A/N: See? Still going... Apologies for the long time between updates, but life continues to be busy.

In this chapter, we give the stage to Yugao. Originally, the chapter was not going to contain quite so much background information, but Yugao insisted. Although some of her story might seem superfluous right now, I promise that I adhere to the principle of Chekhov's gun.

I've also taken some liberty with Japanese theology/mythology. The references herein about inu yokai were largely born in my imagination. I did do research on the subject, and found the actual history about dog demons to be, well... dark. Very dark. I decided that I far, far prefer Rumiko Takahashi's take on dog demons and thus happily expanded upon her universe instead, with bits and pieces borrowed from other folklore.:)

One more note: the writing format used in the chapter is an attempt to let Yugao speak, but also give you glimpses of past events - which is how the anime would do it, no? I hope it provides entertainment rather than confusion. I also apologize in advance for the plethora of pauses, but it's just Yugao's way... ;)

Add.: A minor edit. 'Panther' demon has been changed in this story to 'leopard cat' demon. I discovered that the use of 'panther' in the English dub was due to a translation error. Leopard cat is a much better fit. I remember thinking at the time that those demons didn't look much like panthers!

Disclaimer: The characters of the anime InuYasha are the property of Takahashi Rumiko/Shogakukan and Yomiuri TV Sunrise 2000. I do lay claim, however, to Aine and Lon. And, Kakusamaru.


Chapter Twenty-One: There Were Two Sisters

The teenager from modern Tokyo stared at the ghost, aghast at what had just been revealed. Her sister...?! She was murdered by her sister?!

Seeing Kagome's horrified expression, InuYasha decided to keep his own counsel on any thoughts he had on the matter. Bad luck for this Lady Yugao? Yep. Shocked by the news that someone had been killed by their own sibling? Not so much.

Yugao smiled kindly at Kagome. 'You are surprised, little priestess. Yes, yes... of course you are. I sense your compassion.' She suddenly turned and drifted across the water's surface until she came to a large, low boulder at the pond's edge. Reaching out with a translucent hand, she gently stroked its surface. 'It was here that I met him,' she said. 'My Ryunosuke. Such a beautiful soul.' Closing her eyes, she bowed her head. 'Yes...' she murmured, '...I think you will be able to understand, little priestess.'

The ghost gestured for them to come closer. 'It is not enough to tell you about the dark deed which trapped my love's soul. I want someone to know about us. No one knows about us...' she added, her voice lowering to almost a whisper.

'People know,' said Kagome gently, as she stepped toward the boulder. 'It's in the records at the shrine, that you were... were...' She paused when she saw the ghost frowning; once again, Kagome could sense anger stirring within the spirit.

'Those records would not tell the whole story,' Yugao said, bitterly. 'Daisuke would have seen to that. I heard him say so.'

'The daimyo's steward?' asked Kagome. She then remembered how perplexed Sango had been about the lack of detail in the records about the murders, and how Takeo had said that little had been said about Yugao herself.

'Yes,'answered Yugao. 'Daisuke wasn't an evil man... but his mind was closed. His lord allowing two hanyos to remain in the valley was bad enough, but when he later told him of his wish to marry me...' She sighed, and her anger retreated as sorrow again radiated from her.

Kagome was beginning to feel more than a bit overwhelmed by the shifting emotions coming from the spirit. They're so strong..., she thought. She was starting to worry that she might start to cry herself, when InuYasha suddenly spoke up.

'Two half-demons?' he asked. 'The old guy at the shrine said a demon killed the daimyo.'

Yugao shook her head. 'No, she said softly, 'Takako attacked my Ryu, and she was a hanyo, just as I am. Our father was human; our mother was an inu yokai... a daughter of the Tribe of the Black Dogs.'


Now, it was InuYasha's turn to be gob-smacked. The ears the ghost sported should have been a give-away, he realised, but he'd thought that they had been from a wolf demon heritage (given Yugao's earlier comment). After all, a spirit gave off no scent, so he couldn't verify her heritage by conventional means. He blinked in dumbfounded surprise, then frowned and crossed his arms as he gave her a suspicious look. 'Black dog-demons? Never heard of 'em.'

Kagome flinched at his dismissive tone. However, once again, the ghost did not seem offended. Instead, she looked mournfully at InuYasha. 'I had hoped you might have.' Again, Yugao sighed. 'How sad if there are none left... There was only the one clan... though, unlike your kin, they were not taiyokai.' Seeing the startled look InuYasha was giving her, she nodded. 'Yes – when I saw your eyes... I knew. The news spread far and wide amongst demon-kind that the Inu no Taisho had taken a human consort and sired a child by her.'

