A/N: See? two chapters right off the bat! I promised I would finish this story and I intend to keep that promise.

The next few days were consistent for Sari. She woke up and got ready for the day, studied with Jaken, had tea with Kagome, studied on her own some more, had dinner with the family, got ready for bed, then snuck outside of the castle walls for some self training. She did not want her father to find her, so she used her miko powers she inherited from Kagome to hide her aura. She sparred alone for hours, until just before sunrise. She then returned home and rested for a couple of hours until the servants woke up and helped her to begin her day all over again.

The servants loved Sari. She was never demanding and very kind, always asking how they were feeling, how their families were back home, and other things most Ladies did not care about. She never let them overtax themselves when they were under the weather, and always made sure they had a break when they needed one. They understood that while she looked very emotionless and cold on the outside, Sari was a very warm person, much like her mother.

It was now the day of the arrival of the Southern Lord and his family, so Sari made sure to keep herself extremely busy so she would not be constantly looking for them. It was morning time and she was listening to Jaken ranting about demon customs she already knew by heart.

"'When a demon saves the life of another demon, especially one of royal blood, that demon is owed a debt of life. That can equate to any one wish that is equal to the magnitude of what the demon who was saved is worth.'" Jaken quoted from a scroll that she'd read many times.

The real studying was figuring out how to control her instinctual urges to toss him out of the window.

"You miserable little cur! How dare you ignore me! Do you know how much time I waste on a daily basis trying to teach you what you shall never be able to accomplish? The very least you could do is to pay attention! What if I told your father about you running away from your studies-" Jaken was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was a guard that had come to inform Sari of their guest's arrival. Sari promptly stood up and ordered Jaken to take care of the mess before heading out to the gates to meet her family to greet Lord Koga, Lady Ayame, and Prince Yoru.

Seiya smiled at her as she stepped down the hall and the stairs to the main doors where they were all waiting for her. Kagome hung on Sesshoumaru's arm and they watched as a cloud of dust grew near. Sari paid her brother no attention as she stared out and waited to hear-

"Hey, you dogs! The party has arrived!" Koga said with a laugh as he stopped in front of them all. "Princess Sari, congratulations on becoming a real Lady. I'm sure you'll choose the perfect mate," he said and she quietly thanked him. Ayame was next, giving her a little hug. Koga grinned and they went on to greet the other members of the family one by one. Sari didn't pay attention to them, though. Her eyes were locked onto Yoru. It had been almost six months since she had seen him last, and she loved it every time.

He looked a lot like Koga, sharing his green eyes and sharp grin. His hair was short and mostly black as well, except for the red bangs he got from his mother. He also had small metal hoop earrings that trailed up his left ear, that accented the grey fur tuffs on his shoulders of the body armor he wore, much like Koga as well.

"It's been a while, Sari," Yoru said, the words sounding silky and deep for his throat, piercing into her and making her long for him once more.

"It has," she conceded. "How have you been fairing?"

"Very well. Our lands are generous to our tribes, and the cat demons have seemed to give up trying to take our territory since that last attack three years ago."

"Very well, indeed." She couldn't look away from those beautiful green eyes. His eyes and his voice made her feel weak inside. She knew that it was love she felt every time he looked at her and she knew he could feel it from her in return every time.

Unknown to them, Seiya was watching and could see there was something strange going on between the two of them. He would let it go for now, he decided, but later Sari would have to explain it for him.

"Come," Sesshoumaru said, welcoming them into their home. They all walked in together, none of them noticing Koga's servant and tribe members Ginta and Hakaku trailing behind, panting and holding luggage.

Much later that night, after most everyone had gone to sleep after a rowdy dinner and welcoming for Lord Koga's family, Sari was in the stable, visiting Ah and Un once more. When she was stressed or bored Ah and Un always made her feel better. They constantly bickered between themselves, but Sari knew that they had a balance between them, something that she feared her miko side and demon side would never find.

Something she had never told anyone but Yoru, not Ah, Un, Seiya, or her parents was that she could feel her body fighting a war internally. An everlasting battle between both sides of her body that became overwhelming every so often, forcing her to hide while she processed the pain and chaos within her.

