InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Maturity and Sacrifice ❯ Maturity & Sacrifice ( Chapter 17 )

MATURITY & SACRIFICE

BY: TAJE

 

 

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its affiliates.

That belongs to the Original, wonderful creator Rumiko Takahashi and her wonderful cast of characters. Takahiro, Akemi and Yoshiro (aka Yo-Yo) are conjured by me.

 

 

 

CH. 17: A Frosted Reception

 

 

The group consisting of Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kirara were walking in an uncomfortable silence. They knew Kagome was thinking about Inuyasha and Kikyo. The group had walked for what seemed to be hours. Kagome was growing tired but never complained. Miroku made the suggestion that they take a short break, and with that they all agreed.

 

Kagome saw a fallen log and had taken a seat as she took out of her backpack some bottled drinks she always seem to have for them. Shippou helped her passing the bottles to Sango and Miroku. Again sitting in silence they drank their beverage and fast as lightening, they saw Kirara turn into her battle cat transformation. She growled and then in full gallop she ran into some deep grasses that were gently blowing in the wind. Sango stood up with her weapon in her hand preparing herself for whatever might happen. Miroku also stood with his staff ready.

 

Miroku and Sango calmed when they saw who Kirara had on her back as she gallop towards the group. It was Yo-Yo. He had a wide grin as he dismounted from Kirara's back. Kirara rubbed her huge cat body on Yo-Yo knocking him down in the process. He laughed as Kirara licked his face, flopped her body down beside him, as he rubbed her under belly. Kagome and Shippou had also joined in with laughter.

 

All had calmed after seeing the display Kirara and Yo-Yo were showing. Sango had never seen Kirara react so joyous around a stranger. While Yo-yo was playing with Kirara, he noticed that Inuyasha was not present. Without breaking off his moment with Kirara he asked,

 

“Where's the `pack leader'?”

 

All eyes went straight to Kagome while she took a swallow of her drink. As she lowered the bottle she replied in an even cool tone,

 

“He hasn't caught up.”

 

Yo-Yo could tell that this question was awkward by looking at the faces of the others. Shippou had no problem of blurting out,

 

“This happens all the time. Inuyasha either goes off to be with Kikyo or we leave knowing he'll just sneak away. Kagome may not admit it, but it bothers her, I mean, he makes so much stink about her going off, and yet, he leaves her! He's such an idiot! Then if any other male comes along and she shows any means of friendship or kindness, he acts like he's so jealous. But yet he leaves her. It's okay though, we look out for her.”

 

Kagome giggled at Shippou's ranting on Inuyasha's abandoning her. His tail was twitching and arms folded. She sees where he gets his temper. Kagome felt his mother's presence in her body when Akemi got agitated. She also felt his father Takahiro's amusement seeing his mate agitated. He told Kagome that he always thought it was fascinating.

 

Sango and Miroku were enjoying their drink as they felt the mood lighten a bit. Kagome asked if they were all ready to start back on the trail when she got a spark of energy seeing the tall grasses. She looked at Shippou and he looked at her, as the two seem to have a knowing look. Kagome shot up from her log and ran into the tall grasses. Shippou took off behind her laughing all the while.

 

Miroku and Sango were a bit surprised by the sudden merriment, so Miroku asked,

 

“Where are you two going?”

 

Kagome yelled back,

 

“To have some fun for a change!”

 

Giggling she continued running. Shippou could not be seen at all. Only movement of the bending grasses letting you know something was below. Yo-Yo sported a large grin seeing the young miko full of joy. She was contagious when she was joyful in her spirit, and yet he wondered if his uncle and aunt had anything to do with this sudden change in the miko's otherwise melancholy spirit. He knew from his childhood how much fun it was to play in the tall grasses. Yo-Yo, followed by Kirara, also ran into the tall grasses. Sango and Miroku didn't know what to do other then watch the play before them.

 

After a while Sango and Miroku saw Shippou flying up in the air. They could barely see the top of Kagome's head. But for once, they were glad to see her smiling, giggling. She was contagious when she was happy. If only Inuyasha could make himself see just what a treasure in friendship he has in Kagome. The tears she shed the night before still felt raw to them. Even though she said she's fine, they knew her enough to know she holds her pain. Sometimes they felt inadequate when it came consoling their friend. But today they will enjoy her moment with her.

 

They watched seeing Shippou flipping up in mid-air and coming down to be caught by either Kagome or Yo-Yo. It looked like so much fun. Even Kirara was enjoying herself. Shippou and Kirara in her kitten form were both being tossed. Then you heard a high pitched screech by Kagome as Miroku and Sango saw her being lifted very high by Shippou's pink bubble, then Shippou turned his body so that Kagome slid and caught his little bubble hand. Kagome screamed as Shippou transformed back to his fox-child state as he, Kagome and Kirara fell on what looked like a fluffy pillow. It floated down and skimmed the top of the grasses at a fast but gentle speed. Kagome was beside herself with glee. The fluffy pillow turned and lowered before Sango and Miroku, who by this time was flabbergasted.

