Author's Note: Since there have been so many requests for Kagome, I thought it best to reassure you all that she WILL eventually make an appearance. I just won't say how, when, or where. Keep your eyes open for some other familiar faces too. Also, someone told me that Kenshin's eyes are actually violet, not blue. But since I've already started with that description, I'm going to keep with the blue eyes.

Chapter 7: The Hand of the Spider

"Hold on a minute, how old did you say you were again?" Sanosuke, Yahiko, Kaoru, and Kenshin gaped at the raven-haired fox girl.

"I'm eighty-one," Sango said.

"You're older than me?" Sanosuke sputtered. Shippo calmly took a sip of tea as Jaken answered him.

"Youkai age differently than humans. Yes, Sango is older than you. But in youkai years she's about Yahiko's age."

"Really?" Kaoru asked. She and the others looked back and forth between the two children before a sly look crossed Sanosuke's face.

The former fighter for hire bent down next to Yahiko's ear and made sure that he whispered loud enough for everyone else to hear.

"She's too old for you Yahiko, I think you'd better stick with Tsubame."

Shippo nearly choked on his tea after the boy slugged Sanosuke. He knew he shouldn't be laughing, but the boy's expression was priceless. His face had turned a deep red and he was actually acting very much like an embarrassed Inuyasha.

Sango also felt a blush creep up on her cheeks. She didn't say anything to avoid further embarrassment to Yahiko, but she couldn't help but shake her head. Yahiko was now yelling at Shippo to shut up while Sanosuke continued to taunt the boy. Sometimes her father could be so embarrassing. Although nothing could be as embarrassing as the time he had 'borrowed' certain undergarments of Inuyasha's and strung them out from the lookout tower at home. Her father had even waited to do it until Kouga and some of the other youkai lords were there for a meeting. He'd claimed Inuyasha had it coming to him, but the enraged hanyou seemed to have been of a different viewpoint. Inuyasha had chased the kitsune for at least ten miles before they'd gotten into a battle royal.

Kaoru cleared her throat to get their attention. When that didn't work, she resorted to yelling at them. The three immediately shut up, with Shippo actually shrinking back slightly. She wasn't that frightening, was she?

"Could we continue please?" she asked sweetly. Shippo gave her a wary look before replying.

"Of course." But before the kitsune could fully launch into an explanation, he snapped his attention to the door. "There's someone here," he said. A human woman by the smell of it. A woman with long dark hair walked into the room and gasped.

"Sir Ken? What is this?"

"It's a long story Miss Megumi, that it is."

So introductions were given before Kaoru launched into a retelling of the events of that morning. Shippo heard Sanosuke mutter 'Fox Lady' under his breath and he gave him a curious look.

"Fox Lady?" he asked. Sanosuke looked at him with surprise before chuckling.

"I forgot about your hearing. Megumi's nickname is the Fox Lady."

"Fox Lady? Why do you call her that? Does she have kitsune blood?" Sano raised an eyebrow at that before remarking dryly.

"I seriously doubt it."

"Then why the name?"

"You'll see."

Shippo eyed the newcomer curiously as he wondered what Sanosuke meant. Takani Megumi meanwhile was staring wide-eyed at the three youkai as Kaoru finished up her story. The kitsune was about to comment when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked over to see Yahiko grinning up at him. The fox bent down to his level so that the boy could whisper in his ear.

"Sanosuke and Megumi may not act like it, but they're really in love," Yahiko whispered.

"What're you two saying?" Sano grumbled.

"They'll both deny it if you ask them though," Yahiko added.

"I see," Shippo said.

"What do you see?" Sano asked again, mildly irritated.

"That you're an idiot."

"Shut up you stupid fox!"

Kaoru yelled at them again, much to the amusement of Jaken. The kitsune could easily defeat everyone in the room, with perhaps the exception of Sesshoumaru, yet he cowered back when an angry human female yelled at him. Of course, he had to admit, Kaoru was a rather frightening human when angry, much like Sango and Kagome had been.

Shippo took a sip of tea as he considered where to begin. He decided to begin with the moment he had first met Kagome, Inuyasha, and Miroku after his father's death. It was probably best to tell them everything.

