InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ An Inu-Yasha What if...? Story: The Sacred Tree ❯ An Old Friend? ( Chapter 2 )

Part II: An Old Friend?

"Did you get it back?"

Sayo smiled as she looked up, sliding the door shut behind her and gazing into light blue youkai eyes. Her uncle was standing in front of the shrine, his eyes expectant, eager and worried. He looked to be about fifty or so years old, both when he transformed into a human and when he was in normal youkai form, though he approximately 500 years old, give or take a couple of decades. He was so cute…even for an older youkai. His bushy gray hair was peppered with its old light brown color and hung to his shoulders in disarray. He sported a peppered goatee that he'd had for the last 50 years (or so he said) and his fluffy tail stuck out of his hakama. Sayo giggled and nodded at him. His relief was palpable. He collapsed onto the cushion on the floor with a thud, and he sighed heavily.

"Well, thank goodness. It's not only a family heirloom to me, you know! It's your family heirloom as well! If that stupid girl had lost that scroll…"

Sayo shook her head and walked toward him pulling out the scroll. "You didn't have to worry so much, Uncle. The girls that checked it out were easy to find. And you'll never believe where I found them."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Where?"

Sayo smiled as she knelt down next to him. "At the old shrine. Remember? The one with the Bone Eater's Well and the Sacred Tree? The one you took both my brother and I to when we were little?"

He nodded.

Sayo continued. "Well, that's where they were. With a girl who worked there. I don't know if she actually lives at the shrine or just works there, but she seemed just as interested in the scroll as they were. I don't know how much they know, but I'm sure, they just think it's a romantic story. The young woman at the shrine, however…"

"However?" he prompted taking the scroll from her and holding it close to his chest.

Sayo looked up into his eyes. "She seemed to know more about it. She was protective of the scroll. She even asked me if I was who I said I was! She knew the worth of the scroll both to youkai and human. I'm sure of it. She may even have Miko powers, Uncle. She sure seemed as if she did. She had very powerful aura…even though it did seem a bit laid back, as if she didn't use her powers often and she doesn't know exactly how they work." She looked at him curiously, watching his expression. "What do you think Uncle Shippou?"

Shippou stared at Sayo with a smile. "I'm not sure, Sayo-chan. I'm not sure… By the way were is that lecherous brother of yours?"

Sayo blinked. "Mamoru? Probably hitting on girls again. You know how he is."

Shippou rolled his eyes. "I swear, this is almost as bad a curse that Miroku passed onto his male descendants as that Air Rip would have been! Lechery! Every male child since Miroku has had that problem. And they never stop until they've found the right woman! I just wish Mamoru would just hurry up and do it!"

Sayo giggled and caressed the scroll lovingly. "I'm sure my ancestor Miroku would be laughing right now at your comment, Uncle Shippou."

Shippou snorted and swished his tail. "And Sango would be rolling in her grave if she saw what her male descendants were like!"

Sayo laughed harder at his comment when the door opened. She turned and saw her delinquent twin brother enter the room. She rolled her eyes at his appearance. No one would ever guess he was a college graduate with a degree in business. He had four earrings on one ear and three on the other, his hair was short, and for some reason he always preferred to wear some sort of black. He looked like a rocker…especially when he gelled his hair. Uncle Shippou said the most disturbing thing about him was the fact that he looked exactly like their ancestor Miroku.

But then again, she was supposed to look exactly like the ancestor Sango-with a few minor differences here and there.

"Mamoru! Where the devil have you been, kozo! We almost lost the scroll today!" Shippou yelled at the man entering the room.

Sayo watched her brother enter. Mamoru gave the older youkai a droopy careless look and kicked off his shoes. He entered the room lazily and flopped on the floor next to his sister. "Who cares, Oji? If it was almost lost, it was your own damn fault. You're the one who insisted on opening he library today before everything was completely organized."

"You know why it was opened today, Mamoru! Don't start--!"

"Wakata, wakata. It's the anniversary of Miroku-sama and Sango-sama's deaths, ne? I know what day it is, Oji. You always come to the shrine today and the day your dog-buddy vanished." Sayo rolled her eyes. Here they go again.

Shippou growled at him. "You should show more respect to your elders, kozo! I've been watching over your family line-"

"I know, for 500 years, ne? I've heard this lecture a thousand times, Oji."

"Then you should have learned to listen to Tou-chan by now, Mamoru-chan. You're a grown man already and you know Tou-chan takes this very seriously," a new voice said.

Sayo turned around to see her 'cousin', Setsuna, walk into the room. She released her control on her powers of transformation and her small fox ears appear on top of her light brown hair. Her eyes were a vibrant green, her human mother's eyes. Setsuna walked straight to her father and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Konnichiwa, Tou-chan."

Shippou looked up at his hanyou daughter with a smile full of love. After being traumatized by Inu-Yasha and Kagome's torrid love and after seeing all the humans he cared about die one after the other, it had taken him centuries to finally and truly fall in love. And, ironically enough, he fell in love with a human woman, who hadn't cared about his age, his identity, or his heritage. She had loved him because he was Shippou. And with her, he had the only child that he'd ever had in 500 years. His beloved Setsuna.

"Konnichiwa, Setsuna." She dropped down beside him and gave him a quick hug. She then turned and bowed to the shrine. She was so like her mother, Shippou thought. She had been a brat like him when she was young, but she had matured into her mother's daughter.

"Sayo-chan. I see you got the scroll back from those girls," Setsuna said.

Sayo nodded. "Mm. It wasn't that difficult. They were very cooperative. But the strange thing was that they went to the old shrine-"

"Eh? The old shrine? I saw a fine chick there today. Gorgeous hair, beautiful eyes, great ass…Ooo…what an ass. Damn! I'm going to hunt her down."

