Catalyst by Kayla Khaos

Chapter One

Author's Note:

Okay! So! I have not written anything for a very, very long time. Well, at least not anything I've wanted to post online. (Don't believe me, check my other stories. They're about as old as...eh, they're old as crap.) On that note I will say this right now; while I am writing again there is a big chance that it will be long lengths of time between updates and apologize profusely ahead of time. I work full time in a call center and it's quite...draining.

Now, before I go any further, for Dokuga readers!

While it may not seem like it now, this IS a Sess/Kag fic! There are some things that have to be addressed first but it will get there! Also, since I had to make a new account on here due to being locked out of my old one, this version is a little behind. I will have it caught up to my posting of it on FanFic.net though from now on!

With that out of the way, here we go! This fic is not going to be cute or very happy. At all. Actually, I'm pretty sure by chapter three I'll be receiving flames like mad. But, I shall let you read for yourself and see. For any of my old readers who are seeing this new story, thank you for sticking around! For the new readers, I hope you enjoy!

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Catalyst

Chapter One

The summer air is thick with the sounds of birds, bugs, and the rustling of leaves as a strong breeze blows through the forest. The forest is alive with sounds, smells, and sights only this time of year could bring. There's a peacefulness in the air that has not been there for many years, not since the rise of the hanyou Naraku fifty years before, who would later put a lasting stain on the territory. But not even the beauty of the perfect summer day could calm the ensuing argument happening on the edge of the village that was nestled so closely to the bustling woods.

"I said you're not going and that's final damn it!" Not caring about his audience, Inuyasha unleashes the full volume of his voice with a snarl at the end for good measure. He's standing with his arms crossed over his chest, his face flushed with irritation as he glares down at the young miko who's glaring just as darkly at him.

"You're not the boss of me baka! I'm going with you and you can't force me to stay!" Standing a few feet away, Kagome stand with her hands on her hips with a furious glare on her own face. She's dressed in the garb of a miko and her hair that reaches her lower back now is flowing freely around her in inky black waves.

"The hell I can't! I'll just tie your ass to Goshinboku and leave it at that!" As he shouts he takes a few steps forward.

As the argument wages on, their audience tries to keep their humor to themselves. Kaede has paused in the act of sorting herbs, watching them in an amused fashion as she wipes sweat from her brow. Sango is holding her youngest child in her arms as she sways in place to sooth him, hopefully, into a nap as Miroku holds one of their daughters on his shoulders. The other children, Shippo and their other daughter among them, aren't paying attention to the fight at all and are instead darting in and out of the bushes near Kaede's hut in some game of their own making.

"Sango my dear, I think that Inuyasha may win this one." Smirking at his swaying wife, Miroku gives their daughter a little bounce that makes her squeak in amusement despite being so focused on the shouting hanyou.

"That, my husband, I highly doubt. Kagome isn't going to let him leave on this one by himself, not after what the messenger said." As she speaks, Sango makes faces at her infant son and he giggles at her despite his heavy eyes as he fights the inevitable nap.

"Nay child, I am going to have to agree with Miroku-sama. Inuyasha is unreasonably insistent this time." Sango frowns at Kaede as she speaks and Kaede finishes with a good humored grin.

"Why? Why can't I go this time?! I've gone with you on every other call we received, I've fought at your side when we did find trouble, and I've even saved your neck a few times now! Why is this time so different?!" Kagome's voice is so loud now that none of them could hope to keep up a conversation over it.

"Because this is something new! This isn't some measly little shit that's looking for a quick bite! I don't like the sounds of it and I don't want the person most important to me anywhere near it!" By the time he finishes, Inuyasha is almost as red as his haori. Suddenly, everyone is looking away and acting busy but he knows the damage is done and his blush deepens. Without another word he walks forward and grabs her shoulders with a low growl.

"Inu...Inuyasha?" He frowns and slowly puts his forehead against hers, still grasping her shoulders.

"Damn it Kagome. I can't take you with me. Don't you get it? This isn't normal and I can't risk taking you with me when I have no idea what I'll be facing." His voice is so quiet she can barely hear him, but she feels her throat tighten and her eyes prickle.

'You idiot Kagome! He's just worried about you!' The thought is shaming and she closes her eyes and leans closer to him. She can smell the sent of the woods on him and it makes her smile despite the argument. With a sigh she leans back and looks up into his eyes smiling as he takes a step back.

