Author's note: I don't own any characters but my OCs. I'm not sure if I'll include the kids' adventures in this yet, but for now I'm planning for this to at least cover Sesshoumaru and Katsumi's time together up to their birth or Kagome's return or maybe the birth of Moroha. It depends on how the Yashahime anime develops and how much information I can get on the rainbow pearls and Krinimaru.
The Leannán Sídhe (Part 1)
Katsumi sighed as she finished getting dressed for bed. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, and she was sure it would be stressful. The last time she was in the Faerie World, her grandfather, who was also High King of the faeries of Ireland, had asked her to play host to a small group of fairies who wanted to visit Japan. They were all members of nobility, so she was worried she might embarrass her grandfather if she messed up. Fortunately, her mother-in-law had volunteered to put them up in her castle when she heard, because she was curious about faeries and wanted to meet some full ones in the flesh.
Katsumi perked up when she caught a familiar scent. She looked at the door as it slid open, and Sesshoumaru entered the room. She smiled brightly as she greeted him with a hug.
"You came!" she said, happy to see him. It had been while since they last met each other face to face.
They had been married for two months, but between the lessons that her and Sesshoumaru's mothers insisted on giving her to teach her the etiquette and skills necessary to be 'Lady of the West', her training in the Faerie World, and Sesshoumaru's continued roaming around Japan they weren't together that often. When they did manage to meet up, it was often because of their planned visits to see Rin in the human village she now lived in. They did communicate through a set of scrying mirrors, but that was usually only when Katsumi contacted him because she missed him, and Jaken was usually the one who answered because he held onto the mirror for Sesshoumaru. Jaken still hadn't fully accepted Katsumi as Sesshoumaru's wife and often resisted handing the mirror to Sesshoumaru so she could talk to him directly. When Sesshoumaru did use the mirror, he listened more than he talked.
"Jaken gave me your message," Sesshoumaru said. In his limited experience with faeries, those outside her family (who protected her well when she went with them to the Faerie World) seemed to either want to kill her or kiss her, so when he heard about the group that was coming to visit, he came straight there. He gently caressed her cheek as he stared into her hazel eyes, then leaned down and kissed her. As they kissed, Katsumi started removing his armor. Sesshoumaru helped her, and soon they were lying on the futon with him on top of her.
—∞—
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken called as he walked the halls of the castle. "Where did he go?" The instant they had arrived, Sesshoumaru had disappeared somewhere. Jaken had turned his back for one second to order the servants to prepare a meal for them, and when he looked again, his lord was gone. "He could at least say where he was going. Sesshoumaru-sama!"
"Little youkai," a familiar voice said, making him freeze. He turned his lead and looked up to see Sesshoumaru's mother looming over him.
"My lady!" Jaken said, quickly bowing to her. "Sesshoumaru-sama has returned!"
"I gathered as much when I caught his scent," his mother said. "There's no need to shout."
"You know where he is, my lady?" Jaken asked.
"Yes, it seems he's headed to same destination I had intended on," Sesshoumaru's mother said. She stepped past him and continued forward. Jaken hesitated for a moment, then went after her.
She didn't seem to mind, so he continued to followed her, frowning when he picked up another scent along the way that definitely belonged to Katsumi. He and Sesshoumaru's mother stopped in front of a certain room. They could hear muffled sounds of ecstasy coming from inside.
"My, it sounds like he missed her," Sesshoumaru's mother said, hiding a small smile behind her kimono sleeve.
'That brat certainly seems to be enjoying herself…' Jaken thought, sweat-dropping. It was mostly Katsumi he heard, with a few soft growls from Sesshoumaru. "And I just asked for a meal to be prepared for him..."
"It seems he's hungry for something else," Sesshoumaru's mother said. "Well, it was just a small matter I wanted to discuss. It can wait." She turned and walked away.
"..." Jaken stood there, frowning. A bead of sweat slid down his face. 'There's no way I can interrupt them now… Sesshoumaru-sama would likely kill me. And I don't like to think of what would happen to me if he knew I'd overheard them...' The imp quickly made himself scarce as well, going off to look for a place to sleep.
—∞—
"—mi."
Katsumi felt someone brush her cheek gently and opened her eyes. She saw Sesshoumaru gazing calmly down at her. He was fully dressed, kneeling beside the futon.
"Katsumi, it's time to wake up," he said.
"Ah, right," she said, sitting up. She couldn't sleep in. They still had a few things to take care of before their guests arrived. "I'd better—"
"Katsumi-sama," a voice said from beyond the closed door of their room. Katsumi recognized it as belonging to Akane, one of the maids she had become familiar with. "We have come to help you prepare for the day. Please don't bother getting dressed."
'They just assume I'm not dressed?' Katsumi thought, sweat-dropping. It was true, but...
"Help?" Sesshoumaru said, looking at his wife.
"Yeah, I'll be dressing formally to greet our guests," Katsumi said.
"That was my mother's idea, wasn't it?" Sesshoumaru said.
"Yes, but I think she's right. Faeries like to show off, so they'll probably be wearing their best, too," Katsumi said.
"I'll leave you to it, then," Sesshoumaru said. He stood up and left her to get ready. The maids went in with a few boxes as soon as he came out and closed the door behind them.
"We've brought makeup, too, Katsumi-sama," Akane said as the other maids began unwrapping the kimonos she would be wearing.
"I don't want to overdo it," Katsumi said. She still wanted to feel like herself.
"Just a little face powder and a light scent, then," Akane said.
"Good morning, Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken said, joining Sesshoumaru on his way to to meet his mother, who was already sitting on her throne.
"Sesshoumaru. Is Katsumi not with you?" his mother asked.
"She's getting ready as we speak," Sesshoumaru said. "What is the plan for today?"
"You didn't ask Katsumi?"
"We didn't talk much last night," Sesshoumaru said.
"No, I suppose you didn't," his mother said knowingly. "I hope you at least let her get some sleep."
"..." Sesshoumaru stared at her with a completely neutral expression.
"The faeries will be arriving in the early afternoon," his mother said, answering his question. "We'll get them settled in then feed them, and Katsumi will take them on a tour."
"How long will they be here?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Three days."
"There's not much they can see in three days," Jaken remarked. "Even if they can fly, they won't get that far."
"Katsumi told me faeries can teleport themselves quickly over long distances, even across dimensions," Sesshoumaru's mother said.
