Chapter 7
A/N: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters.
Shippou scampered through the forest, a comforting breeze playing with his red fur. He had been asked to find medicinal herbs for Kagome and Kaede. He has eagerly accepted the job, puffing up his tiny chest and feeling both important and needed. The young fox scurried from plant to plant examining each petal, leaf and scent painstakingly, before picking the plants and adding them to a satchel at his waist. In his hands he held a gorgeous, growing bouquet of fragrant flowers, especially for Kagome. He had discovered a patch of bright orange blossoms and was examining them to see if they were worthy of Kagome's bouquet when a sound from the trees startled the young fox.
A twig snapped, and there was a rustle of leaves, declaring movement. Shippou froze and began to whimper. He tried to sniff at the air, but his underdeveloped senses were useless. Perking his ears to detect any further disturbances, he looked around frantically.
With a quivering voice he called out, "Is someone there?"
There was more rustling and a figure dressed in brilliant white, with flowing silver hair, emerged from the tree line. A wail escaped from the mouth of Shippou as he fell backwards on his rump. The figure continued to approach, and Shippou scooted backwards, desperate to escape.
"Hello." It said coolly, drawing nearer.
Stumbling to his feet, Shippou snatched up a leaf from the ground. "Fox Magic!" he yelled, and doubles of the young fox sprouted, running in different directions as Shippou escaped, leaving the figure momentarily stunned.
He ran back along the path to the village and burst into Kaede's hut, breathless and wide eyed. The smiles on the faces of his previously chatty companions fell, and concern coated their features.
"Shippou? What's wrong?" Kagome asked, she rushed forward and lifted the obviously terrified child from the floor.
Stuttering and trembling, he managed to relay the cause of his distress to the group. "Sesshomaru is in the forest! He was chasing me, he was gonna kill me! Kagome!" he broke into sobs after telling his exaggerated story, burying his face in Kagome's chest.
Inuyasha had flown from the hut after the mention of his half brother. Miroku and Sango had stayed to hear the rest of Shippou's tale before leaving to follow Inuyasha. Kagome had tarried to calm the fox demon, then shouldered her quiver of arrows and ran after her friends.
I didn't mean to scare him. Shessimako thought to herself as she meandered down the path. She had intended to ask the child if there was indeed a village up ahead, as Toutousai had advised. She startled him, and he had preformed a curious magic trick, and scampered off in its wake. She was left to enjoy the sunshine alone, hoping she was traveling in the right direction.
And she did enjoy the sunshine. She smiled when she encountered warm patches of it. It was a gorgeous summer day; the breeze was fragrant with blooming flowers. Birds chirped singsong melodies, and every inch of free space seemed to be green and noisy and brimming with life.
She paused. The breeze that danced around her and tousled the fur on her tail was fragrant with a new scent. It was a scent she knew well, but it was different than when she had last encountered it. It had been softer then, sweeter. But it was unmistakably the same scent. A grin crept onto her face as she heard rapid footsteps approaching.
"Inuyasha." She whispered.
When he saw her, and not his detestable brother, standing in front of him he slowed to a jog and stared. Continuing to smile she appraised her baby Inu, who was no longer a baby. His waist-length silver tresses had grown with him and still reached down his back. He still wore the protective fire rat robes their father had given him. He had grown, and the only feature exactly the same as before were his golden eyes.
Inuyasha was stumped. Before him was a girl. A girl with a face like Sesshomaru's, a girl with a scent like Sesshomaru's, a scent he remembered. There was something missing, something he had forgotten long ago, a piece that would complete this puzzle. She smiled at him, and a feeling of safety overcame him. She was so familiar...
"You are not Sesshomaru." Kagome's voice wavered, breaking Inuyasha's train of thought. He glanced backward and saw that not only was Kagome behind him, staring at this female look alike of the menace Sesshomaru, but Sango and Miroku as well, both silently ogling the apparition.
Shessimako couldn't help but gawk in return. The companions her brother had chosen were...odd to say the least. He had found company with a girl who looked like one of the famous demon exterminators from the village who had mastered that trade. The man was a monk, with a rosary tied around his hand, and he appeared to be the least strange of those behind her brother. The most interesting was the younger girl, who wore clothes she had never seen before, clothes she found strangely amusing.
Although her presence was calming to him, Inuyasha was wary of the girl. If she acted anything like his brother, it would be unwise to be caught up in the comforting feeling overtaking him.
"Who are you?" he spat, breaking the staring contest.
"Inuyasha...you don't remember me?" She asked sounding hurt, and moving forward towards him. Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga, pointing it at the look alike. It flared to life as it was drawn from its sheath. She stopped and stood still, frowning.
