InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ Wild Wild West ( Chapter 96 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: SplendentGoddess 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.25.2007 | Updated On: 09.27.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 10.1K | Visits: 7.4K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.25.2007 | Updated On: 09.27.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 10.1K | Visits: 7.4K | Status: Completed
Blanket Disclaimer:
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 96 - Wild Wild West
America was more than they could have ever hoped for.
While Kagome already knew that she wanted to come back to the states in the later 20th century, she was having the time of her life traveling the wild, unkempt plains that modern technology had not yet blemished. Their “vacation” reminded both she and Inuyasha so much of their earliest days traveling together, that on rare occasions he’d break the comfortable silence between them by asking if she sensed any jewel shards. Sometimes, she’d be the one to start the game, by suddenly grabbing her chest, and proclaiming that she sensed a shard, only to shake her head and mutter “Oh wait, my bad.” and he’d chuckle right along with her.
While Kenta obviously had no memories of the days when his parents had roamed the wilds of Japan searching for shards, he was just happy to see his parents acting so happy. While he also didn’t share his mother’s memories of the future yet to come, he fully understood, and was prepared for the days when her “modern” world would robe them of the present world they currently occupied. It had already begun, even in the country they currently traveled, which was why they had headed southwest almost immediately upon arriving in New York. They had received several odd looks from everyone they passed, when they’d headed out without so much as a wagon, or even any horses, but our trio knew that the animals would be nothing but a hindrance. If they wanted to, if they really wanted to, they could cross the entire country in about a week’s time. But there was really no need to hurry when they were there to have fun.
Much of the West was still unclaimed. The Transcontinental Railroad was not yet built, nor had the California Gold Rush taken place. Hell, even the Georgia Gold Rush was still a few years away. It was nice to have that time of peace, and everyone knew they’d better enjoy it while it lasted. For Kagome, it was remarkable that for once in her life, or so it seemed, she didn’t have a mission. She didn’t have a quest. She and Inuyasha had no shards to find, no enemies to defeat, and no treaties to sign. They had lived peacefully for a brief time in their village, but even then Inuyasha had had responsibilities as ruling partner of the West, and it wasn’t long at all before they suddenly found themselves jumping into the new age of progress that was the Youkai-Alliance, and their dealings with human affairs. Inuyasha was the busiest in the Alliance, in the beginning, being the only hanyou who could transform himself into a human, at least at first. Thanks to Hikaru’s creation of his concealment charms, that was soon something Inuyasha no longer had to worry about, but back when it’d all began, for around the first thirty years or so, he’d been the only one, and he’d hated being so singled out.
He had hated feeling that pressure, knowing that he was the only one who could do it. Everything was riding on his ability to negotiate, an ability he’d never before even entertained the possibility of possessing, and he’d secretly (or to those closest to him, not so secretly) feared failure. Sesshoumaru would have done it himself, but the humans had a fairly powerful priest, who could easily sense his youki through the glamour he could create; an illusion that only successfully fooled the weakest of minds. It was unnerving for the holy man to be in the presence of such a powerful Taiyoukai, and negotiations were distracted as a result. While Shippo had also offered to help, the human lords were weary of dealing with a kitsune, human mate or no, and much preferred the option of meeting with a man who was in truth at least half human, himself. Once they’d learned of him, they had damn near demanded his presence. Inuyasha was surprised by how quickly his mortal half had been deemed a ‘good’ thing, even by the other youkai lords, once everyone realized that he was the only one whom the humans were willing to talk to. He was swiftly elected liaison for their negotiations with the human lords who, though they were aware of his youkai half, found it easier to ignore when he could actually become human. Even their priest could barely detect any hint of his youki signature when he turned himself fully mortal, which was a tremendous ease to the man’s conscious.
Kagome was also by no means spared her fair share of business dealings within the Alliance. While she never directly assisted her mate during negotiations, it significantly helped his image that they knew his wife was human. It also helped when their priest confirmed that she was an incredibly powerful, and pure-hearted miko, who could easily detect malice or ill wishes in anyone, assuring his lords that she would never have associated herself with cruel youkai that meant them harm. On the other side of the coin, with the youkai lords also knowing that she was a very powerful miko, it was easy for Sesshoumaru to pass off her warnings of the future as “visions”, enabling him to be taken more seriously with regard to his desired preparations for things yet to come.
Now, with the hardest negations with both man and local youkai long over, China having been the last major meeting on the to-do list, Sesshoumaru was easily willing to permit his brother’s prolonged absence from their shores. He fully understood the hanyou’s desire to please his mate, as time was most certainly of the essence. Things were changing everyday, and the Taiyoukai no longer took the passage of time for granted. If Kagome wanted to see the world, with the unique perspective that only somebody from the future could possess, then she deserved to enjoy it while she could. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all. How many people got to witness the progress of what they’d grown up learning about as ‘history’?
Although he was born in the past, Kenta was also having the time of his life. He couldn’t believe that none of his siblings had shared his desire to see the rest of the world with him. Back when they’d still been in China, his mother had extended an invitation to any of their children who wished to accompany them to Europe, but nobody else had been interested in going, merely sending back well-wishes and proclaiming that they hoped their parents had fun. When Kagome had briefly asked her one accompanying son if he’d prefer to return to Japan rather than continue to tag along with them, he’d made his father proud with his instant response of “Hell no!” Now, there he was, traveling the wild plains of Am-er-i-ca…a place he hadn’t always known even existed! Of course, back when he’d been a pup, the country hadn’t existed. Not as a legally recognized “country” that was acknowledged by the rest of the world, anyway.
The “New World” was a wild place, populated by “savages”. Kenta, as well as his father - though the elder hanyou kept up the pretense that he wasn’t really listening - found it fascinating to learn from the ever knowledgeable miko in their presence that the Native Americans were actually descendent from Asian immigrants that migrated there some tens of thousands of years earlier than the Europeans. The same must have been true for youkai, because just as that witch in Ireland had predicted, there was no shortage of youkai in America. At least back west, where the country was still wild, and untouched by “modern” man.
Unlike the more advanced humans of the world - who all had a tendency to kill first, ask questions later, especially when it came to youkai - the Native Americans, for the most part, managed to live in peace with their magical brothers. Most of the more friendly youkai were worshiped as some form of god or another, and even the lower monsters that were recognized as evil truly had nothing to fear from the tribal humans that truthfully had no way of defeating them. The Natives had spiritual leaders, just like back home, who could create wards to keep evil spirits away, but it wouldn’t be enough to cause their extinction. Kagome knew that life for the local youkai, both evil and peaceful alike, would undoubtedly change as the “white man” continued to populate more and more of the country, but for right now, the vast majority of the land was still beautiful, rural, and untouched by time.
It was wondrous.
It was dangerous.
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“Did you hear that?”
“Go back to bed.”
“No!” Kenta insisted, “I heard something!”
“Feh…your ears wouldn’t know the difference between a stomach growl and a clap of thunder. Go back to bed.”
Pouting, Kenta frowned at the feel of his blunted human nails as he attempted to appear just as threatening as his father, crossing his arms with a “Hmph”. He was sure he’d heard something, but he had to trust that his father’s sense of hearing was much better than his own at the moment, so it must not have been anything worth worrying about.
Right?
Unlike his father, who had spent literally countless human nights alone and scared in the wilderness, having to learn to be tough, having to learn how to survive, Kenta had always been safe and sound, surrounded by his family. He’d never been even remotely in danger during any of his human nights, until this one. Even during their years in China and Europe, they had mostly stayed near the human scene, not that it truly mattered since the only youkai that were still around were more civilized, and like themselves, wanted only to live in peace. It wasn’t until they hit North America that they were once again acquainted with the occasional beastly youkai that fed upon humans as prey. It wasn’t until they hit North America that he’d witnessed his parents kill in cold blood, with that stoic ‘it’s either them or me’ attitude that one can only acquire from years of battle. True, that bear youkai had been planning on having inu stake for dinner, but that wasn’t the point. Or was it?
He’d been told the story of how his older brother had transformed countless times, during the attack on their village that’d happened when Okaa-san had been carrying him. Kenta had been told countless times of how bravely his mother had fought, and how vicious the attacking youkai had been. He knew that story inside and out, but in reality, he’d still been inside his mother’s womb at the time, so no matter how many times he heard the tale, it wasn’t as though he truly recalled the battle in question. There was a difference between being told about something, and seeing it first hand. There was a big difference.
A stone along the nearby rock face broke free, tumbling with a clank to the desert floor below.
“What was that?”
“Quit your bellyachin’, ain’t nothing gonna get you while I’m here.”
“Do you two mind?” came a third, groggy voice. “Some of us are trying to sleep.”
“Keh.”
“Apology accepted.” Kagome snickered, deciding she may as well take over the watch, since she was wide-awake now. It would be morning soon, anyway. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep, yourself?” she asked her mate, “I’ll take over.”
“No way. I ain’t sleepin’ during my pup’s human night.”
“I ain’t a pup!” Kenta barked, the rosary he wore to look human being quite redundant during the night of the waning half-moon.
He still looks just like an older Souta… Kagome mused, imaging her brother during one of the many times he’d pouted, and insisted he wasn’t a kid. She was glad Miroku had helped her to look at Kenta’s resemblance to her brother in such a positive light. She was no longer plagued with bouts of depressing homesickness, but rather, she merely looked forward to the day she could see her family’s smiling faces again, rapidly followed by their shocked faces, when she introduced them to her other family. Chuckling to herself at the thought, Kagome sincerely hoped it wouldn’t give her Jii-chan a heart attack.
The miko was pulled from her musings by the cry of a distant howl.
“There!” Kenta proclaimed. “I knew I heard something!”
Waving off his son’s concerns, Inuyasha shrugged, muttering “Just some local coyotes, nothing to worry about…” He then proceeded to howl back, assuring the canines that had detected their presence that their small group was just passing through, and meant them no harm.
“There…” the elder hanyou assured his small pack, “They were just curious about us. They’ll leave us alone.”
“You sure?”
“I could erect a barrier, if you’d like.” Kagome offered.
“Don’t waste your energy.”
Instantly detecting the spike of irritation in his mate’s scent, knowing she had taken his comment as an insult to her strength, Inuyasha smirked, and was just about to say something teasing, when another, closer howl made him freeze.
“What’d he say?” Kagome asked shakily in a manner to seek confirmation, already knowing the answer, but praying that her sleep-deprived mind had somehow mistranslated the foreign inu. Her husband’s answer instantly shattered her hopes in that regard.
“He said…” Inuyasha gulped, “… ‘Run’”.
“Was that directed towards us?” Kenta squeaked, the adult hanyou-turned-human suddenly reverting to that of a frightened child, relying on his parents for protection.
“Yes, but not as a threat.” Kagome said, quickly rolling up her blanket.
“It was a warning.” Inuyasha elaborated.
