JeniNeji:

Thanks Cheszka, you are the best beta reader ever, people must envy me.

Here comes the last chapter of this story, there's the second part, it's on its way, I will continue to post here, as I normally do. Read JeniNeji's (me) note at the end of the story, it's important.

I want to make an announcement here…

i will not post the next part unless i've received a significant amount of reviews. i repeat, i will not post.

I think I deserve more reviews, and to know the opinions of all of you. Thanks and forgive me for my harsh ways.

DisClaiMeR: I don't own Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Sesshomaru, Naraku, Midoriko, Inu no Taisho, but I do own some other characters that you very well know…I think you are starting to know them, right?

When the Past is the Future…

Chapter 10:

The End of the Beginning, and the beginning of the Future

The nymphs had given them enough time to rest. Unfortunately, it seemed like they had also made the enemy fiercer; now many puppets and few more demons were coming to attack. Thankfully, they had somehow adjusted themselves to fight vehemently against the puppets. They were getting the hint and destroying them easier.

The battle stopped for a moment. Silence was the only answer they received. The chilling breeze passed them silently and a bad feeling began to rise within the tiny group. It had all been so quick that they were left with nothing more than their suspicions.

Cautiously, they searched with their powers for any kind of peril, but sensed none. The stress of battle began to fade and happiness once again grew in the hearts. The nymphs sheathed their weapons, and Midoriko sheathed her sword, smiling as she let herself fall in the soft grass. She couldn't help the feeling of repulsion as she opened one of her brown eyes and saw the remaining of demon pieces surrounding her. Inu no Taisho transformed his Tetsusaiga to its old rusty form and began to stretch his already sore muscles. They had finally defeated the puppets.

Midoriko took the Cursed Jewel in her hand and raised it to her eyes, feeling a little twitch of pain. She couldn't do less but admire Kagome's control of her emotions. The truth was, however, that she never believed the Jewel needed so much miko energy to maintain its purity. It has been a hard task, Kagome had Kagome had energy resources, many of them, and she kept them for almost six days. She couldn't help but comparing herself to Kagome. Perhaps, even as a miko, her heart was not as pure as it should be... Falling in love with Inu no Taisho had darkened her heart, somewhat.

It had been long since he had felt like this. The feeling of winning a hard battle; it had been so long since anyone had drained so much of his energy. He even doubted his Tetsusaiga just for a single moment. The sword was perfect, it had everything he always wanted, but it wasn't undefeatable. He turned to Midoriko, the reason for him forging the sword. She made him forge it to protect humans, to show that he would be a fair ruler. He needed demons, but he also needed humans if he wished for a long term.

The sound of flowing tears brought his attention to Midoriko. He decided to go to her and relieve her a little of whatever that was paining her. He had been with her for years now, and she had slowly become one of the very few beings that were irreplaceable to him. She was his miko, his left hand warrior, equally strong as his right hand warrior, Sesshomaru.

As he walked towards Midoriko, he watched as the younger nymph, the one with short, curly white hair, Meredith's sibling. This nymph, who had rainbow eyes and snowy hair, held his hand tightly. He lowered his golden eyes to the little nymph's blue ones and ruffled her hair.

"What is it, little one?" he asked her kindly. She just crumpled her face a little, but said nothing. She just tightened her grasp and closed her eyes shut.

It was then, that he felt a demonic aura approaching. Inu no Taisho gritted his fangs in anger and let go of a frustrated wail. He saw as Midoriko tiredly rose from the grass and sadly opened her eyes. He saw as she looked at the horizon in defeat, and he felt his angst rise as he watched her. She was nearing her limits, and he wouldn't lose her. She was going to live for many years more.

Meredith shouted something in an ancient language that he, an old dog demon, did not understand. He saw as the nymphs took their weapons and ran to various spots in the field making a formation. They stood proud and certain, ready to face the incoming enemy.

He felt admiration for them. These females were full of strength and he was going to back them up as much as he could, he wasn't going to abandon them. He took Tetsusaiga out of his sheath and held it with his right hand in front of him. He made a silent prayer to the sword and then proceeded to pass his left hand in the sharp blade, his blood covering Tetsusaiga. As the blood ran over the sword, Tetsusaiga resounded with strength and its pulsing became furious. The sword roaring with might in its own way as it recognized its master's blood pouring through.

Inu no Taisho prepared himself, and calmly waited for the enemy to show. The sight that appeared in the distance made his gut explode in hatred. The half demon he met when he saved Kagome was standing defiantly in the far horizon of the forest.

The little nymph of white short hair tensed considerably and her aura became erratic. Inu no Taisho still held his eyes to the half demon. The nymphs dug their feet strong in the ground, preparing themselves to hold the impacts that could come.

Naraku stood there, looking at his surroundings. Things had changed since he last checked. He couldn't find Kagome anywhere and the Jewel was now in Midoriko's possession. Inu no Taisho was no longer out of reinforcements, and they all seemed quite strong. Anger arose in his heart; everything was going out of his control. It surprised him a bit to see a child in the battle field, a young demoness. But he ignored that; he had to put more attention to Inu no Taisho.

He began to charge energy in the back of his mind, storing it there as he casted a spell mentally. He then worked in transferring the stored energy all the way to his fingertips. After that, he smirked when he felt the magic burn his fingers and a purple hue began to taint the air around his right hand. He locked his target, Inu no Taisho, and released the energy against him.

Inu no Taisho just had to smile, the foolish half demon thought he could harm him by using such weak magic tricks. He found it hilarious and it irked him at the same time. He despised the being in front of him, and he was going to take nature's law and prevent that half demon from continuing to steal such precious oxygen. He raised Tetsusaiga to use a Wind Scar when a desperate warning invaded the air. He turned in a matter of half a second to the nymph; she was screaming, and realized she was the girl with rainbow eyes. She was running with all her might towards him. He watched once again as Naraku's magic came nearer and became confused.

