AN: Hey everyone! Happy New Year!! *throws confetti* And I thought I would have Well finished before now. Guess not ^_^ In fact, I think it might run an extra chapter or two, just depends on how the muse strikes me. Anyway, thank you all for your support with my grandmother, who is recovering nicely BTW, and thank you for all the wonderful reviews. You have all inspired me so much that as soon as I got back to my place, I wrote 2 chapters in two days. Poor Emania, in the midst of all her packing and planning to go back to school, she was submitted to extra Beta-duty! Let's give her a round of applause!

Because there were so many reviews, and since you all said pretty much the same things, I'm just going to address a few questions that I got, but give everyone recognition. I know it's not my normal format for review comments, but I really want to get down to writing more, and I think you'll all understand ^_^

Okay, many of you seemed confused about who Sato is. If you remember from the first chapter, Sato is Kagome's brother. Yes, I know in the anime it's spelled Souta, but bear with my train of thought. If, as I worked it out in the first few chapters, Kagome's family really did sell her story of adventure to a manga company, they obviously would have changed some of the names, so they didn't get a flood of weirdos. So Hirotomo Sato became Higurashi Souta. Get it now? *looks around* Does that make sense?

Someone asked me if they could use my characters in a story of their own working. While I am honored, given the way they want to write it, mixing with characters from an alternate pairing of characters, I don't think it would work out well. I do appreciate you asking first, but I'm going to have to say no.

Let's see. A few of you told me I should try to write fiction professionally. *blush* Actually I have been trying to, unfortunately I am quite a perfectionist when it comes to my own original writing and I'm never really satisfied with what I come up with, so I'm constantly revising and hense never getting anywhere with it. However since getting so many wonderful reviews from all of you, I'm trying to stop with that cycle, come up with a decent draft and get it ready to post on fictionpress. It's a Supernatural Murder Mystery set in my hometown, so who knows, maybe it'll get as good reviews. I would hope you guys would check it out when the time comes!

Funky Nassau, jschu25 ,KatDemonHanyou(), JCCSilkie ,Emania , pruningshears, Diana-sama, oOo.I love bubbles.oOo ,ElvenDragon , evilfire4321, ophiel(), bluefuzzyelf ,Grizabella ,shorty40(), Tiranth(), pony girl(), Smiley-chan, FluffysBijin05 ,Buritsutsunei

~~Keitaro~~ He sat back against the strong trunk of the tree he had taken refuge in. The sky through the foliage was a perfect blue, with feather wisps of clouds floating across his vision.

"Another perfect day," he muttered bitterly, folding his hands behind his head as he scowled up at the sky. The world was mocking him again; he could almost hear the laughter in the twittering of the birds, or the swishing sound of the full leaves above his head. They were obviously laughing at his misery, and laughing at his loneliness.

"Kei," came a voice below him and he caught himself growling. No, he wasn't going to answer, maybe she would just go away.

"Kei, I know you're up there," came the voice again, and he sighed, glancing down from his branch to the ground below. After a moment he saw the shifting of red come into his view. He sighed and looked away, shifting unconsciously into the shadow of the tree.

"Stubborn ass, don't make me come up there and drag you down myself," came another threat, which he ignored. She wouldn't dare.

"Last time Kei, or I'll invoke the rosary spell, you know Mother taught me how to do it, and I will," she yelled and he sighed again.

"Feh," he called down and saw her step closer to get a better look at him.

"Now are you going to come down? Mother and Father will be arriving soon, and you are in desperate need of a bath."

"Shut up old woman," he hissed and heard an indignant snort.

"Not yet too old to beat some sense into your thick skull," she yelled. After a moment she looked down, probably because of the strain on her neck to keep looking upwards so long.

"Kei, it's been 50 years, you need to quit moping so much and get on with your life, she would want-" she said and jumped back as he leapt out of the tree, a snarl on his face.

"How dare you tell me what she would want?" He leaned toward her, almost menacingly, but she could see the pain hidden in his eyes. "You don't know anything about her!" he yelled.

Maeko stared at her older brother in disbelief. For half a century he had been moping around, barely eating, barely sleeping and he looked horrible. No one could snap him out of his melancholy, not even Kohana, though try she did.

