I personally found this chapter to be particularly long for some reason...

...meh.

Chapter Three

Shippo hit a stand selling fabrics first.

Of course, he had to be careful Kagome and her sisters wouldn't see him. So he ducked behind a hut, pulled out a leaf from the folds of his kimono, and...

POOF!

Out walked a pretty, young girl who couldn't have benn much older than Kagome. The disguised fox-demon took in a deep breath, then let it out as he walked over to the stand mumbling, "Gotta be careful, gotta be careful, gotta be--"

"Can I help you, miss?"

He looked to his side, having just then realized that he was already at the stand. "Oh, yes, um..." he began in his best female voice (which really wasn't all that bad). Then he looked at the fabrics the man was selling, and found the perfect one: red silk with beautifully-desgined dragons dancing about the cloth.

Kagome would love it.

But there was no doubt in Shippo's mind that something like this would cost a fortune. Not to mention he didn't have any money whatsoever. So, he decided to do the only thing a kitsune in his situatuion could do: create a diversion. Question was, how?

Then he saw the vase...

CRASH!

He gasped (still in his girl voice, remember). "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed as he bowed, 'embarrassed.'

"It's fine, nothing to worry about," the man said. Then he bent down behind his counter to pick up the broken pieces of the vase.

Shippo glanced around to make sure no one was looking. Quickly, he grabbed as much of the cloth as he could without the man realizing. Then, he ran.

"Ooh, good save."

"What'd you say, Kikyo?" asked Yura.

"That kid over by the fabric stand," Kikyo explained, "She distracted the guy at the counter and just snagged something and ran."

"Nice."

"Uh, guys?" said a slightly muffled voice. The girls turned around to see a walking pile of clothes, accessories, and other random things come up to them. "A little help?"

"Oh, nice to see you finally caught up with us, Kagome," Yura smiled smugly. Then she held a necklace up against her throat. "What do you think?" she asked.

Kagome was silent in disbelief. "...Hello?! I'm kinda busy!"

Yura didn't respond to this. She just turned to her side. "Kikyo?"

The girl in question smiled in approval. "Perfect."

Yura took her sister's word for it. She paid the woman who had sold her the necklace, then threw it onto the pile, having just missed Kagome's head.

"Hey, is there any chance that you two could carry something?" Kagome asked in an annoyed tone, her head popping out from behind the pile. Her sisters stared at her, and she sighed. "I didn't think so."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Stop, thief!"

A young boy rushed through the marketplace, jewelry held tightly in his hand. "Gotta catch me first," he smirked to himself. Then he jumped into a tree and poofed back into Shippo.

"This is easier than I expected," he thought aloud, admiring his stash. "Times like these it's good to be a shapeshifter."

Suddenly he heard something --or someone-- fall, just underneath his tree. Then a very familiar voice snapped, "Kagome, you clumsy little brat!" Shippo peeked through the branches to see a ton of merchandise from the village scattered around Kagome, who lay facedown on the ground in pain. Hovering over her was none other than Kikyo.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Kagome said as she got up. "If you guys would help me out once in a while, that wouldn't've happened!"

Shippo would have gotten down there and helped her in a second, but considering the window of opportunity that had just opened up to him, he, instead, high-tailed it out of the tree, 'merchandise' and all (in a giant sack that he somehow managed to carry on his back), and ran back to Kagome's house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"'Bout time we got home," Yura sighed, arriving home with her sisters about twenty minutes later, "I'm exhausted."

"You're exhausted?" Kagome repeated in disbelief. "You're not the family pack mule!" She suddenly stumbled, Kikyo having 'accidentally' bumped into her. She almost tripped over her feet, and the pile she was carrying nearly fell again.

"Honestly, Kagome, you should be more careful," Kikyo sneered, walking inside.

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "Oh, that's it," she said to herself. Then she caught her balance and started to walk up to Yura and Kikyo, obviously angered, when something else caught her eye: a tuft of red hair sticking out from behind the window. She sighed, then put everything on the table and walked to her room.

"Kagome, where are you going?" Yura asked.

Kagome put a hand to her forehead. Dang it. "I'm just... taking a break. Shopping can take a lot out of you, y'know."

Yura looked at Kikyo, who shrugged in response. "Couldn't hurt," she said.

The older of the two sighed. "Fine, she told Kagome. "Just make it quick."

"I'll try," Kagome replied. She rolled her eyes as she continued to her room. When she got there, she opened the curtain and said softly, "Shippo, what's up--"

She was cut off, however, by said fox demon jumping on her shoulder and covering her eyes. "No, Kagome, don't look yet!" he exclaimed frantically.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked.

Shippo hopped down, but Kagome kept her eyes closed just in case. "I still need to cover it up," he said, throwing Kagome's blanket over "it."

