People are asking me if I should stick Jin in this…poor Kia would then have to avoid Jin, keep from killing Kurama, and finding Kelsey's Mirror Half. I think Jin would basically look the same…he's not that young in years…at least, not in ningen years. Well, I'd love feedback. Should Jin have an appearance in the past as well?
I'll be moving in my new house by next Saturday. I'll try to have the computer up and running, but we'll see. So if I'm not on then, you'll know why.
Props to Lexi-chan and Shin-san for adding new chapters to their stories! I don't know where they get the time, but updates always cheer me up.
Anyway, last chapter, Meikyou stopped Youko Kurama from killing Kia! Now who's going to stop Kia from killing Youko Kurama, I wonder? And her grandmother just recognized her for who she is…it's going to get interesting…to say the very least.
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The inside of the cottage was small, yet cozy. Kia would have explored it had Kurama not grabbed her arms and spun her around to face him.
"You're her GRANDDAUGHTER??" he hissed.
"Umm…" The girl looked away from his heated gaze.
"But Aiko doesn't HAVE any children! And she's only twenty-one! How old ARE you?!"
"She'll be seventeen this month." Yuumei seemed amused by the Youko's shock. "Perhaps I should clarify things." She pointed to Kia. "Youko Kurama, this is Aiko's daughter, Satsukiame, eighteen years from now. She's one of the Mirror Holders, and the reincarnation of the Priestess Hiketsu."
Poor Kurama couldn't say anything for a moment, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.
Kia studied the shaggy white rug that she stood upon. "I didn't want to change the past," she said quietly. "Why did you tell him?"
"Because he needs to know. Things have already been set into motion by the arrival of your friend's Mirror Half."
"So Kelsey's half IS here?" The girl asked hopefully.
"Of course. Your horse told you the same thing, did he not?" Yuumei gently grasped her granddaughter's chin, lifting it up and forcing the girl to meet her stern blue eyes. "Now listen carefully. No one else besides Kurama must learn of your true identity…especially not your parents."
Kia nodded reluctantly. She knew the old woman was right, but…she'd never met her parents…she couldn't remember them, her father having been killed a month after her birth, and then her mother, a year after. (A/N: Yes, I know in DnK, I said her dad died before she was born, but humor me.) Anything she knew about them had been secondhand information, acquired either from the Teikan bowl or Lord Mukuro, whom her father had known.
Correctly reading the unhappiness in the Mirror Holder's eyes, Yuumei hugged her. "Understand, you'll get to MEET them, you just won't be able to tell them who you really are." She glanced over at Kurama. "That goes for you too."
Kurama, unwontedly meek, nodded.
Something was bothering Kia. She finally voiced her concern. "How did you know? About…everything?"
"First of all, I'm psychic. Secondly, I had a visitor." Her grandmother chuckled and pointed to a furry black rug by her blue couch. It uncurled itself, and Kia realized that it wasn't a rug at all. In fact…
"What are you doing here, Kage?"
The dog sat up, tail thumping loudly on the wooden floor. -The others were worried. I followed you to help.-
"Kage has explained a few things to me," Yuumei remarked, as the girl glared at the canine. "But I'd like to hear what happened on your way to school, if you'd care to tell it." She led her to the couch and sat down, motioning for her to do the same. Kia did so and began to relate her story.
At first, the words came slowly and haltingly. As she continued, however, they fell into an easier pattern. By the time Kia had finished, her voice was steady, but pearly tears were streaming down her face as she recounted that terrible event. The tears landed on Kage's thick fur as the dog jumped up beside her.
Yuumei was frowning pensively. "I see…and the man who attacked you…" She looked down at Kage. "I believe you recognize the description?"
-Yes.- The dog's fur stood on end. -Akumu.-
"Who?" Kia asked blankly, sniffling a little.
-A man with the power to extract the soul from the body and the ability to open portals to Makai of the past. Netami's lover."
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??!!"
