Chapter 12- Heading to the Slayers’ Village

“Shippou, get back here! This isn’t funny!” Souta yelled as he chased the kitsune around the camp, weaving in amongst the trees and bushes, attempting to catch the mischievous lad. While he had been bathing, the young fox had quietly made himself appear as Kirara, snatching his haori up and walking away while the item’s owner was oblivious to his actions. “Give it back!”

With a streak of black and green, and a surprised shout from a certain kitsune, Souta was surprised to find the garment flung over his head but an instant later. Lifting it to see who had done him the favor, his light jade eyes met with the dark evergreen and white-gold hues of his sister’s orbs, and he noted that the smirk on her face said, “Where would you be if you didn’t have me?” A hot blush rose on his face, and he mumbled an embarrassed thanks.

Kagome tossed the kitsune into mid-air, and he was caught a moment later by Inuyasha, who took him down towards the hot spring to make sure that his actually did bathe that time. With a contented sigh, she took a seat next to the campfire, stretching languidly and leaning back against a tree. A bright pink, marble-like object hung from a silver chord around her neck, glinting in the sun. What was it again? Oh, yes. The Shikon no Tama, Jewel of Four Souls. The young hanyou’s glance was riveted on the object for a moment, but he turned away, opting for the small box of oil paints and package of papers he’d brought with him. Maybe he’d be able to get in a good portrait before his brother returned…

“C’mon, Shippou, I’m not gonna let you out of there until I’ve made sure that you’ve scrubbed every last inch of your scrawny body!” Inuyasha called as he tossed the kitsune back into the center of the hot-spring. “And maybe you don’t recall, but Higurashi-san was hoping to bathe as well.”

The kitsune grumbled as he dunked himself under the water again before wading back towards the rocks that surrounded the heated pond and grabbing the bottle of light-blue slime that Kagome typically used in his thick mane of hair. After scrubbing so hard and long that the suds nearly compassed his body completely, he submerged himself once again, rinsed the entirety of the foam away and stomped out of the pool angrily, leaning over onto all fours to do the popular imitation of a wet dog.

“Are you satisfied now?” the irritated child asked. Inuyasha cuffed him gently, but it was enough to send him sprawling in the direction of the camp.

“Don’t ask me. Ask Kagome.”

With that, the two made their way back to the campsite. Inuyasha glanced around as they went. None of them had seen anything of Sango or Miroku all day, and he was beginning to wonder about them.

Feh, probably just planning their wedding. Mortals seem awful keen on big ceremonies for that kind of thing. No wonder I prefer the youkai ways. Plain and simple. But they’d better get back soon, or I’ll have to go looking for them! Hmm… I wonder if Kagome’s gonna cook ramen for lunch…?

Gin leaned back in the water, glorying in the way it soothingly crept over her flesh. The water even felt fresher in the Feudal Era, and it looked so clear and inviting. For a moment, her thoughts flashed back to Tokyo, the place that had been her home for all of her life. Kagome… she had been there such a short while. They didn’t think about how long she had lived there, yet she was still so young! Only thirty-three… she wasn’t too very old at all.

She groaned and sunk further beneath the steaming water, with the ripples from her movements being the only thing to disturb its pristine beauty. Her thoughts flowed away on those tiny waves, and her mind seemed to tangibly relax beneath the warm embrace of water. She lightly rubbed a wash-cloth over her body, the soft scrubbing helping to further relax her. So oblivious was she to the outside world that she did not hear when angry shouts and feral screeches drew near to the secluded opening in the foliage. There was a sudden crash through the underbrush, and a tall figure leapt out of the shrubbery, surprising her so much that she was speechless for a moment. Much to her shock, he dove into the hot spring, his movement so precise that the ripples that were her own were not changed at all by his action.

“Over this way!”

“Yeah, I saw him head through here!”

In but a moment, a group of fifteen or so men crashed through the underbrush, coming to a stop in the small opening. Gin had, unfortunately, stood when the man had dove into the water, and this was the last thing needed to tip her stability scale.

A scream that would’ve made human ears bleed rocked the forest.

Within a moment, the area surrounding the hot spring had been cleared of any male specimens whatsoever, thanks to three very annoyed, or angry, in Kagome’s case, hanyou.

“There’s one more! He’s in the spring!” the woman said in distress as her daughter tried desperately to calm her. She had wrapped herself in a thick towel, and stood next to Kagome, shivering dreadfully as she watched Inuyasha survey the area in which she had been relaxing. He sighed, and slipped off his haori and gi before diving into the water as gracefully as the man before.

To the great surprise of those present, the water began to bubble and boil, and in a matter of moments it was as though a geyser had been unleashed from the very deepest pits of the small pool, the rage of it was so great. On occasion, bits of white and red could be caught, and strangled battle cries were frequent. With a swift movement, Kagome shed her top and pants in preference for the yukata beneath, and leapt into the fray, leaving her brother and mother on the shore to wait. After a moment, the fracas quieted and the water stilled. The two were beginning to worry when suddenly the two hanyou burst forth from beneath the steaming and tranquil water, a struggling, white-clad male figure between them. He struggled with as much strength as he could muster, but he was visibly weak and thin. The two dropped him on the ground before her, and Inuyasha unsheathed his Tetsusaiga as insurance that he wouldn’t try anything desperately stupid.

“Who are you? Why were you running from those men?” he demanded of the stranger calmly, if not a slight bit irritably. He gave a hacking cough, a little bit of water purging itself from his lungs. With a few heavy gasps, he managed to lift his head and look into the eyes of the stunned ningen woman.

“I am Prince Korrare. I am sorry. Please, allow me to explain.”

AN: Say "WOWOMG SHE FINALLY UPDATED!" Because I did. XP Anywho, here it finally is. For those of you who like this, I'll have you know I've gotten loads better in the four years since I wrote it. Unfortunately, now all the stuff I write is crack pairings. For Inuyasha, I write mostly SessKag anymore. And I hope to be posting those stories... soonish. Bombard me with reviews. I will love you.