This is my first story for this website, so I'm happy to have people read my work! If you have any questions (or comments/opinions, I need them ;) ) Send them to: Hayleymdmh.us. Thanks. Well, enjoy!

The Dog Girl

Chapter 1

Sarist walked along a dirt road, her head ducked down under the hood she was wearing and hand protectively gripping the hilt of her sword. The rain was beating down on her, but it didn't matter anymore. There was nothing that was dry on her body.

"Nice day for a walk." She muttered to herself. Thunder sounded in the distance and the rain started to come down harder. Sarist groaned, and quickened her steps. I could've stayed in the last village, but noooo, I had to keep going on to the next village. Damnit, why couldn't I listen to the stupid old man?

She gripped the collar of the haori she was wearing and looked at the gem around her neck. It was glowing dark green; drops of water intensified the glow. Two voices were yelling at each other, calling each other a variety of names that were only causing them to yell even louder and more inappropriate names.

"How about you both just shut up?" She said angrily.

Shut up, you little halfie! One of them yelled back at her, but they stopped yelling. A light caught her eye in the distance, and she looked up. There was a building at a base of a hill. A small river flowed across the road from it and a bridge reached from one bank to another. Joy filled her when she saw the shadow of a hunched over figure pass the window. She started running, but slowly, so no-one would suspect what she was.

She finally reached the house. It was more of an old shack then a house. The wood was old, but surprisingly sturdy in the fierce storm. A gate to a temple was to the right of doorway with stone steps leading to the summit of the hill.

Who ever lives here must be the caretaker of the temple; Possibly a Priest of Priestess. She reached her hand forward and knocked on the doorway to the house. A moment later, an old woman with an eye patch pulled the bamboo on the doorway aside.

"What is it, my child?" the woman asked. Sarist took a breath.

"May I take shelter from the storm here?" Sarist looked at the old woman. She wouldn't be surprised if the woman would be shocked by the young girl standing in the rain, water dripping down her face and nose and completely soaked to the skin. Sarist glanced over the woman and into the house. It was a one roomed shack. It had a platform with several mats and blankets tucked neatly in a corner. A small tabled with bowls and herbs was against the wall under the window, and a small fire with a steaming black pot smelled like stew. Her mouth watered as the scent filled her nose. The old woman glanced at the girl and saw how she looked longingly to the pot and cheery fire.

"Come in out of the rain child." The woman led her inside and started shifting through a small pile of rags on the table. Sarist quickly walked in and knelt next to the fire. She placed her hands near the fire and waited for her numb hands to regain their feeling.

"Here, dry yourself." Sarist looked up and looked at the woman in her one good eye. Her one good eye was dark brown. Her silver hair was tied behind her head and was dressed in full red pants that looked more like a skirt then pants and a large white blouse.

"Thank you." She reached forward and took the rag from the priestess' hand and started wiping her face. The woman sat on the opposite side of the fire and looked at the girl intently. Sarist quickly stopped, very aware of the old woman's inspecting gaze. Sarist lowered the cloth from her face and rested her hands on her lap.

"My name is Kaede. I am the priestess of this small village."

"I'm Sarist." The young girl said as she accepted the small cup of tea and bowl of stew. She took a sip of tea and felt a wave of warmth wash over her and the bitter taste settled in her mouth. It felt good to be sitting in a dry house and drink hot tea and eating stew then running through the storm outside.

"Why are ye traveling through the rain at this hour of night? Most girls of ye age would be sleeping in the homes of ye father." The priestess waited for her answer as Sarist drank more of the bitter tea. Finally Sarist parted the cup from her lips and held in her hands, letting the hot cup warm her hands.

"I have no family." The girl whispered. She gazed at her reflection in the hot liquid, picturing the family that she never known. She struggled to steady her voice and tried to keep her expression calm as she continued.

"When I was young, I was found wandering the woods with a sword, a silver fur, and a string of black beads and a small green gem. I didn't remember anything about my life before. People had been afraid of me because of…" Sarist stopped and bit her lip. "Anyway, I was taken in by a kind family. But 2 years ago the village was attacked and everyone was killed by a woman with red eyes, a fan, and feathers in her hair. She rode a giant feather and attacked everyone from the sky. Finally, I was the only one who was still alive in the village. She raised her fan to kill me, but then lowered her fan with a look of disgust. She flew off in a cloud of dust as I tried to figure out why she stopped. I've been looking for her ever since." Sarist stopped and ate some of her stew which had grown cooler throughout her story. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Kaede spoke again.

