Hey there! Updating again! I have only received a few people that wanted to be on the mailing list for me to tell them about updates, so if you didn't catch the other note, send an e-mail to Silverecho475@aol.com Under the heading "The Strongest Ties List" and I'll add you right in!
Sorry that it took so long to update, but I rewrote these chapters four times and I still don't like them. I had to go back and read what I had written from the beginning because I couldn't remember what I had already included and what I was repeating.
Strangely enough, When I backtracked to what I have left to write, every chapter outline I have is turning into about two or three chapters so I have at least...14 chapters to go...can you guys stay with me long enough to finish the story out? I seem to have lost a few more people along the way again...my fault for not updating like I said I would. Sigh...sorry.
I also got my first real flame! I was impressed that the person read all the way to chapter 46 before telling me that the whole thing sucked and that there was basically nothing redeeming about my work or the story! Amazing isn't it? ^.^ They gave it a 46 chapter chance before coming to the conclusion that they hated it! That was very big of them....anyway, I'm sure that I stated before, that I do not mind constructive criticism, but to just go around flaming people is stupid and a waste of my time and theirs. Do everyone a favor...don't flame people.
Well, enjoy
Sylvannastar
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The Shocking Truth
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Botan landed elegantly near where Kirara had touched her cream colored paws to the earth. Inuyasha sighed heavily in the cooler morning air, but hadn't yet released his hold on the female in front of him. She felt a bit apprehensive about turning around to face him. He hadn't been the best company these past few days. He hadn't said much, but what he had vocalized had been mostly nasty and hurtful.
Boton hung her head and squeezed her eyes shut, expecting another outburst about her incompetence.
"Botan," he said.
She cringed.
"I'm sorry. I've been pretty unbearable..." he sighed again, the puff of air blowing across her neck and sending shivers through her delicate frame. "I'm sorry..." he repeated.
Botan lifted wary eyes from the hard packed ground and stared at where his hands were still clasped around her waist. He squeezed her in a quick hug, and she smiled slowly, but it effectively brightened her dreary mood.
"Kagome has been my closest friend for three years. I was just so worried. Naraku is..."
"A monster," Boton said softly and covered his hands with her own. "I know. And I understand, Inuyasha. I miss her too. We were all worried..."
The dog hanyou heaved one last unsteady sigh and curled himself into Boton's back.
"But Kurama will make sure that she is okay. Trust him, Inuyasha. He loves her."
"I trust you," he replied after a long silence. "And if you trust him, then that will be enough for me."
Botan giggled, her good mood returning fully. "Don't go all soft on me now!"
"Feh!" he teased.
"That's better."
Inuyasha laughed loudly, the sound carried along to the others. He felt a well of happiness inside that had been missing from his life and he had her to thank for it. With a rare genuine smile fitted across his face, he releases Botan and stepped into the clearing where the others waited.
"What do you have to laugh about?" Kouga said grimly.
"Life..." Inuyasha snorted. "And Death," he added and gave the woman in front of him a casual glance that said it all. He walked with her into Kaede's, leaving the wolf alone to brood outside.
Kouga snorted and leaned into a tree, mumbling to himself. "You made more sense when you were obsessed with the corpse..."
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Kagome tightened her fingers into fists, her slender fingers curled until the color left them. I know that I did not just hear that right. I must have misunderstood...Yes, that's it. I heard wrong. He did not just say that he WAS Kurama...My Kurama...Kagome stared passively at her toes for several minutes while she worked up the nerve to flay this demon alive for playing such a stupid game with her.
"Kagome?" the deep voice of the demon interrupted her.
Youko flinched when he saw the pale crescents of her tiny human finger nails sink into the soft flesh of her palms.
"You're lying." she said softly.
Youko shivered at her bland words and expression. He would have much preferred her yelling and screaming to this calm certainty. If she truly disbelieved him, there was no real way to convince her short of showing her...and that was a shock that he was trying to damper with a vocal confession. We should have told her before this...
