-XXXXXXXXXXXXXX-IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE! PLEASE READ!-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
FH: Hello my beloved readers! I have some very important news that I need to tell you in a very long rant and...
Sesshomaru: Then get on with it already woman.
FH: I WAS, until you interrupted me!
Sesshomaru: Then by all means...-gestures with hand-
FH: Good. Now as I was saying, something has been bothering me and I want to get it all out. I see how many of you read my story, favorited it, and added it to story-alert. What bugs me is that so few of you never bothered to review. You see, I have a hell of a time typing because I'm slow and I get bored and tired easily. What gives me the drive to write and type is your reviews and feedback. I can see that more than 30 people favorited it, and over 200 people read it. All I'm asking for is one review per chapter on how I did. I have a goal for this story and if I can get to it, then I will do this story all the way. It would be my first multi-chaptered fic to be finished. The goal is 100 reviews and if I can reach that, then I WILL finish this story. PLEASE! GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK! PLEASE!
Sesshomaru: Hn. Stop your begging woman.
FH: Oh shut it...-grins evilly-...Fluffy.
Sesshomaru: Cease calling me by that degrading name woman! Or I shall maim you!
FH: Whatever Sesshomaru. Disclaimer: I own nothing except this beautiful plot and any OCs that I decide to make. If anyone is caught stealing it, they will be dealt with immediately.
Sesshomaru: Well said, woman.
FH: Hey! How many times do I have to tell you my name is Kera! K-E-R-A! Get it through your thick skull or I will be forced to make you fall in love with Kikyo.
Sesshomaru: -pales- You wouldn't!
FH: Don't test me! Now on to Chapter 2: Shopping & A Birthday Surprise! P.S. It starts out pretty boring, but it needs to happen to understand what happens next chapter!
...Chapter 2: Shopping & A Birthday Surprise...
Sunlight drifted through Kagome's window and slowly made its way to her face, bathing it in a glorious warmth. Yawning happily, Kagome opened her eyes to a bright and beautiful morning.
She quickly swung her feet to the floor and headed for the bathroom. She took a nice hot shower and then dressed in a white summer dress that reached her knees, since it was still warm out. She put on a pair of flat white strappy sandals to match.
After she blow-dried her hair, Kagome brushed it until it shined and then pulled it back into a loose bun. She applied a little bit of lip gloss and then studied herself in the mirror. When she was satisfied, she went downstairs for breakfast.
Nikita was in the kitchen preparing omelets and rice, while Souta and Kotono sat in the dining room at the table.
Kagome made her way into the kitchen and smiled at her mother, who smiled back.
"Are you ready to go shopping today?" Nikita asked, as she put the omelets on a plate.
Kagome nodded.
"Do you need me to help with anything?" she asked eagerly.
Nikita nodded.
"Here, can you take this plate of omelets out? I'll bring the rice" she said, handing the plate of well-cut omelets to her.
Kagome smiled, nodding as she took the plate.
"Sure, is the table already set?" she asked.
Nikita nodded.
"Just take the plate to the table" she said, as she grabbed the big bowl of rice.
Kagome brought the plate of steaming omelets to the table and set them in the middle. Souta and Kotono began drooling with hunger.
Kagome sighed as she sat down next to Souta, Kotono sitting across from Souta.
Nikita strode into the dining room with the bowls of rice and set one down in front of each of them before sitting down herself.
"Alright. Let's hurry up and eat so that we can go shopping. It may take awhile" she said.
Everyone nodded and began eating.
...At The Grocery Store...
Kagome was pushing a shopping cart literally overflowing with bathroom products.
"Mom, are you sure that we need all of this?" asked Kagome, as she eyed the bottles upon bottles of shampoo and conditioner.
Nikita nodded absently, filling her own cart with deodorant and toilet paper.
"I can't imagine living without great smelling shampoo now that I've lived here for 18 years. Especially conditioner. We'll have the most beautiful hair of all feudal Japan!" she said excitedly, as she grabbed a bottle of body wash.
"We'll also be the cleanest" she added, as she headed to the food section.
Kagome grumbled but followed. Grandpa and Souta were sporting empty carts of their own, ready to be filled with food as they followed after Nikita.
...2 Hours Later...
They finally stuck the groceries all into the van and Kagome was exhausted. But they still had one more stop. The kimono specialist.
When they arrived at the store, Kagome was amazed at its size. It was larger than she had expected it to be.
As they entered the store, they were greeted by a kind woman who looked like she was in her mid-thirties.
The woman bowed low.
