Aryana was a beautiful cat demon. She appeared at about 17, as apposed to her true age. Which was 729. She had jet-back hair that reached the ground when she let it down. But she always wore it in a tight braid. She had eyes that were bluer than a sapphire in the sun. She was a Taiyokai, like Sesshomaru. But her clan had been slaughtered by dog demons when she was of 14 years. Yet she bore dog demons no grudge. But she had hunted down every single one that had anything to do with it, and killed them. When she was around 473 years, her best friend, Izayoi, died of Scarlet Fever. Leaving her six-year-old son, Inuyasha, in Aryana’s care. She raised him to fight for what he wanted and believed in, and taught him to wield a sword. When she was 669, he had left to seek possession of the Shikon Jewel. She hadn’t seen him in 60 years.

He would be 250 years old now. I understand my mom now, Aryana thought as she walked through the trees, They sure do grow up fast. She was snapped out of her memories by a call for help and the scent of blood. Without a second thought, she shot off through the trees. She found a young girl running for her life, from a large lizard demon. Aryana sprung forward and slashed the demon in half with her claws.

"Are you alright?" Aryana walked over to the girl, who was trying to catch her breath. She was human, and looked to be around 8 years. Her arm was bleeding, and she had twigs tangled in her hair.

"Thank you. . .for saving me. . .I’m fine," she panted out.

"That’s a pretty nasty cut you’ve got there. Would you like me to bandage that for you? I have what I need with me. We would just have to walk to the stream that’s not far from here, so I could clean it," Aryana offered.

"Thank you. It hurts," the girl looked down her arm. The cut had severely damaged her kimono, and ran from her elbow to her wrist. Blood dripped from her hand.

Most children would be screaming now. And she didn’t run, even though I’m a demon. What a strange girl, Aryana thought as the girl followed her the short distance to the stream.

"What were you doing in the middle of the forest?" Aryana asked as she pulled up the girl’s kimono sleeve.

"I was looking for berries. I had found enough to eat, and was about to come and wash them. But I dropped my basket when that stupid lizard attacked me," the girl said sadly. "What is your name? I’m Rin,"

"My name is Aryana. Where are your parents?" she asked as she carefully washed the cut out.

"They died a few years ago. Bandits killed them. That’s why I’m more afraid of bandits than demons. At least demons have a reason when they kill. Even if it is for food. Bandits had no cause in killing my family," Rin explained.

"Demons don’t always kill for a reason. Dog demons killed my clan. Simply because we were cats and they were dogs. They killed women and children alike. It didn’t matter. I escaped with my sister through a tunnel under our home. We tried to run, but one caught up to us. He grabbed us both and told us that he was going to kill us. But we fought him. I was only 14 and my power was small. My sister, Konela, was a year younger than me. We killed him out of pure luck and the fact that he was drunk. We were the only ones to survive. She seeks revenge against all dog demons. I killed every one of them that had anything to do with the slaughter of my clan. But beyond that, I bear no grudge on dog demons," Aryana shrugged. Her sister had a tendency of holding grudges. She had been notorious for it in the family’s home.

"Lord Sesshomaru is a dog demon. He takes care of me. I live in his castle when we aren’t traveling. He was away for today, but he’ll be back tomorrow morning. I wandered to far from Master Jaken. I bet he’s worried," Rin stood up as soon as Aryana had finished bandaging her arm.

"I still want to cook for you," Aryana smiled as she stood up.

"My camp is this way," Rin said as she started to walk into the trees.

Soon the two girls were eating beside a roaring fire, as Jaken sulked in the background.

"Where is your home?" Rin asked.

"Don’t have one. I never really needed one, I guess," Aryana shrugged.

"Wold you like to travel with us? I would love to have a friend to play with. Like a big sister. And I like you," Rin asked.

"I would love it. I’m sick of being alone anyway. A little sister is just what I want. But you’d better ask Lord Sesshomaru before I say yes for sure," Aryana said as she leaned against Ah-Un’s side.

"I’ll ask as soon as he returns!" Rin yawned and leaned her head against Aryana’s shoulder, and fell fast asleep. Aryana smiled and pulled her head down to rest in her own lap. Then she rested her head against the dragon that lay behind her, and also fell asleep.

The next morning she awoke to the sunlight warming her hair. She looked across the clearing to see a demon under a tree, sleeping. That must be Sesshomaru. He is gorgeous. Aryana thought as she looked at his sleeping face. The light fell through the branches, showering him in an almost green light. He looks like a god. He belongs in a daydream. She stroked Rin’s hair softly as she watched his eyes open.

She’s still here. I wonder how Rin was hurt. Jaken is useless. A cat demon of all things. She is beautiful, for a cat. . . And I did not just think that, Sesshomaru thought as he observed the way the sunlight lit up half of her face from where it shown. He decided to get up before he thought anything else like that.

"Aryana?" Rin mumbled as she sat up.

