True Power

A/N: Hi everyone! Here's chapter 5! Sorry for the late updates. I'd love to have more reviews to know how people think to my story.

Thank you to all my readers and those who leave reviews! You're a big inspiration. Please keep reading and reviewing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, although that would be a dream come true. Rikka's my own character, along with anyone else that's not originally part of the storyline.

Five

Rikka woke from unconsciousness and peeled her eyes open. As soon as she managed that, she was assaulted with so much pain that she had to close her eyes and bite down hard on her lip to prevent from screaming. She could feel both wounded areas, both so bad she couldn't tell which was by far the worst. Her entire back was an endless supply of pure agony, while her left side was like being stabbed with red-hot swords. She couldn't focus around the pain, not even when her magic was trying so hard to knit the wounds together and protect her from something she still failed to sense.

A whine and a lick tore her away from her agony induced state.

Opening her eyes again, she looked straight into the eyes of the pup she had saved and healed.

There was a sadness in his intelligent red eyes, but his tail wagged happily from side to side.

Looking into this pup's eyes made all the pain disappear.

Why was that?

Rikka couldn't help but soften her pained gaze into one of relief as soon as she saw him. She wanted to reach out and hold him close to her. But the pain that wracked her body made her incapable of moving. She hated feeling so helpless, especially in foreign territory. But she did not feel like she was in hostile territory. She felt like she was at home with her four familiars. Kami how she missed them. Had they been by her side she would never had gotten into this mess. Or at the very least they could have helped with lending her strength. But no. She just had to be stubborn and leave them behind. It wasn't as if she was expecting to jump into the past that very same day. She had just felt a pull and had followed it.

And now she was here.

Wherever here was.

She finally took stock that she was now in a cave, no longer out under the sky. She was laying on her left side atop something incredibly warm and fluffy. It felt like fur. Being unable to move meant that she could not see exactly she was laying on. She eyed the part of the cave that she could see. There was a really giant black dog curled on the other side of the cave, red eyes wearily watching her. There were four black bundles curled up in front of him, four pairs of red eyes peering out at her. She would have found it frightening, but she could only see a light that shines deep within the alpha dog, and a curiosity to the pups. They weren't a threat.

She really wished to know how she knew this for certainty.

Dogs should not be around a hundred foot tall. It was impossible. Unless they were yōkai. Which meant that the pup she had saved was also a yōkai. So why would they be helping her? Why hadn't they eaten her yet? Were they also after the jewel around her neck?

The jewel! She thought frantically.

She felt the jewel pulse against her chest, since she could not reach for it, a soothing feeling that immediately calmed her.

They hadn't taken it. Did they not want its power? Then why save her? What was the purpose in saving a human being?

The pup nudged her gently.

Rikka looked back at him and watched as his red eyes brightened happily. He laid down next to her, curling up against her chest. He let out a big yawn and snuggled back against her, getting comfortable. Rikka smiled gently down at him. She struggled to move her left arm to stroke him and curl it around him protectively. She curled her face against him, snuggling into his warm fur. She closed her eyes, feeling safe and at ease.

She couldn't explain the over-protectiveness over this pup. She felt like she had connected with him. It couldn't have been because she healed him. She had felt that connection long before she had seen the pup. His whines were like a calling to her, crying out for her. She had been unable to ignore it and had rushed headlong into battle ready to defend a canine she had no prior connection to. Why had she felt so compelled to saving him?

Was it like this for every witch with their animal to call?

Warm, comfortable and completely at ease, Rikka slipped back into unconsciousness. As she did so, her power flowed through her, easing over her injuries like water. The alpha dog watched in fascination as power glowed around her, concentrated mostly at her two injuries. Red eyes widened in realisation that this was not a human being, but something so akin to a yōkai. She was a witch. An extremely powerful one at that. Was it her inexperience that caused those injuries? Or had she held back?

If she had held back, what had she held back against? And why would she? Witches were known for their mercilessness. They didn't care about humans or yōkai, so why would one help a yōkai? Regardless of her being a witch or not, she had saved his son and he owed her a debt. With his mate tending her injuries, as best as she could, the debt would be repaid once the witch was back on her feet. The only problem was that his son, his pup, had become extremely attached to the witch, and she to him. He would have been angry if he hadn't been surprised.

A witch attached to a yōkai? It was the most unusual thing he had ever heard. He would not have believed it had he not seen it with his own eyes.

'She's exhausted,' his mate commented, licking the witch's cheek.

'You've grown motherly over her,' he rumbled displeased.

She looked up at her mate, red eyes lightly furrowed. 'Do you not feel it?'

'She's a witch. She's trying to manipulate us.'

'She knows not what we are.'

'She's a witch!' he snarled.

'The only witch that has ever helped one of our kind,' she reminded him gently. 'It's possible that dogs are her animal to call.'

'Exactly! She's using us!'

'You don't know that!' she snarled.

He growled lowly and dangerously.

'Let us see what she does when she wakes,' she said calmly, red eyes looking at him warningly. 'But I personally do not believe that she's using us or willing to harm us.'