"That's true," Sesshoumaru said. He had seen it for himself when her grandfather and cousins, Fearghal and Tadhg, came to Japan to see her.
"Then it seems they can go anywhere they want, little youkai," his mother said.
"Yes, my mistake," Jaken said, bowing. "I wonder how much longer it's going take for Katsumi-sama—" saying it left a bad taste in his mouth "—to finish getting dressed." 'She sure is taking her sweet time, that brat… making Sesshoumaru-sama wait.'
"She isn't just getting dressed. She'll be overseeing the final preparations. They are her guests, after all," Sesshoumaru's mother said.
—∞—
Sesshoumaru didn't see Katsumi until early afternoon, not long before their guests were due to arrive. When he smelled a new scent approaching, he turned to look and saw that she had made a remarkable transformation. Katsumi carried herself with grace and dignity worthy of a princess as she walked. She was clothed in an outfit of a similar style to his mother's, only the outer garment with the fluff was sky-blue, layered over an orange kimono with a purple obi, which was layered over a red kimono. Her beauty was dazzling.
Jaken was staring at Katsumi with his jaw dropped to the floor, absolutely shocked. 'N-n-no way!?' he thought. 'This can't be the same person!?' What happened to the tomboy he was used to?
"What do you think?" Katsumi asked her husband, hoping he would approve.
Sesshoumaru thought she looked beautiful—maybe too beautiful. He was certain the number of men who would be attracted to her had just increased, which meant he was going to have to work harder at keeping them away from her. He also didn't really approve of the way the perfume they had put on her masked her natural scent. But Katsumi seemed to be nervous and eager to make a good impression, so he said, "It suits you."
Katsumi smiled brightly at him, looking pleased and relieved. A very large, glowing faerie circle formed, and they all turned their attention to their arriving guests. Three men and three women appeared within the circle, all holding hands with each other. In the center of the circle were two stacks of traveling trunks and beautifully carved wooden boxes. As soon as they were firmly settled on their new location, they turned to meet their hosts. They were very attractive people and were all dressed in robes and gowns of silk and velvet and decorated with gleaming jewels and gold.
'How gaudy...' Jaken thought.
"Welcome to Japan," Katsumi greeted them with a polite smile and respectful bow.
"Thank you for having us," one of the men said in slightly accented Japanese.
Katsumi had been taught a technique faeries used to share knowledge with each other that allowed them to instantly learn things like full knowledge of how to speak different languages. Katsumi had given her grandfather knowledge of the Japanese language so he could pass it on to the faeries who would be coming to visit.
The man she was speaking to stepped toward her. He had curly dark brown hair and warm hazel eyes. He began to extend his hand to her, and Katsumi, assuming he wanted to shake her hand, met him half way. But instead of shaking her hand, he kissed it.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Oh," Katsumi said, surprised.
"Something wrong, my lady?" the hand-kissing faerie asked.
"No, I just forgot this was a common greeting in Europe at this time," Katsumi said. "Where I come from, in the future, people usually just shake hands."
"How inelegant," the faerie said, looking slightly taken aback.
"Please allow me introduce you," Katsumi said. "This is my husband, Sesshoumaru. And my esteemed mother-in-law." She gestured gracefully to each of them in turn.
"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Jaken asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
"And this is Jaken, my husband's retainer," Katsumi added.
"I am Ardghal, Duke of Cnuic Gheala," the hand-kissing faerie said. "This is Lady Aoife." A lovely woman who had blonde hair, striking green eyes, and appeared to be about Katsumi's age curtseyed gracefully in her fancy green dress. "Lord Cairbre and his wife, Lady Bláthnat." A man and a woman who appeared to be in the faerie equivalent of their 'thirties' bowed and curtseyed. "Lord Fintan." A tall man with black hair and deep blue eyes bowed. "And last, but not least, Lady Clíodhna." Another woman who appeared to be about nineteen (at least physically) curtseyed in a silver dress. She had fiery red hair, stormy grey eyes, and skin that was snow white. She had a very shapely figure and her dress wasted none of her curves. She was probably the most beautiful woman Katsumi had ever seen. "We come bearing gifts in return for your hospitality." Ardghal gestured to the stack of five beautifully carved wooden boxes. One by one, he and Lord Cairbre presented the presents together: fine silk damask fabric, a richly woven tapestry, exotic and expensive spices, a magical silver branch with golden apples that could remove fatigue and sorrow from the eater, and a necklace with a purple gem that was said to be found only in the faerie world.
"Thank you for your thoughtful gifts," Katsumi said to the faeries with a bow to show her gratitude. "Would you like to see your rooms? After you get settled in, we have a meal prepared for you."
"We'll take you up on your kind invitation," Ardghal said, smiling.
Servants from the castle came forward to secure the wooden boxes containing the gifts and move the faeries' trunks to their rooms for them. Katsumi waited until they had all left before exhaling a sigh of relief.
"I think that went well," she said.
"So, those are faeries," Sesshoumaru's mother said. "They have good manners and an interesting scent."
"Was that really a common greeting?" Sesshoumaru asked, inquiring about the kiss on Katsumi's hand.
"Hm? Yes, it's considered a chivalrous gesture. It's a respectful way for a gentleman to greet a lady. It's supposed to be a gesture of courtesy and extreme politeness," Katsumi replied.
"It seems rather intimate to me," Jaken said, squinting suspiciously at her.
"In Western culture, it's not uncommon for people to greet each other with a kiss on the cheek," Katsumi said.
"..." Sesshoumaru definitely wouldn't have liked that. The kiss on the hand was beginning to look not quite as bad as he thought.
"It's to indicate friendship, family relationship, or show respect. Even in future Japan, cheek kissing is also common at an international meeting between heads of state or members of royal and imperial families," Katsumi explained.
"Sounds like a breakdown of morals to me," Jaken huffed.
"Maybe you just have a dirty mind, Jaken," Katsumi said, frowning at him. "Cheek kissing is commonly done to children, too."
"I do not have a dirty mind!" Jaken protested. "You're the one who was making unseemly sounds last night! Ah..." He realized too late what he had done when he felt Sesshoumaru's piercing glare on him. "I-I wasn't eavesdropping! It's just that she was so loud, I couldn't help overhearing!" he said quickly, hoping to dig himself out of the hole.
But Sesshoumaru knew Katsumi hadn't been that loud and that Jaken would have had to be standing right outside the room in order to hear her.
