"Wow, it's so pretty!"Serenity exclaimed, blue eyes staring in wonder up at the starry night sky. Streaks of light passed through the darkness periodically, the Moon Princess watching the falling stars intently from her perch on a thick tree branch. InuYasha had a red-clad arm around her waist to ensure she wouldn't fall. Dosei and Luna both stood on the ground at the foot of the tree. The princess of Saturn was watching the falling stars just as intently as Serenity was, but the Mauian beside her was more concerned with the pair above her. She wasn't as suspicious of the hanyou as Tenousei and Kasei were, but she knew how males his age were, regardless of species.
"It's really... romantic, ne, Inu-chan?"Serenity said to the hanyou, a slight blush crossing her features. InuYasha raised a silver eyebrow at the Moon Princess, noticing she was fidgeting slightly.
"Uh... yeah... it is."he said, not knowing what else he could say. The princess turned crystal blue eyes to him, as if expecting him to do or say something else. After nearly a minute of stillness and silence, the Princess' cheeks puffed up as she pouted.
"Inu-chan... you just can't take a hint, can you?"
"Huh?"the hanyou blinked. Had he missed something? Was Serenity mad at him now?
"Oh, you are so oblivious!"the Moon Princess leaned closer. "Are you going to kiss me or not?"
"Huh?"the hanyou's eyes grew wide. The reaction was far from what the Moon Princess had expected, and she immediately backed off. Maybe she'd misinterpreted things after all. Maybe he didn't feel the same way that she did...
"N-Never mind."she stuttered out, averting her gaze to hide the fact that tears were beginning to well in blue eyes. She felt so stupid...
"Serenity..."the hanyou murmured, reaching a hand out to touch her cheek. She hesitantly raised her eyes to look at him, and a moment later he leaned forward, placing his lips against hers. It was the Princess' turn to go wide-eyed, unable to believe this was real. After a few moments, her eyes fluttered closed as satin-covered arms slipped around the hanyou's neck, happily returning the kiss. The kiss eventually broke, and Serenity noted with a smile that the hanyou was blushing just slightly.
"I love you, Inu-chan."the Moon Princess smiled.
"I... I love you too..."
Luna gazed up at the pair as they settled back to watching the meteor shower, Serenity now cradled in the half-breed's arms. Her blue eyes held a sorrowful expression, pitying her Princess. As happy as she was now, Luna knew it couldn't last. The Queen had already chosen who her daughter would wed. And even if she hadn't, she knew there was no way she would allow the Princess to marry a hanyou.
"I know what you're thinking."Dosei murmured to the Mauian. "But for now, shouldn't we just let her be happy?"
"But the longer we allow this to continue, the harder it will be for her when it has to end."Luna said to the smaller girl.
"That may be true."Dosei admit, tucking a strand of long, straight black hair behind her ear as she turned violet eyes up to the happy couple. "But... we should at least let her have these memories to carry with her. To know that she had true love will lessen the pain of what she has to endure."
The Mauian considered the Saturnian's words for a moment. She may be the youngest of the Moon Princess' guards, but she had her moments that made them often think she may also be the wisest. Perhaps she was right. Until the time came for them to do otherwise, they would allow the Princess her happiness.
"You're right, Dosei."the feline woman nodded her head, pushing her wavy black hair over her shoulder as she again turned blue eyes to the happy couple perched in the tree. "I guess it's the least we can do for her..."
xXxXxXx
Rei noticed that Usagi was uncommonly quiet at breakfast. A slight blush seemed to be gracing the blond's cheeks, and her eyes kept drifting over to InuYasha, who himself didn't notice because his gaze kept falling to that mysterious girl who he and Usagi had brought back to the temple with them the previous day. Inuko, she believed she'd said her name was. She found the girl a bit odd too, but right now, she was more concerned for the Moon Princess.
"Usagi."Rei said lowly, nudging the other girl in the side. "What's wrong? You're not usually this quiet."
"I-It's nothing, Rei-chan!"the blond stuttered, her blush growing considerably worse. Rei frowned.
"Then what are you blushing so much about."
"I'm not blushing!"she insisted, though it was clear to anyone with eyes that she was.
"Whatever you say."Rei sighed. She obviously wasn't going to get the blond to spill the beans, so she may as well drop it. But something was definitely up with her.
"So, Inuko-chan!"Kagome said to Inuko, who glanced mismatched eyes in the miko's direction. "Are you from a nearby village?"
"Um... not exactly."Inuko said, smiling softly as if she were keeping a particularly amusing secret to herself. "My home is... very far away from here. I won't be going back anytime soon."
"Oh, I see."Kagome said, wondering about the smil and the vague answer. "Where did you learn to fight? If what InuYasha and Usagi-chan said is true, that's very impressive for a girl your age."
