Title : Arrows and Whips
Disclaimer : I do not own Inu Yasha and YuYu Hakusho.
"..." Talking
'...' Thinking
~@~@ Time gap
~*~*~* Scene change
*......* Telepathy
* * * * * *
Previous Chapter:
"Step out of the shadow and show yourself, bastard!" yelled Ellon.
'Gee, I need to talk to him about his language later.' thought Vixinia.
"As you wish." He stepped out slowly.
* * * * *
Chapter 10 :
Krei was a moth demon. He wore brown armor and gi. His trousers were dark brown, matching the colours of his wings. He had a mask that covered his upper face. His mask's eyes were red, like a burning fire. He had no weapons. Vixinia could tell that he had a Shikon shard on his forehead. His attention fell on Vixinia.
"Hand me the Shikon shards, Vixen!" he said sharply. Vixinia's eyes widened but kept her composure.
"I don't know what you're talking about." she snapped, trying her best to hide her panic. Krei laughed.
"Do you think you can fool me, Vixen? You are pathetic." he mocked. His gaze fell upon her hidden veil.
Vixinia felt his penetrating geze and her hands immediately flew to her chest, where she kept the Shikon's veil.
"How do you know?" her words were barely a whisper, but Krei heard it.
"You're not the only one that can sense them." the moth smirked as Vixinia's eyes widened a bit more.
'How much does he know about me?' she asked herself.
"Now hand them over." Krei said.
"Over my dead body." Vixinia said boldly, despite the fact she was panic for both her identity and the familiar feeling of an old enemy.
"As you wish." he snarled. "This Krei will end your life."
He disappeared and appeared behind Vixinia. He slashed her back, making her winced in pain. Vixinia did a backslash. Though it missed to hurt his body, it managed to destroy his mask. Vixinia gasped at the sight.
Krei started to transform. His wings became larger. His body was spiked and his eyes were crimson. But his human form could still be seen. The Shikon shard was on the middle of his forehead. He started to disappear and appear at Vixinia again. The Spirit Detectives gathered around Vixinia to protect her from further injuries.
Hiei was the only one that could manage attacking Krei. He would slash the air and most of them hit Krei. The humans and Veiland along with Ellon was the most troubled because they couldn't see Krei. Kurama and Vixinia could see him move as blurs.
Kurama dashed to help Hiei. Krei took this chance to fly behind Vixinia. Hiei and Kurama were not fast enough to stop Krei from smacking Vixinia. She blocked most of the attack but fell. The Shikon veil came out from her clothes and landed a few feet away from her.
"Mine!" she heard Krei shouted triumphantly from above her. he jumped to grab the shards, followed by Vixinia.
"No!" she screamed.
Unfortunately for her, Krei grabbed them first. Vixinia watched in horror as he swallowed them. Krei laughed maniacally. He turned to them.
"Now DIE!"
Krei no longer held his human form. He had become a giant moth with thorny feet and flew with an amazing speed.
*Most of his attacks depending on his speed.* observed Youko as he tried to caught Krei.
"We have to hold him down." shouted Kurama.
"How?" squeaked Veiland, who clutched Vixinia's garment tightly.
"Hit his wings!" Hiei stated. Yusuke rolled his eyes.
"I will if I can see them." he muttered sarcastically. Hiei heard it but pretended that he didn't.
Both Vixinia and Ellon shot their Aerial Slash towards Krei, but he was too fast. Finally, Hiei fought him with the same tremendous amount of speed.
"Shippo," Vixinia whispered in a very low voice that none but her son could hear her. "turn to a bow."
"I'll try."
"Try to cover your abilities. I have a feeling that an old enemy is watching us." she tilted her head to the forest.
"But how.."
"Don't waste more time." Vixinia hissed. Veiland nodded and in a puff of smoke, a bow appeared.
"Good job, Shippo." she said as she created an arrow from her miko power (courtesy of Genkai's teachings) and loaded it to the bow. She aimed and waited for a good opportunity.
It came pretty soon. Krei had managed to slam Hiei to the barrier, which gave Vixinia a lot of space to shoot without any disturbance. She shot her arrow and it ripped one of Krei's right wings. The other started to attack immediately. Kurama lashed his Rose Whip. Yusuke hit his Spirit Gun with his remaining power.
