Chapter 10

"Hi there, my name is Yo!"

Kiki screamed in surprise, not willing to believe her eyes. In front of her was a small floating person who looked exactly like Kiki, except she was a smaller version of her.

"Not to worry, I am your shugo chara! Your would-be self!" she exclaimed, then observed her, looking up and down. "Or maybe your already-am self..."

"Wh-what?"

"Well, it's hard to explain everything at once. I'm sure you'll get used to me sooner or later... For now, let's welcome the new shugo chara."

"What?!"

Yo sighed, shaking her head. "This way," she muttered, flying off into Kiki's and Naru's room. "Here we go!"

Kiki walked into the room, surprised to see Naru with another floating person thingie, or as Yo called it, a shugo chara. The shugo chara was also like Naru, except for a smaller version.

"I'm Ku, nice to meet you," it said, then glanced at Yo. Is it just me... Or did he just narrow his eyes at her for a second...?

"I'm Yo! Together, me and Kiki are the Kiki-Yo team!" she shouted happily.

Just then, Inuyasha barged into the room. "Did I just hear Kikiyo?!"

Yo smiled, and flew towards Inuyasha. "Yes, you did, me and Kiki are the Kiki-Yo team!" she cheered.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at Yo. "What are you... A yokai?!" he exclaimed in realization. He reached for his sword, forgetting that it wasn't there. "Did you follow us all the way from the feudal era?! What do you want from us?! Any last words before I kill you?!"

"INUYASHA!" Kagome shouted, bonking his head. "Stop it, you're scaring the poor thing." She turned to Yo. "Sorry about Inuyasha... He's just out of his mind..."

"Are you out of your mind?! There's a floating tiny Kikiyo and a floating tiny Naruku!"

"I know what they are!" Kagome yelled. "They're shugo charas, your would-be selves. My family sometimes talks about them, especially my grandfather. What I don't understand is..." she turned to the shugo charas. "How can we see you two...? We don't even have shugo charas, and the only way we could possibly see them is to have our own."

"Beats me," Yo said, shrugging. "Maybe you two have your own shugo chara eggs developed or something, all ready to hatch, but you just haven't realized it yet... I heard that it happens to some people... They gain sight of shugo charas earlier than they're supposed to..."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "You mean we have our own tiny little floating brats following us wherever we go...?"

Kagome hit Inuyasha. "Don't say that! You're so mean to these cuties," she muttered, smiling at Yo.

She smiled back at her. Turning back to Inuyasha, she said cheerfully, "No need to worry! Inuyasha-kun is Inuyasha-kun, and that'll never change! No matter how rude he might seem to be, he's really nice in the inside!"

Inuyasha's eyes widened, suddenly being reminded of Kikiyo, for some strange reason. This shugo chara acted nothing like the beautiful lady he had once loved. He quickly turned around to hide his surprise, and humphed. "Whatever," he muttered, suddenly interested in the floor.

Ku raised his eyebrow, noticing Inuyasha's interest in the floor, but didn't say anything.

A few days later...

It seemed as if Kiki's traits had been transferred onto Yo's, and she had gained an alien set of personalities. She turned quiet, cold, serious, and always on duty. Same with Naru: It seemed as if Ku stole all of Naru's traits, and Naru seemed to be replaced by a cruel, playboy person who everyone seemed to hate.

Over the days, Kiki and Naru seemed to be growing farther and farther apart, and soon, it seemed as if they were enemies that hated each other's guts. This huge transition was big for the family, who didn't really take it in that well.

"Stop fighting, you two," Yura barked. She seemed to be in a cranky mood ever since the two started changing... And by that, I mean that she was in a crankier mood than usual...

Kao seemed to be depressed all of a sudden, not saying anything and not being the happy-go-lucky person he was a few days ago.

Sei sighed, shaking his head and muttering, "You two need to balance yin and yang..." He seemed to give much more lectures than usual, and seemed to be getting wiser and wiser at the same time too... Sometimes, he would mutter to himself, "Kanna... I hope this all goes well..."

Bya and Kara seemed to grow closer in all of this madness, for some strange reason. They wouldn't get too close, but close enough to become companions and not fight to their deaths, like they had done in the past.

Basically, ever since Yo and Ku were born... The family changed... A lot.

Sei sighed, calling the family over for a... family meeting. "My time is almost up," he croaked. "Just like my dear Kanna, I will soon have to wither and die... Old age will get to me... I might be gone today, tomorrow, a week later, a month, or even a year... I don't know when for sure. However, before I go to heaven, I have to say something. This family is changing. I remember what Kanna said to me once when we were at our adolescence. She said this: Sooner or later... Something will happen. And when it does, our whole family will be affected... Just remember: No matter how hard you try to avoid it, no matter how much you run away from it, it will happen: things will change. And when things change, past actions won't count anymore... Only today will count. Only the present will count. Nothing else. Treasure every moment you have, everyone you love, because in one second... You may lose it all.