Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha.

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Okumoto Taro was a young lord. At the age of seventeen, he father succumbed to a chill leaving his young so in charge of his estate. He was now touring the lands he had inherited from his father. This village was large and prosperous than most in these parts. It was too small for a city but still impressive. However this village had an issue that needed solving. They had a demon problem. They claimed it to be bad, but they lost no more to demons than any other village. They claimed a pair of demons came and went in their town as they pleased. The demons frightened them, because they took human form.

"They only come to the village dressed in human skin." One villager said, terrified,

"Then how do you know they're not feral children?"

"In the woods, they change. The girl's hair is white and she had a tail, eyes as yellow as corn. The boy is no different, except his hair is black. At night the girl becomes even more fearsome, she changes into a feral dog that hunts she game of the woods." He continues, her eyes darkening in fear.

"Inu-youkai?"

"Hai!"

"Well, since I'm lord now, I'll take care of these youkai." Taro shouted exuberantly.

"Young Lord….." A retainer mumbled, exasperated by the boy already.

"I'm off!" Taro sped into the woods.

"Young Lord!" They gave chase, but, weighed down by armor they were too slow.

Taro had run into the mountains, his limbs were powered by youth carried him up the mountains. He had run so fast, he had forgotten entirely about his retainers. He didn't even realize had left them behind until he was deep in the woods. Without the swords of his men behind him, he felt afraid. His voice grew high and his feet squirmed in his shoes.

"Hello?" He whimpered. There was no answer. Then he saw movement in the trees.

"Hello!" He shouted, the rustling stopped then he heard it again, farther out. Sense was replaced by fear. He chased the sound.

"Wait please!" He chased and chased, then his pleas did not fall upon deaf ears. Taro stopped, looking up at the tree where e had heard the last sound. His breath was heaving; all he heard from the tree was restless movement. He felt eyes upon him.

"Hello? Who is there?" A moon colored hand emerged from the leaves. He jumped. The hand was so pale, like snow and it had claws for fingernails. A few fingers wrapped around the branch and pushed it away.

Behind the branches of green was a girl. She looked younger than him and more beautiful than any geisha or princess. The girl clearly not human, her eyes were yellow like gold with slit pupils staring at him. No, she was staring down upon him. Her white legs dangled over the bough, white as her face and toenails clawed like her fingers, but her feet were splashed with mud and dirt, destroying their beauty. Her hair was white too, almost silver in color, ragged with twigs and leaves caught in it. Her lips looked like the petals of sakura blossoms in the spring. A crescent moon graced her brow, a plum color, complementing her complexion. However, what stood out, what made her so inhumane in appearance were the dog features she possessed. On the top of her head were ears like akita dogs at his home. From under her faded kimono, pale pink that was too stained to see the design, was a tail. It was great and thick furred, white like her hair, though as ragged and leave strewn.

"Boy, why are you here?" She asked, fangs were exposed from her open mouth. Her tail started to sway behind her legs. He couldn't speak, he was far too awestruck. She grew inpatient, her ear flicked back and forth.

"Boy, I asked you a question. Answer me."

"You're beautiful." He sighed, before he even realized what he was saying. The girl was surprised by his answer. She was so surprised she froze, lost her balance, and fell flat out of the tree. Taro gulped when he saw her fall and land in nearby bushes. The girl scrambled to her knees, thrashing recklessly. When she sat up, her hair had even more leaves and the formally impassive expression was completely gone now.

"What?" Her eyes seemed vulnerable, scared, of him.

"I, I said, you're beautiful." Her eyes flickered with emotion, and seemed touched. Then she shook her head, yellow eyes hard like rock, impassive and cruel.

"Liar, you came to kill me." She hopped to her feet, cracking her fingers, bearing her claws before him. Taro kept an eye on her claws, but put his hands up to show surrender. She didn't believe him, only backed up. Her yellow eyes fixed n the sword at his hip.

Oh.

