InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Written in the Stars ❯ Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 

Masao rolled his eyes as his friends emerged from their nighttime nest, fully dressed but looking rather rumpled. Amber's sapphire eyes sparkled with mischief, completely in character with her kitsune blood. “Have a good night, old man?” she asked her cousin.

 

The taijiya snorted so softly that she almost missed it. “Never better,” he muttered, lifting Hiraikotsu over his shoulder and securing it against his back. He turned and gazed silently at the neko who was talking softly with Izayoi on the other side of the now-dormant campfire.

 

“Izayoi!” Inusouta hollered, causing his raven-haired sister to jump in surprise. “Where's the next shard?”

 

Izayoi blinked her gold eyes in confusion. “How should I know?”

 

“You're the only one who can sense them,” Amber reminded her gently. “Just tune in on the sensation you get from Ishimaru's shard.”

 

She raised a skeptical eyebrow but closed her eyes anyway, trying to see if she could feel that same tug that the neko's shard was giving her.

 

Ishimaru eyed Masao. “Why did the kitsune call you `old man'?” he murmured to the taijiya. “You cannot be that much older than she is.”

 

Masao gave a slight smile but kept his eyes on the concentrating Izayoi. “It's somewhat… difficult to explain,” he replied quietly, “but I am, technically, the older cousin.”

 

Amber gave a muffled giggle. Yeah. 500 years older, give or take.

 

A somewhat irritated sigh had everyone's attention. “I can't,” Izayoi announced, sounding rather disappointed. “I don't feel anything- except from the shard Ishimaru's carrying.”

 

Inusouta and Amber exchanged a glance, and then turned to look at Masao, who nodded. “Then we have to press on,” Inusouta said. He faced Ishimaru, who, despite his slightly shorter stature, glared right back. “So give us the shard before you leave, pussy.”

 

“Listen, bitch,” Ishimaru retorted, baring his fangs, “this shard is mine- and I'm not leaving without Izayoi. End of story.”

 

“Well, my sister is going with us, so save yourself the headache and just give us the shard.”

 

Masao shook his head in defeat as he handed a quiver full of arrows and a sleek bow to Izayoi, who was warily watching the other two males curse at each other. “Here… these are yours.”

 

Izayoi turned her gaze from the argument to the tall young man currently standing beside her. She blinked as she stared at the weapons. “Mine?”

 

“Yes- you inherited your mother's miko powers and can shoot sacred arrows. These were hers when she traveled the land searching for jewel shards and the evil Naraku.”

 

“My mother's…” Izayoi took the weapons from him slowly. As she grasped the bow, her hand brushed against Masao's- and she jumped as if bitten.

 

She lifted her eyes to meet his and abruptly she was caught in the violet depths. For a moment, an eternity, a heartbeat, she could only stare. Something swirled, something familiar, something comforting… almost like… a memory…

 

“Izaaaaaaayoi! Where are you?”

 

Fourteen-year-old Izayoi peeked around the tree. Honestly, that boy could be so loud… she thought to herself. “Masao!” she hissed, beckoning her lifelong friend. “Will you shut up? Daddy's gonna hear you and then he's gonna find us!”

 

Masao hurried over to where the young girl was waiting. He blinked at her attire. “What are you wearing?”

 

She glanced down at the new kimono she had purchased just yesterday with her birthday money in her mother's era. “It's a kimono,” she informed him as if he didn't know.

 

“I know that… but why are you wearing it?” He looked extremely confused.

 

A scowl crossed her lovely face. “Because it's my birthday and I wanted to look nice!”

 

“I didn't see Inusouta wearing anything special,” he pointed out with the vast intelligence that every thirteen-year-old male possessed.

 

“He's not a girl, either,” Izayoi retorted, hands on her hips.

 

Masao's violet gaze dropped to her new kimono- which accented her developing figure- and snapped back up to her face. “I-I'm… I'm g-glad,” he managed to mutter, his face red.

