Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's characters! Enjoy! ^-^
Sahara finished her dinner and watched quietly as Rei-Lin picked up the tray and set it aside before sitting in front of the young butterfly demoness. "Is there something weighing on your mind, Lady Sahara?" Her orange eyes expressing concern.
"Nothing really." Sahara shrugged looking over the garden from Sesshomaru's balcony. She had been stuck there for the majority of the day. There wasn't much to do and the time she did spend out of the room was in the garden below playing with the young human girl, Rin, whom Lord Sesshomaru oddly neglected to take with him. But her visit with the brown haired girl was brief since Akime had fetched her to study reading and writing. She let out a heavy sigh as two birds danced about above some trees against the setting sun.
"You've been sighing all day." The demon maid tilted her head to stare into Sahara's face, "Are you sure there isn't anything you want to talk about?"
There was something on her mind, well someone really, but she didn't want to talk about the demon lord who left her the night before. "I just wish I could get out. Explore a little bit. Maybe even go fly around somewhere. I am a butterfly demon, after all, it would be nice to stretch out my wings." She replied avoiding her caretaker's eyes to search the sky again.
"You want to return home, don't you?" Sahara glanced at the older woman, the crinkles around her playful eyes deepening as she smiled warmly at Sahara, "I know you must miss it, and I don't blame you for being homesick."
"Well, I never got to say goodbye to my father or sisters." Sahara confessed looking back into the sky. "When I saw them last I was getting water from the river with Touya, that's when Lord Sesshomaru abducted me and brought me here."
"What about your mother?" Rei-Lin curiously asked.
"She died years ago." Sahara's response was automatic, her thoughts trailing over the pact that created the bond with Sesshomaru.
"Forgive me, Milady. I didn't-" Rei-Lin began, but was immediately cut off by Sahara who was used to the apologies after someone brought up the subject.
"No, its fine. We weren't very close anyway." The blonde waved her hands giving Rei-Lin a smile before glancing at the sakura tree behind her, "I don't think my mother liked me very much." Sahara smiled wincing a bit at her own words, "In fact, that's another reason why I want to return home so bad. Now that I know I'm not human, I'm sure father has some very important answers for me."
"Perhaps, when the Lord returns, he will take you there." Rei-Lin stood.
Sahara shook her head, "I don't think Touya would handle that very well. He is very protective. Besides, its something I would like to do on my own." Honestly, she didn't want the arrogant demon lord going with her.
"Just don't get into any trouble with Lord Sesshomaru." Rei-Lin warned making her way towards the door with her tray, "I would hate to see him angry with you. You are such a sweet girl."
Sahara smiled at the compliment and Rei-Lin left the room bidding Sahara goodnight. She stood, stretching her arms at finally being alone. She breathed in the fresh air, smiling at the orange and pink colored sky. Sesshomaru hadn't come back yet so she assumed she had at least one more day left of freedom. She had been surprised that her desires for him hadn't flared up the entire day with him gone. She wondered if the attention he gave her the night before had been enough to settle her body and mind from longing for him in the way that it had. Then again, maybe it was because she felt so betrayed by him.
Shaking her head to rid herself of the thought, she adjusted her dark blue kimono that had decorated yellow flower petals on it. The green obi securing it tightly to her frame. It was about time for her to go. Soon the sun would be gone and the sky would be dark, with the exception of the full moon, which would help her find the river that was close to her village. All she had to do now was find Keiji. According to a maid she had spoken to earlier, Keiji trained with the soldiers twice a day, in the late morning and at dusk.
Sahara shut the balcony doors and headed out of the room, making sure no one was around to see her leave. She tip toed down the wooden hall towards the study where Sesshomaru had met her yesterday. She exited that part of the castle and walked on across the bridge that led into the part of the castle that her room had been in the day before. Just like the maid had told her, there were the warriors and Keiji. Her heart beat quickly as she hoped he would be willing to help her.
