A/N - Okay, so its been a while! I'm really getting into Yu-Gi-Oh!, and am in thr process of writing a fic on it. Plus DBBC is far higher on my list. Sorry. I'll try to update more often!
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Together Again
Chapter 6
The forest ended abruptly, and Koinuma's eyes shined. "Sugoi," she squealed. She, Inu-Yasha, and Shippo stood before a large field of flowers. A wide carpet of sweet-smelling plants stretched out for miles, with birds and butterflies flapping about. Off in the distance, IY could see the small village that housed two more of his oldest friends. Smoke lifted from a few houses, and the high wooden fence made to keep out unwanted intruders.
"Shippo," said IY. "You and Koinuma stay around here. I've got to convince Miroku and Sango to join us."
"Good luck," said Shippo groaning. "Miroku's not gone on many adventures since the fight against Kana's Mirror Monsters, and Sango had another baby a couple of months ago."
Koinuma looked up with interest. "Mirror Monsters?"
"A year ago, Kana tried to claim her sister's power for herself. Some of us had to travel out to stop her." Shippo folded his arms. "Jun tried to sneak along, but almost got killed. That's part of why Miroku doesn't go off on anymore adventures."
"Who is-"
"You catch her up on some things for a while," said IY, waving a callous hand to Shippo. "Make sure she doesn't come and freak out the other villagers."
"Everything," Shippo asked surprised.
"Almost everything." IY ran off before Koinuma asked more questions. Flowers swayed and flew apart as he sped through the garden. When he got to the wall, he lifted the heavy iron knocker. A sentry peeked his head out from over the wall. "Who goes there," he yelled down.
"Inu-Yasha, Lord of the Northern Lands," IY cried back. He knew the guard knew him by sight, and only wanted to tease the hanyou. The demon wards on the gate prohibited him from crossing, and this particular guard found IY's inability to enter on his own amusing.
"Oh, Lord Inu-Yasha! How nice to see you again, sir! Tell me, how is the weather down there?" He laughed at his own joke.
IY tried to keep his temper in check. "Wait any longer, and you'll personally find out from six-feet-under!"
"A-Hai! Right away, Lord Hanyou!" This was another method the guard had for ticking IY off. But he didn't complain, since the gate was being opened. Although he'd definitely talk to Miroku about him later.
He entered the small, enclosed village, created not long after Naraku was destroyed. It had been established to teach aspiring exterminators Sango and Miroku's tricks of trade, and setting a permanent home for the couple. Many humans now populated the homes IY himself helped to build, and made families.
Speaking of which . . . "INU-YASHA-SAN!!!" came several happy cries from different directions. Many children rushed out from trees, behind houses, and from the streets to surround the hanyou. They all bowed respectfully. "Ohaiyou-gogzaimasu, Inu-Yasha-san," they all chorused.
"Ohaiyo," responded IY with a fanged smile.
Not all of them were Miroku and Sango's, but most were. Inwardly, he ticked off the children in his head: Jun, the oldest and only boy, looked a lot like Kohaku, and was over-ambitious in trying to prove himself to his father. Shin, the oldest girl, had long black hair like her mother, but had her father's dark blue eyes. She screamed of intelligence and severity. Kitai and Kaigen both had short hair and green eyes, the latter being younger and mimicked the former.
IY turned to Shin, the most reliable of the group. "Do you know where your parents are?"
"Right here!" Up strolled Miroku and Sango, both dressed in their traveling clothes. Neither had changed much since their days of gathering the shikon shards (except Miroku had a touch of gray at the temples, from his years of stress with women and now children). Sango passed her infant daughter, Zenkon, to Shin, and smiled at the look of surprise on IY's face. "You wanted us, ne?"
"How'd you know?" He felt a usual prick on his cheek and smacked. Myoga floated down flat. "What a surprise," IY said sarcastically.
"Myoga mentioned you may need our help for some reason or another," explained Miroku, giving him a teasing smile. "Especially with Koinuma."