He moved to take the sword out and she lashed at him. The girl was fifteen feet away, yet she had managed to slash his arm. Taro did his best not to flinch and removed the sword, sheathed and all. The girl's eyes switched between him and the sword, her tail was bushy and her ears pricked to alertness. Then he dropped the sword and kicked to her with his foot.

"I won't hurt you, miss." She thought his words over then relaxed. She moved her tail to her hands, grooming it with her claws.

"Why are you here?" She stopped grooming her tail when she asked this, moving to pick up the sword. She drew it. Taro watched she held it the sun, examining it. Taro realized then, how much his arm hurt, where she slashed it. He whimpered.

"I heard about you, and wanted to meet you." She stared at him as if he were insane. Then her eyes softened to honey as they fell on his bleeding arm. She tucked his blade into her threadbare obi and approached him.

"I'm sorry for your arm; I did not wish to hurt you. I thought you a threat." She mumbled. When she stood before him, she caught him off guard again. Her clawed hand grabbed his arm gently and brought it to her sakura lips. Her tongue lapped up his blood, affectionately, not as if she were eating. She finished she licked her lips and saw it was still flowing. With a small sigh, she ripped off a strip of her already scant kimono and wrapped it.

"Come, I'll wrap it properly for you. It's the least I can do." Taro nodded mutely, still feeling the warmth of her tugging on his arm. She walked along, holding the hand of his uninjured arm. They clambered the slopes and rocks. Taro wondered idly how it didn't hurt her bare feet. The silence reminded him of his manners and he smiled at her back.

"My name is Okumoto Taro. What's yours?"

"Azami." She answered briefly.

"Azami what?" Her footing faltered for moment.

"Just Azami; I have no family name." Sore subject, he could tell.

"It's a beautiful name." He told her, his cheeks flushing.

"Hardly, it's a thistle flower." Her tone almost seemed scathing, but it was also very even, made it hard to tell.

"That's not bad. It's a hearty flower that defends itself. The flower symbolizes nobility and independence. I think it's a good name." He explained. He wondered if she knew things like flower meanings. In response, she shifted uncomfortably. Finally they had reached what he assumed was her home. It was a tiny shack in the woods. The hut seemed to be made up of mostly patch jobs, making it look even less appealing. She stopped a ways away and Taro watched her making a soft sound with her lips, like a whistle but he couldn't hear.

Then he came out. A boy who looked no older than seven ran out. His clothes were in a similar state to Taro companion. His hair was black and his eyes brown. He had dog ears that matched Azami's. He ran toward them and noticed Taro. He shied away for moment. Then Azami beckoned him with her hand. The boy's ears perked and his eyes brightened. Without any hindrance, he ran straight to Azami and wrapped his arms around her waist. A broad smile split his face as he nuzzle her belly.

"Nee-san!" he chirped.

"Otouto, we have a guest." The boy's eyes met Taro, unlike his reserved sister, he was openly afraid of the human before him.

"Nee-san?"

"Nee-san hurt him by accident, now go in and heat some food."

"Hai, Nee-san." He scrambled into the hut.

"Your little brother?" Taro asked.

"Hai." She answered curtly then tugged him to the hut. The hut was surrounded by a scant patch of crops, some of which were damaged. The tools were old or makeshift. Azami passed them by with no regard.

"What's his name?"

"Ichiru."

"Wow, that's a good name." She didn't answer. She pushed the flap of burlap that served as the door and pushed him inside. The inside of her home was even sorrier looking than the outside. The boy, Ichiru, was warming a pot of stew which smelled of venison. Azami opened a small wicker box kept in the corner pulled out bandage and clam shells. Azami beckoned him closer. He knelt down and held out his injured arm. She massaged salves into the laceration and wrapped it for him.

"Who are you?" Ichiru asked by the fire.

"Okumoto Taro."

"Did you come to kill us?" He asked bluntly. Taro noticed he had no tail as sister did.

"No."

"That is good; otherwise I'd have to kill you. I hate killing youths." Azami told him, packing the box again.

"You are very kind. I did not think youkai were kind to anyone." Ichiru and Azami met his gaze simultaneously. Ichiru tugged at Azami's arm, whimpering.