She watched on the opposite side of the bridge and waited for him to notice her. When he finally did, she motioned for him to meet her by the steps that led down into the grassy field from the wooden platform that surrounded the outer part of the castle.
"Sahara, are you well?" Keiji greeted her with a slight bow.
"Yes, I'm quite well, thank you, Master Keiji." She smiled warmly at him and he returned hers with a smile of his own, "I wondered, if I could ask you something."
"Anything." His boyish grin made her blush.
"Well, you see, I've seemed to have forgotten which direction the village is from here. I was hoping you could tell me." She gave him a shy smile.
"The village is dead east." He pointed behind him, "But does Lord Sesshomaru know you are leaving?"
Sahara immediately shook her head and quickly spoke before Keiji could say anything to stop her from going, "Lord Sesshomaru isn't here and I will be right back. I just need to speak to father about some things. We kind of parted suddenly."
"Not on bad terms, I hope." Keiji looked at her, concern filling his hazel eyes.
"No, not really anyway." She smiled, "Thank you for your help, Keiji. I should be going before it gets too late. I want to be back by morning."
He nodded understanding, "Be safe. We should catch up sometime. It would be good to talk to someone who was also from that village. I'm afraid I don't have very many friends here." He smiled a bit shyly.
Sahara nodded, "That would be great! Thank you again!" With that she walked back around the castle, staying along the outside hallway until Keiji and his group were out of sight and no one was around.
She let out a sigh of relief. She obtained the information she needed to find her home all before the sun set. Now, she needed to sprout her wings and set off. She closed her eyes and as practiced, concentrated as hard as she could on making her wings unfold from her back. She had figured out a way to make them form outside of her kimono so that she wouldn't rip anymore of the nicely silk robes.
She opened her eyes and looked behind her and sure enough the pointed rainbow wings were fluttering from her back. Somehow she felt a wave of relief at having them out overcome her. Maybe it isn't too good to keep them sealed for so long? Her thoughts began to get filled with renewed questions, but she mentally shook the thoughts away. With a determined look on her face she leaped into the air, spreading her wings at just the right moment and gave them a strong flap lifting her up high into the air above the castle. A triumphant grin spread across her face as she reached the highest altitude she could easily breathe at turning in the direction Keiji had pointed her to.
The cool wind seeping through her long tresses felt relaxing as she hovered above the castle. She breathed in the clean air until she felt her lungs would burst and let it out gradually. The feeling of being truly free overwhelmed her and it took all of her will power not to laugh, dance, and sing at her new found joy. She had a task she needed to carry out before Sesshomaru returned and nothing was going ot stop her.
"Dead east." She reminded herself and sure enough, she could see a sparkling in the far distance. "The river!" She sped off in the direction, flying as fast as she could to reach it.
Inuyasha rested against the tall trunk of a tree on a thick low branch while his friends cooked dinner on the freshly made fire below. They were about half a day away from his half-brother's castle, according to the small flea demon who rested on Inuyasha's knee. Kagome sat just below him holding a thick piece of meat over the fire. Her brown eyes were trained on Touya who sat between Sango and Shippo across from Kagome. The young half-demon's ears had retreated back into his head after he had managed to calm down when they began their trip to Sesshomaru's castle. Her thoughts began to consider ways he was able to make them disappear and reappear almost at whim, whereas Inuyasha had absolutely no control over his appearance. Was it just a cat thing? She didn't realize how intensely she was staring at him before his green eyes suddenly met her brown ones and she immediately averted her gaze blushing in embarrassment.
"Something wrong, Kagome?"
She bit her lip not wanting to sound rude or offend her new friend, but she had to ask, "I was just curious," Her brown eyes reunited with his green ones, "How do you hide your ears?"
