Chapter 7:
An Unexpected Ally
(Opening: Yura Yura - Every Little Thing)
The next morning, the group was walking silently... the words Kikyou had said to them the previous night were still echoing in their heads, and they were obviously apprehensive about the whole situation.
- 'Things are getting rather dire… between Naraku learning about the Crystal and with him targeting Kagome to use her powers… what should we do now?' – thought Gerardo as he barely put any attention to where he went. However, this turned out to be a mistake when they were walking through a mountain road, as he continued walking right until he was standing at the very edge…
- "Gerar, where are you going!?" – said Gabriela when she noticed her brother was about to fall off. The others turned to see, and got greatly scared.
- "What are you doing!?" – shouted Inuyasha.
- "Gerardo-kun, stop!" – said Sango.
- "Don't take one more step!" – said Kagome.
Gerardo woke up from his trance-like state, with a foot already on the edge of the mountain, as the others ran and shouted at him. However, the border crumbled away below his feet at that moment and he began falling down. He managed to get hold of a ledge before he fell completely… but the place he was grabbing on was beginning to crumble too.
- "Gerardo!" – shouted the others. They stopped running from the shock when he fell, but they began doing it again when they noticed he was still holding on. However, it didn't seem they would be able to get to him in time.
- 'Damn, this happens because I'm so scatterbrained… even if I transformed in to dragoon form, it'd be too late to save myself…' – thought Gerardo as the border finally collapsed and he fell from the mountain… however, someone took him from the hand, pulled him up and threw him into the rocky ground as they jumped up and disappeared. He landed on his stomach, and while he got some bruises from this and his clothes all covered in dirt, he was at least safe.
- "Gerar!" – said Gabriela as she ran and knelt at his side with her eyes filled with tears.
- "Are you okay?" – asked Kagome worried as she gave him her hand in order to help him stand up again when they reached the place where the figure left him.
- "Idiot! How could you be so much of a klutz to even fall off from a mountain like that!?" – shouted Inuyasha as he gritted his fangs.
- "I'm very sorry… I was thinking a lot about some things and I wasn't paying attention…" said him as he looked at the ground and absentmindedly dusted himself off.
- "Calm down now" – said Miroku as he put himself between Gerardo and Inuyasha – "What's important here is that we're all safe and that nothing happened to Gerardo-kun" –
- "Gerar…! I thought you'd die!" – said Gabriela as she threw herself into her brother crying after he was back on his feet.
- "I'm sorry, Gaby. There, there… I'm okay…" – said Gerardo as he stroked her head in an attempt to calm her down.
They let Gabriela cry on his chest for a little longer. When she calmed down enough, they continued their way. After a while, they began descending from the mountain and finally reached a river that had several trees growing at both of its shores.
- "Hmmm, looks like a good place to test out my powers over water!" – said Gerardo excitedly as he ran to the river's shore.
- "What? Are you gonna splash about on the river or something?" – said Inuyasha mocking him.
- "Oh, you just wait and see. I'll make you swallow these words. Ochis meya, hydrast, iarae sos zyola..." – said Gerardo as he clapped his hands together and concentrated. He began moving his hands around; getting out a relatively large mass of water from the river that he gave the shape of a snake.
- "Whoa, impressive!" – said Kagome as she looked at what Gerardo was doing.
- "Keh, it isn't anything special" – said Inuyasha crossing his arms and turning his head in an arrogant way.
Gerardo then began moving it around himself with some efforts, as he still didn't have experience manipulating water in this way. However, he ended losing the control over it and caused the snake to collapse into a mass of water over Inuyasha. This made everyone begin laughing…
- "Damn you… how you dare to get me wet!?" – shouted Inuyasha furious as he dashed to Gerardo while still dripping water.
- "Ah! Shiazeae!" – screamed Gerardo as he raised a hand and looked at other side surprised and scared. For a second it seemed like Inuyasha was going to get to him and make him mincemeat, but in the end he was stopped by a small arc-shaped barrier that had a blue shining color.
- "I'm sorry, I didn't intend to invoke that Water Barrier! And sorry for throwing you all that water, it was an accident, I swear!" – said Gerardo as he put on a foolish smile while the barrier disappeared. He then clapped his hands again, moved them in Inuyasha's direction and snapped his fingers twice, making all the water that had Inuyasha drenched evaporate and leaving him dry in an instant. This calmed him down, as he merely crossed his arms again and stopped trying to attack Gerardo.
- "You look better as a wet dog, Inuyasha…" – said a familiar inexpressive voice.
- "Who said that!? Sesshomaru, are you there!?" – shouted Inuyasha upon recognizing the voice and odor as he looked around, unsheathing Tessaiga in case he had to fight. They then saw that Sesshomaru was going closer to them from behind.
