A/N: Man, I really left this one didn't I! Sorry. Anyway, here's one more chapter, just for the hay of it.

Circus of Four Souls

*~*~*~*~*

"God damned…" whack, whack, "…stupid piece of…" Whak!

Buzzzzzzzzz.

" Miroku, the damned TV isn't going to work tonight. Why don't you give it up before you break it."

"If I recall correctly, Kouga, the last time we had to buy a TV it was because YOU broke it while fighting with Inuyasha."

Kouga stopped his dumbbell curls long enough to shook Miroku an evil glare, before resuming his exercises.

Miroku turned back to the TV. "Must be the rain jamming the signal…maybe if I try this…" He fiddled with some knobs.

Buzz…wheeeow…bleep…snap….

"Yes, yes, come on!"

Bloop….buzzzzzz….

"Awe, sonovabitch!" With one final 'Whack,' Miroku finally gave up trying to fix the TV and turned it off.

"Miroku!" Sango scolded, still cleaning the dishes in the little plastic wash tub they used as a sink. "Don't swear in front of Shippo and Rin!"

However, the two little kids at the table were so involved in their snakes and ladders game that they couldn't have cared less.

If the remaining member of the group had noticed any of this commotion, she gave no indication. Like always, Kikyo seemed too absorbed in her book to take notice of the outside world. The others often teased her, saying that the trailer could burn down and Kikyo would be too busy reading to notice.

Kaede sat back in her chair, a worn old high back covered in coffee stains and the occasional hole, and smiled quietly at the regular antics taking place under her trailer roof. They didn't always gather like this in the evenings, it was after all, a relatively small space, but on days when it rained, or got too cold, this was home. Her home, with her family, a rag-tag group of gypsies travelling the country, now gradually heading south for the winter.

…there was only one person missing.

"Yay! I won, I won!" This was the joyful shout from Shippo as he stood up on his chair and began waving his arms. His older competitor, Rin, simply gave an indignant huff and folded her arms over her chest, sulking. Any one in the tent could have predicted the next words coming out of her mouth in less than three guesses.

"Rin wishes Sessoumaru was here. Kaeda-bachan, when's Inuyasha going to bring Sessoumaru-sama back?"

"Bah! If Inu's smart, he won't bring him back. That old mutt is more trouble than he's worth. I've lost count of how many time's he's gotten loose."

"Don't say that about Sessoumaru-sama! He's a good dog! He just doesn't like being tied up, that's all!" Rin, as always, was quick to defend her savior. She could have gone on for hours about her great 'Sessoumaru-sama,' however at that moment, the aluminum door handle began to squeal loudly as someone turned it from the outside. A few seconds later it was pulled open as a gust of cold air rushed into the hut. Rin ran to the door and waited expectantly, and Kikyou put down her book.

"Sessoumaru-sama!" and indeed the dog was the first person through the door. He shook himself off while his head was instantly encased by Rin's eager embrace. Surprisingly the large animal did not pull away, nor did it struggle. In fact, it seemed quite content to stay within the young girl's company while she brought him across the linoleum floor to make room by the entrance. The rest of the rooms occupants were waiting patiently for the next inevitable arrival, mainly Inuyasha, and indeed there he was already in the doorway. What surprised everyone, though, was the fact that he didn't come in right away. Instead, he stood there, holding the door open to the cold, waiting, and they continued to wait until Inuyasha finally reached the end of his patience and barked out, "Oi, wench, get in here! We're letting all the heat out!"

Now, that sparked everyone's curiosity. They waited and watched with baited breath while a third and final figure appeared timidly in the door, and ever so cautiously, stepped into the light.

Eyebrows went up, hands were placed over mouths, but surprisingly that was all. The single figure had turned out to be two figures, huddled so close together it was difficult to distinguish them as such in the dim light. Kaede scowled thoughtfully as she speculated them through her one good eye. A young thin boy and an older, thinner girl. Ignoring the creaking in her joints, the old woman was the first to move, shuffling slowly across the room, keeping the soaked pair under a firm, thoughtful gaze.

"Hmmm. Let's see. What do we have here." The girl seemed to shrink back from the old woman's advances, but in the tiny trailer, there was little room to back into. Luckily Kaede stopped just a few feet before her, slowly taking them in with her one good eye. Quietly, she began muttering, almost to herself.

"...Kids....obviously runaways...hmmm," Kaede spoke quietly, noting to herself how scared the girl appeared, and how she seemed to clutch the boy protectively to her. It was this action which confirmed to Kaede that goodness she felt about this girl was genuine.

Kagome watched as the old lady's face broke into a smile. Not a leering, overly friendly smile, but a confident, gentle, half-smile, which showed kindness and yet commanded respect all at once. Slowly, the old lady shuffled back, gesturing to Kagome what she should sit down on a nearby chair.

"Yare, yare," Kaede chided gently. "Look at you, both soaked to the bone. Kikyo, bring a towel over here too will you?"

Kikyo was way ahead of the old woman, and was already beginning to pass them out, starting with Inuyasha, of course, then to the two new comers, and finally, one for Rin to dry off Sesshoumaru with, so that he wouldn't track mud throughout the tiny trailer. Meanwhile, Kaede was looking around, first at Kagome, then sizing up her own crew, then glancing back at Souta. Finally she announced, "Shippo, go grab a pair of your largest pants and a sweater for the boy. And Kikyo, if you could please, do the same for the girl. She seems to be closest your size as well."

