Oh my God I updated! I bet you all thought I'd disappeared off the face of the Earth. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA!
*cough* Anyhow, yes, I finally, FINALLY, finished this stupid frigging chapter. Whether because of a massive case of writer's block or the fact that when I COULD write I didn't like how this chapter was coming out, it's taken me nearly a month to write it. And it's short, too...The good thing though is that I actually LIKE how it finally came out! Yay for me!
I really am sorry about the delay in updating. It isn't fair to you that read it to have to wait for my lazy ass to get around to writing. And I really do feel terrible about it.
This is it. I think I have two chapters left and then "Where Lost Souls Meet Again" will have come to its completion. Hopefully, it won't take me four months to do so, however...
Thanks to all of you who have supported me through this endeavor and I hope these last chapters are all that you hoped for. And I hope you aren't so upset at me that you won't read them... *sheepish grin* Thank you all again.
Where Lost Souls Meet Again
Chapter Eleven: A Long Day's Journey Into...
"Shoukaki, can we stop for a bit? I'm tired."
As the early morning light dappled the trees on their third day of travel, the pair slowed to a stop. With a yawn, Shippou collapsed onto a nearby boulder, Shoukaki kneeling down beside him, carefully arranging her kimono. In the pale sunshine she still looked almost translucent.
For a while, they sat silently, the kitsune resting up, the ghost listening to the chirping birds. Even though he was healed, her friend still needed to rest periodically and she was content to sit with him as he regained his strength, even if it took hours. Slowly, the shadows from the trees lengthened, then shortened again as the sun reached toward its zenith. The birds began chirping louder as more awoke and joined the chorus. A deer passed by in the distance, then bounded off when Shippou sneezed.
It was a while later when Shoukaki looked up from her examination of a flower necklace she was tying to ask Shippou if he was ready to go or not. It was already nearing noon and she could sense that they were close to where Kagome was being held-the faint, but steady presence
of youkai was quite distinct.
"Are you ready to go, little kitsune? I'm sure your Kagome is waiting patiently for us to rescue her."
The fox-demon didn't answer immediately, then heaved a heavy sigh. Standing and brushing off his butt distractedly, he looked down the path, toward where he could sense the presence of other demons. "I know," he whispered shortly after a time. "But...I'm kind of scared, too. I've never been alone like this before and Inuyasha isn't here to help. And...what if Kagome is mad at me, for coming alone? I don't want her to be mad at me."
The gentle ringing of Shoukaki's laughter had Shippou blinking in confusion. The phantom girl giggled girlishly for a while, then wiped her eyes clear and smiled broadly at her demon companion. The fox glared at her as she spoke. "Silly, silly little kitsune, do you honestly believe that your Kagome could ever be mad at you for coming to save her? True, she might be worried a little, maybe even a little upset that you risked yourself for her sake, but never mad at you." The girl pursed her lips and scrunched up her face as she thought. "And it's okay to do things on your own. We all have to grow up sometime, right...?"
Shippou ducked his head down sheepishly. "Well, yeah, I guess so... And besides," he continued, his voice gaining strength, fire in his eyes, "I'll show that Dog Boy a thing or two when I save Kagome and he just sits around twiddling his fingers! That'll teach him to treat me like a kid!" Grinning, he turned back to Shoukaki, who smiled lightly back. "And really, I'm not alone. I have the great Akahiyoko Shoukaki on my side! Even that stupid Sesshoumaru will have to think twice before taking us on!"
"'Great...?' What's so great about me?"
For a moment the kit grew silent, thinking. Then he said: "Well, you're really nice and you always talk to me. Plus you make those weird flower thingies that Sango likes. And when you're fighting, you're stronger than Inuyasha, cause you have those cords that can attack really long distance and you can't be hurt at night. Those kinds of things make you really great."
"Yes..."
Something in her voice caught his attention and Shippou tilted his head down to look his companion in the face. He felt odd sometimes, having to look down at people, or being at eye level with them. He'd been small for so long that growing up felt very strange to him. "Shoukaki...? What's wrong?"
She forced a smile at him and wiped her eyes. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just...well, I was thinking about growing up, is all. And I realised that I can't ever grow up, cause I'm dead and the dead can't get any bigger..." She sniffled, then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I'm such a silly girl, getting worked up over something like growing up..."
Before she realised what was happening, warm, small paws encircled her and she felt herself pulled close as Shippou gave her a comforting hug. Awkwardly, he patted her back. "There, there, Shoukaki. It's all right. Just because you can't get any bigger doesn't mean you can't grow up. I mean, look at Inuyasha. He's a lot bigger than I am but I'm still more grown up than he is. And you're a lot more grown up than me. So it doesn't matter if you can get any bigger, 'cause you can always still grow up." Again he patted her back, careful not to hit too hard. She was a girl, after all.
Gripping the front of his kimono in her hands, the young girl nodded and sniffed loudly. "I'm just so scared that there's nothing for me, even though I was left behind. What if there isn't a reason I was left here...what if I can't do anything, after all? I can't go home, I can't get older, I can't remember...Do I have anything at all...?"
"Of course you do." Pushing her back so that he could look her in the face, Shippou smiled. With one childish hand, he brushed away his friend's tears. "You have all of us. And you have your Mama and friend waiting for you, wherever they are, just like my Mama and Papa are waiting and watching me. So you always have something. Always always." He lightly punched her jaw, then winked. "So cheer up, or you'll also have a black eye."
Shoukaki couldn't help but laugh.
The two stood silent a moment in the ringing of her laughter, then Shippou shrugged his shoulders and pointed down the path. "Come on, we have a Kagome to save. Especially before any Dog Boys get there."
