Hi! thank you everyone for the overwhelming good review for this new story! It really motivates me for the story!
Regarding the previous chapters, I went back and corrected what I found here and there, but it's an on-going work.
For now I'm taking advantage of a downtime between paper work and physical work for the house to publish this, but like I already said, no promise on the regularity of the updates.
- Several people guessed about where I was going with the Great Disappearance (granted, it wasn't that hard) so congratulation! You've won an imaginary cookie!
- I've had a remark concerning Blanche De Rive: yes I know Geralt is human, but let's be honest he's a modified human from an alternated dimension who's not even capable of having child, so clearly the fact that his daughter isn't a hanyou is like the least of the problem. It's just a cameo, guys!
- the fact that the shards aren't in the Inventory: think of it like some quest items you can't stuff into your normal inventory, it happens in quite a few games - and frankly, half the adventures in InuYasha wouldn't happen if the shards were nicely hidden away
- for the one who pointed out my mistake with Souta's name: yep I've been reading Sailor Moon again lately, so I mixed both little brothers... it's been corrected!
Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 5. August 1996 Shippou
By the next morning, the three shards hunting companions, Padfoot, and Ryoichi were back in the Sengoku jidai. Kagome had been surprised by the kitsune's presence at first, but with the explanations that were soon had in Kaede's hut, she found herself admiring the two youkai's resolve.
For someone who'd known Tsukiko for ten year, and her fiance for nearly as long, there was no mistaking the love between the two, even if they tended to be a bit unconventional in demonstrating it – when she'd first seen them spar, at twelve year old, she'd been terrified that they really were trying to kill each other...
Yet, instead of staying together, each was going through his own self-imposed mission in the past, all for the sake of helping others.
This was the kind of resolve she needed for her own quest, and she was once more thankful to have Tsukiko by her side.
"Thanks for lending me your intended," she said to the kitsune, only half-joking, as they said their farewell
"You don't need to thank me," the kitsune corrected, a smile on his lips but eyes serious "just do your best on your quest."
He was right, she realized – Tsukiko was here to help her go through Fate's ordeal, what better way to thank her than to succeed at said task?
"Well, let's go then!" she decided enthusiastically "These shards aren't going to drop into our hands!"
During the following days, Kagome stayed true to her new resolution, taking advantage of their long hike through the country to make Tsukiko help her with her studies, the ookami quizzing her on any topic that caught her fancy and explaining where she went wrong when she missed a question.
While InuYasha had been grumpy about it at first, Kagome soon realized that he was at least listening when Tsukiko was talking about youkai culture - something she was sure the girl hadn't missed either, since she got the feeling some of those lessons were more for the hanyou's benefit than hers.
Following the grape vine, they headed toward a country where bloodshed had recently augmented, betting on it being linked, one way of the other, with the Shikon no Tama. The countryside, so beautiful and peaceful around Edo, soon transformed as they followed the rumors, and within days, in was evident that the region they were entering had suffered recent and numerous bloodshed – so much that they ended up stopping for their midday pause well into the afternoon and still in the middle of a battlefield.
"I really don't understand how the two of you manage to eat in the middle of this." Kagome sighed
Uncle and niece raised their head from their lunch in an oddly similar and very canine motion
"Uh?" managed InuYasha, more preoccupied by the large delicatessen sandwich he was gobbling down than their surrounding
"Food is food." Tsukiko shrugged, not really caring about the skeletons around them "Better to eat while you can than faint in he middle of a fight because you didn't... Besides," she added, pointing at her lunch "I like chicken sandwiches."
Kagome would have answered – except the sky suddenly darkened, and eerie blue fire lit around them "You... Give me your Shikon shards!" a surprisingly young voice demanded, as a big round face appeared in front of them
"Tch." InuYasha promptly kicked the figure in front of them, not even stopping to eat – and said form disappeared to be replaced by a small youkai kid
"You jerk!" the kid protested as InuYasha grabbed him by the tail
"Tsk. Just a tanuki kid!" the hanyou stated while finishing his sandwich
"I'm a kitsune!" said kid protested hotly
"So cute!" Kagome commented, making both turn toward her with disbelief in their eyes "let me hug him!"
Taking advantage of InuYasha's laps in attention, the kit took some kind of sutra out of his pockets and slapped it on the hanyou's hands, making him stumble under the weight of a stone statue that had appeared out of nowhere – and the next moment he was rushing toward Kagome's pack, probably in search of the Shikon shards if what he'd said earlier was to be believed...
Of course, that was without taking Tsukiko and Padfoot into account, as the young fox soon realized when the Grimm grabbed him by the scruff of the neck despite his protests, and dropped him at the feet of his mistress with an amused doggy smile.
Tsukiko took a good look at the kit, her nose recognizing easily the scent despite five-hundreds year, and she promptly burst out laughing.
The child in front of her quickly looked annoyed at her, and tried to escape back toward Kagome's messenger bag.
Except none of his tricks worked on the ookami, who finally managed to stop laughing and say "My mate to be is a kitsune, kit, stop trying, you won't get me."
The kit frowned at her, visibly still ready to try another trick, but stopped as he saw fire burning blood red between the girl's fingers "That's Kitsune Bi! How can you use it?"
"Like I said, kit..."
"Mate or not, fox fire isn't gifted that lightly!" the child protested
"I saved the Clan head of the Fang Clan once upon a time. Then his only child. After a few encounters and fights by my side he eventually declared me Friend of the Kitsune."
The kit's eyes widened "Then... Then... I'm a kitsune too, so you have to help me, right?"
InuYasha, who had still been looking annoyed at the kit's tricks, stopped glaring at the young youkai, hearing just as well as the two girls the despair in the childish voice.
"Sit down, kit," Tsukiko smiled kindly – the same smile, Kagome realized, as when she had been a crying child on the verge of not believing in her own powers anymore "and tell me who you are, and why you need the Shikon no Tama."
"My name is Shippou." he mumbled "I'm not from any big clan or anything like that..." he added shyly, before his eyes grew darker "And I need the Shikon no Tama to avenge my father."
"So you wanted the shards to enhance your powers."
"I'm already strong!" he denied, before hanging his head "But not strong enough to go against the Thunder Brothers..."
"The Shikon shards grant power, but at a terrible price, Shippou-chan." Tsukiko said softly
"They are easily corrupted." Kagome explained, remembering the explanations she had had on the topic "And makes humans and youkai give in to their baser instincts..."
"So that's why tou-san didn't use the one he had!" the kit realized, eyes widening, before looking at them warily "But then why do you have some?"
"I was the one who broke the Shikon no Tama by mistake." Kagome admitted, head dropping in shame as she realized her mistake was already having dire consequences "I've got to fix my mistake by gathering it back..."
