Sorry folks. I have a confession to make: This story isn't a top priority. My other one is. Plus, the AP exams are approaching, and I need to study for my driving test. I'll try to update again soon, but don't count on any regular updates until DBBC is over.
The Purple Fern
Chapter 5
That night, InuYasha hardly got any sleep; Koinuma complained about being afraid of the dark. In order to shut her up, he left the fire blazing, grumbling about "noisy distractions."
The next morning, the two set out for the closest ingrediant of the potion to them: a purple fern located only half a day's journey. Not knowing the girl's limitations, IY suggested they walk for the first day, and start running for the rest. Koinuma agreed, mostly because she wanted to enjoy the scenery. Nature had called to her, and she responded by rolling in the grass, hopping around her father, or chasing whatever moved.
IY watched her with increasing interest. The idea of being a father still unnerved him, but at least he had started getting comfortable around her. He had so many questions.
Koinuma chased a squirrel around playfully, yelling for it to stop. "Stupid pup," chided IY. "You're doing it all wrong. Never give away your presense!"
She cocked her head to one side, confused.
"I'll teach you how to really hunt." IY motioned for her to crouch down with him. Together, they moved silently through the shadows of the trees. Once within five feet of the squirrel, he told her to pouce without a sound. She leapt into the air and completely missed her target, crashing into the rock.
Instinctively, IY rushed to her side. "Pup! Are you okay?!"
She rolled over onto her back, her eyes swirling, and her mouth in a wavy smile. "Look! Lotsa squirrels!"
IY shook his head. "Feh! You wouldn't have lasted an hour if I didn't run into you!"
Koinuma shook the stars out of her eyes, dusted herself off, and continued jumping around. "You got worried about me," she sang.
IY ignored her, but his curiosity got the better of him. "Why didn't you tell me about your mother sooner?"
The girl, jumping at eye level with each phrase, said "I thought that - would be obvious!"
"??"
"Because of - Kikyo!"
IY stopped dead in his tracks. "Huh?"
"Okasan said - that with her gone - you'd get with - Kikyo again. - That's why - we never came - to visit. - She didn't want - to get in - the way!"
This was the last answer IY expected. "To put it in simple terms, Kikyo and I didn't see eye to eye on one issue. She wants me dead, and I disagreed."
They finally arrived to the part of the forest where the purple fern grows. [If you like books, that was a joke!] The fern grew several stories high, easily the tallest plant in the forest, and spread out like a large tent. Koinuma gasped in wonder. She touched the trunk and drew her hand back. "It burns," she whined.
IY examined the leaves. "Feh, no problem!" He jumped vertically into the air, and with one swipe of his claws, cut down a large branch, and tossed it to his daughter.
She satred at the branch. "Well, that was easy!"
"WHO DARES DISTURB THE SANCTUARY OF THE GREAT FOREST SPIRIT!?!" boomed a great voice from somwhere in the leaves. IY jumped in front of Koinuma, hand on his sword's hilt, ready to strike. 'That thing knows my name!' "Who are you," the hanyou demanded.
"DID YOU NOT HEAR ME, INU-YASHA?! I AM THE -"
"Yeah, I heard ya! But I don't believe in what I can't see!"
A large, dark figure appeared through the purple branches. It resembled an orange turantula, long hairy legs, poisonous pincers clicking, and at teast ten fet high. Koinuma squealed in fright and hopped onto her father's back, clinging with arms and legs for dear life.
IY prepared to unsheath Tetsuaiga, when he noticed the spider's eyes. They were large, round, and tiny pupils cross-eyed. IY gently knocked on Koinuma's head. "Hey, you got a piece of candy?"
The girl tensed. Too scared to question, she took a Mars Bar out of her skirt pocket, and handed it over. IY unwrapped it and tossed teh chocolate into the air.
