InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bound to Tomorrow ❯ Ominous Departure ( Chapter 6 )

 

-*-

Hey guys and gals, I know my last chapter was short but I wanted to post something just in case I got too busy. This chapter actually contains what was going to be the second half of the last chapter and then some so I hope you enjoy!

Author notes: Inumimi, you are indeed correct, chronologically this chapter would take place six years after Kagome returns (the end of the manga's epilogue, for others who are confused) and nine years since Kouga has last seen Shippo or anyone else for that matter. Eventually I'm going to start using dates instead of how long it has been since Kagome came back. The reason I'm not yet using them is because I wanted to get the characters out of the Sengoku period first. The dates I mentioned in the last chapter did not have a ton of detailed information on major events until about the 1600's. I'm afraid to reference too many historical events until then because I don't want to have to re-write major portions of chapters that might depend on the dates. Does that make sense?

Reader Question: Does anyone remember how the Kitsune Youjutsu test ranks worked? I know at the end of the manga he was Upper Senior 7th rank, right? In order to ascend the ranks do the levels go backwards? Like, if Shippo reached the top would he be first rank?

-*-

Kouga followed the fox boy's scent through the forest. The little twerp turned out to be pretty fast in a pinch but apparently had no capacity to think far enough ahead to try and throw his scent; otherwise he might have lost him. Unfortunately the kid had run in a straight line and made it far too easy for the faster wolf youkai to catch up. He captured the kitsune when he foolishly chose to transform into a bush but forgot to hide his tail. Kouga grabbed the appendage causing the fox to transform back into his human form. The boy tugged helplessly on his tail a few times before reaching for his pockets only to realize he had dropped all of his enchanted toys in his haste to escape.

.

“Quit squirming, I'm not going to kill you. I need to talk to you.” Kouga grunted.

.

Shippo dropped his hands and narrowed his eyes at the man through his ginger bangs, “If you think I'm going to help you kidnap Kagome you can think again! Besides, you're too late, she's already mated.”

.

Kouga growled, forgetting his mission for the moment, “Dog-shit just had to go and ruin the order of things, didn't he? I should have gotten her first.”

.

The fox boy raised his eyebrows at the comment, “Wait, you consider Inu Yasha as a beta?”

.

“Of course,” He snorted, surprised he even asked, “He has skills far greater than the rest of my pack; he's just not better than me.”

.

Wolf youkai were not stupid. They knew skills when they saw them and ranked males accordingly, regardless of pedigree; of course, Kouga's pride would not admit him as an alpha but to be called beta was quite prestigious. Shippo was not about to tell the man that he highly doubted Inu Yasha was willing to share. As if on cue, the dog demon appeared on the scene with Kagome attached to his back. She sported his haori over her bath robe at Inu Yasha's insistence, as if to further cover her up and she wisely accepted, knowing the dangerous mood he was in.

.

“Oi, wimpy wolf, ready to die?” he snarled, cracking his knuckles.

.

“Ha, as if you could kill me, dog-shit!” the wolf responded in kind until he suddenly remembered his objective, “As much as I hate to say it, I'll have to take a rain check on beating your ass. I'm not here for her or you, this time.”

.

Shippo grimaced as Kouga turned his attention back on him, “What do you need me for?”

.

“I need you to find out what the hell happened to the kitsune in my territory.”

.

Inu Yasha snorted, “Let me guess, they took your offering and ran? Did you get a pile of leaves or a big ass pile of twigs?”

.

The wolf demon crossed his arms, “No, stupid, if they'd just turned me down do you think I'd come all the way out here to ask your pup? Of course not! The kitsune didn't come for the offering at all. Not a single bowl went missing.”

.

“That never happens!” Shippo scoffed, “They always take the offering…” Green eyes suddenly widened and he murmured, “…unless they left the forest.”

.

“That's exactly why I came out here. I figured you might know something. You meet with them.”

.

Kagome watched a mix of emotions play across the boy's face; shock, surprise, confusion, and hurt. Without thinking she mumbled, “He doesn't know.”

.

Kouga's blue eyes flashed in annoyance, “Of course he knows. He's a kitsune, he's blood; if they're gone they would have—…”

.

“Shut up, Kouga!” Inu Yasha snapped.

.