"You can't fix a mistake like that." the kit corrected "Even if you gather the jewel, my father will still be dead..."
"I know." Kagome nodded "But if I gather it quickly enough, maybe other fathers around won't be."
The kit's eyes widened at the affirmation, probably having expecting some kind of protest – then he nodded his agreement. Nobody should have to go through what he had, even as young as he was, he was quite sure about this...
¤.¤.¤
[Secondary Quest! Revenge...
Goal: find the Thunder Brother
Reward: +25XP per goal, +2 Hunting Trophies]
The Thunder Brothers, they soon learned, were the cause of the recent bloodshed that had attracted them to the country.
The elder, Hiten, had a human like appearance, a testament to his strength since neither brother had been born daiyoukai, while the youngest, Manten, still had a beast form. Both were reputed for their gift with lightning, and had been wrecking havoc in the region, while getting their hands on all the Shikon shards they could.
Shippou, they soon found, was both terrified of the two youkai that had killed his father, and determined to help kill them to avenge his father.
"Do you even know how to fight?" Tsukiko sighed at the kit's insistence
"I know how to use fox tricks and kitsune bi!" a slight blush "But its still not real..."
"Real?" Kagome repeated, not really understanding what the child meant
"Kitsune are tricksters, illusionists." InuYasha explained "But they are damn good at their games." he admitted, still a bit sore at having been caught by a kid
"In other words, their illusions can even affect reality once they've trained enough." Tsukiko went on explaining "The heat-less fire from earlier could become as dangerous as true fire, or even more in a few years." she eyed the kit "Given what Ryo tells me about his siblings training, I guess your parents first taught you to distract the enemy to flee and hide?"
The kit nodded, surprised and a bit embarrassed to realized she knew so well about his training.
Kagome was stunned to see Tsukiko unfasten her tanto from her sash after a moment of hesitation "Here." she gave him a serious stare "This is a loan." she stressed "This was the coming of age weapon of the Fang Clan leader before he gave it to me to settle a Life-Debt."
The kit's eyes widened and he looked reverently at the weapon in his paws.
"You're too young to be able to kill the Thunder Brothers right now." Tsukiko continued "And they're too dangerous to be left alone." Shippou, nodded, repressing tears at the statement – it was true, and he understood it "But I'll kill them for you, and I'll train you." Tsukiko promised "And when you've trained enough with this blade, I'll take it back, and we'll track down a youkai weapon-smith to have of your own made for you."
"Keh." InuYasha grumbled "I can understand killing the Thunder Brothers," he admitted "but shouldn't we drop the kit with your mate-to-be?" he asked "After all he's the one collecting orphans!"
"He is." Tsukiko nodded "But Shippou is mine to train."
"Keh. You'll be the one taking care of him then." InuYasha retorted, understanding his niece wouldn't change her mind
"I'll help!" Kagome volunteered with a smile
"Yes, yes." InuYasha waved the cheer away "We should get to the hunt if we want to get rid of those two bastards today!"
Kagome and Tsukiko shared an amused smile – as much as he seemed to be protesting by his words, the hanyou was still itching to help Shippou just as much as them, even if he wouldn't admit it aloud.
Finding the two brothers hadn't been hard, as Shippou hadn't strayed too far from the place his father had been killed – but what really convinced the small hunting party that they were right to help the kit was the moment when he saw the large, fox-fur wrapped around the youngest brother's hips.
"Ah! Your father is keeping me warm, maybe I'll make you into a hood so you can stay with daddy!" the beast youkai was taunting as soon as he heard the child's screams of rage and grief
At these words, even the peaceful Kagome became incensed, her weapon shifting into its awakened form without even a conscious thought about it from herself, so strong was her anger.
[Goal complete!+25XP
Goal update: defeat the Thunder Brothers]
[Level up! You are now level 135!
+1SP, +2CP]
InuYasha, Tessaiga in hands, was already rushing toward the eldest brother, and Kagome followed by placing herself defensively in front of the young youkai, deflecting the younger brother's first attack.
Manten clearly hadn't expected the human girl to defend herself, and eyed his bleeding hands nastily "How dare you!" he roared, youki gathering around him
"Get out of the way!" Shippou warned as lightning gathered in the youkai's maw "This is how he killed tou-san!"
Kagome let her naginata fade back to its smaller far and caught the kit, jumping them both out of the way – then both of them could only stare in awe as the lightning was eaten away by dark red flames.
"This is not only fox fire..." Shippou realized, nose twitching "There's blood powering these flames..."
Kagome was surprised at the affirmation, but she did realize that she knew nearly nothing about the range of Tsukiko's abilities, so she didn't linger on the fact, focusing on keeping herself and the kit safe.
Meanwhile, Tsukiko had been steadily batting away the other youkai attacks, making him look more and more winded, so much that he was soon calling for help.
InuYasha, who had been just keeping up with the more agile Hiten and his annoying ability to fly, was brutally thrown out of the way with one sweeping motion of the elder brother's trident, more forceful than his previous attacks as he was clearly anxious to fly to his younger sibling's help.
Seeing quite a lot of blood from InuYasha's wound, Kagome turned to the tall dog that had been staying by her side "I've got to help him. Can you protect Shippou?"
Padfoot nodded once, and shifted to his taller form.
Thanking him, Kagome dashed toward InuYasha, that was already getting up "I'm fine, onna, don't start fussing!"
"If you don't let me stop the bleeding, you'll collapse before getting back into the fight, and that will leave your niece with only me as a back-up for the fight."
"Tch. Hurry up!" the hanyou ungracefully relented, visibly itching to get back to the action, despite needing the Tessaiga's support to stay upright
Shippou, from Padfoot's back, was seeing that the fight wasn't that easy against two opponents for the ookami that had pledged to help him – trembling a bit at what he was preparing himself to do, he climbed down the back of the Grimm.
¤.¤.¤
A low growl.
"I know I was told to stay here, but I have to help. You don't like staying back either, right?" he retorted to the canine
A nearly soundless huff, and the next moment, the large dog was grabbing him by the scruff of the neck once more and landing them nearer to the fight in one powerful jump – and Shippou was pretty sure the two Thunder Brother should have seen both of them, if it wasn't for the shadows swirling around the Grimm.
"Thanks." he nodded, gripping FuurinKiba in his small hands before rushing and slashing at Manten's feet at the same time as Padfoot teared into Hiten's arm...
"You little fucker!" Manten wailed, throwing him back in a violent motion
Shippou didn't care – because there was a Thunder Brother's blood on his blade, and the idiot had turned his back to Tsukiko to retaliate against him, and that was a mistake that cost him his life.
Hiten screamed in agony as he saw his brother's body hit the ground, a large gaping wound across his back and his spine cut in halves, and youki swirled violently around him.
