Second Chances

Disclaimer- Sadly, I do not own any of the characters from Inuyasha, as much as I might long for that luxery otherwise. I will have to satisfy myself daydreaming about the wolf prince and the hanyou I adore so much. First off, if you're not a cannon pairing kinda person, this might not be the story for you. Humor, angst, and adventure and action abound, but there's a reason I do what I do. "Second Chances" is in the Inu/Kagome section, but it's also a Kouga/Ayame fic as well, so I do hope you enjoy and furthermore I hope you adore the "twins and the triplets". I know I do.

"Real genius. Now what are we going to do? I mean, come on... Cousins? Even your dad can't be that stupid." Keikan snapped under his breathe as he walked with Kaori and Kaiya down the trail not to far from the others. Koyuki and Kanan were taking in the scents of the surrounding village, making sure there were no demons nearby as Keikan talked in hushed tones with the other two hanyous.

"What else was he supposed to do, Keikan? You know what our parents said. One wrong move, and we could inadvertantly effect our own futures. The last thing we need is to mess things up so we're never born. I don't know about you, but I like my existance." Kaiya whispered, her snow white ears twitching softly on her head.

"Relax wolf. They bought it didn't they? Smooth sailing from here." Kaori reminded him. Keikan narrowed his icy blue eyes in a glare, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

"Didn't look like they bought it that well. I think the humans are suspiscious." Keikan stated.

"We'll worry about them later. It's our parents we need to keep an eye on. It's your fault for not doing anything to disguise your appearance. Kaiya and I can pull an excuse out of our asses, but you... you idiot, you and your sister look like carbon copies of your parents. How were YOU intending to explain that one?" Kaori asked him.

"I would have thought of something better than cousins mutt!" Keikan snapped, starting to lose his temper again. Kaiya's hand on his forearm stopped him however.

"Keikan, we shouldn't be fighting between each other. We need to figure out a way to help them kill Naraku, without affecting too much of the future, and still find a way to get back home. Maybe we can use the jewel to get back home again." Kaiya suggested.

"I guess it's our only option. Unless we want to be stuck here for the rest of our lives. Sure, it's be nice to visit, but if everything goes the way it's supposed to, we're gonna have a problem in a couple of years when we're born." Kaori reminded them both.

"Ok... so we keep information to a minimum. What else?" Kaiya asked.

"I have a question for your genius brother, Kaiya. What happens when the REAL Kouga happens to show up? Then how are you gonna explain it to them? In case you never knew, Dad doesn't have any cousins... or relatives... or anything!" Keikan snapped.

"We'll worry about that when we get there. Right now, we can't change the story, just like that. We need to come up with some kinda plan." Kaiya sighed, shaking her head.

"What are you three whispering about?" Inuyasha suddenly snapped, catching the trio off guard. Kaiya blushed, shaking her head at her father.

"N-nothing Inuyasha. We were just talking."

"What about?" Miroku asked curiously.

"Eh, nothing. Just talking." Kaiya repeated, shyly. Miroku raised an eyebrow, sliding closer to the silver haired female a solumn expression on his face.

"In any case... I have a question I should ask you, Kaiya, right? Kaiya... you know you're very lovely... " Miroku stated, trailing off as he took Kaiya's hand, his back turned to Kaori and Keikan, who were both glaring at him behind his back. Kaiya flushed, looking past him to the two male demons behind her. "Would you consider bearing my child?"

Kaiya sweatdropped, as Kaori growled, clenching his fists at his side. To beat the hell out of his "uncle", that was the question. He couldn't believe he was hitting on his sister. Keikan however, had no internal fight, and swung with a growl at the unsuspecting monk.

"Keikan!" Kaiya cried, moving Miroku out of the way. Keikan glared at the monk, but made an aggitated "hmpf" noise as he crossed his arms over his chest. Miroku blinked at the boy, bowing his head.

"My apologies. I didn't know she was with you." Keikan and Kaiya both blushed furiously as Kaori snorted.

"She's not. And never will be." Kaori retored, as Keikan turned to growl down at him.

"You wanna start something whelp? I'll kick your ass, you mongrel." Keikan snarled.

"What, does that mean you think Kaiya's a mongrel too? We're siblings afterall. So wouldn't that make her one too?" Kaori shot back. Keikan fumed, swinging as if to hit the black haired hanyou against the head.

"Don't put words in my mouth you cocky son of a bitch!"

"HEY!" Kaiya and Kaori shouted at the same time.