Instantaneously, the spider eyed the treat with delight. There was a pop, and the spider tured into a familiar young kitsune demon. "CANDY," cried Shippo, grabbing the treat and holding it as if it were gold. "Candy candy candy candy candy candy candy!!!!"
IY growled. "What's the big idea of scareing us half to death!?!"
Shippo looked up at IY, the chocolate melting in his mouth. "Just some practice," he said. The fox-boy had grown a little, but had not yet reached puberty. "I scare passing humans on their way through the forest. Last week, I was a big bird that-"
"Save it," grumbled the hanyou. "I don't wanna hear it!" He knocked on Koinuma's head again. "You can come out now. It's safe; only a stupid kid."
"I'm no kid," roared the pint-sized fox. "I'm almost 40 now!!"
Koinuma slid down. She peeked at the fox from behind IY's yukata. Shippo stopped eating and stared back. "Inu-Yasha, who is that?"
"Shippo, this is my daughter Koinuma. Koinuma, I'm sure you've heard about him."
Shippo took a few cautious seps closer. "She looks like you," he commented, "only prettier." "She Kagome's girl?"
"Hai."
He crouched down and went closer, Koinuma ducking into IY's robes. "Hi! Nice to-"
But he was cut off by Koinuma punching him hard in the face. Shippo flew backwards, hitting the nearest tree. "OW!"
"I HATE YOU," screamed Koinuma. "YOU'RE SO MEAN!!"
IY laughed. He could tell he and Koinuma were going to get along a lot more.
"I know a lot of these places," said Shippo an hour later, examining the map. "I've been to a lot of them. And some won't be easy to get!" He pointed at various places. "This one here is close to a volcano! And this one is were a lot of dangerous youkai hang around!"
"Sounds good," said IY. "But now we only have two weeks left."
"Can I come," asked Shippo, eyes going wide. "PLEASE!!!"
"No," said both dog demons.
"Aw, c'mon! I can help! I promise I'll help! This is for Kagome!"
IY folded his arms. Koinuma looked away.
"I'll tell Kagome when she comes after that you both were mean to me!"
That settled the matter. The kitsune was joining them.
The Purple Fern
Chapter 5
That night, InuYasha hardly got any sleep; Koinuma complained about being afraid of the dark. In order to shut her up, he left the fire blazing, grumbling about "noisy distractions."
The next morning, the two set out for the closest ingrediant of the potion to them: a purple fern located only half a day's journey. Not knowing the girl's limitations, IY suggested they walk for the first day, and start running for the rest. Koinuma agreed, mostly because she wanted to enjoy the scenery. Nature had called to her, and she responded by rolling in the grass, hopping around her father, or chasing whatever moved.
IY watched her with increasing interest. The idea of being a father still unnerved him, but at least he had started getting comfortable around her. He had so many questions.
Koinuma chased a squirrel around playfully, yelling for it to stop. "Stupid pup," chided IY. "You're doing it all wrong. Never give away your presense!"
She cocked her head to one side, confused.
"I'll teach you how to really hunt." IY motioned for her to crouch down with him. Together, they moved silently through the shadows of the trees. Once within five feet of the squirrel, he told her to pouce without a sound. She leapt into the air and completely missed her target, crashing into the rock.
Instinctively, IY rushed to her side. "Pup! Are you okay?!"
She rolled over onto her back, her eyes swirling, and her mouth in a wavy smile. "Look! Lotsa squirrels!"
IY shook his head. "Feh! You wouldn't have lasted an hour if I didn't run into you!"
Koinuma shook the stars out of her eyes, dusted herself off, and continued jumping around. "You got worried about me," she sang.
IY ignored her, but his curiosity got the better of him. "Why didn't you tell me about your mother sooner?"
The girl, jumping at eye level with each phrase, said "I thought that - would be obvious!"
"??"
"Because of - Kikyo!"
IY stopped dead in his tracks. "Huh?"
