Gah! Listen folks. I'm afraid I have an apology to make. I re-read my last chapter, after being informed of a certain thing by one of my favorite reviewers. At the end of last chapter, I made a pathetic plea for reviews. That did not come out like a wanted it too, and really probably hurt my dignity a bit.

I had heard that some people were reading this fic, and not reviewing, and that really sort of annoyed me, plus I was feeling depressed. I men tot leave a little massage saying that "Please, if you read this, leave a comment on what you think."

What it came out as was (through an odd mix of caffeine, depression, and a misconception of a review I received) this: "Oh, please! I'm so pathetic! I need reviews to keep going! Oh, pity poor me! Woe! Woe! (Etc. Etc.)"

I gaurentee you that such an unprofessional mistake won't happen again. I wasn't really paying attention to what I was saying , towards the end there.

However, on a more upbeat note, I got my first real constructive criticism on this fic (Thank you Time's Mortal Enemy). I know that the flow as of now is Kinda slow. However, I have eighteen main characters that I need to keep track of in chronological order, and I needed to introduce a few of them in the very beginning. The fact that as of now, they are not relating, probably adds to the problem a little bit. However, this is the last of the character introductions, and things should pick up a bit after this chapter. Please, just bear with me.

*****

            This place was like no other in Japan. The trees were huge, but not so much that they were thick and tall, but they way they were shaped. They curved, and twisted, and weaved, and intertwined, and dived back into the ground, then came up again. One couldn't even tell what was root and what was branch. The leaves were thick, and spread out in giant, fanning frills. Vines grew so thickly over the trees, and disguised them so well that one couldn't even begin to tell where one tree ended and another began. The forest floor was almost completely covered by lush foliage. Flowers of all colors and shapes littered the floor, giving off a sweet aroma. Occasionally a loud call of some sort of animal would ring out, or a brightly colored, tropical bird would fly by. 

*****

            Five hundred years in the future, in a house next to an ancient tree, and an old tree, there was a smash of a plate shattering. It sounded remarkably like the sound of a plate of cookies thrown by an angry miko hitting the head of an arrogant hanyou at near fatal velocities. What the sound actually was would forever remain a mystery.

            "Jeez, wench!" InuYasha's voice erupted from the upstairs window of the house, "Why the hell didja do that?"

            Kagome's nostrils flared, and her eyes narrowed, fire burning in their hazel depths. She stood in the middle of the doorway, her arms crossed and her foot tapping. She had a very scary look on her face, with her head turned up so that she was looking at the hanyou through her bottom eyelashes. Her eyes looked like angry half moons.

            InuYasha rubbed the forming bump on his hand and snatched a shattered cookie off the floor with the other. "Man, a guy comes back a little late, and almost gets his head looped off with a dinner plate! How's that for fair?"

            Kagome' s foot began to tap more impatiently. "You're late…" She informed him, her voice heralding doom.

            InuYasha blinked, and crossed his arms, "Well..." He said, his mind racing to come back with a witty comeback. "Umm…" He mumbled under his breath. He looked back up at Kagome. She was angry, he could tell. But there was concern there too. She had missed him. He grinned, his mouth splitting his face in a cocky, arrogant expression. "So… I guess you missed me a bit more than I thought you would."

            Kagome's angry face faded just a little at that.

            "Jeez, I woulda thought that you'd be happy to work on all those test things that you love so much."

            Kagome's face crumpled just a little more. She took a big breath. Keep angry! Keep angry! Anger was the only thing protecting her from the tears that hid just behind her eyes. The stupid hanyou! He had been late by almost a week, and in the warring states era! What was she supposed to think? The first days she had waited for him each morning by the well. But no! He hadn't come! For almost a week, he hadn't shown up. How could he do that to her? Didn't he realize how worried she'd been? Her face tightened as she felt the anger coming back, but it wasn't enough now to stop the tears.
            InuYasha blinked as he saw tears starting to fall down her cheeks. Her face was turning from the fiery red of anger to the blotchy, pinkish, blush of confusion. "Oh, c'mon!" He said, "I wasn't gone that long! Don't tell me your gonna turn on the water works for a lousy week!"

