InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Midnight Blood ❯ Allies ( Chapter 20 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

By: ji-an

I take it back, THIS is the longest chapter I’ve written for this story so far. Granted a large chunk of this chapter is mostly dialogue, but it’s still pretty long, all the same. Hopefully this means that I can do faster, longer updates like this, but still while taking it slow enough not to hurt my right hand. How’s THIS for a fast update? And right before Halloween too! Anyway, I hope you have as much fun reading this chapter as I had writing it.
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Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha, nor do I take credit for Rumiko Takahashi’s genius. I don’t own Yu Yu Hakusho, nor do I take credit for Yoshihiro Togashi’s awesome characters.

@REVIEWERGODDESS: ‘‘BSXY?’’ Heh heh, that’s funny. Is mediaminer trying to make some kind of jab against the male sex? That’s not very nice, but funny all the same. I love how you’re picking up on things that Kagome isn’t, and that Inuyasha is trying to ignore. You insightful person you! And people do weird things when they’re panicking, or in love. Ah yes, nothing like life or death to remind you of what’s important. Oops, spoilers. But I won’t tell you the rest and let you figure it out as you read alone. Also, this may be the most in character chapter I’ve ever written. Thank you so much again for reviewing! One more and it’ll be 50 reviews! YAY! Hope you enjoy.

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Part Twenty: Allies
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‘‘Fools.’’ Kikyo growled. She felt the chill of her soul’s core, and turned to see Kurama jump down from a branch above. He came to stand at her side, looking down at the steaming carcass of the spider she was standing on. Surveying his forest, he saw the damage the giant insects had done. Branches were torn, trees had been uprooted, and many of his plants lay in heaps, their acidic juices spilling onto the forest floor causing more damage. And there was also the problem of the poisonous webs the spiders left behind. Despite the damage, Yoko was not furious. Instead he focused his thoughts. Calculations were always his forte, and he swore he would use his mind to make the Spider King rue the day he ever sent his lackeys into his territory. ‘‘Sayo!’’ Kikyo gasped, drawing his attention back to her. ‘‘Is she-’’
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‘‘Safe.’’ Yoko interrupted. ‘‘Yomi kept her out of harm’s way.’’ He kicked the spider’s head, watching it bounce and roll on the floor. ‘‘I can’t say the same for our three guests, they disappeared during the scuffle.’’
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‘‘Well, there you have it. They’re gone. Is that not what you wanted all along?’’
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‘‘Not to worry, my mate.’’ He said before she could give him the full brunt of her annoyance. ‘‘I have fulfilled your wish.’’
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The surprise on her face only lasted a moment, and he could feel her reaching into his thoughts. ‘‘You sent him? But he’s-’’
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‘‘Capable, he’s capable. Now then,’’ He held out his arm, ‘‘shall we gather our warriors and spies? I believe we have an enemy to rip to shreds.’’
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Kikyo smirked, her eyes half closed, and hooked her arm around his. ‘‘Yes, I believe we do.’’
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Kagome covered her eyes when light finally hit them. She expected to see the blue and green lights of the Spirit Woods, but found herself looking again at the red and black colors of the Infinity Meadow. They were back to where they had started, only this time Kagome was sure that they wouldn’t be able to escape back into the forest from whence they came. In all honesty, Kagome didn’t want to go back. She was comfortable never seeing Kikyo, her daughter, or Yoko Kurama ever again. She let go of Inuyasha’s hand, figuring that now that they were out of Ghost Forest, she didn’t need to hold onto him anymore since she could see now.
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Inuyasha took several steps in front of her, looking left and right. ‘‘Everywhere looks the fucking same.’’ He sighed. ‘‘Got any ideas about which way we should go?’’
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Kagome’s snide comment was forgotten when she felt something move behind her. She turned quickly, looking back into the forest and at the grass at her feet. At first, she saw nothing, but then there was a rustling sound, and Kagome was able to turn her head toward the noise just in time to see an orange color flash for a second. ‘‘Inuyasha, did you see that?’’
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He flexed his arms in front of him. ‘‘Looks as though we have company. I hope it’s not another giant spider.’’ The rustling stopped suddenly. ‘‘What the hell?’’
