Chapter 9.- Lingering questions

2005, third deviation

The words on the page weren't exactly registering, but honestly, Kagome couldn't really bring herself to worry about it. Her travels were over now, and if she managed to pass her exams last year by studying at campfire light between demon attacks and frenzied chases, she could pass this year. Even if she was a little distracted every so often.

Besides, if what she'd felt last night wasn't a hallucination, things might become messy, and she'd learned it was better to be prepared.

Pretending her attention remained on the book she was supposed to be reading, the girl let her fingers to keep brushing back locks of blond hair.

Ever since her reunion with her old friends, Mikey had become far more adamant in taking over more of her time. No…that was wrong. The delinquent leader had always done all he could to make his presence in her life known. From the moment he learned what school she attended, she could count on finding him waiting for her at the school gates, and on the odd occasion he was busy and couldn't get her, one of the other captains would be waiting for her. Those days, she'd be sure to receive at least a couple of texts from him. The time they spent together could be entirely trivial, but Mikey refused to let a day pass without having some sort of interaction. Still, he'd tried not to intrude too much in her family life at first, probably thanks to Draken's intervention. Finding her pack again had undeniably changed things.

It's not that the blond tried to keep her away from them, he knew how much they mattered to her. Mikey would never try to restrict her. But the time she spent with her pack was time the girl couldn't spend with him. And it'd be a lie to say Kagome didn't resent the loss of their afternoons. Never one for patient acceptance, Mikey's answer to the little problem they faced was to throw away his initial attempts to grant her privacy out the window. Accepting her mother's invitation to stay for lunch or dinner after dropping her off was something that happened every other day, and he'd started to linger for longer periods of time, even if it was only to nap while she tried to study. For the most part, it worked out, and even if it didn't, Kagome was well aware that, technically, it didn't matter anymore. Not one member of her pack would allow her to fail. She was just too stubborn to take the easy way out, though. After all the effort she put in to pass last year's tests, paying (or intimidating) her way out to a passing grade felt too much like cheating, and that much, Mikey understood.

Quiet afternoons spent under a tree, a pile of books thrown around them while he dozed off on her lap were quickly becoming the norm.

Usually, his presence helped her breathe with more ease, disregarding the stage and the spotlight. Right now, however, the sight of him kept reminding her of the one thing pulling her attention away from the old poem she was supposed to be studying for her essay. It couldn't be helped when what her mind continued to go back to was the nervous boy the delinquent leader insisted on bringing to a Toman meeting.

Mikey's interest could be persistent, obsessive even; that much had been obvious almost from the moment they met, but depending on what caught his eye, the boy could be as fickle as a little boy in a toy store. In the months they'd been together, he had hyper-fixated and completely forgot about half a dozen things already.

Back when he first talked about the odd boy he met a week or so ago, Kagome hadn't been sure which of the two responses he'd have, so she hadn't paid too much attention to the name just yet. She wasn't just a passing interest, if anything, the more time they spent together, the harder it was to stay apart for both of them. Getting jealous of a newcomer would've been pointless. After last night's meeting, though, Kagome wasn't sure not paying attention was a wise decision anymore.

Weak but stubborn, that was the way Mikey described him, and the miko supposed she could see the first part.

Gray-blue eyes had flickered all over the place, scared prey trying to be brave while surrounded by predators. It was kind of cute, watching the guy trying to put up a front to keep his girlfriend calm despite how nervous he was. Honestly, if that was all, Kagome would've been happy to stay back and watch over how things went on. Mikey's impulsiveness was one of the things that she loved about him after all. She'd never been interested in trying to control either Toman or its leader. But there was something off about Hanagaki Takemichi that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She'd sensed it before. It was a sensation she couldn't quite recognize that immediately made her look the newcomer's way. Something about his aura was different. He was human enough, of that much the miko had no doubt. Not too dissimilar to other gang members, she could tell he was good-hearted if a little rough around the edges, nothing that would worry her.

Azure eyes flickered down…

If there was anyone she should worry about within Toman, it was probably the blond sleeping on her lap. It was hard to notice at first glance, but there was a blade hidden underneath his sunny disposition. Of course, it couldn't compare to the sort of bloodlust she could feel in the members of her pack, then again, in this era few humans could get that peculiar achievement. Mikey and the others could handle themselves, but the story would be different if they got involved with her type of problems.

