Title: Untamed Spirits
Chapter: 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha
Questions:
Is the pairing Youko and Kagome?
Nope.
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Chapter 2 - "Who the hell are they?"
After Keiko had finally stopped "comforting" Youko, the detectives turned into animals and most of the humanoids had adjourned inside. Kagome had stood outside along ever since, waiting anxiously for the first flicker of a familiar aura. Souta was attempting to explain off the panicked swearing she'd done mentally. He wasn't having much luck, but he did find he was even more inventive than his grandfather. He wasn't sure that was a good thing.
Then it happened. As one, everyone but Keiko jerked his or her head to the front of the shrine. Fortunately, Souta had earlier locked the door so that the detectives wouldn't panic at a demon aura and run outside to confront it or run away from it. He already knew they would get themselves killed if they faced Kagura before Kagome could explain. Inuyasha was less of a problem as long as none of them were underneath him when he got sat.
A figure in a red shirt and blue jeans bounded up the shrine steps, skidding to a stop with a suspicious sniff. "Ramen! Wait...demons! Kagome!"
Kagome sighed as there was suddenly a hanyou in front of her, looking around suspiciously. At the same time, there were detectives in the house scrambling to get out. And Souta, in his infinite wisdom, had locked the door but left the window open. "Inuyasha..."
"Don't worry Kagome, I don't know how they got through your barrier, but I'll make sure they leave... in pieces!"
"Inuyasha..." Apparently the hanyou didn't hear the warning tone as four animals jumped out of the window. Well, three jumped out, one flew out and immediately blasted flames at the hanyou.
"Damn it! I wish I had my fire rat armor! I'm going to kill you!" Inuyasha charged forward, claws pulling back to strike.
"Sit boy!" Then his claws, along with his face and the rest of his body, were in the ground. A number of people stared. Shippo took this opportunity to chew on his head.
"Oi! Brat! I'll kill you!" Kagome put the heel of her hand to her forehead as Inuyasha began to run around after Shippo. "I think I may have broken his attention span with too many sits. He was obsessed with Kikyou for years, now he can't even focus past a couple of subduings."
"Hey! Leave the kid alone!" Inuyasha paused at the canine language echoing in his ears. That was definitely a wolf accent. His nose twitched as he swung around to stare at the black wolf with brown eyes. A low growl sounded in his throat.
"Kagome. By the fact you sat me and you don't smell frightened, I assume this is a new project." Inuyasha's teeth were clenched as he stared at the wolf that smelled like a demon, but not like a wolf demon.
"They needed my help," Kagome said quietly, knowing why he was getting so upset.
"Who the hell are they?"
"Demons, a human, and a spirit guide turned into animals." Kagome studied Inuyasha, the command on the tip of her tongue. He was still glaring at Yusuke.
"Did one of them have to be a wolf?" Inuyasha's growl was pain-filled, and Kagome and Shippo both met his gaze sadly. All thoughts went briefly to Kouga, Ayame, and the orphaned pup before they turned away from it, focusing on the matter on hand.
"I don't think they had much of a choice Inuyasha." Inuyasha glared at her, then at the wolf, then at the four other animals.
"Keh. Where's the ramen?" Kagome smiled happily and bounded the few steps to embrace him. "Thanks Inuyasha!"
Inuyasha blushed, but quickly put his arms around her, soothing his senses in her scent. She rarely was like this anymore, and he wasn't likely to get the chance to hold her again soon. "Keh. As long as I don't get babysitting duties."
"Baby sitting! We're adults here! Not babies!" Yusuke was promptly ignored and Hiei threaded Inuyasha into the matrix of telepathy.
"You know, if the rest of you lost your powers, why can he still use telepathy?" Souta asked suddenly, staring up at Hiei.
Blank stares and confused thoughts were all the answer he had until Hiei decided to answer. 'Telepathy is not a weapon. It is closer to a sense, just one heightened by power.'
