Coyote Tricks: Fox Child

Sorry for the long delay in posting this chapter but it is a long chapter and I hope worth it. The chapter is rated PG-13 for Coyote/Kitsune/Oni mayhem.

The Prophesy and Counting Coup

Yuki followed Toshiro down the street along the canal.
“I think you two will hit it off,” the Fox Hanyou was saying. “Father is an artist too, although he has been in the dumps lately.”
“He sounds like such a nice man or would that be Fox?”
“Fox,” Toshiro said with a laugh and a tail wag.
Toshiro hoped that she would help cheer Shippo up. He knew it really wasn’t fair to Yuki to use her like this, but Shippo was worrying himself sick over Kit and being eaten up by some secret he was keeping about it. He asked Yuki if she would come and meet him and show him her portfolio in the hopes distracting him.
Toshiro found himself liking this human more and more. She was more outspoken and independent than most Japanese women. While most people found her odd, Toshiro found her ‘refreshing’.

Yuki was considering the change her life had taken with meeting Toshiro. She had seen demons and spirits all her life but she had rarely interacted with them. Some of the things she had seen, in the shadows and from a distance, had always made that seem like a good idea.
Now here she was being wined and dined by an admittedly handsome and charming Kitsune, well half-Kitsune, and being taken home to meet Father. So far he hadn’t shown his fangs, well actually, he had but they were hardly noticeable.

Yuki was surprised at the house; it was a quite large modern home on the edge of the Nermia Precinct. From the outside, she would have suspected it was a multi-unit condominium, but when she got inside, it was obvious that the entire building was one home. She suspected the exterior look was intended to make it less conspicuous.

Toshiro ushered her into a large common room. A tall man rose as they entered. He could have been Toshiro’s older brother except that he had more human looking, though pointed, ears and his legs obviously ended in digitigrade fox feet instead of human.

Toshiro bowed slightly to him.
“Father,” he said. “Allow me to introduce Takashi Yuki. Yuki, this is my father, Kitsune Shippo.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Takashi.” Shippo said, matching her bow.
“I’m pleased to meet you too, sir.” She looked over at Toshiro.
“He is your father? I thought he was your brother!”
Shippo laughed. “We demons age a little differently than humans. If you meet a truly old looking demon, be both very polite and very cautious because he is probably millennia old.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The rest of the afternoon went better than Toshiro hoped. Once they started talking art, Shippo and Yuki hit it off immensely. Shippo even invited her back to his art room inner sanctum.
“Wow, your work is fantastic.” Yuki said.
“Thank you. Yours is not bad either.”
“Please sir, you flatter me.” Yuki said, blushing.
“No, I don’t read many manga or doujinshi but your work is very good.”

He showed her around the studio, finally coming to the special walls in the back.
“This wall is like a family tree. Those two Kitsune at the top are my birth parents.”
“And who are those people directly below them?” Yuki asked.
“They are my adoptive parents. The first are Inuyasha and Higurashi Kagome and under them are Miroku and Sango.”
“I don’t understand, I thought you were born in the Warring States Era, why is your first adoptive mother wearing a modern school uniform?”
“Ahh, well that is a long story. Let me tell you about it.” Shippo said, leading her back into the main house.

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

In a dark abandoned warehouse on the waterfront, three demons came together out of the shadows.
“The Boss can return any day now. Did you find the shard?”
“No, but we are certain the Kitsune have it.”
“Then why haven’t you taken it?”
“The wards around the house are strong. Their chief is a five tail.”
“I don’t care if he has twenty tails; the Boss has a plan for him. But he will skin us alive if he gets back and finds we lost the shard. Get it back, no matter what.”
“There may be a way,” the third demon, silent until now, spoke. “The hanyou son has been leaving the house quite often. He is seeing a human girl. I think he might be fond of her.”
Dark laughter filled the warehouse.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile in the Warring States Era:

The group was given a large house near the temple to rest. As soon as they were settled Kit, Yuriko and Hanako went out to see the local market. Yuriko, like most Kitsune, was not used to wandering among humans without an illusion. She and Hanako found it all fascinating. Kit found it interesting in a historical way until he came across the smith’s shop. Watching the old man working to make fine jewelry items, Kit became excited. He quickly pulled out a sketchpad and drew something on it.
“Can you make this?” he asked the smith, showing him the pad.
“I don’t understand, Life mate.” Yuriko said, looking at the drawing. “Why do you want such a strange charm?”
“My dear, as a Kitsune you know the joys of trickery, we coyotes share it as well but we also have another tradition, counting coup.”

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

“Kigan! You had the child in your claws and you let it get away!”
The terrified Oni threw himself flat on the ground at the foot of Yamanasu’s throne.
“I’m sorry my Lord, I failed you!”
“Yes, you did. I gave you the Staff of Change, created by my own powers and what do you do with it? You change one of them into a monkey. A MONKEY! Those stupid humans will think that prophesy has come true.”
“I’m sorry Lord, I won’t fail you again!”
“No, you will not!”

