Freedom

8:88:888:88:8

Taji smiled as she hugged Sora happily. Finally, it was the summer break, and they had both passed with flying colors. But Taji knew that things were going to get harder next year because they had to end early because of the unusual memory blotches that the teachers were experiencing. The truth was, in fact, there had been numerous attacks for Sora, and in an attempt to keep the youkai secret, a powder that only effected humans had been sprayed thanks to Hanako's mysterious flower capabilities, and now all was well since the Tokyo High School Administration had decided to close the school until the next year began.

Sora was over Taji's house, enjoying as the family sparred in the backyard with ease. It had been almost two weeks since he had seen his father, and local FBI had come looking for him when someone had reported him missing. After begging Taji, he had refrained from confirming their assumption of child abuse, and thanks to Sesshomaru, all questions about him residing with the Taisho's were not asked due to a request to the youkai that worked for the police department. After they had left though, Sora had fell silent, but after a good talk with Kagome, he felt much better as he stretched and took a long drink from his bottle of water. "It sure feels good today." He noted aloud.

She smiled and bared her fangs, letting the sun reflect off of them playfully as she stretched. "Yea, it's really nice."

Sora blushed. "How about we . . . go out for the day."

Taji nodded. "Okay, let me call Nyoko and Taura---"

He grabbed her arm before she could make off to get the phone. "No! I mean . . . just me and you."

Taji's mouth opened in a form of an embarrassed 'oh' as she sank in her chair, pinked colored with a tinge of pink as her gaze fell to her lap. "Oh . . . okay. Where do you want to go?"

Sora shrugged and raked his fingers through his hair. "I . . . whereever you want to go is fine with me."

Taji smiled and took his hand. She glanced around nervously, and when she was sure noone had noticed them, they slipped away quietly, giggling happily until they bumped into a jade eyed visitor who regarded them with a raised eyebrow. "Where are you going?"

Taji clapped her hand over his mouth and peeked over her shoulder, sighing when noone looked at the place that they were residing in. "Out, okay? Just don't tell Papa."

"Don't tell InuYasha----Oh, I get it," He chuckled softly. "You're going on a date!"

She blushed furiously as Sora stumbled and coughed. Shaking her head, and hit him in the forehead softly, not enough to hurt him. He laughed. "Don't worry lovebirds, I'm not going to say anything to InuYasha."

Taji gave him a dark look before her and Sora slipped out of the room and into the security of the streets of Tokyo. Taking Sora's hand, they smiled and ran through the streets, bustling past children and the elderly, past the people in the middle age group, and right into the ice cream palor. Sora shifted from one foot to the other nervously in line as Taji ordered them some ice cream. Ignoring the questioning glances a lot of the children were sending him, it didn't make him feel much better when a group of them began to snicker. Taji, who seemed oblivious to it all, took their ice cream, handed it to Sora, and with her free hand, led him to a booth in the far corner of the bright yellow store.

She happily licked at her ice cream, and frowned when Sora hardly touched it. "What's wrong?"

Sora nodded to a young little girl who was red faced and had terrible freckles. She was scowling at the both of them, and Sora shuddered as he felt a familiar presence around this girl. "Why is she looking at me like that?"

Taji shrugged, even though she kept looking at the girl. "You're carrying the Shikon No Tama. With youkai, that's going to happen a lot, so don't worry about it."

He didn't look like he believed her, but he shrugged and began eating his melting ice cream. Taji laid her hand over his and sighed. He turned to stone. She smiled at him warmly, something lit behind the depths of her gaze as he just stared at her, dumbfoundedly. She flushed and shook her head, laughing nervously but nevertheless still had her hand atop his. "T-Taji?"

She giggled. "Kitohoshi . . . your face looks like it's going to explode."

He swallowed a lump of ice cream and nearly choked when his stomach flipped. "Taji? I . . . "

How would he say it? Why wouldn't it come out of his mouth? Now was the perfect time, and his tongue was tied in knots. He opened his mouth a couple of times, then snapped it shut just to open it back up. Taji sighed and shook her head. "I guess this isn't going to come easy for you . . . so I'm just going to say it. Sora, I like you, a lot."

