Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha or related characters they belong to the respective owners. OC's are mine.

Chapter Fifty:


Kagome woke to find herself in a large bed in a room that belonged in a feudal era castle…now for most people in that era this would not seem awkward. For Kagome though this was very strange indeed seeing as she was from the modern era, and while in the feudal era she slept in Kaede's hut, an inn, or in a sleeping bag in the middle of the forest. What also made it awkward was the last thing she could remember was sitting with her friends outside the room where healers had been working on Inuyasha.

Sitting up Kagome looked around the room to find it was relatively sparse, and was no doubt a secondary room off of a larger suite of rooms. Standing she quickly noticed whoever had brought her to the room had basically just laid her on the futon, covered her with a simple blanket, and left. She exited the room to find breakfast type foods had been placed on the low table in the middle of what served as a sitting room.

Along with the food were several hastily written notes. She picked them up and shuffling through them found they were from Sango, Inu no Taisho, The Lady of the West, and Kurohime. Kagome read Sango's first…

Kagome, we decided to let you sleep in since it was late when Lord Sesshomaru and his mother escorted you to the suite. We've been gifted these rooms for our stay. Also, don't try leaving the grounds without permission from Inu no Taisho. The guards aren't letting anyone in or out of the palace until further notice, unless permitted by Inu no Taisho. After you finish eating and wash up you can find us down in the plaza at the exterminator camp. Hope you slept well. Signed Sango

Kagome set that note down then read the one from Inu no Taisho…

My son's companions, please make your selves comfortable within this suite. I ask that you please refrain from causing any confrontations among the peoples of this palace. Also, please do not enter any rooms that you are unfamiliar with or those that have guards. You are free to visit Inuyasha in the healer's wing, but try and stay out of the healers' way. A servant will notify you of any meals or meetings where your presence is requested otherwise feel free to do as you please. Signed Lord of the West

Kagome could easily tell the lord's note was a normal ad name here type of correspondence that he probably wrote out to every guest that came to the palace. The Lady's note was the next she read…

Kagome, please join me this afternoon for tea. Any of my children or the guards can direct you to the proper tea room. Koga and Airi will be arriving as early as tomorrow and I feel that after they have arrived things around here will begin to be hurried. Signed Lady of the West

Kagome could easily read that the request for joining for tea was actually an order. Finally she moved to the last note…

Kagome, I am a companion of Lord Sesshomaru. I know you will be having tea with the Lady of the West this afternoon. Seeing as tea time will be obviously taken up, I wonder if you'd join me for a walk after the evening meal. I believe I have some information you will wish to know.

Kagome placed the letters on the table and sat down to eat wondering what Kurohime wished to discuss.


Inu no Taisho stood outside his brother's destroyed quarters. His first thought was that he was thankful his brother had selected a single small room instead of a suite. His second thought was he was amazed that his normally cold and collected brother who had minor spurts of emotional outburst had finally cracked…he was still debating the pros and cons of this.

His scarred brother stood in the middle of the room, which could now be used as a third floor patio as both the outer wall and roof had been completely decimated. The few pieces of furniture that were more or less just decorations, as like most Inuyokai he usually had his garments cleaned then wore them again, and any documents of much importance were kept in the tribe's archives. Suffice it say whatever was left of the furniture couldn't be identified as to which piece it came from.

Now the reason Inu no Taisho was standing outside the room, beside the fact the interior wall where the door had been was also destroyed, was his brother's aura was quite visible. Inu no Taisho had sent servants to warn everyone away from this part of the palace…even he wasn't sure how reasonable his brother was right now.

Taking a deep breath and centering his own inner turmoil for the moment he headed into the maelstrom. Inu no Taisho raised his own aura up as a shield then spoke bringing his brother's attention, "Brother! Calm yourself!"

The scarred one turned a look of pure hatred on his brother, "You make us wait brother! We should tear apart the land and drag this abomination into the light. Make him beg for death!"

Inu no Taisho frowned, "Brother, even you would not act so recklessly. There would be much loss of life on our side and much innocence would suffer if we acted as such. The lands would rise against us and war would rage, humans would be killed in numbers so vast even we couldn't fathom them."

