Coyote Tricks: Fox Child

This chapter is rated PG for language and suggestive situations. As usual if you haven’t read the disclaimers and warnings in the prologue please do so.

The Past Awaits

Shippo looked at the jewel fragment lying in the box clearly upset.
“Where did you get it” he asked Kurama.
“From the leader of a gang of demons” Kurama answered. “The gang had recently started killing human children and Urameshi was sent to investigate. We don’t know where the leader got the shard but Spirit World intelligence believes it was another shard that was missed in the original search like the one in the Noh mask incident.”
The others nodded remembering the incident with the flesh eating monster killed by Inuyasha in the 20th century.

“What is troubling is that the gang turned out to members of the Shadow Cult and was killing the children as part of a ritual to open a portal into the Demon Realm. They obviously wanted use the jewel shard’s power to try and free the Queen of Shadows.”
“Shit!” Kit exclaimed out loud. The Shadow Cult was made up of demons that worshiped the Queen of Shadows and wanted to help in her quest to destroy all of humanity. Kit and Shippo had received word that the cult was growing, probably aided by the mysterious Momoru, as word spread of the Queen’s aborted escape attempt from her prison.

“Members of the Cult are now seeking to reclaim the jewel shard” Kurama continued. “Of course other demons seek its power also. We want to put it beyond their reach but the demon’s actions have tainted it with evil. Lord Koenma will not allow it to be taken to the Spirit Realm because of that. That leaves us with only one option; it needs to be taken to Kagome as she is the only person who can purify it.”

“That will be a problem” Shippo said. “I keep track of Kagome’s travels into the past and right now she is taking advantage of the summer break to investigate some of the more distant jewel shard rumors. She will be gone for a month.”
“I don’t think we can afford to wait that long with the Cult searching for the shard” Kurama said. “Someone will have to go back to the past to find Kagome. That will kill two birds with one stone. Once the shard is in the past the Cult can’t get to it.”

“But Father said the only ones who could travel through the well were Inuyasha and Kagome” Toshiro commented.
Shippo was quiet as he looked over at Kit. The coyote hanyou was staring off in space thinking.
“No, that isn’t the case” Kit said after a moment. “Anyone who was near the well when the portal first formed will be imprinted with the portal energies and if they can trip those energies they can pass through. Inuyasha and Kagome are both linked to those energies by their relation to the Jewel, which created that portal branch, so it just opens automatically for them. But I was in the well house too when the portal formed and with the training I received from Spirit Singer I could go through it.”
‘So it has come at last’ Shippo thought.

They spent the afternoon discussing the idea and making plans. It was agree that Kit would take the jewel shard through the well to deliver it to Kagome. Kurama and Toshiro both offered to accompany him but Kit rejected the idea.
“It would be too risky,” Kit said. “To take other people through I would have to tune their spirit energy to the well. It’s going to be hard enough opening the well and passing through myself the first time, I don’t have the link to the jewel that Inuyasha and Kagome have so I have to open the door manually, so to speak. On later trips it would be easier to bring someone through, but even if I did, if something happened to me you would be trapped on the other side.”

With the discussion finished, the rest of that day and the next were spent in preparation. Toshiro created a charmed bag that would shield the jewel fragment from detection by other demons. Shippo made a trip down to the outdoor equipment store near the Sunset Shrine and returned with a truckload of supplies.

He was the secret owner of the store that he had set up in a location where Kagome would find and use it for her trips into the past. Using his connections, he enabled Kagome to obtain not only camping equipment but medical supplies and other items that a teenager would not legally be able to obtain; items conveniently appeared on the shelves ‘on sale’ at prices she could afford whenever she came to visit.

Kit stared at the large pile of camping gear, food and medical supplies.
“Shippo,” he complained. “The more mass I have to hold in ether space the more the pocket drains on my spirit energy.”
“You’ll have to manage” the older Kitsune said “you’re not going camping in a national park you know. There are no convenience stores in the Warring States period.”
“I know but this is more than I’ll ever need.”
“Nonsense you can never have too many supplies, just in case.”
Seeing that he wasn’t going to be allowed to win the argument, Kit relented and packed the gear into his ether space pocket. He swore he could feel the weight of all the supplies but after getting a feel of the strain on his spirit energy, he was sure he could manage it as long as he rested regularly.

