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.

3. Preparations and a Small Crisis (1)

Chapter 2:

Preparations and a "Small" Problem

(Opening: Natsu Kikyuu – Ootsuka Rie)

Resounding, melodies of a memory

Singing, the waves that give form to a persona.

How mutable is the pattern that makes us up?

And how unamovable are the feelings in which it bases?

(BGM: Carefree Shopping – Atelier Iris 2)

- "We'd like to spend more time with you guys, but it's time we went back home" - said Gerardo with a saddened face.

- "Yeah... It's been so long since we last saw each other... But we've gotta get ready for our journey..." - said Gabriela saddened as well.

- "Don't worry. We have to make our own preparations too, so that's also convenient for us" - said Kagome with a smile.

- "Keh... Don't tell me you got all depressed over what you heard" - said Inuyasha scoffing.

- "It's not depression... It's more like they got pretty shocked" - said Henry as he came out to support his friends.

- "Well, anyone would get shocked from news like these, huh?" - said Miguel shrugging.

- "Yeah... And we didn't get to know that while we were in Dragonia because of the memory seal..." - said Miko saddened.

- "It's not like it was your fault, Miko" - said Sango placing a hand on her shoulder, as also did Kagome - "We all got our memories sealed too, remember?" -

- "Let's continue discussing this later. For now, we should get going" - said Gerardo as all his friends nodded.

- "But we're going tomorrow, right?" - asked Miko a bit embarrassed - "In that case... shouldn't we set a time for us to meet up?" -

- "Hmm, you're right, Miko" - said Kagome thoughtfully - "In that case, how about nine o'clock tomorrow morning?" -

No one had objections against it, so they just nodded affirmatively while Gabriela prepared to open the gateway back to their home world. They bid each other farewell, promising to meet again next day, and Kagome, Miko, Inuyasha and Yasha went to the Bone Eater's Well to head to the present era.

(BGM: Shards of Loss - Ciel nosurge)

A few hours later, in Gerardo's room...

- "Damn it..." - said Gerardo to himself as lied on his bed, looking at the roof. Everyone among his friends regained their typical aspects once they returned to their world, while their shoufs were stored away in their respective Dragtemns. He, Tiffany and Gabriela had gotten back the two years they lost in the world crossing as well - "Were these nightmares Gaby and I had... the way our Dragonian counterparts died...?" -

Though dimly, he could feel a horrible pain in the chest when he reviewed these nightmares in his memories... he saw a girl with a long black hair and wearing a white and blue shouf, similar to Miko and Kagome's; and a little girl identical to Gabriela... both lying in the ground dead, with their clothes stained in blood and bearing slash wounds... he also heard despaired screams and terrible cries of sadness... all of which ended with the sound of a sword cleaving through flesh and feeling as if his heart had been pierced by it...

He got up from bed...

- "I better get moving fast..." - said Gerardo as he shook his head and buffeted himself with both hands to get these images out of his mind - "If I keep thinking about that, I'm gonna end up crazy..." -

It was then that Gabriela and Miguel entered his room. They had agreed to let Miguel and Tiffany stay in their house for that weekend, so Miguel was sharing the room with Gerardo while Tiffany served as Gabriela's roommate. However, Tiffany had gone out of the house to get some air, in order to assimilate everything that happened that afternoon.

- "What's up, Gerar?" - asked Miguel worried - "You don't look well" -

- "Gerar, you look worried about something..." - said Gabriela, trying to guess what he was thinking - "Were you thinking about those nightmares?" -

Gerardo decided to admit it, as it would have no point to try to hide it to her: Gabriela was very good at recognizing lies, and they both were awful at lying.

- "Yeah..." - said he saddened - "After what Miko, Yasha and the Dragon Gods told us... It was unavoidable..." -

- "I get it. I've been thinking about it too... But I don't really wanna do it..." - said Gabriela as her gaze sank to the ceramic-covered floor.

- "Anyway, we should go and tell my uncle and aunt about this" - suggested Miguel - "Aren't you two taking too long to go and tell them about our little journey?" -

- "Yeah, but as our father has gotten more pigheaded lately, I don't think it'll be as easy to convince him as it was two years ago" - said Gerardo irritated.

- "But you told me that you didn't have any problems with it back then. You just popped in your dragon armor and that was everything you needed" - said Gabriela smiling.

(BGM: Let's Join Hands! - Ciel nosurge)

- "Hi everyone, I'm missing out on something?" - asked Tiffany as she opened up the door to Gerardo's room. However, she stood still at the entrance.

- "Tiff, I've told you already that there's no problem with you coming in" - said Gabriela exasperated, as Tiffany always did that.

- "I said the same thing the first time you visited us: I have no problem with you entering my room" - said Gerardo gently.

- "It's 'coz I get all embarrassed..." - said her - "But well, I guess it'd be a good idea that we talked to our parents, huh?" -

- "That's what we're planning, actually" - said Miguel to then let out a small sigh that seemed to be half exasperation and half mock - "But well, I still gotta get back to Boredom Town to do that" -

- "Well, you can just register a teleportation pointer in your Dragtemn to get back here instantly" - advised Gerardo - "I already did it myself" -

- "And you can also get there flying in just a few minutes" - said Gabriela annoyed - "It's not like you gotta take a bus there like always" -

- "Ah right! In that case..." - said Miguel as he pressed the buttons in the Dragtemn a couple times. After a few seconds, a holographic screen that read "¡Registrado!" (Registered!) appeared in front of his wrist - "Okay, that means I can get back here whenever I want. That's sure to save me a lot of money!" -

- "Then I'll do the same thing!" - said Tiffany excitedly. A few seconds later, her Dragtemn displayed the same notification, and she winked at everyone - "Looks like I won't have to wait until every summer to drop in for a visit~" -

- "And I guess it's time to get going. Flying or not, I don't wanna get there at night!" - said Miguel laughing as they all left Gerardo's room, walked through the upper floor's corridor, went down the stairs to the living room and exited through the main door. They walked in front of some plant pots, opened the white grates they had at the side and walked out - "As you said, our families are gonna go insane if we go without saying anything. But it's not like I really mind it" -

- "I know you've got problems with them not recognizing all the efforts you make studying in Valencia" - said Gabriela worried - "But still..." -

- "I know... It's pretty annoying to be told that you're only playing videogames and doing nothing when you're killing yourself writing research papers and working in projects" - said Gerardo frowning - "Remember my dad is always doing the same damn thing to me" -

- "Yeah. I wouldn't mind leaving without saying anything... But I'd feel bad for my aunt..." - said Miguel. His mother was one of the younger sisters to Gerardo and Gabriela's own mother.