The scarred one snarled, "How can you be so calm brother? It was your son that bastard tried to murder!"

Inu no Taisho glared at his brother, "Do you think I don't know that?" Inu no Taisho slapped his head, "Shit!" The yokai lord centered himself then moved to where the outer wall once was, "Brothers! Sisters! To me now!"

The other eight siblings quickly arrived. The youngest sister frowned, "What is wrong with second brother?"

Inu no Taisho narrowed his eyes at his siblings, "Release your auras…Now!"

The others looked confused for a minute than release the auras as they allowed their emotions to spew forth. After a minute all their auras calmed to a more normal level. Inu no Taisho turned to the sibling closet in age to himself. The scarred one placed a clawed hand to his head, "What? What happened?"

Inu no Taisho nodded then dismissed his other siblings, "Sorry brother…I wasn't paying attention."

The scarred one looked around, "Let me guess…overload?"

The yokai lord nodded, "Our connection as siblings…I wasn't monitoring like I normal would…you were receiving both the anger of our younger siblings, as well as mine."

The scarred one frowned, "That's not possible…we can only feel and moderate the emotions of our younger siblings."

Inu no Taisho chuckled, "Normally that's true…" He became solemn, "…but normally I monitor and filter the emotions of the others. There is a small amount that then falls back on you and the others subsequently. Meaning you get the fall back of eight of our siblings. The monitoring is wholly involuntary as you know, but if I don't filter it you get a full blast of what the others are feeling."

The scarred one realized, "Since you weren't acting the part of eldest the empathic link shifted to me."

Inu no Taisho nodded, "You were taking my place…and unfortunately I was taking yours. It took me consciously looking at the connection to reset it. You're back under control now…and should be a lot more clear headed."

His brother nodded then looked around, "Umm…seems like I'll need a new bed."

Inu no Taisho frowned, "Why, it's not like you ever sleep."

The scarred one shrugged, "Guess a table and a couple chairs would be nice…"

Inu no Taisho snorted, "Well, if this is settled brother…mind sparing with me. I seem to have a need to focus."

The two brothers departed to go train and soon several servants arrived to assess the damage. They'd brought simple cleaning implements, which all clattered to the floor at the sight before them.


Kagome was sitting next to Inuyasha's bed in the healer's wing. She turned at the sound of the door opening and watched a wizened Coyote yokai enter the room. He made his way to the bed shaking his head, "You stubborn little pup…why is it always you?"

Kagome frowned at the Coyote, "You've treated him before?"

The Coyote turned to Kagome, "Master Inuyasha? I've treated him since the day he was born. Knew he'd be something special the moment I saw the pup, never seen a full blood pup or any other hanyo send out a calling like he did."

Kagome's frown deepened, "A calling?"

The Coyote sat in another chair, "When master Inuyasha was born he sensed danger and instinctively sent out a wave of his aura. It called every free member of his family to his location." The Coyote adjusted his robe then continued, "I believe you know what vocalizing is correct?"

Kagome nodded, "When the Inuyokai call each other, similar to the way normal dogs do."

The Coyote smiled, "Well, it's not limited to the Inuyokai. Any yokai can vocalize…just canine tribes can only understand other canine tribes, feline tribes can understand other felines, and dragons can only understand dragons. I think you get the picture. Well the vocalizing is only half of it. The actual sound is not truly important, it is the aura that flares when vocalizing that tells us what is needed."

Kagome looked surprised, "That's why they heard Inuyasha. They didn't actually hear him, they just sensed his aura."

The Coyote bowed his head sadly, "Inuyasha vocalizing has always been poor…unless he does it instinctually. If he knew what he was doing it would have saved him a lot of pain."

Kagome turned to the hanyo, "You mean when he was abducted?"

The Coyote looked thunderstruck, "How did you know about that…Master Inuyasha never speaks about that with anyone save his first uncle."

Kagome bowed her head, "He didn't tell me…Inu no Taisho did when he caught me staring at a scar left from that time…I noticed it after he was injured by Sesshomaru." Kagome noticed the Coyote had become deathly silent, "What happened then?"