“What would make the coyotes want to warn us? What would they consider a threat?” But no sooner had Kenta uttered the question then did he realize the answer himself. At that same moment, the wind shifted direction, instantly carrying a new scent to his parents’ enhanced noses.
“Humans.” three voices muttered in simultaneous horror.
The next twenty minutes went by in a blur.
All three members at camp leapt to their feet, quickly stomping out their tiny fire before gathering their bags. Inuyasha cursed how quietly the humans had been able to make their approach, though he secretly admired their ability to do so. They were strong, but that made them more dangerous. They had to leave, now.
Kenta stumbled in the dark, and was grateful for the pair of boots he currently wore, a trinket left over from their time in China, like the boots his uncle Sesshoumaru always wore. He and his parents had all upgraded to more comfortable footwear while in China, sandals simply not being the best choice for marching across the country.
While Inuyasha had relented that, while in Europe, it was best to dress in more common clothing, so as not to stick out too badly, already appearing as the proverbial sore thumb simply because they were Asian, once they hit the wilds of unclaimed America, they had all once again adorned their fire-rat and spider-silks, saying to hell with whatever the occasional cowboy thought of their bright red and white clothing. When the first arrow went zipping by, Kagome instantly rejoiced in that decision, knowing that without his robes, their son would be in mortal danger until sunrise.
Continuing to evade as best he could, Inuyasha also cursed the desert winds, which had kept away the scent of the approaching humans. Stupid wind. Stupid rock formations. Speaking of…as he continued to run, he quickly howled out a plea to the local coyotes who had warned them, asking for assistance with navigating the rocky terrain he was unfamiliar with. Receiving none, he continued to virtually drag both his wife and son behind him, running as fast as he dared with two humans in tow, having no idea where the hell he was going. All the while Apache arrows continued to zoom by them. What Kagome wouldn’t have done for the use of her own bow and arrows right then, but she was currently out of arrows, and hadn’t had a chance to make any more yet, although she truly had no desire to kill anyone. Inuyasha also agreed with the notion that they couldn’t risk harming anyone, which meant that even though Tetsusaiga wouldn’t transform against humans, using it even as a standard katana against those without their own swords was also out of the question. Even so, it quickly looked as though running away wasn’t a viable option, either, as they suddenly found themselves at a dead end, still having received no howls of direction from the local coyotes that had probably fled the area long ago.
Shit
Shoving his wife and son behind him, Inuyasha turned to face the approaching threat, at least thankful that their current position meant that nobody could approach them from behind. Kagome could produce a solid barrier around them, which would protect them against physical projectiles, but it would be visible to the naked eye, and something she wished to save for their very last resort.
As the Apache approached, their weapons drawn, the two members of our trio who still retained excellent night vision could not miss the looks of confusion and uncertainty that were plaguing their would-be attackers. Kagome realized quickly enough that the Native warriors before them had probably believed them to be the scouts of a raiding party. Didn’t various bands of Apache and various villages of Mexican settlers constantly fight with one another around that time period? For all these men knew, Inuyasha and his two companions had been there to track their home location, and then report back to whomever they worked for.
That hypothesis apparently seemed less and less likely to the Natives who stood wearily before the trio they had captured, never having before seen anyone of Asian decent. They quickly decided that, ethnically, they appeared to be members of a band of Native peoples, though determining which one was made impossible by their strange, foreign clothing. Where had they gotten such clothing? Were they spies for the Spanish? Were they members of an enemy tribe? And where were their horses? There was no way those three could have walked there on their own; there was nothing but Apachean lands for miles in all directions.
“What do you want?” Inuyasha barked out after a moment, in English, which did little good when Kagome believed that besides their own Native tongue, they would possibly only know Spanish, at best.
“They’re not going to understand us.” she whispered to her mate.
One man, apparently their leader, slowly approached the three, with his warriors behind him keeping their weapons drawn. Nobody made any move against him, even as he began examining the beaded necklaces both men wore, trying to determine if the beads would identify who they were. Remaining still, hoping to just play along while their son was mortal, and in danger, nobody resisted even when the man hastily took the necklace from around Kenta’s neck, as though the beads were sacred, and that for Kenta to have been wearing them was a tremendous insult.
Now what? Both Inuyasha and Kagome thought, sharing a look, before they each glanced eastward, towards the slowly lightening sky. They had hoped to stall for time until sunrise, when their enemy’s arrows and clubs would offer much less of a threat, but now, without his kotodama, when the sun rose…
Another piercing howl ripped through the still predawn air, and everyone froze, but for different reasons. The Natives were weary of the coyote, being an omen of evil, but Inuyasha and Kagome were more focused on the demonic aura they felt accompanying the mortal dogs as they made their rapid approach.
“Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?” Kagome asked in merely a whisper.
“I wish I knew.” Inuyasha whispered back.
“What did he say?” Kenta asked, his mortal ears unable to pick up all the nuances of the howl that echoed from miles away.
But before Inuyasha could think to answer his son, knowing that the humans before him wouldn’t have understood his words anyway, all hell broke loose.
The same man who had taken Kenta’s rosary attempted to take Inuyasha’s, but when the beads were lifted to a point somewhere halfway up his head, they rejected moving any further, shocking the man with a mild jolt of residual energy the equivalent to a slap on the wrist. The Apaches freaked out, and started muttering something in their Native tongue about witches, while the rapidly approaching coyotes howled once more, their howls literally translating as “We’re on our way”.
Then the sun peaked over the horizon, and everyone gasped and took five paces back, as Kenta’s youki flared around him, and he transformed into his hanyou-self. Several arrows were instantly fired in the “skin-walker’s” direction, which was Kagome’s cue to throw up a glowing pink barrier. Inuyasha turned, and snarled at the men who had dared to fire their weapons at his son, and instantly shifted himself into his hanyou appearance, as well. He leapt forward, snatching Kenta’s rosary before punching the guy in the face. He permitted his eyes to glow red, to make sure he instilled the fear of the gods into their hearts for all time…but he still wasn’t about to lose control and seriously injure anyone. Arrows were fired in his direction, and he caught and broke all of them midair. An insignificant skill he realized he would need to teach his son, since the hanyou boy should have been able to dodge those arrows without his mother’s help. Still, he knew the pup had never before seen battle, and that had been the life Inuyasha had wanted for his children.
Everything was seemingly at a standstill when the coyotes suddenly made their appearance. Before their very eyes, the pack leader shifted himself into a more or less human form, somewhat resembling Kouga in his clothing of furs. Kagome hoped that he’d be on their side, but just as a precaution, she grabbed one of the discarded arrows closest to her, notched it, and while she kept her bow aimed downward towards the ground, she permitted the arrowhead to glow with her powers, like a sort of ‘by the way, I could totally purify you if you try anything’ gesture.
The appearance of the coyotes was enough to make the Apaches flee, which Inuyasha permitted, glad that outside of a few scrapes and black eyes, he hadn’t injured any of them too severely. He then proceeded to bark to the coyote-youkai who was still merely observing him, that they were not a threat to his pack, meaning them no harm. The coyote barked back that he could feel their genuine auras, meaning he knew they were not evil, as were many beasts upon the land. He explained that his dogs had fetched him as quickly as they could, once they’d realized that ‘the dog-man’ and his family had been spotted by the humans. While Kagome disarmed herself, having understood the barks being spoken around her, and thankful that all canines seemed to speak generally the same language, Inuyasha expressed his gratitude for the coyote-youkai’s assistance, as he was sure it was the appearance of his pack that had made the final decision in the humans to leave. In return, the coyote expressed his relief that they had arrived there in time, and Inuyasha and his small pack were invited to return with them to their den for breakfast, and to rest after such an ordeal.
When the youkai witnessed Kenta replacing his necklace, his hanyou features instantly disappearing, though they could still smell that he was hanyou, he had eagerly demanded to know how such a thing was accomplished, and suddenly, Inuyasha realized that their time of negotiations and treaties might not be over just yet, after all.
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Th ey ended up staying with the coyotes for several years, adding Spanish to their language roster, which the coyotes knew, as well as learning a great deal about the various indigenous humans of the region. While some humans feared the various local youkai species as witches or skin-walkers, other humans worshiped them as Kachinas; animal spirits. The term literally meant “life bringer”, and the inu-gang quickly found that the local youkai respected their roles in human society, often aiding the humans who praised them in times of hunting and/or growing crops. It wasn’t truly the Native peoples whom the youkai were too worried about, but rather, just as Kagome had feared, it was the slowly encroaching “white man” that would eventually pose the truest threat to their way of life.
The coyote leader’s reason for interest in Kenta’s rosary had become apparent when he took them to a neighboring canine pack several miles away, in the mountains, where a small family of wolves had an unusual pack member. Even before the wolves convinced her to emerge from the den, the inu-gang had already recognized her scent, so they were not surprised to see the human woman, nor were they surprised to see her rounded belly. The woman, whom they had learned was a member of the Hopi tribe, had a similar story as did anyone else who managed to fall in love with a youkai. She had been alone, lost, and a kweo, or wolf, had saved her.
Fortunately, with the West still wild and mostly untouched by man, the local youkai and hanyou were guaranteed at least another half-century of safety before they would truly find themselves in need of concealment charms, but it was a promise Inuyasha had made then and there, that upon returning to Japan, they would send Hikaru to the Americas, where he was so obviously needed. Kagome had complimented her mate on the negotiation skills he claimed he didn’t possess, teasing him that he was a born liaison, as she reminded him of the drunken speech he’d given way back when Sesshoumaru had first mated Kagura. Blushing at the compliment, Inuyasha had gotten his mate back by pointing out that she’d have her work cut out for her upon returning home. After all, Hikaru may possess the power of illusion, but she was the one who made the rosaries. But fortunately, because of the steadily increasing demand of concealment charms, coupled by her desire for the vacation she was currently embarked upon, Kagome had long ago learned how to pre-charge a rosary, making it then capable of self-fusing with Hikaru’s powers. That meant that she wouldn’t be required to go with him on his western mission, merely sending him off with an armory of holy beads, charged and ready, just like she had left him with back in Japan prior to departing to China.
Thinking back on it, Kagome clearly recalled that Hoshi had mumbled something about perhaps “one day” wanting to get out and travel, so it now looked as though the vixen-hanyou would get her wish sooner, rather than later.
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When America made claim of Arizona, Kagome had decided that she wanted to stay in Mexico for a little while longer, finally causing both she and Inuyasha to split ways with their son. Somehow, they had known that Kenta wouldn’t want to leave that place any time soon. He was in the middle of learning several Native languages, and it was clear that he had become smitten by the general world around them. Even with the tremendous increase of an American presence, especially during the brief war they’d just experienced, he still found the natural beauty of the land unrivaled by any other, and he’d even expressed a desire to see California in the near future. At first Kagome had been nervous to head south without her baby, but he had assured both his parents that he was a big “pup”, and could take care of himself. At least he could now, thanks to the few decades of training he’d received from not only his father, but the local coyotes and wolves, as well.
