May 10-17, 2004

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha... yet. holds up a prayer bead neclace and grins evilly Here doggie, doggie, doggie! Come here....

Claimer: I may not own Inu-Yasha (dammit!) but I do own the mysterious Butterfly, the pretty Kiri, btchy Lady Virisa, the not-yet-entirely-revealed (not in that way hentai!) Zane (who is gorgeous btw), and the very-little-known-about Vira.

squeals in delight OMG! Nube got on someone's favorite's list! I know, I know, I'm getting excited over it being on one person's list but I don't care! If this fic gets even on one list then I'll be happy. And it has! YAY! Catherine98, you rock! Huh, that's funny. I have a friend named Catherine.... Guess that's why I remember your name.

Spoiler: There's a fluffy moment and Shippou has changed dramatically(sp?).

Sroll 10: Mirror and Glass

In wonder he gazed into the mirror, lightly touching his cheekbones. His eyes were still gold but had a violet tint to them, his skin was pale, his coppery hair long and fine -he had pulled that into a ponytail- and wavy, and he was very tall. A sigh passed through his lips and he dropped his hands to his side. The tip of his long, gorgeous tail flicked without him thinking.

A hand rested on his shoulder and he looked down, feeling hatred towards her. "My, now aren't you comely?" she drawled, squeezing his shoulder. He jerked his head up, a growl coming from deep within his throat. "Now, now, Shippou. That is no way for a gentleman to behave," she scolded playfully, mocking him.

Silently she looked him over and made the poor boy flush. "Hmm. You're not too much younger than me. You are going to be 14 soon, correct?" Shippou's form stiffened as she trailed a finger down his arm. She bent over, her breath tickling his ear. "I know every secret, every desire, every stupid little grudge that you've ever had. You step out of line, I'll harm you like you've been harmed before." She dug her nails into his arm, drawing blood. Happily she caught the droplets and licked them from her fingers. "Your blood tastes good," she mumbled as she licked off the last of it.

"You sadistic bitch," he growled, flexing his claws. She looked at him sharply. "Lady Virisa to you, Sadistic Bitch to others."

As she walked to the door she laughed mirthlessly and then spun around, holding her open palm in front of her. With a slight grunt from Virisa, Shippou's body collided with a wall, eyes wide in surprise.

"Lesson one: Expect the unexpected," she said in an icy tone, thickly covered in sugar and other sweet things.

Shippou glared at her coldly, allowing himself to receive a mental slap from her. When she left he punched the mirror, wincing as a sliver of glass entered his finger. Carefully he picked it out, sucking on the cut to stop the bleeding.

How long am I going to be here?

Tiredly Rin laid down on the grass, sighing sadly. It was one of those unbearable hot days that autumn loved to give out before everything turned freezing cold. "When is Sesshy going to find Butterfly?" Jaken sighed in annoyance and restrained himself so as to not hit the child over the head with his staff.

"For the last time: I DO NOT KNOW!" he replied, getting no reaction from Rin. Suddenly Rin was running down the river, screaming at the top of her lungs. Jaken, his usual bumbling and grumpy self, walked after her. What's wrong this time? he asked himself, catching himself before he sighed again. Maybe I do sigh too much....

When he had finally caught up to her she was silent and had a look of terror swept over her face. "Bodies," she whispered. "Dead bodies." Her lower lip trembled and both shoulders and hands shook uncontrollably. "Jaken, who killed all of them? Who killed all these people?" Her voice sounded like that of a frog's.

Uncomfortable, Jaken stumbled around the right words, words that wouldn't scare her too much. "Well, um, there are a lot of, um, wars going on and... well, if you are going to have a war there is, uh, no way it can be done without people, uh um, dying."

"Why is there war now? Does it hurt when people die?"

"If someone is killed quickly it doesn't hurt."

"Why is there war?"

