Shikuro: A Caribbean Fairy Tale

by Inuma Asahi De

Inuyasha was as bad as pirates came, according to his legend. Kagome was a woman of propriety, destined to marry for her family's honor when all she wanted was to live on the sea. What happens when their eyes meet by chance or perhaps by daring fate?

104. Two

Blanket Disclaimer: The writer does not own any characters created by Rumiko Takahashi but like everyone else wishes she did. All original characters or concepts are the author Inuma Asahi De's (with the exception of historical figures).

Chapter One Hundred and Four

Two

Kagome leaned against the small table as she watched Sango cuddle one of her little baby boys to her breast. Warmth spread through Kagome as she watched the young mother coo softly to her child while the boy ate. He was so tiny in Sango's adult arms. One of his little fist curled against his temple, so small that it seemed almost improbable that it even existed. The other little hand clutched halfheartedly against a blanket Sango had draped over her shoulder hiding her breast just enough that the men in the room couldn't quite see.

The young Miko glanced slowly towards Miroku who was sitting on Sango's other side, holding the identical copy of the first boy. The second little boy was waiting for his own turn patiently (that is to say, he was waiting whilst asleep). She smiled gingerly at the sight and then, unable to stop herself, glanced over her shoulder towards her own husband who was leaning against the wall behind her. His back with rigid, his eyes were closed tightly and his hands were braced firmly against his knees.

"He's so uncomfortable." She had to force herself to hold back a chuckle but the sound still came from her throat a bit. One of his ears tweaked from the sound and an eye opened in response, no wider than a slight slit. "Sorry." She mouthed slowly but he simply glared playfully and closed his eyes again in response.

"It—," Sango suddenly spoke up causing Kagome to glance back at her again. "Feels so," She looked up at Kagome, the only other woman in the room who might, and would if fate permitted, understand that feeling one day. "I can barely explain it."

"That's understandable." Kagome nodded and glanced down at the little boy, the fleeting image of a similar boy with silver hair and puppy like ears filling her mind briefly.

"It's almost like," Sango paused for a moment and gently brushed the top of the little boy's head. His downy head with little tuffs of black hair was soft underneath her fingertips. "They're sucking the life out of me."

Inuyasha released a sound somewhere between a choke and a cough. "Can we please—just—no." He closed his eyes a little tighter as the sound of the little boy suckling reached his disgruntled ears.

The image that had crept into her head of a silver haired infant faded as Kagome held back a snicker. "It's natural."

"Yeah, I get that," Inuyasha pulled his ears to the back of his head as he heard his son begin to join in on the snickering. "All babies gotta suckle but still—."

Sango only laughed at his discomfort and adjusted the baby a bit. "You raised Miroku."

"I didn't suckle him." The dog demon snorted and crossed his arms over his chest hotly.

Miroku laughed loudly, the small boy in his own arms grumbling in his sleep. "Thank god."

Inuyasha opened one eye and smirked at his son briefly. "I've never even held a baby," He told his son as he made it a point not to look towards Sango. "A human baby at least—animals yeah but not—those kind." He motioned towards the little boy in Miroku's arms, the affectionate look on his face hard to hide as he glanced at the brown tuffs of hair on his little head.

"Really?" Sango sounded legitimately surprised as she looked at her father-in-law. The thought had simply never occurred to her that he might not have ever been around an infant. The baby at her breast slowed his suckling and glancing down Sango smiled as she saw his now scrunched up sleeping face. "My baby." She thought as she pulled the boy away from her and brought him up to her shoulder. He stirred a little bit from the move and he whined as his mother patted his back waking him. "I know, I'm sorry."

Inuyasha allowed his eyes to turn towards Sango as the woman burped her baby, apologizing for having roused him. The child whimpered and whined but didn't protest much as a soft burp left his mouth followed by drool. "By the time I found Miroku he didn't do any of this—well he did drool—and vomit."

Miroku sent his father a dry expression. "I did not."

"Oh—yes, you did." Inuyasha nodded his head once sharply and held back a pearl of laughter. "You got so sea sick the first couple of weeks on Shikuro that I highly debated taking you back."

"Yeah right." Miroku stuck out his tongue as his little boy quieted in his mother's arms, falling back to sleep as if nothing had happened. "You loved me too much."

"Still do," The older man sighed as if realizing what a heavy burden had befallen him. "But—with you—I didn't have ta change even one nappy." The dog demon leaned back a little bit against the wall to get more comfortable. "Had to change the sheets sometimes though."

"Otou-san." Miroku whined in embarrassment, his face actually reddening from the past memories of having wet the bed. "I never wet the bed!" He tried to defend even though he knew this was a battle he could not win. "You can't prove it anyway."

"Yeah you did." Inuyasha replied back with what could only be called a sadistic grin on his face. "Until you were twelve."

"Don't listen to a single thing Jii-san says." The younger man rolled his eyes and pulled his son up closer to his face, the boy didn't even begin to wake. "He's crazy and lies—," He glared at his father, playfulness in his dark eyes. "A lot."

"It's a compulsion." Inuyasha shrugged and the room broke out into soft laughter.

"Hopefully it doesn't run in the family." Kagome giggled as she looked at the faces all around her, the peacefulness of the moment washing over her like a wool blanket on a bitter cold night. "How big will they be—when I—?" She gulped and shifted slightly from the thought, her heart sinking a bit in her chest. "Will I hear them laugh—will I watch them walk?" She closed her eyes from the thought and allowed her senses to reach out into the world around her, feeling its happiness.

She could feel it coming off of Sango and Miroku in waves, their love for their two children encompassing them completely. The two babies reflected it as well. Even at only two days old they knew the explicit comfort of their parents arms and trusted it with unnerving ease. It was a soft and beautiful sensation, they gathered in her very soul before spreading out from her body. Behind her, she could feel the love filling Inuyasha as he looked at his grandchildren with a swelling heart.

And even farther than the room, she felt the sweet warmth of Shippo and Mariko (as they played outside) touch her very skin. The sound of their distant mirth as they ducked and dodged each other in a game of demon tag reached her spiritual senses easily. She could just see them as they took to the trees, the nursemaid yelling at them to be careful in a language only one of them spoke.

"I don't want," Kagome's heart tightened in her chest at the very thought. "I never want—to lose this feeling." She shook her head and did her best to keep the smile on her face in place even as a grimace threatened to take its place.

Sitting quietly behind her, Inuyasha leaned more firmly against the wall as similar thoughts roamed in his own head. Golden eyes focused on his young grandchildren, the sight of both of them making his heart turn melancholic for just a second. "I won't see them grow up." He gulped slightly as his eyes drifted towards his wife, the sweetness that was already beginning to inhabit her scent making him a little dizzy. "I won't see my—."

"Well," Miroku spoke suddenly, his voice breaking into both Inuyasha and Kagome's dark thoughts. "We asked you here for a reason." The young man laughed nervously and bounced the child in his arms as the boy began to wake, fussing a little. "We—wanted to talk with you both about—um—their names."

"Names?" Inuyasha blinked a few times as he allowed himself to be absorbed into the much safer and by far more pleasant conversation of naming his grandchildren.

"Yeah," Sango nodded and looked down at the little boy in her arms. "Time to switch." She told Miroku and was just about to offer him the other baby when Kagome scooted forward a little.

"May I?" She asked softly, her grey eyes filled with curiosity. "I haven't held a baby since my little brother was born."

"Of course." Sango immediately inched forward and with great care handed the infant to Kagome.

The boy cried from the sudden movement, his little wail the single most precious thing Kagome had ever heard. "There, there boy—Aunt—um—no, that's not right." She looked back at Inuyasha as she pulled the baby close to her dormant breast, the child seeming to like the body contact. "If you're Jii-chan—what am I?"

"That's a good question." Inuyasha raised a highly disturbed eyebrow before looking at Miroku and Sango. "These kids don't stand a chance with this screwed up family."

"Oh please," Sango waved a hand in front of her face dismissing the strangeness of their familial structure as if it was nothing. "They're gonna grow up pirates—the least of their worries is their demon grandpa and his wife that's younger than their mom but is technically their grandma."

"My brain hurts." Miroku muttered as he handed the other boy off to his wife. "Okay—back to baby names. We got months before they start calling anyone anything."

"Well then," Inuyasha raised a hand up over his head as if he were silencing the people around him. "I know the perfect name."

"Okay?" Sango raised an eyebrow as she placed the other boy against her breast, the baby happily suckling the second he found her nipple. "Ouch."

Inuyasha blatantly ignored Sango's pain for fear of acknowledging what she was doing. "My vote is on Inuyasha Jr."

Miroku sent his father a dry look. "No way in hell."

"You wound me." The dog demon whimpered slightly as he met his son's death glare with hurt eyes.

"Oh dear lord." Sango rolled her eyes and sighed as she glanced down at the child. "This side doesn't have much milk left." She clicked her tongue and pulled the boy away from her breast, preparing to switch him to the other side.

"Oh!" Kagome quickly chimed, as she rocked the little boy in her arms back to sleep unconsciously. "Inu-ni." She looked at Inuyasha, whose eyes had lit up the instant she said the words.

"Inu two?" Miroku rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Really, Kagome?"

"I like it!" Inuyasha proclaimed and looked towards Sango just in time to see the full on swell of her completely exposed breast while she changed sides. "Damn it!" He snapped as he hastily squeezed his eyes shut. "Sorry."

"Oh please," Sango shook her head and pulled the baby to her other breast. "I lost my modesty years ago."

"You had modesty?" Miroku quipped as he watched his father's red face become redder.

"I find it kind of sweet." Kagome cooed as she looked back at her embarrassed husband "The great pirate Captain Inuyasha is scared of breast." She couldn't help but giggle on the last word, unable to keep a straight face as her nose and cheeks turned bright red.

"Only Sango's." Inuyasha quipped as he opened one eye just long enough to glare at his young wife.

Kagome raised an eyebrow in return as she gently patted the little sleeping boy's back. "Only Sango's?"