There had been a few battles, not with humans, but with enemy youkai, and Inuyasha had never been prouder than the day he saw his second born son finally put that forged fang of his to some good use. Kagome had wanted to baby his injuries afterwards, but like father like son, Kenta had scoffed that they were just scratches, and insisted that he was perfectly fine. Which, if you wanted to get technical, was the truth. Kagome always knew that she babied her children (and mate) far more than she needed to, but that was her prerogative as their mother (and mate). Kenta had taken it in good stride, but did point out, in a joking fashion, that he was nearly three hundred years old, and hardly a baby any longer. Reluctantly, Kagome eventually conceded that he was free to do whatever he wanted, knowing that her son knew that he could always return home at any time. She had pulled him aside before heading out, though, giving him a brief yet detailed recap of certain important events yet to come, namely events that would take place in a little under a century’s time. Kagome warned him to be careful, and to not get involved in human affairs. Kenta knew of what she spoke, and vowed that he would stay as inconspicuous as possible, hopefully fleeing the area long before it would become an issue.
With that taken care of, Kagome was looking forward to seeing the ancient Mayan ruins.
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It hadn’t taken them long to reach their destination, and both Kagome and Inuyasha could not help but to sense the extraordinary amounts of spiritual and demonic powers in the entire region. It was as if the land itself was alive, permeated with the auras of the souls that had gone on before them. To see the ancient South American pyramids standing before her was like stepping back in time. Oh wait…she had….she snickered to herself. Well, further back in time, to the days when their walls were filled with the hustle and bustle of the ancient people who’d lived there. This was way better than anything she’d ever learned in history class. That was for damn sure.
But even with as engrossed as she was in her study of one particular temple wall, both she and Inuyasha instantly detected the aura of the old man who was slowly approaching their position. How could they miss somebody that powerful? He wore the feathered headdress of the holiest of Shaman, but something about his aura literally screamed youkai. He was even more powerful than Sesshoumaru, though don’t let the Taiyoukai hear you say that. The closest sensation they could think of as a match to the feel of his aura was the youki of the old Chinese dragons they had dealt with over a century ago. But even they felt slightly weaker than this guy, who nearly rivaled the kami themselves with the strength of his presence. No sooner did that thought occur to her, then he was suddenly standing there before them, smiling at them both with an old, kind face of recognition, as though he had known them both all their lives. Kagome had to fight the sudden urge to address him as Ojii-sama.
“They are truly a remarkable people, are they not?” he asked them suddenly, while shifting his gaze to the ancient drawings adorning the block wall before them.
“Keh, you mean they were.” Inuyasha replied
“They are still living among us.” he assured the hanyou, referring to the surviving Mayan people who had since assimilated themselves into Mexican life. “The body may forget, but the soul remembers for all time.”
When the man turned to face the pyramid wall completely, both Kagome and Inuyasha could have sworn they’d caught a glimmer of what appeared to be metallic feathers over what was now once more merely the olive flesh of his bare arms. He then proceeded to delicately extend one of said arms, brushing his fingertips across the tribal painting of a plumed dragon. Kagome swallowed.
“Kukulkan.” she whispered, suddenly remembering the name she had learned in school so very long ago.
Responding as though she had spoken to him directly, the man nodded softly, mumbling in a tone loud enough for them to hear, “Kukulkan, Gukumatz, Quetzalcoatl, I have heard many names used by many different tribes, but all mean the same, divine feathered serpent.”
“Feh, stupid name.” Inuyasha mumbled to himself, which promptly earned him Kagome’s elbow in his ribs.
“Your name isn’t any better.” she reminded him in a harsh whisper.
Smiling in amusement at their antics, the old man asked the couple, “So, what brings you to this temple?”
“Curiosity.” Kagome answered. “I had wanted to know if any of the ancient ones still lived.” she elaborated, deliberately phrasing the statement in past-tense, to indicate that her question had already been answered.
Raising an eyebrow at her, he asked “Why is it that you sought this information?” Getting a vibe of defensiveness from the man by her side, he raised his palms in a peaceful gesture, as he explained “Most would not believe such beings had ever existed, let alone strive to determine if they were still alive.”
“If you are truly as powerful as you seem, then surely you have already realized that we are not like most people.” was Kagome’s response.
He narrowed his eyes in a very Touché manner, before smiling once more.
“Indeed, I can feel your auras.” he assured her, while shifting his gaze between herself and Inuyasha; the feel of his inu-youkai blood unable to hide from someone as powerful as he. “And I must admit,” he continued, “when I first felt your approach, I experienced my own curiosity as to whom had come calling.”
Kagome smiled at his words, feeling honored that he had decided them worthy of curiosity.
While Inuyasha had also been listening, it wasn’t so much what he’d said, but rather how he’d said it, that suddenly got the hanyou thinking of something that apparently hadn’t occurred to his mate.
“I have a question.” he piped up, after this little tidbit finally dawned on him. It was getting confusing, after all, knowing so many different languages, but he had just realized that they hadn’t been speaking Spanish.
“How is it that you speak English so well?” he asked the man point blank, elaborating with “This language isn’t all too popular around these parts. It seems odd to me, that someone native to this region would know the British tongue.”
His suspicion was a tangible thing, and it made the man before him laugh in a friendly manner.
“My boy…” he answered, in Japanese. “When speaking from the heart, there is no language barrier.”
After retrieving her jaw from the dirt, Kagome smiled knowingly at the old man whom she’d since realized, in truth, was a three thousand year old dragon. Bowing politely, she responded in Japanese as well, as she complimented “Well spoken, Kulkulkan-sama.”
He nodded a light thanks in return.
Inuyasha, having been thoroughly humbled by the old man’s display, also bowed ever so slightly, as he quietly mumbled “Feh”, a light huge of pink staining his cheeks.
Giggling behind her hand, Kagome then came to her mate’s rescue, as she apologized for them both, politely excusing them from further conversation under the pretense that her human stomach was insisting it was dinnertime. Which was completely true, as it so happened, her stomach choosing right that moment to release a growl that would rival her mate during springtime.
Smirking lightheartedly, Kukulkan waved off any concerns the girl may have possessed over appearing rude in his presence, as he assured her, should curiosity strike a second time, she would always be welcomed to seek him out. He was never too far from his various temples, always remaining in one region or another.
“Arigato gozaimasu.” she responded with another bow.
As they turned to leave, Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder at the smiling old man.
“Hai, domo…Ke no Kamibebi”
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Their American adventure swiftly coming to a close, there was one more thing that Kagome wanted to do before they headed back home. She had wanted to do this, right…?
“Don’t look at me, you’re the one who just had to go on a damn boat ride.” Inuyasha griped, sweat dripping from his bow. It was a good thing that he could sweat, considering he was half dog, otherwise, he probably would have passed out from heat exhaustion.
“I know, I know…” Kagome moaned, wondering what on Earth had possessed her to want to venture southeast prior to the invention of air-conditioning. But lazily rolling along the Mississippi River had seemed so romantic in all the brochures. Insert sarcasm here.
Left a good job in the city…she sang to herself, attempting to make the most of it. It truly was a beautiful region, and at least there was no such thing as West Nile Virus. They were just getting ready to call it quits and head back to Japan, now that the country had opened its boarders, but seeing the old school steam boats had been something she’d wanted to do prior to leaving America.
Okay, I’ve seen them, can I go now? she moaned internally, until a prickling in the back of her mind made the hairs on her neck stand up. Suddenly, nothing else mattered.
Crap was the first thought to come to mind, as Kagome quickly realized their youkai kimonos were currently packed up in their luggage, along with their weapons. They hadn’t thought it too wise to go sporting four hundred year old Japanese robes, when they were surrounded by aristocratic plantation owners in their finest Victorian garb.
“Now what?” she asked her husband in a hushed murmur, knowing that he could hear her, and that he’d know what she was referring to.
“We kill it, that’s what.” Inuyasha replied, not giving it a second thought before he leapt from the observation deck and head dived into the river. Fortunately, nobody else was outside at the moment, most of the passengers busily acquainting themselves with the boat’s bartender.
Taking the briefest of moments to sigh over what a pretty dress her outfit had been, Kagome hiked up her ruffled skirt, and joined her mate. After all, mortal alligators may not pose much of a threat to those who were smart enough to steer clear of the waters, but the youkai-alligator that was currently tailing them could probably take out the entire boat.
Lucky for Kagome, she could hold her breath for a lot longer than she used to be able to; youkai enhancements at their finest. So from her position under the water’s surface, she shot out several bolts of purifying energy, literally herding the alligator away from the boat, and up towards the shore. Inuyasha wasn’t worried that he’d left Tetsusaiga behind, since they’d have plenty of time to go back for it later, and it wasn’t as though he needed his sword to defeat such a weak enemy. This won’t take long at all, he mused, cracking his knuckles. Getting the beast into the thickest part of the shore’s muggy brush, for some semblance cover, Inuyasha quickly transformed himself back into his hanyou-self, not stopping there, as he went then full youkai, needing the power boost the transformation offered him, as he attempted to slash the beast before him to pieces. It was a considerable challenge, considering the slippery terrain, coupled by the fact that he hadn’t had time to remove the blasted dress shoes from his feet!
But apparently somebody had missed the memo that this was supposed to be an easy kill. It quickly became apparent that the alligator-youkai had just been screwing with them, apparently sporting it’s more “docile” form. (Where’s that sarcasm when you need it?) As if somebody had just shoved a jewel shard up it’s butt, the thing suddenly transformed into an alligator-esque creature nearly four times its original size, and the muddy and mucky Kagome in the ruined dress displayed just how lady-like she could be as she eloquently exclaimed “Oh shit!”
Inuyasha dodged just in time, grateful his mate hadn’t thought to “Sit Boy” him face first in the mud to avoid the barbed tail that had been swung towards his head. It took a little longer than originally anticipated, but eventually, he did get the upper hand, or claw, as it were, as a dead on “Iron Reaver Soul Stealer” at full-youkai strength left the reptilian demon gutted, and ready to become somebody’s purse.
Kagome was so relieved that her mate had escaped unscathed, for the most part, that she rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around him in a full on embrace, heedless of the blood and guts his suit was currently splattered with. It wasn’t until the “sploosh sploosh sploosh” of a steam boat wheel hitting the water caught their attention, that they thought to glance behind themselves at the river, only to discover, with dread, that the pilot of another riverboat that was slowly passing them by was currently staring at them both with unblinking eyes, instantly revealing that he had witnessed the entire battle.
Inuyasha had wanted to just leave it alone, but since they had to go after the boat they had originally been on, in order to retrieve the belongings they had left behind, it appeared as though avoiding a confrontation simply wasn’t meant to be. By the time they “borrowed” new clothing, and maneuvered themselves to the dock their riverboat had stopped at, boarded, retrieved their bags, and disembarked, the pilot of the other riverboat was standing there, waiting for them.
Stupid nosey humans… Inuyasha grumbled to himself, as they escorted the eager youth to someplace more private, to “talk”.