Vixinia prepared another arrow as Ellon shot his vines, effectively trapping Krei in a cage like vines. Krei struggled and hit Ellon hard with his thorny legs. Ellon fell down on his rear end.
"No one mess with the ones I care about." said Vixinia. She let her arrow flew and imbedded itself on Krei's forehead where the Shikon shards were. Krei let out a shriek of agony and blew to smithereens. Unfortunately for Ellon, who was currently sat near Krei, he was covered by green slimes and some organs on a certain moth demon.
"YUCK!" he exclaimed. "This gross."
He started to wipe some of the smile and the organs from his body. Vixinia was laughing her head off after she retreated her Shikon shards when the others were not looking.
"Not funny!" Ellon cried on disdain. Vixinia shook her head and shrugged.
"Sorry, sorry. Can't help it." she grinned. Ellon scowled.
*You have done well, Kagome.* said a voice.
"Lady Kikuyu." Vixinia smiled and walked towards the Barrier. *Is it wise to call me by the name 'Kagome'? Hiei might know.*
*Don't worry child. He can't.* Kikuyu assured her. *I have block the mind link.*
*Good to hear. I don't really like the idea of Hiei interrogating me about this.* she giggled mentally. "I can give you the power needed now." she chirped.
*Concentrate on me, Kagome* instructed Kikuyu as Vixinia saw her transparent form hovering with her arms offered to her. She put her arms in hers and began to transfer her power to her. She felt her energy drowning fast but she didn't care. She was oblivious to her friends' worried looks. All she could think about was to repair the barrier.
While Vixinia was transferring her energy, her friends were completely lost. A minute before, she was whispering something to herself and put a hand on the barrier. The next thing they knew was she had already gone to another trance like before. Only, now her energy level was draining fast. Kurama and Ellon were about to stop her from whatever she was doing but stopped -surprisingly- by Veiland.
"She's healing the Barrier Guardian." he informed them. Ellon gave him a funny look.
"How could you tell?" he inquired. Veiland blushed and suddenly found that his feet were interesting.
"Mom told me through the mind link just now."
"How come I didn't know it?" Ellon said again.
"Because you were too deep in fighting that moth."
Before he could say anything, a light flared around Vixinia. When it ceased, a beautiful woman could be seen hovering in front of Vixinia with a small smile playing on her lips. Even though she looked weary, Vixinia smile back at her. They assumed that the lady was not an enemy since Vixinia had trusted her.
"Guys, come here." Vixinia commanded weakly. She tried to walk but stumbled. Kurama was the one that saved her from hitting the ground. She muttered a 'thanks' as Kurama supported he to stand.
"I would like to introduce Lady Kikuyu, the Guardian of the Barrier." she introduced. "And I believe that you know each and everyone of them, am I right, Lady?" Vixinia grinned. Kikuyu nodded and smiled faintly at them.
*I am very grateful for what have you done to protect the Barrier.* she bowed a bit. Kuwabara stepped forward.
"Well, Lady, I think I'm in love." he said with twinkling eyes. Everyone sweat dropped as Kikuyu's face went to a shocked expression. Kuwabara received from four large bumps on his head, the courtesy of Yusuke, Ellon, Veiland, and Vixinia (who did it with the help of Kurama).
"Please forgive him, Lady Kikuyu. He is always like that." Kurama shook his head.
*It's alright.* Kikuyu said.
"But he'll get into trouble on day if he keep it up." muttered Ellon. Kikuyu glanced at him and lifted her hands. A pearl white energy surrounded Ellon. As it stopped, Ellon was perfectly clean.
"Cool! Thanks Ki-" he was cut short by Vixinia' glare. He gave her a sheepish look. "Err.. I mean : Thank you very much, Lady Kikuyu."
*My pleasure.* she turned to Vixinia. *You taught him well.* she said to only her, no one else heard her.
*It's my duty. He's my brother and I will protect him with all my life and I'll do the same to my son and friends.*
*True. Especially, a certain someone.* Kikuyu joked a bit. Vixinia's face turned red.
*They can't hear us, can they?* she asked, worriedly. Kikuyu smiled widely.
*No, they cannot hear us, Kagome.* she said. *I have saved you from letting them find out your crush.*
Kagome blushed harder. Kurama looked at her. "Vixinia, are you alright? You seem a bit flushed."
Kagome turned even redder (if possible) "I'm fine." she mumbled. She heard Kikuyu chuckled.
