Ch 7 Escalating circumstances…
The next day found Miroku a changed man; since the pranks had begun he'd been driven to capture the youkai, to prove his integrity and innocence to his friends once and for all, and to get revenge for the harm done them. But with one last trick, (one that he'd ironically been dreading unlike any other), that youkai had finally won him over. Sure, they'd been upset at first, but what were a few practical jokes beyond harmless fun when all was said and done? His cheery outlook on the situation was not reciprocated however.
"What the hell do you mean 'it's ok she got away'?! And what is this shit about 'harmless fun'!? Have you started on the sake like old Mushin?!"
Inuyasha was incensed. He'd just asked Miroku to lay out that master plan of his to trick the youkai back that they'd discussed the day before; it only made sense to finally try it out, after failing to capture her the other way again; he actually was agreeing for once that heading in with no plan in mind besides kicking ass wasn't going to cut it. And his response?
'I don't think that's necessary. It's all harmless fun anyway, why bother to go to so much trouble? It's not like she'll get away again, so it really is not such a terrible thing that she escaped again last night.'
Sango had a similar reaction. "How can you say that Houshi-sama?! After all that creature has done to us, especially to you, and you suddenly don't care if we catch her or not?! What's gotten into you?!"
"Miroku-sama, I agree with the others; you were so set on proving your innocence before, but now…What happened?" Kagome's voice was much gentler, but just as confused.
Only Shippou seemed unsurprised by Miroku's sudden change of heart. "He probably forgot all about the other pranks now and just wants to thank the youkai for what she did to Sango last night-"
This time, instead of being reprimanded by Inuyasha, it was Kagome who cut the kitsune's provocative words off. Seeing Sango wilt under the memory, she couldn't help the urge to protect her dear friend, and so spoke harshly with Shippou, more the way she treated Inuyasha for his rudeness, really. Well, not quite. But it was farther in that direction than poor Shippou could take.
"Shippou-chan! How can you say something like that?! It's very rude of you to bring something like that up, you need to learn to think before you speak! I'm very disappointed in you."
To Shippou the words were worse than any number of indiscriminate blows from Inuyasha. Kagome was always his champion and protector, his flatterer and spoiler; he lived for her praise and adoration; he felt his very spirit break at her last sentence.
Erupting into tears, he wailed: "I'm sorry Kagome! I'm such a baka! Baka, baka, baka, baka, baka!" With each word he bonked himself on the head; apparently he felt it needed to be done by someone, and as Inuyasha wasn't as obliging as usual, it would have to be himself.
Grabbing his little fist before he could do more damage, (and feeling absurdly guilty for the effect her words had on him,) Kagome tried her best to stay stern, but not make him feel worse. It was a lesson he needed to learn, so she couldn't be too forgiving about it-but oh was it hard!
"You need to apologize to Sango-chan, not me." Kagome instructed.
"Gomenasai, Sango-chan." Shippou's head was hanging listlessly, his tail limp, his eyes welling with tears, the perfect picture of guilt and apology.
"Don't worry about it, really, I'm fine!" Sango was a bit unnerved by the whole interaction-she hadn't been that embarrassed by his words, honestly, there was no need for such a fuss!
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, sure that the kit would be back to spouting off his mouth again in no time at all. Discipline just washed off of him like so much corruption somehow glided past Kagome, and so many slaps to Miroku. It was their natures to be the way they were, and one admonishment could hardly change that. Hadn't he proved it, time and time again, trying to get the kit to keep his mouth shut himself?
But back to important things, like wringing Miroku's sorry neck for that plan he'd been concocting…
"Not so fast, bouzo!" Inuyasha snapped, catching the monk's robes as he tried to escape the room altogether in the distraction Shippou had offered.
"Yes, where were we again? Oh, you were explaining that master plan of yours to capture this fiendish youkai?" Sango prompted him, quickly focusing on the man now standing before them, robes still caught in Inuyasha's claws.
"Well, I wouldn't call it a master plan…And besides, it's not like we really need it-"
"You're wrong Sango. We were actually trying to figure out what the hell this idiot's been drinking to make him talk like that. Any answers, monk?"
"You know I haven't been drinking anything…You would smell it on me, wouldn't you?" Miroku answered, exasperated.
Inuyasha merely grunted, but did not loosen his hold on the robes.
"Then why have you changed your mind Houshi-sama? Is Shippou-chan correct? Is it really that you would forgive this creature everything it has done for the hentai pleasure it gave you last night?" Sango stared at him, a bit sad, a bit hard, but mostly disappointed.