The young man, who introduced himself as Samuel Clemens, was eager to learn all that he could about what he’d witnessed, expertly asking Kagome question after question, until the broken up version of their history was so confusing, that the miko finally relented, and just told the man their entire story. Much to Inuyasha’s chargin, I might add.
Samuel surprised them both with his understanding nature regarding their plight, never once gazing upon Inuyasha in fear, even when the hanyou reverted himself into his natural appearance. As it would so happen, Sam was a vegetarian, and personally believed that no sentient being should be made to suffer. Therefore, he did not support the apparent mindset of the human race, as a whole, who were striving for the extinction of these “youkai” beings. He understood why that alligator had to be slain, as that beast was apparently precisely that, a beast, who would have devoured the entire shipload of people aboard that steamboat, if given the chance. But any youkai that were people, as Inuyasha himself clearly was, should be given the same rights as any other free being, appearances be damned.
Kagome had made him promise that he would never tell anyone the story that she had just told him. It would be most detrimental if he did, whether anybody believed him, or not. If they didn’t believe him, then it would be bad for himself, with people thinking he had completely lost his mind. But, on the off chance that somebody did believe him, it would surely only start a panic, leading to the flourishing slaughter of remaining youkai everywhere. She had explained the “laws” of their local Youkai-Alliance, which promised that they strove to avoid any direct dealings with human affairs, wanting only to live their own lives peacefully, and unafraid. Sam could not, in good conscious, fault them for such a desire.
It may also have helped that Inuyasha had stated, in no speculative fashion, that if he ever found out that he had spread the word of their existence, that he would be paying him a visit, accompanied by an old, loyal family pet. Kirara would enjoy the chance to taste human flesh, the hanyou had stated, while cracking his knuckles in a menacing fashion. Gulping, Samuel had once again sworn that he would never tell a soul what he had learned.
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Upon arriving home in Osaka, both Kagome and Inuyasha had to blink several times, wondering what on Earth had become of their home. The castle looked to be about the same, but the city in which it resided looked as though it had exploded, with human shrapnel scattering across the land as a result.
“What is this place, and what did they do with our quite little village?” Kagome joked, as they approached the gates of Osaka Castle. What a difference a century and a half made.
They quickly caught up with all that they had missed, though really not that much had changed in the lives of their demonic family, to whom a hundred and fifty years was truly no big deal. True, the children they remembered as being children were all grown up, and there were a couple of new young kits of Shippo and Rin’s whom they were eager to meet, not to mention several fully grown grandchildren they’d missed seeing grow, but all in all, everything was basically the same as when they’d left.
Kagome was happy to learn that Manami, their youngest daughter, was still living happily in her humble home in Osaka, mated to the human man she’d had her eyes on in the town market. Their first born child, Junrou, was already grown, although barely, by youkai standards, being a young man of twenty-five. Apparently Manami and Haru had enjoyed a prolonged honeymoon before finally deciding to become parents.
Their two youngest boys, Katsuo and Tarou, who were each mated to female inu from the castle, Kasumi and Mai, respectively, were both yet to become fathers, though their parents had been touched by the reasoning behind it when they’d found out. Each son, as well as their full-blooded mates, had possessed such respect and compassion for the couple, that they had expressed their desire to have them present in their grand-pups’ lives. Meaning, they had deliberately waited until their return home to start their families. Kagome had promptly felt guilty, but they waved off her concerns, while Inuyasha merely felt honored to have even been thought of at all by the two females, who had each been under his half-brother’s employment since before his birth. It wasn’t long after their return that both Kasumi and Mai announced that they were pupped, each showing no shame in the fact that their expectant offspring would be one-quarter human.
Their second youngest child, Michiko, on the other hand, who was mated to Nekobi’s older brother, had not waited in producing any children, her love for Nekorou simply being too great. Both Inuyasha and Kagome were pleased to meet their adult granddaughter, Mami, who was the first known inu/neko crossbreed in existence. It simply wasn’t done. Of course, a lot of things ‘weren’t done’ prior to Inuyasha’s influence on the world. Mami was in truth only one quarter inu, and one quarter human, besides her neko half, but you wouldn’t know it to look at her, as she possessed the daintily pointed ears of a full-blooded youkai.
Hikaru and Hoshi were yet to have any more children, which was decidedly a good thing, when they were told of the trip they needed to take to the Americas. But Hikaru was happy to do it. In truth, he had been compliant with his mate’s desire to ‘one day’ travel the world, but it simply hadn’t been the appropriate time to do so when their daughters had still been children. Now, he and Hoshi were free to roam the world, just as his grandparents had done. He already knew, through hearsay, what American of the future would one day be like, but he decided it couldn’t hurt to have a front row seat to the progress in the mean time. Besides, if those American hanyou needed his charms, then he had a responsibility to aid them. Just think of how well loved he would become, by everyone, for the services he could provide with his powers. He was practically a national hero here in Japan, already, and now it would start all over again! Of course, he wasn’t so vain, fortunately, as to think that he’d achieved it all on his own, and he was exceedingly thankful for the amount of rosaries his grandmother Kagome had left him prior to her departure. He had used up nearly every single one, and their return to Japan couldn’t have been at a more appropriate time.
They were glad to be home. The nineteenth century was quickly winding to a close, and Kagome wanted to stay close to home for all the changes yet to come. They were quick to catch up with Kazuki and Emi, both of whom still lived in what was quickly becoming downtown Tokyo. They’d had three more children over the years, giving them a current headcount of four pups total, all of whom were already adults. In order, the pups consisted of two daughters, Izumi and Mayu, and two sons, Riku and Shin.
While Hachi had long ago relocated with Miroku and Sango’s descendants to the old slayer village, offering a helping hand in the effort of record keeping, as he kept track of their widely branching family tree, Kazuki and Emi continued to focus their efforts on keeping tabs on the Higurashi family at the old shrine, which was doing well under their secret protection.
It may still be about a century off, before her more immediate family began to make their appearances, but from youkai standards, that wouldn’t be too long of a wait. No, it wouldn’t be too long of a wait at all.
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Translations
Haru: (Manami’s human mate). It can mean “sun, sunlight”, “spring” or “clear up”.
Junrou: (their quarter-inu son). I actually sort of made this one up, since I didn’t see this particular name listed in ‘behindthename.com’, although I don’t see why it wouldn’t be a genuine name. Jun is used as a beginning part to many other Japanese names, and means either “obedient” or “genuine, pure” in most contexts. Rou simply means “son” and is placed at the end of many different male names. So basically, “Junrou” should just mean “Obedient Son” or “Pure Son”.
I also gave names to the two previously unnamed pureblooded female inu that had each mated Kagome and Inuyasha’s two youngest sons.
Kasumi by itself means “mist”, although the name can also come from ka meaning “flower” and sumi meaning “clear”.
Mai means either “dance”, “linen robe” (a/n…stupid name), or it can also come from ma meaning “real, true” combined with ai meaning “love”. I guess the extra ‘a’ is dropped, like an abbreviation of sorts.
Since their pups haven’t been born yet, I’m not going to worry about naming those little guys just yet. And I use the term “guys” loosely…could be girls…*wink*
Okay…next!
I will admit that I got a little lazy with Michiko’s mate, but I think it’s cute. I’d already named the neko girl “Nekobi”, so I decided to stick with the traditional belief that their parents had very lacking imaginations. That’s reasonable enough to assume as a possibility, considering Inuyasha’s name. So…Nekobi would probably loosely mean “cat fire” if we kept the pretense that “bi”, in this usage, stands for fire, like “Kitsune-bi” means fox-fire. I think it’s a fitting enough name for the girl, considering she kicked some serious ass in the battle against Daikomaru, not to mention becoming Rin’s sensei. Keeping all this in mind, and realizing that I didn’t really go into the personality of her “older brother” all too deeply, I decided to just slap the good ol’ fashioned ‘son’ at the end of his name. Therefore, “Nekorou” literally means “cat son”. Good idea? Yes? No? Either way, it’s staying. *grins*
As for their daughter, Mami, I did try to find a more fitting name, definition wise. As previously established, ma means “real, true” and I’m sure you all know by now that mi means “beautiful”.
Now you can all tell your “Mommy” the definition of that word in Japanese. I’m sure she’ll be pleased to learn it, spelling differences aside. It’s pronounced the same, after all.
Okay, now for Kazuki and Emi’s four children. Daughters Izumi and Mayu, and sons Riku and Shin.
Izumi: means “fountain, spring”.
Mayu: ma once again meaning “real, true” with yu meaning either “gentleness, superiority” or “evening”.
Riku: means “land”.
Shin: also means “real, true”
Okay, now that that’s out of the way, I actually have some more translating to do.
If you’ll recall, when Kagome and Inuyasha were leaving Kukulkan’s presence, I tossed out a bit of Japanese, to help us remember that they were speaking Japanese by the end of their conversation with the ancient South American dragon. I’m sure probably 99% of you understood “Arigato gozaimasu”…but just in case…“Arigato” means “Thank you” and “gozaimasu” (pronounced go-zai-‘moss’) is an add-on that translates as a feeling of “very” or “a lot”, more or less. It increases the sincerity behind the expression spoken, making “Arigato gozaimasu” literally mean “Thank you very much” in an exceedingly genuine fashion.
Inuyasha’s comment was more fun. Since I don’t know off the top of my head if there’s really a laid back, slang equivalent to “Yeah” in Japanese, I just used “Hai” which of course means “Yes”. Like duh… Now, “domo” is a fun little word, with several meanings, one of which is a more laid back version of thank you, when used singly. It literally means “Thanks.”
For the second half of his sentence, I had to do a brief bit of digging, so I hope my translation is correct, but to the best of my knowledge, “Ke” is “Feather” and “Hebi” is “Snake”. Yes, I realize that I didn’t literally use “hebi”, but allow me to explain. As previously stated, when a word that starts with H is placed as the second portion of a larger word, the H is changed to a B. Hence “Kitune-bi” for “fox-fire” when “hi” is the Japanese word for fire. The same can also be said for the carmaker Mitsubishi, with “bishi” replacing “hishi”, which if you’ll reference back to chapter 94, we learned means “water chestnut”. “Mitsu” is a word for “three” in Japanese, and the car name literally means “three water chestnuts”, which is in direct reference to their three-pointed symbol. But I digress. As Alton Brown would say, that’s another show.
“Kami”, which I’m sure most of you know, unless you’ve been living under a rock, means “God” or “the gods” generally speaking, and can also mean “holy”, “divine”, or any other god-like word, when used in conjunction with another word. Like “Kamikaze” for example, a term that I’m sure most of you are familiar with, which literally means “Divine Wind”.
Since there’s no distinction between singular and pluralization in Japanese, “Ke no Kamibebi” should mean “Divine Snake of Feathers”.
I was just trying to be cute, with Inuyasha of course being a smart ass in his own little hanyou way. He had made a comment about all of the guy’s names just basically meaning divine feathered serpent, remember? So I felt it fitting that he’d end up addressing the guy in what would then be his given name translated into Japanese. Or at least, as close as I could come up with without actually speaking the language, myself.
