A/N:.It was short, but it deserved it's own chapter. You'll see why. ;P
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Ah, he has brought us back to the castle.
I wonder why?
He needs his moon flower, of course.
Oh, indeed. I had almost forgotten that.
And to return the shell of the Primordial Egg.
Yes, it served it's purpose rather beautifully, I think.
I agree. It held up rather well.
Was that the original intention all along?
Only the Creature of the All-Seeing Eye could tell you the answer to a question like that.
You are right, and we have no reason to visit for such trivial questions.
Indeed, that would make him wroth.
She awaits us.
Let us descend.
"My son," Sesshoumaru's Mother spoke softly as she walked just a bit faster than usual to greet him as he slid off the dragon's back.
"Mother," he replied, and after a moment, he slowly extended one arm and gave her a brief hug, a short sigh escaping him in relief.
As he drew away after perhaps a minute, she reached up to move a lock of his hair behind his ear, and he blinked at her stoicly.
"You worry yourself too much over me," he said quietly.
"I am your Mother. That is my sacred right and privilege," she huffed at him, then pointing a finger, "and you'll understand that kind of thing the day you give me those grandchildren."
He cracked a grin. She smiled.
"It's good to be back," he admitted.
"I'm relieved you're not dead," she agreed, and though that would have sounded almost insulting from anyone else, from his Mother, it was just a bit funny, really; Sesshoumaru snorted at her, amused.
"So you came to return the pieces of the Egg," she deduced after a moment, and Shippou sweatdropped, about to say he forgot, when Ah-Un chuffed and reached one long neck back to nose beneath the flap and flip it open, revealing the cracked Primordial Egg.
"Uh, y-yeah," Shippou scratched his head, then looked at Ah-Un, "you remembered that, huh?" he blushed, and they snorted at him, amused.
"So, Kippou," Sesshoumaru's Mother said casually as he returned the Primordial Egg to her for safekeeping, sure that it shouldn't be left just laying about anywhere if it had at been imbued with the magic and knowledge to contain two Celestial Dragons, "you seem to be the new owner of a very ancient sword."
"It will never get out of my control, I promise you I-"
"Oh, I saw your training with my son and how you battled at his side. I watched it all through the Meidou-seki and my crystal ball. I am not the least bit concerned with your ability to weild it," she waved her hand dismissively, "save that you have no idea what all of the powers it truly holds are, nor how those interact with your own powers. You'll have to train it from scratch."
"This is true," Shippou smiled, then facetiously, grinning wider, "Oh, are you offering to train me?"
"Me, train you? Well, how intriguing. I don't know if my combat skills are really even compatible with teaching you how to use that sword, but I could perhaps train you in your magics, now that you mention it," she smiled coyly at him, "that is, if you think you can handle having a crazy old bitch like me for a teacher."
Shippou chuckled, too wise to be careless in how he replied.
"I would love to come visit and pick up a few lessons here and there, but I get very busy with all my other training and random circumstance, I don't think I could commit to being a full time pupil."
"No bother, I can teach a new fox a few old tricks here and there," she smirked and looked back at her son, noticing that his unease was but a twinge of residual disdain; he felt the subtle energy of Sou'unga nearby, but it bothered him nigh more than a mosquito in the ear. Enough to notice, perhaps, but not enough to ruin his mood.
And that was well, she smiled, and it was good, and she was happy with it, and asked of them if they would stay just a bit longer; Inuyasha had gone all this time without Tetsusaiga, after all, and they need not hurry too swiftly to return it that they couldn't stop for dinner.
And they agreed, feeling suddenly very hungry as the mention of food reminded their stomachs of all the energy they'd spent...
And while they ate, Sesshoumaru's Mother casually asked the kitsune an offhanded question.
"You never did bother to retrieve that flower," she prodded, not really a question, but definitely a question.
Shippou smiled, his eyes flashing with a slight mischief as he swallowed the bite of food in his mouth before speaking.