"Good evening Lady Nikita, Lord Kotono, Princess Kagome, and Prince Souta. How may I be of service?" she asked earnestly.
Kagome was bewildered that she knew who and obviously WHAT they were. Kagome turned her confused gaze to her mother, who smiled back.
"She is an inu youkai, and the best seamstress of the Northern Lands. She knows me from the past" Nikita explained.
Kagome nodded as understanding washed over her.
"Is there anything that I can do, my Lady?" the seamstress asked again.
Nikita nodded.
"Why yes Loki, you can. I need a whole new wardrobe in your finest silks and materials. I'm talking kimonos, haoris, hakamas, yukatas, you name it, "she said excitedly.
Loki nodded and bowed.
"I shall show you the designs and materials. Please wait here while I bring them out" she said respectfully, as she disappeared into a back room.
A few minutes later Loki reappeared bowing, gesturing to the room behind her.
"All of the materials are ready for you to see' Loki said.
Nikita nodded and glided into the room, Kagome and the others following behind her.
Kagome was amazed at the amount of cloth spread over several tables. They seemed to be separated by type of cloth. There were about seven tables.
Loki walked up to the first table and gestured to the many bolts of colorful cloth.
"This is made of the silk that a demon silk worm has produced. It has all of the qualities of silk and the ability of armor hat cannot be penetrated by any type of attack" she said.
Then she moved to the next table.
"This is made of the silky fur of powerful inu youkai. It's soft and silky, and will keep you warm even in the coldest of winters" she said, and then she moved to the next table.
"This is made of the fur of the ice kitsune. It is soft and will protect against all ice attacks and freezing" she said.
And the list went on and on. When Loki had explained all of the materials, Nikita had ordered seven kimonos per materials were to be made, all in different colors. The same amount of sleeping yukatas were ordered for all of the different types of materials.
Kagome shook her head in exasperation as she stood on a stool, being fitted for kimonos.
"Mom, explain to me again how we are going to be able to carry all of this stuff back to the palace" she asked.
Nikita stood next to her, also being fitted.
"We are going to fly" she stated simply, almost as if Kagome had asked what color the sky was.
Kagome shook her head in confusion.
"How are we going to fly there?" she asked curiously.
Nikita smiled at her.
"We are going to form energy clouds to fly on and carry our stuff" she said smoothly.
Kagome just got more confused.
"How're we going to do that?" she asked.
Nikita just shook her head.
"You will soon find out, my pup" she said sweetly.
Kagome quirked her eyebrow at being called 'pup', but smiled nonetheless.
…Later…
Kagome sat on the couch next to her mother after she had bagged up the rest of the groceries into backpacks.(A/N: All food items are either dry like ramen or canned.)The kimonos and other clothing that they had ordered would be done tomorrow, the day before her birthday.
"So Mom...is there any chance that you'll tell me what I look like?" asked Kagome curiously.
Nikita shook her head while grinning mischievously.
"No, if I told you that, then it would ruin the surprise" she said.
Kagome crossed her arms over her chest, pouting.
"But Souta got to see what he looked like! It's not fair!" she whined.
Nikita chuckled.
"Don't worry, dear. You just have to wait a little longer, that's all" she smiled.
Kagome huffed, and turned away nodding.
"Well, could you tell me this? Is your hair really that short?" she asked.
Nikita shook her head, smiling.
"No, I just wanted to try it out without actually cutting my hair. But I like and miss my long hair, so I'm not going to cut it" she said.
Kagome nodded in agreement.
"Right. So, is dinner almost ready?"she asked.
Nikita nodded.
"Well then, can I ask you some questions? Just real quick" Kagome asked, as she looked at her mother.
Nikita nodded.
"Alright. I understand that you ordered hakamas and haoris for Shippo, but why did you order two sets of kimonos of different sizes? One is smaller than Shippo, and the other is slightly bigger. Can you tell me?" Kagome asked.
Nikita shook her head, grinning.
"Nope. I'm not telling you that. It's for me to know and you to find out."
Kagome's jaw dropped.
"Why not?" she whined, "Are you like a seer or something?"
Nikita only grinned, before heading to the kitchen to finish dinner. Kagome sighed in disappointment, before following after her mother.
…Later, After Dinner…
Kagome was in the bathtub, mulling over her thoughts as she conditioned her hair. She couldn't wait to see what she really looked like. She finished rinsing her hair and got out of the tub, wrapping a soft fluffy towel around her. She went into her room and got dressed quickly into her nightgown.
