Promises Under The Moon: Chapter Ten
It was raining and Shippo never cared for the rain. It made his fur matted and though he was proud to be a fox, he couldn't quite dispel the notion that he smelled a bit like wet dog whenever he was drenched. As it appeared the rain was in no hurry to let up and since Kouga had technically agreed to let him stay in a hotel, he decided to do just that.
Through the years, by necessity Shippo had become an expert at masking his appearance, a gift he'd inherited through his biology as a fox-demon and not necessarily something he'd had to work very hard at. He'd be the first one to admit it-he was lazy. He'd chosen a hotel that accepted pets, feeling a little less guilty about his deceiving appearance by doing so. The clerk behind the check-in counter looked bored and much more interested in the night-time soap opera running than in signing in his newest customer.
Which would explain why the man that was behind Shippo in line was still waiting to be serviced. It was an older man and he'd had a dog sitting obediently next to his leg. Shippo paused outside the elevator intent to go upstairs curious about the exchange about to take place. Yes, not only was Shippo proud to be lazy, but he was also innately curious and nosy.
The man cleared his throat. "Excuse me, young man," he said. The bored clerk looked over toward him and with a heavy sigh turned down the volume to the television.
"Konnichiwa," he said robotically moving the computer mouse at the check in computer to wake up the screen. "How may I help you?"
"My name is Quent Yaiden. I have a reservation," the older man said leaning down to give his dog an affection rub behind the ears.
The clerk typed into the computer the name. "So sorry, I do not see your name."
"I made the reservation two days ago," Quent said. "Check again."
"Sometimes this happens. Did you call to make sure your reservation was confirmed?"
"I have the print out." Quent reached into his back pocket and revealed a folded paper.
The expression on the young clerk's face grew grim. "I am sorry sir, but we are booked. Perhaps, you can try the hotel down the block?"
"This is the only one that accepts pets," the man growled. His dog began to shift anxiously.
Shippo was glad he'd waited. Not only was he lazy and curious, but he was also spoiled. He approached the counter with a friendly grin. "Excuse me, Mr. Yaiden, but I couldn't help but over-hear. It is terribly inconvenient what you're going through. However, I may have a solution."
The clerk went back to the computer and then frowned at Shippo unsure of what was going on.
"And you are?" Quent asked with his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Apparently, I'm the one that took your room. My name is Shippo. I've got a room with two double beds if you and your friend," he said gesturing toward the dog, "don't mind being roommates for a night."
"That's awful nice of you. We cannot accept," Quent answered. The dog nipped at the man's hand and he frowned down at her. "You disagree, Blue?" he asked. The dog's eyes bore into the man's as if a silent message were passing between the two. With a heavy sigh Quent extended his hand toward Shippo. "I stand corrected, we'd be honored. Thank you, Shippo."
"No problem," Shippo said flashing a carefree grin. He glanced toward the clerk, knowing the young man's English while clear, was a bit limited. "He will share my room. Problem?"
The clerk shook his head. "No problem, sir." He gave a courteous bow of the head and then went back to his television program.
"Youth today," Shippo muttered heading back toward the elevators with his two new companions. "It is way too wet and miserable to be outside looking for a place to stay. We're on the seventh floor." He stepped inside the elevators and waited for Quent and Blue to join him. He pressed the button for his floor and felt the cold, wet nose of Blue press against his hand with a grateful expression in her eyes. It was times like these that he wished he wasn't so lazy and had actually bothered to learn to communicate with the wolves like Kouga had offered so many times.
"I appreciate this," Quent said when they reached the hotel room. It was a large, spacious room. Certainly more room than any one person would have need for.
"No problem. I'm going to take a quick shower. Make yourself at home, just avoid the mini-bar. Those things are a killer on your wallet," Shippo said carrying his pack into the bathroom with him. He grabbed a pair of towels and the removable hair dryer and brought them back into the main room. "Here, no need to get yourselves sick just because I called dibs on the hot shower," he said tossing them toward the human.
He went back into the bathroom glad to get out of his nasty, wet clothes. After a long, glorious, hot shower he intended to go to sleep. Most people might worry about a random stranger sharing their hotel room killing them in their sleep, but Shippo didn't concern himself with such things. He'd lived alongside some pretty fearsome demons in his time and his reflexes in spite of his innate laziness were remarkably sharp.
The human was quiet, though he did seem to talk to his dog an awful lot. Blue was probably the man's closest friend. Shippo settled into the covers of his bed and breathed in the clean scent of freshly washed linen. Sometimes, it paid to pay the extra cost for a nice hotel when the alternative was risking a bad case of scabies. He learned the hard way that it was better to spend more than suffer such consequences later. It was not a nice memory.