'Believe what you want, but we'll find out her true intentions one way or another,' he growled unhappily.

He tucked his four pups to his stomach with his tail and trapped them there. He saw the way that his mate disapproved of his actions at keeping her pups away from her due to the witch, but she did not voice her complaints.

He was cautious of the witch, and he had every right to. Witches only protect their animal to call. Every other living thing was a pawn in their schemes. Witches used the blood, bones and organs of dog yōkai in their potions. It was no wonder that he was beyond cautious over the female. Was she anything like the rest of her kind? Or was she completely different? Only time may tell. And besides, she looked foreign in that getup, a green cloth that exposed too much leg and a strange white and green top. Her beauty came from being a witch, a supernatural creature who dabbled in strange powers.

Even looking at the young witch laying on his mate's tail, he could not figure the witch out.

Didn't matter for he'll get his answers soon enough.

The next time Rikka woke, the pain was a lot more manageable than before. The cave was more shadowed than it was earlier, but there was something comforting about it. Despite how deep she was inside the cave she could tell that it was now night outside. The fact that the moon was out brought a sense of relief over her that the day had failed to bring. She had always held favouritism over the moon.

Why?

It was a long story. One she did not wish to relive. She was not yet prepared to rummage through those painful memories.

The pup shifted, causing her to panic.

Looking down at him, she smiled again when she saw that he had snuggled back against her when she had moved. Stroking his head gently, she sat up and immediately lifted the shirt away from her stomach to look at the wound on her left side. It was still there, but it was no longer fatal. It was still red, but in time it would disappear. At least she no longer had to worry about it reopening. Her powers had healed it enough to prevent it from reopening. She was an amazing healer, when it came to others. But when she had to heal herself, she wasn't the best.

She felt a warm breeze flow around her. Looking to her left, she saw a giant black dog. She could easily see the femininity of the creature. She was sound asleep. Rikka realised that she had been sleeping on her long fluffy tail, and that it was the reason she had been kept warm. She smiled gently at the she-dog, wishing that she could thank her so she could leave. She knew she didn't belong there, even though she felt connected to the she-dog's pup.

Sliding off the tail, Rikka landed unsteadily on her feet. A dizziness rushed over her, causing her to fall to her knees. She had to quickly catch herself with her hands before she toppled over completely. Her arms shook from holding her on all fours. It was clear that Rikka was not yet fit for travel. She was still far too weak. She hadn't realised until that point that her two wounds were now throbbing painfully.

She could be so stupid sometimes.

'You really shouldn't move around too much,' a voice grumbled.

Rikka looked up at the voice and saw the towering alpha dog sitting back on his haunches. He was glaring down at her.

He was either displeased, angry or very cautious around her. Rikka couldn't tell which.

'I know. I forgot I was injured,' she admitted, sitting down in the seiza position and raked a hand through her long medium-brown coloured hair nervously.

The dog looked surprised. 'You can understand me?'

Rikka smiled up at him. 'Very clearly.'

'Witches are not supposed to hear the conversations between animals other than their familiars.'

'I guess that means I'm not an ordinary witch then.'

'Have you taken any familiars?'

'Yes.'

'And they are?'

'Two dogs and two wolf-dogs.'

He looked absolutely shocked by her serious confession.

'Your animal to call are dogs?'

'No,' she said surprising him. 'I have more of an affinity with dogs, but my animals to call are all canids.'

'Even still, you should not be able to hear my words.'

'Like I said, I must not be an ordinary witch.'

'Clearly not,' he rumbled. 'Why did you help my pup?'

'A compulsion,' she answered. 'His whines were like a cry for help, compelling me to help him. I couldn't abandon him. The very thought pains me.'

He accepted her answer with a nod. 'Where are you from? What are your plans?'

Rikka laughed nervously. 'You're going to think this is crazy.' He raised the muscle above his eye in an inquiring look. 'I'm actually from the future, hence my strange clothing.'

While he could smell no lies, he was still unable to believe her claims.

'From the future?' She nodded her head. 'How is that possible?'

'There's a dry well in the Inuyasha forest in Musashi Country. It has the ability to transverse between this era and mine. Unlike a friend of mine, I don't think it's possible for me to constantly travel to and from this era.'

'Your plans in this era?' he asked, growling lowly in suspicion.

'I'm to find my friend and assist her in defeating the evil that she's fighting against.'

'Why?'

He asks way too many questions, she thought with a sigh. 'I know nothing on my family in this era, but as a member of the Manami family, it's my duty to fulfil the promise made between the families.'

'M-Manami family?' he asks jumping to all fours. 'You're from the Manami family?'

'Depends on what you mean.'

He sat back on is haunches, his red eyes still shocked by her words. 'In this era, the Manami family are the strongest purebred line of witches. They keep to themselves, but they assist humans, yōkai, even animals and nature when they deem to do so. They're known for their kindness and tolerance for all races, however, their power was too frightening for the rest of the witches. They had sealed the family off in a mountain protected by the holiest of barriers, making it impossible for yōkai, most humans, and even animals to approach.'