However, it all came back to him in a second, as if he were suddenly doused in cold water. A rush of wild energy burned his back and pierced it. He felt as a giant force was breaking him, and he believed to have known, for the first time, the greatest pain. But he was wrong, Naraku's magic reaching him, combined with the first force was the worst pain ever.

In the middle of everything, he could just understand the sound of Midoriko's pained screams and a fearful cry, other than that, only a strong energy nearing. He felt his being disappearing, disassociating from everything he ever knew. He felt his soul getting away from his body and his mind very as lightly as the wind.

Sesshomaru felt a hard hunch. He walked out of his room, something was making him anxious. He passed the stone hallway and reached the stairs. He went up the stairs until he finally made it to the tower. Finally at the top, he expanded his eyes to the horizon. He could feel an aura, a dark one, but he couldn't find the source and it unnerved him. He never allowed danger to reach his castle, less his sister.

A silhouette on a hill caught his attention, and he growled deep in his throat. He hurried down the tower passing Sephira. He exchanged a knowing look with her and she nodded. She walked away to the east, where Momo's room was, her grace and might clear on her relaxed and strong steps. He went on, and as soon as his feet were on land, he summoned the cloud under his feet and ran towards the direction where he last saw the spy. He finally caught up with the intruder, but his quarry swiftly ran into the forest, and Sesshomaru had to run once again.

He followed the intruder, eyes were not necessary right now. He knew that scent. The scent of the half demon, Naraku. He had found him, the castle had been exposed, the spy could not be allowed to live.

Inu no Taisho awoke, his senses on high alert and he didn't just open his eyes. He was startled, and jumped up with a transformed Tetsusaiga. His eyes were an intense, dark red and his clothes were drenched in blood. His arms felt heavier than he remembered, and the pain was almost unbearable. As no danger was apparent in his surroundings, little by little, his instincts began to fade away and he let himself fall to the floor. He then moved his left hand and pressed on his right shoulder, trying to stop the blood that was flowing from his wound.

A soft whine demanded to be let out, but he stubbornly refused to let it. He was utterly confused. He didn't remember the events that led him to this fate. He tried his best to remain calm and give his mind some rest, therefore, hoping his memory would return. But it was useless. The only thing that came was a darkness that he gratefully welcomed, allowing himself to fall asleep.

The nymphs were falling back. Meredith did all she could, as the leader of the group she had to fight, she had the duty to protect her warriors. She ran to her little sister, she was terribly worried for her; even when she was responsible for many of the injured nymphs.

She avoided an explosion, it had been dangerously close. She turned to see another nymph falling, while the remaining three parted to avoid further attacks. At a near distance, the three began to charge against the half demon. Meredith watched as they easily made their way to him, but she saw, with deep pain, as they screamed when they collided against a barrier.

The half demon, that she knew was Naraku, walked forward to one of the nymphs with all the intention of giving her the final blow. She was torn between going to the nymph's aid or to her sister. However, her decision was made instantly, when the miko who was traveling with Inu no Taisho sent a blast of pure energy to the half demon, making him retreat instantly to avoid the risk of being purified to the core. Naraku set his enraged red eyes to the miko, who just looked at him, his lips closed to almost a thin line. "Nymph", Midoriko called forth to Meredith. The white-haired nymph of rainbow eyes quickly turned to the miko "Deal with the little one, or else, I will" she demanded as she once again prepared to attack Naraku. The nymph nodded seriously and turned to the little nymph, Amerth, her younger sister.

Meredith ran to her sister and away from the battle against Naraku. A wave of magic shook her from her run and she turned just in time to see Naraku's attack against one of the nymphs that was already lying on the floor. The nymph then stood and moved away from the magical attack, but another wave came and connected with the first one, causing an explosion. The nymph fell, injured by the blast, but still alive.

Meredith hurried her pace to Amerth, she wished for no more uncertainties during battle. She needed to do something to stop it. As she ran, she saw Amerth locking eyes with her and then screamed in horror. She went on running, unsure of what was happening, but still eager to protect her sister from anything that might hurt her. What she didn't expect was the giant wave of power that her younger sister released herself, and all that energy exploded on her chest and face. She did not expect to feel a second magical attack blast her back. She felt her limbs go weak, and her insides going cold as she fell to the floor. She felt the degree of her wounds as she hit the grass below her, and she felt, firsthand for a very long time, fear. Endless fear as she saw the pool of blood that was beginning to form under her.

The painful and frightened scream of her sister kept her from fainting. She knew Amerth. She was suffering this as much as she was; she was too young for these kind of battles. She had felt so proud of her younger sister's abilities, and her progress in training, when she had asked for her assistance. Why did this have to happen? She was the only culprit. She, Meredith, had committed this horrible mistake and all the others were paying for it.

Meredith heard hurried steps nearing her, and she did nothing. There was nothing she could do anyway. But, when she saw Amerth suddenly stopping, and heard a gasp escaping her little lips, she felt her heart stop. Amerth cried once again and Meredith felt the magic coming closer. She closed her eyes in fear, but no pain came. Instead, a splash of blood came to her face. She opened her eyes wide and saw Amerth fall to her knees, her face was burned by the impact of the magic and her forehead had a severe injury that was bleeding, tainting her short white hair. She tried to stand and help her younger sister, but she couldn't. She saw as Amerth once again screamed frightfully, and she witnessed as a magical counterattack left her young sibling's body, but instantly returned to herself, hitting her full-force. Meredith screamed in pain, the kind of pain that invaded the heart when a loved one was injured. But then, she cried to the top of her lungs when her sister's body collapsed to the floor, when it was hit by a second wave, a magic attack of purple color that came from the half demon. Amerth had fallen as well, the half demon had attacked her.

