A/N: Well, by the title, you all might be guessing what is happening here. I have the next few chapters written already, but I'm going to be sticking with my Sundays-Wednesdays updates for it. I doubt I'll miss any days (unless I post just one day late or so, if I'm super busy) because I'm highly enjoying writing this little fic...even if it is my least popular story. ;)

Anyway, two new stories are out: Conquered and Sweet Sensations. They are both SessKag, with Sweet Sensations featuring almost all of the supporting characters-and a younger Kaede. ;)

Word Count: 803

Do enjoy!

The Ugly Truth

It had been three months since Kaiya had been born, and the months had been happier than any Onigumo could remember. Their small family had already been filled with happiness, but the new addition to their family made it seem impossible for sadness to take its hold, no matter what happened.

Onigumo was currently on babysitting duty, and he didn't mind it one bit. His parents had gone out to spend some alone-time together, and he was more than happy to oblige when they asked if he would mind to babysit his new sibling.

"What is it, Kaiya?" Onigumo's head drooped slightly to the side when he saw Kaiya's eyes focus on the entrance to the cave. There had been little things like that, making him question things—like, how everyone in the family seemed so alert, and most of the time he felt like he had no idea what was going on, and how they could always tell when it was going to rain by the scent, and he could only smell it after it had already started. But he could never find the desire to dwell on these questions for long, because whenever the thoughts came up, Kaiya would do something so sweet or so adorable that the thought slipped out of his head.

He had never thought much of it before Kaiya, either—once he realized he looked nothing like his parents, and that even Kaiya seemed alert—he started to doubt, but what he doubted he had no idea.

"Hello?" A small voice came from just outside the cave, and Onigumo's brows furrowed as he picked up Kaiya and secured her in his arms.

"Yes?" At this point, Onigumo exited the cave, and his eyes focused on a young boy who didn't look to be more than seven years old—if that. The boy's eyes widened upon seeing him, and his mouth dropped open.

"O-Onigumo?" This caused another look of confusion onto Onigumo's face—did he know this boy? He hadn't really met anyone since he was…

"…San…jiro?" He didn't look any older than when he had known him in the village! And yet Onigumo—he looked almost as old as his parents did… "You look…the same," Onigumo mumbled dumbly—but Sanjiro hadn't quite discovered his mistake yet.

"Wow, the village was right! Humans do age really quickly! So when did your parents tell you?" Sanjiro was looking up at Onigumo with such innocence that he couldn't quite despise him. He couldn't say the same about his parents, though—his entire life, they'd been lying to him, letting him assume he was youkai and never even attempting to tell him he was wrong! He knew that things would not be pleasant when they got home today.

He shifted Kaiya in his arms and bent down so that he was level with Sanjiro. "Not terribly long ago," Onigumo lied. After all, he didn't want Sanjiro feeling guilty for spilling the beans that his parents should have spilled long before he had neared human adulthood. "Sanjiro, why did you come?"

Sanjiro could smell the deception that Onigumo had only used so that he wouldn't feel guilty—and Sanjiro felt guilty anyway. He hadn't known? They still hadn't told him? But he knew that Onigumo was doing it for him—and so, he decided to play along.

"Oh, the village was talking about how your parents had a baby, and I wanted to come see! I had heard you all had moved out here, and I wasn't supposed to come but I did anyway, so I could see." Sanjiro peeked over Onigumo's protective grasp of who he just found out wasn't his sister, and gave a small smile that hid his guilt quite well. "What's her name?"

"Her name is Kaiya," was Onigumo's quiet response. They named her forgiveness. He suspected that they hadn't meant to keep this from him that long, but it would've been so much better coming from them. No—it would've come better from them much earlier in life. Preferably as soon as he would've understood the difference between youkai and humans.

"That's pretty." Sanjiro looked at Onigumo, and saw the ill-concealed hurt and confusion in his eyes—not to mention his scent. "I should go," Sanjiro whispered, and Onigumo nodded.

"Goodbye, Sanjiro." It wasn't as much of a farewell as it was a promise—Onigumo had already decided he was leaving that night.

Akiko and Daichi returned from their evening alone to find a sleeping Kaiya and a short letter from Onigumo.

'I know everything. I will not be returning here; I'm going to find where I belong. Don't come looking for me, I do not want you to. I won't return with you if you do.'

Daichi, Akiko, and Kaiya would never see Onigumo again.

End Note: Bum bum buuuumm... Okay, just kidding. But please review! :)