"My Papa taught me."Inuko's smile immediately shifted from secretive to proud. "He's the best fighter ever, nobody can beat him! Except maybe Mama, but she doesn't exactly use normal tactics."
"Oh?"Sango looked to the girl curiously. "What sort of tactics does your mother use?"
A guilty look now crossed the girl's face, as if she had said something she shouldn't have.
"Um... it's kinda a family secret. Can't tell ya. Sorry."
Rei frowned. More secrets. This girl was just getting more and more mysterious as time passed. Even when they would get the answer to one question, it just led to more questions rising.
"So,"Inuko was quick to change the subject. "What are you all traveling for?"
"We're trying to find Usagi-chan's friends, and the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama."Kagome answered without a second thought, not seeming to think there was any danger in telling the girl this.
"I see..."Inuko murmured, idly stroking Cynthia's fur as the kitten sat in her lap. "Maybe I could help. I'm not really doing anything else. I'm just on a training journey really, trying to grow stronger."
"That sounds like a good idea to me, especially if she's as tough as you guys say she is."Makoto said, looking to Usagi and InuYasha.
"Y-yeah."Usagi nodded, still looking flustered. "Inuko-chan is really amazing. She was able to take all those bandits down easy without even drawing her sword."she turned blue eyes to the hanyou, her blush seeming to worsen. "What do you think, Inu-chan?"
InuYasha frowned slightly. He couldnt' deny that Inuko was a surprisingly good fighter for a thirteen-year-old girl, but at the same time she was exactly that: a thirteen-year-old girl. He knew from experience traveling with Kagome so long how moody teenage girls could get at the drop of a hat, for no apparent reason. Besides that, he didn't like how she seemed to be keeping so many secrets. He didn't think she was a threat, she definitely smelled human, and neither Miroku nor Rei sensed any malicious energy from her, but what reason could she have to keep so much to herself?
"I dunno."the hanyou said. "This group's already getting pretty crowded."
"InuYasha."Kagome frowned. "What difference does that make? We need all the help we can get, and if she's offering, I say we take it!"
"I agree."Sango backed up her friend, to which the other's all nodded, save for Rei who really didn't care either way.
"Fine."he let out a defeated sigh.
xXxXxXx
"That was surprisingly easy."Inuko said to herself as she sat on the futon of her borrowed room in the shrine.
"Yes, but you need to watch what you say."Cynthia said, giving her companion a stern look. "If you're not careful, you could give away who we really are!"
"It was one little slip!"Inuko stuck her tongue out at the kitten. "Besides, the Guardian said it's not a necessity to keep it secret, just preferable. It just makes things easier. Hell, if I wanted to I could walk up to them right now and tell them everything, and it wouldn't make a difference. In fact, it might be easier. I hate keeping secrets."
"But you promised your mother you wouldn't say anything unless you had to."
Inuko sighed. "Alright, you got me there..."
The girl crossed her arms behind her head, flopping back on the futon. She stared up at the ceiling with mismatched eyes, not truly seeing as her mind was elsewhere.
"I wonder how everyone else is doing..."she murmured.
"I'm sure everyone's fine."Cynthia stated with a stretch of her back.
"I'm worried about Maia though..."Inuko sighed. "Those anti-hanyou groups are starting to get out of hand."
"That's true, but you know if anyone lays a hand on her, her father will rip them to pieces."the cat giggled. Inuko smiled softly.
"Yeah, you're right. He'd tear them limb from limb for touching his little heiress."she let out a little sigh. "I just hope we can wrap this up soon so we can go home."
"You mean so you can see Sora-kun?"the cat said slyly. Inuko blushed bright red, immediately chucking her futon's pillow at the kitten.
"Sh-shut up, Cynthia!"
xXxXxXx
Another week passed with no serious events one could report to anyone who wondered at their progress. A few weak youkai were decimated with little incident, none of them posing any real threat, or carrying any of the limited remaining shikon shards that either they or Naraku didn't already hold.
By the end of the eighth day, they had stumbled across a bustling town, one of the larger they had come across. It was almost, but not quite, large enough to warrant the title of city.
"We should stick together, so no one gets lost."Kagome stated. Although she phrased it as if talking to the group, Inuko frowned as she got the distinct impression that she was being singled out personally.
She always says 'we' when she means ME. she thought almost sulkily.
"Kagome-chan, you worry too much!"Usagi said with a wide smile, turning so she could speak to the others while continuing down the path, walking backwards.
"No one is going to get lo-"
"Serenity, watch o-!"InuYasha began, but too late. The blond collided with another woman on the street, sending them both sprawling to the ground and the items the other had been carrying scattering into the dirt.
"OWIE!"Usagi whined, rubbing the back of her head where it had knocked against the stranger's shoulder during the collision.
