Kitsunehime: Butter toffee . . . . . . . . . . .
Shippou: *waves hand in front of her face* Hello? Are you ok?
Kitsunehime: Butter toffee . . . . . . . . . . . *snaps out of it* Huh? Did you say something?
Saetan: He asked if you're ok.
Lucivar: Yeah, you're freaking everyone out . . .
Kitsunehime: Sorry! I was in butter toffee withdrawal. *finds more* Yay! Butter toffee! *munches on them happily* Sorry it took so long to update, I know I should have right after I got back . . . But I didn't even have the chapter written yet. I was planning to write it during the trip, but . . . I forgot. Oh, and one minor problem . . . Ano . . . everyone who requested a pic, could you tell me who you are and which one you want again? I lost my list . . . gomen nasai! *eats another butter toffee*
Mori no Kage: Hey! Those are mine! *makes a grab at them*
Kitsunehime: NOOO! *does Sesshoumaru's moving-away-really-fast-technique/disappearing act*
Mori no Kage: *falls flat on her face* Hey! No fair, you had a whole bag to yourself on your trip!
Kitsunehime: And you got to watch YuYu Hakusho and Rurouni Kenshin AND you got to go on your computer! *continues to argue*
Inuyasha: . . . You can kinda tell they're related . . . *sweatdrop*
Kagome: You should talk! Anyone can tell you and Sesshoumaru are related!
Sesshoumaru: I am nothing like him.
Inuyasha: *at same time* I am nothing like him!
Rin: -_- Yup, it's true.
Inuyasha: It is NOT!
Sesshoumaru: *at same time (again)* It is not.
Youko: . . . Give it up already.
Both brothers: No!
*other argument is still going on in background*
Miyu: . . . You're all hopeless.
Kitsunehime: *succeeded in kicking Mori no Kage out* Muahahahahaha! I got the butter toffee! *hands some out to the cast* See? I'm nice.
Titian: Yeah right.
Kitsunehime: Yes I am! To make up for not updating in almost three weeks, this will be an extra-long chapter! Enjoy!
Kagome: I think you're forgetting something . . . like, say, the disclaimer?
Kitsunehime: Oops. Not mine. Satisfied? Ok. Now enjoy.
Everyone else: . . . . . . *sweatdrop*
To Rule the Darkness
ch. 19 More New Arrivals
Youko and Miyu, exhausted by their earlier passion, yawned and curled up around each other, covered by their discarded clothing, to sleep until the rain ended.
Deep, deep in a tiny hole in the back of the cave, a little mouse shivered and stayed hidden under its little bed, scared by the *cough* loud sounds outside.
By the time the rain stopped, both kitsunes were awake, dressed, and ready to go. Silently, both leapt out and continued to run.
A few hours later, the tall walls of the hall came into view. Approaching, they found the big front door and knocked.
Luckily for them, this time, it wasn't an old man or a flea that opened the door for them, it was . . . No one.
"Hey, I'm down here!" Both Miyu and Youko looked down to see another little kitsune near the floor. "Are you looking for someone?"
Miyu knelt down so her face was on a level with the child's. "Actually, yes. Is Inutaishou here?"
"Yup! Sesshoumaru sent you, didn't he?"
"A perceptive child, aren't you? What's your name?" Youko said in a gentle voice, not bothering to crouch down.
Looking up at him, he said, "I'm Shippou! You know, you two look a lot like Inuyasha and Fahleing. What are your names? So, are you here for the Dark Court or not?"
"Hai, Shippou. My name is Miyu Shiori, he's my mate, Youko Kurama. Can you take us to Inutaishou now?"
"Ok! Follow me," Shippou said in a chipper voice, starting off down the hall. Miyu stood up and followed along with her mate.
While walking, Youko leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "You'd make a great mother."
Startled, she stopped and stared at him. "Nani?!" 'Did I hear him right?'
He grinned at her reaction. "Nothing. Keep going. Little Shippou's going to leave us behind." Brushing past his mate, Youko continued to follow the much younger kitsune.
"Oh, I know what you mean," Miyu said foxily (pun not originally intended). "Maybe tonight, ne? Oh, and by the way, you'll make a great father too." Smirking at his expression, she brushed suggestively past him and easily caught up with Shippou.
"You vixen." Youko shook his head, smiling slightly, and also caught up.
"So, what was that all about?" Shippou asked innocently.
"You'll understand when you're older," Miyu replied, facefaulting. In an attempt to change the subject, she said, "So, you're a kitsune too?"
"Yup! But I don't know much about our kind . . . my parents are dead," Shippou replied, rather sadly. Stopping at a big black door carved with a red-eyed dragon, he cheered up and said, "But, anyways, here's Inutaishou's study! Just knock. Bye!" With that, he zoomed off. Or tried to, anyhow.
