Hey all! It's been a long time ;-)
I hope you all spent good holidays, it was really great for me since my fiance was home, which isn't that often since he's in the merchant navy! Otherwise I'm still swamped in work with our house but I'd say we're half done, hopefully...
- on a side note: someone told me I've given two different descriptions for Knowledge between 2.0 and 3.0; I'll check it out but I haven't had time to correct it just yet.
hope you enjoy the chapter quite a bit is happening in it; happy new year to everyone!
Chapter 9. September 1996 Becoming Pack
"So... Fate-bound token." Miroku stated, rather than asked once the pack was hidden away in they hut
"I don't know." shrugged Tsukiko helplessly, eyeing the small coin, bronze-colored rather than the usual silver sheen of the Soul-bound ones "It's the first time I see them too."
An Observe later, all had their answer.
"Well," Kagome was eventually the one to comment, still a bit wide-eyed "this is one over-powered reward."
[Fate-bound token: you permanently link your weakest characteristic to your Luck; making it impossible for this characteristic to be lower than your Luck]
Tsukiko nodded bemusedly as her Endurance shot up from it's measly 43 to 58 and making her Life Points shot up by a whole quarter – not to mention the hidden quest they'd just completed had also made all of them level up at least once, making Kagome edge on her third tail; and the ookami hime on her fourth.
Of course both Miroku and Kagome had also received the same minor affinity to Fortune; one of Fate's main gifts; and as such had seen their senses evolve just like hers – their intuition now border-line premonitions, something Tsukiko was familiar with from her life as Sawada Kazami; who'd known the famed Vongola Intuition had been the remnants of a holy gift?
They had taken the road the next day upon Sango's insistance "The faster we find that bastard, the faster I'll be back home." the young woman had decreed mulishly
The pack knew better, all understanding than finding and defeating Naraku was more of a long time goal that a few days hunt – but the tajiya wasn't ready to hear that just yet, so they humored her.
A few days later, the girl looked ready to tear her hair out – she had seen Naraku in his castle, and remembered well enough the journey toward the castle where he'd laid his trap yet somehow both the man's face and the castle emplacement seemed to elude her...
"We understand that it is hard for you, Sango-san;" Miroku was the one to break to her gently "but we'd stand a better chance of finding him again by going after the Shikon shards."
"You're right." she reluctantly admitted - before the darkened eyes and somber mood were replaced by sheer irritation "But that's no reason for your hand to be going in the direction it is right now!"
While Miroku was making embarrassed and insincere apologies, the rest of the pack was sharing amused glances – the houshi's perverted tendencies had been limited with only Kagome and Tsukiko as he didn't dare make any attempt toward the heiress of the West and knew better than try anything toward her friend with her nearby... but now, poor Sango was bearing the brunt of his tendencies, an that ever since the first time he'd asked her to bear his child – the girl's violent answer had apparently not been enough of a deterrent.
That or InuYasha was right and the priest was a masochist who'd fallen in love with the feeling of being bashed into the ground by Hiraikotsu, Sango's gigantic boomerang...
Still; whatever the reason, the daily interactions between the two were a never ending source of fun for the rest of the travelers – and more importantly, they also helped the still grieving tajiya to realize that life was going on around her.
No sooner than the next day, the pack had observed a convoy making it's way on the road near which they had stopped for their midday halt. That in itself wouldn't have been that unusual as processions to thank the gods were useful enough – what made them pause was the fact that the convoy was taking a sacrifice to the local divinity.
A human child, who clearly wasn't the first to be given away to appease Suijin-sama, the god of water inhabiting the nearby lake.
"There's something fishy about this." Miroku whispered to the pack after his proposition to help as a priest was rather vehemently refused by the village's leader "And I'm not only talking about that Nanushi's suspicious behavior..."
"Well maybe the kid who's been spying on us since the procession went by could answer a few questions..." InuYasha suggested, gently throwing a rock in the direction he'd just nodded toward
A yelp of pain later; and a kid was stumbling out of a shrub, a heavy bundle spreading on the ground.
"Here, take them!" the kid demanded
"Those are valuable." Miroku noted, eyebrow raised; before putting down the item he was inspecting "Ah, too bad I'm not strapped for cash anymore those would have been easy to sell..."
"Wah... You can't refuse these! I need to hire you!"
"Then ask instead of acting like a self-entitled brat." InuYasha retorted, knocking the kid for a good measure
Kagome sighed at the rather usual brash attitude and squatted in front of the kid "Why don't you tell us why you need help?"
"I need you to come with me and eradicate this Suijin!"
"Does it have something to do with the fact you were supposed to be the sacrifice?" the miko asked
The kid's eyes widened at the affirmation, then he sighed "You're right. I'm Taroumaru, and when I was the one designated to be the sacrifice... That bastard father hid me away and switched me with one of the servant's kid."
[Secondary Quest! Beware of still water...
Goal: find Suijin-sama' temple
Reward: +25XP per goal, unlocks Water God Protection perk (+10 to all protection skills) upon completion]
Even without the quest's prompt, Sango was already up and had slipped away, replacing the light yukata she wore during the day by the protective gear of the tajiya, Kirara by her side shifting to her larger form "Let's go." a glare at the kid "I'm not doing that for you, but for that kid who got stuck replacing you." she affirmed
"It's not as if I wanted father to do this!" Taroumaru bit back angrily "Suekichi's my friend!"
"Stop yapping brat," InuYasha sighed while dropping the young kid on his back "we're going to help your friend anyway."
"We won't let a kid be sacrificed like that." Miroku nodded
Taroumaru while still grumbling lead them through a small passage, and they soon caught up with the convoy, who'd left the boy to be used as sacrifice on a wooden dock
Soon, a long boat with an elaborate figure-head was emerging from the heavy mist that was hiding away most of the lake, two tall and imposing figure with fish-head taking a hold of the kid whose face was hidden away by a blank mask and taking him away, disappearing as fast as they'd appeared.
"Now we just have to follow them to the god's house!" Taroumaru whispered from his spot in the simpler boat he'd helped them 'borrow'
Taking care of staying far enough that Suijin's henchmen didn't realize they were being followed, the pack tailed the ornate long-boat to a large Torri which cut through the unnatural mist
[Goal complete!+25XP
Goalupdate: confront the fake Suijin]
"I knew it!" InuYasha whispered "That's not a real god but a youkai!"
Tsukiko didn't answer, but the young princess' brow was marred by a frown, and her tails were whipping around in agitation – not giving any of them the time to act, she'd already jumped, cutting one guard in two with a swing of her sword while Padfoot had taken the second down, ripping his throat open.