"YOUR MOTHER was the bitch, not ours!" Kaori shouted back. Keikan and Kanan both lunged at him, before he knew what was happening, and the three boys were suddenly engaging in an all out fist fight.

"Did I miss something?" Inuyasha blinked, watching the trio try to hit one another with various kicks, punches, and the occasional well executed dodge.

"KEIKAN! KANAN! STOP!" Koyuki screamed.

Kaiya's eyes suddenly widened, realizing why Koyuki was suddenly so panicked. There was no way to explain things if they were caught fighting like this. She recognized the scent that was approaching too. "Kaori! Knock it off!" She exchanged a look with the red headed youkai, before glancing into the heart of the woods. They wouldn't reach the village in time anyway. So much for secrets.

Inuyasha and the others were dumbfounded as they watched the three boys argueing and fighting with each other, though no one was completely sure what it was all about. For all they could catch on, was that it had something to do with the boys insulting each other's mothers.

"Bunch of immature brats." Inuyasha muttered, narrowing his golden eyes at the trio. His ears twitched suddenly, his nose picking up a familar scent, one that stirred his own anger and brought it brimming to the surface like a damn breaking and flooding a valley below.

"Damn it. Just what we need now." Inuyasha snapped, a low growl rumbling deep in his throat as he gripped the hilt of his sword, greatful he hadn't sheathed it. He'd be needing the Tetsusaiga finally, and he knew the perfect target to test it's power on. He was quickly approaching.

"Keh... that asshole Kouga is on his way. Why is he butting his nose into places where it doesn't belong? What does he want this time?" Inuyasha growled, his ears pressed flat against his head. At the mention of their father, and more importantly, his approaching arrival, Keikan and Kanan reacted quickly, jumping to their feet and dusting themselves off. It was an old habit, whenever their father was around, not to get caught fighting. Some pride issue the boys had, in one manner of speaking or another.

"Koyuki..." Kanan started, narrowing his green eyes at his sister. Strands of black hair fell over his forehead and into his eyes, which he pushed back without a second thought. Keikan's ponytail had come loose, and had fell down to his neck, until the two looked so startingly alike, only their eyes told them apart. Kaiya blushed, turning her attention to her brother, who was growling at the two boys, and trying to pull the leaves out of his hair, and brush the dirt free from his black mane.

"Keikan, Kanan, you both look...." Koyuki started, biting her bottom lip nervously. Miroku raised an eyebrow, curiousity filling up his eyes. Their strange behavior was very unusual, as if they were trying to hide something. Like children trying not to get caught sneaking something. Miroku glanced over at his companion, taking his statement into consideration. If Kouga were truely on his way, it wouldn't be long at all before he showed up. Maybe then some of their questions could be answered finally.

"Damn it. Do you have any idea how long it took for me to get this all up?" Keikan growled in irration, pulling his hair all the way down, the long black locks a mess of tangles and full of dirt and debris as he shook his hair out. Kanan held unto a bit of his dignity, pulling his hair down as well, and avoiding eye contact with anyone as he began picking at his own hair.

"My apologies. I shouldn't have acted so brashly..." Kanan started as Keikan glared at him.

"Don't worry about it Kanan. You both need to-" But Kaiya's train of thought was cut off as a familar whirlwind burst into the clearing, coming to a skidding halt, the brown wolf prince himself standing in the center as the dirt and dust cleared, one hand on his hip and a smirk across his lips.

"Inukurro. Where's Kagome?" Kouga demanded, his ice blue eyes locked on the white haired dog demon, not paying attention at first to the others. It took him a moment, before his eyes slid to the others, blinking in confusion, before his eyes narrowed in mistrust.

"Who are these losers? Friends of yours? Keh... "Kouga started, crossing his arms over his chest. He was just about to blow them off, and repeat his demand about the whereabouts of Kagome when something caught his eye. He turned his attention back to the three wolf demons he didn't recognize. His nose picked up their scent, though he didn't recognize it, there was something off about them. Plus, it was vague, but he smelled Kagome on them, all five of them.

Looking at the two black haired boys a shutter ran through him, the fur on his tail standing up as he narrowed his eyes, slightly baring his fangs without realizing it. There was something creepy about the two of them, and he didn't like it. And the girl... no he recognized her. His eyes widened for a moment as they trailed over the redhead's face, and her strange attire. She was wearing armor and fur, but it wasn't the same armor he expected her to be wearing. It was different than what he had last saw her in.

