Whee! first multi-digit chapter!

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"Woah! Look at that!" Shippo said again. He pointed ahead.

Kamaru and Ki smiled. "That's Renakai." Kamaru supplied the answer for Shippo

"Home." Ki added with only a hint of sadness.

Chapter 10

The Dragon's Keeper Reveals Himself.

A magnificent sight was shown upon the group of eight. A giant Mimosa wood door was stained an almost disturbing black. Carved into the black wood were cartoon-like squares. Because the stain didn't go all the way through the wood, the carved wood was an extremely light color.

The rush of warm, dry air rushed past the group as a giant fancy door stood ahead of them cracked open. If you paid close attention you would see the tale of how Tusurisa's was made and the rescue of the Princesses in those extremely light squares. They, the Tiger-Cats, had figured out that the doors were living and recorded notable events.

So if you looked you would see another new cavring on the door. This one showed a man lying on a bed, sleeping. But of course amazed by the opeing of the doors, no one saw the trust to be told.

Cold and Drift sped up to meet the new rays of light spewing in from the door. They got up to a speed where Shippo was sure the flesh of his face would be bending back. And just like that, Cold's and Drift's heads went down, and they stopped abruptly. All humans, Demons, and Half-demons were flung towards the doors.

They all made it of course. Sort of. Cold and Drift didn't.

A searing pair shot though Inuyasha's body. He opened his eyes to see everyone else upside down.

asking himself a "Huh?" before realizing he'd hit a wall upside down.

"Y'all alright?" Kamaru asked. " Sorry. We Cat-Tiger Demons know how to land without injury. Not to mention Cold's and Drift's landings aren't really people friendly."

They looked around to realize, they were sitting, except for Inuyasha, in a pile of pillows, rugs, and old clothes. A landing.

They looked at where they had been thrown from to see a giant almost looking chalked on picture of the Door they'd just been hurled though. The picture, the people of Renakai found out, changes like the real Door. Also it's the only way out of the City.

They took a head count, happy that everyone was here, headed off to the city's palace after Kamaru explained that was where they had to go.

It wasn't 20 feet before a young girl with a long orange tail poking out from her dress, and matching orange hair tied back in a to-be French Braid, aproached the two princesses.

"M'Ladies." She said. This was Denuta, the Palace's Royal Messenger. She bowed low,"You mother has requested to see you at the Royal garden."

"Thank you, Denuta." Ki smiled, and shooed her away politely.

Ki turned to Kamaru. "I can't wait to change into my Kimonos."

Kamaru chuckled. "You loved those like the siblings you never had."

"I know. I guess my name fits!" Ki laughed.

"No wonder, mother hand-made them from her fur!" Kamaru pointed out.

Ki had three formal Kimonos her mother had made. One for each "Level" of formal.

The first, a beautifully made Kimono that was the exact color of Ki's eyes. Decorated with purple flowers. The way Ki's mother, the Queen of Renakai, can do this is because once a Tiger-Cat matures they can change the color of their Skin, hair, claws, and eyes. This one was made for the "Level one" as in more casual meetings.

The second was a deep purple kimono specially made so the cuffs were intact with Ki's want of their color. Like the cuffs were a part of her skin. This one was decorated with what the Tiger Demon's original Mythology was "Resataru" or the goddess of Love. In the language of the Tiger-Cats, Renzenia(1), the meaning of "Ki" is Love. Or Hope depending wether you sue the Cat's or the Tiger's version. Technically speaking Renzenia is formed more of the Tiger's ancient language.

The third actually has a name. In Honor of the boy who saved their lives, noting his name, the Queen made "The Robe of Dragons." This was named so because their savior's name meant Dragon's Keeper in Renzenia This one was a deeper, more magestic purple than that of the second's. it was decorated with a Dragon of course.

The Dragon was made to look realitively like their savior. The dragon was spitting fire, a purple-pinkish color, it had deep cobalt eyes, and it's "Mane" and tail were a deep black.

Only Ki, Kamaru and the Queen knew that the Dragon was based on their Savior.

"Of course I know that!" Ki said.

They chatted untill they reached the city's center square.

By now they had afew people following them. It wouldn't have been bad if the rumor the heir had come back hadn't sprouted though town. Not everyone loves Ki.

They were halfway though the square when...

"KI! What the hell are you doin' back here?" The sound of his voice sent shivers down Ki's spine.

She turned around to see everyone who'd been following her had moved out of the way. At the end of the road there stood a weird looking Cat thing with Snake-like beady eyes.

"Dad, nice to see you again!" Kamaru said trying to get his attention from Ki.

"I asked, what 're you doin' here, Ya?" Ki flinched. the Sylobal( don't kill me!) "Ya" in the Tiger's old touge ment "Idiot"

"I came because Kamaru called me. Got a probblem with that?" Ki said straightening her back.