Sharing a glanced at the unrestrained violence their leader was displaying, the pack shrugged – knowing Tsukiko, the answer for her comportment would be clear soon enough.
Alpha leading them, they rushed toward the large center room of the Shinto temple, where shouting could be heard. Here, a richly adorned man was slowly strangling the still masked child they'd come to save...
"Neither man nor youkai..." Kagome whispered as she realized that she didn't feel youki, yet would clearly feel the lack of humanity of the monster in front of them
"Well what did you expect coming from a god?" the one who claimed to be Suijin-sama bragged
"You're no god." Tsukiko corrected coldly
"Really? Would I be able to handle this if I wasn't a god?" the other bragged once more, a long halberd appearing in his hands
"A holy weapon!" Miroku recognized, stunned – as for Kagome, she now understood why the weapon felt similar to her naginata, yet more powerful; this wasn't a weapon meant for either human or youkai
"This is the halberd of Amakoi," the man announced "and I will kill you with it, for you have sinned greatly in this sacred place."
"This place is holy ground indeed," Tsukiko agreed as water rushed around them, only to hit an invisible wall less than a meter away from her, making their opponent's eyes widen "But the only one tainting it is you, spirit, and you've fallen so low that you aren't even able to recognize your better."
¤.¤.¤
In her back, a low thump was heard, and she realized that her uncle was hitting his head against the nearest wall "Er... what's wrong oji-san?" she asked, her voice loosing the otherworldly quality it had taken when she was talking to the children-eating spirit to slip into a mix of amusement and curiosity
"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." the hanyou muttered, not really answering "How didn't I see it before..."
"InuYasha?" Kagome asked
"He's facing an existential crisis." Miroku explained while patting the beta's back "Don't worry about it, he's just realized something rather evident."
Sango and Kagome shared a confused look, then the tajiya asked "Er... shouldn't we... you know, take care of the guy who's trying to kill us?"
Tsukiko turned her attention back to the fake god, just like the rest of the pack, her whole body-language shouting loud and clear about the predator she was "Yes, true enough, we're still mid-hunt." a smile "The funny thing about minor deities who take residency in the mortal realms is that the holy ground they inhabit become even more saturated with holy powers than normal temple are, making it easier for them to use their powers in that place than in the rest of the mortal realms that aren't really meant to resist full blown holy powers."
"What are you blabbering about?" the other stammered, visibly starting to panic about his inability to even approach the ookami – abruptly deciding he'd come back to her later, his weapon changed course, now aiming at the rest of the group
"Kagome-chan, Miroku-san."
Not needing further prompting both stood ready, weapon swirling with reiki, before lashing at the oncoming wake of foam and water, neatly cutting it two against the fake god unbelieving eyes.
"You should really listen when your better are speaking." Tsukiko taunted "What I was blabbering about, like you said, was a rather clear explanation."
"What Tsuki-hime was saying was rather simple really." the houshi nodded, gaining dubious look from both InuYasha and Shippou – as for Sango, she was busy helping Suekichi up, his abductor having been forced to give him up to fight better
"She simply explained that holy powers works better in holy ground." Kagome added "Just like in a temple, or here."
"You may have stolen your god's artifact, spirit, it does not give you the ability to use reiki in any way." Tsukiko pointed out "The only reason you're even able to use this weapon is because spirits use a spiritual energy similar enough than you managed to fool it into granting you a minor amount of control."
"Shut up!" as he grew angry, the nearly human-like figure started to blur, loosing it's consistency and revealing scales and a flat face "Don't talk about things you know nothing about youkai!"
Miroku snorted at the affirmation, then asked "Well, alpha, it's your call."
"The true Suijin-sama is trapped somewhere nearby, otherwise this place would have long since collapsed into disrepair. Her powers have been sealed in some way, since her feeling is rather muted but Padfoot will be able to pinpoint her." the young wolf explained
"I'll free her." the priest promised solemnly
"I'll go with the houshi," Sango decreed "if the true god is female who knows what that pervert will do..."
"I'm perfectly able to behave in front of beautiful female goddesses!" said houshi protested heatedly – after all, he was the first to guess at their alpha's identity and yet he had only proposed to her once, that was very reasonable in his books... of course the fact that he'd refrained from hitting on the ookami because of both her personal powers and ancestry wasn't mentioned, not even in his unspoken argument
"What do we do then?" Kagome asked as Miroku and Sango disappeared in a shadow, Padfoot leading them away
"Take the kids back to the village and tell them the real Suijin-sama is back, and won't need human sacrifice."
"How can you be sure?" Taroumaru asked
"Tch. A weakling with a fancy weapon won't be a challenge for the pup." InuYasha grumbled while dragging away the protesting child – Suekichi calmly following while holding Kagome's hand
"Fool! Sending away your friends won't save them!" the spirit laughed "I'll go after them once I'm done with you!"
"Done with me?" Tsukiko repeated, cold amusement in her eyes – and finally, she let go of the hold she'd had to have on her powers ever since she'd entered the holy ground
Eyes widening at the emerald-eyed goddess he'd finally recognized, the spirit stumbled back – not even bothering to give a token fight, she simply stepped toward him, too fast for him to follow her movements, and wrenched the holy artifact he was desperately gripping out of his hands.
"You know," she said idly as her senses were checking on the rest of her pack "double-crossing a Water Deity really was stupid." KageShin in her hands going through his shoulder and sticking him against the nearest wall
"Bah! Suijin was always too calm and kind toward those low-life humans! I only got rid of her weakness!"
[Goal complete! +25XP
Goal update: free Suijin-sama]
"You made the mistake of mixing up kindness and weakness." Tsukiko sighed – the spirit didn't even have the decency to look as if he was repenting for his actions
But no matter – soon, the true mistress of the place would be back, and free to punish her underling however she wished. And then, the idiotic snake would realize that the small water divinity, like all water deity, was slow to anger, but didn't forgive easily once riled up.
And sure enough, a few minutes later, Miroku and Sango were back, a girl small enough to sit in Sango's hand with them – a girl that with a touch of her weapon changed back to a more usual size and turned toward the cowering snake on the wall with a frown...
[Goal complete! +25XP
Goal update: free the sacrifice]
[Goal complete!+25XP
Optional goal: talk with Suijin-sama]
"Oh Daija-chan, you really though to usurp me?" the sweet smile was dangerous, all could tell "Did you really think that paltry seal would hold me forever?" the eyes grew colder "I'll take care of you later, when the guests are gone."