"Mm-hm," Aryana stood up to help Rin to her feet. "How is your arm feeling?"

"Much better. Still hurts a little, but not much really," Rin smiled.

"It will probably leave a bit of a scar," Aryana warned her.

"Lord Sesshomaru!!" Rin rushed over to him and bowed. Then, remembering Aryana she said, "I wandered to far from camp, and a big lizard demon attacked me. This is Aryana. She saved me. And bandaged my arm for me. She is very nice, and I like her a lot. Can she travel with us? To keep me company while you are away? I like Master Jaken, but I want a friend," Rin looked up at him with begging eyes.

"Does she wish to travel with us?" Sesshomaru asked, glancing over at Aryana for a second.

"She doesn’t have a home. I asked her, and she said she would like to accompany us, if you would allow her to," Rin chose her words carefully. The last thing she wanted was for Lord Sesshomaru to think Aryana had just invited herself along.

"Very well. We are leaving in an hour," he said.

"Thank you!!" she bowed and hugged his legs before running over to Aryana.

Soon Sesshomaru, Rin, and Jaken were all riding on Ah-Un. For the lack of room, Aryana had offered to fly. She insisted that riding made her feel uneasy, and she would really rather fly.

Sesshomaru was a little surprised. He could summon his cloud, or turn into the light orb, but she could fly. Just outright, flying. She spread her arms and lifted off of the ground.

As they headed for his castle, Aryana turned flips and did intricate flying patterns in the sky, to entertain Rin.

"Wow," Aryana whispered as they touched ground. She was staring up at the castle before her.

"Lord Sesshomaru, welcome home," several servants came hurrying up to them.

"Prepare a room adjoining Rin’s, for our guest," Sesshomaru instructed an elderly looking demoness.

With a shock, Aryana realized that she was a cat demon. And with a much bigger shock she realized that she recognized her. "Linlia?? Grandmother Linlia?!?"

"Aryana?" the woman’s eyes widened as she saw Aryana walk out from behind Ah-Un.

"I thought that Konela and I were the only ones to escape!" Aryana stared at Linlia in disbelief.

"And I thought that I was alone all of these years!" the two cat demons beamed at each other.

"Where have you been? I see you hold no grudge," they both knew that she spoke of a grudge towards dog demons, and silently agreed not to mention it in front of one.

"I’ve been here. For the past 715 years. And I see you also hold no grudge," the old woman observed.

"Not on all. But I took revenge on all that were involved. Konela holds a grudge," Aryana shook her head.

"What do you speak of?" Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed at them.

"She was part of my clan, long ago. She and I are two of the three to escape when our village was attacked, My Lord," Linlia said with a bow.

"Why do you speak of grudges and bearing none?" he was not satisfied.

"Because their village was slaughtered by dog demons," Rin whispered as she looked down at the ground.

"I see," with that Sesshomaru walked through the gates to his castle.

"Well that could have gone a lot worse," Jaken said as he hopped off of Ah-Un’s back. Everyone agreed.

"Come on, Aryana. I want to show you the garden," Rin said as she pulled Aryana along behind her by her hand.

Soon the two girls were sitting in the garden. Aryana was braiding flowers into Rin’s hair. "Would you like me to play for you?" she asked as she pulled a flute out of her bag.

"Yes, I would love it!" Rin replied happily.

So Aryana started to play a joy full tune on her flute. Rin stood up and started to dance. Aryana also stood, and danced with the smaller girl as she continued to play the song. The sound of the music drifted on the wind where it met the ears of Sesshomaru.No grudge. How can neither of them bare a grudge? Their whole family. I remember hearing about that massacre. And all that were involved disappeared. I bet it was her. She said she took revenge on those involved. They deserved it. . . .Is that a flute? Who is playing a flute? Sesshomaru thought as he walked along the path through his garden. He followed it to see the two of them dancing to the music of the flute. She is so graceful. How can she manage to smell like that? She smells like roses and pine needles. What a strange combination. He walked a little closer to them. Aryana was in mid-spin, and was coming strait toward him. She saw him once she was pretty close, and tried to stop. But she had been going too fast, and when she tried to stop so abruptly, she lost her balance. And she ran into him, sending both of them toppling to the ground.

In the confusion before they could stand up, their lips touched. They both acted as if nothing had happened, but they both would have been blushing if they didn’t both wear a mask of sorts. Sesshomaru hid behind a mask of no emotion. While Aryana hid behind a mask of constant happiness. They were the only ones who could smell the embarrassment of the other.

"I’m sorry!" Aryana squeaked as he stood up. Oh my God! He’s going to kill me! she thought as she scrambled to her feet. Then she noticed her flute. It was lying on the ground and it had been broken in half. "Oh no!!" she cried as she fell to her knees. She took a piece of her flute in each hand, and stared down at it.

"What’s wrong?" Rin rushed t her side.

"My flute! I broke my flute!" she wailed.

