Chapter 15 Kong zhong/Chinese yo-yo
Sesshoumaru's appearance on the outskirts of Kaede's village garnered only a little attention. He strode confidently out of the forest, stopped at the treeline, and sent out a brief flare of his yoki. Within a few moments, Rin came running from the other side of the village, Jaken on her heels attempting to keep up with her.
"Sesshamaru-sama! Welcome back!" Rin skidded to a stop within a few paces of the daiyoukai, bowed low, and then raised her head to give him a cheerful grin.
Jaken also attempted to bow, but more collapsed at Sesshoumaru's feet. After gasping for breath, the imp groveled, "Greetings, my lord, your loyal servant has fulfilled your commands and kept the foolish girl safe and healthy."
Sesshoumaru placed a gentle pat on Rin's head. He then spoke, "You have performed adequately, Jaken. You may prepare camp for this Sesshoumaru at the usual place. We will be staying for at least a couple of weeks. At some point, Inuyasha is supposed to return and report. There may be others. Rin, once you have finished your tasks for the elder miko, you may join us. Meanwhile, I shall be meditating in the forest and do not wish to be disturbed."
With another pat on Rin's head, Sesshoumaru turned to head back into the trees. His destination was at the center of what was referred to as 'Inuyasha's Forest'. Goshinboku, the Tree of Ages. To keep from being disturbed, the daiyoukai set a yoki barrier around him. Sesshoumaru then settled at the base of the tree, eyes closed, mind focused on his goal, reaching out to Kagome through the stream of time.
"…ou..ma…ru? Arrrre.. yoouu therre? Hello?" The voice started slow and drawn out, the tone deep and guttural. Then it brightened, became faster, finally settling into the happy voice of the miko.
"I am here, Kagome. I am meditating beneath the branches of Goshnboku. I had hoped to hear you this way."
"Oh, hey! There you are. We must have been disconnected, like on a phone. But now we've got signal again. It took a couple minutes, so I wasn't sure I'd get another chance."
"It has been a few days here. Though I do not understand the meaning of several of your words."
The girl giggled, "Yeah, sorry, I was using modern references. It will make sense in a few hundred years, I guess."
"Before we lose this opportunity, this one is pleased to inform you that Rin, Shippou, and your friends are all well. Your kit is excelling at his studies. As long as we can continue to communicate, I will attempt to keep you informed of their progress."
"That's so sweet of you! Thank you! I was afraid to ask. I'm not sure I could take it if things were going badly while I can't be there to help."
Sesshoumaru paused his thoughts in their unorthodox conversation. His tone as gentle as possible, he continued, "Miko, time will pass. With its passage, things will happen. People will age, become ill. Would you have me keep these events from you?" The implication of eventual fatality went unspoken.
"Noooo," she responded, hesitantly. "I guess I want to know. Not knowing would be worse, I suppose."
"There will likely be certain events and outcomes that I either should not or will not share. Just as there are, I am certain, events in the future that you may not tell me."
"Oh! I hadn't thought of that. I probably should be careful what I tell you about what's coming up. I just know that there's at least one you must avoid at all costs." Quick as thought, Kagome told Sesshoumaru places to avoid and the name of the Japanese Emperor that corresponded to the time far in the future.
"I think that's the most important one. If I think of anything else I think you absolutely must know, I'll tell you," Kagome finished.
"One is grateful for the opportunity to speak with you. On the chance that this is not able to be a regular occurrence, know that you are missed by many. You are rarely out of our thoughts," Sesshoumaru ventured to say. "No matter the centuries, this will always be the truth."
"I miss you, too. I mean, 'you' as you and 'you' as all of you, er them, umm, everybody. Well, you understand what I mean. I know it's only been less than a day for me, but it already feels like a long time. I'm not sure how this thing is going to keep going, but I'll keep reaching out to you, as often as I can," rambled Kagome.
"I must go now, miko. I must return to consciousness. The others will arrive shortly, and it is time for Family Game Night. As you know, one must not disappoint the children."
Kagome's mental laugh was warm and caring. "Of course. Bye, until next time."
Sesshoumaru pulled his concentration back into his present in the real world.
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Looking around the stump that was the gaming table, Sesshoumaru allowed a moment of satisfaction. Most of the allies for this venture were present. The slayer, Sango, her pregnancy beginning to show in the swell of her abdomen sat between her husband, Miroku and her brother, Kohaku. Rin sat next to the kitsune, Shippo, the two of them whispering about some mischief no doubt. Even Sesshoumaru's mother had managed to attend in a remote fashion. He gave an uneasy glance at the small, freestanding bronze mirror propped up on the flat surface of the stump. One of his mother's attendants had delivered it to Jaken while the daiyoukai was meditating. He made a mental note to make sure the mirror was wrapped up tightly and put away from sight and sound as soon as this discussion was over.
