Tornado

The midnight sky was clear that night, allowing the stars to shine as if they hoped to match the moon's illumination. A soft breeze caressed the branches of the trees, bidding them to dance. Three travelers walked through the forest with the moonlight leading the way. They were graced with silence until the shortest of the three decided it was a perfect time to destroy the pleasant chirp of the crickets with his squawky voice.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Why are we bringing her along?" Jaken inquired of the powerful youkai. Behind them, Shiraha walked a step behind, rolling her eyes.

"I'm probably better company than you are." She took a large step so she was beside the toad youkai. "Don't take it personally, I'm just better to be around."

"How dare you!" Jaken screeched.

"Hey now…You're just not as cute as me." Shiraha grinned. As Jaken protested, Shiraha gazed at Sesshoumaru's back. Yes. As long as she could be near him, his rejection did not matter. You say we are the same, Kagura…but he doesn't feel that way.

"Jaken, be silent." Sesshoumaru ordered in his typically emotionless voice. Of course, Jaken obeyed immediately. As they walked in silence once again, Shiraha smiled to herself. Even if most of the time she spent with Sesshoumaru involved little to no talking, she could not help but feel giddy. It wasn't like she could find something to talk with him about. Yet every now and then something would come up.

"So…Seiken said she would tend to any severe injuries you suffered." Shiraha quickened her pace slightly so that she was beside Sesshoumaru.

"Yes." was his reply.

"She said she knew you since you were a pup." Shiraha continued.

"Yes."

"And…she said you stopped having her tend to your injuries after your father died." Shiraha looked up at Sesshoumaru only to see his eyes on her.

"Is this going somewhere?"

"Erm…" Shiraha avoided eye contact and blushed feverishly. "What was your father like?"

"He was weak." Sesshoumaru answered. Shiraha waited for more but found that he had nothing more to say. If she had only looked at his face, she would have seen a hint of emotion in those yellow eyes.

"Weak in what way?" Shiraha asked.

"He liked humans." Again he stopped at that. Shiraha found that it was going to take a lot of effort to get a real conversation going.

"Was he a weak fighter?"

"No."

"…" Shiraha stared at Sesshoumaru. Feeling her stare, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes and sighed.

"He was exceptionally powerful."

"So you get your strength from your father?" Shiraha smiled.

"I would assume so."

"You…don't know your mother?"

"She no longer lives." The answer, although it came quickly, held not a bit of emotion. This sent shivers up Shiraha's spine.

"Don't you care?" She glared at Sesshoumaru.

"Care about what?" He inquired looking at her.

"You don't sound the least bit sad when saying your mother is dead."

"Should I?"

"Yes…she was your mother after all…"

"Human emotion again." Sesshoumaru returned his eyes to face toward the direction they were walking. "Weak."

"You're so heartless!"

"Shall I remind you that you are the one without a heart?" Sesshoumaru murmured icily. "It is pointless to continue mourning over someone who died long ago."

"…You really are a demon…Why do I love you?" Shiraha murmured. In spite of his curiosity for what she said, Sesshoumaru did not look at Shiraha.

"Are you cursing Sesshoumaru-sama with some strange incantation?" Jaken demanded.

"I just spoke in English…that's all." Shiraha sighed and fell back to walk behind Sesshoumaru. It made sense that she walked behind him for she felt she could not reach him. "It doesn't matter."

Again, there was silence. Shiraha closed her eyes and absorbed the sound of shifting grass beneath their feet. Even though no one spoke, it seemed as if the scenery had its own story to tell. The assimilation of her surroundings died shortly when Shiraha crashed into Sesshoumaru who came to a sudden halt. Shiraha was on the verge of yelling at the powerful youkai as she opened her eyes. All traces of anger left her mind once she realized it was Inuyasha and Kagome standing before Sesshoumaru.

"You were never good at hide-and-seek. What makes you so good at finding me now?" Shiraha grumbled. Kagome did not look the least bit pleased.

