The group was taking a break from their long journey and had just reached the village when the brightest lights shone in the sky. Villagers ran for the cover of their humble homes and the group stood at the ready, with old Kaede holding a bow with her aging hands. Bright spheres of lights rained down, the sound of their impact with the Earth loud and stretching for miles. The group paused and shared glances. "Kagome are you still going to leave us?" Sango asked, anticipation in her voice as she became antsy, wanting to see whatever may have fallen from the sky.
"I have to. I promised my mom…you guys should go ahead of me, and come back as soon as you can. I'll stay with Kaede and help keep the village safe. Inuyasha?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha, who's mind was elsewhere. When the bright lights had begun to dance across the sky he couldn't believe the swell in his chest. He felt a tug, begging him to go see what had occurred, it was to the point of physical pain, so he simply nodded instead of arguing with her. They restocked their supplies and set off, with Miroku, Sango, and Shippo riding Kilala they dashed in the direction of the closest impacting point.
Miles away in a ditch and young figure rose slowly. "Owwww…ow..ow oww…" His clothing slightly more modern as he'd just come home from a ceremony with his parents. He slowly pulled himself from the ditch. "Everything hurts~!" He complained loudly. "Dad~! It hurts~!" The young boy stopped for a moment and began to take in his surroundings. "The forest? What am I doing in the forest?" Using his nose he tried to get his bearings. His white hair was a filthy mess and his golden eyes narrowed in confusion. "Where am I?" The Earth smelled pure and untainted by modern advancements. He felt as though he was camping with his parents. "Father!" He shouted loudly, knowing his father should be able to hear him from anywhere he might be. He felt his heart rate quicken when no one came at his distressed call, not even a servant to reprimand him. "I have to stay calm." He told himself before he started walking. The young man walked for what felt like eternity for a young teen until he came upon a village. "Is this some sort of reenactment?" Wandering in he noticed he only scented humans. It was unusual to say the least.
"A demon is in the village!" A woman screeched and ran into her home. The situation escalated from there, there was a lot of screaming, which hurt his sensitive ears.
"Hold on! I'm lost and I need help finding my home. Pause the set or something, my father'll pay for it!" He shouted but they begun firing arrows, one of which embedded itself in his arm. Eye widening in pain and confusion he took off. He was much faster that the humans and was able to get away quickly. Trembling in fear he examined his arm in disbelief. He felt tears prickle at his eyes and whipped them away before they fell. He wanted his parents to come save him, he was confused and bleeding. With his other hand, he broke the end of the arrow and pulled it the rest of the way through before searching for water. Finding a very shallow stream he cleaned the wound before sitting under a tree and watching as it healed slowly.
He took deep breaths but couldn't remember anything after he and his family were engulfed in the bright shining lights. He thought about all of the training he'd been in and nodded to himself, this place wasn't like home. He was going to need to fight back. "I should go to the castle…or grandma's…" Relaxing, he began to follow his instincts to his home. The dirt under his feet crunched loudly as he observed the silence of nature. He was unsure about his skills and more unsure about what he was doing. He and his family lived in the city, and only stayed at the castle during events, but the castle was located on the ancestral lands of the shiroinu clan and his blood could guide him without fail. He felt a tug, so it was obvious that it was there and he was just lost...he hoped. Nothing was making any sense, he was seeing things, creatures, that have been extinct since before his birth. Scratching his arm as he walked though, he hoped he didn't run into too many problems on his way home. Then his stomach rumbled and he felt his world crash a bit. Aside from hunting with his parents, he'd never had to do so on his own. "I'm so freaking confused."
()()()()()()()()()()
In the direction he was headed, several hundred kilometers away, stood the silent lord of the west. He'd watched the figures fall from the sky as he left his home in search of Naraku, after leaving Jaken and Rin in the safety of the castle. Feeling a tug towards the falling lights, the tug grew stronger as he formed his cloud underfoot and took off towards one that lay closest to him. What he saw when he came upon the sight was unbelievable. There laying flat in the ditch unmoving, were two, very young shiroinu pups. Both girls were no longer of the living world and he felt Tenseiga pulse with a never before felt urgency. Taking in the faces and scents of the girls his eyes widened. Both had the crescent moon of his family, and the smell of his blood in their veins. "Impossible." Was the barely audible whisper. Gripping Tenseiga, he felt it pulse strongly as he cut through the imps of the underworld.
