Author's Corner
Hey all. Thanks for the many reviews, people (old and new). :) Keep em coming. (heh heh)
In a book composed mainly of white pages, with some in different colors to indicate the level of intensity and such, this chapter is the color 'Crimson'.
This is one of my better chapters I think. (glares) You'd better appreciate it… (lol).
Point to Note
This chapter is a direct continuation from the last. Although you don't have to, it; the content, would make a lot more sense if you re-read the last chapter and then immediately moved to this one. (But like I said: Only if you want to.)
AND SO, ANOTHER MYSTERY is UNVEILED, only for ANOTHER SECRET to TAKES IT'S PLACE…
…l…
…l…
Sesshoumaru - 'The Path to Destiny'
Chapter 45 : The Cracked Seal
T:…'The first release of the Deadly Crimson Power'…:T
"I'm telling you now Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha stated angrily. "If she doesn't make it, I don't ever want to see your face again!"
His older brother, Sesshoumaru, studied him for several moments before responding, "That would be… most acceptable."
Inuyasha considered attacking Sesshoumaru for a second there, but thought that it was not worth it and shot him a cold glare, before leaping away, back through the forest, and back to the dying miko…
"I forgot how much of a cold bastard you were," Juru dropped out of the trees and remarked casually. "No wonder little Inuyasha hates you. And you do everything you can to make sure he always hates you."
Slight red tinted Sesshoumaru's golden orbs as he looked Juru in the eye. Juru stood firm without backing off.
Sesshoumaru's voice came out like smooth velvet that could creep around your neck unaware, before choking you to death, "You know nothing about what I do or why I do it, fool. And you would do well to never interfere with whatever that comes between Inuyasha and me."
Sesshoumaru cracked his knuckles in warning, ready to attack if the Sea Dragon Youkai dared to say another word about the matter.
Juru had plenty to say, naturally, but he was not strong enough to take on Sesshoumaru and win. Oh, he really wanted to beat that dog into the ground, but Sesshoumaru's now crackling aura, easily told all of who was the stronger of the two. And if there was one thing that he, the eldest son of the Lord of the South, and the oldest offspring of the other two Lords learnt, was that when Sesshoumaru got really ticked off and you got on his nerves, you had best be prepared to be mauled by a rabid dog; a dog that exuded wave over wave of power that comes from the blood of the almighty Inu No Taisho himself.
No, Juru definitely didn't want to get into a fight with Sesshoumaru now. Besides, his hair would become all messed up, and he just couldn't have that now, could he? Oh no no no! His hair always came first.
When Sesshoumaru saw that the sea dragon demon was not about to back off, but was not about to attack either, he allowed his demon to retreat back into its holding place, but kept his aura expanded around him.
After several moments of silence, where Sesshoumaru had gone back to staring at the soft sunlight as it hit the brown barks of the trees, and Juru studied Sesshoumaru through the cover of his bangs, the dragon demon broke the silence, "So there is nothing that you can do for her huh?"
"Nothing that I know of," Sesshoumaru replied.
Juru sighed. "But you said that she was going to play a major part in destroying this Bakarryuu creature. How do you think that's going to work out when she is dead?"
Sesshoumaru looked pointedly at Juru, "I am well aware of the consequences of her death. Still, there is nothing I can do."
Juru was about to speak again when he was interrupted. It wasn't Sesshoumaru or any other creature hiding in the trees that interrupted him. His interruption came in the form of a Pulsing Tenseiga! Both demons looked down at the sword that hung by the Inu Youkai's waist.
"Heh! Your swords acting up again," Juru stated the obvious with a snort. It was a well known fact among the highest level of Youkai, who were the Lords and their immediate family, that Sesshoumaru inherited a sword that 'acted up' from time to time. No one ever knows of what exactly goes on between the Current Lord of the Western Lands and the sword that he inherited from his late father, but they had come to learn and even witnessed on a few rare occasions: Sesshoumaru become all irritated and grouchy after the sword would pulse at his side. Sesshoumaru seemed to be the only one to possess such an, abnormal sword. It would always be most enjoyable to see the indifferent Sesshoumaru loose his cool thanks to a sword, which was a feat that only those who were foolish enough to seek death would dare do.