"How dare you!"
His trident sank through Tsukiko's shoulder so fast she didn't have time to escape, and Hiten rushed toward Manten's body, turning him on his back before sinking his claws into his chest.
"My brother, dead! How cruel!" the elder Thunder Brother was wailing "But you'll stay with me forever, won't you, Manten!" he added, wrenching his brother's heart out of his body
"Don't let him eat it!" Tsukiko shouted while trying to free herself from the weapon that was nailing her against a rock
Hearing the warning, InuYasha and Padfoot rushed toward the enemy youkai, intent on stopping him, but the Grimm was blasted away with a wave of lightning, and the hanyou was too far away.
By the time Tessaiga was rushing against Hiten once more, it was too late.
Kagome took a hold of the remaining Thunder Brother weapon, hissing as the weapon's youki burned her palms, but not stopping her efforts either – and soon she had freed her friend.
"It's as if his power increased..." the miko realized when she looked at the ongoing fight between InuYasha and Hiten
"It has." Tsukiko confirmed as the hanyou was forced to use the Tessaiga's shield to protect himself from one powerful burst of lightning – the attack used by Manten earlier "Go see if Shippou is alright," she added, seeing the form of the unconscious kit a bit farther away, blood dripping from his temple "I'll help oji-san."
"You're hurt too!"Kagome protested
"I heal far faster than even youkai." she reassured her "I'll be fine for now, I'll let you take a look later, alright?"
"Alright." grudgingly accepted Kagome, realizing that InuYasha did need help right now "I'll hold you to it!" she threatened before heading toward Shippou
"I know." Tsukiko agreed with a smile before going back to help InuYasha, throwing a worried glance at Padfoot on the way – while he wasn't in danger, the Grimm still had taken a nasty hit
Hiten's power had easily doubled now that he had consumed Manten's youki – InuYasha had already been having trouble against the youkai earlier, who was far too fast for him. The wheels had to go, Tsukiko decided, eyeing the two youki-enhanced contraption that were apparently letting the elder Thunder Brother fly.
She wasn't given a change to act on this decision as Hiten's fury rose at seeing her up again, and he turned his attention from InuYasha toward her, lightning crackling around him in a physical aura...
While he was now more powerful, Tsukiko soon realized as she defended against the rain of furious attacks, Hiten was also a lot more careless, and she could use this against him. She decided against dodging an attack, and of course the enemy youkai took the opportunity, never realizing that it left him wide open to InuYasha.
Thankfully, her uncle had come to the same conclusion as her – and while he couldn't finish the Thunder Brother from his angle, he did cleave through the enchanted wheels that let him fly, buying them a bit of breathing room as Hiten couldn't attack from afar anymore, and the poison on Tsukiko's blade was starting to take it's toll on him...
Step by step, they pushed the youkai back, uncle and niece working together without needing to even think about it – and with on last powerful attack from the Tessaiga, Hiten was falling on the ground, just as dead as his brother.
[Quest complete! +25XP
Reward: +2 Hunting Trophies
Bonus goal complete! First blood!
Shippou managed to leave his mark on one of the Thunder Brothers...
Bonus Reward: (50+25)XP, A Kitsune's Resolve Perk unlocked (+10 to one Tail skill)]
[Level up! Kagome is now level 55!
+3SP, +2CP]
[Level up! InuYasha is now level 104!
+1SP]
[Level up! Shippou is now level 31!
+1PP, +2CP, +6SP]
"Tch. You shouldn't let yourself get hurt like that!" the hanyou mumbled at his niece, each leaning on the other to get back to Kagome after the young ookami had snatched the defeated enemy's Shikon shards
"I heal fast."
"Doesn't mean you have to take any hit. Think about what the bastard would say!"
"Something along the lines of me needing more training..." Tsukiko admitted, laughing "Getting hurt like that isn't worthy of the Heiress of the House of Moon!" she added amused "Of course, he would also fuss about my wounds and demand that Ryo heal me..."
"I can't believe the bastard became an over-protective father-hen..." InuYasha laughed
"Chichi-ue was alone to take care of me..." Tsukiko pointed out softly "By the time he learned haha-ue was with child, and found her, she had been killed, and the monsters were turning toward me." a bitter shrug "My first memories in this life are of being bathed in my mother's blood..." she admitted
InuYasha didn't answer – but there was no need, as she could feel his youki mingle amicably with hers, in the unique way it did among pack members...
¤.¤.¤
As Tsukiko had been rushing back into the fight, Kagome had made her way toward Shippou – as she passed by Manten's mangled body, she let out a shudder of disgust, then paused in her steps, as her eyes caught the large fur still tied around the youkai's waist.
Eyes hardening, she stepped toward the body, ignoring the blood, and quickly reclaimed the beautiful light pelt before going to the young kit that was slowly coming back to life...
"Don't move." she stopped him, hands alight with reiki "I haven't finished healing you yet..."
Shippou's eyes widened as he realized that not only was the human girl a miko – which he hadn't sensed - but on top of that she was healing him, something that wasn't supposed to be possible!
"Here," Kagome finally told him as she finished working on his wound "this should be yours."
"Thanks." Shippou mumbled, clutching the pelt against him – kitsune were proud of their appearance, and to see his father's fur used so carelessly by his enemy had been monstrous
"His powers are still lingering." a new voice commented – and the kit realized that the fight was over, and the ookami and hanyou were back, both hurts but still alive
Tears started to roll along his cheeks as realized that it was done – that his father was avenged, and yet, he was still alone...
"Do you want to merge with it?"
"Is it possible?" he asked hopefully
"I'll guide you." the ookami promised
"What is she talking about?" Kagome whispered to InuYasha, not wanting to bother her friend while she was talking with the kid
"It's a bit of the same idea as when Hiten ate Manten's heart. When someone close to you die, if you're attuned enough to his youki, you can take part of their powers to become your own..."
Tsukiko had placed the pelt around Shippou and was taken him through the steps of unleashing his own youki.
"Still, most orphans can't do this because it's dangerous for a child to try this alone." he explained – Kagome wondered how he knew so much about this, since he didn't seem to know a lot about youkai culture "I saw a young child from the panther tribe try once..." his eyes darkened "He failed, and died in the attempt, the youki too potent for his body."
Kagome's eyes widened, worry creeping in even though she knew Tsukiko wouldn't let anything like that happen to the young kit they had just met, and she and InuYasha turned their attention toward the two youkai.
There was enough youki in the air that was nearly visible, even thought it wasn't as oppressive as either of the Thunder Brother had been – or as Tsukiko's when she was angry – and it was looking like the kit was in the center of an inferno of golden flames.