"All right…all right." Shiraha smiled sheepishly. "Rather than arguing with you, I decided to leave without a word...again. I understand your anger, but I don't want to be with you right now."

"Shiraha-" Kagome managed to say before Shiraha interrupted.

"No…" She chuckled a bit. "I don't want you to worry about me. You treat me like a child…you always do. I realized quickly you could take care of yourself out here. Now you have to let me take care of myself."

"You're injured." Kagome took a step forward.

"I have Sesshoumaru with me. That's all need." Seeing doubt in Kagome's eyes, Shiraha spoke again. "I can trust him. I know I can." At this point, Sesshoumaru began to walk again.

"Will you take care of her?" Inuyasha inquired darkly.

"I'm not her caretaker." Sesshoumaru replied and walked on.

"Shiraha!" Kagome grabbed her cousin's arm. "Don't go. I have a bad feeling…"

"Are we going to keep doing this?" Shiraha pulled her arm back. "You always babying me? You trying to get me to stay with you so I keep on running? Let me go this time. If we run into each other, so be it. For now, let me go."

"Why?" Kagome asked. Shiraha new the full meaning of that one word. Why go with him? Why trust him?

"Because I really do love him." Shiraha smiled and followed Sesshoumaru who was already a good distance ahead.

Kagome watched Shiraha walk on with her eyes wide with shock. The way Shiraha smiled was so genuine it made Kagome wonder just how happy she was before.

"What did she say?" Inuyasha's voice penetrated her thoughts.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome reached for him and clutched to his sleeve with her right hand. "She really grew up over the years. She's the same as she always was…but I don't know her anymore." Inuyasha held her from behind and rested his forehead on the top of her head.

"It's all right." He murmured softly. It was the moments like this that reminded Kagome why she loved him.

Do you and Sesshoumaru have these moments, Shiraha?


Rin awoke with a pain in her abdomen so great that it was hard to breath. The last thing she could recall was falling asleep on Sesshoumaru's lap. Now it was dark and she was in so much pain.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…" She cried out helplessly. Chou suddenly appeared with a burst of blue butterflies surrounding her.

"Damn! I must have dozed off." She grumbled.

"Where's Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked, tears in her eyes from the pain.

"I'm sorry, kid. Real sorry." Chou waved the butterflies over. "Just sleep. Sh…Just sleep." Chou placed her hand on Rin's forehead as the butterflies danced above them, sprinkling dust that would allow Rin to sleep through the pain.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…" She whispered before falling into a deep slumber.

"Really…I'm sorry…" Chou sighed. "If it was up to me…you wouldn't have been dragged into this."

"But it isn't up to you." Sin's voice brushed against Chou's ear causing the youkai to shiver.

"So you've returned." Chou muttered.

"Chou, I know you are unhappy with me, but wait and see. I am doing this for the better good." Sin's voice sounded uncharacteristically gentle.

"Why do you need me? Couldn't you find another? Someone stronger?" Chou growled.

"You feel like a prisoner, but if I let you leave, where would you go?" A wind brushed against Chou's arm. "We are a family aren't we? You could have foiled my plans long ago."

"I thought you were Kagura." Chou tried to wave away the wind; an impossible task.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" Sin's voice moved to her other ear. "You were working for me long before I claimed to be Kagura."

"I was wrong to do so." Chou glared ahead. "I shouldn't have been with you in the first place."

"And why did you choose to stay in the beginning?"

"…" Chou stood and walked away from Rin's body. "I can't do this anymore!"

"You really aren't afraid to die…that is not why you stayed." Sin's voice followed her. "Why do you stay with me Chou? Do you know who I am?"

"You are Sin…aren't you?" Chou hissed. Is she right? Is it true that I don't care whether I die or not…maybe she's manipulating me…confusing me…

"Chou…You are precious to me."

"Bullshit!"

"I know you think I am lying, but somewhere deep inside you now it is true. After all, it was you who asked me if I could find another who is stronger. Of course I can." Sin began to laugh. "I could have found someone who would not have failed me in the first place. I'm doing this for us."

