Chapter Eighteen: Stupid mistakes
I've been living for so long,
many seasons have past me by.
I've seen kingdoms through ages
rise and fall, I've seen it all.
I've seen the horror, I've seen the wonders
happening just in front of my eyes.
Will I ever, will I never free myself by making it right?
Within Temptation – Jillian
Somewhere in the mountains, Southern Lands
How could this have happened?
It was the one question a lot of people asked themselves these days. Two people, however, had already moved on to the next question.
How could they make this right?
Two women were seated at a table in one of the huts that formed a rather tiny human village. Although they were both beautiful, one of them was clearly older. The elder woman had an air of wisdom and elegance over her. A few small wrinkles by her eyes were the only signs that gave away her age. Her eyes, which used to be so bright, were now dull and slightly red from crying.
The younger woman, who was seated across from her, was currently pulling her hands through her hair in a nervous gesture. They both looked alike, but there were differences. Both women, however, had one thing they clearly had in common.
They were worried sick.
Despite the fact that both women seemed to be perfectionists, the room they were in right now was anything but perfect. The table they were sitting at wasn't perfect either. All across it, various maps were strewn. Two glasses stood somewhere, lost between all the papers. Both women were eyeing the mess around them as if it was their last lifeline; the solution to their problem.
Unfortunately, it wasn't.
The younger woman suddenly sighed, shoving some maps aside. "This isn't getting us any farther. I'm sick of this! I'm going to attack!"
Her mother gave her a knowing look. "I know you are just as desperate as I am Kikyou, but--"
"Oh yes I'm desperate! I bet you anything that she's still in our castle. Where else should they take her!"
The elder woman shook her head in disapproval. "This is not right. You know that. It is suicide."
"We would surprise them."
"Kikyou," the light of a candle close by illuminated the woman's tired face. Her shoulders were hunched over as if she were carrying a heavy burden. "Calm down. You've seen their army. It would be suicide to attack now. Believe me, I want Kagome out as much as you do, but we have to focus."
"But what if we wait, we don't even know if she's alive anymore!"
An uneasy silence fell, before both women began to talk at the same time.
"I'm sorry.''
"She's alive."
Kikyou looked sceptical at her mother. "How would you know? I don't want to think about it either, but we should consider the possibility. One thing I know for sure, if we wait, she'll definitely be dead!"
The elven queen sighed. "You saw the purple light today, didn't you?" As Kikyou nodded, she continued. "You felt it too?"
Again a nod.
"That was definitely Kagome doing dear. I don't think they killed her. She is too useful. And…"
Kikyou cocked her head. "And what?"
Her mother seemed to hesitate somewhat, but not for long. "That lord you captured…"
Kikyou was immediately on edge. "What about it? Alright, I'll admit I was wrong. It was one of the stupidest mistakes I ever made. But I'm not the only one at fault, I warned you about letting him walk around like one of us. He probably took his time exploring our castle. We're lucky he didn't find the secret passageway."
Again, her mother shook her head. "No, it's not that. He might've done that, but I meant something else… never mind though."
However, Kikyou was not about to give up. "What mother? What about him?"
The other woman seemed to think about her words for a moment. "I'm not sure, but instinct tells that something is going on between him and Kagome… call it a mother's instinct…"
Kikyou looked at her as if she expected her to start laughing any moment now, claiming it was just a joke. However, the laugh never came. The young women looked puzzled, but decided not to ponder any longer on it. "Whatever you say mother. The only thing that matters is if she's alive or not. If you're convinced she's alive, I can only hope you're right. But the chances of you being right are getting smaller as we talk. I don't trust it. And second… what happened to the Shikon no Tama?"
The burden resting on their shoulders just seemed to get even heavier.
Kikyou began to fumble with one of the maps on the table, a rather unusual act for her. But who cared about that? After all, the last hours she hadn't acted like herself either. "We all agreed," she started slowly. "That apparently, Kagome lost it, or forget about it, something along those lines. Being the ever quiet and sacrificing person like always, she…" Kikyou swallowed past the lump in her throat. "… she went back to search for it. Assuming she found the Jewel, there is no way she could hide it. They… they would all sense it and come after her. And that light earlier today… is it connected? Or…"
"She destroyed it."
Kikyou's head snapped up abruptly to give her mother a hard look. "And you call me desperate? You cannot destroy the Shikon no Tama. We don't know how to do it. It is impossible!"
"You are right. We don't know how to completely destroy it, or more specifically, how rid the world of its presence. But it is not entirely impossible to destroy it." As her daughter still looked confused, she explained. "It's not impossible to break, to shatter it."
A silence fell.
"B-but… how is this possible? Where did you get this idea?"
"My father told me." The queen cast a quick look around the room, as if to convince herself that no one else was listening. "As soon as I saw the light this morning, I knew he was telling the truth. Up till now, I never believed him. I thought he was just telling me some made up story before I went to bed. Even as a little child, I had heard this one rule numerous times, the Shikon no Tama cannot be destroyed."
The woman looked at her confused daughter from the corner of her eyes, before she focused her stare at the candle, mesmerized by its flame dancing around in the air. After staring at it a few seconds, she finally composed herself and looked her daughter right in her eyes.
"You'd better pay attention now darling," her expression hardened. "I'm about to tell you something very important."
Elven castle, Southern lands
Somehow, it just didn't feel right.
Somehow, this might be one of the stupidest mistakes in his life.
He had no right doing this.
Inuyasha gave a frustrated sigh while he pulled his hands trough his hair. He was sitting on a bed, in front of him was a table, and on that table…
'No,' he clenched his fists. 'I really shouldn't do this. If she would find out…'
But since when did he thought twice about anything? Especially when it concerned an elf that might've had a part into his father's killing? Since when were her feelings important?
A low growl left his throat, and before he could think twice about it, the little black book had found its way into his hands, falling open at some random page.
Now, he had never believed in something like fate. Your life was in your own hands, and you just make the best of it. Yes, he truly believed that.
But now he began to doubt such a thing.
Of all the pages where the damned book could've opened, it had to be that one. Of all the things he could find, it had to be this. Of all the rooms he could've entered, it had to be hers.
Now one might go and rant about differences between humans and youkai, youkai and elves, and so on… but there were always those who were to curious for their own good.
Like him.
His eyes scanned the page, carefully reading the words. And the more he read, the more he began to doubt a theory that already seemed to be ancient. A theory of how a murder was committed… now, it all seemed to be a bit too perfect.
