Once again, nothing new to report.
Sarist's eyes fluttered open, but she couldn't see a thing through the dark veil that was wrapped around the bed she was laying on. The room reeked of the woman and a few others; the entire scent of everything made her nose wrinkle in distaste. Sarist sat up and pulled the veil aside and looked around the room she was in.
A large vanity and mirror was set against the wall opposite of the bed. A large chest that was elaborately decorated was against the other wall and the bed itself was set in a horizontal position in a corner that faced the door. Sarist slid off of the bed and walked over to the door, her bare feet pattered as she took each step. She reached for the handle and tried to pull the door open but it wouldn't budge.
"Damnit!" She said aloud as she pulled harder and harder until she just finally gave up. She walked back over to the bed and sat on the red, silky covers. She fell back and her hair fanned out behind her, some of it landing in her face. She sighed and blew it out of her face.
"Hey Yasu, did you see how we got here?" Sarist asked. She was answered with silence. "Yasu, an answer would be nice! I would expect this much from Yori, but not from you."
Once again silence met her ears and mind. She sat up and realized she was missing something. Her hand flew to her neck and she tried to find the familiar little marble, but she couldn't find it. Fear gripped her as she jumped off the bed and ran to the vanity mirror and looked at her reflection.
Her amber eyes looked wild in the mirror and her long hair hung tangled over her shoulders. He clawed hands were gripping her neck. It was then that she noticed the collar. It was a gold ring that was about and inch high and a millimeter thick so that it was light that the wearer could barely feel around their neck. Symbols danced themselves across the length of the collar, most of them meaning 'dark energy' and 'evil restraint' along with a lot of other like it.
She scowled when she remembered the horrible pulsing pain that had pulsed through her body. That was why it had felt so menacing. Suddenly the door opened and the red-eyed woman walked into the room. Sarist straightened up and flexed her claws.
"What the hell do you want!" Sarist asked in a cold voice. The woman just scowled and dropped a pile of silks on the floor and put on a superior look.
"Naraku want to see you. He also wants you to wear those," she said, waving her hand at the pile. Sarist just snorted.
"And if I refuse?" The woman put on an evil smile.
"Then miasma and evil energies will start coursing themselves through your tiny body until you do as you're told. I'll be standing outside when you're ready." With that she left the room with a mocking grace that made Sarist's blood boil. Sarist walked over to the pile of silk and picked it up with disgust. The thing reeked of Naraku and the woman, and Sarist resisted the urge to just tear it to pieces. Of course, that meant being hit with a lot of pain; and she needed to keep up her strength up so she could get the hell out of here when her brothers got here.
She sighed, and touched the place where the gem would usually be around her neck. For once in her life, she felt completely and utterly alone.
Inuyasha was running along side Sesshomaru with Kagome on his back, desperately trying to follow the fading scent. Kiara ran behind them with Sango, Miroku, and Shippo while Rin and Jaken flew along on Ah-Un. The wind was blowing slightly, making the scent even fainter and what was left was probably leading off in some other direction.
"Damnit! We'll never find her at this rate!" Inuyasha complained angrily. He slowed a bit and tried to regain his little sister's trail. Sesshomaru scowled.
"The girl's scent is gone. There's no longer any use in searching for it, Half-breed." Sesshomaru said in his usual cool manner. Inuyasha turned and glared at Sesshomaru.
"Does that mean that the great Lord of the West gives up?" Kagome asked in mock surprise. She covered her mouth as if to stifle a gasp. Sesshomaru looked at her in disgust and put his nose in the air.
"The Lord of the West does not give up! He merely means that we must find another way to find the girl." He said flatly.
"Ok, for the record, it's Sarist. Not 'the girl,' Sarist. You of all people should know that since she's your sister." Sango said with annoyance. She readjusted her Hiraikotsu on her back as she slipped off of Kiara with Shippo on her shoulder. Sesshomaru directed his glare to her.
"I will call her what I want to, wench." Sango rolled her eyes and turned to Kagome.
"Can you sense any shards nearby? Maybe we can track them through the shards." Sango suggested, but Kagome shook her head.
"I can't sense anything around here. I think we hit a dead-end." Inuyasha looked at her over his shoulder.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Oops, sorry Inuyasha. It means that we can't find anything that can help us find her." Kagome explained.
