InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shippo and the Magic Wand ❯ Part Two ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Shippo and the Magic Wand

By Alesyira

Canon Universe, Continuation

Summary: Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo travel to the south to seek out a possible cure for Kagome's new `affliction'.

Rating: PG for mild language and mild-ish violence.

Author's Note: Once again, this section is split up into several smaller parts, like mini chapters. There is more to come after this, so... So much for a two-parter. ;)

On Our Own

I woke some time later, feeling warm but disoriented. I was cradled snugly in the crook of an arm, and I could feel the slightly rough texture of Inuyasha's familiar red haori against my face. His woodsy scent was stronger than Kagome's from where I lay, giving me the distinct impression that I had been in his grasp for a while now. Hesitant to believe what my own nose told me, I cracked open the eye that wasn't squashed against a forearm to verify what I'd guessed: Inuyasha held me almost carefully as he leapt over a moonlit forest.

He spared a glance in my direction as he realized I'd woken, sliding his arm up enough so that I could scramble onto his shoulder to perch next to Kagome. I smiled in affection at the sight; her arms were draped loosely around his shoulders and her ruffled red bangs hid her face from sight. It took little effort to burrow under Inuyasha's heavy silver mane to get a better glimpse of her peaceful face - she must have fallen asleep a while ago.

The moon shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the treetops and hillsides as we sped toward the south. “Where are the others?” I asked, curious why Inuyasha had been holding me. Usually, any time I take naps during our trips, it's on Kirara's back, where there are fewer difficulties for the others as we travel.

“I wanted to leave and they weren't back in time. We've been on the move since sundown. Kaede gave us the directions, but it could take us a week to get there at the pace we normally travel. We can make the best time if it's just us.”

“Are they going to follow us once they get back?”

He shook his head slightly as he kicked off again on a large branch. “They'll never catch up at this rate, unless they meet us along the way back.”

I clutched the fabric on his shoulder tightly between my fingers, letting my mind wander into what might lay ahead for us...

The Impossible Possibilities

A fantastic, overly colorful fairy-tale setting slowly appeared in my mind, complete with snow-capped mountain ranges and fork-like trees sporting all colors of leaves. Kagome's hair fell all the way to the floor in perfectly groomed, shining tresses, and she wore a flowing gown of sparkling green. The setting reminded me of the bedtime stories Kagome would occasionally tell me...

Kagome and I took a peaceful walk through the strange fork-tree forest as her melodious song flowed through our surroundings. The birds seemed strangely intelligent as they came to perch in nearby branches, enthralled with her lilting voice and radiant beauty. Suddenly, a horrible dragon youkai swooped down upon us, catching us completely unaware! It breathed upon us great columns of fire, causing us to run and flee for our safety.

We seem to be completely at its mercy, with no real shelter or place to hide from its terrible undeserved wrath, and we were certain we would both meet our doom in its jaws as freshly cooked dragon-treats. But then, out of apparently nowhere - Taro's cat-turned-magnificent-white-steed meow-neighed nearby, and a knight in shining silver and white armor galloped into the scene!

With a carefree “Ha-ha!” and a single swipe of his powerful youkai blade he destroyed the dragon, lopping its head cleanly from its shoulders. Surprisingly, none of the blood that sprayed forth from severed arteries landed upon any of our still-perfect clothes, and Kagome stood gracefully to greet the man who saved us both...

He pulled the shining helmet away from his head, revealing a handsome and debonair male kitsune! Of course, Kagome and the new youkai fell immediately in love, and the three of us rode off into the sunset...

I coughed once to hide the snickers that crept forth, for a kitsune would never rely upon a horse for transportation... We pride ourselves on many things, including swift movement without assistance like a wild animal. But still... it would make quite a fairy-tale, and I made a note to draw the colorful image with my crayons when we got home.

My imagination took little time to come up with another fantastic idea, in which - during one of our travels to search for shards - we happened upon a youkai who recognized Kagome as the long-lost daughter of the royal family. As she was the supposed last remaining link to the royal bloodlines, no amount of talking worked to convince her new followers of the truth (her humanity), so hordes of loyal and desperate subjects bowed to her (unwilling) will.

They insisted that she overthrow the current evil-dictator and take his place as ruler, and once Kagome had agreed to such a task, I knew I'd be able to keep Kagome with me forever in the Feudal Era! Kagome could never leave behind such a huge responsibility as leading and caring for thousands of subjects in need of her. ...And every queen needs a king; so of course, she had innumerable suitors lined up at the palace gates to ask for her hand in marriage! Kagome made her selection from the finest males available...

...Or even... Maybe the magic eventually transformed her into an all-powerful goddess of war! (You never know for sure, because it is magic...) She was suddenly able to use a fantastic mixture of awe-inspiring miko powers and youkai strengths to defeat Naraku in a dazzling display of lights and explosions, destroying the well in the process so that she couldn't return home. But she wasn't sad, because of course with all of her newfound power she'd be able to live long enough to see her family again.

Then, I was able to call the scariest and most intimidating woman in all of Japan (maybe even the world) my personal cuddle-spot (I mean Mother, really...) And that kind of power was respected and coveted far and wide, and hundreds of handsome males fell at her feet to win her affections, and Kagome was happy...

My mind swirled with snippets and glances of other fantastic images, and I found it more and more difficult to come up with a single idea that could be considered realistic... I've always had problems with my imagination running wild like that, and I knew that if I continued to make up excellent dreams about me keeping Kagome forever, I'd just be terribly disappointed when none of those fantasies came true in the end. And recently, it's seemed that every time I've tried to picture Kagome living `happily ever after,' I've conjured up the image of a random (usually youkai) male, one that both she and I would like.

Like the Wind

During our fast-paced travel, Inuyasha rarely stopped to rest, carrying Kagome and myself the entire way. Of course, we made short breaks on occasion to eat and take care of personal needs, but his drive to undo what I had done seemed to be even more pronounced than our search for Naraku had been these last several months. It was as though, after months of building up anxious energy to do something, Inuyasha had a nearly endless supply of running power. Twiddling one's thumbs and scowling at trees just couldn't compare to finally having something very important to focus his energy on, even if it was something as trivial as Kagome's change in appearance.

I wasn't terribly concerned about Kagome's new look, since I knew she was the same miko we knew and loved, regardless of her hair color or her tail or anything else I'd changed of hers. I loved everything new about her, maybe even more than I had before, simply because I now had the best of both worlds in one: Kagome and --in a way-- my long-lost mother. I still feel selfish about my desire to keep her changed appearance... But it just feels so right when she tucks me under her chin ...so I can't complain.

The wind whipped around us, but the normal biting chill had long since faded to something balmy and warm, due to the changing climate after the long distance we'd managed to travel.

Kagome had once asked Inuyasha how many miles an hour that he could travel... Of course, he'd had no idea, so he'd responded the best way he knew how: “More than you, bitch.” Her response to that had been a small, amused smile before she tried to help him understand what she'd been asking.

