InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Truth About Cats and Dogs ❯ Shippo's Surprise ( Chapter 22 )

Recap: Sesshomaru's arm was reinstated, although he did not know how or why. Myoga warned Kirara of an approaching demon, and Sesshomaru discovered that having two arms again gave his Tokijin a new lease of strength.

 

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Chapter 22 - Shippo's Surprise

 

Kirara waded into the shallow river that ran through Kaede's village, pouncing forwards as she saw a streak of silver beneath the water's surface. She stood again a second later, a medium-sized fish lodged in her jaws. Kirara grinned to herself as she dropped the fish into her hands to admire her work; but the sound of disapproving voices nearby drew her attention away from her catch.

 

A group of young women were out in the nearby field, and all of them had stopped to watch Kirara. They all looked thoroughly disgusted and horrified with her, and, Kirara realised, it was not because she was a demon. Kirara slowly lowered her head, her face turning pink. To civilised people like them, she was nothing more than a wild warrior woman - no, not even that. She was nothing more than a savage.

 

Kirara let out a small sigh, turning her head slightly as Shippo splashed into the water at her side. Her face drained of colour as the child next to her effortlessly caught a fish in his hands, making it look both amazingly easy and perfectly natural.

 

“You can use your hands too now, remember Kirara?” he said to her.

 

Kirara's face turned red and she quickly turned her head away from him to hide her embarrassment.

 

“Where did you go with Myoga last night, Kirara?” Shippo asked.

 

“Oh,” Kirara responded, turning back to the fox demon as her face slowly regained its usual colour. “Myoga came to warn us that a demon was tracking us.”

 

“A demon?” Shippo echoed, his already large eyes widening. “Are we in danger?”

 

“No,” Kirara replied. “I will protect you, Shippo.”

 

Kirara narrowed her eyes as she pictured the dog demon princess landing with Ah-Un and challenging her to a duel. Maybe she could not catch fish with her hands, or carry herself like a lady, or even use a set of chopsticks, but Kirara certainly did know how to fight. And, after a shameful defeat at the hands of Naraku's wind witch incarnation Kagura, she was eager to prove herself once more.

 

“I will fight her when she gets here!” Kirara said, clenching a fist in the air determinedly.

 

“Wow Kirara, you're so brave!” Shippo said, looking up at her in awe.

 

“Yes, well, I am a warrior,” Kirara smugly replied, turning around to place her fish down on a nearby rock.

 

“Kirara, Shippo!” Sango yelled, running towards the river.

 

Kirara lifted her eyes from her catch, her brow furrowing as she saw her best friend sprinting towards her in her demon-slayer's clothing, one hand at her shoulder, holding onto her Hiraikotsu, which was bouncing off her ankles as she ran.

 

“There is a demon girl with a dragon demon heading this way!” Miroku called to them.

 

“I'm on it!” Kirara called back, spinning around and leaping into the air.

 

Shippo tilted his head back, watching as the transformed Kirara snarled and shot off towards the forest, only looking away when Sango and Miroku stopped either side of him by the bank of the river.

 

“Oh,” Sango said softly.

 

“She didn't let me explain,” Miroku said with a sigh.

 

“Explain?” Shippo asked. “Explain what?”

 

“The villagers told us that a demon girl was on her way here with a dragon demon,” Sango explained. “And so we started to prepare ourselves for a fight, possibly even for a jewel shard.”

 

“But then we saw who the two demons were,” Miroku finished. “They flew right over us. They were heading for the old well.”

 

“The old well?” Shippo repeated. “So who were these demons, Miroku?”

 

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

 

Kirara slid back into her human form, landing as gracefully as she could by the old bone eater's well. She could sense two small demonic auras nearby, and their pitiful presence gave her the confidence she needed to look and feel brave. Drawing herself up to her fullest height, Kirara grasped one hand around the sheath of her sword, flicking her thumb upwards against the hilt, causing the blade to slide out a little.

 

“Come out and face me, demon!” she called out confidently. “Or I shall slice open every tree and bush until I find you!”

 

The scent of fear began to leak into the air, causing Kirara's courage to rise further still, and her confident smile to turn into an arrogant smirk.

 

“Come out, girl!” Kirara yelled. “Or are you too afraid of me?”

 

Kirara froze as she saw a small movement at the other side of the well. Slowly, a small red object rose above the well, hovering in midair. Kirara tilted her head to one side in confusion. It was some sort of mini-demon, a weak, gormless looking creature, one that she was sure she recognised from somewhere.

