Chapter 3: The Answers Within

"How does she know me? I've never seen her before in my life!" Sesshomaru thought a bit repulsed. A strange sort of compassion overcame him and he slowly walked over and sat her down out of the way. "Take her out of here." He said looking at the other oni. "I'll take care of this but she's going to get hurt if she sticks around unconscious."

"You know she's the one who torched you before right?" The dog-eared boy asked warily as he walked over and picked her up on his back. Sesshomaru simply nodded and walked away. "I don't believe this..." He started running away with Sesshoku; as he ran he could hear the sounds of a fierce battle behind them. His load became extremely light as Sesshoku slid off and started running back toward the battle. "What the? What are you doing?!" He yelled staring at her for a second trying to comprehend what was going on. He finally took off running after her but he couldn't catch her before she made it back to the village. He slid to a stop in time to watch the kuromiko send out hundreds of huge black energy bolts. They solidified the closer they got and Sesshomaru couldn't dodge all of them. One shot through his left shoulder and another through his leg.

"Sesshomaru!" She screamed and raced towards him as he was pinned to a tree. She was stopped when her hand was grabbed. "Let go of me I have to help him! He helped me and now I owe him!" She screamed ripping her hand away and running again. Everyone looked at her funny as she ran up and pulled the shards out of him with strength she shouldn't possess. She used one to slit her wrist open and let blood drip on his wounds. He cocked his head and stared at her with indifferent eyes as something came to him, some long forgotten memory of something he shouldn't remember. Sesshoku when she was little.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked as he felt the strength of her blood overcome him and his wounds healed. "You know I'm just going to kill you later." She looked up at him and smiled.

"If you were going to kill me, you would have done it long before now. One day I'll be the strongest miko in the world and then it won't matter. You won't have to worry about me." His eyes got big as the long forgotten memory suddenly came back to him. Another shard ran through her back and hit him in the right shoulder. "Stay here." She gasped pulling herself off of the shard. "I'll be back." He looked at her strangely as her eyes glazed over and there was a glowing spot in her chest. She turned around walked out in the middle of the village. Overhead, the kuromiko who needless to say looked ravaged but still very much in fighting spirits waited.

"I'll never work for you or your mistress! For everyone you've killed here I can not forgive you! I can not forgive myself for letting it happen! All I can do is avenge them!" Sesshoku shouted as flames started engulfing her. The dog-eared boy looked on in awe until he noticed a bright shining spot in her chest. The kuromiko noticed it as well and seemed to think it had something to do with Sesshoku's power.

"So that's it is it? You're not really some all powerful miko! You're just harnessing the power of a demonic talisman!" She screeched laughing. "Well then I'll have it!" She bolted down towards Sesshoku at tremendous speed. A huge fireball engulfed the girl as a form of protection. The kuromiko encased herself in her dark liquid as she entered the fire; there was a huge crack and a scream indicating it had done little good. The fireball erupted engulfing the entire village but burning nothing; nothing but the kuromiko who was clutching Sesshoku's neck driving long nails into it. For a split second, as the fire died down and Sesshoku struggled to free herself, the boy swore her hair flashed white. He shook it off and bolted forward baring his claws.

"Sankon Tetsuo!" He shouted as bright gold energy slashed through the kuromiko splitting her into little pieces. Sesshoku gasped and clutched her chestas she collapsed face first into the dirt. Sesshomaru walked over gripping his shoulder and pried the kuromiko's hand off of her throat. He had pulled himself free and was watching her carefully.

"Take care of her InuYasha. She's of no use to me weak and dead. I'll come for her soon." He replied as he took to the air.

"This is all a little creepy." InuYasha thought picking the girl up and walking back with her. "Who the Hell are you really?" He wondered as he carried her back to the cave. As he laid her down he noticed that there was a smoldering part in her chest where he had seen the light before. He carefully moved her shirt aside and saw a small red crystal with a minute crack in it embedded in her chest. It began to glow faintly before the crack completely disappeared. He made the mistake of grabbing her arm as he leaned in closer and another strange feeling over came him as his thoughts began to be controlled again.

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A tall and strong looking oni who greatly resembled Sesshomaru was standing over a cowering mortal who was begging for forgiveness. "I'm so sorry Saikoinu I couldn't control myself! I couldn't stop myself from opening the door for them! I must make it up to you for all of the pain I've brought upon your family." The oni named Saikoinu reached down and picked the man up and looked at him.

"You must protect her from now on then." He replied turning around and picking up a young and bleeding Sesshoku. "You'll do as I instruct and in the end become what you serve." He pulled up a small bag from his side and from it pulled a small red jewel and placed it in a wound in her chest. As he did so a ghostly figure of a woman appeared before them.

"So long as she protects the jewel I will maintain the enchantments. I am bound to protect the jewel and so long as she has it I will keep her safe."

"Fuyuhana." Saikoinu whispered as a tear welled up in his eye.

"She wasn't my daughter but I love her dearly as if she were my own. First and foremost I am a miko and the guardian of the Fushichou no Haka. Protecting her in the process is merely an added joy. Good-bye my love." With that she disappeared into the jewel within Sesshoku. He handed her to the mortal servant and bid him go.

"Take her out to the busiest road and leave her. Stay with her until someone good and pure picks her up. When that is done come back here to finish the tasks at hand. I'll prepare my youngest to depart." Saikoinu ordered turning and walking away.

"But Master isn't she..."

"She's not truly my daughter and no she isn't a hanyou. I loved her mother dearly and so when she died I took in Sesshoku. As long as she's here though oni will believe she is what will make them invincible. For that reason, to protect her, I must let her go. Know and think of that for now. Good-bye my love." He came back and kissed her on the forehead.

"Poppa..." She muttered half conscious.

"Go on now Little One and never remember me or them..." He said making a strange mark on her forehead with his claw. Before it could heal closed he sprinkled something in it and it began to glow.

"Saikoinu, Sir, why did you do that?" The servant wondered in confused awe.

"Partly for the pain of separation and partly for the pride of the boys. Their pride and power grow everyday and should they meet her again in the future, they would not claim her as their adopted sister. Especially not Sesshomaru." The oni lord explained with a sigh.

"It is perhaps better this way because she can never live up to the promise she made to him." The servant sighed.

"Promise?"

"I'll explain when I return." With that he turned and raced down the stone paved walkway to the road and disappeared beyond the wall.

"We shall never meet again and with any luck you shall never know the truth."

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Inuyasha snapped out of the trance breathing hard. He slumped down on the ground and wiped the sweat from his brow as he stared wide-eyed at the girl. "So she is mortal but the miko spirit who was in charge of guarding that crystal is taking control of her body and using the crystal's power to protect it and her." He shook his head. "But who was that youkai who gave it to you? And why did he give it to you? For that matter what is it? And how is Sesshomaru involved? Are you really my adopted sister? Was that guy my uncle or something? I don't remember having an uncle. Why were you bleeding? Were you attacked and that servant let them in while they controlled his body?" He sighed and picked up a turnip from the basket and started munching on it. "Too many questions and strings attached to you girl. You're not worth my time and if it weren't for Sesshomaru wanting you so bad I'd leave you. You seem to be able to protect yourself." He slumped down and polished off the turnip before settling in to do some hard thinking.