Hey guys! I'm back! Well I was never really gone in the first place....or maybe I always have been? Oh, whatever. Anyway, I'm finally updating and if you've been on lately you'd know I've been trying to update all my fics, at least the ones that haven't been updated recently or newly written. Anway this chapter is about a year after Kagome meets Shuichi and Yusuke. Some of you have been complaining about wanting them to grow up faster and I'm sorry it is taking so long but I'm having fun with them as chibis. And incidentally I did say this was about them growing up together, not meeting one day when they're five and then skipping twn years. I want them to have a solid friendship and that is why it is taking so long! Anyway, that is all for now! Please enjoy.
Chapter 6
One year later
"Hey, Kagome, can we talk?" A soft, gentlevoice whispered.
Kagome opened her bleary eyes to view her regular bed fellow of the last year. Shuichi Minaminolay sitting up slightly against her head board with a serious contemplative look on his face, one which shouldn't have been present on one so young. Kagome immediately became worried that something was wrong. Shuichi hadn't been so depressed or thoughfulsince the first few days of their early friendship.
Sitting up she rubbed her eyes and then turned her wide blue orbs onto his face, searching it for what ever could be ailing him. But with Shuichi, most times it was hard to tell because he his so much. "Yeah, Fox, what's up? Is something the matter?" she whispered.
"Do you remember last year when I passed out after seeing your room?" He asked seriously, not looking at her, eyes never blinking, staring ahead as if in a trance.
Kagome's eyes widened and she stiffened. What brought this on? Never before had Shuichi brought up his experience, even after Kagome had told him the truth about what she was and that there really were demons in exhistence. She wondered why he would choose now to bring it up. It just have been bothering him for a long time. "Yes?" she asked timidly. "I remember. Fox, what's the matter?" she asked again.
"I think something's wrong with me," came Shuichi's blunt statement.
"What do you mean?" Kagome took his hand into her own and rubbed it soothingly. "Whatever it is, you can tell me," she assured him. She crept towards him until she was kneeling right by his side.
"Well," Shuichi began but stopped. He could feel her gentle eyes searching his face, but for the life of him he didn't know how to talk about this. He didn't know how to explain to her what he had been seeing, hearing, tasting, experiencing. Far off places, exotic animals and birds he'd never known existed. One part of him wondered if she would think him crazy? The other part, a much darker part, wondered if she already knew.
"I've been having these strange…dreams, I guess you could call them. Only they seem more…."
"Real?" Kagome finished, understanding where this was going. She understood a little bit. It seemed Shuichi was finally coming into his power. The demon in him was slowly taking control.
"Yes," he whispered looking down. Kagome took a minute to get her thoughts straight, before glancing back at him. Maybe it was time she told him what he was. The only problem was, would he be mad at her when he found out the truth? Would he think she betrayed him by not telling him immediately that first day?
Taking a deep breath and another long look at his slouched frame and upset eyes, she knew it was time. "Shuichi," she started. He remained staring at his lap. "Shuichi look at me, I think there's something you should know." His head shot up and he stared into her eyes. "Shuichi I don't know how to tell you this, but, you're…not human, well not technically. I mean you are human, but you're not, um, oh how do I explain this?"
She stopped her rambling when she realized Shuichi had his head bowed and he was….shaking…with laughter? Kagome became frantic as Shuichi began laughing so hard he was crying. The laughing in turn evolved into large wails of tears, as he finally let go all that he had been holding back since realizing there was something different about him. "Shuichi, I'm sorry, I should have told you earlier, I-."
"Then you knew," he suddenly interrupted her, his eyes imploring her to explain.
"Well, I-."
"You knew and you didn't tell me," he accused almost harshly.
"Yes, but I only wanted to-."
"How could you not tell me something like this? I don't even know what I am and yet you've known for a whole year? All this time," Shuichi choked back tears. "All this time I thought I was going insane. That voice; oh kami his voice haunts me."
