The Ministrations of Ayano
"You cannot leave as of yet." I informed my wayward invalid again. For the last three days he had been conscious I had gradually discovered his tenacity and determination to undo all I had done and get up. He sneered at me condescendingly.
"Do you think that you can hold me here…like a prisoner?!" With my back to him I sighed as I wrung out a cooling cloth. Turning around I saw him sitting up on his elbows, golden eyes alight with fiery passion. His silken white hair lay tangled about his personage and his dog-ears were held rigid with anger. I walked over to him and firmly pushed back on his chest forcing him to fall back. Had he been stronger he would have been able to easily resist my ministrations but given his current condition of a weakened kitten I held total dominance. "I'm a half-demon, I heal differently than mortals woman! I should be fully healed by now." I repressed a sigh of frustration and tried very hard to keep it absent from my voice as I spoke.
"Whatever happened to you before Yoki found your lifeless body on the shore left you as weak as a newborn babe. Given your demonic ancestry," here I paused briefly to place cloth on his forehead "you are healing much faster than any ordinary mortal would but still you mustn't overextend yourself too soon. You've brushed death and we have yet to take a consensus of what is left." He made a restless movement under me and my eyes were drawn to the bandage about his chest. "Do you feel any pain?" He pointedly turned his head to the window and ignored me. Crushing the urge to find the nearest hard object to bang my head against I poked about the bandages assessing the cuts on his chest. Reassured that they were healing as expected, I got up to leave but paused before I exited.
"Is there something I can bring you to relieve your boredom?" He shook his head minutely before resuming his careful observation of the gardens. I went into the main room and strolled about listlessly my mind still occupied with the hanyou in my spare bedroom. My house was modestly appointed but contained many bedrooms to aid in my career, which was that of a healer.
I knew who he was already. There are very few dog hanyous that carry such a poweful sword. In fact there is only one, Inuyasha last child of the powerful dog demon Toga of the royal clan of dog demons. My personal relations with that family had been brief but left a lasting impression. I had lost both of my beloved friends to them. One who slayed the greatest evil that the earth had ever known, and the other impaled by the sword of her half-brother. They were pure trouble no matter which way you looked at it.
All these thoughts flitted through my mind when Yoki had brought me to his lifeless body on the shore of the lake that bordered my little realm. Never had I felt such a tearing of emotions. On one hand I wanted to scorn his need and leave him to die, as some sort of compensation for the pain I had felt, on the other handI was a healer and my desire was the heal the wounded. For the safety of my soul, my healer side one out and I had him brought up. For the first three days he was insensible with fever and cried out name after name in anguish.
For the most part he called the name of his reportedly lovely miko companion, the mysterious Kagome. Other times he called out for Kikyou, the miko who had died. I stayed with him and soothed his fears as best I could.
Still, even now, multitudes of questions constantly assaulted my mind. Why had this hanyou come into my sanctuary? And why did he have to be part of that particular family? Not just any hanyou but one of the last remaining of a royal demon clan that I loathed. Where was this company of friends he always traveled in? Wearied from fighting emotions and thinking my head began to ache. This man-child brought on an army of memories that flooded my senses. Weakly I gave in and allowed them to swamp me, sitting down by the lakeshore I cried.
When I was through I washed my face in the lake before returning to my house. I noticed the sun was setting and went in to see my invalid. I saw an empty tray with certain satisfaction. Good, I thought, that means he isn't trying to starve himself. He watched me move towards him speculatively, eyes narrowed as if he was trying to puzzle something out. I merely reached my hand out and felt his forehead.
"Excellent. You don't seem to be feverish at all. You're making good progress" I added as an afterthought to boost his morale. All healers know that a happy patient heals much faster than a sad one. I fidgeted with a few things next to the bed before turning to go.
"Wait…" he called. I turned around expecting him to tell me he was leaving but instead he looked curious and asked "Why were you crying?" Then he tilted his head in an innocent sort of fashion much like a bird or a child. I did not notice this for long as my eyes clouded over.
"Unhappy memories…" he nodded and I looked over at him with a painful smile. "It's so ironic is it not that you would end up here of all places?" His brow furrowed in surprise and question.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Figuring he didn't make the connection because of the illness I explained it to him as I would a small child.
"I told you I am Ayano Hinodehoshi" his brow remained puckered up. "childhood friend of your sister..." on the word sister his brows shot up.
"What do you mean 'your sister'…I don't have a sister!" he said. My face flushed. How could anyone forget her!? But I calmed myself down. It's possible he doesn't know for some reason.
"Of course you do" I said keeping my voice neutral. "She was the first-born child of your father Toga by his wife Her-" my tongue suddenly choked on the name. Even though it had been well over a thousand years her name continued to instill terror into me. His face still registered disbelief. I sighed and excused myself. In my room I pulled a gold leaf book off the shelf. Encrusted on the cover in beautiful opals was a dog paw crowned in gold. Carrying it with both hands, as it was extremely large and heavy (for a book) I went back to him. I opened it up from the back and pushed past a few empty pages until I came to some writing. I showed it to him and traced the old faded ink lines.
"See here is your paternal grand father and mother…your father and your uncle. See here are your father's wives, including your mother….Inuyasha child of Izayoi, Sesshomaru child of Karahanami and Makaiko child of Her-" I gulped a bit "Herukisaki". He looked credulous but traced a single claw over the writing gently stroking the word Izayoi.
"And these dates here" he pointed to one that was after his mother "are for their death." I nodded. "And so my sister, this Makaiko is dead?" again I only nodded as tears began welling up again. I was shamed by such displays of emotion that I had had today. He looked over it carefully. "So my brother and I are the only ones left eh?"
"Yes, the last in a line of a long inu-youkia dynasty." I responded in as normal a voice as I could manage.
"If you knew my sister you must be very old then."
"I am 1,126 years old"
"Did you know my mother?"
"No, after the death of my beloved friend Hanami-Masako, the half-sister of your half-brother Sesshomaru I never concerned myself with your family." This was a blatant lie as I had kept up with all of them. He looked at Masako's name.
"Why are there two dates listed for her death…one of them is quite recent" He looked up at me.
"She died and was reincarnated. She was so powerful that she had had her body kept in perfect condition and then transferred her spirit back." He looked skeptical. "The second time she died your brother Sesshomaru ran her through." I had seen the small smile that came over her as she fell to the ground amidst the growing pool of blood...so much blood. He shut the book and closed his eyes for a moment, without opening him he began to talk.
"I suppose it's possible I did have sister. I never really knew my father and my brother and I aren't on speaking terms to say the least." Even though his eyes were closed I instinctually nodded.
"Your sister died a hundred years before your brother was born. She was…she was an amazing person."
"Will you tell me about her?" he asked, "If it's not too hard?"
"Of course, she should never be forgotten least of all by her brother." The door was open and a soft breezed drifted through bearing a faint scent of flowers. I glanced over at him. He was in repose, eyes closed, every line relaxed. I myself relaxed because I knew that the narrative was a long one. Clearing my throat I began…