Okay, this was inspired earlier today. I've already thought through quite a bit of it and I like it. So, when I get home later today (borrowing the school's computer) I'll write and post the first chapter. For now, here's the basic summary:

It's been twenty years since the end of the anime (and manga, if it ever ends). Kagome and Inuyasha have finally settled down and had a child, a daughter named Darien. Little does Darien know that her parents are the new guardians of the Shikon Jewel.

When a demon attacks them, kills Inuyasha and leaves Kagome near death, and steals the jewel, Kagome entrusts Darien to find it and get it back.

So, can Darien follow in her parent's footsteps, and reclaim the jewel?

First chapter coming to an IJ near you.

Chapter 1

Darien listened intently for any noise within the trees. She knew that during combat, sounds rather than sights proved most useful. She kept her body low to the ground, making it harder for anyone to see her through the dense trees.

She hadn't heard anything for the past few minutes now. Perhaps he's not even around here.

She took a single slow step forward, still keeping her body down low. Her foot hadn't even touched the ground when she heard a single twig snap behind her. How'd he get behind me so quick?

She jumped off her other foot, high into the air as a silver-haired figure wearing bright, red clothes rushed through the trees, swiping at where Darien had been just a moment ago. Darien smiled as she saw the figure shake with frustration at losing his prey. But she wasn't gonna give him the opportunity to attack again.

She fell back to the ground, swiping at the figure with her own claws. But her opponent caught her wrist at the last moment, then swiped out with his left foot, kicking her in the chest. Darien felt the wind get knocked out of her at the impact, and the landing flat on her back didn't help either.

She would've loved to just lay there and catch her breath, but time didn't allow as the figure pounced on her again, swiping at her exposed head with his claws. She jumped back onto her feet and dodged the blow before countering with a swipe of her own claws. She felt grim satisfaction as the claws swiped across the figure's cheek, drawing blood. The figure growled in pain, lowered the shoulder closest to her and rammed into her, his shoulder hitting her square in the chest, causing her to take a few steps back to regain her balance and breath.

As her feet finally stopped moving, she saw the figure once again lunge out, ramming his shoulder into her shins, knocking her off balance and forward onto her face. Luckily, she reached out a second before impact with her hands and they helped absorb most of the shock from the fall. Her head still smacked against the forest floor, bruising her forehead, but not drawing blood.

But that wasn't the worst part. Darien could feel her body slowly moving into unconsiousness from the blow. She tried lifting her head a bit, but it toppled back down as she lost the strength to keep it up. She looked around, trying to see if she could spot her attacker, but he wasn't anywhere in her field of vision. Did he leave? Or is he just waiting to finish me off?

She heard a snap of twigs behind her. Her attacker was coming back for the finish. Darien groaned, not thinking it would ever end like this. She choked as her attacker lifted her up by the back of her shirt, and held her up on her knees. He reached back and grabbed her hair, tilting her head back and exposing her throat.

Too weak to do anything, she closed her eyes and merely wished for a quick, painless death. Through a crack in her eyes, she saw her attacker raise his clawed hand. When it was as high as it would go, she closed the crack of her eyelid as the fatal attack came.

Yet when it touched her throat, it was in a tender, soft way. "I win," her attacker said.

Darien opened her eyes again and stared back into the tender, loving golden eyes of her father, Inuyasha. Darien smiled the same time he did, and was relieved when he pulled his hand out of her hair, letting her head tilt back into place. "You alright?" he asked, clearly worried.

"Yeah," she replied tensely. "Just knocked my head against the ground earlier."

"Ouch," he replied, wincing.

"Yeah," she agreed. "What about you?"

He reached out and brushed a finger against his cheek, which had been bleeding profusely. "It's just a scratch."

He lowered his hand towards Darien, who reached out and took it with her own, letting him pull her up. "Well?" she asked once she was on her own feet.

Inuyasha stared at her, pain in his eyes. "Another year."

"You're kidding!" she shouted, clearly outraged.

Inuyasha sounded sad, but his eyes held determined. "It's dangerous out there," he told her, "I don't want you out there till I'm sure you can defend yourself."

"I can already," she retorted.

"I know you can," he replied, "but your Mother and I would feel better if you wait."

Darien glowered at her father. She was already eighteen years old. A woman by both human and humanoid-demon society. "Let's not talk about this right now," he replied sagely. "Let's talk about this later tonight."

Darien had no choice. Arguing would get her nowhere with her Father. But perhaps her Mother would be more reasonable. With that thought in mind, she allowed Inuyasha to lead the way through the forest and back home.

End Of Chapter 1

OMG, Darien has the same name as me. ;Squee;.

Only my name is spelt differently.

This sounds very interesting, update soon.

Chapter 2

The two stepped out of the forest on the opening end of the canyon and breathed in the fresh, non-foresty air. Darien especially enjoyed it. She preferred the scents of water and tropical flowers that grew in her village, not the dry, musky scent of trees and rotting leaves. After stretching her arms, which had started growing sore during the walk, she and her father continued their trip, following the path that had been carved through the canyon to the village.

As they walked, Darien noticed how late it was starting to get. The sun was no longer visible to them in the canyon. "When you get home," Inuyasha said, pulling Darien away from thoughts of the hour, "I want you to get cleaned up. Miroku and Sango are coming over for dinner tonight."

"And Yoshin?" Darien asked, hoping for a no.

"Yes," Inuyasha sighed, which made Darien sigh. "I know you aren't too fond of him and he seems to have the hots for you. But that's no reason to be polite. Just be nice and be obvious that you don't have any interest in him."

Darien nearly laughed. Hearing her father ask her to be polite was enough to make the saddest person laugh. After everything her mother told her, it was hard to imagine her father as he was now: polite, gentle, and full of good humor.

However, thoughts of her father's past would have to wait. He and Darien had just past up over the tiny hill that hid the village from gazes far away. Climbing up it, Darien was once again amazed at how breathtaking her village looked.

In the center, the water from the waterfalls all joined into a large pond. The main part of the village was built around the pond, with bridges built to connect one bank of the pond to the other. From there, the houses of the villagers spread out in a circular shape. Most stopped before they hit the canyon wall, except for one: her own house. Her father had built the hut into the canyon wall, despite worries of rock slides coming and burying both it and his family. When Darien asked about it, her father merely replied, "it just seemed a good way to build it."

"Darien," her father's voice rang, dragging her from her thoughts. She shook her head to clear it and was surprised how far her father already was on his way down the hill. "Coming?"

"Yeah," she replied, starting the semi-steep descent.

~~~~~

"Are you okay?" were the first words out of Kagome's mouth when Darien and Inuyasha arrived back.

"I'm fine, Mother," she replied, waving away her concerns.

She didn't stop there though. Turning to Inuyasha, she nearly yelled, "the hell were you thinking?"

"You want her ready so she can take care of herself?" Inuyasha asked calmly.

"Well, yes," Kagome replied, sounding a little shaken.

"Then I can't just go easy on her," Inuyasha responded. "Besides, she's a tough young woman. I wouldn't push her so hard if I thought she couldn't handle it."

Darien merely shrugged in response. "Can I go now?"

"Yes," Inuyasha answered before Kagome could, "they'll be arriving soon."

Darien bowed in her head in thanks and walked past her mother into their house. It was very simple. Wooden floors the color of dark brown. A platform in the center served as both fireplace and table.

Darien barely glanced at it as she moved to a hallway to the left of the main room, which led to two different doors on opposite sides of the hall. Darien pushed open the one on the right and went in.

It was a simple bathroom. A toilet sat at one side of the large room, while a large bath complete with it's own water pump sat on the opposite end. In the middle, a large table sat against the wall, messied with brushes and combs. With the table was a large mirror.

Darien walked over to the mirror and examined her reflection. Her black hair tumbled down her back while the silver strands in the front hanged down below her face, an oddity among both humans and demons. Her face was strikingly beautiful like her mother's, while her eyes were a shade of gold darker than her fathers. A perfect blend of both her father and mother.

Darien sighed and pulled away from the mirror, stripping herself of her clothes as she walked to her tub. As the last bit of her clothing fell away, she started pumping water into the tub. Within moments it was high enough and she slowly lowered herself into it, enjoying the feel of something cold after a long day in the summer heat.

After quickly scrubbing herself clean of the sweat and dirt of the day, she get out and quickly dried herself. Once dry, she sat down at her table and combed her wet hair until it was dry and unmessy. She put her combs and brushes away, then pulled her towel harder over her body as she stepped back into the hall and quickly ran into her room.

Inside, a bed with a red and white blanket lay on one side, while a closet full of various robes and traveling clothes occupied the other side. Nest to her bed was a cabinet which contained more of Darien's clothes. On top of it was a three-piece sword set her father had given her a few years ago. With it was an old bow that her mother once used on her parent's travels.

Darien sighed and let the towel fall off her. Miroku, Sango, and Yoshin were coming for dinner tonight. Tonight was gonna be a long night.

End Of Chapter 2

Chapter 3, Part 1

Darien had barely stepped into the hallway, dressed in a red, formal robe when she noticed her parents around the table with three people she knew very well: Miroku, Sango, and Yoshin. "Hello," Darien said to the three.

Sango and Miroku returned it, but Yoshin stood up and strode over to her. Once he was in front of her, he grabbed her right hand, knelt on one knee and kissed the back of her hand. "Darien, always a pleasure," he said casually.

Darien gave a nervous laugh and pulled her hand away before walking past him to join his parents. On the outside, Yoshin seemed like a nice man. But when you've known him as long as Darien had, you knew that underneath it all, he was a pervert just like his father was. His polite act was nothing but an attempt to get lucky. As far as Darien knew, he had yet to succeed. It was that thought that brought a smile to her lips and a silent laugh.

Tonight might not be so bad at all.

~~~~~

Unbeknownst to the people in the small house, a stranger lurked outside in the darkness. He stood in the middle of the road that wound it's way to Inuyasha's house, his clothes and hair barely blowing in the breeze.

