Time Traveler Katsumi

The Mysterious Case of Gean Cánach

"... Granddaughter? The hell are you talkin' about!?" Inuyasha demanded back, furrowing his brow in confusion and annoyance. What the hell was this guy supposed to be, anyway...? He certainly didn't smell like any kind of youkai he had ever met before, and there was no freakin' way this guy was human!

Sesshoumaru and Gean Cánach simply stared at Inuyasha with relatively similar looks of aloof disdain, clearly unimpressed.

"Uh, Inuyasha... I believe Gean Cánach-sama was referring to Katsumi-san," Miroku said, sweat-dropping. As strange and mysterious as the powerful being before them might be, it wasn't that difficult a connection to make just from observing their shared eye color and the similarities between their energies and auras.

"What? But—then that means this guy is Katsumi's grandpa!?" Inuyasha exclaimed. How did he know about Katsumi when she wasn't even supposed to be born yet!? What was he doing here? What was with that freaky energy of his? And most importantly, how was he able to talk in all their heads at once like this—Goshinki's mind reading was one thing, but this was just insane! All of these thoughts kept swirling around inside the confused hanyou's mind until they became such a tangled mess that even he could no longer decipher the Gordian knot of questions wriggling around inside his brain.

Consider Inuyasha's mind blown.

[[Try not to hurt yourself, now.]] Gean told him, sweat-dropping. This strange dog-boy wasn't very bright, was he? He almost pitied Inuyasha... Almost. [[Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted... What happened to this child, Katsumi's, wings?]] he asked, addressing the others once again. Inuyasha glanced around, wondering why it was suddenly so quiet, but then he realized after seeing the thoughtful expressions on their others' faces, that Gean must have said something to everyone again... everyone except for him...

"Oi, don't just ignore me! Why am I the only one being left out!?" Inuyasha barked indignantly, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. Gean glanced at the hanyou, frowning slightly in annoyance.

[[Listen, you feckless fool. I chose to ignore your previous discourtesy, because I had assumed, based on your emotions and actions taken to protect my granddaughter, that you lot are friends and allies of hers... However, any further thoughtless displays of disrespect towards me will not be tolerated.]] he stated coldly, broadcasting this warning to the whole group, so he wouldn't have to repeat himself again. [[Now, to answer your question... 'dog-boy'... I did not ask you simply because I doubted you would have anything useful to contribute to this conversation.]] Gean added, deciding to invent a name for Inuyasha rather than trying to sift through that mess he called a mind for the insolent pup's proper name.

'This guy...!!' Inuyasha thought, clenching his teeth as he flattened his ears and let out a low growl of frustration, seriously ticked and annoyed. 'He's definitely Katsumi's ojii-san! He even came up with that same annoying nickname!!'

Gean Cánach just smirked slyly at the fuming pup, amused by what he had just heard bubble to surface of his hot head. It would seem his granddaughter took after him in at least one respect.

{One long explanation of all known facts pertaining to the situation later...}

[[Let me make sure I have this correct... This Naraku villain suddenly developed an interest in my granddaughter for reasons unknown, so he used a clever ruse to separate Katsumi from anyone strong enough to interfere with whatever he had planned for her—which appears to have involved torture—and after hearing her blood-curdling scream, there was a powerful but rather brief explosion of raw energy... And then you finally reached her, only to find her lying here, scarred and unconscious...?]] Gean asked them, raising an eyebrow. Their story had a lot of holes in it. He might think they were all trying to pull a fast one over on him if he couldn't read all of their thoughts and emotions... Well, there was one mind he couldn't quite get a read on... Gean Cánach glanced surreptitiously at the daiyoukai. He was a sharp one, that Sesshoumaru. Somehow, Sesshoumaru had managed to successfully create a shield within  his mind to protect his most private thoughts from prying eyes, and yet, at the same time, the daiyoukai was still able to receive whatever telepathic messages Gean broadcasted to him... How curious...