 

Immediately suspicion filled her eyes. “Why?”

 

For a moment, he didn't respond.

 

“Well? Why are you glad my brother isn't female? Because both your best friends would be girlsinstead of just one?”

 

“No,” Masao whispered, flushing like mad as he turned away.

 

She stalked over to him and spun him around, forcing him to look at her. “Spit it out!”

 

“Because I couldn't handle two such beautiful girls around me all the time! One is bad enough!”

 

“Izayoi! Are you ready? We are heading out,” Inusouta called, a red lump on his head to match the one on Ishimaru's. Amber stood between the two, looking both smug and irritated- clearly the source of the lumps.

 

Their eyes broke contact and Izayoi nearly collapsed on her knees. Only sheer willpower kept her upright and acting as if nothing had happened, even though her mind was reeling.

 

What… what was that? Do I remember him? Is he really someone from my past? He seems familiar… like… like I've known him… for a long time… But I don't.

 

Do I?

 

Her cheeks felt warm but no one seemed to notice. Everyone's attention seemed to be behind them- was something coming?

 

A growl had Ishimaru on all fours and his tail straight up, fur completely on end. Masao broke into a wide grin and hurried forward- only to be knocked backwards by a very happy Kirara.

 

“Kirara!” the taijiya exclaimed between kitty-kisses. “I was wondering where you'd gone!”

 

“She came to get me,” came a quiet voice from the foliage the twin-tail had emerged from. Minako stepped out of the brush carefully, her eyes shining at the happy reunion of Kirara and Masao.

 

“Nee-san!” Inusouta enveloped his older sibling in an enthusiastic hug, which was gladly reciprocated. “Why are you here?”

 

“Kirara seemed to think I was needed,” Minako explained in her soft voice, “but no one seems injured.”

 

“Izayoi sustained a head injury,” Amber murmured, giving her sister-in-law a hug as well once Inusouta had relinquished his hold on her. “She's got amnesia- and we've got trouble.”

 

“Amnesia?” The “nurse” look was immediately evident in Minako's bright blue eyes. “No wonder she hasn't come over to greet me.”

 

Indeed, the young lady in question was gazing at the wolf hanyou as if she might bite Izayoi at any moment. She unconsciously moved closer to the body next to her- which happened to be Masao, who was nodding a greeting to the ebony-haired healer.

 

Ishimaru, who happened to have recovered from his initial reaction to Kirara crashing through the bushes, huffed at the arrival of apparently another inu sibling. “How many damn puppies does Inuyasha have?”

 

Minako was in front of the neko before he could blink, gazing up at him with cold blue eyes. “I don't believe we've met, sir. Perhaps you should introduce yourself before you start insulting my family.”

 

Inusouta chuckled, which made Ishimaru wary. “I am Ishimaru,” he replied, his ice blue eyes narrowing right back at her. “Current leader of the Mountain Neko tribe and Izayoi's future mate.”

 

“Her mate?” She looked dismayed at his declaration, but abruptly her eyes widened slightly, as if realizing something. “I see…”

 

Masao and Inusouta both delivered quick bonks to Ishimaru's head. “Like hell!”

 

“We will discuss this later,” Minako said firmly, giving all three males a stern glare. “For now, let me examine my sister and I'll make an analysis afterwards.”

 

“What are you- some kind of rescue dog?” Ishimaru rubbed the lumps between his ears.

 

“I'm a nurse,” came the unperturbed reply. She walked over to Izayoi and persuaded the young female to sit down. “And I'm not an inu hanyou.”

 

Izayoi looked surprised. “You claim to be my sister, but you are not of inu blood?”

 

Gentle hands came up to feel her scalp, carefully probing through the silky tresses to search for the injury. “I am a wolf hanyou,” Minako reminded her without pausing. “Our father and mother adopted me after my birth parents were killed when I was just a cub.”