"Kagome, thanks for your offer but I just don't think I can go with you." I said. "After what had just happened I'm sure this won't work."
"Are you saying this is MY fault?" InuYasha yelled at me.
"No, it is my fault." I said sounding a lot more serious than I normally do. "If I hadn't said that to InuYasha everything would be okay. But I made the mistake of letting it slip. I made a mistake and I have to deal with it. I hope I see you later." I said walking off into the forest. Okay, I was really limping but it didn't really matter at the moment. After about an hour I'd probably go back onto the road again. I could sit at a tree, or I could walk.
Well, if I sit down for a while I could probably go faster. But if I keep going I could get to a village. I guess, I was tired already and I didn't exactly LIKE sleeping in the woods; that I'd keep going.
Well after about 2 hours of walking and I found a village. That I was grateful very for. Being a Demon Slayer who was seriously wounded helped me find a house. It was a young woman, with her husband and 2 year old daughter. They let me stay for free in exchange for a story or 2.
It turned out that Hashi (the young woman) had originally been from the village I was born in.
Nearly the week I was born the village had been raided and set on fire. I couldn't stand in Smoke or dust clouds long since I couldn't breathe if I was and every doctor I had seen said it was because of the smoke I had inhaled when I was a baby. My Brother took me to my Grandmother's 2 villages over and we were raised there. Since she lived alone, when she went to kill a demon, which had decreased as she aged, we were left alone. My brother at the time was only 4 years old when my mother died. My father had gone off to get revenge for her and never came back. We never heard about him until I was 4. we were told that he had become the leader of a band of murderous beasts. We were told that we were never going to see him again since he had been beheaded at a castle along with his comrades. (sounds familiar, No?)
Their daughter seemed to cling to me like a leech. I nearly never got a moment alone. I wasn't complain, I was just telling it like it is. I had always wanted a younger brother or sister though I could never have one. Sometimes, I wish I could have switch with Shin for just one day. We had never known that I had cousins so I was counted as the baby of the family. Grandmother never told me anything about my uncle. Only that he looked EXACTLY our Grandfather who she had hated with all her heart. I don't know what happened that made my grandmother hate my grandfather so much but it definitely pissed her off. Enough to the point where she ran away from him.
Hashi was a wonderful cook. I couldn't cook a single thing. When I had tried to learn to cook, I nearly burned the whole hut down. I knew I was FAR from what an ideal woman was and I was proud of it. I at least had wonderful manners, or what everyone said when we came to eat at their home. It wasn't very often but we had been invited every once in a while. Hashi and her husband, Hisoka treated me as if I were a daughter who they hadn't seen in 5 years. Even Sachi treated me like family. It was times like this that I wished that my mother and father were still around. So that I could have dinner with them, so I could tell them how much I loved them. And so they could tell me how proud of me they were when I had slain a demon all by myself. So that they could brag about me to their friends. I started to feel tears gently sting my eyes.
"May I be excused for a moment?" I asked. It was right in the middle of dinner which was probably the rudest thing I had done since I had come.
"Of course, but may I ask, what is wrong?" Hashi asked. She was just like what a woman should be like. Unlike me. I let on a female appearance, well, other than the spear on my back, though I was far from really acting like a woman.
"I hope you don't find me rude, but I really need to just think for a moment." I said.
"I understand." Hashi said slightly bowing her head. She understood. I had told her all about my life. She was only about 4 years older than me. I had told her my first memories, learning about how we were to be raised by our grandmother because our parents were dead. About why boys would always tease me for never playing with girls. Everything.
I walked to me and Sachi's room. They didn't have a guest room or anything like that so I was to sleep with Sachi. I had been here near 3 weeks. I was fully healed. There was no need for me to stay here. I gently packed everything I had away in my scarf when Sachi walked in.
"Where are you going Ari?" She asked. She sounded so cute, not being able to fully pronounce some syllables.
"Where are you going? When are you coming home?" She asked sounding very worried.
"I'm going to find a big demon! I don't know how long I'm going to be gone, but when the demon is gone, I'll come back and tell you the Whole story, Okay?" I said. I promised. I would come back, I would tell them about my story. My even more importantly, I would come back having taken revenge for my family.
"Don't leave Big Sister!" Sachi said as she cried into my chest. I gently smoothed her hair. I had my wish come true. Over the month of staying here Sachi had thought of me as a sister. I had always wanted a little sister. And Sachi was the perfect one. I don't think I'll ever forget this moment. The moment I had been called a big sister; even though I wasn't.
Hashi came to see why her daughter was crying like that.
"I'm going to leave. I am fully healed and I have regained my strength. There is no use for me to be here anymore." I said. Gently lifting Sachi from my chest. I could tell how shocked Hashi was from my sudden decision to leave. She looked at Sachi for a moment before looking back at me. She mouthed the words, 'Stay for tonight. For Sachi.' I gently nodded.
"Sachi, do you want me to tuck you into bed tonight?" I asked smiling at Hashi.
"Yea!" She said jumping up a little.
"Let's get ready then." I said smiling.
"Ari. Tell me a story, please?" Sachi asked, staring at me with her big blue eyes.
I sighed, "Which one?" I had told her at least a dozen stories.
"A new one!" I asked. I had actually run out of stories. I sat for a while. Thinking. I didn't exactly want to tell her this one since it was the same one I remembered my brother telling me when I was little. And he said he had learned it from our mother.
"Okay then. I'll tell you my Favorite story from when I was very little. Its about a princess."
"Oh! I love princesses!" She squealed.
I wasn't even half way into the story when by the time she had fallen asleep. I looked at her. We might not be genetic sisters, but we were sisters at heart.
"Why are you leaving so suddenly?" Hashi's voice came from the doorway. I stood up and waked out so I wouldn't wake Sachi.
"I realized at dinner how much I need to defeat this Naraku." I said.
"Will you at least try to be careful?" She asked. God, she really did act like a mother. Something I never really had.
"I'll be sure to." I smiled.
"You should get some sleep, you never know how far you'll travel. Hashi smiled.
I nodded, "Goodnight." I went to Sachi's room and sat next to her. I REALLY didn't want to leave, though I knew I would never be able to move on in life if I couldn't defeat Naraku. I don't know when but I must have fallen asleep sometime soon. I woke up just as the sun was rising. I grabbed my brush from my scarf and quickly ran it though my hair before I put it away and tied my scarf around my neck. I walked into the main room and looked at Hashi and Hisoka.
"We at least hope you have a safe journey and that you'll never forget us. You'll always be in our prayers." Hashi said as she hugged me.
"I won't ever forget you. In this 1 month, you've more of a mother than anyone has ever been to me." I said. Hisoka came and hugged me next. I hadn't interacted too much with him but he was very nice and was pretty at listening.
"Ari! Why do you have to go?" Sachi asked. I picked her up and hugged her.
"I told you last night, I'm going to go get rid of a big bad demon!" I said in a light voice to keep me from laughing.
"I'll never forget you big sister!" She said starting to cry. After about 5 minutes she stopped crying.
"I'll never forget you either. My little sister." I looked at everyone again. A bowed a little bit before I got to the door. Sachi began to cry again. I gently hugged her once more before I smiled at Hisoka and Hashi. I walked out the door and waved once the house was tiny in the distance.