"I'm sorry!"the other exclaimed hurriedly, even though the entire incident had been entirely the blond's fault. "Are you al-?"
The woman's question cut off, and Usagi turned to see what was wrong. Blue eyes widened, settling on a matching pair in an equally shocked face.
"Ami-chan!"Usagi exclaimed, launching herself at her friend and clinging to her. She barely registered the fact that the blue-haired genius was not wearing the clothes she'd last seen her in, but a blue yukata, no doubt to blend in and not stand out in her new environment.
"Usagi-chan. Rei-chan. Makoto-chan."Ami murmured softly, seeming nothing short of shocked to see her friends. "I... I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
As the reality of the situation settled into the Senshi, her shock melted away into a relieved smile as she finally returned Usagi's hug.
"Leave it to Usagi to find you by having a klutz attack and slamming into you."Makoto laughed. Rei sighed and rubbed her temples in mild irritation. Once again, Usagi was clinging to one of the others without waiting for her go-ahead that it was safe. Thankfully this time she clearly sensed it WAS safe, but what was she supposed to do if she did the same thing again next time and it WASN'T?
xXxXxXx
"And that about sums everything up."Rei concluded after filling Ami in on all the details of what had happened in the month and a half they'd been separated. Ami had a grim expression on her face, her arms tightening around the items she'd re-gathered from the ground during the explanation.
"I see..."she murmured. "Hotaru-chan, Haruka-san, and Michiru-san are all again us then?"
"That's right."Rei nodded.
Ami's eyes drifted then to Mamoru, who had been leaning silently against a nearby shop with a rather... uninterested expression. Almost like a child who had been dragged to a business meeting with his father, and was now regretting that he hadn't thought to bring his GameBoy with him.
"He hardly seems at all like Mamoru-san."she observed. "How long has it been?"
"A little over two weeks."the miko stated.
"Has he shown any signs of getting his memories back?"
"Not yet."
A sullen silence fell, eventually broken by Usagi.
"So Ami-chan! What have you been doing this whole time?"
"Oh!"Ami's head snapped up at that, as if she had just remembered something very important that she had forgotten. "That's right, I have to get back!"
"Back?"Makoto blinked. "Back where?"
"It's a long story, I'll tell you when we get there!"
xXxXxXx
"Ami-san, you haven't been living in the woods this whole time have you?"Sango questioned as Ami walked quickly down a barely visible path through a wooded area, the rest of the group following her. She very much doubted her own statement by the neat and well-kept condition of the girl's kimono, but one never knew...
"Not exactly."Ami stated, smiling when the sounds of a child's laughter could be heard ahead.
"Luna-chan, I'm gonna get you!"a little girl's voice could be heard.
"You had Luna with you?"Usagi said in surprised, elated to have found two of her friends at once.
"Yes, we were together when we woke up."Ami nodded. "Most likely because she'd been in my lap when we were sent here."
A short while later, Ami stepped into a clearing in the forest.
"I'm back!"
"Ami-nee's back!"exclaimed the girl who had been playfully chasing Luna around the fire pit, stopping her chase to run up to the elder. InuYasha's eyes grew wide as they fell on the girl. If she was here, then that meant...
"Sorry I took so long, Rin-chan."Ami smiled at the girl. "I ran into some friends of mine."
Rin's eyes drifted up to the group curiously.
"Oh, it's InuYasha-sama and his friends! But I don't know you... or you... or you or you or you."
"Usagi!"Luna rushed forward, immediately leaping into the blond's arms.
"Luna! Oh, I was so worried!"Usagi exlaimed, hugging the cat as tightly as she could without crushing her tiny frame.
"I was worried about you, too! I didn't think you'd be able to survive in this place alone."
"Oh, but I wasn't alone. I was with Inu-chan the whole time!"
"Inu-chan?"the cat blinked before her gaze fell to InuYasha. A sharp intake of breath came from the cat.
"You!"
"Ah, so one of you finally actually remembers me."InuYasha said lazily, folding his arms behind his head. "Long time, no see. So I see you're now in cahoots with my brother."
"Sesshoumaru-sama is your brother?"Ami questioned as she neatly set the gathered supplies near the fire.
"Half-brother."InuYasha corrected.
"Ami-nee, we should start dinner!"Rin said excitedly.
Ami nodded to the little girl, giving her instructions on how to prepare the meal she'd bought supplies for.
"You seem to have gotten pretty attached to this kid."Makoto observed.
"It's not 'kid'."Rin said, puffing her cheeks out. "It's Rin."
The brunette laughed. "My bad. Sorry, Rin-chan. My name's Makoto."she jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "That's Usagi, Rei, Mamoru, and Inuko. And I'm guessing you already know InuYasha's gang."
