Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Okay firstly thanks to my beta Tsuki Ai for correcting it, and also big thanks to my reviewers: MissShelz, dinopoodle, darksilvercloud, petitefeeme, BlackDog616.

Now enjoy!

Chapter 7- Learning thy past

Kagome sat quietly while Sesshoumaru drove the car through the streets of Tokyo. If they were still in Tokyo, but she doubted it; they were in the car long enough to leave the city. They hadn't exchanged even one word after the moment Sesshoumaru decided to carry her from her home, and strangely, she was quite comfortable with that situation. Whatever he had planned for her, she didn't feel like it was something terribly bad.

Her train of thought ended when the car started to slow down, and in the next moment the engine was turned off. She heard the man exit the car, and then her door opened. Slowly she went out only to shiver when the coldness of the night swept over her.

"Follow."

The daiyoukai took a few steps, only to stop and turn around. The miko stood in the same spot trembling and looking ridiculous in her childish pajamas. Perhaps, he should've insisted that she changed it for some more appropriate clothes. 'Whatever. It's too late to correct it anyway.'

Clearing his thoughts, his eyes returned to the young woman.

"Miko, I told you something." Kagome snorted with irritation.

"And how I'm supposed to follow you? You didn't bother to take my cane with you. Just to remind you: I'm blind!"

For a moment, Sesshoumaru felt guilty. He had forgotten that fact. In his eyes, she was still the little miko with the ridiculous clothes that followed his half-brother, hunting Naraku and looking for a shard of the Shikon Jewel. The same miko that pulled Tetsusaiga from its resting place and glared at him after he tried to kill her.

Well, she was still glaring at him, but this time her strange colored eyes were blank. He took a few steps closer to her, but she backed into the car. He was slightly confused by her actions. Was she actually afraid of him?

"Miko—" She shook her head and extended her hand to him.

"Give me your arm," she said quietly. His eyes narrowed at her.

"Why?"

"I need someone to guide me. You will be my eyes." Sesshoumaru stood for a moment unmoving, weighting his decision. Finally he came closer and grabbed her hand. He guided the small appendage until it rested under his right arm. He heard the woman breathe a little sigh of relief as she adjusted her hold on him.

Slowly, he started to walk, taking smaller steps to match her pace. Of course it was also slowed down by the fact that she still wore some pinkish, fluffy slippers. However he said nothing about it. Somehow he knew that any proposition from his side about changing the walking arrangement would be highly unwelcome.

Eventually they arrived to the office and Sesshoumaru closed the door after them. In no time, Kagome was sitting comfortably in a chair covered by the jacket the youkai lord gave her for warmth and to preserve the last pieces of her modesty. Not that it would stop her from blushing.

Ignoring her embarrassment, Sesshoumaru sat on his chair and for the long time, simply stared at the woman. He was taking a big risk here and he actually wasn't looking forward to the long talk they would have in a few moments.

On her side, Kagome was beginning to get bored of the silence. If he dragged her all that way just to sit there without saying one word, she was simply going to fall asleep. That's why she finally decided to speak.

"Where are we?" she asked curiously, bringing the man from his thoughts.

"You're in my office. It's safe to speak here."

"And we need to speak?"

"Indeed."

"Okay, so speak then." Sesshoumaru closed his eyes in annoyance, the gesture he knew she couldn't see, before clearing his throat and leaning in his chair comfortably.

"You asked me why you were attacked now when you do not carry the Shikon Jewel." Kagome nodded tightening her grip on the jacket. She had a feeling it wasn't going to be a nice, little story.

"The answer is easy. This youkai was a part of the group that pursues to destroy all humans that has any trace of sacred powers in them. They belong to different species and clans. Some of them have lived through the last few centuries, other are far younger. There are few that hold real powers. Mostly they're weaklings; however they are the best of the best killers. They rarely fail. You were lucky to survive." Kagome gasped at his words as the dark realization crept over her. Someone had sent a killer after her. She shivered at the thought.

