Shadows from the Future
Chapter Eight: For the Future
"You cheated Keishou!" Shippo squeaked as they made their way to Kaede's hut.
"I did not!" Keishou shot back. "You're just a sore loser, Shippo!"
Shippo crossed his arms and walked towards Kilala mumbling about Keishou being a crook.
Arasoi looked at her brother, "Did you really cheat?"
"Define cheating," Keishou laughed and jumped into a nearby tree. "I like to call it strategy, my dear sister."
She gasped, "YOU DIRTY RAT!"
He continued to laugh but soon stopped after Arasoi starting to throw things at him. Keishou began to climb up the tree for dear life; it wasn't his fault his nose could pick up their scent a mile away, and since when was Hide and Seek worth getting this upset about?!
Naraku sat in his castle, chuckling to himself in the darkness.
"Kagura, you were a fool for underestimating Kikyo's power, but none the less you got the job done, but what a waste." His red eyes glared upon a small container with a heart beat. "This one will obey me and will finish the work. This I'm certain."
He knew his plan was foolproof, and soon he would have the completed jewel in his grasp. His chuckles soon grew into hysterical laughter that echoed throughout the castle.
Arasoi walked towards the hut, but stopped short when she heard voices.
"What do you mean "pulled a Kagome", Sango?" She heard Miroku's voice though the window, she stopped and began to listen.
"Maybe they time traveled here, through the well."
Arasoi felt the color drain from her face and her heart start to pump wildly. How'd they know? Could they have figured it out so quickly?
"Sango I'm sure the only reason Kagome can pass through the well is because of the Shikon Jewel." Kaede's voice was heard as well. "And Inuyasha is enabled to travel through the well because his necklace is associated with Kagome."
Arasoi legs gave in and she slid down the side of the hut with a small thump.
"It doesn't matter how they got here," Kaede continued. "They're here for a reason and we must keep a close eye on them to find that reason out."
'I need to tell Keishou. This is bad, really bad!' Arasoi thought as she got to her feet and ran into the woods to the tree her brother hung from.
"KEISHOU!" she screamed up the tree..
"WHAT?" he yelled down.
"GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE, WE GOT A PROBLEM!"
He then let go of the branch he held onto and fell to the ground landing perfectly on both feet. "Tada!" he said with his hands in the air as if he just accomplished the impossible. His expression darkened once he saw Arasoi's face. "Arasoi, what happened?"
She looked up at him and gulped. "They know! Sango, Miroku and Kaede! They all know that Inuyasha and Kagome are our parents!"
Keishou's stomach dropped down to his feet. His mind then flashed back to when he and Arasoi were outside. "They must've been there too... when we were talking...and they heard us. DAMNIT!" He screamed and punched a tree causing it to fall over. He then started to walk away,
"Big brother?" Arasoi asked, he ignored her and walked deeper into the forest. Not knowing what else to do, she slowly made her way back to the hut
For what felt like hours Arasoi sat outside of the hut, waiting for Keishou to come back, 'He should've been back by now. Stupid loser...'
Inuyasha notice the girl's uneasiness, "Where's you're partner in crime?"
"Dunno." She answered automatically.
"What'd you mean you dunno? Weren't you with him?"
She sighed. "He walked into the forest, he was upset about something."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "And he hasn't come back yet?"
Arasoi shook her head.
"Shouldn't you go out lookin' for him or somethin'?"
She shrugged. Inuyasha gave up his attempt to make small talk with the girl; she obvious wasn't going to talk to him.
Arasoi stood up and started to walk into the forest. "Inuyasha, I'm going to go look for Keishou okay?" she didn't wait for his answer and kept walking onwards. 'Big brother, if there's one place you'd go to I know exactly where it is.'
"Keishou, you have to be careful about what you do when you go to the past. You may end up screwing things up more then they are now. I trust you."
Keishou reheard his father's warning; this wasn't going well at all. He then picked up his sister's scent and grumbled in annoyance. Arasoi entered the old cave. It was by the river so it was wet inside and with the draft that passed through it was pretty chilly.
