Tandemonai
Chapter 9
"Kagome?"
"Kagome-sama?"
"Aaa, Ko-chan, you killed Miko-sama!"
"Wha…? Shut up, Tou, I did not!"
"Maa, maa… settle down, brats, she's coming to…"
Kagome really hadn't passed out: however, the notion had been mightily tempting. After all, not only was she faced with the descendant of two of her closest friends in this era (and quite possibly the whole world), but also the knowledge that her own surrogate child had promised to beget said descendant an heir.
It was quite a bit to take in all at once.
Granted, it wasn't that hard to convince the miko from the future that Kohaku was in fact a descendant of Miroku and Sango. Her name alone was convincing enough. However, what Kagome really had a hard time grasping was the fact that there was a generation separating them. The young girl staring down at her worriedly bore such a striking resemblance to the sister and brother-in-law of her namesake that it seemed as if they still somehow existed on this earthly plane.
More than ever Kagome wanted to ask what had happened to them – to all of their friends. The roguish kitsune hovering beside her had been so evasive about what had happened during their trip to this makeshift village that Kagome found herself wondering whether or not she really wanted to know.
If he had been concerned about his surrogate mother demanding an explanation about Kohaku's previous bold statement – boy was that going to be an awkward conversation… - Shippo's worries were momentarily set aside by the troubled expression on her face. He felt a sudden pang at the knowledge of its source. He wanted to tell her what had happened all those years ago – more than anything he wanted to get that awful burden off of his chest – but he feared how she would react. Once the truth was finally known, what would she do when she found out that—?
"Oi, Shippo!" Everyone looked up at the sound of a bell clanging loudly in the distance. Shippo tensed, as did several others in the vicinity, his tail bristling as Sumu pointed to the large dust cloud growing larger over the ridge in the distance.
"Company," Toudou gritted as he fell into a defensive stance. Kagome moved to reach for her bow and arrows, but surprisingly, both Shippo and Kohaku stood in front of her in protective stances.
"Friend or foe?" Jyou asked, pulling a kunai from a pouch at his side.
The miko turned to the badger youkai, watching as a relieved smile bloomed across his face. "Relax, kiddies, it's friends," he answered, waving a clawed hand to some of the other villagers who had armed themselves at the sound of commotion. "It's the Ookami pack back from their scouting trip."
Kagome let out a sharp gasp, at the same time feeling Shippo's eyes fall upon her.
'Ookami…' She felt a rush of anxiety. 'Does that mean…?'
The cloud came upon them, quickly dissipating as several wolf youkai Kagome did not recognize appeared with several large wolves in tow. Some of the wolves sported light fur, causing her eyes to widen in recognition.
'These wolves came from the North… They look like… the wolves that ran with Ayame-chan's clan…!'
"What? No way! Are you serious?" A hand clamped onto Kagome's shoulder, spinning her around to meet large green eyes shining at her with wonder and disbelief. "By Kami, it is you!"
Kagome found herself face to face with a female youkai dressed in the fur and battle armor of an Ookami warrior. Long, auburn hair framed her face, pulled back tightly in a high pony-tail with long bangs held out of her cherubic face was a tan-colored head band adorned with a deep blue flower.
"A-a-ayame-chan?"
If it were at all possible, the youkai's eyes brightened even more. "You remember me!" She grinned happily. "I am a bit older of course – oh, not too much mind you, but…" At this she paused, giving the girl an appraising look. "But you look as if you haven't aged a day? How is that even possible?"
Before she could even begin to explain, Kagome was enveloped in a tight hug, laughing hesitantly at the female youkai's exuberance. At least her greeting was like Shippo's – she was still a great deal confused about that… "It's a long story really…"
"I always held out the hope that you'd come back,"
Everyone froze, their gaze turning to the newcomer of the group. There he stood, in all his wild glory, the leader of the Wolf Pack. He, too, had aged, if only slightly; he was taller, definitely, his muscles more defined. His facial features had angled out a bit, his blue eyes seemingly more piercing than before. Even his hair was longer, his high ponytail reaching even further down his back.
He looked… pretty damn decent. Kagome swallowed lightly, "Kouga… kun…"
Like Ayame before him, the wolf prince wasted no time in snatching her up into a fierce embrace, catching the poor girl completely off balance.
"We all though you were dead," he murmured.
Kagome could only stand there in awe. She had not expected this at all. There was raw relief in Kouga's voice, gratefulness for her return; that came as no surprise. However, his hug – it contained none of the forcefulness or possessiveness it used to. Something about him now was different. What was that could have possibly changed?