Rikka looked dejected. 'Hmm, I've read that was the case.'

'Do you intend to release them?'

'At some point,' she admitted remorselessly. 'This era's going to need the help of the Manami family in order to restore balance.'

The yōkai nodded his head in agreement. 'What's the first step of your plan?'

'I need to find Kagome-chan who's currently travelling with a hanyō named Inuyasha.'

'I've heard of him.' As if decided something to himself, the yōkai nodded his head. 'We'll assist.'

'Are you sure your family will want to do that? You'll be putting them in constant peril.'

'The evil that's spreading across Japan is called Naraku. The land is dying. We need to get rid of him quickly.'

Rikka agreed. 'Talk about it with your pack first. I don't want to upsetting them.'

He snorted as if he tried to laugh. 'My pup is smitten with you. My mate is protective of you. I doubt that she'd allow me to let you do this alone.'

'At least talk it over.'

'Very well,' he said finally.

Rikka smiled up at him.

Getting shakily to her feet, she walked away from the family at her back. The moon highlighted the cave entrance in a gentle blue glow. It made everything seem so fantastical. Making it to the entrance, she stumbled and caught herself on the wall. Panting heavily, she stepped out into the moonlight, immediately basking beneath its glow. She used the large boulders to steady herself as she made her way down to the grassy field. On a large, but much smaller boulder, she sat down on its smooth surface and gazed up longingly at the moon.

The full moon surrounded by an ethereal blue glow always made everything she endured seem like a dream. The moon was so calm, serene, graceful and beautiful. It was a perfect circle, complete and whole. Even though darkness took over the moon, and for a day at its darkest phase she felt completely uneasy, it always came back. She was incomplete without the moon. She couldn't live without the moon. She needed to see it every night in order to truly relax. And that was why on the night of the new moon, she could never sleep. She just felt unbearably uneasy without the white eye in the sky.

The moon needed the sun to shine. Stars always dotted around the moon making the sky more ethereal and the moon that much more beautiful. The three objects of the sky coexisted together, and they were always present. While the stars only came out at night, the moon connects the day and night together. And though the white eye only glowed beautifully at night, it was always present in the sky. The sun, moon and stars needed each other.

And that was how Rikka felt.

Rikka was the moon in the trio, her sisters the sun and star. With the pair of them gone, Rikka was empty inside.

Hand shaking, she clutched them together as her tears slid down from her eyes.

'Rima. Risa. I wish you were here,' she said painfully, sobbing over their names.

~ ~ ~ Here's a bonus for you ~ ~ ~

Sesshōmaru looked up at the full moon, golden eyes glowing in the darkness. Its gentle blue light emphasised his unbearable beauty. The blue crescent moon on his forehead seemed to glow under the moon's gentle eye. There was a gentleness in the moon, especially tonight of all nights. He couldn't fathom why the moon seemed more beautiful than ever before, but he assumed that there was a reason behind it.

Tucked at the treeline, while he stood a little further away in the field, was his little pack. Rin was sound asleep tucked against A-Un's side. Jaken was snoring by the fire in a sitting position, Nintōjō clutched in the crook of his left elbow. The fire blazed bright and alive in the night, giving away their position. But the fire was needed in order to keep the human warm. Besides, Sesshōmaru could take care of any enemy that came their way.

He had no doubts about that.

What's this unusual feeling? He thought, eyeing the moon. It feels like the moon is grieving.

Tearing his eye away from the moon, he cast his gaze further out.

There was a trace of yōki in the air. A dog yōkai. It was not something he sensed every day. Dog yōkai were scarce as it was. But to one this far west, close to Musashi Country where his pathetic hanyō half-brother lived, Sesshōmaru was beginning to wonder if there was a deeper meaning behind it. It wasn't just the unusualness of there being a dog yōkai so close by. It was also how different it was to the other dog yōkai he himself had come across. That, and that unusual power that was mixed up with the yōkai's scent.

Were they close by, or were they together?

Sesshōmaru looked down at his reformed arm.

That same power had restored it last night. Though he did not wish to acknowledge it, but he owed a debt to the owner of such power.

If this individual held power strong enough to restore lost appendages, then imagine having that power under his disposal. He would certainly be stronger than any yōkai that had come before, perhaps stronger than his father.

No.

That would not make him stronger than his father. That would just mean that he had powerful disposable pawns. But having such power at his beck and call would certainly empower him above the others.

He liked the sound of that.

Instead of killing this creature, he'd lay claim to it and force it into submission.

He could not let it live freely. If he had to chain it to his side, then that's what he'd have to do. Regardless of what he'd do to it, there was no way that he was going to let it continue to move about his country unpunished. It had already evaded him for the last two nights. He was beginning to become extremely annoyed with how this creature appeared to be avoiding him so easily, as if it were one step ahead of him without him even knowing it.

This game of cat and mouse with soon come to an end, he vowed.