'Huh?' Even Inuyasha joined in with Kuwabara and Yusuke on that one. Kagome tilted her head, blue eyes regarding the demon turned into a dragon. "I guess that makes sense."
'It does?' Kuwabara asked. Kagome sighed, opened her mouth, and then shook her head. "Never mind. Inuyasha, ramen's in the kitchen. After you eat we'll go through introductions."
Inuyasha gobbled down three things of ramen within a few minutes and bounded out, staring at the demons turned into animals with a suspicious gaze. "Who are you and what do you want with Kagome?"
'Please, we only come here for sanctuary until we find out how to reverse this and go after the demon and its associates who did this to us.' Youko's smooth mental voice echoed through their minds and Inuyasha looked unimpressed.
"How do you know it won't just turn you back into animals again?"
'We were unprepared. We aren't anymore.' Kagome and Inuyasha traded glances at Yusuke's angry statement, recognizing the familiar tone.
"Right. I think the first thing is to find out what kind of spell did this. Souta, why don't you start sifting through the pile of books that seem to actually have authentic demon rituals and spells in them. Shippo, entertain our guests. I'm going to go on the Internet and see what the miko network says." She started to leave, then stopped and looked at Inuyasha.
"Don't kill anyone. Sit in the God Tree and glare real hard. You're good at that." There was a slight chill in her voice and Inuyasha's ears flattened. Sometimes Kagome seemed perfectly all right with everything and then out of the blue she'd become cold all of a sudden.
'There's a miko network? Oh, Koenma just needs to hear about this.' The blue jay flapped her wings in pleasure and the dragon perched on a branch nearby snorted, a few flames blowing her way. With an annoyed chirp Botan darted away to another tree.
Shippo sighed as Inuyasha looked forlorn standing alone. He waited another instant and saw the hanyou's ears twitch and his frame tense and the hanyou snarled, bounding away to take out his stress away from the animals. The kitsune turned to their "guests" and noticed none of them seemed to think that he actually could provide entertainment or the others could find out what demon it was because they were all thinking quietly to each other. Shippo only caught mind whispers, but he knew they were trying to make a plan.
"A long time ago, over five hundred years, a beautiful and miraculous jewel was created. Both dangerous and in danger, the jewel was passed from the demon slayer's tribe to a miko named Kikyou. She guarded it for a few long, lonely years, outcast from normal human society because they respected her too much, and hating most demon cultures. She was alone, and aching not to be."
"Then a hanyou came along. She found that she couldn't kill him, because it took only a flash of those golden eyes for her to see her own reflection in him. He wanted to be accepted. To have friends. To not be alone. And so they played a game for a while. Until one day, they stopped playing and he stopped attempting to steal the precious jewel, this Shikon no Tama." Shippo didn't move a muscle as three heads swung his way at the last part of the sentence. Soon the other two were facing him, and he continued.
He talked through their growing romance, Onigumo, the evil priestess who once tried to kill Kikyou as her powers weakened. But even weakened through her selfish love of a half demon Kikyou was stronger than the evil one. "And so the hanyou said he would become human, forever purifying the jewel, and they would live together happily. She whispered her thanks to him, to her Inuyasha."
Shippo seemed not to notice the stunned air as he finally said the hanyou's name. He felt more than smelled the hanyou who had settled before him mere moments ago. "But all would not be well. Onigumo lusted after Kikyou, and sold his soul to make sure the Shikon no Tama stayed blackened with betrayal."
Shippo continued weaving the story of the horrendous trick played on them, and had just gotten to Kikyou's reincarnation pulling out the arrow that bound Inuyasha when two throats cleared.
Shippo jerked his head up. He had been so engrossed in telling the story that had been engraved in all their hearts that he had forgotten that eventually the others would come back. His forest green eyes met blue-grey ones and Kagome smiled at him, her eyes accepting of the story. Shippo grinned back. She even looked a bit encouraging. And why not? Better for someone besides them to have the real story than those little happily ever after stories or the ones where they died in their love's arms. Didn't happen that way. Nothing was ever that perfect.