The Coyote's shocked expression turned somber, "It is not something for me to say…I tended to his physical wounds to the best of my abilities. Yet many of those wounds still make my blood boil and my stomach wretch when thought of. His uncle was the one who dealt with the hidden wounds…of all Inuyokai…or yokai in general to my knowledge…he's the best to turn to for such pains. The scars on his face are a testament to that fact."

Kagome turned back to Inuyasha and watched as the Coyote forced the unconscious boy to drink some strong smelling medicine than leave.

Standing just outside the door Sesshomaru stoically stood with his back to the wall. He met the Coyote's eyes when the aged healer exited the room. A curt nod from the Coyote was the only communication between the two before the healer continued on his way. Sesshomaru waited several minutes then stealthily entered the room.

He'd heard Kagome move and now saw she'd moved to sit closer to his brother. She was using a cloth and water from a basin to wipe sweat from the hanyo's brow. Sesshomaru looked at his own claws and silently wondered if this scene was similar to one that happened after his own foolish attempt on his brother's life. Sesshomaru stepped closer and made his presence known, "Miko…"

Kagome turned to see Sesshomaru. She glared at the daiyokai, "What do you want Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru didn't flinch physically at the girl's words, but he did since her hostility, "I have only come to ascertain my brother's condition."

Kagome turned back to Inuyasha, "Yeah right! You wouldn't care if he did die would you."

This time Sesshomaru actually winced as her words struck worse than her poorly aimed arrows. Sesshomaru looked at his brother and frowned, "I…I am not sure whether what you say is true or not human. That this Sesshomaru has yet to decide."

Kagome turned to watch as Sesshomaru departed the room, and then turned back to Inuyasha with a sad look. To herself she was wondering if she'd been too harsh with the confused yokai.


Out in the plaza Miroku stood by watching as Shippo avoided little children who kept trying to catch him by his tail. They were currently waiting for Sango and Kohaku to finish a meeting with their village elders. The siblings had been contacted by the elders when it was learned they were both staying in the palace. Miroku could barely make out what was being said by the elders and the siblings.

The head elder was a wizened old man whose eyes were permanently closed due to the amounts of winkles he had. To his right sat a retired exterminator, the man was missing both eyes and one leg. Obviously he'd had a bad run in with a yokai sometime before being named an elder. The last elder sat to the head elders left, this was the woman on the elders' council and like the others she'd formerly been an exterminator, but her aged appearance belied that fact.

Sango and Kohaku bowed to the elders then sat waiting to be addressed. The head elder went into a coughing fit that made the others fear he would dislodge his lungs. After the fit he turned his smiling face on the siblings, "It is so good to know you both survived. With your guidance we will be able to rebuild what was lost."

Sango spoke for the siblings, "I am glad so many of the villagers had sought refuge here, and had not countermanded First Teacher's decree. I agree that we will rebuild, but this is not the time…if we start rebuilding before the threat of Naraku has passed then our efforts will be for naught."

The blind elder spoke up, "Let his lordship deal with this Naraku…it is a yokai matter not ours. For too long we have allowed them to be master of our destiny. Our ancestors were fools for seeking aid from First Teacher. We had survived for centuries before he came to us, we will survive on our own now."

Sango and Kohaku both looked affronted at the elder. Before Kohaku could talk out of turn Sango spoke, "Most…revered elder…To speak such in my presence as your leader is heresy. First Teacher kept our ancestors from being wiped out."

The blind elder spat at the ground between his feet, "We are exterminators. It is ridiculous that we allow those who should be our sworn enemies to guide and govern us. We have been weak, and this weakness allowed for our destruction."

The head elder turned to the blind elder, "Enough! Lady Sango is correct…speaking out against First Teacher is against the most ancient laws of our people. Forget that he is yokai, for the time he was a part of our village he was no different than any other man. He loved; lost those he loved, and suffered horribly. He never asks for anything of our people…he is merely there for us to turn to. Once more as we had in the past we need him to guide us from the darkness."

The blind man turned where he knew the third elder would be sitting, "What do you say old grandmother? You know personally what kinds of beast these tribal yokai are…they pretend to be men, but really they are nothing more than monsters lurking in the shadows."

The female elder narrowed her eyes at the blind man, "Hold your tongue. You know nothing of my past. You are twisting what really happened because you are angry with the outcome."