The ghost now smiled softly her fellow half-demon. 'Brave one, I understand... Yokai blood offers many hardships, doesn't it? But, there are also gifts to be treasured.' Her gaze became distant as she continued. 'My mother's kin never held such great, raw power as did your mighty sire... but they were still inu yokai.'

Kagome looked thoughtful. One of her grandfather's stories had suddenly sprung to mind — a very old legend that Grandpa had said was disputed by scholars. 'Black dog yokai, they... they guarded human souls...' she mused

Yugao immediately fixed her penetrating, silver stare on Kagome (and InuYasha once more felt his hackles rise in response to such scrutiny). 'You know? ' She clasped her hands together, obviously pleased. 'Oh, you know!'

Kagome blinked, startled by the elation the spirit was suddenly radiating. 'I... I've only heard an old story, that's all...'

'A story... there are stories...! Not forgotten, then... ' Yugao nodded eagerly. 'Little priestess, more than any other yokai, dog demons understand the spirit world. But, the black dogs... they had their own unique gift. If a human soul was lost, a black dog demon could find it and guide it to the path to the afterlife. ' The spirit nodded again. 'Yes, yes, they were instinctively protective of humans, and fiercely loyal to their own kin.' Her ears suddenly drooped sadly. 'Although... so many humans feared them, for they would be sighted near burial grounds and battlefields.'

Kagome nodded, quickly realising the ghost's meaning. 'They thought they were bad luck,' she said quietly. 'But, they were really saving people.'

Yugao smiled. 'You understand,' she said

'Did... something happen to them?' Kagome asked hesitantly.

Yugao sighed. 'Yes... It was a great tragedy. The black dogs were strong fighters, long considered worthy allies among yokai,' continued Yugao, ' but, they were not strong enough to fend off the Leopard Cat Tribe.'

'Leopard cats?!' gasped Kagome, sharing a startled look with InuYasha. Neither of them would ever forget their own confrontation with the lethal, feline demons.

Yugao nodded. 'Yes... so very cruel... Long ago, before the Inu No Taisho killed their king and cleansed the land of his foulness2, marauding packs of leopard cats terrorised the land; one such pack attacked my mother's people.' Her shoulders slumped. 'Why they targeted the black dogs that day... my mother did not know. She only said that the inu yokai were overpowered and outnumbered... it was a massacre.'

Then, Yugao's expression became resolute. Once again, she gestured to the grassy patch beside the boulder. 'Sit here, Kagome and InuYasha, and I'll tell you what you want to know. but, I think you should also know who we were... and from where we came.' Then, she lowered herself so that she seemed to sit upon the stone, her hands folded demurely in her lap.

When she saw Kagome hesitate, a worried expression on her face, Yugao's shoulders slumped again.

'I see,' she said softly. 'You do not want to know...'

'No! No... That's not it,' Kagome said quickly, eager to soothe the spirit who had turned her head away and looked as if she might leave. In truth, Kagome had begun to worry about how long the spirit's story might be. 'It's just... we should return to our friends soon. We just learnt that there's an evil demon in the valley and, well...'

Yugao frowned. 'A dark demon? Here? Now?' She paused and frowned. ' A creature of darkness visited Takako...'

'When?' asked InuYasha, sharply. 'What did he look like?'

Yugao shrugged. 'I find time hard to judge... it was before the snows came... I did not go near, nor hear what was said. His essence felt... repulsive.'

InuYasha and Kagome exchanged a look which told them they had both drawn the same conclusion about Taka's visitor.

Naraku.

'Wait... you can go to the lake?' asked Kagome. She had automatically assumed that this ghost was also confined to one location.

'Yugao nodded. 'I prefer it here... but I can return to the lake, if I choose. Takako cannot harm me further,' she added grimly, 'but... I do not seek her out. Sometimes, I watch from a distance...' Her expression again became distant as she continued. 'During the day, she stays within the mansion. She claimed it...' She frowned. 'She has poisoned it – it was once so beautiful. So many gardens... At night, she comes into her power, especially when the moon is new. She hates the full moon... light weakens her... Twice, I went at night,' she murmured,, again seeming to be in her own world. 'I'd felt... a soul crying out in fear. The first time... too late. But, the second one... he escaped.' She smiled, then. 'Yes... yes... Takako did not win that time.'

Again, she looked up at her by now bemused audience. 'Little priestess, I understand... you must be safe from this dark creature. Your protector must soon return you to the village, yes? So, I promise...' – here she again wore a sad, little smile – '...I promise, it will not take long to tell you my story. Please... Will you hear me?'

