Looks around guiltily Okay I know I was gone for a long time and there is a good reason for this. The reason is...I had writer's block! Seriously. And I've had a serious lack of inspiration. But I'm back and suddenly got the urge to write this update. To my surprise it practically wrote itself and it took me...let's see, 3 hours to complete it. And boy was it long. Anyway, in this chapter you'll find out some startling information about Kagome you never dreamed possible. It's almost A/U but it's basically what happened to Kagome before she went back to the past. I hope you all like it and I'm sorry for taking so long! I promise I'll attempt to write some other updates later. For now, just be content with this chapter please.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Answers

Chapter 3

The next couple of days Kagome and the demons were content to stay well away from each other. Yoko and Kuronue were in total agreement that they had no reason to trust the miko, although admittedly she had invited them willingly into her home, something practically unheard for a priestess to do even during their long lives. Nevertheless, they had lived a long time and trust did not come easy for either bandit. They had decided that for now they would treat their host with respect and pray that she would not rescind her offer and purify them in their sleep. Instead they had come to the conclusion that they would rather seek her out should they need anything, and much to their surprise the miko was the same way. She had at first seemed foolish in her actions, inviting demons to live in a miko's home, indeed. What kind of human, miko even, would allow bandits to live in her home and neither be afraid or worried that her family would be safe from either their greed or simply themselves? True, they were not mindless oafs and would never kill without reason, but the miko's home was fascinating and she did carry an impressive amount of weapons and contraband (Yoko knew, he snooped) some of which Yoko was sure was either stolen itself or carried along through several family generations. Either way, he and Kuronue both had at one point or another, gotten the itch to steal something and as it is they were getting quite bored of simply sitting around waiting for something to happen or for someone to fill in the blanks and at least explain what went down in the Makai. But the miko had stayed away, preferring to stay with her son or to speak to them through her family.

Every day she had food prepared for them and brought to their room, courtesy of either her mother or Souta. Upon returning home and discovering that Kagome had yet again invited guests to stay with them, something that had been occurring for far to long in grandpa's opinion, the Higurashis took everything into accord. Souta, like always, was overjoyed. He had been fascinated with demons from the moment he met Inuyasha. and Kun-loon trusted her daughter in all her endeavors and was assured that if her daughter had allowed these three thieves into their midst, that they were to be treated as honored guests. Her daughter was a sensible woman and would not put her family in harm's way.

Yomi was the only one that Kagome had actually spent time with in the three days that they had been cooped up and out of sight at the shrine. Most days Kagome and Yomi enjoyed simply sitting outside and conversing quietly in the shade of the God Tree. Yomi found Kagome and her family extremely interesting and took great joy in studying their social interactions. Although grandpa was the head of the family, seeing as Kagome's father was non-existent, Kagome was the one who often took control in any situation. She was the one who had defended them all from her grandfather's attempts to 'purify' them. She was the one her brother went to if and when he had a problem. She had taken to training the young boy, who was now fifteen, the age she had fallen down the well and started her journey. He had a minimal amount of priestly powers and Kagome was an awesome teacher, having much patience with a growing hormonal teenager. Yomi also enjoyed Kagome's mother. Kun-loon and Kagome seemed to have a great relationship and her mother had raised her well, transforming her daughter into a well-spoken, lithe creature that probably would take his breath away should he ever gain his eyesight back. All in all, this family and this miko were drastically different from any humans he had ever met in the past. It was no wonder that the seemingly cold-hearted lord of the Makai had taken to the miko. Anyone who spend any amount of time in her presence would come away feeling awed. She had definitely earned his respect and was quickly gaining his trust. She had made no threat against himself or the kitsune and his companion, and the fact that she had apparently adopted another kitsune spoke volumes of her character.

