InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ There I Was ❯ Was Lost But Now Found ( Chapter 22 )

There I Was

Chapter Twenty-one: Was Lost But Now Found

{Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. If you still think I do by now, you need to be shot before you procreate.}

Authors Note: Okay, Toshi's now sixteen and this chapter's told in his point of view. Why? Because I'm a little tired of writing in Kagome's POV right now and have no clue what I would do in Sessh's. Besides, it's a nice change of pace, I think. I like this chapter a lot better than the last one, and I hope you all do as well. All right, enough blabbing, on with the chapter. Ja.

-Flame

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I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of fresh air. I walked through the trees and bushes without a sound. I've learned over the years how to walk through a forest without being detected. My friend on the other hand…I winced, as there was a crash behind me. I turned and looked at Ryu with a sigh.

Ryu was on the ground and wrapped up in vines, I couldn't help but start laughing. "It's not funny." He pouted and made me laugh harder. He rid himself of the vines and walked up to me. "I'm only human, I can't walk through the woods like you can."

I smiled at him and nodded. "I know." I turned and we continued our walk through the forest.

"You also know you're mom's going to be really angry when we get back, right?"

"Yeah, I'm sure she's pretty livid already, but I don't care."

"Give her a break, she does the best she can."

"It's not that I don't like the way we live or anything, but she's gotten to the point where she won't tell me anything about my father. She knows something and she won't tell me. Worst of all Uncle Inuyasha and Kikyou-sama know it too. What's so important that she can't tell me?"

"I heard a rumor a while ago. It says your mom was kidnapped and you father thinks she's dead." I stopped and looked at him.

"Where did you hear that?"

"I over heard my mother talking to the medicine man. He heard it in another village."

"Wow…that would explain a lot."

"That would mean the rumor's true." I turned and started walking down the path again.

"It might very well be." We stayed silent until we got to the lake that I've spent so much of my time at. I stood on top of the hill and froze. There was someone else there, and not just someone, a youkai. Was it here to try to take the Shikon no Tama from Kikyou-sama? Did it really matter?

I unsheathed my sword and ran down the hill. The youkai looked up just as I swiped at him and ducked. It ran to the side and I took a defensive stance. "Why are you here, youkai?" I asked glaring at it.

"I am here following my Lord."

"And what would your Lord be doing here? To try to steal the Shikon perhaps?"

"Of course not. My Lord doesn't need the power of that jewel to aid him." The youkai leaned against his staff a bit. "He is here passing through is all."

"Lies!" I yelled and got ready to attack. "All youkai are after the Shikon!" I started running at the youkai and was about the slash it when another sword blocked my own. I stared into the face of a very angry looking youkai. I jumped back and took one look at him.

He was tall and wore white with red flower patterns. His hair was silver just like mine with out the streaks of course, but it was calf length and his bangs where shorter. He had golden eyes just like my own, but that's not made me hesitate. There was a mark on his forehead, a blue crescent, just like mine.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"That is none of your concern."

"It is when I protect the guardian of the Shikon no Tama."

"What happened to the hanyou protecting it before?"

"He's still there. I ask you again, what are you doing here?"

"Toshi…" I heard Ryu behind me. "Don't. That's Sesshoumaru-sama, the Lord of the Western Lands. The small youkai was right, he doesn't need the power of the Shikon to aid him." I listened to my friend and glared at the Lord before me.

"Is this true?" The Lord gave a curt nod and I sheathed my sword. "I apologize for my actions. It's not often we have youkai that just wish to pass through."

"You should be sorry! You-"

"Jaken." Sesshoumaru cut the smaller youkai's rant off and kept his eyes on me. Was he seeing the similarities as much as I was? Maybe it was something else. It wasn't just the similarities that made me watch him, it was almost like I was told he existed, that he was described to me before.

"I would be honored if you would come to my home for something to eat."

"Toshi, your mom's going to be mad enough already."

"Let her be." I looked at him. "I already said I didn't care. This is my mistake and I will fix it." I watched Ryu cringe and I sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm just a bit unnerved at the moment." I turned back to Sesshoumaru. "I am sorry for my lack of attention…was that proper grammar?" I shook my head. "I'm turning into mom." Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow before he spoke.

"I shall come for some sustenance." He sheathed his sword and started walking toward us.

"Toshi, do you really think this is a good idea?" I looked at Ryu and nodded. "Alright…" The four of us started walking up the hill. I could smell Ryu's fear and sighed.

"Ryu, if you want to you can run ahead and go home." He looked up at me with his bright green eyes.

"And you won't think of me as a coward?"

"No." I shook my head.

"Thank you!" Ryu ran up the hill and was out of my sight in a matter of seconds.

"Wow…that's the fastest I think I've ever seen him run. Wonders never cease."

"Tell me." I heard Sesshoumaru behind me and looked at him over my shoulder. "Where do you get your appearance from?" Interesting question, very random, why is he asking it?

"I don't really know. I would think my father, but I've never met him." I shrugged. "My mother tends not to talk about him much. May I be so bold as to ask a question of yourself?" I never understood why mom taught me formal speech, but right now, I was pretty glad she did. Sesshoumaru nodded and I continued. "The mark on your forehead, what does it mean?"

"It is proof that I am descended from the first Lord of the West and am the Lord, or next in line for Lord."

"Do the other Lords have one?"

"No they do not, and that was two questions."

"Forgive me." We stayed silent fro the rest of the way home. Before we got to the exit of the forest I could already hear mom yelling at Ryu. I sighed and rubbed my temple. I picked up the pace a bit and held my hands out as a sign of peace.