"It’s okay! I’ll find you a brand knew one!!" Rin tried to comfort her, unsuccessfully.

"It was my mother’s flute! It is all I have left of her! I can mend it with magic, but it can never be the same!!!" Aryana sobbed.

"I’m sure you can fix it. It’s okay. And if you can’t, we’ll find someone who can!" Rin said certainly.

"Maybe Suneilyn can fix it!" Aryana said hopefully, as she wiped her tears on one of the sleeves of her kimono.

"Who is Suneilyn?" Rin asked.

"She is my fairy. Like a guardian angle, only smaller. She is very good at things like this. I’d just have to call her," Aryana’s spirits lifted. "I’m very sorry for falling on you, Lord Sesshomaru!!" she yelled as she and Rin ran out of the garden with the broken flute.

"How are you going to call her?" Rin asked once they were outside the castle gates.

"I’m going to whistle," she replied. Then she turned to the sky and whistled three clear notes. "Now we wait," she said as the two took seats on the ground. It was a good hour before they heard a soft whistle from the distance.

Aryana stood and a tiny woman with bird wings landed on her shoulder. She was about five inches tall, dressed in black fabric, and very pretty.

"What did you do to it?" Suneilyn chirped as she examined the flute.

"She fell while she was playing for me," Rin answered her.

"Wait! You can understand her?!" Aryana stared at Rin.

"Yeah. She asked ‘what did you do to it?’. Didn’t she?" Rin asked.

"Yes that’s what I said. Most people can’t understand me, though, humans or demons. You must be one of the fairy children," Suneilyn said in a small but clear voice that sounded like bells.

"Not that I know of," Rin shook her head.

"You haven’t awoken your fairy yet?" the tiny woman asked.

"We can awaken her fairy later. Can you fix my flute?" Aryana broke in.

"I’ll need help from another fairy, but I can fix it," Suneilyn decided after inspecting it for a few more minutes.

"Time to awaken Rin’s fairy! To the garden!!" Aryana picked Rin up onto her back and shot back to the garden, with Suneilyn flying after them. They all shot past Sesshomaru, who was still standing where they had left him about and hour-and-a-half ago.

"Now you have to choose a bird. Close your eyes and concentrate. Reach out with your mind. Find your spirit-bird. It will be female. Then we will catch her and you will perform the spell to change her into your fairy," Suneilyn explained.

"What if we can’t catch her? And what if she would rather be a bird?" Rin worried.

"I’m a cat demon. I can catch a bird. And if she is your spirit-bird, she will be happy to become a fairy," Aryana laughed a little.

Sesshomaru still stood where they had left him. What could they be up to? He wondered, and decided to follow them. He came up on them and listened to what they were discussing.

"Close your eyes, and reach out with your mind," Aryana instructed Rin. She did, and in about five minutes she opened them and pointed to a bird in a tree that was not to far from them.

Then he heard a small sound that seemed to come from Aryana’s shoulder. Rin nodded toward the space the sound had come from.

"I felt my mind touch it," Rin said. Both girls seemed to focus on the same thing, and it was apparently moving down onto the ground.

"I’ll get it!" Aryana stood slowly. Then, without warning, she shot forward. She grabbed the bird that Rin had pointed at. She clasped it in her hands, without harming it.

He heard the small bell-like sound again.

"Rin do you know where the kitchen is?" Aryana asked.

"Follow me!!" Rin stood up and shot down the path, running into him. He didn’t fall this time, but Rin did.

"What is that bell noise? What are you two doing?" Sesshomaru interrogated them, "And what do you plan on doing with that poor bird?"

"The bell noise is Suneilyn. Men can’t see her, because she is a fairy. We are awakening Rin’s fairy. And we were going to borrow some sugar, and a few other things from the kitchen, so we could make the bird a fairy!" Aryana explained.

"The kitchen is this way!" Rin grabbed Aryana’s hand and the two girls took off for the kitchen, with Suneilyn following. "What do we need from the kitchen?"

"Have you ever heard ‘Sugar and spice and every thing nice that’s what little girls are made of’? Well that and a bird is what fairies are made of.

"You are going to put your bird in a jar. With some sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Then you have to put in two of your hairs, and cover it in a piece silk. When you remove it, you’ve got a fairy," Suneilyn explained from Aryana’s shoulder.

Soon they were in the kitchen with the "poor bird" in a jar. Rin pored a spoon of sugar and cinnamon on top of it. Then she put one drop of vanilla on it’s head. Then Aryana untied her sash, and Rin threw it over the jar. When she removed it, there was a tiny woman inside it. Once she was out of the jar, Rin wrapped her in the sash, until they got her some clothes.

Aryana disappeared and came back with a little gray dress that was a bit too big for her. As soon as she had it on, it turned bright pink. The fairy was a little smaller than Suneilyn. That was to be expected, considering that they were different kinds of bird.

"The dress changed to her aura's color. I will make her a dress of her own later. That is Suneilyn's, and doesn't fit her," Aryana told Rin.