The mentioned two zoomed off to do the old woman's bidding, while the rest of the crew continued to stare at the newcomers, while Inuyasha removed his top and wrung out his hair in the sink, and Rin rubbed off Sesshoumaru on the floor. The silence was becoming eerie and uncomfortable for the girl, and Kaede could sense it. Quickly she barked, "Sango, make some soup. Miroku, put the kettle on for tea. Kouga, you go fetch the first aid kit from the cab of the truck."

With the rest of the crew well and on their way to doing the old woman's bidding, Kaede at last turned to speak to the girl. "Now then, girl, what is your name?"

"K-kagome, m'am." Her voice was little more than a broken squeak as she wrung her cold hands in the unused towel, unwilling to remove her arms from where they were wrapped around the young boy's back.

Kaede took all this in, and gave a knowing nod. "Good Kagome. And who is this with you here?"

The girl's nervousness doubled as she choked out, "S-Souta, my brother..."

Another nod as Kouga returned with the first aid kit, followed by Kikyo with her clothes. With a glance over at Shippo, who stood waiting patiently, cloths in hand, Kaede backed up, signaling to Kagome to rise.

"Shippo, pull the curtain shut. Kagome, take an extra towel and go change in the back. We'll worry more about other things once you two are dry."

Quietly, Kikyo went and placed her clothes on the bed she had been reading on earlier, while Shippo closed the curtains used to separate the sleeping area from the rest of the trailer. Stiffly, Kagome rose and made her way over to the back of the trailer, and disappeared behind the curtain.

Once she was hidden, Kaede turned to Inuyasha, who had since dried off and was now leaning against the side of the trailer with his golden eyes shut.

"Inuyasha," she began, "Go find something to make a decent bed out of and set it up in your trailer. I want you to give your bed to Kagome for at least tonight."

Inuyasha's eyes shot open and his mouth dropped. However, he hardly remained speechless for more than a few seconds, "Wh-what the fuck old hag! There's no way in hell I'm giving my bed up for that wench. Why does she have to sleep in my trailer any ways?"

If Inuyasha's gaze was dark, it held none of the promised misery that could be seen in Kaede's eyes at his defiance. Still, her voice remained calm as she reasoned, "Inuyasha, you're the only one who has space to share with someone. Sango and Kikyo's trailer is already full, as is Miroku's and Kouga's, though I wouldn't dream of putting her there. You were the once who brought her here, I would think you would at least have the courtesy to..."

She was cut off, however as a sudden wail went up on the other side of the curtain. "Nee-chan it hurts. My ear hurts, Neee-waaahhhh!"

"Shhhh, Souta, it's okay, just calm down. Please? Well look after it I promise." Kagome's words, however, seemed to be of little use in calming the child, who only stopped wailing and began sobbing quietly. Kaede shot Inuyasha a warning glare before walking over and vanishing, herself, behind the curtain, snatching the first aid kit from Kouga as she went.

The remaining members of the group all shot Inuyasha an evil glare...

"...Keh!" And shaking his head, Inuyasha stormed out of the trailer to do the old woman's bidding.

Meanwhile behind the curtain, Souta had stopped crying in shock at the sudden appearance of a wrinkled old lady. Rubbing the sleep and tears from his eyes, it only took him a few seconds more to deduce that he and Kagome were inside a structure of some kind, and that he was wearing different clothes.

These sudden revelations brought a startled "eep" from the boy as he backed up on the bed to grasp at his sister's jeans, only to discover that the jeans had changed to green track pants, and her sweatshirt was no longer black, but white. But how? And where were they? Had they been caught at last? Were they going to take his sister away?

It was only the Kagome's comforting embrace which allowed him to feel at least somewhat safe. Eyes wide, he looked up at her and whispered, "Nee-chan?"

Kagome knelt down to his level. "It's okay Souta. They're not going to take us anywhere. These kind people are just letting us stay here for awhile...until the rain stops." She added the last part in hesitantly, having heard what Kaede had said about a bed, but not wanting to make assumptions just yet.

For his part, Souta nodded slowly and once again turned to look at the old woman who was still waiting by the curtain. She smiled that same, trusting smile and took a seat on the bed before Souta. "So," she began, "You must be Souta. How are you feeling child?"

Souta screwed up his face, as if the question demanded great thought, and looked towards his sister for support. When Kagome didn't say anything, he finally spoke. "Fine, except my ear hurts..."

Kaede nodded sagely. "Ahhh, I see. Would you mind if I took a look at it young man? I've come to know a thing or two about earaches over the years."

Another glance at his sister, and slowly, Souta began to inch over to the old lady. Kaede pulled out a tiny flashlight, and grasping his chin gently, used it to see into the boy's ear.

"Hmmmm, indeed it is quite red. Luckily, I think I have just the thing. Lie down here boy."

While Kaede was busy applying drops into the boy's ears, Sango popped her head in through the curtains, pushing them open as she saw they were no longer needed. She announced that the soup was ready, and Souta's eyes went wide at the mention of food. Kaede had to hold him down a minute, reminding him to keep still to allow the drops to settle into his ear. Sango smiled at Kagome, who was so busy watching Souta that she didn't notice right away.

When she did, Kagome smiled back timidly, and suddenly realized that she had no clue who any of the people around them were.

*~*~*~*~*