A sincere thanks to all my reviewers:
Star's Dream (Glad you liked my hiding place! ^-^ I was on a serious sugar- high when I wrote last chapter. As for Genkai's reaction to all this, She's not really important to the plot, other than the fact that she's Kagome and Souta's god mother and Yusuke's teacher. Still, I'll try to get that in the best I can.)
Candycane (If you wanna kill me, you're gonna hafta get in line. *Motions towards door where about seventy or eighty people are waiting with various dangerous looking weapons.*)
Lalu (Thanks!)
Mooneyoukai (Hehe...the Hojo thing wasn't planned. It just popped in my head while I was writing! Glad you liked it, though,)
And as a side note, my friend Duo's Hanyou and I started a new fic together! It's an anime crossover called Sugar-high Slam Fest. It's a little odd, but if you like that kinda stuff, check it out! ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ````````````````````````````````
DreamVixen-*Still sulking* Hmph
Yusuke- Come on
DV-*scowls*
Kagome- You promised.
DV- Oh, fine! The pairings are Kur\Kag San\Hiei Yus\Kei Kuw\Yuk Inu\Bot Mir\OC Sess\OC
Everyone- 0_o;;;
Hiei- I'M WITH THAT BITCH?!?!?!
Sango-I'M WITH THAT BASTARD?!?!?!
Both- WHAT WAS THAT?!?!?! YOU HEARD ME!!!!!!*glare at each other.*
Yusuke- this is gonna be good
Kagome- my money's on Sango
DV- *sighs* well, here's my sixth chapter. Now I've gotta stop the characters from killing each other.
WHY THE HELL MUST YOU CONTINUOUSLY REMIND ME OF WHAT I DO NOT OWN?!?! DAMN YOU AMERICAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM!!!!!! Oh, well. At least I've got my own characters and guess what? THERE'S MORE COMING SOON!! YIPPPPPPPPEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
\\...\\ Youko\Kurama talk -...- beast talk *...* telepathy '...' thoughts
**********************Perverts and Friends from the Past**********************
"What do you mean she's been kidnapped by demons?!" Yusuke demanded sharply. Tears streaked down Keiko's face, Botan was as white as snow, Sango looked ready to kill the first thing that moved and Yukina looked shaken. (though that could've been because of Botan's driving.)
"A bunch of demons came out of nowhere and took Kagome." Keiko said tearfully.
"She's a miko." Hiei said sharply, "She should have been able to sense them,"
"These were SHADOW KITSUNES, baka." Sango snapped at him, "No one, not even a miko, could have sensed them." I flinched. That was true. Shadow kitsunes were a powerful race. They prided themselves on being completely undetectable.
"Why would these shadow guys be after your friend?" Kuwabara said, lost. Sango glared at him.
"Oh, I don't know," She said sarcastically, "It COULD have something to do with the fact that she the only trained miko now a days, protector of the Shikon no Tama And the fourth and final incarnation of the first miko!!!" I raised an eyebrow.
"Is she?" the girl seemed to just realize what she had said and started to curse up a storm.
"Sango? Is that you? What happened?" Shippo came running down the steps, closely followed by Yume, Genkai and Mayonaka, all looked at the human with concern. Sango sighed.
"Kagome's been taken by youkai." The little boy looked alarmed.
"What! What kind of youkai? Were they after the Shikon no Tama?"
"Shadow kitsunes, and I'm guessing they were." Yume's hands flew to her mouth, tears in her eyes. Mayonaka froze where he stood and Genkai stiffened.
"Their names." Yume said carefully, "Did you get any of their names." Sango blinked at her.
"Yes." She growled, her anger growing, "Ganko, and Reikoku. There was another one, too. Kagome said she went to school with him." Mayonaka looked startled.
"Went to school with him? SURELY you don't mean Hojo!" Yume looked alarmed now.
"You mean- all this time-"
"Why does it matter" I asked curiously. I really couldn't see why the two of them would have such a strong reaction to demons names. Yume looked at me sadly.
"Because it means they were after my daughter, not the jewel she protects." The Mayonaka's eyes widened.
"SOUTA! They'll be after him, too!" he started up the steps.
"its no use," Sango called after him, "They already have him. They took him before the got Kagome." The old man stopped, "What's going on? Why do they want Kagome and Souta?" silence greeted the girl's question.
"You need to get InuYasha," Yume said softly. I blinked. InuYasha? Dog Demon?
\\I've heard that name somewhere before.\\ Youko said thoughtfully.
"We can't. The jewels gone." Sango said dully "They took it when they kidnapped Kagome,"
"Besides, there's a miko spell on the well," Shippo added, sadly.
