InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Blue Anshan ❯ Seeking 13 – The Return ( Chapter 17 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

The Blue Anshan

By Alesyira

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho are not mine. I made a few OCs to fill in my gaps.

Summary: Home again, but the adventures never end. Or do they?

Chapter Rating: M. This one gets a little rough.

Author's Note: Reviews are free and keep my little fingers writing :)

Arc 2 - Seeking 13 – The Return

farewells

1516

It's not like I was counting the days / seasons / years between when Hachi dropped me off on that foreign beach and when I eventually made it back home. Time had passed quickly. I learned much, grew more, and made many friends in the community that I would consider family for the next few centuries.

But I had human family members that wouldn't be around forever, and my curiosity about their well-being eventually nudged me into leaving my new responsibilities behind for a time. Angara was probably the most irate of the bunch when I announced my intentions to go, but eventually she stopped clinging to my ankle like a troublesome leech and allowed me the space I'd need to escape.

Hu hadn't said as much, but I knew she'd been itching to leave for a while and had probably stayed out of obligation to ensure nothing else happened to risk my life while I'd been following her guidance.

I wondered if I'd feel similarly obligated to make sure she didn't get into trouble while staying with Miroku and Sango. I snickered, imagining the mischief she'd no doubt cause, but then became somber once I realized how much time had passed for my very human friends.

The urgency to return home grew.

"We'll send for you if you're needed."

I looked up at the towering khan and smirked. "Sir, if you actually need my help with anything, I'll know the world is coming to an end."

He laughed at me and ruffled my hair like I was a tiny kit. "Shippo, not even the best of us can overcome the whole world single-handedly. Those that stand together, live together. Come back some day. Your mischief will undoubtedly be missed."

o-o

Ah, my overseas adventure—the prequel to my adulthood, part one, to be continued!—felt as though it were close to its end. The journey with Hu back to Japan was, sadly, the least eventful months of the whole time I'd spent with her. That is, until about two days after we arrived in my home country. Over the course of that day, she became increasingly distracted until we stopped in the middle of a clearing. Insects chittered noisily as a warm breeze whipped the grasses into a frenzy.

"Shippo, I must go." Her attention was focused on the hills to the north, and her entire body shivered in sudden anticipation.

I stared at her in disbelief. "…like, you'll be right back, or go go?"

She blinked, glancing back at me in a moment of confusion, then giggled. "I must go go go," she grinned, stepping back to my side to give me a long hug.

My eyebrows probably did some interesting acrobatics as I bounced between surprise that she'd suddenly want to part company and confusion as to why she'd want to leave me. After ten years of her near-constant companionship, it was hard to imagine it not being a thing anymore. But then I remembered: she had someone she hoped to find.

She pulled back and held me at arm's length, looking into my eyes with concern. "Will you make it home safely without me there to escort you through danger?"

I laughed and poked her in the side. "I'll be fine without you holding my hand."

She leaned forward and pecked me on the nose. "We will see each other again, I am sure. This land is not so big."

We turned together and looked to the north. I reached out to snag her hand and squeezed it gently. "Do you think he's near?"

She pursed her lips, tilting her head to the side. "I do not know. But something is different. I want to know what it is." She paused, and I could hear the hesitation in her offer, "You can come with me, if you'd like."

"Do you want me to come with you?" I wasn't in a complete rush to get home, but if she ended up finding her favorite person, I didn't want to intrude on their reunion. I could picture how that might go. 'Yeah, I played with your soulmate. She's nice. Want some tea?'

Awkward.

She looked at me sideways and gave me a half-smile. "Maybe not this time."

I nodded and pulled her close for one final hug. I hoped she found what she was looking for.

bittersweet

Before I'd left, many young children with spiritual awareness had traveled to meet and study with Kikyo and her aging sister Kaede. For many years after the jewel had been sealed and sent away in time, the sisters warmly told the tale of a mysterious girl who'd given years of her youth to a quest that she had no true obligation towards, and people would visit from near and far to hear the legend.

