Someday

Chapter Seven

A/N: HEEELLLLOOOOO!!!!!!!!! At this point, I HAVE NINETY-NINE reviews... Let's make it a hundred shall we!! Neways, for the holidays I'm making this an extra long chapter... or at least I'll TRY..... Neways, on with da fic!

Disclaimer: ::wiping off a mace:: I'm ever the closer..... But alas I still do not own Inuyasha....

Ai looked at the address once more, just to make sure she got it right. She didn't want to knock on some random person's door and be humiliated again... Though that old couple had been very delighted for the company.

She gasped in a huge breathe of spring air, and jutted her chin out. This was most definitely his house, it looked like the picture held in her sweaty palm. It was regular size, and made out of brick with blue shutters. The house only seemed to have one floor, but it was spread out. The windows were open to let in the early spring air. There were rose bushes in front, along with other assortments of flowers. Ai walked down the concrete walkway to the front door. Steeling herself, she knocked.

A few minutes later, a girl that looked about the age of thirteen answered the door. She had shiny black hair, and slightly luminescent brown eyes. She was wearing a red tank top and blue jeans; perfect for the weather. The girl's hair was in buns, and light seemed to bounce off of her barrettes. She looked expectantly at Ai.

"Yes?" She asked flatly.

"Oh, I'm here to see a mister Shishou Higutai." Ai said pleasantly. The girl made a face.

"Are you another critic coming here to make fun of father's book?" The girl asked seriously. "If you are, go away!" She shouted and closed the door in her face. Ai pounded on it with her hands.

"No please! I'm not here to make fun of it, some of the stories hit close to home! I know they aren't just myths! Please let me speak to your father!" Ai called frantically. Nobody answered. She sunk to the ground, pleading to the girl.

"Please.... something has happened to one of my children. It says that he's working on another book about people in the history of this one." She began to weep. "Please... my son has gone missing, and I know where the bone eaters well is.. It's on my property! I know about Inuyasha, and Kagome... I know that Kagome was fighting Naraku, I know! Please, I beg of you, let me speak to your father!" She screamed, exasperated. Nobody answered still, and Ai hung her head. She was making a fool of herself. She should just go home...

The door creaked open, and the girl's head popped out. She looked at Ai in shock. She kneeled next to her.

"You know of the Bone Eaters well? You believe in father's stories? Really?" She stared at Ai with hardness.

"Yes. I believe it fully, and I would really like to see his research." She said softly. The girl's eyes softened.

"Well then that makes you the first. I'm sorry, but father isn't here right now." Seeing the severe disappoint on the older woman's face she added, "But you can talk to mother. She knows almost everything that he does." Ai smiled.

"Domo." The girl grabbed her hand and smiled back. "My name in Aaya. What's yours?"

"Ai." The girl nodded, and brought her inside. They walked down a long hallway, to a dimly lit room. The girl showed Ai inside. A woman sat in a high-backed red velvet chair, gazing intensely at a book. She had long and silky chestnut colored hair that reached the chair's cushion from her slouching position. She had slightly pale skin, and pinkish red lips. She wore a traditional checkered kimono, and she wasn't wearing shoes. She was certainly a beauty.

Much like the woman, the room was quite pretty also. It had dark red carpeting to match the chair. There was a long cherry-wood table to the left of the woman, and all the many bookshelves matched the wood. There was a medium-sized stone fireplace on the wall, which was painted dark grey. Little knickknacks adorned small shelves on the walls. There were a few regular chairs around the table, and there was a vase of roses on top. It looked like a den.

Aaya walked into the room and tapped the woman shoulders. She looked up, and Ai was shocked. The woman looked no older than someone in their mid twenties. There was no way she could be the mother of a girl that looked thirteen! She gaped, and the woman only smiled.

"Let me guess, shocked by my appearance?"

Souta sighed. He was bored, very bored. Traveling with the lord of the Western lands shouldn't be tedious, with a chatty Rin, an annoying Jaken, and a demon who could turn into a huge dog, but it seemed boredom still managed to find a way to make Souta wish there were something more to do then to wait at a tree. Really he wanted to sleep, but Sesshomaru had said he had to wait until Rin got back from her bath so he could inform them on where they were headed to. Every time he dozed, Jaken came over and smacked him over the head with his staff. Thus fore, he wished Rin would hurry up and get clean.

Just as he was dozing again, he heard a crack from above him and his head jerked up in time just to see someone's feet. Seconds later, there was a pile of two people sprawled under the tree. One was giggling happily, and the other was groaning in pain.

"You shouldn't have looked up Souta Kun!" Rin chirped from her position on top of Souta. He moaned a reply.

"I heard you shuffling, of course I'd look up." Rin burst out in even more laughter, and rolled off of Souta.

"Well, at least you hear well!" The girl burst into another fit of giggles, and Souta rubbed his head. That had kinda hurt....