Kagome herself had spent a lot time studying all three bandits, although she was sure neither the fox nor the bat were aware of her information or how she acquired it. Yomi, she was sure had heard her spies thanks to his impressive hearing, but she had more respect for Yomi and knew that he would answer her honestly should she have questions. She rarely had one of her spies watch him, choosing instead to keep an eye on the other two at the moment. She had to admit Yomi was an interesting man, a demon who had almost died thanks to the craftiness of his ex-partner, the silver partner that was currently residing in her home. She was at first worried that there would be fighting between the three, but Yomi had assured her, through reasons beyond her comprehension, that he had forgiven the kitsune a long time ago. How anyone could forgive a person who had betrayed your trust, even if the person was just a comrade, she had no idea, especially when the person had almost killed you. But she let it go, determining to keep the past in the past. After all, she was dealing with enough of her past at the moment. She didn't want to get into the business of someone else's when it wasn't any of her business in the first place. As it was, Sesshomaru apparently held this demon in high regard, something which was nearly impossible to do. Impressing Sesshomaru was something that had taken years for Kagome herself to accomplish and she knew if the old dog trusted him, she would too.

Of course that didn't mean that she spilled any of her secrets. No, she was still very tight-lipped about her past, choosing to answer Yomi's questions very carefully, although she got the sense that he didn't want to pressure her in any way. They mostly spent time talking about the present, about the human world, and about her son; the son which was currently lying on his side beside her.

Kagome had to admit she was a bit worried about him. He had been sleeping on and off since he'd been there, catching a bit of a fever on his second night there. Kagome couldn't imagine what he had been through in the past week and had taken to sleeping right beside him, wishing to protect him should the need arise. Although she had never told Shippo about this, Kagome did have some enemies in this time, some not entirely human enemies. She knew Shippo was going to be heartbroken she had been keeping secrets from him, she had only been trying to protect him. But now that he was old enough to understand, she was hoping he wouldn't hold it against her when she told him the truth about her past.

The miko gave a tired sigh and rubbed her eyes, sitting up on the bed and sliding Shippo down her body at a more comfortable angle. Her legs were falling asleep and the one arm around his shoulders was beginning to go numb. His lashes fluttered and she couldn't resist leaning down and kissing him on the cheek, brushing the rust-colored strands of hair away from his eyes. He was so cute now. She gave a light giggle. Her little son, all grown up. She especially loved his ears, a fetish stemming all the way back even before the first time she'd seen a hanyou all those years ago. But his ears were larger and fluffier than Inuyasha's or the other hanyou she'd known and she loved these quiet mornings where she could just lie in bed and pet his ears. Her own senses came alive when she heard the light treat of feet coming from outside of her door. She lifted her head just enough to spot her mother quietly opening the door and peering into the darkened room.

Kagome smiled and continued rubbing Shippo's ears.

"Good morning, mom," she whispered.

Kun-loon smiled at the tender scene and had to hold back the flicker of pain when she realized just how grown up her daughter was, a daughter that had her own grown up son to deal with. Her mother had to admit Shippo was a very handsome boy and it made her heart swell at the tender way her daughter cared for the kitsune.

"Good morning, Kagome," she greeted quietly, crossing over to pet Shippo's ears as well. Kagome suppressed the grin. Like mother, like daughter or in their case it was like daughter, like mother. After a few moments of silence and scratching noises, Kun-loon turned to her daughter. "Honey, I was informed this morning that your guests wish to speak to you."

Kagome's smile dimmed and filled with acknowledgment. She was willing to bed they were anxious to get a move on and find some answers. She had to admit she'd been afraid to tell them the bitter truth, although she was sure they'd come to their own conclusions given the extreme circumstances of their arrival. But it was time, she knew it was inevitable. "Okay, I'll be down in a few minutes. In the mean time why don't you take grandpa and Souta out today, I have a feeling this confrontation won't be pretty."

Kun-loon frowned. "Are you sure, dear? Maybe we should at least leave Souta here."

"Momma," Kagome whined, although she grinned again. "Don't worry about me. I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm a big strong miko and I can take care of myself."

Her mother smiled back. "I know. But I'm your mother and it's my job to worry about you, no matter how grown up I think you've become. You understand, seeing at how worried you were over my grandson."