My breath left me in a relieved sigh as the shrine finally came into sight. The village had prospered over the years I'd been away. Familiar scents on the breeze sang of the home I'd been missing for too long. The priestess that stepped into sight at the top of the stairs leading to the shrine was the first of Kikyo's apprentices that I had met before I'd left. Noriko. She'd shown promise back then. She was now an older lady with a young apprentice of her own. Their greeting was somber and bittersweet.

Kaede-sama had passed away six years ago. One quiet morning shortly after her death, Kikyo left without a word, never to be seen or heard from again. Some in the village whispered that she had finally returned to the grave from whence she'd come, but when the hanyou, Inuyasha, vanished as well, the story grew into a fanciful tale of his timeless love and eternal vigil over her final resting place.

Noriko knew what had actually happened. Kikyo had prepared her for the day that she would have to leave them. Hell, I had known what would happen, but the timing had completely slipped my mind. Inuyasha had told me everything before I'd left to go on my great adventure.

Many of our friends hadn't known the truth and went in search of the missing pair, but their trail faded not far from the shrine. They didn't have hope to find them again.

Inuyasha had arranged something with Kouga and Sesshoumaru to have patrols sent by every so often, and then he'd just vanished. Abandoned his self-proclaimed duty to the shrine and the people of their village.

Knowing why they'd left didn't stop the anger I felt. Kaede had died while I was away. I'd never see her wrinkly old face again. I'd never tend herbs in the garden with my two second-favorite mikos.

Was the price Kikyo had paid worth it?

Was his choice to leave the village behind the right one?

I sighed. My anger couldn't last as I recognized my hypocrisy.

I'd left them all behind for over ten years to chase whatever my little heart desired. And with the jewel gone (probably for good), what need was there for any heavy protection for the shrine or the village?

There were only the remnants of our times spent together

A shrine to protect the strange well from the elements

Tending and honoring the great god tree

Passing down tales of heroics and cautionary stories for children to avoid handling (and breaking) mysterious magical items.

The two mikos were happy to see me return home. They asked for stories of far away lands and the strange people I'd befriended. I stayed perhaps a bit longer than I'd intended to, but I was feeling a bit like a coward. I'd already been presented with the reality of the death or disappearance of several people I'd loved. I was afraid to go and discover that Sango or Miroku had met a similar fate.

I promised myself I would go later. Soon.

I spent a few months being lazy at the shrine, listening to the children laugh and play, the elders telling stories, wind chimes tinkling in the breeze, traveling merchants selling their simple wares to the people living in that small measure of peace.

Until it wasn't peaceful.

hama-no-ya

1517

A pudgy kappa messenger came scrambling up the hill in a wild panic, gasping for breath and waving away villagers that tried to help him. The thin tufts of hair on his mottled green head had slicked down with the sweat that poured from him in small rivulets as he wheezed, "Miko-sama, miko-samaaaa!"

The apprentice, Hisako, met the youkai messenger just outside the main shrine building and ushered him inside to speak with Noriko. I didn't bother moving from my spot lazing along the rooftop because I could hear everything that was said just fine.

"Miko-sama, I bring word. There is a dark presence attacking youkai to steal their energy! Rumors say it is a black miko!"

"But you are not certain this is the case?" she asked, and I could hear the nearly imperceptible trembling in her voice.

The youkai whispered fearfully, "I have not seen her with my own eyes, but none of our scouts have returned home and so many bodies have been found throughout the land, drained of their magics. Miko-sama," the little youkai begged, "we did not know where else to turn."

Noriko hummed in agreement and I heard the floor creak as she paced the length of the shrine building. "If it indeed is a black miko, her evil must be purified."

I rolled my eyes and fluffed my bangs, enjoying another moment of relaxing sunshine. They meant well, but neither of them could hold a candle to Kagome or Kikyo. I slid from my spot on the tiled roof and landed in a smooth crouch on the walkway outside the building. "I'll go see what I can do."

