InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shards of Foxfire ❯ Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but I do own Amari, her kids, and Naanaami!

To my reviewers:

Zero27 - Thanks soooo much for reviewing my fic! I'm glad you like it!

Robin - Of course, I overlook chapters all of the time coughcough psycho coughcough. Anyway, sorry, both that last chapter and this one are going to be routine, but it'll pick up!

I'm TRYING to update as often as I possibly can, and the more reviews you send, the more I respond! While you're at it, check out some of my favorite fanfics. Snickers is a good mir/san one, too.

Inuyasha and Kagome were about to get up when they saw Miroku's shadow looming over them, with the queerest expression on his face. He was almost smiling, but his eyes were closed, and his eyebrows were twitching. (A/N: When the eyebrows twitch, that's a VERY bad sign.) "Have you been watching us all this time?" Miroku asked pleasantly, but Inuyasha had sworn that he had been right in the middle of becoming a full demon. Kagome and Inuyasha silently agreed not to answer him. "I suggest you leave right now." Miroku said as he went back to the cave with Sango in his arms, a very meek Inuyasha and Kagome following them.

Koga stood guard at the mouth of the cave, Ginta and Hakkaku standing with him. Ginta pointed at something far off in the distance. "Look, over there!" Two small cyclones were headed toward them. "They're wolf-demons, so it must be Ayame, but who else is it?" He tried to pick up the scent, which was very familiar, but he couldn't place it. Ginta and Hakkaku, however, did. "Sis!" They said in unison as the twisters got closer, dropping off three children as one went straight for Koga. "Koga!" A wolf girl that looked faintly like Koga hugged him tightly, so tight that he thought he would run out of breath. "Nice to see you, Naanaami." Koga disentangled himself from her grip as she went for Ginta and Hakkaku, who hugged her back as tightly as they could as well. Ayame finally entered the cave, Amari's kids behind her. "Thanks for bringing Naami, Ayame, but why is she here?" Ayame smiled as she replied. "Well, we happened to pass by your pack, so we picked her up. Besides, you haven't seen each other for five years, and I thought that it would make your day." Koga stared at her, shocked. Suddenly, he was being drawn more towards Ayame than Kagome.

"Thanks, it really meant a lot." Koga said as he gave Ayame a hug. She smiled and hugged him back, and then he went over to Naanaami. "Wow, you've changed a lot in five years, Naami." He was right. Naanaami was almost as tall as Koga was, and her outfit had definitely changed, now faintly resembling Ayame's. Her top was a light pink, with a magenta band along the top. Her skirt, cape, and leg cuffs matched Ayame's, except that they were black. Her armbands went halfway from her wrists to her elbows, and were black. The tie of her cape had pink gems instead of green. Her katana rested at her side, its hilt in a black fur belt. Her frizzy blond hair had been pulled into two buns at the nape of her neck, but some hair was left out to cover the sides of her face, probably to hide the fact that her ears were actually on the top of her head. They looked almost identical to Inuyasha's, but they were black, as was her wolf-like tail. A feather rested above one ear, a bright, glimmering blue that matched her eyes.

Miroku arrived at the cave with Sango in his arms, and Inuyasha and Kagome behind them. "What happened?" Koga asked after seeing the triumphant expression of Miroku with Sango in his arms, and the glum expressions of Kagome and Inuyasha. "Oh, they were spying on us." Koga smirked. "You going to tell Sango?" Sango was notorious for her tirades, and it was fun to watch, as long as you weren't the target. "Oh, I'll tell her tomorrow." "Tell me what tomorrow?" Sango said after just waking up, not noticing that she was in Miroku's arms. Koga replied, "Oh, nothing. I'm going to go seal up the cave to guard it, so Naanaami, get to know everyone, ok?" Naanaami nodded as Koga left the room.