Nodding, Shoukaki took up her friend's stance and echoed: "Let's go!" Then she paused, turned and grabbed the flowers she'd been tying. Plopping them down on the kitsune's fluffy head, she returned to her pose and said: "Okay, now let's go!"
Before they could get a hundred feet down the path, however, acid spilled among the trees, clogging the air and melting the vegetation. Shippou screamed and darted up a tree as Shoukaki watched in bewilderment the foliage around her crumble and disintegrate. From up in the tree, the fox-demon hissed at her to get away quickly.
Taking a cautious step backward, the ghost-child tried in vain to find the source of the vaporous toxin. It had to be a demon-and most probably Sesshoumaru-but despite how hard she tried, she couldn't sense him in the area. Either he had some sort of cloaking magic that she couldn't detect, or he was incredibly good at hiding his aura during an attack. She feared it was the latter.
Another wave of acid flowed in through the destroyed trees, darkening the area to a greenish black hue. Shoukaki could no longer see her feet. She idly wondered if they had melted like everything else-being a ghost, she couldn't feel pain and there was no way of her knowing what had happened. Maybe she was melted to the earth...
There was the smallest sound of a twig snapping and the girl's head shot in that direction. Through the mist of green that swirled about, she could make out a flash of silvery white. 'Sesshoumaru...it has to be him.'
Without a thought, the ghost lunged after him, silently relieved that she still had her feet as she ran. From behind her, up in the tree, Shippou howled for her to stop and run the other way. Briefly, she turned her head to see where her companion was-most of the foliage was gone now, removing what cover the kit had-and saw him clinging frantically to the highest branches of his tree, shivering and screaming at her to come back. The flowers she'd placed on his head earlier hung lopsided, some of the petals falling listlessly to the ground. If he weren't in so much danger, she'd have almost found it comical.
Instead, she steeled herself and ran faster, thankful for the fact that she couldn't become winded. 'If it was night, I could fly after him...Why can't I just stay in one form? Why?'
For a while, Shoukaki continued to chase after the brief image of white she'd seen. When the acid fumes dissipated and even her most attentive senses could not find any demon presence, she slowed to a stop. Wherever Sesshoumaru was, she couldn't sense him. For all she knew, he was still back where Shippou clung helplessly to the branches...
'No...little kitsune!'
Faster than she ever had before, Shoukaki darted back down her previous path, ignoring the plants that clung to her, scraped her and tried to trip her up. Had the image she'd seen been a ruse to separate her and the fox-demon? She'd left Shippou all alone! He was still weak from his previous injuries-not to mention stuck up a tree. Maybe Sesshoumaru knew she'd chase after him in the hopes of protecting the weaker demon and now...now... What could he do to Sesshoumaru? 'Why did I leave him alone...?'
In a rush, the ghost stumbled into the clearing, her eyes frantically searching for the fox-demon. Almost all of the acid had vanished, but that didn't necessarily mean that Sesshoumaru was gone. She had to find her friend...! When she couldn't see him in the trees, she began to fret. Was she too late...? Maybe he was already dead...just like her... Her eyes caught sight of a cluster of small flowers beneath the tree, melted from the acid. They were the same flowers she'd knit together and given to her friend. 'No...'
There was a rustling in the bushes and the child spun around, her eyes sapped clear of colour and bleeding black. She would kill Sesshoumaru for what he'd done to her friend. She would avenge him. No one else was going to die!
A round, furry head popped out of the brush, followed by a blazing red top-knot and the bushiest tail she'd ever seen. Shippou rubbed his eyes with his small hands, then blinked up at her. With a wail, the kitsune shot out from the bushes and grabbed his friend, nearly crushing her, crying out her name repeatedly. Slowly, the anger dying inside her, Shoukaki's eyes returned to normal and she hugged the kit back. He continued to cry into her shoulder.
She wasn't sure how long they stood there, holding each other, but by the time they let go the last of the acid was gone and the clearing was left in shambles. Sesshoumaru was nowhere to be seen.
Slowly, the kitsune came back to himself. Sniffing, he pushed away from his friend, rubbing the last tears from his cheeks. "That's odd..." Shippou commented finally as he looked around, "Sesshoumaru doesn't usually just run away like that. He's too stubborn to give up. I wonder why he stopped?"
Shoukaki shrugged. "Perhaps he had more important things to tend to?"
Shippou gave his friend the most contemptuous look she could imagine as he said incredulously: "What more important things? Killing is the most important thing to Inuyasha's brother."
She shrugged. "Well, he left us alone the other day..."
The fox just shook his head and started walking. "No, not really. It's because Inuyasha kicked his butt and he hates to lose, so he makes it look like he was going to leave anyhow. That's just how Sesshoumaru is. But Inuyasha isn't here right now, so it's odd that he left...I wonder why...?"
Playfully, Shoukaki rubbed the kitsune's head and joked: "Maybe he's waiting in ambush!"
"Don't even joke about that Shouka-LOOK OUT!"
Before she could react, there was a sickening tearing noise and suddenly she felt terribly off balance. It was heavy...her left side was too heavy. She could feel herself falling and she vaguely wondered why Shippou was screaming.
Hitting the earth with an audible thud, Shoukaki looked up through dizzy eyes to see Sesshoumaru standing a short distance away, the blue fabric of her kimono falling in shreds from his claws. That was odd-she didn't remember him grabbing her. How did her kimono get shredded like that?
With a grunt, the girl rolled over and moved to push herself up. As she placed her weight on her arms, however, she collapsed down again. What...? She looked down, confused. Why couldn't she get her balance...? Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked herself over, while near her Shippou continued to scream.
Her right arm was all but gone, torn and shredded beyond use.
And she hadn't even felt it.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at her destroyed body. She hadn't even felt the wound. She hadn't felt anything. This dead body...she survived in a dead body that she couldn't even feel, but that could be destroyed. Could her body be destroyed to the point of non-existence and she wouldn't even know...? Did she have anything she could keep...?