"Why don't ye take off ye hood, child? Its soaked and it must be a burden." Sarist was surprised and a little fearful, but she finally peeled the hood from her head. Her long silver hair fell down onto the floor. The ears mounted on top of her head twitched as they lifted off her head. Kaede just looked at her and nodded.

"I thought as much. Ye are a special child, Sarist." Sarist was surprised by the priestess using her name for the first time, but quickly recovered.

"Priestess, I'm going to sleep now. I need to rest from the long journey I've had." Sarist replied calmly. Inside she wanted to ask 'How am I special? I've been cursed with a memory of death and a mystery of my real family!' but she pushed the question to the back of her mind.

I'll worry about that tomorrow. She silently promised herself.

She stood and walked her empty cup and bowl to a tub of water. She rinsed the cup and bowl out and replaced them on a shelf above the tub. When she turned around and saw Kaede had set up two mats on the floor with blankets. Sarist removed the outer clothing, now dry, and placed them in a neat pile by her mat. She also placed the fur that was wrapped around her waist on the pile then finally her sheathed sword. 'Good night, Honored Father.' She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

Sarist jumped down a small cliff and landed softly on the grass next to a small diamond clear pool with a small water fall. She was wearing her dark blue haori with the pants she had worn yesterday. She stood up and gazed up at where the water fell off the cliff and into the pool below. The sun was reflecting off the ripples in the pool, sending silver waves onto the edges of the water.

It's beautiful… I'm glad Kaede told me about this place. She stripped off her clothes so all she had on was a pair of thick white shorts and a sleeveless white shirt made of the same material as the shorts. She left her other clothes on the bank next to the cliff along with her sword and fur that she had brought along for safe keeping. She kept the black beaded necklace with the gem around her neck as she waded into the cold pool. She shivered, and then plunged straight into the water. She was hit with shock of how cold it was. She leaned her head back so that her waist long silver hair was completely soaked. Her ears filled with water and she leaned forward so that the water poured out of her ears.

She swam in the pool for about an hour, enjoying the peace of the forest and the songs of the birds. Finally she climbed out and put her pants and huge shirt back on. She picked up her sword and fur and started walking back towards Kaede's village. Kaede was waiting in the house when she got back. They ate and talked together for a long time, talking about nothing in particular and just enjoying each others company. When Kaede excused her self and left, Sarist walked outside and jumped up onto the gate leading to the temple. She crouched down and watched the young children play with interest. She stayed that way for awhile, silently keeping track of who was winning the game and occasionally arguing with the voices in her head. Then she heard a roar like a cat in the distance and new voices. She looked up and saw a large cream colored cat with large fangs flying on fire come towards the village. Right along side the cat a red dot was bouncing. As they got closer she saw two figures riding on the large cat.

One was a woman in her twenties. She had dark brown hair that was tied loosely behind her head. It streamed behind her in the breeze. She was wearing a multi colored kimono and had a large boomerang strapped to her back. The second was a man with short light black hair. He was wearing black and purple robes and was carrying a staff with a gold oval head with gold rings that jingled as they flew through the air. It was then she noticed the red clad figure.

He had silvery hair and his golden eyes were visible and piercing even at a distance. He was carrying a girl on his back that Sarist hadn't noticed. She had raven black hair and had a white shirt and green cuffs. She had a jade green shirt that was EXTREMELY short. The red figure disappeared behind a house on the outskirts of the village. Sarist's brow furrowed.

What the hell is he doing?

At that exact moment he jumped up in the air was started leaping from roof to roof towards her. She stood up and jumped down from the gate. She heard the children behind her gasp as she landed gently on the ground among them.

Suddenly the boy in red jumped down from the roof and started descending towards her. Her raised his hand and yelled at the top of his lungs "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" His claws glowed with light and left streaks in the air. Sarist's eyes grew in shock and she jumped out of the way before he hit the spot she had been standing. His hand hit the ground the dirt and grass in the spot up rooted and turned into a small crater.

