The Un-Mother
"Why would someone be looking for your father's grave? That doesn't make sense." I said, looking at Myoga.
"It became far too dangerous for me to stay as a mere grave keeper so I-." he said, only to be cut off by Inuyasha.
"You ran away didn't ya!" he scowled. Myoga laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.
"I remember hearing that your father was an extremely powerful demon who ruled the west." Kaede said.
"I don't really remember him" Inuyasha said uninterestedly.
"His father was a very great and imposing demon lord, and hid blood was very delicious." Myoga said dreamily.
"What about his mother?" Kagome asked.
"She was a beauty beyond compare- OOF!"
"Just shut up about it! She died a long time ago." He growled, storming out into the night. I sighed and stood up, following him out.
I found him sitting in the Sacred Tree, staring at the sky.
"Yashie." I called softly.
"Whadda ya want?" he snapped, not even bothering to look down. I rubbed my face with my hands and sighed.
"Why do you always make things so difficult?" I mumbled. I jumped up next to him and tucked my hands into my pockets. "I lost my mother too Yashie. And only a few years ago too." I said, sighing sadly.
"Look, I don't really want to talk about it okay?" he said, still irritated. I nodded and jumped down.
"Keira! There you are!" Kagome said, running up to me with her bike at her side. She stared at Inuyasha for a while, before I sensed a BIG demonic aura. Inuyasha slammed on top of me and Kagome, slamming us into the ground.
"Get down!" he said, looking up at the sky. I growled and squirmed out from under him, standing straight and brushing off my clothes. I looked up and saw a carriage flying slowly across the sky. The cloth door flew aside and inside sat a woman wrapped in chains surrounded by little green imps.
"M-Mother?" Inuyasha stuttered. A massive hand came out of the sky and crushed the carriage, grabbing onto his mother. Inuyasha jumped up to save him when I sensed Sesshomaru's aura. I reached out to grab him, but a stream of fire shot out before him. I blocked the flame before any hit Kagome, and saw Jaken and Sesshomaru on the demon's shoulder.
"Jaken. We talk now and kill later," He said.
"Yes My Lord," Jaken said pulling his staff back.
"You stupid toad, you could have hit my cousin." I growled. I reversed the flame and shot it back towards Jaken. He narrowly avoided the attack, but it caught the sleeve of his shirt on fire. He flailed his arm around, and almost fell off the demon's shoulder. I laughed as he scrambled around trying to put out the fire. Kagome elbowed me in the side, and I hardly flinched. I cleared my throat and got serious again.
"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yelled. Sesshomaru smirked from his perch, looking down at him.
"So I see you remembered the face of your elder brother." He said. Kagome gasped from behind Inuyasha, who growled.
"Well I'll be damned." I said, looking from Inuyasha to Sesshomaru and back again. The only resemblances I could see were the eyes and the hair color. There weren't many others, if any. Sesshomaru looked at Kagome hiding behind Inuyasha's sleeve, and to me. I grinned mockingly, waggling my fingers at him.
"A human? How fitting Inuyasha. Although I don't know how you get her to stay with you." He said, tilting his head in my direction. I rolled my eyes, scoffing at him.
"Unless you want me to kick your sorry ass again, I'd shut up." I warned, tossing a fireball from one hand to another. His eyes flashed red for the tiniest fraction of a second. Too fast for Inuyasha to notice evidently, as he didn't react.
"A half demon whose mother is a vile creature such as a human. You have brought shame to our family." He sneered, obviously continuing from the earlier conversation.
"Did you come all the way just to tell me that?" Inuyasha yelled, waving his fist at him. I giggled at the cartoonish style, but stopped as Sesshomaru replied heatedly.
"Don't be a fool! I have no such time to waste. I wish to know the location of our father's tomb."
"His tomb? I have no idea."
"Well then, your mother will just have to suffer for it." he said, and slashed the demon in the face with his poison whip. The demon roared, and clenched the fist holding Inuyasha's mother. She cried out in pain, and Inuyasha snarled, moving to jump towards her. I held his arm tightly, holding him back.
"She's dead Yashie. She's not real." I said quietly. He nodded, and relaxed slightly.
"You think I'd fall for that? She died years ago!" he said. Jaken waved his staff around, shouting indignantly.
"You baka! Bringing back the dead is an easy feat for one as powerful as Lord Sesshomaru!"
I saw Inuyasha starting to believe the toad's words.
"It's true Inuyasha. I have come back from the dead." The woman called. Just freaking great! Now he really believed. He jumped up and cut off the demon's arm, making his mother fall. I caught her, and immediately dropped her on the ground by Kagome. Something about her didn't feel right. It was almost like she had a demonic aura, but it was covered up by something. Kagome rushed to her side, and I saw Inuyasha get hit by the demon's other hand. He came crashing towards us, and I didn't have time to make a barrier of any kind without hitting Inuyasha. His "mother" held up her hands and an orb of white light shot out, blinding us all.
