Unless specified, the POV will be third person omniscient.

"Japanese Speech"

'thoughts'

"English speech"

—∞—|—∞— Scene and/or time transition

—∞— shift between areas of action or POV within the same scene/location

{Stage directions/ setting}

[[Telepathic communication]]

Previously:

"!" Kagome said, realizing they hadn't properly thanked the person responsible for this miracle yet. "Umm… Sesshoumaru, thank…" She started to say as she turned to face him, but her words fell short when she realized he was already several yards away from them. "Ah…" She had wanted to ask him about Katsumi, too…

"He left…" Sango said, somewhat stunned. This had to be the first time she had ever seen the two brothers in the same place at once without things coming to blows between them…

—∞—

Tenseiga… what was it trying to tell me…?' Sesshoumaru wondered as he walked away, deep in thought. 'To make me find out about that…? Why would I bother with that place?'

Chapter 11: Perchance to Dream

"Ah! Sesshoumaru-sama~!" Rin exclaimed happily when she spotted him upon his return, running up to greet him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama~! You have returned!" Jaken exclaimed, parroting Rin. Sesshoumaru's eye almost twitched. Not only was Jaken using that disturbing tone of voice again, but from the smell of things, another annoying person had paid his two followers a visit during his absence…

"Guess what, Sesshoumaru-sama! Katsumi-nee's onii-sama came to visit us!" Rin announced cheerfully as she smiled innocently up at him, completely oblivious to her guardian's chagrin.

"Fool! He didn't come to play with you!" Jaken scolded her. "Seigetsu-sama came here because he had business with Sesshoumaru-sama! Right, Sesshou—Geh!?" He squeaked in pain and surprise when Sesshoumaru's foot made contact with his face. You think the imp would have learned by now not to be so mean to Rin. Did he really think Sesshoumaru would let him get away with it simply because Katsumi was not around?

"Business?" Sesshoumaru asked, wondering what Seigetsu could possibly say that would be remotely of interest to him. As far as he was concerned, listening to that moron talk was about as beneficial as applying salt to an open wound.

"Uh-huh." Rin said, nodding, as she removed a letter from her kimono and held it up to him. "He said Rin should give you this, and then he left in a hurry after Rin told him about how Katsumi-nee is staying with her grandpa for awhile. Seigetsu-sama didn't seem to know anything about it…" she explained, watching as Sesshoumaru grudgingly accepted and opened the letter. Although it had been delivered by Seigetsu, he could smell Tsukihime's scent all over it, and she rarely made the effort to contact him, so it must be important.

Sesshoumaru,
I forgot to mention this during our last meeting, though I suppose you know by now… but the reason Naraku attacked Katsumi was to gain information on the border between this world and the next. In my vision he told her there was "something he wanted" there. If you want to find him, I suggest following the scent of that human boy he has under his control. Happy hunting!
Sincerely,
Tsukihime-sama

Sesshoumaru clenched the letter in his hand. He would have done that even without her saying so.

—∞—|—∞—

Meanwhile, in an immense cavernous space full of crystalline formations glistening in the light of glowing pools of what appeared to be liquid moonlight, Katsumi found herself amazed by the beauty of her fantastic and unusual surroundings.

"Wow..." she breathed, taking in the whole scene before her, while she addressed her grandfather and Una. "What is this place?" Katsumi wasn't quite sure what she had been expecting when they said they were taking her to a place that would help her find her True Name, but whatever it was paled in comparison to reality.

"The Pools of Reflection," Gean answered, gently pulling her away from the pool she had begun to lean over to get a better look. "They're for looking inwards. And by that, I mean you can see the brutally unaltered inner workings of your own soul. Any who enter are confronted by the true nature of their inner selves."

"It's beautiful..." Katsumi said, still mesmerized by the opalescent surface of the glowing liquid.

"And dangerous," Una added firmly. "These waters have been the doom of many men. Once you go in, you can't come out again until your quest has ended. The ones who make it back go mad. The ones who don't…" she trailed off as she turned her head to look at a handful of pools that still had unconscious faeries and human hybrids of varying degrees floating in them. "Some of them have been in there for centuries." Katsumi's brow furrowed a bit with concern at the sight of them.

"I'm not a man," Katsumi pointed out, hoping the lack of female representation meant they had faired better.

"Most women know better," Una replied with a pointed look at Gean. "You should know better too," she told him. "Just because one of your ancestors managed it, doesn't mean—"

"She can't stay like this, Una," Gean retorted strongly. "She can handle it. She's special. I can tell."