The next thing Jaken knew, he was sporting three large and very painful bumps on his head.
"Shall we go meet up with our guests?" Katsumi said, holding a hand to her red face, embarrassed.
"I should like to speak with them more," Sesshoumaru's mother said. "I'm curious how their nobility might differ from ours."
"I think they're probably on the same level as daimyos, but I'm sure they'd be happy to tell you," Kastumi said as they went to the moon room, where the meal would be served. "Faeries usually prefer to talk during their meals, so that should be a good opportunity."
"Hmph. How uncouth," Jaken said snobbishly.
"They don't speak while they're chewing," Katsumi said. "Table manners in the faerie world aren't that different from here. It's considered good manners to chew your food quietly with your mouth closed and to wash your hands before you eat. I think the main difference is that they mostly eat with their hands and slurping is frowned upon, even when eating noodles or soup."
"They eat with their hands? Hmph. Barbarians," Jaken said.
"I'll have you know that hand-to-mouth eating is a time honored tradition in many cultures across the world. Don't look down on something just because it's different," Katsumi said, frowning at the imp again. She was beginning to think Sesshoumaru didn't hit him hard enough. "Although, I think forks will become more common in Europe not long from now..."
"Forks?" Sesshoumaru's mother asked.
"In the West, they come to use three main eating utensils: knives, spoons, and forks. Forks have tines that are designed to pierce food and collect food that doesn't need to be pierced," Katsumi said.
"Is that what you grew up using?" Sesshoumaru's mother asked.
"Yes, but I also grew up using chopsticks," Katsumi said. "We used Western eating utensils and etiquette when eating Western food and Japanese eating utensils and etiquette when eating Japanese food."
They reached the moon room and took their seats. It didn't take too long for their guests to arrive. They had all removed their shoes properly, as the servants had requested of them, and were wearing the slippers Katsumi had arranged to have made for them, in case they had something against walking around barefoot in a strange place.
"We sit on the floor?" Fintan asked, looking a little surprised when he saw the cushions that were waiting for them.
"Where's the table?" Bláthnat asked.
"Rather than sitting around one table with chairs, here everyone receives their own small table to eat from," Katsumi said.
"You all seem to be sitting a certain way..." Cairbre observed.
"Yes, but please sit however you'd like," Katsumi said with a nice smile, inviting them to take their seats. She wanted them to be comfortable while they ate. Her guests each chose a cushion. The men sat cross-legged and the women sat with both legs to one side. Once they were seated, servants brought them hot damp tengui towels on small plates to wipe their hands with, and then they brought out the small trays/tables and food to serve everyone. They all received an excellent meal of a bowl of rice, pickled vegetables, soup, and fish. They were given tea to drink.
"What are these things?" Aoife asked, pointing to the chopsticks.
"They're chopsticks, Japanese eating utensils," Katsumi said.
"How do you eat with them? Do you stab it?" Fintan asked.
'Such barbarians,' Jaken thought, feeling superior.
"Well, they take some getting used to, but they aren't that difficult to use," Katsumi said. "Place the first chopstick between your pointer finger and thumb, balancing it on the ring finger." She demonstrated with her own chopsticks. The faeries followed her example. "Place the second chopstick between your pointer finger and thumb, resting it on the middle finger. Use your thumb, pointer, and middle fingers to grasp the second chopstick firmly. Your index and middle fingers do the lifting. You use them to close the chopsticks over food."
"Oh, it works," Aoife said, trying it.
"How novel," Fintan remarked.
One of the performers who had come into the room with the servants began to play her koto.
"That's beautiful," Bláthnat said.
"Yes, it's very lovely," Ardghal agreed. The faeries took a few minutes to listen before speaking again.
"If you enjoy this sort of music, you should hear Uaithne," Cairbre said to their hosts. "Have you heart it, my lady?" he asked Katsumi
"Yes, my grandfather showed it to me. It's wonderful," Katsumi said. "It's a magical harp that was owned by an important faerie named Dagda," she explained to Sesshoumaru and his mother.
"That's right. Playing a certain chord on the harp would change the season from one to next," Bláthnat said.
"The Dagda would also bring Uaithne out to battle with him, as its chords would bring guidance and strength to to his men and ensure victory would come to them," Cairbre added.
"It can be played to make the listeners burst into tears and collapse in despair, erupt into laughter, and send them into a slumber," Fintan said. "But since the Dagda died, the harp only recognizes the High King or High Queen of the faeries of Ireland, and it won't make a sound for anyone else."
"I imagine you'll be learning how to play it soon," Clíodhna said, looking at Katsumi. "Being the next candidate for High Queen."
"Well, that hasn't really been decided yet," Katsumi said with a wry smile. She really didn't want the job if it could be avoided. "Another more suitable candidate might appear before my grandfather is ready to retire."
"You're his granddaughter," Clíodhna said. "I doubt he would pass you over for someone else. Especially since you've already become famous among us and are building up such a good reputation."
"You're too kind," Katsumi said politely, wishing she would drop it. There was something in her eyes that Katsumi didn't like, especially when she was looking at Sesshoumaru. The faerie was giving off some very vamp vibes, but Sesshoumaru seemed to be ignoring Clíodhna's staring.
'Hmph. A clear example of nepotism, if you ask me!' Jaken thought. 'There's no way that brat can manage an inter-dimensional realm.'
"I shouldn't worry if I were you," Ardghal told Katsumi. "Your grandfather will take your feelings into account when he makes his decision."
"Yes, thank you," Katsumi said.
"I was wondering… what is it like in your world?" Sesshoumaru's mother asked. "What is your hierarchy like?"
"Well, we have monarchs, nobles, warriors, and peasants just like i'm sure you do," Ardghal said. "The lowest titles of nobility are 'baron' and 'baroness'. Next up on the ladder would be 'viscount' and 'viscountess. Fintan is a viscount. Then 'earl' and 'countess', which is what Cairbre and Bláthnat are. Then 'marquess' and 'marchioness'. Aoife and Clíodhna are both marchionesses. Then there's 'prince' and 'princess'. After that is 'king' or 'queen'. And all the way at the top is the 'high king' or 'high queen', who holds a position of seniority over other kings without the title of emperor. The high kings like Gean Cánach are chosen by the previous generation of high king from among candidates singled out by our 'stone of destiny'. If the previous high king dies before choosing his successor, then the new high king can be chosen by lesser rulers through elections."