His mind drifted onto thoughts of his surrogate mother. It had been half a millennia since he'd last seen her. He'd wanted to find her sooner, but in his infinite wisdom Sesshoumaru advised against it. He already know that Kouga wanted to find her, so it would do no good to make the two of them miserable in not being allowed to look for her. But the great demon lord of the West had done his research. During one particularly inspired ten year stretch he'd decided to pass himself off as a human and earn a Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate in Physics. He'd calculated and projected and ultimately decided that the balance of time and space was too precarious to risk interfering with the Kagome in the past by now being in her future.
And against his heart's wishes, Shippo and Kouga had both listened. Of course, Kouga's tribe wanted him to move on, but the wolf and fox were equally stubborn. They wanted Kagome back in their lives and no one else would substitute for her role.
Shippo's thoughts drifted back to the last few weeks where everyone was together back when he was a child. He missed Sango and Miroku terribly, almost as much as Kagome and he'd had decades with both them and their children. After Kagome left they really tried to help both him and Kouga. His relationship with Inuyasha spiraled beyond repair. The hanyou had been devastated when Kagome was whisked away. He'd never apologized to her, and while he'd made it clear he wasn't interested in Kagome romantically while he had the option of Kikyou, he loved her dearly and considered her his first and best friend.
OoOoO
500 Years Ago...
"Will you hurry up?" Inuyasha shouted. He was at the head of the group with Kikyou on his back with his arms under her knees and her arms wrapped loosely around his neck. He glared back at Kagome with irritation clearly sketched across his features.
"Just let me carry you," Kouga whispered. He stood next to Kagome as she tried to fix her bicycle. The wheel had become bent and the tire kept becoming flat as a result.
"I just need to patch the newest leak and fill up the tire," Kagome said. She chewed on her bottom lip and her eyes glistened with frustrated tears. That morning Inuyasha had offered to let Kikyou ride on his back. Sango offered Kagome a ride on Kirara, but she'd refused saying she'd rather ride her bicycle. Kouga had also offered to carry her, but she'd also refused him stubbornly preferring her two-wheeled vehicle.
Shippo was perched on Kouga's shoulder. He hopped down to land on the ground next to Kagome's feet. He gently gripped her hand and pulled it away from the wheel. "Please, Kagome, just ignore Inuyasha. Kouga is your friend and he only wants to help. You can't take your bicycle to the mountains anyway."
A shudder passed through Kagome as she released a shaky breath. She pulled out her large yellow pack from the front basket of the bicycle and took out a bag of jalapeno chips and handed them to Kouga before standing up. He took the bag of chips but kept his hand out. Shippo jumped back onto his shoulder.
"Give me the bag too, Kagome," Kouga said. Kagome did so and he strapped it over his shoulders before scooping her up in his arms and taking off.
"Get back here, you mangy wolf!" Inuyasha shouted angrily as the wolf prince tornadoed past him in a swirl of dirt and leaves.
"You just tell me where to go, Kagome," Kouga said holding Kagome's ear close to his lips. His strong arms were wrapped tightly around his precious cargo and Shippo clung to his hair like his life depended on it-which given Kouga's speed it probably did!
"There's a shard north of here. It's pretty far away, but it's the only one I feel outside of our group." Kagome began to relax, the tension melted off her back as she eased her head against Kouga's chest. "I must admit, this is a much nicer way of being carried than piggy-back."
Shippo grinned as he watched his surrogate mother relax against her friend. The entire group's dynamic had shifted dramatically with the inclusion of the undead priestess. It wasn't just the romantic triangle with Inuyasha, but the soul-stealers were gruesome creatures. Miroku had explained their function to the others-stealing the souls of the recently departed and preventing them from going to heaven or hell. He wasn't sure what happened to them after Kikyou utilized their power. Were they simply devoured? Or did they then go on to the next world?
A few minutes passed as the group continued in the northern direction when Kagome jerked. "Wait, Kouga," she said. The wolf-prince halted immediately at her words. Unlike Inuyasha he didn't argue, he simply listened.
"What's wrong, Kagome?" Shippo asked.
"The shard is coming toward us," Kagome said. She frowned deeply. "It's a very strong demon." She rubbed her hand forehead tiredly before looking up at Kouga. "When did you say Sesshoumaru would be joining us?"
Kouga grinned. "Today, it seems," he said setting her gently on the ground. He kept his hand at the small of her back.