"Okasan said - that with her gone - you'd get with - Kikyo again. - That's why - we never came - to visit. - She didn't want - to get in - the way!"
This was the last answer IY expected. "To put it in simple terms, Kikyo and I didn't see eye to eye on one issue. She wants me dead, and I disagreed."
They finally arrived to the part of the forest where the purple fern grows. [If you like books, that was a joke!] The fern grew several stories high, easily the tallest plant in the forest, and spread out like a large tent. Koinuma gasped in wonder. She touched the trunk and drew her hand back. "It burns," she whined.
IY examined the leaves. "Feh, no problem!" He jumped vertically into the air, and with one swipe of his claws, cut down a large branch, and tossed it to his daughter.
She satred at the branch. "Well, that was easy!"
"WHO DARES DISTURB THE SANCTUARY OF THE GREAT FOREST SPIRIT!?!" boomed a great voice from somwhere in the leaves. IY jumped in front of Koinuma, hand on his sword's hilt, ready to strike. 'That thing knows my name!' "Who are you," the hanyou demanded.
"DID YOU NOT HEAR ME, INU-YASHA?! I AM THE -"
"Yeah, I heard ya! But I don't believe in what I can't see!"
A large, dark figure appeared through the purple branches. It resembled an orange turantula, long hairy legs, poisonous pincers clicking, and at teast ten fet high. Koinuma squealed in fright and hopped onto her father's back, clinging with arms and legs for dear life.
IY prepared to unsheath Tetsuaiga, when he noticed the spider's eyes. They were large, round, and tiny pupils cross-eyed. IY gently knocked on Koinuma's head. "Hey, you got a piece of candy?"
The girl tensed. Too scared to question, she took a Mars Bar out of her skirt pocket, and handed it over. IY unwrapped it and tossed teh chocolate into the air.
Instantaneously, the spider eyed the treat with delight. There was a pop, and the spider tured into a familiar young kitsune demon. "CANDY," cried Shippo, grabbing the treat and holding it as if it were gold. "Candy candy candy candy candy candy candy!!!!"
IY growled. "What's the big idea of scareing us half to death!?!"
Shippo looked up at IY, the chocolate melting in his mouth. "Just some practice," he said. The fox-boy had grown a little, but had not yet reached puberty. "I scare passing humans on their way through the forest. Last week, I was a big bird that-"
"Save it," grumbled the hanyou. "I don't wanna hear it!" He knocked on Koinuma's head again. "You can come out now. It's safe; only a stupid kid."
"I'm no kid," roared the pint-sized fox. "I'm almost 40 now!!"
Koinuma slid down. She peeked at the fox from behind IY's yukata. Shippo stopped eating and stared back. "Inu-Yasha, who is that?"
"Shippo, this is my daughter Koinuma. Koinuma, I'm sure you've heard about him."
Shippo took a few cautious seps closer. "She looks like you," he commented, "only prettier." "She Kagome's girl?"
"Hai."
He crouched down and went closer, Koinuma ducking into IY's robes. "Hi! Nice to-"
But he was cut off by Koinuma punching him hard in the face. Shippo flew backwards, hitting the nearest tree. "OW!"
"I HATE YOU," screamed Koinuma. "YOU'RE SO MEAN!!"
IY laughed. He could tell he and Koinuma were going to get along a lot more.
"I know a lot of these places," said Shippo an hour later, examining the map. "I've been to a lot of them. And some won't be easy to get!" He pointed at various places. "This one here is close to a volcano! And this one is were a lot of dangerous youkai hang around!"
"Sounds good," said IY. "But now we only have two weeks left."
"Can I come," asked Shippo, eyes going wide. "PLEASE!!!"
"No," said both dog demons.
"Aw, c'mon! I can help! I promise I'll help! This is for Kagome!"
IY folded his arms. Koinuma looked away.
"I'll tell Kagome when she comes after that you both were mean to me!"
That settled the matter. The kitsune was joining them.