AN: I'm sorry for making you all wait so long, especially when you had all waited even longer still before my disk died on me. There's a good many of you that I should be naming personally for your reviews but at this point I no longer have those reviews, but I do give thanks to del_kaidin, Tiranth, Wizardess Gal (to whom I owe an apology for offending her for my Kouga comment. I'm not a huge fan of him, but I don't hold any malice.), Dia, Nina, and everyone else who I might have not mentioned but still enjoyed Through the Ancient Well.

Chapter 16

I was surrounded by darkness, a blackness so thick and consuming that I felt all hope slip from me. In the darkness, my senses slowly came into awakening and I realized to my horror, that I wasn't alone. There before me stood the boar-man, his eyes white, and his face pale. In my hand, Kaemon's katana, buried deep within his head. The warm spray of blood and other things fanned my face, and it wasn't until the coppery taste of it trickled over my lips did I know what happened. I screamed.

Suddenly it all happened again, I felt the sword press deep inside its head, the sound of cracking bones filled my ears, and that horrible spray across my face. Over and over, the scene replayed itself, and over and over I was the helpless victim, unable to stop myself from slaughter. My ears echoed again and again with those horrible sounds, and then filled with my own screams.

Without warning, the monster disappeared, and I was alone, covered in the gore of my murder. I heard a noise and turned, and there was Keitaro, standing there, looking about as surprised as I was. He took a step towards me, concern and caring in his beautiful golden eyes. I quickly turned away.

"Don't look at me," I screamed and felt a hand gently place itself on my shoulder. I stared down at my hands, refusing to look up at him, refusing to see the look on his face as he saw the creature I had become, when he turned me and took my hands in his. Then, the most amazing thing happened. Keitaro lifted my hands to his face, and began cleaning them. With his tongue! It was perhaps the most intense moment of my life, and the most natural. I couldn't stop myself and felt hot tears slide down my cheeks. He too took notice, and when my hands were cleansed from any blood, he lifted a hand to my cheek, bowed his head again, and began cleaning the blood from my face, my chin, my neck. I closed my eyes and felt the ministrations reach deep down into my soul, cleaning away even my own shame, guilt, and fear. A voice whispered in my head, "You protected me, you protected yourself. There is no shame in what you have done. You are no monster, look at me."

I opened my eyes and saw Keitaro staring deep into my eyes, the power that lay there lit a fire inside my soul, and gave me strength. Then he was gone, but something inside me clung to his touch, his warm breath on my cheek, and I knew that I still had something left to hope for in this world. This sense of peace surrounded me, and I wrapped myself around it, or it around me, and held tight even when it seemed that it was being pulled away from me. The fire that Keitaro had lit within me fought back, and in the end, I won. I was returned to the safety of that embrace where I finally reached a quiet rest.

Slowly I realized that someone was calling me, or something, and I struggled against the fog of my mind, pulling myself up until I felt the touch of someone close by, and recognized it as Maeko. Carefully I opened my eyes and watched her as she looked at me and jumped.

"Oh, I woke you," she said and I closed my eyes feeling too worn to shake my head.

"No, I needed to wake," I looked around and realized I had no idea where I was.

"We're staying the night in an inn," she said, and her sadness and worry rushed over me with such an intensity that it made me dizzy. Never had I felt anyone's emotions so strongly, not even when my empathy began to awake as a small child. That was a whisper against my heart, this was a cacophony of noise. Maeko's sadness was too personal, too deep and my eyes widened.

"Where's Kei," I said, my mind now fully awake to the reality of his absence. The warmth of his presence, the smell of his skin, even to my normal human nose, was distinctly absent. His haori lay beside my head, I could see the red material from the corner of my eye. Maeko looked out the window at the rain that beat down and sighed.

"He's out in that?" I exclaimed and sat up, ignoring the ache that filled my body," Why?"

"Our host expressed an extreme dislike for my brother, or rather, for my brother's nature. Keitaro chose not to argue and left us, so that we could have the room." I stared at her, and clenched my fist, an act that didn't go unnoticed.

