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

Of Fates Unknown

Chapter Ten

"I questioned them carefully myself, Inuyasha. And they seemed to be good, solid men."

"So you believe them," Inuyasha said after a moment.

"Aye, I do. Like I said before, there's always been something about her that's made me suspicious. Now I'm certain as I can be that she's Ceadda."

"And the two men? What did they think?"

"They thought so, too. They'd already heard about her playing. Apparently, many people think she's Ceadda, but they say it only among themselves, in whispers."

"You said that the men thought she seemed confused?"

Captain Miroku Manning nodded. "That's how they described it- as though she didn't really know what she was doing. Maybe she didn't"

"And you're sure that there are no more… like her in the city?"

"If there are, she's staying away from them. I've had men following her ever time she goes out alone, and keeping an eye on her cottage as well on the nights when she isn't playing. I also found some of our men who'd met her one the road here, and they said it was just her and the boys."

Inuyasha drummed his clawed fingers on the wooden arm of his chair. What he wanted to do was to bring her up here and get the truth out of her. But he didn't think he could intimidate her very easily- with or without her Ceadda powers. There was just something about her…

"Inuyasha," Miroku said, breaking into his frustrated thoughts. "Do you think she really is Ceadda?"

Inuyasha nodded. There was no use denying it now, and he needed to take his old friend into his confidence.

"You've been thinking it all along, haven't you?" Miroku asked.

"Yes, but I wasn't sure."

"Then what do we do about her?"

"For now- nothing. Just continue to keep an eye on her. And try to put down any rumors."

"I'll try- but the rumors are already there." He shook his head in wonder. "Ceadda. It's almost like having a fairy or elf suddenly appear."

"The difference," said Inuyasha, "is that fairies and elves would have no claim on this place."

After the captain departed, Inuyasha once again got the key and went up to the tower. He felt that prickling uneasiness this time even before he had reached the top of the winding staircase. And when he finally stood before it, he knew it was glowing with more than sunlight.

Hesitantly, he put out a hand to touch its surface- then drew back quickly. Not only was it warm to the touch; it seemed now to be vibrating slightly.

Inuyasha was not one to give into fear. He'd faced death many times. But he knew that what he was feeling now was indeed fear: fear of the unknown- and perhaps unknowable.

And as he left the tower, he wondered it she too might be feeling that fear, and what it meant if she'd known nothing of those powers.

)O(

Fear clutched at Kagome when she heard the imperious knock at her door. For days now, she'd been expecting soldiers to come from Lord Inuyasha and take her prisoner. But the man who stood there was not a soldier. It took a moment for her to remember that he was a city official of some sort who came regularly to the tavern.

"Good day, ma'am," he said, favoring her with a slight bow. "I've come to ask you to do us the great honor of playing at the New Year festival next week."

"Oh," Kagome said, trying not to let her relief show. She'd been hearing for days now about the festival, which had also been celebrated in her village. "Yes, of course. The honor will be mine."

"You'll be paid, of course," he hastened to assure her. "Lord Inuyasha provides for all the performers."

Then he made another quick bow, thanked her and bustled off. Only after he had gone did she realize how nervous he'd seemed. She closed the door with a sigh. It was a reaction that was becoming all to common.

New had spread around her village with great speed, but she hadn't really expected that here in at this large city. However, within days after the cart incident, people had begun to come to her, mostly at night. None of them had asked if she were truly Ceadda; instead, they said that they had come to seek her help, always for some ailment or disability that didn't respond to the city's physicians and healers.

They were nervous in her presence, as the official had been- but still they came, hoping for a Ceadda miracle that she couldn't provide. With Keade's help, she had quickly prepared a few herbal potions, but it soon become apparent that was not what they sought from her.

That last night, a woman had come, carrying a lame child, when Kagome had been forced to say that there was nothing she could do, the woman had spoken out in desperation.

"Can ye not cure with the laying on of hands, then? I'd thought ye might. 'Tis said that the Ceadda could do that."

"Perhaps they could- but I can't," Kagome had replied, neither affirming nor denying the woman's statement.

And after they had gone, she wondered if perhaps she should have tried. What a wondrous thing it would be to be able to heal the lame. In the years she'd worked at her mother's side, she'd found nothing more painful and frustrating than being forced to tell someone that nothing could be done- especially where children were concerned.

There'd been no further manifestations of her supposed power, but she could not deny, however much she wanted to, that she felt different. And the dreams had stopped. She'd had no more since that episode with the cart. She began going outside at night again to stare up at the tower, but she saw no lights.

The absence of the dreams was somehow even more troubling than their presence. What could it mean? Was it possible that she'd unwittingly crossed some invisible threshold? Were those powers now within her, simply waiting for her to call upon them deliberately? Could she actually have become a sorceress? All these unanswerable questions tormented her farm more than even the dreams had.

And what about Lord Inuyasha? He surely must have heard about the incident with the cart by now; everyone in the city seemed to know. Had he dismissed it as being the ravings of some drunkards? Or was he even now laying plans to have her killed?

)O(

Review responses:

Yume no Mei – Hello again. :) LOL, that is ok. You are allowed to say the same thing more then once. ;) I am glad you enjoy the details. I too enjoy a story were you feel like your right there.

Right now, my favorite for detail that I enjoy waiting for is called "A Cross of Blades" by Striking Falcon. Granted it is both a cross-over (Final Fantasy VIII/ Inuyasha) and a Sesshy/Kags fic. But Striking Falcon has just this way of creating a wonderful story. Also too, I am a big fan of F.F. and have never seen this type of cross-over done before. Grated I am not normally a Sess/Kag fan, but the story is just so well written that I can't help not to be. (Also, I enjoyed her Unexpected Alliances trilogy.)

Anyways, it is good to hear from you again.

Brightest of Blessings,

Lady Banshee 999