Suddenly a form of condensed, cloud-like mist hovered above the table, and the group sitting there were watching as their little girl sat – very adorably – upon one of Toga-sama's shoulders, and he pointed various animals and plants out to her, telling her little stories about them and educating her on things that would be good for her to know if she were ever stuck in the wilderness. It was clear that this was not just a one-time lesson, either; Toga-sama fully intended on making Kagome capable of fending for herself in the wild. Grandpa wasn't the least bit surprised – to be honest, neither was Naoko – and she suspected that their combined matter-of-fact attitude was the only thing keeping Isamu from being completely overwhelmed.

Isamu was a wonderful person, and she loved him with all her heart, but most people didn't deal well with change, and his entire world had been turned upside down in a matter of minutes. At least Naoko had had almost three years – and then, when thinking back later on, even more than that – to change her view on what was physically possible in this world.

So, to diffuse the tension and keep his shock and confusion from turning into anger, Naoko clasped his hands and said bluntly, "I'm very sorry for keeping this from you Isamu."

That stopped him short, and he tilted his head, blinking at her, "You were just as surprised at most of this…"

She nodded, but then responded softly, "When Kagome was born, the first time I held her in my arms, a bright, shimmering light of the purest, softest pink surrounded her, and then sank into her skin. It was then that I firmly decided to open my mind to the fact that maybe supernatural things did exist, and that maybe your father had a very good reason for keeping us away from the shrine – just because my first inescapable experience with the supernatural was apparently pure and beautiful didn't mean that all things were so, after all; or that the appearance of what I saw was a truly honest portrayal of what it was. And then, just shortly after Kagome turned two, I asked her where she was learning all those gestures – you've never had dogs, Isamu, but I grew up surrounded by them, and almost all of her affection has an absolutely blatant canine lean to it.

"She promptly told me that she was learning them in her dreams, because she was meant to be inu yōkai, it was important, and that also she would be learning to be a miko when she got older, but that learning to be inu was more important as young as she is because it would make her stronger."

Naoko chuckled wryly, "I was more shocked that her instructor and alpha was a ghost than I was that he was yōkai – or that he was even here. I suspected he would be here when I saw she was wearing her pigtails instead of a hairstyle traditionally worn with yukata."

Soft brown eyes gave him a truly sorrowful and guilt-ridden look, as she finished her speech, "I didn't know how to tell you – because I felt you wouldn't believe me until you experienced it yourself, passing them off as some fantasy or strange fancy… I'm so sorry, Isamu…"

Her husband sighed, shook his head, and kissed her hands, "No – you were right not to tell me, beloved. I definitely wouldn't have believed you, and being confronted with all of this and realising I had purposely blinded myself earlier would simply have made me angry. And, seeing as you quite obviously know more about this than I do; and about that comment that I am wondering about—don't think I was unaware why you really went to serve us tea, dearest—you can perhaps explain what you know, and then Father can fill in the gaps?"

That was a good compromise, so Naoko spoke up, "I can swear to you, Isamu, that Toga-sama's intentions and affections are completely honourable. He treats her as he would a non-related pack member that is still a child. I can also assure you that no matter what, his intentions towards her will always be honourable, and it will be her choice in how things change between them… Grandpa?"

Naoko could assume, guess, and use instinct about how she thought things would go, but she didn't actually know, and she had a feeling that this was something huge that was about to be dropped on their heads… Especially when the cloud-mist formed another picture. It was one of Kagome, obviously much older, opening the door to the well-house… and as soon as the door opened, the picture stopped. Grandpa spoke then, "This has already happened, and is about to happen, and will never happen. Yes, it's confusing – the Kami can be very cruel in the name of protecting Their loved ones. What is directly about to happen with the well, the centipede yōkai, and the hanyō will happen, no matter what – it has to.