Oh my God! That could've been me! she thought in utter disbelief. She jumped back again as he came towards her. He raised his hand again and tried to bring it down on her. She grabbed his wrists and held them in mid air. The young on lookers were looking at the fight with fright, to scared to move. She glanced at them and gritted her teeth trying to hold the boys entire weight which he was pressing down on her.

"Run!" she yelled at the children. They were surprised at the sudden command, but still they refused to move. "Get out of here!" She screamed. That sent them running.

Good, now that they're gone I can stop holding back. She tightened her grip on his wrist and flipped him to the side. He landed on his back with an "oomf!" He stared at the sky as she walked over to him and looked at his face. What she saw was like looking in a mirror. He looked exactly like her except for the more boyish features he had. But the eyes were the exact same. Then she smelled it. A small cut on the side of his head where he hit a rock was bleeding and smelled on mixed blood, and half of that blood smelled like hers. She stumbled back and sat down. Who was this boy?

Suddenly he jumped to his feet and pulled a sword out of a sheath that was attached to his belt. It transformed as it left the sheath, turning from a rusty dull blade to a magnificent large fang shaped sword that was bigger then he was. He advanced to where she was sitting and pointed the blade at her.

"Going soft on me, Sesshomaru? Well your going to wish you hadn't." Sesshomaru…. Why did that name sound so familiar?

A young boy about the red boy's age was standing in front of her, but his scent was different. His blood wasn't mixed. It was pure demon.

"Father, if your going to go to the woman, leave me the Tetsuiga." He demanded. His voice was calmer then the other boy. Almost emotionless while the other boy was angry and was filled with to much hatred.

"Sesshomaru, you are too impatient. The Tetsuiga will be yours someday." Sarist heard a deep voice say. She couldn't find where the voice was coming from. Wait…did it come from me?

Then she was back on the ground, sword ready to slice her head off, and the same boy kept making snide comments on how pathetic 'Sesshomaru' was for getting caught by his younger half-breed brother. Then she saw the same group she saw earlier start running towards them. The young girl was screaming at the boy to stop. Finally she yelled at the top of her lungs:

"Inuyasha, SIT BOY!" The boy fell forward on his face and lost his grip on his sword, which returned to its old rusty form and hit him with the flat of the blade on his head. He sat back up as the group got to where they were. Sarist sighed with relief as Kaede moved as fast as she could towards her. She came and walked to where Sarist was sitting.

"Would ye be alright child?" She asked. Sarist nodded. She looked to where Inuyasha and the young short skirt girl were arguing intensely.

"I'm alright, but what the hell was that all about!"

Later they were sitting around the fire in Kaede's hut. Inuyasha was lounging around in the corner keeping an eye on Sarist suspiciously, expecting her to draw her sword and start killing everyone.

"My name is Kagome." The young black haired girl was saying. "He's Miroku, that's Sango. You met Inuyasha and the little demons are Kiara and Shippo." Sarist finally noticed that the giant cat had turned into a cute two tailed cat demon and was playing with a little Kitsune. The Kitsune looked up at her and smiled, waving at her from the corner. She turned around from the cute duo and looked back at the group in front of her.

"I'm Sarist. I came here last night so I wouldn't need to sleep in the storm. The last thing I expected was to get attacked while I was relaxing." The last statement she directed to the angry Half-demon behind her.

"Quit whining! You're not dead, are you?" Sarist took the sheath off her belt and hit Inuyasha on the top of his head, hard.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT!"

Sarist turned back and to the fire and said calmly, "You deserved it. You should be more polite around a lady. Besides, you're a man; so suck it up." She retorted. Inuyasha glared at her and removed his hand off the hilt of his sword that he was about to draw. He returned to where he was laying down and started rubbing the lump growing on his head.

"So…You're a demon?" Sarist shook her head, causing her hair to sweep the ground.

"Half-demon, actually. More specifically a dog demon." Inuyasha stopped rubbing his head and looked at Sarist.

She's a dog Hanyou…? I thought I was the only one!

"Who was your father?" Sango asked, speaking for the first time. Sarist looked into the fire, trying to ignore the prodding gaze of everyone in the room.

