See? Told you I'd update in a week. :) Also, thanks to those who reviewed. Glad to see I still have some people reading this thing. :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 36: The Secret of Hisoka

-Start-

One time, when I was just a little kid, I did a belly flop into a pool at a swim party. The immediate effect was equivalent to that of hitting a slab of concrete. My breath was completely knocked out of my body, and for a couple of moments, I couldn't breathe at all.

It was safe to say I was experiencing a similar result right now. I was too stunned to breathe.

The heart monitor began to hum as my heart rate picked up. "What are you talking about?" I finally questioned. "How could we possibly be sisters?"

"Half- sisters," Kikyo quickly corrected. She stood up and walked toward the window, turning away from me. The morning sun was beginning to slant into the room, creeping across the wall in a bright line. Kikyo stared out at the sky. "My mother was your father's mistress," she confessed in a tight voice. "You and I were born on the exact same day, at the exact same time." She turned back to face me, her expression unreadable. "My mother believed that Kagome's soul split in half and settled into each of us, making us true soul sisters."

I continued to stare at her incredulously. "You expect me to believe this?"

"Kagome. We look exactly alike. We could pass for twins."

"And? That proves absolutely nothing." I refused to even consider the notion that my father had a mistress, much less two illegitimate children. "It's just not possible. And where did your mother come up with all these theories?"

"Listen," Kikyo's face suddenly grew hard. "My father is your father. He'd just left our house and was returning home to yours when he was murdered. My mother knew the second his soul left this earth and it nearly killed her then and there. I will never forgive Naraku for what he did to my mother. She died a few years later from a broken heart. She literally could not survive Dad's death."

I shook my head stubbornly. "What was your father's name?"

"Hisoka Higurashi." She pulled two pictures from her pocket and handed them over to me. "I knew you wouldn't believe me, so I brought these."

I stared down at them. One was a family portrait of my mother, father, brother, and me. We'd taken the picture when I was in the fourth grade. Souta was still tiny and I'd been given the vast responsibility of holding him in my lap for the photo. I was smiling very proudly, feeling grown up. My mother and father were standing close behind us.

I tore my eyes away from the scene and forced myself to look at the second photo.

It was just an ordinary picture, the kind where you have to ask some stranger to take it so you can be in the picture also. A young Kikyo and even younger Kaede smiled back at the camera; just behind them stood a beautiful woman with long, black hair and a soft smile. My father stood next to her, his armed draped over her shoulder, holding her close.

No way. I stared closer, noticing the slant of the eyes, the dimple on the left side of his face when he smiled. It was definitely my father.

Anger bubbled up inside of me. How could he do this to Mama? If this picture was legitimate, then it proved that he'd secretly been cheating on Mama for years; making love with another woman, having children with another woman.

I turned my eyes away, looking at the wall, the blanket, the window. Anywhere but the pictures. I couldn't stand it.

"We knew about your family."

I glanced at Kikyo, not quite sure how to react. I was hovering between crying and screaming.

"It didn't bother me to begin with, but as I grew older I started to despise my father and his other family. I hated the fact that he split his time between us, kept our family a secret from his real one."

Well, that certainly explained her immediate hatred towards me when we'd first met nearly 2 years ago. She'd wanted to hurt me any way she could not because of anything I'd done, but simply because of who I was. I was the daughter that lived the life she could never have. I was a part of the other family.

No wonder she'd targeted Inuyasha. What better way to hurt me than to steal away the boy I loved?

Kikyo kept her distance, her eyes burning with intensity as she continued to speak. "My mother loved my father with all her heart, but not once did she try to convince him to leave his wife. She knew what they were doing was wrong, but for some reason she couldn't give him up. Every time he left she seemed to close down a bit, become depressed. It hurt me to see her like that, and I hated him more than anything."

I was beginning to too. My eyes brimmed with angry tears. "Do you know why Naraku killed him?"

Kikyo's eyes flashed at the sudden change in topic. "Our father owed Naraku a debt. He was unable to pay it off in time."