"Shoukaki! Shoukaki!" The girl could feel Shippou's arms wrapping around her, feel his face bury against her shoulder. He was shaking. The little kitsune was scared.
Anger welling up, Shoukaki gently pushed her friend away, at the same time shoving herself to her feet. She almost went down again, unbalanced by the loss of her arm. But she held on, her anger giving her the strength to remain on her feet. This Sesshoumaru had taken away something from her-he'd scared Shippou-and she would not forgive him.
Sesshoumaru took this all in with lidded eyes, his face passive. Fluidly, he shook the remains of the child's dress from his claws, the fabric falling listlessly to the broken ground. In his deep voice, he said quietly: "Perhaps I was, human child."
For a moment, his words didn't sink in. Perhaps he was what? Then it struck her. '"Maybe he's waiting in ambush!" He...he was waiting for us. He heard me! He was there...he was waiting...' Shoukaki began to shake uncontrollably. 'He was waiting for us...to hurt Shippou...! To hurt me...to take more away from me...! I can't even have a complete body...HE TOOK IT AWAY!'
Even as the words died down in her skull, the colour bled from her eyes, replaced by a dead black-even the whites were gone. Her face went slack, her mouth a tight frown. Around her, the wind picked up, pounded against the melted and broken plants; her kimono fluttered around her legs. Black cords materialised from the air and a thin wire wound about her neck, pressing deep into the skin. Shippou gasped and jumped away, hiding in the bushes along the side of the path. Sesshoumaru simply watched on with emotionless eyes.
Without a word, Shoukaki lunged forward, the cords that encircled her body lashing out like snakes. Lithely, Sesshoumaru dodged them all, his face contemptuous as his own whip lashed out. The two weapons collided, bursting into flames. Shippou poked his head out to watch, then retreated back into the bushes.
"I hate you! I hate you!" With each attack, Shoukaki screamed louder and louder, tears rolling from her eyes. Sesshoumaru's attack caught her in the face and flung her backward, leaving a huge, torn gash in her cheek; even as she stood, it began to bruise and swell, sealing her eye shut. The girl shook her head and lunged forward again. "You just keep taking things away from people! First you take Kagome from Inuyasha and Shippou, now you take away what little physical presence I have in the world! You're evil! I hate you!"
In the bushes, Shippou cringed at the sound of her voice, but was also slightly shocked. He'd never heard Shoukaki say his name before. He'd always been "little kitsune" to her. Could her anger have changed her somehow? She didn't seem like Shoukaki anymore-she frightened him with her black eyes and terrible, terrible cords. Where was his "Great Shoukaki?" He whimpered. Why did Sesshoumaru always have to interfere...?
Outside, the sounds of attacking continued. A whip cracked and there was the most disgusting sound of tearing flesh. Then Shoukaki screamed so loud that the blood curdled in the fox kit's veins. He had to do something to help her! Without thinking, the kitsune bound out of the brush and across the clearing toward where his friend lay sprawled on the ground, Sesshoumaru standing over her, his claws ready to strike. A new wound tore across the girl's left shoulder, just below her neck.
Shippou began to panic as he watched Inuyasha's brother begin to strike. Why hadn't he thought of a plan before rushing out? He needed to think of something...quickly. Scrambling for anything to stop the older youkai, the fox-demon screamed: "Inuyasha! Thank goodness you're here!"
Shippou grinned to himself when the demon lord of the western lands stiffly turned his head to look for his younger brother. Taking the few precious seconds afforded him, the young youkai dove in front of Shoukaki and attacked Sesshoumaru's legs. He had to stop Sesshoumaru before he hurt his friend anymore...!
Surprised by the sudden attack, Inuyasha's brother turned his head back toward where Shippou clung to his kimono, trying his best to claw Sesshoumaru's legs. It would have been comical, had the demon not been in the middle of a fight.
Almost nonchalantly, Sesshoumaru kicked the kit from him, watching as the younger demon bounced along the ground to land near the human ghost. The girl was slowly pulling herself up to her knees, trying to orient herself. Sesshoumaru had to give her credit; she was quite tenacious. Especially for a ghost, who were usually complacent enough and tended to stay out of demon affairs. But she was also a human and in league with his brother and therefore a thorn in his side. If he was going to have his revenge on that woman his half-breed sibling ran around with, he couldn't allow anyone to take her away.
Very slowly, Shoukaki pulled herself up to her knees. Her body moved sluggishly and wasn't responding like it should. She had no right arm and she couldn't see out of her right eye. Her mouth felt stuffed with fabric and she couldn't hear clearly from her right ear. It was a struggle to orient herself and she vaguely wondered why she still had a body. Why hadn't Sesshoumaru destroyed the rest of it, yet?
Awkwardly, she scanned the area using her good eye, assessing the situation. A very faint gasp from behind caught her attention and she swung her head that way. There was Inuyasha's brother, looking at her with wide, golden eyes. He almost looked...surprised? But that wasn't possible-he was evil; the evil don't look surprised. She let her gaze drop, unwilling to look at those eyes on her enemy.
And that's when she saw Shippou.
The poor kit lay a few feet in front of her, curled up on his side. Tears stood in his eyes and he was holding his arm like it hurt. With a gasp, Shoukaki hobbled over to him on her knees, trying desperately to keep her balance. When she reached him, she gently stroked his hair with her good hand as he whimpered in pain.
"Little kitsune? Oh, are you all right? What happened?"
