Inuhime, Inu no Taisho, and Inuyasha arrived at the temple of the mother-goddess. They noticed that there was two other beings there inside. The mother-goddess, Amaterasu, turned around and smiled softly. They knelt down with their eyes on the floor.

"Hello, my children. Please, Inuhime, come let me look at you." She looks over Inuhime like she was a worried mother. In a sense, she was worried about her. The mother-goddess continued, "Now, Inuhime, my daughter, what is it that you come to seek?"

"I came to seek answers."

"I see. Tell me, what answers do you seek?"

"My visions...and a sickening aura that appears now and then."

"I see. You visions, you say. What are they showing you, my dear?"

"Occasionally, the time that I was raped, night that my father died, and also the one who had killed Inuyasha and taken the Tetsusaiga. They appeared in flashes. The images are to fast for me to grasp. I still don't know who did those terrible crimes. I need help to sort this out. I believe that whoever had done this would also tried to get to Kagome, my twin's mate to be, and to myself, my goddess."

"I see. well, my child. Those visions will slowly return to you as you normally see them. As you seen any vision on who killed your brother, draw the image on parchment. Sooner or later, you will meet your new foe. He's a little stronger than that psycholic hanyou, Naraku. He's a full demon. Your father, your brother, and a miko will be resurrected to help you, your twin, and the Shikon Miko. You will also acquire more allies along the way, my child. Is there anything else that you wanted to ask?"

"When will this happen? When will I meet him and how?"

"So, eager, aren't you? Well, sooner than you think. Izanami will help you when the time comes."

"How will I know when it's time?"

"Izanami will appear to you on a new moon night."

Meanwhile, Kagome was in the palace gardens to watch Shippo and Rin played and teased Jaken. Sesshomaru arrived to see Jaken trying to hit one of the children.

"Jaken!"

"L-lord S-sesshomaru!"

"What were you doing, Jaken?"

"Well, you see milord, they were being brats and wouldn't leave me a lone!"

Rin yelled as she ran to Sesshomaru and hugged his legs, "Lord Sesshomaru, good to see you. Master Jaken was torturing us with his boring lessons and won't let us have any playtime since we returned from Edo."

"Jaken! For now on, you will let the kit and Rin have their playtime in one hour after lunch! Is that understood?!"

"Yes, mi-milord!"

"Rin and Shippo, you will return to your studies in 30 minutes! Is that understood?!"

They said in unison, "Yes, milord!"

Sesshomaru lifted his nose in the air and sniffed to where Kagome was. He spotted her under a sakura tree. He starred at her from the distance. He thought, "She's so beautiful." He began to walk elegantly towards Kagome as his long, silver hair was being bounced up and down as a strong breeze blew through the garden.

Kagome noticed him walking towards her. Her heart was beating what it seemed to be 100 beats per second. The scene was like seeing the guy that you like coming to you. It seemed like it was in slow-motion. Kagome thought, "He's so elegant and beautiful."

"What was that about?"

"Jaken was complaining about them not studying their lessons. Rin complained that Jaken hadn't let them have playtime since we'd returned from Edo. I made it very clear that Jaken will let them have their playtime after lunch. Why did you left the sitting room?"

"It was getting a little uncomfortable in there. Inuhime must'd sensed that I was uncomfortable so she told me to go to the gardens where the children were. You're not angry at me, are you?"

He smirked and shook his head 'no'. Kagome sat in Indian style, when Sesshomaru decided to lie down on her lap. Kagome couldn't help, but to massage his head, temples, and behind his ears. It had been a long while since he actually relax. He was always alert. He closed his eyes and smiled. Kagome smiled knowing that she was the only one that could make him relax. She bent over to kiss his moon crest on his forehead. He opened one eye, then closed it again. There was contented silence between them. The only thing that one could hear was the movement of the trees as the wind blows and the laughter of the young ones. It was heavenly and relaxing.

In the spirit world, at the temple of Amaterasu, Inuhime was speaking to her directly wanted to get some unanswered questions, which at least a couple were answered.

Amaterasu said, "Sesshomaru and Kagome need to be mated before that time."

"Why?"

"They will be nearly as powerful as your father was. It's strange how love could make one so powerful. For example, your father and Lady Izayoi. Your father sacrificed his life for her's and their newborn pup's sakes. Your brother sacrificed his life for Kagome. I believe he would had done it even though they were just friends. Inuhime, he knew that he would die that day. He knew subconsciously that he wasn't in love with her and vise versa. Besides, do you believe that Kagome is better fitted with your twin than your half-brother?"

"Yes, she filled his heart with love. I believe that she could make him relax and open his heart without any fear. When we were growing up, we witnessed and understood that our parents weren't in love. Well, it was one-sided. Mother loved him, but he didn't, yet only caring for her as a good friend and mother to us, Sesshomaru and I. That's why he put up so many walls of hard ice around his heart so that he can't feel any emotional pain, what we witnessed as pups. My goddess, Amaterasu, how could I make them mate? I don't want to force them. When should they mate? Can you be more specific on the time?"

Amaterasu smiled softly and said, "You can't make them, but you could influence them to mate. After all, you were a match-maker to human and youkai. They must be mated before the new moon."

"Ugh...when is that? I need specifics."

The goddess laughed lightly, "Oh, my child, relax. I will tell you. The new moon is the night of the annual ball. They must mate before that night."

"What would happened if they won't or couldn't mate for some reason or another?"

The mother-goddess sighed sadly and said, "Then Kagome will be lost to Sesshomaru forever."

Suddenly, Inuhime woken up from her meditation when she heard Jaken's squaking and squeaking voice. Such an annoying creature. She thought, "How, the seven hells, does Sesshomaru puts up with that imp?!" She also heard the young ones laughing. She also saw Sesshomaru laying on Kagome's lap underneathe a sakura tree; relaxed and contented. She smiled and thought, "Well, maybe this isn't as hard as I thought. I just need to influence them, but how can I do that? I wonder what the mother-goddess meant by 'then Kagome will be lost to Sesshomaru forever'. Hmm how to...influence them to mate? It cannot be force, but only by influencing them, which means no magic. Magic is only an illusion and therefore, it isn't real. I need to reflect on my match-making past..."

Inuyasha (c) Rumiko Takahashi

Fanfiction & OCs (c) ladytari