Kagome glanced down at her son, remembering the worry and pain she had felt when she arrived back home, knowing she wouldn't see her son until he was fully grown. She had been depressed for weeks, knowing she would never get to see him grow and experience that aspect of raising a child. But she knew in her heart she had taught him well and that his instincts would never leave him astray. He would find her again, she was sure of it.

"It's hard to believe how grown up he's become," Kagome whispered, throat clogged with her rising emotions. "Kami, momma, I missed him so much. They didn't let me see him grow up." A tear slipped down the side of her face. "They didn't let me see him grow," she repeated, collapsing against her mother when Kun-loon sat on the bed and hugged her daughter tight. After a few moments, Kagome got her bearings straight and pushed her mother away. She felt bad upon seeing the dismissed look on her mother's face, but Kagome just hated appearing weak and whenever she felt weak, she pushed people away. It was something she started doing long ago, even before falling down the well and the only person she allowed to see her full emotions was Shippo. Her son was the only one she could count on not to judge or ask questions. He would just cuddle his little body in the crook of her neck and allow her to hold him as tight as she could.

"Well," the miko spoke. "I'll see to our guests. Don't bother cooking for them this morning. I can do it later after we have our 'talk'."

Kun-loon recovered quickly, as resilient as her daughter. "Sure. Perhaps we'll spend the night in the city for a few days. It will give you some privacy and time to figure out what to do with them."

Kagome smiled. "Thanks momma, I love you."

Kun-loon smiled and shut the door. "I love you too, Kagome."

"Who was that?" Kagome almost jumped when she heard her son speak. She gave a gasp and realized that during their talk, her son had sat up and was staring at her curiously. His hair was draped all over the place, in a mass of disarray after being dirty and days of thrashing about in the midst of his fever. He was staring at her with a mixture of bizarre horror and insane happiness. For a moment the two simply stayed at each other before Shippo reached over and pinched her.

"Ouch!" Kagome jumped. "Shippo, what was that for?"

Shippo giggled mischievously. "I just wanted to see if you were a dream. And I'm still awake so apparently you're not."

Kagome rubbed her shoulder and pouted, though she couldn't resist rubbing his hair and giving it an extra hard rub. "Then why didn't you just pinch yourself?"

Shippo shrugged. "I figured it would hurt."

"Wimp," Kagome teased and instantly dragged her son into an intense hug. "Kami, Shippo, I missed you so much."

Kagome grinned against his mother's neck, still wrapped tightly in her warm embrace. It felt so good to be in such a comforting hold again, it had been even longer since someone had touched him in this way. "I missed you too. So who was that, was that your mom?"

"Yep! That's your grandma. Come on, get up and take a shower. We need to meet the others downstairs."

"The...others?" Shippo asked before remembrance flashed across his face. Fear came flooding into his eyes before Kagome hugged him once more.

"Don't worry, you are safe here. But you do need to know what's going on and I don't want to have to explain twice. It's a long story and...I have some things to tell you that will be unsettling, things I've never told you before."

"Okay," Shippo agreed, wondering what kind of secrets, standing up and instantly realizing he was naked. His cheeks flushed and he grabbed the sheets off the bed, wrapping them a few times around his cold body. If she were anyone else but his mother, Kagome might have been embarrassed at seeing him in such a state of undress. As it was, she simply burst out laughing and teased him relentlessly about how he was so grown up and he wasn't her baby boy anymore. Shippo finally growled playfully when she started spouting fake tears and proclaiming that he was man.

Kagome laughed and also stood up and shooed him into the bathroom. The door hadn't closed for a second when Shippo returned. "Momma?" he asked, remembering something from before.

"Hm?" she raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "What it is?"

"Uh," he scratched behind his head. "What's a shower?"

