How my life changed forever!
Hi my name is Ayumi I am fifteen years old and I am a vampire. I'm new to this life in fact I was only changed into a vampire four years ago.
I was born in Tokyo Japan nineteen years ago. I had a great life, loving parents, good friends and I was just starting high school. My best friend was Kagome Higurashi. We've been friends since we were in diapers. I was there for her during her darkest hours, especially when our other friends stopped hanging around us. When we found out she was not what we thought she was. And that she when her family said she was sick she was in fact in the past five hundred years in the past. She explained that she was a reincarnation of a very powerful priestess who died five hundred fifty years before she was born. She explained that her boyfriend was actually a hanyou. Half human and half Inu Youkai, and she was the protector of the sacred jewel.
I remember that week after she finally returned after three days after disappearing from the well.
Four years ago:
I walked up the long stairs that led to the shrine. I heard crying coming from the well house. I went in to find Kagome about to jump into the well. I watch her fall through it. I heard her cry and sob "No, it can't be like this. I need him. I want to see him. I need him!" I heard her cry. I don't have to ask to know who she's talking about. My heart ached for my dearest friend.
Kagome reappears only to jump back in. I went up to the edge of the well and looked in. I saw her lying on her side as she sobbed and cried out InuYasha over and over again. I sat on the lip of the well and just sat with her as she continued to cry. After an hour she climbs back out of the well. Her face is tear stained and her eyes puffy and red from crying so much. "Ayumi, what am I supposed to do now?" She cried as she slid down the wall of the well. She placed her face in her hands and started crying again.
"I don't know what to say Kagome?" I answered. I sit next to her and wrap my arms around her shoulders as she continued to cry. It was getting late when she finally calmed down.
"Kagome what happened?" I ask. She tells me everything that has happened during the past year and a half. I nod as I listened to her story with fascination. I never knew the things our grandparents told us when we were kids. I've heard of all the stories about Youkai just as the rest of the country has heard. I was never really superstitious like my Obaasan is. She's ninety-three and she told me stories about her ojiisan used to be a houshi-sama and he fought many youkai. Of course I rolled my eyes at her and just passed off as her just being old. My okaasan also believed in the Kami that live in the forest and that we are all surrounded by the Kami. But when Kagome told me about her adventures in the past I believed her since because I did see her reappear from the well with InuYasha who when I looked closer I remember seeing his Inu shaped ears on the top of his head.
"So you see I never dreamt that the well would close and I will never see InuYasha again." She finished with tears in her eyes again. "Oh Kagome I'm so sorry. I never knew that world existed till now." I said as I squeezed her shoulders lovingly.
I walk her back to the house and up to her room. I help Mrs. Higurashi clean Kagome's cuts that she got from jumping into the well over and over again. Kagome crawled underneath the covers and hid from the rest of us.
Mrs. Higurashi walked me out and thanked me over and over again. I bowed and made my leave. "Ayumi where were you?" Outosan asked when I walked into the house I took off my shoes at the door and walk in. "I'm sorry Outosan." I said as I bowed my head. "I was with the Higurashis. Kagome is very sick again and I was worried." I add. "Okay, well next time call me if you're going to be late. Your Okaasan was worried as well." He says as I go into the kitchen and sit at the low table. Okaasan made fish and rice. I don't really enjoy fish but I have to eat what my parents make. Mia comes in with a big smile on her face. She's so excited that she is going to be a first year in junior high. She thinks she's all grown up now and doesn't have to be treated as a child anymore, even though she just turned twelve.
"Nee-chan how was your day?" She asked all chirpy bouncing in her seat. "Fine how was your day Mia? Obviously it was a good day since you can't sit still." I answer. "Oh yeah I just got my schedule for my classes. I'm so excited I won't be treated like a little child anymore." She smiled. "Well you'll always be my baby Imouto for the rest of your life." I smile at her.
"Girls settle down it's time to eat." Okaasan said as she sat down. We bow our heads to thank the Kami for blessing us with food and a good life.
I start eating and then something was off about this picture. "Where's Nii-san?" I asked when I noticed he wasn't here. "He's with Sekure on a date." Okaasan answered. "Oh so I'm guessing they're getting serious then." I say with a smile. Okaasan sighed "Yes and now that he has graduated from university he'll move out and leave us." She sighed again. My nii-san is twenty-four now and just got his degree in teaching and just got a job at a high school on the other side of the city. My outosan couldn't be prouder. My outosan is a respectable psychologist.
I helped clean up dinner and went up to my room and fell asleep almost instantly when I crawled under the covers. My dreams were full of monsters chasing me around the forest Kagome described to me. I woke up the next morning not feeling rested.
"Okaasan I'm going to the Higurashis for the day I'm worried about Kagome." I announce as I pull on my shoes and head out the door before I heard her answer. I run till I'm at the shrine. I pay my respects at the shrine before entering the house. I knock on the door and Mrs. Higurashi opens it. "Oh, hi Ayumi" She greets with a smile. "How's Kagome?" I ask as I walk in and take off my shoes. "She's-she's the same as yesterday. She hasn't left her room since we put her there." She answered. I nod and assure her I'll try to get Kagome out of bed.
"Kagome?" I say as I open the door. I try to pull the covers off her. She holds them tightly to her. "Kagome get up!" I say as I pull the covers. I finally manage to get her head uncovered. She avoids looking at me. "Kagome, please?" I beg as I give her a smile. She glares at me. "Come on you need to get out and live your life. What would InuYasha say if he saw you this way?" I ask but I got a different reaction when I said his name. "NO! LEAVE ME ALONE! GET OUT!" She screams at me in anger. I sigh and leave her room defeated.
I don't give up on her though. I visit her everyday trying to coax her to leave her bed or eat something. But she ignored me and never said a word. After her outburst she refused to talk. It took me a month to get her out and about.
Finally I got her to go somewhere fun. She didn't seem to enjoy life like she used to do. She had this sadden look in her eyes. I would catch her trying not to cry occasionally when she would think of him. Personally I couldn't understand why she loved him so much. He sounded like he was a jerk half the time.
"Kagome, what do you see in him?" I asked one day when I found her sitting underneath the sacred tree.
"I know he sounded like a jerk when I told you about my time with him. But he wasn't like that all the time. He was very caring when he wanted to be. He lost so much in his life to cause him to push people away. His okaasan died when he was young, his first love was killed by the hands of that evil hanyou by tricking them to kill each other. But InuYasha never laid a hand on her. It was that hanyou's fault she died and then he was betrayed by her when she shot him to the tree of ages. This tree in fact…" She paused to show me the scar on the tree. There was a hole in the shape of an arrow head in the middle of it. "…he thought at first he wanted to become a full youkai so he could be strong and fit in with the youkai world. All he ever wanted was to belong somewhere since no one but his okaasan and me who truly accepted him for him. When he killed people for the first time, when he was transformed for the first time it showed me that he really didn't want to be a monster like that. He never said it out loud but I could see it in his eyes he didn't want that kind of power. He was always there to protect me from evil youkais who tried to use me to find shikon jewel shards. When no one was looking he was very caring and sweet. He even cried over me when he thought I was dead from a poison. He took on the world with a heavy burden on his shoulders. He truly loved me and he truly would give his life to save mine. Without him I would still be lost in the darkness." She answered.
I looked at her and I could see what she saw in that gruff and tuff guy. I could see the sweetness he would show her. I knew he was protective over her which wasn't a surprise to me. I started to feel bad for him when she said all he ever wanted was to belong somewhere since because his neither human nor demon. A hanyou, Kagome said he believed he was a class of his own after a while of being with her and her telling him she loved him the way he was.
"Kagome I'm sorry." I say after a while of silence. She nods and leans back against the tree trunk.
A month later school started and I was so keyed up. "I can't wait to go to school!" Mia said squealing with excitement. "It's not that great." I tell her as we pull on our shoes and walk out the door. "Bye Okaasan!" we shout together. I walk her to her school first since I didn't feel safe letting her go off on her own just yet. She just turned twelve and a lot of creeps are out there. "Nee-chan I can go to school on my own!" She whines at me. "Mia I'm your nee-chan it's my job to protect you." I answer as we stand in front of her school which once was where I attended a few months ago. I watch her walk into the building than I head for my new school which was only a few blocks away from the junior high.
