1Searching For Her Past

READ AND REVIEW OR DIE!

Disclaimer/Author's Note:

EvilBitch: No, I do not own the characters of InuYasha—

SexySesshieSama: —not even Sesshomaru—

EvilBitch: —nor do I own the show itself—

SexySesshieSama: —no matter how much I may want to.

EvilBitch: I do, however, own (as of now) the characters Iris Jean—

SexySesshieSama: Moi.

EvilBitch: —Hikaru Maila Bara—

Hikaru: Me.

EvilBitch: —Sapphire Blue Blaze—

Sapphire: Mreow.

EvilBitch: —and many more to come. If they were born from my mind as Athena was born from Zeus, then they belong to me. If not, they don't. (This is not always a good thing…)

FluffySesshySama: As I would know.

SexySesshieSama: One last thing! We'd like to apologize for the length of the chapters. IJ was not as good a writer when these chapters were first written, and as a result they are a bit long, no matter what she does; if fact, they grow longer for she has better techniques and more to say. After the third chapter it shouldn't be so bad. If you have read this—and then that—far, we love you, and you shall be blessed. (Actually, the third chapter may not be that bad either. This is what happens when you neglect to work on stories except after much time has passed! Writing changes! Ugh.)

EvilBitch: Meaning that only the one to be mention next shall be loved and blessed.

ANSWERING REVIEWS:

kuramagirl44 Yes, aw—me and Sesshomaru! laughs I'm glad you like it so far. You are of course in this one, and you are of course Hikaru. (Yay! You finally grew a brain—sorta. You're pretty sure? (I have no idea of any of what I was saying...)). Idiot…I love ya, gurl! You rock my socks! You are my number one fan, and this whole story is dedicated to you. Hehe, please enjoy my only loyal reader. This return to these stories is all for you, love.

Chapter Two: The World's Largest Idiot

Hikaru Maila Bara, daughter of Fuumi Mila Bara and Shinichi Haruyuki, has many great and admirable qualities. She is loyal, and strong; wise, and understanding; she can take pain and discomfort without complaint; when she loves someone nothing else could be stronger. One of these abundant number of qualitites would be her intelligence—yes, yes, I know it's hard to believe, but that's the truth: Hikaru is very, very intelligent, smart, whatever you would like to call it. Clever. Wise. However, as has been made evident by most recent past events, this intelligence—while it includes wisdom—does not come with common sense, which she most obviously lacks. I used to believe that Kami-sama awarded every living creature with at least some of this stuff—hell, I used to think everyone got at least a little more than a little—but apparently I was wrong on all accounts. Kami-sama just skipped over Hikaru, denying her that most helpful luxury.

She is a very smart girl—potentially genius like Iri, had she been born in the modern world—but she can also be very slow and stupid, as if mentally retarded and defective; and this always pops up at the very worst of times, as dictated by Murphy's Law. It's her sense of pride, mostly, fed by her habit of speaking her mind...yikes; not always such a good thing! She is fully aware of Sesshomaru's wrath—strong, terrible and abundant—she has seen it firsthand almost kill her. It's all great and terrible and worse and just downright bad. He has a short temper ONLY WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE HE LOVES, and so she pushes his buttons by insulting Iri for a second time, RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. She made her position worse by combining all of these things that are already against her; way to go, uber-retard!

His tolerance of insulting idiots such as her was waning very quickly, his anger increasing quite rapidly, and so she goes on ahead and causes him to snap, allows him to let it all out by insulting Iri to her face with him standing nearby to see it all very clearly. Whatever thoughts were running through her head at the moment that she did such a boneheaded thing would more than warrant a slap. In other words: she is the dumbest smart person EVER!

Seriously now! Had it not been for the beautiful, self-sacrificing, caring, all-powerful, extremely present Lady Iri, Hikaru the Village Imbecile would have been dead right there and then; if that had been the case, then she would not have been worth mentioning, an idiot who got what she deserved. But, the truth is that she was mentioned, and she will play a huge role in the story to come. (EvilBitch: As was said in the summary. SexySesshieSama: So it was...) Lord Sesshomaru did not kill her, and she is not dead...yet.

The only reason that Hikaru even survived is because Iri acted quickly, moving before her mind that completely thought her actions through, before she could finish weighing the pros and cons of each situation; if she hadn't, Sesshomaru's Tokijin would have sliced her in two. As it were, she swung his Tokijin, creating a large arc that seemed to take an eternity to complete it's path, aiming right for Hikaru; it would cut her in half. But, Iri acted with speed unheard of in a human, rather irrationally, throwing herself before Hikaru, pushing her back, trying to get both of them out of the way. If she had moved a moment sooner everything would have turned out perfectly; a slight miscalculation made all the difference. The very tip of razor-sharp Tokijin connected with her stomach, slicing open skin and fat and muscle, but on Iri, not Hikaru—the jaguar was unharmed.

