**FOR THE READER: I am not a fan of the English translation of the series, and have become a fan of Inuyasha through
watching subtitled Japanese episodes. That is the main reason why I have used Japanese wording for
some parts of this story. For those of you unaware the following words are the translations that I have
picked up from the series:
1) Hanyou = Half Demon
2) Youaki = Full Demon
3) Taiyoukai = Great / Monster Demon
4) Shikon no Tama = Sacred Jewel
5) Housi-sama = respectful term for a Buddhist monk
If I have missed any, please email me at edendays@hotmail.com or at unbctiffanydias@hotmail.com to inform me of these, and I will try to fix this page, as soon as possible, sincerely
muffiedias
* All original characters from the Inuyasha series are copyrighted and belong to Rumiko Takahashi (the creator of the series)
Any new characters are copyrighted by me, and therefore, are my property :) Enjoy the story :)
The sun had just set, meaning that night had finally come to the land of Feudal Japan as Kagome and the others finally came to a stop. After a long day of looking for Shikon no Tama shards, the group was tired and Inuyasha was incredibly sore due to Kagome using an incredibly STRONG sit command earlier that day. It did not take them long to set up a fire and in matter of a minutes, Kagome had drifted off to sleep, Shippo using Kagome and her sleeping bag as a pillow. Kirara, meanwhile, had decided to curl up right behind Sango, who was still wide awake, along with Miroku and Inuyasha.
"I hate these kinds of areas," Inuyasha complained, leaning up against a tree. This night the group had chosen to rest and sleep in a small little clearing in a small dense forest.
"Why, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, "Tonight's not the night when you become human, so you are you so jumpy?"
"Could it be that he's worried about Sesshomaru coming after him?" Sango asked, "After all, the last battle Inuyasha fought against him really must have dealt a strong blow to his ego. If it weren't for Tenseiga, then Sesshomaru would be dead right now."
"So, you're saying that Inuyasha's afraid of being attacked by his older brother when he's not expecting it?" Miroku asked.
"Well, considering how powerful Sesshomaru is compared to him, wouldn't you be?" Sango asked.
"Shut up you idiots!" Inuyasha barked angrily at the two of them. "I'm not afraid of Sesshomaru!"
"Then why are you so jumpy, Inuyasha?" Sango asked him with an arrogant smile.
Inuyasha glared at Sango angrily, not really have a response for her. Then quickly, before anyone could register what he was about to do, Inuyasha smacked Miroku hard on the back of the head.
"What the hell was that for?" Miroku exclaimed, confused why he was the one who was hit when it was Sango who had made the remark that had really pissed off Inuyasha.
"I'll be back in a bit," Inuyasha stated as he quickly stood to his feet, and placing one hand on Tetsusaiga, left the little camping area.
"Why the hell did he hit me instead of you?" Miroku asked, still confused.
Smiling, Sango replied, "Because I would've hit him back."
Still grumbling about why he had been hit when he hadn't said anything really offensive, Miroku leaned against the trunk of one of the closest trees and, within minutes, fell asleep. Sango only smiled and leaned back against Kirara, wondering how long it would take for Inuyasha to return.
Stupid Miroku and Sango, Inuyasha thought to himself as he wandered out of the forested area and into an open, grassy field. I'm not afraid of Sesshomaru, I'm just being careful, that's all.
"Yeah, I'm just being careful," Inuyasha muttered to himself, "I'm not afraid of Sesshomaru."
"Oh, but you should be," came a familiar voice from somewhere inside the forest.
Hearing this voice, Inuyasha froze. Shit! was the first thought that came to Inuyasha's mind as he recognized the voice. Quickly, his hand grasped the handle of Tetsusaiga and he pulled it out.
"What? Almost being killed wasn't enough for you, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha mocked his older brother.
"Without Tetsusaiga you never would have even gotten close, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru replied confidently.
"Oh? Are you forgetting the battle we fought in father's grave?" Inuyasha reminded him.
"A fight you were only able to win with the help of Tetsusaiga," Sesshomaru replied, his eyes narrowing as he remembered the fight against Inuyasha where he lost his left arm.
"I can beat you easily," Inuyasha replied.
"With an evil smile, Sesshomaru said, "A hanyou such as yourself, Inuyasha, could never beat a full youkai like myself. To get even close, you had to have the help of our father."
"Oh yeah? Let's see about that." Quickly, Inuyasha placed Tetsusaiga back in it's sheath and rushed his older brother. Grinning, Sesshomaru tensed himself up, preparing his counter-attack.
Meanwhile, back at the camp, Miroku quickly woke up and sat to attention.
"Sango, do you sense that?" he asked quickly, then, noticing that Sango was nowhere to be seen, he asked, "Sango?"
"I sense it, Houshi-sama," Sango replied, appearing from behind a tree dressed in her black leather fighting suit and armor.
"This strong youki," Miroku began, "The last time I sensed this was when Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were fighting."
"Inuyasha's not back yet," Sango informed him.
"You don't think . . .?" Miroku began but Sango nodded.
"It's Inuyasha, and I do think," she replied, "Those two idiots are at it again. Let's wake Kagome and Shippo."
