I'm glad you guys liked this so far.  These first few chapters are simply to help the storyline develop.  I need a good intro and this is simply to fill people in on what's going on…sort of.  It's a little more into the whole Shiro thing…well, not really, I guess.  I got the idea the minute I created him in my story and decided to use him, because he was a fun character to create.

Anyways, any guesses on my title?  I'm highly happy with it.  My sister thinks I'm insane for loving a title so much, but it just sounds good…and it's a pun off of someone in this fic.  Can you guess?  Hehe…I'm too giddy, ne?

Disclaimer:  I don't own Inuyasha, and ya know what?  I wasn't broke!  I had 170 dollars at the beginning of my vacation…and now I have 10…which will disappear soon, believe me.  Money doesn't last long with me.  We're going to target soon.  I'll be back in debt again…oh well^.^  Anyway, don't sue me!

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Siria slowly opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust before closing them again.  She then forced herself to sit up, ignoring the pain that was shooting through her body.  She opened her eyes, but didn't see much of anything.  She was too dazed to care where she was.

"Siria-san!"

She didn't answer to the voice.

"Siria-san, you shouldn't be moving around yet.  You were badly injured."

A part of her wanted to answer, but her mind was blank.  She saw nothing and heard nothing right now.  She held up her bandaged hands and stared at them.  She didn't feel right.  It felt as if a part of her was missing.  Her mind was having a hard time comprehending what had just happened.  Within just a day, her whole life was crashing down around her.

"Siria-san!" called Kagome.  The Inuyasha-tachi watched as Siria just stared at her hands.  They weren't sure what to do and she wasn't responding.  Inuyasha was getting impatient with the crimson haired ningen.  Siria, however, didn't care or even notice this.  In her mind, she was alone.  She flexed her fingers slightly, clenching and unclenching her fists.  Her eyes were slightly wide and she looked as if she was in shock.  'My sword,' she thought to herself.  'My Toukengai…it's gone…'

"Oi, Siria!" shouted Inuyasha.  His voice was quite loud and angry, and it took just that to snap her out of her little world.  She raised her head up and met his angry eyes.  They were full of questions for her.  She didn't respond, but just stared at him, awaiting the rest of his sentence, even though she was already sure she knew what he wanted to say.

"I want some answers, now.  Just what the hell is going on?"  Siria lowered her head and brought her gaze back to her hands.  She then looked up, just staring at the wall.

"Siria-san…is something wrong?  Just what happened out there?" asked Kagome in a very soothing voice.  Sango and Miroku said nothing.  They simply watched Siria, awaiting an answer.

"Onegai, Siria?" pleaded Shippo.  "Tell us what's wrong."

"Gomen nasai," said Siria quickly.  This caught them all off guard.  "All of this is my fault, in a way."

"Just tell us what's happening.  Who was that guy?" demanded Inuyasha as he sat down near her, interrogating her with his gaze.  Siria sighed and then decided to speak.

"His name is Shiro…Kumori Shiro."

"Kumori Shiro…" whispered Miroku, as if contemplating the name.

"Do you know about him?" asked Sango.  All eyes were on the houshi, waiting for an answer.

"He used to be the lord of a large village.  He was quite powerful, wasn't he?"  Miroku directed his gaze to Siria, who nodded once.

"He was very powerful for being so young," she said.

"But as I recall, that village was destroyed.  No one survived the youkai attack, right?"  They all stared at Siria, who was supposed to supply them with an answer.  What was she supposed to tell them?  No one survived?  Both her and Shiro seemed to be alive, but were they really?  Should she tell them the truth?  After thinking it over, she made her decision.  They had a right to know.

"It's true that Shiro-sama died during the attack, however…that's not all there is to it."

"What do you mean?" asked Sango.

"You called him Shiro-sama…Siria-san…did you know him?" asked Kagome.  An uneasy silence settled upon them as they all awaited Siria's response.  Siria knew this would happen, so she decided to just come out with everything.

