XXXI.

Between A Whisper And The Truth

Kagome waited in the midst of Kimitsukiko's females, a glittering figure at the top of the stairs. There had been muttering in the halls before they had come outside - when Rin had joined them, radiant in a child's kimono patterned to match Kagome's. The girl wore a few glittering ornaments in her hair, but nothing like what Kagome had been loaded down with. She found herself a bit envious.

Around her, whispers were continuing. Though it had been known for some time that Sesshomaru had made a human child his ward, she had rarely been seen, and none of them understood what he meant by placing her among the honored females of his House. Kagome knew what was going on, and heartily approved; Kimitsukiko knew, and was resigned to the knowledge that a human would become part of the House of Blades. She comforted herself by looking at Kagome and reminding herself that it could have been worse. Her son could have chosen a human for his mate, not only his ward...and she knew she had only been spared that by a trick of fate.

Despite the murmurs, some of which she could certainly hear, Rin was beaming like the sun. Nothing but the approval of her Sesshomaru-sama mattered at all and very soon she would be his daughter, no longer just a ward. What could bother her, compared to that?

Rin's smiling courage and complete disregard of the gossiping going on around them was helpful to Kagome. After all – if the girl could do it, so could she. They were moving then, down the stairs and through the hall and outside.

When they stopped, Kagome found herself looking down towards the open Gate with the door to the main hall behind her. Like a flowing shadow, glinting here and there with the light of eyes, Sesshomaru's kin had come with the night, Inu all. At the moment, they were below her, spread out and talking softly. He was among them now; she watched carefully, following with her eyes as Sesshomaru's movements created currents and eddies in the flow of guests.

She was forced to suppress a tingle of nervous fear as she watched the numbers of their visitors grow, male and female. The scents were numerous, both exhilarating and exhausting. The silk-covered courtyard was alive with a swirl of activity, many strangers in bright dress moving with that quick and darting elegance only youkai seemed capable of. Kagome took a deep, quick breath, and exhaled slowly.

Can't be afraid, can't be afraid...they are his family, so now they are my family.

She took a deep breath.

My family. There is no one else for me here.

Lost in thought, she stood silently, observing. Her gaze latched on to Sesshomaru's tall figure moving through the others, coming back toward her. Even now, even in this place where he was surrounded by other Inu, he stood out. He was taller, his eyes more glowing; his aura was a palpable presence that dimmed the feeling of all other energies. He had dressed in white and gold to match her; his hair had been tied up and he looked more than ever like his father - like a true warlord, a youkai emperor.

She took a deep breath and felt youki shifting in her body, a flow of strength. This was her Sesshomaru and he had chosen her, of that she had no doubt. The certainty that she was wanted, that was the best feeling in the world, the feeling that her battered soul had craved. But to be wanted by someone like him -

In another moment, Sesshomaru was by her side. He bent over her and swept the shimmering beads aside, looked down at her face. Her determined expression soothed his anxiety.

"It is time, Kagome. We will introduce you now."

And he took her hand and led her down the stairs.

Inu crowded around them; Kimitsukiko stayed directly behind, and Kagome waited quietly, wondering what she would be expected to do. Dozens of eyes focused on her, glittering in the night, and only when there was total silence did Sesshomaru speak.

"I give you my mate, Kagome, Dragon-miko, a daughter of the House of Fire, guardian of the shikon no tama. Tomorrow in the dark of the moonless night she will be Marked with the burning Ink. She is mine now, and Inu, the Lady of the House of Blades; let her be welcome among you."

His words were met with howls of approval and growls of discontent. Only Kasuka stood in silence, alone at the back of the group of females, her mouth half-open. To her certain knowledge there was only one family, one line, mother to daughter, that could produce a Dragon-miko. How was this possible?

It was then that she noticed the group of Dragons who had silently assembled and were standing in the open gate. Her eyes narrowed – who would have such presumption? - and then widened.

"Eldest!"

Her voice escaped as a vicious whisper, but that was more than enough for the ears of the Inu all around her; even Kagome heard. The barest rustle of breath moved from one place to another until there was utter quiet. Every eye was focused on the gate. In the furthest corner of the courtyard, even Kinawai stood slowly and stared, paling.

