Hey guys! Sorry about the REALLY long wait! Gomen nasai!!!!! Anyway, I'm sure you'd rather read the chapter than hear my excuses.
Disclaimer: Sadly, I still don't own Inuyasha. I own the characters: Kiseki, Sutaa and Banshou (Sutaa's mate). I think that's all that appear in this chapter.
Chapter 20: On the Way Home
A young girl sits crying silently over two dead bodies. They seem to have been killed brutally, and the child has been beaten very badly. All around her lays the bodies of the bandits that killed her parents, the two that she is crying over. There are no marks upon the bodies of the bandits; they did not turn on each other over the loot that they were going to receive. One looking upon the scene would think that the bandits had fallen over and died, perhaps from a fear induced heart attack.
The girl looks up and sees the dead bandits. This is the first time that she has noticed that they are dead. The tears falling silently down her cheeks fall faster. Even though they killed her parents, she hates that they have died. Her only happiness is the release from the pain they had been causing her.
She gets up slowly and tries to move the bodies of her parents, but they are too heavy for her. She wants to give them a proper burial. She wants to bury the bandits too, but she can't do it by herself. She knows that she needs help, but her family was living so far from the village.
She looks around and sees some pine branches on the ground. She decides to cover her parents with them, hoping that no animals or demons will find them and eat them. Then she starts walking toward the village to try and get some help in burying all of the bodies.
No sound comes from her mouth, though the tears continue to fall down her face.
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Inuyasha sat in his tree, watching the world go by. Kagome was supposed to be returning in four days. Miroku was still in the village. He seemed to be enjoying taking some time to talk to Kaede about spiritual matters, but he seemed to take even greater pleasure in talking to the local women of the village.
"Oh, Houshi-sama, please read my fortune next!" Came a high feminine voice from a few feet away.
Inuyasha glared in the direction of the voice. The monk was sitting in the middle of a field with a woman, presumably the one who had just spoken, seating herself in front of him and holding out her palm.
Feh. Stupid monk, all he does all day is have those stupid women fawn all over him. Baka. Inuyasha's ears pinned back to his head as he watched another woman take the place of the previous one. How long does he plan on staying here anyway?
As Inuyasha watched, he saw something flash around Miroku's neck. He climbed down from the tree and walked stealthily toward the monk. Was that… a jewel shard? When he got closer, Inuyasha could clearly see the Shikon no Kakera winking at him from the collar of Miroku's robes.
Inuyasha jumped at Miroku, grabbing the shards from around Miroku's neck, and made a break for his tree.
Miroku jumped up and started chasing Inuyasha. "Come back here with those!" He yelled as he chased Inuyasha to the bottom of the tree the hanyou was sitting in.
"Why would I want to give them back?" Inuyasha asked, insolently. "Me and Kagome-chan have been searching for these ever since the jewel got broken. As far as I'm concerned, I'm just taking back what's mine!"
Miroku fingered the beads around his wrist, but didn't do anything else. "Why don't you come down from there Inuyasha, then we can have a real fight for those shards, away from people who might get hurt."
"Feh, why would I want to fight for something I already have?" Inuyasha asked. From the look on Miroku's face, he couldn't think of a good reason either.
"Well, if I can't convince you to come down for a fair fight, then I will just have to destroy you and this tree at the same time." Miroku turned to the women who were still in the field. "Stay where you are and do not be afraid."
Inuyasha just stared at the monk. And what does he think he's going to do to destroy me and the tree?
Miroku grabbed the beads wrapped around his wrist and pulled them off. Inuyasha felt an immediate pull toward the void that had appeared in Miroku's hand. The tree he was sitting in began to groan and creak. Inuyasha dug all of his claws into the wood of the branch he was sitting on, but he knew that the branch wouldn't hold for long.
Well, if he wants to suck me in, that's fine, but he won't get the jewel shards, I'll take them with me! Inuyasha thought, as the chain holding the shards started to slip between his fingers.
