July 8, 2002

(Author's Note: Yajuumaru, Bishouen and all around original good looking young man, is a trademark of Leloi and is brought into this story with her permission. I couldn't let Yashira's equal stay clear of this story... it just isn't done. ^__^)

Sister, Sister

By Yashira

Chapter 10

Sesshoumaru's frost rigid words were tinged in disgust as if they had been fermenting in corrosive acid for days as he cast aloof amber eyes at the old woman before him. "Explain yourself Mikada." Knowing that he would not give any fuel to Mikada regarding his charge and his servant, Sesshomaru left Rin and Jaken with the two headed dragon outside, intending to come down and deal with the situation personally and without hindrance. Right hand tucked into the fabric of his left sleeve he did his best to cross his "arms" and glare conceitedly into the woman's defiant eyes. "Well?"

"I do not see the need to explain anything to a youkai… especially one who claims lineage from the Great Dog Demon who sought to mingle his cursed blood with that of a human woman." Mikada's voice was etched with poisonous disdain and revulsion as she shook her head, the loose white hair swinging against her shoulders, and continued to glare back at him with eyes of frost. She was an old woman, clearly visible by the numerous wrinkles that stretched under her eyes, cheeks and bare hands, but the way she stood and held herself made her seem insolent, demanding, defiant… almost youthful.

"I think you do," he replied evenly, his golden eyes falling on the three students who cowered at Mikada's skirts as if the old woman could protect them from the rage of full grown demon. He humoured the children by casting a withering glance in their direction which sent them clinging more desperately against the woman's skirt. "You reported to my father and his…" and it was obvious by his tone that he found his words distasteful, "wife, over 50 years ago that my… younger hanyou sister had died a few hours after her birth. You were their midwife before the child died and you mysteriously disappeared afterwards-"

"I do not see how events of the past have any bearing on the here and now. I was a midwife once to a noble woman until I learned of who and what she carried… I left her employ a long time ago…" Mikada's voice was brittle like fractured ice, the tone dangerously vehement and deadly. She could have been facing a legion of demons and her arrogant and self-important eyes would not have blinked at all. "Just what are you here for…"

There was stunning silence which fell between them as if Sesshomaru was calculating the best way to shake the old human woman up most aside from tearing her head from throat. After a long arduous span of silence, he said simply, using truth like a cold heart weapon it could become, "She lives…"

The grey eyes which stared into his honey gold eyes did not flinch nor blink and yet there was understanding revealed in their depths. He had used simple words and so Mikada replied with her own simple words. "So what."

***

"I'm so sorry." Kagome sounded miserably apologetic for what seemed the millionth time as Inuyasha sat sulking by a fire they'd hastily prepared after shuffling out of the hot spring. He was soaked and drenched like a puppy coming in from a bad storm and the scowling look on his face did not help matters at all.. "It was reaction."

"Feh."

Near Inuyasha, Yashira sat in what was her long white "miko" top since her black skirt had been used as a covering for Inuyasha. Neither had agreed for the use of the skirt in this matter, but for the sake of modesty since Inuyasha couldn't dry off with wet clothes, Yashira had finally consented to letting him "borrow" it for the moment. It was better he wore the long skirt as a blanket, then have him sit naked next to them. "Well I'm surprised," Yashira's flat voice spoke with what looked like begrudging approval, "at least you manage to bring back something edible." In front of the fire, roasting on sticks were some sort of hard nuts and sweet smelling berries he had found. "Although soggy berries aren't going to be tasty after they get done cooking…."

"Would you like to go swimming for the rest of the berries," Inuyasha turned his gaze away as he grumbled the last under his breath. Half of what he had foraged and brought back was probably still at the bottom of the hot spring. "I could help throw you back in."

She returned his threat with a narrowing of her blue eyes. "Just try it."

Glancing back at the hot spring which winked out from two nearby trees, Kagome seemed thoughtful. The meager food left drying over the fire would be enough for a small dinner, but there wouldn't be enough left for breakfast the next day if they didn't think ahead now. "If the two of you can behave long enough, maybe I can go and fish some more of it out. That way it'll save us time when we go look for the Aventos tomorrow for Miroku." She stumbled to her feet and pulled out one of the half burning sticks to use as a makeshift torch. "I'll be nearby so you don't have to worry."

