"They should have been here a long time ago." Sesshoumaru said to no one in particular. "That brother of mine always makes thing so difficult."
"If you don't mind me asking, my lord," Jaken looked up at the comely demon. "Exactly who are we waiting for again?" He wished that his lord was only joking when he mentioned Inu-Yasha.
"Inu-Yasha and Mikazuki and their lackeys." Was the answer. Sesshoumaru watched as Rin ran around the large field picking wild flowers. Where were they!? He hated to wait for anything. If it weren't for his newly found sister, he would have the urge to tear Inu-Yasha apart as soon as they appear.
…What is that smell?
It smelled horrid. Like rotten flesh…or maybe it's just human incense. But whatever it was, it didn't smell good. The source of the smell must go.
Sesshoumaru swirled and snarled, preparing to attack whatever that was coming his way, but his younger brother, recognizing the threat, immediately pulled himself into a fighting stance, although he didn't look very impressive, with a huge grin on his face.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, please don't fight right now!" He heard suddenly from behind him.
Inu-Yasha's ears flicked as he stopped and turned his head back and forth.
"Who said that?"
"Me! Me!" A tiny voice yelled beside his ear. The hanyou rolled his eyes and flicked the tiny flea that sat upon his shoulders.
"Oh, it's you, Myoga." He said with a bored sigh. "You're back again? I thought you didn't like Sesshoumaru." He looked over at his brother, a taunting expression on his face.
"What do you mean I didn't like Sesshoumaru? I like both of you!" Myoga sounded offended. Kagome giggled. Mikazuki bent over to peek at the tiny creature that sat upon her brother's red haori.
"This is Myoga." Her brother introduced. "The most useless demon that ever lived on earth. Trust him to disappear whenever there is trouble—" He was complaining when a stunned voice interrupted him.
"P-princess?!" Gazes were adverted to the elderly demon. As for Myoga, the flea demon was as white as paper. "Princess Mikazuki?" Inu-Yasha's eyes narrowed as he poked him.
"Oi, oi, old man. Don't tell me you know her." Myoga crossed his arms and nodded, looking just a bit more composed.
"Of course I know her—hey!" The hanyou's claws closed around the tiny demon. "Lord Inu-Yasha!!"
"Speak up." Inu-Yasha's voice was cold. "Explain yourself."
"What?" Myoga stuttered. Kagome put a hand on the hanyou's elbow.
"Don't be hasty, Inu-Yasha."
"Talk." The demon was relentless.
"I don't think this would be appropriate in front of the child." Myoga looked over toward Sesshoumaru. Inu-Yasha was just about to response by squeezing the life out of his old companion when he noticed something.
A little girl was peeking at the group of stranger from behind Sesshoumaru's robes, and was looking hesitantly towards Inu-Yasha. Her eyes lightened up just a bit when she saw his pretty sister.
Inu-Yasha raised a brow as he took a step closer to examine the new catch, Myoga still in his hand.
"Oh, you've gone and kidnapped a little human girl now?" He smirked. "How unlike you." Jaken chose this time to speak up as he replied for his master,
"Sesshoumaru saved this worthless human brat after she was attacked by a pack of wolf demons."
Sango looked at Kagome. "Doesn't Kouga control most of the wolf demons in this area?" Her friend nodded mutely. Inu-Yasha snorted.
"Figures he'd let his pack feed on innocent human girls."
"This is Rin." Sesshoumaru nudged his ward toward the group of mild, gentle girls, who immediately began coddling the little creature.
"She's so cute!" Kagome squealed. Inu-Yasha humphed, and turned back to Myoga, who was trying with his weak might to escape the giant claws that threatened to crush him.
"Alright, alright!" Myoga wheezed. "I'll tell you. I was there…the night that Mikazuki was conceived."
Mikazuki's face flushed a deep red as Sango coughed, Miroku grinned, and Kagome's eyes widened. Inu-Yasha's ears flicked and Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow.
"You were spying on my parents," Inu-Yasha asked incredulously. "…During that time?"
"No, no, no!" Myoga corrected. "I had to. Why else do you think the princess is human? M'lord's father was a human that night. Full human." Inu-Yasha gasped, and incidentally dropped the demon. Myoga said a silent prayer as he fell to his demise, until a cupped hand caught him just in time. He looked up to see Mikazuki's curious, yet worried, violet orbs.