With a snap of her fingers, the snake was gone - and they felt reiki ripple in the air and through the whole temple, rearranging the whole place into a more cozy scenery, just as the rest of the pack arrived.
"Please be seated."
Tsukiko was the first to do so, the rest of her pack following suit, while the goddess smiled a more benevolent smile than the one she'd been aiming at her servant as she announced "I'd heard that the old grumpy had found himself family, but I didn't expect to meet you like this. Still, I'm happy to meet you, Death needed a family."
"I'm happy to have found my brother." Tsukiko nodded her agreement – and realized with a startle that it was true
She'd hadn't meant to become a goddess, and hadn't even been particularly happy about it when she'd learned about her ascension, but now, centuries later, she was happy in this strange new life that becoming one of the immortal beings had gifted her.
"Oh," Kagome finally realized "it's not that you've been sent by the gods Tsuki-chan, but rather that you are a god, right?"
The question was asked with simple curiosity, rather different to the over the top reaction InuYasha had displayed earlier – but Kagome had grown so used to strange events around her ever since falling down the well that realizing the godhood of her friend didn't rate all that high on her scale of strangeness.
"I am." Tsukiko nodded "I ascended by accident at the end of my first life, and was given the option to become a sort of god of heroes..."
"So that's why you've got reiki!" Shippou realized "Even as a youkai you can't just stop being holy, so it makes sense." the kit nodded firmly
Suijin smiled at the pack's interactions "The mission you've been given as a young goddess seem to suit you well." she noted "I would have loved to help you," she added "but I'm afraid my powers are rather minor compared to you." she admitted easily enough "I am only a deity from the forth circle after all."
"We didn't help for a reward," Tsukiko smiled "even if Chaos' Game still provides one." a wink "And we're nearly family too after all."
"True enough." the goddess laughed "Still, I can at least give you a roof for the night and some supplies for the road."
"We'd be honored." the ookami affirmed
[Secondary quest complete!
Reward: +25XP, Water God Protection Perk (+10 to all protection skills)]
By the time the evening meal rolled-by, the pack had had the time to wash the grime of the day's travel and fight, and the conversation around the feast flowed easily – even Sango, the one who had been the most surprised to realize that she was in the presence of not one but two divinities had soon enough relaxed thanks to the pack's familiar banter.
Stories were told, of Tsukiko and Ryoichi's previous lives, of Suijin herself, and eventually they landed on the topic of how Kagome had been sent to the past and her self-assigned task of gathering back the Jewel she'd shattered – and from them to InuYasha's past with Kikyou and Naraku.
As for Sango, she'd been explained quite a few things too during the evening – and hearing about Chaos Game, Kagome and Tsukiko's origin from the future or Shippou's and Miroku's story made the teenage girl realized that so focused had she been on her revenge ever since her family had been cut down by Naraku she had cut herself off from the rest of the world.
Naraku maybe her enemy – but she wasn't the only one with a bone to pick with the guy, and yet none of them seemed to be so held back by her past as she was.
"It's because it's still so fresh for you." Miroku whispered softly as he picked upon her confusion "And because you're trying to deal with it alone." he added with a sigh "We are all here for you, if you need to cry, vent, or even train more to take down that bastard... But we can't force you to take our hand."
"Besides," Shippou added to her surprise "all of us realized you weren't ready yet, it's why we left you alone for a while." a smile "But see, your already better if you're starting to ask question!"
"But... I don't want to forget..."
"And you won't." Kagome reassured the tajiya "Learning to accept that Naraku did a great injustice to your village, and family, and that you're never going to see them again doesn't mean you've forgiven Naraku, or forgotten your family, only that you've remembered that you are still alive... and do you really think forgetting to live would be what you family would have wanted for you?"
"I know they wouldn't have wanted that." Sango admitted – and finally, the strong girl was crying, barely realizing that the pack had moved around her to support her as she let go of the anguish she'd been keeping inside
Eventually Sango fell asleep, face far more serene that she'd been in a long time – as they put the young woman to sleep, Kirara curling protectively around her, Kagome frowned, anger and sadness clear on her face "This idiot Naraku really is making life worst for people, as if the shards causing chaos wasn't bad enough!"
"We'll stop him." Miroku reminded her as they walked toward the small patio where Suijin had gone ahead to arrange for tea while they'd taken their friend to her room
"We will." Kagome nodded, half-turning toward Tsukiko "I understand, now, why you said that even for people who don't like violence, it's sometime the only solution. Evil like Naraku won't be banished with peace-talk!" she said
"Well said," Suijin agreed "This is a lesson that took me far too much time to learn before I ascended." she added with a wistful smile "To protect peace, you have to be able to wage war..." with that, her eyes glowed blue "You know, I wasn't thinking enough about the situation earlier when I said I couldn't help..."
Power swirled around her in a wave of iridescent turquoise, touching Miroku, Kagome, Tsukiko and even Padfoot before disappearing...
[Hidden Quest complete! To have peace...
Your will to fight impressed Suijin
Reward: +100XP, holy servant are now Elementally attuned]
[Your skills have been updated!]
[Holy Affinity skills:
Nature Art: 5/25* (unlocked by being Elementally attuned)]
[Level up! You are now level 148!
+1SP]
[Level up! Kagome is now level 100!
+1SP, +1PP, +2CP]
[Level up! InuYasha is now level 127!
+1SP]
[Level up! Shippou is now level 91!
+2SP, +2CP, +1PP]
[Level up! Miroku is now level 89!
+2SP]
[Kagome is now Three-Tailed!
Three-Tail Perks
- Warrior Priestess: your attack are all imbued with holy powers, dealing even more damage than a normal priestess to corrupted beings, unlocks Battle Sense as a normal learning Fighting Skill
- Shrine Maiden: knowledge of the temple come naturally to you, making Wards and Rituals fast learning skills
- Pack Symbiosis: you learn from your pack mate, unlocks Elemental Manipulation as a fast learning skill (with an element to be chosen)
- Fate's Chosen: you have embraced your destiny and gain double the XP in any type of quest
available: 1]
The pack gave thanks to the goddess once more, as what she considered as a minor gift still improved all their elemental affinities linked to water – but Suijin answered that their will to fight had reminded her that time was far different for mortals, and that maybe it was time for her to take her stand too.
¤.¤.¤
The next day, as the pack and Sango took the road once more, the water goddess was meeting with the nearby village's head. Holy beings couldn't give away their gifts freely – but that was why bargains and pacts had been invented, and while she had no interest in eating children, she could always use another pair of hands in her temple.