Long after the silence had become heavy, Sesshomaru stepped forward and focused on his unexpected guest. He had never seen her, but he knew who she was, just as they all did: Eldest of them all, Mother of the lines of the House of Fire, she was a fixture in youkai legends and history. Once they had called her the last of the Dragon-miko...though no longer, with Kagome here beside him. And -

He took a deep a breath and spoke before his racing thoughts could strangle him.

"I bid you welcome, Eldest. For what reason are we honored by your presence?"

She laughed.

"You need to ask, Sesshomaru? Did you not receive the message I sent with Kinawai – did you have no curiosity about my information and its sources?"

A low, throbbing growl escaped Sesshomaru's throat. He did remember; he had been curious, but this was just too unexpected. And if she knew – what did she know? Would she reveal Kagome's secrets, his secrets? He almost growled, but refrained from any reaction in the face of the eyes he expected to be on him.

But many of those standing around him were ignoring him completely, staring instead at Kinawai, who was now leaning against a tree, gazing into his cup of wine. It was not difficult to make the connection between the length and frequency of his recent visits and this new information. He was, after all, the Lord of the House of Fire – and Sesshomaru's new mate claimed lineage from that House. Murmurs moved like waves through the crowd.

Sesshomaru took all of this in with a quick and sweeping glance, and then turned back to Eldest. She only smiled faintly and then fixed Sesshomaru with piercing, ice-blue eyes. Her words had a particular emphasis that calmed some of his fears and raised new questions in their place.

"I have come to be with your mate as custom requires; I am her closest living kin, after all, and so I should...take care of her. Won't you bring her forward, Sesshomaru?"

His movements slow, Sesshomaru turned and caught Kagome's questioning glance, nodded. She stepped forward until his hand on her back warned her that she had gone far enough. Eldest addressed her warmly, and once again Sesshomaru was completely confused. If it had not been for the still greater confusion that reached him from Kagome, he might have believed the two of them had met before – but regardless, he saw immediately that such a pretense of familiarity could only serve his cause.

"Well, now – the change went well for you, I see; and such lovely golden eyes! You are Kagome, of course, but I will call you sister-daughter, as is my right. These others call me Eldest – but I, too have a name; call me Oyume, won't you?"

Kagome only nodded; the beads on her headdress clanged softly together. Eldest turned swiftly to face the curious Inu gathered around them.

"Have you been introduced to all of them, sister-daughter, the ones who will be your new kin?"

Hesitantly, Kagome nodded again. She didn't think she had, not really – but then, that was obviously not the answer this female wanted. Eldest's smile was warm, but her words were brisk.

"Then we should return inside, where you belong. In the old days, a moonspan of seclusion would have been given you, and not a single night; time to prepare, to adapt to many changes. Certainly you are not accustomed to your new flesh yet – from Dragon to Inu, it is not easy, I expect."

Kagome nodded again, more faintly.

If she only knew!

Eldest turned back to Sesshomaru. He was looking at her now with a calculating expression, and she smiled faintly, raised an eyebrow.

"I take it you have prepared an appropriate set of rooms?"

He looked back and forth between the two of them. He had, indeed, prepared rooms...but they had been intended for the females of his family, not for Eldest.

He was still not entirely convinced that this was happening.

"I...have set aside the East Wing for the long night and the preparation of the Ink. I did not expect you to be in attendance upon her; females of my own family were intending -"

"So thoughtful, Sesshomaru...but I am here now. My entourage is not large; we will find room for ourselves."

She turned then and swept her eyes across the Dragons huddled behind her, each of them wide-eyed, staring at Kagome.

"Come! Greet the daughter of our House on this, the last night that it shall be true of her that she is one of us."

Dragons passed before Kagome and fell at her feet. The Inu gathered around them watched avidly as, one at a time, faster than she had a chance of remembering, each Dragon offered a name, along with a form of address that she did not understand.

"Kazuhiro, Hime-sama, of the House of Fire."