It's strange, how his offensive words used to be able to ruffle Kagome into bouts of shouting with the dog-eared hanyou (usually generously laced with a few well-placed `sit' commands) but his constant use of them seemed to have numbed her to the previously angering effect his thoughtlessness incurred. Kagome doesn't really ever get mad at Inuyasha anymore, but they still occasionally have their moments of friendly spats and disagreements.

Two days after we began our rushed journey to the south, Inuyasha stopped late into the night so that he could get a few hours of sleep. ...Well, Kagome insisted that he stop before he ran himself to death ...and of course, Kagome can motivate Inuyasha to do near anything with a few easily-understood glares (packed with the unspoken promise of excessive, unforgiving gravity coupled with dirt-consumption.) I could understand Kagome's insistence that he get some rest, for his motivation to change Kagome back was so driving that the two of us became worried for his health, as well as our own.

If Inuyasha ended up pushing himself to his limit in his mad rush to undo a spell that merely altered appearance, then we could be left at the mercy of whatever terrible youkai came upon us next. Sure, we'd been lucky in the last few months, with fewer attacks and less fighting than we'd grown accustomed to over the last few years, but such a lull could also be a sign that Naraku was (once again) plotting something terrible and needed time to gather and prepare all of his resources at hand.

Inuyasha begrudgingly set us on the forest floor before leaping into a tree to nap on a sturdy branch. He'd ordered us to sleep in the tree with him once before, but on that night, Kagome had a particularly scary dream... She'd jerked from sleep so abruptly that she'd nearly fallen from her perch next to Inuyasha. She was saved only by the fact that she'd somehow gotten a death grip on Inuyasha's silvery locks. Inuyasha never suggested that she sleep in the trees again.

Once Upon a Time

After Inuyasha had left us in silence, Kagome sat down at the base of the tree, holding out her arms for me to climb into her embrace. “Are you tired, Shippo?” she asked. I shook my head in response, knowing that with my head resting against the crook of her arm and her abdomen, she'd feel it in the dark. “I'm not tired either,” she admitted, tilting her head back to glance at the few stars that could be seen overheard. The canopy of leaves was thick above us, only allowing occasional patches of broken moonlight to spill upon the surrounding forest.

“Tell me a story,” I whispered, reveling in the warmth of her arms. It seemed so perfect - how her slim fingers smoothed the slightly curled fur of my tail, the soothing lull of her heartbeat against my right ear... Her soaps made her smell more like apples than anything else, but I would always recognize the subtle differences that made her scent unique. Most humans in this age didn't believe in the benefits of bathing like Kagome did, and so they would carry the earthy scent that came from long hours in the fields and living in dusty villages. ...This, of course, was irritating to any youkai with enhanced sense of smell. I've lost count of how many times I've breathed a silent thanks to the kamis above that deemed me worthy of the only good-smelling human woman...

“Once upon a time...” she began, wrapping her soft tail around us both to ward off the slight evening chill. I allowed my mind to drift off in the pleasant haze of her lulling voice, but soon her words became my thoughts and I lost track of what she'd been saying. I knew I must have dozed off, because I don't think any of Kagome's stories resemble the memories of my childhood.

...and the little kit walked alone, further than he'd ever walked before, slipping quietly as possible through the trees around him. Small insects chirped and chattered, calling to one another in the cool still of night. His target was in sight just ahead, barely lit with thin beams of illumination from the full moon above. There was no breeze this evening, not even the smallest hint of motion among the grayish green foliage. A small twig snapped underfoot, but his quarry didn't move a muscle, not even a twitch to signify that he'd been heard. Almost within arm's reach, he could see what had kept his target so occupied: a thin vine carefully worked itself into a loop, threading itself through gaps and winding around thinner sections. Delicate diamond-shaped leaves sprout forth along the edges, and he looked up into the face of the person who held it carefully between slender fingers.

She smiled down at him as she slipped the plant around her wrist, and the two watched as it slowly pulled and shifted itself to the right shape and size. After it settled into place and ceased movement, she brought the looped vine to her mouth. Her breath slipped visibly from parted lips, glowing slightly in the darkness that enshrouded the small clearing in which they stood. The misty, silvery light wrapped sinuously around the plant, freezing the tiny stems and leaves into place. She drew back slightly, looking over it with a critical eye to ensure that the entire plant had been solidified.

She then pulled it easily from her wrist and knelt beside him, picking up his tiny hand and placing it in his grip. “This is for you, my darling, because you mean so much to me. Keep it with you until you find someone that loves you just as much as I...”

I wondered more than once why Inuyasha was so set on undoing the spell. As far as we could tell, nothing adverse had happened to Kagome because of my choices, and aside from her change in appearance, she remained the same human she'd always been, able to shoot her fiery pink arrows with deadly accuracy. The small mass of the Shikon-no-Tama around her neck was still the pale purified pink, and she seemed no more affected by the strange turn of events than I, aside from the weariness that accompanied the lengthy journey.

The Dreadful Ennui

I sighed from my sheltered spot on Kagome's shoulder. I had kept myself content for the last few hours by reveling in the soft scent of her neck as her hair draped around my small frame, but I was so bored. Our trip was proving to be far shorter than expected, and Kagome and I had come to a sort of unspoken agreement to not talk while Inuyasha leapt quickly across the changing landscape. Better not to irritate him when he was so tense to begin with...

I had already spent countless hours plotting new tricks to play on anyone and everyone we might come across... I'd even briefly contemplated how to change up my foxfire attacks to be more useful in a tight situation, but I was really itching to get my hands back on my crayons and paper. Kagome had brought back --and left at Kaede's! Curses!-- a fresh supply of the brilliant colors, and all I could think of was the new drawings I'd be able to do. Blue skies, green grass, sunshine dappled trees... I glanced out from under her hair at the scenery around us, smiling as I took note of the strange foliage I had never seen before.

The more familiar forests full of deciduous trees had been replaced with plants better suited to the warm, balmy weather of the southern shores. The sturdy trees had humongous roots that branched out wide above ground, the leaves were so thin and feathery that they flowed and rippled like water in the warm ocean breeze. Thick vines draped through the tree limbs and hung down to the ground, a few bright pink blossoms scattered among the twisting green flora.

“Shippo-chan, have you ever seen the ocean?” Kagome asked as Inuyasha came upon a wide clearing at the edge of a cliff. I shook my head as we approached the ledge, but I was caught so off-guard by his sudden stop that I nearly fell from my perch on her shoulder.

He let us down from his back and stretched his arms high above his head, yawning widely as he cracked some of his joints to relax. “We'll stop here for the evening. Tomorrow we need to find a way to get to that island.” He pointed a clawed finger toward the darkening skies in the east, and I could barely see the outline of a small mass of land well beyond Inuyasha's range of leaping.

I wrapped my small arms around Kagome's neck as I perched on her shoulder, staring out over the wide expanse of water we could see in the distance. The ocean was still several miles away, but the smell of it carried easily with the breeze. “Mother told me stories about the ocean, but I've never seen it before...” I whispered, rubbing my cheek absently against hers as we stared out into the distance.