"Um... Ami-san..."Kagome began hesitantly, the blue-haired Senshi turning to her. "If you don't mind me asking... how exactly did you end up with Sesshoumaru?"
"Oh, that."Ami stood from where she'd been crouched by the fire with Rin, brushing some dirt from her yukata. "Well, it was a few days after I'd woken up here..."
xXxXxXx
"It's been four days, Luna."Ami murmured to the cat perched in her lap. The bluenette was leaning against a tree while seated on the forest floor, resting from her aimless travels. "And we still haven't found any of the other Senshi. I'm worried..."
"We're bound to find them sooner or later."Luna said encouragingly. "We may not have been brought to the same place, but I'm sure we were all brought to the same time. We were all transported simultaneously, and the Garnet Rod can't transport to multiple times at once."
Ami nodded in agreement, but it only did a little to ease her mind. It didn't change the fact that this place was far more dangerous than modern day Tokyo, even when they hadn't been in times of peace. She'd already had to fight half a dozen youkai on her own, and while they had been small fry that she had easily felled with a combination of the Shabon Spray and Aqua Illusion, she was sure that there were much stronger, more threatening youkai out there. Luna's memories of the Earth during the time of the Silver Millennium supported that theory, though the cat also stated it was a possibility that they had thinned out some, if the complete lack of youkai in their present was any indication.
"Kyaa!"
Ami's head snapped up at the sound of a scream, sounding like it had come from a little girl.
"That's not good!"Ami quickly stood, the cat spilling out of her lap but landing gracefully on her feet before both rushed in the sound of the scream. Ami ignored the branches whipping and snapping at her face and arms, eventually finding the source of the sound. A little girl was on the ground trembling, staring up at a large wolf-like demon that stalked toward her. But what surprised Ami was the fact that there was a second demon, and it wasn't attacking the girl. On the contrary, its stance seemed to indicate it was defending her.
Though to be more accurate, it was more like he was TRYING to defend her, and more like because he had been ordered to rather than truly wanting to. The imp-like creature didn't look very strong at all, and Ami held no illusions that it could defeat the snarling beast before him.
"Oh, why did Lord Sesshoumaru have to leave now of all times?"the demon was whining to himself.
"Ami-chan!"Luna exclaimed.
"Right."Ami nodded, her Crystal Change Rod appearing in her hand. "Mercury Crystal Power! Make Up!"
In a rush of silver water and bubbles, Sailor Mercury had taken the place of the normal high school student. She rushed forward as the wolf youkai began to advance toward the girl and her small protector.
"Shabon Spray!"
The area was quickly engulfed in a fog of bubbles, the youkai stopping its assault as it lost sight of its target.
"Wh-what in the world?"exclaimed the imp-like demon.
"Are you alright?"Mercury asked, kneeling down beside the girl. The girl fearfully looked up at the blue-clad woman.
"Wh-who are you?"
"My name is Sailor Mercury."the Senshi said with a smile before looking to Luna. "Luna, stay with the girl."
"Right."the cat nodded, the girl's eyes widening at hearing a cat talking. Mercury stood and strolled over beside the imp.
"You're protecting the girl?"she questioned, her eyes remaining on the wolf so she would be ready when its vision returned.
"I don't need help from a human, especially not a human woman!"
Mercury sighed at the expected answer.
"I'm sure you don't. But since I'm here anyway, I may as well help."
The wolf snarled, the bubbles beginning to clear somewhat.
"Shine Aqua Illusion!"
The youkai swiped a massive paw and batted the attack away as if it had been nothing more than a splash of river water. Mercury's eyes widened in shock. This one was stronger than the ones she'd already fought these past few days. Her bravado from moments before immediately slipped away. She wasn't so sure now if she could handle this...
The thought had barely crossed her mind, when suddenly what appeared to be a whip of light snapped through the air, twining around the youkai's neck. It yowled furiously, jerking its head back and forth in an attempt to get loose.
"Lord Sesshoumaru!"the little girl exlcaimed, a relieved tone in her voice. The Senshi's eyes followed the path of the strange whip to fall upon another hanyou, more humanoid than either of the other two. He could almost pass fully for human, if not for his claws, the markings on his face, and the strange pigmentation of his hair and eyes.
"A dai-youkai..."Luna murmured warily.
"Jaken, I thought I told you to protect Rin. You couldn't handle this without the help of a human woman?"
"I didn't ask for her help!"the imp exclaimed. "She just jumped in!"
As the short conversation had occurred, the enemy youkai saw its chance. With a jerk of it's front, it slashed a large paw at the silver-haired youkai which had entrapped it. He immediately jumped back, but his distraction in scolding his servant had made him a half-step too slow. He got away with no signifigant injuries, but the claws grazed across his left arm, digging in and leaving for deep slashes in his flesh which quickly swelled and stained his white kimono sleeve with blood.
