Takira stood in the shade of the trees that lined the road that lead to her villages, on the other side of the road, also consealed in shadows was Akima. Takira smiled at her young student, noting the perspiration on her brow. Was she really worried that these traverls could give them trouble? Maybe she had been mistaken to tell her of the demon slayer in the group. But surly the presence of demons with them was a good sign. She shook her head slightly and listened to the world around her. The travelers were only moments away, she could hear there light hearted banter.

"We could be moving a lot faster you know."

"Drop it will you? The last time you started this you got hurt."

Was that the slayer, Takira mused.

"That's only because you moved your bike, if you hadn't I wouldn't have gotten hurt, then we would have made better time."

"Can you two give it a rest? Its still morning, we have a long way to travel, and it would be so much nicer if you weren't fighting."

"She started it!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Do you ever get the feeling that we should be charging for watching them?"

"Every day."

Takira smiled, this wasn't going to be difficult at all, they seemed a interesting group. They would listen to reason. Stepping out from the shade of her tree, Takira stood in the middle of the path. "In the name of peace, state your business." The one in red looked oddly familiar, but Takira pushed that to the back of her mind. She hadn't drawn her weapons, hoping to keep this civil.

"Oh," the girl in the oddly short skirt said, as she came to a stop, holding onto an odd metal object with wheels.

"Who do you think you are, we are walking here." The one in red said, and continued advancing towards Takira.

Akima stepped out from behind her tree, her spear in hand, but not pointing at them. "I believe she asked you a question. It would only be polite to answer her."

Takira hid a smile, so Akima was learning manners, it was about time.

"Like I have to answer to you." The one in red said, his hand now on the hilt of his sword.

"InuYasha, it doesn't have to come to blows," the girl in the long dress carrying the large weapon said. "We are travelers, and were just hoping to rest and restock our supplies in the villages ahead."

"These villages are guarded by a powerful Sentient, if you should stray in your task here, your life will be the price. Understood?" Takira asked.

InuYasha glared at her, "Look lady, we will do what we want when we want, and nothing can change that." He took another step forward when the monk grabbed his hand.

"Lets not be to hasty InuYasha, maybe they would be more hospitable if we listened to them, and oho my aren't they lovely!"

"Monk!" the girl with the weapon yelled. Takira narrowed her eyes, it was that girl that was the demon slayer, that weapon on her back was carved from demon bones, she was sure off it.

"Miroku, honestly!" InuYasha yelled pulling his arm free. "We are here searching for the Shikon shards, nothing more."

Takira froze at the mention of the shards. "You seek shards of the Shikon jewel? Why?"

"None of your business! So but out, and get out of our way." Inuyasha yelled.

Only then did Takira see the little fox demon in the basket on the front of the odd metal object. "Come on InuYasha, don't be so rude."

"I am sick of all of you being on my case! Lets just get the shards and get out of here!" InuYasha said, again moving towards the girls in their path.

Takira drew one of her blades and saw Akima raise her spear. "You come in anger, I must insist that you leave this territory. I will not have you endangering my people."

"Your people ha! They are humans, you're a demon-of sorts. How can the humans be your people?" InuYasha demanded.

"You must be the Sentient!" the girl in the short skirt proclaimed.

Takira noted that the slayer was eyeing her. If it came to blows, Takira had to make sure that Akima was well enough to protect the villages should she fall.

"They look to us for protection, we must ask again, for you to leave these lands." Akima said, her spear leveled for InuYasha.

InuYasha drew his blade smiling as it transformed, and pointed it at Takira. "We came a long way, and we are not about to turn back now, so let us through!" He charged for Takira who simply stared in shock at her Father's sword. She didn't move as he drew nearer, but noticed Akima running to intercept the demon slayer and monk. She saw the cute little cat transform to a large beast. But didn't move. She knew who this illmannered man was, she had held him as a baby. Rocked him to sleep and sang him songs when he was restless. Now seeing him as an adult she knew she should have found him sooner. How angry would her father be to see both his suns had grown up to be so ill tempered.

