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Chris traveled all night long heading west. He had to fight several youkais along the way that wanted to take the Shikon No Tama away from him. Most of them retreated when they noticed just how powerful Chris was when he let his youki spread around the area. They didn't want to get killed for just a small gem. The one's who didn't back down he dealt with, they were but a minor irritation to him but he dealt with it just the same.

The sun had risen just about an hour ago. The bright morning sky greeted him as he continued on his journey. The wind was blowing lightly as his hair was fanning out behind him while they flew on. He was tired, not having any rest for the last three days was taking its toll on him but he had to make it back to the castle as soon as possible. Something was not right and he had to find out what was wrong.

Soon he was able to see his castle off in the distance. He breathed in deeply as he took in the scents around the area. He didn't detect anything amiss so he continued on. In a short period of time he found himself home as he started to say his incantations to let him pass the spells, enchantments, and barriers that were set around the castle.

His home, the castle of Gengetsujou was very well protected. Nothing could get in unless he wished it to. His guards were fierce warriors and they would take care of anyone before they even came close to his home.

He landed gently down in the middle of the central courtyard and made his way into the castle. The guards having seen their lord's return, hit their spears on the ground as one of them announced, "THE LORD OF THE CASTLE HAS RETURNED." Then a bell rang around the castle announcing his arrival.

The guards noticed that their lord was carrying something in his arms. They could not see what it was and they were curious about it. They couldn't detect the aura it carried for the lord was blocking it with his youki. The scent was also masked so they couldn't tell if it was a male or female. They followed their lord's movements with their eyes, not wanting him to get angry with them for trying to see what he held in his arms.

Chris had felt that all eyes of the castle were following him. He knew that they were curious about what he was carrying however he was not in the mood to share. He walked with a purpose as he went up the main stairs into his home.

There were two very large doors in front of him. Carved in the wood of one of the doors was a picture of an inu youkai sitting on a cliff over looking the land. His head was held high as he scanned the land down below protecting it. On the other door, there was another inu youkai that was standing on a hilltop howling at the full moon. They were rich with details as the doors slowly opened letting their lord enter. The height of the doors would have let their lord enter the castle in his true form.

Upon entering his home, he was greeted immediately by the head servant. Hraki has been with him since he was a pup. When he was away from the castle he trusted Hraki to run the castle in the most efficient manner. That would leave his mate free to take care of the more important things that needed her attention.

When he stopped inside the grand entrance, he heard Hraki's greetings to him. "Welcome home milord. Is everything well in the kingdom?"

Chris could tell that all of the servants were curious about what he held in his arms. He turned to the head servant and replied, "All is well in the Western Lands. Hraki I need one of the lesser ceremonial halls to be prepared. I want some pillows to be put in the middle of the floor. I also need a set of shackles to be brought up and placed in the hall as well. Please inform my mate that I wish to see her as soon as possible."

Hraki bowed deeply and quickly turned as he started off down a hallway that led to one of the lesser ceremonial halls. When it had been prepared he went back and said, "Milord the room has been prepared and your mate has been informed that you wish to see her."

Chris nodded his head as he went toward the ceremonial hall. Once he entered the hall he told all there to leave. The guards that were in the room left as did all the servants and court recorders. He walked over to the center of the room where he saw the pillows that he had requested.

He removed his tail from around his little one, then bent down and placed her on the pillows. He stood up when he noticed the door was opening and his heart just about stopped. There standing right in front of him was the most gorgeous creature he had ever laid his eyes on. She was just as beautiful as the day he had mated with her.

There in front of him stood the goddess of his life. She was tall and of slender built. She was a silver Inu-youkai with piercing green eyes and a heart shaped face. She had one stripe on each side of her face in the color of deep emerald green. She wore his crescent moon on her forehead to signify that she was the Lady of the West. Her lips were as red as blood itself and wore her tail over her right shoulder just like her husband.

Her skin was white and silky like the finest silks in all his land. She wore a kimono of pure white with green stripes and white sakura blossoms going down the length of the sleeves, with the white flowers trailing along the edges. The kimono was split along the sides that allowed her long beautiful legs ease of movement; the hakama she wore underneath it was also in white.