Surprisingly, Amerth managed to sit once again, Meredith could only stare in disbelief. Amerth stood, with shaky legs, and Meredith realized it. The young one had always trained with magic. Her master in magic was ruthless, she must have gotten accustomed being hit by strong attacks. The little girl ran away as fast as her weak legs could take her, and as she did, her sister couldn't hold the tears. Amerth was so young; she deserved a better life than this one, even when her possibilities of happiness were limited since her birth; when Daphne had been forced to give her to Apollo, to pay a debt. That was the reason of Amerth's training, so she could fight the ruthless god.

Naraku sent a blast once again and the little nymph fell to the floor in pain, then she responded unconsciously with her own magical blast. The blast collided with another nymph and Amerth broke into tears.

Midoriko screamed in horror as the blast exploded on another nymph. She couldn't understand why the little one was attacking the other nymphs, neither why she would even dare attack Inu no Taisho. She was worried about him, he vanished completely…Tensega had taken him away from his near death experience, what meant he was badly injured, and he was hopefully alone and unattended.

She couldn't concentrate on her blows, on her enemy nor in her surroundings. Her heart was aching and her soul was crying. She saw as Naraku once again dodged another blast of pure energy, and she gritted her teeth in anger. There was a little voice on the back of her mind, or in the deepest part of her heart, saying just one little thing: You are going to die, tonight. Sadly, she gave the voice some credit. She was tired, Inu no Taisho was no longer here and the nymphs were down.

A blast from her left disrupted her line of thought, as Naraku sent yet another blast of magic. She quickly cast on a barrier to protect her and she smiled when it successfully nullified Naraku's wave instantly. "Your tainted powers cannot pass my barrier, demon, or more accurate, half demon.." she stopped her words as a second wave crashed against her barrier, this one remained pushing her and she felt her feet being dragged. She moved aside as quickly as she could and the barrier passed. Midoriko fixed her resentful brown eyes on the younger nymph that was some meters away. Out of anger and frustration, she sent a full blast of miko energy to the nymph.

He had done it. At last, he was safe. Every single demon had to run for dearest life. He didn't know how many made it, but he was glad he did, that he still had her, and she still breathed. He reclined the half demoness in the base of the willow tree. He saw her for some moments, neither of them was in their best, but he was sure that they would manage.

She was indeed beautiful. She was covered in dried blood, but that didn't reduce her might. Her short black hair was as refined as the night sky that he adored. Her little hands that gave the false appearance of frailty made him ache to protect her, and her flowery scent made him want to sleep. He wasn't sure though, of his deepest feelings for her, but right now, he wanted her exactly where she was; peacefully sleeping near him.

He exhaled a breath he had been holding for a while. They were safe. Naraku wasn't following them. He moved to rest, reclined against the very same tree, so he turned toward the Wind Demoness. He pushed her softly and accommodated himself behind her, reclined against the tree and made way for her on his lap.

Unconsciously, he began to play with her black hair. Memories from his dragon companion were returning to life in his mind. His heart began to ache as he took notice of his loss. Naraku had injured him deeply, and he had been such a fool to let it happen. He sighed and rested his head against the tree. He felt his muscles relax, and he felt the pain of Naraku's injuries fading away slowly. He felt his head a little dizzy, after all, he had lost a significant amount of blood during battle.

A frightened sigh and a strong pull awoke him of his musings. He had to maneuver to keep his arms around the Wind Sorceress. He could feel her stress and made a hushed sound trying to calm her nerves.

Kagura turned, surprised to see the face she found. She had not expected to be welcomed by such a passive face, instead, she was waiting a hateful expression and a lot of pain to come, luckily, death as well. But not this: the Tiger demon Unno.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Unno closed it gently with his fingertips, making her keep silent. Kagura did nothing against his gentle treatment, she had to say that she was afraid of it; she wasn't accustomed to this. However, her heart gave a startled jump and once again she tried to break free of his arms. Naraku had her heart, she was going to die. Unno again forced her to remain in his arms. "Hush, my lady, I got a present for you" he said with a voice as smooth and simple as the wind; and Kagura could do nothing else but to comply.

He slowly turned her in his lap so she was facing him. He held his breath when her red- pinkish eyes locked in his. She was so beautiful that he had to reprimand himself for not noticing it before. She seemed to be lost in thought, lost in her senses and in this whole world. He put his hand around her neck gently to pull her to him, but the moment he touched her skin her eyes widened with live fear. He felt his heart fill with hatred towards the half demon that had abused of her as such. He tried another tactic, one that didn't involve touching her.

He took her heart in his hand and he extended it in front of her "Take it, it's yours" he said with a saddened smile on his face. Kagura took her eyes from him and quietly watched the pink orb in his hand. Her heart, the object that had made her a slave for so many years now, was finally in front of her. Her heart, but at the same time, the heart that had never been hers. It had never rested in her chest. She carefully took the orb in her hand and she marveled at its energy, was it her?

She softly escaped from his lap and took her heart with both her hands. "Thank You" she said softly and began to walk away to a cliff. A thousand things were making way in her mind, but she wasn't able to organize them. At last she was free; she was free as the wind.

Unno watched as the Wind Sorceress walked away from him. He saw as she gently rocked her heart against her chest, he also saw as her hair floated with the strong breeze. Somehow, he couldn't muster the strength to talk, and his heart was becoming pained by it. He wanted to tell her not to go, that he wanted her to remain here with him, that he wanted her to love him; that he wouldn't mistreat her like her previous lord, but none of those words came from his mouth. He just stared silently as the distance between the two of them widened every second more. She stopped on the edge of the cliff and he watched as the wind danced with her torn kimono. It just served to enhance her beauty. She seemed to be happy in that moment, and he was happy to have saved her heart.