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 96 - Wild Wild West
America was more than they could have ever hoped for.
While Kagome already knew that she wanted to come back to the states in the later 20th century, she was having the time of her life traveling the wild, unkempt plains that modern technology had not yet blemished. Their “vacation” reminded both she and Inuyasha so much of their earliest days traveling together, that on rare occasions he’d break the comfortable silence between them by asking if she sensed any jewel shards. Sometimes, she’d be the one to start the game, by suddenly grabbing her chest, and proclaiming that she sensed a shard, only to shake her head and mutter “Oh wait, my bad.” and he’d chuckle right along with her.
While Kenta obviously had no memories of the days when his parents had roamed the wilds of Japan searching for shards, he was just happy to see his parents acting so happy. While he also didn’t share his mother’s memories of the future yet to come, he fully understood, and was prepared for the days when her “modern” world would robe them of the present world they currently occupied. It had already begun, even in the country they currently traveled, which was why they had headed southwest almost immediately upon arriving in New York. They had received several odd looks from everyone they passed, when they’d headed out without so much as a wagon, or even any horses, but our trio knew that the animals would be nothing but a hindrance. If they wanted to, if they really wanted to, they could cross the entire country in about a week’s time. But there was really no need to hurry when they were there to have fun.
Much of the West was still unclaimed. The Transcontinental Railroad was not yet built, nor had the California Gold Rush taken place. Hell, even the Georgia Gold Rush was still a few years away. It was nice to have that time of peace, and everyone knew they’d better enjoy it while it lasted. For Kagome, it was remarkable that for once in her life, or so it seemed, she didn’t have a mission. She didn’t have a quest. She and Inuyasha had no shards to find, no enemies to defeat, and no treaties to sign. They had lived peacefully for a brief time in their village, but even then Inuyasha had had responsibilities as ruling partner of the West, and it wasn’t long at all before they suddenly found themselves jumping into the new age of progress that was the Youkai-Alliance, and their dealings with human affairs. Inuyasha was the busiest in the Alliance, in the beginning, being the only hanyou who could transform himself into a human, at least at first. Thanks to Hikaru’s creation of his concealment charms, that was soon something Inuyasha no longer had to worry about, but back when it’d all began, for around the first thirty years or so, he’d been the only one, and he’d hated being so singled out.
He had hated feeling that pressure, knowing that he was the only one who could do it. Everything was riding on his ability to negotiate, an ability he’d never before even entertained the possibility of possessing, and he’d secretly (or to those closest to him, not so secretly) feared failure. Sesshoumaru would have done it himself, but the humans had a fairly powerful priest, who could easily sense his youki through the glamour he could create; an illusion that only successfully fooled the weakest of minds. It was unnerving for the holy man to be in the presence of such a powerful Taiyoukai, and negotiations were distracted as a result. While Shippo had also offered to help, the human lords were weary of dealing with a kitsune, human mate or no, and much preferred the option of meeting with a man who was in truth at least half human, himself. Once they’d learned of him, they had damn near demanded his presence. Inuyasha was surprised by how quickly his mortal half had been deemed a ‘good’ thing, even by the other youkai lords, once everyone realized that he was the only one whom the humans were willing to talk to. He was swiftly elected liaison for their negotiations with the human lords who, though they were aware of his youkai half, found it easier to ignore when he could actually become human. Even their priest could barely detect any hint of his youki signature when he turned himself fully mortal, which was a tremendous ease to the man’s conscious.
Kagome was also by no means spared her fair share of business dealings within the Alliance. While she never directly assisted her mate during negotiations, it significantly helped his image that they knew his wife was human. It also helped when their priest confirmed that she was an incredibly powerful, and pure-hearted miko, who could easily detect malice or ill wishes in anyone, assuring his lords that she would never have associated herself with cruel youkai that meant them harm. On the other side of the coin, with the youkai lords also knowing that she was a very powerful miko, it was easy for Sesshoumaru to pass off her warnings of the future as “visions”, enabling him to be taken more seriously with regard to his desired preparations for things yet to come.
Now, with the hardest negations with both man and local youkai long over, China having been the last major meeting on the to-do list, Sesshoumaru was easily willing to permit his brother’s prolonged absence from their shores. He fully understood the hanyou’s desire to please his mate, as time was most certainly of the essence. Things were changing everyday, and the Taiyoukai no longer took the passage of time for granted. If Kagome wanted to see the world, with the unique perspective that only somebody from the future could possess, then she deserved to enjoy it while she could. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all. How many people got to witness the progress of what they’d grown up learning about as ‘history’?
Although he was born in the past, Kenta was also having the time of his life. He couldn’t believe that none of his siblings had shared his desire to see the rest of the world with him. Back when they’d still been in China, his mother had extended an invitation to any of their children who wished to accompany them to Europe, but nobody else had been interested in going, merely sending back well-wishes and proclaiming that they hoped their parents had fun. When Kagome had briefly asked her one accompanying son if he’d prefer to return to Japan rather than continue to tag along with them, he’d made his father proud with his instant response of “Hell no!” Now, there he was, traveling the wild plains of Am-er-i-ca…a place he hadn’t always known even existed! Of course, back when he’d been a pup, the country hadn’t existed. Not as a legally recognized “country” that was acknowledged by the rest of the world, anyway.
The “New World” was a wild place, populated by “savages”. Kenta, as well as his father - though the elder hanyou kept up the pretense that he wasn’t really listening - found it fascinating to learn from the ever knowledgeable miko in their presence that the Native Americans were actually descendent from Asian immigrants that migrated there some tens of thousands of years earlier than the Europeans. The same must have been true for youkai, because just as that witch in Ireland had predicted, there was no shortage of youkai in America. At least back west, where the country was still wild, and untouched by “modern” man.
Unlike the more advanced humans of the world - who all had a tendency to kill first, ask questions later, especially when it came to youkai - the Native Americans, for the most part, managed to live in peace with their magical brothers. Most of the more friendly youkai were worshiped as some form of god or another, and even the lower monsters that were recognized as evil truly had nothing to fear from the tribal humans that truthfully had no way of defeating them. The Natives had spiritual leaders, just like back home, who could create wards to keep evil spirits away, but it wouldn’t be enough to cause their extinction. Kagome knew that life for the local youkai, both evil and peaceful alike, would undoubtedly change as the “white man” continued to populate more and more of the country, but for right now, the vast majority of the land was still beautiful, rural, and untouched by time.
It was wondrous.
It was dangerous.
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“Did you hear that?”
“Go back to bed.”
“No!” Kenta insisted, “I heard something!”
“Feh…your ears wouldn’t know the difference between a stomach growl and a clap of thunder. Go back to bed.”
Pouting, Kenta frowned at the feel of his blunted human nails as he attempted to appear just as threatening as his father, crossing his arms with a “Hmph”. He was sure he’d heard something, but he had to trust that his father’s sense of hearing was much better than his own at the moment, so it must not have been anything worth worrying about.
Right?
Unlike his father, who had spent literally countless human nights alone and scared in the wilderness, having to learn to be tough, having to learn how to survive, Kenta had always been safe and sound, surrounded by his family. He’d never been even remotely in danger during any of his human nights, until this one. Even during their years in China and Europe, they had mostly stayed near the human scene, not that it truly mattered since the only youkai that were still around were more civilized, and like themselves, wanted only to live in peace. It wasn’t until they hit North America that they were once again acquainted with the occasional beastly youkai that fed upon humans as prey. It wasn’t until they hit North America that he’d witnessed his parents kill in cold blood, with that stoic ‘it’s either them or me’ attitude that one can only acquire from years of battle. True, that bear youkai had been planning on having inu stake for dinner, but that wasn’t the point. Or was it?
He’d been told the story of how his older brother had transformed countless times, during the attack on their village that’d happened when Okaa-san had been carrying him. Kenta had been told countless times of how bravely his mother had fought, and how vicious the attacking youkai had been. He knew that story inside and out, but in reality, he’d still been inside his mother’s womb at the time, so no matter how many times he heard the tale, it wasn’t as though he truly recalled the battle in question. There was a difference between being told about something, and seeing it first hand. There was a big difference.
A stone along the nearby rock face broke free, tumbling with a clank to the desert floor below.
“What was that?”
“Quit your bellyachin’, ain’t nothing gonna get you while I’m here.”
“Do you two mind?” came a third, groggy voice. “Some of us are trying to sleep.”
“Keh.”
“Apology accepted.” Kagome snickered, deciding she may as well take over the watch, since she was wide-awake now. It would be morning soon, anyway. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep, yourself?” she asked her mate, “I’ll take over.”
“No way. I ain’t sleepin’ during my pup’s human night.”
“I ain’t a pup!” Kenta barked, the rosary he wore to look human being quite redundant during the night of the waning half-moon.
He still looks just like an older Souta… Kagome mused, imaging her brother during one of the many times he’d pouted, and insisted he wasn’t a kid. She was glad Miroku had helped her to look at Kenta’s resemblance to her brother in such a positive light. She was no longer plagued with bouts of depressing homesickness, but rather, she merely looked forward to the day she could see her family’s smiling faces again, rapidly followed by their shocked faces, when she introduced them to her other family. Chuckling to herself at the thought, Kagome sincerely hoped it wouldn’t give her Jii-chan a heart attack.
The miko was pulled from her musings by the cry of a distant howl.
“There!” Kenta proclaimed. “I knew I heard something!”
Waving off his son’s concerns, Inuyasha shrugged, muttering “Just some local coyotes, nothing to worry about…” He then proceeded to howl back, assuring the canines that had detected their presence that their small group was just passing through, and meant them no harm.
“There…” the elder hanyou assured his small pack, “They were just curious about us. They’ll leave us alone.”
“You sure?”
“I could erect a barrier, if you’d like.” Kagome offered.
“Don’t waste your energy.”
Instantly detecting the spike of irritation in his mate’s scent, knowing she had taken his comment as an insult to her strength, Inuyasha smirked, and was just about to say something teasing, when another, closer howl made him freeze.
“What’d he say?” Kagome asked shakily in a manner to seek confirmation, already knowing the answer, but praying that her sleep-deprived mind had somehow mistranslated the foreign inu. Her husband’s answer instantly shattered her hopes in that regard.
“He said…” Inuyasha gulped, “… ‘Run’”.
“Was that directed towards us?” Kenta squeaked, the adult hanyou-turned-human suddenly reverting to that of a frightened child, relying on his parents for protection.
“Yes, but not as a threat.” Kagome said, quickly rolling up her blanket.
“It was a warning.” Inuyasha elaborated.
“What would make the coyotes want to warn us? What would they consider a threat?” But no sooner had Kenta uttered the question then did he realize the answer himself. At that same moment, the wind shifted direction, instantly carrying a new scent to his parents’ enhanced noses.
