Disclaimer: The characters used in this story don't belong to me, I just added them into my own plot.
Chapter Five: Into the Inevitable
"I must abuse myself; I'm against all that I have made up."
-The Used "Take it Away"
Shippou was anxious about meeting the others again. What would he say to them? What could he possibly say to them that would accurately express anything? He looked over at Kaede, and she just nodded. She understood that it would be more than difficult for him to face his surrogate family once again.
"You'll stay here tonight," she said, "and I will make the beads that will hide you. Kagome is returning tomorrow, and that is when you will have to meet them. If you wish it, I can tell you that you are a man who I helped after a battle, and that you are trustworthy- or some story like that. Or if you'd rather, you can bump into them on your own."
"I'll think about it."
Kaede sighed. Obviously, he wasn't in the mood for anything for the rest of the evening. It was so hard to believe that the strong, silent man before her was really the sweet little Shippou she had always known. But the resemblance was uncanny, and deep in her bones, she felt that she could trust him.
But it was convincing the others that she was really worried about. Kagome would accept him as soon as she saw him. Even if she was completely unaware of his true identity, she could always be counted on to help a soul in trouble. Inuyasha wouldn't trust him, but he could be won over with a little "persuasion". It wasn't too much to hope that he'd fit in. After all, he had been part of them years before.
"How about this," she told him tiredly. "Just be somewhere in the village tomorrow morning, and I will make sure that you get a proper introduction. All in all, I think that that would be for the best. Does it sound suitable to you?"
He looked at her for a long moment, and then said, "Yes. That's fine."
They sat in silence for a long while, until Kaede finally finished the beads he needed for his disguise. He slipped them on, and instantly in a great rush of illusion, he was completely unrecognizable as a demon. His ears were rounded, and his fangs were nothing but plain ordinary teeth.
Kaede was pleased with her work, and his appearance. "You should try and get some rest. I can see that you are weary."
A nod- though it was obvious he ignored her well meant advice. "In the morning," he said, and slipped out into the coming night. Kaede hoped that he was off to find a tree, or even a bed to sleep in, but his body language assured her that he was only off to brood.
Shippou didn't sleep. All through that dark night, he lay restless, consumed by his own inner turmoil.
'Can I do this?' he thought, closing his weary eyes. 'Will I actually be able to start off a new adventure, and save them? Because if I fail...' But he didn't finish his ponderings, opting instead to remain motionless, without a single troubling memory racing through his mind.
And he stayed that way- for a matter of moments at least. Sensing that is was close to sunrise, he decided to give up his false quest for sleep, and lifting his body off the limb, he sprang out of the tree he had been occupying.
Like a cat he landed gracefully on the dewy ground. The air was smothering, and a shiver coursed down his spine without his notice. Knowing that it was perfectly safe to be seen with Kaede's charm around his neck, he made a split-second decision to run. And with a burst of adrenaline, that was exactly what he did.
Letting all that he had bottled up earlier flow free though his mind, his thoughts took a dark turn. It couldn't be enough that he dwelt on tragedy so frequently in his life, but the memories had to constantly plague him. No matter what he did, or where he traveled, he could never escape his past. He could never let himself let go for even a moment.
'I've got to do this. I have to free myself from this pain. I have to save them. Kagome... Inuyasha... Sango... Miroku...' He felt his eyes begin to burn, and his chest ache with a resounding throb. An anguished cry ripped itself out of his throat as his speed quite nearly doubled.
Bam.
Bam.
Feet methodically hitting the ground as he all but flew by.
"I'll be alright." A lie- coughing up blood as she said it like it was true. Desperate shaking, because the man she loved knew that she wouldn't last.
"I don't want you to go," another voice whined, standing over the girl with tears in his big, green eyes.
There was so much blood, even the ground was stained. One of her legs lay awkwardly out to the side, clearly broken and useless. But she did not seem afraid. A sad smile was plastered on her serene, bruised face. And they knew. She was gone.
"Damn it!" Shippou screamed, shaking his head to will the images away. Reminders of things that had already happened, scars that still stung out brightly on his heart. His feet tore off faster, trying to outrun all the things haunting him. Harder, harder, faster and faster he pushed himself, willing his body to bend further towards its breaking point.