 

They didn't know what to think! The crew got off the pillow and Yo-Yo transformed back to his humanoid self as Kagome and Shippou continued laughing. Kirara was prancing around Yo-Yo's legs as he stepped lightly so he wouldn't accidentally step on Kirara. Kirara ran and jumped on her mistress's lap. Sango caught her kitten friend and rubbed her head as Kirara purred causing Sango to smile. Sango guessed Kirara didn't want her mistress to feel left out.

 

Kagome and Shippou along with Yo-Yo grabbed each of their drinks and took several swallows before the laughter began again. Shippou was so happy to see Kagome in such good spirits. He hadn't seen this bright side of her for a while, and he for one want to keep it going.

 

Yo-Yo also thought that this light side of Kagome was contagious and he, like his cousin, would love to see more of it. He watched Kagome mussed Shippou hair as she smiled and said,

 

“Wow! That was so much fun. It reminded of that dream you and I shared a while back, remember Shippou?”

 

Shippou raised his eyes trying to remember and suddenly came in to knowing and said,

 

“Yeah, it was when I saw my father and mother. Kagome… I never asked you this before, but are you all right with the spirits of my parents inside you? I mean I don't want any harm to come to you.”

 

Shippou expression changed quickly to a look of concern as Kagome picked him, up cradling the fox-child to her chest and rubbing his very soft red hair. Kagome smiled as she raised him to look at her saying,

 

“I'm sure no harm will come to me. How could it? I got the best monk, demon slayer and fire cat that will look out for me, and don't forget you keep me on my toes…”

 

Kagome giggled bringing Shippou back to her chest, mussing his hair and continued,

 

“…Oh! We have Yo-Yo, who joined us, but Shippou, I know deep down that no harm will come to me, your parents inside me will not harm me. Since they made themselves at home in me, I know them to be just as loving as any parent would be. They came back to make sure their son would be prepared for this world. They have a strong will and wanted this so much for you. I'm honored that they sought me to help them help their little kit!”

 

Kagome gave Shippou a gentle squeeze and sat him down next to her while she searched her bag for the pockey he craves. Yo-Yo was so amazed by this young miko whose heart was as humongous as the sky. She willingly offered herself for this cause. No human he's ever encountered other than his former master was so giving. He caught on that she did not mention the hanyou in her list of protectors so he asked,

 

“Excuse me Lady Kagome, but what of Inuyasha? I don't mean to be intrusive, but I noticed that you did not include your pack leader as one who would look out for you.”

 

Kagome's face went solemn for a second but she looked at the older Kitsune and said with a smile,

 

“There was no need to mention him. It goes without saying; Inuyasha always looks out for me. He has issues but he's there in a pinch. The fact that he's not here now may look bad, but it only means he has trust in the others in our group. He never had much trust in anyone or anything before and I've come to understand that it will take a while for him to fully trust me. I guess I have much to prove. I'll just let the divine wisdom of the fates move things as they see fit.”

 

Sango had to admit that she sometimes questioned her sister friend when it came to her loyalty to the hanyou, but she knew Kagome enough to realize that faith in Inuyasha was his strength, and she was always going to be there for him as well as all of them. But maybe it wasn't so much Kagome, but Inuyasha she should question. After all, he runs off to Kikyo every time her soul collectors appear, leaving Kagome low in spirits. These thoughts she always kept to herself, for she knew that it somewhat unintentionally agitated Kagome.

 

Miroku noticed that Sango was deep in thought. He did not want to startle her so he gently laid his hand on shoulder to get her attention. She slowly turned her head towards the monk and smiled. He asked,

 

“Are you all right Sango? You looked like you were far away. Were you by any chance my dear, thinking of me?”

 

Ever so slowly she felt his hand leaving her shoulder sliding downward. She knew all to well where his hand was traveling. Miroku's hand slid down to the middle of her back only to have Sango jump up and walked away as she huffed in the direction of the tall grasses.

 

As she turned to see Miroku's face in that perverted smirk of his, it caused her to smile. When Miroku saw that beautiful smile, he got up and pursued his lovely slayer. She giggled and ran faster until she reached the tall grasses.

 

Kagome watched at she saw Miroku and Sango disappear into the tall grasses. She loved this time when all were relaxed and enjoying each other. She wished Inuyasha were here at this moment. She really didn't want him to feel left out.

 

Moments passed and Sango and Miroku emerged from the tall grasses. They were laughing as Kirara found herself between them. They made their way to the other group and sat down and finished their drink.

 

Kagome smiled as she saw how the two of them were becoming closer. She was happy for them. Miroku made the suggestion that they keep moving so that they might find a camping spot. Yo-Yo agreed and they all gathered their things and started walking down the same road. Kagome wondered how close they were to the village. She asked,

 

“I wonder how much further we have to go?”

 

Miroku also wondered as he looked up and saw one of the landmarks that the previous village told them about. The landmark was shaped like a ram's horn, but it really was an old tree that had seen better days. This let them know they had at least one more day of travel. Kagome worried about Inuyasha, but let no one know. Yo-Yo caught on to Kagome's feelings and said to her,

 

“Don't worry my lady, I'll help in letting Inuyasha know where we are. If his sense of smell is as strong as you say, he'll have no trouble tracking us. I'll go on ahead and find a nice place for us to camp.”

