*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter Sixteen: Yet Another Meeting and a Revelation of the Past
Climbing out of the well, Mei Lhi's gold eyes flashed.
"We're not alone." She whispered.
She reached over her shoulder and grasped Tetsusage's handle, slowly removing the sword from its sheath. She approached the Goshinboku Tree, then glanced side to side, finally jumping into the great tree's branches.
"I knew it...I can smell it...a powerful youkai is nearby..." She muttered.
She jumped even higher into the tree until she reached the highest branch, her ears twitching, and her hair fanning out behind her from the wind. A scent reached her nose.
'A dog? A full inuyoukai...' She growled. 'It's him...that bastard...'
***
Inuyasha could sense the youki emanating from the youkai. He already knew of course, who it was.
"Sesshoumaru..."
Mei Lhi jumped down from the tree, and still had Tetsusage in her hand.
"KYUSAI! SESSHOUMARU! SHOW YOURSELF!" She screamed.
Trees disintegrated in every direction as she swung her sword. Nearly all the trees had been destroyed except for the God Tree which didn't even have a single splinter out of place.
'Mei Lhi knows about Sesshoumaru?' Inuyasha and Kagome thought at the same time.
The clearing was full of dust and bits of broken trees. As the wind slowly blew the dust away, a tall figure approached. Inuyasha and Mei Lhi growled at the same time. Inuyasha took Tetsusaiga from it sheath, the sword transforming.
The figure loomed closer, and then the dust cleared completely, revealing Sesshoumaru.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Mei Lhi?" He said.
"You! Why are you here?! I never wanted to see you again!" Mei Lhi shouted angrily.
"Tell me...how is Kyo and Hakaru? And Kiori-sama?" The demon lord asked.
"Six feet under no thanks to you!" The hanyou girl spat at him.
"It's a shame...having one hanyou brother, but even worse to have a hanyou sister...I had hoped to rid the shame while you were still too young to understand..."
~*~Flash back~*~
Mei Lhi was crouched down by her dying mother, watching her bleed, blood staining her clothes. Tears flowed freely from the girl's eyes.
"Mother! We have to get you help!"
"No...it's my time to die..."
"But...Mother! I-I c-can't lose you!"
"Find the miko...and give her this..."
Kiori took the girl's small clawed hand and placed a necklace in her palm, then winced and closed her eyes, dying. Mei Lhi continued to cry, then glanced around seeing a young man with long silver hair standing on the cliff that overlooked the village. He turned away, disappearing into the trees, a smirk on his face.
The village men neared, and yelled, "There she is! There's the hanyou brat! Kill her!"
~*~End Flash back~*~
Inuyasha's gold eyes widened with shock.
'Sesshoumaru tried to kill Mei Lhi?! Something isn't right...this isn't Sesshoumaru...but whoever is behind this is doing a good job of manipulating him...but who? Naraku. He's the only one that would do such a thing.' He thought.
"Kagome, does Sesshoumaru have a shard?" He asked quietly.
Kagome looked at the youkai lord, then back at Inuyasha, and nodded.
"I knew it. Naraku's controlling him with the shard." He muttered. "Where's the shard, Kagome?"
"It's in his left shoulder...only...the shard...it's Naraku's entire piece that he has! Which means Naraku can't control Sesshoumaru unless he uses his entire piece of the Shikon no Tama!" Kagome replied.
"Perfect. We can get an almost complete Shikon no Tama!"
"Forget the stupid jewel! I'm going to kill him!" Mei Lhi screamed.
"NANI?! Don't you get it Mei Lhi?! Can't you put the facts together?! Sesshoumaru is being controlled by Naraku! Sesshoumaru didn't try to kill you! It was Naraku! You've been tricked by Naraku just like the rest of us!"
"Yes, I understand that...but still...HE NEEDS TO DIE!!!"
She took aim and went at a run and charged at Sesshoumaru.
"MEI LHI OSUWARI!" Kagome screamed.
The hanyou girl sunk into the ground a good four feet, and was unable to move.
"Why do you protect Sesshoumaru? Why do you spare his life?" Mei Lhi asked, using nearly all her strength to push herself to her knees.
Inuyasha pulled her to her feet, and looked her straight in the eye.
"Listen, I know you hate Sesshoumaru. So do I. But now's not the time to try and kill him. He's got the shard we need. So once we complete the Shikon no Tama and defeat Naraku, then we can kill Sesshoumaru, ok? But right now we have to get the shard back. Understand?" He said.
Mei Lhi nodded, then sighed.
"Well, we'd better make this quick..." She muttered, raising her sword.
Inuyasha smirked.
"At the same time, we'll use Kaze no Kizu. You just mimic me."
She nodded. He nodded, then both raised their swords, their youkis forming against Sesshoumaru's.
"KAZE NO KIZU!"
"MANE SURU! KAZE NO KIZU!"
They cut the Wound of the Wind, and both of their powers combined hit Sesshoumaru, the Shikon shard falling out of his shoulder. Mei Lhi (who was closest) grabbed it instantly, and handed it to Kagome.
"There. That wasn't too hard..." She said brightly.
Unfortunately, none of them noticed when Sesshoumaru drew Toukijin and plunged it into Mei Lhi's back.
***
Mei Lhi gasped as the sword cut her flesh, and blood stained her clothes, the tip of the sword showing through her stomach. Blood spewed from her mouth and she dropped Tetsusage, then onto her knees before finally falling over on her side, her gold eyes blank and seemingly lifeless.