"On the contrary," Yasu piped up from the gem that was now attacked to Inuyasha's subjugation beads. "Me and Yori have a bond with Sarist, so we can know where she is. The only problem is, we kinda can't tell through the gem."
"What does that mean?" Kagome asked as she slipped off of Inuyasha's back.
"What she means," Yori started explaining. "Is that this gem is meant as a prison for me. I can't use any powers outside of the gem, and that goes for Yasu too. We need real eyes to see the bond that connects the three of us."
Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Sesshomaru sighed.
"The half-breed and miko do not understand," he said in a way that almost made it sound like he was complaining. Inuyasha scowled and flexed his claws angrily.
"Inuyasha, stop it!" Kagome said as she eyed his hands. She knew what he was planning. "Fighting isn't going to help Sar any way, shape, or form."
"We just need to take over two bodies for a little while," Yasu said quickly. She sounded a bit nervous at the sound that there might be a fight. "It won't be permanent. It'll just be until we find Sarist."
The group looked around at each other, with the exception of Sesshomaru, who was just leaning against tree with amusement twinkling in his eyes.
"Yasu can take over my body," Kagome volunteered. Inuyasha glared at Kagome, but nodded.
"I'll let Yori take mine." He said. He wouldn't show it, but Inuyasha was nervous. What if they refused to return their bodies when they found Sarist? What if something happened to Kagome while they the two other souls were in their bodies and he couldn't help her?
"Alright, get ready. Don't be surprised if you fell like your falling. Don't fight it, just stand still." Yasu warned. There was silence as Kagome and Inuyasha stood side-by-side and waited for what ever was going to happen next. Two lights shot out of the gem around Inuyasha's neck and floated around lazily. One of the lights was pure white that shimmered gracefully around in front of Kagome while the other was crimson red and moved around with jerky movements in front of Inuyasha's nose. Inuyasha watched as the red light shot into his chest.
The ground seemed to slip out from underneath him. He wanted to reach out and grab something for support, but he heeded Yasu's warning and stayed still. Slowly he felt all feeling in his body start to go numb and eventually he couldn't feel anything at all. He could still see out of his eyes, but he couldn't control where his eyes looked or where or how his body moved. His eyes moved and looked down at his hands and at the rest of his body. Suddenly his face turned and looked at Kagome, who was blushing and pulling down her skirt as much as she could without making it fall completely.
"Why do you have to wear such short skirts Kagome?" Kagome's mouth moved, but Yasu's voice was the one speaking. She tugged a little more at the skirt, but then stopped and looked at him.
"Get in there alright, Yori?" Yasu questioned. His head nodded as he took a step forward.
"Yeah, I'm here. Inuyasha's alright too," He added.
"Um… Do you guys see the 'bond'?" Sango asked. Inuyasha's eyes turned away from Kagome/Yasu and looked in front of him. A faint gold line was attached to his chest and ran into the trees a few feet away. Another gold thread was attached to Kagome's body and attached to the same string as the one attached to Inuyasha.
"Yes, we see it." Yori answered. He knelt down and hunched over and Kagome/Yasu walked over and climbed on. They stood up and took off, following the gold thread through the trees.
Please be safe, Sarist… Inuyasha silently prayed as trees zoomed by in a blur.
Don't worry, Inuyasha. Sarist is strong. That's one of the many reasons I love her.
Sarist walked through the long corridors of Naraku's castle as she followed the woman she hated with every fiber of her body. Sarist was now wearing a pair of pure white hakamas and a silver qipao that had a lavender trim around the neck and the cuffs of the sleeves. A variety of small flower designs was embroidered all over it and looked beautiful set against Sarist's long, white/silver hair.
Sarist cursed it all under her breath and started making plans on how to cook Naraku's flesh when she killed him herself.
The woman that was leading her through the halls cast occasional glances over her shoulder at Sarist's face that clearly showed that if you got in her way she'd kill you on the spot and consider it later. The girl's aura clearly showed that she was agitated and not to mention the fact that she was resisting every urge to run right then and there.
"You might as well know that you can't leave the castle without Naraku knowing it." She explained to the fuming girl. The girl's head jerked up and her amber eyes flashed to a deep crimson, then back to their usual golden orbs.
"Don't you think I already know that?" She snapped angrily. Kami, her brothers had better hurry. The woman only snorted.
