XXVI.
Strange Relations
The fortress grounds were lit with all the bright sharpness of an autumn afternoon, clear sunlight and cloudless navy-tinted skies. There were only two days left now until the new moon, and Sesshomaru's kin were expected to arrive the next day. Kagome had first been terrified, and then only very afraid - although if she dwelled on it, she was liable to become shaky under the influence of the thoughts running through her head. Not only the few Inu lords she had met would be coming, but their families - mates and children, brothers and sisters, parents and cousins - and many others who could claim blood ties to Sesshomaru and the House of Blades.
He expected fifty or more to be in attendance, and that was only his own kin, not the full Council she had been told would be arriving for the presentation itself.
Since Inuyasha had been buried, Kagome had not slept well - and with this new pressure on her and the wakeful tendencies of her demon flesh, it was even harder for her to get any rest. When they had first returned to the fortress, Sesshomaru had stayed with her in the evenings and while he was there she could rest peacefully - but for the last three days she didn't think he had slept at all, either. Their bed was empty and cold, and she, who had been so embarrassed to wake up beside him, had found suddenly that it was lonely under all those furs...very lonely.
Nightmares had woken her the first night, and she had been unwilling to try sleeping alone again. Her unfinished reading beckoned, a stack of scrolls that was still two feet high, and so she had secreted herself in the library. No one disturbed her but Shippou and the silent hands that refilled her cup of tea - not even Sesshomaru had come to find her, though she was certain he knew where she was.
After Shippou poked his nose around the door a few times, she was positive that he wanted something, but he ignored her questions and only came in to sit with her for a minute or two at a time. There was faint whispering outside the library door whenever this happened, and she identified Rin's voice and scent along with Shippou's, but the children did not intrude on her study any more than that. Each time, she had turned back to her reading, but after several nights and days of this Kagome had pushed her limits as far as they would go.
In the dim shadows of the library, she fell asleep without intending to. The room around her was dark and chilly. Heavy curtains had been drawn across the windows and no fire had been lit, no candles. Her dreams, too, were dark, shaded by the reading she had done and the most recent events of her life...and by the premonition of fear that was her mysterious presentation.
In her dream there was a princess in a tall tower, hard-eyed, her features shadowed, her hair blowing in the wind. She fell and died and did not bleed, but shattered instead, and the shards of her scattered body were consumed in sudden flame.
There was a prince who climbed the tower seeking her, his eyes bright shining gold, only to fall back blind, clawing at them as the color faded into darkness and a cloudy swirl as deep as the sea. Murderous blue shadows claimed his face, and even in the dream Kagome knew that those shadows had taken everything, everything - this was a prince without a kingdom, a prince without even a sword. The prince was a monster with death steeped in layers over the shadows of his eyes.
It was too painful to watch. She turned away, and heard a voice calling her, a richly familiar voice in tones of pain. In that moment Kagome realized that she was the princess, magically reformed from burnt and shattered flesh. She stared at her own fingers and they were like the fingers of a stranger, unfeeling flesh with a plastic texture. She was in the tower, and it was a richly appointed room...but there was no door.
Trapped!
Shuddering, she turned her eyes away from her surroundings and looked down from the tower's single, high window. It was like looking into the abyss.
There were wars beneath her, battlefields with all their gore and glory intact; she heard the screams of the dead and the dying, challenges, shrieks of fury and cries of unfathomable despair. A great, glittering dragon winged its way out of the northern sky with an icy wind behind it, and settled around the base of the tower, opening its wide, fanged mouth towards her in a virulent scream. None of those who cried for or against compassion could reach her over the dragon's roar, but that single, familiar voice still called out, piercing the clamor.
"Kagome, Kagome, let down your hair!"
They were senseless words, fairy-tale words in the midst of horror, but she pressed forward anyway and let her hair spill down over the window-ledge, one long, thin plait that somehow unrolled endlessly towards the dragon beneath the tower. In the same moment Kagome heard a hiss from behind her, and a female shape materialized as if from smoke. It became a slender witch-figure with eyes full of madness and green hair that writhed like snakes; she grasped the braid and pulled Kagome's head back and back until she thought her neck would snap, and Kagome found herself unable to make a sound.
