Remnants of the Morning Sun

Chapter Four

"Hold on, to what you been given lately.
Hold on.
Cause the world will turn if you're ready or not.
Oh yeah, well the world will turn if you're ready or not."

- "Hold On," KT Tunstall

"Again?" Shippou stared at the board in disbelief. "I lost again?"

Kagome chuckled, fingers wrapping around a warm cup of green tea. Shippou bent over the board, hands on his knees and looking it over for any flukes. The old man had one hell of a strategy. This was the third round he had lost!

The elderly shrine keeper folded his arms over his chest, laughing. "You still need some practice before you stand a chance against me."

"Told you, Shippou," Kagome teased. "Mr. Ojigi has only lost one match at Go since my grandfather's known him."

"There's no challenge nowadays. And Sano's a lousy opponent." Mr Ojigi groused, merely shrugging. "And all the other old geezers around here have 'better' things to do."

"Wait a minute. Who beat you?" Shippou asked. Ojigi turned his head to the side, puffy, bristly eyebrows lowered, and thin lips pursed. A laugh slipped out of Kagome, and Shippou looked over as she lowered her cup.

Shippou's stared. "You?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "No." A large smile had spread over her face then, threatening to split her face in two. "My mother beat him."

"You're joking." Kagome shook her head. Shippou didn't bother smothering his laugher as it bounced around the living room. "You must of been having an really off day, Ojigi!"

"I never have an 'off' day, as you put it." He replied derisively. "That woman doesn't act like it, but she is one hell of a Go player. Kagome would of been too, if she had applied herself back in high school. I told Sano, all that time spent in the hospital she could have been practicing!"

"I barely graduated as it was," Kagome said, playing along. "When I wasn't delirious, I was studying like mad to pass my exams."

"There's always time for Go." He argued. Kagome gave him a disbelieving look and he huffed, turning away, grumbling under his breath something along the lines of, "no respect for the old ways."

As Mr. Ojigi and Shippou cleared the board for another round, Kagome chuckled to herself, glancing at the little boy beside her. He was busy coloring in the grass of what she guessed was the gardens at home. Totally oblivious to the bickering men nearby, Yuki's fuzzy ears twitching every now and again. Unlike Mr. Ojigi, she could still see his demonic appearance perfectly- the silvery hair, tiny claws, pointed canines. She had only seen Yuki's illusion in photographs- The bright, coppery red hair, human ears, and her dark blue eyes. He was just as adorable, though she missed his fox ears and tail.

Picking up her cup, Kagome suddenly paused. There. Something jarred against her senses, leaving an unpleasant sensation in the bottom of her stomach. A demon? What's a demon doing here? But it was gone as soon as it came. "Mr. Ojigi," she asked, distracted, "is the garden still here?"

"Of course," he replied, frowning when Shippou made a move, countering his strategy.

"Then I think I'll step out for a moment. I'd like to see how the flowers are coming in this year."

He didn't he look up, waving his had dismissively. "Go ahead, we'll find you after I win."

"Hey, you haven't won yet!"

Yuki's head suddenly shot up, excitement coloring his voice. "There's a garden here?"

Kagome stilled, and could've groaned when she saw his enthusiastic expression. She knew where this was going. I guess he wasn't as absorbed in drawing as I thought. Kagome opened her mouth, but Mr. Ojigi beat her to it.

"When your mother was a child, she planted a garden by the main shrine with my wife. No one's taken care of it years though; don't know the first thing about gardening myself."

"Mama, can I come with you?" Yuki asked, ears bent unmoving in her direction. She frowned. She needed to find that shikon shard, and if that was a demon she had sensed just now, it would be too dangerous to involve him. No, he'd be much safer inside with Shippou and Mr. Ojigi here watching him.

Shippou had only to glance up at his mother to realize what she was up to, quickly hooking an arm around Yuki's thin shoulders and dragging his against his side. "What are you talking about Yuki? You have to help me beat Ojigi!"