He stared at the house with contempt and hate in his eyes. He'd spent ten years waiting for this day to come. Now, with it so close, he wanted nothing more than to rush inside and take what he thought was rightfully his.

Patience he told himself with the monk and demon slayer in there as well, it'd be madness. I have to wait a little longer.

The thought made his contempt rise more, but he forced himself to remain calm. He had sacrificed much to get to this day. Now was not the time to blow it all away.

But tomorrow might just be the right time.

~~~~~

Darien awoke early as the sun began to rise. She lifted herself up off her bed and stretched, enjoying the sensation of tension on cramped muscles.

After she stretched and relaxed all her muscles, Darien threw on her very simple outfit of black pants and a white blouse with a stripe of red running from her left shoulder to her right hip. Once she'd put her clothes on, she quickly threw on her boots and walked out into the hall.

Outside, her mother and father were already awake, her mother sitting on her father's lap, while he had his arms wrapped around her waist. "Morning dear," Kagome said when she noticed her.

"Morning," Darien responded, smiling.

Darien moved and sat across from them, neither of them saying anything for a few minutes. After a while, Inuyasha asked Darien, "we're a little short on water. Would you go to the pond and get some more."

"Sure," Darien replied, already standing up to complete her father's chore.

She walked out the door of their house, her eyes quickly blinking to adjust to the morning sun. Once her eyes adjusted, she grabbed a pole that had two buckets attached to the end, threw it over her shoulders and started walking to the pond...walking right past the stranger from the night before.

End Of Chapter 3, Part 1

nice story

hi. :) nice story. please continue.! ^_^

Chapter 3, Part 2

Inuyasha marveled on how a few years ago, sitting with Kagome in his lap was akward. I've missed so much in my life.

But these past twenty years had given him more than enough time to catch up on the things he missed. He moved his gaze down onto her. She looked back up at him and smiled. "What?" she asked, teasing.

"Nothing," he replied, smiling back. "Just thinking back to how we acted a few years before we had Darien."

Kagome chuckled. "Not nearly as great as these last few years have been."

Inuyasha nodded, but his smile faded. "How much longer can we convince her to stay?"

Kagome didn't need to ask. They had discussed this for many months this past year. "We can't keep her here forever. Eventually, she's just gonna run off. We may as well let her go before we force her to run away."

"I know," Inuyasha sighed, "but I worry about her."

Kagome put her hand on his face in a comforting way. "She's our daughter," she told him, "she can take care of herself."

Inuyasha gave a forced smile in response, leaning his head down to kiss her. "I love you," he told her as he pulled away.

Kagome smiled. "I love you more."

Inuyasha shook his head, but leaned his knee up in a sign of needing to get up. Kagome sighed and pushed herself up onto her feet so Inuyasha could get up. As he did, he quickly reached an arm around her waist and pulled her into him, kissing her once more. She returned it with obvious delight.

As they pulled away, Inuyasha asked in a playful voice, "wanna have more kids?"

Kagome laughed and pushed him in the chest, walking away into the kitchen. Inuyasha laughed too, and got up to chase after her when he noticed a sound outside the door to his house. What the...

The front of Inuyasha's house blew apart and inward, as if a wave smashed into it. Inuyasha was caught in the debris and hurled into the far wall as the debris rained down on him. One large piece smashed into his head, knocking him out.

Kagome ran out from the kitchen, her eyes growing wide at the devastation. Her mind started racing, but all thoughts ceased when she noticed Inuyasha lying on the ground not far away. "Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed, running through the debris to be beside him.

As she fell onto her knees beside him, a shadowy figure walked slowly towards them. Kagome lifted her gaze up to see the shadowy figure remove a gleaming sword from his waist. Oh God...

~~~~~

Darien had only been at the lake for a moment when she heard the crashing noise coming from where her house was. As she looked up, she noticed a large cloud of dust gathering in front of her house. Mother, Father...

She took off running, heading back the way she had come. She ran straight past Miroku and Sango, who were also on their way to the lake. "Darien, what the..." Sango started, but the rest of her words were lost as Darien passed them.

Darien took a sharp turn past the local herb shop and started sprinting up the hill that ran to her house. Although she couldn't see anything up above the hill, her nose started picking up the scent of blood. And lots of it.

Finally, as her breath started coming in great gasps, she saw the top of the hill start to form. She put on an extra burst of speed and came jumping over the top of the hill. The sight she saw then made her heart stop.

Her house was in complete ruins, the smell of dust and blood everywhere. Standing in front of the rubble of her house, a figure in a black cloak with long silver hair clutched a pink pearl. His right hand was extending in the air, his hand gripping her Mother's throat as she squirmed and silently pleaded, tears falling down her face. "Mother!" Darien yelled, hatred coming fast as she saw the stranger strangling her Mother.

The figure noticed Darien's appearance and dropped Kagome. He then took off in a flash of his cloak, leaping high into the canyon. In mere seconds, he passed over the top of the canyon and landed on it, taking off through the forests on top.

But Darien didn't care. She skidded onto her knees beside her Mother, noticing her numerous wounds. All the fingers on her right hand had been cut off. She had a few really nasty, black and blue bruises on her face. She had a stab wound on her stomach, and her left foot looked as if someone tried sawing it off and stopped halfway through. Her breathing came in quick, shallow breaths.

"Mother," Darien cried, her eyes filling with tears.

She raised her head up and desperatly cried through the tears, "someone help me!"

End Of Chapter 3

~Chapter 4~

Darien pushed through the crowds that started to gather towards her fallen hut, desperately looking for a place to take her mother, who lay unconscious in her arms. As she shouldered past one of the villager’s, Kagome’s eyes burst wide open. She stared blankly at Darien for a moment, then her eyes filled with tears and she sobbed.

“Are you alright?” Darien asked, not stopping her running. She had decided to take her to Miroku and Sango’s place.

“I’m fine,” she replied, her voice steady despite her shaking. She cried silently for a moment, then asked in a whisper, “is your father alright?”

Darien froze in her tracks. In her panic she had completely forgotten about her father. She shook away the thought, replying, “I’m sure he’s fine.”

Her mother did not share her response. “I hope so.”

At that moment, distracted as she was by her mother, Darien smashed into someone, knocking both him and her down. It took all her thinking abilities to keep from dropping her mother.

When she started picking herself back up, she noticed she had run into Yoshin. “Yoshin, thank God,” Darien prayed, “where are you parents?”

“At my parent’s…what the hell?” he started, his eyes growing wide at the sight of Kagome.

“She’s been attacked,” Darien replied, “probably by a demon. I need somewhere where we can try to heal her.”

Yoshin scrambled to his feet. “To my parent’s house then,” he said confidently, starting to run back the way he had come with Darien on his heels.

It took them less than two minutes to reach Miroku and Sango’s house, during which Kagome’s breathing became more shallow and painful. “Don’t give up on me Mother,” Darien told her, tears streaming down her face as she turned a corner.

Ahead, Miroku and Sango stood beside their door, startled when they noticed Yoshin and Darien running towards them. Miroku walked over to meet them, his movement calm but his eyes sharp. “What’s wrong?” he asked Yoshin, who reached him first.

Darien ran past him while Yoshin tried explaining. As she did, she noticed that Miroku had seen Kagome in her arms. His face paled and his hands balled into fists. Then he past from her sights and she approached Sango, her breathing heavy. “Sango…” Darien started, but couldn’t say anymore through her pained lungs.

Sango noticed Kagome in her arms and she fell back, looking as if she was gonna pass out. “Inside,” she ordered, running through the open door and into her house, Darien right behind her.

They maneuvered through a hall and into one of the rooms. “Set her down here,” Sango commanded, pointing to an elevated mattress that lay at the corner.

Darien slowly and catiously set her down on the bed, mindful of her many injuries. Sango disappeared back into the hallway, leaving Darien and Kagome alone. Darien stared hard at her mother, who’s breathing had gotten even worse.

Then, her eyes shot open again and she reached out and grasped Darien’s arm with a grip like iron. “Darien,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.

“I’m here, Mother,” Darien replied, placing her hand over her mother’s.

“Before I go,” Kagome said matter-of-factly, “there are some things you need to know.” She continued before Darien could say anything. “Your father and I weren’t just travelers.”

Darien had already guessed that. They both didn’t seem the type to just travel for the fun of it. “Before you were born,” Kagome started, “your father and I were on a quest. We were seeking out the Shikon Jewel.”

“You mean it’s real?” Darien asked, eyes wide. She had heard about the fabled Shikon Jewel, but thought they were just stories.

“It was,” she answered. “When I first met your father, the jewel was…inside me.”

Darien didn’t question her, despite how odd it sounded. “Then, it was broken when I hit it with an arrow. The jewel broke into individual shards and flew across the planet. It started perhaps the greatest race to this day as we, Miroku and Sango attempted to gather all the shards before a demon named Naraku could claim it for himself. It took us years, but eventually we found all the shards. When we completed the jewel, your father slew Naraku.”

Kagome’s breathing intensified as she winced in pain. “We knew we needed to protect the jewel. It’s the ultimate treasure of humans and demons with evil intent. So we took the jewel and moved here. Somewhere quiet. Where no one would ever find us.”

“Did you see who took the jewel?” Kagome asked Darien.

Darien didn’t reply. She hadn’t seen much. “Not really,” Darien replied honestly.

“He’s someone we met not long after we finished the jewel,” Kagome replied, “his name is Servos.”

Kagome lifted herself up into a sitting position. Darien tried to push her back down, but her mother waved her off. Once sitting, she stared into Darien’s eyes and past her breathing said, “Darien…I need you to go after him and reclaim the jewel. In his hands, there’s no telling what evil will be unleashed on the world. You need to get the jewel back, at all costs. Can you do this?”

“No!” Darien nearly yelled, tears falling faster down her face, “I’m gonna stay here and take care of you.”

Kagome smiled at her daughter’s response. “I’m not going to live,” she replied, seeming unafraid.

“Yes you are!” Darien screamed.