"What's this Jewel thing you keep mentioning?!" Yusuke demanded.
"The Shikon no Tama is a powerful magical object, able to increase a youkai's strength by hundred folds." I explained to my human companions, "It's also able to grant wishes." Everyone stared at me.
"HUNDRED FOLDS?!?!" Kuwabara said, going white.
"That's basically all the youkai who know of the jewel take the time to find out," Sango said bitterly, "But yeah, the jewel can do that,"
"And now these creeps have both the jewel and Kagome!"
"Are you sure that Kagome had the jewel when they took her?" Yume persisted, "What did she do before that?"
"Nothing," Keiko said wiping tears off her face, "Sango tackled one of them and got pushed against the wall she dropped her purse, then they snuck up behind us and-"
"She dropped her purse?" Yume interjected. Botan's eyes widened, and she started to search through the purse she had been clutching since she got out of the car. With a triumphant cry, she dropped the purse and held up a shattered pink jewel.
\\so, that's the legendary jewel.\\
"Why is it broken?" Kuwabara asked. Any one who could have given him an answer ignored him.
"Having the jewel is useless," Shippo pointed out "So long as we don't have a miko to take Kagome's spell off."
"We do," Okay, that caught even me off guard. Everyone stared at Sango who was lost in thought. "It wasn't a very complicated spell, all it should take is a touch to remove..."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Yusuke interrupted. "What the Hell do you mean 'we do?'" Sango winced.
"Kagome told me right before she was kidnapped,"
"She never told us!" Yume said in surprise.
"She just met the other miko today," I didn't like the direction this conversation was heading.
\\You don't think...\\
"So, who is she?" I asked, I just had to settle my suspicions. Sango blinked at me, then pointed right at Keiko.
\\"WWWWWHHHHHAAAAAAAATTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!"\\ Everyone but Sango yelled.
"Her powers haven't been released yet, but she's most definitely a miko."
"That's impossible!" Keiko gasped, "I-I couldn't be," She turned to the rest of the group, "could I?"
"All you need to do to find out is touch Shippo or Kirara." Sango said, suddenly the only calm one. What did she mean by that?! Shippo looked at Sango worriedly. "It's okay, Shippo," the little boy sighed and walked over to Keiko. The girl stared at him for a second before putting a finger on his forehead.
When she did, Shippo was shrouded in a bright, pink light. When the light disappeared, Shippo was about ten inches tall with a bushy tail and pointed ears. We stared.
\\A red kitsune\\ Youko said. I could sense he was surprised. \\but he's young. His clothes are outdated, too. By about five hundred years.\\ the startled Keiko took at step back.
"You're a miko, all right," the little kitsune said nodding. A loud 'mew' from a little white kitten coming down the steps followed his words.
"Is she a youkai, too," Keiko said, timidly as she carefully reached for the kitten. The action answered that question before Sango could. The little kitten was engulfed in the same light Shippo had been and, when it was gone, Kirara was a little three-tailed fire neko.
"Okay, this day's just gone from mildly weird to down right insane." Yusuke said. Personally, I agreed with him.
"You need to remove Kagome's spell on the well," Yume said pleadingly, "We need to get InuYasha to help find my children."
I sighed and shifted uncomfortably. It had been fifteen minuets since Sango had disappeared down the well. Shippo had explained everything to us about the well being a time portal and jewel broken and such. He had even told us about Kagome adopting him as her own pup after his parents died.
\\It's hard to find a human with enough kindness to adopt a youkai pup. We have to do everything in our power to get her back.\\
\\And the fact that she's pretty with a son that would worship you if he knew who you were has nothing to do with it,\\
\\Don't make me seem like the guilty one here! You're attracted to her, too.\\
\\I'm not scheming of ways to get into her bed.\\
\\That's because you're weak.\\
"She's taking too long," Hiei snapped. I suspected he had been listening in on us and it bothered him for some reason. Normally, arguments between me and Youko amuse the fire demon to no end, but he seemed fairly upset right now.
"She has to get to the village and find InuYasha and Miroku." Shippo said knowledgably. "It's five minuets there, and InuYasha might not even be in the village. Plus, even if he is, it'll take a few minuets to explain things, and then about a minuet to wake Miroku up, so they should be here soon.
"Why would this Miroku guy be asleep right now?"
"Oh, he wouldn't be asleep," Shippo assured everyone, "Just unconscious,"
"...What?" Just then, a light shone at the bottom of the well and out jumped a dog hanyou in fire-rat fur. Keiko jumped slightly when she saw him. The hanyou glared at everyone. The girls stared at his ears in amazement.