Kigan jerkily started to rise, grasping the Staff of Change.
“No, my Lord, have mercy!” he cried and then his voice changed, becoming more monotone, as he began to chant. The staff glowed as the power built. The spell reached its peak as Kigan raised the staff over his head.
“Power of the Staff of Change!” he cried and the magic of the staff rained down on Kigan. He screamed as his form shifted and twisted. The scream turned into a squeal as the Oni transformed into a fat pig.
“Take him to the animal pens,” Yamanasu told the guards, as another Oni gathered up the fallen staff.

Momoru watched as the squealing former Oni was hauled away.
“Your power to control others is most impressive,” the human warrior commented. “But you promised me the fox child.”
“And you will have it,” the Oni Lord growled. “By now the humans at the Monkey Shrine will be thinking that their savior has arrived. I must quickly let them know how wrong they are. I will lead the next attack on the temple myself and bring your fox child back personally. And when we return we will celebrate by having a pork dinner.”

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

The women had gone to the large bathhouse attached to the house first for the evening. The men sat in the common room and talked.
“You are from Kagome’s time?” Inuyasha asked Kit. “I didn’t think there were many demons left there.”
“I’m not from Japan, I can’t tell you much about it,” Kit answered him, hoping to keep Inuyasha from asking too many questions about the future. “Most of the demons keep hidden in the future; Kagome probably never met one before you.”

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

The girls had gotten undressed and were washing up. Kagome got her bottles of soap and shampoo out of her pack.
“Oh shampoo!” Yuriko said brightly and then looked down chastised.
“May I use some?” She asked meekly.
“Oh of course,” Kagome said. “So, you have used shampoo before?”
“Yes, Kit-kun brought some with him in his magic backpack. You come from the same world as Kit?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, please tell me about it. Kit has told us some and it sounds like a wonderful magical place. Doesn’t it Hanako?”
“Irish Spring!” Hanako said, holding up a bar of Kagome’s beauty soap.
Kagome and Yuriko laughed but Sango just looked puzzled.

A short while later, they were all relaxing in the hot tub as Kagome had told them about her home. The conversation had led to discussing Kit and how Yuriko had met him. She had recounted Kit’s rescue and their mating (cleaned up of course). Then Yuriko asked Kagome about her and Inuyasha.

“What was that spell that you used to fell such a powerful hanyou? ‘Sit’?” Yuriko asked.
“Oh, the rosary he wears around his neck ties his spirit to mine. When I say ‘sit’ the rosary subdues him.”
Yuriko laughed, “That would make a useful item for any husband.”
They all laughed.
“Yes it would,” Kagome said. “Would you like one? I actually have a spare rosary that Kaede gave me and she showed me how set the charm.”

Yuriko got a thoughtful look on her face, a look similar to the one Kit had earlier in the day as he contemplated Inuyasha. She also thought about what Kit had told her later about counting coup and practical jokes.
“That might be fun,” she said as a mischievous smile formed on her lips.

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

The girls returned and then it was the boys turn. Kit finished washing up first and settled into the tub, enjoying the heat soaking into his tired muscles and wounds. He admired Inuyasha as he climbed into the tub.
‘He’s cute,’ Kit thought to himself, looking at the hanyou’s smooth muscled form entering the water. ‘He has got nothing to ashamed of below the belt either and that hair! Good thing we are both spoken for or I might make a play for him.’
Kit found himself imagining the look of Inuyasha’s face in the middle of passion but the image invoked another memory. A slight frown creased his face as he was once again reminded of the upcoming encounter with Shippo on his return.

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

One of the Monks from the temple informed them that the Abbot wished them to join him for dinner the next day. But for that night there was a large celebration for the ‘Monkey Monk’; the townsfolk served them a lavish dinner, followed by music and dancing.
As they returned to the house, Yuriko rushed back to their room and then joined the rest in the common room.

“Life mate,” she said, walking up to Kit, “I have a surprise for you.”
With a smile she placed a rosary over Kit’s head and stepped back.
Kit looked at the rosary.
“It’s very pretty, thank…” he started to say politely, but stopped when every one of his magical senses flared in warning. It was too late, however.
Yuriko glanced at a nodding Kagome and said, “Heel!”

The floor rose up to meet Kit as rest of them broke out in laughter.
Kit rose and grabbed the rosary, but found it wouldn’t lift over his head; the necklace had bonded to his spirit energy and would not be separated from him.
“What the fuck!”
He sensed the link that had formed between his spirit energy and Yuriko’s that allowed her to subdue him like this. He realized that only she would be able to remove the necklace.

Yuriko came over to him and helped him up from the floor.
“I have counted coup on you, my life mate.”
Kit’s anger subsided. She was right; in the trickster game that came naturally to coyotes and Kitsune she had just won a round against him.
He laughed, “Alright, you got me good. Now, how about taking this thing off?”
“Oh eventually,” she said with a sly grin, and walked off towards the bedroom.
“Eventually?! Hey, wait!” Kit said, rushing after her.

