The Snow Angel by SunsetMiko

The Departure

Chapter 211 - The Departure

Quirito - to shriek, scream, cry out (Stella's Latin Challenge)

"Everything will be fine, Shippo," Kagome tried to convince the little kitsune who still resented being left behind. He had been with them every step of the way as they hunted and fought against Naraku and his many incarnations and now, all of a sudden, he needed to be protected? He wanted to be there! He wanted to see the evil hanyou defeated! The last thing he wanted was to be left at the palace under the care of nannies.

He was half tempted to sneak away and follow them, but he knew doing so would only anger Kagome and Sesshoumaru. His relationship with the taiyoukai was so new, he feared upsetting the taiyoukai. He really wanted the inu as a father figure, and he didn't want to ruin things. His mother was now mated to Sesshoumaru, so there was no getting away from the taiyoukai if he wanted to remain with her.

"I promise we'll be back soon," the miko continued. "He's still hibernating, so this shouldn't be too hard. I explained this to you already. I can't fight as well if you're there. I’ll worry about you."

"Your mother is right," Sesshoumaru chimed in when he saw the fight rise up in Shippo's eyes. "A child has no place in battle."

"I'm not a child!" the kit protested loudly.

"Shippo, now is not the time for your temper," Kagome chastised the child gently. "We are going, and you are staying. That's final."

"But, Mom," he whined.

"No, now go back inside. I don't want to have to punish you. I know you want to go, but you can't, and that's the end of this conversation." She nodded at Aiko, who approached, ready to herd the child away. Kagome knelt down and kissed his forehead softly. "I love you, Shippo. Just let me keep you safe, okay?"

Valedico - to say goodbye (Stella's Latin Challenge)

The kitsune nodded sadly and allowed himself to be led away by his new nanny. Rin stepped forward, ready for her good-bye. She was better at this. The little girl was used to being left behind when things got too dangerous. She hugged Sesshoumaru's legs, and the taiyoukai patted her head affectionately. Kagome gave the girl a hug and kiss, and assured her, just as she had Shippo, that they would return safely before Aika took the child away.

The miko had already spoken with Hana. She was concerned about the care of Lucky and had instructed the head servant to check in occasionally with the once-Lady of the West and her personal caregiver. She had also given her the authority to make sure the repairs to the servant's quarters were being attended to in her absence. Once they returned, they would worry about selecting new fabrics for replacement bedding. Kagome tried to put all of her responsibilities at the palace out of her mind so that she could focus on the task at hand, finding and defeating Naraku.

Sesshoumaru's departure was giving Atsushi his first trial run handling the paperwork of the Western Lord on his own, and the young demon was both nervous and excited. They would only be gone for a few days, so he knew he would be okay. Reponses to the mating announcements, along with gifts, would be coming in soon, and he would have a lot of thank you responses to write. He would also have to catalogue all of the gifts, just as Sesshoumaru had explained.

With everything dealt with, the group, weighed down only by their weapons and Kagome's bag of supplies, left the palace, following the throbbing of the red stone held in Sesshoumaru's hand. He would allow no one else to touch it, concerned by the evil feeling the thing gave off. Shippo had inspected it and deemed it safe, but he remained cautious. The snow was still deep in places, but the taiyoukai forged a path, leading everyone in single file, Inuyasha taking up the rear.