"Don't you dare kill anyone, InuYasha!" Sango's voice came from the bottom of the well.
"Feh! I do whatever the Hell I want!" the Hanyou yelled back, causing the girls to stiffen in alarm. But he simply sat down and continued to glare, particularly at Hiei and myself. Out of the well climbed Sango, in demon slayer armor, and a monk with a large knot on his head. As soon as the monk caught sight of Botan, he rushed over and grabbed her hand.
"Now, what's a beautiful lady such as yourself doing dirtying your hands in dangerous affairs such as these. Surely there is a handsome gentleman waiting to protect you?" He said with a charming smile. He did not see Sango taking the largest boomerang I've ever seen off her back.
"Well, actually... erm, no," Said a flabbergasted Botan. Then her eyes trailed to the strange glove over his right hand, wrapped up by a strand of prayer beads. He noticed her looking at it and sighed sadly, bringing the hand forward for her to see.
"A family curse, I'm afraid. He said sadly, "And unless I can kill the demon who put the curse on my family, I will be sucked into the endless vortex this cloth covers, like my father before me was." Botan gasped.
"How awful!"
"It is." The monk said as Sango took careful aim. InuYasha, Kirara and Shippo were shaking their heads in disgust, "and on the chance that I fail to kill the evil youkai, I need an heir to take care of him for me. Perhaps you could be of some assistance in that?" Botan blinked.
"What?" Botan asked in bewilderment. Sango's muscles went taunt.
"Will you bear my child?" the monk asked innocently.
"HENTAI!!!!!!!!" Sango screamed as she let the large weapon crash down on the Monk's head. Afterwards, she turned to Botan.
"Sorry about him. He does that." She said conversationally. Botan when crimson as Yusuke and Kuwabara cracked up.
\\Amateur\\ Youko scoffed.
\\I'm sure you would have handled it much better\\ I assured him sarcastically.
\\I could certainly do better than you're doing.\\ I felt my eyebrow twitch and saw the amused look Hiei gave me. Now he thought all this funny! \\Perhaps he simply missed the Tajiya?\\ Hiei sent us several telepathic flashes, each showing a creative death. The message was received, but ignored. \\She certainly seems to be a soft spot for him.\\
"Damn it pervert! We're here to get Kagome out of whatever mess she's landed in now, not so you can try those lame stories in a new time!" InuYasha yelled.
"She's at the castle in Shadow Kitsune territory, in the Makai," I turned to see Yume standing at the door. "you have to get her out of there as soon as possible," She turned to Botan, "You're going to have to make a portal to the Makai."
"But I can't do that without permission from Koenma!" Botan exclaimed, both bewildered and apologetic.
"You can. Makai laws states that any force necessary should be used to bring back any creature under high protection of the royal house should the need arise. I will explain things to the prince." Botan's face paled.
"Y-yes of coarse." She stammered.
"Yukina and Keiko will stay here." Yume said, inclining her head and motioning for the girls to follow. When they left, Botan went nuts.
"Oh, dear! A high protected- and I let her be taken right in front of me! I KNEW her name sounded familiar! Ooohh why didn't I follow my gut feeling and check in on it..."
"Quit talking to yourself and make the portal already!" Yusuke snapped at her. Botan glared at him, then sighed and did as he suggested. We stepped through the portal into a part of the Makai none of the others had seen before. Wildlife grew everywhere, birds of every size and color sang in the trees and soared in the sky. Small animals and demons darted through the forest around them.
"It's beautiful," Shippo whispered in awe.
"Feh! Whatever." Shippo glared at the arrogant hanyou. Sango, however, seemed to be in agreement with InuYasha.
"We're here to get Kagome back, not admire the scenery." She said as she put her weapon back on her back and started into the forest.
"I wouldn't," I said earnestly. She gave me a quizzical look.
"And why the hell not?!" she demanded. Picking up a nearby twig, I threw it at the path inches in front of her. Before it even hit the ground, it burst into a bright violet flame, the disintegrated into nothingness. The demon slayer stared.
"Shadow kitsunes are very protective of their territories. There are spells like that one all over these grounds. The closer you get to the castle, the more painful the spells become." Loud gulping greeted my words. Even the hanyou's face seemed whiter.
"All in favor of Kurama leading?" Yusuke said weakly. The vote was instant. I sighed as I started in a safe and promising direction.
Half an hour later, we were at the base of a large castle. Hiei quickly disposed of the guards and we went inside only to be greeted by a powerful shadow kitsune, sitting on top of a pillar. He ignored all of us except Sango, whom he was giving an angry glare.