Within moments the girls began shifting and moving, both the children were quite small and were no bigger than a human 10 year old. They were dressed in fancy, traditional kimonos and had short bobbed hair. They looked like small china dolls with their markings and if they weren't covered in dirt it would be obvious they were royalty. The girls began crying before they stood or even opened their eyes. "Papa!" One cried loudly before finally opening her eyes and taking in her surroundings. Looking up and over at him along with her twin who followed suit, Sesshomaru could smell their anxiety melt away as they rushed over and latched onto him while crying sorrowfully. "Papa, I'm scared!"
"Papa!" Her sister coughed roughly.
He looked down, there was no doubting their scent, or doubting the fact that they knew him. He couldn't figure out the other scent. The scent of their other parent, and it made the lord a bit anxious, admittedly. Their tearful, snotty faces left markings on his pristine clothing but the lord held his anger at bay. Eventually they calmed and he sat under a tree and watched them play in the grass and flowers. The pups acted as one and played well together, they were very well behaved, as expected from children of his loin. Soon they began staring at him with faces too blank for children their age, their scents were very relaxed, unlike when he first brought them back to the land of the living. Glancing at Tenseiga he wondered what it knew about the two. The three sat staring at each other for quite a while before he stood, and they stood with him. "Pups. What are your names?" He asked as he studied every difference in their identical faces.
"Papa isn't funny! Papa knows our names!" One giggled as she skipped to him before tugging on his arm.
"Papa knows I'm Sairin, and she is Sairiu!" The other, Sairiu, skipped up happily as well before attempting to grab his missing left arm. She gasped loudly and panic seized her chest, "Hurt! Papa's hurt!" She began crying loudly and hugging his leg. "Papa okay? Papa!" Her sister began crying as well and he was becoming annoyed.
"Silence." He said coldly and the two immediately ceased crying obediently. "Do not cry. It is bothersome." With that he began walking away, leaving them to follow. Glancing over his shoulder they walked hand in hand, steps synchronized and staring straight ahead, Sairiu crying silently. Sairin began patting her back as she too started sniffling again. Sesshomaru could still feel something tugging at him. He needed to return home, there were quite a few people he wanted to contact about his situation.
()()()()()()()()()()
Elsewhere, an even younger pup struggled to pull herself out of the current of a strong river. When she finally managed to do so, the pup coughed and vomited up a lot of water. She lay there unmoving, taking in the sounds and smells around her and dozed off. When she woke she sat up and looked around, seeing nothing but trees and the river. "Daddy?" She stood up. Her ears swiveled atop her head as she looked around. "Daddy, where are you?" She used her nose and began sniffing around. She wandered the forest alone for days, eating nuts and berries that her dad had taught her were safe to eat. Even catching small animals so she could eat them. She would cry periodically but she would not howl like her instincts demanded of the lost child. She remembered that if she howled, bigger things might try to come eat her. Sleeping in trees was uncomfortable, but there weren't very many trees that had hollows dug out inside big enough for her to squeeze in without becoming trapped. She eventually came upon a well, she was thirsty but disappointed when she saw that the well had dried up. Sighing she coughed, and ate a bit of grass. Her stomach was upset and she didn't know why, but she wanted to eat the grass which made her vomit. Soon she found a path, and rice paddies. She walked along the path gathering glances and stares from the humans that worked in them. She paused, "Excuse me…I'm lost."
The humans were very apprehensive about answering the little youki girl, dressed head to toe in white spider silk. An older female spoke up, "Are you looking for your father?"
"Yes ma'am." Her dad had always told her to be polite to old humans.
"In the village, find Kaede and she'll tell you where he is." The old woman smiled at the bright smile that took over the small child's face.
"Thank you!" The little girl bowed and darted off, hopeful.