"What? But I don't-"

"I'll be back soon," Kagome reassured, bending down and planting a kiss on her struggling kit's forehead. "Stay with Shippou, okay?"

"But mama-!"

"Yuki," She warned.

"Fine." Yuki pouted, but relaxed in Shippou's hold as he was hauled in to the older kitsune's lap, sitting between his legs. "What's Go, anyway?" He grumbled after a few moments.

"What's 'Go?'" Ojigi asked, as Kagome quickly slipped out in to the hallway and made a beeline for the front door. She heard his voice, even through the walls. "What's 'Go?' What has she been teaching you, boy?"

Ear pressed against the door, Kagome twisted the pin up and a little to the right, jiggling it, waiting for the tell-tale, soft-- 'click.' A grin broke over her face.

Unhinging the lock from its clasp, she pulled the lock free from its hinge and slid the door open. The shed was about three meters wide, and three meters long- Looking even more cramped from the inside. Shafts of light from a single window illuminated the dust particles floating in the air, and Kagome covered her mouth with her hand. Against the walls were shelves filled an odd assortment of antique weapons and baubles, with a central shelf in the middle containing dozens of scrolls. Kagome stepped in to the building, an old board creaking loudly beneath her heel. She winced. Well, I guess it doesn't matter. Ojigi was inside, and no visitors were at the shrine right now. But a deep, foreign voice invaded her mind, her lessons learned well.

Don't get sloppy.

She sighed from the very bottom of her toes, and tread as lightly as possible. Closing her eyes, Kagome's finger skimmed the shelves, following the glow of the shard until she was in the back corner. Lifting her chin up, up... "Great." Kagome blinked her eyes open, to glare at the uppermost shelf. There it was. The glow was a little more sinister that she had hoped, but a shard was shard. She could purify it easily enough.

Going on tip toes, her finger tips only grazed the masks a shelf below. Drat. There was nothing to stand on either. Well, except...

Lifting a hand, she grasped the edge of a shelf and hoisted a foot up on the lowest shelf, climbing one more shelf up before chin was level with the top shelf. She had to bend her neck a bit awkwardly so as not to bang her head against the ceiling.

A small, flattened circular pottery piece, painted with black lacquer and two koi swimming on the lid sat alone on the shelf. It looked pretty, and old. Carefully lifting it up so it rested in her palm, she blew the dust off the top, revealing the shiny orange paint used for the fishes. Very old. A jewelry box? Cradling in to her chest, Kagome lowered herself back to the ground, jumping the last shelf and bending her knees to lessen the impact. She examined the case, walking a few steps so she stood under the window, gray sunlight streaming over the container in her palm as she opened it. Kagome extracted a strip of silk from inside, a glow emanating from between its folds, and unwrapped it too. It was a small fragment of the jewel- a small, fractured, diamond-shape of glowing pink. On one end, a silver fastener had been added, to make it in to an earring. But there was only one. Kagome frowned.

A weak demonic presence thrummed through the air, and Kagome jerked her head to the side, just as the door shut with a bang. It was the same presence she had detected earlier.

Three yellow eyes stared at her through the hollow spaces of the shelves separating them, its wide grin dark and toothy. In the dim light, she could make out dark, green skin and no shirt, only ripped blue jeans.

"So you're the priestess I've heard so much about," he chuckled, eyelids blinking slowly, the third taking a moment longer to finish. "I knew you would come."

Kagome channeled ice in to her gaze, straightening her back. An oni. "You know me?" She asked. Slowly and nonchalantly, she slid the shard in her dress pocket, setting the jewelry box on a shelf, hoping to distract him. His grin widened, large fangs slightly overlapping his upper lip. He hadn't missed the subtle gesture.

"There are rumors in Makai, human, of a priestess killing demons where ever there are Shikon shards." He spoke, walking. Kagome matched his steps in the opposite direction. He paused, keeping close to the exit.