For a moment that extended, she could feel the scream trapped in her throat, and then her attention was distracted. Her own image was suspended in front of her, a faint reflection distorted as if by crystal, or moving water. She felt sudden pressure, pressure on all sides, so much that she could barely breathe, and the witch-figure chose that moment to slit her bared throat.
She felt the thin, sharp pain of the blade against her skin, razor-sharp, searing, and then it seemed no more than a paper cut, a whisper, though she felt the draining flow of her life's blood running warm over her chest.
"Kagome."
- but the tower was falling out from beneath her -
"Kagome."
- and the world was flying apart into jagged shards of darkness -
"Kagome!"
It was not the urgency of Sesshomaru's voice but his hands, finally, shaking her, that woke Kagome from the nap she had not planned to take. She woke completely, abruptly, gasping as Sesshomaru shook her; his hands were tight on her shoulders, painfully so, but when he saw that her eyes were open he let go at once. There was something flat and haunted in her gaze in that first startled moment of wakefulness, something he found vaguely unsettling.
"You were dreaming, Kagome. "
"Dreaming - "
She was moving, not with the dull sleepiness of someone who has just been wakened, but with a kind of jerky alertness. Sesshomaru watched her hand come up and touch her throat, delicately, as if she expected to find something there.
She did expect to find something; she expected her throat to be cut! The dream had been too real, was still too vividly impressed on her senses. In an unusual gesture Kagome reached for Sesshomaru's sleeve and pulled him close to her, pressed her cheek against him and held him tightly. He was warm, solid – real. The pine-musky scent of him was soothing; she took slow, deep breaths and wondered how long he would allow her to hold on.
Sesshomaru stood very still, almost frozen. It was not often that she took the initiative and reached out for him in such a way. He did not know if it was because of him, something in his manner, that she was reluctant...or if something in her own thoughts had caused it. He had found himself remembering his first two or three days with her almost longingly; not the days before she had been wounded, or the days after her long sleep...but the days just after he had made her his. So easy and warm she'd been with him then!
Kagome...
He looked down at the top of her head, her tightly shut eyes, and allowed himself to be pleased by her closeness. Time, he had thought - time would bring her back to him.
I was right.
He held her very gently at first, afraid that if he made her too much aware of what she was doing, she might back away; it had happened before. But after half a minute he could not keep that fragile resolve. Her strange confusion, her vulnerable expression, drew him in; there were fiercely protective feelings bubbling just beneath the surface, and those feelings demanded that he hold her more tightly. When he realized what he was doing, he almost let go - before he heard the smallest of sighs escape her, and was gratified by the relaxation of her body into his grasp.
Kagome was content in his crushing embrace; unless it was the sleepiness - and she did not think it was - she had seen concern on his face, open and distinct. It made her think, made her feel warm. Yes, he had told her that he cared and she knew that he had not been lying, but it had been hard for to believe him even so. After all, he was Sesshomaru! Part of her still suspected that he couldn't possibly understand what it really meant to care; she could still see the quizzical expression on his face, hear the strangeness of his question - What is love?
In moments like this, though, when he looked at her in such a way, when he held her so fiercely...
She rubbed her cheek against the softness of his haori, and then turned as a sliver of pale sunlight widened and began to brighten the room. An invisible pair of hands was pulling back the curtains, and shortly she could look out at the eastern gardens and the edge of an orchard she had not yet explored. She shifted in her chair, and then Sesshomaru had to pull on her to keep her from falling as she leapt backwards.
"Kagome!"
She shuddered and pressed her face back against his chest. The angle of the sun had caught her off guard, allowing her a glimpse of her own reflection in the window, and she had been suddenly filled with the memory of her dream.
"Kagome, something has disturbed you. You will tell me what it is."
His voice, cool and commanding, was somehow as comforting as his arms around her.
Of course he wouldn't ask!
The faintest of giggles escaped her, and then she shook her head, reached up with one hand and ran her fingers over the unmarred smoothness of her throat.
"I was -"
She stopped. The words were not right.
"My dream, it - frightened me."