But it was too late. He could see a different expression in the fox's eyes that he knew very well: a look of one who was lost…abandonment. The demons knew what a missed offering meant. It had happened before when Naraku's powers grew too dangerous. They closed up ranks and vanished.

.

Confused and worried at the mood that had overtaken the normally bubbly child, Kagome raised her voice, “But, they only disappeared from Kouga's territory… they can't all be gone?”

.

Shippo looked down at his tan-furred feet, his fingers balled into fists, “No, you don't understand. They always take the offering. They don't always give back but they always take… unless there's a threat. If something bad is going to happen then they leave…all of them.”

.

The two men cursed simultaneously. The miko took a step towards the kitsune, his fists were shaking.

.

“You gotta be wrong.” The boy broke the silence. “They wouldn't leave without… without…” he spun around on his heel and took off, heading deeper into the forest.

.

Inu Yasha felt his wife's light touch on his back in an unspoken message to follow him. He looked back at her and then shot a glance in Kouga's direction, gold eyes narrowing. As if reading his thoughts the wolf demon grunted dismissively.

.

“I won't touch her; I didn't mean to see her like that in the first place. I'll make sure she gets back to your village safe and sound. Just hurry up and drag his ass back here. We need to know the last thing the kitsune said to him.”

.

The dog-demon huffed at him for daring to order him around but Kagome's insistent tug on his shirt stopped him, “Please, Inu Yasha, I'll be fine. Make sure you bring him home.”

.

The hanyou sighed heavily, pinned another `don't you even think about touching her' look on the wolf demon and then leapt away into the forest. When he was gone the miko turned and headed back towards the village, Kouga fell into step beside her and then increased his pace to walk in front of her. After all, it was the only proper thing for an alpha to do.

.

“You were wise not to go with him.” He commented after a short while.

.

“I was?” She nibbled on her lower lip thoughtfully, “To be honest I really wanted to go but… something stopped me. I'm not sure why.”

.

“If the kitsune really have taken off and they haven't recalled Shippo yet then they'll probably try and contact him very soon to ask him to come with them….” He shot a glance behind him to see if she understood, he knew humans had different standards of common knowledge than youkai but did not want to hurt her pride if he said too much, implying that she was stupid. When she continued to stare at him blankly he added, “They might attack if it looked like a hunting party was chasing him; the more people, the more it looks like a threat… especially if a miko was on his tail.”

.

“Three's a crowd in this case, I suppose…” She murmured; her fingers absently played around the cuff of one sleeve on the fire rat robe.

.

From behind she could see him place his hands on his hips and shake his head, “Tch! It figures. Just when I had my territory in perfect order the kitsune have to go and ruin it with their damned intelligence. It'll probably take ten years for me to rebuild from whatever disaster they're shitting themselves over.”

.

“Disaster…?” Her stomach began to twist in knots; an unsettling feeling gnawed at her.

.

Kouga's shoulders tensed from obvious frustration, “Yeah, they did the same thing right before that fucking Naraku started acting up and before that right before a major earthquake. The kitsune know things and if they predict those things are going to become something pretty nasty they go into hiding. They're never wrong.” He sighed and scratched his side absently, “I'm trying to build the perfect den for whenever that idiot screws up and now it'll probably get torn to shreds again.”

.

“I'm not going to leave him.” The miko asserted.

.

“Eh, well my offer always stands, all the same. Besides, dog-shit's welcome to be our beta any time. I'll share.”

.

“Share what?”

.

Kouga did not have time to elaborate on the sharing of a mate because Miroku and Sango came rushing up to them just then. She smiled and waved to them to let them know that she was not in any kind of danger and braced to explain the kitsune situation.

-*-

Meanwhile, Inu Yasha continued to pursue the Shippo through the forest. He made no attempt to mask his scent as he ran and eventually caught sight of the boy's bushy tail ahead. The dog demon supposed that he was headed towards wherever he ran off to take the Youjutsu exam. His thoughts were confirmed moments later when he landed in a large clearing in front of a large inn that was similar to the gang had stumbled upon for Shippo's unintentional first exam. He had just enough time to see the boy in question disappear through the front entrance and barely managed to slip through the door right behind him. The door slid shut with a quiet hiss and when he looked back it had vanished completely.

.

“Shit. Oi, fox, hold up!” He called out to the retreating kitsune who managed to come to a breathless halt at the sound of the gruff voice.

.

