Chapter 18

Careful, Little Ears…

Ungrateful! They were all selfish and horribly ungrateful! Why else would they leave a mighty and loyal warrior like himself abandoned to take care of himself?

Shipo tossed his favorite acorn against the trunk of the tree he was currently hiding in only to have it ricocheted off and hit him against his temple.

Grumbling low, the kit rubbed his sore head before crossing his arms in a huff. This just wasn't fair!

The ookami had been welcomed, sorta, into the village and been given hospitality. But, he had to remain out of sight. By, Koga's order, no less!

No food, no bed, no roof over his little head. And, all because Shipo had to keep his eyes out for any suspicious activity. Like what? What was he supposed to be looking for?

This village had literally nothing for them to worry about.

"Come on, Grandpa," a voice whined as two figures drew closer to Shipo's hiding spot. "Can't I take a break?"

Immediately, the kit ducked behind a nearby branch, peeking big green eyes from behind the leaves to see an old man and a boy huffing up the hill towards the tree.

"You'll get a break…. when you've…. earned it," the old man wheezed as he forced himself to take another step in front of him.

"But, I'm tired,…Grandpa," the boy puffed in return.

The old man choked/huffed in derision as he wobbled halfway up the hill.

"You….don't know…tired," the elder panted. "You think….a yokai….will….let you rest? Build….your….stamina….. Like….me…."

"But, you're panting too," the boy pointed out, causing the old man to stiffen before he turned on his young apprentice.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" the old man hollered with a surprising power for one his age. "Now, get up that hill and give me twenty squats!"

Shipo cringed as he watched the boy race up the hill and started to do as he was commanded with a frantic speed that showed just how much the apprentice had erred. Even Koga was capable of mercy.

It took some time but the old man finally crested the hill moments after the boy was done with his regiment and trying to catch his breath.

"I thought I told you to do squats," the old mentor snapped, wiping his sopping brow.

"I finished," the boy replied, blinking.

"Then, do it again," the elder huffed as he stumbled to the tree trunk. "I'll tell you when to quit."

Groaning in frustration, the boy immediately started to repeat the exercise, causing Shipo to shake his head woefully. The kid had a long way to go.

"Why am I even doing this, Grandpa?" the boy asked after the first few. "I thought you were training me to be a monk."

"I am," the old man huffed. "The body needs to be ready for anything, as well as the soul. You think your sister just woke up one day and was able to journey like she has?"

"Well-"

"No!" the mentor announced before his student could argue. "She trained. She prepared herself. And, now, you will too."

"Yeah, but…. I thought she trained with Kaede," the boy replied. "So, why wouldn't I train with her?"

"Because, you're not training to be a miko!" the old man huffed with a shake of his head. "Now, quit complaining and start again."

"Again?"

"Now!"

Another whimper and the boy started up on shaky legs again. Shipo stayed still but started to relax. He couldn't sense any strong spiritual power from either of them. In fact, he couldn't sense any. Whatever the old 'monk' was training the boy for, it wouldn't do them any good.

Either way, they hadn't noticed him so, Shipo saw no reason to give up his hiding spot just yet. Besides, it was sort of entertaining to watch someone else get ordered about for a change.

"Hey, Grandpa," the boy ventured after a few more pained squats. "You think sis will start up with Kaede again? Now, that she's back?"

"Undoubtedly," the old man answered with a nod. "Kagome knows she must remain alert of Naraku at all times. Once she shakes these other yokai from her first."

Immediately, Shipo perked at the reference. If this was Kagome's family then maybe this wasn't just entertainment afterall.

"Awwww, I don't want them to go," the boy whined.

Apparently, it was the wrong answer.

"Bite your tongue, boy," the old man scolded. "Yokai are nothing but trouble. We have enough to deal with just keeping an eye out for Naraku."

"Yeah, but…." the boy huffed. "Didn't they help sis?"

The old man sighed almost forlornly. "Yes," he admitted. "And, we are grateful for it. But, a yokai will only fight its nature for so long. And, a yokai's nature is always destruction."

"I thought it was chaos," the boy countered.

"Same difference," the old man answered. "The point is, even if they may not be evil, they are always trouble. And, we must remain alert and ready for anything."

Shipo couldn't say he was surprised but, it was still disheartening to hear the humans were still scared of them. But, hopefully they wouldn't have to stay too long. Although, something the old man said troubled Shipo.

Was Kagome really going to start retraining with the old priestess? If so, then did that mean she was staying afterall?

Shipo didn't like that thought. He knew these were Kagome's people and he'd been determined to return her to them before. But, now that he'd been able to get to know Koga and the tribe, Shipo liked seeing Kagome and Koga together. They were good together. But, if she felt she had to stay, what would that mean for Koga and the others?

He had to do something to help!

"Ho! Higurashi!"

The call had Shipo snapping his gaze towards the lone figure making his way up the hill. From what Shipo could tell, it looked like the male, Hojo. What was he doing here?

"Hold," the old man ordered, causing his young apprentice to pause mid-squat, before turning his attention to the approaching male. "What can I do for you, Hojo?"

Immediately, the young man seemed to grow self-conscious, rubbing the back of his head in almost embarrassment. It caused an alarm of awareness to flare in the back of Shipo's head.

"Um, actually, I came to offer you hospitality," Hojo replied as he quickly cleared his throat. "My father wishes to speak with you."

The old man snorted in amusement. "And, what problem does he have with me, now?"

"No problem, no problem," Hojo quickly amended. "He uh….asks you be his guest, tonight."

Again, that familiar alarm flared in Shipo's head as the two continued in their conversation. A human patriarch wanted to talk to another? He'd heard of this before. But, unfortunately, Shipo couldn't remember exactly what the tradition was.

"Alright," the old man answered with a nod. "If he's so determined, I'll come tonight. Probably wants to ask me how I'll banish the yokai around here."

Hojo just nodded in meek agreement before his face broke out in a bright grin. "Thank you, Higurashi! He'll see you tonight."

"Yes, yes," the elder answered with a wave of his hand. "Go on, now. And, tell him."

Not wasting any time, Hojo turned on his heel and started to race off down the hill, leaving the old man to nod in pleased assurance.

"About time Ueda showed some respect," the old man huffed with pride. "All these years, he'd called me a crazy old fool and what does he do when our village is at risk? He turns to me. Let that be a lesson you—"

But, the old man only turned to see the boy passed out on the ground behind him.

"Souta? Souta!"

Seeing the old man focused entirely on the boy, Shipo took the opportunity to slip from the branches of the tree and scampered off through the surrounding forest.

This…. might be worth a little more investigation.

(Hello, wonderful readers! Sorry about the delay. But, since life happens and things are becoming more hectic, I will be starting to post every other week instead of weekly. Sorry but I hope you've enjoyed what I have thus far. Thank you.)