Chapter 2: Two More Companions ^O.O^

 

            Kagome abruptly braked, making Inuyasha hurtle forward from his perch on her bicycle.  What is this…?  Kehai?  Her eyes widened.  Shikon no kakera kehai?  From… Her head whirled around back to the village.  Coming from the forest beyond the village?  But it wasn’t there a moment ago… It just appeared.

            “OI, Kagome!!  Teme, what did you think you were doing?!” Inuyasha yelled at her.  But she paid him no heed.  What the hell…?

            “Kagome-sama.”

            “Kagome-chan?”

            “Kagome?”

            She turned her gaze back to her companions and stared into Miroku, Sango and Shippou’s worried faces.  She smiled and shook her head.  “Gomen, minna…” She turned back to the village.

            “Doshita, Kagome-sama?” Miroku asked.

            “I’m not sure.  Just now, out of nowhere, I felt a Shikon shard kehai coming from the forest by the village.”

            Sango gripped Hirakotsu.  “How fast is the youkai moving?”

            Kagome shook her head.  “That’s just it.  I don’t sense a youki and it’s not moving at a fast rate.  It…just suddenly appeared.”  Kagome closed her eyes and tried to sense where the kehai was headed.  She opened them and looked at everyone.  “It seems like it’s headed to the village, but it’s not in any kind of hurry, nor does it seem threatening.  In fact the kehai isn’t tainted.”

            “Nani?” Miroku asked.  “But all the shards we have found have been tainted in one shape or form until you purified them, ne, Kagome-sama?  Are you certain that this one…?”

            “What about Suikotsu? His shard was pure… Until his alternate personality took over. Maybe the same thing will happen with these people.” Sango turned to Kagome. “Are you certain that they’re not youkai and that the shard is purified, Kagome-chan?”

Kagome nodded.  “Ah.  This Shikon shard is already purified and the ones carrying it are human from what I can tell. They have no youki whatsoever. I don’t know what this means, but I want to go back and check it out.”

            “Feh.”

            Kagome turned and saw Inuyasha already heading back.  He turned around to them.  “Instead of talking so much garbage, we should have been there already to snatch the shard before Naraku gets it.”

            Kagome rolled her eyes.  She pedaled her bike up to him, her eyes narrowed.  “Inuyasha, don’t you ever think?  If the Shikon no kakera that’s going toward the village has already been purified then it’s probably a miko or a priest that’s got a hold of it.”

            “So?” Inuyasha shot back.  “I don’t care who has it!  We’ve got to get it before Naraku does.  After we get this shard then we can start heading in Naraku’s direction again.  At least we know that he doesn’t have all the shards yet.”  He turned back around and headed back to the village.

            Kagome sighed.  “Whatever.  Come on guys.”  Shippou went back into the basket on Kagome’s bicycle and Miroku and Sango got on Kirara.  They followed Inuyasha back to the village, all of them wondering what could this possibly mean.

            A purified Shikon shard just appearing out of nowhere?

*          *          *

            “Now what, Akane?” Ranma asked as they hid behind a tree.

            “Why are you asking me, Ranma? I don’t know how to approach these people! We’re in the Sengoku Jidai! They’ll probably think we’re youkai or something, the way we’re dressed.”

            Ranma narrowed his eyes at her. “Why didn’t you think of this sooner?”

            Akane laughed nervously. “Because I thought we’d find Kagome right away and we wouldn’t have this problem. I guess our best bet is to head to Kaede baa-san’s house and wait for Kagome there.”

            “And if she doesn’t show?”

            Akane shrugged. “Then we’ll ask Kaede obaa-san for directions. How am I supposed to know!?”

            “You’re the one who dragged me into this mess, Akane.”

            “I didn’t drag you anywhere. You came of your own free will, Ranma Saotome!”

            “Oi.”

            Akane and Ranma looked away from each other and toward the new voice. And old woman with an eyepatch and miko clothes approached them. Only Akane recognized her.

            “Oh! You must be Kaede baa-san!” She bowed to the old miko. “I’m Akane Tendo.”