*Just how much do you know about me?* she asked Kikuyu mentally.
*Almost everything. Including the Shikon Shards, your trip in Sengoku Jidai, your family, and your enemy.*
*How-*
*I know what I know.* she simply stated. She nodded silently.
"Lady Kikuyu," Kurama called. "Is this Krei happen to come from Makai?"
*I do not believe so.* she shook her head. *A moth demon does not exist anymore. At least in Makai."
Vixinia, Ellon, and Veiland blanched. "Then, where did he come from?" Veilan voiced their question. He and Vixinia felt the same feeling coming out from Krei. But that didn't mean that he sent him, right? And the same feeling of being watched also plagued them.
Kikuyu, being a Guardian she was, knew almost everything that occurred in the three separate worlds. But she was not allowed to spill too much, since it would do more harm than good. Kikuyu decided to play dumb.
*I am afraid it is not for me to answer it.* she replied.
"Can we go home now?" whined Kuwabara. Vixinia agreed wholeheartedly for she didn't gave enough rest and could not think straight after her energy was drained to help Kikuyu.
*Vixinia and all of us could use some rest.* said Youko as he tried to stifle a yawn.
*Agreed. After all we did fight in the middle of the night.* Kouran finished for him.
"We will leave now, Lady Kikuyu." declared Veiland.
*Very well. I really hope I can help you someday in the future.* she said. *Come to me anytime you need me.* She stared at Vixinia. *I can help in personal problems too, you know?*
*Gee, thanks.* Vixinia taunted playfully. Kikuyu chuckled. The other was wandering what the two women were conversing. Kikuyu watched as they vanished from her sight.
"Lets go home!" said Yusuke. Vixinia was carried by Kurama (who was still in his demon form) piggyback style.
"I can walk by myself, Kurama." informed Vixinia as she fought down her blush.
"You can barely stand. How can you walk?" replied Kurama.
"I'll manage." she said. "Eventually." Youko and Ellon snickered from behind. Kouran and Veiland merely shook their heads.
"Just rest." Kurama said softly but clear that their argument had ended. Vixinia sighed and rested her head on his back. Soon enough, her breath became steady. Kurama didn't have to turn around to tell that she was sleeping.
Botan opened the portal and one by one, they were sent home. Before Kurama stepped on it, he felt Vixinia snuggled to him and murmured in her sleep. "Rose, rain and pine forest."
Kurama smiled slightly as she identified his scent. He went in to the portal and was sent to Genkai's residence.
*~*~* In a castle surrounded by miasma *~*~*
"Ku Ku Ku Ku Ku. So, the moth had failed. What a shame." laughed a dark figure as he watched the Barrier from a round mirror held by a girl in white. As the Spirit Detectives had gone from the clearing, the mirror went blank.
"What happened? Show me more!" growled Naraku. Kanna looked at him with her emotionless eyes.
"Our spy are destroyed." she informed in monotone. "We can no longer watch them."
"Why don't you go there yourself, Naraku?" asked Kagura who was entering the room.
"I don't want to risk anything in the world I don't know." he said lightly, "After all, Kikyo can always break the spell at new moon."
"Will you go there next new moon?" asked the Wind Sorcerers.
"I will deal with the matter at hand, Inuyasha." he said.
"That miko could handle him."
"But she could no longer sense that shards. The demon huntress and the monk could easily steal it from them."
"So, we are going to kill him?" Kagura inquired.
"No. We will collect the shards before them." Naraku replied. "You know what to do, Kagura."
Kagura bowed. "One more question. Do you send anyone else to the future miko's time?"
"No I did not. Only Krei and two Saimyosho."
Kagura leave the castle in search of the Shikon Shards. 'One day, Naraku. I'll be free. You can count on that.' she thought as she soared high in the sky on her giant feather.
*~*~* The Barrier *~*~*
As soon as her savior left, Kikuyu turned her attention to the trees and shot two balls of energy. They hit two wasp demons and effectively disintegrated them.
*The Destined One has to be careful. Her old enemy had come to defeat her.* Kikuyu mused. *What harm shall befell her? She had suffered enough.*
She went back to her world, not before hearing what the wind whispered,
"Only time could tell."
@~@~@ A week before school started@~@~@
*~*~* In a forest near Genkai's house.*~*~*
Vixinia sat under a tree, watching the pale blue moon shining with all her glory. Her expression gloom and her thoughts were anywhere else but there. It had become her habit to go to the forest every time she was upset or angry.