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Kagome kept her eyes and ears alert, waiting for whatever it was that was in the meadow grass to move again. It couldn’t have been something big, or else she and Inuyasha would have spotted it. Yet, after those ten seconds of freefall, and after running into giant monster after giant monster, Kagome was vigilant. She wasn’t going to let her guard down for any creature, no matter how small, and she definitely, wasn’t going to let herself panic again. There was another orange flash, and Kagome pointed at it! ‘‘There!’’
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Inuyasha lunged, flashing his arms out at the thing and tumbling down into the dirt. Just as Kagome ran up to him, ready to attack whatever he had caught, Inuyasha jumped onto his feet, holding their mystery attacker in his hand. ‘‘What the fuck?’’ He stared. Kagome stared. He hadn’t caught a monster; he had caught a very tiny person.
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‘‘Let me go, ya big, stupid mutt!’’
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Inuyasha lifted the boy up so that they were eye level. ‘‘The fuck did you just say? The hell are you following us, you little brat?’’
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‘‘I’m not a brat! I’m a fox demon! Leggo, ya big oaf!’’
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Before Inuyasha and the boy could get into a full-blown war of insults, Kagome snatched the boy from Inuyasha’s hand and held him close to her chest. ‘‘Awww! You’re so cute! Look at his red hair Inuyasha! And his little ponytail! And his cute little fur accessory!’’
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‘‘Hey! Mmph! Let go of me! I’m not cute! I’m the great fox demon Shippo! And that’s my tail you’re pulling! OWW!’’
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‘‘Aw, sure great demon. I bet you are, you cute little--It IS a tail!’’ Kagome began twirling the tip of the foxtail around her finger and she squeezed Shippo to her chest. ‘‘You’re adorable!Ó By the time she began rubbing her cheek against the boy’s forehead, his face matched the color of his hair.
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‘‘Uh, hello, Kagome. Need I remind you that the little brat was following us? Hey! Will you stop cooing at him for a second? How do we know little brat isn’t some spy or monster in disguise?’’
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Kagome huffed. ‘‘Don’t be ridiculous, Inuyasha, he’s just a little boy.’’ She held Shippo out in front of her like he was a doll. ‘‘Just look at how scary he is.’’
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Shippo turned his head around to look at Kagome. ‘‘Your name’s Kagome?’’
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‘‘Uh huh.’’ Kagome smiled brightly.
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Shippo tilted his head to the side. ‘‘Why are you with this jerk?’’ He pointed at Inuyasha.
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Inuyasha flicked Shippo on the nose. The second he did, Shippo jerked himself free of Kagome’s grasp. He jumped on Inuyasha’s head and bit down hard on one of his ears. Inuyasha wailed. ‘‘Why you little shit! Leggo of my ear!’’
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Kagome tried not to laugh as Inuyasha ran around in circles, screaming, while Shippo fidgeted in his hair. He wriggled on Inuyasha’s head, to try and keep away from the older nightwalker’s hands, until Inuyasha grabbed hold of his tail and began yanking. ‘‘Gerroff my fail!’’
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‘‘Get off my head first, you goddamn, oooooooooooowwwww! Shit! Get off! Get off! GET OFF!’’
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Kagome ran up to them, unable to take it anymore. She forced down her laughter, hoping to give them her sternest look. ‘‘Shippo, let go of his ear, now!’’
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The boy looked at her with a mixture of guilt and feigned innocence. ‘‘He fwicked my nose, and he called me a bwat! I came here to help foo ya know.’’ His lisp made it even harder for Kagome not to smile, but she knew she had to get Inuyasha’s ear out his mouth before he really hurt him, and before she broke her cool. Her cheeks were already hurting from holding her laughter inside. ‘‘Now.’’ Kagome said. Shippo released Inuyasha’s ear, grumbling as he did so. The next second, Inuyasha grabbed the little runt by the tail and bashed him on the head with his free hand.
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‘‘Owwwwwwww!’’ Shippo landed on his behind, holding his head. ‘‘What did you do that for?’’ He rolled on the floor as a bump appeared in his red hair.
