2
"Wow you're pretty good at this!" Shippō said as he was putting away the crayons.
"Of course, my sister says so too." The yokai next to him said.
She looked like almost exactly like a mini Hiten with her hair set up in two mini ponytails and wearing a red version of the armor both she and Manten wore.
She puffed in pride, before deflating a bit before looking at Shippō. "You really think so."
This must be so Sōten, the resemblance to Hiten was very much there...meaning there was a chance that she was nearby too...
Great, just great...
"Of course, I know someone who really likes to draw, this looks exactly like something he might do!" Shippō said excitedly, getting the raijū's face to flush before smiling.
"Still think your drawings look pretty cool too. These crayons are better than charcoal!" Sōten declared, leaning back on the branch and looking at fading sunset. "This was fun, should think I should head back up the mountain before nightfall."
"Same, think Kagome should've been back by now." Shippō said as he put away all the crayons and gathered his drawings. Sōten seemed to tilt her head as she reached into a potato chip bag.
Honestly they looked adorable like this, though still trying to figure out why anyone would mistake Sōten for a kitsune.
Well whatever happened it seemed like those two stopped fighting, they seemed pretty friendly now.
"I've been here for a while Shippō and we need to leave now. And about sneaking food from my bag again later." I said, getting the kit to nearly jumped as both turned to look down at me as I gave the raijū a smile. "It is nice to meet you Sōten."
"You're Kagome?" Sōten asked, swinging down from the branch before landing on the ground. "You look exactly like Hiten described."
...For the sake of my sanity I'm only hoping that Hiten at least had the tact to remeber that her sister seems close to Shippō in age...physically at least.
Better not to ask.
"Wait you're Sōten?" Shippō asked as he slid down the tree's trunk. "You do look like Hiten. That explains why you attacked me."
"Of course, did you think I was another raijū?!" Sōten said while pointing at him.
"Took me a bit to figure it might be you but I didn't want to be rude." Shippō admitted while scratching the back if his head. "Were you attacking any kitsune before looking for us?"
Sōten looked like she wanted to say something, before pouting and looking away from Shippō. She looked kind of adorable when angry.
"N-No..." She snapped at us before looking away again.
"Four, she attacked four other kitsune thinking they were you." A high squicky voice said before something floated out from behind Sōten's back. "And you shouldn't have run off like that, Lady Hiten would've had my head even if you explained things."
She just huffed as to my shock a red dragon levitate itself out from behind her, seeming suspending itself in the air without needing the tiny pair of wings on it's back. With four horns and a pair of what I think to be either whiskers or tiny tusks on his head.
A dragon, an actual dragon.
You know I know they come on all shapes and sizes as they can be anywhere from simple yokai to actual gods...but I definitely wasn't expecting one to be chibi sized!
Or one to apparently be working under Hiten of all things!
He kind of looked pathetic...especially after Sōten knocked him on the head.
"Kōryū don't tell them that!" Sōten shouted out in embarrassment before sighing. "I'm sorry for running away, happy now?"
"Yes." Kōryū said, I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. Shippō tilting his head at him.
"Your friend is a snake?" He asked, and I tried my best not to laugh.
"I'm a dragon, not a snake!" Kōryū fumed and thrashed about in the air. "Do I look like a snake! I don't stick my tongue out like one!"
"But you do Kōryū." Sōten said innocently enough.
Kōryū face planted into the ground after hearing that.
I could suppress my laughter any more as the dragon floated back up.
"Sōten!" He cried out incredulously.
"I'm just telling the truth." She said, getting the dragon's shoulders to slump. Sōten merely gestured to him. "This is Kōryū, my friend and vassal to my family for the past few years."
"Lady Hiten made it seem like a choice as she wanted a friend for you." Kōryū grumbled out.
"But me and Manten asked her not to harm you when you raided our pantry." Sōten said.
"Didn't say I don't regret what happened Sōten...sometimes. I do miss Lord Manten too." Kōryū sighed out sadly, getting Shippō's tail to bristle a little as he climbed up me.
Sōten frowned upon hearing her brother's name before shaking her head and looking at the dragon.
"Kōryū please don't tell sister that Kagome was here. If Hiten said does anything I'll take the blame." Sōten said seriously, getting the dragon to sigh.
