Mom couldn't believe it, she didn't want to believe it. She was a demon. As she sat there, staring in horror and shock at her reflection, she wondered and worries about what would happen next.
"This is your unmei, Momo," he whispered. "There is nothing you can do about it. You cannot hide it." She looked up at Sesshomaru, at her father, but he didn't turn to her.
"Don't talk to me about fate and destiny," she snapped harshly. She gasped at the sound of her own voice. It was sharp and harsh, and low, and yet carried out clearly all around them. Sesshomaru looked down at her, his eyes fierce.
"There is nothing you can do to stop it."
"But, then why hasn't it happened before?" she demanded stubbornly.
"Because Kaede bewitched it so you looked human. She lied to me when she told me that she puts sleeping powder in your cup each full moon. Sleeping powder is not that easily attainable, and the plant does not grow anywhere near here."
"Have you been searching for me long?" she asked, her voice willful. "Ever since we left?" There was such hope and need in her eyes, that Sesshomaru couldn't find the words.
She took his silence the wrong way, and rose to her feet, seemingly sloppily. She then straightened and stared cold fury into him. She had become human, and Sesshomaru was shocked how he hadn't noticed. Turning her back on him, she walked back into the house, Sesshomaru's sorrowful gaze following her.
It was the next day that found the half demon Inuyasha stuffing his face. The group had been planning to leave the next day, and he was busy filling up while he could. He became tense, and swerved his head to the door. Someone was coming, and they didn't smell right. It almost a bitter, sweet smell he had never experienced before.
The sliding door revealed the slightly frowning Momo. Inuyasha relived a sigh, and relaxed as he went back to eating. He didn't spare the young girl a glance; he wasn't too fond of her. He found that her way too innocent and caring to be real. She quietly sat down across from him, silent and straight faced, her hands in her lap.
"Good morning, Lord Inuyasha," she greeted suddenly, bowing her head forward so her forehead was mere inches from the ground as she spoke. "How are you today?" She looked at him, straightening.
"Fine," he grunted in his pause to breathe before continuing to greedily stuff food down his throat, small growling noises echoing from him as he ripped at the food with his teeth.
"Lord Inuyasha, how well do you know Sir Sesshomaru?" He looked up at her in surprise and shock, the food dropping from his hands.
"He's my half brother," he replied coldly, his eyes narrowing.
"Oh…" She broke off. "I see…" Another pause. "Who is it that Lord Sesshomaru is searching for, if you don't mind me asking that is…"
"Apparently he has a child. But other than the fact that she is close to the age of fifteen or so, we don't know much else, including her name. I don't care."
"I see," replied Momo with a nod.
"How did you know he was looking for someone?"
"Well, you see—"
She stumbled over these words, looking away, unsure of what to do or say now. Thankfully Inuyasha wasn't looking at her, and held up his hand suddenly to silence her. he stood and slowly opened the door into the night air.
"What is it?" Inuyasha didn't look at her as he spoke.
"Get the others," he replied simply, quietly. "Tell them there's trouble."
Momo hesitated for a moment before nodding, and hurrying off to do as she had been bid. Inuyasha slowly made his way across the lawn, searching about him with crafty eyes. He stopped, and drew Tetsiaga in time to bounce an arrow away. Out of the trees stepped Kazuhito, followed by Kikyo.
"You two again," snarled Inuyasha. Kikyo turned to him.
"It's nice to see you again, Inuyasha. But we are not here for you, nor Sesshomaru." Inuyasha was perplexed by this.
The others had come out now, and their weapons drawn. Even Kaede and Sesshomaru were there, with Momo between them. Sesshomaru moved in front of the young girl casually but swiftly.
"So what are you after?" Kagome demanded. Kazuhito answered this time.
"This is none of your business!" he snapped. "Our mattes are our own."
Kazuhito smiled evilly, and brandished his claws as the sun glinted off of them. Inuyasha noticed then that Shippo wasn't among them. he cast around for any sign of the little kitsune, but then the demon held up a bound, wriggling Shippo.
"Let him go!" bellowed Inuyasha, brandishing his sword.
"Give us the girl if you want him to live."
At Kikyo's words, Momo stepped out from around Sesshomaru, though he tried to stop her. As he held out his right arm to stop her, she looked up at him, her hands at her sides, and her eyes determined. Something passed between them, and she shook her head. Sesshomaru let her go with a nod.
As she neared Kazuhito, he grabbed her by the arm, and chuckled as he saw the shocked expression in her eyes. But that was it, Inuyasha noticed. There was no fear. He dropped Shippo, and the little kitsune scrambled over, still bound, to Kagome, who hurried over to him as he tripped a few feet away, gathering him in her arms before dashing back. Inuyasha braced himself to fight, but Kikyo had an arrow notched and pointed at Kagome's head. Inuyasha gave a soft growl.
"Alright," said Kazuhito with a nod at the priestess. "Let's go."
He began to back up, but Momo didn't move. She was looking down at her feet, silent. They could not see her face with her raven hair in the way, thrown over her shoulders, loose from its down ponytail. As she spoke, her voice was deeper and not the melodic tone that it had been before.
"I won't go with you."
As she slowly looked up, a bright, white light issued from her forehead where the crescent moon had appeared. She began to change as a wind blew, blowing back her hair as it went from black to silver, and her ears became longer. Her kimono stripped away as it became new clothing. No one knew what to say at this new Momo.
"What the hell!" bellowed Inuyasha, turning sharply to Sesshomaru. "She's your daughter, isn't she!"
Sesshomaru nodded, the wind blowing his hair back, his face straight. Inuyasha stared at him with pure fear and horror, mixed with shock and disbelief. He couldn't believe it. Not only had his brother been telling the truth, but the young girl was under similar circumstances as he was.