Shippou saw Sayo look at her brother with narrowed eyes. "I hope she wasn't the Miko looking one, because if she was you can forget it, Mamoru. She'd blow you away."

"Do you really think so?"

"Eeek! You're disgusting!"

Shippou shook his head as he gazed at his family. He had been looking after Sayo and Mamoru since their parents were killed. Kumo (their father) had loved espionage and adventure…and unfortunately so had his wife Megami. Miroku and Sango's line would have died there if Megami hadn't given birth to the twins first before going on that last mission. He sighed. Unfortunately, Sayo had her parents' disease…she was constantly looking for an adventure, while Mamoru was content to be lazy and pick up girls. It had shocked him to his toes how much the two looked like Sango and Miroku…but he was relieved to know that they probably weren't reincarnations. Mamoru…perhaps…but Sayo was not incarnation of Sango. They were just too different…but so had been Kagome and Kikyo… Oh, now was not the time to think about these things!

The twins were still fighting, a preferred pastime of theirs. His calm daughter giggled as she watched them and put in her two cents, making Mamoru boil over. He smiled. Yet, despite the family ease, and the relief of getting back the scroll, there was something bothering Shippou. He hadn't felt this kind of worry since…well, since Inu-Yasha vanished all those centuries ago. He tried to pinpoint where the unease was coming from… Something Sayo said…

"Sayo?"

Sayo cut herself off from the retort she was about to shoot at brother and turned to him. "Nani, Uncle Shippou?"

He smiled. They had been calling him 'Uncle' since they were children. It was nice to know they still thought of him that way despite the fact that they were both grown. "Something about what you said about the incident today with the scroll is bothering me. Something about that girl at the shrine…"

Sayo nodded. "You know how you've told both Mamoru and I that we have powerful spiritual power because of our ancestors…" Shippou nodded. Yes, he recalled. "Well," she continued, "I felt a powerful spiritual aura coming from that girl at the shrine today. I would swear she was an actual Miko. She seemed protective of the scroll…and there was something else in her eyes-"

"They're a gorgeous hazel, if you want to know, Oji," Mamoru cut in. Sayo slapped the back of his head, sending his face into the floor.

"ITE! WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR?!"

"I'm talking, baka." She turned back to Shippou. "Like I was saying, there was something in her eyes…like a yearning. She was unwilling to let the scroll go, like it meant something more to her than just knowledge. Like it was precious to her. Kind of like the look in your eyes when you hold it and we can tell you're remembering our ancestors who wrote it, Uncle Shippou."

Shippou's eyes widened. She was looking at the scroll…like that?! Like if she let it go the one connection she had to old friends long gone would vanish from existence and she would lose their memories to the whispers of time? That was the sensation he always got whenever he had to let go of the scroll. And he knew his feelings were reflected in his eyes. If this Miko-like girl was gazing at the scroll like that…and hazel eyes?

Shippou saw a hand wave before his face. He was brought out of his thoughts and faced his daughter. Mamoru, Sayo and she were looking at him worriedly. "Nani, Setsuna?"

"Tou-chan, you're not thinking what I think your thinking, ne? You don't think that it could be the Miko written about in the scroll?" she asked him.

Shippou gave a light smile. "She could be…"

Mamoru rolled his eyes. "Oji, don't start losing what's left of your kitsune brain. She died ages ago. The scroll only says that she came from another land. Not that she came from the future. If not for the fact that I have a real youkai and hanyou sitting in front of me, I wouldn't believe the other mumbo-jumbo either."

Sayo grinned at her brother. "So you have been reading the scroll despite your insistence that it's not important."

"U-ru-se."

Setsuna shook her head. But Shippou wouldn't waver. It there was the slightest possibility… "You can shake your head all you like, Setsuna, but I'm not giving up. I want you to get me a picture of this Miko-like girl. I will know if it's her or not. All I need is a photo."

Setsuna sighed.

Shippou smiled at his daughter. "Please, daughter. Please your old Tou-chan this way. I'm getting old and senile, and once you're this old, when your children are growing, all you have are your memories." He caressed the old scroll and could clearly see all of his friends' faces. Miroku's smirk, Sango pounding him after he caressed her bottom. Myoga-jiji spitting out a wise bit of advice that he wasn't sure was correct and cute little Kirara nuzzling up to him. Inu-Yasha growling and smirking at an opponent…Kagome's gentle smile and laughter. It all seemed like yesterday to him. Such great memories…

He felt gentle fingers on his cheek. He opened his eyes and saw his daughter twitching her small kitsune youkai ears. Shippou realized then that he'd been crying. The room was silent. He gave a light cough. Inu-Yasha would pound him if he found out he'd been crying over old memories…and of him no less.

Shippou straightened and turned to his family. "All I want is a photo of this girl. Just please this old man, ne?"

Sayo smiled. "Don't you mean, 'this old youkai'. Oh, Uncle Shippou. You're so kawaii!"

Shippou sighed and smiled as Sayo and his daughter gave him a hug. Mamoru just grinned at him.

"Oy, Oji. If this girl turns out to be your Miko friend, can I make some moves on her?"

He watched Sayo and Setsuna's eyes narrow dangerously. Shippou smiled ruefully. "You can try…But if she is, I know a certain hanyou that if he ever found out that Miroku's descendant put a move on his woman, he would tear you in half. And he has the claws to do it."

"Shi-ku-sho!" [I don't know how to spell it ::shrugs:: ^_^] he cursed.

Shippou, Setsuna and Sayo burst out laughing.