- "Sesshomaru, what the hell are you doing here!?" – shouted Inuyasha as he pointed Tessaiga at him. The others had also drawn their weapons in preparation for anything that could happen.
- "Stop barking in vain, Inuyasha. I am not here to seek a fight with you…" – said Sesshomaru.
- "Sesshomaru-sama! Sesshomaru-sama!" – they head some voices behind him getting closer to them, and a few seconds later, Jaken, Rin and Ah-Un were at Sesshomaru's side.
- "Rin! And Jaken the toad-man too!" – said Gerardo surprised when he saw them, which made everyone burst in laughter when they heard how he called Jaken.
- "Agh! How dare this human to refer to me like that!" – shouted Jaken as he stomped the floor – "Sesshomaru-sama, allow me to teach him some manners!" –
- "Jaken, shut up…" – said Sesshomaru, which made everyone laugh even harder.
- "Urgh… very well, Sesshomaru-sama…" – said Jaken very distraught as he fell to his knees while Rin patted him on the head.
- "Oh, poor Jaken-sama…" –
- "So, to what do we owe the honor of your visit, Sesshomaru?" – inquired Gerardo employing an attitude similar to Sesshomaru's own, which paralyzed everyone else's laughter, and left Inuyasha and Kagome looking at him perplexed.
- "How do you dare call Sesshomaru-sama without honorifics and in such an informal tone!?" – screamed Jaken as he hit the ground.
- "Jaken! Are you meaning to disobey my orders?" – asked Sesshomaru as he made one of his scary smiles.
- "Aghh! Please forgive me, Sesshomaru-sama…" – said Jaken scared as he stepped back with Rin at his side.
- "So, why did you come here?" – asked Gerardo.
- "I have come to join you for the time being… I am very interested in finding about what makes you so strong… and what is that strange aura surrounding you…" – said Sesshomaru looking at him with suspicion, though his gaze then fell on the sword Gerardo had at his hip – "As I can see, you have found yourself a sword of your own…" –
- "Forged by the same blacksmith that made the Fang Swords. And we'll allow you to travel with us, under two conditions…" – said Gerardo.
- "What you think you're doing!?" – asked Inuyasha.
- "I think he could turn out to be a great help for us, and besides… a new friend wouldn't be a bad thing to Gaby…" – said Gerardo with a sarcastic smirk.
- "Tell me then, which are the conditions you want to place upon me in exchange for allowing us to travel with you?" – said Sesshomaru inexpressively.
- "First, I want you and Inuyasha to refrain from fighting each other all the time unless it is for training, which will be under the supervision of us all… And second, relinquish the thought of trying to take the Tessaiga by force…" – said Gerardo.
Everyone was left astounded when he finished saying that.
- 'No way… is he really talking to Sesshomaru like that?' – thought Kagome.
- 'Impossible… I thought no one would be able to say these things to him without getting their heads ripped off from their bodies…' – thought Miroku.
Inuyasha could only gape in shock from this.
- 'How insolent! That human has no right to talk to Sesshomaru-sama like this… but if I try saying anything… the master's going to…' – thought Jaken irritated, but he then gulped upon thinking about what Sesshomaru would do to him if he disobeyed his orders.
- "So these are your conditions… very well, I accept them…" – said Sesshomaru finally, which made the jaws of everyone present there fall to the ground: they thought they couldn't be any more surprised – "But first, show me the powers you possess now…" –
- "Understood… I'll comply with your wishes" – said Gerardo as they both drew their swords. Inuyasha was about to object to this, but Kagome interrupted them…
- "Wait! I can feel the presence of a Shikon shard, and it's getting close!" – said her as she looked in the direction behind them.
- "Are you sure?" – asked Inuyasha. This made the duel that Gerardo and Sesshomaru were about to have to disappear from their minds.
- "Yeah, I don't know how… but this shard feels different from the others…" – said Kagome worried, as she wasn't sure how to explain it.
- "Looks like we'll have to leave our duel for later…" – said Gerardo, and feeling something was coming behind him, he swiftly slashed with his sword behind himself, killing off a wolf youkai.
- "Keh! These youkai are no more than trash!" – said Inuyasha seeing the remains of the creature, but they didn't have any time to do anything else, as a swarm of these youkai instantly began coming after them.
- "Where are these things coming from!?" – said Shippou as he jumped on Kagome's shoulder to seek shelter as the others avoided or blocked their bites and lunges.
- "I don't know, but they're all carrying Shikon shards!" – said Kagome noticing the glimmer of the shards, but… - "It's impossible, as there aren't supposed to be more shards out there anymore… and they have a weird color" –
A wolf youkai tried to lunge at her, but Inuyasha instantly jumped in front of her and killed the youkai with a swipe of his Tessaiga – "Don't just stay there!" –
- "Thanks, Inuyasha!" – said Kagome with a smile as she also aimed at one of the wolves and shot a Sacred Arrow, eliminating it.
