Okay, third chapter... shwee... yeah... okay, I know there's more than one reader out there! REVIEW CURSE YOU! Hey! How 'bout this... all those who review get to make a guest star appearance in any of my stories of their choice! Shwahahahah! Just make sure you include what name you want and what story you want it in when you review...

Chapter 3 - Nani?

"Midow! Get up!" Shippou shook me gently. I opened my eyes, wincing from the bright morning sun. Shippou smiled and sat back on his haunches when I finally stretched and yawned.

'Good morning, Shippou.' I had been dancing all night long, non stop, but strangly I felt more refreshed and energized than I ever had in my whole life. I tilted my head in confusion at this. Shippou tilted his head too, but for something different.

"I never noticed that mark on your head. It looks cool!" he reached out and touched my head right where my left eye and right ear and right eye and left ear made a cross, basicly the exact middle of my fore head. I shrunk under his touch.

'There's a mark on my head?' I mewed. He nodded and traced it. His finger made a straight line. On each side of the line was a slightly curved line that was spiraled at the top.

"And its white." He said. "What is it?"

'I don't know.'

"Kids, breakfast!" my ears twitched when I heard Shippou's mother calling.

"Hey, maybe mother or father knows. Let's go ask!" Shippou led me to the kitchen and sat down next to his mother. I sat next to his father.

"Ah, finally awake even after last night, I see." The golden fox smiled at me. I nodded. He noticed my new mark because when I nodded, his face took on a look of surprise.

"Is that what I think it is?" He turned his head in all directions, analyzing my forehead. "Are you…" he asked, then paused. "No, you couldn't be. Naw, there's no way!"

"There's no way for what, dad?" Shippou asked, his mouth full of noodles, the chopsticks hanging half way out of his mouth.

"Don't worry about it, son." The golden fox shook his head and started eating. He kept looking in my direction after every bite. I finaly shrugged off his starring and looked over the buffet selection; berries, noodles, some herbs, rice, soup, and little cakes. I was about to go without breakfast, but Shippou's mother, the dear, gasped and ran to the cupboard. She brought me back a bowl of cream. At first I declined, minding my manners, but she insisted saying that they lived close to a dairy farm, so if they ran out they could just go snatch some more.

I got my fill before Shippou did, but as soon as he got his, he demanded to take me down to the river. His parents said yes, seeing as how I was with him.

"C'mon Midow! You're lagging behind! Gran'ma was slow, but that's only cause she was old!"

'Quiet, fox, or else I'll pounce on ya!' I rowred at him as we trudged through the forest on our way to the river. He scoffed.

"You pounce on me! Hah, Midow, don't make me laugh!" He made a mistake, turned his back on me. We had made it to a cliff, sort of a half-hill. I crouched down to the ground, rubbing my under fur on the dirt.

'Here's the wind up… and the pitch!' I purred as I 'wound up my butt' to get more pound with the pounce. As soon as my feet left the ground, Shippou was on it, me holding him down. 'I pounce on you? Of course!' I smiled. He hopped up from underneath me, backing up a bit. He glared playfully.

"You wanna try that again, cat?" he giggled.

'Don't see why not!' I didn't even pause to wind up, leaping straight at his head. Here's a tip; never pounce for the head, the enemy can dodge it quite nicely. He ducked and I flew over his head. Not only over his head, but over the side of the half-hill, too. I screeched in fright as I splashed into the icy-cold water. Shippou laughed so hard that he too fell off the hill and into the water. By the time he made impact with the surface, I was out and shaking myself dry.

"Don't even think it, cat…" he growled, noting my smirk. He got out and shook himself off, sending all his water on me. I shook it back at him. For about three hours, we had a "shake-your-water-onto-the-other-war". I was the dryer one when we stopped, so I won.

"I'm hungry. How 'bout you?" he asked when his stomach growled. I nodded.

'Some fish sound good?'

"Uh, sure." He shrugged. I smiled and tip-toed to the edge of the water. I stood feet apart, left knee bent, body leaning on it. My paws were above my head, claws extended. I waited patiently for a fish to swim into my view. My eyes locked instantly on a red perch. I followed it with my eyes, even until it swam back into the deeper part of the river. During that time, Shippou looked confusedly at me.

"You just let that meal go!"

'Shhh! He isn't gone yet. I haven't let him go.'

"What do you mean, cat? He just swam right away." Shippou moved his hand to signify a fish swimming away. Little did he know, but I had done a hunting skill that I knew; take the stance and memorize the prey's movements with your whiskers while keeping time to their breathing by tapping your tail. Where I learned it, I don't know. Must have been that dance…not sure though. I closed my eyes as the fish followed another to where I was standing. I must have scared Shippou when I struck because he jumped about five feet high and yelped. I looked at my paw. I had done it so fast not even I recognized it at the moment, but I had slamed down on the water and pulled my paw back with two fish hooked on my claws. I threw one at Shippou, who was still in shock at the moment.

"Wha-wha-what did you do!"

'Caught lunch. You said yourself that you were hungry. Not to mention the lack of denial to fish, so well, I caught fish for lunch.'

"Well…y-yeah, but that fast? I don't know anybody - human or demon- that could move that fast!"

