Disclaimer: I regretfully do not own any great works of literature, including Inuyasha.

Changing Winds

Chapter 11: To bear great power

Sesshoumaru looked to Kagome's window from the garden below. She was sleeping alone this night, and it had him worried. A whisper of clothing was heard to his left as Miore came into view around a beautiful bush in full blossom. Its' white petals were a stark contrast to her dark green dress.

He held his arm out for her as she came up to him. He noticed how her hair swung loosely in the evening breeze as they walked silently along the garden path that would take them to the southern most wall of the courtyard. Her energies flowed freely around her and mingled kindly with that of Sesshoumaru's. The effect creating a soft blue glow around them.

' I can't remember the last time we walked liked this. ', he recalled to himself. ' It was definitely before Inuyasha was born.'

He snuck a glance over to her, she was wearing her more traditional woven and leather dress. Tho she wore no armor or swords. He as well had dressed formally and without his battle armor and weapons. Miore had always been that very enchanting and elusive woman to him, and now that she was here for Kagome alone he began to wonder...

"Young Lord", Sesshoumaru almost jumped when she spoke., "Why have you not mated yet?"

"I was waiting for the day when it would be right to do so."

She quirked an eyebrow, "In 500 years the right day has not come along?"

"It was Kagome's time we needed to wait for. She would have felt too alone in her own time if we would have mated."

"I am surprised. As much as you had loathed your fathers' decisions you yourself have gone against your breeds beliefs and waited for your chosen mate....How very modern of you."

"I was loathe to lose her to those that would not understand. This was the logical choice."

"Logic has nothing to do with love, Sesshoumaru. Nature on the other hand can have a huge roll on love."

Sesshoumaru snorted, "Nature."

"Nature is the reason why I am here. It has been the very reason behind all of my own matings. Nature is calling Kagome to choose. And it couldn't have come at a worse time."

They had reached the Southern wall and stopped briefly. Miore looked up its' smooth stone height and smiled slightly. "Still as strong as the day is was built, eh young Lord?"

Even Sesshoumaru smirked slightly and cast a glance at her, "yes it is High Priestess."

With that they easily cleared the huge barrier and landed softly on the other side as they continued their walk to the little glen that ran the length of the territory in this part of the Western Lands.

"High Priestess, there has not been any conflict among us for quite some time. My best agent has not even reported anything 'underground'."

"Kouga is a fine demon and great warrior, I would never doubt his intelligence information. This threat however is something that even he would not have known about."

"It has to do with the immortals.", Sesshoumaru growled softly. "What has been unleashed now?"

"We immortals are all elements of the earth. All accept Kagome. She is the element that binds us all together. Her power is sought after by the very darkness of this earth. When she let is loose it made herself known, had she not bound her powers The Abyss would have found her and stripped her of her soul."

"The Abyss"

"An ancient yet necessary evil. It is literally the empty souls of this earth. Its' actions mean that the living do not have to suffer with the evil that these empty souls tend to collect. The empty souls that collect evil are commonly called poltergeist. The Abyss collects them and keeps them for all time."

"Why would this Abyss be after Kagome's powers, she is not empty."

"No, she is the key. The key for The Abyss to become an actual entity."

"And rule the world with all the evil that the empty souls has collected."

"Precisely. The Abyss is very close, and the only way for Kagome to get her powers under control is for her to make a choice."

Lord Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, he could almost sense the answer in the space between them., "What choice."

"With the council undecided she either has to bear child to anyone other than a full youkai, or wait another couple hundred years for her birth cycle to come again. The latter of these is dangerous, for everyone."

Sesshoumaru's heart fell, and for the first time in his life his emotions were plain to see. His face had fallen, he looked almost stricken. The woman he was ready to claim has his mate, lover, eternal shared soul, could not mate him. Had he been a lesser demon he would have wept his last breath. He knew that she would have birth cycles every several hundred years or so, and this knowledge should have comforted him. Unfortunately this was her first, and the most important. If she did not bear a child during this time, she may never get the chance in the future. Sesshoumaru could not take that most blessed of things from her. No matter the fact that she held his very soul.

