Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Akina, however, is mine.
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Epilogue
"To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living"-Henri Frederic Amiel
The kitsune eventually did tell his tale, but it was sparsely worded and evasive. The fire was not addressed in it, as Shippou was attempting to push it away from his mind. It was a kindness that they did not press him for answers on that score. He freely offered that he realized they were right, and that he hunted down the youkai and killed it of his own choice. He gave no descriptions of the fight, simply that it had been done. Again, his traveling companions were wise enough not to ask for details. That he was capable of defeating the youkai on his own surprised them, but they did not doubt him. The new light in his eyes forbade them from doing so.
It was agreed that they would begin looking for the shards again tomorrow. Shippou had needed to rest, though he would never admit it. Kagome came up with a false excuse as to why they simply had to stay another day-that everyone saw through but pretended not to. The kitsune felt almost smothered by the others watching him constantly, and it took a great deal of promises and vows to get permission to leave the hut and spend some time on his own. Again, his feet led him without there being a conscious decision where to head. It should be no surprise, then, that he ended up gazing over the scorched field. He had not gained the courage to ask after Akina yet, and no one had thought to offer the information to him.
Standing again in that field, he allowed his mind to wander back to the events of the past two weeks. He had not told the others the whole of it for good reason. His shame would not let him boast over the accomplishment or self-sacrifice. That would have made it all for naught. The kitsune truly did not, at first, realize just how hard it would be to locate the youth-stealing youkai. It had been spoken of among the group as if it would be a simple decision to change Shippou back, then an equally simple recovery of his youth. It was not to be so. At least not for the lone kitsune. After searching for the youkai for three full days to no avail, he was forced to contemplate a more thorough plan. It occurred to him to call in favors that were owed to his parents before they were killed. Those who he chose to approach, and he did carefully choose the youkai he felt were the most honorable, were relieved to see that all the kit was asking of them was the location of the creature. A few of them had owed serious debts indeed and Shippou would have been well within his rights to ask more. One even offered to accompany him on his mission in addition to information, but the kitsune refused him. Already, his soul clamored at him even asking for help in locating the youkai- to accept aid in the actual battle would have, in his mind, toppled his precarious honor.
The battle itself was surprisingly short, but that is not to say it was not fierce. It was fortunate for Shippou that the youkai's main powers, those of deception and allure, were useless against him. He was not such a fool as to fall deceived by her a second time, and even if he were, the kitsune in him was too much of a deceiver himself to be easy prey. It was, metaphorically, fighting fire with fire. As to her powers of hypnotism, they held no allure whatsoever to him. He sought only to redeem his own soul and, with such a prize in sight, her glamour was futile. Yet, though the battle was fought mostly on the grounds of deception and trickery, Shippou did not emerge unscathed. In actuality, it had taken him several days to heal from the wounds he sustained, even with his youkai health. He was determined not to go back hurt, for even if he could hide the wounds from his companions, Inuyasha would smell the blood. So, he was forced to wait until he was completely healed. Healed physically, at least, for the mental wounds were not even near scarring.
A soft voice interrupted his ruminations, "There was a bad fire. That's why the field looks so bad. No one knows what caused it."
Shippou spun to face the speaker, mouth agape in surprise. Akina! As soon as the shock of that realization abated, her words fully sunk in, "Th…. They don't?" Surely Inuyasha and the others had some suspicion. Had they not shared that with the villagers?
The girl shook her head, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders. She seemed perfectly healthy with no lasting injuries. He dimly realized that her hair was shorter than before. Perhaps the singeing of the fire required her to cut it. "I was in the field at the time, but I didn't see what started the fire." She paused, looked towards Shippou, "You look familiar..."
Shippou glanced away, a telltale guilty flush on his cheeks, "Lots of people have trouble telling Kitsune apart." A lie, really. Kitsune had a wide variation of appearance, but it wasn't like the girl would know the difference. Then, recalling that he was playing the part of a stranger, he felt driven to murmur, "So you escaped the fire then. How?"
Akina nodded, a smile spreading across her face, "I was saved by one of your kind." She cast a shy glance to the ground, looking at Shippou with childish uncertainty, "That is who you remind me of. He was very brave."
He continued to keep his eyes on the field, offering indifferently, "I'm sure he just did what any would in such circumstances."
The girl looked petulant. The child in front of her was insulting her hero, after all. "He didn't. He was heroic. I wish I could thank him."
Shippou swallowed, before forcing a smile as he finally brought his gaze back to her, "I am sure he already knows of your gratitude." His next comment was almost inaudible, "I am also sure he doesn't deserve it." It was so soft, she couldn't be certain she heard it at all. "Be well, Akina."
He was gone before the girl could reply. Akina stared after him in puzzlement, shaking her head slightly, "How did he know my name? Must be a kitsune thing." With the easy acceptance of youth, she pushed it from her mind and looked back to the field. It no longer had the soft grass she was so fond of sitting in, but her mother had told her it'd grow back. Fire had a way of giving rebirth to the land. The old things were gone, but the newer things would replace them. That was how it was meant to be, after all.
~The End~
Author's Notes: Originally, the Epilogue had what I, with the help of a friend, realized to be a serious cop out. There was no explanation for what happened while Shippou was away, merely that he wouldn't discuss it. I realized that this was very poor of me to do, so I added the two paragraphs in to at least give a little more information. Though it may still be viewed as a brief summary, hopefully it's one that will be at least a little more satisfactory! If it wasn't, then please do feel free to let me know. Of course, you can also feel free to let me know if you liked the ending as well. ^.~
When I first started this story, I would have been thrilled if I had ended it with even fifteen reviews. Forty may not be an impressive number to some, but I'm stunned by it. ^_^ I cannot express just how much it encouraged me to see people liking the story. It has definitely made my first experience in posting on Fanfiction.net wonderful! So, thank you to those who reviewed. I truly appreciate every word, especially the suggestions offered. In times of writer's block, those reviews were priceless!