"I know well enough that she would be appalled at your behavior. You promised her that you would do whatever it took to survive to see her again, but at this rate you're just making yourself an easy target for the next big threat to have you has his dinner."

Kei snorted and crossed his arms, looking away. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of being right. Maeko reached forward and grabbed his chin and forced his head to look at her.

"You listen to me and listen good Kei, I won't be around to see the day that you find her again, but neither will you if you keep up like this. Besides, would you want her to see you like this?"

"What do you know?" he yelled and instantly flinched. His sister's eyes narrowed sharply as she leaned forward. For a woman close to 70, she was still as strong as in her youth. She aged slower than most, thanks to the blood she shared with their father, but she still aged faster than he did. He still held the appearance of a young man of twenty while she had already begun to grey. She didn't look her proper age, one would guess her 40 rather than 67, but still the aging was apparent. Her long black hair was now streaked white like his, but for a different reason.

"What do I know?" she demanded more than asked. "You are not the only one alone in their grief," she snapped. "You are not the only one to lose the one you love." She took a moment to breathe and compose herself. "Do not forget so easily that while Francesca is merely unreachable right now, my husband is dead," she whispered. "I have my children to comfort that loss, but you have all of us." She met my eyes again, the look in her eyes betraying the pain of loss she herself had gone through and Kei blinked in realization at the raw emotion in them. "Do not forget that Kohana grieves just as much as you, and you have made yourself unreachable to her. She needs you, because once I am gone, she will have only you."

Her angry face, creased with the passage of time and the stress of losing her husband to a raiding party, seemed to glow. Kei took a step back, and sighed.

"Where is she?" he asked softly, refusing to meet her eyes.

Maeko gestured back to the village, "She's preparing the midday meal, and I think it would be good for you to go and speak with her before Mother and Father appear."

Kei sighed, knowing that she was right, and trudged off in the direction of the hot springs, before he could receive any further criticism.

~~*~~ Francesca

I opened my eyes and took a slow, deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of the summer air. For a moment I was worried that everything had been one long incredible dream, when I felt a stir against my side and a curious mew from Yuki. No, it hadn't been a dream; everything had been so completely real.

"Kei," I whispered and felt tears spring to my eyes, which I let flow. I pulled the pillow to my face and let loose a howl of pain I hadn't uttered in a long time. I couldn't feel him anywhere near me, my senses stretched out in a desperate attempt to find him, as I screamed my pain into that bundle of stuffing and cloth. He wasn't there; he hadn't been waiting for me.

He's dead, my agonizing mind screamed as my body shook with the violent force of my cries. It had been too long, far too long. If he were alive, he would have been waiting for me at the well, not Sato and his mother, but my love. I curled up on the bed, pulling my knees to my chest as I let the pain roll through me. So long as no one was there, I could grieve. I didn't dare show such pain to Kagome's mother, it would be too much of a burden on her.

Yuki mewed against my cheek and nuzzled me. I slowly began to open my eyes and looked into her pink ones. She mewed again, and tilted her head to the side. I sniffled, feeling rather sheepish over my dramatic antics, especially in front of Yuki. After all, she too had lost the only family she knew, and yet here she was, trying to comfort me.

"We can do this, can't we kit?" I asked softly and reached up to scratch her ears gently. She purred and pushed her head into my hand and I smiled faintly.

"Francesca, are you awake?" I heard and a gentle knock followed.

I quickly wiped my eyes and responded, "Yes, I am."

Sato opened the door slowly, perhaps a little worried about my state of dress, but relaxed visibly as he saw I was still decent. He was carrying a tray in his hands, and set it down on the nightstand beside the bed carefully before taking a seat on a corner of the bed.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently and I smiled, wiping again at my eyes. "Yes, I think I will be."

He studied me a moment, as if trying to decide what to say before he asked, "My sister, was she truly happy?"

I looked closely at him: he looked positively depressed, so I reached forward and touched his hand. Images flooded my mind when the emotions touched me and I caught flashes of a scared little boy watching his sister pulled through the well by a monster, the tug of loneliness that he had felt every time she had left, and finally the ultimate pain as she chose a time far away, over him.