"She is lovely," Rin said as the small woman flew to land on her shoulder.

"My name is Rosalie," she spoke for the first time.

"I am Rin, and I’m going to take good care of you," Rin smiled at Rosalie, and the four set to work to fix Aryana’s flute.

It was easy to repair the flute with a little magic from both fairies, and Aryana. Aryana decided to put a few protective charms over it, just to keep it safe.

"Why are you smaller than Suneilyn?" Rin asked Rosalie as Aryana sung to a tree. As she sung, fruit grew on the branches.

"Suneilyn was born from a raven, for that is Aryana’s spirit bird. I was born from a robin. Ravens are quite a bit larger than robins, so naturally, I’m smaller than her," Rosalie explained simply.

"Why can’t men see fairies?" Rin asked. She was very interested in everything that had to do with fairies.

"That’s just the way it works. Men can’t see fairies, or understand anything we say. All women can see us, but most can’t understand anything we say, either. A very few, like you and Aryana, can see and understand us. All fairies know this when they are born. Don’t ask me how," Rosalie told her.

"I think I did good with these. No seeds," Aryana grinned and tossed Rin an orange that she had sung from the tree.

"How do you do that?" Rin asked as she started to peel it.

"I studied sorcery for thirty years, across the sea. It isn’t as safe for humans as it is for demons. Unless they have a Tear Jewel with a good bit of energy stored in it," Aryana said as she finished peeling her own orange.

"Why do humans need a Tear Jewel?" Rin asked.

"When you perform a spell, the action that it does takes as much energy as it would have if you had done it by hand. Demons have more energy and strength than humans. I could teach you a few simple spells, since I still have my old Tear Jewel," Aryana offered.

"You mean Witch Craft?!" Rin yelped. Aryana winced at the term.

"Witch Craft sounds so evil. But yes, I guess that’s what it boils down to. There is good, like growing fruit or mending a flute. Then there is bad, like stealing or killing. It is your own choice how to use the power," Aryana crossed her arms.

"I see. What would you teach me?" she asked.

"Well my favorite spell is the Love Locket. It’s lots of fun," Aryana grinned.

"How do you do it?" Rin asked. It did sound like fun.

"Well, I’ve got a locket. All we need is the potion and the magic words," Aryana said as she pulled a heart-shaped locket out from under her shirt. "You put a hair from someone you’re curios about in the potion. Then you put a drop of the potion into the locket. One side of the heart will show how they feel about you, then the other side will show how you feel about them."

"What do we need for the potion?" Rin loved the idea of it.

"I have the list with me. Let’s do it!" Aryana popped her last slice of orange into her mouth, and hopped up. Rin did the same, and the two set off to find ingredients.

It took over a month to track down a couple of the items. Such as powdered hen’s teeth, or snake toes. But Aryana managed to borrow them from a couple of sorceresses that she new in the area. Finally, they had all they needed.

"Who are we going to test it on?" Rin asked as Aryana put in the last ingredients into a small cauldron.

"Try it on me. That’s simple enough. Put the locket around your neck," Aryana instructed her. She did, and Aryana pulled out one of her own hairs, and dipped it in the potion. "Open the locket," she ordered. When Rin opened it, Aryana dropped her hair into it. Rin snapped it shut. Now repeat after me. ‘By rain and Sun,’"

"By Rain and Sun," Rin repeated.

"A search begun," Aryana recited.

"A search begun," Rin continued repeating after her.

"Show me what love, of a chosen one," Aryana finished.

"Show me what love, of a chosen one," as Rin finished, she gripped the Tear Jewel in one hand. The locket that hung around her neck started to vibrate.

Once it stopped, the divided halves of the heart both showed yellow.

"Why is it yellow?" Rin asked as she looked at it.

"Each color symbolizes a different love. Yellow means to love as family. I have the chart here," she handed Rin a piece of paper. On it was a list of colors and their meanings.

Red- True Love

Orange- Between Puppy and True Love

Yellow- Family Love

Green- Friend Love

Blue- Unwanted Love

Purple & Pink- Puppy Love

Black- Hatred

Gray- Confused feelings

White- Unacquainted

"So that means that we love each other as sisters," Rin grinned.

"I guess it does. Should I call you Sister now?" Aryana tickled Rin a little.

"Rin is fine," she laughed out. So over the next week, the two girls tried it out on everyone they knew, just for fun. The only person they couldn’t sneak a hair from was Sesshomaru.

"Can’t one just fall out?" Aryana wondered aloud as the two girls sat in a tree together. They had spent their whole day trying to find one hair from Sesshomaru, but they hadn’t found a single one.

"I guess not," Rn shrugged. She had the spell memorized now, and enjoyed doing it. The Tear Jewel hung around her neck, and the Locket hung around Aryana’s.

"It’s getting late. Come on," Aryana picked Rin up and hopped out of the tree. Then they made their way back up to the castle.