Miroku nodded. "With youki this strong, their battle should be easy to find."
"Kagome? Shippo?" Sango said quietly, trying not to scare the two of them.
"Hmm, Sango?" Kagome murmured slowly waking up. Then suddenly noticing that there was no Inuyasha telling her to hurry and wake up, Kagome asked, "Where's Inuyasha?"
"He wandered off not too soon after you went to sleep," Miroku replied.
"Kagome, we think he ran into Sesshomaru," Sango informed her, "Miroku and I sense great youki coming from just outside the forest."
"Sango's right, Kagome. The last time I sensed such youki as this was the last time that Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were fighting."
"What? Inuyasha's fighting Sesshomaru again? Stupid Inuyasha," Shippo said, immediately standing up.
"We have to go to him," Kagome said, worry in her voice.
"That's the plan," Sango replied. Then, turning to look at her cat she said, "Kirara!"
Immediately, the small cat transformed and went to Sango's side. Quickly, the four of them climbed onto Kirara's back, Kagome making sure to grab her bow and arrows and Sango making sure that she had her Hiraikotsu with her. Within minutes, they were off in the direction where the youki was coming from.
"Give it up, Inuyasha! And allow yourself to die a death that suits a hanyou like yourself," Sesshomaru informed his older brother as he effortlessly jumped to avoid being hit by Tetsusaiga. Before Inuyasha could even counter, Sesshomaru kicked Inuyasha back with so much force that he slammed against a tree.
Although the two brothers had only been fighting for a short while, Inuyasha was already bleeding from several wounds inflicted by his older sibling. Thankfully, however, Inuyasha had so far been able to avoid any direct attacks from Sesshomaru's poisonous hand.
"SHUT U-!" Inuyasha began but was interrupted by a cry of "INUYASHA!"
Hearing this all too familiar cry, Inuyasha turned his head only to see Kagome, Sango, Shippo and Miroku coming out of the forest on Kirara's back.
Sesshomaru, meanwhile, deciding to take advantage of the fact that his younger sibling was momentarily distracted took that moment to rush at Inuyasha, his poison claw outstretched and poised to attack.
"INUYASHA!"
He was only inches away from his brother by the time that Inuyasha finally noticed Sesshomaru coming towards him. DAMNIT! Inuyasha thought and tensed himself up to prepare for the impact of the attack.
I've got him, Sesshomaru thought with a smile as he lunged at his brother, not even an inch away from him when suddenly, out of nowhere, he felt something huge and furry grab him around the waist and throw him aside. What the fuck? he wondered, unsure of what had prevented him just then from attacking Inuyasha.
"Kaiya?" he heard his younger brother ask somewhat in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Kagome's eyes widened as she felt a familiar feeling. There were Shikon no Tama shards nearby.
Quickly Sesshomaru focused on the figure that had gotten in his way and he growled. He could now see that the thing that was huge and furry that had thrown him aside was a huge paw, equal to the size of his own when he, himself, was transformed into his true self. The paw belonged to an owner that looked almost identical to Sesshomaru's transformed self.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Kaiya?" he demanded angrily as he approached Inuyasha.
"I could be asking you the same question, Sesshomaru," the person demanded once they had transformed from to their human form, "I mean, I know you're jealous that father left Inuyasha Tetsusaiga, but get over it. It's not like you could ever use it, anyways."
Hearing this conversation, Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. If what this newcomer said was true, than that meant that Inuyasha had a sister!
"Kaiya get out of the way!" Inuyasha demanded suddenly, interrupting their conversation.
"And let you two continue to fight again? You two really are stupid, aren't you?" Kaiya said, turning to look at her younger brother. Then, without even turning to look at Sesshomaru, she warned, "Don't even think about it. You know you'll be back on your butt before you could even get close. Or don't you remember the last time?"
Annoyed, Sesshomaru glared at his twin sister then turned so that he was looking at Inuyasha. "This isn't over, Inuyasha!" And with those as final words, he disappeared into the forest.
"What did you think you were doing, Kaiya?" Inuyasha demanded angrily. "You had no right to interfere!"
"Do you really think I was going to allow you two to continue?" Kaiya asked. "What I can't believe is that you two are still fighting even after all this time."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried suddenly, jumping off of Kirara and running towards him, being quickly followed by Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara. "Inuyasha, are you okay?"
"Kagome," Inuyasha said, wrapping his arms around her.
"Excuse me," Miroku began, as he approached the woman standing in front of Inuyasha and Kagome, "but would you please. . ." Then, placing his hands on top of both of hers, he continued, "Bear my child?"
Without even a chance to reply, both Inuyasha and Sango smacked Miroku so hard that he wound up with his face in the grass.
"That might actually be fun," Kaiya said with a smile.
Hearing this reply, Sango's eyes widened in disbelief. Had she heard this woman correctly?
"Maybe after," Kaiya said. Then, turning to Inuyasha, she asked him, "Are the rumors true?"
"What rumors?" Inuyasha asked unaware that there were any, as Sango glared at the newcomer.
"That you're traveling with a bunch of humans, trying to collect all the fragments of the Shikon no Tama?"