"It used to be that you must be physically perfect to hold the position of high king, but we relaxed the rules in that respect after a few too many faeries like Eochu Bres slinked onto the throne after better candidates were maimed," Cairbre said.
"How fortunate for you," Clíodhna said, looking at Katsumi with the hint of a smirk.
Even though she had survived excruciating pain and the wound had closed over, having her wings ripped out was still a sore subject for Katsumi. She betrayed none of this, however, in her expression, which was still a polite smile.
"Eochu Bres?" Sesshoumaru's mother asked. It seemed he had done something quite serious from the expressions on the faeries' faces when his name was mentioned.
"Ah, yes. It's an embarrassing story, but… High King Nuada lost his hand in battle. Because he was imperfect, he could not be king. Hoping to reconcile relations between the Formorians and the Tuatha Dé Danann, Bres was named king, and Brigid of the Tuatha Dé Danann married him. Bres made the Tuatha Dé Danann pay tribute to the Formorians and work as slaves. He neglected his duties of hospitality as well. Bres was removed after seven years of reign and High King Nuada, having since acquired a working hand of silver, reclaimed his title. After that, Bres went to Balor, a leader of the Formorians, for help. He led the Formorians in another battle against us, but lost. He was spared by Lugh because he promised to teach us useful agriculture for the mortal world. However, he proved to be untrustworthy, and was eventually poisoned by Lugh." Ardghal explained.
"Who are the Formorians?" Sesshoumaru asked. Katsumi had not mentioned them before when speaking of the faeries, and they seemed to be an enemy.
"Ah, they're another supernatural race," Cairbre said. "They came from under the earth. They were an ugly lot, the personification of chaos, darkness, death, blight, and drought. They were giants who had odd appearances, like having the body of a man and the head of a goat, for example. Despite that, the Formorians who had relations with the Tuatha Dé Danann, such as Eochu Bres, whose mother was of the Tuatha Dé Danann, were darkly beautiful. But there was another important half-Fromorian, named Lugh. Lugh was the grandson of Balor, a leader of the Formorians. Balor tried to have him killed along with his two siblings, because he'd heard a prophecy that he would be killed by his own grandson. Lugh was saved and fostered among the Tuatha Dé Danann. When Bres started a new battle after he was deposed, Balor killed High King Nuada with his terrible, poisonous eye that killed all who looked upon it. Lugh faced his grandfather, but as he was opening his eye, Lugh shot a sling-stone that drove Balor's eye out the back of his head, wreaking havoc on the Formorian army behind. After Balor's death, the Formorians were defeated and driven into the sea. We wiped them out. The only ones remaining with Formorian blood are those descended from those original Formorian and Tuatha Dé Danann couplings."
"So they're all gone..." Jaken said.
"My what a thing to say, when I'm sitting right here," Clíodhna said. "I'm one of those descendants myself."
"Eh?" Jaken said, taken aback.
"..." Sesshoumaru had thought she smelled a little different from the other faeries. That must be why.
"Please excuse him for his ignorance," Katsumi said.
"What!?" Jaken said incredulously.
Sesshoumaru shot him a sharp look to shut him up.
"I-I didn't say anything..." Jaken mumbled, shrinking away.
"It's quite all right. I find him amusing," Clíodhna said with a small, mocking smile. "Being so weak, yet possessing such a big mouth." She looked like she was laughing at Jaken on the inside.
'Who's weak!?' Jaken thought angrily with a vein throbbing on his head. 'Being so beautiful must've warped her mind—she thinks she can just say whatever she wants!'
'I get the feeling this one's going to be hard to deal with...' Katsumi thought, watching Clíodhna. It really annoyed her that she seemed to be checking out Sesshoumaru. Katsumi didn't blame the unreasonably pretty faerie for being attracted to him, but she had very clearly introduced him as her husband.
"It's not nice to tease your inferiors, Lady Clíodhna," Ardghal said.
'Inferiors!?' Jaken thought incredulously, insulted. These faeries were really starting to piss him off. He really didn't think they could be all that tough, since Katsumi, who was only half inu yokai, had defeated a pure-blooded faerie on her own, and she'd had her wings ripped out by Naraku without being able to do a thing about it.
"No lectures, Your Grace. Aren't we here to enjoy ourselves?" Clíodhna said carelessly. "Then again, you've always had a soft spot for weak things." She looked at Katsumi as she spoke, and Katsumi knew from the look in her eyes that she was talking about her, not Jaken.
"You should still show proper manners," Bláthnat said.
"I shouldn't think a countess could lecture a marchioness," Clíodhna said coldly. "Is that proper manners?"
'Things are starting to go downhill...' Katsumi thought. 'Would saying something make things better or worse?' Clíodhna looked at Sesshoumaru again. A small vein throbbed on Katsumi's temple, but her smile never faltered. "I was taught that part of being polite was being aware of and respecting the feelings of other people, regardless of rank."
"And what would you know about it? Weren't you raised as a commoner?" Clíodhna said coolly.
"Lady Clíodhna, our High King is Lady Katsumi's grandfather. Although she owns no land in the Faerie World, that makes her an honorary princess," Ardghal said calmly, but the look in his eyes as he gazed at Clíodhna was rather cold. "If you don't respect her, it will be seen as an insult to the High King. She's also a candidate to become the next High Queen. Don't you think it would be better to have her good will?"
"..." Clíodhna stared at him with an expression that was hard to read. "I'm ready for the next course."
"Eh?" Jaken said.
"I've finished eating the first course. What's next?" Clíodhna asked. "Surely you have at least ten courses prepared for us."
'This woman is so haughty,' Jaken thought, annoyed. 'Ten courses… and where does she expect to put it all? Do faeries have bottomless stomachs?'
"I'm aware that midday and evening meals can be quite elaborate in noble faerie households… but I've learned that it's better not to travel by faerie circle with a stomach that's too full, so I thought a light meal would be better for now," Katsumi said. "We'll have a proper banquet in the evening, when everyone's ready to relax."
"That was thoughtful of you, thank you," Ardghal said.
"Yes, it's much better not to overdo it," Aoife agreed. "We're going to be making multiple jumps, after all."
"I've made that mistake before," Fintan said, nodding in agreement. creating multiple faerie circles in a row could make one a little queasy.
"..." Clíodhna did not look pleased, but no one else was objecting.