"Oh Sato," I whispered. He looked up at my face and I could see the tears that were lurking in their depths. "Your sister was very, very happy, but she missed you and your mother so very much. She used to visit the well everyday, and speak to you through it. She knew you probably never heard her, but she did just the same. It was the hardest decision of her life, leaving all this behind," I said, motioning with my hand.

"But she made that decision, no one else could make it for her." I continued. "I think that even knowing what she had to give up, she would make the same decision again." I paused for a moment, my own emotions nearly overwhelming me again before I managed to control them and speak again. "Sometimes, when you love someone so much that living without them is unbearable, you do what you have to, to be with them."

My voice dropped down to a painful whisper, and I could feel his eyes on me, "You love him that much?" he asked.

I met his eyes and smiled, and nodding, "More than my own life, and if I could have, I would have stayed with him. I had hoped that it would have been enough, my love and faith, but I was wrong." My eyes dropped to my hands on my lap again, and I don't know what prompted me to speak the thought aloud, "He's dead now."

Sato stood up quickly, "No, you're wrong!" he exclaimed, an assurance to his voice that seemed so familiar, but yet still caught me off-guard. "He can't be dead! If he is my sister's son, I know he can't be dead. Kagome was too strong to let anything beat her, not time, not Naraku, not even her own fear. Keitaro has to be alive, he wouldn't be fit to be my sister's son if he wasn't."

I stared up at this young man, and felt something swell up inside me. Oh Kagome, I thought, I wish you could see what a man your little brother has become.

"Eat up, you need your nourishment, and then we'll talk some more. Your bags are near the door, and I'll be out in the courtyard if you need me."

I nodded, "Thank you Sato," I replied and watched as he slowly left the room, his words still echoing in my head. If Keitaro wasn't dead, then where was he? He knew where to find me, he had my memories for that. I didn't understand.

I stayed at the shrine for another day, but then I had to return home. Mrs. Hirotomo wished me a safe trip. I would have stayed longer, but I knew that I had a short bit of time left to me before school would start and I couldn't put off that part of my life, though I wished I could.

Inside I wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed, and watch the days pass and wait, but it wasn't right.

"Kei would say I was acting like a child," I chided myself softly as I opened the door to my room. I was staying in a guest house near the school, and was renting a very small room, instead of an apartment. Honestly, I wasn't sure how long it was going to be before I knew enough of the area and language before I could go out on my own. Obviously, things had changed dramatically.

I set down my backpack and suitcase and looked around the room. The room matched my mood; bare, bleak and blank. I stared at the hauntingly white plaster walls, the florescent light in the corner, and the simple twin sized bed.

"Baka!" I hissed at myself, and walked swiftly to the window, where I threw open the shades and glass, letting in the warm but fragrant air. Yes, I was miserable, but I wouldn't dig my grave just yet. Sato was right, Kei was anything but a quitter, and far too stubborn to die. It had been 500 or more years, who knew what he had gone through?

"If he could be patient enough to wait for me, then I will do the same," I said deciding.

I made a face at the room before me. "First things first, I will not let him see me living like a hermit."

*****************

By the time classes began, I had scoped out a few apartments within my price range. None of them were quite what I was looking for, though they were all lovely. I seemed to be clinging to a sense that when I saw the apartment, I would know.

I glanced down at the directions I had gotten from the owner to the last apartment on my current list and turned another corner, staring down into a dark alleyway. I glanced down again at the directions. I knew I had followed them to the letter, but here I was, staring at dumpsters and rubbish.

"Lost, miss?" I heard behind me and I spun quickly on my heel. Approaching me in a very casual swaggering walk, were three very aggressive looking men. My skin tingled as they approached, and I took a step back.

"Not at all, I just made a wrong turn," I said, trying to keep the shaking from my voice.

The three of them grinned, "Oh, I don't think so. I suppose you'd like to see the apartment now," spoke up one, and I recognized the voice from my phone conversation earlier that day.

"Oh great," I said, taking another step back as they all grinned again.

