A/N: Ignore the chatspeak. I thought I'd leave it in to humor Maistwin.
Maistwin: So...here's the next chapter.
Rikana: Took you long enough
Maistwin: I'm working as fast as I can!
Rikana: Sure you are.
Maistwin: I AM!
Rikana: That's what you want us to think. Who knew you could take this long to post something I typed and wrote for you!
Maistwin: Yeah yeah. I'm going to start now.
"Where are you now?
I'm trying to get by with never knowing at all
What is the chance of finding you out there?
Or do I have to wait forever?"
Where Are You Now? – Michelle Branch
He rarely traveled this way. It was the forest whose name was defiled with the mention of his brother, the location of the Goshinboku and the dreary old well, and the very place his brother called home. But Tenseiga had made it's call, it had led him to this small clearing around the old tree, falling into silence the moment he was standing beneath its branches. The world around him was dark as the moon was undergoing an eclipse, but the darkness held no power against his perfect sight. Every detail was distinct, every sound that would regularly be silent very audible to his pointed ears. Rin stood beside him, blind in the darkness and deaf in the night, her small hands clutched to his pant leg as he was her only guide in this night. He let her be, knowing that pushing her away to be led by Jaken would only give birth to another pointless and annoying argument. They were safe here anyways. Only he and his party were in the area, the still peace of the forest almost comforting. He, as a demon, was a rare traveler in these areas. Yokai of all status evaded the area under the rumor of the powerful priestess that lived nearby, aided by her dog eared yokai companion. For most, walking onto these grounds meant death. But, as always, Sesshomaru was never stopped in his travels by another lesser force.
But, suddenly, they were not alone. His golden eyes cut through the darkness as the weak presence came to his knowledge, his gaze pinpointing the source in a mere second. Among the twisted and gnarled roots of the elder tree lay a corpse of a newborn, unfeeling and motionless in the cold of the night. Tenseiga pulsed at his side with an intensity he had never felt before, causing him to curiously grasp it's hilt. The power flowed through his body without his permission, giving him the power of sight. And, as with every dead body he had gazed upon with his sword's influence, there were the imps of hell standing around it. But this time they only crowded around the body, talking amongst themselves in a quiet jibberish that was too lowly of a language for Sesshomaru to have knowledge of, still and unworking. The scene caught his interest, a feat not easily achieved, and the cold Lord walked with grace towards the corpse, the young girl quietly jogging to keep up with his long strides. Tenseiga sang a song as it was drawn from its shealth, quietly and swifly eradicating the unusually still collecters of souls.
A loud cry suddenly split through the silent night, creating a very small irritation bloom behind Sesshomaru's eyes, and causing the young girl that clung to him to squeak in alarm. A small ray of light shown as the moon began to make itself visible once more, now seen as the thinnest crescent against the velvet night. It was just enough light to allow the small ward the gift of sight once more, her tiny hands detaching themselves from her Lord's clothing. And as the cry continued to echo through the night, the young child stood over the reborn baby, curiosity seeping into her brown eyes.
"Sesshomaru-sama, why is there a baby here?" a pointless question came out of her mouth, a common happening because of her innocent age.
He was not to dignify her with a direct response, "Pick the child up, Rin."
She hastily obeyed, gathering the naked child in her arms, her soft gaze lovingly scanning the young boy's pale body.
"What shall we do with him, Sesshomaru-sama?"
"Give him to me." A cold demand that was met with immediate response, his single arm soon cradeling the small child that the sword had willed him to revive.
With a cold scrutinizing gaze he looked over the child, no emotion crossing over the gold. There was something there as he held the newborn in his arm, a type of connection he couldn't explain. If this had been any other child at any other location whom had appeared under different circumstances, he would have passed by without another thought. But... he hadn't with this child. The sword that he usually kept silent at his side had once again willed him to save a life of a person he knew nothing of.
A cold breeze swept over him then as the moon cast more light upon the night, wafting the child's scent up to his nose. Maybe there was some surprise in his eyes as he identified the dog demon blood in the child, but the fact was brushed away. He almost felt as if he should drop the child here and return to his travels, to forget this whole incident, and for a few silent moments he was almost certain that was what he would do. But Tenseiga pulsed once more at his side, sending a long forgotten feeling into his senses. It was the recognition of the warm and comforting aura that made him stop his train of thought, the sudden crashing of another's power that made him freeze. He was feeling his Father's presence, his long dead Father's presence, as if the man were standing right beside him. But as quickly as the feeling came, it disappeared. He was left alone once more, cold and unforgiving.
Quietly he motioned for the young girl to remove the child from his arm, and she complied quickly, gazing up at him with curious brown eyes.