"Myoga," her voice was soft. "What happened? I thought Father was a taiyoukai, why was he human that night?" She looked toward her brothers. "Didn't you say Father was a taiyoukai?" They nodded.
"He was." Inu-Yasha insisted. Myoga cut in before the hanyou could say more.
"It was m'lord's mortal mother's request. She wanted him to understand the vulnerableness of a human. That night did made him realize how vulnerable his mortal wife was because she was only human, therefore, he created the Tetsusaiga, which is a magical blade created by m'lord's father…to protect his beloved, m'lord's mortal mother."
"How did he become human?" Sango wanted to know, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
"By Breath of Divinity, of course." Myoga nodded on Mikazuki's palm. "You could do anything with that potion."
"Interesting…" Miroku remarked. He looked toward the princess. "And do we know where to find this potion?" She nodded.
"Yes." And pulling a yellowed paper from the folds of her robe, she proceeded to read out loud. "According to Mother, "Over the mountains of the moon, down the valley of the shadow. Through the Lonely Canyon, to the Groove of Purple Mist. Behind the Lake of Shine and Mirror, lies the Valley of the Crescent Moon."
"Sounds like a journey, alright." Shippo remarked. "Shall we get going, then?" He turned to Inu-Yasha, then changed his mind and turned to Sesshoumaru. Then frowned, and turned to Mikazuki.
"Who exactly is in charge of this trip?" He questioned. It began as an innocent question, but it turned out to be a dangerous question as a battle was immediately insured.
"Me." Sesshoumaru said with a bored look and at the same time, Inu-Yasha barked, jerking a thumb toward himself. "Me, of course!" Mikazuki interfered,
"I would be in charge, no doubt about it."
Kagome's eyes widened as she realized that the peace of this trip was already disturbed. Sango and Miroku shared a sigh as he finally said tiredly,
"Nobody's in charge of this trip." Mikazuki and her brothers dished out dirty looks to each other.
"All your fault." She hissed. Then, without another word, she stalked forward.
"You brats better hurry up and not take up my time." Sesshoumaru remarked as he followed after his sister. " I really need to go back to my castle. My castle needs me. My servants have no one to serve and the demons of that land are probably crying their eyes out, begging to be killed." He sighed. "I'm sure youkais are already trying to take over my territory."
"I'll slay the demons for you, brother!" Mikazuki's eyes lit up as she stared up at the oldest brother in their family. He looked startled. Inu-Yasha countered, "Mikazuki! That's not ladylike." She turned and stuck out her tongue.
"Who wants to be ladylike at a time like this? Today is the day I give away my princess title. I'm going try my best to be everything Sango and Kagome is!" Abruptly stopping, Mikazuki turned around gracefully with a mischievous, but determined look in her eyes, her hair sweeping behind her as if a light breeze had caressed it. The rest of the group laughed.
Thus became the ecstatic beginning toward where their goal lies.
The journey has finally begun.
She was as about innocent as they came. The group decided after a week on the road. And what she lacked in confidence and valiancy, she made up in sweetness and thoughtfulness. She could make friends with Naraku.
Overall, even though Mikazuki has inherited the same temper Inu-Yasha has, she's still a very sweet girl. Especially to her brothers so even Inu-Yasha couldn't resist.
On the ninth day of their journey, Mikazuki got her wish. She came into her first contact with a youkai.
"Inu-Yasha."
The hanyou sighed as he stopped and turned around, looking down the hill. His sister had her wrists planted at her hips, her lips into a pout. Then she stretched out her hands and without preamble, stated crossly, "Help me up, for goodness sakes."
Too tired to protect, he reached down to grip the back of her yukata and lifted her out over the mound. When he'd set her down on the ground beside him she gave him that narrowed-eye look she usually gave him and said, dusting herself off, "You just can't bear the thought of taking my hand, can you?"
He snorted. "Like you can't remind me enough about how 'filthy' my hands are." He stopped suddenly and grew very still. So still that for the first time, Mikazuki was afraid.
"What?" She whispered, her eyes darting around, her hands reaching from her brother. "What are you looking at?"
Inu-Yasha didn't say anything, but the next moment, Kagome and Mikazuki found themselves being thrown on the ground as a deafening monstrous roar echoed by their ears.
"Everybody down!" Inu-Yasha threw himself on top of the girls as Miroku grabbed Sango and Rin.