"Oh, it wasn't for this mission. That whole gold moon flower is special, for another reason entirely. You left it in the cup, yes?"
"Well, yes, and I left it in the moonlit window, and watered it when it ran near dry," she frowned, "but if not for any of this, then why did you need the whole gold moon flower to begin with?"
Sesshoumaru leaned in eagerly, still chewing on some kind of delectable meat, also having wanted to know the secret.
Ah, he's about to tell us why he needed that flower.
Don't you know, Un?
Do you know, Ah?
I'll tell you right after he does.
You jester!
You fool!
"Don't you know?" Shippou feigned surprise, looking at her as if shocked that she could be unaware.
"Don't I know?" she repeated slowly, uncertain now, "Know about What?"
"And you, the Ice Queen, a High Sorceress of the Moon-Dog Clan, you don't know the significance of the whole gold moon flower, one that I asked your son to get instead of fetching it myself, because he's also of course a purebred Moon Dog. And You Don't Know!"
Suddenly compelled, feeling as if she Must Know Now, Sesshoumaru's Mother leaned closer to the fox, her son doing the same, and asked again.
"What is it that I should know, Kippou? What is this secret of the whole gold moon flower that I have missed?"
"Well, well, something you really don't know?" Shippou raised both eyebrows as if genuinely amazed, then with a gracious smile, "shall I give you some time to research it before you start making wild guesses, or-"
"I spent hours researching it after you left, whilst you travelled and when you played Shougi while the dragons were in the egg. I found a lot of apothecary references, and some trivial spells, but nothing I can think of that you would need it for. I have already conducted my research, else I would not need to ask," she huffed, scowling as if that should be obvious.
"Well in that case," Shippou smiled as a tiny hint of a wicked light flashed in his eyes, "I suppose I can tell you, but it's going to cost you telling me something I don't know."
"A new skill or spell? Turning water into ice? Identifying the mushrooms for my tea from the merchants from afar? Summoning a Hell Imp?"
"Tempting," Shippou admitted, his grin growing wider, "but I seek a greater secret than those."
"Divination through magic crystals? Dreamcrafting? The manner in which I decoded the ancient magics of the scrolls before?"
"Even more tempting, and might I interject upon myself, that was all very incredible," he flattered, but continued, "but no, I seek an even greater secret than those."
"The ritual used to recreate the Primordial Egg?" she guessed now, running out of guesses.
"No," Shippou smiled fully now, darkly, "a secret even greater than that one."
"What secret could be greater than that one?" she huffed, and the kitsune grinned.
"I want You to tell Me...Your Name."
Sesshoumaru had been drinking a cup of tea to wash down the bite of food. That got spit all over the floor behind him as he heard that, too shocked to stop his own first reaction of incredulity.
Ah and Un chuffed and bobbed both heads, as if laughing just slightly.
Sesshoumaru's Mother narrowed her eyes, sizing up the kitsune before her.
After everything he had done and everything he had accomplished, all on behalf of her son, she would deign him worthy to know.
"You have to understand," she began with a sigh, "when I was born, names were not the same as they are now. We weren't always given names near to birth, sometimes we got them from things our parents or tribes noticed about us as youngsters. And my name, the only one I think I was ever called in my youth, the only one I can remember..." she winced, then spoke more quietly, "is...is...well you see, I was always getting into things as a mere pup, inquisitive, and often put my nose where it didn't belong, so to speak, and by the by, I was called..."
Now Sesshoumaru paused warily, eying his Mother hard. Is she Actually going to tell Shippou her True Name?
Apparently, she was. He could sense no deception in her, merely hesitation. Of course He knew why...
"My name," she finally huffed, "as far back as I recall, before anyone stopped using it, was Mud Nose."
Shippou couldn't help himself.
"M-M-Mud Nose? Did you just say...Mud Nose?!"
And he burst into uproarious laughter, much to the chagrin of Lady Mud Nose herself.
Sesshoumaru raised both eyebrows in surprise. She really told him! He thought she would deign to find another means to get him to answer her question, but apparently she trusted him very much indeed, and desperately wanted to know the secret of the moon flower.