A hand was placed on her shoulder. She jerked out of her thought and turned her head quickly to its owner.
"Oh, it's you." she whispered. The person didn't answer, instead he sat down beside her. They sat in silence. Surprisingly, he was the one who broke it.
"Why don't you sleep?"
"I could ask the same to you." she stated. There was an awkward silence. Vixinia sighed. She really didn't want to talk about this, but he rarely asked questions, it would be rude to snap at him.
"The training in this afternoon." she started. "You saw what happened there. I can't transform completely to my real form."
(Flashback)
"Alright, kids." said Tsukikage. "Now is your last lesson from me. The transformation lessons."
The kids looked at her expectantly.
"The transformation lessons." Tsukikage started. "Every demons have their true form. Like me and the others, including you." The children nodded. "You have both the abilities of the silver and red foxes, therefore I do not know what your true from will be."
Tsukikage motioned them to step back. "I'm going to demonstrate it. Watch!" Tsukikage's eyes became red and her body started to change. In no time, a large silver wolf took her place. The wolf nodded to the children and turned back. "All you need to do is concentrate on your real form."
The children nodded. Ellon got the first turn. He took sometime longer than Tsuki to transform to a silver fox with red eyes, which then turned to royal blue moments later. The fox grinned and transformed back.
"Cool! I'm a silver fox like Kurama." he exclaimed.
"Nice job, Ellon." Tsuki said proudly. It was Vixinia's turn. She did the same like Ellon had done. When she felt she was done, she opened her eyes and saw her teacher and brother was shocked. She was confused. She looked down to herself and realized that she hadn't transform, yet. But her claws became longer. Her hands went to her face and she found out that her fangs were longer, not to mention sharper. Her hair was completely auburn. If she looked into a mirror, she would see jagged, blue streaks on her cheeks and red eyes with blue pupils.
"L-Lady Tsuki, what happened?" she stammered. Tsuki inspected her closer.
"I don't know, Vixinia. But apparently you cannot transform to your true form." she said.
"You look like when you fought that cat demon that had your father's necklaces, Vixinia." informed Kurama.
"Hn." agreed Hiei. Vixinia turned back to her usual form.
"Any idea why it happen?" Ellon asked to no one in particular. Silence was his answer.
Vixinia went back to the house, but they could hear her muttered, "Some."
(End Flashback)
"What do you mean by 'some'?"he inquired. Vixinia laughed bitterly.
"And what makes you think that I will tell you?" she said. "It's the same as revealing my past."
"....There's something else."
"That bothers me? Yes, there are." she snapped. "In fact, many."
"Including the Shikon Shards?"
"Stop prying into my business!" she retorted.
"You know something about that moth and you have the suppose-to-be-lost shards." he stated again. "I want an explanation."
"Leave me alone." Vixinia pleaded. He remained impassive.
"What troubled you?" he said in a softer tone. To strangers, it would not be of any different than the usual tone he used.
"Why?"
He didn't answer. After a long time of pregnant silence, he spoke, "I care for you like I care for my sister."
Vixinia was too shock to speak. "You care for me like you care for Yukina?"
It was his turn to be surprised. "How..."
Vixinia giggled a bit. "The way you act around her and some other little things. You can't hide it forever, Hiei." She smiled."You will have to explained how come you are a fire apparition while she is an ice apparition." she continued.
"Answer my questions first."
Vixinia mused for a moment, considering her decision. Eventually, her curiosity got the better of her. After convincing herself that Hiei was trustworthy,
"Alright, As long it is a secret between us." A nod was her response. "Good. First of all, I'm not really Vixinia."
She waited for his reaction. He gave none. "I am Kagome Higurashi. We met at my shrine." Hiei raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "Ellon is Souta, my brother. Veiland or Shippo is my adoptive pup."
"Kagome was a human." he stated. Vixinia or rather Kagome laughed lightly.
"True enough, although the statement 'Kagome was a human' is more fitting." she said. "Me and Souta turned demons on my seventeenth birthday, which was a week after your little... visit."
"Midnight?"
"Yup." she nodded. "I suppose we emitted too many energy, eh?"
"....."
"I thought so." she leaned on a boulder. "About the Shikon shards, I've told you about it during our first meeting. It was created by a priestess, Midoriko. You know the rest."