Sesshomaru fixed her with an intense gaze. His eyes flickered in the sunlight, from tawny yellow to brilliant gold. For a moment she was fascinated by the color, fixated on it, and then she averted her gaze. When she said nothing more, Sesshomaru prompted her gently.
"Your dream, Kagome?"
Slowly, she nodded.
"But - you jumped now, not while you were sleeping."
Her eyes slid upwards and settled around his mouth; it was safer than meeting that probing stare, those eyes.
"When I turned, I caught sight of my reflection in the window pane. It - in the dream, I - I was -"
The intensity of his gaze had disintegrated into something like disbelief.
"You were frightened by your own reflection? Even for you - "
"What do you mean, even for me? You - ! "
She made as if to punch him halfheartedly, but he caught hold of her hands and lifted her up, drew her close again.
"I should not tease you now; forgive me, Kagome. But I do not understand; how could you find your reflection -"
"It wasn't the reflection! It was -"
She stopped herself and continued with quieter words.
"It was not a very nice dream. I don't want to think about it."
"Tell me."
A deeper, more serious tone had come out in Sesshomaru's voice, but Kagome shook her head.
"Didn't I just say I don't want to think about it? Please, I'd rather - "
"Tell me, so you can forget."
Her anger dissolved away; the worry was back in his face, and she couldn't bring herself to deny him when he was looking down at her with such obvious concern.
Though why, I can't guess...it's just a dream, I mean...really!
"I remember...a tower, and seeing - kami-sama, seeing Kikyou! She fell, and then there was a prince...Inuyasha. It was Inuyasha. But there was something strange about it all, something detached, like a story out of a book, just...unreal. And then I was in the tower, looking down into darkness, terrible darkness, and someone was screaming...and a dragon, a dragon wrapped around the tower, roaring, and so many voices -"
Kagome shuddered, felt a creeping chill seize the roots of her hair and slink down her spine.
"And then there was a woman, a beautiful woman but absolutely terrifying, and she pulled my head back, and - and -"
Her fingers had come up to clasp her throat. She could feel it - the cut, the warm, pouring blood.
"And then I saw it - my reflection, hovering - and then she slit my throat. The woman - the witch."
Her eyes raked his features; all the wary tension that had dissolved away was restoring itself now, and she could feel his fingers, his claws, tightening against her skin.
"Who was this witch? Was she human, someone you know?"
Kagome shrugged, shook her head.
"I don't know her, I've never seen her before. And I don't know...I don't think she was human, but why does it matter, Sesshomaru? It was just a dream."
"Yes...but I do not like that you are sleeping so unhappily, Kagome. You have not been yourself for several days - not since..."
He paused and took a step back, held her at arms length.
"Not since I brought you before the others; not since you wounded the Kitsune."
Kagome was confused; Sesshomaru was staring at her now with the strangest expression she had yet seen; he looked...almost guilty.
"Sesshomaru..."
"I should have realized that it would trouble you, that you were not really -"
"Sesshomaru -"
"When you healed him, I should have known that - "
"Sesshomaru! What are you talking about?"
The force of her question and her obvious, honest confusion halted his thoughts.
"What am I...then it is not the violence you did against Yozei that has been bothering you?"
Kagome's eyes widened a little with real surprise. That was something she had not even considered.
"I don't - I don't know. I've seen enough youkai to know what was expected of me...and I'm not...I'm not innocent, Sesshomaru, if that's what's worrying you."
"No...not innocent -"
He was suddenly smiling, and she knew what he was thinking; it made her angry.
"No! Sesshomaru - I've killed. I've killed many, many times...many youkai, even a few humans – and I'm responsible for more lost lives than I've taken with my bow, I know I am..."
I was the one who shattered the jewel, after all.
But she did not, could not, give voice to that thought, and brought herself back to his question.
"So why are you so surprised that I could...that I would hurt him, when he was threatening me - when he was threatening us? Why would that bother me more than anything else?"
Sesshomaru's eyebrows lifted. What she said was true; he could not deny it. The time when she had been among his brother's allies, when she and her power had been arrayed against him, was still the recent past. Her protective instincts had been strong even then; foolishly strong, considering the frail nature of that human body.
