And… chapter 13… I know, I'm so enthusiastic, aren't I?

Disclaimer: yeah yeah…. You know the drill. Don't own it, don't sue. K? k.

Chapter 13: The Connection Between Urufu and Kitsune

Kagome walked into the huge library. She remembered coming here a few times to get bedtime stories for Rin and Shippo while the group stayed here before the last battle. Unfortunately, she had no idea where the books on kitsunes would be. Let's see. Where should I start? Kagome moved into the center of the room where she could get a good look at all of the closest shelves. Where would I put books on kitsunes if I was an inu-youkai? Kagome was just about to start wandering aimlessly through the books, when she glanced at the desk. It was covered with books, parchment, ink and brushes.

I wonder what that is… Kagome's curiosity won her over, and she went to check the desk. What she found was a stack of books all dealing with kitsune kits, from the time they are born, to the time they reach maturity. Kagome became absorbed with the books. She had started by leaning on the desk turning pages, but within moments she was sitting in the chair that had been left there and she was avidly reading everything there was on the pages.

According to one book, the ceremony that Kagome had performed with Sesshomaru the day before gave her a deeper bond with Kiseki than she had ever imagined. Apparently, now her body would begin to react to Kiseki as if the kit really was from her own body. Does this mean that I will be able to feed her myself? Kagome couldn't decide whether to be happy with that thought, or distressed. I don't want that happening when I'm fifteen! I'm not even sure I want that at eighteen…

Kagome continued to read. She wasn't' sure whether to be relieved or discouraged when she read that only a surrogate mother of the same species could adapt fully to an adopted kit's needs. Well, I guess that means I'll have to find another way to feed her.

One book spoke of sustaining a kit on blood, but Sesshomaru's warning rang in her mind as she read that, and Kagome immediately stopped reading that particular book. Another one spoke of feeding a kit goat's milk, but there were side-effects to this too. A kitsune child kept alive on goat's milk would be weaker physically, mentally, and magically than other kitsunes.

There were only a few more books on the desk and Kagome was getting discouraged. It had been hours since she had come in, and she was no nearer to solving her problem than she had been before. She had, however, learned that Shippo was about 3 years old, even though he looked and acted older than that. Kitsunes aged to maturity quickly, then stayed that way for many hundred years, ageing slowly for the rest of their lives. A kitsune's life-span could be many thousands of years, though their tricks generally brought them early deaths. But nothing to allow my kit to lead a normal, happy life!

In frustration, Kagome looked at the notes that had been made on the parchment. The strong right-left motions on the bars plus the delicate tapering on the tails told Kagome that this was written by Sesshomaru, his writing was very distinctive.

It would seem that a kitsune kit is one of the more delicate of demon children. He wrote. They require much care and constant devotion. They easily succumb to blood lust and thrive on very few forms of available food. It is a wonder that so many of them live today. For a newborn kit without parents, it is nearly impossible for it to survive. Any kind of blood will drive it to blood lust, milk from goats, which is viable for most demons at an early age, causes weakness, and milk from any surrogate other than a kitsune has the same effect. Dragon's milk is said to be nourishing to the kitsune, but it must be distilled so the poison is boiled off first. There is speculation over whether a kitsune hanyou could feed a kitsune kit, but kitsune hanyous are less likely to survive than kits without mothers, so this has never been tested. Hopefully this last book will have new insight…

Kagome looked up from her notes to see a book sitting apart from the others. This one seemed older than all the others, but it was in immaculate condition. Kagome picked it up and opened it to the first page. It seemed to be a history of some sort, it reminded her of her textbooks. Only, this was a history of the demons. It told of the divisions of the demons and of the claiming of the lands. Kagome was interested in what this book had to say, but right now she just wanted to know how to keep her daughter alive. She flipped through the book until she came to a chapter entitled "Hisaki-Kyoukou the Lost One". This spoke of an orphan kitsune kit who was raised by an urufu-youkai family. She was not brought up on blood, she did not have a kitsune surrogate, and she became one of the most powerful kitsunes of all. Kagome pored over her story.

It seemed that the urufu-youkai and the kitsunes were close enough in their genetic makeup that Hisaki-Kyoukou was able to be nursed by her surrogate mother. Kagome was so happy she nearly cried. There was a way to save her kit! Kagome was so happy that she started to do a little victory dance. That's when she noticed Sesshomaru standing in the doorway.

She immediately stopped dancing and gathered her bearings. He seemed not to notice, walking past her to look at the book she had been reading from. He skimmed the pages she had just read, then he looked at her. "The Urufu, hmmm? I have not had any contact with them for quite some time, but they do not suffer humans lightly. They took over the Eastern Lands from a… subordinate of mine many years ago." Kagome noticed the pause, but couldn't imagine what he had been about to say. Noticing her curious stare, he continued. "The Eastern Lands were originally the property of the Lord of the Western Lands. My father decided that it would be a good place to train his heir in the ways of command, so I was given the Eastern Lands until such time as my father passed on. However, I was often needed in the Western Lands. As the heir, I needed to see how diplomacy was carried out, so I had… another govern the Eastern Lands for me for a time."

