Hey there!! I know you all just love me so much for getting ch. 7 up!!!
Hehehe!! Enjoy!!! And they're still NOT MINE!!
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Ch. 7 The Talk
Koshu just kept looking between his father and the woman who stood by the kitsune, trying to sort everything out. The miko, Kagome?? But that's the woman father loved! How can she still be alive?! He shook his head fiercely, and looked to the kitsune who had his hand on her shoulder. Reminding himself that he had planned on making her his mate, he tried to decide if this was still the best course of action. After all, what would his father say?
His father, currently, was too busy trying to swallow all of the information, while also trying to block out his pack's yelps of surprise. He smiled at the miko who, so long ago, used to travel with the half-breed in order to find all of the jewel shards. She appeared to be nervous, but was smiling warmly at everyone. A glance at the fox demon behind her warned him in a way that he hadn't felt since dog-face, while a glance at his son and his pack showed pure shock and disbelief. Most of them were looking at their pack leader, almost begging for him to prove or disprove this statement. Unfortunately, he couldn't. Only Kagome could.
Said priestess was trying not to be nervous as she looked around her at the incredulous looks some of the wolves were giving her. They didn't believe it, she knew. The ones whom she had actually met during her travels were in shock, unable to answer any questions thrown at them. She took another small step back, only to bump into Shippou's warm body, which caused him to look down at her, a smile on his face as he squeezed her shoulder encouragingly. She grinned back up at him, looking into those clear blue-green eyes as she felt her fear begin to slide away.
Odd, she thought to herself. Used to, I was the one offering support and encouragement to the kit. And now, here he was, fully-grown, gone from the cute child to the handsome man, helping her! After a moment, she realized that silence had slowly crept over everyone, and now all eyes were facing the two of them, watching the pair as they stared at each other. She blushed and dropped her gaze to the ground, trying to force thoughts of handsome faces and bright eyes out of her mind, and come up with a way to prove who she was. Other than cutting her side open and pulling out the Shikon no Tama, which had returned to her body when she was sent back to her time.
The kitsune himself, after realizing they had been caught staring, cleared his throat and looked around at the people surrounding him. He couldn't help but grin as he thought of a human's reaction were he to arrive in the clearing, welcomed by the sight of a single woman standing amongst youkai, one kitsune and a pack of wolves. He took a deep breath to clear his mind, only to find himself breathing in Kagome's sweet scent again. Almost instantly, his body relaxed, and a bright smile graced his features.
"Well, I suppose I should fill everyone in, including you, Kagome." He knew she was looking at him again, and tried not to look back at her, knowing he would get lost into her soulful gray-blue eyes, and would never answer everyone's almost tangible question.
He led the priestess back to the well, and sat as he had that day when she disappeared, his back resting against the worn wood, motioning for her to follow suit. She sat next to him, their sides almost touching, and he was tempted to reach out and grab her hand and hold her close to him again. Just as he was squashing down those feelings, though, he felt her small hand wrap around his own, squeezing it gently and offering her support with a gentle smile. He nodded, and looked at the pack and it's leaders. Father and son sat nearby, and the pack had formed a veritable half-circle around him, spreading out and waiting to hear his explanation. Taking a deep breath, he began the tale, starting at where they had first met, and some background information (occasionally corrected by Kagome).
She had been traveling with Inuyasha, the hanyou who was known for trying to get the Shikon no Tama from it's priestess in order to become a full demon, only to be stuck to a tree for 50 years, then freed by the priestess's reincarnation from 500 years in the future who had traveled back through time by the old dry well on her family's shrine. Unfortunately, after she freed Inuyasha, the half-demon attacked her for the jewel, which had been found to reside in her body. The first priestess's younger sister then placed a rosary around the hanyou's neck, allowing Kagome, the miko from the future, the ability to stop him instantly with a single word, "Sit".
In another stroke of bad luck, Kagome accidentally shattered the jewel in question with an arrow fired at a demon that had swallowed the sacred jewel. And so, the pair had agreed (after a while), to work together to find all of the jewel shards and restore the Jewel of Four Souls to it's former shape.
