Thanks for the reviews on my story.
Chapter 4: Lost
It had been a week now since she had come to the mansion of her father. She had seen all the beautiful gardens, most of the mansion, and gotten to know her father's little girl, Rin. She had told him about her clan that she was from and why she was sent way, he laughed at the idea of a clan of hanyous. Laughed again when he found out that they hated her for her dominate youkai blood. She told him everything she could about her mother but it wasn't much and only hear-say anyways. Seeing as her mother died shortly after she was born.
She told him things about when she was growing up, that she never quite understood. Like her intense anger that she would get that would cause her eyes to turn red and people would stay far away from her for days on end. That she had learned to control. She had watched his anger raise in him when he heard that she was told that she would have to sleep on a makeshift bed or nothing, most nights, and she was always the last to eat in the clan no matter what, seeing as she had no real family.
She told him of a boy that had befriended her, and took care of her after her mother died. But he was sent away from the clan because he was full youkai, which was adopted by the group till he was old enough. Then how he was outcast when the elders of the group felt he was too old.
She spoke of Haku. His family had been the only one to treat her kindly and it was for them that she protected the whole group. They had given her fond memories during her last 4 years there.
Sesshoumaru was outraged that they would treat his pup in such a manner. He had only said so once, while he was walking away from her, but she heard it. He had come to understand the blur of images as she told him of her life. The whole idea of how and where she had grown up was still quite amusing as well as upsetting.
She had started learning about her abilities more than she ever had before. Very quickly she had learned to change the energy that she could charge in her hand into a ball that she could throw at an opponent, and she was even starting to learn to shape it into a whip, much like Sesshoumaru's, but could still not control it well. She also enjoyed having a family of some sort, it was not the one she pictured in her mind but it was hers.
Maru's thoughts where interrupted by a sharp pull on her tail that sent her falling back words towards the ground, but she easily fix her self by flipping over and landing on her feet right at eye level with the little girl, facing the wall she was just sitting on. She then grabbed and started tickling, the little girl. Rin screamed with delight as her new youkai friend played with her.
Maru stopped and looked at the little girl who was now beat red and breathing very hard, "Now what have I told you about pulling my tail, Rin?"
"Please don't" Rin said looking up at Maru now, with a huge smile on her face. Maru stood up, and looked down at her, "come lets get you inside, night fall is coming," as she started walking towards the mansion's door, with Rin fallowing close behind.
After Rin was a sleep for the night Maru headed back outside, she was never contented with looking though the window of the mansion outside she always had to be out among it taking it all in.
She jumped up on the tallest part of the main wall and glance out at the forest that surrounded the castle, and just stared out into the darkest of the trees. She listened intently to the sounds around her trying to make them better than they were. She would pick out sounds from far away and try to hear them as clear as she could; tonight it was a nightingale that she was listening to. Then she heard something, from behind her but she barely heard it. She pulled her focus away from the bird to see who it was. As she turned she saw it was the tall figure of her father.
She still had not been able to learn the difference of scent like he was able. But she was starting to learn to trust her nose more.
"Come," he said as he jumped over the wall and out of the protection of his home. She jumped down and looked up at him. "What are we doing out here?"
"Find me, find me using only your since of smell." He waved off her look of bewilderment at his words. "You have until sun raise to find me. If you don't you won't like what will happen" Then he headed off into the forest.
She looked down where he was, 'damn no tracks'. She could find him with her other senses, but he would most likely know that she had used it. How exactly was she going to try and find him, she could smell youkai blood in the forest but could figure out which one was her fathers. She started down at where he had stood again. She kneeled down and began stiffing the dirt, feeling embarrassed that she was. Then she smelled something that she hadn't quite noticed before, the scent of blood but it wasn't much, just a drop, but the smell of it hit her nose. No, this didn't just smell like the straight youkai from the air that she had already smelled but it was different. It had a pleasant smell to her, it had a clean smell of fresh dew in the morning mixed with a forest musk. She sat there for a long while trying to make sure she had the scent in her memory, then stood up and smelled the air for that combination. She cursed herself for not using her nose more, because she just couldn't seem to find it.
Then the wind blew and 'THERE' she found it. She ran off that way following the scent on the wind it was very faint, when she began looking. Then it got stronger. She glanced around looking for her father thinking that she had found him, and then she realized that she could smell it from farther off.
She had searched for hours now and sun raise wasn't that far off. She was starting to be able to pick up his scent without the wind and she could tell different types of youkai as she ran through the forest determined that she would not fail at this. She noticed the scent was stronger now and raced to catch up with it. She raced through the trees then she saw a white blur ahead. She found him! But she didn't yell out to him to let him know, she was sure that he already knew, but instead she ran faster trying to catch up with him. Then she saw the palace ahead. 'he lead me in a big circle, damn' she berated her she for not noticing but the only thing she was paying any attention to tonight was her nose.
In one flash he was over the walls of the palace and back into the garden that they where in before. She landed in a kneeling position next to him. She could smell his scent now perfectly, but there where other scents here to that caught her by surprise. She smelled someone who smelled like old swamp water, and dirty socks, she laughed, it had to be Jaken, but then she smell an mixture of flowers and perfumes, coming from in the mansion, Rin. She had wondered why the flowers smelled different when she was around.
She stood straight after a few seconds and looked at her father. "Found you."
He nodded and headed into the house. She had gotten used to him doing that type of thing when he taught her something new about herself. It annoyed her to no end.
Sesshoumaru headed to his sleeping chambers. 'How could she be so far behind? Did living with out the need to use her youkai power really set her that far back, or was it just that he had to waken them and get her to use them and they would be more like his own. It took her six hours to find me it would have taken any other youkai or Inuyasha not much more than an hour at tops.' Yes he would have to work with her again on this and see what would happen. He decided that he would be working with her every night until she was up to where she needed to be.