"I am Yoshiyuki, Hime-sama, in the service of your mother's House -"

"Ryouta, Hime-sama -"

"Chikyoko, Hime-sama -"

"Miho, Hime-sama -"

"Sayuri, Hime-sama-"

The names tumbled over each other. A rush swept the through the gathered Inu, seeing so many Dragons offering so much respect to this newcomer, of whom none of them had ever heard. In a matter of moments, Kagome had gained huge amounts of prestige. Not only had Sesshomaru, the untouchable one, taken her for his mate, but Eldest had come out of self-imposed exile for her, claiming right of kin, claiming to be her closest kin. Now the leaders of some the most respected among the Dragon houses bent the knee before her. None among the watchers seemed to notice Kagome's confusion; it was just as well.

As Eldest came forward again and took Kagome's elbow, leading her back towards the stairs, Inu parted in front of them with a rustle of silk and a flicker of uneasy awe in every eye. Kagome looked up as she walked past Kimitsukiko, and caught a glimmer of an expression in her face that had been there before. There was an echo in Kagome's memory of another moment - "Finish it, Hime-sama."

What did it mean? Hime-sama. She was nobody's princess! Confusion and fear leaked out of her and reached Sesshomaru, but there was nothing he could do – nothing he wanted to do. Eldest's appearance had been completely unexpected and he had no clue as to her motives...but for the moment, her influence seemed to be accomplishing what he had wanted all along. Kagome would have an invulnerable position, a position that no one would dare assail.

Even those who thought they might have a chance of defeating her in Challenge would never dare violence while Eldest looked on, claiming her as kin. Who would be so foolish?

Kagome stopped and looked back at him from the top of the stairs, resisting the pull of Eldest's hands on her arm, trying to bring her inside. He nodded once, sharply, and tried to convey as much reassurance as he could with his glance, with the presence of his own internal calm. It did not help much, and he felt that, but what could he do? She would realize that she was in no danger soon enough.

As she moved around the corridor, surrounded by the small company of Dragons and with Eldest by her side, Kagome forced herself to stay very calm and not make unnecessary noises. But she was confused; this was not what she had expected, not at all! Sesshomaru's wariness had filled her with unease, with fear...but this! What was going on? Every time she met the eyes of one of the Dragons near her, they shied away and looked straight down.

Kagome was desperate for some time alone, some time to think, but it didn't seem like that was going to happen. Eldest was herding her along towards rooms she had not yet explored, and as they approached a wind and a whisper seemed to go before them. There was a clatter from some distance ahead that sounded like several screens being closed quickly, and Kagome winced slightly and wished she could cover her ears.

From beside her, Eldest's voice sounded both consoling and curious.

"Too loud, sister-daughter? The Inu has ears that much more sensitive?"

Kagome nodded quickly, and then stammered out a response.

"Y-yes, El- Oyume-sama."

"Interesting, truly. I would not give up my Dragon-self for anything, but I see you have a spark of something with this young Inu, hmm?"

Kagome flushed red for a moment, but Eldest only laughed quietly and patted her arm with one pale hand.

"That is good, sister-daughter. Let the spark become what it wants to, in its own time. It will be good for you; you have had much hardship, yes?"

Kagome nodded again, dumbly. Then the question popped out, before she had a chance to stop herself.

"How do you know so much -"

"Well, they do not call me Eldest for nothing, you know! Now, sister-daughter, I think the rest of our conversation should wait for a little privacy, don't you?"

"Of course, Oyume-sama."

Kagome was pleased that her voice came out without stuttering this time, and with some sense. She had been going to ask how this Eldest, Oyume, knew so much about her...but in retrospect, she realized that asking such questions to someone acting like her best friend might seem odd. Since said female was not her best friend, was, in fact, someone she had only just met for the first time, there was probably a reason for the deception.

And Sesshomaru seems to approve...

On light feet, the Dragons made their way through a maze of curtained passageways, following behind Eldest and Kagome. They stopped in front of a painted door, and Eldest raised an eyebrow in Kagome's direction.

"Shall we?"

