"What's it like?"

"Huh?" I was baffled. She sure knew how to break silences.

The copper in her eyes wavered slightly, like a glimmering sea. Her solemn expression made me want to comfort her, but I didn't want to overstep any boundaries or make her feel awkward.

She spoke. "Slaying a demon?"

It dawned on me. She's never killed before.

She had almost the exact attitude of Inuyasha and yet she's got the emotions of her mother. My brows rose but my eyes narrowed as I looked away momentarily. Quite a dangerous combination.

Slaying a demon is exhilarating, sometimes challenging, and mind-blowing. It's so difficult to plan your next move when a demon does something unexpected. It's nasty getting covered in their guts too. I've never given it much thought though. Neither did my sister.

Moriko's bangs shadowed over her eyes. "I have to be able to protect myself when all of you are gone."

It had been a while till I noticed that she had walked out. When we're . . . Gone?

I walked through the village, my eyes cast to the ground. It didn't matter whether I bothered to look at their faces.

I lifted a clawed hand. "Heh. I'm different."

Inuyasha watched his daughter saunter through the woods from his perch on the sacred tree. Standing, the wind tousled his white mane and hakama. He knew what was going on. His claws wanted to dig into the bark of the trunk that his hand rested upon. He closed his eyes. She'll have to come to terms with this on her own. He exhaled.

The vision of her walking through the woods aimlessly reminded him of himself when he was young.

He would watch over her. He would make sure no demons came her way. Not that he needed to. The guardian of the forest, he himself, has been around long enough that any unwelcome or hostile demon wouldn't dare approach this village.

She started running. He smelled blood. An unfamiliar scent. As he followed her discreetly from the treetops, he caught sight of her a few times. Between the fingers of her tight fist, red liquid dripped. So. This was the scent of her blood.

Since she was born she had never bled on this side. He made sure of that. What happened in Kagome's world he could not help, but over here he would never let her suffer the countless injuries he'd had even before Naraku.

Only now he realized that he could not help what she did to herself. She's just like Kagome, beating herself up inside. Thinking of his wife, he changed his mind.

Moriko is more human than I am. She won't even live as long as I will.

Maybe that's another reason why humans and demons kept to themselves. Their children would suffer knowing they'll outlive their human parent. Even worse, the demon parent will suffer knowing he'll likely outlive his child. It wasn't how the world was supposed to work. Yes the children should outlive their parents, but not have much life left to live when they've died.

He found her by the well and his heart sank. Does she regret . . . Coming here?

She stood there, staring into its depths. He heard her crying but was surprised when she went around the well and kept on running. She was reaching the end of his territory.

She could smell demons not too far away. Enough babying. She wanted to fight for herself. She would have to learn to endure eventually anyway. She knew Inuyasha was following her. She didn't know why he didn't approach her, as he did last before, but she didn't give a damn. She kept on running. He'd be nearby if something happened.

Her physical endurance had improved and she was feeling the thrill of exercise. As the rush faded over time, the realization that she was different did not.

I stopped. Gotcha

"HANYOU!" A voice bellowed. I sidestepped to make better balance.

I hadn't bothered to stay downwind. I wanted a fight.

Pulse.

"Come and get me ya bastard!"

"YOU DARE pick a fight with-"

Pulse

A giant green scythe gashed out of the brush into the open. It's . . . Coming towards me.

That's when I noticed it.

Pulse Pulse

The hairs of my arms bristle. I feel the air still, paralyzed with electric tension.

I could not move. It's not like when you're paralyzed with fear. I could make myself move, but it's as if the air around me was closing in on my body.

Time slowed. Sweat bled down to my temples. I watched the scaly ragged-sharp scythe close in.

Pulse. A Pulse. Suddenly not frozen, my hand gingerly touched the space between my breasts. The next pulse relaxed and melted from my center and bled through my body with a comforting warmth.

The air suddenly smelled cleaner.

I faced the scythe at my right and held out my hand, as if my palm could simply halt its path. What is this?

I suddenly went cold. The arm before me shook. I didn't understand why, but I did when my gaze left it to the scythe.

It was laying on the ground twenty feet away. It had obviously hit a row of trees before it had fallen limp to the ground, detached.

The mantis wailed in pain.

Did I? What did I do?

Inuyasha nearly fell off his branch at the surge of reiki. His hairs stood on end, smoking. The wave of power had actually singed his hair.

He was now on all fours, claws digging into wood for dear life. That's MY daughter?

He looked up into sky, glaring at the invisible Kami. She MAY look like me, but she's got Kagome's fury inside her.

The demon roared, pulling his attention back to the scene before him. Moriko was still gawking at her hand. His anger blew up, "Move it woman!"

