“You what?!” Kagome shouted at her mother shocked at the information bestowed to her.

“Your father engaged you to the young man when you were very young.” Her mother replied calmly unaffected by her daughter’s out burst.

“But an arranged marriage? That’s so…old fashioned.” Kagome half whined.

“Now I already contacted them to let them know you’d be dropping by to meet him today and stay the night. Father and son have been on a training trip for the past ten years and a friend of mine just informed me that they’re staying in nearby in Nerima. Maybe you could go to his high school, sweetheart?” She smiled sweetly.

“I’m going today? But Inuyasha and-”

“I wasn’t sure when you’d be back or for how long you’d stay. There isn’t any trouble that they need you for at the moment is there?”

“Well, no trouble at the moment, but-”

“Great, then go upstairs and pack an overnight bag.” She patted the girls’ shoulder and turned back to her dishes. “Oh you might want to take a bath and change out of those filthy clothes.”

Kagome, feeling defeated, just nodded her head exiting the kitchen and headed toward the bathroom. Looking down at her clothes, she had to agree with her mother, the last demon encounter she had found herself covered in mud. Listlessly, she began removing her clothing after closing the door to the bathroom behind her. Bending down, she twisted the faucets on the tub, which made a faint squeaking noise as it turned. After checking the temperature and adding some bubble bath she removed the remainder of her clothing. Slipping into the steaming water Kagome felt her entire body melting away, the bubbles tickling her skin.

“God, I needed this.” Hot bathes were not common in the feudal states time. Her mind started to drift thinking of Inuyasha. ‘A fiancé. What is Inuyasha going to think? Will he be upset…or just accept it and leave me to him? What is this going to be like?’ Slowly she took a deep breath letting her head resting against the back of the tub. ‘What am I going to do? I still have things to do, obligations in the feudal time. I don’t want to leave Inuyasha…Inuyasha, how am I going to tell him…’

Now feeling more refreshed by her bath, Kagome changed into a short floral dress and white ankle socks. Rummaging through her closet, she neatly packed a few necessities for the weekend into a smaller bag she used for her schoolbooks. She wouldn’t miss the heavy rucksack that she brought back through the well with her. Of course, Inuyasha usually carried the bag for her when it was full and at it’s heaviest. Again her mind started to wander at the thought of Inuyasha. With a sigh she put the necklace with the shard fragments around her neck and her bag over her shoulder and left her room.

“I’ve got it.” A voice called from the other side of the door. A young girl a little taller then herself appeared her arms folded over her chest. “Can I help you?”

“Um, yes.” Kagome smiled rummaging through her bag for the piece of paper her mother gave her before she left. “I’m looking for, um…”

“Let me guess, Ranma Saotome.” The girl replied with a rather sarcastic tone to her voice.

Kagome retrieved the paper blushing slightly. “Ah, yes, Ranma Saotome.”

“Who is it, Nabiki?” A taller girl asked placing a hand on the first girl’s shoulder. She smiled sweetly at Kagome, relieving some of her embarrassment.

“Another visitor for Ranma.” The girl with the short hair replied never taking her penetrating gaze from Kagome. “So are you another fiancée or are you planning to get revenge for something he did?”

“Huh?” Kagome asked confused.

“Well, she doesn’t look like a martial artist.” The taller girl replied with the same sweet smile.

“You really can’t tell with the group Ranma attracts.”

“That’s true.” Kagome stared at the two girls before her, her bag slipping off her shoulder onto the ground beside her.

“And it looks like this one is spending the night.” Nabiki commented with little emotion.

“Come in then, we were just having lunch, Ranma is in the other room. I’ll get some bedding for you set up upstairs.” Kasumi led the girl inside.

“Really I don’t want to be a bother.”

“That’ll be a first.” Nabiki added walking on ahead into where the rest of the family was already eating. “Saotome someone here to see you.”

