My husband embraced me on the bed, knowing that my mother had committed suicide. To tell you the truth, even after all she did to me, I became remorseful. How could she have hung herself? If my dad was alive, and if he ever came back, he'd probably be paying for a funeral service. I doubt I'd be able to go, even if there was a funeral service. I'd probably only get flowers and cards.

During that time, I still thought about Cain. In fact, he visited in secret, in the dead of night, almost a week later. He put a hand over my mouth and put a finger to his lips when I awoke. He motioned for me to come outside. Before doing so, I arranged some pillows in my exact shape. I slinked outside and faced Cain with my arms crossed.

"What?"

"I heard about your mother. I'm so sorry. Truly, I am."

"Cain, there's something I wanna know."

Immediately, his eyes brightened, if you could believe that.

"You said this was Naraku's Domestication Camp?"

He nodded.

"Well, a friend," I paused, "an acquaintance of mine was cursed, and he couldn't be freed unless Naraku was dead. Now the curse is lifted. So how can this be his camp?"

A long pause followed this.

"You really want to know?"

I glared at him: that was such a stupid question he should've known better than to ask.

"Well, I and Jerry Perry are some of Naraku's offspring. Even though he is dead, he can control us from hell, with permission from the devil, himself."

I was stunned, but not because Cain had suddenly flinched with either pain or fear. It was because Naraku could control him, even though he was dead and in hell.

So that explained everything.

"Akela?" said a voice from the door. It was Shahara.

I narrowed my eyes. "This isn't what it seems. You're not to tell anyone about this, not Inu-Yasha, not even my Harry. Definitely not Harry."

Cain snorted. Obviously, he thought I was still too young to be hitched.

I turned on him. "Cain, we will talk." I went inside and got in bed, ignoring the pillows.

In the morning, though, I did tell everyone I'd gotten wind of Naraku's controlling of Cain and Perry from hell, in league with Satan himself. And let me tell ya, they were just as stunned as I was. Miroku looked like he could do with a memory charm. Harry clenched his fists into fists, sparks flying from them unnoticed and uncontrolled. Shahara was pacing in wolf form.

All the kids and Shippo and Rin were playing outside, so they couldn't hear. We could hear their screams of delight through the open window.

"What do we do now? Should we call Wolverine again?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"We don't know where he is," Harry mumbled.

"Buffy?" Shahara inquired.

"Sunnydale was destroyed, so she could be anywhere," I said.

"So who should we tell?" Miroku asked.

I suddenly had an idea. "Dad."

Everyone stared. They had never heard me talk about my father since I told them he was missing.

"Someone should go looking for him. Someone who's not enrolled in the camp, otherwise we'll be the ones searched for."

"Akela," Harry put his arms around my shoulders, "we don't know where he is, much less if he's---"

"I KNOW! I don't care. Someone still has to look for him. I'll not rest till I know more about his whereabouts."

In the end, Nakago volunteered for the search. He said, "'I am in your debt.'" I guess this was because I persuaded Cain to let him go. Either way, someone was looking for my father. Nakago left about three days after the decision was made. He didn't run a lot because he needed to save his energy for the journey. Before he sped off, he swore to me he would find my father, even if, when he was found, he was dead. Too embarrassed to hug him, I transformed and the sides of our heads touched, showing my gratitude for what he was doing. Then, he turned tail and began his long journey to Europe. I watched as he ran through the camp gates, doing something I would never be allowed to do as long as I was there.

Occasionally I would use telepathy to ask Nakago questions like Where are you? ; Be careful ; or Any luck? . He always responded with Don't know ; OK ; I know ; or Not yet . Finally he contacted me saying, Fer God's sake, stop talking to me, I'm still on the ferry to Europe. Give me some friggin time! Yeesh! Then he cut me off completely. Instantly I wondered why he would take the ferry instead of a plane. sigh

One year passed, and I still had heard nothing from Nakago about the journey or my father. I had turned fourteen, my children (born on the same day, yet not sextuplets) four, and my husband sixteen. In fact, everyone had aged by one year.

Then I got the idea of asking Wolverine. I mean, they he was my father's brother, right? So they should have some sort of bond. I contacted.

Where's Dad? I know you have a brotherhood bond? Where's his chi?

There was silence following this demand. My uncle was acting as though he knew this moment would come and would answer truthfully when it did.

Your father forbade me years ago to answer this question if someone was 'just curious'. But he did have an exception, as all people do: if the last of his blood line was desperate for a guardian, then I was to give you the number to call him at. So here it is: 1-508-636-4242.

Thanks, Wolverine. I'll call now.

I rushed out to the pay phone and dialed the appropriate number. It rang five times before a recorded message asked for a voice mail.

"Hey, Dad, Wolverine gave me the number. Mom committed suicide, big sis was raped, and lil' bro died of cancer. I'm the last of your blood line, and Mom sent me to Naraku's Domestication Camp two years before she died. I'm desperate for a real guardian and to get out of this god-forsaken hell hole."

At that, I replaced the phone to the receiver and returned to the hut. I wasn't really expecting a reply, but that's what I got almost a week later.

I was about to dig in to some doe meat I had just caught when Lyra called me through the window. Looking gluttoningly at lunch, I stomped to the window to speak to Lyra…well, more like bellow at the top of my lungs.

"WHAT COULD BE SO IMPORTANT THAT IT INTERRUPTS MY LUNCH: MY LUNCH FER CRYIN' OUT LOUD?"

"Well, you got a call at the office. They said it's your father," she responded calmly.

An awkward silence followed.

"Good friggin' answer," I said, climbed through the window to the roof, and skimmed the rooftops to the office, jumped down, and grabbed the nearest phone before anyone could say, "What in the seven hells?"

"Hello? Dad?"

At first, there was a silence. Then…

"Hello Akela. I got yer message, and I'm ready to take you home, along with Shahara, Inu-Yasha, Harry and family, and anyone else you want to bring along."

All of a sudden, my heart filled with a loathing I'd never felt before. I scowled and snarled into the receiver.

"Why'd you leave? Everyone suffered after you left, and now I'm stuck in this of all fire traps."

"Wolverines are part of the weasel or mongoose family, and your mother didn't like my attitude, so one of us had to leave, we decided. I was the less dedicated parent, even though I loved you, Elizabeth, and Ben very much."

More silence.

"Why didn't you contact us at all?"

"I didn't want to cause you more pain, just by talking to you. But this conversation is beside the point. Pack your bags, and I'm going to come pick you up ASAP."

CLICK!

I didn't even bother to hang up the phone as I sprinted outside and sprang to the roof to brood the previously-ended conversation.