Hohum, and here we return to the next installment of Mysterious Hanyou...anyone enjoying the fun, insanity and confusion yet? No? ^^ okay, okay then, all will be revealed in due time...

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, creator of the hit series "Inuyasha". Well, everyone but Inuko ^^ The plot line presented in "Mysterious Hanyou" (sagas 1(arrival of the mysterious hanyou, chap1-9) and 2(misplaced feelings; chap 10-?)) is completely original and MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE! Honestly, I really don't mind the concept being used (though I will grudgingly mumble to myself about it from time to time) as long as the exact events and situations aren't the same as the ones used here...

Wait, what's up with that disclaimer? *shrug* ah well, plagiarize and DIE!

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A female hanyou, clad in a red, fire rat kimono burst out of the little hut in a little village, followed by shouts of confusion. She ran towards a wolf with silver and black hair, and embraced him. He held her comfortingly, his voice laden with worry.

"Is this where you've been? I was worried!" He exclaimed, concern shining plainly in his eyes, "Come on! Come back home already! Just ignore Kou..."

A pair of ice blue eyes (that's an RK song...^^ a good one at that =P) glared his way, and Ginta, the silver haired wolf, gulped.

"Eep. Hi, Kouga."

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[wandering]
"misplaced feelings" |chapter3| mysterious hanyou
by: Steph

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"And what are you doing here, Ginta?" Kouga asked, venom dripping from every word. Ginta had Inuko trusting him. Ginta had Inuko hugging him. What next, would Ginta and Inuko be together in a clearing of some forest, entangled in a passionate -- "Explain yourself."

"Just leave him alone, ass!" Inuko growled, letting go of Ginta and taking a fighting stance in front of him, "He was just worried, unlike some jackass wolves I know..."

"Inuko-chan," Kagome said softly, "Please, why don't we just discuss this inside?"

While Sango, Miroku and Shippou watched, not knowing what to do or say in the tense atmosphere, Inuyasha was having quite a ball. He had taught his sister well.

"Yeah, give it to that bastard!" crowed Inuyasha, egging his twin on. Okay, sure, maybe they really did have something for each other, but the way he was treating his sister...the way he treated Kagome...and Inuyasha's stress level....At this rate... "He deserves it!"

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome gave him a sharp look, and he quieted down, but couldn't quite stop the little snickers bubbling up within him. Perfect...if Inuko told Kouga off, then Kouga would leave both his sister and his love-- erm, Kagome--alone!

Ginta said nothing, and walked passed the others and into the hut, turning back to smile at Inuko. She nodded and followed him in, motioning for the others to come as well. Inside the hut, Inuko positioned herself between Ginta and Inuyasha, trying to keep as far away as possible from wolf-prince. She didn't want to be near him, because every time she was, her heart leapt. She didn't want to feel that way, not for him.

'He doesn't deserve it,' Inuko thought to herself, glaring at Kouga.

"Now, now...please calm down, all of you," pleaded Kagome, slowly taking a seat next to Inuyasha, a red-headed kitsune in her arms. "Ginta-kun, how do you know Inuko-chan?"

"I took care of her that day she...turned..." His voice trailed off.

"Human. Hmm...I think they already know, if they've been with Inu-kun this long..." Inuko mumbled to them, "I tried running from the wolf den that night, but I couldn't see anything and I slipped, spraining my ankle..."

"Ginta and Hakkaku took me back, and then Kouga--" She continued, then shook her head. "He told me that I wasn't really a wolf...I wasn't really his sister..."

"Yeah, and I'm hella glad you're not!" Kouga yelled.

"What the frickin' hell is your problem, wolf?!" Inuko shouted back, standing.

"YOU!"

"WHAT?! THAT'S IT!" She screamed, "I'm F**KING SICK OF YOU!"

She lunged at him, hitting him squarely in the jaw and knocking him out of the hut. She stood at the doorway, her eyes burning with the fire of hell. Right now...no matter how she felt, she hated him. Or rather, she wanted to hate him...

"Inuko-chan! Calm down!" The silver haired wolf asked, "Come on! This isn't doing anyone any good!"

"He's right," Sango agreed, standing, "It's better to stop arguing now."

"But it would be a good way for them to work out their frustrations," Miroku muttered, a thoughtful look on his face.

"MIROKU!" yelled Shippou, bopping the houshi on the head, "Really! Even I know that's not a good thing!"

"They should settle their differences, if not, then..." Kagome couldn't help but smirk a bit, "It'll just be like Inuyasha and Kouga all over again."

"They're right, hanyou-girl, we should settle this right now."

All eyes turned to Kouga as he stood and wiped away the small trickle of blood that flowed from the corner of his mouth. There was an over confident smirk on his face and an unreadable emotion in his blue eyes. There was something wrong with him...

"Kouga-kun!"

"All right," Inuko said, a similar look on her features, "Let's go."

"Wait!" Inuyasha cried, surprising everyone. He strolled over to where she stood and smiled at her, "Take this."