'It pains me to hear these accusations… apparently they condemned us the minute they found him… and I ask myself, since when has an elf ever killed but in self defence? Every day, I see the enormous strain this war has upon our people. We are kind hearted people, not fit for warfare. Every single day I worry. Every single battle I want to vomit.'
'I cried tonight. The late Lord Inutaisho wasn't really our enemy. I never thought him to be in league with Naraku, unlike him, the great taiyoukai was an honourable person. I can only mourn him, and pray they will once find the one who did this…'
It all went on like that, he could clearly notice how much it had pained her that she and her people were held responsible for the killing. The whole time, it didn't really sound like the calm and collected elf he knew, but apparently she was truly upset about it. Otherwise, he thought, she just hid most of her feelings.
'She cried for father…'
Somehow, that seemed to matter the most to him.
"Out of my way, you scum!"
It was extremely interesting to see the change within this one creature; from small and submissive, to just as small, but very demanding.
However, it didn't help much.
Just as his master, the youkai walking around either ignored the little toad like… something… or just gave him a good kick.
The injustice of some things.
Finally, after what seemed to be ages, Jaken had made it to the room where his Lord's brother had been for hours now. With an indignant huff, he straightened his clothes and glared at the back of yet another one of his offenders. Did everyone have to treat small persons like that?
His staff firmly in his hands, he knocked once before storming trough the door, his mood rather horrible. The silver haired youkai inside jumped, before quickly hiding something behind his back. Lucky for him, Jaken was still too much preoccupied, wallowing in his self pity, muttering curses at random persons who he didn't even know.
"Goddammit toad, what do you want? Don't tell me you came barging in for nothing!"
Jaken gave a small huff. "I am here upon your brother's command. He sends me to give you a message."
"Well?"
"Lord Sesshoumaru, in all his wisdom has decided to…"
Inuyasha gave a furious growl. In all the years he had lived, he still hadn't got used to the unusual devotion and stupidity of this creature. "For god's sake, just tell me already! I'm not going to listen to you all day."
"Your brother means to pull back his army. He expects you back at the castle within a few days."
Inuyasha just stared at his brother's small servant. "He… he wants to pull back? Why?"
Jaken gave him an incredulous look. "Lord Sesshoumaru does not have to explain his actions to you." He pointed at him with a small finger. "And I suggest you hurry, he is not in a good mood."
With that, the toad stomped out of the room again, beginning his journey back outside. His staff firmly clutched in his hands, his eyes moved from left, to right, to left again, trying to spot any attacker. He would show them. He was the personal servant of the almighty Lord Sesshoumaru, no one should hit him. Any more raised fists and he would beat them to pulp.
Somehow… he utterly failed to do just that…
Sesshoumaru's castle, Western Lands
Kagome felt like she would suffocate.
For what seemed like the hundredth, if not the thousandth time that day, she paced around the room in which she was locked in currently. Every second, the sound of a key turning seemed to echo trough the room, but in the end it was just her imagination. But it showed one thing; how much she ached to get out.
A quick investigation of the room had proved that Sesshoumaru was not as naive as she had been. There was no second, unguarded door to be found. No secret passageway, as far as she knew. No friends to save her either.
In the end, she had settled down on the windowsill, staring at the beautiful garden which lay directly beneath her. She had discovered it a few hours ago, upon starting her search. Sitting there, with the wind blowing trough her hair, she could almost forget the fact that she was locked up. Keyword: almost.
She kept on clenching and unclenching her hands with a frown on her face. Frequently she would fumble somewhat on her torn dress, then stand up, walk around a bit, but soon she would be at the window again. She was not claustrophobic, but right now, she did start to act somewhat like it.
She was scared, nervous and confused. One side of her reasoned it was better to be here, where there was no Naraku. That side thought Sesshoumaru wanted to get her out, who knows, maybe her being a prisoner was all just a trick… that side still remembered Sesshoumaru how he was as their prisoner, and it was still hoping.
Another side of her was more pessimistic. It constantly reminded her of the fact how cold Sesshoumaru had acted, how angry he seemed to be. But then the other side came again, reminding of how rash his actions were, how he seemed to act rather on feelings, than on logic, something that wasn't at all like Sesshoumaru.
Maybe Sesshoumaru was just as confused as she was… Maybe, somehow, the walls of that castle that was him, maybe those walls were shaking and about to come down. Maybe he really had changed, like the optimistic side of her wanted to believe.
Maybe his heart would start to melt… or maybe not. She really didn't know anymore.
And that is how she kept pondering on different scenarios, how she became even more confused, even more scared of what would happen. The train of thoughts in her head just wouldn't stop.
Suddenly, that sound of a key turning went trough her head again. She had almost dismissed it as another trickery of her imagination, that is, until she felt another presence in the room.
She really didn't know what to say or do… so all she did was press her back even closer to the wall, stare even harder at that beautiful garden and imagine herself as walking trough it instead of being locked in this room.
Yet even those silly day dreams were not allowed, for a deep voice echoed trough the room, startling her and letting her come back to reality with a loud crash.
"I actually thought you were a smart person… Apparently, I was wrong."
Slowly, she turned her head. She was very careful to not look into his eyes, or look at his face too long. It would get her even more panicked, more confused. It didn't take her long to understand his words.
With a look that could almost be ashamed, but at the same time resolute, she stole a quick glance at the object he was staring at. A plate… still full of food. All cold… just as cold as his heart…or? But before she could start thinking all over again, she forced herself to speak.
"I am not hungry."
She inwardly flinched at how weak her voice sounded. Again, her eyes turned to look outside the window. She didn't realize how miserable she looked or the look of longing in her eyes. But somebody else did.
"What is it that you wish for?"
Again, she was pulled from her thoughts, her dreams. She turned around a bit too quick and for about a millisecond, she did look into his eyes. And for a moment, the optimistic side of her seemed to get the upper hand because really, the angry look he had yesterday was gone. Yesterday, he had truly looked like a wild and feral animal… but not now.
Still, he did not look the way he did weeks ago…
"Nothing," she muttered.
She could almost imagine the frown that was on his face now. Almost invisible, but it was there. If not on his face, it was definitely in his voice. "You lie."
In a flash, a memory came to her again. Somewhere in their library, the ancient books, all the wisdom… everything that was now destroyed…
"Don't you remember what I told you once? I told you, I hate people who lie…"
'No,' she thought. 'I don't want him to hate me…'
"I want… too much."
"I will decide what is too much and what is not," he bit out.
She flinched first at his tone, but then she had to take a deep breath in order to remain calm. One thing about him hadn't changed at all, he still knew how to get under her skin, whether it was on purpose or not.
