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I fixed the spacing!! However, the indentions kind of died...



Chapter One The Tail Begins.


Miroku sat atop his watch post and sighed. His coal black eyes had been checking out the scenery for days and not one interesting thing had passed through his vision. Not one pretty girl had passed through the town he and his motley troupe were resting in for days. The last one he had seen had been gorgeous, with silver hair, an unpronounceable name that began with K, and the most striking grey eyes. They had started flirting and dating for awhile, Miroku taking her to see the sunset, she not doing much of anything. Then, as things had begun to get hot and heavy, Miroku had found out that the girl was very much a man.


The man had left after he found a new boyfriend. Miroku was still embarrassed over the incident.

"Hey, Miroku." A boy with silver hair and amber eyes walked up to Miroku's post. Miroku had chosen a spot near the town's only gates in hopes of catching the attention of nubile girls. So far all he had caught was suspicious looks from wrinkly old ladies, which, sorry to say, weren't his type.

"What's up, Inu?" Miroku reached out and tried to touch one of the boy's silver dog ears. He had white fur inside them and a matching, extremely fluffy silver tail that had white tips on each of the hairs. Inu resented the often-made joke that his tail looked psychedelic.


The tail and the gesture had both evolved from a battle with a man who tried to manipulate their crew. But all it had done was to add a tail to Inu the hanyou's tailless self. The gesture was to make sure that Miroku was really Miroku, as the man had disguised himself as members of the group. Even though the man was long dead, they were still paranoid.

"Kagome wants to take the group to check out a relic near here." Inu sat gently and carefully down next to the monk. He was still getting used to the tail.

"A relic?" Miroku frowned. "Those are pretty rare. Is she sure?"

"Her astral vision was dead on about it. She said it lit up like a Christmas tree, whatever that is." Kagome had first been only able to sense jewel shards but after protecting the rebuilt jewel for a year or two her ability had grown. She could now sense anything even faintly magical.

"Didn't her grandfather want her back for a weekend?" Miroku asked. "Now that he took her out of school she's stayed here most of the time." He frowned again, a common look for him nowadays. "I still don't like it that Kagome got out of school. She needs her education. She's only fifteen."


"All she needs to learn she can learn here." Inu explained. "If Kagome's going to live here, she needs to learn how to survive round the clock, not just for a few days at a time." Inu shook his head. "I don't see what use algebra would be."

Miroku shrugged. "I stand by my opinion." Inu nodded tiredly. This sort of thing happened quite a lot between them.

"As for the weekend, her grandfather canceled." Inu explained. "I talked with him about it and he said that it was her mother's idea." His pupils became slits and he took on an angry tone. "He said it was a ploy that her mother conceived. She was going to take her to the movies, and while they were away her grandfather was to close up the well for good."

"Never to operate again?" Inu nodded stiffly. Miroku tried to keep an even, calm tone. "Did Kagome know of this?"


Inu shook his head. "No...her grandfather was the one who wanted to meet with me. He explained that her mother has been all out of sorts since Kagome decided to live here full time." Inu grinned despite himself. "He's still going to close up the well, but he'll do it when he's sure she's here with us."

"Must be pretty harsh for Kagome."

"No. She wants to stay here. Kagome hates her own time now because of the bombings."

"I thought none of her friends were injured."

"They had radiation sickness." When Miroku looked confused, Inu added, "It's like being cooked from the inside out."

"Her brother was caught in the blast, correct?"

"Yeah. He was in the classroom the bomb landed in."

Miroku sighed and leaned back, staring up at the crystal blue sky. "Sometimes I think that things are easier and safer here then they are there."

"They have science, we have magic. It's equal." Inu leaned close to him. "It just takes longer for them to die."

Miroku closed his eyes. "What time does Kagome want to head out?"

"Around dawn. After we get back, if nothing comes of it we'll head out to Karachi's old castle. There are all kinds of weird rumors flying around that place that we can investigate."

"Bits and pieces of Naraku still infect certain places." Miroku mused. "I wonder if that's the reason."

"I don't know. That's why were going there; to figure things out before people get hurt." Inu supported himself on one foot and got to his feet. As he brushed the dirt off, he offered a hand to help Miroku up.

Miroku waved it off. "I think I shall stay out here for a little while longer. Solitude can be good for the soul..."

"Too much can damage the soul, Miroku. Remember that." Inu turned on his heels without another word and walked back into town.

Miroku lazily waved it away. "That hanyou has been spending too much time with Kagome..." As his gaze swept around he stole a glance at his right hand. It was wrapped in faded blue cloth and was wrapped around with prayer beads.