Inuko stared at the sheathed sword in her hand. Wha--The aura from this sword...

"'Tousan..." She whispered.

She tied the sword to her waist, a bright smile on her face...or was it a smirk? It really was hard to tell.

"I'll kill you with the sword father bestowed upon my brother. I'll let you feel the fangs of the Inu clan!" Inuko screamed, rushing at him.

"You can't even catch me, little puppy."

"Someone should stop them before they hurt each other!"

"Inuko-chan! Kouga's an idiot! Come on!"

Ginta's eyes were heavy with worry. That look...Kouga had changed since he met Kagome; he was merciful to humans, even if he didn't want to admit it. But now...that look...the cruel Kouga he had once known to decimate entire human villages without a care had returned.

Inuko fell backwards and rolled off to the side, narrowly missing a swipe of Kouga's claws and a kick that would have crushed her skull in. She jumped up, and was about to draw Tetsusaiga, when a strong, masculine hand stopped her.

"What the--"

Kouga's hand lie on hers, and his eyes seemed haunted as he stared into her eyes. He caressed her right hand with the gentlest of touches, and Inuko could feel her face heat up with the flames of a blush. What was he doing...? He leaned forward, so close that her snow white ears tickled with every breath he took.

"I..." Kouga whispered softly to her. "I..."

Her heart leapt and her body tingled...

'Love you...' He thought, squeezing his eyes shut.

Kouga was so close to her...Close enough to kiss her...again....but....

'She'll...never love me.'

"Think you smell like shit."

"DAMN YOU WOLF!" Inuko screamed slapping him hard across the face with her left hand. He stayed exactly where he was, his cheek throbbing red with pain. Tears were in her eyes, as she slapped him again.

"I could have sworn...That I felt something for you," She told him, her voice caught up in both a growl and a sob, "I could have sworn...that...I loved you...once...but...I guess I was wrong..."

'Did....you....love...me?'

The fight left her body as she crumpled to the ground, her face buried in her hands. Sob after sob wracked her deceiving, petite body. The others watched on in concern, her heartbreaking sobs filling the crisp morning air (AN: It is pretty early you know...O.o maybe 8-10 AM....or something ... ^^ this stupid author's note was brought to you by: Sean Biggerstaff, 'cause you just can't get enough of him ^^). Kouga's eyes strayed from the treeline he was trying to concentrate on, to the small, shaking figure in red. She was crying because of him?

A wolf and an inu rushed to her side, both filled with worry for the little one. Inuyasha growled softly at Ginta, warning him to get away from his sister before he killed him. Ginta blinked and nodded, understanding that the hanyou may be able to comfort Inuko more than he could. He stepped back and brushed a hand through his ebony tuft of hair, just as he always did when he was tired, stressed or bored.

"Inuko? Inu-chan? Are you alright?" Inuyasha whispered softly to his sister, feeling almost every ounce of confusion and sadness she felt.

'I thought I loved him...I thought he loved me...I thought...I thought I was Inuko...'

"I...I know who I-i'm sup-p-posed to b-be," She answered brokenly, trying to force the sobs to subside, "B-b-but why do I still feel like a complete stranger to my-myself? W-what's wrong with me?!"

Inuyasha moved to embrace his sister, despite the fact that everyone thought that he was as soft and fluffy as Sesshoumaru himself. ^_^;

"No, Inuko, you're probably just in shock from everything's that happened...." He mumbled comfortingly to her, "You'll feel like yourself soon enough...Probably just too much time with that wimpy wolf..."

Through a sob, she gave a short laugh, earning herself a smile from Inuyasha. She looked up at him, smiling sadly, and stood up.

"I...have to find out what kind of person I am..." Inuko announced to the group. "I...have to leave..."

"What!? But...Inuko-chan...don't you already have all your memories?!" Exclaimed Kagome, surprise and caring in her voice.

A very concerned houshi asked, "Yes, why is it that you must leave, anyhow?"

"Don't leave again! You'll make ev'ryone sad again!" Shippou cried, tears in his big turquoise blue eyes, "And everyone's been sad enough!"

"Take care of yourself."

They all turned to Sango, a mask of disbelief on every face. The demon exterminator, Sango, was really just letting this girl go? Without a fight, or anything?

"What the HELL are you talking about, Sango?!" Inuyasha bellowed, "I'M NOT ABOUT TO LET MY SISTER LEAVE AGAIN!"

"I'll be fine on my own, Inuyasha...I'm a big...girl..." She blinked as a memory filled her mind.

****************

"Baka Inuko! You know you're not supposed to go out alone!"

"I'm a big girl, baka!"

A little Inuyasha grabbed a little Inuko by the hand, and they glared each other as they stood outside in the village they once lived in.

"You know what 'kaasan says! Those stupid kids are gonna pick on you!"

"Then I'll just beat 'em up!" retorted Inuko, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Don't do that!"

"Well, well, well, who do we have here...The two demon brats," A voice taunted from the shadows.

