Chapter 24: The Lady of the Moon

Despite his adamant refusal to accept any help from Sesshomaru, Inuyasha didn't have much of a choice in the end. Daitan had brought up the idea to everyone over breakfast, and the ensuing vote had ended in a landslide victory in Daitan's favor. She now found herself perched on Kirara's back, watching the trees pass by underneath her as they made a beeline straight back to Edo. Thankfully, the trip would only take a couple of hours, as they hadn't strayed too far quite yet.

Kirara landed gently next to the Bone-Eater's Well, and Daitan slid off her back.

"Fly safe," said Daitan. "I'll come and find you guys when I get some answers." She gave Kirara a few parting scritches behind the ears, and Kirara let out a rumbling purr before taking off once again. Daitan watched her shrink into the distance until the giant cat finally disappeared into the endless blue sky. Turning to the well behind her, Daitan dug in her pocket to pull out the Shikon jewel shards that Kagome had leant her. Two, because with all the shards that had been stolen from them, Kagome thought it might be best if Daitan took two with her, just in case.

"You're one of our heavy hitters!" Kagome had said. "We won't be as strong back in this time, so I'd feel better if you took these with you while you're in modern times, just in case someone steals from me again — then they'll only have one!"

Daitan took a deep breath, and she closed her fist around the shards in her palm. There was no time to lose. Inuyasha could get set off by just about anything, and the more he transformed, the less likely Kagome would be able to set him straight. At least, that was her working theory. Without further ado, Daitan leapt into the well.

It was always an assault on the nose whenever Daitan returned to modern times, but that was the furthest thing from her mind as she made her way back home. He's got to know something about this, She thought as she got off the train. Her feet were on autopilot, carrying her to the Gate in the wall. I mean, he's lived a really long time by now, and Inuyasha is his brother. I just hope I can get back by tomorrow afternoon, at the latest.

After several minutes of navigating through more streets and traffic, Daitan finally found herself back home. She pocketed the Shikon Jewel shards she had clutched in her hand as she made her way to the side door and carefully slid it open. As always, it was quiet inside, but Daitan had the sneaking suspicion that her presence was already known as she toed off her shoes and stepped inside.

"I'm home!" she called. Silence. Daitan narrowed her eyes, glancing around suspiciously, and the slightest rustle of fabric behind her made her whirl around.

There stood Sesshomaru, one foot slightly in front of the other as if he had abruptly stopped his approach as soon as she set eyes on him. A wide grin spread across Daitan's face and she crossed her arms proudly.

"Ha! You were going to scare me again, weren't you?"

The tiniest smile crossed her father's face.

"Hn. Welcome back," his eyes briefly took her in, and he raised an eyebrow. "I see you've returned uninjured this time."

"Hey, I wasn't injured the last time I was here, was I?" retorted Daitan, though it held no bite with the smile on her face. She made her way to the kitchen, Sesshomaru following behind her as she set her bag down next to the table. Daitan started to heat up water for tea, and her father took a seat.

"How long will you be staying this time, then?" he asked. Daitan hummed as she poured the water into the teapot and added the tea bags.

"Probably not long, I'm hoping to go back this evening. I, um… I actually came here to ask you something."

"Ah, an ulterior motive."

Daitan groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Don't say that! It's still nice to come back every now and then, even if it's definitely more exciting over there than here…" she muttered the last part under her breath, and her father still raised an eyebrow. After a few moments, Sesshomaru spoke again as Daitan set the teapot and cups down on the table.

"So," he started, watching Daitan carefully as she poured their tea. "What do you want to know?"

Daitan sat down across from him, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Do you… know what's going on right now?"

Sesshomaru looked at her over the rim of his cup, expression impassive.

"Perhaps. My notes are fairly accurate, but the timing may not be perfect."

"Well… something… strange happened yesterday," she started, staring into her teacup. "We ran into one of Naraku's incarnations, a youkai named Goshinki, and he bit the Tessaiga in half. But that wasn't all… Inuyasha… he transformed somehow, and he smelled just like a full youkai— Why are you looking at me like that?" Daitan had finally looked up to see that her father's gaze had suddenly turned very intense.

"Go on." he said, though Daitan had the feeling he knew everything about what she was about to say.

