Disclaimer: I don not own Inuyasha, unfortunately… but if I could borrow Sesshomaru for just one night…
Chapter 1
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"Inuyasha!" Kagome snarled, "I have to go back! My cousin is finally coming to visit and I haven't seen her in years!"
"Feh! Well if you haven't seen her in so long, then you can just go on without seeing her now! We have to find more shards."
"Don't make me hurt you, Inuyasha." She warned dangerously. "I'll say the 'S' word till you're flat as a pancake, don't think for one second that I won't. I'll promise come back as soon as I can, but I am NOT staying here!"
Inuyasha growls deep in his chest before giving in. "Fine, go! But if you aren't back in two days I'm going over there and dragging you back, then I'm going to throw a boulder in that damn well so you can never go home again!"
Kagome's brief smile vanished as she gritted her teeth suppressing a growl of her own and stormed off to the well. At her retreat the hanyou stomped off in the opposite direction mumbling indistinct obscurities under his breath.
Nearby Sango, Miroku and Shippo stood impartially and exchanged glances of silent agreement.
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Kagome stumbled into her house, threw down her bag with a THUMP and ran into her cousin's waiting arms. The girls giggled hysterically as they jumped around in the other's embrace, pulling back every so often to see the other's face then resuming the joyous chaos.
"My goodness Salina, you look so great, and that outfit is so cute on you. You're so lucky to have a natural tan." Kagome mocked a pout, but ended up laughing.
"Well you look great yourself, lil' cus!" She giggled in response. "But thank you, Kagome. It's been far too long and I've missed you so much. We have so much to talk about." Her voice lost its cheery undertone for a moment; "I need to talk to you about something and I fear you're the only one who will understand." In the dimming light of the day, the shadows played a cruel trick on her features that cast a mask of dark worry over her natural beauty.
By every account, she was a stunning young lady. Just two years older then Kagome, she was a good bit taller, and her perfect figure made things like height utterly unimportant for her. She had the tanned skin of her mother's people, and raven-black hair that hung low on her slender back and streaked blue and purple in the sunlight. Most noticeable of all, were her nearly clear jade green eyes that lit up her face like a spell. She'd always reminded Kagome of a warrior priestess, all that exotic beauty and grace, but deadly in a way that was luring and terrifying. As children, the girls had been separated due to Salina's unnatural strength and often-violent temper. She was very protective of her little Kagome and it had cost many a mean kid at the playground, or at school a bloody lip and/or broken limbs. Although she'd never before made the connection, thinking back on it at that moment made Kagome think that her behavior then, reminded her of Inuyasha's now. 'Maybe that's why I'm so tolerant of his over protectiveness.' She thought idly.
"Tell me about it when we go to bed." Kagome said at last. She was suddenly intrigued, but mostly worried about what could make her cousin so afraid.
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They all ate a feast that night, as everyone talked excitedly about how each one had been, and Salina explained what her life had become after she'd left Japan, to her mother's native country of Argentina. After dinner, Kagome and her mother helped get Salina's things set up in Kagome's room. As the girls settled in, Kagome remembered her burning curiosity and waited on the verge of patience till Salina got comfortable before she said something.
"So what's so important that I'm the only one you can talk to?"
Salina looked deeply troubled for a long while before she finally spoke. "Well it's so strange Kagome, I hardly know where to begin…" Her voice trailed off for a moment as her eyes moved seeing the memories that had haunted her for so long now.
Flashback
Salina had gone to visit her grandmother in the southeast of Argentina, high in the Andes Mountains and far way from the nearest city. She was generally board most days out there and she took to going on long walks around the surrounding land. Most of it was vineyards and vast open valleys, but behind the house was the nearest slope of mountain that was dense with virgin forest.
One day near the end of her stay, she became bored with the flat open land to walk through so she headed into the forest to do some exploring for her stroll. Rather than go alone, she took her German Shepard, Rayo along for company. They ambled their way through bushes and over large fallen trees, and the day was turning out fun. That is until Rayo began to growl and whine as they neared the center of the slope. Salina stopped to look around; she knew full well that the dog's instincts were far better than her own and something must be nearby. As she turned cautiously around, somewhat caught her eye.
Behind a large pine on their right, a patch of leaf-covered ground lay disturbed at the mouth of what now appeared to be a cave. Her intuition told her it was dangerous to just go exploring a cave by herself, especially when no one knew where she was, but as she stared at the opening a curiosity flared within her. It burned to be satisfied, and she gave into that urge soon enough, though later on she would wonder at herself for ever being so stupid.
She grabbed the dog by its collar and slowly worked her way toward the cave. The hair on the dog's back stood up as they stepped into the dark opening, and no sooner then they stepped completely into the darkness, that a great hand caught Salina by the throat and held her tight. Its claws dug into her neck; as she began to feel the blood stream down her collarbone, two dark-green orbs looked down upon her. They held no emotion or expression, and yet she felt a ripple of fear as they bore into her. They looked straight through her, saw things she'd nearly forgotten about her past…
Then as the world began to fade away from the lack of oxygen, she submitted to his eyes and they shot a jolt of energy crashing over her. She continued to hold his stare because her eyes were glued to them, even as they swirled around her and she drown in a tide of memories that were not her own. Voices, images, and emotions rapped her round and round till she finally fainted and fell into a fitful slumber.
When she woke, the sun hung low on the horizon and the clouds above changed to different shades of orange and red. She was laying atop of Rayo in the middle of a clearing far down the slope from where she'd lost consciousness. At first she'd needed Rayo's help to stand, but once her head cleared, they both worked their way down the rest of the hill toward home. And by the time they'd gotten there, Salina had convinced herself that it was all a dream, and that she must have sat down for a nap and had a nightmare.
