I like to thank Adam for introducing 'Inuyasha' to me and for helping with
the editing. Note: I am writing based off of the on-line manga. It is
easier to keep up with.
Juanyu hurried as fast as he could through the forest with a load of firewood on his back. The day was closing and evening was well under way. He had hoped to be back home before now, but he had gotten distracted. He thought that he had smelled the scent of a demon, but it proved to be nothing. Now he was running to get back home. If he was in his wolf form, it wouldn't take so long, but it was too soon after his last transformation.
The wind whipped through his tan vest and around the matching pants. He didn't wear shoes and his long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Around his neck was a crystal hanging from a short leather thong. Inside the crystal there looked like four hairs. Juanyu was a strong young man of eighteen and not ugly as well. He probably would have been married by now if it weren't for his curse.
As he emerged from the woods he paused and took in the scene before him. The village was a peaceful farming community of about a hundred surrounded on two sides by the mountains while a lake and the forest bordered the other sides.
The houses were clustered around a bell tower that was rung in times of danger. By now most of the villagers would be inside and wouldn't come out until morning. Despite the peace that had been brought here for the past two years, some things hadn't yet changed. He sighed and headed for the other side of the village. It was there that he lived with the village's savior, Hikaru. It was because of her that the village knew peace again after seven years of darkness, terror, and insanity.
She had made her home little ways outside of town. Some of the villagers feared her because of her heritage just as they still feared Juanyu because of what he had become. Neither were their faults, and it angered him that they should be treated like this. But would Hikaru scold gently and told him that not everyone in the village saw them as monsters; and it was normal for humans to fear what they didn't fully understand.
It consisted of a wooden hut where she lived, the smaller hut where Juanyu insisted that he sleep, the wood shed, and the large tree near the front door. It looked properly tended and lovingly cared for. Although she had only been living here for two years, Hikaru had managed to make the place seem like she had been in the village for much longer.
When he reached the house and stood in the yard for a moment with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. The run had tired him out and he didn't want his lady to see him so worn out. After he got his breathing back to normal, eh removed the firewood from his back and stacked it into the wood shed. Some of it would end up as firewood, but others would be made into arrows. Juanyu liked to keep both quivers full, both he and Hikaru were excellent shots. And you never knew when they might be needed. Then he stretched and headed in. The aromas of cooked food made his mouth water and his empty stomach growl.
"It is about time that you got home. I was beginning to worry, Juanyu. Now, don't make excuses. Just sit down and eat. I'll be back in a few minutes. I haven't feed the birds yet," Hikaru said. After she gathered a large basket filled with seeds, she left the one-room hut.
Juanyu had to admit that she was a lovely young woman. She wore a dark kimono and trousers with a small branch thrust into her belt and went around barefoot like him. Her brown hair was kept back in a thick braid that went along her back. But it was hard to ignore the marks of her demon heritage. Her eyes were a brilliant yellow, almost gold. She had claws instead of fingernails and a pair of adorable dog-ears at the top of her head. It still baffled him at times that a half-demon like her had been able to drive the wolf-demon Sanusha away.
Hikaru was truly the strangest half-demon that Juanyu had ever met (in fact, she was the only half-demon he had ever met). Despite her heritage, she had had clerical training and fairly strong powers; she could qualify to be a miko. But her spiritual energy was next to nil; she didn't know how to use it. But she was good in a fight. Hikaru was strong in the martial arts and practice diligently, often sparring with the men in the village in a few friendly bouts. Those always ended up with the men laying on the backs and Hikaru standing as victor, and on occasion sporting some bruises herself.
A steaming bowl of stew was waiting on the table for him and Juanyu knew better than to wait for her to come back in to eat. So he grabbed a pair of chopsticks and dug in. Hikaru would stay outside even after the birds had their fill just listening to them. She had the talent to be able to understand what they were saying, a real gift at times. Hikaru used the birds to keep her informed as to what was going on in the forests around the village. Generally the wards she had set up the day after Sanusha was gone kept most of the more powerful demons out, a few managed to get through. Then the birds would come to the half-demon and warn her. Then the two of them would deal with it.
