Oooh, I swear, I waited like a whole three hours after finishing To Finally Let Go before I was… "Hmm…I'm bored…I know! Sequel time!" Yeah, I'm weak. Not that you all mind that much, I'm sure. I also plan to start putting out the background/companion type story for To Finally Let Go that explains the whole Kouga and Kagura thing pretty soon. Probably the next time I have some free time and am bored. But my spring break has ended, so my complete lack of things to do problem is now gone. We'll see what happens. Anyway, here's the idea behind this sequel: Over fourteen years have passed since the end of TFLG. This fic now is focused on the children introduced in the last chapter. Haruka is now 17 (Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter), Sekatsu and Tsuyo are 16 (Sango and Miroku's twins), and Yuki has just turned 15 (Kouga and Kagura's boy). There's a lot more…um, kids now, but they aren't as completely integral, so yeah. Over the years, the reconciliation that developed between Kouga, Kagura, and the main group has lasted, but they never really see the wolf youkai with his mate and child anymore. After all, it's busy work being leader of the wolf tribe I guess. Because of this, the kids can recognize Kouga, who tries to visit as often as he can when he senses Kagome has come for a visit, but because he can rarely bring his mate or children as well, and Kagome doesn't always bring Haruka since she's in school now, Kagura and Yuki are very unfamiliar to the kids, especially Haruka. It's sad how we drift apart, ne? So anyway, Haruka knows Sekatsu and Tsuyo well and they're all good friends. Yeah, okay, on with the story before I confuse myself.
Okay, I just want you all to know that this introduction right up above where you are right now was typed right after I finished To Finally Let Go. Remember in Love To Hate You where I explained that I forgot that I needed to do background before typing this? Damn me. Oh well! I knew I'd get back to this eventually! Oh, it isn't necessary to have read both To Finally Let Go and Love To Hate You before this…I don't think…but…well, it'll just be confusing…a little…dammit! I don't know! If you don't know what's going on, don't blame me if you haven't read those stories. It's your own lazy ways getting you down. But if you don't know what's going on and you have read both of them, then all I can say is that in time, all will make perfect sense. Unless you're Agent Willow and don't pay attention and then forget the shoeshine song! Ugh! Still so upset about that! Okay…um, sorry about that. That was an example of me not making sense, but this time it was my own fault. My apologies.
And lastly, before I start this, I want everyone to know that even though I vaguely knew what would happen in this story, it was Jade who inspired the plot's final form! Yes, and she knows what's going to happen! It's funny, because really, she wasn't trying to help me with the plot, she was just joking around, and then she said something, and I suddenly had like…a total plotline epiphany! It was great! So Jade, my dearest imouto-chan, thanks to you and your inadvertent inspiration of stories!
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Fate's Reversal
Part 1
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"Ah, my last winter vacation as a high school student." Haruka smiled at her two younger brothers as she entered the kitchen for breakfast. "And next month, I'll be eighteen!"
"Whoopee." Mottomo blinked purple eyes at her blankly. "You know, Yoru's birthday is closer than yours." He indicated his older brother, who was busily digging into a bowl of cereal.
"I guess, but Yoru's only turning thirteen." Haruka sighed airily as though it didn't matter to her, but a warm smile for her dark-haired brother belied her words. "I mean, no big deal, he's just becoming a teenager!" Haruka squealed excitedly. "Oh, Yoru, it'll be great! You'll have girlfriends and learn to drive and finally get taller…but you'll never be taller than me, eh?" she ruffled his short black hair playfully, and he glared at her with flaming blue eyes.
"I will too!" Yoru argued, jutting out his lower lip stubbornly as he batted her hand away. "Stop it."
"Don't pretend you don't love your precious sister!" Haruka looped one arm around his neck and then reached over to pull Mottomo into it as well. The 11-year-old squawked in protest of her display.
"Get off!" Mottomo pushed at her, causing her to get dangerously close to Yoru's cereal bowl.
"Hey! Watch the cereal! Your damn hair is all in it!" Yoru pushed the offensive silver strands away. "Dammit, what's your deal, Haruka?"
"Watch your mouth, Yoru." Kagome entered the kitchen smoothly, shaking her head at her rambunctious children. "Haruka, leave your brothers alone."