But now -
Her own words both interrupted and continued his train of thought.
"I know I can't go back; I know I am youkai. But I've been wondering ever since I woke up and I was here - Sesshomaru, what exactly do you want from me? Why am I here? What...what am I supposed to do?"
Confusion moved faintly in his eyes, and she sighed before he even spoke; she knew what his answer was likely to be – he had said it before, after all.
"Why are you - here? You are here because you are -"
"Because I am yours? But that is not enough, Sesshomaru, that is not a reason!"
Once, twice, he blinked.
"That is not - then tell me, Kagome, what is a reason?"
"Wha - "
For a moment, her face went utterly blank.
"How can...how can you not know that! You brought me here, you saved me, you changed me...you..."
Her cheeks flushed and she fell momentarily silent, but her question still had not been answered.
"Sesshomaru! Tell me, how could you have done all that without a reason?"
Sesshomaru shook his head.
"I thought I did have - but your idea of reason must be vastly different from mine, Kagome. That you are mine...that is all the reason I have needed since I found you to -"
"Since you found me? But I wasn't yours then, I was - "
Sesshomaru closed his eyes, expecting a painful reminder, but it never came.
"I was no one's, no one's at all. I was just...wandering, looking for some way to lose myself. If you really want to know, Sesshomaru, when I saw that it was you who had found me -"
"Yes - I found you, Kagome. I found you, and from that moment on, you were mine. I thought long and hard while you slept, those many days; do you really think I would have brought you here, done all that I have done, without knowing why? I would have killed you first, rather than act without reason."
Kagome took a deep breath and let it out slowly; his words were harsh but she couldn't say that she hadn't expected them.
You're telling me that I know, aren't you? You just...don't want to say it again. I know your reason, Sesshomaru, I know what you said, but even if you don't want to say it I want to hear it again.
"You should know, Kagome. I told you – I asked you -"
She laughed, faintly, to hear his words so much in accord with what she had expected. Perhaps she was beginning to know him, even if just a little. Still...
If he would say it again, maybe I could believe him.
More than anything else, she wanted to be loved – and if it not by him...then by who? But Sesshomaru paused and looked out the window, distracted in the middle of his sentence by something beyond Kagome's senses.
"Sesshomaru?"
For the first time since he had woken her he let go of her and stepped away. With swift, efficient movements he crossed the room to the window and opened it. A faint breeze fluttered the papers and scrolls on the desk beside Kagome.
"Someone is coming towards the gate."
She stared at him for a moment.
"What? But – you said – tomorrow - "
For a moment she was enveloped by terror. Her thoughts had immediately jumped to the guests expected the next day; early arrivals, she didn't think she could deal with.
"Kagome! Relax. Stay here, quietly; read if you like, but do not go back to sleep yet."
He turned on his heel and strode to the door, and then stopped to look back at her over his shoulder.
"You are too pale; you have not been eating. I will send something up for you."
As the door clicked shut behind him, Kagome let out a long sigh and relaxed backward into her chair. Now that he had mentioned it, she could feel a gnawing hunger in her belly; her tongue touched her teeth, the sharp points of her fangs, and then she let out another deep sigh. So different, everything was so different now...
And Sesshomaru! What do I do about him, about his – his feelings! I can't say anything, and he wants...what does he want? He asked me what it meant to love, and then took back his question; he acts like I should know all these things, and he doesn't show me any of it! Except...except I know he wants me, and he says...he said that he cares. I should believe him – I do believe him – but I - I don't know what I feel.
"I wish I knew what to do, I wish...ahh..."
Kagome leaned forward, rested her chin on her hands, and stared glumly at the grain of the wood in the desk in front of her eyes.
"I never understand anything he does! But I wonder...who is at the gate?"
Sesshomaru made his way to the top of the great Wall that encircled his fortress, gathering a train of silent followers behind him. From where he had positioned himself he could see clearly across the meadow and plains and not be seen, even by watchful youkai eyes.
His attention was on a slim, pale figure who was approaching with studied nonchalance; its outline was familiar to him, and as if to mock his scowling conclusion, the wind chose that moment to bring him a scent that contained clear identity.
Mother!