Sora sat there, mouth gaping, ice cream dripped as Taji ran her fingers through her hair, her cheeks colored with embarrassment as she averted her gaze. "Taji?"

"I . . . I just thought maybe I was so happy to be with you because we were friends, but then it dawned on me when I saw you helping Taura. I like you, Sora, and I was just wondering . . . I was wondering . . . "

"I like you too," He said, a softl whisper. He knew she heard it, however. She gasped and raised her eyes to look at him to find he was staring at her, his icy blue eyes shining like the sea itself. "I was a little scared to tell you . . . but I think I'm glad that I did."

She looked like she wanted to cry. She looked like she wanted to weep and wail. But instead, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. The soft skin of her lips left a scorch on his face, left him shuddering as his eyes drifted close. He counted before he dared open them. Her eyes were darkened and bright, a beautiful hazel color as she stared at him intently, folding her fingers in his just as her cell phone began ringing. "They'll call back." She whispered when Sora looked at her expectantly.

He smiled as he sat next to her.

"So, Mr.Miko," She said softly. "What do you want to do on this date?"

He shrugged as he scooted closer, allowed her to feed him a spoonful of her ice cream. "I don't know, how about a movie?"

Taji flushed and giggled as he kissed her cheek and ignored the stares that were coming from all around them. She was completely happy with being with him, no one there to disturb them, no one there to do anything to ruin the moment.Sora whimpered playfully and sighed when she gave him another taste of her ice cream. "Yours is right there," She commented dryly.

He chuckled. "Yours tastes better." He countered with a shrug. Rolling her eyes, she allowed him to hungrily devour the rest of her ice cream without complaining, watching in absolute amazement when his eyes glowed, causing the booth around them to have a holy shine as she became lost in the depths of his gaze. "Sora," She whispered, her voice so soft it startled him.

He sighed happily, licked his lips. "Hmmm?"

"I . . . I think I want to kiss you . . . "

"What's stopping you?" He murmured back.

Sora smiled and leaned his back on the wall, watching the feet of hundreds of kids shuffle through the hallway to their next class. "I mean, you two are commited. It's completely wrong for me to interfere."

"Me and Kazuki . . . it was a long time ago. I didn't even remember!"

"But you do now."

"Sora . . . I don't want to be with Kazuki because . . . let's just say that things will get complicated."

"What do you mean?"

She rubbed the toe of her shoe on the floor. "My family line gets more in-depth than you think. If I be with him, that means that I'll have to move away."

"What's stopping you?"

"You."

Sora looked awestruck for a moment, then he shrugged and looked at her. Her eyes were dark with tears, glazed over with sadness as his annoyance outwitted her guilt. He was amazed at just how manipulative, yet innocent she could be at the same time. "If I'm stopping you," He said, pushing himself off the wall and jamming his hands in his pockets. "Then don't talk to me anymore."

Her breath caught in her throat as she quickly looked away, as his face twisted into the same scowl he had months ago. He turned into the same Sora that broke her heart, the same Sora that held her soul and yet threw it away time and time again. He lifted her chin to look at him, concern evident in his gaze. "What's the matter?"

"It's just . . . what you said that day, when I told you that I didn't like Kazuki . . . "

Sora sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before hugging her tightly, understanding how she felt at that moment. "That hurt me more than it hurt you . . .He had everything to give you when I had nothing." He whispered into her neck.

She shuddered lightly as goosebumps erupted all over her skin. "Sora . . . material things don't mean anything to me."

Sora sighed. "Something as perfect as you . . . how will someone like me ever deserve something as precious as a dove's feather?"

Taji was touched by his confession. Biting her lip to keep from crying, when he looked up at her, she knew it was true. "I . . . Sora . . . "

"Taji,"

"I . . . Kitohoshi . . . "

" . . . Kiss me."

Taji gasped as her cheeks burned. She felt Sora's hands in her hair before her face was lowered slowly. Her lips were parted, her breathing ragged as she allowed her eyes to flutter close, awaited the fireworks and the beauty of what was to come.