----
That morning Sesshoumaru and Jaken left, leaving her with Rin alone on the palace grounds. She could follow them, she was sure, but then that would leave no one to watch after Rin. Who was eager to play a game, as she ran around Maru.
"I know," Maru had a great idea to better what she had learned last night and make Rin happy, "why don't we play hide n' seek. You go hide and I will seek." As she grabbed Rin's shoulders stopping her circles. Rin smiled and nodded and then ran off toward the mansion.
"NO Peaking!" she yelled back at Maru who quickly turned around and started to count.
They had played several games of hide n' sneak and each time Maru found Rin easier and easier to find. She knew that she was getting better at finding through her sense of smell. She was in the middle of finding Rin one last time when she smelled something new in the air. "Sesshoumaru" she jumped on top of the mansion and ran across it to see him.
Sesshoumaru looked around and saw nothing seemed to have happened while he was gone. "Rin," he called to the little girl who was hiding behind an out cropping in the outer wall.
"Hai, Seshhoumaru-sama!" she replied as she popped out happy to see her guardian was home.
"What are you doing?" his golden gaze dropped down to her, "Where is Maru?"
"I am playing a game Sesshoumaru-sama, and Maru is trying to find me."
"Found you." A voice called from the mansion's roof. She easily jumped down and greeted her father who nodded, and headed towards the mansion.
"Rin, go clean up for dinner," as he walked into the house.
"Hai! Come on Maru onee-san" Rin ran and grabbed Maru's hand and drug her to the bath house so they could both clean up.
The next few nights she spent tracking her father down in the forest. Each night she got better at it. Tonight she was finding him again. But she had already found him and only needed to catch up with him now.
Maru smiled at him, she was sure that she had done very well to night. Sesshoumaru looked at her and she could tell he was smiling though normal person would not have. She could pick up a pleased wave of emotion coming from him.
She had found him in under 15 minutes this time. All she needed was to use her senses and they would catch up. Her hearing too had greatly improved since he had found her. Soon he would be traveling and tending his lands again, and he didn't want to have to protect her and Rin. So she would have to be trained.
He nodded to Maru and began to head back to his mansion, with Maru not far behind him. The two walked in silence but neither seemed to mind it. Then both stopped dead in their tracks, and looked towards a buzzing noise they heard.
Maru looked into the sky at the giant bugs, she didn't like them and guessing from her father's stance, she wasn't supposed too. She flexed her claws causing them to crack, in anticipation of a fight that was coming. Sesshoumaru did the same, except his hand glowed a green hue.
"Sesshoumaru-sama," a cold dead voice said from the trees, as the giant bees sat hovering above the baboon skinned man. His stench filled the air, with the smell of death, the grave, and poisoned earth. It was so over powering at first to Maru that she stumbled back words a step, but quickly regained herself and gazed at this unknown man, but her father seemed to know him.
"Keeping more pets, Sesshoumaru-sama?" the man poked at him.
"What to you want Naraku?" Sesshoumaru stood extremely still and did not have a sense of anger or interest in his voice.
"I figured I would barrow your new pet she could be of good use to me." A hand came out pointing at Maru. Her heart beat jumped up into her throat, she would not let this man touch her.
"No you shall not have what is mine, and she is Sesshoumaru's," not quite the answer as she wanted exactly but it close enough to want she hoped he would say.
"Pity I will just have to take her by force then," the baboon skinned covered man then attacked. Sesshoumaru easily dodged the long vine like attack.
Maru stood there and watch as her father jumped to safety but the attack was still heading towards her. She would not let this thing touch her she moved into the attack and sliced the brown vain off with her claws then turn to the figure that had thrown the attack. She would not be an easy target to take. As she lunged at him ready to strike.
Sesshoumaru was in a fight of his own with the horde of bees he was fighting. They more annoying to him than anything else. The Toukujin was easily taking out whole groups of them. Then Sesshoumaru heard a scream from below him as he watched Maru get impaled by several of Naraku's vine attacks. He went to take out the stupid puppet when a large group of bees was again in his way. Every time he destroyed one group two more seemed to take their place.
Maru could feel the blood dripping from her and as, this Naraku youkai, pulled his vines out of her. She fell to the ground but caught herself on her hands and knees. 'Damn him what does he want with me. I can't even sense anything from this guy.' She looked up to see another attack heading towards her as she slashed up words with her claws tearing apart the attack before it could even reach her. She stood again on her feet and was ready to defend herself again.
He attacked again this time with more vines, and they where coming at her faster. She held out her hand and their in front of her she held a large blue ball, she threw the ball into the vines and jump clear as the ball disaggregated the vines. But she was snatched out of the air all too quick by a set of vines she never knew where there. Wait for her to do just that.
The vines wrapped around her and started to squeeze her tight and they pulled her to Naraku. She let out a small whimper as the vines began to burrow themselves into her skin. Then she stopped moving and sat in quiet unconsciousness, in Naraku's grasp. Sesshoumaru busted through the bees and landed in striking distance of the puppet but didn't when he saw Maru was in his possession.
"Well Sesshoumaru-sama, you have put up a good fight but I still got what I came here for," Naraku boasted taking his human hand and touching Maru's face, "She will make a fine addition."
Sesshoumaru charge in at him, then stopped when Naraku put her in Sesshouamru's path close to his body as a shield.
"Coward!" he spat at him and Naraku began to head away.
"Don't worry Sesshoumaru-sama she will live forever in Naraku." I smile crossed his lips as he lifted into the air.
"NO! I won't!" came from the restrained Maru, "Won't let you destroy what I am, I won't let you do THIS!" Naraku squeezed her trying to make her quiet again.