"I want to get out," she whispered. She quickly snuck a glance outside. "I don't want to be locked up. It… the feeling… it just suffocates me."
Of al the replies she could've gotten, she had not thought this one would be possible. Not even the optimistic side of her thought it to be a possible option.
"As you wish…," her eyes widened. "you will be granted the same privileges which I had. You may walk around freely, as long as you don't leave the castle, which will be impossible for you, I will make sure of that."
"Thank you," she said with a shaky voice.
He only snorted. "Soon, you would wish to be in this room again. Do not presume that the youkai in this castle will give you a warm welcome. Too many lost family and friends to your people."
And then he turned again, walking out of the room. Her eyes had saddened after his last words, and despite her new found freedom – if one could call it that – she still had one last wish. One that might never be granted, it all depended on one person.
"I want to know… how it is possible that I'm still alive…"
She had no idea, however, that the same person who could grant this last wish had heard her final words. Just like she had no idea of his thoughts… for doubt had worked its way into Sesshoumaru's mind, making him think about his earlier decision of keeping everything quiet. His thoughts all centred around one question now.
Should he tell her?
Elven castle, Southern Lands
"No!"
The two guards only had a few seconds to feel the fear upon seeing the blood red eyes of their master. Then… they didn't see anything anymore… forever.
Kagura stood watching at the end of the hall, hiding her face behind her fan. To be honest, she found the situation to be rather amusing. In fact, every misfortune that befell her so called 'father' was like a birthday present which small children would be so eager for. And this… this truly was a gift.
A huge one.
Not only had he failed to obtain his so precious Jewel, he had also lost the girl… She knew how he must've felt when he lost the Jewel; after all, she had to witness his obsession with it for years on end. She had predicted his reaction quite correctly.
The girl however calmed his anger somewhat. The promise of her torture and possible death seemed to cheer him up a bit. The promise of revenge… of toying with other's emotions… was always welcome to the Northern Lord. And then, he lost her too…
Such stupid mistakes.
But he wouldn't have to pay for it, oh no. First the guards… then… possibly she herself. And later… who knows, the almighty Lord Sesshoumaru himself?
Now his reaction was something which she hadn't predicted correctly. In fact, his behaviour had startled her somewhat… so unlike the usual stoic Lord.
The 'old' Sesshoumaru wouldn't have cared if that girl's throat would be slit up by her master. No, not at all… he might've done it himself, but she would probably be too insignificant for that.
But maybe… maybe the Western Lord was just as obsessed with revenge as Naraku was. Maybe, he wanted the girl to pay. And if he ever set his eyes upon you, you would suffer…and at his hand only. Yes, maybe it went that way…
"Lord Naraku!"
One of the soldiers came running down the hall at full speed. Apparently, he hadn't been around when Naraku discovered the disappearance of his latest treasure, or else he would be hiding at the other side of the castle, just like everyone else. Except her of course. She always had to stay right at the front.
The Northern Lord stared at the soldier. "What is it?" he all but purred.
Kagura knew this tone was dangerous.
"We… we were hunting in the forest," the soldier stopped a moment to regain his breath. "And we found this."
He bowed while he stretched his arm towards Naraku. Kagura watched, her expression carefully hidden by her fan, how a dangerous gleam came into Naraku's eyes. This soldier found something… worth finding.
The soldier was dead soon enough, but she paid no mind to that. Naraku's voice had already predicted his death. Instead, she found out what the sudden gleam in his eyes meant.
In his hand, the Northern Lord held a tiny piece of his most beloved and sought after item.
This was definitely no gift…
Sesshoumaru's castle, Western Lands
It felt good to be outside.
As the door opened and Kagome stepped outside for the first time in hours, a beautiful smile appeared on her face. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the clean air deeply. It had been a real bother to find the same garden she saw while locked up in that room, her being too scared to ask anyone for directions. Not that the place was crowded anyway, with the majority of its population now at her castle. The only person she encountered was a woman, and her look wasn't that friendly at all.
It appeared Sesshoumaru was right after all.
So she avoided contact, making it a habit to shrink into the shadows while someone passed. Now they could probably smell she was there, but they ignored her. Maybe it was Sesshoumaru's doing? Still she didn't dare to ask for any direction, and it hurt. At home, everyone loved her. She could step up to anyone and asked them something. They were her friends. But here? It all felt so hostile. And despite the fact that she was allowed to get out of her room, she still felt like she would suffocate. Would that feeling ever end?
The interior of the castle didn't seem to help either. It was dominated by dark colours, but not like the dwelling of some evil villain… no, those dark colours gave her the impression that whoever lived here must be a pretty sad person. Not that she disliked those colours, oh no. But there was just no light here, no happiness.
The problem was she knew damn well who lived here. And it only made her sadder.
So when she finally found that garden, she could almost make a little pirouette and dance, but she refrained from doing that. Instead, she closed the door quietly and wandered off trough the flowers and plants.
The whole garden formed a contrast with the castle's insides. It almost felt as if another person was responsible for this. It felt considerably lighter. Whoever tended to this garden had to love flowers, she concluded, eyes taking in all the colours. If one looked closely, they could see an almost happy look in her eyes.
Yes, it felt good to be outside.
She walked on and on, an excited gleam in her eyes now. When she saw a small bench close by, she sat down, her eyes taking in the wonderful sight in front of her.
She didn't know how long she sat there until she heard the noise. A few bushes close by rustled somewhat, and a few seconds later three little children burst forward from it. They continued their conversation, their voices sounding rather cheerful.
Suddenly, one of them stopped and gasped as he saw her. The others followed his gaze and soon they were all staring at her as if she were a ghost. She smiled at them, they were just too cute in her opinion.
"Well hello, who are you?" she asked in a soft voice.
But to her surprise, they suddenly backed away from her. She frowned. Since when was a child ever afraid of her? Surely they were just remembering their parents warning 'don't talk to strangers' or something, right? And then, she felt like she was suffocating again. Was Sesshoumaru right after all?
One of the children suddenly growled, his eyes hardening. The other two just looked plain scared, looking between their friend and this strange woman.
"Who is she?" whispered one of the two.
The same child growled again. He had dark hair and was taller than the other two. "She is an elf," he snarled, and the other two gasped, now looking at her as if she was something dangerous.
"Elves are dangerous," one of them squeaked. "Mommy says they will kill you."
"They killed my father," the dark haired boy growled. "She's a witch. She'll cast a spell upon you!"
Kagome just sat there, her mouth slightly agape, her eyes widened with a horrified look in them. She, a witch? And her people murders? Did they really think they killed for fun? But then she realised Sesshoumaru was right, there was a lot of animosity towards her people in this place. Too many had lost loved ones in this damn war. The whole thing was just one stupid mistake. A horrible event in history.
