Disclaimer: I think this is getting WAY too redundant...

The Boar and Bomb

InuYasha and the gang were very much against the pair joining them; they didn't want them to be put in danger. Issun's arguments wore them down by repetitiveness alone. The next day after everyone rested, they hit the road. The first part of the trip was rather uneventful. Kagome started up her favorite game with her, Inuyasha, Ammy and Issun on one team, Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Myoga on the other.

"Jan-Ken-POI!!"

InuYasha got scissors, Miroku got paper.

Round 2, Sango had rock, Kagome was paper.

Round 3, Shippou had paper, Ammy was rock.

Issun noticed the crucial flaw. "Hey! Ammy doesn't have fingers!"

Ammy grunted and lifted her paw flat. Then she curled it up like it was hurt.

"She can do paper and rock," said InuYasha, not seeing the problem.

"But not scissors!"

Ammy growled she didn't want a handicap. In a feat of flexibility a normal dog could never do, she rose on her hind legs and crossed her front ones. A sort of smirk appeared on her face.

"That looks like scissors to me."

Issun's jaw dropped and the game continued. Ammy's team won.
To celebrate, they stopped for lunch. Shippou began to unwrap a lollipop when suddenly a crow swooped down and snatched it away!

"Hey! That's mine!"

Ammy got up and ran after the bird. The party stared in awe as grass and flowers sprung from the ground as she ran. It wasn't long before the crow was in reach, and Ammy leapt to catch it in her jaws. Alas, she missed.

"My turn!" Issun hopped from Ammy's head to the crow's back.

"Yeehaw!" The Poncle nicked the beak with his sword, startling the crow to drop the lollipop which Ammy caught by the stick. Issun returned to his furry friend who returned the treat to Shippou.

"Wow, thanks Ammy!" the Kitsune beamed. "It must have been attracted by the shiny wrapper."

"Well it does look pretty cool." Issun admitted.

"You can have it if you want. Maybe you could use it for something."

Issun quickly snatched the wrapper and cut a piece off to tie over his cloak.

"Oh yeah! This is the only cloak worthy of the Great Issun!"

Ammy shook her head to make him lose his balance while the group snickered and continued their meal. After lunch, they trekked on. There were a few encounters with various monsters, but none proved to be a real threat. When the sun was low, they began searching for shelter.

Boom!

The sound of an explosion startled everyone to jump 5 feet in the air.

"Hey look!" Kagome exclaimed, pointing at the sky. In the direction she indicated, a huge burst of light formed a flowery shape in the sky. "Fireworks!"

"Fireworks?!" Shippou said excitedly, "Awesome! Let's see who's making them!" He darted away, not waiting for an answer.

"Hey kid, you can't just run off!" Issun and Ammy took off after him, forcing the rest to follow suit. They halted in front of a hut with a huge chimney in the middle of the roof.

Kagome was first to break the ice. "Well whoever lives here knows what they're doing."

Ammy and Shippou peeked inside.

"'Scuse us but, me and my friends need a place to spend the night."

A thin yet muscular dark skinned man peeked from around a large basin in the center of the room. He had some of turban with a fuse on his head and was smoking a long pipe.

"How many are ya?!" He asked gruffly.

Shippou turned and counted. "There are nine of us."

The man got up and went to the door to see for himself. He counted. "Including your dog and kitten I only see seven."

"Hey! How could you not notice me! Issun fumed.

"Issun, must you be so rude!" Myoga scolded.

The man was impressed. "Alright, nine. 'Course it'll be a bit crowded if you all came in. I couldn't work on my experiment without someone getting hurt."

"Experiment?" Kagome asked.

"Was that the firework we saw earlier?" inquired Sango.

"No," the man said disappointedly, "that was another failure. I've been working on a formula for months. It could make the most beautiful fireworks in all Nippon, but there's still something missing…" His eyes scanned each person in the group, particularly InuYasha and Ammy, and his face lit up. "I've got it! Would you two be willing to help me out?"

Ammy barked her consent.

"I guess. What do you need?" the hanyou asked.

"Just your fiery hot gazes that should do the trick!"

He led them inside the hut while everyone else watched from the doorway. He showed them his formula, which was drawn on a large parchment hung on one wall. He then directed their attention to himself, the end of his pipe started glowing bright red, he tossed several dozen ball shaped explosives in the basin and struck them with his pipe. The group outside ducked to the ground, for a moment nothing happened, then Ammy unleashed her power.

Pheeeee…Boom! The giant bomb launched into the sky and burst in a flurry of beautifully lighted shapes. The gang all rushed to a place they could see the show. InuYasha, Sango, Miroku and Kagome marveled at the sight, Shippou, Issun and Myoga bounced for joy and Ammy and Kirara playfully jumped as if to chase the lights.