Touya gave her a charming smile, "Oh that." He pulled something from beneath his gray hoari pulling out a small fang that dangled from a black string around his neck, "Remember how we told you my mother died after she gave birth to me?" He had the group's attention and they nodded in response, "Well, she had been taken ill during her pregnancy with me. She knew she wasn't going to last and with me being a half-demon she realized for me to be able to live with my father among other humans I would need a disguise. She found an enchanter and had her fang enchanted for me to hide my ears. It works, unless I get worked up, and then it releases my demonic power and my ears pop out." He placed the fang back in it's hiding place safe beneath the folds of his hoari, "But it doesn't hide my green eyes so the other villages are still wary of me anyway."
"Oh." Kagome pulled the cooked meat away from the fire and slowly began to eat it watching as Shippo began looking for something else to eat in her yellow backpack.
"You know, I was thinking." Sango suddenly spoke distracting Shippo from his search for any of Kagome's yummy snacks that she kept in her strangely large bag, "What if Sahara finds a way to go back to the village?"
"I highly doubt the Lord of the West would needlessly kidnap her and then allow her to leave." Touya confidently retorted biting into one of Kagome's strange dishes.
"It is still a possibility thought." Sango looked over to the monk who nodded in agreement.
"If she did return, I'm sure she will wonder where her brother went and come after him."
"To be honest", Kagome chimed in, "I kind of hope that she finds us before we get there. It would be nice to avoid a confrontation with Sesshomaru."
Everyone around the fire nodded in unison, including the old flea demon sitting on Inuyasha's knee.
"Who cares about Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha leaned his head back to look up at the dimly lit sky, "He can't expect to keep the poor girl from speaking to her family every once in a while." Suddenly, Inuyasha briefly spotted a small dark figure zoom past them in the sky and he immediately jumped up, knocking Myoga down the tree to the ground, "What was that?"
The group looked up at him concerned, "What was what?"
He shook his head the object or whatever had zoomed by at such a speed that he couldn't get a scent off it, "Nevermind." He sat back down into the crook of the tree, "It was probably nothing. It was too fast to be anything that mattered to us."
Sahara gently landed on the riverbank closest to the hut where her family resided. She concealed her wings back into her body and made the rest of the journey on foot. Night had just fallen, but she could still make out the trail that led her siblings to the river's edge where they would fetch water. Carefully, she crept through the trees hoping not to attract any possible demons. When she finally reached the edge of the woods she peered out. A fire lit up the front window of the hut and outlined the door flap that led inside. Her father and siblings were still awake.
She jogged up to the entrance hoping not to be seen by anyone, not wanting to start a ruckus if any of the humans saw her as a demon. Once she reached the entrance she opened the flap, "I'm home!"
"Sahara!" Kindra jumped up from the warmth of the fire and ran to her older sister's side and hugged her tightly, "I missed you!" Her bright brown eyes stared up at her in wonder, "You have fangs and pointed ears! And a mark on your forehead! Are you a demon now?"
Sahara hugged her back and giggled at her youngest sister, "I missed you too, Kindra." She then looked over at her father who sat on the opposite side of the fire.
"Welcome home, Sahara." He smiled, "Kindra, let your sister sit down, please."
Kindra unlatched herself from Sahara's waist reluctantly and returned to her position on the left side of Okumo. Sahara moved to sit at her father's right side of the fire surveying the hut, which was oddly quiet for thisl time of day, "Where is everyone?"
"Well, Touya has gone out to find you, with the help of some friends." Her father gave her a look that made her think that that information should have been obvious.
Before Sahara could respond feeling a little guilty, Kindra interjected, "Rima and Gwen got married!"
Sahara shook her head in disbelief Touya suddenly forgotten, "What?"
Okumo chuckled poking the fire with a stick, "Well, Rima was well over due to be married. Do you remember Ren?" Sahara nodded, "Well him, and his closest friend, Mitsuguni, came by the other day and asked to marry your sisters. Gwen was so happy she nearly moved in with Mitsuguni on the spot."
"Wow." Sahara stared at the flames that danced in the fire pit, then remembered Touya, "But Touya is on his way to Lord Sesshomaru's castle? When did he leave?"