Sesshoumaru looked on as Maru was having the life squeezed out of her, he could hear bones break as he squeezed her as hard as he could with out killing her. Then he noticed her eyes had changed. Her pupils where small and dilated, and glowing a fire red. The wind began to whip around her causing her hair to lift in the current, the lines on her face became wider and elongated. Her face lengthened and fur now was on her face and body. Then in a sudden burst of energy the vines around her broke and she was nothing more then a purple light upon the night sky. Naraku sat dumbfounded as the purple light became a huge white dog that towered over him, teeth bared, crashing him to the ground.
Sesshoumaru jumped back as the two crashed down in front of him. He stared at her in amusement. She was very much his child, the deep red lines on her face where wrapped around her jaw and her crescent shown easily on her white fur but there where tuffs of fur on her main, around her paws, and through her tail that where the dark auburn of the hair that she had.
She snarled at the small man below her swiping her large claws a cross the man, slicing him into three pieces, crumbling the puppet to dust. She then started slashing and biting at the bees that had started trying to attack her but they where having no luck getting through her thick fur, before she destroyed them.
After several minutes the bees where gone and so was Naraku's puppet. But she still raged on, have no real control of herself in this form. She charged Sesshoumaru, who had been expecting something like this, and he dodged easily enough. He yelled at her in her mind, but it had no effect. Finally after dodging several attacks he was determined to end this now. He raised the Toukujin and with the pressure pushed back the young youkai. She crashed into the trees and then picked herself back up and made for another attack on Sesshoumaru. More enraged than she was before.
Again he raised his sword "ENOUGH!!" he yelled as the blue aura of the sword's pressure shot her down again, into the trees harder than the last time. She stood up off balance and unsure of her footing. She looked at Sesshoumaru her eyes still red, but her face was not contorted into a snarl, but instead a look of confusion and bewilderment, as they dimmed to be two large golden suns staring at him.
She looked at herself unsure what was happening to her and what had happened to the man called Naraku. She noticed her father had drawn a sword on her. Why, what had she done? For that matter what was she doing looking like this. She realized that she was bleeding from several places on her body and couldn't remember how they got there. She longed to know what was happening she dropped to the ground unsure of what to do now. She laid her head down and took a deep breath, and almost knocked Sesshoumaru down as he was putting away his sword and heading over to her.
Seeing that she was again in control of herself, Sesshoumaru, knew she had to be terribly confused in her new form. He was slightly confused by her form. He walked up and touched her blood covered fur with is hand, he hadn't wanted to be so rough but he had no real choice. Now he just had to get her back to normal and they could go home, so he could try to explain, something of what happened to her. He knew she would ask.
After she changed back to normal, Maru passed out whether from stain or lose of blood it was known. Sesshoumaru carried her back home, and placed her on her bed so that she could rest for the night. He would explain later.
She didn't understand how she changed even though it had been explained to her twice now. She understood that he would have a form like that but she couldn't figure out why she had one. She wasn't full youkai, so she thought that she would not have a form such as he did. But she did like one thing that came out of it all her senses where now heighten like the where in her other form. She could hear and smell things much better and easier than she ever had.
Her wounds healed easily enough. At night Sesshoumaru would take her out way from the mansion and get her pissed off enough to change again so that she could learn to control her great power in that form. He was sure that she would be able to control the youkai blood in her seeing as the human part of her was so small. So far she was proving him right. Although she could not change forms at will like he could, but she, unlike Inuyasha, could control her blood.
----
Maru slammed into the wall for the fifth time today. She had failed again. She has been trying to the last week to slip into Sesshoumaru's mind with out him noticing like she had before. Every time she thought she had it she felt like she got hit and ended up being slammed into the wall by the force of the mental attack hitting her unguarded for it.
"Again," Sesshoumaru glanced at her glare, then returned to reading the scroll.
Maru sat back down rubbing large knot on her head. She would continue on like this for another hour before her would allow her to leave. Even though she was tempted to walk out right now, but she didn't feel like causing more trouble with this than she was in other things.
He had not been to happy when she had taken such a beating from the puppet of this Naraku guy, even though it was her that destroyed him, and insisted on training her just about every waking minute of the day, and night. If it wasn't mind training then it was physical training using a weapon.
She hated learning to use a weapon and was sure he knew it to every time he had brought a new one to her to try.
At first she was given a bow, but that failed when she shot Jaken with her arrow. It may not have been so bad if Jaken hadn't been the completely wrong direction from the target.
The toad pulled out the arrow and swung at her with the staff he carried around. Jaken had stopped watching her train shortly after he received a lump on his head care of said staff by her hands.
Then there was the staff. Which she thought, was not bad with other then the fact she kept breaking them. The chain weapon she was given died before she even started practicing with it, she started gathering it up and somehow got herself wrapped up in it.
Finally tired of her breaking the weapons he gave her, he handed her a practice sword. When after several days of not hurting herself or others, or breaking it, she was told that would be her weapon, but she hated it. She was never much into weapons, and never saw why she would need to use it, but she practiced with it for the simple reason of how mad her father had gotten when she refused.
She was constantly annoyed when he watched her. His gaze never seemed to miss anything wrong she ever did. She became even more annoyed when he would point out her mistakes.
The rustle of scroll paper brought her back to the present task at hand. Closing her eyes she slowly withdrew into her mind focusing on lightly reaching out and slipping into his mind. Again she was knocked back.
When she stood up suddenly Sesshoumaru finally looked at her.
"I am done today. I don't seem to be getting any where with you and this is getting me know where." She turned and left. Leaving Sesshoumaru to stare at her back then the door. She was sure she would hear it later.