Again, Kagome could feel sorrow and loneliness emanating from the spirit and she realised that she couldn't refuse her request. In fact, her 'gut' was telling her that she shouldn't. Nodding, the teenage girl sat on the grass in the shade of a birch tree, unconsciously rubbing her thumb on the lacquered surface of the hair comb that was still in her hand. InuYasha chose to lean against the tree's trunk, still very much on guard. Looking up, he marked the sun's position and mentally shrugged.

The half-demon had his doubts about the ghost's ability to 'not take long'.


So young, this pair... The ghost actually wondered if this human, only on the cusp of adulthood, could truly do anything to free her love from the prison created by Takako's treachery. But, she was obviously sincere in her wish to help, of that Yugao had no doubt, and this gave the lonely spirit the first whisper of hope she had felt since that time of horrors. Kagome might not be strong enough to break the spiritual seal herself, but she would know.

Finally, thought the ghost, someone would know... and maybe, one day, something could be done to help her dear love. Thus, Yugao began to tell her tale.

'My sister and I were born in the southern lands, near a small town by the sea...


'Papa was an artisan – a potter. Since he had learnt his trade at a monastery school, he was also an educated man.' The spirit smiled fondly as she remembered her beloved father. 'His little house and workshop were outside of the town, tucked away in a woodland glade, with only a few farms for neighbours. Papa preferred it over the bustling artisans' quarter. He was very content out there on his own. Then, he found Mother.

'The massacre... there had been a few survivors, Mother and her sire among them. They had found sanctuary with their long-time allies: the wolf demons. Mother's sire, the leader of the black dogs, had been mortally injured. Before he died, he told Mother to seek out the Great Dog Demon, to pledge herself to that mighty taiyokai's service. My grandsire believed that, one day, the Inu no Taisho would take action against the leopard cat scourge. As his vassal, Mother would be able to avenge her own kind.

'And so, my mother set out alone for the taiyokai's lands, so many leagues to the northwest. But, she did not reach her journey's end. As she was following a path along a cliff, there was an earthquake... and the cliff collapsed.

'Mother's leg was crushed as she fell. She was thrown into the river rapids below and was swept away. Somehow, she did not drown, though she truly feared she would. When the current eased, she struggled to the riverbank... but, by then she was far to the south, at the very edge of the sea. She dragged herself into some nearby woods and wept. Even though she was yokai, her injury was too severe to fully heal – she knew that she was crippled forever.

'Mother realised then that she could never be of use to the Inu no Taisho and her heart broke, for she had failed her father and her clan. She had given up all hope and had laid down to die... when my father found her.

'Papa said that he would be forever grateful that he had decided to look for firewood in that particular coppice. Mother looked up at him with the silver eyes of her tribe, and he knew she was yokai... but he wasn't afraid. He said the beauty of her soul was in her eyes...

'Mother told us of how Papa was as gentle as a woman as he cared for her. He dressed her mangled leg with medicinal herbs, he told her stories... he sat and quietly listened as she spoke of her loss. He would carry her outside so that she could sit in the sun and she would watch him as he turned unformed clay into things of beauty. Papa fashioned a cane for her and, with great perseverance, she was eventually able to walk.

'She would never run again.

'Papa didn't care that she was yokai – he grew to love her. And, Mother... she was true to her race. With no pack, she freely gave her loyalty to the human who cared for her, and she loved him, too.

'Takako was born first. So much like Mother; she never tired of hearing stories about the inu yokai. Mother never refused her, though you could tell she was sad when she spoke of her kin. Still, she made sure we knew our history, and that we knew how to survive. Takako thrived in the woodlands; she loved to hunt and fish. I... I was more like our Papa. He taught us to read and to write. He carved a flute out of bamboo and taught me how to play it, and he and I would make music together in the evening... and it would make Mother and Takako smile.

'The neighbours were... wary. But, Papa had always been well liked so, in the end, they tolerated us. I think, too, Mother's injury made her less threatening to them. Takako and I were never harassed by the humans, but we were also kept at a distance. We were each other's only playmate. But, we were content, for we were loved.

'But... Papa grew old.

'That was our first heartbreak, when Papa died. Then, we lost Mother. Her jaki had been much diminished since her injury, but it began to weaken steadily after our father died. I think... that she didn't want to live without him. She held for a year, then... she was gone.


'How can I bear it?' whispered Takako, as she knelt weeping by the small marker that held the name of one of the few surviving black inu yokai. Beside it was another small stone bearing the name of the humble potter whom that yokai had loved with such devotion.

Yugao wrapped her arms around her elder sister's shaking shoulders. 'We have each other, big sister...' she said, her voice breaking with a sob.