The fire crackled inconspicuously at Kagome's departure as both Yashira and Inuyasha sat, cross-legged and tight-lipped, by its fluttering heat. "Hmpt."

As Kagome could be heard splashing and uttering delightful gasps as she managed to scoop up the occasional handful of wet nuts and berries, Inuyasha causally turned to face Yashira, his golden eyes thoughtful, "Back there with Naraku and Necoa… he called you a hanyou…" He hadn't actually said the words as Inuyasha was now phrasing it, but Naraku had insinuated as much which basically meant the same thing in the end.

His words surprised her as was evident by the colour rising in her cheeks. "He lied." She replied unevenly as her blue eyes narrowed on the flickering orange flame that chewed over the remains of the wood in the campfire.

"You don't have to play this game. I was there." His tone was soft given that he seemed subdued as if the drenching in the hot spring had been a sobering slap in the face. "I heard what he said and I remember how you reacted." He stared openly at her now, his golden eyes unwavering as he spoke, "You lost your cool miko."

Yashira returned his stare as Inuyasha's eyes held hers hard. "I am a miko. It would be impossible if I was a…." Her hesitation was too bright on her lips that Yashira was aware that he couldn't have missed the uncertainty in her tone and voice unless he was stupid. "A hanyou to have this miko power… what ever he said… he lied."

"He spoke of you and Kikyou… he spoke of long ago…" His eyes were burning into her face without fear of her "heaven blast" or cursing and insulting looks. "My ears are good. I'm half dog demon remember, I know what I heard, Yashira."

The use of her name on his lips caught her off guard again. She'd never heard of another hanyou out there who had rational enough thinking process to be actually… thoughtful. "I am a miko, Inuyasha… I was raise as such and I look as such," she ran her fingers through damp black hair, forcing him to take another look at her to remind him of how human she appeared.

"Yes, you do look it." His words trailed off ominously as he tested the red pants he had left drying by the fire. Finding them damp instead of soaking wet he quickly turned away to put them on. Handing Yashira's black skirt back to her, Inuyasha found to his disbelieving surprise that his anger towards this annoying woman was as damp as his clothing.

What was this feeling he felt when he looked over at her huddled form. Pity? Sympathy? Sorrow? If he was right in his thinking, and she was a hanyou as Naraku had insinuated then she was worse off then he was. While demons hated hanyous and saw them as inferiors with polluted blood, they absolutely despised those with the power to purify and control them.. namely mikos. Yashira… miko and hanyou? That would mean she was stuck in two worlds of abomination instead of one. And yet… how was it possible? How could she look so human and smell so human if she was hanyou?

He dropped down beside her again, his fingers reaching for a burning stick in which to stir the slowly dying flames back to some form of life. "It must be hell for you."

Those words caught her heart so abruptly that it skipped a beat and got swallowed by her throat. If he had said anything else, anything that would have accused Yashira for what she was, she would have raised the "Heaven Blast," within mere seconds, but these words… she hadn't expected to hear the sympathy in them… an understanding that no one else could appreciate except another hanyou. "As it is for you."

He nodded and crossed his arms, glancing a bit to where Kagome could still be heard, if not seen, splashing around for the last of the nuts and berries. "How are you keeping yourself so human? If you're hanyou you must be given to the same changing off the moon… the same seasons.. the same-" Inuyasha's reason for asking were simple enough. If she had a trick for staying human, what if there was one for becoming full youkai?!

"We don't need to discuss that then, since you being Hanyou should already know such things…"

Inuyasha stared at her knowing that she was obviously not telling him the entire truth of the matter. "Look…"

She spun around, her fingers preparing the Heaven Blast and Inuyasha's eyes went wide, "I thought you said you weren't going to use that attack?"

The blast struck the tree behind him with a resounding thud and crackle as Inuyasha let out a heavy furious oath. "He's back isn't he."

"Yes he is," Yashira growled furiously as she leapt to her feet in seconds.

Inuyasha was scouring the spaces between the trees with quick scattering looks, finding nothing within sight, but clearly seeing with smell. Who ever this youkai was, he was still near by. "It dies here."

"Yes, watch this," She stuck both her pale hands out as her brows furrowed together. "HEAVEN ASCENSION BLAST!!!"