"Yes mom!" Yoru and Haruka spoke at the same time, straightening up and disentangling themselves from each other.
"You two…I swear, it makes no sense, but little Mottomo is the only one I don't have to yell at every time I enter the room." Kagome scolded.
"Mom! Don't call me little!" Mottomo protested.
"Shut up, you're the baby!" Yoru stuck his tongue out at the pale-haired boy.
"Yeah, no wonder you're mom's favorite." Haruka stuck out her tongue as well.
"You three…ugh, I give up." Kagome finished pouring herself a glass of juice and began to leave. "Oh, Haruka, I almost forgot!" Kagome stuck her head back into the kitchen, pretending to ignore how Yoru and Haruka were viciously glaring at her youngest child. "Haruka, did you get these three weeks free from work like I asked?"
"Yeah, but I don't see why." Haruka moped at the ill-favored subject. "I need money to go do stuff with my friends. I'm practically eighteen, mom!"
"We're all going on a family vacation this year." Kagome smiled before darting out of the kitchen.
"But…I had plans!" Haruka called out, but her mother was long gone. "My friends…dammit!"
"Oi, watch your language." Yoru teased.
"Fuck you." Haruka moped.
"What happened to that cheerfulness, oneechan?" Yoru asked.
"Hey, you think we're going through the well?" Mottomo asked. "I haven't seen Seishin for months!"
"Course we are." Yoru acted as though this was a stupid question, but he seemed a bit excited as well. "I bet we will. I'll getta hang out with Sekatsu and Tsuyo again."
"I can't believe you two. You're such children." Haruka rolled her eyes. "I don't know how you can idolize those two, Yoru. They're nothing but a pain in the ass if you ask me."
"You're just pissed because you're jealous that they like us more." Yoru taunted her. "That's why you never go to visit with us."
"No, it's because unlike some people, I'm a good student and am not willing to lie to mom and say all my work's done when I need to be studying." She cast both boys accusatory looks. "Besides, Sekatsu seems to be a little bit too interested in maintaining our friendship, and Tsuyo's really no better."
"What's
that mean?" Mottomo wanted to know.
"Oneechan's pissed cause the twins were trying to talk her up last time she went." Yoru translated.
"Yoru! You're too young to know what that means!" Haruka growled at her brother, who shrugged as Mottomo asked him what that meant. Haruka shook her head. Boys were idiots.
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"Seishin?" a little girl with black hair and deep purple eyes tugged on the older boy's sleeve as he sat outside with his older brothers. "Will you play with me?"
"You always play with dolls, Kokoro." Seishin answered, pulling his arm away. "I don't wanna play girly games like that."
"But…" Kokoro jutted out her lip pitifully. "I wanna play."
"Ask Keshiki." One of the two identical older boys advised. "She's a girl too."
"She said no." Kokoro sniffled. "Do you wanna play, Tsuyo?"
"Ha! Now what are you gonna do, Tsuyo!" The teenager's twin teased him. "You know she'll start to cry if you say no."
"Shut up, Sekatsu." Tsuyo hit his arm playfully, and in no time, the two twins were wrestling in the dirt. Kokoro pouted, turning her attention back to Seishin, who seemed to think that if he was silent, she'd forget about him.
"Please, Seishin," she asked pitifully. "No one ever plays with me!"
"Hey there, Kokoro!" Seishin and Kokoro looked up at the voice that was suddenly behind them. "I'll play with you!"
"Really?" Kokoro's eyes widened and she smiled in excitement as she gazed up at the adult youkai. Despite the fact that he was a youkai, none of the children were afraid of him. They'd been raised next to him, and they knew that Shippo was no ordinary youkai.
"Shippo-niisan!" Seishin was up on his feet, and at the sound of the name, Tsuyo and Sekatsu disentangled themselves.
"Shippo, it's been a while!" Sekatsu smiled, running a hand through the black hair that all his siblings shared, his purple eyes glowing happily.
"Hmm…Sekatsu?" Shippo guessed.
"How does he always know?" the twins turned to each other.
"I don't know…sometimes I forget." Seishin commented, rolling maroon eyes as though he didn't idolize the two sixteen-year old boys.