"I’m not tired," Rin insisted as Aryana tucked her into bed.

"Yes you are. Would you like me to sing to you?" Aryana sat down on the bed beside her.

"Yes," Rin said happily.

Three rooms down Sesshomaru sat in his study reading, when her heard a song coming from down the hall, so he listened.

"Hey Baby Girl,

Life goes on.

Whatever is meant to be will always be.

And Baby what don’t kill you,

Will make you strong

Just love the journey

that you’re on.

In all you do,

Ill pray for you,"

Is was soft and slow. And it was truly beautiful, but he had heard it in one place before. And that certain place sent him shooting out of his study. He stood and waited outside the door, for Aryana to came out. When she did, she jumped when she saw him.

"Rin is sleeping. She’s such an angel," Aryana smiled and closed the door behind her.

"I was wondering where you had heard that song," Sesshomaru leaned on the wall.

"My mother used to sing it to me, when I was feeling lost or sad. And sometimes just to get me to go to sleep," Aryana smiled softly as she remembered. "She said that her and her best friend got lost one night in the Enchanted Forest. A kind old woman found them, and let them stay in her home for the night. She sang that song to get them to calm down. When they woke up the next morning, they were in a tree right outside their village," Aryana told him. "Her friend’s name was. . ."

"Orialyn," Sesshomaru cut her off. "Was her friend’s name Orialyn?"

"Yes. How did you know that?" she asked in surprise.

"Orialyn is my mother. She sang that song when I was a child," Sesshomaru slapped his forehead in his mind for saying something like that. And he really hoped that she didn’t know what that meant. She didn’t, but she knew a few other things, that he didn’t.

"Your mother is one of the Fallen?" Aryana gaped at him.

"What is the Fallen?" he asked.

"Fallen are Gods or Goddesses who chose to live on Earth. They have to choose a type of demon to become on Earth, or they can become humans. Both of my parents were Fallen. If Orialyn is your mom, you are a Demigod. She was the Moon Goddess of her time. Did you not know that?" Aryana explained.

"No I did not. Makena was your mother, wasn’t she?" he asked.

"Yes, and Henton was my father. It’s funny from my point of view. Since he was the God of War, and she was the Goddess of Love. I don’t know what the hell that makes me," she laughed softly.

"It makes me confused," he couldn’t help but let a small smile make it onto his face.

"Did you just make a joke?" she laughed in disbelief.

"And if I did?" he smiled at her. And for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why. She took a picture in her mind of that moment. The smile on his face and the warmth in his eyes. He was beautiful.

"You should smile more often," she cocked her head to one side.

"Why is that?" he couldn’t take the smile from his face. It just wouldn’t go away.

"It suits you," she smiled back at him. It was a little confusing to her, but she liked it a lot.

"Why do you say that?" he moved close to her. He wasn’t smiling anymore, but the way he was looking into her eyes made her heartbeat double in time. There was almost no space between them, and it took all of Aryana’s sense just to remember to breath.

Then there was a scream from the other side of the door. "Rin!!" they yelled in unison. They ran into the room to find Rin screaming and thrashing in her bed.

"Nooooo!! Mommy!! Daddy!!. . . Brother!!! Sister!!! Nooooo!! We don’t have it!!! We don’t have it!!! Nooooo!!!" she screamed and flailed her limbs wildly.

"Rin! Rin honey, wake up!! Wake up!!" Aryana took her up in her arms. She turned to Sesshomaru, who had unconcealed horror etched on his face. "Rin!"

"Aryana, tell them we don’t have it!! We don’t have it!!" Rin’s eyes opened wide. "Don’t let them kill my Mommy!! Don’t let them kill Daddy!! Make it stop!!!!! Aryana!!!!!!!" she gripped the front of Aryana’s kimono and screamed as tears pored down her face.

"It was a dream. You’re awake now. I won’t let anyone hurt you. It’s okay now. It was a dream," Aryana held Rin close as the smaller girl stopped screaming and cried bitterly.

"It was. . . a dream. . . tonight.. . .But it was real then. . . We didn’t have it. . ." she sobbed.

"It’s okay," Aryana stroked her head soothingly.

"We didn’t have it!" Rin sobbed again.

"What was it?" Aryana asked in confusion.

"The Jewel. The Shikon Jewel. They thought we had it, but we didn’t. They killed my Mommy!!!" she cried loudly. Soon she calmed to just sobbing, and cried herself back to sleep.

Aryana gently laid her down and covered her up. Then she and Sesshomaru snuck out of the room.

"Has she ever done that before?" Aryana asked once they were in the hall.

"Not since she’s been with me," he said. She could tell that it had really shaken him.

"That was terrifying. The poor child really went through something horrible," Aryana shuddered at the thought of the raw terror in the face that always wore a big smile. "I’m sleeping with her tonight," Aryana walked back into the room before Sesshomaru could say anything else. He shook his head and made his way to his room. He came rushing back in about twenty minutes when he heard another scream from Rin. The nightmares continued through the whole night. Sesshomaru and Aryana didn’t leave Rin’s side through the long night.