- "And what did you mean with these shards having a weird color?" – asked Miroku as he whacked two of the wolves with his shakujou.
- "They don't have any of the colors the Pearl is supposed to have in its different states of purity and pollution… it's black… and darker than even what Naraku has stained it…" – said kagome as she trembled a bit from it.
- "Rin, stay back…" – told Sesshomaru at the young girl. Rin nodded and stayed back with Jaken and Gabriela, so the others could protect them from the youkai.
- "Anyway, looks like we'll have to speed things up a little… everyone, stay away from me for a little!" – said Gerardo while he and the others keep themselves busy avoiding the attacks from the wolves to then counterattack.
- "Wait… aren't you trying to say that you have an attack similar to my Kazaana, right?" [- said Miroku as threw a trio of ofudas to the wolves, managing to paralyze one of them and allowing Sango to finish it off with her Hiraikotsu..
- "No, but it's a bit dangerous, so please stay back until I'm done… Olpla siat, hakisa milla siraekalt ika sos!" – replied him as he created a rope of water and rolled it between his heart and index fingers – "Water Whip!" –
As soon as everyone put some distance between him and themselves, excepting for Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, he began swinging the water rope around himself, which made small cuts on them as it made contact.
- "Come on! Don't you want some fresh meat?" – said Gerardo in a mocking tone to the wolves, which roared enraged and jumped at him. Upon seeing this, Gerardo began spinning like a top, and as the wolves turned themselves into easy prey for his attacks, they fell down dead in a few seconds. Inuyasha didn't receive damage thanks to his clothes, while Sesshomaru didn't even flinch when the whip touched him, so it was impossible to know if it was causing harm to him or not.
- "That attack was like…" – said Inuyasha as he looked at Sesshomaru through the corner of his eye. As for Jaken, he was left speechless upon seeing the water whip.
- "Yeah, it's similar to the whip Sesshomaru makes with his poison claws. The difference is that mine is made from water, but due to it lacking that powerful poison, it isn't as strong as his whip of light…" – said Gerardo as he allowed the whip to dissolve and fall to the ground as plain water – "Anyway, that isn't important right now" –
They then began looking at the shards the monsters had dropped upon their death, but they didn't seem to be Shikon shards…
- "Are these even Shikon shards?" – asked Sango as she looked at them with suspicion: they had their same shape, but were completely black – "They have such a strong evil presence flowing out from them…" –
- "No, they can't be shards from the Shikon Pearl…" – said Kagome as she tried to grab one of the shards. Gerardo made a gesture to stop her, but it was too late: Kagome took it between her fingertips, but it gave her a small discharge that made her scream in pain and forced her to drop it as soon as she touched it.
- "Kagome, are you okay?" – said Inuyasha as he and the others ran to check on her.
- "I'm fine but… these things contain so much demonic energy inside themselves that I can't touch them, much less purify them… And I even doubt that Kikyou or Midoriko could purify these evil shards…" – said Kagome a bit frightened as she caressed the hand she had used to try picking up the shard: it had left something similar to a small burn in her fingers.
- "I think these are… shards from the Crystal of Shadows…" – said Gerardo in a serious tone – "That's the objective of our mission" –
- "These are the shards you have to seek?" – asked Miroku as he put his hand in his chin and his eyes narrowed.
- "Yes, they are" – said Gerardo as he checked the inner pockets of his kimono. He took out something that seemed like a bag made from leather with silver parts that emitted a soft light, and covering his hands with it, he grabbed the shards and dropped them inside the bag – "This item I just used is a Satchel of Light, and we have to use them in order to put the shards away. As you have noticed, they are harmful to the tact, and they can corrupt the souls and minds of people if exposed to them for a long time" –
- "They sound kinda similar to the Souunga" – said Inuyasha crossing his arms, which made Sesshomaru throw him an unpleasant glare in response.
- "Make sure to not mention that accursed sword in my presence, Inuyasha" – said Sesshomaru in an irritated tone, though soft enough to pass off as his normal expressionless voice. Inuyasha just scoffed.
- "Anyway, I'd say that they are even worse: they can also affect hanyou and youkai. Additionally, they have the property of nullifying and stealing the powers of miko, monks and even Seirei Magic users through the discharges they release on contact" – said Gerardo with a worried expression.
- "I should be more careful…" – said Kagome looking a bit sad.
- "Rather, I'm sorry for not explaining it before" – said Gerardo with a sad smile.
- "HAND OVER THESE SHIKON SHARDS!" – shouted a voice out of nowhere, and upon looking in its direction, they saw that a large brown red-haired oni was running toward them.
