Disclaimer: Still don't own it. Those ninja monkeys are lazy.
A/N: Okay, I'm bending my "No Japanese words" unless necessary rule. "Aniki" is used in the Seven Man Army episodes as "Older Brother", and I've stolen it for Amy to use as a nickname for her deceased elder half-brother. It won't get used very often since he's, well, dead and all…I also use the word "Nee-san", which means "Sister". One of the reasons I chose to keep the Japanese words is because we English speakers tend to refer to our siblings by name, not title. Just saying "Brother" or "Sister" instead of a name seems…well, weird to me. Culture clash at its best, I suppose.
As for the rest of the Japanese words that ended up in this chapter, I'll explain at the end because I don't want to give some of the surprise away.
Now, without further ado…
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New Moon
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"ANIKI! NO!" Amy screamed, frantically clawing at the short sword that pinned her shoulder to the ground.
Keiji slumped over in death, his severed head falling as the blood from his death wound coated the ground. His murderer stood over his corpse, laughing maniacally.
In one hand her brother's attacker held his pride.
In the other, she held his duty.
"Why?" Amy screamed, energy sapping from her limbs as she began to violently revert to her human form. "Why!"
Eyes wreathed in flame stared mercilessly at her. "Why?" the murderer spat back. "Revenge, you filthy beast! Sooner or later, everything comes back to revenge."
Growling, Amy ripped the blade from her shoulder and charged the older woman. With a snort, the murderer deflected her clumsy attack and dealt Amy a stunning blow, her stolen blade carving a neat slice across the girl's back, all but severing her spine.
"Now, now." she purred at the nearly unconscious girl. "Don't go seeking death, dear."
The woman turned to leave, gathering her cloak of illusions more tightly about her.
"After all, it doesn't give all of us back so easily."
Amy lay on the ground, helpless, barely able to detect her attacker, let alone pursue her as she faded into the mist. That scent…that awful, acrid stench…even with her weak human nose, she would never forget it.
The scent that had taken Father.
The scent that had taken Mother.
The scent that had now taken Keiji.
"NEVER!" she howled.
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Rin stared up at Amy. She'd been twitching for over an hour, mumbling in a strange language.
"Do you think we should let her stay up there?" she whispered.
The wolf hanyou at her side shrugged, his dark furry ears twitching as he followed Rin's line of sight. "It's not the first time Aunt Amy's had a nightmare in a tree. She'll be okay…well, unless she starts screaming."
Rin looked up with wide eyes. "She screams?"
The hanyou looked down at her. "Only sometimes. Aunt Amy's seen some bad stuff, but she's really strong, you know?"
Rin's chest puffed out in pride. "Bet she's not as strong as Lord Sesshoumaru."
"Ha! I bet she's WAY stronger than Lord Sesshoumaru!" Derek taunted back.
"Is not!" Rin yelled.
"Is too!" Derek retorted.
"Is NOT!" Rin screamed, her nose an inch from Derek's.
"Is. Too." the hanyou ground out between clenched fangs.
Rin growled in frustration, the young hanyou taking a step back as the smaller girl launched herself in the air and tackled him. Dust billowed around the wrestling children, the only sign they were alive the 'Is not's and 'Is too's that emerged from the rising cloud.
"Enough." A calm voice froze the children in their tracks, both looking up in fear at an annoyed Sesshoumaru. Rin jumped to her feet, quickly brushing her kimono off as Derek lay stunned on the ground.
"Yes, my lord!" she chirped, gazing adoringly up at the tall youkai.
"Rin." he said sternly. "What have I told you about attacking other children?"
"Umm…" The child suddenly became entranced with her bare toes, which were spontaneously drawing fascinating designs in the dust. "Go for the eyes?" she said hopefully.
Sesshoumaru snorted. "No, you do that when other children attack you. What did I tell you about fighting with other children?"
Rin hung her head. "Not to start fights without a good reason."
"And?" Sesshoumaru prompted.
Rin looked questioningly up at her idol.
"Did you attack Derek for a good reason? Or just because you were frustrated?" Sesshoumaru asked patiently.
"Because I was frustrated." Rin whispered.
"And now…?" Sesshoumaru said gently.