Her eyes searched for him for a moment, the energy they released was far more than he had seen in her so far, and they were full of determination. He felt as if time stopped for a moment. He could see her hair floating with the wind and her eyes narrowing along with her sweet smile. It was then that he understood his fate. He was right, seconds later she gave the final step: the step that made her fall from the cliff to the deep abyss.

Tears began to fall from his eyes, making river paths on his cheeks. He was alone, he hadn't done nothing right. He was really alone. His dragon had left him, and now, she had decided to abandon him as well. Life and death, the decision of the heart, to live or to die. That was a heart was meant for, to decide.

Inu no Taisho stirred once again, with a feeling of restlessness in his heart. He stood and he felt his back ache with an inconsiderable amount of pain. He took a few steps to get accustomed to the pain. While he walked, images of the battle slowly returned to him. Images of Kagome and Sesshomaru. When Midoriko took the Jewel. When Kagome became a baby and Sesshomaru's look as he took Kagome away from the battlefield. He remembered when Meredith walked to the camp after following Sesshomaru, her report. Sesshomaru attempting to end the miko's life. He then remembered the half demon, and afterwards, pain. He smelled the air, trying to figure out his current location, but what he found disgusted him. He was far from the place where the battle was being held. Sadly, he didn't had a cloud that could take him to the battlefield like Sesshomaru had. He had to run, with a pained body and many bloody injuries.

He took a deep breath and dug his insides for determination, and then, he ran. Ran. He wasn't going to abandon his mission, and he was not going to abandon Midoriko to her fate. He liked both his hands, he didn't want his left hand warrior to abandon him. But he would have to work on her, she was losing her faith, he would have to train her once again.

Meredith had been only staring numbly for what seemed like ages, but for everyone else, it would seem like seconds. The body of her sister lay on the floor, lifeless. The blast from the miko that accompanied Inu no Taisho had killed her. She was dead. Amerth was dead.

She turned her eyes to the miko fighting Naraku. Her heart held a mix of many emotions as she watched the fight, that she couldn't clearly separate them. She tried to analyze the late events, as the leader she was. She tried as the emotional being she was, and as a sister. But somehow, her heart only screamed: Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!!

The loss of her sister was consuming her, and she couldn't stop herself from thinking it was all the miko's fault. They, the nymphs had protected her earlier, but she didn't do likewise, she just shot Amerth. Amerth was out of control, she was aware of that. But death was the fastest and most extreme method to stop her, there were other ways to solve that.

She managed to stand up, the blood on her white hair had dried and now it felt heavier. What was the worst was the pain, yet in her current state, that was the least of her worries. She walked to her sister, and healed her injuries. Her face had some burns, there was a bleeding wound on her head that had tainted her white hair as well. Yes, they were the only ones of their kind with white hair. Seeing her sister in that state made her heart turn icy and sand-like and she pressed her finger to the palm of her hand. She began to walk away from her sister. Pain was no longer stopping her, now it was giving her strength.

She walked until she reached a dying nymph, one of her companions. The other nymphs smiled weakly as she saw Meredith, her leader near her. However, that smile faded when she saw the depths of sorrow and pain that she had, and suddenly she was very aware of her surroundings, sounds, scents, the wind and bad feeling settled in her chest. She managed to let out a whimper almost a whispered "Meredith?" but soon was hushed and Meredith clawed her hand in the nymph's chest. A pained gasp was the last thing the dying nymph managed to do before leaving this world.

"So Midoriko, is the Jewel too much pressure on your shoulders? Just lend it to me" said the half demon as he pushed Midoriko's sword. He smirked as she managed to keep standing, but quickly doubled in pain and fell to her knees. She was exhausted, he knew she was reaching her limits. He had never before seen a miko in this state, and he was amused. It was quite a sight.

He felt something in his insides stir. 'Onigumo' he thought in disgust. The stupid man was truly obsessed with mikos. The worst thing was that he sensed those obsessions too, and he hated it. The feeling of the miko in his possession made him ambitious and clouded his judgment. He searched in her once again, but didn't sense her miko powers. She had been drained of her energy. He could easily capture her now, that must be an asset against Inu no Taisho.

He walked slowly to her, and he saw as she finally collapsed to the floor, her sword fell as well. A smirk appeared on his face as he reached the weak miko. He came to a halt in front of her, and took her hair in his fisted left hand. He raised her head to see her face, a pained expression was the perfect image he ever witnessed, and pleasure arose in his being. He then used his other arm to hold her under her left arm, let go of her hair and took her in his arms. Her arms dangled as he walked and her head rested in his shoulder as he walked away the same as when he came.

His plans were shattered, however. When the white haired nymph stomped on his way... her head was down and he couldn't see her eyes. He resumed his pace and freed his black aura, trying to intimidate her enough so she would just leave, but she didn't move. He didn't want to fight, he just wanted to go, but it seemed that he was bound to waste some of his time defeating the nymph.

He kept walking, with Midoriko still in his arms. The nymph lifted her face and her eyes fixed on the approaching demon. Naraku widened his eyes in surprise as he took on the nymph, she had changed. Her eyes were no longer rainbow colored, they were red, crying blood. Her face had gashes in many places and she trembled with uncontrolled power. Her aura and soul were flowing around her, so raw that he walked cautiously.

