InuYasha Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Down the Rabbit Hole ❯ The Gang's All Here ( Chapter 9 )

~*~AN~*~ Yes, that's right! Another post! My muse has taken hold of me and forced me to procrastinate on all other work while I get all of this out of my head. I hope you like ^^!

 

Quatre glared at Trowa for his poor taste in jokes.

 

“I meant that I wondered whether we were youkai or hanyou, and you know it.” Trowa held back a smirk to keep Quatre from getting even more annoyed with him. He could tell the poor empath was having a hard time accepting what was going on, and he was likely annoyed that Trowa was taking it so well. Little did he know that was exactly the case. They were both scanning their surroundings.

 

“It's growing close to sundown. We'd be better off setting up camp and exploring in the morning. Did Miss Higurashi put a map in that bag?” Quatre glanced back at Trowa. The young woman had handed the packed bag to Trowa, as his friend was still reeling from information overload, but neither had taken the time to look through what they had been given.

 

“If you'll start a fire I'll check through the bag and do inventory.” They set about their tasks, moving out of the openness of the field surrounding the well and into a small clearing just inside the nearby forest. Quatre collected some fallen branches and brush and Trowa settled in to root through the bag. He pulled every thing out and laid it out on the ground. They had been given one book, several scrolls, a folded map, flint, and wrapped breads and cheese for meals. He tossed the flint over to Quatre as he was readying to light the fire, but he just tucked it in a fold and pulled out a lighter. The Tora raised a brow at him.

 

“What? It's small enough to hide if I need to, and I'm not lighting a fire caveman style, whether I know how to or not.” Trowa just softly chuckled at him.

 

“Well, it seems we have a map. There are a few other documents about youkai and hanyou, but other than that there is just food, enough to last the two of us two days if we ration it correctly.”

 

“Only two day's worth?” Quatre settled down beside Trowa once the fire was going strong. It was already getting dark. “Where is the nearest destination on the map? Maybe we can trade for more food in a nearby town.”

 

“There are a few towns, and one is marked as having a Miko. The Western Lands are also closer than I would have expected. We could make it in three days if we pushed ourselves.”

 

~*~*~

 

The extended group of travelers was seated around a small table in the room that was normally reserved for meeting with Sesshomaru's council. The majority of the group members were quiet, but there was a rather involved argument going on.

 

“I have to go out to meet them! I can move faster than any of you now, so I can make the trip in a fraction of the time!”

 

“Duo, I don't want you going alone. You haven't tested these powers yet. You have no idea what kind of toll that type of travel will take. Wufei and I are going with you.”

 

The Kitsune snarled, puffing out his chest a bit in defiance.

 

“I can take care of myself! I fought in the war the same as you, and even before then I was a street rat that had to rely on my strength and instincts for survival!”

 

“Duo, please. Heero and I understand that, and we are not saying you cannot take care of yourself. We are simply saying that you need to be cautious with this new power, and you should have backup just in case.”

 

“This Sesshomaru agrees with your pack-mates, Duo-sama. It is not wise to push your power so soon.”

 

Duo glared at the Inu Lord, but did not show quite the same level of defiance as he has towards his own comrades. The conversation seemed to die off for a few moments as everyone tried to calm themselves. Duo settled on glaring off towards the East once again, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

 

“Excuse my intruding,” Miroku started, making sure everyone was paying attention, “but is there another way to travel that will allow a sort of compromise?”

 

“What do ya mean?” Inuyasha butted in. “You thinking about some type of spell or something?”

 

“No, no. Nothing like that. Sesshomaru-sama, how do you travel large distances with Rin-chan?”

 

Sesshomaru regarded the Houshi, not quite liking his familiarity with Rin, but brushing it off as he thought over the answer.

 

“This Sesshomaru has Rin ride on Ah-Un if we must take to the air. Otherwise we simply go on foot, or I leave her with Jaken.”