For that matter, how much had she changed?
A large wolf that Kagome recognized from the pack the used to run with Kouga stood by Ayame's side, giving Kagome a look that she could only surmise was a happy grin.
"Nee-san's back, eh?" So, they could talk? Why was she not more surprised by that? "Looking pretty good, too."
"Hey," Shippo gave the wolf a look, causing the 'grin' to widen even more.
Easing herself out of Kouga's hold – he didn't even resist, odd – it was then that Kagome noticed what was out of place. Just as Kouga's wolf stood by Ayame, all of their wolves stood intermixed together as if they were one group. Suddenly, it all clicked together causing a grin to spread across her face.
"So, Ayame-chan," she said, turning to the female wolf. "When did you two tie the knot?"
"Tie… the knot?" The wolf looked unfamiliar with the term.
"Um, become mates…?" she then offered.
"Oh!" Ayame was grinning now. "Nearly 30 winters ago…"
"35," Kouga corrected, looking away when they both turned to him in curiosity. "I remember because it was not too long after—"
"Kouga!" Shippo interjected. The wolf prince fixed him with a look. "I need you to give me a report – we all need to get together and decide what our next move is going to be."
Kagome frowned. For someone intent on putting an end to Naraku, Shippo was going out of his way to keep her in the dark about what was going on. Kouga locked eyes with him before muttering something about runts and raccoons, turning away from the group. Shippo followed after him, growling something at his back that Kagome couldn't understand, but caused the wolf to laugh out loud.
"Is Shippo the head of this, er, rebellion?" Kagome asked.
Ayame blinked, scratching her head. "What a strange question…" she murmured. "Come to think of it, I guess he is in a way. After all, the little guy's the one who managed to rally us all together and keep us from killing one another."
The miko laughed.
"She's serious," Kohaku said. Kagome sweatdropped.
"Still, in some ways… both he and Kouga share the responsibility," the female wolf youkai continued. "When you think about it, Shippo's still just a kid compared to Kouga, and he's got tons more leadership experience."
"All the same," Kohaku interjected. "Sempai's the one who does all the planning… he's the brains and Kouga-san's the brawn."
"Yeah," Ayame agreed, her tail flicking back and forth easily. "That about sums it up. Just don't let either of them hear you say so, though… Men… sheesh…" With a wave of her hand, she wandered off further into the village with Sumu, Toudou, and Jyou, who all seemed hell-bent on defending their gender.
Kagome waved to them as they walked away, though on the inside she was still puzzled. In the past, Shippo had never shown any fondness for the wolf prince – especially considering how he had nearly been fed to his wolves during their first encounter years ago. Years ago… God, how had she gotten accustomed to this so quickly?
Despite all that, she couldn't help but continue to wonder about her young kitsune charge. What was it that had driven him to ally himself with Kouga?
Well… there was only one way to find out.
"Kohaku-chan…?" The girl in question blinked in surprise at being addressed so familiarly by someone she had just met… or perhaps it was because of who she happened to be. Hm… It took only a second for the girl to compose herself however, snapping to attention. Kagome merely grinned. "Are there any hot springs around here by any chance?"
oo
Two pairs of eyes that had been busy pouring over a map laid out before them rose upwards as the flap to their tent was lifted upwards to reveal Ayame, who stepped inside with a grin.
"Ah," Shippo let out a sigh of relief. "It's just you, Ayame."
"Just me?" She mock pouted.
"You mean you couldn't tell?" Kouga asked, smirking. "You're slipping, runt."
Shippo shrugged, rubbing his nose absently. "I've spent the last three weeks masquerading though human settlements pretending to be a 7 year old human, whaddya want from me?"
"Yeah, yeah," The wolf prince waved his words away, turning to his mate. "Where's Kagome?"
"With Kohaku-chan," she answered. "I think she said something about wanting to take a bath." At this, Shippo's tail perked up, causing the she-wolf to grin. "Yeah, don't even think about it, squirt."
"I wasn't!" he protested, sounding affronted even as his eyes kept glancing back to the hut's entrance.
"All right, back to business," Kouga interrupted. "You were explaining how Kagome managed to reappear after all this time…"
"Ooh, yes," Ayame chimed in. "And how is it that she's still so young? The way humans age she should be looking ancient by now!"
