::Nervous laugh:: sorry I kept you waiting so long, guys. I've had so much writers' block! ::Bows:: Gomen ne!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Hikari and the plotline. Evil-ness to all those who steal!
Chapter 3
Hikari's mind wouldn't let her drop off to sleep. Her ears kept twitching and she tossed and turned. Finally, she sat up and decided to go outside.
It was a full moon that night. The silver orb hung in the sky, illuminated by the thousands of diamond-bright stars that twinkled around it. Hikari climbed up into the tree next to the hut and stared out at the moon.
"Watcha doin'?" A young voice made her jump. She turned around. It was Shippo.
"Oh… I couldn't sleep, so I came out to look at the stars," she replied, gazing at the celestial scene.
"I had to go, and then I noticed you were gone. I thought maybe you'd disappeared or something."
"I wouldn't disappear. Not after finding Inuyasha again."
"You really like him, don't you?" Shippo gazed at her out of eyes more mature than the child he was.
"It's hard to explain," said Hikari gently. "Like I said, I found him bound to the Goshinboku when I was around your age. He taught me the most important lesson of living on your own: don't be naïve. It saved me countless times."
"He saved me too, from the Thunder Brothers," Shippo said. "And I'm sure Inuyasha has feelings for you. I heard him rustling around. He couldn't sleep either."
"I-is that so?" Hikari turned around so the little kitsune wouldn't see her blushing.
"Can't anyone sleep around here?!" demanded a grumpy male voice. Hikari nearly fell out of the tree and Shippo almost let out a yelp.
"Apparently not," she said coolly, as though her and Shippo's conversation had never occurred. Dammit, how much did he hear?!
"I'm going back to bed." Shippo gave Hikari a very obvious wink before heading into the hut. She turned red again.
To her surprise, Inuyasha climbed into the tree and sat on a branch near her. "So what were you doing?" he asked gruffly.
"Just talking with Shippo. We both had trouble sleeping."
"You're not the only one."
Hikari looked back out at the starscape. "Um… all those years ago… I never got to thank you," she muttered. "I mean… if you hadn't… I would have long gotten killed."
"Feh." He also stared out at the night sky.
"So… how did you finally get freed from the tree?"
"Kagome dispelled the arrow with her own spiritual powers. She was the one with the Shikon no Tama inside her. But then…" He went on to describe their encounter with the crow demon that had led to the shattering of the jewel, and then their quest to gather the shards. After he had finished, the horizon was tinted pink with the promise of sunrise and a new day.
"I owe Kagome a thank you too, then," Hikari said. She yawned.
"I'm going to get some sleep. You kept me up all night!" But he didn't say it like it was a bad thing.
Hikari also jumped down from the tree and went back to the hut. She fell asleep almost immediately.
Nobody noticed the silvery white soul-stealing insects filching information and memories from Inuyasha and Shippo, bringing them back to their mistress. They were all sleeping dead as logs.
-On a not-too-distant hill somewhere…-
"This is new," Kikyo muttered as she extracted the memories and put them inside herself. "A cat hanyou is now traveling with Inuyasha's group. She seems to have a special connection to him. Ah, now I see…" The memory of twelve years past, Inuyasha's real-dream, was played for her as clearly as a DVD. "She will be trouble for me…"
::Dodges bricks:: I'll try to update soon, promise! Thank you to all who reviewed, I'm always so excited to receive them! I'll do review responses next chapter. Seeya soon!
- WendyChan
