InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Youkai and the Exterminator ❯ Chapter Eleven ( Chapter 11 )

Chapter Eleven

 

 

The little hanyou sat alone in his mother's garden, trying not to cry and failing miserably. It had been only five days since she'd died, but he couldn't quite understand the concept of death or why she'd left. Inuyasha just wanted his mother to come back to him.

 

The fever that had taken her life had raged for weeks before she finally succumbed. Half out of her mind with delirious visions, she'd spent much of the time crying out for his father. That had only angered grandfather more and it was Inuyasha who bore the brunt of the family's grief and loss.

 

No one would even look at him, as if the young child were somehow to blame for the loss of their beloved Izayoi. Even at her memorial service, with his grandfather's household gathered for mourning, the white haired little boy was shoved to the back, left to stand with his mother's old nurse, Masani.

 

It was because of Masani that he'd even gotten to say goodbye to his mother at all. The old woman was mostly senile herself by now, but she loved Izayoi more than anything and finally recognized that the ailing woman must be calling for her child as well as her long dead husband. She crept into the sickroom one night; little Inuyasha cuddled against her chest and sat the boy on the edge of his mother's bed.

 

Even sick as she was, she knew her son and reached for him, stroking the soft silvery hair. “You look more like your father every day,” she whispered. The fever had already robbed her of much of her beauty, leaving her face thin, pale and pinched. Inuyasha took hold of his mother's hand carefully, the bones felt like fragile sticks under the dry, brittle skin.

 

“Mama, when are you going to get better?”

 

Izayoi smiled at that, she'd had a slight break in the fever and knew that it wouldn't be long now. “I'll be better soon, Inuyasha. I'm going to have to go away, I won't see you for a very long time.”

 

“Where are you going?” His little ears perked up, he'd been hoping that she'd be able to play with him again soon. She simply smiled and stroked his hair.

 

“I'm going to see your father. He's waiting for me.”

 

“Can't I go with you?” He wanted to see his father too; he wanted to know if he was as wonderful as mama always said he was. Grandfather said he was a monster, a fearsome youkai that had cursed their household with a half-breed child. His mother said he was gentle and kind, with a laugh that could fill the sky. Inuyasha wanted to know what the truth really was.

 

Izayoi's eyes filled with tears. “You can't go with me where I'm going. You have to stay here and be my brave little son. You have important things to do in your life, I only wish I could be here to watch you grow into a fine young man. Remember always, Inuyasha, I love you more than anything else in the world and I will always be watching over you.”

 

He started to cry again when he thought about that, wiping the tears from his cheeks shamefully. He wasn't brave or important; he was just scared and lonely. Nobody talked to him, nobody wanted him around. Children his age were scared of his little fangs and claws, his strange eyes. Older children liked to gang up on him and hurt him. He fought back as best he could by slicing at them with his puny baby claws.

 

After they'd gotten good and scratched up a few times, they'd figured out they needed to hold him down if they wanted to hit him.

 

When his mother's memorial service was finished, his grandfather had taken him aside. For a brief moment, Inuyasha thought the distant man might actually want to comfort his grandson, but he was mistaken. Grandfather's eyes were hard, lines of grief still marking his face.

 

“As you are my daughter's child you will remain here with us even though your mother has passed away. There are those who say I should turn you out, let you fend for yourself like the wild creature you are. If I had a choice, I'd send you to live with your father's people.”

 

“Why can't you send me to them?” the little boy asked. He was frightened of his grandfather, the stern man who never smiled. Mama said he was still angry about what had happened years ago, angry with Inuyasha's father, but she refused to tell him more.

 

“I can't send you to them because I don't know how. Not once in the five years since your father's death has any one of his people come seeking his son. I can only assume they are ashamed of your human blood as much as we despise your demon heritage. You will live here until you are old enough to take care of yourself. I won't have it said that I turned my daughter's son out to starve in the wilderness.”

 

Inuyasha's stomach knotted with burning pain. He couldn't stay here, not without his mother. Better to be alone in the woods than be kicked around anymore. Still, it frightened him. Here was all he'd ever known; he'd never even been outside his mother's beloved garden. It still smelled like her in this place, that smell was the only comfort he had left. He squared his little shoulders, he had to be brave for her and take care of himself.

 

“I'm going to find father's people,” he said softly, looking up at the tall garden wall.

