XII: In the Fortress of the Shikayoukai

Author: Nefertili

Fandom: Inuyasha

Rating: PG13

Pairing(s): Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

Genre(s): Romance, Angst, AU, Action

Warning(s): More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

Disclaimer: None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

Summary: Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

A/N: Okay, here's Chapter 12! I just can't help but remember the ch12 of IMotC...Sesshy and Kiky's first kiss. XD It REALLY seems so long ago... It's kinda raining in my place too, so it's not hard for me to understand how Sess and Kik are feeling under the weather.

...o0o...

Kikyou was so caught up with the ecstasy of recovering a major lost piece of her mother-in-law's puzzle that for a while she remained transfixed in Sesshoumaru's arms. But as they went over the many aspects of Hanazuki's mysterious rhyme, a bitter truth began to arise. Like the shadow of rising mist, a gloomy realization came upon them: they may have found the right sword, but the Mitsuseki, the Radiant Barrier, was still far beyond their reach. It was just like having a key with no lock to fit it into.

"Okaa-sama's jewel," Kikyou whispered hastily, pulling apart from his tight embrace. "There is so little time, and we have yet to find it..." The Tsukisawa, where Mizutori thought the jewel was interred, was a blank terra incognita to them.

"In the uncharted regions of the borders of the West, close to the realm where the Deer youkai live..."

Mizutori's words repeated themselves in Kikyou's mind, and before she knew it, her mahogany eyes had looked up at Sesshoumaru's amber oculars with a meaningful glimmer. Sesshoumaru frowned; to him her eyes were portals to her thoughts, and he immediately grasped what she was thinking of by the mere glance.

"I did not entrust you to Isamu's people to look for the Jewel, Kikyou," he replied sternly.

The glow in Kikyou's face dimmed considerably. So, he did not intend to let her help in the slightest?

"Am I to stay there waiting for news of your death?" she retorted. "Do you honestly think you can defeat Karatake without the Mitsuseki?"

"I believe I can," came Sesshoumaru's quick answer. His exterior was confident, but deep inside he had doubts. He did not know his uncle. Sesshoumaru caught a glimpse of Karatake's powers in Mizutori's visions of the past, and that alone was insufficient. But he felt that it was a necessary gamble.

The Marsh of the Moon, his mother's birthplace, was lost. Even if fate had been kind and granted them to find it, only Hanazuki's descendants - he - shall be able to enter it. But they didn't know of the extent of the trouble until it was too late. Invasion had begun; as the Lord of the West, Sesshoumaru had to put those matters behind and deal with the greater menace first.

Kikyou's hand reached out and cupped his cheek. His amber eyes focused on her, and his hand strayed to her growing belly. His fingertips detected slight movement within, and he couldn't help but think how heavy a burden it must be to his beloved wife. It was his child that she now carries at a time of war. Yes, Sesshoumaru trusted Kikyou, but he loved her to the extent that he wouldn't allow her or the life in her womb to be harmed.

Even if they had to part for the time being.

Even if he had to die.

"I have the Tenseiga," he whispered to her. "It will protect me. You have no such protection."

"I was a miko once..." she contradicted.

"A miko may indeed be worth a hundred soldiers when dealing with youkai," Sesshoumaru replied, "but a Priestess with child is a different matter altogether."

Kikyou let her hand fall. She turned her back on him and bowed her head. A cold whistle of wind entered the room and took out the light of the lamps with its cold fingers, leaving them in the cold darkness.

"I requested you to trust me completely, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru said softly, his acute sight never leaving her form which stood out in the blackness. "Trust me, and everything will be fine for you."

But Kikyou was silent.

Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru stepped closer to her and embraced her around her shoulders. She did not struggle, but she did not respond either.

"Don't think I am keeping you from helping me," he whispered in her ear, trying to reason with her. "You care for me as I care for you."

"I know," Kikyou muttered in the same whispery tone. "I have been thinking a great deal, Sesshoumaru. Okaa-sama mentioned something to me when I met her in the forest...something about our union having to fulfill a hidden vow. Although I cannot quite comprehend what she was trying to say, a part of me would like to interpret it as her wish that we remain together. But life is never fair, is it?" She sighed, and he felt her hand reaching out to grasp his. "I know you have to go, Sesshoumaru. I know we may never see each other again."

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to assure her that such thing would never happen, but she spoke once more, "And if this would be the last night we would be together, I wouldn't want it to be filled with arguments and misunderstanding. Go then, darling. But know that you shall always have my love."