"Before you say anything mom, we have a guest. Isn't it rude to reprimand me in font of a guest?" I heard her sigh and watched as she turned towards me.

"I don't know why I taught you m-" I blinked as she stopped in the middle of her sentence and froze. I turned and looked at Sesshoumaru who was just as frozen as mom.

"What's going on?" I asked looking between the two. "Do you two know each other?"

"You could say something like that." Mom said as she kept her eyes on Sesshoumaru. Everyone was silent after that. I was hoping someone would explain further, but I didn't want to pry. It wasn't long before someone spoke, it wasn't helpful, but it was better than awkward silence.

"Wench!" Jaken stepped toward mom. "What are you doing alive?"

"Jaken…" Sesshoumaru growled and mom narrowed her eyes.

"Do you know the trouble you've caused?" He continued as if he didn't hear his Lord and walked up to mom. "Life was better before you showed up, if you wanted to leave so bad, you should have gone back to what pitiful rock you crawled out from." Mom squatted down to the Jaken's level with a look that promised pain.

"When did you become so out spoken, Jaken?" I think the he just realized what he was doing, because he froze and didn't say anything. "One, yes I've caused lots of trouble, I always do, you should know this by now. Two, life was not better, I know this for a fact. Three, I didn't wish to leave, I was kidnapped, you know, taken against one's will. Four, I did not crawl out from under a rock; I lost control of my powers, that's completely different. Now I think you have some explaining to do to Sessh." She knocked him over and close to Sesshoumaru; the youkai scrambled to his feet and bowed.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I-I forgot my place, forgive me!" Sesshoumaru stepped on Jaken as he walked over to mom. I started to feel uncomfortable the way they were looking at each other. Who was this man, and how did he know my mother?

"Kagome." He said and mom smiled; she closed the distance between them. He wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly. She held him just as tightly and tears fell from her eyes.

"Sessh, I missed you so much." Sesshoumaru stroked her hair and that was the last straw. I wanted answers, and I wanted them now.

"Oi!" I yelled and the two of them broke apart looking at me. I glared at Sesshoumaru as I spoke. "How do you know my mother?"

"Toshi he-"

"I want to hear it from him, mom." I interrupted and mom sighed.

"Kagome is my mate."

"I see, and you're what, my father?"

"To the best of my knowledge, yes."

"Why didn't you come back for us like mom said?"

"That would be my fault." Mom stepped closer to me and looked at the ground. "I was kidnapped years ago and my kidnapper made it look like I had died. I escaped and stayed with Inuyasha because it was the safest idea I could think of at the time."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"They were still looking for me and I wanted to keep you safe."

"By withholding the truth from me? How could you?" I turned around and ran back through the forest. The last thing I heard was mom telling Sesshoumaru, my father, to let me go, that I'd come back.

I sighed and slowed as I got to the lake once again. I sat down and stared at the water. I wrapped my arms around my body and rested my head on my knees. Why couldn't she just tell me? So what if the people were still after her, that doesn't mean she can lie to me like that. I stayed sitting there until well after the sun went down. I had thought a lot about everything that's happened in the day and from as far back as I could remember.

I stood up and started walking back toward my home. She was right after all, I am returning. Even after all the lies she told me, I'm going back. I walked out of the forest and looked at the porch from behind a tree. Mom was standing outside with her arms crossed over her chest waiting. Sesshoumaru, oh excuse me, dad came out of the house and started talking to her. She shook her head and he sighed. He too folded his arms across his chest and waited.

I stepped out from behind the tree and started walking towards the house. As soon as mom saw me she came over running. "Toshi, I'm sorry, I should have told you. I-" I placed my fingers over her mouth once she got close enough.

"It's alright mom. I've been thinking. I'm not happy that you lied to me, but you thought that was the best way to keep me safe, and isn't that a mother's job? To try to keep her children safe? If you can tell me the truth more often, I think I may be able to get over this. After all, I am sixteen, I should be old enough to know what's going on." I hugged her and felt her nod.

"Alright. It'll be nothing but the truth between us for now on. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, just remember I'm still not happy about this and it'll probably be hard to adjust." I said pulling away and looking over at Sesshoumaru, aka dad, on the porch. "I'm going to have to start calling him dad, aren't I?" Just asking that made me feel uncomfortable.

"That's between you and him." She smiled up at me and took my hand. She led me to the porch and I looked up at my father.

"Hey."

"Hello."

"What do you wish me to call you?" I had to know. If I called him Sesshoumaru would he feel comfortable about it? If I called him dad would I feel comfortable about it? I knew the later was already not true.

" Call me whatever you feel comfortable calling me." I nodded. Mom took my arm and Sesshoumaru's arm in both of hers and led us inside.

"I don't know about you all, but I'm hungry."

"I second that motion!" I said and looked over at Sesshoumaru. "What about you Sesshoumaru?" He smiled at me, which rather surprised me. I thought he wouldn't be too happy with me calling him Sesshoumaru.

"I believe you owe me some sustenance. Now would be as good of a time as ever to take you up on that offer." Mom hit his arm and shook her head.

"Stop playing mind games."

"Alright then, I third that motion, better?" Mom nodded and led us all into the kitchen.

"Much, no sit back and relax, because you get to try my cooking for the first time." I sat across from Sesshoumaru at the table and made a face.

"Don't be deceived, if you're smart you'll convince her to take us to Kikyou-sama's."

"And what is that suppose to mean exactly?"

"You can't cook." She looked shocked and placed a hand over her heart.

"Just for that I'm making pickled blackberry pie." We laughed and I looked over at Sesshoumaru. He was just smiling and seamed relaxed.

I wonder how long it will take me to be that relaxed around him?