'Not counting me, you mean.' I said, eating the fish I saved for myself as Shippou started munching on his. Shippou was wary of me all afternoon until we finally went home and got ready for bed.

I take back what I said about Shippou's mom being a dear. I don't care how nice you are, I don't like you when you throw me in a tub of water with a boy fox! His mother absolutly would not let me go far without taking a bath. That was the second one that day. Still, when I got out (I'm talking about the 'soap' out of my ears, eyes, and nose) I gave myself a grooming. Never knew how much time a kitsune spends getting ready for bed… bath, sleep clothes, cup of milk, a few berries as a snack, another cup of milk, story from his father, then a song from his mother. Finaly he falls asleep and his mother lays him down beside me. I take my place on top of him. It took me five minutes to fall asleep after his parents went into their own room to fall asleep.

Again, just as the night before, I woke up, feeling fully energized and ready to go exporing. I leapt up to the window and escaped the fox den the same way. Again, I followed the pull of the now completely full moon to the lake that I met my brother. The lake was the same river that Shippou brought me to this morning, except now, it was blocked off into a lake. How, I don't know.

The wind blew, making the trees bend gently under the night sky. The water rippled when the breeze struck it's surface. The grass swayed too. My brother stepped out from my shadow casted by the moon and stars. He grabbed my paw as the mysterious music started up again. He said nothing as we started our dance again.

Stand on your hind legs.

Left foot out in front, right behind.

Tail swaying with the beat.

Paws out in front, wrist to wrist.

Elbows to the side, body swaying opposite direction of tail.

Right paw in the air, left down and to the side.

Right leg up, tail sweeping the ground as you turn in a half circle.

Take the stance again.

Left palm against the back of your right paw.

Push forward, seperating the paws as your elbows become straight.

Grab air and twist paw towards you while pulling to your chest.

Arms out to side, waving up and down twice.

Arms now above your head and sway to the music.

Feel the inxoticating beat and start over.

Left foot out to side, right knee bent

Arms in a "c" to your left, body facing left.

Keep your left arm in place, drop your paw.

Bend your body back and let your right paw drop to the left.

Swing your Right paw back into place, bending your body back.

Paws palm to palm as you throw your head back and straighten your body as you start over.

There was something different about this night together, though. There were words being spoken, no, sung. I felt related to them as they sunk into my heart and mind. (TWO)

Lele ayah, Lele ayah Ohohoh…

Emon Camon ameitrio Cemon messemeto monataratio ceneciterita Comon sameia

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
I dream of fire
Those dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire
And near the flames
The shadows play in the shape of the man's desire
This desert rose
Whose shadow bears the secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume that would torture you more than this
And now she turns
This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams
This fire burns
I realize that nothing's as it seems
I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
I dream of rain
I lift my gaze to empty skies above
I close my eyes
The rare perfume is the sweet intoxication of love
I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
Sweet desert rose
Whose shadow bears the secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume that would torture you more than this
Sweet desert rose
This memory of hidden hearts and souls
This desert flower
This rare perfurme is the sweet intoxication of love

I felt the song going completely with my life;

…..I dream of rain I dream of gardens in the desert sand…

The rain was Momma Miko Kikyo, the "rain" being what allowed me to live in a world of humans where I didn't fit in at all. The world of humans was the "desert sand". The "garden" was the demon in the humanoid town.

…I wake in pain I dream of love as time runs through my hand…

I remember the rude awakening of my position when Momma Miko Kikyo's death, how painful it was to realize that my love had gone completely. My time with her had fallen right through my paw when she died.

… This desert rose Whose shadow bears the secret promise….

The secret promise it that of long ago when my ancestor who actualy gave the demons their powers swore to return to smooth out the rough path made between human/demon friendship.

… No sweet perfume that would torture you more than this…

My life at this stage was a punishment… having so many questions and not enough answers. Being separated from the only guardian I ever had… being rejected from the only home I ever knew…

I didn't understand the rest of the song, but during it, my brother consulted me about it.

"You don't comprehend my reasoning, do you?"

"Your- reasoning?"

"Yes. The song is my reasoning."

"Your reasoning for what, Brother?"

"My reasoning of your life. I dream. I dream of all things that are unknown to me. I was unsure about your life. I dreamt of your life last night, Sister. I now understand. You do not, I see."

"I do not, my Brother."

"You already know what is your past in my reasoning. The part you do not understand is the part that has not yet come to pass. I cannot explain your future to you, sister, for fear that I might corrupt your soul by what you do not know. Leave it at that."

"Yes, my Brother."

"I can tell you this, Sister. This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams, when I said that, I meant that the dream I had, years and years ago, was the same. A figure of black. A shapeless being. A dead human. A misunderstanding and untrusting. You are the black figure, moving perfectly in the logic of my dream. I must end in your enlightenment now, sister, as the night is wearing thin and the sun is peaking to chase the moon's magic away. Until our next meeting, Sister."

"So long, Brother."

The music and the night wind stopped. Brother faded away into the shadows, his yellow-tinted red eyes being the last I saw of him. I shrunk back into the shadows, fading back into Shippou's house to my napping place on his back, protecting and warming the little kitsune.

Preview:

"Yesterday it was white and now it's red. How did that happen?"

"I don't know, fox."

"Huh! Yarg!"