"Yeah. I got a probblem with you draggin' that scum around here too. We ain't welcomin' no mortals." He said with venom.

Ki opened her mouth to say something before Kamaru's dad turned to her.

"Hey, Kamaru, I heard you were helpin' that human who saved ya'lls lives." He asked in a civilized tone.

"...That's why I went to get Ki, dad. Ki needed to know." She said. The ground below her feet suddenly be came so interesting she couldn't looka t her father.

"Fine. But he aint' stayin'." He turned back to Ki and his oh-so-missed yelling voice came back. "You maybe the heir, and my step-daughter but you ain't on my friend list. Got that?" Kamaru's father said angrilly.

"I know that." Ki said, turned and walked away. That left the angry, fuming father to three in her dust.

Everyone followed. When they were sure they were far enough away and Kamaru's dad was gone, Shippo hopped to Ki's shoulder and asked the next to obvious question.

"So, Ki..." Shippo started. "Why does you step-father hate you so much?"

"Because of me being what I am." Ki said simply.

"Oh..." SHippo said. He'd witnessed how People treat Inuyasha because of him being Half-Demon.

They passed merchants, big buildings and a few angry, ugly Demons.

Finally, before them stood a large, stone Palace. It was covered with drawings of different events in time. Much like the Door to Renakai. Not as old or... well old looking.

"Woah... You live there?" Shippo asked amazed, as though the City just doubled it's size.

"Yep." Kamaru said with a smile. "Us and our family."

Ki snorted at "Family" No wonder. Her twin younger siblings were brats, her step-father tried to kill her once, and her best friend, not blood related, was a fish in the pond of the Royal Garden. Pathetic, huh?

"We're going inside there?" Sango asked this time.

"Nope." Ki replied. "Royal Garden is that way." She pointed to a wrought Iron archway covered with Ivy.

The original group was hesitant to go though the arch but when Ki and Kamaru went though their fears lessened. Not really.

What would you do if you saw evil, bloody, Ivy from Hell dice up a thick-branched bush in less than a second? Then rip it apart? Yeah...

Hesitantly, Inuyasha went though first. He put on a strong face but everyone knew he was nervous. When he made it though the "Gate from Hell" if he wasn't Inuyasha, He would gone made with happiness. Definantly gone mad...

The others followed though the Ivy's archway, to be happy on the other side that they weren't diced up into little pieces.

Once everyone had made it past "The Ivy from Hell" they looked at their surroundings. It was a good 3 acre lot...

"Woah! How do you fit it all in here?" Shippo said like this large city suddenly grew made half it's size.

"The Barrier put up by the Gate." Kamaru said.

Miroku nodded. "The Barrier gives an illusion that the City isn't here."

Ki nodded. "You're smart." She smiled.

The giant 3 acre lot had a few trees here and there, a large pond in the center with a small waterfall. (No one was sure why there was a waterfall.) and a few large rocks settled around it.

"So, Kamaru..." Ki said slowly so she could see Kamaru squirm. "It's the princesses' savior you need me to see... Right?"

Ki got what she wanted. "Erm... uh... I know it's weird and all..."

"Isn't he supposed to be dead, Kamaru?" Ki asked in her Know-it-all fashion but adding a nice questiony spin to it.

"They've said... They say they were brought back..." Kamaru said quietly so Inuyasha's original group wouldn't hear.

"Really?" Ki's eyes sparked hope.

"Yeah... but they say they were resseracted by N-" Kamaru started to finish but then...

"LADY KAMARU! M'LADY!" everyone's attention flew to two tailed and cat-nosed men with long spears running towards "Lady Kamaru"

When the panting two stopped in from of Ki and Kamaru they dropped to one knee.

"M'Ladies, I'm sorry. It is my fault your father found out, M'Ladies." One with blue-green eyes said to the royalty.

"Lady Kamaru, Lady Ki, Your mother convinced Lady Kamaru's father not to kill him or throw him to the Mole Demons, M'ladies." The other, with Orange-brown eyes, said.

"Guards, go back to your posts. My father would've found out eventually. " Kamaru said politely in her best formal Princess voice.

The two nodded and ran back though the gate to where ever their posts are.

"So um, Kamaru, Why do you have guards if you have that Gate thing?" Sango asked catching up with the two princess in front.

"The Gate only protects us against humans and lesser to mid-level Demons. The stronger Bee Demons like Hizanin, the current Bee Demon's King, and his sons, Itazaru, the eldest, Daitoru, the next eldest, and the youngest, Rarimaru."

Ki grinned a half-moon. "You can cross Rarimaru off that list." Ki's grin grew, if that was possible, when Kamaru gave her an expression that easily read out "You killed him?" Ki nodded.