"Didn't I tell you not to come here, ningen?" He said smoothly. Sango growled at him.
"Where are Kagome and Souta?!" She demanded, "I know you know where they are, Ganko." He chuckled.
"Don't worry, their safe. As a matter of fact their better than they've been in the last ten years." He said cheerfully, InuYasha's ears perked.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" the inu-hanyou demanded. Ganko's grin widened.
"You have to beat me and my brothers to find out." With that, he jumped from the pillar, pulling out his blade in mid-jump. Two other kitsune appeared out of nowhere, loyal to the true shadow kitsune style.
\\I've heard of these three. They're some of the most talented kitsune fighters alive. Not that they'd be any match for me, of coarse\\ Youko assured me quickly. \\Of coarse\\ I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at the arrogant youkai.
"Bring it on," InuYasha scoffed drawing an enormous sword. What was with all these oversized weapons?! "I can take you weaklings on blinded!" the Kitsune smirked.
"Willing to prove it?" and, before anything else could be said, it became pitch black to human eyes. The youkai members of our group could still barely see, as no doubt could Shippo and InuYasha, but Sango, Miroku, Botan, Yusuke and Kuwabara wouldn't be able to see a thing. Being spiritually aware would help any of them, either, considering shadow kitsunes were stealth masters. The hanyou caught onto this problem quickly.
"You guys go ahead and look for Kagome!" he shouted to the blind group.
"How?" The demon slayer demanded, "I can't see the nose at the end of my face, forget about navigating my way through a dark castle without attracting attention!" Shippo. I realized. He would be of little use in battle, and being full youkai he could see alright. I was about to call out to the young kitsune, when he was suddenly hit by a spell.
"Oops. Clumsy me." Ganko said smirking, "that spell will keep him out cold for hours!" I sighed. Now it was down to me, Hiei and InuYasha. Hiei would leave a fight to help a girl that wasn't Yukina if his life depended on it, and I doubted InuYasha was very good at stealth. Which only left one choice.
"I'll take these five and go find Kagome." I called out, "Can you two handle these guys without me."
"Hn."
"Feh!" Why had I even bothered asking?
I quickly lead the others down the stairs where I caught the slight smell of Kagome's rose-and-dew scent. Only it seemed... different somehow. I couldn't put my finger on it but her scent had defiantly changed since this morning.
\\stronger?\\
\\it's more than that. I just can't tell what it is.\\ I saw the door to the room that held Kagome just ahead.
"We're here." I said to the rest of the group. I opened the door and shopped short at what I saw. Those behind me, presuming I'd gone inside the room, crashed right into me.
"Damn it, Kurama!" Yusuke shouted "You were supposed to make sure we DIDN'T crash into stuff!" I ignored him, still staring at the girl in the room. She groaned.
"Don't yell so loud, I've got a killer headache," she moaned, standing up. Just then the darkness spell lifted and all anyone could do was stare.
************************************************************************
"Removing the spell was successful on the prince?" the kitsune asked with an anxious edge in his voice.
"YES, My brother," the female kitsune next to him said, her voice reflecting amusement and annoyance, "Don't worry. She was my friend, too. I'll make sure Kagome lives. Her brother grinned. Just then, another kitsune walked in.
"Ganko. We have intruders. You, I and Hojo are to take care of them." Ganko nodded and left with his brother, sparing his twin one last glance. She sighed and preformed the quick spell over the sleeping form. That done, she left, closing the door behind her and saying softly,
"Get well soon, my friend."
************************************************************************
DV-if you don't like the pairings, then you shouldn't have asked
Sango-please?
DV-NO
Sango- oh, come on, it's not like he doesn't deserve it
DV-Sango, for the last time, I'M NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE PAIRINGS SO YOU'RE ALONE AND HIEI'S WITH KIKYOU!!!!
Sango- Why not?
DV- because, I don't care what Hiei's said or done to you, that's just cruel.
Sango- *Grumbles*
DV- Besides, no one else has any problems with their pairings. *motions towards room, Inu and Botan are snuggling on the couch, Yusuke and Keiko are fast asleep in the armchair, Kuwabara and Yukina are going through the things that fell out of the closet together and Kurama and Kagome 'excused themselves' from the room half an hour ago. Miroku is watching door, eagerly awaiting his girl's arrival and Sessomaru is sitting at the table reading an old magazine, not caring what the hell is going on.*
Sango- Well, they don't have that Bastard
Hiei- Whatever, Bitch
DV- *sighs* I'm getting a migraine. Please review.