"Kikyou..."

He rubbed his face against her silken hair, as though be doing so he would make his distress waft away. Kikyou then turned to face him. A burst of lightning gave them a brief glance of one another's faces, and as the thunder roared its reply, she arched her neck upwards and kissed his pursed lips. Sesshoumaru pulled her closer to him and kissed her back violently, his tongue savoring the sweet taste of her mouth. He hungrily sucked her moist lips, and she responded in kind, as though trying to make his taste linger in her mouth for eternity.

Another flash of lightning, and they broke their lip-lock, stopping as abruptly as they had started. Their gasps were barely audible in the sound of the downpour.

"We need to rest," Kikyou whispered, and Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding. She didn't notice that she had been clasping the battered knife in one of her hands until now. Carefully slipping it back in its leather sheath and wrapping the black silk around it, she tried to give it back to her husband. But he closed her hands over it, refusing to accept it.

"Take it with you," Sesshoumaru said silently. "It is one of the few remaining relics of my mother, and there's a great possibility that it may help you against her brother's minions, should they find you."

Kikyou was aware of the conviction he had for her by entrusting the knife to her. Like he said, it was one of the few reminders of the departed Lady Suien. In giving her such an intimate item, it was like giving away a part of himself. Kikyou placed the blade inside the pocket of her sleeve alongside Kikumo's hair stick.

Just then, a sudden thought struck her.

"What exactly is the role of the shard of the moon in the summoning of the Mitsuseki?" Kikyou wondered, more to herself than anything.

"That, I cannot answer," Sesshoumaru said, hearing her speak. "But the mere fact that it is mentioned in the Rhyme can prove that it has a vital part in hahagimi's life."

...o0o...

They walked back to their sleeping chamber braving the strong gusts of wind and bouts of rain that assaulted the open, only to find out that Rin was awake, her eyes wide and frightened.

"The wind and rain scare me, Kikyou-sama!" she said, quickly rushing to her foster mother when she saw her enter the room. "I thought the roof was going to be blown away!" Kikyou hugged her immediately, whispering in a soothing voice that the fortress was strong, and that they were safe from the storm. But it did not lessen Rin's apprehension.

"Let her sleep with us, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru told her. Kikyou was momentarily surprised at that unusual show of affection, but she nodded to him, smiling gratefully. It seemed to her that he realized that it might be long before he would see the little girl again, and had taken the time to be with the two females he cared for most.

Sesshoumaru smiled back, and soon they all lay curled up in the futon he usually shared with Kikyou, Rin snug and warm between her foster parents. Kikyou's arms wrapped themselves protectively around the little girl, and Sesshoumaru hugged them both close. His fluffy pelt blanketed them cozily, and he found it easy to drift off to a deep slumber.

Sleep was rather impossible to Kikyou, however. She lay awake for a long time, pondering on the events. Rin turned over in her sleep, but she was otherwise in peace, unlike the older woman. How Kikyou wished she could temporarily banish those miserable forebodings, but she knew that she could not. Finally, she wrapped her mate's cream-colored fur closer to her. Smelling his scent clinging to the pelt, she closed her eyes and let the sounds of the elements lull her to sleep.

...o0o...

They were roused very early in the morning by Sesshoumaru. Rin groggily awoke, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Kikyou opened her eyes slightly, but her body felt lethargic. She struggled to get up, and in turn felt as though her surroundings were swimming. Almost at once, she could feel whatever she had eaten the previous night forcing its way up her throat. Ah, nausea indeed...

Hastily pulling herself up from the futon, Kikyou half-crawled to the open verandah outside and expelled the vomit on the ground below, clutching on to the low wooden railings for dear life. Sesshoumaru was beside her at once, gently pulling her long raven locks away from her face as she retched. Rin went off to fetch a damp clean cloth, which she used to tenderly wipe Kikyou's exhausted face.

"Thank you," Kikyou said with relief, smiling at her husband and the little girl as she got up unsteadily with Sesshoumaru's help.

"Do you feel better?" he asked with concern, gently rubbing his mate's back with one hand.

"Much better now that the nausea had passed," she replied, her vision slowly clearing and focusing on the cloudy skies. Kikyou's morning sickness was something they had gotten used to in the course of four months.