“Maybe we can stop and take a swim tomorrow,” she suggested with a small grin as she looked over at me. I nodded in agreement, quickly losing myself in the numerous scents that surrounded us. The trees and plant life here was so different, carrying the strange aroma of the salty ocean air, heavily layered with the impression of permanent humidity. “We must have traveled some several hundred miles southeast since we left,” Kagome murmured, her brow furrowed in what seemed to be concern as she watched Inuyasha rummage through her backpack. “We'll need to take our time coming back before he wears himself down to nothing.”

She moved toward a nearby tree, hauling us up easily into a low-hanging, twisted branch. She settled back comfortably against a curve of wood, pulling me into her lap as she wrapped her tail around us both. A strong gust of wind from the cliff edge kicked up her hair as we stared out over the darkening distance. Inuyasha was higher up in a nearby tree, snacking on a large piece of chocolate he'd found in Kagome's backpack.

“Mother lived in the Southern Lands when she was younger,” I said, my vision filled with Kagome's red locks as they came to a rest over her shoulder and chest. I nuzzled into the soft strands, smiling contentedly as Kagome ran her fingers through my bangs. “There are very few kitsune who live this far south...”

“How much do you know about kitsune youkai, Shippo?” she asked, now absently running the tips of her claws through the fur of her tail. I glanced up at her question, catching sight of a faraway look in her eyes as she continued to stare toward the ocean.

“We're hard to catch, harder to find, and there aren't many of us nowadays...” I started, trailing off as I tried to think back to the last time I'd seen an adult kitsune youkai. “We like to play, and most of us are very fond of beautiful things. Mother told me once of a distant cousin... He was so fond of things of beauty and rarity that he became an infamous thief.” My mouth twitched at the edges as I felt a grin trying to break free. “Foxes make the best thieves.”

She frowned down at me with slight disapproval. “You aren't going to start stealing when I'm not around, are you, Shippo-chan?” she asked, brushing a thumb over my cheek.

“Course not,” I huffed, tilting my head up in mock arrogance. “I'm so cute, everyone feels obligated to give me what I want. I wouldn't have to steal anything.” She rolled her eyes in amusement, pulling me close for a hug.

The Chocolate Trickery

“Kagome! Is that all the chocolate you've got in this thing?” I heard Inuyasha ask, and I glanced up to see him holding her yellow backpack aloft. Inspiration struck, and I leapt from my position in Kagome's lap to hop higher in the branches above us. I lined myself up for the jump to Inuyasha's tree, landing easily to his left as my small claws sunk into the soft wood.

“Let me check,” I suggested, reaching his side. “I know where she keeps them stashed,” I whispered conspiratorially. I caught his grin of amusement as I dove into the contents of the bag, wriggling through the various objects until I came to a small sewn-in pouch near the bottom. I'd added the hidden pocket to make sure my favorite things were well concealed from Inuyasha's prying fingers. I easily found two pieces of chocolate within it, holding them carefully as I fished around in my vest pocket for the piece of fake chocolate I'd created just for a moment like this. I smirked to myself in the dark, feeling the three wrappers crinkling innocently under my fingers.

I emerged from the now-cluttered confines (I never could manage to keep Kagome's personal belongings very neat after squirming around in her supplies in search of treats) and handed him the three pieces with a grin. He paused in the middle of tearing one open, shooting me a curious glance. “Aren't you going to eat one, too?” he asked, an eyebrow rising in slight confusion. He pulled the wrapper from one of the real pieces of chocolate, slipping it into his mouth before licking the slightly melted remains from his fingertips.

I thought about it for a second before snatching up the other real piece of chocolate. I'd briefly considered staying right there to watch him eat the other piece of `candy,' but I figured it would look a bit too suspicious. I gave him a huge grin before I hopped back over to Kagome's lap. In seconds, I'd torn the wrapper off of my prize, breaking it in half to offer some to Kagome. She shook her head and mumbled something about not being hungry as she toyed with a hanging vine at her side. I wondered at this a little, since we hadn't eaten anything since mid-morning.

It was easy to guess that she might be nervous about the next day, because none of us knew if the person we were to go see would be able to help undo what I'd done. But my line of thought changed quickly as the chocolate called out to me -asking ever so quietly to see the inside of my mouth- so I complied and placed the first half on my tongue. Chocolate... It was surely something I couldn't get enough of, with its smooth texture and the maddeningly addictive flavor...

“Hey Shippo, was this piece in your pocket or something? It's more melted than the other pieces I found.” I held my breath for a moment, considering exactly how I could answer his question without him getting suspicious... But before I had a chance to think of something decent to say, I distinctly heard him mutter, “Damn, no more chocolate...” Of course, at that moment my mind stopped working completely, for there was a necessary exclamation missing. Did he even eat it? If so, where was the groan of disgust? Where was the uncontrolled spitting and gagging? I wouldn't eat a piece of wood and be upset upon discovery that there was no more left...

Maybe the hanyou had eaten so much Ramen that it killed his taste buds, and he couldn't tell the difference between the two. That had to be the only explanation... So why did I get this sudden twisting fear in my gut that I was wrong? I could hop up to his branch and smell him to see if it was indeed wood-scented... but then, if I could tell it smelled like wood, then surely, Inuyasha with his amazing sense of smell would certainly be able to tell the same, too.

My thoughts ran around in circles, trying to figure out whether he'd ignored the taste and scent to consume a chocolate-like object, or if he'd had bad chocolate before and just didn't notice... But the possibility that the fake candy had actually tasted and smelled like the chocolate it resembled was just too impossible to think about. For Kagome's sake, it was not something I wanted to consider.

I looked up into her now-sleeping face, barely illuminated in the night, wondering if I'd been horribly wrong.

Row, Row, Row your Boat

Several hours passed uneventfully before Inuyasha nudged the two of us awake, and together, we stood at the cliff's edge, staring off into the distance at the sunrise. “We can either take a boat or fly, if you feel like you can handle it, Shippo,” Inuyasha said, quietly. I could fly the distance between the two land masses, but I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to carry Kagome and Inuyasha. With short distances and heights, I can carry more than person, but for several miles....

“I'm not sure I can carry both of you that far,” I said, slightly ashamed of myself. Years of practice, and I hadn't been able to increase my strength enough to be much help. Sure, I had self-control to hold my illusions for much longer, but to produce enough youki to keep the three of us aloft for more than just a ascending a steep cliff was well beyond my current abilities.

Kagome bit her lip lightly in consideration as she ran her fingers comfortingly through my bangs. “It's ok, Shippo-chan... We'll just go down there and see if we can find a fishing village or something of the sort. I imagine they'd have to have a boat we can borrow for today.”

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when there was a village right on the shoreline, nor should I have been surprised when they did indeed have a boat to lend us for a short while. Regardless of how far south we'd traveled, everyone seemed to have heard of our group and our long quest to rid the world of the evils of Naraku. But what didn't surprise me was perhaps the most unexpected event of our nearly weeklong trip.

The villagers gave us but one warning: the island was treacherous and forbidden territory-- and that no man, woman, or child was allowed to set foot upon its sacred soil.