Inuko immediately clung to Inuyasha, trembling from her toes to her ears. She buried her face in his kimono and gripped onto him tighter, and he stood protectively in front of her, his golden eyes glaring defiance at the big, pudgy human boy who stood in front of them.

"Shut up and leave us alone, fatty!" Inuyasha growled, shoving his way past him, Inuko on his tail.

"WHY YOU!" The boy grabbed onto the back of Inuyasha's mini-firerat kimono (so maybe he made a bigger one later...?) and tossed him about five feet away. He set his beady black eyes on the hanyou girl next, when suddenly he felt a ripping sensation on his back.

"LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!"

"Inu-kun!"

He had leapt onto "fatty's" back and started clawing with all his might. Of course that didn't really do much considering how small he was, and how much his claws hadn't grown. Still, the pudgy boy couldn't even reach his back with his short arms, giving Inuko the chance to escape...

She stood there, watching the battle, tears filling her eyes. Her brother was fighting for her...She wiped her tears away and with a determined look, she jumped into the fray, her shrieking battle cry hanging in the air. She clawed at his face and anything she could get at, and would have continued if a scolding voice hadn't stopped them.

"Gomen nasai...'kaasan."

*************

"Remember that fat kid in our old village?" She asked Inuyasha softly. When he nodded she continued on, "I remember that, but ... how come...I don't feel like it was me there? Why does it feel like...I was just told a story...?"

Inuyasha was at a loss of words. Was it truly possible for someone to know everything about themselves, and still not know who they were?

'What am I talking about?! I've felt that way before...' He thought to himself, remembering the times he would take on demons bigger and better than him, trying to earn a rep...and find who he was.

"I...understand Inuko, but..."

"You still can't go!" completed Kagome, worry in her warm eyes, "You can't! There're too many things out there! Naraku'll..."

'Naraku...since I've been here, all I've been hearing about is that bastard...Five hundred years into the future in ancient myths, he was mentioned. A cold-hearted killer...Destroyed villages, men, women, children...priestesses and hanyou...'

"Naraku....? He...killed Kikyou, ne?" Her sullen, soft voice asked.

Kagome bowed her head, and mumbled a quiet yes...

"She's still out there, isn't she?"

Eyes widened to stare at Inuko, disbelieving and nonplussed. How could she have possibly known...?

"Her grave...the one I passed by earlier...disturbed..."

"Someone took her bones and tried to resurrect her," Sango supplied, "however..."

"Something went wrong," Miroku continued, picking up the cue from Sango, "You see, she's not quite the same Kikyou she was before."

And just at that moment, a sweet, disgusting smell entered the area; it was the smell of purity, regret and hate, all combining into one miko: Kikyou. Heads turned to stare at the undead miko, who looked as prim and proper as she did when she was alive. Her soul-searching demons were off somewhere else, probably looking for another soul for Kikyou to absorb. Her cool eyes met Inuko's wide and surprised ones, and her lips twitched upwards into a small smile.

"You look just like your brother, Inuko-chan," She whispered softly, the human ears of Kagome, Miroku and Sango straining to catch the sentence.

The undead miko walked over to the group, every movement the embodiment of grace and elegance. She stopped before Inuyasha and Kagome tensed up, her fists clenching and shaking with anger. Kikyou seemed to notice this and dropped the hand she was reaching out for Inuyasha's face, and instead turned to a bewildered Inuko.

"K-kikyou...chan?" Inuko gasped out, completely disbelieving. She was alive...Kikyou was alive? Her body reacted before her rational mind could, and the hanyou-girl reached out for the priestess, embracing the woman in the hug of an old friend. "H-How? T-they said you d-died...."

The others watched on in amazement, as Kikyou's mask of impassiveness shifted to warm mask of genuine content. She wrapped her arms around the smaller, white-haired girl, letting her head rest on top of Inuko's, creating a difference as startling as day and night...

"My soul cannot rest in peace..." Kikyou answered her, whispering softly. "Not until my hate for Inuyasha can be resolved..."

The hanyou-girl's golden eyes widened in a frightened sort of shock, as Inuyasha looked away, his eyes closed and his body tense. Kouga and Ginta glanced at each other, when suddenly comprehension dawned on their faces. This Kikyou...this was the legend from fifty years ago.

"Shikon no Miko..." Ginta whispered, "It was you who died and took the jewel away to another place, and it was Kagome-neesan who brought it back..."

"And Naraku planned on taking the Shikon no Tama to use for his own devices, right?" Kouga asked, as Inuko was hesitantly released from the miko's embrace.

"Hai (yes)..." Kikyou answered, "And though I know it was not Inuyasha who took my life, my soul shall not rest until it sees him dead."

Her eyes narrowed to slits and glared at Inuyasha, when Kagome and Inuko jumped in front of him, arms spread out, as if to protect him.

"You can't have him!" Kagome exclaimed, anger boiling her blood, "You can't kill him!"