Yomi, Kuronue, and Yoko were all sitting in the kitchen when, much to their surprise, Kagome came down the stairs, a kitsune trailing after her, practically shadowing her footsteps. "Hello, boys," she nodded pleasantly, directing Shippo to a chair beside Yoko. Shippo glanced hesitantly around, as this was the first time he'd gotten a good glance at any of the demons he'd brought with him. He gave a start when he realized all their attention was direction on his mother. He gave a slight growl of warning and gulped when he became the center of attention.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Oh for Kami's sake. Men, I swear," she grumbled under her breath knowing they all could hear her. "Yoko, Kuronue, Yomi, meet the person who probably saved your lives. This is Shippo. Shippo, Yomi is one of the Lords of Makai, and Yoko and Kuronue are both bandits."

"Bandits," Shippo glanced at them suspiciously. "You'd better not steal anything while you're here."

Kagome eyed her son, noticing he'd grown mentally just as much as he had physically. He was defending her home, willing to protect her from anything and probably able to do it now, too. She decided not to reprimand him for being rude. She wanted to see what the others would do should Shippo continue pushing buttons. She too was testing them, wondering about their own self control.

Both Yoko and Kuronue growled, though Yomi found the kit's comments amusing. "And if we did," Yoko couldn't resist goading the kit. In truth he wasn't angered over the comments, after all he reasoned that anyone would have good reason to worry when you had a practicing bandit residing under your roof. He was simply testing the younger kitsune, wondering just how deep his affections ran for this strange human miko.

"You would not get very far, I can assure you," Shippo spoke confidently and with some anger. He was still very suspicious of these demons. He had no reason to trust them, more so around his mother. He would not allow anyone to take her away from him again and that meant protecting her from all harm, including from thieves if need be. He was well aware that she could protect herself well enough, it was just his duty and a need that came from his kitsune senses to keep her away from any and all harm. "I am warning you, should you attempt to steal anything from my mother's home or from any of my other family members, I will see to it that everything is returned to her, even your bodies to assure her you've been taken care of."

Yoko bared his fangs while Kuronue's wings bristled. Yomi continued to look amused.

"You have nothing to fear from me," Yomi assure the red-haired kitsune. "I'm...retired," he glanced at Yoko with a slight glare, knowing exactly why he was 'retired'. "I give you my word as a lord, that I will bring no harm to anyone that falls under your protection. Such dedication is worthy of respect."

Shippo quirked his head to the side, wondering why this demon had given such a promise, though grateful for it all the same. Now as for the other two...he continued glaring at the silver kitsune before turning his head away and raising his nose to the sky, knowing it would anger the other kitsune to be dismissed in such a way.

"Shippo, that is enough," Kagome interrupted before things could get out of hand when she saw the look in the silver's eyes at being so blatantly disregarded. It was nice that Shippo wanted to protect her, immediate family included, but she did not need Shippo being rude and threatening demons that may be able to help in the coming months. She needed allies and she did not wish to have another enemy to deal with. "You are being rude."

Kagome glanced up guiltily, ears lying flat against his head. "Sorry, mother."

Kagome smiled and rubbed his ears, not able to resist his sweet, love-filled aqua eyes.

"So you do call her mother," Kuronue observed, finally speaking up. He had been cringing inside waiting for his friend to throw his whip or raise some nasty plant to feed on the other Kitsune and was grateful for the distraction.

"Sure," Shippo shrugged carelessly.

"Why?" he asked curiously. "I don't understand how such a thing is possible. You are not hanyou and she is not demon, of that I am sure, so why would a kitsune willingly call a human mother? As far as I am aware, kitsunes keep to themselves and allow no other family but their own to be so close."

"It's...a long story?" Shippo asked, more than stated, glancing at his mother and wondering what she'd told them.

The priestess shrugged. "It is a long story," Kagome agreed, still not willing to dig into her past, "And we do have more important things to take care of at the moment."She glanced at Yomi. "I assume you have told them about the war."

"War?" Shippo asked, a deep chill settling in the pit of his stomach. All eyes were serious now and Yoko gave a tentative nod, knowing that Yomi had told them at least something about the goings-on in the Makai.

"Yes," Yomi stated tonelessly. "War."