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‘‘Oh, I’m not done! It’s about time someone teaches you some goddamn manners!’’
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Shippo yelped and speedily crawled in the grass till he was hiding behind Kagome’s leg. ‘‘You wouldn’t hit your woman would you?’’ He said.
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‘‘Oh, that’s low.’’ Inuyasha growled, stomping his way toward her with his fists and teeth clenched, not taking his eyes off Shippo.
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Kagome’s humor was all gone. This time, she grabbed Shippo by the back of his shirt and lifted him up. ‘‘Enough! Both of you! Inuyasha, stop it!’’
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He looked at her as though she had just testified against him in court. ‘‘WHAT! Do you have any idea how much that hurt!’’ He pointed at his injured ear, which, Kagome noticed, was bleeding. ‘‘And I thought getting hit in the balls was painful! You can’t tell me not to punch that little brat’s head until it’s a pancake!’’
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‘‘Calm down, Inuyasha! He’s just a little boy. Be mature and let it go.’’
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‘‘Like hell I’m going to let it go!’’
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‘‘Nah nah!’’ Shippo stuck his tongue out. ‘‘Listen to her and be mature will you.’’
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‘‘And you.’’ Shippo let out a small ‘‘eek’’ as Kagome lifted him up so that he was eye level with her. ‘‘Apologize to him right now.’’
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‘‘What? Why do I have to apologize! He started it!’’
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‘‘Shippo. Apologize. You don’t like it when people yank on your tail, so I’m sure you can understand how much being bitten on the ear will hurt.’’
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Shipp bit the inside of his cheek, turned around and gave Inuyasha the least heartfelt apology Kagome had ever heard, but it did the trick. Inuyasha turned around and crossed his arms, muttering under his breath. As he was distracted, Kagome brought Shippo’s attention back to her by patting the bump on his head. ‘‘It doesn’t look that bad, all things considered. With your healing, you should be fine in an hour or two.’’
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‘‘Doesn’t look that bad? It really hurt!’’ He pouted at her.
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Kagome leaned in so that she could whisper in Shippo’s ear. ‘‘Considering the fact that he could have smashed your head, you should be thankful that all you got was a bump. All his swearing is just irritation, I don’t think he would hurt you that bad. The damage you did to his ear was a lot worse.’’
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‘‘How do you know that?’’ Shippo tapped his foot against her stomach impatiently. Kagome was briefly reminded of Albier and Claire and how they would annoy Inuyasha with their childishness. Seeing how Inuyasha really pulled his punches when he was chasing those kids around, she could guess that the lump on Shippo’s head didn’t hurt that badly. Though to be fair, calling Albier and Claire kids was strange, considering both of them were over sixty, and Shippo was- ‘‘How old are you Shippo?’’
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He puffed his chest out proudly. ‘‘I’m twenty-four years old! I’m practically a man!’’ Kagome calculated. He would be eight years old in human years. She wondered if Shippo, Claire and Albier would get along. She wondered if Taiki would like him. A tingle of loneliness went through her as she realized that she missed them. She imagined what it must be like back at the family’s home, and how worried they must be over their disappearance.
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‘‘Kagome? Are you okay?’’
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‘‘Hmm, oh I’m fine. By the way Shippo, you said you came here to help us?’’
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‘‘You’re going to trust the brat? Right, because a little kit is going to be so much help out here.’’
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Shippo jumped down from Kagome’s arms. ‘‘I can too help. I can get you out of Infinity Meadow! Unlike you two newbies, I know exactly how to navigate this place. I can be your map.’’
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‘‘So you came here to play tour guide. Fantastic. Kagome, we really should move on. We have to find Lilliana. Need I remind you who else is out there?’’
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Kagome cringed. Shippo’s cuteness had erased all worries from her mind. That tiny snippet of almost normalcy, with Inuyasha acting like the big dope he is, made her forget about how they had gotten back into the Infinity Meadow in the first place. For all she knew, Lilliana could still be in the forest, and they had no idea how to navigate the area. Even though she wanted to search for her, Kagome wasn’t sure how she would go about doing it. They were completely lost, and the idea that Lilliana could run into a certain someone didn’t sit well with her. That was one thing she agreed with Inuyasha on.
