Questions and Answers

The young boy stood there, face contorted in his own puzzlement as he saw the surprised and unnerving looks as these strange visitors exchanged weary glances. The only person's face that was not weary or unsure, was that man that Aerith had introduced as Sesshomaru. Mirai was more interested in him, than he was in the dog demon or the woman. This stranger reminded him of his mother; he had long, silver-white hair, with yellow, narrow eyes, and a blue crescent moon in the center of his forehead. Sesshomaru look back down at the demon boy, eyes slightly narrowed more than usual. Mirai's eyes turned to that demon's face, and looked up into his. Mirai's face was blank, and looking into the dog demon's eyes overwhelmed him with a sense of familiarity and comfort.

"Mirai?" Mirai's head and attention snapped to Aerith, eyes still as unblinking as before. the women looked deep into those staring eyes as she became level with him. "Tell me, what is your parents' names?"

"My parents?" Aerith gave him a reassuring nod. "Their names are of no outsider's business…or so I was told."

"I see," said Aerith slowly, nodding. Pushing Aerith aside, perhaps rougher than he should have, Inuyasha grabbed the front of Mirai's face, practically raising the child off the ground as he stuck his face close to the boy's.

"Listen here, you little shit!" Inuyasha spat in his face. "We aren't here to play games!" He then began to shake the child, but Mirai was blank-faced, and wasn't even trying to get free. Sesshomaru watched in interest.

"Let me go," said Mirai, his voice flat.

"Who the hell do you think you are!" bellowed Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, leave him be!" Aerith started to run over, but Sesshomaru held out his arm to stop her.

"Wait."

"I said let me go!"

A wind blew up around them, and Mirai's eyes became oval and completely red as they began to glow a brilliant, almost blood red color. Inuyasha went flying backwards. Aerith had to shield her eyes against the force, while Sesshomaru stood there, silver-white hair billowing out behind him, his eyes narrowing slightly. Then, as suddenly as it seemed to start, it has stopped, and everything was calm again. There seemed to be no change to the villagers' reactions. And lying there, eyes closed, and motionless, was Mirai.

"I can't believe that he is Naraku's son! I mean, how could you!"

"My reasons for doing what I did are my own."

Mirai's twitched open feebly, his vision blurred, as he felt someone's hand placed gently on his forehead. His vision refused to clear at first, but as it came into focus he saw that the hand was that of a woman's. She had long silver-white hair, with a blue crescent moon on her forehead, and eyes that were a light skin sort of color.

"Mommy?" said Mirai feebly. She smiled down at him, and looked to her left. Sitting up slowly, he saw that he was back in his room, with Aerith, Sesshomaru, and his mother crowded around him. "What's going on?" Sesshomaru approached the bed before stopping a little ways away.

"Your powers were shown to us, young Senshi Mirai." He looked at the woman beside Mirai's bed, "Did you think you can escape us, Momo?"

"I am not Momo!" she said furiously. "My name is Yuri."

Mirai watched the expressions of his mother and Sesshomaru's face as they stood there, staring at each other with loathing and silent hatred, but there was something else, something more…

"Mommy?" Her head snapped to look at him. "Why did he just 'Momo'? And how do you know them?" Yuri bent down beside the bed, and began stroking his head as she spoke.

"Sweetie, I think it best if you let is talk while you—"

"No!" snapped Sesshomaru, taking a step forward. "This involves him as well. Mirai, it's about time you learned the truth about who you are, and who we are…"

That night Mirai couldn't sleep. He was sitting up in bed, elbows propped up on his knees, watching the moon through the window on the wall his bed was up against. He knew that it wasn't the real moon, but he liked to pretend. Why was everything so fake down here? Sighing, he couldn't get what he had been told out of his head.

"I can't believe it," he whispered. "So my mother's half human, half demon, making me three parts demon…and my father is the most vile of us all…I don't understand. My grandfather is Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha is my uncle…" He clutched his head, tears forming in his shut eyes. "What's going on!"

"Mirai?"

Mirai looked up as Aerith entered, closing the door quietly behind her. She stood there for a moment, and he stared back in his own wonder. She came and sat down on the edge of the bed. She gave him a little, sad smile.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"I am so confused," he whispered, looking down at his hands. Aerith reached her hand out to him, taking his tiny ones in hers, and giving them a squeeze.

"Don't worry, Mirai," she said encouragingly. "I am sorry about this. I led Inuyasha and Sesshomaru here. You see, I had a dream about you, so, to find out more, I went in search of your grandfather…"

"That's right," said Mirai with a nod. "You did mention something before about you and my grandpa. But I don't get what you mean…a dream about me?"

"Yes!" replied Aerith with a nod. "I just knew that you were connected to Sesshomaru because of the crescent moon I saw on your forehead."

"But what made you come looking for me?" Aerith gave an exhausted sigh.