Luckily for us, we hadn't mentioned we were going to the island. The village head was kind enough to warn us to stay away from the distant shoreline, for those who trespassed would meet an early demise. Of course, I'm not sure what other purpose those villagers thought we might have for one of their boats. Maybe we looked like the kind of traveler to enjoy fishing trips on the ocean... But as fond as I am of fish, I'm not about to risk my fluffy tail in a tiny boat to hunt down my favorites.

The sun shone warmly upon us during the long trek to the small island, calming the slight agitation caused by Inuyasha's unfamiliarity in guiding a boat through water. The sides tipped dangerously several times when we weren't paying close attention to balance, and I found myself wondering more than once how the hell fishermen managed to take one of these terrible things out on the ocean to capture any kind of fish.

I snatched up a handful of floating seaweed to poke and prod at, curious at the slightly filmy coating around a cluster of strange bubbles. I scratched one of the small green orbs with my claw, but immediately regretted the action as it burst under the slight pressure, coating my hands in a foul scent. But as terrible and annoying as that was, I couldn't stay upset about it for long as I caught sight of how amused both Kagome and Inuyasha seemed. While I don't like making a mockery of myself for their entertainment, anything was better than the somber façade they'd both worn as we left our `camp' this morning.

Outgrown

The water sloshed against the side of the boat, creating a pleasant sound that quickly lulled me into a light doze as the afternoon sun warmed my skin. Kagome's lap seemed even more comfortable as I curled closer, trying to pull my short legs completely onto the width of her crossed legs. Mild annoyance washed over me as I failed to get the ends of my feet into my most preferred position, and I cracked open my eyes to glare that the uncooperative limbs.

I frowned slightly in confusion as I realized something strange: I was curled up like I usual... but my legs were sticking out from Kagome's lap as though they were too long. This idea didn't make sense, as I couldn't have grown more than an inch since Mother died a few decades ago... It has never really bothered me, how very small I am, as it's perfectly fine for a kitsune like myself to make the most of his continuing years of childhood... but after living at a certain size for so long, something like this would be hard to ignore.

So as not to alert my traveling companions, I feigned a stretch while still lying across Kagome's lap, looking for any differences in the size of my clothes. Sure enough, the length of my sleeves was definitely shorter than I'd recalled, and the warm sun hitting my upper ankles was obvious proof that my pants were in the same situation. It was mind boggling to think I'd finally grown some, after so long...

But why?

How?

My thoughts hopped from idea to idea, but none of them made any real kind of sense, not after even the little I'd learned from my Mother and Father. I wouldn't have some random growth spurt... I wasn't old enough - nor did I have enough experience - to draw energy from the flora in my surroundings... And I'd certainly not waved that magic wand and demanded a taller physique...

Kagome stifled a dainty yawn behind her clawed hand, stretching her free arm above her head. We'd slept decently in that curved branch overnight, getting a full night of rest in, so her slight lethargy seemed a bit out of place. Perhaps the heat was bothering her... “Are you okay, Kagome?” I asked, standing in her lap to look her in the eyes. I brushed my small hand across her forehead and cheek in concern, hoping she hadn't gotten ill on the last portion of our hasty journey.

She nodded almost sleepily and tried to repress another yawn as she tilted her head to relieve some sort of tension. Inuyasha leaned over from his position at the front of the boat to run his fingers through her bangs. “Kagome, if you aren't feeling well, you'd tell us, right?” he asked, but both of us knew the answer to that question before she'd had a chance to respond. Kagome would never bother us when she was feeling ill or had the sniffles. She'd only ask for rests or breaks if she thought it would benefit the whole group and not just herself... and it always drove us insane when she'd refuse to tell us if she needed something that she deemed trivial or insignificant in the big picture.

She was always concerned about being a burden upon us all, dragging us down or holding us back... she never realized that she was what kept us uplifted, kept us moving, held us together. But damn these thoughts of mine, I had completely missed what Inuyasha had just said to me. “Huh?” I asked unintelligently.

“I asked you to keep a close eye on her. I want to know if she's just taking a normal nap, or if there's something different about her.” He continued rowing the tiny boat across the expanse of water as I set my head upon her chest, listening to her heart and intakes of air. Everything seemed completely normal; her scent was just right, her temperature didn't seem off, and she seemed content in her dozing state. It was slightly frustrating that the gentle whooshing noise of the blood rushing through her veins had such a drowsy effect on me. The longer I remained nestled with my head against her chest, the sleepier I became, and soon I'd fallen asleep as well.

Inuyasha managed to push the boat onto the sandy shoreline, and the rough jarring motion of the vessel stopping on solid ground jerked me from sleep. I blinked in confusion, unsure of what had just happened, until Inuyasha came into view at the edge of the craft. He leaned over and squeezed Kagome's shoulder, trying to rouse her from sleep without getting slapped (or sat) in retaliation. She had a knack for critical hits when someone loomed over her while she slept. On several occasions, she'd accidentally disabled Miroku with a well-placed (unintentional) backhand, and Inuyasha had been on the receiving end of several mumbled `sits,' even if he hadn't been the one to try to wake her.

I still take pride in being the only member of our small group that can wake Kagome without invoking her sleepy ire. However, I'm usually unable to fill that need of the group if I'm still asleep as well.

Something Different

Kagome mumbled something sounding suspiciously like, “Go away,” before tossing her arm over her eyes to block out the sunshine. She wrapped her free arm around my small body and hugged me close, and I was sorely tempted to just sink back into the oblivion of sleep. But before I could lose myself in the perfect warmth of her embrace, the twitter of a strange-sounding bird reminded me where we were. The nagging curiosities of being on the secluded `forbidden' island made me wriggle free from her grasp, and I scrambled to the wooden rim of our small boat to take a good look around.

I'd thought the plant life on the mainland had seemed strange, but in comparison to this strange island habitat, I was at a loss for words. I leapt back to Kagome's sleeping form and tugged insistently on her thin shirt in an attempt to pull her back to wakefulness. “Kagome, Kagome! You've got to see this place!” I said enthusiastically. I knew that with the strange things I would see on this island, I'd have some fantastic stories to tell and pictures to draw.

A flock of five green birds sat on a humongous crimson tree branch, their fluffy plumes of feathers shimmering almost like gold in the bright afternoon sunshine. That same, strange twittering I'd heard just before spilled from their throats in succession, as though they were singing to one another. The sweet scent of some foreign fruit hung thickly in the air, and it took little time to realize that the smell came from the large amounts of purplish-pink fruits hanging on a nearby tree. In the short time I looked, a few of the ripe fruits fell from their branches to land on the ground below, only to be immediately snatched up by small sandy-spotted animals that I'd failed to notice until now. They hopped in and out of the thin brush, easily blending into their surroundings with unique color patterns that resembled the sandy shadows under the bushes.

I turned to look back at Kagome as she sat up, glancing around at the scenery with a slightly bleary gaze. Her face scrunched up slightly as she clenched her fingers in the fabric of her shorts, and I briefly entertained the notion that she was upset at having me out of reach. She sighed quietly as she stood, and I let my gaze drift back toward the hopping animals nearby. “Monkeys?” I heard her say as she stepped over the edge of the boat. She stood at my side for a moment, drinking in the sights and sounds of the strange island.