"What happened next? To Kikyou's reincarnation? To Inuyasha?" Keiko was leaning forward, her mind on overdrive, eagerly taking in the truth of the legend with a knowledge hungry mind.
"We have some information you know," Souta called out. He was promptly ignored.
'Yeah, we know Inuyasha eventually came here. What happened to that girl? The one who traveled through time?' Yusuke was peering eagerly at the young kitsune demon but did turn at the pointed cough.
"I'm surprised you don't know already. Anyway, Souta and I think we've come up with the species of demon that did this, the ritual, and some theories on why. It requires a question first." Kagome was eyeing them with a new respect. If they were whom she thought then this was a rare treat.
"What question?" Keiko asked, echoed by her friends.
"Are you four boys the Spirit Detectives?" No one had expected that question. Except perhaps Youko, who yawned, showing sharp ivory canines before answering.
'Yes. Or, my human half was. I rarely came out. Except when we became very angry.' Youko was silent for a moment, remembering when Yusuke had died for the second time. They had all been full of rage. Then the aggravating former human had come back ten times as powerful and an S-class demon. It had been amusing in retrospect. Each of the two times the Toushin had died he had gone through major life changes. First a Spirit Detective, then one of the strongest demons that existed.
"Definitely explains the why part of why they did it then. The how's easy too, it's an almost forgotten magic that can only be used by this type of demon. It needs to be done twice while you're still in the first stage for it to be permanent. Otherwise they have to do it again and get you in the first stage that time." Kagome didn't let the slight awe running through her mind effect her and she was sure it didn't show on her face.
"First stage?" Keiko asked for them fearfully.
"This is the first stage. The second one, which starts about a month after the spell was cast, makes you in your normal form for twelve hours and your animal form for twelve hours. The third stage your powers come back completely and you can choose which form to be in. That happens after a month in the second stage. So you have two months before you're back to relatively normal." Kagome looked up to find them staring at her.
'Choose? You mean after that second stage we could change back and forth whenever we wanted?' Kuwabara asked curiously. He didn't like being bereft of his powers, but this form was kind of nice.
"Yes. And we're not sure, but we believe once your powers are back you'll be able to use them in both forms, though in your animal ones they may take a different form." Souta answered this time, grinning at the stir of curiosity in them.
'So we have to wait two damn months before we can go after this guy? What are we supposed to do until then?' Yusuke asked in frustration.
"Whatever you want, blackie. But I suggest you don't go outside the wards. It could easily sense you and you don't exactly have much defence right now. unless you want to bite it." Kagome smirked at the protests running through her head at the new nickname.
"Think of it as a codename. If she says blackie, no one will know who you are," Shippo said in canine, attempting to placate the majin turned wolf. He was in turn glared at. Shippo sighed.
'Don't call me blackie,' The Toushin muttered in his thoughts. Kagome was already scanning over them and sighing.
"Mou, I'm going to need to get food for all of you. You're all going to have to eat what your forms would eat while you're in those forms. It'll be the healthiest choice." Kagome obviously had to hear his objection being that it was sent telepathically, but she was just as obviously ignoring it.
'That's all right. I'm sure we can all stand a new diet for one month. What do birds eat?' Botan seemed a bit nervous at that and Kagome grinned at her a bit.
"Seeds, mostly. Maybe small nuts. The rest of you, you're probably going to have to eat meat. Lots of it. Inuyasha, you buy overly large portions of meat sometimes, can you help me out?"
"Keh. 'Course I can. Get some money and come with me." The hanyou had already bounded to the edge of the property, glaring impatiently as Kagome stared at where he'd been a moment ago. Finally she shrugged and went inside. She came out with a jacket and her wallet, already giving instructions.