I find Kagome waiting for me and we go to our first class. The first day of school was all so exciting. We walk to the junior High together to get my sister. "Bye Ayumi." She said as me and Mia, stop at our house. We walk in to the door and take our shoes off. "Hi girls, how was your first day?" Okaasan asked as we walked into the kitchen. "Great!" Mia said before I could speak. She babbled on and on about her first day without a pause to breathe. I decide to go to my room and start my homework. The one thing I didn't expect was to have homework on the first day of school. Well I guess that's high school life. On my first day of Junior high all we did was listen to our teachers tell us what we are going to expect for the rest of the school year.
Things calmed down by the next month and me and Kagome became insupportable. We had all of classes at the same time and we did extra activity together as well. Things were going great till one night.
Okaasan sent me to deliver something to my outosan that night. I walked towards the hospital where my outosan worked. I felt like I was being followed so I picked up my pace. I started to run, but something grabbed my arm and swung me back into an alley. I was scared that this person was going to kill me. "What do you want?" I asked in a shaky voice as I was being dragged backwards into the dark alley. Finally the dragging stopped.
"Shh it'll be over soon. I promise." The gruff voice said as he pushed me up against the wall. He began pawing at my chest and yanking off my school uniform. I screamed when he pulled up my skirt and rubbed his fingers against the outside of my underwear. He ripped them off and that's when I fought back. He threw me to the ground and began hitting me over and over again. He stopped hitting me and I screamed again when he shoved something hard in between my legs. I finally realized then that it was his dick. I was being raped and no one is here to stop it. He places his hand over my mouth as he continues to rape me. He finally stops pounding into me and brings out a pocket knife. He stabs me over and over again. The next thing I know is his screams and everything started to become black. I feel cold stone like arms lift me up and carried me away. Great now this new person is going to finish me off. I'm laid down on a floor that had carpet instead of bamboo wooden floors. "I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt" The velvet voice said against my ear. It was a male's voice. His cold breath caused goose bumps. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain at my neck and it started burning. "OWWW" I screamed. I screamed and screamed as my body burned. Finally it stopped. I calmed down but I was frightened when I could see everything too clearly and hear everything outside this house. I smelled something that made my throat burn. I jump back when the door opens and this beautiful man walks in. His long midnight dark hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. He looked to be in his early thirties. His skin was whiter then snow. His eyes were red as rubies. "Don't be afraid. My name is Tamuki. I am your maker. You and I are kyuketsuki." He explained. I stared back at him dumbfounded. "No, this can't be happening!" I said with a strange voice. My voice was high pitched like bells ringing. I freaked when I noticed that my heart should be pounding out of my chest but I felt nothing, there was nothing not even a pulse. "Why did you do this to me?" I said in this new voice but still frightened. "I've been watching you for a while now. For some reason I couldn't walk away from you. I felt the need to protect you and I couldn't just let you die like that. I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner." He said. I stared at him with wide frightened eyes.
"But I have a family and friends?" I said in a whisper. I didn't like my new voice it was to high pitched for me. "You can never see them again." He said with deep sympathy. I look back at him wide eyed. "But I…" I tried to say something but I was to upset. "I'm just fifteen." I managed to say. "I know." He sighed with sorrow. "It will be alright I promise. You need to feed." He said when remembered something. As soon as he said that I felt the burning in my throat. I cupped my hands over my throat.
"Come I'll teach you how to drink." He said as he went to take my hand slowly so not to frighten me. I took it and let him lead me. "What happen to…to…to the man who…" I stuttered. "I took care of him and now he can never hurt young girls ever again." I nodded.
He takes me out into the city towards the rougher areas and he instructs me how to find the cleanest blood in the area. I sniff the air and find what he's talking about. He lets my hand go and I run towards the smell. I spot an older man lying on the ground drunk but his blood isn't tainted with other smells. I instantly grab him and bite down on his neck and drink. I drain him and let him fall. "More" I say in a low voice. I find another scent and go for it. This is a younger male. About my brother's age after he's drain I try to find more but Tamuki stops me. "That's enough young one." He orders and I nod with disappointment.
He takes my hand and we walked and walked further into the woods. I then realized we were leaving the city. "Where are we going?" I asked. "To my home" He answered. He started to run with me while never letting go of my hand. Finally he stopped to an ancient looking castle that looked to come straight out of the history books. He opened the sojo and led me in.
"Tamuki, you're back!" A young woman said with relief in her voice. "Mai I've missed you." He greets back. "Oh you found someone?" She asks with surprise. "Yes this is Ayumi. I saved her from death." He said with a sadden tone in his voice. "But she's so young?" She exclaims. "I know." He sighs with sadness as well. "How old are you?" She asked. "Fifteen I will be or I would've been sixteen in two months." I answer she nearly gasps. "She's just a child?" She gasps again. "I know. It'll be alright she's not under the age limit so we will be alright." He assured her. Of course I have no idea what they meant.
Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months then before I knew it; it had been a year since I was transformed. He told me that when he was ningen he was a samurai and that Mai was a princess under his protection. He said he fought a kyuketsuki when he started to kill all the villagers' women. He bit him and three days later he was a kyuketsuki. He changed Mai three years later because he loved her.
They took me in as their musume and they taught me about how life was for a kyuketsuki. I listened and listened. They told me about the leaders of the kyuketsuki and how never to cross them unless you want to die.
I started to get sort of depressed and lonely. I missed Kagome so very much. I decided I would go see Kagome and tell her that I'm okay well sort of anyways.
I ran till I found Kagome's house. I jumped up to her window and crawled through. "Kagome" I said in a quiet voice. "Hmmn" She said groggily as she opened her eyes. "Kagome, hey" I said a little louder. "Ayumi?" she asked confused. "Yeah it's me" I answer. She sat straight up and turned her light on. "Where have you been? We all thought you were dead!" She said franticly. "I'm not dead, well in the since I'm not dead, dead." I said. "What do you mean?" She asked confused. I took in a deep breath which I thought would be a bad idea but some reason I couldn't smell her blood. It must be because of her spiritual powers protecting her. "I'm a kyuketsuki." I said slowly.
She sat there for a minute as she appraised me. "Wow you look beautiful. You're more beautiful than any youkai I've ever seen." She exclaims. I smile at her complement. "Thanks" I say. "So, is that what happened to you?" She asks "Well yeah I mean Tamuki my maker saved me from dying. I was…was…raped and almost killed when he found me." I said. Her eyes shot out of her head almost. "Oh Ayumi I'm so sorry." She cried. "It's okay." I assure her. "I was worried coming here though. I was afraid when you saw my transformation you would be scared." I admitted. "Of course not, I've seen worse trust me. And you are no way near scary." She says with a little laugh. "My eyes don't scare you?" I asked since I knew my eyes were red as blood colored rubies. "No I've seen scarier. A lot of youkai had red eyes. Hell even InuYasha had red eyes when he transform…" She cut off as she thought about him her face grew sadder at every second that went by. "I'm sorry Kagome I didn't been to bring him up." I quickly apologized. "It's okay." She sighed with sadness. I hesitate to go sit by her. But think I'm better off not.
"So tell me about your maker?" She asked changing the subject. I explained to her how we hunt only the ningen who deserve death but I still don't like it. "I wish there was a better way. I feel like a youkai, well the bad youkai, I wish I could find a better way where I don't have to kill." I said. She gives me a warm smile and sighs with sadness. "I understand it must be hard on you. I wish you could find a way to feed without killing ningen." She sighed. "Yeah I know. Well I need to be getting back to Tamuki and Mai. I love you Kagome and I'm sorry for leaving you."
I jumped out of her window and start running back to my home with my new parents. "Where have you been?" Mai scolds me when I come through the door. "I'm sorry Mai I wanted to see her so bad. You don't understand what she is going through." I say in my defense. She sighs and lets it go.