 

He looked at Shippou saying,

 

“Cousin, you lock on to my scent and help lead until Inuyasha catch up okay?”

 

Shippou nodded his head as the older Kitsune took off ahead of the group. He felt proud to be helping. Kagome smiled as she saw Shippou march in front of the group waving his little arms, beckoning them to follow.

 

MSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMS

 

Inuyasha started in the direction that the group was heading. He was amazed at how far they traveled. He figured that the humans in the group would have stopped by now. He came across the spot where they had made a stop. He smelled Kagome's scent all right, but what alarmed him was that the one who calls himself Shippou's cousin was present as well. He growled and speeded his pace back on the road. He knew by now they would have stopped but found that he was going further than he expected.

 

“Damn! How fast are they traveling?”

 

He kept his pace and then he suddenly stopped. He smelled water. This would be good a good time to see if he could catch some fish for the camp. Catching enough for HIS pack, he went on. He figured that the Kitsune could fend for himself. He sure wasn't concerned for that Kitsuse's welfare, only HIS pack members.

 

Time had passed and he still was on the road scenting his pack. But then a disturbing thing happened. No scent of anyone!

 

“Shit! What happened to their scent? It just stops right here!”

 

Inuyasha quickly jumped into the tree canopy sniffing the air. A mild wind was stirring but not enough for him to grab a scent. Not even Kirara's scent. He figured that if no scent was on the ground that he could at least catch Kirara's scent, not only that, Kirara couldn't carry all of them! So somebody's scent should be on the ground!

 

Inuyasha jumped down from the trees and walked slowly trying to catch a familiar scent. As he was concentrating, he didn't notice a boar that was about let him know that she didn't appreciate his presence in her territory near her offspring! She snorted and squealed her displeasure as she charged towards him.

 

Inuyasha heard the boar's protest and quickly leaped as the mother boar charged. As he jumped, he cursed his luck at drawing another boar's attention. He would have killed her if it were not for the fact that he also smelled her offspring as well hearing them not to far away. He dismissed this venture because he had no time to fool around when he wanted to find his pack. He jumped from tree to tree until he was far from that wretched boar.

 

Holding on to his catch of the day, he knew he'd better find his pack soon so he can contribute. He was said to slack off a lot. He would prove to that Kitsune that he could provide for his pack.

 

MSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMS

 

The telephone ringed scaring a young man out of his thoughts. He walked towards the phone by the third ring. The young man was bewildered by the voice that he heard. Recognizing the voice on the other end, he smiled saying,

 

“Yoshiro-sama, so good to hear from you. Are you back from your trip?”

 

Souta didn't realize how much he missed his boss. It made him feel the same as when Kagome goes away for a long period of time in the past and she returns. He missed his sister more than she knew. Not just the constant joking and fooling around, but the way she just knew when he felt sad or angry without he even saying a word, she'd call him out. They'd always have heart to heart talks when she knew of his feelings. He missed that the most. Then she'd embrace him and all feelings of doubt would just disappear. Yoshiro's question broke Souta out of his endearing thoughts.

 

“I will return tomorrow. I have some new artifacts I want to display in the shop, so will I see you on the following day after school?”

 

Souta was glad that he would be able to work after school again. He didn't mind helping around the shrine and all, but working made him feel a little more grown up. He liked to help his mom out with her finances and even though she refused any money from him; Souta made sure he set aside some funds to help her. Smiling, Souta answered,

 

“Yes! I will see you then Yoshiro-sama. Good-bye.”

 

Souta hung up the phone smiling. He opened the door that lead to the back yard to find his mother hanging clothes on the line. Though she had a dryer, she loved the clean smell of the outside air that would be left on the clothes rather than dryer smell. He ran over to her with excitement in his voice saying,

 

“Mom! Yoshiro called and he will be returning tomorrow, so I'll be back at the shop after school the day after tomorrow.”

 

He watched his mother's expression go from what he thought would be somewhat happy like he was, to full blown concern. She put down the clothespin that she had in her hand in the basket that held the clothes. She knew her son was excited, but her concern lied with the stranger that Souta talked about. She put her hands on her son shoulders and looked at him as only a mother concern about her child could saying,

 

“Souta, you know I'm happy for you, don't get me wrong. I'm just worried. I know looking at you; you are not going to like what I'm about to say. But before you say anything, I want to alert Yoshiro about what is going on. He is your boss and well, I don't fully know why, but I seem to trust him.”

 

Souta took a deep breath. He thought his mom was going to go through the `You're my baby' thing and do the pick you up and drop you off thing. But he knew that something was brewing. His mom was always cautious, and looking at her now, he knew she had more to say,

 

“You must call me when you leave school going to the shop, and when you get there, and when you are leaving the shop, I will be waiting for you at the bus stop. Deal?”