            Her eyes widened, and suddenly she threw herself into his arms. InuYasha blinked as he suddenly felt the shoulder of his outer haori become wet with tears.

            "A month ago, I only had a week to live, InuYasha." His sensitive ears heard her say softly, between sob-less tears. "It's a life time for me."

            Awkwardly, InuYasha reached up and patted her head with clawed hands. "Hey, now." He said. "I'm sorry for making you worry, okay." She lifted her head from his shoulder, and sniffed. He smiled, and knuckled away one of her tears. "C'mon, the Kagome I know held off her own death for more than a week just by her power alone! She wouldn't cry just like this."

"Sorry!" She said, trying to stop the flow of tears. "You were late, and I knew things were dangerous back then, and-" She said, beginning to get worked up again.

            InuYasha rolled his eyes. "Jeez, you really are too sentimental. I said I'm sorry right."

            Kagome looked at him, and laughed softly, a weak sound.

            InuYasha stared at her. "What?" he demanded.

            She smiled at him. "That's the first time you've actually apologized to me up front like that." She said. "I think you've grown up a little."

            InuYasha scowled, and crossed his arms. "Oh, I think you're growing up, InuYasha!" He said in a high, squeaky girly voice. "Jeez, this coming from someone who cries when her friends are a little late."

            Kagome crossed her arms back at him, and pursed her lips. She looked ridiculous with a tear-stained face.

            "Umm…" A new voice came from the door. Both heads swiveled, and the eyes turned on Souta, his hair short and messy, and his face round and boyish. "Kagome said she had cookies." He said, blushing slightly.

*****

            Deep in the forest, there was a little, clear spring. There was a high, bubbly laugh ringing through it. Sitting near the shore was a girl. She was clad in all white; a pure, satiny, silky white. It hugged her body in loose, easy folds. She was smiling, and letting her feet dangle into the water. The pool was clear, and one could see strait to the bottom… save in the middle.

            In the middle, the water was opaque. On it was a faint image. It was the waving outline of a well. A silver haired man approached the well, and, looking around carefully, leapt down it.

            The girls grin widened. She had tiny little fangs in her mouth. "So… the events are set in motion." She said. Her voice was high, although not grating. It was the voice of a little girl. Her hair was white at the roots, and tapered down to a light sky blue as it reached the tips, hanging in wild, unruly spikes and strands at her shoulders.

            On the top of her head rested two snowy, white catlike ears. One of the twitched as she stood up. Her skin was tan, with brown strips all over. They ran down her legs, across her clawed feet and hands, and lastly, black stripes down her white, catlike tail.

            She dusted her dirty knees off, and, kicking a rock through the thick, lush grass, walked away from the spring.

*****

            Sesshoumaru walked through the long, alabaster halls, his face illuminated by the bright torches. He could feel the forces gathering already, anticipating the meeting. What ridiculous things would they discuss this month? He could hardly wait to waste his time.

            He stopped, and turned, facing a huge, double door. Sighing, he reached forth his hand, and pushed at the seam between the doors. The flowed in effortlessly. Silently.

            Inside the door was a long, wide dining hall. It was lit by a single torch in the middle, casting the entire room in eerie shadows. Very melodramatic, in Sesshoumaru's opinion.

            "I am here, as par requirement." He announced, his voice betraying nothing.

            There were figures surrounding the table. Three in all. One of them leaned forward. Her face was a mere outline against the flickering light. Her nose was sharp, her face small and youthful, her smile arrogant. Her eyes and hair were crimson. Her ears were long, and a short ivory horn adorned her forehead. "Come in, Sesshoumaru-Sama." She said, her voice light, girlish, but sensual. "We have much to talk about."

            "I'm sure." Sesshoumaru said, walking in nonchalantly.

            "She is right, you know." Said another voice. "There are serious matters at hand." This one was masculine, low and deep. He did not lean dramatically forward, but stayed in the shade. The torchlight revealed only the outline of a stern, black bearded face, and long, wavy hair. "More serious than normal."

            Sesshoumaru strode to his seat, at the foot of the table. "I believe you took an hour of my time on the migratory patterns of salmon, last time we met. I would hope that this is more important."