Sesshoumaru ignored Juru's tease, just as he ignored most of whatever the Sea dragon Youkai said, and placed his palm on the sword. 'It had better not be telling me what I think it is about to tell me,' Sesshoumaru thought, mildly frustrated. Much to his chagrin, he, soon after Inuyasha left, unwittingly found his mind showing him images of the miko snuggled up in his arms, sleeping peacefully… feeling completely safe.
And now she was dying. For some strange reason, it reminded him of his father. He had yet to discover why…
Tenseiga radiated a constant glow as Sesshoumaru rested his palm on its hilt. 'Damn it,' Sesshoumaru cursed.
"What's going on? Is it saying something?" Juru questioned, his interest piqued.
Suddenly a strong gust of wind came in from the direction of the approaching storm and pushed violently against Sesshoumaru, flinging his hair back, before rushing through the forest behind him, heading towards the village and the miko who was fighting for her soul.
"Gaah!" Juru exclaimed, holding his hands out in front of his face. "My HAIR!"
Sesshoumaru ignored the demon who was flailing about trying to escape the wind, 'idiot!', and turned his head back in the direction of the village. 'Tenseiga wants me to go to her?' And then what? Watch her die? See the consequences of his… failure to protect her? And not only that: he had to enter a village filled with filthy disgusting humans to get to her? 'I think not!'
Once Juru made sure that his hair was, tangle free, he turned his attention back to a frowning Sesshoumaru, "Damn it Sesshoumaru! What's with your sword anyway? And do you always get these weird mystical winds wherever you go? It's just plain unnatural. Of course that's why it's mystical, but still!"
Juru paused mid-rant, when he saw Sesshoumaru looking in the direction of the forest behind him, "You know, you should just go."
Sesshoumaru growled before turning away from the forest, "I will not."
…:…:…
The great creature growled angrily, its red eyes flashing a darker crimson; it was not pleased with Sesshoumaru's words.
…:…:…
"You're acting like a stubborn brat Sesshoumaru," Juru accused, pointing a finger at him. "And you're supposed to be the level headed one!"
Juru suddenly stopped before he could insult Sesshoumaru again, when he felt the temperature of the air increase. He looked at Sesshoumaru wearily but found no trace of crimson in his steel golden orbs. In the next few moments, he felt the temperature increase even further. The hair at the back of his neck began to rise up. And shortly after that, all his alarms went off and his instincts were screaming at him to run… to escape… to flee… because there was a feral and incredible power rising. He unconsciously took a step back, but it was then that he realized that he had stepped away from Sesshoumaru, who was gazing at him impassively with an arched eyebrow.
"Easy! Easy… Sesshoumaru!" Juru tried to placate the demon in front of him; the demon from which he could feel this feral… frightening power, coming from. "I was just joking about the whole 'stubborn brat' thing."
Sesshoumaru eyed Juru curiously, wondering 'what the hell' had gotten into the Sea Dragon demon. 'Did he find out his hair is falling off?'
Juru was now visibly sweating, feeling almost too weak as the burning demon power overwhelmed his senses. And when he thought he could stand no more, his instincts kicked in and made the choice for him as to whether he should try and calm Sesshoumaru or take the risk and run -even though that was the worst thing to do where dog demons were concerned.
With an explosion of his own Youki, Juru leapt back and shot onto the highest branch of the nearest tree.
"What's gotten into you Juru?" Sesshoumaru asked from below. He had never felt Juru emit these amounts of fear before, and look this… scared?
Juru was about to leap away again when he heard Sesshoumaru talking to him, clear and smooth. That was not possible? When demons flew into rage like this and emitted this amounts of power, they were only able to growl and talk in the demon tongue or through telepathy. But Sesshoumaru…?
Juru turned around on the branch that he was rigidly perched on and gazed down at Sesshoumaru with suspicion.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, "What's wrong with you Juru?"
Juru's eyes bulged out of his sockets. What was wrong with him! He wasn't the one who had his aura setting the forest ablaze with this crazy powerful Youki.
Juru's eyes then widened in realization, "You don't feel it do you?"
Sesshoumaru blinked, before coldly regarding the demon in the trees, "Feel what?"
…ooo…
An old bald headed demon sat in his meditative posture with his legs crossed beneath him, as his extremely long, thick yellow beard, slithered along the grassy ground –holding his body high up above the ground, carrying him through the forest. Eventually the yellow beard, with its passenger, slithered towards a small clearing that led to a high cliff with an immense forest stretching out below it.
