The inn was elegant considering the rather humble village. For the size of the building it surprisingly had over five rooms to offer up as boarding, and there was also a kitchen where guests were able to place orders during the proper designated times. Inuyami watched as the keeper of the inn and Himeko seemed to have a wordless conversation before she was lead to the room where Himeko would be spending the night.

"I suppose against my will would be stretching the truth of it all, even though I did not stay there with great joy or obediance." Inuyami paused and decided to explain things a bit more clearly. "My mother, if you could even really call her that; was a wicked women whom only desired eternal life and beauty. Upon rumor that drinking the blood of a seventh born of pure inu-youkai one could obtain both. My conception was not accident though it should of never been brought about." Clenching her fists, Inuyami damned the cruel past fate had delt her. What a life to have lived, what a horrible begining for an innocent pup. The emotions boiled in her belly but she did her best to keep her face empty.

Inuyami paced the room for a moment, she hadn't taken a visual servey yet. It was unlike her to not do so, she liked to know everything around her. Where it was, every detail and every crack. This skill had saved her life on many occassions. From noticing the slightest misplacement of an item, she was able to defend herself against, and defeat, a pack of boar demons. It was from them she'd obtained her own shard of the sacred gem.

"My father on the other hand," Inuyami said, she paused again thinking about the man who had left her so many years ago. Memories of the good times flooded threw her mind, only to be evaporated by the sorrow of the bad ones. "My father was a great man, or perhaps a great lord is a better way to address him." She hated the formality that came with her father's mention, she hated knowing exactly who's steps she was fallowing, and whom she would someday be expected to serpass. "The details are vague, even to me, but he wasn't aware of my existance until the day of my birth. When he heard that he had a daughter, and of the mortal danger I faced, he came and rescued me on that day. Since that day my mother has since past, but I am still beening hunted by my half brother. He plans to surpass our mother where she could not and use my blood to live eternally. It was for that reason I was forced to remain hidden deep withing the forests of the Eastern lands. From the time that I was only four years old, I've not seen my father nor was have I been alloud be exit the protective keep he'd left me in."

Gaze upon the floor, Inuyami was lost in thought for a moment about the last time see'd seen her father. He was such a kind and tender man. A man with a cool temper and always spoke slowly and choosing his words carefully. The man turned sternly, a singled tear glittered in the dim sun light as it fell to the floor before he spoke:
"I'll always be with you Yami-chan, even if you cannot see me. Be safe, my darling daughter." His last words felt so cold, and it made her stomach twist in an uneasy way with her heart just to remember them. The feeling of vomiting mixed with the overwhelming desire to cry. With a hard swallow, Inuyami washed the emotions away; forcing them down into the black void inside her belly where they'd come from.

"Forgive me," she said. "I did not mean to drag on."

Himeko nodded, listening to the pup's tale. "Had I tired of your story, you would have known." The female commented, taking the time to survey the room. With the innkeeper's distaste in yokai, Himeko was certain that he might refer a monk to purify the room. Whether it was before or after they had a chance to leave was uncertain.

"Your story reminds me of a distant relative of mine. She had cast great shame on our family with her devious intentions." Himeko turned to Inuyami, her Tyrian eyes focusing on the young girl before her. "I never met my relative therefore I cannot confirm if such an accusation against her was true. I can confirm that she rutted with my Lord whom I intend to take as a mate once he returns from his travels."

To hear that Himeko had a relative who'd acted in the same ways as her mother made Inuyami's head real. Could it really be possible that this total stranger could be a distand cousin or aunt to her that she'd never before met?

"I don't know if you knew you relative's name or not, but my mother's name was Shinichi." Inuyami's nose crinkled a bit as she spat out the name of the woman she hated with her whole being. "And my father... his name is lord Sesshomaru."

Ayumu was pleased when she spotted the young human on horseback. Originally she had planned to just kill the man and take his horse, but after some thought while waiting for him to get closer she came up with a better plan. This human could be of use to her since she was unfamiliar with the area. As the horseman drew closer she feigned being injured, not that she really needed to do so to convince the young man to help her. Upon seeing the beautiful woman in distress the man stopped to help her out. Just as she had planned he didn’t hesitate to help her and to give her a ride to the village. She promised to reward him for his kindness.