            The young girl on the right of the table glared at him. "I happen to like salmon. On bread." Her face turned sort of sheepish for a moment, then resumed its normal complexion. "But that is not the point. We built this castle for your family, Sesshoumaru-Sama." She made 'sama' sound like a joke. "All we want in payment is someone to talk to, about whatever crosses out minds. It's a bargain for this palace."

            "Yes." Sesshoumaru agreed dryly, sitting down. "You spend almost no effort making it, and get several generations of servitude in exchange. Quite a steal."

            "Blame your ancestry. Not us." Said the man on his left, his voice stern, but guiding. "But this session is different. We have something important to discuss."

            "Oh, yes." Sesshoumaru said, managing to make his voice sarcastic despite the monotone. "We are now studying the migrations of the horse-shoe crabs, are we now."

            "I like crab too." The girl on his right chipped in.

            "No…" Said the man. "We are actually looking at Dragons today."

            Sesshoumaru's eyebrows raised almost imperceptibly. "Dragons?"

            The figure at the head of the table stirred. The was the sound of a rustling cloak, and the leathery sound like the beat of wings, and in the shadow, Sesshoumaru could make out the shine of fangs in the figure's grinning, malevolent mouth. "A dragon actually." Came the smooth, liquid voice. "One whom you should be very familiar with. Do you remember the name Ryuukotsutsei?"

For a brief instant, Sesshoumaru's eyes glowed a deep, crimson red. His hand, resting flat on the table, clenched. There was the snap of splintering wood, and Sesshoumaru's fist came up, a large chunk of the table with it, obscuring his face. "I know the name." He whispered.

*****

            The girl walked through the forest slowly, enjoying the fresh breeze that permeated from between the trees, and the green-filtered sunlight that shone through the thick canopy.

            The grass was long, despite not having much sunlight, and tickled her bare feet as she walked. Her ears twitched slightly, as an unusual flurry of loud chirps from the local birds caught up with her.

            Her lips turned up in a closed smile, and she scratched at the nape of her neck happily. "And once the events are set, then the rest follows like lightning. The times are changing." She said simply, talking to no one.

            With all the time in the world, she slowly ambled away through the grass, sauntering indirectly towards the center of the glade.

*****

            The mountain range was closer today, but it offered no comfort. Miroku's sharp eyes etched out the line where the snow settled on the mountains. It was dangerously close to the desert floor. And that made no sense. Things shouldn't behave like that. This was all wrong.

            Suddenly, he felt where the feeling broke off in his right hip tingle, and he fell forward, face first into the sand. For once he was glad he couldn't fell. It probably hurt.

            "Miroku!" Shippo's childlike voice rang out. "Are you  alright?"

            Miroku groaned, and pushed himself onto his back with his good hand. "My leg just gave out." He said simply.

Shippo grimaced. "Do you think you can still walk?" He demanded.

Miroku leaned forward, and felt at his leg. "I can try." He muttered, and slowly tried to stand up. He landed again on his side, hard, wincing from a new pain, this time in his ribs.

Shippo's grimace even increased. Miroku looked at him, and saw the tears brimming in his eyes. It was reasonable, he supposed. The little kitsune had been though so much. And was still going. It was almost admirable. "So…" He asked, his voice wavering. "What are we gonna do now?" Miroku would have smiled. Shippo was acting mature and practical. Invaluable qualities right now.

"I want you to…" He was cut off suddenly as Sango's hand suddenly latched on to the back of his collar, and he suddenly felt himself lifted up off his feet. He gasped as he was placed firmly over her shoulder, and the youkai exterminator continued walking. The monk was about to protest, when he saw that in her hand was a tiny shard of bone: a part of the original Hiraikotsu. He had lifted it once, and it was almost heavy as he was. Practicality took over his sympathy for Sango, and he said nothing.

            Briefly, he caught a profile of her face. It still retained its lovely shape: round cheeks, a sharp nose, and beautiful lips. But it was dirty, and scraped, and bruised. Her hair, which used to be long, and lustrous, was now short, frayed, and burnt at the ends. And her eyes were dark, and dead. Her lips were down turned in a hopeless frown. Miroku wondered of there was any way they could go back to the way they were before. Was there anything he could do to bring the old times back?

            Out of respect for memory, his hand wondered down the small of her back, and came to ret on the top of a sensitive area.