During their adventures, Inuyasha had been able to acquire a sword called Tetsusaiga, which was actually formed from one of his father's fangs, and had the ability to destroy one hundred demons in a single stroke. He hadn't known about it until his elder half-brother, Lord Sesshoumaru (at this, a few gasps of surprise rose from the audience), came searching for their father's grave, and the legendary sword.
The tomb ended up being a black pearl in the half-demon's right eye, and Kagome and Inuyasha followed the demon lord to the former tai-youkai's remains, where the Tetsusaiga was stuck in an altar. Neither brother was able to draw the sword, but when she feared for Inuyasha's life, Kagome's grip on the hilt of the immovable sword changed from one of support, and when she ran towards the hanyou, the sword easily came out. (A few sounds of shock here, and respectful glances in the young miko's direction)
Shortly afterwards, they met up with a VERY young Shippou, who had attacked them in his pink balloon form, demanding the jewel shards. (Here the now-grown kitsune blushed, remembering the events.) When he was easily defeated by the hanyou, he had explained that he wanted to shards in order to be able to exact revenge on his father's murderers. Unfortunately, those same murderers ended up finding them, and kidnapped Kagome, demanding the jewel shards for her life.
After the defeat of the Thunder Brothers, he had stayed with the duo, traveling with them as they continued their quest. They learned of Inuyasha's night as a human (though he left out details on which night, out of respect for the man he had considered a role model and older brother), and of Tetsusaiga's true abilities. They were joined by Miroku, a lecherous monk, who told them of the demon Naraku, who was the person who had turned the first priestess, Kikyo, who had just been re-animated with a piece of Kagome's soul, and Inuyasha against each other, causing her death and his imprisonment.
They had all (reluctantly, in the Hanyou's case) agreed to work together to find the jewel shards and Naraku, and destroy the demon that had ruined their many lives. Miroku suffered from a curse placed on his grandfather by Naraku, which caused an air rip in his hand that would grow as he got older, eventually drawing him in and killing him.
They were later joined by Sango, one of the last two demon exterminators left after Naraku destroyed their village. The other exterminator was Sango's brother, Kohaku, whom had been used by the evil monster, then finally released upon Naraku's death.
Of course, almost everyone in the pack knew this already. But here and there were a few people Shippou didn't recognize, so he told them anyway. He told them everything up to the destruction of Naraku, the loss of Inuyasha to Kikyo, since he still felt guilty, and the healing of Kohaku. Here he had to stop, though, since he was unsure what to tell them next. He had merely told Kouga and his human friends, and let them choose their own ways of telling everyone else. He opened his mouth to speak again, only to be cut off by Kagome, who continued with the story.
She told them of her decision to fuse the jewel back together, and of her disappearance. She told them how she had been sent home, and the well had been sealed, keeping her from coming back home. She explained how she learned that the Shikon no Tama had been placed right back into her body, where it had been so long ago.
Shippou nodded in agreement, then told how Miroku and Sango had wed, and had the children the perverted monk had asked so many to bear. He talked about their descendants, and how each was trained as a demon exterminator, just like Sango and Kohaku. Kohaku's family had moved to another village a short distance away, also training diligently to protect humans from the youkai threats. And he, after his friends died, moved out by the well, and waited for Kagome's eventual return.
Now it was Kouga's turn. He told a surprised Kagome of how he had come upon the kitsune in the clearing one day, only to learn of her fate. The proud wolf told of his monthly visits, which seemed to hurt Ayume every time. He and her had eventually realized that both of their claims meant nothing if the other's heart wasn't in it. Kouga finally relinquished his claim on the lost miko, and Ayume had released her claim on Kouga. She had later found a mate, and was living a happy life. As was he, with his own mate and pups. He had a few of them, but Koshu was his eldest, and he felt that the young youkai needed to see the world more, and possibly find his own potential mate.
The now-blushing Koshu looked at his father, embarrassed and amazed at his father's part in the story. He had known of Ayume and Kagome, but he had never heard the full tale. He looked over at the calm young woman who still gave off the scent of cherry blossoms and rain, and a thought came to his head. She had said she had been gone for 2 years. But it had been 72 years for them.