"Francesca, calm down. I'm sure he's fine," she said, but her lack of conviction in her words shown through. "Besides, you need to relax, I need to redress your bandages."

"My back's fine," I said angrily and ripped the bandages off my torso to prove it. I felt cool air hit my skin, skin that had not been bare for over a week, and took a deep breath, stretching the skin on my back and feeling the pull against my scars, but no pain.

"See, " I said, reaching for my underclothes and shirt, dressing just in time, as Kaemon and Naoko entered the room, balancing several bowls of rice in their hands. I stood, ignoring the shake in my knees and grabbed Keitaro's haori, before marching towards the door.

"Francesca, you're awake- Where are you going?!" Kaemon exclaimed loudly, placing the bowls down and grabbing my arm as I tried to brush past him. I gave him the hardest look I could muster.

"How could you let Keitaro be treated like that," I said, and felt his shame rise to the surface, before being replaced by anger.

"What was I supposed to do? You were injured, the storm was coming and you couldn't have done well exposed to the elements. I did what was best for the group, we needed shelter. Besides, Keitaro is strong, this isn't the first storm he's weathered and I doubt it will be his last." Kaemon crossed his arms, trying to look dignified.

"He's away from his family, the people he needs the most right now. Can you imagine, in the least, what he must be going through? He needs someone to be there for him right now, and since you don't seem to have the balls to stand up for your family, then I guess I will." and with that I stormed down out the door. I flew down the stairs, and surprised the few stragglers left in the main room. I threw open the chains on my empathy and let it fill the room, till every person there was an open book to me, and I to them. I made no attempt to hide my anger, and stood as straight as I could.

One in the corner, an older man turned pale, and I stormed up to him. "How dare you have the courage to call yourself a man. You are nothing but a rat, a vermin, a piece of dung that is too rotten to be placed in the fields. You have courage enough to turn a man out into a storm, just because of the nature of his birth, but when confronted by his woman, you turn white and nearly shite in your pants." He stared at me in horror, and the room behind me grew terribly still. I pointed a finger at him, "Let this be my warning to you, treat any other, like you have treated my husband, and you will never live to regret it." The words were out before I could stop them, and my heart skipped a beat. Husband? Where had that wild fancy come out from.

I felt something brush against my hand and saw Kirara standing behind me, fully transformed. The crowd stood in awe as I nodded and grabbed a hold of the scruff on her neck, pulling myself up on her massive back. Had I been Lady Godiva, and riding through the center of town naked as a jaybird, I don't think I would have attracted as much attention as I was right now.

~*~ (Third Person)

Kaemon stood staring at the door for a moment before turning on the nearest person he could vent his anger at, his cousin.

"You're a miko and a healer, how could you let her go out there like that?" he snarled, but she turned to him with a calm look on her face.

"None of us could have truly stopped her, you saw that in her face," she said, before walking over and sitting next to Naoko, taking up a bowl of rice.

"We could have locked the door, bound her, something," Kaemon continued. Naoko glanced at him, then Maeko who gave him a look.

"Brother," he said, shaking his head," for all the time you have spent with our eldest cousin Shippou, you should have understood something about youkai males," he said just as calmly.

"What does Shippou have to do with this?" Kaemon hissed.

"Remember when Akame was trapped in their den alone during that typhoon that came up out of no where? Shippou nearly went mad when he couldn't go to her, Inuyasha had to knock him unconscious to keep him from running out into the storm and getting himself killed. Mates have strong ties to each other, to protect each other and in times of pain, comfort each other."

Kaemon's eyes bugged out, "M-mates?"

Maeko glanced up from her food. "Surely you've noticed Kei's behavior this past day and now Francesca's mad rush despite knowing her own limitations. Perhaps they have not completed all the rites of mating, but they are mates. I think something happened between them, first when Francesca was attacked and she read Kei's mind, and then this morning after the attack, when we found Keitaro holding her. Remember that none of us could stand being close to her, but Kei could. They are bonded now, deeper than anyone can see."