"Then do you know that it was Naraku that ordered the village destroyed? I was just the one forced to fulfill his wishes." The Inu-girl looked at the woman in surprise. The woman snorted again.
"Don't think you're the only one that wants out. I've been waiting to get out for years now, but I'm still waiting." Sarist looked into the woman's eyes and saw the years of silent pain she had been put through and knew that she was telling the truth.
"My name is Sarist," Sarist said quietly. The woman stopped for a moment and smiled at the girl behind her.
"My name is Kagura." Kagura turned her gaze back to the corridor and started walking again at a faster pace. "We need to hurry. Naraku isn't patient." Sarist started jogging after her and soon the reached a set of double doors. Kagura pulled one of them open and motioned for the younger girl to enter. Sarist glanced at her and did a quick bow before she walked into the room, head held high.
She saw Naraku sitting in one of the corners of the fairly large room. A large covered window faced the door that Sarist had just entered and a young void demon that appeared to be a girl about Rin's age was kneeling in front of Naraku, holding a small mirror that flashed images of red, white, and other colored forms. Sarist couldn't help but cover her nose with her hand when she was hit full force with a strong stench that burned her sensitive nose.
"Come and sit beside me, Sarist." Naraku ordered. His eyes never left the small mirror that the void demon was holding. Sarist just crossed her arms and leaned against the door which had closed moments earlier. She had put a royal aura about her and had a defiant look in her eyes.
"I don't think so. I'm perfectly fine right here." Sarist said, anger and annoyance taking free reign with her voice. Naraku looked up and shot daggers with his eyes at the Inu-hanyou.
"You will do as your told, hanyou." His voice was icy and sent chills down her spine, but she hid it with her defiant looks.
"I wouldn't be talking if I were you, Hanyou. Your scent reeks and makes this Sarist want to throw up." She knew that was something Sesshomaru would say even though she barely knew him, but she decided to use her brother's extremely different personalities to make her own fun with the dark lord of bad hygiene. This was going to be fun. She did a loud 'feh' like she had heard Inuyasha do a lot around the others.
"In fact, I doubt that you even know what the meaning of a bath is. You might as well be named the lord of the stench because of your horrible—," A wave of dark energy that was so intense that she almost fell to her knees, but she forced herself to stay on her feet. She had been weak so many times before, but now she was going to be strong. She forced a wicked grin onto her face as she forced the pain to the back of her mind.
"If you think that you're going to make me listen to you, then you better increase the power of this damn piece of crap because I'm not going to bow or kneel to your worthless ass face until hell ices over." Sarist could see the irritation growing on Naraku's face as a stronger flow of pain washed over her multiple times, each growing stronger with each blast.
Sarist stayed on her feet for each wave of pain and kept her royal look about her as she kept a straight face as best as she could. Naraku stood up and walked over to the girl and stuck his nose in her face.
"Like all dogs, I can train you to be obedient; even if your part of a royal bloodline." Sarist's eyes narrowed and she put her nose less then half an inch away so now she could feel his hot and foulbreath on her face. She smiled an evil smile that she saw him shudder slightly.
"Maybe so, but I sure as hell can be a royal pain in the ass the entire way."
Inuyasha watched as Yori ran through the forest with his body. The golden thread that connected the two other souls to Sarist seemed to go on and on… At this point if Inuyasha could control his body he would be pulling his hair out in frustration.
Damn, does that stupid strand ever get smaller! Inuyasha felt Yori jump a bit. Apparently he had forgotten that Inuyasha was there.
It's supposed to, but at this point I can't even tell if were within a 100 mile radius. It's like she's being protected by —
BARRIER! Inuyasha screamed. Yori couldn't help but flinch when Inuyasha 'shouted'.
Damnit, warn me next time! Now, what's this about a barrier? Inuyasha quickly explained about Naraku's barriers and how it concealed his scent and any other's within the barrier. Frankly, Yori didn't have a clue about what Inuyasha had said, but he did get that Inuyasha needed control of the body so that they could find Sarist. They switched places and Inuyasha abruptly stopped. Kiara almost ran into Inuyasha/Yori and Kagome/Yasu, but they managed to stop before they ran into each other. Sesshomaru and his dragon (which had Rin and Jaken riding along on its back) ran right past them all together. In less then 5 seconds Sesshomaru was back with them and was fairly close to killing something.