I swiped at my eyes. "What do you mean? What kind of debt?"

"Monetary. Dad wasn't making enough to support two families, so he began to gamble in an underground bar called Black Miasma and wound up involved with a shady bunch. Turns out the shady bunch belonged to Naraku, and after several months, when Dad didn't get enough money to pay off the debt..." She slid a finger across her throat.

I flinched. "How do you know all this?"

Kikyo's eyes fell to the floor. "Five years prior to my mother's death, and just after my father's, a man showed up at our house. He claimed to be Mr. Higurashi's lawyer as well as his closest friend, and explained that he was there to settle his will. My mother was in bad condition, and only getting worse. Dad's death hit her hard. She'd been fired from her job and I was struggling to make ends meet; I was only 12 years old at the time. But this lawyer informed us that Dad had left a large sum of money in our name. We would receive a little every month until the money ran out."

"But I thought Dad was struggling with his money. How could he have left any behind?"

"That was my mother's main concern too. She mistrusted this man deeply. And then there was also the fact that he was not truly human, even though he appeared so. This man was a demon; a dog demon."

My eyes widened in understanding. "Mr. Taisho."

Kikyo nodded. "He took care of us for five years. Gave us money from his own accounts, because my father had left us none. And then my mother died."

We sat in silence for a moment as I allowed Kikyo some time to work through her grief and sort her thoughts. My mind was reviewing everything she'd revealed to me so far. I struggled to find evidence of my father's unfaithfulness. Now that I thought about it though, I could remember him taking a lot of business trips to Kyoto. Most of them seemed to last an entire weekend. And then there were all the nights he would come home well after I'd gone to bed. My mother always waited up for him, keeping his dinner warm.

God. Surely she'd suspected something. How had he gotten away with it for so long?

"Your mother sent me this letter the day before she passed away," a voice rumbled from the doorway. Mine and Kikyo's eyes flicked over to Mr. Taisho in surprise. Neither of us had sensed his approach.

Kikyo stood and took the envelope from him, quickly pulling the letter out. Her eyes darted across the page and grew bright with tears. "So that's how you knew to come get us," she whispered.

I stared at her curiously. "Do you mind if I read it?" She handed the letter over without a word.

Lord Taisho,

By the time you receive this, I will most likely be dead. My health has waned drastically since the last time you came to visit me, and I fear that if I am not dead already, I soon will be.

For five years, Lord Taisho, you have sent my family money, money from your own pocket, and for that, I thank you. It is because of this immense kindness you have shown that I have decided to trust you, even though you are a demon.

Yes, I know that you are a demon. It is nearly impossible for a youkai of your magnitude to hide his aura from a well trained miko's eye, even with a Human Ring. The moment you stepped through my doorway, I'd decided not to give you any information regarding Hisoka.

You claimed to be Hisoka's best friend, and though I doubted you, I now know that you were telling the truth. You have the presence of a strong demon, but your aura does not match the darkness of the one that so often clung to Hisoka.

For years I have held the belief that he was murdered, and to this day, I still do. I believe that he got involved with a dark demon, the kind that kills without a second thought. The only clue I have that might prove my theory correct is a name. Surely you can make use of it. You are an honorable man, and I know you will not let your friend's death go unavenged.

I have but one favor to ask of you, Lord Taisho, in exchange for this dark demon's name.

When I die, my two daughters will have no place to go; Kikyo cannot legally live alone, much less with a younger sibling, and all of my relations are dead. If you were truly Hisoka's good friend, then you know that he had a wife. This is my last wish: Please take my children to this woman.

That is all I ask.

I have told my oldest daughter the name of the demon. She will not reveal the name until she and her sister have arrived on the steps of the Higurashi shrine.

-Midoriko

P.S-Kikyo has inherited my priestess powers. If you attempt to harm her or Kaede in any way, she will purify you. I have taught her well. Do not underestimate her.

I lifted my eyes to Kikyo. "You never showed up."