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‘‘If she ran into the forest like we did, she’d eventually get out here wouldn’t she?’’
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‘‘Let’s start walking. Hopefully we’ll bump into each other like we did last time.’’ Inuyasha turned and began walking in a random direction. ‘‘H-hey! Don’t go wandering off! Do you even know how the meadow works?’’ Shippo jumped up and down to get his attention, but Inuyasha did not stop. Kagome reached down to pick the boy up. She felt him flinch when she placed her hands under his arms, but he didn’t complain as she crossed her arms around his middle and ran after Inuyasha.
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‘‘Okay, Shippo, how do we navigate this place?’’
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Shippo let out a smug little laugh. Then he began lecturing. ‘‘The Infinity Meadow is all about illusion. It’s actually a very small meadow between the forest, the mountains, and the desert on the other side. It only seems long because people get stuck in the illusion and they can’t find the right way out, so they’re stuck going in circles.’’
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‘‘So how do we get out of the illusion?’’
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He shacked his index finger. ‘‘Different nightwalkers have different ways. Lady Kikyo and Lady Sayo follow the souls as they move from one area to the next. Lord Yoko follows the plants, and Lord Yomi follows the sounds. You have to know the right path to take. Since I’m a fox demon, I know a thing or two about illusions. Watch this!’’
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He jumped down from her arms, standing with his feet apart and taking a deep breath. Kagome tried not to let out a squeak of affection as he put his palms together. As he pulled his hands apart, a blue light began to form. The light became bigger and bigger, and Kagome panicked when Shippo’s entire body was engulfed in blue flames. Before she could reach him however, Shippo bellowed, ‘‘Fox Fire!’’
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The blue light exploded out of Shippo’s body, it spread out through the ground, through Kagome, through Inuyasha, and everything around them, as far as they could see. When the light faded, blue flames lined up, like a path of blue candles. Kagome looked around her, realizing that they were at an intersection. The blue flames made paths in four directions. One path led back to Ghost Forest, while the other three led into the meadow.
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‘‘The blue fire is my illusion. I can cut through the illusion by making one of my own. Follow the blue fire and you’ll eventually get out. That way leads back to Ghost Forest. That way leads to the desert, though I wouldn’t go there if I were you. I heard the Spider King of the desert is very nasty. This way leads to the mountains, and that way leads to ice demons’ territory.’’
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‘‘Some help you are.’’ Said Inuyasha.
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‘‘What was that you big oaf?’’
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Inuyasha poked the blue fire and rubbed his fingers together as though he were inspecting dust. ‘‘You only showed us the way out, not how to see through the illusion. This doesn’t help us find Lilliana. We can’t leave the meadow until we find her.’’
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Shippo sniffed at the air. ‘‘I don’t smell anyone out here.’’ He turned to Kagome. ‘‘What’s this girl like?’’
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‘‘Well, she’s his bloodchild,’’ Kagome pointed to Inuyasha, ‘‘and my friend. We came here from the human world together.’’
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‘‘Human world? That’s funny, Kagome.’’
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‘‘Funny?’’ ;
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‘‘That place is just a fairytale. Humans only exist as souls; they don’t have any real bodies. Even I know that, and I’m still a kid.’’
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‘‘Oh? I thought you said you were practically a man, Shippo.’’
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He blushed. ‘‘W-well, yes I am! I’m good at illusions, and I can multiply, and I can mimic other people’s looks. I’m the best fox demon in the Spirit Woods, other then Lord Yoko of course! No one else has as many tricks as I do.’’ He looked up into the sky dramatically, as though trying to convince Kagome of his greatness. Kagome laughed out loud this time.
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‘‘Okay, great fox demon, got any tricks that could help us look for Lilliana?’’
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Shippo’s exuberance deflated. ‘‘Sorry. I only know how to get out of this place not how to explore it. Besides, it’s not good to stay here for too long. I heard the meadow does things to you if you stay here way too long. I don’t think I want to find out what they are.’’