"I wish I had somebody to spend that much time with." The monk sighed. He glanced up at the fluffy clouds and clear-blue sky. The sun was at high noon and shining in all its glory.

"Alas, that is the fate of my family. We always chase-but we never achieve what we reach for." Miroku tucked his hands into the folds of his robes. "I just hope I become the first man in our family to find what he is looking for."

He waited until after the sunset to head back to the cabin the group was renting from some old guy. It was a nice enough place but Miroku was itching to sleep in the woods again. The forest soil was much softer than their straw beds.

Sango glanced up from her work for a split second when he entered, but then sighed angrily and looked back down. The two of them had gone out for awhile but after Miroku had displayed a power that no-one else knew of, one he thought she could cope with, she had freaked out and had almost broken. He had erased the memory and replaced it with one of a bad break-up. He could have replaced it with memories of a happy relationship, but now that Miroku knew that she couldn't handle the true him, he didn't lust after her anymore.

Shippo was messing around with a meat bun on his little platform. The platform was meant for a table, but they let Shippo use it for a play area.

Miroku sat there next to him. "Hey there, little buttmunch," he greeted. Shippo gave him a little wave and focused his attention back on the pastry. Miroku stuck a thumb over his shoulder, and without bothering to lower his voice, asked: "What's she working on?"

"Inu wanted her to register us as demon hunters, considering that we've killed our fair share." Shippo gave him one of his trademark bored looks. "And now that Kohaku is gone to meet whatever maker he believes in-for good- she's finally getting around to it." The little kitsune's eyes brightened. "We'll get to use those cool mask thingies. Whatever they do."

"Those 'cool mask thingies' protect you from poison, you little turd. Go kill a chicken or something." Sango said, not once glancing up from the paperwork. Miroku and Shippo shared a look. Shippo's eyes pleaded with him. He was the only one who knew of what happened. Miroku had replaced everyone else's memories but his; the little kitsune had too powerful of a mind.

"Fine." Miroku nonchalantly stood up and strode over to Sango. He placed a hand solidly on her shoulder and asked quietly, "Are you having a nice, calm day, Sango?"

Sango's muscles suddenly relaxed and Shippo, ever the one sensitive to auras, shivered as her power calmed. She smiled beautifully up at the monk. "Yes, I am. Thank you for asking."

"Good. Sorry to interrupt." Miroku strode back over to the snickering Shippo. He raised an eyebrow. "Is something funny?"

"I just think it's funny that Sango couldn't handle your ability to manipulate minds." He wiped a tear away. "You don't use it unless in cases of extreme need."

"You know which power she couldn't handle." Miroku refused to look down. "Her inability to accept it forced me to remove her knowledge of this one."

Shippo steadied himself on the meat bun. It made a soft squish noise, but since it was half Shippo's size it wasn't affected all that much. "Sorry, Miroku," he said, his voice sincere."

"Mmm." Miroku looked away, towards the door. "Where are Inu and Kagome?"
He wanted out of the cabin.

"They're off telling the old man that we're leaving soon." Shippo sighed. Miroku turned around and took a sharp intake of breath. Shippo was making a mushroom bud out of the wood. He only did that when something was wrong.

"What happened?" Miroku asked. Shippo shook his head. The mushroom grew with a little buddy by its side. Something was very wrong.

"Kagome has been acting sorta strange ever since she's been blocked from her own time." Shippo looked up at the monk. "She and I were talking, like we do every morning, when I noticed that something was wrong with her teeth." He shuddered. "She had fangs, Miroku, like Inu. She's changing."

"That doesn't mean that her personality will change." Miroku flashed a half-smile. "Heck, my body has changed a whole lot since you met me-"

"Yeah, but you've become more of a perv," Shippo muttered. "I hope Kagome doesn't change like that." Miroku plaintively ignored him, though it took effort.

"-but my personality," here he glared at the kitsune, who shrank back, "hasn't changed that much."

Shippo turned his back. The mushrooms, however, betrayed his emotions and sank back into the wood. "I'm just afraid she'll become a whole new person, like Kohaku did."

"But, Shippo, Kohaku was only that way because Naraku made him that way." Miroku tried to explain. "He can't be doing this to Kagome; he's dead."

Shippo stayed turned around, but his reply was scathing. "How can you be so damn sure? We killed the body, sure, but parts of his spirit still hang around. He could still be manipulating us even after he's gone."

Miroku sat passive. "We'll never be sure. But at least we can take comfort in knowing that we're better equipped to handle Naraku this time. Just have fun in thinking about what she'll become." He smiled. "She might not be the nightmare of your dreams."