The morning after that awful night was sunny and bright. And boy were Aryana and Sesshomaru in for a surprise. Aryana was the first one to wake up. It didn’t take her long to realize that she couldn’t move. Then the memory of the night before came back to her. She could see that she had Rin clutched to her chest. And she could feel that both of them were clutched to Sesshomaru’s chest.

She smiled slightly, but grew serious when Rin stirred. The little girl opened her eyes and looked at Aryana with surprise. Then at Sesshomaru with a great deal more surprise.

"Aryana and Lord Sesshomaru? What are you doing in my bed?" she asked as she sat up.

"Do you not remember?" Aryana tried to sit up, but Sesshomaru was still sleeping, and he wouldn’t let go. "Sesshomaru!" she called. He bolted strait up, sending both of them tumbling to the floor. This sent Rin into a fit of laughing, as the two embarrassed Taiyokai picked themselves up off the floor.

"Why is she laughing?" Sesshomaru asked in confusion.

"Because you just sent the two of us flying out of her bed. I would laugh, if it hadn’t been me," Aryana said as she brushed the skirt of her kimono off.

"Why were you two in my bed at all?" Rin asked again.

"You had nightmares all night. Do you not remember?" Aryana asked.

"No. I don’t remember any nightmares. I remember you singing to me. Then the next thing I remember is the two of you falling out of bed," Rin shrugged and got out of bed.

"I guess it’s good she doesn’t remember," Aryana said in a low voice that only Sesshomaru could here. He nodded in agreement, then left the room.

"I’m glad I don’t remember, if I had nightmares all night. That doesn’t sound like a good thing," Rin smiled and skipped out of the room to take her bath. Aryana stopped and looked at the floor. There was a silver hair, just at the edge of Rin’s bed. Aryana picked it up and looked at it carefully. She put it in her pocket. She couldn’t wait to put it in the Love Locket. But that would have to wait. This was going to be one hell of a week.

"Where are we going?" Aryana asked as she and Rin threw some things into a bag.

"We always travel around Lord Sesshomaru’s lands. He has to make sure everything is always in order," Rin told her as she tied the top of her small backpack.

"Okay," Aryana nodded and tied the top of her own bag. Soon, they were off. Sesshomaru, and Jaken rode on Ah-Un. Rin rode on Aryana’s back as she flew beside the dragon.

Sesshomaru was deep in thought. If she is the daughter of Makena, that would make her my intended mate. I remember now, that I was told that she was dead. Everyone thought that Aryana was killed in the massacre. Even if she holds no major grudge against dog demons, she could never love me after what happened to her family. He was surprised that it bothered him as much as it did.

"Lord Sesshomaru, can we land there?! I think I’ve been there before!" Aryana snapped him out of his trance. He nodded and followed as Aryana dove for the ground. Rin let out a small scream as Aryana dove faster than she should have. She landed and let Rin off her back. Then she shot around the lake that they had landed beside.

On the other side, there was a large tree. It was huge! 900 years old at the least.

"I remember this place. This tree," she put her hand on the rough bark of the tree. "I’ve been here before. Why can’t I remember?" she wondered aloud as she looked up into the branches of the tree. It was covered in apples. That rang a bell to her, but why?

"What are you doing?" Sesshomaru arrived next to her. Rin, Ah-Un, and Jaken were on the other side of the lake.

"I know this place. Why can’t I remember it?" she asked. She was talking more to herself than him. He remembered this place, and he knew why she couldn’t.

"I was in this tree. Someone was there with me. We were trying to here what whoever was under the tree was saying. It was important, I know that much. Why does it feel like it’s blocked off?" she had a few pieces of the memory, but nothing all together helpful. "Someone was getting married, but who? Damn! What is wrong with me?!"

"You fell out of the tree. I tried to catch you, but I only got your shoe," a small smile played around his lips. "It was our mothers talking below us. The branch you were on broke, and down you went. You landed on your head," he shook his head as he looked into the branches. The broken branch was only slightly visible in the newly grown braches.

"You were the one in the tree with me? I. . . I remember now. It was my wedding and. . ." her mouth fell open as she stared at him.

"They were speaking of our wedding," Sesshomaru moved close to her.

"Our wedding?" she repeated in a whisper as he got ever closer. They were on the side of the tree, so that Rin and Jaken couldn’t see them.

"Yes," he whispered in her ear. Before she could say anything, he pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes were wide for the first second or two, but then she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. He held her around the waist with his one arm. Her fingers were threaded back into his hair, holding her face to his. This lasted until they had to break for air. Which for the two demon was about half an hour later. "Let’s disappear after they’re asleep," Sesshomaru breathed against her lips. She answered him with another long kiss.

"Where have you two been?" Rin asked when they came up to the fire she had started.