 

Inuyasha snorted, muttering under his breath about how Jaken couldn't possibly be a good caretaker for the child. He was weak for one thing, but he was also quite scatter-brained. Kagome seemed to nod slightly in agreement. Wufei leaned forward.

 

“Sesshomaru-sama, would you be willing to grant us use of this Ah-Un? I can take to the air, and even carry someone if necessary, but we will need supplies. I am not sure if Quatre and Trowa will be able to travel back with us at such speeds.”

 

“That can be arranged. When would you like to depart?”

 

Duo spoke up, with a hint of excitement in his voice, “As soon as possible. I seem to move faster the more shadows there are, so nightfall would be the ideal time and it's almost sundown now.”

 

“This Sesshomaru will have the servants prepare Ah-Un immediately, then.”

 

~*~*~

 

Ah-Un had been prepared quickly and a bag was filled with supplies for them. It was mostly food, but there were also a few camping supplies. Wufei took to the air in his Ryuu form, Duo took off on foot with his new found speed, and Heero traveled on Ah-Un with the bag of supplies. They traveled the entire night and covered enough ground to cut two days off their trip, but it left everyone exhausted. Wufei and Duo practically collapsed once they found a safe clearing to rest in. Heero had been given the opportunity to rest on the trip, so he agreed to stand watch over the small group while they took a few hours to rest up.

 

It was nearing noon when they were all ready to start out again, but this time they stayed on foot. They stayed on the path that Inuyasha often used to travel through the woods, so it was relatively safe for frequent travel. They only hoped their friends hadn't wandered in another direction.

 

They stopped to rest a few times during the day, as well as to eat lunch and dinner, but they continued to push themselves while on foot. They were nearing the well now, and they saw the light of a small fire in the distance as the sky grew darker.

 

~*~*~

 

Quatre and Trowa had taken turns sleeping and standing guard, but they were both up and ready with the sun. They had decided to head towards the Western lands. The Higurashi woman had said Lord Sesshomaru was an ally, and she had mentioned he was from the West. They figured they would head towards the person they had the greatest chance of tracking down, as it was most likely that he had the resources to help find their friends if they were not already in the West.

 

They had walked the entire day through the woods, only stopping for very short breaks and small rations of bread for meals. The both of them had found that their new forms allowed them to expend much more energy while not tiring nearly has quickly as they normally would have. As they walked they both explored their new senses and powers. Trowa had fought with his senses for a good part of the trip, often becoming distracted by new scents, noises, and movement off in the forest. Quatre found his sense of sight was keener than Trowa's, but they were equal when it came to hearing. The blonde was able to contemplate the exact species of youkai he might be, and his heart told him that he was a Hawk, or 'Taka'. It seemed to fit. Neither had tried to push their new powers past the physical strain of hiking or the sensory strain of scanning their surroundings.

 

They stopped for the night once again. Quatre had first watch while Trowa rested. It was only an hour or so into Quatre's watch that he saw figures approaching their fire light. He stood at the edge of their camp and gazed down the path, trying to determine who the travelers were. There were three who could pass for humans by their silhouettes, but they also had a rather strange beast with them. His senses were yelling at him. Two of these travelers were youkai, and the third was some kind of hanyou. Quatre's empathy also reared to the surface as he caught sight of a braid weaving back and forth from one of the silhouettes. Could it be Duo?! His heart told him it was, and that the others were Heero and Wufei. He quickly turned back to the fire.

 

“Trowa! Wake up, we have visitors. I think it's Duo, Heero, and Wufei!”

 

Trowa was awake instantly at the sound of his name and stood quickly, coming to stand at Quatre's side. He glanced out towards the small group approaching them and tilted his head to the side. He was able to get a bit better view in the night time as his eyes dilated to draw in additional light from the moon. He smiled once his sense of sight adjusted.

 

“It is them. Should we meet them, or let them come to us?”