Inuyasha stepped into our view, looking mildly annoyed at our lack of motion. “We can sightsee later. Let's go find this lady now before I die of old age.” He seemed a bit grumpy, and I realized for the first time since waking that he was soaked. His silver locks were damp and clinging to the edges of his face and his clothing was drenched in seawater from pushing the boat up onto the shore. I wisely refrained from laughing or making any faces at his discomfort. An irate hanyou in wet clothes on strange land made for a dangerous combination.... even with Kagome on hand to subdue him if needed.

Kagome's tail twitched in mild agitation at something as her mouth tilted into a frown. “Kagome?” I asked, curious as to what was bothering her. She pursed her lips in thought as she ran her hand absently over her left hip and stomach.

“I just feel a little weird. Might be some motion sickness from sleeping during that boat trip,” she shrugged, tucking her hair carefully behind a pointed ear. I cocked my head slightly as I considered her for a moment; she looked like she was suffering from something other than motion sickness. I leapt up into her arms and moved quickly to her shoulder, taking a careful whiff of her neck to see if I missed anything strange in her scent. From this distance, there was no mistaking it: everything was perfectly normal. I threaded my fingers through her hair as she and Inuyasha began a careful walk through the tree line.

Definitely Deserted

It was an uneventful walk for the most part; Inuyasha led, pushing branches and low-hanging vines out of our path as he and Kagome picked the way through the jungle-like flora. I occasionally caught Inuyasha's expression as he turned his head this way and that, searching for some illusive scent or another. After an hour of winding our way through the unfamiliar land, I noticed his look of general calm had shifted to a scowl. “Kaede said that this old lady likes her privacy and would be hard to find, but this is bullshit,” he growled out, exposing his frustration. “There isn't anything around here but plants and animals. No youkai, no ningen, no nothing.”

“Look, maybe if we get to higher ground, we might be able to see some kind of sign of where she lives?” Kagome suggested, reaching over to pull a thorny plant that had gotten caught in my hair.

Inuyasha's scowl faded as he blinked in momentary shock. “Oh. Yeah...” he agreed, a hand slipping behind his head in slight embarrassment. “Be right back,” he said, crouching low to the ground. He leapt quickly out of sight, springing high above the thick canopy of leaves above us. A handful of foliage sprinkled around the two of us in his wake, and Kagome sighed as she sat on the cool ground.

Without thinking much of my actions, I pulled a handful of her red locks into her lap as I snuggled closer to her stomach, running my fingers through the soft strands. I twisted and braided the ends, wrapping the lengthy curls around my hand as we waited for his return. “Shippo...” she started, the slight hint of a question in her tone. I looked up at her, curious as to what might be on her mind, until I noticed her toying with the end of my sleeve, which seemed to be even shorter than before. “Shippo-” she said again, this time her brow showed a slight furrow as she took a better look at my outfit. “...Are you...” she seemed hesitant to finish her question, and it didn't take much to realize that she was curious about my changing height.

“I've gotten taller,” I said, watching her face for her reaction. We all knew that I hadn't grown at all since I'd joined the group those years ago, and we all knew that it was because I no longer had parents...

“Since when? How?” she asked, confusion written all over her expression. “Are you feeling alright?” she asked, pressing her cool hand to my forehead.

“I feel perfectly fine,” I replied, biting my lip in concern. `What could have her so worried...?' I wondered to myself, still absently running my hands across the length of hair in my lap. “I noticed it when we got out of the boat,” I said, trying to think if I'd noticed anything strange before we'd come to this strange place. “Maybe it's this island,” I whispered. “If it is, and I stay here a bit longer, I can grow some more...” I dropped my gaze to the strands of hair in my grasp, thinking about the possibilities of being able to grow. I'd been small for so long, that having any improvement in my size and stature would surely help the group...

“Maybe,” she murmured. “I hope we find this lady. She might know something about what's going on.” Kagome tilted her head back to look up at the spot Inuyasha had disappeared, and I followed the line of her gaze as her hair slipped from my fingers.

The curve of her neck gleamed brightly in the afternoon sunlight that filtered through the leaves overhead, and I couldn't help but brush the soft skin of my small face against it, rubbing my head into the crook of her neck as she shifted to look down at me. It was a gesture made out of contentment, and the gentle thrum of her pulse lulled me into a dreamy state as I nuzzled her neck. It felt like I belonged there, clinging to the girl from the future like she was my entire world.

Even now, as I cuddled happily against her soft form, I felt like she was all I had to live for. It wasn't hard to dwell on such ideas, considering the emptiness of my life when she was away. If Kagome were to leave, I would lose so much that I'd come to depend on, and it was her presence that kept me going on the darker days of my life. Sometimes I could feel the fringes of hopelessness creeping up on me during her absences... I'd come to depend on our miko for sustenance, in spirit and body. The hope of seeing her kept my days bright and cheerful; her protective nature kept me protected from Inuyasha's occasionally-immature behavior... The taijiya and houshi would always keep me safe, as long as Kagome were here... But I never felt like they would truly take me in as their own if Kagome were not one of our group.

An Obvious Landmark

I was torn from my selfish thoughts of possible future abandonment when Inuyasha landed with a heavy thump in front of us. “Come on, I think I've seen something.” He extended a hand to help Kagome to her feet, and with a twist and quick settling of forms, Inuyasha leapt upwards once again, Kagome holding easily to his back. We moved too quickly for me to have any time to really look at the trees and leaves that whipped past, so I continued to cuddle against Kagome's neck until we broke through the jungle canopy.

There was a moment of suspended time as the three of us stared off into the distance. Inuyasha had turned slightly to point our gazes toward a tall pillar, rising like a beacon in the distance. “That seems kind of obvious, Inuyasha... Do you think it could be a trap?” Kagome asked, a frown marring her pretty face.

“Could be,” he said, leaping off of another wide branch. “We'll go slow and keep an eye out for trouble, but for now, that's the only thing we have to move toward.” It took only a minute for Inuyasha to leap to the pillar and land at the very top. The three of us twisted and turned about, looking at the forest below to see if there was anything out of the ordinary within sight.

Moments later, Inuyasha must have thought it to be a wise idea to step backwards off of the pillar to climb down, hand over hand. We approached the treetop slowly, still on the alert for anything dangerous. As we broke through the leaves, Kagome squealed so loudly that she caught Inuyasha off guard, causing him to nearly lose his grip. “What the fuck, Kagome?” Inuyasha growled out, twisting to look back at her gleeful expression.

“It's a spring, Inuyasha! Look, down there!” she said, pointing below us. Sure enough, the pillar we clung to was positioned directly in the center of a decent sized spring.

“Look, bitch, we don't have time for you and your stupid baths,” he grumbled, casting his gaze around for possible traps. One glance at Kagome's reddening face told me all I needed to know, and I took the initiative to reach up and flick one of his ears. He immediately flattened both white triangles to his head in irritation and glared back at the two of us. Kagome's angry stare made his eyes widen slightly, and he compromised quickly to avoid another intimate visit with the ground. “...Not right now, but we'll definitely stop for a long bath on our way back...”