 

The wall was very high, much taller than a man's height, but the hanyou didn't know of any other way out. He crouched, tensing his legs underneath him. He could do this; he could jump over the wall. He gathered his strength and jumped with all his might.

 

He was flying, the feeling was incredible! The little boy found himself soaring right over the garden wall like he'd done it a thousand times before. The ground rushed up to meet him and the boy's eyes got wide. He hadn't thought about landing! He slammed into the ground with a notable lack of grace and tumbled end over end before he finally slid to a stop in a dusty pile of hair and dirt.

 

Inuyasha sat up, he'd bitten his tongue rather dramatically and the taste of his own blood filled his mouth. It hurt, but his pride was already too sore for him to start crying over it. He got to his feet, wobbling a little and looked around at his newly won freedom.

 

“That was pathetic,” a soft voice said.

 

Inuyasha spun around, looking for the source. Had one of grandfather's men seen his escape? Were they going to take him back? Did he want them to? Nobody was around, the sky was getting dark and Inuyasha felt distinctly uneasy, knowing someone was watching from the shadows.

 

“Where are you?” he called, hoping his voice didn't sound too timid.

 

“Up here, stupid.” Inuyasha looked up into the nearest tree and found himself staring into a pair of golden eyes exactly the same shade of his own. A young man was lounging on a branch, a faint annoyed scowl on his otherwise handsome face. Inuyasha stared at him. Eye color wasn't the only thing they had in common; a long sweep of pure white hair fell over the stranger's shoulder, held back in a severe looking topknot.

 

“Who are you?” the hanyou breathed.

 

“Who are you,” the young man echoed in a mocking tone. “You don't have a nose, half-breed? You can't tell I'm inuyoukai?”

 

He flushed, he hadn't thought about it. The young youkai swung to the ground with an easy grace that the small hanyou could envy. He stalked over, looking at the child like he was an insect, something dirty that had washed up on the road.

 

“I heard she was dead. Is it true?”

 

“My...my mother?” Inuyasha stammered. He found himself backing away from this unpleasant creature. He'd dreamed of seeing another demon someday, but now his body was starting to sense that another demon might find a tiny hanyou easy prey.

 

“Yes,” the demon hissed. “I mean the human wench that gave you life. Is she really dead?”

 

Inuyasha scowled, just because the demon was bigger didn't mean that he got to insult his mother. “She died five days ago. What's it to you?”

 

“It's nothing to me,” the youkai shot back, his face showing a disgust at the idea. “I was just curious, I wanted to find out if it was true. Now that I've had a look at you, I can see you aren't worth my time, half-breed.”

 

“Who are you?” Inuyasha shouted. He didn't care if the older demon would take him apart; he just wanted to know why he looked so much like him. He wanted to know where he came from. Unfriendly or not, he might know where to find father's people.

 

The youkai looked back at him, smirking as his silky hair slid over his shoulder. “Haven't figured it out yet, brat? Didn't that wench tell you that you had a brother?”

 

“You're my brother?” the child asked, his eyes wide. “You're Sesshomaru?” Inuyasha drew closer only to see his brother recoil in disgust.

 

“Unfortunately, we are half-brothers. I don't know what father was thinking when he took a human sow as a lover, much less that he bothered to sire a child on her.”

 

“Don't you talk about her like that!” Inuyasha was angry, he could feel a sense of fury building inside him. He ran at his brother, raising his little claws to fight. “You take that back!”

 

Sesshomaru stepped out of his way, easily avoiding the furious little strikes. “Clumsy, stupid and slow, your human blood is showing, little brother,” he sneered.

 

Inuyasha was so angry he didn't realize that he had tears pouring down his face. He dropped to the ground, realizing he couldn't even touch him. He wasn't big enough to defend his mother; he wasn't big enough to make his brother eat those words. Inuyasha couldn't stop the tears and he didn't care what the demon thought. He missed her so badly. He was so alone.

 

Looking down at the crying child, Sesshomaru felt something close to pity stir his heart. And then he was angry, almost angry enough to tear the little half-breed to pieces. He would not feel pity for a filthy hanyou; he would not let himself be made vulnerable by feeling sorry for anything so worthless.

 

“Quit your blubbering,” he snapped. “At least try to act like a half a demon. Don't insult my father's memory by sobbing like a lost little girl!”