Miroku couldn't take that disappointment. So out came the truth: "There never was a master plan, ok? I realized that tricking her back was the best, most assured way to succeed, but I never found a clever enough way to do it. I never told Inuyasha I had one, only that we needed one-and I couldn't come up with it. If you all have any suggestions, by all means, share them. But for now it's my belief that we just can't outwit her-she's too good at this. We'll just have to go back to searching for her, and hope she'll trip up in some way."
"So we're back to searching that damn forest that's probably empty while she comes up with some new trick? Is that what you're saying monk? To just give up, let her have her way?" Inuyasha couldn't begin to show his anger-all this crap about tricking her back for nothing! The damn bouzo had sounded like he had an idea yesterday, something that sounded delightfully like revenge-what better vengeance than to trick her back? But no, they 'weren't clever enough,' she was 'too good at this.' Well, hell, as if he gave a damn.
"Well, maybe we can do a little of both…"Kagome spoke up, a thoughtful look on her face.
The others stared at her in shock-they'd barely noticed her softer additions to the conversation, almost forgetting that she was there at all. So often at this time in the morning she was still asleep after all.
But she was far from groggy now-she seemed to be more functional and awake than any of them, frankly.
"What do you mean by that, Kagome-chan? How could we do both?" Sango was the first to ask.
"Well…I was just thinking, with the way she tricked me, it was to impersonate Sango while the rest of you were gone looking for her; with Sango-chan it was to impersonate me when she was alone in the hot springs; with Inuyasha she tried to talk to him alone, away from the rest of us too; and with Miroku-sama she got him away from everyone else while impersonating him…Every time, she's taken advantage of the one of us separated from the others…Maybe we could have someone stay behind while the others were gone searching, and they would act as bait for her, and then trap her and keep her busy until the rest got back?"
Kagome looked up hopefully. She wasn't used to being the one to propose plans-Miroku was usually the one who figured out how to defeat the enemy, or maybe Myoga if he was around.
Miroku gaped at her. How could this pure, sweet, naive girl come up with something so deviously effective and simple when he could not? It was unthinkable.
Shippou glowed with pride-that was his Kagome who was cleverer than all the others!
Inuyasha, having similar thoughts to Shippou, allowed a rare compliment to escape him. "Keh. And you thought none of us were smart enough to trick her-Kagome is! More like you weren't, baka bouzou."
Sango, while happy to have some idea laid out that was half-decent, couldn't help but be the voice of reality.
"But Kagome-chan, who will stay behind? The youkai has already tricked all of us-she's not going to do it more than once, will she?"
"That's where you're wrong Sango-chan! She hasn't tricked all of us-the perfect person to stay behind and trick her is also the only one left!" Kagome smiled triumphantly. She couldn't describe the things an approving look or word from Inuyasha did for her self-esteem.
"Who?" Shippou asked, completely nonplussed. They couldn't mean Kirara, could they? But why would the youkai want to trick Kirara?
Catching her meaning, Inuyasha smirked, Miroku smiled, and Sango positively beamed, all turning towards the little kit at once. Kagome turned as well, but she seemed apprehensive for some reason or other.
"Now Shippou-chan, you've heard us talking, you understand how important it is for us to catch this youkai…"
"Whaa?" was all the poor kit could let out, before they pounced.
Suki yawned and stretched luxuriously in her branch. She'd slept longer than normal, and quickly saw by the sun that it was around noon. She was surprised at herself, but felt no guilt for the uncustomary indulgence; she'd earned it hadn't she? Her pranks were all done, her revenge complete, and all she had to do now was find Shippou and reveal herself, and her love. She felt no worries or nervousness-why should she? She had more than proved her devotion and skills to him with her accomplishments. With no doubts to impede her, she nimbly leapt from the tree and headed to the house, with only Shippou in mind.
Shippou was distraught. Here he trembled, alone to receive this formidable youkai, no friends to protect him. His very tail shook, his little palms sweaty, his eyes huge with fear. On second thought, he wasn't distraught; he was terrified.
Following Kagome's plan, his companions had all gone off to search for the youkai in vain in the forest, with the idea to head back after midday, assuming the prankster had revealed herself by then. They had left Shippou-alone-to act as bait as well as the trap to keep her from escaping yet again. He had to detain her until the others arrived, and so would have no help for some time yet.
He wasn't sure he could do it-he might have had fun tricking Inuyasha a time or two in the past, but that was nothing to this. This was an opponent whose pranks made his best pale in comparison, a trickster that was beyond his meager skills in every regard. Scratch his earlier thoughts-he was sure he couldn't do it.
His fear only grew…
"I have to be strong!" he kept reminding himself, attempting to inspire the stoicism and bravery of his friends. But it was a lost battle, "I'm only a kid after all!" his inward wail.