He didn't interrupt. "I can travel through time, to Sengoku Jidai to be exact, by using the Bone Eater Well. So it won't be weird if you detected its energy and came to inspect it. There, I met Inuyasha......"
After a good one hour, Kagome almost finished telling her companion, her life story. "....and that mutt betrayed me. Well, not really betraying, but he did attack and tried to kill me for Kikyo. I was wounded due to the lack of attention during the battle and could not meet my mom since she would surely forbid me from going back to Sengoku Jidai again. So I came to Genkai's house and met all of you."
"That didn't explaine you half-state transformation." Hiei inquired.
"Oh, that." she mumbled. "My theory is maybe because some of my soul is in Kikyo." she spat in disgust. "I can't use my full miko power. Sango and Miroku said that she had lost the ability to sense the shards now. I think because she is tainted. She may be working with Naraku."
"What about that moth?"
"I sensed the same felling of being watched back there, like when we fought one of Naraku's minions." she said. "I hope I'm wrong but with Kikyo at his side, I think it is possible for her to break my spell during the new moons."
"I don't think this Naraku will not risk any harm to come to a world unknown to him." Hiei voiced his thoughts. "But he might attack some other time."
"Lets not talk about this again. I'll find a way to strengthen the seal, but it won't be easy. I'm not good at magic." she sighed. "Besides I will have more time at home since I'm going back to school after holiday." she grumbled the last part in disdain. "Back to school again."
Hiei sensed her irritation. "It's not like you never been in human school before." his voice had hidden amusement in them.
Kagome glared at him. "It won't be bad if they don't transfer me to another school because I was absent too much." she snapped, "Now I'm going to a school where I don't know a single soul and would have to build everything from the beginning not to mention that they will labeled me as a living sickness if grandpa keeps telling those stupid lies to cover me up."
"....What school?"
"Sarayashiki Junior High school." Kagome answered in disdain.
"You won't be too lonely then." Hiei smirked. Kagome gave him a confused look.
"Oh, and mind telling me why is that so?" she asked.
"Find out yourself, Vixen."
"Fine! Be that way." Kagome pouted. "You still owe me your story." Kagome noticed that Hiei's eyes darkened slightly. "You don't have to tell it now. Maybe another time if..."
"Now is fine." Hiei cut her off. He started to tell his story to her. Although he didn't like to relish his bitter memory, it was the only fair to Kagome. She had told him her whole secret and trusted him with it. After another one hour, Hiei finished his story, with a darker mood. Kagome knew this. She moved near him and surprisingly, enveloped him in a hug.
"Sorry for making you tell." she whispered. She pulled back from the flabbergasted Hiei. "Since we knew each other's secrets, I assume we trusted each other enough already." she said. "Therefore, I want to give you this."
Kagome unclasped one of her necklace with dragon pendant and dangle it in front of Hiei's face. Her expression was a hopeful one.
"You know what this means right?" she asked. Not waiting for his answers, she continued. "I understand if you don't want to accept it. It's just..."
She didn't have the chance to finish her sentence because Hiei had taken the necklace from her hands. Kagome's face lightened immediately.
"You don't mind being my brother?" she asked.
"Hn." he answered as he clasped the necklace around his neck and tucked it under his shirt. Kagome jumped and hugged him tightly. It took sometime for Hiei to return it hesitantly.
"Great! I have an older brother. Wait until Souta hear this." she said before pulling away.
"You're not calling me 'Brother' in front of everyone else." Hiei threatened.
"I know, I know." grinned Kagome. "You sure talked a lot tonight you know? I never thought you can speak that much."
Hiei grunted. Kagome laughed. "I'm glad to have you as my brother, Hiei." she said.
"You better sleep now." said Hiei in monotone.
"Awww. Back to your old self again." she pouted. "Well, Goodnight Hiei." she rose from her seat. "Sweet Dreams!"
@~@~@ School Open @~@~@
Kagome sat in the Principal's office. She was nervous. She couldn't help but to think about Hiei's words.
'Then you won't be so lonely.'
She still had fifteen more minutes before the class started. Her mind wandered back to her last week of holiday.
She didn't have to train anymore since she had known all of the most important parts of her lessons. She had told Souta and Shippo about Hiei. Their reactions were not different from hers. They were as happy also. Hiei told no one about it. He and the three foxes and their pets were the only ones who knew.
