Fox Tales

Fox Tales


Chapter Two:

"COOL!" Shippou exclaimed. He had been wide eyed since the spell Sly had used on Inuyasha and all through his story. "Hey! Can you teach me to do that too?" He pointed to Inuyasha. "What else can you do? So you and Sesshoumaru-sama are friends? Can you do foxfire? I'm not very good at it but I can! Are you going to stay with us? Will you help us collect the shards? Hey! How did you get your tail so shiny and straight? Mine is always so bushy!"

The group laughed as Shippou's questions continued. "One at a time pup! One at a time!" Sly laughed.

Sly sat down by the well and Kagome took a seat next to him. Sango and Miroku sat across from them. Kirara was lounging in Sango's lap while Shippou sat in Kagome's lap looking up at Sly eagerly.

"Sesshoumaru will be here within the hour." He looked at everyone’s faces. Clearly they weren't expecting him to say that. He laughed. "Of course it might take him longer if he brings Rin and Toad Boy' along."

"How do you know he's coming?" Kagome asked.

"Besides being an empath, I'm also telepathic." Sly smiled at Shippou, "So! You had some questions did you not?"

Shippou's smile widened considerably, almost overtaking his face, and he started asking his questions, this time, one by one. "So how did you do that to Inu-baka?"

Sly laughed at the nick-name, "It's a simple sleeping spell. You can do many as long as you have your kitsune essence in a substance." Shippou looked at him confused so he explained, "It is harder to do when you must manifest your powers all the time. It is much simpler to manifest them all at once and turn them into a substance. I use dust. I've seen some use water, and even food for some spells."

"Like my crying mushrooms?!" Shippou perked up at the thought.

Sly looked thoughtful, "Kind of. I'll show you what I mean later."

"Ok! What else can you do? Can you teach me some stuff?"

"Sure. We can start tomorrow. How’s that sound?" Sly grinned at the overactive pup.

"YES!" Shippou jumped up and ran over to a sleeping Kirara, "Hey! Did you hear that?! Sly is gonna train me!"

Kirara lifted her head, opening one lazy eye, and went back to sleep with a sigh.

"That was very nice of you. Every since his parents died his training has had to be put on hold. We don't really have time to find somebody we could trust since we're always hunting for the shikon shards." Kagome was looking over to the happily bouncing Shippou and smiling. She turned back to Sly and smiled at him.

Sly grinned at her. "I'll travel with you while you hunt for the shards and train him on the way. It would be fun. Besides, I can't leave a beauty like you defenseless now can I? What with Inuyasha being tied up and all." He glanced over to the hanyou and sighed, "And he looks so innocent when he's knocked out."

Kagome laughed, "Innocent? That'll be the day." She leaned back onto her elbows, her shirt stretching across her chest. The breeze played with her hair as she watched Sango and Miroku talk, seemingly in their own little world.

"They make a good couple, those two." Sly commented.

"They would...If they ever gathered up the courage to tell one another." Kagome rolled her eyes. She had talked with Sango one day about it and she had blushed during the entire conversation. It had taken her a good hour to get her to admit it to herself that she was in love with the monk. She didn't want to think about how long it would take her to admit it to him. Miroku on the other hand was very open about it. When she had asked him if he liked Sango he had told her straight out that he was in love with her, followed by a long, drawn out, sigh.

"How about we have a little fun while we wait for 'his highness' to arrive?" Kagome looked over to find Sly looking at her with a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. His eyes seemed to be a shade lighter as she could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

"What did you have in mind?" The feeling was contagious as Kagome found a similar smirk on her own lips.

"Just a little spell I came across one day. It forces a person to tell the truth. It has come in handy quite often when interrogating an enemy. I think I just found another use for it."

"But what if it doesn't work? What if one of them has a dark secret that they would be forced to tell and it would destroy their possible relationship?" Kagome looked horrified at the images playing through her mind.

"You have quite an imagination, little one." Sly chuckled. "And if they have a dark secret that the other can not accept then they are not meant to be." He winked at her while pulling a pouch out of his kimono again. When he opened it she saw it had a number of blackberries in it. He took a few out and popped one in his mouth, enjoying the flavor of it. "Want one? They're quite delicious."

Kagome hesitated when she saw the smirk on his lips again. She narrowed her eyes at him. "How do I know these don’t have a spell on them?"

Sly gave a look of mock surprise, "You silly girl! Would I eat anything that had a spell cast upon it?"

Kagome raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, "If the spell didn't affect you, you would. How do I know that since it is your magic that it affects you the same as everyone else?"

Sly’s eyes did widen in surprise this time. "You’re smarter than you look. I apologize. I have underestimated you."