—∞—
After they had finished their meal, they all put their shoes back on and gathered in the same space before Sesshoumaru's mother's throne that the faeries had arrived in. This time Katsumi joined them, holding hands with Bláthnat and Ardghal.
"I'll be going, too," Sesshoumaru said, stepping forward.
"Ah! Me, too," Jaken said, hurrying after him.
"If you stand in the center of the circle, we can take you along with us," Katsumi said. Sesshoumaru and Jaken took their places in the center of the circle. Katsumi and the faeries closed their eyes and concentrated. Normally, if they were going to a place they'd never been before, they would consult a map, or find the location of a familiar energy signature (like a specific person or magical object) through the network of ley lines. but since Katsumi had been to the locations they would be visiting in person, she was going to lead the way. She broadcasted thoughts of the spot they were going to and the calculated distance between their current location and their destination. A glowing circle formed around all of them as the other faeries joined in, and they were instantly transported to a spot very close to the Bone-Eater's Well. Once they had settled in place, Katsumi and the faeries opened their eyes and let go of each other's hands.
"Huh? Why have we come here?" Jaken asked. Aside from a small handful of notable residents, like Rin, the nearby village wasn't anything special.
"Is this the well?" Ardghal asked as the faeries looked at it.
"Yes. My grandpa said you all were interested in how I traveled back in time, so I thought you'd like to see it for yourselves," Katsumi said.
"Indeed," Cairbre said as he and the other faeries moved closer, touching the wood of the well and peering inside of it.
"What are those bones at the bottom? They look unusual," Aoife said.
"The locals throw the corpses and bones of dead youkais down into the well to dispose of them, because the remains tend to disappear as if they were never there," Katsumi explained.
"Is see… this was a pathway, but right now it's closed," Bláthnat said, her hand glowed as she tested the energy the of the well.
"This wood is very unusual!" Fintan said, also testing the energy of the well.
"I've learned the well was made from the wood of the Goshinboku, a sacred tree," Katsumi said. She pointed to the tree itself. "It's right there."
"Oh, yes! How did we miss that?" Ardghal said as the faeries shifted their focus to the tree. They went over the sacred tree and examined it. "This—This is a Tree of Ages! No wonder the well could connect two points in time…"
"Tree of Ages?" Katsumi asked.
"A Tree of Ages is a tree that can reach across different eras and change the essence of time and space… They can be quite dangerous because they can be used to steal energy from various generations. In the worst case scenario, abusing this ability can lead to time freezing over in those generations," Cairbre said.
"That sounds incredibly dangerous," Katsumi said.
"Well, they're extremely rare, and not every being has the ability to command that kind of control over a Tree of Ages," Fintan said.
"Hold on, there's something not right about this tree..." Clíodhna said, frowning. "It won't let me draw energy from it."
'Good thing!' Katsumi thought, alarmed that she would try something so dangerous without a second thought. "Could you please refrain from do something that could break reality?"
"That's because this isn't a normal Tree of Ages..." Aoife said as her eyes widened. "Don't you hear that? This thing is sentient!"
"You're right," Bláthnat said. "It's fighting back."
'Don't tell me she's trying to absorb energy, too?' Katsumi thought warily.
"Well, that's just rude!" Clíodhna said, frowning at the tree as if it had offended her.
"Haha! It really doesn't like you trying to use it, huh?" Fintan said.
'What is it saying?' Katsumi wondered, sweat-dropping.
"Come, feel for yourself," Ardghal said to Katsumi, taking her hand and holding it against the tree. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched.
"!" Katsumi gasped when she felt the special energy from the tree humming beneath her hand. Not only that, but she could hear… snoring? "Huh? I'm not sure I'm hearing right… Is it snoring?"
"Yes, it seems to be in a mostly dormant state," Ardghal said, still holding her hand to the tree. "It woke up just long enough to tell Clíodhna to leave it alone."
"The language it used was much ruder than that," Clíodhna said, looking annoyed.
"Well, how would you feel if you were in a deep, peaceful sleep and someone suddenly tried to shake you awake?" Aoife said.
"We should probably let it rest," Ardghal said. "Since it can defend itself against attempts to use it, it should be safe to leave it alone without taking further action." He finally removed his hand from Katsumi's. He noticed Sesshoumaru seemed to be displeased with him. "Something wrong?" He said it so innocently that it made Sesshoumaru want to maim him even more.
But succeeding in the task assigned to her by her grandfather seemed to be important to Katsumi, so he restrained himself. Sesshoumaru furrowed his brow slightly when he smelled an irritating scent drawing closer. But there was a much more welcome scent accompanying it.
"Ah! I thought I smelled a familiar scent," Inuyasha said, approaching them. "I told you it was him," he said to Rin, who was with him.
"Hello, Sesshoumaru-sama, and Katsumi-nee," Rin greeted them with a bright smile. "Who are all those people with you?"
"Eh? Katsumi's here, too?" Inuyasha said, surprised because he hadn't picked up her usual scent, but he quickly spotted her once he really looked at the strange people who were with Sesshoumaru. "What are you doing in that getup? Where's your armor?"
"I'm taking a break from it," Katsumi said as she walked over to Rin and greeted her with a hug. "These people are nobles from the Faerie World," she told her, answering her question. "I'm showing them around Japan."
"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Rin," Rin said politely, bowing to the faeries.
"Nice to meet you, too," most of the faeries returned her greeting with pleasant smiles.
"I see. This is the girl you adopted as a younger sister?" Ardghal said to Katsumi.
"Yes," Katsumi said, surprised he knew about that. "We were traveling together, but now she's staying here to get used to living with humans."
"Is that so?" Fintan said as he and the other faeries looked more closely at Rin. "She certainly is a cute one."
"Thank you," Rin said, taking it as a compliment.
"..." Katsumi kept her eyes peeled for inappropriate behavior from the single male faeries, hoping none of them got any strange ideas about taking Rin home with them as a souvenir.
"You… are you what they call a hanyou?" Cairbre asked Inuyasha, looking at him with curiosity.
"Yeah. What of it?" Inuyasha said, ready to return any trouble they might give him for it.
Katsumi glanced at Sesshoumaru to see if it was okay to reveal their connection. He seemed okay with it, so she said, "This is Inuyasha, my half brother-in-law."
"Oh? So that means the two of you are related?" Aoife asked Sesshoumaru, noticing the family resemblance.