"Kikyou-chan, this isn't needed," pleaded Inuyasha's twin, "Why? Why? We were all happy once, weren't we?"

"That was before...Inuko-chan." It seemed that the miko's voice lowered and cracked every time she said Inuko's name....The time she could not go back to...the happy memories that were forever shattered...it was all Naraku's fault...

"Child," Kikyou spoke icily, staring straight at Kagome, "I shall leave you for now...but there will be a time when I shall come for him...One day, soon..."

"No! You can't have him!"

"And why not? Because you were 'meant to be'?" Kikyou sneered, though it was not as harsh as it was before, "That is what I thought, and you have seen what has become of me..."

The warning hung heavily in the air, as the miko retreated from Inuyasha and company, her eyes sad, but with a bit more life than had previously been there. This meeting with her old friend...brought her happiness. A feeling she had not felt, for so many years....Not since she had been with Inuyasha....But things were different now...As much as her heart longed for Inuyasha to live, her vengeful soul prayed for his death...but was it really her soul anymore? It was the bit of the soul that Kagome hadn't taken back...was it the hate that she had rejected? Kikyou should have taken back her soul when she had the chance, but "her soul"...just didn't sound proper anymore...

'I wonder,' mused Kikyou, as she walked towards the forest, bestowing one last, sorrow-filled glimpse at the group, 'I wonder if that girl has truly changed Inuyasha...I wonder...if I'm really not needed in this world...'

Her troubled mind continued this train of thought, as she disappeared into the early morning haze of Inuyasha's Forest....

Quiet, gentle sobs brought reality back to them, as Inuko placed a hand over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. Kikyou reeked of gravesoil, and heartbreak...There was just a fraction of the sweet playful girl she had once known...just a fraction left, and that pained Inuko much more than anyone knew...Kikyou had lost her way, and now...now she was...

"Don't worry," Inuyasha said calmly, "Naraku will pay for what he did to her...what he did...to all of us..."

His solemn golden eyes gazed out at his comrades, knowing each tragic story behind each face. Beyond the mischievous lavender eyes, and the robes of a houshi lied a troubled man who's life was being cut short by every passing minute...Within the body of the demon huntress lied a soul shaken by her brother's demise and resurrection...the brother who was the only one left of her clan...There was a childhood ruined...loved ones lost...directly or indirectly, it didn't matter...kitsune cubs can suffer as well. Even within piercing, bright blue eyes, there was sorrow for his fellow tribesman who were ripped apart in an ambush...And...the girl from the future who was dragged into this mess...The pain and suffering that was caused to her shouldn't have ever been known to her...but, it was Naraku's doing that the Shikon no Tama returned to this demon-filled world, and it would be their doing to keep the jewel out of bloodstained hands such as his...

Inuko only nodded silently, trembling with all the emotional strain that had been put on her...and yet, a piece of her heart remained undisturbed by it all. It was the piece that didn't believe she was Inuko, despite everyone else's (and her own) claims to the name. That was the part of her heart she had to reclaim, to be whole once more...

She stepped away, eyes still moist, but burning with determination, "I shall take my leave now, if you don't mind..."

Her quiet request stole away everyone's attention as they stared at the half-dog child.

"Where the hell do you plan to go, you moron?" Kouga asked growlingly.

"Why the hell do you care?"

That shut the wolf up immediately, but she continued on anyway, "I think...I'll pay the Western Lands a visit...perhaps...even Sesshoumaru...maybe...I can find something there..."

Kagome's lips twitched a bit; so much like Inuyasha, yet so unlike her brother...The same looks, personality, but smarter...

'haha, I wonder what would happen if me and Inuyasha had childre---Like that would happen...'

But as she gazed at Inuyasha's stern profile, she silently hoped that they all could reach a time where the future generation would be safe...

"Ne, ne, Inuko! Why don't we come with you?" Shippou's childish voice broke in, "Pwease?"

"No, no, Shippou-chan, I don't want you in danger," Inuko smiled, patting the kitsune on the head as he pouted.

"So why don't I come with you?" A voice said softly from behind her.

She whirled around to face Ginta; One of Kouga's right hand men...He ran a hand through the black tuft of hair on his head nervously, wondering if she would say yes. Kagome giggled just a small bit, even if she knew she wasn't supposed to, for it seemed like Ginta was as nervous as a teenage boy asking out a girl for the first time!

"No."

"Kouga-kun?" Kagome blinked at the wolf-prince, her eyes puzzled as the others watched with confusion just as evident.

"Why not?! Jealous!?" Ginta shot back.

Realizing his mistake, her bowed and apologized profusely...He did not need a fight with his leader right now....

Kouga watched the groveling wolf with a mask of cold pleasure and slight indifference. If he killed Ginta right now, Inuko wouldn't be able to have chil-- ......Why did he keep thinking that Ginta and Inuko would end up together? That wasn't possible...was it? His eyes darkened as he turned away from the groveling Ginta.

"Hmph. Go with that bitch if you want," Kouga sneered, his nose in the air along with his pride. "But don't think you can come back to the tribe so easily."