"Oh. I don't know Rin! I don't have the answer to every one of your questions!" he snapped, regretting it a little when he saw how close she was to tears. "Why don't you ask some other time when I have had time to think," he said slowly, wondering if it would truly shut the child up for a little while.

Rin nodded and sat down at the base of a tree, watching more bodies rush down the river to join the others. A few tears slid down her cheeks and she whispered something that Jaken couldn't quite pick up, only little snippets here and there. He recognized it though from the nights she looked out her window and looked so hopeful. She was reciting her prayer to all the people still alive.

With a sniff she walked back up the river, breaking into a run with a happy grin on her face when she saw Sesshou-maru. "Sesshy!" she called out happily, hugging his mid-section. She looked up and saw with satisfaction that he just as happy to see her. "Did Sesshy find Butterfly?"

Sesshou-maru shook his head and gently removed her arms from around him. Rin followed close to his side. Every time he went away he went for longer periods of time and she grew more worried. An idling thought whispered in her ear: What if he goes away forever? She grabbed his hand in fright, blinking back tears that threatened to fall.

"What is wrong, Rin?" Sesshou-maru asked gently. Rin stared at the floor and whispered to him, "Is Sesshy going to leave forever?" Sesshou-maru stopped, which awarded him with a quizzical look from Rin.

"No," he said finally. "I won't leave." She felt the relief wash over her as he said those words. It was so hard to understand her at times. But he understood her perfectly well this time. She lost what was once hers and was afraid to lose it again. He suppressed a groan, knowing that would seem unlike him.

I've become a father without knowing it. He smiled at the thought.

Rin looked up at his smiling face and smiled as well, happy to know that he was still capable of giving a real smile.

"Fight back fox. I know there's more fight in you than that!" Virisa yelled to him, twisting his arm back with a flick of her hand. Shippou seethed, concentrating on breaking her power over him. Blood and sweat was slathered over him, most on his back and arms. Slowly his arm was put back into place, but Virisa pushed harder.

Shippou thought he heard something crack but dismissed it, thinking that it was the door he had broke earlier had finally snapped off all the way. He pushed against the small tendril of power hoping against hope that he would make it out alive.

With a raw energy that he knew nothing of he shoved past three of her barriers, catching her by surprise. Grinning he leapt over to her, sword digging into her neck. She glared at him but he pressed harder and squeezed her mind. "Lesson 2: Take any opening you have," he murmured and then released his hold and sheathed his sword, Dokuretsu.

Stiffly Virisa complimented him on his tactics. "You handle your father's sword very well." Shippou looked at her in surprise. This is my father's? Where did she take it from? He perched on the balcony railing. Virisa looked at him and said, "Busted." With her pointer finger she pushed against his forehead, causing him to fall backwards. Shippou landed on his feet and glared up at her. Virisa looked at him innocently, but her eyes were as cold as ever.

Ah, fuck. Why the hell do I put up with this? I could just kill her in her sleep and that'll be it.

/Uh-uh-uh. Don't you think about it dear Shippou. You know perfectly well that you would be dead before you even opened my bedroom door/ she said dryly.

Sadistic Bitch.

/Glad to know that you have a nickname for me. What should I call you? Lil' Bastard?/

Shut the fuck up.

/Language./

Fuck you.

Virisa sighed and waved her hand loosely, easily summoning the demon before you. "You are lucky that I don't have you train with Zane. If I have you would have died today, understand? Now you had better show respect to me," she warned him. She walked to the door and turned around half-way. "I am leaving in an hour or so and because Zane is coming here you will be left in his care. If you disobey or disrespect him I won't be surprised if you end up dismembered and dead two times through before I get back."

Shippou's visage paled. She was serious. Not a laugh, or smirk, or even a mocking tone came out her mouth as she said that to him. Shippou watched the fiery orange and screaming reds melt below a rough line far away from him as he wondered out loud, "Who is Zane?"

Stumbling through the dark forests Butterfly clutched her side, breathing in short rasps. Something had wounded her badly and had left a shallow slit on her throat. Where the hell did these come?