"Come Sesshoumaru, we must help Kagome as much as possible."

Miore began her graceful run to the East as Sesshoumaru did the same to the West. They would spend the early evening circling the area around the castle putting up alarms and traps designed to catch demons and demonic spirits.

Sesshoumaru spent the night on Kagome's balcony his eyes fixed on the moon, with his thoughts on the woman that slept fitfully inside. On the roof stood the High Priestess like a sentry tall and still against the black of the sky, the moon setting her profile in relief, her weapons shinning brightly in the still light.

'Never before have I had to give this much pain to someone I love. Those times for us may have been so very long ago...but...I will always love him like I did then. Will Sesshoumaru ever forgive me?', Miore quickly chased the thoughts from her head to focus on the tasks ahead, she had a lot to do before the rest of the council came together for the first time in nearly 1,000 years.

OOO&&&OOO

Kagome had slept terrible, one nightmare after another. She finally opened her eyes to the gray dusky morning. 'Great, another day in boot camp.', she frowned. Ugh! Slowly she swung her feet out of bed and rubbed her face with her hands. As she lifted her head in the direction of the bath she saw a very familiar face. "Kouga!"

"Hey Kags!"

She got up and ran over to hug her dear friend. "When did you get back into town? Is Ayame with you?"

"Slow down!", he chuckled as he released Kagome to look at her from arms length. "Ayame is working some legal wonders for us North of here, she will be at the castle in a few days. I got back late last night with the girls, and the eldest boys are on a mission for now while the two youngest males of my brood are with their mother."

Kagome smiled, it would be fun having the seven wolf pups at the castle. Two boys were the eldest followed by the three girls. Kouga was most definitely not happy with the thought of being out numbered by woman, which is how the two youngest boys came to be. "Did your trip prove to be worth your while?"

"Somewhat.", Kouga stopped briefly and set his face into a look of concern. "Kagome, High Priestess Miore has asked that you have bodyguards. Sesshoumaru suggested the girls, they can be discrete and blend in anywhere."

Kagome frowned deeply, "Why bodyguards? And don't get me wrong, I would love to have the girls watch me, but....why?"

"You would need to ask the High Priestess. All I know is that Sesshoumaru will be unable to guard you all the time."

"That's ridiculous, we do everything together."

"Kagome", he could see where this was going. The set of determination on her face was all he needed. "Miore is tied to this family, it was her best friend after all that started the Inu clan. Sesshoumaru is the only one that can help her in the preparations for the gathering of the immortal council."

"The immortal council is coming? I thought they never met, it's like taboo or something."

"You need them Kagome. Trust me, listen to Miore. She can be a little blunt, but she has come to help you. Just PLEASE, please Kagome, let her teach you. No matter how much it may hurt emotionally or physically, let all the knowledge she has come to you."

How could she say no to Kouga? She trusted him with her very life, and he would never lead her astray. "I promise Kouga.", she said in a small sweet voice the likes of which he had not heard since the days when she traveled through the well. It sent shivers down his spine.

Yet he shook the feeling off, smiled, and kissed her on the temple before leaving her room.

Kagome stood in her bedroom staring at the door. She was very glad at that moment to have the 'family' that she did surrounding her. Furoku finally came from the baths and guided the tired looking Kagome to the warmth of a hot tub. Finally revived from her stupor Kagome put on her best attitude and stepped out into the bright rays of a new day.

OOO&&&OOO

Kagome had a light breakfast and hurried to the dojo for her lessons with Miore. The practice was centered not on fighting, but on mental control. And Kagome hated every minute of it. Miore worked her powers into control, forcing them into 'gates' and 'locks' that only Kagome could control. By the end of the session Kagome was on the brink of exhaustion.

Barely able to stand, Kagome forced her legs to follow the High Priestess out of the dojo and into the early afternoon breeze. They made their way slowly to the back patio were Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were waiting. They were lounging comfortably in the couches that lined one side of the patio until they saw Kagome. Sesshoumaru jumped up immediately from his seat to assist her to the space he had just vacated. Inuyasha had straitened his posture and wore a very concerned look on his face.

"Hey Kags, you alright?"

