Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, you would be seeing this on TV, not reading about it off fanfiction.net! Enjoy. That's right Ceech'N'Calum! I'm talking to you!

"...and after that I never ate green berries again!" Sora finished.

She was carrying her precious egg, whom she'd named Ryuuji, they were on their way back to the village. Kouga and Inuyasha really couldn't stand one another for longer then they had to, and the cave really was too small for so many people.

Sora's wings still hadn't healed all the way, so she walked on the ground with everyone else. Much to Inuyasha's delight they'd left Rasha behind at the cave because of her badly wounded back.

The look on Kouga's face had been priceless as Rasha had handed him a star chart and ordered him to fill it out, and no cheating.

"We'll have to send Kamali up to keep her company," Kagome said thoughtfully.

"And to keep her from doing some drastic to poor Kouga," Miroku muttered.

"I really can't believe a daughter of Tiamat was banished from her home land. I mean, that's a scandal and a half!" said Sora thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose the fact she doesn't have wings could have something to do with it!"

"How?" asked Sango frowning.

"Well you see," Sora began. "Dragons, in that particular form have wings, and sometimes have tails. For Rasha, I think you said her name was, not to have wings means she's a birth defect. An abnormality."

"Yeah, she's abnormal alright," Inuyasha muttered.

"Why does she have big feet then?" Shippou asked frowning. "Is that abnormal too?"

"No, that's common for dragons to have such large feet, on the shifting sand of the desert they live in large feet evenly distribute their weight to keep them from sinking," Sora replied.

"You sure no a lot about dragons for a bird!" muttered Inuyasha suspiciously.

"Can't you see the lady is a well learned woman of the world Inuyasha?" demanded Miroku. "A thousand pardons lady, Inuyasha speaks without thought!"

"No it's okay," Sora replied. "Dragons and birds descend from the same race, we're both scholars and gatherers of information. Dragons are most honored among the demons of Saudi Arabia while birds have sort of carved a nice, respectable nice for themselves as rulers of the Northern Lands."

"Northern Lands?" frowned Kagome.

"Japan is divided into four parts, each a compass point," Sora explained. "The Bird Court rules the Northern Lands, and I rule the Bird Court. The Eastern Lands are ruled by a serpent named Din. The Western Lands are ruled by Sesshomaru, I think he's a neko demon...."

"Sesshomaru?" demanded Kagome worriedly. "He's Inuyasha's half brother!"

Sora blinked.

"Really?" she asked. She gave Inuyasha coy look. "You're nothing alike!"

"Tell me about it," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Who rules the Southern Lands?" asked Miroku.

Sora's face darkened considerably.

"A very bad man. A gryphon demon," she said shortly. "Power hungry and mad. Pray you never him. A more ruthless killer never existed."

Five knives came sailing out of the trees. Sora whimpered and clutched the egg tighter.

"Where are you?" wondered Inuyasha, drawing the Tetsusaiga.

"Here!"

She exploded out of the bushes like a bolt of black lightning, sword drawn she ran at him, Inuyasha prepared for her attack, but it never came. Seconds before a head on collision the Dancing Shadow leapt and somersaulted over his head, landing behind him.

Miroku went to unless his wind tunnel but, no sooner had he grabbed the prayer beads then a knife came sailing at him and embedded itself in his left leg. He groaned in pain and fell to the ground, his legs giving out.

Sango threw her boomerang, by some luck or perhaps fate it caught the momentarily distracted assassin in the back, sending her flying.

As the weapon returned to it's wielder's hand however the assassin pivoted and snatched it in midair.

Inuyasha, who waited for his chance couldn't help but noticed that the delicate fingers that were clasped on the boomerang were clawed.

He paused and slowly looked up at the Dancing Shadow. For the first time he saw her eyes, staring angrily over the cloth that covered her face. No mistaking those eyes.

"You're a demon!" he whispered in surprise. "A demon who works for humans!"

The Dancing Shadow threw the boomerang aside and turned to face him.

"Clever little dog boy," he replied in a low, dangerous voice. She sheathed her sword. "You figured me out. Now can you guess why?"

Without any warning, and now disarmed she threw herself at him. Her left foot connected with the Tetsusaiga and sent it flying into a nearby tree.

Momentarily stunned by the loss of his powerful weapon Inuyasha was not prepared for the onslaught of vicious, unarmed attacks.

He crossed his arms over his face and leapt back, but to no avail. A human would never have been able to follow him, but alas, the Dancing Shadow was not human.