Star's Dream (Glad you liked my hiding place! ^-^ I was on a serious sugar- high when I wrote last chapter. As for Genkai's reaction to all this, She's not really important to the plot, other than the fact that she's Kagome and Souta's god mother and Yusuke's teacher. Still, I'll try to get that in the best I can.)
Candycane (If you wanna kill me, you're gonna hafta get in line. *Motions towards door where about seventy or eighty people are waiting with various dangerous looking weapons.*)
Lalu (Thanks!)
Mooneyoukai (Hehe...the Hojo thing wasn't planned. It just popped in my head while I was writing! Glad you liked it, though,)
And as a side note, my friend Duo's Hanyou and I started a new fic together! It's an anime crossover called Sugar-high Slam Fest. It's a little odd, but if you like that kinda stuff, check it out! ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ````````````````````````````````
DreamVixen-*Still sulking* Hmph
Yusuke- Come on
DV-*scowls*
Kagome- You promised.
DV- Oh, fine! The pairings are Kur\Kag San\Hiei Yus\Kei Kuw\Yuk Inu\Bot Mir\OC Sess\OC
Everyone- 0_o;;;
Hiei- I'M WITH THAT BITCH?!?!?!
Sango-I'M WITH THAT BASTARD?!?!?!
Both- WHAT WAS THAT?!?!?! YOU HEARD ME!!!!!!*glare at each other.*
Yusuke- this is gonna be good
Kagome- my money's on Sango
DV- *sighs* well, here's my sixth chapter. Now I've gotta stop the characters from killing each other.
WHY THE HELL MUST YOU CONTINUOUSLY REMIND ME OF WHAT I DO NOT OWN?!?! DAMN YOU AMERICAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM!!!!!! Oh, well. At least I've got my own characters and guess what? THERE'S MORE COMING SOON!! YIPPPPPPPPEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
\\...\\ Youko\Kurama talk -...- beast talk *...* telepathy '...' thoughts
**********************Perverts and Friends from the Past**********************
"What do you mean she's been kidnapped by demons?!" Yusuke demanded sharply. Tears streaked down Keiko's face, Botan was as white as snow, Sango looked ready to kill the first thing that moved and Yukina looked shaken. (though that could've been because of Botan's driving.)
"A bunch of demons came out of nowhere and took Kagome." Keiko said tearfully.
"She's a miko." Hiei said sharply, "She should have been able to sense them,"
"These were SHADOW KITSUNES, baka." Sango snapped at him, "No one, not even a miko, could have sensed them." I flinched. That was true. Shadow kitsunes were a powerful race. They prided themselves on being completely undetectable.
"Why would these shadow guys be after your friend?" Kuwabara said, lost. Sango glared at him.
"Oh, I don't know," She said sarcastically, "It COULD have something to do with the fact that she the only trained miko now a days, protector of the Shikon no Tama And the fourth and final incarnation of the first miko!!!" I raised an eyebrow.
"Is she?" the girl seemed to just realize what she had said and started to curse up a storm.
"Sango? Is that you? What happened?" Shippo came running down the steps, closely followed by Yume, Genkai and Mayonaka, all looked at the human with concern. Sango sighed.
"Kagome's been taken by youkai." The little boy looked alarmed.
"What! What kind of youkai? Were they after the Shikon no Tama?"
"Shadow kitsunes, and I'm guessing they were." Yume's hands flew to her mouth, tears in her eyes. Mayonaka froze where he stood and Genkai stiffened.
"Their names." Yume said carefully, "Did you get any of their names." Sango blinked at her.
"Yes." She growled, her anger growing, "Ganko, and Reikoku. There was another one, too. Kagome said she went to school with him." Mayonaka looked startled.
"Went to school with him? SURELY you don't mean Hojo!" Yume looked alarmed now.
"You mean- all this time-"
"Why does it matter" I asked curiously. I really couldn't see why the two of them would have such a strong reaction to demons names. Yume looked at me sadly.
"Because it means they were after my daughter, not the jewel she protects." The Mayonaka's eyes widened.
"SOUTA! They'll be after him, too!" he started up the steps.
"its no use," Sango called after him, "They already have him. They took him before the got Kagome." The old man stopped, "What's going on? Why do they want Kagome and Souta?" silence greeted the girl's question.
"You need to get InuYasha," Yume said softly. I blinked. InuYasha? Dog Demon?
\\I've heard that name somewhere before.\\ Youko said thoughtfully.
"We can't. The jewels gone." Sango said dully "They took it when they kidnapped Kagome,"
"Besides, there's a miko spell on the well," Shippo added, sadly.