"Ah! Inuyasha's forest!" the old man exclaimed cheerfully as his beard coiled below him in layers, before setting him down on it, giving him a high vantage point with which to see the expanse of the forest. "Now, to find what brought me here. Hmm, I can feel it in the air. Today is going to be a most interesting day."
The jolly old demon stroked a small length of his beard twice, as he cast a slow glance over the sea of green with a childish excitement sparkling in his eyes. Earlier in the day, he had received a vision, so to speak, concerning a certain demon Lord; the demon Lord Sesshoumaru, to be exact. Usually his visions of an event that was about to take place, were clear and quite easy for him to both understand and realize its significance.
But today's vision?
Today's vision had been different. Where the images were usually clear and vibrant, today's images had been foggy and distorted. Several times the sequence of images had blacked out into complete darkness, before the vision would resume again, but from somewhere else. And at the instances when he saw nothing but darkness, he would hear a terrifying sound. The sound, much like a roar, boasted of fierce raw power, unrestrained terror, and in all… something to be very, very afraid of, no matter who or what you were.
From what he understood of the distorted images, they portrayed a great power that had been sealed away and put in a state of eternal sleep. He couldn't be certain as to whether the power was evil or not, but what he was sure of… was that it was needed. The seal had to be broken and the power had to be set free. But the seal, unfortunately or fortunately –depending on how you looked at it, was impossible to break.
But through a few of his past visions, he had come to learn that there was now a possibility that- even though nothing could break the seal from the outside, it could be periodically broken down from the inside out.
The great power had already been awoken! That much was certain. But it was also obvious that its' prison seal was very powerful, perhaps the most powerful of its type. The power was bound and chained with no escape. But, in today's vision, along with the knowledge he had from yet another few before today, he came to learn that there was indeed 'something' that could call upon all the power's might to break free from its prison. This 'something' as fate would have it, was capable of calling out to the very essence of the great power and its call was something that the power responded to with an unbelievable fierceness, and that was the key.
The only way to break the seal was for the great power to act with complete fierceness, bringing out all its might and power. And slowly, ever so slowly, every time the great power would hear that call, it would fight against its bonds and struggle to break free. And today, it would get another step closer to its freedom. Today it was going to find a way to allow a small part of it to escape its cage. Today, it would for the first time, see a fraction of its power simmer in the outside world- where it had been never allowed to set foot on.
And today… all those who would have the misfortune of feeling it, would experience a touch of its almighty power… and cower in fear as they were meant to.
And this old demon was here to catch a glimpse of this wonderful occurrence. Oh, he was very excited –the possibility that this great power, if it did indeed manage to break the seal and escape, could destroy a whole lot more than a single empire, not in the least bothering him at the moment. Senile old man!
"Ahh…!" the old demon clapped his hands together. "It's time!"
The wise, albeit crazy old demon, took a deep calming breadth. His eyes then gradually began to lose some of their glow in their fully opened state. A few short moments later, the very center of his forehead began to glow, emitting a white light. Through the white light, something akin to vertical eyelids opened up to reveal a glowing circle -the size of a small ring and the color of gold- in the middle, rotating at a very slow but constant pace. Then the glowing ring slowly began to rotate faster and faster before a piercing white light broke through from the middle of it… and the old demon entered sight through his 'third '(O)' eye'.
His 'third '(O)' eye' zoomed into the forest and zipped through the trees, darting this way and that, sometimes going beneath a low bush and sometimes going straight over the top of a tall tree, before finally following a single ray of sunlight into a small clearing, where two demons, Taiyoukai's to be exact, were conversing. Well it was more… one was doing all the talking while the other was listening -or half listening would be more accurate. He didn't recognize the demon that was doing the talking, but Sesshoumaru was easily identified and was the center of focus.
The right half of his vision through the 'third '(O)' eye' was slowly washed down by a waterfall of darkness. And as the sounds from the left side slowly faded, his ears were suddenly overwhelmed by the sound of that terrible roar. Suddenly giant crimson eyes flashed open before disappearing into the mist of blackness just as quickly. The sound of the thundering roar disappeared too, but before the voices from the left side of his vision became audible and clear, he heard the sounds of someone whimpering in pain. It was the cries of a female. The cries were then muted and in its stead, he heard the crackling of some sort of energy, but it was loud enough to sound like lightning and thunder as it flared across a dark sky.