Kohaku spoke up this time, "What are you arguing about?"

The head elder turned a stern gaze at the boy, "Manners boy…it is not your place to speak at this meeting." He then relaxed and turned to look toward the fire that sat between the elders and the siblings, "Many years ago the three of us were sent to exterminate a rather vicious yokai. He'd murdered many innocent villagers, and your grandfather ordered us to deal with it quickly. Upon arriving at the village we found our target had already been felled."

Sango frowned, "Other exterminators?"

The head elder shook his head, "No…the village was beyond the area our roaming squads used to travel. The one who felled the yokai was in fact another yokai. He was a young and brash yokai, relatively close to our age physically at that time. He and my sister here quickly found a mutual respect…he even journeyed with us for a time. Never did he return to the village with us, always saying he'd meet up with us at one shrine or another." The elder bowed his head, "After a very dangerous mission, our yokai friend was badly wounded…he'd taken a blow that would have killed my sister."

The female elder spoke up, "We remained in that village for a time to ensure his wounds healed properly. Of course being a yokai he healed very quickly…and as my brother said, we'd become very close."

Sango bowed her head, "I'm assuming?"

The head elder nodded, "You'd assume correctly. Our third teammate, who also had feelings for my sister, caught them in the act and…well he attacked the yokai. That yokai blinded him, but he still landed a mortal blow to the yokai."

The blind elder fumed, "We learned later he was the member of the northern wolf tribe…that tribe chief wanted retribution for the loss of his pack member."

The head elder nodded, "Yes, and rightly so…but First Teacher refused to hand over an exterminator as he knew others would start coming out of the woodworks wanting retribution for their family members we'd exterminated. So instead he compromised…my sister's hanyo child was turned over to the wolves, who promptly departed with the child and we know not his fate. A second part of the compromise was to sate Inu no Taisho's wrath…his brother had promised him we'd never kill a yokai who'd not committed acts of violence against humans…"

The blind man huffed, "…First Teacher cut off my leg with a dull katana. He said he'd used the dull katana as to teach the whole village the lesson."

Sango and Kohaku bowed their head, both having a hard time believing their mentor would do such a thing.

The female elder then spoke, "First Teacher was right…the village had become arrogant. We'd thought we could do as we pleased, but without First Teacher stepping in and offering the compromises, Inu no Taisho would have allowed the Northern Wolf Tribe to slaughter the village."

The blind elder scoffed, "First Teacher did not care about us…he merely didn't want a mess made of his territory. What reason would he have to protect us?"

The five people jumped and turned when they heard a deep growl. Kirara sat next to Sango in her transformed state. Sango wondering what was wrong with her yokai partner stroked the fire cat's side trying to calm her. Kohaku frowned, "Kirara doesn't like you speaking poorly of First Teacher."

The scarred one appeared, "No Kohaku she would not like that…seeing as I saved her life."

Sango bowed, "First Teacher…how much did you hear?"

The scarred yokai grinned malevolently, "I'm an Inuyokai…I can hear a pin drop from a mile away if I want to. Though, I'd be incredibly foolish amplifying my hearing that much. Let's just suffice it to say I started paying attention the first time I heard that stupid name you people keep referring to me as."

The elders seemed to squirm while the siblings turned to fully face their mentor. Kohaku spoke up first, "First Teacher…did you really cut the elder's leg off?"

The scarred one turned a writhing glare at the elders, "It is true…I cut off his limb and gave it to my brother in appeasement. He wanted the fools head, but I was able to convince him that without the leg the man would have to retire from exterminating, and it would serve as a lasting lesson to the other exterminators."

Sango bowed her head, "First Teacher, why didn't you let Inu no Taisho do as he pleased to the village? I mean you don't really care about the village?"

The scarred one grinned, "True, I could care less about the village. It is a bunch of wood buildings, walls, a few gardens, and a shrine. As an Inuyokai I must have something to protect…it is my only reason for existing, even if I need to be reminded every once in a while. What I chose to protect is not a few randomly placed structures within a barricade. I protect the villagers themselves, and if it means I must harm one so most will survive then so be it."

The siblings nodded their understanding.

