InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ An Inu-Yasha What if...? Story: The Sacred Tree ❯ A Happy Reunion ( Chapter 4 )

Part IV: A Happy Reunion

"Papa! I got the photo you wanted!"

Shippou turned around and saw Setsuna approaching him with the envelope of pictures. The one of the Miko was outside of the envelope. He rushed over to her and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He held out his hand for the photograph. Setsuna just giggled and gave it to him.

"There Papa. Now, you don't have to fret anymore. I'm sure she's not your friend though she was kind of suspicious. She even gave me her name. Higurashi-"

"Kagome."

"Eh?"

Shippou's sight was blurry as he stared at the photo in his hands. It was his beloved daughter arm in arm with…with… Kagome. KAGOME! She was here! She was here! He'd finally found her! Kagome! After all the years of waiting, of being alone! He finally had someone from his old family! KAGOME!

"Papa?"

Shippou looked up at his daughter through blurry eyes. "Setsuna…It's Kagome. The Kagome. Oh, Kami, I haven't said her name is so long… Kagome. Kagome. My first friend. The first person I was ever close to after my parents died. Kagome. She's really here…and at the shrine, the well." Shippou clasped the picture to his chest and wiped his eyes so he could see clearly. "Setsuna, find Sayo and Mamoru. We're going over there right now! I…I want to see my friend. And you three have to meet the girl of the legends."

Setsuna only blinked at him. "Papa? Are you sure this is she? Maybe she just looks like your old friend."

"Iya, Setsuna. This," Shippou gazed at the picture of the smiling Kagome. "This is Kagome."

Setsuna shrugged. "Well, you knew her name before I said it, so it has to be her, ne, Papa? I'll get my cousins and we'll go."

"Hai. Hi-ya-ku, Setsuna. Hi-ya-ku."

"Hai, hai."

Oh, Kami, what now?! Kagome stared out the kitchen window with narrowed eyes. The car pulling up at the base of the stairs. There were youkais in it…but only one was coming out. There was a…hanyou?! Was it the same girl as before or a different one? And, from where she was, it looked like two humans accompanying them. She groaned. It was the damn scroll's fault. If the thing hadn't appeared, she wouldn't be hounded by so many youkai and Kami-knows-what-else.

She sighed and wiped her hands on her jeans. Well, while they were coming up she might as well make tea. Company was calling whether she liked it or not. Maybe this time she could get some straight answers. She knew all of this had to do with the scroll, she just didn't know how. Kagome grabbed the teapot from the cabinet and put it in the sink, letting the filtered water run into it.

The worst part about the entire situation was this deep nagging fear that all of this, somehow and in someway, had to do with Inu-Yasha and her journey to the Sengoku Jidai. And the last thing she wanted to do was dredge up old memories. It had taken her months to get over it. Knowing her friends were all dead, that she would never see them again. Losing Inu-Yasha to Kikiyou…forever… Tears threatened Kagome, but she fought them back. It had been five years. For months on end, she had been depressed, wallowing in her loss. Her friends had tried to hook her up with Hojo-kun, had tried to help her get over Inu-Yasha as best they could, but it wasn't possible. She loved him. And for as long as she lived, she would still love him.

Kagome turned on the gas stove and put the teapot on top. She fished out the tealeaves from a cabinet and placed a handful into the water. She then went outside to meet her guests.

The first person she saw was the hanyou from earlier. Kitsu Setsuna. Kagome gave her a light smile. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon, Setsuna-san."

Setsuna grinned at her. "Neither did I, Auntie Kagome."

Auntie? Nani-o? Before Kagome could open her mouth to figure out what that was about the woman from the day before was there too. Kitsu Sayo. What was this? A family outing to visit the Miko? And how was this human related to the hanyou. Cousins on the mother's side?

"Ah!" Sayo cried when she saw Kagome. "Auntie Kagome!"

"NA~NI?!" Kagome's eye ticked. What the hell was wrong with these people?! Auntie Kagome? She didn't even know these people, let alone be their auntie. "Oy, Sayo-san, Setsuna-san. Nani-?"

"Eh! It still sucks that you're my Oba."

A vein pulsed in Kagome's head as her anger erupted. "NA~NI?!"

She whirled around to face the man that had spoken and her heart stopped in her chest. Ma-sa-ka. So-na… "Mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-"

"Ah. He does look hauntingly like Miroku, doesn't he, Kagome? When I first noticed it brought back such memories. It brings tears to my eyes sometimes when I look at him and become nostalgic. Sayo also looks eerily similar to Sango, but if you look closer, there are some differences. But Mamoru…the spitting image of Miroku. Down to the lechery. But that is a potent factor in all of Sango and Miroku's male descendants."