The darkened right side was then suddenly assaulted by a piercing pink beam of light only for it to crackle powerlessly before being consumed by a jaded dark purple that was almost black. Then, once again, there was nothing but complete blackness in the right half of his vision. The voices from the left half then became slightly clear. Then momentarily, the darkened half was lit ablaze with a powerful thick blue light. The blue light slowly faded to reveal a thin blade against the same previous dark background.
'The Tenseiga…' the old demon noted without too much surprise. And then both halves focused in on the two images of the same sword, on the right side- one floating in the darkness and on the left side- one hanging at the waist of the Taiyoukai in white. And then both the swords pulsed, delivering a message, or rather, making a request… 'Or was it an order?'
Both halves then zoomed out to show the Taiyoukai refuse the sword in one, and the sword loose some of its unearthly blue glow in the other. Not moments past after the Taiyoukai's refusal, did the darkness try to consume the sword on the right. The Tenseiga though easily fought it off before turning a hazy white and shooting off from view. Immediately after the swords disappearance, the darkness grew in its thickness and then the crimson eyes reappeared, larger than before and they flashed a heavy red and the old demons ears were almost split apart from the roar of pure rage that echoed in the darkness, making the darkness itself whirl and tremble in fear.
'Hmm… Tenseiga…' the old demon remembered its pulse and the indication that it was giving out a message, of some sort. The sword had much more to do with this; with the great power, than he had first thought. It appeared that even though Sesshoumaru tried to avoid answering the swords' call, the great power reacted almost immediately to it, especially in regard, to what it knew about the female in distress. 'And the Tenseiga is aware of the call from the outside entity that the great power reacts to… and it is not against it!'
The right half of the vision through his 'third '(O)' eye', which was drowned in black, slowly faded away. His entire vision was now showing Sesshoumaru as he stood in the clearing of the forest, his blue aura spread about him.
Little time went by, before what the old demon had been waitingexcitedly to see, started to happen…
Sesshoumaru's powerful blue aura, which he had extended around him in a large circle, began to shiver ever so slightly. And for some reason, Sesshoumaru did not feel it or even sense it. Slowly the vibrations increased and the aura was almost pulsing. And then with a small, undetectable explosion of Youki, something deep within him cracked, allowing a trace amount of what was inside, to seep out.
Sesshoumaru was outlined with a white glow as his blue aura turned a brilliant white around his skin because of the release of Youki.
Sesshoumaru neither felt nor sensed anything different, but the other Taiyoukai standing near him felt the change almost immediately.
And then it happened.
Burning crimson, seeped into mix with his blue aura in small patches, like a glowing red moon against a clear sunny blue sky. Like red crystals in a body of water, fiery crimson, dotted the expanse of his blue aura, as more of them escaped from within the Inu Youkai and spread through the air. His aura was now the always intimidating blue, but tainted with the red of the great power that was sealed within.
The searing red that had mixed in with Sesshoumaru's normal aura was invisible to all except the old demon that was looking at it with his 'third '(O)' eye', and the effects it was having could be felt by everyone except Sesshoumaru himself.
When Sesshoumaru's normal aura began to thrum with this new power, it was easy to understand why the other demon instinctively backed off and soon after attempted to flee. The old demon was glad that he was as far away from Sesshoumaru as he was, for he didn't know how he would have reacted in his old state, if he was exposed to the level of power that Sesshoumaru must now be generating.
"Quite a spectacle, is it not Shirinousai?" a thundering voice boomed from behind the old demon.
Shirinousai's hair almost jumped off the edge of the cliff in surprise. Calming his erratically beating heart as best he could, Shirinousai turned his head toward the thick forest behind him, with his third eye still activated.
The forest that was once bright with the sunlight that fell upon it was now covered in a dark mist, almost mirroring the dark stormy clouds that had gathered in the distant horizon.
Several trees groaned, before the sound of them either being snapped or most probably being crushed, filled the forest and the air, as the heavy black mist that reached high into the skies kept lowering till it touched the forest ground.
"Is that you Kodoragon Sama?" Shirinousai tried his best to see through the black mist with his third '(O)' eye, but failed.
The black mist shifted slightly when a deep rumble, like gravelly laughter, echoed through the depths of it. "How many demons do you know who can stay hidden from your third '(O)' eye?" the voice asked with a hint of amusement.
