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Family Traits

"Didn't mother teach you not to lie" He said and they laughed again.

I growled. "Do not talk about mother"

I made the first move and drew my swords and got into a battle stance. Hyou stepped forward and grinned "Let me go first my brother" She went into a kneeling position and I knew what she was planning and cursed. This was bad. She was transforming and I wasn't sure what my chances had dwittled down to, but they weren't looking good.

Her teeth started to elongate to sharp points while her face pushed forward to form a muzzle. Her bones started to break and re-knit to form short muscular legs. She moaned in pain as her spine grew longer and the start of black fur covered her body. When she looked up, she was a huge black panther. She stood from the shoulders at about four and a half feet tall with five inch k-9 teeth to go with the big stature. I slowly backed up as she advanced me, but kept my swords in a ready position for when(Not if) she lunge at me. I didn't have to wait long as she jumped, claws and teeth out and beared aching to dig into my flesh and tear out things that shouldn't be removed. I moved out of the way and she landed just behind me and immediately turned and took a swipe at the back of my legs. I again jumped out of they way and slashed at her side. Blood poured out of the gash and she roared in pain. I noticed Dakatsu draw his own sword and grin. "Shit" I mutter to myself. Lets see me get out of this one. Hyou had gotten in a good hit down my thigh as I was detracted and I gritted my teeth so I wouldn't let out a sound of pain that would excite her. As she took another swing I used my sword to block it and she roared as her paw split open and blood poured out. While I was dodging and blocking blows from Hyou, Dakatsu brought his sword back to cut the head off my shoulders and by the time I had noticed it was too late and I could just shut my eyes and wait. Nothing came though. I leaped back and looked to see what stopped him. And saw red and silver.

"Inuyasha?" I whispered.

He was straining to keep Dakatsu's blade from impaling him. All I could do was stare and wonder why. Why had he followed me? Why had he stepped in and helped? Just why? But has any good tag team Hyou took advantage of Inuyasha's incapacitated state and stalked forward and jumped. I saw it and ran to him just in time to step in front of her as she clamped down on my shoulder instead of his. I screamed as my collar bone broke and blood soaked my kimono. Inuyasha threw Dakatsu off and turned to get her off of me by swinging at her. It worked and she let go and jumped away. He quickly turned away and went back to his battle with Dakatsu. I quickly got to my feet ignoring the pain in my leg. Hyou didn't waste anytime and ran at me in sort of zig zag motions to throw me off, but it wasn't working and as she went for a killing blow to my throat I spun kicked her in the side and she flew into a tree and was struggling to breathe, most likely from broken ribs puncturing a lung. With her out of my way I turned and watched Inuyasha fight Dakatsu.

Inuyasha was fairing well against Dakatsu and it surprised me because I wouldn't have thought Inuyasha was strong enough to fight one of the strongest to come out of our village since my parents.

"You should not have interfered half breed" Dakatsu yelled at him as they continually clashed blades.

"I don't need you to tell me what to do demon" Inuyasha angrily shouted backed.

"Do not insult me half breed." He said looking truly insulted and I could understand why. "Anyway you have nothing to gain from helping her" He sneered "She's almost as worthless as you are"

His statement angered us both(For very different reasons) and I did something about it that would hopefully get them off our backs.

"Dakatsu!" I shouted "Tell me who's missing" I smirked as his face fell and he looked over to where Hyou was lying in a pool of her own blood.

He rushed to her and held her in his arms. "I'll kill you" He said "And it won't be pleasant you stupid mutt" I glared.

He then picked her up and disappeared in the blink of an eye. I just stood there bleeding, staring where they had been in a trance like state completely forgetting Inuyasha was there in till he spoke.

"Who the hell were they?" He asked harshly.

I turned sharply to face him. "What do you think you were doing?"

"Excuse me? I think I was saving your ass." He said with an angry expression.

"I don't need your help. Dakatsu was right. You shouldn't have gotten involved."

"Fine. Next time get yourself killed then damn it." He said and started to walk away.

I stood there for a moment longer and painfully followed after him. About twenty minutes later I limped into the clearing we were camped in and collapsed against the tree I had claimed as mine. I groaned as my butt hit the ground painfully.

The sun was rising and the others would be waking up soon and would have questions and worries about my injuries and how I got them. And as if on cue Sango's eyes fluttered open and she sat up, stretched and looked around her. When her gaze reached me, she gasped and the worry I dreaded flooded her eyes.

"Oh my god. What happened to you?" She said coming over to me.

"It's nothing to worry about trust me" I tried to tell her, but she went on as if I hadn't said anything.

"How did this happen? When did this happen?" She continued to question her voice rising and waking the others.

"I just got into a fight. It's really nothing to be concerned about" I slightly gasped as I moved my arm. That didn't help.

"What's going on?" Asked Kagome

"Ookami's hurt." Sango said.

"What?" She came over to us and her eyes widened.