An outraged yelp in his mind reminded him that he had been the one to so vehemently refuse to explain himself to the woman he was trying now to desperately hold onto. He scowled at his own stupidity and though hard about how to convince her that he was who he claimed, without forcing the truth in such a way that would condemn him for keeping such an important thing, form the one person he should have been completely honest with.
She finally lifted her head to meet his eyes and he started to wish she hadn't. "You're lying," she said again, but he could see the fear and pain in the depths of her silver-blue eyes. "Kurama would have..." she sucked in a deep breath and shuddered at the sincerity she saw on the demon's handsome face. She forced herself to finish, "He would have told me about something like this..."
"Kagome," he whispered earnestly, bringing a clawed hand up to touch her cheek. She shied away and stared at him wide-eyed. Youko dropped his hand in temporary defeat, but refused to back down completely. "I am Kurama..." he said with more force and willed her to see that he spoke the truth.
"No," she shook her head forcefully. Her denial fed the flames of self loathing growing in the silver kitsune's mind.
"I am," he insisted. "You can feel it, I know you can. My energy is familiar to you. You know me, and you love me." Youko held his breath and waited for her to deny him again.
Kagome twisted her face away from his knowing gaze. She didn't want to believe him, couldn't believe him. That would mean that Kurama had been keeping secrets from her...hadn't trusted her, or the strength of the bond between them...She gasped desperately for air and focused on her senses. If I can focus, I can tell that he's not Kurama...he's not the same person...
She turned her senses in and sorted through the jumbled mess she was receiving as a result of her chaotic emotional state and the exhaustion she had not had time to heal from. She picked up his energy immediately because he had such a large aura and because he stood only inches away from her. I can prove it! You, demon are not...my... Kagome concentrated on the silver fox, for he was unmistakably a fox youkai, and felt her heart skip several beats in pained sympathy. At first, she could feel the difference...but then, the similarities came to her attention. And in the background, she felt him. Kurama was there...inside this stranger. Kurama was right in front of her.
She whipped her head back around and looked at the silver fox holding perfectly still before her intense regard. The truth was there in his eyes...a pleading for understanding and accepting prominent where before lust had dwelled. "No," she cried out and sank to her knees.
"Kagome!" Youko kneeled down in front of her and threw his arms around her shoulders just before she passed out from hunger, thirst, pain, and shock. HEAL HER, he yelled to the human hovering concerned in the fore front of his mind. Do something, I don't know what's wrong with her!
You just rescued her from three days of torture, what the hell do you think is wrong with her! Shuuichi snapped at the fox. He calmed himself before continuing, knowing that the anger was just a result of both of them venting their frustration at the situation. Kagome was more important than anything else for the both of them, and caring for her had to come first.
She's dehydrated, the merged Kurama pointed out.
Youko quickly grabbed the water pouch that he had stolen along with the food and clothes and tipped it toward the girl in his arms.
You're going to drown her! Shuuichi yelled. Let me out! Stupid fox, you don't pour water down the throat of an unconscious person!
Youko growled but ceased to threaten the battered girl further. He also refused to relinquish his dominant position to the human. "Then tell me what to do!" he ground out.
She needs rest, more then anything, Kurama portrayed a calm that he did not feel in an attempt to comfort the others sharing this shell of a body. Her miko powers are already starting to return to her. She will heal faster if we allow her to recover on her own time without pestering her. Youko, find somewhere comfortable and safe for her to rest. I will tend to her injuries then.
Youko released a puffed breath and nodded to the voices only he could hear. "Right. Somewhere safer..." he glanced around, gathered the purloined items from the village , pausing to change forms long enough to pick up the mirror, and hefting the unconscious Kagome into his arms and disappeared from the clearing, leaving little trace that he had ever been there.
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"...And then, Inuyasha started to chase the wolves and Kagome was snatched away. But I didn't run, I hung on to his tail so that I could save her! I "
Sesshoumaru stopped and bit his tongue until he could feel his fangs meet. The taste of blood in his mouth quickly disappeared as he healed. Not the best way to keep from screaming obscenities at the kit, but... wait... "The wolf took Kagome?"
