Sango's pet hanyou and Inuyasha's Loss of
innocence
By: John Morgan
Chapter 1: The meeting
It was near dawn and Sango still hadn't been able to fall asleep, she gazed out of her window and looked at the fading stars in the sky wondering why she felt so alone and empty. She had been tossing and turning the whole night not being to sleep for even a moment, her mind riddled with thoughts of how she was to become a demon exterminator like her father and mother. She had looked forward to her twelfth birthday ever since she was three years old because once she turned twelve she would then begin her training to become an exterminator but now that her twelfth birthday was only three weeks away, for some reason she could not remember why she had been so excited about being a demon exterminator.
"Exterminator", she thought to herself, "just another name for murderer..." she closed her eyes and sighed softly and was at last able to fall asleep. All the while on the other side of the forest a small boy had spent the night in the tree branches trying to sleep but was unable to, he had spent the night crying over the death of his mother, he hadn't been there when it happened but he knew her death was untimely, he could still se the images of his mother lying dead on the cave floor with the claw marks running down her back and through her throat, he didn't know who had done it but he knew the scent of the demon that had killed her was familiar to him, it was almost like his own yet some how there was a slight difference in between the scent of the killer and his own. The last words of his dieing mother still rang fresh in his mind even though she had been killed a week ago.
"Inuyasha...my precious child...m-my pride and joy....h-he had....long silver hair like yours....but his heart....i-it was...so filled with hatred....so cold..." Inuyasha trembled remembering her last dieing words as he clung to her neck desperately pleading with her not to leave him alone. He sat in the branches of the tree hugging his knees as tears rolled down his cheeks. "Mother...who could have done this to you", he thought. "Why would someone do such a cruel and terrible thing...how could they have done such a thing." Inuyasha looked up at the sky which was now turning from black to a light shade of blue mixing with orange, he sighed deeply as he watched the last stars fading from sight and the he watched the sun begin to rise.
"Another sleepless night", he said to himself. "I guess is should get out of here before the other demons wake up too.." With that he jumped out of the tree and ran off through the forest. After a while a strange scent caught his nose, he stopped dead in his tracks and looked over to where the smell was coming from, he saw a village with a small trail of smoke coming from it, the smoke carried the smell of fresh food which had reminded Inuyasha of what he had gone through great pains to try and forget, and that was his over whelming hunger, he had not eaten in three days and even though his being half demon would allow him to survive up to five days with out food he was still on four years old and was very hungry, with his judgment being clouded and over whelmed by his hunger he quietly trekked towards the village trying not to make a sound so he would not be caught by the villagers.
His sense of smell led him to a small hut which Inuyasha had neglected to notice was currently owned by a family of humans who appeared to now be awake, he calmly and quietly climbed up the side of the hut and poked his head through a window where the smell seemed strongest, and as he stuck his head through he saw a young girl eating her breakfast which had quickly attracted the attention of the young hanyou. Sango sat eating her breakfast unaware of the fact that she and her break fast were being closely watched by a pair of golden hunger filled eyes. Only when she heard a loud series of thumps and Ow's did she look over to her wall and underneath the window where she saw a young boy laying upside down on his back looking at her.
Sango jumped up quickly and backed herself against a wall "Who are you!?!" She asked in a nervous shaky voice, Inuyasha rolled over onto his stomach then stood up and brushed him self. "I'm Inuyasha, who are you?" He said looking up at her curiously. Sango finally took in a deep breath as her heart slowly stopped racing.
"I'm Sango, what are you doing in my--" She stopped talking and noticed his puppy like ears and her eyes widened. "Y-you're a demon...aren't you??" She said as she began to tremble looking at his claws and fangs. Inuyasha looked around confused then pointed him self looking back at her, "Me??...You think I'm a demon?" Sango nodded her head quickly trying to stay calm and not look terrified.
Inuyasha fell to the floor laughing. "N-no I'm not a demon....well....I can't really say that...I am half demon." Sango slowly began to calm down still not entirely sure what to make of the hanyou. "Well then...Inuyasha.... what are you doing in my room?" She asked blushing slightly. Inuyasha looked at her only hearing part of what she said being distracted by the smell of food once again.
"Oh...well I smelled food coming from your room and I'm starving because I haven't eaten in three days, so when I smelled the food I came looking and ended up on your floor." Sango looked a t him wide eyed and amazed. "Three days!" She asked almost shouting then quieted her self, "You haven't eaten in three days??" Inuyasha shook his head eyeing her food. Sango noticed him starring and deciding she was no loner hungry, slid the bowl of food over to him.
"Here, go on eat. Please eat." Inuyasha took the bowl of food with out so much as a second thought and began to eat. "Thanks!" Inuyasha said between mouth fulls of food. Sango watched him eat smiling to herself and trying to hold back a laugh.
"Y-you're welcome..." She said with a small giggle in her voice. Inuyasha who hadn't noticed her giggling through his mouth fulls and gulps of food finished eating and set the bowl down, Sango looked at him curiously as the exhausted hanyou yawned deeply. "Hey Inuyasha, why aren't you at home with your mother?" She asked him.
Inuyasha looked down as tears began to swell in his eyes. "M-my mother....sh-she's....she was..killed a week ago..." Sango covered her mouth gasping lightly. "Oh Inuyasha...I'm so sorry, I didn't know..." Sango walked over to Inuyasha pacing a hand on his shoulder trying to get him to stop crying.
"What about your father, doesn't he take care of you?" Inuyasha looked up at her with tears streaming down his cheeks. "M-My f-father...h-he died b- before I was even b-b-born..." Sango hugged Inuyasha rocking him back and forth slowly and stroking his hair gently. "Oh Inuyasha, I'm so sorry...you really are all alone aren't you, you poor thing..." She kissed the top of his head as he sobbed quietly in her arms.
Inuyasha slowly began to stop sobbing and began to fall asleep clinging to Sango's waist tightly as if she was his actual mother. Sango began to hum softly trying to calm the crying half demon while still rocking back and forth with him in her arms. "Inuyasha...how old are you any ways?" She asked looking down at him, Inuyasha managed to mumble through his sobbing "I-I'm f-four."
Sango stroked his hair again "You poor thing, orphaned at four years old...I feel so sorry for you..." She began to hum again trying to calm the hanyou. Inuyasha could feel his eye lids getting heavy and his senses begin to weaken as he began to fall asleep being reminded of his mother who also used to hum to him to calm him and to put him to sleep at night, and after a while longer Inuyasha for the first time in 2 days had been able to fall asleep. Sango lifted the sleeping boy up and into her bed pulling the blanket over him.
She turned to walk out of her room but before she reached the door she turned and looked over the young half demon and blushed lightly thinking to her self. "Is this what it feels like, to be a mother?" She smiled to her self then walked out of her room pulling the sliding paper door closed behind her.
Chapter 2: Inuyasha's New Mother
It was in the after noon by the time Inuyasha had finally woken up, it had been over a week since Inuyasha had actually slept on a bed instead of a tree, the feeling was a welcomed comfort. As Inuyasha sat up in the bed the thought had occurred to him that everything that had happened over the past week had all been just a bad dream, but as he looked around his un- familiar surroundings the harsh cold of reality retuned to his mind once again, his mother was gone and so he was an orphan, just the thought of being alone in the world with out any family or friends brought tears to the young half demons eyes, but then he remembered, maybe he had met a new friend in Sango. Although the young girl had appeared afraid of him at first she had been nice enough to give him the rest of her food.
Food, another thought that brought a feeling to Inuyasha, he was hungry again, and the small amount of food Sango had given him had barley been enough to satisfy his hunger earlier that morning. As Inuyasha was getting out of the bed he heard the door to Sango's room slide open, startled he turned around quickly expecting to see one of Sango's parents walk in and begin to yell at him for sneaking into their daughters bedroom, but instead Sango walked in with a plate of food. Just the smell of the food was making Inuyasha's mouth water and his stomach began growl and groan as if begging the food to be for him. Sango turned around after shutting the door behind her and walked towards Inuyasha with the plate of food.
She set the plate of food in front of Inuyasha and sat down in front of her door making sure that no one would walk in and disturb them while he ate. Inuyasha stared in disbelief at all of the food on the plate then looked up at Sango only to her see her nod her head and smile as if she had read his mind and already knew what he was going to ask. Inuyasha smile happily as he sat down and began to eat once again, stopping only for breathe after every couple of mouth falls.
Sango watched him eat until he was finished then set the now empty plate aside and looked back to Inuyasha. "So Inuyasha, where do you live now?" Inuyasha looked up at Sango partially embarrassed to answer her question, "Well...I don't really have a home now, I've been sleeping in trees in the forest for the past week." Sango starred at him feeling sorry for him "That's so sad, you're an orphan and you have no place to go or to sleep." Sango sighed sadly then she looked up at him with a smile on her face, "Hey I know, why don't you stay here with me and my family?" Inuyasha looked up at her in disbelief.
"Do you really mean it Sango?" He asked excitedly, "I could live here with you and your family?" Sango smiled nodding her head, "I've already told my Mom and Dad about you, they said they wouldn't mind it but, "If you want to be considered one of the family then you'll have to do things like our family," which basically just means that you'll have to do choirs just like me but it's not so bad." Inuyasha immediately leapt up from where he was sitting and flung his arms around Sango's waist. "Oh thank you Sango! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!" Sango feeling very happy hugged Inuyasha back giggling to herself. "You're welcome Inuyasha, I think it'll be fun to have you around." She looked down into his eyes smiling at him.
Inuyasha smiled back at her happily feeling like he was part of a family again, "Sango, what kind of choirs do you do?" Inuyasha asked curiously. "Well for one thing it's my job to get water from the well every morning after breakfast and every night before dinner, so later tonight you can help me with that." Inuyasha continued to look at her, "Is their anything else that we have to do?" Sango looked up at the ceiling trying to think. "Well actually right now I have to out to the village and get eggs from the chicken coop, would you like to come and help me?" Inuyasha jumped up excitedly and began nodding his head.
Sango began to laugh lightly, "Well, alright then, come on lets go" She stood up and walked to the door with Inuyasha following closely behind her. Inuyasha followed Sango out to the chicken coop, which was something he had never seen before, and it immediately got him asking questions, "Sango, what is this place? It looks just like a small house." Sango turned to him smiling trying not to laugh so she wouldn't scare the chickens. "It's called a chicken coop Inuyasha, it's a place for the chickens to live and sleep in when it rains or snows." Inuyasha watched as Sango knelt down and walked into the chicken coop.
"Now Inuyasha we have to be very quiet or we'll scare the chickens, do you understand?" Inuyasha didn't answer or hear her, he was too distracted by a funny looking chicken, it was much skinnier than the others and Inuyasha was sure he had seen it make a loud noise to wake up the village earlier that morning. Sango, not hearing Inuyasha answer turned around only to see Inuyasha reaching for the sleeping roosters leg, "Inuyasha, no!" She yelled out then quickly covered her mouth forgetting where she was. As soon as she yelled they were surrounded by squawking chickens and flying white feathers all over them, Inuyasha who was completely terrified at this point was being pecked on the head by the rooster he had grabbed and was completely covered in broken eggs as was Sango.
They both ran out of the chicken coop completely covered in broken eggs. Sango turned to Inuyasha wiping off egg from her face, "Inuyasha, why did you do that!? don't you know what rooster is!?" Inuyasha looked up at her covered in egg, "I'm sorry Sango, I-I was just curious about it and I just wanted to--" He was cut off by a cold look from Sango. "Inuyasha, you're going to have to pay closer attention to what I tell you from now on, understood?" Inuyasha looked up at her with tears swelling in his eyes "I'm sorry Sango, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry!" He threw his arms around her hugging her waist tightly.
Sango looked down at him feeling guilty for being so mean to him, "After all it was his first time." She thought to her self. "It's alright Inuyasha, calm down...it's ok now." She said gently patting the young hanyou's head, "Here let me see." She said kneeling down and wiping egg off of his face with the sleeve to her kimono. Inuyasha smiled lightly and licked off some of the egg that was on her face with his tongue "Did I mention that I'm half dog demon?" He said smiling, "No Inuyasha you forgot to mention that." Sango said laughing lightly.
