Disclaimers Notice: Maybe...yes...n-n-no...um...possibly???
Authors Beginning Note: Okay, this chapter is being posted late (my many apologies to those of you who have been waiting so patiently for me to update), and so will my next one (which probably won't be posted until next Thursday (the 12th) or Friday (the 13th)), because I am going on a vacation trip. So, this chapter is going to be quite long, to hopefully make up for it. Again, my many apologies.
Shout it outs!
Animefreak808- he he, ya, he's going to go disguised, wait till you find out exactly as what.
Chapter 42
Of incognito and Lessons
"Well, aren't you going to come out?" Shippo called. Inuyasha was in a back room of a store, trying on disguises that the storeowner had helped with gladly. It of course took a little convincing.
Flashing backwards
"Hey Masuyo!" Shippo and the store owner; Masuyo; had become good friends during the boring week.
Masuyo owned a shop of many interesting, and sometimes disgusting things. Odd things like, kelpies hands, newt, petrified eyeballs, sword dust. Mystical things like demon wards, masking spells, scrying charms, wishing rocks, ancient magic coins, mirrors that you could look into and your reflection was never the same. Not everything was so weird though, he had a collection of swords, thousands of cheap reliable arrows, warriors clothing, everyday clothing, harps, lutes, spoons, pestles, bowls, cups, and more. Masuyo was defiantly renowned to have everything your looking for that other shops didn't carry.
"Hello Shippo, who's your friend?"
"This is Inuyasha. He needs a disguise."
"Ah, so you have come to buy something. Well, I'm sure we can find just the thing. What might you be looking for?"
"Actually, we don't have any money."
"Shippo, Shippo, I do not give my things away. If you want something, you'll have to pay in coin."
"But! It's for a good cause!"
"It does not matter, no cause can be good enough..."
"Please! He needs to disguise himself so he can be with the one he loves! She is in great danger and he must go to protect her!"
"Hey! Wait a mummph fiffn smmfinph!" Inuyasha's angry words of denial were drowned out as Shippo clamped his paws over his mouth.
The storeowner was not paying attention however, for he had tears in his eyes and a dreamy, starry look to him.
"Ah! Then it is a quest for that of thine own true love. A mission of undoubted danger, and chances of living to tell of it scarce; all for the sake of the woman who holds your heart. I will do it!" He yelled with glad triumph, like someone who thought themselves suddenly flung in a tragic but wonderfully written tale (I guess this is one, ne?) and their destined purpose is to make sure these two star-crossed lovers meet.
Flashing to the present time, 3 hours later
"No. I'm not coming out looking like this."
"But, sir, you must! Daylight is only but 5 hours away, and we still have much to do!" cried the storeowner pleadingly. Inuyasha grumbled, but finally the door slid open, and there stood Inuyasha, dressed as a Miko with the traditional red pants that tied at the waist in a red bow, loose white shirt with the billowing sleeves, parted mitten socks, and the wooden clacking sandals. His arms crossed, and his stance spoke of complete humiliation and anger.
"If you tell anyone, ANYONE! That I did this, I will personally hunt and kill both of you on the spot." He growled. Shippo laughed his head off, while Masuyo looked criticizingly at him.
"Hmm, he does not have the breasts, it might " He said, and then a flash of an idea came to him. Inuyasha took a great gulp, dreading what was to come next.
Before long, Inuyasha found two small pillows smooshed on his chiseled manly chest, disguised and held by white wrapping cloth strips normally used by woman in that age in place of a sports bra. He gulped and grumbled, whining and swearing. The whole thing was practically blown way out of proportion.
"Why can't I just be flat chested!"
"No, we will make you look like a mature pretty young woman."
"I'm not hearing this, I'm not hearing this..."
"Inuyasha! Quite you're whining! It's for Kagome! Remember!" Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, but he said no more.
"Now, we must tie back your hair."
"Like hell I do. I ain't doin nothing to my hair." Shippo and Masuyo got an evil glint to their eye.
We now see a comatose Inuyasha, laying in a chair, getting his hair nicely washed, combed, and finally, tied back at the nape of his neck.
The night wore on, making final preparations for Inuyasha, but, by the time they were done, Inuyasha looked completely unrecognizable, in his beautiful womanly form. Tetsusaiga was worn at her...um...his hip disguised as a more feminine sword, and on his shoulder he wore his bag with his regular clothes, a long slender bow, and a quiver with swirly vine like designs on it, filled to it's full capacity with arrows. The rosary looked conspicuous, but not completely noticeably, and the locket he wore under his shirt was unnoticeable. All in all, no one would recognize him, except...
"Oh no! We forgot! His ears! There aren't any Hanyou Miko's!" Masuyo's eyes glittered with knowledge.
"Not to worry, I have prepared for this." He went in one of the back rooms and disappeared. Sounds of things falling, being shuffled, kicked, and shoved could be heard. Finally the man came out holding a delicately carved box and opened it to reveal a satin lined inside that held a necklace. He pulled it out and the disk on the golden chain shone brightly.
"Put this on."
"What?"
"Put it on."
"Oh no, I already have two too many necklaces to where, I don't need..." Shippo stepped on Inuyasha's foot, really hard.
"Inuyasha! Quite being a baby!"
"Shippo, grow out of your diapers."
"Just put the necklace on!"
"Why don't you?"
"Fine, I will." Shippo grabbed the necklace and put it on. At first nothing. Then the medallion flashed a golden light and there stood for all to see, a human looking Shippo.
"What in seven hells?!"
"It is a charm necklace that many a demon have wore in the past. It was designed strategically to disguise any demon as human." Shippo stood on human feet and examine his human looking hands. Turning about, he examined the air that should be his tail and felt his rounded looking ears.