"After I saw you brought into this world, I saw the fate of it…"

"What do you mean?" asked Mirai flatly, eyes narrowing. "Are you saying that I am supposed to be the destroyer of us all? I don't believe you."

"I didn't think you would," said Aerith quietly, frowning a little. "Listen to me, Mirai, because I don't know how much time I have left."

"What do you mean?"

"Just listen! Now I have been doing research, and there is a legend that says that the daughter of a son of the moon dog will emerge with the most evil of all demons, to create the 'Destroyer'. After further study, I found that date of birth, but after it had already passed, I realized something was wrong. When the Cursed Jewel began to glow…" She pulled out a white crystal from the bow in her hair, and showed him it.

"So that's the Cursed Jewel!" said Mirai in amazement, his eyes shining from the glow of it. "I have been told many stories about it, but I always thought they were just stories. Did you really come from the living world?"

"You know about our world?"

"Of course," replied Mirai, looking down at his hands. "No one ever told me I lived in the world of the dead, nor did they mention the world of the living." He tilted his head to look at Aerith. "But when I see my reflection, I can tell…when I see my father, and my mother, I can see the look of death and the lack of warmth from all others down here. Never before have I heard of a place where humans and demons live in perfect harmony…"

"And you probably will never find another place lit it," added Aerith sadly.

"I want to come with you!" said Mirai defiantly.

"I don't know how you going to the overworld will affect you, Mirai. You could end up dying."

"I don't care! I won't want to stay here anymore…"

"I'm sorry," said Aerith, shaking her head sadly. "I can't let you do that."

And with that, she rose up from the bed, and looked down at him for a moment. Mirai stared back into her eyes, and watched her back as she turned around, and left.

It was the next day that found Inuyasha and Sesshomaru waiting at the temple entrance for Aerith, Shippo nowhere in sight. As she walked out, she came to a halt. Yuri stood beside and a little behind her father.

"What's she doing here?" Aerith snapped. Yuri turned to her, solemn faced.

"I came to say my good-byes."

"What's going on?" said Aerith suspiciously.

"Not you," snapped Yuri.

She turned to look at Sesshomaru. He peered down at her, and something different passed between them. It wasn't hatred or loathing, but neither love. It seemed more like an understanding almost. He then looked down as a head and body poked out from behind his legs. Dragging a bag, Mirai came into full view.

"What?" said Aerith incredibly. "Who's idea was this?"

"Mine," Mirai announced. Sesshomaru turned to her.

"And I agreed with it," he added. "He is a fighter, and my…" He trailed off, and Mirai looked up at him. There was an awkward silence.

Yuri looked down at Mirai, her son, who turned his large, unblinking eyes to her. she got down to one knee so they were level. They just looked at each other, and she looked straight into her eyes as she spoke.

"You know that I'm going to miss you, Senshi Mirai…" The youngster threw himself at her, and Yuri embraced him back; tears starting in her closed eyes. "I'm going to miss you, so no matter what happens, believe in your emotions, and follow your instincts. Don't let others get into the way of your beliefs, okay?" Mirai pulled away.

"Okay," he replied softly with a nod. He rubbed at his eyes for a moment. Yuri rose to her feet, and looked at the others.

"There is one more thing…"

She rose slowly to her feet, and turned around to the temple, and gave a high-pitched whistle. Then she gave another, and from the depths of the temple emerged Shippo. He ran over to them happily. Yuri turned back to them.

"I have situated it so that when you go back, he can too."

"You mean—" began Inuyasha.

"Yes!" said Yuri with a nod. "Think of this as me trying to make up for some of the things I've done, though I know that I cannot. Now, you should hurry. You don't have much time left. The well is just north of this village. Good luck, and please, all of you, take care."

"How far is it?" asked Mirai from his sitting spot on Sesshomaru's shoulders.

"Not too far," said Inuyasha gruffly.

"I just had a thought," said Aerith slowly, pausing for a moment. "What do you think will happen when we defeat Naraku? Will we all go our separate ways?"

"Probably," replied Inuyasha, looking from her to Sesshomaru, but his brother didn't look back as he spoke.

"Who knows what may happen. A line of the legend says. 'All pain will be forgotten, and the end will turn to the beginning'."

"What's that mean?" Inuyasha demanded. "Make sense!"

"I am not sure," replied Sesshomaru quietly.

"Maybe," said Mirai thoughtfully. "It means that there will be no more suffering, and humans and demons will be able to live in peace. So maybe, the end of the fighting leans to the beginning of peace?"

"Maybe," said Aerith with a small laugh and smile. "I hope so."

"I don't care," said Sesshomaru, more to himself than to them. "What will happen, will happen."

"It might be nice," said Mirai, looking at Inuyasha. "Right, Unki Yasha?"

"Hey, don't call me that, you little brat!"

Their laughter followed them, and filled the underworld, creating distilled memories, even after they were gone…

FIN