[Upon arriving at a strange village, Inu Yasha is reunited with someone who watched over him when he was a pup... How does he react to her?]
As they entered the strange village, Inu Yasha's nose picked up the faint scent of a youkai nearby, but something inside him compelled him to keep the Tetsusaiga in its sheath. He didn't want a fight with this youkai, because of something in her scent, but he wasn't sure what it was, & the thought of it didn't bother him either. But his body stopped moving & his muscles tensed when he realized it was semi-familiar to him.
His actions made Sango & Miroku look at him while Kagome was looking at the village with a slightly far-off expression. "What do you think is going on?" Sango asked Miroku, who merely shrugged as his brows furrowed.
"I'm not sure Sango," Miroku spoke softly as they began walking again, with Inu Yasha in lead as they treaded onto the worn path apparently made by the villagers.
As they were about to enter the village, a young boy with a sword ran out into their path & held a fighting stance, facing Inu Yasha. "Youkai are not allowed in this village!" He shouted, glaring at the hanyou. "The others may enter, but you may not!"
Inu Yasha sniffed the air & raised an eyebrow at the boy. "If that's so, why do I smell the scent of a demoness?"
"She's the protector of our village! She is the only demoness that we allow," the boy answered.
"I am an honest houshi & I can vouch for the hanyou that he means no harm to your village," Miroku spoke up, stepping in front Inu Yasha, blocking the boy's view of his traveling companion. "We only want a place to stay for the night & in the morning we will be gone."
"And I'm an expert youkai exterminator from a village far from here," Sango spoke up. "If anything were to go wrong with this hanyou I would quickly correct him."
The boy looked at both the houshi & the exterminator, thinking over what both had said. "I will only allow the humans into the village for now, at least until our protector agrees to let the hanyou in," he spoke & lowered his sword, sheathing it. "If you have any disagreements with my decision, then go now."
Sango & Miroku looked at Inu Yasha, who nodded to this, before they followed the boy into the village.
Inu Yasha looked at Kagome & frowned slightly. �Why did you stay behind with me?�
�I just wanted to make sure you weren�t alone until a decision was come to,� she answered & sat down on a slightly large rock.
�Kagome, I would rather you go inside the village with the others,� Inu Yasha said through a sigh. �I want some time alone.�
Kagome looked at Inu Yasha for several moments before she nodded & got up, walking inside the village, quickly catching up to Miroku, Sango, & the boy that had rudely greeted them when they first arrived.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was some time before the boy, who had greeted Inu Yasha so rudely, returned to the entrance of the village & looked at him. �The protector says you may enter, but you are to let her hold onto the sword at your hip,� he spoke. �You are to let her hold onto it until she says you are no longer a threat to her by her standards.�
Inu Yasha didn�t answer the boy as he turned & led Inu Yasha into the village. They walked past his companions, who were having dinner with the other villagers, & made their way to a hut at the back of the village, which had a houshi standing out front, as if guarding the hut.
�This is the hanyou that the protector wishes to see,� the boy spoke to the houshi who nodded & stepped off to the side, clearing way for the hanyou. The boy looked up at Inu Yasha. �She�s waiting for you,� he said before he turned & walked to the hut the others had been seen in.
Inu Yasha hesitated a moment before he walked up the path leading to the screen door entrance to the hut. As he stood there, thinking over what he would say, something unlike him, he realized that the scent of the demoness was more familiar to him than when he was at the front of the village. The only thing that bothered him at the moment was the fact that he couldn�t place her scent to save his life.
�Why do you stand there, Inu Yasha?� Questioned a voice from within.
Inu Yasha�s head snapped up & his gaze darted to the door. How does she know my name? Did someone tell it to her? He thought before he slid the screen door open & walked inside.
What greeted him when he walked inside was a black-haired dog inu demoness with golden eyes like his own & instead of the tail his brother wore, she chose to wear dog ears on the top of her head, making her appear a hanyou. He would have continued to think she was a hanyou if he wasn�t certain by her blood scent that she was full-blooded demoness. Instead of a splendid, expensive kimono or attire that would have shown her as royalty, she was dressed in a plain white kimono with a white obi that made her pale skin seem dark compared to the contrast of her attire.
�You have grown so much since I last saw you,� she said with a soft voice & a small smile. �I never would have thought a hanyou such as yourself would have survived as long as you have. The years have kept you looking younger than you should.�
�I was under a miko�s seal for fifty years,� he said softly as he discretely gulped in her scent as if it were the coolest water on the hottest day. �Who are you? How do you know my name?� He questioned as he removed the Tetsusaiga, still sheathed, from his obi & handed it over to her, feeling no danger in her to keep him from doing this.