When she entered the main part of the village she staggered once more at the stares. Human's made her uncomfortable even though her dad told her she had nothing to fear. "Lady Kaede a demon has entered the village!" A man shouted loudly, causing an old woman to exit a hut followed quickly behind by a highschooler.
"Maybe that's her granddaughter." The young girl thought to herself. Their eyes widened in shock when they set eyes on her.
"Excuse me. I'm lost." She fiddled with the folds of her dress uncomfortably. "I'm looking for my daddy."
"Come into my hut child." Kaede gestured for her to hold her hand and the little girl quickly took it, ears flat against her skull under the intense gazes of the villagers. Inside the hut she was given food which she ate happily. There was only so much food she could gather as a child and she was hungry but happy with whatever the lady decided to give her. Kaede wiped the dried blood from her face with a warm cloth.
"Who is your dad?" Kagome asked, curious about what the little girl would say.
"Lord Inuyasha of the Western Lands and Kingdom!" She answered happily.
"I know an Inuyasha…but he's no lord." Kagome whispered.
"Daddy, has ears like me, and has a huge sword Tes-tetsuaiga!" her statement caused the two miko to pale a bit.
"There's no way she's his kid right, Kaede?" Kagome questioned in disbelief.
"Aye, Inuyasha only recently became of age to mate and this child is much too old."
"She's only like 3 though."
"That may be her age by comparison to a human life but she is much older, maybe 30 or 40 years."
"I'm 33!" The small child chirped.
"She's older than me!" Kagome gasped.
"You're a big girl then aren't you!" Kaede smiled.
"Uh-huh! I'm really good at hunting, and reading too!" the child beamed brightly, happy that she was going to see her dad soon.
"Could she have anything to do with the bright lights in the sky?" Kagome asked Kaede curiously. "There is no way they aren't related in some way. Could she…could she be from the future…like me?" Kagome questioned, her heart pounding.
"Aye, that may be the case." Kaede nodded. Kagome could only stare at the child, her heart aching. She'd been sure that in the future it would be she and Inuyasha together with a family but the little girl's aura was completely youki and she obviously had no idea who she was.
"Hey lady, why are you crying?" The small child asked with a tilt of her head.
A villager poked their head into the hut, "Inuyasha and the others have returned!"
"Little one, please stay here while we retrieve your father." Kaede instructed signaling for Kagome to follow her out after the girl gave a confused nod.
"Kagome's back!" Shippo squeaked happily as he jumped into her arms.
"Inuyasha…there's something you need to see." Kagome whispered.
"What're you talking about woman." Inuyasha growled out, upset that they hadn't found anything.
"We found something, someone who might interest you." Kaede explained.
"Why are you both talking so cryptically?" Inuyasha asked, becoming more annoyed by the minute.
"Little one, please come here." Kaede called. The group heard tiny pattering feet coming from the direction of Kaede's hut. Eyes widened and gasps were heard.
"Daddy! You really came!" The small child chirped in excitement. She skipped over to him and stretched her arms up to be held but Inuyasha was staring at the child in shock.
"This isn't possible…this can't…" He took in her scent and smelled himself in her blood. "What…?" Inuyasha sat down to avoid falling.
She took her chance and crawled into his lap, hugging him and crying. "I was lost daddy! I was scared!" She clung to him, inhaling his scent, and wiping away her tears.
Inuyasha's breathing was heavy as he tried to process the child's existence mentally, and his youki demanding that he comfort the crying child. He looked down at her and let his youki do what it wanted. "Hey, no more tears. You're okay now, right?" She nodded firmly and stood so he could stand as well.
"Is she Inuyasha's daughter?" Shippo asked from Kagome's arms before jumping down and standing with the little girl.
"What's your name little one?" Miroku asked as he leaned down.
"Kiki! Why is Shippo my size? What's wrong? Did you mess up again?" She questioned curiously.
"What does Shippo normally look like?" Kagome asked, crouching down to her level.
"Really tall! Almost daddy height! And he has 4 tails! I only have one." She explained while examining the seemingly shrunken Shippo. "But he's not very nice."
"What?" Shippo piped.
"Everyone come in and get settled, we can chat inside." Kaede turned and headed to her hut.
