InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Reunion ❯ Chapter 34: Kids will be Kids ( Chapter 34 )

 

Chapter Thirty-four

 

A/N: Hello, again. Time to get on with the next chapter in this saga. Actually, I'm rewriting this chapter. I came up with an idea I liked better. For anyone who is interested, I placed second in the Inuyasha Fanguild competition for best poem/songfic with 'Poetry Through Time'. Now, on with the show. I don't own Inuyasha and company.

 

Rin woke up after a couple of hours sleep. She was very good at waking up before anyone else when she wanted to do something that she didn't want Jaken or Lord Sesshoumaru knowing about until after it was done. She nudged Shippou. "Wake up, Shippou." she whispered.

He started awake. "Hunh!" was all he could get out before Rin covered his mouth with her hand.

"Sshhh!" she hushed. "Don't wake up Sango!"

Shippou groaned. "Rin, what are you up to?" He knew that it was no good before he asked. "I want to know what's going on. Why is everybody so upset? Even milord is upset and he never gets upset."

"It all has to do with something that Yukiho woman did to papa-Inu when he was pinned to the Goshinboku."

"Uh-huh. What about that pretty lady? She is the one that is upsetting milord."

Shippou looked at Rin out of the corner of his eye. "I'm not sure that upsetting is the right word."

"Whatever. I still want to know what is going on."

"And how do you propose we find out?"

Rin grinned. "We snoop."

 

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Outside the inn, Rin and Shippou stopped for a moment to collect their thoughts and plan their strategy.

"Alright, Rin. Just how do you suggest that we get the information that you want? Snoopping isn't going to do us any good if we don't snoop in the right places."

"I think we need to go to the woman who got everybody upset. Maybe we can talk her into making everyone happy again."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Shippou shouted. "Inuyasha will kill me if he finds out that I've been to see that woman!"

"Shippou! Keep it down! They will hear us!" Rin shushed at Shippou.

"Of all the stupid ideas!" Shippou continued to rant, sounding suspiciuosly like his adopted father. "Don't you realize how much trouble we will get into if we are caught with her? Just where is your head? Still asleep in bed? I thought you were smarter than to get us into that much . . . . trouble." His voice trailed off as he realized that Rin was covering her face with her hands. "Rin? Rin?" He stepped closer to her and smelt her tears. "Rin? I'm sorry. Please don't cry."

Rin turned her back to him and buried her head deeper into her hands. "I just wanted to know why milord is so unhappy!" she wailed. Suddenly, she spun around and glared at Shippou through her tears. "And you said I was stupid!" Then she spun back around, giving Shippou her back.

Shippou's ears and his tail droopped. "Rin? I'm sorry." She kept her back to him and kept crying. "Rin? Please stop crying. You're not stupid. I was just trying to get you to see that going to that Yukiho woman wasn't a good idea." He paused. "Tell you what, why don't we go find Takara, you know, the one who has Sesshoumaru so worked up. Maybe she can tell us why Sesshoumaru is acting wierd."

Rin's crying had stopped. She looked at Shippou with hope in her eyes. "You mean it?"

"Of course, I mean it." Shippou said, relieved that she had stopped crying. "We can go find Takara and see what she knows."

"Not that, Shippou. You mean that you don't think I'm stupid."

Shippou smiled at Rin. "No, Rin. I don't think you're stupid."

Rin suddenly squealed and threw her arms around Shippou's neck, giving him a big kiss on the check. "I'm so happy you don't think I'm stupid!"

"Rin!" Shippou squeaked, "You're choking me!"

Rin hastily let Shippou go. "Ooopps! Sorry!" Then she looked at Shippou for a moment and smacked him on top of the nose!

"Hey!" Shippou jumped back, rubbing his nose. "What was that for?"

Rin put one hand on her hip and wagged her finger at him. "That was for lying to me! Don't do it again!" Then she smiled at Shippou. "Now, let's go see the pretty lady, Takara." Rin turned and started toward the manor house.

Shippou continued to rub his nose for a moment as he watched her walk away. "Baka!" he growled, under his breath, not sure if he was referring to her or to himself. Rin turned and beckoned for him to hurry up. "Alright! Alright! I'm coming!" 'Man! Are all women this pushy?" he asked the eternal question to himself as he ran down the path to fall in beside the little girl. When he got there, she smiled at him and grabbed his hand, then turned and led him toward the manor.

 

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Sango sat up in bed. Something wasn't right. She looked over to where Rin and Shippou were sleeping. The two forms that she could make out in the low light appeared to be sleeping soundly. She smiled to herself. 'Just my imagination.' she thought, as she drifted back into sleep.