"Alright, I'll stay home this time. But if you're not home in three days I'm coming to look for you; alone if I have to." Inuyasha frowns but knows that it's the best he's going to get so he nods.

"Fine. I'll be back in two wench." He smirks at her teasingly and she laughs as she pats him on the shoulder.

"Uh huh, sure you will be. Now, you'd better fix your attitude because we're about to have company."

"What? Who...?" But his question is cut off by a familiar cry from the sky above them and he releases her shoulders as he looks up.

"Kagome neechan! Inuyasha-sama!" In the sky, they can see the familiar form of Ah Un descending with Rin on their back and naturally, Sesshoumaru is gliding down alongside them on his youki cloud. Inuyasha frowns slightly, but Kagome smiles knowingly at the knowledge that it's not his half sibling's presence but the formal title from Rin that earns such a look.

"How many times do I gotta tell the brat to not call me that?" He says it under his breath but Kagome hears him and leans in to whisper back.

"Oh quit it. You know she only says it to be respectful." She's biting back a full blown smile as she speaks.

"Keh, whatever. Makes me feel old." His reply makes her cover her face with the effort of not bursting into uncontrollable laughter. Quickly powering through the giggles, Kagome raises up her hand and waves at the young girl.

"Rin-chan!" Looking down, she sees Shippo come bolting out of the bushes with Sango and Miroku's brood behind him. He's getting taller finally and almost reaches her waist now but Kagome shakes her head when she remembers that they agree he "absolutely" is up to her waist now.

"Shippo-chan!" Rin dismounts from Ah Un and runs over to her playmate, her gap toothed smile beginning to fill in from what Kagome can see. She's dressed in a plain blue kimono since her last visit when her original orange and white one was ruined. Her side ponytail is gone now too and her hair flies freely as she runs to Shippo and embraces him without pause. Since Kagome had first reappeared Sesshoumaru had begun bringing Rin to spend a few days with them. When prompted, he had told her that Rin was getting to the age where she need to be around other human females and Kagome had quickly understood. Of course, the other reason was that Rin was also at the age where a disgruntled imp, a dragon, and the cold taiyoukai were not the most entertaining company anymore.

The two friends chatter as the adults look on, Sesshoumaru leaving Ah Un in a nearby open field as he approaches them.

"Keh, nice warning you give us when you show up." Sesshoumaru merely glances at Inuyasha, his expression firmly blank.

"I should not imagine it is an inconvenience." Inuyasha frowns at him.

"Yeah well, you'd be..."

"No no! It's fine! We love having Rin with us from time to time." Kagome smiles up at Sesshoumaru, blatantly ignoring the look from Inuyasha that says they'll be having a talk later. They stand in silence a few more moments and Kagome watches as Rin and Shippo quickly start a game with the other village children.

"Inuyasha, there are some matters we must discuss." Both Inuyasha and Kagome turn to look at Sesshoumaru when his tone leaves no room for argument, and see that he's looking away towards the woods. Kagome quickly catches on and nods her head before walking towards the children.

"You two go talk. I'll supervise the children for now." She walks down the small hill with a wave of her hand, hair fluttering in the wind, as the children notice her and wave her down. Laughing, she picks up the pace and goes to join in on the game. Without another word, the two brothers walk towards the woods. They walk in silence for a time, long after the sounds of the playing children and Kagome's laughter fade behind them. Finally, they come to stop at the base of Goshinboku and Inuyasha turns to face the elder youkai.

"Alright, what's so important that it couldn't be said in front of Kagome and the brats?" He frowns at Seshoumaru with his arms crossed. In contrast, Sesshoumaru simply stares at him and remains relaxed.

"You are leaving without the miko." Inuyasha snorts.

"Well, definitely not what I thought this would be about. So what? Yeah, I have to leave her behind for her safety. The wench gets into trouble too easily and I don't like the sounds of this latest issue." As he speaks, Sesshoumaru observes him silently and he can see that his hanyou sibling is more agitated that he is letting on.

"If you leave her, she could find 'trouble' on her own just as easily." Inuyasha's ears flatten against his head and he lets out a soft growl.