Inuyasha looked up at her as she finished wiping his face clean of the egg. Sango was now wiping off egg from her face when Inuyasha asked the question that would change Sango's feelings towards him completely, "Sango" Inuyasha began still looking up at her. "Yes Inuyasha?" Inuyasha looked up at her and hesitantly asked her, "W-would it be ok if...if I called you...Mom?" Sango stopped wiping her face and looked down at him, her expression was complete shock.
"Why would you want to call me your mother Inuyasha?" She asked, half of her still not able to believe what he had asked her, "Well...it's just that, you remind me a lot of my mother." He said beginning to look at the ground so she wouldn't see him blushing. "Really, in what way?" Sango asked noticing the red on his face, "Well...earlier this morning when I was crying you hummed to calm me down...my mother always used to do that when I was upset or couldn't sleep, and you helped clean me off like a mother does, and...you kind of look like my mother...because you're really pretty like my mother was." Inuyasha's face at this point had gone from pinkish white to beet red. Sango's face had also gone a deep red color at this point, "Y-you really think I'm pretty Inuyasha?" She asked trying to stop herself from blushing.
Inuyasha nodded his head lightly still looking at the ground, "It's ok if you don't want me to Sango, I'll understand." Sango smiled and knelt down placing her hands on both of Inuyasha's shoulders. "I would love to be your mother Inuyasha." She said pulling him to her and hugging him tightly. "Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Sango's neck hugging her just as tightly, "Now come on Inuyasha," She said gathering up six unbroken eggs from the ground and taking his hand in hers.
"We both need to take a bath." She said smiling and walking him back to their home, Inuyasha looked up at her as they walked. "Mom, can I still help you get the water from the well tonight, I promise I'll pay closer attention to what you tell me from now on." Sango smiled down at him, "Yes you may Inuyasha, but just try to be more careful when we are gathering eggs ok?" "Ok mom." Inuyasha said half laughing and half talking. Sango laughed to herself as they walked back to their house thinking to her self, "If he can get into all of that trouble just gathering eggs, I'd better keep a close eye on him when we gather water tonight." She began to giggle out loud as they both walked back inside the house.
Chapter 3: Inuyasha's nightmares
It was near dusk when Inuyasha and Sango set out to go get the water from the well just outside of the village, the sun was setting and it made the sky look a purplish orange color as the first dim stars of evening began to peer through the darkness of the night sky. Inuyasha looked up at Sango, "Sango, why is the well so far away from the village? Wouldn't it have made more sense to put closer to middle of the village?" Inuyasha asked, "It would have been easier Inuyasha, but this was the only place near the village where we could dig a well to get water because this is only area that had water under the ground." Inuyasha tilted his head feeling slightly confused. "You mean you can get water by digging deep enough into the ground Sango?" Sango looked over to him, "Of course you can, you mean you really didn't know that?" Inuyasha shook his head.
"No, I didn't. I guess it's because I've never lived in a village before, so I don't know a lot of stuff." Sango smiled and placed a hand on the young half demon's shoulder as they walked, "Well don't worry about that Inuyasha, you'll soon learn everything you need to know about living in a village." Inuyasha smiled up at her partially showing his small puppy dog like fangs. "Ok mommy." Sango knelt down next to him, "Inuyasha, you have fangs? I hadn't noticed them before." Inuyasha nodded looking up at her. "Yeah, I thought you would have noticed them when I was eating." Sango shook her lightly as she looked at his two small fangs, "Oh well, I guess there is no harm in having them, as long as you don't go biting any body with them, alright?" Inuyasha nodded and smiled.
"Ok mom, I won't bite anybody with them, I promise." Sango smiled as she stood up again, "Ok then, now lets get going, we have to get the water and be back before it gets too dark out side." Inuyasha nodded and they both began walking towards the well again. Once they reached the well Sango showed Inuyasha how to tie a knot on the bucket handle with the rope and how to lower it down into the well with the turn handle. Inuyasha nodded at Sango's instructions and he grasped the turn handle and began to lower the bucket into the well, "Wow Sango, this is pretty easy so far." Inuyasha said as the bucket sank into the water in the well.
Sango smiled and watched him, "Oh don't worry Inuyasha, it's not going to be easy for much longer." She said with a slight smirk on her face. Inuyasha hadn't noticed the smirk that had appeared on Sango's lips but he soon understood what she meant about it getting harder once he tried to reel the bucket which was now filled with water back up out of the well, "I...I see what you meant Sango." he said struggling with the wait of the filled bucket of water. After a few minutes of heaving and turning the handle, Inuyasha had finally managed to get the bucket back up out of the well, even with his half demon strength he was still only four years old and it was still quite difficult for him to lift the bucket up off of the edge of the well.
Sango smiled watching the young hanyou struggle with the weight of the bucket, "Ok Inuyasha, you've done enough." She lifting the bucket up from the ground where Inuyasha had set it down so he could rest. Carrying the bucket in one hand and holding Inuyasha's hand in her other, they both walked back to the village. Inuyasha and Sango sat talking with each other as they waited for Sango's mother to finish cooking their dinner, Sango sat holding her 4 month old little brother Kohaku in her arms as Inuyasha looked at the small infant curiously.
"He's so small," Inuyasha said as the baby grabbed at his finger. "I wonder if I was ever that small when I was a baby." Sango giggled lightly as she turned her head to look at Inuyasha, "Of course you were silly, everybody was this small when the were a baby." Inuyasha smiled and laughed as the baby Kohaku reached up grabbing one of his ears and tugged on it gently. "Wow Inuyasha, I think Kohaku really likes you." Sango said smiling at the two of them, "Ouch, my ear!" Inuyasha yelled as Kohaku twisted his ear and pulled on it harder.
"Oh I'm sorry Inuyasha, Kohaku was just curious, he doesn't know any better." Sango said as she rubbed his ear gently trying to make some of the pain go away, Inuyasha whimpered as he felt the stinging in his ear begin to grow. "Ohh, I'm sorry Inuyasha." Sango bent over and kissed his ear softly causing it twitch and flicker, Sango watched as his ear flickered and began to laugh lightly. Inuyasha smiled, "Thanks mom." he said hugging Sango.
Sango's mother, hearing Inuyasha call Sango his mother turned around and looked at Sango. "Mom?" She said as Sango turned and looked at her mother, "Umm, yeah uh, Inuyasha asked me if he could call me his mother because he said I remind him of his mother, so I told him he could. Is that ok?" Sango asked trying to look innocent as she hugged the young half demon that was currently clinging to her neck. "Oh, I suppose their is no harm in it," Sango's mother said trying to hold back a smile that was fighting it's way onto her face, "but you're going to have to be responsible for him and help take care of him as if you were his real mother from now, understood?" Sango smiled happily, "Yes mom!" she said kissing the top of Inuyasha's head.
Sango's mother smiled watching the three of them and turned back to their dinner. "Ok you two, dinner is ready." She said with a slight giggle in her voice, "Ok mom." Sango said standing up and handing the baby to her mother, "Inuyasha, you can help me set the tables, ok?" Sango asked turning to Inuyasha who was already putting bowls on the table. Sango smiled and began setting cups onto the table along with chopsticks next to each bowl that Inuyasha set, "You know Inuyasha, I think having you around is going to make things a lot easier when it comes to choirs." Inuyasha smiled and finished setting the bowls down on the table.
After eating dinner Sango set up a bed in her room for Inuyasha to sleep in, after getting everything set up Inuyasha climbed into the bed and pulled the blankets up over himself. "Sango, can I ask you something?" Inuyasha asked looking up at Sango, "Of course you can Inuyasha, what is it?" Inuyasha looked away hesitant to ask at first. "Well, I was just wondering, would you umm," Sango sat down on the bed next to him and looked at the now blushing Inuyasha.
"Would I what Inuyasha?" She asked placing a hand on his fore head and running it back through his long silver hair, Inuyasha blushed deeper, then sighing he looked up at her. "Will you hum to me?" He asked feeling slightly embarrassed, "I know that it seems kind of babyish, but it's what my mother used to do to help put me to sleep." Sango smiled kindly down at him, "Sure Inuyasha, all you had to do was ask me, I wouldn't mind at all." Sango knelt down next to the tired half demon and placed his head gently into her lap and began to hum softly to him closing her eyes. Inuyasha soon began to relax feeling the nervousness of spending his first night in his new home begin to fade out of him until it disappeared completely, closing his eyes Inuyasha yawned and was soon sound asleep.
Sango stayed a few minutes longer after Inuyasha had fallen asleep smiling at the young hanyou who was now sleeping peacefully with his head in her lap, "He looks so innocent and content," she thought to herself. "I wonder what he's dreaming about." With one last look at the sleeping Inuyasha she gently lifted his head off of her lap and onto the pillow, "Good night, Inuyasha." She whispered after gently kissing his fore head, Sango then quietly walked out of her room closing the door behind her. Sango went and sat down next to her mother and father who were talking together while her mother held the sleeping Kohaku in her arms, "Sango you're going to make a great mother when you grow up." her father said smiling at his now blushing daughter.
"Yes I agree," her mother said, "watching you take of that young half demon child, you would think you had been doing it all of your life." Sango at this point was a deep shade of red and was smiling uncontrollably. "Do you really think so mother?" She asked trying to appear modest, "Definitely Sango, you're a natural." her mother replied. Mean while Inuyasha had silently tossing and turning in his sleep dreaming of a figure with long pale silver hair like his, although he could not make out the face of the being because he was standing covered in shadows.
This was a dream Inuyasha had been having frequently ever since the murder of his mother; it was also the reason that it had been difficult for Inuyasha to sleep at night. As though this figure were stalking him through his dreams hunting him by watching him and everything that he did through his dreams, "Se....Sessho...maru.....Sesshomaru...where are you...why are following me?" Inuyasha said in his sleep, "What have you done Sesshoumaru...why did you kill all of these people? Sesshoumaru, where are you going? Come back. Sesshoumaru!!" Inuyasha's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up gasping for breath as he wiped cold sweat from his fore head and face. Sango, hearing Inuyasha yell immediately jumped up from where she was sitting and ran to her room where she saw Inuyasha sitting up and gasping, "Inuyasha, what's wrong?" she asked kneeling down on the bed next to the frightened hanyou and placing a hand on his shoulder.
Inuyasha turned to Sango and threw his arms around her burying his face in her shoulder and crying hysterically. Sango put her arms around the crying Inuyasha and stroked his hair gently trying to calm the terrified half demon, "Shhh, it's ok Inuyasha, you just had a night mare it's ok I'm here now Inuyasha, I'm not going anywhere." she said quietly trying to get Inuyasha to relax and stop crying. "Sango, it was horrible!" Inuyasha said in between sobs and gasps for breath, "I was walking through the forest when I heard a bunch of screams coming from a village, so I went to see what happened and, and when I got to the village where the screaming was coming from, everything was destroyed, everyone was dead!" Inuyasha tightened his arms around Sango's neck as he tried to calm down and explain to Sango what he'd dreamt about, "Then I heard somebody laughing, s-so I looked up at where the laughter was coming from, and I saw a demon boy standing in the trees over the village, and their was blood all over his claws and kimono." Inuyasha gasped for breath as he began to stop crying.
Sango looked down at Inuyasha still holding him in her arms, "Did you recognize the boy Inuyasha, did you know who it was?" She asked as she gently stroked his head. Inuyasha shook his head still refusing to loosen his arms from around her neck, "I couldn't see his face because it was covered in shadows," Inuyasha said nuzzling his head against Sango's shoulder. "But I think he was the one that killed my mother." Sango looked at him as she began to rock back in forth with him in her arms, "It's alright now Inuyasha, calm down and try to sleep everything will be fine, I promise." Inuyasha shook his head frantically, "Please don't make me go back to sleep Sango, please!" Inuyasha pleaded with her as voice began tremble along with his body.
"Please Sango, please I'm so scared, I don't want to go back to sleep Sango, please don't make me!" Inuyasha began to cry once again still terrified of the images he's seen in his disturbing dream. Sango, feeling sorry for the frantic and seemingly terrified hanyou, decided not to force him to go back to sleep. "Alright Inuyasha, you don't have to go back to sleep, you can stay awake with me." She said lifting the panic-stricken Inuyasha into her arms, "You can stay up with me until I go to bed ok?" Inuyasha nodded and began to calm down feeling safe once again.