 

Inuyasha wiped his nose on his sleeve. “Go away.”

 

“Gladly. I have no desire to linger around a pathetic sniveling runt like you.” Sesshomaru turned to stalk away, annoyed. Why had he come here, just out of curiosity? Why should he care about what happened to the runt? Lingering bitterness over his father's death filled him and he was more disgusted with himself for even wanting to look at the hanyou.

 

It was an embarrassment to the bloodline, he was glad he'd never sought to find Izayoi or her son when his father died. He was convinced that he was right to ignore them in the first place.

 

A small voice stopped him. “Sesshomaru?”

 

He glanced back at the brat, eyes narrowed. “What is it now?”

 

Inuyasha didn't know why, but he didn't want to see his brother leave. He was really the only family he had left, the humans didn't want him and he didn't know how to survive on his own. He was mean, he was nasty and he'd insulted Izayoi. But Inuyasha didn't have any better choices.

 

“Would you take me with you?”

 

Unbelievable. “Why should I do that?” he asked harshly.

 

Inuyasha looked at the ground. “I'm scared to be alone. I want to be with people who are like me, like you are...”

 

Crossing the short distance between them, Sesshomaru pounced on the little boy and slapped him hard across the face. “We are nothing alike,” he growled, his eyes flashing. “You are weak and worthless. You belong to be with humans that are just as weak. That you admit you are afraid just proves that you are nothing like real youkai and you never will be. I don't want to have a whining pup like you for a brother. I'm going to forget that you were ever even born!”

 

The little hanyou sat on the ground, his face burning painfully where his brother had struck him. It was just like grandfather had said, just like the other children had taunted. He was nothing, not even his own brother wanted him, disgusted by his half-breed blood.

 

Inuyasha felt his mouth trembling again and grimly fought back the tears. He wasn't going to let anyone make him cry, not ever again. And when he was older, he was going to find that Sesshomaru again and make him sorry he'd ever insulted his mother. He got up, dusted off his dirty clothes and started to climb back into his mother's garden.

 

When he was older, when he was stronger, he'd never let himself need anyone ever again.

 

oOo

 

Inuyasha was startled out of a deep sleep, barely recalling an unpleasant dream. He looked around for a moment, not quite remembering where he was. An unfamiliar smell was in his nostrils and he didn't know the room he was in. Goddamnit, he'd fallen asleep. He cursed himself briefly and got up from the floor.

 

He'd fallen asleep in a room that belonged to his brother of all things. He couldn't believe it.

 

Stretching, he worked out kinks in muscles that had tensed up during the night. When that Makiko had led him to this room, he'd realized he needed some rest, but there was no way in a thousand hells he was going to sleep anywhere that Sesshomaru could get at him.

 

Inuyasha had propped himself up against the wall, eyeing the soft-looking bedding with thinly veiled contempt. Bunch of inbred damn lapdogs here, probably as soft as spoiled house pets from what he'd seen. He doubted if any of them knew what it was like to live alone in the wilds, fend for themselves. He didn't feel easy sleeping under roofs, much less ones that belonged to a demon household.

 

With a grunt of dissatisfaction, he realized the sleep had probably done him some good. He'd be more alert to face whatever awaited him. Sesshomaru had fucked up, missed his one chance to catch him off his guard. Today he'd get them the hell out of this stone heap and back to finding jewel shards and Naraku.

 

He hesitated at the door, his hand hovering just over the latch. It was entirely possible that Sango wouldn't want to leave with them. He'd seen the look on her face when she'd seen Sesshomaru.

 

Not that the cold bastard had even had a word of greeting for the exterminator. Inuyasha's lip curled angrily. Just like he'd figured, the pompous asshole was just using her, like she was just his toy or something like that. Maybe Sango couldn't see it, Kagome would sit him into oblivion if he actually said it, but Inuyasha knew his brother that well.

 

Kohaku was here, that might be enough of a reason for Sango to stay even if she did know that Sesshomaru was just playing with her. The kid looked all right, a damn sight more healthy than the last time he'd laid eyes on him. Gone was the haunted, pinched look to the boy's face, gone like the fever that had wracked his body.

 

At least they were taking care of him; gods only knew why they bothered. He'd think a human kid, an exterminator brat no less, would be an object of intense dislike in a fortress filled with full blood youkai. He scratched at his head, fingers working through the tangles in his hair.