            It might have been a mistake, when Sango stumbled. It might have been a mistake when she fell, and twisted. It might have been a mistake when her shoulder hit his face. But after they had gotten up again, if only for the briefest moment, he saw Sango's eyebrows twitch amusedly over her emotionless eyes, and the down turned corners of her mouth tug up, for just a moment. One point for Sango.

*****

            The girl stood at the edge of a drop off. She stood by a river that flowed off the cliff into a pool fifty some feet below. Almost nonchalantly, she took another step, and fell, her arms stretching out, and her hair rushing around her head. She landed on the water in a crouch. There was a slight ripple, but it was drowned in the spray of the waterfall. "And when the times change, so do people. They grow together, and grow apart." She told the waterfall with great gusto. "There is no such thing as an eternal happiness, but sadness is fleeting too."

            She shivered slightly, catlike, cascading droplets of water casually. The light, almost silky layer of fur that covered her entire body poofing ever so slightly. She walked casually across the surface to the shore, and yawned as her feet planted on dry ground. Sitting on a rock off to her left was a small, striped cat-like creature. Its body was catlike, but a thick mane covered its neck. Its fur was black and white, and its eyes were oversized and red. Briefly, the girl nodded to it, saying something beyond words. The cat nodded back, and launched itself lightening fast into the woods.

*****

            The castle of lord Gonza was bustling with activity. Tonight was the burial service for the Lord's daughter. Luckily, a shipment of supplies had come in the night before, driven by a girl robed all in black. When questioned, she said that the farmer who normally drove the cattle had been postponed, and had asked her to make the delivery for him. She also said that the Lord was to make sure that the proper payment was to go to the man's family. She said some very bad things would happen if this did not occur.

            And so, she had spent the night, and the supplies were put to use for the preparations for the cremation. In the morning, the girl in black was missing from her room.

            In the young lady's room she lay, growing cold. The room was not lit at all, and deep in the shadows, one could just barely make out the look of dark clothes, and a small bit of pale skin.

            There was something wrong. The flow of souls was not as it should have been, and it was causing very large problems. That was why She was here. She only actually interfered when there was a problem. And the problem was about to reveal itself.

            Slowly, the body of the young princess lifted off the ground, her arms hanging limply at her sides.

            "That's interesting." The woman in black commented, her black eyes focusing more on the spectacle.

            The body of the princess glowed blue, just a light aura, and the something came out of her. To normal eyes, it would have looked like an orb of glowing light. To the black eyes that watched, it was yet another copy of the princess, her face warped in agony.

            "Very interesting."

            There was a rush, and something darted through the wall, into the room. It was long, and white. Its head looked snakelike, and it had six, skeletal legs sticking out of it.

            Like lightening, it fastened it claws into the back of the girl's soul. The spirit's face stretching in pain. And as quickly as it had appeared, the thing was gone.

            The woman in black rose from her hiding place. Her face was scrunched up in a snarl, and her eyebrows creased down in an angry 'V'.

            "How dare they?" She demanded, his voice taking on an inhumane dissonance. "This is not natural." She shoved one hand out in a grip, and clenched it. The ebony staff appeared in it, and she slammed it on the floor. Where it touched, the wood floor shrunk, and tiny cracks ran through it. Like a creeping snake, darkness swirled up her legs, and across her body, like black fire. Death was not to be toyed with.

*****

            Slowly, the girl walked towards the center of the forest. In the distance was a willow. It was huge, towering even over the titanic trees around her. Its branches shot out, then slunk down, brushing against the ground, creating a complete barrier against the rest of the world.

            The heart of the forest lay there.

            A sudden gust of wind flashed through the trees, blowing her hair and her clothing. There were whispered in the wind. The girl looked up again. For one of the few times in her life, she seemed rather surprised. She chuckled slightly, then threw her head back in a laugh. "And change always brings surprise." She mused to herself, shaking her head as she walked. "Time brings change, change brings surprise, and surprise lends mystery." She laughed, and walked towards the willow, a bit faster now.

*****

            Captain Morgan was looking down at the cold water. He was staring intently, and his hat was off in respect. He was, after all, speaking to his client.

            "So, where exactly in Japan did ya want to go?" He asked, in his gruff, salty voice.

