since the amount of foliage she would carry was much larger than any small satchel could carry.

It had taken several days to make, but Kagome was quite proud of the basket she had woven for her use. She had learned that it was best to create your own tools and supplies rather than purchase those already made. This served several purposes in her station. First and foremost was the gratification that came with knowing that she was capable and able to provide for her own wellbeing. Second was the respect that was afforded to those that did for themselves instead of relying on others. In this day and age, those who lived off of the fruits of another's labor did not last long because at one point or another in every beings life, they had to rely on only themselves to survive. And survive she did.

Sure she had Inuyasha around to assist her with the more burdensome things such as heavy lifting and the occasional battle or two, but even in those situations she did what she could to pull her own weight. Since her return to Feudal Era Edo just over a year ago, Kagome learned to meld easily into the life of a town person. She found a niche for herself as an understudy to Kaede's potions and she found that she had a knack for growing the greenery needed in such things.

Her life, compared to the one she'd had in modern day Tokyo and as the Priestess of the Jewel, had become somewhat mundane. She would admit that boredom came in swiftly and often, but as long as she had Inuyasha to drag her off to one mini adventure or another every now and again, then she could live with the near-brutality of idle hands.

Another bit of excitement in her life was the ever changing children that had become a part of her family. Shippou saw her much like a mother and treated her the way a son should. He was growing rapidly in his skills since his schooling began last year with the Fox Clan School in the mountains. She missed him very much, but he visited as often as he could and always had a new trick or two to show her.

The other child in her life was less of a child and more a teen than anything, but it was welcome all the same. Rin had been left in Kaede's care after the demise of Naraku four years ago. Kagome had been pleasantly surprised to find that the girl was flourishing under the old woman's care. She was even happier to note that her aristocratic guardian had not become completely estranged from her life. Sesshoumaru was often spotted at the edge of town after bringing one gift or another to his ward. His gifts were sometimes lavish, but always practical.

Once in a while Kagome would catch him walking leisurely through the town. He always appeared to be doing nothing more than passing through, but her critical eyes had noted the way his demeanor changed when he did this. He was always checking every scent, every sight, every square inch of the growing town. She was certain that this was his way of ensuring his ward's safety.

What was surprising was what he would do when he found something that he didn't approve of. Instead of killing or at least maiming the person responsible for the infraction, he would calmly take his brother outside of town and have a short discussion with him about what he felt needed to be changed. There were only a handful of times that Kagome could remember this ever happening and not once did Inuyasha disobey the alpha male. Come Sesshoumaru's next visit, the infraction was corrected.

One could never tell when the Demon Lord's next visit would be, but his visits seemed less of an event and more of a part of life within the town as of late. Speaking of which, Kagome could feel the tell-tale aura of the person of her thoughts approaching her on the path she was walking. She found that odd since she was headed into town with her first batch of herbs for the day. It was strange that he was here at this time of day since Rin would still be fast asleep, but even stranger that he was headed in her direction rather than towards the town.

Kagome stopped and watched as Sesshoumaru closed the short distance between them. She was a little surprised to realize that he had in fact been seeking her out. He had done that before, but those times were few and far between. Still, not one to be rude, Kagome bowed slightly at the waist, unable to properly bow with the contents she was carrying.

"Morning Sesshoumaru, what can I do for you?"

She watched as his normally dispassionate façade crinkled slightly with his glare. He was likely upset that she hadn't addressed him more formally. She didn't really care for the titles he imposed on everyone and didn't feel like giving him the satisfaction of having any power over her. She supposed she should, but then figured that there was still just a little of her teen rebellion lingering around and so she let it go. Besides, he knew her well enough to know better than to expect anything else from her.

"My ward will be of age this spring and will need a female companion to assist her"

Kagome thought about what exactly he meant. Rin was going to be 14 in just over a month and though she hadn't shown much interest in the subject, Kagome knew that she would soon be interested in finding a husband. That was one of those things that Kagome was still not comfortable with. She was 20 years old and barely felt old enough to consider the notion for herself. But here in this era, a younger woman was much more sought after. Unfortunately for Rin, she had hit puberty early and so was looked at as a woman much sooner than most.