�My name is Yukihana,� she answered, setting the sword next to her bedroll on the floor. �You were only a full year old when I left your father�s services. Before I left I was assigned to watching over you when your father was out patrolling his vast lands.�
�If this is true, then what was my father�s name?� For once in his life, Inu Yasha wasn�t letting his confusion get the better of him; he was actually staying calm.
�Your father is the late Inutaishou, once ruler of the great Western Lands.�
Inu Yasha stared at her as his memories of a young demoness cradling him in her arms came back to him. �You were the one that always let me lay in bed with her when mother was ill & father was away,� he whispered.
Yukihana smiled. �You finally remember me, eh?� She smiled. �That�s a comforting thought.� She reached down & picked up the Tetsusaiga & held it out to him. �You may have your sword back now Inu Yasha. Is it true that Sesshomaru-sama is now ruler of the Western lands?� She asked as Inu Yasha slowly took his sword back & tucked it back where it belonged.
�He rules it & even goes outside his lands sometimes to try & take the Tetsusaiga from me,� he answered. �But that stopped when Kaijinbo forged him a sword of his own, the Toukijin.�
Yukihana chuckled softly. �That sounds like the young pup I remember when I was in Inutaishou�s services.� A small smile lit her features. �Thinking of him brings back fond memories of when he would follow me around like a lost little pup. Has he found a mate yet?�
Inu Yasha shook his head. �No, but he keeps a ningen with him, named Rin. He took her in after she saved his life.�
�Show him affection & you become his world,� she laughed softly. �That certainly is Sesshomaru-sama. Tell me Inu Yasha, have you found a mate of your own yet?�
Inu Yasha found himself blushing slightly as he looked down.
�I�ll take that as a no. Why would you still be lonely after all this time? Don�t feel like you�re supposed to because of your mixed blood?�
Inu Yasha looked at her, his confusion growing since she had called his blood mixed, instead of tainted, sullied, impure, or weakened. �Who would want a hanyou? I will never fit in as a youkai or hanyou.�
Yukihana rose from her spot on her knees & closed the distance between the hanyou & her, embracing him in a gentle hug. �Inu Yasha, I never thought of you as an outsider. I knew you would one day fit in. Hopefully one day you will even be lucky enough to discover yourself a mate that you can share the rest of your life with.�
Inu Yasha rested his head on her shoulder & sighed softly, relaxing against her as his arms slid around her waist. He closed his eyes & let himself inhale as much as her scent as he could, being this close to her. �I will never find a mate, Yukihana. No one would want a hanyou you know this. My own brother despises my existence.�
Yukihana frowned slightly & softly rubbed his back, listening as he began to purr deep in his throat from the affection she was showing him. �Inu Yasha, do you know why I was expelled from your father�s lands?�
�No,� he answered. �I have no idea, but I always did wonder.�
Yukihana withdrew only slightly from the hanyou & looked at his face when he looked at her, his purring now stopped. �Inu Yasha, even as a young pup, I�ve known I had feelings in my heart for you & now your brother. He found this out & told Inutaishou-sama that I had plans to murder you in your sleep because of your blood.�
�That is why you were expelled from the lands?� Inu Yasha questioned as it registered in his mind that a full-blooded demoness had feelings in her heart, despite his hanyou blood. �Because my brother was jealous of me?�
Yukihana nodded. �I wanted to stay, I tried to defend myself, but my pleas fell on deaf ears because your father was so convinced I had wanted you dead.�
�Was what you said the truth? That since you were a pup you have held feelings for me?� He questioned. �Even now? After all this time apart?�
Yukihana nodded. �I fell for you, even as a pup, eight years your senior, & have not yet fallen out of love with you.�
Inu Yasha looked into the golden eyes of the demoness that still stood with her arms around his shoulders & his arms partway around her waist. I have the chance to be with someone who doesn�t care if I�m a hanyou & not a youkai, he thought. Do I really want to risk losing this chance just because I barely ever knew her & haven�t seen her after all these years?
Yukihana�s brow furrowed. �What are you thinking of Inu Yasha?� She questioned.
�Yukihana, you say you love me, but I have yet to get to know you, & I don�t wish to throw away this chance that I have to be with someone who could end up being my soul mate,� he spoke finally. �I want to properly court you before I ask you to be my mate. Would that be okay with you?�
Yukihana smiled softly & kissed his lips softly, bringing a blood rush to their cheeks. �That would be fine with me,� she whispered before laying her head on his shoulder. �I will wait until we are both ready to mate before I suggest taking you to my bedding.�
�Thank you,� he whispered as he felt his heart swell slightly from joy, which was showing by the smile on his lips. Thank you Gods, for letting me find this demoness� He prayed. Please let me do this right, I think I want to love her.