Rin looked sheepishly at Derek, whose ears hadn't stopped twitching in amazement. "Sorry, Derek."
The hanyou carefully stood up, slowly brushing the dust from his clothes. "S'alright, Rin. I did sort've egg you on, I guess."
"Aw, how very fatherly of you, Sesshoumaru. Getting the children to play nice?"
Kagura stepped out from the concealing woods, her fan held protectively in front of her. Rin yelped and dove behind Derek, whose ears flattened as he growled at the wind youkai, one clawed hand reaching back protectively towards Rin.
Sesshoumaru looked calmly at the annoying female, his hand not even twitching towards Tokijin. "Are you off your leash today, Kagura, or do I owe this visit to Naraku?"
Kagura scowled. "I'm 'off the leash', if you must know. I have some…interesting information for you."
"And what would this information be?" Sesshoumaru stated coolly, his expression the epitome of boredom.
"Naraku has taken on a new partner." Kagura smirked. "An undead human woman who has, if I overheard correctly, had past involvements with your newest companions."
"And this would interest me…why?" Sesshoumaru's voice grew icier, his eyes matching his tone even though the bored expression never left his face.
Kagura lazily drew patterns in the air with her fan, amused at how the hanyou boy's eyes followed her weapon's idle movements even as the human girl began to overcome her nervousness enough to peek over his shoulder at her.
"Well, it doesn't involve you, directly…" Kagura drawled, changing the speed of her movements just to see the boy twitch. "However, I can see why your new lady friend would want to track down Naraku's latest acquisitions. His new partner gave him a pair of very nice gifts - a sword that sucks the will to fight from his opponents, and a charming little ring that keeps him from turning human once a month."
"I still do not see why this would interest me, Kagura."
Kagura flicked her fan in annoyance. "He's up to something, Sesshoumaru. He's been rebuilding his armies of youkai, yet he has all but stopped chasing the last pieces of the Shikon Jewel. I overheard him and his new lieutenant going over battle plans. They're planning something - something big. But it doesn't sound like he's planning to attack any of the lords here."
"No, he wouldn't be." a soft voice intruded. Amy emerged from behind the tree, her hand resting briefly on Derek's shoulder as she passed him by to stand at Sesshoumaru's side.
Her brown eyes locked with Kagura's red ones, her intense gaze freezing the wind youkai as her soft words floated on the air between them.
"Not if he has Ingrid telling him what to do, and when to do it."
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"I smell wolf." The red-robed hanyou thumbed the katana at his side, nose still scenting the air.
"Kouga?" the raven-haired miko at his side asked gently, one hand remaining reassuringly on the fox kit that perched on her left shoulder.
She had her answer as soon as her companion relaxed his guard. "No…it's not the Wimpy Wolf, just those two idiots that follow him everywhere. I wonder what they're doing out here without him?"
"Maybe they're scouting?" the pink-clad exterminator suggested, the two-tailed cat on her shoulder mewing in agreement.
"Or perhaps they are running from something." the monk said quietly, one hand idly fiddling with the prayer beads around his wrist.
The hanyou gave a soft "Keh."
"Inu Yasha…" the miko said softly, "you're not going to pick a fight with them, are you?"
"Keh! As if I'd waste my time on those two wimps! Besides, they don't act like a certain annoying wolf around me, so why should I waste my time fighting with them?" he said indignantly.
"Inu Yasha." the woman said softly, her tone admiring. She didn't have to compliment him out loud. If the way she had said his name hadn't been enough to boost the hanyou's ego, the sparkle in her eyes more than made up for it.
"Hey! Nee-san!" a gleeful voice cried out, breaking the brief quiet that had fallen upon the small group.
"Hey! Ginta!" Kagome called out cheerfully, before bracing herself for her adopted brother's hearty greeting.
"Hakkaku!" she called out warmly, slightly out of breath as Ginta released her from his boisterous version of a hug.
"Kagome." he said quietly back, his smile erasing the traces of frostiness from his tone.
"So has Kouga finally decided to give up his shards?" the impatient hanyou demanded.
"Inu Yasha! Be polite!" Kagome scolded, before turning back to the two wolves. "So what brings you to us, Ginta, Hakkaku?"