"You are different now…It seems as though your personality has changed."

"There is more in me. I have five different evils in me. Remember that, Chou." The wind blew hard as it brushed past Chou. When all was quiet, she walked back to the sleeping Rin and slumped right beside her.

"You know…I do hate Sin." She said to the sleeping girl. "And I know I was threatened many times. I've done so much for Sin. So why do I stay? Let's keep this a secret between the two of us." Chou dropped her voice to a whisper. "Sin saved me long ago. I really cannot hate Sin. I want to…I want to kill Sin. I can't. I am tied to Sin. Forever." Chou looked up to the stars and breathed out a sigh. "I wish I could save Sin. Not to save myself…Not to save anyone else. I want to do that for her. There is some good somewhere, right?"

Chou pulled her knees to her chest and let her eyes fall to gaze at Rin. She smiled gently and ran her fingertips along Rin's cheek.

"I am sorry she used your body, but I was happy. When she first took over, she touched my face. It was the first warmth I have ever felt." Chou pulled her hand back. "Sin really is my family. My only regret is how you must suffer to make her happy."


Shiraha tapped her foot impatiently with her arms crossed over her chest. Sesshoumaru faced her with the same blank expression he wore so frequently. Jaken finally learned that it was best to keep his mouth shut for the consequences would include a foot to the face.

"It will only take ten minutes." Shiraha growled pointing at the hot springs.

"You want me to leave you here, then return once ten minutes have past?" Sesshoumaru inquired.

"That's all I'm asking."

"Why?"

"I…want to bathe." Shiraha muttered, blushing. Sesshoumaru stared at her. "What are you? A pervert?"

"Why do you choose to keep yourself clean now?" Sesshoumaru inquired.

"There's a spring here!"

"There was a pond right outside of the shack on the mountain."

"I wasn't about to freeze myself."

"How weak." Sesshoumaru turned to leave.

"How weak." Shiraha mocked him and stuck out her tongue. Jaken followed Sesshoumaru, glaring at Shiraha.

When both youkai were out of sight, Shiraha undressed herself and walked to the edge of the spring. She stuck the big toe of her right foot in and smiled. It was hot but she would get used to it. She sat on the grass and dipped her legs in the water. Her eyes fell on her bandaged shoulder and she mulled over whether it would be better for her to leave the bandage on or take it off. Slowly, she unwrapped the bandage to look at the wound. It stopped bleeding, but it would hurt if she let the hot water touch it. She replaced the bandage and tied it tight with a sigh. Gingerly, she slid into the springs so the water level was a bit over her chest.

She did not have any shampoo or soap, but the water had an herbal scent to it. Cupping water into her hands, she splashed her face and rubbed away the built up dirt. It had been a while since she sat in a hot spring. She found herself thinking about home. In the current state she was in, she could not return. As if the color of her eyes weren't trouble enough, now she hand pointed ears and the power to control wind. Of course, she could hide those things. Contacts helped her with her eyes before and she could always wear her hair a certain way to cover up those youkai ears.

She looked at her reflection in the water and touched her face. Suddenly, she began to faces at her reflection. One moment she smiled beautifully, the next minute she crossed her eyes and blew out her cheeks. It was all the same. The same eyes, the same smile, but it was not her face. With a growl, she slapped the water causing the reflection to ripple. She was done playing that game.

"I'm not myself anymore." She muttered. "I need to turn myself back. How many days have gone by? Am I still on my break?" She hoped classes did not start up again while she was away.

She gazed at the water again and sighed. Out of nowhere a shadow appeared in the water. Had ten minutes really gone by already? Shiraha looked up and her jaw dropped. She let out a scream. Thirty seconds did not pass before Sesshoumaru swiftly made his way to the spring. Shiraha was out of the water holding her kimono to her chest while a giant spider approached her. Sesshoumaru maneuvered a whip of light and cast it at the spider, tearing it into pieces. Shiraha slumped to the ground and stared wide-eyed at the place the spider was standing just moment ago. Slowly, she raised her head to look at Sesshoumaru. Their eyes met and Shiraha screamed again.