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Kagome was tempted to agree. Yet she was also in line with Inuyasha’s thinking. They had to find Lilliana, and she did not want to leave the meadow without her. Still, there was the worry that Lilliana could still be in the Spirit Woods. Though Yoko Kurama made it clear that he had wanted them gone as soon as possible, there was still a chance that Lilliana was there, or at least inside the forest. There was also a chance that she had passed through the meadow and moved on. There was one more possibility, but Kagome did not want to think about it. So she followed Inuyasha as they searched, and searched, and searched the meadow.
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Soon Kagome had lost track of time. It had been more then two hours by her estimate. As she walked, her mind began to wonder again. She wondered what was going on in the human world. She wondered what Lucy thought of their disappearance, and how this world was connected to theirs. She wondered why they were here. None of it made sense, and soon Kagome had a headache as big as the heartache in her chest. Worry over Lilliana battled with fear for the family, as well as other emotional issues that she wasn’t ready to address. Ignore it, she told herself. She tried to focus on finding Lilliana again, but as they passed more and more of the same scenery with no sign of her, Kagome began to feel as tired as her mind did.
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‘‘How much longer?’’ Shippo whined in Kagome’s arms. ‘‘If you’re not leaving anytime soon, I’ll just take a nap. Wake me up when you’re ready to leave.’’ He settled adorably in Kagome’s arms like a cat, placing his head against her upper arm, and curling into a ball. He was soon dozing.
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Tree, black sky, red moon, black grass, over and over they passed the same scenery, just as they had done the last time they were there. Kagome looked at Inuyasha’s back, wondering if he was tired as well. He kept looking and shouting Lilliana’s name. Kagome tried extending her senses, to try and pick up a scent, but nothing came to her. Her feet were beginning to hurt, which was a warning sign. As a nightwalker, she rarely got fatigued, and since there was no way to tell time in a world where the sun did not rise, and the moon stood in one position, there was also no way of knowing how long they had walked without rest. Listening to Shippo’s soft breathing made her realize how long she’d been on her feet. ‘‘Inuyasha,’’ Kagome said, ‘‘I think we should leave and find a safe place to rest.’’
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He spun around as quickly as she had expected. His scowl was no surprise to her either. ‘‘What? You better not be saying we should just abandon her?’’
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‘‘Don’t be a moron!’’ Kagome said, hoping her tone was annoyed, but not loud enough to wake Shippo. ‘‘I would never suggest that. I want to find her just as much as you do. It’s just that we’ve been in this place for I don’t know how long. Surely, I would have run into her by now.’’
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‘‘So what? We just move on?’’
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The sound of his voice was so aghast, as if he was incredulous that she would even think about leaving and resting without Lilliana. For a moment, Kagome felt guilty. She didn’t want to abandon Lilliana, of course not! However, she felt as though they were wasting time in the meadow, and exhausting their energy wasn’t getting them anywhere. She ducked her head, looking down at the floor. ‘‘If we could find a city, maybe we could ask around if any other nightwalkers have found her. Maybe we could pick up on her scent. We should have been able to do so if she were here. Surely, you could’ve found her with your nose.’’
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Kagome looked up, expecting Inuyasha to go on another stubborn tirade, but was surprised to see him look very uncomfortable, as if his clothes were too tight. He fidgeted, then grabbed the collar of his red shirt and began to unbutton it. Kagome had no clue as to what point he was trying to make, but she felt very awkward, and was about to turn away when Inuyasha slapped a hand against his chest. ‘‘The fuck?’’ He said, looking at his palm. ‘‘A flea?’’
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Kagome’s cheeks moved without her conscious control, rising even as she kept her mouth shut. A flea? First his name, then the cute dog ears, and now fleas? What next? Would he grow a fluffy, white tail like Yoko Kurama? She moved to look, and sure enough, there was a flea, as flat as a piece of paper, in Inuyasha’s palm. The laughter inside Kagome’s throat was going to erupt out of her mouth full speed! She opened her mouth. The flea popped back into a three-dimensional shape and looked up at Inuyasha and spoke. ‘‘Lord Inuyasha! It IS you! What, how are you here? My you’ve grown.’’
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The humor that had been in Kagome’s throat came out as a scream. It was so loud that Inuyasha’s dog-ears went flat on his head. ‘‘It talks!’’ Shippo stirred awake in Kagome’s arms, rubbing his eyes.