"The day after you were taken." Okumo looked to her his dark brown eyes unusually serious, "They should be arriving tomorrow or the next day. You didn't see them on your way here?"
Sahara shook her head in the negative, "I flew here. I did see one small fire on my way over, but didn't stop to see who was there. I can't stay very long, I should head back soon. Lord Sesshomaru has vanished and I took this as my opportunity to see you. I wanted... well, needed, to get some questions answered." Her eyes searched her father's dark brown ones.
Okumo nodded, "I understand." He began telling the story of Sahara's late mother just as he had told it a few days before to the Touya, his other two sisters, and their friends. Once he had finished he let Sahara take in the information.
"I see." The blonde girl stared into the flames, reminding her of the fire at the north, "So, no one knows where the rest of the clan went?"
Okumo shook his head, "the only thing that your mother said about it is that they found a way to the future and went there."
Sahara thought on this some more unsure how to react. Her mother had been disowned by her grandmother and Sahara was born out of a duty to the butterfly demon race? She mentally scoffed, how selfish could her mother be? The lineage would die after Sahara anyway. There wasn't another butterfly demon left for her to bear an offspring that would continue the race. Not to mention that if there was, her mother had betrothed her to a dog demon. What could she have been thinking?
"Sahara, there is something else you should know." Okumo spoke firmly, but then turned to Kindra, "Kindra, do not repeat this to anyone, understand?" The young girl nodded and their father turned back to Sahara, "Your mother never told anyone about this, but she entrusted me with her secret right before she was killed so that I may tell you when you were older and had come to know your demon heritage." Sahara nodded understanding, but knots were forming in the pit of her stomach, "The real reason why your mother had been disowned by your grandmother was not just because she didn't want to leave this time period. There was something else." He inhaled deeply as if preparing himself for a long speech, "When your mother was about your age, she fell in love with a human man." Sahara swallowed already assuming what was coming next, "She bore his child, a half demon, your half sister."
"I have a half sister?" Her eyes went wide not believing what she was hearing.
Okumo nodded poking at the fire again, "I don't know anymore about her, only that she lives with the father somewhere, most likely to the north where most of the butterfly demons resided before the wars."
"I see." She averted her gaze back to the flames a melancholy feeling sweeping over her. "Is that why..." she trailed off not wanting to ask the question, but she had to know, "Why mother seemed to not like me very much?"
"Not like you?" Okumo's voice expressed his surprise at her words his dark brown eyes growing wide, but she couldn't meet his gaze, "Sahara, your mother loved you very much." He paused watching her, "I'm sure she felt guilty at times, for obvious reasons, but I know she loved you. That's why she kept you hidden here from your father."
Sahara nodded blinking back her tears. She couldn't speak afraid she might choke on her words, but there was one last question she needed answered, "What is the story behind my father anyway?" Her blue eyes watching his expression carefully.
He lifted an eye brow at her and then rubbed his chin, "Hm... other than knowing your mother wanted to have you and that his is a lord at the north?" She could tell she needed to simplify the question.
"Well, I mean, why was he hunting my mother and I?" She looked back into the fire her body feeling strange all of a sudden. She felt like her body was about to start burning up, like it does when she needed to be with Sesshomaru. Already?
"I'm not sure really. I suppose maybe to find you? Since he was a demon lord you were his heir, assuming he had no other children."
"I see." Letting out a sigh because she couldn't handle her body's sudden frustreations Sahara stood looking out the side window briefly. The moon was at it's highest peak, she needed to get back as soon as possible. She feared the dizziness she experienced before would return. "I should head back. If I don't beat Lord Sesshomaru home he might be very angry with me."
Okumo nodded standing, he hugged her tightly, "Be brave, my darling." He caressed her cheek and Kindra bounced up and hugged her sister goodbye.
"You will come back, right?"
Sahara smiled ruffling the top of Kindra's brown hair, "I will surely try." She focused her gaze back on her father and gave him a weak smile. "Thank you."