For a few minutes that was all that happened, the tree seemed to be coming up by its roots, but other than that, nothing changed. Then two things happened at once. Kaede walked up to them and told Miroku to close the void, and Inuyasha lost his grip on the chain. The chain went flying toward Miroku's hand, just as he closed up the wind tunnel. The chain landed safely at Miroku's feet.
Kaede looked up at the dazed hanyou. "Perhaps we should all go into my hut so that we can speak of some things."
Inuyasha began to protest, but stopped. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he wanted to know what that void was, if for no other reason than to avoid it.
When they arrived in Kaede's hut she waved the two males to sit down while she got them all some tea. When she had finished, she spoke. "Well, it seems, Houshi-sama, that you have been keeping quite the secret. Now what happened between the two of you that such a fight broke out?"
Kaede looked to Inuyasha first, but he refused to speak. Let's see what the monk has to say first.
Miroku cleared his throat. "I am sorry to have caused a disturbance, miko-sama. This has been all my fault." Inuyasha stared at Miroku. "I antagonized Inuyasha into taking my jewel shards. I admit that I had no idea that he had been searching for the shards, and indeed I do not think that youkai of any sort should possess the jewel, but this is not for me to judge, that is for you miko-sama. Inuyasha took the shards and I became angry and threatened him, and when he would not come down, I used the void in my hand to try to recover the shards. It was wrong of me, gomen nasai." Miroku bowed to both of them.
Inuyasha's jaw hung open for a moment, but Kaede didn't notice, as she was also staring at the monk. She recovered more quickly however. "I am sure that you have omitted some things in your narrative Houshi-sama, but I thank you for your honest telling of the story."
Inuyasha found his voice before his mind was out of shock. "That is not what happened, baka Houshi! I saw you had the shards, I took them, you chased me and tried to kill me, and then you got the shards back. That's what happened." Of course, I would have killed you too, but I think Kagome-chan mentioned your name in that story of hers, I wouldn't want to be "Osuwari"-ed into an Inuyasha shaped crater over you.
Kaede was already speaking again. "I know that it is no excuse for his behaviour, but Inuyasha is on a quest to restore the Shikon no Tama. There is a miko named Kagome-sama who is also on this quest, though she is not here right now. She will be returning in four days."
Miroku seemed interested to hear this. "Four days? I suppose I can wait four days to meet the miko who is trying to restore the jewel. Would it be all right if I stated in your village until them?"
Kaede nodded, and Inuyasha knew that nothing he said would get rid of the monk. So he just glared at both of them and left the hut. Now I have to find a new tree to sit in. That baka houshi ruined the other one.
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Kagome sat in her room with Sutaa, Banshou, Shippo, and Kiseki. It was time for Kiseki to be weaned completely. For the last two days, the kit had been receiving a mixture of milk and solid food that the hunters for the pack would bring in. This would be the last time that Kiseki would be receiving milk as part of her diet.
Kagome held her daughter after Sutaa was finished with her. Kiseki seemed so content. It was hard to believe that this kit who looked almost three years old was only three weeks old. Kagome, Shippo and Kiseki would be returning to Kaede's village the next evening. Tomorrow, Kiseki would receive her first tail.
"Kitsune receive tails when they gain power or do good deeds that merit an increase in power. Conversely, kitsune lose tails when they lose power, or do evil deeds that will lower their power." Sutaa told Kagome.
Kagome was a bit confused by this. "But if she had been born in her fox form, wouldn't she already have her first tail?"
Sutaa nodded. "Yes, but kitsune cannot transform between their forms until they are ten years old, or until they receive their second tails."
Kagome thought about that. So that's why Shippo never takes his fox form! He can't because he's only three years old, and he only has one tail! "I understand now. Thank you Sutaa."
Banshou smiled. "Kiseki will be very strong. I would not be surprised if she received her second tail before she is a year old."
