The spell is lifted
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I repeat DO NOT. So don't sue
A/N: Thank you everyone for your continual support. You guys are the best. Please continue to R&R. I really appreciate it. Thanks.
Kagome let herself into the clinic and sighed. Thank Kami that she had a job to keep her mind off things. Kagome was so lost in her own thoughts that she did not notice she had almost tripped over a chair leg in the waiting area when she felt someone grabbed her shoulder.
Turning around, she saw that it was Dr. Aki who had managed to save her from doing a face plant on the floor. "Ohayo, Dr. Aki, Thank you." Kagome said ruefully, "I guess I'm not quite awake yet."
Inwardly, Kilala frowned at the circles underneath Kagome's eyes. There were obvious signs that she had been crying, but knowing Kagome, there would be no use in pointing those things out to her. So Kilala just smiled and said, "That's alright, I have some coffee in the back if you would like some. According to Kito, it is quite good at driving out the last verges of sleep."
"I think I'll just stick with a cup of hot green tea." Kagome said weakly, "I don't think I'm really up for that kind of stuff this morning."
While the two enjoyed their last cup of tea before opening, Kilala asked Kagome if she had any plans this coming Saturday. Kagome shook her head, and Kilala let out a thankful sigh and shyly asked if Kagome was willing to help her get ready for the ball.
"Oh yes, just as secret between the two of us. Don't tell Kito anything, or else I would never be able to live it down." Kilala said giving Kagome a conspiratorial wink.
Kagome giggled, held out her pinky towards her boss, and promised, "Not a word." Kilala laughed and held out her own pinky in turn.
The week seemed to fly by and soon Saturday was here. When Kilala opened the door to admit Kagome into her apartment, she found the young girl had a number of magazines all about hair design in her arms.
"I borrowed these from my friends," Kagome explained, "I thought you might like to go through some of them to see if you want to use any of the designs."
With that said, the two women immediately got to work going over the magazines and trying on different make up styles. A few hours later, Kilala was ready. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was certain that she would not embarrass Shippou too badly.
"I don't think these shoes were meant for walking, Kagome." Kilala remarked as she looked down at the heels that she was wearing.
"Whoever said pretty shoes are meant walking," Kagome said as she helped Kilala adjust a shawl over the shoulders, "besides these shoes matches your dress. Where is Kito? If he doesn't come soon, you will be late for the gala." Kagome said wrinkling her nose and right on cue, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it for you, Dr. Aki," Kagome called out as she went to the door. Kilala was glad that Kagome had offered to answer the door for her, for she didn't think that she could get have walked that far. 'These heels are modern day torture devices.' Kilala thought as she made her way gingerly out of her room.
When she got to the living room, she saw Kagome was happily chatting with Shippou who was dressed in his tuxedo. When he noticed her, his face lit up with his signature smile. Strolling towards her, he stopped about a foot away, picked up her hand, and raised it to his lips. Kilala blushed at the contact, while Kagome looked at the pair benevolently from behind Shippou. Shippou looked at Kilala's blushing face, and thought that Kagome had done an excellent job to bring out the beauty of her human features.
"You two make such a lovely couple." Kagome said clapping her hands. "I wish I could take a picture for you guys."
"Have no fear, Kagome. I have a camera right here." Shippou said producing a digital camera from his jacket pocket. "That's the whole point of spending the time on the full process." giving her a wink.
"Alright!" Kagome exclaimed happily rushing over to Shippou and began taking pictures of Shippou and Kilala together. Kagome would have continued to take pictures of the two but Shippou insisted that Kagome take a picture with them as well. After a few pictures, the three friends left Kilala's apartment and Shippou drove Kagome home before heading to the gala.
Kilala and Shippou reached the ballroom with plenty of time to spare. Shippou tossed his keys to the valet and helped Kilala out of the car. Tucking Kilala's arm underneath his, Shippou looked at her and asked, "Ready?" Kilala took a deep breath and nodded.
One of the first people they see upon entering the ball room was Hakkaku. Seeing his friends, Hakkaku came up to them and heartily shook Shippou's hand. Seeing it was Kilala who had accompanied Shippou, Hakkaku winked at Shippou before turning to Kilala. "You look absolutely stunning, Dr. Aki." he complimented causing Kilala to blush again.
