Author's Note

I use some different terminology in this story.

Demon — Animae (Latin root: Anim)

Half-Demon — Demimae

AU: Based in the US, modern day.

————————————————————————

Izayoi had no idea where she was.

She eyed the unfamiliar cavern walls with trepidation. The sun shone through like beacons, the only thing making her feel somewhat at ease. But everything else was wrong. All she had was a burlap sack over her thin frame, and no other items to her name.

Was I kidnapped? She wondered. The last thing she knew was that her son had come into her room scared - almost as scared as he'd be during thunderstorms - and asked her if he could sleep with her that night. She found it endearing. He usually fought so hard to prove how much of a big boy he was, sleep by himself most of the time, trying to help around the house, and even announcing he could protect her from the big bads. He'd grown up so much, but she also appreciated moments like these that reminded her how much of a child he still was.

She needed to find him. She needed to get back home asap.

Outside the cave was a forest. This worried her, because if her state of undress meant she was taken advantage of, there was a possibility she smelled of sex. She didn't feel particularly dirty, but without a bath or shower with scent neutralizer, you couldn't be fully sure.

Did they find me? She looked for the telltale signs of the only people she could think would be after her. Familiar symbols. Red blood kanji. The same people she'd worried about last night. Yes, there were people after her. They wanted her and her son dead.

She shivered with fear of the possibilities. Thankfully, the warm weather didn't contribute.

She found the biggest branch she could find in hopes of at least having some kind of weapon. But overall, she'd probably have no chance if something came for her.

Her bare feet trekked the rugged earth. She felt a presence in the brush next to her. The glowing eyes of a wolf held her gaze. Shit. I must've been raped after all. Her heart sank at the thought of being the victim of an attack, just because she found herself in an uncanny predicament. She didn't even know how she'd gotten here. Had no idea how she smelled to a wolf's nose.

She readied the stick, mentally playing a rough collection of moves she could possibly use to counter any attacks.

The wolf simply blinked at her, though. Soon after, he pranced away.

"Wait!" said Izayoi. She realized his unusual reaction may have meant he was sapient. Maybe this wolf saw what happened to her. But despite her calling out, the wolf continued on. She sighed.

She continued on the path and saw an inn in the distance. She saw the wolf assume a human shape at the door and walked in. So it's sapient after all.

She continued on to the inn. She walked up the stone steps to the entrance and reticently opened the door, sticking her head in. An older woman was in the foyer, organizing the shoes while she was sweeping up. She looked mostly human, save for dark gray eyes and a very sharp fangs that were revealed as she turned to Izayoi with a welcoming smile. "Good morning. Welcome to— oh dear!"

The woman gasped when she saw Izayoi's lack of dress. "Sorry. I…"

The woman quickly went to Izayoi's side and showed her to the back. "No matter, dear. You've come to the right place for help. Let's get you some clothes."

The woman showed her to a laundry room in the back. There were some random articles of clothes in a bin. "Look through these and find what might fit. Take whatever you like. It's a wonder so many patrons leave clothing behind."

Izayoi gave her a soft smile. "Thank you."

She nodded to the animae woman in thanks as she closed the door. She sifted through the clothing and opted for a simple black t-shirt and some jeans that happened to fit well enough. Just as she was situated in her new outfit, she heard arguing just outside of the door. "Why are we helping that human?," said a younger, male voice.

"Camron, Shush. Humans have always been welcome here. Don't act like this is something new."

"But mom, that lady has got to be anti-animae."

"Don't be ridiculous. She wouldn't have come in if she were."

"I saw her. She's probably gonna try and sabotage us."

"You'd better get rid of that attitude, young man. You already know there's a large party of humans coming tonight, so you'd better get it together. I don't know what on earth has gotten into you!"

The younger man scoffed and walked out of the room. The older woman sighed. Izayoi waited until she was certain the conversation was over before walking out.

The wolfess had a distressed look, still gazing after her son. She snapped out of it, and did her best to produce a smile. "Hi there," she said. "I'm Marlo, by the way." She gave Izayoi a concerned look. "Do you remember your name?"

"My name is Izayoi."

"Hi Izayoi." Marlo motioned her to join her at a table. "Please sit. Should I be calling the human police for you? Or the animae police?"

Izayoi frowned. "I honestly don't know."

"Hmm. Well do you know who might have been after you for whatever reason?"

Izayoi looked down at the table. "I suppose it would be humans if I had to guess. But…I'm not so sure. I think maybe I was…taken advantage of." She held her arms, a habitual pose of self-comforting.

Marlo shook her head. "No, there's no way you were taken advantage of. There's no scent of sex on you, so at least we can rule that out."