Takako reached up and gripped her sister's hand. 'Hai... that we do, but... oh, sister! It hurts so much...'


'Takako became restless. Father's friends and neighbours had all passed; the next generation was not so trusting and Takako didn't trust them. Despite her fascination with our clan's history, Takako herself had no use for any human other than Papa. The humans we knew, she said, were not worthy of a black dog's loyalty. She no longer wanted to stay in our home and said we would be better off with demon-kind. Before she died, Mother had told us to find the wolves, where there might still be pack mates who would accept us – they would be loyal to us, she said, even if we were hanyo. And so, we left all we had known and travelled north.

'But, the closer we came to the wolf demons' territories, the more Takako balked at joining them. She had thrived on Mother's story about her journey to find the Great Dog Demon, and she had decided we should do the same. She said that, with no kindred of our own, we should seek such a noble patronage for, after all, weren't we the granddaughters of the leader of the black dogs? I had no choice but to follow her, for she was all I had.'

Here, Yugao paused. ' As I said, Inu yokai... are loyal. But, you both know that, don't you?' she added with a soft smile as she looked from the girl to the half-demon. Kagome blinked in surprise, then smiled in understanding though InuYasha momentarily turned as red as his clothing.

Then, the ghost took up her narrative again, telling her listeners of how, after hearing of the death of the Great Dog Demon, her sister had insisted on approaching other powerful taiyokai, hoping to pledge her service to them – only to be abruptly turned away by all.


'Why?' screamed Takako. 'Again, we are scorned!' She fell to her knees and struck the ground with her clenched fist. 'I hate our human blood!'

Yugao stared at her, wide-eyed, uncertain of how to comfort her sister. She had never seen her so distraught since their mother's death. This most recent rejection had seemed to cut especially deep.

'Don't say that, Big Sister,' she moaned. 'Don't hate Papa...'

Takako gasped and looked up at her sibling with an expression of horror, shocked out of her fit of rage. 'No! No, Yugao! No, I would never hate Papa... Please, I would never. I just want to protect us, and I thought... surely, this taiyokai...! This one would not reject us.'


'Takako became embittered. She was angry when I again tried to persuade her to find the wolves. She somehow saw them as lesser... although Mother had only spoken of them with respect. I could do nothing to soothe her. Then, one day, we were attacked by a strange creature called a worm charmer.' The ghost paused, seeing her audience's reaction. 'You know of this kind of demon, I see. I don't know what dark purpose he intended for us. He compelled a demon worm to possess me as I slept... but Takako scented it and woke. She swiftly hunted down and killed the worm charmer, then she used his jar to release me from the worm.

'Then... she kept the jar. Oh, how I loathed that foul thing! I pleaded with her to get rid of it, but she said she could control the worm and that now she had a powerful weapon. Power, she said, meant protection... and, status. Power meant that those who had scorned and dismissed us would be shown how wrong they had been. And, from then on... she was different.

'I know now... that it poisoned her soul...'

Yugao paused and again reached out to brush her fingertips across the boulder's grey surface. 'And so... now you know who we were. It was soon after my sister took possession of the demon worm jar that we were split asunder...'


It was summer, she said, when they had arrived in the secluded Valley of the Mizumimoto...

'When Takako realised there were human settlements here, she wanted to leave. I was tired and insisted I was not travelling any further that day. We argued; she stalked into the woods to be alone with her anger and I sat here to wait for her. I still had Papa's flute – since we were some distance from either village, I believed it was safe to play it... it gave me such comfort. With the music, I became lost in my memories, then... men suddenly surrounded me.

'Samurai. They had been returning home from a hunt and had heard the flute. They quickly realised what I was, and I was so scared. I would have to kill to escape, I knew... and, I had never killed a human. I didn't want to hurt anyone. But, their leader looked into my eyes... and he told them to lower their weapons. And, because he was their daimyo, they obeyed him.


'I am Mizumimoto Ryunosuke, lord of these lands. Who are you, little one? How came you here?'


'I told him the truth, that I wasn't alone, that I travelled with my sister... that we only wanted to rest for a while. And, he was kind. "Little one," he said. "No one here will harm you. Rest and stay as long as you like."

'After the men had left, Takako came back. She scented them and became frantic, always expecting the worst of humans. I had to calm her, explain what had happened. She demanded we leave, but I said... no. I was tired of travelling.

'I should have said yes... If only I'd said yes...'


The two sisters remained in the valley, the elder giving in with bad grace. Takako became engrossed in studying the worm charmer's jar and, for the most part, inflicted a sulking, silent treatment upon her sibling. When she did speak, it was to tell her to not give in to their mother's kin's absurd fascination with humans.