"Shippo-sama!" The apprentice Hisako tripped over herself in surprise at my sudden appearance and got a frown from the elder at her lack of attention. The tiny messenger plastered his face to the floor in a shivering bow.

These people were too much. "Stop, stop…" I said, waving my hands at their expressions. I helped the little messenger back to his feet. "Look, it's no big deal, and quit calling me -sama. I'm probably the best person to at least go take a look, and maybe take care of that kind of trouble."

There was something about being home that made me feel extra heroic. It probably didn't help that I was hanging around these people that looked up to me like I was the most important person there, thanks to some probably embellished stories about our adventure years ago. I felt like so much more here than while Hu and I had traveled around the mainland looking for answers.

I planted my hands on my hips and started down at the little messenger expectantly. "Now, where am I headed?" He rattled off a few directions and stuttered over any extra details he could think of, and then I felt ready to go play hero again. (Or at least scout for a few answers.)

But first… "Can one of you ladies give me a boost?" I smirked with a lascivious wink. Hisako blushed and looked to the elder for guidance. Noriko pressed a palm to her forehead and sighed wearily.

"A boost, Shippo-sama?" Hisako asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Just Shippo. Yes, I'll take either a kiss or a hama-no-ya."

"Um," she blinked and blushed harder.

I sighed dramatically and stepped closer. Her eyes widened in surprise but she didn't step back. "A kiss, or you can shoot me. Either will work." Her mouth dropped open in a delightful combination of interest and astonishment. This girl was just too cute.

She said nothing, but her eyes darted to Noriko again. I turned my back on them both. "Kissing is much more fun, but I'll understand if you prefer shooting me to preserve your maidenly dignity."

"Shippo-sama," the elder miko warned, "Do not force us to banish you from the shrine grounds."

I laughed and skipped away. "I'm playing!" These ladies were so much fun to tease. "I just need a quick purification in case I have to fight this monster." I puffed out my chest and posed heroically. "I'm special." I wagged my finger at them. "You'll regret not snagging your chance at a kiss, though."

The elder miko picked up her bow. "Are you certain you want a hama-no-ya shot at you?"

"Shoot at that tree, I'll just catch it," I clarified, pointing over my shoulder at a trunk behind me to the side. She shrugged and aimed with her arrow, feeling more comfortable that she wasn't shooting directly at one of the heroes of their village stories.

Now, I hadn't technically tried taking in a gift of miko-ki before, but I figured as long as it was given… It should work like every other time I'd received energy from outside sources. Kagome's magic had kept my spirit so damned light that there just wasn't anything that could be purified. (Probably.) Although, purifying magic wasn't the only thing mikos could do.

"Just purifying, please, I'd rather not try my hand at sealing power just yet," I laughed. She gave me a stern look that reminded me strongly of Kaede and a pang of nostalgia swept through me.

I stopped teasing her and waited for her to loose the arrow. It shimmered with pale pink energy as it shot toward the tree, and I snapped my hand out to snatch it from its path. The energy burned up my palm and sank into my skin, and the wisp of Kagome's … whatever it was … bloomed around my heart to embrace the sweet purity. I closed my eyes with a shudder.

That felt a little too nice, like cinnamon candy for my spirit. Yum.

I peeked at the miko watching me with concern and wondered if she'd be willing to... Hm… never mind. That train of thought would probably end up leading me down some scary (and inappropriate) paths.

I cleared my throat and handed Noriko her arrow with a smirk. "Don't try that on just anyone, you might end up killing the next poor fool." The two priestesses stared up at me, baffled. "You've got some bite there," I added, rubbing the pale pink burn along my palm from catching the arrow shaft.

I saluted them both before I turned to leave. "I'll be back later. Don't wait up for me!"

black

Me snagging a bit of spare magic wasn't all for show. A black miko was like the worst of youkai and miko jumbled up into a nasty (usually crazy) mess. It would require some creative thinking and a hefty dash of something pure. And if this black miko was stealing youki from poor souls, then she'd find a nasty surprise from my fancy mix.