I woke up and saw Inuyasha being sucked into the woman, who now had no face. I sensed that Kagome was awake but she wasn't moving. I saw the little imps tying me down, and I sliced through them with my claws. I ran at Inuyasha, pulling on his arm.
"Let go of him! He's mine!" she yelled, grabbing onto my hand. I gasped as I was sucked into a memory of the fateful day I lost my mother. A memory so far buried that I had almost forgotten it. Almost.
0909090 FLASHBACK 090909090
A human Keira and her mother walked down the street on a balmy summer evening. Keira had her arms full of grocery bags, as did her mother.
"Hurry up Keira. It's getting dark out." She said, walking a little faster and glancing around nervously. Keira laughed, not bothering to go faster.
"Calm down momma. It won't be dark for another like, ten minutes." She said lazily, shifting the bags in her arms.
"The dark is never safe. No matter what you do, how many precautions you take." She said, quickening her pace to almost a jog. Keira walked a little faster, easily catching up to her mother with her long legs.
"What do you me-." She started, only to run into her mother, who had stopped in her tracks.
"No, no you can't take her. She's safe to be around!" Her mother yelled into an alley. Two men appeared from behind them, and pushed them forward into the darkness. Keira blinked, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. She could barely see the outline of a large man in a trench coat.
"What's going on here?" she asked, standing protectively in front of her mother. The man laughed, grabbing onto her arm.
"She acts just like me, Lily. But she looks so much like you." (Her mother was half American, hence the non-Japanese name.)He said, dragging me towards him. My mother struggled against the men holding her back, trying to get to me.
"No! I said you can't take her! She isn't dangerous! She doesn't have to be destroyed!" she cried. I tensed.
"Destroyed? What are you talking about?" I asked, looking towards my mother.
"I'm sorry, but I can't risk it. The combination is just too dangerous!" he said, almost pleading. An eerie red light appeared in front of my face, making it impossible to see anything. My mother broke free of her captors as the light flew towards me, and stood in front of it. It seemed to blow out, but something spattered my face. The light came back, and faded out. Then, a white light illuminated the alley. I saw my mother slumped in the man's arms, blood staining her white blouse. She didn't look to be breathing, and I started to silently cry.
"I…couldn't…let her….own fath…er kill…her." She breathed, before going still.
"It wasn't supposed to end this way." He said, laying her gently on the ground. He turned towards me, and held out a bloody hand. "Come on daughter. I guess I won't kill you after all." I snarled, and willed myself to become cold.
"I have no desire to come with you. You are no father of mine. I suggest you leave before you do more damage than you already have." I said emotionlessly. He jerked back for a second, and let his hand fall.
"I beg you, come with me. You'll be safe." He said desperately. I growled, letting my mask slip for a second.
"Do you see what you've done? How can I be safe with you? I'll explain it a little more clearly for you and your tiny brain. I HATE YOU. HATE. H-A-T-E. I want NOTHING to do with you ever again. You are NO FATHER OF MINE!" I shrieked. He seemed to finally get the message, and turned to walk away.
"Fine, I see. I won't bother you again," he said, walking away. I hugged my mother's body to me, ignoring the blood soaking onto my new jeans. I closed her eyes, and cried for her.
09090909090 END FLASHBACK 0909090
I gasped, and fell to my knees, shivering. Tears were streaming steadily down my face, and I was gasping for air. Kagome and Inuyasha ran to my side.
"Key? Are you okay?" she asked, trying to hug me. I dug my nails into the ground, forcing myself to stop crying. I shrugged her off, and stood up, my rage surely the only thing showing on my face.
"I'm fine." I bit out, looking around. I sensed Sesshomaru coming towards us, and the demon woman exploded in a burst of green light. He tried to attack Inuyasha, but I summoned a rock wall to stop him. I tried to anyway. The earth didn't respond to my commands, nor did any other of my powers. Sesshomaru grabbed onto his neck, and dug his fingers in Inuyasha's right eye. He dragged out a shiny black pearl, and I finally attacked. I grabbed onto his wrist, and the pearl dropped to the ground.