She was pulled out of her thoughts once more when she heard footsteps coming behind her. Yoru was storming toward her through the stable. Sari took a deep breath and prepared herself for what was going to be the most difficult moment of her life. Then she turned and was instantly taken off of her feet and swung around by Yoru.

"Sari, my love, I've missed you," he said and put her down against the wall.

She looked into his eyes, cupped his cheek and before she knew it they were in a passionate kiss. Yoru pressed his body against hers, holding her to the wall while he devoured her passion with his. He was empowered to know that no other person could make her so beautiful and expressive of her emotions like he could. Yoru parted her lips easily with his tongue and let himself explore the taste of Sari, a taste he craved more than anything. Sari felt herself opening up and coming alive. The firm grasp of his hands on her body, his mouth consuming her every sigh and moan of pleasure, Sari loved him and how he made her feel, how she could make him feel.

"Yoru..." she whispered his name as they parted and calmed themselves down. Yoru laid one more gentle kiss on her lips and pulled back, resting his hand on the wall behind her to distance himself.

"Sari, we have to talk to your father," Yoru said and saw her flinch. His eyes narrowed as his heart quickened it's beat. "Sari, we don't have a choice. You can't honestly mean to tell your father at the gala..."

"Yoru..." Sari kept her eyes averted. "I... We can't do this anymore..."

"What do you mean? What are you saying? Why?!" he barked, standing up straight and balling his fists.

"Yes, Sari, why?" another voice came in to say.

Sari jumped as Yoru swung around, both staring in shock at Seiya.

"Seiya," Sari began. "I can explain-" he just shook his head and in an instant he had Yoru up against the wall beside Sari. Sari began to shake and she felt her body beginning to panic. What was her brother going to do? How much did he see and hear? Enough to go to their father and destroy any chance she had of making her father proud.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to my sister?" Seiya asked, his eyes turning red as his grip tightened on Yoru's arms.

"I'm not doing anything to your sister, I'm talking to my future mate," Yoru said, glaring right back at Seiya. Sari placed her hand on Seiya's shoulder to force his attention to her.

"Seiya, we are done, I've ended everything with Yoru so there's no need to hur-"

"Enough!" Yoru yelled, shoving Seiya away to grab onto Sari and shake her. "You are not ending anything! Sari, you love me, as much as I love you. I know you're afraid of what your father will say but that does not mean that we have to be over," he said and pulled her to him, stroking her hair. "I love you, Sari. You are the only one for me." Sari was still shaking with panic, but she found the strength and will to push him off of her and turn away.

"Yoru, it's over!" and she was gone in a flash of light. Yoru, angry and hurt, turned and punched the wall next to Seiya.

"Damn it!" he yelled and leaned his body onto his arms against the wall.

"She really loves you," Seiya said in amazement, still staring out of the door where Sari's flash had taken her. "This is incredible!" he grinned and turned Yoru towards him. "Yoru, you may be the key that unlocks Sari's emotions!"

"If she won't accept me as a mate worthy of presenting to her father than the hell with her," Yoru said with hurt, releasing himself from Seiya's arms. Seiya jumped in front of him.

"She's worried about Father's feelings, right? So you, Father, and I have a little chat to figure out what he's looking for in a mate for Sari, then prove you are that mate to Sari." Yoru was silent a moment, folding his arms and closing his eyes in thought. Then he looked straight into Seiya's eyes.

"Not two minutes ago you had me up against the wall for touching your sister, now you want to help me so that I can make her mine?" Seiya shrugged.

"That was before I knew how she felt about you. I thought it was just you seducing her. I was wrong," he admitted and swung an arm around Yoru's shoulders as they walked away.

Sari did not get a moment of rest for the remainder of the night. She immediately went to her training spot outside the castle and trained hard until morning, trying to keep herself busy so she did not have to think of the consequences that were sure to come from Seiya catching them in the stable. Her heart ached, but she pushed through the ache with every kick and punch she threw out, with every sit-up and push-up. Every drop of sweat that poured off of her forehead was worth a dozen tears that she would not shed in her hours of darkness.