Life wasn't that bad now, just annoying. Mostly because of his cousin, Yawnin. After Juanyu was cursed, Yawnin was the only choice to lead the village when their grandfather would die. Yawnin went out of his way to lord this fact over his cousin, and often with the intent to provoke Juanyu into a fight. The future leader had hopes of throwing both Juanyu and Hikaru out of the village and bringing in a proper priest to take their place. He had tried to provoke Hikaru, but she simply ignored him and went on about her business.
Not to mention that Grandfather was still alive, healthy, and in charge. The headman was grateful to the half-demon miko for everything that she had done for the village and wouldn't hear of her leaving. And there were other villagers that felt the same way. Although many of them were afraid of her, they respected her for what she had done and relied on her to help deal with illnesses.
He had just finished when she reentered the hut. He served her a bowl and went to his corner. There were some unfinished arrows from last night. Juanyu went to work silently stripping branches clean and notching both ends to fit either an arrowhead or the fletching.
Hikaru watched him as she ate. Something was on his mind again, even if he wouldn't admit it. It was probably Yawnin again. Juanyu's cousin distrusted and disliked them both and would rather have them gone from the village. But the young man didn't dare go against the headman. At least not yet. He simply didn't have enough support. Several women from the village had hinted to Hikaru earlier today that Yawnin was planning something; but none of them knew what it could be.
It might not be such a bad idea if she left. Her wards would still work after she was gone and Juanyu could stay to help protect his home. She had come to this country two and a half years ago to look for answers to some old questions. Instead she had found this place under a demon's rule, freed it, and stayed. Maybe it was time to continue with her search.
Hikaru had grown up on a small island in a community of priests and priestesses of nature. They had taken her in as a newborn and raised her to the best of their abilities. But they didn't tell her anything about where she came from and if she had any surviving family left. Or why she had been given to them in the first place. Then their elder had spoken to her in private one night. He had told her that she had originally came from a distant land and now it was time for her to return there. He also revealed that although her parents had long since been dead, she had two older brothers still alive. She had been so happy that she had some kind of family left that she hadn't asked why she had never been told before.
The next morning she had her possessions packed and was standing on the shore of the little island with the only family she had known present to say farewell. The elder handed her an egg. He told her that in order to return, she had to crack the egg on the ground. Hikaru had done as she was told and discovered herself on a strange beach.
That wasn't the only thing that had happened to her. Hikaru had always been good with languages, but the egg did something to her that excelled her learning process. For within weeks of landing, she could speak the language here just as good as a native. But then she was supposed to be a native, this was her homeland.
She sighed and finished her food and faintly heard someone approaching. Being in human form at the moment, Juanyu hadn't heard anything. She slowly got up and went to the curtained door.
"Hello? Who's there?" she said.
Out of the darkness appeared a young girl about six years old. She looked liked she had been crying and was sniffling loudly. The girl wore a plain kimono and was barefoot like most of the villagers. Hikaru recognized her at first sight.
"Sora! What are you doing here? Please come in here this instant," Hikaru called out. Juanyu's little sister sobbed out loud, ran over, and wrapped her arms around Hikaru's waist. From behind her, Juanyu had rushed up when he heard the noise. He gasped at the sight of Sora while Hikaru carried the child inside the hut.
"Please, Juanyu, prepare some of the stew for Sora. I'll find out what the problem is," Hikaru said. She sat down on the floor near the fire with Sora in her lap. Hikaru held Sora gently and let the girl cry on. She made soothing sounds and stroked the girl's hair. "Now, now. Tell me what the problem is, Sora."
Sora sniffled for a few minutes before she answered. "Yawnin and Grandfather had another argument before dinner. Yawnin really wants to you gone, Lady Hikaru, but Grandpa doesn't want you to go! And neither does Sora!"
Juanyu's expression was dark as he served his sister some of the stew. He and his cousin had never gotten along, not even as children according to the older women of the village. Hikaru's tenure in the village was just adding another inch in the rift between the two young men.
Sora took the stew and ate it gratefully. The poor child had probably ran out of the house before she could eat anything. Sora was barely old enough to remember what it was like when Sanusha has ruled the village.
Looking out of the window, the half-demon came to a decision. "Sora, you'll have to stay here for the night. It's too dark now for you to be out on your own. And besides, I don't want you going back there while your grandfather and cousin are still arguing tonight. I'll take you back in the morning," she said.