Tsukiko's power was gently guiding Shippou's, and suddenly, where there had been as small child with a fluffy tail, there was a small kit with a light fur that seemed to be taking on a golden tint as the youki around him condensed and sank back into his body.
Within moments, the youki had sank back into the young fox's body, and he had reverted to his human form, visibly winded, and hairs and tail far lighter than they had been earlier
[Hidden Quest Complete! The Golden Kitsune...
By merging with his father's youki, Shippou took on his gift too
Reward: +100XP, Shippou unlocks Golden Kitsune Inheritance (+2 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom every decade)]
[Level up! You are now level 136!
+1SP]
[Level up! Kagome is now level 57!
+2SP]
[Level up! InuYasha is now level 105!
+1SP, +2CP]
[Level up! Shippou is now level 35!
+2CP, +4SP]
Kagome winced as she took a look around, realizing that everybody was spent, and they were still in the middle of a bloody battlefield. With a sigh, she went to Tsukiko, ready to take a look at her wounds – even if everybody was tired, they had to at least leave the battlefield if they wanted to make camp for the night.
The miko nearly smothered Shippou in a grateful hug when the kit announced that he knew an area not to far where they could spent the night.
A few hours later, they were set up for the night, Tsukiko and InuYasha's wound already healed – and Kagome still couldn't believe how fast her friend healed, even InuYasha had been surprised.
Shippou had crashed down as soon as he could, and was now sleeping peacefully, nested against Padfoot.
"Is there a reason why you don't want to sent him to the future?" Kagome asked finally
Tsukiko glanced at the sleeping form, before admitting "I know for a fact that Shippou grew up in this era."
"Oh, so this is someone you know in our time, then?"
The ookami was clearly repressing a new bout of laughter, before managing to announce "This is Kin Shippou, founder of the House of Leaf, strongest of the generals working under chichi-ue's orders... also known as my father-in-law, and the kitsune who marked me as an alpha when I passed the coming of age rite several life-time ago."
"Eh?!"
For once, InuYasha wasn't protesting at Kagome's loudness – as his exclamation as been just as loud as hers.
As for Shippou – the kit mumbled in his sleep, before sinking his head further into Padfoot's fur to cut out the noise they were making.
¤.¤.¤
It had taken them a few days to get back to Edo, and along the way, Shippou had integrated himself seamlessly into the small group.
True to her word, Tsukiko had taken to teach him, oral lessons shared with Kagome during their hike through the countryside about youkai culture and general knowledge, and practical on the evening, when Kagome was made to work on her miko skills while the kit worked on his Kitsune Bi and started to learn the basic needed to fight.
By the time they had reached Kaede's village, they had even explained about Chaos Game to the young kitsune, thinking it best to make him have a Recall Point as soon as possible so that he had a know location to retreat to if something happened to them during their travels.
Quick-witted and playful as he was, Shippou learned remarkably fast how to use Chaos Game, and took the news that Tsukiko and Kagome both came from the future in stride when they explained about the well.
Their stop at Edo wasn't to be a long one – Kagome would spend the afternoon in the future to drop by current studying material and get the next packet, while Tsukiko would take advantage of the occasion to train Shippou a bit more than when they were traveling.
Of course, that plan hadn't lasted long, as just as Kagome was climbing out of the well, she'd met with her brother and Saiyuri.
"We're going to the hospital," the miko explained "apparently Souta has been feeling youki around a class-mate that has been in a coma for six months."
With that, Kagome had quickly decided that Mahoutokoro could wait a bit, and followed the two of them – Souta explaining on the way how ever since his friend Satoru was in the hospital, strange accidents had been happening around him, and to all people who came to see him.
"I'm the only one who still go to see him." the kid admitted depressingly "All the other kids at school are too scared." his eyes lightened "But since I know about miko and youkai and everything, I've been wondering if maybe there wasn't more to it... And when I went to see him last week, I realized I could feel something. So I asked Sa-chan to help!" he concluded with a hopeful smile
"So, why is your friend in a coma? Did he have an accident?"
"There was a fire." Kagome's brother explained "Satoru's okaa-san saved him, but his sister died."
Souta had been right, Kagome realized as soon as they were in the hospital room – there was a faint, but persistent feeling of youki present.
And suddenly, there was a little girl protruding from under the bed and snatching at the VI line of the unconscious kid violently.
"What are you doing!" Kagome protested
Saiyuri already had thrown four sutra around the room, and reiki pulsed – the little girl, that had been starting to fade out, phased back into reality and this it was her turn to protset loudly "What are you doing!"
On the other side of the bed, Satoru's mother gasped, eyes widening as she took a look at the silhouette that was only now becoming visible for her.
"So you are the one who have been provoking all these accidents, aren't you?" Saiyuri noted calmly
"What is it to you?" the girl bit out
Kagome noticed that by the small girl's side, a round youkai with a feathery tail was floating, eyes half-opened, and playing some kind of flute – this had to be the one who'd produced the youki in the room.
"Mayu-chan!" the heart-breaking cry was coming from Satoru's mother, Kagome noticed – confirming the identity of the child
This was Satoru's sister, the one who died in the fire...
The girl took a step back, as if struck, when hearing her mother's call – the woman was crying, the kimono she had been working on while watching her son sleep slipping to the ground "Oh Mayu-chan!" she repeated "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were inside!"
The little girl's eyes widened at the confession, and she asked in a trembling voice "You're... not angry at me? You hadn't forgotten about me? Even thought it's my fault?"
Her mother's answer was to take her into her arms, sobbing heart-brokenly "I would have come back for you," she promised "I would have gone back if I had known you were inside!"
There was no lie there, Kagome could tell – because the woman's hands were still gravely burned from the trip into the fire she had taken to save her son.
"I didn't want to make a fire!" Mayu finally said, breaking down, tears falling unbidden "I just wanted okaa-san to find me and make up... I'm sorry..."
The youkai, Kagome noticed, closed his eyes at these words – and the little girl turned toward them "Thank you. I don't know what you did, but it forced to stay and see okaa-san again..."
Saiyuri merely nodded her head in reply, and reiki stirred to the room once more, the four sutra on the walls falling into dust, and Mayu leaving, the youkai leading her away.
A few seconds later, Satoru opened his eyes...
[Hunting Complete! Tatari Mokke
Reward: +25XP, +1 Hunting Trophy]
"This was a youkai that plays with the soul of children until they are ready to pass on and guide them to the after-life." Saiyuri explained to Kagome and Souta, while the doctors were rushing to his friend's bedside "But it also takes them to hell if they don't want to pass on and become too close from turning into poltergeist. A Tatari Mokke opening his eyes is a sad and terrible thing..."