"Lord Sesshoumaru!"
"Ami-chan, now!"Luna exclaimed, hoping the youkai's distraction with the new-comer would allow Mercury to land a finishing blow.
"Right! Mercury! Aqua Rhapsody!"
The wolf began to turn, but wasn't in time to avoide the attack rocketing into him. The purifying power of the harmless-looking water made it feel like scorching flames, and the youkai howled in pain as its body began to fail. It took a few unsteady steps after the torrent finally stopped, but quickly collapsed to the ground, letting out a pained whine before its scarlet eyes sliding closed.
"Wow..."the little girl whispered in shock. She'd never seen a human do anything like that before. She had felt certain that only youkai were capable of that sort of power.
Mercury let out a relieved breath, finally relaxing her stance as the dai-youkai approached. He barely glanced at her before walking straight past her and to the girl she had been protecting.
"Are you alright, Rin?"
"I'm fine. But your arm..."
"I can help."Mercury said. He immediately gave her a look that said she needed to stay out of it and go away. But she got the feeling he was more irritated that he'd allowed himself to me injured than angry with her.
"I've studied medicine."she said as her fuku faded into her street clothes. "I can take a look, and most likely tend to it."
"Lord Sesshoumaru..."the little girl said in an urging tone. He let out an annoyed breath before stating simply,
"Very well."
Ami smiled, approaching the youkai and carefully rolling up his kimono sleeve. The wounds were definitely bad by human standards, but she didn't think they were that bad for him. But either way, they needed to be properly cleaned and bandaged. She turned to the messenger bag hanging over her hip, opening the flap and reaching inside. She was thankful that she'd had her bag with her at the temple when she'd been pulled here, even more thankful that her first aid kit was among the things she'd had in it.
"This might sting a little."she said as she tore open the packet of a disinfecting wipe. She carefully ran the medication-soaked cloth over the wounds, and her patient didn't even flinch. She wondered if it didn't sting at all, or if he just wasn't one to express such things.
"If you were human, you'd definitely need stitches."she said as she reached into her bag again. "But since you're not, they should heal up fine on their own as long as we keep them from getting infected."
With that, she began wrapping a layer of white gauze around the wounds, winding the bandages along his entire forearm before carefully tying it off.
"There. You should be fine as long as you keep it cleaned and covered."
He made a sound of affirmation, which Ami suspected was the closest she would get to a thank you. That was fine with her. She'd probably never see him again anyway.
"That was amazing!"Rin exclaimed, looking up at Ami in awe. "I thought only youkai like Lord Sesshoumaru had that kind of power!"
"O-Oh, it was nothing."Ami tried to insist as Luna leapt up onto her shoulder.
"Sailor Mercury isn't your real name, is it?"the girl pressed on. "What's your real name?"
Ami paused, but figured it didn't make much difference. No one in this era knew her, no one would attack anyone to find out who she was. It couldn't do any harm.
"My name is Ami."she answered finally. She didn't bother giving her last name, knowing that in this era few people outside normal families even had a last name.
"My name's Rin."the girl smiled brightly before turning to the dai-youkai. "Lord Sesshoumaru, we should have Ami-nee come with us! She's a big help, isn't she?"
"Ami-nee...?"Ami murmured to herself, unabled to help a small smile. No one had ever called her that before.
Sesshoumaru looked the girl over calculatingly. He wasn't fond of humans, but he couldn't deny she would be useful. She had much more power than her slight frame would lead one to believe, and her knowledge of medicine would certainly be helpful. He doubted he'd have any major injuries for her to tend to, but Rin was much less sturdy than he was. Being a human and so young, she was susceptible to injury and illness out on the road. He knew little about how to tend to such problems, and was thankful it had not yet occurred. But he held no illusions that that would last forever.
And all that aside, Rin had obviously grown quite attached to her quite quickly. They'd known eachother less than fifteen minutes, and the child already apparantly thought of her as a sister.
"Very well."he finally conceded. "Maybe you can do a better job of looking after Rin than Jaken does."
"But, my lord!"Jaken immediately began arguing.
xXxXxXx
"And that's pretty much how it happened."Ami concluded, giving a stir to the stew Rin had helped her prepare as she'd talked.
InuYasha scoffed. "He let himself get hurt by a weakling like that?"
Ami gave the hanyou a displeased look, but said nothing. She knew full well just how strong the dai-youkai was, had witnessed him easily take out many more stronger youkai in the weeks since she'd joined him. His strength spoke for itself, she didn't need to justify it to this person she hardly even knew.
"When's Sesshoumaru supposed to be back, anyway?"InuYasha questioned.