The second he had stopped the boy bent over and rested his palms on his knees, gasping for breath as overexertion hit him. The dog demon trotted over to him and gave him a solid whack on the head. His green eyes squeezed shut and his hands came up to rub the lump that formed on his skull.

.

“What…the hell… Inu Yasha…” He spoke between gulps of air, “what'd… what'd you do… that for?”

.

Not even slightly winded from the run, Inu Yasha crossed his arms and closed his eyes, “Why do you think, stupid? You know you're worrying Kagome half to death right now.”

.

The boy's cheeks turned a dark shade of pink as he continued to rub his scalp but did not respond. One golden orb peeked open to look down at him, though he did not have to look down nearly as far as he used to. He had to admit the little rascal had grown quite a bit, though he still had a thing or two to learn.

.

“Feh, so are we gonna sit around here all day or are we going to find these assholes or what?”

.

“Don't call my teachers that…” He grumbled quietly.

.

Shippo led him down a narrow hallway to a set of sliding doors. There, he stood with furry feet set slightly apart and waved one of his hands as he murmured a chant. The second he finished the doors snapped open of their own accord. Inu Yasha instinctively jumped backwards and bumped his back up against the far wall behind him. The tatami room ahead of them held no furniture or wall coverings, in fact, the room was completely empty except for a lone kitsune with slightly darker colored hair and fur than Shippo and three tails. His knowing, dark blue eyes showed the age his youthful appearance belied.

.

“I see you made it, but you should have come alone.” His voice was quiet yet carried well in the empty room.

.

Inu Yasha had been edgy since hearing about the disappearance of the kitsune and his impatience quickly got the better of him, “Hey, what the hell is going on here, are you guys really skipping town?”

.

The teacher ignored him and kept his eyes on Shippo; so the boy seconded the question, “You're really leaving?”

.

“Yes, kit, we must and we have come to collect you as we always do in such circumstances.”

.

Inu Yasha's eyes widened in surprise at the response, instinctively he slowly planted his feet forward and apart and bent at the knees. One of his hands hovered near the hilt of his sword, though he would not draw it.

.

The hanyou's lips pulled back slightly as he ground out, “So you're here to take him away?”

.

The kitsune teacher barely acknowledged the dog demon's existence, the only indication he seemed to give him that he was there was barely perceptible flick of his eyes in his direction.

.

Shippo rattled off a sudden series of questions. “What's going on? Why do I have to go with you? What's so bad that we need to leave? Can my friends come, too?”

.

The teacher seemed prepared for the onslaught and waited patiently for the boy to finish before responding, “First, we are not sure what is going on but you should know…” He paused to pin a look on Inu Yasha for a half a beat, “…that the forest feels strange as of yet; disturbed. It reeks of death and it's not natural. We believe something evil is coming, or may already be here, we aren't sure. Either way we cannot become involved in it and risk siding with evil.”

.

A snort emanated from the half demon, “So you turn your ass and run because you're afraid you might make a bad choice?”

.

The kitsune man continued on as if oblivious to his comment, “We take care of our own, young one. I am sorry but you are the only one who can come with us. Are you ready?”

.

Shippo turned his green eyes to the tatami floor and examined the claws on his feet, lost in thought, “But, what about Kagome… and everyone else?”

.

Inu Yasha sighed and shook his head and then sauntered up to him. He remembered all too well how the boy reacted when Kagome had been gone those three years. The runt had worried he had done something wrong to make her stay away and trained like crazy hoping that one day he might be strong enough to find her; make her happy with him. The hanyou could certainly relate and only imagined how worried Shippo might be at the present about leaving her. He laid a reassuring hand on one of his small shoulders.

.

“If shit happens then it happens, all right? Look, Kagome's not the kind of person to hold a grudge, you know that. If you don't know that then you're an idiot and I know you're a hell of a lot smarter than that. You'll be safe there, okay? She'd be happy to know you're with your people.” It hurt a little to say it when he knew neither youkai nor humans had been accepting of a hanyou like him.

.

Inu Yasha dropped his claw and stepped away from the young man to let him have some space. Just as he did so Shippo finally spoke up.

.

“I'm…I'm sorry…” He spoke softly, still staring at the floor.

.

The dog demon's heart sank a little at the thought of him leaving but was relieved that he could be somewhere safe. Breaking the news to Kagome was going to be hard for him but--…

.