Kagome was shocked and before she knew it, she was crying too. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Fox. I wanted to wait until you brought it up. I always wanted you to know. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she cried. Kagome turned from him and buried her head in her pillow and began balling. She stayed that way until she felt a tentative hand brush against her face. She turned over and met Shuichi's own tear-stained face which mirrored her own. Without a word he opened his arms and she fell into his embrace and the two chibis cried for a good hour in each other's comforting arms until they both had no more tears to shed.
Kagome lay there an hour later, Shuichi brushing her hair lightly as the last few vestiges of tears left her face, only to leave trails upon their wake.
"Fox?" she whispered tiredly.
"Yes, Kagome?" he whispered back.
"Are…you mad at me?" she asked tentatively.
He sighed and pulled her tighter against his little body. "No, it's not that. I'm just…scared and confused. I want to know what's going on. I feel different somehow. I've always felt different from other people….but now I feel it almost every day."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just thought it would be best not to talk about it until you were ready," she apologize.
"It's okay."
They lay there for awhile until Kagome slowly came to a realization. "Wait, you said a voice talks to you?" she asked suddenly.
Shuichi sighed, again before answering. "Yes. At first it was just little things, stray comments and glimpses of someone I could never really see clearly. And then over the past year, he's grown…stronger."
"Hmm," Kagome murmured. "I've never heard of that happening before. I mean, I knew you were a demon, but that you were human also. At first I thought you might be a hanyou, a half-breed, but your aura is clearly demon. It's like your soul is demon, yet stuck in the body of a ningen."
"So what do you suggest I do?" he asked.
"Well, Fox, to be honest, have you ever really listened to whatever he was saying?" When he met her eyes she explain, "I mean, when you first started hearing him, you blocked him out right; you wouldn't allow him to explain, only forcing yourself to think you were imagining it?"
He looked a bit sheepish when nodding.
"Well, I think that maybe it's time you started listening. He's obviously beentrying to tell you something and up till now you've not done very well in that department." Kagome frowned before saying, "Jee, Fox, for someone so smart in the brains, you sure can act rather dumb."
"Hey," he protested half-heartedly before chuckling.
Suddenly she shot up in bed, startling Shuichi. "Hey wait, I think I know a way of helping you figure this all out."
For a moment Shuichi's hand stilled and he glanced down at her, curiosity in his eyes. "How?" he asked.
"Well, I am a demon, I do have some powers, you know," she stated haughtily causing him to chuckle a little bit. "And two of them happen to be telekinesis and telepathy."
"So how can that help?" Shuichi asked.
"Well, if you agree to it, and you might not because it's kind of risky, but after you fall asleep, I can go into your mind."
"How is that going to help?"
"Well, to be honest I'm not sure it can, but you did say that when you dream, you dream of strange things, things you've never seen here before, right? And if I had to make a guess, you've probably also seen whoever is doing this to you."
"I guess…"
"So, maybe I can look around and see what you're dreaming about. Maybe even catch a glimpse of the voice you say you're hearing," she finished. Shuichi lay there, a small contemplative frown on his little chibi features. Finally he looked up and slowly nodded.
"Okay, I am willing to let you try it. I want to know who and what is causing this," he decided.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "It can be pretty risky; going into another's person's mind isn't exactly a walk in the park. It's very tiring and energy draining."
His eyes snapped to hers a dangerous gleam in his emerald eyes. "Will you get hurt?"
She smiled gently. "No, not really. I'll just need some time to rest because it takes a lot of my energy to do it," she assured him.
"Then let's go for it and see what happens," he concluded.
"All right." Kagome sat there, watching over Shuichi as his breathing evened out and he fell into a light sleep. She began whispering softly to him so he would go into an even deeper sleep so he would be in a state where she could enter his mind. She knew it was risky, but if it worked, maybe Shuichi could finally know what he was and be happy. When she was satisfied that he was totally under, Kagome closed her eyes and allowed her body to fall into a light trance. First she lay flat on her back and steadied her breathing until it was the same pattern as his. Next she expanded her energy until it matched perfectly with Shuichi's. And, as she fell into her light trance, Kagome smiled as she felt her mind stretch and reach out for an opening in Shuichi's brain waves. There it was, her mind tapped it gently and within second she was standing in complete white.