Sora looked up from her bowl, wide-eyed. Her voice made it clear that Hikaru wouldn't take any argument from Sora or her brother about this. That was just fine with Sora. She liked being at Hikaru's hut better then living at home. Hikaru was nice and kind, despite what Yawnin said about her. And Juanyu was here too. Sora loved her brother dearly and a lot of the other children in the village liked him even though the silly grown-ups were afraid of him. Sora smiled at Hikaru and didn't argue with her. Hikaru often allowed the children to come with her when she went into the woods to gather herbs for healing potions. They were learning a lot from her. The grown-ups weren't as afraid of Hikaru as they were of her brother. Sora didn't know why.
After Sora finished her stew, she helped Hikaru make some herbal medicine for the village while Juanyu continued with his arrow making. They stopped when Sora couldn't keep back her yawns. The hut was quickly cleaned and everything was put away. Juanyu left for his rooms and Hikaru settled Sora in a spare bed. The girl fell asleep quickly and was making little snores within a minute.
With the hut almost to herself, Hikaru leaned back against the far wall and sighed. It would be soon now. Yawnin would find an excuse to throw her out of the village for good. The prospect of this was a mixture of sadness and joy. This village was becoming like home for her, the second that she has known in her entire life. But leaving meant that she would be able to explore more and maybe find her brothers. She fell asleep with these emotions conflicting inside of her for supremacy.
It was a night of the new moon. Which meant that the group wasn't doing anything important tonight. They were going to have a nice, quiet evening and in the morning, Inuyasha would be back to normal.
"This so sucks," he said to no one in particular. He was just stating his opinion on the subject of losing his powers for one night.
The others had heard this complaint several times in different ways and ignored him. They had made camp in the edge of a forest that went to a ledge overlooking a river below. Kagome was boiling water for her instead food stuff while the others were tending to minor maintenance.
Inuyasha looked at his friends and smiled to himself. He had never thought that one day he would have friends like Shippou, Sango, Miroku, and Kagome. It felt nice to have them around, even when they were annoying. He just wished that there were more that he could do to help and protect them. But he had to settle with what he could. And that wasn't enough. Inuyasha ignored thinking about Kikyou. Sooner or later he had to stop but the miko wouldn't leave his head.
He sighed and settled back against a tree. Myouga hopped onto his knee and stared at him. "What is the matter, Lord Inuyasha?"
"Nothing. Just thinking to myself," he replied and looked away. The flea- demon sighed and sat down.
"Myouga, what was Inuyasha like when he was a child?" Shippou asked. He was bored and wanted to talk with someone. Inuyasha wouldn't and everyone else was busy. The little kitsune sat down by Inuyasha's knee and waited for a reply.
Myouga looked at Shippou and an expression of happiness on his face. He wanted to talk too, and he was glad to talk about his master. Neither noticed that the person in question was looking at them out of one eye.
"Lord Inuyasha was a most unusual child, you must admit. He wou-aaahhh!!" he screamed as Inuyasha flicked off his knee and to the campfire.
"I acted just like any ordinary brat before my mother died, all right. After that, I was on my own."
Kagome looked over at him, disgusted. "That wasn't very nice, Inuyasha." Myouga stumbled out of the ashes on the fire's edge and sat down, smoke rising from his blackened body.
Sango looked him over with concern. "Are you all right?"
Myouga shook his head and returned to his usual self. "I am all right, Sango. I was probably forgetting Lord Inuyasha's feelings on this matter. He prefers not to talk about his childhood. And he was right when he said that it was hard after his mother had died. I can only imagine what it might have been like if he not only had to look after himself but his sister as well."
Silence descended on them as the whole group stared at the little flea- demon. Inuyasha leaned forward violently and lowered his face to Myouga's level.
"What do you mean by 'sister'? I was the only child my mother bore!" he yelled. Miroku and Kagome pulled him back.
"Let him explain, Inuyasha," Miroku advised. Kagome didn't say anything but nodded her agreement. Inuyasha settled back again but glared at the flea-demon.
Myouga, now that he had a whole audience, hopped over and sat again on Inuyasha's knee. He was certain that this time he would not be sent flying off any time soon.