"What's this Jewel thing you keep mentioning?!" Yusuke demanded.
"The Shikon no Tama is a powerful magical object, able to increase a youkai's strength by hundred folds." I explained to my human companions, "It's also able to grant wishes." Everyone stared at me.
"HUNDRED FOLDS?!?!" Kuwabara said, going white.
"That's basically all the youkai who know of the jewel take the time to find out," Sango said bitterly, "But yeah, the jewel can do that,"
"And now these creeps have both the jewel and Kagome!"
"Are you sure that Kagome had the jewel when they took her?" Yume persisted, "What did she do before that?"
"Nothing," Keiko said wiping tears off her face, "Sango tackled one of them and got pushed against the wall she dropped her purse, then they snuck up behind us and-"
"She dropped her purse?" Yume interjected. Botan's eyes widened, and she started to search through the purse she had been clutching since she got out of the car. With a triumphant cry, she dropped the purse and held up a shattered pink jewel.
\\so, that's the legendary jewel.\\
"Why is it broken?" Kuwabara asked. Any one who could have given him an answer ignored him.
"Having the jewel is useless," Shippo pointed out "So long as we don't have a miko to take Kagome's spell off."
"We do," Okay, that caught even me off guard. Everyone stared at Sango who was lost in thought. "It wasn't a very complicated spell, all it should take is a touch to remove..."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Yusuke interrupted. "What the Hell do you mean 'we do?'" Sango winced.
"Kagome told me right before she was kidnapped,"
"She never told us!" Yume said in surprise.
"She just met the other miko today," I didn't like the direction this conversation was heading.
\\You don't think...\\
"So, who is she?" I asked, I just had to settle my suspicions. Sango blinked at me, then pointed right at Keiko.
\\"WWWWWHHHHHAAAAAAAATTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!"\\ Everyone but Sango yelled.
"Her powers haven't been released yet, but she's most definitely a miko."
"That's impossible!" Keiko gasped, "I-I couldn't be," She turned to the rest of the group, "could I?"
"All you need to do to find out is touch Shippo or Kirara." Sango said, suddenly the only calm one. What did she mean by that?! Shippo looked at Sango worriedly. "It's okay, Shippo," the little boy sighed and walked over to Keiko. The girl stared at him for a second before putting a finger on his forehead.
When she did, Shippo was shrouded in a bright, pink light. When the light disappeared, Shippo was about ten inches tall with a bushy tail and pointed ears. We stared.
\\A red kitsune\\ Youko said. I could sense he was surprised. \\but he's young. His clothes are outdated, too. By about five hundred years.\\ the startled Keiko took at step back.
"You're a miko, all right," the little kitsune said nodding. A loud 'mew' from a little white kitten coming down the steps followed his words.
"Is she a youkai, too," Keiko said, timidly as she carefully reached for the kitten. The action answered that question before Sango could. The little kitten was engulfed in the same light Shippo had been and, when it was gone, Kirara was a little three-tailed fire neko.
"Okay, this day's just gone from mildly weird to down right insane." Yusuke said. Personally, I agreed with him.
"You need to remove Kagome's spell on the well," Yume said pleadingly, "We need to get InuYasha to help find my children."
I sighed and shifted uncomfortably. It had been fifteen minuets since Sango had disappeared down the well. Shippo had explained everything to us about the well being a time portal and jewel broken and such. He had even told us about Kagome adopting him as her own pup after his parents died.
\\It's hard to find a human with enough kindness to adopt a youkai pup. We have to do everything in our power to get her back.\\
\\And the fact that she's pretty with a son that would worship you if he knew who you were has nothing to do with it,\\
\\Don't make me seem like the guilty one here! You're attracted to her, too.\\
\\I'm not scheming of ways to get into her bed.\\
\\That's because you're weak.\\
"She's taking too long," Hiei snapped. I suspected he had been listening in on us and it bothered him for some reason. Normally, arguments between me and Youko amuse the fire demon to no end, but he seemed fairly upset right now.
"She has to get to the village and find InuYasha and Miroku." Shippo said knowledgably. "It's five minuets there, and InuYasha might not even be in the village. Plus, even if he is, it'll take a few minuets to explain things, and then about a minuet to wake Miroku up, so they should be here soon.
"Why would this Miroku guy be asleep right now?"
"Oh, he wouldn't be asleep," Shippo assured everyone, "Just unconscious,"
"...What?" Just then, a light shone at the bottom of the well and out jumped a dog hanyou in fire-rat fur. Keiko jumped slightly when she saw him. The hanyou glared at everyone. The girls stared at his ears in amazement.