Inuyasha froze for just a moment as he made eye contact with Kagome. The normally vibrant grey eyes were hardened ever so slightly in such a way that seemed to say, chose your words carefully. "And every other woman," He began to add slowly. "In existence," He continued on being very careful about his diction. "But you."

"Well said." His son nodded in approval before the whole room broke into a great wave of laughter.

"So about the names." Kagome brought them back on track as she glanced down at the little sleeping face.

"Well," Sango bit her lip slowly as she looked between her son in Kagome's arms and her own. "We weren't prepared for two." She looked at Miroku and motioned towards the baby as she cuddled him against her body and ran her fingers slightly over his downy head. "Darn little things played a nasty trick on us."

"They take after Jii-chan already." Inuyasha snickered slightly as he finally pushed himself off the wall and leaned over Kagome's shoulder to look down at the tiny face. "Well played little ones," He whispered as he inhaled the scents in the room. He could smell baby and milk and lilies and the sea but underneath that, even further and deeper and harder to find, he could smell something laced with possibilities that both worried and excited him. "Well played."

Sango smiled at the man who looked far too young to actually be a grandpa but the expression faded after a moment, seriousness hanging from her body suddenly. "With your permission Otou-san, we wanted to give them family names."

"Family names?" Inuyasha whispered as he touched his chin down on Kagome's shoulder, his eyes finding his daughter-in-laws. "What do you have in mind?"

"We wanted," Miroku took over for his wife carefully. "Um—well—we weren't gonna have two Inuyasha's—that's just—. Well, one of you is enough," He looked from his son currently nursing to the one in Kagome's arms. "But—could we name one of them after your father—my, I guess, grandfather?"

"My father?" Inuyasha whispered the words as if they had been spoken in a completely foreign language.

"I don't even know his name but," Miroku looked his father in the eye trying to present himself as just as strong as the man in front of him. "You're my father and I want to—after everything you've done for me, I want to honor you in some way and," Miroku stumbled over his words but didn't let his eye contact with his father waver. "This is the best way I can think of."

Inuyasha stared at his son not even sure if he remembered how to breathe in that one moment. He knew a lot about his father, the sacrifices the man had made so that his sons would live. "Even if he knew I would die anyway." He licked his lips slowly as he looked at his own child's strong eyes, so firm as they awaited their father's answer. "But—aren't I doing the same thing for my own son?" He told himself, holding back a snort from the irony as he pulled his chin away from Kagome and sent Miroku a soft smile. "Inutaisho."

"Hm?"

"My father's name was Inutaisho." He looked down at the little baby in Kagome's arms and then towards the other little boy who was still eating. He didn't even flinch as he caught sight of the edge of Sango's breast, the feature not bothering him as he watched the boy eat happily. "Personally—I would call him Taisho instead." He lifted his head towards his son unable to keep the spark of pride out of his eyes. "Inutaisho is a little too close to Inuyasha if you ask me."

"Thank you." Miroku whispered and bowed his head in respect to his father, the man who had raised him.

"Taisho." Sango whispered as she looked down at the little boy in her arms. "This one—is Taisho." She nodded firmly and lifted her head back up to look at her father. "He'll be a strong man."

"There's no other way to be with a name like that." Kagome bit her lip as she spoke, her heart swelling with the love she had developed over five long years for the man who had once borne that name in life.

"What about little no-name here." Inuyasha quickly changed the subject not wanting to focus on memories of his father for too long.

"Well—I wanted to honor my father and Sango—." Miroku looked towards his wife as he spoke, watching as the woman bit her lip. "Sango wanted to honor—Kagome."

"Me?" Kagome whispered surprised that she had been included in this. "But why?"

"You," Sango took a deep breath and turned towards Kagome, tears that she could barely hold back evident in her bright eyes. "You saved me Kagome."

Kagome shook her head slowly. "Of course I did," She whispered as she sent her best friend and sister a sweet grin. "You'd do the same for me. In fact, you already have," She paused as she felt Inuyasha shift behind her, confusion from him and the others in the room making her frown. "It was a long time ago though."

"When?" Sango's eyebrows knitted and her mouth opened slightly from confusion.

"Back—," She leaned slightly backwards, wanting to feel connected to her husband behind her. Her shoulder blade barely brushed against what was most likely his chest and she closed her eyes. "The very first day I met you Sango," Her eyes opened, a great storm swirling inside them.
"Or should I say Mrs. Smith."

Sango managed to grin at the reminder of that time so long ago when she had played the part of the Captain's wife. So much had changed since then; now, over a year later, she was sitting across from a woman who was not just playing the part of the Captain's wife but who was his wife. "How can a tiny girl we found in the Caribbean have led us here?" She wanted to ask the question but refrained, she just couldn't bear to face the reality of whom and what this girl represented. To admit it was to realize the graveness of the life they were living.

"I don't know if it was the first day or second I can't remember anymore but we were talking about my impending marriage." She paused as Inuyasha let out a loud disapproving growl at the very suggestion of her having married someone else. "I—," She rolled her eyes as she collected her thoughts, trying to figure out exactly how to explain herself. "All I wanted was to run away but I was far too scared to." She looked down at the little boy in her arms, watching as his tiny lips pursed and suckled in his sleep. "I remember mentioning to you that I wished I would have been born a boy because—."

"Boys can do things girls can't." Sango filled in slowly, her memory of that day so long ago coming back to her.

Kagome nodded and her eyelashes fluttered as she took a deep breath. "And what you said then—well—it saved me." She looked up slowly, bright grey eyes filled with love for the person across from her. "You agreed—you said it would be wonderful." Her voice actually cracked a little bit as she spoke. "You were the first woman who ever said something like that to me and—it gave me the courage to escape from that life," She turned her head quickly towards Inuyasha who was watching her with sweet patience. "And I—because of that I was able to find myself—," She reached for him with her free hand and gently touched his knee. "I was able to find people who let me be myself," She watched as he nodded, realizing she was talking about him. His hand came up automatically, wrapping around her own, warmth spreading between them. "Those words saved me." She nodded and broke eye contact with him just long enough to turn and look at Sango. "You saved me Sango."

The older woman looked almost ready to burst into tears but she didn't. "Oh—Kagome."

"I owe you all," She glanced at her husband the truth of her fate making her stomach squirm. "My life." Her lips quivered but she didn't allow the swell of emotions to overcome her. "I'm forever in your debt."

Her words hung like a thick blanket in the room. For several seconds no one could bring themselves to speak against the silence. There was something about those words that seemed dangerous and perhaps if everyone had listened a little closer they would have heard the finality that rested deep within them. As it were, however, in that moment, no one was listening to the under tones of Kagome's speech, instead they were allowing themselves to be enthralled by the love within them that was even stronger than the finality.

Beside her, his heart beating methodically in his chest, Inuyasha leaned his head against Kagome's shoulder once more, wanting her to feel him. He didn't have to be a miko to feel the pain that was surrounding her, he could almost taste it in the air as the scent of it washed off her body. He nuzzled her carefully with his nose and wanting her to smile once more dared to joke.

"The simple fact you sleep with me," He whispered loud enough for everyone in the room to hear his playful words. "Means I'm in your debt and not the other way around."

Kagome did laugh in response even as a blush formed on her cheeks.

"Kagome bears her soul to us and that's what you say?" Sango reached down, grabbing a small little pillow that she had been sitting on earlier and threw it at the demon with surprisingly good aim.

It flew perfectly through the air, hitting Inuyasha lightly on top of the head, only because the man hadn't bothered to duck. "Ouch!" He complained as he rubbed his sore ear and pouted but he couldn't hide the mirth in his eyes.

"Anyway," Sango spoke slowly as she continued to send a glare in his father-in-law's direction. "The name," She cleared her throat and sighed heavily as she looked back at Kagome. "I—I wanted to do something to honor you Kagome." She shifted awkwardly as the child on her breast finally began to slow his suckling, nearly full. "I thought about naming him Kagome—but I'm sure that name would get him beat up." She laughed a bit at her little joke as did the rest of the room before her face went serious once more. "So—instead—we were thinking of naming him after your father."

Kagome felt her hands tighten ever so slightly on the infant in her arms. "Papa?"

"With your blessing Kagome," Sango bowed her head not quite able to look Kagome in the eye as she asked her question. "We'd like to name him Richard—after your father."

Kagome's eyes went wide and she slowly looked down at the little boy in her lap. "Richard?" She whispered the name and the boy opened his little lips in his sleep, releasing a soft almost snore like sound.

Images of her father, the man who had never really seen her projected in her head, consuming her. She could see him at the dinner table, tired and uninterested. She could see him in his study, his hands cradling his head as he tried to solve a problem. She could see him with other men at parties, discussing politics and discrepancies between demon and human life style options. For a moment, she could only see him as a cold and distant man but the moment soon shifted, dissolving into something more. She could see him laughing and swinging her around. She could see him reading to her and listening to her as she played the flute or other instruments her mother had only let her explore as a child. She could see him studying her artwork, his own grey eyes filled with scrutiny that soon turned to love.

She gulped as the images of the man faded back into her subconscious replaced instead by a longing she didn't quite understand. "If his name was Richard," She looked at the little boy. "At the very least—they could remember me from the sound of his name."

"Kagome?"

Her head snapped towards Sango. "I would be honored." Her voice almost caught in her throat as she held the little boy tighter in her arms. "If you called him Richard."

-break-

Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly, the light of early morning was peaking in through the rice paper that made the door leading out into the garden. He could just hear the distant chirping of birds as they came into wakefulness. It was quiet and peaceful and he allowed himself to snuggle deeper into the warm futon. "It's hard to believe I've only been here three days." He thought as he turned in the bed, his leg brushing up against his wife's thigh.

She released a soft sigh in response to the contact and he stopped breathing. He couldn't help but nearly whine at the sight of her wrapped up tight in the thick blankets, her head and soft hair just barely peeking out from underneath their warmth. There was a sweet smile on her sleeping face that captivated him. He studied her silently, taking in all the little things he loved about her sleeping face: the way her lips parted ever so slightly with her warm breath, the way the corners of her mouth turned towards the rosy hints of life on her cheeks, the way her eyelashes fluttered a little bit as if she were about to wake, and the way her bangs brushed against her eyebrows, a sweeping cascade of black and brown and blondish waves.