"Only Osore can open portals like that!" Kurama protested, his delicate ears ringing from the force of the Mirror Holder's expostulation. "And she's just a kit!"
"Not where I'm from," the girl replied, quieter this time. "She's older now and the portal she opened got me here. But…" She looked at Yuumei. "Why would he bring Kelsey's Mirror Half here?"
"I believe he thought you'd follow him, and if not, he could evade you until he chose to return and take your half as well," was the answer. "Chances are he knows you're here."
"But why--"
"MOTHER!!" A young woman burst into the cottage, appearing not to notice the Youko, the brunette, and the dog in her living room. Her clear blue eyes were shining as she suddenly caught Kia's hands in her own, drawing the girl to her feet and dancing with her around the room. The poor Mirror Holder was incredibly flustered as she was spun about, trying to sort out her jumbled thoughts. Her dance partner looked eerily familiar…
Yuumei laughed. "Aiko, release my guest and tell me what's excited you so."
Aiko? But that was the name of her…
The young woman smiled apologetically, stopping. "Gomen," she told a dizzied Kia, before turning back to Yuumei. "Mother, I'm PREGNANT!"
Youko Kurama choked, staring at Kia. The girl answered it with one of her own.
"Oh, Aiko, that's wonderful!" Yuumei exclaimed. "Kaku must be so happy! Do you know the gender yet?"
"Kusuri told me that I'll have a daughter." Aiko was so apparently enthused by this bit of news that she flung her arms around Kurama's neck and planted a kiss on his mouth. And then she turned to Kia. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Aiko."
The girl could only gaze at her for a minute. They were the exact same height, but Aiko's eyes were crystalline blue, compared to Kia's chocolate brown and her hair was a lighter shade of brown than her daughters, worn in a low ponytail. She wore a pale blue yukata with a purple bow.
Kurama, looking from one female to the other, and touching his lips, elbowed Kia. She jumped and he shot her a glare. "Tell her who you ARE," he said pointedly.
"Ah…I'm…umm…I'm…umm…" Kia became aware of the fact that her face was heating up. "Umm…"
A hand landed on her shoulder. She looked up at Kurama in surprise, blinking. He grinned crookedly, then addressed the puzzled Aiko. "Her name is Hiketsu. She's a ningen friend of your mother's, here for a visit."
The look Kia gave him was one of sheer gratitude. He gently squeezed her shoulder in reply.
"Oh, perfect!" Aiko readily accepted the explanation. "Kaku will want to meet you! He's the only ningen here…it's wonderful to meet you, Hiketsu-san."
"Likewise," Kia managed to reply, her voice emerging slightly strangled. Kaku…short for Kakushigei. Her father.
"And who is this?" Aiko looked down at Kage, who was sprawled on the couch, offering him her hand to sniff. He licked her fingers, after a moment's deliberation.
"My dog," the Mirror Holder said quickly. "His name is Kage."
Kage let out a subdued growl. To Kia, he said -I am not your dog. If anything, you are MY human.-
The girl nodded, covering a smile with her hand.
"Are you hungry?" Aiko inquired, looking up from her petting of Kage, who was obviously enjoying such administrations.
"No, I'm fi--" She stopped midsentence as the loud grumble of her stomach protested her reply. Kurama burst out laughing, and even Yuumei was chuckling.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Aiko said kindly, taking Kia by the hand and walking into the kitchen with the girl in tow. "Is rice okay? We have sauce…" Despite Kia's protests that she was fine, she was soon seated at the table with a bowl of rice. Just like a mother, she couldn't help thinking, watching the other sit across from her.
"Umm…Aiko-san?"
"Hai?" She looked up, smiling.
Don't change the past, don't change the past, don't change the--
"Do you know what you're going to name your daughter yet?"
BAKA!! Her voice of reason berated her harshly. Why don't you keep your big mouth SHUT?!
"Kaku and I have discussed it," Aiko answered, looking thoughtful. "My mother made a prophecy three years ago, when I was eighteen. My child will one day save all three worlds alongside another…summer rain will come…so isn't it a fitting name?"