Kaemon frowned, and crossed his arms, and the cousins glanced at each other with a sigh," He won't give up," Naoko whispered and Maeko nodded, "I think you're right," she said, and unseen by the angry samurai, she slipped her hand in Naoko's, squeezing gently.

~*~ (Keitaro)

(AN: Written while listening to Linkin Park: Run Away. Very inspirational for this scene. In fact, happy or sad, I write my best listening to Linkin Park- odd huh?)

I'm not even sure when the rain really started, all I knew was I was soaked when I came to my senses. The last I could remember was the ice cold feeling that flooded my skin as I turned away from everyone and walked out of the village, the hatred of the bitter old man burning on the back of my skull. Once I cleared the line of huts, I began running, running to try and outrun my anger, burn it off, something to prevent me from running back and beating that man to a pulp. How I wanted to, how my instincts screamed at me for vengeance and how I hated myself for it. OH yes, ironic wasn't it? My father spent most of this life hating who he was because he despised his human weakness and I treasured it, and wished that my human night would never end. I hated my youkai blood, hated what it did to me, and how it made me feel. Most of all, I hated being so different from so many around me.

Of course, I could never confess this to anyone, especially my father. The mighty Inuyasha who had a sense of pride I had never met in anyone else. No, I would never tell my father this.

~~*~~

"Be proud of who you are, the grandson of the great Inu youkai of the Western Lands," he would tell me, as he trained me, taught me to use my youkai abilities. "You are part of an important heritage and you should never forget that."

"I'm also part of a powerful miko, who defeated the worse youkai ever to walk the earth," I had replied proudly, and beamed at my mother, who laughed softly from her seat in front of our hut. She was still so young, barely a woman of 20.

"Be fair Keitaro, your father helped," she grinned and Father turned and gave her a pained look. "Helped?! Who was it that pulled your fat from the fire on more than one occasion," he countered and she laughed harder. I laughed too, because I knew mother enjoyed getting Father annoyed. This time though, he just smiled and turned back to me, ruffling the hair on my head gently. "My son," he said proudly.

~~*~~

I screamed into the storm and slammed my fist into the nearby tree, hearing the wood splinter even over the roar of the wind. He had lied to me, tales of how times were different, that I could be accepted as I was, all lies. This only proved it, I was just as hated as my father had been, simply because of my birth.

I slammed my anger and hatred into that poor tree, who with each thrust, looked more and more likely to collapse into the mud. I fell to my knees, my hands digging into the wet earth, feeling the rain wash over my face. The water seemed to help, as exhaustion took over the space where my anger was being washed away, and I panted deeply. At least Francesca was safe, and warm. I knew I could endure a storm, to know she was safe.

How odd it was, this sudden realization. All my life, I could never get close to anyone, or rather, they wouldn't want to get close to me. Suddenly she appears, the one person I should hate the most and somehow she has managed to get past my fears, and give me something noble to life for. Something to make me wish to make myself better for her. Such an odd woman, much like my mother.

~~*~~

"Keitaro, come for a walk with me, we must discuss something important," my father had said one ordinary spring day. We strode quietly into the forest up to the Goshinboku tree, and I knew this was an important speech. Father always seemed to have something very important to say when he came to this tree. I could see the small scar in the bark, where the arrow had held him captive for all those years.

"Keitaro, you are now 21 years old, and by all means a man. Why haven't you thought to finding a mate? Starting a family?"

I blinked. This was the last thing I was expecting from him. Father was never quite good with the odd and intimate conversations, he normally left those to Mother, like the time I had asked as most curious young pups do, why Aunt Sango's stomach was getting so big. Father's face had blended in with his fire rat fur and had only managed to stammer something about asking Mother before he ran away.

I snickered slightly at the memory and was given a stern look. I sobered up quickly.

"Honestly Father, because the women of the village are afraid of me." He sighed and nodded, "Your mother thought as much, and I had hoped she was wrong. I had hoped it was your own choice. She is the one who had the idea to talk to you about this, you know her, happiest when she's trying to play matchmaker with someone." He glanced skyward for a moment before continuing.