Looking around, Shippou saw Kouga and Ayame at the other end of room and nudged Kilala who was chatting with Hakkaku. "We'll be back later, Hakkaku. Now I had better mingle or Sesshoumaru would have my skin." Shippou said as he led Kilala towards the wolves. Hakkaku shivered hearing Sesshoumaru's name and nodded in understanding, "Yeah, I'll see you at the table later." turning to greet with other guests who had just come through the door.
Guiding Kilala towards the wolves, Shippou whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "Relax Kilala. Just smile and you'll be fine."
"If this is the case, then I think my face is going to be stuck smiling by the end of the night." Kilala whispered back.
"Don't worry; you look beautiful when you smile." Shippou said patting her arm tucked underneath his and giving her a smile. Shippou's compliment caught Kilala off guard causing the neko youkai to blush again.
'At the frequency I'm blushing tonight, I don't have to reapply my makeup at all.' Kilala thought
"Kito, Aki," Ayame called when she caught sight of them. Excusing herself from her guests, Ayame strolled towards them. Shippou's face lit up with a smile and reached out to shake Ayame's hand.
"Ayame, how are you? You certainly are the belle of the ball tonight." said Shippou winking at her. Ayame gave Shippou's hand a hard squeeze and turned to shake Kilala's hand."I'm glad you came tonight, Kilala or else I'll have no one to talk with at my table and be bored out of my mind." Ayame said quietly. Continuing in normal tones, Ayame gestured to Shippou. "But come now, Kito, there are some people I would like you to meet."
The rest of the evening passed fairly uneventfully. It was near midnight by the time that Shippou escorted Kilala back to her apartment. Shippou loosen his tie as he made a beeline for the couch while Kilala kicked off her pretty, but uncomfortable shoes and settled herself in an armchair.
"Well, what did you think of your first social event?" Kilala asked as she got up and went to the kitchen to make some tea for Shippou and herself.
Shippou groaned, "Let's just say that Sesshoumaru is making me work for my salary. Charity galas and other social events are soon going to be a part of my life. According to Ginta, to make connections these days, you have to be 'to see and be seen'. If I want to have a wide net of contacts, I would have to attend various events at various times to make them, which means I'll have less time to spend on Kagome."
Kilala sipped her tea thoughtfully before remarking, "I guess that's why Kouga didn't look too happy when the man sitting beside Ginta mentioned something about
looking forward to seeing Ayame next week, because if Ayame has to attend, she is going to make Kouga go as well." Finally understanding now why Kouga had that
look on his face and Hakkaku nearly choked on his wine.
"Yup, I think that's Ayame's way of getting back at Kouga for demolishing the house." Shippou said evilly. "She knows Kouga absolutely hates getting dressed up and attending these things, so naturally she will make him go."
"Well, he deserved it." Kilala said archly, looking over at her friend before taking a sip of tea.
Shippou decided that the wisest thing to do right now was to change the subject. "Why don't we develop those pictures tomorrow and pay a visit to Kagome at the shrine?" he asked quickly before Kilala could ask him anything else.
"Kagome," her mother called out, "there's someone here to see you."
Kagome put down the broom she was using to sweep the shrine grounds and went into the house, all the while wondering who it could be coming to visit her. To her surprise, it was Kito and Dr. Aki.
"Ohayo, Kagome," Kilala said, "Kito had gotten the photos developed and made some copies for you. So we thought that we will just drop by and pay you a visit as well." holding a package from the photo shop towards her.
"Thanks so much, Kito." Kagome beamed at him.
Mrs. Higurashi smiled at her daughter and spoke, "Kagome, why don't you show Dr. Aki and Kito around the shrine grounds?" Kagome nodded and led her guests out to the shrine grounds.
Shippou's eyes grew moist as he followed Kagome and Kilala out on to the shrine grounds. Here was where everything started and ended for them. Looking around, he could still hear the voices of his friends as they played together in the fields while Sango and Miroku looked on at them from the edge. Glancing towards the direction of the well, Shippou recalled the nights he had sat on the edge and cried for the loss of Kagome. For five hundred years, Shippou had always imagined that Kagome was living happily in her time, but when he saw her again, he realized that she, like him, had lived in emotional turmoil.
Kagome led them under the Goshinboku and told them some of the legends associated with the tree. Shippou reached out a hand and touched the trunk before turning to Kagome, and asked causally, "Have you ever heard of the legends about a hanyou pinned to this tree and the shikon no tama, Kagome?"