"You all remember how I told you Kagome was from another era, right?" The two wolves nodded, remembering also how that fact allowed the young miko's actions and behavior to make so much more sense. "Well, according to her, from the time she went away to the time she returned, only 3 weeks had passed."
"Only 3 weeks?"
"Versus 40 years? How's that even possible?"
The kitsune shrugged. "No one was ever really sure how the well actually worked." He said. "However, Kagome did say she had sensed a bad aura as she passed through this last time."
"A bad aura?" Ayame's emerald eyes darkened in concern.
"Well, that's no surprise. The whole of Musashi has become tainted since he set up camp there… It's part of his new empire," Kouga spat, folding his arms across his chest. "even if his castle isn't there anymore."
"It's not?" Shippo asked.
The wolf prince shook his head. "He keeps moving it. We were tracking it for about a month when the damned thing up and disappeared on us. My guess is that it's further up North now."
Shippo frowned, the cogs in his wily brain working madly. So, Naraku had moved his castle again? So soon? He only did that when he felt too vulnerable to protect himself from vulnerable attacks. (Despite what he wanted everyone to think, Naraku still had periods in which his youkai blood waned, leaving him almost human) For him to relocate himself so quickly… By kami, what had Kagome done to him?
"What's our move?"
Kouga grinned, his fangs gleaming in the dim light of the tent. "We kick him while he's down, that's what. If the baboon's so busy running away with his tail between his legs, he's probably too concerned to worry about barriers."
"It's an awful risk," Ayame cautioned. "We'll have to be careful. If he's really headed north like we think he is, you know what he's planning to do."
"Pah, that won't save him," Kouga scowled, clenching his fists. "We'll head him off and kill him before he can even get to his little stooge."
Shippo only nodded, his face uncharacteristically blank. Noting his silence, the two wolves turned to him.
"There'll be no hesitating this time, runt…" the wolf prince cautioned, his blue eyes boring into the younger youkai's. "You haven't forgotten what.—
"No, I haven't." Shippo cut him off. "I can go through with it – I will if I have to… it's just…"
"Kagome-chan still doesn't know, does she?" Ayame asked gently.
"No," he answered. "She hasn't asked… directly… but I know she's going to soon."
"What're you gonna tell her?" Kouga asked.
"The truth," Shippo answered. "What else can I tell her? Especially when he finds out--"
Kouga's eyes took on a steely glint as he sat forward, slamming his hands down on the low table in front of them. "He's not gonna find out!" he barked. "And he's not gonna lay a hand on her! I'll rip the damned things off first!"
"Kouga…" Shippo frowned warningly.
"Don't give me that shit, runt, you know damn well you're not gonna do anything." The wolf took a deep breath, sparing Ayame a meaningful look before turning back to the kitsune. "Ayame is my mate – nothing will change that. However, that doesn't change the fact that I care about Kagome. I may not want her as my woman anymore, but she's still important to me… There's no way I'm gonna stand by and let that bastard hurt her."
"If he even tries it," Shippo said softly. Luckily Kagome was not around to hear the viciousness underlying his tone. It was not of the little cub she remembered. "I'll kill him myself."
Ayame sat down between the two, heaving a heavy sigh. "Sheesh, you two, lighten up, will ya?"
Kouga blinked and grinned. "Hey, don't look at me… the runt's the one getting' all touchy."
"I am not!" he exclaimed, the fur on his tail bristling. "This is my kaachan we're talking about!"
"Kaachan… right… whatever," Ayame laughed, waving his words away. "I'm sure Kagome-chan can handle herself just fine." She leaned over towards the kit, grinning playfully. "Now, what about the other woman in your life?"
Shippo blinked. "Other woman…?" His face turned decidedly red. "You mean Kohaku?"
oo
Kagome silently thanked whoever had decided to set up camp near a cove of natural hot springs as she slowly immersed herself into one of its steamy depths. The heat was already doing wonders for her achy joints – it felt like years since she had last enjoyed a good soak.
She felt bad for allowing some of the village girls to set up a hut for her – she'd felt like she was imposing somehow, but when Kohaku offered to do it for her, she finally relented. After all, how was she supposed to implement her plan when her target was off somewhere else?
She glanced at the young girl kneeling at the edge of the water, staring into its murky depths. She looked very nervous.
"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to check on your hut for you?" she asked again.
Kagome sighed. "No, that's all right." Perhaps she was nervous about the spring water itself? "Just enjoy the water. It's only hot at first… you get used to it after a while."