Everything happened so quickly that Hikaru never processed it fully, not even after the fact; she never saw it coming—she didn't have the time. It didn't even make sense. If things had gone "as planned" she would have been dead before even fully realizing that she was about to be murdered. That's why Iri is far more powerful. She saw what was happening, knew what her lord was like, predicted what would happen, saw it coming; more than that, she knew how long it would take for the decision to click, how long the sword would take to move and swing and cut, how far away Hikaru was, how much force was needed...everything. She acted faster accordingly. Everything was perfect.

Hikaru didn't see until Iri fell backwards onto her, limp, spraying blood onto Sesshomaru, onto the hanyou, knocking her back down to the ground; her natural reaction was to grab the goddess and try to hold her up, although she still fell back, shocked by what had just happened and surprised at the newly added extra weight, cushioning her fall and preventing further injuries.

Hikaru was shocked. No, shocked doesn't even begin to describe how she reacted to everything that had just happened. Horrified. Traumatized. Stunned. Those words describe it better. Her coal black eyes widened to an impossible size as Iri fell down on top of her, causing the both of them to fall over and hit the ground with a single, gargantuan thud. Everything seemed to be moving at a slower space, as if a higher being was doing this on purpose; Sesshomaru grew slightly wide-eyed as Iri's stomach spewed blood in all directions, soaking Hikaru's white shirt, his hair, his face, his armor, his sword.

The red liquid splashed all over Jaken and Sapphire as well; they had arrived mere moments before, Sapphire being the first to come, sensing danger for her person, with Jaken following. Rin was hidden behind Sapphire's full grown form so that she did not see the blood, the carnage, the horror. She was too young to see such things, especially when they happen to those she loves. All present were too shocked for words; too shocked for breath, even. Rin was too stunned to be shocked, frozen solid, uncomprehending. Ah-Un was the least startled of all; even Jaken was more so than the beast-of-burden—and he hates Iri!

"...Iri!" gasped Sesshomaru, Rin and Hikaru simultaneously, as if three bodies to one mind. Iri's blood continued to flow at a quick and heavy pace from her abdomen, dark blood gurgling out of her mouth in delicate trickles down the sides. Her eyes were growing cloudy and distant, her breath gasping and uneven; she was going into shock, which was the worst thing that could happen at the moment. (Remember what I said about blood and going into shock for ones such as Iri? Yeah—not good.) Her arm was no longer bleeding, all blood exiting her body out of the gaping red hole just above her bellybutton. The flow may not have been all over the place any longer, but it seemed to get worse, gushing out thicker and darker this way. Torn bits of cloth flew off in every direction, ruining her garment all the more even as it was completely drenched in blood. Her undergarments were now all red, her entire body slick with her lifeblood; such expensive red dye...

Iri looked like a mess, a corpse that hadn't died yet, veins still pumping blood out where it did less good for her and more good for the trees, who were loving all of the nutrients and strength being awarded them. Her stomach became a waterfall, her cloak a small vest over her shoulders, lingerie red and plastered against her ivory skin losing it's luster, hair sprawled about her head like an angel; a fallen, dying angel ready to return to Heaven...

Sesshomaru threw down his Tokijin as major league baseball players do as they beginning running towards first base, allowing it to go in whatever direction it so pleased for whatever distance at whatever force for whatever time, forgotten and no longer cared for. The loyal lover threw himself down calmly beside his love with no regards for his own, completely white clothing; they would be permanently stained if she never rose again, but he would care about nothing should that come to pass, so it matters not. Hikaru quickly scrambled out from beneath the fallen angel so that Sesshomaru could cradle her head without her body's interference, still beyond shocked, unable to see, to perceive, to comprehend; everything was a blur, nothing made sense; she just doesn't know any more!

Hikaru was incapable of believing and understanding that Iri had saved her life—the life of a complete stranger—without any inhibitions or regards for her own existence; and now look what has become of her kind and giving heart. The ultimate sacrifice. It's all my fault... She couldn't tear her gaze away from the body of her savior and possible martyr; she values all life, and Iri just spent hers to save Hikaru's...the ultimate gift.