Sango carried Inuyasha out of the room with her and closed the door behind them, she then carried Inuyasha with her over to where her parents were sitting and sat down with Inuyasha still clinging to her. "What was wrong?" Sango's mother asked looking over and seeing Sango holding the trembling Inuyasha, "He had a really bad night mare, and he says it's of the demon that killed his mother." "Oh, that's so sad." Sango's mother said gently rubbing Inuyasha's back to try and comfort him. A short while later Inuyasha was asleep once again resting his head on Sango's shoulder as she sat stroking his hair, "Sango, I've been meaning to ask you something," Her father began, "Yes, what is it father?" Sango asked turning to look at him.
"Sango, have you told Inuyasha about our villages tradition yet?" "What do you mean?" Sango asked trying to act like she didn't know what her father was talking about, even though she knew all to well what he meant. "I mean Sango, have you told Inuyasha about what you're going to start training to become in three weeks?" Sango looked down placing a hand on the back of the sleeping Inuyasha's head pressing it softly against her shoulder, "No, I haven't told him yet father." Sango said quietly not wanting to have to tell Inuyasha that she was to be come a "demon exterminator" and that it was going to become her duty to kill demons to earn money. "Sango, you know that you can not hide it from Inuyasha for much longer." her mother said looking at the sleeping half demon, "Yes Sango, eventually whether you tell him or not he will find out in three weeks when you begin your training." her father reminded her.
"I know that." Sango said harshly, wanting her parents to just drop the subject. "Sango." Her mother sounding surprised at her daughters harsh and disrespectful tone, "I'm sorry mother, it's just that I don't think I can bring myself to tell Inuyasha that I'm going to become a 'demon exterminator' when I know that he is a half demon." Sango said, trying to find an explanation for her rude tone. "It's alright Sango, "Her father said taking a sip from his cup of tea, "I understand that it's going to be difficult for you, but just remember Sango, it's going to hurt him even more if he finds out about without you telling him, then it will if you just explain it to him." her father said.
A few hours later Sango had laid Inuyasha back down in his bed and crawled into her own pulling the blankets over herself. "I'll have to tell him eventually," Sango thought to herself, "but I just don't know when I should tell him, or how I should tell him." Looking over at the sleeping Inuyasha, Sango smiled to herself and was soon sound asleep.
Chapter 4: Sango's Secret
The next morning Sango woke up to what felt like somebody kicking her back softly, she rolled over onto her other side and there was Inuyasha lying next to her in her bed. Sango sat up quickly and gently shook the young hanyous shoulder, "Inuyasha, Inuyasha wake up." Inuyasha moaned slightly before opening his left eye to look at Sango, "What's wrong Sango?" he asked rubbing his eyes and slowly sitting up, "Inuyasha, what are you doing in my bed, why aren't you in your own?" she asked as she watched Inuyasha yawn and stretch.
Inuyasha scratched one of his ears with his foot, similar to how a dog would, and then looked up at her still half asleep, "I'm sorry Sango, I woke up in the middle of the night and I thought I saw somebody moving around outside in the village, I got scared and I couldn't fall back asleep so I climbed into the bed with you so I wouldn't be afraid." Sango smiled at the tired half demon and began to blush lightly feeling happy that he felt safe with her. "It's ok Inuyasha, I don't mind it as long as you feel comfortable and safe." Inuyasha smiled and laid back down curling up with the blankets covering him, Sango also laid back down on the bed noticing that the sun hadn't even begun to rise yet although the stars were beginning to fade from the sky. Inuyasha nuzzled himself against Sango so he could feel warm again and was soon fast asleep, Sango smiled putting her arm around the sleeping hanyou, holding him close to her as if he was a stuffed animal.
"He's so small." She thought to herself, "It's just like holding a living breathing stuffed animal." She giggled quietly to her self before closing her eyes and falling back asleep still holding the little half demon close to her. A few hours later Sango was awake once again hearing the rooster that had attacked Inuyasha the other day crowing loudly as the sun rose, Sango slowly sat up not wanting to disturb the still sleeping Inuyasha. Quietly and quickly she got out of bed and changed clothes and went out into the den where her father was already sitting while her mother cooked breakfast while holding Kohaku in one of her arms, "Good morning Sango, where is Inuyasha?" Her father asked, "Inuyasha is still asleep father." Sango said as she sat down next to him.
Sango's mother turned around and looked at Sango, "Is he alright now?" she asked turning back to the food she was cooking. "Yes, I think so." Sango said as she yawned lightly, "Although he did say something that still has me a little worried." Sango's mother and father both turned and looked at her. "Really, and what did he say?" Her father asked still closely watching her, "He said that when he woke up in the middle of the night, he saw somebody wandering around the village and he got scared." she said looking at her father.
"Probably just shadows from the moon light hitting the tree's Sango, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." Her father said smiling at her then taking a sip of his tea, "You may be right father but still, I remember you telling me about how demons can sense danger and when it's approaching. Do you think that Inuyasha may be sensing a coming danger without even knowing it? After all, he is half demon." She asked turning to look at her father who was now looking very serious. "Sango, do you think he is sensing something?" Her father asked as looked at her from the corner of his eye. Sango hated it when he looked at her like that, it was as if he wasn't looking at her, but rather he was looking at her very soul.
"Well father, it would make sense wouldn't it? I mean, he had that disturbing nightmare about a demon who he believes is the one responsible for the death of his mother, and he's been seeing images at night lurking in the shadows that nobody else can see, hear or sense. I think he may be foretelling a coming danger." She said trying not to look at her father's eyes as he kept starring at her from the corner of his eye. "Well then Sango, what do you plan to do about it." He asked almost sounding as if he too had been sensing something like this the entire time. Sango turned her head looking at her father almost in disbelief, "What do you mean, what do I plan to do about it?" she asked him.
"I mean Sango, if their really is a coming danger, what are you going to do when it gets here?" Sango narrowed her eyes at her father, finding it hard to believe that the same man who had defended her and her village for so many years, appeared to be turning his back on her and forcing her to fight alone against what ever danger was coming. "I'll tell you what I am going to do." Sango said trying to remain as calm as she could, "I am going to protect my child, Inuyasha, at any cost." she said as tears began to swell in her eyes. "Your child?" Her father asked as he turned his head to look at Sango, "Yes father, my child." she repeated, "Inuyasha thinks of me as his mother and I think of him as my son!" She stated, then she stood up and walked back into her room and sat on the bed next to Inuyasha gently wrapping her arms around him and rocking back and forth cradling the sleeping half demon in her arms and kissing his fore head.
"I will protect you Inuyasha, I promise I'll protect you no matter what." She said as tears began to roll down her cheeks, Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly feeling one of Sango's tears drip onto his cheek. "Sango?" Inuyasha said looking up at the crying girl, "Sango, what's wrong?" Sango looked down at Inuyasha while wiping tears away from her eyes. "N-nothing is wrong Inuyasha, everything is fine." Inuyasha nuzzled his head against Sango's stomach, "Then why are you crying mother?" he asked, wiping a tear off of her cheek.
"I...I'm not crying,....I'm just..." She didn't finish, instead she hugged Inuyasha tightly, not wanting to let anything hurt him or take him away from her. "Inuyasha, I have something that I have to tell you." She whispered to him, almost hoping that she'd said it too quietly for him to hear her. "What is it Sango?" He asked wrapping his arms around her neck, "Inuyasha, please don't hate me after I tell you this...but, Inuyasha, in 2 more weeks I am going to begin training." she said still holding Inuyasha tightly.
"Training for what?" Inuyasha asked her, "I'm going to begin training to become....a demon exterminator." she said as she rocked back and forth with him. "A...a demon...exterminator?" Inuyasha asked feeling shocked by what she'd told him, "Inuyasha, I would never ever do anything to hurt you, I promise you that." she said trying not to cry any more then she already was. Inuyasha hugged her tightly and nuzzled his head against her neck, "I believe you mommy, I believe you." He said clinging tightly to her.
Out in the den, Sango's father had sat there asking Sango's mother why no one had told him that Inuyasha had asked Sango to be his new mother. "Well dear," Sango's mother said, "If you had been paying closer attention to your daughter and how she and Inuyasha been acting like, then maybe you would have known how closely the two have grown and you would have known that Inuyasha was calling her his mother." Sango's father hated to admit it, but he knew that his wife was right. He hadn't been paying enough attention to Sango's present, he had been so wrapped up in her future as a demon exterminator, that he hadn't even noticed what was happening right before his eyes.
The painful truth was that Sango had grown up, and she had become the adoptive and caring mother of young hanyou by the name of Inuyasha. "You're right dear." He said lowering his head and looking at the table, "I have been for too pre-occupied with Sango's future, and in doing so I have failed to see what was happening right in front of me, and I apologize." he said calmly. "Oh it's not your fault dear, I know you love Sango and you only want what is best for her." Her mother said placing a hand on his shoulder as she smiled at him.
Mean while in Sango's room, Sango and Inuyasha had been talking about Inuyasha's nightmares, trying to figure out if what Inuyasha was dreaming about was actually a warning that his subconscious had been sending him to try and alert him to an impending danger that had been coming closer and closer each day. "Well, there is one thing that keeps occurring in each dream that is always the same." Inuyasha had told her, "What is it Inuyasha, what keeps happening in your dreams?" she asked him placing a hand on his shoulder. "In each of my dreams, while I'm walking in the forest, I keep seeing the same river, but the villages that are destroyed are always different. Like the demon was moving from village to village along the rivers path." He said looking up at Sango and seeing her eye's widen with shock, "Sango, Sango what's wrong?" Inuyasha asked looking at her eyes.
Sango looked over at him and took a deep breath, "Inuyasha...there is a group of small villages along the banks of a near by river....and everyday we have been receiving word that the villages are being destroyed one by one every night." Inuyasha's eye's widened with fear and he looked away from Sango, "He's coming." Inuyasha said without knowing it. "Who's coming Inuyasha?" Sango asked turning his head so he would be facing at her, "M- my...my brother...Sesshoumaru...he's coming...and he's going to kill everybody..." Inuyasha said as tears began to stream from his eyes. "Sesshoumaru is coming Sango, he's coming here, and he's going to kill you and everybody else just to get to me!!" Inuyasha threw his arms around Sango's waist burying his head and face into her shoulder.
Sango put her arms around Inuyasha rocking back and forth as she began stroking his hair softly and trying to calm him, "Shh, Inuyasha it's ok, it's ok. We have an entire village filled with demon exterminators to protect us." she said gently rubbing Inuyasha's back. "I promise you Inuyasha we're going to be fine, I won't let anything harm you Inuyasha I promise I won't let anything ever hurt you." She stayed with Inuyasha rocking him back and forth and humming to him so he would calm down. As Inuyasha began to slowly close his eyes and fall asleep, the last image that appeared in his mind was of the brother who he had only seen once out of his dreams, a brother that at one time had cared for Inuyasha more than he cared for himself. The only thought that kept running through Inuyasha's mind was "What could have happened to him, what could have changed to turn my caring brother, into such a cold, ruthless, and forgiving...monster."
Chapter 5: Inuyasha's Older Brother and The Monster Who Lost His Heart
That night as Sango and the rest of the village slept soundly, Inuyasha couldn't help but stay wide awake in his bed listening and jumping at every unexpected sound. Inuyasha knew that Sesshoumaru was coming; he could feel his presence growing ever closer with each passing day. "Why is he hunting me?" Inuyasha thought to himself, "What in the world could have changed him into such a cold and murderous Youkai." Inuyasha sighed heavily and looked out the window.
"I know you're coming Sesshoumaru, but I don't know what you want from me, or why you have become so cruel and uncaring." Inuyasha turned away from the window when he suddenly the faint scent of smoke and blood began to fill his nose, Inuyasha quickly got out of his bed and ran out of Sango's room, staying silent so she would not wake up and stop him. Inuyasha quickly crept out of the house and ran through the forest towards the direction of where the smoke was coming from, not long afterwards Inuyasha could hear the faint sound of screams coming from the same direction that the smoke was coming from. As Inuyasha began to slow down he looked over through the tree's and there he saw the river that had been constantly appearing in his dreams, it was then that he realized what was happening and he knew all too well what he was going to find if he kept running towards the smoke and screams, he knew that if he kept following the smoke and the yelling that the only thing he was going to find was a destroyed village....and his brother older brother.
"Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha said as he watched the smoke rise high up into the sky and he saw a reddish orange glow through the trees. Although he knew that he would be risking his life if he continued to the village, Inuyasha could not will himself to turn around and run back to the safety of Sango and her village. "Safety." He thought to himself, "Sango's village won't be safe anymore if I go back, Sesshoumaru will just come to her village next, and by tomorrow night...their wont be any village left." Inuyasha hated the thought of Sango being in danger because of him, and at the same time he knew that wasn't the only reason he had to go to the village, for some reason he knew that he had to confront his older brother, that he couldn't run form him anymore he knew that in a way Sesshoumaru was a part of him, almost as if Sesshoumaru's darkness was created and implanted in him to balance out Inuyasha's light.
He knew that Sesshoumaru was a part of him self and that, that was a fact he could no longer deny or continue to run away from. "I'm coming Sesshoumaru, I refuse to run away from you any longer." He said, almost as if he knew that Sesshoumaru would hear it and wait for Inuyasha to arrive at the village. Inuyasha sighed and took one last deep breath, then he began sprinting towards the village once again.
By the time Inuyasha arrived at the village the screaming had stopped and Inuyasha knew that it meant Sesshoumaru had killed off the last of the humans in that village, the only sound that Inuyasha could hear was the crackling of the fire burning the destroyed houses and sheds that had once stood in the village. Inuyasha looked around trying to see if he could find his brother or pick up his scent through the scent of the smoke and spilled blood, just as Inuyasha had begun to think that Sesshoumaru had already left the village, he heard the one sound that had sent chills through his heart when ever he had this night mare, he looked up at the tree behind him and there on one of the lower branches stood the figure that had been hunting Inuyasha through his own dreams, the figure that he knew was responsible for the death of his mother, although the figure stood shrouded in shadows, Inuyasha knew who it was. "Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha exclaimed looking over at the demon that was standing in the tree branches looking over the destroyed village and laughing.
As soon as Inuyasha spoke the name of his older brother the demon stopped laughing and turned his head in the direction of Inuyasha, Inuyasha stood there, glaring at the figure who was looking at him from the shadows through two golden, glowing eyes. "Hello, little brother." The figure said leaping from the tree branches and landing on the ground in front of him, "Tell me Inuyasha, do you like how I have redecorated the village?" Sesshoumaru asked sweeping an arm out over to the direction of the burning buildings and destroyed houses. "How could you have done something like this Sesshoumaru? How could you have done such an evil and heartless thing?" Inuyasha said as he looked over the village surveying the damage that had been done.
"Oh it was quite easy actually." Sesshoumaru answered with an evil smirk on his lips. "Once you destroy the village's warriors, the rest of them just scream and beg for mercy." He said with an evil chuckle in his voice, "But then again, it's easy to kill the warriors when you are as strong as I am." Inuyasha turned to Sesshoumaru and grabbed both of his shoulders shaking him as he began to yell at him, "Sesshoumaru how could you!?! Why have you been hunting me and why have you been destroying all of the villages and killing these innocent people? How could you do something this terrible!?" he yelled still shaking Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru glared at Inuyasha coldly with his two glowing gold eyes, "Get off of me, half breed!!" he yelled as he shoved Inuyasha off of him knocking him to the ground.
"I've already told you how I did it Inuyasha, but judging from your constant questions I can see that you're going to need a demonstration." Sesshoumaru smirked as his eyes began to glow brighter, "Maybe I'll give you a demonstration of how I did it. If I remember correctly, there is a village not far from here, a village that just happens to be filled with demon exterminators, maybe I should destroy that village as well and demonstrate to you just how powerful I am." As Sesshoumaru began to walk away from the village he turned back and looked at Inuyasha. "Oh, wait a minute...isn't that the village you have been staying in with your new mother?" Sesshoumaru asked sarcastically, already knowing the answer, "Oh well, it's not like I'll have any problem with killing her as well." as Sesshoumaru turned to walk away, Inuyasha felt a rage explode inside of him and he leapt up off of the ground and at Sesshoumaru, pinning him to the ground. "Sesshoumaru, you won't lay a hand on Sango or her village, got it!?!" He yelled as he glared into Sesshoumaru's eyes, Sesshoumaru smirked as he brought his fist back and swung it forward at full force hitting Inuyasha in the mouth and knocking him back to the ground.
"You worthless half breed, you would dare order me around as if you were my superior? You haven't the power or the right to order me to do or not to do anything!" Sesshoumaru said, getting back up and standing over Inuyasha, who was still seeing double from being punched so hard by his brother. "By tomorrow night Inuyasha, you will be an orphan once again." Sesshoumaru said as he began to laugh evilly, "No!" Inuyasha exclaimed as he rose to his feet once again. "You won't make it to Sango's village tomorrow night Sesshoumaru, because I am going to kill you before that ever happens!" With that Inuyasha leapt at Sesshoumaru, his mind filled with so many different emotions but above the fear and his self-doubt he felt a strange sense of adrenaline and excitement as he charged into battle with his older brother.
"Iron reaver soul stealer!" Inuyasha yelled as he swung his claws at Sesshoumaru and a yellow glow of energy formed around them in a trail as he slashed at Sesshoumaru's stomach leaving four deep gashes in him. Sesshoumaru dropped to his knees holding his stomach then moving his arms away and seeing blood on them, "Well, well it seems there is some fight in you after all Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru said raising his eyes to Inuyasha glaring coldly at him. Inuyasha looked at his claw in disbelief, he'd never had any idea that he could do attacks like that, but when he had leapt at Sesshoumaru and the image of Sango being hurt entered his mind it was as if the words had just appeared in his mind and something had forced him to yell them out.
Inuyasha turned and saw Sesshoumaru who was standing right in front of him now, Inuyasha looked down at Sesshoumaru's claws which now a thin pale green mist rising from them. "Let me ask you something Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru said as he brought one of his claws up in front of his face and looked over it as if he was inspecting it to make sure it had not been damaged some how, "Have I ever shown my claws of poison attack? It's really quite affective." he said as he tensed his claws and brought them both down to his sides. Inuyasha's eye's widened with fear, "Y-you...you can use the "Claws of Poison" attack? That's not possible, mother said that only our father had the ability to use that...and he was the most powerful demon in all of the western lands, he ruled over all of western Japan with his power. How is it that you can use his attack?" Sesshoumaru smirked as he looked back to Inuyasha, "I've already told you Inuyasha, I have become far more powerful then you could ever possibly imagine." Inuyasha took a short step backwards as Sesshoumaru raised his claws up as he prepared to attack.
Before Inuyasha could get his guard back up Sesshoumaru had leapt at him and was swinging at Inuyasha and battering him with his claws causing all of his wound to be surrounded with a green film on the edges of them which made Inuyasha cringe in pain, Inuyasha knew that it was the poison that covered Sesshoumaru's claws and it was going to seep into his wounds and make him so sick that he would not be able to fight back against Sesshoumaru and then he would be sure to die. Inuyasha's mind began to race as he tried to think of a way to counter act the poison before it got too deep into his wounds to stop, then suddenly a thought occurred to him. "What if I used the water from the river to clean out the poison..." Inuyasha knew that it would either rid him of the poison...or it would water it down and make it spread quicker.
It was a big risk but Inuyasha knew it was his only chance. Just as he got up and was about to run for the river, Inuyasha saw something come flying towards Sesshoumaru and hit him, knocking him away from Inuyasha and into a tree. Inuyasha looked over at where the object had come from and saw a figure standing in the shadows holding what looked to be a giant boomerang, "Sango!" Inuyasha exclaimed as the figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light. Sango ran over to Inuyasha and knelt beside him looking over his wounds, "Here, give me your arms Inuyasha." Sango said as she began putting an antidote for demon poison on his wounds.
Suddenly a giant explosion of light and a dark presence surrounded them and Sesshoumaru began slowly walking towards them with his eyes glowing bright red, "You pathetic human! You would dare attack me!?!" Sango stood up putting herself between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. "You stay away from my son!" Sango exclaimed as she put a hand on her giant boomerang preparing to throw it again, Sesshoumaru began to laugh while he looked at Sango as she prepared to attack again. "You foolish human, do you really think you can protect him from me?" Sango glared coldly into Sesshoumaru's glowing eyes, "Yes, I do!" Sango said as she threw her boomerang at Sesshoumaru once again.
Sesshoumaru jumped over the boomerang, landing behind Sango, then turning her around and slamming his knee into her back and grabbing her throat. "I warned you human, you had your chance to walk away and live, now you will die!" As Sesshoumaru raised his claw into the air and was about to bring them down on Sango, he suddenly stopped hearing her laugh. "What's so funny human!?" He yelled as he glared coldly into her eyes, "You are." Sango replied.
"You're a foolish eight year old child...don't you even know anything?" Sesshoumaru growled feeling as though she was mocking him, "Just what is that supposed to mean!?" he yelled tightening his grip around her neck. "I mean, don't you know that boomerangs always come back to where they were thrown from?" Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he turned his head just in time to get hit full force in the side of the head as the boomerang came flying back at them. Sesshoumaru collapsed to the ground letting go of Sango to cradle his own head in his hands, "Inuyasha run!" Sango yelled as she stood back up picking up her boomerang.
Inuyasha looked at Sango and shook his head slowly back and forth, "I can't run from him anymore Sango, Sesshoumaru is a part of me whether I like it or not and I have to face him." Sango looked at Inuyasha as though he had gone completely insane, "What are you saying Inuyasha, you can't possibly beat him on your own, and I'm not going to watch you die trying!" Inuyasha walked over to Sango and threw his arms around her. "I won't lose to him Sango, but I have to face him on my own other wise he will hunt me down for the rest of my life." Sango wrapped her arms tightly around Inuyasha's waist, "Inuyasha, you had better come out of this alive, or I swear you are grounded." Sango said laughing as tears began to stream from her eyes, "I will mom, I promise." Inuyasha answered as he released his arms from around Sangos neck. Sesshoumaru slowly rose to his feet wiping blood from his eye brow and lip, "So half breed, you're going to hide behind this human?" he said as blood trickled down his fore head and around his left eye.
"No Sesshoumaru, no more hiding. I'm going to finish you once and for all." Inuyasha said as he raised his claws up to his waist and tensed them up, causing them to grow out another inch. Sesshoumaru glared at Inuyasha, his eyes were blood shot and red from the boomerang cracking him in the side of the head and hitting his temple. "This is it half breed, the last charge...after this last attack only one of us will be left standing...and I don't intend to die at the age of eight." Inuyasha smirked as he prepared to charge for him one last time, "We'll soon find out who is meant to live Sesshoumaru. Now show me what you've got." Inuyasha took one last look at Sango and sighed, and then with one last deep breath he charged full speed for Sesshoumaru and leapt into the air.
Sesshoumaru charged and leapt up into the air and glared at Inuyasha as they both flew towards one another. Inuyasha swung his claw forward thrusting it towards Sesshoumaru; "Iron reaver, Soul stealer!" at the same Instant Sesshoumaru called out, "Poison Claws!" and began thrusting his claw toward Inuyasha. After a bright flash of light the two of them landed, each of them standing where the other had leapt from. Inuyasha stood trembling as he turned his head only to see Sesshoumaru standing in front of Sango and smirking as he raised his claw, which was covered in blood up to his eyes. Inuyasha looked at Sesshoumaru's blood covered claw and then collapsed to the ground, Sango ran over to Inuyasha's side and shook him frantically, "Inuyasha!! Inuyasha, speak to me!!" she cried still shaking him. "I...I killed...my brother." Inuyasha said quietly. Sango's eyes widened and she turned quickly to look at Sesshoumaru who had a very large and very deep set of gashes across his stomach, which were now pouring blood from his body. Sesshoumaru turned towards where Inuyasha was laying on the ground, then with a final smirk, he dropped lifelessly to the ground. Inuyasha slowly got up onto his knees and then rose to his feet with Sango helping up, Inuyasha turned and looked at Sango, "C-can we go home now mom?" Inuyasha stammered feeling almost completely drained of energy. Sango smiled and nodded wiping tears from her eye's, "Yes Inuyasha, let's go home." She said as she lifted him up into her arms carrying him as she began the long walk back through the forest to their village, and Inuyasha's new home.