'She knew, you see. She had guessed that, as much as she despised and distained humans, I was longing for company. So, I took to wandering the valley. But, I only watched the villagers from a distance. This was such a peaceful place... The estate was small, but the fields were fertile and the lake teemed with fish. It was obvious that the young lord looked after his people...

'One day, I was near the mansion, and I saw the daimyo... he was walking on the lakeshore. The next day, I returned, and I saw him again.' She smiled fondly. 'It was his daily routine. He would follow the shoreline, then walk along the road that ran between the two villages before returning to the mansion. If he met a peasant, he would speak kindly to them and I could see how they respected him. He was... a joy to watch. Then, one day, we met again.'


Yugao found her feet taking her once more to the small clearing. It was a pretty, sheltered spot, hidden from the road by a thick stand of young trees. Here the half-demon waited each day for a glimpse of the yound daimyo. With this, she was content.

Today, however, he did not appear on the road.

She sighed in disappointment and turned to walk away... and there he was, behind her, leaning against one of a pair of pine trees growing in the clearing. ' Were you looking for someone?' he asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled at her. And, she felt her heart flutter...


The spirit suddenly bestowed a brilliant smile on Kagome. 'Oh, little priestess, I was so happy! We continued to meet and talked of many things – Ryu was well read, and he loved music as much as I did. He asked me to play my flute for him, and he called me his nightingale. He invited me to the mansion and we walked in the gardens – and, such gardens they were, little priestess! So many flowers, and orchards heavy with fruit that was shared with all in the valley.'

'Yet...' – here, the spirit's expression again became serious – 'his servants were nervous of me... But, he told them to treat me as a guest. Amazingly, they did not gossip abroad about me, but I think that was because Daisuke ordered them to keep silent. Daisuke was not pleased about his master befriending a hanyo... Yes, Daisuke made that very clear. And, Takako approved even less...'


Yugao was upset. Takako had detected the scent of humans on her and had been furious. She had confessed to her big sister that she had made a friend, that was all, but Takako had made her disgust clear. 'We are above such vermin!' she had growled. Then she held up the earthen jar that still contained the demon worm. 'We will soon rise above other yokai... This holds power, I can feel it! With more power, they can't dismiss us!'

'Who, Takako?' Yugao asked in frustration. She felt as if she no longer knew her sister. All she talked of was gaining power. 'Do you still wish the patronage of a taiyokai? It won't happen, Takako...'

'Taka! From now on, I am Taka! A strong name gives strength!' the elder half-demon hissed. 'And, like the hawk, I shall soar… it will happen! There must be a way. I'll find a way, and then... and then we'll be accepted. Then... then I can protect you properly...'

'Oh sister... have we not always protected each other? Please, we could be accepted here,' she said gently. 'I can feel it...'

'You little fool...' Then, Takako's shoulders had slumped and she had turned away from her sister, angrily telling for her to go back to the human scum if she so wished.

So, a heart-sore Yugao stood on the shelter of the woods as a soft rain fell, looking longingly at the mansion, wondering if she would ever dare to enter the grounds again.


'But, I continued to meet him,' said Yugao. 'Perhaps it was a weakness, but... I knew then that to never see Ryunosuke again would be... unbearable.'

'You loved him,' Kagome sighed. She then blushed with embarrassment as she hadn't meant to speak aloud, but the ghost smiled and clasped her hands.

'You understand...' she said. 'Oh, I'm so glad you understand! You have a loving heart, I can tell... Yes, I loved my Ryunosuke. Being apart was too painful. I wanted to keep my wonderful, new friend and so I returned. I never dreamt that he might feel the same but,' – her smile became radiant - 'he did!'


The garden by moonlight was so beautiful. Yugao sighed happily as she inhaled the sweetly scented air. Then, she saw mounds of white-flowered vines trailing over a low wall. 'How lovely!' she murmured, as she reached out to touch the soft blossoms.

'Have you never seen your namesake, Yugao?' asked an amused Ryunosuke. The half-demon shook her head as she looked up at him, a delighted smile on her face. Reaching out, the young daimyo plucked two blossoms from the vines. Then, he gently held them up against her curling tresses. 'They are even more beautiful here,' he said, his voice low and soft, and Yugao was grateful that her blush could not be seen in the dim light of the garden lanterns. Surely, she thought, it is possible to die of happiness.

'But, you will need something to keep them there,' Ryunosuke was saying. Then, reaching beneath the collar of his haori, he pulled forth a dainty, lacquered hair comb. 'I would be honoured if you would accept this token of my esteem... my beautiful nightingale.'