"...Um… I was wondering if you… knew anything about why that happened?" she finished. Sesshomaru took a slow sip of his tea, considering for a moment.

"Did Kagome come with you to this time?" he asked. Daitan blinked, confused.

"...No? She thought it was best that she stay back with Inuyasha, since she's the only one who can use the Beads of Subjugation on him, just in case he transforms again," she said. Daitan pulled the two jewel shards from her pocket to show to her father. "She gave me these to get through the well, though."

Sesshomaru considered them with sharp eyes and a brief hn, and Daitan huffed impatiently. She set the shards down on the table between them, leaning forward in her seat.

"So do you know anything?" she asked again. Her father's eyes met hers again, as unwavering as usual. Though something glinted in his gaze that Daitan couldn't quite place as he finally answered her.

"It's the Tessaiga."

"Eh?" Daitan was utterly confused, and Sesshomaru traced the tip of one sharp claw on the edge of his teacup.

"The Tessaiga prevents Inuyasha from losing himself to his youkai blood. If it is broken, then so is the power keeping him in check."

Daitan rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"What do you mean by 'losing himself', exactly?" she asked, her once mild concern bumping up to a medium to high on her personal crisis scale. Her father's reply did little to assuage her growing concerns.

"You and I are full-blooded youkai. When we transform, we are able to keep our minds. But Inuyasha is a hanyou, and as such his youkai blood will rush to the surface to take over if he feels his life is in danger. If this continues to happen, Inuyasha will steadily decline into nothing more than a bloodthirsty beast and lose himself completely. And the more he transforms, the more difficult it will become to reign him in."

Daitan's teacup sat forgotten as her eyes widened with horror. The truth was so much worse than she had first thought. She sucked in a breath.

"Okay… so how do we stop it?"

Sesshomaru took another sip of his tea before answering.

"It is simple. The Tessaiga must be repaired."

Daitan blinked, sitting back a little. The crisis meter had dropped back down to mild.

"Oh," she raised an eyebrow. "That's it? Fix the Tessaiga and everything will go back to normal?" Sesshomaru nodded, and Daitan let out a little breathless laugh. "I can't believe it's so simple, I mean, we were planning on getting it repaired anyway!"

"Not quite so simple," Daitan paused when her father spoke again. "After it is repaired, Tessaiga will become extremely heavy for Inuyasha to wield, and to keep from transforming, he must never abandon it." he said.

"You mean if it's too heavy and he drops it to fight bare-handed instead?" asked Daitan, her bright smile fading. At Sesshomaru's confirming nod, she deflated with a sigh. "There's always something, huh? In any case, I'm glad you had some answers, I really appreciate it. Inuyasha was really down last night, and I'm pretty sure he hasn't been sleeping."

Sesshomaru just let out a little hn in response, and Daitan stood and stretched, collecting her bag from the floor.

"Well, I'm sorry I can't stay long, but I need to get back to the others. The sooner they know all this, the quicker we can get Inuyasha some help."

But when Daitan reached out to pick up the jewel shards from the table, but her father's hand moved to cover them before she could. Daitan glanced between his hand and his eyes, a little awkward laugh bubbling up in her throat.

"...Um, I kind of need those? To get back?"

Sesshomaru didn't respond immediately. He stood slowly, fixing Daitan with a cool stare.

"You're not going back yet."

For a moment, Daitan was struck speechless. Her father had taken the jewel shards that Kagome had given her and now he was telling her she couldn't go back to her friends? What's going on? Daitan tried to play it off at first. Surely it was a joke, he wasn't actually going to keep her here, right? But then again, her father wasn't known for being particularly funny. Not on purpose, anyway. She let out another anxious giggle.

"Um, listen, I promise I'll stay longer next time—"

"This isn't about how long you stay," Sesshomaru's sharp gaze silenced Daitan almost immediately. "For your own safety, I will not let you go near Inuyasha while he's still unstable."

Daitan blinked, and irritation started to build in her chest.

"Wait, what? You're serious about this? Since when have you decided to stop me going back to the past? And Inuyasha was fine the last time he transformed, he didn't attack me at all, and Kagome was able to set him straight pretty easily!"

Sessomaru's eyes narrowed.

"Were you not listening?" he asked, and the bite in his tone made Daitan flinch a little. "Every time he loses control, it becomes more difficult to bring him back. And how long will it be before he sees you as a threat to his dominance in power and tries to tear you apart?"