The kitsune told them about Sango, Naraku, Kikyo, and the Shikon jewel. He told them everything, including their encounters with Sesshoumaru. Jaken would usually interrupt to add something whenever he came to the topic of Sesshoumaru. Everyone listened with rapt attention as the fox continued his story, although he noticed that Kenshin gripped his sword every time the story came to the dog youkai.

When they had come to the parts about Rin, Jaken found that Kenshin's gaze would slip to the two little girls dozing off next to him. Perhaps these children somehow remind him of Rin? Jaken thought to himself.

After a long while later, Shippo drained another cup of tea to soothe his dry throat. They had finally come to the part of Sesshoumaru's death.

"And?" Kaoru asked.

"And Sesshoumaru fought with us, sort of. He could never admit to actually being on the same side as Inuyasha, but they did fight together. That was pretty amazing in its self. Both of them were so prideful that they wouldn't allow the other to interfere until they had absolutely no choice but to work together."

"What happened though?" Megumi asked. Shippo briefly closed his eyes as he remembered. The events of all those years ago were still fresh in his mind.

"Naraku had all of the Sacred jewel fragments, except for one. He was unbelievably powerful. I think Sesshoumaru was even surprised at his strength. Naraku had torn Kikyo's clay body to shred, but not before she had transferred her soul back into Kagome's body. This actually turned out to be a good thing. Between the two of them, each had been a very powerful priestess. But now that their souls had been reunited into one body, Kagome's power was amazing. She was actually able to use her spiritual powers to purify Naraku's soul much in the same way that Midoriko was said to have been able to do."

"So Kagome's the one that defeated Naraku?"

"Not by herself, no. It took all of us working together, especially Inuyasha. He used the Tetsusaiga to deliver the killing blow."

"So," Kenshin finally said as all eyes turned to him. "How…how did Sesshoumaru die then?" Jaken and Shippo both gave him a considering look before the kitsune continued.

"Before Kikyo had lost her body, Naraku had pulled her soul collectors into his body. His miasma poisoned and twisted them into a single, dangerous creature that he had released as his final incarnation. The creature attacked Sesshoumaru and they battled hard while the others took on Naraku. He did finally kill it, but at a cost that not even the Tenseiga could protect him from. Just as Sesshoumaru killed Naraku's creature, it bit out his soul. Miroku was able to contain it and place it back into his body, but he was already dead."

Silence enveloped the group as they looked at Kenshin out of the corner of their eyes. Kenshin stared at his hands for a long time as he thought about it. He felt a dull pain in his chest as he imagined his soul being ripped out. The thought was horrifying. Finally, though, he looked up at the two oldest youkai.

"What happened next?" he asked softly. Kaoru placed a supportive hand on his arm as Shippo rubbed his forehead absentmindedly before answering.

"With Naraku's death, Kagome placed the last shard into the Shikon jewel. With the jewel whole again, it was able to grant a wish. Inuyasha had always wanted to become a full blooded youkai, but now he had no desire to do so. Sesshoumaru's soul was so torn up that it was in danger of disintegrating. Meaning that if nothing had been done, his soul would have suffered an eternal death. With persuading, Inuyasha used the jewel to save his brother's soul. The Shikon jewel was absorbed into Sesshoumaru's soul before it disappeared…waiting to be reborn."

With that, Shippo looked at Kenshin. The swordsman sat very still for a very long time before he finally spoke again.

"I have the Shikon jewel inside of me?"

"I suppose in a way you do. It combined with your soul, but it is not in the same form as before. The Shikon jewel was destroyed with the wish, but part of its essence was used to save your soul. So in a way, yes, I do suppose that some part of the Sacred jewel is inside of you."

"But wasn't the Sacred jewel a combination of Midoriko's soul and the youkai souls?"

"Yes and Kaede said that her soul was freed when the jewel was destroyed. She had finally beaten the youkai souls and purified them."

"So what happened to the youkai souls that she purified?" Yahiko asked. Shippo gave Kenshin an intent look.

"That is the essence of the Sacred jewel that was used to keep your soul from disintegrating, Himura Kenshin."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Myouga cowered as Inuyasha loomed over him.

"My Lord! I have a perfectly good explanation for…" Bam. Inuyasha flattened him with a hit. The flea yelped, but managed to stand back up.

"But Lord Inuyasha!"

"Save it!" Bam. Myouga was flattened again. If only Lady Kagome was here, then she could sit him! The flea youkai sat up with a groan and rubbed his sore head. Inuyasha was definitely in a bad mood.

