Tricksters of Undying Loyalty

Discovered, Contented, and Hunted

Several days have past since the unexpected encounter with his brother, Sesshomaru, along with his companions Rin, Ah Un, and Jaken traveled into the deepest darkest parts of the western forests.

"My lord were are we going?" the human girl asked sleepily from the top of the dragon's back.

The demon lord kept silent.

He ordered the dragon steed to stop in front of the entrance of a pitch-black cave.

Jaken: "Lord Sesshomaru! We're not going in there are we?"

Sesshomaru strung the sword Tokijin through the leather straps on Ah Un's saddle. "Stay here. If anything happens leave immediately." He said quietly to the dragon's two heads. He then whispered even more quietly, "Keep her safe."

Ah Un nodded. Sesshomaru then proceeded into the cavern, alone. He walked in through the windy darkness; un-phased cold darkness. Finally, at the end of the lonely caves he came before a glowing blue portal; it looked like a tare mark made in the air with glittering stars slowly drifting out.

"Halt! Who goes there?" a voice from within the tare bellowed. A celestial archer appeared in a glittering cloud. Herr silver armor and golden hair glowed shone in a blinding light luminating the dark caverns. She drew out her arrow and aimed it at Sesshomaru heart, "Leave this place. More living beings are allowed on these sacred grounds."

Sesshomaru stepped forward and raised his sword, the Tensaiga, in front of his face, "I am Sesshomaru. Barer of the Sword of Life. I am here to speak with your mistress."

The archer hesitated and tightened her grip on her weapon.

"Resale. Hold your fire." Another feminine voice echoed inside the tare.

Resale: "My lady."

Voice: "Show him in Resale."

Resale: "Is that wise my lady?"

Receiving no answer the warrior led Sesshomaru into the tare. On the other side a palace stood on top of a crystal lake. Inside many spirits were working with hundreds of completed cloths, wraps, and tapestries.

"The Treads of life." Sesshomaru said gazing at the numerous threads spin across from a large spool hanging from above, separating into many different color strings and leading to the countless number of looms and weavers lining the floor and walls. Many weavers and cloth makers worked tirelessly on the different tapestries on each loom provided; cloaks of life, hopes, dreams, and actions of humans and demons alike.

At the canter of the room a tall young woman stood overseeing the textile workers, wearing a long white gown unlike any found in this region. She turned around to see the inu yoki lord staring at one of the larger tapestries hanging on one of the looms. "Tempting isn't it?" she said catching his attention. "Ending Inuyasha's life right now, get by simply cutting the string to his tapestry."

Sesshomaru looked away from the cloth. "I would rather see him die by my own hands."

The woman shook her head, "You haven't changed have you?"

Sesshomaru: "If I have you would've known before I do." He said coldly, "Otherwise you wouldn't be doing your job."

Woman: "Must we go through all this again?"

Sesshomaru: "We had an agreement. I sleighed the human and demon bandits before they attacked villages, and you provide me with information of any those who intend on taking over my lands."

The woman sauntered to one of the larger looms where a white tapestry with several sprits of color woven within. "Indeed. And information of the future is a high cost to pay on our account. But to keep many of my weavers from ending their human tapestries too short, it is worth the cost."

The mistress slid her hand over the fine strings and delicate embroideries of events of the past, carefully moving her fingers to where the weaver was shaping the thread of this conversation. "You're here about an old threat to your rule."

Sesshomaru: "I want to see if it has arisen again."

Woman: "Why? If you don't mind my asking."

Sesshomaru fell silent for a moment. "Recent events, has brought up my curiosity."

The woman gave him an even colder glare, "Your kingdom's threat, which was raising years ago, have began to gain power again."

The demon lord looked down to two other weavers sewing two young fabrics taking shape, and narrowed his eyes..

The next few days the three little demons Akida, Sano, and Hegiowu, waited at the foot of the steps in front of the hut where their mother was still being tended to.

"Poor kids." Kagome said after she noticed the children after she returned from a trip to her time.

"They've been like this since Totosi left," Miroku said looking up from trying to 'propose' to another farm maiden.

"If only there's something we can do." Sango grunted out as she was scrubbing demon stains from her hirotosu.

Shippo, annoyed of the other's sulking, ran off into the village. "I think I know how to make them smile."

The sound of children laughing woke Soun Yee from another sleeping spell. She shifted her head to the door, "What is that?"

Keade merely glanced in that direction, "Just the children playing outside."

To other women that news would be insignificant, but to her, it was a notion that rarely accrued, "Playing? My boys?"

The priestess nodded.

"Help! Help!" one of the girls playfully screamed while pretending to be tied up to an invisible stake.

"No fear. Sano save you!" the little hanyou shouted while riding on one of the village boy's back like horsy.