"Because of him, I'm alive.  Shiro-sama died while saving me."

"Then who the hell was that?  If Shiro died, then how could that have been him?" shouted Inuyasha, getting annoyed at how the questions weren't getting answered.  This just put them back at the beginning.  Siria burrowed her face in her hands.

"I don't know," came her muffled reply.  She shook her head slightly, hiding her face.  "I just don't know.  This wasn't supposed to happen when…when I…"

"Siria-san…" said Kagome as she reached to her hands, pulling them away from her face.  Siria allowed Kagome to do so, but she tried to hide her tear stained face.  However, she wasn't able to, especially from Inuyasha, who could smell the salt from her tears.  All eyes were focused intently on Siria, who was breaking down for the first time in years.

"Siria, why are you crying?" asked Sango.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this.  I found him, at last, but he…he…"

"Was he the one you said you needed to find?" asked Kagome.  "Is Shiro the person you've been searching for?"

"Yes…he is.  Since Yume died, I've been looking for him.  I knew he was out there, demo…he wasn't supposed to be like this.  And now, I…"  She looked at her hands again and at her empty sword sheath.  "He took my sword…my Toukengai.  With that sword, he could easily destroy us all."

"Why did you block that attack?" asked Miroku.

"Because if I hadn't, all of you would have died.  This sheath is the only thing that can nullify the attacks from that sword, demo…because this sheath isn't the original…I can't…I…"

"How is Shiro able to use that sword then, huh?  I belongs to you, doesn't it?" asked Inuyasha.

"I…that sword…I took it the day Shiro died.  I've had it every since then."

"Wait a minute…" started Miroku, finally remembering something.  All eyes were now on him again.  "That village was destroyed about 100 years ago, so how can you…"

"It was Suteki, the head of the hateshi.  She did it.  She cursed me and made it so that I couldn't age.  She took everything away from me, even…my life.  She erased my memory, my past, my home, my life.  I was dead for so many years, until I met Yume.  She gave me a life, a purpose, and when she died, my purpose was to find Shiro-sama, and now that I have, I…"  She buried her face again.  "I wish you had just killed me then, Inuyasha.  Why didn't you just kill me during out last battle?"

"What are you talking about?  Did you want to die or something?"

"I do now."

"Yume wants you to live."

"I don't care anymore.  Don't you get it?"  Her voice was rising with anger.  "I don't want to be alive if it means I have to go through that pain again!  Everyone I care about ends up dying in the end and I'm sick of it.  If I'm not around, then they can't die!"

"Kuso!  Stop being selfish!  There are people out there who still need you.  You're the only one who even has a chance of getting through to Cycil.  I don't know what's up with this Shiro guy, but don't you want to find him still?  You didn't search for the last few months to give up now, did you?"  Siria was silent.  She hadn't thought about it that way.  She DID want to see Shiro again.  She wanted to save Cycil, and she wanted revenge on whoever did this to them.  She clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"I…I want to see him again…I want to save Cycil, and…I want my sword back."

"See?  So stop complaining and pull yourself together already.  You're so weak."

"Inuyasha, be nice," demanded Kagome.

"It's alright," said Siria.  "He's right.  I need to pull myself together, demo…"  She kept looking at her empty sheath.  "Without the Toukengai, I'm defenseless."

"I have a question about that sword of yours," said Miroku.  "Just what is it about that sword?  Was it forged by some youkai?"

"I really don't know.  Shiro-sama received that sword when he was only fifteen.  He easily mastered it within the next few years, and then…I received it."

"What was that thing he did with it?  I never saw you use that," said Sango.

"I used it only on youkai.  I would never inflict that type of pain on a ningen.  That attack was called Toujin no Ryuuketsu.  It's a deadly attack that can easily cut even the strongest youkai in half.  If they survive, they probably wont live long afterwards.  It's a deadly attack, but has its limits.  A sword or other weapon can block the attack, but only some of it.  Even my sheath couldn't counteract the attack."