A smirk crossed his face. 'I had been wondering how long she would sit back and take it. But she will have to get it in the next few weeks; she would be needed when I deal with the other lords. I thought she would have got it by now. After training for nearly three months one would think that she would have been able to achieve this goal. '
He did have to admit though her other skills where becoming very well developed. Her sword skill was coming along quite well, and would be better if she would listen and take his direction in using it a little more. Yet, every time he entered the dojo she would become aggravated and upset. She had kept her mouth shut and didn't say anything about it. She always seemed to have some angry comment or thought on her mind, even though she always seemed to have this pleasant attitude. She was smart in that regard to keep her mouth shut.
----
Jaken hated it when she ran off while they traveled about, and she knew this time would be no different when she returned. But she had to get away some times, she had to ran free unattached to anything. She had never wondered far and always found her way back. After Nararku attack them in the woods close to home they were on the offensive. There were demon guards, which served under her father.
Maru picked up her pace to get back to her father; she would be losing her powers soon and didn't want to be caught alone. Not to mention that she had ran off into the forest this morning after failing in her training with Sesshoumaru, but she was sure she would have plenty of time before she had to get back.
"Osuwari!" Maru heard through the trees as she headed on her way. It was followed by other yelling and another osuwari. At the very least it was curious and she had to check it out.
She peered through the trees, and saw the silver haired boy, Inuyasha, and a human girl wearing a short odd green and white kimono. Inuyasha was laying face first on the ground, with Kagome moving off toward a cart with two wheels and a basket.
Inuyasha pulled himself out of the crater that he was in and jumped into a tree, where he sat sulking. Maru sat and watched as the two argued on.
"Hey Inuyasha stop sulking and come on!" Kagome yelled to the stubborn hanyou.
"FEH!" Was the only response she got in return.
"Inuyasha! We need to go meet with the others." The girl protested
"You can go by yourself you don't need me remember" he snarl back
She walked over to the tree looked up at Inuyasha determined to get him out of that tree.
"Inuyasha," Kagome made eye contact then with no hesitation or emotion, "Osuwari"
Inuyasha yelled falling out of the tree to the ground beside Kagome, and was cursing under his breath, then they both heard laughing coming from the underbrush of the line of trees.
Inuyasha already in a foul mood stomped over there and was shocked as well as upset to find Maru sitting there hysterically laughing at them.
"What so funny eh?" he said grabbing her arm and pulling the laughing Maru from her spot.
Still trying to catch her breath Maru waved her hand, "Nothing!!" Her sides hurt, their where tears running down her face, yet she was just beginning to stop laughing. It was the most amusing thing she had ever seen.
After a minute the girl spoke up, "We know you. Your that girl that was with Sesshoumaru last time." Kagome pointed out changing the subject, "ahh, Maru wasn't it.?
Maru now in control of herself again and no longer laughing, nodded her head, and looked at Inuyasha's hand as it gripped her arm tightly.
Inuyasha didn't trust this girl he didn't know anything about her other than she smelled of Sesshoumaru. He wasn't sure if he should let her go or not, but he did any ways.
They sat and talked for a short while. She explained what was going on and how she was related to Inuyasha and that she was Sesshoumaru's daughter. Inuyasha fell over when he found out he was an uncle to a part human girl. Maru failed to see what was so funny about it but let him laugh and did not question it. She glanced up at the sun and realized that she should be going the sun was getting low in the sky. She stood up said her goodbyes and headed off.
As night got closer Maru was cursing herself for taking so long with Inuyasha and Kagome. She was sure that she would not make it back before night fall, to the palace. She stopped her travel and started searching for someplace that would be safe to keep herself for the night. She found a small out cropping of rocks and slide herself in just as her senses deaden on her.
Now blind and alone in the dark, all she could do is hope for a quiet night. She decided that she better just relax and wait out the night.
It was a heavy foot fall out side the out cropping that woke her. She was fully alert listening for the foot fall again, but she couldn't make anything out, other than a dull smoke that was drifting about. The smoke gagged her, and made her cough has she took a breath. It was then that she her someone on top of the out cropping. Holding her breath to stop the coughing, she new she would be a sitting duck in there and that she would much rather take her chances in running.
She pulled herself out of her hiding place and let out a yelp when something grabbed her. Instinctively she reached around and hit what ever had grabbed her. The shock of her sudden attack caused it to let go, and she began to run.
She ran, the moon casting just enough light through the trees that she could avoid running into them. She ran through the underbrush feeling branches snap her in the face, and arms drawing blood. She wasn't sure what had grabbed her or if it was still following her, but she knew it was best to keep running.
After several minutes of running as fast as her human legs could carry her, Maru began to tire. She glanced back to see if something was chasing her but she didn't get the chance to notice, because no sooner than she turned her head to look back she had fallen to her face, tripping on a tree root. She punched the ground, and wiped the dirt way from her face as she started to stand up. 'Why does it seem when women are in trouble that if they look they fall.' She cursed. What she would give right now for her powers then she heard something behind her. She knew that she wouldn't be able to run much farther, so she turned to confront her follower.
"What luck to have found you here defenseless with out your powers" The voice mused at her
The man standing before her was tall in a white and purple kimono, which was tied with a red sash that went around his waist; his skin was darker than hers, with dark eyes, and raven hair that he had tied back into a braid. If she was normal he wouldn't have looked so threatening, instead quite handsome in a deadly type of way, but right now she would have gladly paid to be any where else.
She pulled herself up off the tree root, "Who are you?"
"Bankotsu" he looked quite please with her confusion.
"What do you want with me," making her way to her feet. Preparing herself for a fight.
"I don't want you, someone else does," the strange man replied with a smile.
He lunged at her, as she let out a strangled yelp, as he hit her in the gut knocking the wind out of her, and by the time she was gasping for air he had hit her in the back of the head sending her to the ground. She laid there motion less.
"All too easy," Bankotsu picked up the limb girl and threw her over his shoulder and walked east.
-------
I figured i would answer questions i figured would come up. Well at least one. Maru doesn't lose her demon powers every month like Inuyasha, she loses them aboue every 3 months at the change of the seasons.