"The eyes... That was why he closed his eyes back when Mayu calmed down, isn't it?" the younger miko realized
"Exactly." Saiyuri turned toward Souta "You were right in calling me. That little girl was close to becoming a poltergeist, with all the accidents she provoked around her brother."
"What did you do exactly?" the little boy asked "I felt reiki in the sutra, but I don't know what it did."
"This was a barrier to keep a spirit inside and calm it." she explained, before warning "But it's not all powerful, it only gave an inclination to calming down. If Mayu herself hadn't wanted it, or if her mother had said the wrong thing, it wouldn't have worked, and I would have had to perform an exorcism."
Kagome nodded, remembering what Tsukiko had taught her about spirits and exorcism, before realizing "Do you have several sutra stocked in your Inventory?"
"I have." the huntress confirmed, explaining how fast she had reacted "It lets me have several different ones for most occasions, but for miko who don't have the luxury, they carry a few generic sutra on them all of the time." a few strips of rice paper appeared between her fingers "Here, take those, it'll give you something to study during your travels. Tsukiko never was big on sutra."
"She isn't." Kagome nodded "She gave me a bit of theory, but admitted to not using them a lot."
"Student are taught several basic ones, and with time you develop your own." Saiyuri explained "Studying mine will help your understand better the difference between generic sutra and personal ones."
Kagome thanked the miko once more – before realizing how late it was, and rushing to Mahoutokoro to drop her school-work and pick up more. Night had fallen by the time she was back from the school, had picked up a few more provisions for her Inventory and was back into the past.
Climbing out of the old well, she was thankful for Chaos Game' Inventory, knowing that without it she'd have to carry a heavy backpack each time she went to the past.
¤.¤.¤
With Kagome back from the future, the small hunting party was soon on the road again, InuYasha and Shippou happily bickering along while Tsukiko was making the young miko memorize any and all healing or poisoning plants.
"So... Why is InuYasha always bullying Shippou?" the lone human girl asked as the hanyou and the kitsune were further ahead on the road
"Well, part of it is instinct." Tsukiko pointed out "He's teaching him quite a bit about brawling in his own way, and Shippou-chan has to be more and more cunning to get him with his pranks..."
"And the other part?"
"Childishness." Tsukiko stated blandly, making Kagome face-fault, before expanding "You've got to remember that InuYasha is mentally about the same age as you with his two centuries, and he spent a quarter of his time under enchanted sleep."
"True." Kagome realized, lessons coming back to her mind "But I'm not a bully."
"Well, you're also a lot more mature than a lot of teenagers." her friend retorted
"So..." Kagome wondered "What age would you be supposed to be as a human?"
Tsukiko reddened, and a snort from further ahead indicated that InuYasha had been listening to them "I told you she's a fucking pup!"
"Am not!" well, even the usually calm princess had her bouts of childishness, Kagome couldn't help but note, amused at the answer
"Please, you're not even twice as old as the brat!"
The miko couldn't help but be surprised at the affirmation, glancing between Shippou and Tsukiko "Uh, come to think of it, how old are you, Shippou-chan?"
"I'm fifty-four!" the kit answered enthusiastically
"See!" a satisfied InuYasha pointed "I was right, the brat is fifty and the annoying princess isn't one hundred yet! A fucking pup!"
"Technically, Shippou would be around five or six year old as a human." Tsukiko explained "And with my eighty-four years, I would be a bit under ten."
InuYasha burst out laughing at the admission, before Tsukiko finally lost her temper at him "You know just as well as I do that even if I'm young, as long as I've gone through the rite of passage and my second growing spur, I'm adult!"
"But you haven't!" InuYasha pointed out, still laughing
"Did you forget I'm an alpha?" she replied back tartly
"Alpha you maybe, you're still growing up!" he answered – and at that, Tsukiko didn't have an answer, since she was indeed still in the middle of her second growing spur
Kagome was speechless.
Did InuYasha really just managed to win an argument against Tsukiko?
Apparently having come to the same conclusion, Shippou was suddenly jumping on InuYasha's back, tricks at the ready "Stop bullying Tsuki-chan!"
And with that, the two were back to bickering again...
"I hadn't realized you were so young," Kagome admitted to her friend as they started to walk again "Isn't your father worried about you?"
"Chichi-ue have memories I don't, so he already knows quite a bit about what is happening right now." the ookami reminded her "And if you'd remembered his teaching method, you'd know he isn't easily worried."
"True." the miko nodded, remembering the beating InuYasha had taken against his brother the last time the two had met
¤.¤.¤
The next day, they had to take a boat to further their journey – once again they were followings hearsay about an increase in violence in the region they were heading toward. But InuYasha, Kagome realized, seemed a lot more restless than was usual for him, and the occasional glances Tsukiko was throwing him between her lessons were proof enough that the youkai hime had noticed too...
The young miko was relaxing on the small boat they were on when, rising her head, she caught a movement at the top of the cliff overhanging the river they were on – and the next second, a scream was heard, and she realized that it was a girl, running away from some kind of youkai.
"Shit! She's gonna fall on the boat!" InuYasha realized a moment later, jumping to catch the girl before she overturned their embarkation, while Tsukiko and Kagome swiftly turned said boat toward the riverbank where the hanyou had landed
The girl the hanyou had just rescue wasn't very grateful, Kagome mused while healing her.
While she had thanked InuYasha initially, she had also pushed him back in the water when she realized he wasn't human, before insulting both Shippou and Tsukiko...
"I hate things like youkai!" she was saying vehemently, clearly wondering what a powerful miko like Kagome was doing with them
"So, what were those things?" Kagome asked, ignoring the girl's pointed comment toward her friends
"Kumo gashira." the girl explained "They settled over them mountain last spring. They take possession of a corpse's head and attack people." a sigh "And recently they have become a lot more active..."
Kagome frowned.
Clearly, this was the rumor they had been chasing – yet InuYasha was stating "We should go, I want to be out of this mountain before nightfall."
"It's not as if I need help from youkai!" the rescued girl harrumphed before standing up and looking for a place to climb back up the cliff
Tsukiko sighed, both at InuYasha's bout of grumpiness, and the hopelessness of the girl that wasn't making any progress heading back – dusting herself, she picked the girl from the ground and dropped her on Padfoot, before turning toward them "There's no helping it, isn't there?"
"What do you want to do in this mountain?" InuYasha protested at his niece as they started to climb, Kagome on his back
"That increase in violence around the time the Shikon no Tama was shattered... There may not be any shard in here, there clearly is someone who wants them."
"And so we're gifting them away?" the hanyou retorted, irony biting in his tone
"We're busting the trap." Tsukiko corrected "Kagome's wish is to prevent the Shikon no Tama from causing chaos. Disposing of the idiots hunting it is a part of it, from a certain point of view..."