"Were you able to master the Toukengai?" asked Kagome as an afterthought.

"Iya.  I failed to master it.  I only learned two of the attacks: the Toujin no Ryuuketsu and the Hisaki no Kokuei, which I used on Naraku's kugutsu that time.  There's a final attack, but I've never seen it, at least…I don't think I have…I don't remember."  It was silent for a while.  All of them allowed the conversation to sink in.  Everything was getting so complicated so quickly and they didn't know just what to do.  Nothing made sense anymore and the more the Inuyasha-tachi got involved with Siria and Cycil, the more complicated things ended up getting.  Finally, Siria stood up.

"I think it's best that I leave now," she said.

"Nani?  Doushite?" asked Kagome.

"If I stay here, it won't help anything, and don't say that you'll come with me."  She looked back and knew that Kagome was going to say just that.  The others all just stared at her, waiting for her to continue.  "This is my battle.  It's something I have to take care of myself.  Please don't follow me.  I don't want any of you to get involved this time.  I'll tell this only once: stay away from Shiro-sama.  He's mine to deal with."  And with that, she walked to the door and opened it slowly.  "Sayonara."  And with that, she let it swing shut behind her.

******

The Inuyasha-tachi sat quietly in the hut.  It was dinnertime and Kagome had already started making the ramen.  The small fire she was cooking over was all that illuminated the hut.  None of them were speaking.  They weren't sure what to talk about.  Sango was unconsciously playing with the kiseki that hung around her neck, remembering the events from the past few months.  She glanced over at Miroku, who seemed to be in meditation, his eyes closed and his breathing slow.  Sango could still remember what he had said.  She knew he loved her, but he didn't want her to know.  She wasn't supposed to hear him that night, but she had.  She would wait for him to tell her himself.

"It's ready," said Kagome, putting on a fake smile.  She was trying to keep everyone happy, but it wasn't working.  They couldn't stop thinking about what was happening.  All of them ate in silence.  Afterwards, Kagome walked outside and sat against a tree.  She looked up, wishing she could see more of the sky, but there wasn't a clearing around here.

"Kagome?" questioned a certain hanyou.  Kagome looked to the hut and watched as Inuyasha walked out.

"Hello, Inuyasha," said Kagome, a smile on her face.  It was easy to tell she was just faking it.  Inuyasha walked over and stood next to her, leaning against the tree as well.  "Oi…Inuyasha?" questioned Kagome.

"Nani?" he asked.

"What are we going to do now?  Are we really going to just forget about Siria-san?"

"She asked us to leave her alone.  She wants to deal with this on her own.  She sounded pretty serious."

"Demo…she's going to get herself killed.  She doesn't have a weapon anymore, remember?"

"She still said to stay out of this."

"Inuyasha, you can't be serious!  We can't just leave her!"

"You know, I think Naraku may be off in that direction," said Inuyasha, staring to the south.  Kagome scowled deeply at the hanyou.

"Inuyasha, we can't-"

"And we'll destroy whatever gets in our way, even that baka Shiro.  I don't care what Siria said.  If he gets in the way, I'll destroy him."  Kagome smiled, realizing what Inuyasha meant.  He really wanted to help out Siria and Cycil, but would never come out and say it.  Expressing himself wasn't one of his strong points.  Kagome's smile only widened when he turned to her.  He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"What's with that smile?"  Kagome stood up and hugged him, which caught Inuyasha off guard.  A small blush spread across his face as Kagome hugged him.  He was actually quite disappointed when she pulled away and just beamed at him.

"Inuyasha, I completely agree.  We'll go that way, and if we just so happen to find Kumori Shiro, we'll deal with him then, ne?"  She walked back towards the hut and disappeared inside.  Inuyasha just stared after her, not having much to really say.  He then crossed his arms and gave his usual "Keh" before walking into the hut as well.

