"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I found youuuuuu!" growled a high pitched
voice as a large, blue, balloon-like ball with a cartoonish face rose up
above the walls formed by the branches of the tree in which she was hiding.
Yelping, she stumbled backwards and fell out of her position in the crook
of the branches. Less then a second later, she hit the ground almost four
meters below.
She lay there, stunned, for a short time before standing up and rubbing her bottom. "Owwww," she whined softly. She watched the blue ball as it decended towards her, a look a surprise on its face.
It was looking right and left at the ground, but she had hidden behind the tree trunk, so it wasn't seeing her. "Where did you go, Ryo- Ohki? I found you, no fair hiding again," said the confused looking orb.
Suddenly, a small figure lept from a tree above the decending balloon. A girl's voice yelled "Meow!" as the figures collided, and they both vanished within a puff of white smoke. A soft "phumpfh" punctuated the impact that a small form made with the ground. When she peeked out from behind her tree again, she saw a small boy with a large fluffy tail standing up and glaring at a fuzzy gray girl who was hovering about a foot off the ground. She knew she'd seen both of them before... She put her fist in her palm--quietly, so as not to reveal her presence to the two friends-- as she placed them: they were the two youkai that Lord Sesshoumaru had held prisoner. They had been unconsious in a cage at the time.
"No fair, Ryo-Ohki!" yelled the boy indignantly. "I didn't know you could teleport like Ryoko! No fair teleporting!"
The girl looked confused. "I can't teleport..."
"But-- but-- I saw you in that tree!" sputtered the boy. "There's no way you could have gotten up there behind me without me seeing you!"
The fuzzy girl looked towards the tree at which the boy was pointing and responded, "I wasn't in that tree, Shippo. I was flying just beneath the canopy."
"I know I saw someone in that tree," said the boy, cautiously. "And I heard a startled yell just before she vanished. If it wasn't you, then who was it?"
She pulled back a bit, so the pair wouldn't see her as they looked around. Sesshoumaru had told her not to be seen. Unfortunately, she couldn't see them while she was hiding completely, and, when she peeked out, she could only see the boy--Shippo--looking around in the foliage. He was facing away from her. She giggled silently into her hand as he looked in entirely the wrong place to find her.
She jumped in surprise when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Shippo! I found someone!" called out a child's voice behind her. When she turned around to look at the fuzzy youkai girl--Ryo-ohki, if she had heard the boy named Shippo right--the girl smiled. "Hi! I'm Ryo-ohki! Who are you?"
Uh-oh, she'd been found. Well, now that she had been seen, she couldn't do any worse. She may as well introduce herself. "Rin," she answered.
"Were you playing hide-and-go-seek, too?" asked Ryo-ohki.
Rin thought about it for a moment, and she supposed she had been. She nodded, smiling.
Shippo had run over to them. "Who's this?" he asked Ryo-ohki. Before she had a chance to answer, he turned and looked more closely at Rin. "Were you the person up in that tree?" When Rin nodded, he continued, "Sorry for scaring you out of it. I thought you were Ryo-ohki. What were you doing up there?"
"Watching," answered Rin. "You were funny looking before Ryo-ohki tackled you. My name's Rin!" she bowed politely.
Shippo transformed into the blue balloon form. "I am a frightening youkai," he intoned in his deepest growl--which still was rather child-like and nowhere near a bass--while rolling his eyes in what he thought was a menacing way. "Fear me!" Ryo-ohki giggled at Shippo's performance, and Shippo focussed his eyes on Rin. "Are you a youkai?" he asked in a more normal voice.
"Mm-mm," Rin shook her head. Pointing her thumb at her chest, she proudly stated, "I'm a human!"
Shippo popped back into his fuzzy-tailed boy form and landed on the ground. "You're human? And your not afraid to be alone in the forest with two dangerous youkai?"
Rin looked from Shippo to Ryo-ohki and back again. They looked like children her own age. Granted, Shippo had a tail that was almost as big as he was, and Ryo-ohki was covered in furr, but so what? "Should I be afraid? You don't look all that dangerous," she said.
Shippo swelled up, sticking out his chest. "We are too!"
He deflated when Ryo-ohki elbowed him in the stomach. "We wouldn't hurt you. You wanna play with us?"
Shippo nodded agreement. "Most humans are afraid of youkai. Even children like us."