"Keh, I know that but she can handle herself most of the time." Still, he looks concerned and has the thought that maybe she'd be safer with him after all.

"There are ways you can ensure her safety while you are not here." Inuyasha's ears snap back up and he looks at Sesshoumaru with wide eyes, looking much younger than before, and Sesshoumaru sees a flash of the young boy he'd often followed in the woods.

"What? How?" Sesshoumaru looks away with a small frown.

"You know about the marks between mates of course, yes?" At this, Inuyasha flushes almost as red as his haori.

"Well yeah but we haven't..."

"There are similar marks that can be made. The miko is your chosen is she not?" This time Inuyasha only nods, face still flushed but he's focused on his sibling's words. "There is a mark that can be given to a chosen female that will not only leave your scent on her to warn off those who would attempt to challenger your claim, but it would also alert you to when she is in danger or under extreme duress."

They stand in silence for a few moments, Sesshoumaru still looking away thoughtfully as Inuyasha stands motionless in shock. Suddenly he snaps back with a frown and crosses his arms again.

"Why haven't I known about this before? You've never really told me much about youkai ceremony and the like but why didn't Myoga..."

"It was not his place. These things, especially in inuyouaki, are to be passed between blood members. I have not told you of these things before now because there was no need. But if you're going to jaunting around the countryside while leaving your intended behind..."

"It's not like I want to damn it!" Sesshoumaru continues talking as though the interruption never occurred.

"...then something must be said. Your circumstances with the girl are not what is considered normal in youkai society."

"And why the hell is that?" Sesshoumaru finally looks back to him with a quirked brow.

"Once most youkai, namely inuyoukai, choose an intended mate they quickly act upon it. You, little hanyou, have not and are therefore placing your miko in a dangerous and...degrading situation." Inuyasha's ears flatten against his head again.

"Dangerous and degrading how?" Sesshoumaru gazes at him for another long moment before answering.

"It is dangerous because your scent covers her and yet she has no marks indicating your claim. It does not help that you two have...a reputation after the destruction of Naraku. There are those who would try to capture the girl for themselves simply for her power or to corrupt her." A low growl comes from Inuyasha at this and he begins to pace the clearing in the shade of Goshinboku. Then, Sesshomaru continues with a slight tightening around his eyes, "It is degrading to your miko because while your scent covers her, she is not marked in any way. Therefore, any youkai who may come across her would assume that she is simply...a toy to you."

'Damn it. I've been leaving her unprotected without evening realizing it. Dragging her around the area to these summons aren't helping either as people begin to learn her name and what she can do . And degrading her? How could anyone think Kagome would allow something like that!' He stops pacing and lets out a sigh of irritation.

'This life isn't what she's meant to live. Five hundred years in the future she was safe and didn't have to deal with all this crap. But now, she's stuck with a hanyou like me and I can't even protect her or her honor right.'

"Inuyasha, it is your decision but as the taiyoukai of these lands and your only remaining blood member I can show you what must be done." Inuyasha looks back to Sesshoumaru, searching for any sign of deceit. When he finds none, he sighs in resignation and nods.

"Alright bastard. What do I need to do?

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"Kagome-sama!" Kagome spins in place, her hair swirling around her in the late afternoon sun, and she can see Miroku at he top of the hill carrying his youngest child.

"What is it Miroku?" The children gather around her, waiting his reply as they catch their breaths.

"Inuyasha is back and Sango says dinner is almost ready! You are still eating with us tonight aren't you?" Kagomes and waves up at the monk.

"Yes, we are! I'll be up shortly with the children!" At her words, the children reach and grasp onto her hands and clothes as they begin to lead her up the hill. She laughs at their antics but follows Rin and Shippo as they lead her and the village children back up the hill. As they reach the top, Kagome stops and looks back at the sun as it begins to set.

'No matter how many times I see them, I'll never quite get over the beauty of sunsets here.' The children have released her and she can hear the villagers calling them home for their own dinners. The wind picks up, making her hair dance, and she brushes it from her face as she smiles softly and turns back to the village. When she turns around fully, she finds Inuyasha standing a short distance away. His hands are in his sleeves, his shoulders tense, but he looks strangely peaceful as he gazes at her.