"Why you--!" Inuko snarled and drew out Tetsusaiga. It pulsed with energy as she pointed it at the wolf...

The blade transformed in her hands and she stared at it in awe. This power...this strength...Her father's...and Inuyasha's...Kagome stepped in front of the Fang's tip, her eyes defiant.

"Even if...Even if it seems like he doesn't care, Inuko-chan, I'm sure he loves you!"

'He loves me...huh...'

A lost look entered her golden eyes as she stared at Kagome, not able to say anything. The girl from another world continued on.

"And...I'm sure you love him too..."

"...I won't know that until I find who I really am..." Inuko mumbled tossing the Tetsusaiga to a shocked Inuyasha. He fumbled it for a little while, and strapped the sword to his waist.

"You, Ginta, Take care of her...or die."

And with that, Inuyasha returned to the hut, irritated, sad, worried and mad. Kagome followed suit, wishing Inuko good luck, leaving the others with her. Inuko smiled sadly, but was glad that they were letting her go. She couldn't just stay in one place, afraid of who she was, afraid of her past...

"Don't ever forget, we're here...Don't ever forget, who you really are," Sango told her, her chestnut brown eyes telling Inuko everything she needed to know...

"Ah, since you're still here, why don't you bear my child?"

"MIROKU!!!!!!!!!!"

*Thwap!*

Sango dragged away an unconscious houshi, grumbling to herself about lecherous priests who needed to keep their sex drives in check. Two wolves and a hanyou stood still, unsure of what to do next...Then...

"Feh! Go on your merry little way," Kouga spat sarcastically.

"Kouga...Take Ginta with you?"

"WHAT?!" Ginta and Kouga shouted, their jaws agape.

"But, I thought for sure--" The wolf-prince stammered, pointing a finger at Ginta and Inuko.

Inuko shook her head slowly, and graced them with the trademark Inu-hanyou Smirk.

"Come off it, I gotta do this alone!"

"NO!" Kouga and Ginta cried again. They turned to glare each other, sparks flying.

"I'LL COME!" They shouted in unison once more.

"...Do as you wish," Sighed the hanyou girl. 'This is what I get for meeting such morons.'

"One hand on her, Ginta, and I'll--"

"You'll what? Hmph, do you really think she'd go to you? Erk, sorry, but it's true!"

"Why WOULD I want her to go to me?!"

"..."

"..."

A cold wind blew as Inuko walked away, shaking her head in shame. Kouga and Ginta immediately stopped their bickering and followed after the wandering hanyou, heading towards the Western Lands. Hopefully, there she would find answers. Any answer. Hell, she'd be glad to battle it out with a few demons right now, with all the pent up stress she had! She just needed to...get away and do something other than wondering whether she was really "Inuko" or not...

"O-oi!" yelled Kouga, racing after Inuko's rapidly disappearing figure.

"Inuko-chAaaAaaaAaN!!!!!"

-------------------
A Few Hours Later
-------------------

"You sure you know your directions?"

"Shut up Kouga, I never asked you to come."

"Inuko-chan...we've been on the road for--"

"Hours and hours, yes I KNOW!" Inuko snapped whirling around and glaring at her two companions. They had been traveling along the main road for awhile now, and the sun was really starting to beat them down. Beads of sweat were collecting on Inuko's brow as she continued to yell at the two wolves, "LOOK! If you don't WANT to come, then just GO BACK HOME!"

"But--"

"Besides...There's something here...I can feel something...pulling me this way..."

Her cryptic remark left Ginta and Kouga standing still, as Inuko walked on, heedless of their complaints. There was something ... towards the west, before the palace of her brother, something familiar about this road ...

Something clicked in her head...

'The village!'

She broke out into a run, no matter how tired she was. The hanyou began taking leaps and bounds instead of normal steps, clearing miles at a time. This was the way home...the home where she lived with Inuyasha and...and her mother. What she remembered and expected was completely different from what she saw, however.

Her mother had been both a miko and a noblewoman. She had guarded this village before she had found their father, and returned to this village to escape the harassment she received from the rest of the Inu clan...They let her stay, but shunned her away, leaving the little family of three to socialize amongst themselves...The loneliness...was so ... They tried visiting other villages, to see if they would be able to find a better place to live, where hanyou could be accepted, but...there was no such place...The last place they checked...the last place Inuko remembered being with her mother was at Kikyou's village...

"Okaa-san...what happened...here?" Her soft voice floated through the air as she stared at the charred remains of the quaint little village. She walked slowly into where the courtyard once stood; right where a little lake had once sparkled with life and swam with fish. Kouga and Ginta followed rather awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say. The air was a feeling of heaviness within the air; shattered dreams, broken hearts, bloodied hands...All they could smell was the irrepressible odor of charred wood and flesh, but what Inuko could smell, see and hear...was completely different. She could still smell the sweet cherry blossom trees, feel the cool breeze on her skin and hear the excited chatter of the townspeople...but that wasn't there anymore, was it?