Youko had grabbed the back of Shippou's collar and lifted him up to eye level. Teasingly, he said, "What? Leaving us already?"
Shippou was squirming uncomfortably. "I really have to go to the bathroom!" At that, Youko facefaulted and quickly put him down. Shippou made a mad dash for the nearest toilet as soon as his feet touched the floor.
Watching him go, both older kitsunes sweatdropped. Youko reached over to knock, but the door suddenly opened and he accidentally rapped a really pale inu-youkai on the nose.
"Oh! Ah, sorry. Is Inutaishou in there by any chance?"
Rubbing his nose, he replied in a rather sarcastic voice, "That would be me. How can I help you?"
"We're here for the Dark Court," Youko said, still a little apologetic.
Instantly, Inutaishou was all business. "The Dark Court? Come in, sit down." As soon as they did, he began to question them. "What are your names and where are you from? Any titles? What Jewels do you wear? What are your castes?"
"My name is Youko Kurama. This is my mate, Miyu Shiori. We're both the guardians of Fox Forest. I wear the Gray, she wears the Red. I'm a Warlord Prince, Miyu is a Black Widow."
"You may have heard of us, the Spirit Fox and Spirit Vixen," Miyu added. "And I believe you are the Demon Lord of the Western Lands and the High Lord of Hell, ne?"
Inutaishou nodded. "Well then, welcome to the unofficial-as-of-yet Dark Court. If you go up the stairs to the right and knock on one of the doors, I'm sure one of them can give you a tour. Now, bye. I have business to do." With the questioning over, he pushed them both out the door and locked it behind them.
The two mates looked at each other, a little confused. "Well then, I suppose we go up the stairs then," Miyu said, leading the way.
Peering at the doors, they saw that some of them had nameplates. The first one on the left said 'Sakuya,' and under it, 'If you bother me, you die.'
" . . . Not this one then." Youko looked at the one on the right. It simply read 'Inutaishou.' The next two sets of rooms seemed to be empty. Shippou's room was on the left in the next set. The next room read 'Inuyasha.' Youko knocked on that one.
The door swung open to reveal a not-very-happy hanyou. "What do you want? And who the hell are you anyways?"
Inside, three female voices chided the speaker for being so rude. A rougher female voice said, "Keh!" while a male one said, "Does it really matter?" nonchalantly.
One of the females, a Priestess with black hair that fell past her shoulders, stood up and joined the hanyou by the door. "You're new Court members, ne? Hey, everyone, come over here! What are your names?"
This time, Miyu answered. "I am Miyu Shiori, he is my mate, Youko Kurama. We're both the guardians of Fox Forest."
"I'm Kagome, High Priestess of the Shikon no Tama, nice to meet you!"
"Keh. I'm Inuyasha, Inutaishou's younger son."
"Keh. Name's Fahleing, High Priestess of Dog Forest and Inuyasha's cousin."
"Koryu, Sesshoumaru's cousin."
"My name's Sakuya."
"I'm Rin, the Witch." Youko and Miyu both bowed at that, but Rin waved them off. "Just call me Rin, don't bother with any fancy titles."
While Rin was talking, Kagome was observing the pair. "You both look a lot like Inuyasha and Fahleing. Are you related by any chance?"
Miyu shook her head. "No, we're kitsunes, not inu-youkai."
"Oh, you're kitsunes!" Kagome exclaimed. "Could you teach Shippou the things your kind needs to know? We don't have anyone else who can . . . "
"And while you're at it, Miyu, you're a Black Widow, right? Rin has some potential in that area. Could you teach her?" Sakuya asked.
"Sure . . . I'll show Rin a Black Widow's workings, and Youko can teach Shippou," Miyu answered. "Ano . . . can we have a tour of this place though? And don't we need a room to stay in?"
"Oh, sorry! Of course!" Rin got up and beckoned for them to follow. "My room's on the farthest end of the hall to the right, Fahleing's is on the right, and Kagome's is next to that. Koryu's is right across from Inuyasha's, your room is right next to his. Shippou's is right across from yours. Oh, would you like to take a bath or change clothes? The traveling must have been pretty dusty . . . "
"Actually, that would be a good idea," Youko said, grimacing. Miyu nodded in agreement.
"Come to think of it, I think there may be a diagram of this place in one of the desk drawers, so you don't really need a tour. And, dinner's in a little over an hour. Inutaishou requires us to dress a bit more formally than usual, so make use of the kimonos in the closet, ok? See you later!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Back in her room, Rin sighed. 'They're lucky, to be together like that. When Sesshoumaru comes back, could we be together, just like them?'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Ano . . . Youko, which kimono should I wear for dinner?"