Kagome considered what Sesshoumaru was trying to tell her. It was clear that he wanted her to assist Rin with this task, but she wasn't so certain that she was the right person for the job.

"Are you sure that I'm the best person to be doing that?"

"You are of age, are you not?"

Kagome sighed.

"Yes, but I've only just begun to understand all of this myself. You forget that I was not born to these customs. Where I come from, I am only barely of age and I am 20. I am sure that there is someone else much more qualified than me to show her the ropes."

She watched as Sesshoumaru considered her counter. One thing that she did afford him in respect was patience. She had learned long ago that he was a stickler for such things and it was something that she found she respected about him. He wasn't as brash or hot-headed as his younger sibling and while she had been witness to some of his less than perfect choices, she knew that he had made those choices with careful consideration.

"Perhaps you could assist in locating such a female"

Kagome nodded her head in agreement almost instantly; the fact that he had sought her for this in the first place spoke volumes of the trust he gave to her. She had no qualms with helping him or Rin; she just knew that she wasn't the right girl for the job that he needed to have done.

"I think I know someone that would be good for her, but I'll need to see if she's willing to come here right now"

"Compensation will not be an issue"

Kagome giggled, knowing that this was how he saw the world. To him it was business even though this was about the little human girl that he cared about.

"I assure you that won't be necessary. The only reason she wouldn't come right away is if she were too busy with her responsibilities. I'm sure that won't be an issue though; I've got someone that can help out while she's away from home"

"Very well, I leave the matter to you then. I will grant you several days to fetch the female. She will need to remain here to assist Rin until it is no longer needed. As such, her days here cannot be measured"

"Thank you. I'll need to finish my chores for the morning. I'll set out at midday."

Kagome watched silently as he nodded and left. He was always such a quiet being with more on his mind than she could honestly imagine. With a shake of her head, she continued on her path to her morning chores. Thankfully there wasn't much to do today so leaving wouldn't be an immediate burden on Kaede, but the trip would take a couple of days so that might be a bit hard on the old woman. Still, Kagome knew better than to say no to Sesshoumaru, at least outright anyway. It dawned on her that she had never actually said no to him before. She wondered what that would be like and if she would even survive such an ordeal.

"KAGOME!"

Said girl smiled and ran up the slanted pathway that led to the village at the top of the hill. Her best friend and sister had returned here with her husband and children only a few months ago to rebuild what they had lost. It would take time, but both of them were willing to do whatever it took to rebuild this small town so that they could settle down and raise their growing family together.

"Sango, you look so good!"

Kagome hugged her and stepped back to get a good look at the girl that taught her so much. She envied her quite a bit at that moment. After four children, two of them twins to boot, she still had the fierce body she'd had when they first met five years ago.

"Sweet gods woman… how do you stay so fit?"

"Just a little sexercise every now and again"

Kagome giggled and spotted the two hands that had snaked their way around his friend's midsection.

"Hello Miroku, how's fatherhood treating you?"

She eyed the man behind the woman and smiled at his lecherous grin. Such a pervert!

"Miroku, don't say such things!"

Miroku released Sango and rubbed his hands together to relieve them of the sting from his wife's smack.

"What?! It's only Kagome!"

"That's right; it's Kagome…our SISTER! She doesn't need to hear about such things! Dirty man…"

Kagome laughed at the two and walked through the main gates of their little village. There were several people milling about that Kagome didn't recognize. She smiled at one of the men when he eyed her longer than usual. His blush was adorable.

Sango gave her husband a shove and followed after Kagome. The nerve of that guy! She had been married for a few years now, but she still was not comfortable with talking about such private things in front of other people. She was sure that she was never going to be comfortable with that.

She walked up to Kagome and linked arms with her but before she got there she had noticed Joshu, the new smithy in town, eyeing up Kagome. She also noticed that Kagome had smiled at him and made him blush. Sango wondered what was going on that would make Kagome think that it was okay to look at another male like that. If Inuyasha had seen that, he would have given the poor kid a sorry makeover.

"Kagome?"

"Hmm?"