"Sometime tomorrow."Ami answered, handing Rin a bowl of stew which she immediately began eating enthusiastically.
"Ami-nee, you're such a good cook!"
Ami chuckled. "I'm not that good. You should try Makoto-chan's cooking sometime."she then turned to the rest of the group. "It's getting late. You should stay here tonight."
xXxXxXx
"Are you serious?"Makoto gasped, wide green eyes staring at Usagi. The Moon Princess had just confided her newest dream to her and Ami. She had specifically waited until Rei was distracted elsewhere-as it turned out, the needed distraction had been that she had needed to use the restroom- because she knew how the miko felt about InuYasha. She would not have liked hearing this newest revelation.
"But that doesn't make sense."Ami frowned in confusion. "If you were in love with InuYasha so soon before that night, then..."
"That's what's had me so confused."Usagi murmured, her eyes drifting to the hanyou in question, who was holding a hushed conversation with Luna. "I mean, I remember being in love with Endymion. But when I think back on those old memories now... something doesn't feel right. Before he lost his memory, I talked with Mamo-chan about it, and he agrees that some of these memories have to be... fake. But the question is, WHICH memories?"
"That's a good question."Makoto stated, looking thoughtful. "Well... have you talked to InuYasha about any of these memories."
"Most of them, yeah."
"This newest one?"the brunette grinned mischievously, causing the petite blond to blush.
"N-no, not yet..."
"Well then, maybe you should."
"I... I'm not ready to ask him about that. I want to figure this out myself."
"Well, suit yourself."Makoto shrugged.
xXxXxXx
"So how is it you remember me when none of the others do?"InuYasha asked the cat who sat beside him, his gold eyes gazing around the clearing and falling across each member of his and his brother's groups.
"Artemis and I have much more complete memories than Usagi and the others."Luna stated. "Unlike the others, we didn't die and were reborn. We were put into stasis, awakening when it was time to revive the others' memories. We don't have complete recollection either though, but much more than the girls."
"So then do you remember...?"
"Your relationship with Serenity? Yes. I was there the first time after all."the cat gave a teasing grin to the hanyou.
"When..."he hesitated, not sure how best to finish the question, or if he truly wanted to know the answer. "When did she die? And how?"
Luna sighed. She knew he'd be asking that one. "About a month before her fifteenth birthday. The Moon Kingdom was attacked. There were no survivors."
InuYasha felt a tightening in his chest.
I should have been there. he thought to himself. I should have been there to protect her...
But being given that answer hadn't answered the question that had been eating at him all these centuries. As soon as he'd met Usagi, he'd consoled himself with the thought that Serenity's visits had stopped due to her death, not because she had abandoned him. But the attack that had taken her life was a full four months after she had suddenly stopped coming to see him.
"Why didn't she come back?"he asked.
"That... I don't know."the cat frowned, wracking her memory to try and recall. "All I remember is that one day she was suddenly very agreeable to her engagement, almost happy to marry him. But then there were some political issues, and the Queen ended the engagement. But that didn't stop the Princess. It was almost as if..."the cat suddenly seemed concerned as the proper way to word the Princess' behavior suddenly occurred to her. "... as if he were you. That's the way she acted about him..."
"As if he were me?"the hanyou frowned. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know how to explain it. She would sneak out of the palace to meet him, just as she did with you. She would always talk with me and the rest of her guards about him, just like she always talked about you."
"But... why would she do that?"
"I don't know. It doesn't make sense."the cat seemed confused at her own recollections, and she started to wonder if she was remembering things correctly.
The hanyou turned his gaze to the golden-haired Princess, who was whispering to Ami and Makoto about something or another. Luna was right, it didn't make sense. Serenity had not been the type to simply suddenly change her preferences like that. If she said she loved someone, that sentiment remained with her forever. Even if that affection were to slip away from the romantic, she would still do everything in her power to be sure that the person remained a dear friend, and she certainly wouldn't start acting like they were non-existant.
She said she loved me. And Serenity is not the type of woman to lie about that, or suddenly make it irrelevent. Something must have happened. Someone must have done something to her. The question is who and what?
xXxXxXx
Sesshoumaru could almost say he felt a migrain coming on, if he were the type to admit to such trivialities. When he had returned with Jaken and Ah-Un to where he had left Ami and Rin, he had expected to only find his ward and the woman he had entrusted her care to. He had certainly not expected to find his brother and his group, along with a handful more people he was not familiar with.
The dai-youkai gave Ami a disapproving look, and the girl quickly explained her reasoning. Three of the unfamiliar women with InuYasha, as well as the man, were among the friends she had been hoping to find the entire time they had been together. He supposed he couldn't fault her then for allowing them to stay.
"So then you are going to go with my brother?"the dai-youkai questioned. Ami looked uncertain at that, her hand on Rin's shoulder as the child clung to her blue yukata.
