Okay, now you learn the relationships between the characters! And you learn the names of the two demons that claim to be Kishitaro's siblings. As of yet, no one has guessed who his parents are! I had one reviewer ask if they were all related to InuYasha, but that was as close as anyone got! I'm very disappointed in my reviewers for not guessing. How am I supposed to have any fun if you don't guess? Oh well, shutting up now!

Disclaimer: Uh, Kishitaro and his siblings are mine. All mine! But nobody else.

The three of them were sitting in silence, listening to the rain fall outside. Kishitaro held his ruined headband in his hands, staring blankly at it. He had to tell them. No matter how hard it was, they needed to know. They'd probably guessed half of it anyway, because of the mark on his forehead.

InuYasha and Kagome didn't rush him. It was obvious that if they did, he wouldn't be able to begin. Patience was what they needed; it was the best way to handle this surprising situation.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he began. "I should have told you before, Uncle, but I was afraid to. You see, I am the son of Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands, and Kagura the Wind Sorceress."

Kagome gasped. "Sesshomaru fell in love with Kagura? When did this happen?"

"Some time after you two vanished from the feudal era." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Those demons that attacked us are my older siblings. Amoyael, my brother, and Antheron, my sister. They're twins, and always work together, which is why they were both there. As you've seen, Yael takes after mother, while Theron takes after father. Both have proven themselves to be strong and ruthless warriors.

"They were trying to force me to go back home. I'm not supposed to be mingling with the humans, as it's against the demon law. But I can't go back there. I'm a disgrace to the family, always being pushed around and humiliated. It's too much to bear." He closed his eyes to hold back tears, his fists clenched in his lap.

"I can understand what you're going through," InuYasha said quietly. "Just not why. I've been hated for being a half-demon, but what did you do?"

"What did I do?" Kishitaro laughed, a harsh, grief-filled sound. "I refused to kill. I refused to use my telepathy as a weapon against others. It's the only ability I have. My power allows me to more easily connect with people, especially humans. And I've seen how many suffer from diseases of the mind, and I know I can help. That's just what I want to do…help."

They sat in silence once more, no one quite knowing what to say. The only sounds were Kishitaro's uneven breathing and the rain, pitter-pattering on the roof.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The following day was cloudy, though the rain had ceased to fall. When Kagome went for her usual afternoon walk through the park, Kishitaro came along. He couldn't stand being cooped up indoors, and, secretly, he wanted to spend some time with Kagome before he had to leave. His uncle's mind needed only to be checked for signs of darkness one last time, and it was much too dangerous for him to remain with them. Amoyael and Antheron would come for him again, he knew. But they'd be better prepared, and he wanted no one to get hurt simply because he was a fleeing coward.

"Have you tried talking to Sesshomaru, to find some sort of compromise?" Kagome asked, breaking the silence.

"There's no compromising with Father. And he's already angry with me for healing the minds of humans and half-demons." He was walking with his head lowered and shoulders drooping, depressed.

"Yeah, he wouldn't care too much for that." After a moment's pause, she asked, "How many half-demons have you helped?"

"Quite a few. Since they cannot completely control their demon blood, their minds are more susceptible to darkness. I think you might know one of them; I believe her name was Ai."

"Ai? We haven't seen her or her brothers and sisters in ages. I hope she's doing alright."

"I could take you guys to see her if you want. I visit her often."

"Really? That would be great! And I'm sure InuYasha will be thrilled to see her. He never admitted it, but he got pretty attached to her when she was a little girl." Kagome smiled happily, anticipating the visit.

Slowly, the two of them made their way out of the park. "Listen, I have to run to the store before I head home. I'll see you again in a bit, okay?" Kagome said.

"Sure. I'll get my Uncle's last session over with while we're waiting for you." He couldn't help but smile as she walked away.

InuYasha was acting strange when Kishitaro returned. He was a bit worried, but when he found no trace of darkness clouding his uncle's mind, he let it pass. Whatever was troubling him was clearly something he didn't want to share. As usual, Kishitaro slumped to the floor against the wall and fell into a deep slumber, exhausted from using his telepathy.

oOoOoOo

Kishitaro awoke to the sound of glass breaking. He forced himself to his feet and rushed to the next room as fast as his fatigue would allow. Kagome was standing in the kitchen holding a scrap of paper. A bag of groceries was on the floor by her feet, its contents spilling out. "What happened?" he asked urgently.

"H…he's gone," she whispered, staring blankly at the paper in her hand. She looked as if she was about to faint, her face ghostly pale. Quietly, he guided her back into the other room to sit on the couch.