- "Anyway, try to not take too long out there" - said Gerardo smiling as they shook hands and patted each other shoulders. Miguel then hugged Gabriela and Tiffany, and planted a soft kiss in his cousin's cheek - "And remember to tell me over the Dragtemn when you're done."

- "That's what I'll do" - said he in a tranquilizing voice - "Okay, see ya later!" -

He summoned his dragon armor: it was a green knight armor that had purple details and borders, which had a helmet shaped after a dragon's head and two large dragon wings attached to the back. In the center of the breastplate, he had a little plate with two emblems: a green whirlwind and a purple lightning bolt. He then took off, surrounded himself by an air current, and flew off at full speed.

- "Okay Tiffa, it's time you call your parents" - said Gerardo gently - "We better get this over with as soon as we can" -

Tiffany nodded and went to search for her cellphone to call her parents, so they would come pick her up.

(BGM: Toki wo Koete –Kagome-)

Meanwhile, in the present-time era of the Inuyasha world, Inuyasha, Yasha, Miko and Kagome had arrived to Kagome's house. They were all wearing their normal clothes.

- "Looks like the Dragon Gods also transported our old clothes inside the Dragtemns" - said Yasha smiling, who was now wearing a fire-rat kimono identical to Inuyasha's - "I didn't think we'd be getting them, but I was pretty surprised when I saw them in the clothes change option" -

- "Yeah. I didn't really wanna wear my shouf or my Priestess garb while we were here" - said Miko laughing. She was wearing a checkered red and orange kosode decorated with white spheres and tied with a dark blue obi, while she had tabi and zori on her feet.

- "And anyway, we won't need to make any surprises or anything this time, right?" - asked Yasha jumping around in excitement as they crossed the courtyard that was between Kagome's house and the shed containing the well.

- "No. Seeing Miko will be surprising enough to them," - said Kagome as she smiled at Yasha from over the shoulder. Inuyasha only had his typical serious expression - "And... I don't really wanna imagine how they'll be if they got their memories back..." -

- "They must be very worried..." - said Miko as her face filled with sadness, feeling guilty about it. Kagome and Yasha placed a hand over each of her shoulders.

- "It's not your fault" - said Kagome in a soft voice - "I don't really think we can say anyone was at fault for this" -

- "Keh, just hurry" - said Inuyasha snorting and turning his face to the side - "I don't wanna take too long with this" -

Everyone else laughed at his stubbornness and lack of sincerity, and they entered the house. It was then that Kagome had an idea: as Miko was taking her zori off, Kagome changed her Medallion of Link to the standard Separation position, making her shine and get herself down back to Miko's age. When the shine stopped, everyone else saw she was wearing a green kosode decorated with white flowers and a blue obi, and like Miko, she was wearing tabi and zori. She hurriedly took off the zori and left them at the entrance.

- "Why did you do that, onee-san?" - asked Miko covering her mouth with her hands as her face showed shock - "You shouldn't need to be in that form while we're split up!" -

- "I did it just because I felt like it this time" - said Kagome in a tranquilizing voice and smiling at her. Her voice became more high-pitched and her expression more childlike - "And I don't think Souta will dislike seeing me like this" -

- "Heh, how weird" - said Yasha in a bemused voice while Inuyasha sighed - "I though you got angry whenever Souta wanted to think he's the big brother when you turn into a kid, Kagome-nee" -

- "Yeah... But as we're going to be traveling through Dragonia for some time, and we don't know when or if we'll be even able to come back, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to let him enjoy himself just for today" - said Kagome. While she initially had a bitter face, she began smiling and giggling as she continued talking.

- "Aren't you taking things too lightly, Kagome?" - said Inuyasha in a critical manner as he eyed her with his arms crossed - "And you're forgetting that aside of fighting that stinkin' shadow, we've also gotta payback Naraku for everything he's done to us" -

- "I know..." - said Kagome as she lowered her gaze - "Too bad we couldn't take advantage of the chance Gerardo gave us during that battle because we got our memories sealed..." -

- "Eh? What do you mean, onee-san? Inuyasha?" - asked Miko scared - "I've seen some of onee-san's memories, and I still haven't managed to get all the way back to when we were separated, but... we were sure you had managed to beat that villain! How come you're still chasing him?" -

(BGM: Shukumei no Tabi e)

- "No, we couldn't" - snorted Inuyasha enraged - "After you both were whisked off to Dragonia, we were put to sleep and we got our memories sealed. And when we got up, that bastard blew up the ice prison Gerardo enclosed him in and got away..." -

- "We were still confused and we couldn't remember anything about why we woke up in that meadow covered in wounds" - said Kagome as she looked at the floor - "That's why he managed to get away..." -

It was then Miko and Yasha realized why the topic got them so bitter: they had been within an inch of finishing off the source of all their problems, and it still managed to escape like sand between their fingers. However, Yasha remembered something then...

- "Ah, right! But even if you tried, you couldn't have killed him, right?" - said Yasha as punched the palm of his left hand with his right - "Wasn't that why we were searching for the baby? 'Coz he's Naraku's heart?" -

The others immediately got what he was talking about. Kagome went and gently patted him on the head.

- "Thanks for trying to cheer us up, Yasha" - said Kagome as she giggled. Miko smiled gladly from the change in the mood.

- "Hehe, but it feels kinda weird to get patted like this while you're in that form, Kagome-nee" - smiled Yasha as he blushed. Inuyasha blushed as well and got a bit angry, though he also felt kinda idiotic for harboring jealousy towards who, in essence, was himself - "You're just like Miko like this" -

- "Anyway, can we go in now?" - asked Miko radiant from joy again.

Everyone nodded, so they headed to the living room. However, they stopped right at the end of the entrance corridor and before entering the room proper, as they saw Mrs. Higurashi, Souta and Kagome's grandfather all sitting at the kotatsu, bearing faces that wouldn't have been out of place in a funeral.

(BGM: Kanashimi no Hate ni)

- "Mom... gramps... you remembered them too?" - asked Souta in a cracked voice.

- "Yes... We remembered Inuyasha's younger brother... and your other sister... Miko..." - said Mrs. Higurashi as she covered her face with both hands. Kagome's grandfather went to her side and began patting her on the back softly while Souta hugged her.

- "How could we've forgotten her these last months? And why didn't she and Yasha come back with nee-san and Inuyasha during all this time?" - asked Souta saddened - "Did they...?" -

They hadn't noticed yet the others had arrived, but given how saddened they were, Kagome decided to rush in with Miko behind to put an end to this depressing scene.

