Half Breed's Song
The sun was just setting when the group reached a small wooden domicile in a clearing surrounded by trees.
"I didn't know you could find hot springs in forests," Kagome said, looking around at the trees.
"Normally you can't," their hostess replied, "I happen to collect Shikon Jewel Shards. I'd plant a sapling with a shard and let it grow. When the tree was large enough to survive on it's own, I'd take the shard back," she showed them the pendant necklace that had been hidden under Inuyasha's cloak.
"I can only see nine," Kagome said, "But I sense more."
"I've eighteen. Four on either side of the charm, ten that make up the charm."
"Eighteen!" Shippo exclaimed, from atop Hoshi's head "Where'd you find them?"
"I…I don't remember. Sometimes I go to sleep and wake up miles from home. Sometimes with a shard, sometimes with supplies."
"You must be some sleepwalker," Miroku commented.
"I guess s—" Hoshi was cut off as the door of the house slammed open and a young half demon ran out. He stopped short in front of Hoshi and appeared to be going in for a hug but instead grabbed her shoulders and began shaking her violently.
"You are an idiot!!" he shouted at her, "This happens every full moon!! I had you chained down!! I was guarding the door!! Hell, I had a boulder in front of the damn door!!" Hoshi might have replied but he might've been shaking her so much that her teeth just chattered. Suddenly he let her go and she fell to the ground with an outraged squeak.
"Did you bring her back?" he demanded, "Not that I was concerned or anything."
"Actually she brought us here," Hoshi stood back up, wincing.
"I felt bad for screaming at them, so I invited them to stay with us."
"Figures."
"This is Ashi," Hoshi said, "He's not usually this pleasant, we must've caught him in a good mood."
"Shut up."
"Ashi," Hoshi continued as if she didn't hear him, "This is Kagome, Inuyasha, Miroku, Myoga and Sh—" she paused, confused, "Well, there was someone else but he seems to have…left."
"Lose something Hoshi?" she glared, "You are hopeless."
"Shut up…Ayashi."
"Don't call me that!"
"Um, Ashi, where's Shi-Chan?" Ashi looked down at his left ankle.
"Dunno. Probably off looking for you."
"Oh," suddenly there was an excited shouting.
"Hoshi-sama!! HOSHI-SAMA!!!!!!!!" a small brown blur slammed into Hoshi's midsection with enough force to knock her to the ground again.
"Shi-Chan."
"Hoshi-sama!! You're back! I missed you, Ashi-sama did to, but he won't say so."
"Why you—" Ashi swung at her but was stopped by a look from Hoshi.
"This is the original Hoshi," she said standing back up, "My namesake because Ashi couldn't come up with anything better. I call her Shi-Chan to avoid confusion."
"She's so cute!" Kagome exclaimed, Shi-Chan blushed, "She looks exactly like Shippo," Ashi shot narrowed eyes at her.
"What was that?"
"I...I just said that she looks like Shippo."
"Shippo-sama's my older, older brother. Ashi-sama's just my older brother," Shi-Chan exclaimed happily.
"You never told me you had another sibling," Hoshi said. The half demon snorted.
"I try not to think of it too much."
"Ashi-sama's mad at Shippo-sama and Shippo-sama's afraid of Ashi-sama."
"Shaddup."
"Well isn't Ashi going to be pissed," Hoshi said, "Shippo's the little Kitsune I lost."
"He ain't staying here!"
"If he shows up, yes he will. And don't use that word," Hoshi snapped.
"You don't get it, you're an only child."
"And how do you know? I could have family…somewhere," Ashi matched her glare for glare for a moment then let his gaze drop, fox ears drooping a bit, "If Shippo returns, and that's a damn huge 'if' Ayashi—"
"Don't call me that.'
"If he comes back, he will be staying here. Secondly, you will not, kill him."
"Do you promise?" Shippo poked his head out from around Inuyasha's pant leg.
"How long have you been down there?" he demanded, "Coward," Inuyasha shoved the small demon forward with a foot. Shippo and Ashi blinked at each other for a moment then without warning Ashi knocked him over with a tackle.
"HELP!"
"Ayashi, get off of him!" Hoshi shoved Shi-Chan into Inuyasha's arms and grabbed Ashi's arm, Í told you not to kill him!"
"I'm not, and don't call me that!" he retorted as Hoshi yanked him off his half brother, proving that she was stronger than it looked, "I'm just gonna rip his stupid, furry little head off!!!!!" Hoshi slapped him, hard. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth and what promised to be a nasty bruise was already forming.