Kagome grabbed her daughter by a lock of her hair and brought her face to within inches of hers. “Darien,” she said, her voice like steel, “promise me you will go and reclaim the jewel at any costs.”

“Mother…” Darien muttered, afraid.

“Promise me!” Kagome yelled, shaking her daughter’s head a little.

“I…promise,” Darien swore, hating herself for it.

A look of peace then settled over Kagome’s face as she let go of Darien’s hair. “May you live long then and succeed,” she prayed, falling back onto her back.

Before her head even hit the mattress, she was dead.

~End Of Chapter 4~

Dismay held Darien rooted to the spot. There was no way her mother could be dead. With numb hands, she reached out and grabbed her mother by the shoulders. “Mother…wake up,” Darien cried out between strangling sobs. “Wake up. You can’t sleep now.”

She started to shake her violently, hoping to wake her from her comatose state. But she gave no hint that she heard Darien, nor reacted to her shaking.

Darien ceased her shaking for a moment, tears now falling down her eyes and with choking sobs began shaking harder. “Wake up!” she screamed, tears flying from her eyes and her hair flying everywhere.

She shook until her arms tired and burned and felt like lead before a soft hand rested itself on her shoulder. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the hand belonged to Sango, her eyes sad and brimming with tears. “Darien…she’s gone,” she whispered, her voice still firm despite the look on her face and eyes.

“But…she can’t be,” Darien countered, “she just can’t be dead!”

“She can and is,” Sango replied, reaching over to remove Darien’s hands from Kagome’s shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

It was as if a dam that held her emotions finally broke. She let out a shuddering gasp, then flung herself to Sango, burying her face into the folds of her clothes and started crying without relent. Sango stood shocked for a moment, then put her arms around her head, holding her close. “I’m sorry Darien,” were the only words Darien heard her utter while she lamented.



Later that night, Miroku arrived back home. He had led the village’s warriors on a search for who attacked Kagome and Inuyasha. Until that moment, Darien didn’t know whether her father was alive or dead. As Miroku stepped through the threshold, Darien looked up from the corner she had quietly been sobbing in and looked up at him hopefully.

Her whole body went cold as Miroku stared back at her, pain in his eyes and told her that her father was dead.

Overall, it hadn’t come as a shock to her. If her father had survived, there was no way her mother would be dead. But that didn’t make it any better. She buried her head back into her arms and began crying again. She heard footsteps come towards her and felt Miroku place his hands on her shoulders. She lifted her head up from her arms and looked at him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, hoping it would be some comfort.

It wasn’t. She buried her head back into her arms and resumed her crying. Miroku knelt beside her, trying to think of a way to comfort her, but when none presented itself to him, he stood up and walked away, leaving Darien to mourn alone.



When the sun finally rose on the next morning, Darien picked herself up from where she sat and cried all during the night. Her legs and back cramped and spasmed with pain, but she didn’t care. She took a step forward, trying not to disturb Yoshin, who had insisted on being in the same room with her in case she needed the comfort.

When her step didn’t waken him, she resumed at a faster pace until she walked to the sliding door that led outside. She quickly opened it, turned around and walked outside backwards, shutting the door after her.
She turned around and jumped when she noticed Sango and Miroku standing behind her. “Where are you going?” Sango asked nicely.

Darien tried to answer, but no sound came out. She gave a small cough and replied, “home. Why?”

“What for?” Miroku asked sternly.

“See what all I can salvage,” she replied. “I’m gonna be taking a trip soon.”

“What kind of trip?” Miroku asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Darien sighed. All during the night, she had thought of the promise she had made her mother. Darien had always been a woman of her word, and intended to keep it. She decided she’d head back to the house at dawn, scrounge up whatever she could to take along, have her parent’s funeral the next day, and leave the day after.

“Mother told me that whoever attacked her and my father took the Shikon Jewel from them,” Darien replied, still amazed of both the jewel’s existence and the fact that her parent’s had been it’s safe keeper. “I’m going after him.”

Sango and Miroku didn’t say anything, but exchanged looks. At that moment, a revelation came to her. “You knew?” she asked, both hurt and angry.

“Of course we did,” Sango replied, “we helped them recover it. After we had it in our possession, we decided it would be best if your parents watched over it. We moved here for that exact reason: we needed a quiet place to live so we could live our lives without worry of someone trying to steal it. But it seems we’ve been proven wrong.”

Darien scowled at them, anger showing in her features. “But, if you’d like, we’d be willing to help you,” Miroku offered.

Darien scowled more, but pushed past them and started walking down the road. “If you want to.”



As they arrived at the ruins to Darien’s hut, her already scarred heart began to tear itself apart again. Her entire home had been destroyed, reduced to nothing more than the timber that made it up. Darien could not suppress a tear and sob at the sight. From behind her, Miroku approached her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Drawing strength from it, she gazed back at it with a now stony heart. “Let’s go.”

They walked into the rubble and began searching through it, looking for anything that might be valuable or of use. One of the first things they found was her mother’s bow and quiver of arrows lying under a large piece of wood. “Will you take it with you?” Sango asked once they had all gathered after Darien gave the initial call.

“Perhaps…” she replied, “but maybe I should let my mother have it.”

Miroku and Sango nodded, knowing that she wanted to burn the bow and quiver when they burned Kagome. Darien clutched them harder in her grip and pulled them closer to her chest before turning away from the two and scouring through the rest of the rubble.

After an hour, they had looked through most of what was left and found nothing else. As Darien was about to call it quits, she looked towards where the back of the house was and frowned. A large hole twice as tall as her and the same width lay carved into the canyon wall. She looked over and caught Miroku’s eye, then nodded towards it. “Any idea as to what that is?” she asked.

Miroku did not answer immediately, but walked carefully towards her. Once beside her, he answered: “It’s where your parents hid the jewel.”

Darien nodded, thinking it had something to do with that. “Best take a look then,” she told him, walking past him towards it.

She carefully walked to it and slowly walked into it, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light inside. Once she did, she noticed a set of stairs farther in leading down deeper. Clutching the bow in her hands tighter, she walked to the stairs and descended them. As she did, she heard a scrape of foot on rock behind her and knew that Miroku and Sango were coming up behind her.

The stairs descended at a steep angle. Darien nearly fell twice trying to reach the bottom, the first time being caught by Miroku before she did. The second time she managed to get her balance before she took what would be a very painful, if not fatal, fall. It was with relief that the bottom soon emerged from the ever-growing darkness.

Finally, with much happiness, her feet reached the bottom of the stairs. Ahead, what used to be a door stood waiting. Now, it was nothing but splinters and pieces of scrap wood littering the ground. Taking a deep breath to steady her fastly beating heart, she approached it and crossed the threshold.

Beyond the door was a large cavern, no different from the rest of the rocky walls they had traveled past. In the center of the cavern were two pedestals, one set higher than the other. On the first one, the lower one, a sword in a sheath laid in a simple wooden stand. Behind that was the taller pedestal, a chest open on it’s top.

Darien hesitated for a moment, then walked towards the pedestals. She reached the first one and stared with dissatisfaction at the sword on the stand. It wasn’t large or covered in gems or anything. It was just…a plain sword. Scowling, she walked around it to the second pedestal. She gripped the edges of the chest for a moment with her free hand then looked inside. A cushion lay inside it, with an indented area in the center big enough for a large pearl. This must be where they hid the jewel.

From behind her, Darien heard a sharp gasp and quickly turned around, expecting an attack. Instead, she found Miroku and Sango staring at the sword on the first pedestal, a look of awe and shock on their faces. “What?” Darien asked, confused.

“That’s…” Miroku started but trailed off.

“I thought Inuyasha said he lost it,” Sango said, her voice full of awe.

“What?” Darien asked, her confusion giving rise to anger.

“This,” Miroku said, running towards the sword as if it were something of importance, “is Tetsusaiga.”

“Tetsusaiga?” Darien asked, tilting her head.

“Your father’s sword,” Sango answered, “a sword that could kill a hundred demons in a single stroke. Your father told us he lost it years ago.”

“It was my father’s sword?” Darien asked, unconvinced. Her father would have never settled for such a wimpy blade to be his.

Miroku stared long at Tetsusaiga, then raised his gaze to Darien for a moment, then back down to it. He must have decided something, for he reached down and lifted the sword from it’s stand. Holding it like a precious item, he walked over to Darien and held it out to Darien. When Darien didn’t take it from him, he lifted it a little higher. “Take it.”

Scowling, Darien reached and grabbed the sword with her free hand. “Okay. What now?”

“Pull it out,” Miroku offered.

Darien sighed. If it will make him happy. She kneeled and gently laid the bow and quiver of arrows on the ground, then straightened up. With her other hand, she reached over and grasped the sword’s hilt, and pulled it free.

A blinding light shot out from where the sword met sheath and Darien winced, shutting her eyes as she pulled the rest of the blade free. When the light died out, she opened her eyes again and gasped. The hilt had grown larger in her hands so that both her hands could easily grip it and he hilt guard was now covered in a tuft of gray fur. But the greatest change was the blade. It was not a simple metal blade, but what looked like a demon’s fang, sharpened to a razor edge and taller than she was. Now she knew why this was her father’s blade. While it looked wimpy from the outside, it was a much different weapon in his hands.

Darien smiled as she gazed at the weapon. This, she knew, was a powerful weapon. One that could easily help her kill whoever had killed her parents. Pulling her gaze from the weapon, she looked at Miroku who stared at her with a new respect. “Do you mind if I keep this?” she asked.

“It was your father’s,” Miroku reminded her. “I’m sure he would have wanted you to have it.”

Deep in the woods away from the village, Servos stopped where he stood and unclenched his cramping hand, gazing down at the pink pearl in his hand: the Shikon Jewel. After years spent tracking down those who had seen it’s keepers and prying all the information he could from them, he had finally obtained it. And though the human villagers had tracked him all through the night, he had easily escaped, knowing what he had gained was worth it all.

A smile on his lips, Servos thought back to when he killed the half-demon who had been knocked out earlier. He remember finding the human woman kneeling beside him, trying to wake him. He drew his sword from his waist and walked over to them. The woman tried to fight back, but Servos silenced her with a slap across the face, something a human such as she would have found extremely painful.