 

Souta thought that this was being overly cautious, but agreed to the terms after all she wasn't taking him by the hand and escorting him around. So he said,

 

“Deal, but mom, I have to have so much change on me and sometimes the phone booths don't work.”

 

His mother smiled as she led him to the house via the kitchen and opened the upper cabinet pulling out a brown wrapped box. Souta had a puzzling look on his face as his mother gave him the package. Souta quickly opened the package to find something he always wanted. Eyes widened at what he saw.

 

“MOM! A CELLPHONE!!!!!!”

 

He jumped up and down. He was so overcome with joy at his gift. Then just as quickly he got a dismal feeling. He knew his mother couldn't afford such a gift. His mom noticed the look and said to him,

 

“Now I don't want you to worry about where I got the money for this. I was working on this for a while every since you became employed at the gift shop. I paid a little at a time and… well, here you are!”

 

Souta grabbed his mother around her waist. He knew it must have been hard for her to pay for such a luxury. He squeezed his mother for her constant sacrifice and being grateful to the gods for giving him such a mother. He was a lucky kid.

 

His mother pulled him back to look at his face and saw the beginning of tears and rubbed the side of his face, then kissed the top of his head. She beckoned him to sit while she explained to him of his responsibility of maintaining his phone. She motioned for him to open his package so they could go over the functions of his phone.

 

Grandpa entered the room seeing that his daughter revealed the gift for his grandson, knowing that would defuse some of the fuss and worry. He was grateful that the gods had protected his family so far. He prayed for his granddaughter and her adventures in the feudal era, and for his grandson here in the present. This stranger lurking around the shrine is unnerving, but the shrine is for the public and travelers and he couldn't let something like this disturb his family. He had faith in the gods to protect his family, and thus far they had.

 

MSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMS

 

Inuyasha had been running and jumping treetops for what seemed like hours the sky was displaying its layers indicating the blanket of night would soon cover completely. Finally he caught a scent of what was familiar and followed it. Coming up in sight was smoke. They had set up camp. He was only concerned with Kagome's scent. He knew one or two things; she was going to be mad at him being gone so long, or she was going to be sad. Either way he was going to be prepared for whatever she had for him.

 

Coming up on the camp, he heard laughter. He heard Kagome's sweet laughter and was hoping that his presence would not stop it. He had not heard her laughter in so long that hearing it now was like music. In plain view of the happy campers, the laughter came to a sudden halt. All eyes were on Inuyasha and he didn't like the feeling he was picking up. He felt this many times in the past whenever he was with Kikyo and would come back.

 

The silence was deafening and not only could the crickets be heard, but any belly crawling creature that trekked on the ground, footsteps was amplified. Kagome was the first to break the silence,

 

“Inuyasha, you finally made it. Are you hungry? We have some fish grilled.”

 

Inuyasha had his catch over his shoulder that was not present at first. He took his catch from his body and threw them down in front of the fire. Kagome looked at the fish. She knew that he was upset. After all he did provide for the group whenever they traveled for a long time. His powerful sense of smell was valuable when he needed to hunt or catch fish. When Kagome looked at his face, she noticed that he was looking at Yo-Yo. She figured that Inuyasha must have thought that Yo-Yo caught it, but it was Miroku and Shippou and Kirara who caught it. She had to say something.

 

“Inuyasha I'm sorry. Shippou, Miroku and Kirara caught fish. We weren't sure how long you would be with Kikyo so they fished while Sango, Yo-Yo and myself set up camp.”

 

She could've slapped herself on her head! She realized that by mentioning that Yo-Yo stayed to help set up camp would set off his anger. She was right. Inuyasha turned his back and went to the nearest tree that had a branch strong enough to support him. Kagome took a deep exhausting breath and went back to where she was sitting. This angered Shippou. He knew that Kagome had nothing to apologize for. Inuyasha actions were juvenile. He always shows his backside to Kagome when he was mad. He jumped up and walked over to the tree where Inuyasha was to give him a piece of his mind.

 

“Inuyasha, why are you mad? It couldn't be because you feel threatened by my cousin being present could it? Remember you were the one who went off! Leaving Kagome unprotected, but no, she wasn't! She had us! It seems to be that way every time, even before my cousin came around.”

 

Before Shippou could say any more, Kagome interrupted saying,

 

“Shippou do you want me to read to you and share some pocky?”

 

At the mention of the pocky Shippou jetted off to her. She giggled at how fast he appeared in her lap. She rubbed his hair giving him his favorite flavor of pocky. He grinned when he saw her with the book of fairytales she always read to him. Miroku motioned towards the fish and started to clean them. Sango helped him by taking the discarded parts and smashing them for Kirara. In her kitten form she would be more than filled. Using the plastic bag that Kagome brought from her time, she stored it in the bag so the smell wouldn't attract unwanted critters.

 

Nightfall was in full display. The group's conversation picked up from where it left off before Inuyasha walked back in the camp. Yo-Yo was talking about the days when he and Shippou were running around causing trouble in the village. Shippou and Yo-Yo bantered back and forth at who caused the most trouble and how each of their fathers' would punish them. Kagome got such a kick at how much trouble they would cause.

