Yes, fucking finally, I've been trying to get to this part for the past year OMG, what do I do now. Oh...wait I know. While I go work on it, read this chapter if you'd be so kind.

"Thought I'd find you here, you'll always come here when you need to think." Kagome turned her attention away from Draco to an aging figure she knew all too well. His face was a plethora of wrinkles equally from stress as happiness, though old he still maintained some black hairs that hadn't turned white with age. His stature proud standing a good foot and then some over Kagome. Draco regarded him with some confusion until he noticed matching bluish-purple eyes of both parties.

With joy Kagome pounced into his arms almost knocking him over. "Grandpa." she said affectionately with an amount of love Draco had never heard.

"My little Me-chan," he said spinning her in a circle making her giggle, before hugging her closer. "When I didn't see you at lunch I got worried. What's wrong?" his voice slightly gruff, before his gaze went to her companion. There was a moment of nothingness until he recognized the glare being set his way, the exact same one Kagome uses on him. Though this one had more power making him tug at his collar nervously. "What. Did. You. Do?" he asked pushing his granddaughter behind him.

Draco began to sweat bullets. He cleared his throat and began, "Um, I mean no disrespect, but I didn't do anything, for once. I just knew that when Kagome left the training grounds, I knew that she appeared to be… not herself. I followed her here, or tracked her to be honest. I promise, if I did anything I meant no harm or offense." Expression open but reserved all in one, just as he was taught.

The older man regarded him with disdain before completely disregarding him. "I'm finally free from those confines of paper. How would you like to go and grab some tea then go for a walk. I know it's raining but that's never stopped us before." he said smiling with contagious happiness. Kagome could barely contain herself as she just nodded clasping on his arm and practically dragged him away, their smiles matching. Never noticing how she abandoned Draco, who sat there unsure of what to do.

…

Kagome peered from under her bangs at the aging man across from her. Tamotsu was in his early 70s, but you wouldn't know unless you knew the man. He still had the body of a man in his prime even his peppered hair, his mauve eyes had never dulled with life, his muscles were beginning to dimple in ever so slightly to the untrained eye it would like the natural crevice but Kagome knew better, his body was failing him. Even though he was smiling brightly at her she could see the underneath suffering.

"Stop," he said tapping her nose, "I don't need you dead before me because you worried yourself to death." he smiled at her annoyance as she bat his hand away. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Do you wanna talk about your disrespect towards Ku Loon. I allow the indifference towards her but what you did was unacceptable by any cultural standards."

"She's just," she groaned rubbing her eyes, sweeping her hands back pulling her bangs with them, her eyes met his stronger ones with hesitancy. "She makes my life worse. And before you say anything, consider this. I have to take your place, when it's my time and I will unless something happens to the both of us and Takeshi might have to, though I doubt it because he likes being head of the military And there's a lot of opposition from people who want their family to take our place as Inutaisho-sama's advisor's."

"There's always been opposition, I don't understand." he inquired taking a sip from his cup.

"I feel like I have more hostility because of my parents. My mother is a deserter and my father is from another culture that is polar opposite to ours. So I feel that I'm seen as a joke because of it, and no matter how much I train or get ahead, I will be treated no better than her. And can't have that, I've come so far, and it feels like I'm going nowhere at the same time." she said choking back a sob. "I'm so fucking weak, and I try to get stronger and I can't and I don't know what to do and I'm a failure to our family." her speech became broken as the flood dams broke.

"Me-chan," Tamotsu sighed scooting over to her side of the tiny table. He scooped her up into his arms, ignoring the scraping pain in his bones and apparated them to his study. Where he sat on his over stuffed and overused couch and cuddled her close. Saying nothing, just soothingly stroking her back. He listened as she held her breath in a vain attempt to stop, only to snuffle again, making the sobbing worse. "It's alright," he said lowly, "Let it out, even the strong need to cry, I still do." that seemed to help her as she just let herself relax and let it end naturally. He pulled back staring into eyes that matched his, except there was so much fear and sadness, underlined with subtle bags.