Three days before the school started, Kagome, Souta and Shippo moved back to the Higurashi Shrine. They said their goodbyes only to Genkai and Yukina and promised to visit as often as possible. Kagome was a bit sad at the thought of not seeing her Spirit Detectives friends, especially a certain red headed boy, but said nothing of it. If she was lucky, she might meet him when she visited the shrine. The Spirit Detectives themselves were told that Vixinia and the others had gone home to their own place.
Sango and Miroku came to welcome her home. They informed her that every shards they were hunting had been taken by either Kagura or the Saimyosho in front of their very eyes.
Kagome had discussed with them about Krei and told them what she and Hiei thought about it. They concluded that Naraku was not in the modern era, even if he knew how to get there, because if he was there, how could he gave orders to steal the Shikon shards in the Sengoku Jidai? Kagome had placed a stronger spell on the well, but she was unsure if it would last during the new moons.
The necklace that she gave to Hiei gave them a wide range of communication. In fact, as long as they were in the same World and Time, they could contact each other, with exception if the necklace was destroyed, stole by someone, or the worst : if the owner was dead.
The Principle's voice snapped Kagome out of her reverie. "Miss Higurashi, the class will start soon." he said. Kagome nodded and rose.
*~*~* The Class *~*~*
"Class, welcome a new student. She is transferred from her old school" the teacher said. He motioned for Kagome to step into the class. While she was standing in front of the class, most of the boys were drooling while the girls were shooting her jealous glares.
Who wouldn't? Kagome had waist-length hair, blue eyes, slender figure -a perfect body a woman would kill for-, beautiful features, and the innocent and kind look that could melt someone's heart easily.
"My name is Kagome Higurashi." she introduced herself. "Nice to meet all of you." she bowed a bit. Her eyes scanned the class. She spotted Kuwabara, Yusuke and Kurama in it. She smirked mentally. 'So, this is what you mean, Hiei.'
"Higurashi, you can have a seat beside Keiko. Keiko, raised you hand."
A black-haired girl raised her hand. Kagome took a set beside her and the teacher starting teaching.
"Hi, I'm Keiko." the girl said. "Where are you from?"
"I live in a shrine near the other part of the city." Kagome replied.
"That's pretty far." Keiko commented. Kagome chuckled and nodded.
"The main reason why I have to wake up early."
"Why did they transfer you here?"
"Lets just say I absent too much." Kagome sighed. Keiko nodded, deciding not to push any further. They both turned back to the teacher/
@~@~@ Lunch Time @~@~@
Kagome took a seat at the roof of the school building. She would usually chose a place with trees, but since it was crowded in the school garden, plus she knew nobody in particular, she decided to settle or the roof.
*Figured it out?* Hiei's voice echoed in her mind.
*Hell, yea!* she answered while eating. *What are you doing here?*
Mental chuckling was heard. (Hiei would do this mentally and ONLY to Kagome)
*Killing time* he responded *and to make sure you didn't make any troubles.*
*Thanks.* she muttered sarcastically. *As long as you are not an over-protective brother that would kill any boy that hit on me.*
*You have your....crush already* Hiei said. *I approve him*
Kagome choked her drink. *What does THAT means? I like nobody.* she was at the edge of blushing.
Hiei didn't reply. *Those humans are coming.*
*Thanks for stating the obvious.* Kagome joked. *Later Hiei.* she closed the mind link.
"Hi!" greeted Keiko. Kagome looked up, pretended to be surprised that they were there. She saw the Spirit Detectives following her from behind.
"Hello. What are you doing up here?" Kagome asked. Her eyes widened a bit. "If this is your usual place to gather I'll move somewhere else." she started to gather her things.
"No, no, no. We come here to join you for lunch." Keiko said. Kagome stopped her activity.
"Really?" she asked. They all nodded. "Thanks."
The group sat down in circle. Keiko started to introduce the group.
"These are my friends." she started but was cut by Kagome.
"Yusuke Urameshi, Kuwabara Kazuma and Shuuichi Minamino." she said as she nodded a greeting to all of them. "We do meet again, don't we?"
"You know each other!" exclaimed Keiko. Kagome chuckled.
"They come to my house quite a time ago." she explained. "Where's Hiei?" She knew perfectly where his 'brother' was, but she was Kagome at the moment, not Vixinia. Besides, it was fun to watch them thinking for a logical answer.