Izayoi's eyes widened. "Really? How do you know?"

Marlo tapped her nose. "Not many scent neutralizers can trick this nose. I'm much too old for that."

Izayoi nodded. Marlo could sense she was still unsure.

"In any case," she continued, "We should file a report. You were likely kidnapped for some reason, right?"

"That's the only explanation…" Izayoi agreed. "Where are we, by the way?"

"This is Chatsworth, New Jersey."

Izayoi gasped. "Jersey?!" How long was I out?

The wolf nodded grimly. "Where are you from?"

"Hartford, Connecticut," she said exasperated.

"Wow. They took you pretty far," she said quietly. She opened an address book. "Well thankfully, I always keep these numbers on hand. Here."

Marlo gave her the phone, and sat there supportively while Izayoi placed two calls. The first, to the human department if the suspect was human. The other, to the anime department in case the culprit of her kidnapping was an animae.

She gave them all the details she could of the cave, her current condition, and of the rickety little house she'd been in last that she remembered.

"More importantly," she'd said, "Could you locate my son? He's an eight year old demi."

"Ok miss. What kind of Demi? What's his name?"

"Inuyasha Ito. Half dog."

The Human Department told her they'd reach back out to her within 24 hours since she told them she was unscathed. That kind of bothered her because she felt they should be a little more proactive, whether she was visibly injured or not. And as for her son, they would not start searching for him until the full 24-hour time-frame had passed. It upset her.

The Animae Department, on the other hand, told her they would stop by that evening to investigate the cave she'd come out of and what became of her son since then.

Izayoi sat nervously with a warm cup of tea that Marlo made her. She was worried sick about Inuyasha. If something had happened to him, she wouldn't be able to forgive whoever did this to them. And if she was this far away from home, where on earth could he be?

"Hey. Mage-bitch."

She scoffed. Her eyes met his in challenge. "You'd better not talking to me."

"Yea, I'm talking to you. You'd better not try anything funny." She could tell he was trying to look as intimidating as possible, but with a large laundry basket under his arm, it tamed the sinister visage and made him look like he was trying way too hard.

"That's funny," she leaned close to him, "I'm not even a mage, let alone a mage-bitch, so I'm uncertain what you think I can do."

He snorted. "Oh, that's rich. You might be hiding your aura now, but I felt it earlier. Don't you dare try a stealth attack on us." He darkened his eyes further. "I'll rip you to shreds until there's nothing left."

Izayoi heard the threat and knew he meant it. However, she was confused. A mage's aura?

He felt he'd finished his piece and started walking away, but Izayoi stood quickly and grabbed his shoulder. He violently brushed it off. "Don't touch me."

"Listen," Izayoi said in a serious tone, "You clearly know something. Could you tell me what you saw?"

He growled at her. "See this whole 'I'm innocent' act ain't gonna cut it with me. Stop pretending like you're the victim here."

Izayoi took a deep breath. "Please. I'm being honest, here. If you know something, please tell me."

The young man looked at her, and though suspicious, she could tell he was finally starting to take her seriously. And just when she'd thought he'd open up, he instead said, "Fuck you." And promptly left.

Marlo had just walked into the back room adjacent to the kitchen. "Did I just hear you cussing at Izayoi?" She berated Camron for a good few minutes, sharing a few choice words about respect. "Go back home. I don't want you here for the rest of the night. We'll have a good, long conversation tomorrow."

He stormed off shortly after. Marlo came into the kitchen. "Izayoi, I am so, so sorry about my son. I can't believe how rude he's been to you."

She smiled. "That's ok. Animae boys that age always have that over-protective stage, don't they?"

She groaned. "Ugh. He's only thirty now, so I know it's only just starting." She shook her head. "I envy how quickly humans go through puberty. It's over in just a decade."

"Yea, but everything else is over that fast, too."

"Well, that's true. Pros and cons, huh?" Marlo gave her a soft smile.

She wondered what Inuyasha would be like when he became that age. She had no idea if his puberty would last several decades, like an animae, or if it would just be teenage years, like a human. No matter which, she wanted to find her baby boy, keep living their lives, and find out which it would be. She wanted to get back to her normal life.

"Well," Marlo interrupted her thoughts, "to be honest, I can't have you stay here for free. We have a big party coming tonight, so it would be a great help if you could help me prepare."

Izayoi smiled. "Of course."

———

The sun was starting to set and the air cooled. All the sheets in all of rooms were laundered, each place set up appropriately, and a welcome meal was prepared. The door opened with a ring and lively chatter filled the inn. The shuffles of jackets and suitcase wheels filled the room.

