The Priestesses' Regeneration Song that Connects the Worlds

by aquagon

Two months later, Inuyasha's group welcomes back Miko and Yasha together with their friends from the alternate Earth. Now, they must fulfill the mission they were given by destiny: become the Seirei to save the world the Dragonia. While many hardships await them, they will also receive the help from a world called Ar Ciel... Sequel to Entwining of Destinies.

2. Back to the Inuyasha World (2)

When they regained consciousness, they found themselves in a grass-covered meadow with forests far in the distance, and there was another group of people already... The first one to get up was Gerardo...

- "Yeah... We're back..." - muttered he as he checked himself: his clothes had changed into a kimono similar to Inuyasha's, but it was blue in color, adorned with hexagonal patterns and water droplets, and he was wearing shoes similar to the ones used by Sesshomaru - "My clothes changed back into the ones I used to wear here... But I don't have the Dragtemn, the Seirei Crystal, Ryuuga or Fuuiryuu now..." -

(BGM: Mura no Ichinichi (1st Part))

Then Gabriela woke up, and once she saw Gerardo up and about, she ran immediately to hug him...

- "Gerar! We did it! We're here again!" - said her. Once again she was wearing the white and silver miko outfit, with the tabi and zori, though she didn't have the Seirei Crystal, or the bow and quiver she used to have - "We're again in the Inuyasha world!" -

- "Yeah! But, Gaby..." - said Gerardo upon noticing something strange: Gabriela seemed to have lost a bit of her height, and her eyes and face seemed a bit rounder - "You look a little younger than before..." -

- "You too..." - said Gabriela upon noticing her brother's face looked a bit younger and that he didn't have so much of a stubble anymore.

- "Maybe the return to this world got us back to the ages we had when we first came to it... Why could it have happened?" - he asked himself puzzled. They then noticed their friends were there with them. He smiled - "And as expected, they're with us too" -

- "Yeah, but they're still wearing the same clothes they had back in our world" - said Gabriela as she knelt next to Henry and Roger to check them.

- "And they didn't seem to have changed like we did..." - said Gerardo as he checked the others - ''Well, Tiffany did seem to have gotten a bit younger like you did..." -

- "Yeah... It's so weird..." - said Gabriela as she looked at her best friend. Tiffany then stirred, and she opened her eyes and sat up as fast as she could.

- "Whoa!? Where are...? Gaby!?" - said Tiffany as she fixated her gaze on her best friend, and her jaw dropped down upon seeing the clothes she was wearing - "Where did you get that outfit!? And it's so whitey, royal, shiny and all that!" -

- "Hihihi, welcome back to the waking world!" - said Gabriela giggling upon seeing her reaction. Henry and Roger stirred next, lazily waking up as they sat up, but were shocked into a full awakening when they saw their friends with their new outfits.

- "Gerar, where did you get dressed like that!?" - asked Henry looking at him with the eyes the size of saucers.

- "Yeah! You look like a Sengoku Period Japanese nobleman or something!" - said Roger as he examined him from head to toe. Miguel, Carlos and Kember also woke up, and were rendered speechless by it.

- "Eh... Well... Remember the question I asked you two a couple years ago, when I was still in high school?" - asked Gerardo a bit embarrassed.

- "What're you talking about?" - asked Miguel a bit puzzled, but no one answered him. Henry and Roger just focused in what Gerardo asked them, and began reminiscing a little before coming with the answer.

- "Ah! The one where you asked if we saw anything weird lately?" - said Roger. Gerardo nodded with a smile.

- "And when you said you had a dream in which we met anime characters or something like that?" - asked Henry.

- "Yep, that's the one. And I'll be frank with you: that was no dream at all, it actually happened..." - said Gerardo, which made everyone except Gabriela look at each other confused. Gerardo then turned back and saw how the group of people they had initially seen when they woke up was slowly getting closer to them - "And I think this is going to be the only proof I'll need to prove it... Even if you still can't remember your little encounter..." -

- "And don't tell me... These people over there are actually..." - said Carlos shocked.

- "Yeah, they're Inuyasha and his friends!" - said Gabriela with a smile.

- "You gotta be joking...!" - said Henry shocked as he looked at them from the distance.

- "We really have them right before us..." - said Roger as he rubbed his eyes and pinched his hand to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

- "And they look even better in reality..." - said Carlos as his eyes glided from Sango's slayer outfit to Miroku's shakujou, and then to Inuyasha's clothes.

- "Amazing... This'll help me a lot with improving my drawings..." - said Kember as he began taking mental notes of their appearances.

- "Then, we're inside an anime series or something?" - asked Tiffany amazed, though she didn't seem to register yet the situation she was in.

(BGM: None)

Meanwhile, Inuyasha's group had seen these people fall down from a strange hole in the sky, and after a few instants shocked at it, they noticed the newcomers seemed to be getting up, and slowly walked to them.

- "Who could these people be?" - said Miroku a bit confused.

- "I don't know... But I don't really have a good feeling about them" - said Sango as she gripped her Hiraikotsu.

- "Yeah... And they're so suspicious... Falling down from a weird hole in the sky and all" - said Shippou as he looked at them with suspicion.

- "Keh... We better be careful... We don't know if this is other of these bastards' traps" - said Inuyasha scoffing as he held a hand over Tessaiga's hilt.

- "But many of them are wearing clothes like the ones the people from my era do... And the ones in the kimonos feel kinda... familiar to me" - said Kagome with an expression that seemed to be worry and fear.

- "Now you mention it... I don't remember ever having seen these people, but they do feel... As if I knew them..." - said Inuyasha a bit confused.

- "Anyway, shall we go greet them? We can always defend ourselves if anything happens" - said Miroku with a smile.

- "We should be cautious in any case, Houshi-sama" - said Sango in a serious voice.

However, before Inuyasha's group managed to reach them, another portal opened up between them.

- "What's this!?" - said Inuyasha shocked.

- "Is this a trap!?" - said Sango scared.

- "No, look...! These people seem to be as shocked and surprised as us!" - said Miroku when he noticed their expressions.

Gerardo and the others were also looking at the portal in awe.

- "No way, another dimensional gateway?" - said Gerardo confused.

- "Who else could be coming to this world?" - asked Gabriela as she held to her brother's arm.

- "Wait a sec... That thing was what brought us here?" - asked Henry surprised.

- "Something similar... Except for the fact it dumped us into the sky... Apparently..." - said Gerardo with an ironic smile.

- "Heh, I'm kinda envious of whoever's coming out from it, as they at least'll appear on solid ground" - said Roger laughing.

- "If they come around!" - finished Miguel, freezing everyone in place.

(BGM: Leave It Alone - Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica)

- "Please, stop with the bad puns for now!" - shouted Tiffany angry.

But before any of the others could reply, they noticed that two people were emerging from the multicolored vortex, and while everyone was mostly confused upon seeing them, Gerardo and Gabriela were shocked, while Kagome and Inuyasha were left agape: they were Miko and Yasha. As soon as they stepped out, the portal closed up and disappeared.

(BGM: Utsukushii Omoide (1st Half))

- "This is... the world we came from...?" - asked Miko confused and scared as she looked around.

- "It looks like it... And I'm kinda feeling like I'm back home..." - said Yasha sniffing the air as he began smiling. His nose and Miko's perception instantly caught up the presence of Inuyasha's group, and after looking at them with a slightly shocked face, they slowly started walking to them, with excitement bubbling up inside them.

- "That little girl... She's just like the one I see in my nightmares... And she looks like me when I was her age..." - said Kagome shocked.

- "Are you... Are you my... Onee-san?" - said Miko smiling.

- "You gotta be joking... That kiddo is just like me..." - said Inuyasha paralyzed from the impression.

- "Nii-san...?" - said Yasha surprised.

They four slowly walked to each other, and when they were about to meet, a golden and silver dome of light enshrouded them all, making it impossible for anyone outside to see what happened. Immediately everyone but Gerardo and Gabriela screamed in fear.

(BGM: Fuonna Kehai (2nd Half))

- "What is happening!?" - shouted Miroku upon seeing this.

- "That weird light ate them!" - said Shippou as she pointed to them.

- "We have to rescue them! We don't know what these strange kids were, or what they could be doing to them!" - said Sango as she and the other two began running to the dome.