Not far off some of the even younger children were stroking Hegiowu's fur and scratching his ears.

Little girl: "You're so soft!"

Little boy: "He's cool!"

Slightly older boy: "I wish all demons are like this."

Slightly older girl: "Does this feel good?" (scratches his ear)

Shippo smiled at what he'd pulled together. He leaned again one of the huts nearby and watched along with a few of the adults. "Whoaa!" he was then suddenly pulled round the corner and his cheek met with Akida's lips. "Huh what!"

Akida: "That's for what you did for me and my brothers. They needed a destraction"

Shippo: (sheepishly) "Uh….um….you're…welcome."

Soun Yee stumbled to the door and hung onto the frame to keep from falling.

"Soun Yee!" Miroku gasped seeing her. He raced to the hut and wrapped one hand around her waist, "You shouldn't be up. You're still weak from what happened."

Soun Yee raised her hand to stop him from moving her, "I just need to see."

The boy and half demon charged at a troop of boys surrounding the girl playfully banging their swords (or sticks) until the last one was on the ground playing dead.

Sano pretended to cut the ropes and the girl wrapped her arms around him, "My hero."

The little pup blushed.

Hegiowu rolled over onto his back overwhelmed by the attention. His back legs kicked out of controllably as the children began rubbing his tummy.

Her eyes welled up seeing her children not being scorned or abused as they were for so long. At last she saw her kids playing with other human children without fear. For only a brief moment she couldn't distinguish her young from the others.

Miroku leaned close to support her better, "Lady Soun? Are you crying?"

She nodded and closed her eyes, "Yes, I'm just happy that's all." Just then another spell took over and she collapsed in the monk's arms.

"Mama!" quickly noticing their mother the twins abandoned the game and ran to her aid.

Miroku: "Don't worry yourselves. She's alright."

"Inuyashaaa!" called a voicesuddenly callednearing the village. "Inuyashaaaa!"

"Oh no!" the oldest hanyou groaned before jumping behind Kagome.

"What wrong?" Sano asked noticing Inuyasha's uneasiness.

Kagome: "Jucotsu."

Hegiowu: "Who?"

Miroku: "One of the band of seven. He has sort of an….attraction….to Inuyasha…"

Jocaotsu: "Inuyasha!"

"Eek! What are we going to do! We can let him in this village. Who knows what he'll do!" Kagome squeaked holding the kitsune even tighter.

"I'll take care of him." Inuyasha said with a mix of anger and grief. He knew very well what the resurrected bandit was after, and he won't stop until he got it. He leaped away from the others and ran up the main road. There the Band of Seven's Jocoatsu was makinghis way to the village. He smiled cheerfully at the sight of the hanyou heading toward him.

"Alright what are you doing here!"

Jucoatsu: "Oh I just love how you're cute fuzzy ears pin back behind you head when you scoul and sneer. Everything about you is so adorible."

Inuyasha: "Answer me!"

Jocoastsu: "I come for you my love. You think I would let that wench meko keep you?"

"Stay away from Papa!" Sano shouted jumping onto Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Papa?"

Next Hegiowu jumped between Inuyasha and the gender confused bandit, "Leave our father alone before things become very unfortunate for you."

Jocoatsu's eyes began to water and turned to face the larger half demon, "Inuy my love, is this true?"

Confused of what the pups were up to Inuyasha then had a sneaky grin on his face, "You heard them correct you freak. They're my sons. So if you harm even a single hair on either of them I will slaughter you where you stand."

Jocoatsu: "Your... children?"

Inuyasha: "Yep. Kagome's and mine. So you better leave and never bother us again."

The bandit in drag hid his face in his hands, "(sniff sniff) How could this have happened! I thought for sure that I would free you from that witch Kagome. (sniff sniff) I hope you're happy with the life you've chosen!" with that (s)he spun around and ran down the road.

"Inuyahsa!" Kagome shouted running up to him after Jocoatsu disappeared, "Inuyasha are you alright?"

The hanyou smiled in satisfaction and scratched Sano behind the ear, "Everything's fine." He then looked down to the other twin by his feet, "By the way why did you two say that to Jocoatsu?"

Hegiowu: "We couldn't let that….thing take you away like that. Since everyone else sees us related it seemed like the perfect way to get rid of him."

Inuyasha: "I wonder if I can use this against Koga."

Kagome: "I wonder if I can use this against Kikiyo."

Inuyasha's seemingly stiff exterier melted when Sano leaned over and gently licked his cheek. He looked over to Kagome with a childish look in his eyes, "You think Soun will let us keep one?"

Once the sun had set every one decided to take the choldren to the hotsprings.

"You think you're up to it?" Kagome asked when Soun Yee insisted in comming along.