Kagome grinned at him, happy to be praised.

"Thank you! Now, back to Sango and Miroku...."

"Right. Excuse me!" He called over to the pair. They looked up at him. "Just wondering if you'd like some berries? I found them earlier and they're quite delicious." He held them out and they each took a couple.

"Thank you." Sango said as she smiled.

Miroku took a bite and mumbled out, "Mmmm, they are good. Where did you find them?"

"You know...I can't remember really. I guess I must have been near the western border when I came across them." Sly tapped his chin thoughtfully and only Kagome knew that he meant he had come across the spell near the western border. She giggled and they shared a secret smile.

They went back to talking again and Kagome asked him, "So how long does the spell last?"

"Until I undo it. All it takes is a simple incantation." He glanced over at her, "The subject will eventually come up and if it doesn't we shall have to give it a little nudge. After all we can't have them finding out about the spell or else they might take it the wrong way." He shrugged before continuing, "After all, If you have that big of an imagination I'd hate to see what their minds would conjure up." Kagome laughed lightly at his remark and he smiled at her.

Tilting her head Kagome looked at him. "Just curious, but, why do you have fox ears instead of pointed human ones like Shippou?"

"All the royals of the eastern lands have them." Kagome turned wide eyes to the voice.

"Sesshoumaru!" She calmed her beating heart, remembering what Sly had told them, but she couldn't help but be wary of him. After all, this could still very well be a trap. She really liked Sly but she wasn't sure about Sesshoumaru yet. Then her mind clicked back into place and she registered what he had said. She turned back to Sly even more confused now, "Then why do you have them?"

Sesshoumaru blinked at her and chuckled. "You haven't told them?" He looked at Sly who was scowling at him.

"No I haven't told them and they wouldn't know now if you had kept your big mouth shut." Kagome was taken aback by the tone he used. It wasn't hateful but really irritated.

He sighed and looked to Kagome, "I am the Lord of the Eastern Lands, the proof is upon my brown where lies the rising sun." As he spook these words the symbol for the eastern lands appeared on his forehead.

Kagome figured it was a spell he used to cover it but..."Why?"

"I do not like to be treated like a trophy or a God. You could say I like to 'mingle with the common folk' every now and then. I like to get out and be myself without the pressures of ruling a kingdom. I didn't want you to know Dainichi*."

"You could have told her. She wouldn't have treated you any differently. She has no respect for her betters." Sesshoumaru commented dryly.

"I do so have respect! I just happen to give it only to those who deserve it." Kagome said to him, glaring slightly in irritation. 'I swear! This is Inuyasha all over again. Those two are more alike then either of them care to admit.'

To her right Sly laughed and she blushed as she realized he had heard her thoughts.

"What are you implying?" Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm implying that you do not deserve my respect. Why would I respect a person that has tried to kill me to get to a damn sword?"

"You were in my way."

"I am the way!"

A dead silence spread across the group.

"What?" Sesshoumaru was looking at her, trying to detect a hint of deceit. "What are you talking about you are the way?"

Kagome sighed, realizing her mistake. 'I should have kept my mouth shut.' "When I pulled the fang out that first time, in your father’s tomb, was the first time I met your father. It was an instant in reality but was probably around five minutes in my mind. He told me that since I was a human woman, pure of heart and mind, that I was the swords guardian until it could find the hand of its true master. At first I thought it had been Inuyasha since it transformed for him. But I soon realized that it only transformed when he was protecting me. The sword protected me. That’s why it rejected you, I guess. I'm still not sure about that." Kagome paused, looking thoughtful. "He came to me in a dream once, telling me that the sword had recognized its guardian but was waiting for the right time to show itself. I don't know exactly what he meant by that." She shrugged and focused back to Sesshoumaru and Sly were both were in various stages of shock and disbelief. "What?!" She huffed at them and rolled her eyes mumbling about stupid youkai.

"You’re its guardian?" Sly looked to Sesshoumaru and glanced back at her. "Well! That explains some things now doesn't it." He laughed lightly trying to lighten the mood. "Eh?" He scratched his head and sweat dropped as Sesshoumaru kept his gaze intently on Kagome, who wasn't paying him a bit of attention.

After a moment he spoke, "We should return to my castle soon. If we leave now we might arrive by dusk. Gather your things." He turned and walked back into the woods where he most likely left Rin and Jaken to wait for him.

Kagome sighed, 'Arrogant bastard.' "Sango! Miroku! We're leaving now!" Kagome picked up her yellow backpack and gathered Shippou in her arms as the group walked the way Sesshoumaru had went.

Authors Notes: * Dainichi means 'Great Sun'. Some people (like me) wonder how others came up with names and such so I thought I'd let you know. ;)