Disclaimers: You wouldn't like it if I owned the Inu-tachi (it took me a while to figure out what that was, and it roughly means "InuYasha's group." Sorry if I've insulted your intelligence). Seriously, you wouldn't want Sesshoumaru bursting into every house in the villager's houses asking for a place to house the Inu-tachi. Someone would likely be a miko or monk or something and singe his head off. . Bad phrasing... singe... Grr...
A/N: Useless bit of information (for the most part); There will be a sequel! I know, only ten chapters in and I'm announcing a sequel. Doesn't sound too good, ne? Well, I've already got the plot all figured out and I'm working on the plot for "TWM2." It won't be called Three Way Mirror 2, but I'll call if that for now because it doesn't have a title yet. XP I'll stop jabbering now.
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Three Way Mirror
Chapter Ten
Kitsunes and Kumas
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After making sure that Riku was truly unconscious, they placed him on Kilalla and were off in the direction Riku pointed them in the previous day.
They had been traveling for five days, and only on the third day did they discover the secret to going faster and not waiting for Riku. It wasn't on purpose, either, but it was for the benefit of the entire group. InuYasha was less irritable, Sango had someone between her and Miroku, and Kouga got to vent his frustrations. For Sesshoumaru, he received the gift of less of InuYasha's gripe. Shippo didn't quite benefit, but he could have in the same way as Sesshoumaru.
Kouga and Riku were running along the ground, Kouga practically dragging the shapeshifter behind. The result of this was Riku's tripping almost every ten seconds until the point when Kouga finally just got fed up with the boy and punched him in the head much in the fashion that InuYasha acted toward Shippo. It turned out that Riku wasn't as hard-headed as the kit, and was knocked out. Following the direction the boy had them heading in, they packed him between Sango and Miroku on Kilalla (who hardly noticed the change in weight), mostly because Sango looked about ready to kill Miroku for being especially perverted that day. The monk only claimed to be "making up for lost time."
Presently the groggy shapeshifter's mind swam into consciousness again, and he lifted his head enough to speak. "Oh yeah," he said drowsily as they strolled on foot through the forest; he was still riding Kilalla, though alone this time. "Look out for Taashii."
Before anyone had the chance to question his warning, there was a loud roar that Sango identified as that of a kuma's. She wasn't able to tell anyone else this, though, because just at that moment, a large kuma-- standing at least a third bigger than Kilalla-- bounded out of a cluster of trees to where they stood in the clearing, fur bristling and a vicious snarl on its face. Where Kilalla's flames on her feet were red, this kuma's were blue, and marked it as an ice element. Kilalla bristled as well, though in a non-threatening way.
Unfortunately, attempting to pacify the newcomer had no result. It only caused it to growl, and take several steps closer. Its attention seemed fastened on the shapeshifter that was again out cold. Sesshoumaru edged between the kuma and the others, ready to spring into action should the need arise. Kouga made similar motions, though he didn't get between anyone.
"Taashii?" a girl's voice called. The kuma was suddenly calmed, and its attention was turned behind it. "Why'd you run off?" the same voice continued, sounding closer than before. From between the trees emerged a girl that was deathly pale. Upon further observation, though, they discovered that it was due to fur that covered her from head to toe. Her hair was a likewise white, and hung down to her jaw in gentle waves. What caught them all off-guard, though, was that she had ears. Not human ears, but what looked like fox ears. They were placed where human ears would be, though.
Her smile vanished as if an invisible hand had wiped it off. Replacing her joyful countenance was a confused and somewhat worried expression. Her eyes fell upon Riku. This only etched her frown deeper on her brow.
"Oh," she said, at a loss for words. Just as quickly as her expression had changed the first time, it changed again. She angrily glared at the ice kuma, and stomped her foot. "Taashii! Were you going to attack them?!" she raged. The kuma-- Taashii-- flattened back its ears and hunched slightly as the furry girl rushed up to its side and placed her hand on its back. She turned to the group at the edge of the clearing again.
"Sorry about him," she apologized. From the look on her face, she meant it. "He gets carried away sometimes." This was accompanied by a growl of what seemed like denial from Taashii. She looked at him. "Do too."
Kouga looked at Riku. Disgusted, he pinched his arm. The boy sprang up with a cry of surprise. He glanced around, and, recognizing the area, jumped off Kilalla and ran over to Taiyo. The limp he had acquired from tripping so much was hardly noticeable.
"Miss Taiyo!" he exclaimed. The girl-- Taiyo, as it was-- blinked for a moment, then connected her thoughts. It wasn't to Riku's advantage. That was obvious when she stomped again.
"Riku of the Efáyêth! How dare you take off like that and hunt down Kiyoshi!" she fumed. The heat in her voice nearly gave the silent group verbal whiplash. "And then you just disappeared!! Do you have any idea how long Sait looked for you?"
"Sorry," Riku replied pathetically, "but I heard about these people--"he gestured back toward the group, "--that could help us get Kiyoshi back under control! And all--"
"That doesn't change the fact that you left without warning!" she interrupted. "I swear, you're with Kiyoshi too much! You're picking up on bad habits of hers and causing an absolute uproar in your own village!"
"Miss Taiyo, if you'll just let me explain, I--"
Again he was stopped mid-sentence, but this time by an accusing finger pointed warningly at his face. "No! I will not let you explain! Just get your friends to the village as quick as your irresponsible self can, and then maybe Sait will listen to you! But right now, little Efáyêth, I am not in any mood to argue with you about cruel intentions!"