"Welcome to Blue Forest Inn," said Marlo warmly.

"Hi, we're the Class Reunion party of twelve. The four of us have reservations for tonight, and eight will be checking in tomorrow around eleven."

Marlo nodded. "Wonderful. Please make yourselves at home."

The group sauntered in. Izayoi just got finished putting the rest of the dishes away, and decided she would go to her room so she could be out of the way. She'd help Marlo clean up once the party finished their meal and settled in. But as she walked out of the kitchen toward her room, there was a gasp. "Izayoi?"

She looked up at the voice. A familiar face stood before her. He took a tentative step forward with a face full of shock. "It's really you, right? Izayoi Ito?"

She gasped when she realized who it was. "Tien! Wow, what a surprise."

"Oh my god, Izayoi! I thought you were dead."

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "You thought I was dead?" Her heart sank further. Maybe she was out for longer than imagined.

"Man, we haven't talked in like, almost thirty years?"

Thirty years? She became even more confused. She herself was only thirty three. "You must mean half that. I'm not that old."

He laughed, clearly thinking that was a joke. "I gotta say, you really haven't aged at all. The power of 'asians don't raisin', am I right?"

She awkwardly chuckled with him. He did look aged himself, more than she would expect. She took a look at the rest of the group, but none that she really recognized. "Izayoi, these are some of our old classmates from high school. We happen to be having a class reunion with some of us. You were friends with Charla, right? She'll be here tomorrow!"

Her heart warmed. "Charla's coming? I would love to see her."

"Man, I can't believe you're working at the inn we're staying in! What a coincidence."

"Yea…"

——

Izayoi got invited to dinner with the crew, since she technically was part of the class. She sat at the table a little awkwardly, feeling out of place. She chalked it up to having part of her mind focused on Inuyasha and his whereabouts, and the other on how she even got to Jersey. Maybe she shouldn't have agreed to join in.

"Ok everyone. Time to take a photo!" said Tien.

Everyone gathered around. He held up some sort of device Izayoi had never seen before. After he snapped the photo, she gave him a confused look. "What kind of camera is that?"

Tien frowned. "It's just my phone."

Shock filled her. "That's a phone? I've never seen a phone without buttons." She scoffed.

Tien laughed. "What, have you been stuck in the 90s all this time? You've never seen a smartphone before?"

She furrowed her brows, not knowing what the hell a 'smartphone' was. "I guess not."

There was an awkward silence. Tien cleared his throat. "Well, that's weird. Um, anyways, what's been going on with you? Got hitched? Any kids?"

She laughed nervously. "Well, I do have a kid." She couldn't help but look sad afterwards.

"No way. How old is he?"

She smiled, but it didn't meet her eyes. "Eight going on hard-headed."

The group laughed. "Waited pretty late in life to have a kid, huh? That's pretty smart though. More people should do that. Tien, how old is your daughter now?" Asked one of the classmates at the table.

Izayoi lost any motivation to smile further. Something was seriously not right. How old do these guys think I am?

"Yea. She's just about to turn twenty-one. I'm planning on taking her wine-tasting at Epcot to celebrate!"

The group commended his plan. But this dug Izayoi further into the hole. Tien and I were in the same class. He's only a year older than me. If he had a daughter that's twenty, that'd mean he had her when he was twelve…

The unease in her stomach only grew further. As they continued chatting, they mentioned a president by a name they she didn't know. They threw around jargon she didn't understand. She felt more and more out of place as the night went on, felt like she didn't belong here. Like she wasn't supposed to 'be'.

"Why did you think I was dead?"

She'd asked that in the middle of their lively conversation. It was selfish of her, interrupting such a happy moment with her question, but something deep in her being said that the answer to this would provide her some clarity.

The group looked at each other awkwardly. Tien's lips were a thin line. "Can we…not talk about that?"

"Please," said Izayoi. "I need to know why. Was I in the news recently?"

The room went still. Thick air enveloped the group as people looked at Tien, then back at Izayoi with expressions filled with unease. Tien put down his silverware, loud clacks within the quiet. Then he took a breath and spoke quietly. "Izayoi. I thought you were dead because…I was at your funeral."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. Tien continued, oblivious to the amount of shock racing through her body. "I remember telling me you had a troubled past. And when I saw you now, I figured you must've needed to fake your death for some reason. I didn't say anything since these three don't really know you, so I wanted to respect your secret."

She blinked. "Funeral? When?"

It was his turn to stare at her with his mouth agape.

"Tien. When did I ever have a funeral?"

He drew his attention to the camera device— no, 'smartphone' he'd called it. There were some moments of silence. Then he said, "Here." He'd handed her the phone.