And so, Suijin and Nanushi were soon striking a deal – the water deity would protect the village from natural disaster, and enemy attack, and the villagers would in return promise to be a haven for all, youkai, spirit or humans, as long as they kept their peace in the village.
None in the pack knew it – but the evening spent with the goddess had directly lead to the first of the Havens, mixed villages where humans, spirits and youkai lived together, and would later be the first to go into hiding when the time came for all gifted beings to disappear from History...
The same day, the young goddess also sent messengers to her sisters, reminding them that if they had chosen to live in he mortal realms – something possible for them as they were much less powerful than the main deities – then they could also help the mortals around them in the small way they could. This in turn would spur on the other minor deity living through the country to look for villages or people to struck deal with.
As for the pack, they were on the road again, ear opened for any hearsay of strange happening that could be caused by the shards, and blissfully unaware of the cascade of events they'd caused.
Now that they weren't hiding anything from Chaos Game to Sango, they could train much more openly, and even if she wasn't pack, the girl could still be invited as a hunting party member, making her take advantage on a lesser scale of the opportunities given by it.
As for Kagome, now three-tailed, the young miko had wavered for a long time between the Pack Symbiosis and Fate's Chosen Perks... before settling on the Warrior Priestess Perk.
"Kikyou and Midoriko didn't have the help of a pack, or of Chaos Game when they battled their foes." Kagome had explained, when Miroku had asked her about her choice "I'm not saying I won't take advantage of Chaos Game, and never chose a perk unrelated to my reiki... But before relying on new powers, I want to go as far as I can as a miko, just like the two of them did."
And indeed, she proved her resolve in the following days, going through her school work much more diligently, and once done with it asking countless questions to all of them – about his own education as a houshi to Miroku, about her knowledge as a tajiya to Sango, and so on...
"You look like a proud mother cat." InuYasha taunted as Tsukiko was watching from a few meters away Shippou and Kagome help Sango with a small youkai extermination job she'd taken in the village they were passing by
"You're one to talk, oji-san." she answered without missing a beat "Do you think I don't see you smile whenever Shippou learn a new move?"
The hanyou didn't have an answer that wouldn't be a lie – and so wisely kept his silence.
The truth was – Kagome's renewed motivation had spurred them all on, and even their tajiya friend had been infected, sharing with them secrets he was pretty sure she shouldn't have told to outsiders from her village.
The young woman wasn't pack yet – but even the hanyou could see that she would be, eventually. And he found himself looking forward to it.
As the two girls and the young kit were smoking out and dealing with a nest of nezumi youkai, Miroku had been led away by a beautiful woman – or rather, he'd let himself be led away, having felt just like the others the faint youki emanating from her.
With Padfoot as a back up, he'd decided to spring the trap – and a trap it was, indeed, as while spinning some sob story about her destroyed palace and murdered family, the lady had grown large mandibles.
"So, did you kill that girl?" he wondered at the clearly inhuman creature
"I ate her from the inside!" the giant preying mantis answered, pride in her voice and abandoning any kind of pretense before rushing at the priest
Padfoot jumped out of the shadows immediately, growing to his larger form mid-jump to snatch away of of the beast's member in a snap of his powerful jaws, while Miroku raised a wall of water with one hand , and infused his shakujou with houriki at the same time, dealing another heavy wound to the youkai.
A few minute of battle later, both the priest and the dog were covered with the large insect's innards, and trekking back to the village – a bath later, and he was retelling the story.
"There's something I realized during the fight..." Miroku concluded at the end of his explanation "That youkai was aiming most of her attacks at my hand."
"Somehow, a youkai that knew to use the form of a beautiful woman would attract you, and about your kazaana doesn't strike me as a chance happening." Kagome mused
"This reeks of Naraku." InuYasha concurred "It's not the first time he's sent youkai after us, after all."
"Far from it." Tsukiko nodded – Rouyakan had been the first, but not from the last, and the annoying saimyoushou always seemed to find them
"So what was his aim by targeting Miroku's cursed hand?" Shippou wondered "Couldn't he just send his saimyoushou?"
"He's realized I doesn't use the kazaana a lot anymore, and probably wanted to force me to use it by separating me from you." the priest theorized "And the mantis had sharp pincers, something that could have easily hurt my hand even more."
"What would have happened if it had managed to do it?"
"Well... a cut on my hand would have probably widened the kazaana, I don't really know, I'd have to ask my master..."
"You have a master?" Shippou asked, eyes wide
"Well someone did have to take care of me after oyaji kicked the bucket." the young priest shrugged easily "Mushin's an old drunk, and I'm pretty sure my loose morals are his fault."
"Sounds like a charming man." Tsukiko laughed "Let's meet him!"
Kagome and Shippou nodded with a large smile, making Miroku sweatdrop – as for InuYasha, his lack of protest was as good as an approval...
"If Naraku wanted to sent you to your mentor, he may have planned to do something to him." Sango pointed out more logically "We really should check on him."
"Alright, alright!" the priest agreed "It's not too far anyway, if we head out tomorrow morning we should be there by the afternoon..."
As promised, they were heading toward Mushin's temple by the next day, arriving by mid-afternoon. The place was out of the way, near a small waterfall – and the calm of the day was only broken by loud snores.
"That damn drunk," Miroku swore without heat – before entering the temple main room and kicking the man that was producing these noises awaken "Oy! You've got visit you fake monk!"
"Uh, Miroku. Still alive eh kid?"
"I should say the same to you. So much drinking will put you in a grave faster than my kazaana will." the young answered back
"And you even brought company." the monk finally realize
"Yes they forced me to check on you because of Naraku's plotting. Clearly you're alright, so we'll be on our way!"
"Or we could take advantage of the afternoon to take a break and train a bit..." Tsukiko contradicted lightly
Miroku shrugged – clearly, the whole pack had gone mad, wanting to know more about the old drunk that had raised him! There was nothing interesting about the man, except his impressive ability to drink an absolutely abnormal quantity of alcohol...
"Fine, fine." he relented "Kagome-sama did want me to check on her sutra..."
"Better you than me." Tsukiko agreed with an amused smile – while she had nothing against sutra, she was still far better with runes – speaking of which "Shippou-chan, oji-san, time for some studying!"
"Are we talking about youkai wards and spells?" Shippou guessed
"That we are." she confirmed "I can't really teach this while walking, I'd need visual props. I'll buy a pack of flash cards when I head back home so you can cram during the day, but for now we'll go over the basis."
