Chapter 2: A new form

Before...

Shippo rushed to her side and turned her over; she blinked blearily and muttered, "I told you I could do it."  The rest of Shippo's companions came running and say Shippo leaning over Kichou. "What happened?" demanded Sango nervously, looking around for Kirara. But...Kirara was no where to be found. Shippo panicked and yelled, "What did you do to Kirara!" The rest of the gang began to look around as Kichou's face creased into a small frown and she whispered, "She's coming..."

Continuation...

A crashing of the undergrowth disturbed the momentary silence and Shipp jumped up to intercept the furious fox youkai. Shippo went flying with a small thump and landed hard. Inuyasha, "Keh'd" and attacked quickly. The youkai went sprawling with a quick slash. Inuyasha yawned and asked, "Is that it?" The youkai angrily roared and charged him screaming, "Fox fire!" Shippo recovered and yelled, "Copy ca—fox!" He jumped forward again and went at it, biting, scratching, yelling, kicking and punching as hard as he could.

Kichou gasped and ducked behind Kagome as Sango moved forward to help out. Inuyasha seemed frozen, he swayed and sneezed then sank blearily to his knees. A young girl flew down from the sky with a strange war cry and tackled Noriaki with all her force. She, too, began to faint after a hearty round of sneezes. She fell down with remarkable speed and Kagome notched and arrow and fired it swiftly. Sango threw her Hiraikotsu and Miroku watched wearily. He couldn't use kazaana because Inuyasha, Shippo and the young girl were to close to the enemy, so he ran forward with staff rings clinking.

Sango stopped him as the youkai was purified and sliced up. Miroku sighed, "I guess I'm on cleaning duty, eh?" Sango smiled sweetly and nodded, then she remembered Kirara was gone and sniffled. "Poor Kirara, I don't know what happened to her, Inuyasha's unconscious, Shippo hasn't learnt how to track yet and I'm totally helpless in tracking a flying creature." The young girl sat up, rubbing her eyes, purred when she saw Sango and crawled forward to twine herself around her legs.

Sango looked at the girl startled and jumped back. "Who are you?" she demanded, looking into familiar red orange eyes. The girl tilted her head to one side and opened her mouth to meow but instead said, "It's me, Kirara," in a sweet fuzzy voice. She looked confused and growled low in her voice. Sango began to see a resemblance and froze. The girl had long creamy beige hair and soft fair skin; she was obviously a youkai, but young, at least a little younger than Sango and with a fairly wispy built body. Sango recognized the markings on the girl's face and she looked down at the girl's elegantly black gloved hands and tight fitting black boots. Sango faltered in her questioning ad stepped back, mouth opened slightly.

Shippo went up to the girl and jumped on her to sniff her more thoroughly. The girl purred and rubbed her face against his head. "Shippo..." she murmured softly and picked him up. Shippo giggled delightedly and cried, "Kirara! My wish did come true!" Kichou poked her head around Kagome and said smugly, "See? I do have magic; you owe me a piggyback to the river!" Shippo groaned, "Oh man," and then grabbed Kirara's hand and walked to Kichou. He struggled to pick up Kichou and finally just let his youkai strength carry her. "Oomph! What do you eat, Kichou?" he demanded as he still struggled to make his way to the river. Kichou sighed tolerantly and muttered, "Rude youkai, I eat the same as you! If less, if I had been carrying you, you would've crushed me like a bug, so shut up!"   

Shippo giggled and asked her, "Kichou, do you have a family?" Kirara listened in from the side. Curious as to the nature of her digits, Kirara opened her hands wide and made pinching gestures. Kichou watched and smiled, "Yeah...I guess I do. They had to give me up when the kitsune threatened to destroy our village. I can't really remember them though. Noriaki was a master with herbs. He made lots of powders and gooey mixes to make sure I couldn't leave and others couldn't find me. But I'll never forget the village. It's beautiful!" A/N while they were playing Shippo told her his name and pointed out who the others were.  

Shippo sighed, they had reached the river. "Well I guess we gotta drop you off when we're done. We really can't take you along; we're on a dangerous mission. Right, Kirara?" Kirara smiled toothily and replied, "Yes, of course." She stuck out her tongue and wrinkled her nose then put a hand up to her face to trace her nose and eyes. Shippo grew bored and pushed both little girls into the river. Kirara grabbed him and they all tumbled in. Kirara vaulted up and screeched, "The river's cold!"