How she had the strength to continue full force through the night she had no idea. As she was cutting through her heartache she had to fight off the memories as well that threatened to cripple her. Yoru and her walking together near the river, the dozens of kisses they shared, small adventures outside of the castle walls, all of which were just a preview of the time they had spent together since they were young. If only she were a full demon, a worthy creature her father could acknowledge as an equal. Then she could show him just how worthy Yoru is of being her mate. But that wasn't the case. She was a mere half-breed, unworthy of living in the same house with someone as wonderful as her father. She knew her father would not want to burden Yoru by agreeing to allow them to mate. After all, he was a strong full-demon prince.

When the morning came, Sari quickly bathed and dressed herself before the servants rose and went to the study to select a few scrolls to read before Jaken decided to come and ruin her quiet time.

As she opened the door to the study, she found her father sitting at the desk in the corner. She quickly bowed and was about to step out when he motioned her in.

"Sorry, Papa. I did not wish to disturb you, but I did not know you were here." He nodded.

"What brings you here, child?" he asked, knowing it was far too soon for the servants to have been ready to assist her with her morning routine already. He studied his daughter and saw she was paler than usual this morning, her eyes were slightly tired, and she wasn't quite steady on her feet. In fact, he normally did not hear her footsteps until she was right on him, but her had heard her coming from down the hall. For Sari, this was very weird and troubling.

"I wanted a few scrolls to read until Jaken awakens. Today our lesson is in the kitchen, in case my new mate is more traditional and wishes for me to serve him personally."

As she grabbed a scroll from the stack in one shelf, half a dozen fell out from another after catching on her sleeve. She turned and winced at the mess, kneeling down quickly to take care of it.

"I'm sorry, Papa," she said and hurried out as soon as clean up was over.

Sesshoumaru watched the door for a few minutes after she left, trying to understand his daughter's actions. She was never any less than graceful and beautiful, but today she was sickly and clumsy, which was not like her at all. Something had to be troubling her, something very serious. He would bring Kagome with him to check on her during her lesson. Kagome would be better at figuring out was was wrong with her than he could be.

He did not like to admit his faults to anyone, including himself, but he understood that the constant distance between himself and his daughter was largely his own doing. He could not find a way to show his feelings to her without risking looking weak in her eyes and being weak was unacceptable. So instead of changing himself and trying to make her understand he remained stiff and cold to her as ancient customs allowed.

He sighed silently to himself as he buried himself back into his work. He would continue to think, as he always did, about how to communicate with Sari while performing his duties as the lord of the castle. It was the only way he could keep himself calm at the same time.

Sari was in the kitchen, ignoring Jaken's lecture while watching the cooks at work. She was going to try to make a few dishes herself once they were done preparing food for her mother and the other servants of the house. Jaken was blabbering on about how the demon palate was much more sophisticated than a normal palate, how someone like her couldn't possibly understand. In a moment of frustration, Sari turned to him and glared, hoping to shut him up. Instead, he glared back and started on another rant on how worthless half-demons were to both demons and humans.

Sari ignored him once more and turned back to watch the cooks when she suddenly got dizzy. She tried to ignore it but her vision began going in and out. It certainly didn't help when Jaken, fully fed up with her ignoring him, decided to take action.

"You insufferable, worthless, half-breed abomination!" he yelled and hit her on the head with his staff.

"Jaken!" Kagome yelled for behind him.

Jaken froze and turned around to see a furious Lord and Lady glaring at him from behind.

Jaken's eyes widened and he began shaking in fear, knowing what was about to happen. "Mi-MiLord! W-What are you doing here? I-I-I..." he gulped and threw himself on the ground, groveling, "Forgive me, MiLord! I'm sorry! I will NEVER do it again! Please have mercy!"

Sesshoumaru stepped in front of Kagome, grabbed Jaken's staff and beat him with it multiple times.