She pouted for a moment but soon acquiesced, trying to ignore the pull of a cool dip in the sparkling clear water mere feet below us. I knew she hated to remain dirty or smelly for any period of time, but she was so careful about her cleanliness that she would sometimes demand a bath even when I thought she smelled perfectly fine. Now, sometimes that would confuse me, because I'm always attached to her, (as often as possible for a kit of my cuteness), and she never smells bad unless she's been coated with foul demon guts from being too close to battle!

...But it seems I've gone off into a part of the story that's not really important right now. Kagome and I held on tightly as Inuyasha leapt from the pillar to the shoreline nearby. While the pillar's position in the middle of the spring seemed almost painfully obvious, the area seemed to be safe and free of any traps. There was a barely visible path on the north end of the spring, and Inuyasha stepped carefully in its direction. All three of us expected something to jump out at us, to spring upon us and cause harm, or some strange alarm to ring shrilly through the words, alerting someone of our presence.

An unfamiliar bird chirped overhead and a slight gust of wind rustled nearby leaves, but all else remained quiet and calm... completely undisturbed. “The old bat must realize we're here by now...” Inuyasha grumbled, keeping a close eye on his surroundings. “Is she waiting for us to come to her, or what?”

Kagome made a noncommittal sound, and I could feel the slight shrug of her shoulders. “Maybe she's hiding,” I suggested, biting my lip anxiously.

“Keh, that's right, `cause she knew I was coming,” Inuyasha boasted, earning himself a sharp rap on the head from Kagome's knuckles. “Ow, what was that-” he complained, but Kagome cut him off.

“Are you trying to piss her off before we even meet her?!” She hissed, yanking hard on a lock of his hair.

“Geez, alright, don't pull so hard!” he growled, shaking his head once to free his hair.

Unwilling to rush headlong into any unforeseen traps, Inuyasha took his time picking his way along the nearly overgrown path. Large stones lined the dirt every few feet, a few upturned or unearthed and missing from their positions. The heat was terrible, and had it not been for the dense foliage overhead blocking most of the sunlight, I probably would not have been able to stop myself from whining constantly. It took maybe an hour to work our way along the path through the jungle, and as we broke into a small clearing, I said the first word that popped into my mind: “Awesome.”

Just a Bunch of Old Rocks

An ancient stone temple loomed before us, covered in peculiar vines that seemed to have remained untouched for decades. There seemed to be enough space between the plants to squeeze into the main entrance, and after we stood around for a few minutes looking at our strange surroundings, Inuyasha made his way forward toward the dark passage. He paused before entering to allow us to slip from his back, but I remained carefully perched on her shoulder, clinging tightly to her neck and hair as my fur bristled in unease.

Kagome wasted no time in clasping his hand tightly, lifting her other hand to settle protectively upon my small back. The measure was enormously appreciated, and I relaxed my grip on her soft locks as I managed to calm slightly. Together, we stepped into the dark interior of the old temple, unsure of what we would encounter.

“Stop acting so tense,” he grumbled. “It's just a pile of old rocks, overgrown with too many weeds,” he said, swiping at a nearby vine. The mangled plant fell harmlessly to the floor in several pieces.

“Che, Inuyasha, don't do that...” I scolded. He shot me a look of annoyance, and I could almost understand his irritation. I wouldn't like it if someone who was hardly as tall as my knees tried to correct me... “Look, if the lady lives in this place --and it's this covered in vines-- then maybe she likes them just as they are.”

“Whatever, shrimp,” he shrugged, walking slightly ahead of us into a gloomy passageway.

“Do you think this is the right way?” Kagome whispered, looking around apprehensively.

“Keh, how should I know? We'll just walk until we find something different. This place isn't that big...” Inuyasha huffed, crossing his arms.

Inuyasha was eating his words several hours later. The sun had set, and there was only minimal lighting within the gloomy passageways, provided by Kagome's small flashlight. Inuyasha led the way, cautiously approaching corners with his hand laid carefully upon the hilt of his sword. After what seemed like forever, he stopped mid-step and took a careful sniff of the air.

Both Kagome and I held our breaths in anticipation of an explanation... He sniffed again, this time with his face turned slightly to the side, and I caught myself leaning forward to see if I could smell something, too. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk forward, not saying a single word.

“What the...” Kagome sputtered, moving forward to catch hold of his sleeve. “Inuyasha, what was that about?” she asked, jerking hard on his sleeve to draw his attention.

He absently waved her off, not even looking back at her. “Nothing...” he muttered, continuing forward.

“Inuyasha...” she frowned, her voice lowering to reflect her mounting annoyance.

“Listen bitch,” he growled, turning around to look at her even as he continued to walk forward, “If it's something important, I'll tell you! I thought I smelled something, but it turned out to be my imagination or something!” He turned forward once again, stomping ahead with renewed speed.

“You're such a--” she started, only to be cut off in surprise as Inuyasha ran smack into a wall. We stopped in our tracks, looking in confusion between the hanyou sprawled out on the stone floor and the completely wall-free hallway in front of us. I was positive that we hadn't just seen him trip or slip on something, and that his progress had to have been halted by something solid, but there was nothing in front of us...

I leapt from Kagome's shoulder and cautiously approached the place where Inuyasha had collided with the invisible barrier. He was sitting up by now, rubbing his forehead. I managed to completely ignore his irritated growl as I reached out toward the slightly shimmering air in front of us. “There's an invisible wall here!” I exclaimed, thrilled with the idea that I could see the illusion. Struck by sudden inspiration, I glanced to the left and right, immediately detecting the (barely noticeable) unnatural shift of light. “This way!” I said, eagerly pointing in that direction as I looked back at Kagome.

Kagome nodded, pointing her flashlight in the direction I indicated and following me easily as I ran quickly down the hall. Somewhere behind us, Inuyasha scrambled to his feet and leapt to catch up as Kagome's flashlight bounced wildly along the partially visible path. It was obvious after the first few turns in the hallway that I would need to slow down, because Inuyasha kept running into the illusory walls, cursing loudly with each collision. Poor Inuyasha...

Sacrifice

He caught up shortly before we burst into a main room of sorts. There was nothing but a large table in the center of the room, and faint illumination cast strangely shaped shadows around the room. A very short old woman stood behind the table, watching the three of us calmly as we walked toward her.

As we approached her, it became apparent that she was very displeased with our presence. Her aged face was set into a sharp frown as she considered Kagome, and a sick feeling settled deep in my stomach. I somehow knew we were about to hear the worst news we could have possibly expected to hear. “I told you she wouldn't be pleased,” the old woman grumbled with an irritated look in my direction.

“Runt, you know this old bat?” He asked, his eyebrow twitching in irritation.

“Yeah, it was her wand...” I muttered, looking up at her with a rapidly growing sense of dread. `Is she going to turn us away? We just got here and it was such a long journey! There has to be something...' I thought, anxiously gnawing on my small claws. Of course, I wasn't surprised when Inuyasha growled in annoyed warning that I should explain further, but the old woman help up her hand to cease the argument before it had a chance to really start.

“There is nothing I can do to change her back,” she stated, getting straight to the point. She lowered her hand and folded it carefully with the other in front of her. The hope that had kept us moving forward so hurriedly withered into nothing at her words.

