~*~*~*~*~*

Disclaimer: I'll go through the drill again. Inu-Yasha or any of the other characters do not belong to me, I just really, really, really, really-well, you get the idea-like them a lot. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I'm not getting paid for this. So, please, do not sue me. I'm pretty broke. All you would get out of it would be a waste of 8 hours in civil court and about $1.23 off my school lunch card and my Waldenbooks card. All right? Long live anime and manga!

Scroll Five: Mother's Words

Father's Actions

Kagome's face was etched with total shock. "What? How do you know about the Bone-Eaters Well?"

"I'd like to know how he knows exactly who we are," Inu-Yasha grunted.

Little Inu waved his hand. "All in due time." He sighed, looking really tired for a kid that was only about seven or eight years old. He fidgeted a bit, seemingly uneasy as everyone finished the meal.

"But you are from twelve years from this present time, are you not?" Miroku asked, scratching his head with his staff thoughtfully.

"Yeah, Miroku, I did. What of it? It's a fact."

Sango, who'd been standing near the monk, swatted away his wandering hand. "Well, then, how exactly do you know everything?"

"I just do. I've already heard about all of this," the boy finished flatly, returning to his normal-well, as normal as they knew it-confident self.

Inu-Yasha's expression looked as if he were on the brink of a nuclear explosion-had he even the faintest clue as to what it was. "AAARRRGGGHH! THAT'S IT!" He slammed a fist down on the ground, a nice little chasm forming. He flew to his feet. "Ok, kid, this shit is really starting to piss me off!" he growled. He cracked his knuckles, moving towards Little Inu. "I want some damn answers right now!"

"Inu-Yasha, stop!" Kagome's very agitated voice rang.

The hanyou froze in mid-threat. Dead silence hung thick in the air as his outstretched hand gradually curled back into a fist as he glowered menacingly at the kid, who surprisingly took it in stride. "And why should I?!" he shouted, whipping his head around to face the fifteen-year-old girl.

"He's a kid! You can't go beating up kids!"

"Feh. I beat up on Shippo all the time." He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes in annoyance. (Shippo: "Meanie!")

Kagome swallowed, trying to keep down the urge to yell at him again, her voice becoming rigid. "And I don't like it when you do it then either."

"Tch."

Her mouth was starting to form the word 'sit' but Little Inu hurriedly said, "W-wait, I-I'll tell you!"

"Huh?" was the pair's answer, as they looked, bewildered, towards Little Inu.

That was a close call… "Ok. Like I said, I'm from twelve years from now, and I pass through time by using the Bone-Eaters Well."

"I think we've understood that," Inu-Yasha mumbled impatiently, who in turn got whapped over the head by Kagome when he sat back down.

"Please, continue," she said, smiling politely, as Inu-Yasha's pissed-off glare kept straight forward, and he growled from time to time; the bump on his head turning a nice shade of royal purple.

"Yeah… Well, see my mother became a priestess after she married my father. Because of her mystic powers, she's given me an enchanted item so I only pass to this time, and not to Tokyo."

The word of 'Tokyo' caught Kagome's attention. "Tokyo? How do you-"

Little Inu cut off her question, and went on talking, acting a bit edgy. "Ah, you see, by this enchanted item, I'm tied to all of you, so I have reason to be here."

"That makes sense." How does he know about Tokyo? The city of Tokyo hasn't been established yet.

"You are a strange one indeed," Miroku chuckled. "But very unique. So this enchanted item permits you to travel to us now. Interesting."

Sango peered closely at the boy, trying to figure out what it could be. Then she caught sight of it. Around his neck, tucked under his kimono, was a necklace. She was almost positive that was it. "What is your enchanted item, anyway?" she inquired, eyes still locked to the spot.

"Uh…" The boy blushed, brushing his thumb over Sango's targeted area. "W-well…"

"Out with it!" Inu-Yasha barked.

Little Inu growled slightly. "They are also used for punishment," he grunted. "I get in trouble a lot; I don't listen very well." He fingered around his neck, gradually bringing the prayer bead necklace into view. "Mainly my mother, but sometimes my father, use it to control me with a single word…" His voice grew faint.

"What was that?" Kagome asked, leaning in closer.

He mumbled it again.

Inu-Yasha's ears twitched. "Hell, even I can't understand a damned word you're saying."

Very, very softly, Little Inu repeated it.

Without thinking, Kagome repeated the word. "'Sit'?"

WHAM!

Plastered to the ground were two dog-demons. One just sat up, rubbing his nose. The other one was extremely annoyed.

"Oi! Kagome!" Inu-Yasha snarled angrily, removing his face from the dirt. "Don't you ever pay attention, you stupid bitch?!"