Already feeling very uncomfortable, Kagome meekly entered the room following Nabiki. She had to do a double take at the panda sitting at the table eating a slice of watermelon. The boy sitting next to him was very handsome and she assumed must be Ranma. A girl with dark hair with shining blue highlights looked up at her curiously with a pleasant smile. An older man sat at the head of the table wearing a brown gi.

“Um hi, I’m Kagome Higurashi. I-I was looking for Ranma Saotome.”

“50 to 1 odds she’s another fiancée, Akane.”  Nabiki stated. Akane turned to glare at the boy beside her, he in turn moved to glare at the panda in the corner that held up a sign that stated, ‘Don’t look at me, I’m just an innocent panda.’

“Pop, what did you do now?” The boy frowned at the panda confusing Kagome greatly.

‘I don’t know who she is.’ The panda signed.

“Well my mother gave me this and told me that she sent word I was coming.” Kagome stated handing the paper her mother gave her to Ranma.

“I, Genma Saotome, herby give the hand of my son, Ranma Saotome, to take over the Sunset Shrine by wedding Kagome Higurashi for free room and board for TWO WEEKS! Again, your stupid stomach gets me into trouble!” The boy lunged at the panda, which parried his attack with another sign. ‘It was all in the name of the art.’

“The art my foot, more like your gut!” The boy got in a good strike sending the panda sprawling onto the grass of the backyard.

“This is all very embarrassing, I should be going sorry to bother you.” Kagome said trying to walk out the door.

“Don’t be silly.” Kasumi said catching her before she get out the door and pushing her by the shoulder down to the table next to Nabiki across from Akane. “You’re our guest.”

“This isn’t the first time this has happened.” Akane said trying to sound comforting to the girl. She didn’t seem like any other fiancée Ranma had.

“What’s one more?” Nabiki said from her side picking up her watermelon.

“What do you mean this isn’t the first time?” Kagome asked.

“Our Ranma here is one hot item.” Ranma frowned at the girl and Kagome didn’t find it hard to believe he was very attractive.

“Yeah, not only am I engaged to this uncute tomboy,” Ranma motioned toward Akane who sent an icy glare in his direction. “But I have two other fiancées that my pops got me saddled with.”

‘Shampoo was not my fault.’ The panda replied materializing at the table beside Nabiki.

“You’re the one that started to eat her food and you led her here.”

‘You ate the food too and you defeated her all by yourself.’ A quick flip of the sign, ‘Take some responsibility boy, stop talking like a girl.’

Ranma bristled at the last remark, but Kagome interrupted before he could say anything. “This,” she pointed to the panda, “this is your father?” 

“Yeah, the useless oaf.”

“And I thought part dog was strange.” The girl said under her breath and Nabiki looked at her out of the corner of her eye.

“Hm?” Akane asked.

“Oh nothing.” Kagome took the slice of watermelon Kasumi had given her and began to eat. “You never received the letter my mother sent?” Kagome asked inquisitively.

‘Letter?’ The panda tried to look innocent.

“Mr. Saotome, I might be a good idea to open your mail once in awhile.”

‘Never any good news.’ Was his reply.

“Maybe if you weren’t swindling people all the time.” Ranma said in a low disapproving voice.

“So what is your story?”

“Hm?” Kagome looked at the girl beside her while eating her watermelon.

“Have you been hunting Ranma here down for years, you have some strange martial artists technique we should know about?” Everyone at the table looked at her expectantly.

“Um, no. I just found out about the engagement from my mother this morning when I got home and I don’t know any martial arts.” Every one seemed surprised, but Nabiki seemed to think on the subject further. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, no. It’s just I’ve never had such a normal fiancée before.” Ranma replied with a smile.

“Hey!” Akane exclaimed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You figure it out.” Ranma replied.

“I see!” Nabiki exclaimed, interrupting their argument. “There’s got to be some boyfriend or something that is going to follow you here to try and kill Ranma for you.” Kagome nearly choked on her food. “You see, I was right.”

“Are you ok?” Kasumi asked concerned.

“Yes, I’m fine.” Kagome replied coughing between words. “What are you talking about?”

“Well people coming for Ranma either want to kill him or marry him. Since you don’t seem to want either, you must be leading someone here.”