However, Gerardo and Gabriela ran to them, stood in front of the dome and extended both of their arms to each side.

- "Stop!" - he shouted - "Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kirara! I'm glad to see you again, but we can't let you interfere in this! It'd be too dangerous for Inuyasha and Kagome!" -

- "Who are you, and how do you know about us!?" - said Sango with the distrust imprinted in her face as she got her Hiraikotsu out.

- "Looks like they don't remember us yet..." - said Gabriela saddened as Henry and the others walked to them. Their previous shock only got larger when they saw Miroku and the others up close, even though they try to dissimulate their impression as much as they could by looking elsewhere.

- "What are we supposed to remember?" - asked Miroku trying to act rationally.

- "Well, I don't know... But they don't seem like they can do much against us: check it, they don't have any weapons and aren't emitting any sort of presence" - said Shippou as he looked at them confused - "And they haven't tried attacking us yet..." -

- "You've got a point there, Shippou" - said Sango while still looking at the newcomers. Kirara softly meowed at her side.

- "Well, it'd be better if you waited a little..." - said Gerardo as he made gestures with his hands to calm them down - "I'm pretty sure you'll remember everything once Inuyasha, Kagome, Miko and Yasha get their sealed memories back" -

- "Miko and Yasha...?" - asked Shippou dubitatively.

- "Sealed memories...?" - asked Miroku.

- "For some reason... these names and that phrase sound familiar..." - said Sango shocked as she lowered her weapon.

- "They should, as you gave Miko her name, Sango. And you've all got sealed memories too" - said Gabriela putting her hands behind as she smiled mischievously. They all looked at her confused.

(BGM: Lamplight - Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica)

Meanwhile, inside the dome of golden and silver light, the missing halves to the medallions each of the four had reappeared in front of them and were now floating between both pairs.

- "These are the missing halves..." - said Miko surprised.

- "To the medallions we had..." - said Yasha excitedly as they both took out the necklaces sustaining them out from their clothes.

Kagome then remembered she still had her half and Inuyasha's inside her backpack, so she took them out...

- "Wha!? Why're you doing that, Kagome!?" - shouted Inuyasha as he saw the strange scene with fear and suspicion. Yasha and Miko looked at him a bit afraid as they clung to each other.

- "Because I think this will clear up everything about these nightmares we've had the last two months..." - said her as she looked at the medallions with a smile before putting on the silver one, and giving Inuyasha the golden one. She then turned to look at the two children they had before them - "And because I've got the feeling we must do this... I don't know why... But I feel that girl is important to me and my family..." -

- "Now you mention it..." - said Inuyasha as he felt something strange within himself - "I feel something similar about that kid..." -

Inuyasha then took the golden medallion from Kagome's hand and put it on. They then walked toward their younger counterparts, who stopped feeling afraid and began smiling at them...

- "Whoever you are... I feel I've missed you a lot..." - said Kagome as she smiled at Miko.

- "Me too... I always wanted to meet you... even if I didn't know your name anymore... Onee-san..." - said Miko as she walked toward her, and they both hugged each other.

- "I've always... been wishing to see you, Nii-san... Ever since I woke up in that world..." - said Yasha as he showed Inuyasha a shy smile.

- "Me too... I don't even know your name... But I feel like I've always wanted to have you here... So come..." - said Inuyasha as he extended a hand to Yasha. Yasha cheered up and ran to him as he shouted "Nii-san!" hugging him as he reached him. Inuyasha just stood there speechless, not knowing how to react.

After a few instants, the missing medallion halves flew to their respective owners and fused with the halves they already had, completing them once again. Then, the gems they used to have reappeared in their centers: a ruby in Inuyasha and Yasha's case, and an emerald in Kagome and Miko's, all of which looked like a dial's marker and pointed to the part of the medallion that said "Special Separation".

(BGM: None)

Shortly later, the golden and silver light disappeared and they found themselves in the grassfield once again alongside everyone else, with Miko standing in front of Kagome and Yasha in front of Inuyasha...

- "Looks like they're back..." - said Gerardo as he noticed he had a sky-blue handkerchief in the inner pockets of his kimono and took it out.

- "Gerar... Why're you doing that?" - asked Gabriela weirded out.

- "Because... I've got an idea of what's going to happen..." - said he as he looked at both pairs staring at each other with a large smile. However, his eyes were watery and his lips quivered...

(BGM: Nukumori no Kioku - Card Captor Sakura)

- "I remember everything now..." - said Kagome as she looked at Miko with an overjoyed expression as tears began spilling from her eyes. She then knelt down to have her face at the same height as Miko's and opened up her arms - "Miko... welcome home..." -

Inuyasha, on the other hand extended his hand to Yasha and smile at him: he was telling him it was okay to come in his own way.

- "Onee-san..." - whispered Miko as she looked at Kagome with the same expression at her, and she began crying as she ran to her - "Onee-san!" -

She jumped toward Kagome, who caught her in the air and hugged her tightly.

- "Onee-san... I missed you so much... I wanted to see you again so much..." - said Miko as she cried in happiness and hugged her back - "I wanted to be with you and our family again so much...!" -

- "Me too..." - said Kagome as her voice cracked - "Even though I couldn't remember you... I always felt like I was missing something important... And now you're back, I can finally feel at peace... My dear little sister... Miko... At last you've returned to us..." -

- "Nii-san..." - said Yasha as he tried in vain to contain the tears that he started shedding and ran to his older self. When he right in front of him, Inuyasha took him by the arms and hugged him - "Nii-san...!" -

- "Welcome back, Yasha..." - said Inuyasha in a whisper.

- "Nii-san..." - cried Yasha - "I was training all this time... Only so I could set out with Miko... to look for you and Kagome-nee... And we're together again... at last..." -

- "I know, Yasha... I know..." - said Inuyasha with a gentle voice, one that most people would have never heard out from him - "I missed you a lot too... And I won't let any piece of shit to get us apart again..." -

The next instant, Miroku, Sango and Shippou recovered their lost memories, and upon seeing the scene, they immediately ran to them to give them a group hug, with their faces covered in joyful tears. Shortly later, Gerardo and Gabriela joined them too, both crying and the former trying in vain to wipe off the tears with the handkerchief and trying to contain his urge to continue crying. Their friends just continued looking at the scene, confused and surprised, but feeling somewhat well about it, and thus they decided to not interrupt.

- "Talking about a moving scene, huh?" - said Miguel looking at them.

- "I guess. It's a shame we didn't know them too" - said Henry with a smile.

- "Yeah, it feels kinda bad to be left out in a situation like this" - said Roger - "But still, I'm glad for them" -

- "And once they're finished, we should ask Gerardo and Gaby for an introduction, don't you think?" - said Carlos crossing his arms as he smiled.

(BGM: None)

When the others finally calmed down enough to stop crying and hugging, Yasha and Miko finally noticed Gerardo and Gabriela were there too.

- "Gerar-nii, Gaby-nee!" - said Miko when she finally noticed them - "You're back too!" -

- "That's right" - said Gerardo blushing as Gabriela smiled - "And I've gotta say that it's nice to be here again after two long years" -

- "Yeah, after we thought we were never going to see each other again!" - said Kagome smiling.

- "Huh? Wait a sec... Two years?" - asked Yasha surprised as everyone else in the Inuyasha group looked at each other confused - "But we were in Dragonia for only a month!" -

- "And it's been two months here since we last saw each other" - said Kagome puzzled - "What could this mean?" -

- "Maybe... The worlds got asynchronous..." - said Gerardo as he put his hand on his chin as he looked at the ground with a worried face.

- "What do you mean?" - asked Inuyasha confused.

- "It means that each world's been working under its own time system" - explained Yasha upon understanding what Gerardo said, which left everyone but Miko perplexed - "Now I think about it, it wouldn't be weird for it to be so much time difference between worlds" -

- "Okay, I understand that, but…" - said Kagome, but before she got the chance to voice her next question…

- "But how Yasha knows so much if Inuyasha's an idiot?" - Shippou did it in her stead.

- "What didja say, pipsqueak!?" - roared Inuyasha as he cracked his knuckles menacingly, but before he could leap upon Shippou...