He savored his approach to the unconscious Inuyasha, reveling when he grabbed the back of his head and pushed it back, exposing his throat. It only took a quick second for him to raise his blade and slit the half-demon’s throat, ending his life. He then walked into the destroyed house, to the cave hidden in the back and followed it till it lead him to the Shikon Jewel. He quickly removed it from it’s case and walked back out.

As he stepped out of the cave, he noticed the human woman crying over Inuyasha’s dead body. Unable to resist temptation, Servos tortured her in revenge for all the agony he suffered the last few years as he searched for the jewel. Sadly, it had to end when their daughter showed up. He knew he could have easily overpowered and killed her as well. But with the jewel now in his grasp, he dared not take any risks in losing it.

Perhaps I should have killed her he thought. He knew for sure that she would come after him, trying to steal the jewel back. No matter. With the jewel in my possession, I’m more powerful that she’ll ever become.

But he knew he needed to do something to at least stall her. Glancing into the forest, he noticed a pair of bright green eyes staring back at him. “Go now,” he told the lurking stranger, “and stop her at once. Kill her if it pleases you.”

The eyes bobbed up and down in clear understanding, then pulled away from the trees and out of sight. Let’s see how long you last, little half-breed.



As dawn came and the sun rose, Darien opened her eyes, hoping she was ready for today’s ordeal: her parent’s funeral. Shifting her head, she winced as she poked herself with Tetsusaiga’s hilt. Since obtaining it yesterday, she had carried it around with her, never letting it get farther than a few inches from her hand at all times. She knew that the demon that attacked her parents, for Miroku confirmed that he felt a demonic presence unaffiliated with her father’s, lurked around the remains of her house. That and with how far the demon had jumped when she caught him made her believe without a doubt that it was a demon.

With this in mind, she never let Tetsusaiga stray too far away, knowing it might attack at any moment. If I die, I want to die fighting.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Darien thought back to the previous few days and tried not to cry as she had the previous days. She had to be strong for today. As soon as the funeral was over, she was gonna be off to find this demon before his tracks got cold.

Pushing herself up to her feet, she put Tetsusaiga in her right hand and crept into the next room, where she found Miroku and Sango in discussion. “Morning,” Sango greeted. Darien waved her hand in response. “How about breakfast?”
“No thanks,” Darien replied, shaking her head. “I’m not hungry.”

Miroku and Sango exchanged nervous glances, but nothing more. Silence hung about them for a few moments until Miroku, his voice no more than a whisper, asked, “what now?”

“What do you mean?” Darien asked, her heart racing at what Miroku might have implied.

“Do you intend to go chasing after this demon by yourself?” he asked, laying it out plain and simple.

Darien suppressed a smile. Her parent’s had always told her Miroku was a smart man, able to predict some people’s actions before they even knew what they were gonna do. “Yes,” she replied, “I intend to.”

“Darien…” Sango started, but was cut off as Miroku raised his hand.

“Darien, you know it’s suicide,” he told her. She looked down at her feet in a sign of not wanting to hear it, but Miroku continued anyway. “Both your parents couldn’t even bring this demon down. What makes you think you can?”

Miroku hit it. Darien’s only doubt. Who am I to bring down a demon my parents couldn’t? “I don’t know what makes me think I can,” she replied. “But I promised to my mother that I would kill him or make him give me back the jewel. I swore to her on her deathbed. And I refuse to break that promise.” By the end, her eyes had begun filling with tears and one fell down her cheek.

“It’s not like we don’t believe you can do this,” Sango spoke, filling in for Miroku. “It’s just that we already have to bury your parents. We don’t want to bury you alongside them, either.”

Darien understood their concerns. But that still wasn’t enough to stop her. “I’m sticking around for the funeral. After that, I’m out of here.”

As she spoke, Miroku stared into her eyes, anger and fear written all over them. Darien wanted to turn away from it, but knew she couldn’t. There was no way Miroku would let her leave if she couldn’t even stare face to face with him. He’d rather knock her out and chain her up somewhere than let her leave. But after a moment, Miroku sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, defeat and understanding spoke from them.

“Very well,” Miroku responded. “But we insist that we come along.”

“No,” Darien said, shaking her head. She knew they would want to come along, but she refused to let them accompany her. “You have a son to look after. And I don’t want anyone else to die over this. My family died because they did their duty. If I die, it’s because I choose to take up that responsibility. I won’t let anyone else die over it.”

Miroku and Sango exchanged glances with each other, but knew they would accept her decision. “Very well,” Sango said after a moment, her voice sad but hopeful. “But be sure to return home soon.”



As the sun started it’s descent over the mountains at dusk, Darien stood from where she sat by the pond in the village center and gazed at the fiery mountains as the sun started crawling beyond them. It was time.

Stretching her cramped legs, Darien started weaving her way through the village towards the graveyard at the edge of the village, towards where the canyon ended in three towering walls of rock. The base of the canyon, although rarely bathed in sunlight, was a beautiful place of exotic flowers and scents. For unknown reasons, the animals of the region leaved the area alone, automatically making it the best place for the village graveyard.

From the village center to the graveyard, the walk only took five minutes. As she stepped past the corner of one of the larger houses, Darien gazed towards the graveyard and gasped. The entire village had shown up to the funeral, most dressed in fine robes of black, signifying mourning.

Taking a breath to steady her nerves and heart, Darien clutched Tetsusaiga tighter and walked towards the group of mourners. Most stood aside as she reached them, muttering condolences and apologies. Darien didn’t hear them though, focusing her attention of the altar at the end of the procession, where two bodies lay side by side: her mother and father.

At the end of the procession, Miroku, Sango, and Yoshin stood. When Darien approached them, Sango reached over and pulled her into a tight hug. Moving her lips to her ear, she whispered, “be strong.”

Darien didn’t reply, but pulled back and nodded. Taking another breath to steady herself, she walked past them and to the altar at the front. Once she took her place, everyone turned and stared at her, waiting for her.

Darien took a deep breath and started: “I cannot say that I knew my parent’s the best. Even these past few days have shown me things about them I didn’t even know. But I do know one thing: they were the best parents I could have ever wanted.”

When she spoke next, her words cracked as emotion flooded her voice. Taking a breath to compose herself, she spoke again: “They were there for all of us when they were needed. On the few occasions that our quiet village was attacked by demons, my parents were always some of the first to be there and bring them down. Whenever we felt sick or were injured in some way, it was my mother who took care of us. When our crops failed and we needed to hunt animals to survive, it was my father who came back every night with enough food to feed the village three times over. The contributions they made can never be replaced.”

By this point, her eyes had started filling with tears. But Darien did not stop, wiping them off with the back of her hand as she continued. “But just the day before yesterday, a vile, evil demon invaded our village, killing my parents and taking something that did not belong to him. And today, we stand here to beg the gods to give them safe passage to the afterlife. May they forever rest in peace.”

At that moment, Darien bowed her head in a moment of silence, which the rest of the village repeated. They kept their heads down for a moment, waiting. After a few minutes had passed, Darien raised her head back up, tears falling down her cheeks. The villagers followed suit.

Then, from the front, Miroku stood forward, raising his hand into the air as he yelled, “to Inuyasha and Kagome!”

“To Inuyasha and Kagome!” the rest of the village repeated, raising their fists in response.

Darien smiled, whispering past her choking sobs, “to my parents.”



As the sun finally set, Darien stood in front of the mounds of dirt and the upright crosses that marked her parent’s grave. Darien didn’t bother trying to stop the tears that flowed from her eyes, dropping from her face onto the graves, leaving dark blotches of earth on them.

The rest of the village had already retired to their homes, leaving Darien alone with only Miroku, Sango and Yoshin remaining vigilantly by her side.
It wasn’t until the day had been completely replaced by night that Darien stopped crying and turned to face Miroku and his family. “Ready?” Sango asked. Clearly they weren’t gonna let her leave now, as she said she would.

“Yeah,” she replied, stepping towards them.

As she did, Yoshin stepped forward, lifting his right hand up as he did. Clutched between his thumb and finger was a rose. “May I?” Yoshin asked, seeming a little nervous.

Darien stared back at the flower, feeling a little happy at the gift. “Sure.”

Reaching over, Yoshin lifted a pit of her hair back and slid the rose into the exposed area. He pulled back his hand and let her hair fall back over it. It now looked as if the rose itself had grown out from her hair. “Thank you,” she whispered, overcome with emotion.

“Your welcome,” Yoshin replied. Even in the dark, Darien noticed his blush.

But the moment ended as Darien pushed past him, leading the way back to the house.



As the sun rose the next morning, Miroku opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Sango laying beside him, her hair draped over her face and body in a fashion that stunned him. Wanting nothing more than to jump her right then, Miroku resisted. He pulled back the blanket that covered them and slid his legs over the bed’s edge. Planting his feet on the ground, he stood up and stretched.

After dressing, Miroku walked into the main room and frowned. In the corner where Darien usually slept, her blanket had been folded and placed in the corner neatly. Miroku sighed, but couldn’t hold back a smile. That girl was as impatient as her father.

LOVE THE STORY PLZ UPDATE SOON

Under her feet, the leagues disappeared as Darien set a hard pace, running to her limits in an attempt to gain lost ground that the demon could have easily covered in the past few days. Deep down, she knew that no matter how fast she ran, or for how long, she would never catch up to whoever killed her parents. She knew this demon was gonna be clever and make it almost impossible for Darien to track him down. Had she had the sense of smell her father possessed, she might have been able to get an idea as to where to go. But because, technically, she was a half-half-breed, her sense of smell was only half what her fathers was. So tracking a cunning demon days after he fled was well beyond her abilities.

But as the only trail leading out of the village, Darien saw no choice but to follow it.

Within a few hours, the trees around the path began to become more distant and start disappearing. As Darien noticed this, she grinned. This thinning of the trees marked the end of the village’s territory. It was also the farthest she had ever gone from the village. Her parents trained her how to take care of herself in the wild, but never as far from the village as she was now. I’m really leaving.