His mate approached him with a spring to her step as she launched herself into his awaiting arms and kissed him deeply. When they broke from the kiss, she nuzzled him under his chin as a sign that she had missed him while he has been gone.

She pulled away from him and spoke in a silky smooth voice, "Welcome home my mate. I have missed you since you have been gone."

Chris had missed his mate as well. He pulled her into his chest and purred his contentment of being with her. He slowly pulled away from her as he kissed her forehead and said, "We have much to talk about. I am going to need your help with someone once I convince her to stay here with us."

His mate arched an eyebrow up in a questioning tone. Then she caught a strange scent as she looked around the room. She followed her nose to where her mate was standing and looked behind him, there on the floor laid a young ningen; she turned to her mate and looked at him with confusion in her eyes.

Chris having seen the confusion in his mates eyes smiled and said, "That is the person that I'm going to need your help with." He went on to explain how he had found her, how she was battling six Oni's by herself, his fight to subdue her, the meeting with Midoriko, and his promise to protect her.

His mate took all this in stride as she went over to the young girl and looked at her. She noticed right away that she was marked on her right ear, saying that she was being protected by him and is a member of his clan.

She saw all of the spells that her mate had cast on this young pup as she turned to him and asked, "Why did you put so many spells on her? Surely she can't be that strong?"

Chris chuckled and said, "Mate she carries Midoriko's mark, making her a very powerful miko, if I did not place these spells on her I would not be able to touch her, for her purifying powers are great. She has yet to release her full potential and that is something that we are going to have to help her with.

I will need for you to be there for her. She will be lonely and will miss her family. I cannot help her until she accepts my help and tells me where she comes from. Plus we will need to find her a powerful mate. Someone that will love her the way she deserves and will protect her for the rest of her life.

Midoriko told me that she is the key to the future and that she will help protect our lands from evil. I gave her my word that I will do everything within my power to protect this little one and that is something I will do.

We must prepare a room for her in the western wing. But right now there are no proper rooms in the castle that will negate the use of her miko powers. I can't take the chance of her escaping and then being killed by someone before we have a chance to bring her to her full potential."

His mate understood his words and vowed to help him in everyway possible.

Chris smiled at his mate. He knew that she would help him once he explained what was going on. He walked over to the girl and retrieved the shackles that were lying on the ground. He concentrated on his youki and cast his spells. The shackles glowed brightly until he was finished with them and then they stopped glowing.

His mate had been curious about what he was doing and asked, "Mate, what are you going to do with those shackles?" She had a feeling that she was not going to like the answer to her question.

Chris looked over to her and answered, "These shackles will negate her miko powers for now. I cannot have her harming anyone in the castle until we have had a chance to talk to her and have her agree to stay here.

There is only one room in the castle that will contain her powers. Unfortunately that room is down in the dungeons. It's not in the worst part of the dungeons but it's down there nonetheless. I will have to put her in there until I can prepare a room for her in the western section of the castle. I want to make sure that she is safe and that she can't escape until we have talked to her."

Jasmine understood what her mate was saying but she thought that he was being overly cautious on such a young pup. She didn't think that the girl would intentionally harm anyone in the castle. But she respected his decisions and let him continue doing what he was doing.

Jasmine on the other hand, was already thinking about what room she would like to put the miko in so she can go and get it ready for her. She thought about the room upstairs right next to hers, because in her mind it would make the perfect room for the miko.

Her sons were across the hallway and no one was occupying that particular room at the moment. She thought that this would be the perfect place for the little miko to be in and she, Jasmine would be close enough incase she needed to help her.

Chris bent down and placed the shackles on his little one. He hated to do it because he never liked to imprison anyone. But he had to think about the safety of everyone in the castle and of his mate and pups. He just couldn't take the chance of this little one losing control and attacking.

Once he was done, he stood up, turned toward his mate and asked, "Are you ready for her to awaken Jasmine?"

His mate turned to him and nodded that she was ready.

Chris then cast his spell releasing her from her sleep. It didn't take long for the little one to come awake.

-oOo-

Tey was slowly waking up. Her mind was foggy and she was having problems focusing. She couldn't remember where she was or what happened to her. Everything was so surreal to her, like she was in a dream.