The possessed nymph dashed towards Naraku, with her bloody hands, but he merely raised a barrier around him. Yet, when the nymph's hand touched the barrier, it disappeared as if it never existed. Her hands dug on his shoulder, almost killing Midoriko if he hadn't moved her body. He locked his red eyes full of hatred on her bloodied ones and slowly raised his hand and took hold on her lower arm. While digging his nails into her flesh, she didn't twitch in pain. He was infuriated, and pressed down with more strength, but she just kept pushing her hand deeper in his flesh, making strangled sounds and whimpers of pain mixed with determination. His patience was growing thin and he ended her attack by breaking her arm. He saw as she gritted her teeth, and then, her eyes focused on the dark sky above and she moved forward; biting his neck and opening a wide wound. At the same time, she dug her other hand in Midoriko's armor and threw her away.

He looked as the miko's body flew away and hit the ground. He then yelled and grabbed nymph by the hair and threw her against a tree, making her crash against it. He kept his eyes on her and inspected his wound. A growl escaped his mouth as he noticed the amount of blood that was dripping from the wound. His eyes narrowed as she stood once again and hissed. Her body seemed to be unaffected. She ran, not towards him, but to Midoriko's sprawled form. Naraku's eyes widened as he followed after her, she jumped over Midoriko and began to punch her brutally, and Midoriko's almost unconscious form screamed in pain.

Naraku made his way to the injured miko and pushed the nymph away, and pressed her against the ground. He then pierced her chest with a blast of his magic. The other nymphs watched in horror as her leader was mesmerized by the half demon, but they only faced the horror of her fate, a betrayal for a nymph. To kill one of their fellow kind was the most painful way to die, the nymph was cursed as no other being alive on Earth.

The cursed nymph looked at Naraku's red eyes. She was in pain and crying. She slowly raised her hand, and Naraku just focused his bored eyes on her. Her gaze was set in determination once again. She tried to attack Naraku with her bare hand, but Naraku easily stopped her, crushed her hand, and took her by her hair then sent her flying. When she fell, she started to spit blood, the hole in her midriff bleeding nonstop. Her eyes softened as she saw her Amerth's body, and more red tears flowed from her eyes.

Naraku turned to the miko. She was now sitting, her arms supporting her body. Her black hair fell from her like a black curtain, and her sword was nowhere to be seen. She was breathing heavily, Naraku smirked at her useless efforts. He could feel the Jewel tainting her, as fear crept up in her heart, the fear of death was a great stimulant of the dark forces. He walked over to her, and he saw her tense as he walked towards her. He smirked internally at that, having her was going to be more fun than he thought.

"Hello Midoriko" he spoke in a seductive tone. Her fingers dug into the grass in reaction "Stay away from me half demon" she commanded him with a high voice, but it suddenly cracked out of exhaustion. "Now why would I? You are shivering…from cold I suppose, now don't you want me to make you a little warm?" he said mockingly and began to circle her, like a predator when it wants to play with its prey. Midoriko gathered some of her remaining strength and managed to stand, her arms holding a tree for support. Naraku's eyes gleamed in amazement, she was trying hard out of her fear for him, and he felt pleased to know that he incited such things in her. He walked to her and with one hand he took a chunk of her hair, and with the other, he trapped her in a painful grip. She let out an almost soundless scream of pain, and he smirked once more. Tonight, things were getting better for him.

He looked at her brown eyes, they were defiant, but were afraid as well. And he did something that his inner being had wanted for a long time. He kissed the miko. He couldn't hold himself, but now, he was starting to regret what he had done. He had thought that he would feel pleased at having her surrender at him. He had thought he would feel lust, that he would like making her feel pain. But he never thought that he would feel at peace, or like the taste of her mouth, that he would want to keep her to kiss her many times more. He let go of her hair, and tried to take her mouth closer to his. His kiss was soft, it was not as he had intended, he couldn't do it. He wanted to make her feel pain, but, he couldn't.

He felt his heart ache as she desperately tried to escape from his grip, to get him away from her. She pushed wildly at his chest, or when she tried to take his mouth away from hers. His grip became stronger in order to stop her, but then, he didn't understand what happened, but his arms lost their strength, his hands became numb, and she fell from his arms. Her brown eyes widened in terror and she screamed. It was then that he felt an uncontrollable pain, as he had never felt before. Not even Kagome's arrows had hurt him so much. Miko energy was running through his veins, they were burning every single part of him. He was hurting all over and lost control of his body. The hundreds of demons that lived inside of him were freed and he felt his body falling into pieces. He felt his existence fade away, shattered in many places.

In the middle of pain, and of his own surprise, he locked his red eyes to Midoriko's, and saw disgust and fright. He was a monster. He felt rage at her, it had been her who caused this. It was her, now making him feel pain, she had destroyed his body. This thought made many of the demons lunge at her. His will was the will of the demons that lived in him, and even when they were out right, they couldn't escape their imprisonment.

Midoriko screamed in horror as more than a dozen demons neared her, and she rolled to her side in a vain attempt to escape. She had to gather what little energy she had left to raise a barrier. She had problems keeping it, her miko energy was raw and hard to control. She began to stand, escaping was the best thing she could do right now, if she managed to do so.

Demons kept hitting her wall, they could feel the call of the Jewel. Now she knew the terror Kagome must have felt when so many demons attacked her with murderous intentions. She managed to stay up and began to walk away, her leg hurting, it seemed like when the nymph had thrown her she had injured it. She had given some few steps when a demoness landed in front of her. She gasped when her brown eyes locked with the demoness pink ones, she was the demoness that accompanied the half demon. The demoness smiled and took a fan from the insides of her white and blue kimono. "Dance of Blades" she said, and many slashes of wind shot from her fan to Midoriko. Midoriko gasped again and closed her eyes, she didn't want to see, she just hoped that her barrier could hold the demoness attacks. Seconds later, she heard the demons behind her howling in pain then opened her eyes. The demoness now smirked and ran past her. Midoriko stood paralyzed for a few seconds, but then turned to see the demoness killing her fellow kind. She heard her say another enchantment "Dance of the Dragon" and saw giant whirlwinds forms that killed more than a dozen demons.