As she was brushing her hair, Kagome thought of Souta. He still wouldn't tell her what he looked like.
'It's no fair! He got to see what he looked like! And I have to wait...' she thought jealously.
'Oh well. Just one more day to go' she thought as she crawled into bed.
...The Next day...
Kagome lugged the last trunk of kimonos up the shrine steps. She set it down at the top and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Mom, remind me how we are going to carry all of these to the palace?" Kagome shouted across the yard.
Her mother just laughed and disappeared into the house.
There were 14 trunks in all, 2 for Kagome, 2 for Nikita, 2 for Kotono, 2 for Souta, 2 for Shippo, and 2 for each of the mysterious girls. They were separated into sleeping yukatas and normal wear, hence 2 trunks per person.
Kagome sighed as she headed into the house to pack up her things.
The rest of the day was spent on preparing for the trip tomorrow through the Well; after Kagome's Birthday party.
…Later…
Kagome had just donned her nightgown when she heard a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Kagome called, as she brushed her hair.
Nikita entered the room, shut the door behind her and sat on Kagome's bed.
"Honey, tonight at midnight when you're sleeping, the spells on you and us will all be lifted. Just don't be too surprised when you wake up in the morning and you look different, okay?" she asked.
Kagome nodded as she left her hair loose and sat next to her Mom. She turned and kissed her mother on the cheek.
"Good night Mom" she said as she slid under the covers.
Nikita chuckled as she got up and walked to the door and shut off the light.
"Good night to you too, pup" she whispered softly, as she shut the door.
...The Next Morning...
Kagome felt something lick her face and she turned over, grumbling about sleeping more as she grabbed something fluffy, holding it to her. When she felt the thing lick her face again, she sat up quickly, intending to tell off whoever had bothered her when her breath stuck in her throat.
The mirror that was on the back of her closed door reflected the new, and improved, demon Kagome. Her hair was the same raven-blue color that it was before, but it was much longer, at least down to her thighs and streaked with light blue streaks. Kagome's chocolate-brown eyes were now a brilliant shade of molten gold. Two cerulean streaks were on each cheek, and an eight-pointed star (like a north star) colored dark blue was in the center of her forehead. Two straight dogs ears, much like an Akita's, stood on top of her head, the same color as her hair. Two pieces of hair was pulled over her shoulder, much like InuYasha's, but longer and wavy. She had fangs and claws. She also had two streaks, the same color as the ones on her cheeks, on each wrist, shoulder, and thigh. But the feature that stood out the most and shocked her was the long, black tinted blue fluffy tail with light-blue streaks. It looked exactly like Sesshomaru's tail. It was at least twice her height, and as she slowly stood up, she was sure that she was at least 5 inches taller. She had only been 5 foot before.
Kagome reached out and tentatively touched the fluffy tail, and couldn't stop the purr that came from her, since the feeling felt like someone was gently combing her hair. Obviously, her tail was one of her more sensitive body parts.
Suddenly, a meow broke Kagome out of her trance and her purring stopped as she looked to the bed to see the perpetrator who had woke her up sitting on the bed, looking at her almost as if it was laughing.
What was sitting on her bed was none other than a shadow neko. It looked exactly like Kirara, but its body was black and the markings, like Kirara's, were white instead of black. And its eyes were a deep blue instead of red-orange.
Kagome gapped. What was a demon shadow neko doing at her house? Suddenly, a male voice resounded throughout her head.
'Hello! I am your new Guardian and travel companion. Lady Nikita told me so. Since the spell has worn off, I will tell you that I used to be Buyo. My real name is Shadow'he thought-spoke.
Kagome was so startled that she fell on her bottom.
"You're talking to me? In my head?" she asked in amazement.
Shadow simply nodded.
'Yes. Now would you like to dress and go to breakfast? Your family is waiting for you'he thought-spoke.
Kagome nodded, and went to make her way over to the kimono that she had picked out yesterday, only to almost trip over her own tail.
Kagome regained her balance and picked up the end of her tail and inspected it.
"How am I supposed to walk let alone run with an unusually long tail?" she asked to herself, not really expecting an answer. To her surprise, Shadow answered.
'Well, you throw it over your shoulder and wrap it around once. That is, after you put on your kimono. Just be careful putting it on'he warned.