"Father!" Amaya finally yelled. Inuyasha found his daughter's golden eyes glaring at him. He didn't know if she got that from him or Kagome. The hanyou crossed his arms and gave a low growl, but he left Myouga alone.

Myouga silently thanked Amaya. She usually took more after Inuyasha than her younger brother had, but she was still her mother's daughter. He watched as the hanyou closed his eyes for a moment before addressing him again.

"Myouga."

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Shippo's found Sesshoumaru's reincarnation in Edo. You know what that means."

Myouga found his thoughts drifting back to the events that had happened nearly three years after Naraku's death. So it was finally time.

"Yes I do, my Lord."

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Kenshin sat quietly under a tree as the day faded into night. A gush of wind caused a flurry of cherry blossoms to swirl around his head. The faint sound of cicadas could already be heard in the gathering dusk.

Megumi was inside making supper. Kenshin was going to do it so they wouldn't have to suffer through Kaoru's cooking. He needed something to take his mind off the day. But Megumi had brandished a pan at Kenshin and chased him out of the kitchen with Yahiko's help. So much for that idea. Now he was sitting in the fading light and staring at cherry blossoms.

A soft sound reached his ears as he sensed the approach. It was the youkai named Jaken.

"My Lord?" Jaken asked softly. He stood a respective distance as he waited for an answer. He saw the human's head turn in his direction. Blue eyes studied him for a long moment before he looked away. Jaken sighed.

"I'm not a lord," Kenshin said. Jaken looked up and took a tentative step forward.

"But you were. You were Lord Sesshoumaru."

"But I'm not him anymore. My name is Himura Kenshin, that it is."

His words were said firmly, but not unkindly. Encouraged, Jaken took a few bold steps until he was nearly two meters away.

"Lord Sesshoumaru was a good man. He was very good to Rin and I. I was very honored to have served him." This caused Kenshin to finally look at him.

"A good man? From the sounds of it, he was a very cold man, that he was." Like the Battousai.

Jaken took another step forward. Kenshin blinked as he suddenly realized what the youkai was doing.

"You do not need to fear me, Mister Jaken. You may sit if you wish."

Jaken took the opportunity to sit next to the red-haired human. He studied the cross-shaped scar on his face for a moment before continuing.

"You are right, Lord Sesshoumaru was what you might call a cold man. But he wasn't unfeeling either. He was just a logical manwho didn't believe in showing his emotion. That doesn't mean he didn't care about anything though. He protected Rin and I from death numerous times. The fact that he cared enough to save a human child on more than one occasion should tell you something."

Kenshin was silent for a time as he and Jaken watched the cherry blossoms.

"What happened to Rin?" Kenshin finally asked. Jaken looked up at him, but he was still watching the falling blossoms.

"She married Kohaku after they grew up. They lived near the well close to Miroku and Sango. Rin had a peaceful life in the village." Jaken saw a slight smile appear on Kenshin's face, but he didn't seem aware of it.

"I'm glad," he finally said. "For someone so young to live through such violent times, I am glad her life became so peaceful, that I am."

"Rin missed you terribly, my Lord. She thought of you as a father."

A troubled looked briefly crossed Kenshin's face, but he again didn't seem aware of it.

"Please don't call me a Lord, Jaken."

"I'm sorry, my Lord."

Kenshin sighed. Apparently it wasn't going to be so easy to break him of that.

"Jaken, why did you and Shippo bother to find me? Does it really matter if I know about what happened?"

Jaken started to answer when Kenshin bolted up. The friendly aura around him cooled suddenly and Jaken took a step back at the narrowed look in Kenshin's eyes. His hand quickly unsheathed his sword as his other hand grabbed Jaken.

The youkai felt a firm hand grab his collar as the human jumped out from under the tree. Before Jaken could puzzle at this, a sudden explosion rent the air as the cherry tree split in two. Kenshin landed a good distance away and pushed Jaken behind him. An instant later, Shippo was at his side. The kitsune had sensed the danger and had made his way over to Kenshin before Sanosuke and the others could begin to react.

Together, the three of them stared at the two strange youkai that had attacked Kenshin. The smaller one pointed a clawed hand at the human as his red eyes glowed in the growing darkness.

"We are the Hand of the Spider. We've come for the human and his swords."