The two brothers looked at each other, both seeming to sigh before Ginta began to speak. "We're actually looking for two of our allies, Sister. The princess Amaya and a lone wolf from her tribe came here from the South, looking for an heirloom that was stolen from their clan. About a week ago," Ginta's gaze flicked to Hakkaku's stoic face before returning to meet Kagome's eyes, "the princess decided to begin looking on her own. Kouga is honor-bound to assure her safety in his territory, but she refused to allow any of our wolves to accompany her."
"So the Wimpy Wolf has you spying on her instead, huh?" the hanyou said, a smirk on his face.
Ginta flushed. "Something like that, yes."
"So I take it you've lost sight of this princess, and that is why you are looking for her now?" the monk interjected.
Hakkaku snorted, and Ginta shot him a glare. "Something like that, yes."
The monk held his chin thoughtfully. "I'm sure that if we had run across any wolf princesses, we would have known it. I assume that she is beautiful?"
Ginta nodded. "Quite."
"Her personality leaves a lot to be desired, believe me." Hakkaku growled.
"What's his problem?" Kagome whispered behind her hand to Ginta.
"The princess is of age and unattached." Ginta whispered back. "As you know, our clan's numbers are still awfully low after we lost so many to Kagura, but our men still outnumber our women more than five to one. Quite a few…" he paused, then tried to phrase his next words delicately, "quite a few of our remaining brothers had taken a personal interest in the princess. Unfortunately, she didn't return their interest."
"Okay…" Kagome said slowly. She was quite aware of how a wolf's 'personal interest' could be expressed, thank you very much, but…
"So…what does that have to do with Hakkaku not liking her?"
Ginta smiled grimly. "He was the first to, ah, approach her. She made an example out of him, to warn the rest of our brothers to keep their distance."
"Made an…oh." Kagome said, blinking quickly. 'If this princess turned down Hakkaku, no wonder he doesn't seem to like her much.' she mused.
Hakkaku growled. "I heard that."
"So…" Inu Yasha drawled, barely hiding a grin, "you got your ass kicked by a girl, huh?"
Hakkaku's growl deepened and Kagome sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation.
"Sit, boy." she said wearily, watching as the hanyou plunged, head-first and screaming, into the ground.
"Hey!" he yelled indignantly. "What the hell was that for?"
"I thought you said you weren't going to pick a fight with them?" she shot back.
"Oh…umm…did I say that?" he said sheepishly, patiently waiting for the spell to wear off.
"Ginta, Hakkaku," Sango interrupted gently, "why is it you think that we may have seen her?"
The brothers exchanged looks. "Well," Ginta said after a pause, "shortly after she left us, she seemed to start traveling with someone that you're all quite familiar with, and who probably wouldn't tolerate us tagging along behind him…"
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"That was…enlightening." Amy said, watching the wind youkai as she floated away on the breeze. "Can we trust her?"
Sesshoumaru shrugged, scanning the skies as well. "Kagura's greatest desire is to be free from the coward who created her. Although she is bound to follow his orders, she betrays him at every opportunity she can grasp."
Amy looked skeptically at the stoic youkai. "Are you sure that's her 'greatest desire'?" she said in disbelief. She certainly hadn't missed the coy looks that the wind youkai had been giving her cold companion, not to mention the jealous vibes the witch had sent off whenever Amy stepped too close to Frosty. Was it possible that he had?
Of course, why anyone would go out of their way to flirt with this cold, close-mouthed jackass of a youkai was beyond her. 'Yeah, but Ice Boy here does have one fine ass.' a traitorous voice pointed out quickly in her head before she hastily banished the thought.
Sesshoumaru looked skeptically at the frail woman at his side. "Why else would she have so willingly sought us out and revealed her master's plans?"
'Yep.' Amy thought. 'Clueless.'
She shook her head. "If she were a human, Sesshoumaru, I'd swear that that female had a crush on you. But seeing that's she's a youkai, you're probably right."
"She has a what on me?" Sesshoumaru asked, a delicately arched eyebrow betraying his puzzlement.
Amy smiled sheepishly. "Sorry - what I meant was that I think she's, umm, attracted to you."