"What is the meaning of this?" Sesshomaru demanded. His emotionless mask was cracked slightly and irritation was barely showing but that didn't change that fact that he was. Inuyasha glared at Sesshomaru.
"Shut up, Fluffy! I'm trying to see if there's a barrier that is keeping us from finding our sister, so either shut up or go away!" Inuyasha looked around him, ignoring the death glares being sent by his older brother. Rin and Jaken came out of the woods with their dragon and watched him with interest as he looked around. Suddenly Inuyasha stiffened.
"Inuyasha…?" Yasu asked nervously. She held on tighter as Inuyasha took to the trees and jumped from tree to tree. "What's wrong? Where are we going?"
Inuyasha never took his eyes off of the trees in front of him.
"It's Sarist! I got a whiff of her scent! Which way is the bond going now?" Yasu pointed a little to Inuyasha's right and they took off in that direction. Sesshomaru jumped up out of the trees inches to their left and started racing beside Inuyasha while the others came out a little farther back.
"Half-breed! This Sesshomaru demands to know why you suddenly stop then start again!" the demon just received a cold glare as an answer.
"Sarist…Scent… Nearby…NOW!" Inuyasha shouted back. He turned his attention back to what was happening in front of him. Sarist's scent grew stronger and was starting to mix with the scents of humans. Screams of fright were coming from nearby and Sarist's scent was mixed with blood.
No… Inuyasha landed in a clearing and ran a bit before he emerged from the woods. An over powering scent of blood and burning bodies mixed with fear over powered him and he stepped back a little, but then he instantly forgot the stench when his eyes caught sight of the farming fields. He let go of Yasu she slid to the ground and landed on her back with a hollow thud.
"OW! What was that for!" She sat up and brushed her back to get the dirt and grass off, but her eyes went wide when she noticed what Inuyasha was starring at. "Oh my God…"
The others arrived at that moment and just starred wide eyed and shocked. Rin cowered when she saw it and tried to hide behind Jaken but the sight was clearly burned into her vision. Even Sesshomaru was taken aback.
Sarist hovered above a small lake of blood in the remains of a village's field and corpses of the farm workers floated around in the blood. She was wearing slightly a slightly torn qipao and white hakamas with small patches of blood splattered in various places. Her hair was stained a faint red where the blood had hit her hair and her head was bowed so they couldn't see her face. Both of her hands were drenched with blood and they hung limply at her sides.
"Sarist, how could you do it again!" Inuyasha screamed at her as he rushed to the side of the pool of blood. Yasu was right behind him and fell to her knees right behind him.
"Sarist, why…?" She whispered. Two tears slid down her cheeks and started making a wet trail. Sarist looked up at them, but her face was emotionless. Not like when her face was when she had been over powered by her demon side. Her eyes were glassy and dark. They didn't have the cheerful sheen they used to when she played with Shippo or the sorrow when she found out she had killed the villagers in the other village. They didn't hold the understanding when Inuyasha had told her his life story, the pure joy at finding her brother, or when she had a fire in her eyes was determined or angry. They didn't have anything. They were just sightless orbs that didn't show any of her moods which always seemed to show even when she tried to fight them.
"Inuyasha…" Inuyasha heard her barely audible call. "Help me…"
Sarist floated in a black void, the darkness seemed to close in and suffocate her. Many youkai chased her as she tried to move and get away from them but her legs wouldn't move. Nothing would move. She just floated there, a scratch post for them demons.
"Inuyasha! Please help me!" She screamed to the darkness, but she knew no one would hear her pleas. She was able to bring her legs up so she hugged them to her chest to wait for her inevitable death. Two hot tears slid down her cheeks and she rested her forehead against her knees. "Inuyasha… Please help me…"
Everyone watched in shock as two tears, one from each eye, slid down Sarist cheeks.
"Inuyasha…Please help me…" She said louder. Inuyasha took a step forward and his foot disappeared into the blood.
"Sarist, what's happening to you?" He asked as he looked up at her. She seemed to be looking at him but her eyes didn't see him. "What did he do to you?"
Sarist heard Inuyasha's voice in the distance and she looked up. A faint light was in the distance and Sarist heard her brother's reply come from the light. He asked her what had happened to her.
"He's forcing me to do his work. He's making me obedient and I feel the darkness seeping into my soul. There's no light except the faint one in the distance. I can't survive in the dark here and I can't find you!" She cried. More tears ran down her cheeks as she reached for the light in the distance.