"What you said just now wasn't necessarily true, Lord Inuyasha. You were your mother's first born, that is true. Your sister wasn't born until you were a year old. Your father was very happy at the prospect of another child. It was during her second pregnancy that he asked Toutousai to make swords for each of his children, including the unborn child. The swords were completed the day before she was born and they were delivered that morning. Your sister was born that afternoon. Oh, she was adorable. She had the family eyes and the same ears as you. The fuzz that was on her head was a light brown instead of silver. The babe was given the name Hikaru and it was decided that she would receive the Tennega when she was older."
++ Tennega means 'Nature's Fang.'
"What does the Tennega do?" Shippou asked.
"The Tennega is supposed to allow the wielder to use the very forces of nature in an attack. But it was not meant to be."
"Huh. What do you mean?" Inuyasha demanded.
"Hikaru died during the night that she was born. Your parents didn't say what the cause was, but it was obvious that they were heartbroken at losing her. I don't know what your father did with the third sword, he never told me. Then he died a few months later. The rest, you know."
Inuyasha looked at Myouga in surprise, "Why wasn't I ever told this?"
Myouga was thoughtful for a moment. "I must assume that because you were so young at the time that it was decided to tell you when they thought you were old enough. But they died before you were grown. It is the only conclusion that I can come to."
Inuyasha suddenly stood up and walked out of the camp. Myouga fell down to the ground. The others were shocked at his callous behavior but Myouga stopped them from going after him.
"I should have known better. This bit of news has been kept from Lord Inuyasha for many years. It must be a shock for him to learn of it now."
The others had to admit that this made sense, so they left him alone. The water was boiling by then and Kagome poured it into the ramen bowls to cook. After she set the timer for the noodles, she walked out to find Inuyasha.
He was standing on the ledge that overlook the river. The moon was high in the sky tonight and it looked to her that he was thinking about what Myouga had told them. She walked up and stood beside him for a few minutes saying nothing at all. His face was a mixture of shock, sadness, and anger.
"Are you all right, Inuyasha?" she asked.
He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, really. I feel so confused right now. I'm mad that I was never told about my sister. I'm sad that I never got the chance to know her. And I'm shocked that she had been born at all," he said. "I also wonder what she might have been like if Hikaru was alive right now. Would she like me? What would she be like? Would we get along? How could I have pulled the two of us through childhood after Mother died? Things like that."
Kagome put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a smile. "At least you know now about Hikaru, Inuyasha. And there is that third sword Toutousai made, maybe we can find it."
Inuyasha looked at Kagome and had to return her smile. It was hard sometimes not to smile with her, especially when she was in her optimistic mood. He opened his mouth to reply when they heard a large thud behind them.
They turned around. Behind Inuyasha was a large, amphibious looking creature that looked like a cross between a toad and a fish. The skin was a mottled blue mix and the eyes were black and oily. There were claws on the ends of its webbed feet and a tail swished back and forth behind it. When it spoke, the voice sounded more like a croak than anything else.
"Inuyasha?" it said.
Inuyasha grimaced and stood in front of Kagome to protect her. "Kagome, run back and get the others, quick. I don't think that it will attack you. It might be just after me," he whispered. Kagome stepped back and slowly nodded. She hesitated for a minute then broke out in a run. The fish- demon ignored her, Inuyasha was right. It wanted him.
This damn thing had to come at him when he had lost his powers. Why was it that crap like this happened each new moon, he wondered. Without his powers there was little he could do. Tetsusiaga wouldn't work and he had no demon powers to use. He had to hope that Kagome would return with the others before it made its move.
Unfortunately, Inuyasha underestimated how fast the demon could move on land. It was like a fish when in water, but it could be as equally as fast on land for short distances. And he was right in front of it. It leapt at him with its mouth gaping open. He didn't have the time to dodge, nor did Inuyasha have any place to dodge to. The demon caught him in its mouth in one move.
By this time, Kagome had gotten the others and they were in time to see the demon take Inuyasha into its mouth then jump off the ledge. They gasped in fright and rushed to the edge and looked. The skin of the demon and the fact that it was nighttime prevented any of them from seeing where it had gone in the water.
Kagome was close to tears. If only she had been faster, they might have been able to save Inuyasha from that demon. Shippou did his best to comfort her, but he was sad too. Miroku and Sango leaned against each other. None of them could refuse that Inuyasha was really gone, most likely taken as the demon's dinner. But then there was the nagging question:
Why did it only go after Inuyasha and not the rest of them?