The End.
By: John Morgan
Chapter 1: The meeting
It was near dawn and Sango still hadn't been able to fall asleep, she gazed out of her window and looked at the fading stars in the sky wondering why she felt so alone and empty. She had been tossing and turning the whole night not being to sleep for even a moment, her mind riddled with thoughts of how she was to become a demon exterminator like her father and mother. She had looked forward to her twelfth birthday ever since she was three years old because once she turned twelve she would then begin her training to become an exterminator but now that her twelfth birthday was only three weeks away, for some reason she could not remember why she had been so excited about being a demon exterminator.
"Exterminator", she thought to herself, "just another name for murderer..." she closed her eyes and sighed softly and was at last able to fall asleep. All the while on the other side of the forest a small boy had spent the night in the tree branches trying to sleep but was unable to, he had spent the night crying over the death of his mother, he hadn't been there when it happened but he knew her death was untimely, he could still se the images of his mother lying dead on the cave floor with the claw marks running down her back and through her throat, he didn't know who had done it but he knew the scent of the demon that had killed her was familiar to him, it was almost like his own yet some how there was a slight difference in between the scent of the killer and his own. The last words of his dieing mother still rang fresh in his mind even though she had been killed a week ago.
"Inuyasha...my precious child...m-my pride and joy....h-he had....long silver hair like yours....but his heart....i-it was...so filled with hatred....so cold..." Inuyasha trembled remembering her last dieing words as he clung to her neck desperately pleading with her not to leave him alone. He sat in the branches of the tree hugging his knees as tears rolled down his cheeks. "Mother...who could have done this to you", he thought. "Why would someone do such a cruel and terrible thing...how could they have done such a thing." Inuyasha looked up at the sky which was now turning from black to a light shade of blue mixing with orange, he sighed deeply as he watched the last stars fading from sight and the he watched the sun begin to rise.
"Another sleepless night", he said to himself. "I guess is should get out of here before the other demons wake up too.." With that he jumped out of the tree and ran off through the forest. After a while a strange scent caught his nose, he stopped dead in his tracks and looked over to where the smell was coming from, he saw a village with a small trail of smoke coming from it, the smoke carried the smell of fresh food which had reminded Inuyasha of what he had gone through great pains to try and forget, and that was his over whelming hunger, he had not eaten in three days and even though his being half demon would allow him to survive up to five days with out food he was still on four years old and was very hungry, with his judgment being clouded and over whelmed by his hunger he quietly trekked towards the village trying not to make a sound so he would not be caught by the villagers.
His sense of smell led him to a small hut which Inuyasha had neglected to notice was currently owned by a family of humans who appeared to now be awake, he calmly and quietly climbed up the side of the hut and poked his head through a window where the smell seemed strongest, and as he stuck his head through he saw a young girl eating her breakfast which had quickly attracted the attention of the young hanyou. Sango sat eating her breakfast unaware of the fact that she and her break fast were being closely watched by a pair of golden hunger filled eyes. Only when she heard a loud series of thumps and Ow's did she look over to her wall and underneath the window where she saw a young boy laying upside down on his back looking at her.
Sango jumped up quickly and backed herself against a wall "Who are you!?!" She asked in a nervous shaky voice, Inuyasha rolled over onto his stomach then stood up and brushed him self. "I'm Inuyasha, who are you?" He said looking up at her curiously. Sango finally took in a deep breath as her heart slowly stopped racing.
"I'm Sango, what are you doing in my--" She stopped talking and noticed his puppy like ears and her eyes widened. "Y-you're a demon...aren't you??" She said as she began to tremble looking at his claws and fangs. Inuyasha looked around confused then pointed him self looking back at her, "Me??...You think I'm a demon?" Sango nodded her head quickly trying to stay calm and not look terrified.
Inuyasha fell to the floor laughing. "N-no I'm not a demon....well....I can't really say that...I am half demon." Sango slowly began to calm down still not entirely sure what to make of the hanyou. "Well then...Inuyasha.... what are you doing in my room?" She asked blushing slightly. Inuyasha looked at her only hearing part of what she said being distracted by the smell of food once again.
"Oh...well I smelled food coming from your room and I'm starving because I haven't eaten in three days, so when I smelled the food I came looking and ended up on your floor." Sango looked a t him wide eyed and amazed. "Three days!" She asked almost shouting then quieted her self, "You haven't eaten in three days??" Inuyasha shook his head eyeing her food. Sango noticed him starring and deciding she was no loner hungry, slid the bowl of food over to him.
"Here, go on eat. Please eat." Inuyasha took the bowl of food with out so much as a second thought and began to eat. "Thanks!" Inuyasha said between mouth fulls of food. Sango watched him eat smiling to herself and trying to hold back a laugh.
"Y-you're welcome..." She said with a small giggle in her voice. Inuyasha who hadn't noticed her giggling through his mouth fulls and gulps of food finished eating and set the bowl down, Sango looked at him curiously as the exhausted hanyou yawned deeply. "Hey Inuyasha, why aren't you at home with your mother?" She asked him.
Inuyasha looked down as tears began to swell in his eyes. "M-my mother....sh-she's....she was..killed a week ago..." Sango covered her mouth gasping lightly. "Oh Inuyasha...I'm so sorry, I didn't know..." Sango walked over to Inuyasha pacing a hand on his shoulder trying to get him to stop crying.
"What about your father, doesn't he take care of you?" Inuyasha looked up at her with tears streaming down his cheeks. "M-My f-father...h-he died b- before I was even b-b-born..." Sango hugged Inuyasha rocking him back and forth slowly and stroking his hair gently. "Oh Inuyasha, I'm so sorry...you really are all alone aren't you, you poor thing..." She kissed the top of his head as he sobbed quietly in her arms.
Inuyasha slowly began to stop sobbing and began to fall asleep clinging to Sango's waist tightly as if she was his actual mother. Sango began to hum softly trying to calm the crying half demon while still rocking back and forth with him in her arms. "Inuyasha...how old are you any ways?" She asked looking down at him, Inuyasha managed to mumble through his sobbing "I-I'm f-four."
Sango stroked his hair again "You poor thing, orphaned at four years old...I feel so sorry for you..." She began to hum again trying to calm the hanyou. Inuyasha could feel his eye lids getting heavy and his senses begin to weaken as he began to fall asleep being reminded of his mother who also used to hum to him to calm him and to put him to sleep at night, and after a while longer Inuyasha for the first time in 2 days had been able to fall asleep. Sango lifted the sleeping boy up and into her bed pulling the blanket over him.
She turned to walk out of her room but before she reached the door she turned and looked over the young half demon and blushed lightly thinking to her self. "Is this what it feels like, to be a mother?" She smiled to her self then walked out of her room pulling the sliding paper door closed behind her.
Chapter 2: Inuyasha's New Mother
It was in the after noon by the time Inuyasha had finally woken up, it had been over a week since Inuyasha had actually slept on a bed instead of a tree, the feeling was a welcomed comfort. As Inuyasha sat up in the bed the thought had occurred to him that everything that had happened over the past week had all been just a bad dream, but as he looked around his un- familiar surroundings the harsh cold of reality retuned to his mind once again, his mother was gone and so he was an orphan, just the thought of being alone in the world with out any family or friends brought tears to the young half demons eyes, but then he remembered, maybe he had met a new friend in Sango. Although the young girl had appeared afraid of him at first she had been nice enough to give him the rest of her food.
Food, another thought that brought a feeling to Inuyasha, he was hungry again, and the small amount of food Sango had given him had barley been enough to satisfy his hunger earlier that morning. As Inuyasha was getting out of the bed he heard the door to Sango's room slide open, startled he turned around quickly expecting to see one of Sango's parents walk in and begin to yell at him for sneaking into their daughters bedroom, but instead Sango walked in with a plate of food. Just the smell of the food was making Inuyasha's mouth water and his stomach began growl and groan as if begging the food to be for him. Sango turned around after shutting the door behind her and walked towards Inuyasha with the plate of food.
She set the plate of food in front of Inuyasha and sat down in front of her door making sure that no one would walk in and disturb them while he ate. Inuyasha stared in disbelief at all of the food on the plate then looked up at Sango only to her see her nod her head and smile as if she had read his mind and already knew what he was going to ask. Inuyasha smile happily as he sat down and began to eat once again, stopping only for breathe after every couple of mouth falls.
Sango watched him eat until he was finished then set the now empty plate aside and looked back to Inuyasha. "So Inuyasha, where do you live now?" Inuyasha looked up at Sango partially embarrassed to answer her question, "Well...I don't really have a home now, I've been sleeping in trees in the forest for the past week." Sango starred at him feeling sorry for him "That's so sad, you're an orphan and you have no place to go or to sleep." Sango sighed sadly then she looked up at him with a smile on her face, "Hey I know, why don't you stay here with me and my family?" Inuyasha looked up at her in disbelief.
"Do you really mean it Sango?" He asked excitedly, "I could live here with you and your family?" Sango smiled nodding her head, "I've already told my Mom and Dad about you, they said they wouldn't mind it but, "If you want to be considered one of the family then you'll have to do things like our family," which basically just means that you'll have to do choirs just like me but it's not so bad." Inuyasha immediately leapt up from where he was sitting and flung his arms around Sango's waist. "Oh thank you Sango! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!" Sango feeling very happy hugged Inuyasha back giggling to herself. "You're welcome Inuyasha, I think it'll be fun to have you around." She looked down into his eyes smiling at him.
Inuyasha smiled back at her happily feeling like he was part of a family again, "Sango, what kind of choirs do you do?" Inuyasha asked curiously. "Well for one thing it's my job to get water from the well every morning after breakfast and every night before dinner, so later tonight you can help me with that." Inuyasha continued to look at her, "Is their anything else that we have to do?" Sango looked up at the ceiling trying to think. "Well actually right now I have to out to the village and get eggs from the chicken coop, would you like to come and help me?" Inuyasha jumped up excitedly and began nodding his head.
Sango began to laugh lightly, "Well, alright then, come on lets go" She stood up and walked to the door with Inuyasha following closely behind her. Inuyasha followed Sango out to the chicken coop, which was something he had never seen before, and it immediately got him asking questions, "Sango, what is this place? It looks just like a small house." Sango turned to him smiling trying not to laugh so she wouldn't scare the chickens. "It's called a chicken coop Inuyasha, it's a place for the chickens to live and sleep in when it rains or snows." Inuyasha watched as Sango knelt down and walked into the chicken coop.
"Now Inuyasha we have to be very quiet or we'll scare the chickens, do you understand?" Inuyasha didn't answer or hear her, he was too distracted by a funny looking chicken, it was much skinnier than the others and Inuyasha was sure he had seen it make a loud noise to wake up the village earlier that morning. Sango, not hearing Inuyasha answer turned around only to see Inuyasha reaching for the sleeping roosters leg, "Inuyasha, no!" She yelled out then quickly covered her mouth forgetting where she was. As soon as she yelled they were surrounded by squawking chickens and flying white feathers all over them, Inuyasha who was completely terrified at this point was being pecked on the head by the rooster he had grabbed and was completely covered in broken eggs as was Sango.
They both ran out of the chicken coop completely covered in broken eggs. Sango turned to Inuyasha wiping off egg from her face, "Inuyasha, why did you do that!? don't you know what rooster is!?" Inuyasha looked up at her covered in egg, "I'm sorry Sango, I-I was just curious about it and I just wanted to--" He was cut off by a cold look from Sango. "Inuyasha, you're going to have to pay closer attention to what I tell you from now on, understood?" Inuyasha looked up at her with tears swelling in his eyes "I'm sorry Sango, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry!" He threw his arms around her hugging her waist tightly.
Sango looked down at him feeling guilty for being so mean to him, "After all it was his first time." She thought to her self. "It's alright Inuyasha, calm down...it's ok now." She said gently patting the young hanyou's head, "Here let me see." She said kneeling down and wiping egg off of his face with the sleeve to her kimono. Inuyasha smiled lightly and licked off some of the egg that was on her face with his tongue "Did I mention that I'm half dog demon?" He said smiling, "No Inuyasha you forgot to mention that." Sango said laughing lightly.
