Chapter XI: A Revelation from the Past

The traveling group had just arrived as Shippo and Rin came and glomp Kagome. Kagome and the children laughed as Sesshomaru was inwardly smiling. Inuhime, Totosai, and Myoga laughed among them.

Rin and Shippo shouted together, "We've missed you very much."

Then Sango and Miroku came towards them. They welcome them back as they noticed a beautiful stranger among them. To their surprised, this stranger looked so similiar to Sesshomaru.

Sango coughed as to get their wanted attention and asked, "Kagome, who's that?"

"Oh, um..."

Before she could say anything Sesshomaru said, "Slayer and Monk, this is my twin sister, Inuhime."

Their eyes widen as they both unconciously walked towards her like she was a well-known person among them. Miroku said, "Your beauty is astonishing."

Then Sango slapped a side of his head and yelled, "Hentai! I must apologized for my husband's behavior Lady Inuhime. He unfortunely gets that way every time he meets a beautiful woman."

Miroku rupped his head and said as he laughed nervously, "My apologizes, my lady. I couldn't help myself sometimes."

Inuhime just giggled and said, "That's alright, dear Sango. I already know how your husband reacts in front of beauty. He's a lucky man that he has you to put up with his lerchous ways."

They both were shocked to hear that and they also thought, "How did she know about us?"

"I knew about you because I was watching all of you from afar. I just wanted to keep touch with my family even though they didn't know about me like Inuyasha. Kagome?" She waited until Kagome looked at her with acknowledgement and continued, "Kagome, can you show me where you buried Inuyasha's ashes?"

Kagome answered, "Of course, but can we eat something before I do? All that riding on a cloud got me famished."

"Yes, I understand. Was it your first cloud ride?"

"Yes, it was fun."

They made their way towards Kaede's hut. Kagome said loudly as they entered the home, "Kaede, we are here. We brought over three guests. So I hope we have enough to go around."

"Yes, child, we do have..." Her voice trailed off and instantly bow in front of Inuhime as if she was a goddess. "Please...Great priestess have a seat. It had been many, many years since this village last saw your beautiful presence." Everyone in the hut were confused as they looked at Inuhime and Kaede.

"Kaede, dear, you don't need to act so humble around me. I am just an ordinary person."

"Sister, you are just being modest. You know that you aren't just a mere person."

Everyone else was so confused. They thought the same thought, "Why are they acting like that? What does he mean by that?"

Miroku spoke first, "Uh...Lady Kaede, how did you know this Lady Inuhime?"

"Well, it isn't like I knew her, per se, but my sister did...actually knew of her. You see, my sister told me this story many times when I was a youthful girl. Kikyo was a mere child when she came to this village. Our mother, who was also a miko, always told her to distinguish between the good and the bad of all the demons. Of course, I was confused by this when Kikyo was teaching me, but she said that one can tell about their intent by what their aura had shown. A miko should be able to tell just by looking or feeling, maybe that's not the right word, but you get my meaning. Anyhow, when Lady Inuhime came to our village with a prophecy..."

Kaede was interrupted by Inuhime by finishing the tell, "That prophecy had been fulfilled by Inuyasha when Kikyo and him came together, but yet be torn apart by Naraku and that cursed jewel, Shikon no Tama."

Kaede had a feeling that she didn't want to talk about the subjuct any further especially not in her presence. She thought, "Her aura isn't what Kikyo felt and described, but her description of her was exact match to what she described of what her appearance was in the past."

However, Inuhime continued, "The day I visited their mother wasn't just for that prophecy or how to distinguish between good or evil intentions, which by the way I taught her how, because what priestesses were taught that all youkai were evil, plain and simple. I also went there to give them the fangs that they needed for the Kotodama no Nenju. I told her that any miko could use them to contained and control an untamed youkai, which before they hadn't had, then. I knew that they had the necessary beads, but not the fangs. Four fangs in all: one from father; one from Sesshomaru; one from me; and last, but not least Inuyasha's own fang. They were part of our father's instructions for Inuyasha, because he knew that the Tetsusaiga wouldn't be in his procession during that time until Sesshomaru had figured the riddle, which I told him many years ago. Inuyasha would had been vulerable then when he can't control his youkai blood whenever he became enrage by whatever means caused it."

Suddenly Kaede said, "Well, your father was a wise daiyoukai. I am not surprised by this revelation, though, Lady Inuhime. Anywho, dinner's done. Shippo, can you be so kind to give these bowls of miso soup to Lady Inuhime and our Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Rin, dear, can you give these to Miroku and Sango? Afterwards, you and Shippo can come in line to get your fill of this soup before I have my fill. Come children, get in line."

Inuhime asked, "Pardom me, but who are the parents of these adorable children?"

Sango answered, "They are mine and my husband's. Why you asked?"

"No particular reason, I suppose. It has been years since I'd been around children. I am very pleased that they show no fear around me and my brother. I love children. I wish I could have at least one." After she had said that she had tears in her eyes.

Sango asked boldly, "May I asked why, my lady?"

Sesshomaru said, "No, that's none of your concerned, slayer."

Inuhime glared at her twin and said, "Sesshomaru, I don't need you answering for me. I am certainly not a pup." In a softer tone, she continued, "As for your question, Sango, I am not able to have a pup, that I don't wish to speak of it."

"Oh, I am so sorry."

"Don't apologize."

Sesshomaru felt pity for his twin. He thought, "I wonder why she can't have any pups. I know for certain that mother wouldn't done anything to prevent her having any pups. Of course, she also was imprisoned in that cave for at least a century and a half. One of us would had known if she had been mated, especially me, since I am her twin. Why couldn't she have any pups? Other than that, unanswered question. I wonder, how she could had escape the cavernous prison to meet that old miko's mother? It doesn't make any sense at all. As her brother, I need to know why and/or how. I'll ask her later."