Juanyu hurried as fast as he could through the forest with a load of firewood on his back. The day was closing and evening was well under way. He had hoped to be back home before now, but he had gotten distracted. He thought that he had smelled the scent of a demon, but it proved to be nothing. Now he was running to get back home. If he was in his wolf form, it wouldn't take so long, but it was too soon after his last transformation.
The wind whipped through his tan vest and around the matching pants. He didn't wear shoes and his long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Around his neck was a crystal hanging from a short leather thong. Inside the crystal there looked like four hairs. Juanyu was a strong young man of eighteen and not ugly as well. He probably would have been married by now if it weren't for his curse.
As he emerged from the woods he paused and took in the scene before him. The village was a peaceful farming community of about a hundred surrounded on two sides by the mountains while a lake and the forest bordered the other sides.
The houses were clustered around a bell tower that was rung in times of danger. By now most of the villagers would be inside and wouldn't come out until morning. Despite the peace that had been brought here for the past two years, some things hadn't yet changed. He sighed and headed for the other side of the village. It was there that he lived with the village's savior, Hikaru. It was because of her that the village knew peace again after seven years of darkness, terror, and insanity.
She had made her home little ways outside of town. Some of the villagers feared her because of her heritage just as they still feared Juanyu because of what he had become. Neither were their faults, and it angered him that they should be treated like this. But would Hikaru scold gently and told him that not everyone in the village saw them as monsters; and it was normal for humans to fear what they didn't fully understand.
It consisted of a wooden hut where she lived, the smaller hut where Juanyu insisted that he sleep, the wood shed, and the large tree near the front door. It looked properly tended and lovingly cared for. Although she had only been living here for two years, Hikaru had managed to make the place seem like she had been in the village for much longer.
When he reached the house and stood in the yard for a moment with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. The run had tired him out and he didn't want his lady to see him so worn out. After he got his breathing back to normal, eh removed the firewood from his back and stacked it into the wood shed. Some of it would end up as firewood, but others would be made into arrows. Juanyu liked to keep both quivers full, both he and Hikaru were excellent shots. And you never knew when they might be needed. Then he stretched and headed in. The aromas of cooked food made his mouth water and his empty stomach growl.
"It is about time that you got home. I was beginning to worry, Juanyu. Now, don't make excuses. Just sit down and eat. I'll be back in a few minutes. I haven't feed the birds yet," Hikaru said. After she gathered a large basket filled with seeds, she left the one-room hut.
Juanyu had to admit that she was a lovely young woman. She wore a dark kimono and trousers with a small branch thrust into her belt and went around barefoot like him. Her brown hair was kept back in a thick braid that went along her back. But it was hard to ignore the marks of her demon heritage. Her eyes were a brilliant yellow, almost gold. She had claws instead of fingernails and a pair of adorable dog-ears at the top of her head. It still baffled him at times that a half-demon like her had been able to drive the wolf-demon Sanusha away.
Hikaru was truly the strangest half-demon that Juanyu had ever met (in fact, she was the only half-demon he had ever met). Despite her heritage, she had had clerical training and fairly strong powers; she could qualify to be a miko. But her spiritual energy was next to nil; she didn't know how to use it. But she was good in a fight. Hikaru was strong in the martial arts and practice diligently, often sparring with the men in the village in a few friendly bouts. Those always ended up with the men laying on the backs and Hikaru standing as victor, and on occasion sporting some bruises herself.
A steaming bowl of stew was waiting on the table for him and Juanyu knew better than to wait for her to come back in to eat. So he grabbed a pair of chopsticks and dug in. Hikaru would stay outside even after the birds had their fill just listening to them. She had the talent to be able to understand what they were saying, a real gift at times. Hikaru used the birds to keep her informed as to what was going on in the forests around the village. Generally the wards she had set up the day after Sanusha was gone kept most of the more powerful demons out, a few managed to get through. Then the birds would come to the half-demon and warn her. Then the two of them would deal with it.
Life wasn't that bad now, just annoying. Mostly because of his cousin, Yawnin. After Juanyu was cursed, Yawnin was the only choice to lead the village when their grandfather would die. Yawnin went out of his way to lord this fact over his cousin, and often with the intent to provoke Juanyu into a fight. The future leader had hopes of throwing both Juanyu and Hikaru out of the village and bringing in a proper priest to take their place. He had tried to provoke Hikaru, but she simply ignored him and went on about her business.