Kagome stared at Banshou, then looked at her daughter. I knew that Kiseki was strong, but I didn't know that she was that strong!
"Of course, being raised by the urufu often has this affect on kitsune. Since kitsune are not often fostered to urufu, the full potential of their race has not been exploited." Banshou told her.
Kagome blinked at that. "Why don't more kitsune foster with urufu then?"
Banshou smiled sadly. "Because it is very rare to find an urufu woman who has milk but no pups and would like to foster the child of another mother. Also, a mother wishes to feed her own."
Sutaa also smiled with a touch of tears in her eyes. "There is one other reason, however. A bond is formed between the foster mother and child. This bond is deep and unbreakable, except by death. I am connected to your Kiseki, and she to me. She will want to see me often, as I will want to see her."
Kagome smiled broadly. "Of course we'll come visit you! As often as we can! I am so grateful to you, and I have no intention of keeping my kit from her foster mother!"
Sutaa and Banshou smiled with relief.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I just remembered that I'm supposed to have dinner with Kouga and Ayame tonight! I need to get ready to go." Kagome said, sounding a bit flustered as she ran around the room with Kiseki in her arms and Shippo following her.
Sutaa laughed at her. "Would you like us to take care of your kits for now, Kagome?"
Kagome looked up from what she was doing, finding a good kimono to wear. "No, no, that's all right. I'll be fine. But thank you!"
Sutaa and Banshou smiled at each other and left the room.
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Two hours later, Kagome, Kiseki and Shippo were ready to go to dinner. Kagome took the two kits by the hand and led them to the room where Kouga had asked them to meet him in.
Kouga and Ayame were already there when they arrived. The two urufu were already seated, but they rose as Kagome came into the room, offering her slight bows, which she returned in the form of a deeper bow.
After formalities had been observed, they all sat down to eat the meal that had been laid before them. It was a selection of sashimi, something that was recognizable to Kagome as edible, unlike many of the dishes that she had been served upon arrival three weeks ago.
As they ate, they spoke of what was to happen the next day. Sesshomaru had already told Kouga that he would be arriving in the late morning so that he would be there when Kiseki received her first tail. Ayame looked questioningly at Kagome at this point, but Kagome was deep in conversation with Kouga still and didn't notice the scrutiny.
After they had gone over the plans for the next day, they started to speak of when Kagome would return for a visit. Kagome had to tell them that she wasn't sure when she would be able to return, since she was on a quest to restore the jewel and destroy and evil hanyou that she believed would try to destroy the world as they knew it.
The two urufu were less concerned with the hanyou than they were with Kagome's plan to restore the jewel. Kagome knew why: they both possessed two of the Shikon no Kakera in their legs. To their credit, they didn't protest, they just looked a bit worried.
"I know that both of you have some of the shards, and at the moment I would like them to stay where they are. You are formidable allies to have, with or without your shards, and I have a feeling that I may need to call upon your strength before this evil hanyou is taken down." Kagome told them, in what she hoped was an encouraging voice.
Kouga nodded slowly. Ayame inclined her head. Neither of them looked particularly reassured, however.
Since the topic was disturbing to everyone there, except for the children, they spoke of other things until dinner was over.
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The next morning, Kagome packed up everything that she had brought with her, and everything that the urufu had given to her. It was almost time for Sesshomaru to show up.
Kagome picked up Kiseki. The kit was upset that she had been given a bit of fish this morning instead of milk, and had thrown a minor tantrum involving throwing the fish all over the room and herself. Kagome took the kit to a basin that she had filled with warm water for just this purpose and washed the kit down, before using the remaining water to clean up the fish blood on the floor.
When Sesshomaru arrived not to long after, Kagome looked a little less than perfect, but everything and everyone was clean. The Taiyoukai just raised an eyebrow, but said nothing about Kagome's less than perfect appearance.
Just as Sesshomaru and Kagome were about to greet each other, Kiseki began to cry. "Well, it would seem that the ceremony is beginning a bit early." Sesshomaru said calmly.