"Do. Not. Touch. Him." I snarled, throwing him backwards. He sailed into a dead tree, and created a large cloud of dust. He came flying back through it, his whip glowing. I stepped backwards to dodge, and crushed the pearl. A portal opened, and I was sucked into it along with Sesshomaru. I could finally use my powers, and shot myself forward with my wind. I came out of the portal and landed on a skeletal bird. I saw a giant dog skeleton wearing armor in the middle of hundreds of bluffs and buttes. The bird glided towards the skeleton, and I jumped off, landing on the head. I jumped into the eye socket, and down the throat. I landed silently on the balls of my feet, looking around. I saw a golden pedestal with a sword sticking out of it. The sword looked chipped and rusty, like it had been sitting there for hundreds of years. I felt something lay gently at my left side, and I jumped. It was my sword. I thought I had left that when I had fought Yura, since it didn't cut anything. I tied the sheath tighter to my side, and made sure the blade was in all the way. I shrugged my kimono off, since it was dirty and tattered and would only get in the way. I tied my hair in a high ponytail just as Sesshomaru entered the skeleton. He landed just where I had been standing, and I jumped up, hanging onto one of the ribs. I created a cloud, and floated above, watching him. I didn't bother to cover my scent or aura, since he had probably sensed me as soon as he came within a ten mile radius.
I watched as he tried to pull the sword out, when an aura flared out towards his hand. It made me feel antsy, and uncomfortable. His hand was surrounded by crackling energy, and he pulled back, the appendage smoking.
"Figures. There's a kekkai on it." he said, watching as his hand returned to normal.
"Kekkai? A spiritual barrier?" I said, not intending for him to hear me. He looked up at me.
"You know of them?" he asked. I nodded, floating down slowly.
"A kekkai is a man-made spiritual ward. They can be made by any level of priest or priestess, but the more powerful the monk or priestess, the longer the barrier lasts." I said, reaching towards the barrier. It looked like a light pink dome, and it pulsed every few seconds. It hummed around my hand, and I could just barely pass through it before it rejected me.
"Why did you try to touch the sword when the barrier is so obvious?"
"What are you talking about? I can't see anything." He said. I blinked. "Only priests and priestesses can see these types of barriers."
"What's the most dangerous combination of demon or priest or anything you can think of?" I asked, thinking hard.
"A powerful demon and a powerful priest or priestess I would say. They could protect themselves from demons and priests or priestesses." He said slowly, raising a brow.
"'The combination is too dangerous,'" I repeated lowly.
"What are you-." He said.
"SESSHOMARU!" Inuyasha shouted, bursting in with Kagome on his back. He came rushing towards Sesshomaru, and I back flipped onto the pedestal to avoid Iron Reaver Soul Stealer. The attack missed by at least a foot, turning towards me instead.
"Shit!" I cursed, deflecting the attack with wind blades, and an ice dome to be safe.
"Baka! Are you aiming?" Sesshomaru sneered, slicing at him with his whip.
"Just pull the sword out already!" Kagome yelled after about five minutes of fighting. She stood up, using the sword as support.
"Now, die Inuyasha!" Sesshomaru said, slicing towards Inuyasha. Kagome gasped, and lurched towards Inuyasha, pulling the sword out. The guys and Kagome froze, staring at the sword.
"Uh, sorry. It slipped." She said nervously. Inuyasha tried to get a hit on Sesshomaru, but failed miserably. Sesshomaru sped towards Kagome, but I stopped him.
"I may be able to have a civil conversation with you, but that doesn't mean you can get anywhere near Kagome." I said. "I can sense how dangerous you are from miles away. I don't trust you." He seemed mildly surprised, but didn't stand down. He tried to step around me, and I stopped him again. His frown deepened, and he tensed.
"You can't touch her." I said, not moving.
"Who are you to order me around?" he sneered. He drew his hand back and it started to glow green. I dodged easily, and we started to spar. It went on like this for a few minutes, before he finally got a hit on me. His hand pierced through my armor and out my back. I grunted, and fell to one knee, grimacing.
"Well, that kinda hurts," I rasped. I saw him walk to Kagome with slightly blurred vision. I felt the poison burning in my wound. He killed Kagome with his poison claws as I watched in horror. Suddenly, as my wound closed the rest of the way, I felt so ANGRY. My vision turned red, and my sword rattled. I pulsed once, before a pain like knives filled my head. I moaned, drawing the guys' attention back to me. I held my head in my hands, trying to ease the pain somehow. Another pain shot through my head, and I bit my lip, trying not to scream.
"What did you do?" Inuyasha shouted at his older brother. Sesshomaru scoffed.
"I did nothing you fool." He said, and that was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.
I woke up in the dark.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" I called out. The only thing that I heard was my echo. I walked until I saw a pink light, and sped up a little. I made out the shape of two women, and they seemed to be fighting.
"Let me go! She needs my help don't you see that?" One yelled. The other threw a chain at her.
"She does NOT need you. Stand down!" I could see them more clearly, and they looked like…ME! The one in chains had my hair, but her eyes were red. The other looked like me as a human, and her eyes glowed pink.