Kikyo raised her chin. "I refused to go anywhere until Mr. Taisho explained who he was, and what was going on."

"And the moment I mentioned the name Higurashi, she shut down," Mr. Taisho revealed, pushing off the door and moving into the room. "We finally struck a deal, hours later. Kikyo promised to disclose the demon's name only if she and Kaede could have an apartment to themselves and only if she could participate in the investigation."

An apartment in the Tokyo slums made perfect sense then. A teenager could definitely get away with living alone as long as she paid her rent every month.

"So all of this happened just before you enrolled in our high school?" I asked Kikyo.

She nodded.

I glanced at the imposing dog demon that stood at the end of my bed. "And when did Inuyasha get involved?"

"Around the time Kikyo showed up," he answered stoically.

I breathed heavily.

"I swore both Inuyasha and Kikyo to secrecy," Mr. Taisho explained, "and then ordered my son to break off his friendship with you. If he was going to get involved with Naraku, then he needed to stay away from you and your family. It was a form of protection."

Right. I'd figured that out a while ago.

"Of course," he growled, "this proved futile in the long run. Kikyo withheld a very important bit of information from us."

"I did what I could to protect her!" Kikyo lashed out. "I even put a shielding spell on that necklace," she said, pointing to the lock necklace that sat on my bedside table. "Naraku had his eye on her long before I came into the picture. He already knew who she was."

"This is about the Shikon no Tama, isn't it?"

Inuyasha's father sighed and crossed his arms. "What do you know about the Jewel, Kagome?"

"Only what Kikyo has told me," I answered before shifting my gaze to her. "How did your mother know so much about it?"

"She had a diary. It belonged to Great Aunt Kagome. I think Dad gave it to her without even realizing how important it was."

I tried to acclimate myself with the way Kikyo referred to my—our—family members. My family was her family. That meant I had not one, but two new sisters. Kaede was only a few years younger than Souta. Where was she in all this mess?

"Kagome," Mr. Taisho pulled me from my thoughts. "Can you remember what color the Shikon no Tama was when Naraku removed it from your body?"

"Black," I said without hesitation. "Completely black."

"Damn," he cursed softly.

"What color is it supposed to be?"

"It's supposed to be pink," Kikyo answered lowly. "The fact that it's black means that it's tainted." She put a finger to her lip in concentration. "Just another part of Naraku's plan."

Mr. Taisho's golden eyes flicked to her face. "He tainted it?"

Kikyo slowly shook her head. "Kagome did."

I jerked defensively. "I didn't even know the thing was inside of me! How could I have tainted it?"

"Your strong feelings for the wolf demon shifted dramatically that night, didn't they?"

I blushed at the mention of Koga, not really wanting to discuss my screwed up love life with Kikyo and Inuyasha's father.

"You felt angry, betrayed, confused, empty," Kikyo listed, her black eyes boring into mine. "Combine those negative emotions and you've got one tainted Shikon no Tama."

I flashed back to that night, remembering the flurry of emotion and the shocking emptiness inside of me. My heart and mind couldn't keep up with everything Naraku had been telling me. Anger was the only clear emotion I could recall.

I stared at Kikyo without blinking. "Naraku said that I'd made him the most powerful person in the world," I whispered, remembering his words. The strength of the Shikon no Tama was legendary. Naraku could theoretically wreck havoc across the entire planet if he truly wished. I could feel my panic rising.

"You almost did."

"But he has the Shikon no Tama," I said harshly. "How did I not?"

Mr. Taisho reached into his shirt and pulled out a small bottle that was attached to a chain around his neck. A tiny black shard glowed within the container. I shivered from the dark aura it emitted. "He didn't get the entire Jewel."

"How? Where did that come from?" I breathed.

"When Sesshomaru got to you, he immediately knew that something was off. He could faintly detect a darkness coming from within your body. He was able stabilize you until Kikyo arrived, and then she was able to see and remove the Jewel fragment." Mr. Taisho and Kikyo locked eyes. "We think that maybe Naraku fractured the Jewel when he attempted to pull it from you."

