Its short I know. I feel like I'm spreading myself out among to many projects. The next chapter should be longer. Later

White Wash Puppet

Chapter 2: To Choose Freedom

"If you want the jewel you have to promise!" Kagura fiercely demanded of the shocked hanyo as she placed the small albino girl in his arms.

"What?!"

"Promise me you'll take care of her Inuyasha." The sorceress demanded once more.

"Fine fine, I promise." Inuyasha blurted out. Anything to finally get the Shikon Jewel back.

"Kagura?" Kanna asked, unsure of what exactly was transpiring.

Kagura smiled as she released a long held breath and petted the young girls head. "From now on you'll be staying with InuYasha, understood" Kanna merely nodded, though she still did not understand the reasoning behind her sister's actions.

"Kagura, what about the Shikon Jewel?" Kagome asked as she stepped forward from InuYasha's side.

"I haven't forgotten. Catch." Kagura said as she tossed the jewel to the miko. "And InuYasha, thank you." Kagura said to the half-demon with a smile before she crumbled to the ground lifelessly.

InuYasha stepped back in shock. "I didn't do anything, I swear!" he shouted as Miroku rushed up and checked Kagura's pulse. The monk looked up at the rest of his comrades.

"She's dead."

"That wasn't even that long ago." InuYasha thought from his place in the high treetops overlooking the village below. The hanyo was still amazed at how much life could change with just a few days time. Not even a week ago he would have been on the road with his friends in their quest to hunt down and destroy Naraku. Now everything was different. Naraku was gone, for good it seemed, and everyone was now in the process of rebuilding. On top of that he was now expected to be the guardian of a former enemy. Had the situation not been true he would have laughed at how absurd it sounded. He buried his face into the palm of his hand. "It's like I've been thrown into a badly written play."

"InuYasha." A quiet voice called.

InuYasha peeked through cracks in between his fingers to only to see the main cause of his troubles standing right before. He stared dumbly at the young girl, his eye slightly twitching. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Several minutes. I did not want to disturb you, but since you failed to notice me after so long I decided to make my presence known." She answered without much thought.

The dog-demon slide his palm down his face as if he was trying to wipe away the mental fatigue from his very body. "Well I have been meaning to talk to you so I guess now is as good as a time as ever."

"Have you?" She asked with a stoic expression.

"Yeah, well I've been thinking. What exactly was your relationship with Naraku?"

"We were all his servants. His tools to do with as he pleases." She dispassionately answered.

"So you weren't free?"

"Free? Kagura often spoke of one day being free, though I honestly never really understood the concept."

"Well you see everyone is suppose to be free. Its when bastards like Naraku start manipulating and forcing people to do things they don't want to do that real trouble starts. You can't be free when someone is controlling you, understand? A person should be free to make their own choices." InuYasha explained.

"It is different, but I think I understand." Kanna answered as she tilted her head in thought. "But the concept is still very alien to me."

"Well I want you to think about it for awhile. I'm sure you'll understand with some time."

"Maybe."

"Anyway Kanna, why did you come all the way out here to find me?" InuYasha asked after several moments of thought.

"You're friends have returned and wish to talk to you." Kanna answered as her mirror glowed brightly before the reflective surface vanished to show an overhead view of Miroku, Sango, Kagome, Shippo, and Kirara sitting in one of the village huts talking cheerfully.

"Well that explains how you can always find me." The hanyo said under his breath.

"The miko girl seems troubled about something and the monk and hunter wish to speak to you concerning me." Kanna continued.

"If things weren't complicated enough as they were." He huffed. "Well I guess I should get back to the village. Want a lift back?" InuYasha offered. Kanna merely stared at him without a word. His question clearly arousing uncertainty in the eldest incarnation. "Well do you want a ride or not?" The dog demon asked again more loudly in case Kanna didn't hear him the first time.

"I will if that is your wish."

InuYasha groaned in exasperation. "Its not about what I want. Its about what you want."

"What I want." She repeated, echoing the words with a distant voice. It was the first time she was ever given a real choice.

"Well?" The dog demon asked once more as he stood up and looked at the younger demon. "If you want to come with me you have to speak up sooner or later." He said as he offered her his hand.

Kanna watched him. Her black eyes darting between InuYasha's outstretched hand and his own amber eyes. Though she showed no signs of it externally, confusion had already set inside her mind. Was she so accustomed to the institution of a master-servant relationship that even such a menial choice as this perplexed her?

"Kagura died so that I could be free and to be free I must make choices." She thought as her hand slowly reached out towards InuYasha's. "Then my first choice as someone who's free is to go with the hanyo." She looked up at InuYasha's face once more. "No, he's not the hanyo, he's InuYasha. I choose to go with him." She thought and after what seemed like an eternity she finally took his hand. "Yes…" She answered weakly.

A fanged grin spread across InuYasha's face. "I'm glad to see that you're learning something." He said as he picked her up in one swift motion and proceeded to jump from treetop to treetop.

Kanna had faced numerous dangers in her time and had unwavering served perhaps the most dangerous demon to ever exist. She was created to show no emotion and fear was no exception to that rule, but as InuYasha took her hand. As he cradled her in his arms and rushed back to the village something happened. Kanna wasn't sure what it was, but for one brief second. For one of the shortest times in history. For one microsecond of her life.

Kanna was scared.

End Chapter 2