"You told 'em a lot, eh Myoga-jiji?"
Myoga re-inflated. "Inu-Yasha-sama, I thought you would need some advice on treating Koinuma-sama, so I took the liberty of informing the experts on your predicament."
Sango laughed. "We were just on our way to meet you when you showed up!" She scanned the area. "Where is the little darling?"
IY's face darkened. "The situation's gotten more serious since Myoga's known." He gave a knowing look at Jun and Shin. "Can we talk somewhere else, other then the village square?"
"Of course," said Miroku, also turning serious. "Please, this way." Miroku lead the way to his home, Sango and IY following close behind.
The five children looked at each other. "Let's follow them," whispered Jun.
"Let's not," said Shin. She shifted the infant she carried. "Mother and Father and Lord Inu-Yasha want to speak in private, therefore we mustn't disobey."
"Aw, c'mon," insisted Jun. "Doncha wanna find out what all of this is about?"
"I do," said Kitai, bouncing up and down with excitement.
"Me too! Me too!" exclaimed Kaigen, imitating her sister energetically.
"But they said-"
"They didn't say for us NOT to listen," Jun pointed out. "And besides, I'm the man, and what I say goes!"
"Mama doesn't always listen to Papa," said Kitai.
"Nope, nope, she doesn't," piped Kaigen, shaking her head vigorously.
"I'm going," said Jun, and he hurried off.
"Wait," shouted Shin, but the others hand disappeared.
Koinuma wove several different kinds of wildflowers in ringlets, humming to herself, loosing interest in Shippo's ramblings. Shippo did not mind; he hated re-living some of the more near-death experiences of his life.
He leaned back leisurely against the tree at the edge of the forest, relaxing in the chilly winter air. He glanced at Koinuma, who tried to catch a wandering yellow butterfly. 'She's kinda pretty,' thought the kitsune off-hand. Her hair glinted in the soft sunlight, making Shippo drift into blissful thought. 'So pretty . . . Kind of like Mom's.'
He closed his eyes. His mother had been a silver kitsune, large, beautiful, and powerful. Shippo, as a cub, loved to lose himself in her soft, glistening fur.
He opened his eyes again and imagined getting lost in Koinuma's silky, shiny locks . . . He shook his head. 'Whoa! Wait! What in the seven hells am I thinking!?! This is Inu-Yasha's daughter!! He'd kill me if he knew I thought of her like that! Besides, she's mostly human! Dad wouldn't like that either. Kagome's her mother . . .'
Shippo blinked and looked back at Koinuma. The dog-girl held up her necklace of flowers, the colors reflecting in her golden eyes. 'Gosh,' he thought, mesmerized by the color dancing in her amber pools. 'She's more like her mother then that stupid hanyou.' He had never told anyone that he used to have a slight crush on the modern miko years before, though he knew she was Inu-Yasha's.
'But Koinuma's kinda my age,' he reasoned with himself. 'And at least she's part demon. I wonder if she has been promised to another.' His mind drifted further for several minutes, picturing himself and Koinuma together within the forest.
"They look nice on you!"
Shippo's mind snapped back to the present, and he realized that Koinuma had been adorning him with her flowered creations. He gave a yelp and tried to bat them away in panic. Koinuma nearly doubled over with giggles. Her fangs protruded over her bottom lip, which she was biting to stifle her laughter.
"Ptoo ptoo!! What are you crazy, woman!? Why are -ptoo- what are you-?"
Koinuma giggled harder. "I thought you'd like them!"
"I'm a man," the fox demon yelled. "I am a pure demon! I do not wear such feminine attire!"
"They make you look pretty! Besides, its a present!"
Shippo gulped and blushed. "B-b-but…" How could he refuse her? But how could he degrade himself!?!
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Here's a translation of the kid's names:
Jun - pure [ironic, ne?]