"Wasn't going to, I know how worried you be Sōten." Kōryū said before turning to look at us. "Lady Hiten said she would return to the mountain sometime after the sunset. You probably only have a little amount of time to run."
...So Hiten was on her way back as we speak then...
Okay we were not going to camp until it was midnight and we are kilometers away from this town!
"So Hiten is looking for us then?" I asked Sōten as I started to shakily back away.
At least she seemed to not want us to catch up on it again.
"I don't want my sister to die again." Sōten said, getting Kōryū and me to wince.
So Hiten did tell her everything. "Ever since we buried Manten Hiten has taken us from place to place.
She constantly talks about you and Y/N, sometimes Yura.
She no longer drinks sake which I'm fine with, can't understand why they drink that stuff when it smells so bad.
Nor does she go on dates or have sleepovers with over.
..she rarely does it with the same people or bring the around me.
She does constantly fights battles still and spends time with me, but she really wants to kill Inuko. "
...Well at least Hiten does have some standards around her baby sister at least...well before encountering us at least.
"That does kind of sound strange for Hiten." I admitted honestly, she was far more openly hedonistic when we met. Can't tell if this was just from grief or more of what happened after our fight with her. "You care for her very much...about the only thing I can compliment your brother on."
"That's fine, I sure he did try to kill you all. Hiten said he didn't like you much either." Sōten said.
"That feeling was mutual." I said honestly before feeling Shippō dig his claws into my shoulder. "Something the matter?"
"Is that why you attacked me in the first place, because you wanted some revenge on Inuko for Manten's death?" Shippō said, getting Sōten to freeze.
"No, I mean yes!" Sōten snapped, crossing her arms with a huff.
"I hate her with every part of my being!
She killed my older brother and I'm afraid to lose Hiten to her too!
I'm too weak to avenge him and Hiten would be mad if I did anything to Kagome or the others.
You were the only one I could actually get some payback on
Shippō. .."
"Thinking if you can win maybe your sister will possibly back off." I said, getting her to wince. "Even so it might not work...Hiten was very determined..."
That was probably the best to put it as Kōryū sighed.
"Sounds exactly like Lady Hiten." He sighed out.
"I can still try!" Sōten said while looking away.
"And what about now, are you going to attack me again now?" Shippō asked, getting Sōten to wince as she turned to face us.
"Maybe...I don't want to. It was fun drawing with you, but if I can hopefully get her to stop than I will. Even if I do consider them a friend!" Sōten said, trying and failing to look determined.
"Even if that friend still hates your brother?
Manten killed my dad and skinned his pelt for a belt after taking his jewel shard even after being offered it!
At least you didn't get to see your family member die before your eyes.
" Shippō snapped, getting me to wince at his tone and Sōten to look shocked. "Did you know that Sōten?"
"Y-Yes." Sōten said, sounding stunned as Shippō sighed.
"I had to bury him alone, but at least I had Inuko, Y/N, Kagome, and even Yura to help bury his pelt.
I hated your brother enough to try and steal their jewel shards.
I might not ever stop hating him and I'm still kind of terrified of Hiten, but I actually did have fun.
" Shippō said, before reaching into his coat. "Catch!"
Tossing the box of crayons at her, Sōten raced towards them and barely caught them with her eyes widened.
"What are those?" Kōryū said as levitated close to Sōten's shoulder to get a better look. "They smell exactly like candles."
"Your crayons..." She said before looking Shippō.
He just smiled at her shook his head.
"Keep them, I got more but please try to convince your sister of another way. We both have someone who the other doesn't want to get hurt by. It was fun Sōten and I hope that one day we can do this again...but please don't think of vengence any more. I don't want to see you get hurt too."
Sōten stared between him and the crayons for a few moments as I smiled at the kit.
That was a mature thing for him to say, but I guess like Takechiyo he already considers her a friend. Despite how things had started it seems like they already care for one another, and they don't want to lose the other already.
"...Fine, but only for you Shippō." Sōten said with her face flushing lightly. "Still hate Inuko."
"Didn't say anything about changing that, but I'm just happy we don't have to fight anyone. Do want to see more of your magic though." Shippō said, getting her face to flush even more.
Oh, does she...
No I'll save asking him that after we are kilometers away from Hiten.
But still...