Let's face it, he might have been the clever one, the one who always knew what was going on when the others were too stupid to figure it out, but that would hardly help him now. Knowing who loved who, no matter what they might say to the contrary, would not help him now. For once he wished to be as blind as his hanyou role model, if only to gain an ounce of his courage.
So with knees shaking and heart sprinting, Suki found him.
"Shippou-chan?" she queried hopefully.
"W-Who's there?! I warn you, I am very strong!" Shippou stammered, head darting about for the horrific monster he felt sure to have spoken. It took him two glances around to notice Suki, and another to realize it was she who had spoken. He immediately relaxed. It seemed the prankster wasn't there yet.
Suki's eyes filled with pity. To think, they had abused him so much that now he was wary of even a little kitsune like her!
"Don't fret, it is I, Suki, come to your rescue! Your terrible companions can harm you no longer-"
"Whaa?" Shippou stared at her in confusion. What on earth was she talking about? She must be deranged or something…But despite that, she did seem rather innocent, and certainly undeserving of the fate she'd receive at the hands of the horrific prankster youkai who would probably be coming soon. He resolved to make her leave before that could happen.
"Look, you really shouldn't be around here right now. Why don't you leave, and we can talk later, ok?" Shippou attempted to placate her.
"What?" Suki felt a little disappointed. He wanted her to leave? When they first met? He must be confused, that was it. He didn't realize who she was-she'd have to explain it to him.
"Oh, Shippou, how could I leave? You do not know me, but I have watched you for some time now, from afar, and I cannot help but know that I am in l-"
"That's great, but seriously, can you just go? There's a really nasty youkai coming soon and you'd better get out of here before it gets here-"
"Oh, but I know all about that hanyou too! I know his violent disposition and short temper, for I have watched him even as he interacted with you-such pain it was, to stand by and do nothing-but I do not fear him, in fact, I have come to save you from hi-"
"Kora, you need to get out of here, there's only so much time left before she gets here-"
"Oh, so you refer to another of your tormentors? It matters not; I fear none of them, have come to free you from all of the-"
Shippou was hardly listening to her, all his attention set on alert for the arrival of the trickster, with only a tiny portion set aside to get rid of her. But she was taking too long; nervous as he was already, his temper snapped.
"Look, would you just listen to me for a second! My friends are gone, and they appointed me to catch the evil creature that's been playing such horrible pranks on them. The youkai will be here soon, and you had better leave before them or I might not be able to protect you from this oni. Don't you get it? You need to go now!"
Suki just stared at him, trying to understand why her beloved Shippou had just yelled at her. What had she done wrong? She was so confused.
The initial shock brought by his volume slowly wore off. Slowly his words began to sink in. He called his torturers 'friends'-they were his friends? Her triumphs of vengeance, entirely on his behalf, were 'horrible pranks'? And, worst of all, she was-was- 'the evil creature,' the 'oni,' he seemed so apprehensive of meeting? The one he was trying to protect her from?
It was all too much…None of it made any sense…She must have misunderstood somehow, she must have! Her darling Shippou enjoyed having the hanyou his servant, she was sure of it! But just to be sure, she had to ask…
"Shippou…The tai-jiya is your enemy, no?"
"Sango? Not really…" Shippou answered absentmindedly, distracted as he was by the twig he thought he'd heard snap a moment before.
"Then the Houshi is, isn't he?" Suki's voice was more strained.
"Noo…Miroku may be a lecher, but he's not my enemy…" Shippou looked behind him quickly-was that scratching of claws on the wood floor real or his imagination?
"The miko maybe?" Suki whimpered.
"Kagome? Of course not-" Shippou began to pay a bit more attention to the conversation-this girl didn't seriously think Kagome was his enemy, did she? Only such a random and absurd question could have brought his mind out of its terrified state, and into the new one of utter confusion.
"The hanyou! He has to be your tormentor, you were so happy to have him as your servant!"
Suki clung to this, her last hope, both for her work to have not been in vain, and, more importantly, for her feelings for Shippou to not be unrequited.
"Inuyasha? He can be a real jerk sometimes," Suki felt hope bubble up inside of her, "but he's still my friend." Shippou finished firmly, forgetting for the moment all of his fears of the youkai with the thought of his trusted, brave companions.
Suki felt tears fill her eyes. They were…his friends? I thought, I thought…They treated him so cruelly the first time I saw them together-how could they be his friends? She couldn't keep silent, needing to test all theories, needing to understand what had gone wrong.
"But…A few nights ago, the first time I saw you-they were chasing you! Yelling at you! Hunting you down! How could they be your friends?!" Suki exclaimed.
"Oh…Um…Hehe…Well, I, I, played a prank on them," Shippou flinched. In light of recent events, the memory was a sore point, although it seemed to him that the others had forgotten. "They wanted revenge."