"Beautiful." He whispered as he reached for her, brushing her hair away from her forehead. He leaned forward, fully prepared to press a kiss to those parted lips so as to rouse her but, an inconveniently placed child stopped him dead in his tracks.

Laying between Inuyasha and Kagome, the tiny Shippo released a rather loud snore to let his presence be known. Instantly, the dog demon glared at the covered spot of blanket that hid the little red head from view.

"I forgot about you." He muttered as he stared at the little lump. Kagome mumbled something in her sleep and the dog demon's groin tightened painfully as he watched her bite her lower lip, her teeth scrapping against it making it even redder. "Damn you." He glared at the child even though he knew he didn't mean the words.

Feeling a bit frustrated, the dog demon slipped out from underneath the covers of the futon as carefully as possible. It wouldn't do to wake either the annoying child or his wife currently. Rising to his feet, he stretched halfheartedly. His kusode rose up about his navel and he shook slightly as the coldness of the winter morning touched his bare skin. Shivering despite his demon heritage, he reached for his hakama and haori quickly, throwing them on within seconds to protect him from the cold.

The warmth of the clothes made him feel substantially better and he sighed with relief before he turned back to his sleeping wife. She had snuggled down in the sheets even more so between the time he got up and the time he had gotten dressed. Now, the only part of her he could see was a bit of her hair sticking out from underneath the contrasting white of the blanket. He chuckled slightly as he crossed the room and lowered himself down.

For a moment, he allowed himself to be consumed by the smell of her: lilies, salt and just a touch of sweetness, so vague that only he (a person wholly aware of even the slightest changes in Kagome's scent) would have been able to recognize. His heart twinge and guilt jumped into his throat so strong that he had to swallow several times before he could breathe.

"It's for the best." He told himself but somehow, he didn't believe himself anymore. Taking one deep controlling breath, he bent forward and placed a soft chaste kiss on the top of her head. "I love you." He spoke in a breathy voice that made her mumble in her sleep. The sound of her gentle whine made him smile but the expression was halfhearted at best.

"Are you ready, Ototou?" Sesshoumaru's voice came through the screen like a hatchet but he didn't even jump slightly in response.

"Yes," He nodded even though he was sure Sesshoumaru couldn't see him. Crossing the room towards the door, he grabbed the Tetsusaiga from its place leaning against the wall. It was warm in his hands and it hummed the seconds his fingers encircled it as if it wanted to say good morning. Ignoring the greeting, the young dog demon quietly opened the screen door listening to the wood as it scraped against the floor.

Light flooded into the room and for a moment he winced against it, blinded slightly by its intensity. Sesshoumaru's body took shape almost immediately and he nodded at his older brother, noting absently that the man was dressed for combat, his full body armor gracing his shoulders. Neither man said a word as Inuyasha closed the door behind himself before walking across the porch and down the little steps to stand beside his brother.

"Takeshi." Sesshoumaru spoke the name clearly, making sure it sounded more like a command than anything else.

"Hai." Takeshi appeared as if out of nowhere, bowing his head to his uncle carefully without looking the man in the eye.

"Let's go." The oldest demon commanded and turned on his heel away from both his brother and his son.

For a moment, Inuyasha only watched his brother's retreating back as the man started towards the forest path that led to the dojo. "This is it," He told himself as the change in Kagome's scent lingered in his nose. "This is—the beginning of it all." He looked down at the ground, studying the thick layer of snow that had made its way onto the ground sometime during the night.

It shimmered and shined in the sunlight, the warmth was just now causing it to melt just slightly, a sign that the snow might well be gone by mid afternoon. Inuyasha lifted his head looking away from the somewhat melancholic sight, his golden eyes searching out his brother's back. He was actually surprised when his eyes came in contact not with the gleam of battle armor above a white haori but instead with two golden eyes that perfectly matched his own. The two brother's stared at each other for the briefest of moments, neither blinking or really even thinking of the implications of the prolonged eye contact. Finally, after what felt to be an eternity, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and shook his head as if he had gleamed so great secret by studying his younger brother.

"Hurry up." He commanded bluntly and turned away, beginning down the path once more without so much as another word.

Inuyasha blinked dryly but couldn't stop himself from smirking, slightly amused by the stoic way the man walked. "He's in a damn fine mood this morning." He mumbled as his nephew came to stand beside him, yawning in the early morning light.

"For him—," Takeshi leaned towards his uncle releasing a conspirator, albeit half asleep, whisper. "This is downright jolly."

-break-

The air was cold as they walked down the little pathway that wound around the training hall Inuyasha and Takeshi had first practiced in two days before. Beams of sunlight swept down from between the bare branches of the trees breaking through the cold air as best they could under the circumstances. Curious, Inuyasha craned his neck past his brother to look down the path in front of him. He couldn't really see anything even with the adequate light that flooded the pathway; there were simply too many trees in his way to see properly.

"Still," He bit the inside of his cheek slightly as his ears twitched against the sound of their combined footsteps crushing the mixture of snow and dirt beneath their feet. "It's strange—where is he leading us?" He furrowed his brow but the feeling of anxiety he expected to take hold of him didn't wander into his chest. "I'm not gonna say I trust him, but—," He glanced at Sesshoumaru's back, memories so fuzzy he couldn't even begin to authenticate them winding through his brain. "I really don't think," He watched as strands of silver hair blew slightly with the wind, the memory of chasing that hair bubbling up in his mind. "These memories—are they real?" He shook his head, trying to dispel the memories of a brother who had been sweet and gentle. In his hand Tetsusaiga hummed slightly as if reacting to his very thoughts. "You think they are, don't you, Tetsusiaga?"

Walking beside his uncle, Takeshi looked at the serious expression on the older man's face and frowned. "I wonder what he's thinking about." He crinkled his nose and scented the air but smelt no emotions that would have been out of the ordinary. Shrugging, he looked towards the trees around them and farther down the path towards his father. "Chichiue?" He called the man, his own inquisitiveness making him question. Patiently, he waited for Sesshoumaru to give him a sign that he had permission to speak, which came in the form of a slight angling of the older man's chin. "Where are we going?"

"To train." Sesshoumaru answered simply, the sound of his voice level as always but somehow distantly amused.

"Train?" Takeshi glanced at Inuyasha but the older man merely shrugged. Even though Inuyasha was curious he just didn't feel the need to question his brother's methods at the moment. It seemed pointless in the grand scheme of things. Huffing slightly, Takeshi turned back to his father, quickening his pace so that he was walking just behind the man but not even close to his side. "We train in the training hall, though."

"That is a place for basics." His father spoke coolly as if he knew his answer would frustrate his son but wasn't really bothered by it. "Ojii-san is well beyond basics." He finally turned his head and looked at his son out of the corner of his eyes. "As are you."

Takeshi froze in his tracks at the words and blinked back the surprise that had inhabited his golden eyes. "Really?" The corner of his lips started to twitch as if to smile.

"With that look on your face," Inuyasha commented as he walked passed the frozen boy. "I have to question your father's judgment."

"Hey!" Takeshi snarled and pinned his ears to his head even as his uncle snickered slightly. "That's not nice."

"Not in the least." Sesshoumaru agreed even as he kept walking. "But probably true." He continued off handedly, his agreement with Inuyasha making Takeshi blush. "Keep up pup and prove yourself."

"Hai, Chichiue." The boy grumbled and started to follow his elders once more feeling only slightly chastised. "They treat me like a little kid." He muttered to himself as he looked at his uncle and his father's back. For a moment he stared at the obvious height difference, his uncle's mixed heritage making him nearly a head taller than Takeshi's own father. It seemed odd to see someone taller than his father but, what was even odder, was realizing that he was far shorter than both of them. "Because you're a child and they're not." A tiny voice mocked him and he shook his head quickly to be rid of it.

Amused by his nephew, Inuyasha allowed himself to smile for the briefest of moments before focusing on the path ahead of them once more. In the distance, he could now just make out the edge of a clearing coming into view. The slight shadows of the forest dissipated at its edge, revealing bright sunlight that seemed to cover a patch of yellowed greenery mixed with snow. "Odd." He side glanced towards his brother, discerning that Sesshoumaru was looking at the clearing as well with just as scrupulous eyes. "A field?"

"Yes." Sesshoumaru nodded once even as he continued attentively down the path.

"So," Inuyasha raised one eyebrow as realization dawned on him. "We're training in open terrain."

"It is the most logical way to train." His brother countered before looking back at his son. Takeshi was walking slowly in their shadow, his ears still pressed to his head and his eyes narrowed in thought. "He's never trained this way before."

"Really?" The slightly younger demon cocked an eyebrow as if surprised. "He's been confined to the dojo?"

"Primarily." Sesshoumaru shrugged a bit and pulled his eyes away from his pup and back towards the quickly approaching field. "I wish him to see his faults now—he's old enough to learn, as you proved the other day."

Inuyasha clicked his tongue with understanding but stopped himself from remembering what had happened to his nephew when Kagome had been in the spirit realm. He had done the same thing to Miroku when the boy had been about the same age. "Right when they get cocky—," He smiled slightly as he remembered Miroku telling him he no longer needed training and was invincible. "You have to show them they're not as good as they thought they were." The smile shifted into a smirk as he remembered throwing a fourteen year old Miroku over board to teach him that very lesson. "Pup deserved it." He snickered slightly before licking his lips. "How are you gonna show him?"

Sesshoumaru didn't speak right away as they entered the clearing finally, the brightness of the sunshine making their pupils retract quickly. The clearing couldn't have been bigger than a few hundred yards in either direction but for battle practice it was more than enough room. Patches of snow lined mainly the outskirts of the clearing, leaving the middle patchy with yellow and brown grass, dead from the winter cold but fully prepared to come back to life once spring had arrived again.