Her mate, who was sitting in the big tub, opened one eye. "Is that what's taking you so
long to get in here? Decide later. Or is it me you're trying to avoid?"
Slipping behind him to rub his ears and causing him to purr, she said, "Of course not, why would I?"
"Then join me." With a quick tug, Youko pulled her in with him. Miyu's thin white robe was instantly soaked through. And you know what happens when you get white clothing wet . . .
"Kyah! What do you think you're doing?! Now I'm all soaking wet . . . !" She then tried to climb out of the tub.
He stopped her. "I wouldn't have pulled you in if you came yourself," he said, while peeling off her robe to reveal smooth, warm flesh. "Now, about what you said we'd do tonight . . . ?"
Laughing, she helped him and threw the robe out of the tub onto the bathroom floor. "I said tonight, not now, baka kitsune."
"Does that really make a difference?" By now, Youko had slipped behind his mate and sniffed her neck while tracing abstract patterns on her backside.
"No, not really . . . "
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Outside, in the hallway, Fahleing knocked impatiently on their door. "It's time for dinner already, what's taking them so long?"
Rin tried to peek in through the crack between the door and the floor. "Maybe they fell asleep or lost track of the time?"
From next door, Koryu joined them out in the corridor. "There are noises coming from the bathroom," he announced, looking a little disturbed.
"What noises?" Kagome inquired.
"It sounds like mating foxes."
Facefaults and anime falls galore.
"Keh. Let them come down themselves later then." Inuyasha then started down the stairs, followed by everyone else.
In the dining room, Inutaishou looked at them curiously. "Where are Youko and Miyu? Weren't they supposed to come with you?"
Inuyasha sat right down and crossed his arms. "They're in the bathroom fucking each other like there's no tomorrow."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome slapped his arm lightly.
"What? It's true!"
"You didn't have to put it that way!"
"Who cares!"
"You insensitive jerk!"
"Picky wench!"
Everyone else was developing large sweatdrops on their heads at this point. Then Sakuya called out, "Hey, Inuyasha! Your kimono's inside-out!"
Ignoring her, they kept on arguing. Sakuya shrugged when the others looked at her funny, since Inuyasha's kimono was obviously not inside-out at all. "It was worth a try," she said.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Hey, look at this, Sango," Miroku, who had been walking way ahead of the rest of them called out. "The Hall's right up ahead!"
"Really?!"
"Oh, cool!" Both Souta and Kohaku ran towards the pointing Warlord. "What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" Both boys took off at a run. Sango smirked, giving them a head start, then pulled Miroku up behind her on Kirara and quickly overtook both of them.
"Hey, no fair, you got Kirara!"
"Too bad, boys! Who told you not to wait up in the first place?" Sango said, laughing. Meanwhile, Miroku was trying very hard not to grope her.
'Hey, I can just say I was trying to hold on tighter!' Then he thought about it a little more. 'Nah, better not. She'd throw me off anyways . . . Not to mention she'll maim me!' "Sango, do you think anyone would actually answer the door? It is about the time when most people are eating their dinner."
"I don't know, should we try anyways?"
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to try . . . "
"Then we will," she said resolutely.
"Hey, sis! Wait up, please! We want to be the ones to knock!" Kohaku yelled from pretty far behind Sango, Miroku, and Kirara.
Rather reluctantly, Sango got Kirara to stop, so she and Miroku could get off and Souta and Kohaku could catch up. Striding up to the front door as a group, they allowed the two youngest to knock.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In the middle of eating a particularly large slice of roasted ham, Inuyasha looked up. "Oi, di som'n jusnock?"
Everyone stared at him. "What did you say?"
He swallowed with some difficulty. "I said, did someone just knock?" He listened for a bit. "There it goes again."
"Then why don't you go answer it?" Inutasishou asked.
"Why should I? This is your Hall, not mine," he shot back.
"I'll answer it," Rin said, getting up. "Since you fat, lazy bums don't seem to want to get up."
"Who're you calling a fat, lazy bum?" Inuyasha retorted just as Rin left the room. Needless to say, she didn't hear him.
Well, there you go. Almost two pages longer than usual. I just finished the fifth book of Harry Potter, so that's part of the reason this took so long . . . I couldn't stop reading it . . . But the worst part about it is that my favorite character dies . . . *sniff* How dare they! And I had a good idea for a Harry Potter fic too! Well, anyways, it's officially summer vacation now, so I should be able to update every couple days or so . . . unless I get writer's block.
Final Spirit: Actually, that's a really good explanation! A person's Jewels are kind of like a representation of their soul's power.
Ja!