Inu Yasha: Hikari to Kage

When the bell finally rang signaling that clubs were over, Inuyasha was the first one in to change out of his kendo uniform. He was out of the dojo in record time and on his way home.

“Inuyasha, wait up!”

“Keh.” Recognizing the voice of his younger sister, he slowed his pace. Soon she had caught up and they continued the walk home side by side.

Asako wasn’t exactly his sister, truth be told. Her father, Shunusuke, was the younger brother of Inuyasha’s own father, Touga. Asako’s mother had died in a car accident when the girl was only three, and Shunusuke had died inside, unable to care for his small daughter. So Asako had come to live with the Shiros, and she’d been there ever since. A few years back she had even been legally adopted by Touga and his wife.

The girl was small, but very pretty as inu youkai females tended to be. Her hair was straight and white, and fell down her waist, and her eyes were large and gold, framed by long lashes. She had bronze skin and a woman’s body, curved generously in all the right places, but muscular from her training. Looking up at him, she grinned. “You’re in a rare mood. Something up your ass?”

“Shut up, bitch,” Inuyasha growled absently. There was no way Asako could understand the emotional torture he’d been put through today. But then again, Asako had the tendency to surprise him.

“It’s Kagome, isn’t it?” Inuyasha’s head shot up and he looked at her.

“How did you-,”

“Word gets around.” She shrugged. “I saw her myself. She does look like Kikyo, but you have to remember that she’s not.”

“I KNOW that!” He snapped, walking faster. “Kami, do you have to be such a pain? Go home on your own!”

“Don’t be an asshole,” Asako replied blithely. “We’re going the same way, so I can walk with you if I want to.”

The two walked in a relaxed silence for almost five minutes. They’d just gotten on the bus when Asako opened her mouth again.

“You know, Kagura’s coming over today. So I want you out of the way.” She ignored his groan of protest. “And can you pick Rin up from school? I know it’s my turn, but we’re working on a project-,”

“You’re probably just counting how many guys you two’ve fucked,” Inuyasha grumbled. He leaned against the window, arms crossed. Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, he narrowly dodged his sister’s fist.

“You’re such a jerk. Just because you’re upset, you take it out on me! Why can’t you be nice for once?”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “Maybe if you’d shut up for once, I’d think about being civil.”

“Ahou!” She growled, stomping on his foot. Inuyasha yelped.

The bus driver glanced back at the disturbance and shook his head knowingly. The Shiro kids were always fighting. He’d gotten so used to it that it hardly bothered him anymore. “Shiro, your stop,” He called.

Inuyasha and Asako stopped their bickering long enough to get off the bus, and they started up the long hill that led to their house. The mansion could be seen peeking over the hillside, a series of Japanese-style buildings. The compound had been designed centuries ago as the family castle, and was one of the only houses of its style still in Tokyo. As they got to the gates, Inuyasha pressed a button and a voice filtered over the loudspeaker.

“Shiro residence.”

“It’s us, open up,” Asako called. The man at the other end unlocked the gates obediently and they opened. Inuyasha sauntered down the driveway, followed by Asako. They took their shoes off in the foyer and slid open the door. It led out to a large courtyard covered in trees. A fountain stood in the center, the sound of running water soothing to whoever heard it. Standing by the fountain was a woman, her long black hair hanging down to her waist. She was a classic Japanese beauty with a round face, big brown eyes and delicate features. The only thing missing was the kimono. She wore a tan tailored business suit instead, and she looked up and smiled as her children came in.

“Hey!” She walked over and gave them both a hug. “How was school?”

Asako was immediately animate. “I got a B on my English test, Mama! And Kagura’s coming over to work on a feudal history project with me. Can we unlock the family shrine and study in there?”

“Of course, dear,” Izayoi smiled, smoothing down her daughter’s hair. “I’ll unlock it now. You can show Kagura your father’s old armor. He was quite a warrior five hundred years ago.”