"We're not getting out of this, aren't we?" the hanyou realized with a resigned tone
"We're not." Tsukiko confirmed with a smile "But don't worry, I'm having Kagome-chan and Shippou-chan do the fighting!"
The protesting "Eh!" from the two was covered by a loud "And how is that supposed to reassure me?" from InuYasha
"Well since it's a training session, I'll be there to take care of them if they bite more than they can chew." Tsukiko winked at her uncle "You've got a couple of vacation days!"
At the affirmation, the hanyou's eyes widened in understanding, Kagome noted – whatever had been his problem since earlier, the ookami must have understood and resolved it, she decided, as he was suddenly a lot less sullen...
[Secondary Quest! We need a montage...
First goal: find Kumo garashi lair
Second goal: find the Kumo garashi leader
Third goal: defeat kumo garashi
Fourth goal: defeat kumo garashi leader
Bonus goal: have only Kagome and Shippou fight the leader
Second Bonus goal: finish the quest before the end of the new moon
Reward: +25XP per goal, +1 Hunting Trophy, unlocks Arena System upon completion
Bonus Reward: +50XP per bonus goal, update Hunting System upon completion]
"Is Chaos mocking us?" Kagome asked when seeing the quest title
"I'm pretty sure he is." nodded InuYasha, though not for the same reason
"It's pretty usual from him." Tsukiko announced, making the two glance at her "Well seriously, what did you expect from the god of Chaos? He likes being entertained..."
"This makes a surprising amount of sense." Kagome sighed
Finally, after a bit of a hike, the group reached a small, gloom looking temple at the top of the cliff.
They were welcomed by an old priest who thanked them for bringing back his charge – the girl, who apparently was named Nazuna – and invited them to stay the night.
While Nazuna was sent to provide a meal for them, the old man turned their attention back toward them "I'm sorry for her attitude," he said "since her father was killed by the kumo gashira she gained an irrational hatred toward all youkai." a quizzical look "Still, it's strange..." he mused "You look like a youkai, but don't feel like one." he said to InuYasha, who frowned at the affirmation, but was prevented from attacking by a calming hand from his niece "And you look like a youkai, yet feel like a miko."
The ookami smiled serenely at the observation, but didn't answer.
Guessing he wouldn't get any answer, the priest guided them toward the temple, and soon they had supper, and retired for the night.
¤.¤.¤
"So! Test time!" happily announced Tsukiko as the group settled into the room they had been given "Kagome-chan, Shippou-chan, what did you feel, what do you think?"
"The old priest said that there was a barrier, but I didn't feel anything blocking me out." the kitsune pointed out "Even if it was too weak to stop us, we should have at least felt something, right?"
"True." Kagome noted "This is supposed to be a temple, yet there isn't a hint of reiki." she realized, finally putting into words what had been bugging her "I don't know how the kumo gashira haven't attacked yet, but it's clearly not thanks to any ward like the priest said."
"It's just like Tsuki-chan said earlier, isn't it?" Shippou realized first "It's a trap."
"We've already established that." InuYasha groaned
"The temple itself is the trap." Shippou insisted "There's a priest without reiki, a ward that isn't where it's supposed to be... Don't you think it's strange how this place is supposedly the only safe haven on the mountain?"
"Anyone traveling in the region would have to stop by here." Kagome realized what the kit was trying to say "He's right, it's the ideal lair for a youkai that's trying to steal the Shikon shards!"
"And it means that the priest is a fake!" loudly proclamed Shippou "That's why there's no reiki nor wards! If he's a youkai, he doesn't have reiki, and if he's the leader her can just order the kumo garashi to stay away!"
[First goal complete! +25XP
Second goal complete!+25XP
Supplementary bonus goal complete!
You've guessed the Kumo garashi leader's nefarious plan
Bonus reward: (50+25)XP]
[Level up! Kagome is now level 59!
+2SP]
[Level up! InuYasha is now level 106!
+1SP]
[Level up! Shippou is now level 39!
+4SP]
It was as Chaos Game confirmed their theory that youki started to pulse around them.
The trap had been sprung they realized – the fake priest would now be trying to get his paws on their Shikon shards.
"Well," Tsukiko smiled as if they weren't surrounded by enemy youkai "it's your show kids, what do we do?"
"We get rid of them!" Shippou proclaimed loudly, kitsune bi launching multiple attacks around them
"I think Tsuki-chan was more asking about a plan." Kagome informed the kit, nanigata in hands – she started to cut a path through the youkai "It's not like they are going to let us go quietly, since we've got what they want."
"Plus there's the annoying human girl." Shippou realized "I don't think she knew the priest was a fake. Even if she's ungrateful we can't just leave her to die!" he affirmed
"Aren't you proud, oji-san?" Tsukiko wiped a fake tear "Look at how grown up they are acting!" she said, waving at the two who were actually fighting at the entrance of the room
"I guess your lessons aren't completely useless." he admitted reluctantly
"Still," the ookami noted "There's a lot of annoying pests. Padfoot, time to earn you keep, big lump!"
Her familiar gave her an unimpressed look, and shadows swirled around him – the next moment, the Grimm was reaping through the spiders, under the hanyou's disbelieving eyes.
"Well, I was right." he stated as they used the path cleaned from enemies to follow the three fighters "You are lazy."
"I'm not lazy," corrected Tsukiko "I'm just giving the kids a chance to grow." she joked
Or rather, half-joked, the hanyou realized – because her eyes were watchful, and she clearly was itching to jump into the fray.
She was just like her father, in a way he suddenly understood – letting her friend fight in order for her to learn rather than making her task too easy for her by doing all the hard work.
Tsukiko twitched, as Shippou nearly did not avoid a spider, but managed to prevent herself from jumping ahead to save the kit – scratches were okay, after all, they weren't in too much danger for now.
"Please help!" the hunting group was surprised to see Nazuna clawing her way out of the attacking youkai
With a swift move, Tsukiko rushed ahead and grabbed her - she wasn't testing her after all.
"They have the priest!" the girl said, sounding desperate "Please save him!"
"A trap within a trap..." Kagome whispered, unheard by the girl – the youkai around her nodded
What better way to draw them toward the true enemy than a plea for help? And judging by how desperate she looked, the girl clearly had no idea she was being used...
"Well, we're heading that way anyway!" Shippou commented lightly "She'll understand when faced with their leader..." he added in a quieter voice, feeling bad for the girl who had been tricked by the fake priest
Within a few minutes, they had reached the temple inner sanctum, where the old priest seemed to be trapped within spider webs.
"You shouldn't have come..." he protested feebly
"You know, if we hadn't realized earlier he was a fake, I would have believed it." Shippou announced to their group "And tricking a kitsune isn't an easy feat!"