Not to mention that Grandfather was still alive, healthy, and in charge. The headman was grateful to the half-demon miko for everything that she had done for the village and wouldn't hear of her leaving. And there were other villagers that felt the same way. Although many of them were afraid of her, they respected her for what she had done and relied on her to help deal with illnesses.
He had just finished when she reentered the hut. He served her a bowl and went to his corner. There were some unfinished arrows from last night. Juanyu went to work silently stripping branches clean and notching both ends to fit either an arrowhead or the fletching.
Hikaru watched him as she ate. Something was on his mind again, even if he wouldn't admit it. It was probably Yawnin again. Juanyu's cousin distrusted and disliked them both and would rather have them gone from the village. But the young man didn't dare go against the headman. At least not yet. He simply didn't have enough support. Several women from the village had hinted to Hikaru earlier today that Yawnin was planning something; but none of them knew what it could be.
It might not be such a bad idea if she left. Her wards would still work after she was gone and Juanyu could stay to help protect his home. She had come to this country two and a half years ago to look for answers to some old questions. Instead she had found this place under a demon's rule, freed it, and stayed. Maybe it was time to continue with her search.
Hikaru had grown up on a small island in a community of priests and priestesses of nature. They had taken her in as a newborn and raised her to the best of their abilities. But they didn't tell her anything about where she came from and if she had any surviving family left. Or why she had been given to them in the first place. Then their elder had spoken to her in private one night. He had told her that she had originally came from a distant land and now it was time for her to return there. He also revealed that although her parents had long since been dead, she had two older brothers still alive. She had been so happy that she had some kind of family left that she hadn't asked why she had never been told before.
The next morning she had her possessions packed and was standing on the shore of the little island with the only family she had known present to say farewell. The elder handed her an egg. He told her that in order to return, she had to crack the egg on the ground. Hikaru had done as she was told and discovered herself on a strange beach.
That wasn't the only thing that had happened to her. Hikaru had always been good with languages, but the egg did something to her that excelled her learning process. For within weeks of landing, she could speak the language here just as good as a native. But then she was supposed to be a native, this was her homeland.
She sighed and finished her food and faintly heard someone approaching. Being in human form at the moment, Juanyu hadn't heard anything. She slowly got up and went to the curtained door.
"Hello? Who's there?" she said.
Out of the darkness appeared a young girl about six years old. She looked liked she had been crying and was sniffling loudly. The girl wore a plain kimono and was barefoot like most of the villagers. Hikaru recognized her at first sight.
"Sora! What are you doing here? Please come in here this instant," Hikaru called out. Juanyu's little sister sobbed out loud, ran over, and wrapped her arms around Hikaru's waist. From behind her, Juanyu had rushed up when he heard the noise. He gasped at the sight of Sora while Hikaru carried the child inside the hut.
"Please, Juanyu, prepare some of the stew for Sora. I'll find out what the problem is," Hikaru said. She sat down on the floor near the fire with Sora in her lap. Hikaru held Sora gently and let the girl cry on. She made soothing sounds and stroked the girl's hair. "Now, now. Tell me what the problem is, Sora."
Sora sniffled for a few minutes before she answered. "Yawnin and Grandfather had another argument before dinner. Yawnin really wants to you gone, Lady Hikaru, but Grandpa doesn't want you to go! And neither does Sora!"
Juanyu's expression was dark as he served his sister some of the stew. He and his cousin had never gotten along, not even as children according to the older women of the village. Hikaru's tenure in the village was just adding another inch in the rift between the two young men.
Sora took the stew and ate it gratefully. The poor child had probably ran out of the house before she could eat anything. Sora was barely old enough to remember what it was like when Sanusha has ruled the village.
Looking out of the window, the half-demon came to a decision. "Sora, you'll have to stay here for the night. It's too dark now for you to be out on your own. And besides, I don't want you going back there while your grandfather and cousin are still arguing tonight. I'll take you back in the morning," she said.