"They can't help you." Sarist turned her head and saw Naraku standing there. Terror gripped her as she tried to move, but she was anchored to the spot. "Darkness is consuming you and soon you'll be my servant forever! Now, kill them! Kill them all!"
Inuyasha watched as Sarist just hovered there above him and listened to her reply. Inuyasha's blood boiled and he flexed his claws. Naraku would pay for what he was doing. Sarist's face suddenly turned to one of complete horror and her eyes returned to normal for a moment but then she went back to her stoic expression and dropped down in front of Inuyasha. She did a hard kick in his stomach and he was sent flying back. She then took off and raised her claws and tried to bring them down on Sesshomaru.
He grabbed her wrists and held her back but she jumped and brought up her knee so it made contact with his chin. Sarist managed to break his grip and turned to Yasu and Kagome. They managed to get up on their feet and run for the woods but were cut off by Sarist. Yasu backed up, trying to put distance between them.
"Sarist, stop! It's me, Yasu! Kagome's here to!" Yasu cried desperately. She turned to run but her hair was caught by Sarist as she turned. Miroku threw some sutras at Sarist but she easily dodged them with Kagome/Yasu in tow. Sarist was still stoic as she blocked Sango's attack that she had attempted. She evaded more sutras and was able to knock Sango and Miroku out cold. Her attention was turned back to the terrified girl whose hair she had tangled in her fist.
Sarist finally managed to get on her feet and move a bit. She started moving as fast as see could towards the light in the distance but it only seemed to grow smaller as she got closer to it.
"Inuyasha! Kagome! Everyone! Don't leave me here!" Sarist cried in a panic. She felt like she was fighting a current as she got closer to the light but by this time the light was just a dot in the distance. "INUYASHA!"
The light disappeared altogether and Sarist couldn't help but fall on her knees and break out into tears. She cradled herself as she rocked back and forth.
"Inuyasha… Do you remember the day we found each other?" Sarist whispered to the dark as her tears fell and stained her hakamas. "Do you remember when we sat under the god tree? You made a promise to be here with me always. Remember? You promised me….You promised!"
Sarist felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up and screamed. Naraku was standing right behind her and had a firm grip on her.
"Let go of me! I will NOT be your servant!" She struggled against his grip. He just laughed evilly and pulled her to her feet.
"Your brothers abandoned you and are never going to look for you! They don't even care about you!" Sarist struggled harder and slapped him.
"My brothers would never leave me!" She screamed in fury. She freed her grip and ran a short distance before she turned and faced him.
"My brothers will never leave me. I know that they are sometimes arrogant and self-centered, but they have caring hearts that I know would never leave me to be consumed by this darkness. Inuyasha made a promise to me and I know that he would never break his promise to me. We've been through a lot even though we've only know each other for a few days, but I know that he's stronger then me and you. Sesshomaru is kind hearted even though he tries to keep a cold front. He was kind enough to bring a girl back to life to give her a second chance at life and he took in a hurt human girl. Me and my brothers are connected weather you like it or not and we'll kill you no matter what it takes!"
A light shot out from behind her and she was knocked forward by a strong burst of pure energy. In his surprise Naraku was thrown a good distance away and didn't get back up though he wasn't dead. Sarist struggled to stay where she was as the blast weakened and eventually became just a small breeze. Sarist felt strong arms wrap around her waist as she was pulled up into a warm embrace. Her eyes went wide and she tried to struggle out of the strangers embrace but he moved her away so that she could see his face.
He looked almost exactly like Sesshomaru except that he didn't have the crescent moon on his forehead. His golden eyes were the same as hers, Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru and he had a warm smile which he shone on Sarist.
"O-Otou-sama!" (AN: Japanese for Father.) Sarist asked in disbelief. He nodded happily.
"Yes, daughter, I'm your father." Sarist's tears of terror and sadness turned into tears of joy as she fell forward on him and embraced him. She buried her face into his haori and let his scent fill her nose. His scent helped calm her down a bit as he embraced her again. When they pulled apart Sarist stared up into his eyes.
"Father, there's so much I want to know about our family! About what happened to us, and why I was found wandering alone," Sarist said, breathless. She had a death grip on his sleeves and never wanted to let go. Inutaisho just smiled sadly as he gazed down at his youngest child and wiped the tears from her face.
