Reminiscing

8:88:888:88:8

The young hanyou smiled as her brothers played with the neighbors that lived just a mile away. Hide and go seek was a game that everyone loved, and for some reason, she was the only person that didn't want to play. The heat made her press her ears down on her head, and she laid back on the branch of a great tree with a scowl. Why is it so hot?

"Taji!" One of her brother's called. Taji leaned over the side and glared at her brother Inuakamori. "C'mon and play!"

"No thanks." She replied, wrinkling her nose. "It's too hot."

"Your going to be hotter if you stay up there!" The neighbor said. Her name was Akemi, she was short, but sweet, and held a softness to her that Taji never knew a youkai had. Sometimes, Taji wondered if Akemi wanted to be human, but she never had the nerve to ask.

Coming up to stand next to his little sister, the oldest of the two grinned at Taji. "Oh C'mon! It's fun! Akemi's right too! You'd be hotter if you stay up there."

Taji snorted and leaned back. "No thank you. It's tiring just watching you run around like fleas on a neko."

They all laughed and resumed playing their little game. Taji watched as Akemi was caught first, then her brother, and then her other brother, Inukuromori. Aka was always the victor of any game.

The children decided to sit down by the pond that Taji claimed as her own. Aka and Akemi decided to play in the pond with the fish. Kuro, who basically despised water at that time, sat in a high tree, arms folded behind his head with a slight smile on his face. Whether he was sleeping, or just had his eyes close, noone could ever tell. Taji sat on the edge of the pond, dangling her feet in the water playfully.

Kazuki, Akemi's older brother, sat next to Taji slowly. Glancing over, she caught his admiring gaze and blushed deeply. Words couldn't form in her mouth, her stomach was doing flips, and she nearly forgot how to breath until he began talking. "Have you ever been on a date?"

"Nope. Dad's a murdered, and then you have the assassins, so basically anybody that comes within three feet is dead."

"Well," Kazuki cleared his throat. "I'm three feet near you."

Taji opened her mouth to reply to that, but a sharp growl from high above made her wince, and in turn, she growled back. With a snort, it was silence, and she stared into the water, irritation evident on her face. "Aka and Akemi . . . they look happy together."

Kazuki gave a short growl but shook his head. "Yeah . . . if he makes her happy, I won't go after his head again."

Taji winced as a memory of the fight that made Kazuki and Aka nearly kill each other. About a month later, Kazuki was best friends with the twins. "That's a good thing, right?"

Kazuki grinned. "Right. About what we were talking before . . . "

"Can I ask youa question?"

"Sure."

"Why do you look at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"I dunno . . . it's a certain way you look at me . . . it makes me feel all queasy and then I blush and then can't stop talking . . . ."

"It's because . . . " It was Kazuki's turn to blush. "It's because I like you Taji. I really do."

Taji looked at him. "You do?"

"Yes . . . and I wanted to ask you out, but that's basically suicide, right?"

"Well . . . not if I'm on my own."

Kazuki stared at Taji for a moment, then he cleared his throat as his eyes darkened. "Promise me something. When your older, old enough to take care of yourself, promise me that we'll go out someday. Maybe even more than once."

"Ok, I promise."

Taji smiled and laid her head on Kazuki's shoulder as his hand slipped into hers. . . .

Taji bolted upright and grabbed her stomach. It was doing the same thing it did seven years ago, and the blush on her face deepened as visions of the way his eyes looked then, and that day he caught her in the pond, it made her shudder and throw the covers off of her legs.

She was suddenly hot. Everything felt on fire. Tugging on the oversized boxers that she wore to sleep, she threw her ponytail back over her shoulder, and opened the door to find her two brother's standing right there. "Hey guys . . . "She said nervously. "What's up?"

The look on their faces, the way they dragged, especially Kuro's, made her step forward slightly and frown. "What's the matter?"

Still, no answer. They just stared. Half tired, half wide awake, half frightened, halffrightened? The No Taisho twins, frightened? Shaking her head as she stepped back, she allowed her brothers to walk into the room.

