*~~~~PLEASE READ~~~~~*

I just wanted to give you all some info on Neko. She has my personality, fears, and hatred. She will be happy one moment, depressed next. There will (maybe) be some lemon in here. I haven't decided what I'm going to do later in the story. I would appreciate if you would REVIEW and criticize me all you want, but please make it something to help me become a better writer.

On a different note I would like to give a big THANKS to Merith for her help on reworking my story, and if you don't know who she is, YOU SHOULD! She is the author of some very good story such as: A Heart Divided, To Tame a Wild Heart, The Law and The Oath, I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore, Now What?, Your House, and What Happened Last Night?.

A/N: I don't own Inuyasha or Co, damn... oh well. N e way this is my first fic so please, please go easy on me. Well I'm going to get off here now so enjoy!!!!



Chapter 1 The Beginning of the Truth

"NO!" Neko shouted, her voice filled with anguish, anger and pain. "I will no longer sit by and let you hurt the ones I love!" She jumped out of a tree, where she was sitting and watching the horror being played out before her. Grabbing the Tetsusaiga from the fallen Inuyasha's limp hand, she stared in awe as it transformed into the glowing fang. With the sword in hand, its power running through her veins, along with, a power already within, right next to her heart.

With the powers tingling throughout her body, she lifts the sword and swing it at Naraku, sending the Tetsusaiga's Kaze no Kizu flying through the air to the evil youkai. As Naraku falls to the ground, Neko smiles in triumph and jumps for joy. As she is turning to face her new friends and family with a victory smile shining on her face, Naraku 's whip lashes out, slashing across Neko's chest. The dying youkai's last wish, was to take with him the one who had brought down his demise.

Pain flooded her body. With wide disbelieving eyes she says to herself, "It wasn't supposed to happen this way," as she too falls to the ground.

As the dust clears and Kagome could see, she looks up to find the unconscious Inuyasha lying on the ground. "INUYASHA!" She turns her head to see Neko falling to the ground. "NEKO!"

Her cry alerted those in the bushes. Sango runs behind Kagome as they hurry to aide their friends. Miroku and Shippou follow behind them.

Kagome runs up to Inuyasha and looks down in disbelieve at how bad he looks. She kneels down and cradles Inuyasha's head in her lap. The bleeding has stopped long ago, but he still hadn't regained consciousness. As she smoothes the hair away from his peaceful face, she says with tears running down her face, "It was so noble of you Neko, to defend your brother from Naraku. I thank you with all my heart. Thank you." She finishes as she lowers her head to kiss Inuyasha on the forehead.

Sango tended to the girl's wounds. She is amazed that the girl was still conscious and aware. Neko's chest lay exposed for all to see. Sango tries to shield her body from the perverted monk. She gets a better look at the wound and can see the skin peeled back from what looks like one of Naraku's whips. Frantically the exterminator works to stop the flow of blood, at the same time she keeps checking to see if the monk was looking. When he was looking at the others, she patches up the now unconscious Neko the best she could.

A/N: I added the chance for Miroku to be looking at Neko's expose breasts just to lighten up the already gray situation, you know to add some humor. If for some reason you don't like it just keep reading and forget about it.

As she lay there and drifting in and out of consciousness she remembers the life that she had lived and thinks to herself, 'I have done nothing in my life but cause pain to others. I will die not knowing what love is. Not the love of others, but the love for family, and their love for me.'

(Years ago to the day Inuyasha and Neko were born.)

"I don't want to have a weakling in this family, so get rid of her now!" The Taiyoukai shouts to Miya.

"But why? She's your daughter. Give her a chance. Just because she is a girl doesn't mean she's weak? I'm a woman and you picked me to have your children. That must mean that you think I'm not a weakling?" Miya says to defend her only daughter.

"I picked you because you have something about you that I can not explain. She doesn't! Now that's the end of that. So here are your choices: I eat her, or you give her to your human friends to bring up as one of their own. Make your pick now." The Taiyoukai yells as he walks away.