"None of you break anything. I guess you'll all be sleeping here for a while so work out where. I imagine you'll want to sleep inside despite your forms, at least some of you. Don't use Mama or Grandpa's room. Everything else is okay, the living room, and the other bedrooms, go ahead. Shippo, Souta, help them rearrange anything if it's needed. Keiko, if you want to stay over to that's fine." Kagome rushed out everything, going over a checklist in her mind of what needed to be said. In exasperation as Kagome looked like she was going to go on, Inuyasha yanked on her wrist and started pulling her down the shrine steps.
"You can watch the TV too! Souta, keep looking for more updates on the miko network, I left the girls a notice. Oh! And- Mpfh!" Apparently Inuyasha had effectively cut Kagome off, dragging her down the street and glaring at anyone who gave him strange looks for half carrying a young woman down a public street with his hand over her mouth.
"Um, I do want to stay the night, but can I go home and get some things first? I won't be able to stay here all the time, but I should be able to stay here at least a couple of days out of every week. I can keep you guys company! Oh, and I'll tell Shizuru what happened when I go home. I'm sure eventually Koenma will show up wanting to know more about what happened, she can tell him." Keiko stood up from where she had sat to listen to the story and followed the miko and hanyou in exiting the shrine.
Shippo was studying the leftover five as they looked eagerly back at him. "Before I continue with the story of the Shikon Jewel, why don't you tell me some of what you've heard about it. That's always good for a few laughs, right Souta?"
"Hell yeah. No one ever gets it right." The two grinned at each other as both Youko and Botan took offence.
'I assure you, what I have heard will be the truth. I in fact know where it is this very day. It was thrown into a volcano with many wards and charms on it to keep it there for all eternity, and so that the box it is in would not burn up. That way the Shikon Jewel can not find a new way to be free.' Youko's eyes gleamed proudly as Souta and Shippo gave each other considering looks. Then Souta's lips twitched and his eyes sparkled. Shippo seemed to be digging one little fang into his lip.
"Bwahahahahaha!" Both boys cackled at the same time. Souta found he was having a hard time breathing. "Volcano...That's new. Remind me to tell sis."
"Right. Almost as good as the one where someone told us quite seriously that aliens had picked it up and taken it to Mars," Shippo got out through giggles.
'See Youko? I know where it is. Its locked up perfectly safe in the highly guarded safe in Reikai.' Botan said smugly. Hiei put his two cents in at that point.
'The closely guarded safe that Kurama, Gouki, and I easily broke into? I think not. We would have sensed it. No, it's on the Ice Maiden's islands, as unobtainable as they themselves. Who else would a miko trust it too than a demon race of peaceful, self producing females?' Souta and Shippo blinked in shock. No one had ever thought of that!
"That actually might have been a good place to hide it. Not many do get up there," Souta murmured aside to Shippo.
"Yeah, but what if one did? That's all it would take," Shippo cast back.
'So where is it? In reality?' Yusuke seemed to be the only one not getting in to it, as Kuwabara had miraculously agreed that the Ice Maidens were the safest bet. Perhaps just because he was loyal to Yukina.
"Oh, its around the present Guardian's neck. Kikyou's reincarnation. Remember her?" The other four stopped fighting and looked at them eagerly.
"I'll tell you more of the story tomorrow, or Souta, Kagome, or Inuyasha will. Right now we do have to get things organized." Shippo clapped his tiny paw-hands together and shooed them all inside.
Sleeping arrangements underwent many different transformations. Eventually, in exasperation, Souta left his room open, deciding just to sleep wherever he could. Immediately Youko claimed the room for himself, and Keiko when she was over. Yusuke would have tried to argue, or at least been in there himself, but everyone had agreed to that, and Yusuke knew he would probably jump out the window in exasperation if he spent even one night in the same room as the silver kitsune.
