Preview from last chapter:

Lunia sighed as she put her head in her hands. Divine intervention had always been hard for and on her. The amount of planning that had to go into it was downright tricky!

"Especially when posing as someone like Xavier. Even though it was only for a few minutes! I had to time it just right, or else Tora would have suspected me. Oh thank you Tuku, Goddess of Time. Hehe, I'm so evil," Lunia smiled, a mischievous look in her eyes, "Now that Chan-chan and Kouga can't go around with their lover's antics, they can focus on Kagome and Inu-Yasha! Muahahaha!"

Smiling still, Lunia contemplated the further steps of her and Leota's plot. Leota would be waking up in a few moments, acting like a child in a strange place, and then she'd lead them on to her half of the plan.

This would be good.

-

Chapter Twenty:
New Identity

This wasn't going well.

He hadn't even come close to where he wanted to be. He'd though Usu-Venita to be at the den of that cocky wolf; however his two cowardly guards said the pair was at the village of the old priestess named Kaede, who was the sister of the priestess his fool brother had fallen in love with.

"Idiot," Sesshomaru scolded, not knowing why, "I'm surprised that odd girl hasn't killed him yet."

"Milord? If I might ask, where are we going?"

"Speaking of killing…" Thought the Lord of the West with a sigh, "We go to the village of the former guardian of the Shikon Jewel."

"Why are we going there, My Lord?"

"Jaken, if you dare to ask me one more question, I will feed you to Ah-Un."

Mouth open to do just as his master commanded him not to do; Jaken's mouth clamped itself shut.

"Lord Sesshomaru?"

"What is it, Rin?"

"Will we ever see Venia-chan again?"

"Yes. We are going to get her now."

-

At Kaede's Village...

"I wonder what's taking them so long? Shouldn't they be back by now?"

"You must be patient, Shippo-chan. Chan-chan's plans take some time, you know. Don't you worry, they'll be back before you know it."

"And this is coming from the woman that checks her scrying crystal to see if there have been any changes in the atmosphere around the well?" Sango asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Lunia looked at Sango, a mock glare on her face, "You. Shut up."

Miroku smiled, for he loved it when the two had mock battles. This way, he could take enjoyment from Sango's anger and not have it directed at him.

"And what are you smiling at, eh Monk?" Sango asked, her eyes holding daggers as both she and Lunia looked over at him.

"Nothing, nothing. Just trying to imagine what sort of plots Venita-sama has planned for Inu-Yasha and Lady Kagome."

Lunia broke out into a grin, "Oh-ho, wouldn't you love to know?"

"You mean you and Venita-sama have already come up with something?"

"Of course, what do you think we are? Procrastinators?" Lunia asked, a look of mock hurt on her face.

Kaede walked in then, "How are ye coming along with your weaving, Lunia-sama?"

"Heheh, I've been meaning to get started on it..." Lunia chuckled wryly; she stopped when she saw Miroku and Sango's raised eyebrows, "Both of you. Shut up."

Getting up from where she sat, Lunia pushed aside the grass mat and stepped outside, presumably to go and do whatever weaving she had to do, mumbling all the way.

-

In Kagome's time…

"C'mon Venia-chan! Let's go out to Dragon's Lake!"

"But Ki-kun, we went to Dragon's Lake yesterday. Why do you wanna go again?"

"Because I saw a rare herb that I wanna go get before it dies."

Venita sighed, "You and your herbs. I swear I could capture a dragon for you and you'd still rather have an herb. Ah well, it's what you like to do, and I won't take that from you."

"I'm glad, Venia-chan. You stood up for me when even mother wouldn't. But she and Father wanted me to become the warrior, when really it is you that is destined to be the fighter. Me, I'd much rather sit back and heal wounds than cause them."

"And there's nothing wrong with that, Ki-kun. I'm glad you defied their wishes the way you did, for you showed them that you are not one to be pushed around."

"Heh, neither are you, Venia-chan."

"Yes well, no one really expects you to rebel. Me, they're used to me defying every other 'suggestion' they make. You, though, it was a great shock for them to hear words of disagreement coming from your mouth. Ah well, enough of that. Shall we go?"

"Okay, Venia-chan! Can we take Nefari? It's been forever since she's been released."

Sighing, Venita nodded. If anything Kibun loved as much as plants, it was the dragon Nefari that protected their family, as well as a few other dragons.

"I'm sure Nefari and the others will be pleased to see us, Ki-kun. Come on now, we shouldn't waste time. Let's go to the cliff."

Kibun smiled, "Okay Ota-san!"

"Ota-san?" Venita thought, her eyebrows coming together in the middle of her forehead, "Where did you hear that name?"

"Wake up, Ota-san!"

"No, I don't want to wake up! I want to stay with Ki-kun!"