- "Another piece of useless, low-level youkai trash… it isn't even worthy of my sword…" – said Sesshomaru as he merely launched a stream of poison at it with his poison claws, but it didn't affect it – "What…?" –
- "I'VE GOT A SHIKON SHARD! YOUR ATTACKS CAN'T EVEN SCRATCH ME!" – roared the oni as he tried to attack Sesshomaru, but he merely side-stepped to avoid the attack as if it was nothing.
- "Kagome, does that thing have a Shadow fragment?" – asked Gerardo as he readied his sword and shield.
- "Yes! It has it right on its forehead!" – said Kagome when she noticed the place in the oni's body where the black aura was seeping out from.
- "Hey, that's my line!" – shouted Inuyasha holding Tessaiga aloft as he looked at Gerardo enraged.
- "Hey, I didn't want to try stealing your line! And what else were you expecting me to say!?" – said Gerardo in the same enraged tone as Inuyasha.
- "You would do better to leave that childish fight for later, unless you plan on finishing it in the afterlife…" – said Sesshomaru as he unsheathed Tokijin and used it to slash at the oni. Sango and Miroku were also concentrated in trying to attack it while avoiding its tackles and swipes.
- "Neither my Hiraikotsu or Kirara's bites are doing anything to it!" – said Sango upon seeing that the small scratches their attacks caused disappeared instantly.
- "My ofudas can't do anything to it either!" – said Miroku as he tried doing it again: the ofudas fixed to the monster for a couple of seconds and released a small discharge of spiritual energy, but the burst in flames and burned away immediately after that.
- "Looks like the shard increased the powers of that thing too much…" – said Inuyasha as he clenched his fangs.
- "Sesshomaru, don't attack it with Tokijin! Anything that has these fragments absorbs and gets healed by attacks that have the Shadow element, and that sword happens precisely to use it for its energy blasts!" – said Gerardo upon seeing the auras emitted by Tokijin and how the oni was feeding on them.
- "Keh! First time I see Sesshomaru being useless during a battle!" – said Inuyasha with a mocking smile, which made Sesshomaru look at him in irritation. Inuyasha then jumped in front of the oni and swung his sword downwards in its direction – "Kaze no Kizu!" –
But the Kaze no Kizu didn't do anything to the oni aside of a couple of gashes, which healed immediately. Inuyasha then was swatted away by one of the oni's swipes and crashed into a nearby tree.
- "Inuyasha!" – screamed everyone except for Sesshomaru.
- "Damn you!" – said Gerardo as he covered his Ryuuga in energy and swung it upwards, in the inverse direction of how Inuyasha did it – "Watsa ya, hydrast xyaza cezet paewat ika, yst hakisa tastsaks ika... Water's Scar!" –
The wave from the Water's Scar had the same effect as the one from Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu: it merely scratched it. However, these attempts to attack the monster gave Gerardo an idea…
- "Inuyasha, how are you holding up over there?" – asked him to Inuyasha when he saw he was standing up again.
- "I'm fine! But shouldn't you focus on bringing that thing down!?" – said Inuyasha annoyed.
- "Listen, I've got an idea. Let's try combining your Kaze no Kizu with my Water's Scar, as I think we'll be able to hurt it if we do that!" – said Gerardo.
- "Let's do it then! Kaze no Kizu!" – said Inuyasha as he launched the attack once again.
- "Watsa ya, hydrast xyaza cezet paewat ika, yst hakisa tastsaks ika... Water's Scar!" – said Gerardo pronouncing the invocation spell as fast as he could and launching the wave. Both waves clashed and mixed with each other in their road to the oni, but as they were going in the same direction instead of going against each other, they formed a whirl of green energy that crashed into the oni, severely harming it and causing it to fall down to the ground as it roared in pain.
- "Great, we'll call this technique the Destruction Vortex!" – said Gerardo fist pumping
- "Hey, that's a nice name!" – said Inuyasha smiling.
- "Heh, thanks!" – said Gerardo blushing. However, they couldn't continue celebrating for much, as the oni stood up again with a roar while its wounds healed.
- "GRAAAGH! DID YOU THINK YOU'D BEAT ME LIKE THAT!?" – it shouted.
- "Damn, talking about a persistent annoyance… looks like it's time to raise the level…" – said Gerardo as he took out his Seirei Crystal out from the holder.
- "What are you going to do?" – asked Sango.
- "Are you going to…" – began Kagome, yet Gabriela ended finishing the phrase for her:
- "…use your powers?" -
- "That's correct… Ist Garsse OschmeRe Iadlast Kiabze Pawatz Zosph, Phaph Myya Zosph Phiaphz ical. Iadlast Pawatz! Dragoon!" – he repeated the whole transformation sequence he did for his parents, and a few instants later, he was enclosed in the blue bubble. It burst almost immediately after, and he emerged from it wearing his dragon armor.