Shippou looked up at her, his face grim. "Shoukaki...you're all right. I was worried." The kit forced a smile, then grimaced. "I couldn't let that big meanie over there hurt you anymore, so I tried to get him to leave you alone. I guess I didn't do a good enough job. He sort of kicked me away." Shippou gritted his teeth together as he shifted around to sit up and face her. "I think my arm is broken. I bounced quite a long ways."
Shoukaki gently pushed his bangs out of his eyes. "Silly little kitsune, you didn't have to do that. I can't be killed-I wasn't in any pain. You didn't have to hurt yourself for me."
He shook his head. "But you didn't want to lose anything else and since your body is one of the only things you really have anymore, I couldn't let anyone take it away. Besides...I need to be brave if I'm going to save Kagome. She would want me to help my friend..."
His companion nodded and smiled sadly. "Well...I'll protect you now, so don't you worry." She pet his head again, then turned her attention back to Sesshoumaru, who continued to stand nearby with an almost awed expression on his face. Shoukaki's face darkened immediately when she saw him. He would be awed by such caring and compassionate people. He probably didn't have a caring bone in his body.
"I'll get you for this, Sesshoumaru," she called out as she valiantly attempted to stand. He blinked at her oddly, almost as though her were coming out of a dream. "How dare you hurt us like this. You evil, evil creature. I hate you!" She finally finished getting to her feet and waited for his response, her left eye glaring at him.
But Sesshoumaru didn't do anything. His eyes took in her appearance, instead. He saw her dirty, dishevelled black hair, her swollen face, torn clothing. She looked...very much like Rin had when he first encountered her. And he had done it to her. It was as though he'd attacked his own charge. It was uncanny how similar her appearance was. "Rin..."
Shoukaki was taken aback at his answer. 'Who...who is Rin...?' "Sesshoumaru..."
The demon lord of the western lands didn't answer. Instead, he relaxed his body, allowing the whip he held to fall away. His eyes were surprisingly soft when he turned from them and began walking away. Shoukaki and Shippou watched, astounded, as his ghostly white form disappeared among the trees, not even bothering to look back.
For a moment the two simply sat, silent, as they stared after where Inuyasha's brother had disappeared. Then Shippou pushed himself to his feet and started walking after the older demon. He still clutched his arm to him in pain. Shoukaki hurried after him, trying her best to stop him.
"It's another trap, little kitsune! If we follow him he'll just hurt you more!"
Shippou shook his head. "He lost that fight, Shoukaki. It's the same way whenever he loses to Inuyasha...I don't know why he lost, but he did. And I'm going to follow him."
She blinked, confused. "Why?"
"Cause he'll lead me to Kagome. I just know it."
They continued on for a while after that, neither speaking, both nursing wounds. Shoukaki was surprised she could even move, thanks to the damage inflicted on her body. No right arm, extensive wounds to the face and torso...she must look like some kind of monster. 'But then again...When Sesshoumaru looked at me that time, he didn't look disgusted. He looked...almost sad. Why would he look like that? And who is Rin...?'
"Little kitsune, who is Rin?"
The fox slowed a bit, looking back over his shoulder at the ghost trailing behind him. "Rin? That's the name of the little girl that chases after Sesshoumaru...why?"
'A little girl? A human girl, like me?' "Why would a little girl follow him around?"
Shippou shrugged. "I don't know. He's a mean, cruel, cold demon that doesn't care who he hurts and who took Kagome away. But Rin is very fond of him. I just don't know."
"Maybe he's only so cruel when fighting...?"
The kit shook his head and sighed. "I don't know. I've never seen him when he's not fighting. But he took Kagome away and therefore he is the worst creature in the world. And I'm going to save her, no matter what."
Shoukaki bit her bottom lip, but said nothing. Shuffling along with her wounded body, she could only think of Sesshoumaru's eyes and that softly spoken word. 'Rin...how can a child love such a frightening creature...? Why would a human child follow such a creature...why would he let her? Sesshoumaru...why are you so strange? Why did you look at me like that? Why...why can't I keep hating you anymore...?'
So lost in her thoughts was the phantom that she didn't see Shippou stop in front of her. She slammed into his back and fell immediately to the ground, her balance gone. The kitsune barely noticed, staring instead ahead of him, into the trees. Struggling back to her feet, Shoukaki let her gaze follow his, her eyes widening in surprise.
Ahead of them, just beyond the last stretch of trees, lay a brilliant blue sky. In the distance was the glint of falling water; she could barely hear the faint roaring, whether because she had lost the use of one ear or because it was so far away. Near the cascading water were the vague shadows of men or demons and the large shadow of at least two beasts.
But the shadows were not what drew her attention, nor the fox-demon's ahead of her. Perhaps halfway to the waterfall, laying out in the sun, were the figures of two human girls. One looked no older than Shoukaki or Shippou and she frequently got up to run around and dance. She laughed loudly and her voice reached them even out in the forest. But it was the girl who lay beside her that caught the children's attention most of all.
Dark hair spread across the ground like liquid as she looked up at the sky, Kagome was as beautiful as Shippou remembered and it couldn't help himself. With a cry, the kitsune bound out of the woods, Shoukaki trying her best to keep up with her uneven body. His joyful yells echoed throughout the area but he didn't care. There was his Kagome, sitting up with a start and looking toward him with her large, beautiful eyes. There was his Kagome, pushing herself to her feet, her companion stopping her dance and looking in his direction with an equally surprised expression. There was his Kagome...who he had come to save.
"Kagome! Kagome!" Crying her name, he raced toward her. Behind him he could vaguely hear Shoukaki yell something-it sounded like "stop." Why should he stop? Kagome was right there! He had no reason to stop! "Kagome! Kagom-"
A claw wrapped around his neck and shoved him into the ground not a hundred feet from where Kagome stood, screaming. Thrashing around, Shippou managed to get his face out of the ground and look up. He screamed.