Slowly she opened her eyes. They were blurred at first so she blinked them a couple of times to try and get them into focus. She felt that she was lying down on something soft. She lifted her hand and felt something cold and very heavy wrapped around her wrist. Tey heard the sound of chains being moved and a weight pulling her hand down when she raised it.

Suddenly everything came flooding back to her, falling through the well, fighting those youkais that wanted to destroy Kaede's village, and then fighting the youkai lord who wanted her to go with him.

Her eyes finally came into focus as she looked around the room she was in. She sat up and noticed that the room was elegantly done. It looked like a ceremonial hall. She had read about these in her books. It wasn't the grand audience chamber but it was one of the lesser ones.

She noticed that she was lying on pillows in the middle of the room. She looked at her wrist and noticed that she was shackled. Fear came over her as she tried to get the things off, to no avail. Her eyes scanned the room until they fell upon the youkai lord that was in her dreams.

'So it was not a dream. It was real and now I'm being held against my will. But where am I?' She thought as she eyed the youkai in front of her. She noticed off to his side that there was another youkai standing next to him. This one was a female; she was very pretty and Tey couldn't help but admire how well she presented herself. She saw the blue crescent moon on her forehead and figured that she must be his wife.

She will try the respectful approach first to see if he would let her go and if not then she will just have to escape from here.

She stood up and noticed how weak she was. Then for the first time in her life she felt that her miko powers were gone. She fell to her knees again, she has never been without her miko powers before and it felt like a part of her was missing. Her eyes opened wide when she realized the significance of this discovery. Tey looked at the youkai lord with fear in her eyes as she asked, "Why did you bring me here?"

Chris stepped forward and kneeled down in front of her. Tey moved away afraid of what he might do to her. He signed when he saw this as he spoke in as gentle of a voice as he could manage, "Little one, I asked you to come with me as I did not wish for you to get hurt. Youkais in that part of the forest you were in do not enjoy ningens roaming about to what they perceive as their territory. I was afraid that you would get hurt, so when you did not show any desire to come with me I forced you, little one, by placing you under a sleeping spell so we could travel."

Tey understood what he was saying. She didn't want to go with him because she had a bad feeling about it. She felt like there would be trouble if she stayed with him and she didn't want anyone getting hurt because of her.

Tey lowered her head and asked, "What have you done to my Reiyouku? Why am I feeling so weak?"

Chris looked at her with concern. His spell was not suppose to make her weak it was suppose to negate her Reiyouku so she wouldn't attack anyone. "The shackles you wear negate your Reiyouku. I could not take the chance of you attacking anyone in this my castle. The chains are not meant to make you weak just to negate your powers."

Tey considered his words for a few minutes. He thought that his spells would negate her Reiyouku but it also made her weak because a big part of her soul was her Reiyouku, then she asked, "If I promise not to harm anyone would you consider taking the shackles off?"

Chris thought for a minute and then asked, "Will you be willing to stay here willingly if I do?"

Tey shook her head no as she said, "I can not stay here. If I stay here, then you will all be in danger. I can't let that happen. I will not let anyone get hurt because of me."

Chris sighed, and said, "No, I will not take the shackles off if you do not promise to remain here and be protected. I made a promise to someone to protect you and I will keep my word to her."

This little bit of information caught Kagome's interest as she asked, "Who wants me to be protected? I am not acquainted with anyone here."

"I have no idea if you have ever met her but it was Midoriko who requested that you be protected." Chris explained as he watched the girl with interest. He saw a spark of recognition in her eyes as he mentioned Midoriko's name.

When Tey heard Midoriko's name her eyes widen. 'She can't be alive. She should be dead by now. From what I have been able to discern out of this era, Midoriko is dead. But why would he say that she wanted me protected?'

Chris watched as the features on the young girl continued to shift. She looked to be deep in thought as he asked, "Tey , do you know who Midoriko is?"

Tey looked up from the floor as she looked into his golden eyes. She then lowered her eyes as she said, "Yes I know who Midoriko is. She was the greatest miko to have ever lived in the He…" She had stopped her train of thought. She almost gave away information that no one should know about. She shifted uncomfortably as she continued, "I mean she was the greatest miko to have ever lived. But I thought she died some time ago, and I myself, have not had the honor of meeting her."