"They say that dogs are one of the most unfaithful of all the creatures, simply seeking the next bitch in heat, and those who say that have never met an Inu-youkai before. Granted it is not uncommon for those unpaired to," he coughed politely here, "sow their wild oats, but once mated, truly mated with another, that ends. We are much more different than our canine relations. Inu-youkai, and those of us of the blood, are completely faithful to those they chose as their mates, bound to them in ways that time nor distance can ever break," he coughed again.

"I tell you this because, I know it must be difficult for you, especially with so few options. I was blessed, in more ways than one, to have found your mother. Despite our differences, of age and otherwise, we were able to form that bond, but most importantly we are the best of friends. One day you will find a woman, as precious to you as your mother is to me and because you're my son," he paused and chuckled softly, "you probably won't even realize it at first. But always listen to your heart, even if is your youkai half, because that will not lead you astray. It will know, if you found a good mate."

~~*~~

I bowed my head down into the mud, and closed my eyes. The memory melted away as I took deep breaths, the scent of the mud filled my conscious mind. Earth, the decay of plants, even some small creatures laced throughout my senses, but as the tangy, coppery smell of blood touched my lips, I knew I wasn't alone. I opened my eyes and caught sight of a pair of angry yellow eyes, glaring at me from within the broken trunk of the tree. Feline and hurt, was all I could tell as I reached in and received a bite on my hand for my efforts. With a yelp, I grabbed fur and pulled the offending fluff ball. He, most defiantly he, snarled and tried swiping at me with a good claw. I saw then the red raw gashes in his side, almost invisible in his night black fur. I held him up to eyelevel as his hissed at me angrily.

"Alright, we both need to get out of this storm, and you need to get these wounds treated. A truce till we're out of this?"

The cat looked annoyed but mewed softly and I was glad. I didn't enjoy fighting injured animals, especially those much smaller than I was. I grabbed my white shirt, and pulled forcefully, tearing it in half, and wrapped the piece around his chest and leg as best I could. He had stopped hissing but still eyed me suspiciously.

"There, that should stop the bleeding," I said and wrapped him in the curve of my arm. "Now a place to get out of this storm," I said looking around.

"Keitaro," I heard over the wind and turned around to see Kirara flying through the storm and by the light of the flames on her feet. I saw the banner of Francesca's red hair, blowing wildly behind her. She was white lipped and shivering, clinging tightly to Kirara's scruff and looking tired enough to drop. I leapt up and grabbed her hand. I could feel the waning strength in her grip, and her refreshing scent covered me like a comfortable blanket. Quickly I placed the cat in my possession on Kirara's back, and pulled myself up behind her. She was tense and silent. I leaned forward and shouted," Kirara, find some sort of cave, this storm is only going to get worse before the night is over." Her ears perked up and she growled loud enough so I knew she heard me.

Francesca said nothing else during the trip, but I could feel the violent shakes her body was under and I instinctively wrapped my arm around her and pressed my chest to her back. She stopped shivering, but I had noticed her scent abruptly changed. I was sharper, like a brisk cold wind in winter, stinging my nose. She was afraid, deeply afraid. I bit my lip and pulled away but the scent never changed. What was she so afraid of?

Kirara growled against the wind again and turned swiftly, landing in the entrance of a deep cave. I took a deep breath, and my nose filled with the scent of the once inhabitants, their mark now faded enough for me to be sure they were not coming back. Kirara walked slowly inside and I slid off her back, reaching up to help Francesca. Tight lipped and pale, she moved away from me, and slid off the other side. I sighed and grabbed the cat from Kirara's back to find he had already found a comfortable new place, Francesca's arms. I growled, despite myself and saw Francesca's eyes widen slightly in response, the smell of fear now gone.

~*~ (Francesca)

He was jealous! I couldn't believe it! I wanted to laugh but perhaps the shock was too great. He was actually jealous of the injured cat in my arms who glanced at Kei and began purring, nuzzling up to me. I stared down at it and felt something brush my skin like sandpaper, and hot as fire. I lifted my gaze and saw Keitaro staring at the cat like he wanted to eat it, or even worse. His eyes took on a reddish tint. I took a step, and felt ice water run down my back as I reached the wall of the cave. Kirara placed herself in front of me and growled menacingly. I took a deep breath and placed the cat down and carefully ran my hand along her back, smoothing her fir. My eyes never left Kei's.