"Who are you?" Sango demanded, with no hint of even an attempt at being polite to this stranger.
"Who am I?" Kaiya repeated. "I'm Inuyasha's sister."
"Sister?" Sango repeated.
The female youkai nodded. "Well, half-sister," she replied, "Technically, I'm Sesshomaru's twin, Kaiya."
"S. . . Sesshomaru's twin?" Shippo asked, making sure he had heard right. He had never heard of Inuyasha's older brother having a twin. Although, Kaiya being Sesshomaru's twin did explain why she looked eerily similar to Inuyasha's older brother. In fact, the two youkais looked almost identical, with only a few exceptions. Where the lines on Sesshomaru's cheeks were purple, this person's lines were baby blue, and where the crescent moon on Sesshomaru's forehead was facing his right, this person's crescent moon was facing her left. The style of the clothing that this newcomer wore was also similar to Sesshomaru's, only where Sesshomaru's clothes were white and red, this person's clothing was white and blue. Her eyes, however, were identical to Sesshomaru's and the only way her hair was different was that she had no bangs to frame her forehead.
"Yeah," Kaiya replied.
"B. . . but you're not evil, right?" Kagome asked, confused. "I mean, you saved Inuyasha back there, a-"
"I WAS NOT SAVED!" Inuyasha yelled in anger, interrupting Kagome.
"Okay, whatever," Kagome said, waving off Inuyasha's little outburst, "You stopped Sesshomaru from attacking Inuyasha."
"No," Kaiya replied, "Just because I'm Sesshomaru's twin doesn't mean we think the same way. . . Kagome, was it?"
Kagome nodded her head in reply.
"Sesshomaru and I see quite differently when it comes to humans, hanyous, and youkais," Kaiya replied. Then, turning to Inuyasha, she repeated, "Are the rumors true?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha replied, "Why?"
"Than here," Kaiya replied, stepping over to her brother. Motioning for him to open his hand, he did so and she dropped a few shards into them.
"What?" Inuyasha asked confused. Why wasn't Kaiya keeping the shards for herself?
"These shards belonged to my husband, Toshiro and my son, Michio," she informed him as she closed his hand over the shards.
"What do you mean belonged, Kaiya?" Kagome asked, uncertainly but at the same time afraid to hear the answer, fearing what it meant.
"They were killed by a powerful youkai who was in search of these shards," Inuyasha's older sister explained, "Apparently this youkai has already collected quite a few of them."
"Youkai?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yes. A youkai named Naraku."
"NARAKU!" everyone had exclaimed.
"You've heard of Naraku?" Kaiya asked, surprised by their reaction.
"He's an evil bastard," Sango informed her.
"Yes," Miroku replied, "We have heard of Naraku. He is the one who has cursed my family, and not only is he responsible for the murder of Sango's entire village and family, but he has also taken control of Sango's little brother, Kohaku."
"He is also the one who murdered Kikyou fifty years ago," Inuyasha growled.
"Kikyou?" Kaiya asked, "The priestess who used to guard the Shikon no Tama?"
"Yes," Miroku replied, noticing how Kagome had let go of Inuyasha at the mention of Kikyou's name.
"Kaiya, are you also looking for revenge against Naraku?" Kagome asked, feeling sorry for the woman who had lost her husband and son.
"That evil bastard WILL die by my hands for what he did," Kaiya stated angrily looking at Kagome.
"Well, there's the family resemblance," Shippo whispered in Sango's ear.
Sango only smiled and nodded, all the while keeping one eye on Miroku who was standing too close to Kaiya for Sango's liking.
"Well, why don't you join us then?" Miroku asked with a wide smile.
"Join you?" she asked, confused.
"Why not?" Kagome suggested. "We're not only searching for Shikon shards, but we're also searching and trying to destroy Naraku for everything that he has done. We could always use help."
"Hmm, that's an interesting idea," Kaiya said smiling flirtatiously at Miroku and giving him the once over, "I haven't been in the company of such a handsome man in a long while."
"So I guess it's settled then," Kagome said somewhat uneasily, aware of Sango watching Kaiya and Miroku, the latter of whom was smiling idiotically.
"So do we get to go back to sleep now?" Shippo asked, yawning. Although he had been quite awake the entire time, he was suddenly realizing that he was very tired.
"There's still a few hours before the sun rises," Inuyasha began, "Not a lot though. I think it's better if we just continue our journey. Kagome, do you sense any Shikon shards nearby?"
"No," she replied, stifling a yawn, "Not since Kaiya handed you hers."
"Inuyasha, it's obvious that your friends are still tired," Kaiya informed her little brother, "Why don't you just go back to where all of you were set up for the night so that they can get some more sleep?"
"Us?" Inuyasha repeated.
"Yeah," Kaiya said with a nod, then looking up into the night sky, continued, "I still have some stuff to do before we leave tomorrow morning."
Inuyasha glared at Kaiya before turning to look at the others. Reluctantly, he agreed, seeing the tired looks on everyone's faces except for Sango's, which just looked upset for some reason. The group was turning to leave, when Kagome said, "But Kaiya, you don't know where we're staying tonight."
"She'll be able to find us anyways, stupid," Inuyasha snorted.