- "Mom! We're back!" - shouted Kagome cheerfully. Her high-pitched voice instantly got their attention, and everyone turned their heads in her direction.

- "Miko!?" - asked Souta, but upon seeing her clothes and hairstyle, he noticed who she was - "Onee-san, I don't think this is a good time for you to look like that" -

- "But Miko's right here too!" - snorted her, and she stepped aside to let everyone look at her younger sister.

(BGM: None)

- "Err... hi..." - said Miko saddened.

- "Mi... Miko..." - uttered Souta, paralyzed from the impression. Their grandfather had now eyes of the size of saucers, but their mother raised from the table, walked to her, and embraced her.

- "Miko... dear... you don't know how much we missed you... how worried we were about you..." - said Mrs. Higurashi as the tears began spilling from her eyes.

- "I wanted... to be with you too... Mom... Even if I couldn't remember anything, not even your faces... I really missed you... I'm sorry for worrying you so much..." - said Miko as her gaze lowered to the floor. She couldn't bring herself to look at her mother in the eye while she had that incredibly sad expression on her face.

- "It doesn't matter now..." - said Mrs. Higurashi, and she embraced Miko more tightly - "Welcome back, my dear daughter..." -

(BGM: Nukumori no Kioku – Card Captor Sakura)

Words became unnecessary at that point... Miko started crying right away, and she responded by embracing her mother as tightly as she could... Kagome and Souta joined shortly later, and they four hugged very tightly... as if it was for them to not be separated any more...

Inuyasha had to turn around to not continue looking at the scene, while Yasha buried his face on his sleeves so no one could see he was crying as well. On the other hand, the grandfather took out a handkerchief and dried out the tears whenever they came out.

They continued like this for a while, and separated once they had calmed down. Mrs. Higurashi wiped off the tears from her eyes and then, she asked everyone to sit down at the kotatsu to explain the events that had taken place recently. Inuyasha, Kagome, Miko and Yasha all took turns to try and tell Kagome's family about everything that happened during that time: how Dragonia got sealed, the time Miko and Yasha spent living in Dragonia, and finally, their recent return to their world of origin.

(BGM: Tanoshii Nakamatachi)

- "That's really amazing! I'm surprised you've been living in another world all this time, Miko" - said Mrs. Higurashi amazed.

- "I know, Mom" - said Miko smiling - "And I learned all sorts of things while I was there: to use magic, to speak in another language, and many other things. And I owe all that to Elaer-san and Fileia-san" -

- "I'd like to meet them someday, and thank them properly for everything they did for you two" - said Mrs. Higurashi as she smiled at both Yasha and Miko.

- "Umm... That means you were worried about me too, Higurashi-san?" - asked Yasha blushing.

- "Of course" - nodded she - "After all, both you and Inuyasha are like members of our family too" -

This made them both blush violently, but also made them feel very comfortable, as it meant that they now had a place to which they could come back, even if it wasn't in their own era.

- "And what about the other friends that came with you?" - asked Souta filled with curiosity - "I mean Gerardo-nii and Gaby-nee, of course" -

- "We met again with them today, in fact" - replied Kagome with a smile - "They came back to our world this afternoon, and they also brought many new friends with them" -

- "I hope we can see them again soon" - said Souta smiling - "By the way, Miko... How's that you learned to use magic?" -

- "Hehe... I'm still a beginner..." - said she a bit embarrassed - "But I can show you this!" -

She then clasped her hands over her chest and began singing:

- "Alt tok Soleia halei, lablia phalzol mondour ika.

Zal, Seleila halei, lablia pinamsel mondour ika." –

Upon singing these lines, a large amount of light gathered around her and shot off upwards, to finally fall down over everyone present as a shower of stardust. While it'd have looked more gorgeous had the room been darker, it was still a very beautiful spectacle. Everyone clapped their hands before this.

- "Whoa, that was beautiful!" - said Souta impressed - "But what was that language you sang in?" -

- "It's Common Dragonian" - explained Miko with some pride in her voice, even though she blushed from this - "That's the language used in Dragonia, the world we arrived at" -

- "And you learned it in just two months?" - asked Mrs. Higurashi surprised.

- "Yup. Yasha and me didn't have any other option, as no one else could understand us" - said Miko looking at the ground - "It took us a lot of effort so Elaer-san, Fileia-san and our classmates could understand us" -

- "You were going to school there?" - asked the grandfather surprised.

- "Yeah, and it was pretty interesting!" - said Miko - "But I'd have liked to have gone to school with Souta too..." -

- "And well, that's not the end of it: Miko and me are Assistant Priestesses, and supposedly that makes us very powerful in that world" - said Kagome proudly. Everyone was shocked from this.

- "Hehe, but you shouldn't let that get to your head, onee-san" - said Miko laughing - "The Dragonians really hate arrogant people" -

- "Though I didn't say it because I wanted to take advantage of that position..." - said Kagome embarrassed as she twiddled her thumbs.

- "By the way onee-san, why did you turn into a kid now?" - asked Souta with a face that showed how weird that seemed to him.

- "Umm, well... It's because we four, Gerardo-kun, Gaby-chan and their friends will be leaving for Dragonia..." - said Kagome as she looked at her family, awaiting how they would react to these news - "This journey will be very dangerous, and we don't know when we'll be able to come back, so..." -

- "I see..." - said Mrs. Higurashi sighing saddened - "I really didn't want you to leave for such a place, as it feels even more faraway than your trips back in time... And just right after Miko came back to us... But I know we won't be able to stop you, so go ahead... In any case, you'll always be welcome back here whenever you need to rest. This will always be your home, dear" -

- "I know, Mom... And... I'm sorry about it..." - said Kagome saddened.

- "Don't worry, besides, you still have to come back to continue your studies" - said Mrs. Higurashi with a smile, which only made Kagome and Inuyasha facefault while Miko and Yasha laughed - "And we should also look into getting Miko into Souta's school" -

- "But... Mom... I don't have a birth certificate or any kind of identification papers..." - said Miko worried - "That means... I don't exist for the world at large... right?" -

- "Don't worry. We'll find some way to sort it out" - said her mother with a smile.

- "And well... I think it's time to do this..." - said Kagome as she stood up again, as if it were to draw everyone else's attention to her - "Souta, I'm doing this to let you enjoy things for tonight, so I hope you like it. Mom, even if my personality or memories change after I do this, please just play along. And Miko, if you don't want to use to seal too, I'll be okay with it" -

- "Onee-san, what are you...?" - began Miko, but she then noticed Kagome was raising her hands to her medallion, and grabbed the emerald dial with her fingers. Inuyasha and Yasha were left agape before this, but they could do nothing before Kagome finished what she was doing. The others just continued looking at her confused.