Shin - faithful
Kitai - hope
Kaigen - enlightenment
Zenkon - good deeds
.
Hopefully I'll update within two months!
.
Together Again
Chapter 6
The forest ended abruptly, and Koinuma's eyes shined. "Sugoi," she squealed. She, Inu-Yasha, and Shippo stood before a large field of flowers. A wide carpet of sweet-smelling plants stretched out for miles, with birds and butterflies flapping about. Off in the distance, IY could see the small village that housed two more of his oldest friends. Smoke lifted from a few houses, and the high wooden fence made to keep out unwanted intruders.
"Shippo," said IY. "You and Koinuma stay around here. I've got to convince Miroku and Sango to join us."
"Good luck," said Shippo groaning. "Miroku's not gone on many adventures since the fight against Kana's Mirror Monsters, and Sango had another baby a couple of months ago."
Koinuma looked up with interest. "Mirror Monsters?"
"A year ago, Kana tried to claim her sister's power for herself. Some of us had to travel out to stop her." Shippo folded his arms. "Jun tried to sneak along, but almost got killed. That's part of why Miroku doesn't go off on anymore adventures."
"Who is-"
"You catch her up on some things for a while," said IY, waving a callous hand to Shippo. "Make sure she doesn't come and freak out the other villagers."
"Everything," Shippo asked surprised.
"Almost everything." IY ran off before Koinuma asked more questions. Flowers swayed and flew apart as he sped through the garden. When he got to the wall, he lifted the heavy iron knocker. A sentry peeked his head out from over the wall. "Who goes there," he yelled down.
"Inu-Yasha, Lord of the Northern Lands," IY cried back. He knew the guard knew him by sight, and only wanted to tease the hanyou. The demon wards on the gate prohibited him from crossing, and this particular guard found IY's inability to enter on his own amusing.
"Oh, Lord Inu-Yasha! How nice to see you again, sir! Tell me, how is the weather down there?" He laughed at his own joke.
IY tried to keep his temper in check. "Wait any longer, and you'll personally find out from six-feet-under!"
"A-Hai! Right away, Lord Hanyou!" This was another method the guard had for ticking IY off. But he didn't complain, since the gate was being opened. Although he'd definitely talk to Miroku about him later.
He entered the small, enclosed village, created not long after Naraku was destroyed. It had been established to teach aspiring exterminators Sango and Miroku's tricks of trade, and setting a permanent home for the couple. Many humans now populated the homes IY himself helped to build, and made families.
Speaking of which . . . "INU-YASHA-SAN!!!" came several happy cries from different directions. Many children rushed out from trees, behind houses, and from the streets to surround the hanyou. They all bowed respectfully. "Ohaiyou-gogzaimasu, Inu-Yasha-san," they all chorused.
"Ohaiyo," responded IY with a fanged smile.
Not all of them were Miroku and Sango's, but most were. Inwardly, he ticked off the children in his head: Jun, the oldest and only boy, looked a lot like Kohaku, and was over-ambitious in trying to prove himself to his father. Shin, the oldest girl, had long black hair like her mother, but had her father's dark blue eyes. She screamed of intelligence and severity. Kitai and Kaigen both had short hair and green eyes, the latter being younger and mimicked the former.
IY turned to Shin, the most reliable of the group. "Do you know where your parents are?"
"Right here!" Up strolled Miroku and Sango, both dressed in their traveling clothes. Neither had changed much since their days of gathering the shikon shards (except Miroku had a touch of gray at the temples, from his years of stress with women and now children). Sango passed her infant daughter, Zenkon, to Shin, and smiled at the look of surprise on IY's face. "You wanted us, ne?"
"How'd you know?" He felt a usual prick on his cheek and smacked. Myoga floated down flat. "What a surprise," IY said sarcastically.
"Myoga mentioned you may need our help for some reason or another," explained Miroku, giving him a teasing smile. "Especially with Koinuma."
"You told 'em a lot, eh Myoga-jiji?"