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Inuyasha was just as stunned. After he recovered from Kagome’s screeching, he stared down at the flea with wide eyes. Upon closer inspection, the flea looked like an old balding man, wearing a kimono, with a flea’s pointed nose instead of a mouth. ‘‘What. The. Fuck?’’ He moved to smash the flea in between his hands, but the little pest jumped out of his hand just as quickly and landed on his shoulder, jumping up and down. ‘‘Is that the way you treat your servant after all this time! It’s been so long, my lord!’’
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‘‘Ah, shut up!’’ Inuyasha said as he slapped his shoulder, only to have the flea avoid his hand and jump up onto his little doggie ear. ‘‘I don’t know you! And how the do you know me. I’ve never had fleas, least of all ones that think I’m their master!’’
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‘‘I was a friend of your father, I’ll have you know! And I would know the blood of his family anywhere.’’
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Inuyasha stopped, his hand still in midair, as he had been preparing to snatch the little bug off his ear. ‘‘My father! You know the old bastard!’’
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‘‘Yes I do. I was there when you were born, right here in this very meadow, mind you, before your mother and father escaped to the human world.’’
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‘‘What are you talking about?’’ Inuyasha managed to catch the flea between his fingers. He held him out in his palm, waiting. ‘‘Who are you?’’
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The flea crossed his two of his four arms. ‘‘I am Myoga the flea. I was your father’s servant many years ago. I am an information gatherer if I do say so myself.’’
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‘‘You knew his father?’’ Kagome said. ‘‘So he was here in this world. But that doesn’t make sense. How could you have been born here? What about Sesshoumaru?’’
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‘‘Ah, so Lord Sesshoumaru is also still alive? By the by, who are you young lady?’’ He placed his other two hands on his hips, and this time, Kagome couldn’t help but let out a very nervous giggle. A talking servant flea with his arms crossed and his hands on his hips. If Kagome had ever imagined anything like that before she had come to this world, she would have believed herself to be going insane. ‘‘I’m Kagome.’’
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‘‘Sh e’s my mate.’’
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‘‘And quite a fetching one at that.’’ Myoga added.
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Kagome felt blood rush to her cheeks. That was a first, she thought. ‘‘So, uh, Myoga, you said you were there when Inuyasha was born? If that’s true-’’
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‘‘Which it’s not!’’
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Kagome ignored him, rolling her eyes. ‘‘Can you tell us? He was born here right? So why did his family leave?’’
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‘‘I don’t give two shits about that! Anything related to my old man is something not worth knowing.’’
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Kagome lightly slapped his shoulder. ‘‘It might help us figure out why we’re here. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think us coming here was an accident.’’
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‘‘How do you figure that?’’
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‘‘Come on. The creepy voices I’ve been hearing, and Lilliana’s been hearing, and Koga has been hearing. The reason Lucy locked us up. Lucy wanting us dead just for being here, or at least, I think that’s the reason. You can’t tell me you forgot about all that. I bet you they’re all connected somehow so why not look for clues? It’s better then,’’ Kagome sighed, ‘‘it’s better then wallowing in self-pity and doing nothing. Or walking around in circles without thinking about it.’’
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Inuyasha groaned. ‘‘Fine. Myoga, why did my parents leave here?’’
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The flea in question had sat down comfortably on Inuyasha’s hand, watching Kagome intently. The moment he was addressed he sat up straight and looked rather grim, as grim as a pint-sized talking flea could look. ‘‘Well, to put it simply, my lord, it was too dangerous to raise you here at the time.’’
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Shippo let out a very sarcastic ‘‘ha!’’ His outburst surprised Inuyasha and Kagome, as they had forgotten he was there. ‘‘This place is always dangerous. What do you expect when we have one crazy demon-spider king on one side, and a dominion of ice demons on the other. The only relatively safe place is the Spirit Woods, but that’s only because Lord Yoko and Lady Kikyo keep a tight leash on their people, and keep outsiders out. Or did they leave this place because little baby Inuyasha couldn’t handle it-ow!’’