Kuro took a seat on the floor next to her bed, while Aka sat down in the window seat. Frown deepening, Taji sat on her bed and playfully rubbed her brother's ears, knowing it soothed him. "So . . . what's bugging you?"

"I remember . . ." Aka said, peering out the window sadly. "I remember seven years ago, the last day we ever saw them. I remember what she told me when we were in the waterfall."

Taji felt Kuro stiffen, but she didn't say anything as she rubbed his ear at the base a with a little more pressure, and he relaxed slightly. "Yea? I had a dream about that too. Ironic isn't it?"

She laughed nervously, but it only served to intensify the tension in the air. Taji felt Kuro growl softly, and the hairs on the back of her neck stiffened, and she, for that one moment, felt something was going to go very, very wrong. She pictured blood, a lot of blood, and she had a feeling that it was going to be someone close to her.

Biting back fear that rose to choke her, to drag her down in hell and torture her until doomsday, she waved for Aka to come over, and she almost smiled when he laid his head on her lap, quirking his ears and closing his eyes, one knee bent, the other hanging lazily over the side, barely balanced by Kuro's shoulder. "Promise me something. " Taji whispered.

She gave a small yelp when Kuro whipped forward. She moved over, and allowed him to sprawl out on the bed next to her. Aka stretched out on the other side. All three of them stared at the ceiling, deep in wonder.

"Taji?" Aka asked. "That boy . . . isn't he weird to you?"

She shrugged. "Yea, but he's practically the nicest person I know."

"But," Kuro shrugged. "What about the way he reeks? It makes me want to howl."

Taji scowled. "It can't be helped. It's not my business to tell, but you guys, leave him alone. He's my friend. Your promise you won't mess with him?"

They shrugged and grunted, and they scowled as she hugged each of them. When she let go , they smiled. Ten minutes later, Aka turned slightly, only to find Taji sleeping peacefully. Nuzzling her cheek softly, he chuckled as Kuro draped the sheet over her. "Night sis."

"Night baka." Kuro said playfully.

"Night baka." Aka replied just as he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take over his mind.

8:88:888:88:8

Sora sighed as he looked off into the distance that Taji was supposed to be coming. He looked at his watch. Class was going to start in ten minutes, and she was running late? Taji No Taisho, late? But something told him that wasn't true. But in all, he was hungry, and he had already lived accustomed to not eating two or three days at a time, so he sat and waited.

Looking at the bar of soap that sat next to him, if he took another bath, that would be the third time in six hours. But he couldn't shake the feeling of being dirty, of being nothing more than a piece of living trash on the street. And basically, in his condition, he had a good feeling that's what he looked like too. Shaking his head as someone burst into the clearing, Sora widened his eyes at the intruder.

"What are you doing here human?"

"Human, your human to! And why are you here?"

"I came to see Taji. Just who are you?"

Sora's jaw tightened as Taji burst into the clearing with the things that she had promised. Taji, looking quite shocked at her visitor, glanced back and forth between the two boys. Kazuki pointed a finger at Sora and scowled. "Just who the hell is this?"

"He's . . . he's my friend." She said, giving Sora his food and assessories. "Just why are you here?"

Kazuki stuck his chest out proudly. "I came to walk you to school."

Taji frowned at Sora gave almost a snort. Kazuki's scowl deepened as he glared at Sora. "Is this your boyfriend?"

"My what?"

"Your boyfriend. Is this why you can't live up to your promise?"

"Promise?" Sora asked as he looked at Taji. "What promise?"

"It's a long story." She said as she tried to push Kazuki out the clearing. "I'll see you afterschool okay?"

A grunt was her answer as they walked onto the Tokyo streets. Taji didn't say anything until they reached the school gates, and then, she growled. "Just what do you think you were doing?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to see why you were always in a hurry to get back home. Well . . . at least your not completed yet." He said, making a show of sniffing her stomach. Taji gave a yelp and smacked him upside the head.

"Where's Akemi?"

"Already at school. She got a ride, I think I'll walk you everyday."