Myoga re-inflated. "Inu-Yasha-sama, I thought you would need some advice on treating Koinuma-sama, so I took the liberty of informing the experts on your predicament."
Sango laughed. "We were just on our way to meet you when you showed up!" She scanned the area. "Where is the little darling?"
IY's face darkened. "The situation's gotten more serious since Myoga's known." He gave a knowing look at Jun and Shin. "Can we talk somewhere else, other then the village square?"
"Of course," said Miroku, also turning serious. "Please, this way." Miroku lead the way to his home, Sango and IY following close behind.
The five children looked at each other. "Let's follow them," whispered Jun.
"Let's not," said Shin. She shifted the infant she carried. "Mother and Father and Lord Inu-Yasha want to speak in private, therefore we mustn't disobey."
"Aw, c'mon," insisted Jun. "Doncha wanna find out what all of this is about?"
"I do," said Kitai, bouncing up and down with excitement.
"Me too! Me too!" exclaimed Kaigen, imitating her sister energetically.
"But they said-"
"They didn't say for us NOT to listen," Jun pointed out. "And besides, I'm the man, and what I say goes!"
"Mama doesn't always listen to Papa," said Kitai.
"Nope, nope, she doesn't," piped Kaigen, shaking her head vigorously.
"I'm going," said Jun, and he hurried off.
"Wait," shouted Shin, but the others hand disappeared.
Koinuma wove several different kinds of wildflowers in ringlets, humming to herself, loosing interest in Shippo's ramblings. Shippo did not mind; he hated re-living some of the more near-death experiences of his life.
He leaned back leisurely against the tree at the edge of the forest, relaxing in the chilly winter air. He glanced at Koinuma, who tried to catch a wandering yellow butterfly. 'She's kinda pretty,' thought the kitsune off-hand. Her hair glinted in the soft sunlight, making Shippo drift into blissful thought. 'So pretty . . . Kind of like Mom's.'
He closed his eyes. His mother had been a silver kitsune, large, beautiful, and powerful. Shippo, as a cub, loved to lose himself in her soft, glistening fur.
He opened his eyes again and imagined getting lost in Koinuma's silky, shiny locks . . . He shook his head. 'Whoa! Wait! What in the seven hells am I thinking!?! This is Inu-Yasha's daughter!! He'd kill me if he knew I thought of her like that! Besides, she's mostly human! Dad wouldn't like that either. Kagome's her mother . . .'
Shippo blinked and looked back at Koinuma. The dog-girl held up her necklace of flowers, the colors reflecting in her golden eyes. 'Gosh,' he thought, mesmerized by the color dancing in her amber pools. 'She's more like her mother then that stupid hanyou.' He had never told anyone that he used to have a slight crush on the modern miko years before, though he knew she was Inu-Yasha's.
'But Koinuma's kinda my age,' he reasoned with himself. 'And at least she's part demon. I wonder if she has been promised to another.' His mind drifted further for several minutes, picturing himself and Koinuma together within the forest.
"They look nice on you!"
Shippo's mind snapped back to the present, and he realized that Koinuma had been adorning him with her flowered creations. He gave a yelp and tried to bat them away in panic. Koinuma nearly doubled over with giggles. Her fangs protruded over her bottom lip, which she was biting to stifle her laughter.
"Ptoo ptoo!! What are you crazy, woman!? Why are -ptoo- what are you-?"
Koinuma giggled harder. "I thought you'd like them!"
"I'm a man," the fox demon yelled. "I am a pure demon! I do not wear such feminine attire!"
"They make you look pretty! Besides, its a present!"
Shippo gulped and blushed. "B-b-but…" How could he refuse her? But how could he degrade himself!?!
.
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's a translation of the kid's names:
Jun - pure [ironic, ne?]
Shin - faithful
Kitai - hope
Kaigen - enlightenment
Zenkon - good deeds
.
Hopefully I'll update within two months!