Coyote Tricks: Fox Child

This chapter is rated PG-13 for violence.

Dog Fight

Kagome and the others came rushing into the clearing after finishing off the remaining Oni to find Inuyasha fighting with another canine hanyou.
“Stay back!” Inuyasha shouted “he is in a blood rage!”
Kagome and the others stopped. She saw the red glow in the boy’s eyes and knew Inuyasha was right. She had seen it enough times when Inuyasha’s demon blood had taken control of him turning him into a berserker, willing to kill anything that got in his way. Then she saw the glow emanating through the blood on his chest.
“Inuyasha” she called “he has a jewel fragment!”

“Feh” Inuyasha said wiping sweat of his brow “that explains how strong he is. In the state he is in I’ll probably have to kill him to get it.”
Kit crouched low, his tail out stiff and growled at Inuyasha. Inuyasha eyes narrowed and he growled back.
“What is going on?” Kagome asked Shippo who had settled on her shoulder.
“They are speaking in canine talk. He is challenging Inuyasha as an alpha male encroaching in his territory. More or less it means leave or die.”

At that moment Kit charged again swiping at Inuyasha but the Inu-hanyou dodged and struck out with his own claws to rake the coyote’s back as he passed. Kit leapt away with a cry as fresh blood cascaded down his back. He landed in another crouch and screamed at Inuyasha.
“Fucking Bastard, I’ll kill you!” and leapt again but missed as Inuyasha leapt out of the way.

None of the party had understood Kit’s cursing except for one.
“Oh my God, that was English!” Kagome exclaimed.
“You mean you understand what he is saying?” Shippo asked
“Yes” Kagome answered and then she noticed something else. “He’s wearing blue jeans, Shippo he must be from my time.”
“You mean he came through the well?”
“I guess…” Kagome looked down trying to think and then she noticed a torn t-shirt lying on the ground near her feet. The odd English text on the shirt caught her attention, “My Parents went to Middle Earth and all I got was this lousy ring.” For a crazy moment she wanted to laugh out hysterically as her mind unwittingly made some odd comparisons between her life and Frodo’s. Then she noticed an envelope with her name next to the shirt. She grabbed up the envelope, ripped it open and started reading the contents.

“Look I don’t care where he is from” Inuyasha called back to her as he watched Kit preparing to attack again. “We are not going to reason with him like this and I’m not leaving the jewel shard. I have no choice but to kill him.”
He drew Tetseiga from its scabbard. Lifting it over his head he prepared to unleash its energies.
“Wind…” he started.
“Sit Boy!” Kagome called out and Inuyasha slammed face first into the dirt as the necklace around his neck performed its function.

Kagome stepped around the cursing Inu-hanyou and slowly approached the growling coyote-hanyou.
“Kagome what are doing?” Shippo yelled from her shoulder.
“Kagome!” Inuyasha cried out struggling against the rosary.
“I know what I’m doing” Kagome yelled.
‘Do I know what I’m doing?’ she thought silently.
“Its ok Shippo just follow my lead and talk to him.”
“Ok” Shippo said dubiously.
Kagome made eye contact with the stranger and spoke softly.
“Kit” she said hesitantly in English. “I am Kagome, Ka Go Me. This is Shippo, Ship Po.”
“Uh Hi” Shippo said in Japanese.
Kit looked at them and stopped growling.
“It’s going to be alright, Kit” Kagome continued.
Kit sniffed picking up their scents and suddenly the red started to fade from his eyes. He looked at Shippo with confusion on his face.
“Shippo?” he said.
“Yes” Shippo said not certain if the stranger could understand him and tapped his own chest “I’m Shippo.”
Kit half rose swaying from side to side as the jewel enhanced energy that had sustained him waned.
“You’re short” he said and fell flat on his face and didn’t move.

Inuyasha was at her side.
“What the hell did you think you were doing Bitch? He could have killed you!” He yelled.
“I found a letter” she said pointing to Kit’s torn shirt “that said he wouldn’t harm me or Shippo.”
Kagome felt a twinge of guilt here. The letter had only said he wouldn’t harm Shippo but she wasn’t going to give in to Inuyasha when he was in one of his snits.
“It also said he is only protecting his family,” she continued.

“Feh” Inuyasha fehed and standing sniffed the air. Looking over at a rock outcropping at the edge of the clearing he called out.
“You can come out now. We won’t harm you.”
Slowly a Kitsune woman with small child in tow emerged from the rocks. She looked at the group judging if they were safe or not. Then deciding; ran over to the fallen coyote as Kagome turned him over and examined his wounds.
“Kit” she cried and threw her arms around him.
“Yuriko” Kit sighed as her scent penetrated his semi-conscious mind.

“He has lost a lot of blood” Kagome said. “Inuyasha I need the first aid kit.”
The Inu-hanyou handed the first aid kit to Kagome and then stood looking at the little Kitsune girl that Shippo was trying to distract with his toy top.
Kagome with practiced efficiency developed from frequently patching up another hanyou, quickly cleaned and bandaged the wounds, which were thankfully not as bad as they appeared. Using a pair of tweezers she removed the jewel shard from his chest. As soon as she touched it the red glow turned white as her Miko powers purified it and she added it to the jar around her neck.

“He is going to be alright” Kagome reassured Yuriko.
“Thank you” Yuriko said prostrating herself.
“Oh no problem,” Kagome said flustered, “his injuries weren’t as bad as they looked really.”

“Ohhh” Kit groaned drawing the two women’s attention. “Yuriko?”
“Kit!” Yuriko cried bending over the coyote. “I was so scared are you all right?”
Kit looked at her puzzled for a moment.
“I’m sorry Yuriko,” he said in English, “I can’t understand you without…Ahh!”
Kit had tried to rise up as if to look for something but his battered body had other ideas and he lay down again.

“What is wrong? Is he hurt worse? Why doesn’t he understand me? What…” Yuriko asked in panic looking at Kagome.
“Wait, wait!” Kagome said grabbing the woman’s hand to comfort her. “I can understand him; let me find out what is wrong. OK?”
Yuriko nodded worriedly.

- English -
“You are American aren’t you?” Kagome asked Kit.
“Yea, I’m Kit and you must be Kagome” Kit answered.
“You know me?”
“Yes, I was sent to bring you…” Kit’s hand went to his chest. “It’s gone!”
“Oh you mean the jewel shard; I took it out when I treated you.”
“Oh good I was supposed to deliver it to you” Kit grinned. “Mission accomplished.”

- Japanese -
“Hey Kagome” Inuyasha groused “Who is he and why did he have a jewel shard? And what is that gibberish you are speaking?”
“That ‘gibberish’ is called English; it is the language they speak in America. As for the rest of your questions I’m finding that out, now shut up and let me do it.”
Kagome turned to talk to Kit some more when a cry came across the field.

“Kagome!” Sango called as she entered the field. Miroku was beside her but he was wearing a hooded cloak that he carried for bad weather and something about his gait was wrong. Sango’s two tailed fire cat followed close behind.
“Kagome! Inuyasha!” Sango called again. “Something has happened to Miroku!”
Kagome immediately stiffened. Sango almost never called Miroku by his name, usually referring to him as Sir Monk.

As Sango and Miroku came up to them the others crowded around. The cloak still hid Miroku from their sight.
“What happened?” Kagome asked.
“One of the Oni had a magical staff, he used it to cast a spell on the Monk” Sango said worriedly.
“What did he do? Let me see” Inuyasha said worriedly and pulled the hood back exposing Miroku’s face.
The Monk’s companions all gasped in horror and stood silently staring.

- English -
“What’s with the monkey?” Kit said standing with Yuriko’s help.