'How can I imagine a world where Kagome never came back just because I want her safe?' Watching her now, Inuyasha can feel how she belongs there, belongs with him, and despite his conversation with Sesshoumaru he suddenly feels like he's doing something right for once in his life. She stands there watching him with a soft smile, the golden light of the sunset bursting from behind her in a glorious aurora.

"Inuyasha? Are you okay?" She doesn't move but her voice snaps him out of his trance and Inuyasha snorts lightly.

"We're gonna be late for dinner." Kagome laughs and shakes her head as she begins walking toward him.

"Always thinking with your stomach. You're just lucky your a hanyou because no human could eat the way you do and not..." She had kept walking past him expecting him to follow like he always did, but she turns around to see him just watching her silently again. Cocking her head to the side she questions him silently. After a few moments he visibly shakes himself and walks towards her.

"Come on. Sango will skin us alive if we're late for dinner." With another laugh, Kagome follows him up the hill to where Miroku and Sango's home sits on the edge of the village. They come inside to warmth and laughter, seeing Sango swaying around the main room with her daughter on her hip as the girl giggles shrilly. Kagome laughs at their antics and steps forward with her hands out to hold the little girl. Seeing her aunt, the girl squeals and reaches for her.

"Gome! Gome!"

"That's a good girl! Come see Aunti 'Gome!" Kagome grasps the little girl and begins to sway with her just like Sango had been previously, laughing in tandem with the girl. Miroku steps into the room with their infant son in his arms and their other daughter at his side. She too squeals and runs up to Kagome as well. Inuyasha watches from just inside the door as she kneels down with the twin girls in front of her, both girls grasping onto her sleeves and playing with her hair as she laughs.

'To think, after the past, we're all standing here laughing and enjoying ourselves.' He lets a small smile crack on his face as two more small bodies scuffle in behind him and quickly fly past him. Rin and Shippo have leaves in their hair but their cheeks are rosy as they too run up to Kagome.

'One day those might be our pups surrounding her.' As if she could hear his thoughts, Kagome looks up and meets his eyes with a brilliant smile and waves him over. Sango calls for dinner as he walks forward and all the children scramble to sit near Kagome.

'Nothing can ruin this. Not anymore.' Sitting down next to Kagome, Inuyasha leans over and begins to strike up conversation with Miroku as he piles food onto his plate. Kagome watches him out of the corner of her eye, surprised at the sudden peacefulness in his gaze despite his impending depature at dawn.

"He seems to be in high spirits this evening." Blinking owlishly, Kagome looks over to see Sango sipping her tea with a quirked brow.

"Yeah, he does doesn't he?" Kagome laughs and takes a sip of her own tea.

"Is there a...particular reason for that Kagome?" Sango wiggles her eyebrows slightly in emphasis causing the other girl to flush furiously and choke on her tea. Setting down the cup, Kagome reaffirms the children are paying attention to their food and each other before leaning closer to Sango.

"No! Being married to a hentai has certainly started to make you one too!" Sango shrugs but laughs in response before she leans over and wipes a glob of rice from her daughter's face.

"Well, I was bound to pick up some habits. But that is beside the point and you know it." Sighing, Kagome sees where this is heading.

"Sango, you know that we..." Sango waves her hand dismissively.

"Yes, and we decided to wait to have children. I'll leave you alone but you've already waited so long just to be together." Her tone ends with concern and Kagome smiles at her friend.

"Waiting longer to...well, do that isn't that big of a deal then. We have our reasons, just trust in that." A crash ends the conversation when the twins knock over one of the bowls. With a good humored sigh, Sango stands up and goes for a cloth to wash up the mess. Kagome shakes her head and goes back to her food but puts it back down again when she catches the end of Inuyasha's sentence.

"...kid said it was shadows, whatever the hell that means." Looking down, Kagome picks at her food but keeps her ears trained to the conversation beside her over the noise of the children.

"Shadows? How could shadows do such damage to a village?" She hears a small sigh from Inuyasha.

"That's what he said. I may not understand it but...the kid was pretty messed up over it." She can hear Sango talking with the twins about not playing with their food and takes a bite of her own to keep busy. Miroku and Inuyasha stay silent for a moment but as she takes a sip of tea Miroku speaks in a quieter tone that she can barely hear.

"So this is why you want me to make sure Kagome does not leave the village if you do not return in three days." A sinking feeling steals her appetite at her words and she pushes her bowl away from her.

