Sleepless-

The door to Kisho's den was a fine carved wood in the shape of the cave opening. It was only visible and even detectable due to their open invitation, and then it was an easy thing to detect his kitsune musk leading the way to the safety of his home. Kagome approached and could hear the laughter of Kohaku, Rin, and Shippo within and found herself smiling as she knocked.

As the Kisho opened the latch and welcomed the six travelers in, he found his eyes falling on Ivy as she limped with Inuyasha's help into his home. From the outside, one might have made the mistake in thinking the den was one small room. Once inside, the visitor would discover a multitude of well furnished rooms with a kitchen and dining area in the front where the children were playing.

"I see you have found another lost soul," the nine-tail said with a warm smile as he closed the door behind them.

Miroku nodded and smirked to Kisho. "You could say she fell in our laps."

Inuyasha scowled a bit and helped Ivy sit as the children noticed their arrival, rushing to Kagome, Sesshomaru, and Sango. "Guess there should probably be introductions."

"Give them their moment," Ivy said softly with a smile, though he could see the pain from her feet causing a line to form in her brow. "What I wouldn't give for some pain killers… Even arnica would be helpful, but I think it's a European plant…"

Kisho raised a brow and came to kneel next to the exotic young woman. "European… The Westerners who have been seen in their ships? Forgive me, but for one who speaks the language of this land so well, you certainly look foreign."

Her lips quirked as she looked up to meet the kitsune's warm brown gaze. "I can promise I was born nowhere near Europe, Sir. But, might I trouble you for any herbal remedy that might aid in the pain of my current infirmity?"

Sesshomaru looked to Ivy incredulously as she spoke with such formality to Shippo's father. Rin was holding tightly to his left hand and was still telling him about all of the reverie she had been enjoying with Shippo and Kohaku, but his attention had been suddenly stollen, and the little girl silenced in confusion.

Rin looked to the strange woman sitting between Kisho and Inuyasha. Her feet were bandaged, but the cuts were bleeding through enough that at least one bloody footprint was near the threshold. "Sesshomaru, who is the Lady with Inuyasha?"

He could not help but be amused. With the refinement of Ivy's speech, anyone might mistake her for nobility… Unless they'd heard her that morning cursing and taunting the samurai who had been hunting her. Even her address to him had been unsettlingly informal, but now, faced with a complete stranger, her speech had softened. "Her name is Ivy, Rin… And I think her not a Lady, but certainly not uneducated."

Kisho bowed his head and stood. "I have a tea that may be of some assitance, Lady…"

"Ivy."

"Lady Ivy," he began, then smirked when she put up her hand and shook her head.

"Ivy will suffice. My blood is no more noble than the earth beneath our feet," she interjected, smiling softly when he nodded and walked toward the kitchen.

"Oh!" Kagome gasped as she looked at the bloody footprint near where Ivy sat. "Your cuts have opened again."

"I think at least one or two need stitches," she murmured, leaning back on her hands as Kagome knelt before her and began unwrapping her feet. "Damn those samurai to hell."

Rin's eyes widened and Sesshomaru smirked. That was the Ivy he had come to know in such a short time. "Or the wounds could be cauterized. It would be simpler and less susceptible to infection."

Ivy's eyes widened. "Oh, that doesn't sound like any fun at all… But neither does blood poisoning," she met Sesshomaru's gaze steadily. "How do you suggest it be done?"

"None are particularly pleasant… Any of our blades could be heated to red, though I could also assist with my acid."

"Fuck no," Inuyasha felt sick to his stomach at even the suggestion of burning her feet, let alone Sesshomaru pouring his acid all over them. "You'll melt her feet off."

"This Sesshomaru knows more than a few things about human frailty, Inuyasha," he growled softly as Inuyasha stood and took a few steps toward him. He gently pushed Rin behind him in a protective posture. "I would think carefully before you take another step, Little Brother. And I would not harm her… Melt her feet off, as you so callously suggested. Leaving them unattended endangers her health. Were the cuts on another part of her extremities or on her torso, one might have a chance to ensure healing with stitches, but she cannot live the next week or two perpetually carried or held."