******

Sango was surrounded in darkness.  There was nothing there.  She was all alone.

"Where am I?" she asked the darkness.  There was something familiar about it, yet unfamiliar at the same time.  She looked around, hoping to find something, but there was still nothing.  Suddenly, a chill ran up her spine and she froze.  Someone or something was behind her.

"Sango…you have it," said a female voice.  This voice was neither kind nor soft.  In fact, it seemed hard and demanding.  She slowly turned and came face to face a girl.  Sango jumped back and then looked over the woman in front of her.  If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that this was Yume, but she knew the last hateshi too well to assume that.  However, there was a resemblance.  This woman was wearing the same style outfit, but the colors were different.  The main color was a silver color, the trim being light blue.  She had a very regal look to her, even more so than Yume had.  Her hair was long and white, reaching her sandaled feet.  Her eyes were golden and bright, but held a certain flame in them.  It burned with hatred.  A crystal tiara resided on her forehead, where a jet-black stone resided.  In the stone was a red, glowing light.  It flickered exactly like a flame.

"I know you have it," said the woman again.  "Give it to me."

"I don't know what you mean," said Sango, truthfully.  The woman's eyes flared.

"I want the stone.  Give it to me now!"  The kiseki around Sango's neck pulsed once.  She glanced down at it and then looked back up.  In an instant, the woman was right up in front of her.  She reached out and grabbed the kiseki.  Sango then placed her hands on the woman's hands and began to pull back.

"Don't touch it, it's mine," said Sango, pulling at the stone.

"You have no right to own such an item.  I will have the kiseki that belonged to Yume, no matter what the cost!"

"You knew Yume?"  However, Sango wasn't going to get an answer.  The woman's cold hands released the necklace and found their way to her neck.  She began to squeeze, cutting off Sango's air.

"I will get the stone, no matter what.  You can't escape me.  I will have it."  Sango's vision began to blur and she fell into the darkness.

******

Sango awoke with a start.  She sat up and quickly gripped her neck.  She felt the chain around her neck and was relieved that the kiseki was still there.  However, one thing still bothered her.  Her neck hurt.  She felt the pain from what that woman had done to her.  She rubbed her swore neck and just sat there, looking at her sleeping companions.  All of them were still sleeping peacefully.  She decided to lie back down and try to get some sleep.  However, the face of that woman wouldn't disappear, and she didn't want to encounter her again.  Instead, Sango got up and walked out the door, into the cold night.  She walked over to a tree and sat down under it, leaning against the trunk.  She began to play with her necklace again and took it off, holding it up and staring at the kiseki.  It glimmered, even without any light.  It was an interesting stone.  It was a dark gray color, but not black.  It's perfect shape made it very appealing.

"Why would she want this?  And how did she know about Yume?" asked Sango to no one in particular.  She then put the necklace back on and closed her eyes.  Without realizing it, she fell asleep against the tree.  Luckily, the woman didn't appear again, allowing her to drift through her dreams peacefully.

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Any guesses as to who that woman was?  I may not say it was for a while, though.  It would kinda ruin things if I just came out and said it.  And I know this chapter was a little slow, but please hang in there.  I'm still developing a plot line.  See, at first, I only knew the first and last chapters.  And now…I only know the first, second, and last chapters.  You don't know where this fic is going and guess what…neither do I!  I never to, actually…which is kinda sad, ne?

Well, that's what happens when you write based off of one idea…I call it impulse writing.  I'm spontaneous.

Anyways, please review.  It would really make me happy.  And if I'm happy, I'll write more…if I can think of something.  It'll probably be…another week or so before I update…maybe sooner.  Ah, who knows?

Toujin no Ryuuketsu – the bloodshed blade, or blade of bloodshed, or the bloodshedding blade

Hisaki no Kokuei –Dark shadow flames

Kugutsu –puppet

Well, that's all for now.  Remember to review^.^

Bye for now^.^