"Tamuki, can I talk to you?" I ask later that night. "What is it?" he asked when I know we're away from Mai. "Tamuki I want start off with that I am thankful for what you have done for me and for saving my life. I am very grateful for that but I don't feel right hunting ningens anymore even if they deserve it." I say. "Hmm I've noticed that about you. I do have a solution to that but I don't want to lose you either. You've become like a musume to me." He said "What do you know then? Is there another way of life?" I asked shocked. "Yes. A few hundred years ago I met three women who hunt dobutsu blood rather than ningen blood. They live in America I think." He answered. "What dobutsu blood?" I asked with hopefulness. "Yes. I've never tried it but I'm over seven hundred years old and I've been drinking ningen blood for all that time I'm too old to change it, but you, you can do it. Your only a year and half old. If that is what you want then go for it. I won't keep you from that choice. I will miss you though so don't be stranger around here. I'll always love you and that won't change. I think that's why I can let you go." He said giving me a warm smile I smile back and if I could cry I would.
He's truly been like a outosan to me, and a sensei. Afterwards he showed me where I can find these three women. He also suggested I learn English so that way I can talk to them easily. I agreed and studied up on the English language and found that it was quite easier than it was when I was ningen. I even tried to hunt dobutsu and drank their blood I stopped hunting ningen and I started to feel better about myself. The day came for me to part ways from my kyuketsuki family and move to Alaska. I stopped by Kagome's first and told her about the three women in America and she gave me a huge smile and said that she was happy for me.
I made it to Alaska and found the home of the women easily. I took in a deep breath and walked closer to the house. The door opened up and a woman with curly yellow hair walked out and looked at me wearily. I should have made contact before coming here. "Hi umm I'm Ayumi and my maker told me about you and your family. I was wondering if you could teach me your way of life." I explained in perfect English. "Oh, well welcome." She said with a smile. "Come on in, I'm Tanya." She said as she led me into her beautiful home. I only had a backpack of some of my things that I stole from my old room and some stuff to remind me of my dearest friend back home. She shut the door behind me. I was surprised on how it looked compared to Tamuki's ancient palace.
"This is my sister Kate and her mate Garrett, Carman and her mate Eleazar" Tanya introduced each member of her family. "Hai" I said as I bow my head as it is custom in Japan when greeting people. They nod back with curious faces. "Where are you from young one?" The man who I think his name was Eleazar asked me. "Tokyo Japan" I answer. "Where is your maker?" The other blond asked with concern like I was an orphan. "He's still in Japan. He was the one who told me about you." I said. "What was his name?" Tanya asked. "Tamuki" I answered. "Ah that young samurai" She said with a deep smile. "Oh yes I remember now." Kate said. "Why did you leave him?" They all asked together like I was a run-a-way. "I don't want to be a murderer and I can't kill ningen anymore." I say under my breath. "I even try hunting dobutsu instead, but I'm not used to it." I answered. They looked at me confused turning their heads to the side "Oh right please forgive me on forgetting to use English terms. Dobutsu means animals and ningen means human." I clarify "Look at her eyes they're not so red." Carmen said with shock.
I didn't realize what they were talking about tell I noticed their eyes were gold rather than ruby red. "Is that supposed to happen when you stop hunting humans?" I ask with confusion. "Yes" Tanya answered. She seemed to be the leader of this coven. "How old are you? I mean vampire years, not human years." Garrett asked. "A year and a half" I answer shyly. "Wow practically a new born. Just like Bella." Kate said with surprise. "How old were you when you changed?" She asked. "Fifteen years old" I say. "What you're so young. Why would someone change someone so young?" Carmen said in horror. "He didn't want me to die. He found me in an alley bleeding to death after I was stabbed by the man who…r-raped me. The man liked girls around my age. Tamuki killed the man and he took me somewhere and he changed me. He and his koibito Mai took me in as a daughter. He didn't want me to leave but he also doesn't want me to be so unhappy and that is why he told me about you and your family. I didn't want to leave him either but like I said I don't want to be a murderer. There isn't much to hunt in Japan and it was hard to steer away from humans." I explain.
They stood there listening to my story at some point they looked horrified when I told them the story on how I was changed. "Well welcome to our family." Tanya finally said. "Ugh…thank you." I said bowing my head out of habit. Tanya took me to a room near the back of the house. It was bright and cheery. With yellow walls and light pinks everywhere. "This can be your room." She said with a smile. I nod and I look around the empty room. I set my bag down and start pulling out my personal items. I sat up a little shrine for my Obaasan on one of the tables. I knelt down and bowed my head to pay respects to her and the Kami.
After I set up some things that reminded me of Japan I walked out of the room and to where the other five were. "Umm thank you for the room." I said with a bow and a thankful voice. "You're welcome." Tanya said politely. "So would you like to go hunting with us tonight?" she asked. "Ugh yeah that sounds fine." I felt a little awkward standing there with them. "Tell us about your life before the change since you're so young you probably have more human memories then vampire memories." Kate asked. "Ugh yeah that's true. Um well I was a first year in high school and I lived with my Outosan, okaasan, and my imouto Mia…er I mean my father and mother and younger sister." I tagged that on when I realized they didn't know Japanese words. "My best friend Kagome was like a sister to me. We've been best friend since we were in diapers. My nii- I mean older brother is a junior high teacher on the other end of Tokyo." I tell them. They looked at me with deep curiosity.
"Tell us, what do you call our kind?" Kate asked. "Kyuketsuki or youkai" I answer. "What is a youkai?" Garrett asked. "I guess you could call them demons in English or gods. I'm not sure on the translation to English." I answer. "My best friend would know more than I, she's a Miko." I say and again they look at me confused and wanting a translation. "A shrine maiden" I translate. "Her family looks after a very old shrine, one of the oldest shrines in Tokyo. Her Ojiisan is the houshi of the shrine." I explain "I mean her grandfather is the priest that runs the shrine. He likes to think he has spiritual powers but that's all Kagome. She told me she is the reincarnation from a very powerful miko that died five hundred fifty years before she was born." I explain and left out the bone eaters well and how she could travel through time.
They look at me with fascination. "What kind of powers could she do?" Kate asked. "Well she can purify youkai auras. Keep youkai from entering into places by building up a spiritual barrier. If you are a very powerful miko or houshi their barrier is impossible for any youkai to penetrate it. Even when I went to see her, her spiritual powers made it impossible for me to smell her blood. She didn't even realize she was doing it. She's still learning to control it. She also told me that one of our fairy tale stories that we learn as children was a real thing." I answer.
"What's the fairy tale?" They all asked.
"Well this one is about the Shikon No Tama or in English the Jewel of Four Souls. The legend goes that the jewel was created from a very powerful miko. It said that she and many youkai were in a battle, and with her dying breath she forced the youkai souls into her own spiritual powers and out of her body came the jewel of four souls. Many youkai fought for it for many thousands of years until one day the youkai Taijiya (Demon slayers) fought a youkai that carried the jewel. They took it to the most powerful miko of that time. She became the protector of the jewel till her death." I told them the old legend that her ojiisan told her.
"How did your friend end up with it?" Tanya asked.
"Like I said she was reincarnate from that said miko. They burned the jewel with her body and there for Kagome was born with it inside her." I answer.
"I know it's unbelievable. I thought so too but it's real. My only wonder is what happened to all the youkai." I add
"No it's not unbelievable. There are a lot in the world that is told like fairy tales or superstitions and turn out to be true. Well not everything but a good majority is true." Tanya explained. I nodded with gratitude.
It was easier than I thought living with them. They taught me how to hunt and how easy it is to live like them. I felt at home with them after a year living here. Kate and Garrett started planning for a wedding and invited their family that lives in Washington. I was nervous on meeting them, but Tanya said they will love me. I nodded and went shyly with her out the door to greet the Cullens I hid shyly behind her. It was easy to do since I'm so tiny that I easily hid behind her.
