Chapter 1

Sesshomaru lounged in a tree, happily on his own for the day. When he said he was 'going to search for Naraku' and left Jaken with Rin, what he really meant was 'I can't stand you for another day, Jaken.' He purred and stretched out, letting the sun that made it through the leaves shine on him. He found the perfect spot and he was going to relax for once!

Then he smelled a familiar human scent approaching, that of Inuyasha's wench. Sesshomaru grinned. If Kagome was separated from the group, it had lost it's one and only intelligent member. Plus, his brother was a clumsy idiot when she wasn't around, and didn't fight half as well. He could go beat Inuyasha up, or he could take a nap. He closed his eyes, the nap seeming much more interesting.

"Stupid Inuyasha!" She cried as she stumbled through the forest. "I hate you!" Kagome tripped and fell down, slicing her knee open. "Fuck you, Inuyasha!"

Sesshomaru arched his brows at the obscenity that left her mouth. This girl had a filthy mouth for someone who could keep the jewel shards so perfectly pure. "Damn you Kikyou and your shitty clay body and your fucking coming around just when things are fucking getting good!"

She sat down and started to rummage through her backpack for the first aid kit. "Kikyou, Kikyou, Kikyou...Kikyou is dead, you fucking moron!" Kagome said. "And even if she wasn't, she's still a bitch and she treats everyone like crap!" She disinfected the cut, still ranting to herself. "I know what you're going to say. 'But Kikyou died for me!' Well guess what? I don't give a flying fuck anymore, I'm fucking going home to my own time!" She put a bandage on and smiled. "Then Kikyou can find the jewel shards and you guys can live happily fucking after. A stupid half-demon and his undead clay bride! How romantic!"

Kagome froze when she looked up to see Sesshomaru sitting in a tree, wearing a very bewildered expression. They stared at each other for a moment before either of them spoke.

"Hi." Kagome said.

"Hello." Sesshomaru replied.

Kagome stood up and brushed herself off. "Did you hear all that?" She asked nervously.

"Half the forest heard it." Sesshomaru said. "May I make a suggestion? Stop expecting Inuyasha to act like a human."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"Inuyasha is a hanyou, but he is not like most hanyou." Sesshomaru said. "His youkai half is strong enough that he can defeat almost any full-blooded youkai despite being an idiot. He will not act like a human, because his youkai side is so strong."

"You're saying I should treat him like a dog?" Kagome asked.

"More or less." Sesshomaru said. "To take Kikyou's place, you have to give him things Kikyou did not and thus prove yourself a better companion."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome said. "I don't really know anything about them, except how Naraku broke them up by turning them on each other."

"Is that how you really see it?" Sesshomaru asked, slightly amused.

"It was her fault for not trusting him!" Kagome blurted out. "She didn't give him her trust. Is that what I'm supposed to prove?"

Sesshomaru jumped down. "That is for you to figure out, Little Miko. My baka brother has apparently picked up on the scent of your blood and is approaching, so I take my leave."

He disappeared just as she heard Inuyasha's footsteps quickly approaching. "Kagome! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Kagome said, thinking about her revelation. "I need to go home though, and get some books."

Inuyasha gave her a confused expression. "You aren't mad at me?" He sniffed the air. "Why do I smell Sesshomaru? Did he hurt you?"

"Nope!" Kagome cheerfully said. "We just had a little talk is all. Will you give me a ride to the well, please?"

Inuyasha stared at her as if Kagome had grown several extra sets of legs. "Please?"

"Mhm!" Kagome chirped. "Please!"

He nervously carried her to the well. "When will you be back?"

"Tomorrow night, I guess." Kagome said. "Bye!" She said as she jumped down into the well and emerged in her own time.

Kagome spent a little time with her family, then took a bath and got dressed. Maybe Sesshomaru is right. He's really old, he's a dog demon, and he has a point; Inuyasha does act different on the new moon. If I want to steal his heart...I need to understand him. Two buses and a short walk later, she walked up to a bookstore employee and smiled. "Hi! I'm looking for books on Dog Psychology."

She followed the woman to a shelf of books and looked at them, unsure of what she really wanted. The Dog Whisperer, that sounds interesting. Says here he rehabilitates vicious dogs. Inuyasha's stupid though, not vicious. "I wonder if they have any on rehabilitating dogs that are just plain dumb?"

"Oh, a dog training book?" The woman asked. "Right over here!" Kagome giggled as she pictured Inuyasha playing fetch and rolling over at her command. "Does your dog do any tricks?" She asked, making small talk.

"He can sit!" Kagome snickered.

"Oh, how cute!" The lady said. "Well, let me know if you need anything!"

"Dogs and Children." Kagome laughed again. I wonder if 'children,' includes kitsune cubs. Is there a chapter on how to get Inuyasha to stop bonking that poor kid on the head? There was! "Stopping Aggression Toward Children, Page 301." She picked it up and found a few others, then bought them and left.

When she got home, she flopped down on her bed and started to read bits and pieces. This makes sense! I'm going to kiss Sesshomaru next time I see him! Or...do something nice for him that won't make him kill me! She thought, interested in reading for the first time since she'd fallen down the well.

At 4AM, she slammed a book shut. "I know what I have to do." She said to herself. "I will restore balance to our pack! He will be a confident pack leader!" She put the book on her nightstand and went to sleep, eager to start her new campaign.

The next day, she went to a pet shop to buy some dog treats Inuyasha seemed to like when she spotted small display of little silver whistles. "Silent Training Whistles." I wonder if those work...Maybe I could get one so I could get Inuyasha's help if I needed it. Without other people knowing. I bet he can hear it. I wonder if other demons can?

