Blood and Despair

In the Taiyokai presence

It had been a week since we left the village that I had saved from bear demons and the group was making camp for the night near an hot spring. Kagome and Sango had already headed in the direction of the spring to bathe. I sat on a branch of a tree as Miroku and Kaito started a fire. I could feel my little brother's eyes on me and I turned to look at him. He looked away and I grinned as I jumped down from the branch. 

"I'm going to join Kagome and Sango." I say and I turn my head to Miroku and gave him a menacing glare and walked down towards the spring. I got down to the spring letting the girls know it was me before getting into the water after taking off my things. I honestly didn't care if the boys had came, but the girls in front of me did so I respected that. 

"I'm surprised you joined us, you looked pretty content in the tree." Kagome said I smiled as I sunk into the water keeping my nose up submerged. I then dunked my head under the water and came back up. 

"Don't be surprised. I might be a Taiyokai, but I don't distaste humans, I quite find them intriguing." I said leaning against a rock. 

"Normally Taiyokai's such as yourself don't like human kind for they see us as weak." Sango pointed out. 

"True most do, but some find them interesting enough to know one." I say smiling once more, before my nose caught the scent of something nice. 

"You want some shampoo?" Kagome asked and I raised a brow. I turned around and motioned her to do so and I heard her chuckle before moving closer. I allowed her to let shampoo lather into my hair with her hands and it was relaxing. "Ok you can rinse it out now. " 

I dunked into the water and followed the previous action she had done and came back up without a sud in my hair. I took a whif and smell the nice scent of Jasmine in the strands of my hair and I smiled. "It smells nice thank you." I say. She smiled and the three of us talked for a bit before getting out and dressed to head back to the camp. We made it back to the boys who were sitting around the fire or at least two of them where. 

I used my nose to smell out Inuyasha and when I found him, jumped into the tree and plop my head on top of his. "Whatever are you doing?" I asked making him jump and face me. 

"What the hell you do that for!" he shouted and I laughed. 

"Just wondering why the grumpy hanyou isn't with the others." I said jumping down the smile still on my face. I went sat by the fire next to Miroku and took the bowl he offered as food. 

"It's surprising a lot of the people leave us alone now that you're here with us Milena." he said 

"It's the Taiyokai presence they don't like, I wish they weren't so keen to fear us, not all are bad." I say solemly. I took a sip of the brew that Kaito and Miroku had made and it wasn't bad, not to my taste, but not bad. I wished most humans were like these people in front of me. I wished that the world didn't judge on those that could decide on their own. I knew most where not like my father and didn't see the humans as equally, sadly one of them was my older brother. 

"Milena?" Kagome asked and I looked to her. "Do you have any family?" 

It was an innocent question and I also knew it had piqued Inuyasha curiosity. " Why yes I do, two brothers one older and one younger, a mother who is kind in her own way. Sadly my father had died from a battle protecting my younger brother. " I said placing the bowl down. "My father was the one who created my sword, he never used it himself, for he didn't see the means to do so. Mother wasn't pleased at first, but later changed her mind." 

"My older brother as fierce and protective as he is, saw that by me having sword was a good thing, but hoped I would never have to use it. For he would be there, sadly he hasn't been home for some time and I grew tired of being there. I do love playing tricks on him, he hates it, but he tolerates it. He loves me and I know it even though he doesn't express it. " I explained. 

"That poison whip of yours? Does all Taiyokai know that or just your family?" Kaito asked. 

"I was taught how to wield it by my brother. Although I'm still not the greatest at it. " I say grinning. I got up and walked over to a tree and sat down and leaned against it shutting my eyes to try and get some sleep.  

When morning arrived I was the first to wake and I jumped into the tree to think. Would it be better if I let them travel on their own without me?  It would be easier for them, they could sleep warmly inside an inn in a town. 'I'm just now seeing how my little brother is around them and it warms my heart, but what about me?' I thought. He was still distant when it came to me, but he had no problem with the others. Could he tell that my scent was similar to Sesshomaru, or was it because of his trusting issues? 

I sighed as I heard the group stirring and jumped down from the tree. I was greeted by them warmly and I only smiled as I helped them gather their things for the road.  Nothing was said as we started our journey to gather the shards and find information about Naraku's whereabouts. I could hear Inuyasha bickering with Shippo over something the kit had stated. 

I giggled, but gasped in surprise when the young kit jumped into my arms from an annoyed Inuyasha. I was going to speak, but I heard the words "SIT!" spring from Kagome and Inuyasha fell flat on his face. Inuyasha growled, but said nothing and when he was free, he got to his feet and walked away from Shippo and I. We came upon a town and walked in I could feel every eye turned on me and I only sighed as I carried Shippo on my shoulder. 

"Don't worry we have your back." the young Kit stated cheerfully. 

"I'm not really worried about it Shippo." I say as I walked quickly to catch up with Kaito who had fallen back. "Everything okay Monk?" 

"Oh yeah, I like taking it slow when we reach a town, let's me take in the food that's being cooked. " he said. That was all I could smell and it had me hungry. "Should we stop and get a bite to eat?" he added when he saw my face. 

"umm what about the others?" I asked blinking my eyes. 

"We'll catch up with them later." he said, he guided me to one of the stalls of food and ordered three bowls of their best dishes. The man made the three bowls and Kaito paid I took two of the bowls from the man and handed one to Shippo. His eyes shined with delight, I lifted him up with one hand and placed him onto the table we had walked to. 

I sat down and took a sip of the food, Kaito had paid for as the man in question sat across from me. "You're different from the other Inu taiyokai we've run across." he said and I looked at him questionable eyes. "What I mean to say, is that we've only run across one other like you and he almost killed Inuyasha." 

"Idiot...." I muttered I took hold of my chopsticks and put a piece of meat into my mouth and hummed with delight. 

"Idiot? I don't quite understand." the monk had said. 

"I know who you're referring to, he's an idiot." I say after finishing my food and putting the bowl down. Kaito didn't say anything else on the matter, few minutes later he was finished eating and we were on our way. Shippo had decided to stay on my shoulder and I used my nose to sniff out the others and when we came into view I saw the look of annoyance on my young brother face. 

"Where the hell did you three do!" he said. 

"Don't worry about it." I seethed and that shut him up. Shippo jumped down from my shoulder to Kagome's arms and as we walked inside the Inn for the night, my mind wonder to Sesshomaru.