"Of course she is, you stupid hanyou!" Jakken squawked indignantly. "No female could be immune to Lord Sesshoumaru's innate charms!"
Amy tried not to roll her eyes at the imp. "Whatever. Just because you're in love with him, Jakken, doesn't mean that the rest of us are."
Sesshoumaru's eyebrow fought to arch even higher, the corners of his mouth twitching as his retainer and the hanyou began to argue over his immense charisma. Amusing, yet somewhat embarrassing at the same time.
"Are you trying to deny Lord Sesshoumaru's ability to attract females, you…you…hanyou?!" The imp screeched. 'How dare she insult my lord thus! And with him standing right there, too!' he thought indignantly.
Amy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to ward off the headache she could already feel building. "Look, Jakken, hanyou or not, the last time I checked I was still very much a female. Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru is very, very handsome. I am not, however attracted to him." 'Liar!' the traitorous voice whispered in her head before she mentally kicked it into submission. "Therefore, logic has broken your claim. He is not irresistible to females."
"Hmph." Jakken snorted indignantly, staring into the female's heated eyes. "If you were not in your human form, you could not deny the attractiveness of my Lord Sesshoumaru. Your current lack of youki has really addled your senses."
Amy twitched. 'Why that little…'
"Ahem." The sudden noise from the subject in question broke the two out of their eye-lock, both starting guiltily to find an annoyed looking Sesshoumaru, a giggling Rin and a blushing Derek all looking intently at them.
"Yes?" Amy and Jakken said simultaneously, both glaring briefly at each other before a slight growl from Sesshoumaru brought them both back to attention.
"The Lady Amaya and I have more important things to discuss than my many charms." Sesshoumaru stated gruffly, obviously dismissing his retainer who bowed and ushered the children away from their respective guardians. As amusing as it was to see the two argue, they really did have better things to discuss. 'Besides, this nose does not lie.' he thought, bemused. 'She was not being entirely truthful when she said that she didn't find this Sesshoumaru attractive. This could become…interesting.' he thought maliciously. Her denial of attraction was a small challenge to him, true, but it was one that he would enjoy winning.
"It would appear that our enemies have joined forces, hanyou." he stated quietly, waiting for her nod to continue. "If Naraku has gained control of the Talisman of the Moon, then he no longer has need of the Shikon Jewel and its powers." Sesshoumaru paused before continuing as coolly as he could. "This increases his threat to these lands a hundredfold."
Amy looked at him, mouth slightly agape. "So you know…"
"That the 'heirloom' you seek is the Talisman?" Sesshoumaru stated sarcastically, a frown marring his features. "Don't insult my intelligence, girl. Only two things drag the Moon Wolves out of hiding - the threat of war and a direct threat to the Clan itself. The loss of the Talisman would mean both for you.
"It was obvious what 'heirloom' it was that you were seeking. The fact that it is in Naraku's possession simply…complicates things."
Amy stood in silence for a few minutes, watching Rin and Derek as they played Tag with an unwilling Jakken. "So what should we do now?" she said quietly.
Sesshoumaru regarded her calmly. "You are the Seeker, are you not?"
Amy shrugged. "Yes, but I don't know enough about this Naraku yet to track him down and infiltrate his stronghold. You, on the other hand, have been fighting him for what? Two? Three years now?"
Sesshoumaru nodded, and Amy continued. "So you would know much better than I where to start looking for him.
"So I ask you again, Lord Sesshoumaru, what should we do now?"
Sesshoumaru gazed towards the setting sun, watching as it slowly dropped behind the mountains. "I have a stronghold, not far from here." he said softly. "We should go there. Rest, resupply, and plan our next move. If we start now, and do not stop, we can be there by dawn."
Amy nodded. "Sounds like a plan, then." She turned from the youkai lord, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Derek! Rin! C'mon kids, it's time to go!"
Jakken came running up before the kids. "My lord." he said, bowing deeply. "Might I inquire as to where we are going?"
Sesshoumaru didn't take his eyes from the horizon. "Home, Jakken. I have decided to end our patrol early."
Rin came running up with Derek, both chattering excitedly until the girl heard Sesshoumaru's words. "Does this mean I can introduce Derek to Ah-Un, my lord?" she said, looking hopefully up at the still youkai.