- "Nyarr Nyulase coulzersa yilrea eimallzo zolvia il..." – said she in a monotone while she changed the dial to the Seal position. She closed her eyes for a couple instants, and when she opened them again, her expression changed into an innocent smile.

(BGM: None)

- "Huh? Why's everyone looking at me like that?" - asked Kagome, sounding more childish than usual, as her smile turned into a face of sadness and guilt. Inuyasha went off to hide as fast as he could, as he had no way of knowing how Kagome would react if she saw him as he was - "Did I do... anything bad?" -

- "Kagome, dear... Did anything happen to you?" - asked Mrs. Higurashi shocked from the sudden personality change her daughter suffered.

- "No, I'm okay, mommy" - said Kagome in a very sweet voice - "It's just I'm tired... Miko and me had to do lotsa homework" -

- "Ehh? Onee...?" - began Miko, but she then remembered how things were when they were forced to seal away Kagome and Inuyasha's memories last time. She began laughing nervously - "Err... yeah, Kagome... We had lots of homework... hehehe..." -

She then turned to look at the rest of her family.

- "Umm... Mom, Souta, grandpa... Could you come with me to the kitchen for a second?" - asked her as she saw the confusion in their faces from Kagome's change in behavior - "It's... you know..." -

- "Huh? What? What?" - asked Kagome as she leaned forward to her - "We're going somewhere tomorrow?" -

- "Yeah... sorta..." - said Miko with a bitter smile. She then thought a bit confused - 'Maybe this is how it feels to be the older one... though I don't really know what place I'm in when compared to Souta and onee-san...' -

Kagome accepted the explanation without giving it much thought, and Souta, their grandfather and their mother followed her. As soon as they got to the kitchen...

(BGM: Miko –Omoi no mama ni- - Original)

- "Miko, what happened to onee-san?" - asked Souta puzzled - "She's talking about stuff that's never happened, and she's also acting like she really was a kid" -

- "Yeah, I know. It's because these medallions have a function that seals off the wearer's memory, and they make up memories for them that are based on the people they've got around, where they are and other things" - explained Miko as she held up her own medallion to show it to her family. It still had the dial set on the Special Separation position. She then shook her head, noticing her access to Kagome's memories was now closed off - "From how she's acting, I'd guess she thinks we were in school today, but... I don't know what other memories she's got now" -

- "Hmm, I see" - said Mrs. Higurashi - "Well, that means we really have two eight-year old girls in our household today" -

- "Hehe, that means I'm really the big brother today!" - said Souta puffing his chest proudly - "Maybe that's what she meant when she was about to seal her memory!" -

- "And I think I'll do the same thing for today too" - said Miko winking - "I don't wanna be the spoilsport now!" -

- "But you don't really need to do that, Miko..." - said Souta puzzled before this.

- "Hehe, it's just to make it feel more authentic" - said Miko as she giggled.

- "Very well, but before you do... What was that Kagome said before sealing her memory?" - asked their grandfather confused, remembering it seemed to be a spell in a language he couldn't understand.

- "Hmm... She said it in Ceremonial Dragonian... That's the old version of Dragonian... Maybe she learned it after the ceremony we had this afternoon" - said Miko deep in thought.

- "What ceremony are you talking about?" - asked the grandfather shocked. The others looked at her with curiosity.

- "Hehe, I'll explain it later, don't worry" - said Miko in a tranquilizing tone, so they didn't think it was dangerous - "And what she says translated more or less to "May the seal break tomorrow at noon"... I guess she said to place a condition on the seal to make it break by itself, instead us having to trick her into doing it..." -

- "So, she'll go back to normal tomorrow at noon?" - asked Souta saddened.

- "You'll have enough time to enjoy it, anyway" - said Miko smiling - "Well, it'd be a good idea that you went back to the living room and checked what onee-san's doing. I'll go there as soon as I'm done here" -

After giving her a last confused gaze, they did as Miko told them and went back to the living room.

- "Yeah, I've realized what your plan was, onee-san. We'll have to apologize to Gerardo-nii and the others tomorrow for being late... But I have no problems with going through with it too... as it seems we'll have lotsa fun!" - said Miko giggling. She then placed her hand on the dial of her own medallion - "Nyarr Nyulase, coulzersa yilrea eimallzo zolvia il..." -

(BGM: Tanoshii Nakamatachi)

Back in the living room, Inuyasha had placed his medallion in the standard Separation position and turned himself into a boy identical to Yasha to avoid any problems and to be able to take care of Kagome without having to keep himself hidden. As for Kagome, she was playing with a doll she had brought from her room.

- "Hehe... And I think it's time to make dinner. Honey'll be coming home soon, and the kids have to eat too after they're done with their homework. And as the mommy, I have to be healthy too to work hard for my family too!" - said Kagome as she made the doll do the movements for cooking. Yasha only looked at her with a smile while Inuyasha looked at her a bit embarrassed. It was then that everyone that was in the kitchen, except Miko, got back to the room and saw her playing.

- "Onee-san was really like this when she was a kid, mom?" - asked Souta a bit shocked.

- "Yeah, that's just how she used to be back then, when you were just a baby" - said Mrs. Higurashi looking at her daughter - "She's always been a very hardworking and gentle girl. Plus, remember how she was when she got turned into a five-year old" -

- "Ah, mommy!" - said Kagome when she noticed her mother was back, and she left the doll on the floor where she was playing before running to her - "What're we having today for dinner?" -

- "Well, I was thinking of making some rice and stew" - said Mrs. Higurashi gently - "Are you okay with it?" -

- "Yup! Everything you make is tasty!" - said Kagome nodding her head. She then noticed that Souta was looking curiously at her - "Huh, Souta-nii? What happened?" -

- "Ehehe... it's nothing, Kagome-chan..." - said Souta as he went and patted her head a bit embarrassed. However, he also smiled, starting to enjoy the role swap.

- "Hehe... I'm glad nothing bad happened!" - said Kagome hugging him, leaving Souta shocked. The next instant, Miko rushed out of the kitchen and hugged Souta herself.

- "That isn't fair, Kagome!" - said Miko with a voice that sounded half-amused and half-angry - "Souta-nii should hug us both at the same time and in the same way!" -

- "Girls, girls, don't fight" - said Mrs. Higurashi in a severe voice - "You two are sisters, and twins besides. You should get along!" -

She seemed to have gotten how both girls would consider each other without them having to tell her.