"Tch. I still don't see why I've got to learn this too."
"We already went over this oji-san, even if you don't use it you should at least learn it. It could save your arse one day!"
The hanyou dropped down near Shippou in surrender, knowing his niece wouldn't let him flee from the lessons – and really, his protestation had only been out of habit, he really preferred open fight to finicky things like wards, but he knew that now that the bastard had named him family, not knowing about this would reflect badly on the House of Moon. And while Sesshoumaru could live with being shamed a bit in his opinion, he wouldn't do this to his alpha, knowing how proud the young goddess was of her position as heir to the West.
The afternoon went by slowly, Mushin observing the unusual liveliness in his old temple with all the pack training and learning. He was emptying yet another jar of sake when Tsukiko sat near him, the ookami done with her lessons for the moment.
"He's changed a lot." the monk said after a moment of silence "I was surprised to see he wasn't alone anymore..."
"Miroku is a good man." the hime smiled "One who was far too afraid of hurting the people around him because of his curse."
"Well... He would have been caught by his father's kazaana if I hadn't kept him back." a sigh "This kind of death isn't something he should have seen."
"He won't die like this." Tsukiko stated calmly – both a pledge and a conviction "I won't let him."
This was true too – because as Death's sister she could feel quite easily natural lifespan, and Miroku wasn't meant to die by his kazaana, because that thing was a curse that shouldn't exist, just like it's creator.
And so she would prevent him from dying from it, be it by eradicating the plague that was Naraku, or by more drastic measure...
"I believe you." Mushin finally said, pulling her out of her thoughts – a smile "Because this idiot used to present a fake smile to the world and hide his worries away... And now he isn't."
She smiled – even if he didn't know to put the word pack on it, the old drunk had understood well enough their group dynamics with his ward, proving that behind the harsh words each had for the other, Miroku and Mushin really did care about each other.
¤.¤.¤
"Ah, enough mushiness," the monk stumbled up "I'm gonna get me more booze, my hands are shaking again."
Snorting at the unrepentant alcoholic, she let him go and was soon joined by Sango, the tajiya cooling down from a spar with InuYasha "Seeing the master, it's easier to understand Miroku-sama's manners." she commented with an amused smile "I would even say he's not that bad... If only he could control this cursed hand of his!"
Tsukiko smiled, knowing the other wasn't talking about the kazaana – but rather of the unfortunate tendency of the houshi to appraise a woman's beauty in a very hands-on fashion, which Sango was often victim of.
The next moment she tensed – just as the rest of the pack.
"Youki, coming from the reserve!" Miroku snapped, looking around for his mentor
"He just went for a refill..." Tsukiko announced
"Damn!" with that, the houshi rushed in the direction the sudden youki was coming from, the rest of the pack and Sango following suit
The monk was already coming out of the reserve – but something was clearly off about him, and with a surge of reiki, he was attacking.
"What the hell is going on?" InuYasha wondered, jumping out of the attack's way
"He is being controlled." Kagome understood "That's why he still has access to his reiki!"
"It's just as the little lady said!" Mushin nodded "Now be a good boy and die under my praying-beads!"
"Wow, he is good." Kagome had to admit, as the old monk made said beads grow in size and wrap around InuYasha
"Not the time! Get me out of this before praising his technique!" the hanyou protested
"Sorry!"
Kagome jumped toward him, reiki now naturally humming in her naginata, and attempted to cut the beads – only to realize they were far stronger than she had thought. And as the same time as the controlled man had launched his attack, youki had suddenly flared around them, stunning them all.
"He must have used concealment wards!" Tsukiko realized as countless giant beast youkai appeared around them
Miroku threw a worried glance at his mentor still struggling against InuYasha and Kagome, before taking a better hold of his shakujou – and water, infused with his reiki formed around the top of the weapon, transforming it in a make-shift halberd. Trusting the young miko to take care of the situation, he turned toward the waves of of enemies approaching and jumped into the fray, side-by-side with Sango, Kirara and Tsukiko.
"Where's Shippou?"
"Looking for the one controlling Mushin-san." Tsukiko explained "Sango identified the one controlling him. It's a tsubo-pot user. If he finds the pot and aim it at your mentor, the kokochuu will come out and free him."
"Still, are you sure he'll be alright by himself?" the tajiya couldn't help but worry "He's still a kit."
"Padfoot is looking after him," Tsukiko reassured her "and Shippou may be young, he is already very strong."
"I know." Sango admitted "It's just that he looks so young, it reminds me of my brother..." a sigh "But Shippou has a reason to fight, and thanks to that he is much stronger than Kohaku was... He was such a kind and shy child, not really meant to be an exterminator..."
Shippou had found the tsubo-pot user easily enough, as he was still hidden away in the shack where Mushin kept his alcohol stocks – and the small creature had tried to flee, clearly not used to have to fight by himself.
But between Padfoot and the him, they'd soon cornered him – cleaning the blood away, the kit stored away FuurinKiba, and jumped on Padfoot, the large Grimm shifting through the shadows and making them reappear near the main temple, where Kagome had given up on cutting the praying-beads and was instead trying to incapacitate the monk himself.
"Hey! Drunkard!" Shippou called – before swiftly pointed the stolen pot at him once he'd gained the attention of the monk
With that, the kokochuu slipped out of his mouth, and Mushin fell to the ground – asleep, and free from control, while his praying-beads went back to normal, freeing InuYasha.
"Finally!" the hanyou proclaimed, Tessaiga growing back to it's awakened form as he jumped in the middle of the remaining youkai and unleashed his Kaze no Kizu
With that swing of his blade, the fight was over, all the remaining youkai cut apart by the famous blade.
[Hunting Complete! Tsubo-pot user and kokochuu
Reward:+50XP, +2 Hunting Trophy]
"Well," Miroku commented, reiki and water splashing away "at least I've been able to test my new weapon."
"That water-blade was really a good idea." Tsukiko nodded "I'd never thought of using an element traditionally used for defense like that, but it sure did the job against those youkai."
"Like you said, the water isn't all that good at offense, but once infuse with my reiki..."
They didn't stand a chance." the alpha completed "Clever."
"Still, Naraku really did attack the place, shall we reinforce it like we did in Sango's village?" Kagome wondered
"Tomorrow." InuYasha decreed, tired of having been assaulted with non-friendly reiki for so long "He's already attacked once today, he won't be ready to sent another wave that soon."