"I'm the nightmare of what?" Kagome demanded. She stood in blue jeans and a long sleeved black turtleneck at the door. Her black sneakers tapped on the floor. Inu was nowhere to be seen.

"The nightmare of all married men," Miroku said smoothly, switching modes. "Nice to see you out of your school uniform."

"These clothes are far more durable." Kagome sat on the floor next to them. Miroku ignored the bloodstains; they were from their recent epic battle with the Lord of Darkness.

"Where's Inu? He needs to help pack so that we can leave tomorrow." Shippo frowned. "I'm always stuck packing."

"He's out buying supplies. I got tired of doing that long ago." Shippo gave Miroku an "I told you so" look. Miroku nodded slightly as Kagome smiled at the two, flashing fangs.

"Wow, Kagome, your teeth seem longer than usual." Miroku pointed out not-so-subtly. Kagome gave him an odd look.

"Miroku, do me a favor and cut down on the bizarre comments." Kagome pulled a small pouch out of her pocket and handed it to Shippo. "Here, I got you some little candy things. Save them, though, the trek to the relic will take awhile."

"When are we leaving?" Shippo asked, holding the bag at arms length and giving it a critical eye.

Kagome shrugged. "Most likely, we'll leave around dawn. The trek takes at least 3 hours without supplies. I don't know how long it'll take with everyone's supplies." She caught Sango lying asleep out of the corner of her eye. "Is she ok?"

Miroku put on the mask of a disgruntled boyfriend. "I don't know or care. You ask her." Shippo nearly doubled over in mirth, but Miroku but a quick stop to that with a cuff to the head.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "You two seem to know something I don't." she said. Miroku grinned.

"All I know is the wonders of you're-" Before the lecherous monk could finish his sentence he found himself being pummeled.

"I-"

"Ow!"

"Kagome, I-"

Kagome uttered her fair share, too:

"You lecherous (slap) no-good (punch) perverted (slam) scrap of a (headlock) human!" She yelled. Sango murmured something in her sleep and rolled over. Shippo watched with shocked eyes.

"Kagome, please stop pummeling my friend. He doesn't have much dignity left anyway." Inu walked in the door in his fire-rat robe-minus the rosary.

As Miroku muttered a thanks and Kagome stalked to the other side of the room, Shippo asked curiously, "Where's the necklace Kaede gave you?"

"..." Inu kept silent and sat down on the matt. Shippo sniffed the air and a mushroom popped up out of nowhere right next to Miroku. Miroku gave it a disinterested look as he spat blood onto the dirt.

"Something smells wrong." Shippo looked Inu in the eye. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"

Inu sighed and nodded. "Kaede disappeared this morning from a village in the north." He refused to look at anyone. "She was helping out the refugees. My necklace disintegrated around the time she disappeared."

"Where there still demons in the area? I heard that there was a small faction of renegades left." Kagome asked.

Inu threw his hands up in defeat. "I don't know. It could be that she was kidnapped by the demons, it could be anything. But since my necklace disintegrated, chances are that she's dead."

Everyone kept silent for a moment. Then Shippo asked in a small voice, "Was it around nine in the morning?"

Inu nodded. "That's what the reports say."

Shippo gulped. Inu was suspicious as to why he wanted to know, but he kept silent. It wasn't really any of his business.

Later that night, as everyone bunkered down and finished packing, Shippo scooted his pallet next to the monks. Miroku was sound asleep, dreaming about nubile young high school girls. Not out of the norm, really.

"Miroku," Shippo whispered, trying to wake him up. Miroku, from years of training and a really harsh life, immediately woke up.

"Is something wrong?" Miroku rolled over and asked the kitsune.

"Miroku, you know how Kagome's teeth have changed?" Miroku nodded. It's not like he could've forgotten. "It's always at the same time. It's pretty much the only constant thing in our lives now."

Miroku nodded again. "It helps you feel stable, and it helps you survive the day, to talk to someone."

Shippo raised an eyebrow, but continued. "It's always around nine in the morning." He swallowed. "That's when I noticed her teeth. That's also when Kaede disappeared."

Miroku pondered that for a minute. "There may be some connection..." he said slowly, "but we won't know for sure unless more things happen." He patted the kitsune on the head. "We'll ask people who were connected with her if they felt anything around that time."

Shippo pulled away from the patting. "Miroku, how do you know so much about these things?"

"Life tends to force these things on you." Miroku sighed and pulled up his blanket. "Better get back to sleep, kiddo. We have a long day ahead of us."

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