Hearing the question, Kilala immediately leveled a sharp glance at her friend and turned to look at Kagome.
"Why… why do you ask? What kind of legends have you heard of, Kito?" Kagome stammered, her heart pounding against her ribs while her hand automatically went to her hip where the shikon now resided.
Kito's question had alarmed Kagome for this was the first time that anyone besides her family mentioned about the shikon no tama. She was certain that there was nothing written about the shikon no tama in this time for she had checked many books regarding Japanese myths and legends at the library and did not find any references to the said object.
"I love researching about Japanese traditional myths and legends in my spare time." Shippou replied leaning back against the tree and looking up into its branches. "During one of my researches, I heard legends about a hanyou being pinned to the Goshinboku by his miko lover over some quarrel about the shikon no tama. Later, I saw an actual collection associated with the same legends."
Hearing this, Kagome staggered against the tree and tried to stop her body from trembling. This is was the first time since she got back that she heard anyone spoke of that particular time period, much less legends concerning Inuyasha.
"Do you know where the collection is, Kito?" Kagome asked trying hard to keep the tremor from her voice.
Shippou answered nonchalantly; as if completely oblivious to the excited state that Kagome was in, "Of course, do you want to see it? I must admit though you are the first person I've met who showed an interest in that particular collection."
"Is it alright if we go see it now? I'll just go inside on the way and tell my okaa-san about it." Kagome asked looking at Shippou intently.
Shippou nodded his assent and got to his feet. He gestured for Kagome to go on ahead. Looking over Kagome's head at Kilala, Shippou sent an apologetic look to her and followed Kagome.
The three got into Shippou's car and drove off. As they were driving, Kagome looked down at her hands which were clenched tightly until her knuckles were white. Glancing out the window, Kagome noticed that they have left the city and into an area which she was not familiar with.
Shippou's heart pounded loudly as he drove towards Sesshoumaru's estate. He looked in the review mirror to check on Kagome and spoke with fake cheer, "We're almost there."
Parking the car at a side entrance, Shippou got out and opened the door for Kagome. Taking out his keys, the kitsune prayed that Sesshoumaru did not change the lock in his absence. Shippou let out a sigh of relief when the door unlocked and led the two women upstairs towards his old quarters.
"Don't be surprised if you see some odd things in the room. This guy is a bit of an odd ball." Shippou heard himself say in an attempt to lighten the mood as they approach the museum. His comment elicited a strange look from Kilala which Shippou shrugged off.
"Ah… here we are." Shippou said as they stopped at a closed door. "You guys wait here for a bit while I go in to let some light in." Shippou ordered and went into the room to draw the curtains open.
Kagome thought her heart was going to burst when Kito stopped. She was glad that Kito had asked them to stay in the hallway. It gave her a chance to steady her nerves and prepare herself for what was to come.
"Come on in," Shippou called as he came to the door, "the collection you want to see is over here Kagome." directing to her to the back of the room.
Kagome and Kilala stepped inside and looked around the room. Kilala recognized many of the items placed carefully on the tables. She had no idea that Shippou had kept them even after so many years.
Kagome walked towards the back with Kito in front of her and Dr. Aki behind her. When she got close enough, she saw that there were sheets covering what she assumed were paintings on the walls.
'Here goes nothing.' Shippou thought as he drew the sheet away from the first painting.
Kagome looked at the painting and gasped. It was a human Inuyasha with Kikyou by his side and both were smiling. Seeing her lost love brought tears to her eyes.
'Oh, Inuyasha, I thought I'll never see your face again.' Kagome thought as she reached out to touch the painting.
The sound of cloth made Kagome quickly dropped her hand. How rude of her to touch a priceless painting of a stranger, she hoped that no one saw what she had almost done. She turned her attention to the second painting and became rooted to the spot. The painter had drawn a picture of Miroku, Sango, and Kaede. Miroku's arm was wrapped protectively around Sango.
'Oh, Sango, Miroku, Kaede, I miss you guys so much.' Kagome thought wishing that she could there with them and share in their joy.
Shippou was so tempted to reveal who he was when he saw Kagome's reaction to the painting of Inuyasha. The longing look upon her face was almost unbearable. He knew how much she loved the hanyou and how it must have killed her when she decided to let him go and not knowing what would happen. Shippou cleared his throat, breaking Kagome out of her reverie and directed her attention to the painting he had just revealed.
