Thanks to all you who reviewed. Your words are always appreciated.

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Chapter 7

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It was October by the time Inuyasha's first football match rolled around. He'd already had several matches of tennis that month and late September. Kagome reasoned with herself that although she didn't like Inuyasha's overt display of his supernatural strength, he needed to channel his aggression into something productive, which had formerly been slaying vicious youkai. It had been her experience that when Inuyasha was denied a fight for a long period of time he became tetchy and irritable, snapping at everyone and beating on everyone he allowed himself to (i.e., Shippou and Miroku). If she forbade him from playing sports, he would probably become so unbearably hostile that she'd have to throw him out of the house for several days, and who knew what kind of trouble that would cause?

"Souta, why do those boys keep looking over at you?" asked Kagome questioningly. The siblings sat on the bench in the stands, waiting for Inuyasha's game to start. Their mother and grandfather had gone to go get snacks and the two had been left alone to get comfy. Souta's mind seemed to be preoccupied by a small gang of fourth graders that grinned not very kindly toward the younger Higurashi.

"No reason," he mumbled. Kagome shrugged and focused on the field, watching the players warm up. She blushed slightly when she remembered watching the boys of the upper class playing sports last year. Her puppy-crush on Houjou-kun before her Sengoku Jidai adventures had caused her to watch him practice for hours after school, giggling with her friends about their favorite players and arguing why one was cuter than the other. Kagome had always picked Houjou until now.

However, Kagome couldn't even treat herself to admiring Inuyasha stretch because he didn't bother warming up with the rest of the team. Although they looked slightly irked at his refusal, no one, not even the coach, was going to call him on it. A good growl or two convinced the referees that they were, in fact, incorrect in their original assumptions that yarmulkes were not proper attire for football. She was glad he didn't push it with the rosary, however. He had tucked it safely under his jersey.

As the players positioned themselves on the field, Kagome looked around for her mother and grandfather. She saw they were coming with the sodas and popcorn, but a strange pair of fellows caught her eye.

They did not look like high school football spectators. One of them wore a very professional-looking business suit and carried a notepad, looking attentive to the action on the field. The other was obviously the superior, his eyes covered by sunglasses, although the light was not so harsh that they were need. He wore a black jacket, gray pants and was leaning forward, also intent on the game. Are they talent scouts or something? She wondered offhandedly. Kagome's attention was plucked from the strange watchers and set back to her family as she took the diet orange soda from her mother and concentrated on the game.

Inuyasha played center forward for the first half of the game. Kagome saw how easily he handled the ball, even after so few practices. She knew he had been a skillful kemari player in his youth, but she had never made the connection between football and kemari. However, he had a long way to go by way of cooperation and teamwork, seeing as he declined to pass even once to his teammates. Instead, he preferred to bypass his opponents until the ball was eventually stolen from him. Once this happened, his body language indicated he was angry, to an almost comical level, at the defender, and whizzed back to steal the ball once more and attempt a goal as a loan striker.

"Pass, Inuyasha!" Kagome called out, joining the cheers of the crowd. "Quit being a ball hog!"

"Kagome, don't talk to me, I'm trying to play!" he shouted back to her, completely stopping to face her. Kagome had forgotten that Inuyasha always paid rapt attention to her when she had something to shout at him in action, usually to alert him to something. It had backfired on her here, when she had only meant to call to him in a general sense. In that time, another player had trapped the ball again and made off with it. "See what you did!"

Kagome blushed a radiant red as the crowd turned its scrutiny on her for a moment. She decided for once to take Inuyasha's advice and simply watched the match. It was difficult to force herself to relax while she watched him. It was like observing him battle a particularly difficult opponent with a jewel shard. She wanted to call out to him at every moment, to tell him where the shard was, where to direct his blows, to tell him to get up when he was down and to make sure he didn't turn into his full-youkai form. She knew the truth; he was a pretty lousy fighter when she wasn't there to help him. It was the reason he had seen it as a necessity for her to stay with him. He simply wasn't his best without her. It gave her a funny feeling inside, both ha-ha and strange.

On his sixth try, Inuyasha scored a goal. Some of the parents were getting angry because of the fact that Inuyasha retained possession of the ball for about 50 of the playing time and refused to pass even at perfect opportunities. By half-time, the score was 1-2, and the advantage was their opponent's.

"He's so selfish," Souta sighed.

"He thinks he knows what's best," sighed Kagome, shaking her head.

