Chapter 42
Unexpected Changes
"Hey, mother, have you ever had a dream that seemed real?" questioned a somber fox demon. Shippo sat in front of Kagome and looked at the ground nervously. In all his years he never had such a realistic dream, it scared him.
"Shippo, your over twenty years old! You should know the difference between a dream and reality…"
"I KNOW THAT!" Shippo spoke more forcefully than he anticipated, but with embarrassment and frustration combined, it was an unknown mix for the trickster. He calmed himself and stoke more softly, "it's just…my dream seemed so real."
Kagome watched as her oldest 'son' subconsciously placed his fingers to his lips.
"Can you tell me about your dream?"
"Um…well…while I was sleeping…I felt something soft touch my lips. I opened my eyes a little to see what it was…it was a woman. She had white gold hair with black forelocks, and she had a black diamond on her forehead and bright burnt orange eyes. She was beautiful. I heard her whisper my name with a soft sweet voice and I completely closed my eyes to savor the voice. By the time I had fully opened my eyes again, she was gone. It felt so real…" Shippo looked down at the ground then looked up at his mother with downcast embarrassed green eyes.
"She sounds pretty. It very well could have been real. Maybe she'll show up again." Kagome winked at her son with a gentle, reassuring smile. "Maybe it was a premonition."
Shippo let out a heavy sigh with a quiet "ya."
Kagome stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, we're almost to Yuu's home so lets get going!" she continued to smile at Shippo then turned and walked toward the group that was waiting at the edge of camp.
The kitsune now of 5'11" watched his mother walk away; his head contemplating and his heart heavy. 'If that had all been real…who was that woman? Will she back? I hope so…'
"Come on Shippo or we'll leave you behind!"
"Inuyasha…be patient."
"Mother…Father…!"
"Oh Yuu, your home!" A gentle looking woman dressed in an elegant blue kimono ran towards the tall wolf/tiger hanyou with an enormous smile. She ran so fast and had so much force when she embraced him that they almost fell over backwards. Tears were now rolling down her cheeks as she tried to talk. "We got your letter; about finding your intended and traveling with her and her family, but you were gone for so long…" she started to cry uncontrollably into Yuu's shirt.
Yuu placed his hands on his mother's shoulders and tried to calm her. "Mother, it was only a few months…And I've been fine." Yuu turned to look at Chiisai, "better than fine…"
"OHH…my little boy is growing up…"she started bawling again.
"Mother, please stop, your embarrassing me…" Yuu whispered his request, not wanting the guys to know he was embarrassed, but the blush on his cheeks betrayed him and the guys started snickering.
"SHIORI…What is all this noise…" a tall regal wolf youkai walked out of a back room and slowly approached the group. "OH, Yuu, you're back. Welcome home son." He took Yuu by the hand in a handshake then dragged him off behind him. "I have several letters I need you to read for me!"
Chiisai took chase after them, worried, while everyone burst out laughing.
Shiori walked over and took Kagome by the hands. "It's so good to see you Kagome; it's been a very long time."
Kagome smiled at the white tiger youkai. "Over ten years."
"What brings you all here?"
"Chii broke the Shikon Jewel so we have to look for the shards again!"
"AKIRA! That wasn't very nice." Scolded Kagome.
"Maybe, but it's true. If she hadn't dome that chant then…"
"We might all be dead. That chant also destroyed Naraku, remember!" she glared over at her son, daring him to continue with his argument.
Kenji hit Akira in the back of the head and whispered. "Chii is our sister, why are you being such a jerk!"
Akira shrugged off the hit and walked off around the corner of the building. Kenji watched him go, confused by his actions.
"I wonder…" stated Mizuki with a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Wonder what?" Replied Kenji.
"Well, Akira has been acting strange since we left the wolves territory, could it be…"
"Mizuki! Just spit it out already!" Kenji was getting frustrated by his girlfriend beating around the bush.
"I think he fell for Koume…" Mizuki looked up at Kenji with a very serious look in her eyes.