At his nod, she squealed. "Oh, you're gonna love Ah-Un, Derek!" The girl determinedly grabbed the hanyou's hand, and began chattering about the two-headed dragon.
Amy looked bemusedly at the kids, falling into step as the youkai lord began to stride forward. "Ah-Un?" she inquired softly. "I take it this is a friend of Rin's?"
The stoic lord gave a slight twitch of the lips. If Amy didn't know better, she'd swear that he was repressing a smile. "You could say that." he admitted. "Ah-Un is my war-dragon. Normally he travels with us but, as the last few months have been the dragons' mating season, I thought it wiser to leave him at home with the brood-mothers." Sesshoumaru inclined his head thoughtfully. "Though, he should have gotten the energy of spring out of his system by now."
Amy snorted. 'Energy of spring, huh? I guess that's one way to put it - especially as it's almost summer now.'
"Those two better start pacing themselves." she observed out loud. "Rin's going to tire herself out before too long, and I don't think I'll have the energy to carry her tonight."
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Naraku stared into Kanna's mirror, observing Kagura's latest betrayal. An impatient figure paced behind him.
"And now the fun begins." he said quietly, satisfaction lacing his voice.
"You should have let me go." Ingrid said impatiently. "She's weak now, with Jiman at my side there's no way I couldn't slay the little mongrel."
Naraku snorted. "It's thinking like that that killed you the first time around, Ingrid. Sesshoumaru won't let you within five feet of the girl, not now that he's decided to travel with her. Besides," he held his be-ringed hand up to the weak sunlight that filtered through the covered windows, "as long as we have this, time is on our side.
"The princess only has until the full moon to find us, retrieve this, and return it to her own time. To succeed, we merely need to be patient."
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"I can't believe this shit." Inu Yasha growled. "All these years ranting about filthy humans and tainted blood, and that bastard is escorting a Moon Wolf around the Western Lands?"
Kagome laid one hand on the upset hanyou's shoulder, even as she used the other to wave farewell to her adoptive kin. She eyed the setting sun, relieved that the brothers had chosen to leave before Inu Yasha's secret was revealed once more. Kouga wasn't the absolute last person she'd want to discover her friend's weakness, but he was definitely near the bottom of the list.
The monk rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, gazing at the dust cloud that surrounded the running wolves. "This is definitely…unexpected, especially for a youkai such as your brother, Inu Yasha."
The little fox jumped from Kagome's shoulder to the monk's, a questioning look on his face as he looked back at the growling hanyou. "Miroku? What's a Moon Wolf?"
"No kidding." the youkai exterminator chimed in. "I thought I knew every kind of youkai there was, and I've never heard of them."
"You probably haven't heard of them because they're not really youkai. They're a clan of wolf hanyous." Inu Yasha growled, the monk nodding. "They've been interbreeding with humans and other youkai for nearly a thousand years now, and they like their privacy."
"I'd thought they were merely legend until today. There are some shrines that claim to have Moon Wolves as guardians, but I personally have never seen one." Miroku added. "Inu Yasha, do you know anything else about them?"
"Keh! Only that they stay out of everybody else's way. They're very strictly of the 'Leave us alone, we'll leave you alone' mentality."
The hanyou scuffed a toe in the ground. "But...sometimes they take in orphan hanyous." he stated quietly. "After Mom died, one of them offered to give me sanctuary in their lands."
He looked at the miko, who laid a hand on his shoulder. "Inu Yasha, did you..." she asked softly.
Inu Yasha scoffed. "What, a dog live with wolves? Get real. Besides," his eyes grew steelier as his tone became serious, "someone had to...finish taking care of Mom. I was the only one who was left."
The group gazed westwards, watching the sun slip beneath the horizon. The wind whistled around them, most of the group respectfully turning their gaze as the hanyou's features softened into that of his human form. He suddenly laughed, waiting to speak until everyone's startled eyes settled on him.
"I wonder," he said softly, "what is so special about this wolf that's making Sesshoumaru act so weird?"
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Amy suppressed a yawn. When Sesshoumaru had said they would travel through the night, she didn't think he'd meant it literally. Yet here they were, across the mountain, with only a few hours until dawn and the restoration of her youki.