She didn't wait for an answer, but instead slid the door open. On the other side were beautifully appointed rooms, much more feminine than anything Kagome had seen in the rest of the castle, but still very youkai. No one was inside, though there was evidence of recent occupation; a half empty cup of dark wine, a robe left carelessly hung over a chair. Just as they stepped inside, there was a great rustling and many footsteps behind them; Kimitsukiko and her females had finally caught up.

"Eldest, you must forgive the state of these rooms; we did not expect - "

"Company other than yourselves. Of course – I understand. Do not stand on ceremony, Kimitsukiko, but tell me a place where I may be alone with my sister-daughter for a time. A place where prying ears will not find us. I have been parted from her for a long time, and now there are things we must speak of together before your son has her all to himself."

Kimitsukiko hesitated. She was under strict instructions from Sesshomaru to make sure that Kagome was never alone in circumstances where she might give away her strangeness. Among her own females, such discretion was the matter of a moment's thought only. This development, however, changed things; it was all but impossible for her to deny such a request.

"Eldest, I do not wish to cause difficulty, but I cannot think of such a place. The courtyards are full of guests, and many of them will wander inside, I'm sure...

Eldest smiled.

"A clever answer, Kimitsukiko. No matter; I will walk with Kagome and she will tell me if someone is out of bounds. Miho!"

Lithe and quick, the smallest of the females in Eldest's entourage came forward at the summons, and Eldest relieved her of the largest bundle that had come with her. Inquisitive eyes attempted to broach the security of the packet, but Eldest handed it to Kimitsukiko and fixed her with a firm stare.

"Please, air these for me wherever is convenient...but lock the door of that room. I will have need of this tomorrow."

There were whispers, but Eldest turned away then and took Kagome's hand, tucked it under her elbow and tugged her along again, back out of the room.

When they came to hallways that were empty and silent, Eldest finally stopped walking and turned to Kagome with a different smile on her face, more friendly, more open.

"Sister-daughter, you must forgive my deception, because I know we have never met before today. But if you'll forgive me, it is as though you are someone I know very well; you have your mother's face."

Kagome's mouth dropped open.

"You – you know my mother? How could - but I didn't – I never said -"

"I knew as soon as I saw you, Inu or not; you have her eyes, her shape of face...it has been more than a thousand years since I last saw my sister, and my heart has long thought that she must be dead, but you! I never expected to find you; I did not know she had a daughter, or I might have sought you ought long ago."

Kagome flushed with panic. Eldest had obviously made a terrible mistake. A sister and her child lost a thousand years ago – there was no way! She had been born in the future, and her mother was human, and there was no way -

"There – there must be some mistake, Eldest. I can't – I can't be who you think I am. It's – impossible."

Suddenly very still, Eldest raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And why is that?"

Kagome took a deep breath, shook her head. The beads on her headdress clattered against each other.

"I can't – I can't tell you. Sesshomaru – he would be furious, and it's not – it's not easy to understand. I don't even understand, really..."

Eldest only smiled, and Kagome was confused. No one smiled at Sesshomaru's fury; not even her – not even Rin.

"Perhaps you should ask me now the question you intended earlier, sister-daughter."

Kagome let out a sharp breath. The words came from her lips slowly.

"How- how do you know so much about me? You said it – we have never met before – and yet...and yet..."

Kagome shrugged. She could not explain it, but she, too, felt a strange familiarity for the female sitting opposite her.

"I did not come here lightly, sister-daughter. This place is painful for me, but I know your bloodline...and your history – yes, all your history, or at least as much of it as concerns me."

Kagome's mouthed words soundlessly; not for the first time, she was grateful for the concealing headdress.

"Were you worrying that I don't know how it was that he found you, sister-daughter? Do you think I don't know that it was with a human face that you first came here? I even know that you were the miko that restored the shattered gem, that once you accompanied the hanyou, your Sesshomaru's brother."

"How could you know that? Sesshomaru couldn't have told you -"

Eldest's smile was growing wider as Kagome's surprise increased.

"No, he couldn't have, but there was no need for him to do so. Sister-daughter, it was I who sent Kinawai, message in hand, to view your hidden self with the Sight he has been gifted through his mother's blood. It was I who ensured that your young Inu would be prodded into action against the whisper of his pride – I, who saw that without you beside him, terror would wash over this place...over all of us."