Kenji looked serious for a moment then burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he was on his knees. "My brother, in love…" he started to laugh again. Kenji soon found himself staring up at the blue sky with a slight weight on his stomach. The collar of his shirt was then being pulled and his head was lifted to stare into enraged violet eyes.
"YES! He's most likely in love. Why is that so hard to believe? We could have wondered about you too a little while back, remember. I had to sit on you till you got the hit. So be glad your brother found someone." Mizuki released her hold on Kenji's collar and let his head fall to hit on the wood porch. She remained straddling him and crossed her arms defiantly.
Kenji rubbed the back of his head for a moment then noticed the angry state of his girlfriend. He laid his head back and closed his eyes. "You're right, I should be happy for him shouldn't I? It just seems too surreal. Now, as for you; are you going to sit there all day?"
Mizuki immediately went red and jumped up as everyone started to laugh.
"Anyway, Kagome, we actually have four of those shards. They're in the cellar surrounded by talismans. I'll go talk to my husband so you can have them." Shiori smiled happily and winked; then ran off to find her husband.
Kagome turned to look at her family, all were happy and surprised.
"Who are you guys?" spoke a small, shy voice.
Kagome turned around and looked down. She saw a little girl of about five with white pigtails and ice blue eyes; dressed in a pink and white dress; a small tiger tail swishing behind her. "We're friends of the lord and lady, I'm Kagome. Who might you be?"
The little girl stood quietly and stared at everyone before she opened her mouth to answer.
"ICHIGO! What are you doing? I thought you were down for a nap!" Shiori came running up to everyone and picked up the little girl then looked at everyone. "This is our daughter, Ichigo. Oh, my husband said no problem about the shards. Follow me." Shiori turned and led the through the palace. "He thought you might be here to get them soon so he saved them. He said to meet him in the cellar."
When they reached the cellar, they saw the lord, Yuu, Chiisai and a priest.
"There was no need for a priest, I'm a monk." Stated Miroku, confidently with a smug smile.
"Oh, oh well…too late now. Let's go in." replied lord Hokkyokusei as he asked the priest to let them pass. Everyone was quickly ushered inside the dark and gloomy room and led up to a small table in the center of the room. Inside a small box were the four pink shards that belonged to the Shikon no tama.
Hokkyokusei reached inside the box and pulled out the small slivers of jewel and placed them in Kagome hand. "So did you actually have the jewel completed? Yuu said I should ask you."
Kagome let out a heavy sigh as she put the shards away. "Yes we did and Naraku was about to use it but due to some chanting the jewel shattered again, but Naraku has been destroyed so that's good." She smiled at the lord as she spoke her last statement.
"GOOD! I've heard some terrible stories about that particular hanyou. I think someone called him 'the epitome of evil,' I'm glad I never had the chance to meet him." Hokkyokusei smiled then walked over to his son and placed an arm around his shoulders. He then directed them back outside to the flowering garden. He tells everyone to go and enjoy themselves but hold his son back. Hokkyokusei leans over and starts whispering into Yuu's ear. "So know that you and Chii-chan are together when's the wedding? How far have you two gone?"
Mortified, Yuu snapped around to glare swords at his father. "How dare you ask me something like that! It's none of your business what we do or how far!" Yuu was so horrified at his father that he hadn't realized he had been shouting and didn't hear the patter of feet on the porch.
"Yuu, are you ok? Why are you shouting?"
Yuu spun around at the gentle voice and almost fell. He looked into the golden pools that belonged to his fiancé. He quickly walked toward her and took her by the arm. "Come Chii, my father is going senile in his old age." Yuu then led her off into the garden.
Hokkyokusei, folded his arms a crossed his chest and pouted. "I'm not that old…"
"Hmmmmmm, yeah, we're finally going home for a break!" Chiisai stretched her arms out above her, reaching toward the sky. The day was warm and peaceful. They had said their goodbyes to the Lord and family of the northern lands and headed out the next morning. No problems, no fighting, no strange stipulations or occurrences that usually came with a Shikon shard. And now it was time for a break.
"Ho ho, why are you looking so happy?" asked a gold dog hanyou with a look like she knew what her friend was thinking.
"Because it's break time, we can finally relax." Stated Chiisai with a huge blissful smile.