 

Kagome's laughter was not unnoticed by the hanyou that was brooding up in the tree. It was as if everyone was ignoring him. They usually did when he went off with Kikyo and Kagome was left to be comforted. But this time something was different. She was not as forlorn as she would usually be. She was laughing. The two Kitsune were grabbing her attention. It was bad enough when it was Shippou, but now this older one claiming to be family was more than he could bear.

 

At this moment he felt lost. He thought back to times like this when he would be near the campfire thinking Kagome was asleep and find her sitting next to him. She always wanted to talk to him. She would ask him questions about his youthful days with his mother, and of his relationship with his half brother. Even though he found some of the questions intrusive and annoying, he loved it when she knew she reached her limit with him and just held him around his arm and apologized. She would hold his arm so firmly and the feeling always left him warm.

 

Now… he's alone and cold up in a tree instead of being with Kagome. Not once did she look up towards the tree. Even when she was upset with him when he had gone to Kikyo, she looked up at him. They were all laughing and enjoying the mayhem stories of the two Kitsune cousins.

 

From this distance he could see that Kagome was looking tired so he shouted. Sango and Miroku had finished their task and were already resting against Kirara.

 

“Hey! Shouldn't you all shut up and go to sleep so we can have an early start?”

 

The camp got quiet as all eyes looked up at the hanyou in the tree. Miroku agreed and everyone settled down. Soon all were asleep except Yo-Yo and Inuyasha. Yo-Yo got up to leave the campsite. Not saying a word, he disappeared into the thicket of the forest. Inuyasha made sure he kept his senses in full alert as he listened when the older Kitsuse's sounds could no longer be heard.

 

MSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMS

 

Yoshiro and Souta had lots of customers that were mainly tourist from all over the world. They complimented the way the gift shop displayed the unusual items. Many asked questions about the items' origin for there were some that were authentic.

 

Souta was restocking some shelves when he noticed the door and saw a man. His heart raced for it appeared to be the man that was lurking around the shrine. He stopped what he was doing and ran over to Yoshiro who was talking to a foreign customer who spoke French. He was amazed that his boss could speak several languages fluently.

 

He waited patiently for Yoshiro to finish, and then Souta got his attention by clearing this throat. Yoshiro curiously looked at Souta, noticing that the youth had a look of concern as he spoke,

 

“Pardon me Yoshiro-sama, I don't mean to interrupt, but a man walked in and…”

 

Yoshiro detected that the youth was being hesitant as he saw Souta's eyes move towards the entrance of the shop. He also noted that the boy's breathing got a little faster. Yoshiro allowed his eyes to travel in the same direction as the boy and immediately knew who he was looking at. He held Souta's shoulder so the boy could look at him. He gave Souta a smile hoping it would calm down the boy so he could finish his thought. Souta realized that he didn't finish what he was saying and said,

 

“…I'm sorry but, that man standing over there by the door… well, I get a strange feeling from him.”

 

Even more curious, Yoshiro couldn't help but wonder why this man agitated Souta. He asked,

 

“What kind of feeling Souta? Does the man frighten you?”

 

Souta didn't know what to say. The man wasn't doing anything threatening. He didn't want to bring unnecessary attention to himself or his boss. Yoshiro noticed that the boy was uncertain how to answer and said,

 

“Tell you what, I'll go talk to the gentleman. You stay here.”

 

Souta really hoped that nothing would happen. He wasn't sure if anything would, but he hoped nonetheless. He continued his work all the while keeping his eye on his boss and the strange man. There appeared to be no weird exchange between the two. Really, Souta didn't know what to expect.

 

His saw his boss turn away from the strange man. The man turned walking towards the door and walked out. Souta thought that he hoped he didn't make his boss lose a customer because of his concerns. He just didn't want his feelings to get the best of him and cause any trouble. He saw that his boss had an amused look on his face. He approached Souta and said to him,

 

“Not to worry. He's just one of the curators from one of the museums that I do business with from time to time.”

 

Souta thought that made sense, but what he didn't mention to Yoshiro was that it was the same man that was at his family's shrine. He wasn't sure if he should. He nodded at his boss's explanation and continued with his work. Yoshiro pick up on the youth's emotions and felt that he was still uneasy. He'll have to try to gain the boy's trust so that it'll be easy for him to talk to him. But for now he'll let this go.

 

Night was in full bloom as Souta told the family about the new items that Yoshiro brought to the gift shop. He was so proud that he was able to travel home by himself from the gift shop using his cell phone to call his mother. She and Grandpa was proud of the way he handled himself when he told them about the strange man that appeared at the shrine was also in the gift shop. He then told them that the man did business with Yoshiro from time to time. But what bothered him was why had the man come to the shrine in the first place?

 

He helped his mother clear the table after dinner, then retired to his room. He was very tired. He quickly got into his bedclothes and soon fell asleep.