A low grumble almost had her laughing as she forced her gaze to return to her book.

Kagome had seen the blond take down gangsters twice his size with a single kick, and he could command a full crowd without even uttering a single word, but here was the invincible Mikey, pouting and burrowing his face against her because she stopped petting his hair. Really, he was acting like a kid throwing a tantrum for being ignored. But that was just it. She didn't need to worry whether or not there was a hidden meaning in his words; Mikey did and said only what he wanted to.

It'd be a lie to say he didn't envy him sometimes.

"You worried?" Azure eyes abandoned her schoolbook to find black voids staring at her.

"Even if it's not an easy fight, it's not like we can back down," she replied absentmindedly. The Mobius situation was slipping her mind lately. "They'll keep testing their luck."

"Have you ever backed down from a fight, Me-chan?" Mikey asked with a laugh.

"Of course I have!" Her fake outrage got her a brighter grin. "…mostly when there were no other options."

"That's more like it, but that's not what I'm talking about."

Perceptive wasn't usually one of the words used to describe him, but Kagome had seen more than enough of the blond to know he could pick up on far more things than most people gave him credit for. In the few months they'd known each other, Mikey had learned how to read her. Even though he'd never once attempted to pry into her secrets, only ever asking questions about them after she shared her fairy tale stories, the boy could always tell whenever she tried to put on an act.

"Takemichi-kun…how did you meet him again?" The question was vague and, to a point, unprompted, she asked it anyway.

"One of our guys was beating the shit out of him, but he kept standing up," her boyfriend snickered, not asking for any clarification. "He wasn't the one in the wrong though. Honestly, he looked like fun."

"Now that's just mean." Kagome was the one to laugh this time, shaking her head and pulling on his hair a little.

"Think it's more accurate than anything else," Mikey played offended before his voice lowered, his eyes sharpening. "Did he bother you?"

"Ummm…not bother exactly, but I guess I am curious."

From their short interaction, she didn't think Takemichi was dangerous, and she couldn't feel any sort of animosity towards anyone from the delinquent group. Still, it was better to be prepared. Supernatural shenanigans had a habit of getting out of hand and could turn volatile in a hurry, especially when the people involved had no experience with it.

Still, she wasn't sure of anything right now, and she didn't want her boyfriend to start watching himself around the newcomer. He was having fun. No need to ruin it for him out of potentially paranoid suspicions.

"Alright then." With a grin, he stood up. "Do you need a ride?"

"Ride?"

"You wanna meet with those guys, don't you?" His voice was confident, and he looked entirely unbothered. "I'll get you there and back."

"Oh, that's…" Kagome trailed off.

Words faltered on her tongue.

Mama had never openly said anything about the sudden onslaught of demonic presence around her daughter. No matter how much Kagome tried to sanitize her stories, her mother probably understood the only reason the girl was still alive was because of the youkais that became her allies. Of course all of her old friends were welcome in the shrine, but she had seen a little hesitation in her mother's eyes whenever they were mentioned or came around. And a part of her wondered, if maybe, the woman could sense the scent of blood that clung to those who took on the roles of warrior.

Demons were no peaceful beings. Honorable or not, youkais dealt with heavy stakes; none of them would ever be happy to solve their disagreements in a calm and orderly fashion. Blood spilled was a sign of a well-fought battle. Strength and skill were what truly mattered, that was their nature, and no matter how many centuries passed, it wouldn't change. That's why Kagome wasn't exactly surprised when she learned Sesshoumaru and the others had gotten together and formed a Yakuza clan, the most powerful clan in the country right now. The Lord of the West would never be satisfied by bringing political or financial ruin upon his enemies, no matter how brutal. Organized crime fit the daiyoukai perfectly. If she was being honest, she was more surprised by the fact that he'd managed to gather so many others under his banner, considering how uninterested he was in interacting with others, Shippo was likely the one responsible for recruiting the others. Regardless, not one member of the Crescent Moon clan would ever hesitate to use as much violence as necessary to put an end to whatever trouble came their way.

They were always careful to remove anything that might betray their association with the underworld, but they couldn't fully shed their roles. Feral and even brutal, bloodlust tinged their aura, and even someone like her mother, who had no experience in dealing with people like them, could feel there was something off. The last thing Kagome wanted to do was to make the woman worry, so she began to make excuses and met with the clan outside the shrine. And Mikey had wasted no time to offer himself as her personal mode of transportation. It saved her the effort of having to come up with one lie after another.