She passed back through the well at about noon and noticed Inuyasha was waiting for her, sitting in a tree. "Hi Inuyasha!"

"Hey Kagome." He said, still unsure as to why she stopped being angry with him. "Are you sure you aren't mad at me?"

"Mhmm!" Kagome said.

"The Alpha always walks ahead of the pack. It establishes him as the leader and helps him feel secure as the protector of his pack."

She let him walk ahead of her, but he waited for her to catch up, so she walked beside him. "I was meaning to talk to you about something." Kagome said. "We've been taking care of Shippou since his parents died, and he really doesn't have anywhere else to go. I really appreciate that you've let him stay with us, and I know he really looks up to you." She looked up to see Inuyasha's face the same color as a red crayon and smiled.

"Yeah, I guess." Inuyasha said.

"I was thinking that maybe you could teach Shippou to hunt. He's getting to the age he should learn that, and you're the only one who can teach him." Kagome said. "I'm sure it would mean a lot to Shippou."

Inuyasha was still blushing and looked extremely uncomfortable. "Yeah, he's getting older. Maybe he can finally start to do something useful." He said, brushing off the sentiment with an insult.

"Did someone teach you to hunt?" Kagome asked.

"Nah." Inuyasha said. "I learned on my own. It's not exactly hard to figure out, especially if there's no other way to eat and you're starving."

Kagome heard the sadness in his voice and took his hand. "I'm glad Shippou won't have to learn that way. He's an orphan too, but he has us!"

When they got back to the village, Inuyasha picked up Shippou. "C'mon, Runt! It's time for you to learn how to do something useful." He said.

"Huh?" Shippou said. "Other than spying on the girls for you and Miroku?"

Wham!

Miroku rubbed the back of his head. "I seem to have developed Hiraikotsu Head." He said. "May I have some of your amazing pain medication, Kagome?"

Kagome dug through her backpack and Miroku saw the books.

"So what are you teaching Shippou?" Sango asked. "How to be a jerk?"

"No, Stupid. I'm going to teach Shippou how to hunt!" Inuyasha declared.

Shippou's eyes practically sparkled. "Really? You mean it? You're going to teach me to hunt?!" He ran out of the hut, babbling excitedly. "My dad always said he'd teach me when I got old enough. This is great!"

After Inuyasha and Shippou had been gone a few minutes, Miroku crossed his arms. "I need to speak to you alone, Kagome." He said.

"Eh?" Kagome asked, following him out of the hut. "What's wrong, Miroku?"

He smiled. "Do those books have anything to do with Inuyasha? I know we're the only ones who can read, but I'm terribly curious."

"Alright..." Kagome said nervously. "Let's just say in the Kikyou vs. Kagome war, someone joined Team Kagome and told me that Inuyasha is more canine-minded than human most of the time. The only way for me to become the one Inuyasha wants to be with, I have to prove myself a better mate than Kikyou." Kagome said. "Unless I do that, he'll always be loyal to Kikyou."

"That makes sense, oddly enough." Miroku said. "And if you'd like my help, or Sango's, I'm sure you already both know we're on this 'Team Kagome' you speak of. I do wonder who would have such insight into the workings of Inuyasha's mind."

"Sesshomaru." Kagome squeaked.

Miroku scratched his chin. "He would probably know more than Inuyasha's demon side than anybody, I suppose." He shrugged. "How do you think Inuyasha and Shippou are faring?"

"Alright Shippou, do you smell that?" Inuyasha said.

Shippou held into Inuyasha's shoulder. "It smells like a boar."

"Track her scent." Inuyasha said. "I'll follow you. And I'm getting hungry, so make it quick." He followed the kitsune, who walked on his all fours, sniffing the ground for a boar. "Adjust for the angle of the wind." Inuyasha said as Shippou veered off course. He'd done that a few times as a kid, and it was as frustrating as hell.

"Inuyasha?" Shippou asked. "This is really fun."

"Whatever, just hurry it up." Inuyasha said as they continued through the forest for a few more minutes.

Shippou gasped. "There she is! I found her!" He said, wearing a proud smile.

"Hey Shippou." Inuyasha said, crossed his arms. "You aren't done yet."

"What do you mean? I found her!" Shippou said.

"Yeah, but she's still alive." Inuyasha said.

Shippou's eyes shot open in shock. "I can't kill her! That's your job!"

"Nope." Inuyasha said. "You hunted her down, now you have to kill her."

"No! I can't kill that! It's not like some stupid fish!" Shippou said. "It's just like us, it walks around and eats and drinks and I can't do it!" He sobbed, holding on to Inuyasha's pants. "What if she has babies? What if she is going to have babies? What if...WAAAH!" Inuyasha grabbed Shippou and leapt next to the boar, then slashed her throat with one claw. Shippou turned and hit Inuyasha. "You monster!"

Inuyasha sat down and crossed his legs, then pushed Shippou down into the ground next to him. "I didn't kill her for the sake of killing her, you dipshit. Besides, you eat stuff I've killed all the fucking time, so stop crying." He glared at Shippou, still sobbing and devastated, and put his head down. "Listen good, Shippou, because I'm only saying this once."

"Huh?" Shippou said.

"You're a kitsune and I am half-Inuyoukai. If we don't eat meat, we'll die." Inuyasha said. "And for us to eat meat, other things have to die. When you have to kill something, try not to waste it. We can take this back now, and eat it with the others, so we can keep fighting. It's something we can do for the others, since it would take Kagome forever to find food on her own."

Shippou wiped his nose and his eyes. "Kagome always takes good care of us."

Inuyasha sighed. "Let's go."

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Next Chapter: Kagome decides to be a little naughty!