- "Sit down!" - said Kagome, which made both Yasha and Inuyasha crash into the ground. Gerardo leaped back in fear, but once he remembered he lost the rosary during Dragonia's sealing, he sighed relieved and calmed down.

(BGM: Osuwari!)

- "Why didja do that, Kagome...?" - said Inuyasha as he got up and spat out some dirt. Yasha was rubbing his nose because he crashed face-first into the ground.

- "I'm sorry... It's the force of habit..." - said Kagome feeling very bad from seeing Yasha hurt like this - "And I forgot that it also affected Yasha..." -

- "I'd heal him if I could, but since I don't have any powers any more..." - said Gabriela as she looked at her hands with sadness.

- "Leave it to me!" - said Miko cheerfully as she winked and walked up to Yasha - "I've had to heal him a lot while we were there anyway, as he used to overdo it during his fencing classes" -

- "You got powers while you were there!?" - asked Sango shocked while all the others were left agape.

(BGM: Holy Power – Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny)

- "Yeah!" - said Miko as she took out a necklace from her clothes' collar: it was a long white ribbon with blue borders that sustained a spherical white crystal that had a depiction of a blue dragon's eye in the center - "This is my Seirei Crystal, and Yasha also has one" -

And before anyone could ask anything, she began singing:

- "Alt tok xiung'ara paf hilsec tast souis,
Saf sieral cezet'ara lusya paf lusellsya tast biosat,
Yst sos biosat hyz hustat, gaivz'ara sos xiuant tast ika... Healing Sounds of Light" -

A magic circle appeared under her feet, which was white with a hexagon drawn in it and divided in six parts, alongside several symbols and Dragonian glyphs. The next instant, some bands of light shot off from the circle and flew in Yasha and Inuyasha's direction. When they reached them, they began softly rubbing their wounds and healed them off, also curing the scrapes and bruises the fall caused them. Once these minor wounds disappeared, Miko stopped singing and both the magic circle and the bands of light disappeared.

- "Amazing... It really is Seirei Magic..." - said Gerardo surprised while Yasha showed a grateful smile at Miko after he stood up again, and Inuyasha looked at his hands and touched his face, which had an amazed expression - "And I could understand everything she sang... I can fully understand Common Dragonian again..." -

- "Me too. It meant: Gladly, I'll sing to heal your pain.
Concentrated, I'll turn into light to illuminate your life.
And until my life ends, I'll give you my song" - said Gabriela. Her, Inuyasha's group and Gerardo and Gabriela's friends were all shocked upon having seeing Miko cast magic through her singing... Even though the latter had already seen something similar in a videogame they played...

- "I thought you only knew what Apreiae meant" - said Gerardo amazed upon seeing she could understand the language perfectly too.

- "I could remember everything about Dragonian too when the gateway opened over at our world" - said her shrugging her shoulders with a smile.

(BGM: None)

- "And in the end, there is still a question pending: How does Yasha know so much?" - asked Miroku upon seeing all these events taking place. The others just looking at him confused, to which he only said in response - "Well, Shippou's question never got an answer" -

- "It's because Yasha's one of the top students in our class" - said Miko cheerfully, before which Yasha only had a contented smile, despite also blushing. Everyone got petrified upon hearing that - "And even though he isn't very good with magic yet, he's learned even faster than me ever since we got to Dragonia" -

- "Though you didn't need to say that bit about magic, Miko..." - said Yasha noticing that had spoiled part of the impact that learning that should have on everyone: they were surprised, but not as much as he expected.

- "And now I see you more closely, you don't seem to have changed at all even though two years passed in your world" - observed Kagome now she saw Gerardo and Gabriela more closely. This got everyone out of the impression they got from the announcement about Yasha's qualities.

- "Yeah, Gabriela hasn't gotten any taller, and Gerardo seems to be exactly the same" - said Sango.

- "And in Gabriela's case, she's also missing some development in other areas..." - said Miroku as he looked at her. This made Gabriela blush and scream enraged as she surrounded herself with her arms, Miko and Kagome gasp, and Tiffany, Henry, Miguel, and Gerardo roar.

(BGM: Two Funny People – Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana)

- "What did you say!?" -

- "You perverted monk...!" - said Sango as she hit him on the head with her Hiraikotsu.

- "Man, Miroku's really worse than we thought..." - said Henry as he looked at them.

- "Yeah, and even saying that about a little kid? The guy's really sick" - said Roger shocked.

- "He really needs help" - said Miguel facepalming.

- "What a creep..." - said Tiffany. Kember, Carlos and Shippou were moving their heads in a disapproving way while Inuyasha and Yasha just sighed in exasperation.

(BGM: None)

- "Leaving aside the problem with the pervert, let's get back on topic" - said Gerardo once they calmed down - "I think it's because our personal timelines got shifted back to the time in which we left this world" –

- "So it's like no time passed for you two here, right?" - said Sango with interest.

- "More or less, yeah" - said Gerardo nodding.

- "And shouldn't we introduce the others?" - said Gabriela - "It seems they're getting very bored because they've only been watching from there since Yasha and Miko reappeared" -

- "Yeah, looks like we got overexcited over this all and we left them ignored..." - said Gerardo biting his lip. He then turned around and waved to the others - "Hey everyone! Come here!" -

- "Ah, at last!" - said Miguel as they all ran to them.

- "Whoa, so many people!" - said Shippou surprised.

- "Okay, what happened?" - asked Henry with a bored face after they reached them.

- "Yeah, it looks like you forgot about us after the portal appeared and these two kids came in!" - said Roger looking in Yasha and Miko's direction. They both looked at the ground embarrassed and saddened.

- "I'm sorry..." - they both said at the same time.

- "Ah, no... I didn't mean it was your fault..." - said Roger feeling bad for them.

- "Yeah, don't worry. This is my and Gerar's fault, so don't feel bad about it" - said Gabriela with a smile.

- "But it's so strange... I don't remember that Kagome had any siblings aside of Souta, and that Inuyasha had any aside of Sesshomaru" - said Carlos with a puzzled expression as he crossed arms.

- "At the least, they never showed up in any chapters of the anime or manga" - remarked Miguel. Kagome, Inuyasha, Miko and Yasha just looked at each other surprised, while Sango, Miroku and Shippou looked at each other in shock from the fact that all these people knew about these details.

- "Or you two know something we don't?" - asked Kember with a raised eyebrow. Tiffany just remained silent, as she didn't really understand the whole conversation.

- "Well, it's a very long story..." - said Gerardo a bit flustered.

- "But let's introduce each other before we start explaining things, okay?" - said Gabriela irritated. Tiffany just looked at her with an incredulous face.

(BGM: Vayne and His Pleasant Friends - Mana Khemia)

- "Okay, okay... First let's introduce the friends we have in the world we came from" - said Gerardo to the Inuyasha group as he began walking in front of each of his friends, stopping briefly to introduce them - "This is Henry, and he's my best friend in our world. He's a bit crazy, but he's very reliable and trustworthy. This one's Roger, and he's a complete clown, yet a very good friend. This one is Miguel, one of my cousins, and while he's another clown, he's also very intelligent, but never get him angry if you know what's good for you. This one is Carlos, and while he's a bit foolish, he's at least trustworthy. This one is Kember, one of Roger's cousins, and while he's smart and an expert artist, he's a bit eccentric. And finally..." -

The others either smiled or made bitter faces as Gerardo was introducing them, while also waving to the Inuyasha group, which smiled at them. However, for the last one, Gabriela decided to interrupt and introduce her herself...

- "And she's my best friend, Tiffany. Don't bother her unless you wanna get cut up or burned" - said Gabriela as she hugged her laughing. Tiffany laughed with her, and she then began making stab gestures as if she had a razor on her hands as she smiled.

- "That's more than what I'd have said..." - said Gerardo between whispers. Henry and Roger just nodded while everyone else just looked at her a bit scared.

- 'I think I know these two guys... But I can't remember yet everything that happened when that guy and his sister were here last time...' - thought Inuyasha with an annoyed face.

- "I think we met Inuyasha, just like Gerardo said" - said Henry as he and Roger focused his gazes on him.

- "Yeah, but I feel like there's still something missing in our memories..." - said Roger thoughtfully.

- "Anyway, let's leave it for later. I'm kinda looking forward to how Gerar introduces them" - said Henry laughing.