"Big brother?" she asked into the darkness.
"It's your fault you know that, right?"
She followed his voice to the end of the cave where she found him sitting. She crossed her arms. "You should've noticed they were there."
Keishou rubbed his temples in annoyance. "I'm sorry I was to busying dodging the fairly large tree you were swinging at me."
She frowned and he sighed.
"Look," Keishou continued. "We can't do anything about that and as far as we know Inuyasha and Kagome don't know a blasted thing and we have to keep it that way."
Arasoi nodded. "When's Kikyo gonna make her move, anyway? We've been waiting for a while and-."
"Patience is a necessity when dealing with such delicate circumstances, Arasoi." He answered coolly. "Besides, you were the one who cast that spell on the well so I could go here. So don't complain to me about it."
That was the last straw; she had it with his stupid attitude. Arasoi then slapped Keishou across the face. The young hanyou stared at her in shock.
"What's the matter with you?" she demanded. "You've been gone for hours and when I finally find you you're a mess."
His golden eyes stared at her and she felt as if he was looking right through her. "Do you blame me? Arasoi, it's not just mom's life on the line here anymore, it's everyone. If we mess up anything the whole line of time can be forever broken and who knows what that would lead to! I'm... I'm scared."
Arasoi bent down next to her brother who flinched thinking she was gonna hit him, but instead gave him a hug. "We're going to fix this, got that? We've come too far to stop now." She pulled away and he nodded.
"So we're doing the right thing?"
She nodded and held out her hand. "For the future?"
He smiled and grabbed her hand. "For the future!"
"Take your time Shippo, you can do it." Kagome urged the small Kitsune on, his face scrunched up making odd faces as he concentrated on the work in front of him. Inuyasha was having a hard time keeping himself from laughing his head off at the fox-demon's ridiculous faces but Kagome's stare that promised doom if he was to let out even a chuckle scared him enough for him to keep his composure.
Shippo dropped his orange crayon and looked over his work, then looked up at Kagome. "Here you go, is it okay Kagome?"
The teen took the piece of paper and looked at it with a smile. On it was little orange crocked lettering that only a child could make that read Shippo. "You did it, Shippo! You wrote your name!"
Shippo smiled and jumped around, Kagome had been giving him lesson on how to read and write for a few days and this was the first time he ever wrote his name.
"YAY! INUYASHA LOOK! LOOK! I DID IT!" He ran to Inuyasha holding his paper. Inuyasha looked down at the paper, it indeed read Shippo.
"Hey, good job small-fry!"
Shippo's smile grew as he ran inside the hut to tell the others his achievement.
Kagome looked over at Inuyasha, "I didn't know you could read Inuyasha!" she exclaimed.
"Feh, of course I can!"
She tilted her head, "Is that so? Can you write too?"
Inuyasha nodded.
"How come you've never told me of this?"
He shrugged, "You never asked."
Kagome smiled, she could have fun with this. "You're such a liar Inuyasha!" she exclaimed.
"I am not, wrench! I'll show you right now that I can write! Give me that piece of paper!" She handed him a piece of paper and a blue crayon and watched him write. "There!"
He practically threw the paper at her. She read his surprisingly neat handwriting: 'You're a stupid woman, Kagome. I told you I could write!!'
"I apologize, Inuyasha. You were right and I was wrong." Kagome smiled. She may have lost, but seeing Inuyasha get mad was funnier that seeing him sulk around all day. Kagome then gasped, how did she forget about them?
"Where are Arasoi and Keishou?!" she asked.
The urgency in her voice made Inuyasha jump, "Keishou was in the forest when Arasoi went out looking for him about half an hour ago."
She frowned and was about to yell at him for being so irresponsible for not going with Arasoi when Inuyasha's ears started to twitch.
"Inuyasha?" she asked.
He stood up, "Get Sango and Miroku, I smell Naraku."
(AN: 8 Chapters done! Yippee! Please review and I shall update! I already have up to chapter 11 typed up. I'm so proud of myself!)