Being prepared never hurt anyone.

"And how long will it take us to get there?" Kagome asked with a smile.

"Less than an hour," Shameless smile in place, the boy ignored the more realistic 20-minute travel time. "Maybe."

"Gods, you're incorrigible." It would likely take them a little longer; the only place he got her to on time was her classes.

"You love that, though." There wasn't even a sliver of doubt in his words. "Now then?"

Shaking her head, the miko laughed even as she took his offered hand. She wouldn't relax until she'd at least talked to her pack; besides, she still missed them a little too much.

Unlike her human family, the clan didn't expect her to act the role of a well-behaved, obedient, shrine-raised girl. Kagome had never been able to act like a proper priestess anyway; they were used to her oddities, they were happy just being with her, even if she went off script. Together with Toman, they'd become her refuge. With them, there was no need to mind the stage.

Granted, the girl was still a little upset about Sesshoumaru taking his sweet time before letting her know he and the others were still alive, but she could understand why he did that.

In order to make sure the past remained intact, they had to keep her in the dark. Even the smallest change in the timeline could create a butterfly effect, and no one was willing to risk it. For generations, the clan had looked after her family, ensuring their safety by keeping crime away from the area, sending anonymous donations, and keeping them afloat no matter what. Shippo had wrestled the surveillance assignment from the others, only being forcefully removed the year before she fell down the well. It would've been easy to tell her to keep quiet about youkais' continued survival, coach her through her reactions, but Inuyasha traveled to her time a bit too frequently for him not to notice other demons' presence around the shrine, and the hanyou was not a good actor. Yes, not telling her had been the right choice. But Sesshoumaru's original plan to wait for a full year before approaching her was a little bit too much, in her humble opinion.

Relief drowned her anger, though; she couldn't stay away from those she loved.

Just the same, she'd do everything to protect those she loved.

Having to lie to her mother wasn't ideal, but then again, this wouldn't be the first time, and it likely wouldn't be the last.

The warmth of Mikey's hand holding hers made it easier to smile at her mother and say she was going to meet Emma for a late movie afternoon and not to worry because the delinquent leader would bring her back straight to the doorstep, and no, she wouldn't stay out for too long. Maybe it shouldn't have been that easy. At the very least, she should be feeling some kind of guilt, but feeling the wind on her face as she hugged the boy's middle, Kagome could only focus on the freedom she felt right now.

Old-style hallways had never felt so much like home.

Despite having lived in a shrine for so long, Kagome had never been all that interested in her country's history. While she found traditional aesthetics cute enough, they were something she only ever cared about during festivals, and yet, the massive estate her pack had settled in felt incredibly comfortable. The constant feeling of demonic auras all around her made it feel even more nostalgic. Walking through the Mikazuki clan's main residence, the miko couldn't deny how welcome she was. She only learned of this place about a month ago, and the size of the building was vastly different from the places she was used to yet it felt less staged than her own home…of course, feeling at home and knowing her way around the placer were two entirely different things.

In hindsight, insisting she could find her way to Sesshoumaru's office without help. Being able to sense auras wasn't that useful when she kept running into dead ends and opening doors to the wrong rooms.

She needed a map.

Anyone would've been willing to guide her. In here, Higurashi Kagome wasn't a shrine-raised girl. She was the Shikon Miko, the reason the clan had been created in the first place, the one that brought most of the heads of the group rallied together in the first place. Kagome may not be familiar with most of her rank and file yet, but they knew her. Still, the girl didn't send any warning about this unscheduled meeting, hell, she ever told them to stay away from the shrine because tests were coming, and yes, bribing her teachers and using illusions to get her hands on the answers did count as cheating, so asking someone to show her around felt a bit rude.

Restless fingers twitched towards her bag. Her phone was right there, it'd only take a second to make a call and get some proper directions or have someone sent her way, but her damn pride tied them down. This wasn't even designed to be a maze, for gods' sake.

"There's my woman!" Kouga's enthusiastic voice brought a smile to her lips.

"Not your woman." It was an automatic response, even as the wolf raced down the hallway, lifting her with a hug and spinning, earning a giggle out of her before she groaned. "Please tell me I'm not close to your office."

"Come on, Kagome, I ended a meeting for you." And that's exactly what she'd wanted to avoid. Still, her smile remained as he put her down.