"Ayumi don't be shy. They're family." She whispered as she pulled me from behind her. There I saw eight different kyuketsukis looking back at me. They were all very beautiful and then I heard it the tiny humming bird heartbeat of a little girl that looked to be around the age of twelve. She looked more ningen than the others and then I remembered what Tanya said about her family in Washington. That they had a hanyou a half kyuketsuki and half ningen, then I noticed the man who was holding the girls hand looked at me with a different expression then the others, in which made me feel uncomfortable. He looked to be around his late teens. Now looking at them most of them do look like teenagers, especially the smallest one with spiky brown hair.
"This is our newest member, Ayumi. She is from Tokyo Japan." Tanya said as she rubbed my shoulders to loosen me up. I bowed my head "Hai" I automatically said out of habit. "She's beautiful." I heard the child say with excitement. I give her a shy smile. "Well let's all go inside." Tanya motioned for all of us to enter to the house.
I tried to hide in the corner but Tanya wasn't having it. They all sat around the living room talking about old stories and I heard them mention my name once in a while. "Her maker sounds like a great guy." I heard someone say. And then I heard them take in a sharp breath when Tanya told them on how I tried their diet before I met them. They were looking at me with amazement.
Finally the wedding started. There was a reception but without food. I've never seen a western style wedding before. It was kind of weird on how they just said a few words and placed rings on each other's fingers. I remember my nii-san's wedding, which was a month before I was changed, they had to pray to the Kami and give offerings to the Kami. There's a Shinto houshi who sanctifies the wedding ceremony. Then the bride and groom give each other their vows and then they bow to each other, bow to the Shinto houshi and then bow to their families. Everyone wears Kimonos, which I remember mine was a deep red with black and calico koi fish swirling around each other on my kimono, my face was painted white with red lips and black eyebrows and my hair was piled up on top of my head. The bride of course wore a white kimono and a painted face and her hair piled up on her head held together with beautiful combs.
My mind began to wander to when I was a young girl and my mother dressing me in my summer kimono for the festivals. I remember when I was nine and me and Kagome wearing matching dark blue summer kimonos while lighting up firecrackers in the night sky.
I miss her. I wonder how she is doing. I hope she hasn't been going back to her deep depression. She was so frantic when I found her bout to jump back into the well and then watching her jump in over and over again all cause she wanted to see him.
I sigh with sorrow for my friend. "Who is Kagome? And that one creature you saw her with?" I heard the man who held the girls hand from earlier. Then I remembered his name is Edward. "Oh I'm sorry that was rude of me. I'm Edward Cullen. This is my wife Bella and our daughter Renesmee." He introduced himself along with the brown haired woman and then the little girl. "Oh the Hanyou is your daughter?" I exclaimed with surprise. "What did you call her?" Bella asked defensively. "Calm down Bella. It's what they call people like Nessie. Well not what Nessie is per se but it's what they call half breeds in her country." He explained. "She's not the first hanyou I've met either. The last one I met was an Inu hanyou." I say and placed a smile on my face as I remembered meeting InuYasha. "What's an Inu-han-yo?" the child asked. "Inu means dog and hanyou means half breed. He was half dog youkai, which means demon, and half ningen, which means human." I explain. I then realize everyone in the room was listening.
I felt shy instantly. "Tell us more about these, what you call them? Youkai?" someone asked. I looked at the man with blond hair. My new family already knew the stories but yet looked still as curious as the first time.
"Well in my country there used to be tons and tons of youkai's hundreds of years ago. There were weak ones who tried to gain power so they can overrule the country. Then you got the incredibly strong demons that ruled over many lands including China. There were also hanyous which are half human and half demons. Like Kagome's friend. He was born from a human princess. Kagome told me that his father was the most powerful dog demon in the land. His territory expanded half of Japan and the coastal part of China, which in those times was called the main lands. I don't know much more about youkai and hanyous that's all Kagome's world." I explain.
"What is Kagome?" The blond one asked again.
"She's a miko, which means shrine maiden. She is the most powerful miko in all of Japan. She even put up a barrier when I came to see her before I left. It was a defensive action. Her spiritual powers sensed that I was dangerous." I say shrugging at the end. Of course my best friend has powerful spiritual powers. I always knew there was something different about her since we were kids. She always knew things before anyone else knew. She could always sense when something bad was going to happen before it did. Like when her outosan died. She begged him not to leave the house but he just believed she just didn't want him to leave her home. He died twenty minutes later when a car hit him as he crossed the street. And when we played that game "guess who is behind you?" she always knew exactly who it was.
"Oh wow that's powerful." Edward said awed and sad at the same time. "What?" Everyone asked. "Her friend is amazing. She has Bella's and Alice's gift in one. She can protect herself with barriers like Bella can and sense things about the future like Alice." He answered. "What they can do those things too?" I asked shocked. "Well I can see the future not sense it." The spiky haired girl said. "Is it the exact same as me when I create barriers?" Bella asked Edward. "I don't really know. Ayami doesn't understand how it works either." He answered. I nodded in agreement.
"Wait you went to see her after you changed?" I heard the blond man asked with shock.
"Don't worry she is very good at keeping secrets. After all me and the rest of her friends had no idea about her adventures with the Inu hanyou." I answer. He nodded and let it alone.
Weeks went by and I found myself seeing Rosalie and her mate Emmitt a lot lately. It seems that Rosalie was obsessed with me. She constantly played with my black shoulder length wavy hair that stopped just below my shoulders. She came to me one day a year later with Emmitt "Ayumi how would you like to come live with me and Emmitt?" She proposed. I was stunned I didn't know what to say. I loved living her with Tanya and her family. But I felt at home with Rosalie and her motherly ways. "What?" I asked confused. "Well I've always wanted a daughter, and you're so young." She added. It was true I was young and I missed having a mom. Tanya never felt like a mother to me. It always feels like a friendship more than anything.
"Really" I asked again.
"Yes really." She said
I nodded. And next thing I knew I was living with the Cullens, which felt more like a family than anything else. When I first moved in and met Jacob I had to explain again my wording. He got quite upset when I called him Ookami, which I explained that Ookami meant wolf spirit and that many people in my country give offering to the animal spirits that dwell in the forest. He perked up and turned smug.
"I want to go see your Home." Nessie said out of the blue one day. It's only been two years since I first met her and she looked to be my age. "That sounds great!" Jacob said in agreement but he always agreed with everything she wanted to do. "Yes let's go! Tokyo has great fashion shows and high fashioned stores." Alice said with excitement appearing at the top of the stairs. She was nearly bursting with excitement and she looked straight at Bella, who glared at her. Alice seemed to be fixated that Bella like fashion as much as she did. Of course we become great shopping buddies when I moved in. And of course Jasper was on her side and ready to do what she wanted to do. "Mom, Dad?" Nessie asked looking at her parents as she clamped her hands together and begging them as she looked up at their faces. Bella looked at Edward for a minute. Carlisle sighed and then looked at Rosalie. "Do you thank Ayumi is prepared for a city that large with that many people?" He asked Rosalie. She looked at me for a second then back at Carlisle. "Yes she'll be fine. She hasn't cheated not once while living here nor when she lived with Tanya. I think she may have a gift of her own." She answered as she smiled at me. I smiled back at her.
So it was set. We were to leave for Japan in a week. I was so very nervous but Rosalie assured me I will be fine.
705 years in the past:
"Kagome are you sure it's going to work?" I asked Kagome when she suggests for us to travel through time to her time so she could have her okaasan could meet Izayoi. Our musume Izayoi just turned two years old. She had my eyes and my ears she had black hair like Kagome's and her face looked almost like my okaasan's face and mine. Both Kagome and I saw how much she looked like me and a lot like okaasan that we decided to name her Izayoi.
Izayoi was off with Miroku and Sango's kids playing in the village, while the four of us watched. "Kagome what if we get separated again?" I whined. "I don't think that'll happen again." She assured. I sighed and then gave in. I didn't want her to say the sit word so I complied.
It was madness when she was pregnant, for me. Every time she was angry with me she would sit me over and over again. But after Izayoi's birth she hasn't made that command not once.