- "That's…" – said Inuyasha surprised.
- "The Power…" – said Miroku.
- "…of the Dragon…?" – said Sango with a very soft voice – "That's the same armor he wore during his fight with Sesshomaru…" –
Everyone, including Sesshomaru, were surprised when they saw him wearing his dragon armor, as well as the face filled with decision he had. His Ryuuga also changed from a katana into a long sword that had a blade shining in a soft blue, while his shield seemed to have gotten reinforced.
- "Ist Garsse, Likarom Aozublai Iadleizalle Dea Halket, Zosph Leizalle Oli Haliadl Thafz Ical... Hydrometeor!" – he threw his sword up and shot a water sphere at it. He then flew up to it, grabbed it by the handle and swooped down as he covered himself in a watery aura. He ended crashing into the oni, ripping it in half.
- "UAGG! THIS WON'T KILL ME!" – roared the monster, though it was also audibly groaning from pain
- "We'll see about that…" – said Gerardo as he smiled. However, the next instant he heard a voice chanting a spell in Dragonian…
- "Ikuyu poak lay lusya wiras sos couyuu, yst sos royawfle hakaisa tast ika... Light Arrow!" – a arrow covered in a white aura whizzed right in front of them and struck the oni in the forehead, right in the point where Kagome said it had the fragment. It then exploded with a white light as the monster let out a terrible roar.
- "Whoa, what was that!?" – said Shippou behind them. When they turned around, they saw Gabriela with a concentrated face and holding her bow as if she had shot an arrow: it was obvious who had used the light arrow a moment ago.
- "It's remarkable that such a young child could use a powerful ability like that arrow," – said Sesshomaru – "Maybe that was why I felt I had to eliminate her…" –
- "Sesshomaru-sama… did you try to kill her…?" – asked Rin scared.
- "Forget about that at once, and keep yourself hidden…" – said Sesshomaru in a sharp tone. Rin just nodded.
- "Gaby's really powerful," – said Gerardo impressed upon seeing what she did – "But even so, it looks like we still have to strike the final blow on this thing…" –
He then surrounded himself in water as he began chanting. On the other hand, the monster had begun regenerating, though it seemed Gabriela's arrow had slowed it down.
- "Ist Garrse, ah... Leiya Iadlast, VulualwaeSa Zosph Wihatslag, Oli Quieralm Zosph Valzat... Water Charge!" – he the used the wings as propels in order to tackle the monster, and the residual energy he left behind himself alongside the little bits of aura he released by beating the wings once he finished did the rest: the monster stopped roaring and it exploded into bits of flesh.
- "Whoa, that was… amazing…" – said Kagome looking at what Gerardo and Gabriela had done.
- "These two are really strong…" – said Inuyasha.
- "Inuyasha, Kagome! Don't just stand there! You've gotta keep the oni from regenerating so we can pick up the fragment!" – shouted Gerardo as he stepped on the ground again and ran to the bits of flesh, which were beginning to move on their own and tried to gather themselves in a single point.
- "Ah… on it!" – said them both snapping out of the surprised state in which they were since Gerardo transformed. Kagome began shooting Sacred Arrows at the larger mounds of flesh that had begun forming around the fragment to disintegrate them, while Inuyasha wiped away swaths of the smaller ones with the Kaze no Kizu.
- "Ok, I think that's all…" – said Gerardo as he picked up the fragment and put it away into a Satchel of Light. Once he did this, the last remains of the monster turned into dust.
- "Wait a moment… how did you pick up the fragment directly without getting shocked?" – asked Miroku an instant later.
- "It's because the gauntlets of my armor are protecting me. However, I can't continue wearing it for long because it feeds on my mental energy…" – said Gerardo in a tired tone – "By the way, may I try to heal you all? I see you got some wounds during our battle…" –
He said so because they were all covered in scratches and bruises from the scuffle with the wolves and the oni.
- "It isn't necessary, we can heal up just fine with medicinal herbs…" – said Sango a bit embarrassed they were causing him problems.
- "Oh, I'm aware of that. But healing wounds through magic is more effective and faster. That aside, it's no problem for me to do it" – said Gerardo with a smile.
They looked at each other and thought they had no reason to disagree, so they just let Gerardo to heal them.
- "But I could heal them with my Healing Light song too," – said Gabriela pouting – "Plus, you're tired from the battle…" -
- "I know Gaby, but let me take care of this" – said Gerardo winking at her. He then began swinging his sword in circles above himself, as if he was amassing air, and formed a dark blue sphere – "Ist Garrse ah... Leiya Iadlast, VulualwaeSa Zosph Wihatslag Oli Zosph Ulyaar, Oi Quieralm Walzet Zosph Phiapz Ical..." –
Everyone began getting scared from this, to the point even Sesshomaru showed a look of worry…
- "No way… you're trying to use the Gokuryuuha!?" – said Inuyasha alarmed. However, Gerardo didn't have to reply.