Sango looked hard at her, searching her eyes for an answer to a question she couldn't quite verbalize. It was difficult to tell what Kagome was thinking because her eyes were so guarded. That in its self said quite a lot to Sango though. This was the girl that wore her heart on her sleeve and now she was guarding her feelings? What was going on?

"Never mind, let's go inside and we can catch up"

She pulled her friend into the house she and Miroku had built. It wasn't quite finished yet, but the living area was done and they were making do with the space that they had until they could finish the other rooms.

Sango pushed Kagome onto the mats and told her to sit. She wouldn't have her friend come to her home and do any work; she was now a guest.

"Blackberry or mint tea?"

"Blackberry please; I haven't had a good flavored tea in ages!"

Sango pulled her pot of water to boil over the fireplace and grabbed a couple of cups. After she filled them with the blackberry concoction and now steaming water, she handed Kagome a cup and sat across from her.

She let her friend relax and sip on her tea for a while. Kagome had just made a long journey and was sure to be tired so she waited until she saw her shoulders droop in a more relaxed pose before she decided it was time for them to talk.

"Alright, spill. I know you want to rest but you aren't going anywhere until I know everything. And I mean…everything!"

Kagome choked a little on her tea when she heard the determination in Sango's voice. She must have been more tired than she thought if she had let on that there were any problems in her life at all.

"I came here because I need your help with Rin."

"Rin? Is she okay?"

"Oh yeah, she's fine. Actually, Sesshoumaru sent me here. Well not here, but here."

She was rambling and tried to cover it up by taking another sip of her tea, but it was useless. She knew that Sango could tell something was off with her. That alone put her on edge.

"Wait a minute. Sesshoumaru sent you here…but not here…to ask me to help you with something for Rin, but she's okay…? I'm confused"

Kagome laughed and took a deep breath.

"Sesshoumaru asked me to help Rin with something and I'm not really the best person for it, so I asked if I could get someone else to help and he agreed. You were the best person I could think of, so I came here."

"Oookay. So Sesshoumaru wants something done and you think I'm better for the job than you are. What exactly is this job?"

"Preparing for courting…"

"Preparing for… wait a minute. Kagome, you do realize that my extent of courting with Miroku involved slaying evil, running around the countryside, and slapping him when his hands went straying…right?"

Kagome sighed and put her tea down. She knew that this wasn't going to be the easiest request she made, all things considered, but of the two of them Sango really was the best choice.

"Yes, I know. But that's the reason you're perfect for the job. Don't you see? Sesshoumaru wouldn't accept a girl that is shy and demure or too loud and outspoken. He would want a woman that is strong, quiet but not silent, opinionated but respectful, aware of her surroundings, passionate, loving but not publicly… what?"

Kagome had watched Sango's eyes go from pensive to thoughtful to disbelieving. Now she was looking at her like she had grown a second head.

"We are talking about what he wants Rin to be like… not what Sesshoumaru wants for himself, right?"

Kagome thought about that for a minute and realized that she had described exactly what she thought Sesshoumaru would want in his own mate. But that was really the same thing in a strange and twisted sort of way.

"Every father wants their daughter to be a glowing image of the woman he fell in love with. Granted Lord High and Mighty hasn't fallen in love with anyone, and probably never will, but it would make sense that he would want Rin to have all of those qualities. For the most part, she already does. He just wants someone to show her how to act properly in certain situations and how to carry herself. It's something he can't teach her and she hasn't had any strong female influences in her life that she could imitate"

"She has you"

Kagome laughed at that.

"Exactly! I get under his skin more than anyone else I know. Even Inuyasha doesn't bug him as much as I do anymore. They're getting along pretty well now"

"I suppose I could help, but Kagome I have a lot of responsibility here. Who would watch the children or help Miroku when some low life decides they want to try and take out our village again? I can't just leave him to do it on his own"

"Inuyasha said that he would come up here if you went down there, so that takes care of most of that. I saw some new villagers here too. Is there someone here that could help with the children? I'm sure it won't be for long. Rin is a brilliant girl and she'll catch on quick to anything you teach her"

Sango thought about that for a moment and nodded her head.