Sesshoumaru observed her features for a while, and he can see that she was indeed better. Her face, previously flushed, was beginning to regain its lost healthy tint. He spared a glance at the graying skies. There was no rain; the worst of the storm having died out the night before, it left in its wake the still howling winds. Even without the rain, the screeching currents whipping violently at the branches of the trees were extremely forbidding, and thick clouds with yet more rain diffused the sunlight.

But he would see his plan through.

"Get yourselves ready, Kikyou," he told her, sparing her shoulder an affectionate squeeze before walking away to find his toady retainer. "Isamu will be here shortly."

Kikyou nodded, understanding perfectly what he meant. But Rin didn't even know that war was upon them; she wasn't aware that she and Kikyou were going into hiding.

"Who will be here, Kikyou-sama?" she innocently asked of the former priestess.

Kikyou patted the hair of the little girl whilst saying, "Do you remember Kikumo, Rin-chan?" Although she would very much like to tell Rin directly where they were going, or even the reason why they should, she knew that she must not. The child might become frightened.

Rin tilted her head to the side as she thought. Finally, she looked up with her childlike chocolate brown eyes, saying triumphantly, "She is the beautiful Princess! The one with the green eyes and deer ears, right?" Though Rin didn't have concrete knowledge of the important role Kikumo played in the vanquishing of Naraku, what she had heard from Kikyou and Sesshoumaru plus her own experience in Kikumo's clutches gave her some concrete knowledge on the Deer demoness.

"Indeed," Kikyou said, smiling. "Someone from her people will come and fetch us today. We are going to visit her place."

"Really, Kikyou-sama?" Rin replied excitedly. Visiting new places always filled her with enthusiasm. "Do you think we will see her there?"

Kikyou's smile flickered slightly. "You know very well that she had gone to the Other Side, Rin-chan."

"Oh," Rin said softly, nodding slowly to tell the older woman that she understood. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Is Sesshoumaru-sama coming with us as well?"

Kikyou had hoped Rin wouldn't ask that question. It pained her to give the answer.

"He will accompany us on the way," Kikyou replied, choosing her words carefully to mask the grave purpose of his leaving. "But he is to go somewhere else afterwards. We will stay with the Deer demons."

Rin frowned slightly. She was smart enough to detect that there was something suspicious hanging in the former miko's words. Kikyou was afraid that the little girl will ask further questions on Sesshoumaru's plans, but thankfully Rin nodded in utter acceptance, saying "Okay."

Kikyou gave a small sigh of relief and hugged the little girl. She caught sight of her silver-haired mate conferring with Jaken near the room where they spoke with Isamu the previous night. In a few hours, they would be parted, and that filled her heart with dread. Kikyou will not be able to sleep in peace knowing that the one she loved was in the battlefield, but for Rin's sake she locked these glum thoughts inside her and put on a smiling mask to hide her sorrow.

Sesshoumaru appeared to have finished giving the stubby toad servant his orders, for Jaken bowed low and the taiyoukai went back to his mate and adopted daughter, a meaningful look in his eyes.

"I am surprised you didn't intend to make Jaken stay with us," Kikyou said, a mischievous smirk on her lips.

"I know you would hate me if I did," Sesshoumaru replied, the same playful smile playing on his face. He cupped her cheek slightly and kissed her on the lips. "I couldn't leave my koi upset with me, could I?"

...o0o...

Kikyou had gathered all the weapons of her miko days by the time Isamu arrived. Aside from changing into the full scarlet and white garb of a miko, she prepared her bow and made sure that her quiver had the right amount of arrows. Lady Hanazuki's knife and Kikumo's hair stick, the most precious relics in her possession, were hidden in the sleeve of her blouse. Then, on second thought, she folded her favorite robe, the one with the bellflower pattern that her husband had given her and wrapped it around her arrows, careful to leave the points and the feathers free. This bundle, she inserted inside her quiver. No one who didn't know of her relationship with the Lord of the West could have guessed that she was his mate.

When Sesshoumaru saw her, he remarked, "It seems you have become a Priestess once again."

Kikyou had replied, "A miko with child, indeed."

The coming of the Lord of the Deer Demons was as silent as the appearance of fog. It was only through his demon aura that Kikyou and Sesshoumaru knew of his presence, and they looked just in time at the forest to see a large stag emerging from the shadows.

The stag was larger even than Ah-Un. In contrast to Kikumo's deer form that had light fawn fur and dark snakelike lines on the limbs, Isamu's overall color was dark. In fact, the only bright color they can see in his outward appearance were graceful golden brown lines snaking about his limbs, which were the same color as the hair on his head when he assumed a human form.