Kit went to bed early to be rested for leaving in the morning. Shippo watched him go back to his room and ached to follow him. He forced himself to turn his attention to other matters instead.
“Toshiro” he said as he sat down at this desk and pulled out pen and paper.
“Yes, Father?”
“Please call the Watsuki Brothers and ask if they will see me tomorrow afternoon. I have some changes to be made to the one of the guest rooms.”
“Yes Father” Toshiro said, puzzled.

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Kit rose early and started towards the bathroom when he found Shippo was already up. The Kitsune looked like he had been up all night. As Kit started to pass on the way to the bath, Shippo handed him a bottle. It was the special body shampoo that would remove all scent markers from the user.
“Why?” Kit asked looking at Shippo in surprise.
“Think about it” Shippo said. “If you come from the future with my scent on you, Inuyasha and my younger self will have no problem putting two and two together as to who sent you. It is not wise for someone to know too much about their own future; better that they not know I exist in Kagome’s time, it might lead to questions we don’t want asked. If they do ask, just tell them Lord Koenma sent you. That is close enough to the truth to not be an outright lie.”
Kit nodded in understanding and took the bottle.
“It’s never good to lie” Shippo muttered to himself after Kit left the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Kit returned a short while later having cleaned and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. The shirt had a design of a fictional beer bottle label with a picture of a cartoon bear from the rear obviously peeing into a mountain stream. The English label said “Bear-Whiz Beer” and in smaller text “The secret is in the water, that’s why it’s yellow.”
Shaking his head, Shippo stood and placed the jewel shard in its special leather bag around Kit’s neck and then handed him an envelope with the Kagome’s name in large letters on the front.
“This is a special message for Kagome” Shippo said pointing to the envelope. “I want you to keep this and the jewel shard on your person at all times.”
“Why not put them in ether space?”
“Because we don’t know what a jewel shard would do to an ether space pocket and the envelope has directions to Kaede’s village on the back so if something happens to you, there is a way to get word to Kagome.”
Kit looked at the sealed envelope for a second and then shrugged placing it in his back pants pocket.

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They left for the Sunset Shrine in the late morning. Kit decided it was easiest for him to slip into the well house alone so they said their goodbyes in the courtyard. As Kurama and Toshiro wandered off to maintain the appearance of shrine visitors and make sure the elderly priest was sufficiently distracted, Shippo remained behind a moment.
“You be careful” Shippo said, grasping Kit by the shoulder.
“Sure thing, mom” Kit laughed.
“I’m not kidding. Feudal Japan is different from anything you’ve experienced before now. There are many more demons that roamed freely then. And as a hanyou, humans and demons both would most likely want to kill you than shake your hand. Be on your guard.”
“Alright I will” Kit said earnestly, taken aback by the expression of concern.

Kit turned and headed for the well house.
‘Maybe he still cares for me a little after all’ Kit thought to himself, as he entered the building, and wondered if perhaps there was a chance to rekindle their relationship when he returned.
He entered the well house after making sure no one other than Shippo was watching and climbed down the steps to the well. The cover had not been replaced since the last time he was here. His trained senses felt the energy of the nexus below. He sensed the nexus portals, the original one leading to the Demon Realm prison of the Queen of Shadows closed and impassable. The new portal leading into the past was the one he sought and he reached out synching his spirit energy to the portal. Brow furrowed in concentration, he leapt into the well and disappeared.

Shippo stood staring at the door to the well house. Something glittered in the corner of his eye in the morning sun. He rubbed his eyes with his hand and it was gone. Drawing himself up he turned to gather up Toshiro and Kurama.

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Foxfur: So Kit gets to meet little Shippo! How cute!
Stardreamer: Looks that way.
Foxfur: So what’s in the letter?
Stardreamer: You’ll just have to wait and see.
Foxfur pulling out hammer: I don’t want to wait.
Stardreamer (sweatdrops): Well mistakes will happen and startling revelations made in the next chapter, Oops.