"All grandparents think their grandchildren are 'special'," Una retorted dryly.

"We both know that isn't true. Look at what happened to Lugh," Gean said sharing a significant look with her.

"He was special," Una said.

"So is anyone who could survive what she's been through," Gean reminded her. "You know it's true."

"Hmm..." Una's brow furrowed deeply, and she frowned while considering his argument. "That is true… But she's only just regained consciousness. She isn't even fully healed yet."

"I'm not?" Katsumi asked surprised, reminding them that she was still there.

"No, I'm afraid not, child," Una answered sadly. "It'll take years, probably decades before you can completely recover and regain your full strength." Katsumi couldn't hide her disappointment. She didn't feel very weak. She had thought losing her wings would be the worst of it, but she couldn't afford to wait that long to recover. How much of that damage would be permanent? If her previous level of strength wasn't enough, then how could she face Sesshoumaru again now that she was even more pathetic?

"That's exactly why she needs this," Gean insisted on her behalf. "She needs access to her full powers. Otherwise, we may as well stuff an apple in her mouth and serve her up on a platter to that damn bastard Naraku. You do plan on going back to avenge yourself, don't you?" he asked, turning to address her. Katsumi clenched her fist and her fangs showed a little as she gritted her teeth in frustration and anger as she thought of everything Naraku had done to her. Her eyes gained a slight red tinge. She could never forgive him. No way.

"Of course I am," she stated with a grim determination. She didn't know how she would do it in her current state, but she refused to back down. She refused to give in to despair.

"That's a lass," Gean said, smiling proudly. "Well?" he asked Una.

"..." Una stared at Katsumi hard, examining the look on her face and saw the answer in her fierce eyes. Nothing in the world could stop this girl. "Very well," she agreed reluctantly and held out a hand to Katsumi. She was very young, and the younger you were, the easier it was supposed to be. Perhaps because there was less time to accumulate mental scars, sins, and enemies to haunt you. "Come." Katsumi took her hand and let Una lead her over to a specific pool. Una removed the helmet they had put on her to travel there that blocked mind-reading. She wouldn't be needing it once she was in the pool. "There will be a road or a path of some sort. Follow it. It will guide you through your quest. Do not leave it for any reason, or you'll be lost forever. Understand? Now, step into the pool and lay down. Let your body float, and close your eyes. The water will do the rest." Katsumi did as she was told. The water was surprisingly warm. Her eyelids grew heavy as soon as she lay back. She closed them and descended into darkness as her body sank just beneath the surface, completely immersed. The plain white robe they had given her floated around her. "All we can do now is wait," Una said with restrained concern.

—∞—

Katsumi waited for something to happen, but minutes passed by with nothing. "Um… Okay, what do I do now?" she asked aloud. "Una? Grandpa?" No answer. 'Weird,' Katsumi thought as she opened her eyes. She blinked as light filled them again, and waited for them to adjust. Katsumi was surprised to find herself in garden, but not just any old garden—a botanical wonderland. The scale and style of the layout reminded her of a park. Despite the detail, there was something dreamlike about her surroundings, as if they weren't entirely real. "Does this mean… I'm in my inner world?" she wondered aloud. She noticed that she was standing on a path made of yellow bricks. "Really?" she said, amused and a little incredulous at herself. "A yellow brick road? For real?" Could she get any cheesier? "Well, at least it's clearly marked." Without further ado, she started down the path. She crossed a bridge and heard someone singing. She stopped. It sounded like her own voice. She looked in the direction it was coming from and saw herself as a human, digging up the dirt and sprinkling seeds. A bundle of picked flowers sat beside her.

"Um… Hi?" Katsumi greeted herself awkwardly. The human version of her stopped and looked up at her. "Um… what are you doing?" 'Who are you?' seemed like a stupid question.

"I have to replace the ones I take," human-Katsumi said, as if it should have been obvious.

"Riiight..." Katsumi said. "Anyway… I'm looking for my True Name. I don't suppose you—"

"You'll need your faerie part for that," human-Katsumi said.

"Do you know where I can find her?" Katsumi asked.

"Sure, she's over there somewhere," human-Katsumi answered, pointing in the direction of a vast, dark forest.

"Oh, goody," Katsumi said, sweat-dropping. She would get lost for sure in there if she went in there alone without a map. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to guide me?"

"You don't need me. The path continues through there. But here's a light to help you see," human-Katsumi said, removing a flashlight from her bag. "It gets dark in there." Katsumi reached out to take the flashlight, but human-Katsumi didn't let go. "Be sure to stick to the path, no matter what you see or hear."