"You know I was going to visit next week," the miko said, feeling a little guilty. They'd been waiting centuries for her. "And I'm really just trying to get to Sesshoumaru's office."

"Hate to break it to you, but you're going in the opposite direction." The wolf pointed a finger to the opening at her right and started to walk with her. "By the way, Ayame wants you for at least one full afternoon, no foxes."

"We have a bit of conflict going on, so a full afternoon is a little…" she faltered. She didn't want to refuse the invitation, but at the same time, she didn't want to leave Mikey's side with everything that was going on.

She could take a full afternoon for them, sure, but the girl didn't want to favor any of her friends over the other.

"Come on, Kagome, he's not a brat anymore, and it's not like that arrogant old dog…"

"If you are done, wolf, go back to your meeting. I'll take your refusal to do your job and acknowledgment that you no longer require a tongue." Cold golden eyes narrowed as the Lord of the West opened the door they'd been standing in front of. "Come, miko."

Electric blue eyes glared at the inn daiyoukai even as he scoffed.

Five hundred years ago, even that much would've earned an attack send Kouga's way, but judging by the way the black-haired male still stomped away, some disrespect was allowed. Disobedience wouldn't be tolerated, no matter for how many centuries they'd worked together, but there was no denying Sesshoumaru had grown more tolerant. Not that Kagome had bothered to be respectful in any way when they met again a month ago, when the waves of conflicting emotions finally broke through as anger and frustration, yelling and pointlessly hitting him while crying her heart out in relief in the middle of a random street and with an audience. Then again, maybe the Western Lord had just given up on killing her after her first couple of tries in the Sengoku era.

Kagome supposed it didn't really matter; at the end of the day, they were pack. So when he tilted his head and went back to his office, the miko followed.

Like the first time she entered the place, she couldn't help but hesitate a little. The Mikazuki estate felt like home, but everything inside the offices was so….expensive. Her family had never struggled financially (apparently, thanks to the clan), still, the price tags on even the smallest trinket here would've surely bankrupted her family. Though to be fair, nothing less would ever suit Sesshoumaru. The male was just as dignified as he was five hundred years ago, silver hair, long and falling down his back, almost blending with the white silk of the loose kimono that had replaced his decorated armor, and from where she stood in front of the sliding door, she might've been convinced she'd gone back through time again, if not for the small pile of electronic devices on the corner of his desk.

"Miko." A silver brow rose, a prompt for her to speak.

"Ah, right," With a sheepish smile, the girl sat down on the cushion. "Sorry."

Heat rushed to her cheeks. Here she was, the legendary priestess that guarded the Shikon, lost like a toddler. Maybe she should've waited a little before coming here. She wanted to know more about that odd feeling she got from the new boy, but she wasn't certain she needed to hurry this much. Weird feeling or not, the boy wasn't strong, and while being caught unprepared certainly wasn't fun, Kagome knew how to roll with the punches. Worse came to worse, now that Shippo was in charge of her security once more, all she'd need to do was to signal for help, and the kitsune would jump in. This could so easily be an overreaction, and everyone here was busy, and…

"Speak, miko," the Western lord's voice was even.

"Not everything you say has to be an order, you know," the girl pouted a little. "It's just…I met someone… someone who felt different."

"Demon?" As always there were no wasted words with him.

"I'm sure he was a human, but something still felt off…familiar, but not." Shaking her head, Kagome felt like she was grasping for any way to say this and make it make sense. "Have you ever come across any other person like that?"

"Humans are humans. Why would we interact with them?"

"Sesshoumaru…I'm human…. And I know you handle all the donations to the shrine, so you had to have dealt with some humans." Her tone was dry as she rolled her eyes. "Don't you also deal with, you know, regular groups?"

"As far as I can recall, the only odd human that has ever crossed my path is you, miko," Sesshoumaru said, humoring her.

That…wasn't exactly helpful, though the girl couldn't say she was that surprised. With a hum, she let her gaze wander through the traditional paintings hanging on the wall behind the inn daiyoukai.