"Please don't be scared, I don't want to hurt you," she pleaded with them, her eyes now watering. She thought back to Shippou, he had accepted her with ease, and she him, surely they wouldn't continue like this? But as soon as she took one step towards them, they turned and ran away, the smaller ones sobbing, the elder one sending her a death glare.
As if on instinct she extended her hand, but soon she let if fall to her side again. Tears came into her eyes before she collapsed onto the ground, the sounds of her sobs now filling the air. She could've taken anything, but these small children were so afraid of her, and it hurt so much.
But soon she was disturbed again. A noise made her look up, and again there was a child staring at her. This time, it was a young girl with long black hair and a bright coloured dress. But this child, she sensed with amazement, was human. How could a human walk around here like that? Youkai used them as slaves, yes, but the dress this child wore was expensive, and she looked healthy.
She was almost too afraid to talk to this child, afraid she would scare her away too. But on the other hand, she wanted to try again. She wanted to know if she really looked like such a monster. But before she could say anything, the girl beat her to it.
As soon as she saw her tears, the small child hurried towards her. She stopped when she was right in front of her, and as Kagome gazed curiously at her, the girl extended her right hand which had been hidden behind her back up till now. In her hand, firmly clutched between her little fingers, was the most beautiful flower Kagome had ever seen.
Her gaze went from the flower, to the girl, to the flower again. The girl cocked her head and gave her a toothy smile, before taking her hand and putting the flower in it.
And then… she disappeared again.
Kagome blinked, now staring at the flower. Then slowly, a small smile came upon her face. Maybe she wasn't that horrible… maybe...
He had followed her from the moment she left her room. Why? He honestly didn't know. Perhaps he wanted to know how she would manage, or maybe he was worried she would encounter a youkai who was out for revenge? He did tell everyone to not touch her, but there was a lot of anger and animosity here towards her people. So in the end, he just couldn't sit down and do his usual work, and that is how he witnessed her pathetic attempts at finding the garden.
He remembered how much she loved nature from when he was held captive, and so he already guessed where she looked at with so much longing in her eyes. He didn't know why he had locked her up in the first place. Out of habit probably. She thought he would throw her into the dungeons. In truth, that thought had never crossed his mind.
He hadn't really thought a lot recently. His actions were more driven by the feeling that he just had to do something. From the moment she did something with the Jewel and looked into his eyes, he had been busy getting her out of that wretched castle, and without a scratch. He hadn't really thought about it actually. It all happened as if on reflex. He had even attacked Naraku where he always used to carefully guard his thoughts around him, not showing too many positive signs, but not too negative ones either. A frown appeared on his face as he replayed everything again, from the moment that the girl had burst trough the doors and stormed out into the court yard.
He thought nothing.
He felt nothing.
He was just watching.
Watching like a predator would watch his prey.
The dark haired girl seemed to radiate with power. All around him, youkai were steadily backing off, in fear off what would happen. Despite her shy, cheerful and compassionate character, never before had this girl looked more like a warrior. Or at least, her body did.
Her eyes betrayed her.
They had the look of a cornered animal. Fear was evident, but also determination. Instinct told him she was dangerous now.
He still felt nothing.
The dark haired youkai whom she was facing looked as sinister as always. Dark and dangerous, he would probably never change. He watched indifferent at the creature's pathetic display of charisma. He loved to toy with others, especially their emotions. But he could never fool him
He kept watching and watching. He was the only who didn't move, utter a gasp, widened his eyes at the girl's actions. He was the only one who didn't shield his eyes to protect them against the bright purple light.
He was not to be hurt by such a trivial thing.
Faces began to blur. Voices and screams erupted around him, but he kept watching only one individual. Only one mattered.
If possible, she seemed more like a warrior than she had minutes before. Her bow still in her hands, her eyes determinated. For a fleeting moment, her face looked older. Wiser.
But soon, it was gone. Now, she resembled a cornered animal even more. Fear kicked in again. The blue flames surrounding her body seemed like a dying fire. They had set out, and now, they were slowly withdrawing themselves. He realised something.
She was exhausted.
The faces surrounding him were still blurred. A dark figure began to approach the object of his study from the right. It was steadily closing in, but he could only continue to watch as the beautiful girl slowly turned her head.
A second later, he was looking into familiar brown eyes again.
And… he felt something.
In truth, the connection between them lasted less than a second. But it seemed to last so much longer. There was pain in her eyes, and a horrible burden. Maybe for the first time, he could understand just a tiny bit how it was to be the protector of such a tiny, seemingly insignificant object which in reality was the most sought after item of their world.
A shiver ran trough her, and one single tear left her eye. He kept watching in fascination how it began its journey downwards, his eyes trailing its path across her cheek.
She began to fall.
His eyes still transfixed upon the girl, his right hand lashed out. A long and deadly whip seemed to appear out of nowhere, moving trough the air in a way a snake would move over the ground.
Everything seemed to happen at once.
The girl was still falling as an angry cry pierced the air around them. For the first time in minutes, every single individual present seemed to concentrate at one point.
Everyone watched the three persons amidst them with interest. The dark haired girl was lying on the ground, her long hair fluttering around her. Her hands lay limp beside her body, her bow now lying innocently on the ground.
The Western Lord still hadn't moved. He seemed more like a statue with his stone gaze. But some among them knew he was on edge. One move, and he would react. But it seemed as if he was watching only one other person.
The one who uttered the angry cry, seconds earlier.
The infamous lord of the North stood looking down at himself with an expression that almost resembled surprise. Across his chest was one long slash which now slowly began to bleed. His dark eyes looked up and bored themselves into golden ones with a deadly glare.
The silver haired youkai to his left didn't seem to be fazed with the look directed towards him. He was, indeed, on edge. Less than a second after the bright light had left almost everyone blinded, he had felt the shift in the other lord's youki.
He was outraged.
He had sensed this countless times before. Although this time, something was different. It almost felt as if something was not completely right with the other's youki. But despite that, one fact still remained.
An outraged youkai is never a good thing.
His eyes left the girl for the first time in minutes as the sound of an angry voice clang.
"And what do you want to achieve by this!" a furious Naraku all but hissed at him.
He returned the lord's heated glare with a calm look, one eye brow slowly rising. "I could be asking you the same question," he countered.
"You are still asking! I will kill that girl for her insolence. She truly believed she could defy me! Are you blind?" finally Naraku seemed to become more like himself. As he spoke next, his voice and behaviour had a cold and calculating edge to it once again. "I will not ask this twice. Move."