"Ayame? What the hell is going on? Who are these two morons?" Kouga asked, a slight growl in his tone. He was surprised as Ayame's eyes widened, as if she were shocked that he recognized her. He didn't know what was going on, but he wanted to get to the bottom of it, as quickly as possible.

"Wait... don't you recognize them Kouga? They claim to be your cousins." Miroku informed him, glancing at the trio in question. Kouga narrowed his eyes even further, taking a step towards the three as his growl became louder, more apparent.

"I've never seen these idiots in my life. They may be kin, but they're not my cousins. I don't have cousins." Kouga growled in mistrust.

Koyuki exchanged a nervous look with her brothers, Kanan was the only one who didn't look worried. Well, Keikan didn't look worried, he looked bored, as if he didn't care and this was all a waste of his precious time. Koyuki narrowed her green eyes on her brother, resisting the urge to backhand him. He wasn't helping the situation any. It was Kanan who finally spoke up, clearing his throat to draw his father's attention to him, as Keikan started pulling his hair back up into a ponytail.

"Well, no. We're distant cousins..." Kanan began. "Very distant." He finished with a smile, hoping his father would buy it, though he greatly doubted it. Kouga eyed him carefully, still not completely convinced, but his eyes widened in disbelief as they slid over to the other boy, who'd just finished securing his hair in a ponytail. He was almost a mirror image of himself, and that was even more disturbing.

"What the fuck is going on?!" Kouga cried, shifting his body into a fighting stance.

"Ah ha! I knew it!" Inuyasha cried, turning his attention to the kids as well. "I knew there was something fishy about all this! Who are you?!" Inuyasha cried, brandishing the Tetsusaiga, just itching to use the Wind Scar or the Backlash Wave.

"We told you who we are. We're very distant cousins from..." Koyuki began, wincing as her father's glare shifted to her.

"Nonsense Ayame! I don't know what the hell is going on, but it isn't going to work. I already told you, just go home, and stay home! I don't care about that stupid promise. I'm not gonna marry you, I love Kagome." Kouga snapped in anger. Koyuki's eyes began to water, not used to being yelled at by her father. It wasn't his fault, but it still wasn't anything she was used to.

Keikan and Kanan however, were very used to their father's outbursts and for a change were happy to see Koyuki on the receiving end, even if she didn't deserve it. But it did kinda pull any fun out of it, now that they thought about it.

"I'm not Ayame... " Koyuki trailed off, trying not to cry. Even if she and her brothers knew differently, it was hard hearing their father's rejection of their mother, even if Koyuki wasn't Ayame in the first place.

"Changing your hair isn't going to-" Kouga blinked suddenly, shutting up as he stared at her for a minute. "What?"

"Her name isn't Ayame. It's Koyuki." Keikan added, shaking his head. "God, what does Mom ever see in you?" He added under his breath.

"What did you say you whelp?" Kouga snapped, cracking the bones in his hand in threat. Keikan rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Nothing."

"You-!" Kouga began, but Miroku interceeded, a look of equal confusion upon his face.

"As amusing as all this is, you three said you were Kouga and Ayame's cousins, and yet, as Kouga has demonstrated, that isn't the case. Distant cousins, you say?" Miroku began, but it was apparent that he didn't exactly buy it.

"Yes... very distant... in the future." Kanan responded, keeping a wary eye on his father, who still looked like he was moments away from saying the hell with it and beating the hell out of him and his brother on principle.

"Bullshit. I don't care if you were his brother. You're just another wolf to me!" Inuyasha snapped, putting the Tetsusaiga away with a flourish, before turning on his heel and stalking away.

"Can we go back to the village and explain why we came here there? It's a long story...." Kaiya started, trotting after her father. Kaori glanced between Kouga and Keikan and Kanan before rolling his eyes, and following after his sister with a "morons" muttered under his breath.

"If you're not Ayame, then why do you look JUST like her? And why do YOU look like me?!" Kouga shot, his tail still rigged with anger.

"Must be dominate and recessive genes." Kanan answered in his flat calm tone as if it would explain everything. Kouga only blinked in confusion, lost and not sure what he was talking about. "I'll explain at the village Kouga."

Kanan said, before heading after Inuyasha and the others. Miroku got back on Kilala with Sango and took after the trio of hanyous. Koyuki paused before chuckling nervously, and jogging to catch up with the others, leaving Keikan and Kouga back a few yards. The two dominate male wolf demons growled back and forth at each other, before Keikan rolled his eyes, turned and followed the group.

Reluctantly, Kouga did the same.