Kuwabara, in his overly large lion form, simply took the living room. Souta obligingly moved some cushions and blankets out there, moving the couch and TV to one side and setting at least half the room up for just a sleeping spot for him.
Botan twittered about everywhere, and seemed likely either to sleep on top of the refrigerator in the kitchen, or in the bookshelf in the living room. It depended on if Kuwabara's lion form snored as much as his regular one did.
Hiei went down that hall into another room, which Yusuke's nose was telling him smelled the same as the hanyou. He thought so anyway. He was still unsure about the whole sniffing being one of his major senses now. What the fire apparition was doing in there Yusuke didn't know. Perhaps he just assumed the hanyou would sleep outside. Perhaps he was going to sleep outside except when he didn't have to, and knew that one would always have an open window. Yusuke didn't know.
So it was that Yusuke realized that he really didn't have much of a place to sleep. All the rooms available were taken. Perhaps he'd just sleep in the hallway. Yusuke thought it over and growled out loud. Why the hell did he get the last pickings?
By the time everyone did begin to settle down for the night Souta had resolved to sleep on the couch, snores or no snores, and was presently looking at the still angry black wolf in exasperation. "Just sleep in sister's room. She said everything was available. She won't even notice. Inuyasha's probably having her carry the meat to build up her strength' which is why they're taking so damn long getting home. Believe me, she's used to having strange things in her bed."
'Sleep in a girls room? No thanks kid, I'll find somewhere else to sleep.' Yusuke turned away, padding up the stairs, determined to do just that. Yet, eventually he found himself in front of a half open door that the wolf instincts in the back of his head were identifying as "female, human" by the scent. When his chocolate brown eyes peered in, he found creamy walls and what could only be Kagome's room.
It wasn't that bad for a girls room. The only stuffed animals seemed old and sentimental. There was a computer on top of the desk in one corner, and not many decorations. The most girlish thing about the room was probably the lacy curtains.
Yusuke groaned inwardly, but he was tired, and he didn't think any of them had their normal amounts of energy. The spell the demon had cast had taken much out of them, and Yusuke doubted it would return this month. Otherwise he, Hiei, and Youko wouldn't need much sleep at all.
Before he even realized he had taken even one step, the Toushin turned wolf had padded softly into the room and climbed up onto the bed, laying down almost full length on the side closest to the wall. By the time the miko got home, he had been sleeping for almost two full hours and didn't seem to be waking up anytime soon.
The fact was, Souta had been entirely correct. Inuyasha had made her carry the meat that would hopefully last the month, halfway across Tokyo back to her shrine, after they'd taken about two hours carefully selecting it. When asking in frustration about it getting bad halfway home, Inuyasha had commented this was one of the few people in town who had charms on their meat. It would keep.
So Kagome had carried the meat, amidst stares and laughter, back to her shrine, where she had carefully put as much of it as she could into the freezer and then in any other cold and out of the way place. She barely noticed the blue jay on top of the fridge, or any of the other animals. She even went into her room and took out her pajamas without noticing the quietly slumbering wolf.
She was cleaned up as fast as she could and found a tired baby kitsune outside of her door as she stumbled towards it. Without a word they both entered. Kagome saw the intruder on her bed and annoyance flickered across her face before acceptance. She exchanged a glance with Shippo.
"I don't care. More body heat," the kitsune said in response to the pointed look.
"Not like I'm not used to having strange things in my bed. At least he left enough of it for me to sleep. Glad I don't have my old bed, otherwise I'd be sleeping on the floor. That was too small." With a yawn after her short speech Kagome climbed into bed, ignoring the black wolf less than a foot away. Neither demon turned wolf nor miko touched, but by the time the first colors of dawn touched the sky they had both curled up slightly around the kitsune.
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Please review and tell me what you thought. And thank you to FoxylilRaven, Winged Knight, Nytingale, anime-lavuh, Reality, and Lnzy1 for reviewing! Just another story and/or chapter to upload before the birthday week is finished!