"Hey, is Shippo here?" a female voice came from inside the house, and a moment later, a thirteen-year-old girl with black hair and maroon eyes appeared from inside. Her face lit up at the sight of the kitsune, and she jumped at him for a hug, somehow not hitting her younger sister, who was clinging possessively to Shippo's leg. "Shippo-niisan!"
"Whoa, lemme breathe Keshiki." Shippo hugged the young girl and laughed.
"We haven't seen you for months!" Kokoro told him.
"Ever since Seishin's birthday." Tsuyo added.
"I've been a bit busy." Shippo admitted, looking guilty that he had not visited more. "I was…checking something out for your dad."
"Did you bring me a present?" Kokoro asked enthusiastically. Shippo laughed at her tone.
"I brought presents for everyone." He confirmed, patting the large bundle on his back. "Including…Inuyasha and Kagome's family."
"Inuyasha and Kagome are coming?" Seishin asked in excitement.
"Are they bringing Yoru and Mottomo?" Sekatsu asked.
"I hear they're even bringing Haruka." Shippo confirmed.
"Haruka! Wow! She's so cool! I haven't seen her in forever!" Keshiki squealed in excitement.
"Ha, betcha she's really excited to see Yoru." Tsuyo whispered loudly to his brother. "You see how she flirts with him?"
"Really," Sekatsu confirmed. "Poor Yoru."
"Hey, I don't know about that," Shippo came to the flustered girl's rescue. "But you two seemed awfully interested in Haruka when she was last here. Though she wasn't too excited about your…uh, attention. That's probably why she's stayed away so long."
"Yeah, you boys better be good this time." Keshiki stuck her tongue out at her older brothers. "Or she'll beat you up!"
"Yeah right! A girl beat us up?" Sekatsu snorted.
"Remember the black eye you got from her last time?" Keshiki reminded him.
"That was a fluke." Sekatsu argued.
"Yeah. Sure." Keshiki took Shippo's hand in her own small grip, pulling him toward the house. "Come on, Shippo-niisan! Mom and dad will be really excited to see you."
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A pale, ghostly figure moved about in the halls of an otherwise abandoned castle. Long white hair wisped through the air as she moved, almost seeming to float in her white kimono. She was extremely pale, and in fact, the only bit of her that didn't seem a stark white was the inky black eyes, which were half-closed and unfocused. Indeed, anyone who had seen the figure might have well thought she was a ghost, and in some ways, she was. Though the woman was very much alive, the life she had once led had died long ago, and the world no longer remembered her or her existence. But she had yet to forget the world. Alone here in this castle, she might have well been able to convince herself that she was the only being left in existence, but she had something that made such illusions impossible.
As she often did, the pale figure reached for the mirror hanging from her sash, caressing it lightly. In her life, it had been her only friend, the only thing she could depend on, and now it was her one link to the outside world. Through it's glass, she could see anywhere she wished, spy on any individual she could think of, and watch as people lived their lives among others while she stayed alone in her accursed palace.
It angered her at times, knowing that everyone else was able to live their lives thus. She had never cared for company, but it angered her that these people that she saw through the looking glass could live happy lives, while she herself never could seem to care about whether she was living or dead. And so, she had decided that perhaps, if other people remembered her, she might care.
At first, this had been nothing but gentle musings on which she would never actually act. After all, she was youkai, but she wasn't a particularly strong youkai. How could she hope to control these people, to make them know who she is and this time not forget? She would need a powerful ally, and she had none. In addition, there was one who she enjoyed watching more than any other person. It was someone from her last life who, like her, lived a life of solitude and sadness. But then something changed, and her sister, her counterpart, suddenly showed that her past did not define her, and she made her life anew. She was happy now, loved. Just like all the others. That had been the breaking point.
Soon, they shall all love me. She stroked the edge of her round mirror, still drifting aimlessly through the halls. They shall love me, or they shall die. All of them. They will be mine. You are the key, sister. You, and one other. And for a moment, the ghostly face seemed to move into something that was almost a smile. Then all shall fall into place.