She saw her picture.

Obituary of Izayoi Ito

June, 13, 2008

Izayoi Ito, a hardworking mother who befriended all of her neighbors, passed peacefully in her sleep at the young age of thirty three. She is survived by her son Inuyasha Ito. She inspired her community with her open-mindedness…

The screen shut off before she could read anymore. Her shocked expression reflected back at her through hell's mirror it seemed. And it was uncanny how that murky, dark depth matched the terror in her heart.

Nausea bubbled in her gut. She gently placed the phone down on the table, stood, and steadily made her way to the bathroom. She shut the door firmly behind her. She leaned against it, burying her hands in her hair. I was dead?

She thought back to last night. How could it even be possible? She'd went to bed, Inuyasha was right beside her. This was a bad dream, and once she'd wake up, her life would resume as normal.

I was dead…

She'd go back to her working her three jobs like always. All of them sucked in their unique ways, but it was bearable since she did it all for the livelihood of her son. Maybe someday, she'd have the opportunity for a better paying job so she could spend more time with him. In the morning, she'd talk to him about it.

I was dead!

There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Izayoi? The animae police are here."

Her heart thundered in her chest. What the fuck would she say?

Taking a deep breath, she emerged.

"Ms. Ito. Hello," said a weary looking dragon with gold-rimmed glasses and a pencil behind his ear. "My partner and I are here to investigate a possible kidnapping upon your request."

"Good evening," his partner said softly. She seemed she may be a rat animae based on the overbite on her teeth, and was quite calm in demeanor. Izayoi knew rats had very strong noses, very much like canines, so she was likely aware of Izayoi's chaotic cocktail of emotions that she was enduring right now. This timing was kind of insane.

The dragon extended a hand. "I'm Investigator Kingly, and my partner is Investigator Sanso."

Izayoi took the large hand nervously and shook it. She could feel the eyes of the other inn patrons on her, but no one said a word.

"Could you show us this cave you mentioned?"

"Yes. Certainly." She said.

——

She sat on a rock just outside the cave as Kingly felt for residual auras, and Sanso sniffed around. "Hmm. Some very interesting magic was used in here. Sanso, what do you think?"

"I'm guessing the work of a conjurer."

He nodded. "That makes sense to me, too."

After a few more moments of taking dirt samples from the cave, and taking some notes, they joined Izayoi on the rock. She eyed them weirdly, though animae Investigators were notorious for doing things out of the ordinary. The one thing that was consistent with them, however, is that they never treated you like a criminal, no matter how close to getting arrested you were. Innocent until proven guilty was their motto. The complete opposite from that of humans. A lot of humans protested this due to it not making sense in their minds. Animae were stronger than humans after all, so why should they get more leeway?

Kingly took off his glasses and shined them with the tail of his shirt, while Sanso looked up at the glimmering night sky. They sat quietly there for a while. Izayoi remained tense, worried despite knowing they wouldn't treat her badly. She'd done nothing wrong after all. So why did she feel so sick?

"What do you think happens after we die?" Sanso asked. Her voice floated among the night breeze.

Izayoi pursed her lips. "Beats me…"

Kingly smiled. "I'd like to think there's a grand place in the cosmos where all of our souls go."

"So you believe in heaven, then?" Sanso asked in her gingerly voice.

The dragon pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "Not heaven, per se. Just…a good place. Full of good energy."

Izayoi sighed. "I know why you guys are bringing this up."

They sat calmly, waiting for Izayoi to continue. She frowned. "What happened to me?"

Sanso placed a hand on her shoulder. She felt the empathy laced within that simple touch. "We don't know. But we're very thankful you called us. We were able to get a few more answers because of your prompt call."

"So then…my son?"

"We weren't able to find an Inuyasha Ito that matched your description," said Kingly.

Her eyes widened. "So then, that means—"

"Not to worry, Ms. Ito," he continued, "No record likely means that he changed his name for some reason. If he were deceased, his name would have come up in a search."

She felt relieved at that information. There was hope after all.

"But unfortunately, we have bad news in that regard," said Sanso. "You won't be allowed to see your son." Her voice, no matter how serious and grave remained as comforting as possible. Probably why she was the bearer of bad news.

"I won't?" Sadness filled Izayoi.

"Ms. Ito. Have you come across anyone who recognizes you from your past?"

"Well, yes. One person at the inn."

The investigators glanced at each other with grim faces. "What's this person's name?" Kingly asked seriously. Sanso whipped out her notepad again.

"Why. Is he in trouble?"