Kagome turned her gaze to the person who spoke. She gazed at an older gentleman with smiling, teary blue eyes, brown and gray peppered hair, held back in a low ponytail and a goatee. As she stared at him, he slowly shed away his human guise and his ears became pointy, he became shorter and a long bushy tail sprung from the back of his trousers. This…kitsune youkai…there was something so familiar about him. Something she could not name.

"Who are you? How do you know me? How do you know Miroku-sama and Sango-chan? Are you that Kitsu Shi? The owner of the scroll? How did you come by it? And what did you mean Miroku and Sango's descendants? I want answers to what is going on here!"

Shi nodded. "Hai, hai, Kagome. Mamoru and Sayo are twins, descendants of Miroku and Sango. Since they're deaths, I have been watching over their descendants, their line, making sure that my friends' legacy would never die out. Eventually, when I changed my name, I gave them my new one, so we could be like family. They were the only family I had left after Sango and Miroku's death. First I watched you vanish from my life. Then Inu-Yasha…And when I sat with Miroku and Sango on their deathbeds, they gave me this scroll," he held up the scroll in his hands, "to keep and make sure that the truth never vanished. But like all stories of valor and spirit, the truth eventually became only a legend. Even to those who were descendants of the legacy." He looked at Sayo and Mamoru. "With time, the stories of their ancestors became merely bedtime stories of monsters and a hero and heroine," he then turned to Setsuna, "and to those who were myth themselves the truth became a myth to them." He turned back to Kagome. "For five centuries, I have been alone. Watching those I loved eventually grow old and die and I would watch over their children and their children's children, until they too, grew old and died." He smiled. "But now…I have found an old friend, long since gone. Kagome…it's been so long…"

Kagome was staring at the man before through blurry eyes. She sniffed back her tears, but her voice was only a choked whisper. "Who…who are you?"

He smiled gently at her. "Haven't you figured it out yet, Kagome? The only youkai in your group? The youngest? Youkais age one year to a human's ten. I look about 50ish, but I've lived for 500 years, give or take a few decades. It's me… Shippou."

Kagome stared at the man before her. Shippou…? Ma-sa-ka… "Shi-Shippou? But-but how? How can this be? How can you be Shippou?"

Shippou approached Kagome and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She gazed into a tearstained face and into eyes that probably reflected her own. The light blue shone at her through his tears and her own. He smiled and the corners of his eyes crinkled. That smile… Memories filled her mind and her heart threatened to shatter. Flashes of happier days, adventures, laughter and old friends that were practically family glowed between them. A sob escaped Kagome's throat.

"Shippou?"

The whistle from the teapot echoed from the house, breaking the trance of memories. Kagome straightened and turned away. "I made tea. Please…all of you… come inside. We… have to talk."

Without looking back, she walked into the house and to the teapot.

She heard them walking into the home and taking off their shoes. She heard them shuffling to the table as she dumbly served the tea. Tears were still running, unchecked down her cheeks. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. Iya… It just couldn't be… The silence was thick in the house. Thank Kami-sama that Okaa-san wouldn't be home with Ji-chan till much later, and that Sota had club meetings and practice today. She didn't think she could deal with so much at once. She lifted the tray and walked quietly into the room where the four were.

Kagome felt as if the wall she had constructed around her memories was about to topple over. She had eventually started looking back upon her memories with a bittersweet fondness. The happy memories were wonderful, but it was painful to remember them and remember all that was lost. Now that barrier she had erected against the pain was coming down…and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Kagome found herself staring at the tray in her hands, tears dripping from her eyes unconsciously onto the tray. Her hands were shaking and a sob was rising. She felt steady hands suddenly on the tray and she looked up into dark violet eyes. Dark violet eyes exactly like Miroku's. The sob almost reached the surface and she quickly let go of the tray to cover her mouth. The man called Mamoru only smiled at her with Miroku's smile and took the tray to the table. Kagome collapsed onto her knees, the sob escaping from her throat despite her effort to the contrary.

A gentle hand lay on her back and she looked up into Setsuna's brilliant green eyes. She helped Kagome up and sat her in the chair across from Shippou. Kagome placed her face in her hands and shook her head. She could hear someone placing the cups on the table.

"Prove it."

Silence.

Kagome looked up into Shippou's eyes, determination stamping itself in her. "Prove it," she repeated. "I won't give myself this heart ache, if you're not who you say you are. I want to see proof…" she took in a deep ragged breath trying to gain control of her raging emotions. "I need to see proof."

Shippou only smiled at her and held out his hand to Setsuna. His daughter smiled and reached into her purse taking out a small leaf. Kagome's breath caught. Oh, Kami, oh, Kami… Shippou took the leaf and placed it on his head. He smiled ruefully at Kagome. "It's been a long time since I used so much of my power. I hope I still got it!" He closed his eyes and then… POOF!

Where the youkai had been, there was now a giant pink ball with eyes and a funny mouth. Kagome stifled a half sob, half laugh. There was then another POOF. And then standing before her on the table was…little Shippou. Everyone at the table gasped.