The large gash that Tokijin had opened across Iri's abdomen had missed all vital organs, but several arteries had been hit, the cut going deep but "lucky"; it won't stop bleeding. And even worse than that, Iri had gone into shock; her body was just that of a human now, unable to make more blood fast enough to last an eternity. It was bleeding so very heavily that no one knew how she could possibly survive; how can humans overcome such wounds? They can't. Not in this time period; not in her time period without massive care quickly administered. She will bleed out if action is not taken immediately; her shock will turn into a coma, and then she will be lost, all blood soon to be gone. Her vision was blurred, her hearing shot; her mind intact. She heard one thing before she died; only one thing reached her loud and clear before all went black, unconsciousness taking over, everything then to be decided by the fates, her decisions having already come and gone...

She couldn't tell who was speaking, or how many said these words, but she heard them all the same. "Oh God, what have I done?"

Sesshomaru was frantic without being frantic, as only he can accomplish. He didn't know what he could do about her wound—he isn't a doctor, and humans are still vast mysteries to him, for he didn't care before semi-recently. All he knew was that if she didn't get help soon, she would lose all of her blood and die; as simple as that. And it's not like he would be able to bring her back using his Tenseiga; although she has been reduced to a human now, her body chemistry is closer to that of a goddess, and since goddesses are not collected by those mere imps (or whatever the hell they were), but by the Goddess of Death Shinigami herself, he could do nothing about her passing if it came to that. The last time any of this mattered to him he had been given a reprieve; a dose of sympathy, a hint of luck, a body not yet transformed...but such a miracle would not happen a second time.

If only Iri was conscious, not in shock! Even if she couldn't heal herself, she could at least continue producing blood, so that if they forced the wound back together everything should be fine, at least buying them much needed time. But she's unconscious by now, losing color and warmth fast, out stone-cold—they are on their own.

Rin had collapsed out of shock and repulsion, short legs no longer strong enough to keep her standing. She has seem far too much for a girl her age, and as a result of that she knows perfectly well what death looks like; there's a certain feel in the air, a presence of something gray and heavy and sad; you don't even need to see to know that death is nearby or approaching. Still, she never thought that she would see her lady fall, a victim to this great sort of tragedy. She buried her face into Sapphire's fur and sobbed silently, her little body shaking slightly. Sapphire wanted to go to Iri's side, but Rin needs her more right now; there is nothing she can do for her main mistress, only her little one. All she could do was hope and help those who need comfort.

Jaken was buzzing around, extremely high-strung and excited, frightened for Sesshomaru's wrath, which may come because of this event, lashing out at any and all who are near enough to feel it. Truthfully, he hates Iri and wants her to die, but he does his best to never show that—it would cost him his life, betrayal on that level. He was fluttering around comically, spouting useless bits of information that were impossible to understand and not at all useful. Worst of all, the little toad wouldn't shut the hell up!

Sesshomaru wanted—no, needed—peace and quiet with which to think and determine what he should do next. In order to get the troublesome pest to stop speaking, the dog demon lashed out, punching him perfectly in the center of his face, knocking him out with a blood-stained fist. He hadn't even seen the perfectly timed and placed strike coming. Only after silence fell over them all did Sesshomaru realize that he needed Jaken's assistance to try—and hopefully succeed—and save Iri's life. He swore under his breath. Stupid!

Hikaru finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was actually only a minute or two, got over her initial shock and proceeded to wordlessly help Sesshomaru in his futile attempt to halt the flow of blood. She was wearing a pair of flaring black pants, a white shirt and a sleeveless red vest; she shed the vest, laying it out of reach of the blood, ready for later use. By the way it coated their hands and squished through their fingers, it was even easier to tell that only the most advanced and strongest magic or medical treatment would serve to save this young woman's life. Jaken lay several feet away, his face punched in and turning purple, knocked out and rendered completely and utterly useless.

Even as they fruitlessly tried to save her, Sapphire and Ah-Un were leading Rin away; she shouldn't be seeing this, two sweaty demons trying desperately to keep an unconscious woman from crossing over into death. Rin was sheepish in her movements, her hysterical reaction prevented only by her shock; her physical illness never hit because of her violent reaction, for she was numbed from the start. Lucky girl.

"Damn it all," Sesshomaru levelly cursed under his breath, a bit sour, rubbing his forehead with his hand, somehow not smearing his love's blood all over his perfectly pale skin.

"What did you say?" Hikaru demanded, her tone no longer cold or rude, just exhausted and far from in the mood; she was not happy, mentally spent. Still things refused to make sense, swirling around in her brain, desperately trying to fit into the square way of the world, like edged puzzle pieces trying to shove themselves into something oval. She was helping Iri, the woman she was moments before insulting and hating, hoping for her survival and well-being, staying when she could be escaping and saving herself from the demonic anger that would come her way sooner or later.