When Shuichi opened his eyes again,he was not in Kagome's room. Instead, like all his dreams started out, he was standing in a blank room, surrounded by white walls. But Shuichi knew it would only take a matter ofmoments before the scene would shift, and sure enough when he blinked again, he found himself standing in a jungle area complete with wild flowers and strange exotic sounds.
Hearing a gasp behind him, Shuichi swung around and came face to face with a strange small demon. "Home," the demon gasped. "I'm home."
"Who are you?" Shuichi demanded. The girl swung her gaze to his, her hairswinging out of her face,and got an impish look in her eye.
"What you don't recognize me?" she asked. Shuichi took a closer look. Her hair was gold with silver and iridescent blue highlights. She had golden ears with ice blue tips and a gold tail, also tipped in ice blue. Her face was flawless and her eyelashes framed silver-blue eyes, which right now were sparkled with mischief; a look Shuichi was sure he recognized.
"Kagome," he finally gasped in realization.
She looked down at herself and began giggling. "Yep, it's me, pretty nifty, huh?" she asked drawing closer. Shuichi's eyes widened. Well, there was the proof plain and simple. I mean he knew she was a demon, but he'd never really pondered what she really looked like. In the time that he'd known her she'd never once showed him or Yusuke her demon form.
"You look pretty," he whispered in awe.
She blushed slightly. "If you're wondering why I look like this, it's because my mind only knows and identifies with my true form. Therefore, when my brain aligned with yours, it allowed you to see me; the real me."
"Pretty smart aren't you, little one," A deep, male voice interrupted startling them both. Kagome and Shuichi jumped around and came face to face with the face that had beenhaunting Shuichi. He was sitting high up on a branch staring down at them, his eyes cold as they continued to observe the two chibis. Behind Shuichi, Kagome gasped. A silver kitsune? She swung her gaze to Shuichi searchingly. Was that what Shuichi was?
"You're a silver," she gasped, glancing back at the older male.
The older kitsune cast his eye off Shuichi and on to her, as Shuichi opened his mouth to speak, although words failed him at the moment.
"Yes," he answered. "You are quite strong, little one, to be able to already go into a person's mind." She blushed slightly at the praise. You're a golden, aren't you? You've very rare."
Kagome blushed again.
"Who are you?" Shuichi asked when he could finally speak again. "Are you the one that's been haunting me?"
The silver kitsune's lips curled into a deadly smirk. "Well, now I wouldn't call it haunting, per say. There's a little more to it than that."
"Please," Came Kagome's voice. "Will you please tell us who you are and why you currently inhabit Shuichi's body?"
The demon sighed, before jumping down and landing in front of the two chibis. "I suppose it is time, though I assure you it will take a while. Though, are you sure your mind can handle it?" he asked Kagome.
She smiled, though sweat was beginning to fell down her cheek. "Yeah, I can hold out longer. It's just been a while since I've been able to use any of my powers. It takes a little getting used to."
"Are you sure?" Shuichi asked, concernedly. He crossed over to his friend and flited a hand to her flushed cheek. She nodded and smiled reassuringly. Shuichi dropped his hand and turned to the silver who had been staring in interest at the two as he'd caught their interaction.
The demon nodded and then turned his eyes to Shuichi. "Let's start with what I am and who I was, and then we'll move on to what you are and why I've been frequenting your dreams."
Shuichi looked about to pop a question, when Kagome laid a hand on his arm. Shuichi automatically closed his mouth and smiled at Kagome. The demon glanced curiously between the two but didn't say anything about it.
"Anyway, as your friend pointed out, I am a silver kitsune. My name is Yoko Kurama and I was-."
He was interrupted by Kagome. "Yoko Kurama?!" she squealed. "I've heard of you before."
"What do you mean?" Shuichi raised an eyebrow glancing questioningly between the cold demon and golden kitsune.