"I know you want to know everything, but I can only give you a small vision that says all of the major things." He delicately touched her forehead with his index and middle finger and a bright gold light devoured them. Sarist's eyes went wide and she shivered a bit, but she stayed where she was.
After a minute Inutaisho removed his fingers from Sarist and looked down at her.
"Now you must go back. While we've been here Naraku's been controlling your body and making it attack your friends. You must go back into the light and stop yourself before you do something you'll regret." Sarist nodded meekly and stood. She turned to go but a hand grabbed her wrist.
"You're not leaving!" Sarist turned and saw Naraku there, his eyes blazed with anger. She gasped and brought her foot and made contact with his face.
"Otou-sama!" she screamed. Naraku suddenly lost his grip and was pulled away from her. Inutaisho stepped in front of her and blocked Naraku's path.
"Go!" He said to her over his shoulder as he drew his sword. Sarist turned to run but stopped and turned back to her father.
"Father, there was one thing you never told me with all of those visions that I want to know. What's my real name?" He never turned as he went into a defensive position.
"Tsukiko…" Sarist smiled weakly.
"Thank you, Father…" She whispered as she turned to leave. "I pray that we'll all be united again someday; Inuyasha, Sesshomaru… All of us together."
With that she turned and ran into the light. She felt her body become lighter and her vision started to come back as she lifted off the ground and started flying up…
Inuyasha jumped up and looked as his little sister raised her claws to bring down on Kagome.
"No! Don't do it Sarist!" He yelled as he ran towards her. But before he could reach her, the blood covered claws started their descent. But they stopped midway and Kagome's hair slid from her grasp. She fell on her knees and curled into a ball. Inuyasha looked in shock as she rocked back and forth gently. He took a couple of hesitant steps towards his sister as Yasu/Kagome got to there feet and got a few feet away.
"Sarist…?" She slowly sat up with tears in her eyes and smiled at her brother.
"Otou-sama helped me. He saved me." She said happily with her weak voice. She suddenly fell over but before she hit the ground he was in Inuyasha's arms. Her breathing became slow and steady as she slept peacefully. Inuyasha couldn't help but smile as she buried her face in his sleeve.
"Otou…" She whispered. Inuyasha removed Sarist's gem from his beads and pinned it onto the collar of the qipao she was currently wearing.
"Yasu, Yori, I think you should return to Sarist so you can help her." He saw Yasu nod and closed Kagome's eyes and soon a white light shot out of Kagome's chest and back into the gem. Yori was a little more trouble.
Please, can I just hold her for a minute? I've been with her for Kami knows how long and never once been able to hold her! He begged. Inuyasha scowled a bit as he moved a strand of her hair off her face.
No! Some other day! Now return to her! Who knows what happened to her while she was in that trance? Apparently Yori took his point and soon a red light left Inuyasha and had a little more difficulty to the gem, but he eventually made it. Kagome (who had control of her body again) walked over to Sarist and knelt next to the brother and sister. She narrowed her eyes and inspected Sarist closely before she turned to Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha, there's a jewel shard in the back of her neck that's tainted. It must be what Naraku used to control her." She pulled Sarist's hair away from her neck and stopped. "Oh my God… Guys, there's a collar on her!"
Inuyasha's blood boiled and also made him shiver as he shifted her so he could get a good look at her neck. Sure enough, there was a small gold ring with symbols along the length. He growled as he thought of Naraku touching his sister.
Naraku, you'll pay for what you've done to her and to the rest of us! He silently vowed as he ran his finger down the side of her cheek. He reached for the collar to take it off but a large wave of pain shot through him and Sarist's eyes flew open as she gasped in pain and surprise.
"Damnit Inuyasha, leave the fucking thing alone! Kami, you're such a moron sometimes!" Sarist said as she curled up again. She closed her eyes and took in deep breaths. Inuyasha could see the amusement in Sesshomaru's eyes as he watched her reaction. Inuyasha growled angrily at his brother but turned back to the little white and red figure curled up in front of him. She was shivering uncontrollably and buried her face in her knees. His heart was torn as she took in a sharp breath.
"Sarist, what's wrong with you?" He asked as he brought her up to his chest. She was still shivering as she rubbed her head against his chest.