"She looks so adorable." I said, trying not to gush at her cuteness.
"Don't call me adorable!" Sōten snapped, turning away from it. "I don't like being called that even by Hiten!"
"Yet you still let her gush over you when she does." Kōryū said, getting Sōten's face to flush in embarrassment.
"Kōryū!" She snapped, getting g him to flinch.
"You were going to hug her?" Shippō asked me, giving me a sideways glance.
"Yes." I admitted without any shame.
"Wouldn't have expected anything less from you girl." Yura's voice said from behind me, getting Kōryū to hide behind Sōten and peer over her shoulder.
I turned to see her jump down from a tree alongside Inuko and Y/N on her back. I could glance to see Miroku running behind them on the ground, coming to a stop behind them.
"How long have you guys been here?" I asked.
"Long enough, we were coming to warn you but it seems like we were a little late." Y/N said, turning to wave at Sōten and Kōryū. "Nice to meet you both."
"Nice to meet you." Sōten said shyly as she glanced at Inuko who huffed.
"I heard everything and I couldn't care less if you hate me or not, you've done nothing to us and the kit seems to like you enough.
" Inuko said bluntly, getting both Shippō's and Sōten's faces to flush.
"Don't have any problems with you, but I will fight with you sister if she tries to pull anything again. "
"And I'll be trying to stop here anyway I can, you dirty brother killer!" Sōten snapped at her with a glare.
"I'll be backing Sōten up anyway I can." Kōryū said while poking his head out past her shoulder.
Inuko smirk at them while turning away.
"For the kit's sake I hope you do, even if I don't believe it. Good luck trying though, your sister is a stubborn one. I'll only give her that much." Inuko said as she walked up to Shippō and ruffled his hair. "Sounded kind of mature there kit, come on we are leaving this town."
He just preened under her touch before she pulled back. Shippō nodded and turned back to wave at Sōten as she started to walk back into the mountain side.
"It was fun, hope we get to hang out again one day!" Shippō called out, the raijū waving back at him.
"Same, thanks for the crayons!" Sōten called out as she turned around.
Only to stop as her, Shippō, and Inuko all stood still. I winced as I felt Shippō started to cling to me a little tighter, letting out a whine from his throat as Sōten ran back to us in a panic.
"Sōten what are you doing?" Kōryū asked as he clung onto her shoulder and ran to me.
Something was definitely going on as Inuko suddenly grabbed both Y/N and Miroku, lifting then up.
"Yura keep Kagome and the others away from the trees." Inuko shouted as her ears were pressed flat against her head...
Wait a minute, all three were going crazy and Sōten was a raijū...
"Hold on you three!" I called out, grabbing Sōten and Kōryū as Yura's hairs wrapped around us and suspended us a bit above the ground as the ground started to shake.
An earthquake, I really should have known. More so Shippō and Sōten were acting a little like how I heard dogs do acting around one before it starts.
Hugging Sōten close to me as I braced myself, glancing to see Miroku under one arm and holding Y/N to her back as the entire forest seemed to shake violently.
Sōten seemed a little calmer now that we were off the ground. Until Yura pulled her hairs back as a few of the branches started to fall down. Around us. Tightening my grip around the raijū and dragon before my eyes widened.
The shard I sensed earlier was on the move now and was approaching the town as the earthquake started to subside.
After about another minute the shaking finally stopped before Yura lowered us down.
"Are you alright girl?" Yura asked as she lowered herself down.
"I'm fine, what about you three." I said glancing at the three of them. Shippō nodded at me a little shakily but Sōten still clung to my leg, look like she was still a little shaken. "Sōten?"
"Raijū's don't like quakes, I don't know why but even in the air, one going on underneath them annoyed both Lady Hiten and Lord Manten." Kōryū said a little shakily.
"And they're scary..." Sōten said...and I tried my best to reassure her without gushing at how cute she looked.
Making sure Sōten was okay I saw out of the corner of my eyes Inuko letting down Y/N...and dropping Miroku onto the ground.
"Must you have carried me like that?" Miroku said as she got up and dusted off her robes.
"Yes." Inuko said before glaring off in the distance. "But something about that felt off about that one."
"D-Didn't feel anything change either." Sōten said sounding somewhat nervously.
"No changes or brief with your own powers Sōten?" Y/N asked, getting her to shake her head.
