The Family Secret
By. Tate Icasa
Chapter Four
The Fall of Darkness
The stars are out by the time we reach the edge of the village. It's nighttime, I realized, The youkai might be coming soon. The demon. I shudder, and Amiya gives me a withering look. It seems out of place on her face.
I feel something cold on my ankle and yelp at it pulls me down and starts dragging me away.
"Taori!"
"Amiya!" I shriek, looking for her, but I'm already too far away and I can tell.
I look up at my captor. It appears to be a giant ant, and there's someone on top, riding it.
The person must be female, for she's wearing a bright blue Miko dress. She's standing, not facing me. She has black hair, and I can see silver streaks near the front, and it's blowing behind her.
After a while I close my eyes and loose consciousness.
I wake up again in a dark place. I realize that I'm outside a castle like building. There are stars out, and a half-moon.
Half-moon? I think. How long have I been unconscious?
"About a week and a half." Says a voice. I turn to find the back of the strange woman who kidnapped me. "Your friends are looking for you, of course, but it will take them a while." She turns, and for a second it seems like I'm looking into a mirror. Except for the silver streaks in her hair and her amber eyes, we could be twins. Except she's about five years older than I am.
"W-who are you?" I ask.
"I am called Seiko." She says, gazing at me. "And you might say I am your sister. If not by blood then by spirit."
I look at her again and blink.
"My mother was Kikyo." Seiko says, as if that explains everything. My confusion must show on my face, because she begins to tell me the tragic story of Inuyasha and Kikyo. (A/N: I assume you already know the story so I won't make you read it all. Apparently, Kikyo was one week pregnant when she died, and the baby, Seiko, was ressurected with her. Yea. . .
"So, this makes you my sister how?" I ask.
"Kagome, your mother, is Kikyo's reincarnation.
I shrug, then I think of something. "Oi, are you the youkai who's taking the village children?"
"They are safe." Seiko says. "As are you. I mean no harm to anyone."
"Then why do you kidnap the children?"
She regards me steadily. "I am trying to lure my father, the hanyou Inuyasha, to me." She pauses. "Come, Taori-chan, I will show you a place you can stay."
My room here isn't small. In fact, ti's very large. It's kind of golden, and has a nice silk bed. There are scrolls on the walls, more than I've ever seen before. I can read them, and I'm learning so much. About Sengoku Jidai and about myself. My spiritual powers have increased immensely since I started training with Seiko. I hardly call her by name now. I mostly call her neechan. It means sister.
I've been here almost a week now, and I've been in Sengoku Jidai for half a month. I'm surprised that Amiya's family haven't found me yet, but I guess that's ok. I've met a few of the village children. They're content here, as am I, but still, I wonder. . .
"Neechan?" I ask today. "Are you still taking children from the village?"
"No." she says softly.
"That's good. Neechan, why haven't they come yet?"
"Remember Taori-chan, we traveled for a week before we reached home. They must travel that distance as well. Who was that girl who was with you?"
"Amiya? She's Sango and Miroku's daughter."
"Is she your friend? Would she tell her parents which way we went?"
"Hai." I answer. "She is and she would."
"Then they will come."
I nod, completely convinced. Neechan can't be wrong.
I look out my window, and the stars are out. There's a full moon tonight, and it's reflected in the pond and the dew on the grass. I love the nighttime here, it's so peaceful. I slide into my night gown, and crawl out the window. Neechan knows I go out at night. She offered to put a door to the garden in my room, but I turned her down. I like going this way.
I walk barefoot across the grass and sit by the pond. I come out here almost every night. I rarely sleep in my nice silk bed, I prefer to sleep out here, under the stars. I yawn and curl up to sleep.
I wake up earlier than usual, something bothering me. I sense something in the bushes. I sit up. Amiya's eyes look out of the bush at me. They're pretty well hidden, so she thinks I can't see her.
"Oi, Amiya, come out of there." I sigh, putting my hands on my knees. I can see the others behind her. "I see you, too." I say.
"Come on." Inuyasha says.
"Nani?"
"We're rescuing you, Taori. Come on."
"No! Neechan wants to meet you. She's been waiting." I giggle, something I rarely do. "Neechan! Oi, neechan, they're here!"
I cock my head when I hear her foot steps. She's not running, only walking fast.
They're all looking at me like I'm insane, and I realize that they think I'm being held here against my will.
"Taori-chan." I hear her say. Inuyasha's ears twitch, and I assume he can hear her too. "Bring your friends inside, dear."
"Hai, neechan." I wave Amiya, and co. forward. "C'mon."
Amiya doesn't move. None of them do. Suddenly they all burst into speech. Well, all but Shoko. . .
Finally, Inuyasha interrupts them all, yelling, "What the hell is going on here!"
I raise my eyebrow. "Neechan wants to meet you." I say, turning.
"Taori, you don't have a sister." Miroku says. "Much less in this era."
"Neechan is my sister." I begin, and I start to walk, so they have to follow me. "Because my mom is her mom reborn." I shrug. "And I figures she's about a quarter youkai, too."
"And how do you figure that?" Inuyasha asks, part of the ay in the window.
I shrug. "Because you're half."
He falls the rest of the way into the room. I can see that he lost his balance, but he stands up again, still looking shocked. ". . .what?"