"You do not touch my pups," he said before throwing him out of the window. The servants were not used to Sesshoumaru's displays of anger, but when was even more surprising was that Sari had fallen to her knees with dizziness. They all watched as her legs had weakened beneath her, forcing her to the ground. They didn't have time to recover from this strange site when Kagome was suddenly beside her, holding her up while she tried to pull herself together.

"Sari, what's wrong? Did he hit you hard?" her mother asked, moving her hair to check her head.

"No, I'm fine, Mama," Sari said and forced herself to stand. "Papa, don't be angry with Jaken, I wasn't listening well..." She swayed and Kagome braced her.

"Sari, come with me to the infirmary," Kagome said, starting to lead her out of the kitchen.

"Mama, I'm all right, now. It was just a dizzy... spell..." she said as the room began to spin faster again. Before she realized it she was heading for the floor again, only to be scooped into her father's arms. "Papa, I-"

"Hush." He nodded to Kagome to open the door for him.

Sari was too ill to realize that she was showing emotions, her face looking miserable at showing Sesshoumaru such a weak side of her. She knew what was coming soon, another attack of her insides, stronger now that she had exhausted herself overnight. She would not be able to suppress it and her parents would watch as she battled herself into unconsciousness.

"Sesshou, what's wrong with her? This isn't normal at all. When she was younger and was ill she would lay herself in the infirmary in private, just so she didn't show you her sick side. Now she-" Kagome stopped when she felt the surge of power coming from her daughter. Only it was strange... It seemed the energy was... fighting?

"I'm not sure, Koi, but we shall find out," he said as they stepped into the infirmary.

He laid his daughter on the bed while Kagome rushed to tell the on staff doctor what had happened. He stared down at her and watched her aura flare. No, he watched two separate auras flaring? If he wasn't watching it happening right then he would not have believed it was possible... Her blood was battling itself.

As the doctor examined Sari, Sesshoumaru stood on the opposite side of her with Kagome, comforting his wife with his aura. They saw her body shaking and twitching, her face contorted in pain, and Sesshoumaru saw her auras sparking off of one another.

"If you haven't noticed, my Lord, her problem is not a normal one. Her miko her demon auras are battling each other, each trying to take over her body. There's nothing that I can do."

Sesshoumaru stared down at his daughter, getting angry with himself for not being able to help her. He felt helpless and it made him feel like a fool. There should be nothing he can't do as a Lord, as a Demon, as a Father, to help his children.

"Sesshoumaru, maybe the tenseiga can calm the auras down?" Kagome asked.

He looked at his sword but it was not resonating as usual. It had not chosen to, or was unable to help Sari. "Tenseiga is of no use to us right now."

Kagome jumped and Sesshoumaru turned as the infirmary doors burst open and reveal two very worried young men. Yoru and Seiya hurried to the bedside and began demanding answers, their questions overlapping and collapsing on each other in their haste. Kagome quieted them and filled them in on what happened.

"Damn," Seiya said and crossed his arms. "This is gonna set her back!" His parents looked at his quizzically for an explanation. "Her emotions. Father, you saw her in a weak and sick state, something she's never wished for you to see. Once she's better, she's going to be embarrassed and upset with herself, shutting her down even more."

Sesshoumaru tensed, not liking what Seiya had to say. It was his fault that his daughter shut herself off from the rest of the world. His lack of expression toward his family had led his daughter to be the same way. Kagome clung to him while watching Sari trembling violently with the flares of her aura. They all stared at her when they heard a small voice talking up to them.

"Papa... S-Sorry... Not strong..." she hissed in pain and in a blink of an eye Yoru was kneeling beside her, holding her hand, ignoring the aura that was burning him. Kagome blinked a few times, trying to register what was going on. When she did, she smiled at him, not that he noticed with his focus on Sari.

Sesshoumaru ignored Yoru for now. Instead, he stepped closer to the bed frame and laid a hand on her forehead. Then, in an effort to cease the fighting auras in her body, he began to push his aura into her. She was shaking hard now, her body making a futile attempt to rid itself of it's sire's aura. For a few moments everyone in the room was still and silent, waiting to see what would happen. Could Sesshoumaru tame the wild surges of raw power that emanated from his daughter? Sesshoumaru wanted to know where they were coming from. He had never felt this much energy coming from his daughter before. Had she been suppressing her power this whole time? Why, if she wanted to please him, would she keep her strength hidden instead of broadly displaying it like Seiya did. He had underestimated her greatly. If she ever learned to master her energy she would be one amazing fighter, even with Sesshoumaru's high standards. In fact, he believed she may become stronger than Seiya if he decided to allow her to train.