"Oi! What the hell! Kitohoshi!"

'Oh, my,God . . . '

'We're going to die, aren't we?'

Taji opened her eyes, recognized the long silver hair of her father and the bouncy orange hair of her foster brother. Groaning when Shippou erupted in laughter, she noticed the scowl of her father telling them they had just bought a one way ticket to hell. 'Think bigger. Way bigger.'

8:88:888:88:8

"So you guys," Taura began.

Sora nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Are together now?" Nyoko finished.

Taji smiled. "Yup."

"InuYasha's going to have a fit you know," Shippou commented as he munched on a cracker in the doorway, eavesdropping on the conversation. Taji looked a little worried, but Sora didn't look the least bit scared. "So I'd think twice before I'd put in in Tokyo Digest."

Sora snorted. "Does he even read the newspaper?"

Taura giggled. "He doesn't need to. He finds everything out before they do."

Sora flinched as Taji gave him a reassuring look, shooting Shippou a dark glance when he began laughing. He sat down at the table, and caught a cracker in his mouth when Taura chucked it at him. Taji and Sora had decided to take on the dating status as of earlier today, and decided to tell the two just in case something happened. But now thinking about it, Taji was worried about Sora's safety. InuYasha, true enough, was going to have a baby because of what happened at the parlor. Popping a cracker into her mouth, she tried to make sense of it all when Sora laid his head on her shoulder, as if to tell her everything was alright without having to open his mouth. She smiled at the gesture and toyed with his hair, freezing when an angry, yet familiar youki battled her own. "What the hell are you doing with my daughter Kitohoshi?"

Sora turned to stone as InuYasha growled behind him. Taji counted in her head before she whimpered. InuYasha reached forward and moved Sora's head, shoving him to the side before planted himself between the two. "Daddy!" She squeaked when he flattened his ears and flat out growled at Sora.

InuYasha shot her a look meant to silence her as he scowled at Sora. "I knew this was going to happen," He growled as he hit the table. "Damn it all to hell! Your mother never listens to me."

Taji was infuriated. Her cheeks were burning, and she felt her temper slowly receeding with her father's immaturity. "Well Daddy, nothing is going to happen, so you can go do whatever you were going to do."

"Sora can come with me."

"No he can't."

"Why not?"

"Because we are discussing something important."

"Like what, dating?"

When Taji's face exploded in color, InuYasha growled at Sora again. "Keh! I thought I told you no dating until someone could whip my ass?"

Taji shot up in her chair before shooting her father a dark glance, much like the one Kagome gave him before she subdued him with the kotodama rosary. Growling deep within her throat, she stomped out of the room and slammed the door in her wake, making them all wince as InuYasha whimpered. Shippou stifled a laugh. "InuYasha, unless you want a reincarnation of Kagome with the 'osuwari' spell, I think you'd better talk to Taji."

He turned to Sora and demanded he didn't move. Sora rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as InuYasha stomped out of the room much like his daughter. Sora heard Taji bark really loudly before she shrieked to the top of her lungs, "I'm telling Mama!"

Taura winced as Nyoko and Shippou laughed. Sora looked confused. "I don't get it . . . "

Shippou placed a hand on his shoulder. "Stick around kid," He said softly. "It'll be the best show you've seen in weeks."

'These people are weird.'

'Tell me about it.' Sora watched in confusion as Taji stomped into the room and grabbed Sora by his forearm, yanking him out of his chair just as InuYasha entered the room. "See this? He's my boyfriend! B-O-Y-F-R-I-E-N-D!"

Sora gasped as oxygen refused to circulate throughout his body. InuYasha glowered at him like he was going to use him for a scratch post. "Really? So I guess it wouldn't matter if I kill the little bastard . . . "

Sora yelped when InuYasha took a step forward. Taji stepped in front of him. "I'm not playing with you Papa! I'm going to tell Mama that you won't let me do anything!"

InuYasha winced as he threw his hands up in the air. Stomping of of the backdoor, Sora winced when there was a loud earthquake and he could see the form of a tree falling to the ground. "Taji . . . is he going to kill me?"

