Since You've Been Gone
Chapter 1
Something had been bothering Inuyasha for days now. He was quieter than usual, and often appeared to be in deep thought. When asked what was troubling him, the question would take some time to reach Inuyasha's dog-like ears.
"Come on Inuyasha," Kagome asked for the hundredth time, "What's wrong?"
The half demon took a minute to answer," What, nothing's wrong, why don't you mind your own business!"
"Well you don't have to snap at me!" Kagome yelled back.
"Oh, no here they go again." Sango said quietly to Mirokou. He rolled his eyes in response.
"Nothing is wrong, just leave me alone!" Inuyasha replied hoping to end this argument.
"Fine then, excuse me for being concerned." Kagome replied impatiently, getting onto her bike and pedaling ahead. Inuyasha slowed his pace, until he was well behind his companions.
"After all these years," Inuyasha mused to himself, "Have you returned, Nay?"
Meanwhile, some few miles away, Sesshoumaru was thinking the same thing.
"I never expected her to return, she has been gone for 51 years." The pale dog-demon thought to himself, slowly making his way to a nearby stream. Noticing his master's disturbance, Jakan inquired what was troubling his Lord.
"What is troubling you, my Lord?"
"I believe Nayhoumaru has returned." Sesshoumaru replied coolly.
Gasping slightly Jakan exclaimed, "My Lady Nayhoumaru has returned!" Excitedly he asked, "When will we meet up with her?"
"How should I know, I am not my sister's keeper." Sesshoumaru replied. Seeing that response as a cue to drop the subject, Jakan ran ahead to where Rin was happily picking flowers along the stream. Glancing down at the young mortal child, Sesshoumaru told her to pick some of those flowers for Nayhoumaru's arrival.
"Who is Nayhoumaru my Lord?" Rin asked innocently.
"She is my twin sister." Sesshoumaru replied.
"You have a twin sister Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin inquired,
"Where has she been?"
Sitting down against a nearby tree he answered patiently," Nayhoumaru has been on a journey to lands past our own, now, why don't you catch us some fish."
"Yes of course my Lord." Rin responded, bowing slightly and took off skipping towards the stream where Jakan had already been attempting to catch some of what his Lord had requested.
"I'm home." Nayhoumaru thought soothingly to herself when she caught the scent of her twin and younger brother. Kicking her foot back into the white stallion she was riding, she took off in a gallop in the direction of her twin's scent. The wind tossed her long silver hair back and she ran her fingers through her long tendrils. Galloping over a small brook, she pulled back the reins of the stallion. "There's a young mortal child with him." Nayhoumaru thought in confusion as she picked up the sent of a human girl intertwined with Sesshoumaru's.
Deciding to contemplate this at another time she commanded the stallion to continue in the same direction it had been going in at gallop speed. She placed her hand inside her kimono and felt to make sure that the jewel shard that she had obtained in China was still in her possession. Sure in the knowledge that it was still where she had placed it, she pulled back the reins slightly and continued in the direction of her twin at a trot. "I will see you soon brother." She thought to herself, smiling slightly.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed suddenly, rotating her pedals backwards, bringing the bike to a stop.
"What is it now Kagome?" Inuyasha replied, still miffed about earlier and at the delay in their travels.
Ignoring his rudeness Kagome stated, "I sense a sacred jewel shard!"
The company decided this was the time to pick up speed. Kirara transformed into her large cat demon form while Sango, Shippo and Mirokou climbed on her back and Inuyasha pick up his pace to match Kagome's.
"Where is it?" Inuyasha inquired, ready for a battle. They hadn't seen an enemy in days and he needed to blow off some steam.
"It's about a mile away and its moving fast!" Kagome exclaimed.
"Nay, is that you?" Inuyasha thought." And why do you have a shard of the Shikon Jewel?"
"There!" Kagome stated, pointing an accusing finger at a figure up ahead, riding on a white stallion.
As the horse drew closer, its rider came into view. They all stopped dead in their tracks. Sitting before them, a top a gorgeous pure white stallion, was a fair skinned female dog demon, in an almost identical kimono to Sesshoumaru's except for a few major differences. The kimono was the same as Sesshoumaru's up until the waist where the sash was orange and blue instead of yellow and blue. Instead of long, loose fitting pants, there was a skirt with a long slit on each side extending from her ankles to her waist, fully exposing her long muscular legs. Black shoes similar to Sesshoumaru's were place on her feet. However, the material used to craft them extended up to her knees wrapping around her lower legs, exposing the demon marking's similar to those on her face and wrists, on her upper thighs. The female dog demon also possessed the same fur boa as Sesshoumaru. They also noticed that she, unlike Sesshoumaru, did not posses a sword. The demon was the first to speak.
"Inu!" she exclaimed, "I did not believe that I would run into you this soon!" She was obviously delighted to see Inuyasha.
She displayed a broad smile and waited for his response. All Inyasha could do was stand there staring at his long lost sister mouth agape.