After a couple hours they were in sight of the village. A twisted smile formed on the woman’s lips. “Stop here and I will give you your reward.” The foolish male did as she said, bringing the horse to a stop. The pair slide off of the stallion and the young man tied the horse to a nearby tree. Once he was finished he returned the woman’s side. She still had a slightly twisted smile on her lips as she leaned close and kissed him on the lips. While they kissed the yuki-onna used this opportunity to drain the poor man of his life force, leaving him a shriveled corpse alongside the road near the forest’s edge. Her amethyst eyes shone brightly for a moment from the energy she had stolen from the human. One less man she would have to drain of life to keep her ethereal beauty and youth. Finished she would then take the horse and ride into the village, still in her human form. She could sense several jewel shards within the village.

Himeko's eyes widened for a second before she willed herself to gain her composure. The young demon before her was pack. And the daughter of her lord. Himeko knew of the child but never thought that she would have met the girl prior to the mating.

"I knew her name. It's one that is rarely spoken among us." Himeko answered, her words coated in disgust. Not for the knowledge of what one of her own had done but rather that the girl before her had to be a result of the mother's plans. It sickened the inu daiyokai to know that someone would use their own pack to gain power. "My lord spoke of you from time to time. And the servants at the palace were prone to gossip. Those with loose tongues lost their heads. Never was a bad word allowed to be spoken of you nor any mention of your mother's name."

It only took a moment of confusion before Inuyami filled in the missing pieces. When she realised that Himeko's lord was her father, hot prickles filled her spine and then her body. She'd hoped that the transgressions that resulted in her birth had been kept secret to all but herself, her father and her mother's son.

As the hot feeling subsided Inuyami regained her thoughts and looked into the eyes of woman she'd just learned to be a distant part of her family. Her ears flattened for a second but soon resumed their upright possition on her head. She was speachless but was also filled with questions, exclaimations and other ramblings.

"My father... spoke of me?" Inuyami was baffled. To her, she was a shame to her father. She'd always felt a certain coldness from him due to the fact that he'd left her behind so long ago. That was a confussing and painful subject in itself. Clearing her throat, Inuyami did the best to erase the emotion from her face and throat. "Rumors huh?" She was beginning to put off an air that resembled her father's half brother; smug and sarcastic with a hint of actual interest. "I could only imagine what the minds of those who know my shame must say."

A final scoff and Inuyami paced over to the window where she leaned nonchalantly on the frame. Her face froze in a gut wrenching discust from a feeling she couldn't identify. Was it hatred? Rage? or perhaps just simple confussion of anxiety mixed with the sadness of having to grow up the way she had. Inuyami hated that she'd been reduced to this, something emotionally weak and broken at the simple mention of her father. She loved him, hated him, honored him for saving her life... it was far too confusing for her to face alone.

Sensing the myriad of emotions radiating from the young female and hearing the pup act like the hanyou brother, Himeko had to hold back a low growl. She had met him once and instantly found that she couldn't stand him and his lack of respect.

"My lord spoke of regret for not being able to keep you near." Himeko responded after allowing her anger to lower. The pup had not realized how hard it had been for her father. The rutting had been a mistake that her lord punished himself over daily. Only the news of a newborn pup had been enough to lift his spirits some. Everyone had known that Lord Sesshoumaru was cold and unfeeling on the outside. He rarely allowed anyone to see his true self. It had taken a long time for Himeko to be honored with fleeting moments of the anguish he felt when casting his daughter to live far away from the palace. "The rumors mainly revolved around assassination attempts on your person. You see, young pup... Where you are firstborn, you stand to inherit the Western lands. Many in the courts want my lord to sire a male pup to rule. They fear change." Himeko looked over to the side, shaking her head. It was true that the elderly yokai were constantly pushing her lord to take a mate or at least rut with the intent to pup. Each had their own choice for him and Himeko was not a favorite among any, thanks to the tarnish placed on her family by the dealings of Shinichi. But her lord kept her near as she wasn't there to push a political agenda. But to make up for the shame cast on her family and himself.

Again, Inuyami was taken back by the new information she had learned. As quick as she was to proclaim hatred and pass judgement on her father, she felt shame for ever having doubted his intentions. Her heart sank in her stomach; this woman, a pack member she was unaware she was even born into, probably though ill of her now for having such ill thoughts of her own father. Her ears drooped as she began to shake in her heart.

On the matter of taking over the land her father currently reigned over, Inuyami had barely considered it before. The fact that her life was in danger of something that seemed so petty hadn't occured as a threat to her until now. Her half brother, Inokumaru, and the fallen plans of her mother concerned her more. For not only was she the first born, but if proficies remained true, her blood was a sort of Fountain of Youth. It was a blessing that the theory remained a secret to all but those who'd heard the stories of the inu daiyoukai elder scrolls. Scrolls so anchient they date back to the raise for the first inu youkai lord.