- "Yeah, considering how he did with us" - said Roger with a mischievous smile.

(BGM: Toki wo Koete Kagome)

And just as they expected, Gerardo turned around, walked to the Inuyasha group and began introducing them to their friends - "You all know them already, but just in case: this is Sango, a professional youkai slayer. She's like the reliable older sister of the group, though she tends to lose her head when something related to her brother happens. This one is Miroku, a bonzo, and while he's pretty good at it, he's also a certified con artist and pervert, so be careful with him. This rat here ("Hey!") is Shippou, and while he's a bit annoying at times, sometimes we need a good laughter over here. She is Kagome, student of third year in high school and miko apprentice, and he is Inuyasha, a powerful and rageful hanyou, though he has a nice side hidden deep in..." -

- "Hey! Why are ya saying that about me!?" - asked Inuyasha irritated upon seeing how Gerardo and Gabriela's friends were laughing at the descriptions. However, before Gerardo or anyone else had the time to reply...

- "Well, the descriptions aren't very far off the mark, if I say it myself" - said Kagome with a face that showed this whole affair was quite amusing to her. Sango at first seemed at bit embarrassed, but then began smiling in a bemused way too.

- "But he called me a rat!" - shouted Shippou angry.

- "It's just a joke, Shippou" - said Miroku to calm him down - "Remember he said I'm a con artist and pervert" -

- "As if that were a lie..." - said Inuyasha as he looked at him disgusted.

(BGM: A Calm Scenery - Popolocrois Monogatari Anime)

- "Well, and finally..." - said Gerardo as he walked next to Miko and Yasha - "These two kids are Miko and Yasha. They're Kagome's younger sister and Inuyasha's younger brother in practical terms. And if it seems strange to you, well..." -

- "I'll explain it" - said Kagome. Gerardo nodded and stepped aside while she walked in to stand in front of everyone. During the next fifteen minutes, she told them about the springs of Water of Restart they found by chance, about the Medallions of Memory and their upgraded form, the Medallions of Link, and finally, the time Miko was forcefully separated from her.

- "Hmm, got it..." - said Henry thoughtfully - "You consider each other as siblings, but you're actually different parts of the same soul" -

- "Yup" - said Miko smiling sweetly as she bowed politely - "I hope we can get along from now on!" -

- "I say the same thing!" - said Yasha as he drew a large smile in his face. Both groups then bowed before each other.

- "By the way, Kagome..." - began Gabriela - "Aren't you tired? You've been using the Special Separation mode for a good while now" -

- "No, and it doesn't seem like the medallion is draining my energies anymore" - said Kagome in a relieved voice.

- "Mine isn't doing that either" - said Inuyasha just as Kagome finished.

- "It's great to hear that. But I can't help thinking it's pretty strange..." - said Gerardo as he placed his hand on his chin.

(BGM: None)

- "That is because we have given them both proper vessels..." - said a voice from the sky.

- "That voice..." - said Inuyasha in an angry voice, and he unsheathed Tessaiga. Everyone among Gerardo's friends had to cover their mouths with their hands from the excitement they got from seeing the sword in person and began excitedly whispering among themselves.

- "It's them again" - said Kagome angrily as she readied her bow. Miroku, Sango and Shippou recognized the voice too, and got ready to fight.

- "No, they won't take them away again" - said Gerardo with an angry face.

- "Yeah. It was enough with what they did last time" - said Gabriela furious as she and Gerardo stood in front of Miko and Yasha along everyone in the Inuyasha group, intending to protect them.

- "You know you won't be able to do anything without weapons or magic, right?" - asked Miroku worried.

- "We know, but..." - said Gerardo a bit dejected - "We still want to do something! We can't let that sad event repeat itself again!" -

- "I wonder what could have happened to have gotten them all so fired up..." - said Miguel seeing how his cousins were so angry, as well as Inuyasha and the others.

- "It must be pretty bad for them to be like that" - said Henry.

- "But they aren't all like that: check out Miko and Yasha" - said Kember as he pointed out to them: they were smiling excitedly, and Miko had her hands together as if she were going to pray.

- "Yeah... They seem kinda excited... Why aren't they angry like the others?" - said Tiffany puzzled.

- "They aren't tense or scared either... And I think we're about to find out why" - said Roger.

The next instant, six magnificent dragons appeared before them, each one with scales and eyes shining in a different color: blue, red, black, yellow, green and white, all of which had solemn expressions in their faces.

(BGM: Theme of the Wind – Popolocrois Anime)

- "Don't be afraid," - said the white dragon, Illyusea - "We won't repeat the unforgivable barbarity we committed when we last saw each other" -

- "That is correct" - said the blue dragon, Iadlast - "While we were forced to carry it out due to it being an emergency situation, it was something we had no right to do, and thus we offer you our sincerest apologies" -

- "No way..." - said Gerardo shocked. He turned around and noticed that Gabriela and everyone in Inuyasha's group had his same surprised expression; while his friends were only confused from this - "The six deities that created Dragonia are apologizing before us, mere mortals, for what they did..." -

{End BGM}

- "You really think we're gonna accept these shitty apologies after what you've done!?" - shouted Gabriela as she rushed to them. The six just lowered themselves to her height and lowered their heads - "After you kicked us out from this world, erased everybody's memories and separated Miko and Yasha from their friends and families!? Idiots! Inepts!" -

She then took off the zouri she was wearing and started using them to randomly beat up the Dragon Gods, who only closed their eyes as they received her assault. She kept doing it until she got tired and was left gasping in front of them. Her zouri ended up smashed due to the repeated hits against their hard scales.

- "...Did you have enough...?" - asked Illyusea as he gave her a look of deep regret.

- "If I weren't tired... I'd keep beating you up and use even the kitchen sink for it..." - said her gasping.

- "Illyusea, looks like you chose your chosen one right. She has the same fiery temperament as her predecessor" - said Iadlast in a bemused voice. As for them, Miko and Yasha were scandalized:

- "G-Gaby-nee..." - said Miko covering her mouth with her hands.

- "What she just did... Beat up the Dragon Gods... Would be blasphemy over there in Dragonia..." - said Yasha wide-eyed.

- "They may be gods or whatever... But the things they did are unforgivable!" - said Gabriela irate.

- "We understand. If you wish, please continue venting all the resentment you're holding against us as much as you like" - said Tiarrashe as he released yellow sparks that enshrouded her and her zouri, repairing them and replenishing her strength.

- "You can keep going until you're satisfied. It's the least we can do to atone for our unforgivable mistake..." - said Phinambrea closing his eyes. Gabriela gritted her teeth and continued beating them up for a while longer, until she finally calmed down and returned to the others' side. Then the Dragon Gods repaired again her zouri, opened their eyes and addressed the party:

(BGM: Theme of the Wind – Popolocrois Anime)

- "To be honest, Iadlast kept on nagging us all this time because we separated these children from their older siblings" - explained the red dragon, Pyrazsyec - "So this was something we had to do to make up for our mistake" -

- "And additionally, I remember that Iadlast promised to "give you something better the next time we saw each other" " - said the green dragon, Kiols, with a mysterious expression.

- "So we have decided it is time to honor that promise" - said the black dragon, Phinambrea. He and the other dragons showed everyone a gentle smile.

- "So, what promise is that?" - asked Henry as he eyed the dragons with suspicion - "Gerardo, Gaby and they all seem to know you guys, but we don't have the slightest clue about what's happening here" -

- "I agree with Henry," - added Miguel as he crossed his arms annoyed - "At least you should give us an explanation or something" -

- "Or we aren't anything, or we're painted on the ground or what?" - said Carlos irritated.

- "Hey! You shouldn't talk to them like that!" - said Miko divided between fear and anger while Yasha glared at them.

- 'To think someone could talk to the Dragon Gods so disrespectfully, not to mention what Gaby-nee just did... That'd have been unthinkable back in Dragonia...' - thought Yasha.

- "Don't worry, little ones" - said Tiarrashe gently - "Offenses have no effect on us, and it is natural for them to be angry" -

- "Well then, allow me to give a short explanation" - said Iadlast. He flew over to the boys and began - "As your friend Gerardo just said, we are the deities that created the world of Dragonia, and we have brought you here for a simple reason: you are the ones that we have chosen to be the bearers of our power. The Seirei" -

(BGM: Eternal Ground – Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana)

- "The Seirei!?" - asked everyone in Inuyasha's group, Gerardo and Gabriela at the same time.