Inuyasha stepped up beside his brother, his eyes roaming over the clearing only briefly before returning to the man, awaiting an answer to his earlier question. "Sess—." He started to say, wanting to remind his brother just in case his mind had wandered but, in the end, the reminder was largely unnecessary.

"I have two ways." Sesshoumaru told his brother as he stepped into the clearing, his eyes taking in the scenery with utter and complete scrutiny. "First, I wish him to see what his father can do." Sesshoumaru suddenly reached for Tetsusaiga at Inuyasha's hip yanking it from its sheath so quickly that Inuyasha's ears barely registered the sound. "And second," He turned on his heel, Inuyasha's own sword pointing directly at his own chin with deadly prepared aim. "I want him to see what a half breed can do!"

The sword swung so fast that Inuyasha barely had time to shift his weight into his heels and launch himself upwards. The blade didn't even catch a hair from his head as he propelled himself over his brother's head, flipping once in midair as the wind rushed around his body yanking at his hair and clothes. "What the hell, Sesshoumaru?" He yelled as he landed easily, although disgruntled, on his feet a few yards away. "Right when I start to trust you, you steal my sword and try to cut my head off?"

Sesshoumaru didn't say a word as he positioned his sword in front of himself once more, his eyes taking on a deadly coolness that made him look far more lethal than he already did naturally. Inuyasha tensed at the sight, his brain not quite processing why Sesshoumaru had attacked him but his body knowing immediately how to respond to such a emanate threat. Popping his neck, Inuyasha glared at his brother who had Tetsusaiga aimed directly at him once more his eyes narrowed with concentration. Inuyasha growled low in his throat as he widened his feet, connecting his body to the ground for stability as he glared daggers at the other man.

"Stupid," He told himself as he watched Sesshoumaru with sharp eyes, noting the way every muscle on the man's body contracted, preparing for the inevitable. "Stupid, stupid." He chanted while he stared at his brother, hatred that had just begun to dissipate forming in his heart once more. "Why did I bloody trust you!?" He yelled, the hurt making him hate himself just a little.

Tetsusaiga suddenly pulsed in Sesshoumaru's hands but Sesshoumaru admirably ignored the slight burning sensation that came from the sword's reaction to its rightful master's pain.

Having noticed the strange pulsation, the half demon dared to look down at the sword trying to absorb the hidden message; before he could think too long on the trembling blade, however, he heard the shift of dirt and the rush of wind.

The half demon's eyes snapped upwards within seconds, catching the blur that was his older brother charging him. The gleam of the sword in the sunlight didn't impress him at all as he tightened his hands into knifes with claws on the ends. Sesshoumaru brought the sword straight towards his hip, a predictable motion that Inuyasha could easily discern from a mile away, as was the problem with traditional sword practice. Predicting easily where the blade would fly, Inuyasha jumped up, tucking his feet under his body as the sword swept underneath him not even grazing his toes.

Much to his surprise, however, Sesshoumaru spun with the blade's momentum, turning his whole body in a complete circle while bringing the sword towards his hip once more. With the blade facing straight upwards, he roared driving it from his hip towards the bottom of Inuyasha's tucked feet. The younger demon felt his heart skip a beat as the force of the wind coming from the sheer speed of the blade hit his skin.

"Dodge!" He commanded his body and in midair threw his feet up in a back flip created only by pure will power.

Feet that should have been sliced in half went up over his head and backwards, the sword missing them by mere inches as he threw them over his head and then back towards the ground. Landing on his feet, his hair moving almost in slow motion around his body, he snarled and pushed off the ground with all the force he could muster. His eyes quickly scanned his brother taking in the blade as it moved upwards across the area where he had been only moments before leaving Sesshoumaru's side opened for attack. Drawing his hand back in a fist he prepared to attack the exposed flesh of his brother's ribs as he sailed forward moving so fast that a human would not have been able to see anything more than the blur of his clothes.

Sesshoumaru's demon eyes, however, were unhindered by the sheer speed of his brother. They snapped towards Inuyasha, watching as the other demon approached with slitted pupils. Without thought, he released his hand from the sword and caught Inuyasha's approaching punch with his bare palm. The momentum of his brother's attack made his feet slid backwards, dirt and snow and dead grass ripping up from the ground as the two brothers flew backwards a good four yards towards the edge of the clearing.

Leaving his fist captured, Inuyasha didn't even wait for them to stop moving before he pulled his other hand back and sent it directly towards Sesshoumaru's face. The older demon barely had time to think before the second punch connected with his jaw sending his face reeling to the side. "Kuso!" He cussed in Nihon-go, but didn't falter for even a second as he tightened his grip on Inuyasha's captured fist and clutching the sword tightly in his other hand pulled Inuyasha forward straight into its hilt.

The butt of the sword hit Inuyasha directly in the diaphragm, all the air in his lungs racing from his body. He coughed but didn't waver, his golden eyes sending such a fierce glare towards Sesshoumaru that the other man actually blinked for a second in surprise. He barely acknowledged the momentary surprise that crossed Sesshoumaru's face as he pulled his knee back tight against his chest before shooting it forward. The bottom of his heel hit Sesshoumaru right on the breast plate of his armor, the sound of the metal plating actually cracking filling the air. Sesshoumaru chocked for just a moment from the force of the hit, a bruise forming where the armor pressed into his skin, and released Inuyasha's hand from the force of the kick.

Seeing a chance to retreat and regroup, Inuyasha pushed off the ground and threw himself backwards towards the safety of the middle of the clearing. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the horrified face of Takeshi and could only imagine what was currently going through the boy's mind. "He's a good kid—," He thought absently as he stared at Sesshoumaru, watching as the demon placed both hands back on the sword and drew it towards his side, preparing to attack again. "With a bastard for a father."

He cracked his knuckles as that thought left his head and, ignoring the terrified Takeshi, leaned forward, placing his weight in the balls of his feet. He wasn't going to wait for Sesshoumaru to attack this time. With speed that seemed impossible for his breed, Inuyasha shot forward his hands at his sides seeming to drag behind him, his claws hidden and taunt ready to lash out and rip through the metal of Sesshoumaru's already cracked armor.

The older demon didn't even flinch as he raised the sword up over his head preparing for a vicious downward strike aimed right for Inuyasha's skull. Inuyasha snorted as if amused and, altering his plan, brought his wrists together creating a small X with his hands. Sesshoumaru brought the blade down with a growl echoing in the back of his throat. It swept through the air straight towards Inuyasha's fortified wrist and with disbelief, Sesshoumaru watched as the half demon caught the blade on the back of his hands without even so much as a wince from pain. Red and the scent of copper filled the air as the blade cut ever so slightly into Inuyasha's flesh, effectively blocking a much more dangerous hit to his head.

Not stopping even to release a curse, the half dog demon freed one of his hands from the biting blade and despite the blood that now coated his wrist sent a punch, unpredictably, towards Sesshoumaru's hand. The force of the hit made the full blooded demon's hands open from a combination of both pain and surprise, his grip on the sword loosening ever so slightly.

Realizing that this was his only chance, Inuyasha grasped Tetsusaiga's blade with his other hand, ignoring the sharpness of it as it sliced into his palms. He pulled it backwards just as he delivered a swift round house kick to Sesshoumaru's side to further loosen his grip. The older demon snarled with a mixture of fury and disbelief laced with what could only be strange pride as he felt the sword slip from his once strong grip.

If Inuyasha cared, however, he didn't let it be known as he jumped backwards once more, turning the blade over so that he was holding it properly as he sailed through the air. By the time he landed he had his bloody grip solidified and was pointing the deadly sharp edge of Tetsusaiga back at the very man who had took it from him only moments before. "You're done Sesshoumaru!" He yelled without preamble as he pointed the blade towards his brother's chin. He could just make out the evidence of a barely darkened bruise from his earlier punch to the jaw.

The older demon smiled strangely, the bruise darkening as his face tightened. "Do you feel it?"

"What?" Inuyasha knitted his eyebrows and glared more firmly at his brother.

"Do you feel it?" Sesshoumaru repeated as he dropped his hands to his sides leaving himself completely off guard.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to scream at the other man, so as to tell him exactly what he was feeling at the moment but before he could allow even a fraction of a sound out of his mouth, he felt Tetsusaiga pulse. It was faint at first, the sword seeming to tremble slightly in his grip but it grew stronger within seconds. His eyes fell towards the blade and he watched as it visibly shook, the curve of the steel turning a bright silver color in his bloody grip. "I feel it." He whispered more to himself than Sesshoumaru but the man must have actually heard.

"If you feel it," Sesshoumaru screamed suddenly, making Inuyasha's head snap upwards just in time to see a whole series of emotions take over his brother's face. Pain and fury and confidence and barely contained pride, the kind of pride that shows up on a father's face when he realizes his son has done something incredible. "Then you can connect with it, pup!"

"Connect—connect with it." He felt the words roll off his back as the pulsing of the sword began to change, growing faster and faster and closer and closer to his very soul as if the pulsing was a part of himself. "Connect with the sword—I—." His eyes grew wide as the feeling began to change, the scent of a man he had almost forgotten seeming to fill the clearing all around him. His heart stopped dead in his chest and his eyes grew huge as a distant barely contained memory surfaced in his head.

"This sword is a part of me Inuyasha—just like you are." His father smiled down at him as he held the Tesusaiga just out of Inuyasha's reach. "We're connected—," He looked at his son, all the love and pride that should be in a father's eyes swirling in his golden ones. "All of us—you, me, Sesshoumaru—this sword," Tetsusaiga seemed to glow at the words. "We are all connected by blood."

Inuyasha looked down at his bloody hands, realizing exactly what was happening now. "We're connected," His hands shook and his heart clenched and for a moment he felt more powerful than he ever had in his entire life. "This is—this pulsing—it's Otou-san."

A loud hiss entered the clearing, like fire and before Inuyasha's unseeing eyes, the once small and unassuming sword transformed, growing in length and width instantly. The half demon felt his hands shake in disbelief at the sight but he didn't have long to think about the transformation at all.

"Attack hanyou!" Sesshoumaru commanded from across the clearing. "Prove you're worth having Chichiue blood in your veins!"