"The rest of the bits and pieces the Kami are about to show you, however, have already happened before – and the Kami were so upset and displeased with the eventual outcome that they brought in Toga-sama, a good millennia before he was going to reincarnate and allowing him to keep to his current form, to rectify things. I will explain the various reasons they brought in the Inu no Taishō once this is done with."

And then began a film that was fantastic, crazy, hectic, wonderful, terrifying – and completely, wholly, utterly heartbreaking. To see her beautiful baby girl treated like that, thinking it was fine, loving someone who so clearly didn't love her for herself, to watch her give up her life for someone who was clearly using her as a convenient substitute, even though it was clear that the "original" had been nothing like Kagome… To see her daughter repeatedly abandoned and attacked and left behind, before being forced from the person she loved and back into the modern world. But the well opened back up, and it seemed that despite it all she would have her "happy" ending; and sure, he treated her better, but he still didn't treat her right…

And then, being left for someone else, and so heartbroken that…

Naoko couldn't bear to think about it. Neither could Isamu, apparently, who was holding her and stroking her hair as they each cried on their partner's shoulders.

It took a while but finally they calmed down, and Naoko handed Isamu one of her handkerchiefs, both of them wiping their eyes dry.

"Kagome is timeless. She cannot die by any simple means – possibly not at all – due to the jewel that she was born protecting inside of her own body; that pink glow you saw the day of her birth, Naoko. As far as we and the Kami are aware of, the only way that Higurashi Kagome can die is by wanting to do so. The Kami were so greatly distressed and angered by this turn of events that They looked into Kagome's soul, found the strongest soul-bond They could find, and yanked on it... Leading to Toga-sama falling right into Their midst, quite confused considering he rightly ought to have been dead for a good thousand or so more years.

"All of the Kami excepting Amaterasu-Ō-Mi-Kami-sama and Omoikane-sama were quite surprised at this – especially when They realised that Kagome had never been soul-bound to the hanyō excepting a bond of friendship and motherly affection. She could have been soul-bound to the older son romantically, but just as easily bound to him in a manner more befitting a sister or a mother. Toga-san, however, upon examination, only had one soul-bond… and that was to Kagome. They didn't tell him this though – instead They let him watch what we just saw, only more extensive; still not the entirety, but Toga-sama told me it took him four days to watch what They gave him. Then They let his reaction speak for itself.

"He was beyond furious, and demanded that They tell him what to do to fix the situation."

Naoko chuckled a bit, "Well, it seems our little Kagome made an impression on him."

Grandpa nodded, "Oh, that she did. He fell hard, head over heels – and then, when he was told he had to watch the rest of what she went through, and exist as a ghost until she went through the well, he accepted completely willingly – and fell in love with her all over again as he saw all the things he missed out on during the condensed version. Wanna know the best thing about all of this?"

Her husband was the one to answer this; genuinely taken in and intrigued by now, "Do tell; it must be big if you are grinning so madly, father."

"Twice, he asked Amaterasu-Ō-Mi-Kami-sama and Omoikane-sama if him interfering in her upbringing wouldn't change those things he loved about her – he was perfectly willing to watch her grow up without any contact whatsoever until she went through the well, despite the fact that he is inu yōkai, she is his soul-mate, and his instincts would be screaming at him to be around her in any way possible, just so he could touch her in some way. He was willing to undergo literal torture so long as he didn't change her from the person he loved."

Isamu blinked in shock at that, then looked at the window that showed outside, "Okay, so they're meant for each other, I can believe that and I can accept it with no ill will. However, how is this going to affect her, and us, while she grows up and before she goes to the well – and what about school?"

"Right now, even though Toga-sama is very much in love with adult – and considering when he comes from originally, with the right amount of maturity, which I do believe she'll have, fourteen, even thirteen, is adult to him – Kagome, child Kagome is simply pack. Think of it as extended family not related by blood, or related so distantly by blood that they might as well not be anyhow. Right now, to Kagome, he is simply a teacher, mentor, and friend. As she grows their interactions will change – although as a warning, inu are incredibly, constantly affectionate.