She remained rather stoic and aloof as stared at the burnt landscape, golden eyes muted with confusion. This life was hers yet not at all; exactly how was she supposed to feel?

"I suppose...I should feel sad, ne?" Inuko asked no one in particular, expecting no answer. "But, I can't seem to muster up the feeling...Hahaha...."

Hollow laughter echoed throughout the area as two wolves stood baffled by the hanyou's behavior.

"Maybe I'm turning into Sesshoumaru, ne?" Inuko laughed some more, much to the worried displeasure of her companions, "Well...I guess it doesn't matter...any more..."

The sound of gurgling water reached her snow-white ears...A waterfall, yes, the waterfall from where their irrigation system was derived...On the edge of the village? There, past the trees, Inuko could see it in her minds eye. She sprinted off, her exclamation of "Wait here!" falling upon youkai ears. The two wolves turned and looked at each other, an unasked question in their eyes:

"Should we..."

Resolve set in their eyes and jealousy fueling their hearts, they sprinted off after Inuko, Kouga, of course leaving Ginta in the dust. Whilst Ginta sputtered and spat at Kouga incoherently, the wolf-prince was already at the little waterfall, and his eyes widened in wonder. Beyond the village was paradise; Though, nowadays, that paradise looked a little worse for wear. True, it was still green, but the waterfall itself had grown smaller and smaller as the years rolled by. Well, that and it seemed to now be infested with low-class water youkai.

"Ooooh...Shikon no Kakera?" A low voiced hissed from underneath the water. Its beady yellow eyes stared to where Kouga stood, "He hasss power..."

Inuko turned one ear back as Ginta stumbled in, and her voice was low and dangerous, "Oi. I thought I told you two to stay put."

"And let you have all the fun?"

"Worried, Kouga?"

"Of course not!"

Ginta mumbled, "I'm so sure."

"Hey!"

"Eep! Sorry!"

"Both of you! Shut your traps right now!" Inuko snapped, glaring at the both of them, "Now, whatever scaly-ass demon you are in the water, you better get the hell out of there!"

Bubbles began to erupt from the depths of the waterfall's lake, and slowly but surely, an eight-legged serpent like demon rose from beneath its placid surface. With yellow eyes, scaly mud-colored skin, and claws on every one of its hands: Yeah, this would be fun!

"Hmmm...Just what I expected," Inuko grinned a bit, "A stupid little snake in a stupid little lake. Hmm, I hope you're ready for this!"

She leapt into the air to strike with her claws, while Kouga only watched from the ground below. A thoughtful look in his eyes, he scratched his head and reflected on Inuko's earlier behavior...

"I thought she couldn't fight?" He mused aloud. When he first met her, she was getting swarmed by youkai, and now, she was taking on demons that were more than three times bigger (thought not necessarily more powerful than) her.

"Well, Kouga-honey, times change, and when you finally meet up with your twin--Augh! Stupid snake! Why can't you just have 2 arms like everyone else?!" With a graceful swipe of her claws, the serpent screeched in pain as he stared down at his generous lack of arms. Inuko landed softly next to Kouga, hands dripping with sickening green blood, "That link we once had opened up again. And...I guess, if anything, I could always fight, but being five hundred years in the future, there was really no need to...and...I always did think he was dead..."

"The future?" Ginta asked, innocent curiosity shining plainly in his warm coffee-colored eyes, "What do you mean?"

"You see, Kagome isn't really from another world, just another time," The hanyou matter-of-factly explained, "The well at the temple she lives in allows her to travel from this world, the Sengoku Jidai, to hers. Events that occur here actually do have an impact on the future, but due to the large span of time that it must pass through before it reaches Kagome's time, it's effect lessens until it is barely noticeable. However, powerful objects such as the Shikon no Tam--"

"MOVE IT!" Kouga shoved Inuko to the side as he took a blast of acid to the shoulder. He clutched his left shoulder and winced, the skin bubbling and seemingly melting right off.

"Kouga!" Inuko yelled, struggling to get up. As she stood, she helped the fallen Ginta up, and they both watched on with worry.

"Lemme show you how it's really done!"

The ever-confident, ever-moronic Kouga dashed around the slow moving serpent, a tornado weaving around the wolf's body. Leaping straight up, her rotated himself faster and faster, drilling a hole straight through the snake's head, sending blood and flesh splattering everywhere. The youkai's huge body fell with a thud, and Inuko looked visibly disgusted as chunks of scaly skin covered in viscous green blood.

"See! Baka In-Augh..." Kouga winced and dropped to one knee; The acid was spreading throughout his body, and he could feel his entire left arm burning with pain. "Dammit, it's always me who gets hurt...."

"Ginta-kun! Toss him into the water!"

"WHAT?!" Kouga and Ginta yelled together, wondering what she was planning.