"Not me! I think it's neat to meet youkai!" answered Rin. "What d'you want to play?"
Ryo-ohki and Shippo looked at each other and grinned. Rin caught on as they opened their mouths to take in a breath to speak together, and she joined them as they gleefully shouted, "Hide-and-Seek!"
* * *
Rin proved surprisingly adept at the game, successfully finding both Shippo and Ryo-ohki, even when Ryo-ohki flew. Shippo tried flying to hide, but his big blue balloon form is hard to miss, let alone hide. She proved not to be ground-bound, as she could scale a tree almost as fast as Ryo- ohki could fly upwards through its branches (unless, of course, Ryo-ohki went incorporeal and just phased through them).
However, this time Ryo-ohki was it. She was having a hard time finding either of them. She drifted through the forest about twenty feet off the ground, looking up and down for either of them. Finally, she saw an orangeish brown bushy thing sticking out of a tree. Drifting towards it quietly, she managed to surprise Shippo, who had fallen asleep in the crook of two branches. She woke him up, and told him "You're it!"
Then they both went to the ground to see if they could find Rin. As it was beginning to get dark, they finally gave up and Ryo-ohki cupped her hands over her mouth and called out "Mee-ow mee-ow Cabbit-free!"
A minute later, Rin walked up behind them. "You guys didn't find me," she said accusingly, a smile of amusement on her face.
"You hide well," said Shippo, admiringly. "It's getting late. We'd better get back to the village."
Rin looked at the sky and panicked. "Oh, no! I'm late! Bye-bye! I'll see you later!" she said as she turned to run off, waving as she said goodbye.
Ryo-ohki and Shippo were too startled to move for a minute. Then they looked at each other and shrugged. They didn't know where she was going, but she said she'd be back tomorrow. They needed to get back to the village.
As they travelled back, they eventually heard voices calling their names. "Ryo-ohki!" called Ryoko. "Shippo! It's time to come home!" yelled Kagome. When the two youkai children met the ladies, Ryo-ohki popped into her cabbit form and snuggled into Ryoko's arms. Kagome picked up the exhausted Shippo, holding him so his head was on her shoulder. Both children were asleep within minutes.
* * *
Author's Note: Well, I finally began the second story arc. C'mon, review and tell me what you think. Reviews with content that help me write better will be rewarded with thanks in future Author's Notes.and better writing.
She lay there, stunned, for a short time before standing up and rubbing her bottom. "Owwww," she whined softly. She watched the blue ball as it decended towards her, a look a surprise on its face.
It was looking right and left at the ground, but she had hidden behind the tree trunk, so it wasn't seeing her. "Where did you go, Ryo- Ohki? I found you, no fair hiding again," said the confused looking orb.
Suddenly, a small figure lept from a tree above the decending balloon. A girl's voice yelled "Meow!" as the figures collided, and they both vanished within a puff of white smoke. A soft "phumpfh" punctuated the impact that a small form made with the ground. When she peeked out from behind her tree again, she saw a small boy with a large fluffy tail standing up and glaring at a fuzzy gray girl who was hovering about a foot off the ground. She knew she'd seen both of them before... She put her fist in her palm--quietly, so as not to reveal her presence to the two friends-- as she placed them: they were the two youkai that Lord Sesshoumaru had held prisoner. They had been unconsious in a cage at the time.
"No fair, Ryo-Ohki!" yelled the boy indignantly. "I didn't know you could teleport like Ryoko! No fair teleporting!"
The girl looked confused. "I can't teleport..."
"But-- but-- I saw you in that tree!" sputtered the boy. "There's no way you could have gotten up there behind me without me seeing you!"
The fuzzy girl looked towards the tree at which the boy was pointing and responded, "I wasn't in that tree, Shippo. I was flying just beneath the canopy."
"I know I saw someone in that tree," said the boy, cautiously. "And I heard a startled yell just before she vanished. If it wasn't you, then who was it?"
She pulled back a bit, so the pair wouldn't see her as they looked around. Sesshoumaru had told her not to be seen. Unfortunately, she couldn't see them while she was hiding completely, and, when she peeked out, she could only see the boy--Shippo--looking around in the foliage. He was facing away from her. She giggled silently into her hand as he looked in entirely the wrong place to find her.