Kingly frowned. "Trouble? No. I wouldn't say he's in trouble…"

Sanso remained a little too quiet and still for Izayoi's taste. It made her think that maybe she disagreed with Kingly's statement.

Her heart started thumping in her chest. "I don't feel comfortable giving a name," she said.

"Hmm. And no other familiars will be arriving tomorrow?"

She tensed further. "Yes, around eleven. What does it matter?"

Sanso finally spoke up. "We're not sure why this happens, but it's best to avoid people who knew you from before."

The feeling of lead weighed her down. Finally, she dared to ask the question, "What happens to people who recognize me?"

The investigators gave each other a questioning look, whether they should disclose the information or not. Then Kingly sighed. "You know what? Get a good night's sleep tonight, Ms. Ito. We will be back early tomorrow morning once we've prepared some arrangements for you."

"You're taking me away?"

The gentle hand of Sanso was back on her shoulder. "It's for the safety of those you love, Ms. Ito. You're not in trouble. We simply want to allow you an opportunity to exist without fear."

She really didn't get it, so she gave the investigators a confused look.

"Don't worry. We will explain everything we know in the morning. For now, go back to your friends and rest easy."

She wasn't really sure how much sleep she would get with all of this uncertainty. But in any case, she nodded.

They walked her back to the house. "See you in the morning," said Kingly with a bright smile.

"Have a good night," Sanso said softly.

"Good night," said Izayoi.

When she walked back into the inn, the group was in a den area near the rooms. They were huddled up, watching a movie. When Izayoi entered, Tien paused it. "Hey, are you ok?"

She gave him a soft smile. "I'm ok now. Thanks." Tien was so earnest in his concern for her. The rest of the group, however, looked at her with fearful eyes.

"Well, goodnight everyone," she finished. She didn't want to make anyone uneasy. She went to her room. She plopped down on the bed, still in her clothes. What happens to people who know me? What's gonna happen to Tien?

——

When she awoke that morning, she got her answer. She didn't know how, and she didn't see it happen, but she knew that death had come for Tien.

The clock ticked through the quiet house. It read a quarter to seven. The investigators would be coming around 8.

She heard a car pull up. That was fast.

She didn't have any things to gather. So she simply went down to greet the investigators, and quietly leave before anyone else could see her.

The door was already unlocked, so Marlo must've been awake. Izayoi pushed open the doors, ready to greet the investigators, but became surprised when it was a group of people.

"Good morning!" One of the women greeted. "I know we're here a little early." She was already at the door with her suitcase while the remaining people were still piling out of the car.

"Oh. Not a problem at all."

She laughed. "I know we're probably gonna wake up the others with our racket." She put her suitcase inside, right by the door. Then she went back out to help the others.

She could turn back and hide. No one would see her yet. It'd be awkward, but she would see if Marlo was around to finish checking them in. She turned away.

"Izayoi! Tien told me you'd probably be checking us in," said a familiar voice. "It's so good to see you!"

Shit, what should I do now? Is it already too late?

She turned back around and took in her old friend, Charla. She looked in her late forties, laugh lines and creased eyelids. "Hey. So good to see you, too."

"Man, you haven't aged a day!" Charla enveloped her in a warm hug.

"Yea…"

The moment was broken by a terrible scream. "Oh my gosh. Who was that?"

"What the hell?"

Some of the members of the group, including Charla, rushed into the house after hearing the troubled scream. Izayoi knew now what they'd discovered. And Charla…

Izayoi looked up and saw the two investigators there now. Both of their eyes filled with sadness. "Ms. Ito. Let's go now."

——

She watched the inn shrink into the distance. "Why did that happen?"

Kingly's face hardened. "We're not sure about the why. We just know that it does. We're taking you as far as we can so we can limit the possibility of this incident ever occurring again."

"Where am I going?"

"Sanso and I will be driving you to a safe checkpoint for tonight. We'll set you up with a ride the rest of the way. A human, if we can manage it."

She nodded. "Thank you."

She watched the passing forest blitz by. It seemed like summer. Green bright trees and the warm breeze. It was a juxtaposition to the sadness she felt.

Everything that just transpired felt like such a dream. She pinched herself, holding the skin between her fingers for several seconds, feeling the small pain in her skin building up, and then releasing that flesh, feeling the lingering pain in disbelief. Somehow, she had died. Somehow, she was alive again. Somehow, there was a huge gap of time between last night and today. And somehow, the life she literally had yesterday couldn't be revisited in this new place.

Whatever existence she'd woken up in, she'd have to figure it out. Especially if that meant avoiding those who recognized her in order to keep them safe. Especially for Inuyasha's sake. She'd figure this all out.

Somehow.