 

**Souta's Dream**

 

 

The locket glowed an eerie blue as Souta saw the image of the campsite where the crew was eating fish. It was night and he felt there was some kind of tension circling. Inuyasha was in the tree, as everyone else seemed to be enjoying the moment. He then heard the hanyou yell out to them to go to sleep because they had to get up in the morning. He saw how everyone was quiet and fell off to sleep except Inuyasha and the one called Yo-Yo.

 

The scene of the dream quickly changed to Yo-Yo leaving the camp and Inuyasha just keeping watch over everyone. He couldn't help but notice that there was uneasiness between the two. He could only guess that the new male to the group was a threat to Inuyasha when it came to Kagome. He understood their relationship enough to guess that Inuyasha was very protective of his big sister. He looks around at everyone and saw that they were resting in comfort and he felt better knowing that everyone was safe.

 

He felt a presence and turned to see the red-haired youkai that always appeared before him in this dream state. He had a gentle smile as he spoke,

 

“Are you well knowing that your sister and her friends are safe?”

 

Smiling at the youkai he nodded as the man beckoned Souta to follow him as they left the camp. The night was beautiful in his dream state. He never saw so many stars in the sky. They came to a huge rock that they sat on. Souta then heard giggling and turned to see Shippou running towards them. He thought the fox-child was asleep. Then he saw another red-haired male and a beautiful red-hair female. They looked just like the man who always appeared in his dream.

 

They transformed into their animal form and ran around the huge rock that Souta and the red-haired man were sitting on. The foxes ran and ran for what seemed to be hours. Then they stopped and face their audience. Changing back to their humanoid form, they approached Souta. Souta did not know what to say. This was something he never saw. But he kind of knew this is something his sister saw all the time. He wasn't frightened, but awestricken.

 

He knew who they were! These were Shippou's parents! They jumped in front of him and laughed. Takehiro and Akemi were happy that their son knew someone childlike as like himself and was the brother of the wonderful priestess that had a beautiful heart and loved their son. They wanted to meet this young man.

 

He didn't understand how he knew, but he knew. He looked at each of them and smiled. They took him by his hand and transformed into their fox form, which was very large! Souta has seen foxes before but never this large. He saw Shippou mount the back of the female and he was nuzzled between his legs and found himself on the back of the large male fox as they took off.

 

They ran through grasses, in between large trees over huge rocks and everywhere! Souta couldn't believe how fast they were going. They did this for what appeared to be a very long time. He was filled with so much delight that he didn't want this to end.

 

Time came and they stopped in front of the rock that the red-haired youkai was sitting on whom Souta took to be his guide in this weird dream state. The laughter was contagious and Souta found that he had an uncontrollable case of the giggles. Never did he have so much fun in a dream before. It felt so real! The wind was streaking through his hair, as they raced everywhere. Souta dismounted the male fox's back still giggling, holding his stomach as it constricted from all the laughing.

 

Once all was calm, they spoke to Souta about everything. Letting him know that they will not let his big sister come to harm. Souta knew in a strange way that he had nothing to worry about. He told them in, as much assurance as he could that he trusted them. Pleased that he trusted them, it came time that the dream was ending. They said their farewells and were about to leave. But before they left, Shippou ran back to Souta saying,

 

“Thank you for allowing me to share your sister Kagome with you. I want you to know that if I had a brother and sister, I'd want them to be you and Kagome.”

 

Shippou turned and ran with his parents leaving a young boy who was proud to be part of his sister's life in this weird way. He would take it any way he could. The locket started to glow. The red-haired youkai stood in front of Souta and bended down to make eye contact with the young man. Souta knew that the youkai was going to say something to him by the way he looked at him.

 

“You are much like your sister. Kind hearted and more brave than you give yourself knowledge of. You must be strong for her sake. You also will face challenges. She will be going through tough times. But knowing her brother is there to look after a family that needs him will help her with this journey she must face. Can you be strong for her young man?”

 

Souta nodded as he clutched the locket tighter in his hand saying.

 

“I will. I have to. I promised her I would.”

 

The red-haired youkai smiled and stood gently placing his clawed hand on Souta's shoulder. They walked along and Souta started to feel strange. He knew this meant that he was waking up. He felt darkness surrounding him as he heard an echoing voice he knew to be his guide.

 

{“Do not feel you have to do this alone! There is someone in your world that will look after you. Trust him my young one.”}

 

**Dream Over**

 

MSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMS

 

The camp was busy packing up for the long travel. The sun had not yet risen and it was still dark. Kagome and Sango had almost everything packed. Inuyasha was waiting by the tree where he had been watching everyone. Yo-Yo had returned sometime during the night watching as well, much to the displeasure of the pack leader. Kagome had asked Sango if she would go with her to the near by stream to just refresh herself. Sango agreed, much to the protest of the hanyou, who complained about it not being necessary to refresh one's self. Shippou commented in a teasing, nasal manner,

 

“It is not necessary for one to want to smell like a dog either”

 

Shippou stuck out his tongue and in a flash found him in the claws of one pissed half-dog demon. Yo-Yo couldn't help but laugh inward but kept his face as stoic as possible. Miroku snickered and snickered until he let out a guffaw of laughter. Kagome just told Shippou to apologize for his remark and pulled Sango along towards the stream, telling all to behave.