She looked sadly up at Derek, who had volunteered to carry a sleepy Rin on his back. With dawn, his youki would also return and he would be trapped once more in his canine form.
Sesshoumaru didn't miss the glances that the tired woman kept giving her companion. It really was quite amazing how subtle the changes between her hanyou and human forms were. True, her coloring and features had dulled. Her hair had lost its traces of red, becoming a rich mahogany color not unlike Rin's. Her eyes had faded until only flecks of captivating green remained in pools of a deep brown. He hadn't realized that her ears were slightly pointed until they had rounded out, and it surprised him how fragile her hands looked once her short claws had disappeared.
But the spark, the inner fire that he found both intriguing and annoying, had not faded one whit. Their argument that morning over who would fetch breakfast, and who would stay behind, had certainly proven that…
"Whaddya mean, 'stay here'?" she'd demanded angrily when he'd informed her that he would once again be obtaining the children's breakfast. "Nuh uh." she'd said, shaking her head, her eyes gazing fiercely at him. "These two need some fruit, or vegetables, or something healthy, not more red meat, you carnivore."
"You are not yourself, woman." he'd sneered. "You shouldn't be roaming the woods alone when you are defenseless."
Ah, the chill rage that had emanated from her had almost made him shiver. Almost.
Her hand had dropped menacingly to the dagger that had now been placed on her hip. "I won't be defenseless, Lord Sesshoumaru. This isn't my first time as a full-blooded human, you know."
He'd decided not to protest any more at that point, allowing her to fade quietly into the woods and return triumphantly with some of the first berries of the season. He did not, after all, want to give the impression that he cared about her welfare. He was just…curious, at the beginning. Her manner, her slight accent, even her odd clothing had intrigued him. The way she and her pack-mate had defended Rin, simply because she was a child in trouble, astounded him.
His hand dropped bemusedly onto the hilt of his own family heirloom. And then Tenseiga had expressed its own interest in the girl and her well-being, which was perhaps the most intriguing thing of all.
Though, he would admit that the way she had fussed over him the day before, tending his insignificant wound as carefully as a mate and yet berating him as though he were a pup had just been…disturbing.
He allowed his eyes to glance at the tired human. And now, it would appear that she may hold the key to finally defeating Naraku.
"Hanyou." he said softly, waiting for the woman to look towards him. "Was today really that bad of a day?"
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "No, actually."
He quirked his eyebrow, his body language indicating that he expected a longer answer. Amy moved closer to him, telling herself it was so that they could continue to talk without keeping Rin from falling asleep. 'Nope,' she told herself, 'I'm not trying to cuddle into him without actually touching him, even though he is radiating heat like a furnace and it's colder than a witch's tit out here. Brr! Maybe I was wrong about it almost being summer.' she thought ruefully.
She shivered as the fluffy thing on his shoulder brushed her cheek, and hastily backed off a pace. "I was actually expecting Ingrid to put in an appearance." she admitted. "It's unusual for her not to jump when an opportunity presents itself."
"Kagura wasn't able to elaborate much on the woman herself." Sesshoumaru said, subtly moving closer to the hanyou just to see if she would keep shifting away. At first it was amusing, but when it became apparent that she was doing it on purpose it became almost irritating. 'What on Earth does she keep moving away for?' he thought indignantly.
Amy blew her bangs out of her eyes, irritated at the way Sesshoumaru seemed to be crowding her. 'What, is the trail not wide enough for the both of us?' she thought sarcastically. 'What, Mister Big, Tall and Poofy doesn't know how to share?'
"There's not much to elaborate on." she said carefully. 'That's it! If he steps over one more freakin' time, I'm not moving. No way am I walking in the brush just so Frosty here can have the trail to himself!' she thought, fuming.
He quirked an eyebrow, trying to decide if he wanted to take another step just to see if she would actually step off of the trail to get away from him. 'Not worth it.' he decided.
"What do you know of her?" he asked, subtly watching her face.
