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ABC Thought
Chapter 66.
Kaede's hut.
"He's coming."
While tending Kuro's wound, Kagome hears Inuyasha informing her about their arriving guests. Just as he says, a few seconds later they see Sesshomaru and Jaken appear by the door.
"Sesshomaru?"
She's surprised by his sudden visit, until she notices Rin sleeping in his arm. Hold on. If Rin's free, does that mean...
"Why are there only you guys? Where's nee-san?"
"Well, Shiomi said that she had a plan. So..."
Therefore Jaken steps forward to answer in his lord stead.
"And you let her leave just like that?!"
"What do you want us to do! She didn't let anyone stop her to begin with!"
Can't stand being yelled at, Jaken shouts back.
"She'll be here soon."
Glancing at Kuro who is lying unconscious on the bed, Sesshomaru claims.
"What does that mean? What happened?"
Kagome watches him laying Rin at the wall nearby, completely confused.
"Huh? What's this?"
Meanwhile Jaken notices that there's small black dot on the ground, and it's cautiously moving toward to Kuro's bed.
"Hey, is anyone of you seeing this-"
When it's close enough, the black dot grows giant in a second. From deep within, multiple black vines appears and warp around Kuro's body to pull him down with them.
"No!"
Everything happens too fast, the only thing Kagome can think of is to grab Kuro's shoulders and drag him out of the danger zone. Only to end up getting pulled further inside along with him.
"Kagome!"
Immediately Inuyasha jumping right into it to save her.
"Sesshomaru-sama!"
Jaken helplessly watches his lord walking right into the darkness and disappears along with the other three.
...
..
"Where-What is this place?"
Once emerged, they see themselves standing among the sea of darkness.
"Someone's coming!"
Hearing faint footsteps from afar, Inuyasha alerts them.
"Nee-san? Is that you?!"
Kagome's surprised to find her here as well. When she tries to run to where Shiomi's standing, Inuyasha stops her.
"Hey, is she suppose to be wielding that right now?"
He points out Amenonuhoko's presence in Shiomi's right hand.
That weapon! Is she being possessed?
Kagome notices that Shiomi keeps her distance from them. Even after reuniting with Sesshomaru and the others, she acts calm and cold. Not to mention that her aura seems strange.
"What now? Are we going to fight her?"
Therefore Inuyasha suggests to kick some senses back to her.
"Nee-san! Don't lose yourself to it! You have to fight back!"
Though Kagome's quick to object that idea. Since she doesn't want to resolve everything with violence.
"We've been through this before, remember? I know that you can do it!"
And Kagome keeps calling out to her. Hoping that Shiomi will regain control over her body.
"Kagome, calm down. It's me."
Unlike the same thing that happened in the past, this time Shiomi recognizes them.
"Hold on. Are you really not being possessed?"
Kagome stares in disbelief.
"Amenonuhoko's mind is not here. There is only me."
And Shiomi assures them that the one in control right now is her. Yet the detail about what happened to her after she went with the thief is completely overlooked.
"Then what's all this about? This isn't your doing, is it?"
Kagome wonders if she's the one who dragged them into this dark space.
"..."
"Nee-san?"
"Let him go. Please."
Ignoring Kagome's question, she insists on having Kuro to be handed to her.
"...You're not going to hurt him. Are you?"
However, Kagome doesn't feel safe to do as she says. Especially when that dangerous weapon is still visible in her hand.
"That's enough. Don't get any closer."
Feeling something isn't right about this version of Shiomi, Inuyasha steps forward to shield both Kagome and Kuro.
"Sesshomaru?"
Shiomi turns to him to ask for his aid, yet Sesshomaru just stands there watching.
"Please, step aside. I don't want to hurt anyone of you."
Unable to gain their support, Shiomi has no choice but to take Kuro by force.
"Oh yeah? Let's see who will hurt who."
Sensing danger, Inuyasha draws out Tessaiga and prepares to fight.
"What do I have to do to make you leave him?"
Before breaking everything apart, she gives them a chance to think over.
"All I want is for you to tell us what is going on!"
Desperate, Kagome shouts.
"What about our promise? No more secret, remember?"
When being reminded about their promise from back then, Shiomi takes a moment to consider.
"Will you give him to me if I tell you?"
"It depends on how sincere you are."
Kagome assures that if Shiomi's motive is reasonable, she will have their full support.
"...If Kuro lives, everything will be gone."
And she reveals, although quite vaguely, her reason for hunting Kuro down.
"Gone where? What the heck are you talking about?"