"Shrimp is, uh.." Kuwabara fidgeted, trying to come up with something. Unfortunately, he couldn't come up with one.
"Ditch the school?" Kagome suggested. She hoped against hope that Hiei wouldn't hear what she had just said.
"That is Yusuke's department." Keiko supplied. An indignant 'Hey!' was heard from Yusuke.
"He's attending another school." Kurama lied.
"Oh." was all Kagome said. 'Good lie that one.'
Kurama could see mirth dancing in her eyes before it was wiped off.
"Too bad." Kagome said with hidden glee. "Can you tell me about the school?"
Keiko than started to talk to Kagome while Kuwabara and Yusuke bickered again. Kurama studied Kagome.
'She had changed.' he thought. He noticed that her hair became longer and she became more mature in, dare he said, her body. Her scent changed a bit. In addition to cherry blossoms and honey, a tint of fiery scent was with her. She reminded him of Vixinia in a way.
"Hello! Earth to Ku-Shuuichi!" Yusuke called. Kurama snapped back to reality. "Gee, I thought you like Vixinia, now you're eyeing Kagome." Yusuke mumbled under his breath.
A slight blush graced Kurama's handsome face. Being a demon-in-disguise she was, Kagome heard what Yusuke had said but decided to ignore it.
"You're a miko?" Keiko asked. Kagome nodded.
"But not a good one." Kagome humbled herself. The boys sweatdropped. The last time they visited the shrine, she had been shooting purifying arrows and emitted large amount of energy, now she said that she was not a good miko.
'Yeah, right.' they all thought sarcastically.
"So, you believe in demons?" Keiko asked again
"Of course. I'm a miko, I should believe in those." Kagome replied simply. "Do you have some problems with demons? Maybe I can help."
"Just curious." Keiko said hastily. Kurama stared at her again. This time, he was caught.
"Something's wrong?" Kagome asked him. Kurama shook his head.
"You reminded me of a friend of ours." he answered. Kagome simply nodded as the bell rang.
"We better head back." Keiko said. Yusuke groaned and suggested to skip the class. Keiko smacked him and practically dragging him with her with Kuwabara following from behind.
"Are they always like this?" Kagome asked.
"Most of the time. Yusuke like to ditch the school. Keiko is the only one that can get him to study most of the time." explained Kurama.
"Are they a couple?" she asked curiously as they walked back, following their friends.
Kurama shook his head. "Although they do fight often, yes, they are a couple."
"If only two friends of mine be a couple like them." she smiled. Kurama's face mirrored hers.
*The Fox is getting ideas.* came Hiei's voice.
*He will know. Sooner or later.* she sighed mentally. *It won't change anything.* she closed the mind link. 'Or so I hope.'
*~*~* Higurashi Shrine *~*~*
"Boring." complained Souta as he lay on the couch. Kouran settled on his stomach.
"Can't be helped." Kagome answered as she twirled the pencil in her hand.
"When will we go to Sengoku Jidai again, Momma?" Shippo asked while flipping through the TV channels.
"I have to catch up with my lessons in school first, Shippo." Kagome said. "I hope you don't mind."
"It's alright." Shippo switched off the television. "Besides, I don't want to meet that mutt and his mate yet."
"How's your first day at school, dear?" asked Shizu who had just walked into the room.
"Nice." answered Kagome. Souta groaned.
"I got extra attention from the girls population." he said. "They started to whisper things like : Do you think he'll go out with me, or something like that."
"Isn't that a good sign?" Kagome raised an eyebrow. "All male wanted attention from the girls."
"If they don't keep staring as if I'm a specimen and giggling every time they look at me, then it will be no problems." Souta ranted.
"Looks like you will get yourself a girlfriend faster than I thought." Kagome grinned.
"Whatever." Souta retorted. "Do you feel like it's easier to learn since we become demons?"
"That won't be a weird thing." said Shizu. "To make you fit in human environment, the spell sealed some of your abilities, including your intelligence."
"So, all demons are clever?" asked Kagome. Her grandpa came in.
"Not all. You both are from a good line of breeding." he said.
"No wonder Kurama is clever." Kagome mused. "He was after all, a legendary bandit."
"Is there nothing interesting to do?" Shippo asked. Souta got up.
"Lets play playstation. It's been a while since the last time I play it." Souta said. "I even forgot I have it." Soon enough, the two boys were sitting in front of the television, playing the game.