She sweat dropped nervously, backed up, and her whole body went slightly stiff as she prepared to fend off an attack, though it'd only be verbal. Inu-Yasha had never struck her, and Kagome highly doubted he'd start to be a woman beater. "It was an accident," she timidly whispered.

The hanyou gaped stupidly for a moment, caught in his push-up position. "An accident?!" His face went into a sort of comical rage. "No, stepping on my toe is an accident; saying the 'sit' command is not!" He growled once, gave a 'feh', and returned to his former seated position.

Little Inu sat up, looking rather dizzy and maybe a bit thankful about something. "Oh, yuck!" He stuck his tongue out, his amber eyes crossing ever so slightly. He snorted and sneezed and wiped his nose. "Great, I got dirt up my nose."

"Haha!" Shippo laughed, holding his sides and kicking his little fox feet in the air.

"Grr…" the boy growled and shifted his gaze towards to him. "And what exactly are you laughing at, fuzz ball?" he spat.

Shippo's mirthful laughter ceased. "Hey! Well, it would've been even funnier if you got pebbles in your dog-ears too."

WHAM! THUMP! WHACK!

After a few moments of wonderful sound effects, Shippo laid sprawled-eagle style on the ground, swirly eyes and all. "Ehehe…" Shippo deliriously laughed.

Little Inu smacked one fist into his other hand, looking surprisingly calm. "Hmm, that was satisfying."

"Little Inu!" Kagome scolded.

He winced. Just like at home…"What?" he little-kid-whined. "I didn't do anything wrong."

Inu-Yasha chuckled a bit. The kid was kinda cute and humorous, in a semi-violent way, a trace nostalgic from his youth. He had to smirk.

Little Inu caught the silent praise and smiled too.

Kagome looked back from between the two. "Inu-Yasha, don't encourage him."

"Huh? Wha?" He raised a brow. "'Encourage him'? How am I doing that?"

"Don't play the innocent!"

"As that's a role he can never fulfill," Miroku muttered to Sango, who nodded in concurrence.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Oh, never mind."

Sango decided it wise to move on to another subject. "If we could continue on… " And show some maturity here, she thought, Inu-Yasha in mind briefly. "So, this demon we need to fight, where is it?"

Little Inu shifted his gaze to the demon exterminator and then to the horizon. "It's in the high hills, about a week's travel." He pointed a clawed finger to a few mountains in the distance. "See that mountain there, the one with the slight red hue? That's where the dragon Shiokki dwells."

A tinge of red was on the horizon, like a smudge in the middle of a painting.

"Shiokki…" Sango bit her lip thoughtfully as she recalled the name. "I remember. That dragon is very strong and it's dangerous to even be near-"

"Dangerous?!" Myoga's voice cracked. (He'd been sitting on Kirara's back the whole time.) "Uh, well then-"

"Where do you think you're going, old flea?!" both dog-demons hollered at the same time, as Myoga tried to hop away.

Taking turns, they insulted him. ('Wisdom' before youth.)

Inu-Yasha: "Worthless bug."

Little Inu: "Sniveling coward."

"'Be here to protect and guide me?' Keh! Yeah, right!"

"Just going for a little stroll, eh, Myoga?"

"Or did you get lost?"

"Got amnesia?"

"Want me to give you amnesia?" Inu-Yasha took a step forwards, flexing his claws.

"I'd be more than willing to help." Little Inu flexed his own, grinning evilly, from furry ear to furry ear.

Continually through the two's successful torture, Myoga trembled with rage and pathetic guilt. "Master Inu-Yasha! Little Inu! How can you two say such horrible things about me?!"

Inu-Yasha stared at him blankly. "Want me to repeat the reasons or how many times you've bailed on us when everything got too complicated?"

At that Myoga set his jaw, doing his best to shut up and hopefully not get squashed by his lord. He didn't get squished like the little cowardly bug he was-by Inu-Yasha that is. Unfortunately for him, he didn't count on Little Inu to do the honors.

Could've been worse, he thought as he swished to the ground. This was only my first time today.

The group-except for the two dog-demons-sweat dropped.

"Poor Myoga," Kagome murmured, watching as the tiny flea-demon popped back into his original shape.

"Yeah," Shippo said, watching in wonder, "but if he actually hung around maybe he'd get a little more respect. Not much, but some."

"Not likely."

"You're right; wishful thinking. Oh well."

Myoga fumed, "Do any of you have any faith in me?!"

"Nope," Inu-Yasha replied without any hesitation.

"None whatsoever," Kagome finished.

The old flea hopped on to Kirara's back and hid within her fur, hopefully not to be picked on again.