"We are," Sesshoumaru said, wishing he could deny it.
"Which side are you human on?" Fintan asked Inuyasha curiously.
"… My mother's. Not that it's any of your business," Inuyasha said gruffly.
"Are you ashamed of her?" Clíodhna asked.
"Wha—who said that!?" Inuyasha said angrily.
"You just seemed so hesitant to answer..." Aoife said.
"There's discrimination against hanyous here," Katsumi said. "Humans tend to fear them, and full youkais look down on them."
"What a shame," Bláthnat said sympathetically.
"Must be tough," Fintan said.
"It's nothing I can't handle," Inuyasha huffed, crossing his arms.
"Inuyasha, you can relax," Katsumi said. "There's no prejudice against people with mixed blood among faeries. They don't care if you're part human."
"I have a human ancestor myself somewhere in my family tree," Aoife said. "And one of my sons is half human."
"One of them?" Inuyasha asked.
"I have five in all," Aoife said with a proud smile. "Each one is from a different marriage."
"… Exactly how old are you?" Inuyasha asked her.
"That's considered a rude question to ask a woman, Inuyasha," Katsumi chided him.
"I don't mind. I just celebrated reaching my third millennium three days ago," Aoife said brightly.
"..." Inuyasha, Katsumi, and Jaken stared at her, completely shocked.
"There's no way you're that old!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
"You don't look a day over 1,000 at most!" Jaken said incredulously.
"My, how kind of you to say," Aoife said, looking pleased.
'Three millennia old, and we look the same age… the anti-aging aspect of faerie immortality is not to be trifled with,' Katsumi thought, sweat-dropping.
"So, where are we going next?" Fintan asked Katsumi.
"I heard you were also curious about the Shikon no Tama," Katsumi said. "It was destroyed after we battled Naraku over the village in this area, but I thought you might like to see where it was created."
"You mean the village from the song is just over there?" Bláthnat asked.
'Oh, right. That must be how Duke Ardghal knew about my relationship with Rin. I forgot about that...' Katsumi thought.
"I'd like to see that first," Cairbre said.
"Song?" Inuyasha asked.
"Ah, yeah. My grandpa wanted to know all about our battle with Naraku, since he's the one who ripped my wings out, so I told him," Katsumi said. "I didn't expect him to turn the story into a ballad."
"A ballad?" Inuyasha asked again.
"It's a form of verse, often a narrative, set to music," Aoife said.
"The one about you lot defeating Naraku has become really popular in the Faerie World," Ardghal said. "Pretty much everyone knows your names."
"Are the youkai-slayer and monk here, too?" Fintan asked. He would have liked to see Kagome, too, but he knew from the song that she was currently in the future.
"Uh, yeah, they are," Inuyasha said.
"Let's go meet them, then," Bláthnat said.
So they all went over to the village together.
"Hey, Inuyasha! What's with all the people?" Shippo asked, running up to them.
"Hey, Shippo. Katsumi is showing some faeries around Japan," Inuyasha said. "They want to meet Sango and Miroku."
"Did you say 'Shippo'?" Aoife asked, leaning down to look more closely at the little guy. "So you're the youkai fox child. You're adorable!" She petted him on the head.
"Uh, okay..." Shippo said, sweat-dropping.
"I've heard we're famous in the Faerie World, thanks to Katsumi's grandpa," Inuyasha said.
"So, this is 'Shippo the Brave,'" Cairbre said.
"The brave?" Shippo said.
"Even though you're just a small child, you went into such a dangerous battle to help your friends, right?" Bláthnat said, smiling kindly at him.
"Right!" Shippo said, perking up. He suddenly looked proud. "Shippo the Brave… I like that!"
"I am the famous Jaken-sama!" Jaken said, calling attention to himself.
"..." The faeries stared at him.
"We're aware," Cairbre said.
"Are you saying you want to be praised, too?" Bláthnat asked.
"Uh..." Jaken said, sweat-dropping. Those looks they were giving him were hard to read. If he answered wrong, he might embarrass Sesshoumaru.
"You're an adult, right? So you only did what was expected of you," Clíodhna said, unimpressed.
"Well, looking for such praise when there's already a song about his noble deeds… He's still young yet, isn't?" Aoife said.
"You think anyone who's less than two millennia old are young. He looks old enough to know better to me," Fintan said.
"I suppose his behavior has been a little uppity since earlier..." Ardghal said.
"There's a moniker for you: Jaken the Uppity," Clíodhna said, giving the imp a superior smirk.
"!" Jaken sputtered indignantly. "And just what is your moniker!?"
"Ah, there you go, being uppity again," Clíodhna said carelessly.
"Her moniker is: Clíodhna the Terrifically Beautiful," Fintan said.
'What kind of name is that!? They make too much of a fuss over her...' Jaken thought resentfully.
'She's so pretty they had to add 'terrifically' in front of it?' Katsumi thought, sweat-dropping.
She forgot that in addition to being used similarly to 'very' in English, it could also mean 'terrifically' as in 'causing terror'.
"Joking aside, we usually only add a descriptive moniker if there's more than one famous person by the same name," Ardghal said. "So until another 'Jaken' pops up in our history, you will simple be the Jaken."
"Yet you gave one to a child?" Jaken said dubiously.
"We thought his behavior was particularly admirable, considering his circumstances," Cairbre said. "He's a child, he's small, and he isn't powerful. Even so, he went into battle with valor in his heart."
"What valor? He was scared stiff," Jaken huffed.
"Was not!" Shippo said quickly.
"Was, too!" Jaken said.
"You were the one who was shaking so badly that it made your dragon shake, too!" Shippo said.
"That was because you were shaking!" Jaken argued. He and Shippo started fighting.
"Take that! And that!" Shippo shouted as he threw his giant spinning top and snake toys at Jaken.
"Ooh," the faeries said, politely applauding his elementary use of illusions. But Jaken dodged the top and knocked the snakes aside.
"Those childish tricks won't work on me!" Jaken declared, and he aimed his staff at Shippo, intending to blast him with fire. "Ah!?" he gasped when the staff was suddenly yanked from his hand, startled. He spun around to see that the culprit was Katsumi. She looked angry.
"Why are you trying to roast a child?" Katsumi said, narrowing her eyes at him. She was super tempted to whack the imp on the head with his own weapon. "What are you two even fighting about? So what if you were scared? You both went anyway. How does that change what happened? My grandpa is fully aware that you were scared, but you're both in the song because your actions spoke louder than your fear. There's no shame in being afraid as long as you don't let it control you."