Is she, the human-hater and demon-despiser, Hikaru, making an exception in her bias against humans just for Iri? The same one she had just called a whore—and who was hurt because of it? How ironic; she is the one doing the defending, and yet she is also the one to feel the pain that was supposed to be inflicted upon her offender. One thing and one thing only is for sure—she isn't making an exception for Sesshomaru.

"I said 'damn it all'," Sesshomaru told her, failing to process that as a demand, and a curt one at that, coming from the one being on this planet he hated the most right at that moment.

"What for?" she inquired, asking another question, which he still failed to process; just answered blindly, praying as is so unlike him, but seems fitting for the situation.

"I need Jaken for me—for Iri—but now he is knocked out so he cannot do what I need him to do," Sesshomaru explained softly, failing to actively point out that he was the one who knocked him out so foolishly, hurting his own chances of saving the one he loves. Besides, they all know the truth; why reinforce his mistake?

There was no active embarrassment in his voice, but there was something similar to it; it was so subtle, so faint, that it took Hikaru a few moments to realize that it was there. And as soon as she did, she proceeded to make hacking, choking noises. They were soon discovered to be laughter, and not only was Sesshomaru not amused, but he was pissed; anger from before, added to by her open mockery of him and the very real possibility that his love would die ("because" of her), accumulated and formed wrath most unlike any we have before "seen" tonight. A deadly sin, that is.

Her barking, hack-like hysterical laughter rose in volume as it continued to burst forth from her rose petal pink lips, echoing against the trees, the sound growing as it bounced back and forth off of the tall, magnificent members of the forest that seemed to be Iri's final resting place. It left Hikaru nearly rolling around in her glee, despite Sesshomaru's anger, Iri's condition and the pools of blood at her feet. This laughter was born, not so much out of amusement, but more out of being overwhelmed with emotion and despair. It wasn't the nicest of laughs; painful for the one who had it as well as those who hear it. The blood had halted its flow, so it didn't matter that Hikaru—and then Sesshomaru—removed their hands from her bleeding stomach.

Quite absent-mindedly, Hikaru tried to redeem herself and silence her own laughter—and while this was pointless, the damage already done, it was also stupid, because her hands were covered in blood. And so she smeared hot, metallic blood all over her face, some of it getting into her nose and mouth—it tasted warm and sickening; staining her lips red as if with badly administered lip paint. This only seemed to make Sesshomaru angrier, although by this point he was so displeased that it didn't much matter any more.

"Is something funny?" Sesshomaru demanded, his tone humorless, soft yet heard loud and clear, sending unpleasant, freezing shivers up the hanyou's spine. He stood up, fists loosely clenched, glaring down at Hikaru with dulled yellow eyes. For some odd, crack-headed reason, the fuming, towering figure of the pissed-off demon only served to amuse Hikaru further, sending her horrible laughter into overdrive, grating on the ears of all who could hear it. It was as if she would choke on her laughter before the demon lord could kill her.

His dangerous glare, golden pools darkening to amber, irises now trimmed with red, which was enough to make the bravest men and demons tremble somehow served to amuse Hikaru. Apparently, Iri's "death" had pushed an already unstable "woman" over the proverbial "edge". It's always the good ones that fall first...She was unable to suck in air to breath she was laughing so hard. Lack of oxygen resulted in some violent coughing that sound as if it threatened to dislocate her lungs. Now it appears as if she is choking...(EvilBitch: Oh my god, Hikaru is crazy, messed up in the head and completely and utterly insane. SexySesshieSama: This is true in this story as well as in the real world, you know. EvilBitch: Yes, I do.)

"You are such a stupid dog!" she was finally able to exclaim through all her coughing and her laughter; Sesshomaru flared. "And now your woman will die for it." Her voice grew calm and serious as she said that last part, accusing; her words struck him hard. She paused and silence fell, allowing for that truth to sink in and have its full affect on the poor dog. Her stomach began shaking violently, in reaction to her earlier coughing, and thus developed another nasty, lung-expelling cough.

Sesshomaru does not take insults—or fools—lightly; especially at times such as these when he is so close to the edge of losing his humanity, falling off of which would result in many bad things occurring. Right at this moment many things are pushing on him, to the point where he is ready to let loose, and here comes this ignorant hanyou, insulting him as if he wouldn't kill her. Well, Iri is unconscious, potentially dead, and nothing is for sure any more. Not to mention that he was already feeling pretty sore towards her because it is, in essence, her fault that Iri lays there dying. Add the fact that she is a cat and a human combined—his two greatest dislikes—does not make things seem so happy for Hikaru in the near future. She is the biggest idiot in all of the world, and soon to be the deadest as well.