"It's the collar! It feeds dark energy into my body and it hurts worst then hell! Do something and get this piece of shit off of me!" She tried to keep her voice under control, but she ended by screaming. Inuyasha's ears twitched as he glanced at Kagome questioningly. She just merely looked back at him and shook her head.
"I don't know what we would do. I can't touch it otherwise it'll just shock me and put her in more pain." Sarist managed to pry her face from her knees and looked up at the two in front of her.
"Purify an arrow and smash it into the collar before I die from the pain! It's getting stronger every minute you sit there and look. Though it doesn't look like it, I'm about to go to the next world and see Otou-san without you if you don't hurry up please!" Sesshomaru felt Tenseiga pulse at his side as the girls head fell and her eyes squeezed shut. He looked down at it in surprise though his face stayed deprived of emotion.
You wish to help her, Tenseiga? The sword pulsed again as if you give its response. He turned his attention back to the girl and saw a third figure kneeling next to her. It was a man with long silver hair that was tied in a high ponytail and revealed pointed ears. His eyes were golden and two magenta stripes graced each cheek and his golden eyes looked down at the small girl with concern. He was clad in a white silk haori and white hakamas and black boots. A long sword was strapped to his back and a blue light covered his body. Sesshomaru instantly knew who it was.
Father… Tenseiga flew out of his belt and over to the girl and rested against her shoulder as she leaned against Inuyasha's chest. It pulsed three times and then the collar broke off and fell to the ground harmlessly. Sesshomaru's father smiled and took off his white haori and placed it on Sarist and gently nuzzled her hair and kissed her forehead gently. He also removed his sword and placed it beside her before turned and started walking away.
Sarist felt the collar fall off and she quietly sighed in relief. She felt something cover her body and someone delicately kiss he forehead. She turned her face so she could see her father kneeling beside her. She smiled weakly and reached her hand out to hold his hand.
'Otou-sama, I knew you would be here for me…' She whispered weakly in the Inu language. He smiled at her and removed his sword from his back and placed it beside her gently.
'Tsukiko, take care of the Kachi blade for me. It's yours until we meet in the next world.' With that he stood and walked away and disappeared in the wind. She sighed and reached out to grab the long sword that was lying next to her and fingered the hard cloth sheath and sighed. She pulled it up to her chest and held it there as she fell into a dreamless sleep.
Sarist shifted uncomfortably and sat up. The sun had set and Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango sat around a fire and watched some sparks fly off into the sky. Shippo and Rin huddled together against the dragon's side and Kiara slept on the dragons back. Sesshomaru was sitting at the edge of the clearing they were at and the little imp/ toad thingy demon watched with disapproving eyes at the children who were sleeping soundly. Apparently they had left the blood bathed fields and were far enough away that they couldn't smell the blood lake.
Sarist was wearing her father's haori that he had left her and she had a tight grip on the sword that he had left her. She slowly let her numb fingers uncoil themselves off of the sheath and they protested as a sharp pain hit each finger as the blood rushed into them. She held the sword in one hand and shook her unused hand to help the blood flow, then switched the sword to the other hand and shook the now free hand. She stood up and stretched her stiff legs and walked away from the group before they noticed that she was awake.
She walked into the woods a short distance and came to a small stream where Sarist plunged her hands into the cold water and splashed it on her face to wash away the blood, dirt, and tear stains that were still on her face. She then proceeded to scrub her hands in a futile attempt to get the blood scent off of them.
"Why did you leave?" Sarist jumped and turned around while grabbing her sword and going into a fighting stance. She sighed in relief when she saw Sesshomaru standing there and straightened up and relaxed her grip on the hilt of her sword.
"I was getting cleaned up. I haven't been gone for more then a few minutes." Sarist turned back to the water and knelt down, resting her sword on the grass beside her returned to scrubbing her hands till they turned red and the scent dulled a bit. To her surprise, Sesshomaru came and sat beside her as she rubbed her hands together viciously.
"Father came to see you when you were…In pain earlier." He said. He was clearly uncomfortable and watched the water ripple in the bright moonlight. Sarist gave him an odd look.
Is he actually trying to start a conversation with me?
"Yes, I know." Sarist stated as she diverted her attention back to the water. "He left me the Kachi blade and his haori." She started fingering the material of the haori nervously as she looked up at the almost full moon that hung above them. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sarist looked at her elder brother.
"What was Otou like?" She asked suddenly. Sesshomaru was caught off guard as he looked at her.