"You're right. I'm sorry Katsumi," Shippo said, accepting her lecture.
"I know you are," Katsumi said, smiling at the little kit as she placed a hand on his head.
"Yes, yes. Now give me back my staff!" Jaken said, holding his hand out, completely unrepentant.
"Say 'please'," Katsumi told him with her arms crossed.
"Why should I?" Jaken said haughtily.
"So, where are Sango-san and Miroku-san?" Katsumi asked Inuyasha, still holding onto Jaken's staff.
"Their house is this way," Inuyasha said, taking the lead.
"What about my staff!?" Jaken shouted at Katsumi as she and the others followed the hanyou into the village. "Hey!" He was completely ignored.
"Ah, I thought I sensed something unusual," Kaede said as they entered the village, coming over to greet them. "These unusual youkais are with you, Katsumi and Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Hello, Kaede-obaa-san. That's right. They're faeries, and they're my guests," Katsumi said.
"Oh, so this is Kaede the priestess," Bláthnat said.
"You're a leader in this village, yes?" Cairbre said.
"You could say that," Kaede said. "If you're guests of Katsumi, then you're welcome here."
"Thank you very much," Ardghal said.
"If you'll excuse me, a number of people in the village have come down with colds, and I have to distribute the medicine I've made to them," Kaede said.
"Yes, of course. We don't want to get in your way," Aoife said.
"I hope everyone's health improves," Ardghal said.
"Thank you very much for your kind words," Kaede said. She took leave of them and went back to her business.
"Sango and Miroku are this way," Inuyasha said, taking the lead again. He thought a little better of the faeries after seeing them treat Kaede respectfully despite her being only human.
They found Sango dressed in the kimono she always wore when she wasn't slaying youkais, doing the laundry. Miroku was sitting near her, repairing a straw hat that had a hole in it. Kirara was gently batting her paw at a butterfly that was hovering around her.
"This is them," Inuyasha said, stopping. "Sango and Miroku."
"It's so nice to meet you," Aoife said to the youkai slayer and the monk.
"So this is what you look like," Cairbre said.
"Now we have faces to go with the names," Ardghal said.
"And this cat with two tails must be Kirara," Bláthnat said, reaching out to pet the cute cat. Kirara let her touch her. "Will you transform for us?"
After a glance at Sango, Kirara transformed into her fiercer, larger form. The faeries seemed very pleased, and more of them came forward to pet her.
"Ah, Katsumi-sama. Sesshoumaru-sama," Kohaku said, returning with his arms full of firewood. "Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon," Katsumi returned his greeting. "Taking a break from youkai slaying?"
"Yes, things have been quiet lately," Kohaku said. "These other people are…?" He looked curiously at the faeries.
"Kohaku," Sango said.
"Kohaku? Is this your younger brother, Kohaku the Resilient?" Aoife asked.
"Kohaku the Resilient?" Sango and Kohaku asked.
'Why do they keep giving the children such impressive titles?' Jaken wondered.
"That's right. You've been through some soul-rending experiences, yet you still possess a heart that cares for others and are looking toward the future with hope. I'd call that resilient, wouldn't you?" Arghal said.
"Well, that is true..." Sango said, looking at her brother, who seemed surprised. 'But how do they know all that?'
"Can you show us your weapons? They sounded interesting," Fintan asked Sango and Kohaku, while Clíodhna covered her mouth as she yawned to show how unimpressed she was.
"Uh… I don't mean to be rude, but… who are you people?" Miroku asked. "Your energy seems different from a youkai's." He looked at Katsumi before looking again at the others. "Could you be faeries?"
"That's right. They're here because they're curious about Japan," Katsumi said.
"You're actually a little famous where we come from, so we wanted to meet you while we were here," Ardghal said.
"Eh? We're famous?" Sango said, surprised.
"My grandpa made a song about our final battle with Naraku," Katsumi said. "Sorry for the trouble."
"Not at all," Miroku said, standing up. "It's a pleasure to meet such lovely ladies." He smiled a little too much at the faerie women as he moved closer to them.
"Houshi-sama…!" Sango said, angrily, pulling on his ear to drag him back from them.
"No, you're misunderstanding, Sango! I was just being polite..." Miroku said quickly, sweat-dropping.
"You never learn, do you?" Inuyasha said, unimpressed.
"He's been better lately, but..." Rin said.
"You need to shape up, Miroku," Shippo said.
Kohaku sighed. He trusted his brother-in-law to protect his sister, but every now and then that bad habit of his reared its ugly head.
"You wanted to see my weapon, right?" Sango said, looking at the faeries. "Please wait while I get it."
"Eh?" Miroku said warily, sweating nervously.
"Inuyasha, Katsumi-san, please keep an eye on this thing," Sango said, pointing at her husband. She gave Miroku a stern look as she let go of his ear and stepped into their home to retrieve her weapon.
"So, is this how buddhist monks dress?" Ardghal asked Miroku, looking at his clothing.
"Ah, yes. There are some variations, but this is a good example," Miroku said. "And this is my shakujou," he added, picking up his staff from where it was leaning against the side of his house to show them. "It is effective against youkais and other evil entities because of its sacred properties."
"Do you think it would be effective against faeries?" Cairbre asked as the faeries looked at the staff with interest.
"Somehow I doubt that. My spiritual powers don't seem to work on Katsumi-san, even though she's half inu youkai. She can walk straight through any barriers I put up, and o-fuda are useless against her," Miroku admitted, smiling wryly.
"O-fuda?" Bláthnat asked.
"These," Miroku said, pulling some talismans out of his robes. "They're often used to ward off or seal youkais. Sometimes they can destroy them, too."
"Can you stick one on me?" Aoife asked, wanting to test it.
"Uh..." Miroku said, glancing at Katsumi.
"It should be fine," Katsumi said. "Even prayers from monks and priests in Ireland are useless against them."
"Although we made a deal with Saint Patrick to pretend they aren't," Fintan added.
"Saint Patrick?" Jaken asked as Miroku imbued an o-fuda with his spiritual energy and applied it to Aoife's forehead.
"He's a famous holy person who spread christianity throughout Ireland," Katsumi explained. "He's credited with a number of miracles."