Taura giggled as Sora scowled. "He won't touch you as long as the Mama threat is still there."

Sora felt relieved for a moment until Shippou took his hand and led him upstairs. Shutting the door behind them, he pointed to the bed, and sighed when Sora sat down. He paced the floor, rubbing his forehead with his fingers before he began speaking. "When you first got the jewel . . . you said you saw a little girl and a rabbit?"

Sora nodded. "Yea . . . now that I think about it, the girl looked a lot like that picture of Taji . . . except she had brown hair, really really long brown hair."

Shippou looked relieved and a little guiltstriken as he sighed. "Okay, good. What else did you see?"

I remember seeing this big light and the girl holding the rabbit, but I can't remember much else. Why are you asking me this?"

Shippou winced as Taji's voice rang throughout the hall. "Don't tell anyone else about this, alright? If you ever have another vision, come and tell me about it."

Sora agreed just as Taura opened the door. Shooting Shippou a suspicious glance, she snatched Sora out of the room and back down the hall.

8:88:888:88:8

torrianse, torrianse

koko wa doko no hosomichi jya
tenjin-sama no hosomichi jya

chotto toshite kudashanse
goyo no nai mono toshasenu

kono ko no nanatsu no iwai ni
ofuda o osame ni mairimasu

iki wa yoi yoi, kaeri wa kowai
kowainagara

torrianse, torrianse

Yutamiki stared at him, fascination as well as amazement glazing her eyes over at how charming Shippou had grown to be. She blushed at how his fangs shined in the moonlight, how his jade eyes stood out, giving his face and hair a eerie glow. He seemed to perfect to be demon, yet to different to be human. She smiled warmly as she stared at him somemore, wondering how to attain that much beauty that kept her in awe. He noticed her staring and blushed as his laughter died down, replaced by chuckles of nervousness and uncomfort.

"Beautiful…" She whispered, looking into his eyes than quickly looking to the moonlight. "It's beautiful tonight." It was Shippou's turn to stare now. Her big browned eyes glowed in the darkness, and her ebony hair shimmered in the moonlight, covering her like a blanket. She absently ran her fingers through the long mass, humming silently to herself, oblivious that she was the only thing right now to him. Becoming tired of raking her hair, she began braiding it to the side, letting it hang off her shoulder. Realizing that she had no hair band, she clucked her teeth before Shippou shoved his blue one under her nose. She looked at it then at him as his brunette hair flowed down his shoulders like a waterfall. She smiled before she took it, tying it to the end of the braid, making sure to let some hair fall freely, which was still enough to tickle her legs as she barely braided half of it.

She now waved it in the air in rhythm to Shippou's tail with a smile. He giggled and reached over, touching her hair softly.

"It's so pretty, like Kagome's. She has beautiful hair." Yutamiki thanked him for his compliment and and looked down. Shippou sighed before taking hold of her hand shyly, surprising her. He avoided her gaze and stared out into the distance as she laced her fingers in his and squeezed it tight before cuddling closer to him.

"Your mother, what was her name?"

"Yurihana." She said with a sigh.

"That's why when we met you,"

"I had the lilies. Her name means lily flower."

"And your name means…"

"Superior beauty."

"It fits you." Shippou said as his face took on a pink hue. He sniffed her cautiously and smiled.

"Your kaori, it's like hakubaiku."

"You don't like it?" She said sadly. Shippou shook his head roughly.

"No! I don't mean that, it's just, soothing…" She smiled and cuddled closer to him as he dug his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent deeply.

"I want to visit her grave every month. Only InuYasha knows, but I want you to come with me. Only you, I want her to meet you…" Shippou nodded and smiled as he grabbed her waist and hopped off of the roof.

"Sure. Next month then, and every day we can bring her some yuris. Yuris for Yurihana." Yutamiki smiled as Shippou followed her into the hut.

'Whoa . . . Shippou? Is this the same guy that was with me today? He was so little . . . Where are they?'