Inuyasha was put in on defense for the second half. Nothing got by him. He was yellow-carded twice for rough play, however, much to everyone's chagrin. He also tripped over himself several times because of his awkwardness in cleats, but he got back up and made any save he needed to. It never got near the goalie once the whole second half. The forward strikers were able to scrap one more goal, tying up the game.

After the Higurashis and Inuyasha arrived back at the shrine, Kagome and Inuyasha were left with an afternoon of nothing to do. Souta busied himself in the dooryard practicing his defensive poses while Mrs. Higurashi and Jii-chan prepared for dinner.

Inuyasha leapt into the tree and left Kagome on the ground to look up at him.

"What are you looking at?"

"This city…Tokyo, it's called here, right? There's a great view here…this part of Goshinboku has been cleared away, I can see pretty far."

"I've never climbed that high before. I wish I could see it," Kagome said wistfully, craning her neck. On the ground she could see a couple of roofs of buildings, but little more from her view.

"What a whiner," Inuyasha muttered. He kicked his legs over the limb he was sitting on and landed on the ground with little more than a small 'thud'. He wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist and jumped again, bounding off a low branch and rocketing high into the sacred tree. How high could this tree grow? Kagome wondered as the air rushed through her hair, the sun shining into her face. I've never really thought about it.

Inuyasha went even higher than he was before onto an unusually wide bough towards the top. He leaned against the tree and tucked Kagome between his legs. As the back of her shoulders touched his chest, she felt all the tension in them dissipate immediately, as though she had received a four-hour Swedish massage. His arms were still holding her close to him. She felt his cheek rest against her forehead and she wondered if there was a more serene and comforting place on the entire face of the world than in the Goshinboku, held safely by her protector, Inuyasha.

Not only that, but she was permitted to see the city from the birds' perspective. The skyscrapers poked the clouds most rudely and the buildings flashed with bright lights and advertisements, while apartment buildings were quiet on a Saturday afternoon. The air of the city seemed cleaner to her, nurtured and veiled by the leaves from all angles except outwards toward the city.

"I want to rematch our enemies," Inuyasha said. "A draw is unacceptable."

"I think you need to work on your skills, Inuyasha," Kagome said. "If you passed more, you could have won."

"What?" he asked, but it was not his usual startled expression, as though she'd just told him he'd failed his college entrance exams. He, too, was feeling the calmness.

"You have to rely on your teammates. It's no different than fighting a difficult demon with Sango and Miroku. You have to trust them to be capable."

"They're mostly not incompetent," he muttered (a compliment of highest esteem). Kagome liked this sort of arguing. His words were coarse, but he never pushed her away or did anything to suggest she revolted him. Instead he pressed her a little closer to him.

"Then why don't you pass to them?"

"Well, how do I know if they're going to pass back?" he asked.

"It's a give-take relationship. If you don't pass to them, they won't pass to you. But if you do, they'll do as well. You get what you give. You're a good football player, Inuyasha, but you can't play by yourself. Understand?"

"Keh. I guess."

Kagome was about to ask about Souta and Inuyasha's nighttime lessons but then she discovered it: the Kagome-sized cushion of Inuyasha's torso. She leaned back and slid down further, resting the side her face against the rough Robe of the Firerat. She curled up slightly and let her arm snake up to his chest. How many uncomfortable nights had she slept on hard, cold ground in her sleeping bag, when she might have slept like this, his soft body providing more relief than the most luxurious mattress? It might have made her angry if she hadn't felt like a tiny baby nestled a warm blanket.

"I remember what that dream was now," Kagome whispered softly, her eyes closing. How did she get so sleepy so quickly? "It was…"

"What?" asked Inuyasha, cocking his head to the side. "What was it?"

"Zzzzz," replied Kagome. She went slack in his arms, which he quickly took up.

"Baka. Already asleep in the afternoon," Inuyasha said tenderly.

Kagome reentered her dreamscape. Twice in such a short time—she knew this was no coincidence. She was once again in the cave outside of the somewhat familiar village. She was definitely in the Sengoku Jidai in the dream, she knew that now.

She began to go down the cave toward the familiar blue light. All was darkness but the blue light. Was Inuyasha near? It grew brighter as she wound her way down the tunnels and between the walls.

"Kagome," the voice called to her. It was the strong female voice. "Come."

