These characters do not belong to me, but the story does!

Source of Magic
Chapter 85
Kitsune

Kagome tossed the letters in the trashbag and sighed. "This is ridiculous."

"No," Rin disagreed. "Your first year it was ridiculous. Second year it became silly. The third year, absurd. Now that it's your fourth year and you have a boyfriend, it's just pathetic."

"Once again, Rin, you have an excellent grasp of the situation." Kagome picked up an envelope and it flashed with a blue light. She stared at it. "Uh-oh."

"Um... Kagome?"

She looked back at her roommate and her eyes widened in surprise. "How-?"

Rin shrugged. "I don't know. But I want to go down now."

Kagome approached cautiously and reached out to Rin, who was now floating several inches off the bed. She tugged and Rin sat back down on the bed. Kagome sighed in relief and let go. Rin began to float away again. Kagome grabbed her hand and pulled downward. Rin sat down.

"Flying spell?" Rin suggested.

Kagome nodded. "Looks like it. I don't know how to take it off, either." Rin grimaced. "I'll call Sesshoumaru. This doesn't look like anything I've seen in class."

Rin stood gingerly and walked with Kagome to the phone. She dialed Sesshoumaru's number and waited. When no one answered, she shook her head and called the mage university's number.

"Hello?" Sesshoumaru said.

"Hi, Sess."

"Good afternoon, Kagome. Something I can help you with?"

"Yes. Someone sent me a flying spell on a card. It didn't affect me but Rin now has this ability of flight. How do I get it off her?"

"Does she have wings?"

"No."

"All right. I'm going to give you a number..." Sesshoumaru opened a drawer and withdrew a book. He began flipping through the pages. "It's two thirty so he should be able to take a small break to help you out."

He found the number and Kagome called that one next. "Kitchen, Kenshin speaking."

"Hi, Kenshin. It's Kagome. I've got a problem."

"Anything I can help you with."

"Sesshoumaru said I should call you. Someone sent me a flying spell and it latched on to Rin."

"I see. Where is your dorm and what number, please?" Kagome gave it to him. "I will be there in a few minutes. Goodbye."

True to his word, Kenshin arrived shortly. He examined Rin flying and sitting and smiled. "It's very simple to take off. Go outside."

"Huh?" Rin said.

Kenshin nodded. "Walk downstairs with Miss Kagome and take your shoes and socks off. Stand outside with your feet touching the sidewalk. You must let gravity re-affect you."

Kagome shrugged. "Okay."

"What's okay? It's my feet!"

"Do you want to fly away?" Kagome said practically.

Kenshin walked with them and Rin grumbled while trying to take off her shoes and socks one-handed. She stood and let go of Kagome's hand. "Grab me if I start to fly away," she warned before she was released.

Her feet stayed firmly on the ground. "I would suggest a small protection spell for Miss Rin. Not a full-powered spell, but one that will cause spells to slide away from her. Mr. Sesshoumaru could manage it easily."

"I'll see him about it when he gets home today," Rin said fervently.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Oh, no you don't!"

"Watch me!"

"Don't do that!"

"If you can't handle it..."

"Who says I can't! Take that!"

Thea pressed the controls and beat his character back into a corner. "Try and get out of that!"

Shippo groaned as his character died. "How did you do that?"

"That is a secret," she said mysteriously. "But I'll tell you if you answer a question."

"Sure."

"It's kind of personal. Not really personal," she hurried to say. "Just..."

"Spit it out," he advised.

"The door is locked," she said, glancing over to make sure. "We're up high enough so that no one's going to look in on us."

"Point?"

"Why don't you drop the illusion?" she asked quietly.

He frowned. "I don't know. It's not really that big a deal."

"Doesn't it feel like you're hiding yourself?"

Shippo shook his head. "No. Anyone who's a youkai can see through it. Most of the mages can and a few others."

"Huh." Thea thought of something else. "What do you see when you look in a mirror?"

"Myself."

She rolled her eyes. "Do you see a kitsune or a human?"

"A kitsune. Why, is this bothering you?"

"No. I was just wondering." She looked back at the game and began telling him how she had taken away the last two of his lives with one punch.

He grinned and set up another game. Halfway though, when she was just about to kill another life off, he flipped his tail into her lap. She jumped and he got to kill her character for once.

"Hey! No fair!"

He shrugged. "You killed one of my characters. What's not fair about that?"

She pointed at the long tail in her lap. "That is what is not fair. You distracted me." He grinned at her. "Fine." She held out one finger and trailed it down the tail. When he didn't dissuade her, she stroked with her whole hand. "Soft," she said gently.

"Um..."

Thea looked up. "Yes?"

He swallowed. "The tail is a very tender area." She didn't stop petting him. "I'm not going to start purring."

"And that's a deterrent?" she teased. Shippo leaned his head against her shoulder and closed his eyes. He nuzzled delicately and sighed happily. O-kay, she thought. This is new. "I'm guessing you really like this."

"Mm-hm."

"Then why haven't you lost the illusion before?"

"Wasn't sure you wanted to see."

Thea snorted. "Why not? I know that you're a kitsune. You see me in my true form all the time."

"Ah, but some humans would freak out."

"Well, not this one," she said firmly.

He straightened up and kissed her. "You make me so happy."

She smiled and rubbed noses with him. "I love you."

"Love you, too. Instead of trying to kill each other, why don't we do a partner game?"

"Why? Tired of losing to a girl?" she taunted.

"Nope. I just want to get further than this level. Explore new levels instead of my girlfriend kicking my butt into different locations."