Back in the Sengoku era, it wasn't uncommon to find people with special abilities that'd allow them to stand up to youkais, but after they went into hiding, that just wasn't a thing anymore. Even back then, none of them seemed to be anywhere close to Sesshoumaru's definition of extraordinary. Apparently, it took traveling through time for the Lord of the West to be impressed; honestly, if she'd thought that time would…

…time…

No…no way…

Because of the Shikon, Kagome had been in constant contact with time magic. She'd never been able to control it, but she knew what it felt like. No matter how human her body was, whenever she went back, she didn't belong. Not her body, at least. Living beings and objects that were out of time were not affected in the same way. That's how the girl had been able to escape Kaguya's control that one time. She could be hurt, she could be killed, but the chains of time couldn't tie her down whenever she was on the other side of the well. It wasn't subtle; the miko was far too used to it for her to miss the lingering trail that blanketed whatever had slipped through the sands of time while traveling to either side of the well. There was no way Hanagaki Takemichi was the same as her. Besides, the boy had a girlfriend, a perfectly normal girl who'd absentmindedly shared a couple of childhood stories.

And yet…

"Name." Sesshoumaru's voice broke through her pondering.

"Oh, no, no." Her hands raised in a panic. Gods, he was just as intense as five hundred years ago. "It's not like that, it's just a bit weird, is all."

"Weird turns into troublesome whenever you're involved."

"You don't have to say it like that," the girl huffed at the daiyoukai's unimpressed tone but gave in. "…it was Mikey who came across him."

"Of course," he said, waiting for her to continue.

"Maybe just…have Shippo see if he can sense anything?" Still unwilling to give up her name, Kagome tried to look for a tangent. "Discreetly."

"Coming all the way here for something that would've happened regardless of your direct petition…I see you have an abundance of time to waste, miko." His refined insults hadn't lost their edge either.

"Fine, you made your point." Sighing, the miko rested her cheek on her hand. "Hanagaki Takemichi, just a general background check should be enough. I have a feeling he's closer to a problem magnet than the problem itself."

"Then?"

"Then what?"

"Supposing your suspicions are confirmed, then what?"

A groan got stuck in her throat; of course, he was still annoyed about her indiscretion.

In her defense, she had no way of knowing her old friends were still alive. As far as she knew, she was alone.

Alone and desperately failing to play her role. Hanging out with Mikey and Toman had given her a reprieve from the restraints of the stage. It was tiring, having to act a part that now felt alien to her, desperately looking for cues she kept missing and pretending she enjoyed the story the script was telling. Just a month had been enough for her to feel like she was losing her mind. Now that she'd experienced those glimpses of freedom, Kagome had grown a bit less patient with herself, the others…everything, really. Every day that passed, every fumbled line only made her crave those moments even now. And yet, she couldn't exactly say she was entirely free.

Whatever the girl said, Mikey took it at face value, no matter how weird it sounded.

He'd never once asked how a shrine-raised girl knew how to keep herself safe in a brawl. If Kagome told him she wanted to tag along in a fight, that's what would happen. Who cared how she learned how to patch someone up when she offered to take care of his friends' bruises? Away from the spotlight, Kagome could breathe. But she wasn't off the stage. Sure, there was no need for her to worry about how inconsistent her behavior would be, yet she'd still had to be careful with her words. Contradictory actions may earn her some curious looks; blurting out a careless remark about demons or her experience with third-degree burns, severe bleeding, or handling corpses would definitely worry them, and mentioning youkais and curses and spirits seriously would still end up with others thinking she should be committed.

Seeing him look at her like that…she wouldn't be able to take it.

Fear didn't waste any time to start building up within her, and there was only one thing that could drown out those annoying, whispered what-if scenarios. She needed to know what his response would be, how he'd react if she revealed her past him. It was risky, a bet that could lose the one place Kagome felt welcomed in, but there was no other way. So the miko told him the truth, not bothering to censure her tales. Words had fallen from her lips one after another, her gaze resolutely fixed on the sunset until finished.

And he'd offered his hand once more.

Not that Sesshoumaru cared about the emotional repercussions of that afternoon. Kagome had blown a cover she didn't know existed to someone she'd known for a little over a month. In her defense, the daiyoukai had to know her travels were over. Kagome had never spent more than a full week on this side of the well since her trips began. Wanting to wait for a full year had been excessive, but unsurprisingly, the stoic lord was happy not to mention that little detail when he reminded her of her impulsive confusion.

"I'm not telling anything to anyone," she huffed. "I just don't want to be caught off guard."

"The fox will get your info to you by nightfall," the Lord of the West said with a nod.

"I mean it, Sesshoumaru." Golden eyes narrowed at her words. "Don't go overboard with this."

"Still soft, I see."

