Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.

Of Fates Unknown

Chapter Eight

"I heard that the Sword and Bow has a new attraction," Inuyasha said, stretching his long legs towards the fire after an inspection of his armory.

The captain nodded. It didn't surprise him that Inuyasha already knew about her. He didn't miss much.

"She's lately come from Aegir," he said, taking off his own boots and settling down beside Inuyasha. "She's a young widow with a little brother and an orphaned fox kit youkai. She says that she came here to find some relatives, but there don't seem to be any."

Inuyasha glanced over at him and narrowed his gaze. "It sounds as though you don't believe her. Though it is surprising to hear about her taking care of an orphan youkai. Have you talked to her already?"

"Aye. And I don't know if I believe her or not. It seems strange to me that she'd come such a long distance not knowing if she'd find any family here. According to Myoga, she's well off, so she couldn't have come looking for a handout from her family. And she doesn't seem to hold youkai in contempt, in fact she is quite taken with the kit, as the kit is with her." He paused, "Then there's the matter of that lythra."

"Oh? I've been told she's very good."

The captain nodded. "She is. Some of the men are saying that she plays like the Ceadda must have played. I got a good look at that lythra, and it looks old enough to have been one of theirs. It has some strange figures carved onto it."

He paused again, then went on in a musing tone. "She told me that she'd heard a tale that some of the Ceadda escaped from Domna."

Inuyasha stared at him, realizing only belatedly how hard he was staring. The captain made a gesture as though to dismiss his own words.

"I've never heard that," Inuyasha lied. "But I suppose it's possible."

"There's one other thing," the captain went on. "She seemed interested in the old tower- asked what it was used for. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, except for that light the men saw up around the time she came here."

"Something about her troubles me, Inuyasha. I don't know what it is, but I'm going to keep an eye on her. It shouldn't be hard to do. I'm on good terms with the Sheppards."

Inuyasha nodded, but said nothing. A long silence fell between the two lifelong friends. Captain Miroku Manning knew that something was troubling Inuyasha, but he knew too that he wasn't ready to speak of it. So he got up and took his leave, then turned back at the door to see Inuyasha staring pensively into the flames.

Was it possible? The question pounded at Inuyasha, throbbing through his brain. He'd been back to the tower each day since the morning after the light had been seen. Nothing had changed, but each time, he'd felt that strange energy in the air.

There was too many coincidences to his way of thinking. Lights are seen in the tower at the same time a woman arrives with a far-fetched explanation for being here. She plays what has to be a Ceadda lythra. Miroku hadn't recognized those carvings, but Inuyasha knew what they must be. And she inquires about the tower.

After all these years, had the Ceadda finally come home? Could there be more of them than just the woman and boy? They could be advance scouts, cloaked in innocence.

Inuyasha, Lord of Domna and determined to be King of the Rheas, decided that it was time he had a look at this woman himself.

)O(

Kagome had assumed that the crowds would diminish once the novelty had worn off, but that seemed not to be the case. In fact, it was quite the contrary. Myoga and Keade were forced to turn away trade, a situation that had them thinking about enlarging the tavern in the spring.

Her fame had even spread through the city so that people stared at her and pointed when she went out to shop. Shippou and Souta were quite proud of her, Shippou told her that he was happy with her ability and loved it when she would play for the boys alone or to test out a new piece she was composing. Even though Souta didn't understand why people thought her playing was so wonderful.

"That's because you've always heard me play," she told him. "And we both know there were others who played as well or better than me."

Following her statement, the three of them had lapsed into silence, as they always did when one of them brought up the subject of their former life. But for all of them, the pain was receding deep into memory, and was no longer so close to the surface.

The boys, Souta who'd always been a happy, outgoing boy, and Shippou who they learned was very intelligent and quick to laugh, were already making new friends and learning new games. They even went to school eagerly, which for Souta was not always the case. Souta slept well now, too, and no longer awoke crying in the middle of the night. But Shippou, who was younger, still insisted on sleeping with Kagome at night.

Kagome met an older fox youkai that was very kind and had an in depth discussion with him about the care and nurturing of a fox youkai. He said that fox youkai families were often times snuggled together at night both for warmth and security. He himself was shocked to learn how attached the young kit had gotten to Kagome and Souta. They were not known for such things and often times kits died due to the shock of the loss of whole family units.

He was also pleased to see how attached the humans where to the kit. He told her that they were raised for the most part like a normal human child, except to expect lots of mischief and pranks as is the fox nature. But discipline as to what is and is not acceptable would be sure to curtail some of that. Also that Shippou could learn fox magic by way of another fox. They were often times very understanding of the plight of another of their kind and when the time came for him to be taught, it wouldn't be hard to find someone willing to teach the boy.

Instead of the boys waking up in the middle of the night though, it was Kagome herself who awoke every night, her heart thudding and her body drenched in perspiration. Despite the winter cold, she often crept outside at such times to stare at the dark tower. But there was no repetition of that eerie light, and she gradually began to doubt that she'd ever seen it in the first place.

