InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unexpected Allies I: How to Train a Taiyoukai ❯ Farewell Aniki ( Chapter 5 )

{Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but I am slowly falling for Sesshoumaru. If anyone would like to give him to me, please e-mail me and I'll come get him.}

Unexpected Allies Trilogy

Part One

Submissions, Table Manners and Scent Recognition: How to Train a Taiyoukai

By Striking Falcon

Chapter Five:

Farewell Aniki

Kagome woke up when she kicked something off her bed. She stood up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before investigating. On the floor was a small bundle and a note. She picked it up and read it.

Kagome,

This I had made especially for you, seeing how wonderful you looked in the 'bell sleeved shirt' things you wear. Plus, there was one color I didn't see you in the entire time you were here. Don't worry about your pack. I packed three extra pairs of clothes inside it and took it to the dojo. Have breakfast and come there.

Aniki

Kagome smiled and unrolled the bundle. Inside were a white haori and dark violet hakamas. Kagome washed her face quickly and changed clothes. She stared at the sleeves of the haori in amazement. 'He made them belled, the little devil.' She put on the black slippers and grabbed the cape the bundle was wrapped in. It was white as well, with purple kanji embroidered on the edge of the right corner. Kagome fingered the lines.

"Beloved Miko," she whispered, reading the letters. She brushed the tears from her eyes, determined to give him something before she left. She tied the white strings of the cape around her neck and went to eat breakfast. After breakfast, one of the servants showed her to the dojo. Aniki waved to her as she came in, reaching for a bow and a quiver of arrows.

"Hello, Kagome-miko-sama," he said cheerily. He set the bow and quiver on her pack. "Sesshoumaru-sama isn't here yet. Do you like your disguise?"

Kagome responded by wrapping her arms around him, tears sliding down her face. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you didn't choose red," she whispered. Aniki nodded.

"Why would I pick red? I like purple better. Besides, if I had, you'd look like the undead miko."

"You know about Kikyou?"

"I thought you WERE the undead one, until I caught your scent. You smell much better, Kagome."

"Thank you." Kagome blushed as she wiped her tears away.

"What did you do, Aniki?" Sesshoumaru asked as he walked in the room. "I've tried to kill her many times, yet I've never made her cry. What's your secret?"

"Now, now, Sesshoumaru-sama. Don't make Kagome-sama 'down' you. Kagome-sama, are you o. k.?"

Kagome nodded dumbly, her eyes glued to Sesshoumaru. He received a disguise, too. Instead of the robes of a noble, he was dressed in a hunter green gi, brown pants and leather, knee-length boots. A brown sash and a hunter green cape completed the look. Kagome gawked a few minutes more before Aniki waved his hand in her face. 'Wow. He's hot even dressed like a slave.'

"Kagome? Anyone there?" he teased. Sesshoumaru crossed the room and Kagome blinked out of her stupor.

"Sorry, Aniki. It's just that even without his normal clothes, Sesshoumaru still looks like Sesshoumaru."

"That's the problem," Aniki sighed. "There is no way the mikos will let either of you in. They are wary of the undead miko, and no one would believe that a miko subdued the Great Taiyoukai of the West."

"I agree with you. What should we do?"

Aniki looked at her expectantly. "Put an illusion spell on you both."

Kagome laughed; until she noticed he was serious. "Are you nuts?" she asked, mindful of Sesshoumaru's ears. "I can't do an illusion!"

"Why not?" Sesshoumaru asked. It sounded like a good plan to him.

"Because every time I try to do one, I set my mother's rose bushes on fire!"

"Oh." Aniki said.

He watched Sesshoumaru strap his swords to his sides. "I am strong enough to handle an illusion spell gone wrong. Just do it."

Kagome sighed. "Alright, but me first. I can't hurt myself."

She thought for a moment, listing all the things that made her look like Kikyou. 'Let's see, there's our pale skin. Not changing my skin color. It would be our eyes, but hers are brown and mine are blue-gray. The only things left are height and hair. I'm not changing my height, so that leaves-' Kagome centered her energy to her hand. She brushed it through her hair all the way to the ends. She shook her head slightly, enjoying the feel of the new style.

"Well. What do you think?"

Aniki opened his mouth to say something when: "It will do."

Kagome glared at Sesshoumaru. "No 'Congratulations, you didn't set yourself on fire'?"

Sesshoumaru sighed. "Is that what you want to hear?"

"No."

"Good."

Aniki went on with what he was going to say. "You are still beautiful, Kagome, but why would you choose to look like a Viking?"

"You know about the Vikings?"

"In your own words, 'duh'," said Sesshoumaru. Kagome took a moment to adjust, then burst into giggles.

"What is so amusing?" he asked her. Kagome quieted, her loosely-curled golden blonde hair falling in her face.

"You, saying 'duh'. It's a scream!"

Sesshoumaru ignored her as Aniki resumed his question. "As I said, why a Viking?"