"Very well. I will give her to the villagers in hopes that she can have a chance to live a full life." I should put up more of a fight, she says to herself, "But I believe this is no place for a young girl to grow up." She says with sadness in her voice and begins to put the young ones things together. "I will go today and give her to my friends. I shall return before nightfall," She says as she leaves the castle.

(In the village)

Miya walks in the village. All eyes look at her with disgust.

"She's the one who went off with that dog demon." One villager says to another.

"She has betrayed us by leaving her village and going off with a demon." The other says.

Miya keeps walking thought the village with her head hanging low. She walks up to a hut and knocks on the door. "Pssst it's me. Let me in," she says while looking over her shoulder. The door opens a little. Just enough for her to enter the hut. "Thank you my friends." Miya says while pulling the very young Neko out from under her hooded cloak. "I have to ask a favor of you?" she says while taking the blanket off the black haired child's head.

"Oh, she is so beautiful. Look she has your hair and." the miko bends down to get a closer look and finds that the baby has cat-like ears on top of her head. "She has cat ears? I thought that you fell in love with a dog demon?" Azuza asks.

"Well, yes, I am in love with the dog demon, but he doesn't want to have her since she is a girl," Miya says while gently rocking the child in her arms.

"I hate men who feel woman can't do half of what they do. But that doesn't explain why she has cat ears?" Azuza says.

"Well she is a day old and her father's hatred for her is what, I think, is making her a cat demon. No matter what I do to help her it just doesn't work. So I'm here to ask you, my dear friend, if you'll take care of her for me?" Miya asks with sadness in her already hoarse voice.

A/N: To explain why Miya and Taiyoukai's daughter is a cat demon is because Taiyoukai's hatred for Neko's is what making her a cat. You know dogs hate cats and cats hate dogs. Do get it now?

"But of course she is welcomed into this house as if she was my own." The woman reaches for the young Neko. Miya hands the child to her with the relief that she will live a somewhat normal life. "Yes, I'll do my best to keep her out of harms way." Azuza says while giving Miya a hug. "And good luck to you my friend."

They walk back to the door, and hug again, Azuza opens the door and watches as her friend walks quickly out of the village.

Years have passed and Neko has grown to be a young woman at the age of fourteen. She has long flowing, raven black hair that falls to her mid back. Her eyes are the color of the gray thunder storm clouds that come every spring season. She dresses in the traditional miko clothing. No one never really ask why she wears bonnets to cover her head or covers her hands with gloves. Everyone in the village believes that Azuza found the young girl in the woods. Neko gets along with the other kids as well as the adults in the village. She helps Azuza with her duties. Neko does know that she is a hanyou, but Azuza hasn't told her why she was left in this village. All she been told was her mother left her here to be raised with Azuza. She really doesn't do anything to develop her hanyou powers. She just wants to live a normal life in the happy village.

Until one summer eve's night. The sky is full of stars and not a hint of danger in the air.

"I'm going to go to bed, Azuza. Today was a trying day!," Neko looked around the corner at her.

"Yes it was and we have a very trying day tomorrow as well," Azuza says while putting some herbs away.

"What is it that we have to do?" Neko asks now that she is fully in sight.

"Well Kei is not feeling well and Aya her sister has picked up some illness that I have not seen. I fear that Kei might have it as well." Azuza says with a hint of fear and sadness in her voice.

"Oh, I do hope that they are well. I will pray for them tonight." Neko says with sad face and voice.

"Well it's time for bed. Off you go," Azuza says while putting the last herb away.

Neko then walks in her room and gets ready for bed. She looks outside her window and up to the star-filled night sky. She prays for the one's who are falling ill. She lies in bed staring up at nothing. She was about to fall asleep when all hell broke loose in the village.

A big explosion was heard outside Neko's window. She rises out of bed and looks to find half of her village on fire, the other half destroyed. When she looks at the horror of her village, she sees a large white demon dog in the middle of the wreckage. She has wide eyes as she watches the demon dog snapping at the villager's who are throwing spears at the youkai. With his massive paws he crushes the huts along with villagers below him.