"What's the hold up?" Inuyasha demanded coming up beside them. His golden eyes locked on Kouga's hand on Kagome's back and the left one twitched in agitation. "You waiting for Naraku to find us?"
"Don't you have a shard-detector of your own?" Kouga asked with a pointed look toward Kikyou. "There's no need for us to all travel together. We could split up into two groups."
"I do not sense the shards as acutely as my re-incarnation," Kikyou answered in a flat voice while she was sliding off Inuyasha's back.
"That might have to do with the corruption of your soul," Miroku said as he and Sango joined them with Kirara. "You only have a small portion of Kagome's soul and who knows how corrupt the countless stolen souls become in your possession."
"Shut up, Miroku. You don't know what you're talking about," Inuyasha growled.
"Actually, little brother, I believe the priest knows exactly what he's talking about," Sesshoumaru said materializing amongst their group. His golden eyes scanned over the group before focusing on Kagome and Kouga. "I have come to work alongside this band you have assembled, miko."
"Kikyou is the true priestess," Inuyasha said bristling at being ignored.
"I am referring to the living priestess with the power to defeat that plague of a hanyou, not to the clay shell of a woman corrupted by hatred who forsake her sacred vows," Sesshoumaru said giving his half-brother a baleful glare. He looked over at Kikyou and the emotionless woman stepped back intimidated by the powerful youkai lord. "And while you were a powerful, fully trained priestess decades ago, your failure to perform your duties led to your weakening. You think too highly of yourself. You are no Midoriko and would have been no match for a truly powerful demon, such as myself. You refer to the miko as your reincarnation, but that isn't the truth and you know it."
"You're certainly talkative," Kouga said with a laugh.
"Hn," Sesshoumaru replied.
"Well, now we know you're Sesshoumaru," Shippo muttered.
"Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome whispered into Shippo's ear in reprimand picking him up protectively. "Sesshoumaru-sama, your aid is greatly appreciated," she said addressing the demon lord.
"I know. However, you must train if you intend to defeat Naraku. You are the only one capable," Sesshoumaru said.
"What do you suggest, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Miroku asked politely.
"We need to go! Every moment we spend talking here Naraku could be doing who knows what!" Inuyasha shouted. He had Tetsusaiga out at his side and brandished it toward his elder half-brother.
"Put that fang away, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru scoffed. "We haven't time for such childish antics."
"Those who cannot do, teach," Miroku said.
"What?" Kagome asked. That phrase was an insult in her world used against several disheartened teachers when the students could sense their lack of enthusiasm.
"Don't be so sensitive. It means when you have the knowledge, but are not the most capable to complete the task you impart that knowledge to the one with the ability. It is the concept behind all Masters and students," Miroku explained.
"It means, girl lost in time, that you need to train and if this fully trained miko in your group won't teach you the basics I will train you myself," Sesshoumaru said.
"How can a demon teach a priestess?" Sango asked.
The demon lord gave an uncharacteristic shrug of his shoulders. "I have a great many books in my library."
"I will teach her," Kikyou vowed.
"It's the least you can do considering you're only alive because you stole part of her soul. Maybe you should give that part back and she'll be at full power," Shippo said with a smirk. He wouldn't miss the pretentious monster. And maybe he'd get Inuyasha back if the corrupt priestess was gone.
Sesshoumaru pulled a thick scroll from his inner robe. "I brought this as a back up. I will give the undead miko one week's time to teach Kagome the necessary skills. Your little group will come back with me to my palace and train in relative security." He glanced at the monk, demon slayer, and then Kouga. "You three will aid me in battle strategy."
The week should have been stressful with all the tensions and rivalries-but it ended up being the best week in Shippo's young life. He felt safe within the walls of Sesshoumaru's ancestral home.
And while they weren't off fighting every moment of their lives to merely survive they were training hard-Sesshoumaru was personally training Shippo in certain areas while both Kikyou and Miroku were training Kagome with the supplemental use of Sesshoumaru's vast library.
But what really made that week special, was the romance. Miroku and Sango spent quiet moments together at the end of the day where they didn't think about the limited time the monk had left before the curse of his hand destroyed him. Kouga and Kagome had something important shift between them. The wolf prince had always been devoted to the human that opened his eyes and helped him find a better way to lead this people and protect those weaker that needed his strength. The small flower of feelings between those two bloomed into something real and even Inuyasha couldn't deny the wolf's feelings. And the hanyou certainly couldn't deny that the wolf could give Kagome something he wasn't capable of-a happy ending.
At the time, Shippo had no idea how many centuries would pass before that happy ending took place.