Kagome spoke first, but it wasn't a response of annoyance, nor a demand for a solution... “Thank you for your time,” she murmured, bowing slightly at the waist before she held out her hand toward me. “Come on, Shippo, we can take some time to play at the beach before we go home,” she suggested, giving me a warm smile. I don't know what I'd managed to do over the years to deserve such complete forgiveness for any and all stupid deeds I managed to do... But whatever it was, there was no undoing it.

She had brushed off her change in appearance and moved on with her life, not allowing her dismay or annoyance show in her relationship with us. It was as though nothing had happened, and I felt so guilty that I could cry. “But...” I argued, tugging her hand for her to stop. “But isn't there something?” I asked, turning that impossible-to-deny watery gaze upon the strange old lady behind us.

“You do not deserve forgiveness for changing such an important being, little one,” she said, her eyes narrowing upon my slight form.

“I don't need forgiveness! I just want Kagome to be happy! She's never asked for anything before, and I shouldn't have done what I did...” I cried, unable to keep my voice from cracking as I withheld my tears of frustration and guilt. I let go of Kagome's hand and leapt toward the table in front of the old woman. Leaning forward so only she would hear my next words, I continued, “She deserves everything, and I'd give anything for her to be happy.”

“Little kit, what do you think would make her happy?” she asked, watching me with an unreadable expression, her wizened eyes looking me over critically.

“She needs back her appearance; she needs to look like she did before. She can't go home like this. No one would accept her like one of my kind if she did...” I whispered, wiping the tears from my eyes.

“Give me your mother's bracelet,” she commanded, holding out a leathery hand.

I balked, completely shocked by the strange request. “My...” I began, almost questioning her demand. But then, I realized I'd promised anything to get Kagome back to normal, so I reached into one of my pockets and fished out the delicate loop of metal. My hand shook slightly as I reached out to hand her my most important treasure, knowing that Kagome deserved any sacrifice I could make on her behalf.

The old woman pocketed the object before turning to walk away from us. “Wait!” I called out, hopping down from the table to follow after her. “Aren't you going--”

She cut me off as she continued to walk away. “I'll come to you in the morning, little kit. Go enjoy the evening with your family,” she said, her form slowly vanishing into the darkness at the other side of the room. I turned back to where I had left Kagome and Inuyasha, the slightest glimmer of hope coming back to me.

Spring-time! ...In the Autumn.

We left the dark temple with far less difficulties and made our way back to the large spring that Kagome had pointed out to us so gleefully before. They asked me no questions about the words exchanged within the chamber, both probably assuming I'd been lucky to escape without being changed into a newt. Inuyasha had almost demanded the old woman fix Kagome's altered appearance when the woman had turned to leave, but Kagome had held him back with a glare of promised retribution if he brought upon himself (or us) any further difficulties.

It was true that the woman most likely held immeasurable illusionary skills, and it was only after my short plea-bargaining that I realized she could have probably made my life a hundred times more terrible than my worst nightmare if I'd annoyed her... Without being told, Inuyasha leapt into the nearby trees to take up watch as Kagome took some time to strip off her clothes. The comfortable shorts Kagome wore had to be torn to accommodate her very long fluffy tail, yet another thing that I was able to feel terribly guilty about: either she roam around the countryside with her tail squished up all uncomfortably, or one of us destroying her favorite clothes.

I'm such a terrible kit... I did not think of all the stupid crap she'd have to live with because of my selfish meddling. I thought it would be better for her in the long run... I thought that maybe her new appearance would be good for her self-confidence, helping her feel more unique and beautiful than she ever had before. But as I watched her lean over the fresh-water spring and stare into her reflection, I knew that I had only succeeded in making her unsure of herself and unfamiliar with her own face.

I walked up behind her and set my hand on her shoulder, trying to keep from crying as I felt so damned miserable. I wanted her to like the way I'd made her, I wanted her to be like me, I wanted her to be happy and us to be together like the family I wish we were, complete with a stupid father and everything. I should have known that Kagome wouldn't be able to fit the role of motherhood in her other life... and I wasn't entirely sure if she'd be able to go back to how she'd lived before this pointless mess.

“We aren't getting any younger,” she chuckled, tipping forward into the cool water. I blinked out of the moment of guilt I'd sunk into, watching her float on her back in the moonlit pool.

`Right.' I nodded once in agreement, hopping in with a splash. She took extra time washing my hair that evening, and it was too easy to forget my worries and regret as she lavished her love and attention on me. After we'd dried off and dressed, Inuyasha dropped to the ground at our side, crossing his arms over his chest in silent annoyance. He said nothing, but Kagome and I knew that he was trying to keep a tight reign on his temper for having traveled all this way without any positive (or acceptable) result.

Silence reigned that evening as we rested in preparation for our return trip. I said nothing of the old woman's possible return in the morning, because I didn't want to get either Kagome's or Inuyasha's hopes raised again, only to have them dashed when nothing good came of whatever might have been promised. It was tough for us to fall asleep in the sticky warmth of the jungle, for there was no breeze to dry the sweat that clung to our foreheads and necks. By the time we roused from our not-so-restful sleep that morning, my tail was stiff and crinkly, and my bangs were dried in itchy formations around my face.

Kagome and Inuyasha looked just as miserable as well, and Inuyasha was the first to take a splashing leap into the cool water of the spring, fully clothed. He hopped out a few moments later, shaking his hair and clothes free of excess water before leaping out of sight to keep watch while we did the same. Kagome and I were quick about rinsing the sweat from our bodies, and we were in the middle of wringing out our clothes when the old woman appeared, hovering a foot away from us over the water.

“Kyaaah~~!” Kagome screamed in shock, and I was caught so off guard that I fell backwards into the spring and sucked in a lungful of water. I emerged, hacking and sputtering as I tried to expel the water from my chest. Kagome patted me on the back as she held her wet-wrinkly dress in front of herself for modesty's sake. Inuyasha, of course, came barreling into the scene with his sword drawn, catching an eyeful of Naked Kagome before she shouted out “Sit!!” in mortification.

He crashed to the ground, giving her enough time to help me recover from choking before slipping on her dress. The old woman, of course, looked on in with a stony expression, reminding me of a boiled cabbage that had decided to float midair... “I have brought something for the girl,” she announced, withdrawing something shiny from her pocket.

“You shall wear this to regain your true identity, but you need one other object before you can wear this,” she said, placing my treasured bracelet into Kagome's outstretched hand.

“What more must I do?” she asked, looking up at the aged woman floating before us.

“There is a blue vine that grows deep within this forest. It is extremely rare and very dangerous to any creature that approaches it. You must collect from this vine a single blue seed and place it within this pouch,” she said, holding out the worn leather container. “You mustn't touch the vine, for the oil it extracts can paralyze any human. Inhaling the pollen from one of its blooming flowers can cause seizures, and being pierced by one of its sharp leaves will bring you a quick death. It will seek out and absorb any youki nearby, so make sure that your companions stay a healthy distance away, lest they be sucked completely dry of their life energy.”