- "Healing Rain!" – he shouted as he stopped swinging the sword and used it to cut the sphere in half, which released several water droplets that removed fatigue and healed wounds on contact. However, far from being thankful for this, everyone but Sesshomaru and Gabriela faceplanted when he finished using the skill. Gabriela just laughed at this, while Sesshomaru returned to his unexpressive face.
- "That was all!? You made so much show of it for a little rain!?" – shouted Inuyasha.
- "Hey sorry, but I can't amass the water and create the healing rain if I don't do that" – he said as he began gasping – "And I'm about to reach my limits, so better cancel the transformation now…" –
He placed his hand over the circular plate with the water symbol over his chest: - "Ist Garsse Pawatz Nyulasst" –
Gerardo then began shining in blue, and the next instant he was again wearing his blue kimono, while his sword and shield returned to their typical shape. However, before he could do anything else, he stumbled and fell to the ground unconscious.
- "Gerar…!" – shouted Gabriela as she ran to him.
- "GERARDO!" – shouted the others trying to get him to wake up.
Gerardo didn't regain consciousness until night came and everyone had set up the camp to rest for the day. When he awakened, he found himself in the middle of a glade with a bonfire burning near him and Kagome mixing the content in a pot that was placed over it.
- "Ah, great! You've come to!" – said Kagome cheerfully as she looked behind and noticed he was awake.
- "Where am I?" – asked him a bit disoriented – "Whoa, it's night already?" –
- "Yeah. As you were unconscious all the afternoon, we decided to camp here while you recovered" – explained Kagome.
- "I see… and what are you making for dinner?" – asked Gerardo as his stomach began grumbling, which made him blush - "Sorry about that…" -
- "Hahaha, don't worry!" – said Kagome laughing as she continued stirring the pot – "We'll have some stew, though I think Sesshomaru's not going to eat anything…" –
- "Okay, but… where did the others go?" – asked Gerardo noticing that Kagome and him were in the camp as he blushed a little.
- "Inuyasha and Sesshomaru went to hunt for some food; Rin, Shippou and Gaby-chan are playing around here while Jaken watches over them; and Miroku-sama and Sango-chan went to watch the stars together…" – said Kagome looking at the left, prompting Gerardo to do the same. The three kids were playing tag and ran around in a glade illuminated by the stars and the moon, while Jaken just looked at them with boredom and irritation.
- "Hey, you can't catch me!" – said Gabriela cheerfully.
- "No fair, you're taller than me!" – said Shippou angry.
- "Hehe, Shippou-chan can't catch any of us" – said Rin.
- "Looks like Gaby got along with Rin pretty well" – said Gerardo with a smile.
- "Well, they're both very good girls, and friendly too" – said Kagome smiling – "It's no wonder they turned into friends so fast" –
- 'Too bad I can't let Miko come out for now…' – thought Kagome a bit sad about the presence that was sleeping deep inside her.
- "Hmm, why that sad face?" – asked Gerardo a bit worried.
- "Huh? Ah, don't worry about it!" – said Kagome after she was taken out from her thoughts by Gerardo's words. Gerardo looking at her a bit confused, but decided to not touch the topic – "Oh, Miroku-sama and Sango-chan are over there" –
They turned to the opposite direction, and saw how Sango and Miroku were snuggled up to each other as they looked at the skies.
- "Hmph, Miroku's surely going to do what he always does to Sango. That wouldn't surprise me coming from him" – said Gerardo as he laughed.
- "I don't think so. They looked very serious, and Miroku-sama wouldn't be so stupid as to ruin the mood they've both gotten going" – said Kagome angry.
- "Okay, sorry about that" – said Gerardo sighing.
Sango and Miroku continued sitting and looking over at the stars above.
- "Houshi-sama, you haven't forgotten about the promise you made me… right?" – asked Sango as she looked at him in the eye.
- "Of course I haven't, my dearest Sango. I promised you that once we defeated Naraku, I would marry you and we would start a family together…" – said Miroku embracing her.
- "But… what are we going to do about Kohaku?" – asked Sango worried.
- "We'll think up a way to release him from Naraku's control and to reassemble the Pearl without having to kill him…" – said Miroku gently.
- "Houshi-sama… thank you…" – said Sango as she blushed.
Meanwhile, Gerardo and Kagome had fallen silent, but the stillness on the campsite was broken a little later when they heard some movement in the bushes behind them. It was Inuyasha and Sesshomaru.