"Ginta-kun, get in the water too! Dammit, this blood is corroding everything around here! Dammit! My kimono!" She whimpered a bit and hurriedly stripped it off, "Stupid snakes with their stupid last shot at killing the good guys attack...Feh..."

Piercing blue eyes widened with shock as the hanyou before him stripped down to nothing but a strange pair of undergarments. She tossed the fire red cloths into the lake, before jumping in herself. Noticing the lack of more splashing, she glowered at the non-moving wolf demons.

"Don't just stand there!"

...

And stand there they did...Well, right before Ginta shoved in a flabbergasted wolf-prince. He jumped in as well, stripping as he went in...So it came to pass that two wolves and an inu-hanyou-female stood shivering in a lake, all almost completely naked.

"You know, Inuko-chan, the water isn't helping much..." commented the silver-haired wolf worriedly, watching the waters cloud over. "Itee~ Hey, it's beginning to sting!"

"Shit...I was hoping that it would be more diluted in wa--Kuso..." Inuko winced as the surrounding waters seemed to literally eat at their flesh.

"We have to get out of here, moron!" Kouga yelled.

"Too late, the blood's on us already, it'll just keep going and going until we're dead," She slapped herself in the forehead, "I thought my hands were stinging from the cuts not the blood!"

'But really, we're in deep shit,' Inuko's nervous gold eyes scanned the collapsing paradise; if only there was some way to purify it all...

"Purify? But how..."

"Baka! There's no way of doing it! That would require Kagome or that miko bitch--URK!" Kouga's eyes were wide as a clawed hand wrapped around his throat. He stared into burning golden eyes, and gulped as the claws squeezed a little tighter. She had him at his most vulnerable point right now and there wasn't a single thing he could do about it...

"Don't. You. Dare."

Her words dripped with more poison than the snake's as she released Kouga from her vice grip. Ginta quietly made a mental of Kouga's mistake: "Do not insult Inuko-chan's friends". It was true; Inuko did seem to value others upon herself, or was it just pride...? He squinted his eyes at Inuko as wind whipped her silky, now sticky white hair into the air, like some power was building. ...This feeling...Deep within the core of his body, Ginta could feel the coming power, the potential hidden within Inuko. Wait...didn't Inuko say that she was half miko...?

"Okaa-san..." She whispered, golden eyes glazed over as she held her hands over her heart, "Trying...to help...I see...Just...let...it...all...out..."

"I-i-inuko? What the HELL do you think you're doing?!" Kouga's voice actually shook with worry; he knew that Inuyasha was powerful, not matter how much he didn't want to admit it, but he always chalked it up to being that strange sword of his. But Inuko--! Without anything, she was radiating more power than most of his tribesman...MOST OF BUT NOT ALL! ...hey, the poor chap had to save some pride!

"This'll...sting, but it won't kill you...."

Those were the last words heard as she raised her palms to the heavens. Power flared all around her, nearly blinding her comrades. Through the light, Ginta could make out the outline of her figure, and he couldn't help but think in the farthest reaches of his mind how beautiful she was. And out of the corner of his eyes...he saw Kouga doing the same. There wasn't much time left to dwell on the subject as the pent-up energy exploded in a spectacular blaze of light, filling the area and then some. The three of them let out a cry of surprise and pain; it was so amazing but the holy energy burned them all...

The light show dimmed down, two wolves kneeling at the bottom of the lake, and one hanyou still standing. Pain prickled through the wolves' bodies, but that wasn't their immediate concern. Their immediate concern? Inuko's sudden collapse. They rushed over despite the pain, and found that Inuko had been knocked out cold. Was it from the use of the energy or the pain that she must've felt as well? She, more the others may have felt it more...After all, it would be as if something was tearing at her, inside out...

After a quick look over at Inuko's physical state, they gathered up their clothes and surveyed the area. The lake and the waterfall had completely evaporated, the trees: partially melted but good to go...and Kouga's shoulder seemed to have stopped bubbling up with pain. It still looked horrible, though...With a quick nod to each other and a small argument, they set off for deeper into the forest...Still, as Ginta walked with a unconscious Inuko in his arms, Kouga grumbled here and there.

"You know you can't carry her with that arm."

Ginta's statement brought back only more silence...

*GROWWWL*

Kouga stopped abruptly, Ginta slamming into his back. Inuko let out a soft whimper but nothing more, as she ended up sprawled over Ginta on the forest floor. He looked about the forest, searching for another adversary when he suddenly realized his mistake:

"Er...I guess we should get something to eat then?" Kouga suggested, sweatdropping for sure ~^.^~

"Aside from that, we should really stop marching around in the forest half-naked," Ginta griped, "The fear of getting bush branches up my bum isn't all that appealing."

"Heh, yeah, we should..." An idea suddenly struck Kouga (shocking, isn't it?), and his grin did nothing to comfort Ginta. "How's about this...We're both hungry, ne? So you go hunt for something and I'll stay here with Inuko."

Silence.

Silence.