The scarred one then turned to leave, "Now that that is settled…someone please go tend to the infants…one has messed its nappy, because I stopped changing diapers two hundred years ago."


It was late afternoon when Kagome finally made her way to the Lady of the West's tea room. As she entered she found Inuyasha's elder cousin Moko setting down a tea server set. She smiled at the miko then went back to her work as the girl sat down. Kagome waited as Moko finished setting out the tea.

Moko finished than took a seat, "Auntie will be here in just a minute…she had to go meet with Sesshomaru's consort."

Kagome frowned, "I thought Kurohime is his mate?"

Moko nodded, "She is…for the time being. She's what's known as a marked mate. Meaning she's off limits to other males for as long as she lives, even if Sesshomaru eventually shuns her. Any male who touches her will be punished severely by yokai law. That's not something you mess with lightly."

Kagome turned to the door as it slid open and the Lady entered followed by Inu no Taisho's five sisters. Kagome stood and waited for the Inuyokai to enter and claim their seats. The Lady sat followed by the others. She quickly turned her gaze on Kagome, "Welcome…since there is no need for introductions let us begin…"


Half an hour later Kagome exited the tea room quite confused. She wondered if this was what an interrogation felt like. The Lady of the West along with her sisters-in-law questioned her on everything from her mother's maiden name to grades in elementary school, that'll teach her to inform them what schools were. She'd avoided leaking any information about yokai in the future, but she had a sinking suspicion that they already knew about some of it. No doubt from her little talk with Inu no Taisho after Inuyasha had beaten that stupid old dragon.

Kagome was halfway to her suite to get ready for the evening meal when she quite literally ran into Kenshirou. The Inuyokai may have seemed more awkward and clumsy than the others, but that was obviously a ruse as he easily kept both himself and Kagome from falling, "Oh, sorry Kagome, didn't see you there."

Kagome smiled nervously, "Sorry Kenshirou, actually it was my fault I wasn't paying attention."

Kenshirou looked off toward the healers' wing, "Don't worry…he'll get better soon. I'm sure…"

Kagome quickly realized the Inuyokai was trying to convince himself more than her. She was always surprised by the difference between Kenshirou and his elder full brother. Kagome smiled a little more confidently, "I'm sure your right Kenshirou…actually I just got done being interrogated by your mother and aunts…"

Kenshirou looked wide eyed at the human then turned away quickly to hide the mischievous smile that should only belong on the face of a kitsune. After composing himself he turned back to her, "Well…hope it wasn't too bad. I better let you be on your way…umm…see you at evening meal?"

Kagome noticed the question, "Umm…yeah Sango and I are eating with your family since Kohaku was ordered to by Sesshomaru to eat with them."

Kenshirou scratched the back of his head, "Ugh, my brother…" He looked pleadingly at Kagome, "…you have a brother right? Want to trade?"

Kagome giggled, "Umm…sorry Kenshirou, but I prefer my little brother over your older brother."

Kenshirou hung his head in defeat, "Ahhh…guess I'll just go act all brotherly again…" He straightened back up, "…At least we don't have to sit at the same end of the table anymore. He gets to sit down with his mate and those wards of his." He moved to walk past her, "Well, see you later Kagome."

Kagome watched Kenshirou walk down the hall then continued on her way. After stopping by the healers' wing to check on Inuyasha…she was shoed away by Coyote after five minutes…she made her way back to the suite of rooms she shared with her friends.

They were all sitting in the main room and she went to join them. Sango turned to Miroku and Shippo, "Are you two sure you're fine eating with the servants?"

Miroku nodded, "I found out that Jaken eats down there, and I have a few questions for him in regards to some things I've heard around the palace. I don't want to mention anything now, but I'll let you all know more when I have solid information."

Kagome turned to Shippo, "What about you Shippo?"

The Kitsune crossed his arms and put on a puffed-up expression, "I have a cousin who's head of the third floor cleaners…I told him I'd eat with his crew tonight, but I ran into Rin in the courtyard this afternoon…so I ended up promising her I'd eat with you guys tomorrow. Lord Inu no Taisho praised my skill at mingling at different social levels when he overheard me and Rin talking."