Even at her current pace, mockingly slow, she would reach the Gate before he had time to think; it was immediately obvious that she had come from her retreat in the furthest west with the wind in front of her, so that it would not give away her presence before she was ready. The fact that he was aware of her now, before she had reached the gate unnoticed as she intended, was a mercy – one afforded him by the strangeness of the protections that engulfed this place. Power slept in the walls, in the stones, in the earth itself, power that was bonded to him, as it had been bonded to his father. His mother's footsteps stirred unnatural currents, sent them trickling into his awareness like ghostly streams.
She comes, but not at my summons; that much is obvious. If it was in answer to my call, my messengers, she would have come with an entourage, with ceremony. What does she want, what does she mean by it...arriving this way?
As much as he wanted to know, he was not certain he would find out. She was as good at keeping her motives secret as he was, if not better; after all, she was the one who had taught him. It was one of the things his father had not liked, one of the reasons why he had allowed his first-born son to spend only the winters with his mother – after she had left the two of them here in the white-walled fortress, preferring her palace retreat.
She never liked it here; too much stone, too many sharp corners, she said...and yet she is come early – why?
The answer came to him as if it had been lurking in wait just for this moment.
Kagome! She does not know the truth; she is here to test the rumors, to test – Kagome!
In his mind's eye he could see his mate, pale and fragile in the aftermath of her dream – a dream that disturbed him greatly. Kinawai's warnings of wakeful danger in the north were still ringing in his ears; Kagome dreamed of dragons and witch-women with deadly intentions, and now...his mother, come to test his mate.
It is her right to do so. Before the Rite, she is still Lady of this House. She may examine the worth of the one who seeks to replace her, but I-
A cold fist tightened in his belly; what had he been doing? He had given Kagome no warning; she had not eaten or slept in three days and instead of training her instincts, teaching her to defend herself -
Records! As much as she needs the knowledge, it will not help her now!
The chill in the pit of his of stomach became heat, anxious fire that sent tendrils out into his limbs and made him restless. He turned, a sharp, tight motion, and began the descent from the Wall-top to the courtyards below. He spoke to the silence around him, which was loud in its gathered presence.
"Go to my mate and ready her; it is my mother who comes."
In a moment, he was alone. Quickly, he made his way to the gate, and stood for a silent moment, preparing himself. This female, his mother, was one of the most dangerous creatures alive. It would not do to forget that. He, too, was most dangerous –but she was, after all, his mother.
I do not want to kill her, but I am sure I will not approve of her intentions.
With one hand, he reached out to the gate, and opened it, and in that moment several things happened.
His mother, who had come close enough to see him clearly, standing in the opened gate, showed an expression that flashed quickly from amused, to amazed, to furious. Simultaneously, there was a streak of fire overhead, and Sesshomaru heard a loud haiii-yo! in a woman's voice that he recognized. The flames came from Kirara, the fire-cat who belonged to Kagome's friends...and the her burden was all too human.
Now! Why now?
In a flash, he understood his mother's shifting face. Of course, she, too, had seen what he had seen – and he could imagine how it must seem to her in the face of those dangerous rumors. There was a rush of wind as Kirara landed ten paces in front of him and the shape outlined in dangerous and flickering fire faded, left behind only a kitten in the woman's hands.
What is her name, this woman?
He couldn't remember; it didn't matter. His voice came out harsher than he intended, its edges worn to cutting sharpness by the tightness of his nerves.
"Taijiya. Houshi. Why have you come here?"
The woman had been on the verge of taking a step forward, bu now she shrank bank from him, her fingers twitching as if for a weapon. He found her distrust reassuring in a vague, unfulfilling way, but he did not desire to frighten her. Was his question that strange? He did not find it so; this place was not known to them, had not been known even to his brother.
Or did she see challenge in his words, because he called her by her trade-title and not by name? That would be irritating, because her name continued to escape him, but the houshi saved him from having to ask it of her and at the same time reinforced his perception.
"Sango, don't get tense like that! Remember what we're here for! He's not going to hurt us."
Perhaps the houshi was speaking under the assumption that his whisper would be missed by Sesshomaru's ears; if so, he was sadly mistaken. Still, he said nothing about which he need be worried, and as his words both relaxed the woman at his side and gave Sesshomaru a less provocative means of address, he could not complain.