Straightening up to his full height and trying to force away the redness in his cheeks, he focused on the miko and her kitsune friend. Finally, he asked the question in every pack-member's mind.
"How could only two years pass for you, when it has been 72 years here?"
Kagome thought about it. Her smile had disappeared as the adventure had been told, feeling each and every emotion again. Now, she was being asked a question she had yet to find an answer to. Oh well, she decided, I might as well take a guess.
"I'm not really certain why it did that. Perhaps it's because both Shippou and I wished for the same thing at that particular moment in our lives... Perhaps the jewel did something... Perhaps when I finally began to cry into the well and wish more than life itself after 2 years, my tears joined with Shippou's tears that had fallen into the well 72 years after my disappearance, and joined those two times together. I think that's what may have happened, but I have no way to be sure." She was focusing on the ground now, thinking how the grass was truly fascinating, really, when she heard the one thing she hadn't expected.
Agreements.
Shippou was looking at her curiously, and she knew he was thinking about her conclusion. But, he was also slowly nodding, as were many of the other demons in the clearing, including Kouga and Koshu. She couldn't stop the small smile that was slowly forming on her face. What she had said had confused her for a moment, but now that she thought back on it, it was possible. After all, she had been sent back the first time 50 years after Kikyo's death, and one demon's true form had been a comb, so why not?? Inuyasha's words after that particular battle came back to her. "After all you've seen, you're SURPRISED?"
She squeezed Shippou's hand again, not realizing it, as she sifted through all her memories. The owner of the clasped hand, however, felt it and looked at her, taking in her vacant expression. He knew what she was doing, but was taken aback when a soft pink glow began to appear around her hip. A glance over to where the other demons were sitting showed him that they were just as stunned as he was. The glow got slightly brighter, then faded away slowly as Kagome came back to the present.
Shippou was busy looking at Kagome, hoping that she hadn't relived a painful memory, or somehow gotten upset, and so almost didn't hear Kouga's laughing exclamation to his pack.
"Does anyone need any more proof that she is who she says she is??"
~~~~~~~
Well, there ya go!! I know you all love me!! YAY!! Now, the fun part!! REVIEW!! please? Bye for now!!!!
~~~~~
Ch. 7 The Talk
Koshu just kept looking between his father and the woman who stood by the kitsune, trying to sort everything out. The miko, Kagome?? But that's the woman father loved! How can she still be alive?! He shook his head fiercely, and looked to the kitsune who had his hand on her shoulder. Reminding himself that he had planned on making her his mate, he tried to decide if this was still the best course of action. After all, what would his father say?
His father, currently, was too busy trying to swallow all of the information, while also trying to block out his pack's yelps of surprise. He smiled at the miko who, so long ago, used to travel with the half-breed in order to find all of the jewel shards. She appeared to be nervous, but was smiling warmly at everyone. A glance at the fox demon behind her warned him in a way that he hadn't felt since dog-face, while a glance at his son and his pack showed pure shock and disbelief. Most of them were looking at their pack leader, almost begging for him to prove or disprove this statement. Unfortunately, he couldn't. Only Kagome could.
Said priestess was trying not to be nervous as she looked around her at the incredulous looks some of the wolves were giving her. They didn't believe it, she knew. The ones whom she had actually met during her travels were in shock, unable to answer any questions thrown at them. She took another small step back, only to bump into Shippou's warm body, which caused him to look down at her, a smile on his face as he squeezed her shoulder encouragingly. She grinned back up at him, looking into those clear blue-green eyes as she felt her fear begin to slide away.
Odd, she thought to herself. Used to, I was the one offering support and encouragement to the kit. And now, here he was, fully-grown, gone from the cute child to the handsome man, helping her! After a moment, she realized that silence had slowly crept over everyone, and now all eyes were facing the two of them, watching the pair as they stared at each other. She blushed and dropped her gaze to the ground, trying to force thoughts of handsome faces and bright eyes out of her mind, and come up with a way to prove who she was. Other than cutting her side open and pulling out the Shikon no Tama, which had returned to her body when she was sent back to her time.