"Kirara, take our guest away from Keitaro," I whispered and she growled again, obviously not pleased with the idea.

"Go," I said again and this time she obeyed, bowing her head and scooping up the cat's scruff in her mouth and carried him out of the middle. Kei's eyes followed his as I paused for a moment, trying to figure out how I could bring him down from this state. I didn't have a subduing word, and well-there was another option, but that didn't seem like a good idea. So I did the next best thing to a good sitting. I walked over and slapped him as hard as I could. Once again, my judgment wasn't quite on the mark. He growled loudly and slammed me up against the wall of the cave, his hands clenched tightly around my arms. I felt my breath catch in my throat as I stared into his blood red eyes, and knew what I had to do.

His mouth was pressed against my throat, where I knew my heart was beating like wildfire, and I closed my eyes. As I felt his teeth brush my skin, I took a deep breath, and brought my knee up with all the strength and courage left in me. Keitaro's body tightened up and I took advantage of the fact to pull free and move away. He stayed there for a moment, before slowly sinking to the ground with a whine, and curling up in a tight, fetal position.

I took several slow breaths, relief draining me, and I fell to my knees, as pain and grief overwhelmed me. It took me a moment to push away his feelings, and regain my own. I sat on the ground, gasping for my breath, and slowly rose to my feet. Keitaro was still curled up, not a few feet from me, and still not moving. I glanced around the cave, with the light of Kirara's feet aiding me, and saw a pile of dried grasses, probably used as some sort of nest at one point, and several branches near the entrance of the cave, probably blown in from various storms before. I piled the grasses, and the branches together, and with Kirara's help, started a sort of fire, nothing spectacular, but enough to keep us warm for the night. Kirara curled up with our new guest and began carefully licking his wounds, and judging by the purr that radiated from his little body, I would say he was enjoying it. I curled up by the fire, and pulled my knees to my chest, staring into the flames intensely. Every once in a while, I would think to see Keitaro moving, but it was only a trick of the shadows.

Finally, he truly did move, rolling over to stare at me, the fire setting his eyes ablaze with emotions that I dared not even read. He watched me for what seemed like forever, and then whispered, "I don't blame you."

I blinked curiously and stared at him as he continued, "You had every right to do that, you're beautiful, you do not want the hands of some filthy half- breed to touch you." his voice was so full of pitying sorrow, that oddly enough, instead of filling me with pity, it filled me with anger.

"I do not care what you are Keitaro, you should have realized this by now. You of all people should know I am not like that." I lifted my hands and looked upwards for a moment, before looking down at him, "Jesus Christ Keitaro, how could you ever think that of me?"

"Jesus Christ?" he muttered, looking curious and I sighed, "It's an expression, and a long story. Answer my question!"

"Well, what was I supposed to think?" he shouted back at me.

"I don't know, perhaps the fact that you were completely enraged, and in a state I have never seen you in. Yes I was frightened, and that's why I kicked you, but only because of your state, and not your person. Hell, if I cared that you were a hanyou, why would I go and nearly get myself killed in this storm, to make sure that you were alright!"

He glanced at me, and in his eyes, I saw a sort of childlike shyness, looking up at me from beneath long lashes, "You were worried about me?" he whispered again, and I smiled gently. "Yes Keitaro, I was, and am." He smiled then, and moved so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to move. He was seated behind me before I knew what he was doing, one leg on either side of me, and his arms wrapped around my waist. I froze, and felt his breath on my ear.

"Trust me Francesca, please. I will do you no harm or dishonor, it is a cold night and I wish to keep the chill from you. Besides, I can tell you are still weary, and need someone to lean on, as much as you wish me to lean on you."

I closed my eyes, I couldn't block out his loneliness, seeping through his skin to mine. At the same time, I was very aware of his warmth, the strength in his arms, and his cheek against mine as he rested his chin on my shoulder, bringing our faces parallel.