 

“They will most likely need to rest, so we can let them come to our camp, though, I would not like to keep them guessing. Should one of us-”

 

Quatre froze when one of the figures, the one he believed was Duo, disappeared. He glanced at Trowa to see if he had also seen it, but he quickly turned back to the path as he heard footsteps much closer than they should be. Duo was standing only a few feet in front of them.

 

“Hey guys! Wow, is it good to see you! We were hoping you would either stay put or head towards the West. We didn't want to head out on a wild goose chase.”

 

“Duo! How...” Duo waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

 

“We'll get to all that in a minute. Why don't we just sit and catch up for a sec, alright?”

 

By then the others had caught up to their shadow-hopping friend and Wufei and Heero both had welcoming smiles on their faces.

 

“It is quite good to see you.” Wufei spoke. “I had hoped you would not run into any trouble before we found you. Those forms look good on you.”

 

“They do seem fitting, don't they?” Trowa replied. “Now what do we have here? Dragon, Wolf, and Fox?” Duo smiled wide.

 

“Yup! You know me, always the trickster! What else would I be, but a thrifty Kitsune?” Quatre chuckled.

 

“Yes, it is very fitting. And a Dragon seems very fitting for you, Wufei.”

 

“Does a Wolf not seem like a fitting form for me, or do you all just like Wufei and Duo more?” Heero was pretending to be offended, but he always spoke in such a deadpan manner that only his friends really ever got that he was joking. The four of them showed various expressions of amusement towards Heero while the Ookami flicked his tail back and forth in mock annoyance. Wufei leaned up against his side.

 

“Now, Heero, you know for a fact I like you best of all.” Duo snorted.

 

“Hey now, don't go sucking up, Lover-boy. As Alpha, Heero shouldn't play favorites, you know.” Duo and Wufei stared each other down over the issue as Heero rolled his eyes and stepped towards his other two friends. They all eventually settled around the fire to catch up a bit before setting up a guard and sleep schedule.

 

~*~*~

 

Inuyasha was not pleased that he was stuck in the Western castle with his brother until the others got back. They could technically start out towards a set destination and have Sesshomaru send the others after them once they returned, but he didn't like the idea of splitting the group up for any longer than they already were. He was getting used to the added man-power in his shard hunting group, and it made him less nervous about keeping the humans protected if they were attacked.

 

Of course, the Inu hanyou had managed to avoid even catching a glimpse of his brother the three days and three nights Duo, Heero, and Wufei were out to meet with their friends. Shingi was rather frustrated with the two brothers for not bothering to talk to one another when they had the chance, but he let it go for the time being and settled on watching over Rin and her new Kitsune playmate. Kagome accompanied him most of the time, keeping a mother's watchful eye on Shippou, so they had the opportunity to talk. The Inu youkai rather liked the Miko, and he thought she was a great potential mate for the younger Inu Lord. Though, he was rather confused as to why they had not yet mated, but that was a rather personal choice and it seemed they were headed in that direction anyway, so he let that go as well.

 

The youkai slayer and the Houshi often sat with Kagome, along with Kirara. The little feline youkai joined in on the game young Rin and Shippou played together quite a lot. Sesshomaru was only seen by that group when he came to see Rin later in the day. He would watch her play for a few moments before he called her in. He spoke briefly with the humans while they watched the children, but not enough to make them any more comfortable with his close presence. They had no idea where Rin was called off to when Sesshomaru came for her, but it was a rather simple and endearing task. She would sit and do her studies, with Sesshomaru to help her if she got stuck, and she most often talked him into telling her a story before dinner if she had done well.

 

As the sun set on the fourth night Sesshomaru was given word that their guests were close, with Ah-Un and two new youkai in tow. Shingi had already informed Inuyasha, and he and his group were already gathering in the Great Hall to meet them. The Inu Lord gathered Rin, who was already dressed for bed, but she was too excited knowing her Duo-sama was returning. Once they joined Inuyasha and the others in the Hall, Sesshomaru sent Shingi out to the gates to greet them.