"Ami-nee, I don't want you to go."Rin said with big, tear-filled eyes.
"Rin-chan..."Ami murmured softly as she looked down to the child. She had grown very attached to the little girl having been with her so long, and she would even venture to say she felt the same about Sesshoumaru and Jaken, though to very different degrees than to the child, and even to one another. But at the same time, it was her duty to stay with and protect Usagi.
Usagi could tell Ami was agonizing over what to do. She was sure that Ami felt the same way about Sesshoumaru's group as she did about InuYasha's. When she thought of having to leave them behind, she couldn't bear it. Ami must feel the exact same way. She could think of only one way to solve this without anyone being hurt...
"Sesshoumaru-sama."Usag spoke up, approaching the dai-youkai. Gold eyes feel to her with an irritated expression. She noted they were the exact same color as InuYasha's, but they had a much colder air to them. She gathered up her courage and continued.
"Why don't we just comine our groups? We're all working to defeat Naraku, so it makes sense."
"What?"InuYasha exclaimed, shocked at the idea of having his brother in his travel party. Never mind the fact that there was certainly no love lost between him and his brother, if they were together there would be a repeated power struggle, neither of them willing to listen to the other on anything.
"That's a great idea!"Rin said immediately. "Oh, please, Lord Sesshoumaru! I don't want Ami-nee to go away!"
The dai-youkai looked down at the puppy dog eyes the human child was giving him, while Usagi simultaneously cast the same look on InuYasha. Ami was also looking at Sesshoumaru hopefully, though not in the same exaggerated fashion as the other two.
In unison, both brothers' eyes turned to one another, neither looking pleased to even be in eachother's presence. How in the hell were they going to solve this one?
xXxXxXx
Author Notes:
That's right, I finally figured out what the hell to do with this chapter! It wasn't exactly writer's block like with Sakura Senshi, but more the fact that I had to scrap my original plan for the chapter and start from scratch again...
Yes, I know Luna's eyes are brown. HOWEVER, in her human form in the anime, and even in colored sketches of her human form in the manga, they change to blue.
As I was typing the conversation between Inuko and Cynthia, I started thinking a little bit about how their voices should sound. I more or less imagine Inuko as being voiced by Chiaki Omigawa (Maka of Soul Eater), and Cynthia by Emiri Kato (Blair also of Soul Eater) for Japanese voices. For English, I'm thinking for Inuko, Michelle Ruff (somewhere between her Yukari of Persona 3 voice and her Ashley of Time Hollow voice) and for Cynthia, Stephanie Sheh (Orihime of Bleach). Forgive my little rant, but I spent like an hour deciding on this and I figured rather than having wasted time with info only I'd know I'd at least let you guys know it... I've actually added voice actor info to my deviantArt journal entry pertaining to info for the story's original characters, but I haven't completely decided on all of them just yet.
And yes, that little bit at the beginning of the segment right before bumping into Ami was just my little semi-fourth-wall-breaking smart-asserry. XD
Yes, I realize a month and a half seems like a long time. But one must take into consideration that towns in feudal Japan weren't just "a few hours' walk" like modern times. They were greatly spaced, taking days and sometimes even weeks between them. Plus, there's the fact that they're passing through more towns than the ones I specifically chronicle, they're just not explicitly stated as nothing happens in them beyond buying supplies and spending a night or two in an inn or house acquisitioned (not even sure I spelled that right...) by Miroku.
And I am having so much fun with these little lines of comparing Mamoru to a child in a given situation. XD
And I appear in the story! XD Okay, lame joke... My friends have called me Rin since I was fifteen because I'm a Sesshoumaru fangirl. Of all my random anime-related nicknames, it's the one that's stuck with me the longest, and I still use it. Also, for those unfamiliar with Japanese, when Rin calls Ami 'Ami-nee', it basically means 'Big Sister Ami'.
For those who only know dub attack names:what the dub calls Bubbles Blast was originally Shabon (Bubble) Spray.
If the phrase existed back then, we know InuYasha and Sesshoumaru would both be thinking 'fuck my life!' lol I ended it on a cliffy basically because I haven't decided yet for myself how they're going to resolve this. I'd actually like to see feedback from my reader's on the subject to help me make my decision.
And yet more questions to answer! (I always have fun with this section w) Most are again from Atea-chan, which means she's the one paying most attention ^.~
1.So Izanami & Izanagi are from the future? I just checked your journal on
Deviantart. How come Kikyo isn't in in your list of characters? Wasn't she in
one of your trailers on YouTube?