"Ok, I will," Katsumi promised. "Thanks." Human-Katsumi let go of the flashlight, and Katsumi continued on her way, following the yellow brick road. The garden gave way to forest. Katsumi was only six feet in when she had to turn on the light, the forest roof was so thick. Moths the size of bats fluttered around her. Katsumi had to keep moving the flashlight to prevent them from latching onto it and covering the light. Strange sounds could be heard pressing in from all sides. They sounded like people whispering and things moving around in the dark, just out of reach of her flashlight. A lone howl hung in the air. Every now and then she saw what appeared to be foxfires or will-o'-the-wisps, trying to lead her away from the path. Katsumi ignored them and continued to follow the narrowing road, careful not to misstep and stray. She had a feeling that once she lost the path, she'd never find it again. Then, she heard it. A scream pierced the darkness. It sounded just like Rin. It took everything she had not to abandon the path and bolt in that direction. More screams came. Katsumi held her hands over her ears as she squatted down, trying to block them out.

'It's not Rin. It can't be Rin. This is all inside your head!' she told herself repeatedly. She heard Naraku's laughter echoing all around her. Katsumi gritted her teeth and stood up again. She had to keep going. She couldn't let that bastard win! Her eyes widened when she saw what was waiting on the path in front of her. A giant dog with red eyes and golden fur. Instinctively, she reached for her sword, but her hand only brushed against the smooth fabric of the white robe they had given her to wear. For a moment, Katsumi was startled. She stared up at the giant, growling dog that was bearing its fangs at her. She furrowed her brow and growled back, flexing her claws.

"This is my dream!" Katsumi shouted up at it. "Get out of my way!!" She watched as it transformed to look just like her usual appearance, right down to her black kimono and sword. The only difference was that her eyes were amber.

"Oh? It seems you have some backbone," inu-youkai-Katsumi said, showing a little fang. "And here I thought you were just a weakling who couldn't defend herself."

"Uh, you're part of the 'weakling' who lost, so I wouldn't be talking if I were you," Katsumi retorted. "And, not that it really matters, but… why do you look like a full-blooded youkai, when I'm only half inu-youkai?"

"Your human self looked fully human, didn't she?" inu-youkai-Katsumi said.

"Yeah, I guess she did..." Katsumi said. That still didn't answer her question, but she had more important things to worry about. She had wasted too much time already. "Are you going to insist on blocking my path?"

"What do you think will happen if you reach your goal?" inu-youkai-Katsumi asked.

"I don't know," Katsumi admitted. "I just know that I can't stay the way I am now."

"Why does it matter so much to you?" inu-youkai-Katsumi questioned, tilting her head a little, regarding her with cool eyes. "Are you doing this to impress Sesshoumaru?"

"It's true that I want him to think well of me, but… I'm doing this for me!" Katsumi said with determination. "I want to win. I can't stand that I lost in such a humiliating way! I need to be stronger, so I can protect what's important to me!"

"Hmmph. In the end, you're still concerned for others," inu-youkai-Katsumi remarked. "That softness must come from your human side. But very well. I'll help you. After all, it takes guts to keep reaching out after you've been hurt."

"Really?" Katsumi asked. "How?"

"You're looking for your faerie self. I'll fly you there," inu-youkai-Katsumi said. "It'll take you years to cross this forest. You're in a hurry, right?"

"Right, but I've been warned not to leave the path, no matter what," Katsumi said, a little suspicious.

"Heh. Are you suspicious of me?" inu-youkai-Katsumi asked, looking a little amused. "We'll be following the path from the sky. What's the matter? Don't you want to see them again, those people you care about?"

"..." Katsumi stared hard at her inu-youkai self, looking for any sign that she might be lying. She carefully weighed the pros and cons. The risks vs. the rewards. But her inu-youkai self had hit the mark. It all boiled down to one question. How badly did she want to see them again? Enough to risk everything? Her life? Her future? No matter how much Katsumi thought about it, there was only one answer: yes. "All right," Katsumi said, determined to end the journey and get home. "I'll do it." Inu-youkai-Katsumi transformed back into a dog, and Katsumi climbed onto her back. They took to the sky, and Katsumi saw at once that inu-youkai-Katsumi hadn't been exaggerating. Although she knew it must end somewhere, the forest seemed endless, stretching out in all directions as far as the eye could see. The path twisted and turned all over the place, sometimes even going backwards. It was as worse than the maze in Labyrinth. Even though inu-youkai-Katsumi had said she would follow the path, she bypassed all these detours and cut straight to the path at the edge of the forest, where it straightened out again. Katsumi furrowed her brow and frowned when she looked beyond the forest and saw a beautiful, green glen that was scarred by a large circle where everything in it looked dead and burned, as if there had been a fire. Even the road looked grey. Inu-youkai-Katsumi landed on the road just inside the treeline. She let Katsumi down and transformed again.