Shippou almost got himself killed carrying on with his laughter like he did, mostly because Sesshoumaru, despite himself, broke down into his own chuckles, and when she glared at him, his status as her son illicited a rather juvenile reaction.
"Mother, I can't help it," he snickered, raising an arm warily as if to shield himself from her wrathful glare, "it's the heart ties, or the look on your face, I swear I'm not laughing at you, Mother, I just..." he tried very hard to suppress another chuckle, and failed.
She sighed.
"I should have eaten you at birth. Your siblings were delicious."
"I'm sorry, Mudther. You Nose I am," he giggled, amd she rolled her eyes, trying to remain unamused.
"Now if you are Quite Satisfied," Lady Mud Nose muttered after another minute or so, "Kippou, what is the secret of the moon flower?"
"It's such a great secret, I have to whisper it in your ear," Shippou said, and as she leaned forward and he leaned in, one hand moved into his chest pocket, fingering a leaf he held there...
And as he laughed and puffed away in triumphant glee, reappearing at the exit of the banquet hall and racing out the door, her eyes grew very narrow, and her fangs grew just a bit longer, and her jyaki flared.
"I'LL KKKIIILLLLLLL YYYOOOOUUUUU!" she shrieked and bolted after the kitsune.
Sesshoumaru hit the floor laughing. Of course it had all been a ploy to get her to reveal her name! The fox was daring as ever, even in the face of a danger as great as Lady Mud Nose herself.
"You better...you better help him, Ah-Un," Sesshoumaru gasped through his laughter, and the dragon took off and passed Lady Mud Nose, to catch up to Shippou; at this she shrieked even louder, and as they swung back around the other side of the wide great banquet hall and went out the back doors to the courtyard, Lady Mud Nose hot on their heels, Ah-Un began to form his jyaki barrier, as she transformed into her true form...
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"MUD NOSE?!" Inuyasha fell over laughing hysterically, and Jaken and Myouga joined him, and Rin and Kohaku began to snort and snuckle and giggle and chuckle. Kagura felt herself laughing with them after a moment, even Kaede and Toutousai started to harumph in hearty old voices.
And when Sango and Miroku and Kagome returned to take Their Turns and send the babysitters back to the children, and they heard it as Moumou was asked to replay it over again, they also laughed, and laughed, and laughed...
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Of course after Ah-Un had gone through the Thunder Wall, he didn't need to go faster to outrun Lady Mud Nose; they "escaped" for a little while before returning just about half an hour later, and the Lady pouted at the fox with rather a strange mix of regal and childish comportment as he returned sheepishly.
"You wound me, kitsune. I trusted you. I thought you had a Real Secret for me," she whined, sniffing at him and crossing her arms.
"Oh, but I do," he insisted, then with a soft smile, "this one is for real. When I put that moon flower in the water, I imbued it with special magic that keeps plants from aging. If you didn't notice that the same blossom opened every night without wilting, you were too worried about your son to be paying attention," he said gently, and then she blushed furiously as she realized it was true.
"You rascal," she hissed, but then, her face softening, she smiled, "you are correct, of course. I hadn't even thought of that."
"It will keep for as long as you want it to," Shippou smiled, "an eternally blooming moon flower, to remind you of a dashing young fox that you once fell in love with-"
"Alright, alright, off with you, begone with your foolishness, I see Inuyasha's sword is eager to return," she snorted, shooing them as they laughed one last time and hopped on Ah-Un's back.
"Don't worry, m'Lady, I love you too," Shippou winked at her devilishly, and she stuck her tongue out at him, and Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes at her.
"Mother!"
"You better say it, Sesshoumaru!" she retorted, and he rolled his eyes and sighed.
"I love you, Mother."
"I love you too, My Son."
Ah and Un chuffed and trumpeted and bobbed, wagging himself in excitement, and they headed back towards the old familiar village...
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You're Welcome! XD XD XD ;P ;P ;P