“I have to put the kits to bed.” Yuriko said, picking up Hanako, who was rolling on the floor, giggling. She walked around the corner, carrying her and dragging a protesting Shippo.
“I’m not a little kid! I want to stay up!”
Hanako just kept giggling and said, “Heel.”
There was a loud thump in the other room followed by the sound of Kit swearing.
Yuriko froze and stared at Hanako.
“It works for her too,” Shippo said, amazed.

“What the hell was that for?!” Kit yelled from the other room.
“Aw, sorry it was an accident,” Yuriko yelled back. This prompted a new round of swearing from the other room.
Yuriko stared Hanako in the eyes.

“Hanako, you are not to do that any more. Understand?” She placed an Alpha emphasis in her tone.
“Yes mother,” Hanako answered and then giggled again. Yuriko was sure this would be a problem in the future, but the alpha command should last long enough, till she finished her game with her life mate and removed the necklace.
“And you, Shippo, don’t tell this to anyone. It will be our little secret, ok?”

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

“So, the prophesy says that a monk who is also a monkey would come and save the town from the Mountain King?” Kagome asked.
“Yes” the head Abbot answered her. The Abbot had summoned the group to have dinner with him the day after they had arrived. He explained to them about the prophesy set down ages ago about the Monkey Monk.

“I am afraid I am not truly a monkey, Sir Abbot,” Miroku said, “but a man under a curse. But I cannot deny that I do seem to fit your legend.”
“Feh,” Inuyasha said grumpily, “we still haven’t seen any sign that this Mountain King or his Oni has any jewel shards. It is none of our business.”

“Inuyasha!” Kagome hissed at him and turning back to the Abbot bowed. “Please forgive him; he can be rather rude at times. Whether Miroku is the Monkey Monk or not, it can’t hurt to stay here awhile.”
Inuyasha grunted and, making the barest of apologies, took his leave.

Inuyasha turned a corner and ran right into two Shrine Maidens. The girls’ momentum threw them all off balance and they wound up clutching each other to remain upright.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” one girl said clutching Inuyasha’s robe and a handful of rosary beads while she regained her balance. In the commotion, Inuyasha failed the notice the brief spark of spirit energy where her hand gripped his rosary.

“Ahh” Inuyasha stammered as the two of them pulled themselves upright against him in a way that made him very aware of the well developed figures hidden beneath their robes.
The three disentangled themselves, and bowing, the two girls hurried off into the shadows around the corner.

Inuyasha stood for moment longer before he finally realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly. He chided himself, not only for his clumsy reaction to the encounter but also for his body’s reaction as well, as he checked his clothing to ensure the erection that had formed was not visible. Satisfied, he quickly stomped off in the other direction.
As the disturbed hanyou walked away, Kit and Yuriko stepped out of the shadows with huge grins. Kit pulled Yuriko to him and gave her big kiss.
“You were great,” he said.

Later, they gathered back at the house to discuss the issue.
“Inuyasha, that was incredibly rude…” Kagome started to say, but then stopped, staring intently at the hanyou.
“What?” Inuyasha asked as she stared at him.
Kagome said nothing but a twitch started in corner of her mouth. The twitch soon turned into giggles and Inuyasha gaped at her as she collapsed on the floor, laughing.
“What the hell?” Inuyasha said.
“Inuyasha,” Sango spoke up pointing at him. “There is a charm attached to your rosary.”

Inuyasha looked down at the rosary around his neck to see a round silver charm was attached to it.
Miroku looked closely at the charm.
“The writing is in that script that Kit’s shirt uses. I can’t read it.”
Kagome, with effort, was pulling herself together.
“It says ‘My name is Inuyasha. If found return to Kagome Higurashi.’”
“Is it some sort of engagement charm?” Miroku asked.
Kagome stifled another giggle.
“It’s a dog tag.”
“What?” Inuyasha asked.
“A dog tag,” Kagome continued, “in my time people put them on their pets so they could be identified if they got lost.”
“Pets?” Inuyasha growled, “I am nobody’s pet!”
He reached up to pull the dog tag off but sparks flew from it, repelling his fingers.

“Oh, I’m very sorry, Lord Inuyasha, but it is linked to the spirit energy of the rosary, only Kagome can remove it now.” Sitting in the spot were Kit sat a moment ago was one of the Shrine Maidens that Inuyasha had run into earlier. She was wearing Kit’s clothes and as they watched she transformed back into a laughing Kit.
“Why you!” Inuyasha yelled, leaping at the coyote.
“Uh-oh,” Kit said, dodging the hanyou’s charge and running out of the room.

Inuyasha was close on his tail when they entered the courtyard and Kit drew up to a sudden stop, causing Inuyasha to slam into his back.
“Hey…” Inuyasha started, but stopped at Kit’s upraised hand.
“Do you sense that?” Kit said.

Alarm bells sounded from the town perimeter and the canines’ sensitive ears heard cries from the guards.
“The Oni are attacking!”
Then, rising over the tree tops, a huge monstrous Oni taller than the tallest building strode into view.
“Attack!” Yamanasu cried.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Foxfur: (giggles) I love the dog tag idea.
Stardreamer: Things start to heat up in the next chapter as loved ones are threatened and more in “The Fall”