"NO!" Ginta cried, hugging Inuko possessively. They argued back and forth like little children, Kouga finally beating the other wolf out. Realistically, it would do them no good for an injured demon to go gallivanting through a possibly dangerous forest trying to hunt. And besides, Kouga would never do anything to harm Inuko...nothing. Okay, so what if he told her off multiple times?

'It was for her own good,' the wolf prince's guilty mind claimed, staring at the unconscious hanyou wrapped in Ginta's arms. 'But what the HELL can Ginta give 'er that I can't?! Why do I EVEN CARE?!'

The silver-haired wolf shivered abruptly; there was a chill running through him from the top of his ebony-colored tuft all the way down to his toes. There was something...charged in the air. It was something that sent a chill down his spine for no apparent reason, and Kouga's tense stance reflected his worry. There was another youkai about...and it wasn't just your day to day swampy low-class demon either. This scent that filled the air hummed with regality; it was a very powerful demon, indeed. Powerful enough to rouse Inuko from her power-drained sleep.

Her golden eyes slid open to see a face. A face that held warm brown eyes, fangs, and a rather amusing hairstyle. Wait-a-minute...

"Ginta-kun?" She mumbled sleepily. Then it hit her.

She was almost naked and in some guy's arms.

"Ohmygoodnessgetoffame!"

Her shriek rang throughout the forest as Ginta was hastily shoved to the ground. She made a grab for the comfort of her, slightly melted, fire-rat kimono slung over Kouga's shoulder. Within a few seconds, Inuko was dressed in the classic outfit once more, her face reddening even further as she saw that Kouga and Ginta weren't in much better positions. With another yelp of surprise, she covered her eyes and turned around, demanding that the two males get dressed right that instant. They shrugged slowly, explaining that they had been walking continuously since their battle; there hadn't been time to change.

"Oh, come off it, pup, you know you can't resist a sexy wolf like me~" Taunted Kouga as he clothed himself.

"Only a desperate woman wouldn't be able to resist," grumbled Ginta, who, luckily wasn't heard by the wolf-prince.

"Shove it up your ass Kou...ga...." What had began as a disgruntled shout ended with a faded whisper; that majestic scent had finally reached her sensitive nose as well. It was so familiar, but she couldn't quite put her claw on it; all Inuko knew was that it was someone very powerful, and someone who hauntingly smelled like her father.

"Otou-san..." Inuko clutched her head as she stumbled and stopped against a tree; the lack of energy, the calling of hunger, and the wish to collapse into a fitful sleep began to take their toll. She felt her world spin and toss her to the ground, when she was caught by...someone. She was about to mumble her thanks when both Kouga and Ginta's low growls alerted her; exactly who the hell caught her?!

"Ne, ne, Sesshoumaru-sama! It's the dog-girl again!" Rin's cheerily chirped.

-------------------
Bum bum bum!
You don't expect me to just leave our beloved Sesshoumaru behind in the dust, do you? Well, this one took a really long time to get out, gomen, but I've just been so goddamn busy nowadays. And for those who are wondering *points at current pen name* Yes, it does say "Inuko" and I do admit it's just a tad bit cheesy, but I just kinda adopted that name on the internet and it's used far more often than "Akiko" was, so I figured--"Hey, why the hell not?" Let's see...any last minute author notes? Oh! Please ignore any time-line inconsistencies -_-;; I was trying to figure out Mysterious Hanyou's timeline, and had one helluva hard time doing it...SooOOOoooo...If you have ANY idea of: a) how to actually pull it off, or b)B.S. to a point where it's not even noticeable, than feel free to drop a line...In my head it goes something like this:

Inu-twins born ----- while searching for new village, Inuko meets Kikyou ----- Inuko drops into the well, approximately 500 years into the future (give or take a few) and is found by Grandpa Higurashi. Kagome is about 4 while Inuko is 5-ish ------- Inuko grows up to 16, and IY gets trapped in the spell; no real side effects for Inuko...perhaps a slight case of narcolepsy? ------- Kagome drops into well. Inuko knows nothing. ----- The Noh mask event catches our hanyou-heroine's eye. More demons pops up. ----- Follows one to Higurashi shrine, gets mistaken for IY, pops back into the Sengoku Jidai. Beginning of Mysterious Hanyou.

What I have a hard time placing is Grandpa Higurashi's age, and the effect that IY's "death" has on her, how, etc. etc. Is that timeline all right? Or is it screwed over with so many plotholes that I should just re-write? Actually, I was thinking about re-writing the earlier chapters to higher quality (this story IS about a year old or so...My writing's improved since then...hopefully. =P), but I was wondering about how bad I might mess up the story's timeline by putting more detail and stuff...And I don't feel like writing the ENTIRE thing, thank-you-very-much.

Anyhoo, that's enough of Last Minute Author's Notes for yah!! Thank you for all of your reviews and support...and...uh...yes, half.breed/wanderer's destiny/THE oekaki board are all currently down...eh...just wait a couple weeks when I get a big ass amount of webspace ^.^ THEN it'll go back up~