"Don't worry, Kagome, he's right" Kaiya said with a smile, then turning to look at her little brother, she warned, "Be nicer to her, Inuyasha. Just because I'm not like Sesshomaru doesn't meant I won't discipline you like him."
"I'M NOT DISCIPLINED BY ANYONE!" Inuyasha cried out.
"With the exception of Kagome," Miroku muttered to himself more than anyone.
Hearing this remark, Kaiya smiled curious as to what the monk meant by it but not bothering to find out. She had more important matters that she needed to deal with right now. Quickly, she transformed herself from the human figure standing before the group to the giant wolf figure that she had been when she had first appeared, and left at a run.
As soon as Kaiya was gone, Inuyasha smacked Miroku hard on the head, once again causing him to smash into the ground.
"What did I do?" Miroku asked, innocently looking up at the hanyou. "What did I do?"
Inuyasha's only response to Miroku's cries was an angry glare. Meanwhile, Sango, Shippou and Kagome climbed onto Kirara's back. Once the three of them were comfortably settled on Kirara's back, Kirara turned and headed back towards their campsite.
"He never learns," Shippou muttered, shaking his head. "He never learns."
Sighing, Miroku followed the group behind Kirara, Inuyasha walking behind the large cat.
"SESSHOMARU!"
Startled by the loud voice calling his name and knowing that there was only one person he knew who would ever dare to call his name in that tone, the youkai turned to face his sister who was just landing a few feet away from him, already transformed into her human form.
"What do you want, Kaiya?" Sesshomaru asked, too annoyed to sound bored. "Was stopping my fight with Inuyasha earlier not enough for you?"
"What the hell are you still after Tetsusaiga for?" Kaiya asked him, annoyed by her twin sibling.
Sesshomaru only glared at Kaiya. "What business is it of yours?"
"It's my business when you try to kill our little brother, Sesshomaru," Kaiya informed him, the tone of her voice suddenly becoming more serious. "Just because he's a hanyou gives you no ri-"
"HE IS BENEATH US, KAIYA!" Sesshomaru roared at his older sister. "ANY HANYOU IS!"
In flash, Kaiya ran towards him, her left hand outstretched. Before he could even move out of the way, Kaiya had her hand grasped around his throat. "So," she began, the anger in her eyes so strong that it even frightened Sesshomaru slightly, "When you say that any hanyou is beneath us, does that include my son? Is your distaste for hanyous so strong that you would kill even your own nephew? Were you in with Naraku when he killed Michio and Toshiro?"
"You. . . you're son?" Sesshomaru stuttered, this statement taking him completely by surprise. He was unaware that Kaiya had even gotten married, let alone had a son.
"Answer me, Sesshomaru," Kaiya growled angrily, "Is your distaste for hanyous and humans so strong that you would kill even my son and husband?"
"Yes," Sesshomaru responded, unsure if what he was saying was true, "I would."
Instantly, Kaiya's hand pressed harder around his throat and fear filled Sesshomaru's eyes as he smelled a strong poison filling the air.
"IwasnotwithNaraku,however," Sesshomaru said quickly, hoping that Kaiya would let him go or at least stop from attempting to melt his throat with her poison.
"You what?" Kaiya asked him, loosening her grip somewhat and doing exactly what Sesshomaru had been hoping for.
"I was not with Naraku when he went after them," Sesshomaru informed his twin sister. "I despise hanyous just as much as I despise humans, but I was not in with Naraku when your husband and son were killed."
"You're not lying?"
"No."
Hearing this strangled response, Kaiya let go of her grasp on her twin's neck, who immediately grabbed her neck with his own right hand.
"But the fact that you chose to fall for a human, Kaiya," he growled, pissed off that he had allowed her to once again get the better of him as he slammed his twin against the hard earthen ground, "Shows just how weak you really are. I knew that you were never really the stronger of us two." Quickly, Sesshomaru pressed harder on Kaiya's neck, releasing the very same poison that Kaiya had attempted to use against him. Kaiya only smiled. Without even attempting to respond to his comment, she quickly did a backwards summersault, surprising her twin sibling and making him release his hold of her throat. Not even waiting for him to get over the surprise offensive move, Kaiya quickly launched a karate kick at her brother, hitting him in the stomach and causing him to fly several feet in the air before slamming against a tree.
Slowly, she walked over to her stunned twin. Standing over his stunned and sore figured, she smiled smugly and said, "Sesshomaru, never doubt which of us is the stronger. I may have fallen for a human, but I at least allowed my heart to be open to the chance of falling. Father, himself, fell for a human and he was not weak, he was a taiyoukai." She then turned and began to walk away. "Besides," she said, turning to have one last look at her twin, "I hear that you, yourself, have adopted a human child. Tell me, Sesshomaru, does that mean you are also becoming weak? Or is that you are finally allowing yourself to truly become strong?" With those as her final words, Kaiya walked away from her brother without a second look.