"I see you made it here after all. This Sesshoumaru welcomes you, fox-demon."
*cough* Anyhow, yes, I finally, FINALLY, finished this stupid frigging chapter. Whether because of a massive case of writer's block or the fact that when I COULD write I didn't like how this chapter was coming out, it's taken me nearly a month to write it. And it's short, too...The good thing though is that I actually LIKE how it finally came out! Yay for me!
I really am sorry about the delay in updating. It isn't fair to you that read it to have to wait for my lazy ass to get around to writing. And I really do feel terrible about it.
This is it. I think I have two chapters left and then "Where Lost Souls Meet Again" will have come to its completion. Hopefully, it won't take me four months to do so, however...
Thanks to all of you who have supported me through this endeavor and I hope these last chapters are all that you hoped for. And I hope you aren't so upset at me that you won't read them... *sheepish grin* Thank you all again.
Where Lost Souls Meet Again
Chapter Eleven: A Long Day's Journey Into...
"Shoukaki, can we stop for a bit? I'm tired."
As the early morning light dappled the trees on their third day of travel, the pair slowed to a stop. With a yawn, Shippou collapsed onto a nearby boulder, Shoukaki kneeling down beside him, carefully arranging her kimono. In the pale sunshine she still looked almost translucent.
For a while, they sat silently, the kitsune resting up, the ghost listening to the chirping birds. Even though he was healed, her friend still needed to rest periodically and she was content to sit with him as he regained his strength, even if it took hours. Slowly, the shadows from the trees lengthened, then shortened again as the sun reached toward its zenith. The birds began chirping louder as more awoke and joined the chorus. A deer passed by in the distance, then bounded off when Shippou sneezed.
It was a while later when Shoukaki looked up from her examination of a flower necklace she was tying to ask Shippou if he was ready to go or not. It was already nearing noon and she could sense that they were close to where Kagome was being held-the faint, but steady presence
of youkai was quite distinct.
"Are you ready to go, little kitsune? I'm sure your Kagome is waiting patiently for us to rescue her."
The fox-demon didn't answer immediately, then heaved a heavy sigh. Standing and brushing off his butt distractedly, he looked down the path, toward where he could sense the presence of other demons. "I know," he whispered shortly after a time. "But...I'm kind of scared, too. I've never been alone like this before and Inuyasha isn't here to help. And...what if Kagome is mad at me, for coming alone? I don't want her to be mad at me."
The gentle ringing of Shoukaki's laughter had Shippou blinking in confusion. The phantom girl giggled girlishly for a while, then wiped her eyes clear and smiled broadly at her demon companion. The fox glared at her as she spoke. "Silly, silly little kitsune, do you honestly believe that your Kagome could ever be mad at you for coming to save her? True, she might be worried a little, maybe even a little upset that you risked yourself for her sake, but never mad at you." The girl pursed her lips and scrunched up her face as she thought. "And it's okay to do things on your own. We all have to grow up sometime, right...?"
Shippou ducked his head down sheepishly. "Well, yeah, I guess so... And besides," he continued, his voice gaining strength, fire in his eyes, "I'll show that Dog Boy a thing or two when I save Kagome and he just sits around twiddling his fingers! That'll teach him to treat me like a kid!" Grinning, he turned back to Shoukaki, who smiled lightly back. "And really, I'm not alone. I have the great Akahiyoko Shoukaki on my side! Even that stupid Sesshoumaru will have to think twice before taking us on!"
"'Great...?' What's so great about me?"
For a moment the kit grew silent, thinking. Then he said: "Well, you're really nice and you always talk to me. Plus you make those weird flower thingies that Sango likes. And when you're fighting, you're stronger than Inuyasha, cause you have those cords that can attack really long distance and you can't be hurt at night. Those kinds of things make you really great."
"Yes..."
Something in her voice caught his attention and Shippou tilted his head down to look his companion in the face. He felt odd sometimes, having to look down at people, or being at eye level with them. He'd been small for so long that growing up felt very strange to him. "Shoukaki...? What's wrong?"
She forced a smile at him and wiped her eyes. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just...well, I was thinking about growing up, is all. And I realised that I can't ever grow up, cause I'm dead and the dead can't get any bigger..." She sniffled, then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I'm such a silly girl, getting worked up over something like growing up..."
Before she realised what was happening, warm, small paws encircled her and she felt herself pulled close as Shippou gave her a comforting hug. Awkwardly, he patted her back. "There, there, Shoukaki. It's all right. Just because you can't get any bigger doesn't mean you can't grow up. I mean, look at Inuyasha. He's a lot bigger than I am but I'm still more grown up than he is. And you're a lot more grown up than me. So it doesn't matter if you can get any bigger, 'cause you can always still grow up." Again he patted her back, careful not to hit too hard. She was a girl, after all.
Gripping the front of his kimono in her hands, the young girl nodded and sniffed loudly. "I'm just so scared that there's nothing for me, even though I was left behind. What if there isn't a reason I was left here...what if I can't do anything, after all? I can't go home, I can't get older, I can't remember...Do I have anything at all...?"
"Of course you do." Pushing her back so that he could look her in the face, Shippou smiled. With one childish hand, he brushed away his friend's tears. "You have all of us. And you have your Mama and friend waiting for you, wherever they are, just like my Mama and Papa are waiting and watching me. So you always have something. Always always." He lightly punched her jaw, then winked. "So cheer up, or you'll also have a black eye."
Shoukaki couldn't help but laugh.
The two stood silent a moment in the ringing of her laughter, then Shippou shrugged his shoulders and pointed down the path. "Come on, we have a Kagome to save. Especially before any Dog Boys get there."
Nodding, Shoukaki took up her friend's stance and echoed: "Let's go!" Then she paused, turned and grabbed the flowers she'd been tying. Plopping them down on the kitsune's fluffy head, she returned to her pose and said: "Okay, now let's go!"