She jumped in surprise when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Shippo! I found someone!" called out a child's voice behind her. When she turned around to look at the fuzzy youkai girl--Ryo-ohki, if she had heard the boy named Shippo right--the girl smiled. "Hi! I'm Ryo-ohki! Who are you?"
Uh-oh, she'd been found. Well, now that she had been seen, she couldn't do any worse. She may as well introduce herself. "Rin," she answered.
"Were you playing hide-and-go-seek, too?" asked Ryo-ohki.
Rin thought about it for a moment, and she supposed she had been. She nodded, smiling.
Shippo had run over to them. "Who's this?" he asked Ryo-ohki. Before she had a chance to answer, he turned and looked more closely at Rin. "Were you the person up in that tree?" When Rin nodded, he continued, "Sorry for scaring you out of it. I thought you were Ryo-ohki. What were you doing up there?"
"Watching," answered Rin. "You were funny looking before Ryo-ohki tackled you. My name's Rin!" she bowed politely.
Shippo transformed into the blue balloon form. "I am a frightening youkai," he intoned in his deepest growl--which still was rather child-like and nowhere near a bass--while rolling his eyes in what he thought was a menacing way. "Fear me!" Ryo-ohki giggled at Shippo's performance, and Shippo focussed his eyes on Rin. "Are you a youkai?" he asked in a more normal voice.
"Mm-mm," Rin shook her head. Pointing her thumb at her chest, she proudly stated, "I'm a human!"
Shippo popped back into his fuzzy-tailed boy form and landed on the ground. "You're human? And your not afraid to be alone in the forest with two dangerous youkai?"
Rin looked from Shippo to Ryo-ohki and back again. They looked like children her own age. Granted, Shippo had a tail that was almost as big as he was, and Ryo-ohki was covered in furr, but so what? "Should I be afraid? You don't look all that dangerous," she said.
Shippo swelled up, sticking out his chest. "We are too!"
He deflated when Ryo-ohki elbowed him in the stomach. "We wouldn't hurt you. You wanna play with us?"
Shippo nodded agreement. "Most humans are afraid of youkai. Even children like us."
"Not me! I think it's neat to meet youkai!" answered Rin. "What d'you want to play?"
Ryo-ohki and Shippo looked at each other and grinned. Rin caught on as they opened their mouths to take in a breath to speak together, and she joined them as they gleefully shouted, "Hide-and-Seek!"
* * *
Rin proved surprisingly adept at the game, successfully finding both Shippo and Ryo-ohki, even when Ryo-ohki flew. Shippo tried flying to hide, but his big blue balloon form is hard to miss, let alone hide. She proved not to be ground-bound, as she could scale a tree almost as fast as Ryo- ohki could fly upwards through its branches (unless, of course, Ryo-ohki went incorporeal and just phased through them).
However, this time Ryo-ohki was it. She was having a hard time finding either of them. She drifted through the forest about twenty feet off the ground, looking up and down for either of them. Finally, she saw an orangeish brown bushy thing sticking out of a tree. Drifting towards it quietly, she managed to surprise Shippo, who had fallen asleep in the crook of two branches. She woke him up, and told him "You're it!"
Then they both went to the ground to see if they could find Rin. As it was beginning to get dark, they finally gave up and Ryo-ohki cupped her hands over her mouth and called out "Mee-ow mee-ow Cabbit-free!"
A minute later, Rin walked up behind them. "You guys didn't find me," she said accusingly, a smile of amusement on her face.
"You hide well," said Shippo, admiringly. "It's getting late. We'd better get back to the village."
Rin looked at the sky and panicked. "Oh, no! I'm late! Bye-bye! I'll see you later!" she said as she turned to run off, waving as she said goodbye.
Ryo-ohki and Shippo were too startled to move for a minute. Then they looked at each other and shrugged. They didn't know where she was going, but she said she'd be back tomorrow. They needed to get back to the village.
As they travelled back, they eventually heard voices calling their names. "Ryo-ohki!" called Ryoko. "Shippo! It's time to come home!" yelled Kagome. When the two youkai children met the ladies, Ryo-ohki popped into her cabbit form and snuggled into Ryoko's arms. Kagome picked up the exhausted Shippo, holding him so his head was on her shoulder. Both children were asleep within minutes.
* * *
Author's Note: Well, I finally began the second story arc. C'mon, review and tell me what you think. Reviews with content that help me write better will be rewarded with thanks in future Author's Notes.and better writing.