"Beyond here is her territory," inu-youkai-Katsumi said. "I won't go any further."

"Okay. Thanks for your help," Katsumi said. She waved goodbye as inu-youkai-Katsumi transformed into a dog again and flew off. She turned her attention back to the road before her. "Now..." She moved forward, out of the forest and into the glen. Wildflowers bloomed here and there beside the road, until she reached the scar on the land. The road curved and formed a spiral that led down into a hole in the ground that looked rather like a large badger den. Katsumi stopped at the edge of the hole, unsure if she should continue on. The hole felt occupied. "Hello…?" There was silence, and then a small voice came from the darkness.

"What do you want?" it asked. It sounded like a child.

"I'm looking for my faerie self… have you seen her?" Katsumi asked.

"..." The thing occupying the hole was silent for a moment. "Why?"

"Eh?" Katsumi said.

"Why are you looking for her?" it asked.

"I'm trying to learn my True Name," Katsumi replied. She heard movement in the hole, and two glittering black eyes peered out at her from the darkness. Katsumi couldn't make out any other features. For a moment she was taken aback. The eyes looked more insect than human.

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Katsumi asked.

"You don't want to learn your True Name."

"I don't?" Katsumi said, tilting her head to the side.

"If you learn my name, you'll have to leave this place and go 'outside' again. If that happens, we'll get hurt again."

"We?" Katsumi asked. Her eyes widened slightly in realization. "Are you my faerie self?"

"What if I am?" faerie-Katsumi said. "I'm still not telling you. It's scary out there. I'm staying here. You should, too. You'll only get hurt out there."

"But there are good things 'out there' too," Katsumi said, squatting down by the hole. "Like chocolate—"

"No!" faerie-Katsumi said stubbornly, sounding as if she was on the verge of tears. "I don't wanna! It's scary! It hurts! You can't make me!!"

"There are people we can't see unless we leave here," Katsumi continued patiently, feeling as if she was talking to a child throwing a tantrum. "Don't you want to see Rin again?"

"Rin will be fine! She has Sesshoumaru and Jaken and Ah-Un to look after her!"

"But she'll miss us—"

"I don't care! I'm not going!"

"You're being very selfish," Katsumi said with a frown. "Don't you care that she'll be hurt?"

"… We're the ones who'll be hurt," faerie-Katsumi said quietly, refusing to back down.

"But isn't it worth the risk?" Katsumi asked. "What about Sesshoumaru? You want to see him again, don't you?"

"… He doesn't want to see us," faerie-Katsumi said, retreating further into the hole.

"But you want to see him anyway, don't you?" Katsumi asked. "I do. I can't wait to see him and Rin again."

"If you go, I'll be all alone again," faerie-Katsumi said, surprising her.

"Alone? But there are my other selves here," Katsumi said.

"They don't talk to me," faerie-Katsumi said. "You're the first. I'll be alone if you go."

"You won't be alone. You're part of me. Just like the others," Katsumi said. "Doesn't that mean we'll always be together? Why don't you try talking to them? Together, with the human and inu-youkai parts of me, we can do this."

"What if we can't?" faerie-Katsumi asked fearfully. "What if we fail again?"

"Then we'll keep trying until we get it right," Katsumi said, reaching her hand out to her faerie self.

"Together?" faerie-Katsumi asked.

"Together," Katsumi said with a gentle smile. A small, blue-grey hand reached out to hold hers.

"I… I really do want to see them..." faerie-Katsumi admitted.

"I know," Katsumi said. "What's your name?" A younger version of herself, with large black insect eyes and no hair, who appeared to be around Rin's age, poked her head out of the hole.

"Our True Name is..."

—∞—

Katsumi bolted upright in the pool, coughing and choking on the liquid she had accidentally inhaled the instant she regained consciousness.

"That's it, dear. Breathe," Una said as she helped her out of the pool.

"Koff! Koff! Where's my—koff—grandpa?" Katsumi asked, wiping the opalescent liquid from her face.

[[I can't understand Japanese. You'll have to switch to English or communicate with your thoughts,]] Una said. [[I can no longer read your mind freely.]]