It was becoming increasingly difficult for Daitan to keep herself from baring her fangs at her own father.

"What's the big idea? I've gotten hurt plenty of times when I was away, but now you want to keep me here? Why? You don't think I can handle him if he goes berserk? What about my friends? They need me over there!"

Sesshomaru just turned to walk away, taking the jewel shards with him.

"This conversation is over, Daitan. You are not to leave without my permission."

For the briefest of moments, Daitan considered rushing him and trying to take back the shards by force. But her feet stayed rooted to the spot, and in the end, all she could do was watch as her father disappeared down the hallway.

—-

Daitan hadn't spoken to her father in almost a week.

Even though she couldn't go back to the past, she had still been confined to the castle grounds 'for the time being'. He didn't even give her an accurate date for when she would be free to go. So she instead spent most of her time either in her room or out in the garden, vehemently avoiding everyone — especially her father. Daitan's chosen hiding place for the day was flat on her back behind a large hydrangea bush. The sky was looking particularly beautiful at the moment, almost mocking her confinement.

Kagome and the others must be so worried, Thought Daitan, listening to the bees buzzing around her. I said I would be back days ago.

She sighed and turned onto her side. A single butterfly fluttered close, and Daitan held out a finger for it to land on. As she watched its wings slowly open and close, her thoughts kept churning in her head. It didn't make any sense to her. She'd been in danger many times before the Tessaiga broke, and her father didn't seem to have much trouble at all letting her go to the past — even when she returned home with injuries! But Inuyasha's condition had almost… shaken him somehow.

That still doesn't mean it's fair for him to keep me here like this. She frowned.

The sound of the phone ringing from inside made Daitan perk up a little. The butterfly that had made its perch on her finger fluttered off in a fright when she poked her head around the edge of the hydrangea bush, glancing left and right to make sure the coast was clear. Daitan then darted out from behind the bush and quickly made her way to the door, sweeping bits of dirt from her clothes. Her father had left earlier in the day, and had told her that he would be back sometime in the afternoon. She had ignored him, of course, and hoped he wasn't back yet as she hurried inside, managing to pick up just as the phone started to ring its last.

"Hello?" she answered. To her delight, it was Kagome's voice in her ear.

"Oh my gosh, Daitan! Thank goodness you picked up, I was getting really worried!"

Daitan sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Yeah… sorry about that."

"It's been almost a week since you left! What on earth happened?"

"My dad happened," Daitan huffed. "Something about Inuyasha's transformation spooked him or something, and now he won't let me leave until it's resolved. Oh, but he did tell me how to fix it, at least. All you have to do is—"

"Repair the Tessaiga, I know."

Daitan paused.

"Wait… you already know?"

Kagome let out a little nervous giggle.

"Um… yeah. A few hours after you left, Myouga came by and explained everything. Inuyasha got the Tessaiga fixed a few days ago, but it's really heavy."

The phone in Daitan's hand started to creak a little from the sudden force she gripped it with.

"You mean… if I had just waited a few hours… I wouldn't have had to come here at all?" her tone was carefully neutral, but Daitan was sure her expression was thunderous as she stared at a particular spot on the wall as if it had done personal wrong to her. Kagome just squeaked a little "Yes," through the phone, and Daitan growled in frustration.

"Ugh! I should've thought that Myouga would have known something, he's practically an expert when it comes to Inuyasha and the Tessaiga," she spat. "And now I'm practically being held captive! Are you guys okay, at least?"

"We're fine for the most part, but we ran into a couple more of Naraku's incarnations, Juromaru and Kageromaru. Miroku and Inuyasha got hurt again… But I'm here now collecting some more medical supplies, so they should be all healed up soon. Did Sesshomaru tell you when you'd be able to come back?"

"No," Daitan leaned against the wall, still fuming. "...I'm sorry I can't be there."

Neither of them spoke for a few moments, until Kagome broke the silence.

"There's something else." she admitted.

"What is it?"

"Well," Kagome hesitated for a moment. "We also ran into Sesshomaru a couple of days after you left. He had a sword forged from one of Goshinki's fangs, called Tokijin."

The burn of irritation in Daitan's gut started to simmer down, instead replaced with confusion.

"'Tokijin'? Huh…"

"Do you recognize the name?"