The younger girl blinked at her, and then stared down at her feet again. "It's not that…" she murmured, staring down at the water. Kagome frowned slightly; what had happened to the self-assured girl who had come barreling into her not too long ago? "It's just… I'm not used to… um… I mean I usually bathe alone."
"Oh!" Kagome sat up, her eyes wide. She'd always known that this era's culture was so much different from her own, but she wondered had she overstepped her bounds somehow? She recalled how she'd asked Kohaku to direct her to the springs the girl had been more than happy to oblige. However, when she'd asked whether or not she would like to accompany her, the girl had seemed very surprised. Kagome had thought it would be a perfect opportunity to get to know her better. Had she presumed wrong somehow?
"I'm sorry," It was Kagome's turn to be embarrassed. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable…"
The raven-haired girl blinked and then shook her head. "No, no, it's not you, miko-sama!" she insisted. "It's just… well, you are a miko and I'm just a girl…"
"Don't think that at all!" Kagome admonished. "I'm no different from you, Kohaku-chan…" She scratched her nose absently. "I just figured this would be a chance for me to get to know you better."
"Me?" She looked down, flustered. "Oh, I see… I'm sorry… I wasn't expecting that…"
"Surely you hang out with the other girls here in the camp?"
Kohaku shook her head. "I'm a bit of a special case…"
Indeed. Kagome had noticed how the other girls acted around them when they approached Kagome. While the humans and youkai seemed to interact well enough around each other, Kagome supposed most of the human women carried out a supportive role in this little community, and given that Kohaku seemed to interact so closely with the heads of the group, it came as no surprise that they treated her a little differently. Kagome remembered Sango confessed to feeling that same sort of isolation; a lone woman in a man's world. Kagome had only begun to understand this.
Looking at her now, she may have been younger than her grandmother had been when they all first met, but Kagome could tell Kohaku was a Taijya. Trained to fight and battle demons, she did not waste time with things other girls her age usually engaged in. She was lean and athletic, tough enough to withstand a beating – at a glance it seemed she had the scars to prove it. Kohaku's face was open and sweet like most girls her age, but her eyes held wisdom beyond their years. Those eyes had seen things some adults couldn't even fathom. They knew what Sango and Miroku had known – she was the last of her kind, a lone sentinel against an unfathomably evil enemy that held the key to her destruction…
The Kazaana.
As the younger finally stepped down into the steaming water, Kagome's eye caught the dark glove wrapped around her slim, right hand. The material was a deep blue, the even darker colored mala beads almost indistinguishable around her wrist. As she dunked her head under, rising back up to wring the water from her hair, the gold band on her middle finger hold the seal in place glinted in the dusky light.
It wasn't right.
The younger girl's voice ripped Kagome from her silent scrutiny. "You're right, mi—Kagome-sama," she chirped. "This water feels wonderful!"
Kagome-sama… Miroku had called her that, too… She smiled, nonetheless. "Yeah," she agreed. "I can just feel the dust from the road falling away. I can only imagine how I must have looked before."
"You've been traveling a long time?"
"A couple of weeks," Kagome answered, although she had to admit she wasn't entirely sure. "It seems like it was only yesterday…" She closed her eyes, pained. "Since Sango-chan and I would have to scream at Miroku-sama for peeping at us."
A wistful smile touched the girl's face as she sighed heavily. "I wish I could have met them." She said. "I've heard so many things about them that I feel like I should know them."
"What are your parents like?" Kagome asked, starting at the frown that passed over the girl's face.
"They were farmers," she answered. "They were scared of the Kazaana and what it would do to them if they tried to fight Naraku." The way the name was spat from her lips solidified the truth of her heritage. "But in the end it didn't matter… the moment my father opened it to kill the youkai that had cut down my mother… it swallowed them all whole."
Kagome gasped sharply, the water around her rippling as her body tensed.
"They didn't want to believe that humans and youkai could work together against that monster," Kohaku said. "They said staying alive – even if it meant living in constant fear – was more important." She laughed bitterly. "They died not much longer after that."
"How… did you survive all this?" Kagome asked.
"From an early age I was sick of them cowing to that wicked creature," she confessed. "They knew what he had done to their ancestors… the fact that the curse passed from my father's father to him could be used as a weapon against Naraku… but they were afraid. When I realized they weren't even going to try to fight back, I ran away."
"Ran away? Why?"
