InuYasha leapt out of well, compensating for the additional weight. His ears perked up as he listened to all the forest sounds. Toshi tightened her grip on his shoulder and he could hear her sniffing the air. Kishirou had started to squirm against the harness hold.

"Let me down! Let me down!" said Kishirou.

"No, you gotta stay up there for now."

"Please!" asked Kishirou.

"No. Hold still pup," said InuYasha. He began the walk to the village, going slowly because of the extra weight. When the village came into sight so did Shippo running towards them.

"InuYasha! Kagome!" cried the little fox youkai. Toshi sank lower into the harness while Kishirou rose as much as he could. Shippo made a leap for Kagome and InuYasha nimbly dodged him. The kitsune flew past them. Toshi hissed at the passing ball of orange fur and then Shippo hit a tree.

"Don't get over excited, Shippo," said InuYasha. The little fox began to cry to get attention from Kagome. "Stop it, Shippo." InuYasha turned away and began to walk towards the village again.

"Yeah you big baby," said Kishirou. Instantly Shippo stopped crying. He leapt up on InuYasha's shoulder circling Kishirou and then Toshi, sniffing loudly.

"Quit it," said InuYasha who tried to shrug the kitsune off.

"Who are you?" asked Shippo.

"I'm Kishirou," he said proudly, "InuYasha is my Dad." InuYasha gave a cocky half smile. Toshi hissed again at Shippo and then bit down on his foot. Shippo squeaked and hopped to InuYasha's other shoulder. He grabbed ahold of InuYasha's hair and gave it two tugs a customary request to whisper in his ear. InuYasha tilted his head to the small fox.

"Is it true?" asked the kitsune.

"Yeah, its true," said InuYasha. "They are both mine."

"You cheating dog, who's the mother?" demanded Shippo. The hanyou shook his hair tossing Shippo to the ground.

"Who do you think, baka?" asked InuYasha tauntingly. Shippo picked himself up and started following the older hanyou.

"Why hasn't Kagome said anything?" asked Shippo.

"She's asleep," said InuYasha. "Don't try to wake her. She's not herself. I have to see Kaede."

"I'll run ahead and let her know," said Shippo taking off at a full run to the village.

"Come back here, Shippo! Wait!" shouted InuYasha, "Damnit" he cursed under his breath. Shippo will wake up the whole village.

"He was a Youkai," Toshi said quietly.

"Yes," replied InuYasha. "You don't have to afraid of that squirt."

"Mommy said all Youkai were bad," said Toshi.

"Well, not all of them are. Shippo is just annoying not dangerous," said the hanyou.

"I could take him," said Kishirou.

"You sure could runt," said InuYasha.

Miroku and Sango were the first two to greet InuYasha in the village. They were both surprised by the appearance of Kagome and the children peering over InuYasha's shoulders.

"Is she hurt?" asked Sango.

"No, not physically. I'll explain later. I just need a place to sleep for the night and somewhere for the kids," said InuYasha.

"You can all stay with us," offered Miroku.

"Can't," replied InuYasha. "Or at least Kagome can't. It would be better if she slept away from myself and the kids."

"InuYasha," said Sango disapprovingly.

"She's… she's… purified both myself and Kishirou. The kid doesn't have a human form. It might kill him the next time," explained the hanyou quietly.

"Okaasan didn't mean to do it to me," said Kishirou. "She was after daddy."

"Yeah, pup, I know. I just don't want to risk it right now. You're staying with me," replied InuYasha.

"Then Kaede's place," suggested Miroku.

"How about the hay storage?" asked InuYasha. Sango stamped her foot.

"Kagome is a person not something you shuff into-" Sango was interrupted by InuYasha.

"Has to be somewhere with a lock. It wouldn't normally be my first pick either." InuYasha lowered Kagome to the ground gently. "Here take this," InuYasha handed Miroku the large yellow backpack. "Sango can you help me get the children down?" Sango nodded and began to unbuckle the straps.

"And who are you?" asked Sango.

"Toshi," she said quietly.

"I'm Kishirou!" said the boy. Once the children were freed from the harness, InuYasha asked Miroku to put them to bed for the night with his own kids. Miroku agreed and Sango accompanied InuYasha to the stables. On the way Kaede and Shippo met up with them.

Once inside InuYasha gently laid Kagome down on the hay. He brushed her hair away from her eyes and nuzzled her nose gently with his own. He didn't care that three sets of eyes watched his affection; he had so little opportunities to touch Kagome, that her closeness was more important than his possible embarrassment. He leaned his forehead against hers and inhaled her scent, then kissed her forehead and stood.

"She doesn't recognize me. I was attacked by a spider youkai in her time. Toshi has my nose." InuYasha taped his nose with a clawed finger, "She smelled the spider youkai and told Kagome. Since Sango sent a letter telling Kagome I was dead…" InuYasha explained while Sango blushed, "she assumed that I couldn't be me, but rather some trick of Naraku's. That's when she tried to purify me and Kishirou was caught in the middle."

