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

Of Fates Unknown

Chapter Fifteen

Souta and Shippou were excited about staying at the keep, and it quickly became apparent to Kagome that Inuyasha had made a very great impression on Souta- although his rank apparently had not. Inuyasha had promised him a puppy. Inuyasha had said he could go with him on a hunting trip if Kagome approved. Inuyasha had said that he could indeed become a soldier one day. Inuyasha, Inuyasha, Inuyasha.

Kagome had to clench her teeth and bear all this with a smile. For the first time, she realized just how much her brother needed a man in his life- and would need one even more as he grew older. Myouga was kind to him, but he was somewhat crippled and therefore unable to do many of the things a boy wants to do.

Shippou on the other hand seemed to become a second shadow to the girl. Even when Inuyasha offered to take him along too, Shippou would often decline and stay with her. When curiosity finally got to Kagome she asked him why he didn't go off with the boys, where he just snorted at the suggestion.

"Since when was the last time you saw a fox chase after a dog? Never, and you aren't going to either," was his reply.

This had both Kaede and Kagome and a good laugh at that one-day while Shippou joined the two after turning down another excursion with Inuyasha and Souta.

"Souta hasn't stopped talking about his Lordship since he met him," Kaede said when Souta had run off to pack his belongings. "He's very good with the wee ones. 'Tis a pity he hasn't any of his own."

"Well, he can't have Souta as an adopted son to turn into a solder," Kagome stated angrily. Then she turned to face the older woman.

"Kaede, do you believe there are people who would harm me or Souta?"

Kaede heaved a sigh, "Mayhaps there are. Some people fear what they canna understand."

"I just wish I could be sure this isn't some trick of Inuyasha's," Kagome said. "If it were only me, Id stay here, but I can't risk either of the boy's lives. I do want you to keep the cottage for us, though. I'll continue to pay you rent."

Kaede said that of course she'd keep the cottage for them, and then went on to praise Inuyasha for his concern and kindness, saying that he'd never stoop to such a trick. Kagome didn't bother trying to argue with her, knowing it to be pointless. Kaede, like most residents of Domna, seemed to believe that Inuyasha could do no wrong- except for his war making, that is and most of them forgave him for that.

After Kaede had left and Souta finally came home, Kagome sat the boys down for a serious talk. From the moment she'd discovered how her brother felt about Inuyasha, Kagome had begun to suspect that Inuyasha might use the boy's affection to gain information from him.

She chose her words very carefully, explaining that she understood how Souta felt about Inuyasha but he must be very careful not to tell him the truth about them. Shippou didn't have a problem keeping this information from him since he had less contact with the hanyou, then Souta.

"That must remain out secret, Souta."

"But Uncle Myouga and Aunt Kaede know," Souta protested.

"Yes, but I didn't tell them until we knew them well- and we don't know Inuyasha well."

She could not bring herself to say that Inuyasha could never be trusted and might kill them if he knew. She settled instead for Souta's heart-sworn oath that he would say nothing, and would tell her right away if Inuyasha began to ask him such questions.

Servants from the keep arrived to carry their belongings, and the three were quickly settled into a large apartment not far from that of Miroku and Sango- and close to Inuyasha's quarters and the tower as well. By questioning the servants, Kagome learned that this section of the huge keep had always been set aside for the use of the lord's family. She suspected that she was being granted this honor in order that Inuyasha and probably Miroku too could keep a close eye on her. But it occurred to her as well that he might want her to be near the tower, to see if she would attempt to go up there.

Her dreams returned- but they were different this time. She still could not remember them when she awoke, but she carried a sense of unimaginable power with her from that dreamscape. And during her waking hours, there was scarcely a moment when she wasn't aware of the tall tower looming over her.