"You stupid bitch," Sesshomaru muttered to himself as he attempted to stand, "One of these days you and I will fight and I will be victorious. Just because you were born a few minutes ahead of me does not make you better than me. I will kill you, Kaiya." With those as his final words, Sesshomaru stood to his feet and slowly, limped away.
watching subtitled Japanese episodes. That is the main reason why I have used Japanese wording for
some parts of this story. For those of you unaware the following words are the translations that I have
picked up from the series:
1) Hanyou = Half Demon
2) Youaki = Full Demon
3) Taiyoukai = Great / Monster Demon
4) Shikon no Tama = Sacred Jewel
5) Housi-sama = respectful term for a Buddhist monk
If I have missed any, please email me at edendays@hotmail.com or at unbctiffanydias@hotmail.com to inform me of these, and I will try to fix this page, as soon as possible, sincerely
muffiedias
* All original characters from the Inuyasha series are copyrighted and belong to Rumiko Takahashi (the creator of the series)
Any new characters are copyrighted by me, and therefore, are my property :) Enjoy the story :)
The sun had just set, meaning that night had finally come to the land of Feudal Japan as Kagome and the others finally came to a stop. After a long day of looking for Shikon no Tama shards, the group was tired and Inuyasha was incredibly sore due to Kagome using an incredibly STRONG sit command earlier that day. It did not take them long to set up a fire and in matter of a minutes, Kagome had drifted off to sleep, Shippo using Kagome and her sleeping bag as a pillow. Kirara, meanwhile, had decided to curl up right behind Sango, who was still wide awake, along with Miroku and Inuyasha.
"I hate these kinds of areas," Inuyasha complained, leaning up against a tree. This night the group had chosen to rest and sleep in a small little clearing in a small dense forest.
"Why, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, "Tonight's not the night when you become human, so you are you so jumpy?"
"Could it be that he's worried about Sesshomaru coming after him?" Sango asked, "After all, the last battle Inuyasha fought against him really must have dealt a strong blow to his ego. If it weren't for Tenseiga, then Sesshomaru would be dead right now."
"So, you're saying that Inuyasha's afraid of being attacked by his older brother when he's not expecting it?" Miroku asked.
"Well, considering how powerful Sesshomaru is compared to him, wouldn't you be?" Sango asked.
"Shut up you idiots!" Inuyasha barked angrily at the two of them. "I'm not afraid of Sesshomaru!"
"Then why are you so jumpy, Inuyasha?" Sango asked him with an arrogant smile.
Inuyasha glared at Sango angrily, not really have a response for her. Then quickly, before anyone could register what he was about to do, Inuyasha smacked Miroku hard on the back of the head.
"What the hell was that for?" Miroku exclaimed, confused why he was the one who was hit when it was Sango who had made the remark that had really pissed off Inuyasha.
"I'll be back in a bit," Inuyasha stated as he quickly stood to his feet, and placing one hand on Tetsusaiga, left the little camping area.
"Why the hell did he hit me instead of you?" Miroku asked, still confused.
Smiling, Sango replied, "Because I would've hit him back."
Still grumbling about why he had been hit when he hadn't said anything really offensive, Miroku leaned against the trunk of one of the closest trees and, within minutes, fell asleep. Sango only smiled and leaned back against Kirara, wondering how long it would take for Inuyasha to return.
Stupid Miroku and Sango, Inuyasha thought to himself as he wandered out of the forested area and into an open, grassy field. I'm not afraid of Sesshomaru, I'm just being careful, that's all.
"Yeah, I'm just being careful," Inuyasha muttered to himself, "I'm not afraid of Sesshomaru."
"Oh, but you should be," came a familiar voice from somewhere inside the forest.
Hearing this voice, Inuyasha froze. Shit! was the first thought that came to Inuyasha's mind as he recognized the voice. Quickly, his hand grasped the handle of Tetsusaiga and he pulled it out.
"What? Almost being killed wasn't enough for you, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha mocked his older brother.
"Without Tetsusaiga you never would have even gotten close, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru replied confidently.
"Oh? Are you forgetting the battle we fought in father's grave?" Inuyasha reminded him.
"A fight you were only able to win with the help of Tetsusaiga," Sesshomaru replied, his eyes narrowing as he remembered the fight against Inuyasha where he lost his left arm.
"I can beat you easily," Inuyasha replied.
"With an evil smile, Sesshomaru said, "A hanyou such as yourself, Inuyasha, could never beat a full youkai like myself. To get even close, you had to have the help of our father."
"Oh yeah? Let's see about that." Quickly, Inuyasha placed Tetsusaiga back in it's sheath and rushed his older brother. Grinning, Sesshomaru tensed himself up, preparing his counter-attack.
Meanwhile, back at the camp, Miroku quickly woke up and sat to attention.
"Sango, do you sense that?" he asked quickly, then, noticing that Sango was nowhere to be seen, he asked, "Sango?"
"I sense it, Houshi-sama," Sango replied, appearing from behind a tree dressed in her black leather fighting suit and armor.
"This strong youki," Miroku began, "The last time I sensed this was when Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were fighting."
"Inuyasha's not back yet," Sango informed him.
"You don't think . . .?" Miroku began but Sango nodded.
"It's Inuyasha, and I do think," she replied, "Those two idiots are at it again. Let's wake Kagome and Shippo."
Miroku nodded. "With youki this strong, their battle should be easy to find."