Still, a part of her remained convinced that there was a connection between the dreams that tormented her and that tower. She even began to wonder if there might be some way she could gain access to the keep and see the tower for herself, although that seemed unlikely, since Captain Manning had said that it was in a state of disrepair and was always kept locked.

Despite the dreams and her inexplicable fascination with the tower, Kagome was content- even happy. Keade and Myoga were becoming a new family for her and the boys. They were welcomed into the large family gatherings held regularly in the Sheppards' pleasant home next door to the tavern, and Kagome knew that their affection for the three was based on more than just the increased trade she was bringing to the Sword and Bow.

Several times, she considered telling them the truth, but could never quite bring herself to do so. The closest she came to confessing her origins was one evening when Keade told her that some of the customers were saying that she played as the Ceadda must have played long ago.

Perhaps the only thing that stopped her was the fact that the Sheppards and Captain Manning were clearly good friends, and she wasn't certain that they would keep her secret from him. From comments she'd overheard, Kagome knew by now that the captain was considered by all to be the man closest to Lord Inuyasha.

He still appeared at the tavern every evening she played, and continued to escort her back to her cottage. Although his behavior was never more than friendly, Kagome began to worry that he might be courting her. But then Keade happened to mention that he captain's wife was soon to give birth to their second child, and the captain himself confirmed this with obvious pride, expressing the hope that they would have a daughter this time.

Each night she played, Kagome scanned the crowd for Lord Inuyasha, since Myoga and Keade had once said that he came in from time to time. She had no idea what he looked like, but assumed that she would have no difficulty spotting him. And as it happened, she was right.

One evening when she was about halfway through her first set, Captain Manning and several other officers she recognized entered the packed tavern. As always, they were wearing their dark blue uniforms with the braided gold that gleamed on their shoulders. But this time, another man was with them, and he was not in uniform.

The stranger was quite tall, taller even than the captain, and when he removed his heavy cloak, she saw that he was very broad shouldered but lean through the waist and hips. He was quite handsome, with straight silvery hair that went all the way down to his hips that was unbound. Unlike many of the other men, he was clean-shaven, and defiantly not human. Although unlike other youkai, his ears were not pointed, but instead he had very silver dog like ears at the top of his head, that flicked on occasion when a noise caught their interest. He was richly dressed, but no more so than some of the other civilian customers who were mostly prosperous businessmen.

When she had first seen him, Kagome had been certain this must be Lord Inuyasha, and the fears she'd set aside returned. But as she covertly watched the man no one seemed to be paying him any undue amount of attention, so she decided that she must be mistaken as to who the man was.

She returned her attention to her playing even though the image of the handsome stranger lingered in her mind. She even had a very large urge to go over and rub his ears. She mentally rolled her eyes at that. She had never been one to give into urges like that, well, at least not till she learned that Shippou loved to have his tailed stroked, and often times at night while they went over their lessons he would sit in her lap and she would pet his tail. When she had finished her tune and looked his way again, she saw that he was now seated at a table not far away. Two barmaids had managed to make their way through the crowed to his table, and she saw both of them curtsy to him. When he raised his hand to take the tankard from one of them, she saw not only a flash of gold and jewels on his fingers but also tapered claws.

Their eyes met across the width of the tavern- or so she though. She couldn't be sure because the light wasn't that good, but what she could of sworn they were golden. Even so, she felt a stab of fear, mixed with something else: a stirring deep inside that she hadn't felt since Tarren's death more than three years ago.

No, she told herself fiercely. He must be Lord Inuyasha- and if he is, he is also the greatest danger you face.

She'd heard some stories about him. He was unmarried, but what was really odd was that even though there were many who would willingly share his bed, he had never taken them up on the offer.

Among her own people, such a thing was true as well, though it wasn't uncommon for those already betrothed to share a bed before wedding but it seems that outside of the village it was very unheard of.

When she had shown her dislike to the practice but doubt to his claim of abstinence to Keade, the older woman had merely shrugged. "It was his vow he made when he was younger. He has been teased about not having a woman warming his bed, but he just shrugs it off."

Kagome began to play again, keeping her eyes resolutely away from the tall stranger's table. When she took a break, she intended to ask Keade about him, but there was no need.

"Lord Inuyasha himself's here tonight." Keade beamed proudly. "That always means a good night, because he pays for all."

"I though that must be him," Kagome said as she accepted the wine Keade had brought her.

Keade noticed her lack of enthusiasm. "Don't ye be worryin', dearie. I'm sure he's interested in ye, since he dinna take his eyes from ye- but he's not one to force himself on a woman."

"No doubt he's never had to," Kagome remarked acerbically.

The older woman laughed, "'Tis true, I'll warrant ye that if he ever went against his vow. He's a handsome devil, even with him bein' a hanyou and all. And a right charmer too when he wants to be."