I gathered Izayoi up and carried her back home. I placed her down on the large floor cushion. After I tucked her in, me and Kagome went to our room and cuddled up with each other. "Okay we'll go tomorrow after we feed Izayoi." I said with defeat deep in my voice with a hint of worry. I won't be able to live with myself if we are separated again. I thought as I absentmindedly ran my fingertips up and down Kagome's arm as she fell asleep.
The next morning I was so anxious to the point of nausea. I was afraid to go through the well and I would be separated from her again. I can't live like that again. It nearly crushed me to the point where I didn't want to go on with my life. The worst part was what if Izayoi will go with her and I won't have either of them or Izayoi is left without a mother.
"InuYasha it'll be alright. My powers have grown and the bone eater's well will work just fine." She said as she dressed Izayoi. I nodded but my anxiety was still there. Doesn't she realize how anxious I get when I think about parting from her?
We walk towards the well my anxiety peaks higher. "Just hold on to me tightly." She says as we grow closer to the well. I take a deep breath and hold her and Izayoi close to me as I jump into the well. There's a flash of light and then I hear the strange noises of her era. "We made it." She said excitedly. Izayoi claps with excitement when she hears Kagome's excitement.
I sigh a deep sigh of relief, and I jump up out of the well with them still in my arms I set Kagome down on her feet and I take Izayoi in my arms. Her ears flatten against her head and she buries her face against my chest. "I know Izi it's loud. You'll get used to it in a minute." I say to comfort the toddler. I feel warmth of pride as she buries her face hiding from the strangeness of this world. I kiss the top of her head right between her two little black ears.
Kagome frowns in worry for our musume as she realized Izayoi's senses are just as strong as mine are. "I'm sorry Izi I should have warn you about this." She said trying to sooth her. I sigh and nod for Kagome to lead the way out of the well house and into the main shrine.
Kagome walks ahead of me and across the stone alter. We stop at the door and she hesitates for a minute. "What are you waiting for?" I ask. "Well I don't know what to do? Should I knock or go in?" She asked mostly to herself I sigh and chose for her and knock on the door.
Mrs. Higurashi opens the door and she freezes with shock and surprise when she sees us standing in the doorway. "Hi okaasan." Kagome says after a minute of silence. Izayoi hides further into my long silver hair. "Well come in come in." Mrs. Higurashi says as she motions for us to enter. I follow Kagome in and we go to the main room. I think Kagome called it a family room. I don't know really.
We sit together on a long sofa while her okaasan sat in a straight back chair in front of us. "Who is that little thing?" She asked when she noticed Izayoi hiding under my hair. "Okaasan this is Izayoi, our musume." Kagome announces proudly. I look down at my musume, Kami that's still weird to say. I smile at her so to assure her she is safe. She looks at me with golden eyes her face anxious and fearful.
"You mean I am an Obaasan?" Mrs. Higurashi asked in surprise. "Yes." Kagome said smiling. "Well can I see her?" She asked. I nod at Izayoi to give her some courage. She turns and looks over at Kagome's okaasan and smiles. "Wow she looks just like you InuYasha." She exclaimed.
I already knew that. I mentally say sarcastically. "She's beautiful!" She said choking up with tears. Kagome looks at Izayoi with pride. "Yeah she is truly beautiful just like her outosan." Kagome says. I roll my eyes at her. Yeah like I'm the beautiful one! I sigh and make sarcastic comments in my head.
Izayoi is beautiful though. She looks more like okaasan rather than neither me or Kagome put together. "She looks more like my okaasan then she does of either of us. She has my eye color and ears but the rest of her is my okaasan." I explain. "And that is why we named her after her." Kagome added. .
"Oh your okaasan's name was Izayoi?" She asked I nod. "That's a beautiful name." She said smiling. I simply nod. I hate bringing my okaasan up, it brought too much pain to think of her. But Izayoi has changed me though. She's so beautiful mind and body. She has Kagome's kindness and selflessness and bravery. She isn't stand offish like I was, but then again we live in a place where she is accepted for what she is. Sango and Miroku's brats never tease her or leave her out when playing. Actually the twins absolutely adore her and treat her like she's their baby.
So I guess Izayoi will have a better life than I did. She will grow up happy and loved and belonged. She won't be shunned because she's a hanyou like her outosan. I smile at that thought as Kagome and her okaasan caught up with each other. Izayoi even came out from her hiding spot and studied Mrs. Higurashi.
"See that went well." Kagome said later that day as we waited for her okaasan to come back from the store to make us dinner. Kagome was saddened though to learn that her ojiisan passed away. We went out into the shrine while Izayoi stayed in while she napped. Kagome wanted to pay her respects to her ojiisan. She knelt down in front of the little shrine and bowed her head in respect I did the same. I did it for her because she loved the old geezer and besides she pays her respects to my okaasan's shrine back home.
After a minute she stands up and does one last bow before turning back to the house when suddenly I smelt something too sweet it burned my nose. I pulled Kagome behind me to protect her. I see a young girl walk up the steps to the platform of the shrine's steps. She stops and looks at me with surprise in her eyes when she met mine.
She was beautiful with thick black wavy hair and her face was flawless. She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She looked like a Kami. But I can sense she is no Kami. She walks closer and I growl at her. Kagome looks around my shoulder to see what I'm on the defense for. "Ayumi? Is that really you?" She asks as she steps around me and towards the person that makes me on edge. I was grateful that Kagome's okaasan was in the house with Izayoi.
"Kagome, I've missed you so much." The girl said with excitement. I grab Kagome's arm and pull her back. "InuYasha its fine I promise you she won't hurt me." She says trying to calm me down. I nearly whine at her, pleading with her that I didn't feel comfortable with who ever that thing was. "Koibito!" I groaned. "It's okay InuYasha." She said placing her hand on my cheek to comfort me. I sigh in defeat and let her go. I follow closely behind her.
"Ayumi what are you doing here?" She asks with surprise. "I came to see you. I've missed you. I see you have reunited with InuYasha." She said with a wide smile. "Yes I've been with him for the past two years." She said as she smiled up at me. I stare back at her but I'm too anxious to smile back.
"Don't worry InuYasha I won't hurt her." The girl said than I noticed her voice was very high pitched like bells ringing in my ears. I didn't like it and flattened my ears back against my head. "What are you?" I asked. "I'm a kyuketsuki." She answered. I hissed and growled as I pulled Kagome back behind me again. "InuYasha!" She complained as she tried to free herself. "But she's a blood drinker. A kyuketsuki, she's dangerous." I growled at her. "InuYasha I know what she is. I can protect myself perfectly fine." She said as she stepped from behind me.
I didn't trust this creature, I fought one, years before I met Kikyou. I found a man holding a woman in his arms draining her blood and he turned on me like he wanted me next. I ripped my claws against his stone like body and tore him to pieces. Later I learned he could put himself back together again like some other demons. He found me again and this time I was with Kikyou. I caught him sniffing around the village and so I shredded him apart and when Kikyou came out to see what I was fighting she told me to burn the pieces and she told me what he was.
Of course I forgot all about that creature until now, when my mate my koibito wanted to greet her, like they were best friends. I looked closer to the girls face and noticed her eyes were the same color as mine which was different from the kyuketsuki I killed long ago. I think he had red eyes. I'm not sure though I fought a lot of demons with red eyes.
I watch nervously as Kagome went to greet this youkai and talked with her. I stayed where I was which was closest to the door. I won't let that youkai near my musume.
"InuYasha it's alright." Kagome said after a few minutes. I guess I was still on the defensive side. I just growled deeply in my chest. "Kagome my family would love to meet you. Would it be alright if you could come to meet them?" She asked. Kagome looked back at me then back at Ayumi. "I would love too but I don't know about InuYasha." She answered. She came closer to me "We can leave Izayoi with okaasan and Souta so they can get to know her better I really want to meet Ayumi's new family. You can go with me if that makes you feel any better?" She says. I look at her and sigh. I know I can protect her well enough. If need be Tessiega well defiantly take them all out since the wind scar has flames.