"None, and I'm not that strong of a raijū." Sōten admitted, looking embarresed before blinking and looking at Y/N. "How did you know that?"
"He knows a lot about yokai." Shippō said proudly.
"If it wasn't a normal quake then it could be the one we heard about waking up." Miroku mused as I took a deep breath.
"Could be, there was something I was going to mention once we started to leave." I said, getting everyone to look at me while I took a breath. "I had been sensing a jewel shard since we seperated and now I could sense it approaching the town. They probably unleashed the oni."
Yura sighed and Inuko could only shake her head.
"That'll be the sixth one this week." Inuko grumbled out.
"It wasn't Hiten!" Sōten shouted out, throwing her hands in the air.
"Lady Hiten made it quite clear to Sōten to stay away from them after what happened!" Kōryū said.
"We already figured that out little dragon. Would have probably saw or heard lightning before than." Yura said, getting Kōryū's eyes to twitch at that nickname. "Doubt it is a coincidence if that oni is heading towards the town we were just at."
"Yura's right, could be another trial but too soon to tell who it could be." Miroku chimed in.
"Or possibly a yokai after other shards too." Y/N said.
"Yet we are not going to be leaving this town anytime soon." Inuko sighed out, getting me and Y/N to nod as she turned to Sōten. "Cub don't follow us and if your sister had a place for you to hide, do it."
"Me?" Sōten asked, pointing at herself.
"Just stay safe and don't follow us." Inuko said as she turned away and started to walk back to town with Shippō following after giving Sōten one more wave.
"She doesn't want you to get hurt. No matter what happened with Hiten, we don't want anything to happen to you too. So please stay safe Sōten." Y/N said giving her a smile and wave as he and Miruko started to follow after Inuko.
"Already seen how crazy she can be, don't want to experince that again." Yura said with a shudder as she started to walk away too.
Kōryū jumped off Sōten's shoulder as started to float around her.
"Sōten they're right, we need to leave now!" He said, getting her to sigh and nod.
"Fine." Sōten said before she let go of me and started to run off. "Don't die!"
Quickly disappearing into the underbrush.
I sighed and hoped those two would be alright as I walked up to the others.
"How are you doing?" Y/N asked as soon as I caught up to him and Yura.
"Just hoping the two of them would be okay." I said with a frown. "We could very well be dealing with Hiten again."
"Then we better deal with whoever have this shard quickly and avoid that crazy thunder bitch." Yura said with a shrug.
"Let's just focus on dealing with whatever of the two problems comes up first." Miroku said, getting Y/N to nod.
"Not that we have much choice, I imagine we don't have much time left Kagome?" He said. Turning back to face me as I shook my head.
"It's picking up the pace a little." I said while shaking my head. "Check that it's heading towards the village at double it's previous speed."
Inuko briefly stopped in her tracks before disappearing from view.
I barely held back from yelping as she reappeared behind me and Y/N and pulled us onto her back, bolting off back towards the village.
"A little more next time!" I shouted as me and Y/N held onto each other tightly as Inuko sprinted off back towards the town.
"No time!" Shippō shouted as he cheered and clung onto Y/N's shoulder.
"The kit's right, we head to the entrance of the town then?" Inuko asked.
"Feels like where it is going?" I said, getting her to swerve and race back into the direction of the town as I saw that Yura and Miroku were following not that far behind.
With that I sighed and began to brace myself, knowing that between this and possibly Hiten it was going to be another long night...
(3rd POV - Same Time)
"They were all nicer than I thought...including Inuko...still hate her..." Sōten said peering from the bushes, looking as they all turned back to the town.
Specifically at Shippō and Y/N, the former smiling as he clung to the latter's shoulder as they disappeared.
"I know, but I'd be more worried about Y/N." Kōryū said with a shudder as he poked his head outside of a shrub next to her.
"Because he killed Hiten, but brought her back to life?" Sōten said with a shudder.
Honestly it was the hardest part of the story her older sister had told her...scratch that second most after finding out she had eaten Manten's heart briefly. Sōten knew that her brother wanted it after he died, she couldn't eat for a day after doing that.
At least she had recovered that partially thanks to him and the others too...
But with the shards of the Shikon no Tama, Sōten supposed it was possible.