"No, no," Daitan rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "That's… weird. I've never heard of that sword before."

"That is strange…" commented Kagome. Over the phone, Daitan heard her poorly stifle a yawn. "Ah… I'm so tired…"

A little smile flitted across Daitan's face.

"You get some rest, then. I hope I see you again soon, I'm getting really sick of being trapped here."

"Yes, you're trapped inside a gorgeous castle with a big beautiful garden." teased Kagome. Daitan just rolled her eyes, lips pulling into a full grin.

"See you later, Kagome."

"See you, Daitan."

—-

A few more days passed, and Daitan still avoided her father whenever she could. He seemed to be catching on to her hiding places, though. Today, she had hopped up onto the roof, and was now desperately trying to ignore him from where he stood directly below.

"I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish by this," he said. "It's not going to be forever."

Daitan huffed. He'd been saying things like that for days now, and every time was more annoying than the last. For the first time in nearly two weeks, she decided to respond. Poking her head out over the eave of the roof, Daitan glared at him.

"It's not how long, it's the principle of it." she growled. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? How so?"

Daitan clutched the edge of the roof, her glare darkening. Her father, however, remained unfazed.

"I mean that so far, you've had no issues with me going off to the past and fighting evil and getting hurt, but one hint of Inuyasha going crazy and now you're holding me back? I thought you wanted me to get stronger! What part of this makes any sense?!"

Sesshomaru's golden eyes flashed.

"I have never once been fine with the idea of you getting hurt," his ever-collected tone made Daitan wrinkle her nose. "But I don't trust Inuyasha to be able to control himself in the state he's in."

"But what about me? Don't you trust me to be able to defend myself?" Daitan internally cursed the frustrated tears burning in the corners of her eyes, though she felt a small bit of satisfaction when her father's jaw tightened a little with irritation. He didn't get the chance to answer, however, as something called out to them in a high pitched chi! chi! chi!.

A sparrow dropped down from the blue sky above, small wings beating fast. It had a tiny leather harness strapped to its back, which held a small tube secure between its wings. A messenger. Sesshomaru held out a hand and it landed on his thumb, bowing down low to present the tube on its back. Daitan leaned over the edge of the roof, suddenly very curious as her father took out a tiny roll of paper from the sparrow's back. As soon as it left its confines, the roll expanded to nearly three times its size, and the sparrow sped away to disappear into the foliage of a nearby maple tree.

Daitan couldn't quite make out what was written on the paper, but as Sesshomaru's eyes scanned across the text, his eyes suddenly widened slightly in shock. His eyebrow twitched a little when he finally looked up. He seemed ruffled. As ruffled as Daitan had ever seen him get, anyway.

"Um… what's going on?" asked Daitan carefully. Sesshomaru took a breath, glancing back down at the bit of paper in his hand before answering.

"Your grandmother is coming for dinner, and she's staying the night."

Whatever Daitan had been thinking before ground to a halt.

"What—? Ah!"

One of Daitan's hands slipped off the roof and she fell headfirst over the edge with a little shriek. Sesshomaru was quick to catch her in his arms before she hit the ground, but Daitan was too shocked to care.

"Grandmother, she's— tonight?! But that's just a few hours away!" squeaked Daitan. Her father's gaze was far away as he nodded, almost gravely.

"Yes, it is… inconvenient. But there may still be time to get things in order before her arrival."

Daitan suddenly remembered where she was, and was quick to struggle out of her father's grip to stand on her own two feet.

"Ugh, just our luck that she comes to visit now, when you've imprisoned me…" She crossed her arms, lips pursed. Sesshomaru didn't give her waspish comment the benefit of a reply, however.

"I'll take care of the household, but I want you washed and dressed appropriately before she arrives — you know how she feels about Western clothing." Daitan was pretty sure she knew how he felt about it as well, with the smidge of disdain that colored his tone. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine…"

"And at least try to tidy up your room." he said, rolling the message back up and slipping it into the sleeve of his kimono.

"What, are we having dinner in my room?" Daitan snarked. Sesshomaru shot her a warning look.

"Daitan…"

"Okay, okay, I'll do it."