Kagome hoped very much that she wouldn't have to find that out for herself. She intended to escape quickly after her next set. She wasn't going to wait for Myoga or the captain to escort her back to the cottage this time.

She was troubled by Keade's remark that Lord Inuyasha hadn't taken his eyes off her, but she reminded herself that that was true of the others as well; she was the performer, after all.

Fortunately, it was very easy for her to lose herself in her playing, and she deliberately chose some very difficult pieces to guarantee that her attention wouldn't wander back to him. Instead, she kept her face lowered to the lythra, concentrating intently on the difficult fingering.

When she finished to thunderous applause, Kagome lost no time in putting the lythra into its leather case. The crowd began to mill about and she moved as rapidly as possible toward the doorway that led through the kitchen to the rear entrance. But just as she reached it, she heard Myoga calling her. When she turned, he was making his way toward her. The crowd parted easily- not for Myoga, but for Lord Inuyasha, who together with the captain, was close on his heels.

Myoga hurried up to her, his face flushed with obvious pride. "His Lordship has asked to meet you, Kagome."

With considerable reluctance, Kagome raised her eyes to meet the eyes of the man with him. To her surprise, she was right when she first thought she saw them. His eyes were of a golden amber coloring with something moving in them that made her breath catch in her throat, and she could feel a flush creeping through her face.

No, she said again. This man is your enemy. The heat of desire might be in his eyes now, but if he knew the truth, he would kill you just as easily as he would bed you.

Inuyasha had been struck by her beauty from the moment he laid eyes on her, but as he got closer he realized that her beauty was only matched by her lovely scent which had his inner youkai's attention. He saw now that she was taller than many women, even though she was still a head shorter then he, although perhaps it was only her very erect posture. And while she had the olive-hued skin of the people of Rhea, there was a smooth clarity to her complexion that other women didn't have, and a high color where others often appeared sallow. Her features had a delicacy to them that only accented her large eyes and her generous mouth.

His gaze slid briefly down over her body in appreciation of the womanly curves just barely evident beneath her full gown. He found himself wondering if all of her was as smooth as luminous as her face. Both the human and youkai in him found her more attractive.

"You play very well, Kagome," he said. "My grandmother played the lythra and I've not heard it played since she died many years ago. The instrument she had looked much like yours, I think. She said that it had once belonged to the Ceadda. You've heard of them?"

"Yes," she replied succinctly, and he noted that she had neither curtsied nor used his title. "I don't know where mine came from. My grandmother gave it to me, and she said her grandmother had given it to her."

"May I see it?" he asked, certain now that she wanted nothing more that to escape from his presence.

She hesitated, then withdrew it from its leather sack and handed it to him. Inuyasha's face betrayed nothing, but the moment he saw it, he knew it was Ceadda, and that it only had confirmed his suspicions about her. Inutashio had ordered all Ceadda lythras destroyed after he had taken the keep, because he'd believed that the instruments with their runes might possess magical powers. The only one that had survived was one found many years later, stored away deep in the keep where all the Ceadda had lived. And that one had gone to his grandmother's funeral pyre with her, at her request.

He examined it in the light of a lamp the tavern keeper quickly produced, seeing the familiar runes carved into its ironwood surface. Only the Ceadda had used the precious ironwood, and only the Ceadda had carved those ancient symbols of their magic.

He handed it back to her, "It is Ceadda. Those symbols are supposed to be the runes they used in their sorcery."

He saw the shock on her face as she stared from him to the lythra, and for the first time it occurred to him that she could be Ceadda and yet know little or nothing of her people's past. Still, she'd known that some of the Ceadda had escaped Inutashio's wrath-and she'd come back here.

"Do you believe they were sorcerers?" she asked him, startling him with her directness.

"When so many tales exist, I'm inclined to credit at least some of them," he replied. "Do you not believe it then?"

"I don't believe in sorcery," she stated in that same succinct manner. "Tales like that are for children- like fairies and elves."

Then, before he could think of a response to that, she said that she was very tired and excused herself.

Myoga was clearly worried that His Lordship was offended by her abrupt behavior, because as soon as she had gone, he hastened to repeat her excuse. Inuyasha waved away his concern.

"She seems quite a remarkable woman- in many ways."

And so she was, he though. He'd never before encountered a woman who seemed completely uninterested in his interest. In fact, he was quite certain that she disliked him and feared him in about equal measure.

)O(

Greeting Children of Earth… This is your new schoolmaster….

(Ahem) Er, sorry. My family is a large Invader Zim fan. And I am listening to a DVD of it while I type out this Author's Note and when I went to type greetings, and well… I suddenly heard Gir give that greetings.

Yeah, anyways, (giggles) I am sorry about the extra size of this chapter, but I could not break it down any better. So this is sort of a two in one chapter size. :D

I hope you all enjoy it, and don't forget to review!

Brightest of Blessings,

Lady Banshee 999