I followed the little kappa's clues to the west, through familiar forests and along a stream I'd seen a dozen times. After a day of running, I started to pick up signs that I had neared my quarry. I didn't intend to attack the black miko unless absolutely necessary. If I could get some information about her plans, I'd be able to… well. I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I'd get help or plan an ambush or something. But reconnaissance first to figure out what was going on. Maybe the rumors had been wrong and it was something else, entirely.

I heard a few youthful voices bickering ahead as I crept through the treetops. One was rummaging through the pockets of someone that had died a messy death. "Kimi-sama needs us to hurry! Haven't you found anything yet?"

"Ch - how about you try shuffling through all this blood and see how fast you can find anything!"

"But I'm starving!"

"Go back to that village then!"

"No! What if Kimi-sama needs us?"

"Then you won't be here and I'll get the honor of helping her!"

"Ugh, why are you so rude to me?"

I pressed a fingertip to my forehead and focused on a careful illusion of my favorite miko, Kagome, in traditional attire. She shimmered into sight behind the two bickering teens and greeted them with a simple, "Hello."

The two whirled in shock. The one that had been digging through bloody pockets had the sense to hide his stained hands behind his back.

"Miko-sama?" the girl inquired.

"Do you need any help?" I made my illusion ask.

The teens exchanged a look. "Um, no, miko-sama. We are, um, traveling with our teacher."

"Oh? Where has your teacher gone?" Maybe I could dupe these kids into giving me a direction.

"Er, she's…" The girl stopped talking when the boy elbowed her.

I frowned. Maybe it wouldn't be so simple to get information out of them.

"I heard you're hungry? I have food at my camp if you'd like to rest until your teacher comes back." The girl craned her neck and peered around the boy to the southwest, and from my height in the trees above them I could see the concern on her face. Bingo. My illusion of Kagome smiled kindly. "Come now, we should leave this place of death before scavengers arrive. Unless you planned on burying… that?"

"Yes miko-sama, you're right."

The teens put their heads close together and whispered quietly so that a human wouldn't have been able to overhear. "Kimi-sama said we need to be careful out here. Anyone can be pretend to be a friend."

"Should we run for it and try to lose her?"

"I don't know, she might be hard to lose if she's another youkai in disguise." (I smirked. The kids were right to be suspicious.)

"Let's go with her, she might have food."

"But if she's a youkai in disguise, then we'll be even further away from Kimi-sama, and she won't be able to help us!"

"If we stay together, we should be safe enough. Remember our lessons!"

The two stared at each other for a moment and then nodded in agreement. "We will come with you to wait until our teacher returns, if it's not far."

I pressed my magic into the tree I'd perched in and anchored the illusion. She would be able to walk away for a short time before the image faded, but I wouldn't be able to make her say anything if the kids asked questions once I left the area. I hoped it would buy me enough time to get more information on this Kimi-sama.

I found the black miko in the direction the girl had accidentally revealed. She knelt in the center of a clearing, a small pile of paper stacked before her on a flat rock. She had a slender brush and a bowl of what appeared to be blood in her hands as she busily marked the sheets with ruddy brown symbols.

"Come out, quiet one. I know you're there," she said in a sing-song voice. Her straight black hair fluttered in the breeze. Ugh, it was so creepy that they seemed so perfectly pleasant and innocent right up until they try to murder you.

She hummed a small tune as she tilted her head over her work, and then she vanished. I blinked, staring around at the empty clearing. 'Uh oh.'

She reappeared beneath the tree I'd perched in and peered up at me with bright red eyes. "Ooh, I haven't had kitsune, yet." She bit her lip and looked me up and down, then flicked her fingers to snap open a simple fan. She hid her lips behind the paper as she gazed at me. "Are you here to share, honey?" she purred.