For the first few days, she made no attempts to get into the tower, but instead familiarized herself with the layout of the keep and the comings and goings of servants and others in that section of the sprawling building. She also tried to determine Inuyasha's schedule, so she would know when he was likely to be in his apartment. It wasn't that difficult to do, since everyone seemed to know where he was at any given time. She found this vaguely irritating, since she still could not bring herself to assign the degree of importance to him that all others did.

Residents of the keep gathered together in a smaller dining hall for the evening meal, adults and children alike. There was no formality to these occasions, however. Children scampered about and although Inuyasha was accorded some deference, it was no more than would be shown to a family patriarch.

Kagome made certain that she was seated as far from Inuyasha as possible, but the same could not be said for Souta. From the first evening, he abandoned her to sit at Inuyasha's side. Kagome continued to worry about Inuyasha's over her brother. But there was little she could do except to worry.

Shippou on the other hand still preferred to stay by Kagome's side. Even though he did play with the children in the keep, since he heard that Kagome could be in danger, he took it upon himself to make sure he was always nearby. Which Kagome found to be quite endearing, and so she made sure to play with him whenever possible.

She continued to play three evenings a week at the tavern, escorted there and back by Inuyasha's men and Shippou. Sango had volunteered to look after the boys in her absence, but it soon became apparent that most of Souta's time was being spent in Inuyasha's company. Shippou made the excuse to want to see Kaede and Myouga and there grandchildren, but Kagome knew better. Her little shadow was not taking any chances, even if it meant having to be carried back to the keep that night, sound asleep in her arms, after a valiant attempt to stay awake.

The Sword and Bow was filled as always, but those who came did so only to hear her play, not to threaten her in any way. Once, a man did approach her as she rested, but it was only to beg for her help in curing his sick child, and several soldiers descended upon him very quickly. Feeling sorry for the distraught, frightened man, she told him to come to the surgery at the keep the following day.

But he never came, and when she asked Kaede about it, she learned that the child had died that very night. For many days, she found herself wondering if she might possess the powers that could have saved the child's life.

On the evenings when she was not performing, she left the dining hall as early as possible, even though others usually remained to talk and play various games. Souta lingered behind, and Kagome suspected that he was neglecting his studies, so one evening when she left, she instructed him to come back to their apartment within the hour.

After helping Shippou with is work, more then an hour had passed without him appearing. She instructed Shippou to stay and continue his reading and started back to the dining hall to get him. But no sooner had she left the apartment than she saw Inuyasha and Souta coming down the hallway towards her.

"Inuyasha and I are going up on the wall," Souta announced. "He says I can walk around with the guards."

"You're neglecting your studies, Souta," she admonished sternly.

"I am not," he replied. "Teacher says I'm one of her best students."

"There's a full moon tonight, and with the snow, the view should be worth the walk," Inuyasha said. "Why don't you join us as well?"

So she gave in reluctantly and they went to get their cloaks and Shippou, and then met Inuyasha. It was indeed a beautiful night as they walked across the vast courtyard and ascended the steps to the wall. Kagome, who hadn't been up here before, drew in a sharp breath at the sight before them.

Domna seemed even larger than she'd thought as it sprawled down the hillside from the keep and on into the wide valley. The city's outer wall seemed miles away, and she could just barely make out the tiny figures of the guards as they patrolled along it.

Souta and Shippou began to point out the tavern and their cottage and his school and the hillside where dropped an arm across her brother's shoulders, with Shippou on her shoulder, and enjoyed their innocent happiness, forgetting for the moment all her own troubles.

"I like it here, Gome," he finished happily. "I want to stay here forever."

"We will stay here, Souta- but not always in the keep, of course." She added that for Inuyasha's benefit as well as for Souta's.

"But I want to stay in the keep- and Inuyasha said we can."

Kagome turned to look at the tall hanyou beside her, and this time, she was sure that she saw a look of triumph on his face. She turned away quickly, trying to quell her anger, and in doing so, she found herself staring up at the dark tower, clearly outlined against the bright heavens.