Soon her body began to calm, her auras soothed and backed down, and she stopped shaking. He still felt tension in her body, but at least the auras would not be hurting her anymore. For now.

He stepped back and let Kagome step in front of him and begin to soothe herself by soothing Sari in her sleep with gentle strokes of her hand over her hair and face. Yoru refused to let go of her hand, holding firmly while waiting for Sari to awaken. When her eyes started to flutter, everyone took a sigh of relief.

"Sari," Yoru whispered softly, still gripping her hand. " How are you feeling?"

Sari looked around, feeling weak and ashamed, hoping her father had left the room. When she locked eyes with him she began to sit up. He stepped forward again and pushed her back down.

"You need to rest."

"Papa, I'm fine-" when he growled she silenced herself.

"Do not disobey me. Why did you not tell this Sesshoumaru of your pain? Or the seriousness of what was ailing you?" Sari looked into her father's scowling and cold face and couldn't help but feel like a young pup once again.

"Papa, I'm sorry... I'll do better next time to suppress them-" he held up a hand to stop her.

"How long has this been going on?" she looked away at the floor.

"Since I can remember... I'm sorry, Papa..." she closed her eyes in shame as she heard his growl and the footsteps walking away from her. She heard her mother following after him, and the silence in the room became deafening.

"Sari..." Yoru said as he stood up beside her. Sari pulled her hand away from him and turned away.

"Please. I need to be alone." Yoru and Seiya looked at each other, back at her, and then started out of the door. They would leave her for a short time while they went to find and calm Sesshoumaru.

Kagome followed Sesshoumaru into the study where he proceeded to calmly clean the scrolls off of the desk. He was very angry, but he would not let himself be out of control of his emotions. As he tried to convince himself of that, he snapped two scrolls in his hand. He looked down at them before throwing them at the wall.

"Sesshoumaru, don't be upset. It's not her fault that she lost control-"

"She should have come to us, Kagome. There was no merit in her suffering." Kagome sat herself at the desk and listened to Sesshoumaru. "If she had told us when she was younger we might have been able to help her sooner."

"You know she does not like to show you any weakness, my love."

Sesshoumaru growled at himself, letting his anger get the best of him. "She is acting out of character. She is obedient, graceful... she accepts anything I say, except when it is about herself. I do not understand!" he said and turned back to to his mate.

Kagome was getting frustrated with him. It did not take a genius to know that Sari was having as much trouble suppressing her emotions as she was expressing them. After all, she had been doing it her entire life, her body must be feeling exhausted at this point.

"Sesshou, my love, go talk to your daughter. Tell her straight out how you feel and why you are upset. You don't need to suffer without merit either," Kagome said and walked up to him, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "It's long over due. Both of you have held back your emotions with each other for so long. That's why Sari is the way she is, headstrong like her father."

Sesshoumaru was silent, making Kagome wonder if she had said the wrong thing. It was the only way she knew though to help patch things between father and daughter. Maybe if they were both honest and open, even the slightest bit, they could begin to work things out and have the relationship they both desperately want with one another. When Sesshoumaru sighed deeply, she knew he had decided to try things her way.

"I will go speak with her later, after she has rested. You are right, my woman. Things have been difficult between us for far too long."

Kagome wrapped her arms around her mate and felt him do the same. He held her tightly, soothing himself on her scent and her touch. He was an amazingly powerful demon, capable of massive destruction and utter chaos... but he had an equally amazing woman who was capable of bringing out the gentleness within himself. He could sense, more so than see, the smile on her face as they embraced, and it made him feel warm.

A knock on the door made Kagome pull back slightly as she turned her head to see. Sesshoumaru called them in, knowing it was Yoru and Seiya.