Sesshomaru cleared his throat, and Rin stopped mid giggle. Souta just then realized how much Rin was enamored of him. A swift pang of jealousy coursed through his body, and he brushed it off. It was silly anyway.

"We must make a plan of action. We are traveling to Higurashi Village, to see the priestess who resides there-"

"Kagome San!" Sesshomaru cleared his throat again, and Rin looked away sheepishly.

"As I was saying, We are going to see the priestess to give her the Shikon no Tama. It is not far from here, three days walk at most." Souta couldn't help but think that those three days walk were going to be without rest, judging from the last couple of days walking. He grimaced. "- And we'll cross the river tomorrow at the Akebi Village. From there it's as simple as following a path. Understood?" Souta nodded, despite the fact he had been barely listening. He didn't want to get on the demons bad side. Sesshomaru dismissed them, and Souta happily leaned against the tree, intent on sleep. Rin, on the other hand, had other plans.

"Hey Souta? Isn't Kagome your sister?" Souta's eye's opened, and he realized, I'm gonna see Kagome! He sat up, startling Rin. "I am.... I'm going to see Kagome!" He smiled. "I haven't seen her in years, I guess I was too tired to realize it!" Rin smiled and nodded at him.

"I thought that was the case. Neways, go to sleep. And thanks again for carrying me!" Souta watched as she skipped off. Thoughts of Kagome and home drifted through his head. Slowly, very slowly, he fell asleep.

Many hours later, sunlight peaked over the horizon. It aimed straight for Souta's sleeping eyes, causing them to open lazily. He blinked, looking around the clearing. Rin was shuffling around the fire, but other then that, there were no other beings in the clearing. He sat up, stretching. Rin looked around and waved.

"Come and eat, Sesshomaru Sama went out looking for his own food. He doesn't really like human food." She shrugged. "Though Jaken likes it fine, and I sure do. Neways, eat boy!"

Souta stood and walked over to the dying flames of the fire. Sitting in front of it, he took the rice and salmon pieces Rin passed him, and began to eat. They sat in silence for awhile, enjoying each other's company. Rin glanced over at him, noticing that he had rice on his nose. She reached over and flicked it off.

"Thanks." Souta stated and Rin smiled.

"Did you know that you're the first human I've actually talked to in months? I'm always either at the house with Kagura and Kanna, or I'm traveling with Sesshomaru. The last human I talked to was.....Kohaku. He came to visit me two months ago. He's really nice, I think you'd like him." She stated. She smiled, and Souta noticed that she smiled a lot.

"Hey Rin, before Kagome came to live here, she told me that Sesshomaru hated humans. How did you come to know him?" Rin blinked.

"Oh, when I was about eight or nine, I found him wounded near my village. Back then, I had been a mute because I had seen my family murdered by bandits. I decided to help him as much as I could by giving him water and trying to give him food, but he said back then he didn't like it. After awhile of trying to help, wolves attacked my village. I tried to get away, and got pretty far.... But the wolves caught me... and.. killed me. I'm not sure how he managed to find me, or why he came, but he did. He brought me back to life with his sword he got from his dad. Don't ask me how, but he did."

Souta took it all in. Her real family had been destroyed, and she was brought up in a demons care? She was so sweet, despite her past. A wave of respect splashed over him. He was about to say something when he heard a crack. He looked behind his shoulder and saw a demon behind the trees of the clearing. It was huge, and stood on four legs. It seemed to be made of blood and rust colored worms, and had things like black spikes sticking out on various parts of it's body. It smelled disgusting, like death. It's eyes were like flaming red pits of hell. The thing let out a feral shriek and charged at them. Souta shot up and grabbed a frozen Rin's wrist. He ran as fast as his track trained legs would allow him too. He and Rin crashed through trees and underbrush, dodging things that would hinder them. The beast charged after them, letting another blood curdling shriek every once and a while.

Souta was breathing heavily, and he knew Rin was too. They couldn't run forever...

The last thought was magnified, as they reached a cliff overlooking a deep and wide river. Once again, Souta cursed lady luck. The thing stood in front of them, smiling.... somehow. Souta glanced over the edge. It was their only chance. He pulled Rin close.

"Rin," He whispered, voice urgent, "we're going to have to jump into the river." Rin shook her head.

"I don't know how to swim!" Souta glanced over again. They were going to die if they stayed here. "Rin, just hold on to me, I'll get you across the river.. I promise." Rin looked over the edge warily, and then to the slowly advancing beast.

"O-okay...." She grabbed his arm, and Souta hugged/grabbed her. "One the count of three...."

"One." Rin gulped.

"Two." She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched Souta's arm even harder.

"Three." They leaped off of the cliff edge, and plummeted to the river below.....

A/N: Hope you like the cliffy! This is the year end chapter, Hope you like!!!

Love Okami no Hanyou