Kagome calmed down. "I wasn't really expecting to look like that, but it is different. Oh well." She reached inside her pack and opened her compact. She grinned at her reflection as she tugged on a few strands. "This is great! Now I can try out a hair color before I actually do it!"

Aniki and Sesshoumaru stared at her in confusion.

"She's gone off the deep end, my lord."

"I heard that!" Kagome said.

Aniki smiled good naturedly. "I'm joking, my lady. But it will take more than that to change Sesshoumaru-sama."

Kagome sighed. "You're right. Sesshoumaru, could you kneel down please?"

Sesshoumaru kneeled down. 'I'm not going to like this.' She and Aniki stared at him, thinking.

"Well," Kagome started. "What makes Sesshoumaru look like Sesshoumaru? The crescent, for sure. That has to go." She rubbed the palm of her hand across his forehead. She and Aniki nodded in approval.

"That's a start. Now, we should make his eyes a different color, though I'll miss the gold." She tapped under each eye, then looked at Aniki.

"Well?"

"No. Try again."

She tapped again. "Now?"

"Perfect."

"O. k.!" she exclaimed. Sesshoumaru winced. "Sorry Sesshoumaru." Sesshoumaru nodded and she continued.

"Let's keep the stripes as they are. Next is his hair. Oh, I'm going to miss that too."

"Would you stop moaning over unimportant details?" Sesshoumaru growled, secretly pleased that she liked so much about him. Kagome huffed and crossed her arms.

"Sorry. I just want to do this right without you looking stupid! Anyway, before you interrupted," She flicked a blonde curl over her shoulder, then tapped his forehead. "What do you think, Aniki?"

"Hair should not be the same color as your eyes."

Kagome nodded, "Right," she tapped him again. "Now?"

"It would look funny if you two had the same hair color."

Kagome nodded and tapped again. "Stop that infernal tapping!" Sesshoumaru snarled, loosing his patience.

Aniki shook his head disapprovingly. "Now, now, Sesshoumaru-sama. Keep it up and Kagome-sama will have to subdue you." Sesshoumaru mumbled something about killing him when this was over, but held still.

Kagome tapped again. "Now?" she asked.

"It's missing something."

Kagome tapped again, lighter than the last time. "Now?"

"Perfect. Now his tail and scent."

Kagome touched the end wrapped around her wrist ('When did he do that?'). Sesshoumaru watched as the white turned into a chestnut brown, the tip becoming a solid black. Kagome handed him her compact.

"What do you think?" she asked. Sesshoumaru stared at the glass in disbelief. The Sesshoumaru that stared back had emerald-green eyes and no crescent. The most drastic change was his hair. Once a shimmering silver, it was now the same brown as his tail, with silver and black strands sprinkled throughout. Sesshoumaru nodded in approval. "I don't recognize myself."

"That means he likes it!" Kagome exclaimed. She gave him a fierce hug, jumping for joy. Aniki looked on in envy.

"I'm so glad I didn't hurt you!" she said when she let go. She tapped him again, this time on the nose.

"What was that for?"

"I sealed the spell. It's now a transformation."

"What's the difference?" Aniki asked. Kagome smiled back at him. "Illusions stay in effect unless I become unconscious. That could be bad if someone comes in and I'm asleep. Transformations are more permanent, and you return to normal when someone says a special word."

"What's the special word and who says it?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"I do and the word is your name," Kagome said. "So now you need a new name."

"This is getting ridiculous," Sesshoumaru groaned. Kagome and Aniki thought in silence.

"I know!" Kagome exclaimed. "How about Yukio? It certainly sums you up."

"I don't care. Let's just get this over with."

Aniki nodded. "I agree with Sesshoumaru-sama. The sooner you leave, the sooner you come back. I've given you a bow and quiver Kagome-sama, just in case."

"Thank you, Aniki-san. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you as well, pretty miko."

"Thank you for the clothes," Kagome called back as they approached the threshold of the outside door. Sesshoumaru grabbed her pack and hoisted it on his shoulders. He picked Kagome up bridal style and they disappeared into the morning snow fall. Aniki walked to the threshold, staring at the items they left behind. One he knew to be a bag of gold coins from Sesshoumaru, but the other from Kagome was strange. It was four brightly colored balls on little sticks. A little picture on the wrappers of each said 'lollipop' and showed a tongue licking a picture of one of the balls. Aniki removed the wrapping of a red one and licked it gingerly. Liking what he tasted, he popped it in his mouth, the stick hanging out as he picked up the sack of coins.

"Goodbye, Kagome-miko-sama," he said around the lollipop. "May you melt the ice around Sesshoumaru-sama's heart."

++++++++

"What is the matter, Kagome?" Sesshoumaru asked as he stopped in a tree. Kagome sighed heavily, her eyelids closing.

"I'm sorry, Yukio. It seems I'm suddenly tired. You're forgetting to call me Kagome-sama." She drifted off, sleeping soundly against his chest. Sesshoumaru smiled. 'It should be fine if she sleeps until we get there.' Sesshoumaru kept going, stopping every now and then to marvel at the sleeping girl in his arms.

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