InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ An Inu-Yasha What if...? Story: The Sacred Tree ❯ The Photo Adventure ( Chapter 3 )

Part III: The Photo Adventure

All right. Now it was just starting to get annoying.

Kagome looked up at the trees surrounding her house with narrowed eyes. Since becoming aware of her powers, she had started seeing things. She could see ghosts, detect Shikon fragments, and channel her powers through her arrows and sense youkai. Because she had used those powers not only in the Sengoku Jidai, but also in her own time (to help Satoru-kun, Mayu-chan and their mother), she was now known as a 'spiritualist'. The modern day term for Miko. People actually came to her to solve their spiritual or unexplainable problems. She had Mayu-chan no Okaa-san to thank for that. After Kagome had helped them out by saving Mayu-chan from Hell and helping her reconcile with her mother, Mayu-chan's mother had told that story to her friends…and suddenly Kagome was the local ghostbuster. She was 'hired' and she received 'donations'. But because of this throughout the last five years, she'd run into ghosts and youkais of all kinds.

But…this…this was ridiculous. Since she got up to take Sota to school in the morning, she'd been sensing youkais. Everywhere she went she felt a pair of eyes watching her. She knew it was a youkai…but what the devil did it want? It wasn't like she had any Shikon shards or anything! Even when she had had the entire Jewel in her body, she had never been followed with such tenacity.

Mo-u! It…was…really…starting…to…get…ANN OYING!

That's it! She'd had it! No more nice Kagome! She turned away from the tree she was eyeing and marched into the house, heading straight for her bedroom to pick up her bow and arrows. After she had come back from the past to stay permanently in the present, in order to keep her memories alive as much as possible; she had officially started doing archery. She joined the archery club at school (shocking her friends down to their toes) and for Christmas, her mother had gotten her a target so she could practice at home.

Kagome wondered briefly if Inu-Yasha would be impressed with her skill now. Her heart clenched and she winced as she entered her room. She tossed the thought to the back of her head. Thinking about him was too painful.

She grabbed her bow and the arrows, strapping on the quiver as she headed to the outside again. Kagome clasped onto the pendant for a brief moment, a habit she had acquired before she reached for the arrow. She pulled an arrow and aimed it at the tree, where she sensed the youkai watching her.

"You! Up there! Show yourself now or leave, I don't care which, but if you don't do one or the other, I'll shoot you down. You're trespassing on private property; I'll not have someone watching me! I'm warning you, I'm an excellent shot!"

Nothing happened, but Kagome swore she could barely see leaves rustling nervously.

"I warned you."

She let the arrow fly.

A cry of surprise resounded as the short youkai dropped out of the tree and fell with a CRUNCH onto the concrete. Kagome winced. Ooo…that must have hurt. She went over to him and blinked in surprise. He had a bushy tail and next to him was a shattered camera, all the film spread across the floor. Kagome's eyes narrowed.

"A camera?!"

The youkai looked up and gave a yelp as Kagome reached for him. She grabbed him by the tail. "You're a kitsune youkai, aren't you? What on earth were you doing in my tree, following me around all day and taking pictures?! What are you, some kind of hentai?! I'm calling the cops on you." Kagome grabbed an arrow and let her power blaze briefly through it. He let out a cry of fear, but she only jammed the arrow through his jacket and into the floor, keeping him in place. Kagome straightened and dusted off her hands. "There. If I were you, I would change into a human form again so that way the cops aren't too suspicious. Hmph. Damn pervert."

The youkai shook his head. "You don't understand, Miko-san! I was told to take pictures of you! My boss told me to!"

Kagome stared at him. "Your boss ordered you to take pictures of me? What kind of hentai do you work for?!"

"No hentai at all, I'm afraid!"

Kagome turned around to face the new voice. A woman with curly light brown hair and vibrant green eyes was smiling at her. She was wearing a flower printed sleeveless dress. She waved at Kagome and approached her. Kagome lifted an eyebrow. She looked and felt…human… no, wait…there was… NANI?!

"A-na-ta… You're a hanyou?" Kagome whispered disbelievingly. In the last five years she'd come across youkais, ghosts, all kinds of supernatural phenomenon… But since the last time she saw Inu-Yasha, she had never seen another hanyou.

The woman stopped in her tracks. She then whistled appreciatively. "Su-goi! You really are a Miko!" The woman 'poofed' and suddenly her normal human ears were gone. In their place were small fox ears on the top of her head that matched with the light brown of he her hair. Waves of memories overflowed on Kagome, making her sight blurry until she could get the wash of emotions under control… So many memories…

The hanyou kept talking to Kagome. "This is so exciting! I wasn't sure if the rumors were right, but it's true! You really are a Miko! Not only could you sense Zazu-kun, and have sensed him all day, but you figured out what I really am! That is so amazing!"

Kagome shook her head trying to make sense of the situation she found herself in. "Ma-te. Are you telling me, you had this kitsune youkai follow me around all day, just to see if I was really a Miko? Aren't you a hanyou with the youkai part being kitsune? Why is it he follows your orders?"

The hanyou woman just smiled at her. "My Tou-chan is a powerful kitsune youkai. Zazu-kun works for him. And I did really want to find out if you were a Miko…because…well, I didn't think they existed anymore and I didn't want to find out you were a fake after I had gotten all excited. So I wanted to find out!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and pulled the arrow out of the ground, setting the youkai free. She turned back to the hanyou. "Well, now that you know, can you leave me be?" Kagome had this sinking feeling that this hanyou's appearance had to do with the scroll from yesterday.

"The thing is, now that I know you're a real Miko, I want a picture with you! If not, no one will believe me that I really met with a real Miko! Here Zazu-kun!" The hanyou tossed the short youkai a disposable camera she had with her. "Take a picture of us!"

Kagome couldn't believe this. Weren't youkai and Miko's supposed to be enemies? She sighed. Well, she had some known some good youkais, and this was a different era. Kagome giggled. Oh, why not? This hanyou reminded her of her past and her friends. Why not indulge her?

Kagome smiled and the hanyou was looking at her curiously. "So you'll take the picture with me?"

"Hai, hai. You're kawaii. You remind me of someone I knew once, long ago."

"Honto ni?" The hanyou walked up to Kagome and placed her arm through hers, then turning to the youkai with the camera. "Who do I remind you of?"

The question caught Kagome by surprise so she didn't think of not answering it. "A little kitsune youkai." Kagome caught herself too late.

The hanyou persisted. "Your eyes lit up when you said that, Miko-san. Who was this little youkai and how do you know him?"

Kagome pointed to the camera. "That was long ago. Don't worry about. Smile for the camera!"

Both women put up victory hand signs as Zazu took the picture. Afterwards the hanyou immediately let go of Kagome and backed up towards the entrance with a smile. Zazu followed her.

"Arigato, Miko-san! You've made my day! I hope to come by again!" she waved enthusiastically at Kagome.

Kagome waved back. "My name is Kagome! Higurashi Kagome! Not Miko-san!"

The hanyou grinned. "Kitsu Setsuna de-su! Sayonara, Kagome-san!"

"Sayonara!"

It wasn't until a few moments later when it hit Kagome. Kitsu Setsuna? Kitsu? As in the same Kitsu that opened the library and the Kitsu lady that came to pick up the scroll? Kagome stood stunned. Just what on earth was going on?