- "We're sorry" - said both girls at the same time. The three then went to sit down at the kotatsu, with Miko and Kagome sitting next to each other and Souta being left a bit surprised at everything that just happened. Yasha began laughing from the scene to the point in which he had to shove his fist into his mouth, so they wouldn't notice anything, while Inuyasha just snorted at this.

- "Did anything happen, Yasha?" - asked Miko with a very tender voice.

- "I-it's nothing" - said Yasha embarrassed. He thought: - 'The last thing I need now is Miko thinking I'm making fun of her or something...' -

- "And what's up with Inuyasha today?" - asked Kagome puzzled as she leaned in his direction - "You've not said anything in all night... you got sick or something?" -

- "No, I'm okay..." - said Inuyasha embarrassed, though he was making efforts for his voice to not sound harsh or anything - "I'm just tired from all the things we did today" -

- "Hehe... You're right... We should have dinner and go to sleep" - said Miko in a gentle voice as she yawned.

- "In that case, give me a moment" - said Mrs. Higurashi - "I'll go make dinner, so wait for a moment" -

All the children and the grandfather then waited for her at the kotasu. After a few minutes, Mrs. Higurashi brought them a pot filled with stew, a cup filled to the brim with rice, and another pot filled with steamed greens.

(BGM: Higurashi-ke no Shokutaku)

- "Hehe, it's pretty fun whenever Inuyasha and Yasha come here to play with us, right?" - said Kagome to Miko while their mother helped them to get their food served. This got the attention of everyone, though Mrs. Higurashi continued serving the food as she listened.

- "Yeah. And it's still kinda funny we're going to that tale-like world from 500 years ago through the well, right?" - said Miko cheerfully.

- "Yup! We're learning some things about history there we haven't been taught in school yet!" - said Kagome as she began eating the stew.

- "And next time we get some time off school, we gotta go there to train our miko powers with Kaede-obaasan!" - said Miko as she took some greens and rice and put them inside her mouth.

- "But if you're normal girls and go to school here, why do you have to train as mikos?" - asked Yasha a bit confused as he was grabbing a bit of the greens with the ohashi.

- "You got hit on the head or something, Yasha?" - asked Miko a bit worried after she had chewed and swallowed her food - "It's because we're the bearers of a Shikon shard!" -

- "Yeah! And we won't be able to protect it if we don't train ourselves!" - said Kagome a bit shocked that they didn't know that.

- "But... We also like going to see Kaede-obaasan... She's so gentle, and she teaches us so many things..." - said Miko smiling.

- "And we're in the same school... right?" - asked Souta a bit nervously because he didn't know if that was the case.

- "Yeah! We've even helped you get a date with the girl you liked!" - said Kagome placing her hands on her cheeks and smiling with closed eyes in a dreamy way - "Her name was Hitomi, right?" -

Souta instantly blushed.

- "Y-you didn't have to say it before everyone!" - said Souta embarrassed.

- "Yeah, Kagome! You shouldn't have said that!" - said Miko pouting.

- "I'm sorry..." - said Kagome as she lowered her gaze.

- "No, I'm sorry too... I shouldn't have said it so angrily..." - said Miko as she went and hugged her "twin".

- "It's okay... You're my twin, and I love you more than you can ever think" - said Kagome hugging her back.

- "Yeah... I love you more than you can ever think too, Kagome" - said Miko smiling.

- "It's pretty weird, but you've got to admit it's really cute and sweet to see them like this" - said Yasha smiling as both girls continued embracing each other, and Souta patted their heads.

- "Keh... Though you've got a point. We all thought Miko hated Kagome due to how they were separated..." - said Inuyasha.

- "Yeah. I'm glad they could make up, and they ended up loving each other as sisters... And on the other hand, you admitted too I'm precious family to you, yeah?" - said Yasha giggling.

- "But don't say it aloud..." - said Inuyasha blushing while the three siblings separated and went back to their seats to continue eating dinner.

- "Ah, but... now I think about it... Doesn't it feel like the story they told about themselves matches with the one you and Kagome told us when you got your memories sealed?" - asked Yasha after getting struck by a sudden realization.

- "Now ya mention it... That's true. Keh, I guess the medallions also got that when they seal your memories" - said Inuyasha as he tried to continue eating.

(BGM: None)

After they finished eating, everyone helped with cleaning the kotatsu and washing off the dishes before going to bed. However, before they retired to their respective rooms:

- "Well, it's time to go to bed. Remember children can't stay up until late at night" - said Mrs. Higurashi to her children before going to her own room.

(BGM: Toki wo Koete Kagome)

- "Okay" - said Kagome smiling. She then nodded to Miko, and both girls went to their mother and hugged her tightly.

- "We love you, mommy! We'll always love you!" - said both at the same time with large smiles.

- "Kagome... Miko... I love you too... Sweet dreams, dears..." - said Mrs. Higurashi as she hugged them back. She then rose up, turned and walked stairs up, trying to make sure that no one saw the tears that started spilling from her eyes, while both girls waved at her from below. She knew that despite their sealed memories and personality changes, that gesture both Kagome and Miko had given her was sincere and it moved her very deeply. She was also very glad and relieved from the fact her lost daughter had managed to return home safe and sound...

Yasha and Inuyasha ended up sleeping in Souta's bedroom like always, while Miko and Kagome went to the room that used to belong solely to Kagome. They didn't really mind that there was only one bed, as it was large enough for them both to fit in it.

They then changed their clothes: Kagome put on a green pajama, while Miko put on a pink one decorated with yellow stars. They both took their kosode, obi and tabi, separated them, folded them very carefully to keep them from getting wrinkled, and put them away in the closet without paying any mind to the clothes that were stored inside. They then got into bed, made themselves comfortable under the sheets, hugged each other, and sank into a deep and sweet dream.

(BGM: Fun Shopping in Kavoc - Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana)

Back on the other Earth, Henry, Roger and Carlos had managed to gather their respective families in Henry's house after they told them that they had an urgent issue to talk about with them after they got home but before their families went to pick them up. Unfortunately, Kember was unable to do this and had to do it on his own...

- "And as you can see, our world is in danger because the dimensions are joined like the links in a chain" - explained Henry to their families - "If Dragonia is destroyed, the other dimensions will begin gradually collapsing until none of them remain... including our own world" -

- "Yeah, that's why we gotta go to Dragonia and solve that problem ourselves" - said Roger in a serious voice. Both were deriving these explanations from the knowledge on dimensional integrity they had gotten from the Dragon Gods when they received their powers, which all their friends had also received.

- "But how do you think you'll fix such a large-scale problem?" - asked Henry's father.