Her back stiffened slightly before she forced it to relax, and Sesshoumaru fought to keep the bored expression on his face. "Well, for one thing, Ingrid was - is - human, though I have heard rumors that she had some fox ancestry. She'd attacked my parents when I was very young, so I don't remember much about her." she said carefully. "We'd believed her to be dead and gone, actually. So it was quite a surprise when…" she paused, forcing her eyes not to tear up. "When the Talisman was stolen, and its guardian slain, Ingrid's scent was all over the place. The elders think that she tried to use a masking spell on her appearance and scent, but the lone survivor of her last attack still recognized her."
They walked on for a few more minutes in silence before Amy regained her composure and resumed speaking. "Ingrid was a mad-woman, even when she was first alive, Sesshoumaru." she said softly. "Her daughter was kidnapped by one of our leaders, and taken as his mate without the permission of the girls' parents. When Ingrid found out that the father of her grandchild wasn't human, she went nuts. She made several attempts on the life of not only her daughter's mate, but the lives of her daughter and grandchild as well. She succeeded in slaying her daughter and her son-in-law, but the leader's son by his first mate managed to slay the mad-woman before she succeeded in also taking the cub's life."
Amy looked up at the taller youkai. "She had been dead for over a century before her scent invaded our lands once more, leaving destruction in its wake. I can see why a person like Naraku would've revived someone as hell-bent on revenge as she was. It fits with his apparent love of chaos.
"What I don't understand is how he could have revived her."
Sesshoumaru inclined his head. "This would not be the first time that Naraku has used Shikon shards to revive the dead." he confided.
Amy shook her head again. "Yeah, that was part of the briefing that Jakken gave me yesterday. What I don't get is how he found her remains. They weren't exactly buried around here, ya know."
Sesshoumaru shook his head, the silver strands gently swaying before settling once more along his back. "More likely than not, the woman's spirit was drawn to him, rather than the other way around."
Amy walked in silence for a few moments. 'If she sought him out…that would explain a lot. I knew Aniki shouldn't have buried her so close to the portal!' she seethed. 'Idiot! He might still be alive if he hadn't…if he hadn't…' She grabbed a hold of her emotions and yanked before her tears started to fall.
Sesshoumaru scented salt as Tenseiga gave a gentle pulse at his side. He glanced subtly down at the female, noting the gleam of unshed tears in her eyes.
"Hanyou?" he said quietly, his eyebrow rising of its own volition.
"Hmm?" she replied, jerking out of her thoughts. "It would be like Ingrid to seek trouble out, rather than let it find her." she admitted.
"You speak as though you actually know the woman, and not just the story." Sesshoumaru stated bluntly.
A faint smile touched the hanyou's mouth, though Sesshoumaru doubted that humor had much to do with its presence.
"As I said, she attacked my parents when I was very young, just before she was killed. It was…a memorable experience."
"I do not recognize her name." Amy looked questioningly at the quiet lord.
"In-gr-id. It is not a Japanese name, nor does it seem like a name the Chi'in would use."
Amy started to speak, and then stopped. 'Just how much do I tell him without giving too much away?' she wondered silently.
"Her father was not from these lands, though her mother was. I believe the name was common in his homeland." Amy gave herself a mental pat on the back for being vague, without being too vague. After all, it would be at least three hundred years before her great-grandfather showed up and started this whole mess…
"Look, Sesshoumaru, if you want to know everything I know about the woman and her heritage, fine. But I'd really rather not talk about her right now." she said softly.
Surprisingly, the cold youkai let the subject drop, a mere nod of his head the only indication that he'd heard her.
The two continued to walk in companionable silence, Amy suppressing yawns every other minute. 'I hope we get there soon…I feel like my legs are about to fall off. Where's a cup of coffee when I need it most?'
Sesshoumaru's ear twitched in annoyance as he heard yet another stunted intake of breath. 'Is she really that tired?' he wondered.
He quietly observed her step and concluded that yes, she was. Her feet barely left the ground before she set them down again, her eyes were dull as though she was asleep already and her body had merely not caught onto the fact. Sesshoumaru knew that humans, and even hanyous, required much more sleep than a youkai such as he did, and the hanyou had gotten precious little of it ever since meeting him. It truly was a pity that Ah-Un was not there. If the steady dragon were, Sesshoumaru would merely have entrusted both females to his back and let Ah-Un guard them as they slept.