 

It had something to do with that creepy sword, the mate and opposite of his own Tessaiga. He'd felt the pulse from the katana when Sesshomaru had come to take Kohaku away. He hadn't understood at the time. Inuyasha liked to take his time figuring things out, finally deciding that it had to be the sword itself that had told Sesshomaru that the kid was going downhill fast.

 

It was still a mystery why Sesshomaru had even bothered. His obligation had been fulfilled when he'd taken Kohaku out of Naraku's clutches and thrown him back to his sister like a gift. He didn't have to keep him alive.

 

Grinning, he opened the door and left his room. He wished he'd been there when Naraku figured out that Kohaku had been freed. It had to burn the son of a bitch to lose his slave; especially the kind of torturous hold it gave him over Sango.

 

Inuyasha paused when he crossed the doorway where Makiko had settled the monk yesterday. He smirked, reaching out to lift the latch and go wake Miroku. Time for sleeping was over and it was time for action again.

 

Poking his head inside the room, he scowled when he realized that the monk was long gone. “Great, you couldn't have bothered to wake me up, huh?” he muttered. Miroku was probably getting his face slapped by some youkai girl by now.

 

He sighed, hoping that it hadn't gotten messy. The monk just had no brains when it came to women, he might not even have the common sense to realize that rubbing the bottom end of females in this household could bring down an angry challenge from some offended dog demon. Not that it would do any good, even a serious beating wouldn't necessarily cure Miroku of his lecherous tendencies.

 

He couldn't worry about what trouble the monk was getting into. His first priority, as always, was to find Kagome. Inuyasha sniffed the air carefully, sifting through the unfamiliar and surprisingly pleasant smells of inuyoukai. The scents made his ears twitch happily and he had to force himself to stop acting like a puppy.

 

Just because they smelled right, at least right in a way that he'd never experienced before, didn't mean they were friends. They didn't like humans and they hated hanyou. He wouldn't expect anyone to be friendly to him, because even that damn Jano probably had something up his sleeve.

 

Inuyasha's nose took him down the hall and a turn at the next corridor. Kagome's fragrance led him right the room where she and Shippou had been sleeping. Even as his hand reached for the door, he realized the girl wasn't inside.

 

“Am I the last one awake?” he snapped, beginning to be even more pissed off. What the hell were they thinking by wandering around this place without his protection? Didn't they know they were at the mercy of Sesshomaru?

 

Growling lightly, he stamped down the nearest staircase. He couldn't believe it, he'd out slept them all, him who could go for days without rest! He was the one who was supposed to protect their weak asses when they needed to rest, not the other way around. What the hell was it about this place that had put him into the deepest sleep he'd taken in months?

 

He found himself outside the same courtyard where they'd arrived yesterday and swore when he saw it was deserted. All right, his nose would find the kitchen next and he'd grab the first demon he saw and start threatening to throttle them if they didn't take him right to his humans.

 

This wasn't funny, it was damned annoying. He couldn't believe Kagome had so little sense as to go off without him. It kind of hurt his feelings that she didn't need him or want him around.

 

Just as he started to cross the wide smooth courtyard, something leaped out of the shadows and wrapped its small form around his leg. His eyes got wide as tiny teeth sank themselves into his calf and stared down in disbelief at his attacker. The little girl looked up at him, growling of all things, her mouth full of red fabric.

 

“What in the hell do you think you're doing?”

 

She spit the firerat fur out her mouth but didn't let go of his leg. “You're my prisoner. I captured you fair and square.”

 

He grinned in spite of himself. “Your name is Rin, right?” She nodded. “And so you wanna tell me why you're chomping on my leg, kid? Is this a joke or something?”

 

Her eyes flashed. “You are Rin's prisoner, you will do what I say. Don't make me hurt you!”

 

Inuyasha sighed and shook his head. He swore it never ended. “Okay, I give up. Don't hurt me. So now that you've got me, kid, what are you going to do with me? Torture? Execution?”

 

She frowned. “Rin hadn't thought about it yet,” she confessed.

 

The hanyou bit back a smile. “I think you should take me to someone with authority to decide my fate,” he told her mildly. No sense in arguing with a kid, he'd been around Shippou long enough to know that. “How about Makiko? Do know where she is?”

 

Rin beamed at him. “Yes! She's giving your friends their breakfast right now. Do you want me to take you to her?”