"We are nothing so great as youkai." Azami grumbled, her actions becoming aggressive.

"Then what are you?" Taro asked, cocking his head innocently.

"Hanyou." Azami whispered.

"Hanyou…." Taro repeated. He stuck out his lip in thought.

"What's that?" Taro asked. Azami and Ichiru gave him the most incredulous looks.

"We're half demons. Our father was an inu-youkai and our mother, a human."

"Really, I didn't know that was possible!"

"Well it is." Azami snapped. She stood up and examined the stew, Ichiru whimpered, clinging to her tail.

"Where are they, your parents?" Taro asked hesitantly.

"Dead and don't know." Azami responded, spooned some stew into a cracked bowl.

"Here, eat up." He looked at her, her honey eyes had turned to cold, hard, gold.

"Thank you for your generosity." He took the bowl and bowed to his hosts. Azami knelt down next to him, and Ichiru gobbled up his own food.

"Aren't you having any, Azami-san?"

"Iie." She said.

"Did I, did I take your portion." He asked, feeling a wave of guilt crash over him. At his home, food was plentiful. He never went hungry so the concept of not enough food hadn't occurred initially.

"Iie, I can't stomach human food like Otouto can." Taro's shoulder quivered.

"Then what do you eat?" He asked slowly.

'Don'tsayhumandon'tsayhumandon'tsayhuman!' He thought frantically.

"I eat demons." She said, sipping some water from an old tea cup, held together by dried sap.

"O-o-oh." He stuttered.

"Hmph, we don't eat humans. Humans aren't cannibal under practical circumstances." She told him, her eyes locking on his in an accusatory manner. Her eyes suddenly darted away as one ear perked.

"Your retainers are coming for you; you best wait outside, preferably far from here."

"Why?" She raised an eyebrow at him, and Ichiru ducked behind her, clutching her tail.

"Isn't it obvious, if your 'friends' so much as see me, they'll kill me and Ichiru." One moon pale arm wrapped around the younger hanyou, protectively.

"Oh." He couldn't see why the villagers were so afraid. They were kind, hospitable but terribly afraid.

"Why don't you live with demons, or leave this place?"

"We are human too; demons want to kill us, just as much as humans. There is no place for us to live happily. All I can do is to scrape out an existence for us, wherever I can." Then something occurred to Taro. It was not her that needed this steady life, mimicking that of humans. Somehow he could see; she could travel all she wanted. Azami could run forever, eating surviving in a migrating existence. It was not her that needed to live like this, it was her brother. Her brother had the needs of a human. A home and food, a place to sleep and grow, Ichiru needed those things. Azami sacrificed her own wants and desires for him. For him she tried to farm food to survive through winter. For him she wore ratty clothes that barely covered her. For him, she lived like a human. For the love in her heart, she lived as humans did.

"Come with me." The words escaped him before he even realized he had spoken. Azami dropped her cup and broke it.

"Excuse me?"

"Come with me. If you stay here, they'll kill you."

"No they won't, if they try, I'll kill them." She said, her eyes darkening. Her tail moved restlessly around her sitting body.

"Or I will take Ichiru, and I will run."

"Again?" Azami started at his question and stared at him. Her eyes lowered and Ichiru nuzzled her lap, snuggling under her tail. Azami glanced at Ichiru then brought her gaze back to Taro. She looked so strong, and yet, so very sad and lonely.

"I suppose. There is no place for hanyou. The only way we survive to carve a niche for ourselves by force."

"Then I will make one. I'm young, but I'm a lord. I have a lot of power, and I can keep you two safe. You're very kind I think, and so deserving of security. I like you, Azami-san. You two can come live with me. Who knows, a hanyou might be a good friend for the future." He gently took her hand and held it to his own chest.

"Please, Azami-san, come with me."

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Princess: How Azami and Okumoto met. I picture him as being an idealist lad who fell head over heels for a demon's beauty. He could see she was a good person and wanted to take care of her. Azami looks about thirteen at this point btw. So she looks much younger than him.

Yup, no reviews again, but whateveh….. :'(