            The old woman just lifted her eyebrows. “Ho? Tendo-san? How do you know me?” Kaede looked her up and down. “Are you a youkai? You came from the forest and are wearing strange clothes…”

            “Oi, baa-baa! We’re just looking for Kagome and Inuyasha,” Ranma shouted. “We just don’t want to go across all of Japan looking for them, that’s all!”

            The old miko stiffened. “Kagome and Inuyasha? How do you know them? Why are you looking for them?” She pulled out some talismans. “Until I get an explanation, children, I won’t be telling you anything about them.”

            Ranma narrowed his eyes. “You stupid baa-baa…”

            “Ranma!”

            Akane saw him turn his disgruntled face at her. “What, Akane? This is the old lady you were talking about, right? The one that knows about Kagome and Inuyasha. Well, how are we supposed to catch up with them, if she doesn’t tell us where they went!”

            A vein snapped on Akane’s forehead. “You could at least be more civilized about it! We’re not back home anymore, you moron!”

            “Heh, heh, heh.”

            Akane blinked and turned back to Kaede. The old miko was chuckling. “Kaede baa-san? What’s so funny?”

            Kaede met Akane’s gaze. “You two are very much like the idiots you are looking for. I didn’t think Kagome-sama and Inuyasha could have doubles out there.”

            “Kagome-sama…?” Ranma muttered.

            Akane ignored him. She scratched the back of her head. “Actually, we really are they’re friends. We’re from Kagome’s time, I brought her something—”

            “AH!” Screech.

            Akane looked up and saw a stunned Kagome on her bicycle.

            “A-A-Akane????”

            Akane grinned. “Kagome! Ah! Thank goodness! I thought we going to have to follow you after all!” She went over to her friend and gave the startled Kagome a hug. Akane looked behind Kagome and saw the perplexed faces of a monk and a girl in a kimono. Inuyasha looked stupefied.

            “Akane?” Inuyasha muttered. He looked past her and shook his head in disbelief. “RANMA?! What are you two doing here?!”

            Akane turned and saw Ranma grinning. “Inuyasha! This is perfect!” Ranma declared. He slapped his fist into his palm. “Now we don’t have to go chasing your ass all across Japan! I was getting worried there for a moment!”

            Akane rolled her eyes and turned to the other two people. The handsome monk and the Ukyo-look-alike. She bowed. “I’m Akane Tendo, Kagome’s best friend. Sorry to intrude, but it’s summer break back home and Ranma and I wanted to spend it with Kagome and Inuyasha. Hope we’re not a bother—”

            She saw him out the corner of her eye. The ball of fluff emerging from the basket on Kagome’s bike.

            “Kagome’s best friend?” the adorable child looked up at Kagome. “I thought we were your best friends, Kagome.”

            “Ha…” Kagome half sighed a giant sweatdrop forming on her head.

            “AH! KAWAII!!” Akane snatched him up. She looked at Kagome. “Don’t tell me! This is Shippou, ne? AH, KAWAII!!” She patted his tail.

            Kagome sighed. “Well, I don’t know how you got here, but—”

            “Oh!” Akane reached into her pocket and pulled out the shard. She gave it to Kagome. “The miko back at our temple wanted you to have this, Kagome. I remembered you said that you could got through the well unless you had a Shikon shard. So I brought it with me.” Akane smiled. “Besides, Ranma kept hounding me on when we were going to see you and Inuyasha again.”

            Kagome giggled. “Well, this is a heck of a surprise!”

            “Eh-to… Kagome-chan?”

            Kagome blinked and then turned. “Oh! Gomen! Akane, this is Sango-chan, a taijiya [demon exterminator] and Miroku-sama, a lecherous priest.”

            Miroku sighed. “Kagome-sama…”

            Kagome lifted an eyebrow at him. “I’m not going to let you hit on my best friend, Miroku-sama. Besides, if Ranma caught you asking Akane to bear your child, he’d probably kill you. I’m just warning you ahead of time.”

            “Bear his what?!” Ranma shouted.

            Akane turned around, seeing Ranma’s suspicious gaze and Inuyasha beside him, chuckling mischievously. She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Ranma.” She turned back to Kagome, Miroku and Sango with a smile. She bowed at Miroku. “Sorry, but unfortunately, I’m engaged to the idiot entertaining Inuyasha so I won’t be able to bear anyone’s children.”