She rushed over to her backpack, getting something out of it and returning to us. The demon slayer got out of the way to let Kagome do what she was going to do to me.

"What are you doing" I said as she got something out of the white box she removed from her pack.

"Treating your wounds." She said not looking up as she went through the strange container.

Miroku woke up and came over to see what the fuss was about and asked just what the other two had, What was wrong. Sango shooed him away so that I could move my shirt enough for Kagome to bandage me up at her insistence and my reluctant agreement. She put an ointment on my shoulder and leg and it stung like a bitch. I glared at her "What the hell was that!?"

"It was a disinfectant. It keeps it from getting infected. Now sit still" She scolded. I glared again.

She put bandages on my injuries even with my insistence that I didn't need them, but did they care what I had to say about it? No, they just kept telling me to stop being as stubborn as Inuyasha. After they were finished, they went to the subject of how I got them. I knew I wasn't getting out of it so I caved.

"I'm not a demon." I started.

"What do you mean what else could you be?" Kagome said voicing what everyone was thinking.

"Are you going to let me tell you or are you going to interrupt me through out the whole thing?" I asked exasperated. They just shook their heads and told me to go on.

"Thank you. Anyway I'm not a demon. I'm a Guardian." Miroku looked like he was going to ask something and I gave him a look and he kept his mouth shut. "They are a species that is hidden from most everyone. At a certain age the most dominate Guardians are sent to a village with no current Guardian or an older one to replace them. The village never knows about them in less the village is in need of them. If they have a something or someone precious that needs to be protected, the Guardian comes forward and reveals themselves to take up that position to protect. Most of the time when they are no longer needed the Guardian performs a ritual that erases the memory of them ever being there and they again take up their place as a common villager." Suddenly Inuyasha dropped from a nearby tree. I stopped and looked at him. "What do you mean MOST of the time?" he asked.

"Well like in my case they never get the chance."

"Why? What happened?" Asked the demon slayer.

I sighed "You all obviously know about the jewel. Well I was the first to be given the job of guarding it– "

"Wait. That was over 90 years ago. You can't be old enough for that, can you?" Interrupted Miroku.

"Can. And am. Well moving on, when the village could no longer keep it safe from the demons that came for it I stepped forward and told them what I was offering my services. They thought about it, though very skeptical, and aloud me to watch over it. Well seven months later another more powerful Guardian tried to take it from me. I was close to death when I finally killed him, but one of the villagers that wasn't happy about my guardianship told the rest of the village that he had seen the fight and that I had given it to the other Guardian and the 'demon' thought to get rid of me after he had the jewel. Well the villagers believed him and ran me out of the village. I was then sent back to my village where I was rejected by most of my own kind for my failures. The only one that didn't treat me differently was the elder and he tried to keep the worst of what they could do to me away from me, but he couldn't be there all the time." I said getting a far off look in my eyes, remembering my past. I shook it off and looked up at them to see there reactions. They all looked speechless.

"You can ask me about anything you didn't understand" I offered.

"Why would another Guardian want to steal the jewel?" Asked Miroku

"I really don't know" I said with a shrug and slightly winced

"Who were the two attacking you?" Asked Inuyasha

"My siblings" I answered "They went rouge and went on a rampage through my village, killing anyone that got in the way. I have been hunting them for over 80 years. Within those years they have massacred hundreds" No body looked like they had anymore to say so I filled the silence.

"So who's hungry?" I asked. They gave me a look that asked 'Are you serious?'

"Yeah, well the faster you guys eat the sooner we can look for more jewel shards" said an anxious Inuyasha.

They all kinda agreed and Kagome went to making food for everyone. When she was done and everyone had eaten their fill, we packed up and to Inuyasha's relief we were on the move again.

Three hours and twenty miles later a village crept into sight. And Miroku suggested that we stop and stock up on supplies they were running low on. And everyone or almost everyone agreed.

"Damn it. This is just holding us up" Complained Inuyasha all the way to the entrance of the village.

As the rest continued to enter the village I stopped and crossed my arms. Kagome glanced back and saw that I wasn't with them and she stopped and turned around looking around when she spotted me she walked back and asked what I was doing.

"I can't go in there" I said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why?" She asked

"There is an active Guardian here and I can't go into her territory without her permission. If I do she will see it as a challenge to take over her territory, which would end in a body" I explained.

"Get her permission then" Said Inuyasha

"I will. Calm down"

I closed my eyes and called to her. When I opened my eyes there was a female Guardian in front of me staring neutrally.

"Yes?" She asked

I kneeled in front of her and bowed my head "I ask of you permission to enter your domain"

"Ah...So your not as young as you feel" She said with something leaning to surprise lacing her voice

I took a breath and said "I am not of very great power as one of my age should possess "

"Then I grant you permission, but only for two days. Then you will leave" She said and walked away.

"So you can come in now?" Asked Sango trying to get it straight.

"Yes" I simply said