Her instructions brought mixed looks of disbelief and shock and fear to my face (and I'm sure to Kagome's and Inuyasha's faces as well, had I taken a moment to look in their directions) and I was immediately regretting my request that the old woman help our dear Kagome. This mission sounded deadly to any of us, should we attempt it!

“How am I to take a seed from this vine if it is so deadly?” Kagome asked, seemingly bewildered.

“You'll figure out a way to do so, Miko,” she replied, vanishing from sight once again.

“What the fuck?! How the hell is this supposed to work? Kagome gets some stupid seed that'll turn her back to her normal self and one of us dies in the process?” Inuyasha bellowed as he stomped toward us. He grabbed Kagome by the upper arms and shook her with a growl. “Woman, I don't care what the fuck you look like, we're going home now.” Muttered curses and growls about how stupid this idea had been could be heard as he turned around and knelt, fully expecting Kagome to comply and climb upon his back. She looked down at me with a thoughtful expression on her face as she fingered the bracelet.

“I think we can do this without getting hurt,” she murmured, biting her lip as she considered me. I was terrified for her safety, but I was willing to storm into whatever growth of blue vines to get her the seed she needed for the spell to work. I nodded shakily, and I knew she could read the determination in my eyes.

Blue Anshan

We traveled for the entire morning, not really knowing where we were to go, only following the hunch Kagome had as Inuyasha leapt through the jungle. She'd have him travel a mile in a western direction, then change slightly to travel north-east for a little while, then change again to travel toward the south. It seemed as though we were traveling in some kind of circle, which wasn't too difficult considering we were running around blindly on an island.

Eventually, we realized that we were slowly, but surely, triangulating on a small patch of forest that seemed overgrown with thorny bushes. Inuyasha had to use his Sankon-Tessou to slash through the stubborn foliage, making room for us to push through to a clearing completely surrounded with the spiny plants. It was obvious that the plants were keeping in --or keeping out-- something...

In the center of this clearing, a small blue vine grew, completely innocent looking. It was wrapped into small coils, its wide, long leaves stretched lazily out along the grass to absorb the few rays of sunlight peeking between breaks in the foliage above. Kagome walked cautiously toward the vines, a hand propped on her hip.

“Kagome,” Inuyasha called out, fingering the hilt of his sword. “You can grab one of its seeds after I tear it up with...”

”That won't work...” Kagome said, turning to regard us both. “The old woman said it would absorb youki, so neither of you can use any attacks on it, I think.” She circled it slowly, obviously looking for something as she frowned down at the seemingly harmless, relatively small plant before her. She reached our sides again and shrugged. “I can see its seeds, but it doesn't look like I can just reach in there and grab one. It looks like it can move a little on its own, and I'm not sure what it can do when it's under threat...”

Inuyasha pulled her backpack from his shoulder, pulling the ties free that held Kagome's bow securely in place. “Use your arrows, and try shooting at it,” he suggested, holding it out to her.

“Okay...” she agreed, taking the bow.

It seemed too easy, to me, for her to only need to use her arrows to free a seed from the plant. “Don't use your powers, though,” I warned quietly, “It might disintegrate it...” I was feeling more and more positive as time ticked by that this plant was of a youkai variety, and that Kagome's miko energy would probably purify it before she could retrieve a seed.

She nodded as she pulled her arrow back and took aim. With the nearly silent twang-whoosh of the string's release, the arrow sliced through a section of the plant, sending small bits of the vine shooting off to our left. The vine immediately retaliated against its attacker, shooting leafy appendages in our direction. Inuyasha was quick to react, scooping the two of us up and out of harm's way. It continued to lash out at us, each time growing closer and closer to striking one of us. Inuyasha managed to slip back through the hole he'd made in the prickly thorn bushes surrounding the small clearing, saving us from the plant's continued attacks.

“Well, that didn't work too well,” Inuyasha grumbled in annoyance.

“I don't know...” Kagome said, staring at the ground near the small entrance to the clearing. There, lying partially hidden amongst the small plants growing along the jungle floor, were a few small pieces of the blue vine's leaves... and a single, deep blue seed. “Right. Looks like this quest is over,” she grinned, pulling out the small pouch to scoop up the small object. She was very careful not to touch it, for none of us were sure if the plant's dangerous properties would be present in the seed as well.

It was tied shut with a long loop of string and she draped it over her neck next to the not-quite-complete Shikon-no-Tama. We all held our breaths as Kagome pulled the thin bracelet from her pocket and looked it over. “Here goes...” she said, closing her eyes and slipping it over her wrist. Both Inuyasha and I couldn't contain our dual expressions of shock as her form shimmered and melted back into her normal, human self.

Everything had changed back to normal, and I leapt upon her shoulder to feel the tips of her ears to be sure they were really gone. “You're normal again...” I whispered, in a strange sort of awe that the old woman had really changed her back. A lingering sense of loss settled into my heart as I realized Kagome would never resemble one of my kind again, but I knew I had to accept that our Kagome was back to normal without any regret.

“Well,” she said with a grin, “I never felt different to begin with, so I suppose this is just as good a result as any!”

Inuyasha ruffled my hair playfully as he smiled, truly happy and finally more relaxed than he had been in weeks, now that everything was right once more. Kagome adjusted her pack and climbed onto Inuyasha's back as he knelt before us, and then he was running at an almost leisurely bound through the jungles of the island. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach, enjoying a lengthy romp in the sand, building sandcastles according to Kagome's instructions, and swimming in the salty ocean.

That night, we made camp at the tree line, and I offered to try using my foxfire to light the campfire. Inuyasha leaned forward slightly in amusement as I piled up a good selection of kindling and twigs, and I rubbed my hands together in preparation for the careful concentration of energy this trick would require. My illusionary fire was really great for distracting, but it was really hard to get it to burn with enough intensity to light a regular flame.

`Fire...' I thought, bringing the glowing blue flames to life from my palms. `Heat up, burn, set ablaze!' I concentrated on forcing the energy into a small point of focus that would hopefully set one of the flammable pieces of dried grass on fire. Suddenly, I sneezed unexpectedly, and those cool blue flames became an angry red, engulfing the entire pile of sticks in blazing fire.

Inuyasha sat back with a stunned, charred expression, his eyebrows singed off and his bangs curled and blackened.

Kagome laughed so hard from her rock nearby that she fell over.

...I scrambled behind her so fast that Inuyasha couldn't find me for a full five minutes.

A mirthful scolding and reminders that it was an accident and that his hair would most likely grow back to normal by morning saved my head from several horribly painful lumps. The next morning, we climbed back into the boat and Inuyasha rowed us back to the mainland, our quest at an end. All we had to do now was travel north once more toward Kaede's hut...

To Be Continued!

More Author's Notes: Of course, I've already started on a sequel for this fic, and I haven't even gotten the next section to this story worked on! The vine Kagome had to find is called a blue anshan, which is the name I decided upon some weeks ago as I was brainstorming for more of this fic. And no, there is no explanation for everyone this chapter as to how exactly certain things happened/didn't happen in the story, so hopefully you guys can be patient for a better bit of info next time around. I expect to finish this story with the next chapter.... But then again, I thought that when I started this chapter! -.- We'll see...