He growled and looked to Ivy, and Kagome caught his gaze. "Do you trust him to do this, Kagome?"

She felt some deep part of her tremble and she nodded. "He's right, Inuyasha. She can't take a step without the cuts breaking open again, and some of them are deep enough for stitches. Cauterizing will close the deepest and keep them all from becoming infected…"

"I didn't ask if he was fucking right, I asked you if you trust him," he managed to ground out. He knew Sesshomaru was right about Ivy's feet, and he'd already steeled himself for hearing her agony when it happened, but he didn't trust his brother with his acid on mortal flesh. He trusted Sesshomaru wouldn't intentionally burn her that badly, but he'd only seen his brother use his acid as a murderous weapon against his foes… Including Kagome. If she could trust him to maintain enough control to ensure Ivy was safe and would heal properly, Inuyasha knew that he could as well.

Kagome trembled and looked to Sesshomaru, then back to Inuyasha. There was no question in her mind. His eyes were so steady and certain of his ability, as if he'd done something similar before. "I trust him, Inuyasha."

"Ivy," she met the miko's gaze and felt herself tremble. "You have final say… Swords or acid?"

"Shit," she breathed, then steeled herself. "Acid… I just hope I pass out quickly."

Kisho approached, his gaze steady as he listened to the conversation. He looked to his son, Rin, and Kohaku, then met Sango's gaze. "Take the children out to the glade. They do not need to witness this after what they have already known."

Sango nodded and looked to Miroku. "Stay with them, ok? You might be able to help."

He smirked and nodded. "Just be careful. We have our peace, and I'm not ready to lose you. Not until we are old, wrinkled, and falling apart."

"The glade is protected, Monk. Worry not," Kisho said softly and smiled, then brought the tea to Ivy who took it gratefully. "The bark it is made with will ease and numb your pain… Though it will not kill it entirely."

She let out a little breath and slowly drank the bitter tea. "I doubt anything other than being entirely unconscious would do that trick…" When she finished the tea, she smirked. "I doubt you have anything stronger than tea?"

"A woman after my own heart," Kisho teased, retrieving a bottle of strong rice wine as the others went to prepare a space in one of the back bedrooms to conduct the procedure. He watched her take a few deep swallows from the bottle and he smirked as she gasped a bit. "It is strong…"

"Yeah," she gave him a wan smile. "How much am I allowed?"

"All if it is needed," Kisho leaned against the door jam and tilted his head as he studied her, watching as she slowly began to drink down the full bottle. "Though, may I suggest leaving at least half within… For later."

She smirked and nodded, handing it back to him after one more swallow. The room was spinning. "Still feel I am entitled to the title of Lady?"

He shook his head. "I have known many a noble Lady, Ivy, and none are comparable in bravery nor strength of will… That alone bestows my respect."

"We're ready," Inuyasha moved to Ivy, squatting near her, brushing hair from her brow. He smirked at the blush on her cheeks as she leaned into his touch. "What did you give her?"

"Rice wine… With a few drams of opium to cut the pain," he sighed as Inuyasha gathered her up. She all but passed out in his arms.

"Thank you," Inuyasha breathed, barely able to meet the kitsune's gaze. "I don't think I could have stood it if…"

Kisho gently rested a hand on the hanyou's shoulder and shook his head. "None of us want to hear her screaming. I don't know where she is from, nor what she's endured, but I want the same peace for her as I do the children."

Inuyasha nodded and the two men proceeded to the back bedroom where he lay her onto the futon, resting her head in his lap as his brother gently took her feet onto his knees, having covered them with one of Kagome's thick towels that had been doused in water.