His antlers were a new sight to Kikyou, as Kikumo did not possess those magnificent weapons herself. Dark as ebony, its abrupt bends and twists gleamed in the weak light and its pointed ends looked newly sharpened. He looked like a taiyoukai indeed, just as his predecessor Hisano was when he marched alongside Inu no Taishou in alliance.

"Good morning, my Lord and Lady," Isamu said in greeting, bowing slightly. In truth, he did not exactly say it. His coal-black eyes simply raised themselves to meet their gaze and the words were formed in their minds. It was as though his dark oculars spoke for him. "I trust that you are ready."

The only answer that Sesshoumaru gave him was a curt nod, but it was the only thing Isamu needed. He bent his front limbs to the ground and twisted his neck gracefully in a gesture that they should get on his back.

Kikyou was rather taken aback by this humble gesture; Isamu was a Demon Lord, no less regal than her own mate. He should not lower himself for the sake of two mortal humans who are to take shelter under his wing, should he? But Sesshoumaru gently pushed her towards the form of the Deer youkai and reluctantly, she got on to the strong back. Rin, following faithfully, seated herself in front of Kikyou.

The little girl was afraid that she would hurt the beautiful deer if she stepped too hard on him, but to her surprise she heard Isamu's kind voice saying, "No, my child, you won't hurt me with your sandals. But I thank you for worrying." Rin blinked once then she nodded with a meek smile whilst making herself more comfortable on her place.

Sesshoumaru sat behind his mate and wrapped his arms protectively around Kikyou. When Jaken, the last of them, got on to his rear, Isamu took off and they began their journey to his home beyond the ranges of the West.

...o0o...

Normally, it would only have taken Isamu less than an hour to go back to the Borderlands from the fortress of the inuyoukai. But with his important passengers slowing him down, combined the trickiness of the land and weather due to the passing rains, not to mention possible encounters with the invaders of the West...it might take an hour, maybe more, before they can even reach the outskirts of the Realm of the Shikayoukai.

As they passed the damp forests, they can see how much the land had changed in the onset of the rainy season. The soil was damp beneath the deer youkai's hooves, and water constantly fell upon their heads as the trees let go of the liquid that had accumulated on their leaves. The forest was a tangle of vines and creepers that took advantage of the extra water to flourish in abundance, but Isamu skillfully bypassed the wild jungles without landing a scratch on any of them.

"Is it your first time to see the Land of the Deer?" Isamu asked of his charges, seeking to enliven the gloomy atmosphere somehow.

"Yes, Mister Deer," Rin was the first to answer, calling Isamu as such because she knew not his name. "Will there be many more like you when we get there?"

Kikyou tried to explain to Rin who Isamu was so she can address him with more respect, but the Lord of the Deer Demons did not mind in the slightest to be addressed as such by the little girl. He was a gentle man, and like his wife he was fond of children. The birth of his first child the night before had filled him with great joy, and he considered that event as the happiest since he mated with the Queen of the Shikayoukai.

"The Deer youkai are numerous," Isamu explained to the little girl while he lithely cut through the foliage of the ranges. "But we tend to hide ourselves deep in the forest, so rarely do other being set their eyes on us. What is your name, little girl?"

"My name is Rin," she said immediately. "How are you called, sir?"

"I am Isamu," the regal deer replied in that telepathic way of his. "My Queen shall be pleased with you, Rin. She has a fondness for little children like you."

Now that Isamu made mention of his mate, Kikyou recalled that he had told them the night before of his wife's labor.

"Is she all right?" Kikyou asked, a concerned edge in her voice. Being with child, her heart reached out to the Demon Lady she never even met.

"Rest assured, Kikyou-sama," Isamu replied. "She survived the ordeal, and we now have a little daughter." In his mind flashed the image of a young demoness in her many-layered robes carrying a cooing bundle, and he unconsciously smiled.

Kikyou leaned against the silent form of her mate, and Sesshoumaru tightened his embrace around her whilst caressing the still small lump on her abdomen. He discerned a small amount of movement beneath his hands, and he quietly planted a kiss on his wife's fragrant hair. How they envied Isamu! He can now carry his child in his arms whilst they still have to wait for many months before they can set their eyes on their firstborn.

"You didn't have to carry us to your land," Kikyou whispered. "You could have spent the time with your child."

"Ah, my Lady," Isamu answered. "Sesshoumaru-sama wants you and Rin to be safe, and I know the best way on how I can get you to the safety of my people in stealth. Besides, we don't have much time. We have had constant encounters with the invading forces, and we have to get you there in the fastest way we can."