Before they could get a hundred feet down the path, however, acid spilled among the trees, clogging the air and melting the vegetation. Shippou screamed and darted up a tree as Shoukaki watched in bewilderment the foliage around her crumble and disintegrate. From up in the tree, the fox-demon hissed at her to get away quickly.
Taking a cautious step backward, the ghost-child tried in vain to find the source of the vaporous toxin. It had to be a demon-and most probably Sesshoumaru-but despite how hard she tried, she couldn't sense him in the area. Either he had some sort of cloaking magic that she couldn't detect, or he was incredibly good at hiding his aura during an attack. She feared it was the latter.
Another wave of acid flowed in through the destroyed trees, darkening the area to a greenish black hue. Shoukaki could no longer see her feet. She idly wondered if they had melted like everything else-being a ghost, she couldn't feel pain and there was no way of her knowing what had happened. Maybe she was melted to the earth...
There was the smallest sound of a twig snapping and the girl's head shot in that direction. Through the mist of green that swirled about, she could make out a flash of silvery white. 'Sesshoumaru...it has to be him.'
Without a thought, the ghost lunged after him, silently relieved that she still had her feet as she ran. From behind her, up in the tree, Shippou howled for her to stop and run the other way. Briefly, she turned her head to see where her companion was-most of the foliage was gone now, removing what cover the kit had-and saw him clinging frantically to the highest branches of his tree, shivering and screaming at her to come back. The flowers she'd placed on his head earlier hung lopsided, some of the petals falling listlessly to the ground. If he weren't in so much danger, she'd have almost found it comical.
Instead, she steeled herself and ran faster, thankful for the fact that she couldn't become winded. 'If it was night, I could fly after him...Why can't I just stay in one form? Why?'
For a while, Shoukaki continued to chase after the brief image of white she'd seen. When the acid fumes dissipated and even her most attentive senses could not find any demon presence, she slowed to a stop. Wherever Sesshoumaru was, she couldn't sense him. For all she knew, he was still back where Shippou clung helplessly to the branches...
'No...little kitsune!'
Faster than she ever had before, Shoukaki darted back down her previous path, ignoring the plants that clung to her, scraped her and tried to trip her up. Had the image she'd seen been a ruse to separate her and the fox-demon? She'd left Shippou all alone! He was still weak from his previous injuries-not to mention stuck up a tree. Maybe Sesshoumaru knew she'd chase after him in the hopes of protecting the weaker demon and now...now... What could he do to Sesshoumaru? 'Why did I leave him alone...?'
In a rush, the ghost stumbled into the clearing, her eyes frantically searching for the fox-demon. Almost all of the acid had vanished, but that didn't necessarily mean that Sesshoumaru was gone. She had to find her friend...! When she couldn't see him in the trees, she began to fret. Was she too late...? Maybe he was already dead...just like her... Her eyes caught sight of a cluster of small flowers beneath the tree, melted from the acid. They were the same flowers she'd knit together and given to her friend. 'No...'
There was a rustling in the bushes and the child spun around, her eyes sapped clear of colour and bleeding black. She would kill Sesshoumaru for what he'd done to her friend. She would avenge him. No one else was going to die!
A round, furry head popped out of the brush, followed by a blazing red top-knot and the bushiest tail she'd ever seen. Shippou rubbed his eyes with his small hands, then blinked up at her. With a wail, the kitsune shot out from the bushes and grabbed his friend, nearly crushing her, crying out her name repeatedly. Slowly, the anger dying inside her, Shoukaki's eyes returned to normal and she hugged the kit back. He continued to cry into her shoulder.
She wasn't sure how long they stood there, holding each other, but by the time they let go the last of the acid was gone and the clearing was left in shambles. Sesshoumaru was nowhere to be seen.
Slowly, the kitsune came back to himself. Sniffing, he pushed away from his friend, rubbing the last tears from his cheeks. "That's odd..." Shippou commented finally as he looked around, "Sesshoumaru doesn't usually just run away like that. He's too stubborn to give up. I wonder why he stopped?"
Shoukaki shrugged. "Perhaps he had more important things to tend to?"
Shippou gave his friend the most contemptuous look she could imagine as he said incredulously: "What more important things? Killing is the most important thing to Inuyasha's brother."
She shrugged. "Well, he left us alone the other day..."
The fox just shook his head and started walking. "No, not really. It's because Inuyasha kicked his butt and he hates to lose, so he makes it look like he was going to leave anyhow. That's just how Sesshoumaru is. But Inuyasha isn't here right now, so it's odd that he left...I wonder why...?"
Playfully, Shoukaki rubbed the kitsune's head and joked: "Maybe he's waiting in ambush!"
"Don't even joke about that Shouka-LOOK OUT!"
Before she could react, there was a sickening tearing noise and suddenly she felt terribly off balance. It was heavy...her left side was too heavy. She could feel herself falling and she vaguely wondered why Shippou was screaming.
Hitting the earth with an audible thud, Shoukaki looked up through dizzy eyes to see Sesshoumaru standing a short distance away, the blue fabric of her kimono falling in shreds from his claws. That was odd-she didn't remember him grabbing her. How did her kimono get shredded like that?
With a grunt, the girl rolled over and moved to push herself up. As she placed her weight on her arms, however, she collapsed down again. What...? She looked down, confused. Why couldn't she get her balance...? Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked herself over, while near her Shippou continued to scream.
Her right arm was all but gone, torn and shredded beyond use.
And she hadn't even felt it.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at her destroyed body. She hadn't even felt the wound. She hadn't felt anything. This dead body...she survived in a dead body that she couldn't even feel, but that could be destroyed. Could her body be destroyed to the point of non-existence and she wouldn't even know...? Did she have anything she could keep...?