'When he asked me to be his wife... I was overwhelmed. Oh, how I wanted to stay with him. Surely, I could do so? Papa and Mother had been happy. Could I not also have such happiness, such love? But, there were objections...'


'No! You will not do this, Yugao!'

'Big sister, please... be happy for me...'

'Happy? When you walk away from me?'

'Ryunosuke knows about you... he would welcome you as my kin, if you would only consent to come with me to meet him, Takako...'

'I am Taka! Taka!' And, she turned away and wept.


Yugao stood in the shelter of the young trees outside of the mansion's main hall, awaiting her love. Then she heard voices within, and her heart sank as she listened.

'...it will bring disaster, Master!'

'You forget yourself, Daisuke.' Never had she heard Ryunosuke speak with anger..

The steward's voice again drifted out into the night. 'Master, I serve you as I served your noble parents. To wed a hanyo... what would they have thought? And, your people will fear her. They won't accept it.'

'They will!' snapped the young daimyo. 'Have I not always treated them well? Surely, they would not begrudge me happiness.'

Daisuke sighed. 'Perhaps... but think, too, of the neighbouring daimyos. So far, we've been too secluded an estate for them to take interest. But, we hear more and more of wars throughout the land. If word spreads that you have taken a half-demon for a wife...'

At that, an angry Ryunosuke abruptly left the hall... and saw Yugao standing there, looking at him sorrowfully. 'I would not bring you harm, ever,' she said, and, bowing her head, she turned to leave.

In an instant, he was there beside her. He pulled her into his arms and she began to weep as she clung to him. 'You would never bring me harm,' he whispered softly. 'You are my joy. My little nightingale, please... do not leave... I could not bear it.'


'Ryu believed our union would be accepted,' said Yugao, as she bowed her head. 'He was so wrong. I should have left...'

For rest of the ghost's tale, her voice was low and solemn. She spoke of how she had been given her own quarters at the mansion and, to her joy, the servants did indeed become more accepting. But then, she had always spoken kindly to them, even to Daisuke – thought the steward's responses could be called a strained politeness at best.

Of Takako, she saw nothing... until the day before her marriage was to take place.


Yugao sat on the small wooden landing by the lake, watching the first rays of the rising sun come over the mountains. She looked down and smoothed one hand over the kimono Ryunosuke had given her. She smiled as she traced a fingernail along an embroidered moonflower, careful that its sharp edge did not damage the delicate threads.. Then, she felt tears pricking her eyes.

'If only you were here, sister...' she then said to herself. Adjusting the silken scarf draped over her head, she rose and turned... and froze.

Takako stood behind her. A coldly angry Takako. No, she realised... a coldly angry Taka. Her sister's silver eyes held the same predatory stare as her new namesake.

Yugao did not know her.

'Why would you wish me here, sister?' said Taka, in an utterly detached tone of voice. 'After all, you abandoned me.'

'Sister, please... I didn't abandon you. I wanted you to come with me.'

Taka seemed to stare past her. 'For a human male... you abandoned me. He has enthralled you, turned you against me... Have I not told you that humans were never worth the loyalty of our kind?'

'No... no, sister,' pleaded Yugao. 'I told you, he's a good man. He would welcome you...'

Taka suddenly smiled, and it was a cruel smile. Reaching within her sash, she withdrew the earthen jar and began to stroke it. 'Really? So, he would have two hanyos to be his pets? You do realise that you are only a toy to him, yes?

'He will bed you, then he will tire of you,' she then spat. 'He will discard you!'

Yugao gaped, appalled. Then, her eyes flashed in anger. 'How dare you be so... so hateful? You will not spoil this, Takako! You will always be my sister, and I shall always love you... but I also love Ryunosuke.' She frowned. 'You will not spoil this,' she said again.

Then, before Yugao could blink, her sister struck. The younger sister's eyes widened in shock as the elder's sharp claws slashed across her throat and her life's blood sprayed wide. The force of the blow knocked Yugao from the pier and into the lake. Water closed over her head – she struggled and managed to breach the surface, one arm reaching toward her murderer, who now looked down at her with an stunned expression.

'Sister!' she gasped. 'Sister! Your hand...! Please...'

For a moment, Yugao looked into her sister's eyes and again saw Takako. Tears blurred her vision as she saw her elder sister reaching out; then, Takako froze and withdrew her hand. And, again, Taka stood there.

Then, she turned and walked away.

Yugao sank beneath the cold water. Her lungs burnt, crying for air. Then, suddenly, she was above the lakeshore, looking down at her own body floating in the lake, the sleeves of the silken kimono spreading wide like the wings of a swan...