Eldest's voice had grown, not in volume, but in intensity. Each word rang in Kagome's ears, unyielding and sharp.

"I did all this, and now I have come to ensure that you will not be slain at the hand of some foolish female who desires your young Inu. I came to cover you with the mantle of my protection. "

There was a moment of silence.

"Is there something I am missing, then, sister-daughter?"

Kagome closed her eyes briefly. Thoughts flashed through her head, but she could see no point in voicing them. After all, if Eldest knew so much, surely she knew about the temporal journey that had brought Kagome back here...

So she stayed silent, her head shaking back and forth. Her thoughts ran back over what Eldest had been telling her. Could it be possible? Could it be true? After all, if her parents had truly been human, wouldn't she herself be equally mortal? There was a memory nagging at the back of her mind, a hint that might lead to an explanation, but she couldn't quite get at it.

Eldest gave her a few minutes to come to terms with these new revelations, watching carefully. She was hoping that filial obligation might pave the road to friendship, perhaps affection; she had been a long time without family, her own mate and children lost to her and all her living kin generations distant, sharing only the thinnest thread of blood.

"Come, sister-daughter – this was not the discussion I intended to have with you tonight. There will be time in the future to explain such truths. Tell me, have you selected one among your mate's kin to mark you with the Ink?"

Caught off guard by the change of topic, Kagome shook her head, and then found herself stammering again.

"N-no, Oyume-sama."

"You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"

There was faint amusement in those ice-blue eyes, and Kagome flushed faintly.

"Not...not really. Sesshomaru might have mentioned something, but he didn't tell me much about what I would actually have to do. I think sometimes he forgets that I was human – or he tries to, anyway -"

Eldest interrupted her grumbling.

"Then I will tell you what you have to know. This marking with the Ink is the middle portion of our oldest Rite, a Rite older even than I am. It begins in the Chase, when males seek out a female for a mate. Usually it is during the Heat that this happens, but your case is special. Tell me, do you find that the scent of your blood has a strong effect on youkai?"

"Yes, but mostly...on Sesshomaru. He's always been a little – odd – when I was around, but I thought that was because of I-Inuyasha."

"That was because the Beast held in bondage within you was seeking a way out. Such restraints require strength to break, and there is no doubt that he is strong; the strongest, they say, so perhaps that is why the scent affected him most. You will find as time passes that the influence of your blood will lessen, though it will never disappear. That means you will have to find other ways to interest him, sister-daughter...if you haven't already."

Kagome's flush darkened to fiery crimson, and Eldest laughed.

"When the Chase is completed, it is time for the Ink. It is a special mixture, blood and heat and juice pressed from the roots of the Demon Flower. It makes a living Mark; it is the only thing that will leave a stain in youkai flesh. Males are given such a mark at the time of their Awakening, when they come into the fullness of their strength, and it reflects the highest House to which they are kin-bound. Females are given such a mark only with the taking of a mate, and their attachment from that day forward is to the House of their mate, to his alliances and his kin."

Kagome blew out a breath that rustled the hanging beads.

"A living Mark...what does that mean?"

"The Ink knows power, and the flow of the blood with which it was made. Changes in that power, in that flow, may change the Mark."

Kagome still didn't understand, but Eldest seemed impatient to continue her explanation so she kept her questions to herself.

"Sister-daughter, the Ink, when it is fresh, is like a drug to the Beast inside you. It will ripen the urges of your youkai nature. The Presentation, the end of the Rite, will only follow when the influence of the Ink is full upon you. Perhaps...perhaps that is why your Sesshomaru has not mentioned this to you – you, who does not yet understand what it means to be youkai."

Kagome frowned.

"But...what should I -"

Eldest shook her head gravely.

"Sister-daughter, for this Rite you cannot ask, 'What should I do?', because only the urge of your blood in those moments will be able to answer that question. You cannot ask 'What will that be?', because no one knows but the Beast in your soul. Do you understand?"

Kagome blinked slowly, and then laughed a little.

"No. Not really. But then...that hasn't been unusual, in this place."