Chris caught her little slip of the tongue but he could not make out what she was about to say. He observed her for a few more minutes before he continued, "Midoriko's mikokoro appeared when I was checking on the Shikon No Tama. She asked me to protect you and the Shikon No Tama from the evil that is coming. She didn't want the jewel to stay in the village where it was being guarded because she was afraid that the villagers would be killed protecting it. She gave me the jewel and asked me to protect it along with you."

Tey was confused. She didn't understand why Midoriko would want to have her protected, "But why would she say that? I have never met her and I'm nobody to this era. This doesn't make any sense."

Jasmine watched with interest as her mate talked to the young girl. 'She looks so confused and out of place here. I can understand what she is going through.' She turned to her mate and said, "Koishii, please I think that is enough questions for the little one. In addition you have some urgent matters which need your immediate attention."

Chris agreed with his mate as he stood and said, "Tey, I have a room that I plan for you to stay in. You can't be with me all the time and I have no other room in the castle that can protect you. Until I can find a more suitable room, you shall stay in this one until I come for you. This room has barriers that will prevent anyone else from entering and it will also protect you as long as you are away from me. Now I need you to come with me."

Tey was in a daze she was so confused that she didn't know what to think. She needed to find a quiet place where she could think. She heard the youkai lord's request as she stood and walked quietly behind him.

Chris walked out of the ceremonial hall and ordered all there in the hallway to leave. Once the hallway was deserted he made sure that Tey was following him as he led the way to the dungeon. He didn't have a choice on where he could put her. At least in this room no one could enter because he will have the only key to open the door.

Tey followed closely behind the youkai lord. She was scared out of her mind when she saw all the youkais that were in this castle. Without her miko powers she was very helpless in a place like this. As she was walking she looked at everything they passed. She looked out the window and saw a beautiful garden outside and wished that she could be out there at this moment.

They continued walking down several flights of stairs. As they went lower into the castle, she noticed that the hallways were becoming darker and darker. Occasionally the hallway was lit with just a torch. But they were few and far between as they walked mostly in the dark.

Tey tried her best to remember everything about the place she was being lead to. They descended another set of stairs and Tey thought she heard someone moaning and crying in the near distance.

Her heart was pounding against her chest as she realized where she was being lead. She had only read about places like this. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think she would actually be in a dungeon of a castle.

It was a place that she never wanted to come to again. She heard little scurrying noises as they continued walking and the sound of water dripping from somewhere up ahead. Soon they came to a stop as she looked at the place she was to be exiled to.

An old wooden door was in front of her as she watched the youkai lord open it with a large key. Once the door was opened she was pushed slowly into the room where she stood in the middle and looked at the place she was to spend the rest of her days in.

It was a small cell measuring about 6 foot by 6 foot. There were no windows in the cell and the only light source was a small torch in the room. A small futon was placed in the corner of the room that had a dirty blanket on it. There was something that looked like a dark brown spot on the floor. Maybe it was from the previous occupant that had been in this room a long time ago. The stench was horrible as she raised her hand to cover her nose.

She stood there just hugging her body wondering which kami she had pissed off to deserve treatment like this.

-oOo-

Chris was leading the way to the dungeons. It has been a long time since he has visited this place. He had forgotten how horrible it smelled down here as he continued to go down.

Corridor after corridor and stairs after stairs he led the way down to the most unpopular part of the castle. Here in this area is where he kept all those who were traitors to his lands. Here was the place that he dealt the punishment that the lawbreakers deserved.

But this time he was leading someone down here for another reason. This was just a child but at the same time a powerful miko. He needed a place that would keep her safe from the rest of the populace of the castle until he could place a protection spell on one of the rooms in the upper levels of the castle.

He knew that she didn't deserve to be down here but he had no other place that held all the spells to contain a miko's powers. He had this room prepared in case he ever ran into a kuro miko and needed to keep her contained. No one would be able to enter this room once he locked it because he had the only key to open the door.

He continued going downward while on occasion looking back to see if she was still with him. It was not very well lit down here and he didn't want her to trip and fall. She could hurt herself if she slipped in the wrong place.

He had finally made it to the room that he wanted to put her in. He stopped as his ears twitched at the sound of someone being tortured further down. He couldn't remember for the life of him who he still had down there as he shrugged his shoulders and pulled a key out of his kimono.