Yes, Nami and Nagi (which I lazily call them for short) are from the future, and while not blood-related to her, Inuko considers them her cousins. Any details beyond that will be left for later (though to be honest there are further details on the Crystal Moon Original Characters entry in my journal, but that whole entry has HUGE spoilers for all my original characters). As for Kikyo, she's one of a few characters I'm actually not sure yet as to whether or not they will appear, the others being Kouga and his entourage. I'd definitely like to include them, but I'll have to see if I can work them in without doing something like tossing them in randomly where I could have done fine without them. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to manage bringing Sesshoumaru's group in either. This chapter was originally plotted nowhere NEAR where it ended up, and in fact had nothing to do with him until I was brainstorming how to change the chapter because it needed to be changed after the change I did to the Shattered Memories chapter.
2.That reminds me of another question I've been meaning to ask. How are the
scouts' families and friends reacting to their disappearance? I mean, they've
been gone for about a month now. They must be worried sick! Could Kagome bring
them through the Bone-Eater's Well so they can let their families and friends
know that they're okay...?
To be honest... that was something that had totally slipped my mind, and I am SO glad you brought it up. Kagome could visit their families for them, but it's been made clear in InuYasha (the video games at least...) that you can only return to the present through the well if that was the way you got to the Feudal Era in the first place. The main characters in Secret of the Cursed Mask (Kaname or Michiru Kururugi) and Secret of the Divine Jewel (Janis) were both from Kagome's era. Janis was able to go back and forth with the well, because that was how she got there in the first place, but Kururugi just fell to the bottom, because s/he was brought there by completely different means.
3.So Inuyasha met Luna & Artemis in their human forms five-hundred years ago? Do
Luna and Artemis remember anything about Inuyasha's involvement with Princess
Serenity back during the Silver Millennium...?
Hopefully, this chapter answered that question for me lol
4.So that girl's name is Inuko? I wonder why she seems so nervous around
Inuyasha & Serena. Does she know them in the future?
Without giving away too much, I'll just say that yes, she does know them. And that's all I'll say.
5.If Naraku really did just enhance the Outers' negative emotions for Serena,
then how come Hotaru didn't say anything degrading about her? She just acted
like a power-hungry psycho. She kinda reminded me of Mistress 9 at the time...
Basically, because the primary annoyance amplified in Hotaru's case is the fact that she has such unlimited destructive power... and isn't allowed to use ANY of it. She always felt inadequate in battle because she was forbidden from using any of her real attacks, only allowed to rely on her glaive. While we know this is because it would kill her, and it isn't Usagi's fault, Naraku's manipulation has shifted her thoughts that way.
6.how could Naraku have know that the Outer Scouts aren't as close to
Serena as the Inner Scouts are? He hasn't even met them before they came to
this time! Right...?
He initially didn't know. However, the first Senshi he gained control of filled him in on all the details. The first Senshi he controlled was Saturn, his reasoning being just in the power she holds, and it was through her information that he learned that his best chances were in the Outers, and that the Inners should be best kept for later...
7.So Naraku keeps calling the controlled scouts back so he can keep torturing
Serena? ! Ugh, I should've known! ! That creep completely enjoys making people
suffer for his own amusement! ! But why do I get the feeling that he's
torturing her for some other reason besides his own amusement and to show how
powerful they are because they're controlled by him? It feels like all the
times he's tortured Inuyasha and his friends. It feels sort of... personal...
Oh, it's personal all right. But that shall be elaborated on fairly soon.
8.wouldn't the Silver Crystal be able to break whatever spell Naraku's
using to manipulate the Outer's emotions? And if Serena did purify the Jewel
Shared they have, wouldn't they still retain their "Shikon Senshi" forms,
albeit they be "Dark Shikon Forms" anymore...?
While the Shards they carry aren't responsible for the control on them, Naraku's own powers are boosted by the nearly complete Jewel fragment he himself carries. The Shikon Jewel and Ginzuishou are about equal in power, and trying to break its control would be a constant tug of war of power, likely to end in the Ginzuishou shattering, with no absolute guarantee that it would have broken the spell in the first place. Purifying individual shards is a possibility, but Naraku would simply call them back again and replace the purified shard with another corrupted one.
9.Why would Naraku need Serena alive? Just what twisted plan has that bastard
come up with this time...?
A dastardly plan that involves revenge and yet more screwing with everyone's emotions... y'know, the usual stuff with Naraku.
And lastly is my response to what is actually just a comment, not so much a question.
i wanted to comment about the Ginzuishou. It's only the lunarian royal blood
line who can use the ginzuishou that does not stop others from trying to get
there hands on it and trying to use it though, they will fail the only best
way to actually get it to work is the princess.. getting Usagi to do what they
want.
While only the heir can truly USE it, it's still possible to draw energy from it, which is what the little random demons are intending to do. Naraku's plans are different of course, which is exactly why he needs Usagi alive and hasn't allowed the Outers to kill her.