 

“You're the one in charge,” he said gruffly. He reached down and gently pulled the girl off his leg so he could settle her comfortably on his shoulder. “Show me the way, Rin-sama.”

 

She giggled wildly at that and pointed at doorway across the courtyard. “That way, prisoner. Do as Rin says and I'll ask Makiko for mercy on you.”

 

“I bet,” he answered under his breath. He felt small hands winding curiously in his hair.

 

“You have pretty hair,” the girl told him, playing with a tangle of silvery white. “It's not as pretty as Sesshomaru-sama's hair, but I like it anyway.”

 

“Thanks,” he growled. He wondered if Sesshomaru liked people telling him his hair was pretty. He doubted it.

 

Rin giggled to herself and started playing with his ears. “Your hair isn't as pretty, but your ears sure are cute. Rin wishes she had ears like these.”

 

What was the human obsession with his ears anyway? Particularly human females, they'd always made a beeline right for the soft white triangles, cooing and petting them in adoration. It was just as well that it was only the females; he'd personally kill any man that tried to play with his ears.

 

He winced as Rin tugged on them to make sure they were firmly attached to his head. “Take it easy, kid. Those aren't toys you know!”

 

He went through a door, made a couple turns and found himself standing in a wide, round cavern. Hearths lined the walls and people were busily running back and forth and calling out to each other. All of them stopped and stared when he appeared in the doorway.

 

Inuyasha flushed and glared around him with the look that said he'd better not be fucked with. Rin poked him on the shoulder and pointed to a corridor off to his left. “That way, Inuyasha.”

 

“You sure you know where you're going?” he growled, turning his back on the staring youkai. He hated being stared at, always had. First humans, now inuyoukai, couldn't they just leave him be without staring at him like he was a freak?

 

“Rin knows,” she said loftily. “Rin is Sesshomaru-sama's personal bodyguard you know. I protect him from all attackers and plots against him.”

 

Inuyasha sniggered to himself, imagining the tiny child defending the disdainful youkai lord. “Oh so that's it. You're his bodyguard, huh?”

 

She nodded so vigorously that she nearly slipped off his shoulder. “Here!” she announced, pointing to a door. He opened it and peeked his head inside, breathing a slight sigh of relief when he saw Miroku and Kagome sitting at a table with Shippou and Kohaku.

 

Kagome looked up and gave him a bright smile. “Well, hello there, sleepyhead!”

 

He growled but couldn't suppress a grin at finding them all safe and sound. Rin slid off his shoulder and he had to grab quickly to make sure the little girl didn't fall to the ground. She squirmed in his hands and kicked her feet.

 

“Let me go, damn it!”

 

He dropped her, glaring. “I should wash your mouth out, runt!”

 

Rin was completely unrepentant and jumped to cling to Kohaku. The boy grinned and scooted over to the side so she could sit beside him. “Won't do you any good. If Makiko can't scare her, you don't have a chance.”

 

Inuyasha snorted and sat down beside Kagome. “What's the big idea letting me sleep in like that, don't you have any sense or what?”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes at him and passed the cranky hanyou a big bowl of rice. “You were tired, I just thought maybe some extra sleep would make you less grumpy.”

 

He wolfed down the rice and gave her a sour stare. Inuyasha hoped there'd be more than just rice for breakfast, now that he smelled food, he was absolutely starving.

 

“You shoulda woke me up, Kagome,” he told her, mumbling around the food in his mouth.

 

Rin leaned her elbows on the table and peered at him curiously. “Makiko said you were snoring like a pig demon, she wasn't sure you'd wake up even if she yelled at you.”

 

“That's not polite, Rin,” the woman herself said, entering the room with a big bowl of something savory. She set down the dish in the middle of the table. “I did call to you and try to wake you, Inuyasha. I had no idea hanyou slept that deeply.”

 

He flushed; fully embarrassed by the fact that he hadn't woken instantly and also that she'd seen him curled up and snoring like an exhausted puppy. He caught Miroku's smirk just long enough to flash the monk an angry yellow-eyed glare. Anxious to change the subject, Inuyasha glanced around the room and noticed the absence of one of his human friends.

 

“Where's Sango, is she still dead asleep too?”