Chapter 4: Lost
It had been a week now since she had come to the mansion of her father. She had seen all the beautiful gardens, most of the mansion, and gotten to know her father's little girl, Rin. She had told him about her clan that she was from and why she was sent way, he laughed at the idea of a clan of hanyous. Laughed again when he found out that they hated her for her dominate youkai blood. She told him everything she could about her mother but it wasn't much and only hear-say anyways. Seeing as her mother died shortly after she was born.
She told him things about when she was growing up, that she never quite understood. Like her intense anger that she would get that would cause her eyes to turn red and people would stay far away from her for days on end. That she had learned to control. She had watched his anger raise in him when he heard that she was told that she would have to sleep on a makeshift bed or nothing, most nights, and she was always the last to eat in the clan no matter what, seeing as she had no real family.
She told him of a boy that had befriended her, and took care of her after her mother died. But he was sent away from the clan because he was full youkai, which was adopted by the group till he was old enough. Then how he was outcast when the elders of the group felt he was too old.
She spoke of Haku. His family had been the only one to treat her kindly and it was for them that she protected the whole group. They had given her fond memories during her last 4 years there.
Sesshoumaru was outraged that they would treat his pup in such a manner. He had only said so once, while he was walking away from her, but she heard it. He had come to understand the blur of images as she told him of her life. The whole idea of how and where she had grown up was still quite amusing as well as upsetting.
She had started learning about her abilities more than she ever had before. Very quickly she had learned to change the energy that she could charge in her hand into a ball that she could throw at an opponent, and she was even starting to learn to shape it into a whip, much like Sesshoumaru's, but could still not control it well. She also enjoyed having a family of some sort, it was not the one she pictured in her mind but it was hers.
Maru's thoughts where interrupted by a sharp pull on her tail that sent her falling back words towards the ground, but she easily fix her self by flipping over and landing on her feet right at eye level with the little girl, facing the wall she was just sitting on. She then grabbed and started tickling, the little girl. Rin screamed with delight as her new youkai friend played with her.
Maru stopped and looked at the little girl who was now beat red and breathing very hard, "Now what have I told you about pulling my tail, Rin?"
"Please don't" Rin said looking up at Maru now, with a huge smile on her face. Maru stood up, and looked down at her, "come lets get you inside, night fall is coming," as she started walking towards the mansion's door, with Rin fallowing close behind.
After Rin was a sleep for the night Maru headed back outside, she was never contented with looking though the window of the mansion outside she always had to be out among it taking it all in.
She jumped up on the tallest part of the main wall and glance out at the forest that surrounded the castle, and just stared out into the darkest of the trees. She listened intently to the sounds around her trying to make them better than they were. She would pick out sounds from far away and try to hear them as clear as she could; tonight it was a nightingale that she was listening to. Then she heard something, from behind her but she barely heard it. She pulled her focus away from the bird to see who it was. As she turned she saw it was the tall figure of her father.
She still had not been able to learn the difference of scent like he was able. But she was starting to learn to trust her nose more.
"Come," he said as he jumped over the wall and out of the protection of his home. She jumped down and looked up at him. "What are we doing out here?"
"Find me, find me using only your since of smell." He waved off her look of bewilderment at his words. "You have until sun raise to find me. If you don't you won't like what will happen" Then he headed off into the forest.
She looked down where he was, 'damn no tracks'. She could find him with her other senses, but he would most likely know that she had used it. How exactly was she going to try and find him, she could smell youkai blood in the forest but could figure out which one was her fathers. She started down at where he had stood again. She kneeled down and began stiffing the dirt, feeling embarrassed that she was. Then she smelled something that she hadn't quite noticed before, the scent of blood but it wasn't much, just a drop, but the smell of it hit her nose. No, this didn't just smell like the straight youkai from the air that she had already smelled but it was different. It had a pleasant smell to her, it had a clean smell of fresh dew in the morning mixed with a forest musk. She sat there for a long while trying to make sure she had the scent in her memory, then stood up and smelled the air for that combination. She cursed herself for not using her nose more, because she just couldn't seem to find it.
Then the wind blew and 'THERE' she found it. She ran off that way following the scent on the wind it was very faint, when she began looking. Then it got stronger. She glanced around looking for her father thinking that she had found him, and then she realized that she could smell it from farther off.
She had searched for hours now and sun raise wasn't that far off. She was starting to be able to pick up his scent without the wind and she could tell different types of youkai as she ran through the forest determined that she would not fail at this. She noticed the scent was stronger now and raced to catch up with it. She raced through the trees then she saw a white blur ahead. She found him! But she didn't yell out to him to let him know, she was sure that he already knew, but instead she ran faster trying to catch up with him. Then she saw the palace ahead. 'he lead me in a big circle, damn' she berated her she for not noticing but the only thing she was paying any attention to tonight was her nose.
In one flash he was over the walls of the palace and back into the garden that they where in before. She landed in a kneeling position next to him. She could smell his scent now perfectly, but there where other scents here to that caught her by surprise. She smelled someone who smelled like old swamp water, and dirty socks, she laughed, it had to be Jaken, but then she smell an mixture of flowers and perfumes, coming from in the mansion, Rin. She had wondered why the flowers smelled different when she was around.
She stood straight after a few seconds and looked at her father. "Found you."
He nodded and headed into the house. She had gotten used to him doing that type of thing when he taught her something new about herself. It annoyed her to no end.
Sesshoumaru headed to his sleeping chambers. 'How could she be so far behind? Did living with out the need to use her youkai power really set her that far back, or was it just that he had to waken them and get her to use them and they would be more like his own. It took her six hours to find me it would have taken any other youkai or Inuyasha not much more than an hour at tops.' Yes he would have to work with her again on this and see what would happen. He decided that he would be working with her every night until she was up to where she needed to be.