The swords bit into him, and a strange connection he barely realized he had made jumped into his mind. "He's—is this a test?" He felt anger and hatred from the words cloud his judgment. "Fuck you," He screamed allowing his anger and pain from long ago to fuel his thoughts instead of logic. "Sesshoumaru!" His brother's name ripped from his throat just as he brought the sword up above his head in a wide sweeping arch before yanking it downwards.

Sesshoumaru quickly covered his face with his haori sleeves and closed his eyes against the onslaught of his brother's amazing and unnerving strength. The rush of heat instantly hit him and he felt his body fly backwards against his will. The sound of fire mixed with lightning nearly made him deaf and he gasped against the pounding in his head. Distantly, he could hear his son scream and for a momentary instance felt bad for making him suffer through the thought of his father being injured by his uncle—again (certainly not being killed, Sesshoumaru would never let himself be killed, he was too stubborn for that).

Sure enough, filled with shock at the edge of the clearing, Takeshi fell forward onto his knees in horror and amazement. He had heard about Tetsusaiga's power but only heard. The nursemaids and Akane-san told stories from the time when his grandfather was alive and his mother mentioned folktales she had heard in her childhood about the veracity of the man, then ruler of all of Nippon. In all of them, this very technique had been described: liquid fire which burns through the strongest armor and melts even demon flesh. He had always thought that the stories were exaggerated but standing here now, watching the bright golden tidal wave of demonic energy hitting his father with all the strength of a typhoon, he knew that the descriptions had all been understatements.

The power from the sword began to fade and completely baffled Inuyasha lowered the Tetsusaiga until the tip of the blade touched the ground in front of him. He starred at the scarred earth before him, the once slightly yellow green grass now burnt to solid black and the trees behind it torn down from the force of the wind for a good half a league. "Holy shit." He whispered as he tried not to blink as his eyes drifted towards his intended target, his brother Sesshoumaru, who was now standing in the middle of the giant black scorch mark.

The man's whole body was smoking, his protective demonic clothes were actually burned in places and his battle armor was practically melted, the metal still dripping like water instead of the solid it should have been. The younger demon could see parts of Sesshoumaru's flesh that were burned beyond recognition, his demonic blood already working to heal them, but not fast enough to disguise the magnitude of the wounds themselves. A normal human would be dead, no doubt, if they had been on the receiving end of such an attack; and a demon, without armor, would probably be at the very least close the death.

"Well done," Sesshoumaru whispered as he brought down his arms, his untouched face filled with something Inuyasha had only ever seen on his Eion, Paedar, Aengus, and his mother's features. "Inuyasha." He spoke the name slowly as if it was something sacred and honorable.

Inuyasha felt the sword go slack in his hands, falling from his fingertips and hitting the ground with his own amazement. "What—wh," He tried to speak but no words formed in his mouth. "I—did I," He starred at the slowly changing sword, watching with complete amazement as it turned back into a small piece of samurai weaponry. "I did that." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes." Sesshoumaru lowered his arms and pushed himself slowly back to his full height.

His clothes were already mending themselves and his flesh was doing the same. His armor, on the other hand, remained relatively useless and melted (probably because it lacked any demonic aura of its own and was just normal battle armor). He shook his head and for a moment winced as if in pain but the expression was fleeting and disappeared within seconds. Finally, he opened his golden eyes the dark honey color calm as he looked towards Inuyasha and for the first time since he had seen his brother bowed his head ever so slightly in recognition.

"You are our father's son." He spoke clearly and calmly as he raised his head back up and sent his brother an apologetic smile that seemed unnervingly strange on his normally expressionless face. "Of course I never doubted it."

"What the—," Inuyasha felt a bit dizzy as he tried to put together what the hell had just happened. "You—that was all on purpose!" He realized and narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You—you were goading me."

"I was." The older demon nodded his head and for a moment glanced down at his healing flesh, wincing ever so slightly. "It was the best way I could think of to bring out the power of Tetsusaiga."

Inuyasha felt as if he were about to snap and simply break the other man's neck. "Not a bad idea really." He growled to himself and shook his head quickly from side to side. "What the hell happened to just showing Takeshi that he's not as great as he think he is?"

"What?" Takeshi blinked several times at his uncle's words but both men ignored him.

"I did," Sesshoumaru shook his head a bit, some of his hair, which had been burned by the power of the sword, falling out much to his secret dismay. "Showing him was the byproduct of awakening your demon power."

"Awakening?"

"You were trained by humans, Ototou." He spoke calmly as he felt his flesh that had burned around his midsection begin to knit back together, a painful and unpleasant process.

"So?" Inuyasha growled low in his throat mistaking the fact for an insult.

"And to my knowledge your mother's father," Sesshoumaru hesitated and raised an eyebrow in thought. "Your grandfathers—all those men," He snorted slightly as he let the strangeness of his brother's other family simply wash over his back. "Never taught you about demonic weaponry, yes?"

"Yeah." The younger demon felt his guard beginning to waver of he realized exactly what Sesshoumaru had done. "He tricked me—he fucking tricked me."

"And since you hate meditating and it takes too much time anyway." Sesshoumaru looked at him straight in the eye trying to convey that this had been something done for the greater good and not because of any other reason. "I decided that rage, in this case, would be the best teacher."

Inuyasha opened his mouth as if to bite off Sesshoumaru's head but stopped himself. "He did this to teach me?" The young half demon felt sick as the words sank into him, a mixture of disbelief and actual understanding the only thing keeping him from shooting forward to kill the man. "You're a horrible teacher."

Sesshoumaru laughed at the words, actually laughed. The sound was loud in the clearing and strange and out of place coming from the lord of all of Nippon.

It unnerved Inuyasha for a moment as he watched his brother calm, gaining control over himself within seconds, the mask going back on as if it had never left. He narrowed his eyes as the sound began to ebb but he couldn't help but feel as if the sound was a lot more normal than he had ever interpreted. Somewhere in the back of his mind, almost four hundred years in the past, he could see this same man (albeit a little younger) laughing as he chased his younger brother, catching him and throwing him into the air. He could feel the wind in his ears and he could see the love in Sesshoumaru's eyes, so strange after so many years of believing the worst.

"Everything I ever thought was right—," He realized in that exact moment as he stared at his brother's strong and familiar face. "Is wrong."

"Don't assume this is the end of your training," Sesshoumaru sighed slightly and took a step towards his brother. "However."

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha blinked and turned his head slightly sideways not sure what his brother meant.

"Tetsusaiga," Sesshoumaru glanced down at the sword and sent it a strange smile that Inuyasha couldn't quite put together. The smile disappeared within seconds, replaced by the melancholic look that always seemed to encompass Sesshoumaru's face. "Is only the first step." He cleared his throat for a moment and closed his eyes as if to collect his thoughts. "You will master Tetsusaiga and then—you will master the next of Chichiue swords."

"There's more than one?" Inuyasha felt his jaw unclench, he had no memory of a second sword, at least not at the moment. "Otou-sama left more than one."

"Izayoi told me that if you master Tetsusaiga you would be strong enough to end this but it would come at the price of your life." He raised his head up slowly as if even in his mind he was building suspense. "I've had many years to think of this—of fate and how to change it." He stared straight at Inuyasha trying to burn into the other man's brain the veracity of his words. "And I realized something recently," The wind caught his charred clothes and pulled at his burned skin, yelling at him for what he was about to say. "She never said what would happen if you mastered the other sword as well."

-break-

Kagome stretched as she stood in the doorway of Inuyasha and her room, facing the back garden in nothing but her strange night gown—a yukata, they had called it. She wasn't sure what time it was but judging by the sun and the way it hung in the sky, it had to be nearing noon. "I slept half the day away." She mused but in the end couldn't blame herself. After the day they had yesterday it was only understandable that she take some time to actually sleep. "Truthfully, I haven't slept in five years," She tilted her head backwards the warmth of real sunshine caressing her face. "You don't sleep in the miko realm."

Out in the garden before her she heard the high pitched laughter of Mariko and Shippo as they played. At some point either the night before or during the early morning hours, snow had fallen and dusted the ground with at least a half inch layer of white powder. The two children had grown almost inconsolably excited at the sight: Mariko because she loved the snow and Shippo because he had never been allowed to play in it. The poor boy wasn't able to play in it on Shikuro, his job had been to scrap it away from the ropes and off the mast, which wasn't fun for a young boy at all.

Looking back on it now, Kagome felt bad for the boy having to work the way he did but that was part of the childhood one expected on a pirate ship. "Everyone has to work." She told herself as she crossed her arms over her chest and allowed her mind to drift to Sango and Miroku's children. "They'll grow up the same way, won't they?" She bit her lip as she imagined the two boys as they grew, Miroku's features with Sango's hair, adorable and most likely loud if their parents were any indication.

Out in the distance, Mariko squealed with laughter and Shippo whined from the pain the sound caused his head. "Not so loud!" He commanded as he sent a snowball flying in her direction.

The little girl dodged it easily and looked at Shippo with the most innocent and sweet expression Kagome had ever seen. "Oro?" She quipped and blinked not understanding a word the other child was saying.

A nearby nursemaid, who didn't understand English either, laughed at her sweet expression and clapped her hands together. Instantly, Mariko took this as a signal that the nursemaid was joining in on the snow battle and before the poor woman could even duck, she bent down to grab some snow, mashed it into a hasty ball, and threw it at the woman. The nursemaid shrieked and dodged the snowball easily, as she was demon in origin, causing the little girl to laugh once more her earlier confusion practically forgotten.

Realizing the shift in the game, Shippo hurriedly made his own snowball and charged the nurse as well, firing as many as he could as fast as he could towards the poor woman. "Charge!" He shouted and even though Mariko didn't understand the word, she still followed and together they ran their assault all while Kagome watched from the porch.

"Wouldn't it be nice," Kagome leaned against one of the beams that held up the porch as she thought. "To be a child again?"

"Kagome-sama?"