"Stupid cat," he rumbled, finally losing what control he had retained up to this point. He had know Hikaru only for a little while, but already she was in the running for the hanyou he hates most—only a few steps behind Inuyasha; can you believe that? (And considering that Inuyasha is the one who cut off his arm and has done all sorts of other things, that is really saying something!) This time Hikaru is "smart" enough to shut up, but it's a bit late for that. Sesshomaru's wrath is back once again, and it will not again dissipate until the one he despises is smote down and destroyed!

Now Hikaru is officially frightened. (Retard took long enough!)

He bent down and grabbed Hikaru by her collar, which was spottedly stained with Iri's blood, and lifted her up in one fluid motion. His grip is much stronger than Iri's, and he is really intent on killing her with no hope of mercy or compassion, so unless he lets her go, Iri miraculously hops back to life, or Hikaru slips out of her shirt (which wouldn't save her for long—plus, she would rather DIE!), she ain't going nowhere.

He lifts her up high, an arm's length above his head. Looking up, his eyes were blood-red and murderous; he would enjoy killing her. Hikaru felt a tear stream down her cheek; she was scared. If she survived, those eyes and his words would haunt her forever... "No Iri here to save you now..." His voice was deep, scratchy, husky and inhuman...Oh Kami-sama...

The same exact thought had occured to Hikaru as well, moments before he reinforced it. Her eyes were opened wide, full of fear, moist with tears that refused to fall. Sesshomaru held back one clawed hand, ready to come forth, positioned to—with one quick forward swipe—cut open the hanyou's exposed throat and kill her once and for all. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, biting her bottom lip until it bled, pouring sweat; her mind raced, trying to think of a way out, trying to think of a way to save her sorry, stupid hide—but all her mind did was draw blanks.

This looks like the end...

Secondary Author's Note (Disclaimer Above):

EvilBitch: As it very well may be—permanently. You understand, the only reason I did this update in the first place was because I was bored. Trust me, I won't be so nice a second time. Unless I get some more reviews I refuse to update any further. I mean it! I shall not flinch from this resolve! REVIEW OR NO MORE CHAPTERS!

Hikaru: Oh, what the hell are you getting so worked up for? You and I and all of your friends know for a fact that you'll only get a couple of reviews and then you'll update yet again because you're a big old softie…

EvilBitch: fuming, a bit stressed Watch it, baka akihoto neko! I haven't written the next chapter yet, so I can still have you die!

Hikaru: getting nervous, unsure of truth in her words But that would mess up your plans…

EvilBitch: resolute Not necessarily. I can always have Sesshomaru slay you painfully and then make your death of some other significance—an added plot twist, a bit of surprise. That's why it's so great being the author—you can do whatever the hell you want.

Hikaru: You wouldn't!...Would you?

EvilBitch: Wanna try me? I could rearrange a few plans and incorporate your death as a major part of the story. Besides, such a shocker may increase my reviews that actually pertain to the story! That would be something…ironic, too.

Hikaru: …Eep…

EvilBitch: smiling smugly That's what I thought.

Madeline: READ AND REVIEW OR DIE!

Hikaru: softly, begging Please? For me?... I'M BEGGING, READ AND REVIEW OR I DIE! whimpers

(((EvilBitch: Also, I must say this before we leave—if you have any questions about anything, details, characters, vocabulary or whatever, then review, PM or email me about it. I am willing to listen, help and do all that I can. Just so you know. Peace out!

SexySesshieSama: I have some classified information for you...this is all outdated, and the third chapter its already on its way! It may even already be put up! It's been a while, and so the above doesn't really count anymore...

EvilBitch: Hey! You...And I'm EvilBitch? I hate you! They weren't supposed to know that, dumbass!

SexySesshieSama: Unlike Hikaru, I do not fear you; you won't kill me.

EvilBitch: I already did.

SexySesshieSama: I meant permanently. I am one of your finest creations and a main character. You cannot be rid of me.

EvilBitch: I could kill Sesshomaru.

SexySesshieSama: You wouldn't.

EvilBitch: You sound awfully sure of that.

SexySesshieSama: I know you.

EvilBitch: ...Damnitall.

SexySesshieSama: Hehe, I always win. TTFN, Reviewers!)))