She opened her mouth in surprise, the demoness' strength was formidable. So intent on watching the fight, she didn't feel any demon approaching her from underground….

Sesshomaru managed to kill the puppet. He watched as the baboon clothes became dust and were carried away by the wind. He was now passing the main gates of his father's castle. The guards nodded to him, but he simply ignored them. His feet touched the stairway, but he stopped. He turned to the direction where his father was still fighting. It was too far, and he couldn't feel the auras, he searched in the night sky for his father, but there weren't any signs of him. It seemed the battle was not over yet.

He hurried up the stairway and came to a halt in the stone hall, thinking about what to do next. Giggles resounded on the hallway and he decided to follow them. He stood for some moments in front of a very detailed, painted shogi door. After some moments, he slid the door open and walked in. He saw Lady Sephira sitting on a pile of soft cushions, her back was to him and she was looking out the window, awaiting for her partner's return. She didn't move when he entered, but he knew she had felt him.

He then turned to Momo. She was now dressed on her usual red, sleeveless shirt with a high neck and white pants. She was seated on cushions as well, holding Kagome's little hands to keep her sitting. Kagome had been dressed in a white sleeping dress, and her eyes were fixated--fixed on Momo. Kagome giggled to Momo's antics, and he couldn't help but let a smile cross his lips. Was this all right? He asked himself, should he hate her? Or let things flow?

While he thought about these things, Momo's yellow eyes stopped on him. "Brother" she called happily. She took Kagome in her arms and walked to him. He looked down at her, her yellow eyes were sparkling with happiness and he was glad that he had protected the castle today. She looked like a seven year old girl, even when she was born many decades ago. Her wavy silvery hair went down to her waist and her ears were pointed, like his, but they almost never were seen, her loose hair always hid them. She barely reached his thigh, she was very small, and he always found it hilarious that she had to raise her head so much to look at his eyes.

"How is your training doing, Momo?" he asked her casually, his eyes now on Kagome. He felt Momo's aura to be angry and uncomfortable. "Well brother, as always" she said tiredly. She was not very fond of her training; she had many other things in what she preferred to give her attention. Sesshomaru let a knowing smile appear on his lips. He saw that Kagome was looking straight at him, her wide blue eyes amazed and her left hand was inside her mouth. She looked funny. "So I guess then, that you are still in need of training, Momo, if it goes as always" he said mockingly. She huffed in anger "Why do I have to be strong for brother? I don't like to train" she complained and moved Kagome even closer, to her to make her brother look. Emphasizing that she was angry, she set her mouth to a thin line. Sesshomaru's eyes landed on her and he sighed. They always ended here, she was too stubborn. "Momo, you need to learn to protect yourself" he said with eyes closed and quickly raised his hand when he felt that she was going to talk "Remember that your are your father's daughter, and many seek to destroy us. And what's more, a demon always wishes for a strong mate. Do you not want to mate when you are older?" he asked her, finally opening his eyes to look at her. She scowled, "Brother, you are strong and you can protect me" she said stubbornly. "And about a mate, I'm strong, I'll be strong enough, and I will know about many other things, let him be the strong one" she said with an honest tone.

He just sighed again and looked at Kagome. Momo smiled. "I bet she will be a great friend" she said and Sesshomaru rose an eyebrow. "I always wanted to have someone to play…normally" she said, the last part meaning that she didn't like much the sparring games that Sesshomaru always made her play "She will be my new sister" she said with a grin. Sesshomaru shook his head and walked away.

"Sesshomaru" Lady Sephira's word made him halt his steps. He turned to see her still looking out of the window "Will we win?" she asked uncertain for the first time since he arrived. She turned her gaze away from the window and rounded him. Sesshomaru looked at her. "Without doubt" he said and began to walk away "The old man is just fine, as his swords, they were just many weaklings" he said and stopped in the entrance "I just hate deal with weaklings" he finished and disappeared through the hallway.

Lady Sephira turned once again to the window, she had a bad feeling, and sent a little prayer 'May Zeus be with you'.

Inu no Taisho finally arrived at the battlefield by crossing over the hill. He could feel many demons, and he didn't like that fact. The last thing he remembered, only the half demon was there, along with the nymphs and Midoriko. He was glad that he still felt Midoriko's aura. He felt some nymphs but their spirits seemed diminished. What had happened during his absence? He felt guilty, he didn't remember that time when he had fallen unconscious, he was stronger than that. He was the Lord of the Western Lands, he couldn't be weak now. Rage began to settle in his heart, the thought of being weak disturbed him.

He finally reached the top of the hill, and he looked down to the fight that was taking place. The Wind demoness was fighting a demon that had the face of Naraku, but his body was radically different. He saw many demons roaming the place, and his attention was drawn to the demoness again as whirlwinds appeared. He watched her for a moment. Then a scream resounded from the battlefield and he gasped as he saw Midoriko. She had been caught by a dragon, trapping her in its jaw, and he could feel her erratic aura. Then a blast of miko powers came from her and burned the demon's mouth.

He ran to her with his Tetsusaiga already transformed. His heart was being smashed as he saw the dragon shake his head and Midoriko screamed again in pain. He made a Wind Scar and killed many demons that where on the way to Midoriko, but as he ran, the Wind demoness' body landed forcefully on the floor making a hole. He looked at her and a gasp escaped him as he saw her weakened state. He then looked at where Midoriko was, and he saw that her gaze was on him. He stopped for a moment, and out of surprise, she was smiling, a smile that made him freeze. Her eyes seemed relaxed, content, but they scared him, the Great Inu no Taisho. Her eyes seemed tired, and unwilling, as if she had already accepted some fate.