Worry-wrinkles at the corners of Eldest's eyes smoothed into a smile, and she patted Kagome's elbow gently.

"Not to worry, sister-daughter. I will take care of you; we are kin, after all."

But she paused for a moment, and her eyes seemed to slide out of focus; she continued in a whisper that Kagome was sure was not for her.

"Still – I never thought I would return here; never thought I would walk through these halls again..."

Kagome was startled by the history implicit in those words, and wondered at it; Eldest had come here before? It was the second time she had referred to Sesshomaru's fortress as a place that caused her some distress. Kagome wondered why, but her questions were stopped on her lips, not by Eldest, but by a feeling that no answer would be forthcoming. She sensed agony that must have taken place in the distant past, and held her silence.

After a moment, Eldest shook her head and glanced at Kagome, dispelling some memory or emotion.

"Come. It grows late, and there are others waiting for us. It is time for the telling of stories and the making of the Ink."

Kagome looked at her uncomfortably for a moment, and then spoke quickly before she could lose her nerve.

"Oyume-sama, could you – that is, would you do – would you make – that Mark?"

Eldest nodded once and her features grew warm again as she gestured for Kagome to go before her down the way they had come.

"I would allow no one else to do so, sister-daughter."

While Eldest spoke with Kagome in the empty corridors of the fortress, Sesshomaru was involved in probing conversation with one of those few he had trusted to spread the truth. Akira had been the most forthcoming; this was well with him, for the green-eyed Inu was the one Sesshomaru found most trustworthy.

Akira was the only one who had defended Kagome, the only one who had treated her with proper respect from the beginning. Still, Sesshomaru kept his inquiries casual; many might be listening.

"You did as I asked?"

Akira nodded slowly; his eyes were always moving, darting between guests, judging intentions, but he looked at no one directly.

"There was not much difficulty, Sesshomaru-dono. Your name still carries weight, and those of us who first met her were more convincing in our story than a half-whispered rumor could be. As it was, many did not believe the muttering in the first place. Your distaste for humans is legendary; you must know, my Lord, that it is for that reason that so many questioned the presence of the girl-child."

"Rin is not your concern. The rumor – did you hear anything yourself, or only what others had been told?"

Akira's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"It is known that I have allied myself to you; I expect it is for that reason that I have heard only hearsay. None of those I spoke to seemed to know where the rumor had its source, and as you requested caution I have been unable to probe with direct questions. There were many silences in interesting places, but while a lie is easily detected, an evasion can mean many things. There are those who consider themselves to be neither your allies nor your enemies, my Lord...and I think they are the ones most worth watching for."

Sesshomaru nodded, allowed his eyes to close. For a moment sound rose over him like a wave; he heard a few conversations that spun around this very point he was debating with Akira, but most tongues moved with Eldest's name, questioning her presence, her purpose, her alliance with Sesshomaru...he opened his eyes and felt a flicker of amusement.

Alliance with me? Perhaps, but I do not think that is her intention. She has come here for Kagome's sake, just as she sent Kinawai for Kagome's sake...and I do not know why any more than they do. Is it really enough that they are kin? Does the power of a miko create an extra bond between them? But why would that be so important - important enough to draw her out of the North?

His awareness was full of the peculiar circumstances which had brought Kagome into his world. He knew her origins and he wondered in silence if Eldest, too, was a part of that strange secret. It was a secret he kept because he sensed that Kagome wanted it so, and not because it was something which was harmful of itself; far worse, for those who waited with hungry ears to hear that she had been human, than that she had come from some distance in time – far worse. For youkai, immortal beings, the future just was; not something to be discussed or contemplated or influenced, but simply a continuation of that which had always been into that which was not yet. Time flowed for youkai in an ever-presence of now, unchanging and eternal.

True, in recent years that belief had been shifting; there were those like Sesshomaru, who were intelligent and who looked outwards from their own territories and saw the movements of humans as something to be watched warily; not with fear, but with questions. There were so many of them now. Projecting human increases into the future offered a daunting prospect. Not only the humans themselves were trouble, but the things that went with them – buildings and farmlands, razed forests, mines dug deep into mountains that had once been places of power...