Inuyasha looked up at her as she finished wiping his face clean of the egg. Sango was now wiping off egg from her face when Inuyasha asked the question that would change Sango's feelings towards him completely, "Sango" Inuyasha began still looking up at her. "Yes Inuyasha?" Inuyasha looked up at her and hesitantly asked her, "W-would it be ok if...if I called you...Mom?" Sango stopped wiping her face and looked down at him, her expression was complete shock.
"Why would you want to call me your mother Inuyasha?" She asked, half of her still not able to believe what he had asked her, "Well...it's just that, you remind me a lot of my mother." He said beginning to look at the ground so she wouldn't see him blushing. "Really, in what way?" Sango asked noticing the red on his face, "Well...earlier this morning when I was crying you hummed to calm me down...my mother always used to do that when I was upset or couldn't sleep, and you helped clean me off like a mother does, and...you kind of look like my mother...because you're really pretty like my mother was." Inuyasha's face at this point had gone from pinkish white to beet red. Sango's face had also gone a deep red color at this point, "Y-you really think I'm pretty Inuyasha?" She asked trying to stop herself from blushing.
Inuyasha nodded his head lightly still looking at the ground, "It's ok if you don't want me to Sango, I'll understand." Sango smiled and knelt down placing her hands on both of Inuyasha's shoulders. "I would love to be your mother Inuyasha." She said pulling him to her and hugging him tightly. "Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Sango's neck hugging her just as tightly, "Now come on Inuyasha," She said gathering up six unbroken eggs from the ground and taking his hand in hers.
"We both need to take a bath." She said smiling and walking him back to their home, Inuyasha looked up at her as they walked. "Mom, can I still help you get the water from the well tonight, I promise I'll pay closer attention to what you tell me from now on." Sango smiled down at him, "Yes you may Inuyasha, but just try to be more careful when we are gathering eggs ok?" "Ok mom." Inuyasha said half laughing and half talking. Sango laughed to herself as they walked back to their house thinking to her self, "If he can get into all of that trouble just gathering eggs, I'd better keep a close eye on him when we gather water tonight." She began to giggle out loud as they both walked back inside the house.
Chapter 3: Inuyasha's nightmares
It was near dusk when Inuyasha and Sango set out to go get the water from the well just outside of the village, the sun was setting and it made the sky look a purplish orange color as the first dim stars of evening began to peer through the darkness of the night sky. Inuyasha looked up at Sango, "Sango, why is the well so far away from the village? Wouldn't it have made more sense to put closer to middle of the village?" Inuyasha asked, "It would have been easier Inuyasha, but this was the only place near the village where we could dig a well to get water because this is only area that had water under the ground." Inuyasha tilted his head feeling slightly confused. "You mean you can get water by digging deep enough into the ground Sango?" Sango looked over to him, "Of course you can, you mean you really didn't know that?" Inuyasha shook his head.
"No, I didn't. I guess it's because I've never lived in a village before, so I don't know a lot of stuff." Sango smiled and placed a hand on the young half demon's shoulder as they walked, "Well don't worry about that Inuyasha, you'll soon learn everything you need to know about living in a village." Inuyasha smiled up at her partially showing his small puppy dog like fangs. "Ok mommy." Sango knelt down next to him, "Inuyasha, you have fangs? I hadn't noticed them before." Inuyasha nodded looking up at her. "Yeah, I thought you would have noticed them when I was eating." Sango shook her lightly as she looked at his two small fangs, "Oh well, I guess there is no harm in having them, as long as you don't go biting any body with them, alright?" Inuyasha nodded and smiled.
"Ok mom, I won't bite anybody with them, I promise." Sango smiled as she stood up again, "Ok then, now lets get going, we have to get the water and be back before it gets too dark out side." Inuyasha nodded and they both began walking towards the well again. Once they reached the well Sango showed Inuyasha how to tie a knot on the bucket handle with the rope and how to lower it down into the well with the turn handle. Inuyasha nodded at Sango's instructions and he grasped the turn handle and began to lower the bucket into the well, "Wow Sango, this is pretty easy so far." Inuyasha said as the bucket sank into the water in the well.
Sango smiled and watched him, "Oh don't worry Inuyasha, it's not going to be easy for much longer." She said with a slight smirk on her face. Inuyasha hadn't noticed the smirk that had appeared on Sango's lips but he soon understood what she meant about it getting harder once he tried to reel the bucket which was now filled with water back up out of the well, "I...I see what you meant Sango." he said struggling with the wait of the filled bucket of water. After a few minutes of heaving and turning the handle, Inuyasha had finally managed to get the bucket back up out of the well, even with his half demon strength he was still only four years old and it was still quite difficult for him to lift the bucket up off of the edge of the well.
Sango smiled watching the young hanyou struggle with the weight of the bucket, "Ok Inuyasha, you've done enough." She lifting the bucket up from the ground where Inuyasha had set it down so he could rest. Carrying the bucket in one hand and holding Inuyasha's hand in her other, they both walked back to the village. Inuyasha and Sango sat talking with each other as they waited for Sango's mother to finish cooking their dinner, Sango sat holding her 4 month old little brother Kohaku in her arms as Inuyasha looked at the small infant curiously.
"He's so small," Inuyasha said as the baby grabbed at his finger. "I wonder if I was ever that small when I was a baby." Sango giggled lightly as she turned her head to look at Inuyasha, "Of course you were silly, everybody was this small when the were a baby." Inuyasha smiled and laughed as the baby Kohaku reached up grabbing one of his ears and tugged on it gently. "Wow Inuyasha, I think Kohaku really likes you." Sango said smiling at the two of them, "Ouch, my ear!" Inuyasha yelled as Kohaku twisted his ear and pulled on it harder.
"Oh I'm sorry Inuyasha, Kohaku was just curious, he doesn't know any better." Sango said as she rubbed his ear gently trying to make some of the pain go away, Inuyasha whimpered as he felt the stinging in his ear begin to grow. "Ohh, I'm sorry Inuyasha." Sango bent over and kissed his ear softly causing it twitch and flicker, Sango watched as his ear flickered and began to laugh lightly. Inuyasha smiled, "Thanks mom." he said hugging Sango.
Sango's mother, hearing Inuyasha call Sango his mother turned around and looked at Sango. "Mom?" She said as Sango turned and looked at her mother, "Umm, yeah uh, Inuyasha asked me if he could call me his mother because he said I remind him of his mother, so I told him he could. Is that ok?" Sango asked trying to look innocent as she hugged the young half demon that was currently clinging to her neck. "Oh, I suppose their is no harm in it," Sango's mother said trying to hold back a smile that was fighting it's way onto her face, "but you're going to have to be responsible for him and help take care of him as if you were his real mother from now, understood?" Sango smiled happily, "Yes mom!" she said kissing the top of Inuyasha's head.
Sango's mother smiled watching the three of them and turned back to their dinner. "Ok you two, dinner is ready." She said with a slight giggle in her voice, "Ok mom." Sango said standing up and handing the baby to her mother, "Inuyasha, you can help me set the tables, ok?" Sango asked turning to Inuyasha who was already putting bowls on the table. Sango smiled and began setting cups onto the table along with chopsticks next to each bowl that Inuyasha set, "You know Inuyasha, I think having you around is going to make things a lot easier when it comes to choirs." Inuyasha smiled and finished setting the bowls down on the table.
After eating dinner Sango set up a bed in her room for Inuyasha to sleep in, after getting everything set up Inuyasha climbed into the bed and pulled the blankets up over himself. "Sango, can I ask you something?" Inuyasha asked looking up at Sango, "Of course you can Inuyasha, what is it?" Inuyasha looked away hesitant to ask at first. "Well, I was just wondering, would you umm," Sango sat down on the bed next to him and looked at the now blushing Inuyasha.
"Would I what Inuyasha?" She asked placing a hand on his fore head and running it back through his long silver hair, Inuyasha blushed deeper, then sighing he looked up at her. "Will you hum to me?" He asked feeling slightly embarrassed, "I know that it seems kind of babyish, but it's what my mother used to do to help put me to sleep." Sango smiled kindly down at him, "Sure Inuyasha, all you had to do was ask me, I wouldn't mind at all." Sango knelt down next to the tired half demon and placed his head gently into her lap and began to hum softly to him closing her eyes. Inuyasha soon began to relax feeling the nervousness of spending his first night in his new home begin to fade out of him until it disappeared completely, closing his eyes Inuyasha yawned and was soon sound asleep.
Sango stayed a few minutes longer after Inuyasha had fallen asleep smiling at the young hanyou who was now sleeping peacefully with his head in her lap, "He looks so innocent and content," she thought to herself. "I wonder what he's dreaming about." With one last look at the sleeping Inuyasha she gently lifted his head off of her lap and onto the pillow, "Good night, Inuyasha." She whispered after gently kissing his fore head, Sango then quietly walked out of her room closing the door behind her. Sango went and sat down next to her mother and father who were talking together while her mother held the sleeping Kohaku in her arms, "Sango you're going to make a great mother when you grow up." her father said smiling at his now blushing daughter.
"Yes I agree," her mother said, "watching you take of that young half demon child, you would think you had been doing it all of your life." Sango at this point was a deep shade of red and was smiling uncontrollably. "Do you really think so mother?" She asked trying to appear modest, "Definitely Sango, you're a natural." her mother replied. Mean while Inuyasha had silently tossing and turning in his sleep dreaming of a figure with long pale silver hair like his, although he could not make out the face of the being because he was standing covered in shadows.
This was a dream Inuyasha had been having frequently ever since the murder of his mother; it was also the reason that it had been difficult for Inuyasha to sleep at night. As though this figure were stalking him through his dreams hunting him by watching him and everything that he did through his dreams, "Se....Sessho...maru.....Sesshomaru...where are you...why are following me?" Inuyasha said in his sleep, "What have you done Sesshoumaru...why did you kill all of these people? Sesshoumaru, where are you going? Come back. Sesshoumaru!!" Inuyasha's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up gasping for breath as he wiped cold sweat from his fore head and face. Sango, hearing Inuyasha yell immediately jumped up from where she was sitting and ran to her room where she saw Inuyasha sitting up and gasping, "Inuyasha, what's wrong?" she asked kneeling down on the bed next to the frightened hanyou and placing a hand on his shoulder.
Inuyasha turned to Sango and threw his arms around her burying his face in her shoulder and crying hysterically. Sango put her arms around the crying Inuyasha and stroked his hair gently trying to calm the terrified half demon, "Shhh, it's ok Inuyasha, you just had a night mare it's ok I'm here now Inuyasha, I'm not going anywhere." she said quietly trying to get Inuyasha to relax and stop crying. "Sango, it was horrible!" Inuyasha said in between sobs and gasps for breath, "I was walking through the forest when I heard a bunch of screams coming from a village, so I went to see what happened and, and when I got to the village where the screaming was coming from, everything was destroyed, everyone was dead!" Inuyasha tightened his arms around Sango's neck as he tried to calm down and explain to Sango what he'd dreamt about, "Then I heard somebody laughing, s-so I looked up at where the laughter was coming from, and I saw a demon boy standing in the trees over the village, and their was blood all over his claws and kimono." Inuyasha gasped for breath as he began to stop crying.
Sango looked down at Inuyasha still holding him in her arms, "Did you recognize the boy Inuyasha, did you know who it was?" She asked as she gently stroked his head. Inuyasha shook his head still refusing to loosen his arms from around her neck, "I couldn't see his face because it was covered in shadows," Inuyasha said nuzzling his head against Sango's shoulder. "But I think he was the one that killed my mother." Sango looked at him as she began to rock back in forth with him in her arms, "It's alright now Inuyasha, calm down and try to sleep everything will be fine, I promise." Inuyasha shook his head frantically, "Please don't make me go back to sleep Sango, please!" Inuyasha pleaded with her as voice began tremble along with his body.
"Please Sango, please I'm so scared, I don't want to go back to sleep Sango, please don't make me!" Inuyasha began to cry once again still terrified of the images he's seen in his disturbing dream. Sango, feeling sorry for the frantic and seemingly terrified hanyou, decided not to force him to go back to sleep. "Alright Inuyasha, you don't have to go back to sleep, you can stay awake with me." She said lifting the panic-stricken Inuyasha into her arms, "You can stay up with me until I go to bed ok?" Inuyasha nodded and began to calm down feeling safe once again.