"Yes it is improper in our culture and most people would think very badly about it, but he is not human. Toga-sama is a yōkai, a canine, one who simply takes a humanoid form because it is more convenient than running around as a dog the size of a small mountain. What is inappropriate amongst those in our culture is not only appropriate, but necessary amongst inu yōkai. Ultimately, however, Kagome will be the one to make the decision if she wants to mate him or not – he will never force her into it, the mere idea of such a thing is beyond abhorrent to him. To be honest, I think our Kagome is going to force the issue, rather than him bringing it up first. It will be hilarious if she does, and I desperately hope Amaterasu-Ō-Mi-Kami-sama allows me to see it.

"As for schooling – home-school, paid for by Toga-sama himself. Or rather, his eldest son – but since a large chunk of that money was inherited it might as well be Toga-sama's. He intends for her to learn enough that even if we are wrong about our theory that Kagome can not only not die by natural means, but also can not be killed, she will still be in very little danger from her adventures. His eldest son will be teaching her how to use katana and wakizashi in the traditional samurai manner, an orphaned neko yōkai he found a hundred years ago who could see him and is very talented with daggers – even going so far as throwing them – will be teaching her how to use those, and Toga himself will be teaching her how to use both the longbow and a hunting bow. He has also tentatively found an Aikido instructor and a kyokushin Karate instructor – his son is negotiating lessons and prices with them.

"At night she will be learning yōkai culture, proper etiquette and manners, politics, and old history, as well as a few other various things; such as how to do proper tea ceremonies in both the human and yōkai ways in various situations. Toga-sama is leaving her modern education up to me, so long as she is home-schooled – he knows of a "school" that teaches shrine children, alternating the shrines where the children are taught, and once they reach the final year of junior high school they are each given enough assignments for two weeks, and at the end of every two week period, they give in their assignments. Frankly, it's ideal, considering what our girl is going to be doing during her final middle school year."

They thought about that and it really did seem to be the best option… However, there was something missing… "Oh! What about her powers?"

"Toga-sama and I will teach her to use her reiki and spiritual powers – they aren't reiryoku like I have, reiryoku is blue not pink, so we'll let her pick what to call them. And don't worry about the old yōkai – he's far too powerful to be harmed by purification powers of any strength. Even his eldest son shares that immunity to them when he first meets Kagome in the Sengoku Jidai, and he was far younger than Toga-sama at the time, just less than four hundred years old."

Suddenly the front door opened and the subjects of their conversation stepped in – one of them obviously asleep, and the other watching over her adoringly before tilting his head towards the door, "It is about to rain, so I thought I would bring my little bird inside. Daisuke-san, is there somewhere I can lay her down so that she may nap uninterrupted? I fear we got carried away with our walk in the forest, as fun as it was for her. Well, at least she stopped being so upset about the park for now. Also, we met a crow – not yōkai but one of those, you know – named Kei, that has decided to be her friend until she has to go through the well. So, if you see any crows hanging about, feed them, would you?"

Grandpa stood up and walked up the stairs, opening the door at the back left, showing a room decorated in tasteful shades of pink, yellow, and green – obviously meant for a young girl, but a mature young girl. Toga-sama shifted Kagome from his arms, causing her to whimper softly, and him to growl just as softly back at her, before speaking, "Be a good pup for me, Kagome, and finish your nap – I promise, I will just be downstairs with your family – this Toga is not going to be leaving you while we are both at the shrine."

Their little girl mumbled something incoherent that made the yōkai chuckle, and he and Grandpa left the room, closing the door behind them. Once they were sitting down at the table – Toga-sama taking his place next to Grandpa – Isamu asked, "What is this about the park? And what is "one of those" exactly?"

Toga-sama answered easily and readily – leaving Naoko content that her daughter was in very good hands indeed.

Translations:

Neko – cat