 

Makiko raised her eyebrow at him and briskly started to clear the table. “I believe she is bathing, I sent Aiko to wake her not long ago.” Inuyasha stared as the woman's face flushed a slight pink and she refused to meet his eye.

 

“Bathing?” he said, a smirk beginning to appear on his face. Makiko shot him a glare.

 

“It's considered to be the polite thing to do. You could do with a bath yourself, young hanyou. You smell like you've been rolling around in the dirt for far too long. Try to remember that all inuyoukai have sensitive noses and good hygiene is appreciated.”

 

Kagome chuckled at the embarrassed red that crossed her friend's face. “Don't try to argue with her, Inuyasha.”

 

Miroku smiled appreciatively into his breakfast, watching as Makiko swept away out of the room. “I think you'll lose to that one in a battle of wits, my friend.”

 

He buried his nose in his breakfast, the morning stew was thick and savory and he made a show of giving it his full attention. He doubted if the humans had caught the implication about Sango's morning bath. Makiko, he was sure, knew exactly what he meant.

 

If Kohaku and Rin hadn't been sitting right there, he'd have been more than happy to explain.

 

oOo

 

Sango woke slowly, stretching luxuriously as her body began to come to life. She'd been deeply asleep, utterly relaxed and sighed a big sigh of pure contentment. Sunlight was pouring in the open windows and the room was awash with light. Her hand automatically wandered out from her in a searching fashion, but as she would have predicted, Sesshomaru hadn't stayed to wake up with her.

 

She smiled to herself as she rolled over to put her face in the pillow where the demon had lain. It smelled of him, a wonderful spicy fragrance that made her skin tingle. She felt as warm and content as she ever had in her life.

 

A soft voice and a tapping sound made her sit up in bed abruptly. “Are you awake, miss?”

 

The bedroom door cracked open and a young woman's face appeared on the other side. Sango had to make her voice work to respond as the girl entered hesitantly.

 

“I'm...I'm awake. You can come in.”

 

The young woman grinned at her, mischief sparkling in her dark eyes. She had burnished dark auburn hair held back primly from her face in a long braid. “I hope I didn't startle you, miss. Makiko sent me to see if you were awake and ready for a bath.”

 

Sango smiled shyly, pulling the covers up further around her body. “A bath sounds wonderful. Please don't call me miss, my name is Sango.”

 

The youkai girl had a friendly laugh and turned away for a moment before returning with an armload of clothing. “My name is Aiko, miss. My sister would have my head for her serving bowl if I treated Sesshomaru-sama's lady with anything less than proper respect.”

 

“L...lady?” Sango stammered. “I'm not anybody's lady.”

 

Aiko smiled gently and started to lie out a soft robe. “Regardless of that, you will still be treated with respect,” she said firmly and Sango could suddenly see the girl's resemblance to the dark haired Makiko. Aiko's smiled was warm and fun as she looked over at the nervous exterminator.

 

“How about that bath, miss?”

 

The girl led Sango to a room where a tub of foamy, warm water was waiting. Sango smiled, enjoying the delicate fragrance of blossoms that filled the room. She was about to go and dip her fingers into the sudsy water when she felt Aiko's hands on her shoulders, trying to remove the robe she had donned just minutes before.

 

Surely she's not expecting to bathe me, Sango thought in consternation. She pulled the sash tight and turned around. “Thanks, I can take care of myself. I'm not an invalid or anything.”

 

Aiko looked confused. “You don't want my assistance? I assure you I am very gentle. Look,” she said, holding out her hands. “I filed down the tips of my claws and everything. I know how fragile human skin is and I promise not to scratch you.”

 

Sango blushed. “It's not that, I'm sure you're very gentle. I'm just not used to anyone waiting on me. The village where I grew up was small and I always have done for myself.”

 

The youkai girl raised her eyebrows. “Then this will be a treat for you. I can at least wash your hair, I have no intention of bathing you like a babe, miss.” With that, she turned and whisked the robe from Sango before she could mount another protest. “Let me help you into the water, miss. You can just relax, I will take very good care of you.”

 

She is very gentle, Sango thought, sitting in the warm water while Aiko's blunt claws massaged her scalp. She wondered briefly if any of her friends were receiving similar treatment and she felt a flash of pity for the poor youkai who got assigned to Inuyasha. Her eyes closed and Sango felt herself drifting on the sweet smells, lulled by the soft purr of Aiko's humming voice.