 

“We surrender!” it squawked.

 

“Koru!” a voice yelled.

 

“Koru?” Kirara muttered, lifting her thumb and allowing her sword to slide back into its scabbard.

 

“We didn't come here to fight!” the little demon wailed. “I didn't even want to come here, but I had to, she made me do it!”

 

“Wait a minute…” Kirara said, her mind recognising the demon's voice from somewhere.

 

Kirara frowned, lowering her eyes to the ground as she suddenly remembered being very intoxicated, to the point of being blissfully happy and in love with everyone around her.

 

“I know you!” she growled, pointing a finger at the little demon. “You're that little worm who incapacitated me using catnip in order to trap my friends and kidnap Shippo!”

 

The little red dragon yelped, and a second demon stood up next to it, turning to face Kirara.

 

“You!” Kirara yelped. “You're the female demon heading this way with a dragon? But you're just a child!”

 

“I am Soten, the last surviving member of the Thunder Demon Tribe!” the girl yelled back indignantly. “And who are you, anyway? And how do you know Shippo?”

 

“My name is Kirara,” Kirara growled. “I'm the cat you trapped with catnip, remember?”

 

“Oh…”

 

Kirara sighed in resignation as the little demon girl blinked innocently at her, touching a finger to the corner of her mouth. As angry as she felt - and Kirara really did feel very angry, she hated the fact that a simple herb like catnip could so drastically alter her personality beyond her own control - it seemed pointless to Kirara to take her rage out on a child.

 

“Myoga said you were looking for us,” she said quietly, folding her arms over her chest to stop herself from baring her claws or reaching for her weapon again.

 

“Myoga?” Soten echoed, her face blank with confusion.

 

“Never mind,” Kirara sighed. “Why were you looking for us, Soten?”

 

“Oh, well…” Soten began, rolling her ruby eyes upwards, a look of feigned innocence dawning on her features.

 

“She came here because she used up all the crayons Shippo gave her,” Koru said cheerfully.

 

Soten promptly punched the miniscule dragon over the head, causing him to squeal in pain.

 

“You mean to tell me that the dangerous female demon and her dragon are nothing more than a little girl and her pet worm, and their mission is merely to acquire some more children's playthings?” Kirara growled, sweat-dropping as she thought of how frantic she had been at the thought of fighting the dog demon princess.

 

“I just came to show you how much stronger I've gotten,” Soten said, pushing her fists against her hips and trying to stand tall and proud.

 

Soten looked nothing short of pitiful; and yet Kirara found the image of the little girl dressed in boy's armour trying to be as strong as her older brothers had been a very sobering sight. Tilting her head to one side, Kirara could almost see herself just before her parents were killed.

 

“What's your speciality?” Kirara asked, the question slipping out before she could even think about what she was saying.

 

“My speciality?” Soten echoed, her eyes widening again questioningly.

 

“You said you've become stronger,” Kirara explained. “How so?”

 

“I've been training with my lightning staff!” Soten eagerly replied, lifting up a miniature staff with a jagged metal head in the shape of two bolts of lightning.

 

“Do you want to show me what you've learned?” Kirara asked.

 

“Huh?” Soten gasped, turning suddenly very pale.

 

“I don't wish to fight you,” Kirara hurriedly assured her. “I will defend myself only. Show me your offence.”

 

“Um…”

 

“Soten's more of a tactician than an actual warrior,” Koru said.

 

“Shut-up!” Soten snapped, swinging another fist at her dragon companion, who ducked out of the way, narrowly avoiding the blow.

 

Kirara smiled softly, walking up to the well. Both Soten and Koru stiffened as she drew nearer. Koru slowly shrank back and Soten pushed her chin up in the air in an attempt to appear more confident than she really was standing under Kirara's long shadow.

 

“You can spar with me if you want,” Kirara offered, crouching down opposite them and resting her arms on the wall of the well.

 

“With you?” Soten echoed.

 

“Yes,” Kirara replied. “When I was your age, I longed for someone to spar with.”

 

“When you were my age, you were a cat!” Soten stubbornly replied. “And why are you not a cat any more? It doesn't make any sense!”

 

“I'm still a cat demon,” Kirara gently explained. “It's just that now I can use my human form again.”

 

“I don't understand. That doesn't make any sense.”

 

“Kirara!”

 

Kirara turned her head, finding Sango running towards her, followed by Miroku then Shippo.

 

“I've found the demons,” Kirara said dryly as her friend slowed to a halt by her side.