 

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Rin and Shippou had managed to sneak back into the manor and had made their way to the garden. Shippou had convinced Rin that this would be the best place to start. "Everybody was in here at one time. My nose isn't as good as papa Inu's but I think I can track Takara from there. I got pretty close to her and I remember her scent."

"That's great, Shippou!" exclaimed Rin. Then she pouted a little. "I wish I could tell people apart by their scents. I can't even smell them, unless they haven't bathed in a while and then I don't want to."

Shippou chuckled. "I bet you could identify one person by his scent."

"Who?"

"Sesshoumaru. You're with him all the time and I'll bet that you would recognize his scent if he got near you."

"Now that you mention it, I do know what he smells like." Rin's face got detached as she thought about it. "He smells of the forest and of the open air. And, he smells warm."

"Yeah. He smells a lot like Inuyasha." Shippou paused for a second. "There!" he said, in triumph. "I got it! I've got her scent. Let's go find Takara!" Shippou took the lead, Rin right behind him. After going down several halls and turning many corners, Shippou hit a corner and then suddenly jumped back. "Get back!" he hissed at Rin.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"Daremo is out there! He's standing guard at a door!"

"What's he doing here?"

Shippou thought furiously. "I bet he's standing guard over Yukiho. Lord Tanaka put her under house arrest."

"But what about Takara? Why does her scent lead here?"

"Yukiho is her adopted mother. I bet they share living quarters."

"So, how do we get in?"

Shippou tapped his mouth with his finger as he thought. "Let me think, let me think." he muttered to himself. Suddenly, he grinned and snapped his fingers. "I got it!"

 

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Daremo stood guard over Yukiho's door. There had been little to break the quiet of the manor since Inutaro had left his mother's apartments earlier. A noise from down the hall brought him to full attention as he turned to see who was approaching. He bowed his head when he recognized his lord. "My lord Tanaka. The prisoner is still within her rooms with her daughter. None have been in since Inutaro left earlier this evening."

"Excellent, Daremo. Now, let me pass. I have things to discuss with Yukiho and Takara before the trial tomorrow."

"As you wish, my Lord." Daremo stood to one side and allowed Lord Tanaka to pass, not noticing the tip of a fox tail that came out below his lord's outer robes.

 

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Kirara came in from doing whatever it was that cats do when they are bored. She yawned and checked on Sango to see if her mistress was well. After sniffing her and satisfying herself that the young woman was fine, she went to check on Shippou and Rin before taking a nap. As she approached the two forms lying on the floor, she realized that something was wrong. They weren't breathing! Quickly, she dashed to forms and nuzzled the nearest one and realized that it wasn't a real body but a pillow covered with a blanket. A quick nuzzle confirmed that the other form was the same. Kirara was nonplussed. 'Where had those kittens gone to?' was her thought. She ran back to Sango and jumped on her, waking her instantly.

"Who? What? Kirara?" Sango asked, in a sleep daze. "Kirara! What's wrong?"

Kirara mewed and ran to the forms on the far side of the room. She transformed into her larger self and grabbed the blanket in her fangs and drug it off of the pillow.

Sango looked at the pillow in shock. "Oh, no!" she whispered. She leapt to her feet and dashed for the door. "Miroku!" she called as she headed for the coutyard where she knew that Inuyasha would be sleeping.

Miroku appeared in the doorway of the room that he had been given. He had been awake, praying and meditating. "What is wrong, Sango?" he asked as he fell in beside her.

"The kids. They have gone off on their own."

Miroku's perverted side smirked. 'Ah, Shippou! I thought you were too young to be thinking of things like that!' However, Miroku's sensible side was more mature. "Might this be one of their practical jokes?" he asked.

"Maybe." replied Sango. "But it doesn't have that feel. I think they went to the manor. Rin was wondering about Takara and Sesshoumaru before she went to sleep. She wanted to know why Takara was upsetting Sesshoumaru so much."

Miroku shuddered slightly in remembrance of the look on the demon lord's face when he came after him for asking the lovely hanyou woman to bear him a child. "I would like to know the answer to that question, as well."

Inuyasha woke swiftly to the sound of running feet. His senses were on immediate alert and he gently shook Kagome to wake her.

"Uuunhh." she protested and burrowed into him.

"Kagome, wake up. Someone is coming towards us at a run. We need to be on the ground when they get here in case they aren't friendly."

Kagome's eyes snapped open in reflex to the possibility of danger. She nodded to show that she was ready and Inuyasha rolled off the branch to land lightly on the ground below just as Sango and Miroku came into the courtyard.

"What's wrong, Sango?" Inuyasha peered behind her and only saw Kirara running sfter her mistress. "Why are you running?"