"What do you mean, 'He's gone?'" Kishitaro asked gently. She was greatly distressed, and he didn't want to make it any worse, but he needed to know.

In reply, she pushed the paper into his hand and clung to him, sobbing, too overcome to speak. Fearful of what he would find, he looked at the scrap. On it was a hastily scribbled note which read:

I'm truly sorry, but I have to leave. Things will never be right between us again, and I can't stay here knowing what I've done. I can never forgive myself for it. -InuYasha-

Kishitaro reread the note, stunned. His uncle had just left like that while he was sleeping, without a word of goodbye. How could he have left Kagome, knowing she loved him with her heart and soul? It just didn't make sense. And most importantly, what had forced him to go?

"Kagome," he said, gently touching her quaking shoulder. "What did he do that he can't forgive himself?"

She slowly got herself under control, sitting up. "It really wasn't his fault at all," she whispered. Her voice sounded distant, haunted. "It was mine."

"It was almost a year ago now. We were throwing a birthday party for my brother. I'd told InuYasha to leave Tetsusaiga inside so none of my Sota's friends would want to see it. He always hated when other people touched his sword. But…" She faltered, taking a deep breath. "We didn't know there were still demons around. Least of all Naraku's incarnations…"

Flashback: (A/N: My first flashback!)

InuYasha stiffened beside Kagome. "What is it?" she asked. The last of her brother's friends had just left, and they were cleaning up the remains of the party.

"I smell Naraku," he hissed.

"But, we killed him. Besides, he couldn't get through the well. He can't be here."

Suddenly, a large blue-grey wolverine demon appeared from nowhere, landing gracefully on her feet in front of InuYasha. "So, I've found you at last," she said menacingly.

"Who the hell are you?" InuYasha asked, reaching for Tetsusaiga. But it wasn't there; he'd left it safely tucked away in Kagome's bedroom.

"I am Gezana, the last incarnation of Naraku, and the one most loyal to him. My master shall be avenged!" She leapt at InuYasha, snarling savagely.

"Can you hold her off until I get Tetsusaiga?" Kagome asked in a whisper. They had to kill Gezana quickly, before any of her family was hurt. They were just around the other side of the house, oblivious to the savage demon that had arrived.

"Feh. 'Course I can."

Kagome ran into the house, dashing up the stairs with surprising agility. She could hear the sounds of the battle outside, and knew she had to hurry. Her family would surely go to see what the commotion was, and then… Snatching up her bow and quiver along with InuYasha's sword, she rushed back outside, ready to help.

Gezana was stronger than they'd thought and InuYasha was practically defenseless without Tetsusaiga. Kagome returned just in time to see InuYasha slice the demon to shreds with his claws, eyes glowing demonic red, purple demon stripes on his face. "No, InuYasha!" she called, unthinking. She'd thought; they'd all thought; he had his demon blood under control now. How could this be happening?

"What's going on?" she heard her grandfather ask as he, her mother, and Sota came around the corner of the house, coming between her and InuYasha.

The half-demon was snarling, his bloodlust up. As every other time he'd transformed, he was out to kill. So Kagome did the only thing she could think of to stop him. "SIT BOY!" He went plummeting to the ground, but rose immediately, undeterred.

"W…What's wrong with InuYasha?" Sota stammered, backing up a step.

"You guys, run! Hurry! SIT BOY!" But they seemed frozen to the spot, and InuYasha was still coming.

"It was terrible!" Kagome cried, tears streaming from under closed lids as she trembled with grief. "I couldn't stop him, no matter how many times I sat him, and...and…I saw my entire family slaughtered before my eyes. Even our cat, Buyo. And when he turned on me, I had no choice; I…I had to shoot him with one of my purifying arrows. I managed not to kill him, and he snapped out of it…but, that's when he started becoming so angry and violent." She stopped talking, unable to say anything more. But she didn't need to.

"It wasn't your fault," Kishitaro said gently, giving her a friendly hug. "You couldn't have known a demon was going to attack."

She cried on his shoulder, letting out all the pain she'd kept bottled up so long. Kishitaro knew that she probably hadn't cried at all over the loss of her family, for fear of upsetting InuYasha. He knew very well that half-demons couldn't control their actions when possessed by their demon blood, and he knew just as well how much pain it caused them.

"Why hello, dear brother."

"I hope you don't mind us dropping in."

Both of them stiffened at the sound of those two cold voices. They turned to see that Amoyael and Antheron had let themselves in through the open window. Kagome went cold all over, and Kishitaro pulled her closer. He was still weak, and couldn't fight. They were defenseless.

How did you like it? Isn't suspense great? Don't you hate me now? Let me know, please? I need reviews!