Darien had slipped out of Miroku’s house before the sun had risen and it was now high in the sky. Deciding she should go ahead and take a break, she slowed down her running until she was traveling at a slow walk. If there was one lesson her parent’s taught her, it was that: make haste slowly.

Walking now, she began to take in much more of her environment, since she knew that it might be a while before she came back. As she continued walking, the trees became more spread out and thinner.

On and on the landscape changed as Darien spent another hour walking down the trail. After that, she decided she needed to take a quick break. An outcrop of rock on the side of the trail provided the perfect place for Darien to get her feet off the ground and relax a little.

Sitting carefully on the rock, Darien pulled her legs into a comfortable sitting position, and removed her shoes. When they were off, she began to massage the muscles in the fashion her father taught her when traveling for long periods of time. After a few moments of working on one foot, she shifted to her other and started massaging it.



He ran with all the speed his legs would give him, letting his demon senses take control of his body, increasing his speed, strength and eye sight one hundred fold. He would need all the advantages his body would give him if he was to beat the demon that trailed him. Already he could feel the fangs growing from his mouth, an adaptation used to chew through tough hides or to inflict massive damage to weaker prey. Glancing quickly at his hands, he noticed his fingernails growing longer and longer till they stuck out a solid two inches from the tips of his fingers. Without even looking, he knew they were serrated to an edge that rivaled any blades.

From behind him, he heard a massive crash and felt the vibrations of something huge moving. Damn, that thing was quick. He had an early lead on the demon behind him, but the demon had managed to close that gap pretty quick. As the vibrations from the crash died away under his feet, his ears twinged in pain as the demon behind him uttered a single terrible roar. A challenge to him as he ran away. Not today, pal. I’m not waiting for you. You want me, come get me.

From in front of him, he saw a burst of light as the trees he ran through thinned out. Perfect. An open arena. With the thought of open space to fight in, he pushed himself harder and faster, making a break for the light.



Darien stood when she heard the single, ear-shattering roar come from the forest behind the outcrop she sat on. As she studied the tree line, her right hand instinctively glided down to where Tetsusaiga’s hilt poked out from her sash. Clutching it tight in her hand, she waited for whatever had made the roar to come rushing out of the trees. She knew the source of it was close, and knew it was coming this way. The only question was when.

Then, in a blur, a shape ran out from the tree line, and towards Darien. Damn, that thing’s quick! Before Darien could unsheathe Tetsusaiga, the figure started shaking it arms in a panic, yelling, “get back. Get out of here!”

Confused, Darien hesitated in drawing it. Then, from behind the figure running towards her, another, much larger figure crashed through the tree line, coming to stop as it emerged. It resembled a large troll, deathly pale of all color. A single loin cloth fell from it’s waist, exposing the rest of it’s body which was made up of bulging muscle. It had no hair on it’s head, it’s mouth open in the form of snarl, revealing large, sharp teeth. It had a large nose, necessary, Darien knew, for supplying the oxygen needed to propel such a being. But it’s eyes were what struck Darien the most: a deep shade of red that burned with fury and unquestioned intelligence.

Darien wasn’t able to hold it’s gaze long though, as it quickly diverted to the figure that ran with much speed towards Darien. It’s lips tightening even more, it loosed a loud growl, then took off after the figure, running on both it’s hands and feet.

The figure running towards Darien was quick, but the demon was even quicker. It caught up to him in the space of a few seconds. When it was finally even with the figure, it reached out with a massive hand and sent it swiping at the figure. The figure could not defend himself and run at the same time, and was caught by the big hand and flung a long distance before it finally came to a stop.

Darien gasped at the display of power shown by the demon, and knew that if she didn’t do something soon, the figure would be killed by the demon. Steeling herself for the task ahead, she grasped Tetsusaiga harder and unsheathed the brilliant blade, ignoring the light produced, and gazed in satisfaction at the brilliant blade. Then, clutching it tightly in both hands, she lowered the blade to her waist and jumped off the rocky outcrop, and took off at full speed at the demon, letting loose her battle cry.



Marus picked himself up from where he had finally stopped, letting a hand reach up and clutch his head, which had started pounding harder than he had ever felt. That demon delivered one hell of a blow to him. But he knew he wasn’t out of the water yet. Shaking his head in a feeble attempt to clear the pain, he stood solidly on his shaky legs and looked over to where the demon had stood, waiting to see if he had finished him off.

Seeing him standing, alive, the demon growled again and leaping a few feet into the air, took off after him again.

Marus braced himself, letting the demon come to him. Nervous, he started feeling sweat drop from his forehead. His head told him that he was getting too far over his head and needed to just take off and run. But still he stood there, waiting for the terrible demon to come get him. Clutching his hands slightly, he gave himself completely to his demon side, letting it engulf all his senses.

Then, before Marus knew it, the demon was there, swiping with a large hand towards him. But Marus was ready. Before the hand made contact, Marus leaned down and jumped into the air, aiming for the demon’s head. The demon, caught by surprise, didn’t have time to react as Marus pulled his right arm back and swiped with it, hitting the demon in his left eye.

Growling in agony, it quickly lifted it’s large hands to it’s injured eye, it’s left hand nearly smashing into Marus before he could get over it. There was a quick moment of fast falling, then Marus hit the ground, his legs bent under him as his muscles took in the shock of the landing. Thankfully for him, the muscles in demons were much larger, and their bones denser, allowing them to handle larger amounts of pressure than humans.

Grinning as his legs gave no pain at the landing, Marus started pivoting on his heel…

A giant hand swiped out from behind him, hitting Marus in the side. Marus cried out as he felt the demon’s powerful swipe start breaking his ribs. Continuing the motion, Marus could do nothing but grit his teeth against the pain as the large hand swept him in a circular motion. Then, as the demon’s arm extended to it’s max, Marus felt his body being pushed away from it’s hand due to his own momentum.

There was a brief second of complete weightlessness as Marus’s body separated from the demon’s hand. Then, Marus was flung away from the giant hand, soaring helplessly through the air. Marus tried to move so he could land on his feet, but his broken ribs sent a pang of agony shooting up his body. He wouldn’t be able to land properly in his current state. To make matters worse, in Marus’s direct path of flight was a large cliff face. Preparing for a world of hurt, Marus closed his eyes and braced himself.

What he felt himself crash into was something gentler. He heard a whoof as air passed by someone’s vocal cords. Then, Marus felt himself slow down until he stopped. Lifting an eyelid, Marus peeked through to see a woman holding him, her arms reaching up to grab his shoulders from under his arms. “Easy now,” she said, gently lowering him to the ground.

Opening both eyes now, Marus took in the attractive woman who saved him from much agony: She was slightly shorter than he was. Thinner, too. Her hair was jet black, except for the strands in front, which were a silvery hue. Her eyes were a dark shade of gold. Stunned, Marus could do nothing but stare at her with his mouth a gape as she looked down at him. “You alright?” she asked, her voice sounding like that of an angels.

Marus winced as he shifted and his ribs gave a twinge of pain. “More or less,” he replied. “Thanks.”

Darien smiled at the young man she saved, feeling her heart beat go faster as she did. His black hair was cut short, barely reaching halfway down his forehead. His clothes seemed a little dirty, as if he’d been doing a bit of traveling. His eyes were twin pools of red, while his fingernails were in the shape of claws similar to Darien’s. Darien knew instantly that he was a demon.

But the rest of her observations were lost as the troll demon uttered a terrible roar, drawing Darien’s attention to it. “Let me take care of it,” Darien told him, wanting to test Tetsusaiga’s abilities.

“Go ahead,” Marus replied, giving a small grin. “Let me know when the damsel in distress needs rescuing.”

Darien gave a small laugh, then in one single, swift movement, drew Tetsusaiga. Marus’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the magnificent blade. Then, bracing herself, Darien took a quick step forward, then another as she charged the demon.

Her movement didn’t go unnoticed. The demon saw her racing towards her, and raised itself high on it’s legs, beating it’s chest with his hands like a gorilla. Then, lowering himself back down on all four, he began racing to an oncoming Darien.

Together, the two closed the distance between them quickly. When the demon was only fifty feet away, Darien pulled her arms back behind her head, holding Tetsusaiga so the blade passed behind her head.

It was all over in a flash. As the distance between them closed in and they met each other, Darien yelled and slashed out with Tetsusaiga, hitting the demon below the neck and cutting through to it’s body before the momentum of the attack brought the blade out of the demon’s body. The demon gave a single gurgle of pain and agony before the top part of it’s body fell away from it’s bottom.

Darien dug her heels into the ground, feeling her body slowly start to stop. In seconds, she finally came to a halt. She raised Tetsusaiga to her face and admired the blood on the blade, and also the complete lack of damage it had taken from the attack. Grinning, Darien turned to the demon’s remains and said, “better luck next time.”

Night came quickly that day. The excitement Darien felt at slaying the demon had overcome her senses, making the day go by much quicker than she would have though possible.

Now, it was night and Darien sat at the edge of the forest the demon had come from with her new friend, who introduced himself as Marus. He had suffered a few broken ribs and more than a few bruises during his fight with the demon. So Darien had offered to help him out. They now sat beside the fire she made, letting the fish she caught at a nearby stream cook. From across the fire, she saw Marus gently touch his bandaged ribs and wince.

“How long do you think it’ll take for them to heal?” she asked, breaking the silence except for cracks of the fire.

Marus turned to her and smiled. “Minor injury like this shouldn’t take more than a few days to heal.”

Without knowing it, Darien returned the smile.

The two sat in silence for a moment longer. Then, Marus asked, “mind if I ask you a question?”

“You already did,” she replied, grinning, “but go ahead and ask another.”

Marus laughed, then pointed at Tetsusaiga, which she kept clutched in her hand. “Is that THE Tetsusaiga?”

The grin disappeared from Darien’s face. “How do you know about Tetsusaiga?” her voice full of awe.