"...yeah. If something goes wrong, she can't follow me. Do whatever you can to keep her here." Inuyasha's tone is quiet and contemplative, worsening the sick feeling in her stomach.

"Aunt 'Gome, are you okay?" Kagome's head snaps up when she hears one of the twins call her name and she can see both girls staring at her oddly, quickly making Shippo and Rin look at her as well. She laughs and waves her hand.

"Oh! I'm fine Sora-chan! I'm just not very hungry tonight is all!" She laughs again but she knows the adults in the room have been alerted to something amiss. Sango comes back over to the table wiping her hands and gives her a questioning look but Kagome shakes her head with a pointed look to her right. Sango's eyes widen and she nods in understanding before sitting down at the table. Then Kagome feels a clawed hand slowly rest over her own and she looks over at Inuyasha with a bright smile.

"We can go home if you're not feeling well." Inuyasha's concern is out of character for him and she feels guilty for making him worry but she shakes her head and lightly clenches his hand.

"I'm fine, really. Besides, we wanted to tell the children stories by the fire the next time Rin was here right? Don't want to ruin that!" Letting go of his hand abruptly, Kagome looks back to Sango and starts a conversation about something the twins had done earlier while playing with the other children. Inuyasha frowns at the back of her head, smelling the lie in the air, but decides to let it go. He and Miroku continue eating in silence for a few moments before starting their own conversation about possibly fortifying the defenses around the village before the summer gets too warm, but his mind wanders to Kagome's dismissive mood.

'Keh, I'll find out later. She's never been good at lying.'

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Long after the fire's embers had burned low and all the children had gone to bed at Sango and Miroku's home, Inuyasha sits up in the highest branches of Goshinboku alone. Distantly, he can hear Kagome humming in their own home as she lays out the bedding for the night. Without looking he knows she's laying out bedding for two despite knowing he won't sleep next to her.

'Not yet. After this, maybe...maybe we can talk about calming down with the youkai hunting. But not yet.' Sighing, he looks skyward in frustration. His hands are buried in his sleeves, his claws gripping into his wrists but he doesn't feel the pain as he watches the skies.

'We can't, not until it's safe enough for her. She doesn't know what this world is really like.' Images flash through his head, old memories and new ones alike. Memories of his mother crying as the humans around her ridiculed her and the young son she tried so hard to protect, memories of the hanyou he'd encountered over the years and the ridicule they faced, and most recently, the memory of Sesshoumaru's parting words for the day.

"Any child born to you and the miko would be born hanyou. Our bloodline is too strong not to provide anything less for many years."

Inuyasha lets out a small growl and hangs his head, shoulders hunched and his arms free of his sleeves. He stares at his claws through his bangs, thinking of all the times he had to defend himself with those claws from humans and youkai alike who despised his mix blood.

'Could I really do that to a child? To Kagome? She'd never understand that hatefulness, she'd...' He cuts the thought off with a shake of his head. He knows Kagome will come looking for him soon if he doesn't come say goodnight and growls at the thought of her wandering around in the dark. He leaps from the tree and keeps leaping tree to tree the short distance to their home.

It was once an empty house that had sat vacant for many years. None of the villagers wanted to live so far from town and there were rumors it was haunted by a youkai spirit. They'd moved into it shortly after Kagome had returned to his time and had been working on it ever since. It was nowhere near a real home, or a home that Kagome deserved, but as he landed in the clearing and saw the house he realized that he had grown attached to it simply because it was theirs. But as he walks towards the house, a scent he hadn't noticed before reaches his nose. He quickly observes the house and the area but doesn't find anything amiss. Instead, he slowly walks to the house and stands just out of side near a window.

'She's crying.' Inside he can hear her muffled cries and realizes she's trying to hide it somehow with a blanket or pillow. 'She's crying and she's trying to hide it from me.'

"Inuyasha..." His ears twitch when he hears her whisper muffled into the same fabric as her tears.

"Why...why don't you get it?" His ears flatten at the sudden anger and he sinks a little further into the darkness near the house. He hears her sob a few more times before there's a rustling noise and he can hear her sniffling clearer.