"B-B... but w-why?" she asked with a weak voice. Sesshoumaru sighed quietly.

"It started in the Azuchi-Momoyama period, by a single human, who desired power no less than Naraku. His name was Oda Nobunaga." The miko shook again, bringing the jacket closer to her body, even though it couldn't protect her from the chill that ran down her body.

"That man was a nuance from the day he was born, but when he grew older he became dangerous. He wanted land to rule and in his wars he also attacked the monks. I'm sure you have heard how he destroyed Enryjaku-ji." Kagome nodded remembering the event from her history lessons.

"Yes, he... he defeated their army, killed the monks and burned the shrines."

"Exactly. By doing this, he had unbalanced the state of powers in the world." He paused for a moment, allowing the miko to take in the information before continuing.

"What kind of powers?" Kagome asked.

"Everything in the world is built on the balance, the opposites. The balance for youki is reyouki, the powers that can destroy each other. When Nobunaga started to kill the monks and mikos that balance was destroyed. In consequence, some of the youkais decided it was how it should be. They started to kill others that possessed holy powers; some of them even joined Nobunaga's army to continue killing and terrorizing humans. In the beginning of the Edo period the number of monks, and mikos were so small that we had to take some steps to stop the process."

"We?" asked Kagome arching her eyebrow.

"The three lords of the lands." The girl frowned, thinking over something. He allowed her, waiting patiently for the question he knew would come next.

"I thought there were four lands." Sesshoumaru nodded. He had once again forgotten she couldn't see him doing so. The lord frowned at himself. 'With the way her eyes are trained on me, it's easy to forget she's blind. It's like she is looking right at me.' He quickly shook himself of his thoughts.

"Indeed miko, there were four lands until Nobunaga rose." The girl licked her dry lips.

"What happened?"

"The Lord of the East was very young when Nobunaga started to rise in his powers. He took alliance with him believing he wished to unite Japan. Nobunaga tricked him; he took over his army and then killed him and the rest of his clan. The eastern shiro was burned, but thankfully, once the soldiers learned about the man's betrayal they fled from his service. But the East was lost."

Kagome closed her eyes in terror. That man wasn't human, but a beast. She was almost ashamed that she once thought he was a great man. She could even remember that one time after she started her travels with Inuyasha that she mistook someone for him. If she remembered correctly, it was a young samurai who wished to save his beloved princess from her husband. 'Right, he was madly in love with her, and her husband was possessed by a toad. He had almost eaten her!' She shook her head. It was hard to learn what Nobunaga's true character was.

"What did you do?" she asked after some time.

"We decided to protect those who remained and their offspring. Also, we started to search for those who were hunting them. By that time, everything changed. The science and technology increased their power and the belief that the youkai race was just another myth spread. It was also the time we went into hiding. But with that, they believed that someone possessed special powers also rose, and at the end of Meiji period, only some of the oldest priests and mikos knew they had it. Now it's also one of the myths."

Kagome nodded. She didn't believe in youkais either until her fifteen birthday.

"So what are you doing now? Are you still protecting them? How do you know if someone has or doesn't have holy powers?"

"We are keeping tracks of the lines that have anything to do with it and we are testing them after their birth. Then we are giving them their own guardians, their shadows for life. You're... an acceptation." Kagome huffed in annoyance. Great, she was sick of being different from others. Couldn't she for once be normal, like she always wanted to?

"How so?" she asked anyway. The inuyoukai sighed.

"You're one of that we are not aware about. I have checked the files until the Muromachi period; your family has never had anything to do with holy powers. When the shrine was built, your family was the keepers of it, but never anything more." The miko frowned.

"Then why the hell am I a miko?"

"You're a reincarnation. It's something we cannot track. Your ancestor died without passing their powers. But the power isn't something that can disappear, it had to return. So, the power of your ancestor was reborn in you with some part of her soul."