Taji opened her mouth to retort, but the bell rang and students started shuffling inside. Instead, she merely narrowed her gaze at the youkai, shook her head, and walked away. Baka . . . She fumed.

Sitting in class was a bore. Eating lunch without Sora's cheerful smile was a bore, everything was boring ot her as she sighed for the hundredth time that day. Taura slammed her juice down and glared at Taji. "Just what is your problem? Wierdo isn't here and you go all anti-social? What, are you guys," She brought her tone down. "Mated?"

Her cousin, Nyoko, raised in eyebrow in question but didn't comment. Taji, however, cheeks blossomed in color as she waved off the accusation. "What? It's nothing like that. . . no. . . just today is, I dunno, boring."

Taura didn't look like she believed her, but instead, simply shook her head. This time, however, Nyoko began to comment. "Well," She said in a tone only Taji could hear. "Does your youkai call for him?"

"How would I know? Papa says I'm too young for my youkai to choose."

"Well, my Papa says that sometimes, if you meet him at the right age, your youkai'll call for him. Do you know how it feels when your youkai calls for someone?"

"Nope. You?"

Nyoko grinned. Not a shy, embarrassed grin. A sneaky, sly, I'm--not--going--to--tell--you grin that made Taji grit her teeth together. "Nope."

Taura looked at the two and became irritated. "You know, I wish you guys would stop doing that. Library, afterschool girls?"

Nyoko nodded, but Taji flinched. "Sorry, no. I have to get home."

Taura watched as Taji stood up and walked away quickly. "She's hiding something from us Gem."

Nyoko shook her head and narrowed her eyes knowingly. Why does she hold his scent? She frowned slightly, her stoic face taking the familiar form of her father when he was deep in thought. What have you gotten yourself into dear cousin?

8:88:888:88:8

Kazuki frowned slightly as he watched Taji walk out of the school building. Leaning against the limosuine casually, he crossed his arms and growled slightly as two spider hanyou walks in front of him, glaring at him threateningly, but kept moving. Face twitching to form a smile, he watched as Taji looked at him, startled, before her youki itched with irritation and she tried to ignore him. " Taisho!"

She slowly, reluctantly turned her head to look at him, and he ran over to her. The way her eyes dragged over his uniform, the way she stared into his eyes, taunting him, daring him, to make any moves, he winced as he realized she was in a hurry, and nearly scowled when a thought crept into his mind. Why was she going to see that . . . that human?

True it was in her blood naturally to have a soft spot for humans, but he never thought she would creep so low as to have one reside on her property. Glaring at her through soft gently eyes, his gaze racked over her facial features, trying to find an answers to so many questions that were flashing through his head. "How can I help you?" She said dryly.

Kazuki cringed. It really was impossible not to be able to tell when this girl was in a bad mood. But it was really nagging at him, and he decided to get to the point before she sharpened her claws on him. "What did your mom say?"

She flinched but nodded as a disgusted look crossed over her features. "About that date . . . I can't go today."

"Why not?"

She wanted to scream to him the secret of her family, to tell him that tonight was the full moon, but that would leave her vulnerable, and instead, she bit her lip and glanced at her watch. "I just can't. Is that all . . . have something to do."

Kazuki opened his mouth to reply when two sharp growls cut him off, followed by two mirror images creeping towards him. A smile covered his features. "Aka! Kuro! It's been so long!"

"K-K-Kazuki?" Kuro said, apparently grasping the young boy before his brother, who still looked confused, until a young girl ran into him, her face red with fatigue, and now darkened with embarrassment.Aka helped her before he fell, and she apologized had to be a hundred times before she focused on the ground and stepped back.

Taji watched with a jaw to the floor as Kuro and Kazuki began talking about old times, and as Aka stared at the young girl, who blatantly refused to meet his gaze. She sighed and gave a growl that went unheard. "How have you been Aka?" Akemi asked in a small voice.

By the way his ears quirked, Taji knew he heard her." You know me? How do you . . . "

"It's been a long time. I didn't think you would remember." She said sadly. This time, when she looked up, her eyes were rimmed with tears, but her face held a bright smile. "It's me, Akemi."