Meanwhile Sango had fainted and Kagome was looking towards the river in awe while trying to wake her up. "Oh Sango-chan, it really isn't the time to faint on me! Oh no!" Miroku was in shock; he hadn't moved when he heard the girl say her name. Kirara, human? It wasn't even a plausible idea! She was a neko youkai in permanent neko form. Wasn't she? Nobody had ever really tested her abilities.  She was also an extremely attractive girl of around Kagome's age, younger than Sango though. He let his eyes roam and his fingers twitched.

Kirara—from the side of the river—turned around and shot a ferocious glare at Miroku, an obvious warning; before returning to play with the two children. Sango stirred and woke up, followed by a moan from Inuyasha who asked groggily, "Where's the sake?" Kagome couldn't help but smile as she replied, "No, you weren't drunk. I think it was a drug from the fox." Inuyasha nodded, as though this happened all the time and sank back into the ground. Sango pulled herself from Kagome and walked to the river.

Kirara waited for her. "Hello Sango!" she said cheerfully. "Look what happened! I've gotta human form too! Isn't that marvellous?" Sango gulped back tears and she rushed forward to throw herself onto Kirara. "Sango, what's the matter? Don't you like my new form?" Sango chuckled weakly and said, "It's lovely, just a very big surprise. I'm going to miss your fur and your flight when we fight though." Kirara looked solemnly at Shippo and zoomed up into the air with Sango in her arms.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about the flight, I can still fly, and...." Kirara grimaced and in a flash of cool fire Sango was left clutching at a fully transformed neko Kirara again. She gracefully lowered herself to the ground and Sango dropped there, stunned into silence. Kirara shrank, meowed, then turned back into a girl. "See? Whatever happened, it just gave me another form to use, nothing changed, see? Now we can have real conversations and everything, aren't you happy?" Sango smiled dully, "Of course, it's just..." Kirara frowned slightly and prodded, "Just what?" "It's so strange, I'm really glad for you." She got up stiffly and walked away, well aware that Miroku now had yet another girl to bask his attention on. That wasn't what was bothering her though...

Miroku was admiring Kirara's new form, but he was in love with the fierce, loyal Sango. There was just something about her that he loved. Inuyasha jerked up again and spying Kichou and Shippo playing by the river with a strange youkai rushed to them. "Shippo, look out!" he cried and rushed at Kirara. She ducked and transformed into her small neko form. Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks as Kirara changed back into a young girl. "It's me! Don't attack, use your nose!" she said sternly.

Well, than a lot of explaining was needed and everyone settled down for the night. Kirara excused herself and told them that Kichou was eager to return to her own home and that she was just going to give her a ride there. So when Kirara returned nobody noticed her and she listened in on their conversation quietly.

Kirara's POV

Sango: "Well I don't know...it's just weird. I mean, she was my only link to my past and now she's changed. It's not fair! Everything I knew has either been ripped away from me or now changed! I don't know how I'm going to handle this. And what if she wants to leave us? Oh kami, I couldn't survive then..."

Miroku: "It isn't a bad change; I think it rather suits her. I mean, really, let's be honest, she's quite a pretty thing and—" WHAM Sango had hit Miroku with her Hiraikotsu fiercely and was yelling angrily.

Sango: "Houshi sama! If you even touch one part of my innocent Kirara, I swear by the kamis I will insure that you have no children and that your groping hands will be cut off. Do we have an understanding?"

Inuyasha: "Sango, just calm down, he was only kidding..."

Kagome: "Sango, just put that knife down, okay? Kirara's change doesn't change anything. It's a wonderful thing, now you and her can really bond. We all know you loved her as your pet, surely it isn't that different now?"

Sango: "She's not my pet, she is my companion." She stood up and walked to her sleeping bag—Kagome's generosity—and shut her eyes tightly.

General POV

Kirara had changed back to her small and cute form, her eyes drooping sadly. So Sango didn't like her now. She quietly meowed her sadness and trailed away into the darkness, first quietly waking Shippo from Kagome's sleeping bag and shifting to human form to tell him her plan.

Shippo loved Kagome dearly—like a mother—but it was his fault Kirara had changed and he meant to take care of her no matter what. They left the camp swiftly, Kirara carrying Shippo easily and powerfully flying thru the air.

Wow, I really need to update! So here, another chappie for you. I hope to read some new ideas. What should I do next? Anyways, I love to hear from you and I hope you enjoy this new story. Thx, ciao.