"The new Smithy's mother lives here and she's sort of like a grandmother to everyone in town. I'm sure we can make a trade of some sort. Speaking of which, what were you doing leading the smithy on like that earlier?"

"What?!"

Kagome reeled back and thought about what Sango had said. When had she led anyone on?

"Kagome, you smiled at him! You can't do that! You're betrothed to Inuyasha. What's taking you two so long anyway?"

Wow, Sango had never been so forward with her before.

"I didn't know that smiling was such a bad thing. Honest! And what do you mean we're taking a long time?"

"Kagome please, I'll buy that you don't understand the subtleties of a smile, but you can't pretend that you don't know that you and Inuyasha are long overdue for a mating ceremony!"

Kagome dropped her eyes to her lap and thought about the best way to answer that one. She knew Sango was right, but that wasn't something that she was willing to talk about. Not yet anyway.

"It's just not the right time Sango. That's all."

She looked up and noticed that Sango was about to retort and decided that she didn't want an argument, not about this at least.

"I'm really tired. Would you mind if I took a short nap?"

Sango looked about to say something until resignation set in and she let out a low sigh.

"Yeah, come on. You can sleep in our room for now"

"Eww, I don't want to sleep on the futon that you guys do…you know…that…in!"

Sango laughed and waved her off.

"We have an extra futon in there for when the kids have night terrors. Don't worry; I wouldn't do that to you"

Sango waved to her husband and children as she and Kagome flew off on the back of Kirara. They had thought to walk at first, but both decided that the sooner they could get back, the sooner Inuyasha could leave to help Miroku. She hated to leave her family behind when they were still so new, their bonds still being woven together. But she knew that her friends needed her and she would never abandon them.

"Hey Kagome, do you think Sesshoumaru will be there a lot? I don't think I'd like the idea of HIM watching over my shoulder the whole time"

She smiled at the laugh she heard in response behind her. Apparently Kagome knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Oh he'll be there every now and again, but not every day. He doesn't really mention when he'll be there. He just sort of shows up…you'd best be ready for that at any moment."

Sango nodded, determined to do a good job. Rin was a very pretty girl and very obedient from what she remembered of her; she was sure to make a great wife for some lucky man. Sango just hoped that she didn't mess up her ideals in any way. She rather liked breathing and was certain that Sesshoumaru would relieve her of that exercise if she were to mess up.

Sango sat in silent contemplation for several hours as they made their way to the town of Edo. When they crested the last hill and the town finally came into view, she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her at what she saw.

"I know…it's gotten so big already. Soon we'll need to start building huts further out and around the fields just to accommodate all the people that keep coming. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if we turned people away and didn't let it get any bigger."

Sango pat the hand that Kagome had rested on her stomach. She knew that the growing town was overwhelming to her more than any other resident here because Kagome knew exactly what would become of this place. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like to have lived the life that Kagome had. She was a pillar of strength for Sango and she hoped that she never changed that.

When they landed, she waited for Kagome to dismount before climbing down and grabbing their bags from Kirara's back. Once that was done, Sango opened her arms and let the smaller version of her loyal friend rest in her arms. She had worked hard and done a good job getting them to Edo. She deserved the rest.

Sango followed behind Kagome and was slightly surprised when they turned into the town instead of going straight to Kaede's hut. She was even more surprised when Kagome entered a hut on the far side of the town and put her things down inside the door.

"I didn't know you had your own place"

"I don't. It's Inuyasha's"

Sango's brows furrowed as she thought over that statement.

"You mean it's yours and Inuyasha's place"

She saw Kagome shake her head, but she still hadn't turned to look at her.

"No, just Inuyasha's. He said we could stay here while he was out helping Miroku"

At that moment, said half-demon decided to make an appearance.

"Hey Sango, good to see you."

Sango smiled at him and waved.

"This is a nice place you have here. Did you and Kagome build it?"

"Nah, just me and a couple of the villagers. Had to have somewhere to go besides Kaede's. Old lady was starting to get a little cramped with Rin staying there now."

Sango nodded in understanding.

