Title The Family Plot
Author landofthekwt
Rating K
Prompt Race (unsung heroes)
POV Shiori
Part of Death Not Proud
Warning none
Summary Shiori comes back to the cave of the Hyakki Bats to put their souls to rest.
The caves of the Hyakki Bats had been empty since the day she left her village. An entire race died that day. Not one of the monsters remained, yet she could not face the truth.
It was only now that she was married to Inuyasha and bearing his child that she was willing to face the nightmare that her ancestors represented.
In her mind she was still that an eight-year-old girl, sold by her mother to her grandfather, surrounded by man-eating monsters who offered her only human flesh to eat.
She had not eaten or slept all the time she was in the bat caves. All around her huge monsters sated themselves by carving off pieces of the villagers they had just eaten.
The most intimidating was her grandfather whose power radiated throughout the cave. Still it was his need for her as guardian that had brought him to ask for her from her mother.
Inside the blood coral she could feel the power of her family. The youki of the guardians was preserved. Her family. Nothing more than a pack of blood thirsty monsters. Save one, Her father.
The man who had married her mother. Protected the village and saved her in the end. He gave her hope that she could more than just a man-eating monster.
It was for his sake that she finally returned to the caves of Hyakki bats to put their souls to rest. They might monsters, but they were family and deserved peace.
She smiled at Inuyasha. He had saved her once by killing the Hyakki bats from which she descended. Now he gave her the courage to put them to rest so that she could on with her life with Inuyasha.