"Boys," Kagome said with a puzzled smile. "Are you alright? I know it was quite a shock today to see Sari like that."

"We're fine, Lady Kagome... but we need to speak with Lord Sesshoumaru," Yoru said, never taking his eyes off of said demon. Kagome looked up at her mate, seeing that they were both locked in an unbreakable stare. She sighed lightly and squeezed her mate's hand.

"Try not to kill each other, dear. You have something important to do tonight," she said and smiled at her son before leaving the room.

Yoru swallowed hard. This was going to be a tough conversation, but it was one that needed to happen! Sarah could try and run from their love to please Sesshoumaru, but he was not about to throw away everything they had together because of her intense loyalty to her father. With Seiya beside him to back him up should it be necessary, he clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and steadied himself.

"What is it, boy? What have you come to speak to this Sesshoumaru about?"

"I want to ask you for-" he was interrupted by a servant at the door.

"My Lord? May I-"

"What is it?" Sesshoumaru cut off, not happy about being disrupted. The servant fumbled and stuttered a bit before finally speaking up.

"Lady Sari is gone. We've searched the infirmary and her room and all around the castle where she normally goes. We cannot seem to-" the servant gasped and cowered when Sesshoumaru stepped up to him and glared down at him.

"Get out of my sight!" he roared and the servant scrambled away. He sent his aura searching for his daughter but she was not on the castle grounds. His hands fisted at his sides and he looked at the two boys in the room. "Do either of you know where she would have gone?" Seiya shook his head and scowled at the ground while thinking.

Yoru furrowed his brow and stared off to the side a moment. He had a rough idea of where Sari could be, but to tell Sesshoumaru would reveal secrets he knew that Sari would not want her father to know. He sighed heavily and looked Sesshoumaru in the eye as he spoke.

"I think I know where she is..."

Sari was outside of the castle grounds doing her training to fight of some of her internal frustration. She had shown her father weakness and that was unacceptable. As she threw wild kicks and punches and waves of energy she could feel the tension in her body slowly draining out, or maybe it was weakness taking over. She shook it off and tried to block out all thoughts for the time being. This was her time to relax and push out all of her stress. She could focus hard on one thing she had control over, most of the time: her body.

As she fought hard, she could feel sweat pouring off of her but that only told her she was doing well. Every fluid motion of her arms and legs brought her comfort. Every harsh breath she pushed out from tired lungs made her feel empowered to fight harder. She was taking charge at this moment, for this moment was hers and hers alone.

Sesshoumaru, Seiya, and Yoru had their aura's suppressed as they watched Sari train. Seiya felt immense pride as he watched his sister's quick movements and small blasts of energy, knowing how well she was controlling herself. He'd known she snuck off for personal training, but had no idea it was on such a level. Seiya glanced at his father's face and saw him staring intensely at Sari. He hadn't immediately stopped her, so that had to mean she was doing something to impress him. Right?

Yoru couldn't stop gazing at Sari. She was amazing, even in her tired state. Her body was toned and smooth, her attacks swift and powerful. Her hair was in a high ponytail and whipping around her, something he had not seen since they were children. His heart raced and his breath shortened just a little as he watched her body flexing as she dodged attacks she threw back at herself. He struggled to control his inner beast's desire for their woman. His lust for her was peaking, but he knew he must rein himself in for the time being. A moment later, he was calm again and he looked over to see Seiya staring at Sesshoumaru, who was still staring silently and without any expression on his face.

Sarah had just dodged an attack of her own when she felt a blast of energy coming at her from behind. She dodged it, and the next one before looking over to see her father with his claws up, ready to fight. She immediately froze and stared wide eyed at him, watching him as he watched her. Then, almost instantly, she was dodging more of his razor claws and hopping backwards.

"Papa, please, enough! I don't want to fight you!" she begged, standing behind a tree. He was instantly in front of her, slamming his fist down into where she would have been, had she not moved. "Papa!"

"Father! Don't do this!" Seiya tried but was hushed by a growl. His fists clenched and he was about to jump in when Yoru stopped him.