She sobbed in misery, but no one heard.


'A maid came looking for me and her screams brought one of the samurai. He pulled me – my body – from the water and saw my wound. He ran to Ryu and told him I had been attacked by an unknown beast, that I was dead.

'They brought my body to the hall. My poor Ryunosuke. I tried to touch him, I called out to him – I wept though I no longer had tears. But, he could not see or hear me

'No one could.

'Then, Takako came.

'She should have been able to see me – her inu yokai blood should have made it possible – but she gave no sign. I screamed at her; I looked into her eyes... and saw that they were red, their silver gone. Her eyes held... madness. She was truly Taka, and she hunted...'

'Ryunosuke realised who she was, we looked so much alike... but he never suspected that my killer had just entered his home. Not until she raged at him, telling him he was a thief, and now he would pay. She... she laughed... and held up her bloody claws. Then, she said he was to blame for my death.'


The intruder charged, but the daimyo's men blocked her. Five fell swiftly as her claws wrecked havoc. However, their deaths gave him time to grab the magari yari that hung on the wall. When Taka howled her rage and again ran at him, he called forth his family's legacy – the spear's demonic barrier – and she could not touch him.

But, the spear could touch her.

Ryunosuke drove the powerful bone blade deep into the crazed half-demon. 'Vicious bitch,' he growled as tears ran down his face. 'How could you kill her?! She was all that is bright and good!'

Taka gasped in pain. The blade held a demonic aura – she could feel it. As it pierced her, that aura surged into her and her own jaki began to merge with it. To her horror, she realised that it was stealing her jaki. Yet, the barrier created by the spear still protected the vermin that wielded it and she could not strike him, though he was within reach. Panic filled her, and she reached for the earthen jar at her waist and loosened the lid, freeing the creature within it with a silent command.

Glassy-eyed, a young samurai stepped forward and drove his sword into his daimyo.

Within her veil of silence, Yugao wailed as her love collapsed, releasing his grip on the spear as he fell. Suddenly, Taka screamed. Her eyes glowed red as she ripped the spear from her abdomen and again grasped the earthen jar. Yugao saw the demon worm flee the samurai's corpse and return to the jar just as the lid flew back to its resting place. Then, dropping the now bloody jar, Taka toppled to the floor beside her sister's body and lay there, her eyes – once more their beautiful silver – staring blankly as the last spark of life left her.

Of her soul... there was no sign.


'My lord, be still!' Daisuke was desperately trying to stem the blood flowing from his master. The young samurai who had inflicted the wound lay dead, swiftly slain by his fellows. Ryunosuke moaned in pain and struggled to reach for the spear.

'I can feel it... it calls to me!' he gasped. Then, he lurched sideways and gripped the weapon's shaft. Holding the spear, he suddenly looked at the earthen jar. 'We need to leave... That thing is evil. I can see... '

'My lord...?' asked one of the remaining soldiers.

'The spear... it feeds from... from the spear, stealing power but... enough left that I can see... that thing holds a dark power, and it's growing... No! Don't touch it!' he ordered, halting the samurai in his tracks as he reached for the jar. 'Leave it where it is!' He moaned again. 'Let no more die in my name...


Yugao sat and rocked back and forth as she hummed her love's favourite song, watching helplessly as he lay dying in the shelter of a peasant's hut just beyond the shoreline. In the distance could be heard the dismayed cries of fishermen as they watched thousands of dead fish floating on the lake's surface.

Within the mansion, a dark aura rose; Yugao stiffened as she recognised within it the taint of the worm charmer's jar. And, the essence of a familiar soul.

She stayed where she was.

That night, a howl was heard and people swore that a great dark beast prowled the mansion grounds. The next night, it was seen outside the walls. By the third night, the village by the lake was abandoned.


Yugao listened as Daisuke spoke to the remaining samurai standing on the shore. Under his supervision, they had just ensured that whatever was salvageable had been removed to the lower village. The soldiers had discovered that the demon spirit only walked abroad at night, so during the day the environs were relatively safe. But, the lake's waters were dead and, they told him now, the mansion was indeed cursed – with their own eyes, they had seen the gardens wither and die, the orchard fruits rotting and falling from their branches.

'I beg of you,' pleaded Daisuke, 'protect your lord's honour. I know there's nothing to keep you here, but please don't speak of the daimyo's folly...'

'Don't fret, steward,' murmured one older samurai gruffly. 'Did I not already say we would keep silent?'

Daisuke slumped in obvious relief. 'You have my gratitude... Saving the honour of the last Mizumimoto daimyo will be the final task I can perform for him. There will no more mention of hanyos...'


