Kagome sat and watched as Shippo and Rin played in the meadow. She put the herbs she was gathering back down in her basket and sat in the cool grass. She shaded her eyes with her hand to look off in the distance were Inuyasha was helping to work a new drainage field. The hanyou refused to search for the jewel shard with the energetic young girl, the grumpy vessel, and the two headed dragon that liked to chew on his robes in tow. And Kagome was content with staying put. Kaede needed her help to get ready for the winter. The young miko had her heart set on making as much medicine for the villagers as she could as a preemptive strike against the bitter winter and the even worse sicknesses. She had seen such horrible things in the feudal error and demons could only account for barely half of it. The simple illnesses that could be cured by just having clean drinking water and better protection from the elements made her heart heavy. But it wasn't her place to suggest wells and relining walls of huts and proper footwear. She had already done irreversible damage to the very existence of time. She had to tread lightly. She couldn't leave any more of an imprint than she already had. But as she turned again to face the laughing children she couldn't bring herself to feel guilty for messing up timelines. She couldn't feel guilty for gaining the friends she had, or the children she cared for. But she could feel desperate sadness for having to leave them. Kaede had talked with her in private. Kagome was surprised to find that she already knew what the older priestess would tell her.

"When Naraku is struck down and the jewel is whole again-"

"I'll go back to my own time."

Kagome gave her mentor a sad smile. The older woman gave her a wrinkled frown.

"We do not know for certain."

Kagome shook her head quietly, "It brought me here. And I think that it's going to send me back. If we defeat Naraku my purpose here is served."

Kaede didn't try to convince her otherwise. She had seen the jewel, known it, and known they way it worked. She couldn't fight the truth or the cold resignment in Kagome's eyes.

"You will be missed child."

Kagome tried to hold back the tears and managed to keep them at bay with a sniffle.

"I'll miss all of you too."

Laughter pulled her out of her sour thoughts. She watched as the children played with the bottle of bubbles she had brought back from her time. She could at least leave pieces of herself behind. The others would have to care of the children. Shippo had a small army of protectors and Rin had Sesshomaru who was a force in and of himself. But Shippo would grow into his own powers. Rin didn't have the luxury. She would always depend on someone stronger. In that instant Kagome had two thoughts. If she could find a bow to fit Rin's size and how fast she could purify the poison whip coming after her once Lord Sesshomaru found out that Kagome had started to train Rin as a miko.

"Well, no one could fault her for being preemptive."

The Hanyou scoffed at the monk, "I can fault her for being stupid."

Miroku could only shrug his shoulders as he watched Sango and Kagome teach Rin how to aim for further targets. He was relieved to find that the child had no spiritual powers whatsoever. Because he didn't know how telling Sesshomaru his child was a priestess would have ended. He still didn't want to know how telling the Demon Lord that the miko had taught her to use a bow would end. Especially since Kagome had sealed several arrows with her purifying powers and given them to Rin "just in case". He looked up to the setting sun. It had been almost a week since the Demon Lord had left his charge behind. Luckily the toad busied himself with this and that and was completely unaware of the miko's coaching. The monk sighed and leaned heavily against his staff. It would have helped if Rin didn't excel at her lessons. The girl had keen eyes and good aim. Hopefully the same could be said of the miko who would no doubt draw the Lord of the West's attention and his anger.

The taiyoukai had barely gotten into the village his half brother and his band of miscreants inhabited when he was met with an unfamiliar silence. He was used to the humans quieting when he neared them. He was in fact pleased when they ceased their noise. But this silence was heavy, weighted, and it made him uncomfortable. But he kept his stride even and kept walking to where the old miko had told him he would find his charge. They were loitering around that well again. It made the hair on his neck stand up when the priestess activated it. It only showed signs of power when she passed through it. And of course, the few times it erred and let the hanyou pass through. It was a strange thing that was of no use to him and he wondered why the humans and the hanyou guarded its secrets from him so vehemently. It was useless to the Demon Lord and therefore it was nothing.