 

“We tried to tell you, Kirara,” Sango replied. “This little girl has been causing all sorts of trouble with her trickery.”

 

“Trickery?” Soten yelped indignantly.

 

“Indeed,” Miroku confirmed as he joined them. “She's not very powerful, but she certainly is troublesome.”

 

“I thought I told you to stop looking for vengeance on me and my father, Soten,” Shippo said, trying to make himself sound far more mature than he actually was.

 

“I didn't come here for vengeance!” Soten snapped irritably, her face turning red.

 

“Nope,” Koru confirmed brightly. “She just came here for some more of your crayons.”

 

“Koru!” Soten barked, waving a fist at the little dragon.

 

“You came all this way for drawing materials?” Miroku asked in disbelief.

 

“No!” Soten replied, her face turning redder still.

 

“Oh, how cute!” Sango said, smiling to herself. “You came all this way because you wanted to see Shippo!”

 

Soten gasped, her face suddenly turning white.

 

“Yep!” Koru agreed. “She wouldn't stop talking about him after you all left.”

 

Soten swiped at Koru with her staff, barely missing the little dragon, who cried out an “eek” of alarm as she aimed a second blow at him.

 

“You must be hungry, travelling all that way,” Kirara offered. “And tired. Why not come back to the village with us?”

 

“I've just caught us all some fish, you can eat with us,” Shippo added.

 

Soten turned to Shippo as he spoke, smiling shyly.

 

“Come on,” Kirara said decisively, standing up. “Let's go.”

 

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

 

“You're good!” Kirara said, smiling encouragingly at Soten.

 

Deep within herself, Kirara admitted that she had just told an enormous lie; but the girl was trying her hardest, and she was not about to discourage her. It seemed that Koru had been right about Soten after all: she was more of a tactician than a warrior. But still Kirara could not escape the uncanny resemblances between herself and the girl before her. The only major differences she could see were that this girl knew how to behave like a lady when the need arose, and she was, despite being a tad immature, very intelligent.

 

Kirara groaned inwardly as she thought back to how Soten had managed to eat a bowl of ramen with chopsticks, using the eating utensils as easily as though they were an extension of her own body. If a child could do it, what was Kirara's excuse? Kirara shook her head to shake the thoughts from her mind, trying to focus on more pleasant ideas.

 

“Are you alright?” she asked softly, as Soten doubled over in front of her, panting in exhaustion.

 

“I'm fine!” Soten stubbornly replied, standing up straight once more.

 

“I think that's enough for now anyway,” Kirara replied, one eyebrow creeping up as she took in Soten's obviously worn out appearance.

 

“What's the matter, am I too much for you?” Soten said, pulling her best tough face.

 

“Something like that,” Kirara dryly replied.

 

`This girl is so like me, it's frightening!' Kirara thought silently to herself. `Always picking fights she has no hope of winning just to try to prove herself.'

 

Kirara froze, an image of Sesshomaru's giant dog form barking at her replaying in her mind from the night she had so foolishly challenged him to a fight. As Kirara began to consider her sheer stupidity for issuing such a challenge, she saw the rest of the fight play out in her mind; Sesshomaru lowering his head, growling so deeply, the fur on his chest was quivering, his fangs bared and dripping with green venom. She had known, in that instant, that his next move would kill her. Closing her eyes and acting out of desperation and pure demon instinct, Kirara had swiped her claws at his face, tearing four gashes along his cheek.

 

And then she had run away from him.

 

“You're a strange woman.”

 

Kirara mewed in alarm, turning to find Koru floating by her right shoulder, the sight of the simple-minded little creature staring dumbly at her serving to momentarily wipe all thoughts of her own past failures from her mind.

 

“You're a strange excuse for a snake,” Kirara recovered, narrowing her emerald eyes at Koru.

 

“I'm not a snake, I'm a dragon!” Koru wailed, his brow lowering into a disgruntled frown.

 

Kirara grabbed a hand around Koru's tapered torso, pulling him close to her face. His eyes widened and his face slowly began to turn blue in fear at Kirara's actions.

 

“I have eaten worms bigger than you,” she growled at him. “Now leave me alone!”

 

Kirara roughly released Koru, turning her back on him and starting to follow Soten.

 

“You must be strange if you eat worms,” Koru muttered.

 

“I heard that!” Kirara yelled.