"No," his youki flared in a response to that of the other. "You are not thinking clearly. There is no use in killing her."
"Insisting on your revenge?" Naraku asked sarcastically.
The other Lord inclined his head. "Among other things." His eyes darted towards the girl for a moment before they focused on Naraku again. "She will be useful to us. She knows a lot."
The youkai surrounding them began to nod, realising this was true. She would probably know a lot about the castle, their opponent's army and other things.
A tense silence fell.
"Fine," Naraku smiled evilly. "I can still torture her after she answered our questions." He gestured to a few youkai standing close by. "Lock her up." His eyes narrowed at the silver haired youkai who still hadn't moved from his spot. Their eyes locked, Naraku's dark eyes willing the other to get his message across. "She is not to leave her room. No one will talk to her. She is my prisoner."
Naraku had just made a stupid mistake.
She wouldn't be his prisoner for long.
Sesshoumaru turned and walked away without another word.
Whenever the events of that morning played trough his mind, a frown would appear on his face and stay there for a long, long time. It had been a stupid mistake to attack the Northern Lord. Maybe getting the young elf out of there was a mistake too. Naraku was bound to watch him closely now and to be honest, he was growing quiet tired from all the spies he had discovered so far. He felt as if he was really close to showing the Northern Lord just how much he distrusted him, just like his father.
But he would wait a little longer. He needed to know just what exactly happened to the Jewel. Rumours and gossip had started soon enough, and the main conclusion from everyone was that the Shikon no Tama was destroyed… just like that. But he had a feeling there was more to it…
He continued to watch how the young woman wandered around the garden, her eyes now totally different from how they looked back in that room. He realized he would've let her out of her room eventually, it had just felt wrong to lock her up. It really was as if it would kill her from the inside if one did that.
He watched how the three little boys showed her just how hostile everyone was here. He was determinated to stay his usual stoic self, but as he saw her tears he found himself getting angry at those children, even though he had a lot of hostile thoughts towards elves too. It took little effort from his side to make himself known to them, effectively scaring them away.
And then, he witnessed the most surprising thing.
The little girl he had allowed to stay with him, Rin, seemed to appear out of nowhere. He really didn't know what he thought of her. Or why he allowed her to stay. Just like he didn't know why he just had to get Kagome out of Naraku's reach.
For once in his life, he didn't know something.
And it was frustrating.
He watched with interest how the little girl gave her flower to the elf. He knew it was Rin's favourite flower, and her way of comforting someone. He had found out that the girl didn't talk too much. Why? He didn't know… again.
As he watched how she ran off again and how a beautiful smile appeared on Kagome's face, he knew he had seen enough. He really had to leave now, before he would do something else without thinking.
Sometimes he really wondered if his brain had wandered off.
Somewhere in the mountains, Southern Lands
Hours had passed, but still the two women remained right were they were, sitting on a table, littered with maps and whatnot. If possible, that same table had become even more chaotic than it had been that morning.
But still, no solution was found.
Instead of the heated bickering that had been heard around that morning, now a tense silence filled the room. New discoverings were pondered upon, possible strategies were pondered, then dismissed again.
The women were lost into their own world, and so their reaction to the soft knock on the door wasn't that surprising. They both jumped before two set of eyes found each other and the youngest stood and approached the door, opening it and slipping outside.
Within a minute, she was inside again. Her head was bowed as she closed the door and sat back down again.
The elder woman placed one hand upon her daughter's arm. "Kikyou, what is it? What happened, tell me!"
Slowly, the young woman looked up to stare into her mother's eyes, for the first time since hours a triumphant grin on her face.
"Good news mother… good news."
Sesshoumaru's castle, Western Lands
What had she ever done to deserve this?
Kagome was positive she would go crazy in here. There she was, sitting in one room with a certain taiyoukai who was studying her intently.
Just an hour ago, she had still been in that lovely garden. Greatly troubled by the behaviour of three little children yet somewhat at peace with the kind gesture of another child, so all in all she had enjoyed herself much more than she would ever do in here.
She was currently staring at the floor yet again, something which she did a lot while in the presence of the silver haired man in front of her. It was just eating at her from the inside that he had said absolutely nothing about the last time they saw each other, instead behaving in a very weird way. Last night, he seemed angry at practically everything. Today he was pretty much his usual non-responsive self again. Maybe he had a positive and negative side too who were constantly battling for the upper hand? Because she damn well had them.
She had absolutely no idea what he wanted. He had just shown up like that and uttered a grand total of two words: 'Follow me.' Very clarifying, she decided with a sarcastic note to it. And what was the whole purpose of staring at her like that? What was he doing?
She had been praying, no almost pleading and begging for an interrupting of… of this… and finally it seemed to be granted.
She suddenly felt something itch on her cheek, and with all the frustration already in her, she slapped herself, a moment later staring down at what seemed to be a tiny flea… with a hat!
Her eyes widened as the tiny creature suddenly made a soft 'pop' and straightened himself, then glared at her and started to yell. "What is it with you people and hitting me, huh! Here I am working my ass of and…"
"Myouga that will do."
Both were startled by the deep voice and turned to look at Sesshoumaru, who seemed to be a tad bit annoyed. Kagome noticed how the flea seemed to shrink somewhat in size before he bowed and apologized.
He then hopped of her hand and seated himself on the desk, one of the very few things that had kept her sane in the past few minutes, since it was the only thing separating her and a very confusing taiyoukai. He took of his hat and made it quiet a show of wiping the sweat of his brow, until a cough made him start and apologize all over again.
"I distinctly remember you telling me that you had spent hours inside the library and made a rather interesting discovery? Am I right?"
"Yes, yes," Myouga replied hurriedly. Secretly, Kagome was amazed that there even were flee youkai, who talked and had a name… oh well. "You see, not so long ago I witnessed this extraordinary event, I assume you saw it yourself since you where present and you see, it amazed me so much and…"
"Come to the point."
Kagome saw with amusement how the little flea almost jumped at Sesshoumaru's voice and she realized he was rambling on and on because he was… nervous… maybe even scared. Somehow it was quite funny to see someone else in this torment, someone who wasn't her.
"Alright, alright," Myouga swallowed while his eyes darted around the room, no doubt already searching a route to escape. "It reminded me of something I thought I heard about before. So I set out on a quest to discover the truth," his chest seemed to swell with pride. "and I discovered this."
He pointed to a piece of paper which had been lying on Sesshoumaru's desk all the while now. She had already wondered what is was about, and now she was even more curious.