Kagome had little hearts in her eyes, which Yoko found quite humorous. "Hell ya', he is! He's known throughout all of Makai as being a fearsome bandit. It's said that he can get into any place and out of any trap. But," Kagome frowned in thought. "All the stories say you died a couple years ago. Even I heard about it from some neighboring demons. How are you here now?"
"Well, I'm glad to see you've heard of me," Yoko remarked. "And most of what you said was true. I was, and still am let me remind you, a bandit, but about me dying, well, here is where Shuichi comes in. It is true that on my last raid I was attacked and mortally wounded, only I hadn't planned to die just yet. So as a lay fatally wounded, I decided I would force my soul out of my body and find a body I could inhabit until I was strong enough to leave. So, I did exactly that and fled to the human world where I landed in a mother's," Yoko raised an eyebrow in Shuichi's direction, "your mother's, womb or I guess our mother's."
Shuichi and Kagome sat in silence as Shuichi tried to take in what he was hearing. "So, what does this mean?" he finally asked.
But Kagome knew what it meant. She'd heard of this thing back in the Makai from other kitsunes. She never thought it possible, but here was the living proof. She exchanged glances with Yoko as she realized the enormity she was about to bestow on her best friend. "I think what Yoko means is, when he entered your mother's body, he melded his soul with yours. Essentially, he is you, you are he. You are Yoko Kurama and Shuichi Minamino."
Shuichi gaped at his best friend before turning and gaping at Yoko. For a long while he didn't know what to say. He'd just basically found out he was the combined souls of a human and a demon. "So what-what does this mean?" he finally asked.
Kagome and Shuichi turned to stare questioningly."Well that's partly true," Yoko mused. "But you see, he is in fact still Shuichi Minamino, so far I have been unsuccessful in fully emerging my soul with his."
"Is that why he's only beginning now to regain any memories?" Kagome asked suddenly.
Yoko smirked. "Yes, that is correct." He grimaced at Shuichi. "This one's soul was so strong at birth that I had to slowly by my time as his soul still hasn't fully accepted me."
"What will happen to me if I allow my sould to combine with yours?" Shuichi asked. "Will I die?" He looked a little scared and truthfully Kagome was a little afraid of that prospect too.
"No you will not die,however once the merger is complete you willeventually gain all my powers, all my strengths, and all my knowledge," Yoko stated. "I was eventually planning to leave your body after I got strong enough, but have since decided I like it here."
"Well, what if I didn't like you here?" Shuichi demanded. "What if I wanted you gone?"
Yoko chuckled coldly. "It's too late now, Fox, I've been in your body for too long. No matter how your soul resists mine is still stronger. You took so long to even begin to acknowledge the truth. That's why-."
"That's why I've been seeing all those images," Shuichi gasped. "They're not coming from you, they're coming from me."
"Yes, but I've been controlling them. Eventually, over time, you will gain more memories of my life, but this is something that will take a longer time for you to accept. So far, you haven't accepted me and if I wasn't as strong as I was, your soul would have immediately forced mine out as soon as it detected my presence in your mother's womb."
They were both cut out of their discussion from Kagome who had been patiently listening to Yoko's story. "Wow!" she gasped. "I had no idea you were a silver kitsune, Fox." Kagome was postively glowing with wonderment as she gazed at her best friend.
And suddenly Shuichi found this extremely funny for some reason and just about fell over laughing at his best friend. Yoko stared in amusement as Kagome mock-glared at her best friend who was suddenly found himself suspended six feet in the air. Shuichi stopped laughing and started struggling as he looked for the culprite. His first guess was Yoko, since he looked pretty powerful, but when Shuichi looked at him, Yoko merely smirked andnodded to Kagome. Shuichi met her eyes and noticed her eyes were turning the color of sunset.
"Kagome!" he cried realizing it was her.
"Yes, Fox?" she asked sweetly.
"Get me down from here."
She sighed, before smirking. "Get yourself down. You're a kitsune, you have powers….use them."