Naanaami looked around the room, as if to figure out where to start first. "OK, I'm Naanaami, Koga's little sister, in case you haven't noticed the resemblance. Koga's told me a lot about all of you, so I bet I can name you all. You're Miroku," She pointed at Miroku, "the monk with the black hole in his hands, and I'm pretty sure that you, the one in his arms, is Sango, the demon exterminator, who is almost as powerful as any wolf. You must be Kagome, his "woman" and good at archery. And you must be the infamous Inuyasha, the only thing that stands between him and Kagome." Seeing their expressions, she hastily added something else to her sentence. "Don't worry, I'm not as dense as Koga. I know that you like each other, and I'll try to help you on that. Now, back to the introductions. You, of course, are Ayame, and you must be Inuyasha's brother, Sesshoumaru, and the girl that follows him around, Rin. You are Kohaku, Sango's brother, who was under the control of Naraku. Welcome back. I think that's about everyone. And Amari, I know you because of your three kids telling me about you. They're so cute!"

Everyone stared at Naanaami for a few seconds with disbelief. They were shocked that she knew that much about them, but also that she said that entire statement in thirty seconds. (A/N: Some people are going to try and say what she said in thirty seconds ^^) "How do you know all of those things, and how did you say those things so fast?" Sango asked. Naanaami pondered the question, and then answered more slowly. "Sorry, I had too much sugar, and now I'm hyper and full of energy. The answer to your other question is simple. Us wolves have very good memory, so whenever we encounter someone that may be a threat or an ally, all of the other wolves know so that they aren't misinformed. Most of you were considered allies, except for Sesshoumaru, and Inuyasha, of course. That's how we know about you."

Just then, Koga walked in from sealing the cave. "Come on, let's sit in the central cavern. It's more comfortable, and we can build a fire there. "Sounds great!" Ayame said, and led the way with Koga to the cavern. When they got there, they discovered that a cheerful fire was already flickering. Rin and Sesshoumaru were against the far wall of the cavern; Sesshoumaru asleep while Rin was still wide-awake. Naanaami sat between Koga and Ayame, and Sango was directly opposite, Kohaku and Miroku next to her. Kagome sat by Koga, and Inuyasha sat between her and Miroku. Amari and her three kids were next to Ayame, and Sesshoumaru and Rin were by them, with Kohaku next to Rin.

Sango thought that Kohaku was staring off into space, but she soon figured out that he was actually staring at Naanaami, who was letting her hair down, letting it cascade down her back in waves. Sango elbowed Miroku, who followed Kohaku's eyes and laughed silently. "Love at first sight, I guess." Sango whispered to Miroku, who nodded. He whispered back, "But why wouldn't he fall for her? She's smart, strong, brave, and beautiful, just like his sister." Sango blushed bright red. She wasn't used to getting this many compliments. Everyone was staring at her and Miroku, as if wondering if they were going to do something. Sango turned her attention back to Naanaami, who was now asleep, leaning on Koga's shoulder, a traveler's cloak wrapped around her for warmth. "So, she's a half-demon, isn't she?" Sango asked, sure that she was right.

Koga stared at Sango for a moment. "How do you know?" He asked as he tightened the cloak around Naanaami when she shivered. Sango replied, "Well, she has wolf ears, like Inuyasha, and you seem to protect her more, and worry about her more, although that may just be because she's your little sister." Koga nodded. "Yes, she is a half-demon. Our mother was a hanyou as well. I got my father's demon powers, and she got my mother's. At first, nobody wanted a weak hanyou like her in the tribe, but I couldn't leave her behind. I volunteered to train her myself, and teach her everything she needed to know. Ginta and Hakkaku and I have trained her ever since she was little. Since then, she has become one of the strongest members of our pack." He looked with pride at Naanaami, who was still sleeping soundly. "I've missed her a lot." Koga finished as he headed deeper into the caves with Naanaami slung over his shoulder, Ayame at his side. "Man, I'm tired. We should all get some rest." Everyone else agreed, and Sesshoumaru awoke, taking Rin in the direction that Koga went.