"Shippo..." Kagome said, not sounding all that happy.

"Okay, okay. Open your eyes."

She did so. All she saw was a tall... thing... sticking out of the floor, covered by-- "Is that my blanket?"

Shippo gulped. Maybe he should have just told her to keep her eyes closed. "Th-that's not what I wanted to show you... This is." He pulled off the blanket, and with a cheerful "Ta-da!", he awaited Kagome's response... which really wasn't all that much.

Kagome stared silently at the most beautiful dress she had ever seen in her life: A red, short-sleeved kimono that reached just past her knees, with golden, fire-breathing dragons decorating it that shone in the sunlight. "Sh-Shippo..." she breathed.

The boy couldn't tell whether his friend was happy or upset. So, assuming the worst, he sighed. "It stinks, doesn't it?" he asked sadly.

"Shippo," Kagome repeated. Then she rushed over to him and hugged him, exclaiming, "I love it! Thank you so much!"

He looked up at her, surprised. "Really?"

"Absolutely! Shippo, you're amazing!"

Shippo smiled adorably, happy for both himself, for doing such a good job, and for Kagome, because now that she had something to wear, she could definitely go to the Imperial Ball. "So, are you gonna go now?"

Kagome looked at him and smiled. "Why not?"

"Yes!" Shippo cheered.

"Kagome, what is going on in there?"

Kagome and Shippo's eyes widened. "That's Kikyo!" Kagome whispered. "Shippo, you hide, I'll cover it." She didn't want to say "dress" for fear of her sisters doing something terrible to it if they knew.

"On it," said Shippo. With that, he dove under the sheets of Kagome's bed, and she threw her blanket back over the dress.

"Come on in," she called.

Kikyo stepped through the curtain, giving Kagome a dirty look. "Didn't Yura and I tell you to make it quick? You have other things to do, y'know."

"Uh... right!" said Kagome. "I sure hope my room is clean and free of any mess whatsoever. Because I will be gone for quite a while, and I will be far too tired when I get back to clean it!" She said this ridiculously loudly and clearly so Shippo would hear the hidden message: "Get that dress the heck outta here!"

Shippo feigned a cough, and while doing so, muttered, "Got it!"

Kikyo rose an eyebrow curiously. "What the heck was that?"

"...Me!" Kagome answered somewhat frantically. "My throat's been kinda messin' with me lately. I cough so ya can't even see it, and then it looks like I'm talking all at the same time! Weirdest thing, I tell ya." Her sister stared at her. "...So! Those chores won't do 'emselves, huh?" That being said, she walked past Kikyo and left the room.

Kikyo, however, was staring at that thing popping out of the floor that Kagome had been standing in front of. What the heck was it? Well, she thought, one way to find out...

"Kikyo!"

She turned around. There was Kagome, poking her head through the curtain.

"You coming?"

"Uhm... yeah."

An awkward silence filled the room for a moment.

". . . Today?"

"Yes!" Kikyo growled. "Will you get off my back aready?!"

"Okay," Kagome said quickly, before leaving the room once again... and cheering silently. She had just successfully distracted Kikyo long enough for Shippo to sneak himself and the dress away.

Did they make an awesome team or what?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hours after nightfall, Yura lay sound asleep in her bed, when she was suddenly awakened by a hand clamping over her mouth, and an arm pulling her into the hallway. She fought the hand off of her mouth and quietly exclaimed, "What the--" before being shushed by her "capturer." It was then that she realized who the person was.

"...Kikyo?"

"Quiet!" she hissed.

"What are you doing?" Yura whispered.

"Yura, listen to me. Kagome's hiding something from us."

"What?"

"I went in her room today, and she was acting really weird. Like she was trying to keep a secret or something. And she was standing in front of some big thing sticking outta the floor."

Yura raised an eyebrow. "That does sound weird."

"Yeah, I think she's got something that she's hiding! She's holding out on us! Can you believe the nerve of that li--" Kikyo was then cut off by Yura smacking a hand over her mouth.

"Whatever happened to 'Quiet'?"

Kikyo moved her sister's hand and sighed. "Sorry, I just..." She let out a frustrated noise that sounded like a groan. "I don't think I can handle her keeping a secret from us. I mean, she's our little sister, it's our job to mess around with her. If she starts messing with us, it just sort of throws you off, y'know?"

Yura thought about this for a moment. "...I think so."

"Good. Now pay attention, I have an idea."

With that, Kikyo's plot went into action.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

wow, when was the last time I updated this, huh? whatever. anyway, I just (and I mean JUST) saw the 4th Inuyasha movie on adult swim. one word: FANTASTIC! love the ending song, too! go DAI!

okay, anyway, Akago & Haku update coming up, too! see ya then!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!