Without another word, she hopped astride Taashii, sitting side-saddle. Taashii made an abrupt about-face, and bounded off into the distance. Sheepishly, Riku turned back to the others.
Kagome, Sango, and Shippo all looked stunned at the thorough dressing-down that just took place. Kouga just looked annoyed. And, try as they might to deny it, InuYasha and Sesshoumaru showed the family resemblance with the hands-in-the-sleeves and one eyebrow raised. The comical image was ruined, though, by Sango smacking Miroku across the face. It only roused several sighs from various persons in the clearing, Riku among them.
"So," Kouga growled, breaking the awkward silence that settled around them, "that was her?"
The reply he received was a nod. "Yeah," Riku established. "That's Taiyo. Ever the open book, ever the shocker, eh?" He scratched the line of his jaw, knowing that his reply was weak.
--
"That's why you went off, gallivanting around, acting like you're the supreme ruler of her?" Taiyo exploded once it was explained why Riku left, and why InuYasha and his friends were there. "She could have killed you in her present state of mind, do you know that?" The only thing that kept the girl from actually throttling Riku was her mate's hand on her shoulder.
While Taiyo continued to fume, InuYasha turned his gaze to the other kitsune hanyou in the room. He had the same coloration and ears as Taiyo, but his eyes were different. While Taiyo's were a clear light blue, his seemed almost and iridescent shade of ice. In fact, his eyes looked like they could actually be ice. The color, though, was greatly contrasted by the warmth displayed in his gaze, whether he was looking at Taiyo, trying to comfort her or show he understood, or at any of the others, silently apologizing for his mate's behavior.
It didn't occur to InuYasha that Sait's clothing was odd. It was the same style as Miroku's, though a pale shade of blue that was rather rare in that time. It did occur to him, though, that Taiyo's choice of dress was unusual. She wore a similar wrap as Sango, though in the same shade of Sait's robe. For being so chaste, though, her clothing was rather revealing. There were high slits on the sides that only ended halfway up her thigh, and her top was... peculiar. It covered hardly more than Kagome's "chest contraptions," though it seemed to be made of metal. On her shoulders were plates of armor, attached to the straps of her... breastplate, and secured in place by an iron necklace with an aqua-green gem set into it.
Like InuYasha, Kagome, too, was curious about her surroundings, though more in location than company. The part of the village they had walked through hadn't seemed demolished or decrepit at all. Sure it looked a little old, even for the era she was in, but it looked hardly touched at all. Several houses even had gardens of varying sizes, though the house they presently sat in had the largest. It was only natural to assume that it was Taiyo and Sait's home. It seemed the oldest of all the structures. If there really had been destruction in the village, surely this place was the only thing that wasn't ruined.
"You would do best to stay your hand, good monk." Sait's deep voice-- somewhere between Sesshoumaru and Kouga's levels, and laced with deep-seated calm that probably never left-- broke into Kagome's reverie. Automatically her gaze went to Miroku. "I would think that a man chasing enlightenment would be better... mannered." Though his voice held no tone of warning or annoyance, or any negative emotion, it was very real in the way he delivered his sentence. Miroku's hand found its way back to his lap from a scant two inches away from Sango's rear. He couldn't even fake an innocent look. The authority in Sait's voice already told him it would be pointless.
The glare Taiyo gave Riku told him that she wasn't done with him yet, even though she turned her attention to Kagome.
"Miss Kagome," she began, only to have Kagome shake her head.
"Just Kagome is fine," Kagome smiled. Taiyo returned the smile and continued.
"Kagome," she repeated. "How can Kikyou be a problem now if when the jewel was torn from you, you were in complete control of your soul?"
With a sigh, Kagome replied, "First you have to understand that I'm not originally from this era." Taiyo nodded. "The witch Urasue brought Kikyou back to life by stealing my soul. I was able to call most of it back, but Kikyou still held her hatred for InuYasha. When her part of my soul came back to me... something didn't go right, and she has her own consciousness in my mind."
Both Sait and Taiyo wore a shocked expression when Kagome said that she called her soul back to her. "You're sure of this?" Sait wondered aloud. "Can Lady Kikyou communicate with you in your mind?"
Kagome nodded, feeling a little foolish, as if she was admitting to insanity. InuYasha was beside her, though, and discreetly placed his hand over hers. She welcomed the comfort he offered her gratefully.
It was Taiyo's turn to sigh. "If I do merge the jewel," she started carefully, focusing her gaze at the ground. "Are you aware of what might happen?" She could have looked at anyone's face and found the same answer. "It's not a full guarantee that you would be the one to come out on top-- so to speak. I've never heard of-- let alone dealt with a case as original as this one." A glance to Sait revealed that he was in a similar position. "The Mark, of course, would suppress Kikyou if that's what InuYasha truly desires, but after the bonding..." she trailed off with an unsure movement of her hands.
Everyone's attention turned to InuYasha and Kagome. The two shared a long glance, and Kagome announced their decision.
"It's a chance we're willing to take."
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Ooooh, ominous.
I know, I'm cutting off right when it gets good, ne? Well, if I don't stop here, starting the next chapter will get harder. Sorry.
This is important: PLEASE DO NOT ASK ABOUT THE "EFÁYÊTH" THING! It will be explained in the next chapter, if not the one after the next chapter. I don't want to be accused of ignoring questions, but I will. not. answer. that. question! Sorry to disappoint. You'll just have to wait.
Sorry if I jumped around too much.
Ja ne, minna-san.