“Like Mousse with Shampoo.” Akane added getting the idea.

“Right. So who is he lover, boyfriend, fiancée?”

“He’s not my boyfriend and certainly not fiancée or…he is NOT coming.” She spoke quickly blushing fiercely at the implication that Inuyasha was her…lover.

“Sure he won’t.”

“Really he lives VERY far away and he doesn’t know I’m engaged, I haven’t told him and he’s already taken, sort of. It’s complicated, but he won’t find me.” Kagome felt like she was babbling she really didn’t want to get into her relationship with Inuyasha, she herself didn’t understand it completely.

“It’s all right, I’m sure it’ll be ok.” Akane smiled at the girl trying to comfort her. “Why don’t you stay the night you were planning on it anyway?”

“Since when have you ever been so nice to one of Ranma’s fiancées Akane?” Nabiki raised an eyebrow to her younger sister.

“Well she’s different.” Akane said defensively then turned back to Kagome. “Anyway Ranma and I are going shopping after we finishing eating you can come along and we’ll fill you in on the other fiancées. I’m Akane by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Akane.” Kagome smiled.

“That’s my sister Nabiki beside you.”

“Hi.” Nabiki deadpanned.

“My sister, Kasumi.” Akane gestured to her left.

“Hello.” Kasumi replied politely.

“And my father.”

“Hello, my dear.”

“And that, as you know, is Ranma’s father.” The panda signed a hello. “We’ll explain that a little later.”

“O-Okay.” Kagome was again confused.

“That is quite a story.” Kagome sounded overwhelmed as the waiter deliver the bowls of ice cream to the three girls. After doing some shopping for Kasumi they decided to stop at Ranma’s favorite ice cream shop. Kagome stared at the red head amazed that she was the boy she met earlier that day. The same boy her family honor demanded that she marry. “So Ranma has all these fiancées, but you’re the one he’s marrying.”

“No way!” “No!” The two replied in unison.

“I just thought since he lived with you that you were…”

“I ain’t doing nothing with this violent uncute girl, I can’t live with the other girls ‘cause they’d never leave me alone.”

Akane quickly elbowed the red head in the face. “Why they want him I have no idea.”

“See what I mean.” Ranma replied stars dancing around his head.

“Don’t worry I don’t think the other fiancées will come after you, you don’t live close enough to be a real threat.” Akane assured you.

“My mom wants me to try to get into Furinkan so I can go to the same school as Ranma.” Kagome said gloomily, she was trying to get into the same school as her friends back home. That is if she ever got around to studying.

“She wants you to go to Furinkan, I didn’t know normal people tried getting in there.” Ranma said in wonder.

“Before you came along only normal people went there.” Akane said.

“Well you and Kuno went there so it couldn’t have been too normal. Ouch!” Akane stomped on Ranma’s foot under the table.

“Anyway, I still won’t worry about them, saving damsels in distress is what Ranma does best.” Akane stole a glance at the girl beside her out of the corner of her eye. “Make that the fourth best thing he does.”

“Fourth?!” Ranma exclaimed.

“Yeah beside eating, sleeping, and making an ass of yourself, on wait make it fifth, being a jerk is fourth.”

“Well at least I’m not an uncute, sexless tomboy with thighs like tree trunks!” Kagome was amazed at the large mallet Akane seemed to grab from nowhere and pinned Ranma to the seat as he made painful groans.

“Sorry about that.”

“Ah, no problem.”

Kagome lay on the bedding Kasumi laid out for her on Akane’s floor beside her bed. Tossing and turning she continued to consider her so called engagement and the repercussions there of. Sighing heavily, she settled into a comfortable spot on her pillow and fell to sleep.