"What do you mean?" Nazuna protested
Her protest was cut short by the priest guttural chuckle "We'll, if you've already seen trough my ploy, there's no need to keep this up, isn't there?"
With a pulse of youki, the fake priest true appearance was revealed – and the spider-web that looked like a prison earlier was in fact his body...
"What is going on?" Nazuna asked weakly, not wanting to believe what she was seeing
"You were so easy to trick!" the youkai laughed "So eager to believe in the kind priest that prayed for the soul of those attacked by the spiders!" his spider-web body attacked in several directions at once "Not once did you realize you were serving your father's murderer!"
"You..." her eyes widened "You killed my father!" she realized, voice filling with spite "What did you do with the real priest?" she demanded
"There was never any priest! It was just a trap to get the Shikon shards!" he laughed
The part of the spider-web that had been creeping toward the defenseless girl was suddenly engulfed in bright, golden flames – the strongest Shippou had ever made, Tsukiko noted. The kit was trembling with rage, and the reason why became clear as soon as he opened his mouth "I really hate it! Youkai becoming mad and killing everyone in their path just for a few glass shards!"
It wasn't hard to comprehend he was talking about the Thunder Brother and his father just as much as about Nazuna and the priest, Tsukiko mused with a sad smile...
"It's because of bastards like you that humans think all youkai are blood-thirsty beasts!" he added, his kitsune bi flaring for another attack, FuurinKiba held much more expertly in his hands than a week before "I'm not a beast! I don't need a cursed jewel to grow strong!"
The kit's passion was affecting Nazuna, Tsukiko realized with a proud smile, and the fiery attacks had taken their toll on the enemy youkai – but Shippou was young still, and the intensive use of his fire was making itself known, the child much less steady on his feet than he was a few minutes earlier.
¤.¤.¤
The kumo gashira leader realized it, and swiftly took advantage of it, head rushing toward Shippou, and biting into his shoulder.
Tsukiko's fury was cold, InuYasha mused as he felt the air around them chill as she realized the kit was hurt and jumped toward him to get him out of the youkai's reach, faster than he would have been able to even at the top of his form.
But just like he'd said earlier, her training hadn't been useless – far from it. Because the same time the youkai took advantage of to attack the weakening kit, Kagome had put to good use, and a nanigata crackling with reiki separated the fake priest head from his body just as Shippou fell into Tsukiko's arms.
[Secondary Quest complete!
Third goal complete!+25XP
Fourth goal complete! +25XP
Reward: Arena System unlocked, +5 Hunting Trophies
Bonus goal complete! (50+25)XP
Second bonus goal complete! (50+25)XP
Bonus reward: Hunting System updated]
[Level up! You are now level 137!
+1SP
[Level up! Kagome is now level 62!
+1PP, +2CP +3SP]
[Level up! InuYasha is now level 108!
+2SP]
[Level up! Shippou is now level 44!
+5SP]
[System log: Arena System
The Arena System is made of several tabs. The Boss Tab contains a list of Bosses that can be fought once a week, and unlocks special bonus upon defeating them for the first time; the Challenge Tab is updated randomly with leveled or timed challenges that each unlocks different victory bonus and the Arena Tab allow you to set up an arena with different settings to train in.
note that while you can't die while using the Boss Tab and Arena Tab, the Challenge Tab does no grant any immunity]
[System log update: Hunting System
Party Tab now has more options. A hunting party with sufficiently strong ties can now evolve in a pack. Pack have further advantage than Hunting Party and can unlocks even more in the Reward Tab.]
Normally, Kagome would be the one doing the healing, and there was no denying the fact she was better than the ookami at it – but the teen-aged girl had given her all to the fight, and was in no state to be healing anyone. And Shippou needed healing now – the kumo parting gift had been a poison particularly potent for such a low-life, and while most youkai developed a resistance to a number of poison as they aged, the kit was still far to young to have it yet...
Still, the hanyou knew enough about youkai physiology to realize that the kit would be fine eventually – but it wasn't a reason the let him suffer while burning the poison out of his system.
Finally, Tsukiko leaned back with a sigh, and admitted "I've gotten rid of most of the poison, now he'll just have to sweat out the fever."
"Let's recall then." InuYasha suggested – Shippou would be weak for a few days, now point in staying out in the wild since the rumor they had been following was a dead end anyway
Kagome was too tired to show her surprise at the proposition – usually, the hanyou was always ready to push them a bit further everyday, regularly forgetting that between a kit and a human, the group needed more rest than he was used to. She smiled softly – each day, she had more proof that his rough outward persona was nothing more than a cover for a gentler personality...
Tiredly getting up, she was quickly gathering the few belongings they had that weren't stuffed in their Inventory, while Tsukiko gently woke Shippou up, and a few minutes latter, farewell given to Nazuna, they had recalled back to Kaede's hut.
The old miko welcomed them warmly like always, and was prompt to help them situate Shippou for the night.
Soon, Kaede and Kagome were sleeping too – after a long moment of silence, InuYasha finally stated "You're worrying too much."
"It's my fault he's hurt."
"You said it yourself, didn't you," he reminded her "better half dead under our watch than completely dead out there because we coddled him. The kit is stronger than you think."
"I know that he's strong." she contradicted "And I know it was better for him to fight here, and learn from it..." a sigh "But I don't like seeing him like that either. He's so young!"
"You're barely older than him." InuYasha reminded her "By that reasoning, you shouldn't be out there either, previous life or not."
She couldn't contradict him – just like during her previous life, she realized that even if she was more mature than most her age, her physical body and part of her psyche still was that of a young youkai girl. Finally she nodded, fingers dragging through Shippou's hair...
Who who'd have thought that InuYasha would have been the one to lift her spirit?
A long moment went by in comfortable silence, before the hanyou decided to ask about something that had been on his mind since the morning.
"You know, don't you?"
"About a hanyou's weakness?" she stated rather than asked "I do." she confirmed "And I can both feel it and smell it."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Even in our time, most hanyou don't like to have their day of shifting to be known, even if it is much less dangerous than nowadays..." a shrug "I can't help my senses, so I tend to know things like that, but it's considered common courtesy not to talk about it first." her eyes were calm but serious "It's a great sign of trust for a hanyou to share this day with people, it has to be your decision to tell Kagome-chan and Shippou-chan."
He didn't commented on the way she sounded, as if she knew he'd tell the others eventually – tell them something he'd never shared with anyone, for a hanyou in these days and age couldn't just trust people that easily.
Telling them – it would mean believing completely in them; and that was something InuYasha didn't know if he'd ever be able to do, he'd spent to much time protecting himself from the world around him.
Still, it was a nice thought...