"Don't you dare kill anyone, InuYasha!" Sango's voice came from the bottom of the well.
"Feh! I do whatever the Hell I want!" the Hanyou yelled back, causing the girls to stiffen in alarm. But he simply sat down and continued to glare, particularly at Hiei and myself. Out of the well climbed Sango, in demon slayer armor, and a monk with a large knot on his head. As soon as the monk caught sight of Botan, he rushed over and grabbed her hand.
"Now, what's a beautiful lady such as yourself doing dirtying your hands in dangerous affairs such as these. Surely there is a handsome gentleman waiting to protect you?" He said with a charming smile. He did not see Sango taking the largest boomerang I've ever seen off her back.
"Well, actually... erm, no," Said a flabbergasted Botan. Then her eyes trailed to the strange glove over his right hand, wrapped up by a strand of prayer beads. He noticed her looking at it and sighed sadly, bringing the hand forward for her to see.
"A family curse, I'm afraid. He said sadly, "And unless I can kill the demon who put the curse on my family, I will be sucked into the endless vortex this cloth covers, like my father before me was." Botan gasped.
"How awful!"
"It is." The monk said as Sango took careful aim. InuYasha, Kirara and Shippo were shaking their heads in disgust, "and on the chance that I fail to kill the evil youkai, I need an heir to take care of him for me. Perhaps you could be of some assistance in that?" Botan blinked.
"What?" Botan asked in bewilderment. Sango's muscles went taunt.
"Will you bear my child?" the monk asked innocently.
"HENTAI!!!!!!!!" Sango screamed as she let the large weapon crash down on the Monk's head. Afterwards, she turned to Botan.
"Sorry about him. He does that." She said conversationally. Botan when crimson as Yusuke and Kuwabara cracked up.
\\Amateur\\ Youko scoffed.
\\I'm sure you would have handled it much better\\ I assured him sarcastically.
\\I could certainly do better than you're doing.\\ I felt my eyebrow twitch and saw the amused look Hiei gave me. Now he thought all this funny! \\Perhaps he simply missed the Tajiya?\\ Hiei sent us several telepathic flashes, each showing a creative death. The message was received, but ignored. \\She certainly seems to be a soft spot for him.\\
"Damn it pervert! We're here to get Kagome out of whatever mess she's landed in now, not so you can try those lame stories in a new time!" InuYasha yelled.
"She's at the castle in Shadow Kitsune territory, in the Makai," I turned to see Yume standing at the door. "you have to get her out of there as soon as possible," She turned to Botan, "You're going to have to make a portal to the Makai."
"But I can't do that without permission from Koenma!" Botan exclaimed, both bewildered and apologetic.
"You can. Makai laws states that any force necessary should be used to bring back any creature under high protection of the royal house should the need arise. I will explain things to the prince." Botan's face paled.
"Y-yes of coarse." She stammered.
"Yukina and Keiko will stay here." Yume said, inclining her head and motioning for the girls to follow. When they left, Botan went nuts.
"Oh, dear! A high protected- and I let her be taken right in front of me! I KNEW her name sounded familiar! Ooohh why didn't I follow my gut feeling and check in on it..."
"Quit talking to yourself and make the portal already!" Yusuke snapped at her. Botan glared at him, then sighed and did as he suggested. We stepped through the portal into a part of the Makai none of the others had seen before. Wildlife grew everywhere, birds of every size and color sang in the trees and soared in the sky. Small animals and demons darted through the forest around them.
"It's beautiful," Shippo whispered in awe.
"Feh! Whatever." Shippo glared at the arrogant hanyou. Sango, however, seemed to be in agreement with InuYasha.
"We're here to get Kagome back, not admire the scenery." She said as she put her weapon back on her back and started into the forest.
"I wouldn't," I said earnestly. She gave me a quizzical look.
"And why the hell not?!" she demanded. Picking up a nearby twig, I threw it at the path inches in front of her. Before it even hit the ground, it burst into a bright violet flame, the disintegrated into nothingness. The demon slayer stared.
"Shadow kitsunes are very protective of their territories. There are spells like that one all over these grounds. The closer you get to the castle, the more painful the spells become." Loud gulping greeted my words. Even the hanyou's face seemed whiter.
"All in favor of Kurama leading?" Yusuke said weakly. The vote was instant. I sighed as I started in a safe and promising direction.
Half an hour later, we were at the base of a large castle. Hiei quickly disposed of the guards and we went inside only to be greeted by a powerful shadow kitsune, sitting on top of a pillar. He ignored all of us except Sango, whom he was giving an angry glare.