"So I'm headed out then. I'll back in a couple days to see how it's going. Good luck Sango. "

With that Inuyasha was gone. Sango found it odd that he hadn't said two words to Kagome; hell he didn't even look at her once.

She watched in confusion as Kagome disappeared around the back of a wall. It just didn't make any sense. Before she and Miroku had left, Kagome and Inuyasha were inseparable; they finally had their happy ending with no strings attached. They were happy.

What had changed?

Kagome leaned against the wall and calmed her breathing and heart rate. She knew that Sango would catch on soon enough and would begin to question a few things in her life. She just hadn't expected it to happen so soon. The look on Sango's face when she noticed the interactions between her and Inuyasha, or lack thereof in this case was enough to tell her that Sango wanted answers.

It's not like there was a lot to tell though. In all reality, there wasn't really anything wrong. She and Inuyasha had just been going through a rough patch. It was nothing serious and in hind sight she probably should have just said that this was her place too. She did stay there sometimes. It would certainly have made explanations that much easier.

Deciding it was best to just get this over with and out of the way now, Kagome stood and walked back out into the main living area.

"This is technically my place too. I just stay and Kaede's so often that it feels like I don't live here."

"But why? I mean, if this is your place too, then why don't you stay here?"

Kagome frowned at her friend. She could tell her that it was because she and Inuyasha were not getting along right now. She could even tell her that she hadn't seen him in the last month except for the five minutes it took to ask him to fill in for Sango and again just moments ago. She could tell her that Inuyasha didn't even need to think about it and said that he would go in a way that made it sound like he didn't want to stay. Or…

"I work late sometimes and the houses are so far apart that it's just best to sleep at Kaede's most nights"

It sucked that she was getting so good at lying.

It was true, of course. It just wasn't all of the truth. On the nights that she stayed at Kaede's, Kagome just found it easier to give herself the excuse of being tired so that she wouldn't have to deal with another late night argument from Inuyasha and the knowing looks from the villagers in the morning.

"We should go see Rin and at least get the socializing out of the way"

She led Sango out of the hut and into the busy streets of Edo. The road beneath their feet was muddy and torn, the rains from the past few weeks making it difficult to walk steady on the red road. They cut through town and down the main staircase at the shrine and over to Kaede's hut.

Not long ago, Kagome had realized that the staircase to the shrine was the very same one that she had trekked up and down as a small child in modern day Tokyo. Once she had realized this, those stairs became her safe-haven so to speak. It was where she felt the closest to her mother and the life she left behind.

They made their way to the hut and opened the bamboo flap only to be greeted by the one person that made Sango's stomach drop out from underneath her feet.

Kagome squinted and walked into the hut with a nod.

"Hello Sesshoumaru"

"Kagome"

She turned to him and wondered what he wanted to say. He never said her name unless he wanted her attention.

"You brought the Slayer"

Kagome looked from Sango to Sesshoumaru and wondered if she had messed up somehow. Did he have a problem with Sango?

She watched him walk out of the hut and wondered again if he disagreed with her choice, only this time she was pretty sure that he wasn't happy. She looked to Sango and shrugged.

"Come"

Kagome jumped and trotted out the door after Sesshoumaru. She was glad to note that Sango had stayed back to catch up with Kaede. In her shoes, Kagome was sure that she would have done the same thing.

They walked for a few minutes before he turned and stared down at her. She couldn't help but feel small in that moment and it irritated her to no end.

"Did I do something wrong?"

She scowled at his smirk and wished not for the first time that she had the ability to take him on and live to tell the tale. He could really irritate her sometimes.

"Why her?"

"Well, because Sango is better for this than I am. She's well aware of the protocols of this era, and she knows how a proper lady should behave"

"She does not behave as such"

Kagome sighed and realized that she would have to explain everything to him this time. How annoying.

"Maybe not, but your other option is me. Let's think about that for a minute. I piss you off all the time and that's just because I'm me. Could you imagine what would happen if I tried to teach Rin about the things that you want? Come on. I'm a walking klutz, I talk back, I don't bow to men in any way, and I have a lot of ideas that are way more forward for a female in this age than you would like"

"You forgot your attire"

"My wha-"

Kagome looked down at herself and frowned. She was fully dressed, head to toe. Granted she was wearing a pair of low riding jeans and a pleated sweater, but still she was covered.

