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Itty Bitty Pretty Seventeen

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"Eh, he's been turned into a human. What do ya want me to tell ya?" Totosai huffed as he scratched the top of his head, "Maybe it'll come back. Maybe it won't."

"You're supposed to know this shit!" InuYasha snapped angrily, "How do I go back to being normal?!"

"Watch your tone boy," Totosai snapped, "You should be grateful you have any abilities at all."

"Stupid miko powers," InuYasha grumbled under his breath as he rolled his eyes and huffed in frustration, "Yeah about that. How is it I suddenly have spiritual powers, huh? Not like Mother had any."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong," Totosai chuckled as he gave the skeptical looking ebony haired man a once over, "Your mother indeed had the makings of a great miko but her family surpressed her abilities as a miko needs to stay celibate. As the only child, she would need to marry and carry on her familial line. All the good that plan did. She mated the master and next thing ya know there you were."

"She never told me jack shit about that," InuYasha spat back skeptically, "Why would she hide that from me?"

"Her powers were uncontrolled and she was untrained. I doubt very much she ever used them," Totosai reasoned as he dug his finger deeply into his ear and pulled it out to examine his winnings before sighing heavily, "You were also a child. A small child at that. You never got the opportunity to really know her."

Paling visibly, InuYasha stared at the elderly demon as though he'd just slapped him full across the face until Kagome piped up - fully healed now that the dark miko had been defeated, "So what do we do now?"

"Keep him hidden until we know whether his youkai comes back," Totosai sighed heavily with a slight shrug, "If it doesn't, then I guess train him. Need be I'll make him something or another to use as a weapon."

"Thank you," Kagome responded awkwardly - cringing at the tension that seemed to be radiating off InuYasha in waves before glancing over at the immensely guilty looking Emi and her small family still awkwardly sitting in the corner of the hut making no noise and seemingly hoping everyone forgot exactly why the hanyou was now human. Emi especially looked like she wanted to curl up and die as she met Kagome's glance and tried to hide behind her grandfather who sighed and pet her head affectionately.

"Well if that's all I best be going," Totosai sighed before groaning as he got to his feet, "I'll come back in a few weeks to see if there's any change."

"You can't fucking leave me like this!" InuYasha snapped angrily as he shot to his feet, "You're supposed to know shit! How can you say you don't fucking know?!"

"Language!" Totosai roared in a tone that immediately had InuYasha wisely shutting his mouth as he shot daggers at the old kook, "Now listen here boy. I am ten times your age! You need to learn to respect your elders instead of acting like a spoiled brat. If I wanted to - even in your hanyou form - I could cook you straight through with one blast. Now I'm leaving and I'll be back. I hope you learn a thing or two between now and then."

Literally vibrating with rage, InuYasha held him up to his full height as Totosai left before turning on the scared looking girl in the corner, "This is all your fault! If you hadn't been stupid enough to trust that bitch, I'd be fine. Do you even know what you've done?! You..."

"InuYasha! Sit!" Kagome hissed angrily - on instinct mostly and InuYasha flinched in anticipation of being flung to the ground...but didn't. Apparently the beads required youkai to operate but the threat had been enough to stop his building rage.

"Leave," he ordered coldly as he pointed to the exit, "Now!"

Quickly, the grandfather grabbed his two grandchildren and ushered both terrified children out the door before turning to face the angry hanyou with a angry glare of his own.

"I know your life must've been hard growing up on your own," he began - his voice low and hoarse but furious all the same, "Your mother died young. Father probably out of the picture. But don't you dare stand there and tell me you wouldn't do everything in your power to save her or bring her back. That you wouldn't do the same for your friends. Yes, she trusted someone she shouldn't have and attacked you but she did it to try to save her family. She'd lost her mother and father to the same thing that kept me trapped. She made a mistake because she's young, scared and desperate. But as a half-demon I'm sure you know that fear of being alone in a world that hates you. That fear that the people you love or care for might suffer because of who or what you are. That you could lose them quicker than a blink of an eye. That they'll die decades or centuries before you do. You would do whatever it took to save them. To keep them with you. So, yes, unfortunately you've paid the price for her mistake but if you ever speak to her that way again, I will spend the rest of my life trying to end you. Do you understand me, boy?"

Deflating slightly but still managing a cold, superior look, InuYasha refused to respond - his jaw set so hard muscles were jumping as he turned away and folded his arms across his chest. Huffing, the grandfather turned to leave without another word.

"InuYasha," Kagome whispered softly as she reached out to touch his shoulder before retracting it like it burned as he whipped his head around and gave her a look of pure unadulterated anger that had her grimacing, "Do you...do you want to come to my era? Just...just until you get your powers back?"

"We'll probably won't even work for me anymore," InuYasha hissed - his tone much softer than it had been a few minutes ago, "But I'm no use here anymore so why not."

"Okay then," Kagome responded awkwardly - glancing over at the slayer and the monk who were both looking at InuYasha with a mixture of pity and disapproval, "Let me pack up and then we'll try it out."