Saturday morning found Inu Yasha and his friends, both old and new, enjoying breakfast on the Green Mermaid’s back veranda and trying to avoid saying goodbye. In spite of all the ups and downs they’d had, Inu Yasha knew he’d miss Yuki and Shunusuke. He still thought Yuki was a bit weird but felt sort of sorry for her and Miroku. Goodbye would be hardest for them. He wondered if they’d ever be together again. The Priest who had taught Miroku had told him if he couldn’t get rid of his curse before the year was out, the Air Rip would suck him in. Inu Yasha wondered if Miroku had told Yuki about that.
        He figured he’d especially miss Shunusuke, though. Shunusuke had gotten him to do things he’d never imagined himself doing, like playing guitar and going to parties. When he came back to this time to train with Sesshomaru, he definitely planned to hook up with Shunusuke. He really wanted to spar with him again. It was the closest thing he’d ever had to real sword training and it had whet his appetite for more. Maybe he’d be nice and bring Miroku and Sango along.
        Sango seemed to have warmed to Shunusuke somewhat, but Inu Yasha suspected they were parting as just friends for now. If they met again, he had no doubt Shunusuke would try to upgrade his status to Romantic Interest.
        Only Rei Rei seemed truly content. She was home and back to her normal life…and she knew the truth about the murder of the Great Demon of the East. Doubtless, she planned to tell the young heir the truth and help protect him from Hisui Oukami until he was old enough to avenge his father.
        "Excuse me," the waiter interrupted Inu Yasha’s thoughts politely. He held out an envelope with Inu Yasha’s name on it. "This came for you, sir."
        Inu Yasha took the envelope, and the waiter bowed and went away. "Huh. Who’s sending me notes?" Then his stomach clenched. What if it was Hisui playing with his mind again? Or one of those bloody kitsune?
        The others broke off their conversations to look at him curiously. "Well, don’t just sit there," Kagome urged him with a nudge, "open it!"
        Inu Yasha tore open the envelope with a claw, then tossed it onto the table. Shippo picked it up and turned it over to look at the writing on its face with a furrowed brow while Inu Yasha read the note it had contained.
        "’Inu Yasha,’" he began slowly, "’I’m sorry I couldn’t help you out this time, but a person can’t be in the same place at the same time as themself without canceling out their existence—or so say the scientists. I didn’t feel like testing out their theories. If you’re reading this, it’s Saturday, and you’re about to go home. To make up for not coming to your rescue and to prove my identity, here’s some inside information: Naraku attacked Kaede’s village last night, but Kikyou helped her drive him off. When you go home and find out that’s true, you’ll believe that I’m who I say I am. Maybe we can meet when you show up for work next time. Take care of yourself, Jerk Boy!’" Inu Yasha stopped there and stared at the page in disbelief. He couldn’t even bring himself to look up at Shippo’s curious face as it peered over the top of the note.
        Kagome looked over to see the stamp and name at the bottom of the page and almost choked. On Inu Yasha’s other side, Miroku leaned over to see, and his jaw dropped. He looked from the paper to Shippo, then Inu Yasha.
        "Inu Yasha!" Sango demanded. "Read it! Who’s it from?"
        Inu Yasha closed his eyes and listened to the blood pound in his ears for a few moments, then swallowed hard and said: "It’s from Foxfire, the Great Demon of the South. Otherwise known as Shippo." He put the note down and wrapped both hands around Shippo’s throat and shook him with an angry snarl. "This isn’t funny, fox!"
        "Gag! I…didn’t write…that!" The little kitsune choked. "I mean…me, me. Not me, him, me. Inu Yasha!"
        "Inu Yasha, let him go right now!" Kagome shouted in his ear. "You’re hurting him!"
        "Sesshomaru would’ve said something!" Inu Yasha growled but he let go of Shippo’s neck. The fox fell flat on his back on the table, gasping for air. "Mikoto or Hisui would’ve said something! Hell," he glared at Yuki and Shunusuke in turn, "one of you would’ve said something!" He thumped his fist onto the offending document and hissed: "This is a really bad joke, Shippo!"
