The Other Side

Chapter 4

Midoriko's Message Part 2

"Kagome, what is wrong?" asked Sango, having sat near her friend with a smile. It was late; they were all sitting around the fire that Kaede built. They all were waiting on supper.

Inuyasha was the most surprised when he had sensed his brother walking in the village; Miroku and Sango were thoroughly surprised when they noticed that Kagome was slowly walking with them. The child that was with Sesshomaru told them that if anything were to happen to Kagome, she'd know and would come back for her.

That piece of information gave them more questions than answers. "What's wrong?" Sango repeated, having noticed that Kagome didn't seem to hear her the first time around.

"Lady Kagome, what is going on? Why were you with Lord Sesshomaru?" Miroku asked as Sango gave him a glare. Miroku looked in another direction to avoid her stare.

Kagome didn't move, didn't speak; she just sat there. Miroku and Sango shared a worried glance. Even Inuyasha was worried; that in itself said something. He had told them that nothing seemed to be wrong with her but that her aura felt suddenly off. Why, none of them knew.

Inuyasha bit his lip; he couldn't understand what was wrong with Kagome. What happened to going to her time? "What stopped you from going home?" he questioned her. Well, it got a reaction; not one that they were expecting though.

Kagome's eyes teared up and silently she cried as her hands went to her face. "It's gone... it's gone." She had been saying these words over and over again. What was gone?

"My dear child," a voice suddenly appeared around them. Inuyasha placed his hand on his sword, as did Sango, and Miroku placed his hand on his wrist, readying his wind tunnel. A spirit showed itself in front of them as Sango gasped.

"Midoriko," she whispered. She was in awe that she even showed herself to them.

Midoriko nodded to the slayer but her eyes were on Kagome. "My child, Kagome," she said as Kagome's eyes snapped to her, widening in the process. "I have news; both good and both bad."

Kagome parted her mouth a little in disbelief. "W-What's the bad?" She really didn't want to hear it but she needed to know for sure.

"You would rather hear the bad before the good?" Kagome nodded. "Alright, what happened to you today, tonight, has changed for the better. Your well, that connects to your time, is gone."

Everyone's eyes bulged. Say what? Kagome is... no. "What do you mean gone?" Inuyasha asked slowly. This had to be a joke right?

"The well no longer works."

"Please, let that not be true..." Kagome said. She didn't think her heart could take this.

Midoriko's eyes softened and said, "It is true and I am sorry for your loss." Kagome cried harder, no longer able to keep up her front. She was crying uncontrollably. The spirit added, "Don't let your grief take you over. You have, finally, awoken your true powers. Your destiny lies here, in this time."

"Is that true?" Sango started, "But, wait, that would mean that Kagome is meant to be here? How is this possible?" Honestly, how was it? She didn't understand this.

"The slayer speaks the truth. Kagome, while she was born in another time, still has the spirit; the aura of her ancestors. Her true powers have finally surfaced."

"What are her true powers?" questioned Miroku.

Midoriko looked to the monk, acknowledging that he was in the room before turning her attention back to Kagome. Kagome had looked up at this, her face stained with tears. "Do you know of what I speak of, my dear?"

"The thing that happened when I protected Rin, right?" Oh so, Kagome had a reason why Sesshomaru and his companions brought her back. She had protected Rin. They wanted to hear that story.

"Correct; you wanted to protect Rin. You had a need to protect her, didn't you?"

"Rin is like Shippo, I'd be lost without her."

Inuyasha blinked. She thinks Rin is hers, which means... It was like she was protecting her child, he thought as Midoriko turned on him.

"That is correct, Inuyasha." Eyes landed on him as his ears flattened against his head. Did she just... "That is also correct. Kagome sees Rin as hers."

"Oh," Miroku uttered, "Kagome saw Rin in danger and something inside her snapped, right?"

"Yes." She gazed back to Kagome. "Do you, understand? Do you, know what you are?"

Kagome took a moment to gather herself. She felt something different; something off with herself when she finally decided to look. She still felt her holy powers but there was something else. She closed in on that and gasped. It was demonic. "I'm..."

"Yes, you are. It is rare but it does happen."

"How?" She was totally confused now. This shouldn't be possible.