 

Yo-Yo knew not to jump to conclusions when it came to the antics of his cousin and the half-demon. He remembered Kagome telling him that some time ago that Inuyasha could get rough only to establish dominance, but he would never let any harm come to Shippou. She trusted Inuyasha with her life. He had on more than one occasion proved himself to be a leader. He might not have wanted to be, but his strong instinct to protect all of them in this pack is unquestionable. Unknown to his knowledge, he labeled them as his friends.

 

When Yo-Yo questioned Kagome about the relationship between the two of them, he instantly noticed her hesitation as well as a bit of sadness. He would then apologize and told her she needed not to answer. But he did want to let her know how he would love to have a friend like her for he could tell deep down that she was a treasure. He would notice Kagome's blush and smile and could see why the hanyou would often get jealous.

 

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard Shippou's loud insults and protest for Inuyasha to put him down. Inuyasha drops him to the ground and walks back to the tree. Shippou walked up to his cousin asking why he didn't help him. Yo-Yo replied,

 

“One must respect their elders Shippou.”

 

He heard Inuyasha huff then shout,

 

“Elder! Who you calling an Elder? I ain't that old you know!”

 

Yo-Yo looked and noticed that the monk had finished his packing and was playfully jabbing his staff at the twin-tailed kitten. Around this moment the women came back into camp. The sky had lightened a little as he notice the miko looked refreshed indeed. Quickly stuffing her things in the over-sized yellow backpack, she then after closing it threw it across her back asking,

 

“Are we all ready? Yo-Yo you mentioned that we should reach there by today. Am I right?

 

Yo-Yo smiled at how anxious she seemed to get to the village. He answered,

 

“Yes my lady, I found that if we took to the air, we could get there quicker. I can turn…”

 

Before he could finish his sentence, Inuyasha cut him off saying,

 

“How the hell can we take to the air? Kirara can't carry all of us, and Shippou sure as hell can't! His runt ass has a hard time keeping his form! So how the hell can we take to the air?”

 

Yo-Yo let out an exasperated sigh and continued,

 

“As I was saying, I can turn into my carpet form and we'll be there in half a day. What do you say pack leader? Feel adventurous?”

 

Then Kagome broke in saying,

 

“Oh that's a great idea! What do you say everybody? It'll be like when we ride Hatchi!”

 

Miroku nodded in agreement, and reasoned that getting there was the primary objective. Sango rubbing Kirara in her arms also agreed. Shippou was excited about the idea. The only one not to keen about the idea was Inuyasha.

 

Kagome felt the uneasiness and tension rising so, thinking it would help, she said,

 

“Inuyasha, would you rather travel by land?”

 

He gave her a look like she was out of her mind saying,

 

“Now what sense would that make? If taking to the sky would get you there faster, then sky it is. I'll just go on like I always travel, I can run fast! I'm just slow because you all are snails.”

 

With her last effort to be diplomatic she asked,

 

“Would you like for me to go with you?”

 

Something in the way she asked, was she trying to patronize him? Without too much thinking he said,

 

“What the hell for? You yourself said what a great idea it was to travel by the sky, so go the hell on!”

 

Not able to retract what was said, he saw Kagome's face turn into the cold demeanor that made him uneasy. She slowly turned and walked to Yo-Yo saying,

 

“I guess we will be accepting your gracious offer Yo-Yo. Thank you.”

 

Yo-Yo knew it would be a good idea to quickly transform and move on out. He felt Kagome sadness when Inuyasha rejected her company, but now he felt nothing, no emotion at all. This made him uneasy as well, but just decided not to linger any longer.

 

After Yo-Yo transformed into carpet form, everyone jumped on and was lifted straight up high above the surrounding trees then jetted off towards the village. Inuyasha stood there looking off at the sky where his pack disappeared. He knew he should just be off. He just didn't want to hear his thoughts.

 

MSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMS

 

The afternoon was coming upon the flying crew. Miroku asked Kagome, who had been silent the whole trip, if she wanted to stop. She said no, but to just keep going on if it was all right with Yo-Yo. The older Kitsune said it was fine to keep on. He told them that it was not much longer and they'll be approaching the outer entrance of the territory.

 

Just as they approached the outer territory, Yo-Yo told them he will be descending and to brace themselves. Once reaching the ground, Yo-Yo transformed back to his humanoid self. He led them towards the direction of the outer village. Sango wanted to ask if they should wait for Inuyasha, but thought against it. Kagome was going through enough.

 

This place was beautiful. They came to a little arc-style bridge that had a small stream running underneath it. Crossing the bridge, they came to a very ornate open gateway with gold designs of foxes that trailed from top to bottom. The trees that surrounded had a very unique fragrance, one Kagome never smelled before. It was strong, but attractive to the senses. They came to what looked like uniformed stone steps that wasn't too high. The stone gave a glass like appearance that if you looked down, you could see your reflection.