"Oh my," said Sango, "I just assumed the letter never made it through because you couldn't get through the well when you came to the village after the mountain's collapse. I wrote it because I would want to know if something had happened to Miroku…"

"I'm hoping all it is is a misunderstanding. But Kagome's mother said she has been screaming and crying for years… and that her stories change. Things don't make sense to her when you try to explain them… Kaede, do you think she could be under some kind of magic spell?" asked InuYasha.

The elder woman knelt down to Kagome's side. "Why does she sleep so soundly?" asked Kaede.

"Some kind of medicine that her mother gave her. I have another dose, just in case something happens. She will wake in the morning."

"I won't be able to tell you until she does awaken," said Kaede gravely.

"That's fine. I could use some sleep. The kids have been running around all day."

"She was pregnant when she left?" asked Sango.

"Before the well sealed, yes. I told you I saw her one other time after that," replied InuYasha. Sango nodded, her eyes were filled with unshed tears.

"You are very lucky, InuYasha," said Sango speaking of the children. InuYasha unconsciously stood straighter and pulled back his shoulders proudly.

As the first rays of light washed over the hut, Kishirou bounded out of bed. He wasn't the only one that woke so early. Miroku and Sango's three children also arose to find the new visitors and did what they had been trained to do.

"Youkai!" shouted the oldest child Haro. The other two jumped on top of Kishirou, pulling on his little black inu ears. Haro got a pillow and started to thump Kishirou. Toshi awoke with a start and ran to InuYasha, leaping into his lap for protection. Kishirou screamed as he ran around the hut with the other children chasing him. InuYasha gave a tired growl and shut his eyes again, allowing the little girl to hide her face in his chest. Shippo jumped between the children and transformed into a large fox that growled and snapped. Miroku's kids went running out the door screaming. Shippo popped back into his small form and Kishirou scratched the back of his head. He then checked to make sure his ears were still attached. The children peered back inside.

"Stop being crazy," said InuYasha opening one eye to look at all the children. "Kishirou is only a ¼ youkai. He's not even a full demon. Second, do you really think he would be sleeping in here if he wasn't invited?" The kids smiled nervously and filed back into the room.

"That's Kishirou," said Inuyasha pointing a claw at his son, "That's Haro," pointing to the eldest boy, "Miya," pointing to the middle child and only daughter and "Jiro," pointing to the youngest boy. "And this is Toshi," said InuYasha. Toshi still clung to the firerat robes. "Now all of you be quiet or play outside until breakfast is ready." Kishirou pointed to himself, "Yes you too. Stay near the other kids." The children ran out happily. Toshi stayed with InuYasha.

InuYasha went to the stables not too long after catching a little more sleep. Toshi had to be coaxed to play hide and seek with the other children but once she was comfortable smiled easily and enjoyed the game. He found Sango sitting out side the stable looking at her sandals. He greeted her and she looked up at his towering form.

"I spoke with her," Sango said softy. InuYasha sat down next to her to hear the retelling. "You're right. There's something else wrong. Kaede is with her now. She must have told me six different versions of how she found you and conceived Toshi." InuYasha blushed, and Sango continued, "Several stories were on this side of the well, but two of them took place in her time. I tried to tell her you were alive but it was like she couldn't hear me. She's happy to be here but she was saying nonsense. She had a hard time focusing on me. She was walking around staring at nothing. It was like watching someone in a dream."

Kaede walked out the door and closed it gently. She had a worried expression on her face. She requested the monk presence but wouldn't say anything more. InuYasha's hair rose when Kaede and Miroku re-entered the stable. He knew they must be channeling energy to try to heal Kagome. His dog ears drooped and he too stared at his feet. Kaede came out an hour after.

"InuYasha," she said sternly. "You remember that I couldn't tell you why the well had sealed? Only that it was a powerful spell, one I could not break," asked Kaede. InuYasha nodded in remembrance and Keade continued, "I thought it was the natural magic of the well, but now I see this is untrue. For what ails Kagome also ails the well."

Kaede stared at him seriously. She raised her hand and rested it on the half demon's shoulder to comfort him and steady herself. "She has been inflected this pain by my sister, Kikyo. She is taking back her soul. Any time Kagome channeled she left herself vulnerable to my sister pulling some of her soul back. In the fight against Naraku Kikyo never took quested for her soul. Something changed in her after Naraku died. Kikyo sealed the well and has been draining Kagome of her soul for six years. Kagome has very little time left. She cannot survive with so little of a soul. When she dies, the rest of it will return to Kikyo if she does not pull it away from Kagome sooner. I am sad to say this, but it is true. Miroku and I have done what we can for the girl, but she needs the rest of her soul back to survive."

"Why would Kikyo do that?" asked InuYasha softy.

"That I do not know. Only Kikyo knows why she has acted this way," replied Kaede. InuYasha ears twitched in the breeze. He caught the scent of the dead priestess. She had been living near the village for the past six years. He had never sought her out. She stayed in the mountains or by the river. He had been avoiding her since Kagome's disappearance. It had not been difficult because she had also been avoiding him. "There is only one way to return Kagome's soul to her body," said Kaede ominously. "She has been too long a unwhole person." InuYasha looked down at his long claws and allowed his bangs to fall forward in front of his eyes.

"I have to kill her?"

Yeah, I did end it there. It was just too tempting : ) Please review!