"Okay if you really want to." I groan. "Great let me go tell okaasan to watch over Izayoi." She says as she kissed my cheek and ran into the house. I hear her talking to her okaasan and then tell Izayoi to be good. Izayoi seemed to be fine with us leaving her, which surprised me because we never left her before.
Kagome comes back out and smiles at me. "Let's go!" She says excitedly. I follow her as she follows Ayumi. Kagome puts a hat thingy on my head to cover my ears. I kneel down so she can climb my back and I followed running after this Ayumi girl to some fancy building. We stop a block away from it and walk slowly to blend in with the ningen. We follow her through those strange sliding doors, that open on their own and then she stops at another door. She pushes a button and I hear a loud Bing noise and the doors open again. I hesitantly follow.
It was a small room with a gold bar wrapped around it. "Oh I forgot this is the first time you've ever rode an elevator." Kagome says smiling at me "An ele what?" I asked confused. "It's a room that pulls you up to defferent floors. This building is a hotel. Hotels are like large inns." She explained. I nodded like I understood even though I had no idea what she was talking about.
The small room went higher and higher, until it finally stopped at the highest floor. The doors open again and it opened up to a large room full of sofas and chairs laid out everywhere. It looked like a lavish palace. Although the only palace I've been too was my outosan's palace. I follow Kagome and Ayumi further into the large palace. I smell the overly sweet smell come through and then there were two other smells. One smelt like a wolf and the other a human, well not totally human.
"Ayumi, who have you brought with you?" A very attractive woman with golden hair appeared first. I instantly grab Kagome closer to me. I didn't like this feeling. It was a room full of kyuketsukis and it put me on edge. "This is my friend Kagome and her friend InuYasha." She introduced us. "Hi I'm Kagome and this is my husband InuYasha." Kagome said as she tried to walk further into the room. "Koibito!?" I nearly whine in protest. I sound just like a dog now. Whining like one anyways. "Wow Ayumi is right! You can't smell her blood!" A frightening looking man with scars all over him said. I really don't like that one.
"What?!" Kagome asked with surprise. "Kagome, your spiritual powers are protecting you from us. We can't scent your blood but we can InuYasha's." Ayumi explained. That made me feel a little better and so I loosened my hold on her. At least she's safe from them. I thought. Kagome followed Ayumi further in and I trailed behind. I wasn't worried about her anymore now that she can protect herself with her spiritual powers. She's the strongest miko in all of Japan. Even stronger then Kikyou and Midoriko put together. So I have nothing to worry about.
Kagome smiled at every one in the room and bowed her head in respect unlike me who just scowled at everyone like I usually do.
"Please have a seat." Small dark haired women motioned for us to sit on the white sofa I felt a little out of place from this lavish palace. With my bare dirty feet smudging the white fluffy floor, I sat on the floor and placed Tessiega across my lap and folded my arms into my robe of the fire rat. Kagome, gracefully as ever sat on the sofa by my head. "I'm sorry for his rudeness." She said apologetic "He's just overly protective." She added.
Well if you weren't so reckless and always putting yourself in danger I wouldn't be so overly protective. Especially when you were pregnant with Izayoi. Constantly willing to go fight demons in the neighboring villages. Doesn't she know she makes me overly anxious when she does things like this? I thought angrily. I nearly jumped in defense when I heard someone laugh. I look over and see this guy with dark gold hair laughing. "I'm sorry for laughing but you sounded just like I did when Bella was human." He explained himself but confused me even more. "Oh please forgive me. I can read minds and what you were just thinking on how you think Kagome is reckless and always putting herself in danger, was exactly how I felt when my Bella would risk her life." He explained.
"Feh" I snorted. Kagome scowled at me. "Be nice." She whispered. I am being nice. What does she want from me? "What does Koibito mean?" another dark haired girl asked. She was sitting closely with the mind reader so I'm assuming they are mates. "Oh you heard that?" Kagome asked. "Well koibito means lover." Kagome answered. I blushed a bit when she answered them. It's my word for her and I've never even called or thought of Kikyou that way neither. Kagome is the first woman who I ever called my koibito. She is my life mate. She was born for me, and I for her.
"Wow that's a beautiful meaning behind it." The mind reader said. I blushed even more when I realized that he heard what I was just thinking. "Edward stop it your making him blush." His mate said. "It's annoying ain't it?" a very large boy with dark skin, hair and eyes asked from where he was standing leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. "I guess." I answered. "So what were you thinking just now?" Kagome had to ask. "Nothing!" I snapped back at her still blushing. "Oh come on you can tell me?" She pushed for me to spill.
"Fine I was thinking of you and how I never called any woman Koibito before. Not…even…Kikyou" I answer and try to hide the slight hurt I felt thinking about Kikyou. I rarely think of her now since I'm with Kagome, but when I do I grieve for her. I can't help but think that I could have done more to save her. And then I feel guilty for thinking of her now that I have Kagome. In some ways I still mourn for her but I don't think that will ever go away.
"Who is Kikyou?" His mate asked Kagome. "She was his first love. She died and I think he still mourns for her, even though he never says so, but I catch him now and then holding a sadden look on his face and I know he's thinking of her. I'm not jealous when he does think of her. It can't be helped she was his first love and you never forget your first love." Kagome answered. I looked at her face in amazement. All this time I thought I kept a good front about the whole Kikyou thing but like always she sees right through me. She knows me better than anyone even Kikyou.
"I can see that you still love her but you love Kagome more." The mind reader said. "Yeah I do." I honestly say.
"I thought he had dog ears?" A girl that looked to be a teenager asked excitedly. "Oh yeah he does. We just hide them when he's in this era." Kagome said. She pulls the cap off my head and my ears twitch a bit at the new sounds. "Awe they're cute." The girl squealed. I flattened them at her high pitched squeal.
At least Izayoi isn't here. I think I would be more on edge if she was. "Who is Izayoi?" and again it was the mind reader. "Oh she's our daughter. She's two." Kagome answered. "Ah I see. She's beautiful too." He said as he probably saw an image of her in our heads. "That's a beautiful name." The yellow haired beauty that welcomed us said after not talking since the first time we arrived. "Thanks, she's named after his mother." Kagome said. I pong of sadness hit me when I thought of my mother. I hated the memories I have left of her. She was always so sad and cried a lot over me. She tried so hard to protect me but failed in the end.
I can still hear her pleading for me to run. I didn't want to leave her but she pushed me away from her and disappeared into the fire. I ran and ran. But somehow some demons followed. I remember hiding in a hole underneath a tree for three days. I remember mother telling me to find my half-brother and live with him. But when I found Sesshomaru he shut me out and abandon me like I was nothing but a mere insect. I've been on my own since I was eight years old. Two hundred years of loneliness. Well I guess it's more like one hundred fifty years since I was pinned to the tree of ages for fifty years till Kagome broke the spell.
I suddenly see the mind reader's face turn to one of grief. "Great now you know my story." I said gruffly and angrily and annoyed all at once. "Were you thinking of your Mother?" Kagome asked with sorrow in her voice. She knows talking about my mother is a very touchy subject and I rarely talk about her. I was surprised when Kagome suggested we name our daughter after her. I felt honored.
"Ayami said you would know more about youkai and hanyous since you have more experience in that topic?" The girl with brown eyes asked excitedly.
"Well InuYasha and I had fought against many evil demons. The worst of them all was Naraku…" I tuned her out when she talked about Naraku. Naraku who killed us and have me and Kikyou betray each other. At the time I truly did believe it was her when she said she didn't want to be with a half breed and that I was foolish enough to believe that she would want to be with me. It wasn't until Kagome freed me from the curse that I learned it was all Naraku who made us betray each other. I began to think of on how he tortured and twisted people to have them kill each other just like Kohaku was forced to kill his own father and comrades and nearly killing his own sister. Sango is very tough I gotta give her credit. After all who can say they dug themselves out of their own graves.