"Yes, Gean Cánach-sama," Kagome replied somberly, nodding in confirmation. "Unfortunately, that's all we know... but maybe Katsumi will be able to tell us what happened when she wakes up."

[[That, I sincerely doubt.]] Gean replied frankly, deciding not to sugar coat it. The evidence spoke for itself. He had seen the aftermath of when a faerie's wings were forcibly removed like this before. Whether it was some built in natural defense mechanism or just the side-effect of the energy in the wings becoming too unstable once separated from their source...  there could be no doubt that this explosion had indeed been the result of Katsumi's wings being ripped away from her. [[From what you have just told me, it appears this Naraku fecker somehow managed to rip out her wings. Having their wings ripped out is one of the worst things that can ever happen to a faerie. The pain and trauma caused by it is said to be so indescribably excruciating, that is beyond the comprehension of anyone who has never experienced it for themselves... the closest comparison would probably be for one to imagine being burned alive while having their spinal cord ripped out... but only after the intensity has been multiplied by ten.]] he explained, frowning, as the ember of fury rekindled in his vibrant hazel eyes. [[Most faeries cannot withstand the pain and die. It is generally only those who posses an incredibly strong will and sense of self that stand any chance of surviving such an intense trauma, and fewer still whom are ever lucky enough to make a full recovery... most are crippled for life, in some way or another...]] An act of such cruelty was unforgivable...!

"..." Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth as he forced himself to maintain his calm, stoic façade despite the fact that his blood was boiling with rage. No wonder Katsumi had screamed like that...! Yes. He was definitely going to kill Naraku, and it was going to be excruciating...

Sesshoumaru glanced at Katsumi's grandfather when he realized the faerie was staring at him. Approval was shining in Gean Cánach's eyes along with righteous fury.

In his anger, Sesshoumaru had dropped his mental guard just long enough for Gean to catch that last sentiment. The faerie's fair lips curved into a dark smirk that matched his black mood and humor. It seemed he and the inu daiyoukai were in complete agreement with each other on the matter of Naraku's deserved fate.

"Poor Katsumi-nee..." Rin sniffed sadly, echoing the thoughts of the Inu-tachi. Even Inuyasha had winced sympathetically at Gean's brutal but accurate description of the pain their friend had endured at Naraku's hands.

Gean gave Rin a slight, sympathetic smile as he gently laid a soothing hand on her head in much the same manner Katsumi would have.

[[Fear not, little one. While this wound may indeed prove difficult for me to heal on my own, I know of a healer whose skills far surpass my own. If she agrees to heal my granddaughter, then there can be no doubt. Katsumi will recover, of that you can be certain.]] he said, winking at her. Rin couldn't help but smile at this hopeful news, and Gean reminded her of her Katsumi-nee so much in that moment, that it was almost as if Katsumi herself had said it.

"Did you hear that, Sesshoumaru-sama~!?" Rin asked excitedly, radiating innocence and hope. "Katsumi-nee's going to be alright~!"

"Really~!?" Kagome gasped even though Rin had not been talking to their group, unable to contain her own excitement and relief. Way to go, Grandpa!

Sesshoumaru, however, did not seem as quick to jump on their cheerful little bandwagon.

"And how do you plan to accomplish such a difficult task?" the daiyoukai asked coolly, certain there was something Gean Cánach still wasn't telling them. 'I am quite curious as to how you knew to come to this exact location in order to help a granddaughter whom you should not have known even existed?' Sesshoumaru thought, intentionally aiming his silent question at the faerie.

[[Hmm. Yes, well... unfortunately, the healer I have in mind rarely visits the human world, so I will have to take Katsumi to her... which means the two of us must pay a visit to the faerie world, Tír na nÓg.]] Gean explained to everyone, but then he secretly whispered a second message only Sesshoumaru could hear, [[A woman of your ilk paid me a rather unexpected visit in my homeland, claiming she could foresee the future and wished to tell me of mine... I believe you may know her as well. She called herself Tsukihime.]]