"Houshi, I do not know how you found this place -"
Sango spoke up, unwilling to play at submission or silence.
"Kagome told us she – you – lived in a fortress surrounded by a white stone wall, and Kirara followed her scent here."
Sesshomaru's eyes were drawn involuntarily downward to the twin-tailed kitten balanced on her palms. Kirara let out a faint mew.
"I...see."
He was unavoidably distracted. He could no longer hear his mother's steps; she had vanished from his view of the plains behind the two humans, and her scent was all around him now. It could not give him a direction for her presence.
"Regardless of how you came here, now is not the time for -"
But it was too late. One moment, there was the nothing that had so distracted him - and in the next he could see the reflection of his mother's figure in the eyes of the houshi and his woman, feel her presence as she leaned over his shoulder. Her breathing disturbed his hair and was uncomfortably moist against the side of his face.
It took an extra moment for the two humans to gasp and realize that the female who had appeared so suddenly beside their reluctant host was not Kagome. She had the same coloring of eyes and hair, the same dark youkai presence – but her hair was bound up in an outlandish fashion and her features were totally unfamiliar. Miroku, testing her presence with invisible senses, found power but not the warmth of a miko, and took a step back. Definitely, this was not Kagome!
Whens he spoke, her voice came out cold, a sarcastic drawl, and all the tension that had begun to dissipate from Sango's countenance returned at the sound of it.
"Fighting already, Sesshomaru? New mates shouldn't behave in such a way; it is not becoming."
In the space of a moment, with such speed that Miroku and Sango were left blinking in surprise, Sesshomaru turned and confronted his mother with sarcastic words of his own.
"Don't be more foolish than you can help, mother. New mates – what does that mean, when you have yet to see me with the female I have chosen?"
She was brought up short by his unforced calm, as he had intended. Sesshomaru allowed the faintest snarl to lift his lip and showed the point of one gleaming fang.
"Or were you deceived by rumor, mother? Were you, too, stupid enough to believe that I would claim a human as my own?"
She eyed him carefully; this was not the attitude she had expected of him. If she was truthful, she had believed the rumor; he had been carrying around that human girl-child for far too long, and it had even occurred to her that the child herself might be the one he had chosen for a mate. She had not thought humans grew so quickly, but now it seemed that she need not have worried. Although -
"Do not call your mother stupid, Sesshomaru. It is not polite. But if this woman is not your mate, then where is she?"
And who is she - that question, too, was in his mother's voice, but she did not say so it in so many words. Sesshomaru gave her a hard stare; he did not like her curiosity, he did not like her presence – he did not like this pair of humans who stood by, watching with wide-eyes and half-open mouths. His mother seemed to sense his dissatisfaction, and smiled at it.
"Surely it is not to much to ask that I be greeted respectfully by the one who seeks to take my place? Why is she not here with you, Sesshomaru?"
Her voice grated on his ears, and he made his decision before she had finished speaking.
"You were not expected until tomorrow, mother. You knew this; do not pretend. I will make some arrangement; Kagome readies herself to meet you even now. Wait in the northern garden, I am sure you know your way. But the two of you -"
He turned to face Sango and Miroku, and the two of them seemed to tremble.
"I will bring you to Kagome, and then you must leave this place. It is not safe for humans; she should never have told you to come here."
The woman stiffened, but the houshi beside her held out a restraining hand and assumed a neutral expression.
"Thank you, Sesshomaru-dono. It was not our intention to intrude."
Sesshomaru stared for a moment longer, and then inclined his head in the barest of nods.
"Come with me now."
He started towards the door, and they were close behind him. Ignored, Sesshomaru' mother let out a near-inaudible hmph of disgust and, notwithstanding, began to make her way towards the crushed-stone path that led to the northern side of the fortress.
But they all stopped and looked up as a bright voice called down from a high window.
"Sango! Miroku!"