“Humans.” three voices muttered in simultaneous horror.
The next twenty minutes went by in a blur.
All three members at camp leapt to their feet, quickly stomping out their tiny fire before gathering their bags. Inuyasha cursed how quietly the humans had been able to make their approach, though he secretly admired their ability to do so. They were strong, but that made them more dangerous. They had to leave, now.
Kenta stumbled in the dark, and was grateful for the pair of boots he currently wore, a trinket left over from their time in China, like the boots his uncle Sesshoumaru always wore. He and his parents had all upgraded to more comfortable footwear while in China, sandals simply not being the best choice for marching across the country.
While Inuyasha had relented that, while in Europe, it was best to dress in more common clothing, so as not to stick out too badly, already appearing as the proverbial sore thumb simply because they were Asian, once they hit the wilds of unclaimed America, they had all once again adorned their fire-rat and spider-silks, saying to hell with whatever the occasional cowboy thought of their bright red and white clothing. When the first arrow went zipping by, Kagome instantly rejoiced in that decision, knowing that without his robes, their son would be in mortal danger until sunrise.
Continuing to evade as best he could, Inuyasha also cursed the desert winds, which had kept away the scent of the approaching humans. Stupid wind. Stupid rock formations. Speaking of…as he continued to run, he quickly howled out a plea to the local coyotes who had warned them, asking for assistance with navigating the rocky terrain he was unfamiliar with. Receiving none, he continued to virtually drag both his wife and son behind him, running as fast as he dared with two humans in tow, having no idea where the hell he was going. All the while Apache arrows continued to zoom by them. What Kagome wouldn’t have done for the use of her own bow and arrows right then, but she was currently out of arrows, and hadn’t had a chance to make any more yet, although she truly had no desire to kill anyone. Inuyasha also agreed with the notion that they couldn’t risk harming anyone, which meant that even though Tetsusaiga wouldn’t transform against humans, using it even as a standard katana against those without their own swords was also out of the question. Even so, it quickly looked as though running away wasn’t a viable option, either, as they suddenly found themselves at a dead end, still having received no howls of direction from the local coyotes that had probably fled the area long ago.
Shit
Shoving his wife and son behind him, Inuyasha turned to face the approaching threat, at least thankful that their current position meant that nobody could approach them from behind. Kagome could produce a solid barrier around them, which would protect them against physical projectiles, but it would be visible to the naked eye, and something she wished to save for their very last resort.
As the Apache approached, their weapons drawn, the two members of our trio who still retained excellent night vision could not miss the looks of confusion and uncertainty that were plaguing their would-be attackers. Kagome realized quickly enough that the Native warriors before them had probably believed them to be the scouts of a raiding party. Didn’t various bands of Apache and various villages of Mexican settlers constantly fight with one another around that time period? For all these men knew, Inuyasha and his two companions had been there to track their home location, and then report back to whomever they worked for.
That hypothesis apparently seemed less and less likely to the Natives who stood wearily before the trio they had captured, never having before seen anyone of Asian decent. They quickly decided that, ethnically, they appeared to be members of a band of Native peoples, though determining which one was made impossible by their strange, foreign clothing. Where had they gotten such clothing? Were they spies for the Spanish? Were they members of an enemy tribe? And where were their horses? There was no way those three could have walked there on their own; there was nothing but Apachean lands for miles in all directions.
“What do you want?” Inuyasha barked out after a moment, in English, which did little good when Kagome believed that besides their own Native tongue, they would possibly only know Spanish, at best.
“They’re not going to understand us.” she whispered to her mate.
One man, apparently their leader, slowly approached the three, with his warriors behind him keeping their weapons drawn. Nobody made any move against him, even as he began examining the beaded necklaces both men wore, trying to determine if the beads would identify who they were. Remaining still, hoping to just play along while their son was mortal, and in danger, nobody resisted even when the man hastily took the necklace from around Kenta’s neck, as though the beads were sacred, and that for Kenta to have been wearing them was a tremendous insult.
Now what? Both Inuyasha and Kagome thought, sharing a look, before they each glanced eastward, towards the slowly lightening sky. They had hoped to stall for time until sunrise, when their enemy’s arrows and clubs would offer much less of a threat, but now, without his kotodama, when the sun rose…
Another piercing howl ripped through the still predawn air, and everyone froze, but for different reasons. The Natives were weary of the coyote, being an omen of evil, but Inuyasha and Kagome were more focused on the demonic aura they felt accompanying the mortal dogs as they made their rapid approach.
“Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?” Kagome asked in merely a whisper.
“I wish I knew.” Inuyasha whispered back.
“What did he say?” Kenta asked, his mortal ears unable to pick up all the nuances of the howl that echoed from miles away.
But before Inuyasha could think to answer his son, knowing that the humans before him wouldn’t have understood his words anyway, all hell broke loose.
The same man who had taken Kenta’s rosary attempted to take Inuyasha’s, but when the beads were lifted to a point somewhere halfway up his head, they rejected moving any further, shocking the man with a mild jolt of residual energy the equivalent to a slap on the wrist. The Apaches freaked out, and started muttering something in their Native tongue about witches, while the rapidly approaching coyotes howled once more, their howls literally translating as “We’re on our way”.
Then the sun peaked over the horizon, and everyone gasped and took five paces back, as Kenta’s youki flared around him, and he transformed into his hanyou-self. Several arrows were instantly fired in the “skin-walker’s” direction, which was Kagome’s cue to throw up a glowing pink barrier. Inuyasha turned, and snarled at the men who had dared to fire their weapons at his son, and instantly shifted himself into his hanyou appearance, as well. He leapt forward, snatching Kenta’s rosary before punching the guy in the face. He permitted his eyes to glow red, to make sure he instilled the fear of the gods into their hearts for all time…but he still wasn’t about to lose control and seriously injure anyone. Arrows were fired in his direction, and he caught and broke all of them midair. An insignificant skill he realized he would need to teach his son, since the hanyou boy should have been able to dodge those arrows without his mother’s help. Still, he knew the pup had never before seen battle, and that had been the life Inuyasha had wanted for his children.
Everything was seemingly at a standstill when the coyotes suddenly made their appearance. Before their very eyes, the pack leader shifted himself into a more or less human form, somewhat resembling Kouga in his clothing of furs. Kagome hoped that he’d be on their side, but just as a precaution, she grabbed one of the discarded arrows closest to her, notched it, and while she kept her bow aimed downward towards the ground, she permitted the arrowhead to glow with her powers, like a sort of ‘by the way, I could totally purify you if you try anything’ gesture.
The appearance of the coyotes was enough to make the Apaches flee, which Inuyasha permitted, glad that outside of a few scrapes and black eyes, he hadn’t injured any of them too severely. He then proceeded to bark to the coyote-youkai who was still merely observing him, that they were not a threat to his pack, meaning them no harm. The coyote barked back that he could feel their genuine auras, meaning he knew they were not evil, as were many beasts upon the land. He explained that his dogs had fetched him as quickly as they could, once they’d realized that ‘the dog-man’ and his family had been spotted by the humans. While Kagome disarmed herself, having understood the barks being spoken around her, and thankful that all canines seemed to speak generally the same language, Inuyasha expressed his gratitude for the coyote-youkai’s assistance, as he was sure it was the appearance of his pack that had made the final decision in the humans to leave. In return, the coyote expressed his relief that they had arrived there in time, and Inuyasha and his small pack were invited to return with them to their den for breakfast, and to rest after such an ordeal.
When the youkai witnessed Kenta replacing his necklace, his hanyou features instantly disappearing, though they could still smell that he was hanyou, he had eagerly demanded to know how such a thing was accomplished, and suddenly, Inuyasha realized that their time of negotiations and treaties might not be over just yet, after all.
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Th ey ended up staying with the coyotes for several years, adding Spanish to their language roster, which the coyotes knew, as well as learning a great deal about the various indigenous humans of the region. While some humans feared the various local youkai species as witches or skin-walkers, other humans worshiped them as Kachinas; animal spirits. The term literally meant “life bringer”, and the inu-gang quickly found that the local youkai respected their roles in human society, often aiding the humans who praised them in times of hunting and/or growing crops. It wasn’t truly the Native peoples whom the youkai were too worried about, but rather, just as Kagome had feared, it was the slowly encroaching “white man” that would eventually pose the truest threat to their way of life.
The coyote leader’s reason for interest in Kenta’s rosary had become apparent when he took them to a neighboring canine pack several miles away, in the mountains, where a small family of wolves had an unusual pack member. Even before the wolves convinced her to emerge from the den, the inu-gang had already recognized her scent, so they were not surprised to see the human woman, nor were they surprised to see her rounded belly. The woman, whom they had learned was a member of the Hopi tribe, had a similar story as did anyone else who managed to fall in love with a youkai. She had been alone, lost, and a kweo, or wolf, had saved her.
Fortunately, with the West still wild and mostly untouched by man, the local youkai and hanyou were guaranteed at least another half-century of safety before they would truly find themselves in need of concealment charms, but it was a promise Inuyasha had made then and there, that upon returning to Japan, they would send Hikaru to the Americas, where he was so obviously needed. Kagome had complimented her mate on the negotiation skills he claimed he didn’t possess, teasing him that he was a born liaison, as she reminded him of the drunken speech he’d given way back when Sesshoumaru had first mated Kagura. Blushing at the compliment, Inuyasha had gotten his mate back by pointing out that she’d have her work cut out for her upon returning home. After all, Hikaru may possess the power of illusion, but she was the one who made the rosaries. But fortunately, because of the steadily increasing demand of concealment charms, coupled by her desire for the vacation she was currently embarked upon, Kagome had long ago learned how to pre-charge a rosary, making it then capable of self-fusing with Hikaru’s powers. That meant that she wouldn’t be required to go with him on his western mission, merely sending him off with an armory of holy beads, charged and ready, just like she had left him with back in Japan prior to departing to China.
Thinking back on it, Kagome clearly recalled that Hoshi had mumbled something about perhaps “one day” wanting to get out and travel, so it now looked as though the vixen-hanyou would get her wish sooner, rather than later.
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When America made claim of Arizona, Kagome had decided that she wanted to stay in Mexico for a little while longer, finally causing both she and Inuyasha to split ways with their son. Somehow, they had known that Kenta wouldn’t want to leave that place any time soon. He was in the middle of learning several Native languages, and it was clear that he had become smitten by the general world around them. Even with the tremendous increase of an American presence, especially during the brief war they’d just experienced, he still found the natural beauty of the land unrivaled by any other, and he’d even expressed a desire to see California in the near future. At first Kagome had been nervous to head south without her baby, but he had assured both his parents that he was a big “pup”, and could take care of himself. At least he could now, thanks to the few decades of training he’d received from not only his father, but the local coyotes and wolves, as well.