"Yeah, Kouga took us to his den where there were so many wolves that we were surrounded! He told Kagome that-" Shippo sped up his story now that he knew he had the Demon lord's attention. It wasn't often that anyone was really interested in what he had to say, other then Kagome, but even then, she was sometimes humoring him.
"The Wolf kidnaped the miko and she did not destroy him?" Sesshoumaru's interest was genuine. If this wolf demon was still alive, he must have been very powerful to withstand her purification. The challenge of a strong demon wolf was too good to be true. He wondered if it would be worth his time to seek out this wolf and challenge him...
"No she wouldn't let Inuyasha kill him either, Kouga comes around sometimes still. He says that
Kagome is going to be his mate-"
Sesshoumaru frowned. There was too many holes in the thinking of the kitsune kit to piece together a coherent story. He had a knack for jumbling events and leaving out important information that forced the Taiyoukai to ask questions so that he wouldn't go insane from the constant stream on nonsense pouring from the kitsune's mouth.
"Does she not belong to the Silver Fox?"
"Of course!" Shippo nodded enthusiastically.
Sesshoumaru sighed in defeat. Her past did not really interest him anyway. It was her ability to fight Naraku in the future that he was concerned about. Even trying to convince himself of that, he couldn't stop his next question, "How did she meet the Fox?"
Shippo grinned ear to ear and took a deep breath, "Weeeelllll...."
"Wait," Sesshoumaru said smoothly.
Shippo instantly shut up and perched more comfortably on the demon's shoulder.
"He has changed direction again," Sesshoumaru said blandly.
Shippo, being a fox himself, expected this and waited for Sesshoumaru to feel out the direction they needed to go. He knew that if Sesshoumaru were not as powerful as he was, there was no way that they had any chance of tracking Kurama. As it was, they were barely managing to follow along the older fox's trail.
"They are returning back this way."
Shippo perked up and waited for more information, if his companion decided to give anymore that is.
They will be here in a few minutes," Sesshoumaru concluded.
"If he dropped his guard that much, something must be wrong," Shippo tensed and dug his tiny claws into the silk of Sesshoumaru's shoulder. After a few moments of silence, the tiny kit was able to sense Kurama's energy growing closer.
Moments later, the soft rustling of the underbrush parted to reveal the silver kitsune with the Miko in his arms.
Sesshoumaru stared rather pointedly at the possessive fox and his burden, but said nothing. Shippo was not in the same mood though and launched himself at the pair with a strangled shout. Sesshoumaru caught him in midair by his rather abused tail and effectively cut off his muffled exclamation of surprise with a gentle shake and a whispered "wait."
Youko sniffed the air for any other presence before stepping out where they could see him better. "I thought I caught your scent a few miles back..."
"You knew we were following you, even from way back here?" Shippo asked form his awkward position hung suspended upside-down. "Is she alright? Can I see her? Did you kill Naraku? Why is-"
Sesshoumaru shook the kit gently again to shut him up.
Youko sighed and stepped closer. "You know this place," he addressed the demons in front of him. "I need to take her somewhere safe where she can heal."
The Inu Youkai tilted his head to one side in silent contemplation before issuing a command. "Follow me."
Youko bristled when the other demon gave him an order, but when he felt Kagome move in his arms, he sighed and figured that if she called this arrogant male a friend he could trust her judgement until he was proven a threat.
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Click. Click. Clickclickclickclick. Click. Click.
Botan sheltered the neko demon in her arms and stared into the flames of Kaede's fire. She miserably waited with the others for any news of either Youko or Kagome and the minutes were dragging by. With an annoyed twitch twisting her expression every few seconds, she thumped Inuyasha soundly in the head. "Quit tapping."
Inuyasha gave up clicking his claws on the warn wooden floors of the hut to rub the back of his head. "Woman!" he snapped in warning.
Botan gave him a bland look that showed her disinterest to his yelling and then turned back to the flickering flames. She raised a blue tinted eyebrow at the sight of the dancing fire. It was rising and falling in perfect time to the clicking of the Hanyou's claws that she could still hear in her head, even though she knew that he had given up tapping out the annoying rhythm. She glared though the orange and gold flames and met the amused and mocking glance of Hiei.