Everyone else simply slept right where they were, because they were so tired. They woke up the next morning, bright and early. Kaede was supposed to come to the cave and help explain things a bit more. Miroku very discreetly told everyone to come with them to the village, and so they went. Amari opted to stay behind and guard the cave, as she had heard enough of Sango's tirades to know that she would be able to hear it just as well from there. As Miroku and the others reached the village, he stopped Sango, thinking that it was very convenient that they were in the middle. "Sango, last night, I happened to find Inuyasha and Kagome spying on us." There was a pause, and then "WHAT?!?!"

Sango had been yelling for the past ten minutes, things like "HOW COULD YOU?" and "HOW DARE YOU!" and things along that line. When she finally screamed herself hoarse, she sighed and sat down for a minute on a nearby rock. "Did you think that maybe you weren't supposed to hear that story I told?" Sango said in a softer voice. Miroku was a little surprised. Usually, Sango would yell herself hoarse and then walk off and be mad for the rest of the day. "Why weren't we supposed to hear that?" Kagome asked Sango. She sighed. "Because now you pity me, I know you do. I hate having people feeling sorry for me. That's why I haven't told you, and wouldn't have told anyone until Miroku noticed me talking in my sleep.

"I don't pity you." Inuyasha said, going up to Sango. "I've gone through more crap than you can imagine. It helps me to understand you better, though. Besides, don't keep your feelings to yourself like that. Tell someone, so it doesn't eat you up inside. We want to help, but we can't if you won't tell us anything. Trust us." (A/N: Wow, Inuyasha's being NICE?! Who knew?) Sango nodded, and smiled. "Thanks, you guys. C'mon, we need to get back to the cave before Kaede gets there!" The rest of the group followed her, Miroku glad that Sango wasn't angry any more.

When they had arrived back at the caves, Kaede was already there. Everyone started asking questions at once, but Kaede made them sit down and listen to what she had to say. "Kagome, what happened before this, and where is Kikyo-onee-sama?" Kagome then told her what had happened at the shrine. Kaede considered this, and nodded, apparently reaching her answer. "That is a very interesting story, indeed, child, and I don't know how ye got here, but ye must find the other dragon statue. All ye must do is destroy the other one, and things will go back to normal. However, this other statue is at Mount Hakurei, buried with the priest that became Naraku's pawn. Ye should get going as soon as ye can, so that ye can set to rights everything that has happened."

Kaede stayed at the cave for quite a while, catching up on everyone's lives. By the time she had left, it was a few hours after lunch, and a meal still hadn't been prepared. Inuyasha was incoherently muttering that he wanted his ramen, and everyone was getting cross. Luckily, Sango and Ayame were secretly preparing lunch before Kaede left, so everyone was served within five minutes, saved from insanity. "So, Mount Hakurei, huh?" Miroku asked as he ate his ramen with manners. Inuyasha, however, was not; he was slurping and smacking and licking the bowl. Kagome looked absolutely mortified, and scooted away from him. "Well, when should we get started? The sooner we start, the sooner we go home." Sango said as she finished her ramen. The gang all decided to leave in the morning, except for Sesshoumaru, who said he needed to see how his "subjects" were doing, since he was the Demon Lord of the Western Lands. They figure out the general direction of Mount Hakurei, and Miroku thought that it might be wise to pass by acquaintances so that they would have a place to stay, like Koharu, Jinenji, and Prince Kuranosuke. (A/N: The prince that wants to marry Sango; I'm sure I got the name wrong, but I can't find the name anywhere!) By the time that conclusion was reached, dinner had already been eaten, so almost the entire day was wasted.

"Hey, Naanaami, do you want to come to the Hot Springs with us?" Sango asked as she figured out the five nearest hot springs, three of which were safe from Miroku (Or so she thought).

"Sure!" Naanaami said, and she raced out of the cave with Sango's directions. Shippo was pouting, mad that Inuyasha wouldn't let him go, too.