Realizing that it was indeed the mysterious Kodoragon, Shirinousai visibly relaxed. "What brings you out after all these centuries, Kodoragon Sama?"
Kodoragon was one of the ancients that very few knew existed. Even the legends about him were remembered only by the oldest of demons. Once an almighty force of Youkai, that could single handedly destroy entire armies, he now chose a life of solitude, preferring instead to watch the world as it went by.
"The same thing that brought you out here, even with a storm approaching," the deep voice replied.
"Ahh… the young Lord!" Shirinousai turned back to the forest spreading out before him. "It is a most remarkable occurrence."
"Hmm…!" the mist voiced in agreement. "That it is."
Shirinousai's eyes narrowed in wonder. "Can you see it too Kodoragon Sama?"
"The red aura seeping out to mix with the blue?" The mist at the very top shifted slightly. "Yes, quite clearly."
"Your ancient blood gives you the power to see it," Shirinousai guessed correctly.
Another low rumble echoed through the mist, making it shiver like warmth breath in winter air. "Being old has its advantages, does it not Shirinousai"?
The old demon chuckled in agreement.
"But how did you know about this Kodoragon Sama? Did you know it would happen?"
"Not… exactly," Kodoragon replied. "My centuries of meditation allowed me to realize that there were great powers brewing, one born of darkness, another of great might, and the last, one born of light. The ones born of darkness and light have already awakened, but it is easy to see that the second power is only just realizing itself."
Hearing that, Shirinousai visibly sighed in worry, "The young Prince has no idea of what is taking place."
"Hmm…" Kodoragon agreed. "It would seem so. But he will learn soon enough."
Shirinousai shook his head. "That is not what worries me."
"Your fear that he would not be able to control it," Kodoragon guessed.
"This is nothing like his demon side," Shirinousai stated. "This is far more powerful, far more ferocious, and worst of all… far more intelligent because of the nature of Sesshoumaru's birth. I fear that Sesshoumaru's need to have total control of his mind would hinder the full release of the great power, thus causing them to clash against each other. And when that happens, even Sesshoumaru might not be able to escape the clutches of the great power."
"You need not worry too much about that, Shirinousai," Kodoragon assured. "The power born of light is there to help him. She is the one single thing that the great power cannot override. She will prevail."
"You really believe that?" Shirinousai swiveled back on his hair to look at the mass of mist.
"I hope that that is the case," Kodoragon answered. "For if she fails, those of us who knew about the great power escaping the seal and did nothing to stop it when we had the chance, can only watch as it destroys everyone and everything around us."
"Then we can only pray to the gods that the young Prince does not fall by the hands of the great power," Shirinousai whispered as he looked up at the skies.
Another rumble shook the forest and the mist as Kodoragon chuckled in spite of himself. "If the young Prince does indeed fall to the great power and it manages to unlock its true potential, then not even the gods stand a chance of stopping it. The earth will die, and if the great power ever finds the gate to the kingdom of the gods… the heavens too will burn."
Shirinousai could not repress the shudder that went through him. "But that is only a myth, is it not?"
Kodoragon let out a throaty chuckle. "A few centuries ago, the birth of the power born of light, was only a myth. But now we know better do we not?"
Shirinousai let out a deep breath. "Point taken- Kodoragon Sama."
The two demons then spent several minutes in silence, watching the Inu Taiyoukai.
It was Kodoragon who interrupted the silence when he felt his highly sensitive aura react, "I haven't felt this type of Youki signature since the time of the battle of his great ancestor."
"You battled one of the great Inu Youkais?" Shirinousai questioned with wide eyes.
"No, I was only a hatchling then," Kodoragon replied with a low rumble. "But my father did. And it was not precisely a battle. He was trying to restrain the Inu Youkai before it destroyed the lands. It was truly a wonder to see the Inu Youkai's mate bring him out of his blood lust. If not, we would have had to kill him to stop him."
Shirinousai stroked his beard thoughtfully. "So it is possible to stop an Inu Youkai from their line- when it becomes a Demon Blood Beast?"
"In the past, with the combined forces of two or more Lords or a few ancients, yes, it is possible to kill them. But, this is so only because they are ruled by instinct and not intelligence. Sesshoumaru's Demon Blood Beast however, is another matter entirely."