            Kagome grinned. “Except his.”

            “Kagome!” Akane shouted, her face flushed.

            Kagome blinked. “What? You just didn’t finish.” She smiled.

            Akane sighed. “So what do we do, Kagome? Should we go back, or can we travel with you guys?” She looked to Ranma and Inuyasha. “I think it’ll be kinda difficult to separate those two now that they’ve finally got together again.”

            Sango shook her head. “I’m not so sure about this, Kagome-chan. Have they had experiences with youkai? Can they fight? Or will we have to protect them all the time?”

            Miroku nodded. “Hai.” He turned to Kagome. “Kagome-sama, I know they are you and Inuyasha’s friends, but truthfully, will they be more of a hindrance than a help?”

            Akane saw her best friend grin. “Miroku, Sango,” Kagome began. “Let’s put it this way. Ranma almost beat up Inuyasha once—”

            “No, he didn’t! I almost had HIM, Kagome!!”

            “What are you talking about DOG-BOY?! I almost ANNIHILATED you!”

            “What was that, PIGTAILS?!”

            Everyone ignored them.

            “As I was saying,” Kagome said. “And when we were visiting a youkai popped up that both Ranma and Inuyasha defeated. And Akane is usually beating up Ranma. She’s really strong, right, Akane?”

            Akane eyed her smiling best friend. “You don’t have to say it like that, Kagome.”

            Kagome turned back to Miroku and Sango. “Don’t worry, you two. They can hold their own. They’re both great fighters.”

            “Let’s finish that fight now, DOG-BOY!”

            “ANY TIME, PIGTAILS! COME HERE!”

            Kagome gave Miroku and Sango a half-hearted rueful smile. “But I figure those two will spend most of the time fighting each other.”

            Sango shook her head. “Well, I supposed any kind of help could be better than none. At least we don’t have to take care of them. They can look out for themselves.”

            Miroku blinked at her and then looked over to Inuyasha and Ranma. “I suppose. But who’s going to protect us from those two?”

            Everyone looked over to see Ranma and Inuyasha already fighting, both of them with grins on their faces.

            Kagome, Akane, Miroku and Sango all gave a collective sigh.

            Shippou shook his head. “Now, we’ve got two idiots. Well, at least they’ll keep each other busy and leave us alone.”

            Everyone nodded in agreement.

            Kagome smiled. “Well, shall we go?”

            Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Akane nodded. They waved farewell to Kaede and began to make their way out of the village again. Kagome put the Shikon fragment that Akane had given her away and sighed.

            “I wonder what’s going to happen now?” she murmured.

            Akane put Shippou back into the basket and then hopped onto back of Kagome’s bike. She gave Kagome a smile. “A very strange adventure?”

            Miroku and Sango made sounds of agreement. Kagome giggled. “Yeah, I guess so.”

            Kaede shook her head at the two boys that were still fighting in the trees. “Inuyasha!” she called out hoarsely.

            “Nani, baa-baa! Can’t you see I’m busy right now?!”

            Kaede chuckled. “Maybe you should finish this little battle later?”

            “Why?!” Inuyasha dodged one of Ranma’s kicks. “Feh! Is that all you can do, pigtails?”

            “You are SO going to eat ground, dog-boy!”

            Kaede shook her head again and began to walk away. Before she entered her home she looked up at Inuyasha and Ranma again. She smiled. “Because everyone has already left.” And with that she entered her hut.

            “WHAT?!” Inuyasha shouted loosing his footing. Ranma who had been about to punch him, missed completely and both of them hit the ground.

            Ranma cursed. “You stupid hanyou!”

            Inuyasha looked around and saw everyone almost out of distance. He cursed and shoved Ranma off. “Now’s not the time to bitch, pigtails!”

            Ranma stood up. “What the hell are you talking about?”

            Inuyasha pointed ahead. “Those damn idiots. They left without us!”

            Ranma looked in the direction Inuyasha pointed. The hanyou leapt off after them. Ranma cursed again. “Damn you, Akane!” And he leapt off after Inuyasha.

            “WAIT FOR US!!!”