Authors Note: I'd just like to wish everyone a happy fourth of July! Yes, I know its only the second but I doubt I'll update this again before the fourth so yeah. Happy Independence Day!
Last Time:
Hiei had mentioned killing btoh Naraku and InuYasha. Kagome was bothered by this and decided to talk to him about it later. George tracked down Kouga for everyone and told them that he was in the mountains as usual and that he would let them know if Kouga's location changed. Everyone set off for the mountains and with Kagome riding her bike and the others running along behind her it would took them a day or two to reach their destination.
Now:
Everyone had been traveling for quite some time and as as soon as night fell they decided to make camp in a clearing nearby. Yusuke and Kuwabara went to go get firewood and Kurama had gone to find some berries for them to eat since Kagome didn't have very much ramen left. He knew more about plants than anyone else in the group and he could easily tell which ones were poisonous and which ones were edible. This left Hiei and Kagome alone. Hiei was sitting up in a tree as usual while Kagome was sitting on the ground. "Hiei, could you come down here, please. There's something I want to talk to you about." Kagome called up. For a moment nothing happened and then Hiei jumped down from the tree and sat down next to Kagome.
"What is it?" Hiei asked.
"Well, it's about what you said earlier today. About killing Naraku AND InuYasha." Kagome started.
"Hn, don't tell me you still have feelings for him." Hiei said a bit angrily.
"No, I don't, Kagome said quickly, but he is still a good friend. I am mad at him, and I don't think what he chose to do was right, but he wasn't cruel to me. All my feelings for him as anything more as a friend are gone, but you have to understand that he is still a good friend. I may not be happy with him right now, but I don't want him dead." Kagome stopped and looked at Hiei, hoping he would understand. It wasn't an easy thing to explain without making it seem like she still had feelings for him. She hoped Hiei wouldn't take it the wrong way.
"I guess I understand." Hiei said with a slow nod after a few minutes had passed.
"Thanks, Hiei." Kagome said gratefully and gave Hiei a kiss on the cheek. Just seconds after that Kurama emerged from the forest holding Kagome's backpack which was now full of delicious looking berries.
"Are Yusuke and Kuwabara back yet?" Kurama asked casually with a glint of mischief in his eye. Before Kagome could answer him Hiei answered first.
"Don't play dumb, fox, how long were you hiding in the trees for?" Hiei said coldly. He didn't need his Jagan eye to tell him Kurama had been spying on them. Hiei knew Kurama well enough to know that he had probably seen the two of them talking and didn't want to interrupt, but the main reason he had hid among the trees and spied on them was because his curiosity had gotten the better of him.
"Long enough." Kurama answered with a slight grin that told Hiei that he had been standing there for quite awhile. Hiei gave him a glare but said nothing. The three of them started eating some berries to hold them over until Yusuke and Kuwabara came back and Kagome could cook the ramen. When they did get back they ate the rest of the berries and the last of Kagome's ramen. Then they all fell asleep except for a certain rose whip wielding fox demon.
Although the others knew Kurama was not really a fifteen year old human boy, but a fox demon who was hundreds of years old, it was easy for them to forget just how old he really was. He had been alive during the time of the Fuedal Era and he remembered hearing a little about Naraku. Back in the Fuedal Era King Enma had not yet established the gate that seperated the demon world from the human world and so demons would sometimes escape their world and go to the human world to terrorize and steal from the humans. He had heard about a spider demon named Naraku who had gained quite a bit of power in the human world. While most of the humans had never heard of him, most of the demons that caused problems for them were ordered by Naraku to do so. Rumor had it that Naraku had been after the Shikon no Tama, a sacred jewel that gave the holder one wish. He too had heard of the jewel and at that time was considering trying to steal it. He heard that Naraku had never successfuly gotten the jewel for whatever reason and that he was eventually killed by a dog demon, a monk, a human girl, a demon slayer, and a small fox demon cub.
Kurama lay awake puzzling over the mysteries of time. At first he wondered if the Naraku they were facing was a reincarnation of the one he had heard about when he was a demon, but then he remembered that the story said that he had been defeated by a dog demon, a small fox cub, a demon slayer, a monk, and the reincarnation of the priestess who used to guard the jewel. That description certainly matched InuYasha, Shippo, Sango, Miroku, and Kagome. Kagome would remember defeating him before though. But how many groups of dog demons, demon slayers, fox demon cubs, monks, and human girls could there possibly be? This must be some kind of problem that has to deal with time. He thought. But what had happened that was altering the threads of time? Why wasn't Naraku dead? Why weren't things happening the way they had in the before? Unless-
Kurama sat up and his eyes widened. He sensed something was wrong. He looked around to make sure everyone was all right. Yusuke and Kuwabara were snoring loudly, Kagome was sleeping peacefully, and he could make out the shape of Hiei sleeping in the trees. Scratch that. Hiei hadn't been sleeping, but sitting up. Kurama knew this because seconds after he had looked up into the tree Hiei had jumped down and landed right in front of him.
"So you sense it too, Kurama?" Hiei asked.
"Yes." Kurama said. At this moment Yusuke woke up. He stood up and stretched his arms.
"Aw guys, I'm hurt. You decided to have a late night pajama party and you didn't invite me." Yusuke said jokingly with no attempt to keep his voice down. Yusuke's talking woke Kuwabara up. He apparently had not been having a very good dream. He bolted up and looked around for a moment until he spotted his fellow spirit detectives awake and talking. He walked over to them.
"Hey guys, what's goin on? Why are you up so late? Kuwabara asked tiredly. Suddenly, he shivered. "You guys, I just got the tickle feeling again. There's a demon nearby."
"We're well aware of that. Kurama and I sense a powerful demon aura nearby as well. And keep your voices down or you'll wake Kagome." Hiei said glancing quickly at Kagome to make sure she was still sound asleep.
"What's your problem, Shorty? Afraid I'll wake your girlfriend?" Kuwabara asked annoyedly. It took Hiei a moment to respond to this. He and Kagome were in love, but he wasn't quite ready to admit that to anyone else yet.
"Hn, if you would just use that miniscule object inside your thick skull and keep your voice down I wouldn't have to tell you to be quieter, you pastry-haired idiot." Hiei said coldly. (A/N: If you look at Kuwabara's hair it's shaped kinda like a pastry so that's why I have Hiei calling him a pastry-haired idiot)
"What's going on?" Kagome asked tiredly. She was standing up and running her fingers through her hair. The others had obviously woken her up. Hiei wondered how much she had heard. Before anyone could explain everything to Kagome her eyes widened as she stared at something behind the others. The spirit detectives turned around to see-
And that's where I'm ending it. Sorry the chapters have been pretty short but at least I update right:glances nervously at the angry readers: Erm well anyway I'm also sorry for taking my sweet time on updating this again. Hopefully it won't take me this long to update again but I have two other fics that I'm working on right now and I can't just forget about those. Excuses, excuses, right? Well anyway have a happy fourth of July and don't hurt yourself while ighting off those fireworks!
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