With that comment, and a last look at the bits of youkai on the ground, the pack shrugged, and headed for the hot spring to get rid of the grim before turning in for the night – their beta was right, between the fight, the training and the long hour of trekking they'd done today, all were ready to sleep a few hours.
The next morning was spent setting wards, just like they'd done in the tajiya village, and the afternoon training, as the holy servants were all too spent from their early work to hit the road again.
¤.¤.¤
Finally they left the day after, a smiling Mushin sending them away.
Barely a few hours into the day, Kagome's head snapped "I feel a shard." she announced "It's rather faint, but it's definitely corrupted."
"Well, let's got then!" Tsukiko nodded – Kagome and Sango jumping on Kirara's back while Miroku was on Padfoot, the two girls having decided that the pervert would be better kept away from any temptation
As one, they rushing toward the direction the young miko had pointed toward – going even faster when the youkai senses picked up the smell of blood...
Finally, they stumbled onto a small village, humans running in all direction "Please save us!" one of them shouted when he caught sight of them "This... this monstrous kid entered the village and started to kill all of us without a reason!"
The pack had already jumped toward the direction the louder scream were coming from – the direction in which Kagome was feeling a shard – and ran across the one accountable for the pointless bloodshed.
Just like the villager had said, it was a kid – with an expressionless face, a shard seen only by Kagome and Tsukiko in his back, and a familiar fighting gear.
"Kohaku!"
At the shout, the kid turned his head toward Sango, showing no sign of recognizing her, then rushed away – followed immediately by the young tajiya.
The pack followed suit – only for both the kid and Sango, still mounted to Kirara, to disappear abruptly once they were in the forest.
"A barrier!" Kagome realized, immediately setting on finding how to disable it
It took the girl a few moments to realize that the barrier anchorage had been hidden within it, making it impossible to disable the easy way – but the same analysis had also let her know that said barrier was rather flimsy, only designed to keep all but Sango away.
Taking her naginata out, she flared her reiki – and with one powerful strike, the barrier fell apart, letting the group free to rush in the direction where they were hearing fight noises...
They turned up on the edge of a cliff, just as Naraku disappeared away in a cloud of miasma, spiriting Kohaku way with him.
"Sango-san!" Kagome rushed to her side "Are you alright? What happened?"
"This... this wasn't my brother!" the tajiya said, looking like she was trying to convince herself rather than the other "It couldn't be..."
"I'm afraid it really was your brother." Tsukiko contradicted gently "But he wasn't acting of his free will."
"Kohaku was kind! He wouldn't... wouldn't kill all these people or fight for Naraku!"
"He isn't given a choice." the ookami informed her "His entire being is suppressed by the shard in his back right now."
"But that shard is what's keeping him alive!"
"Is that what Naraku said?"
An hesitation, then a nod.
"A false truth." the hime informed her calmly "That shard is spelled to keep him between life and death, as a puppet to Naraku. Taking the shard without any precaution would indeed kill him..."
"But he could be saved?" the tajiya asked urgently
"If an expert in healing was present." Tsukiko allowed, before taking something out of her Inventory "None of us are good enough... But this..."
"Oh! The old sennin's gift!" Kagome recognized "So it's a healing item?"
"A powerful one." her alpha confirmed "But it's limited to one use." she turned her attention back to Sango, closing the girl's hands around the leaf necklace "With this, you'll be able to save your brother, just put it around his neck, and wish for it. But be warned: it's use your own helath, so you'll feel weak after."
The affirmation made the young woman eyes widen, and she stared at the jewel in her hands as if it was the most powerful thing she'd ever seen – before finally turning toward Tsukiko, tears shinning in her eyes, yet unshed for now "Why? Why are you all so helpful? Why, when I could betray you any day?"
"Because you won't." Kagome stated with certainty "Oh sure, you may be tempted by whatever deal Naraku proposed to you... But you've already been bitten once by this devil, you know better than to believe him."
"I could betray you to someone else."
"You wouldn't." InuYasha was the one to contradict her this time "You're far too straight-laced for this."
Sango closed her eyes, wishing her tears away by pure will-power – when she opened them again, her eyes were dry once more, and full of determination "Naraku wanted me to steal the Tessaiga for him in exchange for my brother's life. Will you help me?"
"We will." Tsukiko promised
[Life Quest! Ohana means family...
Goal: Save Kohaku
Bonus goal: Spring Naraku's trap
Reward: +50XP per goal, + 1 beginner skill book upon completion
Bonus reward:+100XP per goal, unlocks Nobody gets Left Behind Perk (+10 to empathy and Synergy) upon completion]
With that, the pack headed back to the village they'd left in chaos, helping them are for the wounded and Miroku presiding a memorial for the dead, before going away – not without Kagome asking them not to blame the boy who'd done such a crime, as he was controlled by a youkai. The villagers, wounds still raw from the attack, had nevertheless promised to put the blame where it truly laid thanks to the kind girl's natural way with words.
Clean up done, they'd left the village, eventually finding a small empty cabin where they decided to stop for the nigh – waiting.
A few hours into the night, the pack who'd only been sleeping on one ear silently prepared itself – they were surrounded by youkai, who'd crept on them during the darkest hours, and more importantly, the tainted shard Kagome had identified as controlling Kohaku was present too.
Sharing one last glance full of determination, the pack and Sango jumped into action, InuYasha taking Tessaiga out just in time for the blade to parry the scythe the young tajiya used as a weapon as it tore through the door.
After that, the fight was on – but of course, the pack was hampered by the controlled kid in front of them, whom they couldn't fight all-out against and had clearly been sent to hinder them.
And finally, taking advantage of a particularly virulent wave of youkai, the controlled Kohaku sent his chained-weapon toward Tessaiga, wrenching it out of InuYasha's claws – making it fall right at the feet of Sango.
With one last hesitating look around her, the tajiya swept the weapon, jumping on Kirara's back and following after the already retreating Kohaku.
The controlled kid was gone too fast to see that Padfoot had disappeared into the shadows, Shippou on his back, and was following him, leaving a trail for his mistress to follow – nor did he see how the pack suddenly stopped holding back, taking care of the remaining beast youkai that had seemingly been giving them problems in a few second before following – Kagome on Tsukiko's back, and Miroku on InuYasha's, both male protesting about the pairing yet still following their alpha's order.
"Eh. So you really did betray your friends to save your brother's life!" the hanyou hidden under a white baboon pelt laughed "How despicable of you, tajiya-san!"
"I've got Tessaiga, just like you asked." Sango stated coldly, not letting go of the dormant weapon "So where's my brother?"