Aka stumbled back a little bit. "Ake---Oi! I remember now---why are you crying? What are you crying for?"

She shook her head as she dashed a hand across her eyes. "I'm just so glad to see you! Would you like to go out for some tea? Or soda?"

Aka smiled nervously and nodded. She took his elbow, and ran off with him. Taji turned to comment to this, only to find her other brother entering the limo with Kazuki.With a sigh, and a plead to kami to strike her down, she stomped all the way home.

8:88:888:88:8

And then they just left?"

"Yup."

"Just like that?"

"Yup. Both of them."

Sora laughed outrightedly. He leaned over and grasped his stomach, making Taji's irritation soar as she glared at the boy through narrowed eyes. "What's so funny?"

"The fact that your upset someone came and whisked your brother away. What, you don't like this chick?"

Taji wrinkled her nose. "I dunno . . . whenever she's around, Kuro acts funny. He always leaves, or when she's around, he'll go far away, like she's a parasite or something. But Aka's interested in her . . . I think they might become mated."

"You mean soul mated right? I don't think so. No offence, but I can't picture your brother with only one girl."

Taji smiled as she laughed softly herself. "Last night . . . when we were together . . . it just made me realize that I wouldn't want anyone to take them away from me. Their like my whole life, my protection, my best friends. I don't know what I would do if one of them left me."

Sora frowned slightly as he stared at the hanyou. A fear that he never knew within her was now showing, it bit at his heart, stabbed his soul like a dagger, made him wince and made something inside him itch to comfort her. Biting back the desire to do something that would get him clobbered, he rubbed her arm soothingly, meant to let her know everything was alright.

At first, she stiffened. Then, she relaxed, and gave a soft sigh as she leaned in closer to him, then layed her head on his shoulder. Sora thought for an instant, he felt a something poke him in his cheeks, but when he reached, nothing was there except for the soft hairs on top of her head. Silkyand smooth, like a waterfall that never ended, it made him wonder how could someone ever have a haircolor like hers, and mesmorizing eyes that made him stop in his tracks and stare for hours.

There was something about this girl that made him forget just how cruel life was. That made all the thoughts about his mother and father seem like nightmares. When he was with her, she made everything alright, knew when he needed her, and she always knew when something was wrong. It baffled him how she was always there when he was in the worst shape, and he had grown accustomed to it.

He was too afraid to tell her how he felt, to let her know she made him feel like no other person had made him feel before. But . . . he was afraid. He was afraid of her not returning the same feelings that he had for her, and he was afriad that his father would try to hurt her to keep her away from him. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her close as he laid his head on top of her, making her sigh softly.

It was amazing how comfortable everything felt when they were together, how nature seemed to cry with happiness, how the animals came to say hello to her, and how the wind blew so that her hair blew to the side and her eyes sparkled with an intensity he had a feeling the was melting something with her piercing, yet soothing gaze. Something about the way she smelled, the creamy smoothness of her skin made him shudder, made him feel like a huge smelly pile of dirt, and that caused him to relent holding her when she felt upset, but he held on to her still, and a part of him didn't want to let go either.

"Sora?"

"Hmmm?'

"Don't . . . will you stay? Here I mean?"

"Where do I have to go? I like it here . . . with you."

He felt her smile, he felt her soul soften and let down one of the walls that held him from seeing what she hid from him and everyone so well. She was a mystery to the world never to be unfolded, something that nature itself had never been able to understand, yet she was so predictable to him he could tell when she did something and it was bothering her by the way she looked at him, the emotions that shone in her eyes told all.

It made him wonder how he was able to read her so clearly, and how she was able to give soothing advice when he never even talked about the subject. She had a hidden power that he submitted to . . . a physical beauty that made him surrender to every call that her soul did to his, and he did it willingly, with a smile on his face. " Taji . . . I remember, you told me your birthday was in three days."

"Yea, why?"

"I was just wondering . . . are you cold?"

"No." She said, but the shiver she gave told him she was lying. With a sigh, he stood up and held out a hand to help her.

"C'mon. You should be getting home."