"I don't know…" she whispered sadly. Inuyasha's ears twitched and he smelled salty tears starting to form, but she fought them back. She told the same story that she had told Kaede the day before. Everyone listened intently, particularly Inuyasha. Even Kiara and Shippo stopped playing to listen. They came and sat beside her eyes wide and silent. While she was telling the story she felt something poke her above her elbow, but she ignored it and continued talking. When she was done, everyone was silently looking at her.

"Well, I guess we should head to our house for the night." Miroku said as he stood up. Sango quickly followed suit and walked towards her. She picked up Kiara and followed Miroku out the door. Sarist looked at Kagome and Kaede.

"They're married." She explained. "They have a house not far from here." Sarist nodded. She stood up and walked out the door and crossed the bridge and disappeared into the forest.

Inuyasha sat up and watched as Sarist walked out of the house and run into the forest. He looked at Kagome who was starting to unroll mats for sleep.

"What's her problem?" he asked. Kagome continued to unroll mats.

"Inuyasha… Did you sense that powerful aura coming from her?" Inuyasha stopped. Now that she mentioned it, he did notice a power about her. Something poked him in the neck and he instinctively slapped the spot and examined his hand.

"Myoga! What are you doing here?" Sarist must not be dangerous, otherwise Myoga wouldn't be here.

"Lord Inuyasha! It is good to see you again." The old flea was saying. "I see you have met young Sarist. Interesting person, don't you think? And her blood tastes good to…" Inuyasha started getting irritated.

"Cut the crap, Myoga. What do you want?" Kagome was now next to Inuyasha, looking at the little flea on his hand.

"Aw, yes… I have been following her for the last couple of days and I have found some interesting things. Not only does she look like Lord Inuyasha and Lord Sesshomaru, half of her blood also is in yours and Sesshomaru veins!" Inuyasha just looked at Myoga.

"Are you saying that she might be related to Inuyasha and Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked. Myoga nodded.

"Yes, through their father. I believe that she may be your sister." Inuyasha was silent. I have a sister…? Inuyasha dropped Myoga and walked to the door way. He pulled the bamboo away from the door and looked at Kagome over his shoulder.

"I'm going to see if she's ok. I'll be back soon." With that he walked out and let the bamboo swing back into place.

Sarist ran deeper into the forest, trying to run from haunting visions of people and thing she didn't remember. With every new person she saw or name she heard a vision seemed to be linked.

You should follow your own advice and suck it up, halfie. She clenched her fists together and gritted her teeth.

It's not like you do anything to help me! All you do is yell at me and treat me like a piece of crap. If you want, I can destroy us right now and you couldn't stop me. So shut up and stay out of my head! The voice growled angrily, but stopped talking. She slowed down and eventually stopped. She was in front of a large tree; the tallest she had ever seen. Vines wrapped themselves around the base of the tree. She looked up at it in awe. Somehow, she felt safe in the shadow of it.

"It's called the God Tree." A voice said behind her. She turned and saw Inuyasha staring up into the leaves. "It makes you feel safe, like nothing can hurt you. But I was once bound to it for fifty years." He came and stood beside her.

"There's something I need to tell you." He said. He sat down on one of the vines. Sarist went and sat next to him.

"There was a flea demon in the room with us, when you were telling the story," Sarist remembered the poke she had felt. "He told me that half of your blood is in me and my brother. We suspect that we might be…well…"

"Brother and sister?" She finished. Her heart was racing.

Have I found my family? Is he really my brother?

"Yeah…" Inuyasha said. He stared at the stars that were starting to come out. He smelled tears and he turned to the small girl beside him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She was biting her lip trying to make the rivers stop, but she couldn't. A brother! She wasn't alone in the world after all!

"Inuyasha!" She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his haori. He was shocked. What should he do? Push her off? Tell her to stop crying? He settled on wrapping his arms protectively around her.

"I'll be her for you, Sarist. Always." He whispered. Meanwhile, Kagome was hiding behind a tree, watching the emotional reunion. Inuyasha seems protective of her. I guess I'm going to have to give him pointers on how to be a good older brother.

She turned and started walking away, deciding to let them have some privacy. She looked up through the leaves at the stars, letting her mind wander. But one thought came to mind. What's going to happen now?

Yay! Chapter 1 is done! Now I can get working on 2. If you think that all mysteries are done, you better expect yourself to be wrong. Since when is there not trouble with the Inuyasha crew?