- "Impossible..." - said Gerardo amazed, remembering the disaster that their last battle with Tenebross ended up being - "Despite all that... despite we having the Nucleus of Water right before our noses once... We were never told that..." -

- "And before you have any doubts about it, Gerardo" - said Phinambrea - "I will say right now you are one of the chosen as well: one of the six Seirei candidates we personally selected" -

- "Hold it..." - intervened Kember - "But if there are only six candidates... What are the others? There are fourteen people here in all..." -

- "It's simple enough: from these fourteen, only six will be chosen as Seirei while the others will become normal Dragoons" - explained Kiols, whose voice felt like a sudden gust of wind - "And even then, only eleven of you all will receive our powers" -

- "Once again, I apologize, Miroku, Sango and Shippou" - said Illyusea as he looked in direction to them with sadness - "Like last time, I am afraid you don't comply with the requirements necessary to become bearers of the power of the elements and the dragon" -

- "We don't mind it, really" - said Sango getting embarrassed from the attitude the deity of Light was having - "But... That means Kagome and Inuyasha can use these powers now?" -

- "That is correct" - said Iadlast smiling - "As you already saw with Miko, she and Yasha can handle Seirei Magic, even though they cannot use the Power of the Dragon yet. However, as Kagome and Inuyasha are the other halves to their respective souls, they both have their same potential and thus can use them. Furthermore, the Seirei Crystals Miko and Yasha wear around their necks have a special composition that allow them to harmonize their natural powers with the ones we bestowed upon them, so they won't nullify each other like last time" -

- "Keh, that means we're gonna get stronger" - smirked Inuyasha with determination, imagining himself wearing an armor similar to the one Gerardo used to have, flying through the sky and thrusting his Tessaiga covered in a wind current or flames in Naraku's nasty face.

- "Even so, you all are still bound by the same rules all Dragoons must follow: the Laws of the Dragon, and if you ever break them, I'm afraid we will be forced to make you relinquish your powers" - said Pyrazsyec with an unpleasant smile - "So be very mindful of the way you wield them" -

- "Okay, and how're these rules supposed to be?" - asked Tiffany with shining eyes. Gabriela laughed, knowing she was dying to try out these powers from when she first heard about them.

- "These are simple things like "Don't kill another person," or "Don't use your powers for selfish reasons," or "Don't kill dragons" " - explained Gerardo - "Simply put, don't do anything that runs counter to morality and you'll be free to use these powers as you want" -

- "Exactly" - said Iadlast - "Hmm, even though you only saw our way of life in dreams and only received a small part of the knowledge from your predecessor, you still possess a decent understanding of our world" -

- "Hehe... That's because Feltes explained me several things..." - said Gerardo as his smiled turned sour upon remembering him... Feltes... The companion that joined them right before the final battle...

(BGM: Kanashimi no Hate ni)

- "He's dead now..." - said Gabriela as her gaze dropped to the grassy ground before their friends had a chance to ask. Everyone in Inuyasha's group, as well as Gerardo and Gabriela, put on faces that wouldn't have been out of place in a funeral.

- "And the worst part is that we couldn't even give him a proper send-off..." - said Miroku as he raised a hand over his shakujou in signal of prayer. Miko began shedding tears and began singing... and Yasha, Gerardo and Gabriela joined her shortly later...

(Song: Utakata ~ Tenohira de Kieru Yuki - Akiko Shikata)

Liacel xa... Rerrllya...
(Towards Eternal Peace... Goodbye Forever...)

Kahial miu... tast vasperega zil hag mondour
oh, vasperer llican cryseyualiarria
mior chimecale flilla xi...
In this sadness... you, who has disappeared from this world.
Oh, you disappeared like the snow
that melts away on spring...

Oh, baprou, lusya, gaivz lia giest
syayul meitam ika, yst natielag dea sossaks
oar si cellia ika...
Oh, please, Light, bestow eternal rest
upon that soul, and let our tears
guide it to the Eternal Peace...

Ahhh...

Cia tast biosat wiast hyzga,
sossaks lia ielumnesara...
lia vasielaranasez...
Even though your life has ended,
we will always remember you...
we will never forget you...

Tialar tast hyzel sel risph ibelia yst celfael…
May your final dream be a beautiful and peaceful one…

As they sang, they felt as if they heard a "Thank you..." being whispered in the wind, and as they finished, they four hugged each other. Inuyasha's group did the same thing shortly later, with Kagome and Inuyasha doing the best they could to console Miko and Yasha... Gerardo and Gabriela's friends felt sad about this... and even though they didn't know what the cause was, they guessed from the tone of the song it was something very sad and bitter...

(BGM: None)

- "Thank you very much for this," - said Illyusea as he showed them a pained smile - "With this, it's sure his soul will be able to find the way back to the Eternal Cycle" -

Everyone separated as they wiped off the tears from their faces.

- "Gaby, what was that song?" - asked Tiffany a little afraid of making her cry again.

- "It's the requiem that people in Dragonia sing during funerals" - replied her wiping her eyes off with her kimono's sleeves - "And we did it to say goodbye to our friend who died on our last journey here" -

- "He did that to save our lives," - said Gerardo saddened when he saw the curious faces his friends had - "Tenebross, which is our major enemy here, fired a cursed arrow to Gaby and me, and he shielded us from it with his own body..." -

- "Feltes-san... Was very brave..." - said Miko as she closed her eyes pained.

- "Maybe we should go ahead with another ceremony" - said Kiols, thinking this show of pain had lasted enough.

- "Agreed..." - said Phinambrea - "Perhaps they will feel a little better once they receive their powers..." -

- "But it won't be like last time, right?" - asked Sango with a distrusting voice - "As far as I remember, Gerardo and Gabriela couldn't use these powers to its fullest because they were missing something" -

- "That is correct, young slayer" - said Tiarrashe - "This time, we will carry out the Elemental Baptism, which is the ceremony they were missing to use their powers to their full potential" -

- "Hold on, hold on" - said Gerardo noticing something - "Any ceremony is supposed to require a Dragonian priestess presiding it in order to be carried out, and I don't see anyone like that here. Besides, wasn't that the reason we didn't have the Baptism last time?" -

Everyone looked at each other upon realizing this. However, Iadlast flew closer to Miko and turned around to look at everyone...

- "You are right" - confirmed him - "However, we happen to have here not one, but two Dragonian priestesses" -

- "What!?" - said everyone but Miko and Yasha.

(BGM: The Light Shining Through the Stained Glass - Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm)

- "No way... Is...?" - said Kagome, but she was interrupted before she could finish.

- "Yes, Miko is one" - confirmed Illyusea - "And she isn't just any priestess... she is our current Assistant Priestess, the second most important priestess to the Dragonians, and inseparable companion to the Priestess of the Dragon" -

- "But... I... I haven't even finished my basic level training..." - said Miko shocked as she blushed.

- "I am afraid you will have to learn as you go" - said Kiols - "Besides, from the way you presided that little funeral for your friend, I would say you have the correct qualities for it" -

- "And what about Kagome?" - asked Inuyasha as he frowned.

- "Kagome happens to be our second current Assistant Priestess" - said Iadlast - "It is somewhat unexpected, as there is supposed to be only a pair formed by one Priestess of the Dragon and one Assistant Priestess each generation, but since both Kagome and Miko are different parts of the same soul, it would be unfair and absurd if we didn't give the same position to both" -

- "Okay, we've got the Assistant Priestesses" - said Gerardo puzzled - "But I don't think either Kagome or Miko can be the second priestess you mentioned a second ago, right? And besides, there can't be any Assistant Priestesses if there isn't a Priestess of the Dragon. So, who is she? Where is she?" -

- "Well reasoned" - said Phinambrea upon seeing how he analyzed the situation - "The other priestess, namely, the Priestess of the Dragon, is present right now among you, and is..." –

Illyusea flew over to Gabriela, and nodded to her with a smile...