"Shoukaki! Shoukaki!" The girl could feel Shippou's arms wrapping around her, feel his face bury against her shoulder. He was shaking. The little kitsune was scared.
Anger welling up, Shoukaki gently pushed her friend away, at the same time shoving herself to her feet. She almost went down again, unbalanced by the loss of her arm. But she held on, her anger giving her the strength to remain on her feet. This Sesshoumaru had taken away something from her-he'd scared Shippou-and she would not forgive him.
Sesshoumaru took this all in with lidded eyes, his face passive. Fluidly, he shook the remains of the child's dress from his claws, the fabric falling listlessly to the broken ground. In his deep voice, he said quietly: "Perhaps I was, human child."
For a moment, his words didn't sink in. Perhaps he was what? Then it struck her. '"Maybe he's waiting in ambush!" He...he was waiting for us. He heard me! He was there...he was waiting...' Shoukaki began to shake uncontrollably. 'He was waiting for us...to hurt Shippou...! To hurt me...to take more away from me...! I can't even have a complete body...HE TOOK IT AWAY!'
Even as the words died down in her skull, the colour bled from her eyes, replaced by a dead black-even the whites were gone. Her face went slack, her mouth a tight frown. Around her, the wind picked up, pounded against the melted and broken plants; her kimono fluttered around her legs. Black cords materialised from the air and a thin wire wound about her neck, pressing deep into the skin. Shippou gasped and jumped away, hiding in the bushes along the side of the path. Sesshoumaru simply watched on with emotionless eyes.
Without a word, Shoukaki lunged forward, the cords that encircled her body lashing out like snakes. Lithely, Sesshoumaru dodged them all, his face contemptuous as his own whip lashed out. The two weapons collided, bursting into flames. Shippou poked his head out to watch, then retreated back into the bushes.
"I hate you! I hate you!" With each attack, Shoukaki screamed louder and louder, tears rolling from her eyes. Sesshoumaru's attack caught her in the face and flung her backward, leaving a huge, torn gash in her cheek; even as she stood, it began to bruise and swell, sealing her eye shut. The girl shook her head and lunged forward again. "You just keep taking things away from people! First you take Kagome from Inuyasha and Shippou, now you take away what little physical presence I have in the world! You're evil! I hate you!"
In the bushes, Shippou cringed at the sound of her voice, but was also slightly shocked. He'd never heard Shoukaki say his name before. He'd always been "little kitsune" to her. Could her anger have changed her somehow? She didn't seem like Shoukaki anymore-she frightened him with her black eyes and terrible, terrible cords. Where was his "Great Shoukaki?" He whimpered. Why did Sesshoumaru always have to interfere...?
Outside, the sounds of attacking continued. A whip cracked and there was the most disgusting sound of tearing flesh. Then Shoukaki screamed so loud that the blood curdled in the fox kit's veins. He had to do something to help her! Without thinking, the kitsune bound out of the brush and across the clearing toward where his friend lay sprawled on the ground, Sesshoumaru standing over her, his claws ready to strike. A new wound tore across the girl's left shoulder, just below her neck.
Shippou began to panic as he watched Inuyasha's brother begin to strike. Why hadn't he thought of a plan before rushing out? He needed to think of something...quickly. Scrambling for anything to stop the older youkai, the fox-demon screamed: "Inuyasha! Thank goodness you're here!"
Shippou grinned to himself when the demon lord of the western lands stiffly turned his head to look for his younger brother. Taking the few precious seconds afforded him, the young youkai dove in front of Shoukaki and attacked Sesshoumaru's legs. He had to stop Sesshoumaru before he hurt his friend anymore...!
Surprised by the sudden attack, Inuyasha's brother turned his head back toward where Shippou clung to his kimono, trying his best to claw Sesshoumaru's legs. It would have been comical, had the demon not been in the middle of a fight.
Almost nonchalantly, Sesshoumaru kicked the kit from him, watching as the younger demon bounced along the ground to land near the human ghost. The girl was slowly pulling herself up to her knees, trying to orient herself. Sesshoumaru had to give her credit; she was quite tenacious. Especially for a ghost, who were usually complacent enough and tended to stay out of demon affairs. But she was also a human and in league with his brother and therefore a thorn in his side. If he was going to have his revenge on that woman his half-breed sibling ran around with, he couldn't allow anyone to take her away.
Very slowly, Shoukaki pulled herself up to her knees. Her body moved sluggishly and wasn't responding like it should. She had no right arm and she couldn't see out of her right eye. Her mouth felt stuffed with fabric and she couldn't hear clearly from her right ear. It was a struggle to orient herself and she vaguely wondered why she still had a body. Why hadn't Sesshoumaru destroyed the rest of it, yet?
Awkwardly, she scanned the area using her good eye, assessing the situation. A very faint gasp from behind caught her attention and she swung her head that way. There was Inuyasha's brother, looking at her with wide, golden eyes. He almost looked...surprised? But that wasn't possible-he was evil; the evil don't look surprised. She let her gaze drop, unwilling to look at those eyes on her enemy.
And that's when she saw Shippou.
The poor kit lay a few feet in front of her, curled up on his side. Tears stood in his eyes and he was holding his arm like it hurt. With a gasp, Shoukaki hobbled over to him on her knees, trying desperately to keep her balance. When she reached him, she gently stroked his hair with her good hand as he whimpered in pain.
"Little kitsune? Oh, are you all right? What happened?"
Shippou looked up at her, his face grim. "Shoukaki...you're all right. I was worried." The kit forced a smile, then grimaced. "I couldn't let that big meanie over there hurt you anymore, so I tried to get him to leave you alone. I guess I didn't do a good enough job. He sort of kicked me away." Shippou gritted his teeth together as he shifted around to sit up and face her. "I think my arm is broken. I bounced quite a long ways."