"I must be such a selfish and foolish brat." Inuyami said as her eyes fell shut in a shameful manner. She crossed her arms under her breasts and hung her head as her ears fell to half their hight. "Father was, is, such a kind man for the things he's done to protect my life. Dispite the surprise of my birth, he rose to the occasion and accepted me as his kin, defeated the evils that threatened me, and cared for me first hand for four years." Her lungs drew in a deep breath of air as the younger snow white haired female paused in thought. In her mind's eye, she could see the years she'd spent at her father's side. A twist of her stomach made her realise how much she truly missed her father.

For a moment, she could see his face, a plain as the sun in the sky. His voice was calm, steady and smooth as it flowed from his slender lips. It was always the same, an easy man to listen to when you're a bright eyed child looking to take on the world. Inuyami recalled a firefly lit night by the river just before she was left to her servants. Herself and he had decided to make camp on the bank of the soft currents. As the fire burned and the night grew late, Inuyami began to tire and found herself falling asleep. Sesshomaru took her by the shoulder and pulled her close, keeping her warm and giving her a stable bed.

"Yoku watashi no shin'ainaru hime o surīpu, watashi wa itsumo anata o hogo shimasu." He spoke those words everynight, she couldn't fully fall asleep without them. Just hearing them, being reassured, it made her feel so safe. It had been a long time since she remembered those words, she couldn't help the tear that escaped her eye and fell to the floor.

"Forgive me..." Inuyami pardoned herself to Himeko as she pulled herself from her thoughts. She wiped the moisture from her cheek, playing it off as if it was no big deal. "I am jelous of you." A pause then she continued. "To have spent the time you have with him. I could only hope one day, I will not have to avoid him in order to insure my safty."



(This is what sessh said: "Sleep well my dear princess, I will always protect you.")

"Cease those negative emotions," Himeko curtly snapped at Inuyami. "If you envy my place, then you know not how things have been. Which is forgivable as you haven't been tot he palace in years." While Himeko could understand the pangs of jealous the young girl must have felt, she felt the urge to warn Inuyami of the dangers still lurking there.

"As I spoke of the elders each sending their favorites, the palace is using crawling with those... vultures disguised as mate candidates." A frown marred Himeko's pale face before she decided to move closer to the girl before her and embrace her. "Those witches are ruthless and to know that you still live... Your time there would be spent in constant battles. My lord wouldn't even be able to protect you." She was very confident that her lord's power and skills would have him victorious. It was the fact that he had to be away from the palace to hunt down the evil spider hanyou. He could not be in two places at once. And each reason behind staying in those two places were powerful enough. Protecting pack was important, especially if it's your pup. But Naraku had stolen that slip of a human ward that her lord took in. Revenge was also important.

Himeko's embrase, though sudden and unexpected, settled the younger inu youkai's mind and anxious heart. Inuyami found a strange comfort in the womans arms; the most like a mother's comforting a pup in a thunder storm, she compared the feeling to dispite never having know the feeling first hand. In the briefest of moments, Inuyami felt tied to Himeko. It was nice to finally feel as though she had a motherly influence in her life who didn't desire her dead.

"I understand now." Inuyami said humbly unsure if she should return the embrase or not. It was a strange unfamiliar feeling. "Or peharps I always have. I was sure father wasn't so cruel as to just leave me behind and lock me away from the world; yet, over time I conviced myself of so many things... aweful things. Soon it became hard to know the truth from childish admirations. Thank you... Oka-sama." The name flowed from the younglin's toungue as if she'd been saying it her whole life. Like her father, Inuyami always chose her words carefully. When she chose to call Himeko mother, she both accepted her as her alpha and care giver. She decided that she would keep by Himeko's side to ensure her safty until she was to return to the palace, and perhaps Inuyami would have a chance of finding her father as well.

Himeko had not expected that title to come from the young girl's lips. Nor did she expect the warm sensation that had begun to spread throughout her body. She began to protest the title when a spark of power nearby caught her attention. Letting out a low hiss, Himeko pressed the young demoness closer and leapt through the one half open window in the room. Glass shards were easily deflected as Himeko took to running from the inn and the village.

"Damn them, humans..." She growled, red mixing with the Tyrian purple of her eyes. With her superb hearing, the female gathered that the monks and mikos who resided in the village didn't approve of the two staying there. None of the holy auras on their own would stand a chance against the females. However, to combine the dozen that had gathered would do some damage. "Young pup, it seems like we might need to find a new place to stay at for the night. Somewhere less... pure."