"What shall we do, Sesshomaru-sama?" her voice was smaller than it was before, as if she feared the result wouldn't be what she wished.
"He is under your care and he is of your responsibility." his voice was cold as he turned and walked away, the moon's light now half released from behind its cover, "You will enter the nearby village and gather him some clothes tomorrow morning."
A brilliant smile painted itself on Rin's face, her happiness the only thing visible on her expression, "What shall we name him, Sesshomaru-sama?"
"The child's name is of your choice."
A moment of silence passed as the young girl quickly followed after her master, pushing past the shocked and speechless Jaken as she thought of a name.
With a small smile she looked down at the fussing but quiet baby, addressing the newborn though she was well aware the boy couldn't understand her. "Your name is Rikuse!"
The name sounded foolish to him, at first. It didn't mean anything. But as the years passed, slowly, he began to cherish the sound of it.
Yet, those years did pass swiftly. And despite its origins, the child grew naturally, as Rin did. The newborn became a infant, and then a small child. As his dark hair grew longer, it soon fell victim to Rin's motherly fussing, and because of the girl, his face remained clean. There remained only a single trace of abnormaity in the child--the intelligence of his dark eyes. Rikuse spoke fluently before he was three, even before he could properly walk. When he was five, he showed traces of an intelliect that rivaled even his Lord's. He was curious, and naive, but he was also calm.
Except on a single night.
But Sesshoumaru would not allow himself to recall details of the child's hanyou transformation. Only on the half moon did the child show any sign of his demon inheritance. He was, for all intents and purposes, human. Rikuse was a new ward, and his hesitant smile became a natural part of the youkai's life.
Never once did he realize it was Inuyasha's child that lived at his side.
Kosyasha had grown like a weed, aging and acting as any child would. She cried when she was upset, she whined when things didn't go her way, and she smiled when she was happy. And, after lunch, she bounced around her family's house and kept every inhabitant currently residing inside its walls entertained. Her constant chatter and endless energy was only interrupted when the pet of the household, her mother's cat, walked within five feet of her. At that point she either screamed and ran or dived into the nearest person's arms. For reasons unknown to everyone, the young girl was completely frightened by her mother's fat cat, and her fear was never calmed. It was either keep them out of the same rooms or keep the five year old in a constant state of fear.
This certain day her after lunch energy led her to climb outside her mother's window and climb up on the roof, watching the happenings of the world below with curious gold eyes. And eventually she saw her mother come to kneel underneath the shade of the Tree of Ages, praying for her long gone twin brother. On a single whim Koyasha leaped from the top of the house, landing on the branches of the large tree, only rustling the leaves ever so slightly. And from there the part demon climbed down the tree by swinging from branch to branch in a successful imitation of a monkey, eventually finding herself on the first branch of the tree. She jumped down then, landing in a squatting position in front of her mother.
"Hi, Mommy!"
The young woman jumped at the unexpected appearance of her daughter, her hand clutching at her chest. But it only took her a moment to relax, a small sigh slipping though her lips as she smiled softly.
"Hello, Koyasha dear."
"...Where's Daddy?" The question was unexpected, one of the many things the child so often said without warning.
"I've told you, dear. Daddy is somewhere far away."
"When am I going to meet him?"
Just thinking of such a thing made Kagome's heart ache, but the sadness was unnoticed by her daughter, "...Soon, I would think."
"How soon, Mommy?" her daughter had always been persistent in her interrogations.
"I'm not sure, honey. But I promise that you'll meet him one day."
"Why isn't he here with us, Mommy?"
More sad thoughts pulled at her heart, but somehow she managed to keep them out of her expression, "Because... Because he can't be right now. There's things he has to do first."
"Like what?"
Kagome sighed softly, trying to find a way to end the questioning. But the problem proved to solve itself when her daughter's direction was directed away from her, the child's gold eyes spotting something too far away for Kagome to see. What she had spotted was obvious as Kagome recognized the smile that was spreading on the young girl's face, and she was barely quick enough to catch her daughter's collar before she ran off in a demonic speed.
"Koyasha," Kagome warned, ignoring her daughter's dissapointed whine, "The last time you bothered the mailman we were sent a bill for his therapy treatment. You aren't going to be seeing him for a long time because of that."
"But Mommy!" the whine was ignored by the ex-miko, and her grip was kept strong on the child's red collar.
"C'mon, Koyasha. Leave a prayer for your brother and let's go inside."
Maistwin: How was that?
Rikana: -smiles-
Maistwin: That's because you wrote it, right?
Rikana: -nods-
Maistwin: Good for you. Well, I'll update soon. Please send reviews!
A/N: Ha ha! Maistwin again. The two of us completely revamped this chapter recently, so be happy. We do this for you.