Kiki went back to Inuyasha's side and grabbed hold of his hand. With the three human's observing curiously. "She's really cute…I wonder if Inuyasha was that cute when he was a kid." Sango commented quietly.
When in the hut. The real questions started rolling as they were away from prying eyes. "Kiki, did you come from the sky? Or from the well?" Miroku asked.
She stopped fiddling with Inuyasha's hair and looked at the monk before looking at her dad. They stared for a moment, "Answer the question kid."
"Okay!" She said with a very bright smile. "I was with Daddy and everyone else. My big brother had an important ceremony, then there was a really bright flash and then I was falling down..." She began frowning. "My big brother wasn't awake and he was falling really far away. My big sisters were crying and holding onto each other. Daddy wasn't awake either and he was falling away really fast too. Papa was bleeding…a lot…" She began to tear up, "Papa tried to get me and my sister's but we all fell away really far, and I fell into the river. Everyone fell away." She started bawling, "Daddy! Where's papa!?"
"I-I don't know." Inuyasha was feeling really anxious.
"Your mate is male?" Sango questioned, she too had thought Inuyasha and Kagome would settle down one day.
"…I guess…ugh…what's going on?" Inuyasha's head was hurting. He felt like someone had come after him with a mace. His chest ached and his blood was racing, there was somewhere he needed to be but he didn't know where. Kiki hugged him as she cried, looking for comfort. He rubbed her tiny puppy ears and rocked her back and forth a bit from where he sat. Eventually she fell asleep in his warm embrace.
"She must be so exhausted, she must have been in the woods for days, it's a wonder she wasn't eaten." Kaede commented.
"Well, if she really is my kid there's no doubt she'd be able to survive in the woods for a while." Inuyasha smirked a bit, he couldn't help but be proud of the little girl. She was even younger than he'd been when he was left out on his own. He made sure his suikan enveloped most of her tiny body to make sure she stayed warm. Her scent was peaceful and comfortable. Inuyasha felt his heart swell a bit; she was feeling that way because of him. Her long dark lashes were still; upon her cherub face. She was still very tiny and babyish though she might have a growth spurt coming up. He stroked her bangs out of her face and held her a bit closer and he felt his youkai purr inside of him.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice brought him back from his musings and he noticed the entire group staring at him.
"What?" He asked gruffly.
"You were out of it for a while. We called you a bunch of times." Miroku explained.
"Whatever, I was just thinking about something." Inuyasha huffed. Kagome's eyes found the fire. She couldn't help but feel cheated in some-way. Her heart ached and it ached even more seeing Inuyasha hold the child that clearly didn't come from her body. She felt her eyes sting with tears.
"Do you all think this has something to do with Naraku?" Sango spoke the question that had been sitting in the small hut unspoken.
"There's no doubt in my mind." Inuyasha nodded.
()()()()()()()()()()
Far away, back in the castle of the west. Guards bowed and their eyes widened in shock along with the villagers that lived in the town surrounding the castle. They stared at the twin girls that resembled their lord. Sesshomaru felt an unusual weight on his clothing. Looking down, he saw the two girls holding onto him with uneasy stares. "Papa…everything looks different…" Sairiu said quietly.
"Everything is dirty and wood." Sairin observed.
"What does it usually look like?" He asked.
"Prettier with the skyscrapers, and cars…" Sairin whispered as the crowd grew larger. When they finally made it to the castle the girls visibly relaxed.
"Mi lord! You're back so soo…" Jaken stopped in his tracks as his eyes set on the two girls. Sesshomaru observed as the girls faces fell into masks and they glared at the toad.
Rin came pattering out soon after gasping, "Oh, they're so pretty mi lord! Are they your daughters?" She grabbed Sairiu's arm only to be pushed down by Sairin.
"Keep your filthy hands off of us human!" The two then turned their heads up.
"Rin is sorry, mi lady!" Rin grinned.
"Well you shh-" Sairin was cut off.
"It's fine." Sairiu said simply. "Sairin…daddy said we should be nice to those weaker than us."
"Humph!" Sarin crossed her arms.