"As exciting as males may find your attire, it is inappropriate for a lady"

"I don't know what you guys have against this style of clothing. I find it comfortable. Besides, not as many men are as excited by this outfit as you seem to think"

She watched as he moved closer to her, coming nose to nose and staring straight into her eyes. Her nerves kicked in and she suddenly felt very self-conscious.

"ALL males find such attire enticing."

Kagome took a step back and a deep breath to steady her suddenly uneven and too-fast heartbeat. She hadn't had a male that close to her in a long time. She dropped her eyes and toed the ground in front of her.

"I'll be sure to wear something different when I'm with Rin. As for Sango, she may not act like a lady, but she knows what one should act like and she is a good teacher. Rin will be in good hands"

She didn't look at him when she spoke…she couldn't. The things he'd said, and more importantly what he didn't say, were really beginning to bother her. She was once again reminded that she was out of place here, out of her element, and sorely stood out.

With a sigh, Kagome turned to leave but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You do not need to change who you are just for Rin. Just remember not to gift her with any of your odd clothing."

Kagome laughed mirthlessly and shook his hand off of her shoulder.

"No worries Sesshoumaru. I won't influence her to be like me"

With that, Kagome walked back to Kaede's hut and put on the smile that everyone expected to see. After setting her friend's worries to ease, Kagome excused herself and went back to Inuyasha's house. She didn't really want to be there, but being with Rin and Sango had suddenly felt like it was too much, like she was suffocating.

When she reached Inuyasha's house though, all she could see was what he had, what he meant to this place, where he belonged, and where she felt most out of place. She couldn't understand why she felt that way…she just did.

Instead of dwelling on that, she decided to go for a run. She usually ran whenever she was upset because it helped her to keep her emotions in check. There were plenty of days that she could remember when she and Inuyasha would get into a spat over something stupid and she would just… run. It always made her feel better.

Kagome watched the sun drop in the distance. Her feet pounded the turf beneath her and her chest tightened with the shorter amount of oxygen that her lungs were getting. She closed her eyes and pushed herself to relax; it gave her lungs the air they needed for her to keep going.

When she opened her eyes again, there was no more sun, only the dark chill of twilight. Kagome slowed to a trot and then a brisk walk. She kept walking as she turned back towards the village. The urge to stop and pant was strong but she knew that her muscles would freeze up and she'd be in pain if she did that. It wouldn't be a good idea because there were no masseuses here in the past. That would hurt!

She walked for several minutes, knowing where every rise was, every rock, and every ditch. She knew this path as well as the town she was living in. For several months she had run this path, knowing that the road back was as easy to follow at night as it was at midday.

This was where she could clear her thoughts and get her emotions back in check. One of the essentials to surviving out here was keeping herself in check so that she could focus on her surroundings. She let her feet guide her through the familiar steps as she opened her mind and unleashed her aura. Over the year she had spent exclusively in the past, she had learned how to tap into those long dormant powers.

She felt the earth shifting beneath her boots, the air breezing past her and caressing her skin. She focused her senses further out and could feel small critters scampering into their burrows to hide from the imposing threat that she could have been.

Kagome smiled as she felt the larger and bolder creatures of the animal kingdom come a bit closer to inspect the unknown. It was that curiosity that tied together every living creature on earth. Be they beast, human, demon, or a creature she hadn't met yet, they all shared common threads.

As she neared the first slope on her way back to the village, Kagome realized that there was another creature that she had not previously felt out here on her sacred path. She wanted to be agitated that he was here, but she just couldn't find it in her to care that much. In fact, it made her feel that much safer out in the wild.

She walked in silence for a while, just letting her self breathe and feel without the burdens of her life suffocating her. He seemed content to just hang back and follow her, keeping a respectful distance while still letting her know that he was there.

She realized that she was upwind from him and felt a little self-conscious since she had just been running and sweating, which meant that she was probably giving him a good whiff of unpleasantness.