"They need to do this, Seiya. Just stay back." Seiya looked and saw Yoru watching Sari with extreme tension in his face and body. If the demon who loved Sari the most could keep calm, than he would too. At least for now. He took a deep breath and stood back to watch as well, fighting his instincts to protect his sister.

Sari dodged attack after attack, matching her father's speed with every motion. Why would he not listen to her? Why would he attack her like this? She knew she should be punished, but was this really the way?

"Papa, don't make me do this!" he only growled at her and continued his assault. As his claws grazed her arm, she growled back and braced her feet on the ground. When he attacked again she caught his claws in her hands and pulled his upper body down to knee him in the forehead. She then kicked him away and flipped back, bracing herself on the ground on all fours.

Seiya was shocked. Even he had never been able to land a solid hit on their father like that. Sure he could come close, but what Sari had just done... it was incredible! The question now was, how was their father, who had stopped moving to touch a finger to his now bleeding head, going to react?

Sari watched in horror as Sesshoumaru touched the blood on his forehead. She had just made her father bleed. She had attacked him.

"What have I done?" she whispered, her body losing all tension as she dropped to bow, her head almost touching the dirt as she submitted to him. "Papa, I'm sorry. Please punish me!"

"Get off the ground, Sari." Sesshoumaru said, and she obeyed, staring at her feet and clenching her eyes tightly. "Your training with me will begin tomorrow." Sari's head snapped up and she stared into her father's eyes.

"Papa, I can't-" Sesshoumaru stepped up to her and held her chin in his hand as he spoke.

"I have underestimated you. That will not happen again. Tomorrow you will attack me with everything you have and we'll see what I have to teach you from there. I am impressed," he watched the shock on Sari's face before she pulled in her emotions.

"Thank you, Papa, but it is not proper for a young lady to-"

"Wander off of the castle grounds to train herself in secret?" she silenced herself as he released her chin and stepped back. "Do not hide your abilities or your problems from me anymore. I may be the Lord of the Western Lands, Sari... but I am your father as well. To me, that is just as important." Without looking to see her reaction, he stepped away and was gone in a gust of wind.

Sari was conflicted, more so now than ever. He was impressed with her fighting skills? He wanted her to talk to him about her problems? How could he expect her to do that when one of the few things in this world Sesshoumaru could not stand was weakness? It didn't make any sense!

"Sari, you were amazing!" Seiya said as he walked up to her, ripping her from her thoughts. She turned to him, then looked past him, her eyes clouding with emotion even as her face remained calm and stoical.

"Yoru, why did you bring them here?" she asked, ignoring her brother as her heart burned from her feelings of being betrayed. Yoru slowly stepped up to her, taking her hands in his and lifted them to his lips to kiss them.

"I would do anything for you Sari. That includes doing what I feel is necessary for your happiness." Sari swiftly pulled her hands from his, a fire in her eyes smothering the pain beneath it. She took a step back and a deep breath to calm herself. "Before you get angry with me, my love, think about it. Your father has just clearly recognized your ability to fight and wants to work with you. If I had not brought him here-"

"If you had not brought him here, he would never have found out!" she yelled, her composure gone and the hurt and anger she felt displayed on her face. "I have worked hard for years to never let him see this side of me, and you ruined it!" Yoru watched with astonishment as her eyes shed tears of pain and fury. He stepped toward her to brush them from her cheeks but she stepped back again, denying his comforting efforts. "Is this payback because I told you we can't be together? Some cruel and twisted way for you to crush my heart into pieces?" she clenched her eyes shut and turned away from Yoru and her brother, trying to pull herself back together.

Seiya stayed back and watched the incredible display of emotion from his sister. He had not seen so much life coming from her in a long time. Even if it hurt him to see her angry and in pain, the fact that she was expressing it openly gave him hope for her future.

Yoru stepped forward, reaching for her once more, but she was off and running back for the castle. He stared into the distance in the direction Sari had left and sighed heavily. He felt Seiya pat him on the shoulder before they both started silently back to the castle as well.

A/N: Please leave a review if you like where it's headed so far!