"That tree had so many perfect apples, I didn’t know which ones to bring back," Aryana lied as she put down a small bag of apples. Jaken rolled his eyes and Rin just grinned at the red apples.

Once Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un were sleeping, the two snuck into the night. And they snuck back into camp just before sunrise.

They continued this over the next month. During the day they never showed a sign of what happed under the cover of night. Before long, they were a little more open with their relationship. They talked a lot more, held hands, and kissed. Just small things, until they became natural.

"Aryana, I want you to wear this," Sesshomaru gave Aryana a brown stone on a necklace. "It is an Earth Stone. It will conceal my scent on you. I have many enemies, and I refuse to allow you to be harmed," he put it around her neck. "You must never take it off, outside the castle, that is," he instructed.

"Okay," she kissed him softly, "I’m going ahead to check for a river," she told him before taking off into the forest. As she darted between the trees, she reached out with her mind for a river energy. But then she felt her mind brush against another person, and a familiar one at that. She turned and shot toward it. What she found made her want to burst with happiness.

There in the clearing, was a boy with silver hair, doggy ears, and red clothes. There was a girl at the edge of the clearing, walking toward the boy. She knew by his scent and appearance, that it was her best friend. So she masked her aura and shot into the clearing. Before he even realized she was there, she tackled him.

"What the hell!?" he yelled as she brought him to the ground. "Who the hell are you?! What the hell do you want?!"

"Get up and fight!" she ordered as she drew her sword. This was going to be fun.

"Fine, if you say so," he stood and drew his own sword. "You’re just a wench! How am I supposed to fight a woman?!"

"No choice, unless you want to run away," she grinned slyly at him. He still hadn’t recognized her. So she charged at him. It didn’t take long for her to have him on the ground with her sword at his throat. Just as she was about to let him up, a bright light came across the clearing. A second later she had an arrow between two fingers. "Get up Pup," she sheathed her sword and twirled the arrow in her fingers.

"Aryana?" the boy asked in a whisper.

"You can’t fight any better than you could sixty years ago. What have you been doing all this time, Inuyasha?" Aryana shook her head. Then another arrow came at her from across the clearing. She caught it, as she had the first one. "Whoever the hell you are, could you stop shooting at me?!?!" Aryana shouted at the girl that had shot the arrows.

"Aryana!!" Inuyasha jumped up and hugged her.

"Took you long enough to recognize me, you dumb pup," she thumped the end of his nose.

"Kagome come here!!" he called to the girl.

"You’re a nice shot. Here are your arrows," Aryana handed them to the confused Kagome.

"Wasn’t she about to kill you just now?" Kagome asked.

"Why on Earth would I do that? I spent almost 200 years raising this nut bar," Aryana punched him in the shoulder.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked in confusion.

"I am Aryana. Izayoi was my best friend, and when she passed, I got her brat," Aryana pulled on one of Inuyasha’s dog ears.

"Hey!" he slapped her hand.

"You raised Inuyasha?" Kagome gaped at her.

"Damn right!" Aryana said with a great deal of pride in her voice. "We have much to talk about," she told Inuyasha, who nodded. So they went back to the group’s camp. Aryana heard the story of how Inuyasha and Kikyo fell into Naraku’s trap, that killed Kikyo and got Inuyasha pinned to the God Tree. Then of how Kagome freed him, and the shard was shattered, and now they were seeking the shards. And how they all wanted revenge on Naraku for one reason or another.

Then she told him of the sorcery that she had learned, and the child she was taking care of. But she didn’t mention Sesshomaru.

After they had finished with their stories, Kagome started to cook, and they fell into regular conversation. Then Shippo hopped up beside Inuyasha.

"What’s that bruise on your neck?" Shippo asked innocently. Aryana’s eyes widened, and she grabbed her neck.

"Here, look," Kagome handed her a mirror. She snapped it open and looked at her neck. The look on Kagome’s face told Aryana that the girl knew that it wasn’t your normal bruise. The reflection confirmed this. It was a hickey.

Aryana couldn’t help but laugh. Shippo looked confused. "I don’t get it," the kitsune said.

"It’s just a hickey," she grinned at Kagome who stifled a laugh. The kitsune and Inuyasha both turned bright red. That just made the girls laugh harder. Later, Aryana, Kagome, and Sango were out by the river, and the other two girls cornered Aryana.

"Tell us, come on," the girls begged her. "Who is he? What’s he like? Are you mated?" the girls asked her so many questions.

"The girl that I told you about is his ward. He’s funny when he wants to be. Which is only around Rin and me. We are mated. His mark is right here," Aryana pulled the neck of her shirt over to show her shoulder. On it, was a bite mark.

"What was it like?" Kagome asked. Aryana smiled. She remembered doing the same thing when her friend Selena had her first time.