"Isn't…what?"
"Satsukiame. Summer rain, even if she may not be born in the summer."
Be careful…
"It's…it's a very nice name," Kia assured her hastily, quickly shoving her rice-laden chopsticks into her mouth.
"Arigato." The woman smiled dreamily. "And she could have a nickname…Satsuki…Ame…or Kia!"
Kia accidentally bit down on her chopstick and broke it. Spitting out the piece of wood in a spasm of coughs, she choked on her mouthful of rice, eyes watering as she tried to breathe.
"Hiketsu-san!!" Alarmed, Aiko rose and hurried over to the girl, pounding her firmly on the back.
"I--I'm alright," Kia gasped out, managing to draw in a lungful of air. "Food…went down…wrong windpipe."
"Well, just be glad it wasn't your eating utensil." Aiko looked down at the splintered chopstick, and started to giggle. "You really WERE hungry, weren't you?"
The red-faced Mirror Holder was spared from answering when someone rapped on the kitchen door.
"Aiko-san? It's me, Kanja. May I come in?"
Kanja…that name sounded very familiar…
"Kanja-kun!" The woman headed for the door. "Of course you--"
"NO!!" Kia had finally remembered. Kanja was from Aiko's tribe…and a spy for Netami. "Aiko, get away from there!" She hauled Aiko back just as the door exploded. The two dove under the table as Kanja and three other men entered, all wielding either swords or axes.
"Kill the woman!" The blonde man barked imperiously at the others. "Leave the girl alive. We're to bring her to Netami-sama."
Kia frowned. This wasn't good…
*OOC*
My god, it just keeps getting worse! Kia keeps slipping up, Yuumei knows everything, and now the bad guys have shown up! What now? Please review and give me feedback for the above author's note…NEXT chapter!
* It's an all-out battle in the kitchen! The men with their sword and their axes versus Aiko and her colander, and Kia and her…cookie sheet? This should be interesting…
* Osore returns to help out! ^^ Who says she's a wuss?
* Kia's off to find the Mirror Half! Guess who gets to go with her? Who wants to take bets on who kills who first?
I'll be moving in my new house by next Saturday. I'll try to have the computer up and running, but we'll see. So if I'm not on then, you'll know why.
Props to Lexi-chan and Shin-san for adding new chapters to their stories! I don't know where they get the time, but updates always cheer me up.
Anyway, last chapter, Meikyou stopped Youko Kurama from killing Kia! Now who's going to stop Kia from killing Youko Kurama, I wonder? And her grandmother just recognized her for who she is…it's going to get interesting…to say the very least.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The inside of the cottage was small, yet cozy. Kia would have explored it had Kurama not grabbed her arms and spun her around to face him.
"You're her GRANDDAUGHTER??" he hissed.
"Umm…" The girl looked away from his heated gaze.
"But Aiko doesn't HAVE any children! And she's only twenty-one! How old ARE you?!"
"She'll be seventeen this month." Yuumei seemed amused by the Youko's shock. "Perhaps I should clarify things." She pointed to Kia. "Youko Kurama, this is Aiko's daughter, Satsukiame, eighteen years from now. She's one of the Mirror Holders, and the reincarnation of the Priestess Hiketsu."
Poor Kurama couldn't say anything for a moment, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.
Kia studied the shaggy white rug that she stood upon. "I didn't want to change the past," she said quietly. "Why did you tell him?"
"Because he needs to know. Things have already been set into motion by the arrival of your friend's Mirror Half."
"So Kelsey's half IS here?" The girl asked hopefully.
"Of course. Your horse told you the same thing, did he not?" Yuumei gently grasped her granddaughter's chin, lifting it up and forcing the girl to meet her stern blue eyes. "Now listen carefully. No one else besides Kurama must learn of your true identity…especially not your parents."