“Who doesn’t?” Marus replied, confused. “That sword is just as famous as it’s last wielder. The great half-demon, Inuyasha.”

Now Darien was extremely confused. “How do you know my father?”

“Your father?” Marus repeated. Darien nodded. “Your father was the great half-breed, Inuyasha?”

“I thought I already answered that,” Darien replied, her patience wearing thin. This demon knew something about her father. She wanted to know what.

“Well, than this is truly an honor,” Marus exclaimed, his eyes alight with delight. “I had hoped that if I traveled this way I would meet him. Now I’ve met his daughter. Think you could introduce me to him?”

“He’s dead,” Darien replied, shortly.

The glow in Marus’s eyes died at the statement. “Dead?” he repeated, seemingly at a loss for words.

Darien nodded. “I’m actually trying to track down his killer.”

Marus slowly nodded, his face looking devastated. “I’m sorry.”

Darien excepted it without reply, instead asking, “what do you know about my father?”

“Only that he was one of the most powerful demons ever,” Marus replied. “With the sword Tetsusaiga at his side, they said he was invincible. That he could kill hundreds of demons with single swipes of Tetsusaiga. How he killed a demon who was thought to be unkillable. And how he ended up falling for a human woman, and that together, the two of them fled to some far off village to raise a family in silence.”

“My father never told me any of that,” Darien said, devastated. This stranger knew more of her father’s past than she did.

“He didn’t?” Marus asked, looking a little surprised.

“No. He said he spent his entire life in the village we lived in.”

“Well, it was probably a necessary lie,” Marus suggested.

“What makes you say that?” Darien asked, confused.

Marus sighed. “Your parents, although well respected, also made many enemies in their earlier years. There are many demons who would kill you just because they were your parents.”

Sudden realization came to her. “That’s why they didn’t want me to leave.”

“Beg your pardon?”

“My parents,” Darien explained, “they didn’t want me to leave the village. That’s why. Because they were afraid I’d be killed because of my relationship to them. That’s why my parents insisted that if I do leave the village, that I was well trained. So I could defend myself in case of attack.”

Marus appeared confused, merely replying, “okay.”

Now that Darien understood why her parent’s had done it, she felt less angry at them. It’s not because they wanted to keep her home. It’s because they wanted to keep her safe. As Marus had just shown her, there was much about the world outside her quiet village she didn’t know about. Her parents had merely wanted for her to be as ready as possible before she embarked down that road. Sorrow gripped her then, and she had to use all her self-control not to cry right then.

Something must have betrayed her though, for Marus asked, “are you okay?”

“Fine,” she replied. She was surprised her voice didn’t crack.

Marus nodded, then looked back down at the bandages that wove across his body. Silence engulfed them for a moment. Then, Darien asked, “so what about you?”

Marus looked back up. “What’s your story?”

Marus grinned. He took a second to compile his thoughts together.

“Not much to tell. My parents were both Jinteki demons.” Darien knew what he meant. Demons in human-form. “I was born in some mountains to the north. My parents raised me up there, taught me how to fight and taught me everything I need to know to survive. When I came of age, I left. I wanted to see more of the world than the mountains I lived on. So, I’ve spent the last few years traveling the world, seeing all the sights, learning as much as I can as I go.”

“And your friend?” Darien asked, grinning.

Marus laughed. “A local demon I had a bit of a problem with. Damn thing chased me for over twenty miles before we came upon you.”

“Quite a run,” she replied, a hint of admiration in her voice.

“Why thank you. I’m glad someone can understand what a pain it was.”

“I ran over fifty before I saved you,” Darien replied, grinning.

Marus was dumbstruck. Without any reply, he merely stuck his tongue out at her for a second, then returned to checking his bandages. Darien laughed and she noticed that Marus was too.

Looking to the fire, she noticed that the fish were ready. “Hungry?” she asked, shifting forward to pull the fish from the fire.

Marus looked at the fish before replying, “famished.”

The two ate quickly and silently. When the fish were nothing but bone, they decided it was time to get some rest. Propping themselves against the nearby trees, they slept and slept.

As the sun rose the next morning, Darien willed her eyes to open. As the early morning light left her temporarily blind, she raised her hand to the trees above, shielding her eyes from the sunlight that pierced through the foliage.

Once her eyes had adjusted to the light, she lowered her hand and gazed about her camp. Marus was still asleep where he had passed out the night before, his arms crossed in front of his shoulders, a strand of his black hair moving as he breathed in and out. His legs were stretched out in front of him, pulling his shirt tight across what parts of his chest Darien could see. Overall, he’s really quite good-looking.

Darien shook her head from the thought, smiling about how easily she was forgetting about her mission. Mission. As she thought it, the flood of memories of the previous day came crashing down on her. So bad was her misery that she felt she could almost drown in it. Not just misery of the last few days, but also misery at the mission she had undertaken.

I don’t have the slightest idea where to start looking. I don’t even really know who I’m looking for. The only thing she had going for her was that she was tracking a stranger who carried a small, pink pearl with him. The Shikon Jewel.

As the impossibility of her situation began to overcome her, Marus stirred from where he sat. He shook his head free from the strand that had fallen free and gazed at Darien with his deep, thoughtful eyes. “Morning,” he said, wincing as he took a deep breath.

“Morning,” Darien replied, smiling a bit.

Marus smiled back. Then, careful not to overexert himself, stood up and stretched slowly. “How’s the rib?” Darien asked, watching him carefully.

Marus laughed. “A lot better, actually. Should be fully healed by tomorrow or the day after at this rate.”

Darien grinned. “I’m glad.”

The two waited in silence for a moment before Darien stood up. “Well, I think I’d best be on my way.”

“What do you mean?” Marus asked, confused.

“I got a demon to track down,” she told him. “I don’t know where to start, but I’m just gonna keep going till I hear something.”

Marus nodded, his brow furrowed in concentration. “I see. Well, I think I shall accompany you.”

“Excuse me?”

Marus grinned. “The daughter of Inuyasha tracking down a demon who killed him. It would be the greatest thing to happen in a long time. I’m probably not as good a fighter as you are, but if you’ll let me, you won’t have to do this alone.”

“You saved my life,” he said, staring into her eyes. “At least let me try to repay the debt.”

Darien didn’t know what to say. She was hoping to undertake this journey alone. But having Marus for company might be a good thing. He certainly had a sense of humor, knew how to keep things getting too sad, and seemed like he might be able to hold his own. If there really were demons that would try to kill her just cause of who her parents were, having an additional fighter by her side would definatly be helpful.

“Alright,” she told him. “You can accompany me if you wish.”
Marus flashed a smile. “Wonderful!” Darien couldn’t help but smile back.

The two quickly put out the fire they started the night before and in moments, found the trail Darien had followed earlier and started on their way.

As they walked, Marus keeping apace with her easily, Darien knew one thing: things would certainly get interesting.



It was the fifth day traveling with Marus when Darien opened her eyes. Her gaze fell first onto Marus, who once again slept across the fire from her, resting against the trunk of a tree. And, as before, it wasn’t long until he too opened his eyes. “Morning,” Darien said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Morning,” Marus replied, stretching his arms up into the air as he yawned widely.

They put out the fire, and went to the nearby stream to drink. As they did, Marus scooped some water in his hand and threw it at Darien. Uttering a single cry of shock and outrage, she dipped her hand into the stream and swiped, splashing Marus with the wave. Marus laughed and before she knew it, so was she.

It was at the moment that she realized how much she’d like having his company. He was always so fun to be around, yet he knew how to be serious when the moment called for it. Darien thought back and realized that she hadn’t met anyone who pulled it off like he did.

As the final ripples faded away, the two left the stream and walked back onto the worn out path, continuing their march to wherever it led.



Later that day, as luck would have it, the traveling companions came across a village nestled beside a large lake. It vaguely reminded Darien of her own village, and everything she left behind. “Finally,” Marus said, stretching his arms behind his back beside her. “I’ve been tired of sleeping out in the cold. It’ll be nice to get a decent place to sleep tonight.”

“I don’t have any money,” Darien whispered, embarrassed.

“What?” Marus asked, unable to hear.

“I don’t have any money!” she said, louder this time.

Marus stared at her in disbelief for a moment. Then he shrugged and told her, “well then, we’ll just have to get some then.”

Darien didn’t ask how, but she thought she had an idea.



As the two wandered the village, looking for someone Marus could pickpocket, Darien heard a large group of people outside one of the nearby huts, chatting quietly and carefully, as if afraid some unseen demon would crush them for even mentioning it.

Darien was about to pass without a second glance when she caught one of them saying: “And then he flashed this pink pearl to the group of slayers and said, “do you know what this is?” And they just completely stopped, looking dumbfounded.”
“Did you say “pink pearl”?” Darien asked, stopping where she stood, turning to the group. Beside her, Marus stopped as well.

“Yes,” the man who mentioned it said, shuffling his feet and looking down as if he were a baby that was about to be punished.

Darien was in front of him in two strides. “Tell me what you know about it!” she demanded.

“A few days ago,” the man said, stepping back in fear, “a man came through the village. None of us could see what he looked like, because he wore a big, black cloak. One of the priests at the temple said the man was a demon and sent the local slayers after him.”

“The slayers cornered him in the village center. The man didn’t seem afraid. Instead, he pulled a pink pearl from his cloak, and showed it to everyone asking, “do you know what this is?” The slayers just kinda stared at each other, then charged the man.”

“It happened in a flash. There was a bright, pink flash. When it disappeared, the pearl had turned black and the slayers had disappeared. At that point, no one was gonna approach him. He just walked away, passed by me actually.”

“Is that all?” Darien asked, bewildered. She knew this was the man she sought. And he was already using the Shikon Jewel for evil purposes.

“Well, not really,” the man replied, fidgeting. “As he passed me, I heard him mutter, “now to seek the Western Lord.””

Darien felt like she’d been hit by a hammer. Her body went entirely cold and she felt goosebumps erupt all over her body. Something must have shown, for the group before her freaked out, running away from her with all the haste they could muster.