"How did you gather your executives again?" The girl laughed at his unamused huff. "Thank you, though…I know this is last minute."

"Gratitude for trifling matters is certainly unnecessary."

It was supposed to be reassuring, yet somehow the sentence almost sounded like a reproach, as if being thankful was borderline offensive. Shaking her head, Kagome bit back the urge to laugh once again. He'd tried to kill her multiple times, but now, he was acting as if helping her was the most natural thing in the world. Still, he had her gratitude. Five hundred years was a long time, and it would've been easy to forget about the weird human priestess who'd been an occasional ally. Even with the added responsibilities of keeping the timeline intact, he didn't need to care this much. Not anymore. Yet, he was still prioritizing her requests. Hell, there was even a room for her in the clan's headquarters.

They were pack, simple as that.

"Right, because asking for background checks is something anyone can ask for, truly trifle affairs." With a smile, the girl stood up. "Anyway, I'll get out of your —

"Kagome! You're not planning on leaving without seeing me, were you?!"

Orange fur was all around her, fluffy tails making the embrace soft despite the strong grip of the arms around her shoulders.

Laughter spilled over as the girl did her best to return the hug. If it was up to the fox (and a few others), she would've moved here from the moment she'd gone through the well for the last time. Truth to be told, a part of her had been tempted to agree, but guilt weighed down her words. Her family had worked so hard during that year. Having to worry day in and day out, it would've been unfair to leave like that. Thankfully, they'd understood.

Instead of pressuring her, the fox had gone back to his surveillance duty, so technically, he saw her daily. Even with her request for a quiet weekend, Shippo was keeping watch through the cameras installed were installed around the shrine. It was a bit excessive, in her humble opinion, having so much security around her when no human would have a reason to go after her, and no one outside the clan had any clue that the Shikon miko was still alive. If it kept them happy, though, Kagome was happy to let them play bodyguards.

"I have to study. I have tests next week," she mumbled against his chest.

"Come on~" the fox whined. "At least take a dress with you, you promised one a week."

"Fine, just the one, but I really can't stay long." Despite her reluctance, there was still a smile on her lips.

"But it's not even midterms." The kitsune didn't quite let go of her, but he gave her more space to breathe. "And you haven't missed a day this time around."

"If you're going to continue with this nonsense, get out of my office." A heated glare interrupted the fox.

"You could take the icicle out of your —

"Alright, that's enough for now!" Petite hands closed around a fist of ginger fur. "We'll go to the…my room."

"Oh yeah, before that, I finally managed to find this."

With a flourish, the kitsune placed a thin box in her hands. Curious, Kagome tilted it gently. It was made from some kind of dark wood she couldn't recognize, gold accents lining the corners, sealed with a holy sutra. Her questioning look got her an encouraging look from Shippo and a quiet nod from Sesshoumaru, who'd stopped glaring at them. Careful, the girl ripped the talisman away, slender fingers fiddling with the golden latch, almost dropping it when she recognized the objects carefully kept inside.

She knew that they were with just one look.

A back rosary and a red sash.

Both of them infused with holy energy, most likely protective charms.

"They wanted you to have something of them." Shippo's voice softened, green eyes gentle as he looked at the contents of the box. "Sorry, it took a bit to unearth them."

"Had the schedule not been altered, we would've given it to you during our first encounter." The Western Lord glanced at her, for a second before going back to his paperwork.

"Oh, come off it, Sesshoumaru." The kitsune's response lacked heat. "What's important is that I found it, and everything worked out."

Golden eyes narrowed.

So much had changed in five hundred years, and she hadn't been around for any of it. It was painful to realize all that she'd missed, but some things remained the same. To be fair, quite a lot had happened to her in only a few months. The gods knew before her travels, she wouldn't have had the sort of connections she had to Toman, to Mikey. They were all adjusting, but they'd find the rhythm soon enough, with or without odd newcomers. She was sure of it.

A/N: A lot happens between this and the future time line, but the seeds are definitely already there, after all a lot of what led her there was what happened during the feudal era, because that was a full year of traumatic event after traumatic event and she normalized a lot of things that probably shouldn't be normalized.

As for the chapters not centered around the main plot, I am trying out a couple of things to make sure they're easy to differentiate, and the scenes to be covered should be specific enough to also help with that.

As always thank you guys so much for reading and any and all reviews/comments/criticism are greatly appreciated.