"Oh, uh..." Katsumi said a little dumbly, trying to figure out how to do that. Come to think of it, she did get the feeling like there was a sort of 'shield' around her mind now. She tried thinking directly at the older faerie. [[Sorry. Where's my grandpa?]]

[[Well, he's very busy running the tribe,]] Una said. [[You can't expect him to hang around the whole time. You were in there for three days.]]

[[Three days?]] Katsumi said, shocked. [[It only felt like a couple of hours.]]

[[Time is relative, especially in dreams,]] Una said. [[Now, let's get you into some dry clothes. Everyone's going to want to celebrate, now that you have your True Name.]]

[[Celebrate?]] Katsumi asked. [[Everyone?]]

[[Your grandfather told the rest of your kin that you were undergoing this quest in secret, so naturally, everyone else knows too by now. There's usually a feast to celebrate when a child learns their True Name,]] Una explained.

[[Oh, that's really not necessary,]] Katsumi said, trying to decline politely. She really wanted to get back to Japan as soon as possible. She was sure Rin at least was very worried about her. She needed to let her know she was okay.

[[Nonsense!]] said a male elf who seemed to pop up out of nowhere.

[[If you refuse, everyone will be insulted!]] said another. They both appeared to be around Katsumi's age, and they had green eyes and raven hair.

[[I'm Tadhg,]] the first one said.

[[And I'm Fearghal,]] said the second.

[[We're your first cousins,]] Tadhg said.

[[Our grandmother was mortal, so we're mixed blood, like you,]] Fearghal added. [[Although, these days you can't throw a stone without hitting someone with mixed blood around here, so it's nothing to brag about, really. Even grandfather has a drop of human blood in him, and he's considered 'pure'.]]

[[Brag?]] Katsumi asked, wondering if they were being sarcastic.

[[Of course. Faeries with a fair amount of human blood in them are immune to iron,]] Tadhg said. [[You've got a lot to learn, haven't you?]]

[[Yes...]] Katsumi agreed, sweat-dropping. She couldn't argue with that.

[[Anyway, grandfather set us the task of training you once you awoke, so we were just coming down to spy on you, when lo and behold, you woke up,]] Fearghal said.

[[We expected you to be out for at least another month, but you've set a new record instead,]] Tadhg said. [[There goes all my gold.]]

[[Grandfather did warn you not to bet against her,]] Fearghal reminded him.

[[Betting against? Most people thought it would take her decades or centuries, if she did it all,]] Tadgh pointed out.

[[Are you saying people were betting on my survival?]] Katsumi asked.

[[Faeries love a good wager,]] Una said. [[You can get out of almost any trouble if you can trick them into a wager that will end in your favor. Although, wagers are how most people get into trouble in the first place,]] she added with a meaningful look at her cousins.

[[Ahem. Now that you're awake, you'll be under our care,]] Fearghal said, clearing his throat.

[[Um… It's not that I don't appreciate you all looking out for me, and I don't want to be disrespectful, but… I really do need to get back to Japan soon,]] Katsumi said.

[[No problem,]] Tadhg said. [[Since you're the granddaughter of our chieftain, who also happens to be high king of all Irish faeries, and you've accomplished a legendary feat of survival in the face of overwhelming odds, faeries from all over will be wanting to see you. So the party will probably be held a few days from now, which gives us plenty of time to train in the meantime.]]

[[It'll only take a few days?]] Katsumi asked, surprised.

[[It will the way we do it,]] Fearghal said with a smirk. [[If you've got the talent, that is.]]

[[Or were you just planning to run off without learning anything?]] Tadhg asked. [[That's a good way to get yourself killed, you know.]]

[[...]] Katsumi said. In truth, she was in such a hurry, that she had thought she would wing it and figure it all out once she was back in Japan. [[So… What do I need to do?]]

[[That's what we like to hear!]] Tadhg said. [[We're going to train you with a method only faeries can use.]]

[[There are rooms here where time passes differently on the inside,]] Fearghal explained. [[For example, you can train for one week inside, but only one day will have passed on the outside.]]

[[You can control time?]] Katsumi asked, amazed. 'That training room sounds like something out of a manga...'

[[Time, space—all will be explained in due course,]] Tadhg said with a wise air.

[[Just follow us,]] Fearghal said, gesturing for her to come with them as they turned to leave. Katsumi looked back at Una.

[[Um, thank you for everything you've done for me!]] Katsumi said, bowing deeply to Una, before hurrying after them.

[[Young ones… always in such a hurry. At least one of them has manners,]] Una said with a sigh.