She quietlynodded, tightening the towel around herself, "Yes. I can never take staying on my back."

"Now Sano, I have a very important mission for you." Miroku said to Sano before they headed to the hot spring.

The Inuyasha clone starred up at him curiously, "What mission?"

The monk then brought out a rectangular devise with a round glass lens on the front and a button a knob on the top. "You set this by you eye and push this button and turn the knob."

Sano took the devise and lightly chewed on it to find out what it was, "What it do?"

Miroku: "That's not important. What's important is to get a lot of shots under the water. But most of all make sure none of the girls see it. Can you handle it?"

Sano: "Ok….Sano guess…"

"Come on Hegiowu." Kagome pleaded to the more canine pup hiding behind on of the border rocks.

"No I'm not going in." he cried peeking over one of the larger rocks.

Soun Yee: "Hegiowu."

Hegiowu: "I'm sorry mother but I don't like water!"

"It's nice and warm," Akida exclaimed splashing some of the water at him on the shore.

The mature twin trembled and ducked behind the rock again.

Sango sighed heavily, "Well, I guess there's only one way to get him in now." With that she and Adika winked at each other.

The red headed wolfdog then jumped into the middle of the hot spring and started splashing madly, "Help! Help! I'm drowning!"

Hearing his sister's cries Hegiowu immediately jumped over the rock and plunged into the lake, "Hold on I'm coming!"

"Get him!"

Kagome, Sango, and Soun Yee swarmed around Hegiowu, arming themselves with soap, scrub brushes, and sponges.

Hegiowu: "No no no!"

Soun: "This is for your own good."

Kagome: "Don't forget behind the ears."

Sango: "Kids help!"

Hegiowu fought until the warm waters had soothed the fight out of him. He laid limp and content in Soun Yee's arms as the others released him and she rubbed his soaking fur with shampoo.

"They are adorable." Sango said now with Kirara being lathered her arms.

"Indeed they are." Soun answered cleaning out her son's ears with a hand cloth.

Kagome then felt an urgency serge through her, "Um, Soun Yee…now that you're feeling better are you going to go off again?"

The young mother lowered her head and slowly massaged the back of Hegiowu's neck, "I don't know now. It been a long time since we were exiled from our home, and we've never found a single place were we can be accepted…until now." She then looked to the hopeful faces of the teenagers and demon children. "If you'd allow us that is."

Kagome: "Of course you can stay Soun Yee."

Flash!

"Ah!" Sano cried as he dived up from the water with one hand over his eyes and the other holding the rectangular devise.

"Sano are you alright?" Soun asked worriedly wrapping one arm around him while still holding the other.

"What's this?" Kagome whispered noticing the object the miniature half demon was holding. She reached over and took it from his grasp.

Sango: "What is it?"
Kagome: "A camera? An underwater camera! Sano, did Miroku give you this?"

The little hanyou nodded and blinked his eyes several times to adjust to the light again, "Sano hurt."

Kagome: "Uh huh, and it looks like were looking through the wrong way too."

Soun: "What is that?"

Sango: "Just something from Kagome's era. Miroku was trying something lecherous wasn't he?"

A sinister grin crept across the meko's face, "I think's it's time that Miroku get's a taste of his own medicine."

Unknown to anyone was that someone else was wotching them from the high tops of the surrounding trees.

Once everyone had had their turn bathing they headed back to the village. But someone was already there waiting for them. The inu gang noticed thata shadowy figure at the tops steps of the shine.

Inuyasha growled under his breath.

Kagome: "What is it Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha: "That scent. it's exactly like Naraku's."

Taking the alarms Dango and Miroku quickly armed themselves. Kagome franticly pushed Inuyasha into the brush for there was no moon in the sky and his human blood had taken hold of his full form for the night.

Miroku stood ready with his hand ready to remove the preayer beads, "Who are you? Show yourself this instant!"

The truspasser jumped from is place to the top of the gateway above them. her lonng red hair hung passed her shoulders. her deep black and red ninja uniformkept her mostly hidden within the shadows. Kept in many straps and compartment were numerous arrows of all sizes and arrow head types; and strapped to her back were three different hunting and war bows. "My name is Reventia. Master Arcer."

Sango tightened her grip on the handle of her boomerang, "It's another incarnation."

Soun Yee knelt down and shieldedher three children, "What do you want!"

The incarnation gave them a scouled look and jumped down in front of them, "I want those pups." With that she grabbed Soun by the coller and tossed her to the side. the children ran in different directions to get away from the fiend.

Weakened by the poisonSoun Yee could only watch as Reventia grabbed one of the twins by the tail and a hord of demons were heading their way. She screamed, "Sano!"

"Mama!"

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