OMG! I'm really sorry! Instead of posting chapter 12, I accidentally posted chapter 9 twice. lol my mistake. Thank-you Bird that flies at dawn and Deadman19. lol I never would have noticed that.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha only my OC

" No matter what anyone says, I've always loved and cared about you….Believe the truth,"

Shiori woke to a pittering sound hitting the forest floor. She turned over on her side and stared at the fallen rain. Shiori was kept dry by the safety of the cave she slept in. She noticed her fire had gone out, so she slowly created a new one.

"That dream again…..it's always the same one," She thought. "Could it have been a dream the first time as well?"

It had been 50 years since she last saw her father. For him to visit her out of the blue was just strange. Especially because he suppose to be dead! The last she'd heard of him, he was being executed. He was placed in eternal slumber and sent deep into the pits of the netherworld. It wasn't quite death, but in ways much worse. She never did find out what exactly brought upon his execution.

"He sure did pick the worst possible time to talk to me. But why did he tell me that of all things?"

For years people told Shiori stories of her father. Everyone was quick to tell her that he never cared about her. Ever since Shiori found out the truth of her father, she'd heard nothing but bad things. When Shiori was born, her mother passed her off as a normal tennin child. No one knew of her secret liaison with a shinigami. Both she and her husband were performing an assignment outside the sacred lands. They were both severely wounded by an evil demon and left dead. Then Shiori's father appeared before her mother giving her a choice. If she gave him a child, she could have her life back. Her husband wasn't offered a deal and his soul was taken away. Her mother accept and they mated right there.

It was easy to assume that her child belonged to her late husband. Because the air of the sacred lands is so pure, Shiori's shinigami blood was purified. She looked no different than any other tennin living in the lands. But she still only had half tennin blood, and wasn't as efficient at tennin abilities. Shiori was always the last to learn everything. She hated never being as good as everyone else. Still, no one ever suspected her true heritage. Though, many people did notice Shiori's behavior wasn't that of a normal tennin. She was constantly getting herself into trouble, as well as her sister Emi.

Emi and Shiori weren't sisters by blood, but their families were very close. In fact, Shiori's mother confided in Emi's mother about her birth. As children, Shiori and Emi did everything together. Emi was always present during Shiori's shenanigans. After awhile, Emi's mother began to pull Emi away from Shiori. She believed Shiori was becoming a bad influence on her. Everyone believed she was becoming a bad influence.

Centuries ago, the Great Dog Demon and his family came to visit their lands. They were all given special trinkets to keep them from being purified by the air. When Shiori heard they were coming, all tennin were to be present during their arrival It was there, that she saw Sesshomaru for the first time. But t they never spoke. It wasn't until many years later that Sesshomaru and Shiori would officially meet.

At first, Shiori didn't seem to care too much about the noble family. It wasn't until later, when the Great Dog Demon saved her from death, that she became fascinated with them. She wanted to leave the sacred lands and learn from him.

Sometime after the Great Dog Demon's death, Reika found out about Shiori's true heritage. She exposed it to everyone and ridiculed her mother. When Shiori confronted her mother, she confirmed that the story was true. Naturally, she was angry at her mother for keeping such a secret. She lashed out as Emi as well who also knew the truth. Reika began wonder about Shiori. She grew to fear her because of the strange powers she may possess. She feared that Shiori would one day try and overthrow her reign. So she convinced her subjects to fear her as well. Eventually Shiori was casted out of the sacred lands. Once she evicted, she was exposed to unpurified air and began to change. Her eyes went from lilac to violet. Her hair went from white to black. She developed strange abilities. It had been 50 years, since she was forced to leave her home. During that time, her mother died and she wasn't allowed to attend her funeral.

After the death of her mother, she met her father for the first time. He sought her out and told her to strengthen her shinigami abilities. He also taught her to respect the dead. And just like that, he was gone with the wind. Shiori had so many questions for her father, but he was never around to answer any of them. Shortly after meeting him, Shiori learned her father was executed. Her parents died right after each other. She would never receive the answers she searched for. The only thing he left her was a sword.

Shiori casually drew her sword and stared at the blade. She was certain it wasn't a shinigami blade, because it was silver. Shinigami were known to wield black bladed swords. So where did her father get this sword from? No one other than Shiori had ever used the blade. She could tell because the first time she held it, she didn't sense any energy from it. Usually, a weapon that's been used in many battles is swirling with energy. Where had this sword come from?

"That sound…it's dreadful," Shiori thought.

She sat up and stared at the cave opening. Something was coming her way; something out of this world. Her body suddenly felt chilled and she held onto her sword tightly. What could it be?

"It sounds like a swarm of crying souls. They're calling out to me. What's going on?"

She stayed on alert as the sound approached closer, but she didn't move from her spot. Whatever it was, it was coming very slowly. She sensed only one presence, but many different energies at once. She only heard the sound of 1 pair of footsteps. Finally, a young woman appeared at the mouth of the cave. She looked at Shiori in surprise as she took a step inside the cave.

"A priestess?" Shiori wondered.

"Do you mind if I stay here awhile?" the priestess asked with a smile. "I'd like to escape the pouring rain."