"At one point in time, your ancestor courted a demon." The gang was startled at this. Kagome had demon blood in her?! "Said ancestor didn't think of the consequences, thus failing in multiple attempts in reproducing a child. On their last attempt, they were blessed by a priest and priestess of both demon and human."

"So my demon blood awoke when it thought its child was in danger?"

Midoriko smiled at her as Kagome gasped. "Come on in, young Rin," she said as the group watched a small child walk in. She was skittish but smiled brightly when her eyes landed on Kagome. She flew into the woman's lap and hugged her.

"Rin! What are you doing here?" Kagome asked, not that she wasn't happy to see her cause she was thrilled.

"My heart; your heart called out to me," she answered, snuggling into Kagome's warm body. She was both happy to see that Kagome was okay and tired from running all the way back, in the dark. She closed her eyes and was asleep in seconds. Kagome looked at her and was at ease before glancing back up to Midoriko.

"Young Rin felt your distress." The spirit glided herself closer to Kagome. "Whether you meant to or not, your whole being bonded with young Rin. She feels content now that she's back with you, as do you. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"So, you're saying Kagome adopted Rin like she did with me?" came another child's voice. Kagome's eyes lit up at the sight of the small fox. Midoriko noticed this as she smiled at the boy. The boy crawled over to Kagome, resting his head on her thigh and sighed in relief.

"Yes, young one, that is right."

"I felt Kagome's aura calling to me," he told them as Kagome gasped. She had no idea. They were quiet for a few short minutes before Inuyasha opened his mouth.

"Alright, I get that Kagome sees Rin and Shippo as her own; I get that but what or how do we explain Sesshomaru? I mean, Rin is his as well, right? Doesn't that threaten him?" Inuyasha asked with his head bent. He really didn't like the way things were unfolding.

"I could give a rat's ass if it threatened him or not," Kagome said calmly, eyes narrowing on the floor. Inuyasha gaped at her, Miroku's lips twitched slowly into a smile, Sango just stared at her friend like she grew a second head. Shippo blinked as Kagome's tone; that was not one to mess with.

Midoriko chuckled causing the group to wonder why. "Lord Sesshomaru knows what is going on as he was there when Kagome showed her true colors. Whether he decides to do something about that is up to him. Unfortunately for Kagome, it is life or death."

"Mama could die?" Shippo asked, his body shaking at the thought of that. He rarely called Kagome mama and only did so when he was frightened. In this case, he was terribly frightened at the thought of Kagome dying.

"Life or death? Why would he be the one to control whether that happens or not?" Sango wondered, sending a worried look in Kagome's direction. Kagome returned it with one of her own.

Miroku was in deep thought. He could only think of one thing and even that, he knew was crazy. "What will happen if he kills Lady Kagome?"

"Well, I for one, say that we keep Kagome away from him as much as possible," Inuyasha stated with a determined look etched on his face. He had crossed his arms over his chest at this point. He was not happy.

None of these questions were answered of course.

Kagome stared at the child in her lap with worry; it caused Rin to wake up. She rubbed her eyes with her hands, rubbing the sleep from her face-what little sleep it was. She smiled widely to Kagome, easing her worry. The rest of the group was amazed at that, even Shippo. He had yet to be able to do that.

"Young Rin, can you describe what you saw in the field before Lord Sesshomaru came?" Midoriko asked gently, as to not scare the child. Rin looked at her in awe.

"Um, Kagome put up a barrier to protect me and took on the demons that were chasing me," she explained softly as her face lit up. "Then afterwards, Kagome had such pretty markings!"

"Rin, what markings?" Kagome still hadn't managed to get that piece of info out of Rin. "I didn't feel any..."

Rin giggled at her. "Of course you didn't silly! They were a part of your skin unlike Lord Sesshomaru's, now his are raised from his skin. Kinda like a scar but different."

There was silence; even Midoriko was quiet. "So, I really am part demon?" Kagome said, having finally allowed everything to sink in. "Rin, what did these markings look like?"

"Like Lord Sesshomaru's but darker. You even had the crescent moon!"

Kagome's eyes widened at that; Inuyasha choked on his own spit. "What?!" he yelled out, shock enlaced in his voice. "That's impossible!"

"Why is it? You know something we don't?" Kagome didn't like the way Inuyasha's face formed. Something was off.

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