“But don’t touch my sword!” Inuyasha called from the kitchen next door.

“You never use Tetsusaiga, so why can’t we touch it?” Asako pouted.

“Cause it’s MINE! Go get Tenseiga from Sesshomaru’s house if you wanna play with a sword so bad,” Inuyasha snapped, sticking his head out the doorway. “What’s your project on anyway?”

“Samurai and ninjas, and how they compare,” Asako replied, putting her bag down. Inuyasha snorted.

“Dad was no samurai. And the fangs aren’t samurai swords.”

“But they’re real swords from back then, so it’d be good to study them!”

Izayoi sighed. “Stop arguing. Inuyasha, let your sister and her friend see your sword, or go to Sesshomaru’s house and get Tenseiga from him.” The idea of prying his brother’s sword away seemed ridiculous to Inuyasha, so he just ‘keh’d and went back into the kitchen.

“What’s with him?” Izayoi murmured to her daughter. Twenty years married to an inu youkai had taught her that if you wanted not to be heard, you had to be extraordinarily quiet. Luckily Inuyasha had turned on the radio.

“Girl problems,” Asako said softly. “A Kikyo look-alike came to school and he’s all pissy about it.” She rolled her eyes.

“Be more considerate,” Izayoi told her. “You know how much Kikyo meant to him. He loved her, and her death was a tragedy. It takes awhile to get over something like that.”

“A year?!” Asako scoffed. “Please. When Hiten broke up with me for Yura, it hardly fazed me. I was over it in a day.”

“Did Hiten mean anything to you?”

Instead of answering, Asako turned away. “Let’s not talk about my relationships, Mother. They’ve all been disasters.” With that, she started down the hall towards the family wing. “When Kagura comes, will you send her to my room?”

Izayoi nodded. “Get the shrine keys from the top drawer of my dresser. And did you ask your brother to pick up Rin for you?”

“He’ll do it,” She called back absently.

“Will not!”

”Fuck you!”

Izayoi sighed, rolling her eyes. She loved her family, but it was next to impossible for them to get along.

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As Kagura walked up the driveway of the Shiro house, she was almost run over by an angry hanyou in a black convertible. He sneered as he saw Kagura. “Watch it, wind-witch.”

“You almost ran over me,” Kagura snapped. She growled in frustration as Inuyasha gave her the finger, driving away. “Fucker.” Stomping the rest of the way in her red high heels, she knocked on the door.

Her anger dissipated as Asako’s mother opened it. Kagura had always adored Izayoi, admiring her for her beauty and strength of will. Managing half of her husband’s company was no small feat for a human. Izayoi smiled brilliantly, gesturing for Kagura to come inside.

Once Kagura’s shoes and coat were off, Izayoi put them carefully away in the closet. “Follow me. Asako’s in her room.” They walked out to the courtyard and across the small pathway past the garden to the other side of the house. “Oh!” Izayoi stopped suddenly. Rummaging through her pockets, she came up with a set of keys. “Give this to Asako and tell her to return them when she’s done, please.” Kagura nodded, opening the door.

The hallway was brightly lit and covered in tatami mats, and she followed it down to the end. Asako’s door was open, music blasting. Kagura lowered the music as she came in. “Hey.”

Asako had been lying on the floor on her stomach writing, and she sat up and grinned as her friend came in. “Hi. Close the door so the brats don’t come in, ne?” Kagura did as she was asked, and then sat down on the floor beside her. She tossed Asako the set of keys. “For the shrine, I’m guessing.”

Asako nodded, catching the keys easily with one hand. “We’ve got lots of cool stuff in there. And we can even study Inuyasha’s sword.”

Kagura snorted at the mention of Inuyasha’s name. “That bastard let you touch it?”

“No, my mom did.” Asako grinned. Standing up, she took Kagura’s hand, pulling her up beside her. Together they gathered the papers that were sprawled across Asako’s already messy carpet, and then started down the hall to the shrine.