"Why are you attacking us?" Inuyasha grunted as a kick made it past his defenses. She dropped to the ground and swept his legs out from under him and drew her sword, rising to stand over him.

"Because you travel with the Bird Queen," the assassin replied between clenched teeth, bringing her sword up once again. It's blade caught the sun light as the blade consumed Inuyasha's view.

"Falling Sky!" screamed Sora frantically.

The assassin paused, Inuyasha heard a quick intake of breath. Seeing his chance Inuyasha rolled away, and none too soon.

Fiery rocks began to rain down from the sky, where he and the assassin had once been. The Dancing Shadow sheathed her sword and dodged the burning debris furiously dancing in and out of them as if she was truly no more then her namesake. Finally the deadly hail passed and the Dancing Shadow stood on a patch of earth that had survived, despite the hail of falling volcanic rocks.

Without a word she leapt into the trees and was gone once more. Everyone waited breathlessly for a minute or so, waiting to see if she would return, but nothing.

"Why didn't you do that Falling Sky thing earlier?" Inuyasha demanded Sora crossly.

"I had my hands full!" Sora shouted back, indicating the egg she'd gently placed on the ground. "And besides, I thought you had it covered!"

"I did," Inuyasha spat sullenly, he marched up to the tree that had the Tetsusaiga embedded in it's trunk he yanked it out, rusty once more and re-sheathed it.

"Is everyone okay?" Kagome asked.

"Miroku's hurt," Sango replied. The monk was sitting in the grass, being tended by Sango.

"Lift your robes up," she ordered.

"Why lady Sango," purred Miroku. "I had no idea you felt that way about me!"

Sango looked like she would have slapped him, but since he was already hurt she refrained.

She tore the hem off Miroku's robe and wrapped it around his bleeding thigh.

"Shouldn't the doctor get a closer look at the wound first?" he asked innocently. "After all my pants are in the way!"

"Does the patient want his condition to become critical?" asked Sango between clenched teeth.

Miroku sighed and pouted. As Sango straightened up, his face took on a mischievous cast however and he grabbed her backside.

"Pervert!" she shrieked and slapped him across the face. Miroku picked up his staff, whistling cheerfully.

"Come on, once we're to the village we'll be safe," Inuyasha said sharply. We don't want to be hanging out here any longer then we need to be. That Dancing Shadow could come back at any moment."

"I'm surprised you couldn't handle her Inuyasha," Shippou said in his oh-so-innocent-and-yet-obnoxious tone of voice. "She's just a girl I mean!"

Inuyasha stomped on the little demon, which made him cry and run to Kagome who picked him up and comforted him with a death glare at Inuyasha.

"She's a demon okay?" snapped Inuyasha. "That's why I couldn't beat her! She's a demon assassin!"

"Peculiar," Miroku mused. "It was my impression that most demons refrain from taking human professions. Most would feel it beneath them."

"Well Rasha's a matchmaker so why can't the Dancing Shadow be an assassin?" Kagome asked. "I mean, aside from being an assassin it's not really doing anyone any harm!"

"What?" demanded Inuyasha.

"I mean, what harm is it for a demon to have a job and earn a living like humans?" asked Kagome. "I guess it depends a little bit on the job but I don't see anything wrong with a demon having a nice harmless job."

"It's unnatural," Inuyasha muttered. "Demons working like lousy humans!"

"What's wrong with working?" Kagome demanded angrily.

"Kagome, demons are not meant to work. Look at Rasha. She's a matchmaker a more harmless job cannot be found. Yet she'd been banished how many times?" Miroku replied reasonably.

"Oh," mused Kagome nodding. "I see your point Miroku!" She shrugged. "But I still don't see why it's unnatural!"

~*~

"Damn demon hunter," she groaned. She carefully removed her clothes and set them aside. She slipped into the bubbling hot springs. Too scalding for humans, but rather nice for a demon.

The heat did wonders for her aching back. She would heal quickly but that was small consolation for how much her back ached. She wouldn't have been surprised to learn that her spine had been cracked.

"I guess the rumors about the entire village being destroyed were inaccurate," she murmured to herself. "Pity. It would make my job much easier!"

She looked at her left hand and flexed the fingers which ached with dull throbs. She'd probably dislocated something, grabbing that stupid boomerang like that. Well no matter. She cracked her knuckles loudly and waggled the fingers under the steaming water.

