Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha

Fire, Thunder, Lightening Chapter 9 Tanabata Festival

" I'm NOT gonna wear it!" Protested Akemi.

" Akemi, it's just for tonight." Said Kagome, holding a pink kimono with hearts on it. " Maybe after tonight, the human boys will stop being frightend of you. Their okas said they're having nightmares about you."

" Good! Then they won't DARE pick on my Little Brother!" Said Akemi. Inuyasha ruffled his daughter's hair affectionatly.

" That's my girl, you show em whose boss!" Akemi beamed under her father's praise.

" Inuyasha, don't incourage her!" Said Kagome. Inuyasha looked at his mate innocently.

" What? It's not my fault our daughter wants to be tough." His eyes soften and his voice became laced with sorrow. " If I had a big sister like her when I was growing up, then the loss of my oka...all the villager's torments... all the isolation..." Kagome's eyes teared up. She dropped the kimono and hugged Inuyasha.

" Oh Inuyasha, that must have been horrible. I'm so sorry!" Inuyasha hugged his mate with the same solemn expression. But then he turned his head toward's his daughter and winked.

' Thanks otu.' Akemi ran out of the house towards the festival in the village.

0o0o0o0o0

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Kagome dried her eyes and called "Come in"

It was Sesshoumaru, Reia and Rin.

" Hey Oni-chan." Said Inuyasha.

" Is Akira here?" He asked.

" He's already gone to the festival." Said Kagome.

" Oh, I brought another book on Alchemy since he seemed to enjoy the last one I brought."

" It's all he ever does." Said Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru smirked.

" Sad your first son is a book worm?"

" Nah, that with that alchemy stuff he can make ramen even faster then Kagome!" Everyone fell anime style.

' The Ultimate Science and he uses it to avoid a 3 minute wait for ramen!' Sesshoumaru thought twitching 'What a glutton, he reminds me of father'

' My mate is simple minded glutton.' Thought Kagome. 'But I love him anyway.'

' My Sesshoumaru odviously all of their parents intelligence, and didn't leave any for Inuyasha.' Thought Reia.

'Inuyasha-Ojisan is more fun then my otu, but he really is an idoit.' Thought Rin.

" Where's Fut and Ago?" asked Kagome to change the subject.

" They're back at the castle, Jaken is babysitting." Said Reia.

Sesshoumaru's Castle

" AHHHHH!" Jaken screamed as he wigled in the chains that tied him to the table. Above him a giant ax blade swung back and forth, slowly making it's way down to him. The twins chuckled in the doorway.

Back at Kaede's Village

Akira walked around the village toward the bambo tree to hang his wish paper from. All the usual bullies stayed away from. They were terrorified of his sister which made him feared by assocation. He reached up and hung his wish on a branch.

' I want to become a great alchemist.'

Someone else reached up to hang their wish. To a normal eye, she looked human. Shoulder length brown hair, blue eyes, wearing a simple red kimono. But Akira could see through the illusion, the inu ears on her head hidden in her hair, the outline of a tail under her kimono and her scent. He took a glance at her wish paper.

' I want to become a great alchemist.'

"So you're an alchemist too."

" Yeah, that's right." She said.

" I'm Akari, I'm learning alchemy."

" I'm Michiko."

" Did you just move here? I haven't seen you around." He a hand behind her neck in an embarrased fashion. " But then my head usually in my alchemy book anyway." Michiko looked impressed.

" You're teaching youself alchemy?"

" Yeah, but I can't understand the whole thing." Michiko grabbed his hand.

" Let's see what you can do."

At the outskirits of the village

" And why are we back here?" Asked Souten.

" I have my reasons." Said Shippo.

" I bet you're going to check in with your oka, or your going to put a wish paper on the bambo tree. Both are childish." Said Souten. Shippo smirked and took out a piece of paper.

" Then what's this note written in your handwritting for?" Souten turned red.

' If that's what I think it is.' Souten lunged at him. " Give that back." Shippo turned the other side over to show that it was blank.

" HAHAHA! You should have seen your face Souten! But more importantly, your face told me you really DID make a wish for festival." Souten punched his arm.

" You tricked me!"

" Of course, I'm a fox, It's in my nature."

" Oni-chan, if you could stop flirting with Souten-onechan you would realize you've attracted a crowd!" Said Akemi smirking. The two teen demons realized a lot of children were gathered around them.

" Are you two in love?" asked one kid. The two blushed.

" NO!"

" Are you gonna kiss?" asked Another.

" NO!" Shippo grabbed Souten and poofed away to Inuyasha's forest. The inhabitants smelled their oldest pup and came out.

" Hey you two." Said Inuyasha.

Kagome handed Souten a package.

" What's this?" asked the Thunder Demon.

" Kazesune dropped it off, saying it was a present from Aya." Said the hanyou miko. Souten opened the package and saw a blue and white kimono with a big red obi.

" For the festival I assume?" asked the Thunder Demon.

" I guess so." Said Kagome. Shippo got a mental picture of his sensei and Aya smirking at him. " There's this note too."

Dear Souten,

Please wear this Kimono at the Tanabata festival. I worked really hard on it, just for you. I hope you like it.

P.S. You might find someone you like.

Aya

" Are they always like this?" Souten asked. Shippo hung his head.

" Every.Single.Time." Souten sighed and went to change into the Kimono.

" Have you told her yet?" Inuyasha whispered in Shippo's ear.

" OTUSAN!"

Souten stepped out. She was blushing slightly.

" Well?" She asked. Shippo's breath caught in his throat.

"Beautiful." He said. Souten blushed harder.

" Why don't you two go for a walk?" Kagome said as she practically pushed the two out the door. Souten and Shippo glanced at each other, looked away quickly then started walking.

Elsewhere in Inuyasha's forest

There were repeated flashes of light as Akira Michiko tried out their alchemy. They were currently making statues of earth, the contest was who could make them bigger and more detailed.

Akira created a half size model of his Otu, while Michiko created a statue of a nine tailed fox about the same size.

Akira grabbed several handfuls of grass, along with some red berries and created a grass quilt with red stripes. Michiko grabbed the moss off trees and used that and some red berries to make a green and red shirt.

" A lot of good that'll do, moss is really itchy." Said Akira.

" Grass isn't much better." said Michiko. " Can you make anything with air?" She asked.

" I never tried before." Said Akira.

They both drew their circles on their hands with berrie juice and pushed their hands against the air. The sloppy circles didn't last long and soon fell apart, so the only thing they made was a small shockwave.

Incidently in the direction of Akira's older brother.

Back with the love birds

Shippo and Souten were still walking silently. Then the shockwave hit and knocked Souten off her feet, right into Shippo. The Kitsune instinictivly caught Souten against his chest with his arms loosely around her. Souten looked up at him, causing their eyes to lock. Shippo tightend his hold on Souten and hugged her tightly. Souten's head came to rest on his shoulder.

" Souten...I've been wanting to tell that... I love you." Souten smiled and faced him.

" Shippo no baka, I love you too." and kissed him.

Kazesune and his family were watching through a crystal enchanted with fox fire.

" It's about time." He said.

One more chapter to go. RR