"Who the heck are you?" I said, putting a hand on my sword. The human me sighed, and the demon me laughed.
"I am you inner miko Keira, and she," she said, motioning towards the demon me, "Is your inner demon."
"O…kay?" I said, confused out of my mind. The ground rumbled under my feet, so much that I almost fell over.
"Oh dear." Miko me said. The demon me laughed again, breaking out of her chains.
"We have to do something. Her friends are toast if we don't do something." She said. The Miko me nodded, turning towards me.
"You can release me and let your miko powers loose, or you can let your demon out, and transform." She said.
"What type of demon am I exactly?" I asked. Demon me spoke up this time.
"You are 55 percent Elemental demon, 30 percent Inu demon, and 15 percent miko. So, when you transform, you will turn into a dog." She said. I thought it over for a second.
"I think I'll let the demon out. I can't risk purifying Inuyasha." I said to miko me. She nodded, smiling encouragingly. "Now, I have one rule. Don't hurt my friends or comrades, okay? You can do that right?" I asked demon me. She nodded, and I returned to my body. I saw a dog Sesshomaru attacking Inuyasha, and then my vision turned red again. I felt power flow through me, and my body changed shape. I tuned into a large black dog, with the flame on my forehead, and a brown, green, blue, and white multicolored tail. My paws were surrounded by fire, and I assumed my eyes were red.
I launched myself at him, knocking him away from Inuyasha. I bit into his shoulder, and he growled before tossing me away. I slammed into the side of the skeleton, cracking one of the ribs. Inuyasha was yelling, and his sword transformed into a larger one, which was sharp and long. He sliced up Sesshomaru's leg, before chopping it off completely. The wound gushed blood, and he fell to the ground. After a second, he changed into a white orb and flew away. The red receded from my vision, and I changed back to my normal state.
"Come on Keira! Let's go before Sesshomaru gets back." Kagome said, pulling Inuyasha through the portal. I stood to follow, but the portal closed before I could get through it.
"Well, that's just fan-freaking-tastic!" I growled. I let my aura flare out, trying to find Inuyasha or Kagome. I only found the very weak aura of Sesshomaru, and it kept fading in and out. I assumed that he was fading in and out of consciousness.
"Ugh, I'm gunna regret this later." I said, using my cloud to fly in his direction.
I found him in a clearing surrounded by tall trees, still bleeding. I landed by him, and he whipped his head around, snarling. His eyes were still red, probably to protect himself.
"Calm down," I snapped, rolling my eyes. His eyes turned golden again, and he relaxed.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. I knelt by his side, pulling up his sleeve.
"I'm going to heal this." I said, touching it gently. He jerked, and I sighed. "Hold on a second." I closed my eyes and called on my miko abilities and infused it with my water ability. The now pink water surrounded the wound, and I healed the wound. I scrunched my eyebrows. 'Maybe I can grow his arm back.' I thought.
"Hold out your other arm." I said. He raised a brow, but did as I said. I started from the shoulder, and memorized the feel of the muscles, and travelled down the arm all the way to the ends of his claws. I moved back to the other side, and moved my hands where the arm should be. I focused really hard, and the flesh started to grow back. I got halfway done, when I felt my nose start to bleed. I yanked my hands away, leaving a half-finished arm.
"Shit. I'm starting to hemorrhage." I said, wiping my nose on my sleeve. I sat against a tree tiredly. "I'll have to finish in a little while. My brain needs to heal."
"I didn't know you were part miko." He said, pulling his sleeve down. I laughed.
"Neither did I, until my inner demon told me back inside the skeleton." I said.
"What else are you?" he asked.
"I'm 55 percent Elemental demon, 30 percent Inu demon, and 15 percent miko," I said. He didn't respond, which bugged the crap out of me. I took some water and swirled it around me, making all sorts of shapes and designs.
"You have waited long enough. Finish my arm," He demanded. I closed my eyes, resisting the urge to growl. I heard my inner demon growling, despite my miko's best efforts to keep her calm. I stood up, and continued growing his arm. When I finally finished, he had a perfect copy of his previous arm. I stood up and started to walk away.
"I am in your debt…" he trailed off.
"My name is Keira. And yes, you certainly are." I said, walking away. I felt his aura flare out dangerously before receding again, and I ran instead of walking. A skeletal bird swooped down, and I jumped onto its back. I slapped my cheek as I felt something bite it.
"Myoga?" I said. He floated down onto the palm of my hand, and popped into his normal shape again.
"Keira! There you are! Everyone is so worried about you!" he gushed. He snapped his fingers, and another portal opened. I sighed in relief.
"I'm glad to be out of there!" I said.