Kagome actually jumped at the sound of the sudden voice, her senses flaring as she realized she had let her guard down. Hands coming up in a defensive position, she actually growled as she whirled around one glowing hand ready to strike. She froze, however, as the sight of a startle Rin came into her vision. "Rin?" She whispered surprised as she lowered her hands down and shook her head quickly from side to side. "I'm so sorry—I didn't feel you—um—see you coming."

"Feel me?" Rin whispered having caught Kagome's slight slip up without a problem.

Kagome reddened slightly and raised her head up to look the other woman in the eye. "Yes."

"Part of your training was learning how to sense spirits, wasn't it?" Rin asked as she strode closer to Kagome not seeming to look perplexed or even nervous about Kagome's sudden admittance.

"It was." The younger girl responded slowly, almost methodically as she watched Rin look out towards the children a soft smile on her face as she watched them play.

"You're a true Miko now." Rin whispered as she folded her hands in the sleeves of her kimono, hiding them from the cold. "A fully trained one—you must even know your spirit guide."

"You know about spirit guides." Kagome's eyes widened and she blinked several times as Rin turned and looked at her with a slight smirk.

"I lived in a temple at one point—I was supposed to summon my own but the other miko of the temple died," She trailed off from a moment, the memories making her heart wince a bit. "So I never learned."

Kagome bowed her head a bit out of respect and forced herself not to jump into Rin's mind to see the memory. She knew that Rin had belonged to a miko temple at one point and that the girl had been saved by Sesshoumaru when a pack of wolf demons had sought out to destroy it. "I don't have to pry to know that." She nodded once firmly to herself and hoping to change the subject looked out towards the children. "Those two really get along, don't they?"

"Yes," Rin's serious face slipped into a proud one as she looked up at the children as well. "I'm glad Mariko has someone her own age to play with." She mentioned as she watched the two children terrorize the poor nursemaid with snowball after snowball. "Takeshi doesn't want to play baby games and the other children—well—they're scared of hurting her."

"But she's a demon?" The younger woman quickly protested as she looked at Rin a bit stupefied.

"They think Sesshoumaru would kill them if she got hurt." Rin answered with an amused shrug of her shoulders that made Kagome giggle.

"I'm sure he would too."

"I have no doubts." Rin agreed as she slowly lowered herself down onto the patio dangling her feet off the side.

Kagome followed her example moments later, the thin yukata she had been given to sleep in moving fair easier than Rin's thick kimono. "Still," She shivered slightly as she made sure the robe was closed tightly around her body. "I bet that thick thing is a lot warmer than this flimsy night gown."

"Kodomo," Akane's voice suddenly broke through the sounds of laughter and play. "No o bentō!"

"Lunch." Kagome realized and for just a moment thought about the slight empty feeling in her stomach. "I didn't eat breakfast—well—I guess today lunch would be breakfast."

"What's your nekomata like?" The older woman suddenly spoke breaking up Kagome's thoughts as she absently kicked her feet. "Is it true they're all girls?" She didn't look at Kagome as she asked the question, unable to or perhaps too scared to see the look that crossed Kagome's face.

"It is." Kagome answered slowly, amazed that Rin would know such a thing. "But she did live in a temple—," She mused as she watched Shippo and Mariko run towards Akane-san stopping their torture so they could feast on strange Nippon food in the nursery. "They probably told her all about them but she was never old enough to learn to summon one."

"Wow—," Rin smiled and closed her eyes as her mind wondered. "I've never seen one except in paintings."

Kagome bit her inner cheek and without warning, dropped her feet down to the ground so that she was standing in the light layer of snow. "Would you like to meet one Rin?"

"What?"

"I—I don't," She shifted from foot to foot the snow crunching underneath her heels loudly. "I mean—I have no idea how to teach you to summon your own." She raised her palms up flat in the air as if to show Rin that she had no idea how to accomplish such a lesson. "Should I tell her—that I met hers?" She gulped slightly and with a deep breath decided against telling Rin such a thing. "But I can summon mine—would you like to meet her?"

Rin's eyes widened with amazement and her whole face took on a childlike quality that made Kagome's heart nearly burst. "I could meet one?" Her feet slipped off the edge of the porch as well, a soft crunch echoing in the air as she landed in the snow. "A nekomata?"

"Yes." The fully realized miko nodded and tried to hide her amusement behind a barely contained smile. "I can call her here for a short while." She glanced towards the now vacant garden, the child having already made it inside for lunch. "Too bad—they probably would have enjoyed Kilala." She frowned slightly but didn't bother to ask Rin if they should go get the children. "There will always be time later for them to meet her—I need to make sure Inuyasha meets her as well." She stepped away from Rin a bit as she thought, her eyes scanning the ground for a good place to stand. "And Sango and Miroku as well."

Eagerly, the older woman watched Kagome as she walked a few steps away from the house, her grey eyes studying the terrain for reasons unknown to the only partially trained miko. From her spot standing just in front of the porch, she leaned forward soft brown eyes watching Kagome's every move with utter concentration. "She might not be able to teach me," She told herself as she brought her hands up in front of her, clasping them together. "But I can at least try to learn by watching."

Now at least ten feet away from the other miko and the small house, Kagome took a deep and calming breath. Even though this would be her first time summoning Kilala, she had no doubts about her ability to accomplish the task. "Compared to some of the things I've done—this—this shouldn't be a problem." She told herself as she rolled her shoulders and brought her hands, palm down, in front of her.

Kagome allowed her power to swirl inside her, the warmth of it instantly warming her chilled body and her cold yukata. She felt her hair dance around her head grazing her forehead and playing with her ears. Exhaling slowly, the allowed her mind to wonder over Kilala's features. She focused first on the soft whiteness of her fur, offset by the streaks of black that coated part of her paws and mane. She thought of the nekomata's eyes next, imagining the swirling grey of her own eyes on the face of that large white and black striped creature. They stormed with power as they seemed to blink in Kagome's head, almost as if they were already coming to life inside her mind.

"Kilala." She thought the name, the picture of Kilala dipping from her head into her heart as she sent the word into existence and into all the spirits that inhabited that continuation. She felt the spirits pass on the thought, weaving it through this world and into others, which even she would not be able to go to until she died. "An event that isn't too far away." She warned herself without managing to lose her focus in the least as she pushed the thought further into the world.

Kilala's name seemed to echo through the trees around her, spirits that had been long since dead immerging from bushes and piles of snow. They crawled onto the earth, Rin's somewhat trained eyes watching them with shock. "Spirits?" She gasped, her hand flying up to cover her heart as tiny tree spirits began to dance in the leaves around them, singing soft songs that only the gifted could hear. "They're everywhere." She blinked her large dark eyes as she stared at the tiny creatures that seemed to come forth from every angle of the world.

They were tiny and large, some dark and some as white as the melting snow. Others still were green and one tiny spirit, no larger than an ink well was vibrant orange sticking out amongst the greens, whites, browns, and even blues of the others. The tiny orange spirit had formed on the branch of a nearby dormant sakura tree, a ball of iridescent light that barely took any shape other than a sphere. To Rin's eyes, however, she could make out a tiny face and little arms and legs as it jumped from the tree branch to the ground, spinning in the air as if the wind had caught it on the way down.

A name floated from its mouth as it spun in the wind, its sharp eyes taking on a more distinct shape as it looked directly at Rin. "She's coming." The words went forth into the world as the little spirit completely disappeared from it.

The whispered sound touched Rin's heart making her feel almost a little dizzy as she stepped backwards. The back of her knee hit the porch and losing her balance she landed on her backside, sitting as she had been moments before. "Kagome?" The name rushed out of her mouth as she felt Kagome's power wrap around her, gently trying to tell her that she shouldn't worry.

"Kilala." The younger woman said the name and with practiced grace, so unnatural for her to possess, reached out one of her hands. She opened her fingers wide, spreading them as far apart as they could go, her palm facing the woods in front of them. Within seconds, the outline of what seemed to be a ghost began to form against her the tips of those long appendages.

Rin's mouth fell opened as she watched another miko bring their spirit guide into the world for the first time in nearly three hundred or more years. The creature started out as nothing more than a fuzzy apparition with no color at all about her but within seconds the whiteness of fur began to take shape followed by the darkness of heavily contrasting black. With strength she didn't know she had, Rin pushed herself up off the porch and whimpered as the creature began to solidify, the fur actually moving with the breeze that was racing around the garden.

Rin stared at the large creature, her eyes widening with sweet connection as Kilala suddenly opened one large eye staring directly at the Miko. "Grey." Rin thought as she forced herself to stand her ground and not back away from the frightening intensity of Kilala's eyes. The grey swirled in them, so much like Kagome's that it was almost unnerving. "She has your eyes." Rin whispered as the little spirits all around them began to dance silently rejoicing in Kilala's return to their world.

Kagome smiled at their peculiar celebration but didn't comment on them as she looked back at Rin over her shoulder. "Or maybe," She whispered as she dropped her hand away from Kilala's head showing a diamond shape that was on her forehead. "I have hers." She shrugged as she slipped forward and hugged the beast, her cheek laying against the softness of the creature's fur. "Hello—Kilala."

"The source of all our power." Rin whispered as she took a cautious step forward, bowing her head so she didn't look Kilala in the eye. "Hello great spirit." She whispered in greeting but didn't raise her head just yet.

Kilala pulled away from Kagome as her ears twitched on her head from the greeting. Sniffing, the nekomata tilted her head to the side and glanced at Kagome questioningly. Kagome shrugged in response and signaled with just her chin for Kilala to approach the stranger. Obeying her mistress without any fuss, Kilala stepped forward, her now solid paws feeling the coldness of the snow but her fur allowing her to live with such a sensation.

Rin stiffened with something similar to fear as she saw the large paws move towards her but didn't raise her eyes to see the rest of the beast. Instead, she waited patiently holding back a giggle as she felt the tickle of the demon cat's nose against the exposed top of her head. The creature sniffed her once, then twice before shaking its great head and releasing a series of mews followed by a long continual and content purr.