Needless to say, Inuyasha's confused.
"You're saying that Kuro has the power of destruction? And he will use it on us?"
Kagome tries to make it clearer for everyone to understand. Much to their shock, Shiomi nods to confirm it.
"But Kuro's just a kid. He's barely able to protect himself."
She thinks that Shiomi's mistaken Kuro with someone else.
"The problem is not now, but later."
As ridiculous as it sounds, Shiomi claims that the disaster will happen in the far future.
"How can you be so sure about that? The event has yet to happened, right?"
"I know it will. Because someone has showed it to me."
"By someone as in that thief?"
"They let me see what I needed to see."
When Shiomi reaches out her hand as a sign to have Kuro hand over, Kagome hesitates.
"Nee-san, I'm sorry but... This doesn't seem right."
"It doesn't matter if everyone thinks that it's not right. The only thing I need right now is for Kuro to disappear."
Realizes that they aren't willing to cooperate, Shiomi summons multiple black thorny cages from the void and traps each one of them inside. Standing beside Kuro, she let Amenonuhoko's blade rests near his face.
"And with this, I will be able to get rid of him. Forever."
The weapon bursts in dark aura along with his body. Then a line of energy can be seen transferring from Kuro into Amenonuhoko. As if it's sucking his soul away.
"Stop it!"
As soon as that voice fades, an arrow imbued with spiritual power appears and flying straight at her. Knocking it away, Shiomi turns around and notices that Kagome's already in her battle stance, with her bow firmly in hands and is aiming at her.
"I told you everything, didn't I? Why are you still insist on stopping me?"
Turns out, Kagome has shot her purification arrow between the small gap of the cage that imprisons her.
"Nee-san, I don't know about the things that they did to you. But there's a chance that what you saw was fake!"
On the other hand, she believes that the thief has tricked Shiomi into doing the dirty work in their stead.
"We saw that thief could turn their shadow into one of us. Who knew what more they could do?"
Just then, both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha break out of jail easily with their swords.
"...What's the point of confessing everything if you don't believe me?"
Letting out a sigh, Shiomi wonders if they have ever trusted her to begin with.
"We believe you, Nee-san. We always do. But not that guy. Or anything that comes from their mouth."
In the end, Kagome stands firm to her belief.
"I should have done this from the start."
Shiomi holds out her hand. Suddenly, black vines appear from below and grab their limbs to drag them down.
Figures that she's going to cast everyone else out of the dimension, Sesshomaru summons his light whip to grab Kuro and tosses him toward to where Kagome is at. Once done, he uses the same whip to bind Shiomi to prevent her from following them.
"No!"
Fear of losing the boy, Shiomi stops the vines movement. Taking that chance, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru swiftly cut off the vines that are stuck on their limbs with their weapons.
"Tch!"
Shortly after they're done, Shiomi's able to free herself.
"Please, stop this. We really don't want to fight you."
Cautiously approaching Shiomi's spot, Kagome realizes that her limbs are trembling from the shock of having to battle against the people that she holds dear.
"Are you okay?"
Reluctantly, Shiomi nods.
"Let's try again, shall we?"
Slowly and gently, Kagome tries to calm her down.
"There's nothing more to talk about. I've already told you everything."
Still, Shiomi withdraws further away from them.
"Can we think of another way? Something that not involve with you killing an innocent kid?"
Kagome reaches out to her, but she refuses to take her hand.
"There is no other way! If you let Kuro live, he will-!"
Feeling dejected by their determination to protect Kuro, Shiomi cries out.
"It looks like you've failed persuading them. Just as expected."
Suddenly they hear a voice echoing from behind.
"Who's there?!"
And stepping out of the deep darkness to greet everyone is that mysterious thief.
"Wait! Is it okay for you to-"
When Shiomi tries to alert them that the situation is not safe to make an appearance.
"It's fine."
They tells her to standby and watch.
"Hah! Now that the final boss's revealed itself. Let's give it a warm welcome!"
Inuyasha charges forward and swings Tessaiga at them, only to be knocked back instantly.
"What the fuck?! Again?! Which side are you on?!"
He snarls at his half-brother, who has used Bakusaiga to counter his attack.
Earlier.
"Just so you know, using dirty trick like this is not going to work on me."
Since I could expel Amenonuhoko's possession out of my mind and had it seal up again, just like last time.
"Except that this time, you will not fight back."
For some reasons they was well-informed about my secrets.
"A bit too confident, aren't we?"
"Your only option is to work with me. If not, everything will be lost."