Takira didn't see the flash of white until she was knocked aside. Sesshoamru stood over her, his blade locked with InuYasha's over her fallen form.

"Sesshomaru!" InuYasha yelled as he threw himself into the battle. Takira stared at them blankly seeing them fighting and not seeing them. She finally turned when she saw Akima fighting the monk, staff to spear. Sheathing her sword she ran to Akima.

"No! Do not fight them, Akima, they are not enemies." Takira's command shocked Akima, but she dropped her spear, and backed away from the monk, who stared at them in shock.

"Who are you?" the monk asked them.

"Takira, the Sentient of these villages, and Akima my student." She answered, not looking at the monk, she was staring at her brothers. Both of them alive and healthy, and trying to kill each other. Sesshomaru was lethal grace, and intoxicating to watch. He had the form of a killer, and the precision of a dancer. She watched horrified as he led his little brother through a lethal dance.

She had to stop them, they couldn't kill each other, but they could injure each other. Sesshomaru had only had his new arm for a matter of hours, and she was not going to explain to the healer why it was cut off again. Takira ran the few steps to them, timing it so that they were sword to sword when she lept over InuYasha's shoulder, summer salting in the air while she drew her blades. She landed gracefully between them when they parted, a blade at each of their throats.

"Hmm." Sesshomaru commented as he glared down the blade at his sister.

InuYasha gasped at the chill of the metal at his throat, and stared in shock at her. "What the-"

"Lets try this again, shall we?" Takira said, her focus on InuYasha. She did not fear Sesshomaru. "I am Takira, the Sentient of these villages. Thank you Sesshomaru for coming to my protection and aide, I fear I was quit in shock at seeing our Father's sword again." She dropped the blade from Sesshomaru's throat, but kept the one at InuYasha's.

"Your father?" Inuyasha gasped. "What do you mean by that."

Takira lowered her sword and gently tapped it to Tetsiga, the blade shivered for a moment then returned to its dull rusted form. InuYasha stared at it, then at her. "Our Father's sword." She sheathed both her blades and stared at him expectantly. InuYasha finally sheathed his blade, but stared at her. "The last time I saw you InuYasha, you were a little baby, still at his mothers breast. Now you're a man, or are grown enough to be one."

InuYasha just stared at her.

"Do you mean you're his sister?" the girl in the short skirt asked, coming up to stand beside him. Takira noted that the girl carried a bow and arrow, but that she wasn't aiming them at her.

"Half sister, if you want to be technical, but yes we share the same Father." Takira said, eying the rest of the group. Akima had reclaimed her spear, but kept the tip to the ground so it wasn't a threat. The great cat beast was eyeing them, but stayed behind the demon slayer. She looked back at Sesshomaru, who was just now sheathing his sword. "I thought you were going to take a nap, and let me handle the visitors?"

"Well if I had done that, we would be in a lot more trouble right now don't you think?" Sesshomaru said, glaring over her head to InuYasha.

"He didn't know any better, but he will." Takira turned back to the rest and smiled at Akima. "Would you be so kind as to lead them to the village, and see to it that they are well looked after? I would like a few minutes alone with my brother if you please."

Akima eyed her teacher for a moment before saying to the rest, "Just up this way please." She turned and headed up the road to the village.

No one moved.

Takira smiled at InuYasha, "your friends are most loyal and concerned for you, but I give you my word, no harm will come to you, or them."

"The word of a demon? What good is that?" InuYasha spat at her.

Takira nodded, "not just the world of a demon, the word of your sister. Now please, we have much to converse about." she turned her back to him and headed at a different angle off the road, not bothering to see if he followed.

InuYasha stared after her, then turned back. Kagome stood behind him. "If she really is your sister, you should talk to her. If I hadn't seen Sota in years I would want to talk to him alone."

"But how can I know?" InuYasha whined.