His thoughts were interrupted by the boy, “Teacher, I can't go with you. I couldn't leave my friends here and worry that something bad might happen.” The kitsune teacher watched as his pupil raised his head; his eyes bright and uncertain, “Besides, I'm stronger now. I think… I can help.”

.

Inu Yasha gave the boy a smirk that showed the faintest hint of a warm smile buried beneath it, “Good. Now, let's hurry up and get back home. I missed a wimpy wolf beat down to come find you.”

.

The teacher cleared his throat to gain their attention. “I won't ask you again, I can see that this is what you want. Very well, be aware that I will not be able to teach you once we are gone, however you should get plenty of practice out in the field on your own. Be aware that when it is time again for you to take the Youjutsu exam that we will come to you. Do not search for us.”

.

The ginger haired kitsune bobbed his head several times happily, “Yes, teacher, I understand, thank you.” With that he dashed out of the room; excited to return home to Kagome and his friends.

.

Inu Yasha gave the elder kitsune a curt nod and turned to leave only to be halted by the teacher once more, “I apologize for ignoring you earlier but there are rules of etiquette I must follow when in the presence of a student. I can see you've taken good care of the boy and I expect you'll continue to do the same?”

.

“Feh, of course, why wouldn't I?”

.

“You're not blood to him, yet you protect him.”

.

“I don't see why that has to be a reason to protect someone.” He argued back irritably; his blood ties certainly had not earned him any protection from his half brother, after all.

.

“Interesting,” He mused and tapped his chin with a clawed digit, “At the moment you're quite the exception but there have been whispers of change in the woods since your mate arrived. Her kindness may very well be infectious one day.”

.

Always uncomfortable with compliments, the dog demon merely shrugged.

.

“Before you go,” the teacher began while Inu Yasha groaned inwardly and silently wondered if the kitsune would ever let him return home to his mate, “I'm going to give you a bit of information, consider it a gift for taking care of my student. The dead youkai your friends and Kouga's clan keep finding isn't natural. However, we know for certain it isn't Naraku causing this.”

.

“So then there's someone running around killing feral youkai by making them kill each other or go crazy?” The incredulity in the hanyou's voice was noticeable.

.

The kitsune pressed his lips together in a tense frown. “Possibly, the threat could very well be human. The humans have a lot to gain by wiping out the youkai. Also, there are significantly less attacks in the winter. We're not sure why.”

.

“A human threat doesn't seem that big of a deal.” Inu Yasha replied, tracing the hilt of his sword a few times out of habit.

.

“Perhaps, or perhaps not, either way we think this person will start targeting intelligent youkai next; that is why we are leaving.”

.

The words of the kitsune teacher caused the half demon to curse softly under his breath. He would have to let his half brother know about the potential situation and warn the wimpy wolf as well. Great, two people Inu Yasha just loved to chat with. The kitsune crossed his arms into his sleeves in a sign that he was finished speaking so Inu Yasha shrugged and turned to leave.

.

“I'll keep an eye on Shippo don't—…” When the dog demon glanced back at in the direction of the kitsune his words died on lips. The fox had vanished and with him the entire building. Shippo and Inu Yasha were left in the center of a forested clearing with no indication that anything had ever stood there to begin with. He let another colorful curse slip past his lips before turning his golden stare back to the boy.

.

“Ready to head back home?” He asked.

.

The boy blushed slightly. He'd never really considered any place home since his mother died. Yet Inu Yasha said it so casually it seemed that he should have realized how obvious it was.

.

“Y-yeah, let's go home… and Inu Yasha?”

.

“What is it?”

.

“Sorry about setting that trap earlier…”

.

“You set that?” The hanyou was in the face of the kitsune in a heartbeat.

.

“Uh…” Oh hell, why did he have to go and say that? He had set the trap for Inu Yasha just in case the half demon did manage to discover he and the village boys peeping in on the hot spring; that way they could get a good head start on the demon with enough time to scatter and avoid capture. Shippo had to think fast to salvage the situation if he wanted to return home without a lump on his skull. His fingers drifted to his pockets instinctively, even though he knew they would still be empty. To his surprise he found one last top his teacher had somehow slipped into his pockets. Moments later the hanyou was face flat on the ground as another huge spinning top drilled into his head. The kitsune thanked his master as he made a mad dash towards the village and the safety of Kagome's embrace.