She'd been unprepared for that barrage of fiery kill rocks. And though she was loath to

admit, startled. She hadn't seen that attack in four years, since her mother died.

~*~

~Time Warp back to yesteryear~

~*~

"Shikara!" called ehr mouther out the door.

The newly fourteen year-old girl winced at the use of her childhood nickname. Only her mother and father ever called her that anymore. Not even uncle was allowed, it was too humiliating. It meant æPrecious' or something in Tengo.

"What is it mother?" she called back, carrying a heavy load of firewood towards the house.

"I have a present for you!" her mother called back.

Eager for her birthday present, to celebrate her fourteenth birthday she ran into the house, pausing only to drop the wood off at the backdoor then dash inside.

Her mother's large, swan like wings were folded demurely at her sides, but her bird of prey like eyes were alight with pride.

In her hands she held a box.

"What is it mother?" she asked in breathless excitement.

"Why don't you open it Shikara!" her mother replied.

Happily she took the box from her mother and opened it. Inside was a pretty blue dress, folded up. She pulled it out and held it up to herself, grinning.

"I know it's your favorite color," her mother said. "And we have a ball next week and I couldn't help but notice the way you and that blacksmith boy have been making eyes at one another....!" Her eyes were mischievous.

Shikara blushed bright red.

"Oh mama," she replied waving a hand. "He has all the villager girls falling all over him. Why would he want me?"

"Because you're the prettiest!" her mother replied like it was a well known fact. "And because you won't fall over yourself for him. You'll walk past him, give him a smile and make him feel lucky to even fetch you a drink!"

Shikara laughed, setting the dress aside and dropped into a deep curtsy like her mother had taught her.

"I do hope you'll dance with me later," she purred. "I would be desolate should you neglect me!"

"Make sure you save at least of those dances for your old man!" her father ordered, coming out of the next room, dressed all in black, in loose baggy clothing, ready to train. He tugged on Shikara's braid.

"Daddy!" she admonished scandalized. "You can't tug my hair anymore. I'm growing up!"

"Yes," he agreed. "Despite those led weights we put on your head you seem to be doing just that!" He sighed mournfully. "Soon I suppose you'll be to big to twirl!"

"Daddy I'll never be that big!" Shikara laughed.

"Well then m'girl!" he said, sweeping her into a big bear hug. "What are we waiting for?" He twirled her around the room, even going to far at to lift her a few inches off the ground.

Shikara squealed with laughter and spread her arms out like they were wings.

"Look mama, no hands!" she laughed.

~*~

~Time Warp Ending~

~*~

Shikara straightened up and grabbed her clothes. Enough time spent relaxing. She'd indulged her pain long enough. If she coddled her body it would become weak, which was why she must push herself to the very limit of her endurance. She dressed quickly, despite her aching hand and sore back. She grabbed her weapons and hid them within her clothing, and then she leapt into the trees.

~*~

"Why don't you just give the damn egg back?" screamed Inuyasha as he and the others ran for their lives, being chased by a very angry Wonder Bird.

"It's mine, I fought her for it fair and square!" Sora replied, holding the egg tighter. "Besides, it's too late now! I'm not going to stop just to hand it over and hope she'll accept an apology!"

"It's gaining on us!" screamed kagome, who was ridding on his back. Miroku and Sango road on Kirara, who was running beside him. Sora's were still too wounded to take any passengers.

"Are we leading it towards the village?" Sango asked, loosening her boomerang.

"That thing can see for miles, it's already spotted to the village!" Sora replied, jumping over a fallen tree. "The village is only in trouble if that thing sees us going into the village!"

"Up Kirara!" ordered Sango.

"What? No!" shouted Miroku as Kirara jumped up, high above the tree line.

Sango threw her boomerang. Her aim was true and she silently rejoiced as it hit the Wonder Bird full in the face and then came twirling back to her. She threw it three more times each time hitting the Wonder Bird across the beak.

Finally the Wonder Bird let out a ear splitting angry call and wheeled around. The air, buffeted by the Wonder Bird's wings nearly sent Kirara plummeting to the ground, but luckily the demon cat caught herself and landed, badly on it's feet.

"Well," said Sora coming to a halt. "I suppose that's a good thing. But let's keep running just to be sure. We really don't want it to catch us in the village or it will know where to find us!"

"You're more trouble then you're worth," Inuyasha told Sora bluntly. "First you've got that stupid egg, which you won't put down for any reason, then you've got the Dancing Shadow on your tail and now the Wonder Bird! We would have been better off bringing Rasha along and leaving you at the cave!"