"You see, this piece of paper, which I discovered inside a very ancient book, tells us about a similar sight. It was from some human monk I believe who witnessed the same thing that occurred just recently. The bright purple light… the enormous power… yes, quite interesting."
Kagome gasped, while Sesshoumaru merely raised one perfectly formed eye brow. "That's impossible!" she uttered with a voice that almost sounded insulted. "In case you don't know, that light was caused by the Shikon no Tama as I destroyed it, and we all known that should be impossible! It can't be that this has happened before."
Sesshoumaru's gaze fixed itself upon her again and she cursed herself for opening her mouth and taking the liberty of speaking. She still didn't know what he was up to. Maybe it was better to keep quiet.
The tiny flea seemed to be in his element now as he wiggled his tiny finger at her. "Impossible you say? Nah, I believed that too… up till now. You see, this monk was pretty curious too. How this piece of paper got into our library I might never know, but this monk happened to be an advisor or close friend to the royal family… and not our royal family," at her gasp, he nodded. "Yes, I found out that this man lived inside your castle. Now to get to the point, my Lord, I shall tell you what happened."
Kagome noticed how Sesshoumaru seemed to listen intently now. Well, it was better if he listen than stared anyway… She remembered how he had asked her the previous night what she had done to the Jewel… apparently he really wanted to know.
"It appeared that back then, the elves were still trying to destroy the Jewel. We all know they gave up on it eventually, and we all assumed it was because they simply didn't know how to do it. And they didn't, but there was another reason to it. You see, at some point they thought they had managed to destroy it, but they soon found that such a thing was not the case. They didn't destroy it, no, they shattered it."
He paused a moment for effect and he seemed quite satisfied at her shocked expression. "Shattered into tenths, maybe hundreds of tiny pieces. At first they thought that the powers of the Shikon no Tama should be non existent now and so they did nothing. This monk however proved things to be otherwise. You see, he encountered a youkai and defeated it. He was curious though, because this youkai had been more powerful than it should've been. So he started a little investigation and… he found a little shard of the Shikon no Tama. Similar incidents were soon reported and so the elves found out that things could turn into a disaster. Various individuals had already started to collect pieces, and just one piece already caused a lot of damage. And so they too began to collect the shards. They completed the Jewel eventually, as you can all read here. And they decided to keep as a whole and guard it, rather than try to destroy it again."
"They… they didn't want to fully destroy it after the damage it inflicted?" Kagome stuttered.
Myouga shrugged. "They didn't know how to destroy it then and they still don't do it now. The closest they came to it was this. And really, what do you think is safer, keeping it whole, safe and guarded behind thick walls, or let it remain in pieces, so that whoever wanted to could collect it and use it? Keep your enemies close they say, I think they acted on that. Keep it close so that others with evil intentions can't have it."
"And so I had to guard it…" Kagome whispered. She was just outright baffled at this piece of information. Why didn't she know this? Why had nobody told her?
"You ask yourself why you don't know about this," Myouga's voice interrupted her. "I think they kept it quiet so that no one would try to shatter it and get the Jewel in this way. And you must know that this happened a long, long time ago. If people still know, they'll probably treat it like a legend, or an interesting story. I hardly doubt it though."
A silence filled the room, each and everyone busy with their own thoughts, until Sesshoumaru disrupted the silence again. "Very interesting Myouga… so this means, the Jewel shattered again. Hundreds of pieces are possible you say? That might be an advantage… the way I know a certain youkai lord, he might've already discovered it and is on his way now, collecting the first ones. Let us hope it will take some time… this is rather bad news indeed…"
Kagome noticed how a frown marred his face again and already he was deep in thought. He had told her he didn't want the Jewel… it still seemed to be that way as he was more troubled about Naraku collected every single shard than anything else.
And what a surprise it was… all the time she had this weird feeling. Somehow, deep down, she already knew she hadn't destroyed the Jewel. It seemed too good to be true.
Yes, yes it was all her stupid mistake. She could see it now.
Her letting Sesshoumaru go, foolishly thinking that he was a being who shouldn't be imprisoned. Foolishly following her instincts, her feelings which went against the whole concept of taking prisoners. Foolishly thinking he had become something else… not just an enemy. From the first moment of the attack on their castle, she had been thinking about the possibility that her sister was right, that he had explored the whole castle, had seen various weak places… and still she wouldn't believe it… but she had thought of the possibility.
And then… all that leading up to the greatest mistake of all.
The Jewel.
Whatever she would've done, it would've gone wrong anyway. She was wrong from the beginning. It went way back, she reasoned. As soon as she was in that castle, alone, surrounded by youkai, there was no turning back anymore. Whether that Jewel was still whole or just shattered as the tiny flea had just explained, it was all dangerous.
He would get his hands on it anyway.
Such a stupid mistake.
But no, she reasoned. She wouldn't just give up now. It had happened before, and everything had been alright in the end. Maybe this meant they had to search for these shards now… maybe not. It seemed as if Sesshoumaru was already busy planning a strategy and she was actually too shocked to really think about it. All she knew was one thing.
She would make this right.
It was her damn mistake. She lost the Shikon no Tama. She shattered it. She would make it right again.
And as she was dismissed and returned to her room, reluctantly leaving a certain taiyoukai behind in his study, she became more determinated with every single step she took. As she glanced back one more time before the heavy door to his study closed behind her, she saw how he stood by the window, that frown still on his face, his eyes darker and more troubled.
'Yes,' she decided. 'I will make things right.'
Later that night
Why?
Why was this happening again?
She didn't need this dream anymore to picture the room before her eyes. But still she noticed a difference… this time, she could see everything. No blurry images anymore, oh no. It was like she was watching it all with eyes that were definitely inhuman, otherworldly.
But running away was no option for her, again. And this time, she didn't stand in the corner of the room.
This time, she stood right next to the still sleeping Lord of the West.
A shiver slowly ran up her spine, goose bumps started showing on her arms. Her face became a deadly pale, her pulse racing and her eyes widening.
She definitely didn't want to see this again. Never.
There was a sudden disturbance in the air directly in front of her. The next thing she knew, the same cloaked person stood on the other side of the bed, staring down at the man laying in it.
His arm moved and he reached inside his cloak. He soon moved back, and something was glistering in his hand.
A knife.
Her eyes widened as suddenly, she spotted how some of his hair showed. It was long, and black. And somehow…familiar.
He slowly raised his arm, the knife looking extremely dangerous and horrifying. Time seemed to slow down, until she heard him utter the same sentence again.