Sesshomaru smiled at him, a challenged in disguise. "Would she have been able to do that to Tetsiga if she were anyone else?" Sesshomaru took a deep breath, and only for his sister would he ever do this, "she is who she says, go talk with her, or I will hear about it for the next few hundred years."

InuYasha glared at him, "You just want me to go up there alone so you can jump me again! Well I wont!"

Sesshomaru snorted, "like I would need to take you by surprise." And headed in the direction of the village, following Akima.

"Go on InuYasha, we wont be far." Kagome encouraged, and she followed the other demon girl. The others moved off in the same direction leaving InuYasha standing alone in the woods.

"Well fine then, go off and leave me why don't you!" he grumbled as he headed off in the same direction as the one who claimed to be his sister. He kept up a stead stream of complaints, annoyed with how things had turned out. They should have just demanded the jewels and left. He didn't want another sibling; look how well he didn't get along with Sesshomaru, who was to say she was going to be any different!

Takira ignored him for the most part, and listen to the world around them. It was so much easier to focus on others instead of herself, that when she did do something for herself, it confused her. She could have demanded to talk to him, claiming that it was the right of the Sentient of these parts to size up a possible enemy. But instead she had simply asked her brother to talk to her, what did she expect? He didn't know her, she couldn't rightly claim that she knew him, they were strangers. And that fact hurt.

Eyes closed she let her feet travel the well known path, and let her mind slip back to a easier time. When InuYasha had been an infant, him and his mother had lived in one of Takira's villages until her own could be rebuilt. Takira had been able to be a daily fixture of his life. She could still feel his chubby hands holding onto her fingers as he learned to take his first few steps. Could still feel his soft skin against hers when she held him. If she focused enough she could hear his laugh, as she tickled his feet with daisies, or as she told him silly stories.

Her feet stopped of their own will, and she was surprised to open her eyes to see that she was in the clearing, overlooking her villages. She hadn't even noticed the incline. One quick glance back told her that InuYasha was following at his own, slower pace. She could still hear his complaints. And he was how old, she wondered. Age and mental maturity did not come hand in hand with demons, clearly he was less mentally mature than a human would be at his age. She looked away from him back to her villages. It had taken them the rest of the morning to make the walk to her clearing, the sun was now at mid heavon.

Not bothering to turn to look, Takira could sense when he was with her, standing arms crossed in annoyance glaring at her back. "I don't expect you to like me without cause. And I don't expect you to trust me because I ask it. The fact that you are here alone with me goes a long way to soothing the way things can be between us, back to the way they once were."

InuYasha gave an exasperated sigh, but said nothing.

"Sesshomaru was merely protecting me, he is a good brother, a good friend. I do not know the past you have with him, and I will not dare to ask you to give him a second chance. But I must ask that while you are in my village you keep the peace. I do not tolerate fighting among anyone, even my own family." She closed her eyes, fighting back the desire to hope. "You and your friends are welcome in my villages, for as long as you need be here. I will be in another village if that makes the stay easier for you, but know that no harm will come to you or yours while in my territory."

"Ha, like you could protect me." Inuyasha said tapping his foot in annoyance.

Takira turned to face him in full, "I have no right to ask this of you, other then the right granted to me by the blood of our father. Stay a few days, give us a chance to get to know each other. I can only hope that some memories may come back to you, and we could have a little semblance of a family."

InuYasha looked at her as though she were a monster, or the worst kind of demon alive. "I have no family." He said before turning his back on her and walking down the mountain alone.

Takira watched him go, saying nothing until she was once again alone. Then she sank to the ground, and wrapped her arms around her knees to cry. She cried out all the pain she had felt when his mother moved away from her village; the pain she had felt whenever she heard of his suffering at the hands of humans or demons and her own inability to protect him. She cried for the mother he had lost and the father he had never know. For the brother he didn't love, and for herself, the sister he couldn't bring himself to trust. She cried for the little boy she had held so many times, and the man he had grown into.