"Rin's name is Rin too!" Rin said happily. Sesshomaru was intrigued. A moment ago, the two were crying, clingy, and talkative. The next they were as cold as ice. They were definitely his children.
"My name is Sairin. Why are you speaking to us?" Sairin growled.
"Okay~! What's your name?" Rin asked Sairiu.
"Sairiu." She said with a small smile. "Papa…where's daddy?" The little one began to sniff and wipe her nose. "Daddy?" She called before looking up at the lord with a frown. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, so he'd mated a male. It was quite rare for a shiroinuyouki to have more than one child and his mate being male made it all the more interesting.
"He isn't here." Sesshomaru stated calmly.
"Where did...why were we falling?" Sairin asked with a strong pause.
"There was a bright flash…and then daddy was sleeping…" Sairiu whined with tears forming in her eyes.
"Big brother was sleeping too…" Sairin sniffled, "…and little sister was screaming…" They twins began crying loudly.
"I want my daddy!" Sairiu screamed piercingly. "Daddy!"
The girls fell to the ground as they cried. Sesshomaru's eyebrow twitched in annoyance but he allowed them their moment as they'd just revealed very interesting information.
"That's enough! You two are grating on my lord's precious ears! No need to be spoiled brats!" Jaken berated the girls like he does to Rin and they faced him with tears in their eyes.
"Shut up, you worthless toad!" They screamed. The ground began to sizzle as the scent of poison hit the air.
"That is enough." Sesshomaru clipped. He continued on his way into the castle the two girls following sorrowfully behind.
"Papa find daddy…!" Sairin cried.
"I want daddy!" Sairiu followed suit as they followed him into his office.
"Sit there." The two followed his directions and sat on cushions near a low table. They hugged each other close and continued to cry. Rin who had come along tried to comfort them without touching and Jaken merely stood to the side, obviously frightened of the two.
"Daddy I'm scared!" Sairiu cried out to the lord.
The door's opened without a knock and there stood Makoto, Sesshomaru's advisor. "Mi'Lord I was unaware you mated! And to have two children no less!" He exclaimed.
"I do not…yet." He stated simply.
"Are you mad, my lord? There are two little girls, of your blood sitting in front of you!" Makoto couldn't believe what was happening, it was insane to even think that the lord was being this irresponsible.
"You saw the bright lights in the sky as well, did you not?" Sesshomaru questioned. Usually, he would have decapitated anyone serving under him that would speak to him as such, but Makoto was also the castle healer, and had been with the family for millennia.
"Yes, I did, I thought you went to investigate." Makoto confirmed.
"They are what I found. I believe they are from some time in the future as I have not currently mated anyone." Sesshomaru explained. "It's the only explanation that I have for them, as implausible as it may sound. From what they've said, my older self as well as my mate also fell back in time, I think it would be best if I found them as soon as possible. As well as their siblings. There's no telling what forces brought them here." Sesshomaru spoke as he watched the girls interacting with Rin. Sairiu seemed much better tempered than Sairin and was patient in answering all of Rin's aimless questions. "Organize search parties to find them."
"So…you're not our papa?" Sairiu questioned, paying more attention than Sesshomaru thought the girls had been.
"I assume I am much younger right now than when you are born but I am." He explained.
"So, we went back in time?" Sairin asked, trying to be certain.
"Yes." He answered coolly.
The two looked at each other before looking back at the lord. "I thought daddy was joking when he told us that story…" Sairin whispered.
"Is….is Naraku alive?" Sairiu asked.
"Currently." The two girls eyes widened at his answer and they stood in panic and started to leave. Sesshomaru's brows knit together as he moved to follow them.
"We have to leave." They said in unison.
"Where do you presume to be going?" Sesshomaru growled.
"To daddy's village! That's where daddy said little sister went in the story!" They answered together.
Sesshomaru picked them both up by the backs of their ornate kimonos with his one hand. "It is too dangerous for children your age to wander about, where is the village located, I would like to meet this mate of mine."
Alrighty,here's one of set 2. Um, Set 1 is my The Best Thing Come In Two and The Young and Defiant. They are priority, I was just supposed to start posting Set 2 in july but things happened (I'll always post stories/oneshots etc in pairs.)