(BGM: Lost Song – Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny)

- "Me!?" - screeched her surprised - "I'm the current Priestess of the Dragon!?" -

- "Yes, you are" - said Illyusea - "There is no possibility of error, as I can feel the waves of the missing shard from my Elemental Nucleus emanating from you" -

- "It can't be... My little sister is right now the most powerful person in all Dragonia..." - said Gerardo as he fell to his knees shocked, to the point he almost blacked out. All of his friends and Inuyasha's group were either agape or looking at her with saucer-sized eyes.

- "We knew she had a lot of power from the magic she used the last time they were here..." - said Sango shocked.

- "But we didn't know that we were in the presence of someone of such importance..." - said Miroku. He then walked to Gabriela and prostrated himself before her as fast as he could - "I apologize for the disrespectful behavior I demonstrated in the past! Please punish me however you see fit!" -

This made Gabriela go back to her senses, and she looked at Miroku embarrassed and enraged.

(BGM: Dumb Request at an Embarrassing Time – Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny)

- "No! I don't wanna get treated like this!" - shouted her - "I'm still the same Gabriela! I don't wanna get seen as any other person!" -

Kagome and Miko smiled at her and walked up to her.

- "I'm glad you're not the kind of person to let power get to your head" - said Kagome as she patted her head. Gabriela just smiled gladly.

- "Onee-san, Gaby-nee's been like this ever since we knew her" - said Miko laughing as Gabriela smiled at her. This got everyone out of their shock, and they got closer to her to congratulate her. Miroku also stood up again and joined the others.

- "Agh, Gaby" - said Tiffany annoyed and pouting - "But you could have told everyone to do whatever you wanted..." -

- "Even you?" - asked Gabriela with an unpleasant smile.

- "No, not me!" - said Tiffany enraged. Gabriela and the others just laughed at her reaction.

(BGM: Lost Song – Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny)

- "It looks like you have taken this revelation pretty well, young Priestess of the Dragon" - said Tiarrashe.

- "In that case, let us proceed to the next phase: it's high time we carried out the Elemental Baptism" - announced Phinambrea.

- "What!?" - shouted everyone but Miko and Yasha.

- "But we aren't in a church, temple, chapel or anything like that..." - said Miguel as he looked around at the meadow they were in.

- "Besides, doesn't that need some magical instruments of the "uuuuu" kind and all that?" - asked Roger as he moved his hands around like he was possessed while he made zombie sounds.

- "Stop clowning around before the deities, chibi!" - shouted Henry, embarrassed from his friend's behavior. The others laughed before this.

- "Hehe, I don't think they'll mind it much" - said Miko laughing.

- "And well, we don't need a specific place for this. The only thing we need is a Seirei Core and a Dragon Core inside our bodies... which is impossible because only Dragonians are born with these organs..." - said Gerardo, and everyone but the members of Inuyasha's group and Gabriela looked at the ground disappointed. The others just laughed a little before Gerardo continued - "Or we could wear necklaces with a Seirei Crystal like the ones Miko and Yasha got. These crystals are basically both organs in an artificial form" -

- "Yup. That's the way in which Gerar and me got powers last time; we could use elemental magic, incredibly cool dragon armors, and other things" - said Gabriela skipping around joyfully.

- "I wanna~..." - said Miguel as he imagined himself summoning devastating wind drafts. The others had longing and lost gazes, as if they were imagining the same thing with other elements.

- "Now I'll actually have basis to say "I'm gonna burn you!" " - said Tiffany all flared up.

- "Well then, are you all ready?" - asked Iadlast gently.

- "Yeah, we are!" - said everyone at once. Gerardo and Gabriela's friends were dying to have powers after they heard about them and saw Miko's demonstration, while Gerardo and Gabriela were glad to know they would have theirs again very soon, and with upgrades besides.

- "Very well. Miko, come here please" - said Illyusea. Miko walked up to them - "Every single person that will be receiving the Baptism, please form a circle around her" -

- "So, Miko's going to preside this ceremony?" - asked Kagome worried while she, Inuyasha, Gerardo, Gabriela and their friends formed a wide circle around Miko.

- "Yeah, onee-san. And don't worry: I've gone through this ceremony too and it isn't dangerous or painful or anything. And I also remember perfectly the song to carry it out" - said Miko as she smiled innocently.

- "In that case, we'll just keep on watching" - said Sango while she signaled to Miroku, Shippou, Yasha and herself, who were standing outside of the circle.

- "Besides, there's no point for me to be in it. I already got the Baptism at the same time Miko got hers" - said Yasha with his hands behind his head.

- "And what I'm supposed to do?" - asked Gabriela anguished - "I'm the Priestess of the Dragon, right? I should be the one presiding over this ceremony then..." -

- "Don't worry about it" - said Illyusea - "In any case, you wouldn't be able to use your abilities as the Priestess of the Dragon until you have undertaken this ceremony" -

Gabriela nodded with a bitter and sad face.

- "Is everybody ready?" - asked Miko cheerfully. Everyone replied by nodding their heads. She then closed her eyes, entwined her hands in front of herself and began singing...

(Song: Erabareta Tami - Haruka Shimotsuki)

SEIREI zhoi Keral
(A Promise with the Elements)

Zyacc Cielba, fafshuxuarare eath risuant zosphaaael ical,
oli keral yall zukare feleteilara zosphaael, arkea razzaek risph.
Now I begin singing the melody that unites us,
and the promise that will always keep us connected, no matter how far we are.

The melody began sounding alongside Miko's voice, beautiful and nostalgic thanks to the music box-like sounds accompanying it. When the others instruments and the percussion entered, a dim circle of light drew under the feet of them all, which ended taking full form when the music actually began sounding in full accompanied by a dragon's cry: it was the Elemental Seal, the hexagon enclosed by a circle and divided in six parts, with lines interconnecting each of its points with the center, and several lines out of it connecting it to smaller points in its outside.

山の上に、谷の中で、
竜と共に共在してある。
森の中で歩く、海に旅して、
空を渡るながら、歌い続ける。
Above the mountains, in the middle of the valleys,
living alongside the Dragons.
Walking inside the forests, journeying at the sea,
crossing the skies, all while we continue singing.

Everyone closed their eyes, and they began feeling Miko's song deeper inside them, all while scenes of what the lyrics said came into their minds: men and women dressed in clothes similar to the ones Miko and Yasha were wearing, but with different decorations and colors, in their daily lives, traveling through the world, singing, working, practicing magic, studying... the song was describing to them the way of life of the Dragonians.

新たな星を愛し育て、
命を与えた母を讃え続ける、
友とそれぞれを愛与え、
我らは永遠の環を歩き続けて。
Lovingly raising the new stars
while we continue praising the Mother who gave us life,
loving our companions and each other,
we continue our passage through the Eternal Cycle.

これは古からの受け継いだ想い、
愛しい母との古代の契約。
These are the feelings we've handed down since antiquity,
the immemorial pact with our beloved Mother.

When the song reached these lines, small wisps of light appeared in front of everyone that was receiving the Baptism and took the shape of Seirei Crystals similar to the ones Miko and Yasha had, though they were gray and devoid of any sort of color or shine.

さあ、声を重ねよう、
選ばれし者の証、
この世界の意志を続く者。
この聖なる歌はなにしても
この血にずっと流れ止めるはない。
Come now, and let us unite our voices,
the proof of being the chosen ones,
the ones carrying on the Will of this world.
No matter what, this hallowed song
will never stop flowing through our blood.

As Miko sang these lines, each of them took the Seirei Crystal they had before them and began shining: Gerardo in blue and gray, Gabriela in white and silver, Kember in white and light-green, Henry in black, Carlos in light-blue, Miguel in green and purple, Roger in yellow and green, Tiffany in red and orange, Kagome in white and blue, and Inuyasha in red and green.

With their elements determined, a small magic circle appeared below each of them: Gerardo's had a water droplet and a Dragonian question mark (?), Gabriela's had a white sphere and a crescent moon, Kember's had a white sphere and a plant's leaf, Henry's had a black sphere, Carlos' had a snowflake, Miguel's had a whirlwind and a lightning bolt, Roger's had a cracked rock and a whirlwind, Tiffany's had a flame and a sun, Kagome's had a white sphere and a water droplet, and finally, Inuyasha's had a flame and a whirlwind. The Dragon Gods looked at each other satisfied and continued watching over the ceremony.

Zyacc Cielba, ukialesa zosphaael, oli vulualwaesa zosphaael jila thafz phiellar.
Please, listen to us, and bless us with your love.