"Kagome? Shippo?" Sango said quietly, trying not to scare the two of them.
"Hmm, Sango?" Kagome murmured slowly waking up. Then suddenly noticing that there was no Inuyasha telling her to hurry and wake up, Kagome asked, "Where's Inuyasha?"
"He wandered off not too soon after you went to sleep," Miroku replied.
"Kagome, we think he ran into Sesshomaru," Sango informed her, "Miroku and I sense great youki coming from just outside the forest."
"Sango's right, Kagome. The last time I sensed such youki as this was the last time that Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were fighting."
"What? Inuyasha's fighting Sesshomaru again? Stupid Inuyasha," Shippo said, immediately standing up.
"We have to go to him," Kagome said, worry in her voice.
"That's the plan," Sango replied. Then, turning to look at her cat she said, "Kirara!"
Immediately, the small cat transformed and went to Sango's side. Quickly, the four of them climbed onto Kirara's back, Kagome making sure to grab her bow and arrows and Sango making sure that she had her Hiraikotsu with her. Within minutes, they were off in the direction where the youki was coming from.
"Give it up, Inuyasha! And allow yourself to die a death that suits a hanyou like yourself," Sesshomaru informed his older brother as he effortlessly jumped to avoid being hit by Tetsusaiga. Before Inuyasha could even counter, Sesshomaru kicked Inuyasha back with so much force that he slammed against a tree.
Although the two brothers had only been fighting for a short while, Inuyasha was already bleeding from several wounds inflicted by his older sibling. Thankfully, however, Inuyasha had so far been able to avoid any direct attacks from Sesshomaru's poisonous hand.
"SHUT U-!" Inuyasha began but was interrupted by a cry of "INUYASHA!"
Hearing this all too familiar cry, Inuyasha turned his head only to see Kagome, Sango, Shippo and Miroku coming out of the forest on Kirara's back.
Sesshomaru, meanwhile, deciding to take advantage of the fact that his younger sibling was momentarily distracted took that moment to rush at Inuyasha, his poison claw outstretched and poised to attack.
"INUYASHA!"
He was only inches away from his brother by the time that Inuyasha finally noticed Sesshomaru coming towards him. DAMNIT! Inuyasha thought and tensed himself up to prepare for the impact of the attack.
I've got him, Sesshomaru thought with a smile as he lunged at his brother, not even an inch away from him when suddenly, out of nowhere, he felt something huge and furry grab him around the waist and throw him aside. What the fuck? he wondered, unsure of what had prevented him just then from attacking Inuyasha.
"Kaiya?" he heard his younger brother ask somewhat in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Kagome's eyes widened as she felt a familiar feeling. There were Shikon no Tama shards nearby.
Quickly Sesshomaru focused on the figure that had gotten in his way and he growled. He could now see that the thing that was huge and furry that had thrown him aside was a huge paw, equal to the size of his own when he, himself, was transformed into his true self. The paw belonged to an owner that looked almost identical to Sesshomaru's transformed self.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Kaiya?" he demanded angrily as he approached Inuyasha.
"I could be asking you the same question, Sesshomaru," the person demanded once they had transformed from to their human form, "I mean, I know you're jealous that father left Inuyasha Tetsusaiga, but get over it. It's not like you could ever use it, anyways."
Hearing this conversation, Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. If what this newcomer said was true, than that meant that Inuyasha had a sister!
"Kaiya get out of the way!" Inuyasha demanded suddenly, interrupting their conversation.
"And let you two continue to fight again? You two really are stupid, aren't you?" Kaiya said, turning to look at her younger brother. Then, without even turning to look at Sesshomaru, she warned, "Don't even think about it. You know you'll be back on your butt before you could even get close. Or don't you remember the last time?"
Annoyed, Sesshomaru glared at his twin sister then turned so that he was looking at Inuyasha. "This isn't over, Inuyasha!" And with those as final words, he disappeared into the forest.
"What did you think you were doing, Kaiya?" Inuyasha demanded angrily. "You had no right to interfere!"
"Do you really think I was going to allow you two to continue?" Kaiya asked. "What I can't believe is that you two are still fighting even after all this time."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried suddenly, jumping off of Kirara and running towards him, being quickly followed by Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara. "Inuyasha, are you okay?"
"Kagome," Inuyasha said, wrapping his arms around her.
"Excuse me," Miroku began, as he approached the woman standing in front of Inuyasha and Kagome, "but would you please. . ." Then, placing his hands on top of both of hers, he continued, "Bear my child?"
Without even a chance to reply, both Inuyasha and Sango smacked Miroku so hard that he wound up with his face in the grass.
"That might actually be fun," Kaiya said with a smile.
Hearing this reply, Sango's eyes widened in disbelief. Had she heard this woman correctly?
"Maybe after," Kaiya said. Then, turning to Inuyasha, she asked him, "Are the rumors true?"
"What rumors?" Inuyasha asked unaware that there were any, as Sango glared at the newcomer.
"That you're traveling with a bunch of humans, trying to collect all the fragments of the Shikon no Tama?"
"Who are you?" Sango demanded, with no hint of even an attempt at being polite to this stranger.