Shippo's mouth dropped open and Kagome found herself sitting down at the head of the table. Shippo sat on her right with Yoko right beside him, followed by Kuronue. Yomi sat on the left hand side of the rectangular table.

"But...but why?" Shippo sputtered. He'd had no idea. Who would have the nerve? "What kind of war? Wait, you mean like a civil war?"

All eyes turned to Kagome who sighed. "Not exactly, Shippo. Civil would imply that it only involves demons. That would not explain the spirits who invaded the Makai and forced you four out. No, instead it is a war that has been over two hundred years in coming, brought on by those in the Reikai who believe it's time to finally be rid of all demons. I learned of it many years ago and have been helpless to stop its coming."

"But you are a human, how could you know such things?" Yoko asked, eyes glaring into her with deadly intensity. His hands were clenched into fists and his eyes were burning with rage. He hated not knowing things and he hated the fact that a human girl had known this was coming before it was directly upon them. He also hated the fact that he had been forced to hole out here, under the care and guard of a miko no less, instead of going back and fighting...or something. He felt...weak and he hated any kind of weakness, at least in himself.

"Yeah mom, how come you never told me about this?" Shippo asked.

Kagome sighed again and decided to simply get it out in the open. "I was in the Spirit Defense Force for the Reikai."

There was silence before. "What!"

Yomi did not speak, he had already come to that conclusion earlier, while both Yoko and Kuronue's eyes narrowed. She was an assassin, which meant she was dangerous and not at all what she appeared to be. They would have to be on their guard. "When I was 13 I came into contact with a spirit. I don't know why but ever since I was a child I've been able to see and sense things; ghosts, spirits, angels, call them what you will, but for some reason my powers ended up leading me to a powerful being named Enma. I was only a child, I had no idea who he was, but the only thing I did know was that there was something entirely unsettling about him. He was different from other human spirits and didn't appear to be human at all. Enma realized at once what I was, told me I was a miko and that I had immense power. He told me he wanted me to work for him and I balked. At first I didn't believe him. I denied the possibility and stopped talking to spirits altogether, not wanting to take the chance that any of them could tell what I was. But that all changed when I died."

A swift intake of breath and Shippo's head shot up. "You died! Why? How? Who did it? Why didn't you tell me?"Shippo cried in outrage. "That doesn't make any sense, mother. How are you alive now if you've died before? You can't just will people back into existence."

Kagome grimaced. "You're right, you can't...at least if you are human."

"But you really did die?" Shippo looked hurt. "You died, mother, and you never told me? How?"

"A demon," Kagome answered truthfully, raising some eyebrows. "You see it turns out I had something he wanted, something I had no idea how to give him even if I wanted to."

Shippo's eyes widened, knowing immediately what she was talking about. "Was it the Shikon no Tama?"

"Yes."

Yoko's mouth dropped open and Kuronue blinked time and time again, while even Yomi looked surprised at the revelation. "Then you are the guardian of the Shikon no Tama?" Yoko demanded. He searched his mind for what he knew of the jewel. He knew about it's formation and how it had been bestowed upon a young miko who guarded it until her death. Her death was surrounded by mysterious circumstances and he had no idea what happened to the jewel after the miko's death. Could this be the same miko? Or perhaps she was a reincarnation. That would explain why she had it in the first place.

"Yes."

Kagome didn't know how she sat still for so long trying to act emotionless and unfeeling about her past, all the while trying not to look into her son's eyes knowing how he must be feeling. She would speak to him later and try to explain herself.

"It doesn't matter," Shippo spoke up, strangely distant. "She can tell you more about that later. That, too is a long story, but I wish to know this one first. Please continue your story mother."

Kagome nodded. "Anyway, to make a long story short, I died and wound up in Spirit World only to be brought in front of the one spirit I had been avoiding. He told me about the jewel and about my powers. He told me that he would train me and in exchange I could be revived. I had no idea what to think, but I wanted to see my family again. The yearning is something fierce when you're dead. Your emotions are ten times as powerful as they are when you're alive and I wanted so badly to be with them again. So I said yes. He gave me this."