And by a small lake, that was not very far from the village, he reached it. With panting breaths he fell to his knees. Time had seemed to slip by, because he could not even remember his trip there. And really, he was almost beyond exhaustion. After his failed attempt to make a last, desperate ending, his almost unexplainable journey back into his far-off past, and a night of restless watching, he was tired. Every cell in his body- utterly spent.
He fell down onto his stomach, then immediately rolled over more comfortably to his back. Closing his eyes and opening his ears, Shippou let a veil of feigned rest settle over him. Finally his body and his mind were able to give way to an uneasy feel of slumber.
When he woke up, the world was well into the new day. Sunshine streamed down from the heavens, beckoning him to bask in its warmth. But he knew that he would always still feel cold. Getting up with a little effort, he stretched out his arms wide and took a look around at what surrounded him.
'I need to return to the village,' he thought absently, his mind perched warily on the edge of total awareness. 'Kaede said that she would have a cover story prepared to tell them about me- I'm fairly certain at least- but I have to be there for it to be believable. Hopefully, everything we've planned won't utterly fail. I need this to be completed. I can't have life plunged once more into hell.'
Briefly as he began to walk back towards his destination, his mind dwelt on his old companions. Thinking aloud he said, "I wonder if they're the same as I remember them. After all, I was so young then."
He gave a single mirthless laugh and focused his thoughts on the areas he was passing by. Not paying any real attention to the scenery on the trek to the lake, he took the opportunity to study the land on his journey from it. Vague memories would hit him occasionally, bringing back to mind things that had been forgotten. Grass swayed languidly in the breeze, sounds of happiness haunted his ears on all sides. The day was magnificent- a true testament to the world's beauty.
If he could be moved at all, then Shippou was indeed moved by the positive omen. Though things were still wretched for him, he had new faith instilled in his quest. Almost eager to reach what would prove to be either his greatest accomplishment or his most horridly tremendous failure, his legs sprang into faster action- flying him over the warm, earthy ground.
With his adrenaline on high, and his new source of purpose, he managed to reach his destination in almost no time at all. He hadn't been that far away to begin with. And there waiting to meet him on the edge of the village, was the familiar head of grey hair that belonged to Kaede.
"There you are," a voice addressed to him. "I was wondering where you had wandered off to." The voice was hers, and she was there offering him a kindly smile.
"I went for a run," he concisely replied, folding his arms over his chest. "But now I have returned."
"I see that you have, indeed," Kaede chuckled, amused by the obviousness of the statement. "You are back." But there was no time for amusement of any kind, and her mouth folded back into a serious frown. "There are a few people that I would like you to meet," she said guardedly, hoping that he picked up on what she actually meant.
"Then lead the way," he ordered with finality, ready to get the initial meeting over with. He knew then that she had told the group some story about him, and had been only waiting for him so that she would have some proof of it.
She slumped forward, indeed leading him toward them. After only a few moments he spotted them up ahead, gathered together and talking. He was going to finally see them after so very long.
Chapter Five: Into the Inevitable
"I must abuse myself; I'm against all that I have made up."
-The Used "Take it Away"
Shippou was anxious about meeting the others again. What would he say to them? What could he possibly say to them that would accurately express anything? He looked over at Kaede, and she just nodded. She understood that it would be more than difficult for him to face his surrogate family once again.
"You'll stay here tonight," she said, "and I will make the beads that will hide you. Kagome is returning tomorrow, and that is when you will have to meet them. If you wish it, I can tell you that you are a man who I helped after a battle, and that you are trustworthy- or some story like that. Or if you'd rather, you can bump into them on your own."
"I'll think about it."
Kaede sighed. Obviously, he wasn't in the mood for anything for the rest of the evening. It was so hard to believe that the strong, silent man before her was really the sweet little Shippou she had always known. But the resemblance was uncanny, and deep in her bones, she felt that she could trust him.
But it was convincing the others that she was really worried about. Kagome would accept him as soon as she saw him. Even if she was completely unaware of his true identity, she could always be counted on to help a soul in trouble. Inuyasha wouldn't trust him, but he could be won over with a little "persuasion". It wasn't too much to hope that he'd fit in. After all, he had been part of them years before.
"How about this," she told him tiredly. "Just be somewhere in the village tomorrow morning, and I will make sure that you get a proper introduction. All in all, I think that that would be for the best. Does it sound suitable to you?"
He looked at her for a long moment, and then said, "Yes. That's fine."