"Oh…Sango," was all Kagome could say when she saw the older looking Kohaku on his wedding day with his bride beside him. She looked intently at the young woman and gasped when she recognized who it was. It was Rin, the young girl who traveled with Sesshoumaru.
"This is the last one in the collection." Kito said as he guided Kagome to another wall. Kagome watched as the young man walked up to the covered painting, drew the sheet away, and came face to face with herself.
By this time, she had no doubt who had drawn these pictures. There was only one person she knew who loved to draw and looked forward to her gifts of crayons and chocolate whenever she goes back: Shippou.
Looking at the painting that Shippou had drawn for her, a tear streaked down her cheek. How she wish she could take the hand of her other self and be drawn back into feudal era.
She was so intended on the painting that she did not notice Kito had come to stand beside her until he spoke.
"This is a portrait of the Miko of the Shikon no tama. This is my favorite out of the whole collection." Kito said simply as he stood and admired the painting.
Unable to look at the painting any longer, Kagome bowed her head while silent tears coursed down her face. Although she had desired to have some connection to the past, but seeing these paintings just reminded her of the things that might have been had she stayed with her friends.
Shippou got on one knee beside Kagome and took one of her hand in his making her look at him. "Kagome, I have waited five hundred years to see you and call you momma again. Please don't make me wait any longer." Shippou's eyes clouded with his tears.
Shippou's word penetrated her misery, Kagome wretched her hand from Kito's grasp in disbelief and took a step back. She gasped as she watched a shimmering mist surround Kito and revealed his true form.
"Shippou?" Kagome asked uncertainly trying to find a shadow of her adopted son in the adult youkai standing in front of her.
"Hi, momma," Shippou said as he closed the distance Kagome had placed between them and wrapped his arms about her. "I've missed you so much."
Kilala watched the reunion with a smile on her lips and wiped a tear from her eye. Perhaps now, the heartache of both mother and son can be healed. Finally remembering that Kilala had come along with them, Shippou released Kagome and gestured for Kilala to come to them.
Smiling at Kagome, Shippou gestured to Kilala who dropped her concealment spell and said, "Kagome, I bet you could never guess who Aki really is."
When the concealment spell was dropped, now that she knew youkai existed in her time, Kagome realized that strange but familiar feeling she always felt at the clinic was. She had been feeling Dr. Aki's jaki. Kagome looked closely at the markings on Dr. Aki's face and her eyes widen when she saw the diamond shaped marking on Dr. Aki's forehead. She had seen the same marking on a tiny neko youkai back in the Sengoku Jedai.
"Kilala?" Kagome guessed and tears started to well up in her eyes when Dr. Aki nodded an affirmative. Running to her long lost friend, Kagome threw her arms around the woman and held her tightly. Kilala hugged the young woman back.
"I'm glad to see you again, Kagome."
Kagome pulled back from Kilala to take a better look at her. Kagome felt Shippou placing a hand on her shoulder and looked up at her adopted son. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to see her son again. She looked on fondly as Shippou dragged her from one table to another describing in detail about each toy that he has collected over the years from his charges and some anecdotes about them.
Kilala stifled a laugh behind her hand as she followed Kagome and Shippou around the room. "Shippou feels that he can become a child again now that he has found you, Kagome." nudging her assistant. Turning to look at Kagome, Kilala sensed that the miko had wanted to know about what happened after she was gone.
"Shippou," Kilala interrupting her friend's monologue. "I'm sure Kagome would like to hear about what happened after she left." and Kagome gave Kilala a thankful look.
Shippou slapped a hand to his forehead, rushed back to Kagome and gave her a hug. "Sorry momma, I got a little bit carried away. So what do you want to know?" he asked Kagome earnestly.
Kagome and Kilala listened to Shippou's recounting of the happenings after Kagome left. Kagome laughed at all the tricks that he, Kohaku, and Rin had gotten themselves into over the years. Shippou recounted the story of how Kohaku got permission to marry Rin with relish. He was doing a great impression of Sesshoumaru threatening Kohaku to treat Rin well or else when a cold voice behind them asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
Kagome and Kilala immediately turned around when Shippou said, "Uh oh." Kagome's eyes widen in shock when she recognized the figure standing in front of her.
"Sess… Sesshoumaru?" Kagome gasped out and her world went black.