"Hie," Kagome replied in a whisper. She continued to the voice. She began remembering the village. The way the huts were arranged, the mass grave outside…she had helped dig those graves and had gathered flowers for them. She had done so for many villages, sorrowfully, but this one was different. Sango, Kagome thought. It reminds me of Sango…

Kagome finally reached the end of the tunnels. She was standing on a large ledge over a black pit that emitted the blue like a tiny searchlight. She looked closely and there were two bright blue lights, actually.

"Kagome, I'm down here," the voice cam from the lights. "Jump down. You'll be safe, I promise."

"Okay," Kagome said. "I'll jump." She felt calm as she leapt off the ledge. She felt as though someone had caught her before her body had been dashed and destroyed on the rocks below.

But there were no rocks, only a great littering amount of bones, the bones of youkai. This is the cave, Kagome thought with a sudden surge of memory. The cave near the exterminator's village, where Sango lived. This is where the Shikon no Tama originated.

Then that means this is…

"I am Midoriko," said the warrior priestess. Kagome's eyes spied the perpetual combat stance of the miko and the youkai. They were forever battling, frozen in place. Good and evil, at war on land and in the hearts of men.

Midoriko had left her stationary body and stood beside herself in spirit. The blue lights were the youki emitting from her eyes. Sango was one of the most athletic and beautiful women Kagome knew—Sango could easily have been a model, if not a supermodel, in Kagome's time. Kagome found herself often envious in an amicable sort of way about Sango's lithe, strong figure and smooth, hourglass curves that were the constant distraction and fascination of their dear houshi. Kagome often thought that if she looked like Sango, Inuyasha would never look at Kikyou again. But Kagome saw that Sango had nothing on Midoriko. Midoriko had the body of an Amazon queen, covered in a thin armor. Her shoulders looked as if they could bear the world. Her taut legs stood solid against anything. Midoriko seemed as though she could kill anything, be it man, woman or youkai. But a large hole remained in her breast that Kagome could see clean through.

"Hello," Kagome replied nervously. She felt really ugly. Maybe not as ugly as when she was around Kikyou, but still ugly and undeveloped, feeling the shame of her training bra and weak, stick-like little body.

"My soul resides with you," Midoriko said, nodding to Kagome. "I am indebted to you for your protection."

"I-It's nothing, really," Kagome said, reddening. "Just a jewel. And I'm sorry for breaking it and creating all the shards."

"The past is the past, and you are my sister. You sought the fragments of my soul out, even when you could have been safe with your family in the future time. We are miko," said Midoriko. "Did you know I was the first miko?"

"No, I didn't. I don't know much about being a miko."

"I was—am the first miko. May I tell you my story?" Midoriko asked.

"Sure," said Kagome. "If you want to." Midoriko sat down and Kagome followed suit.

"I was very young when I found out I had powers unlike any boy or girl in my village," said Midoriko. She closed her eyes, as if watching a movie in her head. "Wolves, ordinary ones, had plagued our village for a month. One night they attacked the farm home that I lived in with my mother and father. They were the ones who witnessed my killing of the wolf by supernatural means.

"I was held in high regard by my village. They wanted to make me a houshi, a woman houshi, but it was unheard of. I became the human goddess—a miko of divine power. I developed my abilities and my physical strength. I protected my village, rooted out hostile youkai, and began to roam the lands and slay youkai that hurt humans. Adored by all I saved, I did not yearn for more than that. I can honestly say I felt enough love from the gratitude of my people to sustain my cause. I needed no affection from individuals and did not crave it. I began to believe adamantly that if I loved a single human, had picked one out of the fold to be special, my entire mission was compromised and my powers would be lost. If I had been forced to choose, how could I, between a man and mankind? I knew it would kill me."

"That's so sad," Kagome sighed.

"And I regret thinking so. It has cursed my followers since—they have believed that simply falling in love weakens them, which was not my intention. And in the nature of the powers, since they believed it, their powers indeed did weaken. Our mind and feelings control the powers, not the other way around."

Kagome said nothing. She didn't really understand.

"I began to crop followers. I trained them in all of my arts. I taught mostly women, but a few men as well. Those men and their wives became the taijya that have kept my cave all these years in gratitude in their village. The women formed a sisterhood of miko, a chaste and holy order. I trained many to shoot with a bow and an arrow, which became a signature weapon of the warrior woman, since most did not have my strength to wield a sword like mine."

Midoriko pointed to the sword she used in combat with the youkai. It reminded Kagome of the Tetsusaiga.

"I taught them to fight, to pray, to protect, to love all, to love none, and even to dance, although that is not an art that is used any more among miko. Each pupil of mine began to gain special abilities. There have been dozens of miko, all of which have a unique power."