"She may still feel it in her sleep," Sesshomaru murmured and looked to Kagome and MIroku. "Be ready to hold her down. She must be still."

They nodded in response and moved to hold her legs as Kisho knelt beside Inuyasha to still her torso. The taiyoukai focused, excreting just enough acid onto his hand to coat, then applied his hand flush with the base of her foot, feeling her body tense in response.

Her eyes fluttered and she whimpered in her deep slumber, then she began to writhe. It was all he could do not to yank her away from all of them. He didn't care if he needed to carry her every moment. He didn't care if he had to hold her up when she needed to relieve herself, and he didn't care what that would do to her pride either… If only he didn't need to see her in this kind of pain. Inuyasha caressed her jaw, fighting back his beast valiantly, though his eyes began to flash red.

"Inuyasha, hold her!" Sesshomaru growled. His brother's voice was enough to yank him out of his turning and he held her steady even when she began to sob, fighting for consciousness. In reality, it all only took a few moments from beginning to end, but it felt like an eternity. He glanced up and saw Kagome move beside his brother, helping him to clean the remaining acid and blood from the soles of Ivy's feet before bandaging them.

"Is it finished?"

"Yes, I was able to close them all," Sesshomaru replied softly as he looked up to meet Inuyasha's clear golden gaze. He looked back to Kagome as she wrapped Ivy's feet after gently applying the salve she'd made only moments before. He gently put a hand over hers where they shook as she began work on the second of Ivy's feet. He met her gaze and nodded. "You are doing well, Miko. She will walk in only a few days and need not fear loss of her feet."

"I know, it's only…" She looked down at the bandages before beginning to wrap the next foot, focusing carefully on the task. "I did not know you knew anything about healing."

"The other side of battle is as essential as a warrior's stance or skill with a blade," he murmured, watching her care with her task. His gaze rose after a moment to Kisho who handed Inuyasha the half drank bottle of opium infused wine. "Though not originally intended, would you allow us to rest here until the morning after tomorrow, Kisho? Ivy will be in no state for traveling tomorrow, and I am certain the rest of our party could do with a day of rest."

The elder kitsune nodded and smiled to the inuyoukai. "You are more than welcome in my den, though I suggest we take shifts at watch in the evenings. The world has shifted. The sanctity and protection of my den and glade are strong but not ensured as so many have been touched by the Shiko No Tama, and many of those are foes previously defeated."

It was a concern none of them had really delved into. Ivy's appearance had pushed back the conversation, but all knew it needed to be discussed. Sesshomaru stood as Kagome finished and she and Inuyasha carefully covered and made Ivy comfortable. "Come out and leave her to rest once you are finished. There is much we need to talk of before the children return."

He paused at the threshold and looked back on her sleeping form. The lines of agony in her brow had faded, and even the scent of blood from her feet had stilled, replaced with the soft odor of herbs covering the burned pink flesh of her soles. It took everything he had to leave her and close the door. He only managed when his brother softly called his name from the front of the house, and he winced at the realization. Had Kagome called him, or Miroku, he might not have come, but it had been his brother. Some part of him that had long been silenced by hatred and cruelty was being stirred by the inner peace gifted by Kagome's wish, and now his very soul recognized Sesshomaru as alpha. Only his mate could ever afford a stronger claim over him, and it was both disturbing and unnervingly correct how easily he accepted that fact.

When Inuyasha was sitting with them, Kagome relayed the arrival of Ivy to Kisho who took the news with surprising acceptance. His eyes sparkled with a kind of understanding that silenced the group.

"Does it seem so out of the realm of possibility? A pure wish that brought so many peace even to the degree that it resurrected lives long lost would seem weak if it could not also ensure one most touched by the sacred jewel had his dream," Kisho smiled mischievously as Inuyasha looked away and intently at the floor. "But, in seriousness… In our world of magic where a girl can fall through a dry well five hundred years into the past only to become one of its saviors, is it such a stretch to think this might not also be possible? What is imagination but the ability to glimpse into other worlds and possibility? To make the unreal real?"