Shiori shook her head, "Be my guest. I don't mind at all."

The priestess sat down and warmed herself by Shiori's fire. Shiori examined the young woman. From her body, Shiori could hear the sounds of lost souls calling for help.

"This woman has trapped those dead souls inside of her body. I can barely make out her own. It's only a small portion of a normal soul. I see now, she requires those souls to live."

"Who are you?" asked Shiori.

"My name is Kikyo," said the young priestess. "I am but a simple maiden."

"Which one of us are you trying to fool here?" Shiori casually demanded.

Kikyo laughed, "I suppose I was trying to fool myself. I'm no ordinary priestess."

"Can you hear them?" Shiori asked looking away from her.

A stunned Kikyo looked up at Shiori. What did she mean by that?

"The dead souls…..can you hear them?" Shiori asked again.

"My ears are not tuned to hear such things," answered Kikyo. "But I suppose yours are. Are you not the child of Isao?"

Shiori immediately turned to face Kikyo, "How do you know my father?"

"So it is true then? You're his daughter. When I died 50 years ago, Iro was the shinigami who claimed my soul," said Kikyo.

"My father was sentenced to death 50 years ago. Claiming your soul must have been one of his last assignments," said Shiori.

"I see," said Kikyo sadly. "He was executed because of me."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure you've heard of the shikon jewel, I was the priestess in charge of purifying it. But I failed to keep it safe when I fell into the evil Narku's trap. He took the form of the one I love, and struck me down. He tricked me into hating him just so he could corrupt the jewel."

"Why does everything always come back to Naraku?" wondered Shiori.

"In an effort to get rid of the jewel," continued Kikyo, "I had it burned with my body. I wanted to take it with me into the next world. In my moment of death, Isao came to me. He told me the rulers of the netherworld were after the jewel. And that he was sent to retrieve both my soul and the jewel. But he refused to do so. Instead, he sent my soul to limbo, where it apparently waited to be reborn."

"My father was executed while trying to get rid of the jewel's evil?"

Kikyo nodded her head while looking into the flames, "he saw the evil it spread and tried to help me end it."

It seemed like every day Shiori learned more and more about her father. She now knew why he was sentenced to death. He defied the orders of the netherworld and allowed Kikyo's soul to be reincarnated with the shikon jewel. The place souls go to be reincarnated is completely different than the netherworld. The lords of the underworld have no jurisdiction in that area. Because they lost their chance at the jewel, they banished her father to the firey pits of hell.

"Kikyo, do you nowhere Naraku is?" asked Shiori.

"Do you intend on killing him on your own?" she asked.

"He's kidnapped someone of mine. He's also aligned himself with an enemy of mine. Sooner or later he'll come find me. So I figured I'd come to him instead. But I've been having no such luck. I can't sense him anywhere."

"Yes, I know where he is. Naraku is currently residing in fortress just west of here. He's using the human lord persona of Tono," said Kikyo.

Kikyo looked towards the cave entrance; the sun was shining through the rain.

"It would seem that the rain has let up some," said Kikyo standing to her feet. "I should be on my way. Good luck with your rescue mission."

"How did you know Isao was my father?" asked Shiori as she stared at the cave wall.

"Because he told me," she answered.

"So he went to speak with her in her mind as well," thought Shiori.

"Oh, and one more thing, Shiori,"

Shiori looked over at Kikyo. She was standing outside the cave facing away from her.

"Does it anger you that the woman who caused your father's death is alive? Do you hate me?" questioned Kikyo.

"No," Shiori answered, "Because you aren't really alive. You acquire your strength from dead souls. And without them, I imagine you wouldn't be able to move. I don't know how or why you were resurrected, but you can't be happy living this way. How can I hate you?"

She looked up to the cave ceiling, "if anything I have…..sympathy for you. You don't truly live, you exist."

Kikyo turned and smiled weakly. Shiori felt herself being overwhelmed with Kikyo's sadness. Just what kind of tragic life did she live?

"To live, is to die…" she said softly as she walked away.

Shiori watched her leave and quietly whispered, "to die, is to live…"

She was now completely alone in the cave. Her mind wandered over many different topics. Thanks to Kikyo, she now knew where to find Naraku. If she was lucky, Reika would still be lurking around him. The 2 of them had a score to settle…..the 3 of them.

"Father, you sent Kikyo to tell me about your demise, didn't you? Why didn't you just tell me yourself?"

Shiori thought back about her meeting with the strange priestess. Kikyo may not have been aware, but she'd just succeeded in accomplishing something no one had ever done. Kikyo got Shiori to admit her sympathy for another person.

"Was that it then? Was he testing my…emotions?"

Shiori put out her fire and rose to her feet. It was time she headed for Tono's castle to find Naraku. Whatever plans her father had for her would have to wait. She had a few matters to take care of. The image of her battered sister was still fresh in her mind. She said she didn't care about Emi. In fact, she said it many times. Shiori herself didn't understand why she felt compelled to save her sister. But if she didn't, then who would? The other tennin were too afraid to rebel against Reika. So it had to be her and no one else.