Kagome grimaced and pulled down a side of her kimono, exposing a small tattoo on her shoulder, though she didn't tell them what it meant. It was used in the Reikai to identify you, your rank, and your abilities. In a sense it meant that everyone in Reikai knew who you were and how powerful you are.

"I was brought back to life and immediately placed into a rigid training schedule by the finest warriors the Reikai employed. I was raised to fight and to kill and I was told that demons were evil and that the Spirit World protected the human world from hungry demons who had a thirst for human flesh."

"You...hated us, didn't you?" Kuronue asked bluntly. "They trained you to hate us."

Kagome noticed Shippo flinch when she gave a tiny nod. But she shrugged it off. "I didn't know any better. I didn't know what I know now about demons and humans. I didn't know that a demon could have a heart or that they were anything but the monsters who haunt our dreams. After all, my death was caused by one simply because I had something he wanted. I grew bitter and I hated and I killed many demons during my training. After all I was a miko who was born with the power. I did not die and then have my powers bestowed on me. I was powerful and I was trained extremely well. In time I had my own team and we spent time driving out all the demons of the human world. But I was young and I was smart and it felt good to be recognized because of your powers."

"You got cocky didn't you?" Yoko interrupted. "You felt invincible, that no one could touch you."

Kagome regarded the silver kitsune curiously, wondering what the distant look in his eyes meant. But she agreed and told him so.

Ah, to be that naive again. Yoko had made that mistake when he was younger, as had Yomi. It was a lesson that came at a price. He found himself understanding the miko a bit more...even though she admitted to killing his kind. "So what changed?"

For the first time since Kagome began her tale, she allowed a smile to cross her lips. "What else? I fell in love. I was sent on a mission to kill a demon who I was told had killed a few humans in cold blood. But as I said before, I was young and cocky and I made a foolish mistake in underestimating my opponent and his power. I thought I was dead again." Kagome's voice was tinged with sadness and pain, staring at something only she could see. "I can still feel his claws digging into my neck and I can remember just begging him to kill me."

"Why?" Shippo asked.

"I was defenseless, unable to fight back and I knew I'd be punished if I went back to the Reikai without killing my mark. Enma was anything but kind to those who failed him. Oh, I'd seen what happened to the few unfortunate souls who were unable to carry out their tasks and I had yet to fail once. But I was still young, only 14, a few months shy of turning 15. I was still quite fresh and I underestimated his strength. He overpowered me and I was near death when he withdrew. I thought he was going to leave me there, but...he didn't. Instead he brought me to his home and healed my wounds. I...I didn't understand. I was so confused. It was like everything I believed in flipped upside down. This demon, a soulless beast said to kill in cold blood, had healed me after I had tried to kill him. And, oh, was he beautiful. The demons I'd come into contact with before had all been lower class demons, easy to kill and easy to capture. But this demon, he was...different. He explained that he lived in the human world and had not killed two humans, but two demons in disguise that had come after his mother. You see, he was a half demon, his mother was human and his father had been killed by the Reikai long ago. I couldn't believe it. A demon, protecting a human? I had never dreamed it was possible, let alone that a demon could care enough about a human to produce a child. I stayed with him for a few weeks and over time I fell in love with him."

"Wait," Shippo butted in, scrunching up his face. He was starting to come around a little bit. He did not fault his mother for keeping this humongous secret from him. It was obviously something that had been painful for her, although he still couldn't believe she'd actually been dead for a short time. Kagome's death was something he didn't want to think about. "You fell in love with another hanyou, a demon before Inuyasha? Well...I guess that does make sense. At least now I know why you were so hesitant to get involved with him, to let your heart accept the inevitable."

Kagome smiled at her son. "That's right. You would have liked him, Shippo, he looked a lot like you in any case, a red kitsune like yourself."

"Another one?" Shippo mocked and Kagome chuckled, momentarily lifting everyone's spirits. Her story was quite unbelievable, and no one else knew quite what to make of it yet.