¤.¤.¤
By the next morning, Kagome was feeling as good as new, Shippou was already a lot less pale, and Tsukiko and InuYasha acted as if they hadn't had any discussion in the middle of the night – yet Kagome, ever so sensitive to peoples, could tell that something had changed.
That not only had InuYasha shed a bit more of his protective shell, but Tsukiko, too, seemed a bit lighter than the evening before.
The miko smile, happy to see that somewhere on the road, the two had started to become family.
As they were going to spend a few days in Edo to let Shippou recover, Tsukiko soon decided to take advantage of their downtime to pile more lessons on Kagome – Shippou had insisted he was well enough to participate too, but the ookami had put her foot down, making the kit follow a lighter schedule for as long as they were staying in town.
It wasn't until the evening that they started to go over the previous day battle, and the rewards unlocked...
Everybody was clear about the fact that the Arena System was going to be very useful – it was a training tool that could give a true battle experience, without the pesky risk of dying. The Challenges, of course, would have to me examined on a case by case basis, since they were more life-threatening.
"The Pack System really is an impressive upgrade from the Hunting Party," Kagome was soon noting, tabs open under her eyes "And we already meet the requirement to transform the Shikon Shards Hunting Party into one!" a mischievous smile "So what are you waiting for, Tsuki-chan?"
"Why should I be the one to do it?" she protested immediately
"Well, you're our alpha, aren't you?" the human girl smiled "You teach us and protect us..."
"And what a marvelous job I've done." she couldn't help but retort sarcastically
"You have." Shippou confirmed, surprising her "I would never have been able to fight like I did before I met you." he said "Not only because I didn't have the skill, but because I would've been too terrified." his eyes were strangely serious for such a young child "yesterday, I was afraid, but not enough to be unable to move, or to want to flee. And I got hurt, but I also learned a lot." a smile "And I wouldn't have been able to without you," his eyes took in the other three members of their small group "without any of you." he emphasized
Tsukiko turned toward InuYasha, somehow expecting that him at least, would have something to say against it – but the hanyou wasn't any help as he merely pointed at her face "Your already an alpha, pup."
And that was it.
A pack, in Chaos Game, could only be evolved from a hunting party that was either three year old, or had accumulated a set amount of XP since it's creation – an amount they already had accumulated, even if by a small margin, in a surprisingly short amount of time.
The pack could chose to keep his name, or change it, as well as chose an insignia, which would provide a first passive boost to the members as long as they wore it.
The other part of the pack's passive boost was chosen according to the Alpha's characteristics.
"Do we really want to name ourselves after that cursed jewel?" Kagome had wondered as they debated whether keeping or changing their group's name "I mean, it's the thing that brought us together, but it's not as if we're suddenly going to stop being friends because we've completed it, is it?"
"Tch. As if it was possible to get rid of an annoying girl like you that easily." InuYasha commented - which was his way of agreeing
"Say, Tsuki-chan, do you have a nickname that has stuck through your different reincarnations?" the miko wondered "I mean, obviously Ryo-dono calls you bambina but..." her eyes widened "The shinigami! He called you Shadow, didn't he?" she remembered
"The Shadow Pack?" Shippou tried out "I like the sound of it." the young kitsune nodded enthusiastically "What kind of insignia should we use?" he wondered
A low huff from Padfoot called attention to him, the Grimm letting a bit of his powers seep into his steps, leaving a large paw-print on the ground, that looked to be gleaming an ethereal silver in the hut's dim light.
"A Grimm foot-print huh?" Tsukiko realized "That makes sense, Grimm are a creature of darkness and shadows after all."
[Shadow Pack LV1 created!
- pack bonus:+1 to all Regeneration Rates
- insignia bonus: +1 Shadow damage to all attack (cost 50 YP or 50 RP)
- alpha bonus: +3 Agility, +50% teaching bonus
- beta bonus: +1 Endurance, +25% teaching bonus
-XP to LV2: 150/1250]
Padfoot had been more than happy to provide his power and paw print for the insignia – he had even shifted to a smaller size in order for his paws not to be too large for the girls and Shippou; then decided that this size was too comfortable to leave.
As such, job done, he'd soon found himself in pup size, lazying on Tsukiko's head.
"Suddenly, I found myself wondering if he didn't learn to change size just to be able to do that again..." his mistress wondered suspiciously – the pup-sized Grimm on her head didn't bother to answer, far to comfortable
"It's really pretty..." Kagome noted, admiring the silvery symbol tattooed on the back of her hand "But how did he do this?" she asked Tsukiko "I mean, I can clearly feel reiki..."
"Padfoot is a Grimm," her friend explained patiently "in other words, he's not a youkai but a holy servant, just like you, but a bit more furry..." she teased "What he did is infuse his reiki in his paw-print like would do with words on a sutra."
"So this mark is going to be here only as long as there's his reiki in it, isn't it?"
"Well, normally yes, but it's Padfoot. He's set up the mark to regenerate part of it's sustaining reiki by absorbing the shadows around it."
"Oh wow." Kagome looked at the mark with awe "I can't believe your dog is better than me at using his reiki..." she added with a comical frown
"He's not better," the ookami contradicted "he just uses it differently, and he's had more experience with it too." an amused smile "He can't heal anyone, for example since his powers aren't geared at all toward it..."
"We'll have to take some of the Challenges," InuYasha announced – familiar with the marking concept of youkai, he was far less fascinated with Padfoot's mark than Kagome, even if it had been weird at first to have the feeling of non-threatening reiki so close to his own youki "some of them unlocks interesting Pack bonus, or grant more Pack experience." he announced
"You've been a beta for all of five minutes and your already more mature!" Shippou teased amiably
"Keh!"
The hanyou wasn't blushing, but he wasn't far from it, Kagome mused – and his surprised look when Tsukiko had announced that he would be beta had been very cute – apparently he had expected the ookami to take her as a beta, since the two girls had know each other for so long...
A beta was the right-hand of an alpha, Tsukiko had explained for her sake, the one that made happened the alpha's orders when he couldn't do it himself, and the second strongest protector of the pack.
With a description like that, Kagome didn't know why InuYasha had thought she'd be any good at it – sure she could heal people, and maintain peace when tempers were running high, but she wouldn't be able to provide food without the stock in her Inventory, and she was nowhere as strong as either the hanyou or their alpha.
Yes, the miko confirmed to herself – she was good where she was, as a normal pack member - if their disparate group of friends could be considered normal in any way - and with the lessons in youkai culture she had already had, she was also heartened by the meaning of them all accepting each other as pack.
It wasn't family, but it was just as good, she realized - they were traveling, eating, learning and fighting side by side, even if she wasn't ready yet to bath naked in front of InuYasha like Tsukiko did without a second thought; and they had all grown to mean a lot to each other far faster than she'd thought possible...