"Inuyasha no baka. All I want is to make sure you come home safe. Because...you're all I have here. If something were to happen..." Suddenly, guilt claws at his insides and his breath stills in his chest. Without thinking, he whirls around and walks into the house and immediately goes to the small back room where she sleeps. She's facing away from him sitting on the futon but turns when he comes in and he can see she's been crying for awhile. She's wearing a sleeping yukata and one should is hanging low in the candlelight. He can see where she was laying before she sat up and her hair is mussed like she'd already been to sleep. Her blue eyes are wide and he realizes she had no idea he was going to even come back tonight.

'Baka she thinks that I'd leave without telling her goodbye?'

"Inuyasha, I..." She stops when he walks towards her, his face set in a frown. Slowly he sits down next to her but facing the opposite direction. Wordlessly he sighs and leans his head on her shoulder.

"You know why I have to do this." She looks towards the wall, her back straight in shock. She vaguely wonders about his sudden outpouring of affection during the past day but shakes it off knowing she needs to answer him.

"I know. It doesn't make it any easier that you're going alone when you know I could help you." She turns her head and lays it onto his. They sit silently for a few moments, listening to each other breathe and not knowing what else can be said.

"Kagome?" Her eyes were growing heavy in the silence and she blinks away her exhaustion.

"Hmm? What is it?" She can feel him wanting to move so she sits up first and turns to look at him as he sits up as well. He still doesn't look at her but she can see his face a little more clearly. His jaw is tight in a way that she knows he's debating saying what he wants to say.

"Whatever it is, you'll feel better when you get it off your chest." She sees him nod slowly, just once, before he lifts his head and looks over his shoulder at her. His eyes are softer than usual, just like they usually are once they're home away from the others, but there's a nervousness in them she's not used to seeing.

"I know...a way that will make this easier on both of us." She cocks her head to the side in question, not wanting to speak for fear of making him lose his own resolve to speak. He turns to face her fully and she can see that whatever it is has him worried. She waits for him to continue and doesn't have to wait long.

"I've told you about mating marks and what they're meant to do." He makes it a statement and she nods. Looking away again, he frowns before continuing. "There are other types of marks a youkai can use for different purposes."

"But I thought..." He shakes his head.

"Just listen for a moment okay?" She bites her lip to keep herself from talking again. He doesn't look back at her right away but when he does his ears flatten against his head and the worried look comes back.

"There's a type of...protection mark that I can give you. You'd have some of my healing but only when you're extremely injured and any youkai who comes across you would know that you're under my protection." He stops but she can tell there's more and she reaches out to hold his hand with her own. He stares down at their hands as he takes a breath and continues.

"It would also let me know when you're in trouble. I'd feel what you're feeling in an emergency and would know to come home. It...it also tells any youkai that you're...my intended..." He blurts out the last part quietly and she clenches his hand as she starts. He's still staring at their hands and he clenches her hand, waiting for her response. When it comes, his head snaps up and his eyes are wide.

"Do it. If it will make you feel better about my safety, do it. But, if you're hesitating because of what it will mean for us then..." She stops when he frowns at her and leans forward.

"That ain't got nothing to do with it and you know it." She smiles softly, clenching his hand again.

"I know. I'm sorry Inuyasha." He snorts and rolls his eyes but doesn't loosen his hold on her hand.

"Nothing to be sorry about baka. But..." He looks away again and Kagome sighs before reaching out with her free hand to grab his chin and force her to look at him.

"What is it now?" Inuyasha looks at her, searching for any nervousness or judgment, but speaks when he finds none.

"The marking...it's not easy and...well, damn it the process hurts like hell for humans." He pointedly looks away even though she's still holding his chin. Now Kagome snorts and shakes his chin so he looks at her again.

"So be it! We made a promise remember? Whatever helps me stay with you and makes you feel better about my safety, then do it damn it!" He blinks in shock at the last part but quickly relaxes with a small smile.

"I remember. Are you sure?" He leans closer and brushes her cheek with his knuckles. She closes her eyes, completely trusting him.

"Yes, I am." He leans down and rests his head against her collarbone, her arms coming up to wrap him in an embrace.

"Stay with me?" His voice is almost a whisper but she hears it and smiles as she runs the fingers of one hand through his hair.

"Forever." She feels him smirk against her collarbone.

"Forever."

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Khaos: Aww so cute and fuzzy...for now.

Dun dun DUUUUN!