Kagome, on the other hand jumped and fretted even more after Sesshomaru shared that revelation. "What should we do? Should I take her to Sutaa?"
Sesshomaru put his hand on her shoulder to stop her from running around. "It would be best to just put her on the bed and to radiate calm, love and happiness at her. I will be doing the same." Sesshomaru turned to Shippo, who had become a happy, bouncy, outgoing little boy in the time he had been with Kagome. In other words, a typical male kitsune kit. "Come here Shippo, you need to be near your sister and help her through this. You can reassure her best because you have been through this already."
So Shippo came forward to stand next the futon that his sister was now lying on, trying to tell her that it was okay and talking to her about how fun it was to have a tail.
Kagome sent out every bit of happy emotion she could to the little kit on the futon, not realizing how strongly she was projecting.
Sesshomaru knew how loud her projection was, he could almost hear it. The feeling was making him ecstatic, so it was not difficult for him to radiate happiness in turn.
Every single on of the urufu could feel Kagome projecting as well. Sutaa and Banshou, Kouga and Ayame, all came running into the room to help project to the kit.
For an hour, everyone just sat projecting good emotions at Kiseki. Then, the kit cried out once and a bright light enveloped her whole body. When the light faded, Kiseki had one beautiful red-brown tail with a white tip curled around her body. Kiseki cooed at the many exhausted faces around her, then put out her arms toward Kagome to be picked up.
"Up mama? Up?" Kiseki asked.
Kagome laughed a little. "Of course Kiseki." She picked up the kit who immediately put her arms around Kagome's neck. When the kit had settled, Kagome sat down on the futon and held Kiseki in her lap.
The urufu walked through, calling blessing upon Kiseki and Kagome. The last four of the urufu to come forward were Sutaa, Banshou, Kouga and Ayame. All of them gave their blessings and kissed Kiseki on her forehead. Kiseki laughed at every kiss. Then all of the urufu went out of her cavern.
Sesshomaru came over after the urufu left and gave a special blessing to Kiseki. "This kit shall have safe passage in my lands. None shall harm her while she is there." Sesshomaru looked at Kagome. "What this means is that no one can hurt Kiseki-chan while she is anywhere in the Western Lands, even after I am dead."
Kagome was speechless for a moment. "Thank you Sesshomaru-sama."
Shippo crawled over beside her and Kiseki. "Now you look like a real kitsune, Kiseki!" He said. Then he looked at Kagome, a puzzled look on her face. "Why does Kiseki's tail look different from mine?" He asked.
Kagome looked between the two of them. Kiseki's tail was obviously different from Shippo's. She remembered back to their parents. "Well Shippo, your father looked like you, but your mother's tails were the same as Kiseki's. I guess because your parents looked different, you two could easily look different."
Shippo still looked a little confused, but he nodded as if he understood completely. Kagome couldn't think of another way to explain it to him, she didn't think that he would understand genetics if she explained it to him that way.
Kagome was brought out of her thoughts by Kiseki moving around in her lap and holding her arms out to Sesshomaru and saying something that Kagome couldn't understand. Kagome looked to Shippo to see if he understood. He apparently did, since he was giggling behind his hand.
When Sesshomaru had taken Kiseki from her arms, as Kiseki obviously wanted, Kagome asked Shippo what Kiseki had said. Shippo just laughed harder.
When he had finished laughing, Shippo told her. "She said 'Pick me up. I want to see from up high! I want to fly with papa through the sky!'" Kagome laughed a bit too when she heard that, though she was a bit worried about Kiseki calling Sesshomaru "papa". She was just glad that Sesshomaru didn't know what Kiseki was saying yet. He would have taken her head off if he thought that Kagome had been teaching Kiseki that.
Sesshomaru looked at the carefully packed clothing. "It seems that you are ready to leave?" He asked.
Kagome nodded.