"Turn around, you pervert!" Sesshoumaru, looking a touch irritated, turned away allowing her to dress. When her kimono was on, she walked up to Sesshoumaru, a blush touching her cheeks, and mumbled a "Thank you."

"…" Sesshoumaru turned to walk on. "We're leaving." Normally, Shiraha would have been bothered with his lack of acknowledging her thanks, but she was a bit too embarrassed to even care. She fell in behind him and walked beside Jaken.

"Uhm…" She looked at Sesshoumaru's back. "Sorry for calling you a pervert." The response was silence. She knew that it was not anger that made him silent. It was just a Sesshoumaru thing to do. Shiraha smiled a little. He came quickly when she screamed which meant he must have cared a little. Her white knight in shining armor.

"Don't get too comfortable." A voice in the wind whispered in her ear.

"Sin?" Shiraha looked around. Sesshoumaru came to a halt and looked at Shiraha.

"How lucky you are to be near the one you love." Sin's voice laughed,

"Where's Rin?" Shiraha cried, looking around.

"Thanks to our favorite doggy-boy, she's still not strong enough to use." Sin laughed again. "Ah, Sesshoumaru. She suffers. She is in a great amount of pain."

"That's nothing to laugh about!" Shiraha cried.

"Why are you yelling at me? It's Sesshoumaru, here, who injured Rin."

"That…" Shiraha narrowed her eyes.

"Of course, it was because of you. You remind him too much of that old flame." Sin whispered. The last word seemed to affect Shiraha for her body became tense. The thought of flames flooded her mind. The word was like a trigger.

"Yes…I am giving you another memory Kagura had. One that happened before she met Sesshoumaru. There was another…man." Sin cackled.


Indeed, a human man came to mind. One who was so handsome that it was no surprise why even a youkai noticed him. Even though he was beautiful, his life was that of a simple villager. Shiraha watched through Kagura's eyes as she watched the villager play a flute in the forest. For some reason, Kagura stepped out from her hiding place. The villager stopped playing and looked up.

"Hello." He smiled. Kagura was shocked.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" She inquired.

"Should I be?" The man continued to play the flute.

From that day on, Kagura would come every morning to the same spot. Every morning, the man would play his flute. Eventually, they would talk and soon Kagura came to like him. His name was Takeo and he was the first and only friend Kagura ever made. This was before she even met Inuyasha. Of course, she had orders to follow that Naraku had given her. She was to collect Shikon fragments from different youkai. She followed his orders obediently.

One day, Naraku found out about Kagura's friendship with the handsome villager. No one knows why Naraku did anything, however, he told Kagura to destroy the village Takeo came from. For the first time she since she came into being, Kagura refused. That was when Naraku took her heart. He put his hand to her chest and out it came.

"Is this getting in your way, Kagura?" He inquired with a smile. "Destroy the village and I will consider returning this to you." When she began to protest, he squeezed the organ, giving her the worst pain imaginable.

There was no use arguing, she went to the village and destroyed it, but not before she made sure Takeo was safe. She told him to meet her in the forest for she had something important to tell him. Thankfully, he was the kind of man to wait for her. Many died by Kagura's fan that night. The villager's houses were set aflame as they were taken down one by one with he Fuujin no mai.

Once the village was destroyed, she went to Takeo and confessed all she had done. Needless to say, Takeo was unhappy. His home, his friends, his family; all were gone. A village girl who had escaped the destruction overheard their conversation and attacked Kagura. Kagura used the Fuujin no mai. Takeo, to protect the village girl, took the attack with his own body. The village girl ran away in shock. Before Takeo died, he told Kagura that he forgave her for her sins.

"I know if it were your choice, you wouldn't have done this." He smiled. "I hope you can be free someday."

From then on, Kagura harbored a longing for freedom and a hate for Naraku.