Blinking with surprise, Rin raised her head just in time to receive a rough wet lick to her forehead. The woman laughed instantly and winced before pulling herself away. "Arigato." She thanked Kilala strangely and the beast released a sound similar to laughter before she leaned forward and pressed her muzzle against Rin's hand. The woman smiled sweetly and began to pet the supernatural creature. "It's so strange," She whispered as she ran her fingers through the soft fur. "To believe that somewhere out there—," She raised her head and looked at Kagome with amazement in her eyes. "There's one for me too."

"One for every Miko born." Kagome whispered as Kilala turned and sent her a strange look but didn't move away from Rin's caressing fingers. "I called you here for Rin." She explained and the cat demon let out a strange little hump sound that reminded Rin of a put out teenager. "Well—sor-rr-yy—," Kagome dragged out the sound in almost a mocking way as she crossed her arms and humped as well. "I didn't know you were doing something important without me."

The cat demon huffed and deliberately turned away from Kagome, leaning against Rin as if to make the other Miko jealous.

"Really?" Kagome narrowed her eyes and snorted. "Big baby."

Rin laughed easily at the sight and looked from the pouting cat she was petting to Kagome. "She behaves like a teenager, huh?" She asked not expecting Kilala to quickly pull away from her and actually glare but there was no malice behind the expression.

"She is a reflection of me." Kagome offered with a little laugh of her own as Kilala trotted towards her, snubbing Rin now. The young girl wrapped her arms around the nekomata instantly, holding her with tenderness as she lost herself to the feeling of completeness that came from being near the creature.

"The other half of your soul." Rin supplied as she stared at the creature, a little feeling of jealousy welling up within her as she thought of her own, a distant unknown figure, she longed to meet.

"Yes." Kagome nodded and pulled away, petting one of Kilala's ears easily. "She can't stay in this world long without a purpose." She whispered as she watched the cat demon eyeing her strangely. "What is it?" She asked but the cat didn't reply either in her mind or with any other outward sign. Instead, Kilala simply leaned her great head against Kagome's stomach and rubbed for a few seconds. "Weirdo." Kagome mumbled as she continued to pet the large beast's head to make her happy, ignoring the odd way Kilala sniffed at her waist and rubbed against her hip.

"I remember that lesson." Rin whispered as she too watched the strange creature's behave, knowing and not knowing why Kilala was behaving so strangely. "Our world weakens their power because they were not made to stay in our realm."

"Exactly," Kagome agreed even as her heart ached a bit at the prospect of letting her guide leave. "We spent five years as each other's only constant companion." She told herself as she leaned forward and planted a little kiss to Kilala's muzzle. "It's only natural to be sad to live without her constant presence." She sighed and closed her eyes as the demon meowed like a kitten, knowing what Kagome had to do. "Bye, be safe," Kagome whispered as Kilala began to slip back into the miko realm. "Kilala."

Rin watched as the demon disappeared back into a world she hoped to visit one day. "Goodbye." She whispered as the beast turned and looked at her one last time, her grey eyes the only thing that seemed to still be solid as she slipped away. The look in them made Rin freeze, her whole body going ridged as the spirit seemed to convey something into her very heart. Hidden inside her kimono sleeve, the letter Kaede had given her began to burn her very skin and she inhaled sharply. "How?" She started to whisper but Kilala was already gone.

"Rin?" Kagome answered instead as she straightened and sent her friend a funny look, not quite sure why the girl seemed so off balance. "What's wrong?"

Feeling as if Kilala's eyes were still on her, Rin turned and looked at Kagome, her own brown eyes filled with turbulent emotions. "There's something," She felt compelled to speak as her hand dipped inside her wide kimono sleeves almost against her will. "I need to give you Kagome." She finished, her fingers grasping the letter, which had gone suddenly cold, bringing it forth.

"Really?" Kagome blinked actually surprised that she hadn't realized that before. "Oh—okay?" Kagome watched as Rin pulled out a strange envelope from her sleeve, the edges of it were worn and the overall color of what she could assume had once been white material was now yellowed from time spent cooped up or in the sun. The wax seal, darkened by age, was cracked in places but still sturdy enough to keep the letter closed.

The older woman fingered it carefully for a moment before silently turning it over so that the name on the other side could be seen.

Kagome O'loinsigh

Kagome tilted her head as she looked at the words. Even though she knew this was technically her name now it seemed somewhat strange to be looking at the words. "Who—who sent it?"

"I don't know." Rin lied and, even with her limited training, managed to keep the feel of her dishonesty away from Kagome. With surprisingly steady hands, she stretched out her arms towards the girl, waiting for her to take the letter out of her own hands.

Looking unpredictably unsure, Kagome licked her lips and with nervous looking fingers, reached towards the letter. Her fingers encompassed the letter within seconds and she gasped as she felt a surge of power go from it into her body. It swirled within her, the feeling unlike anything she had ever thought to feel. It was calming and nervous and anxious and warm and empathetic all at once. She felt tears spring to her eyes for reasons she would never know and gulping yanked the letter from Rin's grasp and pulled it to her heart. She pressed it against her flesh there and closing her eyes breathed through her nose to calm herself.

"Open it Kagome." Rin whispered, ignoring the sight of the other girl's tears and slight distress having expected them to come from making contact with such a precious object.

Lifting her head up and sniffling Kagome managed to nod before obeying the woman's words. Pulling the letter away from herself, she looked down at her name for only an instant, the beauty of the perfect calligraphy warming her soul. "Such—such beautiful hand writing." She whispered more to herself than to Rin or the letter. Containing her strange tears, she gulped back a lump that had formed in her throat and flipped the letter over so that she could see the wax seal.

It gleamed a bit in the morning light and she licked her lips somehow knowing that the words inside would he more terrifying than breaking the seal would be. Just managing to control herself, she slipped a nail underneath the wax seal and with great control separated it from the paper. A soft pop and a slight ripping noise entered the air and she shook a little for reasons she couldn't even begin to comprehend.

"What's wrong with me—it's just a letter." She told herself and stared at the opened paper, the now freed wax seal almost mocking her. "But—I can feel it—the person who wrote this, I can feel them, their pain, their suffering, their—their hope." Her stomach tightened but she ignored it and her thoughts as well. With shaky fingers, she pushed the letter opened and stared at the contents with wide unnerved eyes.

Across from her, Rin worried her hands together as she watched Kagome's swirling eyes widen with unnatural horror. "Kagome?" She stepped forward, reaching out from the girl wanting to rip the letter from the other woman's hands so as to read it herself. "What could it possibly say?" She asked herself as she thought of every horrific thing Kaede could have revealed to the girl. "Does it mention Inuyasha's death or—?" She pushed the thoughts away from herself not wanting to even address the horrific possibilities of what could be contained in such a letter.

Not even the least bit aware of her sister-in-law's thoughts, Kagome looked, fixated, at the short contents of the letter. With each word she felt her whole world begin to topple, flipping upside down and backwards as she tried to comprehend exactly what she was reading and what it meant. "Everything," The word flickered into existence within her mind's eye, dancing about as if it wished to mock her. It was followed by the quickly fluttering words, "You know," and then lastly, strangely and incomprehensibly by the words, "Is wrong."

"Everything you know is wrong."

"Kagome—," Rin pressed as she stepped forward and reached out to the girl, grabbing for her arm. "What's it say?"

Kagome didn't flinch or move as Rin's finger's grasped her forearm, her eyes only stared at the page in wonder. "Everything I know is wrong." She repeated in her head, the words echoing about her like a mocking, screaming banshee. "What—?" Images of Izayoi flashed into her mind instantly, reminders of her impending death making her dizzy. "Does it mean—what I'm doing—changing fate is wrong?" Her hands shook and she lowered the letter without acknowledging Rin in the least. "No—that can't be wrong—this is just a stupid letter." She shook her head but something within her screamed as she tried to deny the letters authenticity.

"Kagome-sama?" Rin tried again as she looked not at Kagome but at the letter tilted in her hands. She still couldn't quite make out the words even as she pushed herself to her tiptoes to see them. "What does it say?"

Kagome, once again, didn't answer. Instead she swallowed slowly, her mind racing with information. "It's just a stupid letter." She told herself again but the thoughts did nothing to make her feel as if she were speaking the truth. She felt a surge of power from the paper and surprised, raised it back up looking at it with astonishment as the words shimmered brightly as if they were angry at her. "Everything you know is wrong!" They flashed bright red and Kagome dropped the letter as if it were on fire, her heart hammering in her chest as she felt the instant lack of spiritual connection. "It's alive?"

"What!?" Rin reached forward and grabbed the letter before it could hit the ground, her eyes filled with her own amazement that Kagome had let it fall. "What is—?" She turned the letter over in her hand and froze. "It's blank." She frowned darkly not quite comprehending what the fact that the letter said absolutely nothing. "That just doesn't make—."

"I have to go." Kagome spoke so quickly that Rin actually didn't hear her. Reaching for the letter, Kagome ripped it from Rin's hand not bothering with any sort of apology for her rash actions as she turned on her heel. With speed that would have impressed a demon Kagome's feet took off from underneath her, her mind not even processing Rin's following scream. With hasty fingers she through a barrier around her body, making sure it disguised not only appearance from mortals such as Rin but her scent as well. "Thanks, Izayoi."

Running as fast as she possibly could, Kagome barely noticed as she entered the forest. The trees around her were nothing but a large blur as she ducked and dodged them easily, the fact they had been arranged in an orchard format making it easy to do. Bushes brushed against her legs and little spirits came out from their hiding places curious of her movements. She ran right passed them, her breath coming in quick short intakes as she made her way blindly through the forest. In truth, she had no idea where she was going, she only knew that she had to leave, she had to run, she had to think and there was no way she could think with Rin present.

"I'm sorry Rin," She told herself as she jumped over a root, her feet landing hard on the other side without stopping. "I just—I don't want you to get mixed up in this." She closed her eyes at the thoughts but, as was common with Kagome, it became another classic mistake.