"You are the most amazing woman I have ever met, Francesca," he whispered after a few moments of silence, with nothing but the sound of the fire crackling and rain falling to keep us company. I turned my head slightly to glance at him from the corner of my eye as he continued.

"I've treated you horribly, damn near pushed you into that well myself, and yet you've risked your health, maybe even your life to come out here in this to make sure I was alright, especially when you had my sister to tend to you, and my cousins to protect you."

"Well, your sister didn't make any moves to stop me, and only Kaemon thought I was crazy for coming out here," I said softly. I paused a moment, "But even if all three of them had tried, I don't think they could have kept me in that room. I just had to come out here, I had to look for you. It was almost as if I didn't even have a choice, something inside me made me wake up, just because you weren't there." I blushed, because I didn't realize how true those words were till I spoke them.

"Kei," I said softly and I felt his lips curl up in a smile. This surprised me and I moved my head back to focus in on his smiling face. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because that's the first time you've called me Kei," he said softly, "I like it, it seems more friendly than my full given name." I smiled brightly, "Well, if you prefer it, I will call you Kei from now on."

"Do you have a short name?" he asked softly, and I thought about it. "Well, not really. Everyone calls me Francesca, you can't really get a short name from that without sounding silly. Though-" I remembered something my little nieces called me, because Francesca was too hard a name for them to learn. I grinned.

"There is something," I said and his ears perked up, causing me to laugh softly. I had to resist the urge to reach up and touch them, not wanting to seem rude.

"Well," he said, his voice pitched a little excitedly, and I blushed. "My best friend has twin girls, and when they were learning to speak, they couldn't say Francesca, so I taught them to call me Auntie Rose, which is my middle name. Of course to them it came out Wose for a while, but -"

"Rose fits you perfectly," he murmured, his voice velvety deep. I blinked at the shivers that ran along my skin as he reached up and ran his hand through my hair, letting it fall through his fingertips like water, his eyes deep amber and half closed. "Rose of the red hair," he whispered again, and I blushed, shifting nervously which caused the arm around my waist to hold me tighter.

"Something wrong," he said, his mouth brushing the fold of my ear, and goose bumps rose up with a fury along my back. I took a deep breath and shook my head, "Just a little chill that's all, perhaps I should move closer to the fire."

He lifted me around the waist as if I weighed nothing, and moved closer to the fire, with his back against the wall so that he was comfortable and I had not other excuse for trying to move. I bit my lip. This was a precarious situation.

"Get some sleep," he said and I could hear the weariness in his voice, the drop of the pitch as he began to take his own advise. I listened quietly as his breathing slowed and evened out behind me. I was still a bit shocked to actually sleep, so I listened to the sound of the rain, the soft purrs of our feline friends, and the crackling of the fire. I watched as it slowly burned away, and once all that was left was smoldering embers I decided to get some sleep. It was odd, sleeping beside someone like this. I mean, I had slept in the same bed with someone else but never this close and never this male. I tried to pull away slowly, but his grip tightened and he murmured in my ear, "Sneaking off?"

I blushed and shook my head, "Um no, but I can't sleep sitting up like this, I was just- Wait Kei-hold on, what are you doing?!" I whispered nervously as he slowly began to tilt to the side, and because of his grip, I was falling as well. With a control I don't think I've ever seen, and one that made me appreciate his strength on a whole new level, we arrived on the ground without a sound, his arm still around me. I took a deep shaky breath, as it seemed now more of him was touching me, and I shook that thought from my head as quickly as it entered. I didn't need to be thinking of that at this moment.

"I'm lying down, what do you think I'm doing," he chuckled against the back of my neck and I pouted slightly. "Now get some sleep," he purred, removing one arm from around my waist, thankfully the one I had been laying on, and began stroking my hair. I tried to protest, but all that came out was a large yawn. I resisted the urge to stretch and purr, but that's what everything inside felt like doing. My logical mind began losing out as my conscious mind slipped into a deep comfortable sleep.