 

Deciding that a tactless mini dragon demon really was not worth wasting her time and effort arguing with, Kirara continued walking after Soten, only slowing as she sighted Soten standing hiding behind a tree a short distance from Kaede's hut, peering round the trunk at something by the stone steps behind the hut. Following the direction Soten was facing, Kirara found Shippo slouched by the base of the staircase, lazily sucking on one of those unusual sweet things on a stick that Kagome brought for him from her era.

 

`I get it…' Kirara thought, smiling slyly to herself as she shifted her eyes back to the little thunder demon. `She didn't come here for crayons, or to show us her strength. She came here because she wanted to see Shippo again. She likes him!'

 

Kirara rolled her eyes, musing over the idea that both Shippo and Soten seemed far too young to be thinking about things like love or finding a mate - when she had been their age, the only thing she had thought about had been fighting - but Kirara decided that it had been so long since she had held human form, doubtlessly some things had changed, this just being one of many. And, she reasoned, even many years later in her now adult form, she still thought of the same things she did when she had been Shippo and Soten's age, and so it was probably perfectly normal for them to think about love.

 

Kirara paused for a moment, realising then for the first time in her life that she had never really given love much thought at all. At least, not in the sense of her finding a mate for herself. She had loved friends and family, and she had enjoyed encouraging love to blossom between others, but she herself had never actually been in love with anyone.

 

`You will be mine!'

 

Kirara mewed louder than she intended to as an alarmingly clear image of the red-eyed dog demon lord demanding that she be his flashed through her mind. That, she supposed, was as close as she would ever get to having a mate for herself; and suddenly, not being in love did not seem like such a bad thing to Kirara. She even began to smile again.

 

`And if I ever see you again, I will not hesitate to kill you. And I mean all of you!'

 

Kirara gulped, hanging her head and closing her eyes. Although she had not wanted to be Sesshomaru's mate, she still hated the thought of him disliking her so much. His normally emotionless voice had been so bitter when he had uttered those last words to her and the gang the night she had fought Kagura, it pained her just to think of them. And yet why did it pain her so if she had no feelings for him?

 

“You're being strange again!”

 

“Why you!”

 

Kirara snarled as Koru sped past her, sticking his tongue out at her, but chose to let him go. It really was beneath her to chase after such a pathetic, powerless little imp. Instead she made her way quietly over to Soten, smirking at the fact that the girl was apparently too transfixed to notice her approach.

 

“What are you doing?” she asked abruptly, causing Soten to yelp and spin around, her face turning a little pink.

 

“Oh, um…” she began nervously. “I was just… Playing a game. I was hiding. I wanted to see if you could find me. And you did. Well done, Kirara!”

 

Kirara suppressed a groan, a small sweat-drop slipping over one temple.

 

“I don't like to play games,” she said slowly. “But I know someone who does…”

 

Kirara grinned down at the little thunder demon, who gulped audibly, her eyes widening in alarm.

 

“Follow me,” Kirara said, before turning and walking across the village.

 

Soten hesitated behind the tree for a moment longer, but Kirara continued to slowly move towards Shippo. After a short while, she heard Soten walking briskly after her, and she grinned to herself, only stopping as she neared Shippo.

 

“Shippo?” she said as she stopped by his side.

 

“Yes, Kirara?” he responded, sitting forwards.

 

“That thing you have there, do you have another one?” Kirara asked, glancing over her shoulder to check on Soten's progress.

 

“Sure I do,” Shippo replied. “Kagome brought me a whole bag!”

 

“Excellent,” Kirara said, her grin returning. “Why don't you offer one to Soten, and explain to her what they are.”

 

Shippo turned to face Soten, who had stopped a short distance from them, her eyes wide with bashful interest.

 

“Well…” Shippo began. “Alright, I guess so.”

 

“I'll leave you two to it,” Kirara said with a smile, walking around Soten's back. “Have fun!”

 

Kirara put one hand on Soten's back and pushed her towards Shippo, forcing her to join him as he stood up. Pleased with her work, Kirara turned away from the duo, heading back across the village.

 

“You're weird!” Koru sang at her as she passed a rock he had hidden himself behind.

 

Kirara shook her head, ignoring the little red dragon and continuing on her way.

 

“You eat worms!” Koru yelled after her.

 

“And I'll eat you for my dinner if you don't shut-up!” Kirara yelled back at him over her shoulder.

 

“Eek!” Koru squeaked, dropping back down to cower behind the rock once more.

 

“Feh,” Kirara grunted under her breath. “Damn kids…”

 

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

 

“And then we can go northeast again to continue our search for Naraku,” Inuyasha finished.