They sat in silence for a long while, until Kaede finally finished the beads he needed for his disguise. He slipped them on, and instantly in a great rush of illusion, he was completely unrecognizable as a demon. His ears were rounded, and his fangs were nothing but plain ordinary teeth.
Kaede was pleased with her work, and his appearance. "You should try and get some rest. I can see that you are weary."
A nod- though it was obvious he ignored her well meant advice. "In the morning," he said, and slipped out into the coming night. Kaede hoped that he was off to find a tree, or even a bed to sleep in, but his body language assured her that he was only off to brood.
Shippou didn't sleep. All through that dark night, he lay restless, consumed by his own inner turmoil.
'Can I do this?' he thought, closing his weary eyes. 'Will I actually be able to start off a new adventure, and save them? Because if I fail...' But he didn't finish his ponderings, opting instead to remain motionless, without a single troubling memory racing through his mind.
And he stayed that way- for a matter of moments at least. Sensing that is was close to sunrise, he decided to give up his false quest for sleep, and lifting his body off the limb, he sprang out of the tree he had been occupying.
Like a cat he landed gracefully on the dewy ground. The air was smothering, and a shiver coursed down his spine without his notice. Knowing that it was perfectly safe to be seen with Kaede's charm around his neck, he made a split-second decision to run. And with a burst of adrenaline, that was exactly what he did.
Letting all that he had bottled up earlier flow free though his mind, his thoughts took a dark turn. It couldn't be enough that he dwelt on tragedy so frequently in his life, but the memories had to constantly plague him. No matter what he did, or where he traveled, he could never escape his past. He could never let himself let go for even a moment.
'I've got to do this. I have to free myself from this pain. I have to save them. Kagome... Inuyasha... Sango... Miroku...' He felt his eyes begin to burn, and his chest ache with a resounding throb. An anguished cry ripped itself out of his throat as his speed quite nearly doubled.
Bam.
Bam.
Feet methodically hitting the ground as he all but flew by.
"I'll be alright." A lie- coughing up blood as she said it like it was true. Desperate shaking, because the man she loved knew that she wouldn't last.
"I don't want you to go," another voice whined, standing over the girl with tears in his big, green eyes.
There was so much blood, even the ground was stained. One of her legs lay awkwardly out to the side, clearly broken and useless. But she did not seem afraid. A sad smile was plastered on her serene, bruised face. And they knew. She was gone.
"Damn it!" Shippou screamed, shaking his head to will the images away. Reminders of things that had already happened, scars that still stung out brightly on his heart. His feet tore off faster, trying to outrun all the things haunting him. Harder, harder, faster and faster he pushed himself, willing his body to bend further towards its breaking point.
And by a small lake, that was not very far from the village, he reached it. With panting breaths he fell to his knees. Time had seemed to slip by, because he could not even remember his trip there. And really, he was almost beyond exhaustion. After his failed attempt to make a last, desperate ending, his almost unexplainable journey back into his far-off past, and a night of restless watching, he was tired. Every cell in his body- utterly spent.
He fell down onto his stomach, then immediately rolled over more comfortably to his back. Closing his eyes and opening his ears, Shippou let a veil of feigned rest settle over him. Finally his body and his mind were able to give way to an uneasy feel of slumber.
When he woke up, the world was well into the new day. Sunshine streamed down from the heavens, beckoning him to bask in its warmth. But he knew that he would always still feel cold. Getting up with a little effort, he stretched out his arms wide and took a look around at what surrounded him.
'I need to return to the village,' he thought absently, his mind perched warily on the edge of total awareness. 'Kaede said that she would have a cover story prepared to tell them about me- I'm fairly certain at least- but I have to be there for it to be believable. Hopefully, everything we've planned won't utterly fail. I need this to be completed. I can't have life plunged once more into hell.'
Briefly as he began to walk back towards his destination, his mind dwelt on his old companions. Thinking aloud he said, "I wonder if they're the same as I remember them. After all, I was so young then."
He gave a single mirthless laugh and focused his thoughts on the areas he was passing by. Not paying any real attention to the scenery on the trek to the lake, he took the opportunity to study the land on his journey from it. Vague memories would hit him occasionally, bringing back to mind things that had been forgotten. Grass swayed languidly in the breeze, sounds of happiness haunted his ears on all sides. The day was magnificent- a true testament to the world's beauty.