Shiraha's eyes widened as the memory settled in her mind. Something so painful that it was hard to even think about. It made the emptiness in her chest feel more barren. Finally, she looked at Sesshoumaru who seemed to be focused on her face.

"What is it?" She asked, her throat feeling dry.

"You are crying." Was the reply. Shiraha reached up and touched just beneath her right eye. Indeed, it was wet.

"I…need to go." Shiraha turned and ran off.

"Sh-…" Sesshoumaru stopped himself from calling after her and watched has she ran off.

Once Shiraha was deep into the forest, she looked around. Chances were that Sin came with her. She knew Sin wanted to talk. She just knew it. She touched her face again. The tears were still streaming.

"What is this?" She whispered. She spoke again in a yell. "What is this, Sin!"

"I made a deal with the devil." Sin hissed in her ear. "He would give me powers for a price. Foolish me. I did not even ask what the price was. He took my body and soul. So then…I needed a new body and a new soul."

"What does this have to do with these memories?" Shiraha looked around.

"It is all Kagura's fault." Sin chuckled.

"Did she kill you or something?"

"Takeo was loved by many in the village." Sin's voice became strangely gentle. "He was beautiful and very kind. When he worked, he worked hard. All in the village knew that he would make a fine husband. However, when he fell in love, it wasn't with any of the girls from the village. It wasn't with any girls from another village. It wasn't a miko. Not even a princess won his heart. It was a youkai, Kagura."

"Get to the point already!" Shiraha growled.

"I lived in the same village and, yes, I loved him. Whenever he went to the forest to play a song on his flute, I would follow him." Sin laughed bitterly. "But what did I see one morning? A youkai! I could see in his eyes a certain wonderment. She captivated him. If only I could have foreseen what damage she would have done. That village girl that Takeo protected…I was that girl and you…You killed him."

"Kagura did! Not me!" Shiraha cried.

"You're the same. You have her face. You have her soul." The wind blew so harshly that it pushed Shiraha into a tree. "So after he died, I made a pact with the devil. I wanted the power to kill Kagura. He gave it to me…All the power I needed, but no body to allow me to use it properly until now. I found the perfect body and soul…I just need you out. Then I can move on with my true goal."

"And what is that?" Shiraha snapped.

"To become a true demon." Sin laughed. "It started with killing Kagura, but now I see beyond it."

"You're stupid!" Shiraha shouted. "You told me what you wanted. You revealed all of this to me."

"Hiding it from you does not give me an advantage. After all, I still have the child."

"Sin. This is between you and me." Shiraha clenched her teeth. "Why bring the others into this? Why?"

"Why?" The wind rushed past Shiraha. "Follow me and find out."

Shiraha growled and ran after Sin's voice. As she ran, Sin mocked her and laughed all the while. Shiraha stopped suddenly when she reached a field of flowers. It was so similar to the one in her dreams except there was a swarm of blue butterflies. They surrounded her, covering her in sleeping dust. Shiraha fell to her knees and fought the sleepiness, trying to stay awake. Unfortunately, she could not compete against the swarm of butterflies and soon lost consciousness.


Everything was blurry, yet the screams were all so clear. So many were running but none could escape. Blood stained the ground and twisted laughter rose above the screams. Wind tore at those who ran. Wind tore at those who hid. Wind tore at those who tried to fight back. Men, women and children alike were torn. As the screams died down, the light seemed to fade. Slowly…ever so slowly, everything became black…

"Shiraha…" A voice in the darkness called. "Shiraha!"

Shiraha groaned and opened her eyes. Instantly, the scent of blood struck her like a slap in the face. Shiraha looked up to see a worried Kagome. She sat up and held her head with a groan. She looked back up at Kagome again.

"Where am I?" She asked, her throat felt raw as if she did a lot of yelling. Inuyasha, Shippou, Miroku and Sango were with Kagome and each looked horrified. "What is it?" The brightness of the sun made it hard for her to focus on anything clearly.