Rumors? Kagome glanced away. There was an antique sword on its stand beside her, the hilt rusty and chipped. The scabbard was in no better shape. But how? There should of been no witnesses, and if there had been, we erased their memories.

"No one thought they were true." He continued, boasting. "They didn't think a powerful priestess could slip through Rekai's fingers without them knowing. But I knew." He advanced in the opposite direction, coming around the curve. "Oh, I knew." His suddenly laughed, gritty lips pulled back in malicious peals of laughter. "But for the priestess to have sired a half-breed son? That is unbelievable!"

Kagome stiffened. "You don't know anything." Snatching the old sword from the shelf, she had only partially unsheathed it when chunks of rocks collided with her hand, and she cried out, the sword clattering on the floor while she cradled her hand. There was a deep gash just above her knuckles. She looked up at the demon, who was casually tossing stones up and down, conjuring more in to his palm. An earth-based demon.

"What are you after?" She demanded, buying time. The sword was beside her foot, a glint of silver between scabbard and hilt, but he was watching her carefully now. She wouldn't be able to get it without some injury. Her mind worked quickly for other options. He was too far away to purify without something to channel her energy through, and she really didn't want to wreck anything in Mr. Ojigi's shed by throwing it at him.

"You have shards of the jewel," he sneered, face darkening with power-lust. "I may even let you work for me if you had them over. It would be a waste if I just killed you."

"Sorry to disappoint, but you won't find my shards." She replied, surprised when that silky, low tone of voice came from her mouth. It sounded eerily like... She shoved the thoughts away. "And I wouldn't work with you if-" Her words faded, seeing the malicious grin spreading across his face, and she followed his line of sight.

Her heart stopped.

"MOVE!" She bellowed.

Yuki's small face disappeared from the window, just as several sharpened rocks shattered through the glass. The oni cursed, more rocks materializing in his palms. But Kagome was already running towards him, charging her hands with energy and slamming them in to him. He fell back against one of the shelves, knocking the contents down with several loud crashes, pottery pieces scattering over the floor. She didn't hesitate. Shoving the door open and scrambling outside, her palm catching on the dirt as she redirected herself to the side of the shed, another attack ricocheting where her foot was moments before.

Yuki was crawling from the bushes surrounding the outside of the shed, dirt smudged over his cheeks and clothes, his blue eyes wide as she ran towards him.

"Mama-!"

"Run!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him beside her, his short legs stumbling to match her long strides. Kagome glanced behind them, the demon shoving the shed door aside, knocking one of the hinges askew. His three eyes were locked on them.

Her arm was abruptly yanked down as Yuki tripped, foot catching in a tangle of weeds. Kagome stumbled with him, palm catching in a puddle of mud. She stared at the weeds that had snagged Yuki's foot. The strange thicket was overgrown, but bright splotches of color were already showing through the weeds. Suzume's garden. Rocks speared the ground around them, and Kagome hissed in pain when a few connected with skin. She wasn't sure if this would work, but-

Kagome knelt, throwing one arm around her tiny son and tucking his body against her chest, away from harm, as her other hand sank in the tangled, soft weave of plants above wet earth, eyes squeezing shut and forcibly shoving her energy in to the ground. The demon was just behind them, a cool shadow falling across her back, and she could hear his arms descending towards her-

Branches crackled, and the sound of rope-like vines tightening. She felt the hot, purification power crackling around her fingertips, infusing the ivy ensnaring his body with it, spiraling around each stem until the demon howled, exploding in to dust. The familiar energy retracted inside her hand, through her veins, but she grit her teeth against the familiar drain. Plant manipulation had always tired her out too quickly. The ivy slackened, dropping in squirming heaps around them, a few stems curling around her ankles and calves.

When the demon's presence completely evaporated from her senses, Kagome slowly loosened her hold on Yuki, forehead dropping on to his shoulder. Yuki still clung tightly to her shirt, shaking, but he wasn't crying.