When they had finally disappeared, Darien felt Marus touch her shoulder. Snapping back to, she turned to face him. “You alright?” he asked.

“I know where we’re going next,” she told him.

“What? How?” Marus asked. “Do you know who this “Western Lord” is?”

“I do, actually,” she replied.

“Well, spit it out! Who is it?”

Darien turned away, glancing towards where the sun was starting to set. “My Uncle. Sesshoumaru, Lord Of The West.”

Okay, sorry to sound like a baby or whatnot, but I need reviews and comments!

If I don't get any, I'll feel like no one's reading and I'm wasting my time.

So, please comment!

As morning approached, Darien opened her eyes. The sun hadn’t risen far yet, so she didn’t feel the usual blindness she got normally when she slept in. Not that she was gonna sleep in. She was desperate in finding out where Uncle Sesshoumaru lived. Her father had told her he had a manor somewhere in the West, but he was never specific on where. Darien and Marus had spent the last few days traveling west, interrogating all the villages they passed on information about Sesshoumaru and his manor.

Yawning widely, Darien stretched her arms. Feeling the tense muscles begin to relax, she planted her hands on the ground and pushed up, lifting her feet out from under her and planting them on the ground. With her feet set firmly beneath her, she stood up and stretched her legs.

The two had camped out on the side of the road they had traveled the last few days. Choosing a section of road that was particularly smooth, they settled down for the night. Once again, Marus had fallen asleep across from Darien on the other side of the fire. But even as Darien was stretching her legs, Marus stirred from where he had fallen asleep. “Morning already?” he asked groggily.

“Yep,” Darien replied, grabbing her right shoulder with her left hand and swinging her right arm in circles.

Marus groaned. “I felt like I just fell asleep.”

“Stop being such a baby!” she sighed. “Get up. We got a long day.”

“Too long, if you ask me,” Marus replied, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “Why can’t it already be night time?”

“So that I can listen to you complain all day?” Darien suggested. “Come on. Let’s get going.”

Marus groaned, then picked himself up off the ground. They put out the fire, made their way back onto the road and continued traveling west.



That afternoon, they came upon another village. Nestled in a forest, the village was built behind large, wooden walls. As Darien and Marus approached, Darien noted the multitude of armed soldiers standing guard on top of the wall. Either this place was attacked a lot, or they were expecting an attack.

As they approached the large wooden gate that protected the village, a soldier on a horse rode out from the village and intercepted them. “State your business!” he declared, one hand on the horse’s reins, his other holding the sword at his hip.

“We’re here looking for information,” Darien answered.

“What kind of information do you seek?” the soldier asked.

“We’re looking for the manor of the Demon Lord Of The West,” Darien answered. “His name is Sesshoumaru.”

“What business do you two have with Lord Sesshoumaru?” the soldier asked immediately.

“Is his manor in your village?” Darien asked.

“What business do you have with Lord Sesshoumaru?” the soldier repeated.

“I need his help,” Darien answered. “I believe a demon I’m tracking is on his way to visit him, or already has. I need to know if the demon had been there and where he was headed next.”

The soldier stared into Darien’s eyes, looking for any deceit. Darien stared back, hoping he wouldn’t have any reason to mistrust them. He knew where her uncle lived. She was determined that he tell her.

After a moment, the soldier removed his hand from his sword. “Lord Sesshoumaru lives not far from here. I will assign one of my soldiers to escort you to his manor.”

Darien was dumbstruck by his generosity. “Thank you.”



Moments later, Darien and Marus were being led farther down the road by a soldier the captain they ran into assigned them. “How far is the manor?” Darien asked.

“Not long,” he replied.

“So are you guys like some kind of guards or something?” Marus asked, speaking for the first time in a little while.

The solider nodded. “We intercept all those who wish to see Lord Sesshoumaru. In return, whenever we are under attack, he sends his soldiers to assist us.”

“Are you attacked often?” Darien asked. “It looked like you guys were preparing for a war or something.”

“It is how we must be,” the soldier answered. “Lord Sesshoumaru has many who would wish him dead and his lands theirs. It is our duty to stop all those who would wish to take his lands.”

“Now noble of you,” Darien commented.

“Lord Sesshoumaru is the only reason we have survived this long,” he explained. “Our village was a prime target for demons. When Sesshoumaru came to power, he gave us all the aid he could. He provided us with food, helped us build shelter. He even sent some of his soldiers to train our own. We are entirely indebted to him for what he had done. We would gladly give our lives for him.”

Must be an amazing guy Darien thought.

To bring the conversation to an end, appearing out of the trees that decorated the landscape, a large wooden manor appeared. The soldier stopped where he was and turned to them. “This is where I leave you. I wish you the best of luck. Be on your guard. Lord Sesshoumaru’s guards have a tendency of being hostile to visitors they don’t like.”

“We’ll be careful,” Darien promised. “Thank you.”

The soldier nodded, then walked past them down the way he had come, leaving Darien and Marus alone. “Shall we?” Marus asked.

“Let’s do this!” Darien replied.



Despite the fact they could see his manor, it still took them another half hour to reach it. They turned a corner through the wooded landscape and beheld a large wall made of brick stretching from the trees. Where the road ran into the wall, a large section had been cleared away in the form of a giant arch.
Feeling anxious, Darien took a deep breath to calm herself. She was walking into a dangerous position. She didn’t remember ever even seeing her uncle. If he didn’t believe she was his niece, or wasn’t even there, Darien didn’t know what kind of trouble would erupt. Keeping her left hand firmly on Tetsusaiga, she took a step towards the arch, then another, and another.



Velyho had received warning from the village of two strangers wishing to speak to Lord Sesshoumaru. Still, as he and his guards stood in wait for them, he couldn’t help but smirk. They were mere common folk. The woman was certainly unusual: black hair with silver at the bangs. Golden eyes. She carried herself with an edge of nervousness, her left hand gripping the sword at her waist. The man she traveled with didn’t seem very important either. His black hair was slightly obstructing his eyes, though he traveled with a more calmer demeanor than his female counterpart.

Velyho grinned. This would be exciting indeed.



Darien stopped when she was mere feet away from the group of guards who stood poised inside the manor gates. They were each almost identical: long, silver hair. Purple markings on their faces. They were dressed in fine clothes and armor, carrying swords or spears. Beyond them, the large wooden manor gazed down at them. On her left and right, extensions of the manor spread out. The door to the right one was open, exposing a large, green garden complete with a small pond beyond it.

Darien turned her attention back to the guards as the one in the middle, the leader she assumed, spoke. “What business do you have with Lord Sesshoumaru?”

“I’m here seeking information. Once we have it, we’ll be on our way again.”

The guard nodded, then asked, “who are you?”

“My name is Darien,” she answered. She motioned with her head to Marus, who stood beside her. “This is Marus. I’m the niece of Lord Sesshoumaru.”

There was a stir among the guards. “Her niece?” the leader asked, sounding awed.

She nodded. “I’m the daughter of his brother, Inuyasha.”

“Inuyasha!” The word echoed among the guards. The leader silenced it by stomping his foot on the ground. “Truly?”

Darien didn’t reply. The leader smiled. “If that is true, then you will not deny a simple test?”

“What kind of test?” Darien asked, feeling a growing sense of unease.

“A test of combat,” he replied. “If you are indeed related to Lord Sesshoumaru, surely your skills can back it up.”

“I have no desire to fight,” Darien answered.

The smile on the guard’s face, if possible, grew wider. “Who said you had a choice?”

Trevor, My apologies for not replying sooner for this is the first time that I have seen and or read this fantastic fanfic! :victory: :cheer:

I do appreciate the fact that you have posted 10 chapters so far with out a review.

Long have I reminded our fellow story writers that they do not have to have immediate reviews to post updates. ^^

It is sad that Kagome and Inuyasha had to die by that demon's hands and that Darien had to go on her own at first to find both him and the Shikon Jewel. :bigeyescry:

Now that Marcus is with her, things are getting more interesting.

Especially now that they are at Lord Sesshoumaru's manor.

How will Darien and Marcus fare in the Guard's Trial by combat?

Please update soon so we may find out! :excited: :cheer:

Okay, good news...

After a long period of time away from the writing scene, I have decided that I shall return!!!

So, I'll be starting work on this fic again.

Look forward to an update soon.

>.< I hate myself so much right now!

*self haet* *self haet*

I found this, like, a year ago when I hadn't joined yet, loved it, and then... *sob* I forgot all about it!! WHY?!?! WHY DID I HAVE TO FORGET SUCH AWESOMENESS?!?!

Truth: :chidorisd: Err.. Vo? You okay?

Alyssa: I think she's having a spaz attack...

Please continue when you may, Trevor.

This story is too good to lie dormant for too much longer. ^^

Darien’s heart started racing. They aren’t serious!

She knew they were when their commander, Velyho, ordered his men into fighting position. Each drew whatever weapon they had and settled into a sideways crouch, waiting for either a signal or for their opponent to attack.

Darien was about to open her mouth to try and talk her way out of it when an arrow whizzed past her ear, barely missing. A warning shot: Stand there, you die.

Darien had no choice. Clenching her teeth, she reached for Tetsusaiga and unsheathed the great sword. As she did, looks and mutters of amazement escaped the soldiers. Only Velyho seemed unaffected. “Attack!” he ordered!

Two of the guards leapt forward and slashed with their weapons. Darien dodged one of them, while blocking the other. She pushed away her attacker and barely pulled back in time as a third blade came out of nowhere, aimed for her neck. Caught off balance, Darien fell backward, landing hard on her back.

Before she knew it, two sets of feet clamped themselves on Darien’s arms, a third foot pushed against her throat. Past the leg in her field of vision, she noticed another guard detach from the main group and leap towards her, spear aimed for a killing blow. Darien closed her eyes, praying it would be quick.

At that moment, she heard a few grunts and felt the pressure on her arms and throat disappear. She opened her eyes in time to watch a freakish being swipe at her attempted killer, knocking away the spear and hitting him in the ribs with a hit strong enough that the guard was thrown away from it like a rag doll.