"Inuyasha, that isn't very nice," Kagome said under her breath.

"No," Sora said setting the egg down. "He's right, I am a lot of trouble!" She squared her shoulders and stuck out her chin defiantly. "However, I am worth a lot as well. My agents are all over this land, keeping their eyes and ears open. If there is something to be known, the birds will know it first. Now, I may be causing you a lot of trouble. But if you help me, I can give you the location of three of the sacred Shikon Jewel Shards!"

"How?" demanded Inuyasha suspiciously.

"Think how many bird there are," Sora said calmly. "I am their queen. They speak to me, they give their knowledge. Every week entire tomes are filled with what the birds have learned and I know of at least three Sacred Shikon Jewel shards. And I know you search for them. And I know you're the ones who shattered. A carrion crow told me. Now, if you will put up with these disturbances until I have healed enough to return to my kingdom then you will rewarded. If not then we should part ways here!"

"Don't be silly," kagome assured her. "Of course we're not going to let you go off on your own in your condition! Being so wounded!"

~*~

"So you see Kouga, kagome can never be your woman."

Kouga's eyes were glazed. Rasha had just given him a three hour sermon on true love, fate, star charts, the mystical power of matchmakers and where babies came from. Just in case he didn't already know.

"But I said she was my woman," Kouga protested.

"But she's not," Rasha said patiently. "Just because you keep saying that doesn't make it so!"

"She's my woman and I'll fight that hanyou Inuyasha for it to the death!" Kouga declared jumping up and striking a dramatic pose.

"Yeah boss!" called henchman/friend/minion number one, with a mohawk.

"You tell her!" agreed the other henchman/friend/minion.

Ayame sulked, glaring at Kouga, but loving him desperately at the same time.

Rasha slowly rose to her full six foot height, staring into Kouga's eyes with her own golden ones. Kouga had the disconcerting feeling of staring into a sand storm.

"The clown is down!" she told him firmly.

"What does that mean?" he demanded.

She tapped her nose and sat back down.

She turned to Ayame.

"Now, as soon as you can get Kouga here to stop chasing after Inuyasha's woman, I can perform your marriage ceremony!"

Ayame's ear's picked up and a grin began to spread across her face. Kouga looked at her, suddenly very, very, very nervous.

~*~

"Tis a strange magic you have," Kaede mussed, stirring the fire back to life. They'd introduced Sora to the village priestess. "Urasuai's foul magic is a blight, but yours seems not so evil somehow."

"That's because I take a soul that doesn't yet have a body," Sora replied with a smile, stroking the egg. "And then I spin flesh from fresh living blood. From willing donors!"

She smiled blissfully and lay her head on the egg, her hair falling precariously close to the fire, which was warming the egg.

"You stole and egg from the Wonder Bird," Inuyasha muttered.

"Hey, it's morally correct, not safe!" Sora snapped.

"What's so moral about stealing a mother's aby?" demanded Sango. Even she had her limits and being attacked twice in one day because of Sora was coming close to them.

"She has others!" Sora said defensively. "She has eight other eggs! I'm doing her a favor, by taking this little guy I'm making sure that the others have more food!"

"What'll it be when it hatches?" Shippou, asked, laying a hand against the egg curiously.

"Well, he'll be powerful, strong, unique and utterly amazing," Sora sighed happily, starring off into the distance. She smiled dreamily. "My finest creation."

"You say that like you've done this before," Miroku said shrewdly.

"I have." Sora sighed and hunched forward, leaning her elbows on the knees of her crossed legs. Miroku discreetly checked to see if any cleavage was showing, but sighed and settled back. He was at a bad angle and her hair was covering everything anyway!

"I've been doing this since I twelve," she explained. "Ever since my body guard went missing. She'd been given a duty of guarding an outpost, she used to visit three times a year, but then, she just stopped. I never saw her again. Signus, my adviser suggested I beginning to sue the power of the Bird Queen, but I was a rank amateur. I made tons of mistakes, including the Pandaroo, Octorrot and the Cock'N'Bull."

"What are they?" asked kagome.

"I haven't always been to skillful with blending bloods," Sora replied. "And you can only do this if you blend blood, otherwise the soul refuses the blood. It's very rare that you can actually find a soul, un tapped and blood of the same creature. The trick is to make a concoction of the right elements, but there were some pretty bad mistakes. But now, I'm ready to move onto demons. And I'm very good at my work now."