She tripped next to him, shaking her head as though trying to wake herself up. Really, he had to commend her for trying, but it was foolish to push yourself beyond your limits when it wasn't necessary. And had she not recently berated him for displaying the same kind of behavior?
'Perhaps,' he thought bemusedly, 'some minor revenge is in order.'
Without a second thought, he scooped the human up and threw her over his right shoulder. Shock stilled her as he shifted her so that his armor would not be impaling her, but it didn't keep her quiet forever.
"What do you think you are doing?" she hissed, indignation turning her cheeks a lovely shade of crimson.
He leaned his head back slightly, waiting until she used her hands to walk up his back and face him. At this distance he couldn't help but inhale her scent, the jasmine becoming more prominent in her human form.
"I should think it would be obvious." he said calmly. "You are so tired you can no longer walk straight. You should be honored that I am willing to give you this opportunity to rest, hanyou - don't insult me by wasting it."
A low growl resonated from her throat, but she relaxed in submission. He was right; it had been getting harder to concentrate on walking. It didn't mean that she had to like being thrown over his shoulder, though. She blew some of the fluff away from her nose, irritated when it sprang right back. 'Must...not...sneeze...' she thought distractedly.
"Boy." Sesshoumaru called ahead. Derek turned to look at him, shocked to see his aunt slung over the daiyoukai's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. A pissed off sack of potatoes, no doubt.
"Yes, sir?" he said politely but quietly. No sense in waking Rin up when she had taken forever to fall asleep.
"If we run, we can be to my castle in less than an hour. Can you keep up?"
Derek looked into the taiyoukai's golden, emotionless eyes, and swallowed. "I can try, sir."
Sesshoumaru gave a curt nod. "Jakken."
The toad seemed to materialize out of the shadows behind Sesshoumaru. Amy blinked once, then blinked again for good measure. 'Okay…human eyesight, dark forest. Not a good combination. But still…how did he do that!'
"Yes, my lord?" the imp said, giving the human over his lord's shoulder a disdaining look.
"You know the way home. Be there by dawn."
"Yes, my…"
In a blur they were gone, the older youkai leading the way as the young hanyou stayed close on his heels.
"Lord." he finished wryly. He didn't know what had suddenly prompted his lord's decision to hurry, but he was betting that it was the indignity of toting that…that…hanyou around. Jakken sighed. He remembered the good old days when his lord would slay a companion that couldn't keep up, or at the very least abandon the weakling. But to actually lower himself to being a beast of burden? For a lowly hanyou, no less?
Jakken slowly shook his head in disbelief. Now, he had truly seen everything.
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A/N: This is the chapter that would not end. Oy. On the upside, this chapter officially makes AW the longest story I have ever written. Yes, I know, it's a small accomplishment…but still…yay!
Okay, for the Japanese word that I left out earlier: Jiman, the name of the katana that Ingrid stole from Amy's dead brother. "Jiman" means "Pride", and as Ingrid states, it is known for its attack that steals an enemy's "pride", or will to fight.
And Sanood...there's the reason Ah-Un wasn't there, lol. He was off making little Ah-Un's, lol.
Catz: Nope, no fight this time, unless you count the arguments Sesshoumaru and Amy get into. Good thing for Amy that's she's got Sesshoumaru by his Achilles' Heel (his curiosity), or she'd probably have been a smear on the ground by the end of the second chapter. And then where would my plot be? Hehehe. Speaking for the future, though...Naraku won't be able to keep Ingrid leashed forever.
Khaosfire-Katana: You. Deleted. "Phoenix Fire". I was hoping you would update that, not delete it! WAH! (But I do hope that this chapter was up to snuff...)
Starfall88: Merry Christmas to you too, honey. I'm glad to know I have an ally against FF . net's dating system!
Playingwithdemons: Yeah, it disappoints me sometimes. I keep telling myself that its because I rated this story "R", and Fanfiction . net shows the G-PG13 ratings by default. So the "R" rated stories don't show up on the main Inu Yasha page unless a reader actually changes the filter to "R" or "All". (Thank for reviewing, btw. I LOVE seeing new names on the review page!)