"And so it ends here…"
Then, everything happened very fast. Within mere seconds, the truth was revealed to her.
Just as he moved to bring down the knife, the person that had haunted her dreams for so long now, the murderer of the great Inutaisho, father of the man she loved… looked up and stared right into her eyes.
In a flash, she recognized him. It was the face she saw months ago, when she picked up the Shikon no Tama on that beautiful morning. The face which her sister had to face in battle, again and again. The same face that she had seen, not days ago.
And as he struck the poor man, lying innocently in his bed, blood spattered everywhere, and this time, it was all over her.
And all the time, he laughed.
And all she could do was give a blood curddiling scream.
In his room, Sesshoumaru was anything but asleep. Too many thoughts were tumbling trough his mind, but at the moment he had decided not to ponder any longer on the possibility of Naraku being out there, collecting shards. It was not as if he could do anything about it right now.
But just as soon as those thoughts went away again, others came to torment him. Dark brown eyes seemed to haunt him in the dark and he was getting rather frustrated.
Forgetting about her and to stop whatever she was doing to him had been one of the reasons why he decided to escape from that damn castle in the first place. And as soon as he was back here, he tried to forget… only to discover it was impossible.
And then he saw her again in that damn castle of hers. And from the moment she looked at him before she fainted, he somehow knew it was hopeless. It made him quite frustrated and perhaps somewhat angry with her, but this morning it was already gone.
He had only just seen her again and already he couldn't refrain from granting her wish of freedom. And when he watched her this afternoon, he had decided it was hopeless. Utterly hopeless.
Somehow, he couldn't forget about the damn girl, whatever he did.
What he was supposed to do know, he didn't know. All he knew was that he had to admit his brother was right for once. She had changed him… somehow.
The way his blood seemed to freeze within his body as he heard her scream with so much fright was proof enough…
With a loud gasp, Kagome woke up, her breathing rather loud and fast, her eyes wide, her skin still pale. She panicked from what she had just seen and jolted up…
… right into the arms of an unknown person.
Still scared from her horrible dream, her first reaction was to pull back. What if it was still that dream? What if it was him, wit his horrible, blood red eyes?
But a pair of arms tightened themselves around her, and she was drawn into a rather comforting embrace. Her confused mind figured it wouldn't be him. He wouldn't embrace her like that… oh no.
But her poor mind was not allowed to rest.
As soon as she concluded it wasn't him, she found out it was another male… The silver hair which caught her sight was the evidence for that.
And for a moment, the optimistic side of her was celebrating its victory. Her being a prisoner was fake after all. She was allowed to leave her room, and here he was embracing her. But soon she began to doubt again. She would not allow herself to relax, instead remaining as stiff as a board.
For a few seconds, she didn't dare to move, then she pulled back again, and this time, he let her go. For a moment she looked into his eyes, and she could almost swear they looked rather gentle… a very unusual sight.
She sat back and averted her eyes, instead staring at the ground. Her eyes began to water as she saw everything again and again for her mind's eye. And she realized something.
She knew who had murdered Sesshoumaru's father.
And she had promised to tell him.
"What happened?" His low voice disturbed her thoughts.
"Why do you even care?" she asked in a timid voice.
"I'd say I have a right to know since you woke me up in the middle of the night," he threw back at her, an eyebrow raised.
"I had a dream again," she whispered. She noticed how she was fumbling with her clothing again, and she forced herself to keep still. "One I've had before…"
She snuck a glance at him and didn't fail to notice how his eyes widened slightly. He still tried to hide it, but she saw. Oh no, he wasn't stupid, was he? He knew what she was speaking of.
Her lip trembled, and he was bound to notice how her tears fell. He was staring intently at her, as if he were a predator, and she the prey. Two golden eyes staring at her from the dark.
"You saw him didn't you?" she closed her eyes as she detected something in his voice… was it… hurt? Ah yes, after all, he had lost his father. And despite what one might think, he did have emotions. "Kagome, if you know who killed my father, tell me."
She was surprised he mentioned her name, but she concentrated more on how his voice sounded. And she realized that she didn't want to know what he would do once he knew who did it. She knew he had a lot of self control, but the question was, would it snap this time? His father's murder was something rather important, could he still keep that control in this situation?
She hugged herself and without knowing it began to glow blue. She was worried sick, and she didn't know what to do. The only sound that filled the room was her quiet sobs.
When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she almost jumped. But she didn't struggle as he embraced her again and rested his chin on the crown of her head. She wasn't thinking anymore about what he thought of her. Or why he acted so weird. Now, she was debating whether she should tell him the name of his father's murderer or not.
"Promise me one thing," she whispered, her tears slowly drying. She wanted nothing more than to stay like that all night, it felt wonderful to be comforted by someone after one had such a horrible dream.
He stayed silent for awhile, and she already thought he didn't hear her as he suddenly replied; "What?"
Her hands tightened around the material of his clothing, as if she would hold him back with her strength, which was nothing compared to his. "Stay calm," she whispered.
"I never loose my patience," he stated.
She shook her head. "You might loose it now…," she whispered, and she felt how his arms tightened around her. "Promise you'll stay calm, please."
He sighed once. "I promise."
She took a shaky breath and tried to speak. "The…the man who killed your father is… it's…" She shut her eyes tightly, and in a bold action moved her arms and slung them around his waist. She felt him stiffen, but she was determinated to not let go.
What would he do once he heard who it was? Would he be angry at her? Would he go on a rampage? Or would he be drawn inside himself again, much like when she first met him? But there was nothing to do about it, she promised she would tell him. And she always kept her promise.
And so, she told him.
Elven castle, Southern Lands
Night had fallen up on the castle, and now parts of it were destroyed, It looked rather creepy. Windows were broken and fires had been started during the day so that some places were entirely black… totally burned.
Inside the castle, some guards were patrolling, but actually they were still celebrating the victory. And outside, there had been a rather drastic change too throughout the day.
Where once the court yard was filled with an enormous army… it was now almost empty…
The result of when the attention of two Lords was drawn elsewhere.
And inside the castle, in a tiny but cosy study – that is, as the desk was still in one piece, as the curtains were still a bright colour and not shredded and burned – a part of the wall seemed to move, and soon, a person climbed out. The figure looked around the room, walked towards the door, looked around the hall and came back again. Once safety was assured, the shadow-like person motioned to someone behind that door.
And soon, more people came out, their clothing dark so that they seemed to become one with the surrounding darkness. And they began to spread throughout the castle without uttering a single word, or making a sound. Like shadows they moved.
It appeared that Naraku had made yet another… stupid mistake.