So concentrated he had been on her that he didn't realize the half demon nearing him. Naraku sent another magical blast that burned his back. Inu no Taisho roared in anger and turned to the half demon. A Wind Scar shot from his sword and exploded the half demon to many pieces, but his head remained intact. He turned to see the half demon dashing towards him. He moved Tetsusaiga to his left hand and took Naraku's tentacles and threw him as far as his injured body could allow him. He then turned to Midoriko, this time, she was looking at him, but her eyes were different, her eyes were set hard and determined. He saw as a trail of blood was coming out of her mouth.

"Inu no Taisho" she yelled and he ran to her aid. "Take the demoness and run" she said, and placed her hand on her heart. She felt her legs growing numb, the pain of broken bones and shattered skin already disappearing because of the blood loss. She doubled in pain, and was mad at seeing that Inu no Taisho kept coming to her. She gasped as the dragon tightened its jaws and crushed her even more. "I'm sorry Kagome" she whispered and made a wish to the Jewel.

Inu no Taisho saw as the dragon was putting more pressure to Midoriko and he ran faster. He began to climb the multitude of demons to get to her. But suddenly, a wide, white magic spread over the battlefield, the source of the light being Midoriko herself. He stopped to look at her, but he couldn't make out her features, the light blinded him. As he felt the miko powers gathering around her, he ran for it. He ran as fast as he could down the columns of demons, he ran to the demoness and took her on his arms and kept running with all he could muster. He reached the top of the hill and looked down, the miko wave was purifying everything in its path. He measured the distance the purifying wave would reach, but had to run quickly downhill as the wave kept expanding. Minutes later, the wave disappeared.

He left the half demoness on the grass and walked again to the battlefield. There was mist, and the smell of burned flesh. Midoriko had never been able to purify so many demons before, so he had never smelled such a disaster. He kept walking down and he saw many demons turned to stone, and many of them were shattering. A big silhouette was seen trough the mist and he walked to it. The lower part of the demon was made of stone as well. He walked through the ominously quiet place with his senses on full alert. He highly disliked this place at the moment. He began to climb, and after some steps, he touched his own flesh, he hadn't turned to stone. He kept climbing, it was then that Midoriko's scent reached his nostrils. He quickened his pace as his heartbeat accelerated.

The sight that welcomed him made his throat go dry. Midoriko was still inside the dragon's mouth, her eyes were dull, and she was bleeding. He came closer and her eyes reacted turning to him. He remained still, not knowing what to expect from her, her senses were far from just gone. When a smile came across her face, he blinked "Inu..no Taisho sama" she whispered. He took her face and caressed her hair "Hush, Midoriko" he said his voice sounding worried. She kept her smile "Im sorry..for making you use Tensega again" she said, but gulped some of her own blood and coughed. He then smiled "Is not a problem, but you'll have to pay for that" he said with a nervous chuckle. He didn't like that he felt a gap in his chest. It was then that she expired, with a little smile on her face and her hair waving with the air.

Inu no Taisho took Tensega in his hand and awaited the usual pulse that accompanied it when he held it. He waited, but the pulse didn't come. He looked at the sword with a frown, then turned his eyes to Midoriko again. He moved his arm, making quick movements and held the sword still once again, this time neared to her, but it was no use, the sword didn't pulse with its characteristic beat. Without it, he couldn't see the soul taker form the underworld, and if he couldn't see them, he couldn't kill them. Fear began to make its way, he stood and tried once again "Beat, damn you" he yelled at the sword, the sword still didn't listen.

He looked at Midoriko's dead form and then at the sword. When he looked at the sword, he saw that just below his feet, the demon was turning to stone, when only minutes ago, there was flesh. He looked as the flesh slowly became stone, and he turned to Midoriko, she would become embedded to the stone if he didn't take her out. He closed his eyes and begged Tensega to respond to his call, but he only received a wave of sorrow and guilt. He looked again, and now Midoriko's armor was turning to stone. He screamed and tried to take Midoriko out, but couldn't. What was happening to him? He felt the part under his boot get stuck on the stone, and he realized that he, too, was becoming stone. He had to let go of Midoriko and jump away. He saw as she began to turn to stone, as it reached her heart and covered it, as it went further up to her neck and then to her face. He witnessed as she slowly became stone. He still couldn't believe it, this was not happening.

He climbed once again to Midoriko, the gems that she had attached to her forehead at the beginning of the battle had been craved to stone as well. He looked to her eyes, they were closed.

Midoriko's consciousness was floating away, falling to an endless cliff, but she was falling slowly, as if she were falling like a dry leaf or a feather. She smiled at the beautiful feeling. But her smile faded as she saw Inu no Taisho. He was suffering, she tried in vain to fly back to him, to swim, to run, but it was all useless. Why wasn't she there? Tensega! She thought desperately, but then, she stopped. Even mikos die, at these words, her sutra made its way to her thoughts. She closed her eyes again, and smiled.

He felt a pulse and looked with anger at Tensega, but then realized that it had not been the sword. An explosion erupted from Midoriko and he saw the Jewel being expelled from her chest. He saw as the magical object fell into a pile of stone statues where he supposed many demons had died with Midoriko's wave. He turned to her and saw the hole in her heart and his eyes glistened with unshed tears. He hid his face with his hair and he fisted his hands in held anger.

He jumped to the forest that was over the cliff at his left and disappeared, he escaped the battlefield without a second glance and ran, breaking everything in his path, forgetting about a certain precious item.