"He was also incredibly lucky," Fintan said as Aoife removed the o-fuda from her forehead without any trouble. "He made a wagger with us where, if we lost, we would have to leave devout christians alone if they said a prayer in an attempt to ward us off."
"What happened?" Shippo asked.
"We lost," Aoife said simply. She was examining the o-fuda. "Yes, the energy in this is similar to a christian priest's blessing…"
"What was the wager?" Rin asked curiously.
"We put two goblets of wine in front of him and bet that he couldn't tell us which was poisoned," Ardghal said.
"And he guessed right?" Kohaku said.
"Which was it?" Shippo asked.
"Both of them," Ardghal said.
'That's a pretty dirty trick...' Shippo thought, sweat-dropping. "I'm impressed he got that."
'A challenge straight out of The Princess Bride...' Katsumi thought, also sweat-dropping. 'Although, I guess their wager with Saint Patrick came first.'
"Here it is, my Hiraikotsu," Sango said, coming out with her gigantic boomerang.
"Ohh!" Bláthnat said as the faeries crowded around her.
"How unusual," Cairbre said.
"And it flies?" Fintan asked.
"Hup!" Sango said, and she threw Hiraikotsu to demonstrate. They all watched it spin through the air and then turn around and come back to her.
"Amazing. A weapon that can come back without being called..." Ardghal said.
"What a clever design," Aoife said.
"Thank you," Sango said. "It's been with me through many battles."
They stayed so the faeries could talk more with Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Shippo about some of the adventures they'd had after Katsumi left them. The faeries seemed to be well entertained by the stories, except for Clíodhna, who gave off an air of indifference. Sango's expression increasingly became more annoyed as they recalled many of the instances that Miroku had flirted with other women.
"What about you?" Miroku said a little defensively. "There was that one time on Kasumidake where you tried to kiss Inuyasha," he reminded her.
Inuyasha was uncomfortable just thinking about it.
"That was one time, and I was drunk from the mist!" Sango said, frowning at him.
"The mist made you drunk?" Katsumi asked.
"Only Kagome, Shippo, and Hachiemon," Miroku said. "We went there to acquire some rare sake made by some sages in the sacred peak, because we thought my master was dying, and it was his last request."
"He had a lot of 'last requests' though," Inuyasha said, annoyed when he remembered all the work they had done.
"What is 'sake'?" Bláthnat asked.
"It's an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting rice," Katsumi said.
"Yes, but this wasn't just any sake. It was Kasumi Sennin. It's said that those who drink it feel as though they have ascended to heaven," Miroku said.
"I've heard of that! No one who has tried to obtain that sake has ever come back alive," Jaken said.
"If no one ever came back, then how does anyone know how it feels to drink it?" Fintan said, raising an eyebrow.
"We came back just fine," Shippo said.
"Anyway, we went to Kasumidake and climbed the mountain. When we drew close to the peak, we sensed the aura of a youkai. A strange mist appeared, and everyone other than myself and Inuyasha became intoxicated by the mist," Miroku said. He had fortunately realized the true nature of the mist and covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve before he inhaled too much.
"You guys sure were acting weird," Inuyasha said, looking at Shippo.
"I heard all I did was sing," Shippo said. "You, on the other hand, were made to sit repeatedly by Kagome," he added with a smirk.
"Don't bring that up now," Inuyasha said, whacking him on the head.
"She must've been upset when Sango-san tried to kiss you, huh?" Katsumi said.
"I didn't do anything wrong!" Inuyasha said defensively.
"What's wrong with being made to sit?" Aoife asked.
"This 'sit' is different from the normal way of sitting," Shippo said, hopping up on Inuyasha's shoulder. "See these beads around his neck? They're 'subjugation beads'. Kagome can make him slam face-first into the ground by using the command 'sit'."
"I see. 'Sit' because he's a dog, right?" Fintan said, looking amused.
"Shippo!" Inuyasha growled, annoyed that he had told the faeries that.
"Sit," Clíodhna said, pointing at Inuyasha, which made a vein throb on his head.
"It only works for Kagome," Katsumi said, sweat-dropping. Was she trying to pick a fight?
"How boring," Clíodhna said.
"You—!?" Inuyasha growled, but Miroku and Kohaku quickly grabbed him before he could lunge at her.
"Now, now. I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it," Miroku said, though he doubted his own words. Clíodhna seemed to finally be enjoying herself a little bit.
"So how did you get the sake and escape?" Aoife asked, getting back to the story.
"Well, I sucked up the mist into my kazaana," Miroku said. "That's—"
"We know, it's in the song," Fintan said to save time.
"Didn't that make you drunk?" Katsumi asked. "There must've been a lot of it."
"Huh? Now that you mention it, inhaling some of the mist made me feel slightly tipsy, but sucking it into my hand didn't have any effect on me at all..." Miroku said, holding his chin.
"Heh. Compared to all the other poisons you've sucked up and survived, it probably wasn't that strong," Inuyasha said.
"That may be it," Miroku said. "Anyway, once the mist was gone, we could clearly see the culprits. It was a group of small youkais about Jaken's size. After that they gave us the sake without any trouble and we left. They were shy and extremely cautious. They only released the mist because they thought we might be a threat. Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, they were quite friendly."
"Why don't we go to Kasumidake?" Ardghal suggested. "It sounds interesting."
"Yes, it could be fun," Bláthnat agreed.
"We can get some rare alcohol to take home as a souvenir," Fintan said.
"Good idea," Cairbre said.
"But the mist..." Sango said.
"Faeries have a high tolerance for alcohol. It takes a lot to get us drunk," Clíodhna said.
"Does this village have a map with Kasumidake on it?" Katsumi asked, since it was clear her guests were excited about going. She knew faeries loved to drink.
"No, I don't believe it does," Miroku said.
"Then, do you remember where it is?" Ardghal asked. "If I look into your memories, I can see it for myself, and it'll make it easier to get there."
"Go ahead," Miroku said. Ardghal stared at Miroku for a moment, then he smiled. "Thank you. That was very helpful."
"Thanks, see you around," Katsumi told Rin and her friends, smiling gratefully at them.
"Farewell," the faeries said as they and Katsumi formed a circle again with Sesshoumaru and Jaken in the middle. Ardghal took the lead since he knew how to find their destination.
"Bye-bye!" Shippo and Rin said, waving at them as they disappeared in the glowing ring that formed around them.