"He's here, don't worry. But before seeing him, drop your weapon and hand me the sword."
Without a complain, Sango obeyed, the heavy hiraikotsu dropping to the ground with a loud thump.
"Now give me the sword."
"Not before I've seen my brother."
"So distrustful." the corrupted hanyou laughed, before calling "Come out, boy. Your dear sister want to see you."
The little boy in a tajiya's outfit stepped out of the shiro, face blank and unfeeling.
"Now go to your sister when she gives me the sword."
A nod, and as she stepped toward Naraku, her brother stepped toward her – and finally, the hanyou had the sword, and laughing, ordered "Now kill your sister! It's the least I can do after all, since she was so useful!"
It was the moment all struck – Sango swiftly dealing with her brother by rushing toward him, uncaring of the weapon aimed at her, and knocking him out – right when Kirara and Padfoot launched themselves at Naraku, while Shippou attacked with his Fox Fire.
To avoid the fireball, Naraku couldn't escape the two animal – and so both nekomata and grimm sunk their teeth into the hanyou's body.
But Naraku didn't bleed, Sango realized with shock as she took possession of hiraikotsu again – instead, dense and poisonous youki was oozing from the wounds, making Kirara regress to her smaller form, clearly affected by the miasma – while Padfoot, still in his larger form thanks to his rather high poison resistance, was clearly weakened too.
"Tch. Foolish girl, you cannot beat me. My whole body is made of condensed miasma, you'll die before achieving anything."
Before the tajiya could answer anything, the rest of the pack barged in, tacking position around her in a protective manner.
"I see. You didn't betray them after all..." the hanyou muttered – tone neutral, yet surprise clear to guess in the crazed eyes "No matter, you are still right where I wanted, and none of you will leave this place alive!" he added with a mad laugh, youki swirling around him as his hair twisted into a sea of black snake oozing miasma so fast that they didn't have the time to reach for him
¤.¤.¤
Miroku erected a barrier around them immediately, the water filtering the miasma – but it was clear that they would gain nothing by staying encircled by the poisonous fog, and InuYasha who was probably the most resistant among them was without his weapon right now.
"I could use my kazaana to clear a path."
"Don't." InuYasha contradicted rather harshly "Your water is protecting us right now, and you using that cursed hand will do no good."
"It would help us get out of here."
"It would also poison you." the beta pointed out
Meanwhile, Kagome had had an illumination – stepping out of Miroku's bubble was out of question, as it would lead to a quick and painful death – but while she wasn't the best at it, she did have a long-range weapon, and Tsukiko had probably caught up with Naraku by this point to reclaim the Tessaiga.
Her smile widened – well time to clear out a path, and help her friend in the same move.
Closing her eyes, the young miko stretched her powers out, beyond the sea of miasma and further inside the shiro, she could feel a shard as large as the one around her neck, and her alpha's familiar presence, the ookami clearly in battle.
Reiki hummed around her – and with one long and steady draw, she struck.
The power, so pure that the hanyou and youkai around her had raised their hackles even thought they weren't harmed, burnt through the bow, and the arrow cleared a large path through the miasma, before finishing it's course right in Naraku's back, hitting him mid-jump in his fight with Tsukiko.
The hanyou stumbled, a whole arm gone, and turned disbelieving eyes toward the miko glaring right at him, the bow in her hands turning to ashes under the strain of her purifying powers – this of course cost him, as Tsukiko was still right there, and ready to take advantage of his weakness.
The next moment, youki was flaring around all of them, rushing through the shiro – Miroku barely holding his barrier against the fiery fury that raged around them, while Tsukiko, too far, bore the brunt of the attack.
In a few moment, the unnatural fire had run it's course, and all that was left were ruins who'd clearly been empty for a long time judging by the encroaching vegetation.
"Tsuki-chan!"
Alerted by Kagome's shout, the rest of the pack soon pin-pointed their alpha, who was coming toward them, clothes full of burnt traces, looking worse for the wear – and left arm covered in blood.
"It looks worse than it is." the hime reassured them, nonetheless letting her childhood friend fuss over her "But I wouldn't be alive without my resistance to poison." despite the fact she looked like death warmed over, she still managed to smile as she handed back Tessaiga to her uncle while saying "Still, this was far from useless. We've got Kohaku and Tessaiga back..." the smile grew foxy "And even a bonus!"
Eyes dropping to the clutched hand of the ookami, Kagome gasped "You... How did you... Shikon shards!"
The affirmation turned the attention toward their alpha, who grinned toothily "Part of it was in his body, and the rest in a satchel in his clothes. He managed to get back the satchel before running away..." a smile "But he never realized that KageShin did more than gut him when she hit him."
"The Shikon no Tama is nothing more than condensed souls." Miroku realized "Of course your weapon works on it!"
The ookami nodded at the priest explanation, while handing to the miko the already purified shard she'd just stolen.
"Now..." a smile "Let's free and heal your brother, Sango-san."
The tajiya nodded, and taking the pendant she'd been given the day before out of her clothes, turned toward the still passed out form of Kohaku
"The shard is right at the base of his neck." Kagome indicated
With a brief slash of knife, the tainted shard was cut out, and the healing leaf immediately applied, the breathing of the boy, who'd nearly disappeared when the shard had been taken out growing noticeably clearer, and colors getting back to his pale cheeks.
"He's still weak," Kagome checked immediately "but he's not in danger of dying anytime soon."
Sango slumped to the ground in relief, head resting near the beating heart of her brother, still not quite believing it – it took her a few moments before she was able to put herself up, heaving Kohaku's unconscious body on Padfoot with InuYasha's help - no point in staying in the area still reeking of Naraku's youki, and even thought the day was starting, all of them needed to rest for at least a few hours after the battle, and Kirara was still weakened from the miasma she'd bitten.
"Thank you." she finally stated, as the pack settled in a clearing to rest a bit
"You didn't even need to ask, Sango-chan." Kagome answered automatically, happy for their friend
And with the candid affirmation – and the agreeing smiles and nod around her, she suddenly understood.
"We'll need to drop Kohaku somewhere." she stated "He needs a place to heal, and I don't think he's ready to see the tajiya village right now. Not with the memories of what he's had to do with Naraku's influence."
"I would have said to leave him with Mushin-sama." Miroku sighed "But that would put him at risk of becoming just as bad as the old man."
"Kaede-baa-chan will take him." InuYasha said gruffly – before asking what all of the pack was wondering "But when you say drop him..."
"I'm still traveling with you." the young woman confirmed
"To kill Naraku?"