The kitsune himself, after realizing they had been caught staring, cleared his throat and looked around at the people surrounding him. He couldn't help but grin as he thought of a human's reaction were he to arrive in the clearing, welcomed by the sight of a single woman standing amongst youkai, one kitsune and a pack of wolves. He took a deep breath to clear his mind, only to find himself breathing in Kagome's sweet scent again. Almost instantly, his body relaxed, and a bright smile graced his features.
"Well, I suppose I should fill everyone in, including you, Kagome." He knew she was looking at him again, and tried not to look back at her, knowing he would get lost into her soulful gray-blue eyes, and would never answer everyone's almost tangible question.
He led the priestess back to the well, and sat as he had that day when she disappeared, his back resting against the worn wood, motioning for her to follow suit. She sat next to him, their sides almost touching, and he was tempted to reach out and grab her hand and hold her close to him again. Just as he was squashing down those feelings, though, he felt her small hand wrap around his own, squeezing it gently and offering her support with a gentle smile. He nodded, and looked at the pack and it's leaders. Father and son sat nearby, and the pack had formed a veritable half-circle around him, spreading out and waiting to hear his explanation. Taking a deep breath, he began the tale, starting at where they had first met, and some background information (occasionally corrected by Kagome).
She had been traveling with Inuyasha, the hanyou who was known for trying to get the Shikon no Tama from it's priestess in order to become a full demon, only to be stuck to a tree for 50 years, then freed by the priestess's reincarnation from 500 years in the future who had traveled back through time by the old dry well on her family's shrine. Unfortunately, after she freed Inuyasha, the half-demon attacked her for the jewel, which had been found to reside in her body. The first priestess's younger sister then placed a rosary around the hanyou's neck, allowing Kagome, the miko from the future, the ability to stop him instantly with a single word, "Sit".
In another stroke of bad luck, Kagome accidentally shattered the jewel in question with an arrow fired at a demon that had swallowed the sacred jewel. And so, the pair had agreed (after a while), to work together to find all of the jewel shards and restore the Jewel of Four Souls to it's former shape.
During their adventures, Inuyasha had been able to acquire a sword called Tetsusaiga, which was actually formed from one of his father's fangs, and had the ability to destroy one hundred demons in a single stroke. He hadn't known about it until his elder half-brother, Lord Sesshoumaru (at this, a few gasps of surprise rose from the audience), came searching for their father's grave, and the legendary sword.
The tomb ended up being a black pearl in the half-demon's right eye, and Kagome and Inuyasha followed the demon lord to the former tai-youkai's remains, where the Tetsusaiga was stuck in an altar. Neither brother was able to draw the sword, but when she feared for Inuyasha's life, Kagome's grip on the hilt of the immovable sword changed from one of support, and when she ran towards the hanyou, the sword easily came out. (A few sounds of shock here, and respectful glances in the young miko's direction)
Shortly afterwards, they met up with a VERY young Shippou, who had attacked them in his pink balloon form, demanding the jewel shards. (Here the now-grown kitsune blushed, remembering the events.) When he was easily defeated by the hanyou, he had explained that he wanted to shards in order to be able to exact revenge on his father's murderers. Unfortunately, those same murderers ended up finding them, and kidnapped Kagome, demanding the jewel shards for her life.
After the defeat of the Thunder Brothers, he had stayed with the duo, traveling with them as they continued their quest. They learned of Inuyasha's night as a human (though he left out details on which night, out of respect for the man he had considered a role model and older brother), and of Tetsusaiga's true abilities. They were joined by Miroku, a lecherous monk, who told them of the demon Naraku, who was the person who had turned the first priestess, Kikyo, who had just been re-animated with a piece of Kagome's soul, and Inuyasha against each other, causing her death and his imprisonment.
They had all (reluctantly, in the Hanyou's case) agreed to work together to find the jewel shards and Naraku, and destroy the demon that had ruined their many lives. Miroku suffered from a curse placed on his grandfather by Naraku, which caused an air rip in his hand that would grow as he got older, eventually drawing him in and killing him.
They were later joined by Sango, one of the last two demon exterminators left after Naraku destroyed their village. The other exterminator was Sango's brother, Kohaku, whom had been used by the evil monster, then finally released upon Naraku's death.