However, that night as she slept the images returned and the voice a woman filled her thought with In- youkai and blood shed. Somehow when Salina woke she knew that that woman was once she and that, somehow, her life had changed forever.
End Flashback
Kagome stared as gapped mouthed as a farm lass for a moment before she returned to her senses. Her eyes still remained wide with terror and wonder, as Salina described the youkai of her dreams with their white hair and the moon above their eyes, of the Lord her husband had been, and of the half-demon child they had created before he died. As Salina recalled the memories tears streamed down her cheeks and her eyes turned dark with sorrow. 'It's impossible!' Kagome thought. 'She can't mean Inuyasha and them can she?'
"You know him them don't you?" Her voice sounded hollow and she spoke as if she already knew the answer. "I mean, I already know you do, I just wanted to hear you say it I suppose. I hear him you know? My… I mean her son. Every so often I hear a voice on the wind, barely audible but ever the more there. He prays to her I think. Asking for guidance, or strength, the usual things we seek through our mothers. But once in awhile he'll speak of you and the happiness you've given him or the guilt of something he's done to hurt you." Salina looked up to met her cousin's gaze, and wasn't surprised to see the look of shock there. She decided to let the information cease there for the night and quickly changed the subject. "I'm very tired, Kagome. Shall we continue this later, and get some rest?" She was tired from jet lag and having to relive her worst memories yet again.
Kagome nodded a silent agreement, and vaguely leaned over to turn the lamp off from beside her bed.
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The next morning the girls made a silent decision to leave their talk from the night before behind, and left the house early to enjoy a bright sunny day with shopping and the other's company.
Salina drew attention wherever they went, but she unconsciously ignored it all. However, they couldn't just walk away when a surprised and sickeningly excited Hojo came running up to them in the mall. "Kagome! Its great to see you're feeling better." He shouted as he ran up to them.
Salina gave her cousin a questioning side look that was rewarded with a pleading look that screamed: Don't ask, I'll explain later.
Hojo insisted on walking the girl's home and help them carry their shopping bags. Salina found herself becoming more and more agitated by his presence, and wondered 'why' the rest of the walk back to Kagome's. He seemed like a nice guy, a little too nice, but still by no means rude. But again her logic she became increasingly annoyed until it hit her that it was a protective aggression. She was annoyed because of the way he fawned over Kagome, and the way he smiled at her with his big oh-too-hopeful eyes.
As they reached the house the girls both let out involuntary sighs of relief. Hojo misread their gesture and beamed, saying he'd gladly hangout with them for a while. But thankfully, just as they began struggling to find an excuse, Kagome's grandfather came out and saved them.
"I need you girls' help in the shrine, you've played all day, now you can help me with some work." He said and turned to Hojo. "I'm sorry but the girls will be occupied the rest of the evening." After making their sorrowful good-byes, the two girls turned to the house giving Grandpa radiant smiles of gratitude. He followed them inside and gave each of them a loving smile as they ran to him and hugged him tight. "Ok, ok, you've thanked me enough and you're both welcome." He was laughing then he turned suddenly serious. "But I really do need some help," He looked pointedly at Kagome before going any further.
"Oh, its okay, she knows about Inuyasha, but not a terrible lot about how I know him." Kagome decided that she'd have to tell Salina everything.
"Well then, I need to find out why the bone eater's well has been pulsing purple light from the bottom since last evening. Its truly strange!" He looked deeply troubled and Kagome had to admit she was terrified to think of why it was happening herself.
Kagome and Salina shared a worried glance and set out to the shrine house for a look. When Grandpa and the girls entered the small room it was glowing purple, but a couple seconds later it dimmed and the room was suddenly normal. Kagome ran to the edge of the well, which all together looked normal, but when Kagome touched the side she could sense something unusual. She waved her down to join her, but as Salina neared, Kagome felt it softly vibrate beneath her hand. She took a sharp breath as she realized that it was calling to her beloved cousin. Salina waited for her permission before touching the well because she was irrationally aware that it was Kagome's gift and her vassal. Kagome nodded sagely and held out her hand as Salina placed her hand gently upon the well's mouth.
In the instant that her fingers brushed the aged wood, Salina cried out. The purple light shot up from the bottom and blanketed her in its soothing warmth. It called to her urgently and begged her to stay, and she allowed a faint moan to escape her lips. Vaguely she was aware of Kagome, if aware is even what you'd call it, pulling her away from the warmth. As the warmth surrounding her died, Salina sobbed aloud as would a child that must say farewell to her mother and knows bitterly that she will never see her again.
Forgotten, Kagome's grandfather stood by the door and watched the scene in awe. 'Now here's an interesting twist in the tale.' He thought carefully. "The well seems to know you Salina. That'd be my best guess anyway. I believe now is the right time to call your mother and tell her you're going to be staying longer than expected." His casual tone of voice was oddly calming and she nodded solemnly as she sniffled.
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That night while they all ate, Kagome remembered Inuyasha's threat to come back for her and she sighed inwardly as the importance of this new issue weighed heavily on the shoulders. How was she going to explain having to stay this time to the handsome hanyou? She giggled as the thought arose in her mind; "Maybe I won't have to explain anything… If the well wants her to come with me, then come with me she will.'
Salina looked questionably at her cousin. What could be so funny? A sly smile was etched deep on Kagome's face as she sat deep in thought. All the while Salina's other little cousin, Souta, chattered endlessly about everything he could learn about her home, Argentina. Salina had a deep feeling that indeed her home was not Argentina, but someplace far far away, and yet extremely close by.
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This is my very first fan fiction, so please be kind. I know its vague now but I'm trying to get the next few chapters typed in fast. I'd be more motivated, I'm sure, if I got a couple reviews.