Kagome's hands went to her mouth and her eyes were again filled with stinging salty water. There he was…standing right before her on the table. The Shippou she knew. Light brown hair, as soft as fur, pointy ears, light blue youkai eyes, little fangs, foxy feet, a bushy brown tail and ancient clothing.

"Shippou-chan…"

The boy before her nodded. "Hai, Kagome. It really is me. Shippou…but I've grown up…" he took a step back and POOF the older Shippou sat before her. "And I have a hanyou daughter. So much time has passed for me, longer than you can possibly imagine." He reached out and took her clenching hands. "But now… Now, Kagome… I have you again. My first friend, my old friend from adventures and happy memories long since past. It's like being in a dream."

Kagome nodded and stood up. She came around the table and knelt beside Shippou. Kagome stifled a sob and then wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face against his shoulder and began to bawl. Her nails dug into his shirt as she whimpered against him, muffling her wails. She felt his arms come around her and felt his own tears drip into her hair. To her it had been five long terrible years… To him it had been five endless centuries.

"Shippou-chan…"

The room stayed silent as Kagome wept out all the pain and happiness in her heart. After all this time, she had found one friend…one friend after the so many she had lost. She had lost Miroku and Sango, she had lost the love of her life…her Inu-Yasha… But now…now at least she had Shippou.

When Kagome's tears ran dry, and her sobs were heaving coughs, she felt herself being picked up by Shippou-a strange twist of fate, when he used to be the one being carried by her-and taken to her parlor. There he placed her down on the couch, but she wouldn't let go of her grip on him. She had parted with the scroll, she would not part with him… Not yet…

He sat down beside her and Kagome snuggled into him, the way he used to snuggle into her. He even smelled the way Shippou used to smell… She slowly straightened. She knew she had to look like a fright, red puffy eyes, a round soggy nose and a reddened face. But Kagome didn't care. She was allowed.

Shippou only smiled at her and caressed her face.

"Shippou-chan…" she whispered hoarsely. He nodded and he gave her a cute expression. Kagome smiled slightly, her pained heart swelling. Shippou-chan… "Why have you suddenly come here? What has brought you here…to me?"

Shippou shrugged. "Fate? Destiny? I don't know, Kagome. All I know is that somehow, in someway, Sango and Miroku's last memories," he held up the scroll, "led me to you. I'm sure that they are happy that their words, their last gift to us, is what brought us together after so many years, both for you and me."

Kagome nodded, sniffling. "Shippou-chan, I want you to tell me all about your life. Miroku and Sango's descendants, your wife," Kagome looked at Setsuna, Mamoru and Sayo, "your daughter, your family. Tell me, Shippou-chan. I want to be a part of your life too now."

"Kagome," he said smiling. "You always have been. Sango, Miroku, Inu-Yasha and you, have all been parts of my family since the beginning. You four were my family first. You have never stopped being part of my family. Never." He took a deep breath. "That's why I think, despite Miroku and Sango's words, Inu-Yasha is still out there with the Shikon no Tama."

Kagome's heart clenched. "Iya, Shippou-chan. Don't give me hope when there is none. Inu-Yasha is gone. I lost him to Kikiyou and then I lost him to the mighty will of Time. The other half of me has vanished into the dust and I will never see his smirk, hear his laugh, see his golden eyes look at me tenderly, see the twitch of his soft ears, feel the silkiness of his hair or feel the warmth of his arms around me or the gentleness of his kiss. His memory is a sweet dream that churns painfully in my heart. Don't give me a false hope, Shippou-chan. I beg you. Just tell me of your life, and I will tell you of mine."

Shippou nodded. "Hai, Kagome."

Kagome waved farewell to the four as they headed down the steps. They had talked for hours. She had gotten to know Setsuna-chan, Sayo-chan and Mamoru-chan well, their personalities wonderful and vibrant. Her heart swelled. Miroku and Sango's descendants. They came out well. Miroku and Sango would be proud. Kagome had always known that her old friends would make a good match. And Shippou-chan and Setsuna-chan. Her Shippou-chan was a father, and Setsuna was a lively young woman. If only Kagome had gotten a chance to meet the woman that had captured Shippou's heart and had birthed Setsuna-chan.

Her heart swelled and she raced down the steps after them. She threw herself into Shippou's arms again and hugged him tightly.

"Shippou-chan, you will come and visit often, won't you?" Kagome whispered against his shoulder.

"Hai, Kagome. Will you come and visit me as well?"

"Mm. Hai, Shippou-chan."

Kagome released Shippou then and watched the four of them as they entered the limousine and drove away. She wrapped her arms around herself and sat on the steps. Kagome closed her eyes tightly against the wave of emotion within her.

Tears slipped from her cheeks silently onto the pavement floor like the tender drops of a spring rain.

"Inu-Yasha…"