The monk continued the interrogation. "Why were you chasing Shippou?"
Tearing her eyes from Inuyasha she glanced at him. "Shippou?"
"Yes. The young fox demon you happened upon in the forest?"
"I'm afraid you're mistaken. I didn't chase the baby fox. I had hoped to ask if the path lead to a village where I might find Inuyasha. He ran away from me in fright, and I did not wish to scare him further, so I did not follow."
Unconvinced but satiated, the monk fell silent, and the strangely robed girl continued. "Why were you looking for Inuyasha?" she asked suspiciously.
"Because he is my brother." She answered slowly. "Perhaps I should explain myself. My name is Shessimako," she said, directing her name at Inuyasha, who had fallen back into brooding. "I am Sesshomaru's twin. When Inuyasha was very young I was cursed, by an evil priestess, of whose name I still do not know. I was cursed to sleep for...many years. That is why I suppose Inuyasha would not remember me. I came across Toutousai..."
"Stupid old man" Inuyasha interjected with a grumble, earning angry glares from those around him.
Shessimako frowned at her brother's rudeness, and continued. "Toutousai said that I might find my brother in the village down this path. I was rather excited to see how you had grown Inuyasha, and I see you are my baby Inu no more." She smirked as Inuyasha's face became beet red.
"Well Inuyasha, do you remember nothing of me?" She asked eagerly.
Lowering Tetsusaiga and relaxing, he considered the question. "I remember...your scent...and..." he trailed off, scrunching his face in discomfort. He slapped his had to his neck and revealed the source of his displeasure. "Myouga..." he growled, "welcome back."
"Master Inuyasha! Must you always be so violent...when...handling...me?" He asked, squeezing out the last part while being squished in between Inuyasha's forefinger and thumb.
"Tell us Myouga, is what the demon tells us true?" Sango inquired.
"Hmm. I remember hearing tales of the cruel fate of Sesshomaru's twin. There were many versions, but a majority of them seemed farfetched, and I myself had never met her, nor anyone I could speak with who was intimately involved. Her story seems to be very likely though. I don't believe she is lying."
"There was an evil woman." Inuyasha spoke, startling everyone. He seemed dazed, like he was talking about a dream, and the details were fuzzy. "She was going to kill me, but then she came. She told me to run, and I did." He looked into Shessimako's eyes then. "You stayed to fight her."
His fiery stare broke her brooding. "Yes." she responded simply, darkness heavy in her voice. She shook her head slightly, and met the group with a wide grin, to offset the storm that she felt within her heart. "Well! I'm glad you have not completely forgotten me, baby Inu!" she said, leaning forward and tweaking his velvety ears. His eyes went wide with surprise, he began to tremble violently, and his face camouflaged itself with his red robes.
"Don't do that!" He barked, swiping his sister's hands away in anger. There were stifled giggles all around.
"Well, now that this has been sorted out, I would like to say that I mean no harm to any of you, and I assure you I did not chase your young friend." She said bowing slightly so that the tips of her long silver hair tickled the ground.
"Oh, I'm positive you mean us no harm. After all, a beautiful Lady such as yourself surely has no cruel intentions." Miroku said, sidling up to stand next to Shessimako. "My name is Miroku, and I am pleased to make your ..." Miroku was cut short as he was dragged off by Inuyasha.
"Trust me lecher, you don't want to do that to a full blooded demon. If you think Sango's boomerang is a bitch, you haven't felt real pain..." he lectured, dragging him back in the direction of the village.
The girls left behind were rather stunned, and were slow to recover. They sauntered down the path, following the quarreling boys. Kagome was the first to regain her voice. "Um, well, I'm Kagome. Nice to meet you."
"And I am Sango. I'm sorry if we were hostile before. It's just that Sesshomaru is...not very pleasant."
"I had supposed that, although, I was hoping against all odds that he had...well never mind. I'm curious Sango, are you from the famed village of demon exterminators? I had thought you were when I first saw you."
"I am." She answered, a sad tone overcoming her voice, and a pained look catching on her features. "I and my brother are the last of our village." She said softly.
"The last?"
"They were all wiped out by Naraku." Kagome said, with a flame of anger in her eyes.
"Naraku?"
"Perhaps we should explain our situation to you in detail." Sango said lightly, recovering from the surfacing of her dark memories.
"Yes. I believe that would be helpful." Shessimako said, still confused.
A/N: That's it for now. I hope ya'll enjoyed it. I tried to keep everyone as in character as possible, I hope I did okay. I saved Miroku, couldn't have him getting killed off for being a lecher...anyway...reviews are always welcome!