"I'm going to the park." Kagome said. "I'll be back before dinner." She went upstairs and changed into white sweater and white trousers.
*~*~* The Park *~*~*
Kagome was eating some ice cream while she walked through the park. She knew a spot where there was not many people or couples walking around. She sat at a bench.
'Silent is always good.' she thought as she licked her fingers after the ice cream had finished. 'When will I go back traveling? I have left the Sengoku Jidai too long.' She sighed. 'Why do I have to live a life like this? Can't I just live a normal life?'
As if to answer her question, a loud menacing growl was heard. Kagome groaned. 'Gods, if this is your answer, I take it as a no.'
As a miko, one of her duties was to protect the innocent. She went to the source of the sound and saw an ugly, huge, slimy, troll like youkai was fighting a bunch of men. The youkai was no faring very well. Kagome watched as the Spirit Detectives lashed and attacked the youkai.
'Looks like I'm not needed here.' she thought as she was hiding behind a tree. At last, Kurama's Rose Whip dealt the final blow. 'Time to leave.' Kagome turned to jumped out of trouble, when...
"Who's there!" she head Kuwabara shouted. He saw Kagome's white shirt between the trees.
'Darn!' Kagome thought as she started to run. 'I am caught by Kuwabara. I can't believe it. Am I that bad in hiding?'
"Stop right there." Yusuke shot his Spirit Gun but missed.
'Damn! Damn! Damn! They're fast.' she sped up in order to lose them. 'Got to make it to the crowd. There!'
She finally got out of the park and joined the mob of walking people. She walked casually, not showing any trace of tiredness, thanks to her demon ability.
'Why did I run anyway?' came a question that confused her.
*~*~* With the Spirit Detectives *~*~*
"We lost whoever it was." Yusuke said. "Can't you trace their scent?"
"They masked their scent well." Kurama informed.
"Even the shrimp can't trace them." teased Kuwabara. He received a death glare.
"Hn." Hiei walked away.
"What's with him?" Kuwabara scratched the back of his head.
* * * * * *
A/N: Hiya there! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I post this chapter right on Christmas Eve. I hope you like it. This is the longest chapter I ever made. It is the way I apologized to you all. Don't expect me to make another chapter this long again. I'm so sorry I haven't update for a good one month three weeks. It took a month to prepare for my exams. This is the first week of my holiday. So, I'm kinda not in mood to do this, especially, I found a new category for fanfics. Anyway, I'm sorry again. I hope you like it. Happy holiday, guys! By the way, OOC-ness can't be helped.
Review Responses :
Anonymous, kim, kk, moondust, distantmelodies, Sesshy's gurl, Night Hunter, Kokami, Meamz, kuro honoo: I've updated. I hope you're happy. Thanks for the review.
davidlover, Sakura Sky,. Moon-n-Universe-Goddess, Mystified3, Mermaid99, MarsMoonStar, BabbleQueen, inuyasha0001, tessa3, ColdFang, Natsuki Sasahara, Kooka na Hoshi, Sukera, DemonLady1, Trina3, HeavenlyAnimeAngel-Amaterasu, SilentDark, Kairinu, Ivan's Kitsune, Star Silver Fox, Lugia-mew, CrimsonBlades16, Artemis the Goddess, Shinigami Clara: Glad you love the story. Thanks for the review.
silent : Yeah, I know how it feel. Most of the good stories I've read are not updated in long time. I'm sorry. Thanks for the review.
princessann : Sorry for not emailing you, but I got some problems with it. Hope you understand.
Kawaii Silver Kitsune : Thanks for putting me in your favorite stories and author list. Thanks for waiting and the review also.
YuYuGang-Kagome r the Best : They are going to know sooner or later, but Hiei had to know first because he was to be her step brother, hope you understand.
Randomunit02 : You didn't aggravate me. I know all of you are trying to help. But maybe the way I reply to your review is snappish. It's my nature I guess. Thanks a lot!
sesshoumarulover713 : I'm sorry for being rude. I've read your story before I started this fic. But that time i don't know how to review. I was new to fanfictions. Sorry. My comment on that is it is a nice story. Too bad Inuyasha had to die. The good thing is you brought him back. I think the romance part is too little. I'm not complaining since I don't even write any yet. I'm not good at those things. I hope you make a new one and tell me if you did. Thanks for reviewing.