"NEKO! Get dressed you must go to the safety of the woods. And hide there until I come for you. You must do as I say!!" Azuza's voice comes from the other side of the hut.

Neko turns and finds the youkai staring straight at her hut and through the window. Her heart stops beating as the dog demon begins to walk toward her. With panic screaming in her she says to herself, "I must get out of here." She runs out her door. When she looks to the side she sees Azuza bring out her bow and arrows.

"Neko, leave here now. I will come for you when all is done and it's safe to come back home," Azuza says with worry in her voice.

"Yes, I'm going now, but please be careful. You haven't shot your bow and arrows for some time." Neko says with worry in her voice for the only person she has known as a mother.

"I'll be fine. Now go!!" Azuza yells at Neko.

Neko walks up to Azuza and hugs her. She then runs out the hut and to the woods not knowing that it was the last time she would see Azuza alive.

Neko woke up cold and hungry, sitting next to a tree. 'Where is Azuza? She said she come for me when it was safe to come home?' She thinks to herself. She gets up and heads back home. As she gets closer she could smell burned wood and blood in the air, a lot of blood. As she walks though the now destroyed village, she sees friends dead and lying all over the ground, and on top of huts. She walks though the village, looking for survivor's from the evil youkai. She looks and no one is alive. She came across Azuza's body. She ran up to the very bloody Azuza.

"Azuza, AZUZA!" Was all she could get out for she knew that her mother, father, teacher, and friend was dead.

(Present time)

"Neko...... Neko, wake up. You must so we can get you some help." Sango says while lightly shaking her.

Neko begins to wake and smells the air and notices that the other youkai hiding in the shadows was still there.

"Sesshoumaru.... Sesshoumaru, I know you can hear me. Why did you kill all the people in my village?" Neko asks with a faint voice.

"I only killed in defense. I was there looking for you. I wanted to take you away from that god awful place," He says as he walks up to Neko and kneels down beside her. "But when you saw me you ran. The next thing I saw, was you running to the woods. I would have found you if it wasn't for all the blood in the air. After that I lost track of you and thought that you were dead."

"But Azuza told me that my family hated me for being born as a girl?" She says questions.

"Father hated you. In his eyes, all women but yours and Inuyasha's mother were weak. Your mother tried to keep you, but he told her that if she didn't get rid of you, he would have eaten you. I was at a young age and even then I felt the power that is within you. After Father died, I took off in search for you." Sesshoumaru says.

Neko closes her eyes to hide the anger and sadness, but it slips out and runs down her cheek in the form of a tear. 'I have been lied to my whole life from day one. Beginning with the human family that I called home all the way up to my true family. How can I ever trust again?' More tears begin to run down her face.

"Neko you must calm yourself. If you don't you'll never be able to heal," Sango says while stroking her hair.

'She's right, I must clam myself and not give into the anger that I feel. I must forgive my human family for not telling me what happen. They were only trying to protect me. My father, well... I don't if I will ever be able to forgive him, but maybe one day I will. I must meditate now, so my wounds can begin heal.'

"Leave her to her sleep." Sesshoumaru says.

"How are we going to get them to Kaede's village?" Kagome asks

"I can carry Neko, if you can find a way to follow with Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asks.

"Yes, we can ride on Kirara. She should be able to carry Inuyasha, Miroku, Kagome and I. That's if she is up to it?" Sango asks Kirara. Kirara responds with a purr and a lick.

"Then let us go. How far is this village you speak of?" Sesshoumaru asks.

"I would say half a day's walk, but with you and Kirara we should be there in half that time," Miroku says.

Kirara transformed to her demon two tailed form and everybody except Sesshoumaru jumps onto her back. He help lay Inuyasha on Kirara and then went to Neko and picked her up.

"Lead the way, woman." Sesshoumaru says