Abruptly, Sesshomaru realized that this was, perhaps, more important than he had considered previously. The world in the dream he had stolen from Kagome loomed sharply in his mind, a world in which nothing was familiar, nothing safe. There was a sense of death in the memory of that glass-and-steel grid which he could not explain, and with which he had never confronted Kagome – because to do so was not only to admit that he had seen her sleeping thoughts, but to give voice to something which he had never before contemplated: fear. Fear of the unknown, and fear of the rolling years...fear of what might happen when, long days ahead, the shift that had begun in the recent past drew to a close.

"My Lord? My Lord - "

Akira's voice startled him out of his thoughts, and Sesshomaru turned his attention back to the other Inu.

"There is something else, Akira?"

"No – no, my Lord."

"Good. You are my closest kin, Akira, and you have proved yourself trustworthy. There are still things that must be prepared for tomorrow night; I will return later but for now, I leave these festivities in your hands."

"Yes, Sesshomaru-dono. I will make sure none of these fools destroy anything. Or each other."

Akira smirked faintly; Sesshomaru only nodded, and then turned sharply away. There were murmurs as he passed, and questions here or there, but few complaints. Without his presence, the drinking became freer, the talk more open. But not even Akira noticed that Kinawai had disappeared with Sesshomaru.

A/N: And, finally, another chapter! I do apologize for taking so long, but I've been ill for quite some time and it was completely impossible for me to type. In between sleeping, sleeping, and lying in a drug-induced daze, I did scribble the occasional bit here or there, so, with any luck, the next chapter should be quite a bit faster! Anyway, Eldest, Sesshomaru, and Kagome, oh my! Umm...Next Chapter: Presentation Begins, Kagome gets a new Tattoo (and so does Rin!), and Other Stuff! And now...Reviews!

MissTessa: Much thanks! Inu-mama doesn't have much choice, of course; Kagome can blow her up! Of course she won't, because I won't let her...but does she know that?

Ginnie177: Not as soon as I'd like, but ta-da, update! I have to agree with you, everyone become ultra powerful and immortal just doesn't work out right...but for this fic, Kagome becomes youkai because it was necessary to fix the enormous gaping plot hole which is The Well. NOTHING annoys me more than plot holes! Anyway, next chapter is ½ done, so more soon! Thanks for you great review!

Lunarcat12: I'm doomed to never get out as many updates as I'd like – but, still, late is better than never! (I think) Kimitsukiko is doing well at the moment, but soon...hehe.

kouga's older woman: definitely not! And now she has help!

White Ivy: Exactly! Eldest provides a source of outside influence that is very helpful for Kagome...although it may cause trouble later on!

AMUTOLOVER09: A birthday present, a birthday present! Sorry I never got out more for you, but I was busy dying. Now that I'm done with that and alive again, more for you! Kasuka's reaction to Eldest is one of the more amusing things I had fun with – that's why I had her notice the arrival first. There's a good deal more amusement to come from that in the next chapter – I would feel sorry for her, except that she's evil! I'd have to say that Kasuka probably embodies the hatred and the resentment of both the hutu and the tutsi...and also she's insane.

TQ23: Sorry to take so long; glad to hear you enjoy the tale! Reviews are always greatly appreciated.

IceCweamWuver: It is really long, huh? There's a sequel, which is about half done, and which I have no intention of posting until this one is done – but there's still a ways to go in this fic. I'd say we're reaching about...oh maybe the halfway point. The action is going to pick up very soon! Thanks much for the review!

twilight's fang: Much thanks for the review; Kasuka's Dragons are most definitely dead! She has summoned them from the afterlife, her ancestors and those who were bound to them...we'll find out more about them pretty soon!

Tiajei: Much thanks for all your reviews! I try to make sure that there aren't grammar and spelling errors, because I have the same problem you do – I hate that! It seems to me that anyone taking the trouble to write fanfiction should take the tiny bit more trouble and ensure that their work is actually legible! I've stopped reading interesting stories myself because there were so many errors that it was impossible to keep going. Anyway, it's glad to know those extra few minutes are appreciated; I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!