Shoukaki gently pushed his bangs out of his eyes. "Silly little kitsune, you didn't have to do that. I can't be killed-I wasn't in any pain. You didn't have to hurt yourself for me."
He shook his head. "But you didn't want to lose anything else and since your body is one of the only things you really have anymore, I couldn't let anyone take it away. Besides...I need to be brave if I'm going to save Kagome. She would want me to help my friend..."
His companion nodded and smiled sadly. "Well...I'll protect you now, so don't you worry." She pet his head again, then turned her attention back to Sesshoumaru, who continued to stand nearby with an almost awed expression on his face. Shoukaki's face darkened immediately when she saw him. He would be awed by such caring and compassionate people. He probably didn't have a caring bone in his body.
"I'll get you for this, Sesshoumaru," she called out as she valiantly attempted to stand. He blinked at her oddly, almost as though her were coming out of a dream. "How dare you hurt us like this. You evil, evil creature. I hate you!" She finally finished getting to her feet and waited for his response, her left eye glaring at him.
But Sesshoumaru didn't do anything. His eyes took in her appearance, instead. He saw her dirty, dishevelled black hair, her swollen face, torn clothing. She looked...very much like Rin had when he first encountered her. And he had done it to her. It was as though he'd attacked his own charge. It was uncanny how similar her appearance was. "Rin..."
Shoukaki was taken aback at his answer. 'Who...who is Rin...?' "Sesshoumaru..."
The demon lord of the western lands didn't answer. Instead, he relaxed his body, allowing the whip he held to fall away. His eyes were surprisingly soft when he turned from them and began walking away. Shoukaki and Shippou watched, astounded, as his ghostly white form disappeared among the trees, not even bothering to look back.
For a moment the two simply sat, silent, as they stared after where Inuyasha's brother had disappeared. Then Shippou pushed himself to his feet and started walking after the older demon. He still clutched his arm to him in pain. Shoukaki hurried after him, trying her best to stop him.
"It's another trap, little kitsune! If we follow him he'll just hurt you more!"
Shippou shook his head. "He lost that fight, Shoukaki. It's the same way whenever he loses to Inuyasha...I don't know why he lost, but he did. And I'm going to follow him."
She blinked, confused. "Why?"
"Cause he'll lead me to Kagome. I just know it."
They continued on for a while after that, neither speaking, both nursing wounds. Shoukaki was surprised she could even move, thanks to the damage inflicted on her body. No right arm, extensive wounds to the face and torso...she must look like some kind of monster. 'But then again...When Sesshoumaru looked at me that time, he didn't look disgusted. He looked...almost sad. Why would he look like that? And who is Rin...?'
"Little kitsune, who is Rin?"
The fox slowed a bit, looking back over his shoulder at the ghost trailing behind him. "Rin? That's the name of the little girl that chases after Sesshoumaru...why?"
'A little girl? A human girl, like me?' "Why would a little girl follow him around?"
Shippou shrugged. "I don't know. He's a mean, cruel, cold demon that doesn't care who he hurts and who took Kagome away. But Rin is very fond of him. I just don't know."
"Maybe he's only so cruel when fighting...?"
The kit shook his head and sighed. "I don't know. I've never seen him when he's not fighting. But he took Kagome away and therefore he is the worst creature in the world. And I'm going to save her, no matter what."
Shoukaki bit her bottom lip, but said nothing. Shuffling along with her wounded body, she could only think of Sesshoumaru's eyes and that softly spoken word. 'Rin...how can a child love such a frightening creature...? Why would a human child follow such a creature...why would he let her? Sesshoumaru...why are you so strange? Why did you look at me like that? Why...why can't I keep hating you anymore...?'
So lost in her thoughts was the phantom that she didn't see Shippou stop in front of her. She slammed into his back and fell immediately to the ground, her balance gone. The kitsune barely noticed, staring instead ahead of him, into the trees. Struggling back to her feet, Shoukaki let her gaze follow his, her eyes widening in surprise.
Ahead of them, just beyond the last stretch of trees, lay a brilliant blue sky. In the distance was the glint of falling water; she could barely hear the faint roaring, whether because she had lost the use of one ear or because it was so far away. Near the cascading water were the vague shadows of men or demons and the large shadow of at least two beasts.
But the shadows were not what drew her attention, nor the fox-demon's ahead of her. Perhaps halfway to the waterfall, laying out in the sun, were the figures of two human girls. One looked no older than Shoukaki or Shippou and she frequently got up to run around and dance. She laughed loudly and her voice reached them even out in the forest. But it was the girl who lay beside her that caught the children's attention most of all.
Dark hair spread across the ground like liquid as she looked up at the sky, Kagome was as beautiful as Shippou remembered and it couldn't help himself. With a cry, the kitsune bound out of the woods, Shoukaki trying her best to keep up with her uneven body. His joyful yells echoed throughout the area but he didn't care. There was his Kagome, sitting up with a start and looking toward him with her large, beautiful eyes. There was his Kagome, pushing herself to her feet, her companion stopping her dance and looking in his direction with an equally surprised expression. There was his Kagome...who he had come to save.
"Kagome! Kagome!" Crying her name, he raced toward her. Behind him he could vaguely hear Shoukaki yell something-it sounded like "stop." Why should he stop? Kagome was right there! He had no reason to stop! "Kagome! Kagom-"
A claw wrapped around his neck and shoved him into the ground not a hundred feet from where Kagome stood, screaming. Thrashing around, Shippou managed to get his face out of the ground and look up. He screamed.
"I see you made it here after all. This Sesshoumaru welcomes you, fox-demon."