This time there had been a shorter pause, but Kagome had noticed. What is he hiding? I don't remember any of this from last time! Of course, we didn't really have a close relationship until those last few months, so I guess he never felt close enough to tell me these things… so why is he telling me now?

Kagome realized that Sesshomaru was still talking. "… so I gave the Eastern Lands to the Urufu. I found it too much trouble to govern both, especially without an heir to foist it on as my father did. But that means that the Urufu owe some loyalty to me at least. We will leave in the afternoon when Kiseki awakes. In the mean time, the servants have boiled some dragon's milk for the kit. When she wakes, feed her, then come to me and we will leave." With that, Sesshomaru left the room, leaving Kagome gaping at the door that had just closed behind him.

She didn't know what to think, so she decided not to think at all, just go back to the room and take care of her daughter. One thing was really bothering her though. What about Koga?

---------------

The monk looked around the village. He hadn't gotten much more than a meal and bed the night before for getting rid of that Kitsune, but what he had gotten meant more to him than anyone could imagine. When the old man he had seen upon entering the house the night before had seen the tiny sliver of stone that the monk was claiming as his fee, the man nearly laughed. What would he want with such a thing. The monk, however, knew the worth of a sliver of the Shikon no Tama.

The monk looked at the Shikon no Kakera in his hand. These things are nothing but a nuisance! Every demon for miles around is after it, all but the one I'm looking for!

He tucked the shard in one of his pockets, readjusted the prayer beads around his right wrist, and walked out of the village.

---------------

Inuyasha looked up at the sky. He had felt a strange presence there not long ago, but now it was gone. He had felt the same one yesterday, but he could see nothing out of the ordinary. He continued to allow Shippo to run over his shoulders and across his head, wondering when the kit would tire of this game. Unfortunately it didn't seem to be anytime soon… He was just about to tell Shippo to stop, when he felt that strange presence again.

He whipped his head in that direction, nearly dislodging the kit, who clung to one of his ears with a death grip. Inuyasha didn't notice though. There above the village, Inuyasha could see what looked to be an old woman floating around, seemingly searching for something. She couldn't seem to find it though, and went on her way. Something about her made Inuyasha growl in the back of his throat.

Shippo hid in Inuyasha's hair as he heard the inu-hanyou start to growl. He didn't know what had made Inuyasha so angry, but he was glad that it wasn't him.

-------------------

When Kagome got back to her room, the servant she had met in the hallway was sitting by the cradle, watching Kiseki intently. The servant quickly got up and curtsied at Kagome's entrance. "She hasn't stirred once hi- Kagome-sama. I will go and fetch the dragon's milk that Sesshomaru-sama had prepared for her if you wish." Kagome sighed and nodded and the servant scurried out the door.

As she waited for the milk to arrive for Kiseki, Kagome looked at her daughter. She was so tiny and she looked almost human. Her ears were so slightly pointed that Kagome hardly noticed. Her hands and feet her human looking, though her feet seemed small. She had no tail yet, but Kagome knew that would come in the next few months. Whether she retained her more human ears, or gained fox ones would depend on Kiseki, but for now they would stay the way they were. Already, she was getting a bit of soft red hair on her head that would probably darken to more of a bronze as she aged.

As she sat contemplating the perfection before her, Kagome heard the door open and a tray being slid in and the door being shut again. She turned to see something that looked like it as supposed to be a bottle and a large dish of milk. Kagome busied herself filling the bottle. When she had finished that, Kiseki was awake and smiling at her.

Kagome lifted the kit into her arms and gave her them bottle. Kiseki drank that whole bottle, and the next. When her meal was done, Kagome and Kiseki went in search of Sesshomaru. He wasn't that difficult to find. He was standing in the gardens waiting for them with something in his arms. Kagome recognized the fire-rat haori and nearly laughed. Sesshomaru enveloped her and the kit in the folds of the haori, then they took off in the direction of the Eastern Lands.

Kagome was still nervous about this. "Ummm… Sesshomaru?" Kagome waited until he looked at her. "Who rules the Eastern Lands now?" She thought she knew who it was, but she was desperately hoping she was wrong. She wasn't.

Sesshomaru stared down at her. "The ruling prince at the moment is Koga, but he cold be overthrown at any time. The Urufu believe that a leader must have a mate to equal their own strength if they are to lead well. Koga has no mate, and will, therefore, lose his rights very soon if he does not find a mate to match his strength."

Kagome just stared ahead. What is going to happen now?

-------------------

All right friends, that's it for this chapter. For those of you who didn't figure it out, urufu means wolf. Oh and Hisaki-Kyoukou means heart of fire. So what do you think guys? Let me know! And if you want to come rp with me and my friends from "Got Sesshy" check out the forum (the URL is at the end of last chapter). I know I put this chapter out really soon after the last one, but I did get a couple of reviews between then and now, so here's my response!

Review Response:

Cold-night09: thank you! I love it when Sesshy is a good guy too, but I don't want him too ooc, so he'll be his own icy self every once in a while! Yes, our favourite monk is beginning to make an appearance… come on, you didn't think I'd leave him out, did you?

Windscarangel: glad you're enjoying the story! Did I write soon enough?

Anyway, I think I'm going to go sleep after I upload this, so ja for now!