"Or is it because you want some free time with Yuu! Hmmm…" Mizuki was looking over at her blushing friend with a smirk on her face. "I thought so." Mizuki then started to walk faster, leaving her friend behind to cool the redness on her cheeks.
Chiisai subconsciously started to watch Yuu; who was ahead of her talking to the guys. 'I wonder what will happen when we get home.' Chiisai's cheeks flamed again and again as she would continue to think of various possibilities. She was so preoccupied with her thought that she didn't realize something had happened till she walked into Yuu's chest and was quickly grappled to the bushes. Chiisai fought to hold her head up but Yuu held her tightly to his chest. "Yuu, what's going on?
"It's a youkai, and it looks powerful." Every time there was a loud crash, Yuu's hold on Chiisai would tighten.
Chiisai managed to wiggle out enough to catch a glimpse of the offending youkai. "But that's only a giant beetle. It should be nothing for my dad to handle…why is mom Shippo and the others out there?"
"Look carefully. That beetle has a shard so it's much more powerful now than before. Plus it has an armored shell and giant pinchers. It's also been spitting out acid of some sort. Look at Miroku's robes." Yuu let loose a little to let Chiisai see more of the battle.
Miroku had melted spots on his dark robes and a few burns on his arms. The beetle had just swung its head and sent Sango into the air, where Kirara was able to catch her. Kagome shot an arrow at the same time Inuyasha tried his Kongoshoha. But it wasn't working. Nothing was working. Shippo shot several objects with his slingshot then tried some various fox fire techniques.
Finding the kitsune's attacks annoying, the beetle swung it's head again and hit Shippo in the stomach with his enormous pinchers. The force created by the swing sent Shippo flying; even further than Sango had. Shippo braced himself from the upcoming impact to the ground, but he found only softness. Shippo opened his eyes and found white/gold fur, "Kirara, thank you."
Kirara flew down and dropped Shippo off. She waited while Shippo thanked her again by a pet to the head.
"SHIPPO, KIRARA!"
Both youkai turned toward the beetle to look upon hearing their names yelled out in distress. A large ball of purple and green acid was shooting straight for them. It was too close for either of them to react. Kirara watched the ball zoom in towards them as Shippo closed his eyes and held onto Kirara, trying to cover as much of her as he could.
"NO, KIRARA!"
"SHIPPO…KIRARA!"
The girls had to look away when the acid ball hit; the guys could only watch. Dirt, debris and dust went everywhere. No one could make out if either had survived through all the dust. As everyone waited and watched the beetle shot out more acid in every direction.
"Wish I had the wind tunnel back. This would be over!" said a sorrowful monk as he looked at his whole right hand.
"Well you don't so get over it." Stated an aggravated hanyou. "Hey Kagome…" Inuyasha leaned over and started whispering in her ear. Kagome nodded several times then stepped away and readied her bow and arrow. "Hey guys, lets try to get it to shoot another acid ball."
Everyone looked at the dog demon like he had four heads but did as he asked. They ran around and made noise, threw sticks and stones at it, and even made funny faces. While everyone ran around, Kagome had the bow pulled taught and an arrow aimed at the beetle. When the beetle got ready to fire it would inhale a great deal then blow; so when it inhaling, Kagome let the arrow loose.
It flew straight and true and went into the beetle's mouth and out the back. Since Kagome had used a purification arrow, the beetle disintegrated. Everyone sighed with relief and hollered happily.
Kagome slowly walked over and picked up the rather large piece of jewel. It would make up five shards; it made up a big piece of the missing jewel. But despite their success in defeating the youkai, Kagome was greatly grieved. They had just lost two more pieces. Pieces to their group.
"K…K…Ka…Kagome………" stuttered a surprised youkai exterminator.
Kagome turned to see what her friend was so shocked over. She looked over to Sango's line of sight at the spot her kitsune and cat friend had perished. The ball of dust was fading and a ball of red and orange fire remained. It was hard to see through the dancing flames but it looked to be Shippo standing, embracing a beautiful woman with a black diamond on her fore head and two long tails.
"WHAT, NO WAY!"