"What?" asked Kagome.

"I have several examples. The power that I failed to teach any girl was purification. It was how I killed the wolf; my touch dissipated the evil within it, destroying most of what constituted the beast. A wayward student I believe you know of, called Tsubaki, found she could control animals (she favored a snake) and sought with her power to make herself eternally beautiful. Kikyou, of whom you are reincarnated, had more skill with the bow than any miko, including myself. You inherited that skill from her. She, as my former protector, received new abilities in sensing my soul's presence and purification. That is why Tsubaki wanted to be my Shikon no Tama's protector—she hoped to gain my abilities—and why she hated and cursed Kikyou. You, again, inherited Kikyou's skills, given by me."

"So I have three special abilities," Kagome said, trying to concentrate and comprehend. "I have your purification, Kikyou's archery, and my own special power."

"Incorrect," said Midoriko. "You, Kagome, have no particular power bestowed upon you."

"Oh," said Kagome, more than a little disappointed.

"But I do not wish to discuss that now. May I continue?"

"Please," Kagome asked.

"I was the pedagogue for many years, until I turned twenty-five summers old. Then I met someone. He had the most pure aura I had ever felt. I felt so much of myself, my quest for good, for righteousness, and kindness in his soul. He had been a healer, strong and handsome. He made himself my servant and worshipped me. I was flattered, as I had always been by such actions. But as he continued to be in my life and presence, I felt stronger towards him. I began to grow happier when he visited. My heart skipped a beat when he walked into the room. My young girls often giggled that he was in love with me, which made me joyous, despite my teachings. I fell in love him."

"What was his name?" asked Kagome.

"His name was Deeseet. And I should have known," sighed Midoriko.

"Known what?"

"Nothing, pay it no mind. One day, while he accompanied me deep into the forest near the shrine, he confessed under a cherry tree he was in love with me and that he wished for me to marry him. He knew that I could not, I was a shrine maiden, but I consented. When I announced our engagement, my studying priestesses did not question me, although I knew they did not approve and the elders of the village whispered their prayers that the fall of Midoriko would be soft and that hell did not revenge itself upon me."

"How awful!" Kagome said, wondering if people would think that of her if she married Inuyasha. As if Inuyasha would want to get married. He doesn't want to be tied down, remember? Maybe not even to Kikyou. "And you were in love."

"On the day of our wedding, the groom was absent, and a horrible, large youkai appeared and began killing the guests. I attempted to subdue and kill him, but he was much too strong, and I felt my powers had weakened because of my love for the man who was not there. He killed the entire village. My failure weighed upon me like the heaviest boulder I had ever lifted and I did not want to live. The youkai captured me and dragged me into a cave. I had hoped he would rape and kill me, but what he did was much worse."

"What do you mean?" asked Kagome.

"He told me the truth for the first time in his life," said Midoriko. "He took the form of the man I loved, the good healer and my humble servant. He spoke words that verified that the youkai was that man. He had pretended to be good, disguised his aura, and compelled me in subtle ways to fall in love with him, but ultimately, to trust him. Every good thing inside me shattered. I was more alone than in had been in my entire life. My village, who worshipped me, was dead and gone. The one I loved had betrayed me. My powers and body failed me. He meant to kill me."

"Oh gods," Kagome whispered, holding her hand to her heart. She was crying, but no tears came down her face. "That's the most horrible thing I've ever heard."

"But I realized what he was. He was hundreds of dead youkai, molded into one fearsome form. He did not want to be powerful, as most youkai do. He did not want to eat me or suck out my soul. All he wanted was to be evil. He did not necessarily want to trouble himself with evil deeds (much like people want to be good but not be bothered to do good things). He had perfectly lied to me, betrayed me and crushed my spirit utterly. I saw what he was then. Simple evil and nothing more. That was when I remembered my mission—teaching and being worshipped was second to my mission. I had wanted to protect good and to love. So I summoned my powers in the last inch of my life and compelled my brokenness to mend and take up my forgotten sword. I fought the youkai. I fight the youkai."

Kagome's eyes shot open.

"That-" She pointed to the youkai frozen in time that was locked with Midoriko. "That's Deeseet?"

"Yes," whispered Midoriko. She motioned to the scene behind her. "This is what I am. I have no desire to move onto another world as long as the battle of good and evil superpowers exists. I fight the youkai because I hate him, and I love him, so it strengthens me."

"I don't understand," Kagome said.