Chapter Sixteen: Yet Another Meeting and a Revelation of the Past
Climbing out of the well, Mei Lhi's gold eyes flashed.
"We're not alone." She whispered.
She reached over her shoulder and grasped Tetsusage's handle, slowly removing the sword from its sheath. She approached the Goshinboku Tree, then glanced side to side, finally jumping into the great tree's branches.
"I knew it...I can smell it...a powerful youkai is nearby..." She muttered.
She jumped even higher into the tree until she reached the highest branch, her ears twitching, and her hair fanning out behind her from the wind. A scent reached her nose.
'A dog? A full inuyoukai...' She growled. 'It's him...that bastard...'
***
Inuyasha could sense the youki emanating from the youkai. He already knew of course, who it was.
"Sesshoumaru..."
Mei Lhi jumped down from the tree, and still had Tetsusage in her hand.
"KYUSAI! SESSHOUMARU! SHOW YOURSELF!" She screamed.
Trees disintegrated in every direction as she swung her sword. Nearly all the trees had been destroyed except for the God Tree which didn't even have a single splinter out of place.
'Mei Lhi knows about Sesshoumaru?' Inuyasha and Kagome thought at the same time.
The clearing was full of dust and bits of broken trees. As the wind slowly blew the dust away, a tall figure approached. Inuyasha and Mei Lhi growled at the same time. Inuyasha took Tetsusaiga from it sheath, the sword transforming.
The figure loomed closer, and then the dust cleared completely, revealing Sesshoumaru.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Mei Lhi?" He said.
"You! Why are you here?! I never wanted to see you again!" Mei Lhi shouted angrily.
"Tell me...how is Kyo and Hakaru? And Kiori-sama?" The demon lord asked.
"Six feet under no thanks to you!" The hanyou girl spat at him.
"It's a shame...having one hanyou brother, but even worse to have a hanyou sister...I had hoped to rid the shame while you were still too young to understand..."
~*~Flash back~*~
Mei Lhi was crouched down by her dying mother, watching her bleed, blood staining her clothes. Tears flowed freely from the girl's eyes.
"Mother! We have to get you help!"
"No...it's my time to die..."
"But...Mother! I-I c-can't lose you!"
"Find the miko...and give her this..."
Kiori took the girl's small clawed hand and placed a necklace in her palm, then winced and closed her eyes, dying. Mei Lhi continued to cry, then glanced around seeing a young man with long silver hair standing on the cliff that overlooked the village. He turned away, disappearing into the trees, a smirk on his face.
The village men neared, and yelled, "There she is! There's the hanyou brat! Kill her!"
~*~End Flash back~*~
Inuyasha's gold eyes widened with shock.
'Sesshoumaru tried to kill Mei Lhi?! Something isn't right...this isn't Sesshoumaru...but whoever is behind this is doing a good job of manipulating him...but who? Naraku. He's the only one that would do such a thing.' He thought.
"Kagome, does Sesshoumaru have a shard?" He asked quietly.
Kagome looked at the youkai lord, then back at Inuyasha, and nodded.
"I knew it. Naraku's controlling him with the shard." He muttered. "Where's the shard, Kagome?"
"It's in his left shoulder...only...the shard...it's Naraku's entire piece that he has! Which means Naraku can't control Sesshoumaru unless he uses his entire piece of the Shikon no Tama!" Kagome replied.
"Perfect. We can get an almost complete Shikon no Tama!"
"Forget the stupid jewel! I'm going to kill him!" Mei Lhi screamed.
"NANI?! Don't you get it Mei Lhi?! Can't you put the facts together?! Sesshoumaru is being controlled by Naraku! Sesshoumaru didn't try to kill you! It was Naraku! You've been tricked by Naraku just like the rest of us!"
"Yes, I understand that...but still...HE NEEDS TO DIE!!!"
She took aim and went at a run and charged at Sesshoumaru.
"MEI LHI OSUWARI!" Kagome screamed.
The hanyou girl sunk into the ground a good four feet, and was unable to move.
"Why do you protect Sesshoumaru? Why do you spare his life?" Mei Lhi asked, using nearly all her strength to push herself to her knees.
Inuyasha pulled her to her feet, and looked her straight in the eye.
"Listen, I know you hate Sesshoumaru. So do I. But now's not the time to try and kill him. He's got the shard we need. So once we complete the Shikon no Tama and defeat Naraku, then we can kill Sesshoumaru, ok? But right now we have to get the shard back. Understand?" He said.
Mei Lhi nodded, then sighed.
"Well, we'd better make this quick..." She muttered, raising her sword.
Inuyasha smirked.
"At the same time, we'll use Kaze no Kizu. You just mimic me."
She nodded. He nodded, then both raised their swords, their youkis forming against Sesshoumaru's.
"KAZE NO KIZU!"
"MANE SURU! KAZE NO KIZU!"
They cut the Wound of the Wind, and both of their powers combined hit Sesshoumaru, the Shikon shard falling out of his shoulder. Mei Lhi (who was closest) grabbed it instantly, and handed it to Kagome.
"There. That wasn't too hard..." She said brightly.
Unfortunately, none of them noticed when Sesshoumaru drew Toukijin and plunged it into Mei Lhi's back.
***
Mei Lhi gasped as the sword cut her flesh, and blood stained her clothes, the tip of the sword showing through her stomach. Blood spewed from her mouth and she dropped Tetsusage, then onto her knees before finally falling over on her side, her gold eyes blank and seemingly lifeless.