She panted for air. "Yuki, are you okay?"

"I-I'm sorry I didn't l-listen." He sniffed, nose buried against her throat. "I didn't know you were-"

"You're okay?" Feeling him nod, she threw both arms around him again, crushing him against her. Relief washed over her. She realized she was shaking, too. "That's all I care about." Kagome whispered, heart hammering in her chest. Too close. Too close...

She memorized the feel of his small body pressed against hers, his heartbeat, for a long time. Until his small voice asked, "mama?"

"Yes, Yuki?" It was hard to speak.

He pulled away to look at her, face to face, tears falling down his cheeks and nose turning red. He hiccupped. "I'm sorry."

Kagome brushed the tears away with the pads of her fingertips. "I know." she replied. "But you have to be more careful, Yuki. I mean it. You could of been seriously hurt." Seeing he about to start crying harder, she sighed, gathering him close again. "How about we go back inside?"

He could only nod as she picked him up. Yuki burrowed his face against her neck, taking in deep breaths, taking comfort from her scent. She tried not shaking too. Glancing back, she saw the vines still wriggling as the last of her holy powers seeped out of them.

After a quick call to Sesshoumaru's office on her cell phone, requesting a cleaning crew to take care of the mess they had made (although she was fairly certain some of that stuff was priceless), Kagome walked twice around the main shrine to calm down before she headed towards Mr. Ojigi's house in the corner of the property. The demon's words kept playing over and over in her head, knowing if someone knew she was hunting shards- who she was, who her family was- meant everything they had worked so hard to preserve could be destroyed in an instant. Didn't Sesshoumaru tell her the legend of the Shikon jewel had mostly faded in to myth in the demon realm? So, why now? Why did this demon actively pursue her? And he hadn't known about Yuki until today, thank kami. One thing was for sure: First thing Monday morning, when she was back from the fuedal era, she and Sesshoumaru were going to get to the bottom of this; they needed to find out who saw her, and he or she needed to be taken care of, fast.

Kagome started as a fat raindrop splashed down her cheek, glancing up at the dark thunderheads looming over the shrine. Soon, dozens of droplets were darkening the cobblestones a dark gray. Kagome quickened her steps and as they neared the door, Shippou suddenly flung the door open, frantic, yelling, "Yu-!" He stopped, staring down at the dirty pair. She ducked under the overhang just as a loud clap of thunder echoed across the courtyard, Yuki's grip on her shirt tightening. Kagome flashed an amused grin at Shippou's wide-eyed distress. "What happened?" He demanded, checking her over for injuries.

"We had a little scare in the woods," she explained flippantly as Mr. Ojigi toddled towards the door, pushing Shippou aside. She suddenly felt sheepish, standing on his porch, covered in mud and bleeding after just twenty minutes or so outside. Kagome attempted an innocent-looking smile. "So, who won?" She asked.

Aki Ojigi sighed.

"Some things never change." He shook his head, turning around. "I'll get the first aid kit."

The bathroom was thick with steamy, hot air from his shower. Towel drying his hair, Kurama pulled on a pair of loose, drawstring pants and wiped down the mirror with a washcloth. Green eyes peered back at him through the fog, straggles of dark crimson hair dangling in his eyes. It was a vast difference from his former appearance, pale silvery hair replaced by vibrant red, and a metallic eye color substituted by an earthy green. He no longer remembered what had possessed him choose such a vivid difference, but it didn't really matter. Several fox clans had this coloring, so it might have been an instinctual reference to his heritage without being obvious. Though he could see the subtle similarities in his appearance, too, to his demonic one. Opening the door, Kurama padded soundlessly in to the hallway and towards the large window in the living room. The clock above the stove read a little past eleven pm in bright neon colors. Unlatching the locks, he slid it open.