He had discarded this castle carelessly, like something that had lost its worth. There was no longer a Jewel in it… no member of the royal family. Nothing worth his attention… and so he had cast it aside, setting out to find something that did matter.
Only… this place was still worth something… to some people.
He would notice, eventually…
Ah I just can't let it be… don't know if you ever heard of them, but Within Temptation is a Dutch gothic rock band… and as I am Dutch myself, I just have to mention them, ne? If you like such music, you should check out their albums 'Mother Earth' and 'The silent force'… but enough babbling from my side…
And I'm back again! Now before you all go reviewing (which is also important :P) I have some (good) news for you; I started writing on chapter 19, and then I suddenly had this idea… the result of that was that in about two hours I had written a one-shot which I'll be posting within a few days… so… it would be nice if you want to take a look at it… :P It's Sesshoumaru/Kagome by the way…
Second, I've had my first experience with plagiarism… someone copied not only my story, but those of three other authors too… pretty stupid actually… but they took her down so …
Anyway, I'm going now…as usual, a big thank you for all the reviews!
ChildlikeEmpress: Well, I agree that some stories with all the princess stuff in it are rather miserable I like fantasy though mmm… oh well, we're lucky there are good stories too…
TiAaRiEl: Wanna hear a secret? I can't let anyone destroy a library, not even if it's fictional… yeah, I love books alright :D Some of my friends always say I have a private library at home… (that just means I have too many books in their opinion)
Duzzie: Yes, yes, Kagome is sad… and confused and all. But she won't get a depression or something like that… nope :P
Kekoroshi: Hehe…that would be fun, if they make a show of it…
phsycoDraGon: I'm sorry, but I had to let you suffer… nothing I could do about it :P
DemonWicca: Cheetos yeah! Well then, I guess the answer was b...
Migele: oh well, Sesshoumaru didn't do it intentional. He was rather confused and frustrated…poor guy…
StarChildkellie: I'm afraid you had to wait again to find out what happens next… bleh… 15 years huh? I'm sorry but you're not going to win from me :P Oh and of course I'll post the chapter on this site… naturally …
Hazardous: Oh that's nice. I always like Sesshoumaru's character, so of course I also like it if somebody says I portray him well… thanks!
Animefreak404112: Of course Sesshoumaru had to get possessive… yepz… yeah, Kouga can be an idiot!
Ele: Ah die Bibliothek Wie ich schon jemand anderem erzählte, ich liebe Bücher... also musste die Bibliothek auch gerettet werden! Wow, du bist da mit beschäftigt die ganze Geschichte zu übersetzen! Wow... ich würde helfen, aber ich habe nicht genugend Zeit und auserdem könnte es sein das ich urgendwelchen blöden Fehler mache... immerhin ist Deutsch eine Fremdsprache, obwohl ich es meistens nicht so sehe... Ich habe eigentlich keine Probleme damit, nur meine Grammatik ist nicht unbedingt perfekt... (ich muss gestehen, im diesen Augenblick achte ich auch nicht wirklich dadrauf...es ist nicht alsob mein Lehrer mit guckt... aber, ich habe Deutsch auf meine Endliste mit eine 10 abgeschlossen! Das würde bei euch eine eins sein...) Aber um mahl zur Sache zu kommen, wenn du das alles fertig bekommst, würde es mich freuen when du mir die Ubersetzung zuschicken wurdest... wer weiss, vielleicht brauch ich es noch! Und, mag deine Schwester die Geschichte auch? Es ist schon lang, oder nicht? Ich kann einfach nicht die Klappe halten... auch jetzt nicht (manchmal braucht man wirklich mal eine Abwechslung vom all den English) Aber jetzt genugt es. Ich bin neugierig ob deine Forsetzungs-Theorien auch diesmal wieder stimmten... ich bin gespannt... Tschuß!
Vindictive Frappuccino: You know, I can't keep track of all the names you have… Just a suggestion for the next one… it starts with a g… and it's a guy :P whaha… oh well… maybe you know who I mean… And yeah, you saw the ending before… when I started writing the chapter, it was still the opening…yeah… but I said I might change it… anyway, you saw parts of this chapter already so hehe… you are privileged one could say… Have a nice day over there! (and I'm still jealous you got to go to Warped…damn… lucky you :P)
MistressofDarkness32: No, this is not the end yet…and damn, I forgot to mail you…sorry… I am such a forgetful person at times…
Aideen: A little more fluff in this chapter…and more later on…
Chelsea: Yep, a piece of the Jewel…
The Squabbit: Don't worry, I don't intend to drag the story along for so long like the anime… personally I think the anime is getting a bit too long… I know we all love it, but another few years and it's just not realistic anymore… how they still come up with new adventures is a miracle to me…
Churry: Glad you didn't give up entirely!
Kari Konoko: Nah, it's original, I know… But the other stories I have in mind are pretty original in the fandom… haven't really seen those storylines around… right now, a lot of those stories are either about high school, some rich businessman, Kagome sees Inuyasha with Kikyou and runs away, Sesshoumaru wants some kind of nanny for Rin etc… It's getting boring…
Jinenji: Oh thanks! Summerschool…sounds…not so great… meh… So you have German? Well I had it for four years at school, but I didn't go to classes, I only made the tests… the reason, I kinda teached myself when I was 6 or so… Yeah, I've always loved languages… really love them! But it's kinda funny, sometimes I just start talking in another language, when I'm lost in my thoughts… kinda freaks people out sometimes… but my friends love it :P Math… mmm I don't really mind that… Chemistry neither… only Physics a bit… but well, my teacher acts as if we are all students or something…idiot… And here's a German word for you! Tschuß!
Biggest fan: Wow, I can tell you like it! I don't even have to learn my dictionary by heart again :P hehe… but thanks!
Katherine: Oh it'll be longer… I just can't shut up at times…
Oniyurigaaru: Oh yes he better… and don't apologise… you can't beat me…
Foxdemon113: Don't worry, he'll soften up again…he's just a bit confused and frustrated and all…so yeah… oh and just ask questions… I like long reviews anyway
Yanee: No elves don't have to be boring… nope :P Glad you like it!
Snowball: Oh that's nice to know… but I still hate to make everyone wait, even though I can't really do anything about it…
Melissa: Yeah summer… but at the time you reviewed I was still busy with school…
Dark Neko17: Yeah, I like it when something isn't just sad… or just funny… always has to be a mix! And another not-so-elf-loving person who likes the story… whoho!
Himani: Don't worry, I don't intend to drag this story on like the series. I think you might not expect the ending yet :D But no, I'm not going to say anything…