"Knock it off," she said sternly, staring the smaller boy down, "You're acting like a little kid."
"I am a little kid."
"Oh no, you don't get to switch depending on how it suits you. Besides he's smaller than you are."
"Older."
"Smaller. Age matters little. You act like someone much older, until you get into one of these moods. You need to cool down. Go into town and bring some rice home for dinner. Tell them I'll come by later with some socks as payment," when he didn't move she added softly, "Now," again he broke the staring contest first and left. Hoshi sighed, shoulders slumping a bit, then straightened them back up and turned to the group, who had been watching the display with interest.
"You treat him like a dominant dog treats a member of his, or her, pack," Inuyasha commented.
"I had to be the…ahem…alpha bitch," she replied, "Otherwise he'd begin to take advantage, sooner or later."
"I don't think so," Shippo said, "Not since you're human," Hoshi shook her head more to clear it than anything.
"Come on inside. You more than welcome to stay as long as you'd like. All of you," she added with a glance at Shippo, then led them inside.
The cottage wasn't large but it was warm and comforting. Hoshi obviously tired her best to make it a secure place to be. She saw to Kagome first then made sure that the others were settled in the front room before sitting down herself.
"May I ask you something, Lady Hoshi?"
"Don't answer it, girl. Don't even listen to him if you can help it," Hoshi arched a brow at Inuyasha then turned her face to Miroku.
"What is it?"
"Why do you let him stay? Ashi, I mean."
"He stays on his own accord. I don't force him, but I wouldn't be able to turn him away. Wherever he goes Shi-Chan'll follow and she's six. Ashi won't look after her. He hates demons. More than that he hates his entire family, save for his human mother. So I let him get away with his little idiosyncrasies. Ask him and he'll tell you that he stays for my cooking."
"You cook good!" Shi-Chan exclaimed.
"Thank-you."
"I admit I find it hard to believe that he hates demons. After all he's half himself," Hoshi shrugged.
"He hates himself sometimes too. He doesn't let me see these little fits of self-loathing but I'm not blind or stupid," Shi-Chan crawled into her lap, "He could really hurt me if any of these little contretemps escalated into something serious. The only reason he doesn't is because he never uses his demon powers, so he lets himself be dominated," her brown eyes turned serious, "Although they've only been here under a year I view Shi-Chan and Ashi as my only family."
"You don't remember your real family, right?" Hoshi looked up at Inuyasha.
"That's correct. I don't remember much about my past. My real name, my age, where I've come from. The only keys are these prayer beads," she lifted up a second necklace for them to see, "And a song," she closed her eyes and titled her head back, "In the moonlight I felt your heart / quiver like a bowstring's pulse…"
"When the sun is gone I see you / beautiful and haunting but cold…" all heads snapped in Inuyasha's direction, the half-breed had never sung before.
"Yes, that's the beginning of the second verse. How…how could you know that?" Inuyasha strode over and peered closely at her, so closely that Hoshi gulped compulsively.
"Did you create that song yourself or did someone teach it to you?"
"I…I don't know. I think someone taught it to me, I really doubt I could create something so poignant, or exquisite.
"Are you sure someone taught it to you?"
"No I'm not. I'm sorry,' he began sniffing her, "Excuse me! What are you doing?!"
"I can't tell. The scent of the kid and my shirt is too strong," Hoshi clutched the garment tighter around her slim frame, "Relax, I ain't gonna tear it off of you."
"I should hope not. And don't use that word," just then, the door slammed open and Ashi stalked inside. Throwing a sack of rice at Hoshi's feet, he shot a poisonous glare at Shippo and began to stalk back out.
"Where are you going?"
"Outside. I refuse to sleep under the same roof as that," he pointed at Shippo, "Oh yeah, there's a full moon tonight, Hoshi. I hope you sleepwalk off a cliff!"
"You're going to be cold out there Ayashi," she replied kindly, as if she hadn't heard his cliff comment.
"Shut up, I am not, and don't call me that!" the door slammed shut, Hoshi shrugged and shifted Shi-Chan weight.
"Like I said, he gets away with little things. Besides, he's only angry because I forced him to submit in front of you, Shippo. He'll come back inside when he smells dinner."
"You certainly have a weird relationship with him," Kagaome commented from the doorway.
"Yes, it is bizarre isn't it? But we watch out for each other. Ashi relies on me as much as I on him. He won't admit it or anything but…" she trailed off, shrugging.
"And Shi-Chan?" Shippo asked.
"Shi-Chan relies on the both of us I suppose. Though, if she's in a really good mood, she'll glomp anything that stands still long enough."