"Don't worry, we'll be showing you the apartment soon," said one, licking his lips and grinning at me like a . a wolf. I blinked and stopped my steps, realizing that the tingling on my skin wasn't from my fear, it was something else. I knew that feeling, though it was almost impossible.

"Won't you stay for dinner, first?" spoke up the last, and they all chuckled merrily.

"Anything good boys?" chimed a fourth voice, this one from behind me. I turned quickly and saw a tall, slender man, with reddish brown hair appear from what seemed like the shadows. His lips were curled back in a grin, and his canine teeth extended longer than his others. His face seemed rather familiar to me, and as he approached, the tingling along my skin grew stronger. I closed my eyes, and stretched out my empathy and was flooded with a feeling I never thought I'd feel again. Pure wilderness, power and strength. There was only one that had given me that sensation without even touching him.

"Kouga?" I whispered and the four men paused, their eyes growing wide, the first three staring at the fourth in surprise. I took advantage of that shock to wrap my mind around it and shove it back at them, stunning them. Before they could react, I took off in a mad dash out of the alleyway and back to the busy lighted street, my heart pounding in both my ears and my chest.

Youkai, youkai in my time! How could I have missed them before? I heard my feet slapping the hot pavement, and I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going when I collided with something, or rather someone. I backpedaled quickly and immediately bowed.

"I'm so sorry, " I said apologetically and looked up. My stomach dropped to my feet, not only had I run into a woman, but an old woman at that. Good going, I berated myself silently as I bowed again for good measure.

"Are you alright?" I heard and slowly lifted my head to look up at her. She was staring at me intently and I had to look away.

"I should be asking you that, ma'am," I said softly and she chuckled.

"Please child, I would not have lived as long as I have, if I couldn't stand a few run ins from time to time, besides, " she paused and seemed to study me harder, "You had a reason for running I imagine, and from the looks of you, it was a very good one."

She turned, walking slowly with her walking stick, "Come with me, and I'll fix you some tea to soothe your nerves." I followed obediently, glancing only once over my shoulder to make sure that those youkai weren't following me as I followed her into the house.

She motioned for me to take a seat in the living room, and denied my offer to help her out. After a few moments she came out with two teacups full of steaming, fragrant liquid. I thanked her and slowly sipped at it. The tenseness in my nerves seemed to float away with the steam from my drink and I sighed.

"What brings you to this part of town anyway child?" she asked and I looked up.

"I was looking for an apartment, and was told there was one for rent here, but it turned out to be a hoax."

The old woman nodded, bringing her own cup to her lips before replying, "Yes, those horrible men and their gang. They act just like a pack of rabid wolves, but this is the first time I heard of them using such tricky means."

I almost dropped my cup at the wolves comment, and carefully placed it down on the table before me, before I could do that.

"You said you're looking for an apartment, " she continued, catching my attention. I nodded. "Well, I do have a place that I'm looking to rent out. It's not in this zone though, closer to that American base. It belonged to my sister, may her soul sleep in peace, and it's not very large, but if you're interested, I could show it to you."

I almost jumped to my feet with excitement, "Oh thank you ma'am! I would really appreciate it!"

She laughed merrily and placed her cup down, "Please, enough with these formalities. You can call me Kaede."

I froze. No way! I slowly glanced at her, as she took her time to stand. This dowdy, gentle grandmotherly looking woman, could she be-? I quickly picked up her cup, and my own, and took them out into the kitchen for her.

"Kaede-san," I asked softly, "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your sister? I don't mean to be nosy but,-"

She smiled, "It's alright child, it was a very long time ago, when I wasn't much older than yourself." She seemed to be lost in the memory for a moment before she continued. "She was murdered, and I'm very glad to say the scum rotted out the rest of his days in prison." She studied me a moment, "You remind me of her somehow, a spirit perhaps." She smiled wistfully, "Forgive an old woman's ramblings. I'll call a cab and take you to the apartment right now if you want."

I realized how wrong it was, for me to ask her something so personal, but with everything I had just experienced, I couldn't help but be curious. Of course I knew this wasn't THE Kaede, but to have the same name, and a sister who died long ago, it was far too strange to be coincidence. I almost wanted to ask more, but then again, I didn't want to push my luck.