"She will come through for us…" Shirinousai breathed out firmly, deciding to be positive about the whole situation.
Kodoragon- simply stated truth, "She must…"
…ooo…
Juru furiously blinked back the red that was creeping into his eyes because of the alarms going off in his body, as he stared down at the impassive form of Sesshoumaru.
"Sesshoumaru!" he shouted down to the Inu Youkai. "Mask your aura!"
"Why?" The Western Lord was getting agitated by the Sea Dragon Demons' strange behavior.
"Just do it for crying out loud!"
Sesshoumaru glared at Juru before pulling his aura back into his body.
Juru almost shivered when cold air brushed against his skin and his Youkai settled within him. 'That was… scary.' Juru took a deep breath, ignoring the sudden need to be near water, his natural element, and studied Sesshoumaru cautiously, before leaping down to the ground.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" Juru shouted questioningly, immediately.
Sesshoumaru retaliated with a pointed look. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Juru looked flabbergasted for a moment before remembering his previous assumption that Sesshoumaru didn't know what he was doing. He decided to enlighten the proud Youkai Lord who thought he knew everything- though being polite about it never crossed his mind…
"You were releasing crazy powerful Youki, you dumb bastard!" Juru waved his hands in the air, as if trying to signal: 'fire –help'! "You almost made me transform just by standing there!"
"You speak nonsense," Sesshoumaru stated as if it was an obvious thing.
Juru felt like pulling his hair out in frustration, but then immediately begged forgiveness from the gods of lovely hair for his trail of thought. But still, how was he to explain to Sesshoumaru about what happened? And it was truly unbelievable that Sesshoumaru felt nothing!
"Didn't you feel the rise in temperature?" Juru looked at Sesshoumaru suspiciously.
The quirk of Sesshoumaru's eyebrow indicated that the answer was a clear 'No'.
Juru let his arms fall to his sides, and his jaw sagged in defeat. What the hell, was going on?
"Sesshoumaru this is serious!" Juru suddenly narrowed his eyes as he took a step towards the Taiyoukai Lord of the West. "And I'm not joking around about this. Your aura just had the Youki essence of you in your true form. Mind explaining how that could happen."
Sesshoumaru's eyes suspiciously glanced down to the Tenseiga, wondering if the sword had something to do with the strange phenomenon that Juru was going on and on about.
The sword, he noticed, did nothing to profess its innocence in the whole matter.
"I cannot explain what I myself cannot feel." Sesshoumaru bore into the eyes of Juru. "But if it is as you say it is, then, I will… keep my senses open about it. And you will tell me if it happens again when you are around."
Juru huffed. "And what makes you think I'm going to be around?"
Sesshoumaru smirked in response. "Now that you know the situation with Bakarryuu and the miko, I know better than to not expect you to snoop around in my lands. I suspect you will tell the other two about this, after you tell your father and the other Lord's?"
"If they don't hear it from me, then they'll hear it from the other Lords," Juru replied nonchalantly, repressing the urge to snicker at the thought of a certain Princess catching him in a head lock for not giving her the news himself and having to hear it from her father instead. 'Wouldn't she be interested to learn about the new freaky Sesshoumaru…!'
Juru snapped out of his thoughts when he realized that Sesshoumaru wasn't standing in front of him anymore. He turned his head just in time to see Sesshoumaru's white form, fade into the thickness of the forest, heading in the same direction that little Inuyasha left in.
'So… he is going to see the miko after all!' Juru smiled secretly, inwardly doing victory dances now that he knew something, or though that he knew something, that the other two didn't, which would be a big first. 'Heh! The dogs getting soft, for the miko at least…!'
Juru snickered before disappearing in a whirl wind of leaves. He had a report to make to his father, and knowing his father, he would be less than pleased if he were too late. Of course, there was still enough time to get his hair done. Wasn't there?
Sure there was!
After all, nothing was more important than long attractive hair, - though, females- were a close second. 'Heh Heh!'
…l…
…l…
Author's bottom Corner
Good ha? (grins) What? It isn't! (pout)
:) Well, the next chapter will deal with Kikyo (like duh!), and boy are you going to be surprised as to how. (smirk). At least I hope to catch you by surprise… (you know…like; "Man! I never saw that coming!")
Ne'ways, Till next time folks. (And drop in many a detailed reviews if you find the time…) TA-TA!