"It matters not. What matters now, Kagome, is your strength. You are the final miko. There will be no other after you."

"The last miko?"

"Hie. You will complete my battle…and I will be free once more."

"What will happen to the Shikon no Tama?"

"It will disappear. It is not only my soul, but it is fused with his as well. I love Hate, he hates Love. It is a constant paradox. You are the only one free of this twisted maze of fate. I trust you to fight this last battle as my proxy."

"I don't know if I can."

"I do. And I am going to train you, much differently than how I trained the other miko. Only in your dreams, and you will not remember until it is the time of the struggle."

"What about Inuyasha?" asked Kagome suddenly. "It's always been that I watch out and he fights."

"The roles will be reversed. Inuyasha will protect you for now, but he must learn to trust you to fight this battle for yourself, and you will need to trust him more than ever to let you."

"I trust him with my life everyday."

"I do too. Do you think I would give you these violent dreams if he was not there for you?"

"What do you mean, Midoriko?"

"You are still asleep and you cannot control your body. He protects you in the physical world. Go now; go back to Inuyasha. Wake up." Midoriko faded out of Kagome's vision. The blue light subsided and it became only dark out.

"Huh?" asked Kagome, blinking. Where was she? What was real? What had just happened?

"She's coming to!" a voice exclaimed. Midoriko? No, it was a child's voice, very familiar. Shippou? she thought. No, not Shippou. Souta!

"Kagome! Get up! Open your eyes." It was a gruff male's voice, very familiar indeed.

"Inuyasha, give her some air." Instincts twisted inside Kagome. Mom? "It will be all right. I know you're worried, but you're here, and she's always made it through with you before."

"I still think this kelpie fin-made cream will do wonders," said another male voice. Jii-chan. Grandfather.

"Merooow." Something furry was weighing on her chest, but it was instantly lifted off.

"Gerroff her, cat!"

"Inu-no-nii-chan, be nice to Buyo, he's not hurting anything."

"Say something, Kagome. Say anything."

"Inu…yasha," Kagome said. The room went silent. "Is anyone there?"

"We're all here Kagome-"

"We were worried sick-"

"Almost called the hospital-"

"Souta saw you jump out of-" Kagome's head pounded with all the loud voices calling to her. She still hadn't opened her eyes. The pressure of the noise felt as though it were cracking her skull.

"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" Inuyasha shouted over all of the Higurashis. They instantly were silent, and Kagome's head was relieved. "Listen closely, 'cause I'm going to say this only once. I am taking Kagome up to her room so she can rest. No one—not even the cat—can come in. I will watch over her and if she needs anything, I'll get it. If I don't know what she needs, I'm sure she'll tell me. If there's an emergency, I'll let you know. You'll see her in the morning. Is that clear to all of you?"

"Hie!" reported Souta with a squeak.

"Hie," said Jii-chan fearfully.

"Hie," repeated Mrs. Higurashi, relieved that her daughter was being so earnestly cared for. "Thank you Inuyasha, for regarding my daughter so highly."

"It's nothing," Inuyasha said roughly, but more quietly. "A 'good night' from Kagome." Kagome felt herself being scooped up in strong arms. She was jostled only slightly as she was being taken upstairs. He didn't even dump her on her bed, which he would have done if she was conscious.

It was nighttime already. I must have slept through dinner, Kagome thought. She began to open her eyes. It was dark in her room, except for Inuyasha's amber eyes and the light of the sliver moon. She rubbed her head and sat up.

"Inuyasha?" she asked.

"Kagome," he said, quickly beside her. "How do you feel? Does anything hurt?"

"No, just my head. Otherwise okay. Tell me what happened."

"Just get some rest, Kagome. I'll tell you later."

"Tell me now. Please," she begged. Inuyasha gave a deep, considering inhale before conceding.

"Fine. We were sitting in the tree and you fell asleep."

"Oh yeah. I remember that," Kagome said fondly.

"Anyway," Inuyasha said quickly. "You began mumbling. I heard 'okay I'll jump' come from you, and before I knew it, you'd leapt out of Goshinboku. I caught you before you hit the ground, but you had slept through all of it! I couldn't believe it. The kid was scared when he saw you. He told me to bring you in the house. You stayed on that couch for hours. You were mumbling a lot, I could only here small phrases. Something about 'sorry for breaking the shards', something about sadness…and you mentioned Kikyou."

"Kikyou?" asked Kagome quietly. "I don't remember my dream. Did I dream about Kikyou?"