Gabriela then walked to Miko, as if she were hypnotized, and chanted along her the following:

"流れ込んで、水よ
吹いて、風よ
鍛えて、炎よ
育てて、土よ
照らして、光よ
夢見せて、闇よ
安心して、氷よ
気力を与えて、電よ
支えて、植よ
命を与えて、日よ
映して、月よ
護って、星よ"
- "Oh, Water, flow.
Oh, Wind, blow,
Oh, Fire, forge.
Oh, Earth, raise lives.
Oh, Light, illuminate.
Oh, Darkness, show the dreams.
Oh, Ice, quell down.
Oh, Lightning, energize.
Oh, Nature, nurture.
Oh, Sun, bestow life.
Oh, Moon, reflect.
Oh, Stars, protect" -

Then, they both began singing the rest of the song together...

声を重ねて、独り感じしてはないため、
それに自分の分かち合う存在を思い浮かぶため。
We unite our voices, in order to never feel alone,
and to remind ourselves of the existence we share.

さあ、声を上げよう
古の理を詠う
選ばれし命の方を司る。
今大いなる永遠の詩は呼び返しても、
永遠に我の歌は唄い続けられて。
Come now, let us raise our voices
and let us recite our ancient laws,
the ones that rule our chosen way of life.
Even if the Great Eternal Song calls us back now,
our song will continue being sung eternally.

Finally, the magic circles under the feet of everyone released such a strong light that it blinded everyone that was watching over the ceremony, while threads of energy began flowing out of them to get absorbed into the Seirei Crystals they each had in their hands.

They all had their eyes closed and they were absorbed into the song, which by now had gotten reduced to vocalizations made by Miko and Gabriela. The lights began dimming down, and the elemental marks in the circles that corresponded to each of them appeared on the back of their hands, while a small version of the Elemental Seal appeared in their foreheads, and a modified version that had inside a dragon taking off appeared on their chests, right above their hearts.

Then a richly decorated ribbon, with the colors and decorations varying depending on the elements the bearer of each crystal would have, appeared near the tip of the metal holder each crystal had and tied itself around the neck of its respective bearer, while a necklace with a medallion that had the symbols of the elements drawn on it and a small key stored in their center appeared in front of each of them and placed themselves around their respective owner's neck.

Then their clothes changed: Gabriela's miko outfit turned into a shouf similar to Miko's, with silver replacing the blue and crescent moon patterns replacing the water droplets, while a golden tiara similar to a headband, decorated with six precious stones and holding a transparent white veil that went down to her hips appeared on her head. A second layer for the upper part of her shouf that reached down to the ground then appeared, as also did a transparent silver ribbon that was wrapped around her arms and crossed from a side to other behind her. The front of her skirt opened up in half, revealing a second white and silver skirt underneath.

Miko's clothes also experienced similar changes, excepting for the colors and designs, and the fact that the tiara that she got was more of a typical one, decorated with a dragon's head figurine, instead of headband-styled like Gabriela's.

Zyacc atok, lyacchi shuxuaka, nakeire zosphaael mazi yapal thafzaael zhoi, SEIREI.
And having recited this, I form our ancient pact with you, Elements.

(End Song)

Once the song stopped, everyone felt as a great power flowed through them, and likewise, they felt that some new information had entered their minds...

- "Yujio mhaku, millie iula sos xi..." – said Henry thoughtlessly. His eyes opened in surprise upon noticing what he just said - "I can... I can understand and talk in that language now too!" -

- "Me too!" - added Roger.

- "I can too!" - said Tiffany.

(BGM: Riding on the Winds Crossing over the Hills – Mana Khemia)

- "I see you can now understand Common Dragonian with no problems" - smiled Gerardo - "But can you understand this too? Galt Garsse, thafzaael yalva zosph zeh ical?" –

- "Yeah, we can understand your words perfectly" - said Carlos smiling. Gerardo was surprised and satisfied with it.

- "It's natural," - said Iadlast above them, which made they turn their heads upwards to look at him - "As the Seirei, you must be able to make use of both kinds of Dragonian to gain access to your full power" -

- "And we weren't going to leave things halfway through this time" - said Pyrazsyec in an arrogant manner.

- "By the way, did you notice your clothes changed?" - said Miko as she and Gabriela walked to them. Everyone looked down at themselves and at each other and were left in awe: Gerardo was now wearing a blue shouf similar to the kimono he was wearing until a moment ago, but it also had gray bands in the sleeves and collar that had Dragonian glyphs embroidered inside and had Western-styled brown shoes on his feet.

Miguel was now wearing a green shouf decorated with lightning and tornadoes, with some subtle purple touches. Henry was wearing a black shouf, though he also wore a dark gray open jacket over it, which despite its coloring had a very striking resemblance to Naraku's current gear. Carlos wore a light-blue shouf adorned with snowflakes, Kember a white one with light-green touches that had white spheres and leaves as decoration, Roger a yellow one with green touches adorned with rocks and whirlwinds, Tiffany a red one with orange touches that had sun figures and flames in it, Kagome one similar to the one Miko was wearing, and Inuyasha one identical to Yasha's, complete with shoes and all. Miroku, Sango and Shippou walked to them and stared at their new clothes, impressed.

- "Whoa, this stuff's not bad at all!" - said Tiffany as she examined her clothes. The others were distracted on that same task, looking at the designs and general appearance of their shoufs.

- "I'm glad you all like them" - said Miko smiling.

- "Though it feels kinda weird..." - said Gabriela - "I've never worn clothes like these before..." -

- "Though your miko outfit wasn't very different from it" - said Kagome puzzled.

- "Yeah, but... I didn't get to use it for too long" - said Gabriela smiling.

- "In any case, this is so you won't have problems when it comes to mixing in with the rest of the people when you come to Dragonia" - said Iadlast - "We have also prepared an extra set of clothes for when you have to stay in this world, which are similar to the ones Gerardo and Gabriela had when they came here. In addition, here are your weapons: we already interpreted how you wanted them from reading your minds, so it's not necessary for you to tell us anything about them" -

- "This is only getting better" - said Gerardo excited.

Next, the weapons appeared before them, and they began contemplating them and waving them around to get a feel to their touch and weight: Gerardo's was a sword and shield called Ryuuga and Fuuiryuu, the latter having the ability to retract its sides into it to become a sheath. The sword had a gray hilt with a sapphire embedded on its center, while the lower part was fashioned after a dragon's head and held a small sapphire sphere in its mouth. The silver blade glowed in blue under the sunlight. Fuuiryuu itself was blue with silver borders and had both the Elemental Seal, the elemental mark of water and Dragonia's royal crest engraved in relief over it.

Gabriela's was a white bow with a silver bowstring that also had some diamonds embedded on it called Ginryuuhatsu. It had the Elemental Seal drawn near the nocks and the arrow rest shaped after a dragon's mouth. It came coupled with a quiver filled with silver arrows that softly shone like the full moon.

Miguel got a long katana that had a green hilt with an emerald embedded on it, and whose blade seemed to be enshrouded by wind and lightning currents. It also came with a sheath, which was green and had purple lightning patterns throughout it.

Henry received a sword that had a black hilt and a blade that seemed to be made out of liquid metal: it appeared to have waves coursing through it and it felt like metallized clay to the touch. It came in a completely black sheath.

Roger got two twin guns, which were dark green with soft yellow handles, both of which had strings that were supposed to get tied to its owner's hands. They were very light and didn't seem to have any rounds inside. He also got a small silver dagger that didn't seem to have any special properties.

Carlos got dual longswords that had a blade split up three-ways at the end, with the hilt decorated in white and dark gray. They had sheaths that seemed be icicles made from permafrost.

Kember got a spear decorated with shining runes and that something like a metallic leaf tied near the point. It shone dimly in light green.

Tiffany also got a bow, though unlike the ones Miko, Kagome and Gabriela had, hers was red with a couple of rubies embedded on it, while the parts around the nocks were fashioned after solar prominences. She also got a quiver filled with orange arrows.

Then, the Dragtemns appeared around their wrists: these were circular wristwatches with six raised parts on the border, which were placed in a way that formed a hexagon around the central crystalline screen. Each Dragtemn was colored according to the elements of their owner. Even Miroku, Sango and Shippou received one, even though theirs were gray with the crystal screen blue.