"No," I answered her. "What do you want?"

She yawned behind her fan, feigning boredom. "The same thing everyone wants. Peace, health, long life."

"Oh?" Her answer seemed pretty truthful, but it was how she intended on getting those things that probably meant bad news.

The skin around her eyes crinkled as she smiled behind her fan. "Simple things in life."

I got straight to the point. "Have you been killing people to get those simple things in life?" May as well be sure she was behind all the mayhem before anything else happened.

"Me? Do I look like a cold-blooded killer to you?"

I narrowed my eyes and looked at her carefully. I didn't have nearly enough practice doing this, but if I squinted my eyes a little and tried not to focus too hard, I could pick out the creepy vibes of her magic saturating the area where she stood. I frowned. "Yes. Yes, you do."

Her eyebrows drew down into a glare and she snapped her fan shut. "That is quite rude of you to say."

"Am I wrong?" I challenged.

She smirked. "No, you're not." She flicked open her fan again and fluttered it beneath her chin as she stared up at me.

I needed to make a quick decision whether to stay and fight or run for backup. I hadn't seen her fight yet, and ten years on patrol with my squad meant there was always backup in the few skirmishes we'd encountered. Damnit. Too much unknown, and no one to watch my back. I needed to run for backup.

I tweaked an illusion into place and slid back from my spot in the tree. She still stared up at my copy as I crept away and turned to flee. I hopped two sets of branches before she suddenly loomed in front of me with a laugh, her paper fan fluttering in front of her face. I pushed sideways off the trunk and jumped above the canopy of trees to redirect my retreat.

A flock of tiny paper birds zipped through the air in front of me and I couldn't stop my forward momentum. The first few nicked my face and neck before I had the sense to throw up a fire barrier and the rest turned to ash.

I looked back at the ground and spotted the black miko leaping after me with an unnaturally wide smile exposing very sharp teeth and I shuddered. She went from pretty to horrifying in no time flat.

More paper attacks flashed against my fire barrier and I flipped backwards to run in a new direction. Damnit! I might have to stand my ground if I couldn't escape. I found myself back in the clearing. Her laughter echoed around me as she made chase.

I turned and caught sight of her approaching rapidly from my left. I slashed out my burning claws and she ducked to catch my wrist in her hand, then she turned and flung me over her shoulder into the ground. Dirt flew up around me and I gasped at the strength of the impact.

Her lips curled into a coquettish smile as she stared down at me in the shallow crater, tilting her head to the side. "You don't want to play with me, little kitsune?" she asked, her dark lashes fluttering over her rosy cheeks as she pouted.

I twisted to fling myself out of the hole I'd made and turned to attack with more fire, but she vanished from sight to flit around the clearing, tossing more paper birds each time she reappeared.

Each one burst into flames as it collided with my fire barrier. I couldn't keep the barrier up indefinitely, and I couldn't manage to land an attack on her rapidly moving form. She shimmered and appeared twenty feet away with a deranged chuckle before flicking her fan outward, and a barrage of small knives that had been embedded in the paper sliced rapidly through the air. I barely dodged them in time and got a few small nicks on my leg as I twisted out of range.

I growled in frustration. 'Those fucking paper attacks!' I forced my burning barrier outward from me, and everything flammable—all her stupid paper critters and whatever else I could catch in the flames—went up in smoke.

The grasses and trees suffered. Everything burned in a rapidly growing circle that ate through the clearing. The energy of it all flooded back into me and I laughed. I was going to kill this bitch. My hands ached as the liquid fire pooled under my claws.

She yelled in dismay as her outfit burnt away, and I choked on a gag at the sight of her mangled, disfigured body. I had no idea what had happened to her and I hoped to never find out. She thrust her naked arm in my direction, and I was surprised to see it extend in great metallic bands, her hand now covered in sharp metal blades. I jumped high into the air and twisted to grasp the chasing appendage. I pulled hard on it to fling myself at her, claws extended as I zipped back toward the earth with blazing speed.