            Slowly the words appeared in his head. It is a small island off the east coast. The voice said. You will see it soon. The voice had no characteristics. It was his own thoughts, manipulated.

            "Well, if you know where it is, then why do you need to drag me along?"

            For cover. The words in his head said patiently. I am not exactly welcome there. And besides, your reputation precedes you. You might be useful.

            Captain Morgan snorted. "So, you don't just need me to take you to Japan, eh?"

            Take? Look around you. Who is taking who?

            Morgan looked around. His sails were tied up tight across the crossbar, and there were no ores. Yet the ship was practically flying across the water, going upward of forty knots. The fore anchor was dragged at high tension into the water in front of him. He swallowed, and stared down into the water again. Was it just him, or did her see a long, serpentine shadow deep down below?

            "I see your point." He said, hating it. "So what is my real job?"

            Exactly what I told you. You must simply go with me to Japan. Then you are free.

            "And I get my pay?"

            After I get finished with my job. The voice added.

            "Your job?"

            I need to go to Japan. Something must be done, and I need to help in any way I can. Something is brewing.

            "And let me guess. Your probably going to die." Morgan said dryly.

            Bingo

            "Leaving me with no pay."

            Yes.

            "Unless I happened to follow you around and protect you."

            It probably wouldn't do much good. The voice reasoned. But you're welcome to try.

            "And I'll probably die too."

            Yes.

            "You don't beat around the bush much do you?"

            No.

            "How fun." Morgan observed. "So, what was my pay again?"

            I have no Idea. Seeing as how you probably won't get it unless you stick around, I was planning on choosing after I had gotten to know you.

            "Joy." Morgan said.

            Look, I can see it. The voice said, the thought accompanied by a jerk that brought his head up. He could see a line on the horizon. Slowly, he brought out a spy-glass, and brought it to his eye. He could see land. But more importantly, he could see the city. It shone out, etched in white alabaster and marble and granite. Big regal city, re-negotiable contract, no guarantee of any reward, chance of death: high, and a client who was simply a voice in his head. A complete suicide mission.

            Morgan smiled. "Bring it on." He said.

*****

            "Change gives birth to dreams." The girl said, standing before the veritable wall of willow boughs. "And dreams drive people through the change. Through the hurt. Through the Happy. Through the mystery. Through the surprise."

            She closed her eyes, and stepped through the willow boughs. "And through the dark." He whisper echoed.

*****

            Oni and Shin were out of the forest, speeding across the plains of rice growing up through the shallow lakes. Their feet barely touched the ground as they ran, flashing fleetly through the terrain. They now had a goal. A quest. The must find the fangs that could break the enchantment. The accursed fangs of Taisho.

*****

            Under the thick canopy of the boughs, there was a dim, blue light. It didn't come from anywhere. It simply, existed.

            Surrounding the monstrous trunk of the willow was a small pond, stretching in a ring around the base of the tree. It was perfectly serene, not moving at all. The air here was completely still.

            Vadise looked up, and smiled. Falling from the roof of the cavern was a single drop of water. In the middle of the drop was a small, image of a silver haired man. It fell down, then hit the surface of the pond, sending ripples out in a perfect sphere.

            Another drop fell, this one bearing the image of a young woman in a green, pleated skirt. It fell near the first, creating ripples of its own, mixing with those already running across the surface.

            Another fell, this one bearing a small girl with a gnarled topknot.

            And another, this one bearing a tall, noble, silver haired youkai.

            A blonde man, wielding many weapons and dancing wildly.

            A scarred girl, her eyes dead.

            A broken monk, with a broken hand.

            A sadden Kitsune, older than his age.

            Two amazons, running fleetly.

            A tall tree, that became a man.

            A lady in black, who never rests.

            A seafaring pirate, with an attraction to danger.

            A voice from beneath the waves.

            A tiger striped cat, with fiery spirit.

            A trio of dragons, ancient, and wise.

            Alone, the ripples swiftly fade. But ripples in the right places make waves. And waves kept going.

            Slowly, the girl walked over to the pond, and leaned down. "And then a single wave in the right place can make a tide." One of her clawed fingers dipped into the water, and her own ripples spread out.

            "And the tide is always changing."