Kagome nodded and carefully stepped over her tail and grabbed the kimono from her closet. It was a beautiful white tinted blue with blue butterflies climbing up the skirt and sleeves of the kimono. The inner kimono was blue. The obi was blue and it came with a pair of fighting shoes like Sesshomaru's. Kagome dressed as fast as she could, carefully pulling her tail through the specially-made hole in the back, just under her obi. After that was done, she brought her tail around her right side and threw it over her right shoulder. After she wrapped it around once, and one she was satisfied that she wouldn't trip, she picked up Shadow and settled him on her left shoulder before she headed downstairs.
What awaited her downstairs was a surprise indeed. Everyone was in their demon forms. Grandpa was no longer an old human man. He looked no older than thirty-five, and even then he was very handsome. He had long light blue hair pulled up into high ponytail. He had the same mark of royalty on his forehead, but he only had one jagged blue streak on each cheek. The same streak was on his wrists, shoulders and thighs. He had amazing dark blue eyes. He wore a light blue haori and hakama, with a white inu youkai in its true form embroidered on his back. His tail was the same color as his hair, and thrown over his left shoulder. Souta had black hair with red streaks down to his shoulders that he had left loose. His eyes were the same color of blue as Kotono, and he had two red streaks on each cheek, wrist, shoulder, and thigh. The same mark of royalty was upon his forehead, and he wore a red haori and red hakama, and his inner kimono was a gold color. His tail was the same as his hair, and was thrown over his right shoulder. He was a few inches taller now, since he came up to her chest. And finally, Kagome's mother Nikita. Her hair was black with red streaks and it came to her knees. She had the top part pulled into a ponytail and the rest was loose. She had the same markings as Souta, with her eyes also the same color. Her kimono was dark purple, with white morning glories all over the kimono, falling like leaves. Her inner kimono was white, as well as her obi. They all had pointed ears, and wore the same shoes as Kagome.
Kagome noticed that she as the only one with dog ears, and as she was about to voice her question, Nikita spoke up.
"Oh Kagome! You look just like your father! You even have his ears..." she trailed off.
'Oh. That's why I'm the only one with dog ears..' Kagome thought.
"Anyways, Happy Birthday Kagome! Want to eat some breakfast before you open gifts?" Nikita asked.
Kagome nodded, her stomach growling. Embarrassed, she rubbed her belly as they sat down to eat. After breakfast, which ended rather quickly, they all sat down in the living room to open presents.
Kagome opened the one from her Grandpa first, surprised when she opened it to find not a mummified body part, but a beautiful chain necklace with a crescent moon and the royal mark hanging in the center of the crescent moon on the end. The pendant was set with dark blue sapphire and Kagome's eyes watered at the gift.
"Oh! Thank you Grandpa!" she beamed, as she hugged him.
"I just thought you would want something that will last longer than a mummified paw or something" he said slyly, making Kagome give him a weird look.
She shrugged it off and put the necklace on moving on to Nikita's present. When she opened it, and looked inside the small box, Kagome was surprised. What she pulled out was a beautiful silver ring crafted specifically for a woman in mind. But what gat her was the Northern Star in the center of the ring made out of sapphire.
"What is this?" she inquired, as she held it close to her face to get a better look.
"Well, that is the ring that is for the female heir of the Northern Lands. You wear it and it tells all who you are" Nikita answered.
Kagome nodded and slipped the ring onto the third finger of her right hand. She then went to open Souta's present. He had gotten her a black pearl bracelet. She hugged him and put it on her left hand.
"Well Kagome, do you want to do anything else?" Nikita asked.
Kagome shook her head vigorously. To tell the truth, Kagome had been itching to go back through the well for several days now.
"Let's go" she said as she grabbed several bags(groceries) and headed to the well. When she got there, she dropped the bags through the well and as she left to get more, the others came to drop their baggage. After all the bags of groceries and trunks of clothes were thrown down the well, Kagome and the others went to get their personal bags from their rooms. Kagome made sure to pack her ipod, as well as Shippo's, and two others that her Mother had given her for some reason. As she headed toward the well, her one bag slung over her left shoulder, Shadow on her left shoulder, the others followed behind her. When she reached the well, she couldn't stop the flow of excitement that bubbled up as she stood on the edge of the well, prepared to be the first one through.
"Here I come!" Kagome yelled as she jumped down the well, being enveloped in a bright blue light.
...End of Chapter 2: Shopping & A Birthday Surprise...
FH: Whew! That took seven hours straight to type! I better get ALOT more reviews this time to update more, since this was a hard chapter to write 'cuz most of it is boring, but it had to happen...Next chapter will be great though!
Sesshomaru: Review or that evil woman over there will make me go with Kikyo! -Shudders- NOW!
FH: -smirks- It's true! Review or I'll torture Sesshy!