"But, I can still feel my pointy ears, and move my tail." Shippo said quizzically.
"He said, disguised, you dummy. Not actually turn into one." Inuyasha emphasized.
"Okay, your turn." Shippo said taking off the necklace. In an instant he was his usual self. Inuyasha looked at the thing and hesitantly put it on. In a flash of gold, he looked perfectly human. His claws had shrunk to become normal nails, his ears looked no longer to be twitching little triangles, his hair was black, and his eyes were a chocolate violet. All in all, he looked human, and feminine.
Outside, roosters could be heard crowing, awaking all and alerting them to the day's time.
"Ah. The time has come for you to go." Shippo jumped up on Inuyasha's shoulder.
"Mush!"
"What do you mean mush? You're staying."
"No, I am not!"
"Yes, you are."
"No, I am not! I am going, and that's final." In a moment's time of magic, Shippo dropped a huge, heavy, black statue on Inuyasha and placed a small scroll on it.
"Hey! Wait a minute!"
"You are going to take me, or you're not going either!" Inuyasha glared, and then stuck his nose up in the air.
"Feh." Shippo nodded and the thing was gone. Shippo placed himself by Inuyasha's quiver and disguised himself as an arrow.
"Now go. The Miko's are sure to be leaving any moment." Masuyo shoved the both of them out into the morning light and into the growing crowd of holy people, archers, and a few demons. Uneasily, Inuyasha maneuvered himself to walk without fidgeting.
This is going to be one hell of a long day.
I wish Inuyasha were here. I really wish Inuyasha were here. Normally, if I wasn't awake enough by now, he'd carry me on his back, and I'd get a few more hours of sleep. I really, really wish Inuyasha were here...
Kagome yawned and her eyes were still droopy. The night had worn on to seem more like decades, and she was barely able to sleep. She kept tossing and turning. Her mind kept going back and forth. The option to stay behind kept bothering her, and so had her abrupt, if not frosty good byes.
Her morning was going too fast for her. Keio had woken her before the sun rose, only to get smacked (poor Keio) by a still sleeping Kagome. After finally being dragged out of bed, and dressed into her school clothes she packed her things, even the unopened packages that Inuyasha had given her, wanting a quiet moment of her own to open them in.
Then her, Miyako, Keio (one of the very few males to travel with them) and the other Miko's began their travels first, with the monks a few hours at their tails.
"Kagome, here." Keio handed her a small folded cloth. She unraveled it, and stared at the piece of warm bread, cheese, and two small slices of bacon.
Well, it's a good thing I packed a few things of Ramen, and granola bars, and jerky sticks, chips, soda warm but still good, soy nuts, chex mix, poci, and...well. I haven't hardly touched any of the food mom sent me with. That's a lot of food when I think about it.
"Kagome." Her head snapped to attention. She hadn't even realized that while deep in her thoughts, she had already eaten her breakfast. She also hadn't noticed Miyako trying to get her attention.
"Um...sorry."
"Kagome, you must pay attention. What if we were to suddenly be attacked by some of Naraku's strongest demons?" She shook her head and Kagome blushed.
"I want to see what you can do. See what the limits of your ability is, and it's endurance."
"Um. Okay, but how are we going to shoot arrows..." Miyako shook her head.
"Not with arrows. With this." She handed Kagome a smooth polished amber rock.
"Um. What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Hold it in the air for as long as you can."
"Like this?" Kagome raised her hand in the air holding the rock. A few priestesses nearby laughed, but said nothing. Kagome blushed as she put her hand back at her side.
"Than how?"
"Like this." Miyako looked at the rock with a level gaze, and a purple blue light surrounded the rock as it lifted into the air. The rock moved in circles and flew around, but then finally made it's descent into Kagome's palm.
"Concentrate your power on the rock."
Okay, you can do this. Just concentrate, like with your arrows...only with a rock.
Kagome glared at the thing for all it was worth. Finally, a small purple glow began to fill it and then...it exploded. Miyako laughed at this, her laugh soft and pleasant, but still lightly sprinkled with cold.
"You know, I think that's the first time I've seen that happen."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." Miyako shook her head.
"You have a lot of power, but it is uncontrolled and lacks the proper taming. This is very dangerous. Keade must have overlooked this. No doubt though, you were taught well in the healings of injuries."
"She thought I was doing well on my own. And yes, she taught me a lot about herbs and things." Miyako nodded.
"Kagome, a Miko's power is deadly when not properly trained. There are many rules to it. This power is not just a toy, it is a gift meant to be used wisely. It comes with a cost though, it is not free."
"You mean...there are rules?"
"That is exactly what I mean. One of them being that you must know your own limit. If you use too much of your power at once, you will leave yourself too exhausted for anything else, or worse, kill yourself." Kagome gasped.
"It is not quite uncommon as you think. I have seen it happen to many people."
"How do I know what's my limit?" Miyako sighed.
"So much to teach you, in just two weeks! Keio."
"Yes Priestess Miyako?"
"I want you to borrow a horse from someone. Pay them if it will make them happy. I'll have you sleep."
"But I feel well rested."
"You will be teaching Kagome meditational methods in the evenings and part of the night, among other things that I will instruct you."
"As you wish." He nodded and disappeared in the great thicket of red and white.
"Wait, part of the night!"
"Do not worry, I will make sure you get plenty of sleep." Kagome nodded.
Oh no. Just what I need, less sleep. Ugg. I thought this was going to be something interesting and fun. I know, just think of it as cramming for a test. That's it. There's a positive look at it. A test. I'm sure if I try, I'll ace it!
"And another thing, distance affects the amount of energy required to do something like..." Miyako went on to explain some of the more vital and more intricate rules that Kagome needed to remember.
Authors Endign Note: All things that are important, are said in the beggining note