Water splashed beneath them as Isamu lightly splashed through a swiftly running brook, and they spoke no more as they journeyed past the thickly forested mountains and to the misty hills beyond.

...o0o...

Upon beholding the Realm of the Shikayoukai, Kikyou, Rin and Jaken even, were caught up by the spectacular sight that they no longer minded the long time they had sat on Isamu's back. In contrast to the gently rolling mountain ranges that formed a natural barrier between the true West and the Borderlands, the land of the Deer Demons was a wide stretch of misty hills that came into constant dips and rises.

The hills, which were in fact cave-ridded riddled limestone formations, rose fingerlike above the ground, their tops barely visible in the steady mist blanketing them. Echoes of birdcalls were heard regularly, bouncing off the unmoving rock walls forming a resonance of mystifying beauty.

Isamu had taken the time to stop beside a safe cliff for them to see the sweeping land spread before them in its full splendor. From their elevated point, they saw the hazy outline of a great river, at least as wide as ten full-grown pines laid down from end to end, snaking among the hills and watering the land. In the distance, they heard the roar of waterfalls.

There was not an inch of soil or rock visible that wasn't covered with a swath of green, and the moist air carried their infinite smells. In the onset of the rains, mist was omnipresent throughout the hills, filling the blank spaces between the rocks with a blue-white halo. It was as though they had come directly under heaven, and Kikyou can find no better land that could perfectly bring out the elusive nature of the Deer Demons who inhabited its forests.

After allowing them a few minutes to take in the beauty of the land, Isamu turned and continued to descend the mountain. In a few minutes, they had reached the foot of the ranges and were fully out of the West. Rin looked behind her with longing, knowing that home was behind the tall stretches of mountain, but she determinedly returned her gaze on the new land before them.

Sesshoumaru's gaze was indifferent even if his other companions were strongly impressed by the Realm of the Deer Demons. He had visited this place many times in his childhood, and it brought back to him bittersweet memories which he would rather not tell Kikyou. He knew doubt and sadness that would overcome her if he mentioned Kikumo in the setting of their childhood.

Isamu then began to follow the path of the river, though not directly beside it. They understood why. The rain had swollen the river, and the rapids were strong enough to tear a tree from its roots. The debris being carried downstream in the white current assured them that.

"We call this river the Minorikawa, Harvest River," Isamu explained. "It branches into two further upstream into the Greater Minorikawa and Lesser Minorikawa. The source of the Greater Minorikawa is a waterfall we have named Shiroitaki, White Waterfall, which descends from the highest hill in the region. On this hill is the fortress of the Royal Family of the Shikayoukai, to which we are now headed."

True enough, as they followed the course of the river upstream, the river split into two forks. Isamu followed the path of the larger fork, and in a short distance they heard the great roar of a waterfall. The Shiroitaki thundered ahead of as great gallons of water fell down from the tall peak into white foam beneath. Kikyou took the time to observe the stern facade of the hill.

Now that she saw it up close, she began to understand that the White Waterfall came from the peak of the hill, but it appears to channel within the rock at some point and come out of another fissure. Though the west, east and south sides of the hill were covered with uneven surfaces fit for climbing, the north side on which the Shiroitaki descended was smooth, moss-covered rock, virtually impossible to scale.

But she can see that two-thirds up the hill, the rock formed a great ledge on which the Shiroitaki tunneled within, only to come out later beneath the said ledge. Later, she was too see that it was on this ledge where the fortress sat, where many eons of Shikayoukai leaders took abode even before they became allies with the inuyoukai.

Hidden within natural barriers and fortifications, the Fortress of the Shikayoukai seemed impenetrable indeed...a feature which would soon be put to the test.

...o0o...

Safe on Isamu's back, they were able to scale the side of the hill facing the west, which was by far the most accessible of the possible pathways up the hill. As they went further up, the vegetation began to consist mostly of pines twisted in every shape imaginable as they struggled to cling to the rock face. The mist thickened, and soon it gave an impression that they were no longer on the ground, but rather, among the clouds. Finally, two-thirds up, Isamu took a path which led to the flat outcrop Kikyou had observed earlier.