He opened the door and regretfully he pushed the little one into the room. She walked in about half way and just stood there with her arms wrapped around her body. He could smell the fear and loneliness that came off her in waves as his heart ached for her.

He had no choice she could not be with him the rest of the day and he had things that needed his attention. She would be safe in this room until he returned.

But before he shut the door he looked at her and said, "I want you to get some rest. I will come for you later today once I'm done with my affairs. No one can enter this room once I lock the door so you will be well protected down here."

As he was speaking he was watching her reactions to his words. The girl never moved from her spot as she continued to hug herself. When he was done he closed the door and locked it. He placed his hand on the door and said an incantation as he placed his spell on the door. The spell will not allow anyone but himself or his mate to enter this room.

He turned on his heals and started to walk away. When he was halfway down the hallway he heard an anguish cry that broke his heart. The little miko had finally broken down and was crying her heart out. The cries were that of a child that was calling to her mother for love and protection. He guessed that she has never been separated from her mother and now she felt lost without her.

He understood these feeling but right now he had other matters that he had to attend to. Once that was taken care of then he can remove her from this place and give her a room on the upper floors.

He continued on his way with a heavy heart as his little miko's wails of anguish continued to assault his ears.

-oOo-

Tey listened to what the youkai lord was saying. With each word that he said another piece of her barrier was torn down. She had tried to protect herself as best she could. When she heard the door close and his footsteps walking away from her confinement, she finally broke down and cried.

'Kami what have I done to deserve this? What have I done that was wrong to be treated like this? I have done everything that has been expected of me and more. I have taken the gifts you have given me and I have tried to help everyone that needed help.

I have even learned how to fight and I was able to protect that village before those youkais destroyed it. So why am I here? I don't understand why I'm here?

The last time I felt this helpless was when I was in college and didn't have any friends. I could never make friends, they all looked down at me because of my gifts. It was my mother that helped me deal with the pressures of going through school. It was mama that held me in her arms and told me that everything would be all right. Now I'm on my own and mama is not here with me.

I miss my mother so much. I miss her sweet smiles and the arms that held me tight when I was afraid. She gave me comfort when I needed it and now there is no one here to comfort me. I have no one and I'm all alone for the first time in my life.' Kagome collapsed onto the floor crying heart wrenching sobs as she called for her mother. Her mother that would protect her from any harm was not there this time to help her.

Soon her sobs were gone as she cried herself to sleep. She laid in the middle of the floor curled into a fetal position. She hoped that one-day she would be able to see her mother again.

-oOo-

Lord Chris returned to the main section of his castle but he could still hear the girl's wales from the dungeons as he made his way to his study.

When he entered, he found his eldest son there reading some scrolls that had come in that day. He looked at his son and said, "Dae what are you doing in here? I thought that you might be practicing down in the dojo."

Dae, eldest son and heir to the Western Lands looked up from the scroll he was reading at the moment. He had taken to fulfilling his responsibilities as heir and had tended to the constant paperwork that came into the castle.

Everything from reports on the state of the lands to letters from the other youkai lords were sent on a daily bases.

He stood from his current position as he turned and bowed to his father, then he said, "Welcome home father. There have been several messages that were sent from the Northern Lord and the Southern Lord. They state that there have been several incidents where youkai have attacked the ningen villages and killed all there. They say that the attacks are increasing and they were wondering if you have the same problems as them."

Chris raised an eyebrow at his son's statement. He walked to his desk as Dae handed him the letters that he had received. Chris's suspicions were validated. The other lords are having the same problems that he is having and the attacks are increasing as well.

He sat back on his large pillow as he pondered this information. He was brought out of his thoughts as he heard his eldest say, "I have taken the liberty of sending out Akira, Kentaru, and Youko, they have orders to find out what is going on and then report back."

Chris raised an eyebrow at his eldest. Akira, Kentaru, and Youko were his best spies and for him to have sent out those three he had to have a good reason. He wanted to know what he was thinking when he gave them that order. "Dae why did you send out those three?"

Dae looked at his father and was curious. 'Now why would father ask me that question?' He considered his answer carefully as he said, "They are the best spies that you have. There has to be a reason why youkai are attacking ningen villages and they are the best ones to find out the answers. I suspect that if the North and South were having problems with youkai attacking ningen villages then they would spread to our lands as well."