He was pulled from thoughts when the familiar sound of a bow string was pulled taunt and the whistle of an arrow hummed through the air. He was before the source in an instant pulling startled gasps from the women standing on either side of the girl holding the bow. He could feel the monk and Inuyasha tense behind him. He looked at the gleefully surprised child to the shocked miko to her right. He eyed the bow clutched in Rin's hands and glanced at the arrow protruding in a tree yards away. It sat in perfect accuracy in the small inch wide notch carved there as a target.

"Miko, explain. Now."

Sesshomaru stared at the priestess with livid eyes and he could see her hands clench tightly at her sides before she took a breath and stepped in front of Rin.

"I thought it would be a good idea to give Rin lessons. So she could protect herself."

A growl rose in his chest and he let it fissure out, his eyes narrowing at the now flustered miko. She flailed her arms around her face in some attempt to erase her words.

"NOT THAT YOU CAN'T PROTECT HER! I DIDN'T MEAN THAT AT ALL! I just meant, I meant that when you're not around, if she needs to she can defend herself, and, and she can hunt for her own food. I just wanted Rin to be able to depend on herself if she needs to. I just want her to be safe."

He could smell her fear. It made her clean scent spike and become almost brighter. It tickled his nose. But other than her scent she showed no signs of her fear. Her head was held high and her hands stayed at her sides. Her posture was lax enough that it was passive as it should be in the presence of an alpha and of a lord but it was still rigid with what his mind could only answer as authority. He lifted an eyebrow at the human girl. She was peculiar in every way. Her hair, her clothing, her speech, and even her very actions, confused him at times. Like her actions now. She was simply unique and annoyingly so. Instead of thinking of the strange ways the miko confused him he decided to see what Rin had learned while he was away.

"Show me."

Kagome stood silent for a moment before a smile broke over her face, her whole body relaxing easily as she turned back to Rin. The others in the clearing seemed to let out a baited breath. He turned to lift an eyebrow at his brother who had his sword raised a few inches from its sheath. Her heard the sword slide from it's sheath but never acknowledged it. Now he eyed the weapon and then his brother. The Hanyou let out an annoyed grunt and turned his head.

"Alright, this is the moment you've been practicing for! You can do it Rin!"

The little human child nodded and gave the miko a wide grin before notching a new arrow and aiming for another target a few feet deeper into the woods than the last. It hit the wood with a resounding thunk. Like the other volley of arrows lodged in numerous trees this arrow sat perfectly straight and on target.

"You are a fine marksman Rin." The child beamed under his compliment. "The demon Slayer must be proud."

"I had nothing to do with it. I just made her the bow."

Now both of his eyebrows rose involuntarily before he schooled them into a cool expression. The Miko stood behind her apprentice and beamed at him. He scowled.

"I see. It rings true the old saying, "Those who cannot do, teach.""

The miko's eyes promised pain and brimstone. His words had hit their mark. Her aim was terrible at best. The last time he had seem her arm her bow she was lucky to hit anywhere near her mark. He patted Rin on the head and motioned toward Ah-Un. The young girl skipped off to say her goodbyes and Sesshomaru was left with a fuming miko. Now her scent sparked with anger, his nose was assaulted with the spicy scent it brought out in her. It danced against his skin. Such a strange creature.

"I guess the old saying is true, you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

With a sharp inclination of her head she walked off to where Rin was gathering her belongings. He stared after her. Inuyasha grunted next to him, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Thanks a lot asshole. You pissed her off."

Sesshomaru let one of his shoulder's rise and fall gently.

"Keh, she cares about Rin. She just wanted to protect her."

Sesshomaru let his eyes drift lazily over to the tree line and the fading light.

"I am Rin's protector."

He glanced back in time to see Inuyasha's eyes roll.

"You protecting her and Kagome teaching her to protect herself are two different things Sesshomaru."

With that the hanyou wandered off to say his goodbyes as well. The only thing that Sesshomaru could differentiate was the fact that the demon lord would always be around and the miko would not.