OoOoO
Kouga's feet ached-it had been a long time since he felt such a discomfort from his comfortable position as ruler, but Sesshoumaru had forced him into field work. It was worth it though. He'd wanted to take matters into his own hands for a long time and now he had the chance.
He and the demon lord had been successful at finding Paradise and in finding Lord Darcia. They weren't successful in reasoning with the man. He was beyond rational thought and suffering the madness brought on by a grief so intense there was no relief. Kouga was familiar with grief, but he'd resisted the madness that could happen by having just enough hope to balance against it. The problem with Lord Darcia was that his hope involved the mass genocide of too many.
"We just need to kill him. It's simple," Sesshoumaru growled-obviously frustrated.
Kouga could relate to his frustration, but he couldn't break his promises. "It's been five centuries since I killed someone. I am not about to break the vow I made Kagome to not kill anyone."
"Pathetic," Sesshoumaru growled as he dodged an attack by Darcia. He sent a volley of his poisoned acidic claws towards the mad man and managed to dislodge his eye patch. There was no empty socket or mangled eye. Lord Darcia had a wolf's eye implanted.
"A human was not meant to handle the eye of a wolf," Kouga said quietly. No wonder the man had gone insane.
"I do not care for his excuses." Sesshoumaru glanced over at Kouga briefly and his golden eyes flashed in excitement as he stood in the midst of battle. "You may have vowed not to kill, but I certainly am not held back by such ridiculous ideals." He pulled his sword from his scabbard and with a lightning fast movement was behind Lord Darcia and beheaded the man.
Kouga gaped at him with his mouth hung open and speechless.
Sesshoumaru flicked his sword to clean the blood off the blade. "What? There doesn't always need to be a long drawn out battle." He glanced down at the head that was at his feet. "And he was beyond reasoning."
OoOoO
Hige was surrounded, he had become separated from the wolves in his pack and now the men with their guns were going to kill him. He knew exactly who the men were, they were the mercenaries hired by Lord Darcia to hunt down and kill the wolves. The mad man wasn't willing to share Paradise.
He accepted his fate. Really, who would miss him? All he did was think about food and enjoy eating food-he was a liability and that's why he became separated from the pack anyway. He didn't deserve Paradise.
He closed his eyes and accepted his fate, but the bullets that resound don't hit him. He sneaked a peak and saw that the seven men that had surrounded him were no longer focused at him, but were firing at an old man and a fox demon?
Maybe he did get shot and he was hallucinating.
The fox demon shot fireballs at the humans and they dropped their weapons in fear or were knocked unconscious when the kitsune moved so fast he chopped his hand down on the back of their neck and they fell to the ground.
However fast the fox demon moved, he was out numbered and one of the mercenaries got off a shot that hit him in the arm. It didn't slow the demon down at all.
And then it was over.
"What?" Hige asked. "What just happened?" He saw her then. Blue. She was next to that old man that had come in firing those shots and was nuzzling her snout against his chest.
"It's okay, Blue. Don't be sad, I'm joining my family now. You need to join your pack now. Find your Paradise," Yaiden said with his dying breath.
Blue began to howl a heart-wrenching sound.
"Come on, we need to find your pack," the kitsune said. "My name is Shippo. I'm looking for my mom. Her name is Kagome. I believe you know her."
"As a matter of fact I do. And my name is Hige," he said holding out his hand. Shippo shook it. "They were on their way to Osaka."
"That's not far," Shippo said glancing back at the body of Blue's master and the carnage of the mercenaries. "I'd like to get out of here."
"I second that notion!" Hige said. His stomach growled loudly. "Perhaps we can eat something along the way?"
OoOoO
Shippo led Hige and Blue the short distance to Osaka, with a brief break for a meal. It wasn't long until his much anticipated reunion took place. It felt almost dreamlike when he saw his adopted mother. She looked just a bit older than what he remembered and yet she carried herself in such a way that she seemed as old as him.
The missing pack members were with her.
"Kagome?" Shippo called out tentatively once he was in hearing distance.
She turned in his direction immediately, suspicion darkening her eyes and her body automatically taking up a fighting stance before her muscles relaxed and her eyes widened. She knew him, after all these years and the changes in his appearance, she knew him.
"Shippo?"
He couldn't help it, he rushed toward her and wrapped her in his arms and swung her around in a circle. He buried his nose in her dark tresses and inhaled deep. She smelled like outdoors-fires and trees and crisp night air and the ever so faint scent of her shampoo.
"Kouga is going to be so excited!"
"I'm afraid that I don't remember a lot of things," Kagome said rubbing her neck anxiously. "I do have a journal that I've been reading that has helped me to learn things I used to remember."