Then they mentioned every single person that I knew in this era, which surprised me. Claiming that their lives would be in danger and I was the only person who could save them.
"Why do I have to trust you?"
Still, what that thief said was much for me to take. Seriously, saving everyone's life? They talked about me like I was some kind of god.
"That's why instead of mindless chatting, I'm going to show it to you."
Standing up to face me head on, their hand reached out and touched my forehead. Then, things as familiar faces and scenery started appearing before my eyes.
Images? No, are these their memories?
...
..
.
In a far future.
"Mother!"
Those sweet voices, they come from the very two persons that I love more than my own life.
"Towa! Setsuna! I've missed you two so much!"
My princesses, they have just returned from their training session somewhere in the west.
"So have we!"
Cheerfully, they rush into my embrace.
"Let's me see my daughters again. Yup, still beautiful as always!"
"Uh..."
Towa and Setsuna exchange confused glances as I'm admiring their charming looks.
"Hmm... Is there anything missing?"
When I try checking whether any of them has lost a limb.
"Mother, we're fine!"
They jump out of the way to escape.
"Alright, enough playing around. Let's go in!"
Not going to let Towa and Setsuna stand waiting, I lead them inside and we gather at the living room to talk.
"Both of you returned much earlier than I expected. What happened?"
Pouring tea into their cups, I ask.
"Setsuna and I had some business to take care of nearby. So we decided to go home to see you!"
Although it's only for a short break, and they will soon leave again to continue on their journey.
"What about Moroha? Did she come back with you as well?"
Therefore Towa and Setsuna nod, saying that they've parted way earlier to return to their own houses.
"So, how was the trip? Surely you guys weren't involved in anything too dangerous?"
"...O-Ofcourse not!"
Yet both of them look away to avoid my gaze.
"Towa, Setsuna, You hadn't forgotten about what you'd promised me, had you?"
Feeling something isn't right, I frowned at them.
"It's not like that! Uhm... You could say that we kind of got pulled into it...?"
Sensing upcoming danger, Towa nudges Setsuna's arm to ask for her aid.
"Our enemy was about to escape. So we had to chase after it."
Therefore she jumps in to explain for their difficult circumstances.
"You are only fourteen! At this age the only thing you have to do is studying at school, not going to strange places and slaying demons!"
Their shoulders flinch at my sudden outburst.
"...We couldn't just leave Moroha going in there to deal with the demon by herself."
Towa recall that Moroha's the one who ran straight ahead without thinking, so they had to follow to ensure her safety.
"And? Were you three able to finish that demon in the end?"
"We sure did! The villagers were so relieved and thankful for our hard works."
Enthusiastically, Towa tells me about their achievements.
"Sigh... Alright, as long as you guys are safe. That's all I care about."
Not wanting to ruin their youthful dreams, I can only remind them to take care of themselves properly in the future.
"Be more careful next time, okay?"
"We will. Sorry for worrying you."
Feeling my hands caressing their faces, they nod.
"Here, we've got something for you."
Setsuna takes out a medium-sized black box which is warped inside a pretty blanket. Checking the inside, I realize that it's filled with different type of cosmetics, fabrics and medicines.
"We picked these ourselves. Pretty, aren't they?"
Towa shows me the colorful items in her hands. She seems to be proud of her ability in picking beautiful gifts.
"Thank you. I like them a lot."
I pat their heads to show my appreciation.
"Anyway, are you doing well? Where's father?"
Haven't seen him around ever since they arrived, Towa asks me.
"Everything's great. Though your father isn't home right now."
Sesshomaru isn't here to wait for them because he didn't know about their sudden visit.
"He'll be back soon. Since father can smell us from very far away."
Therefore Setsuna assures us.
"Shiomi-san!"
All of a sudden we hear a childish voice echoing behind our front gate. There, Towa and Setsuna are greeted by a boy around their age that they have never seen before.
"Mother, do you know him?"
Setsuna asks me, pointing at the boy with messy black hair that is only wearing a pair of dark colored shorts.
"This is Kuro-kun. He's been staying in Kaede's village for a while now."
Therefore I explain to them briefly. "Kuro-kun, these two are my twin daughters that I've told you about. Towa and Setsuna."
"Hello."
Casually, Kuro greets them.
"Hi, I'm Towa. And this is my little sister, Setsuna."
Towa introduces herself and her sister to him.
"Yeah, I know that already. Aunty Shiomi mentioned you two all the time whenever she visited us."
"I-Is that so."
They both are speechless at his past experiences.