Though it was only an outcrop, it was certainly more than wide enough to house the fortress, even allowing for a well-kept garden which spread at the feet of the castle. They all looked up at the stronghold, and it was unlike anything the humans had ever seen. Built beside the Shiroitaki which had formed a pool of water as it tunneled into the rock, the fortress was constructed leaning against the natural rock wall in five stories, the higher one slightly smaller than the one beneath it, giving an impression of terraces.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the fortress. Though the place had hardly changed since the last time he visited it, he did not take the time to observe it closely before. A moat was built around the castle on three sides. There was no need for a fourth side as the fortress was built against a flat stretch of rock which was free of any protrusions for a good many meters above. Inside this moat was an artificial pool of water collected to surround the fortress. The only way to get inside the castle was via a drawbridge which can be easily pulled up at the order of the Royal family.

'The enemy would have to drain the pool so they can besiege the fortress...that is, if they could not fly or swim,' he thought to himself, but he said nothing.

Isamu met no resistance as he crossed the drawbridge. By now, Kikyou was wondering why they hadn't encountered any other youkai in their journey. The silence was utterly unnerving to her. But now, entering the fortress, she beheld a waiting figure in its gates. It was a deer demoness.

"That's my wife's lady-in-waiting, Asagao," Isamu whispered to them. "She is the only other person our Queen would allow to take abode with us in the palace."

Asagao bowed low before the lord of her clan as he let his charges dismount. Once they were all on firm ground, Isamu resumed his human form.

"This is the Lady Kikyou and her companion, Rin," he said to the quiet Asagao, motioning his hand to Kikyou and Rin in a formal gesture of introduction. "Kikyou-sama, Rin, this is Asagao." He looked around, searching for someone. "Where is my wife?"

"She is resting, milord," Asagao replied softly. "She was pretty exhausted last night, and she bid me to receive the Lady Kikyou in her stead."

"Very well," Isamu said. "Make sure they enjoy their stay here. And on second thought, pull back the bridge until we return."

After Asagao bowed her assurance, Isamu then turned to Sesshoumaru.

"The army is assembled and waiting in the outskirts not far from here, Sesshoumaru-sama," he said. "Shall we depart now?"

Sesshoumaru nodded gravely, sparing one last glance at his beloved wife and his adopted child. Kikyou can hardly keep from crying, but for his sake she put on a smiling face as she kissed him one last time. Rin went up to the silver-haired taiyoukai and hugged him. Sesshoumaru was temporarily taken aback, but he patted the girl's raven hair and sent her back to Kikyou.

"Don't try to go somewhere else, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru warned her, and she nodded reluctantly. "I will come back for you, okay?"

"I know you will," Kikyou whispered, and she stepped away from him.

With that, Sesshoumaru turned on his heels. Jaken barely had the time to cling to the end of the fur he slung around his right shoulder before the amber-eyed demon departed with Isamu, their forms blurring as they passed the old-growth trees. Soon, mist rolled over the path they had taken and Kikyou can see no more of him.

...o0o...

Okay, we finally got to enter the Borderlands! Anyway, if you sorta cannot visualize how it's supposed to look like, you can visit my website, Satsukibare (link is in my profile) and visit the 'Visions of the West' in the 'Misc.' section. There I have a drawing of the Borderlands, specifically the hill of the Shiroitaki. Anyway, that's all for now. See you next chapter! ;p

Lady Fabmel: The rhyme was my making, but it was inspired by another poem, 'Out of Darkness' by Izumi Shikibu, a Japanese court poet of the Heian times. It goes like this:

Out of darkness,
Yet shall I follow a path of greater darkness,
From the mountain crest, far-off moon,
Give me light.

Sweet Ruby Moon: Yay, thanks for leaving the 100th review! I am so happy I reached this far! And, yeah, poor Kiky. But not all places are safe, really... (hint, hint)

Azn kawaii kikyo the devil: Thanks for the review! It helped me get out of my (impending) writer's block!

Cold Kikyo: Thank you, thank you! ;P

Celestial Inferno Rose: Hehe, I am oh so sorry if it takes a bajillion years for me to update, but I am trying my best to write as fast as I can without spoiling the story. ;P

Lily in the Lonely Night: YEAH, SESSHKIK ROCKS! (Puts SesshKik flags all over the place)

purple and pink dreams: Oh my friend, I miss you so! Thanks for reviewing! I really hope the new schoolyear will bring new opportunities for both of us!

The East Wind Melts the Ice: That rhyme underwent several revisions. I was dissatisfied with the first and second versions I made. Thank goodness the final version was better!

Gossamer Wind: Nunu, she isn't Kikumo, I swear!