Kagome and Sango reached the clearing, using the fastest way there because they had been there many times. "Wow, you've been here before, haven't you?" Naanaami said as she looked at them. "Well, yes," said Sango, ", we've been here before, and it's the biggest one around. Plus, Miroku can't get in." "Are you sure?" Kagome asked, not completely convinced. "Well, we've never caught him here…" Sango said, and dropped the subject. Leaving her clothes by the side of the springs, she dived into the water, ready to relax. Ayame and Kagome soon followed her example, basking in the heat. Naanaami and Amari stood at the edge, Amari's oldest daughter Sakura at her mother's side. "Well, come on!" Sango said as she swam around along the edge. Naanaami dived right in and came back up, completely relaxed. Sakura ran into the warm water, a laughing Amari following her daughter.

"So, you said that you and Amari were demon exterminators?' Naanaami asked curiously. "Yeah," Sango said, "we were some of the only female demon slayers, the only ones in our village. Amari wanted to prove that women could be slayers, too, and she was my role model, so, naturally I followed in her footsteps. It was really hard, but a lot of fun, too. By the way, I think you'd make a good demon exterminator, because you listen, and are very attentive. Both are good attributes of a demon exterminator." Sango finished as she leaned over to get something she had dropped, exposing her scarred back.

"What happened?" Naanaami asked Sango, puzzled. Sango's smiling face immediately became sad, but Kagome was sure she had imagined it because it very quickly changed back to how it was. "Oh, my brother did that to me, when he was under Naraku's control." "Oh." Naanaami said softly. She apologized, but Sango just brushed it off, telling her not to worry about it. Kagome decided that this was a good time to change the subject. "So, Naanaami, you have a crush on anyone?" Naanaami mumbled "Kohaku" under her breath, her face bright red. Sango grinned, and after telling Naanaami that he liked her too, she practically glowed. Because it was only fair, Naanaami asked everyone else whom she had a crush on. Trusting Naanaami, they all told her (A/N: Do I have to tell you? Amari doesn't like anybody yet). Sango wrapped the makeshift towel she had created from her green skirt around herself, and was about to get out. Then, she saw it: A bit of purple cloth and the tip of a gold staff sticking out from behind a tree (A/N: Wow, nobody can spy and get away with it in this story! LOL.)"MIROKU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Miroku walked out from behind the tree. "Oh, just going for a walk, why?"

"Were you watching us, Miroku?" Sango asked, her voice fading to a sound that was almost inaudible.

"Only you, Sango." That was the wrong thing to say. "Run." Sango said as Miroku obeyed her orders, leaving the clearing as fast as she could. Grabbing her boomerang, she ran off after Miroku, yelling his name. Kagome and the others decided that now was a good time to leave the hot springs, so they dressed quickly and went back to the cave, ready for dinner and a good night's sleep

Sango returned about an hour after everyone else, fully dressed with her Hiraikotsu slung over her shoulder and a bruised monk following her. "Let's just say that Miroku won't be bothering us any more." Sango said when asked what had happened. Kouga and the other guys had gone hunting, so Ayame was cooking stew for dinner. Sesshoumaru had already left, despite Rin's protesting and tears. They ate in silence, then went to bed early, so that they could leave as early in the morning as possible. They all huddled as close to the fire as possible, because it was getting cold, and fell asleep quickly.

Miroku awoke in the middle of the night, thinking that something had happened while he was asleep. However, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and Miroku sighed with relief. As he was about to fall asleep, he heard something. Sango's teeth were chattering in the cold, and she was shivering. Miroku went over to her, and took off the outer layer of his robes, draping it around her. He then sat down behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled closer to his warmth, and they fell asleep instantly.

Inuyasha woke up after hearing Sango and Miroku. Smirking at the sight of the two lovers, he went over to Kagome, who was shivering as well. He wrapped his haori around her, and tried to leave when he felt her hand grab his arm. Annoyed, he tried to pull away from her, but she wouldn't let go. `Damn, she's got a strong grip in her sleep.' Inuyasha thought as he conceded defeat. Sighing, he sat next to Kagome, letting her lean on him as he fell asleep, hoping that nobody would notice them.