Not able to see her path, she gasped as a tree root suddenly reached up (literally, reached up) and caught her foot sending her face first into the ground. She cried out as her body hit the earth, the letter slipping from her hands and her barrier falling as she tumbled head over heel from the force of the impact. She winced as her knees were scrapped along with her elbows and her back as she somersaulted before skidding along the orchard floor until finally coming to a complete stop against a nearby tree.

"Ow." She whined as she laid perfectly still on her side knowing better than to move after such a fall. "I train and train and I'm still clumsy as hell." Her legs started to ache as she tried to make her head stop spinning and her lungs actually burned from the veracity of her run. Carefully, she pushed herself up, wincing as her cuts and scrapes were pulled taunt from the move. "Oh—that wasn't smart." She groaned as she rubbed her head and allowed herself to lean against the tree she had, well, run into.

"That was quite a fall," A tiny voice spoke making Kagome's eyes snap open. "Miss Dresmont."

The young girl nearly sprang to her feet prepared to defend herself from the strange voice but the quickness of her movement made her head spin and she sank back to the ground. "Ow." She whined as her body ached and her head continued to spin. "I'm having such an off day." She concluded as she forced her eyes opened. The small deer trail she had fallen into came into focus slowly and she winced as the light coming in from the trees above her hurt her brain. "Who's there?" She managed to ask only to hear a soft boyish chuckle, similar to Shippo's. "Shippo?"

"Nope."

She blinked and forced her eyes to focus as she looked around the clearing. It only took her a moment to finally find the source of the sound, standing just on the outskirts of the clearing. A little spirit with dark eyes and curly black hair stood on the clearings very edge, his tiny eyes filled with mirth as he looked at her, peeking out from behind a tree.

"You're not just living for you anymore you know." He told her as he closed those dark eyes and tilted his head slightly to the side, speaking words Kagome didn't quite understand. "You have to be careful."

"It's you." She whispered from the sight of him, recognizing him with ease as she allowed his strange phrasing to simply wash over her back. "The spirit that's been following me."

The child nodded as if to confirm what she had said. "You're not scared of me anymore?" He asked as he slowly made his way out from behind the dark cheery bark.

"No," Kagome told him honestly as she leaned against the tree, still not quite prepared to stand up. "I'm sorry I was before." She told him slowly as she allowed her aching head to lean against the soft bark with a sigh. "I wasn't accustomed to spirits then."

The child smiled at her as he crossed the dirt path, looking around himself carefully. "That's understandable." He whispered as he looked out around the trees as if prepared for something or someone to appear but no one did. "Why were you running?"

Kagome opened her mouth quickly as if she knew the answer but snapped it shut within seconds. She blinked and brought a hand up to her head, rubbing at a bump that was forming there. "I don't know." She finally answered honestly. "I just—," she started to look down at the letter only to realize it wasn't in her hand. Frantically, she looked all around until her eyes quickly landed on the harmless piece of paper laying a few feet away. "That—can you," She motioned towards the paper wanting the child to hand it to her. "Get that."

The boy looked down at the paper, his eyes widening from the sight of it and quickly shook his head no.

Surprised, Kagome stared at him, the feeling of fear that seeped off his body making her shift awkwardly but she didn't question him. Groaning, she scooted towards the letter on her butt, not bothering to stand up as she made her way across the little path until she was able to simply reach for it on her own. It warmed in her hand, the aches in her body actually cooling as a wave of energy which was not her own encompassed her.

The child hissed at the sight and quickly moved backwards. "Magic."

"Energy." Kagome corrected while raising an eyebrow at the little boy. "Someone—with control of their energy must have created this letter."

The boy shook his head and sent her a suspicious look. "Spirits don't like energy."

"But all you are is energy?" Kagome laughed but there was little mirth in the sound.

"True." The spirit replied but didn't say anything as he eyed the letter in Kagome's hand carefully. "Did—did whoever sent the letter upset you?"

"Um—I guess." Kagome allowed her hand to drop, holding onto the letter tightly even as she contemplated burning it with her power. "Yeah—they did." She shook her head quickly and raised up her face towards the spirit sending him a soft smile. "But it's not important—um—thank you," She allowed the smile to grow wider, ignoring the letter for now in favor of concentrating on the little spirit. "I never got a chance to say it before."

The spirit bowed slightly and sent her a tiny grin on his own little face. "No," He shook his head a little as he looked down at the ground. "Thank you, Kagome," He inhaled slowly, his tiny chest expanding from the amount of air he forced into his lungs. "For seeing me." He exhaled as he spoke and raised up his head, looking at her with large black eyes that made Kagome's heart stop in her chest. "I had been following you for a long time—waiting for you to see."

Kagome froze but from not his words; instead, she froze because of his eyes. There was something about the blackness in them, accompanied with strange gentleness that reminded her of someone. "I know those eyes." She realized and tilted her head in confusion but still couldn't place them. "I'm sorry I didn't see you before."

"You weren't ready yet." He gave her an excuse she hadn't asked for as he slowly looked around the clearing as if he were seeing the world for the first time.

"Oh—I guess I needed the training first." She whispered not quite sure what else to say.

"Well," He shrugged a bit and finally looked back at Kagome again, those dark eyes haunting. "It's hard to see through the mask I wear."

"Mask?" Kagome felt taken aback by his words and also by the pain she saw brimming in his eyes, barely controlled.

"Everyone wears a mask," He whispered and looked away from her as if he had been unable to make eye contact any longer. "But some are far harder to actually break down than others." He laughed as if what he had said was a joke. "You have a knack for it, Kagome." He smiled and closed his eyes, offering her a wide smile full of healthy teeth. "Breaking masks." He nodded once as his eyes slowly opened, sparkling with possibilities. "I've seen you do it several times."

Kagome opened her mouth to argue, not able to quite understand what he was saying but he stopped her by raising his hand, the motion so authoritative that she snapped her mouth closed.

"You see through everyone you meet." He continued to explain as he looked down at the letter in her hand for a moment before pulling his eyes back up. "It's a natural gift, part of empathy—even when you weren't trained you could do it." He bit his lip and chewed for a moment before sighing as if bothered by what he was about to say. "Inuyasha—you saw right through him," He looked directly at her, the mirth in his eyes becoming clouded by a different emotion: jealousy. "It barely took a month and you saw right through him." He snorted to himself and crossed his small arms over his chest. "When you saw his eyes, you knew him—maybe he's just easy to read."

"I—." Kagome tried to defend herself even though she wasn't too sure what she was defending herself from.

"You saw through Sango, more than once, and even Miroku from the very start, you knew there was something off about his relationship with her." He cut her off easily raising up his dark eyes to look at her. "And Shippo—you knew he was a good kid in a bad place." He spoke quickly as name started leaving his mouth so fast that Kagome could barely keep up. "And then Jinenji and his mother, you saw through them without even trying—and let's not mention Onaconah and his brother."

Feeling dizzy once more Kagome tried to hold up a hand to halt the mental assault but he didn't stop. "Please, how do you know all of this?"

He looked straight at her but didn't reply. "And you don't just see them—you change them." He pressed further, his pale skin reddening as he spoke. "Kouga and the man who imprisoned Kohaku." He continued on, holding up a hand as if to count off how many people he had named. "You changed them all with the spirit in your heart—you saw them and you knew the truth they did not want you to know." He stomped his foot and dropped his hand as if aggravated by her. "You even did it the moment you met the great Sesshoumaru." He rolled his eyes as if he were being sarcastic. "So many mask—so many life experiences only you have ever seen."

"Spirit," Kagome held up her other hand trying to surrender or the very least get him to listen. "Please—tell me how you know this?"

"You've seen all these people, changed all these people!" He screamed at her, actually screamed, tears running down his face. "But you never saw me!"

"I see you." Kagome spoke hastily as her eyes widening with surprise. "I see you." She said again as her dark pupils took in the pain filled expression on his face. He looked as if he had been tortured, beaten down until he had simply exploded with rage. "What happened to you?" She wanted to ask but refrained as she finally pushed herself to her feet, keeping her hands in front of herself. "I see you right now," She whispered the words softly as she allowed the energy deep inside her to form in her hands, using it not for destruction but to put forth a calming aura. "So please—," She pushed that aura forward, wanting nothing more than to calm the poor child as his eyes overflowed with tears. "Please calm down."

He hiccupped at her words and brought a hand up quickly to cover his face. "I'm sorry." He managed to say although it was hard to hear as it was muffled by his sleeve. "I just—I need your help." He lowered his hand and looked at her, the desperation in his eyes taking Kagome's very breath away. "Please help me."

"I will," Kagome approached him slowly, her calming energy making the little spirit sniffle as his heart calmed. "I will do everything in my power to help you."

The child nodded once slowly as wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Do you—do you promise?"

"Yes, I promise, just—," Kagome reached out not quite sure if she could actually touch a spirit in this realm so she hesitated stopping her hand midair. "Tell me what you need me to do."

He raised his own hand then, his eyes briefly looking at her hovering fingers staring at them as if he knew their greater purpose. "See me Kagome." The child raised his head with such deliberate slowness that Kagome knew his next words would not be ones she could easily accept. "Touch my soul," He paused and her grey eyes swirled as they stared into his solid black ones, so dark that even his pupils could not be distinguished from his irises. "And you will know." The words echoed all around them just as the child pressed his small hand against her own.

End of Chapter

Please Review

A/N: And so starts Inuyasha's training and Kagome finally reading the letter and figuring out what's up with ghost boy. By the way, thank you reviewers this past chapter! You have some great insight into the complexity of the characters in this story. I loved your thoughts on their motivations and your ideas regarding the 'vicious cycle' that seems to be repeating for our main characters and their lives. Thank you for your wonder thoughts and for sharing them with me! I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and that it gave you even further ideas! You're all amazing.

Bonus Point:

Who do you believe the ghost child is?

Last Chapter's Bonus Point:

Answer was bathhouse. I wanted the hair cutting scene to be in their but to make it happen wasn't logical and was time consuming. Congrats to the participants!

AiydanWarrior, Menarie, kittyzluvme1234, Cagome, Glon Morski,

Next Chapter

Heaven and Hell

See you then!

UNEDITED

POSTED

9/10/2014