Then the guards came along on their patrol and Souta reminded Inuyasha of his promise that he could join them. Inuyasha agreed, and one of the guards took off his tall helmet and put it on Souta, who then marched off with them. Shippou surprisingly ran off to jump onto Souta's shoulder to find out what exactly what patrol was. She watched him go vowing once more that he would never become a soldier.

She was so lost in her thoughts as she watched them disappear along the wide, curved wall, that several minutes passed before she realized that she was alone with Inuyasha for the first time. The tension that was always there between them now became nearly unbearable. He finally broke it by saying that he was expecting visitors within a week, if the weather permitted."

"Lord Naraku has been my enemy in the past, but I am hoping that we can form an alliance now. His lands lie to the east of here, and he would be a valuable ally when war comes."

"And must war come?" she asked, not bothering to hide her contempt.

"Yes," he said simply, "I had vowed to become King of the Rheas- and I will do so."

"No matter how many of your people are killed," she stated angrily.

"The people support me, Kagome." He said evenly. "And my agents tell me that I have great support in other places as well."

"I don't want my brother or Shippou to grow up to be a soldier," she said with a bit more venom. "It wasn't the way of Souta's or my people."

"It was once," he said in the same quite tone. "They too set out to rule all of the lands of the Rhea."

Kagome froze. So here it was. He had thrown out the challenge by lying about her people. There was no doubt in her mind that he was referring to the Ceadda.

"I know you're Ceadda- however much you may try to deny it," he said evenly. "As soon as I heard the stories about you, I had my agents look into it, and they found out that there had been a small group of people living in a hidden valley in the land of the Vali. The story is that they came there many years ago from Domna. I also know what happened to them. How did the two of you escape?"

Kagome remained silent as her thoughts whirled. She was shocked that he could have found out all of it so easily. And his words brought back those terrible memories, so that now she saw below her not the city of Domna, but her old village, burning in the night.

"We were gathering herbs in the hills when the Vali came," she said in a tight voice. "They killed everyone, and burned the village. My people had hidden gold and other supplies in caves, and we used that to get ourselves here. There was… nowhere else to go."

She stopped abruptly, embarrassed at the tremor in her voice. She'd been so strong for so long now. Why had she allowed herself to show weakness before this man?

She would not look at him, but she could feel his eyes on her. Then he tuned back to stare out at the city.

"My father told me that there'd been stories that some Ceadda might have escaped, but I never credited them. It seemed to me that if they had, they would surely have come back before this."

"We were happy there- as long as the Vali left us alone."

"What do you know of your people's history?" he asked.

"Enough to know that they weren't warlike," she snapped. "And we're not sorcerers, either."

Then, with great relief, she saw the boys returning with the guards. "I must get them home. They have schoolwork."

)O(

Review responses:

tsunami-chan – (giggles) yeah, there will be more Inuyasha perspectives to come. And yeah, 'Marvin' runs quite well and is in excellent shape for a car his age. But he has been pulled into the garage this winter for a full restoration and engine upgrade. My husband bought him from a Mustang parts shop that was going to break him down for parts. :S

Some people rescue pets, my husband rescues classic cars. (rolls eyes) LOL, don't get me wrong, I hate to see good cars meet their maker, but darn… We only have so much garage space. :P

One of my favorite spots in this story is Shippou's reasoning for not wanting to follow Inuyasha around all day. I was watching the episode where Kagome had just gotten over the ordeal with Kikyou's resurrection. The one where Inuyasha is looking off and Shippou smacks him on the head telling him it was weird for him to be thinking. Then Inuyasha proceeds to chase him around Kagome a bunch, then runs off. Well, the whole thing suddenly made me think of a fox hunt and it caused a really interesting visual. (which I don't think I should go into right now… But lets just say, my mind is really, really strange.)

Well, anyways, when I got to that part, I had a different reply from Shippou. But I decided, I just had to write it up this way instead. LOL!

Thanks for reading!

Brightest of Blessings,

Lady Banshee 999