"What about those mistakes you made?" asked Shippou. "What happened to them?"

"They're at my palace," Sora shrugged. "I made them so I'm responsible for them. Just because they're not perfect doesn't mean I don't love them!"

"What I want to know is why this Dancing Shadow is after you," Inuyasha growled. "She's attacked us twice, once badly wounding Rasha!" He thought a moment. "Not that wounding her is a bad thing or anything. I'm just saying, that could have been me!"

"I'm a queen. Queen always have enemies," Sora replied vaguely. "Does she need a particular reason to want to kill me?"

The sliding screen was pushed open by a panicked villager.

"My lady Kaede," he gasped. "Trouble. A giant chipmunk is attacking!"

"Ooh a chipmunk, I'm real scared," Inuyasha muttered.

"Inuyasha!" chided kagome grabbing her bow and arrows and rising to her feet. She slipped on her shoes and hoped out the hut. "Show us the way!" she ordered.

~*~

æChipmunk' was technically accurate, but there was something horribly wrong with this chipmunk. For one thing, it was bigger then a house and it had a long serpent's tail instead of legs.

It stumbled/slithered about the forest, not actually attacking the village yet, but making a bee-line for it.

"Today just gets better and better!" Kagome exclaimed sarcastically.

She aimed an arrow at the creature but a tentacle wrapped around her wrist and jerked her aim off.

A disgusting slimy slug like creature with long, flailing tentacles slithered out of the trees. She screamed and ran back, rubbing her wrist, trying to get the slimy disgusting feeling off her skin.

"Sango, you take the slug, I'll take this guy!" Inuyasha ordered, pulling his sword.

The chipmunk turned on Inuyasha and growled, clocking the attack with it's claws. Miroku ripped the prayer beads of his wrist and aimed his hand at the chipmunk, as Inuyasha dodged out of the way.

He paused.

Sora was staring at the huge chipmunk creature with a strange expression on her face.

"Looks cobbled together doesn't he?" Sora whispered.

Miroku frowned and her, then turned to the chipmunk and nodded. The creature did indeed seem to be æcobbled' together.

He opened his hand and unleashed the wind tunnel.

The creature was too big to fit into his wind tunnel easily, but the pull did distract it long enough for Inuyasha to cleave it's head from it's body. There was a disgusting wet sound as Sango sliced the slug creature in two.

"Oh yuck!" she moaned picking up her weapon, as yellow slime dripped off it.

Kagome gagged and Shippou stuck his tongue out, covering his nose. "It smells like toenails!" he protested.

"I wonder what this is," Inuyasha mused, leaning on the Tetsusaiga and peering down his nose at the chipmunk. "Looks kinda weird!"

Whistling cheerful he slid the Tetsusaiga back into it's sheath and walked back towards Kagome.

She suddenly straightened up, pointing an arrow at him.

He froze, staring at her in disbelief. She aimed over his left shoulder and let the arrow fly.

Inuyasha turned and watched in slow motion as the arrow flew, beginning to glow with kagome's miko powers.

For the first time he noticed the black figure, crouching on one branch, casually. Seconds before the arrow hit, the form dropped and landed in a crouch at the base of the tree.

"You again?" Inuyasha demanded in aggravation drawing the Tetsusaiga. "I'm giving you a warning now. I'm having a bad day, you should get the hell out of here before I take it out on you!"

"You're not the one I want," the Dancing Shadow said calmly walking towards him. No tricks, no shifty assassin movements, no actual dancing shadows. Just a woman, dressed all in black walking towards them. "Give me the Bird Queen and you'll all go free. I assure you, no one else has been given this offer!"

In response they jumped in front of Sora, ready to attack.

"Can't fight your own battles can you majesty?" asked dancing Shadow scornfully, coming to a halt.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.

He could see her clearly for the first time. Such a slim, lithe body beneath those robes, how the hell could she pack such a punch? He growled. She didn't look any more dangerous then a daffodil on a sunny day, even in her robes. How could she be such a threat? And why was she so damn insistent on getting Sora.

She drew her sword and pointed it at Sora.

"Leave them out of this! You and I! One on one! May the best demoness win!"

"Too much talking!" Inuyasha snapped, leaping at the assassin. Three knives flew at his face, and she disappeared, flickering back into existence behind him.

"Someday Sora, I'll make you pay for what you did!"

And then she was gone, before her knives had even embedded themselves in the dirt. Miroku bent down one to examine it and sighed in disgust, throwing it down.