- "Simple: We gotta defeat an evil creature called Tenebross, who's the cause behind all this mess" - explained Carlos - "Once we do that, that world will be safe from destruction, and our own world won't get destroyed either" -

- "Though that has started to sound a lot like these games and anime you like so much" - said Mrs. Trosel, who was Henry's mother. She was slightly short and chubby, and had her black hair tied up. She had black eyes, and was wearing a blue blouse and black pants.

- "Right. How do we know you aren't just making all that up to have an excuse to stop going to school?" - asked Mrs. Duran, who was Roger's mother. She was slightly tall, had long brown hair, brown eyes, and wore a white blouse and black pants.

- "Or do you have any proof that something as absurd as all that is true?" - asked Mr. Barrios, who was Carlos' father. He was a black-haired tall man, with black eyes, and wore a red shirt and beige shorts.

- "Well dad, if proof is what you want, then we'll give you all some" - said Carlos as he got closer to their relatives, all of which excepting for Roger's sister and Henry's sister were between their forties and fifties, and showed them the Dragtemn, the Seirei Crystal and the Elemental Medallion he was carrying - "The creators of Dragonia, the Dragon Gods gave us these things" -

- "Though they look like the trinkets you buy at these conventions" - said Mr. Trosel.

- "I guess we'll have to do this to convince them" - said Henry as he took off the necklace with the crystal. The others didn't understand at first what he meant, but upon seeing what he did, they hurried and started imitating him.

- "Phinambrea..." –

- "Tiarrashe..." –

- "Cryoast..." –

- "...Pawatz! Dragoon!" –

(BGM: The Power of the Dragon - Popolocrois Anime)

They said each the line corresponding to their element separately, but said the rest in unison. Upon doing so, they enshrouded by spheres in the color of their respective element: black, yellow and light blue, which shattered after a few instants to reveal they were wearing armors similar to the one Miguel put on in Gerardo's house. However, the colors and emblems were different: Henry's was of a lustrous black with the emblem of a black sphere in the elemental plate, Roger's was yellow with green borders and had a whirlwind and a cracked rock for an emblem, and Carlos' was light-blue and had a snowflake for the emblem. All their relatives were shocked from this.

- "Impossible..." - said Mr. Trosel upon witnessing their transformation.

- "Amazing..." - said Henry's younger sister, Francis. She was a twelve year old girl that had long light brown hair, black eyes and was dressed in a pink short-sleeved shirt and sparkly blue-jean pants.

- "Hmm, pretty cool..." - said Roger's younger sister, Oriana. She was a tall 13-year-old girl that like her brother and father, had slightly dark skin and black hair. Her hair went down to her shoulders, and she was wearing a purple blouse and knee-length black mini-skirt.

(BGM: None)

- "Well, is this proof enough for you all?" - asked Henry smiling.

- "Yes... I suppose so..." - said Henry's mother - "But you're not going to tell me you three are the only ones going in that journey, right?" -

- "No, we won't be the only ones" - said Roger excitedly - "Gerardo, Gaby, Kember, and lots of other people are going in that journey with us too" -

(BGM: Fun Shopping in Kavoc - Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana)

- "Agh, shame I can't go too" - said Francis a bit saddened.

- "Yeah, it'd be great to be able to go to world where you can use magic and all that stuff" - said Oriana looking crestfallen.

- "Heh, we'll be sending you photos and messages all the time" - said Henry laughing upon seeing their disappointment.

- "Besides, it'd be very dangerous for you two since you have no powers or weapons you can use against the monsters there" - said Roger laughing.

- "There are monsters there!?" - said Francis scared.

- "Yup, and we think there's lots of them" - said Carlos in a mischievous voice.

- "Huh!? But how's Gerardo's sister also going with you?" - asked Oriana annoyed - "She's still a little kid!" -

- "Yeah! And she's even younger than us both!" - said Francis enraged.

- "That's because Gaby does have powers, and they're stronger than the ones we have to boot" - explained Carlos smiling.

- "No way... That girl is so strong? But she looked so delicate and frail..." - said Roger's mother shocked.

- "Yeah, she does. We saw it during the ceremony we got our powers in" - explained Roger.

- "Plus, she's not so delicate as she seems, as you've never seen her angry" - said Henry laughing, as he had witnessed many times Gabriela's tantrums during the visits that he and the others commonly paid to Gerardo's house, as Gerardo very rarely brought Gabriela with him when he visited the others.

- "But how are you going to continue your studies while you're in that place?" - asked Roger's father, who was very similar to his son, but taller and chubbier, and wore a black and red checkered short-sleeved shirt and dark green pants.

- "We could say we've gotten matriculated in the schools over there. They'll be somewhat different from the ones here, but we'll still continue learning" - said Carlos as if the question wasn't that important.

- "Well, in that case, I don't think we have anything else to discuss, right?" - said Mr. Trosel smiling.

- "Yeah. They'll still continue having classes while they're out in that other world, and will continue learning regardless" - said Mrs. Barrios, who had black long hair, wore a black blouse decorated with multicolored square shapes and a black skirt.

- "However, I'd like you all to be very careful out there" - said Mrs. Duran.

- "Indeed. As there are dangerous creatures out there, the last thing we need is... news about losing you" - said Mr. Barrios.

- "Don't worry. We'll be back here before you notice! Besides, we'll keep coming home whenever we can!" - said Carlos.

- "In any case, please be very careful" - said Mrs. Trosel as she called Henry to her side. He dismissed his armor, and went to his mother's side, who hugged him. Francis and Mr. Trosel joined them shortly later.

- "Take care, and make sure to keep up to date with your studies" - said Mrs. Duran as she and Roger also expressed affection to each other after the latter dismissed his own armor. Oriana and Mr. Duran also joined the hug.

- "Make sure to not bring any trouble to your friends, okay?" - said Mr. Barrios messing up Carlos' hair after he dismissed his armor, and he and his wife went and hugged their son. All the boys nodded their heads in agreement.

- "Don't worry, we'll be very careful out there!" - said Henry cheerfully.

- "Yeah, and I won't slack off learning about bioanalysis and medicine in general!" - said Roger passionately.

- "And I swear I'll do everything I can to help all the friends that are coming with us in our journey!" - said Carlos closing his fist and smiling. Their parents only smiled, part in sadness, part in pride for their children. They then all sent text messages with the Dragtemns to Gerardo and Gabriela to tell them they had secured permission from their families to go.

Kember was having a similar conversation with his parents, and managed to convince them without much trouble, which he also reported. Miguel also managed to convince his parents relatively easily and went back to Gerardo's house once he finished using the Dragtemn's teleport function, so he reported the success directly with them. Tiffany didn't have a chance to talk to her parents until that night, so she couldn't inform her friends anything at the time.