He nodded and kissed her forehead, "Travel fast."
"I shall!" She called over her shoulder racing out of the hut, calling upon her wings and flew off into the crisp night air.
Sahara was flying over the trees when she noticed a small plume of smoke rising up into the starry sky a few yards ahead of her. She wondered if it was Touya and the friends he was with trying to find her. She wanted to get back quickly, but if Touya was really this close, it would probably be better to see him now instead of forcing him to have a confrontation with the demon lord, right?
Swooping down, she gracefully landed in the trees a few feet from where the campsite would be. She returned her wings into her body and started slowly making her way through the trees. A snapping twig caused her to freeze. She turned slightly to her right to find golden eyes staring at her. Sahara's heart leapt to her throat thinking Sesshomaru had caught her out of the castle, but she noticed these golden eyes weren't as cold or emotionless as the demon lord's.
"So, you got away, huh?" The young man stepped into the moonlight and Sahara could see the dog ears adorning the top of his head and she suddenly recognized him as Lord Seeshomaru's younger half brother, Inuyasha.
"Sorry." She let out a sigh of relief, "I thought you were Lord Sesshomaru."
The half demon snorted, "Well, that's a first." She tilted her head confused.
"Well, you do have the same hair and eye color. Aren't you his half brother?"
"Yeah, but we don't get along." He looked away from her for a moment, "Anyway, how did you manage to escape?"
"Well, I'm not really escaping." Sahara confessed timidly, "I'm actually on my way back from seeing my father."
"I see." She noticed the disappointment flicker across his face, "The others are sleeping. It is pretty late."
Her eyes lifted to the sky, the moon was a few feet away from setting. Reminding her she needed to get back her body continuing to ache with need.
"So, it's true then? That you two are "bonded", you can't get away."
Sahara nodded causing lose pieces of her blonde hair to fall into her face, "I'm concerned about Touya." She admitted.
"Yeah, he seems pretty set on bringing you back home with him." Inuyasha crossed his arms, "What are you going to do?"
"Well, I'm hoping to reason with him to get him to understand. This bond thing is a lot bigger than I think he realizes and there isn't anything anyone can do about it." She averted her eyes realizing that her objective was going to be a lot harder than she first thought, "I have to do this before morning. Sesshomaru doesn't know I've gone yet."
"You aren't going back." Touya's voice came out of no where from behind the half demon, but Sahara was already on edge to be surprised. She feared Sesshomaru would come out from one of the surrounding trees.
"Touya, please, go back to father and Kindra. Forget about this." His younger sister begged, approaching him.
He shook his head his green eyes determined, "No way. He can't get away from appearing out of no where and taking you so suddenly. You don't belong there with him!"
"Touya." Sahara glared at her brother, thoughts of her mother's horrible decision to leave her there with all her secrets beginning to consume her, "If I don't belong there, then where is it that I do belong? Because back in the village isn't the place for me either. Don't you see? I'm a demon! This changes everything!"
The half-dog demon watched between the two adopted siblings closely. Touya was playing a hopeless game, "It doesn't have to change anything." Touya finally spoke averting his eyes to the ground. "You could still come back and live with father and the others. You don't have to be obligated to that demon." Before Sahara could reply he suddenly turned to the other half-demon standing next to him, "Help me talk some sense into her, please, Inuyasha!"
Inuyasha narrowed his golden eyes at the obnoxious half-cat demon, "There is no sense to talk her into, Kid. She-" He stopped , ears twitching, as he looked up at the sky, "Sesshomaru is close." His hand immediately moved towards the hilt of his sword at his left hip.
Sahara could sense it too. His powerful demonic aura overcoming her senses causing her wings to erect as her body tensed up. She was trembling as her thoughts strayed over the memory of his touch. She had stayed for far too long. She began to wonder if Sesshomaru would be angry when he finds her here. Then, she realized that would be stupid not to assume. She wasn't supposed to leave his castle.