"Who am I?" Kaiya repeated. "I'm Inuyasha's sister."
"Sister?" Sango repeated.
The female youkai nodded. "Well, half-sister," she replied, "Technically, I'm Sesshomaru's twin, Kaiya."
"S. . . Sesshomaru's twin?" Shippo asked, making sure he had heard right. He had never heard of Inuyasha's older brother having a twin. Although, Kaiya being Sesshomaru's twin did explain why she looked eerily similar to Inuyasha's older brother. In fact, the two youkais looked almost identical, with only a few exceptions. Where the lines on Sesshomaru's cheeks were purple, this person's lines were baby blue, and where the crescent moon on Sesshomaru's forehead was facing his right, this person's crescent moon was facing her left. The style of the clothing that this newcomer wore was also similar to Sesshomaru's, only where Sesshomaru's clothes were white and red, this person's clothing was white and blue. Her eyes, however, were identical to Sesshomaru's and the only way her hair was different was that she had no bangs to frame her forehead.
"Yeah," Kaiya replied.
"B. . . but you're not evil, right?" Kagome asked, confused. "I mean, you saved Inuyasha back there, a-"
"I WAS NOT SAVED!" Inuyasha yelled in anger, interrupting Kagome.
"Okay, whatever," Kagome said, waving off Inuyasha's little outburst, "You stopped Sesshomaru from attacking Inuyasha."
"No," Kaiya replied, "Just because I'm Sesshomaru's twin doesn't mean we think the same way. . . Kagome, was it?"
Kagome nodded her head in reply.
"Sesshomaru and I see quite differently when it comes to humans, hanyous, and youkais," Kaiya replied. Then, turning to Inuyasha, she repeated, "Are the rumors true?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha replied, "Why?"
"Than here," Kaiya replied, stepping over to her brother. Motioning for him to open his hand, he did so and she dropped a few shards into them.
"What?" Inuyasha asked confused. Why wasn't Kaiya keeping the shards for herself?
"These shards belonged to my husband, Toshiro and my son, Michio," she informed him as she closed his hand over the shards.
"What do you mean belonged, Kaiya?" Kagome asked, uncertainly but at the same time afraid to hear the answer, fearing what it meant.
"They were killed by a powerful youkai who was in search of these shards," Inuyasha's older sister explained, "Apparently this youkai has already collected quite a few of them."
"Youkai?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yes. A youkai named Naraku."
"NARAKU!" everyone had exclaimed.
"You've heard of Naraku?" Kaiya asked, surprised by their reaction.
"He's an evil bastard," Sango informed her.
"Yes," Miroku replied, "We have heard of Naraku. He is the one who has cursed my family, and not only is he responsible for the murder of Sango's entire village and family, but he has also taken control of Sango's little brother, Kohaku."
"He is also the one who murdered Kikyou fifty years ago," Inuyasha growled.
"Kikyou?" Kaiya asked, "The priestess who used to guard the Shikon no Tama?"
"Yes," Miroku replied, noticing how Kagome had let go of Inuyasha at the mention of Kikyou's name.
"Kaiya, are you also looking for revenge against Naraku?" Kagome asked, feeling sorry for the woman who had lost her husband and son.
"That evil bastard WILL die by my hands for what he did," Kaiya stated angrily looking at Kagome.
"Well, there's the family resemblance," Shippo whispered in Sango's ear.
Sango only smiled and nodded, all the while keeping one eye on Miroku who was standing too close to Kaiya for Sango's liking.
"Well, why don't you join us then?" Miroku asked with a wide smile.
"Join you?" she asked, confused.
"Why not?" Kagome suggested. "We're not only searching for Shikon shards, but we're also searching and trying to destroy Naraku for everything that he has done. We could always use help."
"Hmm, that's an interesting idea," Kaiya said smiling flirtatiously at Miroku and giving him the once over, "I haven't been in the company of such a handsome man in a long while."
"So I guess it's settled then," Kagome said somewhat uneasily, aware of Sango watching Kaiya and Miroku, the latter of whom was smiling idiotically.
"So do we get to go back to sleep now?" Shippo asked, yawning. Although he had been quite awake the entire time, he was suddenly realizing that he was very tired.
"There's still a few hours before the sun rises," Inuyasha began, "Not a lot though. I think it's better if we just continue our journey. Kagome, do you sense any Shikon shards nearby?"
"No," she replied, stifling a yawn, "Not since Kaiya handed you hers."
"Inuyasha, it's obvious that your friends are still tired," Kaiya informed her little brother, "Why don't you just go back to where all of you were set up for the night so that they can get some more sleep?"
"Us?" Inuyasha repeated.
"Yeah," Kaiya said with a nod, then looking up into the night sky, continued, "I still have some stuff to do before we leave tomorrow morning."
Inuyasha glared at Kaiya before turning to look at the others. Reluctantly, he agreed, seeing the tired looks on everyone's faces except for Sango's, which just looked upset for some reason. The group was turning to leave, when Kagome said, "But Kaiya, you don't know where we're staying tonight."
"She'll be able to find us anyways, stupid," Inuyasha snorted.