"Yes," said Sesshomaru, as if savoring the taste of the word. "She is."
Momo moved closer to the stunned Kazuhito, but then turned towards the poised Kikyo. There was a slight swish, and then the priestess had dropped her weapon. Moving too fast for them to see, Momo had run the long, thin blade of her right wrist into Kikyo's stomach. She stepped back, blank faced, and let Kikyo fall to the ground.
She turned her intentions towards Kazuhito, but the demon had begun to run as fast as he could in the opposite direction. He only got a few feet before Momo was there, taking a firm hold on his now loose hair. He struggled to free himself from her raw grip as the blade went to his throat. Her face was intense and her eyes malicious. And then blood poured from his neck as she severed the jugular, and the demon's eyes went blank. He let out a few strangled gurgles before she let him fall. He was dead before he hit the ground. She turned to the group. No one moved, or made a sound, shocked and horrified by what they had seen. They all tensed up as she walked slowly towards them, blood dripping from her blades. She walked up that stairs between them, and into the house.
Momo hadn't changed back from her demon form the next day. All discussion ceased as she entered the sitting room. Kaede handed out bowls of food, not looking at the young girl. Momo didn't take a bowl, letting it pass by her. the only besides Momo who seemed somewhat calm was Sesshomaru. After a while if this silence, Momo opened the shoji door to the backyard where just yesterday she had committed the murder of Kazuhito. Kikyo had gone, and the demon's body had been disposed of. Sesshomaru followed in due time to where he could see her far above.
Momo stood on the cliff out looking the tiny, pitiful village. Sesshomaru approached cautiously from behind, but stopped at her harsh voice.
"What did they want with me? Why do I look human, but able to become demon?" There seemed to be a trace of pleading in her voice.
"That I am not sure of," Sesshomaru confessed softly. "Kaede knows much about legends. Perhaps, you are a part of one." Momo glanced at him coldly from over her shoulder.
For a moment, she looked almost exactly like a human. Her eyes were know longer hard, and full of the pain and hurt that had come with the truth of her identity. Sesshomaru felt guilt tear at him as he realized what he had done to this girl.
"There must be more to me than legend, right?" she said pleadingly, turning to see him better. "Tell me, Sesshomaru, did you even want to keep me?" Sesshomaru was unsure of what to say at first.
"I had to let you go," he answered quietly after a slight hesitation. "They would have killed you, and her, Momo…"
"I see."
She turned back to the cliff, a strong wind blowing her hair out behind her. he couldn't see her face, so he wasn't sure what to say to her. And then she was gone, leaving Sesshomaru guessing at his own actions.
It was late that same night that Momo approached the elderly priestess. Kaede didn't seem to notice that she had entered, her eyes closed as she sat on one of the large pillows near the fire hearth. Momo sat down quietly across from her.
"What is it, Momo?" she tried to ask casually.
"Kaede, I need to know, it need to know who I am."
"I know of a legend about a half demon…" She opened her eyes, gave a sigh, and peered at her. "Who takes on the appearance of a human, and switches between the two forms. It's said that the demon is the key to the Underworld, the world of the dead. Any living being who enters the Underworld can manipulate and control the dead with corruptness and lies."
"So, I am basically the key," she put simply.
"Maybe, and maybe also the Manipulator," she said with a nod. "There is another key…" Momo's eyes went wide as she leaned forward a little urgently.
"What is it?" She almost sounded human.
"The Cursed Jewel," replied the priestess. "It is similar to the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls, but it is black and evil."
"Where does it reside?" demanded Momo, suddenly fierce.
"I will not tell you that."
"Fine," snapped Momo, standing up. "After all, I am also the key." She turned as if to leave, but stopped at Kaede's urgent voice.
"Wait! Momo, what are you planning to do!"
"I am no longer Momo," she said coldly. "I am Yuri now, the Manipulator."
Yuri strode out of the house and into the night, heading in the direction of the well. Though Kaede hadn't hinted towards where the entrance to the Underworld was, it made sense. The Sacred Jewel of Four Souls was the key to this world, and Kagome's, as was Inuyasha. So, it was logically the same case with the passage to Hell. How she was supposed to get there was another matter.
She had just reached the line of trees. She hadn't walked too fast, and she sensed Shippo as he came darting out of the house, watching her back as he called out desperately to her.
"Momo, where are you going?"
"None of your business," she said coldly. "Go back inside before you get hurt."
"No, Momo!" he shouted defiantly. "You can't do this stuff! You're a priestess, you're a human!" She closed her eyes as these words stung her.
"No," she said calmly. "I refuse to live in a fantasy. I don't know why, but I have a feeling, a knowing, that I have to go. Don't try to stop me…" Her voice had gone from flat to threatening, and yet still the little kitsune pursued.
"Don't be a fool!" he snapped, his brow narrowing. "Don't try to hold onto memories of pain. Momo, let us help you. Inuyasha's half demon as well."
"Enough!" she bellowed at him, turning sharply. "No one can possibly understand what I am going though! I was raised not knowing my mother, my father, or my heritage! My mother died, and the illusion that had shielded me crumbles to reveal the piercing truth! I became a priestess at age eleven. How do you think the people in this village are going to react when they find out that I am a demon!" Shippo didn't know what to say.
"I-I don't know. But closing your eyes to the past isn't going to help. Let yesterday go."
"Shitsure shimaru…"
"What?"
Shippo then felt a horrible pain writhe through his body from his stomach, spreading rapidly. Yuri crouched beside him; her blade hidden by Shippo's flesh. He looked at her in horror and disbelief, his eyes taking on a saddened appeal, but her silver hair hid her face. Shippo fell to his side, clutching at his stomach, as he drew his legs close.
Yuri began to walk away, towards the well and the destiny that awaited her.
FIN