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The fireworks man watched it through his huge chimney, eyes brimming with tears.

Soon everyone settled for just watching, and the show ended.

"Beautiful." Sango marveled. Shippou had fallen asleep. Miroku nodded in agreement. Kagome asked the man for shelter again, he consented and finally gave his name, Tama.

"Wonderful job everyone," said Myoga. "Tama's flame has been rekindled."

Suddenly, another bright light shone in the sky, this time it came from a small group of stars.

Issun recognized it instantly. "Hey another constellation!" Miroku turned to the wolf and Poncle.

"What is it?"

"It's another technique we've been looking for."

"Hey," said InuYasha, "It looks like some stars are missing." Indeed, the pattern of stars, which appeared to be an upside down 2, had two blank areas.

Issun smirked. "Not a problem."

Ammy sent out her power again, and to everyone else present, the missing stars appeared out of nowhere, completing the shape. In the blink of an eye, a great boar balanced on a bomb similar to Tama's firework appeared before them. Like Ammy, his fur was white as snow and decorated with red markings. He looked down at the wolf and spoke, to the shock of everyone else present.

"Ah…Amaterasu. Origin of all that is good and mother to us all…too often, it is easy to forget that which we cannot see. Hidden away, I had lost track of you. But now my soul is at ease. I Bakugami, god of explosive force, lend my power to your cause. Use the Cherry Bomb to lay waste to foes and obstacles alike."

A strange Kangi appeared on the boar's forehead, and floated over to the wolf, who absorbed it. The boar then vanished, leaving Ammy and Issun to a nearly merciless interrogation.

"What the hell was that!?"

"Inuyasha, don't be so brash. What the heck was that!?"

Issun gulped, this might take some doing. "Calm down people, I can explain!" Surprisingly, a brief silence appeared before the Poncle spoke again. "Okay, we told you about and showed you the Celestial Brush powers right? Well, this is how we learn new ones, we go around doing stuff for people, purify the land here and there, and every once in a while a brush god shows up and teaches Ammy a new brush technique.

"Wait a second…" Miroku had a sudden realization. "The boar, Bakugami, he called you Amaterasu. As in…the sun goddess?"

Ammy cocked her head to one side as if to say, "What of it?"

"Yeah," Issun confirmed, "the one and only."

At this, Myoga Miroku and Sango dropped to their knees and bowed to the wolf, InuYasha did a similar gesture, only not as fervent and Kagome followed suit after some hesitation. Shippou was still asleep. Ammy whined and gave each of them a nudge.

Issun translated.

"Ammy is flattered, but doesn't want you to do that. Her identity is a bit of a secret, and she would feel more comfortable if you didn't treat her any differently than before."

Slowly, they got back to their feet, still digesting everything they had just learned. Kagome picked up Shippou and they went into Tama's hut to sleep. It was a bit crowded though, so Ammy and Issun volunteered to sleep outside. After some light conversation, the lights went out inside.

"That's one more brush power furball." Issun whispered as he and his friend drifted off.

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FFO: I would like to give thanks for the huge amount of support from my very FEW reviews.

voodoo-coffee: YES, another update! I didn't know if something had happened or not, but that's probably because I'm impatient and have a short attention span. Also-what happened on the 2nd? said the story was updated, but when I checked it, nothing seemed to have changed. Oh, well... It might have been me. I like the chapter, and the meeting of the two evils brings up so many possibilities. Delicious possibilities. (Yum) And if you stop here, I may just freak. Out. DUDE. Don't even KID about that. Seriously. DON'T QUIT ON THIS FIC! PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU. (Does that convey my affection for this fic correctly? I think so. )
...
...Doot..
UPDATE SOON!

REIzor Image: Oh jeez. Naraku being sly. XD And Ammy totally PWNED that imp. I love Power Slash... :D Seeing the enemy split in half always amuses me. Will Ammy ever learn all 13 brush techniques before facing off against BOTH Naraku and Orochi? And what about Yami? Ahh, the questions... anyway, it's good. Update when you can.

Jombra: Too cool!
THATS THE FIRST STORY THAT DESCRIBED THE SPECIAL BRUSH MODE
KUDOS

White Hunter: I like this story, keep up the good work will you.

White Hunter Howling out to you and the spirits!

FFO: Show your undying support, and you too could be an honorable mention! -thumbs up- sparkle teeth

Issun: ...Have you been trying to sell Lee your Yami Yugi hair gel again?

FFO: -swats with flyswatter-