"You seem impressively accepting, Kisho," Miroku mused, crossing his arms.

"Perhaps you would be also if you had been brought back from death and the underworld. I have been afforded such perspective. As impossible as it seems in her world, we are no more than this anime story Ivy conveyed to you, it must seem ten million times more impossible for her. She was aware of us, knew our stories and now she is a part of the tale. Certainly that is a perspective worthy of consideration, also."

"Were she awake, I'd include her in this conversation," Sesshomaru sighed and shook his head. "But she rests peacefully, and it is all the better for her. As we stand now, countless allies and enemies are back in the world, and I doubt any residual effect of peace from Kagome's wish will keep them unmoving forever."

"How are we to know who?" Kagome asked softly, looking to the highly distracted Inuyasha whose attention seemed entirely focused on the sleeping girl further back in the den. "We could make lists of names, but there's no way to know unless someone goes to search everyone out."

"Feh," Inuyasha sighed and looked up. "So what? We make a list, make camp at that fortress you call home in the mountains, then go running around looking for our arch enemies until we either take them all out or know we're safe?"

"It was a thought at least," Sesshomaru responded, studying his brother. "Those who cannot fight or defend themselves would stay where they are safe and we will begin seeking everyone, or at least the most dangerous out and deal with the threat if there still is one."

"Deal with," Inuyasha smirked and met his brother's gaze. "You mean kill the fuckers before they kill us."

"Yes," his response was not sharp, but it sent a shiver up Kagome's spine. "If it is necessary."

"How do we know if it's necessary?" She asked, meeting Sesshomaru's gaze.

Inuyasha watched carefully as he saw his brother's eyes soften before he responded to Kagome. "When a warrior is poised to draw his sword in battle, there are certain signs one knows… These men and women we have fought… Mortal and youkai alike all have in common one similarity. They are weak when covering their intent. Do not fear us attacking an innocent, Miko. If we rend any from this earth, it will be with the certainty they would have attacked first."

She nodded, feeling the rightness of his statement, but not liking the idea of being the aggressor after having made the wish to bring peace even to her enemies. "I suppose being proactive is better than reactive, but… I just wish they'd have a chance to try to find their own happiness. Couldn't we just give them a running start to what will bring them happiness?"

Miroku frowned. "Even Naraku? Even if he was resurrected and given peace and another chance at what would bring him happiness?"

"That isn't possible or your wind tunnel…"

"I know, Kagome, I'm not saying Naraku is alive," he met her gaze, though she felt the weight of the other men's attention on her in that moment. "After all the death, after everything he's done to us and to you- to the world, would he really have the right to find his own happiness and peace? You know what made that monster happy, Kagome. You saw what his happiness nearly cost Sango and me… All of us."

She looked at her hands and shook her head. "You don't really want me to answer that question, Miroku."

"You're saying you'd…"

"No," she replied sharply, but only at a whisper, her eyes shimmering as she returned his disbelieving gaze. "I'm not saying I'd let him continue in his sadistic quest to destroy everything… I'm not saying I would for any of the darkest of our enemies, but all of this is my fault. Everything from Kisho being resurrected to Ivy falling from the sky is my fault because of my wish. And maybe it's my own stupid hope that if Naraku had been one of the ones brought back and given peace, he'd change. I don't disagree that we should find everyone, but I can't support the idea that we make the first move to end them. Not all of our enemies were monsters, some just made poor decisions, like Kouga. He found the shards and pushed them into his flesh and it changed him. He did horrible things and cost Rin her family… Countless others their lives, but he isn't a monster. So I can't follow all of you down this dark path, but I'll go half way and help you find those resurrected by my wish so we can assess how dangerous their happiness really is… Just don't ask me to do more unless they attack first."