The only one still missing was his brother. Who would arrive with company in a few minutes, judging by the rapidly approaching yoki signatures.
And so it proved, as Inuyasha skidded into the clearing a scant second behind a familiar wolf demon. The two others from the wolf pack trailing the front runners would likely be Ginta and Hakkaku. Kouga and Inuyasha stood with arms around each other's shoulders as they panted and gasped for breath.
"Pay up, mutt! I beat you, fair and square."
"Oi, Fu….," as the half demon noted the presence of Rin and Shippo, "…er, wolf! You only won because you pushed me into that stream. I was ahead of you at that point."
"I still won, so pay up."
"Fine." With an eye roll and an attitude, Inuyasha grabbed Kouga's shoulders and planted a noisy kiss on his lips. "There! Paid in full. I'll win next time." With his arm still sloppily laying across Kouga's shoulders, Inuyasha looked at the stunned faces surrounding the tree stump. Ginta and Hakkaku slumped into the clearing and fell over into the grass, panting and puffing noisily.
Quickly recovering, Sesshoumaru pinned his gaze on pair still standing. "I assume you have a status report for us, little brother?"
Inuyasha smirked as he responded, "I sure do. Mission complete, bro. As I swore, I have brought the Eastern Wolf Pack into alliance and even made sure they have a good reason to stick with us and share their games, help us find more of them."
"One would think continuing existence to be enough of a reason, but by all means, share with us this other reason, second son of the Great General." Inukimi's voice, a bit distorted, came from the mirror.
"What the fu…er, who's that?"
"That, little brother, is my mother, speaking through a bespelled mirror. I, too, completed my mission and brought her into our alliance. Now, just answer her question."
"Well, that's cool, big bro. So we both brought a family member into the fold. Because I'd like to introduce you to Kouga, my mate," he finished with a sheepish expression, a blush on his cheeks. Kouga on the other hand, just grinned, flashing his canines.
The near deafening silence that greeted this announcement was followed by an even louder cacophony as everyone tried to speak at once.
The only voice that came through clearly was Inukimi's, as the mirror vibrated as if it were laughing. "How unexpected. At least I shall not be bored in the years to come."
Eventually, the wolves and Inuyasha provided details. Hakkaku smugly commented, "I won so many bets when they finally admitted their attraction." The group had even brought a new toy. Not exactly a game, it was a set of conjoined rounded cups on either side of an axle which balanced on a string with a handle on each end. It was called a kong zhong, and was originally from the mainland. Ginta was especially adept at making the device spin and dance on the string, tossing it into the air and catching it on the string again.
"I'm not sure if this is the type of thing you were looking for, Sesshoumaru," said Kouga, as Ginta tried to show Rin and Shippou how to balance on the string. "It takes a lot of time and effort to make the kong zhong work. But practicing does help make the slow time of winter go by faster. One of the hardest parts is making one that doesn't break too easy, but doesn't weight a lot. Our cubs are pretty rough on their toys, especially after a few weeks of staying inside."
"That is likely to be an issue with many of the games and toys we find. We need to preserve at least one of everything we wish to put forth in the merchant house eventually. We also need to have written copies of the rules for whatever games we choose. The details are too easy to forget," responded Sesshoumaru thoughtfully.
"Youkai bones," Sango's voice rang out. "That's what the taijiya make their weapons out of, like my Hiraikotsu. Those bones are both tough and light. Anything made from them will last through the centuries."
"As for the written descriptions," chimed in Miroku, "I suggest that you have multiple copies, stored in various places. There are at least three places that we know survive into Kagome-sama's time. The shrine at the village, the Bone Eater's Well, and Goshenbuko. The well may not be a good place to store anything, as it absorbs the bones that are placed in it, but the shrine with its keepers and the tree would both be good places to leave records, just in case."
"These are both excellent ideas," agreed Sesshoumaru.
There was more discussion, but most of the important business had finished for the evening. They spent considerable time trying to use the kong zhong before dispersing for the night.
Once both children were settled next to Ah-Un and sleeping, Sesshoumaru headed back to Goshinbuko. Once again, he settled into his meditation stance. But the only answer to his mental queries was silence.