"I'm sure it will be fine, Kagome. Maybe once we get to Paradise it will come back to you?" Shippo suggested with a forced smile. She just had to remember Kouga!
OoOoO
They stood outside of Paradise.
Kiba supported Cheza with his right arm around her waist and nudged the man next to him on the left. "Tsume, if you live in constant fear of death without even having a dream you might as well be dead."
Tsume watched Kagome with a sad expression as she walked alongside Shippo. "Who says I don't have a dream. Maybe my dreams aren't fairy tales like yours, but that doesn't make them any less important to me."
"Once you cross into Paradise you won't be able to transform into a human any longer," Shippo explained. He had his arm around Kagome's shoulders, he simply wanted to touch her as often as he could to remind himself that she was really there.
Toboe glanced back at Tsume with a tight expression of concern, but the white haired wolf waved him off. Toboe was the first to race into Paradise, followed closely by Hige and Blue.
Kiba paused outside the entrance with a backwards glance at Tsume before entering with Cheza.
"You go on ahead, Shippo. I need to talk to Tsume privately," Kagome said slipping out from under Shippo's protective arm.
It was clear the fox demon didn't want to leave her alone with the tall, white haired wolf. She obviously had a thing in the past for white-haired, golden-eyed, antisocial men.
Once alone, Kagome moved toward Tsume and embraced his lanky frame in the band of her arms. "I don't really know what to say to you," she whispered near his ear.
After a moment of hesitation Tsume returned the hug and squeezed his arms around her and drew her close. "I was never human, Kagome. I'm not even a youkai. All I've ever been is a wolf and this form you see is just an ancient magic to protect us until we could return home. You've brought me home."
"I'm going to miss you," Kagome confessed and a tear slipped out of her eye unbidden. Was she just a sucker for the antisocial, emotionally disturbed sort of guys that would never care for her as much as she cared for them?
Tsume pressed a kiss to the crown of her dark hair. "I'll still be with you. Wolves are loyal. And now that I realize you're the chosen mate of our Wolf King maybe that's why I feel so much love for you. Wolves are more simple than humans-we love our family. And you are pack, Kagome."
Kagome smiled at him bravely. "I'm so nervous. I finished reading my journal and I know that I used to love this Kouga so much, but I'm afraid that I won't remember him and I don't know, I'm just worried."
"You worry too much," Tsume said. "Let's go home. Let's go to Paradise."
Side by side they crossed the barrier. Kagome looked down and saw the familiar black wolf at her side. Tsume's wolf looked up at her with his golden eyes and then nudged her in the thigh. She rubbed her hand affectionately through the fur on his neck and walked bravely.
That's when she saw him and while she might not remember everything her heart remembered. He was so handsome and he stood waiting for her with arms folded across a muscular torso, long dark hair pulled back into a high pony-tail, and piercing blue eyes.
"Kouga," Kagome whispered.
A quick as lightning smile flashed across the Wolf King's face. Kagome knew she was home then. Tsume nudged her again in the back of her knee and she found herself running into the waiting arms of the youkai standing before her.
"Welcome home, Kagome. I've been waiting a long time for you to return," Kouga said. One arm wrapped around her waist and the other touched her cheek with the ghosting of fingers along the flesh light as a snowflake. "And you brought home the last of our wolves. Thank you."
Tsume laid his head at Kouga's feet. The Wolf King released Kagome and crouched down to pet the dark wolf on the head. "You can finally rest."
Kouga took Kagome's hand and led her to where a particularly bright patch of moonbeams streaked through the thick forests of Paradise. Cheza stood under the light with her arms spread wide.
"This one has always believed...This one was born for that very reason. To meet you in this place." Her gaze was directed to Kiba's white wolf. Roots began to form and she watched as the flower maiden transformed into a beautiful tree with cherry blossoms adorning the upper boughs.
"Does this mean, it's over?" Kagome asked, her body was exhausted and her muscles ached and now that the adrenaline had worn off and she'd reached her destination she was so very tired.
"It's only the beginning," Kouga said lifting her into his arms with one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders as he held her against his chest. Memories of being held like this in the past flooded Kagome's mind and she rested her cheek against his warm neck and believed him.
Fin July 4, 2013
A/N: Finally! An ending! So sorry for the years of abandonment but I really wanted to conclude this story. I had this chapter mostly written for the past three years but wasn't sure how in depth I wanted to get with the remainder of the story-I took the lazy way out and condensed the next four chapters into one. I figured Kouga waited 500 years for Kagome, it was just cruel of me to keep him waiting.