—-

Daitan made her way to the front entrance of the castle, dodging frantic servants as they made the final preparations for her grandmother's arrival. It's just like her to do this, Thought Daitan, frowning. Only give a few hours' warning before showing up for dinner. She reached the front doors and exited out into the courtyard. Her father already stood at the top of the steps. He had made a slight change from his usual white and red cherry blossom kimono, instead switching it out for navy blue with a white wave pattern on the sleeve cuffs, and matching blue hakama. The higher-ranked servants and attendants had all lined up at the bottom to greet their revered lord's mother.

As Daitan stepped up next to her father, he looked down at her from the corner of his eye. He quirked up an eyebrow.

"What?" whispered Daitan. Sesshomaru blinked, eyeing her kimono. It was a lovely shade of sky blue with violet bellflowers dotted across its surface, accompanied by a pale yellow obi.

"Hn… well. Maybe she won't care."

Panic suddenly flooded through Daitan, and she stared up at him with wide eyes.

"What does that mean?!" she hissed, trying desperately not to make a scene in front of everyone else. Despite her efforts, Daitan spotted a few heads turn slightly in her direction. Sesshomaru just shushed her and shook his head, looking up just in time as a roar echoed through the sky. Daitan immediately snapped to attention, though she was pretty sure her face was still flushed pink.

An ornate carriage descended from the clouds, drawn by a two-headed dragon. A tengu attendant soared alongside it and guided it to land gracefully inside the courtyard, and Daitan straightened up immediately. The tengu then came to stand front and center, bowing.

"Presenting Lady Masako, of the House of Moon." he announced in a loud, clear voice. Daitan fought the urge to sigh at the formality.

The bamboo screen in the back of the carriage shifted, and another attendant, this time a young woman, stepped out. As she held the screen open, Daitan's grandmother stepped out from the back of the carriage.

Lady Masako was almost two thousand years old, but as was the nature of inudaiyoukai, she still looked remarkably youthful. While fine lines around her eyes and mouth had begun to appear centuries ago, they hadn't deepened much in that time. It was clear to see where Sesshomaru had gotten most of his features. Especially their thin eyebrows and magenta stripes. Though while Sesshomaru had two stripes on each cheek, Masako only had one under each eye. Her hair was white, like Sesshomaru and Daitan, and her mokomoko trailed down her back from where she had draped it elegantly over her arms. Her purple and white kimono had a pattern of clouds painted across the fabric, and a golden amulet set with a deep violet stone hung from a string of beads around her neck. And just like Sesshomaru and Daitan, she had the mark of the crescent moon on her brow.

As soon as she looked up at her son and granddaughter, they and the household servants bowed politely.

"Welcome, Mother."

"Welcome, Grandmother."

Sesshomaru and Daitan greeted her in unison, and Masako's impeccably painted lips curled into a warm smile as she approached.

"Oh, it is so good to see you my son, it has been far too long," she said. "I hope I didn't shock you too much when you received the news of my visit?"

"Of course not." replied Sesshomaru, and Daitan fought the urge to snicker. She could practically feel him keeping his eyebrow from twitching with irritation. The feeling faded fast, however, as her grandmother's golden eyes slid to her.

"And you, my dear girl, I'm happy to see you are doing well. Though…" Masako's sharp eyes scanned Daitan's kimono, and Daitan's heart rate shot through the roof under her assessing gaze. "Isn't it a little early for bellflowers…?"

"I— well…" Daitan stuttered. Of course! She scolded herself internally. Bellflowers are for autumn, dummy! Masako, however, didn't seem to mind too much as she chuckled, one elegant hand covering her mouth.

"Ah, but these colors do suit you so well, my dear. I suppose I can overlook it. Now," she turned to Sesshomaru, who stood as calm and collected as ever. "I trust that everything is prepared?"

"Of course, Mother. Daitan, would you show your grandmother where she'll be staying tonight?" he requested, and Daitan nodded.

I have to play nice with him until Grandmother leaves tomorrow morning, She thought as she led her grandmother through the castle. She loves this kind of drama, and she's more likely to stir the pot than take sides.

—-

"So, how is everything going here on the surface? You hardly say anything other than 'fine' when I send you messages." Masako raised a delicate eyebrow at Sesshomaru over her tea.

"Nothing of note has happened recently, apart from some minor incidents across the gates in the human world. Mostly humans who have had run-ins with the occasional rogue youkai without their disguise, though the perpetrators are usually captured quickly." he replied.