 

It wasn't long before Shingi was able to smile in greeting at the approaching group. He bowed to their new guests and introduced himself.

 

“Welcome back Duo-sama, Heero-sama, Wufei-sama.” A bow of his head went along with each name. “And welcome, young Lords. You must be Quatre-sama and Trowa-sama. I am Shingi. I serve as Sesshomaru-sama's advisor in addition to watching over his young charge, Rin-sama.”

 

“Oh! So Rin is Sesshomaru's daughter?” Quatre asked. Duo cast him a minor glare, serving as a warning to use honorifics. The Taka quickly apologized. “Forgive me. I'm not used to speaking with honorifics. But it is true that Rin-chan is Sesshomaru-sama's daughter?”

 

Shingi nodded in acceptance of the younger blonde's apology. “They are not blood related, if that is your question. Rin is a human, but Sesshomaru saved her life and took her in. Come. I will take you to the castle where the others are waiting.”

 

They followed the Inu youkai through the gates and down the main road of the town. It was still fairly busy for night-time and lanterns were lit all over. The people of the town, all youkai from what Quatre or Trowa could tell, stopped to watch them as they passed by, but they did not give them as much attention as when their once forgotten Lord Inuyasha returned. The walk was short and they were soon standing before another set of doors. When they were opened the group could see everyone else that had come out to meet them. Shingi ushered them into the Great Hall as another servant led Ah-Un around the outside of the castle to the stables where he normally spent his days.

 

“Finally! You guys are back! I thought you were all fast now? What took you so long?” Duo's fur covered ear twitched in annoyance at Inuyasha's words.

 

“What are you talking about?! It took us three days, both ways! It normally would have taken six! And that's without all the rests you and your group like to take.” Inuyasha huffed in the Kitsune's direction, twitching his own ears in annoyance. The two were only half serious about needling each other.

 

“If my brother is finished with his outburst,” Sesshomaru glanced at Inuyasha briefly to see an annoyed glare being aimed his way. “Then this Sesshomaru would like to welcome our new guests.”

 

Quatre bowed politely and Trowa followed suit. The Taka thought it would be polite to introduce themselves.

 

“I am Quatre Winner. It is an honor, Sesshomaru-sama.”

 

“And I am Trowa Barton.” He gave another small bow instead of repeating what Quatre had already said.

 

“This Sesshomaru would also like to welcome the others back. There were no problems?”

 

“Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama.” Heero bowed politely, Wufei and Duo also doing the same. It was Duo that answered his question, though.

 

“There were no problems at all, Sesshomaru-sama. And Ah-Un is a good beast, thank you for letting us use him.”

 

“This Sesshomaru is glad to hear you were pleased with him. Shingi-san will show you where you will be staying for the night. Your rooms will be in the same wing as the others.”

 

As they began to follow Shingi and Sesshomaru through the halls, a few things were immediately evident to Quatre and Trowa.

 

One: Rin seemed like she was barely able to keep herself from tackling Duo. Instead, she hung back and hugged one of his legs quite fiercely before she bound back to Sesshomaru's side, looking back toward the group now and then with a smile on her face.

 

Two: Inuyasha seemed rather peeved that their welcome was cut short. They were certain the hanyou had many more questions for them, especially since they would most likely be traveling together in the near future. And it did not seem as though the two brothers got along very well at all.

 

Three: Quatre's empathy was telling him there was something in the works between Duo and Sesshomaru. The Inu Lord had watched closely as Rin had run towards Duo, but not out of concern for his young charge. The blonde was certain that Sesshomaru felt Rin was safe with Duo, but he had been eying Duo quite closely, as though he wished to speak with him. And Duo wasn't much better. His eyes were trained on the Inu Lord's back as they walked through the halls, and they even trailed after him once he and Rin split off from the group to head to their own rooms.

 

The morning was certainly going to prove interesting.