"It's a demon!" He yelled, ducking as a huge paw swept at him. He recovered and found himself staring face to face with the demon bear that Kouga would have found very familiar.
"You stay here! Both of you!" Inu-Yasha yelled, snatching Rin and shoving her at them. "And take her!"
"Inu-Yasha—" Mikazuki couldn't say anything more for the males of the group were already engaged with the demonic bear that had the thirst for blood.
"Hey, it's the ancient art of butt whoop!" She looked on eagerly, as the Kagome sweatdropped beside her.
"Ancient art of butt whoop?" Kagome didn't wait for an answer, pulling her arrows and bow out from the air, she crouched behind their rock. "I've got to help. Why!" She exclaimed. "Why isn't Sesshoumaru helping?! I knew we couldn't count on him. He's almost enjoying Inu-Yasha and Miroku being slaughtered from that expression on his face!"
"And Sango, too!" Mikazuki added, her eyes widened with admiration and awe for the demon exterminator. Kagome waited for a moment, then scrambled from the hiding place towards a tree.
"Stay here!" She whispered. The princess sighed. Everybody's telling her to stay in place. She did "stay here" as the girl had ordered her, but it wasn't any good, for trouble came to her instead. The bear had just been demolished by Sango's boomrang and Tetsusaiga when Kagome's arrow whizzed past.
And struck Mikazuki, slicing through the flesh of her arm. Giving a silent cry, she clutched her arm. But she didn't have time to do anything for after hearing her attempted muffle cry, both Inu-Yasha and Miroku were instantly beside her.
"What happened?" Inu-Yasha demanded, shoving Miroku out of the way. Mikazuki's face was pale as she plastered a smile on her face.
"Nothing." She chirped, as light as she could without wincing from pain. "You'd better go, I think Jaken's having a heart attack." They nodded and called to Kagome, asking her if there's a Shikon shard presence in the bear. After making sure they're gone, Mikazuki sunk down behind the border and groaned, feeling the familiar, loathed weakness that she was already feeling.
"Not good…" She muttered, pulling away her hair, where blood was slowly seeping through and gingerly lifting the sheath from her skin. She gasped when she saw the wound, it was ugly, bloody, gruesome. And would most definitely, to poor Mikazuki's dismay, leave a scar.
"—there's no Shikon here." She heard Kagome say with a sigh. "We only need one more shard, and Naraku has it."
Quickly, as quickly as she could, Mikazuki ripped an inner layer of her robe and tied it tightly around the wound. Then she covered it as best as she could with the sleeve.
"Come on, Mikazuki, where are you? Let's get going."
"Coming!" She called, before scrambling to her feet and hurrying toward her brother. However, she was feeling weaker by the moment, and the more she moved the more she felt the lightheadedness. Inu-Yasha was walking ahead, when he suddenly stopped.
…! The scent of blood!
"Mikazuki, are you hurt?" His brows were frowning, a worried expression on his face. Even Sesshoumaru stopped walking and turned to face his sister.
"No." She lied. "It must be someone else." Her brother shrugged.
"It smells like your blood." But he pressured her no more.
Shippo prance on her and had just begun to settle himself on her shoulders, when he spotted something on her upper arm. His sensitive nose twitched, his eyes widened as realization dawned onto him. And before the princess could shush him, he exploded into full panic.
"Blood! There's blood on your shirt, Mikazuki! Your arm!" Inu-Yasha swirled around from ahead and came running up to the petrified kitsune, hysterical at the sight of blood.
"Where?!" He demanded. "Where is it, Mikazuki?!"
"What happened? Let me see your arm." Sesshoumaru was also at her side. Facing her brother, Mikazuki was about to defend for herself. But a wave of dizziness surged through her mind.
"It's nothing much…" Her speech was slurred, but still stubborn. "I don't want you to see it."
"I don't care what you want." The hanyou growled as he took hold of her wrist and pulled back her sleeve, helping himself. She flinched. He saw and gentled his actions. He could tell that it was painful because his sister was biting her lips the whole time he pulled up her sleeves and loosened the blood soaked bandage.
When the wound at least revealed, Inu-Yasha's breath was caught. Even the Lord of the Western Land was speechless. Everyone was horrified.
"Oh God…"
"It's not that bad." She assured them, seeing black through her vision. The last thing she remembered before she passed out was hearing her own voice saying, "I'm sorry…"