"Otou…" Sesshomaru started but he stopped. He never really thought about his father at all. "This Sesshomaru never really had a relationship with out Father except to learn how to fight and to rule a land. Other then that, this Sesshomaru never really talked with our Otou. I distanced myself from him when my mother died and he mated with a human and had the baka Inuyasha." Sesshomaru said Inuyasha's name like it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Sarist frowned and changed her position so she was hugging her knees.
"Sesshomaru, just out of curiosity, why do you have a tail?" She laughed as he almost fell on his side with her question. Apparently that had been unexpected. He recovered quickly and glared at Sarist.
"Why would you ask that question to this Sesshomaru?" He demanded. Sarist grinned and moved her arms back behind her so she could lean back.
"Because your tail is so cute! It kinda seems like we all have something cute to go with us in our family. Me and Inuyasha have cute little Inu ears while you have a cute fluffy tail." Sesshomaru grimaced.
"Don't refer to this Sesshomaru and that baka in the same sentence." He said with distaste. "And my tail isn't 'cute.'" Sarist rolled her eyes playfully.
"Your say. I still think it's cute." She felt something hit her squarely between the shoulders and fell face forward into the water. She quickly resurfaced and looked to see Sesshomaru's tail return to its spot behind him. Sarist looked wide eyed as her ears twitched and sent little drops of water everywhere. Her mouth was open slightly and she saw a spark of amusement in his eyes.
He pushed me into the water!
"Why you…" She started as she stood in the water, dripping wet. She brought back her foot and kicked some water towards him. He dodged it but he failed to see Sarist get behind him and he didn't realize she was there before she pushed him into the water. He made a loud satisfying splash as he fell into the water with all of his clothes, armor, and swords. Sarist laughed as she was showered with the water from his splash and he came up with a mouth full of water which he immediately spit out. Sarist ended up laughing so hard that she fell backwards onto the wet grass clutching her side that felt like it was splitting. What was most amazing was he actually started laughing! The silent killer, 200 year winner of no emotions, the Ice Prince himself, laughed with his little sister as he sat there in the water.
Sarist wiped away her tears and help pulled him out of the water. As soon as he was out of the water she looked up at him and looked him in the eye.
She smiled up at him and let go of his hand. She went behind him and looked at the moon's reflection in the water. She clasped her hands together behind her as she turned and looked at him; her hair shimmered in the moon light with the water and the water made small waves behind her and the willows across the water swayed delicately in the night breeze and her hair moved in waves with the breeze so she looked like a tennyo standing there before him.
"My name is Tsukiko, daughter of Inutaisho and sister to you and Inuyasha."
It took me longer to get this done, but I wanted to make it long and good. My other chapters are usually only 4 of 5 pages long, but currently this chapter is nine pages o.0
Anyway, I don't know when I'll get the next chapter out. My mom's cousins or aunt and her brother… Someone that's related to my mom who makes them related to me is coming to my house for a week in five days and once again, my room is being used and I have to sleep in my parents room while the woman sleeps in my room and her brother sleeps in my older brothers room. I don't envy him. 2 hamsters and a carpet that needs to be steamed cleaned which is always covered with hamster droppings and dirty laundry is not a good thing for people that have a nose that can smell things. My brother worked up immunity to bad smells or something because he can't smell it or himself when he wears the same shirt for a week straight. I can even smell it from my room which is on the other side of the hose and my doors shut and I've had my window open all day long.
Either way, I don't know if I can get the chapter out before they get here and then a week after they leave I leave for Greatland Christian Camp (A.K.A camp Challenge. It really does say that. It says it on the sign on the side of the restrooms.) Remember when I said I came close to killing myself because I was trapped with my family at Birch Lake like two chapters ago? Picture that, except for a week with people that I never seen before, sharing a cabin with a bunch of girls who probably don't know the meaning of silence, and a rule that says no electronics are aloud and you can only get 1 candy bar a day from the candy shack if you actually have the money.
Basically, I'm dead.
Translations! Tsukiko: Moon Child / Kachi: Victory (crappy name, but I'm tired and it was the only thing I could find that sounded close to be sword name.) If I left any translations out that arn't already translated in the story send me a email and I'll make sure I correct my error.
With that all said and done, I can finally go and pass out on my nice bed before my mom finds out that I'm still awake and kills me. Or worst, take my computer away. Eep! Bye guys!