 

 

Kagome looked around in wide-eyed wonder. As long as she has been traveling in this strange past life, she's never seen anything like this. There were plants of various species, and flowers a florist shop would kill to have. They walked up to the bottom step and started climbing. As the reached the top the group noticed Yo-Yo- acting strangely. If Kagome didn't know better she would have thought he was growling. Shippou's fluffy fur tail stood up straight and shook like that of a rattlesnake's.

 

Yo-Yo grabbed his sword from the sheath reveling his double blades. Miroku and Sango also readied themselves for the sudden aura that was so ominous. Yo-Yo knew that this was coming. This was a very hostile reception indeed.

 

Just then Kagome's body started to wave from side to side like a breeze blowing blades of grass. She slowly fell to her knees, and as she did, Shippou ran to her. He noticed that her eyes had turned green and he instantly knew that his parents were now present. Yo-Yo knew they were being watched and shouted,

 

“I know you are here and that you're watching! Why don't you show yourselves?”

 

Just then there was laughter, maniacal and unnerving. Kagome looked at Shippou and picked him up cradled him and looked around until she spotted the individual who owned such laughter. Now through the eyes of Takahiro and Akemi, she held up her hand so all could see where she was pointing.

 

Once the owner of this laughter stopped, he walked out from behind the many pillars that adorned the courtyard. He was dressed in full armor where the chest plate was thick leather that was ribbed in a horizontal fashion. He sported a helmet that was bronze in color and strapped under his chin and he had a very tall spear in his right hand. He was definitely a guard or a soldier. As the crew was in alert status, the guard slowly took off his helmet where a curtain of red hair fell to his shoulders and swayed in front of him resting on his breastplate.

 

Just then another guard who was not as well adorned as the first guard, but you knew he was also a guard or maybe soldier, came from around another pillar. Another guard or soldier and another came until there were around ten. The tension was thick as the crew readied themselves for what may happen.

 

The well-adorned guard surveyed the strange crew before him and spoke,

 

“What in hell possessed you to return here, boy? You know you were asked to never return. Leave now and you will not have to face the wrath of our lord.”

 

Kagome walked slowly towards the guard with Shippou in her arms and says in the voice of Akemi,

 

“Your lord will see us along with my son and his cousin. If you don't want to face my wrath, you WILLstep aside!”

 

The guard's was shocked and confused. He recognized the voice, but this human girl in front of him was moving her lips and the fox child she was holding was also familiar. He was dumbfounded and his eyes were wide with disbelief. The guard could not believe what he was hearing, but said,

 

“Akemi? Is that you? But how?”

 

The guard's, voice full of confusion saw this human girl before him with eyes that were green as emeralds stared at him. Then he was caught off guard when Yo-Yo advanced to her side. The guard held out his spear to the face of Yo-Yo and snarled out,

 

“You are not to enter! I don't know, nor do I care who you bought here, but no one passes! If you, any of you value your lives, you leave now! I'm in no mood for any tricks with voices of falsehood. How dare you!”

 

Just then an elderly fox demon appeared from a far off pillar and slowly made his way towards Yo-Yo and Kagome. The other guards or soldiers were in a stance of readiness as they awaited any command that would be given. The elderly fox demon was white-haired and sported a long robe that was gray in color, with cranes that was embroidered all over the robe. He had a long staff in his hand that was similar to Miroku's, but had no rings that made noise. It did have a very ornate shape of a golden fox head in the center of the circled tip. It sported jewels on three spots on the circle. By the left ear of the fox head was a black stone, on the right ear was a red stone and at the bottom center was a green stone.

 

The elderly fox put his hand on the guard's shoulder indicating the guard to relax, as he closed the distance between himself and Yo-Yo saying in a voice, calm but laced with warning,

 

“You must leave now.”

 

The guard that had his spear in Yo-Yo's face slowly lowered his weapon. Kagome started to weave because her legs were weakening. Shippou felt Kagome's grip loosened and he jumped to Yo-Yo's shoulder. She grabbed Yo-Yo's arm to maintain her balance, he turned and held her limp body as she passed out. Sango and Miroku started towards their friend and were met with four spears in their face as Miroku asked,

 

“Do you not think this is overkill?”

 

The steadfast guards continued pointing their spears at Miroku, Sango and even Kirara, who by this time was in her battle cat size growled at the captors.

 

Just then there was a red flash that appeared in between Miroku, Sango, Kirara and the guards, and when the red became clear, Inuyasha also let out a growl as he held a very large sword in the faces of the guards. Inuyasha's eyes moved to where he saw Kagome in Yo-Yo's arms. He saw that Kagome was very exhausted. He knew that one of the hosts in her body must have taken over. This made him even angrier. But he knew that now was not the time. The event before him was a priority. As his eyes roamed his surroundings he yelled,

 

“What the hell's going on here?!!!!”

 

 

 

 

A/N: This is an apology to you all that have been reading my story. I am so ashamed of the length of time it took me to finish this chapter. I have been ill for the most part, but I am fairing well. I am currently working on chapter 18. I'm going to try to get this out soon. Love and Peace to all!

 

TAJE

 

 

 

 

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