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Inuyasha pinched Shippo’s cheek until Kagome glared at him. He let the boy go, but didn’t stop pursing his lips as he turned to talk to Myoga again. ‘‘So my old man and my old lady were here and they left because it was too dangerous to raise me here. Is that it?’’
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‘‘It’s not that simple, my lord. The passages between this world and the human one were all closed eons ago by a powerful nightwalker, but since then, there were small holes between the worlds. These openings would appear in random places from time to time, and they would pull in humans that were dying. Your mother was pulled in, and your father followed her here. They lived in this world together for several hundred years until your mother was with child. By then, the certain ruler came into power, and he began a hunt for nightwalker children. So few children are born these days. Sights like this boy,’’ He pointed toward Shippo, ‘‘are quite rare. There were many children back then, however. Your parents feared for your safety, so they escaped into the human world as soon as they were able to locate an opening.’’
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‘‘And then my old man was driven insane by the humans in that world and it all went to shit. So I was born here, so what? That still doesn’t explain why we are here now. Hey!’’ Inuyasha pinched Myoga between his thumb and forefinger, bringing the bug up so that he was parallel to his nose. ‘‘You said that there are holes that lead from this world to the human one right?’’
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‘‘But that’s stupid! That’s just a fairytale!’’ Shippo insisted.
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‘‘Can it, ya runt! Well, Myoga?’’
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‘‘Well,’’ the flea fidgeted between Inuyasha’s fingers. ‘‘There are. But they’re random, hard to find, and disappear quickly. Your parents only escaped by sheer force of luck. Most nightwalkers don’t even know they exist because they can rarely come across one.’’
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‘‘Damn, so we’re stuck here until we can figure out when and where one can appear. If one ever does appear.’’ Kagome said. She hugged Shippo to her chest, wishing there was at least one answer or solution to the hundreds of problems that ran through her mind. Why had everything have to be so complicated? If the portals between worlds were so rare, how had Narek gotten here? How had they gotten here? Why couldn’t they find things instead of coming across problems?
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‘‘Hey!’’ Kagome put Shippo down and snatched Myoga out of Inuyasha’s hand, holding him in her palm. ‘‘You said you’re good at gathering information right?’’
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Myoga cleared his throat. ‘‘Why yes, I believe I am quite capable of learning the rarest, most difficult to acquire knowledge and-’’
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‘‘Great! Myoga, can you do me a favor?’’
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The flea suddenly appeared nervous. ‘‘Uh, I suppose as long as it’s not too dangerous.’’
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‘‘I need you to gather information for us. Information about this world, about portals to the human world, when and where they can appear, about what the leaders of this world are looking for, and especially if they want things from the human world. Also, I need you to look out for a man named Narek. Avoid him, he’s very dangerous.’’
----
‘‘Kagome, what are you-’’
----
‘‘All we’ve run into since we got here, Inuyasha, are monsters that want to eat us, Narek, and people who are completely apathetic to our situation. He’s the first person who hasn’t tried to munch or threaten us on sight, and he can be helpful. Let’s at least give him a chance.’’ She looked at Myoga. ‘‘Can you help us?’’
----
The flea’s huge eyes widened. ‘‘Of course I can! Information gathering is my specialty! And I will be able to find you no problem. Tracking down others is another forte of mine.’’ ----
That got Inuyasha’s attention. He leaned forward so that he was eye level with Kagome’s palm. ‘‘Hey Myoga, I’m your Lord right?’’
----
‘‘You’re father was my lord, and that makes you my lord as well.’’
----
‘‘Then I have something to add to Kagome’s request. Gather information as you will, but I want this to be your first priority! I want you to find a girl named Lilliana. She’s my bloodchild. She’s got long, curly, black hair, and green eyes. You can’t miss her, she’s gorgeous.’’
----
Myoga put his tiny fingertips together. ‘‘Beautiful you say?’’
----
‘‘Yes. Find her and bring her to us. Ya got that? Or if you find her and can’t bring her to me, find us and lead us to her.’’
----
Myoga stood up straight, his arms crossed and his brows coming together in determination. ‘‘You can count on me, my lord! I will find her, and bring you the information you desire.’’