"Sorry about earlier"

She spoke quietly enough that anyone walking next to her would have had difficulty hearing her, but she knew that the wind would carry the message to him. It was so much easier to talk to him when he was so far away.

"I got emotional and I shouldn't have. I'll try to remember that in the future"

During her admission, Kagome had walked far enough that she could now see the lanterns glowing in the huts just over the next rise. She paused for a moment and looked behind her. Although she couldn't see him, she knew that he could see and hear her just fine.

"Good night Sesshoumaru"

With that, she turned and took off at a jog towards Inuyasha's hut. Sesshoumaru didn't follow.

Sango paced the floor of the house quietly. Kagome had left just after midday and had still not returned. Night had fallen quite some time ago and Sango was beginning to worry. One of the villagers had said that she had taken off to the west in a sprint and that apparently it wasn't unusual of her to do so.

There was so much more to this than she had said there was. Sango had known better than to believe that what Kagome had told her was the whole truth, but she didn't think that it was this bad either.

When the bamboo flap at the door swung open, she turned and pinned Kagome with a stare. The girl was clearly out of breath from her run and completely shocked to see Sango standing there seething and worried out of her mind.

After a few moments of letting it sink in, Sango rushed up to Kagome and enveloped her in a hug, noting how long it took Kagome to hug her back.

"Thank the Gods you're okay. Where have you been?!"

She held Kagome at arm's length and gave her a once over before pinning her with a stare that clearly told the younger girl that it was time to talk.

She was satisfied when Kagome sighed and nodded her head.

"Let me go change real quick"

She watched as her little sister walked into the back room and began shuffling around. Sango heard water running in and wondered what it was. Kagome had some unique items from her home time and had probably brought another one of those strange items to make her life that much more interesting here in Edo.

Sango set about making some tea and prepared the blanket around the kotatsu for Kagome to curl up with. When Kagome emerged from the back room nearly half an hour later, Sango was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

"Maybe we should talk tomorrow, you look tired."

Sango bolted upright and glared at the younger woman.

"Oh no you don't…you aren't getting out of this that easily! Sit."

Kagome was shocked at the amount of venom in Sango's voice and responded appropriately. She sat and stared wide eyed at the older girl. After Sango poured some tea for the two of them, she sat back and sipped for a while before placing her cup down.

"Alright, now where were you first of all?"

"I went for a run"

"Okay. Why?"

"Because I needed the exercise"

Kagome jumped when Sango slammed her hands down on the kotatsu, tilting her tea cup dangerously.

"Don't toy with me Kagome. Something is going on here and you aren't sharing. It's obviously beating you up, so out with it!"

Kagome sighed and put her tea down. It just figured that she would make friends with people that had strong personalities.

"Alright…alright. I've just had a rough time lately with Inuyasha, okay? He's… I don't know, upset…all the time. Everything I do is wrong. I don't know why. It's just a rough patch. It happens in every relationship. It'll pass. Until then, I just need a little time to myself"

She watched as Sango processed what she had told her, and of course all of the things that she didn't tell her. It was the way things were with them. They could talk and not say anything and know exactly what they meant to say.

"Kagome, how long has this been going on?"

Kagome fidgeted for a minute, knowing good and well that she wasn't going to be able to skirt around this part of the conversation.

"About 7 months now"

"Kagome!"

Kagome shrunk under the blanket around the kotatsu and stared into her cup of tea. She knew what that sounded like, but it really wasn't that bad!

"I know. I know! But it's fine Sango. Everything will be okay. Please, let's just get some sleep. I'm tired after that run."

She waited with baited breath as Sango considered her next action.

"Fine, but this is not over. We will be talking about this again"

"Yes mother"

Sango's laughter helped to loosen the tension in Kagome's shoulders. She felt herself melt just a bit more and smiled.

"Now, what was that running water I heard earlier?"

Kagome thought for a minute on what she meant before it dawned on her.

"That's the bath. Here, come on, I'll show you"

Kagome led Sango around to the back of the house where a pump and pulley system was set up with a large basin of water. She explained how the water was kept in the large basin and pumped into the house when water was needed. It still had to be filled every couple days, but this way there was always fresh water nearby.

"I am so getting Miroku to make me that!"