Kagura waited as her friend fumbled with the keys, finally finding the right one. There was a hollow-sounding click as the door unlocked, and Asako pushed it open, flipping on the lights. The room was one long hallway and on either side stood dozens of ancient artifacts. At the far end of the room was an impressive suit of youkai armor covered in metal spikes, and above it hung a rusty old katana. Asako strode towards it but was careful not to touch it. “That’s Inuyasha’s sword, the Tetsusaiga. It doesn’t look like much now, but when he or my father holds it, it transforms into a big-ass sword. It was made from my father’s fang.”

Kagura nodded curiously. “And this is your father’s armor?”

“Yes.” Picking up a pair of sais that hung in the corner, she flipped them easily, catching them both by their handles. “These are mine. I don’t have an impressive sword like my brothers, but I’m fine by that.”

“What about this?” Kagura pointed to an old miko’s costume of a white haori and red hakama. “It’s weird for a youkai shrine to have human clothes in it.”

Asako put the sais back carefully. “The clothes belonged to Sadako.”

“Who?”

“My aunt. She was human. She died a long time ago.”

Kagura looked puzzled. “How-?”

“It’s a long story.” Asako sat down on the tatami mats, and gestured for Kagura to do the same. “Let’s see, where do I begin…

My grandfather and his mate bore five pups, as you know. My father, Touga, my real father, Shunusuke, and my three aunts, Umi, Satomi, and Mariko. One day while pillaging a village, my grandfather came across a human baby girl. He was drawn to her, and took her home. He named her Sadako, which means ‘pure child’. Sadako grew up with my father and his siblings, and they adopted her as their own sister even though she was human. As my father tells it, she was a great beauty with long dark hair and big brown eyes. As Sadako got older, they found out she had great miko powers. No miko was willing to train her because Sadako was raised by youkai, so Sadako had to train herself. Her siblings were as supportive as they could be.

By this time, the Shikon no Tama had been in existence for over 200 years. It traveled from youkai to human and back again, and finally found its way into the hands of a young taiji-ya who had heard of Sadako’s powers. He defied his tribe and went to Sadako with the jewel, begging her to take it and purify it. Sadako agreed. Now many youkai rejoiced, because they thought that Touga and his siblings would take the jewel from their sister and use it. But instead, Touga, Shunusuke, Umi, Satomi, and Mariko vowed to protect Sadako with their lives.

Eventually Sadako grew old and died, and the jewel went to another priestess who was also protected by the Shiro family. This is how we got so powerful. My father fought for the existence of humans, exterminating all the low-level youkai and joining with the powerful youkai. He created the Ningen-Youkai Renmei to protect youkai and humans alike. Our societies became one, and humans started forgetting we existed. So we hid ourselves.”

“The Ni-Yo-Re,” Kagura cut in, realization dawning on her. “So that’s why your father’s the head of it. 500 years ago, he started it!”

“Exactly,” Asako nodded proudly.

“Too bad we can’t write that in our report,” Kagura said with a smirk. “We should interview your father. I bet he has a lot to say since he’s so old.”

“Old, am I?”

Both girls started as Shiro Touga walked into the room, smiling broadly. He was a tall, handsome man with long white hair pulled back in a ponytail and two violet stripes following each cheekbone. He wore a suit and tie, obviously having just walked in the door from work. Kneeling down on the floor beside his daughter and her friend, he glanced at their papers. “A report, eh? On what?”

“Samurai and ninjas, and how they compare,” Asako answered, showing her father what they’d written so far. He scanned through it.

“I have a lot to tell you two on that. Come into my office and we’ll start the interview.” Helping both girls up, they followed him down the hall, through the courtyard, and into his office. He closed the door behind them.

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Kami- God

Ahou- jerk, asshole

inu- dog

sai- three-pronged weapon, usually in a pair

taiji-ya- demon slayer

Ningen- human

Renmei- alliance