"Shiraha…" Kagome could not go beyond speaking her name.

"What's wrong?" Shiraha looked around in alarm. It finally hit her. She was in the middle of a village. What was odd about it was the dead bodies that were strewn about. Kagome walked to a dead man's body and knelt beside it before looking at her cousin.

"Shiraha…the blood on your kimono…these wounds look like something Kagura could have done…Did you…kill this villager?" She asked. "Did you kill…everyone here?"

"What? How can you accuse me of that!" Shiraha narrowed her eyes. "Wait…blood?" She looked down and saw it. Her kimono was splattered by blood and she suddenly realized the fan in her right hand.

"What happened Shiraha?" Kagome stood and walked to her. She knelt beside her.

"I don't know…It's…all a blur…" Shiraha held her head as if it would help her remember. "I don't know how I got here."

"Did you kill them or not?" Inuyasha demanded.

"I don't know!" Shiraha cried. She dropped the fan and stood. All eyes were on her, accusing her of something she was not even sure she did.

"Shiraha." Kagome stood.

"Don't look at me!" Shiraha covered her face. "I can't remember a thing! I was…I was in a field of flowers…"

"Does this look like a field of flowers to you!" Inuyasha snapped.

"Please…" Shiraha gazed at Kagome. "I don't know what happened."

No one could say anything. Shiraha took in a deep breath and tried to remember what happened in between her falling asleep and awaking in the village. She could not bring herself to look at any of them. It would have been easy for her to say that she was set up. Perhaps Sin did this! But every time Shiraha considered it, she could not help but doubt the very idea. Something in her body told her that it was very possible she killed the villagers. If Kagura was capable, then so was Shiraha.

"I'm sorry…" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm so sorry!" Shiraha turned to run but Inuyasha jumped in her path.

"You're not going anywhere until we get to the bottom of this." He said.

"You don't understand. I can't be here." Shiraha brought her hand to her nose. She could not take the scent of blood. There was so much of it all at once. She brushed past Inuyasha and ran. He reached out to grab her arm but a strong gust of wind blew sand into his eyes causing him to pull his arm back. Somehow, she had disappeared. Inuyasha rubbed at his eyes.

"Where did she go?" He snarled.

"She wouldn't kill the villagers…would she?" Shippou looked at Kagome.

"Something isn't right." Kagome replied, looking at the bodies. "I don't think Shiraha would do this…not willingly."

"Looks like we won't be able to find out anytime soon. I can't even smell her." He grumbled. It was Shingetsu. Again, he would be forced to live as a human for the night. They all turned to the bodies so they could begin to bury the dead. They would have to solve the mystery of Shiraha's presence for another time.


Shiraha ran as fast as she could, tears streaking their way down her cheeks. She had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. She stopped at a river and threw herself in. Maybe if she scrubbed hard enough, the blood stain would go away. All that was in her mind was cleaning her kimono. The pain in her shoulder was cast aside. Being treated like a baby seemed like a luxury. It was better than wondering whether she killed everyone in a village or not. Shiraha heard someone walking and turned.

As if it was fate, Sesshoumaru always seemed to appear at the right time. He looked at Shiraha, soaked and crying. The water had washed away the scent of blood on her, but the stain remained on her kimono. She looked so lost. For the first time, she looked as if she had nothing left to fight for. Why it moved him, not even he could tell, but in that moment, even his icy heart melted. He stepped into the river and wrapped his arm around her. Shiraha's eyes widened and she instinctively clung to his shirt.

"Sesshoumaru…" Her voice was shaky. Was it the emotional state she was in or the cold water?

"I'm here." He murmured. Shiraha buried her face into his chest. Even though a weight of guilt rested on her heart, being with him in that moment seemed to lighten the load.


Author's note: gasp! I updated so soon! Let's just say I heart the weekend! Ho Ho Ho!

Next Chapter: Gust

Chapter Preview: "If you have something to tell me, then say it. What is it that you're keeping from me, Sesshoumaru?"