If he could be moved at all, then Shippou was indeed moved by the positive omen. Though things were still wretched for him, he had new faith instilled in his quest. Almost eager to reach what would prove to be either his greatest accomplishment or his most horridly tremendous failure, his legs sprang into faster action- flying him over the warm, earthy ground.
With his adrenaline on high, and his new source of purpose, he managed to reach his destination in almost no time at all. He hadn't been that far away to begin with. And there waiting to meet him on the edge of the village, was the familiar head of grey hair that belonged to Kaede.
"There you are," a voice addressed to him. "I was wondering where you had wandered off to." The voice was hers, and she was there offering him a kindly smile.
"I went for a run," he concisely replied, folding his arms over his chest. "But now I have returned."
"I see that you have, indeed," Kaede chuckled, amused by the obviousness of the statement. "You are back." But there was no time for amusement of any kind, and her mouth folded back into a serious frown. "There are a few people that I would like you to meet," she said guardedly, hoping that he picked up on what she actually meant.
"Then lead the way," he ordered with finality, ready to get the initial meeting over with. He knew then that she had told the group some story about him, and had been only waiting for him so that she would have some proof of it.
She slumped forward, indeed leading him toward them. After only a few moments he spotted them up ahead, gathered together and talking. He was going to finally see them after so very long.
Chapter Five: Into the Inevitable
"I must abuse myself; I'm against all that I have made up."
-The Used "Take it Away"
Shippou was anxious about meeting the others again. What would he say to them? What could he possibly say to them that would accurately express anything? He looked over at Kaede, and she just nodded. She understood that it would be more than difficult for him to face his surrogate family once again.
"You'll stay here tonight," she said, "and I will make the beads that will hide you. Kagome is returning tomorrow, and that is when you will have to meet them. If you wish it, I can tell you that you are a man who I helped after a battle, and that you are trustworthy- or some story like that. Or if you'd rather, you can bump into them on your own."
"I'll think about it."
Kaede sighed. Obviously, he wasn't in the mood for anything for the rest of the evening. It was so hard to believe that the strong, silent man before her was really the sweet little Shippou she had always known. But the resemblance was uncanny, and deep in her bones, she felt that she could trust him.
But it was convincing the others that she was really worried about. Kagome would accept him as soon as she saw him. Even if she was completely unaware of his true identity, she could always be counted on to help a soul in trouble. Inuyasha wouldn't trust him, but he could be won over with a little "persuasion". It wasn't too much to hope that he'd fit in. After all, he had been part of them years before.
"How about this," she told him tiredly. "Just be somewhere in the village tomorrow morning, and I will make sure that you get a proper introduction. All in all, I think that that would be for the best. Does it sound suitable to you?"
He looked at her for a long moment, and then said, "Yes. That's fine."
They sat in silence for a long while, until Kaede finally finished the beads he needed for his disguise. He slipped them on, and instantly in a great rush of illusion, he was completely unrecognizable as a demon. His ears were rounded, and his fangs were nothing but plain ordinary teeth.
Kaede was pleased with her work, and his appearance. "You should try and get some rest. I can see that you are weary."
A nod- though it was obvious he ignored her well meant advice. "In the morning," he said, and slipped out into the coming night. Kaede hoped that he was off to find a tree, or even a bed to sleep in, but his body language assured her that he was only off to brood.
Shippou didn't sleep. All through that dark night, he lay restless, consumed by his own inner turmoil.
'Can I do this?' he thought, closing his weary eyes. 'Will I actually be able to start off a new adventure, and save them? Because if I fail...' But he didn't finish his ponderings, opting instead to remain motionless, without a single troubling memory racing through his mind.
And he stayed that way- for a matter of moments at least. Sensing that is was close to sunrise, he decided to give up his false quest for sleep, and lifting his body off the limb, he sprang out of the tree he had been occupying.
Like a cat he landed gracefully on the dewy ground. The air was smothering, and a shiver coursed down his spine without his notice. Knowing that it was perfectly safe to be seen with Kaede's charm around his neck, he made a split-second decision to run. And with a burst of adrenaline, that was exactly what he did.
Letting all that he had bottled up earlier flow free though his mind, his thoughts took a dark turn. It couldn't be enough that he dwelt on tragedy so frequently in his life, but the memories had to constantly plague him. No matter what he did, or where he traveled, he could never escape his past. He could never let himself let go for even a moment.