Sesshomaru picked up the bag that Kagome had brought with her, and they all walked out the door. When they were passing by the door though, Sesshomaru picked something up that was sitting there. It was Inuyasha's fire-rat haori. Kagome smiled, realizing that she had forgotten it the last time at Sesshomaru's castle.
In the main cavern, all of the urufu had gathered to see them off. Kagome said goodbye to Sutaa and Banshou and thanked them for taking such good care of Kiseki for her. Then she said goodbye to Kouga and Ayame. It seemed that Ayame wasn't going anywhere. She had sent a messenger back to her grandfather not too long ago telling him of the possibility that Kagome had come up with for the two of them to be joined. They both smiled and told her that she was welcome in their den anytime, and the same went for her kits.
When all of the farewells were done with, Kagome, Shippo, Kiseki and Sesshomaru went outside and Sesshomaru gathered his cloud beneath them. They took off in the direction of Kaede's village.
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A girl with long black hair watched as a young man, a boy really, practiced his aim with his weapon, a chain and sickle.
He hit all of his targets perfectly. The woman clapped. "That was wonderful Kohaku! You'll be ready to come out with the rest of the hunters soon."
The boy named Kohaku grinned broadly at the woman. Thanks sis! That means a lot coming from you!"
The woman, Sango, smiled at her younger brother. She had been helping their father train Kohaku for the last five years. This was as much her achievement as his.
"Just a little more practice I think. You were a little off centre on the second one, and the fifth one didn't get sliced all the way through." Sango said helpfully.
Kohaku looked at the targets and nodded. He knew that it wasn't really criticism that his sister was giving him, it was survival tips.
"All right, I'll work on it a little more." Kohaku told Sango.
Sango was just about to say something when one of her father's colleagues came up to her. "Your father wants to see you Sango-san."
"Oh! All right. Thank you, I'll go see him now." Sango smiled at her brother, then went to go find her father.
He was sitting in their house, waiting for Sango to come see him. When Sango came in, he looked up from the message scroll in his hand. "Ah, Sango. There is a message that just came from one of the smaller villages just west of here. They need one of the taijiya to go and take care of a centipede demon. I thought that I would send you, since they say that this is a stronger demon than they usually have in that region."
Sango's eyes widened. "You think it has one of the jewel shards that have been showing up lately."
"Yes, I do my daughter. I know that you will be able to get it for us without raising any kind of alarm in the people of the village." Her father said with a smile.
Sango smiled back. "You can count on me father. When should I leave?"
"Whenever you would like, but soon would be best." Her father said, handing her the message, that also gave the position of the village on it.
Sango took the message. "I'll leave right after I say goodbye to Kohaku."
They both smiled thinking of the boy's progress. "I'll be taking him on the next group assignment." Her father said.
"That's good. He needs practical field practice now, more than anything." Sango replied, going out the door to say go goodbye to her brother and get ready to leave on her assignment.
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Chapter's done! Yatta! It's a nice long one this time!
Reviewer Response:
Hakkai-my-youkai: I'm glad you like my story! Sorry it took so long to update! But hey, at least I updated eventually….. right?
Cold-night09: yes, Miroku is coming further into the picture. Kagome is much less annoying, because she doesn't have a lot of the hang-ups she had the first time around (and she's older). Kyt won't be coming into the story until much later, except in memories. Keep reading!
Cindamin29: I'm glad you like my story so much! I'm sorry, I can't really answer your questions here (it would give too much away! Plus I don't know all the answers yet myself…) keep reading!
Inukag1: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it so much! It's so hard to write while in university…. Lol.
Lolabel: I'm glad that this story has touched you so much! Glad I could give you what you were looking for! And look! A new chapter!
Nite-fire: Thanks so much for the support! Keep reading!
Okay, that's all the reviewers since my last chapter. I would love it if everyone who reads this would review! (unless you didn't like it… but most people wouldn't get this far if they didn't like it…) Hope you enjoyed! Ja for now.