Kagome gave an unladylike snort, "Yeah, do I really look that bad?!" She was beginning to become distressed.

"You just look tired.", Sesshoumaru supplied while gently seating himself next to her. He never let go of her hand and had begun slow soothing circles across the top of it.

"Young Miko.", Miore stated flatly. "We have had need for extreme hast. I have given you a weeks worth of lessons in a mere few hours. These barriers may only hold another week, at best."

The brothers shared a look between them, as Sesshoumaru spoke, "I did not think that we were in need of such haste."

"Ah, that all changed with the report I received from Kouga. His oldest pups report more and more troubled souls being left around to collect evil in the regions they are stationed in. The Abyss is trying to gather as much power as it can before making itself whole."

"The Abyss?", Kagome was confused.

"My dear Miko, what I am about to tell you will leave you feeling very vulnerable. The only two beings on this whole earth that can know and help you are seated here."

Kagome looked between the brothers. The two demons she trusted the most in this whole entire universe. She was alone again. Isolated from her family, even with them so very near. Once again they would never be able to help her.

Her aura fell, and Miore noticed, "MIKO KAGOME!", Kagome's head snapped up, "Do not hang your soul in fear or regret. You have the power to change destiny child, DO NOT POUT!"

Kagome's body was shaking from the force of her words. Miore didn't stop to explain anymore, she simply began the most important story in Kagome's life.

"Including you there are six immortals. We were born this way, each of us possessing an energy, or element that guides us. We can also call on this unique energy to further our powers or strength. Sloane, Fire; Daire, wood; Guthrie, water; Ciara, metal; and I can call on the earth itself.

You are unique, you possess the great binding power of Love-compassion. The one element that encircles all of us. The only element that can firmly materialize the great evil within the Abyss.

When Midoriko was on the verge of dying she sent out of her very soul, the greatest power this earth has ever known. When Kikyo took the Shikon No Tama to the underworld the gods deemed it too powerful to stay. They entrusted an ancient line of wise monks with the very souls of the jewel. These men possessed all the qualities needed to harbor the jewel, however only a woman can manifest them into direct power. Only a woman, who can give life, can 'give life' to the dormant souls. Your father was part of this ancient line, and you Kagome were the first female born to that clan.

You naturally hold the ideals of the four souls; courage, friendship, love, and wisdom. Therefore, when you wished on the jewel, you simply called upon the powers that were already in you. They merged with the jewel, which is how you became immortal. Had I trained you from the time you were born, you would not have needed the jewel to defeat Naraku. You would have been able to call on the immense power within you to do so.

It is why you did not die when Mistress Centipede took the jewel from you. The jewel was never a part of you. You were merely its' protector, a vessel. Now that power that you wholly absorbed is threatening to kill you.

Because we live so long, us immortals can only bear children once every couple hundred years. These birthing cycles are a very strong manifestation of our powers. When we mate, we give part of ourselves to that child. We pass along our very energy, so to compensate our powers grow to an immense force. If we do not pass it on we must expel it, and this is very dangerous and hardly ever done.

Kagome you must mate. You should have done so months ago, and now it is almost too late. You are very strong, and equally as dangerous. To expel your powers instead of mating could mean death to millions of people, as well as yourself. If you should survive, you may never be able to bear children.

Your power is slowly killing you. And an ancient evil wants it to make itself whole. Now here is the part that will kill you inside.

To mate a full youkai is deadly. Such infinitely strong powers combining can either create a great being, or and evil monster of unimaginable power. We hold greater power than youkai, however, youkai hold the greater inner beast. A powerful beast, amplified by extreme power usually only creates an evil creature. Should this happen, it is an immortal humans job to kill it.", Kagome's hand had flown to her already pale face in shock. "The council is the only one that can approve a mating between and immortal and a youkai. If the evil child isn't killed it would be up to the council, and after that an immortal may lose their right to bear any more children, by whatever means necessary.

You need to mate, and pass on your excess of energies to your child. The council does not yet approve you to mate Sesshoumaru. And that is why Inuyasha is here."

OOO, I hate to be so evil as to leave you hanging like that. Fortunately there is another chapter! Please review!-J