A/N: And the long drought of chapters is over! I do apologize, but it was really unavoidable; I've written...three exams, a thesis, a research paper, and a short story for a contest in the last several weeks – finals coming up, so I'm doomed, you see. But the good news is that there are only three weeks left to the semester, and I will have considerably more free time over the summer! Anyway, the chapter! Finally, Sesshomaru's dear mother makes her appearance; yes, she does have a name – no, it is NOT Ignatius, though I was sorely tempted. Heh. And Sango and Miroku are back! With impeccably bad timing, aha! So let's see...coming soon...Mommy Meets Mate=Doom For Sesshomaru...but also some good stuff. Umm...oh! And I haven't forgotten about Rin and Shippou, they (and their project) may pop up in the next chapter as well, if there is time. And remember: T minus 2 days til Kagome's presentation! Now, reviews!
Avarenda: Inu Mommy makes her appearance in this chapter, but just wait - next chapter she'll meet Kagome, and they'll have...fun? HA!
Kouga's Older Woman: Yes! Tattoos for everyone! Ha, no, but seriously, I'm going to have fun with that. Rin is going to surprise all those youkai, that's for sure! I did finally pick a name for Sesshomaru's mom, but you'll have to wait for next chapter to see what it is. She has to give her formal introduction, after all. Haha. Ha. Ha. :D
clara954: Ha! Right, Kagome can't die or there's no story left! That would such a let down. But as far as Sesshomaru and the shikon no tama goes, remember - Kagome is his. And that means that in a very real way, anything which is hers is his...right? Haha. But he has never had any interest in such power, so I don't think he really cares too much.
Doll-Face.19: much thanks! please continue to enjoy!
AMUTOLOVER09: You suggested! You're awesome! And since you suggested, I will hint unto you that I did indeed use one of your suggestions, albeit slightly modified. One of my favorites, actually, it was on my list too. I must apologize, though, cause I think this was the slowest chapter yet...DAMN SCHOOL for taking away time from more important things! (OH! In Winds, one of my other fics, I am actually naming Inu-mama Rin - because of the different Kanji's you know, and because its...just...PERFECT! Heh.)
LadyNica: Holy wow! All at once? Much thanks!
Cassie Carlyle: Now lets see...you are reviews for the first four chapters, so it may take a while for you to catch up, but I still must thank you! Multiples of reviews are like reviews, but better - because multiple! :D Let me know if you like the rest!
lunarcat12: I only said Ignatius because it was the most ridiculous possible name; like I would really do that! Poor Inu-mama, NOBODY would take her seriously! I'm glad people seem to like Kagome's reading material - I was worried it might be boring, so yay! And Rin...Ah Rin. Backlash or not, Sesshomaru's going to do what he wants to do, because...he's Sesshomaru! It's a fun scene to write though, I can tell you that!
Carpathian She Wolf: Ah, you are a chapter 7 review! Sesshomaru is fighting himself, you see - and mostly failing. Mostly his problem is being unsure, and in denial, and labeling Kagome as Inuyasha's woman is the last thing he can do to keep himself away. (I'll tell you a secret though, it doesn't work! :D) Please let me know how you enjoy the rest of the story!
angelapage: Well, thank you! :D Sesshomaru will do what he always does, of course (perhaps I should caps this - ) KILL ALL WHO DEFY HIM! (that was fun). And Kagome...Kagome still needs to figure out exactly what's going on, a little at a time. Sesshomaru will help her with that, eventually - and someone...unexpected (by everyone!). :D
Nikki81977: Kagome is sort of doomed, isn't she? In fact, in the next chapter, she is going to make exactly that observation about herself! Ha! Because you know...eventually she has to notice that she just has no luck whatsoever...with anything. And especially not guys! Well, now she's okay, because Sesshomaru has claimed her and she's not really getting out of that (she doesn't want to. who would?) And as to women killing her off...aha. AHA! That's just the greatest review...because...well, because! Just wait and see! :D
OK! As far as I know, that's all of you; next chapter, I'm going to post a list in thanks of all those who have story-alerted or fav'd; you know I wish everyone would review (like that's ever going to happen) but there are indeed other positive buttons to click, and so those persons must be thanked too!
PLEASE REVIEW!
Final Revisions, complete! Not much to do for this chapter actually...that's...good! :D R&R!