Sora looked up from her bowl, wide-eyed. Her voice made it clear that Hikaru wouldn't take any argument from Sora or her brother about this. That was just fine with Sora. She liked being at Hikaru's hut better then living at home. Hikaru was nice and kind, despite what Yawnin said about her. And Juanyu was here too. Sora loved her brother dearly and a lot of the other children in the village liked him even though the silly grown-ups were afraid of him. Sora smiled at Hikaru and didn't argue with her. Hikaru often allowed the children to come with her when she went into the woods to gather herbs for healing potions. They were learning a lot from her. The grown-ups weren't as afraid of Hikaru as they were of her brother. Sora didn't know why.
After Sora finished her stew, she helped Hikaru make some herbal medicine for the village while Juanyu continued with his arrow making. They stopped when Sora couldn't keep back her yawns. The hut was quickly cleaned and everything was put away. Juanyu left for his rooms and Hikaru settled Sora in a spare bed. The girl fell asleep quickly and was making little snores within a minute.
With the hut almost to herself, Hikaru leaned back against the far wall and sighed. It would be soon now. Yawnin would find an excuse to throw her out of the village for good. The prospect of this was a mixture of sadness and joy. This village was becoming like home for her, the second that she has known in her entire life. But leaving meant that she would be able to explore more and maybe find her brothers. She fell asleep with these emotions conflicting inside of her for supremacy.
It was a night of the new moon. Which meant that the group wasn't doing anything important tonight. They were going to have a nice, quiet evening and in the morning, Inuyasha would be back to normal.
"This so sucks," he said to no one in particular. He was just stating his opinion on the subject of losing his powers for one night.
The others had heard this complaint several times in different ways and ignored him. They had made camp in the edge of a forest that went to a ledge overlooking a river below. Kagome was boiling water for her instead food stuff while the others were tending to minor maintenance.
Inuyasha looked at his friends and smiled to himself. He had never thought that one day he would have friends like Shippou, Sango, Miroku, and Kagome. It felt nice to have them around, even when they were annoying. He just wished that there were more that he could do to help and protect them. But he had to settle with what he could. And that wasn't enough. Inuyasha ignored thinking about Kikyou. Sooner or later he had to stop but the miko wouldn't leave his head.
He sighed and settled back against a tree. Myouga hopped onto his knee and stared at him. "What is the matter, Lord Inuyasha?"
"Nothing. Just thinking to myself," he replied and looked away. The flea- demon sighed and sat down.
"Myouga, what was Inuyasha like when he was a child?" Shippou asked. He was bored and wanted to talk with someone. Inuyasha wouldn't and everyone else was busy. The little kitsune sat down by Inuyasha's knee and waited for a reply.
Myouga looked at Shippou and an expression of happiness on his face. He wanted to talk too, and he was glad to talk about his master. Neither noticed that the person in question was looking at them out of one eye.
"Lord Inuyasha was a most unusual child, you must admit. He wou-aaahhh!!" he screamed as Inuyasha flicked off his knee and to the campfire.
"I acted just like any ordinary brat before my mother died, all right. After that, I was on my own."
Kagome looked over at him, disgusted. "That wasn't very nice, Inuyasha." Myouga stumbled out of the ashes on the fire's edge and sat down, smoke rising from his blackened body.
Sango looked him over with concern. "Are you all right?"
Myouga shook his head and returned to his usual self. "I am all right, Sango. I was probably forgetting Lord Inuyasha's feelings on this matter. He prefers not to talk about his childhood. And he was right when he said that it was hard after his mother had died. I can only imagine what it might have been like if he not only had to look after himself but his sister as well."
Silence descended on them as the whole group stared at the little flea- demon. Inuyasha leaned forward violently and lowered his face to Myouga's level.
"What do you mean by 'sister'? I was the only child my mother bore!" he yelled. Miroku and Kagome pulled him back.
"Let him explain, Inuyasha," Miroku advised. Kagome didn't say anything but nodded her agreement. Inuyasha settled back again but glared at the flea-demon.
Myouga, now that he had a whole audience, hopped over and sat again on Inuyasha's knee. He was certain that this time he would not be sent flying off any time soon.