Kagura was awoken by the light of daybreak. She blinked many times to adjust her eyes. She slowly sat in the grass, she was hurting all over. She began to look to her surroundings, everything was destroyed, she remembered a forest being nearby, but it was no longer there. She stood and looked to the battlefield. She gasped, it had changed. There were many statues, the demons had turned to stone. She felt the wind change and looked to the direction where the wind moved. She saw a giant trail on the ground, as if someone had pushed something extremely heavy for a long time. She followed the trail to the cliff, that it now had something like a cave, but she didn't remember being there. She concentrated her eyes on the cliff, trying to remember last night's events. She tried harder, but she only remembered fighting Naraku. A frustrated scream made her turn to the entrance of the cave again. There she saw Inu no Taisho in a kneeling position. He threw his arms to the grown and hid his face. She felt the sadness that he emitted and she understood. Midoriko had died.

She walked away, the Demon's frustration was hurting her too much, and the guilt that was falling on her was crushing her soul. She tried, she did try. She tried to save Midoriko, only if she had been stronger. A lone tear escaped her eye.

She transformed her feather and flew away. She went through the skies, her pink eyes trying to take the images she had just seen away. Today, she was finally free, today she was one with the wind, but, what did she want to do? She smiled as a lone thought came to her.

After a long flight, she landed near a lake. She took her feather once again and put it on her hair. She smiled as she walked. "Hey" she called, and a certain tiger demon turned. As he took on her smiling features he took a breath and let it go, at last relaxed, and then, he smiled as well.

Inu no Taisho finally came out of his broken state, out enough to stand, out enough to walk to the cursed Jewel. He took the little Jewel in his hand and after inspecting it for some seconds, he put it on the ground once again. He then transformed his Tetsusaiga. He was going to break the cursed item once and for all. He raised his arms and then let Tetsusaiga fall to the Shikon Jewel, putting all his strength on his arms to finish the task. When Tetsusaiga touched the Jewel it was repulsed with such strength that it sent Inu no Taisho flying. Another frustrated growl left his hurting throat.

Destroyed, he took the Jewel once again and walked away from the battlefield. So distracted he was, that he did not hear something pulse in the place where the Jewel had been.

As he walked, he saw in the distance a body that had turned to stone. He guessed that it had been considerably far from Midoriko at the time. As he tiredly walked towards the body, he stopped abruptly. He saw what he thought was Meredith on the floor, a big hole on her midsection, she was lying on her front, but he could see a smile on her face, carved forever on stone. His heart sunk a little in guilt. He hadn't been able to protect her, he had greatly let down Lady Daphne. He had allowed this nymph to die.

He kept walking, and then he saw the body of the little nymph, that was the body he had seen. She hadn't turned to stone. As he looked at her face, he felt sad for the fate of the little one. He turned his back to her and began to walk, until he felt Tensega pulse. He looked down at the sword that was securely tied to his hip. He took it out and inspected it. The sword pulsed once again, and he turned to the little nymph. He saw the messenger from the underworld, chaining her little body. He walked to them, and killed him with Tensega.

Moments later, the little one opened her eyes and blinked in confusion. She looked at her surroundings with horror, she saw the place, it was a complete mess. Her eyes then landed on Inu no Taisho and she felt safe for a moment, until she saw that his gaze held a deep anger. She sat on the floor, eyes still on Inu no Taisho. She heard a mumble from him 'Why?'

Lady Daphne then appeared next to her in spirit. She came to Inu no Taisho, and he opened his eyes wide as he felt a soothing presence. Then he heard some words "You cannot go against fate more than three times" and then, the soothing presence was gone, as was the little nymph.

His eyes searched the place, but found nothing. He began to walk again, this time, to his castle. He just knew, it would take a long way to reach it, but he wanted to let all the things he was feeling along the way, and not in the castle. So he did, he walked as slow as he could.

She heard the wind whisper, she heard the quiet of the stars and she felt her heart jump. In her sleeping yukata, she rose from her futon and walked out of the room, looking at her daughter sleeping soundly and the baby at her side.

She slid down the hallway, and walked down some stairs. She came to be greeted by a giant shogi door. She took a deep breath and opened it. The light of the moon made her blink once, and she let out a breath she had been holding since she opened the door, as she recognized the figure that was looking out of the window. She didn't move, she just stood there, watching him. The scent of dried blood and sadness overwhelmed her, and she felt like falling to her knees and cry for him.

He turned. He examined the feminine figure that was standing on his door. Her hair fell in waves that reached her knees that were now hidden under her yukata. Her porcelain skin seemed to reflect the moonlight, and her pink eyes showed sympathy. He walked to her, slowly, and then stopped a few inches away.

She threw her arms around him, and he did as well, taking her as close as he could. He dug his face on her hair and took on her scent. They remained like that for minutes, until he broke the silence with a whisper "She's gone" were the only painful words that he said. She held him tighter. "I'm sorry" she said with a broken voice that meant she was on the verge of tears "I have a little one here, and she's beautiful" she said, now crying. He held her firmly now and began to sob on her hair, at last letting his heart scream to its limit.

After what appeared to be hours, Sephira uttered the most comforting words she could think of: "Tomorrow will be a better day."

In the dark of the night, the stone of another demon shattered, making a crack, and from there, a lone black spider came out….

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JeniNeji:

Here, my dear readers, here ends the first part of this story "When the Past is the Future". I hope you all enjoy it. The story continues, don't worry, it will continue here, and now is where the story will bring back the kagome-sesshomaru relationship. i hope liked my story, i want to thank all those who left reviews, if it weren't for you, no one will be reading it. thank you.

i will not post the next part unless i receive a significant amount of reviews. i repeat, i will not post.

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