Panic blossomed in her chest and caught it in a death grip. Now, worse than ever, she had long lapses of time cut out of her memory. They used to be short but now they were worse than ever. She didn't really want to admit it but she needed Sesshou-maru's help if she wanted to find out just what was happening.

Sorry, Mom. Sorry, Dad. I need help desperately so please forgive me.

She remembered the words that her grandfather had spoken and knew that she wouldn't receive any forgiveness for what she had done.

A grin played on Naraku's lips as he looked into the 'bug chunk of glass' as Kagura so promptly called it. He could see anyone at anytime he wished. Kagome and her little friends were far away from him, Sesshou-maru had apparently made a brief alliance with them, and Butterfly.... Butterfly was annoying him. So was Lady Virisa and Vira.

There was this feeling in his mind that they were related... very closely related. He traced the outline of the glass and pondered a little. He would have to send someone after them. Perhaps Kagura.... He shook his head. He needed someone new, someone with powers that they haven't been introduced to before.

Kiri came to mind.

A horrible smile came across his visage. Silently he summoned Kiri into the room. The young girl was growing fast, too fast for his liking. "Kiri, would you get into Inu-Yasha's way and kill him? If you can't do that follow Vira and make sure that she does."

With a nod and a bow Kiri left his room, evaporating gracefully into mist. Faint and stray thoughts wafted across her mind but she ignored them. Before she turned completely into mist she caught a dim reflection in a glass window and saw a dull flicker in her eyes.

Later. I'll find out later.

Tentatively Butterfly rapped on the door, shivering. The air had taken a turn for the cold. The door was opened by none other than Rin. "Butterfly!" the little girl shrieked, crying happily. Butterfly kneeled down and stroked the younger girl's hair.

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm okay," she said with a motherly gentleness in her voice. Rin took Butterfly by the hand and dragged her inside. "Sesshou-maru-sama! Butterfly came back!" Her voice was elated with relief laced within it. Butterfly braced herself to see an emotionless visage but instead saw one that was slightly annoyed and relieved. "Where were you?" he asked a little harshly.

"Missed you too," Butterfly mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Sesshou-maru looked her over, noting that she was blushing slightly. "What the hell happened to you?" he finally asked. Butterfly looked lost and tears sprung to her eyes.

"I don't know."

"How can you not know?"

Somehow, whether it was words or his tone or even a fact, this caused her to cry. "I don't know!" she wailed, burying her face into her hands.

Now, Sesshou-maru may be a full-blooded demon, may be Lord of the Western Lands, but he had absolutely no clue of what to do when a woman ended up crying because of some unknown reason. He never had that problem before.

He gently rested his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them a little. Butterfly sniffed and removed her face from her hands. "Why are you being so nice to me if you know what I am? You and I both know that I could kill you here and now and you wouldn't know until you've reached hell."

Sesshou-maru smirked. "But we both know that you wouldn't." He felt something. He had only known her for a few days but he was always thinking about her well-being, where she was. Hell, he searched for her and almost made Rin cry because of it! This feeling pained him, excited him, and made him afraid.

To his surprise she squeezed his hand affectionately and rested her head on his shoulder, ignoring the fact that her cheeks were burning up. "Thank you," she said softly. "Thank you so much, Sesshou-maru." She looked up and traced his markings with a finger as delicate as a butterfly's touch. She whispered to herself, "Perfect Killer."

Neither knew how it came to this but her lips brushed his in thankful, yet hopeful, way. She turned away, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry. That was out of line." Sesshou-maru turned her head so that their eyes met. "Don't."

Butterfly grinned and hugged him before running out of the room, leaving him to ponder just why she did such a thing. Then he, too, ran out of the room.

She looked over her shoulder and gasped. She ran behind Rin and squeaked in mock fright, "Hide me!", and then ducked behind her. Suddenly she burst out laughing and spun into the room, collapsing on a chair. She doubled over in laughter and fell out of the chair, clutching her stomach as she tried to breath normally.