She barely dodged my blow in time and I kicked out with my foot even as I missed with my claws. The ground shook as my hand collided with the earth, my arm cushioned against the impact with the youki I'd meant to use to cleave her in half. It had worked well enough while helping to dig out the mogura's tunnels.

My kick barely caught her in the side and she retaliated with another flash of her long metal arm. I jumped over it as it gouged through the earth and tore huge furrows through the smoldering ground where I'd been standing.

My feet slid in the ashes as I landed and I turned to follow the length of her arm back to where she stood, mere feet away. I couldn't miss from this distance. I flung my arm out and threw liquid fire in a burning arc toward her position.

The sight of her metal-clawed hand erupting in a spray of blood from the front of my abdomen was unexpected, and I stared down at the mess of it in shock for the briefest of moments. I would have thought these kinds of wounds should be incredibly painful, but I don't think my brain had fully registered the horror. The hand vanished as she ripped it free, cackling with hysteria as she circled me. The illusion I'd been facing off against vanished in a puff of smoke as the burning liquid harmlessly sailed through it.

She sauntered into view, running her blood-soaked hand across her face with a wild grin. "Your illusions are perfect. They will serve me well," she said, her scary-beautiful voice lilting in pleasure. My legs lost feeling and my knees buckled. I slid to the ground, landing on my butt. I'm not sure how I managed to stay upright.

It didn't matter so much, now. I stared up at her cruel face, knowing only that I needed to stop this madness. I couldn't guarantee she would try to take the magic that might end up killing her, so I had to give it to her. My hands shook as I rubbed the fingers of my right hand together. I guess in my panic I hadn't been thinking too methodically.

There was nothing left to panic over.

Angara had done this with my magic once before, but I'd never needed to use the ability myself, until now. I felt a thread of the purity snake down my arm to my fingertips. I wouldn't be surprised to see them glowing, but I didn't look. My eyes remained locked on her mangled torso.

Was her heart still in the normal place?

Did it matter where I aimed?

Fuck it.

I flicked my fingertips at her and watched as twin droplets sped through the air to hit her where I hoped her heart still beat. She clapped her hand over the minor wound and laughed, flipping away from my location. "You give me even more? I will cherish your gifts, little kitsune."

I was starting to feel lightheaded, and my arm fell limp to land in the dirt beside me. My body shuddered and the control I held over my concealing illusions fell away. My tails shimmered into view and I felt the furry length of one drape across my fingertips.

The ringing in my ears grew and seemed to block out all other sounds, so I couldn't hear when she started screaming.

Darkness crept in on the edges of my sight, but I could still see enough to catch the bright pink glow of holy magic tearing through the evil woman. I watched for as long as I could as the pink fire flared around her body and she fell to the ground, motionless. I'm pretty sure I couldn't sense the creepy vibes anymore, but then again, I'm not sure I could sense anything at all.

Warmth bloomed in my chest. I relaxed into it and slumped backward into the ashes.

reaper

A few hours passed before the sun set on the last day of his life. The former grassy clearing had been rent asunder during the fierce battle. Great gouges tore up the trees and bushes, and unnatural fire had run rampant through the foliage, leaving the land charred and smoking for miles. A buzzing fly found the lifeless body and landed on an unblinking green eye. It tapped its tiny sponging mouthpart against the drying surface to feed.

A slender girl wearing a simple cotton yukata stood mere feet away and released a heavy sigh. She'd heard of 'youkai' during her training, but with only five days on the job she hadn't gotten to see one in person yet. She flipped open her book to his page and withdrew a pen to check the entry. "Mmhm, this is him. Right on schedule." She brushed a lock of blue hair out of her eyes and wrinkled her nose at the mess.

From some distance behind her she could hear her partner tsking. "This one is a right mess! Looks like she was melted." She frowned, happy to have been assigned this one instead. At least he'd been pretty in life.