Realising what Kagome as doing Yoko smirked in amusement as Kagome began taunting Shuichi into using his own powers.
"I don't know how." And then strangely, he did as Yoko allowed a little bit more of his soul to merge with Shuichi's. Kagome gasped as a vine came from out of nowhere and grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up so she was nose to nose with Shuichi.
Shuichi had a look of amazement on his face while Kagome struggled with the vine, before realizing what he'd done. "Fox, you did it!" she cried momentraily forgetting he had her trapped..
"But, what did I do?" Shuichi asked glancing curiously at the vines.
"You manipulated the vine by using your energy when I opened up the channel which allowed you access," Yoko interrupted. "You see, silver kitsunes have the power to manipulate plants."
Shuichi looked amazed with himself as he stared at his hands. He found himself on the ground as Kagome used her own powers to cut through Shuichi's vines and let herself down. And then she was running to him and giving him a huge hug, which caused both chibis to go tumbling over.
"That's amazing, Shuichi! You're going to be so strong one day!" She exclaimed excitedly.
Suddenly she swooned, realizing that her time was almost up. She sat up quickly and looked to Yoko who seemed to realize her dilemma. "So what happens now?" Kagome asked him. "Will you fully merge with him now?"
"It's up to him," Yoko nodded to Shuichi. "He has to accept me first."
Shuichi seemed to be quite thoughtful as he stared hard at the silver kitsune. "I don't know. Will it hurt?"
Yoko shook his head. "No, when you wake up in the morning you will have all my knowledge and background. However you will have to get training if you want to be able to actually use your power."
"How do I get that?" Shuichi asked.
"She can help you," Yoko nodded this time to Kagome who grinned, happy at the prospect of training Shuichi.
"But how, I thought you were silver. She's gold, so she's got different powers, right?"
"That's true," Kagome admitted. "But I can help you develop your spiritual power. After you've mastered that, you will have to use all your knowledge left from Yoko to help you manipulate plants."
"Oh," Shuichi murmured. He seemed to be thinking again.
Meanwhile Kagome was beginning to sweat anymore and she felt her mind getting very fuzzy. She knew she couldn't hold out much longer. Her last vision was of Shuichi finally looking up and into the eyes of Yoko, before slowing nodding his consent.
When Kagome woke up the next morning she awoke to fine Shuichi casually snoring beside her; his aura much stronger than it was the night before. He hadn't changed any, his appearance anyway, but she could definately feel the difference in his energy. She continued to watch him as his breathing inhanced and he opened his eyes. He stared blackly around for a few minutes before turning to her. She smiled gently at him as he returned it. "How do you feel?" Kagome whispered to him.
"Actually...I feel great." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Kurama, pleased to meet you."
Kagome stared and stared before the realization set in. Shuichi Minamino had become Yoko Kurama....and she knew he would never be Shuichi Minamino again. The demon in him was so strong now. He really was Kurama.
Nevertheless, Kagome held out her hand and shookhis anyway. Although he was now demonized he still remembered her and Yusuke. That hadn't changed, she knew that, however now there was a new side to her friend, one she knew would take some getting used to. Finally she grinned at him. "Fox, I think we've got some work to do." Their hands latched and in that instant Kagome and Kurama knew that something had changed, something that wouldn't come into play for many years to come.
Okay, so what'd ya'll think? It was pretty long wasn't it? Was it satisfying enough? Anyway, the next chapter Kagome, Yusuke, and the newly reborn Kurama will be 12 years old and will receive some shocking news. At least they won't be 5 anymore, so give me a break people. Don't worry. They will be grown up the chapter after next. So just be patient. All good things come to those who wait. Anyway, somebody asked me about the age thing. When I said Kagome was 50 and really five in humans years. Well, lets just say that Makai's time moves slower and so that in the ningenkai Kagome grows faster because time is shorter. Am I confusing you people? Oh well, it's my story and that's the way its going to be. So, please read and review. I love you all.
Ja ne
Kura-kun's-lovr