 

Kagome nodded her agreement, and the two began to cross the village towards the small campfire their friends had built outside of Kaede's hut.

 

“Kagome!” Shippo cried as he sighted them.

 

“What the hell?” Inuyasha growled, stopping abruptly as he saw Shippo run towards them, followed by another immature demon and a small red imp.

 

“Shippo!” Kagome greeted him as he reached her. “And Soten! What are you doing here?”

 

“Soten's going to join us in our search for Naraku!” Shippo explained.

 

“What?” Inuyasha snapped, glancing back and forth between Shippo and Soten. “Hey, we don't need any more little brats running around when we're trying to find Naraku!”

 

“But Kirara said that she could come with us, Inuyasha!” Shippo argued.

 

“Kirara?” Inuyasha echoed. “Kirara, you idiot!” he yelled, waving a fist in Kirara's general direction. “I don't have time to be rescuing any more kids when we get into a fight!”

 

“Then leave the rescuing to me,” Kirara called back.

 

“Keh, yeah, and we'll all be dead by the end of the week,” Inuyasha mumbled.

 

“I heard that!” Kirara yelled back.

 

“Stupid…” Inuyasha grumbled.

 

“Oh cheer up, Inuyasha!” Kagome said, tugging lightly on his sleeve. “Come on, let's go join the others and find out what else we missed while we were away.”

 

“While you were away,” Inuyasha moaned. “You still haven't told me what took you so long.”

 

Kagome sighed in despair, walking on towards the fire. Inuyasha followed after her, and Shippo, Soten and Koru ran off together to continue their games.

 

“Did you do well in your test, Kagome?” Sango asked as the duo sat down by the fire.

 

“Yeah, thanks,” Kagome replied with a smile.

 

Kirara smiled warmly as Kagome tilted her head to one side, resting it against Inuyasha's shoulder. Inuyasha, without his previous hesitation, tilted his head to rest it on top of hers. Their once awkwardness around each other seemed to have finally faded away, and sitting so close together seemed like a perfectly natural thing for them to do.

 

`Just the way it should be,' Kirara told herself silently.

 

“Things were quiet without you,” Sango said.

 

“But we found pleasant ways to pass the time,” Miroku slyly added, reaching an arm around Sango's shoulders.

 

Although Sango blushed profusely at the suggestion, reaching one hand up to cover her mouth and nose, she still leaned into Miroku's embrace.

 

`Everyone here is so happy,' Kirara thought cheerfully to herself.

 

Feeling a little awkward sitting with the two happy couples on her own, Kirara turned her attentions to the children to watch them play.

 

`They're happy too,' she thought as she saw that Shippo and Soten were both lying on the ground, scribbling onto a large sheet of card with their crayons, obviously drawing a picture together. `Everyone is happy because, one way or the other, they are in love,' Kirara silently concluded. `Is being in love really such a wonderful thing? Midoriko was never in love. But then again, Midoriko was never happy. I know that look on Sango and Kagome's faces. I've seen it so many times before with the other girls I trained with when I was trapped under the spell. They always have that contented look when they fall in love.'

 

Kirara quietly rose to her feet, sneaking away from the fire to leave the two couples alone together. As she moved away from the group, Kirara took one last look around them all. Kagome and Inuyasha, together at last after all their problems with Kikyo and Koga. Sango and Miroku together, the monk having apparently learned to keep his “cursed hand” away from other women. And Shippo and Soten, who were still nothing more than children in Kirara's eyes, together in a different way to the adults of the group, but together and happy nonetheless.

 

“Looks like it's just you and me, Kirara!”

 

Kirara turned to see Koru floating by her shoulder, all happy thoughts sinking through her body and landing in a heavy lump in the pit of her stomach.

 

“Great…” she grumbled.

 

The heavy feeling in Kirara's stomach slowly began to twist, making her feel slightly nauseous; did this now mean that it was time for her to go? She had served her purpose to Sango just as she had done for so many before. Maybe now she would have to leave, and live alone in her newly rediscovered human form.

 

`But I don't want to be alone,' Kirara thought sadly. `I don't want to leave my friends here, but I'm just in the way now. I'm not strong enough to protect them, and they are all happy without me. What am I going to do now?'

 

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Next Chapter: As Kirara ponders her next course of action, the gang set out to continue their search for Naraku. They soon find a demon who is looking to cause them trouble, but it's not Naraku… Chapter 23 - Jaken's Mistake.