(BGM: None)

But for Gerardo and Gabriela themselves, the task of convincing their parents was going to be anything but easy...

(BGM: Darkness and Voices - Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica)

- "You should understand this!" - said Gerardo angry. He was on the living room of his house, which had two large brown sofas, a little table with a wireless phone and a normal one, a white couch, and a wooden table filled with ornaments between all them. He was standing in front of one of the sofas with Gabriela sitting down at his left, his mother at his right, and his father standing in front of the white couch. - "We're the only ones that can accomplish this task, and if we don't, this world and countless others will be condemned!" -

- "And why you gotta be the ones that do it!?" - asked Mr. Gallucci: their father, who also happened to have quite the horrible temper and typically became irrational when he got angry. This negative side of him had gotten quite amplified during the last two years. He had slightly darker skin than his children, wore glasses, had graying black hair, black eyes and wore a checkered white and green shirt and black pants with a brown belt.

- "How many more times I've gotta go over it!?" - said Gerardo gritting his teeth, annoyed at having to repeat the same explanations over and over - "Gaby and me have been chosen to be the Seirei: the bearers of the elemental essences that make up the world of Dragonia, and furthermore, Gaby is also the Priestess of the Dragon: the medium for their gods, which makes her the most important person to the Dragonians! And we must go, as otherwise, the Seirei won't be able to carry out their duties with two elements and the Priestess missing!" -

- "Yet you still have other obligations to take care of here!" - roared Mr. Gallucci - "What are you going to do about college, school and everything else!?" -

- "We happen to still have open the offer Kagome made us two years ago: only two months passed in her world, so we won't have to worry about the classes. Plus, we also have special classes waiting for us in Dragonia" - said Gerardo smiling smugly as he crossed his arms, as with this he was sure is father wouldn't be able to continue putting up objections to their departure. However...

- "And what about you helping us with the chores here!?" - said Mr. Gallucci with a scary angry face as he slammed his fist on one of the couch's armrests - "Or your mother and me are the only ones living here, breaking our backs over working for you so you can only make light of all our efforts!?" -

Logical reasoning and having all their bases covered were useless against him, as he always played this card no matter how in the wrong he was.

- "ENOUGH ALREADY!" - shouted Gerardo fed up with this. His voice began sounding similar to a dragon's roar - "It's always the same thing with you! You always begin saying that when any of us start saying or doing anything you don't like!" -

- "Because this family is like a company and it must work like one!" - screamed Mr. Gallucci to the top of his lungs.

- "And of what use will it be that we continue twiddling our thumbs here and doing whatever you want like always!?" - roared Gerardo as he rolled his hands into fists with such force that they started trembling - "You want us to wait around until this world perishes when Dragonia collapses and takes all other dimensions with it!?" -

- "Dear... I think Gerar is right this time..." - said Mrs. Gallucci as she looked at her husband with a serious face, fed up with the useless argument and already having understood the point her son was trying to make - "Even if we don't want to let them go, we'll die anyways if they don't..." -

(BGM: Conflagration Brought by the Winds - Ciel nosurge)

- "Shut up!" - screamed Mr. Gallucci as he turned in his wife's direction, to which Gerardo and Gabriela reacted by widening their eyes in shock - "Don't meddle into things you don't understand!" -

- "Trying to fashion yourself after a dictator again!? You always have to act like a damn despot whenever things don't go your way!?" - shouted Gerardo - "I still carry on me all the psychological scars you inflicted on me and Gaby with the fights you had with mom! And also all the wounds I got from getting in the middle so you wouldn't hit her, screaming and crying! Getting slapped, hit with a belt, having things thrown at us...You still haven't had enough yet!?" -

- "You keep quiet too until I finish talking!" - shouted Mr. Gallucci angry.

- "I refuse to continue this farcical "argument"!" - said Gerardo shooting sparks from his eyes - "We'll leave for Dragonia tomorrow at dawn and we'll carry out our duties there, regardless of what you do or say! I've had enough of having to follow along with your orders just to have you exploding anyway in the end!" -

Mr. Gallucci initially reacted with shock at Gerardo's words, but he then turned to his wife, livid with anger and with a hand raised.

- "This happened because you spoiled them and got weird ideas in their heads!" - said Mr. Gallucci. Gerardo recognized the gesture and reacted instantly.

(BGM: None)

- "DON'T-YOU-DARE-DO-THAT! IADLAST PAWATZ.. DRAGOON!" – said as he pulled out the crystal from the necklace's holder and placed it on the Dragtemn. A blue dragon armor with gray borders instantly appeared over his body after a brief flash of blue light. He then stepped between his mother and father, and grabbed his hand with all his strength. A similar silvery-white shine also filled the room an instant later.

(BGM: Final Feelings - Ciel nosurge)

- "What the...!?" - said Mr. Gallucci shocked.

- "You might be my father and all that... But dare to touch even a hair of mom... And I assure you that you won't be leaving this room unscathed..." - said Gerardo with every single syllable filled to the brim with rage, which was also reflected in his face. His eyes were also shining in a bright blue instead of their typical hazel color: the power of Water was coursing through him, and he wouldn't doubt using it to protect his mother.

It was then that everyone else noticed that Gabriela had also summoned her dragon armor: it was white with silver borders, though the wings and contours were more curved and stylized to represent a female dragon. Her face showed fury and disappointment, and her normally hazel eyes shone in a silvery white.

- "How this...? No... impossible..." - said Mr. Gallucci livid from shock upon seeing his children wearing the dragon armors.

- "You didn't remember this?" - said Gerardo with both an inexpressive face and voice - "You really thought we were joking about something as serious as the destruction of this world?" -

- "Dad... How disappointing..." - said Gabriela sighing saddened - "You always say Gerar didn't learn or mature anything during all his life... But the one that hasn't seen how much he did... is you" -

- "I... well..." - for once, Mr. Gallucci was at a loss for words.

- "Indeed, Gaby... And I have nothing more to say to you... - said Gerardo turning around disappointed as he left the area of the sofas by walking as far as he could from his father - "We'll leave tomorrow first hour, and there's nothing you can say or do to stop us now" -

(BGM: None)

Gabriela followed him after a few seconds, and they walked the stairs up, crossed the corridor and headed to Gerardo's room, where Miguel was waiting for them lying on the bed reading a biochemistry book. After a few seconds, they heard some stomping footsteps making their way through the stairs.

- "Fine! Do whatever you want, and don't bother ever coming back here!" - said Mr. Galluci's voice from the other end of the corridor, and they then heard a door slamming with what seemed enough force to bring down the wall it was attached to.