The other three weren't sure if the Inuyokai lord was being serious with the praise or if he'd just been humoring the little Kitsune. They chose to let him think it was genuine praise.


They all quickly went their ways to their evening meals. In the main dining hall Kagome and Sango sat next to Kohaku. Meal conversation was kept to a minimum as the air around the table was still tense. Every time a servant entered the room several people at the table seemed ready to bolt for the healers' wing, though most would be more of a hindrance than of any aid.

As the horribly silent meal ended and those at the table began to leave on their own, in pairs, or in small groups Kurohime approached Kagome, "Kagome…perhaps we could have that talk now?"

Kagome nodded, "Of course…umm…lead the way?"

Kurohime led Kagome into the courtyard at the back of the palace. They began walking the circuit of the path laid through the flower beds. After a few minutes of silence Kurohime spoke, "It is nice to see the moon so full…it has been some time since I left my homeland…how long have you been away from your home?"

Kagome didn't know how much this yokai knew, "I just got back yesterday afternoon…than I got kidnapped, and then Inuyasha was hurt."

Kurohime bowed her head, "Do you know why Sesshomaru wishes to keep me at his side?"

Kagome shook her head.

Kurohime smiled sadly, "I have the power to read the hearts of any male. Either yokai, human, or hanyo…"

Kagome froze, "You've read Inuyasha's?"

Kurohime nodded, "When we first met…also I read the heart of your monk friend. I didn't read the kitsune's because I try to avoid reading the hearts of such young children, including when they have obvious trauma in their past." Kurohime turned to Kagome, "Your hanyo has a very confused heart…almost as confused as my Lord Sesshomaru's own. I won't tell you how to aid him…that is up to you. Also, I will warn you that his heart is pained by something so deep that even I can't fully understand it, most likely a repressed childhood trauma."

Kagome nodded, "I know some of that but not all…do you know anything?"

Kurohime shook her head sadly, "I can only read emotions and states of mind. I have no ability to read the mind itself; the heart is a much murkier source of information."

Kagome was looking around when she noticed they were near the back wall. She noticed several bushes appeared to have been pushed aside by someone walking through them, "What's that?"

Kurohime frowned, "I'm not sure."

The pair followed the trail and soon came upon a single marker. Kagome knelt next to the marker, "Um…there's no name just a dagger. It looks like someone embedded the dagger into the marker to make it look like part of the marker. The marker is over a hundred years old, but the dagger hasn't been here more than fifty."

Kurohime frowned, "This is peculiar…Sesshomaru did tell me Lady Izayoi was buried on the palace grounds. Could this be her grave?"

Kagome frowned and looked to the moon, "Dagger, moon, Izayoi…" Kurohime looked at her strangely after hearing the unconnected words. Kagome figured the dragon scale in her pocked, "…Kurohime, what uses are there for dragon scales?"

Kurohime frowned, "It depends on the type of dragon and where on the body the scale came from."

Kagome pulled out the scale and showed it to the yokai, "I was given this and told I'd know when to use it."

Kurohime looked surprised, "Kagome! What dragon gave you that scale…it is still radiating power."

Kagome frowned, "A fire dragon I think."

Kurohime nodded solemnly, "If this is the place and time make your wish, what it is you want more than anything."

The yokai walked away leaving Kagome with her thoughts. Kagome held the scale and made her wish.


Next Morning…

Inu no Taisho glared at the rising sun. In the distance two silhouettes could be made out flying toward the castle. The yokai lord waited patiently as the two dragons landed. Inu no Taisho growled at the fire dragon, "What business do you have here?"

The fire dragon bowed, "Honorable lord…I come at the directive of a high power. Someone within your palace wished on my scale for someone to be saved. My sister is talented in the healing arts."

Inu no Taisho glared at the pair, "She may be talented, but we have the greatest healers within any land."

The fire dragon smirked, "My Lord please…you can't tell me your healers skills are greater than those of a water dragon."


End Chapter Fifty

A/N: Okay, I'm half asleep, so this is where it's ending for tonight...well that was true when I wrote this on Saturday. Now enjoy, and I might possibly get another chapter written tonight, but I've started writing my own non fanfiction work, so we'll see which lures me to work on it before sleep is required.