At the least she hoped Y/N didn't die at least, she didn't want him to lose his soul to it like it nearly happened to her siblings if it was the truth.
Plus Hiten would be sad if anything happened to him or Kagome.
"No, it's because of his scent." Kōryū said nervously, getting Sōten to tilt her head.
"Hiten's mark or he kind of smells like you and something else?" She asked, noticing her friend shaking a little more from latter. "Does it bother you that much."
"Something about it is making my instincts screaming at me to flee even from how faint it is." Kōryū said, shaking in fear before calming himself. "Come on, let's go hide. Lady Hiten should be back soon."
"If she doesn't notice them first." Sōten said.
"Lady Hiten will come, in the meantime we need to be anywhere besides the town." Kōryū said before pulling his head back with Sōten sighing.
Giving where she saw Shippō and the others had disappeared, hoping that they would be alright as she pulled her head backninto the underbrush.
(Inuko POV - Coastal Town Entrance - Nightfall - A few moments later)
"So you think what you and Shippō found might be the second shard user Kagome sensed?" Y/N said, getting me to nod as the ground rumbled from the one's footsteps in the distance.
And of course it wasn't bad enough that there was one shard practually marching towards us, but a second one that Kagome hadn't told us about as that had gone away.
Bad enough that we had one to deal with.
We're still not sure if it was Naraku or something else since she claimed when she could sense them both never met with in her senses.
Plus Miroku was able to hide her own shards from Kagome sensing them, with supposedly how crafty they are it was possible.
Kagome, Miroku, and Shippō were more or less handling the flowing and panicked crowd in town...and telling them to back off essentially.
Less risk of them getting caught in the crossfire the better.
Honestly after thinking about it for a while I figured I would bring up what I found again. Initially suspecting it to be some new yokai that had moved in, this town was nearby the wetlands Mikage Creek emptied out into it would make sense.
"Thinking possibly it might be a snake that managed to find a shard, Kagome fid see a beetle that was enlarged by one and the monk did say it turned a weasel into an itachi. Could be a yokai now or something, but no way to tell. It's out to see now." I said with a shrug, gripping Tessaiga's hilt.
"Could be possible, Honshū is too far north for a regular sea snake especially in this era.
While they are found here as well, it is too far east past Sakai and the Seto Inland Sea for a sea snake yokai normally plus they very rarely go that far inland like you described. " Y/N said, getting me to blink.
Wait, sea snakes were an actual thing?
Dismissing that, so it could very well be a just a regular snake that swallowed a shard or something in the wetlands.
If it is now out to sea it could definitely be comfortable in the that as the creek meets the sea in the wetlands.
"At least we definitely know were to check out when it returns if that is the case, it definitely made Mikage Creek it's territory." I said before looking to see a massive three fingered hand reaching onto a nearby mountain. "One thing at a time."
"Agreed." Y/N said as he drew Shūsui as the oni revealed itself.
A massive red skinned oni standing as tall as a mountain, stomping on one of the emptied houses outside of town as it slowly revealed itself.
I don't see anything that can be controlling by scent-
Fuck!
Damn it all to Yomi! I can recognize her scent anywhere!
First Hiten is around here and now her too!
"Yura, make sure to keep everyone or to pull them back. We are utterly screwed if Kagome is right." I said, trying to keep myself calm as she turned to look at me incrediously. "Who else do we know would make herself known with an giant oni last time!"
Her expression quickly turned to dread as Kagome and Shippō ran up to use.
"What's going on, aside from the oni?" Kagome asked as she notched an arrow.
"Unless the imp has a jewel shard, Sesshōmaru have gotten her claws on one." Yura said, getting Kagome to go pale as I finally spotted them.
Sesshōmaru and Jaken resting on the oni's shoulder.
She coolly glanced down as I glared at her before Sesshōmaru vanished from sight.
Barely having anytime to snarl at her as she instantly reappeared with the claws on her right hand out. Jumping back as she sunk her claws into the ground.
All of us scattered as a small pit was instantly created in the ground as her poison ate away at it. My sister retracting her claws as I covered my nose from the fumes.
"Too slow, I expected as much Inuko." Sesshōmaru said as I glared at her.
If she was using a jewel shard it was going to be much harder to defeat her this time...
(Chapter 65 end)