'Daisuke... '

'My lord,' came the soft reply. 'It will be as you've ordered. I promise. The fishermen insisted they be the ones to build the shrine.'

'Yugao...'

'Her body has been treated with all due respect.'

'Good...' The response was now barely a whisper. 'The people must be safe. It is no longer safe here. I can feel the darkness growing. The spear... its power is gone now, Daisuke...' – he coughed – '... keep it safe. It is all that is left of my family...'

'Hai, daimyo.'

'Where... is it...?'

'It's beside you, as always.' Gently, the steward guided his lord's hand to the bone blade. Slowly, the daimyo's fingers slide down the spearhead to where a small bag was now tied to the shaft. Gripping the bag, he felt the outline of the little hair comb within. Then, he breathed his last.


She saw his soul – such a beautiful, bright soul. And, he saw her. He smiled and held out his hand. Then...

'No...!' he cried out.

Yugao reached out desperately as she watched her love's soul being drawn into the spear; as chains, invisible to the attending humans, wrapped around the bone blade. A voice spoke softly, urgently: 'Leave, my nightingale...Go to your rest...'

'No,' came her anguished reply. 'Not without you... Never without you!'

Then the spear was removed from her sight. She heard that it would lay in a little shrine to be built in the clearing with the two pine trees. But, she soon found that only the lake and the waterfall were accessible to her. And so... she was alone.


Kagome was now weeping freely. InuYasha swiftly hunkered down and rested his hand on her shoulder. 'You okay?' he asked, feeling utterly helpless. Damn, but he hated seeing Kagome cry!

Gulping as she struggled to hold back a sniffle, Kagome nodded; she reached into a pocket and (thankfully), found a tissue. 'So, the spear's power was sealed to... to the worm charmer's jar?' she asked, as she wiped her eyes. She really didn't like snivelling like this!

'Sounds like it...' murmured InuYasha, as he glanced up at the sun. His earlier scepticism notwithstanding, to the half-demon's surprise, only an hour or so had passed since the ghost had begun her story.

Yugao now 'stood' and, smiling gently, looked down at them as she hovered beside the boulder. 'Thank you for your gentle heart, Kagome. Thank you... for listening to me,' she said softly. 'It is right… that someone finally knows... Please, little priestess... will you share our story?'

Kagome nodded, as she desperately tried to avoid more tears. 'I... yes. Yes, I'll make s-sure others know what happened. I promise.'

Yugao clasped her hands, then she bowed low. 'Thank you. Both of you. Now, it is time for you to return to your friends, yes?' Once more looking at InuYasha, she added, 'Protect her well, son of the Great Dog Demon. She is precious.'

InuYasha stared, open-mouthed, for a moment, then he acknowledged the spectre with a brisk nod. Yugao smiled at him; then, she suddenly turned and drifted out toward the centre of the pool.

'Harken well...' she said, as she began to fade into the soft mist that once again swirled upon the water. 'Do not underestimate my sister's power. Even though the moon will be full tonight, she is strong. She is… dangerous. My Ryonosuke... I know he would not want you to risk your life for him, little priestess.'

'Wait!' called Kabome. 'The second seal on the spear... It is coming from the worm charmer's jar, right?'

Yugao bowed her head. 'Yes – the jar holds the seal,' she said. 'Time has never touched it. It is still there, in the mansion, but also... not there. It has sealed the power of the spear... and Takako now draws from that power.'

And, with one last, sad smile, the spirit again bowed – and faded from view.

InuYasha looked down at Kagome and frowned. 'She draws from that power...? How the hell can a ghost use a demonic aura?' he asked.

Kagome was wondering the same thing.


(2) Yugao died well before Sesshoumaru's routing of the leopard cats, so she only knows of his sire's defeat of their king.

A/N: Explaining the meaning of names, as per various online sources: Yugao means 'moonflower'; Takako means 'dutiful child' (one interpretation) and Taka means 'hawk' (again, one of many translations). 'Hawk' was definitely this Taka's preference!

Also...

When I began this story, I'd mentioned to a couple of friends that it had been largely inspired by a song by Loreena McKennitt. This chapter and these characters in particular were born in my imagination while listening to The Bonny Swans. Yes, Magnusrae, 'the' song that started it all. The official video is on YouTube.

McKennitt's version is one interpretation (but probably the most elegant) of the story more commonly known as The Twa (Two) Sisters. There are many English versions of this 'murder song' and the concept — one sister killing the other due to jealousy/vengeance/spite — exists in parallels worldwide.

Next: The Inu Crew reunite and Lon sets out to find a stray dog...