Kagome said, "Well, Inuhime...I mean, Lady Inuhime, if you are ready, we can go to where Inuyasha's ashes were buried."

Inuhime giggled and said, "That's okay, Kagome. You may called me, Inuhime. After all, we will be sisters-in-law soon. So why the formality?"

"You have a point there. Um are you ready?"

"Yes, I am."

Inuhime with Kagome flew on her cloud to where they put Inuyasha to rest, what was the resting place of Izayoi. When they arrived and landed near the tombstone, which housed the hanyou's ashes. Inuhime asked, "Kagome, would you mind if I get his ashes for a moment?"

"What for?"

"I need to get our father's Kuroshinju out of there. So, I could become the guardian of the tomb of the Inu no Taisho, since Inuyasha had passed on to the Afterlife. I will be quick and then returned him to his tombstone."

"Oh, I see."

Inuyasha's tomb was almost as big as his father's tomb there in the world of the living, but it had a stone door blocking the entrance to where his ashes were secured. The only way to open the door is by magic. It didn't matter if it was youkai or miko powers. It worked the same way. She did as she said. She got the Kuroshinju from there and quickly closed the door magically.

Kagome asked, "Now what?"

"Well, watch and observe, my sister." She used her powers to put the Kuroshinju into her own right eye. She blinked a few times until the sensation disipates.

"Uh...did that hurt?"

"Uh...no, why?"

"The reason why I asked because before Sesshomaru and Inuyasha went to the underworld to take the Tetsusaiga. Sesshomaru used some sort of magic that didn't looked anything like that. It looked like it hurt really bad whenever he got it out of his right eye."

Inuhime laughed and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. No, it doesn't hurt. I bet it didn't even hurt when Sesshomaru did it. He was being a bully for a brother, you know. He liked to get Inuyasha all roused up on purpose. At the time, though, Inuyasha was probably scarred out of his wits because he didn't know what to expect, but I am glad that he was a quick thinker when it came to combat. He was a lot like father in that way. Are in a hurry to get back, Kagome? I want to sit here to pay my respects to him and his mother as well."

"No, I am not in a hurry. Um...did you know Inuyasha's mother?" Inuhime nodded.

Kagome asked, "Can you tell me about your father and his mother?"

Inuhime looked and lift her brow, then asked, "Well, what do you want to know about?"

"Well, I don't know. I guess, what were they like?"

"Well, let me ask you a question, first. What do you know about them?"

"Well, umm, lets see. I know that they weren't together for very long. She was very kind and beautiful. He was a legendary inuyoukai."

"That's it. Didn't Sesshomaru tell you anything about them?"

"He always said that he hated humans and hanyous, but he never really said anything about his father, though. He never talked about him."

"I see. Okay, I'll you a little about father, but if you had any questions about him then you will have to ask him. Agree." Kagome nodded in agreement.

Inuhime continued, "Father was so handsome, wise, strong and many other things. He had a big heart, too. Yeah, I know. How can a demon have a heart, right? But he certainly had one. As you already know about the Dog General, he was a generous, but yet strict ruler. He was no fool. He could tell if one was lying a mile away. It was hard for Sesshomaru and I to get away with anything with him. He was a great warrior, battle stategist. I bet if you ever saw Sesshomaru battle, then you would see a carbon copy of father's swordfighting skills. It wasn't just swordfighting that he was good at. He was a master of weaponry and martial arts. He loved to learn about other cultures. Well, he mostly love knowledge. He had always told me that 'Knowledge is power.' He was right about that." She stopped as tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Kagome. It's just that I missed my father so very much. I would give anything to bring him back to life. He did deserved to die on that fateful night. It was unfair that Inuyasha had never got to know father. He had never found his true love. It saddens me knowing that he would probably never will either..."

She was interrupted by Kagome, "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to bring hurtful memories about your father."

Inuhime said as sniffing back the tears, "Hurtful? They were hardly hurtful. I enjoyed every minute of the day that I spend with my father. They are nothing, but bittter-sweet memories now. As for Izayoi, well, you already know that she was kind and beautiful, but...she was a strong-willed woman. When it came to my father, she would defend him to her family no matter what they had said about him. She loved him with all of her heart. Of course, that arrogant and ignorant bastard, Takemaru, tried to reason with her, but she didn't listen. Then one day, that bastard made a deal with a dragon demon, Ryukotsusei, to distract my father so he was able kidnapped her from his palace. I was there to protect her from mother making sure that she wouldn't kill her for being..." Kagome interrupted by trying to finish the sentence said, "being human."

Inuhime continued, "No, not really being human, but Izayoi held father's heart. Mother didn't liked that one bit. Afterwards my relationship with mother went straight to hell."

"I remembered that you said that you're the one who brought them together. How did that happpen?"

Inuhime smiled and said, "Well, in the past, I was what you would call a match-maker. I would match human with human, youkai with youkai, or in extremely rare cases, youkai with human. If it were the will of the Kami, it would had happened whether or not I was involved. Love is a powerful thing among us, no matter if you were a demon or a human. It will always conquer even the most cold-hearted ones. With time, that cold heart would melt to become warm again. Sesshomaru saw what love could do. So he chooses not to pursue it. It didn't matter if it was with a full-fledged demoness or not. He also felt that his mate would have to be extraordinary to catch his eye, which my dear, you did. Oh my goodness, it's getting late. We better return before my twin would scold me for keeping you away from him."

Kagome agreed as they stood up, put flowers on top of their tombstones, and then they left to return to the village.