I blinked out of my thoughts when I realized she was waiting for my answer. I blushed and replied quickly, "Only if it isn't too much trouble for you," I stammered and watched as she went to make the call.

Before I knew it, we were on our way to the apartment, which wasn't the small simple apartment like Kaede's, but a rather open apartment, located on the 12th floor of the building. Kaede assured me that the rent was not as astronomical as I was imagining, but nothing else mattered once she unlocked that door. My skin seemed to ripple with familiarity, awareness as I stepped through the threshold. This was it!

There was a small hallway that opened into a large and open living room with glass paneled balcony doors that lit the room up without the aid of artificial light. Off to the side was space for a dining table and to the right of that, a small but modern kitchen, with a gas stove and plenty of cabinet and counter space. The floor was wood paneled, and must have been recently redone since I could catch the whiff of wood and polish still lingering in the air. The walls were a soft mix of white and grey, tinged just enough to keep them from looking too bright and bare.

To the left of the living room was another small corridor, leading to a bathroom on the left, and two bedrooms on the right and at the end. The room at the end was the larger of the two, with its own set of balcony doors leading out to the long balcony that encompassed the outside of the apartment. The wooden floor seemed to flow everywhere except the bathroom and kitchen, and the soft honeyed brown color added warmth to the apartment regardless of the empty rooms.

I knew right away where my bedroom was going to be, and exactly how I was going to decorate it. The spare I would use to keep my office, with my papers and books, and of course, my gifts from everyone.

Finally I opened the door to the bathroom and felt my heart stop. One of my vices are bathtubs, the bigger the better, and if I could have water to my shoulders, I was in heaven. Well, heaven came in the form of a large porcelain tub with brass feet, just waiting for me to fill it. I almost squealed with delight as I turned to face Kaede, an excited look on my face.

"I'll take it," I said, trying to keep my excitement down, and watched Kaede's face light up.

"Perfect, here are the keys," she said, placing the small set of keys in my hand. "The large brass one is for the door, and the smaller silver one is for the door downstairs. You can move in right away," she said, turning to leave.

"Um, wait, "I said. Sshe stopped, glancing over her shoulder at me.

"You never told me what the rent was," I said softly and she smiled.

"What's a good price for you?"

I almost dropped the keys, "What?"

She smiled and walked up to me, lifting her shaking hand to my shoulder, or so I thought, because then I felt her wrinkled fingertips touching my neck gently.

"A woman, who can outrun a pack of wolf youkai thugs, and bears the mark of an inu-youkai mate, is a special woman indeed." She smiled into my eyes. "You are a woman who is looking for many things, and I have just helped you find one. I pray this will be the stepping stone to finding the rest." She smiled again and lifted her hand, "I'll be in touch with you about the rent, in the meanwhile, make sure you get yourself situated. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." With that she simply walked out of the apartment, leaving me dumbfounded.

So much had already happened to me in these past few weeks, and yet I had a strong feeling, that the most was yet to come.

~~*~~ Third Person

The old woman set down her cane against the wall and lifted the phone off the receiver. Carefully she flipped through a phonebook and dialed a number, listening as it rang through the earpiece.

"Yes, it's Kaede. I think I've found her . Yes . Yes . Of course, I'm getting old, but not stupid baka! Just tell Uncle."

She carefully placed the phone in its receiver again and smiled, hugging her short arms around her torso and letting off a girlish giggle. It was about time.

~~*~~ Elsewhere in town

"Yes, Grandfather.Yes I know you're in the middle of an important meeting.Yes, I know. I know. Damnit, I know, but I have something really important to tell you, much more important than your stupid merger. No wait, wait Grandfather! Listen, the pack and I were out hunting, and we caught us a pretty thing. No, no Grandfather, would you just listen??! .Well, she did something very peculiar, she saw me, and called me Kouga. .Yes, that's right. .No, everyone else heard as well, then we all felt like we had been hit in the stomach and she ran away. .No, no she defiantly wasn't youkai, but she did smell peculiar. .Almost like- How'd you know? .Alright, alright. I'll be over tonight. .Yes, tell Grandmother I'll bring something for dinner. .Alright."