"Wait this person dug herself out of her own grave?" The mind reader burst out saying in horror and awed by it as well. "Were you thinking of Sango just now?" Kagome asked cocking her head to one side. "Yeah well sort of. I was just thinking of all the torment Naraku caused all those years. Don't get me wrong but I believe she got the worst end of it from that bastard. Yeah he caused me and Kikyou to betray and kill each other, and yeah he cursed Miroku's family with the wind tunnel. But Sango had to watch her kid brother kill her father and comrades and then be killed herself from her kid brother's hand. And learn that her intire village was destroyed by demons, killing every single one of the the villagers. Naraku destroyed everything she loved and left her homeless and without a family." I answered. "Yeah I know." She sighed with grief. "But at least we were able to save her brother in the end, well not us but…Kikyou did." She added. I nodded at the memory.
That's right if it weren't for her, Sango wouldn't have neither Kohaku nor Miroku. "So what happened to her?" Almost all of the four kyuketsuki and the child asked with true curiosity. "Well when she dug herself out, she was cared by the master of the castle they were sent to rid of a demon. She was given a jewel shard to keep her from dying and was told that her village was destroyed by InuYasha, which was only a ploy for Naraku to use her to kill him. When she learned that it wasn't InuYasha who did it. It was Naraku, she fought alongside us. The worst was that Naraku placed a shard into her kid brother's neck to keep him alive and he erased his memories and he became Naraku's slave. He tried to force him to kill Sango many times…"
I began to remember that first time she was going to kill him. She was about to kill him and I heard her say she wouldn't be far long behind him in death. I panicked and so I stopped her. I couldn't let her do that to herself. I couldn't let her kill herself.
There were many other times when I or Miroku would catch her eyeing her dagger or sword as if she were planning on killing herself. She may be a strong fighter but she was so weak when it came to emotions. She was always so easily broken down when Naraku played mind games with her. Always showing her, her fears and regrets, I cringe when I think about what if Kohaku or Miroku had died. I know she would be fine if it was her brother, because she would have Miroku. But if Miroku had died I don't think she would be strong enough to handle that. She's so much happier now
My mind began to wander to all the times we battled Naraku and how he would use Kagome's jealousy of Kikyou and me to try to taint her purity. Then I wandered to when Kagome was captured by that witch who brought Kikyou back from the dead. Now that I think about it, it's funny how that witch thought she could control Kikyou and use her to find jewel fragments. That back fired on her. I held in a laugh when I thought about it and how Kikyou burned her with her miko powers.
Then I felt saddened when I thought about how I promised to die with her after I destroyed Naraku. At the time it felt like the right thing to do. I caused her death the first time and I wanted to be with her for all of eternity. I remember Kagome changing me. She taught me so much that I took for granted. She wanted me to be happy and to let her stay by my side. She loved me for me and didn't want me to change into either a monster or a human for her.
The only thing I'm afraid of now is that I will outlive her and I honestly don't know if I could handle that again. It crushed me those three years of separation. When I finally had her back, I was so relieved that I didn't think about how she looked older than me. I still look sixteen or fifteen. I age so much slower than her. I'm two hundred five years old and nearly seven hundred years older than her.
"That's interesting." The mind reader thought. "So you're two hundred five years old in your era but you're what a little over seven hundred years old in this era?" He asked. "Yeah he ages differently than I do." Kagome answered so casually. I rolled my eyes at her. "When did you hit full maturity?" He asked. "Umm I think I was fifteen. After that it slowed. My half-brother ages slower than I because he's full demon, he's a little over five hundred years and only looks like he's in his late teens early twenties." I answered. "How old is your father?" He asked. "Umm my mother and Meyoga said he was nearly five thousand years old when he died. And from the paintings I've seen of him he looked to be in his late thirties early forties." I answered shrugging.
"Wow his skeleton is huge!" he said when he saw the image of my father's grave. "How big?" The dark skinned man asked. "As big as a mountain, well that's what it looks like." He answered. "Yeah that's his true form. My so called brother isn't as large as father was but still huge. He towered over at least fifty feet." I judged. "No way!" the dark skinned boy asked with a smirk of disbelief. "No Jacob he's telling the truth. Actually I think he's a bet bigger than that." The mind reader said.
"What about you? Do you transform into a giant dog?" The mind reader asked. "No, my fangs grow larger and sharper and my claws grow out sharper as well. But I am very dangerous when fully transformed." I say trying to hide the guilty tone in my voice. I almost killed her with these claws.
"That doesn't sound so dangerous compared to your father and brother." The dark skinned boy scuffed at me.
"No Jacob I wouldn't underestimate him. I see it when he flickered to the times he was fully transformed. His mind only thinks of killing and nothing more. He becomes a true monster. But how do you transform back if you're so lost into the blood lust?" he asked.
My eyes flicker up at Kagome for a split second. "Ahh it's her who truly keeps him from staying in that form." He answered his own question. I really didn't mind the mind reader much. He was saying everything I couldn't say out loud in the right words. He smiled at me when he heard my thoughts.
"Huh?" everyone accept for me and Kagome asked. "First it was her purification that kept pulling him out of it. But it seemed that the last time he transformed it was the scent of her blood that kept him from not giving into his transformation. The love he has for her kept him from turning into the monster he fears. He doesn't want to hurt her and always to protect her even from himself." He answered I lightly blushed when he said it was my love for her that kept me sane.
I start to grow anxious again when I realized how late it was getting. I wanted to be with Izayoi. I've been away to long from her. "Kagome, can we leave now? I'm worried about Izayoi." I say in a pleading voice. Kagome looked at me and smiled. "It was nice meeting you all." Kagome said as she stood up. I instantly stood up as well I placed Tessiega back into place and take Kagome's hand.
We say good bye and head out of this weird palace. I run with her on my back all the way to the shrine. I sigh with relief once I have my sweet little Izayoi in my arms. On the next morning we return home. "That was interesting." Kagome said as we sat on our porch watching Izayoi play with Shippo. "Meeting a bunch of kyuketsuki" She answered "I never knew they existed until Ayami." She added. "Eh I've met one before." I shrugged. "What? Really?" She asked with surprised shock "Well yeah. It was a very long time ago." I answered. She looked at me wanting more information. "What?" I asked. "Tell me more." She said smiling. I sigh and close my eyes before I answer. "It was a few years before I met Kikyou. I found him drinking a woman's blood and he turned for me I shredded him apart with my claws. I learned later on that he had regenerative abilities. I saw him again. He was sniffing around Kikyou's hut and so I tore him to shreds. Kikyou was the one who told me you have to burn the parts before they regenerate." I give in and tell her. She smiles at me. I lean over to her and kiss her gently on her lips. "Ewe, gross!" I hear Shippo say in disgust. "Well if you don't like it you can just leave." I say as I kick him far into the sky. "InuYasha be nice." I hear Kagome sigh. "I am nice. I could have just beaten him to pulp, but instead I merely kicked him." I say in my defense I hear Izayoi laugh and clap her hands then points her little finger toward Shippo in the sky. "Daddy make him fly!" She laughed and clapped. "She doesn't seem to mind." I smile back at Kagome. Kagome represses a laugh. "You shouldn't encourage bad behavior." She scolded but I can see the hint of a smile she fought to control. I walk closer to her and scoop her up in my arms and kissed her passionately.
She pulls away smiling. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes excited and blissed. "I love you koibito." I say in a whisper. "I love you to koibito." She says back.
Ayumi's POV:
"That was interesting." Edward said with true amusement. "InuYasha has a very colorful past, a very sad one at that." He said sort of thinking out loud. "What do you mean sad?" Bella asked. We were all sitting in the large living space looking at Edward. "His mother died protecting him from demons that attacked their castle. His mother was a princess so they lived in a palace. There were a few images of him as a young boy around four or five years old, being bullied. They were so violent to him that his mother would cry over him. Even adults would bully him. They would call him a filthy half breed. No wonder he trust no one." He explained. I felt sorrow for InuYasha. It made me see why Kagome forgave him for being a jerk to her.