He felt his chest tighten as she spoke. No, not all were monsters. He had done monstrous things while in the pursuit of what he believed would bring him happiness- his father's sword. He'd nearly killed her twice. He'd decimated armies of men when he'd lost his arm and damned a woman to agony for his choices… And then he'd saved Rin's life. Sesshomaru captured Kagome's gaze steadily and he nodded softly. "Then it is the path we will take," he could sense the disbelief of the other men. He'd deal with them in time. "We will seek them out and assess their threat, but do no harm unless they seek our blood… But, Miko… Kagome, I ask only one thing of you from this moment."

Her heartbeat thrummed softly in her ears as it sped. He'd stilled her fears with his gaze, but her name on his lips had been so tender, she could have sworn she felt his caress at her throat. "What is it you need me to do?"

"Do not take so much blame for the outcome of your wish. Too much good has come from the pure hope of your heart, and it washes clean any further responsibility for the choices of those who prove themselves unworthy of your grace," he replied, his gaze never moving from hers until she nodded in response to his request. He bowed his head, closing his eyes halfway in respect. "Thank you, Kagome."

He was looking at the stars when the door to the den opened and the scent of his brother touched his nose. He did not look down from the high hung branch he'd chosen as his perch during his watch that evening. "Is it time for that talk we've been avoiding?"

"It need not be long," Sesshomaru responded as his brother dropped to the ground, crouching a moment before he stood at his full height. Within the last thirty two hours, the two had fallen into the roles of alpha and beta without any show of dominance or submission. It was as he imagined their father had always hoped between them- Sesshomaru leading the Western lands with the pure and ancient devotion to humans and Inuyasha as his second and general. He didn't need to touch on their relationship in that moment. It was so inherent, he doubted he needed to ever say a word about it, but Kagome was another matter. He had been protector of her heart a long while, and as the well no longer allowed him passage to ask permission of her mother, Inuyasha was the most logical. "Do you disapprove of me courting Kagome with the intent of making her my eternal mate as our father did your mother?"

He studied his brother for several moments before he could respond. The question would have been utterly ridiculous a few days earlier, though he'd noted for a long while how Sesshomaru so willingly had protected Kagome when Inuyasha could not. Even in the final battle, Sesshomaru had nearly lost his life to save the little miko… Her wish had simply made his heart warm enough that he could see his own intent. "Do you love her? Can you love her like she deserves?"

"Yes," he surprised himself with his candor. He noted the amused smile brushing Inuyasha's lips. "I can and will love her as she deserves."

"A lot of this is her choice," Inuyasha said softly, leaning against the trunk of the tree, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. "You'll need to win her over."

"Easy enough task," he smirked as the hanyou's eyes flashed open. "Your pursuit and care for Ivy frees her heart for me… And she is easy to love," Sesshomaru's gaze flashed with the double meaning of his expression. "As she is worthy, so shall I be."

Inuyasha smirked and shook his head before standing to turn toward the den. "How is the sleeping situation?"

"Kagome, Sango and Miroku are taking shifts to tend Ivy if she needs help in the night," he watched his brother at the door from the corner of his eyes. "Miroku only took over a few moments before I came out. Surely the monk would not mind returning to the demon slayer's bed."

He let a soft laugh escape and he shook his head. "They don't waste time."

"I imagine they are the most intelligent of all of us."

He could not see Inuyasha's cock-sure grin, but he knew it was there. "Yeah, that's for certain."

Once inside, Inuyasha moved silently to the partially open door. Miroku was leaning against the wall and half asleep. The hanyou walked to him and gently kicked his leg. "Ooof… Oh, Inuyasha… Care to take a shift in here?"

"Tell Sango I got this… No need to wake Kagome either," he whispered as Miroku stood and nodded.

"You have my thanks," as the monk slid the door closed, he watched the hanyou remove his sword and place it at the head of the futon before laying beside Ivy and curling protectively around her, drawing her into a tight embrace as she slept deeply.