She growled in exasperation and twisted around to face another direction. "Men." she sighed.
Kirara, being a fire cat, took comfort in the fire and before she could stop herself, both tails were flipping back and forth to match the rising and falling flames.
Swish. Swish. SwishSwishSwishSwish. Swish. Swish
Botan stood up and dropped the comfortable cat into Sango's equally comfortable lap and watched her make herself at home again.
"Cats," she sighed in the same tone she had previously used to bemoan males.
She stretched and grumbled before leaving them to their own gloomy thoughts and took hers outside into the open air. The night was slightly cooler then the steamy mugginess that she had become accustomed to in the future due to all the pollution and the closed in landscape of skyscrapers and apartments. She rubbed needlessly at her arms and sucked in great lung-fulls of the clean and untainted air. The only thing that ruined her appreciation for the simplicity and beauty of the nature that surrounded her is that she already knew of its inevitable loss.
She was grieving for this world while she stood amongst its splendor.
A coughing scoff broke her attention from her wandering thoughts.
"'Grieving', Botan? Isn't that a bit much?" Hiei snorted.
"Keep out of my head!" she frowned at him.
"Hn."
Botan took that to mean that he was agreeing to resist the temptation to peer into her thoughts and absently thanked him for that courtesy.
"Have you contacted Koenma?" The fire demon asked suddenly.
"No. The communicator is with Yusuke and I am very aware of the time difference here. I could make a portal to the Reikai, but it would be the Reikai of the feudal ages." Botan replied without actually taking the time to think through her words.
"Hn."
""Why?" she asked him.
Hiei glanced at her, his ruby eyes glowing in his face. "One of us should go and update him."
"Huh?" Botan gave the diminutive koorime her full attention. "That does not sound like you! Are you sure you're Hiei?"
"Baka onna."
"Okay, okay" she held her hands up in mock surrender. "That is proof enough for me. Why are you so concerned with what Koenma knows now?"
"It's not him I'm concerned about. I want to know what is going on over there before things get worse. The barrier breaking is a really big problem," he reminded her.
"So I'm told," she grimaced. "I see your point. As soon as we get back, we'll probably be expected to take on all the things that he couldn't contain while we were gone."
"Probably?" Hiei asked sarcastically.
Botan chuckled and shook her head. "I'll go." she announced. "But I expect that you keep everyone else alive and in the best of heath until I return. That means no killing anyone from our group, Hiei." She grinned when he muttered something under his breath.
"What was that?" she asked sweetly.
He grinned devilishly. "Do you really what me to repeat that?"
"No, I suppose not."
Botan materialized her oar and perched calmly on it. "Tell the others I will be back soon."
"Hn."
She started moving when Hiei called after her.
"Botan, a favor..."
A full stop and wide eyed in surprise, Botan gaped at the fire demon. "A f-f-favor?!" Is this really Hiei, here?
"Hn." he frowned at her showing his displeasure with a simple disdainful expression. "Yes, Botan. A favor..." he waited until she nodded in agreement. "Check on my sister for me."
Botan almost fell off her oar. "Yukina?!"
"Who else?!" he yelled impatiently at her. "I just don't what her to worry needlessly over me."
"Worry...over...YOU TOLD HER!" Botan cheered loudly and laughed. She jumped from her seat and threw herself at the small demon. The unexpected move caught Hiei unaware for once and he found himself the grudging recipient of a rather exuberant hug. "I'm so PROUD of you! I bet she was SO happy!"
He found himself consumed by the voluminous pink fold of her kimono. "Get off me woman!" His muffled voice broke into her excited giggling.
"Sorry!" she said brightly and stepped back.
"Hn." he smoothed his rumpled clothing with a scowl and glared at her grinning face until she returned to her oar and giggled again.
She waved once and started off again.
Hiei watched until she was out of sight and then allowed his face to relax into a smirk as he shook his head at the ferry girl's antics. The soft expression stayed on his face as he allowed his thought to turn to his sister and the welcome of family that he knew was waiting for him when he returned. He shook his head again and laughed lightly at himself. "I'm getting soft...and I think I like it."
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