"Even his first love Kikyou didn't trust him. He really didn't trust her at all in the beginning. I saw in his mind he truly undoubtedly love her. I can't say it was the same from her side. Even when they were deceived and turned against one another he still loved her. His last thoughts of her before he died on the tree, was feeling relief she was alive. He never hurt her, but she has hurt badly. I'm surprised he loves any one now. Especially after seeing what Kagome saw on how Kikyou would try to kill him or kill her." He explained. "I mostly paid more attention to InuYasha because I've never seen anything like him. I can see how much he loves Kagome. His bond to her is just as like ours." He said turning to Bella. I sighed a little. I wanted to be loved like that.
"I became very interested in their friend Sango she truly is a strong young woman. Her family, were demon slayers and when they were called to kill a demon at a castle they were deceived. Her kid brother was possessed by the demon named Naraku. He killed everyone. He killed his sister and the castles guards killed him and when they buried them she wasn't dead yet and so she dug herself out of her own grave. That's one thing I've never heard of a human do. For humans go, I would be afraid of her. She probably could kill us with her giant boomerang. I saw in his mind how easily she threw it and killed hundreds of demons at once. I also saw a lot of sadness in her eye from his view anyways. He also remembered at times especially after fighting that horrible evil demon he would occasionally catch her eyeing her dagger as if planning to end her life. Although she was physically strong she was emotionally weak. I also saw he and his friend the monk have a conversation on where the monk caught her a few times picking up the dagger and pressing it to her chest. All the monk said he did was take it away from her and comfort her. I felt bad for the young woman until InuYasha remembered her smiling and laughing alongside the monk with three kids running around them.
"But this Naraku demon was truly evil. He didn't physically torture his victims he mentally did by using their loved ones against them. Like InuYasha and Kikyou. Like Sango and her kid brother. Who was just a ten year old kid and this Naraku used him to kill many people besides his family.
"He used their fears as well to cut them down. And here I thought I've seen true evil, but I did tonight through their thoughts. I'm glad they killed him." He explained. Then he turned to look at Bella.
"You know I never thought I would see the day where I would meet a couple who was just like us until tonight." He said. "What do you mean?" She asked. "Well in their case he was like you. He had to choose between his past love and his new love. They had a similar love triangle going on like ours. Also like you he wanted to become full demon so to protect the ones he loves. He felt like he was too weak to protect them. When he and his first love were together she wanted him to become human so they could live together. But when he met Kagome she didn't want him to change she loved him the way he is; also if he chose to be with Kikyou that meant death for them to be together for all eternity, but Kagome wanted him to live and be happy.
The pain I saw when they were separated was just as hard when I left you. I don't know how they could stand it for three long agonizing years of separation, when I couldn't handle six months without you." He explained. I felt out of place since I really had no idea what he was talking about. Rose told me their stories but I guess I have to experience love first to understand. Edward looked at me as he heard my thoughts. "There's someone out there for you too Ayumi." He said. I nodded but I didn't think so.
The next day I showed them The Higurashis shrine. We walked up the steps to the main shrine and went to the Tree of Ages. "This is the tree InuYasha was pinned to. This once was known as InuYasha forest in which they named it after him since he was pinned to the tree. This shrine is the oldest shrine in Tokyo. One of the oldest in the country. The priestess that Kagome is reincarnated from was the high priestess over this shrine. So I guess Kagome is now the high priestess of this shrine." I explain.
I turn towards the tree and clap my hands and bow to pay my respects to the spirit of the tree. "You must pay your respects to this tree to please the Kami. And pay respects to the shrine." I tell them they all nod and copy what I did. I lead them to the shrine that held the Kami Buddha. I knelt down to rest on my knees and pull out the Franken seinse stick and light it till it starts to smoke. I place it at the altar that rested at Buddha's feet and bow my head to pay my respects to the Kami Buddha. I hear the rest of my family do the same.
I stand and turn to them. "You want to see the shrines to the animal spirits?" I ask once everyone stands. "Yes. This is fun!" Nessie says excitedly. I nod and we leave the shrine but I stop to pay my respects to Kagome's grandfather's shrine.
I lead to the many statues that are along the way towards my maker's home. I show them that to pay respect to the animal spirits you offer food to them. Nessie thought that it was awesome on how everything in Japan was considered sacred and how the people respect the Kami spirits. We finally make it to Tamuki's castle deep in the wilderness of Japan. "Ayumi, my Musume you've returned." Mai says happily as she opens the sojo doors and greet us. I take my shoes off and walk up to her to hug her. "Mai this is my new family the Cullens." I say as I turn towards them. I motion for them to bow when Mai did "Hai" She said as she bowed. They all did the same. I couldn't help but laugh a little. They were so out of place in this ancient part of Japan, doing Japanese customs. "Take off your shoes before entering the castle. It is disrespectful to wear shoes in the houses in Japan." I tell them. They all take their shoes off and follow me and Mai inside the castle. I hear them say "Wow" and were awed about the ancient castle.
Luckily before we came here I taught everyone but Carlisle and Edward Japanese, since they already knew the language. Jacob was the only one who had trouble with it so I translated for him.
"Ahh my dear Ayumi. How I've missed you." Tamuki said excitedly as he walked towards me and hugged me. "Tamuki-sempai this is my new family." I said when I motioned my hand towards them I called out each of their names and they bowed their heads when their name was called.
"So you were a Samurai?" Nessie asked with curiosity. "Yes young one I was. I fought a kyuketsuki and he bit me, and changed me. In my time there were many Youkai that lived in these lands. There are a few still around. Well only the very powerful ones are still around like the great Sesshomaru-Sama of the west and ruler of the Inu-Youkai. He is very old and very powerful. He lived through many wars between ningens and youkai wars." He said and we snapped our eyes at him in shock and surprise. "Did you say Sesshomaru?" I asked. "Yes why?" He answered confused. "How ironic." I laugh. "Ayami what is ironic?" Mai asked. "We met his otouto earlier this week." I answer. "What?" He said with surprise. "Yeah we met him. He and my friend Kagome were at the Higurashi shrine and I brought them to where we were staying so to meet us all. I had no idea his nii-san was still living. Although I shouldn't be that shocked. After all I heard stories from Kagome on how strong and powerful he was." I explain.
"Huh to think you met his otouto when I heard his otouto died many centuries ago after his koibito died of old age he killed himself to follow her in to the afterlife. Their daughter lived for two hundred years before she too died of old age although she had a few hanyous since she married an Inu-youkai that was a distant relative of the Inu-Emperor. Her mate is still alive and is part of the Inu royal court along with their two musukos. O'Hime Izayoi was very beautiful. Even when old she did not look it. I heard that she looked like her Abaasan in which she was named after. O'Hime Izayoi was very saddened when her outosan killed himself. I've been friends with the Inu-youkais since I was ningen. I have a great respect for them as well. To think my musume was friends with the most powerful miko in all of the history of Japan. She was more powerful than the miko before her, Lady Kikyou, and before her, The Great Miko Midoriko, who forged the Shikon-No-Tama." He said shaking his head in admiration.
"Oh so InuYasha died after all. I guess he couldn't live without his Koibito." I said sadly. "Well at least they lived to old age." I added. "I think I met InuYasha once before. Years after his musume married. He didn't look over the age of thirty and is koibito looked to be ten years older than him. I guess even hanyous age slower. I swear Sesshomaru-sama doesn't look older than thirty. His musume is gorgeous. She looks a lot like him with long snow white hair, beautiful amber eyes. She could pass as a kami. Sesshomaru's musuko looks almost identical to the InuNoTaisho. Sesshomaru's okusan is even more beautiful than their musume. The whole Inu-royal family are like Inu-Kamis rather than Inu-Youkai." He said in awe as he remembered them.
"What happened to Rin? His ward?" I ask when I suddenly remembered Kagome telling me about the little ningen girl that followed the great Inu-Youkai around. "She married a ningen lord and died of old age. Her descendants' are well protected by the great Inu emperor." He answered.
It felt weird hearing about my best friend's histories when I just saw her earlier this week. I guess I should have known this would happen since she does live five hundred years in the past. Well at least she died of old age rather than being killed. But poor InuYasha having to outlive her was too much for him to bare.