Inuyasha peered and then blink with the look of a man surprised on his birthday by friends he had thought forgotten. Out of the tree Yashira had aimed at, a tall man with long black braided hair, melted forward, leaping and jumping into a nearby tree in which he quickly merged into.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Inuyasha's gold eyes narrowed on the tree the figure had disappeared into as he pulled Tetsusaiga out with a familiar curse on his lips. "Well, we can handle this."

Yashira tucked up her sleeves as she nodded curtly. "I'll blast, you cut?"

Inuyasha shook his head with agreement. "Okay, sounds like a plan."

"Heaven Ascension Blast!"

"Kaze no Ki~"

"OSUWARI!"

"GAH!!" Smashing into the ground headfirst Inuyasha let out a furious curse while Kagome dropped the nuts and berries she carried. "I can't believe the two of you are serious! You're scaring the hell out of the poor guy… who ever he is!"

"Scaring the hell out of him?" The incredibility in Yashira's voice bellied the repeating curse that was issuing from Inuyasha as he lay sprawl on the ground:

"He's a half-naked freak, how can we scared the hell out of him?"

Glancing to where the young man stood posed to enter the next tree, Kagome just blinked with what looked like utter annoyance. "You two… it's so scary you are so much alike."

***

"Who are you?" That was the first question Kagome asked the black-haired stranger who sat on the remains of the tree Yashira had knocked down with her Heaven Blast. The second question went along the lines of: "You're the one following us all this time aren't you?"

Inuyasha and Yashira sat together; a shining accomplishment regarding the short time they had known and despised each other. Both of them muttered angrily to the other as if Kagome had been some referee who had denied them their rightful goal. "Understatement." Yashira murmured as Inuyasha growled with what seemed like resentment at being "osuwari" in the middle of a much needed demon extermination.

At first the young man did not reply, but sat mutely staring at the three onlookers as if he were contemplating running into another tree. His silence earned him a stinging insult from Inuyasha who sat bare-chested with arms clenched over his chest. "Just great, a perverted demon who is dumb and mute."

Green eyes fell over Inuyasha with puzzlement at his affronted nature, but they did not linger long on him as they drew quickly towards Yashira who plainly glared back at him. His voice was smooth, soft like sunlight coming in through summer branches and the play of water dropping down from a snow melting brook, as he answered Kagome, "I am Yajuumaru. Of the Whispering Forest."

"Well Yajuumaru, naked freak of forest, she asked you why you were following us."

"Inuyasha, don't be rude," Kagome looked apologetically at Yajuumaru as she spoke. "Sorry, he's like that at times."

"I was following her," Yajuumaru's gaze was rooted to Yashira with what looked like admiration and delight, and quite possibly both.

"Me?" Yashira's blue eyes fell on Yajuumaru with what looked to be the disgust she had usually saved for Inuyasha.

"Why her?" Inuyasha shifted from his spot, testing the dampness in his shirt and haori, as he frowned at the black-haired youkai. Aside from the long slender pointy ears and the black fuzzy wolf tail that curled up on the other side of the log, Yajuumaru looked almost human. His black hair braided to his waist and the tan coloured fundoshi he wore that revealed more tanned and weather skin definitely would have made him look more human.

"As soon as I saw her, I knew I belonged with her. I follow her," he seemed almost embarrassed at voicing these feelings with words as he glanced down at the withering fire that flickered in makeshift campsite.

Kagome's brown eyes blinked in unison with Inuyasha and Yashira in one, two, no three rapid blinks. "Belong to her?"

"There's no way in hell I'll believe that," Yashira snarled furiously as she flexed fingers about to summon the Heaven Blast.

Yajuumaru stared at her, green eyes watching her with a patience only the old redwood trees could muster, "But it is true. You awake the old sap that was in me. Mother said I would know my mate when the sap changes… I did not know how right she was until I saw you bathing. "

"I knew it another pervert! Like Miroku wasn't enough."

Yashira wore what looked like the classic strangle pose as Kagome's eyes fluttered with surprise at Inuyasha's words. The only reason Yashira didn't manage to get her hands around Yajuumaru's throat was Kagome's quick thinking to get in front of her and grab one of her arms. "No, arguing we don't have time for that. Speaking of Miroku, don't you remember that he's the reason we came here! The Aventos, remember."

Yashira stopped struggling at Kagome's words although she managed to spit out venomous, "There's no way in hell that youkai is my mate… I'll kill him first!"

"Did you say Aventos?" That surprise tone came from Yajuumaru.