----
That morning Sesshoumaru and Jaken left, leaving her with Rin alone on the palace grounds. She could follow them, she was sure, but then that would leave no one to watch after Rin. Who was eager to play a game, as she ran around Maru.
"I know," Maru had a great idea to better what she had learned last night and make Rin happy, "why don't we play hide n' seek. You go hide and I will seek." As she grabbed Rin's shoulders stopping her circles. Rin smiled and nodded and then ran off toward the mansion.
"NO Peaking!" she yelled back at Maru who quickly turned around and started to count.
They had played several games of hide n' sneak and each time Maru found Rin easier and easier to find. She knew that she was getting better at finding through her sense of smell. She was in the middle of finding Rin one last time when she smelled something new in the air. "Sesshoumaru" she jumped on top of the mansion and ran across it to see him.
Sesshoumaru looked around and saw nothing seemed to have happened while he was gone. "Rin," he called to the little girl who was hiding behind an out cropping in the outer wall.
"Hai, Seshhoumaru-sama!" she replied as she popped out happy to see her guardian was home.
"What are you doing?" his golden gaze dropped down to her, "Where is Maru?"
"I am playing a game Sesshoumaru-sama, and Maru is trying to find me."
"Found you." A voice called from the mansion's roof. She easily jumped down and greeted her father who nodded, and headed towards the mansion.
"Rin, go clean up for dinner," as he walked into the house.
"Hai! Come on Maru onee-san" Rin ran and grabbed Maru's hand and drug her to the bath house so they could both clean up.
The next few nights she spent tracking her father down in the forest. Each night she got better at it. Tonight she was finding him again. But she had already found him and only needed to catch up with him now.
Maru smiled at him, she was sure that she had done very well to night. Sesshoumaru looked at her and she could tell he was smiling though normal person would not have. She could pick up a pleased wave of emotion coming from him.
She had found him in under 15 minutes this time. All she needed was to use her senses and they would catch up. Her hearing too had greatly improved since he had found her. Soon he would be traveling and tending his lands again, and he didn't want to have to protect her and Rin. So she would have to be trained.
He nodded to Maru and began to head back to his mansion, with Maru not far behind him. The two walked in silence but neither seemed to mind it. Then both stopped dead in their tracks, and looked towards a buzzing noise they heard.
Maru looked into the sky at the giant bugs, she didn't like them and guessing from her father's stance, she wasn't supposed too. She flexed her claws causing them to crack, in anticipation of a fight that was coming. Sesshoumaru did the same, except his hand glowed a green hue.
"Sesshoumaru-sama," a cold dead voice said from the trees, as the giant bees sat hovering above the baboon skinned man. His stench filled the air, with the smell of death, the grave, and poisoned earth. It was so over powering at first to Maru that she stumbled back words a step, but quickly regained herself and gazed at this unknown man, but her father seemed to know him.
"Keeping more pets, Sesshoumaru-sama?" the man poked at him.
"What to you want Naraku?" Sesshoumaru stood extremely still and did not have a sense of anger or interest in his voice.
"I figured I would barrow your new pet she could be of good use to me." A hand came out pointing at Maru. Her heart beat jumped up into her throat, she would not let this man touch her.
"No you shall not have what is mine, and she is Sesshoumaru's," not quite the answer as she wanted exactly but it close enough to want she hoped he would say.
"Pity I will just have to take her by force then," the baboon skinned covered man then attacked. Sesshoumaru easily dodged the long vine like attack.
Maru stood there and watch as her father jumped to safety but the attack was still heading towards her. She would not let this thing touch her she moved into the attack and sliced the brown vain off with her claws then turn to the figure that had thrown the attack. She would not be an easy target to take. As she lunged at him ready to strike.
Sesshoumaru was in a fight of his own with the horde of bees he was fighting. They more annoying to him than anything else. The Toukujin was easily taking out whole groups of them. Then Sesshoumaru heard a scream from below him as he watched Maru get impaled by several of Naraku's vine attacks. He went to take out the stupid puppet when a large group of bees was again in his way. Every time he destroyed one group two more seemed to take their place.
Maru could feel the blood dripping from her and as, this Naraku youkai, pulled his vines out of her. She fell to the ground but caught herself on her hands and knees. 'Damn him what does he want with me. I can't even sense anything from this guy.' She looked up to see another attack heading towards her as she slashed up words with her claws tearing apart the attack before it could even reach her. She stood again on her feet and was ready to defend herself again.
He attacked again this time with more vines, and they where coming at her faster. She held out her hand and their in front of her she held a large blue ball, she threw the ball into the vines and jump clear as the ball disaggregated the vines. But she was snatched out of the air all too quick by a set of vines she never knew where there. Wait for her to do just that.
The vines wrapped around her and started to squeeze her tight and they pulled her to Naraku. She let out a small whimper as the vines began to burrow themselves into her skin. Then she stopped moving and sat in quiet unconsciousness, in Naraku's grasp. Sesshoumaru busted through the bees and landed in striking distance of the puppet but didn't when he saw Maru was in his possession.
"Well Sesshoumaru-sama, you have put up a good fight but I still got what I came here for," Naraku boasted taking his human hand and touching Maru's face, "She will make a fine addition."
Sesshoumaru charge in at him, then stopped when Naraku put her in Sesshouamru's path close to his body as a shield.
"Coward!" he spat at him and Naraku began to head away.
"Don't worry Sesshoumaru-sama she will live forever in Naraku." I smile crossed his lips as he lifted into the air.
"NO! I won't!" came from the restrained Maru, "Won't let you destroy what I am, I won't let you do THIS!" Naraku squeezed her trying to make her quiet again.