"I know you're there! And I know that you can go way faster than that!" she choked out between bouts of laughter. About five minutes after she said that Sesshou-maru walked in, cocking an eyebrow at her laughing form.

"And what is so funny?" he asked. Butterfly looked up and shrugged then burst out laughing again. Sighing inwardly Sesshou-maru helped her sit up, his fingers briefly brushing bare stomach that was just below cut cloth. She tried to suppress a giggle.

Sesshou-maru grinned devilishly. "Are you sensitive?" Butterfly looked at him in horror, her eyes wide and face pale. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?" he asked. Butterfly wrenched herself from his grip and then collapsed onto the floor. She huffed and looked so defeated that it was pathetic. "Can you help me?" Fresh tears brimmed her eyes. Sesshou-maru lifted her up, trying to see if she was lying. Not a trace of a lie were in her words.

He was a curious sight. His hair was pure black, there was no shine to it but was very clean; eyes were a pure silver and shimmered with a dark power; skin was paler than Virisa's and would have made it look like she were blushing.

They just get weirder and weirder, Shippou thought.

Zane smiled nastily. He stretched his arms and then grabbed Shippou's throat. "What is that you find so odd about me?" Shippou gulped and remembered Virisa's words. He scowled. "Your appearance for one. The fact that you can read minds for another. And you want me to be honest? Well, I think your screwing Virisa."

Looking bored he dropped Shippou and studied a painting on one of the walls. "At least you are honest. The other boys that Virisa had trained lied and were killed by me. I am pleased with her choice." Shippou's scowl deepened.

"How long have you trained today?" Zane asked, still studying the painting. Shippou sucked in a breath noisily. Sure, Zane was powerful but he was very nosy. "I trained for ten hours."

"That's a long time for a beginner."

"You underestimate me."

"Maybe."

Both were silent for awhile up until Zane asked a question that crossed the line between nosy and just plain rude. "Your father was killed by the Thunder Brothers, correct? And they were killed by a half-breed whelp. Am I right? So why wasn't your father able to defeat them?"

A vein pulsed violently in Shippou's arm and neck and a spot below left eye began to twitch. "Are you insulting my father? Are you insulting my family and heritage?" When Zane didn't reply he continued on. "You have no right to know such things. Mind your own business."

Instead of replying to this outburst Zane calmly said, "Virisa shall be gone for several days. The poor bitch. If she weren't so sadistic I wouldn't have to worry so much. As for you..." he glanced at Shippou "...you should go get sleep. Tomorrow I'll train and you shall be worked like you've never known."

"So I've heard," Shippou murmured under his breath, not surprised if Zane had heard it. This made him miss everyone, even Inu-Yasha. He shook his head and scolded himself. Stop thinking about it. They'll never let you go back after this so forget it.

At that moment the whites of his eyes turned crimson, his irises violet and chocolate pupils into black.

Soon, I'll get my revenge on you Virisa for taking away the rest of the people that I've loved. Don't you doubt it.

Did too little time go between Butterfly and Sesshou-maru for it to happen in this chapter? I hope not! I was listening to 'Your the Only One' and then 'Eighth World Wonder' and 'Get Out' on the radio and that moment for that scene was just perfect. I couldn't resist! Should I repost that section in a different chapter?

Tonight is my last night on AOL and I'm allowed to stay on for quite a while so if you're on right at this moment you can try to IM me at Vasilenkow. I guess that's all. Um.... Wait. I'm getting a new provider and am doupting that I'll be able to understand how to use the bugger thing before the week is out so don't count on me being on anytime soon, kay? Guess that's all. Really. Thanks to everyone who has been so kind to me. You truly are the greatest.

PEACE. SMOOCH STAY KIND!

nube = hell

dokuretsu = freedom (as in freedom and liberty)