Of course, almost everyone in the pack knew this already. But here and there were a few people Shippou didn't recognize, so he told them anyway. He told them everything up to the destruction of Naraku, the loss of Inuyasha to Kikyo, since he still felt guilty, and the healing of Kohaku. Here he had to stop, though, since he was unsure what to tell them next. He had merely told Kouga and his human friends, and let them choose their own ways of telling everyone else. He opened his mouth to speak again, only to be cut off by Kagome, who continued with the story.
She told them of her decision to fuse the jewel back together, and of her disappearance. She told them how she had been sent home, and the well had been sealed, keeping her from coming back home. She explained how she learned that the Shikon no Tama had been placed right back into her body, where it had been so long ago.
Shippou nodded in agreement, then told how Miroku and Sango had wed, and had the children the perverted monk had asked so many to bear. He talked about their descendants, and how each was trained as a demon exterminator, just like Sango and Kohaku. Kohaku's family had moved to another village a short distance away, also training diligently to protect humans from the youkai threats. And he, after his friends died, moved out by the well, and waited for Kagome's eventual return.
Now it was Kouga's turn. He told a surprised Kagome of how he had come upon the kitsune in the clearing one day, only to learn of her fate. The proud wolf told of his monthly visits, which seemed to hurt Ayume every time. He and her had eventually realized that both of their claims meant nothing if the other's heart wasn't in it. Kouga finally relinquished his claim on the lost miko, and Ayume had released her claim on Kouga. She had later found a mate, and was living a happy life. As was he, with his own mate and pups. He had a few of them, but Koshu was his eldest, and he felt that the young youkai needed to see the world more, and possibly find his own potential mate.
The now-blushing Koshu looked at his father, embarrassed and amazed at his father's part in the story. He had known of Ayume and Kagome, but he had never heard the full tale. He looked over at the calm young woman who still gave off the scent of cherry blossoms and rain, and a thought came to his head. She had said she had been gone for 2 years. But it had been 72 years for them.
Straightening up to his full height and trying to force away the redness in his cheeks, he focused on the miko and her kitsune friend. Finally, he asked the question in every pack-member's mind.
"How could only two years pass for you, when it has been 72 years here?"
Kagome thought about it. Her smile had disappeared as the adventure had been told, feeling each and every emotion again. Now, she was being asked a question she had yet to find an answer to. Oh well, she decided, I might as well take a guess.
"I'm not really certain why it did that. Perhaps it's because both Shippou and I wished for the same thing at that particular moment in our lives... Perhaps the jewel did something... Perhaps when I finally began to cry into the well and wish more than life itself after 2 years, my tears joined with Shippou's tears that had fallen into the well 72 years after my disappearance, and joined those two times together. I think that's what may have happened, but I have no way to be sure." She was focusing on the ground now, thinking how the grass was truly fascinating, really, when she heard the one thing she hadn't expected.
Agreements.
Shippou was looking at her curiously, and she knew he was thinking about her conclusion. But, he was also slowly nodding, as were many of the other demons in the clearing, including Kouga and Koshu. She couldn't stop the small smile that was slowly forming on her face. What she had said had confused her for a moment, but now that she thought back on it, it was possible. After all, she had been sent back the first time 50 years after Kikyo's death, and one demon's true form had been a comb, so why not?? Inuyasha's words after that particular battle came back to her. "After all you've seen, you're SURPRISED?"
She squeezed Shippou's hand again, not realizing it, as she sifted through all her memories. The owner of the clasped hand, however, felt it and looked at her, taking in her vacant expression. He knew what she was doing, but was taken aback when a soft pink glow began to appear around her hip. A glance over to where the other demons were sitting showed him that they were just as stunned as he was. The glow got slightly brighter, then faded away slowly as Kagome came back to the present.
Shippou was busy looking at Kagome, hoping that she hadn't relived a painful memory, or somehow gotten upset, and so almost didn't hear Kouga's laughing exclamation to his pack.
"Does anyone need any more proof that she is who she says she is??"
~~~~~~~
Well, there ya go!! I know you all love me!! YAY!! Now, the fun part!! REVIEW!! please? Bye for now!!!!