There had been a few battles, not with humans, but with enemy youkai, and Inuyasha had never been prouder than the day he saw his second born son finally put that forged fang of his to some good use. Kagome had wanted to baby his injuries afterwards, but like father like son, Kenta had scoffed that they were just scratches, and insisted that he was perfectly fine. Which, if you wanted to get technical, was the truth. Kagome always knew that she babied her children (and mate) far more than she needed to, but that was her prerogative as their mother (and mate). Kenta had taken it in good stride, but did point out, in a joking fashion, that he was nearly three hundred years old, and hardly a baby any longer. Reluctantly, Kagome eventually conceded that he was free to do whatever he wanted, knowing that her son knew that he could always return home at any time. She had pulled him aside before heading out, though, giving him a brief yet detailed recap of certain important events yet to come, namely events that would take place in a little under a century’s time. Kagome warned him to be careful, and to not get involved in human affairs. Kenta knew of what she spoke, and vowed that he would stay as inconspicuous as possible, hopefully fleeing the area long before it would become an issue.
With that taken care of, Kagome was looking forward to seeing the ancient Mayan ruins.
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It hadn’t taken them long to reach their destination, and both Kagome and Inuyasha could not help but to sense the extraordinary amounts of spiritual and demonic powers in the entire region. It was as if the land itself was alive, permeated with the auras of the souls that had gone on before them. To see the ancient South American pyramids standing before her was like stepping back in time. Oh wait…she had….she snickered to herself. Well, further back in time, to the days when their walls were filled with the hustle and bustle of the ancient people who’d lived there. This was way better than anything she’d ever learned in history class. That was for damn sure.
But even with as engrossed as she was in her study of one particular temple wall, both she and Inuyasha instantly detected the aura of the old man who was slowly approaching their position. How could they miss somebody that powerful? He wore the feathered headdress of the holiest of Shaman, but something about his aura literally screamed youkai. He was even more powerful than Sesshoumaru, though don’t let the Taiyoukai hear you say that. The closest sensation they could think of as a match to the feel of his aura was the youki of the old Chinese dragons they had dealt with over a century ago. But even they felt slightly weaker than this guy, who nearly rivaled the kami themselves with the strength of his presence. No sooner did that thought occur to her, then he was suddenly standing there before them, smiling at them both with an old, kind face of recognition, as though he had known them both all their lives. Kagome had to fight the sudden urge to address him as Ojii-sama.
“They are truly a remarkable people, are they not?” he asked them suddenly, while shifting his gaze to the ancient drawings adorning the block wall before them.
“Keh, you mean they were.” Inuyasha replied
“They are still living among us.” he assured the hanyou, referring to the surviving Mayan people who had since assimilated themselves into Mexican life. “The body may forget, but the soul remembers for all time.”
When the man turned to face the pyramid wall completely, both Kagome and Inuyasha could have sworn they’d caught a glimmer of what appeared to be metallic feathers over what was now once more merely the olive flesh of his bare arms. He then proceeded to delicately extend one of said arms, brushing his fingertips across the tribal painting of a plumed dragon. Kagome swallowed.
“Kukulkan.” she whispered, suddenly remembering the name she had learned in school so very long ago.
Responding as though she had spoken to him directly, the man nodded softly, mumbling in a tone loud enough for them to hear, “Kukulkan, Gukumatz, Quetzalcoatl, I have heard many names used by many different tribes, but all mean the same, divine feathered serpent.”
“Feh, stupid name.” Inuyasha mumbled to himself, which promptly earned him Kagome’s elbow in his ribs.
“Your name isn’t any better.” she reminded him in a harsh whisper.
Smiling in amusement at their antics, the old man asked the couple, “So, what brings you to this temple?”
“Curiosity.” Kagome answered. “I had wanted to know if any of the ancient ones still lived.” she elaborated, deliberately phrasing the statement in past-tense, to indicate that her question had already been answered.
Raising an eyebrow at her, he asked “Why is it that you sought this information?” Getting a vibe of defensiveness from the man by her side, he raised his palms in a peaceful gesture, as he explained “Most would not believe such beings had ever existed, let alone strive to determine if they were still alive.”
“If you are truly as powerful as you seem, then surely you have already realized that we are not like most people.” was Kagome’s response.
He narrowed his eyes in a very Touché manner, before smiling once more.
“Indeed, I can feel your auras.” he assured her, while shifting his gaze between herself and Inuyasha; the feel of his inu-youkai blood unable to hide from someone as powerful as he. “And I must admit,” he continued, “when I first felt your approach, I experienced my own curiosity as to whom had come calling.”
Kagome smiled at his words, feeling honored that he had decided them worthy of curiosity.
While Inuyasha had also been listening, it wasn’t so much what he’d said, but rather how he’d said it, that suddenly got the hanyou thinking of something that apparently hadn’t occurred to his mate.
“I have a question.” he piped up, after this little tidbit finally dawned on him. It was getting confusing, after all, knowing so many different languages, but he had just realized that they hadn’t been speaking Spanish.
“How is it that you speak English so well?” he asked the man point blank, elaborating with “This language isn’t all too popular around these parts. It seems odd to me, that someone native to this region would know the British tongue.”
His suspicion was a tangible thing, and it made the man before him laugh in a friendly manner.
“My boy…” he answered, in Japanese. “When speaking from the heart, there is no language barrier.”
After retrieving her jaw from the dirt, Kagome smiled knowingly at the old man whom she’d since realized, in truth, was a three thousand year old dragon. Bowing politely, she responded in Japanese as well, as she complimented “Well spoken, Kulkulkan-sama.”
He nodded a light thanks in return.
Inuyasha, having been thoroughly humbled by the old man’s display, also bowed ever so slightly, as he quietly mumbled “Feh”, a light huge of pink staining his cheeks.
Giggling behind her hand, Kagome then came to her mate’s rescue, as she apologized for them both, politely excusing them from further conversation under the pretense that her human stomach was insisting it was dinnertime. Which was completely true, as it so happened, her stomach choosing right that moment to release a growl that would rival her mate during springtime.
Smirking lightheartedly, Kukulkan waved off any concerns the girl may have possessed over appearing rude in his presence, as he assured her, should curiosity strike a second time, she would always be welcomed to seek him out. He was never too far from his various temples, always remaining in one region or another.
“Arigato gozaimasu.” she responded with another bow.
As they turned to leave, Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder at the smiling old man.
“Hai, domo…Ke no Kamibebi”
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Their American adventure swiftly coming to a close, there was one more thing that Kagome wanted to do before they headed back home. She had wanted to do this, right…?
“Don’t look at me, you’re the one who just had to go on a damn boat ride.” Inuyasha griped, sweat dripping from his bow. It was a good thing that he could sweat, considering he was half dog, otherwise, he probably would have passed out from heat exhaustion.
“I know, I know…” Kagome moaned, wondering what on Earth had possessed her to want to venture southeast prior to the invention of air-conditioning. But lazily rolling along the Mississippi River had seemed so romantic in all the brochures. Insert sarcasm here.
Left a good job in the city…she sang to herself, attempting to make the most of it. It truly was a beautiful region, and at least there was no such thing as West Nile Virus. They were just getting ready to call it quits and head back to Japan, now that the country had opened its boarders, but seeing the old school steam boats had been something she’d wanted to do prior to leaving America.
Okay, I’ve seen them, can I go now? she moaned internally, until a prickling in the back of her mind made the hairs on her neck stand up. Suddenly, nothing else mattered.
Crap was the first thought to come to mind, as Kagome quickly realized their youkai kimonos were currently packed up in their luggage, along with their weapons. They hadn’t thought it too wise to go sporting four hundred year old Japanese robes, when they were surrounded by aristocratic plantation owners in their finest Victorian garb.
“Now what?” she asked her husband in a hushed murmur, knowing that he could hear her, and that he’d know what she was referring to.
“We kill it, that’s what.” Inuyasha replied, not giving it a second thought before he leapt from the observation deck and head dived into the river. Fortunately, nobody else was outside at the moment, most of the passengers busily acquainting themselves with the boat’s bartender.
Taking the briefest of moments to sigh over what a pretty dress her outfit had been, Kagome hiked up her ruffled skirt, and joined her mate. After all, mortal alligators may not pose much of a threat to those who were smart enough to steer clear of the waters, but the youkai-alligator that was currently tailing them could probably take out the entire boat.
Lucky for Kagome, she could hold her breath for a lot longer than she used to be able to; youkai enhancements at their finest. So from her position under the water’s surface, she shot out several bolts of purifying energy, literally herding the alligator away from the boat, and up towards the shore. Inuyasha wasn’t worried that he’d left Tetsusaiga behind, since they’d have plenty of time to go back for it later, and it wasn’t as though he needed his sword to defeat such a weak enemy. This won’t take long at all, he mused, cracking his knuckles. Getting the beast into the thickest part of the shore’s muggy brush, for some semblance cover, Inuyasha quickly transformed himself back into his hanyou-self, not stopping there, as he went then full youkai, needing the power boost the transformation offered him, as he attempted to slash the beast before him to pieces. It was a considerable challenge, considering the slippery terrain, coupled by the fact that he hadn’t had time to remove the blasted dress shoes from his feet!
But apparently somebody had missed the memo that this was supposed to be an easy kill. It quickly became apparent that the alligator-youkai had just been screwing with them, apparently sporting it’s more “docile” form. (Where’s that sarcasm when you need it?) As if somebody had just shoved a jewel shard up it’s butt, the thing suddenly transformed into an alligator-esque creature nearly four times its original size, and the muddy and mucky Kagome in the ruined dress displayed just how lady-like she could be as she eloquently exclaimed “Oh shit!”
Inuyasha dodged just in time, grateful his mate hadn’t thought to “Sit Boy” him face first in the mud to avoid the barbed tail that had been swung towards his head. It took a little longer than originally anticipated, but eventually, he did get the upper hand, or claw, as it were, as a dead on “Iron Reaver Soul Stealer” at full-youkai strength left the reptilian demon gutted, and ready to become somebody’s purse.
Kagome was so relieved that her mate had escaped unscathed, for the most part, that she rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around him in a full on embrace, heedless of the blood and guts his suit was currently splattered with. It wasn’t until the “sploosh sploosh sploosh” of a steam boat wheel hitting the water caught their attention, that they thought to glance behind themselves at the river, only to discover, with dread, that the pilot of another riverboat that was slowly passing them by was currently staring at them both with unblinking eyes, instantly revealing that he had witnessed the entire battle.
Inuyasha had wanted to just leave it alone, but since they had to go after the boat they had originally been on, in order to retrieve the belongings they had left behind, it appeared as though avoiding a confrontation simply wasn’t meant to be. By the time they “borrowed” new clothing, and maneuvered themselves to the dock their riverboat had stopped at, boarded, retrieved their bags, and disembarked, the pilot of the other riverboat was standing there, waiting for them.
Stupid nosey humans… Inuyasha grumbled to himself, as they escorted the eager youth to someplace more private, to “talk”.
The young man, who introduced himself as Samuel Clemens, was eager to learn all that he could about what he’d witnessed, expertly asking Kagome question after question, until the broken up version of their history was so confusing, that the miko finally relented, and just told the man their entire story. Much to Inuyasha’s chargin, I might add.