"Wait, you said would have?" Shippo questioned. "Does that mean..." he trailed off as Kagome's smile dimmed and her face cleared of all color.

"It...was raining...the night they came after us," she whispered softly. "I had gone to the Reikai. I confronted Enma and told him I wanted to leave, to be free and to live a normal life. Enma...was not happy.He tried to persuade me I'd been brainwashed." Kagome rolled her eyes at the audacity. "When that didn't work he gave me a choice. He made me chose between the Reikai or my love. He told me death was my only way out and that either way I chose, I would never see my kitsune again."

Kagome's smile was bitter and filled with regret. "He was right. Right there and then I told Enma to stick it and tried to flee. He ended up ex-communicating me and told me I was from that point on a wanted criminal. He fed the rest of Reikai lies, that I had lost my mind and had started consorting with a demon. Friends who had once stood beside me, were now my enemies but I didn't care. I loved my kitsune and I wanted to be with him. But when I got there..." Kagome's blue eyes were wide and haunted as she remembered the horrifying scene. She clutched her head, remembering all the blood, her frantic calls to her would-be mate. She closed her eyes, hiding the tears and just barely felt her son touching her shoulder and trying to calm her down. Kagome licked her lips, remembering the pain and the rage and the hurt. "They were...taking him away. My friends, my best friends, were taking away the one person who had showed me kindness when I was naive and ignorant. I tried like hell to stop them and get to him, but it was too late. They killed him right in front of me and left him lying in his own blood while they held me back and allowed him to bleed to death. Kami, I hated them all, I hated them more than I had ever hated a demon. I swore vengeance and killed every single one of them. I don't know what happened after that. I woke up at the shrine and my mom was crying. I was inconsolable for a long time. I tried to kill myself, to escape and join my mate on the other side but I learned soon after that as soon as he reached the Reikai they placed him in Spirit World jail. I knew if I even attempted to go after him I would die. It seems even after all these years, I'm still marked," Kagome whispered to herself, allowing herself one last glimpse of long red hair and emerald green eyes before willing the picture away, unable to look upon her first love. "But nevertheless, my ties with the Reikai are how I know about the war. Nobody is sure why Enma hates demons so much, word is that his wife was killed by one many eons ago. But he's been planning and plotting for years to overthrow the Makai. I didn't realize how soon it would occur, but I knew it wouldn't be long. One of my informants told me that Enma was planning to invade the Makai on the 500th anniversary if the barrier being put up. My informant was right." Kagome glanced at each face with tense reservation. "Boys, you are now involved in a full-scale war, a war in which Enma plans to exterminate every demon, regardless of power, station, or rank. He will not stop until every last one of you are dead."

"All of us?" Kuronue whispered hoarsely, unable to believe that anyone would have the will or want or even the means to kills millions of demons.

Kagome met his cool, unblinking eyes. "All of you."

Well that's it! I'll give you a few guesses on who her first love was and it was not Inuyasha! And yes, he is dead, sorry to have him killed, but for some reason that part sort of came to me. I just started writing and that's what I got. This is still a Kuronue/Kagome/Yoko and no Yomi will not be paired with anyone at the moment. He will have about the same relationship as Sesshomaru does, though not as close. And I have decided who Shippo's mate will be but it'll be a surprise. What else? Um, I'm sorry Kagome's past is so angsty and neither Yoko nor Kuronue trust or like Kagome yet. I wanted to try something different since I'm usually a fan of love at first sight. It'll take a few chapters before they finally learn to let her in. Don't worry, she'll be the same way but I won't make them hold out for long. As of right now I have no idea how long this will be or what direction it's headed, just know I'm continuing it. Okay, one other thing, I would like all of you to know that there are some of my stories on hold. I believe I've posted a note or two about them, but if anyone wants to know which stories please go to my livejournal account. There is a list in one in my past months that explains which stories I'm continuing on and which ones are currently on hold.

Anyway, thank you all for reading this and that it was up to your expectations.

Ja ne

Kura