Sesshoumaru looked on as Maru was having the life squeezed out of her, he could hear bones break as he squeezed her as hard as he could with out killing her. Then he noticed her eyes had changed. Her pupils where small and dilated, and glowing a fire red. The wind began to whip around her causing her hair to lift in the current, the lines on her face became wider and elongated. Her face lengthened and fur now was on her face and body. Then in a sudden burst of energy the vines around her broke and she was nothing more then a purple light upon the night sky. Naraku sat dumbfounded as the purple light became a huge white dog that towered over him, teeth bared, crashing him to the ground.
Sesshoumaru jumped back as the two crashed down in front of him. He stared at her in amusement. She was very much his child, the deep red lines on her face where wrapped around her jaw and her crescent shown easily on her white fur but there where tuffs of fur on her main, around her paws, and through her tail that where the dark auburn of the hair that she had.
She snarled at the small man below her swiping her large claws a cross the man, slicing him into three pieces, crumbling the puppet to dust. She then started slashing and biting at the bees that had started trying to attack her but they where having no luck getting through her thick fur, before she destroyed them.
After several minutes the bees where gone and so was Naraku's puppet. But she still raged on, have no real control of herself in this form. She charged Sesshoumaru, who had been expecting something like this, and he dodged easily enough. He yelled at her in her mind, but it had no effect. Finally after dodging several attacks he was determined to end this now. He raised the Toukujin and with the pressure pushed back the young youkai. She crashed into the trees and then picked herself back up and made for another attack on Sesshoumaru. More enraged than she was before.
Again he raised his sword "ENOUGH!!" he yelled as the blue aura of the sword's pressure shot her down again, into the trees harder than the last time. She stood up off balance and unsure of her footing. She looked at Sesshoumaru her eyes still red, but her face was not contorted into a snarl, but instead a look of confusion and bewilderment, as they dimmed to be two large golden suns staring at him.
She looked at herself unsure what was happening to her and what had happened to the man called Naraku. She noticed her father had drawn a sword on her. Why, what had she done? For that matter what was she doing looking like this. She realized that she was bleeding from several places on her body and couldn't remember how they got there. She longed to know what was happening she dropped to the ground unsure of what to do now. She laid her head down and took a deep breath, and almost knocked Sesshoumaru down as he was putting away his sword and heading over to her.
Seeing that she was again in control of herself, Sesshoumaru, knew she had to be terribly confused in her new form. He was slightly confused by her form. He walked up and touched her blood covered fur with is hand, he hadn't wanted to be so rough but he had no real choice. Now he just had to get her back to normal and they could go home, so he could try to explain, something of what happened to her. He knew she would ask.
After she changed back to normal, Maru passed out whether from stain or lose of blood it was known. Sesshoumaru carried her back home, and placed her on her bed so that she could rest for the night. He would explain later.
She didn't understand how she changed even though it had been explained to her twice now. She understood that he would have a form like that but she couldn't figure out why she had one. She wasn't full youkai, so she thought that she would not have a form such as he did. But she did like one thing that came out of it all her senses where now heighten like the where in her other form. She could hear and smell things much better and easier than she ever had.
Her wounds healed easily enough. At night Sesshoumaru would take her out way from the mansion and get her pissed off enough to change again so that she could learn to control her great power in that form. He was sure that she would be able to control the youkai blood in her seeing as the human part of her was so small. So far she was proving him right. Although she could not change forms at will like he could, but she, unlike Inuyasha, could control her blood.
----
Maru slammed into the wall for the fifth time today. She had failed again. She has been trying to the last week to slip into Sesshoumaru's mind with out him noticing like she had before. Every time she thought she had it she felt like she got hit and ended up being slammed into the wall by the force of the mental attack hitting her unguarded for it.
"Again," Sesshoumaru glanced at her glare, then returned to reading the scroll.
Maru sat back down rubbing large knot on her head. She would continue on like this for another hour before her would allow her to leave. Even though she was tempted to walk out right now, but she didn't feel like causing more trouble with this than she was in other things.
He had not been to happy when she had taken such a beating from the puppet of this Naraku guy, even though it was her that destroyed him, and insisted on training her just about every waking minute of the day, and night. If it wasn't mind training then it was physical training using a weapon.
She hated learning to use a weapon and was sure he knew it to every time he had brought a new one to her to try.
At first she was given a bow, but that failed when she shot Jaken with her arrow. It may not have been so bad if Jaken hadn't been the completely wrong direction from the target.
The toad pulled out the arrow and swung at her with the staff he carried around. Jaken had stopped watching her train shortly after he received a lump on his head care of said staff by her hands.
Then there was the staff. Which she thought, was not bad with other then the fact she kept breaking them. The chain weapon she was given died before she even started practicing with it, she started gathering it up and somehow got herself wrapped up in it.
Finally tired of her breaking the weapons he gave her, he handed her a practice sword. When after several days of not hurting herself or others, or breaking it, she was told that would be her weapon, but she hated it. She was never much into weapons, and never saw why she would need to use it, but she practiced with it for the simple reason of how mad her father had gotten when she refused.
She was constantly annoyed when he watched her. His gaze never seemed to miss anything wrong she ever did. She became even more annoyed when he would point out her mistakes.
The rustle of scroll paper brought her back to the present task at hand. Closing her eyes she slowly withdrew into her mind focusing on lightly reaching out and slipping into his mind. Again she was knocked back.
When she stood up suddenly Sesshoumaru finally looked at her.
"I am done today. I don't seem to be getting any where with you and this is getting me know where." She turned and left. Leaving Sesshoumaru to stare at her back then the door. She was sure she would hear it later.
A smirk crossed his face. 'I had been wondering how long she would sit back and take it. But she will have to get it in the next few weeks; she would be needed when I deal with the other lords. I thought she would have got it by now. After training for nearly three months one would think that she would have been able to achieve this goal. '
He did have to admit though her other skills where becoming very well developed. Her sword skill was coming along quite well, and would be better if she would listen and take his direction in using it a little more. Yet, every time he entered the dojo she would become aggravated and upset. She had kept her mouth shut and didn't say anything about it. She always seemed to have some angry comment or thought on her mind, even though she always seemed to have this pleasant attitude. She was smart in that regard to keep her mouth shut.