Kohaku stared down at the water. "I am the first born child in my family to be a girl… so I was born without the Kazaana… My parents thought this was a blessing." Her dark hair floated on the surface of the water, pooling around her, but neither girl took any notice. "Still, I didn't want to stand by and do nothing. I thought that if I trained and learned to become a taijya, I could fight his oppression even without use of the curse."
"So, you eventually learned, right?" Kagome asked. "Who did you learn from? And how did you end up with the Kazaana?"
"The moment my father vanished from this world, it appeared in my hand," Kohaku answered, completely disregarding her first question. Odd. "That evil man probably thought he was being funny."
"Have you used it?" Kagome asked.
"Of course," she replied. "Lots of youkai underestimate because of my size and the fact that I'm a girl, but when they do I make them realize their mistake with this." She grinned. "I may not have as much spiritual power as my grandfather, but I can write up sutras and ofuda. Plus, Shippo-sempai says I'm as good at slaying as my grandmother was."
Kagome nodded. "I know they're very proud of you."
"That's why I need an heir," Kohaku suddenly exclaimed. The miko blinked. "I can't let my line end with me!"
With the direction her thoughts had taken, Kagome had honestly forgotten about that… almost. She'd wanted to confront Shippo about this promise of his, but of course he'd slithered his way out of answering her questions… again.
"Any particular reason you chose Shippo to, ah, help you?" she asked, making sure to keep her tone conversational. She didn't disapprove really, but nor did she actually approve. Kohaku was still a girl – younger than her, at that! Granted, by years alone, Shippo was far older than both of them put together, but she had looked at him as her son! Even with 40 years behind him he still couldn't have been that old! Even Sumu had said he was still a teen by youkai standards.
Despite everything, Kohaku had the good nature to blush, sinking further down into the water. "I'm not really ready for children right now," she admitted. Oh, thank God. "But I want to be sure that I have someone for when the time comes." She paused, her face flushing in embarrassment. "I admit, I kinda asked a lot of guys,"
'And yet she's only 14?' Kagome pulled a face. 'Yup, definitely of Miroku's ilk.'
"But every time Sempai would run them off… it was annoying at first – I even asked Jyou-kun just to piss him off once. I don't know who was more freaked out, him or Sempai." She giggled a bit. "Eventually, he got fed up with me chasing after guys and said he'd be the one to sire my child."
"So this is just an obligation…?"
Kohaku shook her head adamantly. "No, no…" She paused. "Well… it may have started out that way, but…" She ducked her head, her cheeks darkening further. "I was furious at first when he told me, but deep down I knew Shippo-sempai was my first and only choice. After all… he's done so much for me… when I had no one to look after me, he took me in and brought me here. He's my best friend…
"I know he was only trying to look out for me when he made that promise… after all, he's a youkai and I'm only human… but I want… I want to be with him… I want to be with him however possible, for as long as possible..."
Kagome remained silent for very a long time, her entire body frozen. Kohaku's words had struck a part of her that she had shut off the moment she had arrived in this skewed time period. She glanced over at the younger girl, no longer seeing the shadows of two of her closest friends, but of a girl who had felt strongly despite all the obstacles barring her way…
…Herself.
"You care about him very much, don't you?" she asked gently. Suddenly, she felt very old.
"No one else would ever think to bother with a little girl and her cursed hand." Kohaku said with a strained smile. "The human men here are brave, but they aren't stupid."
"Don't talk about yourself that way." Kagome admonished. "You are an amazing girl and I know Shippo can see that."
"You think so?" Kohaku asked quietly.
The miko nodded. "He agreed to sire a child for you – that's not something he would take lightly." She hoped. After all, the Shippo she had known had had the mind of an 8-year old, and had been quickly gaining the same reputation as the lecherous monk with which he traveled. How many young girls' hearts had he unwittingly captured? Yet, as far as she had known he'd had only two loves – mischief and candy. There really was no way for her to tell just how the kitsune felt about his young human ward… yet.
Needless to say, Kagome had decided on a new mission for herself.
Kohaku stared at the miko across from her, unsure of what to make of the fiery gleam present in her eye. "Uh… Kagome-sama…?"
oo
Back in the 'war-room', Shippo paused, a sudden chill racing down his spine.
"Something wrong, runt?" Kouga asked, quirking an eyebrow.
The kitsune glanced around, an uneasy smirk making its way across his face. "Heh… it feels like somebody just walked over my grave…" His tail twitched nervously as he stood up and exited the hut.
The two wolves exchanged looks before turning back to the map in front of them.
"Foxes…"
End Chapter 9