"I don't know, I'm not in your head," snapped Inuyasha. "But then you started crying in your sleep. Your mom started freaking out big time. Your grandfather thought you were possessed. Souta wanted to call the doctor place…the hospital. It was weird. It looked like you were having some sort of fit and you wouldn't wake up. Then…you did," he finished lamely.

"Oh." Kagome tried to digest this. Having a fit…crying in sleep…hospital…Kikyou. She didn't want to think about it. Thinking about thinking about it made her want to throw up. She made a quick dash for the bathroom.

"Kagome? Kagome, what-? Oh," said Inuyasha as he saw her upchuck into the toilet. "That's disgusting. Wench can't even hold down her food."

"Uggghhh," she groaned and washed out her mouth. Don't think about dream. Concentrate on Inuyasha. It was the nearest thing of interest to her and it would keep her mind off of what made her sick. She started staring at him. She let her eyes roam over his silver-white hair and cute dog ears. She gazed at his strong face structure and amber eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that, baka?" he asked rudely, shifting his eyes away.

"Nothing," she sighed imperiously.

She stalked past him out of the bathroom and back into her room. She was too hot to sleep under her bedspread, so she tried to lie on top of them, but was too cold. There was no happy medium. Her mind wandered but she couldn't get to sleep. Inuyasha came in after her and lied on his cot, watching her unblinkingly. It would be kind of unnerving if she wasn't used to it.

"Inuyasha, I can't sleep," she whined.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I just can't, okay?" she said. "I…I…want…" She stammered from embarrassment, trying to think of the words to say to the harsh hanyou.

"Say it, wench, before I have to throttle it out of you," he said with ease.

"I want you to hold me like you did before," she said in a high, scared voice. "Please?"

"What?" he asked sharply.

"Like you did in the tree."

"W-why would I do a dumb thing like that?" he asked.

"I'm scared," Kagome admitted. "I don't want to sleep walk again. I know if I fall asleep I'll dream and I don't want to dream. So please…hold me tonight so I don't. I don't want to be alone."

Inuyasha didn't question her definition of alone being 'not within two feet', since he was already in the room. He simply got up and sat on her bed, unsure of what to do next. Kagome lied down on her side on her bed. Inuyasha positioned himself behind her, slipping his arm under hers, holding her down. She felt his chest against her back.

Again, almost instantaneously, Kagome relaxed her shoulders. The cold she felt on top of the covers and the overbearing heat she felt under them was equalized, and she was comforted by his heat. There was something much more close about them now, lying together in the dark like this. A song seemed to play from the rhythm of their breathing, like an unheard violin singing. I love you, Kagome thought, wondering if he could hear her thoughts. You're my best friend, Inuyasha. I don't know how I could live without you. It hurts so much sometimes I can't breathe when I think about you and everything you are to me. I… her thoughts dissipated as she rolled over and planted her face into his chest, deeply smelling his robes. Her sense of smell was bad even for a human's, but she loved his scent of dog, wilderness and fire. He tensed—he was really tense. Was he scared of her? She reached up with her free arm and gently began to stroke his right ear.

"None of that," Inuyasha scolded, twitching his ear violently enough that it left her grasp. "You're trying to sleep, remember?"

"You're all tense. If you don't relax, I don't sleep. Simple as that."

"Keh. Whatever." She touched his ear again, but this time he let it droop into her palm. Her fingertips did the work of softly petting the edges, once in a while grazing the fine hairs lightly. His muscles loosened and he was asleep faster than she was. You big puppy, Kagome thought fondly.

She tucked her arm back to her chest and let herself drift off in the Kagome-sized cushion of his body.

"Kagome," she could hear Midoriko's voice. "It's time to begin."

"Begin what?" Kagome asked. Midoriko had materialized before her in the dream, the blue lights shining and reverberating through her skull.

"Begin your training."

"Oh, right. For the final battle."

"I will not teach your first lesson. Another miko—one of the greatest—will teach you her secret."

"I thought I had no special powers!"

"None of your own. I believe you have seen the likeness of Inuyasha's mother before…"

"A mother ghost impersonated her," Kagome agreed.

"Then meet Izayoi, far wiser than I, my greatest pupil." Midoriku stepped aside. The apparition that Kagome had seen long ago materialized. Izayoi was as Kagome had remembered, clothed in her simple robes.

"Kagome," Izayoi said. "I have longed to meet you. Come, pray with me, and I will show you many things. You will begin to see."

Kagome knelt beside the miko.

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-Red Snowsled :)