----
Jaken hated it when she ran off while they traveled about, and she knew this time would be no different when she returned. But she had to get away some times, she had to ran free unattached to anything. She had never wondered far and always found her way back. After Nararku attack them in the woods close to home they were on the offensive. There were demon guards, which served under her father.
Maru picked up her pace to get back to her father; she would be losing her powers soon and didn't want to be caught alone. Not to mention that she had ran off into the forest this morning after failing in her training with Sesshoumaru, but she was sure she would have plenty of time before she had to get back.
"Osuwari!" Maru heard through the trees as she headed on her way. It was followed by other yelling and another osuwari. At the very least it was curious and she had to check it out.
She peered through the trees, and saw the silver haired boy, Inuyasha, and a human girl wearing a short odd green and white kimono. Inuyasha was laying face first on the ground, with Kagome moving off toward a cart with two wheels and a basket.
Inuyasha pulled himself out of the crater that he was in and jumped into a tree, where he sat sulking. Maru sat and watched as the two argued on.
"Hey Inuyasha stop sulking and come on!" Kagome yelled to the stubborn hanyou.
"FEH!" Was the only response she got in return.
"Inuyasha! We need to go meet with the others." The girl protested
"You can go by yourself you don't need me remember" he snarl back
She walked over to the tree looked up at Inuyasha determined to get him out of that tree.
"Inuyasha," Kagome made eye contact then with no hesitation or emotion, "Osuwari"
Inuyasha yelled falling out of the tree to the ground beside Kagome, and was cursing under his breath, then they both heard laughing coming from the underbrush of the line of trees.
Inuyasha already in a foul mood stomped over there and was shocked as well as upset to find Maru sitting there hysterically laughing at them.
"What so funny eh?" he said grabbing her arm and pulling the laughing Maru from her spot.
Still trying to catch her breath Maru waved her hand, "Nothing!!" Her sides hurt, their where tears running down her face, yet she was just beginning to stop laughing. It was the most amusing thing she had ever seen.
After a minute the girl spoke up, "We know you. Your that girl that was with Sesshoumaru last time." Kagome pointed out changing the subject, "ahh, Maru wasn't it.?
Maru now in control of herself again and no longer laughing, nodded her head, and looked at Inuyasha's hand as it gripped her arm tightly.
Inuyasha didn't trust this girl he didn't know anything about her other than she smelled of Sesshoumaru. He wasn't sure if he should let her go or not, but he did any ways.
They sat and talked for a short while. She explained what was going on and how she was related to Inuyasha and that she was Sesshoumaru's daughter. Inuyasha fell over when he found out he was an uncle to a part human girl. Maru failed to see what was so funny about it but let him laugh and did not question it. She glanced up at the sun and realized that she should be going the sun was getting low in the sky. She stood up said her goodbyes and headed off.
As night got closer Maru was cursing herself for taking so long with Inuyasha and Kagome. She was sure that she would not make it back before night fall, to the palace. She stopped her travel and started searching for someplace that would be safe to keep herself for the night. She found a small out cropping of rocks and slide herself in just as her senses deaden on her.
Now blind and alone in the dark, all she could do is hope for a quiet night. She decided that she better just relax and wait out the night.
It was a heavy foot fall out side the out cropping that woke her. She was fully alert listening for the foot fall again, but she couldn't make anything out, other than a dull smoke that was drifting about. The smoke gagged her, and made her cough has she took a breath. It was then that she her someone on top of the out cropping. Holding her breath to stop the coughing, she new she would be a sitting duck in there and that she would much rather take her chances in running.
She pulled herself out of her hiding place and let out a yelp when something grabbed her. Instinctively she reached around and hit what ever had grabbed her. The shock of her sudden attack caused it to let go, and she began to run.
She ran, the moon casting just enough light through the trees that she could avoid running into them. She ran through the underbrush feeling branches snap her in the face, and arms drawing blood. She wasn't sure what had grabbed her or if it was still following her, but she knew it was best to keep running.
After several minutes of running as fast as her human legs could carry her, Maru began to tire. She glanced back to see if something was chasing her but she didn't get the chance to notice, because no sooner than she turned her head to look back she had fallen to her face, tripping on a tree root. She punched the ground, and wiped the dirt way from her face as she started to stand up. 'Why does it seem when women are in trouble that if they look they fall.' She cursed. What she would give right now for her powers then she heard something behind her. She knew that she wouldn't be able to run much farther, so she turned to confront her follower.
"What luck to have found you here defenseless with out your powers" The voice mused at her
The man standing before her was tall in a white and purple kimono, which was tied with a red sash that went around his waist; his skin was darker than hers, with dark eyes, and raven hair that he had tied back into a braid. If she was normal he wouldn't have looked so threatening, instead quite handsome in a deadly type of way, but right now she would have gladly paid to be any where else.
She pulled herself up off the tree root, "Who are you?"
"Bankotsu" he looked quite please with her confusion.
"What do you want with me," making her way to her feet. Preparing herself for a fight.
"I don't want you, someone else does," the strange man replied with a smile.
He lunged at her, as she let out a strangled yelp, as he hit her in the gut knocking the wind out of her, and by the time she was gasping for air he had hit her in the back of the head sending her to the ground. She laid there motion less.
"All too easy," Bankotsu picked up the limb girl and threw her over his shoulder and walked east.
-------
I figured i would answer questions i figured would come up. Well at least one. Maru doesn't lose her demon powers every month like Inuyasha, she loses them aboue every 3 months at the change of the seasons.