Kia nodded reluctantly. She knew the old woman was right, but…she'd never met her parents…she couldn't remember them, her father having been killed a month after her birth, and then her mother, a year after. (A/N: Yes, I know in DnK, I said her dad died before she was born, but humor me.) Anything she knew about them had been secondhand information, acquired either from the Teikan bowl or Lord Mukuro, whom her father had known.
Correctly reading the unhappiness in the Mirror Holder's eyes, Yuumei hugged her. "Understand, you'll get to MEET them, you just won't be able to tell them who you really are." She glanced over at Kurama. "That goes for you too."
Kurama, unwontedly meek, nodded.
Something was bothering Kia. She finally voiced her concern. "How did you know? About…everything?"
"First of all, I'm psychic. Secondly, I had a visitor." Her grandmother chuckled and pointed to a furry black rug by her blue couch. It uncurled itself, and Kia realized that it wasn't a rug at all. In fact…
"What are you doing here, Kage?"
The dog sat up, tail thumping loudly on the wooden floor. -The others were worried. I followed you to help.-
"Kage has explained a few things to me," Yuumei remarked, as the girl glared at the canine. "But I'd like to hear what happened on your way to school, if you'd care to tell it." She led her to the couch and sat down, motioning for her to do the same. Kia did so and began to relate her story.
At first, the words came slowly and haltingly. As she continued, however, they fell into an easier pattern. By the time Kia had finished, her voice was steady, but pearly tears were streaming down her face as she recounted that terrible event. The tears landed on Kage's thick fur as the dog jumped up beside her.
Yuumei was frowning pensively. "I see…and the man who attacked you…" She looked down at Kage. "I believe you recognize the description?"
-Yes.- The dog's fur stood on end. -Akumu.-
"Who?" Kia asked blankly, sniffling a little.
-A man with the power to extract the soul from the body and the ability to open portals to Makai of the past. Netami's lover."
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??!!"
"Only Osore can open portals like that!" Kurama protested, his delicate ears ringing from the force of the Mirror Holder's expostulation. "And she's just a kit!"
"Not where I'm from," the girl replied, quieter this time. "She's older now and the portal she opened got me here. But…" She looked at Yuumei. "Why would he bring Kelsey's Mirror Half here?"
"I believe he thought you'd follow him, and if not, he could evade you until he chose to return and take your half as well," was the answer. "Chances are he knows you're here."
"But why--"
"MOTHER!!" A young woman burst into the cottage, appearing not to notice the Youko, the brunette, and the dog in her living room. Her clear blue eyes were shining as she suddenly caught Kia's hands in her own, drawing the girl to her feet and dancing with her around the room. The poor Mirror Holder was incredibly flustered as she was spun about, trying to sort out her jumbled thoughts. Her dance partner looked eerily familiar…
Yuumei laughed. "Aiko, release my guest and tell me what's excited you so."
Aiko? But that was the name of her…
The young woman smiled apologetically, stopping. "Gomen," she told a dizzied Kia, before turning back to Yuumei. "Mother, I'm PREGNANT!"
Youko Kurama choked, staring at Kia. The girl answered it with one of her own.
"Oh, Aiko, that's wonderful!" Yuumei exclaimed. "Kaku must be so happy! Do you know the gender yet?"
"Kusuri told me that I'll have a daughter." Aiko was so apparently enthused by this bit of news that she flung her arms around Kurama's neck and planted a kiss on his mouth. And then she turned to Kia. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Aiko."
The girl could only gaze at her for a minute. They were the exact same height, but Aiko's eyes were crystalline blue, compared to Kia's chocolate brown and her hair was a lighter shade of brown than her daughters, worn in a low ponytail. She wore a pale blue yukata with a purple bow.
Kurama, looking from one female to the other, and touching his lips, elbowed Kia. She jumped and he shot her a glare. "Tell her who you ARE," he said pointedly.
"Ah…I'm…umm…I'm…umm…" Kia became aware of the fact that her face was heating up. "Umm…"
A hand landed on her shoulder. She looked up at Kurama in surprise, blinking. He grinned crookedly, then addressed the puzzled Aiko. "Her name is Hiketsu. She's a ningen friend of your mother's, here for a visit."