Sure enough, Sesshomaru appeared through the trees to Sahara's left. Inuyasha turned to him growling completely on guard. Touya glared through his slitted, green eyes at the handsome demon lord. Sahara clenched her fists trying to stay calm and brave, but she knew deep down she was terrified.
"Why are you here?" His golden eyes glared daggers at Inuyasha.
"Why do you think? You kidnapped the girl. The kid wanted to make sure she was alright."
The demon lord's vision fell on Touya, who looked ready to pounce, then landed on Sahara causing her to immediately lower her gaze, "Now you know she is alright. I suggest you leave." He gave the two men a cold stare.
"You think i would just abandon my sister just because you claim she is alright?" Touya stepped beside Inuyasha to face the demon lord.
"Touya, please just go." Sahara took a step towards them, "There's no use in continuing towards the castle. I am fine. Really."
"This isn't about you being "fine"!" Touya brought his glaring eyes on to her, "This is about having a choice. I thought you wanted to choose who you would marry. It's all you ever wanted in the village. All you ever talked about growing up was how you were going to marry Keiji, remember?"
Sahara shook her head, "I'm not a child anymore and I'm not stupid either, Touya, open your eyes! I'm not human! All that stuff was childish. I mean, no one in their right mind would take me. I'm different. I have golden hair and blue eyes. I've been different my whole life I've been there. Don't you see?" Her eyes were brimming with tears now. She was focused on Touya, but she felt the brothers' gazes on her too as the reality of things finally had a chance to sink in, "I'm too different to even be considered for any available suitors in the village. I don't belong there. There was never a purpose for me."
"Sahara," Touya's voice was quiet.
Her emotions were running wild. She was frustrated with her brother, hurt by the information her mother kept from her, and overcoming with strong desires for the man her late mother betrothed her to. She was getting so overwhelmed she was finding it difficult to think, "If anything, my mother should've sent me to live with Sesshomaru's father the day she made that stupid betrothal thing between Sesshomaru and me. It would've made more sense and then I wouldn't have been lied to or living this lie!" She dug her nails into her palms the pain of their sharp points distracting her from shedding tears, "It's all just been one big lie!" Before she started crying in front of them she turned on her heel and flew into the sky disappearing in seconds
Inuyasha and Touya were left speechless as they watched the emotional woman fly away. Touya turned to Inuyasha his eyes full of solemn and guilt but was cut off by Kagome and the others who made their way sleepily to the men.
"What's going on?" Kagome asked rubbing her eyes.
"We heard yelling. Is everything alright, Inuyasha?" Miroku made his way towards them behind the young priestess.
Inuyasha glanced at his friends before spinning on his heel to look at where his brother had stood to find he had vanished leaving only his scent, "Sahara was here."
"Was she okay?" Sango perked up.
"No." Touya replied looking towards where she had disappeared, "Father must've told her everything and now she is emotionally unstable." His green eyes traveled to the ground, "I've been really selfish, you guys. I didn't think about Sahara's future in the village. I was so consumed with getting things back to the way they had been before all this that I..."
"It's okay." Kagome patted Touya's shoulder, "She will get through it and maybe things can't go back to being as they were, but she is still a part of your family and families stick together, right?"
Touya smiled weakly into her kind brown eyes, "Yeah."
"Feh!" Inuyasha glared at the two, "Just don't expect to loop Sesshomaru in there. He isn't much of a family person." Noticing the concern that began to cloud Touya's eyes at that he decided to change topics, "Let's go to sleep. We can figure out what to do with this kid in the morning."
"What do you mean, 'figure out what to do with this kid'?" Sango questioned following Inuyasha back into the camp.
"It would probably be best if I returned home to the village." Touya said before an argument could be made, "Sahara is right about everything. I think it is best to try and trust that she and Inuyasha's older brother will figure this all out."
Inuyasha grumbled something about their whole trip towards Sesshomaru's castle being a total waste of time before he leaped back on to his branch and curled up to sleep.