"Don't worry, Kagome, he's right" Kaiya said with a smile, then turning to look at her little brother, she warned, "Be nicer to her, Inuyasha. Just because I'm not like Sesshomaru doesn't meant I won't discipline you like him."
"I'M NOT DISCIPLINED BY ANYONE!" Inuyasha cried out.
"With the exception of Kagome," Miroku muttered to himself more than anyone.
Hearing this remark, Kaiya smiled curious as to what the monk meant by it but not bothering to find out. She had more important matters that she needed to deal with right now. Quickly, she transformed herself from the human figure standing before the group to the giant wolf figure that she had been when she had first appeared, and left at a run.
As soon as Kaiya was gone, Inuyasha smacked Miroku hard on the head, once again causing him to smash into the ground.
"What did I do?" Miroku asked, innocently looking up at the hanyou. "What did I do?"
Inuyasha's only response to Miroku's cries was an angry glare. Meanwhile, Sango, Shippou and Kagome climbed onto Kirara's back. Once the three of them were comfortably settled on Kirara's back, Kirara turned and headed back towards their campsite.
"He never learns," Shippou muttered, shaking his head. "He never learns."
Sighing, Miroku followed the group behind Kirara, Inuyasha walking behind the large cat.
"SESSHOMARU!"
Startled by the loud voice calling his name and knowing that there was only one person he knew who would ever dare to call his name in that tone, the youkai turned to face his sister who was just landing a few feet away from him, already transformed into her human form.
"What do you want, Kaiya?" Sesshomaru asked, too annoyed to sound bored. "Was stopping my fight with Inuyasha earlier not enough for you?"
"What the hell are you still after Tetsusaiga for?" Kaiya asked him, annoyed by her twin sibling.
Sesshomaru only glared at Kaiya. "What business is it of yours?"
"It's my business when you try to kill our little brother, Sesshomaru," Kaiya informed him, the tone of her voice suddenly becoming more serious. "Just because he's a hanyou gives you no ri-"
"HE IS BENEATH US, KAIYA!" Sesshomaru roared at his older sister. "ANY HANYOU IS!"
In flash, Kaiya ran towards him, her left hand outstretched. Before he could even move out of the way, Kaiya had her hand grasped around his throat. "So," she began, the anger in her eyes so strong that it even frightened Sesshomaru slightly, "When you say that any hanyou is beneath us, does that include my son? Is your distaste for hanyous so strong that you would kill even your own nephew? Were you in with Naraku when he killed Michio and Toshiro?"
"You. . . you're son?" Sesshomaru stuttered, this statement taking him completely by surprise. He was unaware that Kaiya had even gotten married, let alone had a son.
"Answer me, Sesshomaru," Kaiya growled angrily, "Is your distaste for hanyous and humans so strong that you would kill even my son and husband?"
"Yes," Sesshomaru responded, unsure if what he was saying was true, "I would."
Instantly, Kaiya's hand pressed harder around his throat and fear filled Sesshomaru's eyes as he smelled a strong poison filling the air.
"IwasnotwithNaraku,however," Sesshomaru said quickly, hoping that Kaiya would let him go or at least stop from attempting to melt his throat with her poison.
"You what?" Kaiya asked him, loosening her grip somewhat and doing exactly what Sesshomaru had been hoping for.
"I was not with Naraku when he went after them," Sesshomaru informed his twin sister. "I despise hanyous just as much as I despise humans, but I was not in with Naraku when your husband and son were killed."
"You're not lying?"
"No."
Hearing this strangled response, Kaiya let go of her grasp on her twin's neck, who immediately grabbed her neck with his own right hand.
"But the fact that you chose to fall for a human, Kaiya," he growled, pissed off that he had allowed her to once again get the better of him as he slammed his twin against the hard earthen ground, "Shows just how weak you really are. I knew that you were never really the stronger of us two." Quickly, Sesshomaru pressed harder on Kaiya's neck, releasing the very same poison that Kaiya had attempted to use against him. Kaiya only smiled. Without even attempting to respond to his comment, she quickly did a backwards summersault, surprising her twin sibling and making him release his hold of her throat. Not even waiting for him to get over the surprise offensive move, Kaiya quickly launched a karate kick at her brother, hitting him in the stomach and causing him to fly several feet in the air before slamming against a tree.
Slowly, she walked over to her stunned twin. Standing over his stunned and sore figured, she smiled smugly and said, "Sesshomaru, never doubt which of us is the stronger. I may have fallen for a human, but I at least allowed my heart to be open to the chance of falling. Father, himself, fell for a human and he was not weak, he was a taiyoukai." She then turned and began to walk away. "Besides," she said, turning to have one last look at her twin, "I hear that you, yourself, have adopted a human child. Tell me, Sesshomaru, does that mean you are also becoming weak? Or is that you are finally allowing yourself to truly become strong?" With those as her final words, Kaiya walked away from her brother without a second look.
"You stupid bitch," Sesshomaru muttered to himself as he attempted to stand, "One of these days you and I will fight and I will be victorious. Just because you were born a few minutes ahead of me does not make you better than me. I will kill you, Kaiya." With those as his final words, Sesshomaru stood to his feet and slowly, limped away.