"Shippou and Rin are missing. We need you to track them."

growl "What is that runt up to?! When I get my hands on him...."

"Let's find him and Rin first." stated Kagome. "Then we will see how to punish him."

Inuyasha looked at Kagome in surprise. "You want to punish him?"

Kagome blushed. "If I am going to be his mother then I need to do what a mother does. Even the unpleasant things. But we will decide his punishment together, you can't just bop him on the head."

sigh "At least he's going to get something for causing trouble, for a change." Inuyasha mumbled, as he made his way back to Sango's room to pick up the children's scent.

"Sit!" arrgh "I heard that!"

With a low growl, Inuyasha peeled himself off the floor and continued on to Sango's room.

 

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Yukiho looked up from her bed as Lord Tanaka came into her room. She had been unable to sleep and was laying there just staring at her shrine to Inuyasha. Quickly, she came to her feet. "Can I help you, my lord?"

"I have some questions for you, Yukiho and for your daughter, Takara."

"Of course, my lord. I'll get Takara." Yukiho left for Takara's sleeping chamber.

"You remember what to ask?" a voice hissed out of nowhere.

"Yes! Now be quiet before someone hears you!"

Yukiho returned with her daughter. Takara bowed to Lord Tanaka and then yawned deeply. "Sorry, my lord." she apologized, then took in a deep breath through her nose. Her eyes widened and she pushed her mother behind her. "You are not Lord Tanaka!" she exclaimed. "Who are you and what do you want?" She bared her claws. "Answer me or ....." She didn't get to finish her threat when Lord Tanaka yelped and jumped backwards. There was a popping sound and the image of Lord Tanaka suddenly broke apart, becoming a little girl and a small kitsune.

"Don't hurt us!" wailed the kitsune as he pushed the little girl behind him, putting himself between Takara and the little girl. "We just wanted to know what was going on! Papa-Inu and Mama-Kagome aren't talking about it! At least not to me!"

"And my lord is acting all strange around you." said the little girl, pointing at Takara. "Rin just wanted to know why." And then she started crying.

Takara's and Yukiho's mouthes dropped open in shock at seeing the two small children suddenly appear. Takara immediately adopted a less threatening posture. "It's alright. I didn't mean to scare you. I just smelled your scent and it wasn't Lord Tanaka's. Please, tell me who you are. I saw you both in the garden today with Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru but I didn't get your names."

"My, my name is Shippou." stammered the little kitsune. "I am Inuyasha's and Kagome's adopted son."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Yukiho.

"And my name is Rin." announced the little girl. Her natural good humour and cheerful nature returned to the fore. "Milord takes care of me since he brought me back from the dead."

"What?!" Yukiho and Takara exclaimed.

'Oh, brother!' thought Shippou. 'I thought we were here to get answers, not give them!'

 

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Inuyasha dropped to all fours outside the inn, sniffing the ground. "Their scent leads that way." He indicated the direction that Shippou and Rin had gone in earlier.

"The manor is that way."

"Tell me something I don't know!" snapped Inuyasha.

"Very well. We have company." remarked Miroku.

Inuyasha looked up to see his brother approaching. 'Great. This is all we need. A lecture on how to keep track of pups.'

Sesshoumaru stopped before the group and regarded them, impassively. They could see his nostrils flare as he took in the scents around him. Then he surprised them by sighing! "I see Rin has decided to go off on her own and has taken the kitsune with her."

"You don't sound too concerned."

Sesshoumaru's mouth quirked slightly. "Rin has made a habit of going off when her curiosity gets the better of her. I would assume that she left a dummy of herself and the kitsune to appear that she was sleeping."

Sango's mouth dropped open. "Why, yes! That is exactly what she did!"

"She has fooled Jaken with that on occassion. He has no sense of smell, much like you humans."

"Hey!" Kagome was indignant.

Inuyasha grinned at her. "He's right. You don't have any sense of smell. Now, let's stop the yapping and get after these pups. I bet they are up to no good."

"Of that, you can be sure, brother."

 

 

A/N: Sorry about the lengthy delay. I'll try to do better on my next chapters but I can't promise anything. I am working on a novel and my wife insists that I make that my first priority. I'm allowed one day a week to work on Inuyasha fics.sigh And for those of you who think that I am letting my wife control me, let me tell you a little secret. Most men are controlled by their wives, they just don't want to admit it. Besides, the fringe benifits more than make up for the inconvieniences. I had intended this chapter to be longer, with a confrontation between Inuyasha and Yukiho and a realization by Sesshoumaru about Takara but those will have to wait until the next chapter. It has been too long since I updated and you guys deserve something for your patience. Til next time, Fyrloche.