"What?" Her perfect angel Shippou, a prankster worse than herself? One that would pull his tricks on his very friends, of his own free will? "But, Shippou…Why?"
"Huh? 'Why' what?" Shippou was broken from his absorption of embarrassment in the memory.
"If they were your friends, why would you want to trick them?"
Her eyes were huge, unable to comprehend the reality that Shippou's words implied. Had she been wrong about him from the start? Was the Shippou she loved an illusion?
"Oh…Inuyasha stole a dumpling from me." Shippou blushed. Now that he thought about it, it had been a pretty petty crime. It wasn't like it didn't happen all the time anyway. He'd really overdone it that time, hadn't he?
"He-what? Wait…How did you prank them? And why didn't you just prank Inuyasha?"
She was curious despite herself. She had never met a fellow prankster, living on her own for so long after her parents had died, having taught herself all that she knew of the art. She wondered…Perhaps it was his friends that had overreacted…Maybe the prank wasn't so bad, it had just escalated one step at a time from the stolen dumpling on. She clung to the hope fervently.
"I only meant to prank Inuyasha, it just came out wrong and so the others got tricked too," Shippou rushed to explain-he did feel guilty about it now, especially after all that had happened later…
Suki sighed in relief. It appeared it had been all some silly misunderstanding after all-forgetting the looming consequences of her own pranks, courtesy of her own much greater misunderstanding.
"I, I tricked Inuyasha into thinking Kagome was hurt, leading him to where she and Sango were bathing, and then tricked them into thinking that he'd been peeping… You should have seen Inuyasha's face, it was as red as his haori!" Shippou snickered, forgetting his previous guilt at the image.
"That's…Brilliant! I wish I'd thought of it myself, I hope you weren't too disappointed when all I did to prank Inuyasha was make him your servant for a day-" A moment too late, Suki realized what she'd said, clamping a little hand over her much too big mouth.
"What…did you just say?" Shippou asked, horrified, turning on her, looking at her fully for the first time. "You're not-you can't be-you couldn't be the one-"
Slowly, sadly, she nodded. She could not lie to him, nor could she hide her identity any longer. She could only try to explain herself, before it was too late and he hated her forever. Which she rushed to do, barely intelligible in her need to be understood. How ironic.
"Shippou-it's not as it seems-I didn't know they were your friends, why do you think I've been asking you that? When I saw them hunting you down that night, I thought I saw a group of torturers, and you the poor victim, a fellow kitsune, like myself. You seemed vulnerable, just like I was when I first came to this village. The people here hated me for being youkai, the children, instead of playing with me, threw rocks at me. Tricks were my way of getting back, of surviving and getting revenge. I thought, when I saw you that night…" her eyes turned misty. "I thought you were like me then. So I got back at your tormentors like I'd done with mine-by pranking them. I tricked them worse than I tricked the villagers, well, because, Shippou…" She hesitated. Her careless, assured demeanor of before was a distant memory as doubt filled her.
He glared at her, only one word on his mind. "Why?"
She couldn't bear that look from him. The floodgates opened. "I wanted to prove myself to you! I wanted to save you from them! I wanted you to love me like I love you!"
"Whaa…" Shippou didn't know what to think, what to do. She was the prankster, he had to get revenge on her for what she'd done to his friends, that he knew…But…She was confused, she'd thought she was saving him…She loved him…What was a poor kitsune to do?
"Shippou?" Suki whispered, just daring to hope. He hadn't said he'd forgiven her-but neither had he said he hated her.
"Suki, I," Shippou began.
But was rudely cut off as Suki crumpled before him, unconscious.
"Ha! Took long enough to catch this damn youkai!" Inuyasha gloated.
Shippou stared, mouth gaping. He and Suki had been so wrapped up in their conversation, they hadn't even sensed the return of Shippou's companions, hadn't even heard Inuyasha's approach, hadn't even noticed him as he stood right behind them, fist raised.
He looked up in anger.
"How could you do that Inuyasha! Now she'll hate me forever!"
"What?" Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha asked in unison.
A/N: Hello…Yeah…It's been two months now? Seriously? I guess an apology is at hand. Sorry about this, really, I never meant it to take so long. Guess I let myself get sidetracked too much by other stories…Sorry, again. On the bright side, there's only a chapter or so left, and it'll come out a lot sooner than this one now that I know how I'm going to get to it.
And yes, I know, a fairly blah chapter after such a long wait. But things had to be explained, and they had to be explained here, in this chapter, or they never would be, and that would just make no sense whatsoever. Suki had to find out her mistakes sooner or later!
Hope you liked it, despite that.