The look Kia gave him was one of sheer gratitude. He gently squeezed her shoulder in reply.
"Oh, perfect!" Aiko readily accepted the explanation. "Kaku will want to meet you! He's the only ningen here…it's wonderful to meet you, Hiketsu-san."
"Likewise," Kia managed to reply, her voice emerging slightly strangled. Kaku…short for Kakushigei. Her father.
"And who is this?" Aiko looked down at Kage, who was sprawled on the couch, offering him her hand to sniff. He licked her fingers, after a moment's deliberation.
"My dog," the Mirror Holder said quickly. "His name is Kage."
Kage let out a subdued growl. To Kia, he said -I am not your dog. If anything, you are MY human.-
The girl nodded, covering a smile with her hand.
"Are you hungry?" Aiko inquired, looking up from her petting of Kage, who was obviously enjoying such administrations.
"No, I'm fi--" She stopped midsentence as the loud grumble of her stomach protested her reply. Kurama burst out laughing, and even Yuumei was chuckling.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Aiko said kindly, taking Kia by the hand and walking into the kitchen with the girl in tow. "Is rice okay? We have sauce…" Despite Kia's protests that she was fine, she was soon seated at the table with a bowl of rice. Just like a mother, she couldn't help thinking, watching the other sit across from her.
"Umm…Aiko-san?"
"Hai?" She looked up, smiling.
Don't change the past, don't change the past, don't change the--
"Do you know what you're going to name your daughter yet?"
BAKA!! Her voice of reason berated her harshly. Why don't you keep your big mouth SHUT?!
"Kaku and I have discussed it," Aiko answered, looking thoughtful. "My mother made a prophecy three years ago, when I was eighteen. My child will one day save all three worlds alongside another…summer rain will come…so isn't it a fitting name?"
"Isn't…what?"
"Satsukiame. Summer rain, even if she may not be born in the summer."
Be careful…
"It's…it's a very nice name," Kia assured her hastily, quickly shoving her rice-laden chopsticks into her mouth.
"Arigato." The woman smiled dreamily. "And she could have a nickname…Satsuki…Ame…or Kia!"
Kia accidentally bit down on her chopstick and broke it. Spitting out the piece of wood in a spasm of coughs, she choked on her mouthful of rice, eyes watering as she tried to breathe.
"Hiketsu-san!!" Alarmed, Aiko rose and hurried over to the girl, pounding her firmly on the back.
"I--I'm alright," Kia gasped out, managing to draw in a lungful of air. "Food…went down…wrong windpipe."
"Well, just be glad it wasn't your eating utensil." Aiko looked down at the splintered chopstick, and started to giggle. "You really WERE hungry, weren't you?"
The red-faced Mirror Holder was spared from answering when someone rapped on the kitchen door.
"Aiko-san? It's me, Kanja. May I come in?"
Kanja…that name sounded very familiar…
"Kanja-kun!" The woman headed for the door. "Of course you--"
"NO!!" Kia had finally remembered. Kanja was from Aiko's tribe…and a spy for Netami. "Aiko, get away from there!" She hauled Aiko back just as the door exploded. The two dove under the table as Kanja and three other men entered, all wielding either swords or axes.
"Kill the woman!" The blonde man barked imperiously at the others. "Leave the girl alive. We're to bring her to Netami-sama."
Kia frowned. This wasn't good…
*OOC*
My god, it just keeps getting worse! Kia keeps slipping up, Yuumei knows everything, and now the bad guys have shown up! What now? Please review and give me feedback for the above author's note…NEXT chapter!
* It's an all-out battle in the kitchen! The men with their sword and their axes versus Aiko and her colander, and Kia and her…cookie sheet? This should be interesting…
* Osore returns to help out! ^^ Who says she's a wuss?
* Kia's off to find the Mirror Half! Guess who gets to go with her? Who wants to take bets on who kills who first?