Samuel surprised them both with his understanding nature regarding their plight, never once gazing upon Inuyasha in fear, even when the hanyou reverted himself into his natural appearance. As it would so happen, Sam was a vegetarian, and personally believed that no sentient being should be made to suffer. Therefore, he did not support the apparent mindset of the human race, as a whole, who were striving for the extinction of these “youkai” beings. He understood why that alligator had to be slain, as that beast was apparently precisely that, a beast, who would have devoured the entire shipload of people aboard that steamboat, if given the chance. But any youkai that were people, as Inuyasha himself clearly was, should be given the same rights as any other free being, appearances be damned.
Kagome had made him promise that he would never tell anyone the story that she had just told him. It would be most detrimental if he did, whether anybody believed him, or not. If they didn’t believe him, then it would be bad for himself, with people thinking he had completely lost his mind. But, on the off chance that somebody did believe him, it would surely only start a panic, leading to the flourishing slaughter of remaining youkai everywhere. She had explained the “laws” of their local Youkai-Alliance, which promised that they strove to avoid any direct dealings with human affairs, wanting only to live their own lives peacefully, and unafraid. Sam could not, in good conscious, fault them for such a desire.
It may also have helped that Inuyasha had stated, in no speculative fashion, that if he ever found out that he had spread the word of their existence, that he would be paying him a visit, accompanied by an old, loyal family pet. Kirara would enjoy the chance to taste human flesh, the hanyou had stated, while cracking his knuckles in a menacing fashion. Gulping, Samuel had once again sworn that he would never tell a soul what he had learned.
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Upon arriving home in Osaka, both Kagome and Inuyasha had to blink several times, wondering what on Earth had become of their home. The castle looked to be about the same, but the city in which it resided looked as though it had exploded, with human shrapnel scattering across the land as a result.
“What is this place, and what did they do with our quite little village?” Kagome joked, as they approached the gates of Osaka Castle. What a difference a century and a half made.
They quickly caught up with all that they had missed, though really not that much had changed in the lives of their demonic family, to whom a hundred and fifty years was truly no big deal. True, the children they remembered as being children were all grown up, and there were a couple of new young kits of Shippo and Rin’s whom they were eager to meet, not to mention several fully grown grandchildren they’d missed seeing grow, but all in all, everything was basically the same as when they’d left.
Kagome was happy to learn that Manami, their youngest daughter, was still living happily in her humble home in Osaka, mated to the human man she’d had her eyes on in the town market. Their first born child, Junrou, was already grown, although barely, by youkai standards, being a young man of twenty-five. Apparently Manami and Haru had enjoyed a prolonged honeymoon before finally deciding to become parents.
Their two youngest boys, Katsuo and Tarou, who were each mated to female inu from the castle, Kasumi and Mai, respectively, were both yet to become fathers, though their parents had been touched by the reasoning behind it when they’d found out. Each son, as well as their full-blooded mates, had possessed such respect and compassion for the couple, that they had expressed their desire to have them present in their grand-pups’ lives. Meaning, they had deliberately waited until their return home to start their families. Kagome had promptly felt guilty, but they waved off her concerns, while Inuyasha merely felt honored to have even been thought of at all by the two females, who had each been under his half-brother’s employment since before his birth. It wasn’t long after their return that both Kasumi and Mai announced that they were pupped, each showing no shame in the fact that their expectant offspring would be one-quarter human.
Their second youngest child, Michiko, on the other hand, who was mated to Nekobi’s older brother, had not waited in producing any children, her love for Nekorou simply being too great. Both Inuyasha and Kagome were pleased to meet their adult granddaughter, Mami, who was the first known inu/neko crossbreed in existence. It simply wasn’t done. Of course, a lot of things ‘weren’t done’ prior to Inuyasha’s influence on the world. Mami was in truth only one quarter inu, and one quarter human, besides her neko half, but you wouldn’t know it to look at her, as she possessed the daintily pointed ears of a full-blooded youkai.
Hikaru and Hoshi were yet to have any more children, which was decidedly a good thing, when they were told of the trip they needed to take to the Americas. But Hikaru was happy to do it. In truth, he had been compliant with his mate’s desire to ‘one day’ travel the world, but it simply hadn’t been the appropriate time to do so when their daughters had still been children. Now, he and Hoshi were free to roam the world, just as his grandparents had done. He already knew, through hearsay, what American of the future would one day be like, but he decided it couldn’t hurt to have a front row seat to the progress in the mean time. Besides, if those American hanyou needed his charms, then he had a responsibility to aid them. Just think of how well loved he would become, by everyone, for the services he could provide with his powers. He was practically a national hero here in Japan, already, and now it would start all over again! Of course, he wasn’t so vain, fortunately, as to think that he’d achieved it all on his own, and he was exceedingly thankful for the amount of rosaries his grandmother Kagome had left him prior to her departure. He had used up nearly every single one, and their return to Japan couldn’t have been at a more appropriate time.
They were glad to be home. The nineteenth century was quickly winding to a close, and Kagome wanted to stay close to home for all the changes yet to come. They were quick to catch up with Kazuki and Emi, both of whom still lived in what was quickly becoming downtown Tokyo. They’d had three more children over the years, giving them a current headcount of four pups total, all of whom were already adults. In order, the pups consisted of two daughters, Izumi and Mayu, and two sons, Riku and Shin.
While Hachi had long ago relocated with Miroku and Sango’s descendants to the old slayer village, offering a helping hand in the effort of record keeping, as he kept track of their widely branching family tree, Kazuki and Emi continued to focus their efforts on keeping tabs on the Higurashi family at the old shrine, which was doing well under their secret protection.
It may still be about a century off, before her more immediate family began to make their appearances, but from youkai standards, that wouldn’t be too long of a wait. No, it wouldn’t be too long of a wait at all.
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Translations
Haru: (Manami’s human mate). It can mean “sun, sunlight”, “spring” or “clear up”.
Junrou: (their quarter-inu son). I actually sort of made this one up, since I didn’t see this particular name listed in ‘behindthename.com’, although I don’t see why it wouldn’t be a genuine name. Jun is used as a beginning part to many other Japanese names, and means either “obedient” or “genuine, pure” in most contexts. Rou simply means “son” and is placed at the end of many different male names. So basically, “Junrou” should just mean “Obedient Son” or “Pure Son”.
I also gave names to the two previously unnamed pureblooded female inu that had each mated Kagome and Inuyasha’s two youngest sons.
Kasumi by itself means “mist”, although the name can also come from ka meaning “flower” and sumi meaning “clear”.
Mai means either “dance”, “linen robe” (a/n…stupid name), or it can also come from ma meaning “real, true” combined with ai meaning “love”. I guess the extra ‘a’ is dropped, like an abbreviation of sorts.
Since their pups haven’t been born yet, I’m not going to worry about naming those little guys just yet. And I use the term “guys” loosely…could be girls…*wink*
Okay…next!
I will admit that I got a little lazy with Michiko’s mate, but I think it’s cute. I’d already named the neko girl “Nekobi”, so I decided to stick with the traditional belief that their parents had very lacking imaginations. That’s reasonable enough to assume as a possibility, considering Inuyasha’s name. So…Nekobi would probably loosely mean “cat fire” if we kept the pretense that “bi”, in this usage, stands for fire, like “Kitsune-bi” means fox-fire. I think it’s a fitting enough name for the girl, considering she kicked some serious ass in the battle against Daikomaru, not to mention becoming Rin’s sensei. Keeping all this in mind, and realizing that I didn’t really go into the personality of her “older brother” all too deeply, I decided to just slap the good ol’ fashioned ‘son’ at the end of his name. Therefore, “Nekorou” literally means “cat son”. Good idea? Yes? No? Either way, it’s staying. *grins*
As for their daughter, Mami, I did try to find a more fitting name, definition wise. As previously established, ma means “real, true” and I’m sure you all know by now that mi means “beautiful”.
Now you can all tell your “Mommy” the definition of that word in Japanese. I’m sure she’ll be pleased to learn it, spelling differences aside. It’s pronounced the same, after all.
Okay, now for Kazuki and Emi’s four children. Daughters Izumi and Mayu, and sons Riku and Shin.
Izumi: means “fountain, spring”.
Mayu: ma once again meaning “real, true” with yu meaning either “gentleness, superiority” or “evening”.
Riku: means “land”.
Shin: also means “real, true”
Okay, now that that’s out of the way, I actually have some more translating to do.
If you’ll recall, when Kagome and Inuyasha were leaving Kukulkan’s presence, I tossed out a bit of Japanese, to help us remember that they were speaking Japanese by the end of their conversation with the ancient South American dragon. I’m sure probably 99% of you understood “Arigato gozaimasu”…but just in case…“Arigato” means “Thank you” and “gozaimasu” (pronounced go-zai-‘moss’) is an add-on that translates as a feeling of “very” or “a lot”, more or less. It increases the sincerity behind the expression spoken, making “Arigato gozaimasu” literally mean “Thank you very much” in an exceedingly genuine fashion.
Inuyasha’s comment was more fun. Since I don’t know off the top of my head if there’s really a laid back, slang equivalent to “Yeah” in Japanese, I just used “Hai” which of course means “Yes”. Like duh… Now, “domo” is a fun little word, with several meanings, one of which is a more laid back version of thank you, when used singly. It literally means “Thanks.”
For the second half of his sentence, I had to do a brief bit of digging, so I hope my translation is correct, but to the best of my knowledge, “Ke” is “Feather” and “Hebi” is “Snake”. Yes, I realize that I didn’t literally use “hebi”, but allow me to explain. As previously stated, when a word that starts with H is placed as the second portion of a larger word, the H is changed to a B. Hence “Kitune-bi” for “fox-fire” when “hi” is the Japanese word for fire. The same can also be said for the carmaker Mitsubishi, with “bishi” replacing “hishi”, which if you’ll reference back to chapter 94, we learned means “water chestnut”. “Mitsu” is a word for “three” in Japanese, and the car name literally means “three water chestnuts”, which is in direct reference to their three-pointed symbol. But I digress. As Alton Brown would say, that’s another show.
“Kami”, which I’m sure most of you know, unless you’ve been living under a rock, means “God” or “the gods” generally speaking, and can also mean “holy”, “divine”, or any other god-like word, when used in conjunction with another word. Like “Kamikaze” for example, a term that I’m sure most of you are familiar with, which literally means “Divine Wind”.
Since there’s no distinction between singular and pluralization in Japanese, “Ke no Kamibebi” should mean “Divine Snake of Feathers”.
I was just trying to be cute, with Inuyasha of course being a smart ass in his own little hanyou way. He had made a comment about all of the guy’s names just basically meaning divine feathered serpent, remember? So I felt it fitting that he’d end up addressing the guy in what would then be his given name translated into Japanese. Or at least, as close as I could come up with without actually speaking the language, myself.