Sango carried Inuyasha out of the room with her and closed the door behind them, she then carried Inuyasha with her over to where her parents were sitting and sat down with Inuyasha still clinging to her. "What was wrong?" Sango's mother asked looking over and seeing Sango holding the trembling Inuyasha, "He had a really bad night mare, and he says it's of the demon that killed his mother." "Oh, that's so sad." Sango's mother said gently rubbing Inuyasha's back to try and comfort him. A short while later Inuyasha was asleep once again resting his head on Sango's shoulder as she sat stroking his hair, "Sango, I've been meaning to ask you something," Her father began, "Yes, what is it father?" Sango asked turning to look at him.
"Sango, have you told Inuyasha about our villages tradition yet?" "What do you mean?" Sango asked trying to act like she didn't know what her father was talking about, even though she knew all to well what he meant. "I mean Sango, have you told Inuyasha about what you're going to start training to become in three weeks?" Sango looked down placing a hand on the back of the sleeping Inuyasha's head pressing it softly against her shoulder, "No, I haven't told him yet father." Sango said quietly not wanting to have to tell Inuyasha that she was to be come a "demon exterminator" and that it was going to become her duty to kill demons to earn money. "Sango, you know that you can not hide it from Inuyasha for much longer." her mother said looking at the sleeping half demon, "Yes Sango, eventually whether you tell him or not he will find out in three weeks when you begin your training." her father reminded her.
"I know that." Sango said harshly, wanting her parents to just drop the subject. "Sango." Her mother sounding surprised at her daughters harsh and disrespectful tone, "I'm sorry mother, it's just that I don't think I can bring myself to tell Inuyasha that I'm going to become a 'demon exterminator' when I know that he is a half demon." Sango said, trying to find an explanation for her rude tone. "It's alright Sango, "Her father said taking a sip from his cup of tea, "I understand that it's going to be difficult for you, but just remember Sango, it's going to hurt him even more if he finds out about without you telling him, then it will if you just explain it to him." her father said.
A few hours later Sango had laid Inuyasha back down in his bed and crawled into her own pulling the blankets over herself. "I'll have to tell him eventually," Sango thought to herself, "but I just don't know when I should tell him, or how I should tell him." Looking over at the sleeping Inuyasha, Sango smiled to herself and was soon sound asleep.
Chapter 4: Sango's Secret
The next morning Sango woke up to what felt like somebody kicking her back softly, she rolled over onto her other side and there was Inuyasha lying next to her in her bed. Sango sat up quickly and gently shook the young hanyous shoulder, "Inuyasha, Inuyasha wake up." Inuyasha moaned slightly before opening his left eye to look at Sango, "What's wrong Sango?" he asked rubbing his eyes and slowly sitting up, "Inuyasha, what are you doing in my bed, why aren't you in your own?" she asked as she watched Inuyasha yawn and stretch.
Inuyasha scratched one of his ears with his foot, similar to how a dog would, and then looked up at her still half asleep, "I'm sorry Sango, I woke up in the middle of the night and I thought I saw somebody moving around outside in the village, I got scared and I couldn't fall back asleep so I climbed into the bed with you so I wouldn't be afraid." Sango smiled at the tired half demon and began to blush lightly feeling happy that he felt safe with her. "It's ok Inuyasha, I don't mind it as long as you feel comfortable and safe." Inuyasha smiled and laid back down curling up with the blankets covering him, Sango also laid back down on the bed noticing that the sun hadn't even begun to rise yet although the stars were beginning to fade from the sky. Inuyasha nuzzled himself against Sango so he could feel warm again and was soon fast asleep, Sango smiled putting her arm around the sleeping hanyou, holding him close to her as if he was a stuffed animal.
"He's so small." She thought to herself, "It's just like holding a living breathing stuffed animal." She giggled quietly to her self before closing her eyes and falling back asleep still holding the little half demon close to her. A few hours later Sango was awake once again hearing the rooster that had attacked Inuyasha the other day crowing loudly as the sun rose, Sango slowly sat up not wanting to disturb the still sleeping Inuyasha. Quietly and quickly she got out of bed and changed clothes and went out into the den where her father was already sitting while her mother cooked breakfast while holding Kohaku in one of her arms, "Good morning Sango, where is Inuyasha?" Her father asked, "Inuyasha is still asleep father." Sango said as she sat down next to him.
Sango's mother turned around and looked at Sango, "Is he alright now?" she asked turning back to the food she was cooking. "Yes, I think so." Sango said as she yawned lightly, "Although he did say something that still has me a little worried." Sango's mother and father both turned and looked at her. "Really, and what did he say?" Her father asked still closely watching her, "He said that when he woke up in the middle of the night, he saw somebody wandering around the village and he got scared." she said looking at her father.
"Probably just shadows from the moon light hitting the tree's Sango, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." Her father said smiling at her then taking a sip of his tea, "You may be right father but still, I remember you telling me about how demons can sense danger and when it's approaching. Do you think that Inuyasha may be sensing a coming danger without even knowing it? After all, he is half demon." She asked turning to look at her father who was now looking very serious. "Sango, do you think he is sensing something?" Her father asked as looked at her from the corner of his eye. Sango hated it when he looked at her like that, it was as if he wasn't looking at her, but rather he was looking at her very soul.
"Well father, it would make sense wouldn't it? I mean, he had that disturbing nightmare about a demon who he believes is the one responsible for the death of his mother, and he's been seeing images at night lurking in the shadows that nobody else can see, hear or sense. I think he may be foretelling a coming danger." She said trying not to look at her father's eyes as he kept starring at her from the corner of his eye. "Well then Sango, what do you plan to do about it." He asked almost sounding as if he too had been sensing something like this the entire time. Sango turned her head looking at her father almost in disbelief, "What do you mean, what do I plan to do about it?" she asked him.
"I mean Sango, if their really is a coming danger, what are you going to do when it gets here?" Sango narrowed her eyes at her father, finding it hard to believe that the same man who had defended her and her village for so many years, appeared to be turning his back on her and forcing her to fight alone against what ever danger was coming. "I'll tell you what I am going to do." Sango said trying to remain as calm as she could, "I am going to protect my child, Inuyasha, at any cost." she said as tears began to swell in her eyes. "Your child?" Her father asked as he turned his head to look at Sango, "Yes father, my child." she repeated, "Inuyasha thinks of me as his mother and I think of him as my son!" She stated, then she stood up and walked back into her room and sat on the bed next to Inuyasha gently wrapping her arms around him and rocking back and forth cradling the sleeping half demon in her arms and kissing his fore head.
"I will protect you Inuyasha, I promise I'll protect you no matter what." She said as tears began to roll down her cheeks, Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly feeling one of Sango's tears drip onto his cheek. "Sango?" Inuyasha said looking up at the crying girl, "Sango, what's wrong?" Sango looked down at Inuyasha while wiping tears away from her eyes. "N-nothing is wrong Inuyasha, everything is fine." Inuyasha nuzzled his head against Sango's stomach, "Then why are you crying mother?" he asked, wiping a tear off of her cheek.
"I...I'm not crying,....I'm just..." She didn't finish, instead she hugged Inuyasha tightly, not wanting to let anything hurt him or take him away from her. "Inuyasha, I have something that I have to tell you." She whispered to him, almost hoping that she'd said it too quietly for him to hear her. "What is it Sango?" He asked wrapping his arms around her neck, "Inuyasha, please don't hate me after I tell you this...but, Inuyasha, in 2 more weeks I am going to begin training." she said still holding Inuyasha tightly.
"Training for what?" Inuyasha asked her, "I'm going to begin training to become....a demon exterminator." she said as she rocked back and forth with him. "A...a demon...exterminator?" Inuyasha asked feeling shocked by what she'd told him, "Inuyasha, I would never ever do anything to hurt you, I promise you that." she said trying not to cry any more then she already was. Inuyasha hugged her tightly and nuzzled his head against her neck, "I believe you mommy, I believe you." He said clinging tightly to her.
Out in the den, Sango's father had sat there asking Sango's mother why no one had told him that Inuyasha had asked Sango to be his new mother. "Well dear," Sango's mother said, "If you had been paying closer attention to your daughter and how she and Inuyasha been acting like, then maybe you would have known how closely the two have grown and you would have known that Inuyasha was calling her his mother." Sango's father hated to admit it, but he knew that his wife was right. He hadn't been paying enough attention to Sango's present, he had been so wrapped up in her future as a demon exterminator, that he hadn't even noticed what was happening right before his eyes.
The painful truth was that Sango had grown up, and she had become the adoptive and caring mother of young hanyou by the name of Inuyasha. "You're right dear." He said lowering his head and looking at the table, "I have been for too pre-occupied with Sango's future, and in doing so I have failed to see what was happening right in front of me, and I apologize." he said calmly. "Oh it's not your fault dear, I know you love Sango and you only want what is best for her." Her mother said placing a hand on his shoulder as she smiled at him.
Mean while in Sango's room, Sango and Inuyasha had been talking about Inuyasha's nightmares, trying to figure out if what Inuyasha was dreaming about was actually a warning that his subconscious had been sending him to try and alert him to an impending danger that had been coming closer and closer each day. "Well, there is one thing that keeps occurring in each dream that is always the same." Inuyasha had told her, "What is it Inuyasha, what keeps happening in your dreams?" she asked him placing a hand on his shoulder. "In each of my dreams, while I'm walking in the forest, I keep seeing the same river, but the villages that are destroyed are always different. Like the demon was moving from village to village along the rivers path." He said looking up at Sango and seeing her eye's widen with shock, "Sango, Sango what's wrong?" Inuyasha asked looking at her eyes.
Sango looked over at him and took a deep breath, "Inuyasha...there is a group of small villages along the banks of a near by river....and everyday we have been receiving word that the villages are being destroyed one by one every night." Inuyasha's eye's widened with fear and he looked away from Sango, "He's coming." Inuyasha said without knowing it. "Who's coming Inuyasha?" Sango asked turning his head so he would be facing at her, "M- my...my brother...Sesshoumaru...he's coming...and he's going to kill everybody..." Inuyasha said as tears began to stream from his eyes. "Sesshoumaru is coming Sango, he's coming here, and he's going to kill you and everybody else just to get to me!!" Inuyasha threw his arms around Sango's waist burying his head and face into her shoulder.
Sango put her arms around Inuyasha rocking back and forth as she began stroking his hair softly and trying to calm him, "Shh, Inuyasha it's ok, it's ok. We have an entire village filled with demon exterminators to protect us." she said gently rubbing Inuyasha's back. "I promise you Inuyasha we're going to be fine, I won't let anything harm you Inuyasha I promise I won't let anything ever hurt you." She stayed with Inuyasha rocking him back and forth and humming to him so he would calm down. As Inuyasha began to slowly close his eyes and fall asleep, the last image that appeared in his mind was of the brother who he had only seen once out of his dreams, a brother that at one time had cared for Inuyasha more than he cared for himself. The only thought that kept running through Inuyasha's mind was "What could have happened to him, what could have changed to turn my caring brother, into such a cold, ruthless, and forgiving...monster."
Chapter 5: Inuyasha's Older Brother and The Monster Who Lost His Heart
That night as Sango and the rest of the village slept soundly, Inuyasha couldn't help but stay wide awake in his bed listening and jumping at every unexpected sound. Inuyasha knew that Sesshoumaru was coming; he could feel his presence growing ever closer with each passing day. "Why is he hunting me?" Inuyasha thought to himself, "What in the world could have changed him into such a cold and murderous Youkai." Inuyasha sighed heavily and looked out the window.
"I know you're coming Sesshoumaru, but I don't know what you want from me, or why you have become so cruel and uncaring." Inuyasha turned away from the window when he suddenly the faint scent of smoke and blood began to fill his nose, Inuyasha quickly got out of his bed and ran out of Sango's room, staying silent so she would not wake up and stop him. Inuyasha quickly crept out of the house and ran through the forest towards the direction of where the smoke was coming from, not long afterwards Inuyasha could hear the faint sound of screams coming from the same direction that the smoke was coming from. As Inuyasha began to slow down he looked over through the tree's and there he saw the river that had been constantly appearing in his dreams, it was then that he realized what was happening and he knew all too well what he was going to find if he kept running towards the smoke and screams, he knew that if he kept following the smoke and the yelling that the only thing he was going to find was a destroyed village....and his brother older brother.
"Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha said as he watched the smoke rise high up into the sky and he saw a reddish orange glow through the trees. Although he knew that he would be risking his life if he continued to the village, Inuyasha could not will himself to turn around and run back to the safety of Sango and her village. "Safety." He thought to himself, "Sango's village won't be safe anymore if I go back, Sesshoumaru will just come to her village next, and by tomorrow night...their wont be any village left." Inuyasha hated the thought of Sango being in danger because of him, and at the same time he knew that wasn't the only reason he had to go to the village, for some reason he knew that he had to confront his older brother, that he couldn't run form him anymore he knew that in a way Sesshoumaru was a part of him, almost as if Sesshoumaru's darkness was created and implanted in him to balance out Inuyasha's light.
He knew that Sesshoumaru was a part of him self and that, that was a fact he could no longer deny or continue to run away from. "I'm coming Sesshoumaru, I refuse to run away from you any longer." He said, almost as if he knew that Sesshoumaru would hear it and wait for Inuyasha to arrive at the village. Inuyasha sighed and took one last deep breath, then he began sprinting towards the village once again.
By the time Inuyasha arrived at the village the screaming had stopped and Inuyasha knew that it meant Sesshoumaru had killed off the last of the humans in that village, the only sound that Inuyasha could hear was the crackling of the fire burning the destroyed houses and sheds that had once stood in the village. Inuyasha looked around trying to see if he could find his brother or pick up his scent through the scent of the smoke and spilled blood, just as Inuyasha had begun to think that Sesshoumaru had already left the village, he heard the one sound that had sent chills through his heart when ever he had this night mare, he looked up at the tree behind him and there on one of the lower branches stood the figure that had been hunting Inuyasha through his own dreams, the figure that he knew was responsible for the death of his mother, although the figure stood shrouded in shadows, Inuyasha knew who it was. "Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha exclaimed looking over at the demon that was standing in the tree branches looking over the destroyed village and laughing.
As soon as Inuyasha spoke the name of his older brother the demon stopped laughing and turned his head in the direction of Inuyasha, Inuyasha stood there, glaring at the figure who was looking at him from the shadows through two golden, glowing eyes. "Hello, little brother." The figure said leaping from the tree branches and landing on the ground in front of him, "Tell me Inuyasha, do you like how I have redecorated the village?" Sesshoumaru asked sweeping an arm out over to the direction of the burning buildings and destroyed houses. "How could you have done something like this Sesshoumaru? How could you have done such an evil and heartless thing?" Inuyasha said as he looked over the village surveying the damage that had been done.
"Oh it was quite easy actually." Sesshoumaru answered with an evil smirk on his lips. "Once you destroy the village's warriors, the rest of them just scream and beg for mercy." He said with an evil chuckle in his voice, "But then again, it's easy to kill the warriors when you are as strong as I am." Inuyasha turned to Sesshoumaru and grabbed both of his shoulders shaking him as he began to yell at him, "Sesshoumaru how could you!?! Why have you been hunting me and why have you been destroying all of the villages and killing these innocent people? How could you do something this terrible!?" he yelled still shaking Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru glared at Inuyasha coldly with his two glowing gold eyes, "Get off of me, half breed!!" he yelled as he shoved Inuyasha off of him knocking him to the ground.
"I've already told you how I did it Inuyasha, but judging from your constant questions I can see that you're going to need a demonstration." Sesshoumaru smirked as his eyes began to glow brighter, "Maybe I'll give you a demonstration of how I did it. If I remember correctly, there is a village not far from here, a village that just happens to be filled with demon exterminators, maybe I should destroy that village as well and demonstrate to you just how powerful I am." As Sesshoumaru began to walk away from the village he turned back and looked at Inuyasha. "Oh, wait a minute...isn't that the village you have been staying in with your new mother?" Sesshoumaru asked sarcastically, already knowing the answer, "Oh well, it's not like I'll have any problem with killing her as well." as Sesshoumaru turned to walk away, Inuyasha felt a rage explode inside of him and he leapt up off of the ground and at Sesshoumaru, pinning him to the ground. "Sesshoumaru, you won't lay a hand on Sango or her village, got it!?!" He yelled as he glared into Sesshoumaru's eyes, Sesshoumaru smirked as he brought his fist back and swung it forward at full force hitting Inuyasha in the mouth and knocking him back to the ground.
"You worthless half breed, you would dare order me around as if you were my superior? You haven't the power or the right to order me to do or not to do anything!" Sesshoumaru said, getting back up and standing over Inuyasha, who was still seeing double from being punched so hard by his brother. "By tomorrow night Inuyasha, you will be an orphan once again." Sesshoumaru said as he began to laugh evilly, "No!" Inuyasha exclaimed as he rose to his feet once again. "You won't make it to Sango's village tomorrow night Sesshoumaru, because I am going to kill you before that ever happens!" With that Inuyasha leapt at Sesshoumaru, his mind filled with so many different emotions but above the fear and his self-doubt he felt a strange sense of adrenaline and excitement as he charged into battle with his older brother.
"Iron reaver soul stealer!" Inuyasha yelled as he swung his claws at Sesshoumaru and a yellow glow of energy formed around them in a trail as he slashed at Sesshoumaru's stomach leaving four deep gashes in him. Sesshoumaru dropped to his knees holding his stomach then moving his arms away and seeing blood on them, "Well, well it seems there is some fight in you after all Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru said raising his eyes to Inuyasha glaring coldly at him. Inuyasha looked at his claw in disbelief, he'd never had any idea that he could do attacks like that, but when he had leapt at Sesshoumaru and the image of Sango being hurt entered his mind it was as if the words had just appeared in his mind and something had forced him to yell them out.
Inuyasha turned and saw Sesshoumaru who was standing right in front of him now, Inuyasha looked down at Sesshoumaru's claws which now a thin pale green mist rising from them. "Let me ask you something Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru said as he brought one of his claws up in front of his face and looked over it as if he was inspecting it to make sure it had not been damaged some how, "Have I ever shown my claws of poison attack? It's really quite affective." he said as he tensed his claws and brought them both down to his sides. Inuyasha's eye's widened with fear, "Y-you...you can use the "Claws of Poison" attack? That's not possible, mother said that only our father had the ability to use that...and he was the most powerful demon in all of the western lands, he ruled over all of western Japan with his power. How is it that you can use his attack?" Sesshoumaru smirked as he looked back to Inuyasha, "I've already told you Inuyasha, I have become far more powerful then you could ever possibly imagine." Inuyasha took a short step backwards as Sesshoumaru raised his claws up as he prepared to attack.
Before Inuyasha could get his guard back up Sesshoumaru had leapt at him and was swinging at Inuyasha and battering him with his claws causing all of his wound to be surrounded with a green film on the edges of them which made Inuyasha cringe in pain, Inuyasha knew that it was the poison that covered Sesshoumaru's claws and it was going to seep into his wounds and make him so sick that he would not be able to fight back against Sesshoumaru and then he would be sure to die. Inuyasha's mind began to race as he tried to think of a way to counter act the poison before it got too deep into his wounds to stop, then suddenly a thought occurred to him. "What if I used the water from the river to clean out the poison..." Inuyasha knew that it would either rid him of the poison...or it would water it down and make it spread quicker.
It was a big risk but Inuyasha knew it was his only chance. Just as he got up and was about to run for the river, Inuyasha saw something come flying towards Sesshoumaru and hit him, knocking him away from Inuyasha and into a tree. Inuyasha looked over at where the object had come from and saw a figure standing in the shadows holding what looked to be a giant boomerang, "Sango!" Inuyasha exclaimed as the figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light. Sango ran over to Inuyasha and knelt beside him looking over his wounds, "Here, give me your arms Inuyasha." Sango said as she began putting an antidote for demon poison on his wounds.
Suddenly a giant explosion of light and a dark presence surrounded them and Sesshoumaru began slowly walking towards them with his eyes glowing bright red, "You pathetic human! You would dare attack me!?!" Sango stood up putting herself between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. "You stay away from my son!" Sango exclaimed as she put a hand on her giant boomerang preparing to throw it again, Sesshoumaru began to laugh while he looked at Sango as she prepared to attack again. "You foolish human, do you really think you can protect him from me?" Sango glared coldly into Sesshoumaru's glowing eyes, "Yes, I do!" Sango said as she threw her boomerang at Sesshoumaru once again.
Sesshoumaru jumped over the boomerang, landing behind Sango, then turning her around and slamming his knee into her back and grabbing her throat. "I warned you human, you had your chance to walk away and live, now you will die!" As Sesshoumaru raised his claw into the air and was about to bring them down on Sango, he suddenly stopped hearing her laugh. "What's so funny human!?" He yelled as he glared coldly into her eyes, "You are." Sango replied.
"You're a foolish eight year old child...don't you even know anything?" Sesshoumaru growled feeling as though she was mocking him, "Just what is that supposed to mean!?" he yelled tightening his grip around her neck. "I mean, don't you know that boomerangs always come back to where they were thrown from?" Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he turned his head just in time to get hit full force in the side of the head as the boomerang came flying back at them. Sesshoumaru collapsed to the ground letting go of Sango to cradle his own head in his hands, "Inuyasha run!" Sango yelled as she stood back up picking up her boomerang.
Inuyasha looked at Sango and shook his head slowly back and forth, "I can't run from him anymore Sango, Sesshoumaru is a part of me whether I like it or not and I have to face him." Sango looked at Inuyasha as though he had gone completely insane, "What are you saying Inuyasha, you can't possibly beat him on your own, and I'm not going to watch you die trying!" Inuyasha walked over to Sango and threw his arms around her. "I won't lose to him Sango, but I have to face him on my own other wise he will hunt me down for the rest of my life." Sango wrapped her arms tightly around Inuyasha's waist, "Inuyasha, you had better come out of this alive, or I swear you are grounded." Sango said laughing as tears began to stream from her eyes, "I will mom, I promise." Inuyasha answered as he released his arms from around Sangos neck. Sesshoumaru slowly rose to his feet wiping blood from his eye brow and lip, "So half breed, you're going to hide behind this human?" he said as blood trickled down his fore head and around his left eye.
"No Sesshoumaru, no more hiding. I'm going to finish you once and for all." Inuyasha said as he raised his claws up to his waist and tensed them up, causing them to grow out another inch. Sesshoumaru glared at Inuyasha, his eyes were blood shot and red from the boomerang cracking him in the side of the head and hitting his temple. "This is it half breed, the last charge...after this last attack only one of us will be left standing...and I don't intend to die at the age of eight." Inuyasha smirked as he prepared to charge for him one last time, "We'll soon find out who is meant to live Sesshoumaru. Now show me what you've got." Inuyasha took one last look at Sango and sighed, and then with one last deep breath he charged full speed for Sesshoumaru and leapt into the air.
Sesshoumaru charged and leapt up into the air and glared at Inuyasha as they both flew towards one another. Inuyasha swung his claw forward thrusting it towards Sesshoumaru; "Iron reaver, Soul stealer!" at the same Instant Sesshoumaru called out, "Poison Claws!" and began thrusting his claw toward Inuyasha. After a bright flash of light the two of them landed, each of them standing where the other had leapt from. Inuyasha stood trembling as he turned his head only to see Sesshoumaru standing in front of Sango and smirking as he raised his claw, which was covered in blood up to his eyes. Inuyasha looked at Sesshoumaru's blood covered claw and then collapsed to the ground, Sango ran over to Inuyasha's side and shook him frantically, "Inuyasha!! Inuyasha, speak to me!!" she cried still shaking him. "I...I killed...my brother." Inuyasha said quietly. Sango's eyes widened and she turned quickly to look at Sesshoumaru who had a very large and very deep set of gashes across his stomach, which were now pouring blood from his body. Sesshoumaru turned towards where Inuyasha was laying on the ground, then with a final smirk, he dropped lifelessly to the ground. Inuyasha slowly got up onto his knees and then rose to his feet with Sango helping up, Inuyasha turned and looked at Sango, "C-can we go home now mom?" Inuyasha stammered feeling almost completely drained of energy. Sango smiled and nodded wiping tears from her eye's, "Yes Inuyasha, let's go home." She said as she lifted him up into her arms carrying him as she began the long walk back through the forest to their village, and Inuyasha's new home.
The End.