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"Oniisan, can I talk to you for a minute?" Nigai entreated the attention of his eldest brother Yuki, who was visiting the female caves today to help finalize preparations for this year's winter ceremony with his mother. Usually, Kagura stayed in the male caves with their father Kouga, but she was mad at him for some reason and had moved to stay with all her children to the female caves. It should have been both of their parents discussing preparations together, but as Kagura was angry with Kouga, she refused to see him, and therefore, the future leader of the wolf tribe, Yuki, had been sent.
"Sure, Nigai. What is it?" Yuki asked, and Nigai scrambled to his feet so that he could whisper to his brother.
"Could it…um…be in private?" Nigai looked up at his brother, who gave him a curious look before nodding. He beckoned for Nigai to follow him out of the caves. They walked back to the small wooded area where women and children were allowed to roam without fear of enemies, stopping to jump into a tall tree where they could have privacy.
"So, what's the problem?" Yuki asked, ever the patient ear to his siblings.
"It's about…the winter ceremony." Nigai began nervously. "I don't…I don't want to move to the male caves."
"What?" Yuki was a bit surprised by this. "Really? Usually, none of the boys can wait for their twelfth winter so they can be a man." Yuki explained his shock. "I know I was a little nervous to leave, but I wanted to be a grown up, you know? And then, the year after that it was Taido's turn to join us, and he kept telling me how he was glad we could both be men, just like dad." Yuki grinned slightly as though he thought this was a bit amusing.
"Yeah…but it's just that…I want to grow up I guess…but I don't want to leave." Nigai blushed, feeling foolish for admitting such a childish thing. "It's different for me, see! I don't know what I'm going to do if I don't get to see Amai all the time anymore. I mean, I know it sounds stupid…but she's my best friend!"
"Oh…I see." Yuki's face dawned with realization. "Well, I suppose I can try to understand. She is your twin sister. And you two have always been very close."
"Exactly!" Nigai exclaimed in relief. "So…I mean, what should I do?"
"There isn't really anything to be done." Yuki admitted. "You can always visit her, whenever you want. It's not like you guys never see me just because I don't sleep here anymore."
"That's true, but…" Nigai began, unable to finish.
"Things change, Nigai." Yuki patted his younger brother's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It's not something you can really avoid. This is something that comes with growing up. You have to learn to grow inside too, you know. You can't spend the rest of your life being a child."
"I know." Nigai nodded. "I know you're right. I just feel scared that Amai and I won't be best friends anymore."
"Otouto," Yuki assured him. "Amai will always be your twin sister. No matter what, remember that."
"Yuki, thanks for helping me out." Nigai smiled at his brother, and Yuki smiled back. The two young wolves looked nearly identical, with the same longish black hair and similar facial features. The only difference was that Yuki was older, and therefore taller than his brother. Also, while Nigai had the blue eyes of his father, Yuki's eyes were bright red like his mother.
"I'm glad I could." Yuki nodded at him sharply.
"Eh, Yuki, could I ask one more thing?" Nigai ventured. His brother's nod prompted him to continue. "Why's mom mad at dad?"
"She's pregnant." Yuki answered simply. "You know how she gets when she first finds out."
"Yeah, she has to pretend to be mad at him until he comes to the women's caves and apologizes." Nigai laughed softly, remembering the last time this had happened. "Like it's his fault."
"Like she isn't happy to be pregnant." Yuki added. "It's kinda stupid, I know. But she didn't always do this. Just after you and Amai were born. She told dad that she was done with having babies, but then a year later, she finds out she's pregnant with Naosu. That was the first time she pulled this whole fake anger thing. I think she just likes to see him apologize every once in a while, even if it's for something stupid like this. I guess ten kids is a lot, but mom knows this wouldn't happen if she just stopped living with dad."
"Like she'll stop!" Nigai and Yuki both laughed at this. "She acts like she's mad now, but she would probably forgive him anyway if he didn't come for her for a week."
"I don't understand women at all." Yuki rolled his eyes. "Dad says I never will."
"I don't think I want to." Nigai shook his head wearily, and both of the brothers laughed together, happy to share a closeness that some brothers never had.
*****
The End (Of Part 1, That Is)
Okay, I know that the other kids seem confusing now, but you'll just um…learn to deal or something. Ja!