Her head swiveled and she stared at him. She was still in shock.

The demon charged, crashing through the forest.

He pushed off the branch high into the air. The demon didn't even notice him in his rage. His arms flung out to his sides. Fingers curled back, his claws descended down upon the flesh.

I watched in awe as my father dashed about. My eyes flit about as I try desperately to catch sight of the source of the yellow lines that crossed the demons body multiple times. All I could see was a red blur.

I didn't even notice that his efforts were not even leaving a scratch. He stopped as soon as I figured it out. I nearly sighed as my eyes finally rested upon his standing form.

"Well then, I guess I ain't enough for you." He growled.

Something touched my shoulder. I jumped. Kagome smiled warmly at me. She's smiling?

She looked back at the battle and I followed her gaze.

I saw his hand grab for his sword but my eyes told me the rest was a lie.

He flew up in the air again, holding his sword above his head.

"TETSU-SAIGA!" The giant blade crashed onto the demons right shoulder with a yellow flash. In one motion, it sliced violently through its body all the way to its left 'hip'.

My hands involuntarily flew to the sides of my face but there were no ears there. The demon finally cried out in pain, realizing its demise. My canine ears flattened against my skull, the dying roars deafening.

Papa landed on the ground, his blade already back in its black sheath.

He stood there and watched the demon, or what was left of it, collapse to the ground in pieces.

Something boiled beneath my skin. Move.

"Moriko-san!" I yelled. Inuyasha automatically whirled at me at my distress. I would've loved it if my daughter hadn't been running away.

I started to move, started to motion for him to follow. His hand whisked in front of me. "Give her time."

I drew back from him. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! We GOT to GO AFTER HER!"

He grabbed my shoulders. "There aren't any more demons around, Kagome. She's fine."

I paused. He was clearly trying to calm me down. Had I overreacted?

His expression softened at my dampened fury. "Kagome." He embraced me and I took in the warmth and love of it, as always. I was still tense, however and he noticed.

He sighed into my hair. "I knew this was coming. We're just lucky that you've aged so well."

I pushed him back a bit, to look at his face, "What's this about? I sense a strange, immense spiritual power and come to find you laying waste to that demon. What happened?"

"Keh. Kagome, she may look like me, but she's all you on the inside."

At that, it dawned on me. "She has spiritual powers?!"

"Well, obviously I don't."

"And You Didn't THINK TO TELL ME THIS UNTIL NOW?!"

He flinched. His ears faced the other way at the increase in my volume. His face told it all.

"Oh. You didn't know." I felt ashamed. I looked up at him, "Sorry for yelling."

"Nah. I'm surprised but you haven't been so . . ." He searched for the right words, "So alive since the day you came back from your era."

Kikyou didn't even come to mind at his choice of words. He wasn't implying anything, after all.

I looked on at the direction which she had fled. "What should we do?"

Two clawed fingers took hold of my chin. Golden, loving eyes gazed at me, "Let's leave her be. She'll come around."

At his surprisingly-confident assurance, I didn't question him. "If you say so." I submitted.

He gave me a cocky grin, "If she's anything like you, which she is, a lot, she'll figure it out."

I looked at him, clueless. What's that supposed to mean?

Moriko. I have faith that you will come to understand that living, while living much longer than those around you, means actually enjoying the life you have and do something with it.

I wrapped my arm around Kagome's shoulders as we walked. She was still tense and I stopped and silently kissed the top of her head. The scent her hair carried flooded my nose and I smiled in her onyx waves.

She relaxed a little more, and therefore, out of habit, so did I. In the past, when she was this tense, she would've sat me to death.

Nope. Couldn't let that happen.

I have faith in you. But please don't take all the time in the world. Your mother can only worry more and more. I can't hold her down forever.

"And please don't make me." He muttered.

"Eh? What's that?"

"Oh um. Nothing!"

I tore through the air. Twigs snagged at my kimono and cut my face.

Who knows how far I ran, but I just kept going, not paying attention to where I went. Wherever my feet take me . . .

I sobbed. I nearly choked it as I was breathing so hard at the same time.

Something impacted my shoulders. My whole body stopped at the sudden force. Eh? Armor?

I looked up. His expression was so soft, gentle. I saw my hand reach up to his face through blurred vision. His skin . . . So smooth.

Then, everything went dark.

A piercing scream. I looked at her wide eyes. Her body trembled in my arms. She couldn't even form the words but I knew.

It's cold.

"I know you're uncomfortable," I said as I looked at her, "but it'll be over soon."

I expected more wails or, like her father, angry profanity, but she just soaked in the water, silent. Except for her chattering teeth.

What does this girl mean to me?

Talons gently flicking away her bangs, I lay my palm on her forehead. The fever has vanished.