        "I told you," Shippo gasped from his prone position, "I didn’t write it! I don’t believe it, either."
        "Well," Kagome mused, "Yuki and Shunusuke did say the Great Demon of the South is a kitsune. And anyway, we’ll know if it’s legitimate if we get home and what the note says happened to the village is true."
        Inu Yasha frowned thoughtfully. She was right, but… "Kitsune don’t get to be Great Demons," he pouted, "they’re not mean enough for it. Just tricky."
        Everyone looked up and beyond Inu Yasha, then a familiar hand touched his shoulder. He smelled his brother, then to his disgust, Hisui. So much for a nice farewell breakfast with people he actually liked. "Good morning, Brother." He chose not to acknowledge Hisui.
        She, of course, chose to acknowledge him. With an exuberant "darling!" and a kiss on each of his cheeks. Much to Inu Yasha’s delight, she didn’t seem to want to sit down and join them. He wiped her kisses from his cheeks with a disgusted scowl and growled at her.
        "Oh, darling, let’s let bygones be bygones, shall we?" She cooed and blew smoke at him till he coughed. "No hard feelings. Until next time, of course."
        "There will be no next time," Sesshomaru reminded her in a tight voice that made it sound like he’d said those exact words at least a dozen times already that morning. Inu Yasha suspected he had.
        Sesshomaru noticed the note in front of Inu Yasha and looked over his brother’s shoulder to read it. After a few moments, he straightened up and frowned at Shippo, who was just getting his wind back and was sitting up looking at him. "So Foxfire is…you? Four hundred years later?" He sounded skeptical. "Is this some kind of a joke?"
        Shippo threw up his hands in disgust. "I didn’t write that!"
        "My point, exactly—"
        "I mean, me," Shippo corrected him. "Me, younger me. Not me, older me. There’s information in there that’ll prove it once we get home!" He sighed with aggravation and added vehemently: "I don’t even want to be a Great Demon!"
        "Good thing," Inu Yasha grumbled, "you’d make a lousy one."
        Shippo narrowed his eyes at him and bared his fangs.
        "You’re too cute," Inu Yasha added. "Great Demons aren’t cute."
        Well, Shippo could hardly be mad at him for calling him cute, but still…"I wouldn’t be such a bad Great Demon, I just don’t want the job, is all. Too much like work."
        Sesshomaru and Hisui smiled at that. "Yes, little fox, it certainly is," Sesshomaru sighed. "A lot can happen in a few centuries. Who knows? Maybe this really is from the future you. I’m curious to hear if that proof in the letter actually proves anything. I think I’ll pay the Great Demon of the South a visit, however, just to be sure. It’s time we met."
        Inu Yasha pierced Shippo with a mean look: "If it really is you, you’re in deep shit for not helping us, Furball! Old kitsune are a lot more powerful than little baby kitsune, like you!"
        "I am not a baby!" Shippo shot back.
        Inu Yasha folded his arms and tossed his head with a huff. "Close enough."
        "Oh yeah?" Shippo hopped up and got in Inu Yasha’s face with an angry growl, his tiny fists balled up and shaking at the smart mouthed half-demon. "You’re such a jerk!"
        Deja vu all over again. "A…jerk? I thought I proved to everybody this week that I’m not a jerk! I’m a hero, dammit!"
        Hisui agreed with Shippo. "You are a foul-mouthed, filthy, tasteless, adolescent punk. In a word: A Jerk."
        That was when Sesshomaru figured it would be a good idea to separate his girlfriend and his brother before they started a rematch of last night. "Brother, I’ll see you in two weeks to begin your training. Report to me at our father’s castle." He favored the rest of the group with a tight smile, then took hold of Hisui’s arm, spun her about and led her back to the hotel. She didn’t seem to want to go.
        "We’ll meet again, darling!" She called back to Inu Yasha with a teasing wink and cheerful wave.
        "I told you," Sesshomaru growled, "there will be no next time!"
        "And stop calling me ‘darling’," Inu Yasha muttered.