The wind carries the heavy scent of rain, filling his lungs. City lights reached like dim starlight through the haze of rain, street lamps highlighting the multi-colored umbrellas below and the traffic steadily passing through the streets. Puddles were gathering on the side of the pavements already, even though the storm had began just over an hour ago. Forearms resting on the sill, he felt the wind play with his hair, long strands ghosting over his bare chest, and he let his mind wander. Two days ago, Koenma had called them in to his office, reporting that the Shikon jewel shards had turned up missing from the vaults. He was still running an inventory check to make sure nothing else was taken.

As a former thief, Kurama knew how easy it was to bypass the security in the Rekai vaults, although he had hoped Koenma would of added more security measures since his break-in. The prince made it easy for thieves. Few leads had been found as to the whereabouts or identity of the thief or thieves, though the toddler ruler now seemed hell-bent of gathering shards to avert a major disaster. Kurama remembered he had agreed to his mother's invitation to dinner next week, and wondered if he would be able to make it this time. So help him, if he didn't, he was going to throttle the child ruler.

BANG BANG BANG

He turned towards the door, jarred from his thoughts by the racket. He inhaled deeply, trying to scent out his visitor, though he had a good idea who it might be. Summoning a seed and transforming it in to his rose whip, as a precaution, he slowly approached the door.

BANG BANG BANG

"Yo! Kurama, you awake or what?" A loud voice demanded from outside.

Kurama unlocked the dead-bolt, pushing the door open part way. Through the crevice, a dark form waited outside his door. Meeting the annoyed dark brown eyes of the detective, his hair un-gelled and hands jammed in his pockets, Kurama retracted his rose whip and hid the seed against his palm.

Kurama smiled briefly at his disheveled appearance. "Yuusuke, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Bout time," Yuusuke elbowed his way in, sidestepping Kurama, and hopping as he tugged off his shoes. "Has anyone ever told you sleep like a rock?" He asked, finally snagging his sneaker and discarding it by the door, next to his other. He moved on to the kitchen, or more importantly, to the fridge. Neither of them needed to turn on the lights, seeing fine with their demonic eyesight. "We have a mission." Yuusuke kicked the door shut, and had the carton of orange juice in his hand. He pulled the flap open, about to take a swig-

Kurama shot him a look. "Glass."

The spirit detective rolled his eye, muttering something, but obeyed, retrieving one from the cupboard.

"What is the mission?" Kurama asked, discreetly returning the seed to his hair while approaching the other side of the counter, sectioning off the living room from the kitchen. "Has Koenma found a lead on who stole from the vaults?"

"Dunno. Keiko woke me up because Botan called, saying that a demon was at a local shrine and we're suppose to take care of it." Yuusuke replied, yawning. "Damn, I'm tired. Babysitting is a pain in the ass."

"I'm surprised Keiko left you alone with her cousin and Ryoki at the same time." Kurama remarked. "How did it go?"

"They almost killed me, that's what. I don't know how Keiko makes it look so damn easy."

"She does have more patience than you when it comes to kids." Kurama chuckled at his friend, leaning against his tabletop with his arms crossed. "So did Botan say anything else about the mission?"

Yuusuke shrugged. "Hope not."

Kurama mentally agreed with the sentiment. This would be the third Shikon-related mission this week. "Do you have the address?"

"Yeah." The detective dug his hand in his pocket and threw a crumpled scrap of paper on the counter. Kurama picked it up, flattening it and reading the neat cursive of Yuusuke's wife. It was about twenty minutes away from his apartment.

"I'll be ready in a few minutes."

Ta-Dah! And that's all for today, but two updates in one day isn't so bad, if I do say so myself. I want to thank all of you have reviewed, and those who just read and came back for more. I don't know what I would do without you guys; I really appreciate the feedback! I know these first few chapters are a little slow (yawn), since I'm still getting used to writing the characters this way, but any constructive comments or opinions are greatly appreciated. Love you guys!

Next Chapter: KURAMA AND KAGOME FINALLY MEET !! Believe me, I've been waiting for this chapter since I first started brainstorming for this story. Squee!

Published: May 24, 2008