'I've got to do this. I have to free myself from this pain. I have to save them. Kagome... Inuyasha... Sango... Miroku...' He felt his eyes begin to burn, and his chest ache with a resounding throb. An anguished cry ripped itself out of his throat as his speed quite nearly doubled.
Bam.
Bam.
Feet methodically hitting the ground as he all but flew by.
"I'll be alright." A lie- coughing up blood as she said it like it was true. Desperate shaking, because the man she loved knew that she wouldn't last.
"I don't want you to go," another voice whined, standing over the girl with tears in his big, green eyes.
There was so much blood, even the ground was stained. One of her legs lay awkwardly out to the side, clearly broken and useless. But she did not seem afraid. A sad smile was plastered on her serene, bruised face. And they knew. She was gone.
"Damn it!" Shippou screamed, shaking his head to will the images away. Reminders of things that had already happened, scars that still stung out brightly on his heart. His feet tore off faster, trying to outrun all the things haunting him. Harder, harder, faster and faster he pushed himself, willing his body to bend further towards its breaking point.
And by a small lake, that was not very far from the village, he reached it. With panting breaths he fell to his knees. Time had seemed to slip by, because he could not even remember his trip there. And really, he was almost beyond exhaustion. After his failed attempt to make a last, desperate ending, his almost unexplainable journey back into his far-off past, and a night of restless watching, he was tired. Every cell in his body- utterly spent.
He fell down onto his stomach, then immediately rolled over more comfortably to his back. Closing his eyes and opening his ears, Shippou let a veil of feigned rest settle over him. Finally his body and his mind were able to give way to an uneasy feel of slumber.
When he woke up, the world was well into the new day. Sunshine streamed down from the heavens, beckoning him to bask in its warmth. But he knew that he would always still feel cold. Getting up with a little effort, he stretched out his arms wide and took a look around at what surrounded him.
'I need to return to the village,' he thought absently, his mind perched warily on the edge of total awareness. 'Kaede said that she would have a cover story prepared to tell them about me- I'm fairly certain at least- but I have to be there for it to be believable. Hopefully, everything we've planned won't utterly fail. I need this to be completed. I can't have life plunged once more into hell.'
Briefly as he began to walk back towards his destination, his mind dwelt on his old companions. Thinking aloud he said, "I wonder if they're the same as I remember them. After all, I was so young then."
He gave a single mirthless laugh and focused his thoughts on the areas he was passing by. Not paying any real attention to the scenery on the trek to the lake, he took the opportunity to study the land on his journey from it. Vague memories would hit him occasionally, bringing back to mind things that had been forgotten. Grass swayed languidly in the breeze, sounds of happiness haunted his ears on all sides. The day was magnificent- a true testament to the world's beauty.
If he could be moved at all, then Shippou was indeed moved by the positive omen. Though things were still wretched for him, he had new faith instilled in his quest. Almost eager to reach what would prove to be either his greatest accomplishment or his most horridly tremendous failure, his legs sprang into faster action- flying him over the warm, earthy ground.
With his adrenaline on high, and his new source of purpose, he managed to reach his destination in almost no time at all. He hadn't been that far away to begin with. And there waiting to meet him on the edge of the village, was the familiar head of grey hair that belonged to Kaede.
"There you are," a voice addressed to him. "I was wondering where you had wandered off to." The voice was hers, and she was there offering him a kindly smile.
"I went for a run," he concisely replied, folding his arms over his chest. "But now I have returned."
"I see that you have, indeed," Kaede chuckled, amused by the obviousness of the statement. "You are back." But there was no time for amusement of any kind, and her mouth folded back into a serious frown. "There are a few people that I would like you to meet," she said guardedly, hoping that he picked up on what she actually meant.
"Then lead the way," he ordered with finality, ready to get the initial meeting over with. He knew then that she had told the group some story about him, and had been only waiting for him so that she would have some proof of it.
She slumped forward, indeed leading him toward them. After only a few moments he spotted them up ahead, gathered together and talking. He was going to finally see them after so very long.
end A/N: Well, that's it. I would appreciate a review from anyone reading this, especially CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Or you can tell me how great it is, I don't care (that was a joke). Next chapter will be up soon... or eventually.
A.D.D.