"Me-chan," he cooed wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. "When's the last time you rested properly?"

"Sorry I broke down in public," she said with a hiccup.

"No problem, answer my question though,"

"I'm not sure a few weeks ago, I haven't been all that tired." she tried to lie.

"You idiot," he said fondling poking her forehead, "Go to sleep, you need it. When can talk when you wake up." He maneuvered them so that she was stretched over the whole couch, while he got up. He accio'd a blanket, draping it over her, tucking her in. He kissed her cheek before retreating to his desk. Laying out ink and paper, he was startled by her sudden talking albeit a little slurred.

"When you go I'll have no one," she mumbled, not fully aware "Reality is all I am to mother is a means to an end, she needs me to be a perfect little pureblood to complete it and I'll spend everyday crushing that fantasy. I'll make you proud of me Jiji." she fell silent finally enveloped completely by sleep.

Tamotsu hesitated for a moment. She thought he wasn't proud of her? He reached out a hand, shakingly before retracting. He exhaled burying his face in his hands as a few tears fell from his eyes as well. He didn't have much in this life except his family and there wasn't a single doubt that he was proud of all them. Takeshi, his only son, has made a name for himself in the military. Katsumi, his daughter-in-law, could not be a better match for the Higurashi name, she is he advisor of Lady Sora of the Japanese counsel alongside Inutaisho, her compassion and fury made her a perfect match for his son to carry on the name. Then Sota, his godson from Takeshi, a sweet little boy coming into his own and practically idolized Kagome. Tamotsu smiled he as he pictured the two of them running the Dog General ragged on day. And Ku Loon, who will deny it until the day she dies, but she's a Higurashi to the core as headstrong as they come.

Then there was Kagome, his little Me-chan. Who modeled him almost to the point of being frightening. Even from a young age she latched herself onto him, her blazing purple eyes never subdued in emotion as she looked at him with admiration and love. He was her source of guidance when Ku Loon assumed her role as foreign English housewife, which meant she wanted nothing to do with her own child unless it would make her look better. He had raised her made her his own. He was the one who was there to bandage her injuries, hold her when she cried about her grades being less than perfect or when she felt inadequate. There was nothing it seemed that he could do to convince her that she was almost stronger than him and in a few years could actually beat Inutaisho in a fight. She was driven by emotion, so unlike many other warriors who shut them off in battle himself included, she didn't. Her mood was always readable but her thoughts aren't. She's so candid and closed off. She doesn't have any friends, she's always been too focused on training to care. She's never had a childhood really between his training and Ku Loon's shenanigans , which he regrets.

He glanced at her sleeping face. He could never fathom the idiots who insinuate that she's weak, because that's an insult that they're whole line is weak. Which is the biggest lie they'll ever sprout. But that was the problem they're power, it destroyed them. As Tamotsu sat there he could feel his magic eroding his body and in a few years Takeshi would feel it and years later so would Kagome. The life expectancy of this line was 37, enough time to find person to share your life with the one you love, produce a child or children, train them before your body gave out. He was a rare, rare exception, his spouse had died long before him, after complications with Ku Loon's birth. At the time he promised to stay alive to be there since she couldn't, he was trying to stay until Kagome was ready to take his place, but he'd accepted he'd likely die way before that. And until then he had to stop Kagome from prematurely killing herself because she was constantly pushing herself to her limits, he's already had one scare this year that he didn't need more. He smirked to himself so like him indeed.

The office door creaked and Ku Loon peaked her head through. "Father have you seen…" she looked to the couch and shook her head. "Never-mind, well I've made plans for a picnic with our guests would you like to join?"

He got up, walking over to the covered window and pulled back the curtain only to be blinded by sunlight. Blinking his eye to adjust, "Sure." holding up his hand to halt her movements when she went to wake the sleeping girl. "I'll make sure she's awake and dressed. When do we leave?"

"In an hour." she said stiffly before leaving.

See you next chapter~ Love you and thank you for the continued support.

Woo yet another chapter the needed little editing.