Kagome was cringing through the whole explanation. She never liked when people called her a reincarnation. Sure she made peace with Kikyou, but that didn't change the fact that she didn't like to be compared to her. She was herself, not Kikyou, but Kagome. Clear and simple.

"But, if you didn't know I'm a miko, how did they found out?"

"By the feel of your power," Sesshoumaru replied looking at the woman. It was plainly obvious she didn't have any idea what he meant, so he decided that a longer explanation was in order.

"Because of society's disbelief in things, one's powers usually lay dormant throughout his or her life. If they're not used, they're undetected. But if they're used, even if the being does not use it consciously, it shows in his aura. You're one of these cases. After all miko, you have used your powers for a long time. There is no way for you to hide them from the world."

At that point Kagome felt like bouncing her head on a wall. She just hated her luck. She had fell into the well, only to be scolded by Inuyasha that she wasn't trained, and now after all she had go through, the fact that, even if untrained, she had used her power was going to get her killed. Great, just wonderful. Of course Sesshoumaru had more things to add to her misery. She almost jumped of her skin when she heard him speak again.

"I suppose the fact that you had contact with the Shikon Jewel also helped in releasing your powers."

"How?" she asked weakly. Oh kami she was tired.

"How did you get into possession of the Jewel?" he asked. Kagome sighed at the memory of that fated day. If not for that stupid Mistress Centipede things would've gone so differently.

"I was born with it," she answered. "On my 15 birthday I was pulled through time by a youkai that sensed it in me. She bit it out from my side and after one of the youkai attacks I shattered the Jewel. By accident of course," she added quickly, smiling innocently. Well she was innocent; who would guess that the stupid arrow would strike not the youkai, but the Jewel? Hell, not her.

Sesshoumaru nodded to himself.

"Did you protect yourself from the first attack?" Kagome nodded giving him a positive reply.

"Then it was the Jewel that released your powers by strengthening them. Centuries ago, when a child was born the village monk or miko who assisted the birth could check if it possessed any power. If they did, from the early years they were put into training to release them, because as time pass it gets harder. Normally it's impossible for those who reached their tenth year to use them."

Kagome's head started to ache. She had felt this kind of pain two times in her life. The first time was when she fell into the well and discovered that what she always thought was myth was truth. The second time was when the doctor told her she has no chance to see ever again. Every event shattered her world, leaving her to gather all the pieces and rebuild it from the beginning. What Sesshoumaru just told her did the same thing.

There were still a lot of questions, doubts, but now she wasn't able to put them into words in order to voice them. Feeling defeated and very tired, she leaned on her bent hands and tried to calm her irregular breaths.

"B-but... ho—" she tried to ask when the man interrupted her.

"It's enough for today miko. I don't doubt you have a lot of questions, but you heard enough for now. You must allow yourself to adjust to the things you have heard, I shall answer the rest of it when you are ready. However, there is one more thing I need to discuss with you tonight." Deciding he had a point in what he said, the dark haired woman nodded giving her agreement to hear what he had to say.

"Miko..."

oOoOoOoOo

In a dark place, a pair of golden eyes slowly slid open. Where was this place he was now? Where was his lady? How did he come to be here?

Somewhere behind him he heard movement and a stranger's scent entered his nose. A scent that spoke of malice. He tried to growl, but only a small whine escaped from his throat. The figure growled.

"Count your stars doggie; if not for my daughter, I would wring your neck." The dog once again tried to growl, but he failed. The figure muttered something, before turning on his heel and leaving him alone.

The animal closed his tired eyes. He needed to run away; he needed to go back to his lady. He could feel she was in danger and he wasn't there to protect her. With one last whine, Inuyasha fell into troubled sleep.

AN: Okay I know the chapter leaves a lot of questions, but don't worry it will be answered later. Now, please leave me some review, show me I'm not writing only for five or seven readers, okay? Thankies =)