"What you said just now wasn't necessarily true, Lord Inuyasha. You were your mother's first born, that is true. Your sister wasn't born until you were a year old. Your father was very happy at the prospect of another child. It was during her second pregnancy that he asked Toutousai to make swords for each of his children, including the unborn child. The swords were completed the day before she was born and they were delivered that morning. Your sister was born that afternoon. Oh, she was adorable. She had the family eyes and the same ears as you. The fuzz that was on her head was a light brown instead of silver. The babe was given the name Hikaru and it was decided that she would receive the Tennega when she was older."
++ Tennega means 'Nature's Fang.'
"What does the Tennega do?" Shippou asked.
"The Tennega is supposed to allow the wielder to use the very forces of nature in an attack. But it was not meant to be."
"Huh. What do you mean?" Inuyasha demanded.
"Hikaru died during the night that she was born. Your parents didn't say what the cause was, but it was obvious that they were heartbroken at losing her. I don't know what your father did with the third sword, he never told me. Then he died a few months later. The rest, you know."
Inuyasha looked at Myouga in surprise, "Why wasn't I ever told this?"
Myouga was thoughtful for a moment. "I must assume that because you were so young at the time that it was decided to tell you when they thought you were old enough. But they died before you were grown. It is the only conclusion that I can come to."
Inuyasha suddenly stood up and walked out of the camp. Myouga fell down to the ground. The others were shocked at his callous behavior but Myouga stopped them from going after him.
"I should have known better. This bit of news has been kept from Lord Inuyasha for many years. It must be a shock for him to learn of it now."
The others had to admit that this made sense, so they left him alone. The water was boiling by then and Kagome poured it into the ramen bowls to cook. After she set the timer for the noodles, she walked out to find Inuyasha.
He was standing on the ledge that overlook the river. The moon was high in the sky tonight and it looked to her that he was thinking about what Myouga had told them. She walked up and stood beside him for a few minutes saying nothing at all. His face was a mixture of shock, sadness, and anger.
"Are you all right, Inuyasha?" she asked.
He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, really. I feel so confused right now. I'm mad that I was never told about my sister. I'm sad that I never got the chance to know her. And I'm shocked that she had been born at all," he said. "I also wonder what she might have been like if Hikaru was alive right now. Would she like me? What would she be like? Would we get along? How could I have pulled the two of us through childhood after Mother died? Things like that."
Kagome put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a smile. "At least you know now about Hikaru, Inuyasha. And there is that third sword Toutousai made, maybe we can find it."
Inuyasha looked at Kagome and had to return her smile. It was hard sometimes not to smile with her, especially when she was in her optimistic mood. He opened his mouth to reply when they heard a large thud behind them.
They turned around. Behind Inuyasha was a large, amphibious looking creature that looked like a cross between a toad and a fish. The skin was a mottled blue mix and the eyes were black and oily. There were claws on the ends of its webbed feet and a tail swished back and forth behind it. When it spoke, the voice sounded more like a croak than anything else.
"Inuyasha?" it said.
Inuyasha grimaced and stood in front of Kagome to protect her. "Kagome, run back and get the others, quick. I don't think that it will attack you. It might be just after me," he whispered. Kagome stepped back and slowly nodded. She hesitated for a minute then broke out in a run. The fish- demon ignored her, Inuyasha was right. It wanted him.
This damn thing had to come at him when he had lost his powers. Why was it that crap like this happened each new moon, he wondered. Without his powers there was little he could do. Tetsusiaga wouldn't work and he had no demon powers to use. He had to hope that Kagome would return with the others before it made its move.
Unfortunately, Inuyasha underestimated how fast the demon could move on land. It was like a fish when in water, but it could be as equally as fast on land for short distances. And he was right in front of it. It leapt at him with its mouth gaping open. He didn't have the time to dodge, nor did Inuyasha have any place to dodge to. The demon caught him in its mouth in one move.
By this time, Kagome had gotten the others and they were in time to see the demon take Inuyasha into its mouth then jump off the ledge. They gasped in fright and rushed to the edge and looked. The skin of the demon and the fact that it was nighttime prevented any of them from seeing where it had gone in the water.
Kagome was close to tears. If only she had been faster, they might have been able to save Inuyasha from that demon. Shippou did his best to comfort her, but he was sad too. Miroku and Sango leaned against each other. None of them could refuse that Inuyasha was really gone, most likely taken as the demon's dinner. But then there was the nagging question:
Why did it only go after Inuyasha and not the rest of them?