Chris smiled at his son's logic as he said, "You are correct in your assumption. I have found that youkai are attacking the ningen villages here for no reason other than to destroy them. I found a village that was under siege by six Oni's but the village didn't need my help to protect them, they had someone there already that took care of all six Oni's by themselves."

Dae raised an eyebrow at this information. He didn't think ningens were strong enough to fight six Oni's and live to tell the tale. Plus he has never heard of any youkai living with ningens, so it couldn't be a youkai that was fighting for them. "He defeated six Oni's all by himself? I didn't know a ningen could be so strong." He said as he eyed his father with interest.

"I didn't say it was a he who defeated the Oni's." Stated Chris with amusement. He was watching his son closely and when he stated that it wasn't a male, he could see the surprised look in his son's eyes. It took a lot for his son to show his emotions. He has always kept it well hidden and he enjoyed bringing those feelings to the surface every chance he got.

'There is no way that a ningen onna could defeat six Oni's. No ningen is that powerful.' Thought Dae as he eyed his father. He could smell no deceit coming from his father so what he said must be true. But it was hard to believe nonetheless. "How can a onna defeat six Oni's? That's next to impossible! I have never met a female with that much power. All the females I have met are weak especially ningens onna's."

Chris chuckled at his son. He will soon learn not to doubt his father. "Ah but Dae I was there when she fought them and I saw her defeat these youkais all by herself. She did not need any help from the villagers. She is a miko and a very powerful one. But we will talk about this onna later. I have a theory on why the youkai are attacking the ningen villages."

"You do? Why are they attacking the ningen villages?" asked Dae with curiosity in his voice.

"I think that they are attacking the villages because they are looking for the Shikon No Tama and Midoriko's sword. I found several youkais who where heading toward the village where I hid the items.

I killed them all once I had retrieved the items from the village and brought them here to be protected." Answered Chris. He was watching his son the whole time he spoke, he wanted to see how he would react to this information.

'Interesting, father has brought the sword and the jewel back to the castle. I wonder where he will hide it in order to protect the jewel. I will have to find out.' Thought Dae as he continued to ponder this situation some more.

He turned to his father again and asked, "Where have you hidden the jewel father? Someone besides you has to know of its location to make sure that its guarded at all times."

Chris raised an eyebrow at this son. 'Oh he is a smart one. He is trying to make me tell him where I have hidden the jewel. No matter, he will find out in time where the jewel is hidden.' "That Dae is not your concern. Your concern should be if you have been keeping up with your studies. I expect you to show me your new moves when we spar down in the dojo later today. I promise you that if you don't show me some improvements I will make you pay for your mistakes."

Dae cringed at his father's remarks. He understood his underlining threat. Good thing he had been practicing while his father was away. He was in for a surprise when he came down to the dojo this afternoon. He smirked as he said to his father, "I think that you will not be disappointed father. As a matter of fact I think that you will be quite pleased when we spar this afternoon."

Chris heard his son's challenge as he got a gleam in his eye. Dae would always try to beat him but he has yet to find his inner strength to protect. He will not find that strength until he finds something to love. It is a strength that all males have but it is set free when you have something to love and protect. "We shall see how much you have learned while I have been away pup. But right now we have to discuss this new threat that is coming."

Dae and Chris stayed in the study for the rest of the morning. They continued to go over all the scrolls and messages that came to the castle and sent replies back to those who needed the replies.

They discussed what was happening out in the lands and how to protect the land from the evil that was coming. Dae for his part did not hate ningens but he saw them as inferior beings and this was not good. If he thought of them as inferior beings then he would not protect them when he became lord.

Chris tried to instill in his son that everyone was worthy of their protection. The ningen villages provided the rest of the lands with some much-needed supplies to areas that were unable to grow enough food for the winter. The area that couldn't grow food found other things that they could make and traded for food. Some villages made swords, others made silk, and others found ways to make growing food easier in certain regions and went about sharing that knowledge. They all needed each other to survive and that's just the way it had to be.

Dae for his part was not happy with what his father was saying. He had never met a ningen that he would respect let alone be strong enough to stand up to him. But he kept his opinions to himself and listened to his father's lessons on how to be a good lord.