The house was still, darkness filled the hallway as Ranma reached the top of the stairs after grabbing a late night snack and a brief visit to the bathroom. Slowly, he walked to his bedroom moving without making any sound, when something stopped him dead in his tracks. His battle sense telling him that someone with an incredible battle aura was very close by. He quickly followed his senses down the hall to Akane’s room, bursting through the door fearing the worst. The sight before him left him stunned, there perched in the open window a darkened figure crouched his yellow eyes glowing in the moonlight the rest of his features barely a silhouette. The figure’s long sliver white hair billowy out to it’s side in the cold wind. The hairs on the back on Ranma’s neck stood on end, he would have mistaken the creature for a feline with the strange glow to it’s eyes if not for the low growling emanating from it’s chest.

The creature’s attention was suddenly drawn to the girl on the floor below as she stirred. Suddenly she awoke with a grasp staring up at the form above her. It looked down at the girl and appeared to get angrier the growling getting increasingly louder.

Sensing danger Ranma lunged at the creature, knocking them both out the window. Kagome was out from under her blankets and at the window in a flash.

“Oh god!”

“What, what is it?!” Akane startled from her sleep, rushed to her side staring down as the two boys landed. “Ranma?”

Landing on top of the creature Ranma held him down beneath him the light from the moon finally revealing the features of a boy his own age with pointed dog ears and long fanged teeth that shined before him as he growled.

“Who are you and what do you want?!” Ranma demanded. Instead of answering the boy displayed his superior strength and launched Ranma off of him with his legs sending him flying through the back door.

“Somebody’s going to get hurt. I got to get down there and stop him.” Kagome ran from the room leaving Akane to stare after her.

“Stop who? What’s going on? Kagome?!” Soon she was following the younger girl’s flight down the stairs.

“So you want to play tough eh, well that’s fine with me.” Slowly, Ranma walked through the rumble approaching his opponent warily, taking his fighting stance within a few feet. The other boy lunged at him, but Ranma danced out of the way side stepping faster than the eye could see behind him kicking him in the back. His opponent quickly recovered and decided that the human had some skill at fighting and shouldn’t be completely underestimated.

The two started to dance around each other, Ranma landed several dozen blows to the boy’s midsection before he was backhanded into one of the trees in the yard. The two combatants shook off the blows sizing each other up for the next act. ‘God this guy is stronger than Ryoga and he can really take a hit.’ Ranma thought ruefully to himself planning his next attack.

‘The human is faster than some demons I’ve met, but if he thinks he can hurt me he is sadly mistaken.’ The boy smirked and started to make his approach when the sound of bare feet padding on the wooden floor and an all too familiar smell drew his attention behind him.

“Inuyasha.” Both boys looked to the two girls dressed in pajamas standing on the porch.

“Do you know this guy, Kagome?” Ranma asked drawing a cold stare from Inuyasha who was aggravated by his familiar tone with the girl.

“Lemme guess, this is the angry boyfriend we’ve all been waiting for.” Nabiki entered the room yawning, also wearing her pajamas. Inuyasha turned back at the girls and stared at the red faced Kagome, a look of surprise on his face.

“You told them I was your boyfriend?” He asked levelly, almost too levelly for the temperamental demon.

“No! I never said that!” The demon seemed almost hurt for a second before he looked away back at the boy in from of him trying to burn through him with his eyes. “I mean we’ve never even talked about it…” She said quietly only allowing herself and the nearby Akane to hear.

“Who is this?!” Inuyasha shot his angry stare to Kagome while pointing at Ranma.

“You see, it is a very interesting story…” Kagome stammered.

“Would you like me to tell him for you?” Nabiki asked mischievously, but was completely ignored when Kagome attitude took a complete 180.

“What the heck are you doing here in the first place Inuyasha?! Attacking innocent people in the middle of the night?!”

“He attacked me! I followed you here because you never came back through the well like you said you would. I was just making sure you hadn’t gotten yourself into trouble like you usually do when this stupid mortal attacks me.”

“You didn’t need to worry, Inuyasha, I’m fine.” Kagome was suddenly at his side looking up at him with her big brown eyes sparkling sweetly. He just looked to the side, grunting noncommittally.

“A demon, eh?” Ranma asked staring at the boy in the corner of the room who refused to sit with the rest of the group. Kasumi moved around the room serving everyone tea. “No wonder he’s got such an incredible battle aura, I’ve never felt anything like it.”