"Didn't I tell you not to come here, ningen?" He said smoothly. Sango growled at him.
"Where are Kagome and Souta?!" She demanded, "I know you know where they are, Ganko." He chuckled.
"Don't worry, their safe. As a matter of fact their better than they've been in the last ten years." He said cheerfully, InuYasha's ears perked.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" the inu-hanyou demanded. Ganko's grin widened.
"You have to beat me and my brothers to find out." With that, he jumped from the pillar, pulling out his blade in mid-jump. Two other kitsune appeared out of nowhere, loyal to the true shadow kitsune style.
\\I've heard of these three. They're some of the most talented kitsune fighters alive. Not that they'd be any match for me, of coarse\\ Youko assured me quickly. \\Of coarse\\ I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at the arrogant youkai.
"Bring it on," InuYasha scoffed drawing an enormous sword. What was with all these oversized weapons?! "I can take you weaklings on blinded!" the Kitsune smirked.
"Willing to prove it?" and, before anything else could be said, it became pitch black to human eyes. The youkai members of our group could still barely see, as no doubt could Shippo and InuYasha, but Sango, Miroku, Botan, Yusuke and Kuwabara wouldn't be able to see a thing. Being spiritually aware would help any of them, either, considering shadow kitsunes were stealth masters. The hanyou caught onto this problem quickly.
"You guys go ahead and look for Kagome!" he shouted to the blind group.
"How?" The demon slayer demanded, "I can't see the nose at the end of my face, forget about navigating my way through a dark castle without attracting attention!" Shippo. I realized. He would be of little use in battle, and being full youkai he could see alright. I was about to call out to the young kitsune, when he was suddenly hit by a spell.
"Oops. Clumsy me." Ganko said smirking, "that spell will keep him out cold for hours!" I sighed. Now it was down to me, Hiei and InuYasha. Hiei would leave a fight to help a girl that wasn't Yukina if his life depended on it, and I doubted InuYasha was very good at stealth. Which only left one choice.
"I'll take these five and go find Kagome." I called out, "Can you two handle these guys without me."
"Hn."
"Feh!" Why had I even bothered asking?
I quickly lead the others down the stairs where I caught the slight smell of Kagome's rose-and-dew scent. Only it seemed... different somehow. I couldn't put my finger on it but her scent had defiantly changed since this morning.
\\stronger?\\
\\it's more than that. I just can't tell what it is.\\ I saw the door to the room that held Kagome just ahead.
"We're here." I said to the rest of the group. I opened the door and shopped short at what I saw. Those behind me, presuming I'd gone inside the room, crashed right into me.
"Damn it, Kurama!" Yusuke shouted "You were supposed to make sure we DIDN'T crash into stuff!" I ignored him, still staring at the girl in the room. She groaned.
"Don't yell so loud, I've got a killer headache," she moaned, standing up. Just then the darkness spell lifted and all anyone could do was stare.
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"Removing the spell was successful on the prince?" the kitsune asked with an anxious edge in his voice.
"YES, My brother," the female kitsune next to him said, her voice reflecting amusement and annoyance, "Don't worry. She was my friend, too. I'll make sure Kagome lives. Her brother grinned. Just then, another kitsune walked in.
"Ganko. We have intruders. You, I and Hojo are to take care of them." Ganko nodded and left with his brother, sparing his twin one last glance. She sighed and preformed the quick spell over the sleeping form. That done, she left, closing the door behind her and saying softly,
"Get well soon, my friend."
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DV-if you don't like the pairings, then you shouldn't have asked
Sango-please?
DV-NO
Sango- oh, come on, it's not like he doesn't deserve it
DV-Sango, for the last time, I'M NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE PAIRINGS SO YOU'RE ALONE AND HIEI'S WITH KIKYOU!!!!
Sango- Why not?
DV- because, I don't care what Hiei's said or done to you, that's just cruel.
Sango- *Grumbles*
DV- Besides, no one else has any problems with their pairings. *motions towards room, Inu and Botan are snuggling on the couch, Yusuke and Keiko are fast asleep in the armchair, Kuwabara and Yukina are going through the things that fell out of the closet together and Kurama and Kagome 'excused themselves' from the room half an hour ago. Miroku is watching door, eagerly awaiting his girl's arrival and Sessomaru is sitting at the table reading an old magazine, not caring what the hell is going on.*
Sango- Well, they don't have that Bastard
Hiei- Whatever, Bitch
DV- *sighs* I'm getting a migraine. Please review.