"But you have to wake up! If you don't, you'll never have the chance to finish what you've started!"

"Leave me alone!" Venita yelled, the image of her brother Kibun slowly fading, "No! Ki-kun, wait! Don't go!"

"Come on, Sama-sama, you've have to wake up and you have to wake up now!"

"Come on, Sama-sama, you've have to wake up and you have to wake up now!"

"Go away! Leave me alone!"

Eyes snapping open Leota sat up, her breathing labored and her eyes wide. Sitting at her feet was Buyo, who sat watching her as though she were a tasty morsel.

"Sama-sama?"

Turning her head so quickly that she heard her neck crack, Leota saw Tora sitting on his knees with a concerned look on his face.

"T-T-Tora-san?" Leota asked, her throat dry.

"I'm here, Sama-sama. There's nothing to worry ab..."

"Where's Ki-kun? I have to talk to him, where is he?"

"Uh..." Tora was confused. Had Xavier wiped out her entire memory? Oh, wait, this could be used to his advantage, couldn't it?

"Tora-san? Where's my Ki-kun?"

"He's, um, hang on. I'll ask Kagome-san where he is. There's something about him that you have to know, okay?"

"Okay. What's wrong with him?"

"Let's just say he was on the wrong end of a witch's wand."

Leota blinked, "What, again?"

Tora nodded, leaving the room to find Kagome and Inu-Yasha, "Um, guys?"

"Oh hi, Tora-san. What's going on?"

"Where's K-san?"

"Uh... I don't know where, uh, she is. Why?"

"Because Ookami-sama's awake, demanding to see her brother, and I told her that 'he' got on the wrong end of a witch's wand," Tora said, pausing for breath, "so where is 'she'?"

"Outside." Inu-Yasha said, jerking his thumb towards the sliding door.

"Thanks!" Tora smiled, opening the door and running to find the wolf hanyou, "K-san!"

"I'm over here, Tora-san."

Running over to the depressed wolf, Tora told 'him' the news, "All right, listen up. First of all, Ookami-sama is awake. Second, she doesn't remember her brother's death. And third, you are now her brother who angered a witch. This explains why you're a girl, all right? So, let's go."

"Go? Go where?"

Tora locked his jade eyes to Kouga's blue ones, "She wants to talk to her brother, so you'll have to act like him, okay? Be natural. This will be the only way you can talk intimately with her, okay? No dropping hints as to who you really are, okay?"

"Okay, I think I can do that."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Girls don't worry about stuff like this. They worry about other stuff. And anyway," Tora said, placing a reassuring hand on the wolf's shoulder, "when you're normal, you remind me of Kibun. If you'd been born on the Inside, anyone would mistake you for him, I mean it, and I'm sorry if it offends you. Now, come on. Be yourself."

Nodding, both wolf and tiger walked into the house and went straight into the room where Leota was now sitting up, gazing out the window.

Knocking on the doorframe, Tora asked, "Ookami-sama?"

"Hm?" Leota asked, turning around, eyes widening, "Ki-kun?"

An odd silence fell over the three, but soon Leota was nearly hanging off "Ki-kun's" neck. Not knowing what to do, the confused Kouga wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hey, Chan-chan. Good to see you're finally awake. You had me worried." Kouga said, feeling awkward whenever he spoke, he still had yet to get used to his feminine voice.

"Oh, Ki-kun! It's so good to see you! You have no idea how much I've missed you all these years! To think you've finally come back to me, well, it's wonderful! So," Leota said, looking up at her 'brother', "what'd you do that caused a witch to get angry with you? You were always the polite one."

"I, uh, took a handful of herbs that I thought she was giving to me, but I later found out that she wanted me to give her my eyes in exchange. Something I didn't want to do, so she cursed me."

Leota nodded as though the event happened all the time, "Ah, had another run-in with Anju, eh? I always told you to stay away from that hag, but did you listen? Nope."

The newly-dubbed Kibun sighed. It would take a while for him to get used to the fact that Leota saw him only as her brother, who happened to be a girl. How he wished he could just burst forth and tell her what had really happened, but Tora would skin him alive and worse, Leota may die of a seizure right there from what Tora had said.

But all of that was child's play compared to a much more threatening task that loomed over the wolf's head.

How the hell was he supposed to go to the bathroom?

-

((February 11, 2005)) A/N: Hi! Wow, it's almost been a month since I last updated this. I'm sorry! It's just that I only got one review on my last chapter, so I was feeling down… :cries: Okies, I'm done……

Anyway, I hope you all know that Kouga-kun won't be a girl for very long…. I think…. At least, that's what he's praying for, yes? Muahaha…

Until next chapter, where I promise I'll have Sesshomaru appear some more!