Sango cleared her throat, regaining everyone's attention. "Well, a long time ago, my father told me about the legend of this dragon Shiokki. Centuries ago, there was a young woman, by the name Jumiyo, who tended a field full of miraculous medicinal herbs, high in a secluded cave, that was deep in the heart of the mountain Fire Soul. This place was said to be where the heart's wishes could come true, and that Jumiyo had actually lived over a thousand years, continually tending to her fields. She was kind, fair, and gentle: always full of laughter and life.

"Once, as she was descending the mountain, she discovered the body of a bloody man down by the shore line. The man had been Shiokki in his own human form. She had felt pity for the injured man, and tended to his wounds. For many months he stayed there in Jumiyo's sanctuary.

"According to legend, Shiokki was a hell-born beast, as powerful as any demon. He was sent from the most horrendous demons, with sole the purpose to gain the lone girl's trust and use her tender heart to his advantage; the end result was to be the destruction of both Jumiyo and the fields of Fire Soul. The plan faulted, as no one expected Shiokki to fall in love with Jumiyo, or that he be reciprocated with the same passionate love."

Sango paused there to regain her breath. She shook her head as the rest of the company listened, all very eager to find out the rest of the story.

"So, what happened to them?" Shippo asked, eyes wide with childish curiosity.

"Well, Shiokki and Jumiyo were found out and punished. They sealed poor Jumiyo away in the heart of the field; Shiokki was bound forever in dragon form, never again to leave Fire Soul, and inevitably became the guardian of the Hakushinmu herbs.

"He was consumed by the depression and despair of losing his beloved, and that was used against him by the devils of Hell. They used his willingness to forfeit his life against him, turning him into their mindless, soulless, heartless slave.

"It is said that Shiokki's eyes are now blank with only the flickers of malevolence as any sign of life. No one really knows for sure, as anyone who has attempted to reach the herbs, is incinerated on the spot."

As Sango's tale came to a close, the company was hushed; each one lost in his or her own thoughts.

Tentatively, Kagome broke the still, "What a sad story…."

Miroku bowed his head. "Indeed…."

Shippo just crawled into Kagome's lap-which he shared with Little Inu, who was also just as mute.

It's almost like Kikyo and me… Inu-Yasha thought. No, not quite. The girl was more like Kagome…cheerful and lively. Kikyo never was. She was always so serious, so stoic. His amber eyes moved from Kagome to his lap. His vision blurred a little, but he pushed the tear back as he went on thinking. Man, so there was another fuck or two like Naraku…. Damn bastards! Why are there so many in the world that screw it up for everyone else? He growled lightly as he clenched his fists; one of his fangs slipped over his lip as he scowled.

Kagome studied him with caring eyes, wondering if she should just sit there and let him brood or draw him out. She never decided.

What if… What if Naraku tried to do that to Kagome and me? Imprisoned us in the same place but making us further apart than ever? No…. Inu-Yasha made his decision. With a firm resolve he stood up and calmly uttered; a tint of anger in his voice, "We're going to set them free…and heal Little Inu's father."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Hello everybody! ("Hi, Dr. Nick!) Uh…yeah… Now that's all said and done, I want to thank those of you who have sent reviews. I love getting reviews. (SPAM I do not.) Don't worry the story isn't over yet, there's much to tell. Sorry if the chapters seem short but I did use a small font. (Book Antiqua 10) And it's all single-spaced. But hey, I'd rather give you my best shorter chapters-packed with imagery--than a lousy chapter that took an hour to write. (This one took me about 2 weeks, off and on. ^^;) From here on out, the chapters are going to be getting longer and some battles are to be insight, so it might take me longer to write them up. But my heart's behind it. Always! …Though it'd be much easier if a certain hanyou wasn't looming over my shoulder all the time!

Inu-Yasha: Hey! I'm just making sure you're not writing me in again as some form of idiot.

I don't have to, you just happen to fulfill that requirement. *rolls her eyes* Please, Inu-Yasha, I'm really not in the mood for this right now.

Inu-Yasha: *smirks* Oh? And what are you gonna do about it, eh, wench? You can't threaten to sit me; Kagome went home to her time to study for some stupid test. So, HAH! *points a finger at her*

*sighs, defeated* You're right, Inu-Yasha, I can't. *pulls out a shiny silver object*

Inu-Yasha: *stalks over to her* Hey, what's that…?

Oh, this? *blows into it*

Inu-Yasha: *howls and screams in pain, as he flattens and covers his sensitive dog-ears*

*stops* It's called a dog whistle.

Inu-Yasha: *cups a hand to his ear as he leans forward* Wha?

This outta do for now.

Thanks again. CYA 'til the next scroll.

~Moonlight Shadow

P.S. Write to: kaguya_kage@hotmail.com for reviewing. (Or just a friendly note.) :D