"That." her eyes were clear for the first time in a long time as she added "And because you may not be blood, you're family too now."
The relief wasn't that visible – but because Sango had learned to know the pack well in their short time traveling together, she could guess at it. And when Padfoot nuzzled her hand, reiki swirling around him, she barely needed the glance around her and smiling face to guess what was happening...
[Life Quest Complete! +50XP
Bonus goal complete! +100XP
Bonus reward: Nobody gets Left Behind Perk (+10 to empathy and Synergy) unlocked
Hidden bonus goal complete!
You managed to hurt Naraku enough that he's been forced to go into hiding to heal
Reward: +(200+100)XP, +1 enhancement to be chosen
Hidden bonus goal complete!
You've managed to stole back part of the Shikon shards Naraku had gathered
Reward: +(200+100)XP, +1 youkai-made armor piece to be chosen]
[Hidden Quest complete! All as one...
Sango and Kirara are now part of Shadow's pack
Reward: +100XP, Sango and Kirara gains Chaos Game 3.0]
[Level up! You are now level 151!
+2SP, +2CP, +1PP]
[Level up! Kagome is now level 104!
+4SP]
[Level up! InuYasha is now level 131!
+3SP, +2CP, +1PP]
[Level up! Shippou is now level 98!
+5SP, +2CP]
[Level up! Miroku is now level 96!
+5SP, +2CP, +1PP]
[Level up! Sango is now level 49!
+25SP, +10CP, +2PP]
[You are now Four-Tailed!
- Moon Princess: your defensive abilities are granted a bonus based on your Light Affinity and your offensive abilities are granted a bonus based on your Darkness Affinity (unlocked by activating "Heir of the House of Moon" title)
- Youkai Miko: you may be the first, you certainly won't be the last, and you all will gain the characteristic of both species (unlocked by the Holy System update)
- Reincarnation Roulette: you gain the attribute of a Spirit (unlocked by gaining the Nature Affinity)
- Pack Symbiosis: you learn from your pack mate, Metamorph is now just as versatile as Shape-shifting but the skill is dropped down by half its points
Available: 1
note that in the Youkai Miko tail-perk, the miko CP bonus will be decennial and not yearly given the life-span of youkai]
The pack had started heading back toward Edo a few hours later, talking as they traveled – with both Tsukiko gaining her fourth tail and Sango unlocking Chaos Game, they didn't lack for topics to chat about.
The hime admitted to be a bit put-out – while the perk where interesting, she admitted, she couldn't help but regret the absence of a perk letting choose to gain the traits of another type of youkai … purely because she really missed flying, and as such would have loved choosing a winged type this time
"But... didn't you say you chose to be an ookami?" Kagome wondered at that affirmation, remembering one of their talk with Suijin-sama
"I did." she confirmed "I had met a lot of canine youkai, mainly kitsune but a few inu and ookami too, so I assumed they were closely linked to you one way or another."
"You weren't wrong at that," the miko realized "after all I stumbled on InuYasha nearly as soon as I fell through the well..."
A few second of silence – then a fiery aura suddenly surrounded the young ookami before she managed to put it all under control.
"Huh. Fire Spirit, then." InuYasha stated, rather than asked
"Indeed." she confirmed "It was my strongest elemental affinity, and it gave a boost to my Fox Fire..."
"Logical." Miroku nodded "Rather master one ability because focusing on too many at the same time."
"Exactly. And with how difficult elemental manipulation is, having both blood and fire to master is more than enough."
"Blood too?" Shippou noted "That's why your Fox Fire always feel different!" he realized
"I use my blood to boost most of my youki ability." the alpha confirmed "It's the ability I kept from my previous life." a shrug "Well it's not really the ability I used back then, but Chaos had to adapt it to this world... to keep the balance of power and all that..."
With both Kohaku still asleep and Kirara weakened by Naraku's miasma, it took them five days instead of three for the pack to arrive to Edo – where they were received not only by Kaede, but Rouyakan, the wolf youkai having gone beyond his instructions by somehow befriending the old miko, and the rest of the village.
"He is willing to learn," Kaede explained after they retold for her their latest travel "and very kind. Once he chased away a few beast youkai, the villagers realized he wasn't there to hurt them, and started to give him a few things to eat whenever he helped out, and the wolf soon realized that helping around meant food. So he learned to help not only by chasing youkai away but by helping out in the field, or with the hunters." a smile "He also follows me when I gather herbs, and he's starting to recognize the ones that I want."
Sango, after being explained how the youkai had come to be Tsukiko's retainer, couldn't help but smile – the alpha was kind, even if sometimes in ways that weren't immediately apparent, and Edo had gained a faithful protector thanks to that kindness, just like she had gained a pack...
The next day was spent resting – something all of them sorely needed – then Kagome dropped to the future, to give back her assignment and get new ones.
Tsukiko went home too, spending the day with her father – and the shiro inu spent hours drilling her in the dojo, helping her to get a feel of her changed gifts thanks to the addition of the Fire Spirit in her genetics. What it meant, beyond her improved fire affinity, was a more volatile temper, which would need long hours of meditation to keep even, and an understanding of the element that went far beyond the simple manipulation – she had been able to use fire, but now, she was fire.
It meant, among other things, that heat had no effect on her anymore – but also, because spirits used spiritual powers rather than youki, that her reiki was even more effective than before, and not only against corrupted beings...
In other words, her fourth-tail had given her a wealth of new gift, that were thankfully useful immediately, but would take time to fully master.
By the time she went back to the past, her father had managed to help her quite a bit with her training, making her gain a whole level – which as a four-tail wasn't an easy feat by any mean – and he'd also confirmed to her that the fact her status as heir and alpha had been confirmed in the present too, as proved by the fact that the blue moon that had previously been a simple outline was now a colored shape, just like on her father's brow and making a notification flash in front of her eyes...
[Soul Imprint updated!
House of Moon Clan Mark (+2 Wisdom, +1 Charisma)]
The ookami hadn't been able to hide her smile at that – she may not have been exactly happy when her scar as Harriett Potter had showed up on Sawada Kazami's brow, but that had been decades ago, and since then she'd taken a liking to the traces that told of her passage through different life – after all she may leave people behind each time, it didn't mean she'd forget them, and the soul-imprint was a visible proof of the influence her several life had on her…
Yes, in a way she'd come to treasure all her soul marks – even the ugly scars from Ariana Elric's automail...
By the end of the day, both miko and hime were back to the past, and their pack – and the next day, Kohaku finally opened his eyes.