I shook my head, knowing exactly what had happened. "It wasn't Naraku."

"Then how?" Kiyko questioned. "Who?"

"Inuyasha."

The demon and miko froze, confusion written on their faces.

"Remember the female wolf demon that helped you a couple of weeks ago? When you and Inuyasha were completely ambushed?"

Kikyo gasped softly as the truth hit her. "That was you, wasn't it? Now it all makes sense. Inuyasha and I couldn't understand how a youkai was able use spiritual powers. You must have slipped the lock necklace on after the fight so we couldn't sense your powers."

Mr. Taisho growled. "You were in the middle of a fight, Kagome?".

"I was in my demon form. I've been training for the past year. I was completely fine. Even after Inuyasha stabbed me."

"He stabbed you?"

I held my hand over my bandaged torso. "In the same exact place as Naraku. He must have accidentally chipped the Jewel and caused a piece to splinter off."

Mr. Taisho carefully studied the Jewel fragment in his hand. "That idiot may have inadvertently saved the entire world," he murmured quietly.

We all sat in silence for a while, pondering over this new revelation. "So what do we do now?" I finally asked.

Mr. Taisho stared at me cautiously, and then sighed. "You're not going to let me send you home are you?"

A slow smile spread across my face. "Never."

He sighed and replaced the Jewel within his shirt. "I thought as much." His gaze slid to Kikyo. "You told her everything?"

She nodded. "She knows as much as we do."

"Then I'll be on my way. Organizing an army takes a lot of time, and even though Naraku doesn't have the entire Jewel, he still has most of it. We're going to have to change our strategy." Inuyasha's father left the room and I found that I could breathe easier without the black presence of the Jewel shard pressing on me.

Kikyo stood and began to make her way toward the door too.

"Thank you," I said.

She paused and turned to face me, a brow arched in question. "For what?"

"The truth. I'm sorry for what my father—our father—did to both of our families. It wasn't fair. But I don't hate you because of his actions. I just wanted to let you know."

"I'm sorry too," she said, bowing her head. "I shouldn't have treated you the way I did. I was upset and frustrated and jealous and I centered all of that on you and your family. It wasn't right. Especially the way I came between you and Inuyasha."

"I know," I said unkindly. "But it certainly made his job easier in the end. Cutting off his ties with me, I mean."

"No," Kikyo said as she walked through the door. "It didn't."

I sat in silence for a moment, confused by her response.

"Do you know where he is?" I called after her.

She sighed and halted again. "I'm not sure, Kagome. But I don't think he wants to see you."

-End-

I'm going to go ahead and map out a family tree for both Kagome's and Inuyasha's families just to clear up any confusion.

Higurashi

Great Aunt Kagome Higurashi (Kagome from the show)(dead) and Grandpa Souta (Souta from the show)(alive) are brother and sister.

Great Aunt Kagome never married nor had children. Grandpa Souta married and had one son: Hisoka Higurashi (dead).

Hisoka Higurashi married and had a daughter (Kagome Higurashi, named after her Great Aunt)(alive) and son (Souta Higurashi, named after his Grandfather)(alive) with his wife (alive).

Hisoka Higurashi also met and had two children with Midoriko Hinode (dead). Their two daughters are named Kikyo Hinode (alive) and Kaede Hinode (alive).

Taisho

In order to preserve the demon line, Sesshomaru (from the show)(alive) mated with a female Inu-youkai and had one son, Ren Taisho (Mr. Taisho)(alive).

Mr. Taisho also mated with a female inu-youkai and had one son, who is named Sesshomaru (alive) after his father.

Mr. Taisho later met and fell in love with Izayoi Azumi (a human)(alive) and together they had one son, Inuyasha (alive). Their inu-hanyou son is named after his Great Uncle Inuyasha (Dead? Alive?).

If you still have any questions about certain details, feel free leave a review or personal message. I'd be glad to answer any of your concerns. J

Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far!

Thanks!

-RedThread