Dinner had begun, and Daitan was wishing she could be anywhere else. She loved her grandmother, of course, but her arrival had completely thrown Daitan off of her established routine of ignoring her father.

"I am glad to hear it. What about you, Daitan?" Masako's eyes turned to Daitan. "It's been ages since I last saw you, my dear. Will you be performing at this year's summer solstice gathering?"

Daitan blinked and tilted her head, her voice colored with uncertainty.

"I… don't think so, Grandmother. My mokomoko hasn't manifested yet, so I'm still not ready to be formally introduced as Father's successor."

The summer and winter solstices were a time when most daiyoukai lords of Japan would congregate for a great feast. While the solstices were first and foremost a celebration, it was also a chance to strengthen bonds between the Great Houses through forging deals and agreements. But another purpose for them was for a House to introduce their successor once they came into their own. The successor would perform a dance or play an instrument, and they and their family would be designated the guests of honor for the night. There hadn't been a new Introduction in almost sixty years, and it had been taking so long for Daitan to start maturing into her full power that there were whispers of doubt from the other Houses of her capability to eventually take over the House of Moon.

Masako sighed with slight disappointment.

"Hmm… a shame, really. I may hold some bias, but I must say that I have never heard anyone make a shamisen or koto speak quite like you, my dear. Talent like that deserves a worthy audience. I do hope you are still practicing?"

Daitan tried not to make her grimace too obvious.

"I've been a little busy… I haven't really had much time."

"Oh? Doing what, may I ask?"

"She's been spending quite a lot of time outside, lately. I found her hiding on the roof this afternoon." answered Sesshomaru. A muscle in Daitan's jaw twitched, and she gripped her chopsticks a little too hard. Answering for me now?

"...The roof?" Masako slid a questioning gaze over to Daitan. "Whatever for?"

"I… didn't feel like being in the house." Daitan replied as coolly as she could, avoiding eye contact. It wasn't a lie. Her father was usually in the house. She didn't want to be around him. But her grandmother immediately picked up on Daitan's clipped tone, and her eyes narrowed.

"Why not?" she probed.

"I didn't want to be inside."

Sesshomaru let out a little huff through his nose at Daitan's roundabout answers.

"She's confined to the castle grounds until I say so, and is being quite pouty about it." he said plainly. Daitan's mostly composed expression finally broke into a glare, and she stared her father straight in the eye. He didn't even twitch.

"I'm only being 'pouty' because you know that I've gotten into plenty of real danger before, but this one time, you think a berserk hanyou is suddenly too much for me to—!" A snap cut Daitan off, and she looked down to see that she had gripped her chopsticks so hard that they had both broken in half. She let out a frustrated growl and dropped them onto the table. "...Excuse me." she muttered, getting to her feet.

The anger and frustration that had been simmering in her chest brought tears to Daitan's eyes as she stormed off to her room. As soon as she got there, she slumped down onto her bed, burying her face in the covers. For several minutes, Daitan just laid there, motionless as she stewed in her thoughts. He doesn't think I can take on Inuyasha when he's transformed, She thought bitterly. But… what about my friends? Who else would have a chance at reining him in when the Beads of Subjugation stop working? If… If I even can…

One of Daitan's pointed ears twitched when she heard the door to her room slide open, and then slide shut again. The mattress dipped down when whoever it was who had just entered sat down next to Daitan on her bed, and her grandmother's scent wafted past her nose as a hand gently stroked her back.

"Tell me what's wrong, dear." Masako said softly.

"I'm pretty sure he told you all about it before you came to talk to me and tell me I'm wrong." Daitan's voice came out shaky and muffled, her face still pressed into her blankets.

Her grandmother's hand paused when she chuckled quietly.

"Now now, who said I was going to take sides?" she asked. Daitan didn't answer, only pulling up her legs to curl into a tight ball. Masako sighed, resuming stroking Daitan's back. "You mean so much to him, my dear. And even though my son thinks himself a person of cool rationality, he still doesn't realize just how much his emotions dictate his actions."

"Don't I know that…" Daitan grumbled, thinking of her father's past self. There were some things that hadn't changed all that much in the last five hundred years. Masako huffed a small laugh.

"Yes… I suppose you would. Now, I must ask you one thing."