Yutamiki looked around even though she couldn't see anything in the darkness. She heard her mother's voice, though it sounded more of pain than joy. She ran towards the source, ignoring the burn and scorch in her lungs and she pushed harder and harder, her hair falling behind her like a cape. She entered a clearing to see two men standing there she recognized as her father. One of him, stood looking at her, his heart empty, and she sensed no life and warmth in this man. Another man was standing there, in a glass jar, banging on it for his life as it filled with sand. The other man, his dark and dead half, began to laugh and snicker as a woman appeared before him with chains wrapped around her neck arms and legs.

Yutamiki screamed as she ran towards them, being stopped by a claw that rested on her shoulder. Hisaki stood there, smiling at her evilly.

"Your mother's not here to save you know…" She sneered before she planted a cold dry kiss on her head. Yutamiki shuddered and pulled away from the girl as she saw her mother beginning to glow, making the darker half of her father not be able to touch her. Hisaki laughed as she disappeared.

"Everything has been taken form you little girl, and you shall soon fall prey to me." Her father in the glass jar vanished as well, calling out to her as the chains dropped from her mother and she held her arms out to her. Yutamiki ran to her as everything became dark, not allowing her to see anything. Then, she heard her mother's beautiful voice….

'This little girl . . . is this . . . Yutamiki? Her and Shippou . . . I don't understand . . . oh, my head . . . '

A young girlblinked her eyes as the darkness that clouded her mind faded away and the pain at he chest slowly diminished. Even though it was hazy, she found herself in the same garden that she was before, except a whispering voice was calling to her, begging for her to answer.

Are you awake . . .

Who are you . . .

The child within yourself . . . you've freed the child within yourself . . .

Wha---the child within myself. . . .

My daughter . . . my dear, dear daughter. . . do you remember those days when you were young, and you used to cry for hours at a time. Or now, when you felt that InuYasha hurt you more than he ever realized, you used to keep that pain bottled up, creating the child within yourself.

I . . . I don't understand.

When a person constantly suffers pain, it forms dark energy in their soul. That's where most demons like Naraku start out. But you, a miko with a pure heart, instead you created a separate being, unleashing the child within you that was lost and didn't have anybody to turn to. But, you have freed the child within yourself.

The child . . . who's the child?

Darling. . . have you not realized that a young child resembles everything about you, even shared the same hopes with you when you were younger? Have you failed to realize the similarities?

I . . .

Get up.

I . . . I can't. Everything is too heavy . .. Help me . . .

Unless you wish to see another day, unless you wish to see your family, your beloved hanyou , you will get up.

. . . I have to get up. . . .

Chikara Nanda Ai Shiteiru. Do not forget what you have learned. Farewell, my daughter.

'Whose memories . . . why am I having these visions? These . . . these dreams? What's happening?'

"I see . . . you have finally been able to tap into the power of the Shikon No Tama. Well done, Sora. I didn't think you would have the power to possess this ancient artifact."

"I . . . who are you?"

"Does it truly matter who I am? You've known me all your life. Well, a part of me, anyway."

"I don't understand . . . why me? Why is this happening to me?"

"It will all come together after a while. But for now, you must become stronger. You must protect that what you must destroy."

8:88:888:88:8

Kazuyu playfully ruffled his little sisters hair as he walked into the room. She hugged him tight and planted a sweet kiss on his cheek before sitting back down, looking at the book in front of her with interest. "I don't see anything . . . "

Nyoko sighed as she toyed with the little pendant on her chest. Shaking her head, she turned to pin Taji with a stare. "If he's having dreams, then surely they are visions, especially if he saw you in them."

Taji shrugged as Kazuyu hugged her shoulders. "I don't know . . . he told me that the dreams weren't normal . .. and when he woke up, the jewel was levitating."

"Well, there's nothing in this journal." Taura remarked, closing the book as Mrs.Higurashi walked into the room with a plate full of cookies and a bright smile on her face. Frowning at the disturbed faces all around her, she toyed with Taji's ears as she chucked a cookie at Nyoko, who caught it with her mouth and blushed. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Kazuyu snorted. "Yeah, if they'd just open their mouth."

Taji looked at her grandmother. "Did Mama used to have dreams about things that used to happen in the past? Like little girls, or hearing someone else's conversation?"