"I . . . I think I'll . . . alright."

"I'll walk you."

Reasoning now lost, she merely shook her head as he took off his button down shirt and draped it over her shoulders. She looked over to him and gave him a small smile at the show of generosity, and in favor, as they were walking moved a little closer to him.

The forest seemed to still and watched the two as they walked side by side through the forest. The trees smiled down on them, the wind caressed their soft skin sympathetically. The birds and the animals, bugs and squirrells, seemed to give them a clear safe path as thoughts ran erractically through each of their heads, and just one focusing thought made sense to them. The feeling that you had when you knew that everything would be alright, when you felt that the sun was going to shine on the dark parts of your heart and soul, that you didn't have to cry anymore . . .

When they were together, they had something that neither of them had ever come to realize. Freedom.

Freedom to do what they want, say, wear, and feel what they want. Not being bossed around by someone higher than them, not having to submit to someone elses will, they both knew that they were their own person, and the one thing that made it all complete, they felt completely free when they were with each other. The were best friends, yet each had a secret emotion for the other that was completely alien to the other, and they both thought it was wrong to have these emotions, Taji especially, and they kept that burning desire, the fire which held them so strongat bay from the other one's seeking eyes.

Hidden deep between icy blue orbs was a ferocious need to live, and to prove others wrong ; that he was something, not a being sent from hell to bring chaos to his family. Behind that timid smile, and shy demeanor, was a scared young boy that lived a traumatic life, with a past that dared to rip him apart from the inside out . . . until he was taught that it was okay to cry, and that everything that happened wasn't his fault.

Hidden into the mind of a hanyou, were the thoughts that he family were going to leave her, one by one, with a disgusted scowl on their face. She remembered when her mom and dad fought when they were little, there were some times when her mother would go over Grandmother Higurashi's house. It scared little Taji . . . she always thought her mother wasn't going to come back, and she would go to school, hide under the slide during the morning and recess, and cry her poor little eyes out. She was scared that she was alone in life, and that there was a deep secret that was going to tear the family apart . . . until she learned that she had a friend that would stay with her . . . never leave her, no matter what happened.

She bit back tears that threatened to fall as happiness rose inside of her , constricted her chest, choked her, and she grabbed her chest, reaching for her heart when it began hammering against her chest at the mere thought of never losing the one person that she knew was there for her, no matter what she did.

Sora shrugged sadly as the house came into view. Taji stopped walking, the moonlight giving her skin a blue hue, and made her eyes seem almost brown.

Wait a minute . . .

Her hair was no longer silver. Long raven strands was no flowing down her back, and she looked more vulnerable, and almost sick as he racked over her whole form. "Taji . . . your hair . .. your eyes . . . "

She gave a smell yelp and turned to leave when Sora grabbed her elbow. Eyes pleading for an answer, something, anything to help him understand why he just transformed in front of her, he opened his mouth to beg her when her eyes rimmed with tears. "Please . . . let me go . . ."

She said in a voice so weak, so scared, he didn't know if it was her he was talking to. Her whole appearance, the stubborn teen he knew so well, was vanishing in front of his eyes, and he watched helplessly as two fat tears streamed down her face. He reluctantly, slowly let go of her elbow.

With a apologetic look, she bit her lip as she lingered in the clearing, stared at him for a moment as another tear fell down her face. He reached to wipe it away, when she gave a broken sob, a shrill cry, and darted away from him, and into the house. With his conscious pricking at him to go knock on the door, with a wounded pride and low ego, he turned, with slumped shoulders, and dragged his feet back to where the girl he thought he knew allowed him to live.

A/N

Well . . . I guess some more of a mystery. But . . . in case I forgot in the last chapter . . here's the dictionary and a little clear-up.

Nyoko : Gem Sesshomaru's Daughter. She acts just like him

Taura : Many Rivers Sango and Miroku's Daughter

Kazuki : First of a New Generation Mystery Unfolds Later in Story

Akemi : Bright and Beautiful Kazuki's little sister. Mystery Unfolds Later in Story.

Enjoy!