(BGM: Unrest - Ciel nosurge)

- "I see that negotiations didn't go well" - said Miguel sighing as he took off his eyes from the book and sat on the bed's border to receive his cousins as he gave them a worried look. Both cancelled their transformations.

- "He's an imbecile... the worst of imbeciles, to the bitter end..." - said Gerardo bitterly as he sat down next to Miguel and rubbed his forehead with one hand. The whole thing had given him a headache.

- "At least we can go to Dragonia without any problems, Gerar" - said Gabriela not very convinced.

- "Yeah, but I pretty much got banished from the house" - said Gerardo angry - "But whatever. I'll take care of it once we solve the most urgent of our problems" -

- "And good thing you weren't down there, Mige" - said Gabriela worried - "Considering that things tend to get worse if you try to talk back to dad..." -

- "Yeah, I know" - said Miguel sighing with a saddened face - "I've got Gerar into worse problems when my uncle is lecturing him and I try to defend him. He really hates anyone talking back to him, huh?" -

- "Yeah, I don't wanna imagine how worse it'd have gotten if you had gotten involved" - said Gerardo smiling at him - "But well, it's too late to worry about it now" -

- "At the least it seems that everyone else got better results" - said Miguel patting him on the shoulder while Gabriela messed with his hair by softly rubbing his head.

- "Well, excepting for Tiff" - said Gabriela smiling - "She said she'd talk to mom Rosemary and dad Julio tonight" -

- "Considering their volatile personalities, I hope it doesn't end up like this..." - said Gerardo sighing. It was then that Mrs. Gallucci entered the room. She was a woman of average height, with several of the features she passed down to her children, but she had light blond hair and sapphire blue eyes. She had a very anguished gaze when she came in and walked toward her son.

(BGM: A Small Flower - Ciel nosurge)

- "I'm sorry... Mom... I guess that makes me nothing more than a shame to our family and failure..." - said Gerardo as he lowered his gaze to the ground.

- "Mommy... Gerar did that 'coz..." - said Gabriela in a pleading tone.

- "Aunt, he had to do that because..." - said Miguel also in a conciliatory voice.

- "Please, calm down" - said Mrs. Gallucci with a sad smile as she hugged her children and smiled at her nephew - "I understand very well how important that mission you have is, and I'm not angry about it at all. After all, I was seeing it coming after I remembered everything that happened two years ago a couple hours ago" -

- "Then..." - began Gerardo, but his mother interrupted him before he could voice his question.

- "It's just that your father worries too much about you three, especially you, Gerar. He just doesn't know how to express it" - said Mrs. Gallucci as her smile became a bit tense - "He's always been like that, ever since we became a couple..." -

- "Well, what a nice way to demonstrate affection... Pretty much chasing me out of the house..." - said Gerardo in a bitter voice.

- "Yeah, typical of my uncle" - said Miguel crossing his arms.

- "You three should know him well enough already to know how he acts when he's angry" - laughed Mrs. Galluci nervously - "He'll be over it after a few days" -

- "And he'll never bother saying sorry" - said Gabriela pouting.

- "Well, that's just how he is" - said Mrs. Gallucci laughing upon seeing her daughter's face.

- "But... didn't you try talking to him before we did, to make him more approachable?" - asked Gerardo puzzled.

- "I tried, but he rebuffed all attempts I did, and insisted in talking about it directly with you" - said Mrs. Gallucci.

- "And he started all calm, but ended up exploding when I told him we planned to leave..." - said Gerardo sighing.

- "Yeah. He's really a pain..." - said Gabriela angry.

- "In any case, I really have no problems with you leaving on that journey, as long as you fulfill these conditions" - said Mrs. Gallucci with a more serious face.

- "Hmm, what conditions?" - asked Miguel with a curious voice.

- "First, I want you and your friends to contact us every single day: we want to make sure you're okay no matter what. I'll get in contact with my sister, Rosemary, Julio and the parents of Henry, Roger, Kember and Carlos. That way, we'll be able to keep in touch in case anything happens" - said Mrs. Gallucci.

- "And we should also introduce you to Kagome and Miko's mom" - said Gabriela cheerfully.

- "I'm sure you'd like to meet her, she's a great person" - said Gerardo smiling, but he then changed his expression to a more serious one - "But yeah: we promise to call you all every single day" -

- "I'm glad to hear you say that, Gerar, but that's not all" - said Mrs. Gallucci smiling - "The other conditions will be that you continue your studies regardless of where you are... and finally... that you get back home safe and sound... Please, make sure... to come back here in one piece..." -

Mrs. Gallucci then began shedding tears, and both Gerardo and Gabriela hurried to hug her

- "Don't worry, mommy. We'll get back here, no matter what!" - said Gaby as she shed tears as well.

- "We promise you... We'll return here, alive! No matter what happens!" - said Gerardo shedding tears.

- "And I'll make sure they don't do anything dangerous or stupid out there!" - said Miguel smiling. Mrs. Gallucci wiped off her tears, and showed them a pleased smile as she nodded.

(BGM: Have Courage! - Popolocrois Monogatari Anime)

Next morning, everyone gathered in the living room of Gerardo and Gabriela's house, with them all still wearing their normal clothes. Their parents had come with them in order to see the travelers off.

- "Good luck!" -

- "Do your best out there!" -

- "Never give up!" -

- "Make sure to get back safely!" -

Said they all to give them support as Gabriela prepared to open up the gateway back to the Inuyasha world. Each pair of parents got closer to their respective children and saw them off either with a handshake and a hug, merely a hug, or a hug and a kiss. However, Gerardo and Gabriela had to settle with just hugging and kissing their mother, as their father had disappeared early that morning. Mrs. Gallucci said it was because he had to go to work.

- 'What an idiot... I'm sure he did that on purpose to not see our faces...' - thought Gerardo irritated. Gabriela then noticed his expression and tugged on his sleeve.

- "Gerar, don't worry" - said her smiling - "We'll be able to rub our success in his face once we manage to get back. Besides, we can also try and bring him back a fork made from gold and with diamonds on it, so he can eat up his words!" -

- "Yeah, Gaby! You're right!" - smiled Gerardo as he contained a burst of laughter he got from that expression.

- "Okay, we're ready to go?" - asked Henry excitedly.

Everyone answered affirmatively at the same time, so Gabriela merely turned around to a wall in front of sofas and said "Apreialia!". This made a multicolored vortex appear in front of her. Everyone turned around to look at their respective families, and after bidding farewell to them one last time by waving their hands, they jumped into the portal.