Daitan sat up, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"What is it?" she croaked. Daitan turned her head, eyes slightly red from tears, to meet her grandmother's calculating gaze.

"How certain are you that you can deal with this problem he keeps you from?" asked Masako. Daitan straightened her back almost instinctively.

"I'm absolutely certain," she replied. "And I won't be alone. I'll have my friends with me as well."

A few moments passed, and Daitan was starting to get a little nervous under her grandmother's piercing stare. Where is she going with this? What's happening? Masako then blinked, and her immaculately painted lips spread into a warm smile.

"Very good. With conviction like that, I'm sure your father has nothing to worry about. And I feel confident enough in you to give you this." She reached into the sleeve of her kimono, and to Daitan's shock, pulled out a familiar, glittering Shikon Jewel shard. Daitan's mouth dropped open and a strangled gasp escaped her throat.

"But— How— You know too?" she stammered, and her grandmother's smile widened.

"Of course. Take it, and return to your friends," Masako took Daitan's hand and placed the shard in the middle of her palm. Daitan stared down at the jewel shard glittering in her hand for a moment, her heart warm, but it wasn't long before doubt crept up again.

"Um, are you sure? I mean… I've never done anything like this before…"

"I think I've made my position quite clear." smiled Masako, folding her hands together.

At her grandmother's approval, a little nervous giggle bubbled up inside Daitan's chest. Masako just watched with amusement as Daitan stood quickly and began to flit around her room. She gathered the bag she hadn't bothered to unpack, and stepped into the bathroom, suddenly brimming with energy.

"This is kind of— Wow, I mean— Dad's going to be furious, isn't he?" asked Daitan, stepping out of the bathroom in her regular clothes and picking up a spare pair of shoes. Her grandmother sighed a little through her nose at Daitan's western attire, but seemed to decide to ignore it, just as she had elected to ignore the western-style bed she sat on.

"Oh, undoubtedly."

Daitan then paused in the middle of brushing out her hair to look over her shoulder at her grandmother, suspicious.

"You… won't go and tell him right after I leave, will you?"

Masako's smile turned the slightest bit mischievous.

"I'm his mother. I don't have to tell him anything."

Daitan's grin then returned full force. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her hands shook a little when she reached for a ribbon to tie her hair up. As she held up a mirror and gave her head a little shake to test if her ponytail would hold, she caught her grandmother's eye reflected behind her. Her warm smile had dropped, eyes gone a slightly wide. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. Daitan turned back to face her, brows drawn together in a concerned look.

"Grandmother…?"

Masako said nothing, but stood slowly, reaching out to touch Daitan's cheek. Daitan felt utterly confused. It was like she was looking at her, but at the same time staring into the distance…

"Daitan."

"Yes?"

Masako took a breath and straightened up a little, perfect composure falling back into place as she took Daitan's hands in both of her own.

"I know that you have many doubts about yourself, and I know what kind of pressure you must be under, to live up to your father's legacy," she said, eyes slightly downcast. "But while your situation may be… unusual, or different from most, I still ask that you be patient with yourself. Everything happens in its own time."

Would it for me, though? Daitan couldn't help wondering. Her grandmother seemed to pick up on her deflated mood, and she gave Daitan's hands a squeeze.

"Now, now, none of that. You have people who need you, right?" she asked. When Daitan took a deep breath and nodded, Masako's smile returned. "Then make haste, young one. Your father won't be oblivious forever."

Daitan approached the door on the other side of the room and slid it open. The sun had already set, and she stepped out into the warm night air, heart fluttering as she put on her shoes and dropped onto the ground. A gentle breeze began to rustle the trees, and she turned back for a brief moment to face Masako. She bowed, a bright smile overtaking her features when she stood straight again.

"Thank you." she said. A softness entered her grandmother's gaze.

"Safe travels, Daitan."

The warm night breeze followed in Daitan's wake as she clutched her jewel shard tight in her hand and took off grinning into the night.

A/N: I've been looking forward to this chapter for so long - finally, Daitan's grandmother appears! She wasn't given a name in canon, and I know most people refer to her as Inukimi, but I felt I had to give her a proper name. Masako seemed to fit, as it means "elegant child". There are other meanings when it's spelled with different kanji, but this one seemed most appropriate for her. As a side note - thank you to all of you readers! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it.