Kamaru smiled back.

"Anyway... where were we?" Ki asked trying to figure out what Kamaru had been saying about their "savior" from those many years ago.

"Oh well... uh... You'd better just see for yourself..." Kamaru pointed to a handmade bamboo doorway. One of many in the Royal Garden. Her mother put them in there because... erm... because... let's say it's "Where Ki was erm... let's go with 'made'." Yeah... sure...

Anyway, Ki made her way across the grass area with Kamaru and the others at a distance.

By the look in Kamaru's eyes, Ki could tell she had to be convinced it was him. Ki watched as her trembling hand grasped the door's edge. She carefully and slowly pushed the door to the right, it being soundless as it slid. On the first glance inside...

Ki muttered something and nearly fainted. Her vision blurred... her senses went wild, her nose smelled the bed of lilacs where she saw him that second time, she heard him laugh at one of Ki's silly mistakes, she could feel his hand by hers, she cold've sworn she even saw him, those many years ago, smiling at her...

Her vision and senses returned to her with a fight. Her knees felt as though they'd give out, like she'd just put on as much weight as her mother did carrying the twins. They didn't give up they fought. They stood, wobbly.

A woman, looking only a little younger than Kagome's mom, sat looking at a boy on the floor. Ki couldn't brin herself to look. It couldn't be him! They rumors were just rumors! that's all!...right?

The woman who sat beside the boy had her shiny, pink hair tied back in pigtails. She wore a long, deep blood red Kimono that had swirling black spirals going down the sleeves. Her long pink hair in pigtails cascaded over her shoulders and almost to the floor. Her eyes slowly drifted from the man's cut and bruised face to Ki's eyes and Kamaru's who was stand beside her now. the others had to wait outside, the doorway wasn't big enough. Now seeing the woman's eyes, the large pink orbs (like Ki's) stared at her a moments before she spoke. "Ki... do you remember... The Dragon's Keeper?"

Ki weakly nodded. Her knees gave in to Ki's brain's need to reject the incoming information. So he was alive. Who was her brought back by? Why? Why is he cut up like that? Ki's vision blurred a second time. No third. It slowly faded to black. Her other senses didn't betray her this time, only fade and shut down.

"Ki!" Kamaru cried as she caught Ki by wrapping her arms under Ki's armpits.

"What?" Kagome cried, her voice filled to the brim with worry, as she always did. She turned to the room in which the woman with pink hair sat and the man with many cuts and bruises lay. "Oh my god... is that...?"

The others crowded around the door as Kamaru dragged Ki away from the door so she could get some fresh air.

"I-It is!" Miroku said incredibly.

"But, Inuyasha didn't you kill him at Mount. Hakurei?" Shippo asked.

"I thought so... I guess not..." Inuyasha said gripping the end of his sword.

"Stop!" Kamaru cried as she saw Inuyasha's knuckles turn white from gripping the Tetsusiaga's(Don't kill me I'm tired, poor, and lonely!... erm.. nevermind..) end. "Please, do-" Kamaru stopped as Ki's head jerked and mumbled something.

Ki had begun the phrase with her mouth more or less against Kamaru's Hakamas, so all Kamaru made out, even with a cat's ears, was "Kotsu"

the woman with the pink hair stepped to the doorway. "Kamaru, I leave his tending to, to you. Ki'll be up and kicking soon. don't let her get too close. Her mind won't be able to take this all in at once. On closer inspection of the woman's face they could see she had markings somewhat close to those of Sesshomaru's. A pointed pink line extended from the edge of the woman's eyes to half way past her eyes. But this only existed on one eye, her left.

The woman nodded and headed off making it past the crowd of the original group. Then stopped. "And Kamaru..." She turned to her daughter. "Be sure to tend to his broken arm. It's very nasty."

Kamaru nodded. "Yes, mother."

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1) Renzenia means Tiger's soul's mouth or language. If you said "Renzenia" in the Cat's language it means Tiger's Soul's Sword. Close but not exact. And yes I went though the trouble to altering it, I'm such a nerdy idiot! xD

Sorry if it's bad compared to the other chapters I was listening to Bring me to Life, Numb, Rockstar, Shut Up, Giving In and Time of Dying super loud. It was one of those days you wanna drown everything else out. ( Or rather a few days, I didn't write all this in one 4-hour time slot!)

Also: introducing the new longest chapter at nearly 3,000+ words XD This is nowhere near as long as my fan-fic stash I'm too embarrest about to add. My longest one had 12 chapters and 70,000+ words.

I know ya'll want to see Ban more but the next chapter tell more of the tale of how Ki and Ban met and their memories, got it?

--Kat