(Don’t freak cause she was a virgin for so long. In my story, after a demon mates, they’re in it for life. Bringing new meaning to "Till Death Do Us Part" With that, demons have to find their true love, unless they want to kill their mate)

As Aryana told the girls about it, she never mentioned his name. "Crap! I was suppose to be looking for water!" Aryana jumped up. "They don’t know where I went!!" she hurried off into the woods. She caught Sesshomaru’s scent and ran for it.

"Where have you been?" he asked as she entered their camp.

"I’m sorry. I ran into an old friend and lost track of time," she explained. Rin was already asleep. Aryana sat down beside Sesshomaru and nestled into his chest. He put his arm around her, and held her close. They slept like that. Sesshomaru with his back against a tree, and Aryana with her head on his chest.

The next morning they set out. "I’m going to say good-bye to my friend. I’ll try not to take long," Aryana told Sesshomaru before leaving for Inuyasha’s camp.

"Sorry I ran off like that, but I forgot that I hadn’t told them where I was going," Aryana apologized to Inuyasha. "We’re leaving now. I just came back to say good-bye,"

"Do you really have to go?" Inuyasha asked.

"I can stay for a while, but no more than an hour," Aryana decided that she could catch up then.

"I haven’t seen you in 60 years. I’m not ready for you to go," Inuyasha crossed his arms.

"Do you think you could beat me at Mokami? It was always your favorite game," she suggested. Mokami was a game in which someone throws a rock into the air, and the two players try to break it without moving from their spots. I made it up.

"That would be great. I’ll get one of them to throw the rocks for us," Inuyasha said.

"And I’ll go get some good rocks," Aryana turned and headed for the river that was nearby. But about halfway to it, she heard the clash of metal behind her. "Great," she mumbled, running back for the clearing. There, she saw Sesshomaru and Inuyasha fighting in the clearing. "What’s going on?!?!?!" she demanded loudly, causing the two brothers to stop fighting. To the extreme shock of Inuyasha, she took a large jump and landed by Sesshomaru. "Now-- Inuyasha, Sesshomaru– why are you trying to kill each other?" she asked in a voice of forced calm. The two brothers sheathed their swords.

"How do you two know each other?" Inuyasha asked Sesshomaru.

"How do you two know each other?" Sesshomaru asked Aryana.

"How do you two know each other?" Aryana asked Inuyasha.

"He’s my half-brother," Inuyasha told Aryana.

"I raised him," Aryana told Sesshomaru.

"She is my mate," Sesshomaru told Inuyasha, putting his arm around Aryana’s waist.

"YOUR WHAT?!?!?!?" Inuyasha just about jumped out of his skin.

"You got a problem with that, Pup?!" Aryana asked, out of nowhere she was beside him, with a firm grip on his ear.

"Did you say you raised him?" Sesshomaru asked, ignoring Inuyasha.

"Yeah. Izayoi was my best friend. When she died, I got this bonehead of a half-demon," Aryana pulled on his ear, and Inuyasha howled in protest. She rolled her eyes and walked back to Sesshomaru’s side. He put his arm back around her waist, and Inuyasha just stood there, looking flustered. "Now explain the fighting," she ordered, to Inuyasha more than Sesshomaru. She was facing him so she directed the question to him.

"Not much beyond the fact that I’m a half-demon, in his case. But he tried to kill me, had a demon impersonate my mother to get the Black Pearl, tried to take my sword, and almost squashed Kagome. I think I’m a bit more justified in the hatred department," Inuyasha spouted off a list that made Sesshomaru want to find a sturdy tree to beat his head into. Now Aryana would be angry for weeks, or even longer. "I could think of more crap he’s done if you give me a minute," Inuyasha offered.

"That won’t be necessary. Would the defense like to present their case?" Aryana asked Sesshomaru.

"Excuse me?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her, and Kagome’s eyes shot open.

"It’s a term from one of my for-a-while homes. It means I want to here your side of the story," she slapped her forehead.

"He disgraces the blood of our great and terrible father. I don’t see him as being worth the air he breathes," Sesshomaru said simply.

"I can see now, that this will cause problems," Aryana sighed, leaning into Sesshomaru’s chest a little more. Inuyasha fidgeted slightly, and that pissed her off. "Would you get a grip?! Stop acting like the ground is hot, and stand still!!!" she ordered. Sesshomaru had to make a great effort not to laugh, but a tiny smile made its way to his face. "Stop laughing," Aryana whispered to him.

"You weren’t even looking at my face," he defended.

"But I can feel you trying not to laugh," she looked up at him though her long lashes, like she did when she was about to explode, which wasn’t often. When she opened her mouth to say something, he stopped her with his lips.

Inuyasha’s mouth fell completely open. He had a clear view of her hickey, and he felt like his head would explode.

"I think we have a bit to talk about. So much for Mokami. Maybe next time. Goodbye Inuyasha," Aryana turned and walked out of the clearing. Once she was gone, Sesshomaru did something Inuyasha couldn’t have predicted.

He gave a confused ‘help me’ smile and shrugged his shoulders before following her.