"This isn't one of hers," he told them. "I saw her daggers. When she threw them at me. They were better quality then this!"

"Why use them?" Shippou wondered.

"She doesn't want to waste good knives on a warning," Sango sighed.

"Come back here and fight!" screamed Inuyasha into the woods. "Get your ass back here right now!"

"Inuyasha," Kagome said softly. "Do you really think you have the strength to fight her?"

"Of course!" he replied indignantly. "I can take her! What, you think just because I was chased by a bird and attacked by a giant chipmunk I can't take out some wimpy assassin?"

"Let's get back to the village," Kagome said, shaking her head. Miroku picked up one of the knives again and made it disappear into his robes.

Inuyasha sullen sheathed the Tetsusaiga again.

"Stupid Dancing Shadow. Why'd she come back just to threaten us?"

"She came back, to offer a challenge," Sango corrected him. She sent a look at Sora. "One which won't be accepted!" she added firmly.

She may not appreciate being attacked because of the Bird Queen, but she wasn't about to let the flightily demoness take on the hardened assassin.

"What does she think you did?" Kagome asked Sora.

"I wish I knew," Sora replied sadly shaking her head. "I have no idea at all!"

~*~

She stared at the tree trunk in front of her, shaking in suppressed anger. She had to force herself to breath evenly and softly.

The nerve of that bitch to even pretend she didn't know what she'd done! To pretend that she hadn't given the order. The order that had ruined Shikara's life!

~*~

~Time Warp back to yesteryear~

~*~

There was a knock at the door. Shikara went to go see who it was. They weren't expecting anyone today, so she was suspicious.

She opened the door and was greeted to a sight that would have terrified most girls her age. A dozen or so demons, wearing the crest of the Bird Queen, carrying banners with the same crest stood on the front lawn, in a clumped together, bumpy line. They were trying to look professional and failing with flying colors.

Only one was a Tengo demon, like her mother. The rest were assorted forest demons.

"We're here to see your mother little one," the Tengo demon said smiling. He seemed to be there leader, since he carried the crest of the bird queen.

She gave him a suspicious look.

"Did you hear me sweet pea?" he asked. He leaned forward so they were eye to eye.

"One, I'm not little. Two I'm not sweet," Shikara told him darkly. "Three...." She stepped back into the house and slammed the door in his face.

She hurried out the back of the house, where her mother was hanging the laundry.

"Mom, there's some demons out there with the bird crest!" she said urgently.

Her mother's eyes went distant. She nodded and straightened up, flaring her wings, knocking any lose feather free to flutter to the ground.

"Get your father," she ordered crisply, eyes already focused on the house.

"Mom, don't go," Shikara said grabbing her hand as she tried to pass. "Mom, please don't go!"

"Shikara, we must obey the queen," she said firmly, looking into her daughter's eyes. "And I must go!"

"Mother their presence can't mean anything good!" Shikara protested, ashamed to feel tears burning in her eyes. She dashed them away.

"Shikara, I know what I'm doing," she said crisply. "Now, run along."

She strode back towards the house, flaring her wing again, giving her a fierce, but angelic appearance.

Shikara watched her walk towards the house for a full ten seconds before she turned around and ran away.

She didn't know where she would go, but her feet took her to her father's training hut. Blinded by tears she pushed the door open and stumbled in.

"Father!" she wailed, interrupting his training. Eh turned and gave her a look that was both annoyed and worried.

He walked towards her giving his class a nod, letting them relax for a moment.

"Father!" she sobbed, as he pulled her to a corner to hear what she had to say in quiet. "Father, the bird queen has sent messengers

Kilem's face took on a dark cast. For a moment Shikara was afraid he was angry at her for disturbing his class.

He pulled her into a fierce embrace.

"We must be strong, come what may," he told her. He kissed the top of her head. "Now dry up those tears. Big girls don't cry."

~*~

~Time Warp Ending~

~*~

Author's note

I have no idea what to call my next chapter. Super Ceech, Calum, you wanna help a friend out? D.S. is in it, Sora too. In fact the entire gang is there, except Rasha and Kamali, but that's because they're probably off doing something matchmakerish. What should the next instalment be called? Help me! Come on! You know you wanna! Sorry for spelling errors, hey, whoever can find the most spelling mistakes gets a prize.

For Calum and Ceech whoever finds the most gets to the be the first to have their OC kiss someone

For anyone else (just in case Siniver is reading this) they can suggest something I'll add to the story just for them!