“He’s half demon.” Kagome corrected earning a glare from Inuyasha.

“What’s the other half? Akane asked very curious of their new friends.

“Human.”

“Cool!” Akane exclaimed.

“What’s with the ears?” Nabiki stated suddenly feeling the urge to touch them, but pushing it aside quickly. Akane, however, couldn’t help herself and was immediately kneeling next to him looking at him dotefully.

“Can I touch them?” She asked her hands clasped before her, eyes gleaming up at him.

“No.” Inuyasha said indignantly, trying hard to ignore the look, it reminded him too much of one of Kagome’s looks.

“Inuyasha.” Kagome looked at him and his shouldered slumped somewhat.

“Feh, fine.” The girl squealed in delight and started to rub the dog demon’s ears, Ranma glanced over to them frowning faintly.

“Anyway, Inuyasha’s father was a great and powerful dog demon, so Inuyasha is half dog demon, half human.”

“I suppose you’ll be telling them all my secrets soon.” Inuyasha stood over the girl irritated. “We should be heading back now.”

“Oh, cool it for a minute, I finally find people with as weird a life as mine and might actually believe me and you want me to run off. Just one night won’t kill you Inuyasha.” Kagome dragged the demon down beside her at the table.

“So when are you going to tell dog boy about Ranma here?” Nabiki asked causing Inuyasha to glare first at Ranma then Kagome.

“Um well…”

“What do you need to tell me?” Inuyasha asked menacingly.

“Well, you see, my mother told me this morning that I’ve sort of been engaged to Ranma.” Kagome looked at the boy sheepishly while he looked back at her stunned.

“You’ve been engaged, to HIM?!” His words steadily rose as he pointed to the martial artist sitting across from him.

“What’s wrong with him?” Akane asked slightly offended.

“He reeks of females. And not just the three that dwell in this house, but at least three or four more. So many that it is hard to distinguish their individual scents.”

“Amazing.” Ranma stated, Akane just looked away with a mixture of anger, embarrassment and disgust.

“Inuyasha don’t be rude.” Kagome said shocked.

“You’re family really arranged a marriage for you with such a man.” Inuyasha sounded almost pleading.

“Hey!” Ranma yelled feeling insulted.

“Why is that everyone reaction to you Saotome?” Nabiki smirked.

“Inuyasha this is my family’s honor we’re talking about.” Kagome may not be old fashioned, but she did understand duty to one’s family.

“But we haven’t told him about all the other fiancées.” Nabiki through out to see what came up.

“Others?” Inuyasha asked.

“Yes, all those other women you…smelled, they’re engaged to our boy Ranma. My sister here included.” Nabiki motioned toward Akane.

“That’s it!” Inuyasha dragged Kagome up to her feet. “After I kill him you’ll be free.”

“Inuyasha, you can’t just go around killing people.”

“I’d like to see you try it buddy.”

“Fine then you’re coming with me and never coming back to this world again.” He started to drag her out the door.

“Inuyasha!” She pulled her hand away. “I have a life here and obligations... this is my home.”

She pleaded with him with her eyes while he stared at her. “What am I supposed to do when our quest is over, what about my future, Inuyasha, my happiness?” She sniffled and started to cry.

“Fine, you’re right. Your life is here, where you’re out of harms way. Do what you will.” He walked off out of the front gate and disappeared. The three watched the girl in silence and heard her whisper something to herself.

After returning to bed the house was once again silent and Kagome was once again unable to sleep. Akane tossed and turned in her sleep, but seemed to be resting. Rising from her bedding Kagome stood in front of the window surprised to find Inuyasha sitting in the tree outside the window.

“Inuyasha?” She whispered. “What are you doing here, I thought for sure you went back through the well.”

“Well, our quest isn’t over yet is it?” He asked her, she shook her head no in response. “Then I’ll stay to make sure you stay out of trouble.”

He looked away and therefore he didn’t see her smile. “Good night, Inuyasha.”