- "So how did the hunt go?" – asked Kagome having an idea from Inuyasha's face and how Sesshomaru was carrying a dead boar on his arms.
- "Keh! We didn't manage to find much. Looks like the odor left by the blood of the youkai we killed scared all the animals that were around here. And when I finally managed to find a prey, Sesshomaru stole it from my hands!" – said Inuyasha in a very bad mood.
- "Well, we know Sesshomaru hates human food. Let's just leave it like this" – said Gerardo shrugging his shoulders, which made Inuyasha and Sesshomaru turn to look at him.
- "So you have finally awakened…" – said Sesshomaru with his inexpressive voice.
- "Keh, was you full afternoon nap good?" – said Inuyasha in a mocking tone.
- "We'll discuss that during dinner. I don't like getting told that I was lazing around while everyone else was busy" – said Gerardo annoyed.
- "Well, dinner's ready. Could you go call the others?" – asked Kagome.
- "On it!" – said both Gerardo and Inuyasha.
Inuyasha went to call Sango and Miroku while Gerardo went to call his sister, Shippou and Rin. After a few minutes, everyone excepting for Sesshomaru and Jaken were eating the stew Kagome had prepared.
- "Well, we had a great battle today… and besides, we got seven Shadow fragments in just one day!" – said Gerardo excitedly as he ate from his bowl.
- "Yes, it was a great victory for us. However, I'd like to know why you collapsed when you cancelled your transformation…" – said Miroku as he continued eating.
- "That was very strange, now I think about it" – said Kagome thoughtfully as she paused eating for a moment.
- "It must be because he is a weak human!" – said Jaken as he burst into laughter. However, he ended paying a high price for it: Gerardo handed his bowel to Gabriela for a moment and took Jaken by the collar – "Ahh, Sesshomaur-sama! Save me!" –
Sesshomaru acted as if he didn't heard anything while Gerardo dragged Jaken away to some nearby bushes.
– "Agh, no!" – they heard Jaken scream from that direction. Then, Gerardo brought him back with him as he went back to the place where he was sat and Gabriela gave him his bowl again. Jaken had now the head covered in bumps: looks like Gerardo retaliated by punching him on the head several times, which made everyone laugh.
- "Hehe, Jaken-sama needs to learn to treat others better" – said Rin smiling.
- "Now that issue has been settled, I'll answer your question, Miroku" – said Gerardo a bit embarrassed after he returned – "It's because it was the first time I used my powers to such an extent, and since I ended exceeding my limits a little, I spent so much energy that I ended up fainting" –
- "Using these powers must be tiring…" – said Sango.
- "Hihi, and just wait until you see the more advanced forms of the dragon powers" – said Gabriela laughing mischievously.
- "So well, anyone's in the mood for some music?" – said Gerardo as he opened up the music player of his Dragtemn.
- "Yeah, but what kind of song it's going to be this time?" – asked Shippou.
- "Oh, just a little piece that was made for our guests, excepting for frog man there" – said Gerardo, which made everyone look at him with curiosity, but also causing a little laughter and a couple of anguished sobs. He then made the song play.
- "I hope you liked it" – said Gerardo smiling. Sesshomaru didn't seem to mind it much, but Rin was really happy.
- "I really liked that song, Gerardo-sama" – said Rin as she smiled.
- "I'm glad. And please, don't add the honorifics. I rather dislike being treated in a formal way" – said Gerardo with a smile.
- "Hmm, it's okay if I call you Gerardo-nii then?" – asked Rin.
- "Well, I don't mind it" – said Gerardo a bit embarrassed.
- "Yeah, but always remember I'm his only little sister" – said Gabriela a bit annoyed.
- "Hehe, looks like we got some jealousy going on" – said Kagome laughing as Gabriela blushed a little – "By the way, what was the title of that song?" -
- "It's titled Sesshomaru to Rin" – said Gerardo, which cleared up the reason he chose it as the song to put to play that night – "And on another topic, why do you say about taking a break tomorrow? As we got so many fragments on our first travel day…" –
- "Hmm, it wouldn't be a bad idea" – said Kagome with a smile, which the others also shared excepting for Inuyasha.
- "Wasn't that mission of yours very urgent?" – asked Inuyasha as he looked at them irritated.
- "Yeah, but given we made so much progress today, we could rest a bit… especially given that our route for tomorrow goes pretty close to a beach…" – said Gerardo as he opened a map of the region on his Dragtemn and marked the route.
- "Oh, that changes things! I better go back home, as I need to get some supplies. Could you and Gaby-chan come with me?" – said Kagome cheerfully.
- "Well, we better get going then" – said Gerardo as he and Gabriela stood up – "Inuyasha, are you coming with us?" –
- "Yeah, I can't leave Kagome alone at any time. We don't know what that bastard Naraku might be plotting…" – said Inuyasha as he stood up.