"Here, mom asked me to bring this to you."
Then Kuro hands me a jar. Opening up the lid, we find that it's filled with pickled cucumber.
"Wow, this definitely looks delicious! Tell Kagome that I say thanks."
Needless to say, both Towa and Setsuna are surprised after hearing me mentioning her name.
"Eh? He's Kagome-san son?"
Since they can tell that Kuro is clearly a youkai, and definitely not a dog type like them. Not to mention that he looks older than their cousin Moroha, who is Kagome's current and only daughter.
"Kuro's adopted. Few months ago, Kagome and Inuyasha found Kuro alone in the woods so they took him home with them."
Therefore I whisper to them his background detail.
"Oh right, wait here. I think that there's something in the house that I can give her in return."
I rush back inside and drag out a large-sized wooden box. Much to everyone's shock.
"Remember to give this to Kagome for me, okay? Thank you!"
The moment receiving the box from me, Kuro topples over.
"Hey, need a hand?"
Watching him struggling to stand straight, Towa offers to help though he refuses.
"What's in there?"
Curious about its ridiculous weight, Setuna asks.
"Well... Just the usual stuff that your father gave me."
Since these things stack up way too fast and take up too much space in the house, I have to keep gifting them away to everyone in the village.
"Will he be okay?"
Seeing Kuro going back with valuable items in his hands without protection, Towa wonders if she should follow him.
"Don't worry, Kuro is actually much stronger than he looks."
Therefore I assure her. "Are you two hungry? How about I cook something for us to eat?"
"Yay! Can't wait!"
It's free food and especially mom's cooking, so they have no reason to refuse.
Afternoon.
"Is anyone home!"
Hearing constant knocking at their front gate, Shiomi opens the door and sees a girl in full red costume.
"Oh my, if it isn't Moroha-chan! Come on in!"
Recognizing Moroha right away, Shiomi leads her inside. When on their way to the living room, they find Towa and Setuna sitting at the hallway, dressing in new yukata and enjoying fresh watermelons together.
"Yo."
Casually Moroha greets them and takes a seat nearby.
"Eh? Moroha!"
Both of them are surprised to see her again so early.
"I'll be at the kitchen. Call me if you need anything, okay?"
And Shiomi leaves to give them some space for their private chats.
"Man, your house sure is big. It's at least triple the size comparing to mine."
Looking around the place, Moroha comments on their wealth.
"Are you that bored already?"
Curious about her reason for coming to their house, Towa asks.
"I just feel like seeing you guys, that's all."
Snatching a piece of watermelon from the tray, Moroha says.
"Is that so."
Though Setsuna doesn't seem to believe it.
"... At least I can speak freely here."
Resting her back on the wooden floor, she sighs.
"Did something happen at home? Was it about Kuro?"
Towa somewhat figures that it has something to do with her new family member.
"Are you cool with him being your adoptive brother?"
Therefore, Moroha nods.
"Totally! I ain't a selfish girl."
After a moment of silence, Moroha groans in defeat. "Okay, fine. I'm actually not cool with it."
"Hmm... If it's me, I'd be shocked too if my mother told me that I had another sibling out of nowhere."
And Towa sympathizes with her feelings.
"That's not the problem."
On the other hand, Moroha doesn't find the whole thing that simple.
"Did you have a fight with him?"
Setsuna wonders if it's because their personalities don't match.
"Nope. We're already friends."
With Kagome's help, they're quick to befriend each other. And Moroha finds him quite naive for someone at his age.
"Are you bothered that your parents will love him more than you?"
"Ofcourse not! What do you think I am, a kid?!"
"Then what's there to worry about?"
After coming up with everything but none worked, Towa and Setsuna are confused.
"I don't know. Maybe they have been with him for too long to care."
Unlike her parents, Moroha's felt something off about Kuro ever since getting to know him. But she cannot point out what it is to them.
"What do you mean? Has Kuro done anything suspicious?"
That one detail of her story catches their attentions instantly.
"Ah, jeeze! How do I describe this..."
Scratching her head, Moroha tries to figure out where to begin.
"Sesshomaru, welcome back."
Just then, Shiomi sees him gliding down from the sky.
"Hey, your old man is home. I'm gonna get going then."
Not wanting to ruin their family moment, Moroha excuses herself and walks off.
"Moroha-chan, how about staying with us for dinner?"
When being invited to eat with them, Moroha refuses. "I'm good! I'll come back again later."
"Moroha, wait!"
Towa tries to ask her to stay, but she's already run away.
"See ya!"