Chapter 8 of Strands:

We go to Li's Fam in the East as they talk about what's goin on.

Anè then gets taken by a demon…

CHAPTER 8

Never Forgotten Memories…

"Mama!" Anè called to Kagome who was bending over a basket on the floor of the cave they lived in. She looked up to see her daughter running up to her, six pups following her. Kagome smiled to herself, Anè had created her own little pack right there. The white wolf that was always by her side named Alva was to be a wolven like Kyoto she thought.

Li she thought to herself, I hope you're safe.

"Momma!" Anè said again, jerking Kagome from her reverie,

"Yes dear?" she replied gently,

"Mama, I was wondering when Li would be home. He never said good-bye to me, and he never left for this long before." The child said frowning at Kagome, Kagome herself sighed, and replied,

"I don't know, he didn't tell me." Anè sighed, and sat down by her mother. The pup Alva laying next to her, the little pack of pups quieting instantly as well. Soon Kagome's mind began to wonder to her son again,

if only I knew where he was planning on going, I could- no, that is probably why he didn't say, he wants to do all of it on his own, for once not have someone help him. Make his own way maybe, just like I did so long ago. With Inuyasha…

Here Kaogme's thoughts began to go in a more angst direction,

What was he thinking? Just running off on my like that. I know he knew about Li when he left, Miroku knew, who else could have told him? No one. Inuyasha knew, but, oh gods, why would he leave, he never struck me as that kind of a man, in fact I know he wasn't one. He told me he wanted kids! How screwed up was he when he left? Oh gods, what if he is dead? No, I couldn't stand that.

Suddenly Kagome recognized this conversation with herself; she had it every now and again. She had worried about Inuyasha, and at the same time, she knew that he couldn't be dead, she would have known. Or would she? And then the entire argument was back. Just like so many times before.

She shouldn't worry about him though. It wasn't like she still loved him anyway. Or did she? Oh gods she hoped not, if she did, if she did… Kagome's gaze went to the five year old child beside her. Anè, her darling daughter, and Li's younger half sister. If she had loved Inuyasha she wouldn't have become Kouga's mate would she have? But, still, sometimes she wondered about that whole thing. It was a very unusual situation. She didn't know exactly what to do with it.

Li had once told her that his sister was the center of his world. Until about two days ago, she hadn't known exactly what he'd meant. Anè had been spending more and more time with Kagome since Kouga was usually busy other places. So now Anè talked about all of the things she and Li used to do on lazy days.

Flash Back

"Li and I really couldn't be together much, daddy doesn't like it. He says he trusts Li like he trusted 'mutt face' I don't know what he meant by that, but anyway, me and Li really didn't get too awful much time alone. But when we did he and I did really cool stuff, he taught me how to fish, and hunt, and anything else I asked for." Anè had said,

"But I have never even seen him around you, at least not for a very lengthy time, when did you do all that?" Kagome asked,

"Whenever we had time, usually during times he told Kouga I was with you and told you I was with your lady wolves. He did that a lot." Anè said, "But he once told me that if it weren't for me, he would have left here when he turned 13." Anè had said, Kagome gapped at the girl.

End Flash back…

So Kagome had found out a lot of things about her son by her younger daughter.

Anè stood up.

"I'm gonna go get daddy." She said, and then was off...

Kagome sat there thinking about her son, worrying, and then a thought struck her,

Why didn't I ever notice it before? He was just like his father in spirit too…

Kouga stood on a rocky out cropping that over looked his entire lands. None of his men were with him, for once. However, he could smell all of them near by. He had come up here to think. Kagome was very unhappy of late.

What is wrong with you Li, if you would just come back she'd stop being so depressed. Damn you kid. Fool, just like your father! He thought to himself, and snarled softly,

Of course he really wasn't missing the whelp, but for Kaogme's sake, he did hope he would send word or something, not come back though. He never wanted to see the kid again to be true. Despite the years he'd raised him, they were just as bad a mix as him and mutt face. The whelp had always been just too much like his mutt father. Too stubborn, strong willed and never just taking orders. Never shut up either.

Kouga looked out onto the grassy plain to the West, and sniffed. Li. Just like so many times before, the area the kid had loved so much had taken on his sent, kinda. He growled,

Will he never truly leave?! However, before he could think even half of another thought, he heard Anè calling for him.

He turned to see his younger daughter running up to him grinning up a storm.

"Daddy! Hey da-" she never finished; suddenly a demon dropped from the sky and grabbed her in its claws.

"ANÈ!!!!" Kouga yelled, only to see his daughter being born away…

AN: Tee hee, I know, I'm evil!