- "Ok, we didn't just get our weapons..." - said Gerardo as swung Ryuuga around satisfied and checked Fuuiryuu's functions: both were right as he remembered them. He then turned to look at his Dragtemn pleased - "We also got back our smartwatches" -

- "Hehe, they always were handy whenever we were traveling with you" - said Kagome as she checked hers, and the first thing she did was store her exaggeratedly large backpack in it - "Ah, even though I couldn't remember how useful they were, I always had the feeling that there was an easier way to carry my stuff around…" -

- "Hmm, it looks much more convenient than a telephone with Android or an iPhone" - said Henry as he checked the Dragtemn's screen. It was configured in Spanish, and among the available options there were GPS, Radar, Transformación (transformation), Teletransportador (teleporter), Comunicador (communicator) y Almacenador (storage). There also were other arrows that gave access to functions like Apagado (shut down), Cambio de Atuendos (costume switch) and Instalador de Aplicaciones (application installer).

- "Whoa, it's really got lotsa functions!" - said Roger amazed upon seeing all the options in the menu.

- "I gotta say Dragonia's really advanced technologically just with this" - said Miguel upon checking the options. He saw disappointed that the Teleporter only allowed them to get back to the places they had already visited before. However, he saw the names of everyone present there when he tried opening the Communicator.

- "Yeah!" - confirmed Miko skipping around with a smile - "You won't believe everything you'll see when we get there!" -

- "So, when we're leaving for Dragonia?" - asked Inuyasha making gestures of impatience while everyone was still excited checking their weapons and Dragtemns.

(BGM: None)

- "You can depart whenever you wish: the three worlds are connected again, and both Miko and Gabriela know the necessary spells and songs to open the gateways between them" - explained Illyusea.

- "So if you still need to do something, it would be better that you settled it before you set off" - advised Tiarrashe.

- "But wasn't each world working under its own time system?" - asked Henry confused - "It should be no problem if we took a little longer in that case" -

- "Unfortunately, that is not the case..." - said Phinambrea as he shook his head - "To open the gateways, the rhythm of time between the worlds involved must be synchronized. Otherwise, it could cause grave distortions to each of their space-time continuums" -

- "In other words... You're very wrong if you think we have lots of time to waste going and coming between each world" - said Gerardo sighing.

- "Then, we should get back home first and tell our families everything" - suggested Gabriela - "Besides, Kagome's family should have gotten back their memories of Miko, and ours will have remembered the time Kagome and Inuyasha were in our home" -

- "And that reminds me..." - said Roger as he walked to Inuyasha with a mocking smile, which creeped the latter out - "SIT DOWN!" –

(BGM: Osuwari!)

Inuyasha was so spooked with that shout that he fell backwards, making everyone laugh. Yasha helped him get up.

- "You goddamned midget..." - said Inuyasha enraged, now fully remembering the joke that Roger, Henry and the other girl pulled on him when he and Kagome were trapped in Gerardo and Gabriela's world - "You're gonna pay!" -

- "No, Inuyasha!" - shouted Kagome. She didn't dare to use the subjugation spell to not hurt Yasha.

- "Vazatae!" – shouted Roger, making a wall of dirt and wind form before him to repel Inuyasha. Luckily, Inuyasha managed to recover in the air and changed position enough to land back on his feet.

- "Argh... These stupid shoes are so awkward to wear..." - growled him as he prepared to go at Roger again.

- "Nii-san, calm down" - said Yasha as he pulled him from his shouf's sleeves - "They're only playing you a joke" -

- "Come on. Don't tell me you really want to kill him over something as foolish as that" - said Miroku while he, Sango and Shippou walked up to him.

- "Keh... Fine..." - said as he glared at Roger - "I'll settle this with him later..." -

Roger then removed his barrier, and everyone else walked to him.

- "Whoa, that wasn't half bad!" - said Carlos impressed by the barrier.

- "It looks to me like you were only showing off" - said Henry sighing - "If you had deployed it a second later, you'd have turned into minced meat for sure" -

- "Plus, that was so immature..." - said Gerardo irritated - "What will the Dragon Gods think about this?" -

The alluded deities where only looking over these events in calm. They didn't seem to mind it in the slightest.

- "It really isn't a problem" - said Tiarrashe - "Children in Dragonia also tend to play with their spells in the fashion you just saw" -

- "That's why I said they were acting so immature..." - said Gerardo bitterly.

- "In any case, they're your friends, and as long as their jokes don't cause any problems, you shouldn't mind them" - suggested Miko with a smile - "Besides, I've seen Yasha trying to do that too with the wind currents he's learning to summon" –

(BGM: None)

- "Anyhow, it is time for us to take our leave" - announced Illyusea - "When you arrive to Dragonia, you should first before anything request an audience with King Yiulius Kiolse Drackma and Queen Giova Iadlasa Drackma. Both live in Royal Capital Soleila, and we shall make sure you will not have any problems to meet with them" -

- "With Their Majesties!? In Soleila!?" - asked Miko and Yasha shocked.

- "Why did you react like that?" - asked Kagome puzzled - "Didn't you see the king and queen during the time you were there?" -

- "Ah, onee-san... I think you haven't checked my memories well yet..." - said Miko a bit embarrassed - "We've never met them, as they haven't made any public appearances since their kids, the prince and princess, died while fighting Tenebross" -

- "Oh... I see..." - said Kagome saddened upon hearing this. However, she came up with a question right after - "But, didn't you hear the names of any other of the Royal Family members?" -

- "Yeah... But I think we didn't pay much attention to them at the time..." - said Yasha trying to remember them. Miko was focused in doing that too.

- "Lemme think... Ah, I remember now!" - said her as her face lit up - "You've already heard the names of the king and queen from the Dragon Gods, but the prince and princess are called Gerardo Iadlase Drackma and Gabriela Illyusa Drackma..." –

(BGM: Doubt – Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica)

When she pronounced the names, she noticed what she had said and stood petrified, as Yasha also did. Both looked at each other as if they had seen a ghost. Everyone reacted in shock when they heard them, and turned to look at Gerardo and Gabriela, who paled and had their eyes fully open from the impression.

- "They have... your same names..." - said Miroku surprised.

- "We... W-we don't know why that happened..." - said Gerardo nervous - "What the hell's happening here!?" -

- "I dunno... And I'm getting scared..." - said Gabriela as she clung to her brother's arm.

- "That's why I felt like I already heard their names somewhere else when we were there..." - said Yasha as he realized something - "Because they've got the same names as Gerar-nii and Gaby-nee" -

- "But... Didn't you see any pictures of them or anything?" - asked Tiffany confused - "That should let us know if they're anything like the Gerar and Gaby we know" –

- "No. We didn't get to see any images or photos of them…" – said Miko biting her lip worried.

- "Anyhow, we can guarantee the Gerardo and the Gabriela you have before you aren't the prince and princess" - said Iadlast saddened - "The ones you are talking about are, just as Miko said, already dead and buried" -

- "And both they and their friends were exemplary Seirei..." - said Illyusea saddened.

- "No way..." - said Gerardo horrified - "Was the prince... the person Feltes told me about?" -

- "I am afraid that is the case..." - said Tiarrashe - "And it is time for us to go" -

- "We apologize for having to leave you in such a short notice, but we must return to Dragonia now" - said Kiols as they began disappearing - "Now Tenebross has broken free from his seal, we must attempt to reduce the damage he can cause as much as possible" -

- "Wait! What are we supposed to do when we get to Dragonia!?" - asked Gerardo desperately - "What are we supposed to look for now!?" -

- "The Fragments of Shadows are a lost cause at this point, so don't worry about them" - said Iadlast - "The king will explain your new mission once you gain the audience with him and the queen" -

- "Wait...!" - said Gerardo and Gabriela. However, they disappeared, leaving them all confused.

However, both siblings were terrified and shocked... two members of the royal family with their same names... Their Seirei predecessors... And they were dead... Their previous journey had been dangerous and they had several close brushes with death... but they never imagined they had been chosen because their predecessors failed and died during their journey... What twists would this bring to their beginning adventure? They were nowhere close to imagining it...

(Ending: Sakuramioka - Local Bus)