Mrs. Higurashi frowned as she scratched her head. "I remember her having the visions, but never anything of that sort. Why?"

Taji sighed as she laid her head on the table with a soft thump. Shaking her head as she flattened her ears against her grandmother's fingers, she felt the pangs of a headache tugging at her sanity. Groaning, she lifted her head to catch a cookie Taura tossed her way. "Well, why don't we just ask Aunt Gome?"

Taji growled. "I don't want to get my parents involved in this, especially since Papa's on a war path ever since that day at the ice cream palor. I think . . ."

Kazuyu shrugged and took a cookie off of the plate. "I think you guys are thinking too much. Why don't you just calm down? It's probably just nothing, anyway. He probably overheard the story when he was sleeping or something, and it's just his imagination."

Taura rolled her eyes and tossed Nyoko a cookie, ignoring the dark look the youkai gave her. Taura tossed another one to Taji, and flipped one her brother's way, giggling when he caught it in between his teeth. "I swear . . . sometimes I think you are youkai."

Kazuyu jammed his hands into his pockets and blew a hoarse breath. "Taura, can I talk to you? In the other room?"

Taura gave him a worried look, and excused herself from the room. Taji watched her with avid interest, before she shrugged and met the piercing gaze of her cousin. "What?"

"Just who long do you plan to ignore it? I know as well as you do that this disturbs you more than ever, especially if he's experiencing the feelings that they felt a long time ago."

Taji shook her head and slammed her hands down on the table, wrinkling her nose at her cousin's assessment as she smashed the small triangles on her head and bit her lip. "No, it's like Kazuyu said . . . only his imagination. It's not what we think."

Nyoko didn't comment. Instead, she reached for another cookie. "Mother . . . maybe she would be the best person to talk about this with."

Taji growled in irritation. "No! I told you, everything is okay. I don't need anyone's help!"

Nyoko bared her fangs as she placed her hands threateningly close to Taji, bringing her face close. "You fail to realize, that for once in your life, this isn't about you. You can't stand the fact that for once in your life, you don't have a clue as to what to do."

Taji jerked her face away, though her scowl was still in place as she folded her arms together and tore the skin on her lip. Nyoko grimaced as the tang of her blood drifted into her nostrils, and she gave her a napkin. "I told you," She said, intercepting Nyoko's questioning stare. "Everything is fine. We'll both be fine."

Nyoko didn't say anything, she just stood up and sauntered over to the doorway, her back stiff, proud and arrogant. But she turned on her heel and shot Taji a dark look. "You can't ignore it forever. You have the blood of a miko coursing through you, but nothing would stop youkai blood from protecting it's mate, do you know that? The ferocious desire to keep him from harm astounds me. Yet when you realize that you need the aid of someone else, then you'd rip off your own head before you ask for help. The trademark of InuYasha No Taisho indeed."

Taji fumed as Nyoko gave a small laugh and walked out. She dug her claws into the soft carpet, growling and digging her fangs into her lip as she fought the desire to run into the hallway and dig her nails into the back of the youkai's neck. True, Taji had never been good with asking for help. But the thing was, she never needed to. Her family was always there to help her, even when she didn't ask for it. 'She's wrong,' Taji thought stubbornly, wincing as her nail scraped against something cold and hard. 'I'd never allow anything to hurt Sora, and my youkai blood would never override my human blood. Mother's miko power is too strong, right? No way that would happen, right?'

She shook her head as she pulled her nail out of the carpet, only to dig them back in when Nyoko's scent hit her hard. The young woman had been standing right in the hallway, watching her every move. Taji whined. Her senses were dulling, and it couldn't be a worst time for something like this to happen to her. Standing up, she releashed her ears and allowed them to move freely. "Nyoko, why don't you call your father and tell him to bring Sora over? I'd feel much better if he was here with me."

Nyoko didn't say anything for a while. But after a long sigh, Taji could hear her walking away. "Very well."

8:88:888:88:8

A/N

Sorry that this update took so long, I had to go over to my grandmother's house! Enjoy!