She sighed again and reached forward into the gaping hole through his chest to find the stubborn soul. Warmth met her roaming fingertips and she latched on, pulling hard to bring him out. A slender clawed hand gripped her wrist and she tugged the confused spirit to his feet.

From behind her she could hear an angry screech as her partner likely did the same. "C'mon lady, it's time to go. No- no, don't do that, NO!" The sound of a wooden oar cracked loudly against the troublesome spirit. She looked back at the sounds of scuffling and suppressed a grin. Sometimes these spirits just didn't take 'the end' as the answer and fought to remain amongst the mortal realm.

She smiled up at her charge. He looked thoroughly bewildered. "Are you ready to go?" she asked, admiring his pretty features. She sighed wistfully. 'That hair! Those eyes!'

Then she noticed something was… off. His soul had a beautiful pale blue glow, but something pink wrapped around his chest. "Arms?" She peered around him to see if another spirit was standing out of sight.

Nothing. Just a pair of disembodied arms, clinging to his spirit. She frowned. This wasn't mentioned in training. More sounds of struggling and shouts rang out behind her. "I'll be right back," she told her charge, then raced to her friend to help her subdue the mysteriously strong spirit. It was in tatters, halfway destroyed and spitting mad. She opened a portal to the underworld and helped her partner drag the struggling monstrosity to the opening, where it fell screaming through into the eerily glowing darkness.

Her partner leaned over her knees, wheezing. "That was ridiculous!" Her pink hair was in complete disarray and her robes had been torn along one sleeve.

"Well, mine is nice, but there's something weird. Can you take a look before you head off?"

She nodded and they walked back to the quiet male spirit with his feet still submerged in the mangled hole of his chest.

"A second spirit?" her partner asked in confusion.

"I think so." She reached her hand out to the pretty male. "Come with me," she coaxed. "Let's leave this place."

He hesitantly reached out to take her hand.

the well-wisher

"Kami." Kuusai knelt amongst the charred remains of the clearing.

There had been rumors of a black miko running amok through the countryside, and his people had taken shelter and made precautions to avoid catching her attention.

Whatever had happened here, the echoes of it had reached their home. With the ruin and destruction of the mogura families and their kitsune neighbors still fresh in their memories, everyone had shuddered in their tunnels and awaited the battle's end before he volunteered to venture forth to see what had happened.

It was the night of a new moon as he sped south, searching for the telltale signs of the fight. He caught the whiff of woodsmoke and he followed his senses to the edge of a field that had burnt to a crisp.

Somewhere near the center of the destruction, he found the bodies. He couldn't tell what she was from sight alone, but the scent of something noxious and feminine still clung to the melted remnants of what he assumed to be the black miko. The unnatural atmosphere that had settled into the area seemed to have scared off any natural scavengers and what remained of the melted corpse had been left untouched.

A short distance away he found the second body, someone he immediately recognized, and he fell to his knees in shock. "Shippo…?"

He tucked the kitsune's spilled organs back into his mangled torso and bound it in place with a strip of cloth. He ran his fingers through his friend's long red hair, banishing the grime of battle and freeing it from knots and tangles. He rinsed the ash and blood from his still beautiful face. Another strip of cloth covered the kitsune's eyes, which refused to stay closed.

He held vigil over his friend's body for three nights and three days, wondering if someone from the kitsune's past might show up. Maybe he had told someone where he was going.

On the third day, certain that no one was coming, he dug a deep grave. His claws bit into the rocky soil and easily carved out an appropriate resting place for his friend. He had undoubtedly saved many from the growing threat of the black miko at the cost of his own life. How many more youkai might have perished from her evil intentions?

As he buried his friend, he vowed to himself that no scavengers would disturb this resting place. Once he'd pushed the last of the dirt into place, he knelt to plant a tiny sapling and wished his spirit a swift journey to the next life.

-o-

Final note - Hey, if you decide to review this chapter, please don't spoil it for future readers. love love