- "Sango, can you lend Kirara to us for a while?" – said Kagome as she looked at the small two-tailed cat.
- "Of course. Just make sure to come back soon" – said Sango with a smile as Kirara skipped to Kagome's side.
- "We'll be waiting for you here" – said Miroku as he tried getting his hand close to Sango, but she put some distance between both as soon as she noticed.
- "And don't worry, I'll make sure Miroku doesn't try to play anything on Sango!" – said Shippou trying to look mature in front of them.
- "And I'll help Shippou-chan with that!" – said Rin cheerfully.
So Kirara transformed into her larger form to let Kagome ride her while Gerardo and Gabriela transformed into dragoon form. They noticed how Gabriela's transformation buble was white and her armor was white with silver borders, while the circular plate on her breastplate had the emblems of light and moon. They then set off to head to the Bone Eater's Well: Kagome was riding Kirara, Gabriela and Gerardo flew using the wings of their armors and Inuyasha ran at full speed below them. After a few minutes, they reached the well, so Kagome dismounted Kirara while the siblings cancelled their transformations, thought they both began gasping as soon as they did.
- "Why didn't you want to ride on my back?" – asked Inuyasha when they were about to enter the well.
- "So I didn't bother you, so stop complaining already!" – said Kagome
- "You'd do better to leave your eternal couple quarrels for later" – said Gerardo in bad mood.
- "Don't butt in! Sit down!" – said Kagome, which made Inuyasha and Gerardo crash into the ground.
- "I think you shouldn't have done that…" – said Gabriela in a teasing tone as she looked at Kagome.
- "Ah, sorry!" – said Kagome embarrassed.
- "Kagome…" – said Inuyasha from the ground – "Why did you do that?" –
- "Sorry, my tongue slipped!" – said Kagome as she played with her fingers.
- "You should mind your words a little more" – said Gerardo as he stood up and dusted his clothes off. He then adjusted his glasses a bit.
- "Well, forget about it and let's hurry going into the well!" – said Gabriela excitedly as she jumped up and down.
- "You're right" – said Kagome doubtful – "But, will the well let you go through to my era? As it only works with Inuyasha and me…" –
- "We won't know until we try" – said Gerardo, to which Inuyasha replied with only making a mocking gesture with his face: he thought it was a waste of time to even try it.
So they still jumped in, and still the portal appeared for all of them, though the light vortex from it seemed to be a bit dimmer than usual.
- "How's it? The well let us pass!" – said Gabriela cheerfully when they found themselves in the shed in the present.
- "But how!? The well didn't let anyone but Inuyasha and me to go through!" – said Kagome amazed.
- "Maybe it's because the combined power of the Shadow fragments and the Shikon shard…" – said Gerardo as he looked at the pocket where he had the Satchel of Light that kept the fragments in check.
- "Keh! Then that's even more a reason to keep them away from Naraku's clutches!" – said Inuyasha with an unpleasant air of superiority.
They ended the conversation there, so they exited the shed and went to Kagome's house. After leaving their shoes in the entrance, Kagome announced she had returned and went into the dining room to see her family, alongside Inuyasha. After they greeted Inuyasha, Kagome called Gerardo and Gabriela to introduce them.
- "They're our new friends, Gerardo and Gabriela!" – said Kagome cheerfully.
- "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Higurashi-san" – said Gerardo as he and Gabriela bowed before her.
- "The pleasure is mine" – said Kagome's mother with a smile – "Are you two from the Warring States Era too?" -
- "No, we're westerners from this era, but we thought we'd fit better with these clothes!" – said Gabriela cheerfully.
- "Hehe, and you're such a cute girl" – said Kagome's mother – "I hope you and Kagome are getting along well" –
- "Hehe, we are" – said Kagome with a smile as she and Gabriela winked at each other – "Well, let me explain about how we met…" –
Kagome, alongside her new friends, explained everything that had taken place thus far to her family. In the end, Kagome's mother was a bit enthralled with Gabriela because she reminded her of Kagome when she was little, while Kagome's grandfather wanted to explain to Gerardo a lot of Japan's customs and legends due to his interest on them, but he was so tired he wasn't in the mood for it at the moment. Souta was also looking at both siblings with interest, seeing how well they got along, and feeling like he wanted to exchange places with Kagome to see how it would feel.
- "Well, if you need to stay here tonight, Gerardo and Inuyasha can sleep in Souta's room, while Gaby-chan can stay in Kagome's" – said Kagome's mother with a smile – "I'll get a couple of futons ready so you can go and rest" –
- "Thank you very much!" – said Gerardo and Gabriela. Once the preparations were finished, everyone wished good night to each other and went to sleep.
(End of Chapter)
(Ending: Dearest)
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