The figure turned around and faced Darien. Darien flinched. The being was composed of jet black hair that covered his entire body. He had a snout like a dog, with large white fangs extending from below it’s upper jaw. It’s legs and arms bulged with large amounts of muscle, while the tips of his fingers were claws that could shred through any flesh. But it was the eyes that caught her attention: twin pools of red as dark as rubies, as dark as…

Darien instantly knew who she was looking at. “Marus?” she gasped in disbelief.

The creature, a werewolf she believed, looked at her with pain in it’s eyes. She knew it was him. But at that moment, one of the guards he knocked off Darien pounced on Marus, knocking them both to the ground.

Darien yelled as she scrambled back to her feet, but it proved unnecessary. Marus knocked his attacker off him with his legs, then pounced on top of his attacker, punched him once in the face, then leapt off his unconscious opponent.

From behind him, Darien noticed two more guards come after him. Darien grasped Tetsusaiga with both hands, then ran after them. The two stopped when they noticed her approaching from the peripheral vision and tried to raise their weapons. But they were too late. Darien slashed at them and hit both of them in the chest, cracking ribs and drawing blood. Darien winced as a few drops hit her face.

As her opponents fell, Darien turned to Marus and noticed him gazing with burning eyes at the rest of the guard, who seemed a little doubtful now. The only one who seemed completely relaxed was Velyho. He looked over at his men, and ordered, “get them!”

His men looked at him, then back at Marus and Darien and shook their heads. A flash of anger shone in Velyho’s eyes. “Cowards! Then I shall deal with them myself!”

Velyho drew a long spear from behind his back, then drew a sword with his other hand. Armed, he rushed after the pair.

Darien stood her ground, waiting for him to come. But Marus didn’t, choosing instead to run after him and meet him on the way. Marus jumped on powerful legs and soared towards Velyho. Velyho merely grinned, then fell to a knee and raised his spear high.

Marus saw it coming, but couldn’t avoid it. He fell into the spear, feeling the blade sink into his chest and nearly hit his lung. He gave a loud cry of pain, but was silenced when Velyho sank his sword into Marus’s chest. Velyho grinned, then pushed Marus onto the ground and pulled his weapons out, earning a loud cry from Marus, who was already turning back into his human form.

Velyho looked up from his downed opponent to Darien, who’s fury was reflected in her eyes. She looked at Velyho and raised Tetsusaiga. “You’ll pay for that!”

“Bring it!” Velyho challenged, raising his spear and sword.

Darien gave a loud war cry, then charged at Velyho, swinging Tetsusaiga at him. Velyho blocked the attack with enormous strength, then countered, forcing Darien to pull back to avoid the blow.

The two exchanged blows for a few moments, Darien always pulling back to avoid Velyho’s counters. At one point in the exchange, Darien managed to bring Tetsusaiga smashing into the wooden shaft of his spear, snapping the spear in half. Armed with only his sword, Velyho did not back down, fighting with renewed vigor instead.

But slowly, Darien could feel her endurance give out. Velyho had much more stamina and endurance than she did, and the fight was beginning to take it’s toll on her. She had to try and end this quick.

She slashed at his head, but Velyho blocked it. He pushed Darien away and went to stab at her. It was at the moment an idea came to Darien’s mind.
She let the stab get past her guard, then at the last second dodged it and swiped low with Tetsusaiga, hitting Velyho right behind his right knee.

It was a crippling blow, and Darien knew it when Velyho gave a cry of pain, then fell to his knees, his sword falling out of his grip. Darien raised her sword, going for the finishing blow.

Two words that may be given over much by yours truly... but each time is well earned:

FLAWLESS VICTORY! ^__^

Trevor, The battle sequence was and is ... is ...

Let's just say that it makes me speechless I enjoyed it sooo much! ^^

Please continue when you may.

I am eager to see if darien defeats Velyho and if Lord Sesshoumaru, when and if he grants her audience, will revive Marius.

YAAAAY!! MOAR! MOAR!

I lovers it so much! YAY WEREWOLF DUDE!

:king: :king: :king: O.o this is SSSOOOOOO FANTABULOUS!!!! tThe plot is gripping, you detail nicely when needed, and ... wait for it....

NO TYPOS!!!!! :daydream: :daydream: :daydream: oh... I'm so... happy!!!! :glomp: :mob: Keep us living in Updation Nation, Please!!!!!

Okay, this does not feel like one of my best chapters. But I hope you enjoy nonetheless as we get closer and closer to the chapter I've wanted to write for months.



Darien never dealt the blow. At that moment, a blast of demonic power shot out from the manor and struck Tetsusaiga, knocking the blade out of Darien’s hands.

Darien followed Tetsusaiga with her eyes as it soared through the air and landed blade first into the ground a ways away. Distracted, Velyho lashed out with his foot, striking Darien in the chest. Darien felt her feet lift out from under her and she fell, landing hard on her back.

Velyho jumped to his feet, and retrieved his sword from where he dropped it. The roles had been reversed. Darien looked in horror as Velyho planted his foot on top of her chest, then aimed his sword at her throat. He raised his sword high…then stopped as a voice rang out, “Stop!”

Velyho turned his head slightly towards the manor, where the voice rang out. From the shadows of the manor, a figure appeared. He was dressed in a purple and silver tunic, which helped add to his long silver hair. Four streaks of red, as well as a purple crescent moon on his forehead adorned a pale face, with gold eyes many shades brighter than hers. He walked with a calm poise, his left hand grasping a large sword. On his hip was another sword.

Immediately, she knew who she was staring at. The only one who could command Velyho to stay his sword. Lord Sesshoumaru…her uncle. “Uncle,” Darien cried in relief.

Sesshoumaru cast his eyes towards her. While they showed no emotion, Darien could tell they could. “And you are?” he asked.

“You’re niece, Darien,” she answered.

Sesshoumaru looked at her critically for a moment. Then his eyes slightly expanded with surprise. “Darien? Inuyasha’s daughter?”

“Yes,” Darien answered.

Sesshoumaru looked up at Velyho and tilted his head to the side for a second. Velyho sheathed his sword, bowed slightly, and walked away from Darien. With the resistance removed from her chest, Darien rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself to her knees, then up to her feet.

As she turned around, she noticed a woman a few years older than her emerge from the manor. She cast a worried look to Marus, then to Sesshoumaru, who noticed her stare and nod. Quickly, the woman ran to Marus’s bleeding form and started treating his wounds.

Darien watched from the corner of her eyes, never taking her eyes off Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru sheathed his sword and approached her. He stared at her again for a moment, then reached out and raised her head so she stared directly into his eyes. “You have your father’s eyes,” he commented. He let go and walked past her to where Tetsusaiga lay.

With his right hand, he crouched down and grabbed the sword, swiping it through the air. As he did, the blade transformed into it’s fang-like appearance. “You can use it, too?” Darien asked, surprised. As far as she knew, only she and her father could.

“Of course,” he answered. “You’re father and I are of the same blood, as are you.”

Darien stared at wonder at her uncle. Her parent’s didn’t tell her much about him, except that he was Lord Of The West, and a more powerful demon than they had ever met. Darien had no doubt about that. The way he carried himself showed a power greater than she could fathom. “I take it that Inuyasha is dead?” Sesshoumaru asked, drawing Darien from her thoughts.

Darien’s throat clenched. “Yes. So is my mother.”

Sesshoumaru nodded, his eyes turning sorrowful. “I told them it would be like this one day. But the fools insisted they would be fine.”

Again, Darien stared in wonder at him. From what her parents had said, her uncle and father didn’t quite like each other much when they were younger. As they both got older, they began to respect each other and in time start acting like brothers instead of enemies. Even though his eyes only bespoke sorrow, Darien was sure he was concealing most of his emotion away from everyone.

“So what brings you here?” Sesshoumaru asked, handing Tetsusaiga back to Darien.

Darien accepted it, sheathing it as she replied, “I’m looking for information.”

Sesshoumaru nodded. “Come. Let us talk.” With that, he walked past Darien and towards his manor.

Alyssa: ZOMG IS AWESOME

Truth: SESSHY IS HEAR!!!

L:... -.-" Fangirls...

Coming from someone who doesn't usually read fanfiction, this is rather unbelievable.

I enjoyed it very much, I intended on only reading the plot and maybe one chapter. But well, you drew me in.

I do hope you write more, for I'll gladly read and comment.

I like it. Especially now that Sesshoumaru is in it.

Keep writing. ^_^

Ooh, I just randomly caught the last chapter after seeing a comment on here and I'm now tracking this story. Really cool, gonna hafta read the whole thing now...
:D

a total knock out :boxing:
this is a good story i just needs a little of something but i can't think of what :worried: oh yeah it needs koga in it then this story would be awsome





but one questoin how do you post stuff :devil:


email me with the answer fishingpwns@yahoo.com :dancow:

@ Killer Teddy To post stuff here all you need to do is:

1) If your fanfic is on MS Word or similar program:

a) Create a new topic in the specific fanfiction section that your story is supposed to go in (Inuyasha fics in "Inuyasha", Crossover fics in "Crossover" etc)

b) Type the name of your fanfic in the subjectline and a brief description of your story (optional)

c) Copy your Story from the folder or disk that it may be in/on and paste it where you would when you post your replies.

If you are posting your fic from the top of your head (Like I do sometimes ^^)..

You:

1) *See 1a above*

then you

2) *See 1b above*

and then...

You type it up like you would a reply post. ^^

I hope that helps. ^^

@ Trevor

Dude...

if you are waiting for me to review I thought I did about a month ago.

Your wonderful story has been dormant long enough, man.

Please update soon.

The suspence is killing me!

really long way to post stuff wow but yeah it sounds easy i hope :chidorisd:

man but yeah it needs koga lol

Eh, Trevor?

I'd love an update. :dancow: Take your time.

In the meantime, I'm goin' dancin'. Woo!

SESSHY-SAMA!! :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

your fanfiction rules keep it coming don't let it die plz it is really good :worried: